Brother Moon

Last Tuesday night, I wanted to sleep early. For these past two months, it became a habit for me to sleep after 2 am and it was affecting my endurance during the day. So in consideration to a brother's order that I should go to bed early, I then went to bed at 1 am. However, sleep was elusive, and I just kept on tossing and turning. I guess I had gotten used to tiring myself out first before I can sleep, so my mind was still very active and thoughts were busy running across my head.

After more than an hour of restlessness in bed, I opened my eyes to see what the time was, and to my surprise, it was very bright outside, even to the point of illumining my room which was blocked by huge curtains. I wondered why, so I stood up and looked outside, and behold, I saw Brother Moon shining so radiantly. After a moment of entrancement, I quickly got my camera and took snapshots of it. This is the best photo I got =)

After that, I was able to go to sleep hehehehe... I must have eaten too much mooncake that day! Happy Mooncake Festival for those who are celebrating it.

Images of Batam, Indonesia

Batam is one of the islands of Indonesia. It takes about an hour of ferry boat ride from Singapore. This is a rather new city that is developing at a furious pace. Twenty years ago or so, it was just marshland but due to its nearness to Singapore, it developed into an industrial center. That's all I know, folks. Hehehe...

Their houses are very colorful.

I was struck with the variety of shades that they use.

Talong-talo si Bayani Fernando na fuchsia lang ang alam na kulay,

pinangalandakan pa sa mga overpass nia. Sus!

What do you think of the Indonesian flag?

Sa tingin ko, medyo plain siya, di ba? Sabagay, walang kaartehan.

Di na kailangang kantahan ng 'Ang mamatay ng dahil sa yo'.

Sweet murtabak, with lots a cheese,

condensed milk and chocolate. Yummy!

Kasla hotcake ijay Bontoc sika. Namiss ko tuloy native coffee.

These sari skirts don't come cheap. Too bad!

Oray haanen, ta awan metlang kwartak =)

Food, glorious seafood...
Obvious ba, prawn lang ang gusto ko?

Ay apo ti tagabanbantay, awan ti taste na ti fishy-fish.

Indonesian Kids at Play

Does this photo remind you of your childhood?

It did for me =)

Crossroads

I know I’m in a crossroad right now. I face two opposite roads of conflicting directions and each road will take me to a life different than the other. There could be other roads, I guess, but right now, I seem to have only two options; that is, should I continue with the road I have been traveling on or should I take a different route? This time, the latter seems to be tempting. I have thought of this before and once, I thought it happened but I got back on the same road though. That meant I had not taken a different route; I have just strayed from it.

The old road is somewhat irregular, sometimes smooth, sometimes rough like all normal roads are, I guess, but I have weathered it simply because I loved traveling on it. At first, it felt unfamiliar territory but as I traveled on, it seemed more and more like a secure direction, a comfortable destination. But I had doubts along the way as I saw other roads that seemed to beckon to me. However, I seem to have overcome all obstacles while traveling on this road. I learned to live with the good times and the tough times, so I thought I will be continuing on this road forever.

Until now, when I came upon this crossroad. The new road is a mystery; it seems to fit me judging from the size and makings of it, but I have no inkling of where it would lead me. Time and again I have come upon this road but have not seen the compelling need to switch roads. I know that like the old road I would need to adjust to it before I can really get the hang of traveling on it; that is, if I do decide to get off the old road though.

If I do decide to travel on this new road, would it disappoint me? Would it give me the security and comfort the old road has given me? Better yet, would it be a better travel than what I experienced with the old one? In short, would it be a better choice?

I do not know. I have my doubts; I have my fears. I am a person who likes security, and going off in another direction is a major risk. But, I also seem to be getting tired of the old road. Sure, I have weathered the good and the bad, but it has left me with scars and bruises. Because of the travel, some parts of my body grew callused and other parts, I have sensitive skin left exposed. This has wearied me from traveling on the same road, and come to think of it, from traveling itself.

Some say I should take the risk and go off on the new road since it seems to be fitted more for me. Others say, why go off the old road when I have already been on it for far too long that it seems to fit me well. It is a hard decision to make and it has left me stuck on the crossroad, unable to go farther.

(This is an old post from my Friendster blog. I was reminded of it because Ading Jean mentioned it in her comment for 'Bitter or Better'. I'm reposting it here to acknowledge that I did decide to get off the old road, but I'm in no hurry to get on the new road either. I'm resting from all that traveling hehehe...)