Random Thoughts

So I decided to start a blog. It's mostly going to be random things that go on through my head when I'm running (because you have a lot of time to think about stuff when you're running), when I'm up late because I'm having trouble sleeping, or when I'm at work in between texting friends and family while on the clock. I wanted to document my randomness because I know one day, I'm going to be old and forget things. My memories of certain parts of my life have already started to fuzz. Can you imagine what my memory will be like when I'm too old to even wipe my own...face? That will be a sad day. Can you imagine the zits??? My thoughts tend to jump sporadically and can be triggered by a number of things:

Today, for example, I walked by ROLL: (a bike store, for those of you who don't know) and thought about my first time riding a bike. I don't exactly remember how old I was, but I'm going to guess around 4 or 5 years old. Now, I didn't start out riding with training wheels or anything like that. We were pretty poor and I shared a full-size bike with my uncle. My uncle sat on the bike seat and I sat in front of him on the frame of the bike. I don't remember what it felt like to straddle a bike frame, but I'm going to say that it probably wasn't very comfortable. I'm sure wedgies were a very common occurrence also.

So my uncle is peddling along and he let's me hold onto the handlebars. I remember thinking that it was pretty easy. Our street, however, were full of animals. Within a few seconds of taking control of the bike, all these CHICKENS start running and flapping their way in front of me! But with my 5 seconds of experience of riding a bike, I expertly maneuvered around them. Unfortunately, my victory was short-lived as a GOAT crossed my path... That's right, a goat. I hit it straight on and I start flying over the handlebars. I don't remember what happened to my uncle, but I'm sure he bailed right before the chickens crossed the road because I don't remember him being injured at all.

As the 4 or 5 years of my life flashed before my eyes, I braced myself for the inevitable pain. I land face first onto the road (which is probably why I have a flat nose). Actually, I blame my mom's genes for this nose, but hey, it does the job. Anyway, I managed to keep all my teeth, but my right front tooth was pushed back behind my left front tooth. This is a true story. My parents paid quite a bit of money to fix my teeth. Ask them for the receipt, I'm sure they'll show you.

As I get older, I remember less and less about my childhood. But this memory tends to stick with me. I may not have all the facts, but this is what I think I know. I think about my life back in the Philippines pretty often. It is where I was born and where many of my family members still live. Talking to them sometimes takes me back to when I didn't know a single English word and I looked like one of those kids from "Feed the Children" commercials. It takes me back to when my favorite toys were spiders and tires. Looking at where I am now, I wouldn't trade this life to go back to that. However, even though I didn't have much growing up in the Philippines, I had some of the best times of my life there. And I wouldn't trade my childhood for anything.