Fortress Refuge

30Words (Part II)

2009-02-20T20:34:00.001-08:00

Whizz – whizz – whizz, he produced a silk handkerchief from his right pocket and dried his sweats beading down his forehead. He felt that everyone was staring at him as he sped down the vast foyer, but he kept his focus solely on the elevator doors at the end of the hall.

He had never been so excited in his life; he could hardly believe it himself.

The elevator doors spun opened as if on cue when he drew near to the elevator. He halted for a moment, catching his breathe, whizz – whizz – whizz; tentatively, he crossed the threshold and the doors closed behind him. The digital device indicated “G” and started replacing itself with “LG” – “U1” – “U2” and stopped at “SS2”. With a soft “ping”, the elevator doors opened to a familiar dank smell, the smell of mildew. In front of him lied a labyrinth of dimly lit corridors, without hesitation, he sped brashly down the precipitous slope ahead of him.

A few minutes in the never-ending maze of corridors, and he found himself in front of a colossal glass door. Ritualistically, he removed all metallic items from his body and placed it safely in a wicker basket, without much thought, he sped through the door metal detector but was stopped shortly when the alarm went off.

Confused, his eyes dashed around in search of metallic item on his body where they finally rested on the wheelchair he was sitting on.

He was back in Plaza Mayor in Madrid with his girlfriend. He was so much younger then, so much more handsome, and so much happier. They were just taking a stroll in a typical sunny day. She was laughing again at one of his goofy jokes; all he could manage was just a smile. He slowed his pace and let her walked on her own in front of him; he loved to do that. He loved to walk behind her, he loved to see the way she walked, the way her hair swirled in the crisp winter wind, the way she would soon noticed that he was gone and turned around to look for him, her concerned green eyes, and the way she smiled when she finally saw him, just a few feet behind her. She asked him:” ¿Por qué?”, he replied her with a smile:”Nada”. As always, she would tilt her head a little and said:”Te amo, I love you”.

He opened his mouth to speak but the car parked beside her exploded. He saw her chestnut skin being blown away; the last thing he heard was someone yelling:”Terrorista!”

He was reeled back into his wheelchair by the door metal detector’s alarm. He reversed his wheelchair and changed into a pair of wooden clutches.

In the room, he helped himself to the switches and flicked them on. Everything in the room was made of plastic; at the far end of the room lays dozens of cages with human looking creatures inside. The creatures were humans without limbs, squirming around in their cages; a skinless human was held behind bars near the cages, he looked like a snake which had just shed its skin. In a large glass container on the far left of the room were a dozen of pale-looking zombies, milling around the glass container aimlessly; their skin were speckled with warts. He stood in front of these creatures and stared at them in quiet admiration, he looked away only when the phone on his desk started ringing.

Limping quickly towards the phone, he felt his adrenaline rush now, Whizz – whizz – whizz – his breathing became more rapid.

He answered the call and heard a cold voice saying:”You shall proceed with your experiment, Mr. Davidson.”

He hung up, his breathing became more labored. Whizz – he trudged towards the lever on the far right of the room – whizz – whizz – he placed his hand on the lever – whizz – whizz – whizz –he took a deep breathe.

He pulled the lever down.

He was sure that the world is going to change soon.

30 Words (Part I)

2009-02-15T21:40:00.000-08:00

The sun had almost sunk behind the thick forest and dusk painted the sky pink and purple, dappled sunlight flickering through the leaves and casting on the mossy floor a mosaic of light and shadow. The light of the setting sun amplified the beauty of this secluded forest, casting a veil of mystery over it; however, a few miles deeper into the forest lies an alien structure, well, at least alien to the forest.

Mr. Reich of the Furhrer Corporation had recently bought a swathe of land in the forest and constructed a laboratory. It looked more like a medieval fortress than a 21st century state-of-the-art facility; heavily fortified with concrete fencing and unforgiving guards that would shoot you without hesitation.

Though, the interior of the facility showed no hints of the hostility outside.

Behind the space-age pneumatic double-doors was an entirely different scene. White marbles floor sprawled out in all directions to walls adorned with vivid frescoes. A colossal chandelier hung over head, illuminating the room with blinding white light, giving everything in the room a surrealistic character, almost like heaven. Beyond, a gigantic plasma television hung high above in stark contrast with the baroque embellishment of the foyer, under it stood a few lifts flanked with alabaster sculptures of Newton himself.

The hall was filled with people in white smocks ambling about the hall impervious to the grandeur of the foyer. Suddenly, an elderly man in a wheelchair wheeled through the foyer briskly towards the elevator at the end of the hall. All eyes turned to him, and instinctively followed him to the elevator. As if on cue, the elevator doors spun open to let him in. As the elevator doors closed behind him, the silence in the foyer was broken by muffled whispers.

Everyone was sure that the world is going to change tonight.

-TO BE CONTINUED-

Word Power

2009-02-15T09:10:00.000-08:00

I had been thinking a lot lately; the english vocabulary is hugh, moreover it is growing everyday!

This question came to mind recently; how could I ever learn every single word in English? The answer is impossible. Well, being impossible doesn't mean that I won't try to learn as much as possible. Therefore, I came up with this idea of learning ten english words a day.

Statistically, it would be 70 words a week, and approximately 280 words a month. Do the calculation yourself.

After a few days trying, I realized that learning words individually is very inefficient. Humans tend to forget things, especially things that are unrelated (I wouldn't want to go into discussing science with you now), to make it simple, we learn things better if we could relate something with something else. As a result, I started picking 10 words from a story book everyday; look the meaning up in the dictionary and started using that 10 words to write a story, hence connecting them.

I chose 30 english words few hours ago and started writing on my laptop, it turned out (personal opinion) quite well. A bit of proofreading and it will be ready for my blog.

So, do drop by tonight, 11.00p.m.. The story will be divided into a few parts. Comments are most welcome, and are useful for future writing.

IUDS (Ipoh-To-Uni-Daydream-Syndrome)

2009-02-02T06:44:00.000-08:00

Change of environment have hugh impact on me.

It makes me think too much;
It makes me confused;
It makes me waste my time daydreaming.

I would spend hours doing nothing, dazed, like I had just been through a major breakup and was left alone in my room to pick up the pieces all by myself. Fortunately, it doesn't last long. It wears off in just a couple of days.

I personally name it "Ipoh-to-University-daydream syndrome", IUDS for short.

The odd thing is, whenever I am suffering from IUDS, I am always inspired to write something, or do something crazy. Below is the fruit of my IUDS:

Forgotten
Everything I do, Forgotten
Everything I do IS Forgotten
Everything I do, will do Forgotten

Everything I did, Forgotten
Everything I did WAS Forgotten
Everything I did, would've been done Forgotten

Forgotten, always Forgotten

By: Cheang Kin Wai

Iris of Nostalgia

2009-01-15T05:47:00.000-08:00

A muffled, familiar tone was playing in the distance over and over again.

As if instinct, I stretched my hand towards the pile of dirty clothes, as if a desperate predator searching for its prey. Underneath the layers of filthy clothes, I felt my cellphone. Like a prize, I took it to my face and squinted my eyes to see the time.

5:31am was on the screen. The blue light emanating from the screen of my phone gave the room an eerie aura.

I clambered off my bed and trod to the toilet with my toothbrush. Everything seem like a dream still, as if someone had placed a blotting paper in front of my eyes, making everything I see, unclear and blurry. I hate this feeling. Morning blues I assumed.

In the toilet, I saw someone familiar staring back at me. I stopped and contemplated the pasty figure.
I really hated him. Looking at him makes me feel like as if I were looking at myself, mimicking my every move.

I blink my eyes; He blinks his eyes.
I lift my left hand; He lifts his right hand.
I slap myself with my right hand; He slaps himself with his left hand.

Fed up, I started brushing my teeth ignoring the fact that he was doing the same thing in front of me.

When I was done brushing, I scampered out of the bathroom. I Looked behind me for any signs of the mime. He will be gone until I return to the toilet tomorrow morning. I really hated my college's toilet.

(Walked to my room)

I produced a key and unlocked my room's door. The sound of my keys made one of my roommates stirred in his bed. Silently, I shut the door. The alarm clock on the table designated 5:45am. I thought to myself, still early.

I flopped onto the plastic chair in front of my study desk.

I was in a car. I looked out of the window, it was dark. Everything outside tore by in a blur as the car sped ahead. With a cursory glance, I saw the speedometer indicating, 100km/hr. Shifting my attention out the window again, I saw a green board rising from the horizon. The words written on the board looked like gibberish initially, but later it became clear; and on it were a few simple words. Klang 13km. Tentatively, I turned my head toward the driver's seat, my eyes pin-pointed on the face of the driver reflected off the rear mirror of the car, I saw...

I was reeled back in front of my study desk by the vibration of my cellphone. I flipped opened my cell and half expected Sarah's message. I opened the message:

Sarah Ho
15-Jan-2009 5:56 am
Hi. Comin now.

I slipped my phone in my pocket and headed downstairs. As I walked in the morning breeze, the Imams shouted their prayers towards the heaven. Their amplified voice reverberated across the entire campus. I bowed my head to look at the book I clutched in my hands as I walked out the gates of my college, as if paying a solemn respect for the efforts that the Imams have made that their God may hear their prayers.

Walking with confident up Sarah's car, we headed for my church's morning prayer. A different kind of prayer to a God who is benevolent, omnipotent and omnipresent.

*The End*

Well, I have to admit that I am currently a bit emo. I thought back of a song which reminds me of a lot of things. Well, you might say, not the best memories lah... I will share the lyrics with you guys.

Goo Goo Dolls - Iris
And I'd give up forever to touch you,
cause I know that you feel me somehow,
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be,
And I don't want to go home right now,

And all I can taste is this moment,
And all I can breathe is your life,
Cause sooner or later it's over,
I just don't wanna miss you tonight,

And I don't want the world to see me,
Cause I don't think that they'll understand,
Where everything's meant to be broken,
I just want you to know who I am.

Metaphor

2009-01-09T06:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday stopped at the traffic light.

As it sat, Today tore by in front of it,
At a life-threatening speed.

And Tomorrow turned the corner, following
Slowly behind Today. It would reach its
Destination all too soon for anyone's liking.

Yesterday sat, its engine idling slower slower.
The light, never to be green again,
Stared at Yesterday with a baleful
Red eye.

What an amazing metaphor Cindy Booth had given Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.

I Know Where Yesterday Has Gone by Cindy Booth.
Comtemplate this...

Ice-Cold; Hot-Spots

2009-01-04T22:15:00.000-08:00

When I first went back to my college, I heard my friends commenting on the University's Upgraded wireless, Aruba if I were not mistaken. They were telling me that the connection was fantastic, and one of my friend even told me that he had supposedly downloaded "Spiderman" in less than 3 hours, I was skeptical at first.

Immediately, I rushed back to my room, turned on my friend's laptop, and streamed videos on Youtube. Surprisingly, the legendary connection speed wasn't a fable afterall. I didn't even need to pause when I watched the video, it played smoothly to the end. No buffering, no nothing. I was overjoyed.

Unfortunately, things changed when I went back to my college after the holidays. The wireless connection was bad as ever, maybe even worse compared to the previous semester. I couldn't log onto anything at all. My facebook, hotmail, even Google took forever to load. I am starting to wonder what was the upgrade about if the connection was as sucky as ever.

Writing this blog in the faculty's computer lab makes me feel uncomfortable. Well, maybe it is a good way to keep my blog short and straight to the point.

Post more updates next time.

An Odd Christmas

2008-12-29T05:15:00.000-08:00

I have never celebrated Christmas in my life, no presents, no wishes, no feast and do not even mention turkey.

I woke up late at Christmas morning and did not plan to go anywhere for the rest of the day. I later found out that my College is not providing lunch for us because of the Christmas Holidays, so I had decided to go out to grab some food. I met two of my friends from College on the way out and we ended up in Low Yat.

At first, I thought of having lunch in Time Square, but they refused. They told me it was too expensive and we ended up eating in a rundown place which reminded me of the Ocean Belakang in Ipoh. I couldn't understand what my friends were thinking, they told me they enjoy themselves in places like this. Immediately I looked around and spotted a prostitute at the corner of the shop, I started to wonder what were they implying.

To move on, we took the Putra LRT to Pasar Seni after lunch and they brought me to the best bargain shop in the city. the things in the shop were so cheap, you wouldn't believe you eyes. Nothing was above RM10. When my friends noticed that I was stunted, he turned to me and said: "This is MY TURF." [Ngo geh dei tao, in Cantonese]. In my mind, I was thinking that they are even better at skimping than one of my friend in Ipoh. *Salutations*

At night, one of my friends invited me for a Christmas dinner in one of his friend's house near the Old Klang Road. I didn't want to go at first, but I went anyways. When he first mentioned Christmas dinner, I was expecting it to be held in a giant bungalow like those seen in the movies and when we rang the bell, a freakishly overjoyed lady would usher us into her impeccable home decorated with Christmas lights and mistletoe, and an infamous Christmas Carol would be playing down the hallway as she wishes us a Merry Christmas.

Instead, we parked our car along an abandoned shop lot. There weren't any bungalows, there weren't any Christmas Carols nor there were any Christmas lights along the streets save for the flickering street lamp few blocks away. The streets were 'littered' with foreign labourers staring at us as if we were preys they can pounce on. Quickly, we walked up the dimly lit stairway and after a few sharp turns, we arrived.

A dark skinned lady opened the door and wished us Selamat Hari Natal, we shake hands the "Malay" style and sat down, it was very odd for me. It was a very small apartment and we had to sit on the floor to eat. It wasn't even decorated, but everyone seemed very happy. Not only that, everyone conversed in Bahasa Dusun, so I just sat and listened.

The dinner was great, the host served us Sabahan food and I even drank their homemade rice wine. I was a whole new experience and I did enjoy myself that night.

This weird encounter reminded me of how lucky I am. I could get almost whatever I want to. Say, I want a computer; I ask Dad. Say, I want an iPod; I ask Dad. Say, I want to drive to KL; I ask Dad. I get almost all that I want but yet I complain so much.

This family lived on underpaid salary, yet they do not complain as much as I do. Going out with this friend of mine this Christmas had been a revelation to me. We tend to see things that are only around us, and we think that everyone thinks the same way as we do, but the truth is far from what we think is true.

Seriously, we are all so blessed. (This sounds awfully like a Thanksgiving piece of Essay, but what the heck!)