Time portals

I have been awake for almost 40 hrs. straight and yes I feel weird. Currently I am blogging at the restaurant my friend works at, in Thailand. I'm on this little island called Phi Phi Island. My trip has been a journey so far, let me tell you. It started yesterday at 8:30a.m. when I got up, ate breakfast and finished packing the rest of my items... God knows if I'll make the 7kg limit on Cebu pacific and AirAsia. There is an orange cat sitting on the bar next to me. Anyway, I got in the cab and made it to the airport to catch my first flight. The first flight was easy. Cebu to Manila. A nice lady who recognized me from Bigfoot invited me to stay at her place so I didn't have to wait for 7 hours in the airport. I just had to pause a minute here, as I was trying to blog on my iPhone, which is really quite hard and takes a longer time to write just a mere sentence. Now, there are two gentlemen from... England? drinking next to me now. The cat is gone and I'm sure I look strange sitting at a bar using a MacBook.
Anyway,  where was I? Ok, so this lady invited me to stay at her place, but after a bit of pulling from both sides of myself, I decided against it. I'm actually kind of strange when it comes to airports. They comfort me and I enjoy my time in them. They allow you to think and come up with new ideas and just be alone in a world where it's very hard to be. So I was at Manila at 1:30p.m., waiting for my flight at 8:55p.m. I wrote, I drew, I slept. I then purchased 3 books. I'm telling you, I have this horrible habit of not shopping for long periods of time, that when I do, I really shop. Compulsively.. I think. Anyway, I bought one book on how to think rich, and two books written by an author named Mitch Albom. Before yesterday I never even knew him. But 8 hours later and two of his books finished, I decided those two novels were one of the best I've ever read. I encourage you to read them. I will also be honest in the fact that I cried. I cried out loud on a plane where almost everyone was sleeping.
So... back track to brainstorming ideas for my business, eating blueberry cheesecake and finding myself in Kuala Lumpur at 2a.m. waiting for my 7:25a.m. flight. I'm telling you between those two flights, I found myself a changed person. Or maybe it was my lack of sleep. Whatever the case, I was feeling great and I decided what my purpose was from that moment on. Do you know? It's art-related. I mean, I made more room for my art than I did for my clothes. I even had it in my mind that if I was over the 7kg limit, I would ditch all my clothes and keep everything else. For someone with only 1 bag for 2 weeks, I still felt like I had brought too much.
Alright. I've arrived in Phuket at 7:45a.m. The flight was not long from Kuala. Oh, I will add that in Kuala I almost ate a mold covered quiche. I was actually upset, since I really wanted quiche, but they entertained me with a delicious chicken and cheese panini to make up for it.
Alright, so I'm in Phuket. WOW. This place just flying in was amazing. I felt like I was flying over some majestical islands to a whole new world. In reality I was. Anything created on this planet is majestical and this place I was flying to was most DEFINITELY a whole new world. Indeed. Except boys will be boys everywhere I go. Short story, is I spent most of my morning fighting off hugs and kisses from a man who barely understood a word of English and at most, could say... Mai. I love you. I like Mai.
Sigh... it's all very flattering and very, very sweet. I guess Love knows no boundaries. In any case, I managed to stop him from taking the ferry boat to Phi Phi Island with me, and I managed to stop him from bringing me first to his house and second to a rent a room.. I suppose there are sacrifices for when someone decides to give you a free ride. Yes.. the ride will be turbulent and in the end it is almost always, never free. The whole time I was thinking, Dear Lord, my angels better be protecting me.. and they did. Thankfully. So now I'm on this boat... it's floating across blue green waters, slicing through crystal waters smoothly, as passengers sun-tan and sleep on the sun deck and others snooze peacefully inside the air-conditioned boat. We were all destined to end up on the same island.
As I look around now, I can feel how peaceful this island is. It's strange.. it's full of people from all over the world, all wandering around, all unsure of when they are leaving, or how long they will be staying. I know how long I will be staying. They are all so beautiful. I know when I will be leaving. I have a flight from Bangkok on the 25th at 1:30p.m. It takes 14 hours to get there from here. So, technically in my mind, it is like knowing when you are going to die. You better make the most out of your time.
So. I will meet people. I will relish in the kindness brought from my dear friend John, and I will do my best to repay him as best as I can. Although, sincere generosity is very, very hard to repay. I think the best part I love about traveling is that I always have proof that people are kind. I am always shown gratitude, smiles, warmth and kindness, wherever I go. But it is because I ask Life of that and I expect my own self to give the same. How can I live any other way?
I have already made friends. I have already made a difference in other peoples lives and I've only been here less that 12 hours. But for whatever reason, for that brief moment, we connected. And they, oh yes, they have made the whole world of a difference in mine. I remember almost everyone I meet when I travel, because Life stuck them there for a reason. I was supposed to meet them.
I travel for the sake of the happiness I feel in knowing that there is good in the world. That I, as a simple human being, can still feel everything that is human about us. That no matter what language barriers there are or where we have come from.. we are all the same. We are all just looking for human experiences in a world that strives to make us forget who we are.. I love having the day to myself, not knowing the hours and only doing what can make me happy. I would like to take this opportunity to say, "Thank you Life. For everything and for everyone."
I will now get off this thing... and be human again.

do-wop that thing

This is about that time when I would say something inspirational, but currently I have nothing because I am feeling the brunt of my demon and all I would like to do is beat it's little head in. So, instead of doing that I will focus on the main things I will bring on my trip around Thailand and Taipeii. Pen. Marker. Stickers. Sketchbook. Doodle-book. Things to make jewelry with.
Perhaps a book. Although I may just end up writing my own. 
Yes. Did you know that if you're feeling your demon that you should just put your mouth into a smile? I'm serious. It makes you feel happy, even when you aren't. 
It's the best thing ever. You know I really need the ridiculousness of my mind to balance my sane self out. I can't be so serious all the time. Jeez. 
Today I ate a wonderful meal and I wrote a song. That is all. Good-night. 

mirror images

Did you know when you look into the mirror you are just looking at the backwards version of yourself?
You aren't really looking at the true you, because it is just a reflection of you. It is not really how everyone else views you. I've been thinking a lot about that lately and I've decided I'm going to stop being backwards. I have to look at myself straight on and really, really ask myself what is it that I desire most. What are my ambitions? What are my goals? What are my passions? I need to do this often because society has this way of making me look at myself backwards. It's like society is this mirror and it tells me what I look like, but it's not really true. It's just showing me the backwards version of myself. I will look into the mirror and tell it, NO! Show me who I really am! Show me exactly what I look like! This year I promise I will cast all my fears, break that mirror and shine, shine, shine.

It's traveling time

 The Beach

3 piece acrylic on canvas

 So I decided that before I leave the beautiful eastern world known as Asia, I have to explore it.
I will be heading from the islands of the Philippines to Kuala Lumpur, after which I will land in Phuket, Thailand. From there I will take a ferry to Phi Phi Island, where I will meet a good friend, soak up the ocean and eat copious amounts of yummy thai food. I also promised one of my girl friends I will go see her mother. Where she will proceed to feed me more. And all the while I am there the World Cup will be happening, so I'm sure there will be tons of screaming, shouting, happy fans drinking their faces into the ground.
After Phi Phi Island I will bus up to Bangkok, but I will be sure to avoid the Red Shirts. I like to stay away drama and negative energy. From Bangkok I will fly to Taipeii to visit another friend there. I am hoping I go somewhere up in the mountains and make myself feel very, very small. Like I made myself feel when I went to the Grand Canyon. I often like to remind myself that I'm a mere speck of sand because then I don't worry so much about everything in Life. After Taipeii, I will come back to the Philippines and hug my family.
My dear, dear family who accepted me long before I could accept myself.
And then after that... I will just continue to create art until I have to say, so long Philippines, but I must return to my other home now.

Let me tell you about another one..

I woke up today at 5a.m. and fell back asleep. I proceeded to have a dream.


I dreamed that I was back in my old neighbourhood in Ottawa. I was dreaming about airplanes.
A friend of mine was trying to catch a plane to Barcelona but it was during work hours but the truth was he didn't want to return to work, so we wrote up a letter that we would give once he left the country. 
There were airplanes flying overhead and we flew to the airport. I saw him off. 
I also think I'm missing something here. 
Anyway, I returned to my home. The one that I moved out into, a friend of the family. She was waiting for me in her home. I climbed the stairs to get to the top floor and she was there. She said, "I don't want this house anymore, do you want it?" And of course I said yes, so she left me there in the house, with an elderly woman who was cleaning the mirrors. I loved the house I was in. It obviously was not the exact same as I knew it in real life, but this house was really beautiful. 


And that for the most part was my dream. Although, I do know I'm missing something that happened in it that I can vaguely recollect. I just wanted to share this one with you, but now I'm going to go back to drinking water, eating chips and singing songs.