Clearly, no one had remembered to bring an umbrella. I would certainly have found it amusing to witness a hoard of students running and screaming under the heavy rain, scrambling for the nearest shelter if I had not been among those very students. Not to mention, the bus shelter was really small and there we were, squeezing into the already cramped shelter as if our lives depended on it. As if avoiding being drenched from head to toe is a higher priority than moving slightly aside to accommodate the other slower runners. Of course it is. Our mid-term examinations would be commencing next week. We simply could not afford to get sick so I could understand the selfishness. But still! Scoot a little over there to let me have more space to breathe!
Ignoring the incessant drips on my shoulder, I focused my attention at the upcoming buses. A quick scan over the bus crowd and I could immediately tell some of them here rarely take the bus home. For all I know, they were just living just five minutes away from the school but just because it was raining, they were stealing the spaces for the people who actually needed to take bus home!
Next time I knew, I found myself hissing at those annoying people and caught the attention of an elderly woman standing near me. Unfortunately for her, she was not able to squeeze into the bus shelter and seemed content with just standing under the pouring rain. In contrast, I was well-protected by the bus shelter but only 90%. Shame started to fill me as I was no position to grumble when a person was keeping quiet while having nothing to protecting her from the persistent rain.
Suddenly, I started to realize how awkward it was for all of us to simply stand there in a cramped bus stop, waiting impatiently for the bus that usually arrived early every time. From time to time, my eyes glanced over to the old woman beside me in case she showed an indication of discomfort. Before I knew it, a person walked past me and stood next to her, holding out an umbrella for her. I recognized the kind person. She was the captain of the netball team and I saw her often in the school canteen but her name escaped me. Well, her name was not important. The more important thing was that she came out of nowhere just to provide shelter for the poor elderly woman who had been standing under the rain for a while now.
To think I would be able to see random acts of kindness like this on such a dreadfully heavy rain. As I reached out for my phone from my bag, my hands felt a hard lump and I immediately recognized it as my umbrella.
Well, I would be able to see random acts of stupidity at times like these too.
Friday, 18 March 2016
Sunday, 13 March 2016
Short Story #95: The UnorthodoxTeacher
It was not that we had a personal vendetta against school. We just dislike attending Mr. Aaron's class. Seriously, whenever we walk towards the classroom, dread automatically filled us up and we had to control our urge to run the opposite way. Clearly, we did not have a good impression of him and that quickly happened based on our first lesson together.
In the first week of lessons, we were all slowly getting the feel of our five modules in our new Spring semester and we were incredibly hopeful of our professors. Because, once the teacher we got turned out to be bad, there was no way out and that meant that we have to put extra effort into our learning. And unfortunately for us, we got three completely terrible teachers this semester. Another one was pretty cool and understood what she was teaching us. And the fifth teacher...well...Mr Aaron was not exactly bad at what he does. If anything, he's incredibly knowledgeable about the subject he's teaching. For Mr Aaron's case, he is just...to put it simply...unorthodox.
On the first lesson alone, as he was introducing himself to us, he proudly announced that he owned a pet snake named 'Ana' and then proceeded to softly warn us not to tell anyone. Or he would release a box of cockroaches into the classroom. Shock was an utter understatement to describe how we felt at that point of time. We were completely horrified of this teacher! Obviously, you would think, he probably has a strange sense of humour. Believe us, we all had the benefit of the doubt at first but when he actually brought his pet snake to class the next lesson, we just knew he meant his words. And that included an army of cockroaches invading the classroom.
Over the weeks, lessons with Mr Aaron became more bizarre with each passing week. Sometimes, we wonder if he actually escaped from a mental hospital because there was this time when he asked a question to the whole class and being the passive learners that we were, he was met with silence. As the silence dragged on for a few excruciating seconds, he suddenly went ballistic and thrashed the entire classroom, even throwing a chair onto the glass windows beside us which left a faint crack there. It was ultimately traumatizing and from that day onwards, we had been quite responsive in class.
In spite of all that, I actually appreciated him as a teacher. Well, I'll never admit this out loud to other people otherwise they would think I'm slowly turning into a deranged person like Mr Aaron is currently being. He was not any cookie cutter teacher who gave dry lectures. He actually cared about us digesting what he taught and went out of his way to drill everything that he taught into our heads. One time, I was walking home from school since I lived very near and suddenly, Mr Aaron approached me on his bicycle and brought me to his house which was an isolated canal near an abandoned lot of warehouses. He was probably messing around me for sure. And there, he delivered an exceptionally wonderful lecture, effectively summarizing everything that he taught from day one. To be honest, from his sheer dedication as a teacher, I really respected him then and there.
In the first week of lessons, we were all slowly getting the feel of our five modules in our new Spring semester and we were incredibly hopeful of our professors. Because, once the teacher we got turned out to be bad, there was no way out and that meant that we have to put extra effort into our learning. And unfortunately for us, we got three completely terrible teachers this semester. Another one was pretty cool and understood what she was teaching us. And the fifth teacher...well...Mr Aaron was not exactly bad at what he does. If anything, he's incredibly knowledgeable about the subject he's teaching. For Mr Aaron's case, he is just...to put it simply...unorthodox.
On the first lesson alone, as he was introducing himself to us, he proudly announced that he owned a pet snake named 'Ana' and then proceeded to softly warn us not to tell anyone. Or he would release a box of cockroaches into the classroom. Shock was an utter understatement to describe how we felt at that point of time. We were completely horrified of this teacher! Obviously, you would think, he probably has a strange sense of humour. Believe us, we all had the benefit of the doubt at first but when he actually brought his pet snake to class the next lesson, we just knew he meant his words. And that included an army of cockroaches invading the classroom.
Over the weeks, lessons with Mr Aaron became more bizarre with each passing week. Sometimes, we wonder if he actually escaped from a mental hospital because there was this time when he asked a question to the whole class and being the passive learners that we were, he was met with silence. As the silence dragged on for a few excruciating seconds, he suddenly went ballistic and thrashed the entire classroom, even throwing a chair onto the glass windows beside us which left a faint crack there. It was ultimately traumatizing and from that day onwards, we had been quite responsive in class.
In spite of all that, I actually appreciated him as a teacher. Well, I'll never admit this out loud to other people otherwise they would think I'm slowly turning into a deranged person like Mr Aaron is currently being. He was not any cookie cutter teacher who gave dry lectures. He actually cared about us digesting what he taught and went out of his way to drill everything that he taught into our heads. One time, I was walking home from school since I lived very near and suddenly, Mr Aaron approached me on his bicycle and brought me to his house which was an isolated canal near an abandoned lot of warehouses. He was probably messing around me for sure. And there, he delivered an exceptionally wonderful lecture, effectively summarizing everything that he taught from day one. To be honest, from his sheer dedication as a teacher, I really respected him then and there.
Thursday, 10 March 2016
Short Story #94: If I Were Born In A Rich Family
I could not imagine how it would be like to be born in a wealthy family. I mean obviously my life would end up really differently! Like worlds apart!
For one, I could imagine myself taking my family's wealth for no granted and as a result, I would not be able empathize with people who were not as blessed with wealth as I am. Because I would be mostly living a sheltered life, I would not be able to understand the degree of the hardships that most people go through. Once I mingled with such people, I would be clueless and could slip up and said something insensitive. What would be worse is that I could have a larger ego and think that I am entitled to say anything, even when it offends people and still not feel apologetic for it. That would suck indeed.
Of course, being sheltered and overly-pampered is obviously a good thing since I would not have to exert effort in trying to get around in commuting since my family would have a personal chauffeur who would drive to and from an overpriced private school. Or maybe I could have been home schooled. And every single day, I would be able to enjoy delicious feasts for three meals. Which would seem perfect and desirable at first glance but once I put more thought into it, I do not like the idea at all.
I am glad that I am not born into a rich family because I do not regret going through the ordinary hardships and obstacles that I have went through and am still facing. Such things make me stronger and allow me to become more strong-willed and grow as a person. It is great that I have to scrimp and save to buy a slightly more expensive meal once every two weeks, or buy a costly video game that I would play endlessly like nobody's business (*whispers* Pokemon).
And I love taking public transport and navigating around places myself and with my friends. Even though some journeys may take quite long, they still give me plenty of time and room to reflect and think about my life in general. I truly enjoy that.
And by entering public schools, I get mingle around people from all walks of life and exchange ideas with them, allowing me to see other people's thoughts on the same issues and things.
So, even though I sometimes wished I had an easier and problem-free life, I am appreciative of the family to whom I am born into because this taught me a lot of life lessons that cannot be studied from a textbook or television shows.
For one, I could imagine myself taking my family's wealth for no granted and as a result, I would not be able empathize with people who were not as blessed with wealth as I am. Because I would be mostly living a sheltered life, I would not be able to understand the degree of the hardships that most people go through. Once I mingled with such people, I would be clueless and could slip up and said something insensitive. What would be worse is that I could have a larger ego and think that I am entitled to say anything, even when it offends people and still not feel apologetic for it. That would suck indeed.
Of course, being sheltered and overly-pampered is obviously a good thing since I would not have to exert effort in trying to get around in commuting since my family would have a personal chauffeur who would drive to and from an overpriced private school. Or maybe I could have been home schooled. And every single day, I would be able to enjoy delicious feasts for three meals. Which would seem perfect and desirable at first glance but once I put more thought into it, I do not like the idea at all.
I am glad that I am not born into a rich family because I do not regret going through the ordinary hardships and obstacles that I have went through and am still facing. Such things make me stronger and allow me to become more strong-willed and grow as a person. It is great that I have to scrimp and save to buy a slightly more expensive meal once every two weeks, or buy a costly video game that I would play endlessly like nobody's business (*whispers* Pokemon).
And I love taking public transport and navigating around places myself and with my friends. Even though some journeys may take quite long, they still give me plenty of time and room to reflect and think about my life in general. I truly enjoy that.
And by entering public schools, I get mingle around people from all walks of life and exchange ideas with them, allowing me to see other people's thoughts on the same issues and things.
So, even though I sometimes wished I had an easier and problem-free life, I am appreciative of the family to whom I am born into because this taught me a lot of life lessons that cannot be studied from a textbook or television shows.
Sunday, 6 March 2016
Short Story #93: Project
To be honest, I don't like the word 'project'. Because it automatically means that huge amounts of time and effort have to be invested in this project in order for it to be a very good quality. And I'm naturally a person who hates working hard even though I would love to have high grades and marks for everything. Also, a 'project' also means I have to work in a group. Even in a group with your friends, there would still be complications.
Back then, there was this presentation that my group was working on and during our meeting in my friend's house, everyone was distracted except me. And when I tried to get them to focus, none of them listened to me and I must have made a face because one of those so-called friends told me not to cry. Such disrespect. (Yeah I'm being dramatic here)
However, there was this separate project and I was distracted and suddenly everyone in the group turned against me. Like wow. Amazing. And then they acted as if I suddenly became a reincarnation of evil. So I guess it is extremely okay for them to be unfocused since not only majority wins, it was 'cool' at that time to not cooperate but when it came to me, it was such a major crime. Speaking of which, I really had no idea what friends I mixed with back then. Truthfully, most of them had objects up their butts and they seemed to be unable to show decent manners to others. Well, I guess such people are part of life, unfortunately.
Then comes the worst project experience ever in college. I am just rolling my eyes as I am recalling those awful memories. Really, instead of getting work done, my other group mates were more interested in stalking girls' Facebook profiles and also they mocked my religious beliefs and practices. Working with them was such a nightmare but glad that was over. Seriously, they kept talking about getting an 'A' but they barely gave the right amount of effort.
Now that I think about it, these obstacles were just something that I just have to go through. Because when I am studying in university, I am surrounded with a lot of people who are just as serious as I am to work together and do quality work. Who are serious to do well in all of our modules. Well, we all are paying expensive school fees to study so why not put in the effort?
I am happy where I am now. Even though I get very nervous for presentations and embarrassed afterwards, they all are helpful and besides, I am a Communications major so presenting is definitely something I cannot avoid. But I really love doing reports where I get to do some research and read peer-reviewed articles and also assignments where I get to throw in my constructive opinions. The examinations and tests are still burdens because I waste too much time in making my own notes that it barely leaves me time to revise adequately.
Still, I am a work in progress and I will start viewing projects more positively.
Saturday, 5 March 2016
Short Story #92: The Basketball Captain Part 2
If my mother had ordered me to run some errands in the supermarket right now, I would do it in a heartbeat. Anything to escape from this never-ending torture that is Physical Education lessons. Really, I am far from being an athletic person. I get breathless after running a few metres without stopping. Maybe it could be because I always had a heavy breakfast every morning.
Anyway, in short, I am bad in sports and I am currently holding a basketball like I've never played the sport before. Which is true. With a bored expression, I watched as my tall classmate threw a shot from the three-point line only to fail miserably.
Suppressing a smirk, I shouted, "Hey! Watch this!"
Eyes were on me as I tried to dribble the ball while running very quickly. Of course, my hand missed the ball and it started to bounce away from me. Cursing silently, I scurried back to retrieve the bouncing ball as I heard snickers around me. My eyes were fixed on the still moving ball that stopped as it reached someone's feet - a pair of expensive-looking Adidas sports shoes.
Sighing in relief, I raised my head to apologize when my voice was caught in my throat. My eyes widened as I found out who it was.
"Here," the handsome basketball boy said as he handed the ball back to me, to which I accepted, albeit with shaking hands.
"Thanks," I murmured as I averted my eyes. I could sense his puzzlement. As I was about to turn my heel, he suddenly spoke.
"I can't help but notice but you seem to have trouble playing basketball."
Wow, was it THAT obvious?
"So I thought I'll help teach you."
My eyes widened again as I whipped my head back at him. And I wished I didn't because my heart suddenly started beating faster than it already did as his handsome features became so apparent. Like he is so much more good-looking in person. Wow.
A deep-sounding chuckle snapped me out of my reverie. "You seem shocked."
A blush spread across my cheeks. "Well, are you going to teach me or not?"
He seemed surprised at my snappy remark but thankfully, this made him smile even wider. "Looks like someone can't wait. Come here."
With his hand, he gestured me to come closer to me. I complied but still remained wary. He then gestured me to turn around and told me to keep my hands on the ball. A confused expression was plastered on my face as I waited for any further instructions and was about to turn around to scold him when suddenly two hands were placed on mine. Like very huge hands!
Eyes widening to the size of saucers, I froze and a chill spread through my spine as he whispered closely to my ear. "When shooting the ball, use one hand to hold the base of the ball lightly while using the other hand to hit the ball ."
He demonstrated but I was not paying attention. I just could not help but feel the warmth radiating from him as he was half-embracing me. A successful shot must have been heard because I heard surprised gasps and cheers soon after. Meanwhile, I just lowered my gaze, finding the ground interesting as I uttered a soft 'thank you'.
Again, he responded with a deep-sounding chuckle, making me blush even redder if that was even possible.
"See you around!"
Yes. Hopefully, we'll meet again. A small smile formed in my lips.
Anyway, in short, I am bad in sports and I am currently holding a basketball like I've never played the sport before. Which is true. With a bored expression, I watched as my tall classmate threw a shot from the three-point line only to fail miserably.
Suppressing a smirk, I shouted, "Hey! Watch this!"
Eyes were on me as I tried to dribble the ball while running very quickly. Of course, my hand missed the ball and it started to bounce away from me. Cursing silently, I scurried back to retrieve the bouncing ball as I heard snickers around me. My eyes were fixed on the still moving ball that stopped as it reached someone's feet - a pair of expensive-looking Adidas sports shoes.
Sighing in relief, I raised my head to apologize when my voice was caught in my throat. My eyes widened as I found out who it was.
"Here," the handsome basketball boy said as he handed the ball back to me, to which I accepted, albeit with shaking hands.
"Thanks," I murmured as I averted my eyes. I could sense his puzzlement. As I was about to turn my heel, he suddenly spoke.
"I can't help but notice but you seem to have trouble playing basketball."
Wow, was it THAT obvious?
"So I thought I'll help teach you."
My eyes widened again as I whipped my head back at him. And I wished I didn't because my heart suddenly started beating faster than it already did as his handsome features became so apparent. Like he is so much more good-looking in person. Wow.
A deep-sounding chuckle snapped me out of my reverie. "You seem shocked."
A blush spread across my cheeks. "Well, are you going to teach me or not?"
He seemed surprised at my snappy remark but thankfully, this made him smile even wider. "Looks like someone can't wait. Come here."
With his hand, he gestured me to come closer to me. I complied but still remained wary. He then gestured me to turn around and told me to keep my hands on the ball. A confused expression was plastered on my face as I waited for any further instructions and was about to turn around to scold him when suddenly two hands were placed on mine. Like very huge hands!
Eyes widening to the size of saucers, I froze and a chill spread through my spine as he whispered closely to my ear. "When shooting the ball, use one hand to hold the base of the ball lightly while using the other hand to hit the ball ."
He demonstrated but I was not paying attention. I just could not help but feel the warmth radiating from him as he was half-embracing me. A successful shot must have been heard because I heard surprised gasps and cheers soon after. Meanwhile, I just lowered my gaze, finding the ground interesting as I uttered a soft 'thank you'.
Again, he responded with a deep-sounding chuckle, making me blush even redder if that was even possible.
"See you around!"
Yes. Hopefully, we'll meet again. A small smile formed in my lips.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)