Change

The sun shone brightly down on the kindergarten playground. Kids ranging from the age of three to five ran out into the playground, then, according to their age, grouped together to play. Their chattering sound soon grew so loud that they disrupted the peace of the nearby elderly home.

“Yu-kio-kun!” The sweet sound of the young girl rang in the fresh spring air as she skipped over to Akami Yukio, A wide smile extended on her face upon seeing him. The cool breeze mildly shook the Sakura tree branches, and the pink petals swayed down and rested on her hair. The young girl waved her tiny arm at Yukio, hoping to catch his attention. Her emerald eyes sparkled and her bright pink hair, the same shade of Sakura flowers, bounced to her pace.

Yukio replied with an icy glance. The young girl had learned to ignore the cold treatment, and pulled on his arm. She demanded, “Yukio-kun, let’s go and play with the others!” Giving his arm another tug, she pointed to where their classmates were gathering.

“No,” His voice firm and icy, Yukio gazed into the other direction, refusing to look into her large clear eyes. The young girl took both of his hands in hers, and stared into his icy blue eyes pleadingly. He turned away and looked into the empty sky, shaking her hands off and crossing his arms.

“Aww,” the young girl whined, “Come on Yukio-kun! Why not? I want to!” Her cheerful smile had flipped itself upside down and transformed into a malcontent frown. “I really want to see them play Beigoma!” She endeavored to pull him by the arm to where the other children were crowding. Boys and girls had already whipped out their individual spinning tops, and were comparing with each other. The traditional game, was, although old, extremely popular among all classes.

“Hikari, no.” Yukio’s tone softened but was firm. Hikari’s frown deepened upon hearing this. She looked at him pleadingly, widening those puppy dog eyes of hers. She cajoled him, pulling on his arm from time to time.

Hikari’s pleas grew and grew, as she was eager to watch the older children compete. Finally, after what seemed ages to her, Yukio reluctantly agreed. Frustration revealed itself in his eyes. I’m giving in to her again.

“Just this once,” he sighed and allowed himself to be pulled along. Hikari’s smile restored it’s normal position and glory. Beaming at Yukio, she exclaimed, “I knew Yukio would go with me!” Her mood had clearly taken a turn for the better. Again, Yukio sighed.

“Can you help me with my Japanese later?”

“……”

“Please?”

“Annoying girl. Fine.”

A blink of the eye and everything’s changed, seventeen year old Akami Yukio thought to himself. It seemed like the old kindergarten days, when he was just five years old. What used to be a juvenile toddler had transformed to a full-grown mature teenager during the years in between. His hair had grown, and his fringe shielded his cold, hostile eyes. His icy blue eyes sharpened under his straight, knife-like eyebrows. He wore a clean, white collared shirt, and navy blue trousers. On the shirt, the school symbol was embellished with threads of sapphire blue, white and gold. He still wore his white school shoes, and his toes were placed firmly on the ground. His black uniform jacket was placed on the top rail of his chair, the red armband pinned on the right sleeve. On the crimson armband, was stitched, ‘disciplinary committee’ in bright yellow.

He ruffled the back of his head with his hand. His messy raven-black hair stood up on both ends. He rested his icy blue eyes for a while. The autumn sun shone into the classroom, its warm rays brightening up the whole room. It seemed as if whatever the sun’s sparkling rays touched transformed into a shade of glittering gold. Yukio buried his head in his arms, resting his eyes for a while. The deserted university was silent, and no longer did rampaging students destroy the silent peace.

Yukio lifted his head and leaned back on his chair, gazing out the window. He used both index fingers to rub his temple, as to relax himself. He reread the textbook, and rearranged his scattered thoughts, confident that he could defeat the heavy textbook.

Suddenly, thought came to him and Yukio started scribbling furiously in his notebook. Soon, the originally white and black pages were filled, and black words were scattered over them.

Beep! Beep! Beep! His phone began to ring, as usual. Yukio took his sleek black phone out and switched off the alarm. Time to go. His lips were contoured into a small, but satisfied smile. Retrieving his textbook, he put his pens back into his deep azure pencil case. He tidied up his stuff and put them gently in his bag. Slinging the bag on one shoulder, he picked up his jacket and pushed the chair in. He then proceeded to change his shoes, as he was going out. He hummed a tune as he walked out of the university and to the nearby high school.

As expected, Mikari was waiting at the school gate faithfully. Her bright pink hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she had changed much from her four years old self. She had blossomed into a pretty teenager, and was wooed by many boys, Her cherry pink lips turned into a wide smile when she saw Yukio, and her large eyes sparkled like the nighttime stars. She wore the school uniform that much resembled a sailor suit. She waved at him, her sleek hand moving in the cool autumn air. The wind blew, and some crusty leaves fell to the ground, and on her hair. She wore a white blouse with a navy blue rectangular dickey. Her skirt was the same shade of navy blue, with a white stripe at the hems that were above her knees. It was getting cold, and in lieu of her low socks, on her slender legs were long white socks, with a dark blue stripe on the top. On her feet were her black Keds.

“You seem to be in a good mood today, Yukio-kun!” She grinned, noticing the smile on Yukio’s face. The setting sun displayed its last and full glory, and Mikari’s white complexion turned beige.

Yukio extended his smile and put his jacket on her shoulders. Mikari’s emerald eyes sparkled brighter at his actions and her smile widened to both ends of her cheeks.

“Yukio, my classmates were thinking of going to watch The Exorcist. Can you come to watch with us?” Mikari looked deep into Yukio’s eyes and asked,

“No.” Knowing that he was going to crumble and give in, Yukio looked away and declined.

“Come on~ I want to watch it!!” Mikari pleaded and begged. It was just like old times.

Soon, Mikari succeeded in cajoling Yukio to come watch the movie with her classmates and her, She smiled again, saying “I knew Yukio would agree!”

Maybe not much changed after all, Yukio thought to himself, I’m glad that most things are still the same. But I am very happy that something changed. Then, he leant forward and kissed Mikari.

The Monkey King

The monkey king is the main character in the story called ‘Journey to the West.’ In this story, a monkey, pig, monk and a master are going to the west to meet the Buddha by foot. The monkey is the Monkey King. He was the one who defeated the sky, rumbled the ground five hundred years ago. He is at a really high level of marital arts and kung fu. Not only kung fu, but also chi magic, or the force. The monkey king always aims for the higher.

The monkey king has and aim for learning at a higher stage. He learns with his master and practices everyday. He learns lots of languages and religions. The monkey goes into any fight or challenge he could get in. He has learned so long, but one day he decided to show off. His master had forbidden him for doing that. The monkey learned seventy tricks of chi magic. He then decided to return to his home and become a teacher to teach his kids, or monkeys.

The monkey king then decided to get a weapon. He went all the way down deep into the sea to meet the dragon kings. The kings told him that he can take any weapon he wants as long as he likes it. The monkey tried the spear, club, blades, anything there was. Nothing was the size for the monkey king. Nothing was strong enough for him to use. Then, one of the servants came up with an idea. He said that there is a strong fat and solid pole that is so strong, no one could have taken it off the ground. Despite the size of the weapon, it was impossible for someone to lift it. The monkey then went into thinking. He used his magic and turned the pole into a small stick. The stick was made of solid metal. It was so strong that it can take down thousands of people with just that one slash around the field. The monkey decided to use this weapon. The dragon kings were fooled, and the monkey was the perfect match with this weapon. The monkey king continued to practice his weapon everyday and taught his monkeys.

The monkey king worked very hard in his life. He only tried to aim for the higher with no rest. The perfect gift to him was his belief in himself which caused him to succeed. He was scared of enemies, but he defeated them. I conclude that the monkey king always aims for the higher.

Utilitarianism and Mignonette Disaster

A ship called Mignonette was lost in the sea. The crews had nothing to drink and eat. So they killed a sick boy and survived this way. Later, the British court decided that they were guilty of murder. Yet, according to utilitarianism there would be exceptions in which it is fine to kill people if necessary. Accordingly, the crew would not be guilty.

The first reason for their innocence, is that the laws of utilitarianism says that the benefit of the majority is more important than the minority. In this case, killing that boy allowed more people to survive. This by itself would be sufficient to satisfy this law. But, even if that is unappealing, the boy was sick and would have died anyway. Therefore, there was nothing wrong with killing and eating the boy, who was bound to die from sickness, in order to save the rest.

Secondly, people eat other organisms in order to survive. It is accepted to eat other animals’ meat, but not accepted to eat humans’ flesh. Why? Well, this is primarily, I think, because we do not want to harm our own species. But, in some extreme cases, this one for example, to not eat people will bring harm to the majority. It is, therefore, reasonable to eat people in some instances. In other words, when eating people is the only way to bring benefit to the majority, it should be accepted.

Finally, if the crew did not eat the boy, no one would have survived through this ordeal. Again, the boy was going to die – his end was certain. There was no different outcome for the young boy. Yet, for the rest of the crew, the end would have been different based on this one decision: to kill and eat the boy brought life, to not kill and eat the boy would have brought a certain death. Again, because the good – life for the many – outweighs the bad – death of a boy who was certain to die – killing the boy was right according to the laws of utilitarianism.

In my opinion, the crew should not have been found guilty, because they were in fact not guilty. I think the British court punished innocent people in this case.

The Vampire’s Curse

He walked down the hallway, his footsteps against the granite-paved floor were loud and clear. She cowered in the pitch-black corner, kneeling on her knees, shivering as he came near. Her white, bony hands tightly clasping the rag doll beside her. As he approached, she thought about suddenly running past him, and escaping the terrifying castle. Convincing herself that it was a much better idea than sitting here, hoping to go unnoticed, she stood up, and charged right past him. Her dusky amber eyes widened, as she was only to be caught and lifted high by her collar.

Angry that she would even think of escaping, he asked coldly, “You think you can run?” His icy blue eyes were stone cold, but yet if you stared hard enough, you would see scraps of love.

She whimpered and struggled, hoping to break free from his grasp. He lifted her nearer to his face. His eye caught hold of the two miniature holes in her neck. She swung her pale arms wildly at him, her sharp nails scratching his handsome face. This only agitated him further – the fire of blood lust, powered by anger, in him growing. He tightened his hold on her, leaning in. He then sunk his snake-like teeth into her neck, her eyes widening much more, and the taste of her sweet, scrumptious blood ran over his taste buds. To her, the few seconds he took having his meal seemed like a thousand years. Halfway through, her eyelids sank down, covering her forlorn expression.

He carried her to the bed, carefully placing her down, her body sinking into the soft bed, He lay next to her, reminiscing about the past, pondering if his choice was wrong, his eyes never leaving her.

They were once a happy couple. To them, it seemed like nothing was missing, as long as they had each other. He was always the cold one, his icy eyes as sharp as knifes. Nothing much had changed physically for him, his youth still preserved. She, on the other hand, had aged much, even though only a few years had passed. Her eyes, that used to hold passion, now only held lethargy and fear. Her limbs grew skinnier than ever, her skin a shake of chalky white. What used to be a healthy young woman had now become a devastated, broken doll.

Still, when he looked at her he could still see the old her, her scarlet hair bouncing in the wind, as she ran towards him, her slender limbs in the air, waving towards him, her smooth, bright skin, full with life. She murmured his name in his sleep, turning around to face him. She smiled in her sleep, the same smile that she had flashed to him a few years ago, a smile of hope. Her expression brought him back, back to the miserable choice he made.

He was attacked, attacked by a vampire. Before the attack, the thought of blood-sucking creatures had never crossed his mind. He came back to their cozy home, one late night. The full bright moon covered by the menacing tree-branches. His clothes were torn, his bleeding scars evident against his ivory white skin. He crashed at the door, bringing down the door as he fell to the ground. She had been waiting for him all night, and upon seeing him so hurt she rushed to his aid, cleaning his wounds and half-carried, half-dragged his body onto the sofa.

He soon recovered physically, but he had not recovered from the fact that he had been turned into a vampire. He asked her to leave him, in fear of the curse. She smiled and told him firmly that they would overcome it together. They soon moved to the cold, abandoned castle, as he was ostracized from the society.

Their first year there was no different from their normal days, but rather he started to work as a body-guard, his new form defending him from all hurt. He became stronger, not to mention much more dangerous. After a year, he started to change mentally. He became seemingly cold, unfeeling, and harmful. His lust for blood only powered his cruelty. He started to torture her slowly, and soon she, too, started to grow terrified of him.

He then thought of all the opportunities she could have had if she wasn’t with him. She could be happy, maybe have a kid of her own with a respectable person that loved her willingly. The thought and regret only filled his mind with pain. He shouted out, unable to take the piercing pain in his mind. In the midst of his anger and torture, he strangled her in her sleep, finally ending her pain. He thought he didn’t deserve her, when she thought the exact opposite.

He buried his head in his heads after the deed was done, and ultimately took his life, for the vampire’s curse, was the inability to love anybody.

Engrade Problems

Engrade is a school website that many schools still use today. I go to a school called the SMIC school. This website is really important. It has the ability to allow you to check all your homework that is supposed to be turned in. Also, you can send messages around freely. In my school, we have a big problem with this site. The site is supposed to ask questions based on homework, but people all chat on it as if it is Facebook. This is a big problem for people posting random stuff on the discussion boards. Students should post only questions or answers that has to do with the topic..

There are many examples of making the teacher mad. Someone posted the word “Yeah Falcon Punch.” After that was on, people were all copying that person. They then started carrying it farther, and they discussed about “Falcon Punch” and a bunch of randomness. Another example of how conflicts starts is by a random question that is off topic. The homework was about a creative essay, somebody asked a question about fruits and bananas. Many students then got involved with the conflict. Fights and argues also occurred on one single question. This gets all the students off topic. Then, everyone goes off into conversations.

Many students do not finish their homework. Some students get so involved in some conflicts because of bad words and things, that they do not even do homework. Students get punished by the teacher the day after. Why have many students got mad at others on Engrade? This is because, students chat about something bad. The bad things come up with one single punishment. Besides this, people also chat about stupid or disgusting stuff. These bad stuff turns Engrade from good to bad. This is a bad thing why students say random stuff.

Some students now understand that posting on Engrade is not good and not nice. They can involve many conflicts and bring madness to the world. The new problem about Engrade that is not yet solved is that some people on Engrade are still posting random topics. These topic leads to not good discussions. I conclude that students should post only questions or answers that has to do with the topic.

Believe

He stood on the ledge, cape billowing in the wind. Red lights blinked behind him, cold florescent lights flickering upon the top of the only stairway to the world below. He pulled down the visor, looked out onto the world that was about to be astounded by his amazing feat. A world of orange and red, of swirling colors and concrete buildings. Cars swerved as people led on with their average everyday lives, unaware of the truth that he was about to bring to them. Looking down, vertigo struck as rows and rows of pale glass looked back at him from the world’s greatest slide. It went down onto the street, where ants and people alike walked in circles and confusing patterns, all of them following another into infinity.

Nobody looked up at him; they only looked down upon their own world, their own creation. They only viewed the shallow gutters and cold stone pavement, seeing it as a symbol of their own power. Traffic lights flashed blurs of red, green, and yellow, and most moved in motion. An elderly woman, a businessman, and a young child all simultaneously rushed across the street, together but yet far apart. It was not their turn, but yet the world seemed to stop at their feet. Cars braked, people shouted and screamed, but yet they allowed their passage.

He shall bring the truth to them, he thought. Without regret, he jumped off his perch upon the tower. He dived towards the ground. He pulled out his wings, hoping to soar as all man had once dreamed. He felt himself suddenly pushed upwards by a speculative wind. He glided, and shouted out to the world the truth that he had waited so long to reveal. Like a stone in water, he fell. Realizing the futility of his actions, he closed his eyes and took out of his pocket a small note. He tossed it into the air, flipping around as he did, so that he would look upon the sky. Glittering with the light of a billion stars, he welcomed its embrace as he exploded upon impact with the ground. A few streets away, a young child suckled greedily upon a lollipop. The note, blown by the wind, was found to be stuck upon it. Curious, he opened the note. After reading its contents, he ran home with a sparkle in his eye and started preparing.

The Hotel in Maui

I went to Hawaii and visited for five days in Grand Wailea, a five star hotel in Kahului on the island of Maui. Comparing it to my house is like comparing a palace to a farmhouse – the farmhouse would be my house! I would choose to live in this hotel rather than in Beijing. Palm trees grew all over the place, restaurants were in dojos – and on islands – even the movies were provided to us with popcorn without an extra charge! The only thing I would say to this hotel is ‘I love you’! I really wished to live there alone, swimming in the pools, and enjoying the sunshine on the beach.

At my house, my family was very annoying and had always disturbed me with things that weren’t requisite. The three main elements of nature were not as good as the sun, the earth, and the water over there in Hawaii where you can even see a shield volcano erupting as the lava float out from the vent. Instead of leaves on the palms waving as the history of Maui continued, the traffics out there came roaring down the street, complaining about the economy. The streets were dirty in China too, and on the other hand, in Grand Wailea nothing can stop me from staring at the roads.

The bed and the services were fantastic too. The flowers and the greeting gave me a great feeling after my adventurous day. If my had a rough day, the workers’ ‘aloha’ and their smile of sunshine would warm my heart; unlike the Singapore Gardens (where I live), the families always added pressure as if they wanted me to suffer more. My sister was born, so I had to sleep with my mother; my dad slept on the ground. In the advanced hotel, the bed was bigger than ours so my dad could fit, and didn’t have to sleep on a thin mattress on the floor.  Because of this, my grandmother went on and on about how I should sleep on the ground!

The whole building had its cons too. Because the pools were fun, the dinners were grand, and the decorations were splendid, I tried reminding myself that I needed to focus on my work, but I ended up playing the whole time – not really a negative for the place, but a personal negative. You see, while in China, I can more easily discover what my goals are, but with the cries that echoed in our house, I think that it is also impossible for me to reach that goal. The cicadas sounded much louder and charming near my home which puts me to a nice steady sleep. After I turned all the lights off and before I go to sleep with the harmonies of insects, the moon lit up the living room that made me suspicious about someone broke in and I didn’t notice.

The pros and the cons are listed out for me to compared between the two living places, and I genuinely would choose to be a permanent resident for the rest of life if possible. I strongly recommend everyone to spend their holiday over Grand Wailea’s place if they are ever in Maui. I am very excited to come back in anytime since it reminded me of Australia too.

Why Run?

Do you know the feeling of betrayed by your beloved one? Do you ever want to face it? I bet most of the you will tried to run away or just don’t want to face it. Not just about love, most of the time people will tried to run away from some “unexpected” situation.

Let’s say it in this way, one morning, your friend told you that there might be a pop quiz in history class. But you didn’t study last night, so what do you do? What will you do to keep your grade up? At this moment you might want to run away or skip class. But, why run? Will running away solve the problem? No. So running away is not a good solution to solve this problem.

Let us say it this way, let’s say that running away is an act that doesn’t need to be physically acted out; you can escape in your mind as well. Sometime when you are chatting to someone, that ‘someone’ can come up with a topic what you never want to talk about it. Your first reaction might be to ‘run away’  emotionally  not physically. This may appear in that you attempt to shift the topic to something else.  But, again, ‘why run?’  Will running away make that ‘someone’ forget that topic that you don’t want to be remember? No. They never will, and neither will you. So why not just face it?

Another example, what is the first reaction of seeing someone who may have tried to kill you? The reaction will be: run away. But will running away make that person want to kill you less? Probably not. See, running away is cause by a mental fear that is generated in your mind. In order to get rid of it, you must face it. Why? Because running away is no longer the default choice, but a stronger, more certain choice lies in facing those fears and their consequences.

Essence of Guilt: Chapter One, Choice

“Wait! No, no, no! Dust it this way…”

“Master Choice, get off! This is the House of Choice, don’t I get to choose what I want…”

“…Oh!”

The two people tumbling about in a corner glanced up as the common room door was threw open. A hassled looking girl of about sixteen stood at the doorway, her dazzling purple eyes narrowed in suspicion. Her hair was thrown carelessly against her back, a black cascade of glimmers.

“…ah. Master Choice. Servant. Out.” The butler jerked a finger outside. “The visitors and patients are coming tomorrow. Do not disappoint. Aratis is already waiting for you; don’t make him wait any longer. And Ennyl is as well.”

The twenty or so figure, who was addressed as Master Choice, straightened up. “You best leave, Nasu,” he whispered as he removed his hand from the feather duster she was holding. His hair was covered with feathers, messy and dusty. But the blonde still shone through, going perfectly well with his emerald green eyes.

Nasu, a little brunette with a rounded face, smiled faintly, but she removed it once she saw the gaze of her master. Her pale white skin made her blush stand out as she hurried out, past the lady in the doorway.

“Master.” The girl bowed.

Choice glanced at his butler carelessly. “Have you finished the statue, Anirr Seattle?”

Anirr Seattle scowled at him. “It’s Seattle.”

“But that makes you sound like a city.”

“I don’t care. It was my father and mother’s place of marriage, the sea…” Seattle cut herself off as her tone rose up, threatening anger. “Yes, sir. It should be finished tonight if the servants and my brother are finished.”

“Excellent, excellent…now, Seattle…I want to have a talk with you.”

Choice waved a hand at her, and then at an empty seat. Ah, there are too many beauties in this world. Especially young Anirr Seattle.

She sat, and waited.

“Now, Seattle…has the problem arisen? The patients mustn’t know about the Four Houses, and the elves and fairies that live here, no?” Choice indicated the sharp points of his ears.

Anirr Seattle tapped her fingers against the hard wood of the desk that was near her. “Yes, sire. But the main solution is to wear hats, and with the mentally disorientated and retarded people, they may try to grab them…” She frowned, her mind apparently going a trillion miles a mile by her expression.

Choice tried not to laugh, but then fell silent for a while, staring at his butler.

“Sire?”

“Sire?”

“…eh?”

She slammed her head against the desk. “Pay attention, sir! You really need a fish or a bird. You’re such a good worm, I don’t doubt millions of them would want you. Then you could pay attention.”

“A-a-are you…wh-what are you implying, you shameless leech?” Choice’s eyes grew wide as his face slowly turned red.

Seattle sighed, disgusted. “Whatever, sire! I’ll find a way. No worries, but seriously, go find bait for your looks and love and heart. Ha. Ha.”

“Seattle, has the fact ever come to you that no one understands what you say?”

“Dammit, sir, shut up. I already know that no one understands me, and I don’t cuh-are,” she retorted as soon as he finished his question. “I had better go back to the statue, anyway. No telling if one of the servants has messed up.” She brushed off her candy-coated gloves on her apron, and curtsied lightly. Choice tried not to stare at the edges of her dress…they just seemed…so fluffy. And soft.

Choice…why are you so obsessed with Seattle these days? He thought.

And she walked away, the edges of her boots tapping against the silken carpet.

The Beginning Steps

From my recent attempts at unlocking the mysteries of the intangible, I realized that faith is crucial to seeing beyond that which can be seen. The problem is that we are an extremely materialistic society – we love that which is tangible and can be logically reasoned.

That is perhaps why we have a seemingly ingrained attraction to the scientific theories of our existence. For most of us that believe and used to believe in these theories, it seems that few have actually sought to test them. The rest of us just believed in it simply because it was there. It was something that was created by man, and could be observed through the senses.

Take imagination as an example as to how much we like the tangible items of our universe. Imagination is simply the manipulation of mental images that had previously been created through sense perception, but yet we still ridicule it as if it didn’t exist. All the things or thoughts that we imagine must have had some kind of source or occurrence within our lives, but to us, we feel like it had been pulled out of the vacuum of space.

Imagine how we would take to a being that wasn’t at all, in our minds, perceivable. We cannot at all imagine its figure, for it has none that we can hope to observe, even if we were ‘right next to it’. God is such a being. We cannot see him, we cannot smell him, we cannot feel him, we cannot taste him, we cannot establish a mental image of him. But does that mean that he does not exist? This is where I am stuck, at faith. The well-studied and diligent persons of our race have been able (to my knowledge) to logically deduce its existence. But is that all? Is the cup half-full or is it half-empty? Have we reached all that we desire to reach, or have we lost what we used to have?

I am stuck within a dilemma. Imagine you are the captain of a ship, sailing into unknown waters. Your country’s finest map-makers have logically reasoned out a map of the waters, but there is much still unknown. Then, a stranger hands you a chart of the waters ahead. You have the choice of following your own maps, which, though desperately unfinished, are completely accurate as to what they say, or follow the new found map, which, if incorrect, may lead you into a watery grave. To believe in the new map would be to have faith in the revelations that God has given us, through his scriptures or otherwise. But though it may actually be that there is no harm in having faith, it seems like a murky and dangerous area to tread into. Almost as if through a wrong step you might fall into an untimely doom. But alas, the treasure is worth having. Knowledge lies at the end of the hallway, but would you take the first and perhaps last step?