my love has unveiled.....

reading and writing are the best things in life for me. i do not know whether i am good at these things (do i have to be?) but i have the best of time doing these. i have been writing since i was about 10 (fiction). i only got into reading in secondary school ( J K Rowling's Harry Potter series do not count) after reading Matilda by Roald Dahl. that was the book that got me going.

i have travelled a lot in books. first i walked into the made-up world of Roald Dahl where Giants invaded the streets at midnight and there was a factory too cool to be described. slowly i ran into Kabul where Khaled Hosseini managed to get me hooked with the stunning storyline and plot. then i flew over, to india. Arundhathi Roy, Aravind Adiga, and Jhumpa Lahiri changed my idea of writing totally. the literary works with stunning prose and beautiful words had me dazzled off my feet. then came Malaysia, Preeta Samarasan had me on my knees worshiping her for the stunning debut, Evening is the Whole day. familiar scenes from malaysian life planted into her novel made me laugh like a made fool and cry like a baby. Jodi Picoult slowly transported me to America where i found out literary works can be contemporary.

all these are just a few examples of authors whom i love dearly. there are tens of others whom i did not state here who have influenced my reading style. now, i am hooked on Charles Dickens and Roald Dahl. who will be next? i don't know. i just keep going without a narrowed down list or genre, i discover authors almost every single week. reading these magnificent novels and writings, made me want to create pieces which are just as good. (whether i succeed in doing it or not is a totally different question all it's own).

nowadays, i love writing. short fiction are my favourite, i recently wrote one for MPH competition. writing the story, i realised that i wrote it because i loved doing it. (of course, i only realised it at the end, too late to change anything) creating characters, placing them in difficult situations, stepping into their shoes and seeing it from their point of view. i just loved it a lot. no words can truly describe the love i have for writing.

sure, i might not be the next Khaleed Hosseini or Aravind Adiga, but i will keep on writing. who knows i might actually improve in this craft that i love so much. now, you play the part. i really do need constructive criticism. i don't need people to fake OMG's or WOW. i want you guys to help me point out the flaws in my stories, so that these flaws would not follow up in my upcoming stories. be genuine, if you hated it, just say so. if you liked it, just say so. i want to get better and for that to happen i need people to point out the mistakes i am making. (don't be too harsh, though)

well, thats all i have to say. the choice is in your hands. leaving you to ponder on that, i end this very close to heart post.

HAPPY (belated) BIRTHDAY....!!!!!!

i would like to dedicate this post to my amazing friend, ANDREW. he just turned 15 yesterday. he is the greatest guy one could ever meet. he is the best. very open minded, LOUD, cool, funny, superb, fun, laughing, trustworthy, loving, kind, sometimes macho (act only lah), cute, genuine, crazy, out-of-his- mind, tough on the outside, soft on the inside, adventurous, rabbit-like (hahahaahaha), and a good friend.

i am so sorry, i couldn't wish you on the BIG day but mind you, i did remember. its just that the circumstances were not in favour. glad to know that you enjoyed your birthday (from your blog), and may god bless you with days like yesterday until the end of time. you are a great guy, just believe in yourself, you can conquer the sky. HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, Andrew.

(to those who didn't know what i was talking about, chill out. its not your fault that you haven't met this amazing guy. just hope that you will meet him soon, okay.)

reflection

pearl-sized water drizzled all over my body. i looked up at the sky. my eyes were forced to close as rainwater tried to break through my eyelids. the pearls expanded and got heavier. my feet strung into action although my heart wanted them to stay still. my eyes looked for shelter while my mind conquered my leg.

the thuds on a roof calmed me and i found a place where the rainwater wouldn't find me.my shoes drenced from the rain made squeaky sounds trying to find a place to rest. fatigue brought me down and i sat.

looking at a puddle of water in front of me. who is this person? 'I' am not the one i see. the guy in the reflection was different and ugly. a drop of water, could have been my sweat or the rain water, distorted the image with ripples. constructive interference and destructive interference... i was floating into the world of Physics.

but the ripples stopped and the clear image of the guy startled me. was i always this scary looking? i kept looking at him unblinkingly. he stared back just as determined. i never felt this awkward before. my reflection being not mine.

maybe i never really looked at my reflection before but, it was quite difficult to push aside the fact that i have changed so much. my hands started to twiddle with themselves while my eyes strained to keep competing with the ugly looking image.

a song slowly sneaked it's way into my mind. when will my reflection show who i am inside... reflection from the movie Mulan. can our reflection really show the real us? i am not sure. maybe mulan's question was rhetorical....not meant to be answered.

i stand up still staring at the guy. he is not me and i don't want to be him. my eyes close. voluntarily, my legs 'kicked' and 'jumped' and 'destroyed' the puddle of water. when i opened my eyes, the puddle wasn't there anymore. at that moment i looked up and saw sunshine. the day is just starting, i smiled.

p.s.: this kinda really happened in prefects' camp 2009 which i'll be talking about later....