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A place for Writing 12 students to read each other's writing, to critique, to suggest, to improve.
About Me
- Brad
- Former adult teacher who loves island beaches. Happy homebody and family man; once devoted dog owner, now without Tashi, my Tibetan Terrier. I prefer the absurdity of the imagination to the absurdity of imagining nothing.
11 comments:
“Stop eating mandarins!” she said to me.
It was every wintertime, when my mom bought a bagful of mandarins; I started to eat the whole things. I couldn’t wait to go home and peel the mandarins and eat them.
When we got home, I sat in front of TV and my mom–talking to my sister over the Internet. It was our routine, the talking and eating the mandarins during the wintertime.
I remember wintertime when my mom was so angry with me. The reason was that I almost ate the whole mandarins in thirty minutes, but that was not all. . . My hands turned to yellowish colours, and so does my face.
My mom was shocked and banned me from eating mandarins, and since then my mom bought a few mandarins.
-133 words.
Dreams:
“I was a young kid with nothing. I lived in the city streets and I was sure to die within the city streets. I ate, only when I had food, I barely ate once a day. I took shower, twice a month at most. I was lost in the city maze; a little bird trapped in the kaleidoscopic mirrors of the downtown buildings. I begged for money, I begged for food, I begged for water, there were time I begged for Love. I was too young to get a good paying job-besides I didn’t even had a chance to get into a school. Therefore, I can not read, I can only count up to ten or maybe twenty-I’m not sure-and I can only write my first name-thanks to the Good Samaritan from this Religious Group who took care of children like me. I don’t like them, though. They will make you believe, that your condition, and that everything that happens to you is decided by this guy named God. But do you know what kept me from moving, despite of all the trials that had already faced and in spite of the people around me, who tried to change and manipulate me? I did not care about them; I did not care what they thought of me. A Samaritan once told me that, if food satisfies our hunger, dreams nourishes our soul. I am living for my dreams, and not for the dreams of others. Even though the roads I travelled on were not the safest, it made me strong. I just had to make sure that it will lead me toward my goals,” said the guest speaker in his speech in business conference for young entrepreneurs. “I am a perfect example of ‘rags to riches’ people. I used to have nothing in my pocket, not even a single cent , but now, because of not giving up on my dreams, I have millions of dollars in my bank accounts.”
Friendship:
I looked up into my friend Camille's eyes. Nothing in my life could possibly be going any worse then it was right now. I did everything I could to hold back the tears that were ready to come pouring out of me. Last thing I wanted to do was look weak in front of her. I felt it was my job to always be strong for this friend. The shoulder to cry on. The person for her to vent on. The one to always give the advice to make things better. Not the other way around. It was such a strange feeling to be at this emotional breaking point.
Without warning, I sobbed. Then came the tears I was so desperately trying to hold in. I left Camille's gaze and stared at the ground. Shame washed over me. Why I felt shame, I can't be sure. Knowing full well that I shouldn't, I continued to keep my eyes fixed downwards. Was it even appropriate for me to show myself at such a breaking point? Or would she think less of me? For all I knew she may not feel the same way I do. Then came a warm hand, that cupped gently under my cheek.
"Chris? Do you remember that song?" she spoke softly.
I was thrown aside by her question. Maybe I am right. She doesn't feel the same as I do. Bringing up some random song. More then likely to mock me.
She pulled my face closer and spoke softly.
"I will never let you fall. I'll stand up for you forever. I'll be there for you through it all. Even if saving you sends me to heaven."
I Looked back up into her eyes. She does care. There is no reason for me to feel alone. "Your Guardian Angel" is the name of the song I know so well. Then I cried harder. Not because of pain. Because of joy.
"Hey. You know I mean that right? Every word of it" she said promptly.
I nodded. Then we held each other, while my tears continued to pour onto her sweater. Never in my life had I felt such a perfect form of solace. Never in my life, have I had a friend like Camille.
Things I Can Not Do
“How can you eat so much sweet?” That is what I hear all the time from everyone of people I know.
They warn me by trying to tell me scary things like, “You’ll gain weight!” or “You definitely will develop diabetes.” And the harsh caution of my childhood was, “You will loose all your teeth!”
I am not overweight, I do have all my teeth,and I am in good health too. While those in my family who had fewer sweets, gained weight and developed diabetes.
Desserts are my favourite, and the main part of my meals. If I do not have dessert after meals, I don’t feel if I ate anything at all. Having sweets satisfies my soul and is keeping me happy. I always have candies with me in my pockets and purse.
I know that most of the sweets are unhealthy, but I can not quit having them ever.
155 words
A cup of tea
At the end of everyday I decide tomorrow I am going to cut the quantity of my cups of tea.
When I wake up I need a cup of tea like a diabetic person needs a dose of insulin. For my first coffee break I can enjoy chatting with my friend if I have a cup of tea. By the time when I come back from my work I need a cup of tea to give me energy for another shift in the kitchen to prepare dinner. After dinner I am thinking about my school homework; to make me wake up I need another cup. Could you please suggest to me where I can cut my quantity?
Retired Life
Paul was our neighbour since we moved in this plaza in 2007. He was seventy something, had a radiant face and his hair was silver gray. He always greeted everybody whenever we met him in our elevator.
“Lovely day isn’t it? I have to take my girlfriend shopping.”
“Really? Good for you!” I simply would be delighted by his good mood, “I hope you can enjoy it.”
“I hope so, TOO.” he grimaced, “I should say SHE takea me shopping, she just enjoy herself. She wanted me comment, sometimes, you know. . . “
“Ooh, you didn’t really give her your opinion, did you?”
“No, of course not, that’s the last thing a man should do in this case. She’d give you a hell.” We both laughed loudly.
This was Paul, like many other sliver-haired seniors in our building. They lived alone, dressed well and behaved like real ladies and gentlemen. I loved to see them and had little chat as they always do. They reminded me my own grandpa, but they were so independent. In sunny afternoons, I could see them drove their fancy cars to meet their friends.
“This is the retired life I dream about.” I told my husband once.
“Well, don’t dream. You have it now.” he teased me—a retired person in her thirty.
Last week I went home though the main floor, not from the garage like I usually did. I saw Paul sit on the step in the lobby, frustrated.
“Hey, Paul, How are you? What’s wrong?”
“Oh, the damn elevators are broken. I’m stuck here.”
“Both of them?” I was little surprised; our elevators were newly installed.
“One was broken while the other was in regular maintenance.”
“Jeez, I didn't know. They both were okay when I left. But are you okay, would you like to sit on the couch.” I pointed the one just one step from him.
“No, I’m fine. I’m figuring out how to make home, you know, I live in 13th floor.”
“I guess you have to wait. Or maybe you should stay a while in our apartment. It's just third floor.” I offered, not really sure if he could even make it.
“No, kid. You don't want to call 911 from the steps. My heart is aching even by thinking of it, but thanks, that’s sweet of you.” He still had that joking nature.
Paul was quite overweighed. I saw him sweat all the time even in chilled weather.
“How long it might take if you have any idea? Do you want me to call your families? Or I can sit with you fore a while.” I just couldn’t leave him sit here miserably and desolately.
“My family?” his voice suddenly sounded sore, “I didn’t see my son for two years. I miss my grandchildren too, I really do.”
“Two year? Where is he? Does he live far away?”
“No, he is just in North Vancouver. He is busy, you know, a family to support. But he calls me, once he’s free. . . .”
I couldn’t find any excuses for a son not visiting his father for two years even they just lived in the same city. But I certainly couldn’t say it. “I’m sure he’ll visit you soon.” I assured him something I didn't even know.
I thought about my own grandfather. My youngest aunt moved into his house after my step-grandma passed away in 2007. Also my eldest aunt and my uncles and my father regularly visited him from different cities. Although my grandpa was well nursed and his doctor checked him every week, but my aunt insisted nothing could compare with their own children. I could never imagine my grandpa drive by himself not matter a car or an aircraft.
It used to sound very noise to me with children and grandchildren around—the Chinese style. But, I definitely didn’t want to end up in an isolating apartment with my stinky and rotten body.
“Hey, guys!” I didn’t need to stiff up to know this was my over enthusiastic manager. It’s obviously not a good picture with a senior and a sharp minded tenant sit in the main floor entrance. “I’ve just checked. The elevators would be available within ten minutes.”
I talked with my husband after I reached home. “I cannot imagine my own son treated me like this.”
He listened to me or not without shifting his eyes from the computer screen and said, “No worries, you don't have a son yet.”
Addiction
When I came in at 10:00pm from work, I put my bag on the dinning table and went to the kitchen. I opened the cupboard and then froze when I saw my one year old niece dumped my bag on the floor.
“Perfect,” my sister-in-law said. “I thought you said you don’t buy chocolate anymore and that you buy only apple or yogurt instead?”
I almost flew over the counter between the kitchen and the dinning room to get to my bag, but it wasn’t possible.
“I …had no lunch, so I went for just chocolate for a quick energy.” I managed to say as I ran out of the kitchen to pick up my bars of Oh Henry chocolate that were scattered on the floor.
“Yeah, right, like I would believe that. Five bars are quite quick energy, if you haven’t eaten one or two already.”
She was right. I had eaten one bar at lunch and one on my way home. I always try to eat healthy food like apple, grapes and carrots. I would go like that for a week, saying that I need healthy food, but when I see a chocolate, my instinct wouldn’t let me pass by.
“It’s like you’re addicted to chocolate,” my sister-in-law said again, distracting my how-many-times –have –I – told –you –not- to open –my – purse glare at her daughter.
I said nothing because the “addiction” might be true. I promised I wouldn’t eat any chocolate for the whole week.
The next day, when I was wandering in Superstore, I saw a “50% off all valentine chocolates” sign and then sprinted for the shelf and I couldn’t think of anything but chocolate, chocolate. True—it is an addiction.
287 words
Nothing
The first thought of thing I couldn’t live without is my tea, I love to have a cup of Tetley Orange Pekoe first thing in the morning, I think that is the thing I couldn’t live without. After I realize I can replace my morning Tetley tea with coffee, the Tetley tea has not been a must any more. Maybe I could just cut down on my caffeine by changing my habit.
I love sweet, that is the thing I could not live without. I love chocolate, ice cream and cheesecake. After my mouth became sour, each time I ate the sweet, I had to quit them all.
In the modern days, people depend on TV and Internet as their major source of recreation, but I am absolutely fine by just visiting the local library. In fact it allowed me to have more time with my friends.
How about the person I love. As the love songs always said “I can’t live my life without you” or “You take a piece of me”. I started to think about my husband, but it is not guaranteed that he will always be with me; there might be circumstances like betrayal, divorce or death that kept us apart. Am I going to continue living? The answer is yes absolutely.
I started to think about my parents, they used to be the person I couldn’t live without when I was a child, but I am living thousands miles away from them, I became more independent, and I certainly am living without them.
How about my daughter, she is the sweetest angel in my life, I could certainly not live without her, in fact, it will be even heart breaking to think about that. But, one day you will became an independent adult; she might be traveling thousands of miles away from me. Will I live without her? The answer is again yes certainly.
I really treasure all the friends for my life, they are the one who helped me to grow as a human, they let me experience love and joy from one another. But I have to admit, there is circumstance when jealousy or miscommunication got into the way, the person you love the most can actually hurt you the deepest. Or sometimes, it could just a change of each other’s life situation that keeps you apart.
So what on earth is the thing I can’t live without, I can’t think any. Maybe if I may say, there is actually something I can’t live without, I can’t afford to lose - the spirit of love - the “love one another” kind of. To love, for what ever the life circumstances bring to you. Without that, I will lose hope for this world.
460 words
How to cook the BBQ chicken wings? How to fix the computer problem? What is the right route to the party spot? What time is the applicable in everyday to take my Vitamin C pills? What is the result of toady NBA games? Is there any new job poster from my objective company? ...... Where can I get the answer quickly and accurately for all those questions I met on everyday is “The Internet”.
I have forgotten when and how I became more and more rely on the Internet. I read news by websites; I connect colleagues and change information by email; I see movie online; I chat to my friend in MSN; I phone my parents by IP phone; I do my high school assignment from the blog….. It seems like that everything in my life is connect to the Internet. I did not count how many hours I spend in the Internet each day, but I am sure it must much longer than the other things I did, including sleeping. I t is so useful and high efficient that I cannot image what it will be if I leave the Internet.
However, at the same time, everything has two sides. Spending much time on Internet do a negative influence to me. It easily wastes time on it. It is usually I just want to have a rest to view some website during my study, but when I realize that I should go back to study, several hours has gone! It is always quickly when you are on the Internet.
I think it is important to me to find a right way to utilize the Internet efficiectly. But there is one thing I am sure that I cannot live with it.
"You are going to die young if you don't top drinkin pop," my Mother told me."Put that bottle down and get the apple juice in the fridge."
She hates the sight of me drinking my thirst-quenching iced cold Coca-Cola. Diabetes is common to my family as flu. In fact, three of my uncles have been battling with the diesease for years and my Grandparents also had it.
My father used to work for Coca-Cola. He intruduced this addictive beverage to me at a very young age-and since then, I've never stopped drinking it. I can probably consume more than two litres of pop in one day.From waking up, until before I go to sleep, I need to have my Coke. Every meal, from breakfast to dinner, I need at least a glass of Coke. I basically drink it as frequent as other people drink their water. I know it is bad for my health, but I can not stop it- it is asking me to stop breathing.
I went and took the apple juice, so that my Mother would stop nagging at me. But I insisted in drinking my pop, than to suffer from the horrid taste of pure apple juice. I know, many would disagree with me,but you can't blame me- I love my Coke.
At the end, my Mother succeded. She hit me at the back of head with the palm of hand and forcefully took my precious Coke from me. It's ok, I thought to myself. I had more, hidden under my bed.
I met her at a special time—the period of the “natural calamities”. She shocked me a lot and changed me a lot.
This period lasted three years. At that time, everyone was hungry and undernourishment, for it was a very difficult thing to find something to eat. Other than the rating of grain, averaging one pound a day, almost nothing could be gained—no oil, no lipid, no egg, no sugar, even no vegetables. The ratings were far from what I need, so I often in the status of semi-hungry.
She often supported me some grain coupons-three or four lbs. a month. I felt that the small notes were so heavy, while I thought of what is that means. That meant she would fast three or four days per month. This event shook me. Anyway, it was too hard for me to do so!
Another event that shocked me more than that was she donated her blood for rescuing a boy. In this period of hungry and malnutrition, none would like to be such kind of volunteer. Much less the boy was neither kith nor kin. More than that, she gave all the rewards for the donation, the eggs, meat and sugar, to the boy’s family.
When I knew this, I astonished. The men who held high the beautiful banners and shouted the slogans “serve the people” could be found everywhere. But she practiced earnestly and said nothing.
The more I learnt about her, the more I respected her. She really did things I could not do. She possessed a magnificent mind, and I am not. Since then, I changed gradually. But without her modal, I cannot change so much; without her encouraging, I cannot reached the level I had.
Words: 291
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