love and boats

It is night and I wish that my words could be written down on paper.
Alas. for now here lay few fleeting thoughts of the moon.

My regrets are an ocean and I...
a lone adventurer
ascending the last mountain who's peaks have now become shore.
"what if's" are sailing on it's waters to and fro as I watch the sea line;
my horizon.

They are all sunken ships that cannot hold bone or blood.
Any weight put on their bow will result only in plunging through the hull of ghost.
haunting, taunting, reminding.

What if I were stronger?
-could I have held her when she needed? supported. comforted. guided.

What if I were humbler?
-would I have to be told repetitiously about how I point to myself?

When I was a child I played with boats in the waters.
pretending through the days as pirate, knight, and warrior.
sailing across the seas,
atop a fortress built of stone and bronze and 2x4s,

But I cannot pretend away the past, nor change it.
Was I not strong enough?
Was I not humble enough?
Was I too blind?
Too lost to lead?
Too young to know how young I am?

My heart was true, and my pursuit was sound,..
but my love was lost, and it has now departed to distant shores that I cannot see.


I still play in the waters. what if'ing in days into nights.
Each day and night I dream of what could have been.
I am a dreamer.
I see beyond what I can see.

Do I close my eyes or are they at last ready to open?
To see that this mountain top I have reached is my mattress.
That I have not lost anything but was gifted it for the time it was.
I have today.
I can love.

dt30.19
I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.



I can live. and the rest will follow as time and season and tide.
For these oceans are not regrets but hopes for a future.
For the ship that I labour to set sail in called ζάω (life)

diving into life or a dumpster

So I am going for a personal record to blog two days in a row! 

yesterday was quite the adventure. started off simple writing a blog and listening to music, progressing into mac n cheese for breakfast and a delicious mix of ricotta cheese and vanilla yogurt which tastes something like a cannoli filling. add a little bit of granola and fruit and you have something between a bowl of muesli and ambrosia without the marshmallows and coconut.

After a quick breakfast it was off to the dumpsters to practice my swan dive. yes indeed dumpster diving yet again as the last few college students vacate their dorms and apartments leaving hords of treasure behind. Due to my car still not being insured or registered, I grabbed a ride from Evaling and her sister Julia to the dumpsters as we rummaged through furniture, magazines, art suplies, and other discarded items for those few diamonds literally in the rough. 

Although it was not a very productive dive, there were some great pictures taken onto instagram by Evaling ( http://instagr.am/p/FTEzl/ ) or see some of mine at ( http://web.stagram.com/n/davidipilato/ )

from there we went to a dominican restaurant and to drop off their spoils in their basement. 

from thence we commenced in picking up Evaling and Julia's mom and driving her out to their apartment in foster where we were able to go four wheeling through the trails although their dog did slow the expedition through the ocasional bathroom pitstop in front of our little caravan. 

by the end of the day we had stuffed a bike in the back of Evaling's car for Ellie as referenced from last blog post, we had grabbed an assortment of snacks, meats, rice, and vegetables to cook for bible study, and had a  great study on Philippians chapter 2:1-11

in the end our focus should be on Him and His glory.. gotto run to breakfast, so I am cutting it shorter than usual..

if you want to check out some of the other things I update slightly regularly, here you go

http://www.facebook.com/davidipilato/

http://davidipilato.blogspot.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/davidipilato

http://www.formspring.me/davidipilato

http://web.stagram.com/n/davidipilato/

http://twitter.com/#!/davidipilato

http://www.pandora.com/people/davidipilato

http://soundtracking.com/users/davidipilato

fin.

back in america

So I have now been in america for 3 weeks and it doesn't seem like I left at all almost. I still have the memories of Thailand and further south east asia, but really the things that make me remember that I was away is when people talk about events that I didn't go to.

One of which is the Easter encounter that was at Renaissance church in Providence my home church. now I live closer than ever to Ren, and walked there yesterday in about 30 minutes. it gives a whole new Perspective when looking at what it means to be part of community.
After church yesterday we celebrated one of the kids at ren, Taylor's birthday with temporary tattoos gummy worms, bears, fruit snacks, ukelele, and some random games like "crazy fruit". happy 14th!.
This was just another reminder of community and family, learning to celebrate one another.

After pretty much everyone had gone, the rest of our straggling group headed over to Panera for an impromptu feast and family meal. It was a joyful bustle of conversation, teasing, and many laughs. A good family with great people. clockwise were, Alli, Jill, Ryan, Sara, Adam and Ellynn, Albie, Ellie, Evaling, and finally yours truly. and at that point it was evident that the day was going to be a picture of what it means to be a part of community and family as we saw God's provisions through this group. Adam and Ellie getting much needed new bikes although it was made evident that we do need to find more gift cards to friendly's.

The night started early as I went down the Evaling and C.Amos to sanctuary(church at night) for their unplugged worship night as much of the group was missing due to honey moon, funeral, or having left that weekend after graduation. sitting downstairs drawing and praying I wrestled with God over the many new things that had come up in this last few weeks I have been in America. But it was a good conversation and a following of the teaching at church earlier on Prayer and how it is the most important aspect in this thing we find ourself in. life. universe. relationship.

The one verse Scott didn't use that I was expecting in his teaching was

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."


As this has been one of the most prominent verses in my life, I tend to be surprised whenever it isn't quoted, nonetheless the passion and truth that was seen was as welcome as ever.
Small quotes brought different light onto the issue of prayer like "Prayer is even more important than facebook" that seemed slightly superfluous yet ironically more true than anyone would like to admit.

to listen.
http://www.sermoncloud.com/renaissance-church/

They are all pretty good.
although, it is nothing like being there.

After some prayer wrestling, I went for a quick walk in the woods over to the waterfall nearby, took a few pictures with my newly chipped ipod, and sat for a little while letting the thoughts in my head ferment in my mind.

Worship was simple and necessary that night, at church. followed with a message about timing. an unorthodox preacher in some respects, but with good points and message as he ended with.. if the timing of God had been in those last few weeks to come back then.. would we be able to say that we took advantage of all those opportunities that we have while we are here?

And in my head as I thought through the thousands of years waited for the timing of God, and now the time being now, and that this is the preparation for His return, how blessed we are to be alive in such a time as this. not in the 400 years in the old testament that God's voice wasn't heard. we are alive not in the post-modern/ post-christian age. we are alive in the age of preparation. the blessing it is, but how much do we actually begin to prepare even our own hearts for Him?

Monday morning and the day is yet to begin. It is the time to do some reading of scriptures. I guess I should take that time then to actually do it.

cya when I next decide to post.
or if you have twitter or Instagram

davidipilato

there is so much more to do in this world than you could ever immagine.

so I was just chilling with a friend at my parents place in Thailand and searching around for some good ol film competitions..

there are so many out there
for instance..
Pepsi has a competition that 1st prize filmmaker of each theme will receive $10,000 cash and be invited to attend the Pepsi Films Award Ceremony in Shanghai taking place during the Shanghai Int'l Film festival. They will stay with a guest for four days in Shanghai and get to experience walking the red carpet at this world famous event.

During the awards ceremony, an overall Pepsi Films Winner for Shanghai will be revealed. The Grand Winner will be commissioned by Pepsi China to create a new film, with a production budget of $20,000 and mentoring from Pepsi advertising agency BBDO.

There are also second and third prizes for each theme.

• 1st prize - $10,000 cash and a trip to Shanghai
• 2nd Prize - $2,000 cash
• 3rd Prize - $500 cash

http://www.mofilm.com/competitions/pepsifilms


the world is your Oyster.
just gotta find that pearl and get a scuba diving license.

ordinarily extraordinary

    I wake up every morning around 6:30-10:00am.. mosey around for an hour or so getting dressed checking my pile of clothes for money I may have left in the pockets.. and off I go.

    yesterday I completed the morning routine getting ready for the day which either means bringing my backpack to prepare for anything the day may have in store for me, or bringing nothing except roughly 3 dollars to see what will happen. .. check facebook, maybe eat a little cereal, keys, cellphone, wallet, and out the door. 

    get to the main road not knowing if I will turn left or right. aaand left sounds good. and the day goes as follows. taking turns going down roads I have never been down until I am lost and then just keep going forward. eventually I found myself somewhere I had been before and go down another road until I find myself lost again... and keep on going.. lots of sights. lots of smells. not all of them the most pleasant, but absolutely the real Thailand. 

    It is behind the scenes of Bangkok. the advanced city with cars everywhere, traffic at a stand still, with all the comforts of a western modern city. But walking a little further past the glint and glamour that grabs the eye and you will see the people. as I walked I saw the simple life. walking past the gardeners and the street cleaners as they ate their lunch and called me over to see if I was hungry and wanted to eat with them.. you don't have to go very far to find the heart of Thailand, but you have to go off the beaten path from all the attractions, malls, bars, and massage parlors to the narrow street markets and restaurants that seem so crammed that you can just barely make it through the hustle bustle of bargaining, and buying.

and how time does fly

highlights of the last month.. where to start.. yeah I am terrible at this blogging thing.. tried to do every week.. haha.

ok so I went up to the mountains once or twice one called Kao Yay or something like that. funny storry how I got there though.. was basically trying to get to know my way around the city because I don't get to do much more than walking which is hard to see much of bangkok because it is huge.. so I asked a friend to show me some places we walked around drove in their little 1980 pink VW Bug yes it was a girl's car.. and did a little exploring. eventually we met up with some of her friends in the city as she had no clue where to bring me, and long story short they invited me up to their family resort/apartment/boutique in the mountains and off we went, 5 of us smashed in the pink 1980VW Bug for the 6hr ride into the mountains where they have worse potholes than in RI.. yeah goodbye herbie. it was nice knowing you.. despite certain doubts, we actually made it to their place alive. A quaint little place semi-secluded in the crisp cool mountain air which was a great relief from the luke-warm exhaust of Bangkok. I was not made for the city.

up in the mountains we picked fruit, painted walls, cleaning the place up for a group that was going to rent it out, and did a little exploring, swimming in the natural streams.. pretending like we spoke italian and rambling random gibberish with a few italian phrases and lots of hand movements..
and of course either they spoke fake Italian or real Thai in which I was lost in both cases although the fake Italian was rather insightful. stayed up there for about three days.

 uh. spent some time with friends around the city here and there leaving the city, and then the most recent 3 week trip "out of bangkok." which deserves it's own post so I will save it till a little later..

don't worry I will remember most of what happend.. I took pictures (:

for now

FIN.

it's been..

    So it has been a while since I have blogged last. time seems to go faster than I can keep track of what has been going on. bangkok is like nowhere I have ever been. when I first arrived here the city was all too familiar and all to foreign. now things are starting to settle into place as I learn the language and learn the history not just of the country but of the people.

    This city is a city of opportunity but much of that is also an opportunity for the wrong types of business such as smuggling, prostitution, corrupt business deals, or buying off government officials. one moment I walk past a school, a fitness center, and the next alley rivals vegas for it's light show maybe not quite sin city, but an evident center for the prostitution and drugs flowing through the city. This is where the jobs are most, but this is where the needs are most as well with slums being common place and what money is meant to help the people is just as commonly stolen and run away with.

    I have been able to get involved with some of the slums with my parents and some other locals who volunteer their time to teach english and to spend time with the street kids who may not be able to go to school or have many opportunities.

    Although Thai lessons are very interesting and I enjoy learning the language, due to the extensive commute and pace of lessons I have started to go less frequently in turn to learn more on my own and to get some more hands on experience in how to speak and how they are really pronounced instead of a more academic take on the language. This also gives me a little more time to get some other things done such as blog, edit photography, or even just stay connected to friends back the states.

    Recently I was able to go on a trip outside the city with some friends and my parents a 3 or 4 hours south of Bangkok, my first real exposure to Thailand outside of the city. It was a very good break from the incandescent lightbulbs and pavement to walk on the sand and swim in the ocean which was quite warm even at night.

    I look forward to getting a more complete view of Thailand than the limited view that I have now with a very advanced city in some respects and yet resembles an american society 50 years ago with strict schooling, standards and respect that are part of the culture, and a growing economy.. However with this rapid development, you can see the layers of development as some of the city still seems to be 50 years in the past and others to be cutting edge advancements. With the change in the infrastructure in the city also comes a change in the mindset of those who live here such as the youth who some abandone many of the traditions that have been a part of society for a more modern take on how to live.

   From what I wear, to what I eat, to what I use for currency.. there are many changes in living in Bangkok. I have been wearing pants for most of the time only wearing shorts maybe once every two weeks now, however it is not really different than the Thai people who wear jeans just the same. of course the food is a little hard to get used to. yes some of it is very good, but then again I feel as if I eat the same thing over and over.. yes rice is with pretty much everything you eat, but with pork, or chicken, or seafood, eggs, or with rice. rice, noodles, eggs... every so often I will get something out of the ordinary or hit up one of the BK's with some friends or maybe even DQ. Big news to Bangkok.. yes Krispy Kreme came to Thailand this month. But if you eat off the streets from some of the many street vendors.. you will be eating rice or eggs or pork or noodles and most often with fish oil and pepers.
Then there are many fruit vendors who have a variety of fruit with pineapple, guava, watermelon, cantaloup, and maybe dragon fruit, star fruit, mango, or some other random fruits. there are also some seafood vendors who have small open barbecues on their carts with squid, fishballs, and other seafood, or bubble tea vendors, or icecream vendors..

    There is a pretty good variety, but I still need to really see a larger part of the city or country to really get to experience the wide range of tastes which are Thailand.

   Yes there are many differences from the US, but people still hurt and bleed and they still need Christ.
well for now that is it. I will be posting some pictures up on facebook of things just because it is a little easier just to post them one place.
       here is a link to my photo albums where you should find them easy enough.
          http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=614108857
hopefully be posting new ones soon enough

here is a quick update. not as much time over here as in the US. ..
me and the parents have been taking thai language lessons for about a week and a half.
a daunting and very time consuming task, it takes about and hour and a half to get there, and then spend 2 hours in class with our Thai tutor khruu(teacher) Jum. it is a regular schedule, but does not allow for much study time between lessons due to the fact that nights tend to get a little more busy with Bible studies and church get togethers. fridays a group of guys eat a smorgasbord of leftovers from the week.. mostly from the imperial palace delivering food to one of the guys who works at one of the palace run schools..
saturday we went to one of the slums to teach a little english to the kids who live there... saturday night is a worship/teaching night for a good group of people with great messages and music. afterwards we go out to a little local restaurant to grab some cheap food and good company..
for now that's it... keeping busy.. trying to clean up the schedule and add some photos..
trying to edit a few more photos to get them on the computer.

keep us in prayer as always.