"This is life. The longer you live, the more you fail. Failure is the mark of a life well lived. In turn, the only way to live without failure is to be of no use to anyone."
-Wit. Oathbringer. Brandon Sanderson

journal entry: Italia parte uno

a few weeks before my trip to Italy on nov of 2018, i started writing - as in literally writing with a pencil on a piece of paper. it was going to be this travel/gratitude journal, and i was being pretty good at writing on it religiously then. after that trip, i mostly just write on it during solo trips.

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17 November 2018
11:04 AM - NY LGA

I realized I should have written when I was waiting earlier at the STL airport but I forgot. 😬
Anyway, flight to LGA arrived early so now waiting for Myta and Myer to pick me up so we can have lunch at Jollibee! Woohoo!

So far, I am thankful for:
1. safe drive from the house to the airport. No ice. Roads were pretty dry after all.
2. parking was hitch-less...found a spot almost immediately.
3. arriving in NY safe and sound.


4:39 PM - NY JFK

In JFK now waiting for my next flight (to Madrid)... getting closer and closer. Have to wait 2 more hours.
I am thankful for:
1. lunch at Jollibee with Myer and Myta
2. relatively smooth check-in and security in JFK.


18 November 2018
9:05 PM - Rome

Arrived safe in Rome. Thank you, God!
What started out as a relatively uneventful trip turned out to be nail-biting in the end....well, middle. Flight from JFK got delayed by 2.5 hours so what was supposed to be an easy 3.5-hour layover in Madrid turned out to be just a little over an hour of nervously waiting in line for immigration and then security and then running like crazy to the gate. Thankfully made it to the gate while they were still boarding.

Today, I am thankful for:
1. arriving safe and sound in Roma. Made it to my bus. I did buy a new SIM card, which was a bit expensive but I was in a real hurry to get to the bus and it was the first SIM store that I saw. Besides, after that whole fiasco with the flights, I decided I won’t complain about the little things anymore.
2. silver lining on the JFK-MAD delay - I’m just glad they found the electrical issue while we were still on the ground.
3. my first (of many, I hope) gelato in Italy!
4. Trevi fountain - I didn’t think there’d be that many tourists this time of year, but that place was packed.

And now, I sleep because I tired.

re-reading old blog posts... man, i’m just crazy sometimes (sometimes?)....also, i should really try to be better at this.
An idea came to me though...i should start posting some of my travel journal entries. so maybe i will do that.

No More Tears

I tell myself I can make it

I’m trying hard to be strong 

Guess it’s hard to believe in my lies

That I would be okay

That I would be fine without you

Tried running away from the memories

Taking a step into another place

But then all I can see is your face

Oh, I still miss you

I feel so lost without you

Save me the night

Let this dream take me back

And look in your eyes once again 

Save me

Save me

I’m brushing my sadness aside

Yeah, no more tears tonight 

And I’ll, I’ll move on soon I know

But I still miss you

I feel so lost without you

Save me the night

Let this dream take me back

And look in your eyes once again 

Save me the night

I’ll look for that star and wish you back in my arms again

Save me the night

And dream you’re with me as I close my eyes

Would you love me still?

Will you love me still?

Save me the night

Let this dream take me back 

So I can look in your eyes once again

Save me the night

I’ll look for that star

And wish you back in my arms again 

Save me the night

Save me the night

Save me the night

Save me the night

Save me

Save me

-No More Tears. Side A feat. Keiko Necesario

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First of all, I just have to say that I really like the album art and the lyric video - simple yet elegant and classy.

I must admit, I didn't fully appreciate this song the first time I heard it. It was good and I liked it; I just wasn't blown away by it. Yet. 

I think though that this is more a testament to how good they have been and can be - they've set the bar so high even for themselves. 

But the more I listened to the song, the more I realized, much like the lyrics or perhaps because of the lyrics, how deeply poignant the music is. The song breaks your heart slowly and you don't even notice until you're looking at the million little pieces. 

It’s been a while, I think, since they recorded a duet with other artists (Year 12?) but wow Yubs and Keiko sound really good together! That's hardly surprising though; if there ever were gods of harmonizing, those would be them - Side A - and this song does not disappoint. We get a healthy dose of vocal and musical harmony... a perfect blend of melancholy and longing, with a dash of resolve.

“Save me the night

And dream you’re with me as I close my eyes.

Would you love me still?

Will you love me still?”

What a difference a verb tense makes.

Some sad love songs sound wistful, others hopeful. This song manages to be both. It’s like listening to a broken-hearted person willing themselves to let go with one hand while unconsciously holding on with the other.

It’s confusing. It’s heart breaking. It’s tragically beautiful.

*****

Listen to/Stream/Buy the song on spotify, itunes, amazon, google, and at your local sari-sari store (maybe).

And watch the lyric video on youtube. Because it’s awesome. And to help them get more views. 😜

champs

From last place to Champs. What a journey. What a team. Thank you, St Louis Blues!!! 

Special shout out to my 2 loves: 

Petro, who had me the very first time I saw him on TV at the Ice breaker in 2014. 😍Became team captain at 26 (he’s now 29), he has remarkably led this team to winning the Stanley Cup championship for the very first time in Blues history.

Binner, a 25-yr old rookie, who won his first NHL start in January with a shutout, now has the most wins by a rookie in a single playoff year. Cool, calm, and just looks so intense sometimes, he makes me feel all sorts of things. 😉😂

A captain at 26 and a rookie at 25 — life is just crazy like that sometimes. A reminder that “big breaks” don’t make appointments but always seem to come at the right time.

And to Vladi and Steener, the alternate captains, who have been through a lot with this team, and I’ve realized recently, as I have been scouring the internet the past few weeks, are also absolute sweethearts. I’ve also come to realized that a lot of them are.

And to Big Rig because he’s a hometown kid, and that winning goal in double OT game 7 of round 2 is one of my favorite playoff moments. Reminded me a lot of David Freese, also a hometown kid, in 2011 WS game 6.

So many pieces of this team just clicking into place at the perfect time to form the most perfect puzzle picture - the Stanley cup.

I tend to get obsessive about stuff (cases in point: SideA and the Cardinals) and if I don’t stop myself, they will take control of my life. So this will have to be my last Blues post for a while (in social media).... until maybe the next icebreaker. 😜

Gloria finally met Stanley, and they live happily ever after. 😉😂

(I don’t own any of the photos and video clips - some belong to the Blues, some to Fox Sports, and some are from random places I stumbled upon in my sleep deprived obsessed state the past few days.)