So I stumbled upon this writing challenge a few days ago and thought it'd be a good idea to participate to get back into writing again.
But I'm changing things a bit. The challenge is 30 days memoir writing challenge. But since I'm not great with writing from a first person point of view, these will be written in a narrative format.
Day 2 - Is there a piece of music that reminds you of a particular time & place in your life?
---
"Ok. So next question. Give me a second," he said, fingers tapping on one bent knee.
She sat there, occasionally adjusting the blanket around her, to keep the chill out. The cold was only great when most of her was wrapped up in warmth.
"I got it! Is there a piece of music that reminds you of a particular time and place in your life? Shouldn't be too hard after that sappy first kiss story," he said smugly.
"Avril Lavigne's So Much For My Happy Ending," she replied.
"Seriously?"
"What's wrong with that?"
He shrugged. "You don't strike me as the emo angsty type. Even if it was a mainstream hit single."
"What I can say? I was a pretty angst teenager. It's all very textbook angry teenage rage," she explained.
"So what happened? Did someone break your heart then?"
"Yes and no," she paused momentarily before taking a breath. "I had a crush on this guy. I knew it was fruitless because he was dating a friend of ours. But somehow it got out. While no one really gave me a hard time about it, everyone knew about it. It was the elephant in the room whenever we were within proximity. But a while later, they broke up. His ex was someone I carpooled with at the time. He got me to deliver a note to her because she refused to speak to him, and had one more for me."
"Did you read it? The note I mean."
"Of course I did. You can't really give someone a folded note, tell them not to read it and genuinely expect them not to. Admittedly, I wasn't going to but the note he had written for me was insulting. The gist of it was that I should get over because we were never going to happen. This was months after everyone knew. And I never once thought it was ever going to be more. Even then, I knew that while I was crushing on him, I didn't really expect the feeling to be returned or that I wanted to develop into something more. But for him to imply that I was still pining after him, it made me so angry.
At the same time, my friends were having their own boyfriend issues and got me to help them with theirs. But their plans backfired and everyone started thinking that I was stealing their boyfriends and they did nothing to stop the rumours. That's when the almost total ostracised by the entire year started and the rumours followed me all the way to college.
It was a traumatising year to say the least. The song started out because I was getting over my crush, but soon exemplify everything that was going wrong in my life then."
He stared, fingers clenching uselessly at his side, a little lost for words.
She reached out of her cocoon and touched his hand.
"It's okay. It's all over now. I learned and moved on. The song is just a song, and the memories are just that - memories."
"Still. I'm sorry you went through all of that."
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger right? That's what got me through the years.
"Besides, no one said high school had to be a bed of roses for everyone. Someone had to have the coming of age story going on for them," she said with a small smile.
"Has anyone ever told you that you are a crazy but incredible person?"
She laughed.
-----
Friday, July 3, 2015
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
The Daily Egg Round 1 Writing Challenge - Day 1
So I stumbled upon this writing challenge a few days ago and thought it'd be a good idea to participate to get back into writing again.
But I'm changing things a bit. The challenge is 30 days memoir writing challenge. But since I'm not great with writing from a first person point of view, these will be written in a narrative format.
Day 1 - How did your first kiss come about?
---
He parked his car haphazardly as she jumped out of the car, fleece blanket wrapped around her like a giant fluffy armour.
"Oi! If you bruise any part of yourself, they are not on me!" He whisper-shouted as he got out of the car.
She merely laughed as she plonked herself comfortably on the grass, patting the spot on her left side.
"So where were we again?" She asked as he sat down.
"Are you sure this is what you want to be playing?"
She shrugged. "Just remember that after your thirty questions, I get to ask you the same amount with equal disregard to your privacy."
"Has anyone told you that you're crazy and weird?"
"They never really stop."
"Did you just quote Doctor Who at me?"
She grinned. "So what's your first question?"
He thought for a moment. "Ok. Something small then. How did your first kiss come about?"
"Ohhhhh. That's a good start slugger. My first kiss? It was a gorgeous summer night. I was 23 and he was 28. And it happened by the pier. Just like in the movies."
He stared expectantly at her, before realising that the pause was deliberate. "Wait. That's it? If you insist on playing this game, the least you can do is be more enthusiastic about it. Where is the beginning? The plot?"
She swatted at him and huffed. "Fine. Fine. Have at it. It was 31st January. I remember that because the both of us kept saying how we didn't expect the month to end the way it did. I was walking home after a bout of shopping and was having some zesty lemon lime ice cream, when this guy stopped me from his car. I thought he wanted some help with directions, but turns out he thought I was cute and wanted to let me know.
We made some small talk, and I found out that he was waiting for a friend to transfer movies to his hard drive and preferred waiting in his car than be up at the apartment. Next thing I know, he got out of his car, walked me back to my apartment and we ended up driving to the park nearby. The park is actually by a river, so it had this really nice cove and a hilly grassy area. Kinda like where we are now but much bigger. We walked as we talked until we came about this small pier. I finally convinced him into picking up his phone since it won't stop buzzing. He wandered off to answer his phone while I was leaning against the one of the wooden poles on the pier. It was a clear night, where you can see the moon and count the stars. The weather was just right with a slight wind, which was strange because the week had been so humid up till that night. The water was just gently lapping at the pier.
I remember thinking that it was a movie-perfect moment while laughing incredulously on the inside.
Then he came back, staring at me with this little smile on his face, before he leaned right in and kissed me.
There you have it. My First Kiss."
He shook his head as he laughed. "If the next twenty-nine stories are like this one, this isn't going to be excruciatingly embarrassing for either one of us. Just very sappy."
She quirked her lips before taking a sip of water.
"We shall see."
---
But I'm changing things a bit. The challenge is 30 days memoir writing challenge. But since I'm not great with writing from a first person point of view, these will be written in a narrative format.
Day 1 - How did your first kiss come about?
---
He parked his car haphazardly as she jumped out of the car, fleece blanket wrapped around her like a giant fluffy armour.
"Oi! If you bruise any part of yourself, they are not on me!" He whisper-shouted as he got out of the car.
She merely laughed as she plonked herself comfortably on the grass, patting the spot on her left side.
"So where were we again?" She asked as he sat down.
"Are you sure this is what you want to be playing?"
She shrugged. "Just remember that after your thirty questions, I get to ask you the same amount with equal disregard to your privacy."
"Has anyone told you that you're crazy and weird?"
"They never really stop."
"Did you just quote Doctor Who at me?"
She grinned. "So what's your first question?"
He thought for a moment. "Ok. Something small then. How did your first kiss come about?"
"Ohhhhh. That's a good start slugger. My first kiss? It was a gorgeous summer night. I was 23 and he was 28. And it happened by the pier. Just like in the movies."
He stared expectantly at her, before realising that the pause was deliberate. "Wait. That's it? If you insist on playing this game, the least you can do is be more enthusiastic about it. Where is the beginning? The plot?"
She swatted at him and huffed. "Fine. Fine. Have at it. It was 31st January. I remember that because the both of us kept saying how we didn't expect the month to end the way it did. I was walking home after a bout of shopping and was having some zesty lemon lime ice cream, when this guy stopped me from his car. I thought he wanted some help with directions, but turns out he thought I was cute and wanted to let me know.
We made some small talk, and I found out that he was waiting for a friend to transfer movies to his hard drive and preferred waiting in his car than be up at the apartment. Next thing I know, he got out of his car, walked me back to my apartment and we ended up driving to the park nearby. The park is actually by a river, so it had this really nice cove and a hilly grassy area. Kinda like where we are now but much bigger. We walked as we talked until we came about this small pier. I finally convinced him into picking up his phone since it won't stop buzzing. He wandered off to answer his phone while I was leaning against the one of the wooden poles on the pier. It was a clear night, where you can see the moon and count the stars. The weather was just right with a slight wind, which was strange because the week had been so humid up till that night. The water was just gently lapping at the pier.
I remember thinking that it was a movie-perfect moment while laughing incredulously on the inside.
Then he came back, staring at me with this little smile on his face, before he leaned right in and kissed me.
There you have it. My First Kiss."
He shook his head as he laughed. "If the next twenty-nine stories are like this one, this isn't going to be excruciatingly embarrassing for either one of us. Just very sappy."
She quirked her lips before taking a sip of water.
"We shall see."
---
Epiphanies
Thinking back at the way we were
Looking at the way we are
Somewhere between then and now
The spark that was once there
Was it a tragic fantasy
Or just a beautiful nightmare?
Maybe we aren't always who we thought we are.
- SK (2012)
Reminiscing about the past does that to you sometimes.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Bottom of the Glass
Nails on chalkboard amplified
Is it you?
Is it me?
Is it the resounding echo of us?
Cracked silence.
What you see that others don't
What others see that you don't
Is it really
All that different?
Should it?
Maybe I prefer
That pink champagne
Toasting a shadow
Or was it yesterday?
Tomorrow perhaps.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
The Fault in Our Stars
If you haven't heard, there's a new book in town and it's getting ready to kick your sorry existence to the other end of the block.
Alternatively, please sweep out the dust in your designated corner and prepare to rock you and your feelings to eternal damnation.
I kid.
It really isn't all that catastrophic. But you can't deny that the feelings you get by the end of the book doesn't sway you in some way. It's one of those books that wants you to understand the characters before you go about analyzing their feelings and bring out the big guns: the "how could you??", "why would you??" and whatnot.
Admittedly, The Fault in Our Stars was actually completely out of my radar until a close friend recommended the book earlier this year. Around the same time, news of its movie adaptation was released and suddenly my timeline was flooded with speculations about the cast, debates about how far the movie would stray from the book (my guess: at least 60%. Unless it's anything like The Perks of Being A Wallflower, in which case, 30%) etc. My interest in the book was perked (pun intended) but I was still feeling a bit wary. I had a similar experience with Cecelia Ahern's PS I Love You years back. Because so many people were telling me how good the book was, it became very much over-hyped and I felt quite let down by the time I finished it. So this time around, I stopped with the asking and stayed away from the general nerdfighter (NB: A word coined by the author John Green and his brother Hank) population.
SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT - (Skip to the end if you rather avoid this part)
The book didn't disappoint. It isn't your typical girl-meets-boy-and-falling-in-love story. For one, its lead characters are cancer kids, remission or otherwise. A story that starts off by telling you that everything is a side effect of dying, really does set the tone of the entire story. It doesn't have a happy ending. In fact, whether or not it's a happy ending depends on your perception of the book by the time you finish it. It's tragic but also very realistic (although a friend still protests the existence of Augustus Waters in real life) and peppered with humour. I especially liked how all the characters tend to poke fun at their disease or disability even if everyone else is cringing at how inappropriate the whole shenanigan was.
The settings were limited but rich in details. I don't think it ever occurred to me that Amsterdam could have been such an ideal setting for a romantic rendezvous besides being a stopover idyllic novelty (Holland is the only country that legalized prostitution and drugs) Western European country included in most tour packages. It's safe to say that The Fault in Our Stars has completely ruined Amsterdam for me.
The characters themselves also stick to you. Aside from the two main characters Hazel and Augustus, the book's supporting cast also blend in and stand out well on their own. They also have their own side stories that doesn't overwhelm the readers, but also add more layers to the main story itself. How Issac dealt with his blindness and ex-girlfriend Monica was a good subplot. My favourite scene was when Augustus had Issac pelt Monica's car with eggs. Peter van Houten's story was not uncommon but was one of the things the main characters bonded over. You can't tell me that you're not at least somewhat curious and tempted to read An Imperial Affliction by the end of the book.
END OF SPOILER
All in all, it was an enjoyable thought-provoking read. There was this internal turmoil when I finished the book and I only had the entire train ride to convey all my feels through texts to my friend in a very poor attempt to explain how significant those feelings were. I strongly encourage everyone to read it. It might not be everyone's cup of tea but there will be some parts of the story that would resonate with you.
In the words of Augustus Waters, you don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world, but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choice when I picked up this book. I hope you do too.
Alternatively, please sweep out the dust in your designated corner and prepare to rock you and your feelings to eternal damnation.
I kid.
It really isn't all that catastrophic. But you can't deny that the feelings you get by the end of the book doesn't sway you in some way. It's one of those books that wants you to understand the characters before you go about analyzing their feelings and bring out the big guns: the "how could you??", "why would you??" and whatnot.
Admittedly, The Fault in Our Stars was actually completely out of my radar until a close friend recommended the book earlier this year. Around the same time, news of its movie adaptation was released and suddenly my timeline was flooded with speculations about the cast, debates about how far the movie would stray from the book (my guess: at least 60%. Unless it's anything like The Perks of Being A Wallflower, in which case, 30%) etc. My interest in the book was perked (pun intended) but I was still feeling a bit wary. I had a similar experience with Cecelia Ahern's PS I Love You years back. Because so many people were telling me how good the book was, it became very much over-hyped and I felt quite let down by the time I finished it. So this time around, I stopped with the asking and stayed away from the general nerdfighter (NB: A word coined by the author John Green and his brother Hank) population.
SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT - (Skip to the end if you rather avoid this part)
The book didn't disappoint. It isn't your typical girl-meets-boy-and-falling-in-love story. For one, its lead characters are cancer kids, remission or otherwise. A story that starts off by telling you that everything is a side effect of dying, really does set the tone of the entire story. It doesn't have a happy ending. In fact, whether or not it's a happy ending depends on your perception of the book by the time you finish it. It's tragic but also very realistic (although a friend still protests the existence of Augustus Waters in real life) and peppered with humour. I especially liked how all the characters tend to poke fun at their disease or disability even if everyone else is cringing at how inappropriate the whole shenanigan was.
The settings were limited but rich in details. I don't think it ever occurred to me that Amsterdam could have been such an ideal setting for a romantic rendezvous besides being a stopover idyllic novelty (Holland is the only country that legalized prostitution and drugs) Western European country included in most tour packages. It's safe to say that The Fault in Our Stars has completely ruined Amsterdam for me.
The characters themselves also stick to you. Aside from the two main characters Hazel and Augustus, the book's supporting cast also blend in and stand out well on their own. They also have their own side stories that doesn't overwhelm the readers, but also add more layers to the main story itself. How Issac dealt with his blindness and ex-girlfriend Monica was a good subplot. My favourite scene was when Augustus had Issac pelt Monica's car with eggs. Peter van Houten's story was not uncommon but was one of the things the main characters bonded over. You can't tell me that you're not at least somewhat curious and tempted to read An Imperial Affliction by the end of the book.
END OF SPOILER
All in all, it was an enjoyable thought-provoking read. There was this internal turmoil when I finished the book and I only had the entire train ride to convey all my feels through texts to my friend in a very poor attempt to explain how significant those feelings were. I strongly encourage everyone to read it. It might not be everyone's cup of tea but there will be some parts of the story that would resonate with you.
In the words of Augustus Waters, you don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world, but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choice when I picked up this book. I hope you do too.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Castles in the Sky
Sometimes
I find myself staring into empty space
Where I imagined blue skies and green meadows
Where I wonder what sunshine would taste like
Where fluffy clouds would be my pillow
And the birds and breeze being my only companion
Sometimes
I find myself saying things
That never truly has any meanings
Till they were uttered out loud
And I wondered if it was my subconscious
Or my heart trying its best to be heard
Sometimes
I find myself dreaming
Of fantasies and make-believes
Of possibilities and chances
Of escaping to a place of rainbows and dewdrops
Just the two of us
Sometimes
Life is but a dream
Where the possibility of ever-after
Seems like reality
Within our grasp
So near yet so far
Written in a bout of melancholy. But still it remains one of my most favourite and best self-written poem. To me, it's one of those poems that gives you a different form of inspiration and feelings every time you read it. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did when I wrote it ^^
I find myself staring into empty space
Where I imagined blue skies and green meadows
Where I wonder what sunshine would taste like
Where fluffy clouds would be my pillow
And the birds and breeze being my only companion
Sometimes
I find myself saying things
That never truly has any meanings
Till they were uttered out loud
And I wondered if it was my subconscious
Or my heart trying its best to be heard
Sometimes
I find myself dreaming
Of fantasies and make-believes
Of possibilities and chances
Of escaping to a place of rainbows and dewdrops
Just the two of us
Sometimes
Life is but a dream
Where the possibility of ever-after
Seems like reality
Within our grasp
So near yet so far
- SK (2011) -
Written in a bout of melancholy. But still it remains one of my most favourite and best self-written poem. To me, it's one of those poems that gives you a different form of inspiration and feelings every time you read it. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did when I wrote it ^^
Thursday, May 19, 2011
The Click Five - Good as Gold
Currently, this is on repeat mode on my iPod. This is one of those songs that is perfect to listen to when you're on a road trip.
Lyrics are good. Philosophical in a sense. We should really grab and seize the chance when it's presented to us. I think that's why I love this song. A little meaningful poetry just waiting to invoke some sort of epiphany in people :)
In this world where we hide ourselves away behind super computers and bury our noses deep into studying, we might complain about how life is boring and how nothing ever comes along. I think we sometimes fail to realize that we are the cause of it. We are too safe in our comfort zones to really want to venture out of it despite our complaints. It's not the fear of unfamiliarity that holds us back. Rather, it's the fear of falling down hard on a misstep that incapacitate us from ever trying.
I aim to break free from those chains. Listen here (lyrics on screen). Now back toblowing my brains out studying :D
I aim to break free from those chains. Listen here (lyrics on screen). Now back to
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