The Roving, Ronin Hare

 There is sadness, there is gladness Gloom and doom, delight and fright There is lewdness, there is madness Swoon and lampoon, spite and slight Image Source A little shift here and there Could make a notable change In my mood or - worse - temper Everything seems arranged --- From a half note on a song To the use of spices on a dish Or a random, awful dong To a beautiful, granted wish A little change in the decors A little shift in colors A newly-cleaned dazzling floor That emits a strange odor There is always something new In one little change or two Even the mist of morning dew Could make me fall in love with you A set of long-ago memories Could either make me go sad Force me to laugh, or give me bliss And, in rare instances, go mad A nice message from a friend A tight hug from my mother Both make me smile from end to end What a feeling shared with others... But the best emotion of all To remember as I always should To recall and recall and recall Is nothing else but that of grati...

September 2023.  My birthmonth, my birthyear. I was born in the year of the Hare so I needed to make 2023, another year of the Hare, special. As I had never been out of the country, I decided to finally make that long-awaited "first trip" on my birthyear. It happens once every twelve years so why not make it special? My first time past Immigration! So many countries were considered. Spain and Portugal came to mind. Thailand seemed plausible. Nearby Indonesia's fantastic architecture were tempting, and because Singapore was close enough, it was also suggested. Malaysia came into the radar too. But, not until visas were approved or airline tickets were bought, nothing was final. And then - out of the blue - I heard my aunt and sister talk about a possible Euro Tour on no other month but September ... Since it happens to be my birthmonth, I immediately asked if I could join them... "Sure," said my aunt! Up until that point, my options were as flexible as they could...

  It was the early days of 2013 I remember the things I've seen Something was special those days and nights An event changed my entire life I was at the top of the class then When I was told to come home To my lonesome, childless parents Deep within, I was all alone I absolutely had no friends I didn't even know myself I was empty, unhappy And then, I discovered DXP All my life was void But someone fin'lly gave me joy In the nothingness of cyberspace I didn't even have the capacity to see your face But the feelings I had resonate Until today, up to now, maybe for ever I am willing to wait Because of the many things I remember Do you know happiness? Do you know sadness? When I remember you I feel both of these two Maybe, but it's just my guess You bring me both happiness and sadness Joys for the funny memories Gloom for the same kinds of bliss That you both gave to me Happy, unhappy, or both maybe But now, I'm saying sorry For whatever I did to thee Every day, I ...

  Despite being foretold as a tumultuous year with so many ups and downs, 2022 eventually turned out to be a year I gained so many new friends. It is the product of the many lessons I learned since 2018 and thereabouts --- I learned to relax, to be more open-minded, and to be more positive about life. There were many bad things happening everywhere since the start of the decade so 2022 was the year I focused on things I can control and, if the world around me is a travesty, I tried to make my own universe a haven of peace and tranquility. I didn't have to work hard to attain that goal in 2022, which is a year shaped by the lessons of the past five years or so. In this blog entry, I reveal the most memorable events of the past year to look back on. I thank my family and my friends for making it a wonderful year that it has been... 7 January Bonfire with HS Classmates The biggest guffaw of the year happened this night and the person responsible for this is the guy on the picture, a c...