it's the number in the miles,

a new town and new mountains,

no old friends but new awkward friends,

family by the Atlantic, myself at the tip of Rockies
that make all the difference.

the transformation

oh my sweet child, when you were out in the field playing
i always watched you as i washed, i beamed every time
you were beautiful and your soul was carefree,
you would not stop swinging tire until it was dark,
with your dog that would always watch over you.

oh my, you are not that kid playing in the field anymore
i've seen you as I wash, and i'm astonished
at how you've changed and you are different,
you walk by the tire and off into the night time you go,
with your soul that always carry your secrets.

Do not's and Do's

Do not be deceived by the look of a person's beauty
it stands out, it takes your breath away,
it makes you wonder and it makes her mysterious

it is wondrous and she is mysterious for a reason
that we do not know until we taste the beauty
and savor it, you will see more truth

in savoring it, you will see that it is never an innocent one
and that it can lure you into anything for it is powerful
and suddenly, you are under her spell

do not write about her beauty, do not sing about her beauty,
it has endured everything to claim the title and it'll never be for you
as she will do everything to be beautiful in the eyes of everyone

Do fall in love with one's beautiful soul
it stands out in its most hidden way, it is breathtaking
it makes you feel rare, it makes her the most beautiful one

it is rare and she is beautiful for a reason
that we do not know until we know that person thoroughly
and be there, you will see more fortunates of life

and in being there, you will see it is the most precious
and that it can bring you to the top of the world
and suddenly, you are holding one of life's gems

do write about her beautiful soul, do sing about her beauty,
it has come out from its hiding place, and it'll be only for you
as she has shown its hidden beauty to only your eyes.

The Tests of Patience...exclusive only at camping

$3 a night. A beautiful sight of the plains as the mountains overcast from the behind. That cost, $3, includes numerous tests of patience as well.


Background: We wanted to go to the southernmost of New Mexico to go camping in warm temperature right after we finish working 3pm on Friday.




Test of Patience #1: approx. 9pm to 10pm


With Albuquerque as a stopover, the drive to Aquirre Springs National Recreation Area, 14 miles from Las Cruces, took us around 4 and half hour of drive. It was already around 9pm that we arrived only to find out that Aquirre Springs were closed with the gates cletched.

It was very dark and we were tired from long drive, it was already late...at that point, we had no choice but we had to be at the campground somehow.

That was the first test of patience. She asked me, "What you think if I drove around the gate on grass?" We had no choice and not a risk-taker type here but I just had to let it happen. And we drove 4x4 around it all right..and onward to the campground, we went with adneraline rush still running inside us.


Test of Patience #2: approx. 12am to 5am


Everything was so cold. I could not even sleep at all. I was shivering nonstop. We did not bring enough blankets. There was barely any sleep for anyone, even Jemez who could not stop barking to all the strange sounds outside. It was her first time camping and sleeping in a tent.


That morning after, we had our nap as the sun shone upon us. Then we headed to Walmart to buy 2 more sleep bags to enjoy another night, a problem solved.


Test of Patience #3: approx. 7am


After the night of being so cold and shivering; fire right away after I get out of the tent sounded ideal. I tried countless times to lit the wood. It was still windy in the morning. With sun peeking, I just made myself comfortable on the ground and kept on trying. It was eventually lit and we had a nice fire that later would make our breakfast burrito.





Test of Patience #4: approx. late 6pm


It had gone dark, fast just like that. We hadn't eaten our dinner yet. I never could see good in dark or night time. We had our steak, gorgonza cheese, and aspargus ready to be cooked.

We lit the fire then waited for it to be at its peak. As it looked perfect, we put steak ans aspargus powdered with pepper and garlic salt. We allowed it to be cooked slowly. It was probably nearly 8pm.



As it was soon to be done, gorogonza was added on the top of steak. In few minutes, aspargus looked perfect and so did the steak. The first taste was savored because it, indeed, tasted perfect although it was already 8pm and it took a hour to cook.





to be continued...

Within innocence, there's always kindness.

It's my 7th month of teaching and it's unbelievable at how much I've learned. Not only I learned about the kids but how they helped me learn about the world and life. It's amazing how there are many dimensons of life/world and it is entirely true that we will never be at some of the dimensons ever in our lifetime thus we will never see and understand these perceptions.

To be honest, when I was in college, I forgot where kindness came from. Sure in college, everyone mingle but they are so much in their own selves. Well these people are experiencing on-going growing process with themselves so they forget about kindness.

Now I am surrounded by kids nearly everyday. I teach science to horomones-raging kids, the middle school students. I coach age 5 to 8 elementary basketball team, and I am strength training coach for high school kids. I see how kids are what invite kindness in the world. It is a perception that I never saw until I became a part of that dimenson of the world.

Kids are born innocent. If we really pay attention we will recognize kids simply become what they are nutured with. A 5 years old boy in my basketball would do anything it takes to win a game. He doesn't care about scoring but a team victory. Another 5 years old boy asked me to go on a pretense zoo trip to visit giraffees, hippos, rhinos, and snakes. A 9 years old boy was at other end of the campus and he ran over to me just to hug me. This junior boy did 10 reps on 145 lbs towel bench press, it was an inital accomplishment but it made this boy proud to the extent. A 13 years old girl cleaned my classroom out of blue and said she wanted to help. I gave a pez candy of star wars to a 5 years old and he was at his happiest.

Sure kids aren't perfect or always adorable but as you can see, within innocence, there is kindness. People are born with kindness. Kindness is our first and foremost trait until we are nutured to what we are exposed to everyday. These kids are still learning everyday but they did not need to learn how to do the most kindest things because it is already within them.

That is why innocence is the most sacred thing and we must fight to ensure that kids maintain their innocence for as long as they can. When they enter into their adulthood, they will eventually lose their innocence to the extremes of life/world but as the kindness has been with them for a long time, it will eventually become them.

Tattoo Idea: Pollock's masterpiece

This is a masterpiece that I would tattoo on myself. This picture, #7, by Jackson Pollock, is testament to many things in my life.

ever since i turned 18, it had been a wild ride for me and the ride is slowing down hence the reason for the ability to recognize that it has been a wild one.

the ride has involved words of love, moments of "once in a lifetime," tales of woes, bumps of struggles, trips to beautiful places, tears of joy and frustration, triumph of hardworking, days of failures, and surprises of life.

all of that is a testament of how the moments in our life are. It's full of everything---from little thing to the biggest thing, from the most saddest one to the most happiest one...basically in other words, life's full of balance.

On the left, it shows lines of life...as you can see--the lines are not rigid. the width & length of lines varies, so are the positions of these lines. isnt that like life in a general concept?

on the right, you can see two people kissing. there are some areas around it that are smeared. it doesn't show but you can feel the energy like you can see both people are hugging each other although it is not visible or presented in the picture. isn't that like moments in our life?

Our life changes constantly. Our moments appear, after they happen, they disappear but we all know that they exist. Isn't it a work of balance? Like black and white. Good and bad. Joy and Angry. Love and Heartbroken. Happy and Miserable. With one exists, another one exists anyways. For it is life.

it'd be a beautiful reminder on my body.

the fading lilacs

this morning, i put away lilacs that
someone special from the past had given to me as
i began a new chapter in my life, my new job

with one look at this lilacs,
i knew she could have been the prettiest flowers
in the entire town but she is fading away

as the spring approaches, a bit ironic, isn't it?
just as much as the memories are questionable now
and that they felt like ages ago but they aren't

laying in my restroom, waiting for a tiresome maid to pick it up
fading doesn't lie, this lilacs is ready to go
everything for a reason, this is for a new season.