Serein Choo's Blog, page 10
February 18, 2024
Mini Love Bites : 6.
PROMPT:
Love in Different Cultures: Explore how love is perceived and expressed in different cultural contexts.Love comes in many different shapes and sizes.
Asian love is often conveyed through actions rather than words.
They would never say I love you directly.
They would ask you many questions instead.
“Have you eaten yet?” (Meaning: Are you hungry? I am worried.)
“Don’t stay up so late!” (Meaning: It’s bad for your health, you should sleep early.)
“Study. It’s for your future.” (Meaning: You will regret it one day. Just like me. So study and be better, achieve more in life.)
“Become a doctor/engineer/lawyer/accountant.” (Meaning: I worried that you won’t have a stable income and have to suffer in the future. Desk work is better than tiring physical labor. And a professional means that you have more income than a normal salary man.)
“Why did you stay out in the rain? Now sick already.” (Meaning: Why don’t you listen to me? I am have eaten more salt than you have eaten grain. Now you are sick and I am worried it might be something worse than flu.)
“I already told you to bring your sweater with you.” (Meaning: Exactly that plus I told you so.)
Actions:
A silent pat on the back for a job well done.
Cooking meals for you (especially your favorites’).
Taking care of you when you are sick (staying up late into the night, beside the bed).
Driving you to and fetching you from school everyday.
Giving you enough pocket money (that you wouldn’t starve and ensuring you learn how to save enough for yourself) or pushing some money into your hands when they know you are having a hard time.
Sticking up for you when they know you are being bullied (no other people can bully you other than them) or supporting you despite being unhappy.
Advice: Don’t believe a word they say, believe in the actions they do instead.
February 17, 2024
Mini Love Bites : 5.
PROMPT:
Lost and Found: Tell a story about rekindling lost love or rediscovering love after a period of separation.It was a cold winter, my husband, Henry, died in a freak accident, what was the chance that someone would be hit by a falling billboard and died. His black and white photo hung, grinning happily like a fool at the church where his coffin laid next.
I couldn’t even cry. I was speechless, nodding my head to whoever that came. I didn’t even realize it when everything was over and I came back home, to our little apartment. It’s been a year since then, everything feels like a standstill.
My surroundings, my feelings; they seemed paralyzed.
“Maybe you should clear out some things, donate them,” I remembered what my sister told me that other day. So, I pushed up my long sleeves and started cleaning everything up: his old clothes, the puzzles that he was fond of, and found a shoebox at the corner of the closet.
I opened it and found some old things, an old, faded toy car, a miniature boomerang, and many old letters and faded photographs. Amidst the pile, that Henry left behind, something stood out, I saw one that was stained with a kiss. My first reaction was anger.
‘How dare he!’
Is this a letter from a mistress?
I quickly opened the letter, and took out the paper that was hidden inside, it was a blank.
What the?!
I examined it closely, and there, on the back, I noticed some fine print scribbles. Grabbing a magnifying glass, I began to read. It wrote:
‘Did I get you? The kiss on the letter. It’s mine. Didn’t you notice how big and juicy it was? Ha-Ha But jokes aside, I will always love you. Remember that.’
Those simple words, seems like it was waiting for me. Time seems to move again, as I cried and cried holding onto the letter. “Stupid fool,” I blurted between sobs. Seems like I have to realize his jokes to feel his love again.
(324 words)
February 16, 2024
Mini Love Bites : 4.
PROMPT:
First Love: Delve into the emotions and memories associated with a person’s first experience of love.Heart racing, palms sweating—I stole glances at him, my first love, as he passed by in his crisp white uniform. A delicate melody seemed to play, imagining a summer that might have lingered forever.
Unfortunately, it lasted for less than 10 minutes because the moment he opened his mouth and bad words spilled out, my first love died with them.
(True Story)
February 15, 2024
Mini Love Bites : 3.
PROMPT:
Unexpected Connections: Write about two characters who unexpectedly find love in an unconventional setting.Everyone passed each other in this vast world, engrossed in their own pursuits—whether studying, working, or building dreams—little did they know that a fleeting glance, a simple croissant, and a slip of words, could be all it takes to alter the course of two lives.
Mary, a lawyer and Chloe, a street artist.
Amidst the chaotic symphony of a subway station, two persons on either side, standing at opposites, their eyes locked.
Mary: It’s beautiful.
Her blue eyes stood out to her, so she took a look, longer than usual.
Chloe: Ugh. That shade of blue really didn’t suit her.
Her formal suit was something that irked her, a working slave.
The trains were arriving.
They wouldn’t meet again.
They entered their respective trains.
Next to the door, they took one last look at the stranger that,
‘had beautiful blue eyes’,
‘had an ugly blue suit’.
Yet on that day, at the main control headquarters, the train operator came in late to work, and a newbie took his place, eating a croissant while working, leaving crumbs on the controllers. “Oh no,” he thought as he quickly swept them away and accidentally pressed on a button.
It caused the train doors to reopen.
The speaker started, “A malfunction on the doors. It will be fix soon. Please stay where you are at. Don’t move unnecessarily.”
Next to each other, Mary and Chloe stared. It was awkward.
“You have beautiful blue eyes,” said Mary finally.
“You… have a beautiful suit,” she replied.
“I know it’s ugly. You can be honest.”
“Ha-ha, yes, it is,” Chloe laughed. “I know a place that sells better suits.”
“Where?”
The trains’ doors had closed but the two women wasn’t on it anymore. They had left the station and went to the shop to grab a croissant and a new blue suit.
(309 words)
February 14, 2024
Mini Love Bites : 2.
PROMPT:
The Passage of Time and Love: Reflect on how love evolves and transforms over the years.In the cozy kitchen, the morning sunlight spilled through the sheer curtains, casting a warm glow on the scene. A couple, a husband, and wife, stood by the inviting kitchen counter.
Wife: Do you remember how you like to grow out your moustache?
Husband: Yes. And do you remember how you couldn’t even cook before?
Wife: I learn.
Husband: Do you still remember the day I married you?
Wife: Yes, it was in December. 21st.
Husband: It wasn’t love at first sight.
Wife (laughs): It wasn’t mine either.
Husband: But you stuck it out with me.
Wife: Well, I learn.
Husband: I was lucky, you know.
Wife: About what?
Husband: Meeting you.
She poured him a cup of coffee and he took her hand and kissed it.
(127 words)
February 13, 2024
Mini Love Bites : 1.
PROMPT:
The Unconventional Love Story: Explore a love story that defies societal norms or expectations.There was once a love between a wolf and a sheep. Even though, he was hunter, and she was prey. One day on a wintry day, a sheep wandered away from the herd and walked into the dark forest and found another animal. It was a wolf and it snarled and showed its fangs towards the sheep.
But when it saw it was a sheep, he asked, “Are you Miss Sheep?”
“Yes, I am. One of the many Miss Sheep,” the sheep replied. “And you are? I have never seen you before. Such sleek white fur, sharp eyes and yes, such long fangs.”
“Do you not know about me?”
“I don’t know. I have never seen anyone like you before. It’s my first winter.”
“Ah, such innocence,” he replied with slyness.
“What is your name?”
“I am… Mr. Dog.”
“Ah, I heard about it before. My ewe, told me about it before. You will bite our legs and herd us back to the barn.”
“You are very clever.”
“Am I?” as the little lamb snuggled up close to the wolf.
The wolf was taken aback. It was the first time since another animal snuggled up to him. Having faced discrimination from his own kind for his inability to hunt, he had been ousted from the pack and now roamed alone. A lone wolf.
“Mr. Dog. You are kind and gentle. You don’t mind if I stayed for a while. A blizzard is coming soon. It’s warmer beside you. We will get through this weather when we are snuggled up together,” as the sheep told the wolf.
The wolf gazed up at the sky, noting the approaching dark clouds and the shift in the wind. A blizzard was imminent, and he could sense it too, in his gut. He almost died in the last blizzard since he had no home. “Fine by me. But you must leave once it’s cleared or I will bite you.”
Miss Sheep baaed at him with a smile, “Thank you.”
They weathered the blizzard together and when it finally passed, Miss Sheep shook off the snow that accumulated on it’s body. “Mr. Dog, thank you.”
He has lost his appetite now. “Run along now,” said the wolf as it continued to sleep.
Miss Sheep looked at the wolf with it’s big sheepish eyes, “Hey, Mr. Wolf. Why don’t you eat me?”
“Because you are too skinny.”
“Then you will eat me once I got plump?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I will come again and play with you again every day.”
“Why are you coming over?”
“Because I am skinny and you wouldn’t eat me, and I can play with you.”
“You are the only one benefiting from this.”
“Yes, it does. See you tomorrow.”
With those words, Miss Sheep visited Mr. Wolf every day. As seasons passed, their unconventional bond deepened. Mr. Wolf, despite his predatory nature, became Miss Sheep silent protector. He patrolled the outskirts of the meadow, ensuring no harm befell his gentle companion and bought sweet flowers, herbs, and delicious grass for her.
“This is to fatten you up,” said Mr. Wolf as he dropped them in front of Miss Sheep.
She chewed contentedly and remarked, “I am a unique breed of sheep. I’ll never grow plump because, you see, then I wouldn’t be able to visit you anymore.”
“Let’s wait and see,” Mr. Wolf whispered as he nestled beside Miss Sheep, who appeared much chubbier compared to the day they first met.
‘Her rhythmic chewing, once perceived as noisy, has transformed into a soothing lullaby, cradling his weary heart. It appeared that, in her company, he had discovered a sense of belonging.
“Let’s wait and see,” he repeated with a smile as he slowly falls asleep beside Miss Sheep.
(595 words)
February 12, 2024
Vasily Vladimirovich Pukirev – The Unequal Marriage
A very random post but when I saw this painting by Vasily Vladimirovich Pukirev, titled The Unequal Marriage, the feelings of sadness that permeates through the screen. A young bride and a very old man who could be her grandfather is the groom (imagine the age gap) and how the ghosts, I think the groom ex-wives standing on the left of the pictures.
And the man on the right who’s eyeing the groom. Maybe the lover of the bride, with anger/jealousy in his eyes (It’s said that it is Pukirev himself).
All in all, when I observed the bride, it wasn’t a marriage based on love but rather a union of needs. While other aspects might be unequal, their needs were in balanced—one seeking a wealthy and attractive spouse, and the other in search of a prosperous husband despite the age difference (in the story behind this painting, the groom wasn’t as old as the painting had portrayed).
I am not an expert on art but this definitely is one piece that stood out to me.
A more detailed explanation can be found here. Link:
February 11, 2024
Quote of the Day
“A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.”
Thomas Mann (Novelist)
We would spend minutes, looking for the perfect word to express what we want to convey.
#MondayMotivation
Disclaimer: Quote doesn’t belong to me.
February 9, 2024
ONC 2024
From Canva.I will be exploring a new genre – dystopian world where the sun dies and we are left in the darkness. Plants became scarce and we become modified non-humans called Oxy.
Could we still hold onto humanity when we are dying?
Will you contribute to the society?
Be selfish or selfless?
What is the answer? N/a
Maybe you could answer them, once you finish reading this story.
.
Writing this for Open Novella Contest (ONC) 2024
Prompt 52: “And that is how that world was lost and a new one, our world, was born.”
You can follow my progress/chapters on Wattpad. Below is the link:
https://www.wattpad.com/story/361923458-oxy-gen
Happy Writing!
February 8, 2024
Well
There’s a well behind the temple where they use it for normal daily usage – cook, washing and it’s also where ShiWu and Ah Ke had a heart to heart session >…<
Read to know what they talked about.
°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
Get yours now, link below.
