Adobo

This is funny. I can't stop thinking of adobo... =P I just woke up and headed to work, and all I can think of is this Filipino dish. I can almost taste it on my tongue. I can almost smell it.

Soooo... I'm gonna be making one tonight. W00t!

Weekend trip

Last weekend, I went to Des Moines to visit a good friend of mine, Francis. After we met, we picked up a third person--Ruby, a pinay studying in Ames which is a city about 30 minutes from Des Moines.

We had a blast, and Francis showed us to some sights (one of which was the sides of a highway, cause his car broke down, and we had to have it towed). Later that day, we went to a casino, and I had lots of fun there! In fact, I can't wait to come back!

After that, we watched a Chinese show for the local Chinese community was celebrating their New Year. The show featured lots of local Chinese talents, and not being able to understand what they were saying made the show really satisfying. I was able to focus more on their movements and understand the show from that perspective.

The following day, Sunday, we just relaxed at Francis' apartment and watched a few DVDs.

Overall, the trip was a blast; I made new friends, and didn't even feel tired after the whole thing, which is unusual 'cause I usually get tired from these kinds of events.

Has it really been that long?

Has it really been that long since I last posted? The previous post before this still seemed so fresh in my mind.

I got nothing new to say really. I've just picked up this new book last night. It's an interesting read. It's called "A Course in Miracles." I began reading it because it's recommended a lot in Amazon after buying another book. After ordering it, I was just stunned at how thick it was--around 1000 pages! =/

I didn't play WoW last night, cause I wanted to sleep early. So, I just picked up the book and started reading it. It was fine. Can't really tell anything yet. But it has this beautiful saying at the beginning.

"Nothing real can be threatened,
Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of God."

Tomorrow, I'll be going to a friend's place, and have a good time. We're planning on watching the Chinese New Year festival here, go to some event and go to some restaurants. Hopefully, I can post some pictures afterwards.

Ciao!

Long Way Round all over again

I've finally purchased the DVD version of this great TV series. For those who don't know what this is, it's about two guys (Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman) who decided to ride motorcycles from London, going east until they reach New York (yes, the long way round).

They had to cross a lot of hurdles, but at the same time met a lot of people. Met mafias in Ukraine, policemen and media in Kazakhstan, absence of roads in Mongolia, bears and raging rivers in Eastern Russia. When they finally got to the continental United States, they were kind of sad that the journey is about to end. Then Ewan summed the purpose of their journey poignantly:

He hopes that people who have been wanting to travel but is stopped by the what if's and the might be's, would be inspired by this. And realize that the what if's and might be's are the ones that make the travel memorable and worthwhile.

I couldn't stop crying when he said this. They have been through a lot, and have been through very low lows and very high highs. And yet, there was something ultimately freeing about it. They expressed a freedom that is immensely satisfying. When they nearing New York, they were actually talking about not showing up and just driving back to the west and do the journey all over again. Of course, they were just kidding, but they were also half-serious.

In the end, the country that gave them the most trouble, Mongolia, was, according to them the best country they went through, and they were glad they didn't bail out when the going went really tough.

I'm so grateful they made this series. I paid close to 2.5x the regular price for this DVD, but I wouldn't mind paying more than 10x or even 100x knowing how much gratifying watching it. It made me realize how beautiful the world is, and how, in the end we are all the same.

I'll be planning my own trip soon. I have an idea where to go. I just have to realize the what if's and the migh be's are the best thing that can happen along the way...

Another quote

I've been out for a while... Anyway, got a good quote for today.

The greatest trick the devil has pulled is convincing us that we are less than who we are and that we can achieve wholeness [i.e. happiness] outside ourselves.

Humanity's Legacy

It's so amazing how there are lots of different movies in the world. We live in a time where most of the dominant movies are from the hollywood of today.

Most of us are not aware of movies from other places in the world. Or from other time for that matter. Hollywood movies of decades ago are just as good, if not better as today. European movies have a different feel, but equally satisfying to experience. So do Japanese, Korean and Chinese movies. If I could only understand Indian language, I'm sure I would appreciate the greatness of their art as well.

This collection of movies is humanity's legacy to it's own. These movies are the creations of the greatest minds as a testament to their experiences (both good and bad) and their enduring spirit as we--as a species--continue our existence.

I have but only a short glimpse of this elegant trapestry and I'm so grateful.

Quote

When you strive to be someone, you lose yourself;
When there is no you, you find yourself.