Words with an expiry date

I've been going through some old boxes and drawers lately, rummaging those deep corners that haven't seen daylight in years. It's amazing how many things we tend to keep over the years. Among the seemingly trivial things I pulled out are old cards, CDs, gifts (some unused), notes and letters that belong to what feels like another era. Cards and letters that bring back memories of young, happy, exciting, troubled, heart-wrenching times. Looking back, those words spoke of emotions that wanted to last forever, be it friendship, admiration, love or separation.

Today, they are merely expired words. Once meaningful, they are now but empty words on aging paper...or proof that one always moves forward...wading through and out of emotional turmoils of all kinds, and unless one were to stumble upon old written words, some memories are stuck in time, as they should be. Reading them again will trigger feelings that are sometimes mistaken as grief, sadness, regret even. But I believe it's actually a trick of the mind. Our memory briefly relives the emotions we felt when we first read those words.

And briefly, very briefly, we lose ourselves in time, right where the memories dwell. And what we feel can be compared to a ghost of feelings, nothing but remains of what was left behind. Because little did we know then that those words came with an expiry date. Past this, they lose all meaning and cannot touch anymore.

Holding us back

Now that I'm done with my Grey's Anatomy marathon, I'm really enjoying the soundtrack.

I've always loved how this show is a platform for debuting, young artists to showcase their talents.

Featured in the season finale, this is Holding Us Back by Katie Herzig. There's something quite powerfully moving about this melody, dark, sad but still hopeful.

World Cup fever

Tomorrow, the world comes together and for 10 days, the fever will run high.
I wish I were back home in our living room, with my parents and bro, watching the games and having a Phoenix beer with my paps. I remember how we rooted for Italy in the 1994 finals and how disappointed my dad was when Roberto Baggio (whom I had a crush on lol) missed his penalty kick. And the 1998 finals when we were on the edge of our seats for France.

Looking forward to watching as many matches as possible, despite the frustrating time difference.

Go ENGLAND, go Brazil, go France! (in decreasing order) :)

A blast from the past

Here's how the phrase dictionary defines it:

"Something or someone that returns after a period of obscurity or absence. It is normally applied to things that that were thought fondly of previously and are making a welcome return - particularly pop songs."

The context where I would specifically use it:

Someone from your past reappears in your life, recurringly or not, usually after 5-6 months of no news, when you least expect it. Could come from a text message, an e-mail or a phone call, which leaves you indecisive, unsure how to respond. That person usually appears in your life again when you're at the top of your game...when you're in control. As if that person had a radar that captures signs of well-being and happiness and was determined to mess it all up by creating confusion and playing mind games. Just because of one too many drinks. Go figure...

So "a blast from the past" should be used with a negative connotation and not for things or persons remembered fondly because a "blast" is that: something forceful and unanticipated, something potentially destructive.