The Memory Remains, pt 2

" I have a secret... But i don't know if telling you would be the right thing to do" Joel wondered if he should involve himself, "You can tell me anything, you know that" He wanted to know what she was hiding, his thirst to know more about her was taking over him as he pursued. He held her hand and looks into her eyes with the cutest puppy dog look you can imagine "please, tell me what this secret is" Joel was knocking on doors which were best left locked and left alone.

Haley looked away and as she looked into the distance, she smiled. "Let's ride bikes in the park, that should be great fun" Joel, not wanting to disappoint, nods and gets up. They rent two cycles and take off. Laughter filled the trees as Joel and Haley raced around the park taking in every bit of happiness they could until an unfortunate turn topples Haley over. Joel hurries over to check up on her, discarding his bike near a bush. Her jeans were cut through revealing a deep cut and another mark that could not be seen properly. As Haley had her wounds attended to, Joel decides to ask her about the mark. "oh so you noticed huh? It's nothing, really, don't be bothered about it at all." But Joel's curiosity got the better of him and he asked again. With a sigh, she replies " My father didn't plan on having me so when i was born he tried to get rid of me by dropping me into a river. He held me by the leg but before he could drop me my mother stabbed him in which made his clutch on my leg tighten with his nails pressing into my skin. My mother took me and ran away and that was the end of my father. Joel didn't know what to say so he remained quiet and just smiled.

When they returned home, Joel asked Haley if she ever met her father again. "I don't plan on meeting the person who didn't want me in the first place, so i don't think i'll see him again." Coming to the conclusion that the answer was satisfying, Joel headed back to his place after giving her a warm hug goodbye. What was strange was, Haley never mentioned anything about her parents ever whereas Joel always talked about his, she has even met them on countless occasions. Even when Haley returned home, she opened the door herself and all the lights were off. It was just 5 in the evening, they couldn't be sleeping. What was she hiding?

The Memory Remains

Haley was quite the buttoned up girl usually keeping to herself. Sharing and socializing was not her cup of tea but she had that one friend she would talk to almost every day during lunch in school. Their association was built on the sole fact that they had been science partners 3 years ago and was polished ever since. Now it's become routine to sit at the table in the corner of the lunch hall, just the two of them and talk about other people who gave them looks. It was their little game to make up stories about different students using the small quirks that were predominant in their nature. His name was Joel and Haley loved hanging out with him. His beaming smile assured her of a better tomorrow and when she would look down and laugh it was the single most cutest emotion to him.

Joel's parents had met Haley a couple times and thought she was very sweet and kind. Not really the talkative type but it was something they managed with because Joel was happy being her mouth, always boasting of her art skills and mainly her blessed voice which she only serenaded Joel with. Joel loved every bit of her, her dark black hair, her passion for art, her angelic voice when she lulled him to sleep on the phone. Everything about her made him more interested in her. It was his curiosity that got the better of him, but that's later on.

Joel wanted to know more and more about Haley, he couldn't stop thinking about her day and night. One such day when they were lying on the grass, she started to open up to him. When a sentence starts with ' i've never told anyone this before ' you brace yourself because you become the lucky ones to have heard their story. But this wasn't that lucky time.

Keep in touch for the next part, till then

Peace on the streets san

Happiness is a choice.

There are some people who seem to think that happiness is the result of all the right wheels turning at just the right time. You’re walking down the street, find twenty dollars, get a compliment from a stranger, meet the perfect guy or girl (and don’t totally make a fool of yourself), go to your favorite store and get 50% off, etc., etc.
Happiness is a choice. Not an accident, not a charitable gift from the universe. Of course, it’s nice to receive those gifts, and easy to be happy when you do, but happiness is about choosing to see the adventure in every moment, choosing to understand that there will always be a light after the dark, that there is always good in every situation and every person, no matter how grim things may seem.

It’s easy to be happy when everything seems to be going your way, but I think that defining happiness that way reduces it to a byproduct of luck, or an accident, which it is not. In fact, I might even argue that luck is a byproduct of happiness, if I was in a particularly feisty mood.

Some days are good, but there are probably more days that are just mediocre or plain bad, and it’s on those days that the true nature of happiness is revealed. Have you ever met someone who stayed positive, even when they’re having a bad day, and everything that can go wrong seems to be going wrong? If you’re having a bad day, too, just being near someone like that can be uplifting (although for others it is annoying, but that usually just stems from jealousy).People who are able to smile even through the worst of times have learned a very important lesson, the same lesson I stated above: Happiness doesn't just happen.

That’s the key to happiness: choosing it. It’s not an easy choice all the time, and it very well may be the last thing you want to do sometimes. When grief strikes, or when you just can’t seem to catch a break, sometimes you just want to sulk and stay upset, perpetuate the sadness. It’s a natural response, but it isn't a required behavior, it’s a choice. And choosing to be happy will make you a better, stronger, wiser, more long suffering person.

We always have the choice to be happy. Learning to change our attitude is frustrating, but worth it in the end. When we choose to be happy, things tend to work in our favor, and luck seems to be on our side; and even if things don’t happen the way you want them to, if you choose to be happy, you can accept situations for what they are and make the most of life, no matter the hand it deals you.

Thank you M.A.

PEACE on the STREETS san

Become Cool

There are many ways to succeed in life. One way is to become cool. I kid you not, becoming cool is a brilliant path to being successful. Once you become cool, everything falls in place for you. You can end up earning money just like that, you can earn all the respect from people, you can be famous once you become cool. Don't believe me? Let me introduce you to my friends David and Sonny.

So these two were friends in high school and they both wanted to pursue a business course in college. They applied to the same college and successfully got in. Now being in college is a great social stage in your life. You want to do things to impress others and make your name here. Frankly speaking, i believe college is where you actually start your life. David, being the one the no financial problems asks his dad for 35000 dollars. Obviously that's quite a large sum to ask for, so his father said ' Why do you want so much money? ' And David casually replied ' eh papa, i want to buy a nice bike and some clothes and shoes and maybe some cool sunglasses ' His father gave it some though and gave the money in the end. On the first day of college, our hero David rolls in on a big black Harley Davidson, with a leather jacket and shades. In an instant, all the ladies in the college rush towards him ' oh wow what a bike, can we go for a ride? ' David gets the attention he wanted. Now Sonny here sees that he got such a great response by his outlook, he decides to do the same. He goes back home and asks his father ' hey dad, can i have 35000 dollars? ' His father wasn't financially strong like David's so he asks in a shocked manner ' What for? ' Sonny, looking at his feet, says ' i want to be cool ' Without thinking twice, he gets out the belt and gives him a solid beating for thinking like that. Discouraged, Sonny takes his bicycle instead.

We get back to our main man David who has all the ladies numbers by now and meeting them at parties and bars. Sonny although is going to college and coming back home, nothing else in between. At the end of the 1st year, Sonny comes 2nd in class while David struggles to pass. But David has his women and his bike, he continues his journey. 2nd year ends and Sonny drops to 3rd but David is still hovering at the bottom. David doesn't change his plan because the women still want to take rides with him. 3rd year end and Sonny finally tops his class and by some miracle, so does David. At this point, the women still love David but their parents love Sonny because he is a very smart chap.

Time goes by and Sonny is now working at a large corporate firm while Mr Macho is working at a restaurant MIND YOU he still has the bike and is tres cool. Sonny is earning about 80k and David around 20k. We can clearly see here that Sonny has become successful and David has, well, nothing much to be proud about. The idea is your perception of cool. If you believe that being cool is looking good, skipping classes and taking in poisons like smoking and drinking then be prepared to end up like David. Trust me, studying hard and paving your future will make you cool. Davids children won't think he is cool, Sonnys kids will probably look at him and say wow this is my father he is so cool. Going out to parties doesn't make you the CEO of a company, hard work will get you there. I'm not saying hey study your whole life and never relax. Know your priorities, understand that right now as teenagers, your priority is your studies and then your social life. Once you get the first covered, you can afford to take the back seat in life. Don't let social conformity control you, why fit in when you were born to stand out?

PEACE on the STREETS san

The Right Technique

So many of you have goals that you want to achieve but can't seem to get there. You want to be a pilot or a doctor but can't figure out where to start or how to get there. So here is a story that might help you out a bit.

Jimmy wasn't a very bright fellow, and by that i don't mean he was a dumbo, i mean he generally wasn't exposed to many things. So one day he came across the Olympics and he started watching it. Once at a bar he saw the archery category and said ' I wonder why there aren't many people who can hit the bullseye ' A nearby man, John who was a famous motivational speaker in that area, said ' It is very hard to hit that precise point ' Jimmy being quite arrogant said ' How do they do it? ' John replied, ' Well my boy, it takes a lot of practice ' With these words, Jimmy went off back to his neighborhood and became very busy with this whole bow and arrow business. Months later, some kids approached John and said ' Hey, what did you tell Jimmy? He doesn't come out to play anymore because you told him to practice ' Surprised, John went to that neighborhood and found many trees with bulls eyes on them with an arrow right in the middle. It wasn't just one or two trees, there were about 30 trees with the arrow right in the middle of the target. Astonished, John searched for Jimmy to see how much he's grown. He found him there, sitting on a chair, sharpening his arrow. John asked ' How have you become so amazing at this now? ' Jimmy slowly replied in a very dramatic manner, ' Practice sir, along with hard work and determination, i managed to accomplish what Olympians can ' A very proud John said ' Wow, you must have put in a lot of effort and i'm so happy you've reached this far, can you show me your skills? ' So Jimmy, all high and almighty in this stage, took out the bow and the arrow he was sharpening, aimed it at a tree and fired away. Wherever the arrow landed, he just drew the bulls eye around it.

What i'm trying to convey over here is you might have that drive, that passion and the determination to achieve something but you may not have the right technique to do so. You need to identify what needs to be done and do it the right way. If you cheat on a test all the time, you wouldn't acquire any knowledge and therefore making the test pointless. Taking the easy way out is as the name suggests, easy. But it isn't the right way. There is no short cut to hard work, if you want to shoot the arrow right in the bulls eye, start practicing, failing is a step to success, make your mistakes and improve, then you'll have the right technique

Till next time folks,

PEACE on the STREETS san