Beneath My Skin

If I say that the sun rises,
does it mean i am Copernican?
If I wanna lend you a hand,
does it mean I don't want my hand anymore?
If I talk about consequences,
am I assuming you will cause it?

If appreciation cannot be felt,
at least don't slight it.
Worse still, coat it with a candy floss
Cos' it makes it taste like gay Spongebob
The hypocrisy of your surface cheery
irks me more than your ditsy proclivity.

Down the corridor of Death,
I see Life.
Life in the bodies,
but bodies without souls.

The air of silence
that floods the cemetery floor
stares at me hard
because I don't belong.

In this modern burial ground,
tombstones stand replaced with:
books, laptops, music players and what nots.
Bodies buried not in soil
but in the lifeless parchment of education.

How interesting it is to see
the modern cemetery institution
in the compounds of the school
at the wake of the honour and glory of examinations divine.

Why does He love me?
They say, 'Love is blind.'
Aha. I see.
Because Love is blind.

If Love were indeed blind,
What would happen if I open her eyes?
Once she sees me in the light,
Will she turn away in fright?

Does He love me because Love is blind
and hate me when His Love gains sight?
He saw right through my mind
that was filled with dirt and grime.

But still, his Love remains.
How then can Love be blind,
if he loves me the same
despite me unworthy all the time

Today's Les' birthday. It rocks to be the birthday boy. It rocks even more to receive presents. He looked at the pile of presents in his room stacked untidily at one corner and they brought a smile to his face.

He began opening his presents one by one. The first one. Wow. A Tag Heuer watch. Cool. Thanks Mum and Dad, he thought.

The second one was a teddy bear. From Mary. Stupid present, he thought as he threw it behind him immediately.

Coming up next was a framed up jigsaw puzzle done by his whole class. Good effort, but unimpressive, he thought.

An Armani exchange belt. Not bad.
A Mont-Blanc pen. Good
A bottle of handmade stars. Matter that occupies space.
A digital camera. Who needs 2?
He continued unwrapping more presents.

After he finally unwrapped all his presents, Les leaned back against his armchair. He never knew that unwrapping presents could be so tiring. Well, he got quite a number of good items that he wanted. A few extra pieces of rubbish too. But somehow, he felt empty. This sense of emptiness that came from within. Actually, he even thought that he was unhappy. There was a missing present. A present that did not come. From Grace.

He never really knew Grace. Strangely, she would send him a present every year. He thought that it would be awkward accepting presents from someone he did not really know well, so he always rejected them and passed them back to the mailman.

This year, the present did not even arrive. She must have been angry. She might be heartbroken too after all the rejections. Maybe she finally decided to ignore him like he had ignored her.

The missing present made him perplexed and troubled. Why did he reject the present time and time again? Afterall, everyone loves presents. Why could he accept all the other presents but not this one? What is so hard about accepting her presents?

He went for a stroll in the park, trying to find some comfort in the tranquility of the serene nature. He never expected himself to be bothered by a missing present from someone he did not really know.

A bright area from a distance caught his attention. He went towards it and saw many candles on the floor. The lit candles formed alphabets that made up the words 'Happy Birthday'. Behind those words were a stack of presents piled up one on top of the other. Wow. He took a closer look. He rememebered some of them. They were the ones he rejected. He suddenly felt a surge of warm air surrounding his body, like an embrace that hugged him tight. His sense of emptiness started leaking away. At the corner of his eye, he saw Grace. He had decided to accept Grace.

Everyone received presents before. The rich ones probably received limos, yatchts and private jets. The not so rich ones, birthday cakes and greeting cards. Even the poorest of the poor received hugs, kisses and smiles before. Apart from all that, the fact that we are here in this world now is a gift, that's why they call it the Present. No doubt, this gift of life is wonderful. But there is another present far more beautiful than Life. One can collect all the presents in the world but miss out on just this one, he would have missed everything.

Amazing Grace.

Amelia was dozing off in the middle of the class. She was getting complacent because she realised she could understand what was going on despite skipping the previous week's lesson. She attributed it to her own intelligence and was grinning widely even as she fell asleep.

Although such poor attitudes towards learning should never be condoned, one could hardly blame her as the lecture was indeed very dry and boring. Even the lecturer himself realised this fact and was also trying his best to keep himself awake. He decided to take a sip from the cup of coffee he had earlier brought into the lecture.

Just as he was about to bring his mouth to the cup, he was pushed back by a mysterious force and a goblin jumped out of the coffee cup. Everyone in the class, except Amelia who was sleeping, was dumbstruck. A goblin jumping out of a coffee cup??? This sounded simply ridiculous. The goblin was furious as he could sense precisely these sentiments that were written on everyone's face. He was sure that everyone had heard of him before. He was foretold in the big red Book of Poems, that he would come one day to bring destruction.

The goblin immediately jumped at the lecturer and started pulling his hair out and eating them. The poor lecturer wailed in pain as the whole class went hysterical. Disturbed by the commotion, Amelia woke up. She saw the goblin. Being an avid reader of the big red Book of Poems, she recognised the goblin and knew that it was not a good sign.

Amelia felt her lungs constricting. Her vision started to blur as she felt her surroundings spinning around her. The next moment, she fainted. An Indian guy in the class saw Amelia faint and immediately rushed towards her. However, he did not see the elevated step before him and unluckily tripped over it the moment he moved. He fainted too.

The rest of the students evacuated the classroom in great fear upon seeing the goblin. The Indian guy's friend dragged him out of the classroom as he made his escape. Some of them wanted to carry Amelia out, but no one could lift her because she was too heavy. Amelia must have regretted drinking so much milk that made her bones so heavy. She should have taken more iron instead, at least, it might have helped her anaemia and she might not have fainted. On second thought, iron would perhaps have made it worse since it weighs more than milk.

The goblin saw Amelia. Amelia managed to regain consciousness but was too afraid to move. The goblin gave a long eerie laughter.

'Are you afraid of me?' asked the goblin.
'....no...' Amelia replied.
'HAhahhAHhahHah.. you are afraid aren't you?'
'no.. I am not!' Tears began to flow uncontrollably.
'Why not?'
'Superman is my helper. I will not be afraid.'
'I am Superman.'
'I will not be deceived by your lies.'
'I can see fear in your eyes. Beg for mercy and I will set you free.'
'I will fear no evil because Superman is with me.'
'You are afraid of me and I will make u suffer unless you beg for mercy.'
'It's all written in the big red Book of Poems that Superman will come down from the clouds and destroy you. I have nothing to fear.'

Amelia believed that the big red Book of Poems is true and in her heart, she told Superman to come as fast as he could. The goblin continued taunting her and did not realise when Superman arrived, standing right behind him. Amelia was relieved. Superman took out a lighter and set the goblin in flames. The goblin cried in vain as the tongues of flames engulfed him.

'Thank you Superman!' Amelia screamed as she went forward to hug him. She had been looking forward to see him for so long.

'Here's a gift for you.' Superman stuffed a box into her hand.



'Hey, wake up Amelia! Lecture just ended!' said the Indian guy. Amelia rubbed her eyes as she awoke from her slumber.

'Where's Superman?' she asked.

'Stop dreaming! Lecture is over. We are supposed to have our project discussion now. Silly of you to dream of Superman. He doesn't exist!' the Indian boy replied.

Amelia realised that she was dreaming. Then again, maybe not. She opened her palm and saw a box. It was the box Superman gave her. It was a box of iron pills.

Again, it's easier to run, replacing the pain with something numb. With the earphones blaring and loud music flooding the ears, the adrenalin that rushed through his veins chilled his pulsating nerves. The blend of emotions that flowed in his blood became diluted as the anaesthetic began to set in. Soon, his neurotransmittors were shut and he could no longer feel his body. He could still move his eyes and he could see that his arms and legs were still moving in a coordinated fashion. His own breathing and heart beat were loud and perfectly audible still as his mind slowly came to a blank.

At 2 am in the early morning, this young man was alone on the streets. Not alone because there wasn't anyone else. In fact, there were people around. A few here and there. Insignificant people. Alien faces. Beings whose existence do not interest and concern him. Nevertheless, he was alone.

Alone because he was seemingly sucked into a vacuum and put into an air tight bubble filled to the brim with nothingness. His senses had been kidnapped and locked out of this paradigm of time. He could only remain as a lonely observer of his surroundings. Observing how his body was running. How every ounce of strength mustered and applied in each muscle. How his feet made contact with his socks, that kissed the insoles of his shoes which were pounding hard against the concrete floor. Alone. Paralysed by his captivity, he could do nothing other than to just enjoy his astral imprisonment.

His body was running on and on. Went past many street lamps and made a few bends. Soon, he was nearing a crowded area. He wondered why it could still be crowded at such an unearthly hour. He could not figure it out and was irritataed. Irritated because it would mean that he had to stop. Meaning that the momentum would have to be broken. The chemical reactions within his body would be disrupted. Worst of all, he would have to force himself to be in control of his body again.

He exited from his numbness and regained his body. The cacophony of loud chatter and mindless conversations invaded his ears at once. The stale air disturbed his nostrils. He could feel the remnants of dried perspiration causing discomfort to his skin as fresh beads of perspiration started to coalesce at various spots on his body. He could feel a blanket of heat wrapped around his body, with fatigue accumulating beneath his skin. Well, he became in control again. And he loathed it.

Because he was still alone. Alone in the sea of people. He could see faces everywhere around him in that stretch. None were recognisable. He turned his head left, then he looked right. All of them looked so strange to him. A little irritation and some bits of despair started to pile up. He suddenly shouted at the top of his voice. The loud yell focussed everyone's attention on him. 'They can hear me!' he thought to himself. So he yelled again. This time louder and longer. The people resumed their activities, back to their own businesses. He was wrong. They could not hear him. No one did.

In a fit of anger, he gathered his strength again and sprinted away. He continued and ran non-stop tll he reached his original starting point. Breathless, he lay on the ground, facing the sky.

The sky was blank. No moon, no stars. A few clouds occasionally drifted by, after which it became a blank expanse of darkness again. Where are the stars? Where is the moon?

Perhaps they had put on their earphones and gone jogging.

Dear Friend,

This is a letter for you, dear friend. I don't know if you still regard me as one. I would not be surprised if you don't. I would not be surprised too if you want to but could not bring yourself to do so. I believe none of us would have expected things to turn out this way. I still do not know what to make of the situation and also do not really know what I should do to make things better.

At this point in time, I believe there is no point in dwelling on the specifics of things, of why certain things were done, why certain things were not done, why things were done in a particular manner etc. You wanted to hear no apologies and I would respect that.

I just want to let you know that throughout these 2 years, I had made 2 of the most painful decisions of my life. The first decision was to make the switch. Yes, everyone thought that I was happy with the switch and voluntarily made the switch after much thought. Actually I was trying to make myself think that way too. No matter how much I tried to rationalise and tell myself about the pros that outweigh the cons, the pain doesn't seem to reduce. I made the switch so that I could have more time at hand to handle the matters there. That was the best compromise that I could make, such that I would not deprive either my studies or there the attention they need. Unknowingly, I had managed to subconsciously convince myself to give up my own dream so that energy could be channelled fully elsewhere in hope of building the common dream.

Nevertheless, the pain gradually sets in. Seeing others doing the things I want to do but cannot do, trying to convince myself again that it is the best arrangement, finding more excuses and reasons to tell myself why the switch is the right choice etc. After a while, I don't know what I am doing anymore. Finally I decided to switch back.

Looking back, perhaps that was the starting point where everything started to fall apart. I was not aware of it back then, and I regret for failing to spot this tell-tale sign. The point of deciding to switch back is the point where I suddenly found myself again. Slowly it came to me that all these while, I had been living a lie.

I did not realise it till then. The things that I said, the promises that I made, the dreams that I pursued. They were all not mine. I know it is very irresponsible to deny all that. It is even more irresponsible to absolve myself of all the duties I have just because of this so-called realisation. This hit me so hard that I found it impossible to continue anymore, not even for another day. I can try to, but I know I will not be able to do a good job.

I know that my departure will have its impacts. Given past experiences, my own judgement tells me that it is beyond doubt that the team would have to suffer because of me no matter what preventive measures they choose to take. That became the other painful decision that I have to take. To leave and know that after I leave people will suffer because of me. I know you may think that if I had given time for a transition to take place, the team would not have to suffer to this extent. Perhaps you are right. But it was never my intention to leave in an abrupt manner. I think there is no point in going through what I should or should not have done, the facts of the matter, the logic and rationality behind everything etc. That is not my intention.

My intention is not to deny the responsibilities. I am also not trying to make a point by saying that I am right. The only intention of this letter is to tell you that I experienced the pain too. Maybe this pain is a much lesser pain than what all of you are experiencing now. Maybe this is not important to you. Maybe you are more concerned with the operations of things. That is something that I am not going to address, which again might cause you to think of me in a lesser sense than you already do.

On top of that, I want to thank you. I want to tell you that I am extremely extremely extremely extremely grateful to you. I had wanted to tell you this a long time ago. I thought it would be the most appropriate to tell you that when we reach the summit. But it's not gonna happen now. I wouldn't be there at the summit with you. I wanna thank you for all the things that you had ever said to me. I think that the things you had said to me have directly and indirectly impacted me tremendously. If I had not learnt all those things that I had learnt from you these past 10 years, I would just be another ordinary doraemon caught up in my own silly little world.

I wish you all the best. You may consider this hypocritical. If I had intended the best for you, perhaps I would not have done what I did. What I have done was certainly not the best thing that I can do to you or to anybody else, that is why I can only wish you the best with all my heart. I can no longer be the hands and legs to ensure that the best is achieved, I can only wish and pray that it would still be achieved nonetheless without me.

Regards,
The Selfish and Inconsiderate One who Lacks a Conscience

It's been a while. He never thought he could do it again. There was a period of drought where all his ideas and inspiration all dried up, because the source had been sealed and shut out. He had been so used to drawing energy from the Dark side that it somehow seemed unnatural to use another source.

On his conscious mind, he condemned the Dark side for its wickedness, dirty tricks, selfishness and destruction, yet, beneath his skin, the manifestations of gloom, pessimism, cynicism and disbelief nourished his soul. He would not admit from his mouth that he was from the Dark side. But he would admit that he did not believe in the Force.

The Force, is something so intangible that he could not feel, so impersonal that it appeared plastic and so distant that it seemed at best only surreal. Yet, the Force appeals to him. The lure of something divine and omnipotent, the promises of eternity and the epitomy of everlasting goodness were all that he hoped he could be a part of. As much as he wanted to believe in the Force, something was holding him back.

Most of the time, he would dismiss the existence of the Force, because of several aspects which he could not come to terms with. He thought that the Force was just an imaginary presence created by the weak minded to seek solace. It was no different from being the opium of the masses. Furthermore, history had shown that the School of the Force, the institution that proclaims the glory of the Force, was not as pure and clean as what it made itself out to be. Legalism and inflexible dogma painted a new face for the School, making it only slightly distinguishable from the Dark side.

As such, he had difficulties coming to terms with the Force. Nevertheless, his innate desire to reconcile with the Force subconsciously tried to seek the Way, the Truth and the Life. At the same time, he too unconsciously drew energy from the Dark side to churn out works of contempt, cynicism, disillusionment, hopelessness and disappointment, as an expression of his frustration of his failure to balance his internal struggle.

Miraculously, the Voice from the Force spoke to him one day and changed his life forever. He began to realise he was a fiend from the Dark side. Despite consciously making an effort to seive out thoughts and actions that were associated with the Dark side, he was still unknowingly its very own slave. He was born with it. It is the Original Darkness that was trapped inside him and everyone else.

He is so thankful to the Voice. It is only through the Voice that his internal struggles were resolved. He learnt the one most important thing that saved his life: Grace. Grace is not just a defense mechanism used as a shield against the Dark side, it is an offensive weapon that can pierce through walls of Darkness and dissolve all the Darkness from within. The Voice gave him Grace, that rescued him from this Original Darkness.

Yes that was great. But because he had lost contact with most of the Dark side, he soon found himself unable to write. He realised that all he had written so far were all drawn from the Dark side. he tried to draw energy from the Force to write. It felt weird and was a little uncomfortable with it. Finally, it is starting to work for him now. He soon found himself more tuned to the mechanisms of the Force and it no longer felt weird wielding the Force.

May the Force be with him.

He turns his back and starts walking away. What is going on in his mind? Doesn’t he want to reach the summit anymore? Probably not. But why not? The first-ever taste of success he got when he reached the first milestone, the dreams, hopes and aspirations that he once harboured, the view at the top of the summit… Don’t they mean anything?

Perhaps they do. Afterall, those were all that he ever cared about for a long time. Other things that were supposedly important as well were pushed to the back of his mind. He knew that had he not stayed focus, he would not even be where he is now. But all these come at a price. A price that he thought was probably too expensive to pay. Now it comes a point where all that he ever cared about don’t matter anymore.

He doesn’t care if he is ever gonna reach the summit. He doesn’t care if millions of people would die to see the panoramic view at the top. He doesn’t care about any of that anymore.

No doubt there are attachments. It is indeed painful to abandon his team mates just like that. To some extent, he might even be letting them down. He did not fulfill the promises he made, and had even misled them into thinking that he would be with them till the end. To make himself feel better, he can possibly continue living a lie. He can tell himself that he still want all of those that he had wanted in the past. He can tell himself that it is something he really wants to do. He had tried. For a while. But it is not easy living a lie. He chose to give that up.

Yes. He chose the easy way out. He threw in the towel. He recalled the times when his teammates were feeling down and out and wanted to give up as well. He was the one who encouraged them. He remembered the countless occasions when he managed to escape death with many strokes of luck. The sense of achievement was overwhelming, and sometimes addictive.

But he realized that he cannot live a lie. He cannot assume the hopes and dreams of everyone else and treat them as though they were his own. He tried that before, but he failed miserably. All he can do now is to wish his team mates all the best.

It is starting to irritate him. At first, he just thought that it was just bollocks and did not pay any attention to it at all. Thinking back, perhaps he should have heeded the advice. He had better do something about it before it starts to get out of hand.

Embarrassment is something that had occurred to everyone before. Some people get into embarrassing situations on a regular basis, some people seldom get embarrassed at all, some people don’t really feel embarrassed though the situation they are in would be deemed as embarrassing for most while some people get embarrassed by the slightest things that happen. One thing for sure, embarrassment is something everyone would avoid to encounter as much as possible. No doubt, the recent spate of embarrassing events that repeatedly interrupt his life is making Jamin extremely irritated.

2 months ago, Jamin went on an expedition to the Sahara desert. On the very first day he set foot on the desert, he met this shady looking Moroccan who offered to be his tour guide. Jamin felt that it would defeat the purpose of an expedition if he were to hire the Moroccan, so he rejected him. However, the pesky Moroccan refused to leave and insisted on being his tour guide unless Jamin could find an acceptable reason to reject him. Jamin tried all his means to shake the Moroccan off but to no avail. Finally, he told him that he had no money and was too poor to hire him. The Moroccan expressed his displeasure and scolded Jamin for wasting his time. Being a temperamental person by nature, Jamin had been tempted to punch the Moroccan on many occasions. He did not want to hold himself back anymore and was about to deliver a knuckle to the Moroccan’s big nose when the Moroccan spoke again.

This time, he said that he happened to be offering a fortune telling service as well. It became pretty obvious to Jamin that all the Moroccan was asking for was simply a knockout blow to his head. But Jamin thought that it would be best not to create trouble in a foreign land. Afterall, there were many other people around the area. Using the same reason, Jamin said that he was unable to afford. This is time the Moroccan smiled and pointed to Jamin’s hat. Barter? Jamin did not know whether to laugh or to feel ridiculed. But he was impressed by the persistence of the Moroccan. He would make a good salesman. Despite that, Jamin insisted that he was not interested to use any of his belongings as a payment. Resigned to fate, the Moroccan turned back and walked away. As he was walking away, he said, ‘I will tell you this for free. You will be terribly embarrassed for the months to come unless you employ one of my services.’ At that point in time, Jamin thought that the Moroccan sounded ridiculous, but just dismissed it as a combination of being sour and poor usage of English (he probably had meant ‘terribly sorry’ instead of ‘embarrassed’).

Now it all dawn upon him. He was put under a curse. No wonder he keeps getting himself embarrassed. Over and over again. On Monday, he remembered Marc telling him that his pants were unzipped the minute he met him at a restaurant. On Tuesday, Lesnar told him that his pants were unzipped when they were both on a train. On Wednesday, a young lady walked past him, screamed ‘EEEWWW!’ and ran away. On Thursday, he suddenly felt a little too airy down there when he realized that his fly was open. As he was zipping up his pants, passersby gave him disgusted looks. On Friday, he was told to get lost when he was ordering food from the canteen. The stallholder was obviously offended by his open fly. On Saturday, he was running to catch a bus and he felt his pants going down lower and lower. An unzipped pair of pants would naturally get looser and looser especially when you are running. And today. He had been told by at least 5 different people that his fly was open. If it is not a curse, Jamin would have no other explanation for it.

Jamin felt that it would be best for him to avoid the crowd until he could somehow break the curse. After spending some time thinking on his couch, he finally had a solution. To solve the zipper problem, he just needs to get rid of the zipper. He just has to wear pants without zips! He immediately changed into a pair of shorts, with no zippers, and hurriedly went down for lunch. Finally, he has the courage to go out without having to worry about when his pants would suddenly unzip on their own.

He finished his lunch and was walking on the streets when he received a flyer that was offering a free membership to the new gym. Since the new gym was just around the corner, Jamin decided to check it out.

He went in and walked around. He saw a weighing scale at a corner and went on it. To his shock, he had gained 30 kg.

‘Hahah… Don’t be too shocked. If you don’t exercise, you will naturally get fat. Hahahaha.. That’s what the gym membership is for. Don’t worry, there’s still hope for you. After working out for some time here, you will find that you will not struggle to zip up your pants anymore.’ One of the gym users who caught him in his state of shock told him.

the sand trickled in the hourglass
each breath life seeps away

the hand moves, slowly and steadily
tick tock tick tock

the shadow on the dial shifts
the body weakens with each action

the sun rays shine, the moon light beams
the pace remains constant, or so it seems
where in this paradigm of time
willl there be a sign
to put everything in light
clearing darkness from the night

He was dumbfounded. It took a while before reaity finally sank in. Nevertheless, that piece of news was too bitter to swallow. He could not believe that she was gone just like that.

There were some memories. Memories that still remained vivid. But he had to try so hard to resist recalling them. Memories are cruel things. They constantly reminded him how vulnerable he was and how weak he was. He longed for Amnesia.

That night, he could not sleep. It was indeed too cruel for an illness to take away his best friend just like that. Tossing and turning under the blanket. Tossing and turning. More tossing and turning.

He finally sat up. Amnesia and Sleep, this pair of elusive twins seemed to hate him a lot. To make matters worse, there was a bug buzzing around in his room. He kept shoving his hands around and started screaming. The bug refused to leave his room. He stared hard at the bug which was resting beside his bed. It was not a detestable bug. It was a butterfly. He understood. Torrents of tears began flowing fast and free.

Jane.

Back at lalaland again last night. It seems to have changed. Still, there's some sort of familiarity hanging around in the air. The more things change, the more they remain the same. The oxygen in the air still smells the same and every step taken there seems to fill him with renewed euphoria. That, is the part of him that knows. That, is the part of him who can see, smell, hear, feel and touch. He sees the familiarity of things around him. He sees the logic and rationality hidden beneath the surface.

Despite that, he is always separated from himself there, at lalaland. he doesn't know that he is separated from He. But He knows. he would probably realise too, but that would always come much later. He stands at the side, looking at the ridiculous things he is doing.

Things that do not make sense. Things that you know are made up. These things are the ones that you can expect to happen every moment at lalaland without you even finding anything strange about them.

he was brushing his teeth at home. after rinsing his mouth, he jumped back onto his bed and started reading his book. after two pages, he was in a library reading a thick reference book. He stood at the corner, chuckling to himself. he did not realise it. because he is still reading. soon, he got tired of reading. he walked to the library counter. and ordered a glass of lychee martini. not surprisingly, the lady served it to him. he held the glass and sipped the drink to quench his thirst. Again, He smiled to himself after seeing what happened.

he began to feel a little bored in the library. it seemed too suffocating, to be trapped behind four walls and artificially cooled air. he walked to the lift and entered the doors. he pressed on the button '4'. the doors opened and he walked out quickly. as soon as he stepped out of the lift, he walked to his right and laid on the bench, enjoying the fresh air in the open park. there were some kids playing with kites at the far corner. a few metres away from his bench was a dog running on the spot in circles. He grinned wryly again.

It is now time. Yes, time's up now. It's gonna stop. He went to him. And he became He. He became he. He opened his eyes and found himself on the bed, with the alarm clock beside him screaming for some attention. Another day begins.

It is weird isn’t it? Things always happen when you least expect it. When you hope that the one million dollars from the lottery would be yours, it never happens. When you make a birthday wish, you seldom expect it to be fulfilled. When you enter a lucky draw contest, you can almost for sure say that the winner will not be you. Yet, sometimes when you are just that certain that such things would not happen, it just happens, probably just to irritate you, and to show you that nothing is certain in this world. Indeed, one can never be too sure about something. When the bookmakers offer the odds payout of 1.01 for something, think twice before assuming that it is a foregone conclusion that you will win.

From time to time, something would sprout out of nowhere to challenge existing pillars of truth, to make the formidable appear vulnerable and to reveal the cracks and crevices within the magnificence and majesty. Perhaps this is the real world order. This is the way things work. The world has its own balancing mechanism, to ensure that when something has achieved too much stability, something must present itself to disrupt this peace and tranquility. It can be said that such a measure is necessary, without which complacency would breed and in time, because of prolonged stability, apathy might also strive to dominate. The end result would be the turning against of the very stability that everyone had put their faith in from the start.

Norbwand just began to understand all these things. He had a tremendous discovery and was sure that it would rock the world. But how was he going to make this discovery be known to the world? Surely he could not be traveling physically around the world to tell people about it. What was he thinking? In this modern age of technology, news would spread faster than he could even imagine. He decided that he would put his ideas down in a book and everyone who read it would be astounded by the new insight he discovered.

He sat down on his chair and started writing.

Tommy was lost for words. He never imagined that things would turn out like that. We had all been deceived! This could perhaps be the biggest cover-up in the history of mankind. Mathematics has been considered the foundation for science. It had manifested itself in everyone’s lives. Calculating the change you will receive when you pay for something. Counting the time you need to leave your house and get to your destination. Putting the numbers and figures right in your bank accounts and tax sheets. What if the fundamentals of mathematics are proven to be wrong? Would the world fall apart?

Everything in the world follows certain axioms, which are sets of assumptions that were made, upon which more ideas were built on. If these very axioms were one day proven to be wrong, the skyscrapers that were piled on top of the foundation stone would topple like falling bricks of Jenga.

Tommy was gasping for air. His discovery must be made known to the world. Everyone must know the truth and stop living in deception. In mathematics, one of the very first things taught is that one plus one is equals to two. From simple arithmetic to more complex mathematical topics, the rule ‘one plus one equals to two’ is the building block upon which everything is built on.

How would his discovery change the world? Tommy had no answers. A world where one plus one does not equal to two was simply something too much for his mind to comprehend. The founding fathers of mathematics had deliberately created such a rule, to ensure that their legacy continues. They knew that they would one day die, but their rule would live on forever. Even if it was false, it did not matter to them.

In his research, Tommy discovered that one plus one is actually three. When one man and one woman come together, they produce one child. So one plus one equals three. Sometimes, it can even be four, five, six or even more. How amazing. When you put one spoon of salt into one glass of water, you get a glass of salty water. Here, one plus one equals one. Hence, one plus one can be one as well. When you take a paper and put it to a flame, you get no more paper left. One plus one becomes zero! Tommy took a moment to savour the brilliance of his own discovery.

Soon, the world would know about the selfish evil plot the founding fathers of Mathematics had created to bring glory to themselves. It is necessary to reveal the truth, but the truth might be too great for anyone to bear. What must be done must be done.

Norbwand stood up from his chair. Finally, it was completed. He would get the book published and soon everyone would be talking about it. Maybe they might even make it into a movie. Whatever it might turn out to be, it was his responsibility to shed light onto the rest of the deluded world.

He had to shut it out from his mind. Inaction and passiveness would only carry him this far. It was the end of the road. Chances and opportunities are not gifts that Santa Claus gives out everyday. If this myth was real, it would occur at best only once a year. One could wait for Christmas, but he certainly could not expect Christmas to come on anytime of the year other than 25 December. Nevertheless, people loved to wait for things like that to happen. Though at the back of the mind they know the chance of it occurring is probably as low as spotting a green elephant crossing the road, they somehow think that it is still a realistic chance. Maybe that is why people like to buy lottery tickets. Choosing to ignore the extremely probable outcome that they would win nothing, they put their hope on the most unlikely outcome.

Perhaps this is the way people work. After all, what would life be without hope? What would life be without fairy tales, fantasy stories, sweet romantic dreams and tales with perfect wonderful endings? That was the best way he could comfort himself. Indeed, it sounded convincing enough to tell himself that it was not just another excuse.

He laid on his bed and prepared to sleep. He tossed and turned, occasionally sitting up for a while before lying back down again. Was it insomnia? Surely it was not too traumatic for him to sleep? Maybe it was. He knew that he accidentally shed a tear or two when he was under the blanket. Why was he doing this? He could not understand. Surely what happened was definitely not a good thing, but surely he should not be bothered by it? He asked himself if he was affected. His mind told him no. No. He was not affected. It was just one of those things in life that did not happen as he would wish.

He shut his eyes again. Soon, he found them open. Why could he not sleep? Irritation began to set in. It was clearly affecting him. He did no know why but all of a sudden he was feeling down. Down. Down. Down. Down in the dumps. He felt like crying. He sat up, holding the pillow near his face. Tears began to start flowing. Yes. He was sad. He cold not get it off his mind.

He started imagining Lydia in his mind. Lydia and him. Things they did together. Some of which were real. Some were his fantasies. It was supposed to be saddening, but somehow, it felt good. It was not entirely good, but it was not bad either. Like a smoker addicted to cigarettes, he seemed to be hooked on these thoughts.

It took him quite a long while before he got off those thoughts. He must be out of his mind. How could he allow himself to think that way? His vulnerability could not be exposed. He was the alpha male. He was an impregnable fortress, a bastion that could not be broken into. Such weak thoughts were so uncharacteristic of him. It was simply ridiculous.

Unknowingly, he was already lying on the bed snoring. How silly. How much could pride be worth? He might have thought that his pride was worth almost his life. But still sometimes, he could fall into such lapses.

Well, maybe he could do something for him. He could work a little over time. Sometimes he wondered if he was too lazy. Alright. He would work over time. Too much time off could get boring sometimes.

Did he sleep well last night? A slight neck ache, other than that it should be pretty fine. He got out of his bed and went to take his usual morning stroll in the park. After the walk, he should feel more awake and ready for the next day’s work. He dragged his feet lazily on the pathway, yawning occasionally. Something at the corner of his eye caught his attention. What in the blue hell was that? He rubbed his eyes again. What he saw was simply out of this world. At the far end of the road some distances away, he saw a GREEN ELEPHANT. What on earth is a GREEN ELEPHANT doing here? Wait a minute. Do green elephants exist? Oh my god. As if seeing a green elephant was not ridiculous enough, the next thing he saw was the green elephant CROSSING THE ROAD! Absolutely absurd. He wanted to run over and take a closer look, but the next moment he looked up, the green elephant had disappeared.

The green elephant certainly made him completely wide awake. He was ready to go to work. He hurried back home, took a shower, and rushed off to work.

Monday blues again. What else could be worse than work? He knew that it was useless complaining because everyone else was also trapped in this wretched lifeless life there. Just when he decided to take a short break from work, he received an SMS from his handphone. It was Lydia. She had broken up with that guy and she wanted to meet him for dinner to talk. Not a good thing to be happy about that someone broke up, but he still felt happy. He scowled at his own evil thoughts.

The SMS had lifted his spirits. He was extremely productive at work and his manager was amazed at his efficiency. When he worked fast, time seemed to pass so quickly that he did not notice it. It was time to knock off. He rushed down to the meeting place. Lydia was already there. They talked a lot during dinner. After that, they went for a stroll in the park. Soon, Lydia was in his arms.

The alarm buzzed. Freak!! He got woken up rudely from his sleep. Argh. Another idiotic dream. He thought that he needed some medicine to clear his mind of such ridiculous thoughts. It was making a mockery out of himself. He washed up and went for his usual morning stroll.

A bunch of kids were playing noisily at a corner of the park. Irritating kids. He hated kids. They should be responsible for a large proportion of the world’s noise pollution. He frowned as he was walking past them. One of them was drawing a picture. It was a green elephant. Incensed, he went up to him and told him that he got the colour wrong. The bunch of kids all laughed at him. He stormed off angrily. Kids are also one of the most stupid living things on earth, he thought to himself.

His day unfolded just like any other day, each daily routine leading to the next, till it was knockoff time. He received an SMS. It was Lydia. He scratched his head. It was the same SMS he got in his dream. And dinner was perfect, just like the dream. And they went for a stroll in the park too.

‘Hey, look at that in the sky!’ Lydia exclaimed. He looked up. It was a shooting star. A rare sight indeed.

Up there above the clouds, on the shooting star, Santa Claus was riding on his reindeer. Sometimes working over time is indeed not bad. After all Christmas is still many months away. One should not just wait for Christmas.

So it happened again. She had done it again. Not that she really wanted to do it. But again and again it happened. Now she found herself in the same place she had been so many times. This is all too familiar. She looked up into the sky. The same dark nite sky. Where are the stars? Where is the moon? Cant they appear to at least show some comfort?

And there he stood. He always appeared so disgusting. Yet not always, but only at this time, when the passion is all over and the heat of the moment had passed. Oh it would always seem so romantic. The handholding. The peck on the cheek. The solitary walks in the park. And then the peck. And then the pecks would grow longer. The hugs deeper. Before they knew it, they were at it again. And now there he was again as he always looked. So selfish, so disgusting. But she never saw it. Not till it was all over. Yet again and again it happened.

She loathed him. He was an insensitive, selfish and unloving prick. But why? Why? Why? Why did it only always appear at their final throws of passion? It had passed. It was no longer present. She stood there in the still air. All she could feel was the nite air caressing her skin. She raised her hand and tried to get hold of it. She caught nothing. She tried again, hurling her hands at the emptiness, trying to grab something that she could hold on to. Try as she might, there is nothing.

She could remember it all the head. The images were so vivid. They replayed in her head over and over again. But why couldn’t she feel it again in her hands? She didn’t want them to be just images. Fake images. Intangible deceitful stuff. She needed them real. Real things that she could feel and touch and know that they exist. That would give her security. Yes security. Security. It seemed all so elusive.

She hated herself for being like this. She knew she was being too self-absorbed. Every nite she stood at the balcony and tried the best she could to bring those memories to life, making the images real. It is not possible, she realised, for the umpteenth time. She could not replicate them alone. Tears began to form at her eyes. Her heart was squeezed and she could feel air escaping her lungs.

His photograph was in her left hand. She stared hard at it. She could not stop the tears from overwhelming her. She asked too many whys and whys. Sometimes, there is no why. Things happen for no reason. Things happen just because they want to happen. Or maybe things happen to deliberately sadden her. Someone up there must be playing a trick on her and took pleasure in seeing her down in the dumps. She glared at the nite sky. ‘screw u,’ she muttered to herself. ‘whoever it is, fuck u.’ the sick person up there who planned these events in her life seriously deserved to be mutilated.

She saw the razor on the table. That thought came to her mind again. To end it once and for all. She resisted. She knew that if she did it to herself, she might never see him again, not even after death. She would be burning in the tongues of flames deep down in hell for taking her own life.

Tim.

The sun was up in the sky and his rays forced her eyes open. It was day again. She needed to do what she needs to do everyday. She went down to her car and drove off. Once again, she reached the place. She walked on the pathway, in the same manner like she did everyday. Finally, she reached the place.

‘Tim.’ She put down the bouquet of flowers on the cold stone and looked at the picture again, trembling. ‘Tim.’ Her tears began to flow again as she hugged the stone on the grave. He was too insensitive, selfish and unloving to leave her all behind.

its nite time again. the same darkness. the same blank sky each nite. he laid on the bench, resting his head on his arms, staring at the blanket of the nite. hadnt he been here at the same place, staring at the same spot on the sky before? in fact, he had done that countless times. history seems to repeat itself, he is seemingly trapped in this cycle. who determines this cycle? is he being programmed to do these things that he do, and even think this thought that just flashed across his mind? he looked around himself. the landscap was pretty barren, which was rather expected for this time of the day. doffles was already sleeping at the far end under the tree. that bitchy cherie is still flirting with the other males in the park. are they thinking what he is thinking? clearly not. in the first place, what the hell is he even thinking about?

random sporadic thoughts. disorganised and frivolous thoughts. all these that meant to only ridicule himself. nevertheless, this felt so addictive. its like a black hole, sucking him in. he noes that he is sinking in, at the same time, he is drawn by the mystery and suspense that it offers. he wants to unveil the mask and see the face, take off the clothes and see the nakedness. the bare reality of it all. yet, despite being sucked in, nothing more is revealed. the sexiness still lingers and he longs for more. he is already in the black hole and theres no turning back. occasionally, he manages to retrace his steps and move against the current. but before he could reach the safety zone, the vacuum would pull him further back in. a part of him did enjoy that. the to and fro motion that he underwent. tedious and unrewarding, but somehow, in a way, satisfying.

he blinked his eyes and retrieved his mind from the black hole for a moment. he tapped at the stone bench he was on with his right hand. its hard. yeah. he is there. he is real. at least it feels more secure. something tangible, something that he can touch and feel. isnt this better? keep out of the danger zone which holds so many uncertainties and questions with no answers. the safety zone here offers u order and predictability, though dull and suffocating, can sometimes be soothing and comforting as well.

yes, he thought to himself. he needs this comfort now. because he can feel the growl in his stomach. the desire for food. he walked around, hoping to find something he could salvage. doffles would probably have some food hidden somewhere, but he is already asleep. cherie would definitely have got quite some bit through flirting, but she probably would not spare him any.

at the end of the pathway, there was a group of young delinquents. people. properly loaded with food too. he scurried over. one of the young boys was chewing on a chicken wing. foood... he salivated uncontrollably. the boy chewed off the last bit of meat on the chicken wing and fling the bone onto the grass patch.

food at last. he pounced on it, picked it up with his teeth and hurried back to his bench.


'pathetic dog! hahah...'

'yeah, such a brainless creature! how stupid can animals get..'

'alrite, let's go back and play our computer games.'

'yeah of course. got to do something meaningful in the nite rather than wasting it away like that pathetic dog haha..'

He lit a fag,
put down his sling bag
leaned back against his chair
unperturbed by the glare.
Puffed a cloud
feeling down and out.

Mindless quarrels
Endless squabbles
Meaningless arguments
Repeated disappointments

She could not see it,
despite him repeatedly going at it.
Speaking Greek to English?
No one can revive a dead fish.

A lost cause,
an expected loss.
Ideals of a perfect family
were never meant to be.

No light at the end of the tunnel
Some live forever in the dark corner,
never ever seeing the light.
Indeed its a pitiful sight.

Attempts to break down
the walls of darkness are failure bound.
The real world is never ideal.
Painstaking efforts to create one can only kill.
Utter disappointment
in something devoid of love and filled with resentment.

He knows the way out
He knew it eons ago when he was first thrown out
He took the way before,
it worked, but still it feels sore.

Wanting to end it once and for all,
he tried it once more.
Once again, he was proven wrong.
He buries his head down, tearing to the mournful song.

he had been waiting for this day. it was arranged some time ago and he was looking forward to it. mental preparations had been made and he had psyched himself up for it. it is not the first time. but it is gonna create a greater impact than the previous times.

he recallled how big an issue it had become the last time it happened. he was on the news, radios, magazines and literally everywhere in the world. he even appearead in some toys and t-shirts. this time, it must create a bigger bang than that.

they had arranged for it to come in 2 days' time. adrenalin was rushing thru his veins and he couldnt sleep at all as the date draws near. the collapse of the buildings, the scurrying pple, the dying cries, the cloud of dust that resembles the atomic bomb of the World War etc. it may seem sadistic to others, but to him, he is doing it for the greater good.

he got out of his bed each day thinking abt the day thats gonna come. its gonna come soon, hopefully. hopefully it would not be foiled again like many of those that happened before. contrary to popular belief, he is not the mastermind of all the operations. he is a mere scapegoat. he awaits instructions obediently and patiently while his thirst for blood and battle hunger is about to drive him crazy.

Now its drawing closer. Even closer than before. Just 1 more day.


'Osama?'

'Yes?'

'An instruction had been passed down. The operations scheduled for tommorrow had been postponed.'


He was dumbfounded. He sort of expected it though. It had happened before and so he should expect it to happen again. He had worried for nothing. The adrenalin were wasted for nothing. The sleepless nights were totally uncalled for again. At least it is just postponed. Another date would be given and it can still be executed. Well, he just hopes that it is not cancellled.

He walked into his prayer room, sat down and meditated.

he is sometimes known as Gary. or Jerry. sometimes Jeremy or Terry. or any other names he could think of at that pt in time. hes like a chameleon, without a fixed identity. one moment he is just a person picking up a call, the next moment he is the manager, the next moment he is an admin staff. who is he really? are they all the same?

he is seldom what his IC says he is, unless its pple he already knows. even to those who know him, not all know him as his real name. some addresses him by his surname. he knows who he is. he prefers to be someone he is not.

he would rather be Gary, Jerry, Jeremy, Terry or anyone else out there. someone that no1 has any expectations of. someone that has no responsibilities.

each time the fone rings, he is preparing himself for a new identity. so far, Tenacious hasn't shown up yet. wonder what would the caller's reaction be if Tenacious were to answer the calls. but that would almost never happen. its just not appropriate.

geishas hide their true self behind their painted faces. he hides himself beneath his skin, under the facade of these different names.