AESTETA: Sublime Assignment

In accomplishment to the assignment that was given to us last week, we were asked to cite experiences in our life where we felt the sublime.

Sublime for me is something that pleasures me spiritually, something that overwhelms me, something that fills me with emotions (may it be in awe [an emotion comparable to wonder but less joyous, and more fearful or respectful], in wonder and an amazed feeling), something that makes me feel not to blink my eyes so that I wouldn't miss a single vision from it and something that simply amazes me.

I just want to share some of my sublime experiences.

1. Can't measure love

 From January to May of the year 2010, me and Aly was in a long distance relationship. She's living in Texas, and I'm here in Manila, but despite the distance, we really felt that we were just beside each other. All those months, we were planning on how we're going to meet for the first time because every June of the year, she comes back home, here in the Philippines to have her summer vacation to spend some time with her aunts and cousins. 

Sbarro, Glorietta 5

Since that, she and her family always go straight to the mall after they drop their bags at their house; we just decided to meet up on that mall. Unfortunately, that wasn't our plan, but that didn't ruin it. She's already at the mall with her aunts and cousin, and while I was on my way to that mall, I felt mixed emotions such as: anxiety (I was unease because I'm afraid that I might look ugly in front of her, I kept on looking at every mirror that I get to pass by to see how I look.), excitement, and what we call kilig-feeling. But then I thought that, there's no turning back. Time is not ticking backwards, and there's nothing I can do but to face her. 

Then I called her and asked where she was, I asked her if she could just go down because I was shy of her cousin. And yeah, she went down. 

While I was waiting at the near-by food court, I was on the phone with her. She was in front of a pizza parlor on that food court, facing the food court, and I was at the rails (leaning on to a rail, where you can see the 1st floor. The boundary, so that you wouldn’t fall. Hahaha, I don't know what it is called.) Which was in front of that pizza parlor on where she was. So basically, she was just right behind me. 10 feet away from me.

She was saying "Nandito na ako sa may pizza parlor"

Then I said "E katapat ko lang yung pizza parlor". 

Then I turned my back, and I saw her. She ran to me and I hugged her so tight. On that moment, after 5 months being away from each other, the first time I hugged her, I was really feeling every second of it because it was my first time to hug her. And it was really really overwhelming.

It's really a moment for me to remember. And now, every time I pass through that exact place, I always remember that scenario in my head + background music. (Hahaha.) I always feel the same exact feeling that I felt when every time I pass that place.

2. Empire State of Mind

Timesquare, New York, USA

My second sublime experience that I'd like to share is when me and my family spent our summer at USA. We spent the first two weeks at California (for theme parks: Universal Studio, Disneyland, SeaWorld), Las Vegas and Arizona (Grand Canyon). I thought I already had a blast on those states. But later on, I realized that the phrase "Save the best for last" is true

We then on, went to New York to spend the last 2 weeks of our summer vacation. At first, I thought it would be a boring way to end our summer vacation because it really had no theme parks in it. I feel like everything was all sky scrapers and roads and streets. But then, as the day goes by, I was enjoying my stay there unexpectedly. I suddenly felt the comfort just by walking into the city, knowing it's a tiny part of its history, spend time with my relatives there, and staying at the park (Central Park: where I can find almost every kind of people. There are lovers sitting under the trees, couples who sit by the river, teenagers playing Frisbees, a group of random people dancing, blind men singing etc.). For me, I felt like, in that place, everyone can be free, no one would judge you on whatever you're doing unlike here, everyone would judge you in every simplest thing you do.

I feel like that there's no way for me to end my summer but to live it to the fullest. From the trips to the Liberty Island, to the American National Museum to late nights at Timesquare to even just condo units, I felt satisfied. I felt that, I want to have a life like this somewhere in the near future.

I can't even make you feel the things that I felt, because it's an experience where you have to experience it yourself, where you have to see it unfold right in front of your eyes. It's really one of the places where I would never reject to go to.

In the song Empire State of Mind by Jay Z and Alicia Keys, there was this part in the chorus that says "These streets will make you feel brand new". It is really indeed true.