MA * Science 1/2 Short Story: Tidal Hearts

The huge, towering wall was just a few kilometres away from land.

He sighed. How many times had he cast the thunder stun spell now?

Yasmi stared at the impending tsunami. The product of Taiwan's devastating undersea earthquake a few days ago, it triggered an alarm which sent the denizens of Brunei's coastal areas to evacuate to high land. People have already given up on salvaging, and LNG was doomed to destruction.

But Brunei has young, national heroes to call upon. The Science 1/2 band of youths had performed miracles to save the nation, including thwarting terrorists and crushing a plot to overthrow the Sultan, but most of them have already left the country for further studies.

So how can these heroes like Yasmi save them from a natural disaster? As the onrushing tidal wave races nearer, he frowned, he would need to seek an explanation for his failure. He was the wrong elemental to start with; thunder is useless against water in huge amouts as it will distribute the damage. He could also say all the gang have left, but that has been his excuse for the past few years, the public wouldn't take it anymore.

He dropped on his knees, tired and dejected. Lumut Beach was dark and gloomy, not only because of the thunderstorms from Yasmi's summoning, not only because of the dark shadow the tsunami was casting, but it was currently a ghost village.

And pretty soon, it will be a ruined village. His livelihood will be gone, along with a lot of his and the people's belongings, washed away just like what happened around the same date in Asia 2 years ago.

"I'd rather die..."

The wave was bearing on him, several times his height. But he wasn't looking at it, he was closing his eyes, uttering his last rites. He always thought of himself as a failure, and it was a fitting end to his short and unproductive life...

"...this smell..." He smelt a scent that was familiar to him, one he yearns. "Am I in heaven... it can't be. I should be in hell."

He heard a screech, and felt water hitting him. He waited for the wave to sweep him away from his feet...

But it was only waist-deep. He opened his eyes to find the reason why the wave was gone all of a sudden...

"It's... you." He saw a majestic being in front of him. She had long, blue hair, with a fair blue skin with an aquamarine attire. It was the Water Maiden, Undine, which was the transformation of Safoora from her Pisces Ring. She made the waters recede with her uncanny power.

Safoora transformed back into her original appearance. Yasmi was motionless, and so was she, still turning her back to him, a bit breathless.

"Just in time..." she stated. "I just came back on emergency from my honeymoon as soon as I heard it."
"Oh don't put that in..." he replied. "Why..." he then asked.
"It's not just your village, Yas. It's mine too. Or at least my family. And the rest of the people. You should feel grateful of me, I'm not someone who turns their back on her roots..."
"But you're turning your back on me."
"You are a different thing altogether." Safoora stated, finally turning back and walking back to shore. As he passed the kneeling Yasmi, he grabbed her hand.
"Wait... I..." he paused, while she stopped to hear him. "...thank you... for everything."
"Don't mention it. You need to take some of the credit when it comes, your stun shots did buy me some time." and with that parting statement, she waved goodbye, eager to get another flight to resume her honeymoon.

Yasmi sadly watched her disappearing figure. The sunset light shone on him as the clouds cleared. He clenched the sand on his two hands, and screamed his lungs out to the sea, letting out the angst deep inside his soul: he could have all the strength in the world, but nothing will ever make her come back to him again.

o_o

My name's not on the supp list.

Either I'm miraculously saved, or royally screwed.

...

She's married now.

I feel normal outside, but a part of me inside, and I mean a huge part, just smashed to itsy bitsy pieces when I heard it.

The ball is round

Seriously, if anyone wants my football commentary back then say so (one of my freak dreams is to be a football columnist, or replacing that crappy sadistic arsehole in BB's Weekend sports column, or both) because it's one of the few places I'll never be appreciated for.

But yes, as with most of us, I'm waiting for the 26th, because I'm screwed.

The doctor's in the house

Have you ever watched House, this medical drama about a tsundere(?) doctor who has this "everyonethinksit'scool" character of grumpy not-giving-a-damn attitude with a sharp mouth? It was on AXN I think.

House's episodes aren't like usual hospital drama like E.R. or Gray's Anatomy or even slapstick comedy like Scrubs. It has a lot of medical terms and deals with very serious illnesses such as cancer and rare viruses.

But what it tries to point out is the problem of the wrong diagnosis. Dr. House himself was the subject of a wrong one and that's why he's grumpy and uses a walking stick. He stresses the danger when doctors get it wrong and it often involves the patient's life. In every episode there are often initial diagnoses from tests which are carefully eliminated, some may be common mistakes by real doctors.

Interestingly House reminds me of the recent hospitalisation of Eunice, in which an initial diagnosis was termed a kidney problem and a mild medication and a sending off, but was later discovered by a private clinic as an ovarian cest which would've endangered her life if it wasn't detected earlier. That was what I was led to believe, the wrong diagnosis by professionals may have resulted in tragedy. I began to be a lot more skeptical with doctors and the House series just proves me that.

Pinoy Invasion

I sense something fili... er, fishy going on in our country in recent years.

OK go to an Indian restaurant and you'll be served by Indian or Malay or Indon waiters, that's given. But go to a medium-class to high-class restaurant and... you recognise the type of English slang you always hear out there, that distinguishable way of talking...

Most of the waiters and waitresses in Brunei's good fast-foods/restaurants are suddenly Filipino. What the heck is going on?

Are they some sort of efficient race? (Malay waiters suck, they've pissed me off too many times already), do they specialise in this kind of work? Since the amah trade is conquered by Indons, do they resort to public service?

The probable answer may lie on the fact that they are skilled workers AND cheap labour. Skilled as in can speak English, and put in a few Malay lessons (which may not be needed because you see their Filipino face and straightaway start to speak English and if you're someone like my mom or me, talk in their slang) and you get the amah is to Indon version.

Cheap labour is making Brunei daft. Our unemployment rate is skyrocketing, and usually places like eateries and service work are the places where you get your advantage in your resume/CV. There will always be that lucky guy who pipped you for the job because of his ECA, another that will do so because he's worked somewhere, so maybe people like me will do odd jobs that no one will take such as singing La Camisa Negra in some freaky but posh Gadong restaurant, if that job wasn't filled by a Filipino already.

It's over

Exams are over and now the long break has just begun

But I still think I left something important.