"Maybe it's just the childish optimist in me, but humanity can be pretty impressive when we put our minds to it."

-Andy Weir. Project Hail Mary.

"Are you the definition of insanity?

Or am I?

It must be nice to love someone who lets you break them twice." 

"Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever."

-Anthony Doerr. All The Light We Cannot See.

"I want to live, however briefly, knowing that my life is finite. Mortality gives meaning to human life. Peace, love, friendship... these are precious because we know they cannot endure."

-Data. Star Trek: Picard.

Cloud Cuckoo Land

"A text - a book - is a resting place for the memories of people who have lived before. A way for the memory to stay fixed after the soul has traveled on. But books, like people, die. They die in fires or floods or in the mouths of worms or at the whims of tyrants. If they are not safeguarded, they go out of the world. And when a book goes out of the world, the memory dies a second death."

-Anthony Doerr. Cloud Cuckoo Land.

If I could give this book a hug, I would hug it so tight its spine would start creaking. 

We are all connected, no matter where or when we are. If we could only see life and the world in super-mega-extra-wide lens, maybe we'd all be happier and we'd learn to appreciate what we have more.

(Side note: the quote above, especially the bolded part hits a bit close to home right now.)

A few more quotes from the book:

"...he realizes that the truth is infinitely more complicated, that we are all beautiful even when we are all part of the problem, and that to be a part of the problem is to be human."

"Sometimes the things we think are lost are only hidden, waiting to be rediscovered."

"The world as it is is enough."

"The way I see it, if something makes you sad when it ends, it must have been pretty wonderful when it was happening."

-This Is Us

SideA - Ibigin Ang Mundo

I like what SideA said to describe their new song - it's a love song for our planet. Indeed, it is. Much like a lover trying desperately to hold on to a most precious relationship, the song is a plea to protect and save the only planet we live in (at least for now or until Starship Enterprise finds us another one).

I love that the song is in Tagalog - it really is a beautiful language. I love that it's not their usual ballad. I love the music and the vocal harmony. And I love Leevon's voice - you can hear and feel the despair in it, it's heart-breaking.

"Dahil ang bukas ay hindi garantisado. Kailan pa ba tayo tunay na magbabago?"

In our perpetual quest for the best, we sometimes forget that our resources are not limitless. Yes, this song breaks my heart and yet it also manages to make me smile. Because despite the horror of what's happening, of what we're doing, there still is hope. We don't have to be a Greta Thunberg, we just need to do our part, no matter how small it may seem. And perhaps that's a tad too optimistic and a bit naive; but in a world full of negativity, maybe a little light of hope is all/what we need.

Check out SideA's "Ibigin Ang Mundo" on Spotify:

https://orcd.co/sidea_ibigin-ang-mundo