Checkmate

(I know I still owe a KYCK update, you voyeuristic bloghopper who reminded me that I post about camps.)

Something completely unrelated.


I hoped it would come down to this.
My turn to play the game by your rules.
Let's see how you keep this up.
Questions? Me first.
And.
Guess what?
I think I've won.


~out, youdontmesswiththeziincks~

Issues

Everything is happening at the moment, and it feels like I shouldn't have anything to complain about compared to what's going on.

But I do anyway.

The Red Tree by Shaun Tan: "Sometimes you wake up and nothing seems to be going right..."

My sentiments exactly.

Come back to someone else who, who wants you more than me - You Me At Six

Dress Up!

Swimming carnival - and BHS tradition is that all Year 12s get to dress up. Theme for this year: Childhood characters, and hence I ended up going as Buttercup from the Powerpuff Girls!

Now I'm just a tired soul awaiting sleep.

Don't think about yesterday's distracting news.

Focus. Concentrate. No traps.

All's good :)

I Just Can

Now's not the time for the aftermath has yet to come but all will be revealed in the future.

Should I live through tomorrow, I promise updates.

Next Gen 12

Next Gen 12 was inspiring, life-changing, awesome. I have learnt so much and was so challenged by this week.

So now, I must behave like one saved by grace.

Accountability partners FTW!

~out, Zi Ying, mature~

Stories About Death, Dying and Loss

Knowing my morbid interest in plots, it is no surprise that my next book review will be comparing the various books dealing with the taboo subject of suicide (or somewhat, suicide).

Looking For Alaska by John Green

Quotables:

"I go to seek a Great Perhaps."

“The Colonel led all the cheers. 

Cornbread! he screamed. 

CHICKEN! the crowd responded. 

Rice!

PEAS!

And then, all together: "WE GOT HIGHER SATs." 

Hip Hip Hip Hooray! the Colonel cried. 

YOU'LL BE WORKIN' FOR US SOMEDAY!”

Synopsis: Miles "Pudge" Halter, young and utterly obsessed with last words finds himself drawn to the attractive Alaska Young in his new school. With his new found friends Chip "The Colonel" Martin and Takumi, the four of them wreak havoc upon the school - until tragedy happens.

My take: I find this book hilarious in all it's tragedy-driven plot. I like how the characters are your average teenagers juvenile delinquents with more than half a brain. The pranks they pull are amazing, issues discussed weirdly fascinating, and frankly, it made me laugh though it was meant to be a tragedy. What better way to cram a deep book into your head than with humour?

In addition to that, I love the twisted eccentric characters. Pudge memorises people's last words. The Colonel has an awesome memory as well, and when grieving he walks miles while memorising every little detail he can get his hands on. Alaska, well she's a whole different kind of nutcase. And they have eccentric teachers too. And elaborate plots and pranks. And codenames and such.

DOES THAT NOT REMIND YOU OF YOUR OWN TWISTED HIGH SCHOOL LIFE?

Warning: Sexually explicit content, explicit language, and a male stripper drive the whole plot to an astounding close, leaving you aching for more

Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Synopsis: Sixteen year old Tessa has decided to stop treatment for her terminal leukaemia. And because she doesn't have much time left, she makes a list of things she wants to do before she dies - starting with sex.

My take: I didn't enjoy this book thaaaaat much (I have a tendency to not go very lightly on whiny, grieving books with not much humour in it unfortunately). HOWEVER, it's not an easy book to read. It makes you think about life in general. And where you're going with it.

One thing though. I do not like the main character Tessa. Or her best friend Zoey. Shoots, I find all them ladies in this book one tad bit too... Annoying.

Warning: Sexually explicit (well, duh, the girl wants sex)

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Notable mentions: The interesting narration style.

Synopsis: Clay Jenkins receives a parcel with lots of tapes in it. Listening to the one marked with a '1', he realises that whoever receives the parcel has played a part in the death of one Hannah Baker, his first love. not just death, but suicide...

My take: As aforementioned, I love the seamless dual narration between Hannah's recorded messages and Clay's thoughts. This unusual structuring of a story inspires me to write my belonging creative piece on the same premise - unfortunately my teacher doesn't think a story based entirely on flashbacks in a conversation would get me anywhere.

Anyway, I digress. Being one always preoccupied with thoughts of death and how one must feel before ending his or her life, I must say this book gives me great insight, although it does not make for light reading. It's like a whodunit, but without a suspect because we already know who did it.

Warning: Slightly creepy and disconcerting, but that's exactly what I like

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Quotables: "If she waited two more weeks she'd be June who died in June."

Synopsis: When Harper Scott's divorced parents decide to split her late sister June's ashes into his or her urns, she takes matters into her own hands. Together with Laney, her best friend, and Jake Tolan, her sisters ex-tutee, she sets of for California, the one place her sister dreamed of going to before ending herself.

My take: ROAD TRIP STORIES!

Okay, I am partial to road trip stories. I see it as a coming-of-age, an adventure, a learning curve. I especially love road trip singalongs, and the fact that this book features classic rock music definitely gives it a plus one in my ratings.

I love how Harper starts off as a emo-apathetic-delinquent who ends up accepting herself for who she is, and because I seem to like her so much from the beginning of the book, I am so happy for her when she is finally at peace about her sister's death.

If 13 Reasons Why was a book about the whys of suicide, then Saving June would be the perfect complement to it as a book about the hows to surviving suicide of a loved one.

Deadline by Chris Crutcher

Notable mentions: The dealing of a tough subject with impeccable wit and great insight.

Synopsis: Ben Wolf, midget, cross-country athlete, eighteen, and with the world in front of him is suddenly diagnosed with a rare incurable blood disease. He chooses not to receive treatment and not to tell anyone, but instead try to have a normal life. Or a life as normal as he can get...

My take: As compared with Before I Die, I prefer this heaps more. Ben decides that as he's dying anyway it wouldn't hurt to play football, or go after the girl of his dreams. It is cruel, the way he achieves everything and more, reaching this so called "coming-of-age" right before his demise.


It is also worth a mention that this story would actually continue from where Running Loose left off, with an older Coach Banks and all. Also, Ben is not the only death in this book but he counts himself lucky as he has had time to prepare. And with this time he changes everything and everyone he touches. For better or for worse is a different thing


However, I love the subtle humour of this book. Ben is not afraid to take on teachers as his doomsday clock doesn't tick for very long anyway. And this is where the fun begins. This is an optimistic take on a story of a boy who's too young to die, but had always felt as though he would die young, who learnt how to live in the face of death.


~out, ziincks, if i die young~ 

Things I've Done (2)

I've:

• Gone to a park
• Stayed out til 3a.m.
• Slept at 4a.m.
• Brought school shoes

This holidays.