Keystroke Journal

Two more days from now, another year will start counting 365 days all over again. And as the year 2008 ends, I couldn’t help but think about my losses and gains. Here are some of them: I put on a few pounds in the early part of 2008, lost it by the mid-part of summer but only to gain it doubly by the end-part of the year. Humph. I gained confidence in a long-time dream career only to find out it wasn’t meant for me. Whoa. I thought I have an open honest-to-goodness friendship in the early months only to have reservations in the last few remaining weeks. Ooops. I almost lost friends from cancer but cancer did not overcome our friendship. PTL! I gained more insights as I traveled from coast-to-coast even though I lost a few thousands for the costs. Ouch. I was convinced to post my thoughts online only to be skeptical of what people might think about them. Ho-hum. I had chances to sniff the fragrant flowers; listen to cheerful birds; watch in awe as the sun settles down; taste concentrate...

Of all the times to visit a memorial, a few days before Christmas Day may seem not to be the perfect day, yet I was there. From a far, it looked like a beach with benches on the sandy foreground. But as I walked closer to the scene, there were no palm trees, no beaches at all. With the wintry weather the place looked serene, unruffled. Its paperbark maple trees were barren as it surrounded the illuminated benches of the memorial while one of the world’s largest office buildings hovered nearby. Remembering the historical background of the monument was sad, and so was the day when I visited the site. The sun’s rays were overshadowed by the hazy sky. The wind was almost chilly. There were hardly any people walking around. No voices could be heard, just cautious footsteps. The only thing missing was a haunting music to pierce my soul. I started to shiver even though I was all bundled up. I couldn’t discern if it was because of the frigid breeze, or the poignant emotions I felt with...

One morning, I woke up from the crow of a rooster – a sign that I’m not in America. It's an early morning wake-up call common in Southeast Asian countries. At that time, I was in a province somewhere in the Philippines. With nothing to rush for the day, I took time to listen carefully with the energized sound. After listening intently, I found out that they either crow alone or at the same time. They also take turns. Then my imagination started to roll. I tried to mimic the English sound, “Cock-a-doodle-do” from its Filipino counterpart, “Tik-ti-laok”. And amusing as it can be, I found out that there’s a difference. I couldn’t follow with the English crow sound but the Filipino sound did the trick (try doing it, too). I then concluded that even animal sounds are interpreted differently from place to place. If I wasn’t familiar with the sound, I wouldn’t know that it was a rooster (remember Pavlov's classical conditioning?). With this in mind, another thought came -- learn to li...

Kids sometimes test our wits when they ask questions. My five year old nephew just recently did that. “Ninang, what happens if I turn 10 years old, will I be taller than you?" "Yes, because you grow fast." "What happens if I am 20 years old, will I be taller than you?” “Yes you will be taller than me.” “What happens if I’m 50 years old, will I be taller too?” “I think so.” “What happens if I turn 100 years old, how tall will I be?” “Hmm, you will be stooping by that time.” “What happens if I grow up like a giant and reach heaven?” I paused, thought for a better answer then I replied, “By that time you’ll be dead.” Finally, he stopped asking me what happens.