Pen of Passion

Nick was a highly desirable man by any definition. He came from a good family and had a high-paid job. He was also physically attractive. Nick had a James Dean’s type of look that would knock many women off their heels. Known around town as a womanizer, Nick changed girlfriend frequently. All of that, however, would end when he met Jasmine. Nick fell in love with her at first sight; he would sacrifice everything to be with her for the rest of his life.

Nick’s biggest obstacle in winning Jasmine’s hand in marriage was her highly traditionalist family. Knowing this, he tried very hard to transform himself into the type of man Jasmine’s family would be willing to accept. No longer would Nick be seen attending any of those wild parties he was infamously attached to. Instead, Nick was seen attending church every week. In addition, he was always present at every special family occasion and showered Jasmine’s parents with lavish gifts. During the holidays, Nick would take everyone in her family on expensive trips to various destinations. He had also returned to school to complete a degree in chemical engineering, in hopes of scoring points with Jasmine’s parents.

Although Jasmine’s family was still skeptical about Nick, her parents were impressed by his devotion to their daughter. Nick and Jasmine would soon get engaged and their marriage was only weeks away. Unfortunately, the sudden return of Jasmine’s ex-boyfriend would deal a severe blow to the relationship. The man was quite a formidable competitor. He was one of the top brain surgeons in the country, having graduated with distinction from Harvard. He was currently serving as the director of one of the leading medical institutions in United States. If that was not impressive enough, his family pedigree was even more impressive; he came from a long line of distinguished doctors and lawyers.

It wasn’t long before Jasmine’s family took a strong liking of the new guy. In fact, the family became increasingly hostile to Nick. They persuaded Jasmine to break off the engagement and forbid Nick from coming to their house. Nick, however, didn’t really care much about what Jasmine’s family thought of him – all he really cared about was Jasmine. Sadly, Jasmine had also distanced herself from Nick. She would not answer his calls or meet him face to face. Jasmine’s sudden change of heart was like a cruel spear, piercing through Nick’s heart. He was confused and depressed.

Nick would ultimately find his solace in alcohol and gambling. He gambled, gambled, and gambled some more. There were nights when he lost over $20,000 on a single hand. Debts were piling up. When one of Nick’s creditors contacted his boss at work, he was fired from his job. He would soon lose his house and car. In desperation, Nick would make contact with everyone he knew trying to “entice” them to invest in his supposedly new business startup. Some fell for this scheme and gave him their hard-earned money.

After a few hours of “intense” gambling, he had once again donated all the money to the casino. At this point, the news of his gambling addiction had become prevalent. People would begin to distance themselves from Nick; many even shut their door on him. Meanwhile, his creditors continued to be on his heel. When the news of his addiction reached Nick’s family, his parents tried to contact him hoping to help him overcome his gambling addiction. Unfortunately, he would avoid them like plague.

On one autumn afternoon, Nick was found dead of drug overdose on a lonely street in downtown Austin.

~Simon N.

~~~~~

Are humans to blame for global warming? If yes, what is the best way to rectify it? Share your view on this issue.

Facts about Global Warming:

• Average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius) around the world since 1880, much of this in recent decades, according to NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

• An upsurge in the amount of extreme weather events, such as wildfires, heat waves, and strong tropical storms, is also attributed in part to climate change by some experts.

• Arctic ice is rapidly disappearing, and the region may have its first completely ice-free summer by 2040 or earlier. Polar bears and indigenous cultures are already suffering from the sea-ice loss.

National Geographic News

~~~~~

~vintage 12/2007

Part I

Michelle had always considered herself a lucky woman. She was married into a wealthy and highly respected family. She had two wonderful kids and a husband who loved her dearly. Her favorite hobby was gardening. She actually owned a flower shop, which was not too far away from her home.

Yet, Michelle’s perfect life had been showing a few minor cracks. Her husband was a businessman who often left home for long business trips. Rumors had been circulating that he was having an affair with a flight attendant. Despite the rumors, Michelle had complete confidence in her husband’s faithfulness; they had gone through so much together.

During a trip to the mall, Michelle ran into Jennifer — an old friend from college who recently moved into town. Their friendship quickly rekindled; they became the best of friends. It was through Jennifer that Michelle had her first casino experience. The experience was pretty forgettable, however. The people (in the casino) were just not her people, she thought.

When Michelle’s mother-in-law celebrated her 60^th birthday, she threw a huge birthday bash inviting all the friends and family to attend. Michelle was not invited to the party. Michelle and her mother-in-law had always had a tumultuous relationship. In fact, Michelle’s mother-in-law had never publicly recognized Michelle as her daughter-in-law. But since her husband still insisted that she should attend the party, Michelle reluctantly agreed.

It turned out that the decision was a grave mistake. Most people at the party showed an apparent aversion towards her. No one would talk to her or would even acknowledge her existence. She felt like an outsider. Meanwhile, her mother-in-law was busy introducing her son to some of her young female friends. Nothing could be more obvious.

~~~

Part II

After the birthday bash, Michelle began to suffer from an acute depression. Sadly, her husband had to leave home once again for another business trip and thus was unable to console her. Michelle was confined to her large but empty home–lonely and isolated. Fortunately, her good friend Jennifer was once again there for her. Michelle was able to confide to her friend her deepest feelings and frustrations. To help relieving Michelle from her emotional problems, Jennifer would once again take her to the casino. Unlike the first time, Michelle felt much more comfortable this time around. The casino would eventually become her second home.

At first, Michelle actually won quite a bit of money. It would go downhill from there, however. She would soon exhaust all her funds and savings. Despite her debts, Michelle continued to gamble. She just couldn’t stop. To pay for her debts, Michelle was forced to mortgage both her car and the flower shop. Soon, she had to sell off all her jewelries.

At first, her husband didn’t suspect her of gambling. Over time, it would become obvious. When Michelle’s husband confronted her with regards to her gambling, she pleaded him for forgiveness and promised to stop gambling. Her husband took her at her words. In fact, he even settled all of her debts.

For a few months, it would appear as though Michelle had finally learn her lesson. She became a mother to her kids again, and her flower shop thrived. But on one fateful afternoon, Michelle left home abruptly after receiving a phone call from Jennifer. After not hearing anything from her for about roughly seven hours, Michelle’s husband and her two kids were getting really worried about her. They contacted the police and stayed up late to wait for any news of her.

At around 4 A.M., there was a sound at the door — entering was Michelle. Upon seeing her, her husband did not say a word. Her tired appearance had already betrayed her. The couple would divorce a month later. The husband sold the mansion and gave Michelle haft of the proceeds.

Had she finally learned her lesson? Michelle was last seen in a hospital recuperating from a severe fatigue–resulted from her spending too many hours gambling.

~Simon N.

~~~~~

“Humans are emotional.
That’s what separates them from everything else.“
…………………………………………

At the turn of the 20th century, European countries were at war with each other. Many lives were lost, and numerous others succumbed to starvation. As a result of all the fightings, there was a severe shortage of food. Many governments enacted tough and harsh laws with regards to the stealing of food. The penalty for this crime was usually death by hanging.

Amidst all the chaos and uncertainty, there was a widow named Margaret. Her husband was killed while fighting valiantly for his country; he left behind five small children for her to take care. To feed her kids, Margaret would go door to door begging a job. Unfortunately, work opportunities were nonexistent. Most shop owners wouldn’t even think of hiring any employee; they already had a hard time taking care of themselves.

In desperation, Margaret had to resort to feeding her children with tiny crumbles of bread she gathered from the dusty floor of a local restaurant. Sadly, the small amount of food was not sufficient to feed even the smallest of her kids. Witnessing her children suffered from lack of nutrition depressed her heart and brought tears to her eyes, but somehow she managed to keep her emotions in check — like any good mother would.

But one day, Margaret could no longer control her emotions. Instead of gathering small crumbles of bread on the floor, she seized a piece of bread on one of the tables and ran out of the restaurant as quickly as she could — without looking back. That night, her children got to taste the best food they had eaten since the death of their father. Watching her children consumed the piece of bread with such an appetite, Margaret could not help but to display a joyous smile; this was something she had not done since her husband’s death. Her brief moment of joys, however, quickly extinguished. She knew full well what consequences awaited her.

The next day, the constables came and arrested Margaret; she went with them deferentially. Her five children, however, refused to let her go. They begged, cried, and held tightly onto their mother. Their impassioned showing of love touched even the sternest of the constables. Unfortunately, the responsibility of a constable was to uphold justice. They had no choice but to take Margaret away, despite strong protests from the children and Margaret’s neighbors.

On the day of Margaret’s trial, the courthouse was swarmed by thousands of people who gathered in support of Margaret. Even though they came from all walks of life, they shared a similar bond; their lives mirrored that of Margaret at one time or another. Unfortunately, her guiltiness with regards to stealing the piece of bread was clearly established. The jury had no choice but to convict her. When the verdict was read, a morbid silence infiltrated the air. Margaret was sentenced to death by hanging.

On the day of her funeral, dark clouds were taking over the tranquil sky. People braved the rain and flustering winds to bid farewell to a heroine they hardly knew. Her children were there too, with their eyes filled with tears. It was truly a moment to remember.

~Simon N. 2007

A close friend of mine once told me – poverty is the root of most problems in the world. I did not take his words seriously, since I have never actually lived in poverty. But as I ponder more about what he said, I think he might have been right after all.
……………………………………………….

Lam was the eldest of three siblings. Her family lived in a small farm that had been passed down through generations. Life had been especially hard on Lam and her family. When she was just 8 years old, her mother died from snakebites while working in the field. By 11, Lam had to drop out of school to help out on the farm. Despite the hard work, she insisted that her two brothers stay in school. “Our family’s future depends on you,” she said.

Misfortunes, however, never seemed to cease. A long drought, coupled with unusually cold weather, severely crippled crops and depleted the family’s savings. But the most severe blow would come in the news of her father’s cancer. The cancer had reached a late stage and surgery was required. Unfortunately, Lam’s family did not have the means to pay for such an expensive treatment.

As Lam pondered how to come up with the money for her father’s surgery and for the family’s daily expenses, she was approached by Madame H. who ran a local matchmaking service. She told Lam that a rich Korean merchant was looking for a wife and Lam matched his descriptions perfectly. Madame H. promised her a hefty sum of money — one that was large enough to cover all expenses as well as paying for her brothers’ education.

At first, Lam flatly refused Madame H.’s offer. She would rather kill herself than to make such an unprincipled choice. But as the bills were piling up and her father’s condition worsened, the offer was once again on her mind. She had been stricken by poverty all her life. She did not want to see her brothers dropping out of school and living the rest of their lives in poverty – she did not want to see her father dying the same way her mother did, because of the lack of treatment. She wanted a better future for all, and so she agreed.

After a long flight to Korea, Lam was able to meet her Korean husband for the first time. He was exactly what she envisioned. The guy was a pale-looking man in his late forties – repulsive and partly crippled. Although she did not love him, she was determined to be a good and faithful wife.

Unfortunately, there were more to the guy than just his appearance. Her husband was an overly insecure and paranoid human being. He prohibited her from ever leaving the house, fearing that she might leave him for another man. In fact, he would lock her in the basement every time he was about to leave the house. In addition, Lam was not allowed to contact her family and friends; her passport was taken away by the husband’s family.

But the abuse didn’t stop there. She was the subject of numerous brutal beatings by her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. In many instances, the two even threatened to burn her hair if she did not “obey” them.

After a year of marriage, Lam’s husband became very sick. He passed away shortly afterwards. While everyone was attending his funeral, Lam remained locked away in the basement. She was sad and confused. What had she done to deserve this? Why wasn’t she be allowed to bid her husband a final farewell?

It turned out that her husband’s family had special plans for her – she was set to be married off to the husband’s brother. When Lam learned about this, she was enraged. No matter how much they beat her, she refused to let them have their way.

She was held captive, bruised and battered, for almost a week without any food or water. But despite all that, Lam continued to persevere. If poverty could not take her down, this would definitely not. Thanked to a concerned neighbor, Lam was later rescued by the police. At last, she was free.

Her trip home was one accompanied with deep reflections. As her bus passed through the town’s entrance, she saw Madame H.’s car leaving the town. Inside the car was her best friend Trang. Watching history repeating, Lam was disheartened. Fate can sometimes be cruel.

~Simon N. 2007