Tuesday, November 23, 2010

The Riddle of It

It can make you whole, or tear you apart.
It can raise you up, or bring you to your knees.
It can make a hero of the meek, or a fool of the arrogant.
It can put you on top of the world, or bring you down into crushing depths of despair.

They say that if we are raised devoid of it, we will never know it.
With it your days are brighter, but also clouded in grey.
It transcends all sense of logic, and casts aside rationality.
In its presence, everything else seems to disappear.

It has the power to heal, but also the power to hurt.
It has the power to redeem, but also the power to corrupt.
It has the power to ignite wars, but also the power to cease them.
It has the power to forgive, but also the power to avenge.

Even if we had a million reasons to leave it, we would still find one to stay.
Even though it may be small, it can still fill gaping holes in our soul.
Even when breaks us, we end up being stronger than ever.
Even though we may give up on it, it never leaves us, or forsakes us.

We all seek it, but become powerless and vulnerable in the face of it.
It is our greatest strength, but also our greatest weakness.
We would give up anything and everything for it, and it for us.
And sometimes, in order to find it, you have to stop looking for it.
What is it?

Monday, September 06, 2010

Imagination

It's everything not related to the real world or your waking moments.

It's quite simple, really. Just picture yourself living in a place and time that doesn't exist yet, or perhaps once existed. Picture the people, the surroundings, the vibe of the place. Then, thrust yourself into an adventure of your own, be it escaping from some thugs out to get you, to finding out that you're the lost heir to a long-forgotten throne, or to battling a villain who slaughtered your entire family. Simply put, let your imagination run free and flow in an endless stream.

The list could go on forever. But that's the beauty of imagination: anything is possible.

It's the best escapism one can ever find. It's all the fantasies we could never live out in real life, all our dreams come true and all our wishes granted, even if it's only from that small corner of our mind that plays them out right before our mind's eyes.

Basically, it's everything that life isn't.

It's our shelter from the real world when we find that we cannot face it. It takes us to a safe place, where we control everything and nothing can ever go wrong. It's consolation, comfort and support, not provided by someone else, but by the workings of our mind. It may be just a trick of the mind, but oh what a trick it is.

It's our sword and shield. Our army and fortress. Our aggressor and pacifier. Our battleground and safe haven. But moreover, our will, strength and support, to keep us going no matter what.

It's perhaps the best gift that we as humans have.

We cannot escape the realities of life. But we can seek sanctuary in our imagination.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Fighter: A Poem

Another one I wrote, at home this time. :)

Fighter

Beaten down and broken
About to come undone
Abandoned by my brethren
I lie among the fallen
And see the lights of heaven.

My strength will never falter
My resolve will never waver
My will shall be my armour
For I am a fighter, ready as ever
In the face of the enemy, never will I quiver.

As I begin to fade
I am not afraid
Then I ask myself
What do I have to live for?
So much, I cannot ignore.

Hope and faith
They live in me like wraiths
They keep me going when all is lost
Yet never let go when I know I should
They are my greatest allies in whatever I do
But at the same time, my greatest enemies, too.

"Let go, surrender," says one
"Keep holding on," the other whispers
"You are spent, gone and done
Death, you cannot outrun,"
Hisses one.

"But," says the other
"You are a fighter
You cannot give up
Finish this fight
It is your birthright
Rise, unflinching warrior
The battle lies yonder."

I turn away, and run from the lights
To burning cities, unfinished fights
The bitter foe, a blight I must smite
For I am a fighter, fearless as a knight
A battle ignites, with the enemy in my sights
.


This one perhaps best exemplifies what I strive to be: a fighter in everything I do. Indeed, hope and faith are my greatest allies, but also my greatest enemies at the same time, too. A blessing and a curse, but one that is imperative for survival in this harsh world.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Why "The Notebook" sucks

Just watched The Notebook last Saturday. I'd heard a lot from people that it's really good, they all cried watching it and whatnot, so since it was on TV I decided to watch it and see what the fuss was all about.

Guess what.

It sucks. Balls.

It was ridiculously unrealistic; honestly, who in their right mind waits 7 freaking years for someone? And when you're young and stupid, you don't know what that silly thing called love is; relationships don't last very long and moreover, aren't deep at that age, even more so when there's a huge distance between the two.

In reality, if two people were to have a summer romance, then part ways after that, and not have any contact whatsoever with each other over 7 years, surely they would have moved on, if not forgotten about them?

The two lovebirds claimed that "what [we] had was real."

Yeah, real my ass. Like the two of them, at that age, would know what real love is. Like love at first sight even exists in the first place. Consumed by passion and nothing more, that was really all they had.

If the movie was being realistic, then when Allie went back to Seabrook to visit Noah, she would've just found out that even though it really wasn't over at that time, and he really did write to her, except her mother kept the letters from her, she's moved on and is about to get married to someone else. At the most, they would've remained good friends, knowing that they once shared something.

But that wouldn't make for the soppy, formulaic, romantic movie that's bound to rake in millions and bring girls to the cinema in droves and have them leave in tears, now would it?

Hollywood blatantly exploits the emotional powerhouses of the female demographic, sacrificing quality for monetary gain. And that's why I like indie/arthouse movies better than a lot of mainstream commercial movies. Sure, I don't mind the occasional mindless shoot-'em-up action movie (as long as there's a comprehensible plot and awesome effects :P), I enjoy some thrillers, sci-fi, fantasy, even the occasional drama, and I adore the 'not-exactly-old' classics that I grew up with watching over and over again countless times...........but romance? I reckon that's the one genre Hollywood does badly. There are of course, a few exceptions, such as Casablanca, but really, Hollywood still has a long way to go in perfecting the art of the genre.

Hey, let's not forget that The Notebook was based on a novel, by that ever-popular romance writer Nicholas Sparks, author of fellow weepies Dear John, A Walk to Remember, Nights in Rodanthe, etc, etc. But check this out (click on it for a larger view):


Seems the writing world has a long way to go too. Don't say I didn't tell you so. :)

Credit for the picture goes to Cracked.com. :)

Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Fame

Fame. Is it a blessing, or a curse?

When the word 'fame' comes to mind, so do images of cameras flashing and almost blinding you, fans screaming, journalists clamouring for a word or two, paparazzi stalking you, walking down red carpets, talk show interviews on TV, your face on the cover of magazines, and so much more. You can't ask for more than that, can you?

But with every bright side, comes the dark side.

The dark side of fame is a trap that far too many famous people fall into. From descents into drugs, alcoholism and attempted suicides, they're all to try and grab the attention of a media that is no longer interested in them. But why?

Once you have fame, you can never get enough of it.

In other words, fame is a like a lethal drug. It can bring some high moments, but it can also drag you down into crushing depths of despair. Famous people who've managed to avoid controversy that could bring them into the limelight have so far avoided the dark side of fame and have managed to be famous only for the right reasons. But those who are nearing the end of their fame desperately cling on to it, and turn to its dark side in the hope that it can bring them back into the limelight once more, only to fail most of the time. Clearly, fame's an addictive drug. But sadly, there's no cure for it.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Insanity

It's official. I'm insane.

Really, I am. Or at least I think I am.

I wish I could just go someplace else, somewhere far away from here, and leave everything behind and forget all about it. Friends, family, life, everything. Destroy all connections to my previous life. That life is dead and gone.

Start afresh, in a place where nobody knows me or where I come from. Where I can finally start life anew and forget the past like it never happened in the first place. Where I can probably live in relative solitude and peace for the rest of my life. Bliss.

Tuscany, anyone? :)

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Here today, gone tomorrow

Without evil, we wouldn't know good.

Without hate, we wouldn't know love.

What if, we had people in our lives, just so one day, we could learn to live without them?

People walk in and out of our lives. They gain importance in our lives, or lose it gradually or even suddenly, as time goes by and things change.

Perhaps, people walk into our lives, so that one day, we may learn to live without them when they walk out of our lives. I mean, they're all gonna leave us someday, aren't they?

Believe me, that time will come. Regardless of promises made or steadfast loyalty displayed, it will come.

Maybe the saying's true: don't worry about the people in your past, there's a reason they didn't make it into your future.

Then again, I don't believe anything in life happens for a reason.

People come, people go. There isn't really a reason why, is there?

C'est la vie.

And there ain't nothing we can do about it.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Forever

Forever is a lie. Since we don't live forever, we can't expect to say that something lasts/will last forever. For example, that tired old cliché of "I'll love you forever" or "True love lasts forever".

Utter bullshit, if you ask me.

We're all hardwired to have some wanderlust in us. That's the difficulty of remaining in a monogamous relationship; humans, like most animals, aren't born to find and stay with a partner for the rest of their lives. Everybody will wander, or at least think about wandering, at some point in a relationship, because we were born with that instinct. It's the hard, but inevitable truth, and one that's not easy to swallow. It's hard to honour a monogamous relationship without straying. Feelings fade over time and that's why relationships end and the two parties go their own separate ways. Even if the feelings don't fade, the spark that was initially there will eventually die out, and things will never be the same.

"I'll love you forever."
"No you won't."
"Really, I will."
"Bullshit. Nothing lasts forever."
"How do you know?"
"We don't live forever, and well, things change. You never know."
"..."

"Promise me you'll love me forever."
"I can't promise you that."
"Why not?"
"Because nothing lasts forever. Not even love."
"..."

Sorry to rain on your parade, all you lovebirds and hopeless romantics. But that's the sad reality of the world and one we all have to face.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Morale Lost: A Poem

Morale Lost

Neither a patriot, nor a traitor
In no man's land, alone I will stand.
For with no-one to trust, I have nothing to fear
In the silence and emptiness, no cries I shall hear.
As the cold wind howls, the quiet becomes no longer
The eagle's eyes, like that of a wanderer.
Against the grey skies, I tread this blood-sodden ground
But I feel no pity, for no peace I have found.

I am broken, but I am not shattered
I am bruised, but I am not beaten
I am lost, but I will find my way
This land is in despair, but I am not without hope
But my back is turned, for I believe no more
That this battle has a cause, worth fighting for.


Just something I wrote when I was bored in class one day. :P This is probably my favourite poem out of the many I've written. :)

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

From the outside looking in

They say, no-one knows you better than you yourself. But sometimes, I think other people know me better than I know myself. Strange, isn't it? It hardly seems right that someone else knows things about you that you don't even realise about yourself. People tell me things about myself I don't even realise until then. They analyse my opinions and actions and point out flaws which I never would have seen.

Perhaps it's the same for all of us. We need other people to judge, critique and analyse us, like a scientist keenly examining a specimen under a microscope. There is no more impartial opinion than that of another. Sure, we may know ourselves and how we think, but it is those from the outside looking in that know everything; the good, the bad and the ugly. Everything we would never see in ourselves, as much as we search and analyse. In our minds, there's always that other viewpoint that counteracts whatever we may find negative about ourselves, turning it into something positive, when in the eyes of another, it isn't so. Like the angel and the devil playing with our conscience, duelling in a psychological battle that's bound to end badly. The mind plays tricks on us to think that we are right, perfect and justified in everything we think and do, when really, we aren't.

Perhaps the true selves of each and every one of us remains a perpetual enigma to our own selves. We can never judge ourselves, for we are always biased, no matter how impartial we may try to be. We are either too lenient, or too harsh on ourselves. I guess the best way would be to have an outsider look in, and tell us everything they see: the good, the bad and the ugly.

Monday, June 14, 2010

What defines us

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."
- Confucius

We don't accept challenges for no reason at all. We accept them knowing that we might fall; and when we do, it is how we deal with it that defines our character; whether we sit there and wallow in self-pity, or pick ourselves up and rise to the challenge once more.

Rising again after we've fallen is harder than rising to the challenge for the first time. Often, when we fall, we fall hard. Hard enough to crush all our hopes and dreams, and instill in us distrust, fear and hatred. Picking ourselves up after such setbacks defines our character more than the setback itself. In comparison, the setback would seem insignificant, like a fly on the wall, a little nuisance in the way, once we rise up again and eventually succeed in our endeavours. Of course, we may not succeed the second, third or even the fourth time we try again; but it's how we never give up each and every time we fail that matters more than the failures themselves.

Nobody's perfect. Everybody falls, some harder than others. But it's how we pick ourselves up that matters.


"It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me."
- Batman

Who would've ever though Batman could come up with a good quote like that? :P

Sure, we may say all sorts of things about who we are underneath to others, but when it comes to actually proving those, it is, indeed, what we do that defines us. We might say that we are brave and loyal and would do anything for our friends, even take a bullet for them; but if a gun was really pointed at them one day, would you actually step in front of them and take the hit? Would you risk losing your life and everything you've ever known and hold dear, just to ensure they live one more day, or, in the pressure of the situation, completely forget your promise and simply watch on as the gun fires and they fall slowly to the ground, bleeding?

Indeed, the important decisions and choices we make in our lives define our character and who we are. We are judged not by what we say, but by what we do. In other words, our character may be who we are underneath, but it is our actions that show and prove it to the world.

Friday, June 04, 2010

Memory

Memory. Without it, we probably wouldn't exist. It is because of memory that we know who we are and our place in this world. We are shaped not just by our genes, but also by our surrounding environment, and the way it shapes us, is because of our memory. We remember all that goes on around us and are profoundly affected by it, whether we realise it at the time or not.

But sometimes, memory is a curse. There are of course, many things that happen in our lives that we just wish we could forget about completely and banish from our memory forever, but that cannot be. It is these memories that scar us for life, and permanently imprint themselves into our cerebral cortex. We cannot voluntarily forget about those memories, no matter how much we try. Our memory stores those moments and events, but no matter how much of a conscious effort we may make to ignore them and not recall them, sometimes they inevitably spring into our mind's eye, and along with it, all the anguish, torment, pain and fear that we experienced at that time. It's like reliving that very moment we wished we had never gone through. Like going to hell and back again.

But then again, memories shape us, and who we are. No matter what may go on in our lives, if we didn't have a memory, we wouldn't be who we are; we wouldn't grow as people and change; we wouldn't feel pain, love, hate, loss, grief and all the other emotions that every human being experiences. In other words, without memory, we can't call ourselves human.

As the old saying goes, time heals all wounds. Is it true? Perhaps. But the scars left behind remain with us forever.

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Facebook and Justin Bieber: shoot me already

Right now, there are two things in the world that I could not hate more: Facebook and Justin Bieber.

Yep, got that right. That giant of a social networking site and that giant of a gay baby.

Why oh why is everyone obsessed with social networking? I don't see the appeal in:

1. Adding people whom you aren't even friends with, or don't even know in real life, as virtual friends.
2. "Connecting" with people
3. Finding out what other people are up to
4. Talking to people via their profiles for everyone else to see, when you could do it so much easier, and in private, over an instant messaging client like MSN.

Besides, with the recent privacy issues and that idiot billionaire Mark Zuckerberg's comments that "people don't want privacy" anymore, well I say, he and Facebook can go and die in a hole.


And Justin Bieber. Oh my, where do I start on this one?

Seriously, who names their baby girl Justin?

The day Justin Bieber was born, was the day good music died.

Listening to Justin Bieber's trash makes anybody's IQ drop by 10 points.

Honestly, it's nothing personal against that dude. I just happen to hate his music and his rather stupid grabs for media attention, as though his overwhelming popularity with other teenage girls isn't enough for him.


God, the world's gone mad. Really, it has. Or maybe it's just me who's stayed sane all this while.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Right here, right now

What am I doing right here, right now?

It's 1.25am on a Sunday morning.

And I'm listening to It Is What It Is by Lifehouse.

Blue song, that one.

The song just changed to From Where You Are, again by Lifehouse.

Once again, it's a blue one.

This ain't doin' me any good. I'd better get to bed and calm my thoughts. I swear I'm going crazy. Or maybe it's just.....periodic.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

The ideal of perfection

Perfect. It's the only thing that, to most people, should ideally describe everything. Except it doesn't.

"Nobody's perfect. I am nobody."

Ever heard someone say that? Yeah, lame ain't it? No further comment. :P

"Practice makes perfect."

True that, but everybody has different ideas of perfect. From a perfect music performance to a perfect score in a test.

We all strive for perfection, and in the eyes of others, few people achieve it. But to the most competitive athletes or musicians, there is no such thing as perfection. If they had achieved perfection, they would stop learning. Their constant mental reminders of "that's not good enough" pushes them to set the bar higher, not in order to achieve perfection, but to improve themselves. To them, perfection is the very limit. Take it away, and you could be so much more. More than perfect. More than what they thought they could do. But most of all, more than what others thought they could achieve.

That oughta shut 'em up. Don't you just love it when you prove people wrong? :P

Thursday, April 22, 2010

8 Simple Rules

Those rules have been running through my head ever since God knows when. So I thought about it for a while, and now I've decided to write them out to make them clearer.

So, these are the 8 simple rules, in no particular order, that I live by:

1. Nobody's perfect.
2. Everybody's different.
3. Never be emotionally swayed; always be stoic.
4. Nothing lasts forever.
5. Nothing ever happens for a reason; life is random.
6. No matter how hard you try, there are some things in life you just can't control.
7. Don't change for anyone or anything; be yourself.
8. Never give up.

Sticking with those rules have helped me through pretty much everything life's thrown at me so far. And I'm ready for the many more that will come. :)

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Go on, lie to me

Lie to Me - 12 Stones

Our candle burns away
The ashes full of lies
I gave my soul to you
You cut me from behind

Nowhere to run and nowhere to hide

You're scared of the truth, I'm tired of the lies
'Cause who I am
Is where you wanna be

Don't act like an angel

You're falling again
You're no superhero
I found in the end

So lie to me once again

And tell me everything will be alright
Lie to me once again
And ask yourself before we say goodbye
Well goodbye
Was it worth it in the end?

You said you were there for me

You wouldn't let me fall
All the times I shared with you

Were you even there at all?

Nowhere to run and nowhere to hide

You're scared of the truth
I'm tired of the lies
'Cause who I am
Is where you wanna be

Don't act like an angel

You're falling again
You're no superhero
I found in the end

So lie to me once again
And tell me everything will be alright
Lie to me once again
And ask yourself before we say goodbye
Well goodbye
Was it worth it in the end?

Why'd you have to up and run away

A million miles away
I wanna close my eyes and make believe
That I never found you

Just when I put my guard away
 
It's the same old story
You left me broken and betrayed
It's the same old story

Don't act like an angel

You're falling again
You're no superhero
I found in the end

So lie to me once again

And tell me everything will be alright
Lie to me once again
And ask yourself before we say goodbye
Well goodbye
Was it worth it in the end?

Lie to me once again

It's the same old story
Lie to me once again
It's the same old story

Was it worth it in the end?



Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQQyv8Ix5Qk


Lies. Betrayal. Unreliable relationships. Letdowns.

Everything that makes you question why you even bother making friends in the first place. Sooner or later, they're just gonna turn their back on you. Then you go and make other friends, and it happens all over again. It goes in a cycle. Makes you wonder if you're better off just staying out of it in the first place.

So is it worth it in the end? I don't know.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Lone warriors

I reckon everyone's a lone warrior at some stage in their life. Y'know, when you're all alone, yet you rough it out and make it on your own, without anyone else's help. And when friends say they'll always be there for you? Well, truth is, sometimes they just aren't, and that's when you have to go it alone. More often than not, you end up motivating yourself to keep your head up and get through it. But in the end, you emerge stronger, and with a different perspective on life; you become more independent and stoic, but at the same time, more wary and less trustworthy of those around you. You're gonna need it to survive in this cold, harsh, dog-eat-dog world. You're being naïve if you think anything less, or otherwise. And that's a fact.

Lone warriors. From the missing soldier finding his way home, to the one, insignificant human being trying to rebuild their life from scratch all by themselves because everyone's abandoned/given up on them. Don't tell me they had people by their side helping and supporting them, chances are there weren't; I may not know people who've got through similar situations, but I'm willing to bet that it's happened before.

To all the lone warriors out there, I salute you all. You are the true meaning of independence and survival-of-the-fittest, in this world where few can be friends, and fewer can be trusted. Cheers. :)

Saturday, April 17, 2010

First week back

First week back at school wasn't too bad. Waking up on Monday was the hard part though; the alarm blared and my mood sank immediately. These holidays didn't feel long enough. Maybe it was 'cos I was busy doing quite a bit; from driving lessons to movies to Easter camp. Plus, there was a crapload of homework as well, which as usual, the teachers didn't bother checking once we got back. >< So much for putting in effort in year 11, when you're expected to be serious and the teachers are just slack. -.-""" Geez and I thought it was the other way around.......not that I'm slack but you get the point. :P

Well I guess what really made me reluctant about returning to school was the monotony of it all, and the environment as well. Somehow I hate the atmosphere of school. In my year level there's way too much drama going on (see previous post), it's awful. Honestly, if there were another school as good as Glenny in terms of education and with nicer/less bitchy people, hell I'd move there right now. Like I said, I don't need all the crap that goes on at school 'cos it's just distracting and plain stupid.

Wow, that last paragraph made me realise, school's actually REALLY boring. From year 11 onwards, you aren't in a fixed class anymore and you're with different people every single period. It's good for making friends (something I don't do often and I'd really rather not), not so good for maintaining friendships with those who don't share any classes with you anymore. Well I'm the kinda person who prefers a few close friends to many acquaintances, so there. The structure of classes in year 11 really isn't for someone like me. To be honest, it's pretty horrible.

Anyway, enough of rambling. As I'm typing this, my bro and a family friend are playing CS and blowing the heads off bots. Oh well. I'm probably gonna go and take a nap now since there isn't much to do. See y'all later.

Friday, April 09, 2010

Drama

I hate drama. Real-life drama, that is. Really, I do. The only thing it's good for it's gossip, and even then gossip is petty, time-wasting talk. But somehow everyone does it for conversation's sake; it's unavoidable.

Drama is something we can all do without in our lives. Yet it comes about from misunderstandings and fights, and the end results are usually crying, screaming, backstabbing, bitching, and more often than not, fistfights. It could all very well be a script for a television soap opera. Except it all happens in real-life, so it's much worse.

Most of all, we don't need all that bullshit. If only human beings could all get along, life would be so much easier and drama-free.

But who am I kidding? Not myself, that's for sure. That was just idealistic thinking, and as everyone knows, being idealistic almost never helps; being realistic does, and a whole heap, too. Let's face it, human beings are flawed creatures that have not, cannot and never will get along and find peace throughout their entire era of existence. We have conflicts, squabbles, disputes, wars and whatnot.........and yes, you guessed it, it's all real-life drama.

Call me cold and possibly nihilistic, but humans are gonna die out one day not because of some large meteorite striking the Earth and blocking out the Sun, but because one day, all our various dramas, from our disagreements to wars to global warming (which we brought about because nobody's doing anything about it) are gonna add up and ultimately become our undoing; in other words, we end up killing ourselves. Sad, ain't it? Then again, it's probably humanity's real fate.

Is there anything we can really do about it? I don't think so. As I mentioned earlier, we're seriously flawed creatures.

And we can't save ourselves.

Monday, March 15, 2010

The real reasons behind heartbreak songs

Ever wondered what the real reason was behind a heartbreak song?

I mean, think about the song Breakeven by The Script. It's sad enough to melt any girl's heart, yet surely, there had to be a reason behind the breakup.

Maybe it was something he said or did. Or didn't say or do. Maybe he changed. Perhaps that was why she left him.

Or was it all her fault? Perhaps the feelings just faded away, and she fell for someone else and left him standing there?

Sometimes it amazes me why people sing about heartbreak when they don't address the real fault behind it; I mean, shouldn't it be about trying to get some closure and moving on, instead of being perpetually sad (most songs put it that way) and just holding on to any last shred of hope, begging and pleading for them to come back?

Maybe we should start replacing heartbreak songs with apology songs; the ones that actually say sorry and try to move on, instead of pining for a lost love that will never come back.

Anyway, here are the lyrics for Breakeven, by The Script: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/script/breakeven.html

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Ideas, ideas, ideas

You know the saying, great things come to great minds. :D Except my mind isn't particularly great in any way, but well, you get what I'm talking about here, don't you? ;)


I opened the large, ornately decorated double doors, and almost immediately as I stepped into the blackness of the hall, spotlights - hanging from a ceiling much higher than I imagined - flooded the middle of the hall, revealing a small band of musicians on a small, low circular stage, and in standing in front at the bottom of the stage, was Tyler.

"Ty...what are you doing here, what's going on?" I hurried up to him and embraced him.

"Well, it's just a special something for us...though it's more for you."

Without another word, he took my hand and held my waist, and the band was off.

I instantly recognised the music; it was Love of My Life, by Santana and Dave Matthews. I couldn't help but smile; it was one of my favourite songs.

"I knew you'd always wanted to dance to this." He twirled me around.

I chuckled, "Either you're a mind reader, or I must've told you in a daze."

I stared hard into his deep brown eyes. With every passing second we were dancing and the music was playing, I found myself getting even more lost in him; and I wasn't looking for a way out anytime soon.

As expected, the tempo of the music changed, and before we knew it, we were dancing to the rapid pace of the music, as the mood changed from slow and romantic to fast-paced and frenzied. It was almost as fast as a salsa, except it was a waltz. I'd never felt a bigger rush in such a lone environment, it was almost surreal. Countless spins, twirls, and lifts followed, and as the song reached it's climax at the end, Tyler suddenly pulled me close, and our faces were mere inches apart. Breathing heavily, I grinned. He gave me a piercing, yet gentle look. This wasn't over yet.

This time, the only music came from the piano. Once again, I recognised the song; The Scientist by Coldplay, with its unmistakable riff and haunting melody.

Once again, we did a slow waltz.

"You know, this song gets me every time I listen to it," Tyler confessed.

"Really?" I chuckled as we slowly glided from one part of the room to the other, all the while remaining under the glow of the spotlights in the middle.

"Yeah, really," He smiled slightly, almost a half-smile, and I was only close enough to spot it. "It's weird, every time I hear it I get this sorta cold and warm feeling, I dunno, it's hard to explain."

"Why, though?" I was curious now; Tyler was seldom one to be moved by a song, let alone this one.

"Well, it makes me think that I'm never good enough for you, but somehow, you still stick with me."

"Oh please, why would you think that?" I was genuinely surprised, almost to the point of scorn.

"Well, it was hard on you, when I moved away. You know, absence makes the heart grow fonder.....and it really did. I just felt...helpless, I guess, when I realised that...you...you'd stripped me down to my core, and with-without you, I was...nothing," He was rushing his words now, speaking so frantically that I struggled to keep up. "I was just powerless, vulnerable, and...I felt really bad for leaving you behind, even though you were always there for me. But I can't say the same for myself...I just had this horrible feeling of guilt, and I really wanted to just say I'm sorry a million times over, a-and just go back to when we-"

"Hey, hey, Ty, shush now," I held my finger up to his lips. "There's nothing to be sorry about, honestly." I cradled his cheek in my hand and stared directly into his eyes, firmly yet tenderly. "It's okay, I'm here with you now, none of that matters now. It wasn't your fault and never will be, yeah? It's perfectly fine. I know, as much as you try to be there for me, you can't always be. I mean, that's when we've both gotta be strong and pull through, without each other. But of course, I knew I was always on your mind, and you were on mine too. We may not have been there in presence, but always in spirit, if you'd like to put it that way."

"Yeah." Tyler whispered genially.

I smiled, and looked away, reflecting on the ironies of life and our situation. "You know, it's pretty strange that whatever's on your mind, whether it's some economical, environmental or political crisis that's happening around the world, the one thing that really gets to you is that someone you fancy. Don't you reckon so?"

He stared hard at me for a moment, and swallowed. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

I guess that was all he could really say at this point. But I knew his answer to my question was a definite "Yes"; either that or it was simply rhetorical. I hated to say it, clichéd as it was, but my heart melted right then and there.

"So are you," I replied, smiling gently.

We leaned our foreheads against each others', and laughed, as the song continued to play and we danced. I was never one to be swayed by surprising romantic gestures like these, but like Tyler, this one had gotten to me. Now, I was the one who was powerless in the face of love.