Hello all, as the title says, we're back...sort of. Anyways, we stopped by just to leave a note that we're still on our leave while working on our top-secret, highly sensitive, incredibly astounding, mind blowing, earth smashing, okok enough liao...erm, we're still working on our (hopefully)best-selling book. We feel very bad for not coming up with any new stories for you guys to read at the moment...luckily Singapore events are exciting enough for you guys- our infamous friend Mas Selamat recently got captured and that some say a new Singapore Drama series may be coming out on local television called 'Toilet Break', in honour of Mas Selamat. We really have no time to probe into this matter as our top-secret, highly sensitive, incredibly astounding, mind blowing, earth smashing, ok, forgive me for being dumb. We really hope to get our project completed ASAP and we continue to thank the Lord for his blessings and thank you guys for your continuous support. Thanks and God bless!
Max Loo
Author Mentor
Seventh Heaven Entertainment Group
Monday, June 1, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Time To Say Goodbye
Hello all, avid readers and loyal supporters of Seventh Heaven. I regret to tell you that with effect from 5th of May 2009 onwards, we will be going on an indefinite leave as we have other things to attend to. We thank you all for your continuous support and wish you all the best in Life. God Bless!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Note from the author: MAX'S ACCIDENTALLY IN LOVE!!!!
Hello all, avid readers and loyal followers of Seventh Heaven, we bring you great news! Apparently, the Cupid has been around doing some work and Max's in love! HAHA! Yes, we can hear the moans and groans from some girls, haha. Anyways, it started off like this.
Max came to our meeting one day with a smile on his face. Sorry, to describe it as a smile would be an understatement. Max was practically grinning from ear to ear and not paying any attention at all to our topic of discussion. So after the meeting, we found Max looking at some girl's profile( or blog, we actually forgot!) and smiling away. So we seized this opportunity to catch him-red-handed and forced him to tell us more about this girl. Yes, a little bit of torture was required, haha. (Of course, some of you who are Max's VERY CLOSE friends may already know who this girl is so PLEASE TELL US MORE!!! We want her name, age, school, MSN, date of birth and anything you can contribute. We promise 'not' to post it in this blog. And if you have a picture of her PLEASE SEND IT TO US!! Actually, we already know her name but we just want to make sure in case we get the wrong girl...)
As usual, he was describing her in a probably over-exaggerated manner, saying that, and I quote from his words, 'the love of his life, it was love at first sight, he'll give anything up for her, he found the true meaning in Life, she'll always be my baby and blah, blah,blah.' Anyways, that day we all had to go home and use Dettol to cleanse our ears. Anyways, whoever this lucky girl is, we hope to meet you someday and we wish you all the best in your relationship.
Cheers,
The Seventh Heaven Team of Writers
Max came to our meeting one day with a smile on his face. Sorry, to describe it as a smile would be an understatement. Max was practically grinning from ear to ear and not paying any attention at all to our topic of discussion. So after the meeting, we found Max looking at some girl's profile( or blog, we actually forgot!) and smiling away. So we seized this opportunity to catch him-red-handed and forced him to tell us more about this girl. Yes, a little bit of torture was required, haha. (Of course, some of you who are Max's VERY CLOSE friends may already know who this girl is so PLEASE TELL US MORE!!! We want her name, age, school, MSN, date of birth and anything you can contribute. We promise 'not' to post it in this blog. And if you have a picture of her PLEASE SEND IT TO US!! Actually, we already know her name but we just want to make sure in case we get the wrong girl...)
As usual, he was describing her in a probably over-exaggerated manner, saying that, and I quote from his words, 'the love of his life, it was love at first sight, he'll give anything up for her, he found the true meaning in Life, she'll always be my baby and blah, blah,blah.' Anyways, that day we all had to go home and use Dettol to cleanse our ears. Anyways, whoever this lucky girl is, we hope to meet you someday and we wish you all the best in your relationship.
Cheers,
The Seventh Heaven Team of Writers
Friday, April 3, 2009
Always Online Chapter 2 (Preview)
Hello all, avid readers and loyal followers of Seventh Heaven. As promised, here is the preview of the second chapter of our book 'Always Online'. We hope you enjoy it. Thank you and God bless!
Chapter 2
The next day, Jake walked into the school cafeteria and found himself getting a lot of hateful stares. Trying his best to ignore them, he made his way to a corner and sat down with his friends.
“It’s like that, bro,” his friend said. “people are feeling sore about yesterday’s game and losing that place after three years. Don’t take it to heart. We know you did your best.”
Jake smiled and nodded.
A group of students sat down at the table next to Jake’s and took out their PlayStation Portables. They were competing with each other when one of them, a thin guy with spiky hair spoke.
“Hey Eric, you’re not up to standards today. I’m winning you by a mile, man!”
The guy called Eric laughed.
“You wait Kenneth, I’ll catch up with you soon. I’m sure I’m playing much better than yesterday’s game.” he said with a sneer and stole a quick glance at Jake.
The other guys laughed.
“I agree,” another guy said. “Yesterday’s game was rubbish, I swear. To think that he got overtaken from behind. What a loser!”
Jake had heard enough. “Let’s go,” he said to his friends.
He picked up his bag , walked towards the entrance and almost tripped over an outstretched leg. He looked up at the smiling face of Eric.
“Oops, sorry. Didn’t see you coming.” Eric said. “Anyway, my leg is like this, since young it has been allergic to losers and would stick out and trip them. So sorry.”
Jake turned around and gave him a punch across his face. Eric’s friends got up aggressively but the harsh looks on Jake’s face daunted them from doing anything foolish towards him. The whole cafeteria had gone quiet by now and were looking in Jake’s direction. Jake bent down and stared at Eric squarely in the face.
“Don’t ever call me loser again.”
Then he turned and walked out of the place and the students started whispering.
My lunch appointment with Jake was at two in the afternoon and we found a small, cozy café along Bukit Timah and sat down at a table near the window.
A waitress came over and handed us the menus before leaving us to make our decision on what food to order.
“Have you eaten here before?” I asked Jake.
He shook his head.
“I see. Me neither.”
“That’s good, so don’t blame me if you find the food not up to your standards.”
I laughed.
“So what class are you in? I asked, trying to start up a conversation.
“Interactive media. My class is currently studying advertising now.”
“Wow, sounds interesting, can I see your work?” I asked hopefully.
“Why?”
"Why not?" I said. "I'm just curious about what you guys do in your class."
"Oh."
He reached for his laptop, opened it and showed me some PowerPoint presentations that he had made together with his colleagues from the department. They were interesting and I found myself laughing at some of the funnier ones. I placed both my elbows on the table and glanced at him.
“I had no idea you were such a creative guy. So you really came up with the idea for all of these?”
He nodded.
“Wow,” I said, truly amazed.
“Why?” he asked me.
“Well, it’s just that on the first time I met you, I didn’t know you were such a creative person.” I said sheepishly. “You came across to me as a quiet and proud sort of person so I thought you studied business.”
He laughed.
“Business? That’s the last subject you’ll probably find me studying. It’s no fun to do business, trust me. Furthermore, I was never good at Maths and can only scrape by on the basics alone.” He kept his laptop and put his elbows on the table as well. “Now, you said you never expected me to be such a creative person. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“What?” I asked. “Being creative? Don’t be silly, of course it’s a good thing!” I exclaimed. Suddenly, I noticed that he was looking into my eyes. We both hold each other’s gaze for awhile and unknowingly, we leaned in closer to each other.
“Sorry, your food is here.” the waitress announced and we pulled away, slightly embarrassed. Placing the food down on the table, the waitress left us alone again.
“After you,” said Jake.
I smiled and picked up my spoon and dug into my pasta. To my surprise, it was nice and juicy. We ate for awhile in silence, savoring our food before I plucked up enough courage to ask Jake the questions I had always been dying to ask.
“So Jake,” I said, between mouthfuls of pasta, “you never once spoke about your family. So what’s your parents like? What are you like?”
He seemed to pause for a moment at this question, as though carefully choosing his words before he replied me.
“I’m an orphan,” he said and I felt my heart sink. “I was brought up by an uncle. I never knew my parents. They died before I was born.”
“I’m so sorry.” I blurted out. “I didn’t expect-”
“Why?” he interrupted. Does hearing about my family background make you feel sorry for me?” “Well, yes.” I admitted.
He smiled.
“So,” I said. “I never heard you talking of your girlfriend. I bet she’s beautiful.”
“I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“Oh come on,” I laughed. “You didn’t think I was going to fall for that would you? I bet you have.”
“I don’t have a girlfriend as I already have a girl I like.”
“Really?” I asked, a little disappointed. “Tell me about her.”
“I don’t know about her. I’ve only seen her once and that was it. We lost contact soon after.”
“Ah,”I said. “I detect a sense of remorse there. Tell me about your experience and I‘ll see if I can help.”
To my surprise, he laughed. “I remember during my primary school days there was this girl whom I had a crush on. I always met her on the bus for hr school was just within walking distance to my school. I came from an all boys school and when I saw that girl, I immediately fell in love. However, at that time, I was extremely shy and didn’t dare to talk to her. She also didn’t notice me and we never really talked.” he paused to take a sip of water.
“So did you get to know her in the end?” I asked excitedly.
“I did get to talk to her eventually,” he answered. “It was fated, I believe. One day, I was walking through a park when I came across her. She was sitting on a bench and like you, she was also writing something. All of a sudden, there was a strong gust of wind and all her papers got blown away and landed in an untidy heap all over the place. Without hesitation, I went forward to help her pick her papers up and pass it to her. However, at that time, I chickened out and left even before she could say thanks.” He smiled and looked at me.
“So how did you manage to talk to her in the end?” I pressed on, but at the same time, something was stirring in my memory. Could he be the guy I met in primary school?
“Well, after that day I never saw her again as I had to stay back in school for extra classes since my exam was near. I never expected to see her again as I would be graduating after that year. Eventually, we met again on the bus on the last day of the term and she came up to me and thanked me for helping her that day. She even asked if we could be friends. Later, before I alighted the bus at my designated stop, she asked me to write down my telephone number. We didn’t have handphones in those days so I scribbled down the telephone number of my home on a piece of paper and handed it to her. However, she never called me but I never forgot about her. I wonder how she is doing now. Now, as I look back, a part of me still wishes that the bus journey that day would never end.”
I was certain of it now. He was the guy. To be on the safe side, I asked him one last question.
“What else do you remember of her?“ I asked.
“Well, all I remembered of her was that she carried a Mickey Mouse schoolbag.” he said.
It was definitely him. After all these years, I finally found him.
"You're the guy with the big specs!" I said happily.
"Sorry?"
I took out the piece of paper that I had kept with me all this while and handed it to him.
“Remember this?” I asked.
He took it and looked and it. Then he looked up at me.
“You’re the girl with the Mickey Mouse schoolbag?” he asked astonished.
Grinning, I nodded and we both broke out into fits of laughter.
“To think that after so many years, we're still able to find each other. Perhaps it really is fated. But why didn’t you call me?”
“There was a heavy rain that afternoon. My clothes were drenched and the ink on the paper got smudged.”
“Oh I see. Gosh, this is totally incredible.” he said. “Who would have thought that after so many years, we’re still able to find each other.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “It really is incredible.”
He laughed.
“Wait, you said you liked that girl.” I said slowly. “So that means you like me?”
An awkward moment of silence followed. All of a sudden, there was a flash of lightning, followed closely by a clap of thunder which made me jump in fright. Jake took this as an excuse to change the subject.
“I think it’ll rain soon. Shall we finish up our food and go?“
I nodded quickly, glad that the tense moment was gone.
Outside, dark clouds were beginning to obscure the sky and thunder roared, signaling that a thunderstorm was imminent. Not wanting to get caught in the rain, we quickly finished up our food, paid and headed to the carpark where Jake’s car was parked for he offered to give me a ride home. As we turned out of the carpark, the rain start falling in sheets.
“Wow, lucky we came out early.” he said.
“Yeah.”
As I lay back against the seat listening to the music of Beethoven, I suddenly thought of what Jake said to me in the café. He said he had liked me. However, that was before. How about now? Can love at first sight really stand the test of time? How could I be certain that he still liked me? There were a thousand question going through my mind but I didn’t know which one to start of with as they all seemed equally important to me. I stared out of the window, trying to clear my head but the downpour had turned everything outside into smudges of various colours. I soon fell asleep but was awakened by the momentum of the car as it slowed down and eventually pulled to a stop.
“We’ve reached.” he said.
I looked out of the window and saw my block of flats.
“Thanks for the ride,” I said.
“No problem.”
“Do you still like me?” I asked suddenly, turning around to look him in the eyes.
This question apparently caught him by surprise and he just stared at me. For a minute, all we could hear was the sound of raindrops falling on the car and the soft music from the speakers.
“Jake Lee, do you still like me?”
“Sharon, I…”
“Yes or no?”
“Yes.”
We realized that we had been staring at each other for sometime. Before I knew it, Jake had leaned in towards me and the next thing I knew, I had his lips pressed against mine. I had never tasted a moment so sweet and blood boiled under my skin. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him closer to me as we kissed. I could smell the alluring aroma of his cologne and this made want him even more. Suddenly, he broke off and looked at me.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I lost control of myself.”
“I’m sorry too.” I said. We sat in silence for awhile I the car, both of us embarrassed by our actions. I pretended to look at my watch.
“Sorry, I’ve got to go.” I opened the door and got out of the car, closing the door behind me. Then, the electric window slid down.
“Sharon,” Jake called to me from inside his car. “next week is my birthday. I want to celebrate it with you. Are you free?”
“I’m not sure,” I told him. “I’ll have to check my schedule.”
He passed me a piece of paper with an email address scribbled on it.
“What’s the meaning of this?” I asked him.
“It’s my email address. Do add me up on MSN so we can chat and get to know each other better. After all, I’m always online.”
“Yea, ok.”
Please,” he said. “Try to come. I’ll be waiting for you at the park where we first met.”
Without waiting for my reply, the window slid up and he drove off.
Chapter 2
The next day, Jake walked into the school cafeteria and found himself getting a lot of hateful stares. Trying his best to ignore them, he made his way to a corner and sat down with his friends.
“It’s like that, bro,” his friend said. “people are feeling sore about yesterday’s game and losing that place after three years. Don’t take it to heart. We know you did your best.”
Jake smiled and nodded.
A group of students sat down at the table next to Jake’s and took out their PlayStation Portables. They were competing with each other when one of them, a thin guy with spiky hair spoke.
“Hey Eric, you’re not up to standards today. I’m winning you by a mile, man!”
The guy called Eric laughed.
“You wait Kenneth, I’ll catch up with you soon. I’m sure I’m playing much better than yesterday’s game.” he said with a sneer and stole a quick glance at Jake.
The other guys laughed.
“I agree,” another guy said. “Yesterday’s game was rubbish, I swear. To think that he got overtaken from behind. What a loser!”
Jake had heard enough. “Let’s go,” he said to his friends.
He picked up his bag , walked towards the entrance and almost tripped over an outstretched leg. He looked up at the smiling face of Eric.
“Oops, sorry. Didn’t see you coming.” Eric said. “Anyway, my leg is like this, since young it has been allergic to losers and would stick out and trip them. So sorry.”
Jake turned around and gave him a punch across his face. Eric’s friends got up aggressively but the harsh looks on Jake’s face daunted them from doing anything foolish towards him. The whole cafeteria had gone quiet by now and were looking in Jake’s direction. Jake bent down and stared at Eric squarely in the face.
“Don’t ever call me loser again.”
Then he turned and walked out of the place and the students started whispering.
My lunch appointment with Jake was at two in the afternoon and we found a small, cozy café along Bukit Timah and sat down at a table near the window.
A waitress came over and handed us the menus before leaving us to make our decision on what food to order.
“Have you eaten here before?” I asked Jake.
He shook his head.
“I see. Me neither.”
“That’s good, so don’t blame me if you find the food not up to your standards.”
I laughed.
“So what class are you in? I asked, trying to start up a conversation.
“Interactive media. My class is currently studying advertising now.”
“Wow, sounds interesting, can I see your work?” I asked hopefully.
“Why?”
"Why not?" I said. "I'm just curious about what you guys do in your class."
"Oh."
He reached for his laptop, opened it and showed me some PowerPoint presentations that he had made together with his colleagues from the department. They were interesting and I found myself laughing at some of the funnier ones. I placed both my elbows on the table and glanced at him.
“I had no idea you were such a creative guy. So you really came up with the idea for all of these?”
He nodded.
“Wow,” I said, truly amazed.
“Why?” he asked me.
“Well, it’s just that on the first time I met you, I didn’t know you were such a creative person.” I said sheepishly. “You came across to me as a quiet and proud sort of person so I thought you studied business.”
He laughed.
“Business? That’s the last subject you’ll probably find me studying. It’s no fun to do business, trust me. Furthermore, I was never good at Maths and can only scrape by on the basics alone.” He kept his laptop and put his elbows on the table as well. “Now, you said you never expected me to be such a creative person. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“What?” I asked. “Being creative? Don’t be silly, of course it’s a good thing!” I exclaimed. Suddenly, I noticed that he was looking into my eyes. We both hold each other’s gaze for awhile and unknowingly, we leaned in closer to each other.
“Sorry, your food is here.” the waitress announced and we pulled away, slightly embarrassed. Placing the food down on the table, the waitress left us alone again.
“After you,” said Jake.
I smiled and picked up my spoon and dug into my pasta. To my surprise, it was nice and juicy. We ate for awhile in silence, savoring our food before I plucked up enough courage to ask Jake the questions I had always been dying to ask.
“So Jake,” I said, between mouthfuls of pasta, “you never once spoke about your family. So what’s your parents like? What are you like?”
He seemed to pause for a moment at this question, as though carefully choosing his words before he replied me.
“I’m an orphan,” he said and I felt my heart sink. “I was brought up by an uncle. I never knew my parents. They died before I was born.”
“I’m so sorry.” I blurted out. “I didn’t expect-”
“Why?” he interrupted. Does hearing about my family background make you feel sorry for me?” “Well, yes.” I admitted.
He smiled.
“So,” I said. “I never heard you talking of your girlfriend. I bet she’s beautiful.”
“I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“Oh come on,” I laughed. “You didn’t think I was going to fall for that would you? I bet you have.”
“I don’t have a girlfriend as I already have a girl I like.”
“Really?” I asked, a little disappointed. “Tell me about her.”
“I don’t know about her. I’ve only seen her once and that was it. We lost contact soon after.”
“Ah,”I said. “I detect a sense of remorse there. Tell me about your experience and I‘ll see if I can help.”
To my surprise, he laughed. “I remember during my primary school days there was this girl whom I had a crush on. I always met her on the bus for hr school was just within walking distance to my school. I came from an all boys school and when I saw that girl, I immediately fell in love. However, at that time, I was extremely shy and didn’t dare to talk to her. She also didn’t notice me and we never really talked.” he paused to take a sip of water.
“So did you get to know her in the end?” I asked excitedly.
“I did get to talk to her eventually,” he answered. “It was fated, I believe. One day, I was walking through a park when I came across her. She was sitting on a bench and like you, she was also writing something. All of a sudden, there was a strong gust of wind and all her papers got blown away and landed in an untidy heap all over the place. Without hesitation, I went forward to help her pick her papers up and pass it to her. However, at that time, I chickened out and left even before she could say thanks.” He smiled and looked at me.
“So how did you manage to talk to her in the end?” I pressed on, but at the same time, something was stirring in my memory. Could he be the guy I met in primary school?
“Well, after that day I never saw her again as I had to stay back in school for extra classes since my exam was near. I never expected to see her again as I would be graduating after that year. Eventually, we met again on the bus on the last day of the term and she came up to me and thanked me for helping her that day. She even asked if we could be friends. Later, before I alighted the bus at my designated stop, she asked me to write down my telephone number. We didn’t have handphones in those days so I scribbled down the telephone number of my home on a piece of paper and handed it to her. However, she never called me but I never forgot about her. I wonder how she is doing now. Now, as I look back, a part of me still wishes that the bus journey that day would never end.”
I was certain of it now. He was the guy. To be on the safe side, I asked him one last question.
“What else do you remember of her?“ I asked.
“Well, all I remembered of her was that she carried a Mickey Mouse schoolbag.” he said.
It was definitely him. After all these years, I finally found him.
"You're the guy with the big specs!" I said happily.
"Sorry?"
I took out the piece of paper that I had kept with me all this while and handed it to him.
“Remember this?” I asked.
He took it and looked and it. Then he looked up at me.
“You’re the girl with the Mickey Mouse schoolbag?” he asked astonished.
Grinning, I nodded and we both broke out into fits of laughter.
“To think that after so many years, we're still able to find each other. Perhaps it really is fated. But why didn’t you call me?”
“There was a heavy rain that afternoon. My clothes were drenched and the ink on the paper got smudged.”
“Oh I see. Gosh, this is totally incredible.” he said. “Who would have thought that after so many years, we’re still able to find each other.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “It really is incredible.”
He laughed.
“Wait, you said you liked that girl.” I said slowly. “So that means you like me?”
An awkward moment of silence followed. All of a sudden, there was a flash of lightning, followed closely by a clap of thunder which made me jump in fright. Jake took this as an excuse to change the subject.
“I think it’ll rain soon. Shall we finish up our food and go?“
I nodded quickly, glad that the tense moment was gone.
Outside, dark clouds were beginning to obscure the sky and thunder roared, signaling that a thunderstorm was imminent. Not wanting to get caught in the rain, we quickly finished up our food, paid and headed to the carpark where Jake’s car was parked for he offered to give me a ride home. As we turned out of the carpark, the rain start falling in sheets.
“Wow, lucky we came out early.” he said.
“Yeah.”
As I lay back against the seat listening to the music of Beethoven, I suddenly thought of what Jake said to me in the café. He said he had liked me. However, that was before. How about now? Can love at first sight really stand the test of time? How could I be certain that he still liked me? There were a thousand question going through my mind but I didn’t know which one to start of with as they all seemed equally important to me. I stared out of the window, trying to clear my head but the downpour had turned everything outside into smudges of various colours. I soon fell asleep but was awakened by the momentum of the car as it slowed down and eventually pulled to a stop.
“We’ve reached.” he said.
I looked out of the window and saw my block of flats.
“Thanks for the ride,” I said.
“No problem.”
“Do you still like me?” I asked suddenly, turning around to look him in the eyes.
This question apparently caught him by surprise and he just stared at me. For a minute, all we could hear was the sound of raindrops falling on the car and the soft music from the speakers.
“Jake Lee, do you still like me?”
“Sharon, I…”
“Yes or no?”
“Yes.”
We realized that we had been staring at each other for sometime. Before I knew it, Jake had leaned in towards me and the next thing I knew, I had his lips pressed against mine. I had never tasted a moment so sweet and blood boiled under my skin. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him closer to me as we kissed. I could smell the alluring aroma of his cologne and this made want him even more. Suddenly, he broke off and looked at me.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I lost control of myself.”
“I’m sorry too.” I said. We sat in silence for awhile I the car, both of us embarrassed by our actions. I pretended to look at my watch.
“Sorry, I’ve got to go.” I opened the door and got out of the car, closing the door behind me. Then, the electric window slid down.
“Sharon,” Jake called to me from inside his car. “next week is my birthday. I want to celebrate it with you. Are you free?”
“I’m not sure,” I told him. “I’ll have to check my schedule.”
He passed me a piece of paper with an email address scribbled on it.
“What’s the meaning of this?” I asked him.
“It’s my email address. Do add me up on MSN so we can chat and get to know each other better. After all, I’m always online.”
“Yea, ok.”
Please,” he said. “Try to come. I’ll be waiting for you at the park where we first met.”
Without waiting for my reply, the window slid up and he drove off.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Always Online Chapter 1 (Preview)
Hello all, avid readers and loyal followers of Seventh Heaven. As promised, here is the preview of our first chapter of our book 'Always Online'. We've changed the names and edited the storyline abit and we hope you guys like it. Thanks and God bless!
Chapter 1
Have you ever experienced the fun of playing online games with friends? It’s the best time to forget all your troubles and enjoy yourself with your friends. Playing online games led me to learn about the different sides of love and it was because of playing online games that I met Jake Lee. After I met him, I then knew how much love could change the outcome of the game, how it can make one’s heart beat faster and how it can decide the fate of two people. To me, the spirit of online gaming and love is the same. No matter how good he is at the game, I believe that as long as I love him, I would definitely be able to find his weakness, strike, break through his protective shield and win the game. If you are curious to find out about how online gaming and love are related, do join me as I bring you through this journey of gaming and true love.
Let me introduce myself. My name’s Sharon Ang. I’m 18 and I‘m a polytechnic student. I love online gaming and chatting on MSN. I’m single as I haven’t found anyone that I really like (though I must admit I have a lot of admirers) except for a boy I had met during primary school. Sadly I lost contact of him and I that I have left as a reminder of him is a small piece of paper with ink smudged all over it.
Anyway, whenever I’m not studying, I’ll go down to the L.A.N. gaming centre at Dhoby Ghaut. Today, I’m headed there again but for a very different reason. Today, I’m not gaming. Rather, I’m going there to watch a competition. There is a legend that says that this particular L.A.N gaming centre separates two large groups of gamers, namely Champs of WOW and Auditioners. Every year without fail, these two groups of gamers will fight for the main usage of this centre by holding a gaming competition. And it is today that the competition for the main usage of the centre will be held between the two groups. So armed with two of my best buddies, Tan Yi Ling and Simon Lim, I went down early to get a good spot.
The place was fairly crowded by the time I reached Dhoby Ghaut and I could feel the tension that hung in the air. The Auditioners were most likely to win as they had won the competition for three years in a row. I was a loyal Auditioners fan and I found myself praying that they would come out victorious today. Then at exactly noon, the competition started and together with the other gamers, we went inside to catch a glimpse of the action. Today, the Champs of WOW were represented by Khoo Jun Jie, a hardcore gamer who was unrivaled at his game. The Auditioners were represented by Jake Lee. A handsome, rich and aloof 19 year old guy who seemed more interested in showing off and chasing girls than studying. Nevertheless, he had helped the Auditioners to hold the championship title for three years running and many girls were crazy over him. More importantly, he was from the same campus as me! The two representatives of each group would play three rounds of games and the winner would be decided after the third game.
“Why, its you again?“ Jun Jie sneered at Jake. “Your group got no other players already? Then again, I forgot your group members are nothing but a bunch of losers who depend on you to fend for them. Its ok, after today, you won’t need to fend for them anymore ‘cos I’m going to win! Isn’t that right, guys?“
The Champ of WOW supporters roared in agreement. Jake looked at Jun Jie and smiled.
“I just hope that your gaming skills are as good as your mouth.”
Before I knew it, the game started.
The first game was Audition and it was clear to see that both gamers were in top form, their fingers moving so quickly on the keyboard that they were a blur. Try as he might, Jun Jie was no match for Jake and he lost this round. Together with the fellow Auditioners, we went crazy and yelled joyously.
The next game up was World Of Warcraft. I watched with bated breath as Jake skillfully maneuvered his character. Suddenly, a trio of enemy heroes sent by Jun Jie lurks out of the trees. And even with blink, there was nothing that Jake could do but watch helplessly as a wide array of direct damage spells are targeted at him, ultimately taking him down. He banged his fist on the table. Jun Jie stood up and raised his hands in victory at his supporters and they screamed with joy.
The last game was Need For Speed and I could sense the tension in the air getting heavier by each passing minute. Both players chose their cars, and the lights turned green. Both groups of supporters were cheering for their representative and I joined in too, caught up in the heat of the action. With each turn of the track, my heart seemed to beat faster. Jake was in the lead but at the last corner, Jun Jie used Nitro and overtook Jake, winning the race.
Along with all the other Auditioners, I stared in disbelief as the Champs of WOW supporters roared victoriously and started booing at the Auditioners. Jun Jie turned to Jake and smiled.
“Bye-bye.” he said.
The Champs of WOW supporters screamed in delight as the Auditioners walked out of the gaming centre in defeat. I couldn’t take it anymore. Thanks to that stupid Jake Lee, we had lost. I needed a place to cool down.
“Let’s go catch a movie.” I told my friends and they both agreed.
After the movie, we hung around Dhoby Ghaut till evening. We ate our dinner and were just about to leave for home when I saw Jake hanging outside the convenience shop with one of his friends. They each held a lighted cigarette in their hands and were chatting away. Angrily, I went up to him.
“Jake Lee! You insufferable moron! You lost and you still have the cheek to show your face around here!”
His friend turned to him. “You know her?”
Jake looked me and shook his head. “I’ve never seen this crazy girl before.”
I glared at him.
“You made us lose! You’re the crazy one!”
“Look,” he said, “in every game there are wins and losses. I don’t see why you’re making such a big fuss out of it.” He snuffed his cigarette and turn to walk away with his friend. However, I wasn’t done yet.
“Jake Lee! Stop running away! I want to challenge you!”
He turned around to look at me and my friends gasped.
“Did I hear wrongly?” he asked me. “Did I just hear you say you want to challenge me?”
“Why? Scared?” I teased. “No guts.”
“Very well then,” he said. “since you insist on meeting your doom, I’ll grant you your wish. 3 rounds of Audition?”
“Deal!” I said.
Soon, I found myself seated in front of a computer at the L.A.N gaming centre and dueling fiercely with Jake in Audition. Try as I might, I couldn’t concentrate as kept missing and he easily beat me hands down. He got up to leave. However, I wasn’t about to let him leave this easily.
“Jake Lee, I’m just a beginner, so its expected if I lose! You are such an experienced player and yet you lost! You’re a loser! I don’t care! I want a re-match!” I yelled.
He turned back to look at me and smiled.
“Wait till you’ve reached my level of expertise then you can come looking for me.”
With that, he turned and walked off with his friend, leaving me to stare daggers at his retreating back. I turned to my friends.
“Argh! Did you see how arrogant he was? I feel like slapping his face! I’m going home now. Just thinking about him makes me want to puke!”
I stormed off, leaving my to friends to stare at me and then at each other. Then, they shrugged and went on their respective ways home.
I found myself walking along a dark street along Mackenzie road and I cursed silently under my breath as I walked. Suddenly, I noticed the two men who seemed to be following me. I had seen them lingering outside Dhoby Ghaut and I swore one of them was looking at me but I didn’t take notice of him then. My handbag was slung carelessly around my shoulder and I wondered if the person behind was a snatch-thief. Quickly, I pulled my handbag closer to me. Though I did not have much cash left with me, it still wouldn’t be a good experience to get robbed. Brushing the thought hurriedly out of my mind, I forced myself to think that it was just a coincidence that they were headed this way too. No wait, there was only one man now. The other guy had disappeared. I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that I was being silly. However, I wasn’t really in a good part of town and something in my mind forced me to think otherwise.
I quickly hurried down the road as I knew that the next turn would lead to the main road where I hoped there would be more people. Unfortunately, I was still being followed by the same man. This time, I was certain of it. I was just about to break into a run when a man stepped out in front of me, blocking my path. Under the orange glow of the streetlamps, I could see that he was smiling diabolically and there was more than robbery in his mind. The man who had been following me behind caught up with us and I backed away from them. Like the first man, this one had more than robbery in his mind and I could see the lust in their eyes.
“What do you want?” I asked them in a shaky voice.
The two men said nothing but kept on smiling wickedly.
“Stay away from me!” I tried to sound fierce but I seemed to have lost my voice. I braced myself to kick out at the men should they attempt any physical contact but I knew I didn’t stand a chance of getting away from them. They were much bigger in size then me and if I attempted to run, I would be caught in no time.
The dark street was suddenly lit up and there was the powerful roar of an engine. I looked up to see Jake step out of a black Audi, his face livid. In his hand, he held a big spanner. The men cornering me cursed and set upon Jake. The first one aimed a punch a Jake but he simply dodged it and swung his spanner. There was a cry of pain from my attacker as flesh collided with steel. Jake followed up by a kick to his groin and the man gave a scream and fell to the floor. The second man threw himself at Jake and they landed on the road, with Jake dropping his spanner. They got up to their feet, grappling with each other and the man gave Jake a punch. Jake however, bent down and grabbed the man around his waist before flipping him onto the road. As the two men lay writhing in pain on the road, Jake picked up his spanner and turned to me.
“You ok?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Get into the car,” he ordered and I meekly obeyed. He got into the driver’s seat and turned the air-conditioning and the music up.
“Put on your seat belt.” he said and it was then that I noticed my hands were trembling. I tugged at the seat belt and there was a click as the belt connected with the snap and I was securely strapped in.
“Where do you stay?“ he asked me.
“Redhill Close.” I said.
He started the car and I leaned back into the seat as Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major wafted out of the speakers. I watched as the scenery flew by quickly and I was aware of two things. Firstly, we were traveling at a very fast speed and I hadn’t thanked Jake for his help. I turned to look at him, studying his features as the light from the streetlamps played on his skin, flashing orange skin in a continuous rhythm. I had to admit that he did look handsome and now I understood why so many girls were crazy about him.
“Hey, um, thanks for your help,” I said.
“Oh its nothing, you alright?” he asked. Though he didn’t take his eyes of the road, I could sense the concern in his voice. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.
“Yes, I’m better now.” I said softly. “Thanks.”
Though Jake was driving a little over the speed limit, I felt perfectly safe. At the corner of my eye, I secretly studied his features. We drove in silence and I didn’t know that I had arrived until the car slowed to a stop.
“Here we are,” he announced. “So this is where you stay.” He looked up at the block of flats and then looked at me.
I was instantly defensive. “Why, anything wrong with that?”
“Nope,” he laughed, and I could see his teeth gleam in the dark. “Just seems a little unfitting for a princess like you. No matter, I’ve got to go now. Take care of yourself and attract anymore trouble for you won’t always be so lucky that I’m there to save you .”
I glared at him.
“We’ll see about that.” I said and climbed out of the car, slamming the door behind me. The nerve of him, I thought. Just because he saved me once doesn’t give him the right to become cocky.
Jake looked as I stormed away and chuckled to himself as he drove off. Just then, he noticed something gleaming on my seat and stopped the car and picked it up. It was a handphone. He scrolled down the contact list and dialed the number listed under ‘Home’.
I had just reached home when the phone ran in the hallway. My dad went to answer it and gave me a strange look. He passed the phone to me.
“It’s your friend,” he said. “He says you left your phone in his car.”
I gasped and checked my pockets. As it turned out, my phone really wasn’t there. I went to answer the phone.
“Hello?”
“Hey Sharon, it’s Jake here. You left your phone in my car. I’m still downstairs so you want to come down and get it?”
“Erm, yeah. Sure.” I muttered and put down the phone.
I ran downstairs and saw Jake’s car parked at a side. Upon approaching, he wound down the window and passed my phone to me.
“Thanks,” I said. “I guess I’ll have to buy you lunch tomorrow to thank you for all your help.”
“Nah, there’s no need-”
“I insist.” I said. “I don’t like owing people favors so that’s decided. I’ll call you.”
Before waiting for a reply, I turned and ran off. Jake started his car and drove off.
“Women,” he muttered.
That night, as I lay in bed trying to get some sleep, I found my mind slowly drifting away to think about the night’s incidents and Jake. I laughed as I remembered the excited look on their faces as they questioned me if Jake was my boyfriend. I thought of Jake and for no reason at all, I suddenly felt weird and there was a tingling sensation in my stomach, as though there were a hundred butterflies flying inside it. I lay back in bed and stared up at the ceiling. Was it possible that I had fallen for him? Well, he was rather cute, in my opinion. Handsome and rich too. My dream boyfriend. However, there was something familiar about him, as though I had seen him before. Hey, wait. What was I thinking of? Argh!! I silently scolded myself for being so flirtatious as I pulled the covers of my bed over my head and tried to go to sleep.
Chapter 1
Have you ever experienced the fun of playing online games with friends? It’s the best time to forget all your troubles and enjoy yourself with your friends. Playing online games led me to learn about the different sides of love and it was because of playing online games that I met Jake Lee. After I met him, I then knew how much love could change the outcome of the game, how it can make one’s heart beat faster and how it can decide the fate of two people. To me, the spirit of online gaming and love is the same. No matter how good he is at the game, I believe that as long as I love him, I would definitely be able to find his weakness, strike, break through his protective shield and win the game. If you are curious to find out about how online gaming and love are related, do join me as I bring you through this journey of gaming and true love.
Let me introduce myself. My name’s Sharon Ang. I’m 18 and I‘m a polytechnic student. I love online gaming and chatting on MSN. I’m single as I haven’t found anyone that I really like (though I must admit I have a lot of admirers) except for a boy I had met during primary school. Sadly I lost contact of him and I that I have left as a reminder of him is a small piece of paper with ink smudged all over it.
Anyway, whenever I’m not studying, I’ll go down to the L.A.N. gaming centre at Dhoby Ghaut. Today, I’m headed there again but for a very different reason. Today, I’m not gaming. Rather, I’m going there to watch a competition. There is a legend that says that this particular L.A.N gaming centre separates two large groups of gamers, namely Champs of WOW and Auditioners. Every year without fail, these two groups of gamers will fight for the main usage of this centre by holding a gaming competition. And it is today that the competition for the main usage of the centre will be held between the two groups. So armed with two of my best buddies, Tan Yi Ling and Simon Lim, I went down early to get a good spot.
The place was fairly crowded by the time I reached Dhoby Ghaut and I could feel the tension that hung in the air. The Auditioners were most likely to win as they had won the competition for three years in a row. I was a loyal Auditioners fan and I found myself praying that they would come out victorious today. Then at exactly noon, the competition started and together with the other gamers, we went inside to catch a glimpse of the action. Today, the Champs of WOW were represented by Khoo Jun Jie, a hardcore gamer who was unrivaled at his game. The Auditioners were represented by Jake Lee. A handsome, rich and aloof 19 year old guy who seemed more interested in showing off and chasing girls than studying. Nevertheless, he had helped the Auditioners to hold the championship title for three years running and many girls were crazy over him. More importantly, he was from the same campus as me! The two representatives of each group would play three rounds of games and the winner would be decided after the third game.
“Why, its you again?“ Jun Jie sneered at Jake. “Your group got no other players already? Then again, I forgot your group members are nothing but a bunch of losers who depend on you to fend for them. Its ok, after today, you won’t need to fend for them anymore ‘cos I’m going to win! Isn’t that right, guys?“
The Champ of WOW supporters roared in agreement. Jake looked at Jun Jie and smiled.
“I just hope that your gaming skills are as good as your mouth.”
Before I knew it, the game started.
The first game was Audition and it was clear to see that both gamers were in top form, their fingers moving so quickly on the keyboard that they were a blur. Try as he might, Jun Jie was no match for Jake and he lost this round. Together with the fellow Auditioners, we went crazy and yelled joyously.
The next game up was World Of Warcraft. I watched with bated breath as Jake skillfully maneuvered his character. Suddenly, a trio of enemy heroes sent by Jun Jie lurks out of the trees. And even with blink, there was nothing that Jake could do but watch helplessly as a wide array of direct damage spells are targeted at him, ultimately taking him down. He banged his fist on the table. Jun Jie stood up and raised his hands in victory at his supporters and they screamed with joy.
The last game was Need For Speed and I could sense the tension in the air getting heavier by each passing minute. Both players chose their cars, and the lights turned green. Both groups of supporters were cheering for their representative and I joined in too, caught up in the heat of the action. With each turn of the track, my heart seemed to beat faster. Jake was in the lead but at the last corner, Jun Jie used Nitro and overtook Jake, winning the race.
Along with all the other Auditioners, I stared in disbelief as the Champs of WOW supporters roared victoriously and started booing at the Auditioners. Jun Jie turned to Jake and smiled.
“Bye-bye.” he said.
The Champs of WOW supporters screamed in delight as the Auditioners walked out of the gaming centre in defeat. I couldn’t take it anymore. Thanks to that stupid Jake Lee, we had lost. I needed a place to cool down.
“Let’s go catch a movie.” I told my friends and they both agreed.
After the movie, we hung around Dhoby Ghaut till evening. We ate our dinner and were just about to leave for home when I saw Jake hanging outside the convenience shop with one of his friends. They each held a lighted cigarette in their hands and were chatting away. Angrily, I went up to him.
“Jake Lee! You insufferable moron! You lost and you still have the cheek to show your face around here!”
His friend turned to him. “You know her?”
Jake looked me and shook his head. “I’ve never seen this crazy girl before.”
I glared at him.
“You made us lose! You’re the crazy one!”
“Look,” he said, “in every game there are wins and losses. I don’t see why you’re making such a big fuss out of it.” He snuffed his cigarette and turn to walk away with his friend. However, I wasn’t done yet.
“Jake Lee! Stop running away! I want to challenge you!”
He turned around to look at me and my friends gasped.
“Did I hear wrongly?” he asked me. “Did I just hear you say you want to challenge me?”
“Why? Scared?” I teased. “No guts.”
“Very well then,” he said. “since you insist on meeting your doom, I’ll grant you your wish. 3 rounds of Audition?”
“Deal!” I said.
Soon, I found myself seated in front of a computer at the L.A.N gaming centre and dueling fiercely with Jake in Audition. Try as I might, I couldn’t concentrate as kept missing and he easily beat me hands down. He got up to leave. However, I wasn’t about to let him leave this easily.
“Jake Lee, I’m just a beginner, so its expected if I lose! You are such an experienced player and yet you lost! You’re a loser! I don’t care! I want a re-match!” I yelled.
He turned back to look at me and smiled.
“Wait till you’ve reached my level of expertise then you can come looking for me.”
With that, he turned and walked off with his friend, leaving me to stare daggers at his retreating back. I turned to my friends.
“Argh! Did you see how arrogant he was? I feel like slapping his face! I’m going home now. Just thinking about him makes me want to puke!”
I stormed off, leaving my to friends to stare at me and then at each other. Then, they shrugged and went on their respective ways home.
I found myself walking along a dark street along Mackenzie road and I cursed silently under my breath as I walked. Suddenly, I noticed the two men who seemed to be following me. I had seen them lingering outside Dhoby Ghaut and I swore one of them was looking at me but I didn’t take notice of him then. My handbag was slung carelessly around my shoulder and I wondered if the person behind was a snatch-thief. Quickly, I pulled my handbag closer to me. Though I did not have much cash left with me, it still wouldn’t be a good experience to get robbed. Brushing the thought hurriedly out of my mind, I forced myself to think that it was just a coincidence that they were headed this way too. No wait, there was only one man now. The other guy had disappeared. I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that I was being silly. However, I wasn’t really in a good part of town and something in my mind forced me to think otherwise.
I quickly hurried down the road as I knew that the next turn would lead to the main road where I hoped there would be more people. Unfortunately, I was still being followed by the same man. This time, I was certain of it. I was just about to break into a run when a man stepped out in front of me, blocking my path. Under the orange glow of the streetlamps, I could see that he was smiling diabolically and there was more than robbery in his mind. The man who had been following me behind caught up with us and I backed away from them. Like the first man, this one had more than robbery in his mind and I could see the lust in their eyes.
“What do you want?” I asked them in a shaky voice.
The two men said nothing but kept on smiling wickedly.
“Stay away from me!” I tried to sound fierce but I seemed to have lost my voice. I braced myself to kick out at the men should they attempt any physical contact but I knew I didn’t stand a chance of getting away from them. They were much bigger in size then me and if I attempted to run, I would be caught in no time.
The dark street was suddenly lit up and there was the powerful roar of an engine. I looked up to see Jake step out of a black Audi, his face livid. In his hand, he held a big spanner. The men cornering me cursed and set upon Jake. The first one aimed a punch a Jake but he simply dodged it and swung his spanner. There was a cry of pain from my attacker as flesh collided with steel. Jake followed up by a kick to his groin and the man gave a scream and fell to the floor. The second man threw himself at Jake and they landed on the road, with Jake dropping his spanner. They got up to their feet, grappling with each other and the man gave Jake a punch. Jake however, bent down and grabbed the man around his waist before flipping him onto the road. As the two men lay writhing in pain on the road, Jake picked up his spanner and turned to me.
“You ok?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Get into the car,” he ordered and I meekly obeyed. He got into the driver’s seat and turned the air-conditioning and the music up.
“Put on your seat belt.” he said and it was then that I noticed my hands were trembling. I tugged at the seat belt and there was a click as the belt connected with the snap and I was securely strapped in.
“Where do you stay?“ he asked me.
“Redhill Close.” I said.
He started the car and I leaned back into the seat as Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major wafted out of the speakers. I watched as the scenery flew by quickly and I was aware of two things. Firstly, we were traveling at a very fast speed and I hadn’t thanked Jake for his help. I turned to look at him, studying his features as the light from the streetlamps played on his skin, flashing orange skin in a continuous rhythm. I had to admit that he did look handsome and now I understood why so many girls were crazy about him.
“Hey, um, thanks for your help,” I said.
“Oh its nothing, you alright?” he asked. Though he didn’t take his eyes of the road, I could sense the concern in his voice. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.
“Yes, I’m better now.” I said softly. “Thanks.”
Though Jake was driving a little over the speed limit, I felt perfectly safe. At the corner of my eye, I secretly studied his features. We drove in silence and I didn’t know that I had arrived until the car slowed to a stop.
“Here we are,” he announced. “So this is where you stay.” He looked up at the block of flats and then looked at me.
I was instantly defensive. “Why, anything wrong with that?”
“Nope,” he laughed, and I could see his teeth gleam in the dark. “Just seems a little unfitting for a princess like you. No matter, I’ve got to go now. Take care of yourself and attract anymore trouble for you won’t always be so lucky that I’m there to save you .”
I glared at him.
“We’ll see about that.” I said and climbed out of the car, slamming the door behind me. The nerve of him, I thought. Just because he saved me once doesn’t give him the right to become cocky.
Jake looked as I stormed away and chuckled to himself as he drove off. Just then, he noticed something gleaming on my seat and stopped the car and picked it up. It was a handphone. He scrolled down the contact list and dialed the number listed under ‘Home’.
I had just reached home when the phone ran in the hallway. My dad went to answer it and gave me a strange look. He passed the phone to me.
“It’s your friend,” he said. “He says you left your phone in his car.”
I gasped and checked my pockets. As it turned out, my phone really wasn’t there. I went to answer the phone.
“Hello?”
“Hey Sharon, it’s Jake here. You left your phone in my car. I’m still downstairs so you want to come down and get it?”
“Erm, yeah. Sure.” I muttered and put down the phone.
I ran downstairs and saw Jake’s car parked at a side. Upon approaching, he wound down the window and passed my phone to me.
“Thanks,” I said. “I guess I’ll have to buy you lunch tomorrow to thank you for all your help.”
“Nah, there’s no need-”
“I insist.” I said. “I don’t like owing people favors so that’s decided. I’ll call you.”
Before waiting for a reply, I turned and ran off. Jake started his car and drove off.
“Women,” he muttered.
That night, as I lay in bed trying to get some sleep, I found my mind slowly drifting away to think about the night’s incidents and Jake. I laughed as I remembered the excited look on their faces as they questioned me if Jake was my boyfriend. I thought of Jake and for no reason at all, I suddenly felt weird and there was a tingling sensation in my stomach, as though there were a hundred butterflies flying inside it. I lay back in bed and stared up at the ceiling. Was it possible that I had fallen for him? Well, he was rather cute, in my opinion. Handsome and rich too. My dream boyfriend. However, there was something familiar about him, as though I had seen him before. Hey, wait. What was I thinking of? Argh!! I silently scolded myself for being so flirtatious as I pulled the covers of my bed over my head and tried to go to sleep.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
One Chance
I was the coach for a school's basketball team. I had a fine team of players. They were hard-working, they were skilled but there was this one particular guy called Shawn whom I would never forget.
Shawn was short and he wasn't as skilled as the other players, but he never missed a single lesson of training. I could see that he really loved the game but I could not put him on the team as his performance was not up to my standards. Also, whenever he had practice, Shawn would bring his brother along. His brother was wheel-chair bound but I never really took a close look at him.
A competition was coming up and I gave the team extra pratice lessons. Even though he would not make it to the team, Shawn still turned up promptly for each training session and it was really a waste that he was not skilled enough. However, during one of the training sessions, Shawn came up to me and asked to be excused as his brother had fallen ill and he had to take care of him. Since Shawn was not part of the team, I readily agreed and thought nothing of the matter.
Before we knew it, the competition had started and my team was lagging behind. The opponents were strong and like our scores, the team's morale was low. Just then, I saw Shawn turn up in full basketball gear. I went up to him and asked him what he was doing as he wasn't part of the team. He told me this.
"Sir, I asked to be excused as my brother was seriously ill and I had to take care of him. He died yesterday." I was shocked. He continued. "There's one more thing. Although my brother always came to my practice lessons, he was blind but he felt contented just by hearing the ball bouncing and the squeaks of the shoes. I really want to play today as I want to show my brother that I can do it. Please, give me a chance."
Seeing the pleading looks in his eyes, I decided since my team was losing, why not just grant Shawn his wish and give him a chance to play and make him happy. After all, it wasn't going to make a difference in the score. So, I called in one of the players and made Shawn take his place. I sat down, expecting a crushing defeat but the unexpected happened. Shawn played like a star, swiftly dodging his opponents and dunking the ball into the hoop. I could see that he had been practicing and was trying real hard. Before long, our scores were tied and I found myself standing up and cheering for Shawn. With less than a minute to go, Shawn sailed through the air and did a perfect slam-dunk. The whistle blew. The game was over and we had won. As we held the trophy, I went up to Shawn to thank him for his timely rescue. He turned to me with tears in his eyes and smiled.
"No sir, thank you for giving me this chance. Today is the first time my brother can finally get to see me play and I know that he is happy in Heaven as I have not let him down. Thank you, sir."
All it took was just one chance.
Shawn was short and he wasn't as skilled as the other players, but he never missed a single lesson of training. I could see that he really loved the game but I could not put him on the team as his performance was not up to my standards. Also, whenever he had practice, Shawn would bring his brother along. His brother was wheel-chair bound but I never really took a close look at him.
A competition was coming up and I gave the team extra pratice lessons. Even though he would not make it to the team, Shawn still turned up promptly for each training session and it was really a waste that he was not skilled enough. However, during one of the training sessions, Shawn came up to me and asked to be excused as his brother had fallen ill and he had to take care of him. Since Shawn was not part of the team, I readily agreed and thought nothing of the matter.
Before we knew it, the competition had started and my team was lagging behind. The opponents were strong and like our scores, the team's morale was low. Just then, I saw Shawn turn up in full basketball gear. I went up to him and asked him what he was doing as he wasn't part of the team. He told me this.
"Sir, I asked to be excused as my brother was seriously ill and I had to take care of him. He died yesterday." I was shocked. He continued. "There's one more thing. Although my brother always came to my practice lessons, he was blind but he felt contented just by hearing the ball bouncing and the squeaks of the shoes. I really want to play today as I want to show my brother that I can do it. Please, give me a chance."
Seeing the pleading looks in his eyes, I decided since my team was losing, why not just grant Shawn his wish and give him a chance to play and make him happy. After all, it wasn't going to make a difference in the score. So, I called in one of the players and made Shawn take his place. I sat down, expecting a crushing defeat but the unexpected happened. Shawn played like a star, swiftly dodging his opponents and dunking the ball into the hoop. I could see that he had been practicing and was trying real hard. Before long, our scores were tied and I found myself standing up and cheering for Shawn. With less than a minute to go, Shawn sailed through the air and did a perfect slam-dunk. The whistle blew. The game was over and we had won. As we held the trophy, I went up to Shawn to thank him for his timely rescue. He turned to me with tears in his eyes and smiled.
"No sir, thank you for giving me this chance. Today is the first time my brother can finally get to see me play and I know that he is happy in Heaven as I have not let him down. Thank you, sir."
All it took was just one chance.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Note from the author
Hi all, avid readers and loyal followers of Seventh Heaven, I am pleased to announce that due to popular demand, our short story entitled 'Always Online' will be compiled into a book. In this book, we'll bring the readers into the lives of two online gamers and how online gaming led them to learn about the different sides of love and how it can change their fate. We've already started on it so very soon, we'll be posting a sample of the first chapter on our blog so do look out for it and tell us what you think. So please, give us your support and keep those emails and comments coming in. Thank you and God bless!
Yours Truly
Max Loo
Editor Mentor
Seventh Heaven Entertainment Group
Yours Truly
Max Loo
Editor Mentor
Seventh Heaven Entertainment Group
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