Silence!

---

As a feedback to my blog, Maggz suggested that I add more of my thoughts and feelings so that I am not just narrating. I’ve always been a little bit hesitant to share my thoughts and feelings because I enjoy listening more than sharing but since you guys are all so close to me, I have nothing to be shy about! I’m happy to be able to write about anything I want now instead of boring business plans so it’s fun again!

This entry was inspired by the silence our group had in a discussion with our teacher. He asked a simple question, does anybody have a question or a comment? What followed after was a long silence by everyone. I believe lots of people were anticipating a questions from anybody to break the silence. Some were even uneasy with the silence and made a “coughing” or “clearing the throat” sound just to fill the void. I was dwelling on the present moment of silence. I was comfortable with it. Silence is so beautiful because it could mean so many different things at different moments, even though it makes the same sound all the time: Nothing.

Somebody overwhelmed with joy that it renders them completely speechless.
The petrifying moments in our lives where we just gasp and are too afraid to utter a single word.
The awkward silence that befalls a group of strangers in an elevator when an individual accidently squeaks out a fart
The respectful moment of silence to grieve the lost ones

Silence comes in all shapes and forms. The most powerful moments in my life are illustrated in silence and not by words. A hand on my shoulder during the dark hours speaks louder to me than the soothing words of “It’ll be ok” All of you have shared a silence with me.

Although I can’t rmemeber, There is a black and white picture of my mom holding baby Vic in her arms and just gazing at me. I imagine this moment to be in silent, an incredibly powerful silence of appreciation. A silence that only moms could possibly understand.

My brother and I needn’t speak a single word to each other on the basketball court and we would be able to play in unison, completely understanding one another. The silence in harmony.

I remember this one silence back in the day in Taiwan with the boys. We were all laughing uncontrollably about something like we always do. We laughed it all out until it was silent. Then this ditzy girl who felt uneasy with the silence had to break the silence by saying “Awakard silence~” We just all looked at each other, shook our heads and just chuckled. She felt uneasy with it but we felt really comfortable with it. We developed that strong bond of silence through ten years of being xiong di. We understand each other without saying a word and nobody else can understand that silence. Then, of course, we all simultaneously broke that “awkward silence with laughter b/c we knew she had no idea what was going on.

Nina and I share a silence that makes us unbreakable. We could talk on the phone for hours and half the time, the other end of the receiver is silent. Just the fact that I know she’s there, I know all is good. She needn’t say a word and I could feel her presence.

The boys in Boston, we always had classes together, FME, IME, economics, all that bullshit. We couldn’t talk in class, obviously, but we had some hilarious silences together. We would always send each other funny links thru our laptops and we were just dying of laughter inside. I was probably always the first to laugh, I would snort loudly, desperately trying to not let laugh burst out. When teacher looked my way, I’d pull my signature move and pretend I was blowing my nose… smooth. Haha

The girls in Taiwan, you girls have all told me your dirty little secrets! Haha but I’ve never let anyone else know about it. I’ve always kept silent and never talked behind your backs and that’s the reason we are so close. Silence is two times more important than gossiping, trust me, but I know you girls love to do it anyway! Haha

The most powerful silence in my life is one where I share with Maggie. The words “ I love you” that we say to each other every day does not come close to the same vicinity of what I truly feel for this girl. The words don’t justify the absolute feelings I have for you, Maggz. No words can describe what we have, but we whole-heartedly know it’s there. I know it exists b/c after five years, my heart still races a little faster when I see you.

So you see, silence can speak a lot louder than actual words. You just need to pay attention to the silence to really hear it. This is what I’ve learned with my dad in our silent meditations together. It is tough to interpret people’s words sometimes, but even harder to interpret silence if it isn’t in the right context
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Hehe, hopefully, you read the last few lines in silence instead of saying, “Dot, dot dot dot dot” outloud! Hahaha. But seriously, don’t be afraid of silence, revel in its peaceful and calming sound. Embrace it and pay attention to it. It’ll do you good. I just want to say one last thing to you guys in case you guys didn’t know, but it is way too cheesy to say it outloud so I’ll say it in silence so I won’t embarrass myself…………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………..
😊 __
__ __ __ __
__ __ __ ! :D

---

Photos

Day 3
This entry was originally written on day three of meditation

coffee bean or tea leaves?
I choose tea anyday

Bonding
We went down the mountain and made new friends! We bought chicken for them and they cooked us dinner!

Hondai!
good food

Comments

[JC]

More more!
Already your giving me lily pads of thought to bounce off towards my own enlightenment. I agree with Maggie - more juice and less narration. Hopefully I can go on a journey like this and apply what your sharing to the journey. How was the chicken - was it foodie worthy?

[lostbuddha]

hahah thanks bro, appreciate the props. Dint know if it was getting too cheesy or not!

[rachel]

you've been a lost Buddha for only a few days and i'm seeing that you are overcoming your fear. silence is usually something ppl fear most. its mysterious, lonely bc it could mean anything but it could mean nothing. ppl want meaning in their life and be able to make sense of it, or at the very least, for it to make no sense at all but mean something. by embracing silence and loving it - vic, that is pretty great.