sue me nice

Hmmm let me see… I was trying to list down the passions I have discovered by following others. Hmmm … Hmmmm … Hmmmm … That’s it, I give up! I didn’t have such!

Passion no. 1: Drawing/Sketching. My dad used to sketch a lot. He had shown me his sketches of landscapes, animals, children and nude women when I was little. He was a good sculptor and singer, too. I truly celebrated him as an artist. But my drawing came out from but my own heart and soul (mind). Deep in my mind, I wanted to create a visual that tells something important, expresses a message needed to known. This quest, which is to convey whatever it is that wanted to burst out from my head to let others be aware of its existence, led me to sketch my way to this passion, alone.

Passion no. 2: Music, specifically singing. As I said earlier, my dad is a good singer. His voice is something that will easily catch someone’s attention. [He wasn’t able to record, but I believe that having played with several good bands during his active years was already a testament of his craft. He wrote songs, too. But just like my writing (un)capability, dad’s choice of words isn’t just the way to go when it comes to expressing great ideas.] I loved to sing, especially when I feel the rhythm and melody meshing through, down my chest they already hurt. I loved to sing because through it I could express what I feel, I could say what I wanted to say.

Passion no. 3: Music, specifically bass guitar. I hated Dad when he sold that electric bass I was eyeing on since kindergarten. The guitar just disappeared from where I used to drag it from during afterschool afternoons. He later told me that I had to choose between the microphone and the bass. He said it was rather difficult to sing while doing the bass; they often times don’t go together. So I had to make a choice. Before I blurt out b…, he would hand me lyrics sheets of songs that I would SING. [Maybe he believed in me, singing, rather than poking a heavy electronic instrument at 9. Very few fathers would sell their only daughters’ souls to rock ‘n roll.] So it turned I was only left to deeply appreciate bass lines, not make some of my own. I loved to rock ‘n roll, but when it comes to bass tunes, I want it done the reggae way. Bass lines in reggae provide the mood. They’re not only rhythmic, but also melodic. Reggae bass goes deep down your spine, unlike rock bass, which mostly fades away behind the squeaky lead guitar riffs. But I’m just 27, it’s not yet over.

Passion no. 4: Handicrafts, specifically sewing. I love to fix things because I love the feeling of accomplishment it brings. A friend once told me, "Shan, you're such a handyman!", when i told her about me and my husband painting our closets and some walls in the house. I particularly enjoyed fixing small things. They’re cute, and finish fast; hence, accomplishment in a flash. Specifically, I enjoyed making hand-sewn Barbie doll clothes. I would also make Barbie doll mini cars out of scrap wood. When I was 7, my greatest quest was to produce a running wooden automobile my size. Oh, how I hated rich kids with their mini-cars with bicycle pedals then, and how I marveled at the way the kids at Kolambugan race using their wooden scooters during summertime. They would race down through the hill sides, as these machines only have 1-2 small wheels, no motors or pedals. But, that was some invention, man!

Passion no. 5: Writing. It’s actually a part of my (umbrella) passion to communicate my ideas. Although I wasn’t the bookworm type, or the Journalism major, or the high school paper feature writer, I enjoyed toying with words. Words are also one great way to convey what your mind wants to tell the world. [And it’s one great way to type away your hours at the office when no sketchbook and pencil/paintbrush, bass guitar or a tin can full of scrap cloth, threads and needles are around; but just a PC in front of you.]