Indelible Mark

Location : Cebu City, Philippines

No Home for Sammy Davis Jr.
Back in the day while watching a Sammy Davis Jr. interview, I was surprised to hear him say he had fun decorating his hotel room to look like a home - he didn't seem to have a home, or it's been a very long time since he was home. A man as famous and rich as he is not having a real home? That was abstract for me during my impressionable years. Of course now, I realize that as a performer touring the world, you're hardly home. So perhaps, there is no need for one. But I was very impressed by his situation - a guy who can successfully go through life with no home.

The Web-Guy and his Laptop
In the late 90s, when I was still in web school, I also read about a young web-guy who always walked around with his laptop. He was an ace web designer who won web contests for his kick-ass designs, format and layout. During that formative time on the internet, he was regarded as the modern-day alchemist riding high on the crest of the emerging tsunami that would be the virtual world. I envied him. I thought that after web school, I would be like him...exploring life armed only by my laptop with the world wide web as my playground. Of course, during that time, the cheapest laptop was around CAN$3000 - a little too rich for a guy who had to finance his web school paying 18% on a credit card.

A Realization
Now, nearly a month since I left Dumaguete into the realm of homelessness armed only with a laptop for my survival on the open road, hopping from one hotel to another, these thoughts I thought I've long forgotten invade the privacy of my mind. Somehow, I have become these two people without even realizing it, until now.

in Cebu realizing all these things

Life in Hotels and Resorts
I could have gone back into the corporate world, fixed salary, a sense of security to buy a house and once again live life within the known conventions of society. But I could not go back to that. I don't find the need to have a home or have a "real job". In the last month, I've had 4 places to sleep and I don't know where the 5th one will be. In the hotel room where I'm currently staying, I have the semblance of a wannabe home - kitchen sink, fridge, tv, even air-conditioning...nice! Even though I walked out from all of these, I appreciate them now in small doses. Perhaps this is how Sammy Davis Jr. felt. I could very well imagine that in the intermediate term, home for me will be a series of hotels and resorts as I drift from one place to the next - with little or no money coming out of my pocket.

Armed with a Laptop
At the same time, I walk nearly everywhere carrying my laptop - my most indispensable gear to date. Where I eat or sleep, I try to talk to the owner and tell him what I've done on the web and how I can help him. Almost always, he's pleasantly surprised and signs up. Since I don't aim for the big bucks, I go for an exchange deal - high Google ranking for his business in exchange for gift certicates. It really doesn't matter what industry - printing GCs for my business cards, restaurant GCs for good eats, hotel GCs for a roof over my head, etc. It's almost magical - I open my laptop and abundance is there for the taking. Somehow, I have become the web guy I envied in the late 90s.

Ending Thoughts
It's interesting to note how strong impressions can leave an indelible mark on your psyche. I thought the Sammy Davis and the web-guy thoughts were just passing fancies. Little did I know that behind the scenes, my mind started working overdrive to realize those very same aspirations as goals - without my realization until they happened. There seems to be a repeating pattern to this as I reminisce about the french model I used to go out with. I envied her freedom so much, I didn't realize I embarked on exercising those same freedom for myself.

I wonder now, what other thoughts dug deep into my mind that's working itself out to be a reality.

--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

Reader Comments:

Jay-Ar Caranto
(May 26, 2012) and I do now envy you... keep posting!

Alexander de Moscoso
(May 26, 2012) ...the beauty of ideation