Two Life-Changing Quotes

No, this is not another poem :D

I feel that I somehow have to vent this out somewhere, so here you go. 

Two quotes that I hold on to as days change to nights, and as nights change back to days.

Two quotes that I constantly say to myself as a mantra.

Two quotes that changed my life.

Quote #1:

"I was obliged to be industrious. Whoever is equally industrious will succeed equally well."

- Johann Sebastian Bach

I found this when I was watching a video of J.S. Bach's life. The video described Bach as person who was self-motivated, very hardworking, strong-willed and proud, yet temperamental.

Now, I pretty much saw myself in Bach. No, I'm not saying that I'm an insanely great musician, but he somehow has the same characteristics as I do, even the temperamental part (which I am not exactly proud of but that's how it is).

Then, that video mentioned the above quote. How I see it, Bach achieved his success through his industriousness. So, basically, since I think that Bach and I are pretty similar in character, I adopted his quote as a pathway of my life. I want to succeed in life - therefore I should be like Bach and be as industrious, hardworking, and strong-willed as he was.

Quote #2:

"People are often unreasonable and self-centered.

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.

Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you.

Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous.

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten.

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best and it may never be enough.

Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.

It was never between you and them anyway."

- Mother Teresa

This quote - or poem, some may say - by Mother Teresa is pretty much self-explanatory. Be kind, honest, happy, good, and dedicated. Not for the sake of others, but for the sake of yourself and God. I'd think it's pretty much obvious why this became one of my favorite quotes. But then, as do everything, this has a backstory.

Some have said that as a person, I am way too nice. I give but hardly ever receive. I do my best to help and do good to the people around me. I forgive and forget, and believe in second chances.

But gradually I learnt that life isn't fair. There are people who aren't deserving of the good I do and the niceness I display. There are people who are downright ungrateful and think that it is my duty to do such nice things to them. There are people who would throw everything I did down the drain and stab me in the back. Yes, I learnt the hard way that such people do exist in this world. 

Sometimes I feel that I am such a fool in being nice. What good would it do to me, if in the end all I get is to be stepped on? To those particular people, I feel frustrated. No, scratch that: there are times when there's such an intense burning of fury and hatred, paired with a tinge of incredulity. How can some people be so bad, no matter how good I am? Are they such unemphatic creatures that they would do such a thing? Don't they believe in karma?

But then I realized, that if I were to take revenge and hurt them the same way they did me, I would sink down to their level. Become the ungrateful, revenge-seeking betrayer that they are. No, I wasn't about to do that. I'm not as bad as they are.

Then I read what Mother Teresa said, and everything just clicked to place. There's just no point of seeking revenge. Like she said, "The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow." This is evident in my case. Yet, what I should do is to still be good. Because, ultimately, everything I do is not for them. It is for myself, and for my connection to God. I am a strong believer in karma; whatever I reap, I will sow. I sow seeds of good; I will receive good in return. How people react to what I do doesn't matter, and never will matter. It is between me and God; it was never between me and them anyway. I will continue to do good and give my best for the world.

So that brings us to the end of this avant-garde blog post of mine. I don't usually post rants about my personal life, and frankly, I don't think I anytime soon. But, if you really had made it to the end of this post, thank you for reading. I really appreciate it.

Be industrious. Be hardworking. Be strong-willed. Be kind. Be honest. Be forgiving.
Above all, be a good person.

Have a good night.

- Catherine Charles, 11:48 PM, July 2nd, 2017

I Promise

Literary Genre: Poetry

"I noticed you have packed your case;

Everything is in its right place.

Why are you leaving, I wonder,

To a hamlet in the yonder?"

"Bright is the sky, dark is the night,

Compels me to sail to the light.

Understand, my love, I must go,

To learn more than there is to know."

"Yes, my darling, I understand;

Pursue your dreams and make a stand.

But promise you will be happy,

And that you will come back to me."

"My dear, surely, you don't believe,

That I will ever really leave?

I love you, for that, I promise;

And I will honor my promise."

"I am Fine"

Literary Genre: Poetry

"What is it that is bothering you?

I see it clearly in your eyes,

I read it clearly from your expression.

You are feeling uncomfortable,

Do tell me why."

"No, there is nothing, I am alright.

You must have misread the signs,

You must have misunderstood.

I do not feel anything bad,

I am perfectly fine."

"No, you are not, I know you best.

You are hiding something from me,

You are not telling the whole truth.

Many pennies for your thoughts,

What are they, pray tell."

"No, you are overthinking.

You are analyzing too deeply,

You are taking things too far.

My thoughts are not worth it,

Nothing is wrong, I am fine."

University Hopes

Literary Genre: Poetry

A four point zero GPA,

A near perfect in SAT;

Requirements for my dream school,

A famous university.

California, USA;

In the world, one of the nicest.

It would be an immense honor

To achieve that of the greatest.

When friends find out I'll go abroad,

I wonder what is it they'll say;

Probably some would support me,

Others might just complain all day.

But in the end, there's no one else,

It comes down to myself and me;

Will I ever be accepted

To Stanford University?

Trust

Literary Genre: Poetry
This poem is dedicated to my brand new friend, who based off our friendship solely on trust.

The greatest friendships stem from trust.

Thus it is an absolute must,

To have trust and be trustworthy;

'Cos everything comes back to trust.

Strong relationships' root is trust.

Only then it'd be fair and just,

To trust each other faithfully;

'Cos everything traces to trust.

Long connections are based on trust,

Without ever needing to bust.

Just bond in trust mutually;

'Cos everything is built from trust.

Relations all require trust,

Only then will they never rust.

We all need to be trustworthy;

'Cos the most important thing is trust.

He

Literary Genre: Poetry

He stands in the doorway, thin and tall,

Silently gazing the beauty of Fall.

I watch as he bends over and picks

A fallen leaf from a pile of sticks

He turns around and notices me,

A grin stretches unwaveringly.

In one fell swoop, he thrusts out his hand,

Offers me the leaf, manner rather grand.

I hesitate; the leaf has a certain meaning,

Of nothing less than that of loving.

Says he, "I promise I'll set you free.

I really care for you, do come with me.

"I'm in love with you; I have always.

It's something I've wanted to tell you for days."

He kneels on one knee; "So, in the end,

Do you consent to be my girlfriend?"

Note: Yes, yes I know this is a cheesy poem, again, this is all just for fun.

Blessings and Curses

Literary Genre: Poetry

Best friends to strangers

In merely a day.

We drifted apart;

Things all gone away.

Of course, you are male,

And I am a girl.

I thought you're special,

A jewel, a pearl.

I was proven wrong:
Many feuds and fights;

Invisible then,

In each other's sights.

All actions taken,

For better or worse;

Is me in your life

A blessing or curse?

A Short Note

No, this is not another poem, although I know it sounds like a good title :D

This post is purely what the title says: a short note directed to all my readers.

First and foremost, I'd like to apologize for the over-a-year hiatus. I'm not going to make any excuses: I was just lazy. However, you may have noticed that I have been turning a little passive in prose writing and very active in poetry instead. It's not that I find prose boring; I'm just in the mood for a lot of poetry these days.

For those of you who like prose better, please tell me and I will continue the stories I have been leaving on hiatus for some time; for the rest of you who enjoys my poetry, you can find it on Wattpad here, feel free to check it out XD

Lastly, thank you all for all the support you've given me so far, I really appreciate it :)

Dreams for a Piano

Literary Genre: Poetry

Polished black mahogany wood,

Made the masterpiece as it should.

High honor it'd be if I could

Sit there and produce something good.

White and black tint the many keys,

Producing sounds from strings with ease.

This instrument was meant to please

The ears with its nice melodies.

I approach, and I sit right down

On the stool held firmly aground.

But hesitating with a frown;

I haven't yet produced such sound.

I look upon it longingly,

Yet I know the reality:

The piano is a beauty;

The time just hasn't come for me.

P.S: This was written in the spur of the moment, spouting from my random thoughts. I have a piano, and I don't think this poem applies to me; nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed it! :D

Friends

Literary Genre: Poetry

I place my hand in that of yours,

Confident that you'll be my guide.

And it's true, you don't disappoint;

We walk together, side by side.

Hand in hand, we trail down paths,

Journey through both high and low.

I got you and you got me,

For there's something we both know.

Connected by strong bonds of trust,

Inseparable, you and I,

Happily we pass time as one;

And find each other to rely.

In good time, I hope, I pray

That our friendship doesn't end

And stays, till the end of time;

Thank you for being my friend.