THOSE MOMENTS THAT COUNT.

They say, "out of sight, out of mind," but I beg to differ. Perhaps, let me be the first to rephrase such statement, "out of sight, constantly in mind." We tend to take the people, the thing, the environment that we see everyday for granted because we think they will always be there, forever. As I've advanced in age, I've come to the realization that those whom we barely see, due to circumstances beyond our control, are usually the ones who mean more than the world to us. Therefore, it is highly imperative to cherish every second with those who mean more than the world to you because those are the moments that count. Moments that count could very much be that weekend or week-long visits across the world to spend time with that special person who keeps you going when everyone else around you lose faith in you, or an international student studying thousands of miles away from home and every time a friend's parents and siblings come around, you just want to call your family for the fun of it, or a mother who misses her children because they are all grown up and barely are around the house, etc. We can all think of a time in our lives when we had a limited time to make something count because it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Unfortunately, we tend to get accustomed to that special person, after spending a little more time with them; all those sad days and nights spent wishing they were there, all those jokes you've always wanted to share with them because only them understand your jokes, those events whereby you dress really fancy and wishing you were dressing up and attending fancy occasions with them, etc, all those moments fade away. I have learned to cherish every single moment with those who mean much more than the world to me because tomorrow is not promised to anyone. In that case, i will love you as though I was dying today, I will laugh with you because all that matters to me is your genuine happiness, I will cry with you because whatever affects you also affects me, I will rejoice and celebrate with you because your success is also mine, I will always be on your side, even when the world is against you, I will cherish those moments that count.

When all has been said and done, I can boldly proclaim that I came, I lived, I learned and I loved without reservations - Life is worth living, so therefore let us all sit back and learn to cherish those moments that count.

Swag, Out!

LONG GOODBYES.

It was a cold January night, January 21st to be precise, after such a well-restful Christmas break from school, it was back to the same routine - classes were to begin again, homework and projects were to start knocking on doors, yup, school was in session again. To be honest, I reluctantly flew back to Springfield; I just didn't feel like doing it all over again. But everything changed when I met the new internationals, whom I learnt were just visiting for a semester. Everything changed because I finally met someone whom I could talk politics, business, and philosophy with, at social gatherings. I met another whom I could talk European pop-culture with, talk about traveling around Europe, while testing my geographical knowledge.

At first, I made sure that I didn't get too comfortable around them because I thought "why invest in friendships that will just end in a semester?" Unbeknown to me, meeting these new friends would save me from boring Friday nights, save me dinner payments, teach me something new about their culture, and most of all, sit with me until 3am and talk about everything we could think about. When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING! It seemed as though the more time sped up, the closer everyone got to each other; I have to admit that sometimes I forgot that these new friends of mine were deemed to head back to their respective countries, at the end of Spring semester.

I made it a point not just to get to know the new international students, this semester, but also other students around campus. I believe in expanding one's network because the Michael you know today might be the Senator Michael you'll be thankful you knew. I'm very glad that i did make an effort to get to personally meet and know new people, this semester, because it opened up my eyes to the innate nature of each and everyone i talked with or spent time around. I learned that the "innocent-looking people" are not always or necessarily innocent, i learned that not everything i hear about someone describes that person, i learned that as our faces are different so are our life stories, i learned that some people who are more upfront and outspoken about everything  are not so because they are full of hate, i learned that the derivative of (ln(x)) is equal to (1/x) - still in school mood, why?

The none-anticipated day has arrived, when everybody have to go their separate ways, in this journey of life. Sometimes, God makes different peoples' path intersect in order for them to learn from each other. I definitely learned from every single person I got the privilege to meet and know, this semester. Some lessons weren't always positive ones, but they had to be there to teach me that this world is made up of two people (those who subtract from you and those who add to you). Even though many of those who have added to my life this semester may not read this, even though our paths might never cross again, but I want you all to know that I am thankful to God for your lives. He knew what he was doing when he sent you guys my path. An intellectual man ones said, "true friendship withstands the test of distance and time." There are friendships that will remain forever and I'm proud to say that this semester was filled with them.

As we all continue on this journey called, Life, I want to leave us all with a quote from one of those friends who've added to my life, this semester, Yasmeen AlTamimi, "As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let us down, probably will. You'll have your heart broken and you'll break others' hearts. You'll fight with your best friend or maybe even fall in love with them, and you'll cry because time is flying by. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, forgive freely, and love like you've never been hurt. Life comes with no guarantees, no time outs, no second chances. You just have to live life to the fullest, tell someone what they mean to you and tell someone off, speak out, dance in the pouring rain, hold someone's hand, comfort a friend, fall asleep watching the sun come up, stay up late, be a flirt, and smile until your face hurts. Don't be afraid to take chances or fall in love and most of all, live in the moment because every second you spend angry or upset is a second of happiness you can never get back." Good luck in life: Soong, Hilario, Christine, and Coralie.

It was a long goodbye, World :(

THAT EXTRA KICK...

I need motivation! Something to give me that continuous push that I yarn for at the verge of every big outcome. If my mama reads this, she might say, "read your bible, pray everyday, if you want to grow." Having nothing against reading the bible, praying, and of course growth, but sometimes a person needs to look into themselves, into nature, into patterns, into people, for that continuous push which we call, motivation.

Sometimes I ask myself whether coming to Springfield was a bad decision because I long for those types of motivation that stems from an early morning jog along the sea shores of sun rise California, or the crowded streets of Beijing, where every man is for himself or the artsy towns across Accra, where the people strive to communicate the words of our dear ancestors who navigated through life the way we wish to do, or the chill motivational vibe that tends to grasp my soul whenever I touch down in Seattle - maybe it's the feeling of being in the fun-filled West Coast, where the mountains salute you from every angle and the breathe of technology innovators linger in the atmosphere,  maybe it's the sense of security, knowing that I'm only a few 'Michael Phelps breaststrokes' away from Beautiful British Columbia.

I guess the world categorizes people like me as "dreamers." That's good because I'm proud to be known as someone who believes in life beyond present circumstances, life outside Springfield, life full of empty memory spaces, needed to be filled with stories to be shared with my offsprings.

Will I find the continuous push that I yarn for at the verge of every big outcome, motivation, in my present habitat? I just have to continue in such search because for now, I guess Springfield is mine and I am Springfield.

PLEASE, PAY ME IN TIME.

"The only constant in life is time!" The concept of time has been one that has existed and will continue to exist, even after homo-sapiens have come and gone. We live in a world that is being controlled by time: there is a time to be born, there is a time to learn how to live, there is a time to learn how to stand on one's own feet, there is a time to teach someone else to stand on their own feet, there is a time to hold-on and a time to let-go, there is a time to rest and rejuvenate, and there is a time to pat yourself on the back, like Rohan Nagra, knowing that you've given life your best shot. At times, we give life our best, there are some successes and some fails. It's very unfortunate that we ignore all the successes and focus all our energy on the fails. Man will never be contented! I guess, it's human nature. Although i may fail in some aspects of life, but i refuse to recognize my successes because those successes strengthen me and help encourage me to do better. Some people get motivated by success while some by failures - do whatever gets the ball rolling.

Unfortunately, there are only 24 hours in each day and any second that is lost can not be relived or brought back. That's another reason why we should always live life as though tomorrow will never come. That's another topic to talk about, later on. To me, no time is lost, it might be mis-spent but it goes into getting something accomplished. If so, then why not make such accomplishment something that could be written home about?

In the days of our youth, we tend to forget that our abilities are limited. You may be Chuck Norris today, but one day, time and age will get the best of you. You may be Michael Jordan today, but one day, time and age will get the best of you. Sometimes, we tend to forget that when all is said and done, the most important things that will be remembered are the impacts that were engraved upon the hearts and minds of people or the lack thereof. Anybody can start strong, but the race of life ends at the finish line, where most people tend to disappoint and fall short. A highly celebrated athlete can enjoy fame, pride, lights, cheers, etc., during the highlights of his/her career. The final moments of such career goes a long way in determining and measuring the success levels accomplished. 

Regularly, people see me walk into the lunch room, grab my food, and leave. They all look around and ask themselves: "Why's Eb not eating here?" "Why does he always grab a to-go box?" "He acts as though he's the only one who got something to do." I hear the silent whispers, i can only smile because i know that i'm A Man On The Move! My goals and dreams ahead are greater than the pleasures that loom around, today.

All in all, we only live once. My mother used to always say, "life has no duplicate." It is very imperative to emphasize the importance of living life to its maximum, while being a good example and fostering life-long relationships. When you have the time and strength, work. When you have the money and time, travel the world; explore the wonders of the world. Sail across the Cyprus Islands, drive across the wild Alaskan forest, watch some of the last ice caps melt, take that skii trip on the Whistler plains, take part in that marathon, find someone and give them your heart without any reservations, spread love at all times, give whenever you can. And when all is said and done, even though you may not be celebrated by the world, nature has taken note of you. For nature rewards every act of goodness and handwork that was put forth. Cheers, world.