My Almost-Clergy Friend

When I was in secondary school, I was the leader of a Christian society for one year and it was at this time I met this guy during an inter-school Christian fellowship. He was the leader of another school's Christian group.

He was a very charismatic person and left a very good impression on me. By the time the fellowship which lasted three days ended, we had became good friends. He talked to me about his plans to leave town to undergo a course to become a priest. A few days later, we met again when I attended his farewell tea-party at his house.

Later that night, he came to my house on his motorbike. Riding pillion was a girl I was slightly acquainted with. He gave me a bunch of flowers. It was the first time I received flowers from a guy, from anyone for that matter.

But I'd never had thought this would be the type of situation when I'd first receive flowers from a guy. You see, the girl was his girlfriend and they were having their last night out together before he left town. He gave me the flowers to thank me for being such a good friend, listening to his "problems". I guessed he brought his girlfriend along to show her that our relationship was "clean".

Later, when he was at the seminary we corresponded by mail and he told me of the hardships he had to endure. I could see that his strength to continue his training was wavering. I tried to encourage him to continue. After a while, the letters got fewer as I got busier with work, having graduated from school. I was not sure what the reason was at his end.

But soon, I lost touch with him as I went on with my life, with work and another man. Later in life, I feel bad that during that period, I had "neglected" him, not that I could do much though.

Years later, I found out that he had came home, having left the seminary without completing the course. However, he had stayed active in his religious calling by giving Christian seminars. I also heard he's now married, with kids. I'm very sure the wife's the girl on his motorbike that night he came to give me the flowers.

I've never met him again since that night and I've never attended the seminars he conducted so I have no idea how he looks like now. I do wonder though whether he would be able to recognise me after all these years since I'm no longer the wide-eyed bespectacled pony tail school girl he once knew.

Lord of the Flies

I spent time reading on the web and visiting some friend's blogs so I did not have time to write much.

However, I want to make this post because the book "Lord of the Flies" was on my mind today after last night's post. I read it for literature class in school and remembered getting sick each time I read it. Sick is too kind a word to describe my nauseatic feeling.

The feeling is so strong that it put me off reading the book again even now when I am much older.

Horror and Sci-fi

I love good horror or sci-fi stories. When I was small, I loved to read Edgar Allan Poe. I also read a lot of Stephen King. And I just loved "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs which gave me the most chilling creeps.

I was so greatly influenced by these horror stories I read that I wrote a horror sci-fi for my school magazine when I was twelve. I was encouraged by my English Literature teacher who thought I was quite good in English and Literature, to submit a short story for the magazine.

However, my story must have creeped her out because she said nothing to me about it after my submitting the story to her. Needless to say, it was not published. After that, I thought she was embarrassed to look at me straight in the eyes and whenever she did, she always had that weird look in her eyes, a reflection of her thoughts about me, probably.