You-Want's Life

Ivan. What a simple name. I-V-A-N, just that simple. But behind this ubiquitous name, there live thousands of stories. The headboy in school is called Ivan and he has the best grades; the gardener of Nong Chik Garden is an Ivan, he lost a leg in an accident last month; even the rising engineer of Soft Lab Malaysia is also named Ivan. See? That is just how common the name is.   Yet, even though it seems common to most, I have to confess that each time I hear it, a tsunami of emotions strikes me. It triggers a feeling of grief from the back of my mind, shoving up an old patch of memory, reminding me of the death of a lovely boy.   He was Ivan Ronan, young and adorable with that heart-melting little smile and bright blue eyes. He used to be one of the students in the kindergarten I worked in. Born into a loving family, life was simple but perfect for him. He had warm milk to drink every day, plastic toys his father bought for him and enthralling bedtime stories whi...

A pen-pal programme was commenced by the Literary, Drama & Debating Society of English College Johor Bahru, in collaboration with the Interact Club of SMK Sultan Ismail,  as a token of friendship and a pursue in the rise of the quality in English writing.  The programme involved  12 volunteered students from each school, in which the paired couple exchanged pseudonymously handwritten letters twice as the one-month plan went.   The word 'EPISTLE * ' was selected as an embodiment of the programme, in which we penned letters and laid our thoughts in handwritten forms instead of other tedious methods such as speaking and typing using electronic devices. * According to   http://www.thefreedictionary.com/epistle  , the word EPISTLE holds several meanings: 1. A letter, especially a formal one. 2. A literary composition in the form of a letter . 3. Epistle Bible      a. One of the letters included as a book in the New Testament.   ...

Hey! Hi, it's me again! Junior journalist, Thum Chiean Tien, reporting for the second time. Second time? Yepp. My Starstruck attempt last year, regretfully, didn't go too well. Whatever, what's past is in the past, right?   The word 'failure' is never on my list. Despite not being shortlisted, I don't see it as a fiasco if I have not given up, which I won't. One year older now, let's hope my try this year would pay off my hard work in composing.   Inspired by my life, I am indeed stunned to hear the kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats around me; see the uprising skyscrapers of JB city; watch the world grow. It is filled with so much humanity and impacts, which lead the way up to my writepad as a positive influence.   In fact, being a teenager is a confusion. My life goes on in a drumbeat rhythm. But as I charged my worries into the power to face the obstacles ahead, I splash a bridge of rainbow to end the rain. I am a caterpillar cocooni...

Hey! Hi, it's me, Thum Chiean Tien, again, reporting for the second time. Second time? Well, my Starstruck attempt last year didn't go any well. Whatever, what's past is in the past, right?   The word 'failure' is never on my list. Despite not being shortlisted, I don't see it as a fiasco if I have not given up, which I won't.   Inspired by my life, I turn it entirely into a favourite influence in my writing career. I hear the kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats around me; see the uprising skyscrapers of JB city; watch the world grow in the same pace as I improve myself.   My life is filled with so much humanity and impacts, which lead the way up to my writepad. I aim to strive myself high, to scream my heart out with every word I pen. I want my every single piece of work to embody something different. An evolution, an improvement, a motivation born to make myself strike the challenges higher.   In fact, being a teenager is a confusion. My...

I reached out, for the seven hundred and sixteenth time. The little girl strode forward towards the park. The lingering confusion clouded my face again, but this time it came along with a deep sense of depression. No one seemed to be able to see me, or hear me. They did not even respond to my touch. No Way, it couldn't be! A sense of panic overwhelmed my mind. I waved my hands aloft, seeking another man's attention as he jogged past me. But as I had feared -- he did not see me.   Nothing actually made sense. It was six o'clock sharp in the evening, I remembered, I was at the square gazing at the town clock. Out of the blue, a blinding light blasted onto me. Its temperature was blazing, which hurt me for a second. Blood spilled everywhere from where I stood, staining my white satin dress a dark scarlet design from the bottom up, just like an April rose, but much darker. Snapped out of my daze, I looked around. A blue car was a few metres away, its driver frantically st...

'They were like sharp knives; and we were like the frozen meat in the refrigerator; they tried to cut us but we made them blunt.' Those were his words, with streams of teardrops flowing down the swarthy tanned route......   I couldn't deny that I did feel something, it tasted sour in me somehow, like something I had never felt before. Touched, desperate. It would be dramatic if I shed a tear at the moment, but I would really go for it if I still could, only if I had not lost the ability to do so.   I was a failure, he was right that I couldn't do my job well, if only there were someone to my aid, to tell me what was right and what was wrong. But that was the past. I stroke a change since Shu talked to me. Pride should never be bigger than humanity. Indeed.   I did think about quitting, but still I couldn't find the courage in doing so. He was actually the guideline that sabotaged my attempts, all the times he cheered me up and encouraged me. Even if it...

English College young and energetic Form 1 student, Ahmad Faiz Bin Najib Omar has won the silver medal in ‘Superstar Me! JB’ held by ‘The Great Eastern’ associated with the ‘Asia’s Got Talent’ just right behind an 8-year-old girl named Grace Lee.    Let’s see what he has got to share with us! E- The Editors F-  Ahmad Faiz Bin Najib Omar E: Who was the one who inspired you to sing? F: Well, it was my Dad, because he could sing. I started singing at the age of 3. My Dad and my Mum thought that I was gifted in this talent, so they registered me in this competition for my first kind of exposure. E: Did you feel nervous or shy on stage because of your young age? F: Yes! Number one is that I am young and number two, there were a lot of     people over there in the audience. We were at at City Square, Johor Bahru and people were watching me, I was so afraid. But I thought to myself that it’s the time for me to show my own talents. I ju...