Tragic Ending

Far off at the apex of a mountain, covered with thick snow, laid a wooden house made out of centuries old thick logs. Although generations have resided there, laughter and sorrow were shared, the house remained sturdy. It was as though any form of catastrophe would never succeed in bringing the house to ground. However, no matter how firm the house stood, a slight mistake would blow everything apart, likewise, a strong metal would turn brittle as it corrodes if it came into contact with even a tiny droplet of water.

A usual day it was. In the serene house, everyone was awaken to a cloudless day as the bright scorching sun shone through the transparent windows of the bedrooms. The children were too tired to get up and they decided to sleep in for another hour or so. Blame it all on the surprise party last night that their parents had planned for the youngest son who just turned 7. It was indeed a memorable night for the family because for once, the family had a chance to gather together to celebrate someone’s birthday. Usually, the father would be out till midnight, doing odd jobs to earn some extra income to fend for the family.  

Everyone had a whale of time yesterday, dancing around the house with the rhythm of the music, which was practically beating through every corner of the dwelling. It’s no doubt that lethargy had bitten its way into the body of every soul that night. However, there was an exception. Little brother here was prancing around the house that morning after he was awaken by the blistering heat that had filtered its way through the ozone into his bedroom. He was so overwhelmed with joy and excitement that a big slap on his cheek might not be able stop him from laughing.

The other children were as dead as zombies. Lying down on their respective beds, the children gibbered about the annoying voice, which eventually turned the quiet morning into a disaster as it was consumed with the worst noise pollution ever happened on earth. Poor mommy had to crawl out of bed from her hubby’s warm embrace to prepare some breakfast for the highly-spirited little one in order to quiet him down and please the others. Turned on the gas stove, mommy fried some eggs, sausages, bacons, and some baked beans. Swiftly, breakfast was ready and the little one soon indulged himself with it. Finally, the morning was at peace once again.

Everything happened too quickly that day. The fireplace was still burning like there’s no tomorrow when the half-awake mommy had carelessly forgotten to turn off the gas stove before heading back to bed. The chilly wind from the opposite mountains blew into the house and sped up the diffusion of gas throughout the entire space. The leaked gas was never noticed and soon it was in contact with the burning fire. BOOM! The entire antique blasted apart mercilessly, as though God’s wrath was acting upon it. The impact of the blast was so tremendous and powerful that the windows shattered into billions of tiny pieces. Splinters were seen flying in different directions with great speed. Flocks of birds veiled the cloudless sky as they were frightened by the sudden deafening explosion. Neighbors were jolted and they rushed to the scene immediately, but it was already too late. Nothing could be done but to stand aside helplessly, witnessing as the raging fire engulfed the wooden house within split seconds. None survived the blast that day. It was indeed a tragic ending for such a loving family.

Inspired by a scene from : “Shooter”

The Water Village

You were frolicking with your brother and 2 other girls at the top floor of a building, designed in a way that 3 quarter of it was submerged into the water. Not only that the lower levels were surrounded by sea water, they contained the water as well. You wondered about your whereabouts. Situated in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, this is the Water Village.

That night, the sea rumbles as it tumbles, as if the Hindu Gods, deities and demons were back in action, churning the sea harder than before, trying their best to churn elixir out of it. The waves were so rough that it could split a cruise instantly into 2. 

Unaffected by the catastrophe outside, 4 of you lingered around for awhile after the gathering like always, until there was a sudden alarm that the building was about to collapse. The 4 of you dispersed. You and your brother stayed behind as the girls hurriedly escaped through the only portal that would be able to bring the 4 of you to the lower foyer for a safe exit.

You were grumbling about the foolish design of the building but it was useless. The building shook violently as the rough waves hit on the walls profusely. The structure looked as though it was indeed going to topple over in another minute. You started to panic and doubt about your own safety. Just as you wondered if you could escape this alive, there was a pat on your shoulder.

How hard you wished it was a pat to wake you up from a nightmare but it wasn’t. It was a pat followed by a tug and a smack on your cheek by your brother to remind you about the danger you were in. Swiftly, you and your brother swam to the exit as the both of you went deeper and deeper into the ocean. What kind of design was this, you wondered. People were supposed to get wet in Water Village because the entrances to all premises were constructed in a way that they were all under the ocean.

Finally, you and your sibling were out from that concrete. You were having short breaths then because your body needed to compensate for the oxygen debt it owed. Before you could rest any further, you were told to swim through the waves to the nearest dock in order to be rescued. It wasn’t actually a strenuous task to swim against the waves for the people of the Water Village. They were all trained since young to swim like dolphins and fish.

You see your brother way ahead of you. Not wasting anymore time, you put up a chase to catch up with him. Soon, you had forgotten about the 2 girls you were with as they were nowhere in sight. You focused so hard on saving yourself and catching up with your brother that you didn’t notice the premise you were previously in didn’t actually collapse as alerted. 

You were swimming as though you were competing for the gold medal in an Olympic freestyle swimming competition. You then slowed down as the sight of the fins of killer whales bothered you. Since young, you had phobia towards whales because they almost ate you up after mistaking you as a small fish. This time round wouldn’t be of any difference, you thought. You were right. In a blink of an eye, you were hit a few meters back by the fin of the whale. Struggling to regain your balance, you saw through another attempted attack by the whale and managed to escape.

Luck would not be on your side every time, you said to yourself. Quickly, you hid yourself under a concrete slab that was not easily reachable by the whale. But the whale didn’t give up. It waited patiently for you to fall, just as how would a Raptor await you below a tree as you hung unstably on a tiny tree branch that could not bear your weight. Clenching on to the slab, you closed your eyes once again and prayed for miracles to happen.

Your brother was already safe and sound in a cabin, holding a cup of hot tea in his hands, with a thick blanket shielding him from the cold and forgetting all about you, you thought. Fortunately, you thought wrong this time. Just as you were about to slip, he came right back for you in a rescue ship, throwing a float to you. The blaring engine of the ship somehow scared the whale away. As if he was once trained to be in a rescue team, he pulled you on board like a professional and escorted you towards the small cabin.

As you got yourself seated beside the furnace to warm yourself up, the rescue ship sailed away. The loud clanking noise from the control room above convinced the both of you that you were not alone. But the illusions stopped when you and your brother headed out of the cabin as the ship slowed down and came to a halt.

Weird, your brother thought. He remembered coming to your salvation with a crew. Now, the wheel was left turning on its own. Obviously, the crew abandoned the ship, but the reason remained uncertain. You picked up a torch, switched it on and shone it to your surroundings. What came into sight wasn’t clear blue sea water anymore, but a muddy water covered with dead fishes. Empty shelters were all over the place, as if something horrible had happened around here. Not a soul was found. The deafening silence and darkness sent a tingling cold down your spine.

It was during that moment that something from below gave the bottom of the ship a powerful blow, overturning the ship. You and your brother were thrown overboard. Fortunately enough, you hung on to a rope. Soon, you found yourself back on your feet, standing on a big flat piece of wood that kept you afloat. Unfortunately, your brother plunged into the water and was nowhere in sight. As you called out for him, all you could hear were none other than the echoes you made. You became agitated when you brother failed to show up.

In the water, your brother struggled to swim to the surface. To make matters worse, the water was too saturated that it acted like quick sand. The more he struggled, the deeper he sank. On the surface, you reached out into the water and hoped to get hold of your brother’s hand. After various attempts, the results were negative. You panicked more.

At the verge of giving up, you estimated the last possible spot your brother would have sunk and gave it a final shot. You felt something moving and you grabbed it. Thank God, it was your brother’s hand and not something otherworldly. As if with God’s strength, you pulled him up with full force. He was covered with thick mud and was almost out of breath. He was glad for that rescue of yours and was thankful that he’s still alive.

With the help of a torn branch, you skated off that creepy place. Soon, you came to a brightly-lit premise. Peeping through a crevice on the aluminium wall, you saw throngs of people seated before a leader who was sketching some kind of a master plan on a green board. Among those people, you recognized familiar faces from the Water Village and 2 of them were your best friend, the 2 girls who were with you and your brother back at the village.

Not long after you realized you were being betrayed, the guards who were guarding the entrance to the premise spotted your presence. With all your might, you paddled as fast as you could. While you escaped, your thoughts were disturbed by the betrayal act of your villagers. No matter how hard you think, you couldn’t find yourself the best reason for the perfidious act.

Was it something that you had done? Was it your behavior? Was it something you unintentionally expressed that you deserved this kind of treatment? From that moment, you never fail to look at yourself in the mirror everyday as you try to comprehend how others look at you. You try to better yourself as you mend your ways. You discard all your abominable and disrespectful behaviors that may have previously caused great discomfort to the people around you without your consciousness.

Because of that particular incident, you changed...

* Thriller (Must Read!)

I was having this exciting, heart-pumping dream *seriously, the dream was like a thriller* in the morning. I was all set to depart from home, locking up everything and out of a sudden, I heard some screeching sound propagating from the back of my house. Out of curiosity, I peered into the house through the wooden window. At one glance, I saw a dark shadow imprinted on the tilt-turn window at the backyard. I was freaked out because the shadow showed a man with tools in his hand tip-toeing in a slouching posture (yes, just like what you would have seen in a classic cartoon). Obviously, he’s a thief.

Swiftly, I reached out for my handphone deep down in my right pocket. *Darn* It was not there. Recalling back, I left it on the dining table beside my laptop! I started to panic and fortunately, my neighbor was out in the porch, breathing in the fresh air of the night. I ran towards the fencing, sweat trickling down my forehead, I told them that there was a guy prowling in the grounds of my backyard. Without any hesitation and their consent, I climbed over the concrete fencing that combines both houses and asked if i could use their house phone to alert the police.

They gave me a blank stare, as if I was telling a joke. “It wasn’t April Fool, folks!” I shouted in my inner self. Couldn’t care less, I barged into their house and searched for the phone. Dialed 999 and waited super long for someone from the other side to pick it up! All efforts of mine proved futile after multiple attempts. I gave up and I swear there was a burning hatred towards the efficiency of Malaysia’s police in me at that moment. I wanted to protect my home from being invaded by unscrupulous people but there’s nothing I could do but panic.

It was a dream and that anything could happen. I climbed back over to my house, ran to the wooden door, unlocked everything and went back inside! It was truly an adventure for me. I managed to grab my phone before they prized open the back grill. I could have just escaped from the once home-sweet-home of mine but I didn’t. Instead, I ran up the wooden stairs to the second floor, making every single piece of wood squeaked as I go.

Hid myself before the towels, I started dialing 999 once again, hoping that the police would pick it up this time. While I focus on the sounds from the phone, I stared at the piece of mirror hanging on the wall of the staircase, understanding the situation below. I was almost at the end of my tether when finally, I heard a familiar notification from the other side of the phone, but I couldn’t speak. Because through the mirror, up came a man all dressed up in black suit. I froze…

At this very moment, someone called me and the song “Miss Independent” by Ne-Yo echoed instantaneously round the partially empty house. The unexpected call jolted me severely into action! I answered the call to stop all that’s causing the great noise and that blew off my cover and found out that Jeremy’s the one calling. Yes, you Jeremy CHOY! You spoiled my WONDERFUL DREAM!!!

p/s : Dear Readers, don’t blame me for bringing you right to the climax of my dream and hitting you right back into the deepest pit. I could continue this story if I have a great ending in mind. If not, I’ll just stop right here. Or you could share your thoughts with me, so that this dream could go on. (= Thank you for reading!

Specially Written

We shall march forward and focus on the pathway ahead of us and never we shall turn our heads to look back.

Squatting at a dark corner of your room and staring into the blank space above, you might be grieving and wailing over something you lost, something you thought you had grabbed it firmly in your hands but you were wrong. The thing you were so confident of possessing just slipped through your un-tighten grip. Wind blew, your hopes went along with it and vanished.

What you just missed might be something of sentimental value, something precious, or it might be some unnecessary desires to quench your insatiable “thirst.” Your love ones might have just said “Let’s part our ways!”, and there goes your 2 whole years of dating. You might have just busted your papers, made thousands of silly mistakes when you shouldn’t have, couldn’t have, and never thought you would have.

Your feelings might be at the apex when some misfortunes, something unpredictable just brought it down. *Whoooosh* It just plunged into the deepest valley on earth and disappear into the veil of darkness below  that never could you find it again.

You might be overwhelmed when you got your grades back because at one glance, all you could see are straight As without a single B. Because of that mere glance, you later realized that the name on it wasn’t yours. After searching up and down for the paper with your name written on it, your feelings plummeted. The result was not what you expected and the grades contrasted with the previous one tremendously. The temporary false excitement you had just made matters worse.

Whatever the heart-breaking incident was, it’s time for us to stand up once again and get out from the dark, down corners of our life into the light with a highly-spirited heart. We shall march forward and focus on the pathway ahead of us and never we shall turn our heads to look back. Of course, there are times where we should refer to our past experiences so as not to repeat the mistakes that we made.

All that had happened, had indeed happened and that’s undeniably the fact, the truth that could never be altered and rewound. Since the truth would be “stagnant” just like a clogged up ditch, instead of trying to make it flow like before, why not build another newer and flawless one? Bear in mind that truth will be the same after years, decades, and even centuries. But, we change as years gone by. We grow up into more matured being as we absorb and learn lessons in life.

It doesn’t matter no more what had happened because you know deep down in your heart that to correct it was definitely out of your capability. So why not just leave the past behind and strive to do better in the future in order to compensate and make up for the things you’d unintentionally let go that day?

I believe you would feel much better then.

p/s : I promise to make the Genting trip a success!

From Sean                                                            To Chloe

Poems in the Air!

LITTLE did I get from the moment we met,

that someday you’ll be my darling ANGI.

INVARIABLY expecting every moment when we are meeting,

to be as wonderful as a sunset in ETERNAL.

MARVELOUS as I see that you’ll always be,

melts my heart mercilessly in DECI.

CUTE smiles on your face gave you your grace,

always provided me with a savoring BREAK.

HEIGHTEN beauty with that red dress in duty,

got the attention of throngs that would never DECLINE.

LITTLE, petite, playful, and adorable,

you stand out most although friends I have MANY.

ONCE a stranger now a joy bringer,

you made my days as those plays of ROMEO.

ENDING this poem with cheers of eternal friendship,

I hope when we meet in the near future, you would call out, “Sean, it’s YOU!”

Greatest Love Story Ever Told

Are you willing to be mine,

My beauteous darling valentine?

Throughout this memorable period of time,

With nothing else but a blissful love sign?

 

I fell deeply into You,

Ever since I laid my eyes on You.

Off You became the apple of my eye,

Which I very much wonder why.

 

Now that You’ve found Your other soul,

My feelings for You gradually sold.

As I too found myself a lovely girl,

Whom I thought of as my precious gold.

 

In YOu came without a purpose,

As we chatted, our fondness surfaced.

Just as the love grows on a gradual pace,

YOu left me without a clue I could trace,

Distressed as off YOu abruptly raced.

 

Patching back seems to be fun,

But in fact, our relationship is done.

Facing the reality have got me depressed,

Until YOU came along and got it suppressed.

 

The moment we met was like a fairy tale told,

Centuries old but not a single mold.

Trust, that was fate deciding upon us,

But I was as a fool, unable to talk like Marcus.

 

I’m glad for what YOU’ve done,

As it weren’t YOU, we wouldn’t have such fun.

Jokes were cracked and laughter we share,

I hope this would be a relationship we could bear.

 

Although we are miles and seas away,

The close bond between us will never sway.

How I wished I’m just next door,

Ready to dance with YOU on that romantic dance floor.

 

Never shall I forget the moment YOU set me free,

With everything YOU’ve got that I could see,

Gracefully flying as though I’m a dove,

Awaiting for the moment they called love.

 

Are you willing to be mine,

My beauteous darling valentine?

Throughout this memorable period of time,

With nothing else but a blissful love sign?

 

 

Written with much love,

Sean

Commentaries and a share of Experience *EDITED*

I was once educated – somehow – by my lovely parents in such a way that before I was even weaned, the first and subsequent words produced by my larynx - although muffled and sounded rather gibberish – were downright E.N.G.L.I.S.H.

Chinese only came to my knowledge when the act of registering me to Yuk Chai school – a school that looks more like an office now – was brought about by my mother. As a young kid who hasn’t any idea of the real world, I wasn’t thrilled nor I was sad. I just went to school like any other kids on the first day itself.

I must admit that when the language, my supposed-to-be mother tongue – Mandarin was first introduced to me, it was a moment to remember for the rest of my life. I was way too enthusiastic to learn Mandarin at that moment that I was picking up fast and was able to converse with some basics after only a few weeks of exposure to it.

What’s worst is that Mandarin had since became and has been the medium of interaction amongst my family members. Fortunately enough for me, English has not been replaced by that language literally (My father is an English-ed (: ).

Obviously, Mandarin was easy and comprehensible at the start, but it gradually complicates as I progressed into higher standards. My grades were plummeting tremendously until miracles happened. I was at a point, where my grades shot up to a solid A and eventually stayed there. I was shocked and speechless, quite uncertain what had happened.

Maybe it was my well-known tuition teacher who successfully helped me out of the “labyrinth.” Or maybe it was my impalpable passion towards Chinese writings. And Yes, I was Yuk Chai’s best student in Chinese writings with pencil, not with the Chinese brush, which I suck badly at. Maybe that motivated me to breakthrough the “sophisticated” language.

And of course, with the courteous aid of my teachers by holding extra classes and giving out extra, seriously EXTRA and MOUNTAINOUS amount of homeworks, which I managed to complete them only by staying up late every single night and with much grumblings and complaints, I got 7 solid As for UPSR.

I was being placed in one of the best classes and was encouraged by my mother to take up Mandarin during Form 1. I never liked language subjects and when friends from Chinese schools are dropping that subject, I was hesitating, reluctant to sign up for it as I felt discouraged at first. My mother reiterated the benefits of taking Mandarin and of course she managed to coerce me into it. After much endurance and in the company of my best friend, I managed to pull it through.

See? Friends are important! So you, YOU friends of Rina, please encourage her and not to bring her down with your words. The urge of giving up is strong, especially during this point of time, where an important decision has to be made. Besides that, you people must understand that she couldn’t relinquish her grips on Mandarin because of some reasons, mother, like me. You will only make things worst if you ask her to give up. In this case, GG.

I was in the same situation as you, Rina. Idioms? I mastered it in primary school. I remember writing an essay with more than 20 idioms and gosh I was so proud of myself. A long break after UPSR had got me forgotten everything, literally everything. I couldn’t express myself well when writing descriptive essays but that’s not the end of the world.

I told myself that there must be a solution to that problem. I started writing factual essays. And hey, throughout high school, I’d only written not more than 10 idioms, believe it or not and my grades weren’t bad.

As for the summary, it’s been hard for me as well. Every time when I was confident enough of getting it summarized without mistakes, the paper would be returned to me with a result merely half of what I’d expected. That shoved me into great despair. But that did not mean that I have to give up, instead, that taught me how to do better next time. I learnt from mistakes and I learnt how to analyze the question before the summarizing starts. I asked myself whether that’s what the question requires when I carefully read through the passage. Or, I would try to do better in other sections.

I always tell myself that the standard set forth by the government will be way lower than the ordinary school standard. Maybe that’s how I lower down my stress level.

I am glad that my best friend was alongside with me when I was struggling to get through the tough times. Until after PMR it was that he decided to quit, and then he ultimately dropped Chinese. I was pissed and felt discouraged once more. So it was only me attending Chinese tuition and it was only me who had to study for Chinese when the finals came and it was only me who had to write an extra essay when other students have the extra time to do the things they like.

And mind you, SPM is way harder than PMR and the standard is inconceivable. I was being put under great pressure when my grades were getting into the B zone. My hands were literally shaking after every exams and I would be dreaming of getting a bad grade when the results were announced.

What motivated me was my tuition teacher. I always know that my Chinese is not really good compared to others and my vocabulary is so limited. But she baffled me every time she told me that the essays I wrote were very matured and good. I don’t get it at all. Ironically, I don’t feel proud but humiliated. She looked up on me and said that I could get an A1 for my SPM and great, more burden and I almost fainted. I studied hard for Chinese and I managed to write a good essay on the day itself. Of course, I passed with a satisfying grade.

Thinking back now, my mother decision was correct after all, as Mandarin is gradually getting prevalent among people of different ethnicities, races, and cultures across the planet. I never regretted taking Chinese as a subject (:

Good Luck, Rina! I have faith in you.

FAMILY

Staring into the blank space in the middle of the night,
Listening to the music as the sound waves propagated into my ear canal.
Wonderful memories flushed into my mind uncontrollably,
Filling my lungs with satisfaction and nostalgia instantaneously.

Reminiscing more of my past events excavated some bad remembrances.
Looking thoughtfully at the wrongdoings i had brought about,
I realized how irrational I was when it comes to making decisions,
Messing things up when they were supposed to have happy endings.

Gazing at the swaying pendulum of the grandfather clock,
I noticed time is running out as the ticking clock beats my heart rapidly.
Adjusting the complications have become gradually impossible,
But I believe that this broken bridge could still be mended.

With much perseverance I need, as well as the guidance and aid from you,
Letting you down I shall not as I strive hard to better myself unceasingly.
I shall never stop loving and appreciating you,
Until the day when the earth stood still before all sons of God.

Ship of Dreams

Eager to know how we were caught in the midst of nowhere,

Looking like a desert on a day with intolerant scorching heat.

As uncertain and dubious as we were, and

In an attempt to find ourselves a shelter, we walked and walked,

Not knowing that we were pacing down an esplanade of memories.

Extemporaneously, words of concern were expressed with much sincerity,

Though, they were constantly beaten down with adamant refusal.

As helpless as I am, the only way is to protect and shelter you silently from afar.

Nine million pieces of broken glass piercing through my pounding heart was what

I felt, while watching you persevered in your efforts through obstacles of life.

Noble and amenable to kindness, your problems often reach unfathomable depth, and seeing you suffer from unbearable pains,

I decided to sacrifice every second of my life for you, to provide the wamth and comfort you needed.

Never stop waiting I shall, for your permission to bring me into your solitary life, and

Giving you the long lasting and never fading love you always yearn for. (Dreams 11)

Puzzled with "It"

It has been awhile since I last dreamt about you,
I never stop contemplating our never lasting relationship.
As we thought that the bond we made never did work out,
I told myself profusely never to bother your life as much as I did.

At the time when I was thinking that "It" is almost ending,
You never fail to appear and reappear continuously in my Every dreams.
Telling me how much you want "It" to move on more than usual,
While occasionally informing me that you never knew how much I cared for you?

I feared that I had made the wrong decision for letting you go,
Forgetting that a great effort had been made to bring you into my solitary life.
I am willing to go through thick and thin with you if the decision made is right,
However your confessions to me never fail to baffle Every single bits of me.

P.s. "It" has been occurring for the past three consecutive days and I'm so confused, making you confuse too :)

A dream that never fades

Wonder how we got into that little wooden cottage,
Eight doors away from her father's.
It was during a dark freezing snowy winter that,
Grizzly bears had to hibernate in their caves.
Unaffected by the extreme weather,
All of us were having fun beside the little fire place.
Never realising it later that only both of us were left alone.
In reality we seemingly were,
Luckless, it was merely a dream that did not last for long.
Occasions when we frolicked in that cottage of memories were unforgettable,
Very much as well the moment I hugged you tightly in my arms,
Ensuring never to leave you ever again.
Your beauty shall never fade as I behold,
Over and over again but never get bored of,
Until someday I believe that my care for you shall be surfaced.