Have you been told 'try to fill in other people's shoes' to understand them more?
Empathy is when you genuinely feel for what others are going through and see things from their perspective. It is simply asking “What would you feel if you were in that person’s shoes?”
Thoughts on the Before trilogy
If you happen to be looking for something laidback to binge-watch on a lazy weekend, the Before trilogy may probably interest you. That is if you don’t mind a plot with an intensive script of dialogues mimicking a chance encounter between two people, which is what this trilogy was good at. Not to mention the realistic acting of Hawke and Delpy and the nine-year gap of each movie release — all to capture the stages of maturity and physical appearances needed for each movie.
For World Teacher's Day, my teacher deserves the spotlight albeit now in her eternal repose...
Development Communication (DevCom) was not my first course of choice. I wanted to take Information Technology (IT), although a teacher in high school suggested to take DevCom since I planned to study at Visayas State University. I was handling our school publication then, perhaps she saw me as fitting for the course. When I went for enrollment, IT was not offered, only computer science. I thought of enrolling in Biology (since I believed I had a knack for memorization 😅) but that chat with my high school teacher convinced me to enroll in DevCom instead.
Young, passionate, and hopeful. But I found myself in a place where I struggled to find my purpose.
Recounting what I learned from my first-ever boss...
Just before Christmas, we lost my first-ever boss, who taught me the value of grit, hard work, punctuality, and resilience in the real world.
Our offices were not the typical four-cornered walls but cafes and food chains at malls where we bask to get free wifi as we indulge in food that he would gladly order for us free. He loved to work outdoors, which tested our navigation skills around the Metro. For him, there were no 8 to 4 or 9 to 5 working hours. Work for him was round-the-clock as long as it was not done.
I always find it fascinating whenever artists give the meaning behind their songs... it’s like knowing how deep they can get. Then I juxtapose what the song meant to me with what it actually meant to them. Interesting to find similar and varying meanings drawn from a single song.
And Reese gives that satisfaction. The depth of the lyrics and the story behind, she explains it every time she releases one song.
Maybe I like the fact that some artists play for the love of it. Not just the money in it. Because that’s how authentic an artist can be.
I remember the time when I would mope at my own discrepancies. Then, I realized that it was actually the people I was surrounded with that made me feel that way.
The egoistic, individualistic culture and toxic criticisms killed all the hopes that I had. It wasn’t a good sign. I left.
But you know, when you have your fill of worst things, you view things differently. You doubt people a lot. Trust is lost. The kindness and generosity I received the past years felt like something I did not deserve. And that in some way, somehow, there is something in it for exchange. I wasn’t happy. I was lost. I sulked at the thought of what-ifs.
I realized how broken I was. The pain I carried for so many years was burrowing a hole inside me. I was never healed; I just pretended to be. And I still am.
Maybe we are not meant for those who are fleeting and passing - when only a portion of ourselves they've come to know.
In the end, we only want those who have seen our worst and torn selves to be part of our lives.
You see, as a person who does or categorizes things in both extremes (like it or not), I struggle to be passionate about things I don't like doing. Ooohh if you find me doing things just fine, I might be pretending or faking it (lols) just to get by.
This statement of Francis Kong is something worth pondering about:
"Passion isn't about what you like or love to do. That could be a hobby. Passion is about doing the things you do excellently and even though at times you may not even feel like doing it."
Despite its convenience, phone camera photos aren't as high res compared to real cameras. I should've brought my camera no matter how heavy it is. Now I'm stuck on using my phone for the next two years :)
I think I try to read through people a lot. Trying to decipher them, even when, it’s unnecessary. Sometimes, I thought I did figure them out but only to find out that I didn’t. They are wired differently than I thought.
So, this time around, I stopped wondering why people do what they do. Maybe, not really “stopped” but only focused on those who needed or deserved the attention or the thought. My mind’s space can only accommodate enough. Might as well use it for something worthwhile.
The only bird that I see once in a while from my room’s window in Ghent was a black crow that would rest on an empty branch of a lone slim tree outside. I’m not kidding.
Now, I didn’t know I could appreciate birds so much. I lounged for a while lapping up the scene of them flocking on food given away by a stranger.
Perhaps, anything freely given or easily available can easily be devalued. But it is the absence of it that makes one yearn, wonder, and ponder - which makes us appreciate things even more.
Maybe it is human nature. Maybe it is personality. Maybe it is just the way it is.
I contemplate things that are not normal that become normal. What are the consequences if we continue to accommodate beyond our understanding?
Sometimes I think the world is twisted. As we move towards extreme civilization, new issues come up while we are still trying to fix issues of the past. A world run by the status quo makes things normal. But normality is not for everyone. We evolve trying to understand and accommodate the “new normal”. There can be no end to it, as long as humans make it logical and meaningful enough to happen.
Until when do we stop and think that we have changed what has been ‘natural’ in this world that we don’t recognize anymore.
Am guilty of being too impatient to do almost anything. The downside of being always in the rush is not being mindful of the present or of the moment. By being more affixed on what comes next, I overlook the tiny details that I miss that are essential in the process.
There are many other consequences that come with being decisive, aggressive, and assertive - but that’s who I am. I only hope that I’m not too aggravating to people around me (or maybe I already did, so I apologize if I did so 😬).
