Father and Son

I did it. I told them what I really wanted.

January 30, 2012. Today is my dad's birthday. After my last class for this evening, I managed to make my way as fast as I can to catch my family having dinner in a local restaurant. I did bring my gift for him in which I bought last night when I was strolling down in a mall. It was a shirt. A simple one. I bet he knows for sure that for the both of his sons, I would be the one giving him such gift. Nope, not "the one". The "only one".

We ate and discussed matters about our work, and our family, of course. Some future travels (*crosses fingers*) were proposed and I am too excited about it. Why, who shouldn't?

And then I spoke with all their eyes beaming on me. The moment I've been waiting for.

"I'm gonna quit these two jobs I have", I calmly said. They all observed me. I reason them as soon as I noticed my dad reloading his argument gun. I do love my father. And with his plan that he wanted me to be someone that I don't want to is really depressing. It's not all about the money, and it's not my career. It's about me. 

I want to grow and be part of the world I dreamed of. To expand my boundaries, to test my limit. To meet new people, and to know other things. Like a little bird, I want to fly high and see the beauty of the earth with my own eyes. My own abilities. Myself. 

Trust me, dad. Trust me. I may not be as great as you but I can be the man I truly am. 

Happy birthday. 

5-minute reading

"Seeker"

An old man walks up to the front of the store and opens the glass door. The bell rings and he gazes upon the tall book shelves that tower over him. His eyes are not good back when he was twenty-one  but he knows for sure that he can venture inside this unknown shop unassisted.

He stops surprisingly, moves his head to the right and finds it: a diary. The old man smiles as he grab the journal and make his way to the counter. A young lady takes it and scans the diary's bar code. She then confesses to the old man, "I never knew we sell diaries here like this one." The lady turns a page after page of the note, pauses, and eventually closes it. "Like filled-up diaries", she adds. 

The old man pays for it and the lady puts the diary inside a small paper bag. He thanks the young miss and walks to the exit. As the mysterious old man turns the doorknob, he finally says, "She looks just like you...but only speaks of a different answer." 

The young lady doubts if the old shopper asked her a question but she's definitely right, he never asked her of anything. 

And then the old man breaks his silence and said, "She told me that she did not see anything in this diary except for her name. That she wanted to write her own destiny and not be controlled by some invisible mover. That someday, in some alternate world if there is, our fate is not governed by laws and principles which are made by false gods. That our lives are endless in order for us to write another page."

With the diary in his satchel, the old man exits the store and feels the breeze of the summer air.