in RETROSPECT

     The comments my friends left on the last post somehow inspired me to put a little more writing to my entries.  As a consequence, there will be times when "Show Me Your Look Today" will discuss a little more about life's journeys.  I can't promise that I will be a perfect source of life's lessons, but I am certain that I will write with truth,  objectivity and compassion.  It will be my view of the world and our existence, my view of crossroads, of complexities and of other pressing issues -- Hopefully you might find something in it that will inspire you to make better choices, not just with clothes and stuff, but about other things that matter too. 

Looking Back and Ahead...

     Today, I wanna take a step back and look at things.  Sometimes when we feel overwhelmed, we can always stop and view what's happening in an entirely different perspective.  It's sometimes fun to halt for a while when things are moving in such speed and reflect on the past events that brought us where we are now. 

     Some things are worth remembering countless times because they're just...  hilarious.  Like checking on the clothes we've sported a few years back, I can honestly say that mine weren't so fly after-all!  But as many others before me had said about fashion just being a cycle, I believe that given the chance, I'll probably wear what my father or my uncles had worn decades ago during their teens.

     I wish to publish more old family photos but they're all back at home in the province and my parents are not tech savvies so asking them to send the pictures to me would mean snail mail.  I think I've rested long enough to let another post wait for any longer.  Anyway, I have a few pictures that were inserted on my stuff that i brought with me when i moved here in Manila.  Let me show some of them...

These are my wonderful parents...

This is my mom with her brother...

This is my mom holding my cousin, my aunt on her left and her friend on her right.

     Looking at the pictures, I'd say that the clothes they wore weren't so bad at all.  They actually looked pretty neat.

     Now here comes the fun part.  Let me just warn you that I require absolute tolerance at this point.  Yep, please maintain an open mind. LOL!

     This was me 5 years ago when I thought that over-sized jeans and shirts made me look cool.

     2007 was the year when I've sported several hair styles: from shaved head to army cut, from curly to straight...  Arf arf!

     Through the years, just like most of us, I've definitely acquired a more sensible taste on style and fashion.  I shifted from something that looks good at the moment to something that might be perceived as awesome even after several years, well -- hopefully.  When I look at my parents' and my relatives' pictures... I think they looked great in what they were wearing back in the 80's, 70's or even earlier.  I want my future kids to think and feel the same way when they see my pictures a few decades from today. --  when facebook is extinct and twitter has evolved into something else...

     Reminiscing the past can be healthy -- it's not just about fashion or style.  When we look at the events in our lives, the decisions we've made and the consequences resulting from those choices or actions -- we learn from them.  We realize how strong we truly are because despite the many downfalls, we've stood right up or if not right away, eventually we did.  And through it all, we've learned that although it's nice to experience the good times -- it's the bad times that proves a lot of things.  The bad times define our character,  it narrows down the list of our true friends, it makes our faith stronger, and  it keeps us in touch with our humanity.  And with enough inspiration that we get from friends or other people's experiences, we become better, stronger, and wiser.

      And yes, we should be aware that today or the future will not always be sunny, but the rainy days will be an opportunity for us to become better.  And with these challenges at hand, we gain wisdom and character.  As I've told a friend, all of this is easier said than done.  But belief and faith in yourself and in the goodness of this world, that's a relevant start.  Let's work our way up until we become masters of our fate.

     I would like to end this post with "In This Song", an inspiring song I found on YouTube.  It's from Charice Pempengco, a young talented fellow Filipino who despite of her humble and awkward beginnings learned to fight the odds and is now slowly and steadily reaching for her dreams.  The song was written for her by David Foster and tells of life's realities:  it's a fight that you can win if you believe in yourself.  It recognizes our weakness but it also tells us that if we have faith, we can make it through.  By the way, Charice will have a recurring role on the second season on the hit series Glee.

     Hope you learned something from the post like I did.  Documenting my thoughts is like a confirmation of my realizations and as thoughts become words, it feels awesome.  Hope you enjoyed the old pictures.  I've chosen the better ones because I can't bear to be embarrassed that much.

     When we look back, the happy memories give us joy while the sad ones make us grow.  The foolish things we did make us squeamish and the triumphs we've accomplished give us pride.  As a whole, this is the fiber of our humanity, whether we like it or not.  Have a great week ahead!

*Video of Charice courtesy of YouTube.
tags: lessons about life