Defying Gravity

It has been my dream, when I was sick to have pics of me caught defying gravity, that is being caught by the camera on air while jumping on major landmarks in New York. When Francis Arvy Olarte , my cousin, visited me here I seized the chance. And like all my dreams it came true. But he only shot photos in Time Square and Liberty State Park maybe because I was too tired to jump on the last leg of his trip.

On another note, I just want to blog this to convey that I am a simple guy with simple dreams and I can't fathom that God gave me these blessings that come my way.

Chase your dreams, y'all and defy gravity. Just fly high above the sky.

The Unfinished Blog that was Never Published

I am so back! And I am now a different person. Different city, different friends, different social networking sites (I was laughing at the friendster link on this page when I revisited this blog. I went back to blogging because of the inspiration given by my blogger friends (please see fave blogs link. It was so hard for me to recount the past 2 years, but that is the only way to revive this blog.

But what really happened on from February 2009 till March 2011? Time quickly passed by. 25 March 2011, I left the Philippines for my assignment in New York and that same year, the dawn of Easter Sunday, I succumbed to a heart attack. Alone in the concrete jungle I slept for three weeks. I woke up with my dad and cousin looking after me at the ICU of the New York Presbyterian Hospital, with tubes around my body.

July 27, 2009:Joey (my brother) comforted me because I am so nervous as I await the heart transplant procedure. It's just the two of us that time. He's the only wall I could lean on.

When I woke up after the heart transplant I desperately want to complete this blog with my shaky right hand on my hospital bed and here it goes:

"So there I was boarding my own Titanic seems liked a grueling trip to NYC. With a hurried pre departure orientation seminar and physical exam. Carpathia finally arrived in the foot of Liberty with a sick Jerick. It’s a struggle going to the office everyday, though its just a block away. Hypothermia almost killed me because of hypothyrodism. Soon my hotel allowance began to expire and I have to go own my own. But before that I explored the whole stretch of the Time Square from the 32nd to the 50th which is quite a surprise. My swollen feet brought me to Commack NY, to strangers that became part of my family. JR and Ivy are more than friends to me. They adopted me as family and I will not forget them forever that I owe them this, my second life…. Forever. In a brink of light I miss Abby and Danny which considered me as their own blood just like their parents. My regular routine was boarding the train at 8:06 at King’s park and my last stop is either Babylon or a transit to Huntington for King’s park. One night I just talked to my real estate agent when Ivy almost dragged me to the hospital. I’m very pale then and my foot as huge as a gourd. I could barely move and they brought me to Southside Hospital at Deer Park. I was moved to the ICU which surprise me the most."

And it ends there. I tried to continue it but I guess the rest was history.

I want to end this blog by sharing this message by my cousin Chris at my multiply account (please excuse the message's rawness)

The Journey

It’s been a long journey that happened so fast. When I first came to New York and visited you at the hospital, you are asleep and we don’t if you hear us or not. We don’t know if you’re going to wake up or not. The first time I saw you awake and moving I was really shock and I can’t hardly believe it. Through prayers every night it happened. Till it came that Joey is coming from the Pnas. Nung ako ay paalis ng Pilipinas ang sabi ko kina Joey at sa mga Mommy na 3 weeks lang ako. Sabi ko sa kanila, “sa loob ng 3 weeks marami ng pedeng mangyari”. Si Joey nun namomoblema pa rin sa visa nya. Akala namin hindi na magawan ng paraan na makapunta sya dito. Sa unang week ko dito nagising ka, by second week nakakagalaw kana, nakakuha ng visa si Joey, nakakaupo ka na, medyo nakakain na at medyo nakapagsasalita na. Sabi ko sayo nun tuloy ang laban at “Nothing Will go wrong”. Ngayong ginagawa ko itong sulat na ito, inooperahan ka. I still believe nothing will go wrong. Marami ka na pinagdaan at hindi lang sa ganito matatapos ang pinaghirapan at pinagdasalan natin. It’s quite an amazing adventure to me to be here in New York. I’ve learned a lot and most of all nakita ko kung ano talaga ang nangyari at pinagdaanan mo. Sa Saturday pauwi na ako. Gusto ko pag nagkausap ulit tayo maayos ka na magsalita, nakapaglalakad na at maaring pumapasok ka na. Lagi ka lang magdadasal. Hwag mo masyado planuhin lahat, araw araw maraming pede mangyari. At minsan may mas magandang nangyayari pag hindi mo inaasahan. Ingat kayo lagi.

Chris

"Win"
Dark is the night
I can weather the storm
Never say die
I've been down this road before
I'll never quit
I'll never lay down, mm
See I promised myself that I'd never let me down

I'll never give up
Never give in
Never let a ray of doubt slip in
And if I fall I'll never fail
I'll just get up and try again
Never lose hope
Never lose faith
There's much too much at stake
Upon myself I must depend
I'm not looking for place or show

I'm gonna win
No stopping now
There's still a ways to go, oh
Someway, somehow
Whatever it takes, I know
I'll never quit, no no
I'll never go down, mm, mm
I'll make sure they remember my name
A hundred years from now

When it's all said and done
My once in a lifetime will be back again
Now is the time
To take a stand
Here is my chance
That's why I'll... Mmm, I'm gonna win"

Thank God for all the blessings! Thank God for another life! With Him on my side I need not fear anymore.