Sometimes we clearly see what the message is and feel almost as if enlightened by what this person brought to us.

And sometimes, people might show us something that tempt us away from whatever is present in our lives. Some people might interpret it as a test. But I believe it is meant to bring us awareness. It’s not a test in the sense that we must overcome that temptation at all costs. Kinda like “The Devil is tempting you”, no.

We need to understand why we were tempted in the first place. Maybe that tells us that something isn’t quite right in our lives the way we thought it was, or we wouldn’t even be tempted by it. It is a moment to realize where we stand and if we truly are where we wish to be. Or, did we take a detour, got lost along the way and forgot about it because we simply got comfortable where we are now?

Some people come into our lives to wake us up, by showing us something that we were aiming for, or something that we want or need and is currently missing but never fully realized it. It doesn’t necessarily mean that this person is the one holding our answers or the one that will lead us to the right path. You might never even see them again.

You choose what path to take. You might conclude that, all things considered, you prefer to stay in your current situation than to risk leaving it to pursue something else.

Just make sure you don’t seattle for less than you deserve because you’re comfortable. I believe situations occur to push and remind us of the direction we want to be heading for. It can dig up a need you ignored and push you into giving it the thought it deserves.

You discover yourself and keep on evolving!

Ignoring such triggers can cost us precious time. I know that it cost me!

People we feel we can let our guard down without fear of being taken advantage of.

People who stand by us no matter what, even when they don’t understand it.

Friends so similar to us that are a part of us already. People who seem like an extension of ourselves.

Those who make us who we are, because we can be who we truly are with them.

Those who show themselves to us. And those to whom we represent the same.

The people that put a genuine smile on our faces.

There’re no walls between us. We hide behind no mask.

Our souls are wide open, desperate to connect.

We get to know each others’ core.

We build a bridge between us.

It takes courage to show vulnerability, even though it’s usually accidental.

It takes strength to, when in need, reach out to others.

What if we detached ourselves from our chores and obligations. What if we look at life as we look at a tv show? What if we wake up in the morning, or better yet, go to sleep wondering and looking forward to what will happen the next day.

Each day is an episode. Some episodes turn out to be rather boring and uninteresting, while some are worthwhile the time. Each day is a new episode.

What if just like a tv show, after so many crappy episodes we give up watching. We move on to the next tv show.

Each area of our live can be a tv show. Family, school, work, hobby, social events, each one is a separate tv show. Each one has it’s characters. The only common element is ourselves.

What happens when all these show suck? We stop watching and search for another one! If nothing satisfies you, you create a new set and join a new cast!

I bet most of us have had days when we critically analyze many of our actions and it’s consequences. Or worried about the numerous different outcomes according to our actions or words. Run through our head a bunch of simulations of what might happen or how someone might take it.

We wonder, should I say it? Should I do it? What’s the best approach to this? Will this work better? Maybe another way is better? And so on and so forth.

This is our tactics! Either we’re successful or not, we try to carefully plan our move to achieve the best outcome.

The other day I was really tired of over thinking so many moves and that’s when it all started to feel like a game. We even have manuals!

Either it is online or on bookshelves, there’s a million words written how we can improve ourselves, our skills, our attitude, our earnings, our success, our lifestyle, and anything else you can think of.

And it is just like when we are stuck in a game and go online looking for some cheats or tricks and tips on how to move on to the next stage.

There are the strategic players and even the casual or spontaneous players, those who just randomly push some buttons. There are those who just want to get to the end fast failing to collect, on purpose, any excess bonus points, and those who take the extra time to find them all.

So, life is a game we play. We need to get through several stages and levels as we progress thought life, earning and loosing points.

And sometimes we’re motivated with this game, while other’s we’re just trying to finish and see the end of it.

Sometimes we need a break from the game, to lighten our head, have a rest and get our energy or motivation flowing again.

Sometimes we are so engaged in the game that we take it too seriously. We focus too much on the goals we need to accomplish and we forget to enjoy the whole experience of the game.

Let’s take our time and admire the whole package.

Awhile back there’s was a new classmate in my school who happened to from my hometown (rare thing). We started chatting, just really trying to know a little bit more about each other, and in the middle of it I asked her how old she was. She did tell me her age but she also said “I don’t think people’s age is a relevant thing to know”. At the time I just thought “I wasn’t going to discriminate you by your age”, but then I started to wonder, why did I ask about age? Why would that matter, or what would that reveal to me?

Just plain curiosity doesn’t quite answers it.

Age can be a point in common. If our age isn’t too far apart we can find common points in childhood memories, a childhood hero an important event or something else from that era. It gives you a lot of topics to explore with this person, specially when you’re getting to know one another. It can give you a faint idea of their background. Even when it’s someone who’s age is farther from ours, it still pin points an era which we might know something about, or not. It can sparkle questions.

Other than that, how relevant is it?

Will age hint on someone’s maturity? Absolutely no! There are kids whom can be more mature than some adults. Just because there’s a social expectation of a maturity level in accordance with certain ages, it doesn’t make it true.

When we are teenagers we think that we will change and become adults as we turn a certain age. Not so much turning 18, but I see the most reluctance about turning 20 or 21. That’s when we officially leave our teens behind and enter a whole new decade. The 20′ies it’s supposed to be when you get a job, move out, get married, and so on. But the year we were born doesn’t determine much, our personality does.

A lot of younger girls I see look older than me because they behave a certain way, and vice-versa. Even thought we associate these things with age, it’s has more to d with attitude and personality than age.

Sometimes these things can get to our head. I know it got to me when I turned 24 earlier this year. Where I thought I was supposed to be and where I actually was, were very different. And I was going crazy about it, feeling bad and a bit of a loser!

But that was ridiculous. Age shouldn’t matter, just like gender, ethnicity or whatever! We each have our own path, we aren’t supposed to be all serialized in the same stages at the same time.

Everyone always prejudges, that’s what first impressions are. But how accurate can these be when they’re mostly based on preconceptions and stereotyping? How often is it convenient for us to not question them?

I’m not going to talk about the big issues here, such as racism, xenophobia, homophobia and so on. No. I want to address something smaller that is often neglected, but just as important.

The other day I was once more commuting to school on the ferry, and something happened.

I was sitting there and I saw a man in a really casual and relaxed outfit, “vacation wear”. He had a laptop with him and was talking business on the cellphone. I related myself to that man in some kind of level, thinking how cool that he was so informal, and I wish that to myself. (I wont get into much detail on where he might have been going, because from here to Lisbon with no luggage and just a laptop, it’s mostly like work.)

So far so good, right? I related to it and thought it was awesome.

But then, I looked down to his shoes! I’ve always hated that type of shoe and what it is usually associated with. And the immediate thought was of complete rejection now! “You and I are nothing alike”, came to mind! And so, it hit me!

I just let a stereotype take huge proportions into a kind of prejudice, and it affected my first judgment of this man. How ridiculous!

And I started to wonder how many times we let this happen. How often do we let small things become such major factors on a first impression?

We all have different perceptions of the same things. We perceive different meanings or connotations for the same objects, ideas, and sometimes even words.

And the truth is, I never thought any less of anyone based on their status or social class, so I kinda felt immune to all the prejudging crap. But even though it wasn’t in the same nuance as most people, I do it as well in some level, I’m not immune.

I was amazed, how shoes being such an innocent thing to consider could take such an exaggerated proportion! It’s rather irrational. It’s like analyzing evidences out of context. We don’t know anything about the circumstances, we are looking at only a fragment of this person, and yet we are quick to judge. We make assumptions and are inclined to believe them, not give it the benefit of the doubt.

Imperfection.

Perfection is meaningless without imperfection.

Imperfection makes us beautiful and unique. We have been perfectly mechanically made, and imperfections is what distinguishes us.

Perfection is a fantasy, simply unattainable and that’s what makes it so desirable. The imperfect is the unexpected feature that stands out in the middle of perfection. This imperfection gives us a sense of reality and possibility.

Today, we are just overwhelmed with the idea of perfection everywhere we turn. Over the top and most inhuman ideals about ourselves and those around us. We are bombed by social unrealistic ideals. Why?

It’s beautiful to appreciate those little imperfections that make us all human. It’s beautiful to fall in love with imperfections.

We have so many communication tools available to us and we often choose to abuse of the more impersonal ones. Some people even steer away from email and only communicate on MSN!

That’s just silly.

Yes, those less personal services have a purpose, but they don’t replace the former. Every tool has it’s place and due function.

This makes me wonder about the way we interact with everyone now-a-days.

How many of us barely look at those who are serving us at a restaurant or cafe? Without the intention of flirting, that is. Usually we barely acknowledge them. How rarely do we make a connection? Even if it’s just a brief one, it only benefits both parties.

And how open are we really to new people entering our lives, specially after our teenage years?

And why do we obsess over so called celebrities and public figures?

Do we feel so disconnected that we need to invade on other’s privacy to compensate for our own lack of intimacy and involvement?

Do we feel so disconnected that we need to expose our own privacy to whomever is willing to see, to compensate for our own lack of involvement?

Why do we love to peek at stranger’s lives? Why do some of us get addicted to following somebody else’s life events though magazines and TV? Simple curiosity can turn into sordid gossip addition.

People become unfocused of their own lives and those around them.

It completely blows my mind away, when I hear people talk about the personal lives of public figures. They talk as if they were talking about family relatives. It bothers me deeply. They don’t know these people, they don’t know their circumstances! What the media says isn’t the absolute truth nor does it know all the facts. Actually the media isn’t about the facts, is simply about sensationalism!

And yet million of people are addicted to this dynamic while become more and more distant from their surroundings.

“Why should I write something that millions of people already wrote about?”

Why not? Millions wrote about and millions more will write about it! The same thing can be written differently, which some ways work best for some people than others. There are just so many ways of telling a story and each one reaches different people.

“I’m not a specialist to write about a certain subject.”

So what? So many people out there do it! Plus, I’m not claiming to be an expert on whatever subject I write about. I just need to let go of my insecurity! I can write about whatever I want and express my opinions publicly! Not everyone needs to agree, and I certainly don’t expect that. But some others will and those are the ones that count.

Ah, yes! I’m feeling purged!

I like working with metals and making jewelry out of it. But then, lately, I feel like the end result is just something superficial and materialist! I don’t want to work everyday on something that leaves me feeling guilty for not be doing something more meaningful.

While searching for meaning in this, I could view it as a gift that will be memorable for someone. But that doesn’t really push my buttons.
Or maybe that, it’s a piece that will make someone else feel good about themselves, or beautiful while wearing it. But I kinda shrug to this.
It’s not that these aren’t valid reasons. They are! It’s just not what drives me.

How can I do this, if I myself don’t understand the “why wear it” in the first place (beyond vanity)? I guess, sometimes, I need everything to have a deep meaning…

I’ve been wanting to make this website more personal and less of a static portfolio.
Jewellery isn’t my identity, so why should my website be all about it? Let’s change that.
I want the website to reflect more of who I am.

But then, what is my identity? What’s my image? What is it that identifies me?

Since I can’t seem to figure it out, I won’t put up a front. I’ll just try to show as many of my facets as can. I’ll contradict myself if necessary. I’ll try to be brave on stepping out of my shell of comfort.

This is the goal.
Let’s see how it goes!