Writing Question:
A criminal sits in prison and writes a letter of advice to his younger self. Imagine you are that criminal. What do you wish someone told you when you were young? Write the letter of advice.

Dear Younger Self,

I really hope time travel exists so that you can receive this letter. What if it becomes reality someday? I'm writing this letter in jail to tell you about your future and make you a better man than me.

Long story short, I sold drugs since I didn't get much knowledge from my school. I met a group of gangsters. They told me about a shortcut to earn money without any professional knowledge. For some reason I just believed them. I thought I'd started a brand new, brilliant life. Indeed, it did feel great at first. I became much more confident and felt like a boss with that money. I bought a large flat with that money. A month later, I met a girl called Mia. She was a nice girl and also innocent. She knew nothing about me being involved in drug trafficking. I just met her in a bar. From the moment I got her phone number to the time I married her, it took only 6 months. A year later, we had a child. That was my first time feeling the happiness of a father. If I hadn’t gotten into this ‘business’, I wouldn't have had enough money to drink in that bar and met her. This job might sound good to you, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, the good life didn’t last long. A group of police discovered a drug deal of mine in Miami. My life has plunged into darkness since then. I was sent away to prison. All my belongings were taken away by the government. Also, it didn't rain but it poured. My wife left me with our child.

Listen, everything I have told you was my past but it is your future. I told you my story because I want you to know that there's never a happy ending for bad people. They all pay for what they have done. Remember, never do an illegal thing or you will end up like me. If you want to change your future, the first thing you need to do is get rid of video games. You used to be a curious and hardworking student before, but you got addicted to playing video games. Don't doubt yourself. Do you still remember how you got an incredible grade on your Maths exam once because you spent two whole days studying for it? And your passion for Science?

This letter marks the end of my life as a gangster. I destroyed a ton of lives with drugs. What I will do as soon as I leave prison is save lives, as many as I destroyed. Maybe I can go to different schools to share my experience or work as a social worker to help those who are lost on their life journey. You will support me, won’t you?

With regrets,
Your Older Self

Matthew Wong 3A