Web's World

Correction

2009-05-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

It turns out that my grandfather was arrested two weeks ago and that he was released the next day and wrote a nice little blog bit about it later. I actually feel quite embarrassed now that I know but I have decided to leave that last post standing as a reminder to myself to read the dates on my comments. Also, I must say it was quite a good piece of frenzied writing. Would be a shame to trash it. What I said in all caps still stands and it's message is in no way diminished by my blunder.
Thanks everyone for bearing with me,
WEB

My Grandfather

2009-05-21T19:35:00.000-07:00

I have just received word that my grandfather's been arrested. I don't know where it happened or what happened but if anyone has information please tell me because I need information. I am quite worried. Please, have a heart. Fill me in.
Incase you didn't know, I'm talking about Bernard Khoo.
Thank you to the readers who posted and told me about his arrest.
Hey, maybe he's already been released. At least I hope he is.
ALSO I WOULD LIKE TO TELL EVERYONE WHO TRIES TO POST COMMENTS SAYING THAT MY GRANDFATHER IS A FILTHY OLD MAN AND RAPED RAJA PETRA'S WIFE, YOU CAN JUST FIND THE DOOR AND DON'T LET IT HIT YOU ON THE WAY OUT! HE'S TEN TIMES THE MAN YOU WILL EVER BE BECAUSE HE STANDS UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT!

RIP Common Sense

2009-03-09T08:22:00.000-07:00

A very good friend of mine passed on today. Here is his obituary:

Obituary of the late Mr. Common Sense

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.'

2009-01-06T18:23:00.001-08:00

sHAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This year for New Years Day, I went to Atlantis and watched the New Year's Eve Fireworks.

They were AMAZING! I wish my Kong 2 (or Zorro as some of you may know him) and my Poh2 (kong2's very own Catherine Zeta Jones) were here this christmas. It would have been great.

I have some pictures from my concert. I am the handsome, dashing young man wearing the tuxedo.

This is me with my piano teacher.

with my parents, (ooh thats a really dumb look on my face)

and me with my parents and former piano teacher.

2008-12-28T05:08:00.000-08:00

Well the concert was really good. I got a standing ovation. Hooray!

Why do they say 4 out of 5 people suffer from diarrhea? Does that mean the other 1/5 enjoys it?

Anyway, so it's Christmas Break and I am very happy because it's been a really long term for me.
Frankly, I'm glad it's over.

Who's cruel idea was it to put an "s" in lisp?

I'm reading a new series called "Gatekeepers" by Anthony Horowitz.

It's looking really good so far. I recommend it to my readers.

That's all I got for right now.

NO WAIT!

Why is abbreviated such a long word?

12 days

2008-11-27T18:08:00.001-08:00

Ok, I've been very bad. I haven't posted in 12 days although I said I would.

HOW CAN I MAKE MYSELF REMEMBER???

Oh, I just had an idea. Maybe I can make this a competition. If someone can think up a way to make me remember to post and it works for a whole week, they will be able to post on my blog anytime they want just by emailing their post to me and it will be put on as soon as possible. Within reason, of course, nothing inappropriate.

Anyway, this past week has been quite interesting. Some students hacked into the administration of the school using the laptops we are given and were able to change documents and mess with other people's computers. The school found out and took away all of our laptops to check for evidence of these crimes. Now, I promise you it was not me. Even if I wanted to hack the school system I would have no idea how. We just got our computers back because they found the perpetrators and they will probably be suspended. I think that those people who committed the crime should be punished but should also be awarded an A+ in Technology.

I have a piano concert coming up soon. Anyone in the Nassau area is invited to attend. Tickets are $20 but you would have to buy them from me. It is on December the 14th at the Atlantis Ballroom. It will be spectacular, I promis you. The show begins at 6:00 but there is an art exhibition and silent auction starting at 5:00. You must dress nicely or you may not be let in.

I will be playing

1) Invention 14 by Bach
2) Waltz in A minor by Chopin
3) Turkish March by Mozart
4) Maple Leaf Rag by Joplin
5) Tres Villicancicos a Spanish Christmas Duet.

Until next time, Bernard

Friday, 15 November, 2008

2008-11-15T04:25:00.000-08:00

Today was pretty fun. As usual, I went with the Jenningses. Then, when we got to school, I had sports first. We played soccer. My team won at the end. After break, we should have had Math but instead we had a Secondary School-wide choir practice with my piano teacher, Mrs. Kim. It was very fun. At least I thought it was; I like singing. Anyway, after that, we went to English where we watched some of "The Gods Must Be Crazy" That is a hilarious movie. After English, we had Humanities where another group presented their project. Then we had lunch. At lunch I did some homework that I forgot to do so it wasn't very fun. After lunch, I went to Music. Music was nice because we just talked a bit about school and what is bothering us. I can tell you, some people in my class took advantage of this oppurtunity. Then we sang some songs and were done. After that was French where we listened to some presentations. We had to create a French Identity for ourselves. I didn't present today because we ran out of time but I think I will tomorrow. After that was Health and Social where some kids gave their book reports to the class. I gave mine on Tuesday. I read the Kiterunner. I wrote a poem about a story in the book and I poster it. Check my older posts. After school, I went to Alison's house to teach her piano. Alison is only five years old but her mom, my mom's good friend, Susan, really wants her to learn and she is VERY talented. After that my mom came, picked Alison, Samantha, and me up and took us to the movie night at my school. She also brought my two brothers and a friend of my oldest little brother. When we got there, I made sure my mom could handle all the children but my dad was there so I didn't have to worry. Then, I went to find my friends and we hung out in the parking lot. We watched bit of the movie which was Kung Fu Panda, but we got bored so we hoped on one of my friends golf carts and went for a ride. We didn't know what to do so we went to pick up one of my other friends, Andres. He has a HUGE house. After that, we came back to the movie night and played some four-square. Then the movie ended and I had to go. That's all for now.

Oh dear

2008-11-13T18:37:00.001-08:00

It seems that I have gotten out of the habit of daily posting. This is a habit i must revive so I will, starting now, end the day by posting about my day, trivial or not. So bear with me.

November 13, 2008

Well, it's Thursday and as usual, I caught a ride with the Jenningses to school. The ride took about 15 minutes as usual during the course of which, Daniel told me about what kind of celebrations he would do when he scored a goal tomorrow in soccer. He was wondering whether to go with Renaldo or Beckham. I read my book, Brisingr, and pretended to pay attention. When we got to school, I went to art where I worked on my one-point-perspective room which is coming along nicely. Then I went to Spanish but my teacher was sick so I went to Study Hall. After break, I went to science where we had a lab on magnesium and separating mixtures. After that I went to Humanities, where two out of the four groups in our class presented our projects. At lunch, I went to my Interact meeting which is like a Rotary club for kids. We talked about different projects we could do around the island this Christmas. After lunch, I had ICT (or technology) where I presented my Alternative Energy Project. Then I had Math which was same as usual. Quite easy. Finally we had English where we had a Grammar test. Today was quite heavy but it's good because it means tomorrow will be pretty easy. I hope. After school, I went to the D'Aguilars' house to tutor Alex and Oliver on the piano. Oliver has mastered his pieces and Alex is learning two new pieces. After that, I went to the airport to pick up my dad who went to Abaco for work. He is the supervisor of a BEC (Bahamas Electricity Corporation) project where they are setting down a cable under the water. When we came home, I started on my homework which consisted of a list of things that make me feel good (which I will post at a later date because I am very tired) and a small French project where I created a French identity of myself and added pictures. And that brings me up to now.

Phew
What a day!

The Dean's Son

2008-11-08T08:44:00.000-08:00

Ok, here's a story I wrote once again for English class. It's kind of long but I think I did a good job.
This is only the rough draft so feel free to proofread or leave comments.

Sadly, I can't indent my paragraphs so you'll have to bear with me. Sorry!

The Dean’s Son
By Bernard Farquharson

Principal Tate

It puts a bad taste in ma mouth when ah hear ‘bout shenanigans like this at ma own school. Marcus Finlayson, one of ma best students, assaultin’ Andy Stevens. That boy’s got some nerves, beating up the son o’ the dean.
It was just after 12:30, ah jus’ finished ma lunch, one big ole T-bone steak with mashed potaters and a grand-ee-o-say mug of- uh… well, that’s beside the point.
As ah was sayin’ ah finished ma steak ‘n’ taters ’n’ ah figured ah’d take a walk ‘round the high school te digest a bit. Then, when ah rounded the corner ah saw young Andy Stevens on the ground cryin’ with his hands over his middle ‘n’ Marcus was runnin’ away. Ah yelled at him te stop and te ma suh-prise he did stop ‘n’ came back.
“Principal Tate, I can explain” he said to me. Now how many times have ah heard that excuse?
“Oww! My stomach. I think my kidney’s burst.” Andy said. The poor child looked awful. I helped him up ‘n’ sen’ him te the nurse’s office.
“Oh, thank you Principal Tate,” Andy said and dem tears were really comin’ now. “If you hadn’t come I think he would have killed me.”
Then I turned te Marcus.
“Son, there ain’t no need fer yer excuses.” I said. “Ye obviously beat up Andy. Marcus-“
“Um, Mark, sir, please.”
“Do not innerrupt me!” Gosh darn it if there’s anything I hate it’s a chil’ innerupting me.
He shuts up real quick then.
“Marcus, yes I will call you by yer god-given-name, ye have suspension durin’ the course of which you will write a ten page uh-po-ler-gee letter te poor Andy. Boy what were ye thinkin’? Ah’ll be callin’ yer parents ‘n’ this will go on yer permanent record.”
By now the boy was on the verge o’ tears. He didn’t look up at me un-teel I tol’ him it would go on ‘is permanent record. Boy I was purty impressed he didn’t innerrupt me but what really scared me was the hate comin’ out o’ his eyes.

Jessica Gator

Ok, so, like, yesterday Katie comes to my house, right, and I’m like
“OMG Katie, that shirt is, like, so last week.”
And Katie’s like
“What the heck, Jessica, this is, like, your shirt”
And I’m like
“Yah but I like lent that to you, like, last week.”
And she’s like
“Uh, Jessica, you are so mean!”
And I’m like
“Well, like, fine, I was gonna lend you my new Gucci miniskirt but-“
And she’s like
“OMG Jessica, that is so cool. You’re like my VBFF.
And I’m like
“Like, what?”
And she’s like
“Very Best Friend Forever, LOL, duh!
And I’m like
“OK, well seya. TTYL”
And she’s like
“Ok, like, see you later, alligator.”
And I’m like
“Um, Hello! It’s Jessie Gator, remember?”
And she’s-
Hey, like, you know it's, like, rude to interrupt.
OK fine, so then the next day at, like, school. I was, like, getting my books out of my locker to go to class at like 12:38 because I got a text from Logan saying that Mitchell told Katie that Cory told Mitchell that Lucy told Cory that Brenda told Lucy that Garrett told Brenda that there was gonna be a party in the gym and we should all, like, skip class.
And, like, when I got there, it was empty, and I was like OMG Logan, Mitchell, Katie, Cory, Brenda, Lucy, and Garrett are like so dead.
So I went to my locker, right, to get my stuff, right, and OMG I saw Mr. Tate freaking out at that nerd, like, Michael or something. I don’t know why but that nerd wouldn’t do anything, like, bad. He’d be too scared. Jeez, Mr. Tate was like shouting his head off at him, right, so I, like, took my books and hurried to my class. Then when I got there, I, like, stomped in and-
Hey, like, where are you going?

Hassir Akush

In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate, but equally important groups, the-
Oh, yes, I am so sorry, but this is quite exciting, yes?
Well I was coming to school yesterday and I am hearing that my good friend, Marcus, was suspended and I am indeed quite surprised.
So I am going to the house of Marcus after school yesterday to be asking him what happened.
His mother wouldn’t let me come in because he was being grounded.
I was quite confused, so I am coming to school today and asking people what they saw. But, it is a funny thing, the only person who was stopping to be talking to me was Jessica Gator, Yes, indeed, I am not meddling around in your brain. She was quite angry and I am thinking this is indeed the only reason she would be stopping to talk to me.
So when I am politely asking her what is wrong, she starts talking about her um- VBFF who borrowed her miniskirt then last week she caught an alligator but, hello, it was a jessigator. Quite frankly, she was confusing me, so I am politely asking her what happened with Marcus.
Well, she told me that she was just seeing Marcus being yelled to by Mr. Tate in the hallway at around 12:40 but she didn’t stay to see what was going on so her contribution was quite and utterly useless.
I became quite annoyed when she is running on again so I am forgetting to be polite so I am walking away.
I feel, how do you say, out of the light.

Chris Michaels

That’s five times. I have been shut in this locker by Andy Stevens five times. This time he left a grape so I wouldn’t go hungry. How stupid. Besides, I hate grapes. Oh man that kid is a moron. He thinks he’s so cool because he’s the son of the dean. But really he’s just a BIG JERK!
Oh no!
I just said that out loud. What if he heard me? Maybe he’s nearby. Oh no! He’s gonna give me a swirly. What time is it? 12:33 wish I’d never been assigned the locker right next to Andy Stevens.
Uh oh shhhhh… I hear someone coming. Oh no! It’s Andy. Maybe someone heard me call him a jerk and told him. Oh no! I am so dead. Ok, calm down Chris, he’s gonna hear me. Wait, we’re supposed to be in class. Man, I really studied hard for today’s math test. Even though I lost my study notes. Good thing all the teachers know about my susceptibility to being shut in lockers during classes.
But I wonder what Andy’s doing here. Probably trying to cram for the test. Wait, he’s got the questions from the math test and he’s- THAT’S CHEATING.
Oh wait, I've got my handy-dandy camcorder at school today as usual. This is my chance. Ok, it’s on. Ooh I wonder if he’ll get expelled. Of course not. He’s the dean’s son so I better stay anonymous.
Wait, who’s that? Oh it’s Mark. He’s pretty cool. What is he doing here? Probably on his way to the bathroom. Oh look, he’s talking to Andy.
“Hey, kid, what are you doing? Shouldn’t you be in class?” Nice job, Marcus. Tell him how it is.
“Shouldn’t you? Mind your own business nerd!” That’s Andy for you.
“You’re Andy, right?”
“Like I said, mind your own business.”
Aww man I dropped the camera. Ok, Mark just saw him cheating and now he’s telling him off. OK I got it!
“Look, no one is going to believe you when you tell them the dean’s son was cheating on a test right after you beat him up.” Andy is smiling one of those stupid smiles of his.
“What are you talking about?” Poor Mark. I can tell what’s coming.
“Owwww! AH my kidney.” Yep. He’s such a baby; Mark is going to be in so much trouble. Oh wait a second. No he won’t! I’ve got the evidence right here on my camcord-
Oh no. NO! I could have sworn I took the lens cap OFF!!!

Andy Stevens

I didn’t study for my test today but you know what the heck. I’ll just get the answers right after lunch.
Today is Friday, the fifth day I stuff Chris in his locker. Only three days ‘til the end of school. That kid is such a freak. He carries around a camcorder everywhere he goes. He films everything he does. I wouldn’t be surprised if he films in the bathroom too. Gross. That kid deserves every time I stuff him in his locker and every swirly I give him.
I figure I’m just doing the world a favor.
Anyway so today at lunch I stuffed him in his locker but I was nice. I left him a grape. So after lunch I went to the test and wrote down all the questions on a sheet of paper.
Aren’t I smart? Yeah, I know.
So then I put the paper in my pocket and I went to my locker to get my study notes.
Well actually Chris’s study notes.
But then, that stupid nerd, Mark, came strolling by.
“Hey, kid, what are you doing? Shouldn’t you be in class?”
Uhhh! That stupid idiot thinks he can talk to me like that! I’m the dean’s son for goodness sake!
“Shouldn’t you? Mind your own business nerd!” I should have cursed him out for that.
“You’re Andy, right?” I was thinking, “Is he still talking to me?”
“Like I said, mind your own business.” I must be in a good mood today.
Now he looks surprised. Oh no.
“You’re cheating on your test, aren’t you?” he said with a frown. “You better stop and get back to class.”
Excuse me? Ok this means war.
“Look, no one is going to believe you when you tell them the dean’s son was cheating on a test right after you beat him up.” I played dirty I know but he deserved it.
“What are you talking about?” He looks scared now. He should be.
I fell to the ground with my hands over my kidney.
Thank goodness for drama camp.
“Owwww! AH my kidney.”
“ Wha-what?!” Mark is spluttering away. HA!
Ha ha he’s gonna be in so much trouble. Oh no he’s running away. Wow, can you believe my luck? Principal Tate just came around the corner. He’s shouting at Mark to come back. Time to milk it.
“Principal Tate, I can explain” Mark said.
“Oww! My stomach. I think my kidney’s burst.” I should get a Grammy. A masterpiece. Mwahh!
Then he sends me to the nurse’s office. I go there and she says I’m fine but I keep rolling and screaming so they send me to the hospital. I figure if I make it there then there will be trouble even if there’s nothing wrong with me.
Marcus Finlayson, you are going down! Or at least to the principal’s office.

Marcus "Mark" Finlayson

Andy Stevens is probably the most annoying, despicable, and immature sixth grader I have ever had the misfortune to come across.
I’m a good student. I’m actually the best in my class and it’s true; people hate me for it. But, I have friends and I play sports and stuff. Some people just don’t understand kids like me.
After today I think Andy Stevens is the king of those people.
Yesterday, I was on my way to the bathroom after lunch and I saw this kid standing by his locker but he didn’t have a hall pass.
“Hey, kid, what are you doing? Shouldn’t you be in class?” Of course this was Andy but I didn’t recognize him at first. I wish I had just left him alone.
“Shouldn’t you? Mind your own business nerd!” I should have known right then that this kid was trouble.
“You’re Andy, right?” I tried to be nice and personalize the conversation.
“Like I said, mind your own business.” Well, that sort of got me suspicious so I took a closer look at the paper he had.
It was a list of chicken-scratched questions he must have written in a hurry. He had MATH TEST QUESCHUNS scrawled across the top.
“You’re cheating on your test, aren’t you?” I said with a frown. “You better stop and get back to class.” Then he glared at me.
“Look, no one is going to believe you when you tell them the dean’s son was cheating on a test right after you beat him up.” He started to smile.
I should have run right there.
“What are you talking about?” I had no idea what was going to happen but I knew it wouldn’t be good.
He fell to the floor and started writhing in pain.
“Owwww! AH my kidney.” He started yelling so I ran.
Strangely as I was running I thought I heard the locker next to Andy’s curse and say something about a lens cap.
Suddenly I heard Principal Tate yelling for me to come back.
I stopped and came back ready to tell him what happened.
“Principal Tate, I can explain” I said.
He had that “heard it all before” look on him.
“Oww! My stomach. I think my kidney’s burst.” Oh my gosh. I can’t believe this. It’s just so low!
Principal gave Andy a late pass and sent him to the nurse’s office.
“Oh, thank you Principal Tate,” Andy said with tears streaming down his face. “If you hadn’t come I think he would have killed me.”
Then he left with a sly smile in my direction and Principal Tate turned to me.
“Son, there ain’t no need fer yer excuses.” he said. “Ye obviously beat up Andy. Marcus-“
“Um, Mark, sir, please.” Even at a time like this, I had to correct him. Me and my big mouth.
“Do not innerrupt me!”
It was then that I decided I couldn’t win so what was the point in fighting?
“Marcus, yes I will call you by yer god-given-name, ye have suspension durin’ the course of which you will write a ten page uh-po-ler-gee letter te poor Andy. Boy what were ye thinkin’? Ah’ll be callin’ yer parents ‘n’ this will go on yer permanent record.”
I was so upset, I felt like crying!
At that moment I hated Andy Stevens more than I had ever hated anything in the world. Because of Andy Stevens, I was ruined. My perfectly clean record was now soiled by his awful deed. I would never get into Harvard or Cambridge. At least that’s what I thought then.
But that’s not going to happen because somehow, someday I will expose Andy Stevens for what he really is. A little sixth grade monster.

2008-10-16T17:50:00.000-07:00

Here's a short story I wrote for English class last week.

I’ve Been There
By Bernard Farquharson

I know what hell is. I’ve been there. Hell is war. Going to war is hell because no one comes back alive. No one. The excruciating pain, the sudden death, the pitiful, unheeded cries from brave, grown men. No one can come back from that abyss and be truly alive. They are dead. I am dead.
It’s funny. But not funny haha. It’s more wrong. It’s wrong that every teenager on my street wanted to go to war. They want to serve their country and be like Gordon Higgs down the block who valiantly raided a Japanese camp, killed ten Japs and found his way home to a brass medal of honor.
I was much too young to join but I wouldn’t be swayed. I put on a fake mustache and they took me in with open arms. Wishing me the best of luck. I was so excited that night. Ecstatic and eager to condemn myself to death. Ma and Pa tried to stop me but I didn’t care. I sneaked out late at night and hopped on the war wagon.
Ouch. It hurts. Lying here in the dark light of sundown, the growls and bellows of cannons and guns rock the ground beneath me. Me. Lying here in a pool of my on blood. A thirteen-year-old boy. What am I doing here? I force my mouth open or at least I think I do. No sound escapes. Where is all this blood coming from? Does it matter? They think I’m dead. They can’t hear me. I can’t hear me. I let my eyes shut. I’ve witnessed enough. Young men shot down in their prime. Mounds of bodies being used for cover. I open my eyes.
A soldier stops to rest two feet away. His eyes find my almost lifeless gaze. He takes in my fair boyish face, my flyaway brown hair Ma was so proud of, matted with blood. He sighs. “Such a waste.” I blink. He gasps. Reaches for me.
A splutter of fire. My savior falls. His lifeless eyes held any hope I had left in me. Crushed it. My tears finally flowed freely and mixed with the blood.
I wish it would end. I wish a stray bullet would just catch me. Release me. I miss my home. My fortress. My people. I wish I’d never left. I wish I had known. Why do they lie to us? No one would want this. I don’t want this. I wish I would die. I want to die. Goodbye Ma, Pa. Good-.
A flash.
Silence.
Peace.

HaiKHOO #1

2008-10-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a poem I just wrote for English class this week. If it rings a bell, that's because it was inspired by a short story that Amir wrote in The Kiterunner by Khaled Hosseini.

I have written haikus before but this is my first HaiKHOO.

Cup of Pearls
By Bernard Farquharson

There once was a man from Nur
Who was sadly just utterly poor,
'til one day he found
A cup on the ground
And went to the market next door.

When he took his new cup to the front
A man checked it and then gave a grunt
He quickly stood up
And said “Sir, this cup
Is worth less than a legless man’s punt.”

Walking home he felt very ashamed
And thought, “Well, who else can be blamed?”
Laid the cup on the peat
And wept in defeat
Then looked down and jumped up and exclaimed!

“What’s this in my cup that I see?
Like a sun at its highest degree.
It looks like a pearl
But then how in the world?
It is not, it should not, could it be?

And he wept again, this time with joy
Dancing ‘round his house like a young boy
So he danced and he cried
Until soon the tears dried
And he smiled at his favorite new toy.

Instead of a gem served with tears
He had pearls to last all of his years
So he cried a bit more
And went shopping galore
With his heart set on buying out Sears

He married a beautiful honey
Not the least of all ‘cause of his money
Kissed her parents “Adieu!”
To his mansion they flew
And the future looked bright fair and sunny.

But soon, thousands just weren’t enough,
And then millions were not up to snuff
He turned into a miser
His wife none the wiser
Then one day his eyes grew hard and tough.

The man however couldn't understand
Why his tear ducts couldn’t meet with his demand
They stopped working altogether
Which put him in stormy weather
So he shut himself inside his room and planned

And finally, overcome by lust and greed
He committed a most dastardly deed.
He took a chopping knife
And sliced the head right off his wife
Thinking grief would be exactly what he’d need.

Sure enough he started to cry
Made a pile of pearls seven feet high
Soon they filled up the whole room
Sealed his fate and sealed his doom,
And he drowned in the pearls; yes he died.

The moral I will now reveal
Is to never want more than is real
But one thing I don’t see
Is to cry why didn’t he
Cut an onion and then sniff the peel?

2008-10-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

I just had a thought. It is almost Halloween and i have absolutely no ideas on what to be.
I'm fourteen now and it's hard to find a good costume. Something scary and cool.
Any ideas? Here's my favorite so far

Orlando Trip

2008-08-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone.

It is hurricane season here in not-so-sunny-just-now Bahamas. We have two storms lined uip off the coast and are picking up after one. First of all, Hanna passed through Thursday night and just caused a lot of wind. We had to pick up some leaves and sticks in the yard but other than that we're all find.

Now Ike (pictured above) is a completely different story. As you may be able to see, Nassau is just east of florida (the turtlehead) in the upper yellow area which means we will be feeling some effects of this category 3 hurricane! From MSNBC's tracker it looks like we wont feel anything but i would put more trust in NOAA which says that we will feel the effects of at least a category 1 hurricane. Sadly New Orleans will be hit full on when Ike is a category 4 hurricane!!!

(Funnily enough, one of my classmates, Stephanie Baran, evacuated from Nassau to Miami, Florida but she will probably be back soon because everyone from Ft. Lauderdale down is being evacuated!)

Enough with the doom and gloom, I still havent talked about my trip to Orlando. I went to disney world and sea world which were both very fun even though the entire time we were being drenched by tropical storm, excuse me, hurricane fay. At Sea World I went on the Kraken which is a HUGE rollercoaster that does loop-de-loops, corskrews and flips. Check out one of the videos on the sidebar.

I'm Back

2008-08-07T07:37:00.001-07:00

Ok, I have to keep this short. I am in Elgin, Illinois. I just left my summer camp three days ago. It was amazing but i will talk about that later. Right now I am about to go into Chicago proper for the day.

I would like to thank my mom for posting on my blog while I was technologically deprived.

Well I have to go, I'll probably post again when I get home to the Bahamas.

It's great to be able to post again. Stay tuned!

Web called ...

2008-07-28T13:38:00.000-07:00

Web called yesterday in good spirits, he has made a new friend from Shanghai who is also a Baha'i. Wants you all to check out a performer called Sumi Jo who performed at Interlochen last night. She is a Grammy award winning South Korean lyric coloratura soprano known for her interpretations of the bel canto repetoire; a singing actor pianist, I think if Bernard could have his way, this is what he would wish to be. He's got one more week of camp and laments that after such camaraderie with his new friends, it is a shame that they have to part so soon.

My imagination

2008-07-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

Everywhere I go

I take my time and look

At things all around me

On whichever path I took

But the best thing to look at

Are the sights right in my head

My imagination is so vast

So big and so widespread

Snowmen in the summer

In my best friend’s small backyard

And swimming in the winter

Diving for playing cards

Walking on the clouds

Or anywhere you please

Maybe watching clouds go by

While you glide on the breeze

Whenever I’m kind of bored

Or I’ve got nothing to do

I disappear into my mind

And go somewhere totally new

Bernard Farquharson 2005

Update from Web

2008-07-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

Just spoke to Web this morning after a long spell of silence attributable to a hectic schedule of classes and practise during the day, concerts and performances during the evenings, no internet access and limited phone access. He is alive and kicking. Yesterday, his master piano class was conducted by concert pianist Jon Nakamatsu who is performing a concert at Interlochen tonight. He's also enjoying his Intro to Theatre elective this summer and is learning lots of interesting acting techniques to practise on us upon his return.
I have to admit that it was hard not to call the school after day 5 of silence but we restrained ourselves and waited until day 6 when we broke down and sent an email to his camp counsellor ... but in this case no news was good news so we are once again on even keel of yellow alert. On behalf of Web, thanks for visiting and please come again :)

Digging deeper

2008-07-23T04:11:00.000-07:00

Have you ever scratched the surface?

Have you ever wondered why?

Is there life in space?

Why is there blue in the sky?

Ten percent of our brain

Is all we ever use.

I mean it’s okay, it’s normal,

I’m not trying to accuse.

Have you ever searched,

For the meaning of things?

For where the ocean goes,

Or how a telephone rings.

If we all looked further,

Who is the Grim Reaper?

We could find so many things.

Shouldn’t we all dig deeper?

Bernard Farquharson 2006

I Am Thankful ...

2008-07-21T20:07:00.000-07:00

I am thankful
for many things;
for being alive
when the alarm clock rings;
for all my family
sitting around the table at breakfast
when we chow down.
For all my skills;
piano and smarts,
for my soccer skills (well ... no)
and I am okay at arts.
I am very thankful for my close friends
Brandon, Kristoph and Theo J.
The list never ends
Ethan, Cynthia and Gerrick
who happens to be my cousin too.
They're always there to make me smile
when I am sad or blue.
I am thankful for
the roof that sits above my head.
I am grateful for the clothes on my back,
and my warm and comfy bed.
I am thankful for enough to eat ...
never starved before.
There's always been enough for me
and usually more and more.
There's more each and every time
but sadly it has come to this;
I'm out of words to rhyme!
Bernard Farquharson 2008

Web in absentia

2008-07-15T17:37:00.000-07:00

Web is safely ensconced at Interlochen arts camp. He left Nassau on Sunday morning in the care of American Eagle and arrived safely at his final destination after 7 nail-bitingly long hours of waiting on our part. He had a great trip, he had to wait for his bags which came on a later flight but other thank that all went well.
Yesterday was a day of auditions and registration so classes started today. He's already met up with two of his cabin mates; Jack and Tony from last summer and is already making some new friends. The boy who sleeps on the top bunk of his double-decker is from Alaska, a fitting foil to our Bahamian Boy!
He sounds really happy but misses posting on his blog, so he has generously allowed me to keep it going while he is away. Keep those comments coming as I will convey them to him each day along with his clustermap and sitemeter numbers!

One more Day

2008-07-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

I leave tomorrow!! I almost finished packing. Today I got a haircut. It is so low i can almost forget i have hair now. I can hardly wait till my trip.

Check out these pirates of the carribean bloopers i found. They are very funny. They are located on the video bar at the bottom of the page not at the sidebar. Check out my Clustermap. I have people clicking on my blog from England, India, and Australia!

The future looks bright!

2008-07-11T11:24:00.000-07:00

I hit 100 page views yesterday!!! I think I'm at 108 now. But sadly I'm leaving on Sunday for Interlochen (see earlier blog posts from last year) and I won't be able to post for 3 weeks. I hope everyone who comes to visit my blog don't stop. I'll be back with pictures and stories about interlochen.
Also, around late September I will be getting an Apple Mac Laptop from my school that has a built in webcam so I can take a picture and put it on my blog in 2 simple steps. Take the pic then drag it onto the blog. Isn't that cool?

Innoworks

2008-07-08T21:18:00.000-07:00

On June 27th, I went to a meeting at Colina for the Innoworks camp. I had just been at Atlantis, so i hopped into the car, drove over the bridge and went to this meeting. They introduced us to our director, Peter Blair, our sponsors, and our mentors. Then we had some food and went home. Well, most of us went home, I went to Atlantis. Haha. On Monday, June 30th, I went to Colina and got on the bus with some people i would soon get to know and love. (Yeah right, it was only 5 days). The bus took us to St. Andrews School. Mr. Robert Wade, the principal of St. Andrews School was opening his school to the Innoworks camp so we could use their amazing labs. On the first day I met my teammates, T. Crystal Fountain, Talbot Mckinney, Alonzo Austin, and Tyvonia Adderley. My team captain was Danielle Turnquest. We had a lot of fun. My teammates were really cool. Crystal was a bit annoying, Talbot was funny (We called him Tally) Alonzo was nice, and Tyvonia was really shy. Danielle was the best. Each day we went to a different area of science. Body Expeditions (Biology), Extreme Biomes (Technology), Flight and Fury (Flight) and Extraterrestrial Excursions. In extraterrestrial we launched rockets and made robots.
Check out the video in the sidebar I found of a LEGO MINDSTORM robot solving a rubix cube. It is a bit slow but it's worth it. We built a LEGO MINDSTORM robot but it was nowhere near as high-tech as this. The second one is better!
Then on Saturday we had our open house. We showed all our parents what we did and had some fun shooting rockets into the sky. I got soaked with vinegar.
At the award ceremony I recieved Most Valuable Player on my team and my team won first prize out of the twelve teams in the camp!
Web, signing off

Performance pressure is a very real thing!

2008-07-08T12:46:00.001-07:00

As you may already know I play the piano.

This year I changed piano teachers. I now study under Jai Kim. She is a great pianist and musician. She has a club called the Ars Nova Musical Outreach Program. This club has about 20 or so members including me. We have to study every day for at least an hour. This may seem like a lot but there are teenagers out there practicing 8 hours a day! A brilliant British pianist I know, Benjamin Grosvenor, practices for 8 hours. We had a piano concert on June 7th. It was great. I played Bach's Invention #1 in F major, Rhapsody by Margaret Wigham, and A Chopsticks Theme and Variations Duet. The duet I played with my teacher, Mrs. Kim. I will try to get a video of the performance and post it.

Oh dear!

2008-07-06T06:52:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe I haven't posted anything on my blog in over half a year! I apologize profusely to all (if any) of my adoring fans who have bit their nails clean off waiting for me to post.

Ok, that sounds big-headed but it was a joke, I swear!

Well, I've been quite busy the last seven months. It started with the math competition actually.

1,400 students from all over the Bahamas in grades 4-12 came to COB (College of the Bahamas) and took a written math test about 6 pages long. Then 30 of those 1,400 moved on to the finals. 10 kids from each grade group, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12. I was a finalist in the 7-9 group. At our finals, we sat at desks in front of a screen that displayed our questions. I got 8 questions right out of 10 so i won. I got a nice HP Pavillion Desktop that i am posting from right now.

web signing out

2007-12-26T07:45:00.000-08:00

DAIRY QUEEN IS GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For some reason, Dairy Queen has been taken away from us in the Bahamas. The one at the plaza on Cable Beach was shut down as well as the one at Harbor Bay. I'm not sure about the one at Town Center Mall but I think it's down too.

Let us all remember Dairy Queen and ... Oh look at that. My mouth is watering.

It is a sad day for Nassau, Bahamas and it's citizens. Especially Jason Williams

My Summer Travels 3

2007-12-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

Chapter 3: Fitting in.

Alright, I'm gonna overlap a bit. Last time I told you I helped Joe Eisele get a few of his errands done but that was the next day, Sunday. On Saturday, after I got to Interlochen, my dad and I got my stuff and met some of the teachers I thought I would have. Turns out I would never take that class but anyway. Then my dad left (boo hoo). We headed over to the cafeteria and ate dinner. By the way the cafeterias are really nice. After that we played some ping pong and I learned tether-ball then went home and went to bed. Not a bad day, eh?

Next day, I helped Joe get ready for Interlochen, you know, taking care of forms and getting his uniform. Then we went together to do our auditions. This was about 3:00. Then, it was time for the opening ceremony at Kresge. Kresge is the big performance hall on the main campus where a lot of big performances take place such as Bob Dylan, Guster, and Collage.

This thing was huge! We walked in with our IBL sign which stands for Intermediate Boys Lakeside. There were about a hundred or so Intermediate boys and three hundred Intermediate s. There were High School kids too and in the middle were the juniors. Behind us were the students and then family, friends, and guests. When everyone was settled there were about three thousand people crammed into the place and then it started.

So first the president came onstage and welcomed everyone and there were some small introductions and (oh wait, president of Interlochen. not the united states.) a dance number too. Then, my favorite part. The president told us he was going to call out certain things such as boys, piano, theatre and if these things have anything to do with you, you stand up and cheer. So he said boys, s, women, men, piano, organ, guitar, violin, viola, intermediate boys, intermediate s, high school s, high school boys etc. I stood up for the ones I belonged to like boys, piano, intermediate boys, and new people. Then he said he was going to call out the countries and when you hear your country, you should stand up and show some patriotism. Amazingly, the Bahamas was first so I stood up and cheered but I was the only one. Everything was quiet for a second, then I started cheering again and the crowd went wild.

Ooooh, I've always wanted to say that.

So yeah, that was cool. After that when I met anyone it was

"Hey, you're that Bahamian kid!"

Web Signing Off

My Summer Travels 2

2007-11-27T17:36:00.000-08:00

Chapter 2: Getting ready and the trip (to Interlochen) [duh]

When I told my teacher I made it, she put me in the newspaper. I was pretty excited until I saw the picture that she put in. I looked like I wanted to kill someone. Just joking, Mrs. Fawkes. It was probably the best one anyway. So, anyway my trip was publicized and you wouldn't believe how many people saw it. I was at my friend Heather's 13 birthday party and this guy who used to go to my school, Ondre Cargill, congratulated me. I hadn't seen him in like a year. Thanks Ondre, by the way.

(Oh yeah, I don't know what kind of mood I was in when I posted that vegetables thing.)

Moving on, a few weeks later, I got a bunch of forms to sign. Wow, those were tedious. There were, cabin life forms, uniform forms, (he he that rhymes, sorta) health forms (that one was big) travel forms, instrument rental forms, and lots more. Anyway, so I filled in all those forms and sent them off.

Then it was quiet for a little while. We got ready for summer at school and finished up everything. I packed everything, unpacked everything, repacked everything, lost some stuff, then found them again. All in all, i was ready when it was time to go.

It's June 22 2007, It's the last day of school and we're having a little party in grade 7. Mrs. Foote is moving so she is giving out some of her stuff. Then we had the prize giving and I got quite a few certificates and a nice literary award trophy. Then that afternoon at 4:00, my dad and I headed to the airport. We said goodbye and flew to Chicago and stayed the night. We then drove for SIX hours to Traverse City which was the hardest drive of my life but I was so excited when I got there because, well you know i was there!

The first thing I did was I headed to my division, Intermediate Boys. I registered at the headquarters then headed to my cabin, Cabin 9 ironically. Baha'i joke. Anyway, I met about three of my cabin mates, Alex Rosenberg, he slept above me, Tony Macht, and Ethan Campbell. I think some of the other guys were there but I don't remember.

Once I got settled and unpacked, my dad and I drove to the main campus to get my uniform and look around. We went to Melody Freeze which is the ice cream place there. We saw Kresge Stadium which was huge! It was where a lot of the performances were held.

Later, we headed back to the division and I headed back to my cabin. We had dinner and then a kid joined us. His name was Joseph Eisele. He was a bit late so the next day I helped him register and everything.

The next day, We hung out and got to know each other. Some of us headed to main campus to check out the rest of campus. That night, we had the opening ceremony.

he he Cliffhanger.

Web Signing off

Oh, by the way, I'm gonna make my posts shorter from now on so I can post more frequently

Web Signing off for real this time.

My Summer Travels

2007-11-04T12:15:00.000-08:00

Chapter 1: Applying for Interlochen

I guess it started about a year ago when the 2007 Interlochen application forms became available. I decided to apply since I was too late for 2006. Interochen Arts Camp is a place for young aspiring artists. And, when I say artists I mean any kind of art. There's what you normally think of when you hear art, visual arts like painting, sculpting, or drawing. Then, there's music, photography, creative writing, drama. And even foreign languages! The place is full of talented kids who'll blow you away!

So I applied for an Intermediate Boys Session A Piano major 2007 slot. But first I had to record two of my best piano pieces of contrasting style. I played "Rhumba Toccatta" and "O Danny Boy" Ask me to play them some time. But beware, I'm a bit rusty. So I practiced until my hands fell off and my mom had to put salt on it and sew them back on. Around January, I was ready so I took my music, myself, and my anxiety to a recording studio to record my pieces. This was because we tried to record it with a tape recorder but it was very staticky. Finally, I sent the CD with my two works of art to the school in February.

I'll tell you it was about eight weeks before I heard anything from Interlochen. Then one day, I asked my dad if we could stop at the post office and see if we had received an news from Interlochen for about the seventy-eighth time. We went and indeed there was a letter in the box with the now all-to-familiar Interlochen logo. As we were driving away I opened. Right on the roundabout I read "Dear Mr.Wayne Bernard Farquharson, We are pleased to tell you that you have been accepted to Interlochen Arts Camp. We are able to contribute $500 to your fee."

I am embarrassed to say that I screamed like a little girl. I think the whole of Indigo must have heard. I express sincere apologies to the Illing family who own Indigo if I broke any china.

That concludes this segment of My Summer Travels. Join me next time when I warn you of the tediousness of filling out camp forms. There are just too many.

Web, signing off

Somewhere to begin

2007-09-03T02:03:00.000-07:00

Hello readers!

My name is Wayne Erold Bernard Khoo Farquharson. My family , friends, and family friends call me Bernard . My grandfather is the Malaysian blogger Bernard Khoo otherwise known as zorro. His blog is zorro unmasked - revealing anything swept under the carpet and unmasking the sweepers. Check it out sometime. He may just put someone you know in the mexican gas chamber. (unlikely considering he deals mostly with malaysian dunderheads)

I am a mixed kid, half Malaysian and half Bahamian, living in the Bahamas. I have two small brothers aged 2 and 5. I am 13 and I have been playing the piano for 6 years. I went to a camp called Interlochen Arts Camp, based at Interlochen Center for the Arts. The place is amazing but more about that later. I go to Tambearly School and I am in grade 8.

In retrospect, if you're reading this you probably know most of that already.

Now i may be talking a lot about myself but that is not what my blog is about. I'm just introuducing myself to my audience. I will talk about what I want, whenever I want and however I want. Unless of course it's past my bedtime or it's illegal.

Anyone who is reading this, tell your friends about my blog. People you like, people you hate. Any intelligent life that can read! Until next time...

Web, signing off