There and Back Again

Ever heard about the book The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolken? As I was flipping through Christopher Paolini's Eldest, I got bored of the rookie's writing, and found myself drifting to the skilled stories of the great J.R.R. Tolken. My mind zeroed in on one book in particular, The Hobbit.

I don't know why, but I regard The Hobbit as a masterpiece, like The Secret Garden, Black Beauty, The Wizard of Oz etc. From the first page, I could 'feel' Bilbo Baggins. I understood exactly how he felt, why he made the decisions he made etc. I felt his terror as he faced the Trolls, I felt his confidence as he hacked at the Spiders, I was biting my fingernails as he traded riddles with gollum (I even memorised all the riddles), etc.

Tolken somehow made Bilbo grow and mature in the book. And I don't just read it, I feel it. I see his way of thinking change as he is exposed to the outside world (Middle Earth). Lets face it, very few authors have the ability to make their fictional characters grow in their stories. Christopher Paolini certainly does not have this ability; Eragon the Dragon Rider still acts and thinks like he used too when he was a farm boy! The authors that have the ability include Tolkien and D.J. McHale. McHale demonstrated his skill in the Pendragon series. I won't say I'm a fan, but I have read books 1-8, and will read book 9 and 10 at any given time. The story is awesome. The entire idea is new, and the pregression of the whole story is just....wow. To write about fate and destiny, and the lives of a ka-zillion people in 10 separate worlds, and weaving them together, is not easy. In fact its downright hard. Hats off to McHale here.

Back to The Hobbit. Though I am a bit disappointed about the fact that Bilbo did not become a mighty warrior or a knight, and play an important role in winning the Battle of the Five Armys, I am content with the way the story ended. Bilbo went home, back to the Shire, the one place he wanted to be throughout his adventure. The one place where he will never again be troubled by Goblins, Trolls or Dragons. The one place where he could finish his book on his adventure: There and Back Again, A Hobbit's Tale by Bilbo Baggins. Besides, he did become an excellent swordsman (Bilbo's sword Sting was actually a dagger), and Bilbo came back with enough riches to keep himself comfortable for the rest of his life.

Truly a beautiful book.

Fiction

I know you all 'Expect' me to write about the Aspirers Camp (for those of you who attended the camp, you'll get the joke), but I'll write some other time, when the pictures are sent out.
I want you all to read the following story.



Bill opened the front door at the second knock. He came face to face with the new kid in town.

"The party is in the living room," yelled Bill over the music, and jerked his thumb toward the general direction of the noise. As the teenager walked past, Bill shook his head in disgust. The kid was probably only 14. Most everyone in the party was above 21. Bill knew he was to blame. It was his idea to set up a sign that said 'all invited' in big bright letters. Of course all the kids in town knew to stay away from any 'grown up' parties. All except for this one, it seemed. Bill caught up with the new kid, and led the kid away from the party, muttering "Few things you need to know."

"The people in the party are older than you, so I'd like it if you...just let them be. Second, there's a girl there, 15 years of age or so. You are by no means to touch her, dance with her, or hit on her. She is my sister. Not to be rude, but I can be a little paranoid when it comes to my sister and guys," Bill spoke rapidly, so as to mot miss the party. He looked as serious as possible.

The teenager squeaked something in reply, looking nervous. Bill merely grunted and walked back to the party. The teenager, somewhat shaken, followed Bill into the living room.

* * *

Bill was having a great time at the party. He had danced with a few girls, made sly, witty remarks that made him look cool and carefree. Now he was standing at a corner talking to Amy. Bill had a huge crush on Amy since they first started high school. Now that they were both studying in the same University, Bill felt he stood a chance with her.

Amy was a real beauty. She had large, light brown eyes, with shoulder length brown hair. She had a cute button nose, and a pair of luscious red lips. Her smile could dry a boy's mouth, and her dimples could send people over the moon. Her skin was milky white and unblemished. She stood over six feet tall, and moved like a river, swift, graceful.

Bill was mesmerized by the way her hair swayed with every turn of her head. He had just managed to muster enough courage to ask her for a dance, when he felt a slight tug on his sleeve. To his annoyance, he found the teenager staring at him. Bill, not wanting to look bad in front of Amy, asked the kid "Boy, how old are you?"
"15 sir," was the reply he got.
"Okay, what do you want," said Bill as nicely as possible. It did not work. An idiot could tell that the smile on Bill's face was forced, and he barely managed to keep his voice level.
"I want to know why is that lady over there sitting all by herself," squeaked the boy
"Maybe she's tired!" snapped Bill. How was he to know?
"I don't think so. I have not seen her do anything at all," insisted the boy.
"Look-" Bill stopped short. A sudden realization hit him like a brick. "Which lady?" he asked quietly.
"The lady in black, there at the far end," said the boy, gesturing towards a corner.
"Oh..." Bill said, thinking of what to say next, "She is sick, kid."
"Its not just any sickness, is it sir?" said the boy quietly. To Bill, the boy suddenly seemed a lot older.
"No, its not. It is a contagious skin disease. She only has a few more weeks left to live," said Bill, his tone softening. "it could have been cured if she had seen a doctor while the disease was at an early stage, but now..." he did not have to finish.
"So everyone just leaves her alone!?" said the kid, his voice rising. "She has a few more weeks to live, and she is spending it in a corner! The least you could do is talk to her! But I see you avoiding her just like everyone else!" the kid was shouting now, but no one could hear him over the speakers.

With that the kid turned around and ran towards the lady. Cursing vilely under his breath, Bill chased the kid, hoping that the hot blooded teenager would not be stupid enough to touch the lady.
The boy was fast. And he had the size advantage. He managed to dodge the dancing couples, leap over chairs etc. Bill...was not so graceful.



The boy reached the lady first. Without thinking, the boy threw his arms around the lady and hugged her. Bill arrived at the scene several moments too late. He stood rooted on the spot. The hug lasted a good 12 slow counts, then the lady broke the embrace.

"I don't think you know that I have a contagious skin disease, boy," said the lady in a quiet, sad voice.
"You do? Oh well, that makes the both of us now," replied the boy cheerfully.
"No, i don't think you get it. You could fall sick and...and...die," croaked the lady, her voice breaking.
"Well, the only thing left to do is to make the best out of it, then isn't there," said the boy. "May i have the pleasure of dancing with you?"

The woman stared at the teenager for sometime. Then she started sobbing, and the boy hugged her again. "Will you not have this dance with me?" asked the boy quietly.
The lady broke the hug and whispered a single word, "Yes."

A smile lit the boy's face as he and the lady moved to the dance floor. The crowd parted to let them pass. The two of them danced to a slow-ish song, and they were the only ones on the dance floor. As they danced, all those in the living room applauded. There was a huge smile on the lady's face, as she twirled her worries away.

Bill could not take it anymore. He turned around, dropped into the nearest couch, and wept his heart out. For the first time in a very long time, Bill cried.



At the end of the day, there wasn't a single dry eye in the house.


By: Azriel Chelliah

Odd...

It happened while I was coming home from church. I was in Uncle J's car, and we were both talking merrily.

Then, as we were on our way, I saw something on road (not on our side, but the road beside us, where cars go the opposite direction). As we drew nearer, I realized it was a motorcycle helmet. Then, as we drove past the helmet, I saw something beside the helmet. It looked like a round bowl standing upright. The inside was white, but, as the bowl-like-thing tilted a bit, I saw the outside: It was light brown, with streaks of red. But due to the fact that the road was a curve, i quickly lost sight of it.

I looked at Uncle J, and asked "Is that the top half of a skull there beside the helmet?"
The response was priceless: Uncle J hit the brakes, causing the car to jolt, and move a lot slower. I saw his eyes widen.
"Are you serious?" he asked, his voice a whisper.

I must have been deathly pale, because his eyes grew bigger, and he did not repeat the question. Instead, he asked me if we should take a U-turn and check it out. I nodded swiftly. He wheeled the car around in the next U-turn, and shot on.

As we neared the curve, Uncle J slowed down, and the both of us kept our eyes on the road. We went along the curve, but this time, we saw nothing. No helmet, no weird bowl/skull-thing.

Uncle J heaved a sigh of relieve. I laughed. The laugh was hollow, and it sounded fake, even to my ears. Uncle J is usually the type of person who would make a comment at something like this and laugh it off, but he took one look at my face and remained silent. I must have looked pretty bad. I knew I probably looked really pale, plus the frowning (the frowning comes when I'm deep in thought), and the pursed lips. Yeah, I think I looked like the scarier version of Lurch from the Adam's Family. Plus, I think Uncle J saw the helmet too...

I could have sworn (I did not, cause Christians aren't supposed to swear) I saw those two things. But seeing is believing, right? I saw nothing on a more closer examination, so there couldn't have been anything......right?



Or........



.

Intresting

The Batman hesitated. Catwoman was on her face, gripping her side. He had taken her out, but did he have to finish it? She was a woman after all. He hesitated too long.
Her leg lashed out, catching him in the gut. He doubled over, backing away. Catwoman leaped to her feet. "Poor Batman, always the gentleman," she purred. Then she scratched the exposed part of his face, drawing blood. He staggered to the edge of the building. Her lips curved upwards, forming a smug smile, before she punched, sending him over the edge of the building.

Later

Alfred: Everyone has their own weakness, master Bruce

Bruce: Yes, but I always thought it was my secret identity

Alfred: It seems you have found another weakness. One in the Catwoman








To Sherlock Holmes, she was always the woman. He hardly referred to her in any other terms. She had called his ingeniously planned bluff, and then donned a disguise of her own, and followed him back to 221 Baker Street. She was Irene Adler. The end results were the same, the documents were destroyed, but the ego of the greatest detective of all time was sorely bruised. She had outsmarted him at what he did best. The case Scandal in Bohemia will never fade from the memory of Sherlock Holmes.

Several months later

Watson: for god's sake, Holmes, forget the woman, like any sane man would! You're case was still
a success!

Holmes: Tell me, my dear Watson, how does one judge a success?

Watson: I would say that the answer depends on the man, wouldn't it?

Holmes: Quite so, Watson. Need I say more?

Watson: You are saying, that I judge a success by the end result, but you judge success on how you beat your opponent, are you not?

Holmes: Excellent, Watson. You catch on fast.

*pause*

Watson: Why did you not tell me the answer, Holmes? Was it really necessary to riddle me so?

Holmes: The fastest way for a man to understand something, is when he is forced to admit it himself. Otherwise, you would have argued with me, and I would have to debate with you, am I right Watson?

Watson: *sigh* Quite so, Holmes, quite

Holmes: Elementary, my dear Watson...





Above are some sentences that caught my eye. Notice how both the antagonists above are female... (I'm not saying anything...)

I like Alfred, because he is observant, wise, and witty. He just stats the facts, and suddenly things are much clearer. No messing around with possibilities, just straight to the point. And I love his off hand witty remarks. Hilarious!

As for Sherlock Holmes, he's the greatest detective of all time, whats not to like about him!
Read the Holmes/Watson dialogue above...now do you all see why I like Sherlock Holmes?
The guy is a genius!!

Forever Free

Of all the things I've ever seen,
Of all the dreams I've ever dreamed,
The finest sight that's come to me,
White horses wild beside the sea

They ran across the trackless sand
In that remote, forgotten land,
And in their running they were free
Beside the boundless, unchained sea.

They raced the first light of the day
And surged across a shallow bay
To feed at ease in grassy plains
With wind alone to groom their manes.

No barn or stable was their home.
No one could govern where they roamed.
They galloped on the fence less tracts
With no ones burden on their backs.

And each swift horse was nature's child
At home on land forever wild,
And each wild horse was meant to be
At home on land forever free.

A Poem

My life was careless,
My life was fun,
When I was a child
Now its done

I used to be young,
So naive
Now that's all gone,
Like a breeze

I wish I could go back,
To my days of youth.
To try and laugh
Like I used to

But I can't do that
The past is gone
Still I will try
To make life fun

For those of you older than me, you'll probably be thinking "He's still young. Only 15. He writes as if he's going through mid-life crisis." Just so you'd know, I wrote this because I miss my primary school life, and there are things I regret not doing.

Its a new Year

Hey everyone. I know its been a long time since I last updated my blog (more than half a year). I am gonna be 15 this year. Woo-hoo? I think not. I am also gonna sit for my PMR examination this year. A major turning point in my life.

2008 was a blast! I will even go so far as to say that 08 was the best year I've had. I knew that it (2008) was my last chance to kick back and have some fun (PMR, new subjects in form4 and SPM), so I made full use of it. I made some great friends (you know who you are), and I got to know my old friends a lot better (again, you know who you are). Here are some of the crazy things I did;

I met this totally whacked guy in my class, called Amandeep. He's from KL, and he's your typical normal kid, loves music, loves stand up comedies, and has a great sense of humor. He does all his homework, and listens to the teacher, and then tells us what to do (cause we wont be listening). There is this other guy, Aidan, the noisy, annoying, bugging one that keeps irritating us. And we all like him for that! Then there is this other guy that I've known for 5 years now. He's the weirdo, the one we all LOVE!! He does the weirdest of things at the oddest of times, and we all fall over laughing. On the outside, he is this shy, quiet kid. But on the inside, he's just as crazy and wild as the rest of us. I am talking about none other than....... Arthur Tan Junior! And then there's me. Together we make up the craziest group in our class.

One day, somewhere in the middle of the year, all four of us were feeling bored. Classes were a drag, and we all wanted to do something fun, dangerous and weird. So we started plotting in class (we all sat and still sit, this year, behind and beside one another). We made about a hundred paper boxes, the size of our palm (the type that cannot be opened, and the only opening is a small hole at the top). Arthur is really good at origami, and he thought us how to make it. The last subject was science, and we had sports earlier that day. It was the perfect time. During science, we changed into our sports attire. In the middle of our science table, there is a sink, complete with a tap and running water. We filled our paper boxes with water, through the small hole at the top, and............. let it fly! It was a water bomb battle. The paper boxes worked perfectly: during the time it takes us to fill the boxes with water, and throw it, the water softens the paper, so that, upon contact with anything, the paper bursts, literally. The water splashes out, and the victim is drenched, with little strips of soggy paper clinging on to him. The perfect harmless-yet-annoying weapon!

Yea, we nearly got caught for that one. Nearly. We also used to stay back in school, up to about five, six p.m. to play basketball. We used to play until we were too exhausted to even toss the ball. I remember once trying to get past Arthur to score (too exhausted to run, I only managed a slight jog), and he made one desperate run to stop me (did I say run? I meant, stagger). He managed to get in front of me, but I was too tired to bypass him. Heck I was too tired to even stop. I crashed into him, and we both went down, hard. Very hard. And then we burst out laughing. I'm serious, no moaning, no groaning. We just looked at each other and burst out laughing. We continued laughing for the better part of five minutes, and only got up about ten minutes later. That's how tired we were. Needless to say, our arms were killing us the next day.

There was this once, when Amandeep, me and Arthur stayed back in school for fun. Amandeep brought his electric guitar and amp, Arthur brought his keyboard, and I brought my guitar (which i plugged to the amp). We increased our volume to the max, and started jamming. The entire school heard us (afternoon session). They sent teachers after us! We played some familiar rifts, and then we just played a string of chords that sounded nice. At least I think it sounded nice.

Then there was the class group oral test! That is a day to remember! I did a little skit. The cast: Andy, Logan, Arthur, Deva, Amandeep, and me. I wrote the script the day before the test, in class (my cast members were pestering me to write it quick and hand it to them, but I told them I could only write when I get a brainwave, or when I'm inspired). I told them what to bring, and the next day I told them what the main story line was. I wrote very brief dialogues, telling them to improvise when on "stage". It was a success. All 4 A's for everyone! The play had so much humor that people actually teared while they laughed, and the teacher was having a hard time controlling herself...and the class. My classroom was chaotic. People/students/the audience (whatever!) roared with laughter (I later found out that the noise was heard throughout the block, and the one beside it!). The play peaked when we let loose the 'yo momma' jokes. If it was humorous before, it was the screaming riot now! Oh, and did I mention that the play was a musical? It was, sort of. I managed to write some short, simple lines, and then got Arthur to put a tune to it. The fact that one of my cast members was tone deaf only added to the amusement of those who could actually hear it.

Last year I also joined the Paulian Fencing Club, after a long, grueling debate with Arthur (he got me into it!). I quickly realized that my thin body and long limbs gave me a considerable advantage. It also helped that I could improvise. We had a competition among ourselves, and I emerged second (I'll beat you yet Nathan!!). Then we also had the competition against KTJ. That game was good. It was a continuous game, so we each add in our own points by scoring. In the end, the team with the most points wins. At first we were loosing...badly. 12-4. Then we managed to rise up, taking a 17-15 lead, thanks to Christopher and Sirajuddin, but then KTJ came back with force, crushing us to a 41-26 drop. But then I came in. I took on their team captain. In 10 minutes, I managed to take him out 13 times. He only got 4. I managed to slam KTJ, wiping off their smug smiles. It was now 39-45. But time ran out, so I could not win any more points. The end result was 50-43. At the end of the day, I was black and blue all over, with some pretty nasty red lines (caused by the swinging of the blade. It acts as some kind of metal cane).

I met the fencing club members at the start of the year. Now it's as if I've known them all my life. I met my other class friends at the start of the year (most of them anyway), but by the end of the year, we were (and are) inseparable. We buy each other drinks, get each other out of trouble in class, cover up for each other, etc. Let's face it, I made friends with a bunch of freaks. Now I'm one of them. 2008 was a blast.

But where does God fit into all this? All the events last year, and I hardly think of Him. Sure, I pray everyday, do my devotion. My faith has gone up several notches etc. He has given me a wonderful year, and I thank Him for that. He has given me wonderful experiences, and taught me much. I have changed, make no mistake, I have. Though I havent changed for the better much. It still is hard to follow all His rules and commandments (the water bomb incident confirms that). I am confident that by the end of this year, 09, I will have changed for the better. That is my hope, my prayer. To God be the Glory!

Oh, one final touch: Flame On!