The Murky Road

(first image: tablet-guru.com - second image: southbaymobilization.org)

Christmas is fast approaching, and so is 2009. What’s there to expect in a new year, really?

We’re already 9 years into the millennia (or, almost). It feels like quite some time ago, and when you think about it, a lot has transpired since then. It’s mind-boggling what 9 years can contain. Just imagine the people today, that are 60, 70, 80 years or more old. They’ve lived through so much happiness, sadness, surprises, shockers, and most importantly, history. It’s no wonder people say the old folks are always the most wise.

To have grandparents is a blessing. The grandparents of today have most likely lived through World War II, the introduction of the television (plus the color television), the revolution of what’s called the Internet, and all the problems dealing with the world. Within a single sitting with a grandparent, you can be filled with all the knowledge of the world, within a real person’s point of view. Not just the facts, not just the details. The real story. You just can’t help but to admire what they’ve gone through for so many years. If you’re 25 years old, and you think your life has been crazy, imagine living that life three times over.


As years grow old, history will grow old too, and fade away. Our knowledge of history will still remain, but people who have been there first-person will no longer exist. That is, unless history repeats itself. The Great Depression was a terrible time for people all over the world, and we hoped something similar would never happen. But look at us. Clueless humans that have led ourselves into a financial mess (you know, technically, none of this would exist if the economic system wasn’t created by our self-proclaimed-smart-humans). Oh, so what? Now we’re going to lead ourselves into another Hitler? How can we be too sure that we won’t? After all, any president in the world right now can just go out and decide that he/she wants to be a madman despot—and probably succeed, at that. Not to spread any negativity here, but that day will come...just as how the day that Earth will end will eventually arrive.

To think about the far future is ridiculous (how contradictory...). Hah! We can’t even handle problems that we have in the present, let alone think about the future—it’s just asking for more trouble and stress.

Whether it’s 365 seconds, 365 minutes, 365 hours, 365 days, or 365 years...it’s constantly counting down, and we have no such time to waste it.

-the clam.

(P.S. That second image is what we must change to avoid)

Forgive or Forget?

Letting go of something could be pretty hard. We're talking: letting go of memories, letting go of dreams, letting go of love...It is natural in life to just let go.

There are those times in your life when you just have to accept what is going on and move on. Watch the baby grow up to be a child, learning to live without that blankie...and the proud parents watching their Little One grow up to be an adult like theirselves...

For some people, it takes longer to recover from a relationship than others. Letting go of love can be pretty hard! I mean, you've been spending "forever" with this person, and all of a sudden, you're just not? One day, you'll wake up, and realize that you have to start over. Begin a whole new chapter in your life; let the old one collect dust. It has had its time and fame, and now, you can move on. You can let go of the past.

That's right. The PAST is the key to this subject. How many times have you done something in your life that you ended up regretting? How many of you live your life without regrets?? When something happens, should you forgive or forget? Forgive and forget? I don't know about you, but when it can be hard for me to admit I am wrong. I just can't accept it. But of course, sooner or later, I would eventually have to accept it, move along, and forget about it. If it was an honest mistake? Forgive that friend, let go of the situation, move on. Everybody makes mistakes, and half those people deserve a second chance. For some, a second chance is all they need...

And if you refuse to let go? How much longer can you keep holding on?

It does not have to be the end,
-my.great.ESCAPE.

(Image credits to Photobucket.com)

Just One Moment, Frozen.

The way time works for someone like me is this: Fast, quick, and unnoticed. For a while now, it seemed like my life moved with me; so therefore nothing changed. My Mom was still younger than she looked, my Dad still had that too large belly, and my brother- although married- was just my brother.

Maybe it was because everything came in a pace, but sometimes when something throws you off, it really throws you off.

It was any other day, and it was cold out despite the fact that it was almost Summer. I exit my Grandmother's house, and walk towards the parking lot, where my Father's car is. As I'm walking I see my friend's mother walking out of the hall leading to the lot. I smile at her, and suddenly, running out of the hall behind her is her youngest son.

Now, my friend had moved here two years ago. He has a family of five: three boys, and one Mom. No Dad. Nothing. Well, when my friend had first moved here, the youngest son was just a baby- he couldn't even walk. This all registered as I watched this little human run by me, laughing gleefully.

And I realized at that moment, that a lot of time had passed. Two years had turned a baby who needed his mother to carry him to a little boy who could run around and see the world. For a minute, I just stood there, shocked.

I remembered all this stupid stuff that I never really remember until I'm sad. I remembered seeing my friend before he was my friend, when he was the new neighbor, and he was kneeling down and comforting his younger brother, who then was just a little boy. I thought about how that little boy was now in the fourth grade, and I thought about how my friend wasn’t as I thought of him then. He wasn’t kind and caring, he ditched class and did who knows what.

And I just stood there, and for the first time in who knows when, I just felt incredibly sad. I realized I was growing up. There was no Neverland, and no matter what I wouldn’t be able to imagine myself a meal in a few years. I wouldn’t be carefree, and the responsibilities that are already beginning to pile up are going to pile higher.

Eventually of course, I continued walking, feeling incredibly bittersweet. But now, when I think back to that one moment, that little boy rushing past, I just smile. It’s amazing what can trigger such a feeling, but it’s moments like that that really give me a reality check.

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic,

-Karma Police

The Privilege of Childhood

It's back to babbling about random-stuff-that-doesn't-relate-to-the-theme.

This time, I'm going to delve back into my past...way, way back. The time when I still chewed on tissue and swallowed gum and made sound effects with my mouth while playing action figures.

Childhood is seriously the best time of our lives. We get to play, mess around, have fun, and not ever have to care about the world. We had people that watched over us, we had people who fed us, and we could eat everything we wanted and not have to worry about your health (well, maybe not the tissue and gum).

It's also the time we do completely absurd things—you know, the things that we look back on and we start laughing, "Oh my god, I did WHAT? I so did not walk down an aisle hand-in-hand with a flowergirl holding a pillow with a ring on it." ...yes, I did that.

One of the things I laugh about myself were my imaginative stories that I wrote. Here's an excerpt from a story I wrote, Mike and the Mystery of Tike, way back when I was eight years old:

"There lived a boy named Mike MaCarthy. He just loves frogs and toads so much that his parents bought him a toad. He named it Tike. One day in school, his best friend Mark said that he loves frogs and toads too but his parents wouldn't let him. Mike was sorry for him. Mark even said he tried to go to the pond and catch his own toad. But Mike knew that he wouldn't catch it because he isn't even good at catching a ball!"

Yeah, that was one of my better-grammared one (by the way, I left it genuinely as it is). If you're wondering, the story goes on and Mike had to 'solve the mystery' to find his lost toad. Turns out, his friend took it.

One of other 'mystery'-themed stories was Where's Kim?:

"One morning,, the Tyson family was getting ready for a trip to Las Vegas. "Hurry up kids! We're about to go!", shouted Mr. Tyson. "All right!", yelled both of the sisters, Kathy and Kim...While Mr. Tyson was driving, both sisters played. Kim was 6 years old so she played with kid stuffs. Kathy was 13 so she write, draw, and do what other teenagers do."

Same as before, I left it genuinely as it is, grammar and all. The story continues on, and Kim gets kidnapped while sitting at a McDonald's restaurant, where her sister failed at her babysitting skills. They went on a wild goose chase, and eventually tracked Kim down at the MGM, where the kidnapper was about to blow up a bomb. They managed to save Kim in time. YES, I know, lengthy and weird...but that's what I thought was 'cool' back then.

Anyways, I would dive into my old second grade journal, but I feel lazy. But I'll tell you, you'll be laughing on the ground by the time I finish telling you what I wrote in my journal...but I won't, so sit right where you are.

And yes, I did make funky sounds while playing with my action figures. Hey, it was fun you know.

-the clam.