Ahhhhhh the JOYS of Youth!

Had a nice time of it yesterday watching kids slip and slide away at the DAHU PAR Pool.... a FAVE POOL of mine with an OLYMPIC sized pool to do laps in, an indoors pool for those who do not want to tan, Sauna, Steam and Water Massage areas for relaxation, and of course, a KIDDIE THEME water park....

Yesterday was a gloomy day... even rained alot - as it has been the last few days... with nothing else better to do, and NO SUN to burn the skin - decided to go for a dip at DAHU park... just over the bridge from where we live... it was just what I needed... refreshing waters, with hardly anyone at the pool - almost like having the Olympic sized pool to ourselves.... and quite enjoyed the Water Massage - been soooo long since I was here last....

The added bonus was watching the kiddies get sooooooo excited taking turns sliding down the water slide... and over and over they went doing so.... "Small simple pleasures, giant smiles sheer joy!"

November Rain

Back In Taipei once again... and the RAIN is back along with me... my flight got in at past 1PM yesterday afternoon... it was sunny when we were landing but lo and behold, as soon as I step off the bus, closer to my home, the rain started.... must have brought it back from Manila as I heard it was nice and sunny here when I was away.... and in Manila, it was raining off and on, the whole week I was there... 2nd day back today, Monday the 3rd and it has been raining heavily.... LOLs... RAINY SEASON here we come... good thing I have a lot of work to catch up to which will keep me indoors for the next few days....

Mom & Angel: Photo Above

The TRIP was, as always, HURRIED and TIRING... still it is always worth it to see my family - especially my MOM.... she is doing quite well -- HAPPY and ENERGETIC.... it was GREAT bringing a 2 year old girl, Angel (a cousin's daughter), with us to keep her laughing as she loves kids... The only bad thing is finding a LUMP on her chest that seems to be getting bigger -- so we need to get that checked out right away... and as with most older people, she does not want to deal with it nor even think about it... which can be frustrating...

So it is scary to think about these things... how my MOM is really getting old... I only wish I can make things more comfortable for her... give her a bit more HAPPINESS... if there is one thing that she is wanting - that is to get to see my Brother Benjie... I do hope I can make this come true for her... sometime soon...

Make Your Own Kind of Music

Got to see this movie, BEAUTIFUL THING, once more -- and was reminded how beautiful and tender the movie was.... and how it is a perfect example of MUSIC and MOVIE fitting together perfectly! The movie came out in the mid 90's and it was a very URBAN and REALISTIC coming of age movie, at the same time, somewhat fairytale love story.. All the characters are flawed and SO REAL!

The scene below makes great use of The MAMAs & The PAPAs, Make Your Own Kind of Music -- the LYRICS makes one feel it was totally written for the movie... of course, most of us knows the music preceeds the movie many years ago....

Aaaaah Youth!

The time spend last weekend with Shaun's family in the Nantou County, made such an impression on me... most especially Jeff/Ben/Winner -- lovingly referred to as, Xiao Pang...

Meeting & hanging out with Xiao Pang made me appreciate and think back a whole lot to my childhood... and being young....
-A time when one does not care so much about many things that troubles us in our adulthood... things such as Politics, Religions, Sexual Orientation, Status, Brand Names, Skin Colors, etc....
-A time when we all feel, for the most part, INVINCIBLE -- that we can climb trees, walls, and other heights and no harm can come to us....
-A time when we just say whatever it is that comes to mind and nothing will be misconstrued -- as all will be relegated to naiveness, curiosity, or just plain, Youth!
-A time when we need not worry about responsibilities, getting a job, raising a family, giving back to the community, fitting into our own niche in the world...
-A time where play time rules our daily life... friends and toys matters the most.... as well as, our favorite chocolates, snacks and of course, Saturday morning cartoons....

Oh how I MISS those times.... and yes, though am happy with where I am in my life right now, for the most part anyway, I still think it would be so cool if I can just relieve the HAPPY TIMES, even for just a little while... Alas, we all know that is not possible unless we live in a dream world... or the world of movie magic....

Oh Well, I do still have my precious memories... and I HOPE they never, ever fade away -- as our Youth Fades, in due time....
A Bit of Fun with Xiao Pang!

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3 on Youth!

“An inordinate passion for pleasure is the secret of remaining young”
-Oscar Wilde

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.”
-Sophia Loren

“In youth we learn; in age we understand.”
- Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach