Short Story

FIONA FAMOUS

Fiona Famous was a very popular girl at school. She was clever and fun, and got on well with everyone. It was no accident that Fiona was so popular. From an early age she had made an effort to be kind and friendly to everyone. She invited the whole class to her birthday party, and from time to time she would give presents to everybody. She was such a busy girl, with so many friends, that she hardly got a chance to spend time with individual friends. However, she felt very lucky; no other girl had so many friends at school and in the neighborhood.

But everything changed on National Friendship Day. On that day, at school,everyone was having a great time, drawing, painting, giving gifts. That day in class everyone had to make three presents to give to their three best friends. Fiona enjoyed the task of choosing three from amongst all the dozens of her friends.

However, when all the presents had been made and shared out among classmates, Fiona was the only one who had not received a present! She felt terrible, and spent hours crying. How could it be possible? So much effort to make so many friends, and in the end no one saw her as their best friend? Everyone came and tried to console her for a while. But each one only stayed for a short time before leaving.

This was exactly what Fiona had done so many times to others.
She realized that she was a good companion and acquaintance, but she had not been a true friend to anyone. She had tried not to argue with anyone, she had tried to pay attention to everyone, but now she had found out that that was not enough to create true friendship.

When she got home that night , created quite a puddle with her tears, and Fiona asked her mother where she could find true friends.
"Fiona, my dear," answered her mother, "you cannot buy friends with a smile or a few good words. If you really want true friends, you will have to give them real time and affection. For a true friend you must always be available, in good times and bad".

"But I want to be everybody's friend! I need to share my time among everyone!", Fiona protested.

"My dear, you're a lovely girl," said her mother, "but you can't be a close friend to everybody. There just isn't enough time to be available for everyone, so it's only possible to have a few true friends. The others will by playmates or acquaintances, but they won't be close friends".

Hearing this, Fiona decided to change her ways so that she could finally have some true friends. That night, in bed, she thought about what she could do to get them.
She thought about her mother. Her mother was always willing to help her, she put up with all of Fiona's dislikes and problems, she always forgave her, she loved her a great deal...
That was what makes friends!

And Fiona smiled from ear to ear, realizing that she already had the best friend anyone could ever want.

Movie Review

The Raid : Redemption


A police raid on a Jakarta tenement building turns into a non-stop bloodbath when the drug dealer who owns it unleashes a furious barrage of fists, bullets, and blades, leaving the few remaining survivors of the invading SWAT team to fight their way up to the top and end the psychotic criminal's violent reign once and for all. Expectant father Rama (Iko Uwais) is an honest cop with deadeye aim and killer fighting skills. Following orders from his lieutenant, a respected police veteran and mastermind of the ambitious raid , Rama leads his heavily-armed team into the building silently and stealthily. Their mission is to take down Tama (Ray Sahetapy), a vicious criminal kingpin who uses the building as a shelter for both his many customers and his small army of loyal dealers and killers. Even the bravest cops in the city have never dared to breach Tama's fortress, and once the team's cover is blown, it quickly becomes apparent why; almost immediately, half of the team is shredded in a vicious barrage of gunfire and machetes. The exits have all been blocked, and with Tama's men closing in fast Rama's only hope is to keep going up and take out anyone who gets in his path. Meanwhile, Tama realizes that some of the cops have managed to survive the initial assault, so he unleashes two of his best men to stop them dead in their tracks. With his team cut down to a mere handful and his munitions exhausted, the determined cop vows to complete his mission by whatever means necessary.

Poetry

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here.
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer.
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
She gives her harness bells a shake.
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep.
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep .