The Mortar Board

A cup of freshly brewed home roasted coffee in the middle of a mountain of books emitted fragrance equivalent to that of the kopitiam coffee her dad loves.

The aroma was so tempting that Susan had to put her book down and take a sip. She felt her drowsiness disappear in a fleeting second.

She rubbed her weary eyes and they lingered momentarily at the mirror on the wall. Her reflection scared even herself. Was it possible the woman with bloodshot eyes and a pallid face Susan? Gosh, she looked like a zombie!

She took in a deep breath to pull herself together. It is not the time to lose her focus.

She threw a nervous glance at the round clock on the wall. It was nearly two in the morning. She heaved a sigh and carried on with her revision.

“The next book…one more after this…there’s still time for this…”

These were the words Susan kept repeating to herself as she went through her notes. Her mind, already saturated with information, went into an overdrive, absorbing information like sponge absorbing water.

She had come too far, further than what her critics have thought her possible of. They have been hostile towards the first ever girl taking an engineering course in the university. Told her she would never make it. Picked on her since the first day as she arrived on a wheelchair.

Ahh, her legs, a casualty of the fatal accident that occurred years and years ago.

It was a perfectly normal day for any family.

Tuan Sheng had taken a day off from work to spend time with his family. Being a people’s leader in the state of Kelantan, the title ‘Tuan’ did not come easily for Sheng. However, he had been doing well over the past decade, and the fruit of labour ripened fast for him.

A challenging job, a perfect family, and respect from the people were everything he ever wanted. Happiness was a possession for the Sheng family.

Alas, fate intervened. He was driving home from the beach in Bachok when a blue Honda rammed into his car from the passenger’s side. The screams of his wife and daughter made the blood drain from his face.

He was powerless to prevent the car from turning turtle.

The massive jam that resulted from that crash delayed the arrival of the ambulance. Had the traffic been more relenting, Sheng’s wife would not have passed away on the way to the hospital. As she was rushed to the Operating Theater, Susan was in a critical condition, fighting for her life.

Sheng blamed himself for the tragedy. Had he approved the construction of a wider road in that area earlier, his wife would not have died. Had he drove with more vigilance, Susan would not be in mortal peril. Why, of the three of them, did he receive the least injury?

Susan woke up from comatose a few weeks later, by which Sheng had taken to alcohol to ease the pain of losing his wife. And another blow hit the Sheng family.

Susan was paralyzed from waist down.

It was a setback that would deter many from moving on in life, but not Susan. She knew it was her mother’s wishes for her to excel in her studies, and she vowed to fulfill her piety to her mother by doing just that. The positive energy radiating from her managed even to rouse her father from his drunken stupor.

It was a long, long journey before she made it into University Malaya (UM). She had survived jeers from her parents, biased teachers and even the cruel hands of fate far too long to give up now.

No, she will be undertaking her ultimate paper in her fourth and final year and there is no room for quitters. She will soldier on no matter what!

Tuan Sheng, who had requested to be transferred to the Klang Valley upon his daughter’s admission into UM, was sitting at the kitchen table when Susan emerged from her room.

“Are you ready for it?”

Susan nodded confidently.

“That’s my girl.”

A fire rose in her chest. The wrinkles around his eyes showed how much Sheng had aged, and Susan was determined not to let him down.

At nine o’clock sharp, the examiner gave the go-ahead and the scribbling began. Susan’s hand flew across the paper at breakneck speed. Her peers around her looked at her in awe as she filled the blank papers with formulae and calculations.

Finally, exhausted, she put her pen down and closed her eyes.

Susan woke to the sounds of machines beeping. She was in a white room filled with weird devices and tubes. The sense of déjà vu filled her eyes with tears. She adjusted her right hand and it brushed against something soft.

Tuan Sheng woke to a start, and couldn’t believe his eyes as he saw his daughter smiling at him. For two weeks he had slept beside the unconscious body of his daughter and finally she has woken!

The result for the finals was announced a fortnight later. Susan gave the honour of opening the envelope to her father.

With trembling hands he slit the envelope open and gave an enormous gasp.

Susan had obtained first class honours despite fainting in the middle of the last paper!

On the day of her convocation, Tuan Sheng, the proudest man in the universe that day, put on his best suit and went to the ceremony with his daughter at his side. When Susan Sheng was called, the crowd gave her a standing ovation, to the girl who had proven that nothing is impossible.

As she received her honours from the chancellor, Susah held her father’s hand tightly and touched her mortar board. Tears welled up in her eyes.

“Mum, I’ve done it!”

The GameCube Adventure

"This story is purely fictional

all likeliness are totally coincidental"

The day began in the same fashion as it had for the past few years.

The alarm clock disrupted her sleep at a quarter past six. Yawning, she would get downstairs and get ready for school. She would then be at the kitchen for breakfast, and her dad would fetch her to school.

It was a pattern that repeated five days a week, and sometimes even six. But she was already used to it. There was only a year more before she graduated from high school, and she was already impatient to leave that place.

Cheng came from a family filled with love. Her parents gave her what she wanted. An iPhone. An iPad. Approved her relationship with Ivan. You get it.

She was a sweet girl, full of life and enthusiasm. However, as age crept in, she began to enjoy solitude.

Rebellion was ever present in her as she grew older. Call it the side-effects of a growing teenager, she became vulnerable to the influences of her peers. Succumbed to the desires of people her age. Materialism stepped in and immaturity took control.

She wanted fun. She yearned for the merriment she could not find in her home. Thirsted for the thrill Ivan wouldn't give.

It started with the weekly movie trips, and the hanging out with friends. Cheng and her friends preferred the GameCube, which was the attention hub for teenagers or young adults her age without the sense that education was the key to future success.

But it doesn't matter, because it's all about staying cool and trendy when you're young.

The craze of teenagers seemed to have frozen over loud music and the hip hop genre. Everywhere she turned, she saw teenagers with tight jeans and flamboyant hairstyles.

A pulchritudinous girl to start with, she attracted gazes from the boys. Some of them wolf-whistled at the mini-skirt she wore but she didn't pay much attention to them. Those jerks aren't comparable to Ivan anyway. She was just there to chill with her friends.

"Pretty girl, new here? How come I've never seen you before?" A voice said, and a hand caressed her chin.

She stepped back in shock; her hand slapped the stranger's hand away automatically.

The man who assaulted her laughed wickedly. "Ooh you have character. I like that."

Behind him, his two followers snickered evilly.

The thug that was obviously the leader had a handsome face, with a scar running across his cheek. His hair was dyed blond, and he wore a silver earring on his right ear.

"So, any intention of hanging out with me? A drink, perhaps?" He leered at her.

Cheng's self defense mechanism set in. "Er, nope. Sorry but I think we have entered the wrong place," she rejected politely and tried to leave.

The thug waved his hand. A group of muscular men surrounded Cheng and her friends.

"Cheng, it's just a drink. Why don't you go with him?" Ling, her best friend said.

Cheng looked at Ling in horror. "I never thought you would do this to me." Hurt was quickly coursing through her veins, filling her with the feeling of betrayal.

She knew doom was impending. There was no way out for her. If only she hadn't left the safety of her house for an hour of fun. She glared at Ling.

Ling averted her eyes. The blond waved a hand and his men formed a pathway for Ling and her group of friends to leave the building.

"So," said the blond after the girls left the building. "Now let's have some 'alone' time in my room upstairs."

She was powerless in preventing herself from being shepherded along various corridors.

"Hey Shuit, so that's how selfish you can be."

The blond stopped and turned around.

So that's his name, Cheng thought miserably. At least she would be able to give the police something later.

"Saarvinraj, my old classmate, long time no see. What's this nonsense about me being selfish? Since when was I selfish? Hahahahaha."

Saarvinraj wore a white jeepa' which complemented his dark skin perfectly. The shades he wore made him look like Shah Rukh Khan, and his perfect Indian slang made him look like he just came out from Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Cham, a famous Indian movie.

"Aiyooo, Shuit taking a girl for yourself and not sharing is being selfish. You haven't changed since our Matrix days."

Shuit looked taken aback. "So how do you think we should settle this?"

Saarvinraj smiled, showing his perfect, shining teeth. "The usual rules. Two laps."

"Game on."

Cheng was brought to an abandoned house. She was tied to a chair at the porch and tears streaked down her cheeks as she watched the two baddies rev up their motorcycles. The process, as told to her by a follower of Shuit by the name of Kentmun, was simple. The first person who completes the two laps first wins the prize.

Cheng had struggled with all her might but to no avail. By the end of this race, she would be of the possession of a malicious crook, and there is no way out for her.

The race begun and the night sky was decorated by cheers from the gangs belonging to the two thugs. Shuit led the race at the first lap until he reached the final turn, where Saarvinraj capitalized on a lack of concentration to overtake him.

They were neck in neck going into the second lap when something strange happened. Two of the gang members suddenly jumped onto their motorcycles and joined the race.

And that was the cue for the action to happen.

Police sirens filled the neighborhood. The night sky was lit ablaze with the red and blue emitted by the lights on the police cars. The gang members cheering their boss scrambled to escape.

On the racetrack, the two leaders of triad realized what was happening a fraction of second too slow. As they reached the finishing line, Shuit shouted triumphantly, "Haha, I've won!'.

Saarvinraj was too enraged to speak. He threw his helmet to the ground and attempted to leave the scene when two policemen handcuffed him and took him by surprise.

Shuit, knowing that things have gone wrong, made a desperate attempt to make a bolt for it. He turned, just to see a policeman pointing a pistol at him. There was no escape. He raised both his hands as a sign of surrender.

"Shuit, the leader of Siew Kit Triad, you have been placed under arrest of abducting a minor and for your part in an illegal motor racing activity.

"Saarvinraj, the popular Bollywood actor, I never thought you would get caught. However, you are detained for your participation in an illegal motor racing activity. by the way," he lowered his voice. "Can you give me your autograph?"

Saarvinraj laughed humorlessly as he allowed himself to be led away.

The officer who addressed the two thugs walked over to Cheng. "Miss, how are you? I am Inspector O.B. and my friend over there is Sergeant Ahmad Fauzi. A report was made by a group of teenagers a few hours ago, and we kept a lookout in the area.

"Come, the worst is over. Let's get you home."

Cheng was escorted back home by the police force to the relief of her parents. Ling and the group of friends were there too. Upon seeing her parents, Cheng hugged them and sobbed unashamedly. Ivan, who arrived not long after, spoke to her words of comfort.

As the saying goes, all's well that end's well. Cheng learned to appreciate what her parents gave her, and realized her friends did not betray her. She forgave them and apologized for jumping to conclusions too early.

And she finally understood that she was the luckiest girl in the world. Loving parents, rational friends, and a kind boyfriend. She has finally grown up.

Here's a tribute to Miss Ang Sung Cheng for her 19th birthday, and a happy 1 year Matrix anniversary for the class of 2010/2011. ;)