Along the way you bump into people who make a dent on your life. Some people, were born to sit by a river. Some get struck by lightning. Some have an ear for music. Some are artists. Some swim. Some know buttons. Some know Shakespeare. Some are mothers. And some people, dance.
Past 1:00 a.m. As usual I was channel surfing and I happened to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on HBO. And suddenly my mind wandered to the year before – when I first saw the movie. Till I was only paying very little attention to what I was watching and started missing old friends.
It's a funny thing about comin' home. Looks the same, smells the same, feels the same. You'll realize what's changed is you.
Not that I was gone or anything...I haven’t set foot back in the Plaza since I left June last year. For some reason I always wanted to come and visit, I just couldn’t find a reason to do so. I don’t regret leaving. It was a decision, a circumstance that needed realization. I needed that to grow up. And I’m glad to have learned new things, met new people and been somewhere new since I left. I guess it’s because I couldn’t stay no matter how I wanted to. Regardless of the bonds formed and the comfort of it being home, I knew I couldn’t stay.
Benjamin, we're meant to lose the people we love. How else would we know how important they are to us?
If I had any regrets in the year and a half that I was there, it is not having done more and not having done better. That knowledge is now a constant reminder to make the most out of every encounter and to put my best foot forward in anything and everything I do. Sure, there will be other times or chances but wasted time is gone and simply wasted. You can think about it over and over again but there’s nothing any of us can do.
You can be as mad as a mad dog at the way things went. You could swear, curse the fates, but when it comes to the end, you have to let go.
One of the many blessings that came with my new job was getting to know a whole new different set of people, diverse and with varied interests as well. Their passion inspires me to go back into my roots and work on improving my own craft. Finding the motivation to write again, and this time on a more regular basis for me has both been a challenge and a reward.
Some days you never forget.
It was early last year when I first saw it thanks to Clint’s movies. It was one of those weekends me and my officemates have reserved to enjoy the accommodation being extended by the office for the mock sessions. It was perhaps a Saturday evening while we were all killing time and waiting for the testing window to come. Nothing out of the ordinary, just young professionals setting aside long-awaited and much-deserved rest days in the exigency of service. So, there we wait. Watching videos, playing games, browsing, occasionally playing music, eating, sleeping, fooling around trying to relax and relieve ourselves of stress while preparing for another few more hours of work. It was during one of these regular weekly bouts that I saw that flick together with Slumdog Millionaire, The Changeling, Bolt, Wolverine (minus the graphics) and many others.
Its funny how sometimes the people we remember the least make the greatest impression on us.
I never understood much of the technical details but the idea of being part of the project, of being there and making things happen and watching them happen is already a reward in itself. Getting to do it with people you knew and getting paid doing so for me is more of a consolation.
“Life can only be understood looking backward. It must be lived forward.” - [from the trailer]
I pretty much don’t have anything to write about Benjamin Button at all rather than having seen it in my workstation with my cheap headset on, hugging a throw pillow and with my electric fan running under my desk. It was late and a weekend so the office was quiet, dark and the AC was off so the place was freaking hot but was far from being empty. I also remember having technical problems later on which caused a delay in the activities. Then later having a meeting over breakfast in the conference room on a Sunday morning struggling with sleeplessness as I hurried of to class.
Funny as of this time I still don’t know how I managed to do that. All I know is that it was an experience larger than life and I admire those who still continue making such sacrifices. Every now and then whenever I pass by that great building boasting its brilliance against the sun and sparkling against the breeze from the bay, I feel an overwhelming sense of pride. Honored to have been part of it all even just for a while.
Your life is defined by its opportunities... even the ones you miss.
And now, I’m in the beginning again. Making another attempt. Trying one more time.
I’ve stumbled and fallen quite a number of times and yes, countless opportunities have gone by but if there’s a greater blessing I am thankful for, it is for the chances given continuously and the courage to try. Sure, I have big dreams and yes, I might never accomplish everything I dream of doing but the knowledge, the courage to try and having done so with your heart and soul in itself is already a worthwhile accomplishment.
For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.
