unfamiliar, familiar

i was going to write something here about the unfamiliar becoming familiar but i figured it was such a "duh!" post that i thought twice about it. i mean, come on, everything is unfamiliar at first right?

i guess what i really wanted to say was that i am fascinated by the transition from unfamiliar to familiar. half the time, you don't notice it at all. i mean, take for example - the office. i walked in and i thought that it was this bright, airy place that felt a little clinical... i guess it was because of the bright, white lights. i thought the pantry was dark. i felt like going to the creatives side would get me lost.

but now, i take a step back and survey everything around me and think - it kinda feels like another sort of home. it's not clinical at all - it's kind of homey, in a messy kind of way. the pantry isn't dark - it has those yellow lights that i love. and if i get lost going to the creatives then i don't deserve this brain because duuuddeee... you only need to walk in a straight line and you're there! hehe.

and then i can't help but think - when did all of this become familiar? when did all of this become a part of my life? it has only been a half a year, yet it's so ingrained already, like it's always been a part of me.

isn't that fascinating? you don't even notice it. all of a sudden you realize, yes, it has become familiar now.

i've lived in manila for 6 years. i just counted. everything feels familiar here now... some parts of jakarta feel unfamiliar. everytime i go home, i never really recognize where i am until i see some sort of landmark (and that's usually a mall). i used to know the back streets and know where it will lead to, but i don't anymore. it's become unfamiliar.

strange - how something so big in my life has become so unfamiliar. it's a little sad, that i don't know jakarta the way i used to. but at least a lot are still familiar enough to make it still feel like home in some way.

i don't really have a point here. i'm just fascinated with the way life has that ability to adapt so well, that you don't even realize that you've adjusted. somehow, i'm always in awe that something i consider "new" in my life doesn't feel "new" anymore.

it's become a part of me.

astig lang. :p