Escaping Dreamland

In the morning I'll wake,
to greet the sun.
And if when my eyes open,
it doesn't show,
I'll await my love,
with my own anxious glow.
With patience I'll wait,
for the soft rays of light,
anticipating an invitation,
to step out from this long night.
And though I remain,
a man of quiet dignity,
I hold my hopes and fears,
close by my side,
protected from the darkness of my dreams,
that precede the morning light.
But even I know,
they can't stay safe forever,
because,
I must still sleep tonight.

Snapshot

And it occurred to me then,
that a memory is just
a snapshot of a distant scene,
from a faulty camera in our mind.
And it's with that thought
that I view our love,
as a photo montage
of random shots,
some blurred,
some skewed,
yet the lens of my heart
makes them perfectly clear
when they're memories of you.

Pimpin' Ain't Easy, But Healthy Is

I have no intention of making this post sound like a stupid book promotion, but fair warning - my content and information may be similar. I just don't have any hopes of making any profit off of it.
(except, of course, for the satisfaction of imagining I might be helping one of the people who accidentally stumble across my blog while searching for internet porn. One can dream......)

Anyway........
Let's discuss HEALTH, WEIGHT LOSS, and FITNESS.

If you really know me, you know I am a very healthy person in different aspects. If you ever see me eating or drinking a lot, its probably the only time that week I'm straying from my average daily diet of mostly protein shakes, salads, oatmeal and FiberOne or Kashi cereal.

But of course, in addition to how I eat, I also hit the gym on a regular basis.
You can usually find me there about 5-6 times a week either lifting weights, hitting the heavy bag, on the bike, etc.

I also do a lot of reading and research into exercises, supplements, training methods, nutrition, etc., so I think I'm pretty well-versed about the topics.

Imagine my dismay when I read this cover story from TIME magazine.
Great!!!

So not only do most overweight people not exercise already, but NOW they're going to think it's just a waste of time anyway!!

Awesome job, TIME magazine!!
Thanks for doing your part to help the obesity epidemic in America!

Now I'm not about to break-down this story and explain why it's shitty - Mens Health already did that for me.

However, I will skip all the BS and give you the information that matters, which is this:

Exercise is great for your heart and muscles and to help burn calories, but
DIET is MUCH MORE important to weight loss than exercise.

No wonder so many people stop going to the gym or give up on exercise altogether after a few months: there's an overwhelming feeling of failure when all that effort doesn't show in the mirror.

It's very naive to think that going to the gym everyday will give you the body you dream of. It's actually what you eat that will have a bigger impact on how much excess weight you're carrying around.

My advice?
Make a change -- some kind of positive change -- to your diet.

A great place to start is by cutting out the extra sugars and simple carbs.
That means water instead of soda, juice or sweetened teas.
That also means no candy.

Like sandwiches?
Skip the bagels, breads and wraps and try a croissant instead.

Add some more veggies or meat to your meal and drop the excess rice, pasta and bread.

It may not seem like much, but it's a start, and every goal worth reaching begins with a first step.


GOOD LUCK!

Life Advice

I'm a young man..............at least by most standards.

I may have a few hidden gray hairs here and there, but I'm wrinkle-free, unmarried and don't have any kids. (that I know of!) :-P

Yet, I believe I've lived long enough to have truly learned some important life lessons.

Sometimes we know and believe things that may seem instinctive to us, but we take it for granted that it was usually a certain experience or interaction with a specific person who helped us to learn it.

But whatever the source, I hold these bits of knowledge very dear and rely on them to be the structure by which I build my life upon.

Even more important still, I'm always learning more vital lessons that help to reinforce my character and outlook on life.


So enough of the banter........let's begin the lesson.

Let's start with the end -- Death.

I've been unfortunate in the sense that I've had to deal with deaths slightly more often than most people I know.

Luckily nobody in my immediate family has passed, but I've lost grandparents, uncles, high school friends and others. Some of those very close to me have also lost people very close to them, so I've dealt with death on many occasions in one way or another.

There's one piece of wisdom I'd like to share when it comes to consoling someone who's lost someone they care about, and that is, don't ever try to rationalize it.

By that, I mean that what they're going through isn't like any other common problem in life that people experience. It's not a time for advice and not a time for any kind of logical explanation.

It is just a time for comfort and understanding. Period.

Don't remind them how long the person lived, or how good a life they may have had.
That does nothing.
The numbers of years, or degree to which their life was admirable does no good in consoling an ailing heart.

The best sympathy is that which provides silent consolation and sincere understanding.
Don't rationalize - just comfort.

Love them, support them, and let them know you're there for them.


No explanation required.

On a Day Like Today

A lot has happened since my last post.
Wonderful things, and heart-breaking things........

I was debating about posting, and had actually almost completed, a detailed account of my Miami experience. But alas, too much other crap has happened that maybe it wasn't worth it to dedicate a whole post to.

Anyway.....
A few bachelor parties with life-long memories occurred.
Phil, Joe, Raktim, Pranav.
Montreal, AC, Montreal again, Miami.

There was plenty of strip clubs, drinking, clubbing, drinking, dancing, drinking, swimming, drinking, more strippers, more drinking, late night robbery and half-naked foot chases, police reports, and nearly missed flights.

Ahhhhhh................definitely some legendary times.

Then of course, we had some weddings for those bachelors.
Also fun times.

I'm very happy for my friends who are taking these big steps in their lives and relationships.

Not everyone is able to find someone they would want to spend the rest of their lives with, so it warms my heart to see them so happy with their loved ones.

Some people would give up anything just to fall in love once, while others may find someone special but the desire to get married isn't mutual or the relationship doesn't last for one reason or another.

......and which situation is worse?

If you had your heart set on being married with a family some day, and the person you're in love with doesn't want the same or it doesn't work out, how do you proceed?
On the other hand, what if you've never been able to find someone you really connect with and never experience a passionate relationship?

It may sound cliché, but is it really better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all??

I'm a private person, so I don't like to divulge all my personal matters, but I'd like to think on some level I can try and make the one or two people that actually read this stop and contemplate life, love and other matters in their lives for a moment. Introspection is healthy and keeps you well-grounded. People should try it more often.

Just something to ponder.............

...............or not.

Growing Pains

It's hard to find someone that truly enjoys aging.

Aside from maybe the young teenager just ITCHING to be old enough to drive, or the pre-teen who can't wait to go to high school, nobody likes getting older.

Age = DEATH!!

OK - So maybe that's an exaggeration, but the truth is once you become an adult, the concept of aging brings with it just a slight tinge of sublime sadness. Nobody wants to be one step closer to death, but that's just what aging does to us.

Now don't take me as a pessimist - I'm not. On the contrary - I'm quite the optimist.
I know happy people with much to live for hardly ever dwell on getting older.

Why?

Because aside from aging just bringing us closer to death, it also brings us closer to LIFE.

As we mature and grow older - no matter our exact age - what we want in life and from life changes.

Through the events we experience and the people we interact with, our ideas of how we want to live evolve, as do what we find happiness in.

What we wanted in life just a few short years or months ago could be a distant memory compared to what we realize we now desire.

So with this realm of ever-changing possibilities comes a staunch realization that nothing in life is certain - especially what we think we want out of it.

"The only thing that is constant is change"

And with this realization, we must learn to adapt and persevere and fight for what brings us joy in life, even if it is only for a brief moment in time.

That................is living life to the fullest.

It just sometimes takes some growing up to learn that.

How Are You?

How do you usually react when you greet someone you haven't seen in a while and you get the inevitable question -- "How are you?"

Personally, I hate that question.

I tend to narrow my replies to one of two answers -- OK or good.
Good is the positive answer. It implies things are going well in general.
OK is the neutral or negative answer. It implies that things are either just average or not too hot right now.

I don't feel like a negative reply is an option because then most people will start asking more questions to find out details of why you're not "good." That just leads to awkwardness if you don't want to go into specifics, etc. etc............

They are incredibly vague replies, but honestly, when someone asks you that question they don't expect a lengthy, thoughtful answer, right?
Of course not!

But does that mean you have to lie?

If I've been sick, or depressed, or been having some shitty luck or whatever, I'm not going to SAY all that when they ask.

So why is that even a standard greeting?
I hate it!!

Anyway.................

I'm ok.


Here's some stuff to make you feel good..............