Momenta | Teen Ink

Momenta

May 20, 2008
By Anonymous

1

(In both movies--Windstruck and My Sassy Girl, that is--exists a lovely character who shall be known as Kyung-jin.Guess that means the two films are prequel and sequel of each other.
And we place the two films on a split screen and watch as older and younger versions of the same long-haired girl laugh and cry.)

It would certainly be helpful if, as Jamie glanced at James for the very first time, some faint light in a far-off galaxy would awaken and brighten up the entire sky from its corner of the world. Then, surely, their future and the inevitable and the likely would all be illuminated, and they will no longer stumble around in the darkness.

This light could be called "Fate."

But there must have been an eclipse, because there was no divine light in the preschool playroom and Jamie, uncapped orange juice in sweaty left hand, stumbled over the foam mats and spilled its citrus contents all over James' new green shirt.

As James' knuckles-cracking figure towered over Jamie's whimpering form, so began the twelve-year rivalry.

Unfortunately, because of the fact that they were classmates-ever-since-preschool, James and Jamie were obliged to engage in many projects as partners, thanks to unoriginal teachers. Of course, conversation was much avoided on Jamie's part, in fear of provoking crude retorts and sarcastic remarks fueled by the Grudge of the Green Shirt --

But social interactions still occurred from time to time, and disagreements were abundant.

"Shut up! Why should I care about what you have to say? You ruined my shirt!" An eight-year-old James would declare, backed up by perfect third grade logic.

A seven-and-a-half-year-old Jamie would then proceed to tearfully tattle to the teacher, who would, while drinking her tea with her little finger sticking up,tactically tell Jamie to just resolve it amongst themselves.

Then eight more grudge-and-misery-filled years passed.

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(If the Kyung-jin from My Sassy Girl glanced at her right-- would she see her other-self across the split screen?Perhaps she, feeling sympathetic towards the struggles of her younger self, would cross the dividing thin line into Windstruck.
And she would say, "Despite whatever you're struggling with, everything will be alright--trust me!" to her counterpart.
And perhaps, to the younger Kyung-jin as she stared at the beautiful woman before her, the events that were revealed by her older self could also be considered as--
"Fate.")

The myriad of conflicts inspired by the Grudge of the Green Shirt can be collectively known ad the JJ Sih-Jieh, courtesy of the Cantonese-speaking best friend, who also ended said conflicts by pushing Jamie down the stairwell and into James, frustrated that they are "oblivious of their love for each other."

There was no love--at the time. But Jamie did receive a broken jaw and James, a broken leg. Two weeks were spend in neighboring hospital beds--and hormones happened.

Looking back now, preschool Jamie probably had no idea the bully guy who picked on her and made everything miserable would, 12 years later, make her the happiest girl on earth.

And perhaps, if Jamie, too, could see through the Matrix and cross over the split screen, she could say, "Don't cry! I know James is really mean, but everything will get better! We'll all live happily ever after!" to her younger self.

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Because those twelve years spent prior to this were utter hell for Jamie.

So a strand of hope in the form of a prophecy would make everything all fine and dandy, wouldn't it!

But--

4

I love you. The long, overdue confession.

And then, perhaps in a split screen of the original split screen, Jamie's future counterpart would glance over, and comment, "Cliche. Cheesy." and other cynical sounding adjectives. How foolish were they to think that something as whimsical as this could last forever!

(But wait a minute, it's not fair to just call My Sassy Girl a continuation of Windstruck, isn't it? Though they still maintained the same protagonist, she had grown up and so have the people around her. There were new characters and agendas are marked with a different colored pen and different events passed by with varying velocity. They are two utterly different worlds.)

Then it wouldn't matter if present-tense Jamie traveled back to reveal to preschool Jamie that, indeed, the guy she spilled orange juice all over will be the love of her life a decade later.

And it certainly wouldn't matter if future Jamie spoiled her unhappy endings for her younger self.

As divine as the prophetic light is, surely it cannot pierce the the deepest part of a heart, because that's what truly decides the future. We all have our own separate past present future, for even an impulse could change momentum. We light our own candles and we'll take small steps to write our own stories. It's a difficult process and I will stumble from time to time-- but right now, I'm okay.

And if life is composed of little shining moment like this--it most definitely is--and I live for the now instead of fidgeting over the things to come...

I think I will be alright.

5

Let me light up the sky.
--Yellowcard


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