Crimson Cape...

The family was made up of a man, a woman, twin sisters, a young boy, a chambermaid and a gardener. A murder took place at their house four years ago. The victim was an old man who happened to be the man’s father. A mystery shrouded the house as the body was never found and almost evidences were erased from the crime scene. No bloodstains were detected, no murder weapon was found and thus no suspects were brought forward. The mayor thought that it was time to close the case for good as investigation was taking too long that the townsfolk began to believe that the old man was murdered by supernatural being. This brought about a cloud of suspicion and fear that the townsfolk were beginning to move away from the village.

A stranger arrived at the village not too long ago and was warmly welcomed by the mayor. He claimed to be a trader from faraway lands who wanted to find market in that village. The mayor offered him to stay at his cottage and he gladly accepted his kind offer. Soon, it became apparent that the town had become ghostly as more and more villagers began to leave. Strange incidents began to occur. Corpses were dug up from their graves and left to rot. The youths of the village were found hanged at their homes. The stranger began to question the mayor about the village’s dark past and learnt about the family. Ever since that incident happened, things has became from bad to worse. The stranger decided to solve the murder mystery and was determined to put an end to this nightmare. The mayor warned him about the consequences of having attachments with the family that whoever came close to the family has never come back alive. The previous victims were the town sheriff and the constable.

The stranger arrived at the family’s mansion as a guest in a carriage. He told the family that he wanted to investigate the murder that took place four years ago. The woman told him that his efforts would be in vain as four long years had passed and thus, finding evidences would be fruitless. He replied that so long as the remaining family members were still alive, any mystery could be solved even without evidences. He was later brought to the guest room where he would be spending the night. Nothing unusual happened that evening. Soon it was time for dinner and he asked the woman about the muscular gardener he saw through his bedroom window. He suspected that with the amount of strength he possessed, it was likely he could kill the frail old man with his bare hands. She told him that the gardener was a gentle and nature loving man who would never hurt even a spider. He noticed the twin sisters sitting opposite him. They were silent throughout dinner and never spoke a word. After dinner, he took a tour around the mansion attended by the chambermaid as instructed by the head of the family. After taking a look at the crime scene and visiting some rooms, he returned to his room, sat down on the chair and wrote, “The painting along second floor corridor leading to the twins room shows heaven and hell turned upside down” and “the chambermaid was young and beautiful yet I sensed something dark about her from her eye contact”. He went to bed and turned off the light.

Upon midnight, he noticed the gardener again. He seemed delicate while working on the flowers he thought. He approached him in his pyjamas and asked, “May I know how long have you been working here?” The gardener answered, “About eight years, the lady hired me back then.” The stranger continued, “Can you show me your palm?” He opened up his palm and the stranger sensed something was amiss. He later said, “You worked too hard for a gardener. Nevertheless, keep up the good work on those thorny roses.” The gardener smiled and returned to his work. The next morning, the stranger headed for the twins room. It was locked so he peeped through the keyhole. The twin sisters slept on different bed with their back facing one another. He then walked towards the painting and observed it carefully. Something was missing from the painting. He was sure that the heaven and hell represented the twins but there was no indication of the painter’s signature. He went to the chambermaid and asked her if he could take a look at her room. She was nowhere to be found but her room was not locked. It was located at the far end of the mansion away from the family’s rooms. He looked at the ceiling, walls, and floors and even under her bed. It was clean and there was nothing that caught his eye except the fact that the room was big enough to be shared by two people on one bed. He left the room after thanking her and made his way to the youngest member of the family’s room. The boy was sleeping soundly in the room. The room was located at the far end as well, opposite the chambermaid’s room. The room was small enough to be occupied by one person only. One thing was odd, why would a boy’s room be lit by such an antique chandelier. He spent the rest of the day questioning himself with why this and why that all over the mansion. At night he wrote many things.

An antique chandelier was in the boy’s room. The chambermaid’s room was on the exact opposite of the boy’s room but they had different room dimensions. The painting remained a mystery due to the absence of the painter’s signature. The rough palm of the gardener was not due to the roses’ thorns but it was due to friction.

The following morning, he entered the twin’s room. The twins were missing. The room was decorated with black on one side of the wall and white on the other. It was said that the twins had completely different likes and dislikes. The room’s location was at the heart of the mansion which became the parallel wall between the western and eastern part of the mansion. It was also said that the one of the twins favoured their mother while the other favoured their father. The parent’s room was exactly above the twin’s room on the third floor. He entered the parent’s room. Nothing unusual was found. So, he entered the study room where the murder took place. He took the pen on the desk but soon realized that it had run out if ink. Why would somebody leave this useless pen? He searched the room for clues. The room was dusty indicating that it has not been used for quite some time. Then he saw a slip of paper sticking out between two books. It was a drawing of a boy and an old man. He took out the two books and strange enough, both of the books were entitled heaven and hell. He later entered the old man’s room which was just beside the study room. The room was empty and the walls were dull. Then, as he stepped across the room, he could hear his footsteps. He realized that below the floor, there was a hollow space. As he stepped harder, banged his feet harder, the sound got louder. He knew that there was something below the mansion that was why the ground floor was covered with carpet. But this room was left out because the murderer wanted to remove every clue. After collecting all these details, he worked to fit in the puzzle pieces in his room, burning the midnight oil. He wrote all he encountered.

The following night he gathered all the family members and asked them to remove the carpet of the ground floor. He found out that there was an underground wine storage with its entrance close to the study room and stretched from the eastern part of the mansion to the western counterpart. It was an ordinary storage and was no longer in use as mentioned by the man. He found a telescope, a shovel, a worn out slippers and an oil lamp. So he concluded something and announced it to the whole family during supper. He started, “I found something interesting. These slippers I assume did not belong to any of you. Its size and shape was designed to minimize noise and usually worn by an elder. So, here is something I believed happened. Our late Mr Marley used these slippers and used the oil lamp to travel around this wine storage. To make the storage accessible, Mr Marley asked the gardener to build another entrance under his bedroom. The gardener’s rough palm proved that he worked on the entrance all by himself using this shovel. Next, Mr Marley was close to his grandson as the boy made him this drawing. They visited the study room often as we all knew. I asked the chambermaid if she has been working here long. She was hired by the late Mr Marley himself as she confessed. Mr Marley grew fond of her and spent more time with her than to his grandson as time went by. So, he paid the gardener to extend the storage from the east to the far west without telling him why. All the gardener thought was money so he could not care less about his motive. I believed that the late Mr Marley had an affair with the chambermaid thus her room was made bigger without the family’s knowledge. This occurred so often that he asked his grandson to make it look as if he was in the study room with him by making him write with this pen till it ran out of ink while Mr Marley descended to the storage entrance to his lover’s nest, the chambermaid’s room. It occurred late at night so he believed nothing would go wrong but this secret leaked out. The only person besides Mr Marley who had access to the storage was his son. He knew Mr Marley had an affair. He confirmed it by taking a peek through his telescope from his room on the third floor. All along, he had used this telescope to be the peeping tom on the chambermaid when his wife was not around. His wife soon learned about this secret and they had a conflict. This conflict was witnessed by the twins themselves and thus they sided their mother and father separately. Months passed and this incident went on. The chambermaid was pregnant and Mr Marley decided to abort the baby. Instead, the chambermaid consulted to the Mr Marley’s son’s wife being a woman herself without Mr Marley’s permission. I have no idea about the baby’s whereabouts or what they did. But something else happened. Mr Marley’s son thought that he could blackmail his father by knowing his secret. So he asked him to write the will stating that all the wealth would fall to him when he died which he did with no other choice. The night before his death, Mr Marley asked his grandson to paint a replica of the heaven and hell painting. His grandson managed to complete it except that he had forgotten to put down his signature as he could not counterfeit his handwriting. Using a chandelier taken from Mr Marley’s room, his grandson painted his replica in his room and left it intact. Mr Marley had faked the will he wrote for his son. So, he hid the real will behind the real painting. His grandson then removed the real painting with the replica on the night of his death. So where is the real will? Only Mr Marley’s grandson knew.”

The boy did not reply. The stranger continued, “There is only one room left which I have not checked, the attic.”

The stranger went to the attic and found the real painting and behind it, the will was attached and sealed. He read out the will to the family, “All my wealth will fall to Miss Falena.” It was none other than the chambermaid. “Before I continue, Mrs Marley, would you explain to us why and how you killed your father-in-law?” He said. She was shocked. “The chambermaid and your husband had no reason to kill Mr Marley because they thought all the wealth would fall to them. The boy was just following his grandfather’s wishes and had no ability to kill him. The twins spent most of their time in the room. I think you collaborated with the gardener and the chambermaid. You told the chambermaid to keep the baby till it was born; then you asked the gardener to kill your father-in-law. The gardener refused so you tried to frame him by telling me that he was a delicate man so as to make me suspicious of him. The reason why you asked the chambermaid to keep the baby was because you knew Miss Falena would inherit all his wealth due to their secret affair. You had plans to dispose her once she received the will so that you would be able to change Mr Marley’s statement and thus you would inherit all his wealth. In addition, being a pregnant woman, you would be able to play the role of midwife for Miss Falena to make it look as if Miss Falena died while giving birth. Both ways, you win. So, where is the body?”

The woman stood up and pointed at the garden. “So, I see, framing the gardener would be the conclusion as he knew about your plan to kill Mr Marley.” He added. She confessed that she killed him in the study room by suffocating him using the pillow. He commented, “So, that was why no evidence or bloodstain was found. A perfect plan I must say but I missed out something, the town sheriff and the constable. The mayor told me they did not return after investigating, what happened to them?” She smiled sinisterly. “We killed them all.” The man said. “All of us are part of the plan. Yes, me, my wife, my children, the chambermaid and the gardener. We planned it all along. Now, the truth shall die with you just like the two of them.”

The stranger was taken aback and said, “Oh, I forgot to tell you. I’m no guest here and I’m no trader from faraway lands. I am a vampire hunter. So now you know why I only went out of the room during daytime. The smell of blood lingered in the air at night. I knew vampire was around when I saw those tooth marks on those poor villagers you hung and the fresh corpses you dug up so that you could quench your thirst for blood.” He took out his crossbow and arrows and shot those pointed dart-like weapons through the vampires’ heart. None of the vampires survived for an efficient and experienced hunter was prepared all along. After that, he returned to the mayor and explained to him about the vampires and who he was. He told him about Mr Marley who was a human was buried at the family’s garden. He also stated that Mr Marley had an affair with Miss Falena who was a human as well but became a vampire shortly after giving birth. The baby was saved from the vampires and was brought to this village. “So, I guess, I know who inherited his wealth then. I have an adopted son. I found him on my doorstep four years ago. He must be from the Marley Clan and he is a normal human.” The mayor answered. “My job is finished here, it is time to wander to other places and slay the remaining vampires, farewell and I wish you well.” The stranger left as he walked out of the cottage with his crimson cape…

This story is purely fictional. This story is inspired by “Our Master, Fugue”, artist unknown.

The 12 Horoscopes...

Everyone in the hall waited for the arrival of Virgo, the only female among the constellation. Some were anxious, others were certain and confident that Virgo would choose them as her companion. Virgo came, dressed elusively in a pure, white gown, walked past the crowd and approached the centre of the dance floor. The crowd formed a circle around her and stood up with pride. Virgo then said, “Thank you for waiting. As we all know, in the coming three days, we will be celebrating the ‘festival’. It is time for all of you to prove yourself deserving to win my heart so that you will be able to spend the ‘festival’ with me. So, whoever among all of you here is able to find me and win my heart, I would willingly be your companion for the ‘festival’.” Virgo then walked out and disappeared, leaving the other 11 candidates pondering on where she would be but most importantly what would win her heart. The 11 candidates left the hall and dispersed. Each was determined to win Virgo’s heart thus working together as a group would create hindrance than benefits.

Aries travelled southwards to find open pasture where he could look for inspiration. Taurus, who was ever brash, began his journey to find Virgo, charging ahead with full speed. Gemini returned to his dwelling where he discussed the matter with his twin image. Cancer sailed to the vast ocean which hid marine wonders beneath to find the precious pearl which he intended to present it to Virgo. Leo with his pride had earlier announced that he would definitely be Virgo’s companion thus he did not bother much about putting effort to search for Virgo let alone looked for the object Virgo desired. Libra’s wisdom taught him to think rationally to solve the riddle Virgo had put forward and with some clues exposed, he balanced the importance of the object Virgo wanted and the urgency to search Virgo’s whereabouts, wondering which would provide him with the best solution. Scorpio headed west towards the setting sun to prepare a poison so as to eliminate his contenders. Sagittarius on the other hand headed east, hoping to bring down the sun with his bow and arrows because he believed that sun was the symbol of life and warmth which represented his true love for Virgo. Capricorn swam across the sea hoping to find the place where Virgo might be waiting as he thought Virgo preferred isolation so as not to be found. Aquarius looked at his reflection on the water and started to gussy up, practiced his speech and romance so as to win Virgo’s heart. Pisces gathered his marine scouts and commanded them to explore the whole ocean to look for Virgo while he would prepare an enchanting marine poem to be read out for Virgo.

Three days had gone by and it was time for the ‘festival’. She was still waiting for the arrival of either one of the 11 candidates who would win her heart. Soon, she began to believe that the ‘festival’ would end up in failure. She would have nobody to share the ‘festival’ with. Virgo took out the magic mirror which reflected each of the candidates’ whereabouts.

Aries spent too much time painting the picturesque scenery of the open pasture that on the third day, he had just completed his painting but had no time to look for Virgo. Taurus had charged past Virgo the first time but did not realize that he had found Virgo; instead he ended up travelling around the world thrice. Gemini thought that he would rather find Virgo himself without consulting to his twin brother for personal glory but later realized that it was a huge mistake. Cancer found the precious pearl which belonged to Pisces and tried to steal it. He ended up fighting with Pisces for three whole days the two were both too exhausted to look for Virgo. Leo found Virgo by chance but his overconfidence and ego brought about his downfall as he was humbled by Virgo’s rejection. Libra found out that to balance the 2 aspects was an impossible task that he decided to throw in the towel and gave up his search for Virgo. Scorpio knew it all along where Virgo would be but his whereabouts was still unknown as it was not reflected on Virgo’s magic mirror. Sagittarius did manage to find the object Virgo would love to have but unfortunately, he was unable to bring his present to her. The sun proved to be too heavy to be dragged around as Sagittarius still needed to find Virgo, thus he fainted along the way and never found Virgo. Capricorn explored every isolated island and places but he began to realize that what he was seeking was not Virgo but solitude. Aquarius found Virgo and presented himself as a gift for Virgo, being a narcissist. Despite being a smooth talker as well, it was not enough to win Virgo’s heart. Pisces fought Cancer shortly after he received the news of Virgo’s whereabouts and had completed his poem. He would have met Virgo and won her heart should Cancer did not arrive to complicate his plans. One question still loomed, who won Virgo’s heart in the end?

Just then, from a distance Virgo noticed a figure among the fog approaching her. As the figure came closer, Virgo smiled as finally, someone had won her heart. It was Scorpio. Scorpio realized that it was wrong to use poison on his fellow contenders. So instead of using the poison on his rivals, he decided to poison himself. He staggered towards Virgo, barely alive and told her why he poisoned himself. He wanted to atone for his ill thoughts of poisoning his contenders. If he died, at least no one would know about his wicked plan. If he lived and found Virgo, he would be able to express his truest feeling before his terminal breath. Virgo thought that Scorpio had proven himself worthy by being altruistic. What Virgo wanted was someone who could give a fair and equal opportunity for everyone to win her heart yet being true to himself according to his given characters and abilities. Virgo spent the final minutes of Scorpio by celebrating the ‘festival’ with him. Unknown to Scorpio, the ‘festival’ included the ceremony of immortality. Scorpio then whispered to Virgo, “If only we could live twice, I would spend my second life with you. I would rather use this immortality for all of us to share than for my personal gain.” Again, Virgo was touched and decided to use the immortality with the other 10 failed candidates. Immortality transformed the 12 of them into stars in the sky where they shone brightly to lighten up the dark nights.

Perhaps, that is the reason why we often can see star formation of these 12 horoscopes at different times of the year so that each of them will be able to showcase their wonders for us to ponder what they really represent. Maybe, each of them is telling us their stories on how they try to win Virgo’s heart. So, when you stargaze on one starry sky just maybe the mystery of the horoscope is revealing its answers without you being conscious at all...

This story is purely fictional so regardless your horoscope, rest assured that the characters mentioned above are from the imagination of the author whether its credibility do exist or not at all. Special thanks to my brother who also contributed to the makings of this story.

This story is inspired by “Stars” by Switchfoot.

Snowed Under...

He sat alone that snowy night. He gulped down his whisky and ordered for more. The bartender simply granted his request and refilled his glass. It was his fourteenth glass then and the bartender said, “We are closing soon. You should go home and rest up.” He remained silent while the bartender walked away in pity. The man lifted the glass and once again he gulped the whole glass down his throat. Drowning his sorrows over alcohol became a habit ever since he lost the most important thing in his life, his family. It was just barely a month ago that he was spending quality time with his wife and two lovely children on his yacht. It was their first time out on the sea, enjoying freshly caught lobsters and fish, stargazing upon the distant stars that decorated gloomy nights and just being away from the hustle and bustle of city life. It was such a perfect holiday for his family.

However, after just three days in the open sea, his floating paradise was ruined by Mother Nature. Skies darkened and storm arrived, casting blight on his little, white yacht. Waves became rough, strong gusts of wind were too much to handle and in the end, their lives were hanging on a string as nature had created its mighty onslaught. The following morning, everything he held on dear to; had disappeared, his prized yacht was reduced to useless pieces floating on the silent blue and he found himself fighting for his life on one of the yacht’s debris. He was later saved by a passing trawler and some kind-hearted fishermen. They gave him food, water, dry clothes and rushed him to a nearby city. When he learnt about his family’s deaths, he felt as if the whole weight of the world came crashing down on his shoulders. He found himself all alone, crying his heart out with nobody to turn to. His teardrops warmed the cold, concrete floor as he sat down still in a state of sheer disbelief that such tragedy has struck. How he wished, he was the one chosen to perish while his family members were the ones spared by the unforgiving storm. He found himself unable to move on and this led to the downfall of his lucrative business. Within weeks after that odious day, his business crippled and he was on the edge of bankruptcy. His riches soon reduced to rags. And he ended up spending money from begging on the streets on drinking at his favourite bar.

“Sir, I’m very sorry but we are closing right about now.” The bartender interrupted his moment of peace. The man handed him all the money he had. The bartender said, “Sir, we are still short of fifty dollars.” He walked away without replying. The bartender grabbed his arm, forcing him to pay up his bill. The man used his might and shrugged off the bartender, causing the poor fellow, falling to the ground. Waitresses around came to his aid, advising him not to pursue the man. The man pushed open the door out of the bar. The streets were decorated with happy faces passing every lane, brightly coloured lights and a few moderate sized Christmas trees. Christmas was here as suggested by the winter season, full of snow flakes and the chilling atmosphere. The man dragged his feet to move from places to places, leaving behind traces of his shoeprints on the white snow. His vision was blurry, his head felt heavy and his every move looked as if he was about to collapse any moment but he continued his stagger aimlessly. The drunken man had nowhere to go, nowhere to return to.

After sometime, he finally vomited as he tumbled down to the freezing walkway. At least now, he felt much better after throwing up what he had consumed. As he tried to get back on his feet, he noticed a family reunion through a small window. It was a family dinner on Christmas Day. They seemed to be having a hearty meal, filled with warmth, laughter and simply being merry. The elderly were smiling away, the adults were having chirpy conversations and the children were frolicking and making all sorts of loud yet cheerful noises. At that very moment, he felt so jealous, full of envy but soon he felt disheartened simultaneously. There was no way he could have what that family was having. Soon he continued his walk, leaving behind those warm sights of a family reunion to celebrate the Christmas spirit.

From a distance he noticed a bright sparkle of a star. He was sure it was the star of a giant Christmas tree so he began to search the area. After some effort, he finally found it standing proudly in the middle of the town square. Silver bells, colourful lights, decorative items and snow flakes adorned the tree. Looking at the top peak of the tree, the star of the night settled quietly spreading its rays through the dark night. He thought to himself for a while and closed his eyes, perhaps wishing by the tree. He knew that Christmastime was the most magical time of the year and maybe, just maybe his wish would be answered. He opened his eyes and sat on a wooden bench. He took out a photograph of his family taken shortly before the tragic day. A hooded girl approached him and asked, “Sir, would you like to buy a candle to brighten up your lonesome night?” He gave her a penny and told her that it was all he had. She then accepted his penny and handed him a candle. She walked away and approached other people in the compound. Just then he realized that his wish was already answered. The flame of the candle represented hope and someone had just offered him hope. He grinned. He felt lifted.

A simple gesture by a stranger had made him realize though he had lost everything, there was still hope. When love, serenity and happiness were taken away, hope would be there to accompany him through the times of difficulties against all odds. He placed the photograph back to where it used to be and carried the candle as he stood up. He realized that the past was painful and it would never disappear but tonight was Christmas, a time of hope for everyone. And nobody or nothing could take away the hope, the Christmas spirit that night. Nothing could make him snowed under, buried by the shadows of his painful past because every Christmas brought a new hope for everyone…

This story is inspired by “Snowed Under” by Keane.

The Gathering Of Stars...

The stars had gathered to celebrate their long awaited day, the triumph of having endured 4 years of travelling the unending space to reach their final destination. It was here that stars from unknown dimensions came together, united once again. These stars filled the empty spaces of the universe to form one big star that shines so brightly that not even the singularity is able to consume it. Stars from all walks of life only had this chance to meet and share this jubilant occasion and they definitely were not going to let it slip so easily.

This gathering was the graduation night students called Constellatia. All dressed up in a glamourous fashion while others simply came in with a splendid and stunning styles. It was the evening that marked the end of secondary life and a new beginning to step into the real world. Like one said when you are on the brink of drawing your terminal breath, all those memories just flashed past your mind and so does graduation. This was the evening when everyone gathered in one hall to take a look at some flashbacks of their 4 year journey. Tears were uncommon but I certainly did know that deep inside they were bleeding. It was not easy to let go of those you cherish every single day, those who you met at school, those who considered you as their friends and those who had made a difference in your life one way or another. This gathering 's sole purpose was to rejoice and to remorse upon completing secondary education. Rejoice for this moment was probably one of most celebrated accomplishment and remorse for after this very moment, those who had walked alongside you would disperse beyond the distant stars.

The gathering featured some notable efforts of the students this class of 2005 had achieved. Slideshow presentations showed us how the good old days have gone by sooner than expected, never to be experienced again. Speeches by some of the governing body of the school were moving, encouraging and full of passion. The audience put their heart and soul to appreciate this moment. Food served met students' expectation maybe better. The crowning of the Mr and Miss Temasek were just and I too believed that they deserved the awards. Photo taking sessions were chaotic as visioned by many after all who could resist their desire to spend their last minutes together, after all this was their night perhaps their finest and precious moment left to share for the last time.

Despite all these, like a star, sometime later it would fade away or fall as shooting star. The gathering of the stars was a short reunion. Stars met, stars shared and stars departed. And when this happened, the one big star started to disperse into individual fragments to explore or discover a new galaxy. As stars dispersed, they carried with them a part of the whole single star they used to be. Some stars moved on, some faded into nothingness and some fell across the distant sky to form a shooting star we saw from the earth. Time had judged the beginning of the dispersion and it was inevitable for sure. No doubt stars would cross path once in a while but by then, some things would have changed. Salvaging friendship built on solid rock could prove to be an adversity. Uncertainly shrouded visions we hoped for the future. But always look at things on the positive light, everything happens for a reason...

Let's just say, I'm one of those dispersed star, wandering into the unknown. In time, I will find the galaxy which I will settle at and begin radiate that luminous shine which Temasek Secondary has encarved me with. What about you?

This post is inspired by "Graduation" by Vitamin C.

Temasek's Light...

The time is ripe. It is all over now, my epic voyage has finally come to an end. These past four years following the guiding light of Temasek Secondary School has finally faded. People rejoice in unison while I took a final look at the school which I enrolled into. I looked back on the days of the school taking part in National Day Parade, the everyday lives of a mere student of the school, the duties of being a peer support leader, the fun filled and full of frolic end of year camps, the Pahang Trip and the once in a lifetime experience the school had showered on me. I just cannot believe that I have finally ended this journey being a temasekian.

I will miss people who I considered friends, Mrs Ou Yang our principal who would be leaving the school, the teachers who had imparted all their knowledge, the PSL family and excos, Mr Oh, Ms Lee and not forgetting the group of people who have supported me all the way, my committee, Proj-teens. I will miss them all for they were the reason why I have kept my spirits high. It has been a short yet enriching journey and to me, those fond memories with laughters, smiles and a simple 'hi' were the ones I am unwilling to let go because they kept me alive.

"We will be the best that we can be, for all things new cause we believe. We will shine with pride, Temasek's light for all the world to see" and "All we can give is the life we live" were part of Temasek's Light's song and I find them rather meaningful. All I can give is the life I lead my life towards school, community and people around me. Temasek has taught that valuable lesson. All i want to say is 'Thank You' to Temasek Secondary School for it has given me a life which I would never want to forget or trade. What lies beyond in the future, let it come by itself. For now, I just want to spend these few days to reflect on the past.

The Temasek Light shall never fade for its spectrum will always shine beyond the distant horizon. It is time to bow out and appreciate what the school has done for me and for me to remember the treasured and precious moments every single day I spent in my school. All because the good things in life never last forever...

This post is insired by "You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban dedicated to Temasek Secondary School, it's students mentioned in the post and especially to Mrs Ou Yang for transforming the school and bringing it to greater heights.

Just A Note...

A note for the readers,

The author would like to thank the readers for spending their time reading the long posts in this blog. Unfortunately, since a major examination that would determine the author's future is just around the corner, he would like to hibernate this blog a for some time. It is with much regret that it has come to this for he has a lot more to write about. Rest assured, the author will be back when the time is ripe.

As for now, it is going to be a goodbye for a while.

Farewell...

Yours Sincerely, William

Childhood Memories...

Since young, my parents have taken several pictures of me when I was a toddler. The one that I could still see back at my grandparent’s home was the picture of me celebrating my first birthday. The focus was about me trying to meddle with candle which was standing right in the heart of the black forest cake. I think that was the only photograph that brings out the child in me. It reminds me of my childhood days now that I am on the verge of reaching adulthood. It somehow makes me appreciate my sweet childhood past.

There were some moments I can vividly remember when I was little and they were made much clearer when I spent some quality time with my parents, asking them how I was like when I was young. They told me that I was such a cuddly little baby with sparkling pair of eyes. As I grow up, they told me that I had this three strands of brown hair on my head that would be blown in the wind and it made me looked so cute which to me, cute implies ugly but adorable. They further commented on how I was so simple minded that I would just looked at the toys being displayed with my eyes concentrating on them with no intention of buying them even though I wanted to have them. They said that I would ask them, “Is it expensive?” Then, they would just smile because they realized that I was never pushing or forcing them to buy things that every child would want. Well, this was the part that branded me cute for some reasons which I found it rather amusing for such a young child to behave as such because usually a child would get upset when they did not get what they demanded. As for me, when my parents said ‘no’, I would gladly listen to their ultimate decision.

Of course there were other more interesting historical facts. I remembered the time when I was so daring to even touch the base of a hot iron. I switched on the iron, waited for some time and without much delay, I touched the burning, hot iron base. Quickly, I pulled my hand away in pain and cried in discreet. It was so foolish of me to do such things. And there were many occasion when my parents brought me out to restaurants. If you think I ordered the best kid meals served and available in those particular restaurants, you were so wrong. In my bag, I would carry my own home food, took it out and ate them on the dining table while my parents were enjoying the chef’s cooking. The waitresses around were giggling away because I did not seem to bother eating home food at fancy restaurants. My parents were definitely embarrassed but a kid, so young and so self unconscious, would not have understood the embarrassment. And so another embarrassing moment of my childhood which I found out from my parents is revealed.

Children must have their share of tasting first love, a time when they found out that they did develop some weird and strange feelings towards the opposite gender. In my case, I was the victim of a girl who, let’s just say, liked me. Funny but it did happen years back when I was about the tender age of seven to eight years old, approximately when I reached primary 2 or 3. I was in a class where the teacher in charge made all the students to sit in pairs, in which a boy and a girl were to sit side by side to minimize noise level. It did work but the girl sitting beside me was rather irritating me. She would pinch me, hit me and do other silly stuff to annoy me. For what reasons, I could not recall. Maybe, I was naughty too when I was younger and that triggered her to so called tamed me. I am not sure though. And there was this surprising occasion which I did not think would happen to any other guy out there when they were still seven to eight years old. And I also believed that there is no girl about the same age dares to do this ‘thing’ to a guy. Alright, let’s just get to the point.

I was standing beside my mother after school while she was chatting with her friend when this girl who sat beside me came over. I was not aware that she was approaching me then. Without hesitation, she got closer and gave me a kiss on my cheek, right in front of so many students and parents, including some teachers passing by and most importantly, my mother. Somehow, I thought I managed to dodge her in the nick of time but I guessed I was wrong. She went away after that perhaps giggling away and giving a fond smile as she disappeared. I was in shock. I guess it was the first time I was kissed by a girl on the cheek. How would you feel if you were in my shoes? To me, that was the most embarrassing moment as a kid which I could never ever forget. When I recalled this incident, I carved a smile, I thought to myself that “Wow, I got that from a girl before?” I just could not believe it happened. As for the girl, I never heard from her after that incident. Years back, I found out that she had transferred school to a faraway place in the United States of America. I still remembered her name though and her looks back then. Fair skinned, long black hair, thin, had a fairly pretty face without glasses. If I had the chance, I would want to meet up with her so that we both could have a good laugh recalling those precious childhood moments. It was funny that strange things happened to me when I was younger and now, I am writing this down to make those memories of yesterday come alive.

Some of us may not have that kind of sweet childhood memories. Some might have been hurt, scarred or haunted by their childhood past. They may not be able to change the past, but they can always live the present and move on to find better days. As for the more fortunate ones, it would be good if we grow up to be teenagers or adults, to seek wisdom and knowledge but always have part of us and see the world through the eyes of a child. A child sees the world as a big open space full of opportunities to do what they want to do and they make their dreams come true despite the odds. When I see a child smiling at me, it somehow comforts me, reminding me that I was once like that. It lifts me up, helps me to find some good in this cold, harsh world. This world is turning from bad to worse each day from pollutions, nuclear threats, terrorism, racism and many other unnecessary and harmful activities. With so many bad things, what is there to keep the world together? Goodwill and world peace is all mankind want and who keeps this hope alive, it is children whose smiles can truly move people’s heart, whose cries can stop mankind’s madness, whose dream is to venture the world as they grow up.

This story is based on a real account of the author. This story is inspired by "Picture of You" by Boyzone.

Knight's Oath...

After the end of the civil war, the kingdom enjoyed a peaceful era upon the rise of the new king. The communities which were once lost were slowly rebuilding itself. The nobles were minimized, the knights regained their glory and honour and the peasants could at least have bountiful harvests and wholesome meals at home. Ruined chapels were redeveloped into magnificent cathedrals where the community could have a solemn place to worship the gods. Dungeons and gallows were torn down so that the community would not fear the king. Mercenaries were no longer favoured and they were replaced by royal guards. Everything was so perfect until the birth of the newborn prince, heir to the throne.

Plague began to descend on the kingdom. Harvest rotted leaving the community starving. Fires often broke out from nowhere, burning down huts and engulfing people as well as belongings; even the nobles were not spared. Death toll was high and medicine was never sufficient. The community believed that the newborn baby was a cursed child. Thus, they began seeking refuge in the cathedrals to be protected from the odious spell. They thought the devil in him had caused this misery and calamity upon the kingdom. Many demanded the king to cleanse the land from doom by removing the newborn for good. They suggested the chopping block, burning him in fire, drowning him in the lake and the worst of them all, smearing the holy sword with the king’s blood and using it to stab the baby in the heart to ward off the evil in him. The community was desperate to get rid of the cursed child.

The king ordered the priest to the castle. He then summoned the guards to defend his home from the invading civilians who wished to see his heir’s death. He gathered the knights in the throne room. He made them took an oath of loyalty to the king. “From today onwards, the light of holiness shall fall upon thee. Let the holy emblem of thy kingdom carved on your cape guide you to find a haven for this child.” The priest blessed them as witnessed by the king. Later, the king presented them each with The Eden, a holy sword. “May this sword serve thou well and ward off evil on thy journey.” The king said. The knights showed their loyalty by placing The Eden back in its quiver. They turned around and rushed to the castle’s square where their faithful horses were waiting. The king’s servants handed one of them something which would be needed when the time was ripe and whispered a war yell.

The guards then exclaimed, “Hurry, the gate will not hold much longer!” The other commanded, “Everyone, get in the line! Assemble and prepare for battle!” The king could only watch from the window of his tower. The queen too was beside him, sobbing that their end is near. The knights made a dash through the secret passage out of the castle, with one of them, the newborn was safely carried. The gate soon fell and crashed into pieces. Coming out from the dust were the community, armed with spears, sickles and axes. They gave out a war yell and thousands of them made a wild stampede on the greatly outnumbered royal guards. The royal guards screamed another war yell and they soon fought in the name of the king. Another bloody incident broke out after an era of peace. Can a mere hundred of guards stand up to the ten thousands of peasants? Obviously not! The community stormed into the castle, searching for the cursed child, killing everyone who stood in their way. Chambermaids were not spared; they took their heads and lined them up in the castle square. The community wrecked the castle’s interiors, stole any valuable goods and approached the king’s room. Upon their arrival, they could only see the king and queen hanging by their heads on a rope. To avoid being brutally killed, they would rather hang themselves. The community was furious to find out that the child had escaped. They were as if being controlled by demons that they began killing all the remaining royal survivors, dissecting their bodies and burned them all together in the scorching castle. Wails could still be heard from inside the castle however, it was pointless as sooner or later, the fire would engulf their cries and the day would turn silent again.

A peaceful kingdom was reduced to ashes all because of a newborn prince. The community fell apart and formed its own communes. The community blamed the prince for this massacre. The community believed that the devil inside him had poisoned the king’s mind so that he would find an alternative to save his son. The devil wanted to save itself. The community although now separated, they still held on to their grudges that the newborn was to be blamed for their misery. They brought with them the will of revenge should they encounter the newborn prince again. Meanwhile, the knights managed to bring the prince away from the community’s clutches. Ten of them set off from the castle in a hurry without an agreed destination. Along the way, two of them decided to disband because they were from the community. They committed suicide so that the prince’s whereabouts would remain untold. Five of the remaining died protecting the prince from bandits. With three knights remaining it seemed that they would not be able to fulfill the king’s wishes. One of them was mortally wounded and it looked as if he would not live much longer. He later died when he was asleep. The two left behind decided to honour their fallen comrades by carving their names on wooden planks, built simple tombstones and placing their Eden rooted down to their grave.

The two knights began to journey again. This time, they managed to arrive at a small, faraway village. They decided that this would be their new home to raise the prince till he was old enough to understand that he is the only heir to the throne and the sole survivor of the bloodiest massacre of his kingdom. Both of them find themselves wives and secured a brotherly bond. But neither of them was willing to take the prince to be their son because he was not, blue blood run through his veins. It was amazing that these two knights did not break their oath after so long, after the gloom they had gone through with their fallen comrades just to save this baby when they could have left him astray. Could the baby have the devil inside him which influenced their minds so that he could live on?

The child grew up into a fine young man. He then was told the truth about his past, his family, his people and the most important, his kingdom. The two knights humbly pledged their loyalty to him after raising him up since he was a baby. They told him that the name they had given to him was not real. In fact, it was an adopted name because they did not know his name. Being nameless was uncommon in those days; it was believed that one without name was non-existent. And so he Christianized himself. The knights then began teaching him to wield a sword, to ride a horse, to behave as a royalty, to charm the ladies like a prince did and to speak the way the royalty did. He caught their lesson fast enough and soon he was ready to be admitted into of the royalty class. However, strange things began to occur.

There was one occasion while he was practicing with one of the knights, he showed a killer instinct; he practiced as if his opponent was the enemy he should get rid of. He was stopped in the nick of time by the other knight just before he slashed his opponent’s head. Then, he went away after apologizing to him. There was something growing inside him, something very dark. “Could the legend be true? The priests had foreseen something dark about the king’s newborn. They told me that it would be a bad omen should he survive till he reached adulthood and he is nineteen now. We have got one year left to believe the priest or it will be too late.” One of them mentioned. “Yes, I knew this day would come. I’m glad that the king’s servant gave me this before I left. She was an aide of the high priest and she handed me this Mirror of Soul. She told me that when the time was ripe, I should present this to the boy. This mirror will be able to reflect the boy’s soul. If he is the devil as the legend has mentioned and the priest foresaw, the mirror would not reflect the boy’s image.” He said. The other asked, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? We could have saved our comrades and get rid of that evil being.” He replied, “This mirror will only work if the boy’s soul is tainted with darkness when he reaches the coming of an age, not when he is still an infant or young. What she meant when the time was ripe was when he reaches adulthood. The king was forced to save his son because the priests cannot be sure that his son is truly a devil. He thought that if he was to kill his son with a slim chance that he was not the devil they foresaw, that would be disastrous for the queen.” The prince overheard their conversation and entered the room. They looked at each other with a glare. The prince said, “Why didn’t you tell me about this?” The two knights jerked up when they saw him carrying a sword in his hand. A shout was heard “The mirror, flash it!”

True enough, there was no reflection. The prince managed to smash the mirror soon after. “Quick, grab The Eden!” Another shout was heard. The two knights prepared themselves to fight. “The priests were right. This is the devil which had caused calamity to our kingdom.” The prince unleashed the darkness he was dwelled in for nineteen years. He laughed, “Do you think you have the chance to kill a devil, mere mortals?” “We took an oath that we would destroy this evil with the Eden, all the ten of us.” One of them replied. Little did they know that it took the ten of them to defeat the devil; that was why the king summoned them all and gave each of them the Eden. The knights began attacking the devil with the holy sword but all their efforts were in vain. He was simply too powerful. They were mortally wounded. One of them rose on his knees and yelled, “Utopia, raise the Eden once again, give us the strength to cleanse this land from evil!” Something strange began to take place. The 8 fallen Eden rose from the dead and appeared around the devil. It was the souls of men who were blessed by the priests before they took off. They were given immortality. Soon after, the 2 knights completed the circle. They raised their Eden and soon the devil was sealed in the sword the prince carried. The 8 souls vanished after completing their duty. The 2 knights tumbled to the ground. “We still need to root this cursed sword in the kingdom grounds so that no one would be able to pull it out. The priests knew that the devil cannot be destroyed; it can only be sealed in an object. The lost souls taken by the devil will trap him so that he would never be unleashed again. We need to get back to the kingdom.” He said.

Though mortally wounded, the two of them embarked on their journey back to their kingdom. The remaining community did not recognize the knights when they arrived. However, when they approached the castle’s ground, it was clear that they were the knights who had helped the king. The community picked up their weapon once again and attacked the knights. One of them decided to stall the incoming mob while the other reached the burial ground where he was to plant the sword deep into the hard, sturdy ground. “You are not going past me!!” He yelled as he was stabbed in the stomach by the community. Finally, he fell to the ground and bled to death protecting his fellow knight. As the other tried to plant the sword, one of the incoming mob, threw a knife and it spearheaded right through his throat. As the community fast approaching, he somehow managed to drive the sword to the ground with all his remaining might. Just then, the mob arrived and began stabbing him with spears and sickles. The Eden slid from his quiver and rested on the ground where he laid dead. At long last, the knights had fulfilled their sworn duties and their oath to put an end to the royal family line should the prince had the devil inside of him. The cursed sword remained stuck to the ground even when the community tried to pull it out, they were unable to do so. They tried digging the ground but it was too hard till their shovels became blunt and bent. It was as if the sword was rooted to the ground, being pulled by the poor souls who died on that castle’s ground. Once again, the kingdom flourished, the community was revitalized and peace started to descend on these lands. This time, they could be sure that no more devil was going to appear again, the prince’s dark soul was gone forever, vanished or perhaps being trapped by the chains of his victims.

Fisherman Horizon...

His glorious days were finally over. He turned down the offer of being the commander of his country’s army despite having led his battalion to war which ended in a miraculous victory over the invaders. The king was most pleased with his sacrifice and loyalty that he wanted to give him the most prestigious award a soldier could achieve. He refused to accept the king’s offer instead he asked his king if he could just leave since he has carried out his duty as one of his subjects. With a heavy heart, the king allowed him to move on with his life. The reluctant hero left his war suit, weapons and everything he owed from the army. His followers were saddened with his departure after all; he had made a legacy, he became a legend of his country. The townsmen paid their respect and gratitude by assembling along the pathway of the city’s entrance as he walked away, empty handed. They cheered him and sang lavish praises, showering him with blessings now that he had to go. As he stepped out of the city gate, he gave a deep sigh but did not turn back to face his hometown that he has just liberated. It was his personal choice to find peace after he had completed his duty and everyone respected his decision. He set his feet forward upon the scorching earth and never came back.

He endured blinding desert storms, torrential rains, burning sensation from the sun and even Mother Nature did not seem to be on his side. Nevertheless, he finally arrived at the long forgotten village. Situated away from the mainland, the village rested itself in the middle of old railway on a long, concrete bridge connecting his country’s frontier to another unknown region, surrounded by the great ocean. The railway has been out of service therefore, he had to make his own way to the village on foot. When he arrived, he was welcomed by cheerful children playing hide and seek near the outskirts of their humble village. He thought that perhaps he could stay here. With ocean waves hitting the walls of the bridge, fresh ocean waves, rejuvenating his spirit, the warmth from the village folks there was no place like this he had ever known. He thought maybe this was the perfect place to find peace away from his past, to start a new life, to begin writing the prologue chapters for his twilight years. He stepped into his newly acclaimed hometown with a new identity. He believed that the hero he once had been was better untold so that he could lead a normal life in this new haven.

He met many new people, made some faithful friends and of course, he found someone who stole his heart. She was dark haired with pure conscience and kind soul, alluring smile, full of elegance and grace wherever she went. He asked her out one evening to have watch the sunset over the horizon and they rested by the edge of the bridge, sitting back to back with eyes overlooking the reddish orange water surface. They talked while enjoying the scenic view and soon fell in love. It seemed unbelievable for such feelings to develop in such a short time, but it did. Fortunately or unfortunately, fate had decided that they were meant for each other at least for a few years. He was devastated that she passed away a few years after their blissful marriage. They did not even have the luxury of time to have children as they had hoped for. He had just lost a wonderful woman of his life and it was obvious that there was never anyone like her after her death. He remained single in the end. He commemorated her death every evening at the place where they made feelings known.

He would come with his rod and live bait, sat where he once rested and waited for the bait to be hooked by some live fish. It was pitiful of him to be that way. The villagers knew that she was everything to him; to them it was unfortunate that he was reduced to such wretched state. He was a good man without a smooth sailing life. So they left him as he was because there was nothing they could do to bring the dead back to life. He sat alone most of the time. At times, children would come by his side and watched sunset together not realizing that he was actually drowning his sorrows by letting time went by as if the past would be rekindled just by being where he used to be with her. He asked himself, “Is this what peace meant?”

He was alone but he never felt lonesome because he believed that perhaps this was the kind of peace he was looking for. Sunsets’ magnificent panorama which he had never seen before, the feeling simply calmed the rocky past he experienced. The place had a lot of meaning for him and so many memories were left behind in the same, exact location. It was where time just stopped, where he could let his feelings drift away by the serene sounds of the ocean. The serenity he felt was undeniable. He would repeat this cycle year after year. With his twilight year nearing, he realized that he had had a good life despite her loss. He buried his glorious past when he entered this village, led a simple life as a common fisherman, treasuring sunsets every evening and now, he was left with white hairs covering the top of his head. He left his home spick and span, neat and tidy. He knew it was time to embark on a new journey. So he left a diary back at his home. Inside it told his lifelong tale from a boy to a soldier, to a man and finally an old, fragile elderly. He noted how life was like in precise details so that someday, someone who stumbled on it could find peace like he did. He stood on the edge of the bridge and looked at the picturesque sun setting on the distant horizon for one last time. He gave a sigh, closed his eyes and pretended as if his late wife was beside him, holding his hand. In his heart, he told himself, “Peace has guided me this far, I’m glad I came to this place. I have got nothing to lose because I have lived in peace far too long that now I could not repay what it has blessed me with. I know I can finally rest in peace, farewell and thank you for finding peace in my lifetime.” He loosened his grip and he made himself fall to the ocean, knowing that he could not swim. Time just stopped then as he fell from the edge of the bridge.

Children who accompanied him before told the townsfolk that they could see him and his wife by the place they used to be, sitting back to back facing the sunset every evening. They replied with a smile, “Yes, of course, they were good people who have managed to find peace in their lives.” The tale of the old fisherman who embraced the sunsets on the horizon went on and became folklore in the village. Although he left in silence, his tale would still remain in the hearts of those who read the writings in the diary he left behind. At the end of his diary, vividly written, “As such, I would like to end this by entitling my journey as Fisherman Horizon…”

My Treasured Moments...

There are things in the world which are worth more than money can buy. There are things in life we often forsake. There are things so ordinary and simple yet bring a whole lot of meaning to people's lives. There are things we can find if we just open our eyes and start feeling from the heart. There are more fulfillment you can experience in life if you just treasure every moment...

Inspired by "Drops of Jupiter" by Train.

Imperfection...

He held his mother’s hand and took a final look at his home from outside the gate. It was where he grew up but now, he has to go; he has to leave the place he had always called home. “Come, we must go or we will be late for the flight.” His mother said. He stepped up to his old, wrinkled nanny who has been taking care of him ever since he was born. It was heartbreaking to say goodbye to her. The almost toothless nanny could not help but to weep as she hugged him for the last time. As the car left for the airport, he took a peek from the back window of his car, only managed to see her slowly fading out from his view.

The airport was packed with tourists, locals and air crew. The smell of smoke choked him on many occasion. He would never miss the sight of smokers all around him and to him; this was like a torture chamber filled with poisonous gas coming from a lighted cigarette. Seeing the pain carved on his face, his mother tried her very best to check in as soon as possible. And he finally could breathe fresh air once again at the waiting room. Having born with an outgrowth that blocked almost his entire nasal cavity, she was glad that her son did not have to suffer from the cigarette smoke. Excessive exposure to cigarette could probably increase the rate of the outgrowth, causing a fatal result.

All around him was passengers of the plane. He looked at his younger brother beside him and asked, “Are you ready? We are boarding the plane soon.” He replied with a nod. Neither of them had traveled on a winged aircraft before, so the first experience of flying proved to be difficult to overcome. Nevertheless, they boarded the plane, greeted by friendly air stewardesses. Comfortably sitting on the seat, he peered out of the window, thinking that this was goodbye for good. With seatbelt fastened, he was prepared to leave as the plane made its way to the run way. The plane fired its booster and heated engine, the pilot controlled the lever such that the plane would be able to make a dash on the run way and finally, piercing its way towards the sky. He closed his eyes in fear that something might just go wrong. When the plane has finally stabilized from sudden turbulences, he opened his eyes with tears flowing down. He was glad that he was safe and sound. It was just that he could not bear to leave his loving relatives, fellow friends and especially his aged nanny.

Such was the distant days he recalled a few years after. Living in another country has brought him a new environment to adapt to its weather, food, rules and regulations but mostly its people. He lost contact with all his friends he made back in his hometown since he left abruptly without giving them any notice so, finding himself all alone in a new ‘habitat’ surrounded by strangers made him feel so uneasy. And to make matters worse, he could not speak their language. He knew he has to pick up the foreign language or perhaps perish since everyone in the new country could only communicate in that language. Considering his age of eleven years, learning a new, foreign language he has never spoken in was a nightmare. He had to endure people’s laughter when he tried to converse with the locals. Well, probably that caused him to have a low self-esteem.

However, if there was something he liked about this new ‘habitat’, it would probably the fresh air. He could now breathe easy since the number of smokers was minimal. His mother was glad that with this atmosphere, the outgrowth would likely stop growing or slow down. This could only mean one thing, the operation would not be necessary. Due to this reason, she thought it would be better to stay here so that he would be better of. No more trips to the specialists; no more breathing difficulty; no more irritating sneezing. That way he could lead a normal life. And hopefully, the outgrowth would disintegrate although she knew that the chances were slim as doctors had prescribed. They suggested surgery to ease his breathing difficulty, thermal radiation to shrink the size of the outgrowth and chemical sprays to slowly reduce the active outgrowth cells. But his parents decided not to follow their suggestions mainly because they thought that a young boy could be traumatized or possibly would not survive the surgery since it involved blood capillaries to be cut off. Furthermore, the outgrowth could appear again even after removal through surgical methods. This was the outgrowth called ‘sinusitis’ which was common. It affected the patient with variable allergy such as dust or pollen, continuous sneezing, excess production of liquefied mucus, breathing difficulty when exercising and sleeping causing more fatigue and the outgrowth simultaneously kept growing as he got older till it would fully block the nasal cavity. Although it was not inheritable, he would have to carry it all his life unless he went for surgery.

A blessing or a curse one might decide, he only knew that this imperfection was already with him since he was born. He decided to move on and let go of the desire to remove this little imperfection. After all, it could be a gift from above which made him to feel inferior in some ways so that he would humble himself. Until he received the calling from above, he planned to live with it all his life, why alter one’s imperfection when it made him more humane, less boastful about perfection, always believing that every imperfection has a perfect reason behind it.

Years passed and he finally mastered the foreign language, enabling him to socialize with the local islanders with confidence. They no longer laughed at his pronunciation or grammar mistakes or even comprehending what he was saying. After years of adapting to a new culture, new place to live in, he began to grow fond of it. Well, not entirely because his hometown would remain in his heart. The thought of the nanny he had lost made him feel so down at times. Though now, he has grown into a fine, young man, part of him still was attached to his nanny. He thought that he could now repay her tireless effort bringing his up from a toddler but he has not heard from her for quite a long time. His departure would probably mean the end of her services and loyalty to the family.

The author wants to remind smokers out there to stop their addiction because for every cigarette lit, not only you will suffer, others like the character mentioned above are likely the ones who have to bear the consequences he did not cause. Smoking is never a must; it is a choice which one can turn away from. So when someone offers you a cigarette, it is always courageous to say no and turn away. You do not need to be a peer to someone who branded you as a coward for turning away because they do not know it takes a whole lot of courage to uphold your beliefs.

Measure Of A Man...

The others had left the village but he decided to stay put. “They are going to kill us all, we should depart right now.” The village chief said to him. He replied, “She is coming, I know she will be here.” The chief could not change his stubborn mind. He tried his best to tell him that it was pointless to put one’s life just to wait for someone he loved to turn up. The chief was the last to leave the village to escape from the invading barbarians.

The man waited for her by the lake. He was certain that she would be with him no matter what happened. He began to drown himself in deep thoughts while waiting for her. He remembered the time when he first met her face to face. She was painting picturesque scenery of the lake one evening. He watched her from a distance, noticing her delicate hands decorating the canvas with so much passion and tenderness. He approached her and said, “Hi, my name…” She snapped, “I know.” He was puzzled. She placed the brush on the palette and put them aside. She began, “You are always here when I’m around. I was beginning to wonder when you would come up to me to introduce yourself.” He smiled in embarrassment. She too replied him with a rosy blush. Their first meeting was the beginning of a beautiful relationship, it started with a smile.

They met again several times and each time, they got closer. They started to open up and shared their life experiences. Every conversation was filled with joy and laughter and ended with a feeling of lost when they had to leave. But the following day, the cycle kept repeating till a point of time. She was on the verge completing her painting when he was leaving. He walked away after saying a simple farewell. She turned around as she watched him slowly fading from her sight, leaving his footprints on the sandy ground. She rose from her seat and called out, “Please, don’t leave…” He hesitated and froze. By then, she was already behind him. He could see her shadow, standing still behind his back and gave a final turnaround. They stood motionless for a moment as they looked at each other once again. “Please, don’t leave me here.” She pleaded again. “I won’t.” He said almost immediately. They ended that solemn dusk with a comforting hug. He held her tight in his arms so that she could hear his heart beating at a frenzy pace. It gave her a sense of security and warmth that she would never want to let go of. “I will be there for you if you should ever need me by your side, I promise.” He whispered in her ear.

Time flew as if no one cared. However, for them every minute they were apart seemed like a lifetime. And when they were together, they refused to let any moment slipped away. This time, they were alone by the placid lake, undisturbed by the commotion at the heart of the village. She willingly rested her head on his shoulder and let her feelings drift. That look in her eyes and the sound of her laugh made him decide that she was the one for him. Sunset over the distance warmed the evening once again, the waters reflected orange, lucid rays. He told her, “You know something, this argument between your village and mine seemed to escalate faster than I had anticipated. I wonder if…” She suddenly interrupted, “Shhh. We will run away together if we have to. For now, just let’s just leave things as they are.” The long wait had blossomed into a kiss. Perhaps this was what they called as love.

Relationship between their villages turned sour and it looked as if nothing was going to change the fact that they were eyeing for war to solve their dispute. No one was allowed to have contact with the opposing village dwellers, let alone leaving the village. They did not visit the lake after that. And now, he put his life on the gallows by waiting for her by the lake. He regained his consciousness from his retrospection when he heard footsteps resonating from afar. It was her. She did not leave him and so did he. She leapt into his arms with tears flowing from her eyes. Three months of separation was overwhelming for them. The feeling of lost and loneliness was instantly dissipated into thin air. Time and distance had made their love stronger for every passing day. “You did not leave me just like you promised.” She cried. “I always keep my promise.” He responded.

This bliss however was short-lived. Danger was still lurking. “We have to leave now, there is not much time left before they hunt us all down. We are the last ones.” He exclaimed. Just before he began to run, pulling her hand, she stood still, rooted to the ground. “Will we be back here?” She asked. He paused for a minute. He answered in a saddened voice, “Someday, we will walk this road again, we will breathe its fresh air, we will.” Little that he knew, the evening was the last sunset they would ever saw. The soldier appeared with their pointed bayonets. They cornered them to the edge of the lake. The barbaric soldiers did not care who they were. Those bloodthirsty beasts would not be satisfied till they created a haven of carnage. They thrust their bayonet at their abdomens. He held her hand tightly and said, “Stay close to me, I will never let go of you.” They trotted forward again and stabbed them with great force that they were thrown into the lake. Screams of pain was echoing throughout the village, cold, red blood gushed out, over-pouring the lake waters. The water turned red immediately. His arms were wrapped around her as they tumbled into the deeper waters. Water entered their nostrils, blocking the passage for breathing. With much blood lost, they were too weak to get themselves out of the silent blue.

As such, their bodies continue to rapidly descend deeper. Flashbacks electrified his mind, playing the scenes when they were together, just like a roll of film showing a slideshow. He made sure his arms locked her so that she would not be carried away by the current. To her, spending her last minutes in his arms was worth waiting for. They reached the bottom of the lake, resting peacefully till they were deprived of oxygen. And so their tale ended in tragedy. Although this was what they called fate, fate too decided to allow them to perish together in death. Perhaps ‘till death do us part’ may not be proper anymore because who knows, fate might just create another opportunity for them to be together in the afterlife.

This story is inspired by “Measure of a Man” by Clay Aiken.

Grand Finale...

The arm of the clock pointed to seven sharp. The evening looked gloomy that day with grey clouds decorating the azure sky. He was comfortably sitting at home, all dressed up in black and white. He donned his father’s black Versace suit and checked himself in the mirror before he headed for the evening ball. With shoes polished and outfit neat and clean, he was certain that he looked proper for the formal occasion. To him, this event was meant to mark the end of his legacy so that the future generation can take over his position and reach out to greater heights. He felt it was time to let his juniors shine like stars lighting up the night.

He arrived fifteen minutes ahead of scheduled time. He met his friends who were in the same boat as he was. Smartly dressed with ties, dark colours on their clothes were the haute couture for the evening. The ladies were splendid in black. Elegance if he could call it. Teenagers were transformed into young adults just by looking at their dress code. This was what he had always dreamed of, seeing people around him grow up to be fine-looking ladies and gentlemen. He waited for the invitation to proceed to the hall where the main event was about to begin. As he waited, he noticed the girl who he had asked to dance with earlier on. Should opportunity arrive; he would gladly take her hand and bring her to the dance floor. He decided to wait for the right time for the moment to come in his way.

Later, together with his friends, he walked into the chilling hall where everyone was patiently waiting. The candles placed on the hall front brought about a serene ambience. As they walked further, other guests stood up and applauded for their arrival. Roaring applause and cheers filled the room, lifting everybody’s spirits high. He sat by the dining table reserved for him and his fellow merry young men and women. The guests of honour came shortly were warmly welcomed by the audience. One of them made the first speech of the evening. She featured the history of peer support leaders of temasek secondary school and thanking every single one of the graduating students for their selfless contribution to the school. Such was her speech, accompanied by words of encouragement and praises because this evening was meant for them.

The event started off with a formal dining. The buffet styled dinner was perfect for the occasion. Food served was simply mouth watering and the taste, simply heavenly. He grabbed some food and returned to his seat. He proposed a toast at the dining table after which they began to nimble on the dinner. They discussed about the future peer support leaders, the farewell party and of course, the food. Then, the emcees made a sudden announcement after most of the guests had finished their food. It was time to reveal the best dressed male and female icon for the evening. He was startled. Four names were called out, two from each gender. They were paired up to dance together with more than forty pairs of eyes watching intently on their every move. His name was called out. His partner was not the girl he had asked earlier. He stepped up to the challenge anyway, not wanting to spoil the mood. He was determined to overcome the two left feet he had. His partner was a professional dancer. To him this was tough considering that she had experience while he had none.

He took her hand and made his way to the centre of the hall with spotlight shining over them. He placed his hand around her waist while the other holding her hand. Her arm was resting on his shoulder and with this they were ready to dance. The soft music started to play, gradually amplified so that the whole hall could enjoy this mini performance. Stunning cheers could be heard across the hall as they made their first dance steps. As the dance progressed, she began to take the liberty to lead; after all she was a natural dancer. All he could do was to follow her lead and made sure that he made no mistake. Though being raw and inexperienced, he got everything under control. Cheers lasted for a few minutes, ending only when the dance was over. Then, the guest cheered on again. This was his first dance with a girl with an audience around to see them sway and spin. Being the centre of attention, the pressure was piling up. How glad he truly was when the dance was finally over without any mishap. However, deep inside, he felt regretful that he had missed his only opportunity to dance with the girl he would like to dance with. All for the sake that his dance partner would not lose face in front of so many if he refused to perform with her. He gave up his desire so that everyone could remain jubilant even though he had waited for this chance, and when it came it slipped right through his fingers. Coincidental one might say but he knew everything happened for a reason.

The solemn ceremony began soon after. It was a memoir, a presentation displaying pictures dated years back. This was followed by the chairman’s speech. She spoke spontaneously. She described that peer support leaders are a big group, making a family out of different people with different talents to achieve a purpose. She only hoped that the legacy she had made will be passed on to the future, promising leaders and that this committed family members will forever be one, undivided regardless of differences. She cried after delivering her speech because her wonderful and fulfilling journey as a peer support leader had to come to an end. So did every graduating students and him. Her speech made him moved in a way, making him realize that he had to go no matter how much he wanted to stay close to his second family, to his committee, to his ever-smiling, supportive juniors who believed in him and to the people he regarded as more than just friends. This is a reality that every senior faced, young or old; that the final test of a leader is that he left behind in his juniors, the conviction and the will to carry on with or without him.

The ceremony of lighting the candles soon started. It symbolized the passing of authority to the next generation. The whole audience quietened down. Next up was the presentation of a token of appreciation for every graduating peer support leader. Name by name was called. His name was then called. He rose from the comfort of his chair and an abrupt, thunderous cheer was showered upon him till he received the certificate of appreciation from one of the guests of honour. Never had he imagined that he would receive such heartwarming response. All he could do was raise his hand in the air, a sign of thanking them. Pride was all he held on to as the certificate was handed to him. When he first walked into the school hall for the first time, he had never thought that his last year spent in this school would involve being recognized by the school for the effort he put into this leadership group. This would always be a significant and touching experience for him throughout his whole life. This was his grand finale.

Soon after, the newly elected chairman made his speech in three different languages, English, Malay and Chinese. This was a very entertaining segment for the audience because he was not able to speak Chinese. Nevertheless, plucking up the courage, striving to give his best, he managed to capture everyone’s attention. The audience was extremely delighted when he ended his undoubtedly, unique yet entertaining speech.

The aftermath was all about wild and crazy photo taking session. It was fun. His aim was to share those photos he took with the ones in the pictures. This way, he gave them a part of himself and they gave a part of themselves to him. It was the invisible network of companionship which could only be felt with heart. The joy of youth being teenagers should be spent in this way. This was the part and parcel of growing up one should not miss because once he missed it, he would never experience another. This was the grand finale he had ever wanted, to walk in with a good name and to walk out, leaving behind a good name and footprints in others’ lives. And for girl he had missed the chance to dance with, it would only be fair if one day, they could have eyes on them, dancing in the moonlight, just like in this ceremony so that he could make it up to her as well as keep his word.

This story is based on a real account. The author wants to thank the peer support leaders who certainly had changed his life in a more positive light. He hopes that through this story, every peer support leader will experience such heartwarming feeling when he or she finally graduates from the school as a peer support leader, lifting the school reputation soaring. All the best for the future of Temasek Secondary Peer Support Leaders!

Special thanks to:
Adam, Erni, Shamsydar, Izzati, Nuriman, Florence, Jovita, Ryan, Abishek, Anavil, Michele, Anand, Ruo Ning, Anthony, Aleem, Nikita, Xinyi, Huiwen jr & James.

Not forgetting:
Mr Oh, Ms Lee, Mdm Wan, AV crew, Sec 2 PSL, Sec 3 PSL, Sec 4 PSL, Sec 5 PSL, Shuyu, Firdaus, Caroline, Cheryl, Eric, Wen Bin, Michelle & Marcus for making this event a meaningful one for the author.

This story was inspired by “I Knew I Loved You” by Savage Garden.

Love Will Find Its Way...

The time has finally come, it was abrupt but both of them must have known that it was now or never. They have been friends for five even years. Feelings did develop ever since they met but neither was ready to express them. And so they waited, they kept their feelings deep inside. Their friends tried every means to get them together but all of them were unfruitful. It all started at the school bus stop. He was waiting anxiously for the bus to come. When it arrived, she appeared and got in his way. Knowing that she was his classmate, he let her board the bus first, he thought that he should behave as a gentleman even though he was just a tender, thirteen year old boy. Things developed ever since. In classroom, he would look her from his seat. Though he sat right behind her, never did once they had a good chat or a simple ‘hi’. The boy thought that it was all his infatuation. But his perception changed after a trip downtown.

The class went on a field trip. One of his friends told him that someone had a crush on him. First person he thought was her. However, he began to doubt the news. He noticed her from afar and true enough she was not smiling. In fact, she looked sad. From there, he knew that someone else was into him. But he asked himself, why she appeared down; there is no reason for her to feel that way if there was nothing going on between them.

There was a time when she tried to talk to him, to socialize perhaps. But he walked away briskly. He thought to himself that if he were to talk to her, he might end up blurting out what he felt towards her. In her mind, his ignorance towards her equates to dislike. Time went by, he noticed her many times waiting for the bus home and he would lean against a cross-stitched fence, watching her from afar. He did not care if she even bothered to see him or not. He thought that if she saw him, at least he got noticed, if she did not, maybe she just did not know he was there all along. And of course, they rarely talked though months have passed. He knew that the end of the month was her birthday and he got this reliable information from a guy who shared the same birthday as her. On her birthday, the class sang a birthday song to her. And he did give her a present and a simple birthday card. Plucking up courage to give a girl who he rarely talked to seemed odd to his classmates. And this could only mean one thing, rumours about the two of them.

Their friends would tease them that she liked him or he liked her and sometimes both liked each other discreetly. It spread fast, all thanks to him for daring himself to approach her. And this went on till his birthday. He received a note and a pen from her. In her note, she mentioned that she was thankful for the gift she received and congratulating him for his birthday. He was grateful though he never expected a present on his birthday. After all, how would she know about it? A few days after, the class was made to stay back by the teacher during recess. She talked about relationship, advising the students that this point of time, students’ duty was to study first before having a boy-girl relationship. He wondered if she knew about the strange going-on between him and the girl he liked.

He believed that one day; something might just happen, empowering him to say what he wanted to say. Sadly, that day never came. All he could do was thinking about her, watching her from afar, never took the initiative to do the basics of socializing. Maybe that was what he lacked. All these while, he could write things about her but when it came to speaking up; he just froze. It was his feelings that made words harder to be spoken. He was unable to hide it but he wanted to keep it from her. He feared one thing, rejection. He would rather hurt himself inside living in his own dreams that she probably liked him than finding out that she did not feel what he felt. To her, it may sound stupid and totally ridiculous but that was his character. Introverted, cowardly, childish could be what she thought about him.

To him, stealing a glance or two was enough. Sometimes when they bumped into each other, smiles were carved. No special words were spoken, just a grin and some blushes in their faces. Soon after, they would get away quickly, erasing their tracks so that others would not know. However, one day, he decided to take his chance. He was determined to take her picture, so that he would have a part of her when he returned home. He successfully got what he wanted, a picture of her with her father. He placed it safely in a frame and allowed it to stand on his desktop. His friends were shocked when he approached her father to take a picture. They just never thought that he was bold enough when others would give it a pass. He earned his friends respect from then on.

There was once this classmate of them tried to get in the way between them. She was the daughter of a teacher and he heard that she got a crush on him. He was never interested in her so when she tried to have a chat with him, he would find every means of way to get away as quickly as he could. She was persistent to find ways to talk to him and somehow she got the wrong date of his birthday. So when her gift arrived, it was long overdue. He would sometimes laugh when he recalled how she responded when he told her that she got the wrong date. But the most critical moment was when he heard that the girl he liked no longer had feelings towards him. He guessed that it must have been karma for not talking to her more often. He figured that all she wanted was to get to know each other better but the wait proved to be too long.

Another event was when another classmate of theirs had a rather, easy-going conversation with her. He would talk as if no one was watching and joked around to amuse her. It was his rival ever since he enrolled into the school. His rival topped the class annually and he had never got closer to beating him academically. To him, this rivalry was no longer about academic performance but also included getting her attention. But what could he do, just by watching them laughing away from afar, the rumour of her having lost the feeling seemed to be more vivid. Perhaps he was kind of envious that he had never had such a friendly conversation with her all these while. His friends told him that it was just a conversation and he would soon get over it. And he did, somehow as he just ignoring what was right in front of his eyes.

What she did not know was one of his friends actually took the trouble to draw a portrait of her. He too was infatuated. Right after recess, he would sit a distance away from her and with him was his trusted pencil and eraser which he thought would create a masterpiece of her portrait. He truly felt so useless. This guy was not even good with his art and yet was giving his best to draw her and what he was doing made him think that he had actually never done anything special to her. There was once he wanted to buy a flower for her but he held back. All because a part of him was telling him that it would make the two of them feel so embarrassed that they would never be able to face the class anymore if he were to hand the flower right in front of the class on the last day of their primary school days. Although the impact if he really did that would certainly change the course of their future for the better, he just could not bear to put her in a spot to willingly accept the farewell gift. That day, the class took a final class photo which he still kept till today.

He recalled those days when he had time luxury of time to talk to her on several occasion but let them slipped away right through his fingers. How he regretted that. He was determined to change his old ways and start to grow up, stop living in his own world and to step forward and venture to the unknown.

End of the year came and both of them made it to the school of their choice. But, that was when the road started to split. He thought that it was all over, he had wasted so many opportunities to say what his heart wanted to. However, the unexpected happened, time and again after going on their separate ways, they would meet once in a blue moon. To him, it was something he could never think of. Is the world that small? Time flew. He was more open this time, at least able to talk to her. She grew up as well, learnt to treat him just like a friend. He knew that she treated him so differently compared to when she talked to her friends. At times, he would email to her or chat online. He made her laugh, smile, feel curious and more. He even tried to win her heart slowly though it was sometimes too obvious. He had always thought that perhaps only words can reach her. Through words, he made dreams come alive, made feelings known and made her somehow feel attracted to him in one way or another. It was just his thoughts and not reality. In reality, he never knew what she was really thinking. It could be that she was just pretending or did not care at all. She could be just toying with his heart or slowly telling him to give it up. He only believed that she was being honest when she said things either good or bad about him and herself. He trusted his instinct that she would one day felt what he felt. Such was his mere, random thoughts that made him believe in himself that he should keep going. They once promised to tell each other what they felt the next time they were face to face. This time he was confident that they were more than friends, something more than friends which he could not express.

That day came a few years later. They chatted as he walked her home one night. Discussed about life, school, future goals but one topic that hinted him that it was time was relationship. He did not know what made her suddenly asked him about it because all these while never had she come up to discuss about the most sensitive subject for teens. Perhaps she thought that it was his due time; time to let everything go after holding on to keep things sweet and simple as more than friends for so long. She wanted to know the truth and tell her his side of the story. Just before she stepped on her doorstep, he confessed. He told her that all about him liking her since those childhood days were true. He told her that all those gifts he gave were not tools to make her fall for him. They were given because he just wanted to willingly present someone a part of himself. He told her everything. He confessed his feelings that he held on dear to all these while to her. It must have been pressurizing for her to finally learn everything she had to know. She remained silent for some time, allowing time to stand still after hearing what his heart had wanted to express to her. She plucked up courage to tell him what she wanted to say, just like she promised to him. She said, “Don’t wait for me.” Those four simple words were enough to numb his heart and slowly piercing right into his weakest spot. He asked himself, “So, is this what she has been trying to say? Could she have been pretending all these while? Is she telling the truth? Is she really listening to her heart or has her mind dominated her feelings? Perhaps she wants to end it this way? But why did she say that?” His heart did tear apart just like that. But no matter how tried to appear strong, deep down he was bleeding to the core. He just did not expect the worst case scenario. What happened to those laughs, smiles and blushes? Were all of those fake? Five years he was kept in the dark only to be told to quit. He was out of words to reply. At last he said, “Alright” with hopes dashed within that short moment. To her, she might think that he must have got the idea and seemed to follow her desire. But in actual fact, he was felt something was amiss.

“Why would it take her so difficult to say that? Could it be that she did not want to hurt me directly? But how can that be, what is wrong with her? Shouldn’t this end up in a positive light?” he continued to question himself. He asked her to look him right deep into his eyes and tell him that she wanted him out of her life. But she could not bring herself to do it. She must have felt guilt that it brought her so much pain to say it. She tried to appear strong but in his mind, he kept holding on to believe that what she said was never true. He thought that she would probably regretted saying that and would drown herself in her tears as she closed the door, slowly fading him from her sight. It looked as if it was not meant to be another fairy tale happy ending in reality. He finally understood the pain. He left after fetching her home through the halcyon of the hurtful night. One question remained, was it really what her heart that wanted to tell him that he was never had a special place in corner of her heart?

The following night he visited her again. Just like the day before, she appeared cold without warmth. He looked at her and told her, “About yesterday night, you told me not to wait for you. It must have been difficult for you. One thing I learn, if I have to wait for you for another hundred years, I’ll wait…” She remained silent, not knowing what to say. He thought that she probably was thinking something like, “Why are you doing this to me? Why can’t you understand? Why won’t you leave? Didn’t you hear what I said yesterday? Are you serious?” He told her, “If you have something to say right now, just say it; just let your heart say it.” But she did not reply. After waiting for some time, killing time in silence, he thought that maybe she really cannot give him the feeling that he gave her. He told her that he shall take his leave since he thought she probably has made up her mind. In his heart, he had hoped she would change her mind as he walked away. Instead she shouted, “All the best.” If only he understood what she meant. If only she knew about the message he left behind on the photo he had always dreamed of, to be captured in the same frame with her, just the two of them. He could not help but to walk away, hiding his tears so that she could walk away without having to worry about him. Though he picked himself up on his way home, the scar remained. Could this be the end of the road?

Maybe not tonight, maybe not tomorrow or the day after, maybe it will never happen. But he knew that somewhere in her heart, she was aching as she watched him leave, slowly fading away, just like the sun setting on the distant horizon, over the ocean. Like the one he had pictured his mind, if only there was an opportunity to spend an evening by the beach with her, watching the sun sending its beautiful rays on the water surface, reflecting a kaleidoscope. That picturesque would certainly make the words he wanted to say more meaningful, more alive as he looked right deep into her sparkling pair of eyes. Maybe the time will come, not tomorrow, not the day after, maybe they have to wait for another hundred years when love has found its way and crossed their fate, to be part of their lives.

Love is a beautiful feeling, but it cannot be forced. Love needs time and maybe this is not the time yet. Love will find its way through time and time only; that was why he would wait till the end of time if he had to. “If I have to wait for another hundred years, I’ll wait for you…” as the words lingered in his ears.

This story was inspired by “More Than Words” by BBmak.