Explore the World

We live in a world of many wonders, many of which I would love to visit. Whether it is a place commonly visited by many or a place rarely visited, I would love to have the chance to set foot there. 

I grew up (and still am) in a family which rarely travels. When we do, it is always either my country, or neighboring cities such as Toronto. This could be the reason for my urge to step out and explore the world. For those who know me, they know that I mainly want to visit Asia, specifically South Korea and Japan. When I was younger, I initially wanted to visit China. I still do, but as I get older, I ended up wanting to know more about the cultures of South Korea and Japan that I've decided to study and learn a bit about them, which then made me want to see and experience their culture for myself. I admit, it sort of started with the Asian entertainment such as K-Pop and dramas for example. But really, I just want to learn more, and visiting other nations is one of the great ways to educate oneself. 

I like to be different, most people would rather go to Europe, or down South in the Caribbeans. But that doesn't mean I have no interest in traveling to these places. Paris for example is a place I want to go to as well.  It is true that my willingness to learn about Asian culture is pretty high, but given the chance, I wouldn't mind to learn about other cultures outside Asia. But of course, Asia is my main. I do not know why exactly I am so fond of this continent other than culture and tradition. Maybe it is because I am Asian myself and would love to know a little more about my roots. My mom told me that we most likely have Chinese blood in us, which would be of no surprise. But what made me even more curious was the fact that my grandfather from my mothers side, whom I never met, knew how to speak Japanese. I am really curious, but I am sort of shy to ask my mom for more details. When I do, I will definitely write about it. But yeah, who knows, maybe this can be one of the reasons why I long to visit Asia. As for now, I know that culture and tradition is what motivates me to get to these places.

One last place I want to mention is a country most people would not dare to visit, North Korea. I am really curious to see how life is there. The famine problem they used to have? Pfft that was many years ago. It's not as bad as it was back then. Many state that they do not dare travel to the North because they are afraid to get shot or something. But actually, this is not the case. I've looked around and tried to find people whom visited the North. In fact, I've learned that it is very safe to visit the country. Of course, it doesn't mean its safe to run around, do crazy things and be disrespectful. Besides, who would love to see someone do such thing to one owns home ground anyways? Sure, the short tours you get to have there is sort of fabricated and more like a show. But there are actually some longer tours in which you get to explore some different places of the country more in depth with some free time, and less fabricated. This is the tour I want to take, this way I can really see with my own eyes how it can be up there, learn about their culture hands-on, rather than only hear the negative stories many people tend to exploit. 

(Fly!!!!!!)

To sum up everything, basically, I simply want to travel the world, especially in Asia. One reason is to reach places I've never been to before, but one of my main reason is to learn and experience other cultures. Only then can we really learn and understand more about the people that revolve around us. 

"Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends." - Maya Angelou

L D R

Believe it or not, the longest relationship I've had was with someone miles away. It was a long distance relationship. Some say it is impossible for it to work out, but some also say that it is possible, just that it would be a bit difficult. In my case, it was the second. Sure, we are no longer together, but just because we broke up doesn't mean it did not work out.

We were together for about two years. There were many ups and downs just like any other relationship. But I think one advantage long distance relationship has is that, your trust for one another is probably a lot stronger than usual. Why? Because you do not have much choice but to trust each other when you can barely see one another. We would see each other whenever possible. For example, on spring break, she came to visit Montreal with her family. When I visited Toronto during the summer with my family, I then would try to find a way to meet her. Then one time, after my high school graduation, I decided to spend a week with her in Toronto. For roughly two years, this is what we did. 

Of course, we would chat every single day, and be on the phone every night. I remember the nights in which we would stay on the phone until we fell asleep. (How childish! lol) But hey, why not. Like they say, Love makes you do crazy things. I did not believe that at first, but I learned as I grew.

Then one day...it was winter. For New Year, I was going to visit my country, The Philippines, with my family. When I told her this, she was very sad. She did not want me to go. She said it would be really tough for her because we would barely have the chance to speak for those three weeks or so. I told her to be strong, that we can get through this since we've been through a lot in those two years that passed. So I did my best to keep her positive and everything, and so far, all went well.

I was finally in the Philippines. I called her as soon as I can to let her know that we got there safe. Everything sounded just fine. However, after about a week, she texts me that she wants to break up. I suddenly go bananas! I hid in a room, gave her a call and tried to talk it out. It was a really complicated conversation.  My bill when I got back was more than 200$! Can you believe it, she told me that, one of the reasons she wanted to break up with me was because she sort of liked this guy in this online video game she met! But yeah, after a long talk, it was over. Just like that.

I had a hard time in the upcoming days. Until the moment my cousin introduced me to some of her friends. I do not know if it was because I was still hurting inside, or maybe because she was pretty, but a couple of days later, I started going out with one of her friends. However it did not last too long. Which then leads me to the conclusion that I used her as a rebound. Sigh, I know, how bad of me. But I still did my best to make her happy. I even payed for her school tuition! -_- 

I was back in Montreal, Canada. A couple of days later, she (the one from Toronto), called me. She was crying, and was deeply sorry. She wanted us to get back together. However, I was still hurting big time. But I decided to give it a chance. However, this time, it just did not click. We did not last for more than a month. I realized that the scar she left was a bit too much for me to bare.

A year has passed. During those time, we did talk from time to time, but it was rare. She told me that she still cannot get over me. That she still really wanted for us to work. Coincidentally, it was going to be her birthday in a couple of weeks. So she told me, "if you can't give us another chance, can you at least be there for my birthday?" I thought about it seriously, and I decided to do both. I finally arrived in Toronto, and for some reason I was very shy around her for the first couple of hours. As if it was my first time meeting her. But we got along quite well very quickly and became very comfortable with one another. The weekend turned out to be a lot better than I thought, that I thought it was possible for us to start over again. 

Until the last night. Her friend slept over. This made me realize that I should not go on with this relationship. What made me realize this? I easily liked her friend. God! I even stood in the room her friend was staying in and just watched her sleep for a couple of minutes...I'm a creep aren't I? Do not worry, that is all I did. 

Before leaving for Montreal, we were not sure what kind of relationship we were having, but we decided to leave it at that for the meantime. Eventually, I told her that it can no longer work. And that is how our story ended. But at least we ended our relationship on a positive note. Today, she is actually engaged, and about to get married later this year. I am happy for her. I have learned a lot, and I want to thank her for everything, most importantly for still being a friend up to this day.

There were many other things that has happened and that I learned throughout this relationship. But it would probably take a really long time to write. I just wanted to share this, let people know that, in a relationship, it does not matter where you are, it can work. You simply need to love each other, be willing and of course, you have to trust each other. Sure, there are other factors, but at the moment, these are the important keys I believe that is needed in any kind of relationship.

"Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Special Day

April 7, 2012. It was my Birthday, and my Idol Jackie Chan. 

I wanted to have Dinner with all of SoW so a planned a small gathering for the 7th. However, two of my friends were not able to make it, but I understand. Though I'll be honest, a part of me was a bit sad because I really wished for everyone to make it. But I wanna thank Felipe (aka Aimbot) for making it even though he was quite busy that day. And of course I cannot forget Aron (Ninja) and Jeff (Pyrotech) for spending pretty much half of the day with me. It wasn't all that "grand" scale wise, but I really appreciate the fact that they hung out with me that day. So as we all finally got together, we ate at Hakata Ramen. An awesome Japanese Restaurant I would recommend. Some interesting stuff happened that day. One was Ninja and Aimbot struggling to open up a bottle. XD and the other was well...I used to have this big crush on this girl in College, I nicknamed her Miss Ball, because I first saw her when she was on her way to play Squash and she was playing with the Squash Ball. But I did manage to find a way to meet her and stuff...XD We were not very close, so from what happened on this day, it seemed like we both decided not to greet each other. But hey, that's fine with me. I still had an awesome day!

Then on the 8th, something unexpected happened. I have this friend whom I've known for a very long time, Ryan. He and his girlfriend actually organized a surprise Dinner at Sushi Crescent. He said that he received a coupon and invited me to eat with them. But in fact, there was no coupon, as I went up the stairs, I was surprised to see a group of people I knew all sitting together. I thought my birthday was done, but everyone there just made this year's birthday even more special than I expected. And the two members (Dennis aka Rogue and Glenn aka Intel) that were missing on the 7th, now I understand why they did not attend. And special thanks to Adrian (aka Cykez) and his girlfriend Kath for the super awesome cake. Kath made the birthday cake herself. The design was the Hylian Shield from The Legend of Zelda franchise. As a Zelda fanboy, this cake is probably the best one I ever had. Not only does the cake that she make look good, they also taste good! I also gotta thank Ninja and Aaron for coming even though they work the next morning. And the same goes with Pyro, we finished around 11, and he had an upcoming night shift at 12. 

(Left: Hakata Ramen, Right: Zelda Cake)

Once more, I just want to thank all of my great friends for making all this happen. For giving me a birthday more special than I expected. I'm not very good with surprises, and sometimes I just don't know how to express myself. What I felt this weekend was really great, and like I said many times, none of this could of happen if it weren't for all them. I love you guys! Thanks for giving a memorable Birthday! =)

"A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world." - Lois Wyse

Zenith

Have you ever reached a point where you ever thought, "this is the best I can do." or maybe a point where you felt that "this is the happiest I can be". These two can go hand in hand. By reaching a certain point, you will also feel a certain emotion. But is their really a limit to how far we can go or feel a certain emotion?

Often I have these kind of questions in my head, and most of the time, I simply cannot answer. Where is the answer I am searching for? The answer is actually quite clear and straight forward. No. there is no limit. But then if I know the answer, why do I keep asking myself such questions? It's probably because I tend to over-analyze every possible answer I can think of. But honestly, now that I think about it, it is probably the lack of confidence. When I reach the peak of something, sometimes I just want to say, "That's it! I'm done!" when I know I can go further. I think it is because I am afraid, afraid of the new obstacles that may come my way. Let's take school for example. After High School, I said to myself, "Let's graduate from College, find a job and live a happy life". But deep down, did I really want to stop there? I don't think so. Unfortunately I did stop there and things got a bit complicated. But hey, I decided to start afresh, and now I'm on the road for something new, hoping to achieve a new peak in my life. And once I do, I'll definitely try to climb over that.  Those days thought me a lot. It made me realize today that if you have the opportunity to go further, take that opportunity, even if it means you have to start lower than what you expected.

Do not limit yourself to what you can achieve. Once you reach the top, remember that that is an illusion. By limiting yourself, you limit your emotions. Break free, dream and never stop moving because you are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.

"The only limits to the possibilities in your life tomorrow are the buts you use today." - Les Brown

Under My Skin

Under my skin?! Flesh! The end.

Okay, that was a lame joke. Honestly, I have no idea what exactly this post is going to be about. But I want to  share a little something I've noticed a while back. A lot of the people who knows me say that I'm a nice and calm guy. But in fact, I can actually have a very bad temper, and not many knows this. A good example is around my family. I easily get annoyed with my parents and my brother. For example, my brother tapping  on his desk, and I easily get frustrated. Sometimes my anger comes out easily. But I am trying to correct this, and I believe there has been quite a significant improvement. But with my friends, it can be the opposite. I have way more control over my temper when I am around them. But I think this is a family thing for me. I mean, as much as I love them, I cannot say the words "I Love You", even "Happy Birthday" isn't that easy for me to say. Pretty sad eh. 

However, there is something I did realize. To some of my closer friends, I tend to have a similar habit towards them as I do with my family. The only slight difference is that, rather than let them know directly, instead I try to do it a bit more indirectly. But I still try to keep it to myself as much as possible. Oddly enough, I think that when I reach this point, it's probably because I've grew quite close to them. I hope you understand what I'm trying to say. So if ever one of my friends is reading this right now and has ever felt what I'm trying to say, think of it as another way of saying "I Love You". XD Oh! And for those who has never felt nor saw me getting frustrated or angry towards you, do not worry, I love you too =) it is either because:

1. There probably isn't any reason for me to feel any kind of negative emotion towards you. (I guess you're doing a good job then XD)

2. I am probably doing a good job holding it in.

3. There is no need for me to let it out because it probably isn't very important and probably better to simply let go.

So to my loved ones (you better know who you guys are!), it does not matter how I express my feelings towards you, I just want you to know that I care and love you guys very much! My goodness! The ending feels soooo cheesy and corny! Oh well, too bad! =P

"Anybody can become angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way - that is not within everybody's power and is not easy." - Aristotle

Now You're Playing With Power!

Does the title sound familiar to anyone? If it does, then I can think of two possibilities.

1. You are a Nintendo fanboy.

2. You are old enough to know one of Nintendo's oldest slogan. 

So why am I talking about Nintendo in this blogpost? Well because I pretty much grew up with Video Games, and it all started with the Nintendo Entertainment System. It's pretty funny how my mom would complain about me buying so many games when she is the one that actually introduced me to video games. But I got no complaints about that! I pretty much owned every single Nintendo console, maybe except for the SNES and Virtual Boy. But I was very young back then. As soon as I became conscious of the consoles being out there, I pretty much purchased everything since the N64. 

I cannot believe Nintendo started as a card company. I think a lot of people are belittling them today simply because they think their games are for kids or due to motion controls. But that's what I love about Nintendo, they know how to capture the essence of video game and make innovation. Honestly, the only reason I think Nintendo turned out to have this "negative" image is because of Third Party Developers who made a bunch load of crappy games. If they instead focused on making good games like they did in the last couple of years or so, then I am confident Nintendo would have a better image today. 

Today, I finally have another console which is not part of the Nintendo family. The Playstation 3. The only reason I have one is because I wanted to be able to play Call of Duty with friends. Who knew Call of Duty would of build the beginning of a great brotherhood. It started as a clan, but it is way more now and meaningful then it was back then. But this is another topic.

Getting back on topic, I can go on and on about why I love Nintendo so much, so instead, I would like to mention a couple of games I would love everyone to try out. One that may not be a surprise to anyone is obviously Super Smash Bros. It's an awesome game that can be played with a group of friends, or even competitively if you wanted. But one game that is stuck to me, which is probably one of my favorite games of all time is "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword" for the Nintendo Wii. Now this game is amazing!!! Their was some mixed reviews, but majority were highly praised. This game shows why gameplay excels over graphics. The motion controls work so well and in a very smart way that I would not mind if they went back to motion controls for the next Zelda installment. Gameplay aside, the Visuals are amazing and breathtaking. It feels like a painting come to life. Any artist who sees this game, I am confident they will be "wowed". I can keep talking about this game, but I just wanted to share a couple with you. =P

But! I cannot forget about the 3DS. One of my favorite games is Resident Evil: Revelations. I think that anyone who loves the Resident Evil franchise should get a 3DS just for this game. Yes, it is that good. RE5 was good, but it did not feel very "Resident Evil-ish". Revelations goes back to its roots, bringing back the horror and creepy atmospheres, with some great action sequences you find in RE4-5. 

Of course I cannot end this post without mentioning Nintendo's upcoming console, the WiiU (the name may be different on release). For those who think the WiiU will be a gimmick, you are wrong. For those who have played the DS, then you know that the possibilities are great. To have a touch screen on your controller can do alot and make gameplay more intuitive such as switching weapons without pressing pause for example. So far, from everything I've learned from the WiiU, everything seems like it's going well for Nintendo, already many developers are amazed by its capabilities. I can talk about the WiiU in detail but then this would be super duper long. So to get more in depth with this console, I suggest visiting IGN. But I think that with the WiiU, the time has finally come for Nintendo to re-use this slogan: Now You're Playing With Power!

Well! I guess that is all for this post. It turned out to be a lot more than I thought and I can easily keep going. As a fanboy, I get easily caught up whenever I talk about Nintendo. 

PS. The Last Story and Xenoblade Chronicles is finally coming out in North America! OHH YEAHH!! Good Job Operation Rainfall!!! 

"Video games are bad for you? That's what they said about rock-n-roll." - Shigeru Miyamoto