The Story of, My Story.

The Story of, My Story.


There I was, holding a sheet of paper in my hands with tears streaming down my cheeks. Teachers were beside me left and right, clapping me on my back. My parents, looking overjoyed, as I was, seeing their proud faces of my achievement.

As I looked to my left, I saw, the principle of my school coming to congratulate me! ME! of all students! The principle came over to me and………

“Wake up! Sleeping in class again are you? Your attitude is getting intolerable! If I catch you sleeping in class again, I’m going to send you to the principle’s office!” A dream, I thought, a dream that must be looming in the minds of every student in school. How I wish the dream was real, instead of waking up to the jeering and laughing voices of your fellow classmates directed at you. But how? How can it be real when the dream seem unreachable and so distant from reality?

So there I was, sitting in class, having the reputation to be one of the lousiest student in class. I was an average student, who was in a class that was reputable to be the smartest class in the school . Lately my grades were dropping and my teachers were getting irritated with my slacking behavior. I was a candidate for a major exam, one that would determine the field of education I would be learning in the years to come.

Day after day, I sat in class learning nothing, I was an unmotivated student who was a last minute worker. I had a brilliant mind but such a lazy attitude that it had became dominant in controlling the direction of my future. Time was slipping through my fingers and the major exam was getting closer, two more months I thought, I had to do something I said to myself, but things are easier said than done.

Then came the fateful day, a day that changed my life, for the better. “Hey kid!” an old man spoke to me from across the road. “Yes?” I asked as I walk over to him. “Could you help me get those bottles on the ground? As you can see, my hands are quite full.” The old man asked. I looked and saw a few plastic bottles that have obviously fallen from the basket of the old man’s bicycle. “Sure.” I said. After I helped to put the bottles back in the man’s basket, the man thanked me. “Thanks kid.” Said the man. “You’re welcome.” I replied. I was preparing to bid the old man farewell and be on my way but curiosity got the better of me and so I asked. “Why do you collect all this bottles? Is it a living?” I asked him. The old man answered, “Yes, it’s a living. I’ve been doing this for a few years now.” “Why?” I pushed further. “I couldn’t get a proper job, as my education was not high enough to qualify for a better job. I do regret for not working hard enough during my school days.” “I see….” Was all I could reply. “It’s a pretty good living, I clean up these and get an average of fifteen ringgit per day and it’s getting late now, thank you once again and farewell.”



So the old man left, left me standing there alone with thoughts swirling around my head. I was shocked to see how casual the man was when he said it was a living, sure the man looked a bit buffed and muscular due to the exercise he gets from riding out here in the sun but the income he gets from this so called living was very little.

Since the fateful meeting with the old man, I started to think about my life. Would I be the same? Would I have to live a life that is filled with such hardships and work so hard but gaining so little? What a fruitless life that must be! I did not want that to happen to myself. My dad was always saying, “You have a smart brain, but you are just too lazy!” and my mom, “Study hard, I’m sure you will meet a few bumps on the road but you will have a better future.” Sounds familiar? Should be, because that is what most parents tell their children, it is a matter of whether the child listens or not and I was one of those that would not listen. At least I did not, until that fateful day.

I decided, that I will become someone, I will have a brighter future than that, I promised myself that I would not become like that old man. But I learnt a valuable lesson from the old man though, to work hard.

So I took a book and began revising like there was no tomorrow, with just two more months left, it was better to be late than never. I asked my mom whether I could join a tuition centre for one month, my mom was quite surprised since I have never in my life, went for tuition before. She smiled and said that she would figure something out.

To my surprise, I was attending a small grouped tuition centre a week later, taking up Mathematics, science and all the subjects I was weak in. I had made a tight schedule (which I strictly followed) and changed my perspective. In the same month since my meeting with the old man, I had a trial exam, a great way to see whether I have improved or not I thought to myself and you know what? I did! I proudly showed my results to my parents. They only smiled, but I wasn’t surprised, sure my results had improved, but they improvement was like a stone’s throw, it was so little. So I decided to work harder.

The next month flew by like a breeze. Hours turned to days, days turned to hours, hours turned to weeks and before I knew it, a month had gone by and it was time for my major exam.

The night before the exam began I revised the books on the subjects to come so vigorously that I had forgotten the time. My mother came to me and said, “Son, you should go to sleep, it’s useless to study so hard now and memorize everything only to forget it in the morning.” She said. “But mom, I want to do well tomorrow and get good results, I’ve got to read.” I said.

I could not forget for the rest of my life what my mother said to me then, it broke me into tears when she said, “I know that, but let me tell you something, I don’t care what results you get because I’ve seen you put so much effort into studying and trying to make me and your dad proud, but you know what? I already am. As long and you do your best, no matter what results come out, I am proud of you and know that you have done well and that’s the best you can do.”

I just could not bear it any longer, I broke down into tears and just cried and cried and cried. My mom was hugging me the entire time as I cried until I finally cried myself to sleep. I woke up and remembered what my mom said the night before. And so I did my exam the best I could with so much effort with the comfort of the knowledge knowing my mom and dad are proud of me and I could not have done any better…….

So there I was, holding a sheet of paper in my hands with tears streaming down my cheeks. My class teacher clapping me on my back with my friend beside me left and right. My parents looking proudly over me with my accomplishment. Then I looked to my left and saw the principle coming to me. In tears I looked at him as he shook my hand and said. “Well done.”

And you know what? It wasn’t a dream…………….

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(Based on a true story)~Not mine! =Þ~

*PS : When you see someone picking up bottles or other rubbish, do not look in disgust, they are actually cleaning the environment!*