Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the Golden Ticket
$500 Bonus — The unexpected gift from Willy Wonka himself
It is a daily habit to open the “M” app as soon as I wake up. As writers, there are two things we need to do, read and write, as Stephen King said.
The first headline I saw was $500 given away to 1,000 writers, and half awake, I asked myself,
Is this true?
As always, I was dismissive. There is no way I would receive the $500 bonus; that is being too presumptuous (of me).
And because I knew already what I made in April 2021, and it’s $71.16, which I am very proud of considering I started with 7 cents.
But, I wrestled with my inner critic, who said right away,
“So, you actually think you would get the $500 bonus?”
I almost believed what my inner critic said until I checked my email. And behold,
Xin,
Medium members are discerning readers, drawn to great writing — like yours. To recognize the writers who made the most impact on members this past month, we’re rewarding 1,000 writers with a $500 bonus. Congrats, that’s you!
You made it here because the stories you published in April received the most member reads, claps, and follows. So, nice work! It’s writers like you that make Medium and the Partner Program a living network of insightful thinking. Keep the good ideas coming.
– Your friends at M
You should see your bonus in your April Partner Program dashboard.
So, I quickly checked my dashboard. Since we are in May, I have to click the down arrow to see my April earnings, and there it is, I got the $500 bonus.
I had 65 stories that qualified to earn the minimum amount of $0.01, and my ‘most viral’ story for April is I Am a Single Monitor Guy, and I Don’t Need a Second Monitor Setup. It has 1,400 views,1,200 from fellow members, who have given it a thumbs up, some claps, and comments.
I am very thankful.
The story is about my experience as I struggled if I needed to buy a second monitor to make myself a “more productive writer.”
It resonated with many readers, who probably think the same thing if a second monitor would improve their remote work desk setup.
Big shout out to ILLUMINATION-Curated and Dr. Mehmet Yildiz for always supporting my submissions from the very start. Even if I only know him by name and the editors who work tirelessly and never fail to support every writer, big or small, their treatment is the same for all the writers who submit their stories. Illumination publications feel like a family.
The only clue why I have been given the bonus is that the article has over 1,000 views/reads. Aside from the 65 stories that contributed to my $71.16 earnings in April, I also wrote 43 new stories in April.
Again, I am grateful.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the Golden Ticket!
This brings me back to one of my favorite movies, even as a child, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971). Now that I remembered it, this movie is 50 years old, and when I watched it on TV, I was only seven years old.
I always felt a Charlie in me, the kid who had nothing, or someone whose life is neither here nor there. But like Charlie, I know that whenever I encounter difficulties and when I needed help, all I need to do is ask the Universe or God to provide, and He never fails me. God provides.
It feels that way today.
The $500 bonus is big by any standard, and I asked for it, some money to tide me over.
I ask for help from my MOM, who passed away last February 2021. It is true what they say, once a loved one dies, now you have an angel you can call by name, and I miss MOM, but she has since become my guardian angel. My relationship with MOM didn’t die, it continues to this very day.
She gives even from the afterlife.
In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wonka has hidden five Golden Tickets inside his chocolate bars. The finders are rewarded with a tour of his factory, each accompanied by an adult of their choice, and a lifetime supply of chocolate. The children are unaware, though, that the tour is also a competition to test their moral character. As the tour proceeds, four of the children are eliminated, leaving Charlie Bucket the winner. At this point, Wonka reveals that the real prize is the factory itself, as he needs someone to take it over and look after the Oompa-Loompas who work there once he retires. — Wikipedia
(I’ve Got A) Golden Ticket
Taken from the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Words and Music by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley
INTRO
Look at me. Look at me! Up and about
I haven’t done this in twenty years. Grandpa!
CHORUS 1
I never thought my life could be anything but catastrophe,
But suddenly I begin to see a bit of good luck for me.
‘Cos I’ve got a golden ticket,
I’ve got a golden twinkle in my eye.
CHORUS 2
I never had a chance to shine, never a happy song to sing,
But suddenly half the world is mine, what an amazing thing!
‘Cos I’ve got a golden ticket (it’s ours Charlie),
I’ve got a golden sun up in the sky (slippers Charlie).
VERSE 1
I never thought I’d see the day when I would face the world and say
Good morning — look at the sun!
I never thought that I would be slap in the lap of luxury
‘Cos I’d have said it couldn’t be done. But it can be done!
BRIDGE 1
The cane Charlie. Ah — Here I go. Watch my speed.
CHORUS 3
I never dreamed that I would climb over the moon in ecstasy,
But nevertheless it’s there that I’m shortly about to be.
‘Cos I’ve got a golden ticket,
I’ve got a golden chance to make my way,
And with a golden ticket it’s a golden day.
VERSE 2
Good morning — look at the sun!
‘Cos I’d have said it couldn’t be done. But it can be done!
CHORUS 4
I never dreamed that I would climb over the moon in ecstasy,
But nevertheless it’s there that I’m shortly about to be.
‘Cos I’ve got a golden ticket, I’ve got a golden ticket,
I’ve got a golden chance to make my way,
And with a golden ticket it’s a golden day.
Source: Wjec.co.uk
In the movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, only five kids were lucky enough to get a Golden Ticket. Today 1,000 writers did get a Golden Ticket.
It means to me that God has bigger plans for me, that MOM is watching over me, and with a golden ticket, it’s a golden day.