You-Want's Life

The story started with Mr. David Thaw's recital of a letter he received from one of his students studying in the US. It was about mental well-being. I remember nodding my head, agreeing to the content-- the emotional health of others around us, and ourselves of course,  is extremely important especially in this era where social media has a huge influences in our lives.  Mental health deterioration is an invisible killer and has caused the global suicide rate to accelerate over the past few years. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates a global mortality rate of 16 people per 100000, equivalent to one death every 40 seconds. People facing mental or emotional struggles turn to ending their lives as they give up the fight against mental illnesses. I wrote Mr. Thaw an email to thank him for his sharing with the whole school that day. I also shared with him my views on the importance of mental health awareness and kindness towards others. Here's the email...

So much time has passed and I have learnt so much in life. And I believe it reflects in the evolving style in my poetry. Yes, I still do poetry. It started back in December 2014, almost 4 years now. Poetry has been a sport-- jotting down the voices in my head to clear it; selling my struggles for a vague expression. Looking back at the journey I have made, I see so much more complexity in my poetry now. It used to go short and direct, giving a setting in merely a few lines long. Very simple use of words, very innocent kind of story-telling. I thank poetry, for it has been there when I thought the world has shut me out. It is like a canvas I know I can paint on without the concern of somebody judging me. I mean, people judge anyway, but I know it’s the only platform where I can express without having to feel scared. I have been through both beautiful sunrises and dark hours in life. I couldn’t help but letting most of my poetry describe how dark or depressed my inner personality had be...

Taylor Swift clearly made her fans wait.    When Reputation came out in November 2017, fans had high expectations on the production, knowing the style of music Taylor creates has evolved immensely from late-night sobbing melodies to sonically cohesive arena hits. The first week physical album sales peaked at 1.22 million copies, making the 28-year-old the only artist in music history to have four consecutive albums sell more than one million copies in their respective opening week. Using only black-and-white album art, the production channels a darker and mature tone. Inspired by the online discrimination Taylor received for rumoured dishonesty in her feud with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, she wisely turned 'snakes' into a notable mascot in promoting the album. Even the lyrics of most the songs on the record spin around the use of symbolisms like witch-burning and narcissism in address of the feud. I find a different taste in the musics recorded. I compliment the fact that...

I went to a park this afternoon, where I spent more than an hour reflecting all the ups and downs that have happened in my life for the past year. Yeap, I do contemplate a lot, for I am a highly sensitive and sentimental person. So much have happened. Be it something good, be it bad. All little details of my history have contributed in molding how I feel today, and what I aim to achieve next.   I think, it's been a lot to take in: exams, events, friendships etc. Two months before this, I was holding on to many somewhat hard issues which undeniably corrode my mental well-being. Well, this is starting to sound depressing. Let's not do it this way. I was thinking so much that time that the echoes of my own voices were extremely loud in my head. I couldn't sleep; I could hardly concentrate in class; I faked being happy. Stress level was for real. Finally ending my semester at school in July was a cure.   I have been spending a lot of personal time ever since, been back t...

Weeks ago, I came across a small coffee-table booklet full of insightful quotes praising the divinity of friendship. Reading the booklet has triggered me to reflect on my journey through building new bridges and witnessing how some of them destruct in the year (2017). I have to admit that it had been a really wonderful year for me, for I ventured on new experiences in various places and met interesting people of different back stories.   2017 was a year of meeting genuine friends who really showed that they care, and identifying a few who were just putting up their friendliness like a drama act. I truly appreciate the ones who stayed with me while I was going through hard moments in life, like when I was helplessly emotional, stressed out and almost lost the fight to peer pressure in school. I was lucky to have all these faces around me to provide advice on coping work-life balance and tone down my incorrigible competitiveness.   I believe that friends might...

Off I went, in the spring balminess. Flowers bloomed well but it was the time for war.   How I wished that spring lasted forever, with her carefree chuckles always in the air. Her contagious smile wins over all flowers on Earth.   I could still feel her lips lingering on my neck-- that was the last thing I wished to lose.   Tim and I traveled like any other bold soldier to the camp on foot. The Last War, we called  it. In six months, the chaos would come to an end and it ’s time peace and independence ascend.   I marched on,     with my heart picturing her-     the only thing I fought for-     the sacred light at the end of my tunnel. When all the fighting were over, I would come home to her.   We marched on, as soldiers we battled and waved our swords, we prayed this was the final there could be. Non-stop, Tim bragged ab...

Advancement in social media has brought convenience into many's lives. Yet, one man's meat is another man's poison. Social medias have a dark side in secret many could not identify at first sight. The virtual platform is a breeding ground of cyberbullying. The Morbid Headcounts   A recent sharp rise in the number of depression cases and suicide reports has aroused the society's concern. Statistics have shown that 60% of depression cases in Malaysia are caused by cyber-bullying. Teenagers enjoy the fun social medias can bring, where they share their candid moments in life with friends and stay in contact.   Well, that's what most of us thought. In reality, the network is often misused as a battlefield to discriminate specific individuals. The reasons to sparkle online feud is often variable. Some 'gang up' to dominate over a particular person probably just based on his small-sized body frame, a scar on his body, parents' occupations or anything else ...