The Amateur Who Aimed Too High

In a certain military academy’s training field, there was this tall wooden pole that was coated with oil all over. It was there ever since the year of the academy’s establishment, and it was said by the academy’s graduates that those who can successfully reach the top of the pole are worthy of great respect, as climbing the heavily coated wooden pole was a very difficult challenge. All that tried climbing it always slipped down to the ground on the first try, and all that tried climbing it took numerous attempts before they could manage reaching the top.

But one day, there came a proud newcomer who declared:

“I can climb wooden pole successfully on the first try!”

Most of those who heard him, who were upperclassmen, simply ignored him, as they’ve heard that sort of declaration from many amateurs over and over again, and they knew how this was going to end.

And so, the newcomer approached the pole, smiling with confidence in his well-built body, and then he started to climb the pole.

“What? This is too slippery! Aaaaahhhhh!!!”

He then slipped off the pole and landed on his back. He hadn’t even reached the middle of the very tall wooden pole at that time, too. The proud newcomer received cheers and jeers from the crowd of fellow newcomers around him. The nearby upperclassmen simply ignored the newcomers around the tall wooden pole, as they have seen lots of newcomers try and try and then fail.

“Damn it!” the proud newcomer shouted. “I already trained my body well, but why did I fall off? It should have been a piece of cake!”

With that, it sparked a heated discussion in the surrounding crowd, arguing about who to blame regarding the proud newcomer’s plight. Some blamed the extreme oiliness of the pole, some blamed the proud newcomer’s hubris, and some didn’t really care and left the scene.

“Aiming at the top on the first try is a really stupid mindset, you know.”

A deep, loud voice broke the crowd’s heated discussion.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

At that statement, the crowd of newcomers gave way to the man who interrupted. He was a mature man who had the air and appearance of an experienced soldier.  He approached the proud newcomer who sat on the ground, soaked with oil.

“If you want to reach the top, you’ll have to aim for your level best first, newcomer. It’ll take a whole lot of attempts before you can even reach the top.”

The newcomer, still having his pride, reacted angrily at the man.

“Who do you think you are!?”

“Me? Oh, I’m just another instructor here who was one of those who were taught lessons by this tall, oily, wooden pole.”

“You really think you can reach the top of that pole, then, old man?”

“Yeah. My best has already gone beyond the top of that pole, but it’s not like I’m a perfect guy, you know. Want to watch me climb it?”

“Well, bring it on, then.”

“Alright.”

The instructor then took off his shoes, socks, and top, showing an upper body that was scarred and strengthened by the battlefield. The crowd stared at the instructor with awe.

Immediately, the instructor started climbing up the pole, carefully doing so at a moderate pace. Under the blaze of the shining sun, the instructor climbed, and climbed, and climbed until he reached the top, where the sun made the crowd unable to see him at the top, making them move back and see if he really was at the top of the pole.

And then they saw that he was at the top. The crowd, and even the proud newcomer, responded with awe.

After the instructor slid down the pole and landed back on the ground, he told the newcomers with a laid-back smile:

“Just do your best, and aim for improvement as you do so. Don’t forget to have fun, too. You’ll eventually reach the top that way.”

“YES, SIR!”

The crowd of newcomers then replied to him with a united declaration of respect. They all gave him a salute, as well. As they did so, the academy bell tolled.

“Alright, it’s time to head back to class. Don’t forget what I said, okay?”

“YES, SIR!”

And then they all left, except for the proud newcomer.

“Hm? Is there something you want to talk about?” the instructor asked.

“Thank you very much, sir!” the proud newcomer said with a salute. “I’m sorry for disrespecting you, as well.”

The instructor replied with a calm smile.

“Don’t worry about it. Calmness is pretty important in facing the challenges of life, too, you know.”

“Alright. I’ll remember that, sir. See you again!”

“Alright. See you again.”

And so, under the blazing sun, the proud newcomer left, inspired, while the instructor looked at him running back to the classrooms with a smile on his face.

“Well, some students have learned today,” the instructor said. “This really made my day again.”

The Hooded Man Who Broke the Unbreakable Barrier

*WHACK*

*THWACK*

*CRACK*

“It’s…finally broken…”

After so many days of hitting a part the tall, strong, and impenetrable iron wall that surrounded the whole enslaved city, the determined man in a hoodie finally broke it.

“Finally…”

As the hooded man calmly breathed with relief and success, he looked around him. Actually, he didn’t do it alone. He started it, but eventually, people started to help him. Or perhaps it should be more appropriate that everyone, except the selfish government and its supporters, helped him.

“Hooray!”

“Yeah!”

“We did it!”

“We can finally get out of this damned place!”

Most of the now free residents shouted and jumped with joy. It was a long time ever since they were locked up in the city like the other cities in their country. Greed, dishonesty, and selfishness ruled the government, and it led to that state of affairs. Cities were ruled by usurpers, and most of the people bowed down in submission. There were those who stood up and fought the government with blades and firearms, but they all ended up losing. It seemed like all hope was lost back then.

But suddenly, a man who wore a hoodie started whacking the iron wall with blunt objects each day. Of course, he was arrested and imprisoned at first for vandalism, but he still kept on doing it again and again even after he got out of prison. He was arrested and set free again and again, until the government decided to reinforce the walls each day to break him down. The other residents looked at the hooded man as a trouble magnet, too, so they didn’t want to get involved with him.

But still, the hooded man never stopped. He whacked the wall as usual, becoming calmer and more determined as the days passed. Still, the government kept reinforcing the walls, but the hooded man’s actions started to influence the people. One day, a boy joined the hooded man in whacking the iron wall, and then the number of people started increasing as the days passed. Eventually, the government became worried at how fast the walls were being damaged, so the mayor decided to send soldiers to reduce the city’s population by shooting down a great number of residents. Thing is, the mayor’s plan didn’t go so well. Most of the soldiers defected, as they found the mayor’s orders to be going too far, and they also realized the evil that reigned over the government. The whacking of the wall continued, and eventually, the mayor decided to take matters into his own hands, riding a tank to kill the people that were disturbing his so-called “order.” At that time, the mayor’s forces were outnumbered, and they were all stopped with minimal bloodshed, and the mayor and his forces were imprisoned by the people themselves. After that time, the whacking of the wall continued without delay.

And now, they have finally broken it down. They have finally gained their freedom. They gained it with unity and hard work.

“I knew…that this would work…” the hooded man said to himself as people started crowding around him. He was then raised and carried by the people in celebration.

“Let’s all praise this hooded man, for if he never stood up and started whacking the wall, we would never have gotten out of this city!”

“YEAH!”

The hooded man smiled at this victory that he and his fellow residents gained. He always looked at the bright side, calmly taking life one day at a time, and balancing his time by taking breaks and helping others. His goodness was rewarded well, and that encouraged him to go even further with whacking the wall. He never gave up. He always thought “I can break the wall” rather than “I can’t break the wall.”

And now, he finally succeeded.

“Thank you very much for this freedom. Now, I really need a peaceful sleep.”

As the crowd was shouting and exiting in celebration around him, he saw the shining sun’s rays shine on him again after a very long time of living in a city of smoke clouds.

And so, the hooded man peacefully went to sleep, contently smiling as the sun shone down on him and the people.

The Proper Way to Handle Exploder Robots

“Uhh…can I really do this?”

“You can, rookie. Just calm down.”

A rookie soldier, who was being guided by his commander, was assigned to defuse a lone exploder robot moving in circles in a city street during the afternoon. Because of the highly dangerous nature of exploder robots, the area had to be isolated, and everyone except the bomb disposal squad had to evacuate.

“W-Won’t it attack me if I try to stop it or anything?” the rookie soldier said nervously. It was just him and his commander here in his first official mission as a bomb disposal squad member.

“It will attack you, but it won’t explode unless you at least lay a finger on  it. You just have to lure it, and then spray it with the cooling spray,” the commander said calmly, emanating an aura of experience, which he had gained from many bomb disposal missions. He also had marks of past failures, which were evident in his burnt left eye, which had an artificial eye in its place, and in his burn marks on his torso, which was currently hidden by his outfit. Still, he calmly carried those marks, as he believed that each and every member of the disposal squad had to earn that someday to be able to become better bomb disposal soldiers.

“You think it’s that easy? I’m just a rookie!”

“It would feel easy if you had enough experience. You remind me of my rookie days, boy. It’s because of hesitation and nervousness, like what you’re showing right now, that I got my body burnt by an explosion. Keep calm, boy. That’s what my experiences in the bomb disposal squad taught me. It would be hard at first, yes, but you’ll have to keep calm and face your fears. If you don’t keep yourself calm and under control, you’ll break and perhaps hurt someone as well, much like an exploder robot that explodes when you simply touch it. Calmness. That’s what people these days need.”

“Alright, alright, commander. I’ll do it. I’ll try to…keep calm…”

His commander may be a loud and frank guy, but he received his message. He had to keep calm. He learned that not only in training, but in real life experiences as well. He wasn’t a really patient guy during his childhood days, and he had to learn calmness and patience the hard way.

After taking deep breaths, the rookie soldier went forward and slowly approached the exploder robot. As the robot moved in circles, it suddenly stopped and turned to face the rookie soldier with glowing red eyes.

“…!”

At that moment, the robot started moving towards the rookie soldier at a faster speed. The rookie quickly backstepped a few times, but he stopped and pointed his cooling spray at the robot, as he couldn’t run away forever.

*pshhhhhhhh*

Immediately, the rookie soldier released a spray of cold air towards the exploder robot, causing it to slow down and stiffen, slowly freezing up from the cooling agent. A few moments later, its red eyes stopped glowing, and then it eventually stopped functioning.

“I did it! I did it! Did you see that? I did it! Yeah!”

The rookie soldier jumped with joy at his first successful mission. His commander was also smiling, and he approached his subordinate, giving him a slap to the back.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“Don’t be too excited there, boy. You’ll be getting your burn mark eventually, hahaha!”

“Hey! That isn’t funny!”

“Well, let me tell you something, boy: Every one of your higher ranked officers in the bomb disposal squad has a scar or two from an explosion, so don’t  go thinking that you’re the greatest guy ever.”

“Uhhh…Uhhh…”

The rookie soldier became scared at his commander’s reminder. The commander then smiled and encouraged him in reply.

“Come on, don’t worry about that. We’ve got your back. Just focus on doing your best and improving yourself. Anyway, wanna go out to eat? It’s my treat.”

“Uhh…sure!”

“Alright. But we’ll have to manage a bunch of technical stuff, first, so let’s get to work again!”

With smiles, the two soldiers went off, with the setting sun at a distance in front of them.

Get Enough Sleep, Tobby!

I’ve got so much to do lately…and I’m lacking sleep. I blame lack of proper time management, Internet addiction, and procrastination for that.

Still, I can’t just stay at blaming myself. I must focus on maintaining balance in my life.

BALAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNCEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

Yeah, so, writing a blog post each day is a habit that I’m trying to build along with the rest of the things that I need to do, which is mostly stuff that I need to do for college. I want to improve my writing skills, you know. And I also want to improve my confidence, too.

I guess I should keep this short today. I need to rest. And I need enough sleep.

Time for a self-reminder, then:

Get enough sleep, Tobby!

Records of a Crumbling Mind

August 17

My crush…she was…dead…She was already dead…Damn it…Still, this power I have in my eyes…it lets me…see through things…I admit that it can be convenient…but these eyes of mine have been a big bother to me lately. I tend to accidentally see through clothes, and I had to stay in my room and control my power. Damn it, my sexual perversion is really going nuts again…I now feel regret for my crush being dead…as I do have this desire to see through her clothes…Bah, she’s dead already. I have to control this power, first.

 

August 18

Oh yeah, I forgot to write about what happened after I burned my diary. I found myself in darkness, and then I saw this pair of glowing red eyes looking at me. I felt like it could see through the depths of my soul. It was hissing, too. It must have been a snake. I was asked if I wished to escape the time loop, and so I said yes. After all that, it seems that I gained some sort of eye power. I still have issues with controlling it, though…

 

August 19

Damn it, I still can’t wander around without averting my gaze away from people, or even bumping into things. My eyes also tend focus on things I’m looking at, and the things that I see through but I’m not focusing on become invisible to my sight. This freaking power just  made me more clumsy. Wish I could gain control of this power, so I locked myself up in my room…

 

August 20

I seem to be gaining control of my power now. Still, it tends to slip up at times, but I’m getting better. Now learning to use it for convenience, such as checking who’s around without risking being noticed. I feel like I can be more stealthy now…

 

August 21

Good thing it’s still vacation, as I can pretty much practice eye power control. The difficulty of chores has been reduced because of my eye power, too. I can look for a specific object within a large pile of stuff. This power can be good for searching a needle in a haystack. Thank you very much, snake. I should call you the “snake of piercing eyes,” just like how those eye power snakes are labeled in that music series.

 

August 22

Man, my control’s getting better today! I feel like going out of the house in celebration! Well then, let’s work these powers out, shall we?

 

August 23

Truck hit me yesterday. Woke up in hospital room. Felt strange, as if I’m a new person. I remember begging for help, and the snake seems to be controlling me now. With these last bits of sanity I have left, I have to write about this…and leave this to someone…but who?

 

August 24

Today, I feel like stalking people. Girls, perhaps. Girls who look like her. Black hair, twintails, and tsundere personality. With these eyes of mine, I can watch them better…heheheh…

 

August 25

Found someone who looks like her. Looks like she’s from another school, and she’s in the same year as me, but that doesn’t matter. All that matters is that she looks like her. Ah yes, maybe I should make plushies of her and record her voice again…why did I even throw those things away, anyway? Hmm…also, I should buy her a diary…She had a diary, but I think I should customize it to match my diary, so that we would feel even more connected.

 

August 26

She seems to hang out at the park, too. I left my gift along with some flowers in front of the door to her house. I watched her all the way, even when she found my gift to her. Her disgusted expression was…cute…As I write this, I have more interesting things that I’m going to do…heheheh…hahahahahaha!

 

August 27

I’m…trying to break…out of this…insanity…Feels like I’m being pierced and then swallowed whole…Must stop this…

 

August 28

Why do I even keep resisting? I’m having a great time already! Wait, why am I calling this a great time? The girl I’m stalking is not even the real her. She just looks like her. She’s not her. The real her is dead. If so, then I should kill her…heheheheh…hahahahahahaha!

 

August 29

She’s dead. Luckily, I had the grandest opportunity of her getting hit by a truck. Everyone’s chasing me now, but I’m happy! She’s now like my real crush…dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. DeadDeadDead. deaddeadeaddeadwhywhywhywhywhywhywhycan’tyoubealive!?

 

August 30

Why is this…happening to me…? I wish she weren’t dead. I wish I never had this power in the first place. I wish I never found this diary in the first place. I wish I could turn back time, and make these things never happen…Whoever is the master of the snake that I have right now…you can turn back time, right? Please, reset the timeline…

 

August 31

Looks like my wish is being granted…Thank you very much…

Records of A Repeating Summer Day

August 15

Today, I found a diary for me to write on. Thought I could use some self-expression. Still, I feel like should show this to trustworthy people, like my parents or my close friends, but it wouldn’t be a diary anymore, right? Anyway, I found this on the park while I was taking a walk during the early morning. The cover was colored black and red, but the contents were cleanly empty before I wrote on this. There was no name or any trace left that might lead to its owner, so I took it for myself. I guess this is the most interesting thing that happened in this boring day of boring days.

 

August 15 (Loop 2)

Had the most interesting thing happen to me yesterday…or today…or the previous loop. Because of my clumsiness, I fell down the stairs of my house, and I landed really bad. I must have died, but for some reason, I’m alive, and I woke up in my room…but I found out that the date was still August 15. Also, my diary didn’t seem to be affected. The previous loop’s entry was still there. I wonder why this is happening…

 

August 15 (Loop 3)

I died again. This time, my airheadedness caused me to get hit by a truck. I have this feeling that I’m in something like that heat-haze in that music series that I’m a big fan of. Still, shouldn’t there be another person that should have died with me? I think I’ve heard that if two people die at the same time, one heads back to the real world with an eye power from a snake, and the other stays in the heat-haze for who knows how long. I forgot if that was canon or just another fan theory…Anyway, I’ll have to go investigate this strange situation of mine…

 

August 15 (Loop 4)

I got into an encounter with some annoying people during the previous loop, which turned into a fight that ended with me getting stabbed and then dying of blood loss. I’m now realizing that dying is really painful. Again, I woke up in my room. The time when I woke up was 12:33 pm. I should really check the time again during the next loop, since this is like the Heat-Haze Days. Well then, how will I die again today?

 

August 15 (Loop 5)

With my earphones in my ears, and my music player in my pocket…I was crushed by steel beams that fell from a construction site. Well, what a way to die. I feel like I’ve been trapped in a time loop where I’ll be killed in really strange and painful ways. Still, I haven’t found any more significant info regarding my situation. I should really check more places out…and avoid trucks, construction sites, cocky punks, and clumsiness.

 

August 15 (Loop 6)

Wow, I died spectacularly. I managed to avoid getting hit by a truck, but then I was hit by another incoming car, which was then followed by who knows how many cars, and then it all ended with a spectacular explosion that could be suitable for an action comedy. Anyway, I think I saw someone with a diary that looked just like this diary…and the owner was a cute girl with twintails. She was actually my crush that I’ve been stalking ever since middle school. I haven’t talked to her ever since middle school, too, since she really considers me gross and disgusting ever since she discovered me stalking her. Anyway, maybe I should see her at the park during the next loop. Come to think of it, she was holding her diary during the early morning before she glared me away. I discovered my diary after that, too. I really should see her during the next loop…

 

August 15 (Loop 7)

Looks like my crush and I are really stuck in this situation. Talk about coincidence. This feels like those stories where not only you have an adventure, but you also get to have that adventure with the one that you’re romantically interested in. Anyway, she found her diary in the park during the first loop like I did. She thinks that our diaries may be the key to get out of this situation. She does have a point. We died by getting pierced by steel beams during the last loop, and boy, is dying becoming boring already. It’s really giving me nightmares. I really wanna get out of this loop. I wonder what my crush is writing on her diary? We’ve been writing our entries in the park during the previous loops, and then we die within the day. Talk about another coincidence.

 

August 15 (Loop 8)

Trucks and steel beams must have big crushes on the two of us. We got run over by trucks, and then pierced by steel beams. What is this, black comedy? Anyway, my crush thinks that we should destroy our diaries. Said that since this all started when we got these diaries, we should destroy them. I guess we shoul

 

August 15 (Loop 9)

Damn truck…it collided into the park and killed me and my crush! And it didn’t even let me finish writing! I’ll have to keep this short before we get killed again, so anyway, before I wrote on this thing again, we tried burning our diaries together, which didn’t work. So, we’re still deciding who’ll burn a diary first. I hope we can

 

August 16

We got killed by the fire we made during the ninth loop, so I decided to stop writing in the diary and burn it immediately in front of my crush in the next loop. I suddenly blacked out after that, and then I woke up. It’s now August 16, early morning, but I still have this diary with me. What’s more strange is that my eyes are glowing red. I checked myself in the mirror to make sure, too, and I my eyes really were glowing red. I don’t know what happened to me, but I think I remember talking to…a snake? Anyway, I should really stop writing on this thing and get a new diary to write on. This diary only reminds me of the freaking nightmare that was the looping 15th of August. I do not want to remember those freaking time loops where I died really horribly. Okay, now I should just go investigate what’s going on with me, and then go visit my crush. I hope she’s okay, though…

You Need to Get Over Your Internet Addiction Issues, Tobby!

Even today, my Internet addiction issues are still biting my butt. You need to get over your Internet addiction issues, Tobby!

You know, when I think about it, it’s both easy and hard to solve at the same time. It’s easy because I can easily choose to distract myself, and it’s hard because I let myself be distracted. Yeah, that’s really stupid.

When I talk about Internet addiction, it’s what I consider spending too much time on the Internet. I haven’t done the things that I need to do on the computer, and then there I am, spending time staring at really questionable stuff or doing things that are of little or no importance.

I have my music player and earphones right beside me, and it’s that easy to choose to motivate myself to do the things I need to do, only if I wasn’t choosing to distract myself. Still, I can choose to stop distracting myself and get on with the stuff that I need to do.

From one perspective, getting over my Internet addiction issues is hard, but I should really change my perspective and look at it as something easy to do, since I can choose whether I should motivate myself to do the stuff I need to do or distract myself from the stuff that I need to do.

So…it’s all up to me…the next thing that I’ll do about my Internet addiction issues is up to me. It’s either I help myself by motivating myself to do more important things, or I distract myself and make my situation worse.

You Only Need Enough Material Possessions, Tobby!

Material possessions…I wonder why there are people who want so much of them? I wonder why I wanted so much of them? Maybe it’s because we feel happy when we have more of the material possessions that we want…but do they really make us happy when we have too much of them?

From my point of view, having too much material possessions is bad. Same goes for having too little. We only need enough material possessions. You only need enough material possessions, Tobby.

When life is centered on hoarding material possessions, life may feel good for a while, but it becomes really boring on the long run. Why waste time and energy to accumulate things that we don’t even need? Once we have enough, we should just use the excess for acts of charity. There are other people who don’t have enough, you know.

Also, there are way more fun things than just hoarding material possessions. There are social bonds, art, music, and nature. Appreciating these things are more fun than filling a warehouse of gold and keeping it there for who knows how long. I would rather write stories that can be good influences to people and try to make friends instead of wanting to collect too much material possessions. I guess I understand why there are people who hate those who work only for money. I think it would be better to focus on doing your best and having fun instead of working only for material possessions. I only need enough material possessions. True friends and well-made creative works…these are more worth treasuring than a gigantic pile of material wealth that I don’t even need. Centering your life on material possessions will only cause self-centeredness, and it will also lead to the destruction of your social bonds. In short, a life centered on material possessions won’t end well.

Anyway, we should remember four things, then:

Have enough material possessions, be a good influence, do your best, and have fun!

The Calm Earphones Boy 2

Near the end of the semester, the calm earphones boy talked to one of his professors.

“Have you received my final draft of the essay, sir?” the calm earphones boy asked.

“You haven’t passed your essay yet,” the professor told him. “It’s already one day past the deadline.”

“But I passed it,” the calm earphones boy replied.

“I haven’t received it.”

“I gave it to the other professor, who was your roommate here.”

“Only I collect the papers. I don’t think he has any papers from you.”

The calm earphones boy’s composure started to slip at that reply, but within a split-second, this line of thought ran through his mind:

Dude, calm down. That other professor isn’t here right now, so you won’t be able to get proof. You should just tell him that you’ll pass the essay tomorrow and get a demerit as a consequence rather than get angry at him. Use this experience as inspiration, too!

After that line of thought entered his mind, he then took a deep breath and calmly replied to his professor.

“Alright. I’ll pass my essay tomorrow, even if I’ll get a demerit. Better late than never, I guess.”

“Okay,” the professor answered with a nod, “Then I’ll be waiting for it tomorrow. Make sure that you won’t be tardy in submitting your requirements in the future semesters.”

“Alright. Thank you, sir.”

After thanking the professor, the calm earphones boy left. As he went away, he stopped for a bit and took out his music player from his bag, and then he plugged the earphones to his ears. He doesn’t wear them when he’s talking and listening to someone, especially a professor. Of course, there are times when he wears just one earphone while talking and listening to someone.

The calm earphones boy then went home, listening to his music with low volume as he went to the bus terminal, and listening to his music with the usual volume as he rode the bus that headed to his hometown.

Overcome Your Video Camera Shyness, Tobby!

You know, during my recording of the clips for this video, I noticed that at times, I had difficulty in delivering lines with proper facial expressions. If this went viral, I feel like it’ll become a meme.

Well, I guess that’s a sign that I’m still an amateur in acting. I’m not quite an outgoing person in the outside world, you see. I usually make myself obscure. But now that I’m showing my face in a video, I guess I should try to be more outgoing.

When I looked at myself as I played the video back before I uploaded it, I felt like my face needed a workout. Hmm…I really shouldn’t aim too high. I just need to aim for level best, and improve myself as I go along.

Hmm…maybe making videos like this can help me overcome video camera shyness…I should think up some ideas for another video when I have the time…and maybe I should do some facedancing, too…

Now then, time for a self-reminder:

Be more outgoing, so that you can overcome your video camera shyness, Tobby!