The Year That Was, 2014.

Buh bye 2014...

To sum this year up in a few words would be absolutely impossible and do the experiences, both good and bad, no justice whatsoever. So I'm going to go right back to when my year began, December 26th, 2013. The day I boarded the plane in Sydney, bound for Las Vegas, first stop Korea.

This year was always going to be big. From the minute I decided I was going to pack my things up and have a year or so of study and life abroad (in Brazil), I knew experiences where going to be plenty. Just what those experiences would be or entail, well, none of us ever truly know how good or bad they are going to be. I got both.

Everything was going pretty smoothly, I arrived in Seoul, Korea, and spent two nights there exploring my immediate surroundings as I was alone and it was far to cold to venture out any further than what I felt comfortable with in such a short amount of time. I saw quite a bit and was able to indulge myself in one of my favourite cuisines (all things Korean) for two solid days. Heaven.

From Korea I was bound for my baby brothers wedding in Las Vegas. I like to party and so does he, so this was going to be nothing short of one week of wedded partying bliss. Joined by family and friends from all corners of the globe for his special day, I think that Las Vegas in 2013/2014 will go down as one of the happiest times of my life, definitely of this year.  I celebrated a birthday, New years and of course my brothers wedding in Las Vegas, not to mention seeing artists like Celine Dion, Boys II Men and Robin Thicke all perform whilst I was there. I needed some rest so next stop was with the parents and relatives to New York.

New York might just be my favourite city in the world. I decided to spend a month there and really explore the place, something that a career doesn't always allow for, time. I took my parents to see a broadway musical, Motown - The Musical and we shared many sights together including a trip to Washington. The hardest part of this trip was my last day with my Mum in New York and seeing the tears stream down her face as we parted. We both knew that it was going to be quite some time again before we would be together laughing, squabbling and enjoying each others company.

From the freezing cold I was off to Brasil, where I switched things up in Rio for a week. Porto Velho in Brasil's north was next, followed by my most recent and somewhat final destination of nearly a year or so now, São Paulo. This city has been nothing short of amazing for me, the people I have met, the University I studied at (FAAP) and the trials and tribulations I faced, each and everyone of those things has taught me invaluable lessons that I never dreamt I would be able to learn.

I would say love to be able to say that 2014 has been amazing and only this, but in all honesty, I am well and truly happy to put this year behind me. The lessons have been learnt, the love lost and gained, and a myriad of other things in between that have opened my eyes. I am grateful for the time I have been given here and intend to use whatever time I have left to its full potential.

Here is to a new year ahead where tolerance is a not just a word, but an action. Where people the world over truly start to mend the pains of the past and look to a future that is brighter and devoid of these "lines" that we seem so incessant on creating. I don't have children (yet), but many of my friends do and when I see their faces, in every glorious shade, I realise that all I truly want now is a world where each and everyone of those faces, no matter what their shade is, the gender, or who they choose to love, is treated with the same amount of respect and afforded the same opportunities as everyone else. The time has come for change and we all need to get onboard.

It's 2015 people. Look where we are and take that in.



Happy New Year!

Live. Love. Learn. Laugh.

You think you know it all. You don't.

The past that has haunted you for so long seemed like it was going to be a somewhat "friendly ghost" that would just never leave. But one day it does.

The trust you so openly and honestly placed in those past loves was used, abused and thrown away like it never mattered. But deep down inside you know it did matter.

The ideals on what and who is right for you is challenged, constantly. You must remain open to something new, someone different, someone real and honest. You deserve this.

The past is just that, past. It is the present and the future where your dreams and hopes lie, dreams that are not impossible should you seize them. At the end of the day it is entirely up to you. But you know that too.

It always was and it always will be your life, love and laughter.  So live it, love it, learn from it and never ever stop laughing at it, because its completely and utterly YOURS.

Yep, YOURS.

Scar(s).

A scar. What is a scar? From a wound in fighting, an operation or a broken heart.

Everyone speaks of the healing process and that like all things, the wound will eventually heal and you will be left this so called "scar". A marking of something that once was, whether it be good or bad. A badge of honour for some.

As with any healing process, you need to know how to care for this wound, to converse about the best possible way for it to heal. A doctor explains this in great detail with a physical wound, but with matters of the heart, well, you either get it or you don't. More often than not, you don't.

I have loved but a few in my life, true loves that is. I have been burnt by love too. Strangely, my heart is still warm and open to the idea that one day I will be truly loved. A friend questioned me on this other day and I responded with "I have loved with all my heart and many times, I have had that very heart ripped from my chest. But if I had not had these experiences, how will I be able to decipher the good from the bad?"

In order to understand what true and honest love is, we unfortunately need to experience this pain of love lost, a heart broken or someone just walking out of your life with no explanation. A scar will eventually form and from time to time you will look back and remember just what it is that "true love" means to you, and appreciate it when it (true love) eventually presents itself to you.

Don't stop loving and find forgiveness in your heart, not everyone is perfect, but everyone does deserve forgiveness and sometimes its this forgiveness that will also assist them in their healing process too. We all have wounds.

Love, four simple letters that can make or break a heart.

Palavras.

As palavras são coisas incríveis . Um grupo de letras que quando falado, escrito ou assinado , pode ter significados tão poderosos , boas e más . Às vezes, eles são tão incríveis que não podemos abandoná-las , revisitando -os uma e outra vez à procura de maneiras novas e belas para amar todos e de cada um deles. Mas, infelizmente, o mesmo pode ser dito para o negativo. Eles podem cortar tão profunda que nós mais uma vez, manter revisitando -os uma e outra vez , agarrando-se às coisas que podem nunca ter sido destinado , interpretar as coisas à nossa maneira e até mesmo , às vezes, terminando com conseqüências fatais.

Ultimamente tem havido algumas pessoas que dizem que as minhas palavras são tingidas com tristeza ou desespero. Eu sou um escritor , eu acho que vem com o território, que coisa sobre sofrimento etc eu prefiro não usar a palavra "sofrer" como eu não sou uma vítima , e eu sou um cidadão do mundo que pode ver as coisas um pouco diferente para você, talvez com um toque mais sensibilidade para o que está acontecendo em volta de mim , você, nós, do mundo.

Hoje foi-me dito por um amigo que ela podia ver um menino em mim. Alguém com tanto amor , tanta compaixão pelos outros , mas alguém que precisava ser bem tratados. Hmmm . Bem tratados. A viagem que eu me coloco no recentemente mostrou-me de tantas maneiras que este tratamento deve começar comigo. Algo que eu posso dizer verdadeiramente começou. Finalmente . Ela também mencionou algo que eu achei fascinante, " Para fazer o seu início semente profunda para vir como você realmente é, não do jeito que o mundo fez" . Intense . Mais uma vez, as suas essas palavras , todos eles juntos formando uma frase poderosa que simplesmente não podem ser ignorados.

Talvez eu tenha estado a olhar para as coisas de uma forma dimensional um para a longa . Eu sempre me orgulhei de não ser assim, mas às vezes é preciso parar e perceber que nós realmente não tenho visto coisas do jeito que precisa ser visto, através de nossos olhos e não o resto dos mundos. Palavras como espírito livre , esclarecida e elevada são algo que nós associamos com uma conotação religiosa , mas na realidade, eles são todas as coisas que nós nos esforçamos para , precisa ou mesmo anseiam , não importa o que o nosso sistema (s) crença é.

Para alguns a viagem é curta, maneira de curta duração. Para outros, pode parecer um mar sem fim de emoções , luta e muitas vezes, dor no coração , juntamente com o mal-entendido as palavras que lhes são dadas . Hoje é um novo dia, um dia para ouvir ou olhar para aquelas palavras que são faladas , escritas ou assinadas e entender exatamente o que eles querem dizer ea intenção que se passa com eles. Para olhar através de seus olhos e não o que foi condicionado em sua cabeça, a ouvir com os ouvidos e não levar em conta os murmúrios suaves de outros ao seu redor , e se você tiver a capacidade , para tocar essas palavras com as mãos e senti-los em apenas uma maneira que você pode. Afinal , as palavras são apenas um grupo de letras agrupado para nos comunicar de alguma forma . O que fazemos com essas palavras é inteiramente até nós.