The Magic Is Gone

I used to be afraid of the dark.

I would wake up in a panic if the room was shrouded in darkness.

Now I can only go to bed if the lights are out.

The light irritates me now.

The magic is gone.

And The Verdict Is... Guilty!

Okay, confess. How many of you have signed up or joined something or just committed yourselves to a cause, but didn't follow through?

I know I'm guilty of doing just that on many, many counts.

When I was a little girl, I wanted to join ballet.

So, ballet classes it was.

I went to the first class, but sat by the side because I wanted to 'watch and learn' first.

I went to the second class, did about 10 minutes, before giving up and crying.

I never went to that third class.

When I was about 10, I really liked art.

So, my parents signed me up for art classes.

We went to the school, my parents paid for my lessons, and when they were about to leave, I started sobbing and wanted to go with them.

I held onto my mother's leg and refused to let go.

They had to go back in and get a refund.

I sobbed all the way home and never went to a single art class.

When I was 18, I signed up for a driving course.

I paid the first payment.

I never went.

When I was in my final year in Swansea, I decided to join Aikido.

I signed up with the Aikido Club and paid my membership fees.

I was so excited at the idea of learning an art of self-defense.

In my head, I was imagining myself as Kasumi from D.O.A. Or as Uma Thurman in Kill Bill.

I didn't go to even one lesson.

So, guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty.

That's not including all the let's-ditch-the-chocolates-cakes-and-crisps-and-be-healthy plans that I've [barely] started and quit within days.

*sigh* I'm working on this though. No, really, I am.

Oh, Choices To Make

   Well, I find myself conflicted at the moment. My parents asked me if I would like to go with them on a trip to Penang for a few days. I would love to. However, doing so would mean missing out on my dance class and having fun with my friends after and I risk losing the momentum. *sigh*

   Plus, there's also the risk of me going mad from hanging out with my sisters too much. And if I stay, I could catch up on my reading and some other things on my must-do-now list. 

   But then the images of pretty hair bands in Penang are calling out to me. 

   What do I do?!?

   It's a 6-day trip [which in itself is making me feel conflicted] versus 6 days of ultimate freedom and privacy. But Penang has such yummy food. Which will totally mess up my imaginary diet. Gaaahhh.

   Ohmygosh, so the drama over something so mundane.

   Blah.

Two Versions, Same Story

According to astrology.com, I am...

Your Sample Reading

Section 1: How You Approach Life and How You Appear To Others

Ferociously proud and somewhat vain, you like to be impressive and to be seen as Somebody Special. You are not timid, meek, or self-effacing, and are rarely content being in the background or in the subordinate position. You are a natural leader, and do not take orders from others very well. You must have something of your own, something creative - be it a business, a project, a home or whatever - that you can develop and manage according to your own will and vision. Whatever you do, you do it in a unique, dramatic, individual way. You like to put your own personal stamp on it.

Section 2: The Inner You: Your Real Motivation

Quiet, deep, emotionally complex and intensely private, you are not a person who is easy to get to know and understand. You are extremely sensitive but disinclined to show it, and you allow only a special few into your inner world. Like a wary animal, you are cautious and mistrustful of those you do not know until you "sniff them out". You are very, very instinctive and intuitive. You usually have a strong, immediate gut reaction to people, even though you may be unable to clearly articulate why you feel as you do. Your feelings and perceptions go deeper than words.

According to myself, I am...

Section 1: How You Approach Life and How You Appear To Others

Ferociously proud and very vain, I like to be seen as Somebody Special [as if you would not?]. I am sometimes timid, meek, or self-effacing, and am perfectly content being in the background or in the subordinate position [sometimes]. I do not know if I am a natural leader, but I do not have any problems taking orders from others [sometimes, depends on who's asking and how they're asking]. I like to have something of my own, something creative - be it a business, a project, a home, a blog, or whatever - that I can develop and manage according to my own will and vision [read: laziness]. Whatever I do, I do it in my individual way [unless otherwise instructed]. I like to go with my own flow, and I hate outside pressure.

Section 2: The Inner You: Your Real Motivation

I am sometimes quiet, occasionally deep, always emotionally complex and mostly intensely private, but I am not a person that hard to get to know but sometimes difficult to understand. I am extremely sensitive but [sometimes] disinclined to show it, and I allow only a special few into my inner world. I am mostly cautious but hardly ever mistrustful of those I do not know. I do not know if I am very, very instinctive and intuitive. I do usually have a strong, immediate gut reaction to people, sometimes wrongly, sometimes justifiably, even though I may be unable to clearly articulate why I feel as I do. My feelings and perceptions go deeper than words because I am sometimes at a loss for words.

There it is. I'm putting my personal stamp on my astrology report. Oh, crap. Does this mean that that's the more accurate version?

Kung-Fu Panda

So, I had my first kick-boxing lesson on Monday night.

We stepped in and saw men and women putting on their hand wraps and boxing gloves, and I got a bit intimidated.

There they were, looking all professional and there I was, praying I wouldn't topple over after the first 10 minutes [I didn't. So, yey!]

We registered, blabla, then the instructor came over. He led us over to The Ring. Woohooo... we got to step into an actual ring. I was all pumped up and channeling Hillary Swank in Million Dollar Baby.

He took us through the warm-up and stretching... then came, The Kicking.

I couldn't really kick much because my knee was still hurting [from dance class - I know, so unfit!], and he didn't push me. But I felt very empowered all the same, even though the kicking bag barely made any sound when my foot came into contact with it. Oh, and I might have kicked when he hadn't told us to yet as the "Wait for me to tell you" line popped up a couple of times.

And I might have nearly gotten kicked by him a couple of times when I moved the bag before I was supposed to. [I was just spaced out by then. Hah, bet he regretted picking me as his partner.]

Then it was time for, The Punching.

Yeeeaaaaahhh... cue me walking around with boxing gloves feeling like a kid playing dress-up. Of course, the moment the gloves came on is the precise moment my shoulder started to itch. Gah.

Apart from the little incident where I accidentally punched my instructor while trying to execute the roundhouse punch [oh, and him telling me my elbows were nowhere near high enough], I thought it went pretty well. Even though he had to show me quite a few times how to punch properly. [I didn't know how to position my hands in those bulky gloves!]

I loved it!

I cannot wait for next week's class. [The instructor might run off in the opposite direction when he sees me. Not that I would blame him.]

Another thing I can check off my 'Things I Absolutely Must Try In Life' list.

I wonder if my friends would like to join me at the shooting range? I would love to learn how to fire a gun. [Don't ask. It's a Lara Croft/Charlie's Angels thing.]

I Hear Mourful Hymns As I Find My Way Through The Forest Of Darkness

I hear mournful hymns as I find my way through the forest of darkness.





Aha! Caught you!
Now that I have your attention, you may as well stay and finish reading.
Sorry, but I do not hear mournful hymns. The closest thing to a mournful hymn I hear is my purse begging for the abuse to end. And my days of finding my way through 'The Forest Of Darkness' are hopefully over. [As I have thrown away my 'trekking' trainers.] Now, I only trek through 'The Labyrinth Of Desires', also known as shopping malls.
Anyway, it's all very 'Lord Of The Rings'-ish, isn't it?
Oh, I would enter the forest just for a glimpse of Legolas. [Yes, I know he's not real. Unfortunately.]
I'm rather bored at the moment, and sleepy as I am, I can't seem to sleep.
Oh, if only the stars could sing me a lullaby.
[Sorry, I'm in a rather melodramatic mood right now. I was absolutely scandalised earlier when I thought I wouldn't be able to find my ankle guards.]
Actually, forget the stars. If I were still sleeping in my old room in Swansea, with Jamie Foxx crooning in my ear, I'd sleep just fine.
I actually started out writing this post with something specific in mind. But apparently I've forgotten what it was.
Ah, well. Let's just go with the flow. [I don't follow the flow enough. If anything, I'm always trying to swim against it, or at least resist. Could it be my incredibly stubborn streak?]
[Err... no, I'm not stubborn. I'm a woman who has strong opinions and beliefs.]
Right.
I was thinking of making lemon squares earlier or some incredible-looking chocolate chip cookies I saw on Nigella Express. But I don't know where all the baking equipment is. Plus, my neighbours and my family probably won't appreciate hearing the banging that usually accompanies my efforts in the kitchen at 3.00 a.m.
Back to my futile effort to reach La-La Land.

And The Clothes Go Flap, Flap, Flap... In The Wind

One of the things I enjoyed about Summer was being able to dry my clothes in natural heat, as opposed to in the dryer [I have issues with dryers, after a few shrinking incidents].

We had a clothesline in the backyard, one of those reel-in ones [so fun to me, for some reason]. The only thing about it was that once the string was tightened, the clothes were suspended quite high in the air, like flags.

So, imagine my surprise one day as I was looking out the window of my room [bottom floor, overlooking the backyard], and saw that one of my housemates had hung her smalls up there as well, as opposed to using the clothes-airers like the rest of us do.

There they were, flapping in all their glory. I'm sure that people from a few houses over could see them as well.

I'm getting to the point of my story. Now, I don't want strangers seeing my things that they do not need to see. But a lot of people do it.

Just like I don't want to air my private things, I also don't want to air my dirty laundry in the blogosphere for anyone and everyone to see. But a lot of people do it.

The point? Just like those clothes were flapping in the wind, our dirty laundry will also get blown around. At least the clothes are held down firmly with pegs. The dirty laundry is going to travel.

Careful with what you choose to air out there.

P/S Oh, I just read this over and realised that it sounded a bit like I was telling people to censor themselves. Which I'm not. I love the fact that we have blogs where we can express ourselves freely, without having others silence us. I was merely suggesting filtering what we choose to say. For example, does the whole world need to know what XXX did to wrong you, in detail, when they've apologised, and you posting all about it would bring XXX great shame? Or something like that. Again, not censorship. Coming from this country, I loathe censorship. Just suggesting consideration for another's feelings. That's all.

Two Dimensions

One day, I was sitting in the cafeteria, taking a break from a study session in the library. While I was enjoying my pudding and drink, I thought I'd read a bit more of The Odyssey, as I had an exam for that module the following day.

So, there I was, alternating between reading and drifting off, when some people I knew came and joined me. They were also students there, but they were engineering students, whereas I was just an English and Classical Civilisations student. They're very nice boys, and fellow Malaysians.

This is how the conversation went:

Them: Hi, Riyya. Enjoying your book?
Me: Hey. Not really. I'm a bit stressed. I need to finish and remember this book by heart for my exam - tomorrow.
Them: [Looking extremely surprised.] Oh... you're... studying that book?
Me: Yes, I have to for this module I'm taking.
Them: You have an exam?
Me: [Thinking, well, yes, I am a student and it is part of university life.] Erm... yes, I do have a few papers actually.
Them: Oh. How many exams do you have?
Me: 6.
Them: [Looking even more surprised.] We thought you didn't have exams. Every time we see you, you're reading a book and looking relaxed.
Me: [*hissing inside*] Well, erm, I'm taking literature. I kind of have to read all those books. That's how I study.
Them: Oh, well, good luck on your exams.
Me: Thanks. I have to go back to the library now. I still have 3 more papers to study for. So, see you.
Them: Okay. Bye!

This is how the conversation ended:

Me gathering my books and walking away as quickly as I possibly could. Ooooh, I was so angry. Why do so many people look down on the Arts and Humanities students?

I did not choose Literature because it was easy. I chose Literature because it was what I loved. And to have people belittling what I loved really got to me.

So... as stated in my previous post...

One point of view gives you one perspective. One perspective gives you a one-dimensional picture. One-dimensional pictures paint a pretty flat view of the world.

One Dimension

One point of view gives you one perspective. One perspective gives you a one-dimensional picture. One-dimensional pictures paint a pretty flat view of the world.

Step out of the little box and look outside.

Climb over the fence and see the view from the other side.

And look. Really look.

There is no point in moving around physically but still stuck mentally.

There are so many perspectives and together, they paint such a beautiful picture.

You play an important part in this world. Your opinion matters. But yours isn't the only opinion that counts. The others play an important part in this world too. Their opinions matter.

You don't have to agree with everyone else. You don't even have to like everyone else if you really don't. But you should respect the fact that just as you are entitled to your views, they are also entitled to theirs.

Look and listen. You'll learn so much.

[This is a prologue to an upcoming post.]

To Chase A Dream

So, the birthday celebrations are done with.

I had too many cupcakes [or fairy cakes] and other desserts.

Gaaahhh... if it had gone on any longer...

As wonderful as it all was...

There is no way I would be able to chase after an ant...

Let alone chase after rainbows...

And it's over those rainbows that my dreams await...

[They're definitely not waiting next door. Trust me, being the energy-conserver [read: lazy, lazy, lazy] that I am, I looked nearby first.]

As much as it pains me...

I have to bid farewell to the sweet loves for now...

Thanks for all the wonderful memories.

We'll see each other again someday.

Somewhere...

Somewhere over the rainbow...

One Two... Buckle My Shoe... Twenty Six... Time For A Remix...

   It's the eve of the day that will mark the beginning of my 26th year on our little planet. Looking back to my quarter-of-a-century birthday, nothing much has really changed over the course of the year. 

   Everything is pretty much the same as it was a year ago. Oh, I have my blog now. And I am starting to write more. Plus, I've got way more shoes now that I did this time last year. My hairstyle's different and I got more presents this year [Yes, I know it's not my birthday yet. But I've got a few presents already - most of my birthday wish list has been fulfilled - yey!]. Oh, I also have my driver's license now.

   But apart from that, I still shop too much and eat way too many chocolates. *sigh* And I am still, still searching for a suitable job. I guess I just envisioned that things would be different by the time this day rolled around. Every time I have a birthday, I imagine what life would be like for me come the following birthday. And for my 26th, I was supposed to already be working and confidently driving myself around, plus some other things.

   *sigh* At least, I'll be job-hunting with great hair and yummy shoes now.

   Here's to the beginning of my 26th year! 

One Potato... Two Potato... I Choose You!

I made a decision.
I will stick to my decision.
drumroll please
I will not be an emotional eater.
From now on, I will be...
An emotional blogger.
This decision will save me...

1. money that will be better spent on books.
2. from further angst brought on by pound cakes and whipped cream.

This decision will also allow me...

1. to get in touch with my issues [or whatever] in a healthier way.
2. brush up my writing skills.
3. chase my rainbows [rainbow number 1: coveted career as a writer, rainbow number 2: please refer to my ticker factory on the sidebar of my blog].

No doubt the waffle guy will be saddened by my decision.

But, ah well, sacrifices must be made.

It's Grumpy Bear! Where are the rest of the Care Bear family?

   This is why I should not be allowed to be on my own. 

   [Without a book. If there are books around, I should be fine enough to be left on my own. Well, most of the time anyway.]

   I get all mopey and emotional. I listen to songs on my phone [mostly sappy loveyouforeverdon'tleavemeeversorryforbeingstupid songs], and I start getting into the song.

   I imagine it's me the singer is singing about [my vanity knows no limits], and then my imagination goes yippeee-we're-free-to-skyrocket-out-of-here. Next thing I know, I'm dressed in a pink trench coat and boots, walking down a snowy street, lugging LV luggage [a la J.Lo in All I Have].

   This will usually be followed by an extremely complicated plot [all concocted by my hyperactive brain], accompanied by appropriately dramatic dialogue. Days Of Our Lives has nothing on me. If I'd actually written down any of this stuff, I probably would have enough material for 5 books that are worthy of Mills & Boon fame.

   Don't mind me. I'm just a bit grumpy from lack of sleep. And the fact that I tried on 6 pairs of gorgeous shoes and none of them fit [no size, looked awful on feet, etc.].

Monkey See, Monkey Do

   One day, two girls looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful, cloudless day. The sky was blue, the sun was bright and the birds were happy.

   Another girl walked past them and stopped. She looked up at the sky, saw nothing, and asked the two girls what they were looking at. All she got in reply were two mysterious smiles.

   Her curiosity piqued, she stopped beside them and looked up at where the other two were looking. Another girl walked past, looked up, saw nothing, asked the others, didn't get a reply and joined them.

   On and on it went, until there was a crowd of about 7 girls there. This took about 10 minutes.

   "Seriously, what are we looking at here?"

   The two 'original' girls laughed.

   "Nothing. I just wanted to prove a point."

   The point? That most people, especially girls, are curious [read; nosy] and always want to know what's going on.

   *sigh* Proven guilty. I guess we just can't help it. Hey, otherwise blogs wouldn't be so popular now, would they?

To Climb A Tree

   It is the year 1992

 

   I was playing with my friends. They had a huge tree in their front lawn. We decided to climb it.

   I went first.

   I climbed a few inches, slipped a few inches, laughed the whole way.

   Oh, it was a coconut tree, by the way. 

   I tried and tried and I managed to get up a few more inches before slipping all the way down to the bottom.

   I laughed right all the way down, even as I landed on my bottom.

   I managed to rip my shorts along the way.

   A fact that we found hilarious.

   I tried, I failed, I picked myself up again and happily went my way.

   It is 2006

   I was out hiking with my friends. They wanted to go down to the first waterfall. I told them to go ahead without me because it looked like such a long way down.

   They went ahead and talked me into joining them.

   I went last.

   I was nervous that I would slip, even when my friends were waiting for me right there.

   I inched down slowly and yelled every time I felt my foot slide away.

   I managed to slide all the way down.

   I was relieved and excited.

   I did not want to do it, was talked into it, managed to do it [with a cheering section], and went my way.

   Oh, to be able to climb a tree, fall on my behind, pick myself up, and walk away without over-analysing why I failed again.

   

Tubular-shaped Thing?

This is from The Better Midler Show. One episode, she was supposed to take Stevie Wonder out to lunch. She forgot to book a suitably fancy restaurant and ended up in her daughter's high school cafeteria. She got her daughter to pretend to be a waitress, and when Stevie asked what the specials of the day were, her daughter answered... "Some tubular thing with sauce" [or something like that]. Of course, he knew all along where they were but he was just playing along.
Anyhoo, that completely cracked me up.
That led me to thinking about how I would describe other things. Such as spaghetti. Long strands of processed durum? Television - an electronic cube with moving images and sounds. Roast duck - roast poultry of the swimming variety?
That led me to thinking [See how my mind works? And people wonder why I'm so exhausted doing nothing all day. They see me and they think I'm doing nothing. Fact is, I think - A LOT.] about one of the most commonly asked questions - HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF? I hated that question in school, and I hate it now. I always felt so pressured to answer that. I have a limited amount of time, which meant a limited amount of words, to describe myself.
Usually, it was the usual boring spiel of "I'm XX years old. I have 3 sisters and 1 brother. I like to read and write. My ambition is to be a XXXXX someday." Now, I've pretty much got it down to "a chronic chocoholic, a wannabe writer, a pretend princess, a devoted shopaholic, a professional daydreamer and a superb sleeper - masquerading as an adult".
Hmm... that's still not really me, though.

Lost & Found? I Seem To Have Lost My Life

Ring... riiiiinnng... riiiiiinnngggg...

Hello?

What the fiddlesticks do you think you're doing?!?

Erm... sorry?

Well, you should be sorry!

Who is this?

This is your life calling. You seriously have no clue what you're doing, do you?

Erm... no?

Well, just get out there and do something!

I am! I am!

Well, do better! You're not wasting me any longer!

Okay! Sheeessshhh..

Let me tell you about The Plan. The Plan was...

1. Graduate from university by 22.
2. Work for a couple of years.
3. Get married by 24.
4. Have a successful career for a couple more years.
5. Have my first baby by 26.
6. Be a stay at home mom or work from home.
7. Go back to work or become published author by 28.
8. And so on... have successful career... make loads of money... write loads of books... travel the world with my adoring husband... have adorable children... basically...
9. Have the perfect life.

That was The Plan [concocted when I was a naive 18-year old]. Now, you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men...

This is The Life.

1. Finish university at 23.
2. Did volunteer work for one year.
3. Came back to Malaysia before my 25th birthday.
4. Will be celebrating my 26th birthday soon and am still looking for a job.
5. Still trying to land that writing job.

*sigh*

I will be formulating a new plan soon, codename: Phase 2 Of My Life. It might include world domination. Would anyone like to join me?

What's In A Name?

Well, apparently quite a lot. It all started with the whole Capulet versus Montague debacle. Parents spend months, sometimes searching for the perfect name for their child. All of which, brings me to this... the name of my blog.

I did not name my blog. My male counterpart did. He created this blog for me while I was away somewhere with no Internet access. No, I was not in the depths of the jungle [but close enough]. Anyway, one night 'Him' asked me if I would like a blog. I said, sure, why not, but not now as I had no means of accessing it. But he said he would take care of it for me until I could.

So, using an old blog of mine, this blog was created. Now, I love 'Him' for doing this for me, but when I look at other blog names/titles, and they sound ever-so-clever and ever-so-witty, I sometimes want a clever and witty name too. But I will not even dream of changing something that was created by 'Him' for me. So, the name shall remain.

It does have a meaning to it, though. It goes like this... the Arabic meaning of my full name, Badriyyah, is 'full moon' [which is why I'm so round, or so I claim]. My nickname, 'Riyya', in the original Malay spelling and meaning, 'Ria', means 'joy'. Now, 'Riyya', combined with the 'Su' part of my blog name [which comes from my family name 'Suhaili'] makes 'Riyya-Su.' Now, when the 'Su' part is twisted and put in front of the 'Riyya', it makes the word 'Su-Riyya'. A word which has no meaning in that spelling, but in the original spelling of the Malay word 'Suria', it means 'the sun'.

So my name, which originally means 'full moon', has been cleverly played with to make the word 'sun'. Which is obviously the opposite of moon. Gah. I lost my point. Anyway, you get my drift.

In honour of 'Him', I will dedicate the 'sun' part to 'Him'. Because without 'Him', this blog would not have been created. Tadaaaaaa...

I like to sometimes look for the meanings that might not even be there. Why? Sometimes I like to pretend I'm pretentious. Go figure.

This reminds me of the time I had to present a short story we studied in class when I was in college. I don't remember the title of the story, or the name of the author, but it was one of those stories that was full of symbolism and hidden meanings. I got stuck with it because I didn't come on the day everyone chose their stories. Serves me right for missing class.

Anyway, there I was presenting, slowly explaining each symbolism in the story. When I was finished, I was bombarded with questions. Most of which I was thankfully able to fend off successfully. Then a boy in my class asked, "But what do the barking dogs mean?"

I said, "They were just being dogs. It doesn't have a deeper context."

He said, "But there must be a reason for the barking."

I said, "Well, they saw a stranger approach, and being dogs, they barked. It's just their nature."

He said, "I think there was a reason they barked."

To which I replied, "Yes. They barked at the stranger because the stranger was potentially trespassing on the property."

He said, "I'm sure there was another reason for the barking."

I swear, at this point, I wanted to set some barking dogs on him.

I replied, "Well, I've analysed it completely and am sure there is no other reason than it being their instinct to bark at strangers."

This was potentially getting tedious.

He said, "Well, it's a deeply symbolical story. There must be another reason for the barking."

I wanted to kill him. I wanted to strap raw steaks onto his body and throw him into a pit full of hungry Rottweilers.

My lecturer saved the day. He told the boy, "There is no reason for the barking apart from what she just said."

Hurrah.

Talk about looking for meanings that aren't there.

The Chase

Sitting in the car. My sister squashed next to me, sleeping. Dad's been driving for almost three hours now. I sigh. I look out the window and stare at the cars whizzing past us. I'm waiting for the trees and the cool air.

I sigh again and let my mind wander. Thought after thought flow past. Oh, if only I had a pen and paper. Here's an interesting idea for a story. I must remember that. Oh, that would make a lovely poem. I must remember that too. Look at that car. How fast does he need to go? Honestly, aren't people worried about their safety? Oh, go back to the idea for the story. 

Hmm... if I take this point and expand on the idea here. Yes, I see where I can play with it, spin it in different directions. Now, how about that poem? Oh, look, the trees are now in view. We're moving uphill now, towards the highlands. How lovely.

Soon, we can open the windows. Good thing too because it's so stuffy in here. Plus, my sister's head is now on my shoulder. Huh. 

Apparently, I dozed off. It's time to open the windows! Joy! The fresh air feels wonderful. The air smells so sweet, like flowers and strawberries. Yum. I'm really enjoying this. It's gorgeous. We reach the place. I jump out of the car. Feels good to be moving again after sitting for hours and hours. 

Fast forward to bedtime. I reach for my little notebook to jot down the idea for the story and poem. And... they're gone. I try and try and I just cannot remember them. I sigh.

Here I am again, trying to chase my thoughts before they vanish. And failing terribly.

Such A Small Thing

Such a small thing. A smooth, flat pebble. Yet, with a flick of the wrist, that little pebble skips across the water, leaving ripples before sinking into the depths of the lake.

Such a small thing. Barely the size of a child's finger. A little nail. Yet, that little nail is strong enough to hold the foundations of a house together.

Such a small thing. It fits snugly in the palm of my hand. A harmless lighter. Yet, if the fire from the lighter were to be mixed with the wrong chemicals, the results could be disastrous, even deadly.

Such a small thing. A word. Spoken without thought. Yet, enough to cut through a heart and leave scars that may never heal.

Such a small thing. Who knew such a small thing could do such big things?