~ °Café de Terrasse° ~

~ vendredi, juin 27, 2003 ~

Now that I think about it, I get into odd run-ins with police. Aside from my run ins with the sherriff deputies of this town, I remember my little run-ins with the Paris Police and the Manila Police. It seems everywhere I go, the cops are on my trail. Then again, I do get into some rather bizarre situations so I wouldn't blame them. I mean, just yesterday, I accessed and entered the confidential "staff-only" section of a hospital. I saw some interesting things. In France, I was wanted as a subway billet evader and illegal photographer. In the Philippines, I was a suspect on a Philippine Air Force base (Don't even ask how I got access on that base, because I don't even know myself). I don't actually commit crimes... usually, my run-ins with the law stem from my ignorance of those laws. I just find myself in odd places... like the many rooms of city hall and various areas of Duarte High School. I was once in a high-security compound in the Philippines where I entered a room full of confidential files (courtesy of a relative who had connections with the local government). I didn't do anything. I don't break into places, i just walk into them. I don't have the intention of breaking any law. If I did, I wouldn't be stupid enough to blog them here. Why the heck did I blog these things!? I have no idea but something tells me that I probably shouldn't have revealed those affairs above. Then again, if you know stuff about me, I probably know stuff about you so we'll call it even.

~Benjamin 6/27/2003 02:09:00 AM

Tonight has been a most interesting evening indeed. I went out for a walk and ended up chasing little baby skunks around the neighborhood. I wasn't going to hurt them, I just thought they were cute little critters. And I didn't worry too much about being sprayed because I was watching the Discovery channel this afternoon about skunks and the babies don't carry the infamous parfum. Anyway, I followed the adult skunks around as they went through gardens eating flowers. Poor Mrs. Garcia's roses. There are soo many skunks around this neighborhood but none of them have ever felt threatened enough to spray. Anyway, as I was going on my pépé le pew adventure, I caught sight of an erratic driver speeding down Tannencrest and turning sharply up Fallcreek. Interesting indeed, I thought. But I kept on with my dances with skunks. A few minutes later, a police car shot by followed by a whole caravan of them. They surrounded this one house while I stood and watched. Then these cops came to me and detained me at that streetcorner for questioning. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. They asked me odd questions like, "What are you doing at this time of night?" "Where do you live?" "What's in your pocket?" "Did you see any car come by here?" "Are you lying to us?" But all I could think about was the cute little baby skunk across the street. The cops gathered back together to converse so I left the scene, thinking that the questioning session was over with. Apparently, they weren't finished with me yet because I noticed a squad car turn around toward me. I hid behind a parked car on someone's driveway. They never saw me again. Hehehe. The good news is that I escaped. The bad news is that the skunk escaped. But I did spot a baby coyote running down Brookridge. The wild animals around here are fascinating and events can be quite exhilerating. This is an intresting neighborhood to live in, indeed it is.

~Benjamin 6/27/2003 01:35:00 AM

After taking a nice chilled shower, I walked to my chambre with nothing but a towel... a small face towel... in my right hand. I was putting on my unmentionables when the phone rang. "Hello?" "Hi, Ben? Are you right next to your window?" Looking through my not-really-open but not-really-closed fênetre blinds, My goodness!!! Two little jeepers-peepers ran to my window trying to catch a free show! I won't identify the names of these peeper hoodlums but let's just change the following tildes into different colours for no apparent reason- ~~~~~~ & ~~~~~. So take heed of my warning: If you live in the tri-county Duarte regional area, don't leave your window open when you are lacking in coverage or you are succeptible to being insured by two wide-eyed individuals.

~Benjamin 6/24/2003 07:49:00 PM

"There's a starting point in kiddie school where we're taught that everybody can and should have big dreams for their future. it's so sweet. but then as our lives goes on, as the line is being etched on the proverbial canvas of our existence, we will eventually reach the ending point where we wake up from the delusion and go, "hmm, this is too hard" or "well this sure isn't worth it, screw this. why strive for first class when i can settle for coach? it's just as good." -Kat why
It's an interesting point made indeed- there's much truth to be found in it. But what is success? Everybody's always placing emphasis on being the best at what not... and how is success measured? with money? with fame? Can a person be a successful garbage collector like a successful physician? Or perhaps a successful waiter like a successful actor? The big dreams of people have become so idealized that I don't think people really know what true success is anymore. I was talking with one of my mother's officemates- a "successful" structural engineer. He told me that if he could turn back time, he would've gone against his parents' will to follow his passion and become an artist. He would be willing to give up all his money and all the awards he has received to have followed his true dream. In reality, he was following a dream of his parents... not his. Since early on, our dreams are shaped by the world's dreams that we really don't have any of our own.
I was in the shower this morning and I started to think to myself, "this water is really hot". Then I started thinking harder and I thought, "if I were to become a diplomat or an international lawyer, would I really be happy?" I don't want to disappoint my family or anybody who has thought highly of my plans...I've already smashed their hopes of me becoming a doctor... blood... ugh. Anyway, what if I were to become the owner of an independent coffeehouse without becoming a Howard Shultz? Nobody ever thinks of that as success... coffee plantation owner maybe, but not somebody who serves bittersweet beverages to very thristy people. Or what if I were to become the caretaker of a countryside bed&breakfast. I think it's nice for some people to follow their dreams of being doctors and lawyers and such but I think it's also respectable for those who wish to be nurses and paralegals and such... and then there are those who find happiness in being hole-diggers and worm breeders. They say you can be anything you want if it makes you happy. Then they say to aim high but not too high. Then they say to be the best in everything you do. Then they say that whatever you do, there will always be someone better than you. Shut up about being a writer they say, because you have to be the president. There's no room for plumbers in the world of success, they say... it's only blue collar and that's the fashion sense of unsuccessful people, so they say. They want you to wear a white collar... or better yet, a silk collar! Is the purpose of living to be successful? Or is it to be happy? Or is it the same thing?

~Benjamin 6/23/2003 11:11:00 PM

Starting this week, my first wave of KITs will go out to all the people I agreed to keep in touch with since graduation. I have a couple of telephone numbers to call, screennames to add to my buddy list, and addresses to write to. I have a couple of old elementary and middle school friends to contact and follow up on their lives. It's going to be an interesting future life indeed.

~Benjamin 6/22/2003 10:49:00 PM

~Benjamin 6/22/2003 12:42:00 AM