Friday, May 04, 2007

An Old Essay keeping it here so i can remember next time

Write about an occasion when you were given some good advice and how you reacted to it.

“This could be your big break!” those words kept ringing in my ears. I could still remember that event clearly. I was spray-painting a wall about two blocks away from my school. The piece was almost done when I heard someone shout behind me, ” stop!” that voice was vaguely familiar, but my mind couldn’t process it that moment. Escaping was the only thought in my mind, I even dropped my spray can and bolted towards the nearest exit. At first, I was able to put some distance between him and I, but he soon caught up because I had difficulty breathing through my gas mask.

In a few seconds, the brutish man held on to my arm and shoulder, threatening to report the incident to the police. He said that he would only give me the slip if I took off the gas mask which covered my face. I hesitated for a moment, but after weighing my options, took off the mask. Both of us were shocked as we recognized each other. He was once my Art teacher who was promoted to be a senior lecturer at the Arts Academy. He dragged me back to the scene of the crime and gathered all my spray cans. He said that my piece was the greatest work of art he has ever seen from a teenager and wanted to give me a scholarship to the Academy. For the second time in one day, my jaw dropped. Never in a million years had I expected graffiti to be rewarding. It has only served as a form of self-expression until this point in time. He gave me his hand phone number and told me to give him my decision in a week’s time. He advised me to take this opportunity and make a name for myself.

With a box of spray cans in my arms, I walked home, deep in thought of the slightest possibility of my parents accepting the proposal. My parents were respected doctors who treated family like an army. They were people of science and worked with fixed formulas, unlike myself, who needed creative space to work to my fullest potential. I’m an underground hip-hop and graffiti fan, while my parents followed the National Geographic like it was the Bible. In short, we are the polar opposite of each other.

As I opened the door, part of me was hoping that my parents would accept my decision, while another part was trying to forget the incident. I wrote everything that happened today in my diary, hoping that it would only lighten my mood. I also tried to recall all the good times I had with my family, but it all seemed to turn sour. In a fit of anger and disappointment, I tore out the pages from my diary and threw it away, thinking of giving up and not letting my parents know at all

For the next six days, my world turned upside down. Everything and everyone just seemed to be in my way. My parents decided to take the day off and spend some time cleaning the house, surprising me as they had never let the cleanliness of the house, or anything else as a matter f fact, to obstruct their work. I went into my room, drawing my art pieces when my parents entered and showed me the pages of diary, which I tore out. They said that all they want is for me to be happy. For the first time, I saw their understanding side and a single tear rolled down my cheek as they said.” follow your dreams.”

In the next few years, I graduated as valedictorian of my batch in Arts Academy. My parents also amassed a small fortune, which they used to build a school for orphans, where I was one of the teachers. The school also has a mural facing the gate, the same one that I never completed back as a teenager, still incomplete, with the words written at the side. “ Follow your dreams.”

By: glennard sim

4 Hum 2007

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