graffiti!

i have always been a fan of graffiti. the nice ones of course. not the senseless scribble that tend to pollute most cities walls. it's street art! it's also cool that in creating that 'art', the artist had to find the right timing when and where to leave his mark. unless, it's like the art districts in Beijing, Berlin and Slovenia where the walls are now homes to free expression done in style! not to mention with the consent of the law. :)

the picture above is of the same 'graffiti'(im not sure what the technical term is for this type of graffiti, the pre-made ones that only require to be stuck on the wall. UPDATE: Sticker Art is the term! a subcategory of graffiti) the one on the left, i saw in berlin a week after easter 2010 and the one on the right, in ljubljana a month ago. i wonder who made these and if they do travel doing that. or if it's one group/crew that has the same set of graffitis. like a berlin chapter and a ljubljana chapter. i find it totally awesome that i saw these two! and i wonder if there are more of this same design in other cities! if you do see one on any wall near you, tell me!

or this one below which obviously is done by the same artist.

goes and wanders

like a broken record

how would you want to die?

would you want to know when you are dying? a slow one which gives you time to come to terms with it and tie up loose strings? one that let's you prepare yourself as well as all those around you?

or would you rather not know the end is near? face each day and not have a care in the world when you will finally croak?spend your last moments oblivious and not trying to beat the clock by clearing your bucket list?

________________________________________________

i was looking through my photos in cinque terre and i remembered that during my last moments in Levanto, right before i went running to the train station, a middle-aged guy drowned. i was there when the lifeguards noticed him drowning until the time they brought him to shore and until 30+ minutes of trying to resuscitate him. i was not able to find out what happened in the end because i had to catch a train but after 30+minutes of CPR, i doubt there was hope left. there was some other grown man crying hysterically, i assumed he was the brother.

that was just a normal day for that family. they went to the beach. got some tan. had some fun. no one could have known it would be the last for one of them. i saw how devastated the brother was. i felt his pain. at least the smallest possible portion of it. i can't imagine what went through the other guy's head when he was waiting to get rescued while the waves knocked the breathe out of him.

so there, thats why i had that question in my head. i've always wanted it to happen unexpectedly. i'd hate to die of sickness. feeling my grip on life lessen each moment. being helpless on some bed in some hospital is not the way to go for me. i'd like to go doing something i love. i used to say maybe while surfing. whatever. anything exciting at least. but then i get to see such an event. i get to see how the brother reacts. so now, i don't know. not that i can help it anyway.

like a broken record, the only way to live is to seize the day. Carpe Diem as John Keating told his students. or how James Dean puts it; Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.

We can't help it when the grim reaper decides to slash our throats with his infamous scythe but we can make the most of what we have. See the world, readers! whoever you may be.

goes and wanders

make me smile

after more than a year of tinkering with this blog, i just saw the stats part on my dashboard today!

it's cool seeing where people who waste most of their time reading what my brain spits out onto this screen!

it is amusing! and hopefully you are amused by my ramblings too! hopefully, any of my trips inspire you to go and wander! i ask for one favor though! first time i will ever even ask this! can you please spread the word if any of my words do stick. better if you comment but telling a friend about it would be awesome too! follow me if you have a blog yourself! i'd like to see the map on my stats be red on most parts! :) lights up my day! and gives me the boost to write! and at least makes me conscious that i should write better and not make a fool of myself. and, invite me if you're from someplace i haven't been! or invite me back if i missed something in a place i wrote about!

goes and wanders

on the future...specifically mine

have you seen Dont Tell My Mother on National Geographic?

how can i get a job like that? how do i even get close to having the opportunity know people in that field?

:( anyone out there who knows? anyone?

goes and wanders

meeting the world

as of now, the population of the world is 7041196780.

this increases by three every second...

i have/had this longing to meet everyone in the world. have/had because there are times when i am realistic. it's impossible, i know. but the longing is there. weird huh?

i just know there is something interesting about each person. it's like finding a treasure.

this is why i try to talk to random people in my travels. not even close to everyone. but at least a handful from every place keeps me on track.

goes and wanders