Friday, October 13, 2006

Happy dreams, happy realities

A type of spam that gets my goat is the one that tells me I've won gazillions of money at some lottery I've never even heard of. I mean, how the hell can I win at something that I didn't even enter? Some types of spam are mucho amusing--like the ones masquerading as (poorly written) erotica--but this one isn't. Do these spammers have something like a suckers-for-easy-money database...and my name's in it?

The sad thing is I'm sure quite a few people fall for these spam scams. Sure, it would be nice to get some unexpected cash; but I've heard about people who actually do nothing to try to make an honest living...they just rely on luck. It's not so much the laziness that bothers me (because I think I have the laziest ass in this part of the world sometimes) but the seeming absence of imagination. The failure to dream.

Unlike some people I saw on TV the other night. Man, they were amazing. There was a show on the Discovery Travel and Adventure channel about some of the richest people in Europe. Many of them have made millions and millions of euros from doing what they love to do: Spaniard Joaquin Cortes, from flamenco dancing; Dutchman Duncan Stutterheim, from organizing dance parties on an epic scale; Greek pop superstar Despina Vandi and her husband, football club owner Demis Nikolaidis. And they're all still quite young. They had their dreams, worked their asses off to make those dreams come true...and are STILL hard at work in spite of their obese bank accounts. Maybe for them, it all started with a dream. Now they're worth millions.

I have my own dreams, but the only thing I'm worth right now is a million laughs. That's not too bad, becoming super duper filthy rich isn't part of my dream anyway. Many simple things make me very happy. For instance:

Happiness can be...

Being e-mailed by an old school buddy because he had fantastic news to share. Happy, happy trails to my friend Bernard and his wife Romma, who were blessed with the birth of their daughter Julianna a couple of days ago. Cheers, guys!

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12 comments:

NanNan said...

Welcome to the world Julianna--- contributing a million laughs to the world seems much more valuable than dancing, or playing football.
She's a sweetie, priceless !!

Anonymous said...

I second what Nan said.

She beat me to it. =P

Seriously, nothing is more lovely than the sight of a newborn child. One can actually feel all the love and hope. It's moments like these that I thank God I'm alive.

Parang kanta ata yun. =)

Prometheus said...

Dat kid's got an impish grin. Prometheus is almost sure she's gonna grow up to be like Liz, all smart and pretty.

Yo Liz, Gem has said pictorially what Prometheus couldn't find words to. Jessica Rabbit. Prometheus will simply go 'Arrooooooo! Hot cha cha. Arrrroooooo!'

Anonymous said...

Scam!!!!? Now you tell me...

Lizza said...

nannan: Laugh, and the world laughs with you. :-D Yep, she is a most welcome addition to the world.

HB: I wholeheartedly agree. There's a saying that everytime a child is born, there's a flock of angels present. Nice thought, ain't it?

Gawa ka naman ng kanta...or nakagawa ka na ba? Iparinig mo naman sa amin! Sigurado ako magaling ka doon, you with your Eine Kleine Nachtmusik posts!

Prometheus: Heaven forbid. :-D

Julianna's gonna grow up to be as smart and pretty as her momma Romma and as funny as her daddy Bernard. Fresh out of the womb and she's smirking already!

That Gemmolina is priceless! She thought up a suave and urbane character for you, my friend.

Matt: If it turns out I'm wrong and you did win a gazillion greenbacks, send me a bottle of rose, will ya? ;-P

Anonymous said...

Lizza - you are right. Really living life is about absorbing those simple pleasures, living in the moment. Like you, I am not about chasing the millions.

That isn't to say though...if I happen to miraculously stumble across millions by selling a wonderful invention idea (like a mechanical arm that will brush our hair while we dry it) that I would turn it away or anything. Ha ha! As if...

Enjoy your weekend!

Bazza said...

I've never seen the spam that looks like poorly written erotica. Where can I get some?!
In my experience, really rich people are never happy.
Julianna looks gorgeous (but all babies look lovely to me!)

Anonymous said...

I know what you mean, I have won 15 different lotteries on 4 different coasts. I guess it just hasn't been deposited in my bank account yet!

Anonymous said...

If you ask me
I'd like a million smile too but then a million bucks I will not reject too
But your presence, smile and laughter does make the world a better place
I dream too, and alas, it still did not come true
I still think having moderate of money but abundance of small things like smile, laughter as well as people like you around is far better than any dreams I had so far
:)

Sidney said...

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.
-Albert Schweitzer-

H said...

And what about the kind of spam that tells you how to enlarge your bits and parts?

the first time I got 'dirty' spam, which was several years ago, I was so aghast and shaken that I wrote back a long long rant telling Mr.John-what's-his-name what I thought of him and his perverse dealings on the net, and what a compltely sick bastard he was.

The next time it happened, I just copy pasted the same letter to Mr. Julian-what's-his-name. Each time i got a little more nonchallant...

...Till I learnt what a spam folder is.

Lizza said...

Laurz: Or something that gives your body the benefits of a good workout while you're blogging! :-D

Bazza: I don't know why I'm getting erotic spam. And I wonder how they get past the filters. I'll direct the spammers over to your blog, don't worry. *kidding*

Michael: Wow, you're the richest un-millionaire I know.

zeroimpact: Who could say no to a million dollars? They you'd be literally laughing all the way to the bank. :-D Have a great weekend!

Sidney: That is one great quote. Thanks for sharing it here.

H: You just made me laugh!!! You never fail to inspire.