Time slipped by. Age 16, 60,000 points. I started finding out an interesting phenomenon. Some people got points easier than I did. The game wasn't all about being quiet anymore. Some special ways to earn points were added. Talkative? 1,000 points. Humorous? 2,000 points. This was a good reason for me to change, but not good enough. Being quiet was still a good way to earn points then. Playing safe was alright—it was alright until I met him. Age 16, a boy crashed my system I built for over 10 years. He was a rule breaker, a threat to my strategy, and a trap. Usually, I was poker-faced, calm, and independent. But how come every time I was with him, I shifted myself to a little girl? Gosh. It was so disgusting. I was always smiling, emotional, and dependent. Cuz I wanna be closer with him, I forgot to be shy. I didn't feel awkward when I was kidding with him. He must be an enemy to attack my fortress, but why did I actually feel safe, like he was a knight to protect me? I was even thinking about us going to the same college, sharing our lives as usual. I put him in my schedule for future years without realizing it. Well, there was no sweet ending, but that's another story.

My point is, there's always someone telling us that we need to be brave and challenge ourselves. But how do we break through? Where do we find the courage? Speaking from my own experience—we shouldn't force it! At some points of our lives, we are bound to face obstacles and change ourselves in order to survive. Life always finds its way and each of us will eventually face our own demon. So before all these happen, don't panic and be patient. And when the time comes, you will have three options: log out of the game, break rules, or stay still. I had my first challenge at the age of 16, and I made a choice. Are you ready to make yours?

Shhhhh. Don't tell anyone. Be quiet. Listen to the voices in your head. Do you hear them? 1,000,000 points for your first conversation with yourself!