Page 3 of Metamorphosis

HYPOCRISY.

  By Suri

  Sorry for the out-of-the-norm post today. A recent occurrence prompts me to think about something out of my usual subject, but don’t worry, I will resume my beauty posts later on. But for now, I wonder…what do you think of hypocrites? You thought that they are made of sunshine and sugar, but what if they are actually made of rain and salt? Or it claimed to be made of such high quality, but instead, it’s just a cheap knock-off?

  I’ll be frank and admit that I think I’ve been conned by one of my favorite stores. It did disappoint me at first, but later on, I don’t want to cause such a scene and let it slide. Everyone made a stupid mistake sometimes, but what about hypocrisy? They tend to constantly live in a façade they are not, what are your thoughts on it?

  Well, I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been a hypocrite once in my life, and I hope I’m not alone to say that every human has at least experienced living in a hypocrite’s shoes…at least for a second.

  There were those moments, those times when lying was crucial. And even if that wasn’t our intention, sometimes, it was inevitable.

  But what is it that truly confined hypocrites to be amongst the lowest human beings in the planet? Is it due to their pretentious ability of draining the trust and faith that was once built lovingly by the one who cares? Really, to have the truth slapped on your face must have felt as if a stub knife was stabbing you from the back.

  Nevertheless, before any of you would lunge forward and attack the poseurs with your very own cunning words of wisdom, let us take a deep breath and think it through before making any hasty action.

  Everyone deserves a second chance, and everything has a reason, whether you believe it or not. If you live your life sincerely, then sincere is what you’ll get. Perhaps tomorrow, perhaps somewhere far in the future, but providing you didn’t end your life till then, big chance you will experience it.

  For now, I just need to convince myself that it’s fine to wear a meta knock-off.

  You need not understand that.

  Until then, bye bye!

  Nadirah couldn’t remember how she had gotten a non-paying job at the internet, much less a site that dealt with the youth of today, but she liked it anyway, because it provoked the creative thinking out from her secluded mind. If she couldn’t utter it aloud, she might as well write it down.

  She enjoyed the internet life. At least here, she could become her true self instead of relishing her hypocrite manner. At least here, people were listening to her, and she wouldn’t know if they were secretly tearing up or burning with rage. That was a good thing.

  Funny how an internet persona wasn’t supposed to reflect the real you, but Nadirah wasn’t ashamed to admit that her online identity was more Nadirah than Nadirah in real life.

  Confusing, and she was certain that no one could understand it.

  She wasn’t planning to let anyone know about this secret avocation, though.

  It wasn’t as if she knew the real identity of the staffs here anyway. Admittedly, she had been employed for over a year, and she truly remembered the condition of the site when she first laid her eyes on it, which was honestly…crappy and cheap. Low hits, crappy designs, free site, and pretty much…dead.

  The columns intrigued her however, and despite the inferior exterior, the dishes were unexpectedly scrumptious. The site covered quite almost everything, ranging from the latest music in Africa to the blockbuster hit from Germany, from the life of a ghost-hunter to the method of tightlining your upper eyelids.

  She had decided that she wanted to be a part of the staff after reading the ingenious entries, and she was supremely blithe when she was hired that she didn’t mind how the routine had taken up half of her life.

  It wasn’t as if that particular half of life consisted of anything educational anyway.

  She lived her days watching her beloved site grew, from a small free site to a prepaid site, out in the recycle bin were the hideous graphics, and into the codes were the new fashionable ones, replaced skillfully by the talented graphic designers, programmed neatly by the perceptive webmasters. They gained more hits as they advertised their site in various forums, and by discussing about the current matters of the world, they had firmly established their foundation in the hectic virtual world.

  Before she knew it, the site had gone exclusively trendy to the point that the readers were deemed chic and stylish.

  Or maybe it was because the site provided a weekly review for the current trendiest show for teenagers.

  That might be it.

  She didn’t care. At least she was part of the trendy staff.

  The staff had always been her second family, and she was proud to have the pleasure of knowing them all, despite the absence of face to match the name.

  Well, that wasn’t quite true, for there were a couple of names that had helpfully provided a face to match their witty column, yet the ratio of that to the rest of the staff wasn’t the least remarkable—

  Her eyes went rigid on the computer as she scanned the heading, her lips tempted to stretch and spew the mirth out of her system.

  Metamorphosis.

  She was definitely taking the advice too far, yet she couldn’t help it. It had somehow become a habit of hers to notice anything that concerned a butterfly.

  METAMORPHOSIS, WHAT LIES BEYOND THE SCIENTIFIC NAME?

  By xyru

  Metamorphosis is definitely an infamous term, known worldwide as the spectacular transformation of a small creature into a positively enthralling new creation. Magical, enigmatical, yet if we were to live in the 15th Century, the age where knowledge in science were limited and the entire world was engulfed in the practice of mysterious energy, no doubt the process of transformation will be counted as black magic. That wondered me greatly; would we burn all these butterflies? Will they bear the same fate as Joan of Arc? I sure hope we wouldn’t be as foolish and cruel.

  Butterflies, history…it couldn’t get any better than that.

  Who could have thought that a single, slimy worm could evolve into a much inspiring piece of art in the form of a butterfly, fluttering away in front of our faces with its delicate grace? Whereas its old counterpart was scorned upon, prompted it to humbly escort itself out from the open. The ability of changing has definitely inspired many young teenagers out there, all for the sake of maximizing their life, and I have heard a lot of those stories—from a girl who shrunk herself from XXL to XS, to a guy who fought against his weakness and was suddenly on the top of his game—the list could go on forever. How great it’d be if our transformation is received by all humans alike, and how awesome it’d be if we could undergo our own metamorphosis as well. But I wouldn’t dwell much thought into this, since I believe this is the wrong section. (We should leave all these transformation things to Suri. She’s the expert.)

  Nadirah let out an unbelievable snort, secretly flushed at the honorary mention of her name.

  She liked when others acknowledged her virtual presence; it made her all warm and cozy inside. But that statement was definitely misleading, since she was in no way an expert in transforming a slimy worm into a beautiful butterfly.

  Well, maybe she was, exteriorly speaking.

  Regardless of us changing the image drastically like the bug, or subtly underneath the persona, I am led to believe that each of us will experience metamorphosis one time or another. So why don’t we take the chance to reconsider and explore to our heart content?

  Why do we change? What is the core that triggers the other side of us?

  Have you wondered?

  If you do, then I’d love to hear all about it, and I’m also here if you need a third-person opinion.

  All emails are disclosed from the public, only revealed to the staff so rest assured, your secret is safe with us. Unless it is your desire to publicize the matter, then we would gladly oblige.

  So take this chance to reevaluate yourself, and do tell me about your surprising findings.

  Honestl
y, Nadirah didn’t think that she had experienced any of those life-changing moments, except maybe for the sudden awakening of her Lolita sixth sense, which she still doubted whether it was truly Lolita or something else entirely. But now that she gave it much of a thought, the amount of big changes in her life conjured up to…none.

  Unless they counted the change of personality that she purposely did in order to satisfy the swinging moods of others, then yes. But it wasn’t positive, at least not to her, so that didn’t sound plausible. If we were to consider the minimal ones, well, let’s just say that as much as Sherlock Holmes loved the trivial details, she wasn’t one to snoop over miniscule matters.

  If there were anyone who loved to snoop over trifle things, it would be Ty, who was one of her closest friends in the site, who was coincidentally the administrator of the site, who was also, the hotshot writer on the site.

  She scrolled down the page, clicked his name and read his latest entry.

  Famous celebrity went astray

  By Ty

  M nose has been snooping around, and scooped around it has, just in time to hear a certain celebrity went to a dreadful state of MIA! Which could only mean that he’s either eloping with a forbidden lover, or discreetly owes a huge amount of money to the government, or, or—

  Nay, I am messing with you.

  See? I am nicer than the nicest person on this site! At least I told you when I’m messing with you. (xyru is not nice, I am nicer!)

  …………….

  So.

  Undeniably, some of you must’ve been widely gaping at the excruciating headline, while the rest of you might display a deadening face in protest over the dull subject, but since you are here, and before you could escape from my clutches, I will spit the rumor to your face and let it manifest your brain! :D

  Rumor has it that a certain celebrity’s mind has been deteriorated, and I’m sure that you too were wondering, what’s with his sudden awry?

  Why yes! Apparently, the celebrity and his fans were conned right in front of their faces by a chronic bone cancer patient, who disguised himself/herself as the celebrity’s ultimate fan!

  Little are known about the fraud fan, except that according to the sources, the fan is actually a male, not a female as he had indicated earlier. Furthermore, he had died from a bone cancer!

  Well, supposedly.

  Of course, the death of a person is not a light matter, and I believe the fraud fan didn’t dishonor it in any way, since he did say that the character has died, which obviously meant that the character he portrayed in the fan club community has died.

  Died he was, but the ghost still roamed the earth apparently, because the celebrity unconsciously (Is that legit? Is that believable?) gave the fan his heartfelt treasure as some sort of a memorial (after being notified by his other fans about the fraud’s drastic death). The other kindhearted fans on the other hand, donated their hard-earned cash to a charity for the dead fan, which was to be sent to the fan’s family.

  Supposedly, the fan is a scoundrel. Surely, the family wouldn’t exist as well?

  Now, now, now, the once lonely but phony fan has turned rich overnight indeed!

  No one really knows about the significance of the treasure, but if it makes the celebrity to cease action in his field of choice, then it must’ve cost more than any price in this world!

  Yet, there’s also this harsh rumor on how the treasure was not his in the first place. What’s the deal, really? What really happened that led the celebrity and the fans to give just about anything to that one fraud fan in the most conspicuous manner? I have no idea whatsoever dear readers, but hopefully the police wouldn’t stay in the dark any longer than necessary (you know they do) and catch that stupid, yet genius thief, because this celebrity is one talented person. It sure is a shame to see him no longer embracing the rare talent!

  It had come to Nadirah’s attention that while Ty’s articles tended to lean on the conceited side, he never reported false news. So, there was no reason to doubt the authenticity of this rumor, since everyone knew that it was the truth.

  That was the main reason for his longstanding achievement in the area of internet’s gossip rags. His articles were the hit of the century, spot-on meals that were genuinely unique and fresh from the oven. In a way, if you wanted fresh new gossips, tune in to Ty and you would be served with the very first bite of the scandalous dish.

  Yet she knew that the first bite had undergone a few modifications of its own, so in order to obtain the rawest of the raw, she needed to confront the chef himself.

  Truth to be told, Nadirah wasn’t the least privy to gossips like this, but the upcoming family gathering sent shivers down her soul, for she knew how she’d be bombarded with multiple attacks by Arina the infatuated gossiper.

  Therefore, in order to avert the continuous assault, preparation was what she needed.

  What was a better idea than to churn the information from the mastermind himself?

  Her eyes peered down on the list of the online members, and once she had pinpointed the pseudonym of the administrator—which was hard to miss with the loud bolding color—she swiftly clicked his name, wrote a comment under his page and clicked Make Public to Staff Only.

  >Suri says:

  Please tell me the identity of your newest victim.

  Thank you for your cooperation. :)

  She patiently waited for his reply, and after a couple clicks of the button Refresh, a new reply emerged from the bottom of the thread.

  >Ty says:

  Well good day to you too Suri XD

  As you may have known, and your cousin as well, >.> my sources are confidential, and let me make myself clear, ALL OF THEM ARE HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL!

  I bid you good day.

  Not the least shameful, she decided to aggravate him further, sending her message and let it fly through the realm of the virtual world.

  >Suri says:

  I see. I take it that you have no idea either, then. :)

  The next reply was seemingly fast. The content was glaring menacingly at her face that she felt tempted to laugh aloud.

  >Ty says:

  What do you mean I don’t know? How could I not know? It is I who wrote them! It is I who did the research! D
  Nadirah sniggered.

  Prickling Ty was an enjoyment of its own.

  >Suri says:

  I wager you have no idea whatsoever in that pea-sized brain of yours.

  :D

  >Ty says:

  Oh yeah. I don’t know. So why don’t you run along and investigate it yourself. >.
  It was a good thing that she couldn’t see the face of the administrator at the moment. She feared that if she could, her gripping sense of cunningness would fly out of the window instead of waltzing into the technical world.

  >Suri says:

  If I was my cousin then maybe I would. And stop sulking. You don’t want to be more hideous than you are now. :)

  >Ty says:

  I’m not sulking!

  She couldn’t contain her mirth any longer. It felt as if her whole existence was ripped open, and she found herself laughing to her heart content. But as she was preparing herself for another reply, a new comment was added under their comments, curiously staring down at the wacky pair.

  >xyru says:

  Why do you care so much? O.o

  Nadirah smiled, her fingers typing the exact piece of her mind.

  >Suri says:

  You don’t have a cousin, don’t you xyru?

  His next reply sent her grinning idiotically at her computer screen.

  >xyru says:

  No, but I have a sibling. o_o Does that count?

  >Suri says:

  Then you would understand the blood-relative war. I need to obtain the full information, or else she’ll pester me to no end, so before I let her pester me, it’s better for me to pester Ty first, and now that you are here, let me pester you as well, so tell me, do you know the identity of th
e celebrity in Ty’s latest article?

  Such a lengthy reply, but the real Nadirah indeed had an elaborate mind.

  >Ty says:

  I’m an only child~ ;o

  >xyru says:

  @Ty

  …okay. xD

  @Suri

  Well, I only know that he’s an evergreen person, so unless your cousin is into classical, she might not know him. I can’t say I know who it is though.

  >Ty says:

  HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT? >.>

  >Suri says:

  @xyru

  Never in my mind would I suspect that you are a gossipmonger as well…I am shocked, very shocked, sir.

  >xyru says:

  I could replace Ty as the gossip columnist, right?

  >Ty says:

  Hey! I own this site!

  >xyru says:

  Now that I’ve supplied the information, you should help me in return.

  Nadirah froze, her fingers grew rigid and cold due to the chilly morning breeze. She contemplated on the most amiable reply, but then decided to scratch them all and hastily typed a quick message.

  >Suri says:

  ;o

  Oh dear, look at the time! It is time for me to log off, so goodbye everyone~!

  She wasn’t such a coward to shut the browser quickly from her laptop, she still had her dignity—wait, maybe she was a coward for refreshing the page instead of shutting it close.

  >xyru says:

  Don’t move, Suri, or I’ll hack your beauty page.

  Nadirah cringed at his blackmailing, ruefully loathed the idea of someone manipulating her section.

  >Suri says:

  Dear xyru,

  You’ve burst your bubbles. You’re hardly kind. In fact, you’re kind of boring. And I don’t think you have a single good bone in your system either. You’ve obviously blackmailed those who complimented you.

  You sir, disgust me.

  But since there’s still some respect left from me to you, I will lounge here for a couple more seconds and hear your proposition.

  I am nice, unlike you.

  She was desperately trying to ward him off. Yet she had the fleeting feeling that she was going to fail…miserably.

  >Ty says:

  If you need my help, then I’m right here! ^.^

  Her previous good deed toward someone on the site had led to a disastrous chain of events, and she wasn’t all that thrilled to recollect that exact memory. Thus, since then, she had learned to avert the attack of the overtime errand, and truthfully, she had successfully managed to evade every single request.

  But now, she didn’t feel the urge to flee like the cowardice she was.

  She sat on her stool for a couple more seconds, her mind frantically ordered to neglect the favor, but something about her instinct forced her to glue on her seat, at least to see the detail of his request.

  If she didn’t like it, she could always flee the scene. Or pretend that she never read such a thing.

  It was the internet—everything could be bluffed.

  >xyru says:

  I overestimated my column. >.> I have a mountain of emails, way out of my hands. So help me reply them.

  PLEASE.

  She tried to ignore the screaming bold letters.

  >Suri says:

  I’ll be frank and admit that advising is not my strongest virtue.

  >xyru says:

  No comment, but surely you have some common sense? XD

  Nadirah was tempted to close the browser right this second to show her protestation, but she realized that it wasn’t as dignified.

  That, and once she saw the reply from Ty.

  >Ty says:

  Why does everyone neglect me so? ;O Let me cry a river, let me cry at a corner~ Forever extinct, forever unaware~

  >xyru says:

  Hi ty.

  >Ty says:

  Hi xy =D

  >xyru says:

  Will you help me?

  >Ty says:

  Sure =D

  >xyru says:

  TQ.

  >Ty says:

  Is that all? O_O

  >xyru says:

  Yes, Mr. Admin, that is all.

  >Ty says:

  How so? O_O

  >xyru says:

  You are not as persistent, so to speak.

  >Ty says:

  Should I become more persistent?

  >xyru says:

  Nay, I would hate to persuade you as well.

  >Ty says:

  ;O

  Aye, you wounded me young man.

  >xyru says:
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