Wednesday, July 29, 2009

A... Story?

It was a sunny afternoon. One that would do terrible injustice to the terrors of which I was bound to see the few minutes thereafter. Yes, I was in a training camp for army hopefuls. And yes, I was trained not to flinch at the sight of death. And yes, my country was in a state of unrest. But I was still a boy. And nothing I had ever experienced could ever have prepared me for the ordeal I would have to face...
It all seemed... A blur now... So far... Yet... Almost as if... It was just yesterday when it happened...
I distinctly remember a gleam of joy, of pure ecstacy that day as I walked out of the academy hall. Rafa'el, or "Raffy" as we'd call him, was signalling to me to join him, his grin stretching from ear to ear. With a mock salute, Raffy called out "sir" as I approached. Playing along, I gave him a salute back, trying to keep my face still as I quickly pulled my hand down and gave him a friendly punch on his stomach. The next few minutes were full of laughter and joy as Raffy chased me around camp, hopelessly trying to return the favour. I was always the better runner, years of running round the fields being the reason... I always was the troublemaker, the one the discipline master could count on to punish whenever something went wrong. The training did me good.
The chase was abruptly halted when we heard the loud coughs from a man to our east. Commander Georg, accompanied by his lovely daughter Catherine, were visibly amused by our display as both tried to hide their laughter between deep breaths and, in Cathy's case, a small handkerchief. Commander G put his hands in the air as he said "I give up. Even after completing commando training, you STILL act like kids..." Muttering to himself, he retreated to another camp, leaving Cathy alone with the two of us. Her smile, as I would never forget, had the essence of one who understood. Her eyes of ebony betrayed a sense of kindness, one only rivaled by her soft, warm hands that could comfort even the most frightened of children on the streets. In her sweet, soft voice, she said "hey commandos, no hug for a beautiful old friend of yours?" Raffy answered "Beautiful is right", to which I answered "old is right", earning a big slap aimed at my face, of which I dodged, gladly to receive on my shoulder instead. Fun and games... It all became a blur right after that... Everything happened... so fast...
A scream was heard from the other end of the garrison. In our celebration, we were lulled into a false sense of security, a sense of greatness... So we thought we were commandos now... We were soon to learn one thing. "So what?"
A group of rebels, simply known as the "Crimson Moon" with their leader codenamed "Werewolf" somehow managed to infiltrate our defenses on this day, the day that haunts me, even to this day. Everything happened so fast. I saw a canister roll towards Raffy, and then smoke... I saw Raffy, while stretching his hand out getting shot, right in the back of his head. I saw Commander G, shot between the eyes. And I saw... I saw...
They took Cathy... As the words formed in my mouth, I took a blow to my head. I suspected they never came out...
Cath...
Cathy...

All I recall after that was months of heavy drills, sweat, and more often than not, albeit silently, tears. I had failed. Not only did I fail to save Raffy and Commander G, I failed the one I secretly admired, Cathy. But worse of all, I failed because I survived, and they did not.
I grew quickly in the ranks. Maybe it was due to my skill and causing trouble, which I had channeled into work instead. Maybe it was the fact that I was a much better marksman than any other. But probably, it was due to anger, rage, and the fact that I had nothing to lose.
Before I knew it, I was captain of the guard, Assistant Commander-in-Chief, Commanding officer of the commandos. I was the leader of an army, ten thousand strong, against an enemy of which I had a blood fued with.

Then one day the news came in. 18 miles north-northeast of my main barracks, intelligence discovered whatever remains of "Crimson Moon". There was, however, a note with it. They had wished to surrender.
Rage filled my heart. My anger burned within me, the repeated words scorched my very being. "Surrender", they say. No way. Not a chance, not in this life. Ignoring orders to stand down, I took up arms and rushed into the enemy hideout, right into the heart of the "Crimson Moon".
Fueled by revenge, I was in a frenzy. A mad frenzy. Anyone in the base who stood in my way I slaughtered. Women or children, young or old. The very sight of those in crimson was like a stench to my very being. No longer would the world have to see any other, dressed in robes of crimson. I would destroy these beasts. Every one of them.
Working my way through, I finally approached a large atrium. In it a lone man stood, and old man, age taking hold of him, but unmistakenly the leader of "Crimson Moon". There I stood, face to face with the Werewolf. Unarmed, the put his hands in the air as a sign of surrender.
One shot, in between the eyes. Another, right behind his head.
Revenge.
Paid.

In an instant, everything was over. I had my revenge. I laughed aloud, expecting full joy to finally return to my life...

And then there was silence.
Reality struck.

Now what?


I had my revenge. True enough. But at what price? Dare I call them monsters? On my hands were the blood of innocent women, children...

It dawned upon me. If anyone was a monster...

I was.

And what now? I had my revenge. Now what?

I cupped my hands and put my head in them as I knelt and wept.

And then, a sharp pain in my back. Everything turned black...

And was it just me, or did I hear a sweet, soft voice calling out to me? Dressed in white, with a lovely smile and eyes of ebony?

I don't know...

I guess I never will...



MAL
:-P

Friday, July 24, 2009

Clones...

Hehehehe HELLO GUYS!!!!! Sorry for being out-of-commision for so long...

But hey... MALCOLM'S BACK!!! With another one for you guys to think about...

The question that people for years have been questioning, the same question that's been playing in my mind for awhile now and that I can put in one word...

Clones.

So what about them, you ask?

Precisely. What about them?

We all know that research has been conducted, and for all we know, humans have also been cloned (albeit illegally) throughout the past few years...

And I know that cloning is probably against most of our beliefs...

But...

When the day finally does come when clones are to be accepted worldwide...

What will we classify them as?

Look at it this way... With prejudice, kids with HIV/AIDS are already considered outcasts, and as Ryan White (Born HIV+) said before "I mean, i'm surprised they even have dogs nowadays", just because someone's different, many people don't look at them like they would otherwise...

When clones are finally made...

Can they be considered human?

Or are they... Different?

If so, how?

Take away the knowledge that one is a clone of another, and what do you have?

A human deep down... Or another soul-less being?


If we don't bring forth a life, we can't take it away...

I... Am against cloning...

Sorry, i still prefer things the way they are... As of yet...

Whatever happens...


Prejudice is ignorance...



MAL
:-P

Monday, July 13, 2009

My First Love

Today I am reminded of the one whom I first loved.

Today I am reminded of the first, and only one who has ever loved me with such an unspoken intensity.

Today I am reminded of how useless and meaningless I was...

But yet I am reminded of how with such love, I could scrape through the worst times in life.

Today I am reminded that in my joys, I often forget my first love...

But yet I am reminded time and again, after straying from my love, that my first love is always there with open arms.

Today I remember what my love has done for me and am ashamed that when I am troubled, the number I seem to dial last is my first love.

And today I remember that...

In my turbulence...
In my ebullience...

You were always there...

Reaching out to me, calling out to me, waiting for me...

I would say that "oh if i could turn back the clock"... And so on...

But you know me better.

And though it's almost certain that i'll repeat it,

You still love me

And you always will.

I thank for reminding me again

You are the One I love.

Nothing else matters.


MAL
:-P

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Smile =)

Smile
Music by : Charlie Chaplin

Smile
tho' your heart is aching,
Smile
Even though its breaking,
When there are clouds in the sky-
You'll get by,
If you Smile
through your fear and sorrow,
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through- For you.
Light up your face with gladness,
Hide ev'ry trace of sadness,
Altho' a tear may be ever so near,
That's the time you must keep on trying,
Smile- What's the use of crying,
You'll find that life is still worthwhile,
If you just smile.

Forgive me, I got this song stuck in my head since last night (okay more like this morning =D)...

But you know, thinking it over, I realize that I had told myself something very important...
Something that I... Might have overlooked in the course of this one year...

I remember the one day that I was upset and disturbed because of certain issues, and I brought it along with me to school...

I remember how throughtout the day I noticed the prefects being in a terrible mood, not performing well, and how it seemed everything was out of place...

And then realization struck...

"When you are sad, when you are downcast, the people who love you, or you love most would be most affected..."

From then on I told myself never to be downcast, at least not in front of those whom I love...

Or have I overlooked that, for a moment?

Guys, if ever I have been upset, downcast or just simply not in the right mood...

Whenever it was, please forgive me? Thank you anyway :)

I echo the songwriters in the last two lines, of which I think are more true then ever...
~You'll find that life is still worthwhile,
If you just smile.~



MAL
:-P

P/S: Sorry to make it seem repetitive, but this song was Michael Jackson's favourite, not any of his own songs... It got stuck in my head when Jermaine Jackson, MJ's brother sang it during MJ's memorial service... There it is, my final tribute to MJ (Did someone just go *whew*? =_=)

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

My Future, Your Hands

Father Lord...

I thank You...

'Cause You'll never let me down...
And You pick me up when I am...

'Cause Your grace is sufficient for me...
And Your mercy is limitless...

'Cause Your love is everlasting...
And Father, You are love...

'Cause You are my comforter...
And You comfort me when I feel alone...

'Cause You are my refuge...
And Father, You are my fortress...

'Cause You are my wisdom...
And You give me Your knowledge and Your Word...

'Cause You are my strength...
And that is what You give to carry on...

'Cause You are my light...
And You make the paths clear for me to see...

'Cause You know my future...
You have planned it all, from the very beginning...
And Father...
You are my future...
Help me Father to never forget that.


MAL

Heal The World

"Heal The World"
Michael Jackson

There's A Place In
Your Heart
And I Know That It Is Love
And This Place Could
Be Much
Brighter Than Tomorrow
And If You Really Try
You'll Find There's No Need
To Cry
In This Place You'll Feel
There's No Hurt Or Sorrow

There Are Ways
To Get There
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Little Space
Make A Better Place...

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

If You Want To Know Why
There's A Love That
Cannot Lie
Love Is Strong
It Only Cares For
Joyful Giving
If We Try
We Shall See
In This Bliss
We Cannot Feel
Fear Or Dread
We Stop Existing And
Start Living

Then It Feels That Always
Love's Enough For
Us Growing
So Make A Better World
Make A Better World...

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

And The Dream We Were
Conceived In
Will Reveal A Joyful Face
And The World We
Once Believed In
Will Shine Again In Grace
Then Why Do We Keep
Strangling Life
Wound This Earth
Crucify Its Soul
Though It's Plain To See
This World Is Heavenly
Be God's Glow

We Could Fly So High
Let Our Spirits Never Die
In My Heart
I Feel You Are All
My Brothers
Create A World With
No Fear
Together We'll Cry
Happy Tears
See The Nations Turn
Their Swords
Into Plowshares

We Could Really Get There
If You Cared Enough
For The Living
Make A Little Space
To Make A Better Place...

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me


He got it right there... Lets make it a better place for everyone...
My final post about MJ...
Rest in peace, King of Pop... May God bless you...


MAL
:-P

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Wow...

I went back into Summit today... (To those who went like "WHAT?!?", it's the Batu Pahat equivalent of the Summit in Subang Jaya. It even smells the same...)

Aaaaaanyway...

I realized... I should be grateful...

As I walked past those halls of which seemed so familiar, yet so alien to me, I was quite disheartened by the hordes of different personalities, which kind of made me scringe... I know, it's wrong, yet somehow I felt uneasy...

Boys barely in their teens, walking around, acting like gangsters, adorning weird caps and earrings, what with drainpipe trousers and whatnot...
Girls with weird, uneven hairdos, chattering and giggling, all while wearing unmatching shoes and striped socks which try to stretch as high as possible up their legs...
Kids swearing in seemingly unintelligible languages at the top of their voices...
And those, visibly students, who make it seem as if wearing their uniforms properly in school would mean murder, yet somehow or other insist on wearing it on days of the week with no classes...

Since when has Summit become so... Run-down?

All this while I always thought BP had grown, and true enough, it has...

Yet i've been ignorant... Or have I? Since returning, I was always hanging around the new, "higher-class" edge of town...

No wonder everytime I ask Hazwan "BP camne?" He'll reply "Same je laaa..."

I placed my "toy" where I needed to, I did what I had to do...

Walking out of the building, reality struck me...

I stopped short a few steps before the door...

"BP hasn't changed THAT much..."

"YOU have..."

I cleared my head a little, clenched my bag in a tighter fist and walked along hurriedly...






Knowing that one day...



I'll be back...


MAL
:-P

Friday, July 3, 2009

You Carried Me
Unknown Artist


It's only when I look back
And traced the way
My crooked path has wandered
I see the footprints in the sand
And I realized You were there beside me
Every single day

You carried me through all of my trials
You carried me when I was troubled and alone
When my strength had gone
Couldn't get along without You

You carried me so I wouldn't stumble
You carried me just when I needed someone there
Who would be a friend
And I reached the end
Because He carried me

And now as I turn to face the narrow way
With shadows growing longer
I know my Savior's by my side
Always there for me
And He'll care for me
When the enemy draws near

He carried me through all of my trials
He carried me when I was troubled and alone
When my strength had gone, couldn't get along without Him

He carried me so I wouldn't stumble
He carried me just when I needed someone there
Who would be a friend
And I reached the end because He carried me

You carried me through all of my trials
You carried me when I was troubled and alone
When my strength had gone, couldn't get along without You

You carried me so I wouldn't stumble
You carried me just when I needed someone there
Who would be a friend
And I reached the end because You carried me

Thank You Father, that as I look back, I realized that in all things Father, You carried me...

What a fool to believe that sometimes, i could do things by myself, in my own plan, without You...

And thank You for understanding...

Love you Abba Father :)


MAL
:-P

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Another Prayer xD

Praise God from whom all blessings flow...
Praise Him all creatures here below...
Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts...
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost...

Father, I thank You for helping me realize that in everything that's sad, there's a bright side to it...

Help me to not be upset over trivial matters,
Help me to not fight battles that are just not worth fighting...

Thank You for helping me realize that when I am sad, the people around me are affected as well...

And Father, thank You for my friends, who stand by me through it all...

I thank You and claim that "No weapon formed against me shall prosper"

Thank You for good news, thank You for bad ones ('cause i know better ones of victory are coming)

Thank You for the random people who suddenly say "hi", and the people who receive my random "hi's"

Thank You for the people who cheer me up and make my day

Thank You for the small things that bring happiness or cheer into life

And thank You that I am able to do be that vessel sometimes...

Bless my friends and family,
Bless all those around me...

Bless all those, far and near,
Bless all those who reappear...

Bless the guys and bless the girls,
Bless all, in my mind, like pearls...

Bless the strong and bless the weak,
Bless the humble and the meek...

Bless them all, I ask and pray,
Bless them all, I pray today!

Again Father, I'm gonna put my trust in Ya!!! xD


MAL
:-P

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Am I Home?

If home is where the heart is...

Am I home?

At the badminton courts, I don't know anybody anymore
At the squash courts, I don't know anybody anymore
At the driving range, I don't know anybody anymore
At the putting green, I don't know anybody anymore
At the swimming pool, I don't know anybody anymore
At the tennis court, I don't know anybody anymore
At the food stalls, I don't know anybody anymore

Is this my hometown? Where's everybody?

And my heart, it just ain't here, innit?

I guess I still miss my buddies...


MAL
:-(