"The Weight of One's Sword"

There's this scene in Rave Master where the hero is tested if he is worthy to bear the titular title. Basically, the moral of it is that unless you fight for a true, strong reason, you can never win.

Not this scene though. Just thought it looked cool.

Likewise, in Samurai X, there's a scene where after a fight, the hero says something along the lines of "those that fight for pleasure can never defeat those that fight from the heart".

Again, not this scene. Just looks cool.

Interest in sword-fighting manga series aside, maybe that's why my tenure as the school captain got tougher in the later months. Still reeling from the blow from mid-years, I was a bit ill-conditioned to deal with increasingly hostile opposition from malignant parties. Despair became the word of the day, and if not for some of the fun events at the time, depression would have taken complete hold.

Then came Monthly Test 2, and the lost hope started to return. There was a bit of soul-searching too at this point. In short, I rediscovered my reason. And just like in the stories mentioned above, it's a more powerful driving force than doing things for fun. Finally, freed from despair, and with the succession of the next generation of prefects last Monday, this week I've felt much better than I've had in a long time.

In the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, there's this little doohickey that supposedly keeps things invisible by generating an SEP field - "Somebody Else's Problem". This week I've taken that approach to help keep the mind clear. Those malignant parties, their fates, the resentment, the pressures, it's all "Somebody Else's Problem" now. I've also determined to eliminate most reminders of the sorrow and pain. Like the song says, "I'm laying them down for the joy of the Lord". Now, what were we talking about again?

Reverting to a familiar old name tag. All in the name of sanity and mental health.

Well, the week's almost up, and with it the month too. School's off for the next week, though considering trials, or "the Showdown" are immediately the week after, I'm not looking to going anywhere. And none of that "power-study" nonsense from two years ago - Studying is best done at home, not in some faraway park.

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I joked in class that this year, the theme for Merdeka is "Maaf Zahir dan Batin". Alas, no one got it. Doesn't anyone understand humour these days?... Eh, anyway, "Selamat Hari Merdeka Aidilfitri!", or "Selamat Hari Raya Merdeka!", or is it "Selamat Hari Merdeka Raya!" ?...