my favourite sentences...


You can hide memory, but you can't erase the history that produced them.

It was sad to see what used to be so fundamental to our lives fade away and disappear in front of our own eyes.

Words don't come out when you're deeply hurt. That's why people keep silent and give no explanation. Yet, Murakami once wrote in his novel, 1Q84, "If you can't understand without an explanation, you can't understand with an explanation." Sometimes, people tend to not wanting to understand things instead of wanting to understand things. In short, they tend to ignore the possibility of trying to understand things.

do you know what makes life interesting?
--> it's interesting because we don't know what the future holds for us. don't blame the fate. we decide our fate, it's our choice. we can't choose where to be born, but we can certainly choose the way we live our life...

the life is yours, why bother asking other people to paint it for you?...

when we're small our word has never been counted; when we're big every word has always been counted...

i may not be able to wait thirteen months for you, nor until you are twenty-five, but i can wait for you a lifetime -- Under the Hawthorn Tree by Ai Mi

waiting, though one minute, it's still unbearable...

death doesn't mean that we are no longer existing. death just means a move to another world...

why can parents wholeheartedly sacrifice everything for the happiness of their children, even their life? but why can't their children, whom they give birth to, do the same thing to them? what power is it that encourages them to do so?....

the thing i'm most afraid of is ME. of not knowing what i'm going to do. of not knowing what i'm doing right now.

people always meet new friends. but they should not forget their old friends. because without your old friends we don't have a chance to meet new friends. the memories with our friends will be there forever in our brain. we can't omit it though time passes.

Monday, November 11, 2013

between friendship & goodbye


Some of my 'younger brothers' have set off for their new path they thought it would bring them bright future. I would not stop them, once they set their mind, for choosing their own life. We were not real brother, after all. We were born from different parents, different location, and brought up in different way of life. Our parents had never known each other before, to my understanding. We had no real blood connection to begin with. We were, actually, just colleagues who had worked together for about a year. They were late comers. I was three years their junior; yet, we had worked in different department, taking different responsibilities. Only one thing in common, we share the same office space. Now, they're gone, leaving two empty spots in the office.

At first, I felt a little bit strange about their absence. I had gotten use to their presence. The first day without their being, I felt that this office was missing something. After a while, I realized that it was their absence that I felt the sudden missing. I felt lonelier when they're gone. Because one of my 'older sister' who had been sitting next to me left me for another mission to somewhere far away. She'd gone abroad. Her absence had made me become a quiet person. I rarely talked to anybody in the office in the first few days. I missed her, I could not deny my true feeling. This 'sister' was not my real blood sister. But we had loved and supported each other as brother and sister. I called her "sister" and she, "brother." The time we had been together was memorable. She was a patient person. Our times being together had not always been the happy times. Sometimes we would jump into disagreement or argument. Sometimes I made her upset over nothing. Sometimes, all of sudden, we did not talk to one another. Sometimes I made her tears rolling down. However, she would compromise and I compromise, and we came together again. She was kind to me and this made me think of her. I was very grateful for this 'lovely sister' for being part of my life. I was born to a family with no female siblings. I had only brothers. My mother was the only female in the house. She was supposed to be the queen; yet, she had been the most hard-working person in my family. I had always wanted to have an older sister to look after all of us. This 'lovely sister' had filled the missing spot in my life. I loved her so much, and I apologized her for what I had done to her. I was not sure if she had ever realized about my feelings toward her. Her absence had brought a great silence to me. After her leaving, the other person who was close to me had also moved out to different department. Her moving had made my days grey. A dark cloud of silence had covered up my sky. I could not, sometimes, bear the lonely feeling inside me. I had to find way to tackle this lonely feeling. I chose to read books every time I was free from my work or talked to these 'two brothers.' And now, these so called 'two brothers' left me. Their leaving left me in absolute desperate condition. Sometimes, I would feel suffocation. I felt that I was going to be out of breath. The air surrounding me had been thinner that I could hardly catch my breath. My words had been less.

They all were very friendly. At the same time they were helpful. Age was not a matter of closeness. We had been out, though not very often, drinking, singing, dancing, traveling, and the likes. We were quite close. We had created our group, two of them, my friend, my niece, and my sister.

I knew that people would not be together for ever. I knew that parting moment would be there sooner or later, and that people who had been close to me leaving me one after the other. However, I wished the goodbye time would delay a bit longer that I would have enjoyed my life with the persons I loved and cared a bit longer. I had hated the most in my life the word 'Goodbye.' I had rarely used this word. I feared that once I used this word I would not have a chance to see the person again. Most of the time, I used the word 'See you' instead of the word 'Goodbye.' Though I did not want them to leave, I still wished the best for them. No matter what path they had set or were going to set foot on, I respected their decision. Only one thing I cared and hoped they would not forget: we were still brother, sister, and uncle. I hoped the friendship we had built would not fade away by time and space.

'never say never' by the fray

by jet

Friday, September 13, 2013

Coffee with Love by JET














CHAPTER FOUR

Lee and Yong observe the plants together at Haleakala National Park. The Park is very beautiful, particularly in summer when flowers are blossoming. One by one, they view its  colour, flower, height, and fruit, so as to cross check with the book Lee borrowed from the library. Lee would write down and take photos of any new plant she find is not recorded in the book. Lee seems very happy with this trip. It is as if she is not on the research trip, but a date. They smile and talk and discuss and exchange the images of the plants they used to see in each individual homeland. Sometimes, their shoulders press against one another when they try to have a close look over the plant. Lee then blushes and smiles to herself. Yong is the same, smiles and blushes.

Yong is a well-prepared person. He brings every necessary things with him, plastic bag, hoe, gloves, knife, you name it. It looks like he planned everything in advance and expected for the trip.

After hours long walk through the park reviewing every plants, they sit down on a bench next to the valley, enjoying the fresh summer air. Yong hands his coffee and cake to Lee, and apologises Lee that he could not bring coffee frappe since he does not know how long they have to spend on observing the plants and by that time the coffee frappe would melt into water under the summer heat. Lee hurries to cut his apology, for it has been very kind of him to guide her to the park and spend the whole day with her. That is more than enough for Lee. The two are just sitting next to one another while the sun is shyly setting behind their backs.

At night, Lee reviews the activities she and Yong had done today in her little diary. One by one Lee wrote down everything in it, counting flowers and plants, taking photographs, noting the new plants found, to name a few. Since the day Lee arrived at the new land, Lee started to write her diary so that she would not miss any important events happen in her passage of life. At this moment, Lee stops and smiles to herself. Blushed, she asks herself for the second time-the first time was when she first saw him at the coffee shop-if this man is her white horse prince just like the prince in her favorite childhood story of Cinderella. After that, she writes her report to complete her school assignment.

Turning off the bed lamp, Lee takes out her iPod, turns it on, and listens to Inner Voices' "Baby Girl."

to be continued....


Sunday, June 16, 2013

10 great things in our love


A. Darling, if we choose ten great things in our love, what will you choose?
B. Don't know what to choose.
A. Just pick them.
B. You go first
A. (1st) For me, the first great thing is probably when we first met. don't know why on that day i had an inspiration to climb up to the top floor to read a book. and if the wind blew in a different direction, you and i would have never met each other.
B. (2nd) For me the second one is when we made our first kiss. how can i describe it. i was pretty nervous. but finally it turned out okay. it was my longest and most calorie-consuming kiss ever.
A. (3rd) Well, the third one. i was so scared. when i gave you a watch as for my first gift to you. you turned my gift away and you also walked away. i was very disappointed. you said nothing, but gave me a stare. i felt you had high self-respect. but that made me adore you so much. then i think, i am sure i can live the rest of my life with you.
B. (4th) For me, the fourth is whrn you can hang around everywhere and have street food without worrying about collywobbles. at that moment, you look so lovely.
A. you are a liar.
B. its true.
A. (5th) do u still remember when we cleaned the house? we listened to music, washed bolwed in the sink, arranged things in the house,... rememer? and what else?
B. And in the toilet.
A. why remember that for so long?
B. it was fun. you helped me wash my hair. and...., ah, (6th) and the dance that you taught me?
A. well, it was rock n roll.
B. thats the hell of a dance. i was tired of shaking my hip all the time. or we make it the sixth great thing, huh?
A. (7th) do u know that we used to play acting? its so funny recalling that. u played the role of a sugarcane juice playboy. u acted just well enough.
B. "baby, you're so cute. where do you live? hang out with me alright? have some sugarcane juice, will you? my mom sells sugarcane juice at the corner of the street.drop by and join me and you can have 80 glasses in a row. youre so cute."
A. "youre disgusting." you acted so well. youre a natural-born scoundrel, aren't you?
B. definetly.
A. stay away from me. you look so rogue.
B. why did u cry knowing thatvwas just a joke when i pretended to be dead?
A. i dont know. when i saw u lying on the floor with medicine all scattered around, i felt so... i couldnt breathe. something was chokng my heart.
B. i apologise. next time i will act as a tiny dinosaurs and make u laugh, ok?
A. what?
B. tiny dinosaur.
A. youre crazy.
B. (8th) honey. sometimes we didn't get along well. it seemed were about to part for good. but we chose to say everything we had in mind. i compromised. and so did you. eventually, we were even. it was also meaningful to me. (9th) do u remember when i gave u a wedding ring? at that moment you made me feel like i was a bit hasty and superficial. did i really made you feel awkward?
A. i was not ready. i felt i didnt deserve your love.
B. i hate ur reason so much. just skip that part. consider u still owe me a nod. so for u, what is the tenth great thing?
A. (10th) do u know what is the tenth great thing in my mind? i think the greatest thing, also the luckiest to me, is that i did find the one i can love and he really loves me.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Coffee with Love by JET















INTRODUCTION (March 1, 2013)

She hands the money to the cashier after receiving her coffee. Accidentally the cashier's hand touches the girl's hand which makes the girl blushes. the girl lows down her face and smiles shyly alone. Her heart races fast and she suddenly loses word to say. After composing herself, she raises her head and looks at the cashier. She sees a handsome and tall man standing in front of her. He has black hair with fair complexion. He looks like Chinese. "Is it a love at a first sight?!" she asks herself sheepishly. At that moment the girl vouches to herself that this man is her lover, a person she has a cross on.

After that day, the girl keeps coming to the same coffee shop every day ordering the same kind of coffee from him. The girl orders the same coffee every day, because she wants him to remember her favorite taste of coffee.

On the fifth day when she shows up, the man asks her if she would like to order coffee frappe? As soon as she hears that, she smiles again, 'cos she thinks that he knows what she likes to drink. This makes the girl fells for him deeper and deeper. She pays her bill and leaves the shop and walks toward her school with the smile on her face. She tells herself that it is going to be a good day for her.

Reaching to the iPod in her bag, she turns on her music and listens to "You took my heart away."

  'Staring at the moon so blue
Turning all my thoughts to you
I was without hopes or dreams
I tried to dull an inner scream but you
saw me through

Walking on a path of air
See your faces everywhere
As you melt this heart of stone
you take my hand to guide me home
and now
I'm in love

You took my heart away
when my whole world was gray
You gave me everything
and a little bit more
And when it's cold at night
and you sleep by my side
you become the meaning of my life...'

Originally, the coffee is bitter. But this time, the girl does not feel the bitterness of the coffee, but the sweetness. "Even the sun is hot, we won't sweat when we are calm inside," the girl thinks to herself.


CHAPTER ONE (March 9, 2013)

Having traveled for several thousands miles from Phnom Penh Capital of Cambodia to Pearl City of Hawaii, Lee wins the scholarship to pursue Television Production program at Pearl City Community College, Hawaii, United States of America.

Lee is a kind and gentle girl in her community. Lee loves kids. She has worked for a community education program on producing educational video clips for young children for several years. During her course of voluntarism, she has traveled throughout the country to explore and document the life of Cambodian children in remote area. She has worked with many poor parents who could not afford their children education.

Cambodia is a small country in Southeast Asia, bordering Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Cambodia has small population of 14 millions. Cambodia has recently reemerged from decades of civil war and on the road to reconstruct her image. Cambodian social structure has been destructed, and it takes years for her to refurnish. Moreover, Cambodia is and has been a patriarchy society for hundred years. Women are supposed to stay at home and raise the children; while, men go to work and earn a living. However, Lee has challenged this norms and be the first girl in her community to study abroad. This achievement makes her family as well as her community proud of her; so does Lee herself.

Lee was a committed student who ranked first or second every semester, and is a discipline staff who is responsible for her work. She looks fierce, but friendly inside. Stranger would not dare look at her if they don't know her at first place. In fact, when people start talking to her, they would feel comfortable talking to her. She has a kind heart.

Lee hopes that with her new knowledge from Pearl City Community College, she could help more children in Cambodia who have little access to education. She believes that education is the key to better life and future.



CHAPTER TWO (March 16, 2013)

Yong has been an actor for more than 10 years, starting his career at the age of 25. Yong earns his degree in Performance Arts from the United States. He became a well-known actor when he casted in a series movie called 'Autumn Love' shown in the state television in Thailand.

Yong was born in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, to a Chinese merchant family. Yong's great grandfather had migrated to Thailand during the World War II. He, penny less, came to Thailand to seek fortune when his livelihood in his motherland could not be secured. He started a job as a laborer to another Chinese merchant who exported dry food from China. Because of hardworking and honesty, Yong's great grandfather was agreed to marry his boss' daughter. Yong's great grandfather was then in charged of his father-in-law's business. After many years of building reputation, Yong's family became one of the wealthiest business family in Thailand.

Though Yong has been raised in business family, he prefers being an actor and writer to businessman. After graduation, he went straight to the United States pursuing his desire despite family's disapproval. In the United States, Yong worked part time job in a coffee shop in order to support his study.

After 10 years in filming industry, Yong decided to retire and went to Hawaii starting his own little coffee shop. He also starts to write book which is his childhood dream.


CHAPTER THREE (March 20, 2013)

Lee loves coffee. Most of the time she spends times in coffee shop doing her homework and reading books.  Lee loves reading romance story. Sometimes she fantasizes about being the girl in the story who fell into the prince's arms.

It is a sunny day. Sitting at the far end of the Gorilla Café, a few block from her school, Lee orders one medium size coffee frappe reviewing various flower books which she has borrowed from the library. Last week Lee received a new assignment from her professor to produce a short video clip about Hawaii's plants and/or flowers in order to educate small children about variety of plants in the area.  

After viewing the books, Lee plans to visit Haleakala National Park, one of the two national parks in Hawaii. The other national park is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Haleakala National Park is located on the island of Maui, covering an area of 134.62 square kilometers. Haleakala National Park is a wilderness area. Haleakala means "house of the sun" in Hawaiian. Haleakala National Park is divided into two distinct sections: the summit area and the coastal Kipahulu area. The summit area is surrounded by volcanoes. The coastal Kipahulu is a forested area which is designated the Kipahulu Valley Biological Reserve.

Lee hopes to visit Kipahulu in order to find some rare spices of flowers or plants for her assignment. Lee is new to the area and rarely makes new friends beside her classmates. Likewise, everyone in the class is in hurry to finish their assigned task. Lee has to depend on herself in order to get to the area.

Accidentally, Yong passes by, seeing Lee reviewing photos of plant and flower. Yong has been in love with plant since he was a young boy. He had his own garden at the back of his house where he grew flowers and plants. He has a great sea of knowledge on tropical flower and plant. He had read many books on tropical plants when he was in the United States doing his Performance Arts. To Yong, reading books on plant was his way of relax. Moreover, Yong thinks that reading books open his eyes to the world. Through books, he learns more about the world, the place where human beings live in, grow up, communicate, and share breath. Everyone depends on one another, just like the car depends on the engine in order to move forward. More or less, relationship cannot be cut off among human beings though they are born ethnically and culturally different.

"You love flowers, don't you?" Yong asks Lee.

"Yes... And I'm... doing... my research on Hawaii's flowers and plants and am going to visit Haleakala National Park," Lee falters the words as her heart pounds very fast.

"Do you mind if I join you to the park? I heard about the park; however, I've never been there myself," Yong gives Lee a smile and pulls a chair towards Lee, "I'm new here. I came here a month ago; yet, I haven't got a chance to get to know this city. I have been busy myself the whole month to set up this coffee shop. Still, many things to do with the shop. However, I think I hope give myself a time to relax."

Lee responds nothing to this when the staff brings Yong a glass of water.  Yong gives the staff a nob, signalling the word "thank you."

Seeing Lee sitting there still and saying nothing, Yong awkwardly continues, "I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Yong. I'm from Thailand. I myself loves flowers and plants. Back home in Thailand, I've got my own tiny garden where I have grown plants and flowers. I like observing the plants and flowers growing and flowering. Every time I was stressed out, I would go to my small garden, giving water to the plants. That's why when seeing you looking at flower book, I asked you. By the way, what is your name?"

"Lee. My name is Lee. I am from Cambodia." Lee says to Yong.

"Cambodia. We are just neighbour--Thailand and Cambodia. I have been once visiting Phnom Penh Capital and Siem Reap Province. I love the Angkor Wat temple very much. I really appreciate your rich culture. Moreover, our culture is very similar. Though there is misunderstanding between the two people, I still love Cambodia myself. How about you? Where do you live in Cambodia?"

Lee thought to herself for a few seconds, "this guy seems to know a lot about Cambodia," before giving Yong the responds. "I was born and grew up in Phnom Penh."

"So, do you mind if I join you to the park?" Yong goes back to his question and waits for Lee's responds.

"I think it should be fine, plus it is public park you can go there anytime, even without my permission," Lee adjusts her language so as to not show Yong how much she wants him to join her.

Yong smiles again and furthers that, "How do you get there? When are you going to the park?"

"This Saturday morning at 9 o'clock. I'm going there by bus. I already check the schedule. There are buses going there every couple hours. Are you sure you can join? You look busy with your shop," Lee asks to make sure the date and time is fine with Yong.

"I think I can join you, since there are not many customers during Saturday. The staff can manage to run it. By the way, I've got a car. I think I can drive you there. What do you think?"

Lee thinks a few minutes and reluctantly gives him a nod as if saying a "Yes." After seeing her response, Yong excuses her back to his work.

She smiles to herself and goes back to her book.

To be continued...