Thank God.

Have you been put in a position, where your very life hangs in the balance, where one decision could've changed whether you lived or died. Have you now? Not many have. Neither did I. But it changes today. My life hung in the balance, threatened to fall, with only one wrong decision.

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It was an ordinary day. Not counting Saturday school, but other than that, it's all what you'll expect from a day's life. Being darn beat, after school, I took my lunch and went to have a nap shortly after that. I woke at around 6 something, it was almost 7. It's just Mom, Lil Bro, and me. We decided to take a trip to Subang Parade to have dinner, and yeah, walk around after that. It was all routine, everyday kinda thing. Since I just woke up, I was blur, grumpy, and dazed.

The last thing I remember before leaving the house is, opening the gate, and seeing Ju-Laine cycle by, and I gave a forced smile, as my head was feeling as heavy as rock. Little did I know that she could've been the last person I saw today. We reached not long after, and so we made our way to Sakae Sushi, our favourite 'hang-out' spot, when Dad is not around. We would order dishes we've never tried before and it was all fun and games. Finishing the meal, Mom paid, and this time, I chipped in 10 bucks because Mom haven't got the small notes. Little did I know, it could've been the last amount of money I spent today.

Walking out of the restaurant, there were two routes we could take before proceeding to shop and whatnot. First, the route that leads to Tomei, Poh Kong, and all that, which was on the same floor as the restaurant, the other, is the escalator, which leads one floor down, to Rock Corner, Speedy, Bata and all that. Usually, we would've taken the first route, as it was less of a hassle and we wouldn't need to take one whole detour to reach downstairs. But today, I was feeling.....different, I wanted to go look at CDs. Why? I do not know. The feeling just came over me. And so we went.

As we reached the floor below, I proceeded to Rock Corner with my bro, while my mom stayed at the bazaar they had along the floor. I saw CDs of Schubert, Vivaldi, weird local artists I've never heard before, Jay Chou, and everything else you'd expect to see. I was actually searching for Erika Sawajiri's single, which happens to be a rare item to find. Not 5 minutes passed, I heard noises. They resembled fire-crackers. Hmm, but the frequencies of the noises weren't of fire crackers. Queer. I took a peek outside from inside the store, the lanes were void of people, and there were just some running around. I listened to the conversation the shopkeeper was having with a customer, and found out, hey, it's a armed robbery.

Gun shots were what I heard. Not fire crackers. They continued for quite a long time. Mom called. She concerned for my safety, and I reassured her, we're quite safe. Those were words. But in my heart, I couldn't be less worried, scared, afraid. Mom could be in the way of the gunshots. Luckily Lil Bro was right here by my side. The shopkeeper closed the grate, and the rest of us customers stayed put. We weren't sure where they came from. For all I know, they could be heading right here. Fear overcame my mind, but I know I can't afford to panic right now. I waited.

During those moments of uncertainty, all that came through my mind was, everyone I loved, everything I had, and all the things you'd miss. I was that paranoid. My face couldn't show it though. I was stiff outside, scared inside. It was nearly 10 minutes. There was still fear lurking in the air. Mom called for the second time, she was safe. She was at Bata, and I cringed. She was closer to the danger. But I had to go there, to be with her. For another 5 minutes, I waited. When the coast was rather clear, I made my way to Bata with my brother. People were gathering around the balconies on the upper floors, and on the ground floor, people were looking up at the crime scene. Tomei, the jewelry store, got hit. The rest of them, were still finding refuge in the shops they're in.

Eventhough swift, it seemed like an eternity before I reached Bata. But when I did, I saw Mom, and I was content. We continued to wait there until it was safe enough to get out of the hell hole, and get home as quick as possible. There were bullet shells on the floor, first time I ever seen one. Then I thought, just barely 30 minutes ago, we were eating, now, we're in this situation, where guns are involved. Weird huh? There was then an announcement made for all the shops to close down. We then made our way, out of the vicinity, and back to our car, which was across the road. Upon reaching there, a crowd was already gathered, all discussing about the incident. Apparently, these brave people ran out of the place when the shooting was still on! And they could actually hear the shots from outside also. Listening to the conversation, it appears that around 5 people got shot at the scene. Some died.

The busy crowd enlarged as more people emerged from the building back here, across the road. The cars on the road were honking their hearts out, eager to get out of the place, and police sirens were heard soon after. I urged my mom to just get out of there, and get home. So here I am. Alive, well, and blogging. I could've died, taken hostage, shot in the crossfire and whatnot. Just because of one decision of taking which route. I am glad I felt like looking at CDs. This the one time it actually helped. But I couldn't discard it as sheer luck. I think and feel that the Big Guy above has something to do with all this. He blessed me, and by doing that, he saved my family and I. Thank You God.

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On a short note, I hope that you, the people I know and I care about, is safe. Please be. I just realized how important you were to me. May God bless you and may you be protected always.

Joe>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Happy To Be Alive.