Volume 1; Chapter 20: The Time Is Now (Part 2)

This is the second part to the previous post and I made it into two just to make it look short and not so boring. That poem was just only the appetizer, if you haven't read the previous one, scroll down and read Part 1 before proceeding with Part 2.

As you know, after reading through "The Most Beautiful Flower", I couldn't help but realise that it was tremendously written. So, I took the liberty of searching for more of her poems and I came across this one which inspired me to write this two part blog posts.

Here is the link to her website. Do read the poem below. And most of all, Happy Belated Father's Day.

(Before I proceed, do be advised that you might be touched...

Daddy's Day

Her hair up in a ponytail, her favorite dress tied with a bow
Today was Daddy's Day at school, and she couldn't wait to go
But her mommy tried to tell her, that she probably should stay home
Why the kids might not understand, if she went to school alone
But she was not afraid; she knew just what to say
What to tell her classmates, on this Daddy's Day
But still her mother worried, for her to face this day alone
And that was why once again, she tried to keep her daughter home
But the little girl went to school, eager to tell them all
About a dad she never sees, a dad who never calls

There were daddies along the wall in back, for everyone to meet
Children squirming impatiently, anxious in their seats
One by one the teacher called, a student from the class
To introduce their daddy, as seconds slowly passed
At last the teacher called her name, every child turned to stare
Each of them were searching, for a man that wasn't there
"Where's her daddy at?" She heard a boy call out
"She probably doesn't have one." Another student dared to shout
And from somewhere near the back, she heard a daddy say
"Looks like another deadbeat dad, too busy to waste his day."

The words did not offend her, as she smiled at her friends
And looked back at her teacher, who told her to begin
And with hands behind her back, slowly she began to speak
And out from the mouth of a child, came words incredibly unique
"My Daddy couldn't be here, because he lives so far away
But I know he wishes he could be, with me on this day
And though you cannot meet him, I wanted you to know
All about my daddy, and how much he loves me so
He loved to tell me stories, he taught me to ride my bike
He surprised me with pink roses, and he taught me to fly a kite
We used to share fudge sundaes, and ice cream in a cone
And though you cannot see him, I'm not standing all alone
'Cause my daddy's always with me, even though we are apart
I know because he told me, he'll forever be here in my heart"

With that her little hand reached up, and lay across her chest
Feeling her own heartbeat, beneath her favorite dress
And from somewhere in the crowd of dads, her mother stood in tears
Proudly watching her daughter, who was wise beyond her years
For she stood up for the love, of a man not in her life
Doing what was best for her, doing what was right
And when she dropped her hand back down, staring straight into the crowd
She finished with a voice so soft, but its message clear and loud

"I love my daddy very much, he's my shining star
And if he could he'd be here, but heavens just too far
But sometimes when I close my eyes, it's like he never went away"
And then she closed her eyes, and saw him there that day
And to her mother's amazement, she witnessed with surprise
A room full of daddies and children, all starting to close their eyes
Who knows what they saw before them, who knows what they felt inside
Perhaps for merely a second, they saw him at her side

"I know you're with me daddy." To the silence she called out
And what happened next made believers, of those once filled with doubt
Not one in that room could explain it, for each of their eyes had been closed
But there placed on her desktop, was a beautiful fragrant pink rose
And a child was blessed, if only a moment, by the love of her shining bright star
And given the gift of believing, that heaven is never too far

Cheryl Costello-Forshey ©2000

... to tears)

Volume 1; Chapter 19: The Time Is Now (Part 1)

It's about time I post something pleasant and appealing to readers of this blog and so far I haven't been able to come up with something nice, until now!

Father's Day just past a week ago and seeing that I wrote something about Mother's Day, it is well that I should pay my tribute to all fathers who have and had been so strong in bringing up their family. They are always there to lift up their children in times of need and most of all, being the fatherly figure we children look up to. Fathers are there to bring you through the rough and tough, are they not?

Just recently, we students of AUSMAT were asked to write poems. Now, poetry is not something that we all could easily grasp, because it more or less involves the sentimental side of our human nature, needing us to be in the MOMENT to really come to terms with the whole context. That's why when you are into a poem, it can be really overwhelming and intensely touching.

I was just surfing the net, and somehow when I googled the phrase "the most beautiful flower", the first search link which came out was a poem. Well, a poem with this title is certainly catchy and I followed the link!

The Most Beautiful Flower

The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read
Beneath the long, straggly branches of an old willow tree.
Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown,
For the world was intent on dragging me down.

And if that weren't enough to ruin my day,
A young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play.
He stood right before me with his head tilted down
And said with great excitement, "Look what I found!"

In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight,
With its petals all worn - not enough rain, or too little light.
Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play,
I faked a small smile and then shifted away.

But instead of retreating he sat next to my side
And placed the flower to his nose
and declared with overacted surprise,
"It sure smells pretty and it's beautiful, too.
That's why I picked it; here, it's for you."

The weed before me was dying or dead.
Not vibrant of colors: orange, yellow or red.
But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave.
So I reached for the flower, and replied, "Just what I need."

But instead of him placing the flower in my hand,
He held it mid-air without reason or plan.
It was then that I noticed for the very first time
That weed-toting boy could not see: he was blind.

I heard my voice quiver; tears shone in the sun
As I thanked him for picking the very best one.
"You're welcome,"he smiled, and then ran off to play,
Unaware of the impact he'd had on my day.

I sat there and wondered how he managed to see
A self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree.
How did he know of my self-indulged plight?
Perhaps from his heart, he'd been blessed with true sight.

Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see
The problem was not with the world; the problem was me.
And for all of those times I myself had been blind,
I vowed to see the beauty in life,
and appreciate every second that's mine.

And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose
And breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose
And smiled as I watched that young boy,
another weed in his hand,
About to change the life of an unsuspecting old man.

Cheryl Costello-Forshey (1998)

Volume 1; Chapter 18: Gloomy Mood

As humans, we are a socially connected bunch of creatures. Much as we wouldn't notice, our lives are very much interconnected with each others. Your surrounding influences the ambience and atmosphere. How people feel or carry themselves pretty much affect everyone else around each other.

Eg: A teacher walking into the classroom with a long face and starts teaching. Unknowingly at the same time, the teacher is carrying a huge patch of dark clouds into the room at the same time. Surely you don't expect the class to miss that, do you?

So, the "Gloomy Mood" title is suitable because it says that for all that is happening around us, we are pretty much influenced by those things.

This is just an observation of mine because everything seems so tuned down lately. Everything means students of AUSMAT. Haha.

A storm is brewing and people are getting ready to charge....




TO THE CINEMA for TRANSFORMERS 2!

Volume 1; Chapter 17: Time Factor - Sentimental Recollection

Why you know... I've not posted anything for some time now due to lack of ideas and all those exams. Nonetheless, I'm going to get down to business now.

I'm sure the thing on everyone's mind as they start this new semester is "We are already halfway there, aren't we?". Hey, you've got a point there, we are indeed halfway there. But don't you think it's somehow too fast or should I say, gone in a blink of an eye.

Whatever we did, we've done. Remember the first day you came to KBU? Everyone was crowding in the MPH (Multi-Purpose Hall, and what were you thinking?). Everyone looked so serious on that first day as if we were in the Colosseum, awaiting the battle to begin. Things were much different as days went by. Those first few day when we were here, everything seemed so unfamiliar and strange. Remember those strange moments you had with your roommates, those first encounters and lots more. I'm sure all of us have become good friends, inseparable and been through thick and thin.

Aren't we all in this together?

I remember the first day, very well indeed. A new experience, a new chapter, a new story altogether. Very pleasant yet so distant... I'm "stationed" at one of the student houses. On my way there, I passed huge houses which one could only dream of buying. The residential area looked like a maze, awaiting us to explore and conquer. And so we did. We roamed the area, scouting every nook and cranny, till we know the place through and through.

Some of us, fortunate ones, got to mingled and blended in well with some of the seniors, and we learned a great deal from them. What did we learn? Well, for starters, we got info on whatever there is to know about AUSMAT and of course not forgetting the Lecturers. Haha... They certainly had a lot of comments about them, but I ain't revealing nothing here, mate!

Ok, what's next? .....
....

How about the way we felt about college especially for those who first entered college? Initially, I thought studies would be hectic and you know, different from secondary school. Well, all I can say is college life is certainly different, perhaps in terms of personal freedom and stuffs like that. But the same thing is that we are still studying... That would certainly rate better than having to work :)

Then, the real battle of yesteryear that we fought would be IELTS. And yeah, AUSMAT packs more of a punch due to those 5 subjects all of us have to take. But remember last year? We sat for IELTS like only for 2 days, and it's holiday... All of us, eagerly anticipating the trip home, while some of us, had something which held us back. It was a moment of mixed feeling which would be felt soon again- in November when we finish TEE. You get so used to BU that you become "institutionalized". Going back would mean leaving something behind just like when you were leaving your hometown and heading to KBU during that first day, remember?

And there it was, half a year gone just like that.

After 5 months of huff and puff, we are here! Right after the break, and everyone should be refreshed for the new semester, or are we still in the mood? Around this time last year, everyone of us were busy getting the documents done with and a year has passed since then, and now the juniors are coming. Did I hear a smirk? Ya you right there! I believe most of us are anticipating the coming of the new batch of students, it'll be like them in our shoes last year. All of them being so new to this place, I'm beginning to feel the "superiority" in the air. Muahaha....

But, wait a minute. It'll mean we are drawing near to the day we have been working towards. And it will come soon enough even before you know it. As always time is the factor.

It passes too fast and you are already 19+ . No more childhood but only memories for y'all. And with this, all is ended... Except for hope! Haha..

Tick Tock, ...

Volume 1; Chapter 16: Techno dependency

Have you ever had such a bad day in which every piece of technology fails before you? Perhaps not all technology but how about just your handphone and your laptop or pc? I bet you'll go haywire and panic stricken. That happened to me! on 25th May 2009. Speaking of coincidence...

On that morning itself, my laptop's display was blank although hard disk was running. To add to that, my handphone could not make outgoing calls or sms for that matter. Terrible. It left me so disgusted that I couldn't do anything that morning, could not even begin my revision...

What does this show? Well, simple. It shows that without technology, we simply can't do things. Imagine waking up one morning and everything is manual labour with nothing to assist you. You have no stove, you build fire. You have no car, you walk to work. You have no laptop, you write. You have no handphones, you find people to convey information.

It would seem pathetic. That's why, should technology really fail one day, by all means anticipate the worst. Chaos in a systematic world.

Therefore, learn to live like you're in the stone age...

Just a thought.