Last year I went to Malaysia for a vacation together with my brother and mother during the holiday season. Mostly we would ride a Grab to get to our destination. One thing that surprised us when we first had our Grab ride was the speed. Our Grab driver was a woman which amazed me because to me she felt so powerful and in control of her world. In my head, as we speed up, Um, were not in a hurry? Only to realize later on that as we continue to book and ride more Grab cars it was normal for them to have fast speeds because they have good roads.
One night as we were going home after a day’s enjoyment my brother booked a grab and we rode. As soon as we hopped inside the Grab car, I knew what to expect and the vehicle went fast and smooth as we drive our way in the dark night. While sitting comfortably in the backseat I would occasionally see Christmas lights on the streets. Christmas greetings flashed on the buildings as I looked out my window. I enjoyed my view then after one song ended from the Grab driver’s radio I suddenly heard a twinkling music that grew louder and louder.
Ah, the shampoo commercial song. I said to myself.
For those who live in the Philippines, this song has been aired as a long-time playing shampoo commercial in the past where it shows a beautiful and confident woman with flashing white teeth and a confident aura. From its twinkling intro, I knew it was the one. Now the smooth drive and good music helped me feel more positive and energized even if it was already nighttime. This song always made me feel like there are endless possibilities in what I can do in this world. I smiled and waited for the chorus while following the melody in my mind.
And there it goes… Feel the rain on your skin no one else can feel it for you. Only you can let it in no one else no one else can speak the words from your lips… It gave me a lot of good vibes as the car’s engine revved up through the night. It made me think about my goals, where I’ve been, what I’ve accomplished, and who I am today which I am proud of.
When I got back here in the country. I remembered that shiny and sparkly shampoo commercial song and wondered what the title was. I wanted to add it to my mental playlist so I searched on YouTube and got a bit frustrated in the beginning because the results showed something else. It kept showing the song: Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield. As I scrolled down the search results it listed, Unwritten, Unwritten, Unwritten.
Then I got curious, maybe Unwritten is its title?
I click on one video waited for it to play and was surprised to hear that it was the song. But why Unwritten? I wondered. I searched the lyrics on Google and I was surprised to read that it seemed to be like a writer’s song. The lyrics go like:
I am unwritten
Can’t read my mind
I’m undefined
I’m just beginning
The pens in my hand
Ending unplanned
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Then after a few lines, there goes the chorus followed by the words:
Today is where your book begins
Then towards the end of the song it repeatedly said:
The rest is still unwritten…
The rest is still unwritten…
The rest is still unwritten…
The lyrics were so on point that any writer could relate to them. It made me think about myself as a writer What else is unwritten? What else haven’t I written?
And the song just seems to remind me to write my unwritten words.
I guess the impression that also resonated with me through this song is the shampoo commercial that I had been hearing ever since I was young showing a confident woman because of her hair. Now it helped me to have that added feeling of confidence in my writing and to write my unwritten words. Thank God for music. Thank God for fast cars.
As a writer, what are your unwritten words?