Synchronicity

Video courtesy of Youtube

When art and life move together in a seemingly pre-orchestrated dance, one can't help but acknowledge the presence of some higher power working behind the scenes.  Or maybe it's just whimsy.  Whatever the case, I woke up today to the sad news of the untimely demise of the incomparable Whitney Houston.  I wasn't her biggest fan.  But I do remember learning every nuance of I Will Always Love You when I was younger.  Never mind that my voice  (even when I was a young boy) wasn't suited for the song.  

But, Why Does It Hurt So Bad would remain my all-time favorite.  Strangely, even more so than When You Believe, a duet with MC, the ingenue of my youth.  Or maybe it was because of the emotion she put across in this particular performance.  And, the masochistic martyr in me responded.

As I reflect on the song tonight, I can't help but respond to the song again.  This time, not out of the naive yearning for love, and not just in commisseration with the loss of one of the music world's biggest icons, but out of the weary yet hopeful process of heartbreak.  As I told somebody earlier today, time heals "old" wounds.  Maybe in time, I will listen to this song again and not remember the day when I could relate to it so.  Or maybe, just maybe, what I'm going through will add this new dimension of memories that will make the song even richer than it already is.  Who knows?

RIP, Whitney.  You are in better hands now.

Typhoon Sendong Relief

Photo courtesy of http://iamjammed.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/satellite.gif

I have come out of my semi-retirement from blogging to encourage (rather, appeal to) everyone to spread the word and about how to help (not to mention actually help) the victims in the recent wake of Typhoon Sendong over Mindanao.

Just a few useful links:

Iligan Bloggers - 

http://iliganbloggers.com/food/one-for-iligan-help-the-typhoon-sendong-victims/

Philippine Red Cross and Cebuana Lhuillier - https://www.facebook.com/phredcross/posts/338043636221052

Let's do something meaningful this Christmas.

Remembering Steve Jobs

Photo courtesy of https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/312811_10150340210013608_180256858607_7903536_2113424720_n.jpg

I know not a few people who don't understand the world's fascination with Steve Jobs.

I can't say I'm a die hard Apple fan because I've always been more of a value-for-money kind of guy than a flashy gadget techie.  Despite that, I still own a couple of Apple products, both of which occupy a particularly meaningful place in my life.  But, really, it's more than just these products.

I'm affected by this man because he stands as the testament that one should never give up.  Life can throw you so many curve balls.  Sometimes, a few of those are bound to hit you.  And you pick yourself up each time.

He dropped out of college.  A lot of us would probably consider that a big failure.  But, he turned this into an opportunity.  He used his time studying calligraphy.  A pretty non-practical field of study, if you ask me.  He used this skill into making what was then a revolutionary typeface that eventually became the standard for fonts in computers when he co-founded Apple.

But, that was not the last of the curveballs to hit him.

In 1985, he was forced out of Apple because of disagreements over the company's strategy.  A lot of people counted him out then.  What can you do when you're forced out of something that you were responsible for?  His answer was, to create something new entirely.  He went on to acquire that money making machine we owe a lot of laughs (and a few tears too) that is called Pixar.  He also acquired a company called NeXT.  It was this move that would lead him back to the Apple boardroom when the merger of NeXT and Apple was finalized in 1997.

And we all know (somewhat) what happens next.

So, on behalf of those of us you have inspired, be it because of innovation or the sheer depth of your life, thank you, Steve.  You will be remembered.