Vincent Pham, August 21, 2011

It was the year 2080. Humanity had finally seen what it had feared the most: post apocalypse. Those who were still standing witnessed the beginning of the end to civilization as humanity was slowly being wiped out in great numbers by daunting mutants, who only wished for world domination. Young Leona-san, only six years of age, was constantly on the move. When she was young, her family had always been by her side, protecting her from all danger that lurked. But one night when she had awoken, her whole town was in complete disarray. The town was in utter chaos and people were killed off left and right. Luckily, Leona-san and her family were still all in one piece. The family would have to fight for their lives if they had any hopes of making it through the catastrophe. The mutants had mass invaded her whole world and would kill anything in its path, with complete and utter disregard. The realm that Leona-san had grown up to, was about to forever change. That’s when she started to learn how to be strong and to fend for herself. She faced all evil, and feared no evil.

                Now, she was sixteen, Leona-san and her family were one of the last few humans remaining on earth. They had sailed off half way across the world, hoping to seek refuge or find any trace of remaining human survivors. When they arrived on the other side of the sea, they settled in on the cave of Lascaux and Altamira. This had been where they’d hidden for the past ten years. But they knew their time living in safety there was growing short. For Lascaux and Altamira would be one of the last spots the mutants hadn’t reached yet on their quest for global usurpation.

                That summer, Leona-san was out hunting for a deer when she spotted one of these mutants lurking behind her. She instantly snapped back and fired her rifle striking the mutant straight in the foot. She signaled for her family to come, and they gathered around the wounded mutant, capturing it. They took the mutant down to the cave of where they were residing and tied him up there.  He was now to be interrogated. Hoping to find out more information about mutants, they asked him a series of questions. They found out his name was Vincentium. They also negotiated with the mutant, telling him they would free him if he promised he would force the other mutants to leave and go back to their home. Vincentium told the family he could not promise anything for he feared that the mutants would accuse him of treason and destroy him if he did anything to undermine their quest for global domination. So Leona-san’s family kept Vincentium there, taking him as a hostage just in case one of his mutant companions came.

                Despite the fact that mutants were considered evil, Leona-san and her family had cooked for him and cared for him for months. One night, as her whole family slept, Leona-san was up on guard to make sure that Vincentium did not escape. She was doing a crossword puzzle and Vincentium looked over at her. Vincentium instantly developed a tingly feeling for her. He found Leona-san so attractive that he would almost melt at her gaze. Vincentium knew that Leona-san was good at heart and he developed feelings for her. Sadly, he knew that he would never get to be with her for he would always be known as an unpleasant mutant.   Every day, for the months that followed, Vincentium would look forward to the times Leona-san would be on guard.

                One day, when Leona-san was on guard, she heard a strange noise on the outside of her cave. Puzzled, she went over to see what was coming from the outside when a huge flock of mutants came rushing in and attacked. She immediately ran the other way crying for help. Vincentium, hearing the noise, woke up from his sleep and saw that, indeed, his fellow mutants had arrived intending to wipe out what was left of humankind. But instead of being happy, Vincentium felt sad, because deep down inside, he had a soft spot for the humans, mainly because he had grown to love Leona-san. Vincentium was stuck in between the war of two worlds. To do his duty and destroy all humankind, or to save the family and the girl he grew to love.

                Instantly, he ran towards where the mutants were chasing down Leona-san. As the mutants were closing the gap on Leona-san and reach within a few feet of the girl, Vincentium flew up into the air and came down right on top of the mutant, stopping him in his tracks. Vincentium then turned against all his former friends and used a series of jabs and flying butterfly kicks to take them all out. Leona-san and her family were spared.

Leona-san started to thank Vincentium but then he started moping. He was sulking in tears as he fell to the ground. Leona-san, feeling sympathetic asked him what was wrong. Vincentium told her that long ago, his lineage were humans as well. The government conducted a mass experiment on his ancestors, but the experiment had gone terribly wrong and most of his family died. Those who were still alive were left terribly disfigured and the government coined these people “mutants” to cover up their mistake. Because of the experiment, for generations on, these “mutants” were taught that humanity was evil and to hate all humankind, even though they were once humans themselves.

He told Leona-san he had grown up his whole left despising the human race, but she and her family had showed him kindness and taught him that humans were still good at heart. He realized that the events long ago were an honest mistake by mankind, and the whole human race should not have to pay the price for the actions of a few. Leona-san had spared Vincentium’s life when she first found him and showed great caring and compassion to him for all these months, and so he owed it to her to save her life when she needed it the most. He then professed his love for Leona-san, and Leona-san confessed that she also grew to love him for his heroic deed. They finally moved closer and kissed. The kiss was beautiful and powerful. Instantly, Vincentium was transformed from mutant back into human.

For years, mutants and humans were separate entities, treating each other as enemies. But Vincentium and  Leona-san showed the world that there was only one way to cure the curse, and that was love. Leona-san had found her prince charming and Vincentium had found the girl of his dreams and they lived happily ever after.

….with a dog, and two kids of course. ;) The end.

In Limbo

November 19, 2010:  The lights lit in abundance, the Griffinpuff cityscape was an insomniac. No matter what time of day it was, the city never slept.  It was a quarter past three in the wee hours of the morning, I had just left from a movie premier, but my friends were heading north back home. As for me, I’d have to catch taxi to back to my tranquil suburban neighborhood of Slytherclaw.

The ride back took no more than 20 minutes. I left the cab, and started walking back home. I can just picture the disgust on my mother’s face if she were waiting for me, “Cho Chung, even though you are eighteen now, you just a child. A problem child! You stayed out late again, you ignored all my phone calls, you refuse to tell me where you were going, or who you were hanging out with. This does it, you are not to be seen out of these confines we call home past ten or I’m sending you straight to grandpas. You wouldn’t want to leave your friends for Long Bong for the next three months now would you?”

Here at Slytherclaw, the skies were hardly pleasant. A bombardment of heavy rain was met with a daunting wind that no one would dare call a “gentle breeze”. I tried to rush back home as soon as possible because it looked like a thunderstorm was in the midst. I ran and ran, constantly looking down to avoid stepping over any potholes or cracks along the streets. Suddenly, I felt a strange presence, something eerily paranormal.

I looked back. I could’ve sworn there was something in the corner of my eye. It was gone, so I kept walking. I hurried my steps as I could see my house from a distance. As I crossed the street, I suddenly felt my body drift forward and the air beneath my feet. My body had given out and I was lying on the ground, in a state of anesthesia.

 I tried to push my way up, but I couldn’t move. It was like the life had been sucked out of me. Out of the cracks, came two silhouettes of slender, lanky creatures with no definitive characteristics. Before I could comprehend what was going on, there was upwards of a dozen of these creatures hovering around, swarming me from all angles. It was pitch black. I could no longer see, I could no longer breathe.

But I could still feel. Barely.

My life, my body, and my soul were slowly being sucked out of me by these creatures. It was like I could foresee my death but I could not do anything to stop it. This was it.

This was over.

 I was going to die.

All of a sudden, something grabbed me. It took me and whisked me away. I was gliding on air. I could not make out what or who it was. My body, nearly lifeless, was being dragged out of the frightening abyss by some unidentified presence. I sensed that I could breathe again.  It was then that my eyes shut, and I dreamed.

In my dreams, I saw palm trees and a sunset out by the shore. I saw my first love.  A love that was timeless. A love that was priceless. A love that I had, and miss so dearly. I saw my home, a home that I called heaven. I saw my beat-up bike that I cherished so deeply.  I saw my dog, Sue-man, a dog who I treasured so profoundly, and would go to the farthest reaches of the world to be with again. I saw happiness.

.

….

……..

…………..

I had woken.

I was lying in a bed, but the sights and sounds were so foreign to me. Nurses, physicians, and ER’s were around me. When one of them made eye contact with me, she let out a loud, deafening, subconscious shriek. Instantly, everyone looked over at me, and seemed awe-struck at what their eyes had just perceived.

“She’s alive!!!,” yelled one of them.

They all crowded around me, still in a state of awe. I did not understand what was going on. A young, slanty-eyed nurse motioned towards me, “My, oh my, Cho Chung, twenty-two years…”

I asked her what she meant.

“You were in a coma,” she said, “An elderly couple spotted you on the side of the road on that cold, November night twenty-two years ago. The ambulance came and tried cardiopulmonary resuscitation and a plethora of other emergency procedures on you, but you would not wake up. You fell in and out of death a couple times, and you’ve been lying in this hospital bed ever since. Had euthanasia been considered ethnically moral, you’d probably not even be here. It’s now the year 2032. Welcome back Cho Chung, it’s truly a miracle.”

I could not believe what I heard. I examined myself, indeed I had lost my smooth, youthful skin, and my silky hair of my teenage years. If it has been thirty-three years since the day I last saw daylight, I would in fact be forty now.

….

…….

……….

I was finally back home.

The memories of that fateful day still linger in the back of my mind. I tried to piece together everything that happened that day. Surprisingly, I was still able to recall most of what happened. Who were those creatures that nearly took my life away? I did extensive research, only to discover the identity of those creatures, who were commonly known as Death Eaters.

But what I really wanted to know was how things unfolded that night. What was that thing that saved me? I tried and tried to put a face to the thing that whisked me away from danger that night, but I just could not come up with anything. I really wanted to know who was responsible for my life.

It was then that I set out on a journey to find my true savior. I contacted the FBI, forensic scientists, anything that would give me a clue to find that person who miraculously saved me that night. I went back to the site of where the mysterious attack happened, but not much was left behind from over two decades ago. I was determined. I would not give up. No matterwhat.

….

…….

……….

4 years later.

“Brrrrrrring-Brrrrrrring” The phone rang.

Me: “Hello?”

Caller: “I never thought I’d say this, but you’re still out there.”

Me: “Yes I know, and how many I help you?”

Caller: “Oh, no no, it’s more so how may I help you”

Me: “I’m not sure I understand you. What do you mean by that?”

Caller: “I’d bet you’d like to know everything that happened to you on that dark night, twenty-two years ago. Well, I’ve had a contraption that’s been hidden in my basement for a while now. Perhaps you’ve familiarized yourself with it. But the thing is, I can’t reactivate it without the help of a…..”

Me: “A what?”

Caller: “You’ll see. You’ll see. Be at 13065 East Harvest Shore Way at 6 tonight.”

He hung up. I decided to make my way over.

I approached his doorstep and he let me in. That’s when he told me.

“My name is Sifu Tnecniv,” he announced, “I have lived a long life, and through all that time, I have only done one worthy thing. And that is creating this time machine. You see, early in my life, I didn’t want to be one of those typical Fast Easterners who just wanted to achieve academic aptitude, get a normal job, and then overprotect my progeny when I grow old. I wanted to do something radical. Something unbeknownst to mankind.”

                He went on, “I built this time machine with my young wizard apprentice, Aero Postale. We spent countless hours on it, toiling at the project, with our blood, sweat, and tears. When we were nearly completed with this contraption, we were so thrilled. We wanted to show the world our invention. Aero so excited, showed his dad, Voldedick. Voldedick did not like this because he was a dark lord and a murderer in the past. The time machine would have allowed his son or whoever uses it to go back in time, and discover his dark past. So one night when his son was putting the finishing touches on the time machine, Voldedick cast a dark spell that made his son burst into many pieces. But one of the pieces landed in the time machine, so now the time machine only activates with the touch of a wizard.”

                I pondered how this story had any relevance to me.

                “Cho Chung,” said Sifu Tnecniv, “You are a wizard. Your parents, who were both humans, carried the recessive gene of wizardry. You weren’t a normal human. That is why the death eaters went after you that night. You had a worthy soul that they wanted. But now, you have the power to activate this machine and go back in time. You can relive everything that happened to you that night. You will finally get the answer to your biggest question. You will find out who or what was that thing that saved you.”

                Sifu Tnecniv pulled out the time machine. It was beautiful and magnificent, gleaming with glory. All I had to do was give it the slightest touch and I would reactivate it. I needed to go back in time to find out who was responsible for my life.

                The door opened. It was finally time.

                “Good luck,” said Sifu Tnecniv, “I have a feeling we may meet again.”

                So I set foot on this space-time continuum, going back to November 19, 2010. 

…..

……..

………….

 Indeed, it had been a very windy and rainy day in Slytheclaw. I should’ve known better and grab a trench coat before I rewinded a few decades. I walked along that street for a few minutes before I heard loud footsteps splashing in the puddles.

I turned around, and I saw a young teenage girl with a cute face and slightly round cheeks. I peered closer, trying to see her amongst the rainfall. When she got closer I realized that IT WAS ME that I was looking at. Quickly, I hid in the corner and watched her(me) dash right by me.

As my former self went off into the street, I noticed a crevice forming right under her. It was the death eaters who made that crack on the street, tripping me that day. I watched in déjà vu, as all of the events were happening, just as they were twenty-two years ago. I watched from a distance. The death eaters were out in great numbers and I slowly saw my former self disappear amongst the lanky, soul eaters who circled all around my lifeless body.

But all of sudden, I noticed something.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught glimpse of someone on a broomstick coming in. They were gliding down at thundering speed and slowly I tried to make out their identity. My savior was coming; my hero had finally come to the rescue.

As they got closely, I slowly got a better glimpse of my rescuer’s identity. I noticed something strange about them. They were short, super cute face, and had perfectly round cheeks….

As they went in for the swoop and pulled my former self away from the death eaters, it hit me.

I realized that that person was none other than ME.

Confused and puzzled by what I just witnessed, I stood there. Unable to come to terms with what had transpired, I moped. I could not believe I went on for years trying to find out the identity of my true savior, only to find out that in the end, that it was me all along.

I got a soft tap from behind my shoulder, it was Sifu Tnecniv.

“Cho Chung, you see, ever since the very first time you agreed to time travel using my machine, you’ve been stuck on an ongoing cycle of back and forth,” said Sifu Tnecniv, “What you just saw there was the first time you ever time traveled back using my machine. Because back then was your first time ever reverting back using my time machine, you were able to control the situation and save yourself. But since you had already rewritten your own history, you cannot rewrite it again.”

 “The problem is,” continued Sifu Tnecniv, “In life, there are no second chances. So ever since you broke the rule of life, you have been cursed by losing your memory after every occasion that you time travel back to this date. Therefore, even though you life was spared by your own attempt to undo your past, you lose your memory every time you return to the present. Hence, you will always forget that you had already saved yourself, and would always want to find the identity of who saved you when you go back to present time. Therefore, you will always go on an ongoing cycle of back and forth, forgetting what happened on this very night and go on an endless but pointless search to find your true hero.”

…….

………….

…………………..

I had woken. Laying on a bed.

I realized I should be thankful for what I have. I shouldn’t take the things I’ve been blessed with or people I have in my life for granted. I need to take more initiative and show people that I care.

Sometimes I just feel like starting over.

It’s hard to deal with people long term because you start finding out all the things you don’t like about them. And all you can think of after a while is how dumb, rude, mean, stupid, careless, picky, stingy, whatever it is that they are. Totally different than how you first saw them. It’s almost like I wish I didn’t get to know some people too well, so I can only see them for what they were when I first met them, fun, carefree, and on their best behavior. 

Good Life - One Republic

I got a chance to listen to this song first bring performed yesterday by a gentleman named Javier Colon on NBC’s show, The Voice, and O-M-G, he totally blew the competition away. Deservingly, he was crowned “The Voice” earlier tonight and won $100,000 and a recording contract with Universal Republic. Here’s his original song.

Well that’s it. After 107 grueling games, my Canucks came up just one game short of winning it all. It was a great run, but they did lose to a better team. And yet, the hunt continues for me, in over 20 years I haven’t seen any of my four major sports teams win it all, despite making it into the championship stages, the Chargers fell short in 94’, the Canucks fell short in 94’ as well, the Padres in 98’, and now the Canucks’ in 2011. Runner-up in so many occasions. Like they say, “There’s no prize for 2nd place”. But it’s okay, Padres, Chargers, Clippers, Canucks, I’ll live to see at least one of you guys take it to the top one day right? If so, one of my life goals will come true and I can die happy. And so it is, the hunt continues for another year, maybe a decade, maybe more, who knows how long.

victorialiu:

We win together. We lose together.

After two crushing losses, I still believe in you, Canucks. Get that cup.