Quote of the month: "Your love is like a guitar solo. It makes my heart beat like a drum."
Songs of the month: R.E.M. - Everybody Hurts
Michael Jackson - Cry
Michael Jackson - Cry
Good day everyone, how's your life? Mine was pretty loaded, since it had a lot of obstacles in the way for benefaction, but for me there was no intention, I started believing in fate again because it has renewed in my path to survive in the last days before returning home, and also made me make a vow to remember why I got to this stage, and who helped me get here. Without any further ado let this chapter commence!
Part I: You only live once
When I'll be a dad, I will surely tell my kids about this story about when I had to choose between having fun and starve, or steadily eat and breathe calmly to my way home. You see, the schedule for college was getting more and more difficult since mid-term exams were coming up and I had to nose-dive into my notes. It was tiresome work, but in the end I managed to pass all of 'em. It was quite itching to see that I got out with unexpectedly smaller marks than I was betting for, but hey, it's college. Stuff like this always happens when you have to make your professor enjoy your paper while reading it. Whatever...Next I checked my wallet for this month and I had to give myself a big slap to the head because I was running low on funds. I mean, I had a lot of money, but like 80% of it was for the transport straight home and back. I wasn't allowing myself to touch that sum no matter what. But you see, when you see, I made a new friend and colleague called Vlad who's a high profile stud, and shared a big love to Hip-Hop and Jazz music. We had a similar taste in that genre, so we hooked up in an instant. One day, he asked me if I will come to a concert with Dragon AK-47, a hip-hopper who was releasing his newest album in our very city in that very night. I was quite blown away by the offer, and accepted, but totally forgotten about my financial tripwire. Nevertheless, that night started 2 gateways: a funny drunk dream, and a financial nightmare.
We got whiskey running through our veins and went straight to the Old Irish & Music Pub from Cluj, (The first hit from the nightmare here, a bottle of whiskey + the payed entrance 8$). Even funnier is that bottle wasn't enough so we bought 2 gigantic beers each (15$ for 2 big beers). The party was so freaking wild, and the Dragon finally arrived, all of it's rhymes and flows making the crowd go crazy. After the concert was done, everyone gone home either drunk or drugged, but happy. I for one had to pay for one of the cups because for some reason it disappeared and I don't remember how because I was way to drunk (Cup insurance 10$). After that I was going home and drunk-dialing my best friend Alex 0 to tell him about everything at like 2 AM in the morning until the phone battery died. Saddened I finally got home in one piece (I have no idea how), and gone to sleep. I had to pay for a ticket for crossing the street illegal (25$) but that was at the end of the month, even though it's not part of the story I stuck it here to sum up the nightmare. The next morning I woke up with a headache, deaf ears, a slimmer wallet, a big hang-over, no cap or scarf (lost them at the pub ~30$ value) and a giant scratch on my belly which not even today do I remember how the hell I got it (Priceless). The overall experience of the concert was epic nevertheless, but the penalty was hit on my financial status as I lost a total of 80$ and easily compromised my return to Slatina. I was quite pissed by everything, but most of all because I was seemingly stuck here in Cluj with lesser money.
What can I say... You only live once, and stuff like that needs to happen if you want your life more enjoyable, at least I didn't lost my wallet. And it's a wonder I didn't lost it, because It actually saved me from being stuck here and in the end return in time to Slatina. But more on that later in Part III.
Part II: That Weekly Music Video That Inspired Me This Month #3
I will now give to you TWMVTIMTM #3 in what I would call a personification of how I will remember all my friends at home in one of Michael Jackson's last music videos produced while he was still alive, called "Cry".
The themes of "Cry" are world issues such as isolation, war, and brotherhood. It also suggests if everyone pulls together as one, then they make a change to the world, with Jackson singing, "You can change the world/I can't do it by myself"."Cry" was promoted by a music video, or "short film". The music video was directed by Nicholas Brandt, who had previously worked on promos for Jackson's other singles, "Earth Song" (1995), "Childhood" (1995) and "Stranger in Moscow", all of which were from Jackson's 1995 album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. The video was filmed in six different locations, five of which were in California and another in Nevada. People featured in the video included members of a real life gospel group. The video does not feature Jackson, as he refused to appear in it. This is rumored due to the ongoing rift between the pop-star and Sony at that time. Music critic Mark Brown of Rocky Mountain News felt that Jackson cries the lyrics "I can't do it by myself". The song's lyrics and themes are similar to the ones in Jackson's 1988 single "Man in the Mirror" and his 1991 single "Heal the World".Jason Elias of Allmusic thinks "Cry" is a moody and reflective piece of material reminiscent of Jackson's Quincy Jones-produced ballads for Bad, and indicates the song's themes are those of alienation and sorrow rather than love. He believes the strength of the strings, the competent backing vocals, and the keyboard figures prevent the listener from convulsing with laughter at Jackson's "oh-so-pained delivery" and interjections of "Hold on" or "Oh my!". Jon Pareles of the New York Times called the track the "change-the-world-song" and wrote that the single "applies its grand buildup to one of pop's strangest utopian schemes", which was asking everyone to cry at the same time, at which point Jackson may answer their prayers.The themes of "Cry" are world issues such as isolation, war, and brotherhood. It also suggests if everyone pulls together as one, then they make a change to the world, with Jackson singing, "You can change the world/I can't do it by myself"."Cry" was promoted by a music video, or "short film". The music video was directed by Nicholas Brandt, who had previously worked on promos for Jackson's other singles, "Earth Song" (1995), "Childhood" (1995) and "Stranger in Moscow", all of which were from Jackson's 1995 album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. The video was filmed in six different locations, five of which were in California and another in Nevada. People featured in the video included members of a real life gospel group. The video does not feature Jackson, as he refused to appear in it. This is rumored due to the ongoing rift between the pop-star and Sony at that time. Music critic Mark Brown of Rocky Mountain News felt that Jackson cries the lyrics "I can't do it by myself". The song's lyrics and themes are similar to the ones in Jackson's 1988 single "Man in the Mirror" and his 1991 single "Heal the World". Jason Elias of Allmusic thinks "Cry" is a moody and reflective piece of material reminiscent of Jackson's Quincy Jones-produced ballads for Bad, and indicates the song's themes are those of alienation and sorrow rather than love. He believes the strength of the strings, the competent backing vocals, and the keyboard figures prevent the listener from convulsing with laughter at Jackson's "oh-so-pained delivery" and interjections of "Hold on" or "Oh my!". Jon Pareles of the New York Times called the track the "change-the-world-song" and wrote that the single "applies its grand buildup to one of pop's strangest utopian schemes", which was asking everyone to cry at the same time, at which point Jackson may answer their prayers.
Part III: Too stubborn to die, or to leave without saying goodbye
During that week prior to my return back home, I must have been in the most crappiest mood yet. No money in the pocket, no insurance that I can come back home, no idea what I can do to get there, nothing. But you see, there's a funny part about fate. If you desperately want something to happen, sooner or later, you get your wish. In that moment all I wanted was to come back home to Slatina and I didn't cared about anything else. I missed my family, I missed my cats, I missed my room, I missed Alex 0, I missed Roxana, I missed Micu, I missed Duda, and to be more direct I missed everyone who was my friend there. Then wonders started happening. Granny sent me an extra 20$ to hold on to them until Black Friday, so I can still eat enough (obviously no parent at home knew about what I've done in the past weekend). Then Vlad was eager to give me some extra money that I needed for the travel. It was like magic. But this time, fate also placed a condition on me, frankly making me stop buying any other unnecessary stuff up to and including Black Friday. So starvation was starting to give me a chase, but it was worth it. I would still manage to feed myself healthy one way or another and have enough money to go back home. As always, fate challenged me again in my wish, as I had to catch the last bus in the last minute, but still it would happen. I could breathe relieved, have cool will travel.
After exactly 2 months of absence, of which the last 7 days were hard go through, and of those 7 days, 8 hours of travelling were just bone-acking I would finally rest-assure step on Slatina concrete, and meet Alex 0, Roxana, Micu, Cipry, and Adelina who were waiting for me at Neverland. I was so happy to see them I nearly broke down by all the ecstasy. I hugged everyone in joy, and told them all sort of stuff that was going on back in Cluj. Going to my 2nd story home with 0 and Roxana, I was greeted by Mama Melvin, who was waiting for me with all sort of goodies, like cake, juice, beer, food, you name it. We had a very long night just talking about everything since I was gone from town. It ended with a long walk on the road to Roxana's home before hugging/saying goodbye to her, and then a tour to the now renewed city of Slatina with 0 as my guide. We also discussed about a lot of intimate stuff we had on our minds going for quite some time, which made the tour even greater. After hugging/saying goodbye to him, I went home to get some well deserved SLEEP.
The next day, I had a rude awakening by Papa Melvin who was anxious to see me again, and make me sleepwalk to the kitchen and talk with him about everything in detail. That afternoon he went to sleep ('cause his batteries were out after), and the next in line was my auntie Andreea who was charmed by my now grown hair. In that evening I was invited by Duda and her kin of girls to come at a pub that opened recently called 11M. Reaching that place I opened the door, looked sideways and the first 2 girls I saw from Duda's kin, her cousin Adrena and Anca were staring at me like they couldn't believe what they saw, then we jumped in each others arms 'cause of the longing we had for each other, then done the same thing with the other girls, Patrice, Maria, Andreea, and finally Duda. It was a very warm welcome that was full with hugs, high 5's, kisses and "We missed you!" chants I all adored. They weren't the only known people for me out there, because I asked Duda to lead me to the bar and on the way I met Moka and Florin who were sitting at a nearby table, and good ol' Laura who was there waiting for me. Lots on known and now "unknowns" for me out there, a lot of them happy to laugh at almost everything we chat. Later that evening I went on to meet with Micu and 2 of his colleagues from school to the Grill and feast on some Shanghai Chickens while discussing faculty life.
The last day home was yet another rude awakening from Papa Melvin (who now has a renewed love for me and how I am), this time to go shopping. I got back home loaded with clothes and shoes, and was greeted by Grandma who gave me an extra 50$ for entertainment value (in my mind I was like "Okay..... I really need to come back home more often!"). Then I met with my long time friend from high-school, Tedy and his girlfriend Catalina who were eager to see me again. Going to OHP, we talked about all sorts of stuff, from bar-tricks I learned from Cluj, to even more personal issues I am dealing at the moment with my future and Tedy's. But still a few beers would always do the trick for us, and make us pass through them like Moses crosses the Red Sea. We then went to Grill for some more chicken, and who do I meet there? A long-lost ex-med-mate of mine, called Nico who I could barely recognize. The same song and dance, we kissed/hugged/talked about where we are now and some great memories at Radu's Meditations. After that we said goodbye, left the Grill feasted on the chickens with Ted, and then took my 2nd last farewell of the day with him. In a side-story I was constantly texting with Roxana to see her one last time before leaving.
After leaving Tedy, I was rushing my way to her block, on the way buying 2 gingerbreads for us. She was really doing an effort trying to get out and meet me, since she had a lot of work to do, and her parents were really skeptical about her leaving home, that's why I was doing my best to get there in time, and live up to every moment with her. The last 60 minutes outside with her were just sweet. We really stood shocked after realizing that we are one and the same person. Like clones, only of different genres and ages, we had a lot of things in common, from our obsession to sugar, to bad luck, to our hatred to some people, to how we ration, how we never had somebody to always listen and actually care about what's happening with us, to even our condolence hugs, which have become a unique thing for us. Those were probably the most enjoyed 60 minutes from my return back home, because I would finally have the chance to talk to someone who is just like me, and Roxana would do the same. She told me she still holds grudges against her parents, the BAC, and how she is always under-appreciated by everyone, while I told her to keep her head up and to basically cheer up because I was in her spot 1 year ago, and now it's a better world for me. She would be happy to keep my advice and joyful to talk to someone who is just like her. One last condolence hug and a goodbye kiss would be followed by our farewell, and a vow I made to her, that I'll be there for her no matter what.
Last night to sleep then off I was back on that road, synchronization being the keyword here, as in the same day, I woke up, wished farewell to my parents, got in time for the bus, ate lunch, and got to the seminaries, and finish the next day's homework in time. As always I would ask myself, how did this all happened? Obviously it was fate, and the fact that I was Too Stubborn To Die, Without Saying Goodbye, because this is what made me do the vow I mentioned earlier:
When skies are dark, and no sunshine's through, I'll be there for my world, for any of my friends who are in need for help. This is what I shall call "The King's Vow" something I especially aim for Roxana, because she is like a clone of mine, and more important, she was there in my hour of need. Always. Now it's time for me to be there for her too. Always.
Thanks for watching this "Black Friday" edition of a return post from my blog, I hope you enjoyed my experience this month that made me push to the limits, to get what I want, and for supporting me throughout this year. One more post next month called Chapter XII: One Final Resolution, will be a turning point for me as I will decide to keep writing about my life, after this 1-year "contract" expires, and also will cover the last college days of 2012, the end of the world (yeah,right...), my winter holiday, and many more stories I will be glad to tell, at least one last time. I wish you all a good night, and peace!
Photo of the month:
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| Fate always helps you. So..... |
