THE MORNING AFTER

I had a dream that I had committed a hideous crime. Someone was murdered but I knew not who. Neither was I sure the victim was a man or a woman. All I knew was that I did the killing.

 I remember I used a pillow to cover the victim's face. I remember its desperate struggle for air, its strong resistance against my attack. Its  hard pushing and hitting at my arms continuously. Till its very last breath.

Now, the deep marks caused by its fingernails are clearly visible along the entire length of both my hands. The pain is annoying.

I remember dragging the body from the bed and putting it into a large black garbage bag. I dragged the bag out the front door of the house to my car. The street outside was completely deserted. Looking back over my shoulder, I realised that that wasn't my house from which I had just exited. Whose house was that, in which I had committed such a deplorable crime, I couldn't figure out.

 What was the reason for such an horrendous act, I simply had no clue.

The next thing I knew was that it was morning.  I was comfortably sleeping in my bed, in my home.

 There were several loud bangs on the front door. I crept out of bed, went to the window and peeped. As I lifted back the window curtain to have a better view, there at that instant came a severe pain in my arm. Immediately that brought back to my memory the killing  I did the night before.

 So, I guessed,  everything was real.

 So real.

From my window I could see five police officers dressed in darkest blue. Three of them were standing at my front door. The other two were examining my car, parked a few steps away. I noticed that one of them was attempting to open the booth with a jack. I remember I hid the body in the bag there. It was still there.

I didn't know what to do. Was it better to open the door or to run?

Before I could even think, my door was broken in and five officers stood before me with their pistols pointing at my head. I was pushed back against the wall.

One officer said something to me in an angry voice. I could hardly make out a word of what he said. As my eyes were glued to the window for I could see a body climbing out of the booth of my car.

SOMETHING IN THE AIR TONIGHT

It is in the gathering of the faithful in the night before the procession,
 I see thousands of people reaching their hands out to touch the statue of Virgin Mary.


There are mothers, fathers and their children too
Many have come from afar. Like me, I do not belong here.
I am just passing through.


In fact, I am here in the city of Manila in the Philippines.
 Just wandering around the night market and quite by chance come upon
this magnifient cathedral built by the Spanish during colonial times.



Seeing the tears flowing down the cheeks of hundreds move one to tears as well.
I do not know why, though not much of a follower myself,
I just break down and cry.


A lady beside me says people come here tonight  for their blessings
People rich or poor, come without pride.
People kneeling to get in to get a glimpse of our holy mother
Such a joyful and wonderful sight.


That reminds me of a holy pilgrimage.
Far may one travel with one aim in mind.
To bow before the holy one despite the distance or the toil.


It could be the journey to Mecca
It could be the one to Santiago De Compostella
Could be the one to the birth place of Christ
Or even the one to the holy river of the Ganges
Whatever are your beliefs
Your blessings would be in abundance
Your prayers would be answered


I dare not doubt that as I watch the faithful here tonight.
I wish I am one.

IF THIS IS A DREAM

If this is a dream I am in now
I don't want it to end
The reason is so plain
You are my only friend
When I awake next morning
Traces of my tears remain
For I know in this lifetime
I will not see you again.

True friends are hard to find
The reality in which I live now
Many come to watch you fail
Watch how low you can bow
Some that may come to help
You will understand why
So that they can despise you
So that they can watch you cry

If this is a dream I am in now
And you are with me still
I will try to stop the clock
And hold the night I will
The reason is so plain
I don't want this to end
For in this lonesome lifetime
You are my only friend.

BABY, YOU ARE OUT OF TIME

Just the other day I was listening to Maroon 5 singing a song about moving like Jagger. All at once I began to think it's about time we gave some credit to Mick Jagger and his group The Rolling Stones.

 Mick is truly exceptional. If you have been to a Rolling Stones concert you would understand. I was so lucky to have the chance to watch them 'live' in Singapore several years back.

The Rolling Stones are like a flame that was lit in the 60's and which had not been extinguished ever since. Just like the saying 'a rolling stone gathers no moss'. Watching them perform it seems that Mick and the rest of the Stones have never aged.

The Stones always bring back fond memories of my dad. He told me he once had a giant poster of Mike Jagger that said 'STOP DRUGS....JAIL THE FIRST STONE'.  He said Mick was always getting himself into trouble with the law and was never like John, Paul, George or Ringo, which to him were considered all right lads. Not Mick, he was like a black sheep in the family.

My dad said that during his time, his group of friends were so into folk music. So if whoever had a guitar then, it was everyone's expectation that he or she would strum and sing either '500 miles', 'A Place In The Sun' or 'Blowing In The Wind'. One day, when my dad brought a new friend along who played  and sang The Rolling Stones 'Jumping Jack Flash' , several of my dad's mates began to label his new friend a rebel.

After my dad died, I found in our store room a large chest that contained his record collection. The records were so well kept and there were quite some great Rolling Stones ones like Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass), Aftermath, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers and Exile On Main St.

I always enjoy flipping through all these old albums and looking at the pictures on the covers. Just like reading a book, such wanderings would help me while away the lonesome hours.

I am proud to say  I still love listening particularly to the High Tide and Green Grass album. Well, you will never break a heart of stone, I guess.

All my favourites are in there: Time Is On My Side, As Tears Go By, Not Fade Away, Get Out Of My Cloud, Heart Of Stone, The Last Time, Play With Fire, Tell Me and of course that famous I Can't Get No Satisfaction.

To many fans, I suppose, the licking tongue logo of The Rolling Stones is more than just a fad,  it is a permanent craze. I was so happy when I received as a birthday gift one year a black tee with that logo on it.  I went round town wearing that to profess  I was a true fan of The Rolling Stones and not a poser.

Sometimes I  think Mick Jagger had in a way,  back in 1966,  made a prophecy of his group's everlasting popularity when he wrote these lines.........

'It is the evening of the day
I sit and watch the children play
Doing things I used to do
They think are new
I sit and watch as tears go by.'

THE NIGHT RIDE

I remember a rainy night a year ago. I boarded a coach at 8.30pm at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China. I was on my way to Hangzhou so I could take the Air Asia flight back to Malaysia the next day at noon.

I was so tired in the coach that I laid my head back to try to sleep. I couldn't as the driver was driving like he was attempting to beat the speed of light.

 Not only was he speeding recklessly, he was also honking at every vehicle that was in his way. I felt I was in a roller coaster either at Universal Studios, Hollywood or  Six Flags, San Diego.

 I looked out of the window just beside me. The rain was pouring down so heavily. I just prayed that the coach wouldn't skid in such speed. The highway was dark and so was the night.

 In the coach, a movie was starting to play.  Despite it being the legendary Bruce Lee in 'Enter The Dragon'. I was too worried about the way the driver was driving to actually concentrate on that movie.

 The coach was packed. Though my ticket had a seat number, it seemed useless as everyone was sitting as they liked on a first board first serve basis. So understandably, many arguments ensued among the passengers, being mainly of chinese nationals. As soon as Bruce Lee appeared on the telly screen with his lightning fists and kicks, everyone shut up and watched the action. I said to myself  "Hooray! Bruce Lee has stopped the commotion!".

I  glimpsed at my watch. It was 9.18. The journey from Shanghai to Hangzhou would take a little more than 3 hours. Though I was dead tired then, I still couldn't resort to sleeping as another worry came into my mind.

 I knew I would be arriving in Hangzhou at about midnight, but would the bus's last stop be in the vicinity of the city, where hotels would be located within walking distance from it, or some remote place along some deserted highway.

  Hangzhou was a place new to me and  I prayed I didn't have to carry my bags and walk around looking for lodging, at that hour of  the night in the rain. One could imagine how broad the roads are in China. I remember the road right in front of Tien An Men in Beijing. It has 10 lanes going in one direction and 10 in the other.

Also, not to mention the coldness too, it was actually 14 degrees C inside the coach, outside it might be around 9C or colder, I guessed.

Somehow or rather, I slept. I was surprised I slept all the way regardless of that action packed Enter The Dragon and the reckless coach driver. Fast as he was, we arrived safely. That was what mattered.

They say 'every cloud has a silver lining'. How true, when I woke up, the bus had reached its destination.

 It was twenty minutes past midnight, everyone on board had reached Hangzhou and it was still raining relentlessly. Everyone disappeared into the night as fast as a bullet. I was the last passenger to alight. And there, surprise!!  Not more than 50m away from where I was standing, was an entrance of a hotel!

 Drenched as I was from head to toes, I rushed into the hotel. A chinese lady of about 30 years old was sitting at the reception.. She didn't look at all pleased as I was soaking wet and water was dripping all over the carpet.

Nonetheless, I checked in.

MY INNOCENT FRIEND

Your young adventurous soul
touched by a moment of majestic glory
A mysterious stranger falls for you at first sight
whose never ending praises only heightened your beauty

He is not a Greek philosopher he claims to be
though he ravishes mundane scenes of ancient history
Gallantly cool,  basely impressive
wittily romantic, ever so repulsive

You opt for a revolutionary
you get a missionary
Imposter on a quest
for the Holy Grail?

His secrets made you ill
you take it on yourself
You dare say now
believing comes so easy

Your open mindedness
bears no discrimination
When hands reach out for you
like a fool you rush to them.

Hi there, my innocent friend
the world has its illusions
reflected in a maze of dialectic dimensions
At times when I am confused
trusting my heart all ills shall be healed

So believe the one behind it all
always remember the arrangement of the seasons
After winter comes spring
and after summer comes fall

The joy to be loved, the fascination of romance
how young the world is, so why not take a chance?
Memorial conversations with sweet pledges exchanged
noble deeds but with different ends

One is humble, one is bold
beyond acts of submission, two destinies unfolded
Fallen angel with broken wings
how could you ever reach the boundaries of heaven again?

Stronger, you are than me, dear innocent friend
for my heart lies trapped within the hour glass of sand
My passion arises beyond my conservatism
my jealously demands its deserved liberalism

Where is my discipline?
my feelings illiterate
My education lost
for you my thoughts so engrossed

I live my life as you think
my identity becomes yours
Unreal, my dreams will remain till the end
like my wish to be innocent again.

STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see
It's getting hard to be someone, but it all works out,
It doesn't matter much to me........
(Strawberry Fields Forever - The Beatles 
 written by John Lennon)


If ever I were to pick the best song of The Beatles, from the several hundreds they have composed and recorded, I would most definitely without a doubt choose 'Strawberry Fields Forever' to be the best.


Paul Simon once said that it is not an easy song. It is not one that we could easily whistle, hum or even sing in the shower. So, what makes it so special and lasting? To me, it is always in the background of my mind throughout the years amidst thousands and thousands of songs from countless other groups whether old or new.


Come to think of it, the song has a profound meaning open for one's interpretation subjectively. I always wonder what John Lennon was thinking about when he wrote the line 'Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see'.


Did John literally mean that, as misunderstanding is all that we see in our life that it is easier to live with our eyes closed instead?


Or did he mean living is so easy with our eyes closed, thereby misunderstanding all that we see? In reality, that applies to many, especially when we were teens turning into adults. During those years, we live selfishly thinking only of ourselves without giving much consideration to others around us...like our parents, relatives and even some dear friends too. Oblivious to everyone around, lost in a world of our own and nothing else matters. Some day when we get older, we could find ourselves miserably alone.


I once overheard a little kid asking his father 'Dad, where are your friends, don't you have any?' To that simple question, his dad just didn't know how to answer.


When John wrote the next line 'It's getting hard to be someone, but it all works out'.....a universal truth is written.


Really, it is not that easy to live our life. Everyday we have responsibilities and expectations of us from our loved ones, family and every individual we come into contact with. For instance, when one doesn't earn enough to pay for one's commitments, it is not easy really, to get by. And when one is married and doesn't earn enough to support a family, it is hard really, to get by.


Through it all, there is one consolation and to that John wrote...'but it all works out'.


How? Naturally or with the help of God, maybe. When you reflect on all the troubles you had been through in your life till today, just be damn grateful that despite them all, you are still standing!! 

THE RING

Wanna talk about a girl who climbed out of a well and frightened the daylight out of us. I must admit I never dared to watch The Ring (original Japanese version) all alone by myself.

And I am not sure how many of us dare to

For the simple reason that the movie spells HORROR all the way. The actual horror doesn't just come out in the final scene. The part where that long hair Samara came out of a well and crept her way out of the telly,  but throughout the movie.

It is in every respect more superior than the slasher movies that Hollywood dished out. Those were never scary but violent

The Ring  carries an aura of unspeakable horror. In every scene you can sense something horrible is in the air
.
The atmosphere of death and of someone dying stays with you throughout.

Quite a masterpiece. Even tonight, if I were to put on that DVD I would still need someone beside me first.

Many Thai movies are scary as well in a way. Shutter is one of them. I could never forget that one scene where the devil was sitting on the shoulders of her male lover as he was walking around the room.. That was so scary because it was so unexpected. Never in a horror movie,  had we watched something like that.

When you walk into any DVD shop, you can find loads of horror flicks but seriously not many are that good. Many times we would get tricked by the pictures on the cover. The more spooky it looks, the less scary the movie ...examples..The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Last Exorcism, Paranormal Activities etc, etc.

Sometimes I come across, printed on the covers of pirated dvds of entirely different movies,  the same line  "Masterpiece, shocking...not to be missed!"

I got a pirated copy of the sci-fi horror "The Thing" but on its cover there is this line "A Hilarious Must-See!" I wonder what that means.

 Later, I bought another scary dvd "Rosewood Lane" and also, the same line "A Hilarious Must-See!" appears on the cover. I could hardly find anything hilarious  in both the movies!

Everyone one of us has high expectations of getting a good fright watching horror movies. But many are just let downs. To name a  few.....Fright Night,  The Rite,  Don't Be Afraid of The Dark, Apollo 18 and the worst ...Dylan's Dog.

Recently, i watched The Cabin in the Woods, The Woman in Black and The Innkeepers. All are disappointing. I would say The Woman in Black is quite a classic horror movie though not scary enough. Anywhere, the actor is good. Why not?.....he is Mr. Harry Potter himself!

Anyone looking for a solid horror dvd to take home, should consider 'Insidious'. If you still haven't watched that, do not miss it. Warning: Don't watch it alone!!

THE LONESOME DISAPPEARANCE OF A QUIET BLOGGER

The world he had created for himself was not like yours or mine. Working through the night in the dark corner of his  room. He disturbed nobody and  stood in nobody's way.

 Just another peace loving person with some views to share.

He had his own ideologies but not the courage to voice them out. Afraid they might hurt somebody's feelings unintentionally.

He realised  many people were hypocrites, doing precisely the things they themselves despised of. Funny though, these people were never caught. So, they remain innocent in the eyes of you and me.

An idea of his, was that everyone was selfish, seeing only what that matters to oneself and always picking out the imperfection in others.

He said if a person puts a pair of purple shades on, he would see everything around him purple. That would be his perception of the world and he would think that's real.

 That would be what matters, only to him, while others see the world differently and in different colours.

You would hear a wife bragging to everyone about her successful husband,  but you will never hear her telling you of her husband's impotence or his affair with another woman.

He said we came from a mould. Everything and everyone came from a perfect mould.

 Even if some are physically imperfect like the blind, deaf or mute, however,  the mould from which they came is perfect. It was the transition from the mould to human form that caused that imperfection.

 Because of that, in dreams the blind can see and the lame can walk.

Imagine that you baked 100 gingerbread men from the same perfect mould. Some would still turn out missing a hand or leg.

When I asked if he thought of himself as perfect, he answered no. He said he had done bad things that no one except himself knew of.

The last time that I saw him, he looked disillusioned. On his face you could somehow tell that he was going somewhere.

The last thing he said was that he just wasn't meant for these times.

WE ARE YOUNG

Horrible song, horrible singer. If not for the now famous chorus."tonight..we are young..so let set the world on fire.." it would be the worst song of 2012.

As anyone can guess, this song may be the next most sung song in the karaokes and clubs around the world...' from Ibiza to the northern boards' ....David Bowie ( Life on Mars?)

That 'we are young' catchy and infectious chorus, however, is inferior to that previously outstanding ' we are young, we run green, keep our teeth nice and clean, see our friends, see the sights, feel aright' ...by Supergrass and which was so disappointingly and mercilessly slaughtered and exploited by that sweet candy man, you know who, Bruno Mars, who altered the lyrics to 'we are young, we run free, stay up late, we don't sleep, got our friends, got the night, we'll be alright'. What a rip-off!! He made that great indie song sounded so cheap.

Back to the present, owing to its formidable few words like ..'.tonight, we are young'... it could be the perfect anthem exclusively suited for all the elderly die-hard members of The Sargeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band or some runned-down old folks home.

This song will definitely not get to be sung in football stadiums though,  as it is not that motivational, hopeful or encouraging,  nothing like that 'when you walk through a storm, hold your head up high,....with hope in your heart, and you'll never walk alone...'.by Gerry and the Pacemakers and rightfully adapted by Liverpool Football Club. You will never miss to hear it from their fans, whenever or wherever Liverpool plays. Great song, that!

Fans are very particular when come to choosing an anthem . Oasis, the British group from Manchester,  is brilliant. This group comes out with not one but two great numbers chosen by its fans to be their anthems .."Don't Look Back In Anger" and "Live Forever". Whichever one is played during an Oasis concert, the fans would feel really gratified. And for them, just by hearing and watching that played live by their group, would already have worthed the price of the ticket.

Another British group as brilliant, is Queen. Their "We are the Champions" and "We Will Rock You" can bring down any stadium anytime. Truly miss Freddie Mercury..great voice and great performer. Needless to say,  what a rock classic his Bohemian Rhapsody is and remains to be. No other rock group in the world dared to better that one.

Talking about great voice, one must say Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees did have a truly marvelous one. Listen to his "I Started A Joke". Though you may have heard many on the internet doing a cover version of that song but none ever comes close to the original. I guess its so sad that Robin passed away a few days ago and all the Djs on every radio station just pretended that didn't happen. Where's the tribute. guys? We owe him one. Truly.

ALONG CAME A GENTLEMAN

Keith was the most extra ordinary guy one could know. Jenny knew him by accident.

 One night while driving home Jenny had a flat tyre. Along came a gentleman that stopped to help. He tried very hard but couldn't get the wheel off. So he called for a tow truck. He was so kind to wait with Jenny for the truck. In those short 30 mins, they got to know one another. After that incident, they became friends.

 The next night that gentleman, Keith, called Jenny for a date. They had been dating for four nights continuously.

Keith never came round during the day. He would have his cell phone turned off.  Jenny asked Keith what was he doing. He replied he worked in the share market as a broker. He had no time for personal calls and always busy during the day, everyday.

When night came,  it was a pleasure and delight to see him. Keith would always come to pick Jenny at 7.30 sharp.

At the weekend, Keith never came by but he called on Saturday night to say he had much work to finish at home.

On the following Monday night,  Jenny jokingly asked Keith if he was married or seeing other girls. To both of her questions, he answered no.

In a way, Jenny found him to be quite mysterious and  she intended to find out his secrets.

 So, she pretended to be angry if Keith didn't tell her where he was actually working. Seeing that, Keith  reluctantly gave her the name of an office in KL.

The next morning, out of curiosity Jenny checked out the number of the office and gave it a call.

The receptionist who took her call, told Jenny that Keith didn't turn up for work for a week. She said the manager might have sent Keith out of town.

On hearing that, Jenny felt strange but she would not ask Keith about that. Maybe he would get annoyed over her checking behind his back.

When Keith came by that night, Jenny asked  him for his address. He wrote it down for her.

Somehow, Jenny had a suspicion that Keith was a married man. The next morning she drove to the address given to her, guided by her GPS

She ended up at a large disused mining pool. 'That's impossible" she kept on thinking while driving home. 'Why the hell would Keith give me an address like that?   He must have made a mistake."

The rest of the day, Jenny was in no mood to do anything else but waited eagerly for night to come. When Keith arrived, she would want him to clarify a few things with her this time.

That evening, at about 7, Jenny made a cup of coffee and sat by the telly to wait for her date.

The evening news was just coming on, reporting that a car was pulled out from a disused mining pool that afternoon. The driver, a male of about 23, inside it was dead, believed to have commited suicide by drowning. That man probably had died more than a week ago.

Jenny's eyes were glued to the telly as she watched the ongoing news. She almost fainted when she saw that the car being pulled out of the pool and the victim's body were...........Keith's.

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

 Last Sunday i looked at my collection of Cds and Dvds and decided to throw them all away. A few years back doing such a thing would be a matter of life and death.

 For once i  learn to let go without regret. Everything is downloadable these days, so there isn't much point in keeping movies you have already seen 100 times over or songs you have heard so many times before or concerts you have watched until you can perform them yourself! That means even Michael Jackson has gonna go.

 Another thing, books that you have read from cover to cover, is there fun to read the same thing all over again? I wonder. Some stories that brought tears to our eyes on the first reading may not do so the second time around. Stories like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, that made us go ga ga first time round,  now have to wave goodbye and ride into the sunset too.

 Songs that moved our heart before may not have the same effect when times have changed.

 The horror movies that terrified us once look so outdated now.

 One big problem are the pairs and pairs of shoes lying around. I have only two feet, how come i ended up with over 16 pairs of shoes? Again, i wonder.

 I dare not consider the clothes. As i was clearing my wardrobe, i came across some that i could hardly believe that i actually bought. Such ugly clothings.  Many that i hardly have worn with the price tag still attached to them. Now they don't even fit me anymore. Why are they in my keep for so many years? Again i wonder.

 There is a strange middleaged man that lives directly opposite my house.Everyday he goes around from bin to bin , searching for trash to keep. Every time, i can see him bringing home something (usually metal items like broken bicycle parts, unwanted pipes, broken fridge doors and scraps of  metal and etc).

 He doesn't even bother if it is rusty or not. He looks happy bringing home a new find and his wife doesn't mind.

 In fact,  his wife tells me one day that her husband has hoarded up so many unusable things in the living room that there is hardly any decent place to sit or move about. And the whole house smells like rust!

Me:

What does your husband do with the scraps of metal? Is he building something with them?

His wife:

No, nothing but he says they would come in handy one day. He has ideas, he says and will put them into action when the time is right.

Me:  

I see. (OMG, i think to myself, has he been getting texts from Cybertron to create a new Decepticon to defeat Optimus Prime? Or has he been receiving  instructions from Steven Speilberg  in Hollywood to  get something ready to fight Atom in Real Steel 2?).

His wife:

My husband keeps himself busy every night arranging and rearranging and sorting out the junk. He is so pleased to know it is secured and that no one touches it. To him it is his treasure..

Me:

Mm...is that so...i see. (OMG, my second guess is true, i had better warn Hugh Jackman and that cute son of his that Atom is gonna get bashed up again one more time and i don't want to see all the ladies going sob sob sob again one more time. Enough is enough!!!)
         
She says she dare not talk to her husband about the junk . He would get really mad as they have had many arguments over that subject before.

Well, as i have finally decided to chuck all my old stuff away, though nothing is made of metal, still i hope that strange man won't go and bring them all back home to keep.

VALENTINE'S DAY IS A SCAM

Here we go again, all lovers are taken for a ride once more....as usual the cost of roses and candlelight dinners shoots up.

However, all the Romeos around wouldn't mind.  Romance is in the air.

What is money when one is in love, it is Romeo's honour to spend and spend on Juliet.                                                                                                            

Valentine is the perfect time for the ladies to show off. Just this morning my neighbour's wife went jumping and screaming with joy at her front gate. She was delivered a big bouquet of roses sent by her husband. She was waving the flowers around like a little girl so that all could see and envy.

She deliberately called loudly to her children inside the house "Come out and see what your sweet Daddy sent to me, how loving of him!"

Poor fool, I caught her husband walking hand in hand with another woman, a much younger one, while I was holidaying up in Genting Highland last month.

Should I tell her? Better not, I guess. Better mind my own business.

Last night, my casual friend and I went for dinner at The Ship in Damansara Jaya.

The place was so packed with couples. The  tables were arranged so close to one another that we could overhear what was said between the couple at the table to our right. There sat a man of about 50 yrs old and a charming young lady around 25.

The lady kept asking the man to keep his promise about them booking into a hotel after the dinner. Throughout the dinner the man looked worried and I overheard him saying something like his wife was expecting him home to eat.

When I told my friend what I heard, he just laughed and said "Wow, lucky old man, can get 2 chicks and 2 meals one night!"

I always don't give a damn about Valentine as it is such a scam!

Instead, here are several more worthwhile occasions that call for celebration, for instance Mistress Day, Maid's Day and Divorcees' Day.  On these days, I bet all the men will go queuing up to buy gifts and roses for their lover as well as booking dinner tables and hotel rooms for the night! Good luck to them!

So, wives of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your husbands!                                                    

STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT

My friend Tommy is a nice and shy guy

 He always wanted to experience a foot massage. So one night, having gathered enough courage, he went alone to a parlour in Puchong.

 The female massager, a young sexy woman from China, asked Tommy if he wanted  to try something extra special. Tommy was confused. The woman suggested a full body massage together with something naughty.  Tommy was so excited and said yeah and followed the woman into a small room with a single bed.

 Tommy was then asked to strip himself, while the woman undressed. After that, she wrapped a towel around her body and told Tommy to wait in the room, while she went to the washroom located by the corridor.

 My friend Tommy, having nothing on, hopped happily onto the bed and waited eagerly for the woman to return. The China woman never returned and by that time, Tommy was getting rather cold.

 All of  a sudden, the door of the room blasted wide open and four or five police officers dashed in. One of them, with his cell phone, took a picture of Tommy,  lying there completely naked on the bed. It was a raid!!

 Poor Tommy had to have all his personal details taken down by the police before he was allowed to put his clothes back on and go home. That night 4 females, all chinese nationals,  were arrested at the parlour for entering the country illegally and engaging in sex services.

Strange but true, strangers in the night.

 The next day, Tommy came round and told me that he would never, in his life,  go for any massage ever again!!

There was another time, i was taking the night train to Singapore.

 There was a man in dark glasses, wearing a short sleeved floral shirt and brown short pants around 30 years old,  sitting directly opposite me.  I couldn't tell if he was gloating at me because of his dark glasses. The seat next to him was empty.

 At about half past midnight, the train made a stop at Seremban station. Many passengers got on board.  A young lady of about  25 years old came and sat on the seat next to the man.

 The train started to move again to continue its journey to Singapore. Listening to the monotonous  rocking of the train and the view of the continuous darkness outside the window, i couldn't help myself staying awake any longer. I closed my eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

 Just before that,  i  noticed the man and the woman opposite me, both had fallen asleep, with their heads leaned backwards resting on their headrests.

 I slept all the way until i heard the announcement on the PA  that the train had reached Johor Baru. It was then 6.15 am.  I slowly opened my eyes and as I did so,  I saw directly opposite me, the woman was sleeping with her head on top of the man's lap. And the man had one of his arms around the woman's shoulder. They remained in this position till the train reached Singapore at 7.30am.

 I kept thinking,  how could that be?  The man and the woman were total strangers to each other. When did they become lovers, did i miss out something while i was sleeping?

 Strange as it seemed, strangers in the night falling in love at first sight!!

IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT - PART 3 (CONCLUSION)

Another incident happened,  about a month later. My mum has taken my granny and my little sister to sleep over for the weekend,  at a relative house in Kampar. I remember it was on a Saturday night. Only my dad and i were in the house.

It was sometime in the middle of the night that i got up to go to the toilet to pee. After doing that i, still half awake, walked slowly back to my room. The house was dead quiet this time of the night.

 Just as i was about to step into my room, i could hear a voice coming from my granny's room at the end of the corridor. I remembered that my granny was away with my mum in Kampar. So, no one could possibly be in her room.

Out of curiosity,  i walked towards her room. Reaching there i put my ear on the door and listened. I could clearly hear, coming from within,  the voice of someone singing very softly.

I didn't hesitate and turned the knob of the door to open it.

Though the room was in darkness, there was sufficient lighting coming in from a street light on the street below,  just outside the window.

So slowly and silently that i pushed the door that,  should there be anyone in there,  it would be impossible for that person to know that it had been opened.

I quietly leaned my head forward and looked within.  In the darkness i saw, at the left hand side of the room,   a dark shadowy figure of a girl sitting at my granny's dressing table.

At the sight of that, i was completely overcame by fear and stood there frozen at the door.

 Somehow or rather my instinct told me to run. I did. Immediately,  i turned and ran away as fast as i could to my dad.

I was crying and screaming "There is a ghost! There is a ghost in the house!"

Within seconds, my dad woke up and came out of his room. He asked "What ghost? Where?"

"In granny's bedroom" i answered. I hid myself in a corner while my dad went into the room and switched on the light. Then he called to me "Come in here, come in and see for yourself. There is nothing. There is no one in here and there is no ghost!"

My dad told me to stop imagining things and that what i saw was probably a shadow, cast on the dressing table,  by the tree outside the bedroom window. He then asked me to go over to his room to sleep.

A year later, my parents sold the old house and we moved to Subang Jaya.  Granny and i were so relieved.

One Sunday morning, as i was having breakfast with my dad at a restaurant nearby,  my dad met an old friend from Ipoh. My dad invited him to sit with us at our table. Two of them started to talk about their old times back in the old town.

Dad's friend:
"So, you have finally decided to move from that house. People said it was unlucky to be staying there, you know, because of the unfortunate incident that happened."

Dad:
"What incident? There was nothing that i know of,  happened in that house."

Dad's friend:
"You didn't know what happened? Well, since now that your family is no longer living there,  i can tell you what actually happened. The previous owner before you, had an eighteen year old daughter. One night, she was found dead in her bedroom upstairs. She hanged herself from the ceiling with an electric wire cord. She left a suicide note on the dressing table for her parents. Said she was very unhappy finding out that her dad had another woman."

Hearing that, i was in a state of shock. That room upstairs had all along been my granny's bedroom.

My dad then turned to me with a look on his face that expressed acknowledgement that what i had been telling him all the while, about the house,  was the truth.

IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT - PART 2 (AFTER HALLOWEEN)

I sincerely wish to thank everybody that visited my blog and special thanks to those who left their wonderful comments. Very much appreciate all your kind words. I am sorry to say that my story has not ended.  As Halloween is over, the remaining of the story is definitely not as creepy,  i hope............


I had always knew that that old house in Ipoh was haunted. Somehow or rather,  i got tired of convincing my parents about that for they wouldn't listen. I was 15 years old then.

There were 2 incidents that i wish now to relate.

I had a granny staying with us. Her room was upstairs , about 15 steps away from mine. The old town houses were rather long. My room was just beside the bathroom. My granny had a  habit of taking a bath in the afternoon, after lunch.

As usual in the afternoons, only me and my granny were in the house. My parents were at work and my little sister was at school.

On one particularly hot afternoon at about 2.30pm, while my granny was taking a bath upstairs and i was doing my homework at the dining table downstairs, something very strange happened.

I, all of a sudden, heard my granny upstairs, who was just coming out of the bathroom after her bath,  loudly screaming   "Who are you? Hey, who are you? Come out of there, come out of there Now!!".

I quickly rushed up the stairs. On reaching the top i saw my granny standing outside the door of her room, pointing with a shaking finger "There, there, in my room, she went in there, under the bed!". My granny's face went pale as if she saw a ghost.

 "Who, who went under your bed?  There's only you and me here in the house " i said.

 "A girl, a girl with long black hair,  in a yellow dress and black shoes, she went in there under the bed!" my granny replied.

 It seemed that my granny , as she was coming out of the bathroom,  saw a girl with long hair of about 17 or 18 years old,  running hurriedly past her,  heading from my room towards her room, which door was left opened. My granny just saw the back of  the girl disappearing into her room. She saw the girl's legs and her black shoes under the bed.

 I didn't feel afraid as it was in broad daylight. So, I went into the room and looked under the bed, while my granny stood outside as though there was a giant cockroach there.

There was nothing. I told my parents about it when they came home. My mum said that granny was getting old and that she was starting to imagine all kinds of  weird things.

Another incident happened, about a month later.  I remember it was on a Saturday night. My mum had taken my granny and my little sister to sleep over for the weekend, at  a relative house in Kampar. Only my dad and I were in the house.

It was sometime in the middle of the night that i..........To Be Continued.

IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT (A STORY FOR HALLOWEEN)

Everybody likes to listen to ghost stories once in awhile, right?  And what better time is there for one than at Halloween.

When i was little i always loved to listen to scary tales late at night in my bedroom. But always making sure i went to the washroom room first cos after listening to the story i dare not go anywhere except under my blanket. It would be great to have the lights off as well to listen.

One time my dad just held a torchlight below his face to tell me and my sister a ghost story. We were scared stiff. The very next morning my dad got banned from entering our bedroom at night.

I would like to relate something that i experienced at age 12.

I was living in Ipoh then. Our house was right in the town centre and pretty old. And like most of the houses along the road, it was poorly lighted.

I remember there was a death in my neighbours house that day and that night a chinese prayer ceremony was going on.

The monks were like chanting throughout the night. In the still of the night, their chants and prayers seemed to  sound louder. I could hear it even from my bedroom.

I didn't know what time of the night it was,  i was awoken from a vivid dream of someone handling me a RM10 note. It was so real that i lifted up my right hand to receive it. As i did so, i opened my eyes . There was no RM10 note,  but only my hand, raised high above my body. I instantly realised that i had woken from a dream.

It was at that instant that i saw,  standing right in front of my bedroom door,  a figure dressed in black.

It appeared to be a figure of a man, standing there as still as a statue.

 By his features i could recognise. He was my neighbour. I thought, didn't he pass away earlier in the afternoon?

Why was he still here? Why in my room?

The figure began to walk from the door to the window and back again towards me. Seeing this,  I covered my head with my blanket. I shut my eyes tightly and dared not move. Silently i was crying. I was scared.

I listened and listened. I could hear the sound of his movements around my room while the monks next door were still praying and chanting.

I listened and listened till, i hardly could remember when,  i fell back to sleep.

The next morning i told my mum everything. She said it was only a bad dream.

That afternoon my father went over to my neighbours to pay respect to the dead man.

When my dad returned home,  he told my mum that he took a look at the dead body in the coffin.

 He said the dead man was dressed in black.

OMG... NO ONE CAN ESCAPE FROM BRUNO MARS!!

Welcome to Bruno Mars Kingdom! Where no one can escape from  his terrible and sweet torture.

 He is everywhere, there is no point in hiding, he will get you sooner or later! You will surrender to him sooner or later. 

 He is in the air you breathe. You can hear him on the radio, in every hotel lobby, in every shopping mall, in every pasar malam, at the station, the buses, the airport , the planes, the ships, the casino, the hairdressers, the massage parlour, the funeral parlour,  you name it, he is everywhere.

 Most likely he is on every ringtone and every desktop etc. etc.

 Just after that sweet angel Akon has retired, we are now ruled by another sweeter angel,  Bruno Mars. I just don't understand, are these 2 sweet angels cousins? Hearing their sweet melodies really get my hair standing. 

Where on earth can one find tunes like that? I think they belong to heaven.

Simply listen to King Bruno's Marry You, Just The Way You Are, Lazy Song, Billionaire and all the rest of his holiness treasure and you will know what I mean.

. America is a funny country. Anyone with a simple tune can get into the Top 40, just like anyone can be a President and any one can be an American Idol. Songs with tunes so elementary that only fit  kids at the kindergarten level are, to name a few, Rain  Over Me, What U Waiting For, Stereo Heart, Party Rock Anthem, Boyfriend and Lighters and every song of Bruno Mars and Akon.

 Nowadays songs are so so childish that include lyrics like love you like a song..or Hey Ho, daylight come and me wanna go home. Come on people, they are just insulting our intellect. Can't they come out with something deeper like our honourable idols from Manchester, England!

 I say it once and again British music can beat American music anytime!! American music only takes us for fools and only want our hard earn money. The rappers are worse. Just because they sounded tough doesn't mean they are intelligent. Listen to PitBull , Snoop Dog and Dr. Dre  and other West Coast rappers, they sound so lame. Just listen to Dizzie Rascal of the UK and you will discover what real rapping is. That guy is COOL!! You have to hear to believe, just try his song Stand Up Tall from the album Showtime.

 Anyway , back to our King Bruno, long live the king!! Viva La Vida!! Viva La Vida!!

KOREAN POP DRIVES ME CRAZY!

I don't understand what all the fuss is about korean pop. First i do not understand the language. I think it is kind of cute if you rap with it. But if you listen long enough, especially to korean boy groups rapping, like Beast, Shinee, Big Bang, Dalmatian , SE7EN and Infinite it will become very annoying.

This also applies to the girl groups, most of them rapping in a duck kind of quacking voice. To name a few 2NE1, Girls Generation, T-Ara, 4 Minute, Kara and After School. Everyone wants to sound tough and at the same time look cute.

Most of the girls and boys in a pop group cannot perform a complete dance. You will notice if you ever watched a Korean MV. All they do is to dress up nice and move their body, especially their hands in the MV,  which is split up into many segments. They don't even sing on the MV but mimic.

Talking about cuteness. I guess nobody in the world can beat the Japanese.

Every pop idol in Korea looks facially perfect. It is no secret that everyone has undergone plastic surgery. It is no easy life to be a pop idol in Korea. You have to undergo years of hard training.

I don't understand why there are so many members in some groups like Super Junior and Girls Generation. I think Super Junior should be named Super Crowded like a hypermarket is,  at weekends. And Girls Generation should be named Girls Population!

Korean Pop is so monotonous, every song has almost the same drum beat. Almost every song has a little bit of English in it, why is that so?

It is amusing to count  the number of clothes the idols change into, between sets for just one MV. No wonder DongDaeMun is doing great business!

To All Lovers of  Korean Pop...Good Luck To You!!!!

THERE WAS A LITTLE BOY, THERE WAS A LITTLE GIRL.

An old friend came by, he looked so much older than his age. He came and talked about the old times. The times that I once had some feelings for him. He knew that I did in a way missed him. He tried to bring back to life those uncertain times. He tried to wake the sentimental side of me. He spoke with emotion. I could sense that he was about to cry. I kept my cool. I kept quiet as he spoke. Deep in my heart I knew one truth. And that is.....

for all the years that we had been together, he never once told me that he loved me.

He had his chances. In fact, I never opened myself to anyone. He came so close to winning my heart. Now I realise my foolish heart can be so weak. He came so close but he hesitated. Was he undecided or was he scared? At that moment my eyes were closed and I was so fragile. Anyone could just wrap me around his arms and I would fall without resisting. The power of love had overcome me and my foolish heart was waiting to be taken. Somehow, he hesitated and discontinued his advances. He kept repeating apologies. I did not understand.  He made me feel that I did something wrong. Something that I ought to feel guilty about. Was I improper and was I immoral? Somehow he made me feel as though he was Adam, the innocent one. And I was Eve, the temptress. How could he think so lowly of me? 

Now meeting him again after such a long while just makes me wonder. How lucky I was that I did not belong to him. He came by today as if he was coming back to claim what was once his. He doesn't understand that people change and time can change a person a lot.

I know that in his mind. I am still the one, the naive and the simple minded girl, who could be easily won over.

I am sure he thought that I had been weeping night after night over him. And now he comes back after I had deserved such pain, to forgive me.

Well , so sorry to say, my dear friend. You are not welcomed.