Fight for Love

I just finished watching an episode of Grey's Anatomy with my sister.In the episode, there was a ballerina who had cancer, and the doctors had to amputate his leg. Of course, the guy felt like his whole world was crashing down. His leg wasn't only his leg; it was his life. To illustrate his point, he danced in front of the doctors, and said, "Build me a leg that would let me do that."

One of the doctors, Alex Karev, found a way on how they could save him without amputating his leg. They took off the affected part of his leg bone, got rid of the cancer cells on that part, and placed it back again in his leg. In the end, the ballerina got to keep his leg.

This reminded me of an episode in my favorite series, Make It Or Break It. In the first season, one of the main characters, Payson Keeler, broke her back during a tournament. All the doctors they went to said it was inoperable, and that she couldn't do gymnastics anymore. Payson was devastated; she couldn't give up what she loves to do. She couldn't give up her dream. When she had learned to accept that she couldn't do gymnastics anymore, and was slowly adjusting to a new life, a doctor came and said there was a way to fix her back and let her do gymnastics again. Her parents were afraid because the surgery was risky, but they went on with it. And so Payson was able to do gymnastics again. She was able to go back to what she truly loved and what she was most passionate about.

Fighting for love isn't easy; it takes bravery and resilience. There is always that one person whom we care about the most, or that one thing that we don't get tired of doing and would like to do for the rest of the lives. But life always throws rocks, sometimes big boulders, that require us to do more effort. We must push them away, so they wouldn't block us or separate us from what we love. We can always ask help, or choose to get rid of those obstacles on our own. Either way, the most important thing is not to give up.

Do you recall an instance when you really fought for something? Or fought for someone? Have you ever experienced holding on to that one last thread of hope so you can keep doing what you love (or whom you love)? Was the ending what you fought for?

To fight for something gives us purpose. To fight for love gives us purpose and meaning. When we give up that fight, maybe we don't love it as much as we thought we do. Not that it's always bad, especially if we decide to focus our energy on doing something else, or take a different career path. Times change, and so do we and our interests.

So whatever it is that we love to do, let's keep doing it. Sometimes, odds may not be in our favor, but, when done for love, overcoming those odds would always be worth it.

I Wanna Be With You

It's one of my favorite Mandy Moore songs, and was also used in one of my favorite movies, Center Stage. I miss her. She's not as prominent a singer as before. Nevertheless, I still love her. Her beautiful voice is truly captivating, especially in this video:




I like this version better than the recorded one, because the latter is, should I say, a bit too "airy". Maybe it's because of the effects? I don't know. But what I do know is this is a beautiful song, especially when it's sang from the heart, just like what she did in this video. :)

Lipstick Love

WARNING: This is a very vain post.

Since my last two posts have been quite sad, I'm gonna post something light. Something that's usually a cause for girls to smile about.

Makeup. :) Haha!

Ever since I got that little makeover from Women's Health Philippines, I became interested in makeup. I'm no makeup junkie, but I became fascinated with it. :) Whenever I'm in the mall, aside from bookstores and my favorite clothes stores, I find myself checking out cosmetics stores and trying out some. And sometimes, I end up buying. Hehe.

Case in point: My visits to Etude House.

The first time I went there, I bought an eyebrow filler. When I came back to try out some lipsticks, I ended up buying a cute pink one.

Sweet and cute, isn't it?

The next time I went to Etude House, I didn't have plans to buy anything. I was just trying on a few lipstick shades, but the saleslady was so persuasive. Haha! Yeah, I'm blaming her. She got me into buying an orange lipstick.

It's a warm orange shade, not the OMG-I-look-like-I'm-from-outer-space kind. And I like it. When I wear it, I don't put on blush anymore because I think the lipstick in itself is attractive already.

So there. Although I love putting on makeup, I don't overdo it. Too much makeup doesn't make anyone pretty, right? And I give my face a rest day from cosmetics. It needs to breathe, too.

So girls, how about you? Do you wear lipstick? What's your favorite shade? :)

Seven Links

Because I was tagged by Leah of Leah's Treasures, I am participating in the 7 Links Project. I'll be sharing with you my old entries which fit the categories given in the said project. Sounds interesting? Here they are:

My Most Beautiful Post: Deceit (March 20, 2011)

Is it really for me to decide what is my most beautiful post? I can't really choose because I think it's you, my dear readers, who should decide, but I picked this one because it garnered the most number of comments among the poems I have written, and I love, love, love poetry (and I thank all of you for being supportive of my poetry-writing).

My Most Popular Post: Flowers in a Vase and Other Drawings (Sept. 6, 2010)

Based on my blog statistics, this entry has the most number of page views. I'm actually surprised because I posted it out of nostalgia. I used to draw when I was a kid. I'm not really good at it, and the drawing part isn't really what I'm after, but the coloring part. I love, love, love colors, and I love seeing them blend and mingle with one another. I probably have a raw talent for the visual arts; I just chose other skills develop. Hence, it got buried beneath other interests. :)

My Most Controversial Post: Super Man (Feb. 27, 2011)

Well, this isn't really controversial. I don't think I have a controversial post. Haha! Anyway, this poem is dedicated to my dearest, and I love that it got quite a lot of comments from readers. They loved it, too, and I think this is the post where I showed everyone how proud I am of my dearest, and how blessed I am to be with him.

My Most Helpful Post: Palawan Weekend Part 3: 'Round the Town (June 5, 2011)

This isn't the only entry that I think is the most helpful, but the entire Palawan Weekend series (Parts 1 to 5). It was my first time to blog about the beauty my country has to offer, and I think, whoever stumbles upon this series of entries will also appreciate and see how beautiful the Philippines is. And I hope this can help them be proud that they're Filipinos. And for non-Filipino readers, I hope this entry will open your eyes to the wonders of my country, and, if time and funds permit, will encourage you to come for a visit, if not for a long vacation. :)

A Post Whose Success Surprised Me: If I Were A Dancer (Jan. 30, 2011)

This is my second most popular post, according to my blog statistics. But that's not the only reason why for me, this is successful. The comments I got from my readers showed that they not only found this piece beautiful, but they also felt what I wrote. And for me, as a writer, that's the best part. :)

A Post I Feel Didn't Get the Attention It Deserved: Late Dinners (Nov. 22, 2010)

It's a poem I wrote, and it didn't get any comments. Huhu. Maybe I didn't do enough plugging? Haha! Anyway, maybe it was just a "dry week" when I posted it that's why it didn't get much attention. Thank goodness for this Seven Links Project, the poem gets a second chance. Hahaha!

The Post I Am Most Proud Of: Valentine's Series: Hearts (Feb. 1, 2011)

Like the entry I ranked as my most helpful post, this isn't the only piece I am most proud of, but all the poems in my Valentine's Series. From Feb. 1 to 14, I wrote acrostic poems from words that are love-related to celebrate Valentine's Day. That was a challenge, and I was so happy when I finished the series. I felt fulfilled. I enjoyed doing it, and it thrilled me that my readers read and left comments saying how much they loved it, too. Some even said they couldn't wait to see the rest of the series.

I am not tagging anyone to do this, but I am encouraging you, my fellow bloggers, to do this in your own blogs when you have the time. This is fun, and it's nice to look back on your old entries, reflect on what made you write them, and see them in a new light. :)

Crushed

Like a soda can
Thrown on the sidewalk,
Stepped on by unscrupulous
Soles of hard leather boots.

It makes a deafening sound
Of tin against cement,
The friction jolting a sleeping cat
Back to a harsh world.

The can caves in,
The heavy dent penetrates
And gnaws on the inside,
Hollow, useless, without purpose.

It is kicked by passers-by
And blown by a strong, cold wind,
Hitting alley walls and finally a trash bin,
Where it rightfully belongs.

-Katherine Lopez
24 July 2011

Smile

I'm feeling, uh, sad lately. I don't know. I just feel down. Maybe it's just one of those "I'm-not-so-sparkly-today-so-leave-me-alone" days. But the truth is, I kinda don't want to be left alone. I want to have someone to talk to although I don't know what to talk about. A part of me want to to share why I'm sad, but my reasonable self tells me to just keep it to myself. I might overshare and that would land be in a big trouble (again).

To cheer up myself a little, I watch my favorite videos on Youtube. This is one of my favorites: Chinese gymnast Jiang Yuyuan's floor routine in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.



Don't you just love her smile? Although she didn't win an individual medal for this routine, her artistic expression makes this routine so lovable. She was so happy doing this routine, and it shows. She attacked each move with so much passion, energy, and joy. Her bubbly music suits her happy disposition. I can watch this video over and over and not get tired of it. I love her smile, especially at the end of her routine. It's like she's saying, "Hey, I did it! I loved it!" And the crowd loves her, too.

I wish I could bring back my similar sparkle. Everything will soon be okay, right? I'm sad, and there's nothing wrong with embracing it for now. Maybe I don't need to fight it if that's what I'm actually feeling; I'm acknowledging it as I work things out in my head.

For now, I'm sad. So I'm again pressing the video's play button to enjoy Jiang Yuyuan's routine. Her smile makes me smile, too.

The Carousel

I choose the white horse

With golden hair

And red clothes that

Make him look like a prince.

I carefully mount myself

On the saddle,

Hold on to the golden pole

Like a little girl to her fantasies.

The bell rings, the carousel

Goes 'round, takes me

To a world of castles and candies,

And princesses playing on a sprawling garden

Where worries do not exist,

And afternoons are spent

Running and frolicking

On sweet-smelling grass.

The horse tickles

As it goes up and down,

Eliciting giggles in this journey

To a painted dream.

The world becomes a blur,

Everything fades, overpowered

By the twinkling lights.

I am transported.

Alas, the bell rings.

I go down, say goodbye to

The lights, the music, and the horse

That made me a child again.

-Katherine Lopez

17 July 2011