eknam’s Blog

The Doctor sat huddled at the table in a corner of his bedroom. Except for a lit candle on the table, the entire room was enshrouded in darkness, curtains drawn, door shut while the wind pounded against the windows. His external surroundings mirrored the chaos in his head and the dull, hollowness in his heart. His fingers trembled as he tried to commit on paper in as coherent a manner as possible the terrible thing that he had done. Yet, it had to be done, it was the only way he could get some peace for himself.

It all started the day he found out that Peter Rex was his new patient. He entered the ward with great trepidation, uncomfortable at the thought of meeting the man who had made his life hell during his schooldays. He was the biggest bully in school- mean, obnoxious, vulgar, spoilt and cruel. Big-sized and heartless, he always made the Doctor the butt of his jokes, torturing and teasing him. The Doctor could not forget the nasty remarks hurled at him. The thought of having to treat this man or even coming to face him again did not make him happy.

There he was lying in his bed, cheeks sunken, limbs frail with numerous drips hooked up to machines. He looked like a man on the verged of death. He was mostly lifeless, occasionally uttering a few words in a hoarse voice. He clearly did not recognize his victim from the past. The Doctor checked his files, Peter Rex was in the last stage of cancer. He felt partly sad for Peter who was not much older than he was and yet part of him secretly felt that Peter finally got what he deserved in the end. Ironically, the roles have been reversed. Today, he was the one in-charge.

Days passed and the more he had to see Peter, the more the old, hurtful memories of the past returned. He grew increasingly angry and resented the fact that he had to treat this man. He remembered all those times where he was both physically and verbally bullied. Thoughts of seeking revenge began creeping into his head. Then, he did the unthinkable. He simply wanted to erase Peter Rex’s presence out from his life once and for all.

One night, when the nurse on duty was not looking, he crept unnoticed into the ward, Peter Rex was still awake. Looking straight into his eyes, the Doctor triumphantly said, ” Goodbye Peter,” and switched off the life support machine. As the lights on the machine faded, the doctor stood and watched in cold calmness as Peter’s eyes closed and he breathed his last. The Doctor then switched on the machine and slipped away.

With tears streaming his face the Doctor signed off his confession letter. He folded it neatly and left it on the table. He left the room and his house. With each step he took as he climbed the stairs up to the rooftop, his remorse grew over the horrible deed he had committed against another human being. Just as he had shown no compassion towards Peter, he would show himself none as well. He summoned all his courage as he prepared to take the leap off the edge.

   A hideous sight accosted me when I set foot onto the room at The Recreational Club where my cousin sixteen birthday party was to be celebrated. A neon green and black birthday greeting splashed across a gleaming white wall, while pink balloons and red streamers dangled haphazardly from the ceiling. On the other wall, a range of action figures with menacing expressions had been put up. In keeping with what was presumably a warfare themed birthday party, the floor had been covered with carpet grass and all the chairs and tables were bright green. Loud music blared from the speakerphones and in the middle of the room laid a three-teared cake covered in pink cream with little army figurines on top. I stood there in a mixture of shock and amusement.

     The girls sat huddled close in the hall as they waited anxiously for their teacher to release the ‘O’ level results. They had prepared diligently for three years for the exam which would determine the path of their future. They fidgeted constantly, holding hands to offer each other support as they fought to overcome the raging butterflies in their stomach. Occasionally, they whispered words of encouragement as they intently watched their teacher prepare the papers, their faces reflecting a range of conflicting emotions-fear, excitement, agony and hope.

Having two working parents not necessarily mean better monthly income or living a luxurious life. It can also mean lesser time for family bonding and therefore cause family destruction.

Having dual income is safer than having a single parent working. Just in case anything were to happen to the other parent, this will ensure that the family still has someone to rely on. Therefore, based on my own knowledge, families with dual income do not have to worry about paying house bills or even taking a break from work once in a while.

Next, many children who have two working parents are usually placed in childcare centres. Based on what I have read, these children have the opportunity to enriched social life. Therefore, these children are able to have better communication skills then other children.

However, today, more and more young people are going astray as we hear of them joining street gangs, taking drugs as well as indulging in sexual activities from a very young age. Such behaviour certainly appears to be more prevalent than they were in the past. In the past, the strong and positive presence of parents in the lives of young children went a long way in curbing such excesses and activities. Present day parents are all the more essential in the role they play in their children’s lives.

Working parents need to spend time building their careers or they will not be able to provide adequately for their children in this age of rising costs. If they want to ensure that their children get a good start in life, they will have to earn more. However, if they work hard at their jobs, they end up not having time to spend with their children. Thus, parents often find themselves in conflicting roles that are not easily resolved. Parents also may not have time for themselves. Everyone needs to have some private time for themselves. Therefore, this can cause stress which will creep into relationships with other people if not released. This can have a very negative impact on one’s development. Such stress bodes ill for the marriage.

Therefore, as to whether both parents should go to work is dependant on many factors and the parents themselves have to make the decision carefully for the sake of their children and the welfare of their family.

 Hey guys, its me Eknam. I’m back again. Lucky for me, I found my EL blog, the one that we used last year. I thought that I had to make a new one and thus I will probably be ‘polluting’ the Internet by filling it up with EL blogs. Ha ha….. Hope all of you out there a wonderful and enjoyable holiday. I think most of us will probably be watching 3D movies this season. I heard that lots of it will be coming out. I hope they don’t change all our movies to 3D. I guess if they do, we all have to buy the 3D glasses then. Anyway, happy hols. Signing off.