The Oracle

It was during the time of great turmoil, when mysticism of the past collided with logic and reasoning of the present, that the great Crystal Ball shattered. The common men was gifted with the enormous power of foreseeing the future. For some time men rejoiced, giving thanks to whatever deity they believed to be responsible for this charity. They thought with this great knowledge, they could prevent and preempt whatever disasters that could come their way.

However knowledge did not bring wisdom. Chaos ensued as people tried advancing their own lives through their newly acquired vision. The world simply ground to a halt when every single action by any single person caused the cascading effects that alters the behaviors of everyone else, which in turn caused more cascading effects that continued this vicious cycle. Civilization was caught in some kind of paradox and was on the brink of collapse. That was when he came.

No one knew where he came from. No one knew his name. No one knew anything about him. Since the beginning, people knew him only as the Oracle.

Combining the mysticism of the past and logic and reasoning of the present, he was able to convince most people to give up the vision they acquired or for the few selfish ones who refused, their existence was ceased at once. Piece by piece, country by country, the Oracle was able to restore order to civilization. He was regarded as a god, an all powerful being sent down to save mankind from their greed and stupidity. People gathered around him wherever he went. They worshiped him. They sacrificed their animals to him. They even knelt to him and kissed his feet. Seeing what’s going on around him, the Oracle simply laughed in disgust and vanished into thin air.

He was never to be seen again.

A Lawn Story

I was just out mowing the lawn, minding my own business. Oh how joyful it was going full throttle with no one yelling at you for going too fast. Along with the cooler evening air blowing against my face, I was easily hypnotized by the rhythmic roar from the engine. It was a perfect Summer evening, until Johnny came out of nowhere in front of me. I slammed on the breaks and almost flew off the tractor.

“Are you crazy Johnny!? I could’ve hit you!” For the first time in a long while I was screaming.

“You stay away from Lisa! I swear I will hurt you!” He said rather threatenly.

Imagine the surprise I had on my face.

“Who do you think you are Johnny!? You don’t go about threatening people around here! Lisa is MY girlfriend! She is mine! You want to die!?” I said in a harsh tone, “get the fuck out of the way before I slap the shit out of you!” I turned off the tractor and approached him.

“Don’t tarch me madafarckar!” And he jumped me.

“HEY DON’T FUCKING BITE ME! I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!”

“I love Lisa! I love Lisa so marrrcchhh! I’ll do everything for her.” His voice trailed off.

“Lisa is my girlfriend you little shit!”

I raged. I grabbed him and overpowered him. I threw Johnny on the ground and started punching and kicking and stomping him. Like a mad dog, I kept on punching and kicking and stomping him until I was drained of my strength.

I spat at Johnny’s dead body, now lay disfigured and contorted, “don’t fucking mess with me!”

That’s when I heard a feminine voice behind me. The voice was shaking and cold, “why did you do that! Why did you kill Johnny! I loved Johnny! I loved him!”

I turned and I saw her. I stood motionless, I was gazing at her and guilt soon overtook me.

“I...I...I...You must be new around here or else I would’ve...I...Are you...are you...Li”

“I’M LISA!” And she too jumped me.

Another round of struggle ensued.

***

At the end of the day, the world is safer with two less spiders.

An Image

You don't want us to look, yet you are showing off more and more of your skin.
You don't want us to judge, yet your list of ex is growing bigger and bigger with each passing second. You don't want us to notice just your curves, yet you are making it harder and harder not to do so. Instead you want us to praise your more subtle features, like that one special eyelash you meticulously painted purple. You want us to appreciate you for your inner beauty, even though it is uglier still underneath. You want, you want, you want! You can go on wanting, but your sense of fashion highlights anything but. It is uncontrollable, like fear. It's primal. It's instinct. It's human. I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry that I want to increase the survival chances for our species?

I remember the occasion when you confronted me about the issue. You were angry, hysterical. You were hissing and snarling. Like a starving beast having caught itself an unsuspecting deer. You grabbed me and were on the verge of biting my head off. You wouldn't let go of me until you've made clear of yourself that it was style, a sense of fashion, and that was it, nothing more. I tried. I wrecked my brain trying. Believe me, I'm still trying to this day, but I still haven't gotten any closer in understanding or seeing any correlations between looking fashionable and looking like an on-call prostitute. I wouldn’t have minded if you said that was the look you were going for. You could’ve called it anything other than fashion and I wouldn’t have minded, but you didn’t want to face the truth and realize how trashy of a person you are.

However the confrontation did bring me a new understanding of you as a person. Underneath that facade of yours, there is something lurking about. Perhaps it is some flaws you don’t want others to see. Perhaps you know how to do something that nobody else does. Perhaps you do have something that sets you apart from all the others, in a good way, but you keep it buried. You don’t want to stand out, you want to blend in, and somehow, you are doing it by standing out. You gossip, you taunt, you create dramas. You do all of that so you don’t fall victim to any of that. Or so you believe.

I’ve always wondered. Do you not get tired of worrying all those problems every second you are awake? Do you not realize eventually you’ll have to leave without enjoying a life that could be full of joy instead of fear you create? Do you not just want to throw it all away and for the first time, look and act as yourself? There is an entirely new world outside of the shell you are now hiding in. There exists people who will think highly of you because you are different, instead of knocking you down. Be yourself, your real self, but you should also be aware. Be aware of the kind who tell you that you are unique (or as the yearbook team had ever so uniquely spelled it, you-nique). They are those who will do everything they can to squash you like a bug for being different. I’m pretty certain you have a lot of experiences with those people as you’ve been an integral part of that group. Realize that you are not unique. You are just like everyone else, muddling through life, another piece to the puzzle that will never get solved.

For years you’ve fought for something so great, a fantasy, a dream. In that dream you see yourself rich and glamorous, where boys chase you like how the wealthy chases wealth. For years you've been fighting to achieve that dream. Society has mislead you into thinking you are close, but in reality, you are merely a reflection of absurd societal images. You are like an overly decorated vase, fragile and flawed, always in danger of shattering into million little pieces, impossible to put back into a recognizable form.

I feel sorry for you, but then again, I can’t say you don’t feel the same for me.

A Violent Benevolence

They had long forecasted that it would come. They tried to warn us of the dangers of being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. They tried to warn us of the viciousness of what is coming. They tried to warn us. They tried to warn us over the radio, the TV, the Internet. You see, they really did try to warn us.

However they still failed at convincing me that it would come. It was my own observation that convinced me that they are making it sound like a big deal, like they do most of the time. I had gone through the day without seeing a hint of what was coming when all the while I was expecting it. It was anticlimactic. It was disarming. It was, reassuring.

 It began with a blinding and deafening show of lightning and thunder. Like the July 4th fireworks, the sky was in constant state of illumination. Illuminated by a firework show that for a while, seemed to last forever. It was somewhat terrifying but mostly annoying. It interrupted the radio, forced it to highlight every flash and bang with a loud crackle of static. It woke me up from my sleep, kept me awake through the show. It went off just outside my house, almost destroyed the window in my room. I was startled. I was shaken. All of a sudden I was aware. Aware of what was happening, aware of my stupidity, aware of the darkness surrounding me.

 And then the heaven let loose. Let loose its benevolence on the earth below.

 For the entire night and morning the rain came down pouring, quenching the earth thirsty for the sweet waters from above. The earth rejoiced, grasses stood tall and unyielding, flowers bloomed vibrantly, and animals joined for drinks by the puddles. A deadly boring and oppressive summer scene was instantly shattered by this falling of water. This showing of mercy. This bringing of life.

So life it shall bring. Life it shall bring to all of us rendered lifeless long ago. Bring life back to us who have been waiting for something to break this heat. Bring life back to us who have been waiting for something to cleanse the gray ashes on every house. Bring life back to us who think life here has become dull and tiresome.

So wash our city clean! Wash our cars clean! Wash our spirits clean! I'll be grading your benevolence on the way our city shines, on the way my reflection looks, on the way all of us smile.

One Last Chance

Us seniors’ last day of school is tomorrow, May 31st. Tomorrow will mark the end of slumbering through the day and of having to ask for permission to use the restroom. Tomorrow will mark our first day of freedom, if only for a little while for most of us, but at least we will be ourselves. True to who we are.

Tomorrow, the beast underneath all of us will be released. Finally a time and place to set free our true potentials. If you are thinking of something noble like finding a cure for cancer, I’ll tell you to forget it right now, because tomorrow we’ll be in the school parking lot. Armed with colorful water filled projectiles and shaving cream, we’ll fight each other battle royal style. We won’t stop until only one of us remains standing. Tomorrow our angers will get physical. Teachers and the administration be warned, you’ll be revenged upon for the four years of shit you have shoved down our throat. You’ll get pied in the face and have water balloons thrown at only the most uncomfortable place. Our level of anger toward you will be measured by the force we put behind the balloons and the amount of cream in the pies.

I’m certain, among all the joy and lighthearted pranks, tomorrow will also be a day of sorrow. There will be tears shed for close friends and awesome teachers as we bid farewell to each other. There will be many instances where we won’t be able to separate ourselves from our embracements, but in the end, as much as we don’t want to, we will have to let each other go. We might find ourselves separated far from each other after tomorrow, but no matter the distance of the separation, the strong bonds we had forged through four years of shared suffering and cruel jokes will stand the test of time. No one else in this world will understand you and me as much as we do each other, it will be childish and selfish of us to think and act otherwise.

Perhaps in the past four years I've done something stupid that had pushed you away from me. Perhaps in the past four years you've also done something stupid that had pushed me away from you, but I’m sure in the end, none of that will ever matter. You will forgive me as I will forgive you and certainly we will be best buddies again. This time it will be without the absurdity of an adolescent mind. A cookie shall never be again given the power to make or break our friendship. I promise.

In ten years when we meet again, I hope that you will have already have achieved your dreams. Maybe you want to be an astrophysicist, a doctor or perhaps even an evil billionaire. Whatever it is that you dreamt to have achieved, I sincerely hope that you would have it accomplished by then. In ten years when we have our class reunion, I would like to center our conversation around our success stories. About how you screw the other guy over. About how you came out of the pack fine and others not so lucky.

Anyhow, that is still in the distant future and today we still have unfinished business. Tomorrow we shall offer the one last embrace we owe each other. Tomorrow we shall shed the one last tear on each other’s shoulders. Tomorrow we shall give the one last “because we are friends, therefore I’ll slap you in the face” to each other. Because after tomorrow, we might not have the chance to do any of it again.

Class of 2013, I wish you guys all the best. You guys ROCK!

The End of the Road

When Robbie said to me last September that my final year of high school will be over before I know it, I was like “yea yea, I know exactly what you’re talking about”. Looking back on it, I realized how silly I must have been to think that I know what exactly what Robbie meant. It wasn't until messages like “honors night, yay!” or “when one door closes, another one opens :)” slowly fill up my Facebook feed when I finally realized the year is coming to a close. I was caught by complete surprise, but then I remember I had already been warned, I just didn't listen. I guess Robbie was correct when he said his comment was going to be dismissed as an old man’s ramblings. My apologies, it wasn't intentional.

Nevertheless, here I am, caught at the border between what my peers like to call freedom and prison. I myself would like to give them a slightly more realistic view but they would shoot back with surprise in their face and a “You are weird!”. From their expressions, I think what they mean is “fuck off, I don’t care”. Never mind that, I’m a firm believer that people should have the right to think for themselves. It will be their problem, not mine.

I've been told I’m a cynical person, but I would say that I’m realistic. Too realistic perhaps. I've never been part of the those who try so hard to receive a piece of paper recognizing their time wasted. Even in disapproval, I do envy how easily they can be possessed by genuine joy and pride. To be completely honest, I can’t say I haven’t done the same. After all we just waste time in different ways. The difference between us is that I don’t need a piece of paper saying that I did it.

On a happier note, high school will soon be over. Soon I’ll cross the finish line. Soon I’ll start working at my internship. Soon I’ll start on a new 4 year track.

Soon, life will bitch slap me in the face.

Something From My Senior Project

As if our lives aren't miserable enough, our district forces us seniors to do a project that will make or break our grade in a class that is necessary for graduation. Fortunately the English department of the high school I attend decided that instead of writing research papers and involuntarily volunteering 30 plus hours, all we had to do is to create a website.

The website we are tasked to create must contain 5 pages: a home page, a blog page, a community outreach page, a resume page, and a portfolio page. Having to answer questions like "If you had to describe yourself as a cartoon character, which one would it be" and "Name three things that you would like to achieve within the next decade", the home page gave me a giant headache. Are we still in elementary school where they're trying to teach us to be narcissists?

The experience with the home page questions made me certain that the blog questions will just kill me; they must be answered with at least 6 sentences. I thought "whatever, I'll just fail it" but then I realized that I couldn't just fail it. Doing so will mean that I have to go through senior year again in a high school I'm dying to get out of. 

"I am just going to give them a steaming pile."

Or so I thought.

"Solving the riddles with such legitimacy that not even I can comprehend." -Me

***

How can I effectively express my opinions and perspectives?

Some people do it with music and dance. Some people do it with poetry and writing. Effectively expressing one's opinions and perspectives is very easy. There are T-shirts with messages, logos and mottos. There is also the internet of course, where writing a blog can be an effective way of expressing your opinions and perspectives. However, I do believe that in order for other people to listen to you. In order to express your opinions effectively, you cannot be too forceful and must listen and understand other people's opinions.

How can I use my talents to create new opportunities for myself and others?

Creating new opportunities for yourself and others might sound like a daunting task, but it can be as simple as writing down your observations and asking a question. Perhaps you may not have the knowledge to answer the question yourself, but if the right person comes around and has the ability to elaborate upon it, things like anti-matter (particles that destroy matter) can result from it. Newton had definitely proved this point to be true with his observation and questioning of why would an ordinary apple fall and hit him. (How mean of the apple?) This simple act had brought us our electricity, mobile phones and the internet. Granted it wasn't Newton who had invented those, but it was his talents that had created opportunities for others to improve upon it, which lead to an increase of standards of life for the populace.

It might at first sound difficult, but creating opportunities for yourself and others can be as simple as being an observant person.

What qualities define a good world citizen?

To be a good world citizen, it is of utmost importance for you to understand that the world doesn't revolve around you. You must be aware that there are people who are like you and there are also people who are drastically different from you. Not everybody thinks the way you do and being a good world citizen means that you would have to listen and understand them. Although you don't necessarily have to agree with them. By doing this, many unnecessary disagreements and heated exchanges between different cultures can simply be avoided, enabling society to advance into the future unhindered. Into the future full of promises.

***

Are they all not legitimate? I spent way more time on this then I thought I would have. Fifteen minutes turned into thirty minutes. From thirty minutes it turned into an hour. After three and a half hours, it was finally done!

What do you think of it? I'm particularly proud of that euphemism. ;P