2013 had witnessed the snake zigzag all the way. Sometimes, it lifted its head, wondering what the future could bring to the present. Sometimes, it rested in the middle way, expecting the blurring roads could be clearer. These moments, temporarily speaking, were quite tormenting. However, I am 100% for sure that it would play an irreplaceable role in the long run. I’d learned to pursue something that once lost we would regret for the rest of our lives. I begin to conceive my future self in a more humble way. More significantly, the broadening and narrowing of roads now could be more reasonable and practical. Whatever regrets that had been left in 2013 would be a stronger stimulus for the upcoming 2014. The year of snake, for me, was a year much of contemplation. I, more than once, was cornered to the only-one-question zone: WHAT am I going to do next? Thanks for the movie The Croods and the topic song Shine Your Way. I don’t have to wait my roads to be clear any more. For our hearts know the answers for sure, we just need to feed the feelings in our heart. We don’t have to fear darkness any longer for the only thing we need to do is to start a fire from a spark. As for 2014, imaginations keep swarming up. I expect to make a fortune and I am desperate to make the vow with my future-to-be in the face of friends, siblings, and parents. Above all, I’d like to send my best wishes to those who care about me and those whom I love. Hopefully, the wishes and fancies could be turned into reality by hard working. The snake had been crawling throughout 2013, wandering, resting, and forwarding. It is time to jump to the horse and take the ride to tomorrow!

Just before the dawn, When the light's still gone, Shine, shine your way, And you may not know, where to go, Shine, shine your way Open road but it's still dark, Build a fire from a spark, And shine, shine your way, Feed the feeling in your heart, Don't conceal it then you'll start, To find, find your way No one can stop, what has begun, You must believe when I say All of your tears will dry faster in the sun, Starting today, Shine, shine, shine, Shine your way There's an open sky, And a reason why, You shine, shine your way, There's so much to learn, And now it's your turn, To shine, shine your way There's a feeling deep inside, You can let it be your guide, To find, find your way, And there's no time for us to waste, Got to take a leap of faith, And fly, fly away Don't have to walk, Now you can run, Nothing can get in your way All of your tears will dry faster in the sun, Starting today, Shine, shine, shine, Shine your way Morning is breaking, Darkness is fading, We found a way to the light, It's such a beautiful sight Anytime, anywhere, Turn around and I'll be there, To shine, shine your way Like a star burning bright, Lighting up the darkest night, I'll shine, shine your way Now I can see, You are the one, Sent here to show me the way All of your tears will dry faster in the sun, Starting today, Shine, shine, shine, We're on our way, Shine, shine, shine, That's what we say, Shine, shine, shine, Shine your way There's a reason why You shine, shine your way All of our tears will dry faster in the sun Shine your way ---------- My fellow bloggers, it's a great honor to share this great song with you. I get to know this song from the cartoon "The Croods". The movie is quite magnificent, especially when it is tuned with "Shine your way" at the end. Watching this film in person and to taste and digest the lyrics of the song again and again are highly recommanded. Hopefully, the story, together with the song, will help those who are lost to fight a way forward!!!

Never before had I predicated that one day I would have a try to depict the one out by words, because I quite doubt the possibility of rendering every single detail of the fancied one out, especially when it comes to something that needs to be felt by heart, something that is unspeakable. Hopefully, those general and yet tiny parts would make for a complete sketch. Be filial. Be athletic. Whatever kind of sport or kinds of sports is OK. Be thoughtful. Be her true self. Be adventurous. . . . . Endless list goes on. Well, I guess the “try” failed

Gones, Goings, and To-goes For years, I’ve been waiting for the right moment to dissect my past-self. I’ve been wondering what on earth had finally shaped me as the present-self? What could be changed and what could not? How am I supposed to be on the right track? Scattering threads just keep swarming up, fogging my pinhead to nowhere. Hopefully, those vague words would picture me as what I had been and what I am now, pulling the wools up to wave a bright future. Gone Days Those off-days were always filled with happiness and sorrow, rains and sunshine. Sometimes, in my face was abundant radiance. Smiling helped me fight against the evil. It charged to the fullest. More often than lot, rains were too much. I might be flooded by troubles, pains, and sorrow. Luckily, one thing was certain for sure. I was gradually able to divert those “rains”. Troubles could be cut up into “t-r-o-u-b-l-e-s”. Pains were switched into “gains”, there was no such thing as “sorrow” so long as we were growing. At the cost of suffering, I gradually fought my way back to the track. Ongoing Days Days which are waving goodbye to us are the most precious and yet the most mysterious. It is a “present” but always hot. All the past days were present days once, but most of us regretted more than once that they had missed the “present”. To leave no regrets for future-past-days, we must reflect on the already gone-days, learn from it and sail out again. Any sluggishness or negligence would finally lead us to deep woods. We would be gradually lost, confused, and finally stuck among trees. For such youngsters as me, relatively abundant time and energy might excuse us for a while but not for all. Constant studying, on the other hand, could offer us a short cut. The only weapon to fight forward is the accumulation of both past experience and updated knowledge. Hopefully, I would live by the school motto: diligence; ambition; decisiveness; and loyalty. To-go Days For the upcoming days, I am at a loss as what to say. However, I am one hundred percent sure that a requiring mind would eventually be paid back. God helps those who help themselves. I am struggling to be one of “those”! My fellow readers, please do forgive my messy ideas and be patient!

Trust can never be given, it is earned. Likewise, face can never be saved, it can only be “washed”. In reality, in order to appear respectable, graceful, and superior, most people strain them too hard to fake a “can” from “cannot”, to force a smile from a crying heart, and to cast themselves high in the air with no base. However, one day, faked “cans” would wear off. Forced smiles would die away and manned “high” would fall. Such respect, grace, or superiority endures no time. Unfortunately, admit it or not, the “Saving Face Complex” has deeply rooted both individually and socially in our mind. Considerations about social status, step-backs in being afraid of making mistakes and hesitations about giving true ideas will suffice for illustration. One year’s post-graduate life has brought me hundreds of live stories where college or university graduates ended up in job hunting dilemma. Of course, I’m no exception. On the one hand, we inject too much anticipation in our job: high salaries, less work, and most importantly “being face-ful”. On the other hand, we are too shabby in our “ability account”. To get our face saved, we get ourselves “locked up”. Still, mistake, as part of who we are, has long been deemed as a face-killer. Thousands of innovations must have been stifled in minds, at the cost of which, we smugly crown ourselves “face-savers”. Another case in point might be a “yes-now-but-no-later” promise. To live up to peers’ expectations, or to be exact, to please people around, most people would unwillingly put on a willing mask and promise something beyond their reach. Probably, we have long been taking the opposite direction. It is us who should be “saved” and as long as we stay “alive”, we have plenty of opportunities to actually erase “n-o-t” from “cannot”. For a heartfelt smiling, we earn a lifetime to fight for. As for the “high”, our efforts would one day pile up, providing us a true stage where we get nothing to worry about.