Narratives.

Thought.

2009-07-29T00:12:00.003+08:00

As she coasts through the city,
She's oblivious to the crowds;
And she wanders on barefoot;
Her thoughts scream aloud:

Is she going to live on happy,
Or does she want to end it now;
Does this life hold no more meaning,
Or is this merely God's trial;

As she stumbles through the alley,
She is clutching at her chest;
And she falls flat on her belly,
Puts it permanently to rest;

Blood is trickling down her leg;
Her breath comes out in gasps;
This is the eleventh hour;
Beyond her looms death;

As she lay there dying,
She is calm and at peace;
Consciousness is slipping,
And her thoughts are at ease:

Her soul is but dispensable;
It gone won't cause a ripple;
And to the world she may be dead,
But really, it's all in your head.

inspiration comes at the strangest times: i wrote this during work, on this dull afternoon while i was falling in and out of sleep periodically. after i wrote it i tried to think of a theme that this poem/short short story fits. i realized it's actually damn random. but to sound professional i should say it follows the development of her thoughts, from confusion and exasperation and doubt, to a morbid acceptance of where she is or is heading in life. the dramatization of her death, as mentioned, is all psychological. is it a reflection of my thoughts presently, i dont even know myself. dont ask me why i always come up with such depressing things, even though i'm generally a happy person.

Fossils

2009-03-05T00:24:00.008+08:00

The tip of a pen scratched away at paper, furiously, purposefully. Inking away at thoughts regurgitated, facts spilled out faster than hands can move. Untidy, scribbled cursive font filled the once empty page with a strange consistency, printing paragraphs of ethical theories and conceptual linkages to hypothetical questions. The monotonous chime of the grandfather’s clock echoed in the still atmosphere, piercing the silence like an owl’s hoots in the night.

A cold, lonely night. Where the breeze whirred gently in the ears, whispering, calling. Sending shivers and chills down the spine. The streets void of a lingering soul, the streetlamps light up shadows alone. A stray trotted, hungry and curious, at the sound of the solitary car speeding by the deserted stretch of road, an unexpected change in the vacant night. It paused, sniffed, the senses wary but unexcited, the nerves working and the brain processing, uncovering the stark possibilities of a midnight snack waiting. But the knowledge was clear as reflection in a shiny glass window pane.

Knowledge that the relationship was impossibly fragile, inevitably teetering on its unstable edges. The rainbow sparks of light that once hit the prism were fading into nothingness, into a colourless hole like a bottomless pit.

And at the bottom of the pit there lay a dead body, a decomposing corpse nonchalantly dumped and forgotten eons ago by the heartless soul of criminal intentions. Flies and maggots and cockroaches and termites ravaged their delightful source of protein, savouring everything and leaving behind nothing to salvage save for the skeletal contents widely demanded of scientific research.

Fossils, they call it.

***

this is something different!
i started off by just writing any description of something, which somehow became a description of my ethics midterm paper (which btw hasnt started yet its supposed to be this saturday) and at some point it leads to another topic, and with each topic another description develops from another scenario, and then it leads on and so on.
i stopped at fossils cos that's where i realize i don't know how and what to describe anymore.
it's kinda fun! its just another version of my plotless excerpts.
although it's still kind of short i think. can be developed more! something i would want to try again when i have more TIME on my hands.

Unspoken

2009-02-25T01:17:00.005+08:00

And she lay on the bed,

Stock still, eyes closed,

As if she's dead.

Her face pale,

As pale as sheet,

Her body frail,

Frail and weak.

And I look on helpless,

Unfeeling, unmoving,

As if I'm heartless.

But I am

Tearing up inside,

And I am

Fearing.

Please stay by my side.

I know my poems are horribly amateurish and far from good, but it's much easier to express sometimes, compared to long sentences and paragraphs of words and descriptors. sometimes the simpler things contain deeper meanings. sometimes the simplest words, are hardest to express. the simplest emotions, hardest to describe.

on another note, i found Fiona Xie's blog, an emo-ish site with few entries but mostly beautifully crafted words and phrases, and even poems. one thing she can do huh, is write. surprisingly, i really enjoy reading it. although it sounds really depressing.

http://www.alivenotdead.com/fionaxie/blog.html

these are the kinds of poems i really like! sad, angsty, but yet a really nice use of words.

gosh my adjectives are startlingly failing me.

I dread the day I know.

2009-02-03T22:42:00.003+08:00

Is there something I really can't see
Or am I just in denial;

Is he someone who is worthy
Or will I get burned playing with fire;

Will there be a tomorrow
Or will there be no sparks and no desire;

Will I come to a decision
Or will he be the first to tire.

somehow, inspiration always comes in the form of depressing thoughts. sad, angsty thoughts. from a mere sentence that couldnt have meant anything deeper than it was.
and yet.
so therefore,
the title is as such.
he did message thereafter, which put me at more at ease again.
how easy it is to make me happy.

Feelings

2008-12-27T15:44:00.002+08:00

A world of perspectives
A balance of lives
Of happiness and joy
and of sadness and despair.

Sometimes you are one,
yet others you are both.

You sit on the edge
feet dangling of the ledge,
you see both sides
and you are both sides.

The feeling inside
you have to hide.

Is it right to show joy
while others live on tears;
Is it wrong to enjoy
while others dread and fear
the worst -
has come
and the end is near.

You step off the ledge
but the less you know,
now these mixed feelings
they get stronger, no they don't go
away

till time eventually
erases them
away.

From the time I heard the news I have been wondering, is it right to still be happy, to celebrate, to have fun, while just on the other side of the ledge others are living in constant worry and despair. And you know both sides, but either may not know each other, may not be related and may not have a clue, and their lives are perfectly fine and nothing is affecting their moods. So you have to go along with them, act like nothing's happened on their side, while at the same time the other side suffers, and you suffer inside. I finally penned down these mixed feelings yesterday night, the last night, the night before the plug is pulled.

Poem Collection

2008-12-26T14:39:00.006+08:00

I'm out of narratives, but I found a small collection of poems I wrote, with the earliest one done in JC, during one of my emo periods. But none of them are dated so I don't know when I wrote them, although I do roughly know where I got inspired to write those. They're all amateurish, I've no clue about poetry and stuff, I just write phrases and stick them together to make verses, and so, don't have any expectations whatsoever. Here goes:

Title 1: Candlelight

Immerse yourself
in the dim candlelight
that brings he slightest bit of warmth
in the still darkness of night.

Hypnotise yourself
with the glare of the glow
and let your thoughts take you back;
release the pain you withhold
within.

For the light gives you warmth
and the light keeps you calm
enough
to plot
revenge.

____________________________________________________________________

Title 2: Shadow

Cast a shadow
of doubt
on the thing most dear to you
and render it no longer
useful
to you.
no longer the faith you used to have in it
For the shadow grows longer
and darker
with time.

____________________________________________________________________

Title 3: Swans

Of memories
of experience
of drifting apart.
You are near, and yet far.

Of longing.
This inner desire.
It yearns to burst out at the seams.
And yet
you are not here.
You are near, and yet far.

Of closeness.
And separation.
You are near, and yet far.

Your gaze.
Of mystery
and of sadness.
You turn away from me
never to look back
Again.

____________________________________________________________________

Title 4: Hurt

Glitter in her eyes
Of tears that flowed
And flowed down her tender cheeks.
The taste in her mouth
Of tears that flowed
And dripped on her bare chest
And her arms crossed over
Her fingers grasped a single rose
The thorns cut deep
Inside.

Glitter in her eyes
Of blood that flowed
And flowed down her manicured hands
And formed a puddle on the floor.

Glitter in his eyes
Of tears that flowed
And flowed down his cheeks
And dripped as he leaned over
Kissed her on the lips
He closed his eyes
And whispered in her ear
The thorns cut deep
Inside.

____________________________________________________________________

Title 5: Fly

One day I'll fly away
From the emptiness in your heart.
From the torture you put me through
From the love you make me feel
For you.

One day I'll fly away
To somewhere free from your hurt
To somewhere I can start anew
To somewhere I can find love
Again.

One day I'll fly away
And I know you'll forget
And you'll find someone else
And yet I'll still remember
And yet I'll still cherish
The memories I had
With you.

One day I'll fly away
With my broken wing
Not far away
From here.

____________________________________________________________________

So that's it, I seldom write poems simply because I can't write well. I don't really like any of these, but my favourite is the first one, Candlelight. All the rest are just neutral, I write when I feel like it. The last one, Fly, sounds more like a song, and in fact it was inspired by the song too. Obviously a poor inspiration, but oh well. I rather stick to narratives.

The Adventures of Ah Kow & Ah Siaow: In the Woods

2008-12-15T16:01:00.004+08:00

My second long short-story! another one that was put on a hiatus before i finished it i dont know when. the handwriting change is less distinct now, although there was a pen colour change half way through, so i would assume that was where my hiatus was. Again it features the lovely characters Ah Kow and Ah Siaow, this time without their gang!

Once upon a time, there lived two neighbours, Ah Kow & Ah Siaow. Ah Kow was the clever one and Ah Siaow, the 'gong' one. Both of them lived on the edge of Crazy Town, where it was near a rainforest.

One sunny morning, Ah Kow & Ah Siaow were lying in their own backyards, talking to each other through the fence that separated their houses. It was a hot day and there was no cloud in the sky. It was a day so boring that even Ah Kow & Ah Siaow couldn't find any adventure at all. Then, Ah Siaow had an idea.

"I know!" he exclaimed so loudly and suddenly that Ah Kow sat straight up.
"We can go into the forest for adventure!" he said.

Normally, Ah Siaow's ideas were dumb and ridiculous, and Ah Kow wouldn't bother to consider. But this time, it was a brilliant idea.
"That's it! Come on, Ah Siaow, let's pack our things. We are going to be camping in the forest!" Ah Kow said giddily. He was feeling excited even before they began their trip.

By late afternoon, Ah Kow & Ah Siaow were ready to explore the biggest and most dangerous forest in the world - the Destructive Rainforest. It stretched for miles and miles. In it were the many varieties of flora and fauna. One could get lost in the greens easily, and if that happened, it woould be almost impossible to find their way out - that is, if they didn't have a compass. Which was exactly what Ah Kow & Ah Siaow forgot. They had been walking for quite a long time in the forest without knowing which way they were heading. Suddenly Ah Kow stopped in his tracks. Ah Siaow saw that his pal's face was white as sheet and his lips were trembling slightly.

"What? What?!" Ah Siaow shouted into his ear.
Ah Kow stood motionless, unable to speak. He remained like that for a good one minute and a half, while Ah Siaow tried everything he could to make him move.

Finally Ah Kow recovered. He spoke slowly, trying to keep his voice steady.
"I think we're lost," he said.
The words slowly sunk into Ah Siaow's brain.
"Don't you have a compass?" he asked timidly.
Ah Kow shook his head. He looked around at the trees. They rose high above Ah Kow & Ah Siaow's heads and up into the sky, blocking out most of the sunlight.
He shugged and said, "Well, let's set up camp. We are, after all, the ADVENTUROUS PAIR!"
That brought them into motion. By the time they had taken their supper, it was already midnight.
"It's too late to do anything now," Ah Kow said. "Let's turn in."
He crawled into the tent and tucked himself in. Ah Siaow stood outside, scratching his head. He didn't know the meaning of 'turn in'. Finally he turned himself round and round until he 'turned inside' the tent (that's Ah Siaow for you).

They slept, and I really mean SLEPT! There they were in the middle of the Destructive Rainforest, in their tents, snoring like pigs and kicking each other in the face and butt. There was saliva everywhere they turned. Ah Siaow even urinated in his pants! It seemed as if they were having a really bad dream. So it went like that throughout the night and you could hear them sleeptalking, or should I say sleep-screaming, from the other end of the huge rainforest. Any living thing would have run the whole stretch of the forest just to get away from them.

The next day, Ah Kow & Ah Siaow woke up to - not a Destructive Rainforest - but more likely, a Destroyed Rainforest. The tent had crumbled, trees had been chopped down, plants had died; there were dead insects and small animals everywhere. It seemed like World War III had just ended.

Ah Kow & Ah Siaow looked at each other in disbelief.
"Last night, I dreamt that I tried to kill you," Ah Kow said cautiously.
He wasn't keen on what Ah Siaow was going to say. (Actually, he never was.)
"Me too!" Ah Siaow said excitedly. "I was taking a chopper and running about chasing you, and you were holding an axe and chasing me, and we were running around like mad people and screaming like sissies and..."
Ah Kow shut Ah Siaow's voice from his head. He didn't need, and didn't want, to hear the details. Instead, he started getting things back the way it was. By the time he had finished, it was already past breakfast and lunch and dinner. Wait a minute. Another day had passed! Ah Kow crawled into the tent sleepily.
"Oh, I forgot," he muttered to himself.
He crawled out again and pulled Ah Siaow (who was STILL talking) inside. A punch in the face quietened Ah Siaow and Ah Kow drifted peacefully to sleep.

***

"Ha! You lose again! For the 10th time!" Ah Kow jeered.
They were playing Chicken (something like Donkey).
"Chicken! Chicken! Where's your egg, man? Or are you a cock? Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!....."
Ah Kow laughed at his own stupid joke.
"Shh...!" Ah Siaow 'shh-ed'.
Somewhere behind the bushes where Ah Kow was laughing, a hissing sound was heard. A very angry hissing sound.

Ah Siaow decided to check it out to prove his 'manliness' (Ha! Ha! What a joke).
"Now let's see who's the chicken!" he challenged.
"You're on!" Ah Kow replied.
He took a knife. Ah Siaow grabbed a hammer. Tense and nervous, they neared the bushes. The hissing grew louder. Ah Kow thought he heard two hissing sounds. All Ah Siaow could hear was his heart, pounding rapidly. They separated the branches of the bush and saw the scene: 2 pythons staring at each other menacingly, waiting for one of them to make the slightest move. They were oblivious to their surroundings.
"I'll take the one on the left for $50," Ah Siaow said.
"Ha! And I'll take the right one. He's sure to win," Ah Kow said confidently.
At the sound of the two morons' voices, both snakes turned and fixed their stony gaze on Ah Kow & Ah Siaow.

"Uh-oh," both of them said together.
Both snakes slithered towards the paralyzed pair. Without any warning, they jumped! Wait a minute, the snakes jumped? YES, they jumped!! And just when they were centimetres from their prey, time stopped. All of them just froze. The snakes hung in midair, mouths opened, fangs bared, while Ah Kow & Ah Siaow stayed in their petrified state. Suddenly, everything happened so quickly that it was a blur.

***

"Mmm...delicious!" Ah Kow & Ah Siaow commented.
Ah Siaow was eating the snake he had thought would win. It was the same for Ah Kow, of course. Their injuries weren't much to whine about, and the snakes were the most scrumptious-tasting thing they had ever eaten.
"Well, that's all for supper! Good night!" Ah Kow said and crawled inside the tent.
Ah Siaow, on the other hand, 'turned inside' the tent again. It was getting to be a really bad habit.

By six the next morning, Ah Kow & Ah Siaow were both ready to explore the Destructive Rainforest.
"Let's play a little game," Ah Kow suggested. His eyes were glinting with mischief. "Let's both take different routes, and the first one to reach the end of the Destructive Rainforest wins, okay?" he said.
"You're on!" Ah Siaow said.

They began packing their bags. None of them knew how long they would be walking, or how far the edge of the forest was from them. But neither of them voiced out their fears of meeting with some monster, or getting lost. Wait a minute. They were already lost.
"I'll take this route. You'll take that route, right?" Ah Kow said.
"Yup. So long, Kow. See you at the edge! I'll be waiting!" Ah Siaow shouted as he walked towards his route. But Ah Kow had already gone deeper into the forest. And so, the competition had begun.

***

Ah Kow was feeling really great about the route he had chosen (for now...). There was a clear path for him to walk on, and along the way, he could enjoy the fragrance of the flowers and look at the birds and squirrels. There weren't so many trees in this part of the forest, so Ah Kow didn't feel like he was completely lost. He took in a deep breath. And he almost puked. What in hell's name was that disgusting, rotten smell? Suddenly he realized. He had just farted.

Meanwhile, Ah Siaow was doing fine as well. Except for those mosquitoes. CLAP! CLAP! He clapped.
"Darn those mosquitoes!" he said.
Suddenly his mind wandered to a book he had read before. It said that in the Sahara desert, more people were killed by mosquito bites than anything else. Ah Siaow began to feel a sudden surge of fear. He started running and screaming like a lunatic (which he was).

***

From far off, Ah Kow thought he heard a scream. He was walking for a long time now and he felt really tired. But he knew he had to continue walking if he wanted to win Ah Siaow. He couldn't stand losing to lunatics.

Suddenly, his stomach couldn't stand it anymore. It tossed and turned and pleaded to be fed. The pain was terrible! Unbearable! Irresistable! Ah Kow quickly took out his emergency first-aid kit: Chicken McCrispy Meal!
"Ah...much better..." he said.

Ah Siaow stopped running and screaming to catch a breath. He wasn't sure where he was now, but he could sense that he was going to reach the edge. He was going to win, for once! Suddenly, he heard a sound. It was a low rumble, and it seemed to come from below him. Ah Siaow instinctively jumped, then realized it was his stomach that was rumbling.
"DOH!" he cursed. "I must eat something before I scare myself to death from this rumbling noise!"
He walked a bit further and found a rock.
"A green rock!" he exclaimed.
Green rocks were thought to bring good luck. At least that was what Ah Siaow thought. He quickly sat on it and started to eat.

***

Ah Siaow had been eating for over an hour. He didn't realize he was so hungry. He got to his feet and started to walk when he noticed his surroundings.

In front of him was a dead end. Beside him were two routes. He must have taken one of them to get here. But he was eating!
"How...?" Ah Siaow racked his brains.
Then he saw it. The Green Rock!
"It must have brought me here!" Ah Siaow realized, and cried out so loud as if he had just discovered a new law of science.

Anyway, he kneeled down and began praying and thanking the green rock.

Ah Kow was feeling hopelessly lost, on the other hand. He had been going around in circles (and I mean CIRCLES), totally unsure of where he was. That was when he noticed that the route he was taking had ended abruptly. He had reached the edge of the Destructive Rainforest! But so had Ah Siaow, he now realized. He had lost. To a lunatic.

Disppointedly, he went up to Ah Siaow and said, "Hey pal, you've already won, what are you doing, praying to a tortoise?"

Suddenly time stopped (again). Ah Kow stopped in mid-step and Ah Siaow stopped in mid-pray position. And then everything happened in slow motion, so slow that it would take one year to tell you everything.

***

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!...."
Ah Kow was still laughing, from the edge of the forest all the way back to the tent, while hunting for food, while eating their roast pig, while watching Scream 3, and now, while Ah Siaow was trying to sleep.
"Can't you stop laughing, you stupid kow?" he complained.
But it was in vain. Ah Kow was still laughing, and there was no way he could stop until he finally tired out. So Ah Siaow had no choice but to drift slowly to sleep listening to Ah Kow's mad hyena laughter...

It was eight the next morning when Ah Siaow opened his eyes.
"YAWN!!!" he yawned as loudly as he could.
A hand frantically covered his mouth. It was Ah Kow. His face was very pale and his eyes were surrounded by dark circles (like a panda) from lack of sleep. Ah Siaow wondered just how long Ah Kow had been laughing before he became afraid. So afraid that he was squatting at a corner of the tent with an axe in his hands, trembling from head to toe.

"What?" Ah Siaow demanded loudly.
He was not getting it. Ah Kow only had time to hand Ah Siaow a hammer before it emerged, huge, menacing and threatening. It was a giant anaconda and it slithered across the tent floor towards the source of the voice, which happened to be Ah Siaow.

Ah Siaow froze. His face turned broccoli green. His mouth started to froth, then his eyes rolled back into his head and he fainted.

***

Ah Siaow sat up like a dead man just come alive. He wasn't sure how long he had been unconscious or what he was doing with a hammer. He only had time to hear a very high-pitched, girly scream before bringing the hammer down, and realizing that it was Ah Kow's head he had hit.

Ah Siaow was shocked and scared peeless, but he had no time to lose. With incredible speed the anaconda slithered round and round the unconscious Ah Kow in an attempt to coil and strangle him to death. Ah Siaow brought the hammer down again, this time on the anaconda's head.

He started hammering it over and over again, like hammering a nail into a piece of wood. The snake slowly loosened its grip around Ah Kow and finally it lay motionlessly on the ground, dead.
"Now to wake Ah Kow up," Ah Siaow muttered.
He took an electronic fan and set it to life beside Ah Kow's head. Nothing. He tried mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Nothing. He even tried holding his breath. But Ah Kow still didn't wake up. Ah Siaow hoped that his friend was still alive. He was so worried that he had a sudden urge to pee.
"Pee?" thought Ah Siaow. "Yes! Pee!" he exclaimed.

***

"Cough! Cough!" Ah Kow woke up coughing.
It was raining, but somehow the rain only seemed to wet his face. And it stank. It stank like a rotten corpse mixed with his fart. Then he saw it: someone was peeing in his face!
"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh......!!!" he screamed.
Ah Siaow stopped peeing. He felt much better now. He threw Ah Kow a towel and went about preparing the snake for lunch.

Ah Kow stood up and cleaned himself. He looked around and frowned. Where was he? What was he doing here? More importantly, who was he?

Just then, Ah Siaow came into the tent with a knife to look for a chopping board. Ah Kow jumped back as Ah Siaow grinned at him mischievously. He looked evil. Like a serial killer. A serial killer! That was it. Ah Kow couldn't stand it. He screamed like hell and hauled butt out of the tent and deeper into the dense forest.

Th Kow ran and ran and ran. Then he tripped over a giant green rock. A giant green rock? Green rock? Ah Kow thought for a while.
"Tortoise!" he exclaimed.
He looked around. He knew the trees, the birds, the squirrels, the flowers, he knew he was in the Destructive Rainforest. But what was he doing with that serial killer? He thought hard. He seemed to recall everything except for himself, that serial killer, and what had made him lose his memory. His mind was going round and round. He was getting dizzy. The world in front of him spun around like a tornado, then he blacked out.

Meanwhile, Ah Siaow thought Ah Kow had gone to relief himself and went about cooking the snake. He tasted it and almost fainted. The snake was SO delicious, the taste was so scrumptious, so everlasting, he felt like he was in another world. After eating his share, Ah Siaow thought Ah Kow had lost his way and so he went to find him.

***

In his dream, Ah Kow was playing Chicken with Ah Siaow. He dreamt that he won ten times. He dreamt that they wrestled with snakes. He dreamt that a giant snake had entered the tent. He dreamt...
"Ah Kow!"

He jerked awake. He looked around for the source of the voice. It was the serial killer. The dream was still fresh in his head. It seemed to be part of his past, or something like that. Before he lost his memory.
"Ah Kow!" the serial killer said again.
Ah Kow. That was his name? What a daft name! And what was that serial killer's name?
"Ah Siaow?" he said incredulously.

Then he heard it. They both had. A growl. From deep inside the trees. And it emerged. It, seven feet tall, brown, shaggy fur. Beady eyes, Powerful claws that could rip a human to shreds in seconds. It was a bear...
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh...!!!" Ah Kow & Ah Siaow screamed together.

Ah Siaow tried to run but tripped over Ah Kow, who was still sitting down with a disbelieving expression on his face. They both got up at the same time and collided into each other. Then they got up again and collided again.

The bear dropped down on all fours and charged at the pair (who were still colliding with each other). That sent them running for their lives - Ah Kow ahead, Ah Siaow to the left. The bear went to chase Ah Siaow first, but he climbed up a tree just in time. Then the bear turned on Ah Kow who was still screaming and trying to climb up a tree - in vain.

"Play dead!" yelled Ah Siaow at the top of his lungs.
He wasn't sure if his pal had heard him. But as the bear neared Ah Kow, he toppled over and fainted. Which was just as well. The crazy bear charged head first into the tree, rebounded and lay on its back, dead.

Ah Siaow climbed down from the tree cautiously. He tip-toed over to the bear. It was motionless, either dead or merely unconscious. Ah Siaow decided not to find out. He went over to Ah Kow. This one was still breathing, fortunately. He began dragging Ah Kow away, heading towards their tent.

But they had not gone far when suddenly they heard another growl. Ah Siaow looked back over his shoulder, trembling. He got the shock of his life. The bear was up again, but this time it was staggering from side to side in a dazed manner.

Ah Kow, unfortunately, chose this time to wake up. He screamed his sissy scream and rushed to the nearest tree in another attempt to climb up it - in vain.

The bear stumbled slowly over to him. Ah Kow screamed even louder and tried even harder to scramble up the tree, but STILL in vain.

Ah Siaow knew he had to do something. He picked up a rock and hurled it at the bear. The bear was unfazed. Then a series of rocks and small boulders came hurtling straight onto the back of the bear's head. One of them bounced off and hit Ah Kow on the head. He crumpled to the ground.

The bear growled in pain and fury. It turned and began staggering towards Ah Siaow, who quickly climbed up the tree. He sat on a branch cowering, unsure of what to do next. The bear rose up to its full height, but it wasn't enough to reach Ah Siaow. It tore at the bark in frustration. Suddenly Ah Siaow heard a crack. He looked down and realized the branch under him was breaking. There was a jerk and Ah Siaow felt himself going lower. He saw the bear and screamed. He kicked off the branch and clung on to the trunk. The branch snapped and fell straight into the bear's face, sending it toppling over and falling onto the ground with a dull thud.

Wasting no time, Ah Siaow ran and grabbed Ah Kow who was lying on the ground, unconscious for the third time that day. Ah Siaow ran as fast as he could, while dragging Ah Kow, all the way back to the safety of the tent.

***

Ah Siaow decided he would let Ah Kow wake up by himself instead of peeing on him. Besides, he was feeling very tired after dragging Ah Kow for such a long distance. He felt his eyelids drooping and soon he drifted to sleep.

Ah Kow awoke just as his buddy fell asleep. His memory had come back to him when he was hit by the rock. He also remembered that it was Ah Siaow (he glared at him, nostrils flared) that made him lose his memory.

Sighing, he went out of the tent and finished his share of the anaconda. He, too, thought that it was the tastiest food he had ever eaten. Ah Kow had nothing to do after eating the snake and didn't see any point in waking Ah Siaow up when he would just fall right back to sleep. So he crawled back into the tent and tucked himself in.

***

When Ah Kow and Ah Siaow woke up from their 'beauty sleep', they realized that they had slept way past dinner. It was midnight. The pair found it hard to go to sleep now that they were both wide awake.

Outside, the forest was alive with the voices of the crickets and other insects. An owl swooped, silent but dangerous, over a rat and caught it in its talons. A cool night breeze was blowing, making 'whoo...' sounds in the air.

Ah Kow & Ah Siaow had given up trying to sleep and were watching The Shining on their portable TV. Suddenly there was a scream. A high, piercing scream that shook the whole tent, including whatever was inside it.

Ah Kow & Ah Siaow hugged each other in fear, both trembling from head to toe. It wasn't coming from the TV because the show had already ended long ago (they were watching the credits). They looked at each other, realized what they were doing and jumped back, hugging themselves instead.

"Whoo...Whoooo..."
Ah Kow & Ah Siaow trembled even harder and they both fell to the tent floor shivering.

"AH HAH HA HA AH HA HA HA HA...!!!"
The voice was so high and shrieking Ah Kow & Ah Siaow had to cover their ears.
"Should we check it out?" Ah Kow asked timidly.
"No!" Ah Siaow replied defiantly.
He wasn't stepping out of the tent until daylight returned.
"AH HA HA HA HA...!!!" came the voice again, this time nearer.

Ah Kow & Ah Siaow gave up their pretence and hugged each other tightly. Suddenly, they saw a shadow outside the tent. Their eyes became wide with fear and their faces became pale as sheet (actually paler).

Then something walked into the tent. Something dangerous, something terrifying, and something that was - drooling?!
"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh...!!!" Ah Kow & Ah Siaow screamed together as it walked into the tent.
"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh...!!!" they screamed again.
It was a mad hyena!!!

Ah Siaow screamed again and threw the first thing that he lay his hands on - Ah Kow. Ah Kow screamed his girly scream as he hit the hyena face first, and accidentally kissed it on its lips.

The hyena froze in its place. Then, screaming and spitting, it sprinted away from them and back into the forest. Ah Kow, too, was screaming and spitting in disgust. He hurriedly washed and rubbed at his lips to clean away any trace of that crazy hyena's saliva.
"Yuckk!" he grimaced when he thought it was safe for him to talk without any of the saliva getting inside his mouth.

Ah Siaow, on the other hand, was too busy laughing to be bothered with Ah Kow. He toppled over, clutching his stomach and laughing just like that insane hyena. There were even tears in his eyes.
"Can't you stop laughing, you siaow?" Ah Kow complained a while later.
But it was in vain. Ah Siaow was still laughing, and there was no way he could stop until he finally tired out. So this time, Ah Kow was the one who had no choice but to drift slowly to sleep listening to Ah Siaow's mad hyena laughter...(feeling a sense of deja vu?)

The sun shone bright and cheerful on that sunny morning, but Ah Kow & Ah Siaow were anything but bright and cheerful. They had been walking around since 6a.m., trying to find their way out of the Destructive Rainforest, for they had had enough of destruction done to them. They were both tired and frustrated and wanted to go home to their mummies.
"We're going around in circles," Ah Kow said.
"How do you know?" Ah Siaow asked.
He sat on a rock (not a green rock, unfortunately, if not they would have 'good luck') to catch his breath for a while. Ah Kow joined him.
"We came here about an hour ago and took that route," Ah Kow pointed to his left, "And now we're back here again."

Ah Siaow looked around and frowned. He seemed to recall something about this place. Something wrong. Something huge and scary and dangerous. Something -
"Grrrrrrrr..."
"BEAR!" Ah Siaow yelled.
They both got up to their feet and started running. They didn't dare to turn around and look, but if they did, they would have seen another bear - a sun bear this time - charging at them on all fours for they had been sitting on the rock that was blocking the bear's cave entrance.

On and on they ran, not even knowing that the bear had long stopped chasing them and had retreated back into its cave. Ah Kow was just wondering whether they were able to outrun the bear when Ah Siaow stopped him and said that it was gone. They breathed a sigh of relief. Then Ah Siaow looked up into the distance ahead of them.

"HOME SWEET HOME!" he screamed so loud that Ah Kow jumped half his height.

And it was their home they had been running towards, all thanks to the bear. They approached it and flopped down on Ah Siaow's backyard, too tired to get up.
"We did it," Ah Kow said triumphantly. "We explored the Destructive Rainforest!"

Actually, they didn't.

The Destructive Rainforest was at the other end of the town. They just explored the woods that was probably the most harmless of all jungles and woods. They just read the whole darn map wrongly before their trip.

"We should do it again, just to show our bravery!" Ah Siaow said.

Well, maybe next time they should explore the real Destructive Rainforest, and see just how destructive it really is.

The End

Alone

2008-12-15T15:42:00.002+08:00

A short excerpt wrote in class at the start of year in secondary 4. taken from TYS, although i don't know what the question is about.
i just self-titled it.

She sat alone in the tiny room listening to the rain pounding on the roof and thinking over the events of the last few weeks. In her eyes was a sad, defeated look. A look of worry, and confusion. The tears welled up and dripped slowly, constantly on the cold hard tiles. Then they started flowing freely. She began to sob, small and restrained sobs though there was no one to hear her. Her arms tightened around her legs; she rested her head on her knees and whimpered softly, piteously.

Uncle Ling was out at the moment, probably on another drinking spree. Oh, how Hui Ying hated him! The overwhelming stench of alcohol that lingered on him drove her mad; the sight of his unkempt hair, his sick, yellowish eyes and his scrawny, sunken appearance was unbearable. Even the thought of him made her squeamish. He was the cause of it all, he was the psychotic creature that made her life so miserable. Hui Ying let out a cry of anguish mixed with despair. Her sobs became uncontrollable; she cried and cried, recalling the string of events that had led to her present woes...

That's it. if i remember correctly we were supposed to write an introduction to a story based on a recall. got a Star for Class again, even though i dont see how its anything fantastic. maybe its cos i dont know what the essay question was. still managed a 16/20 though, and a "good try" comment.

That marks the end of my collection of schoolwork essays from secondary 4.

Escape

2008-12-11T15:03:00.004+08:00

This was one of my exam questions in secondary 4. it's also one of my favourite essays:

I woke up to the damp smell of wood panelling in the dusty, old basement. My hands were secured to a wooden beam that I was leaning against; the rope tugging so tightly against my twisted hands that I felt a creepy, numb feeling spreading throughout my nerves. My arms were lifeless, all the strength had been drained out of them while I struggled fruitlessly to free myself of the torturous ropes.

All that I remembered of the previous night were vague imges of faces I did not recognize, a three-storey, dilapidated bungalow that stood alone in that alien place. I recalled being dragged mercilessly into a black van, then thrown out of it and onto the front porch of the bungalow. Two men literally picked me up and dumped me in the basement where they tied me up, and left me screaming my throat sore and flailing about like a mad woman. They had finally managed to shut me up by hitting me on the head with a blunt object that I could not define before passing out.

The only comforting thought that I had right now was the fact that I was still alive and void of any apparent damage to my skull. After all, the effect of the blunt object connecting with my head sent the world spinning, and my thoughts became jumbled up in confusion. But then again, the piece of good news had a more sinister twist to it - the fact that I was alive might actually mean that I was waiting for a certain, more painful death sooner or later. My family was not filthy rich, and I was just a tourist to this part of Malaysia, seeking a good holiday, like any decent travel journalist. So what had attracted my abductors in the first place? My mind was suddenly filled with horrendous thoughts, triggered by the series of horror movies and novels I indulged in - thoughts of my body parts being chopped up and cooked, thoughts of my precious body being used as a sex slave to generate income. My hands became cold; I started gasping heavily in panic as the psychological trauma overwhelmed my sensitive nerves.

Then, a sudden sound. Somewhere above me, someone had returned. Heavy footsteps advanced into the bungalow, the sound reminded me of the T-rex that approached from a distance in Jurassic Park. Only these footsteps were a signal much worse for me, a sound that signified my impending doom.

I began searching the pathetic, worn-down basement frantically, desperate for anything at all that could serve as a tool for my last attempt to escape. It caught my eye - an innocent piece of glass shard from a broken bottle, lying peacefully by my side, patiently waiting to be used as a brilliant tool. I bent my legs as much as I could, and gently kicked the glass shard towards my hands. Grabbed it! My dead, limp hands sprang to life, hastily sawing at the rope; it seemed to take forever. Finally I felt some of the tension release and the motivation drove me to work like a calm professional skilfully cutting the rope.

But alas, time was not on my side, for I heard the footsteps slowly coming down the stairs to the basement. It was like a murderer advancing evilly upon his victim, aware that there was no chance of escape, no chance of freedom. Taking his time, slowly but surely. The whole situation was heart-thumping, the scene was reaching its climax and it was now or never.

At last! The ropes became a tangled heap on the floor. I leapt up, adrenaline pumping, and, rushing to the open window, I jumped out like a stuntman performing a scene of an action movie. I ran and my heart was filled with joy, relief, ecstasy. Oh, it was a sweet taste of freedom, it engulfed me, soothed my senses as I escaped. I ran and ran, and stopped short of the human barricade swiftly forming a wall right in front of me. The last of my freedom drifted into nothingness like a wisp of smoke in air.

I scored 21/30 for this; this grade is kind of, like, all my grades in secondary 4. no more, no less. i wonder why. nevertheless i just like the little twist at the end, something i usually do in my essays last time, i realize, and i think its partly to just cut the story short and end it on time. otherwise i could go on forever!

anyways, my past narratives are nearing to an end, and soon this blog will be stagnant. all i can hope is that inspiration will gift upon me and allow me to procreate! ahem. i mean hopefully i get more ideas to write soon.

The Shit Factory

2008-12-07T23:41:00.003+08:00

omgomgomg this has got to be my cutest and most retarded childhood story. i started writing this in primary school (i can't remember when it's too long ago), then i had a long hiatus and finally finished the story sometime in secondary school, evident by the abrupt change in handwriting. the whole story is inspired by willy wonka's chocolate factory (which was why i knew i started in primary school), along with my childhood fictitious characters, Ah Kow, Ah Siaow and gang. i even had doodles here and there, like a children's story book! so here goes nothing (finally something really lighthearted):

The shit factory was a huge factory, manufacturing all the latest shit products. It was also a very weird factory. A little like Mr. Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, there was a towerous iron gate at the entrance which was always locked. No one went into the shit factory, nor did they come out. But still, you can see the smoke coming out of the chimney, as if someone, or something, was working 24 hours a day to produce a new shit product every month.

Ah Kow, Ah Siaow, Ah San and Ah Bui are four very adventurous kids. Though not very clever, their curiosity urged them to find out about things they don't know. Their parents were not in on this, though. They thought it only made them get into trouble.

On that breezy Saturday afternoon, the four gathered together at the usual spot: just outside the gates of the enormous shit factory. Normally, people would not dare go near the factory because they were afraid, afraid of the factory, afraid of its strangeness, its weirdness. But the fab. four was not afraid. They were used to strangeness, because all the adventures they'd been through were so strange that nobody believed them.

Anyway, Ah Kow, the cleverest but goofiest of the lot was saying, "It's such a boring day, why don't we go and find some adventure?" The others stared at him blankly.
"We didn't lose any adventure, why do we have to find it?" Ah Siaow, the most "gong" one, said.
Ah Kow, Ah San and Ah Bui slapped their foreheads.
"Why don't we check out the shit factory?" Ah San, the most imaginative one, suggested.
They looked at Ah San. His eyes were gleaming. He was smiling a very broad smile, a kind of sly one, one that his friends had never seen before. The others began to smile. They started their discussion and when it was agreed, they said good-bye, and all they could do now was wait.

They were supposed to meet at 10.00pm sharp. Then they would climb up a rope over the large brick wall of the entrance an begin to explore. But Ah Bui was not good at waiting. He would stuff himself with all the cookies and chocolates and candies and whatever he could stuff himself with. What Ah Siaow would do if he had to wait was what a lunatic in Woodbridge would do. He went straight to his bedroom when he got home, locked the door, flopped down on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

When he got home, Ah San sat down on his study table and started to draw what he thought he would see in the shit factory. Ah Kow was busy as soon as he got home. He started to find a rope strong enough to hold Ah Bui's weight. Then he attached a small hook at one end of the rope, so that they could hook the rope onto the top of the iron gate. Then he tested with rope to see if it was safe to climb with. When that was done he went into his room and took out a book to read. The title was "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".

Night soon arrived and before long, it was their bedtime. When each of them was sure their parents were asleep, they slipped out of the house quietly. The four of them were quite surprised when they saw they had arrived at the same time. A few lamp posts were not enough to brighten the dark streets of the night. Not a single soul could be seen.
"Are we ready?" Ah Kow said in a low voice.
The rest nodded. They were all very excited and at the same time, nervous. They did not know what was in there behind the gates. They didn't know what they would find when they got over the top of the iron gate.

Ah Kow threw the rope over the top of the iron gate, then he started climbing up, up, seven feet high. (i didn't know seven feet isnt exactly very high for an iron gate at this point) He looked down and almost fell over. Slowly, he made his way to the other side of the iron gate. He jumped down and landed on his butt. He stood up. Not more than twenty feet away was the shit factory itself. He froze. He had never seen such a huge factory before. He dropped down on his butt again and fainted.

By the time the rest of his friends had climbed over the iron gate, Ah Kow was already awake.
"Wow," Ah San marvelled.
Ah Bui gulped. Ah Siaow gasped. Ah Kow walked up to the main entrance and the others followed. Ah Kow could feel his friends breathing heavily as he cautiously opened the door. But as soon as he turned the door knob, the "Unwelcome" mat which they were all standing on suddenly gave way and they dropped down to a seemingly endless pit.

"Plop!" Ah San landed on something soft. "Plop! Plop!" followed Ah Kow and Ah Siaow. And "PLOP!" landed Ah Bui. It was pitch black all around. Ah Kow felt to see what had given them a safe landing.
"YUCKK!" he grimaced.
Ah San felt it.
"Gross!" He too, thought that iwas shit that they had landed on.
But the worst thing was, Ah Bui was gobbling down the shit as soon as he landed. Just then the light came on and the four noticed that they were in a muddy pool of shit and that as Ah Bui ate more and more of the shit, he began sinking.

Down and down Ah Bui went, until finally his head disappeared below the surface of the shit.
"Ah Bui!" Ah Kow, Ah Siaow and Ah San shouted.
Ah San crawled to where Ah Bui had sunk and started digging for any signs of Ah Bui. The other two watched in disgust, wondering if they should crawl over and help Ah San.

Suddenly, Ah San stopped. He looked up and frowned.
"There's something hard here," he reported, and knocked on it. "It's hollow, like..."
Ah San racked his brains. He stretched his hand out further, and disappeared suddenly.
"Whoa!" That was his last word before sliding down a long, curving tunnel. A very long, curving tunnel.

Ah Kow and Ah Siaow were trying to figure out what had 'sucked' their friends under the pile of shit. Then, Ah Siaow went down. Instinctively, Ah Kow grabbed his arm. Ah Siaow looked around and reported the tunnel.
"So that's where Ah Bui and Ah San went," said Ah Kow thoughtfully.
And both of them fell into the very long, curving tunnel when Ah Siaow suddenly pulled hard on Ah Kow's arm.

Down and down they went. Finally, the tunnel stopped and Ah Kow and Ah Siaow landed in a sea of shit. They sniffed the air. It was amazingly sweet-smelling. Ah Kow took up a piece of shit and tasted it.
"Very sweet," he remarked.
But before Ah Siaow had time to have a taste of it, Ah Kow screamed and pointed behind Ah Siaow. He turned around and to his horror, he saw that he was only about five feet away before he was smashed flat like a pancake by an enormous shit-smasher. The two of them frantically swam among the pile of shit until they were a safe distance away from the shit smasher.

Meanwhile, Ah Bui and Ah San had managed to find each other amongst the sea of shit when Ah San noticed a fat body, gobbling down big mouthfuls of shit, flowing with the current where the shit smasher was smashing big piles of shit. Luckily, none of them was smashed or hurt in any way. Then they had started looking for Ah Kow and Ah Siaow, hoping that they were safe and sound. However, Ah Bui was not helping out very much.

"Maybe they noticed the shit smasher a little bit too late and got smashed," said Ah Bui. "Perhaps their bones got smashed so violently that the little bits got stuck in some of the shit products and people won't even notice them and -"
"Shut up!" yelled Ah San.
He was very close to throwing up. He was already feeling sick. His face was the colour of the spinach Popeye eats.

Then, from the distance, Ah San heard voices. Voices of two people jabbering at each other loudly. The voices were familiar. A smile lit up Ah San's face like a forty-watt bulb. He began waving frantically at two now visible figures. Ah Bui saw what they had found and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Ah Kow!! Ah Siaow!!"

Ah Kow and Ah Siaow swam quickly to their friends, gobbling up as much shit as they could on the way. Ah San had the urge to hug his friends, but held it back when he saw the shit smeared all over their faces.

"So," Ah Kow said after swallowing huge mouthfuls of the most delicious, scrumptious shit he had ever tried. "What now?"
He shifted his gaze from Ah Bui to Ah San to Ah Siaow. Ah San shrugged. "We came for adventure. I suggest we find a way outta here and do some exploring."
Ah Bui and Ah Siaow nodded in agreement. Ah Kow waded around in the shit. "Any ideas?"
"That way," the three of them said together.
Ah Bui pointed to Ah Kow's left, Ah Siaow to his right and Ah San ahead of him. Ah Kow thought for a moment, then started swimming ahead, the others right behind.

Before they could get very far, a voice seemingly from nowhere bellowed so loudly it shook the vast walls of the place. There was a slight current as the sea rippled.
"SEIZE THEM, ESCAPEES OR NOT!!"
Suddenly, the ceiling twenty feet above the four slided open with a loud humming sound. Four vices, each about the length of a lorry, emerged. Their "hands" opened and closed as they were brought down upon the stunned four. One by one, Ah Kow, Ah Siaow, Ah San and Ah Bui were picked up by the vices and raised to the ceiling, which now seemed like the floor of another level. When they were through the opening, they watched helplessly as it was sealed, leaving the marble floor shining sparklessly at the fab. four.

They landed roughly on the floor and stared around. They were in some sort of dream. All around them were looming pillars, made of dark brown, sweet-smelling substance - shit. The marble floor ended at a door at the end of the room. There were tables, chairs, sofas, televisions, computers and they were all made of shit.

Ah Bui wasted no time. He ran awkwardly on his short, stubby legs and clamped his jaw on the first thing he came to - the sofa. He started gobbling down huge mouthfuls of shit as the others stared at him in disgust.

Dragging Ah Bui with them, they made their way to the door and opened it. They were overcome by an even greater surprise. Ah Kow, Ah Siaow, Ah San and Ah Bui were now standing in a beautiful garden made of shit.

There were grass and trees and flowers and birds and butterflies and bees; there was also a waterfall and a river. The strange thing was that the shit was not brown - in fact, everything was just the right colour as they should be.

The fab. four walked around, eating blades of grass and gazing, awe-struck, at their surroundings. They snatched and swallowed down bees from the air, licked the barks of trees, drank from the waterfalls, and nibbled on the petals of flowers. Everything had a different taste - some were sweet, some sour, some tasted like cherries and some like durians.

When the fab. four had filled their tummies, they lay down on the grass.
"This is such a wonderful place!" exclaimed Ah Bui as he ate another tuft of grass (he was the only one who wasn't full).
"Actually, we came here for adventure," reminded Ah San.
There was a loud snore. Ah Siaow was asleep.
"Let's just lie down here and nap for a while - it's so comfortable," suggested Ah Kow.
The rest agreed and they soon drifted off to sleep, with a petal of a flower sticking out of Ah Bui's mouth.

"WAKE UP, YOU LAZY SCUMS!!" a voice bellowed into the ears of the fab. four. They jerked awake and sat up. They looked into the face of a person so horrid they almost threw up. She was so fat that Ah Bui was a bamboo stick compared to her.

She had small little slits for eyes, a big - enormous, in fact - crooked nose and a wide mouth with rows of yellow, rotting teeth. Her breath smelled exactly like rotten bananas mixed with raw fish. Her hair was tied in two short, disgusting ponytails. Her cheeks were blood red. She had a triple chin, very rare. (a really ugly artist's impression was done at this point)

As Ah Kow, Ah Siaow, Ah San and Ah Bui looked away, terrified, from the horrible face, they noticed that they were in a sort of cell. It was huge, with chains and nooses hanging from the walls and ceilings. The fab. four almost fainted at the sight of a guillotine at the corner of the cell.

There were numerous people in the cell. Some of them were groaning. Ohters were seemingly dead. Some were screaming; others were crying. The fab. four, after all their adventures, had never seen anything so terrifying before. They were about to get up and run for their lives when the beast spoke.

"Welcome to the Torture Chamber, you suckers!" she sneered. Her expression was too ugly to describe.
"Who...are...you?" Ah Kow asked carefully. The beast's eyes bulged. Then she/it threw back her head and roared with laughter. Ah San realized that she/it was so fat that she/it did not even have a neck.

"Well, well," she barked. "Since you don't even know that I, Miss Piggy, is the boss of the shit factory, the maker of all shit products, I suggest you start all over again in the Training School!!" She tossed her head back and laughed like a hyena. Then she strode away, leaving the fab. four surrounded by guards.

They were four strongly built men, with broad shoulders and muscular limbs. But it took two and a half of them to match Miss Piggy's size. They hoisted the fab. four up roughly and led them to the exit door. Ah San wondered what could be behind the other doors in the cell. They all looked the same. Big and brown, with rusty doorknobs and hinges. Ah San was not even sure which door Miss Piggy had gone through - he didn't think she went through any door at all, for she was too fat to fit in.

For once, Ah Bui was grateful for the guards. They were practically carrying them holding on to their collars. Ah Bui was too tired to walk, so he slumped against the big arms of his guard.

Soon, they reached another building. The fab. four were thrown inside and the door slammed, shaking the lights. However, as crowded as the place was, no one seemed to notice them. The fab. four surveyed their new surroundings.

They were in yet another enormous room. There were lockersand doors and a cafeteria. Everyone, no matter what they were doing - putting books in lockers, eating at the cafeteria, going to what Ah Kow realized were classrooms, all looked very moody. They were of all ages, from toddlers to old folks, but they had that same long, sad faces.

The fab. four turned to run, but there was no place to go. The door had only one doorknob on the outside; the windows were locked (they knew if they broke out, they would raise an alarm). Ah Bui was on the verge of tasting his own tears (and mucus), Ah San was turning spinach green, Ah Kow was staring around in disbelief, and Ah Siaow was - wait a minute. Ah Kow, Ah San and Ah Bui looked around. Where was Ah Siaow? They looked down. He had fainted.

"So this is the training school," Ah Kow said after they had managed to revive Ah Siaow. The rest nodded glumly. (this was where my handwriting changed, signifying the end of a long hiatus)
"I didn't know that the shit factory is so, well, torturous," Ah San said.
"Ya," added Ah Bui fearfully, "That's because Miss Piggy is the owner!" He shuddered.

"That's it!" Ah Kow exclaimed. The rest looked at him. No one else noticed a thing. They were all too busy sulking. "We have to get rid of Miss Piggy if we want to save all these people!" Ah Kow explained. He was talking rapidly, something he did when he was excited.
"But won't that be the end of the shit factory? The end of all shit products?" Ah Siaow asked.
For once, he had a point. Ah Bui looked even more fearful now. He started breathing rapidly and muttering strange things.
"No more Miss Piggy...no more shit factory...no more shit products...no more Miss Piggy...no more shit factory..."
"Ah Siaow's right," Ah San said thoughtfully. They were all silent, except for Ah bui of course.
"Oh well, then just let's get out of here," Ah Kow said.
And they walked out of the shit factory and lived happily ever after. The end.

OI! COME BACK HERE LAH, YOU IDIOTS! IF YOU JUST WALK OUT LIKE THAT THEN THERE'S NO STORY TO WRITE ALREADY LAH, YOU ASSHOLES! COME BACK! (i have no idea why i wrote that. the long hiatus must have rendered me abit mad. abit more mad than i already was, i guess.)

"Okay, now we've got no choice." Ah Kow said. Ah Bui was close to tears now. The idea of no more shit products (to him) was unimaginable. It was like losing all the food in the world (to him, again). Ah San went over and said to him, "Ah Bui, do you like Miss Piggy?"
Ah Bui's expression became fearful again. He shook his head vigorously.
"If Miss Piggy was gone and there is a new owner of this factory, would you like it?" he asked.
Ah Bui's face lit up and he nodded. He was happy again.

The four began to make plans to get rid of Miss Piggy. They stayed in the training school and made friends. They were told much about Miss Piggy, including her hobbies (which you won't want to know), her favourite foods (which filled 4 pages of Ah San's notebook) and all her other habits and ways. They also got the full support and help to get rid of Miss Piggy.

Seconds passed and led to minutes. Minutes passed and led to hours. Hours passed and led to days. Finally the training course was over. It was time to go into the real factory to work. It was time to meet Miss Piggy, and it was time for the final showdown.

"Everybody clear on what to do?" Ah Kow asked as all the people shuffled out of the training school. They all nodded nervously. Nobody was sure if the plan would work. Because if it didn't, the consequences would be unthinkable.

The door opened. They stepped into the factory. It was huge, bigger than any of the other rooms. There were machines everywhere and a stool at every station. Everyone took their places. Ah Kow nodded to the rest of the gang. But it seemed like only Ah San was confident. Ah Siaow was as white as a ghost, and Ah Bui was trembling from head to toe. Ah Kow sighed and shook his head.

Suddenly all the machines crackled and creaked to life. All the workers started doing their jobs.
"WORK!" screamed a repulsive voice. The fab. four looked up. In front of them was a huge screen showing Miss Piggy's rotten face. She was monitoring all of them. Ah Kow, Ah Siaow, Ah San and Ah Bui were not working.
"I SAID WORK!!!" Miss Piggy boomed.
"Ah Kow, how to work?" Ah Siaow asked frantically.
Ah Kow said, "Watch."

The four's jobs were very simple. All they had to do was press the button on the left first, then the one on the right. The shit product would be shaped, stamped, wrapped, stamped, checked, passed on and deposited inside the box.

A Kow deliberately pressed the right button first. The unshaped shit was stamped and half-flattened. Ah Siaow did what Ah Kow did and the shit was flattened some more. Then Ah San pressed the left button for it to be checked. The vice that held the shit threw it away. Unfortunately it hit Ah Bui, rebounded and hit the screen. Miss Piggy saw everything. Her face swelled up and turned purple. Steam wafted through her nose and ears.
"THE FOUR OF YOU! IN MY OFFICE! NOW!" she bellowed.

"Phase 1, complete," Ah Kow announced quietly as four guards hoisted them roughly away. Every head turned to look at them, wishing them luck. It was all up to them now (like it wasn't in the beginning). Ah Kow looked at the rest and nodded. They entered the room. Miss Piggy turned the screen to show the whole room. She wanted her workers to see what happened to slackers and idiots.

"What did you FOOLS think you were DOING!?" she roared.
The fab. four didn't answer. They just stood their ground and stared at her (which was hard, as she was just so ugly).
"I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!" she thundered.

Miss Piggy was so furious that she didn't notice each of them reach into their pockets and pulled out...
Ah Kow - his refillable pepper spray, a birthday present given by his cousin.
Ah San - his permanent black marker which he carries around all the time.
Ah Siaow - his purple underwear that he hadn't washed for years since he put it in his pocket when he was a baby.
Ah Bui - sweets? No, chocolate? No! Ah-ha! DOH! Not his yo-yo!

Nevermind.

"Now!" Ah Kow shouted. He aimed and sprayed. Right into Miss Piggy's eyes, which was a very difficult shot indeed. We could say he scored a bullseye!
"AAAAHHGRH!!!" Miss Piggy screamed. Ah Kow took the opportunity to spray some pepper into her mouth, making her choke. Miss Piggy stumbled back, tripped and fell back with a loud thud. As she struggled to get up, Ah San closed in and began to draw funny pictures on her face. Then Ah Siaow went over and pulled his disgusting underwear on her head.

The end result was this: (insert doodle of Miss Piggy end result) It was horror beyond horror, terror beyong terror and disgust beyond disgust.

Ah Kow turned towards the door and whistled. He gave the signal for the other workers to do what they had to.
"CHARGE!!!" someone roared. There were thunderous footsteps, pushing and shoving, as everyone ran and sprinted and pushed and stomped - out of the factory.
"WE'RE FREE!!" many of them cheered. Some whooped with joy. Others cried. But they all ran happily out of the factory's gates and home to the wives, husbands, children and parents. Even the guards were overwhelemed with joy.

Back in Miss Piggy's office, the fab. four were feeling very touched and happy to see the joy of so many people. They were glad that they had given them back their freedom. But Miss Piggy was staggering back to her feet.

"You -" she began approaching them. But then Ah Bui moved in front of her and turned, bent and farted.
POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTT!!!!!
The force was so tremendous that it sent Miss Piggy flying across the room. Her massive body broke the glass wall behind her and she flew out and landed on the ground motionless.

The four did not wait to see what happened, for the smell was already spreading rapidly around the room. It was worse than Ah Siaow's underwear and much worse than Miss Piggy's repulsive breath. They ran, staggering and sputtering, out of the factory and out the gates.

There was a crowd of people around them, praising and cheering for them, as they were told of their heroic deed.
"Well, it's all over now," Ah Kow said. The three of them looked at each other, smiling broadly. Ah Bui had tears in his eyes.
"No more Miss Piggy, no more shit factory...no more shit products...no more Miss Piggy, no more shit factory...no more shit products...."
Ah Kow, Ah Siaow, and Ah San slapped their foreheads and rolled their eyes.
"No more Miss Piggy, no more shit factory...no more shit products...."

The end.

Exam Hall

2008-12-05T16:15:00.003+08:00

2 different perspectives sitting for the exams. another short excerpt i wrote soon after my last paper of the term. inspired by the previous piece about boredom.

Tick, tock, tick, tock. The second hand of the large wall clock ticked away, the sound bored into my head, making the wheels of my mind whir away painfully. It was unbearable. I put down my pen and started massaging my temples, closing my eyes and trying to imagine a peaceful place, quiet and tranquil.

"Are you okay?" The voice made me jerk from my momentary serenity. Eyes widened, mouth agape, I stared at my concerned professor. He smiled at me, and I wasn't sure what sinister thoughts hid behind that gentle expression of his.

"I'm fine," I whispered cautiously. Must not give anything away, I thought, for this is a battle, this is survival of the fittest, it's every man for himself.

He turned and walked away, and my eyes glared into the back of his head, delving into his mind. Oh how cruel, how sadistic a creature he was. My brows furrowed and my lips curled into a frown as I picked up my pen with all the ferocity I could muster.

I began to write, furiously, rapidly; nothing could stop me now as my brain juices powered up and all the information, knowledge stored deep within the locked safe of my subconscious mind unleased themselves and through my pen. Writing and writing, the corner of my lips relaxed into a smile, and the smile got wider, more maniacal as my hands continued moving, my pen continued inking. Yes, yes I can do it! I can do it!!

***

Tick, tock, tick, tock. The second hand of the large wall clock ticked away, the sound bored into my head and filled the emptiness, vacancy that shrouded my mind. My eyes were dry, tired and I could barely read the minute text in front of me, let alone register the words that the letters spelled out.

Beside me someone was writing so furiously and crazily the table shook on its unstable leg; he was writing so hard I could hear the pen scratching away at the paper. I stared at mine. It was as blank as a new word document, as clean as my maid-washed laundry, and as worthless as the time I had wasted staring into space.

The professor strode, silently but purposefully, surveying the room like an eagle its prey. A wide, delighted smile was plastered on his face. Oh how cruel, how sadistic a creature he was. My brows furrowed and my lips curled into a frown as my mind began to conjure up images of torture, suffering that I would put him through. That was what it was, this paper. I glared back at my paper and picked up my pen.

And I started transferring the images in my head into ink. Yes, yes you're gonna suffer like I'm suffering! Die a horrible death!!

***

I don't know why I prefer to write short excerpts of plotless stuff. I think they have potential but I no longer have the patience to sit for an hour and a half and think up of a good buildup and end to stories like these. anyways, long stories coming up from long long ago....! stay tuned to find out!

Boredom

2008-12-05T00:47:00.002+08:00

Another secondary 4 essay. I realize I'm a closet emo - all my entries so far have been nothing but depressing and featuring scary guys in deserted alleys. I have more, but I don't want this blog to appear like an outlet for my inner anguish and moodiness. So I'll suppress it for now and post something less saddening, although it's still far short of a happy story.

Essay question: Write about one occasion when you felt extremely bored.

My fingers drummed rhythmically on the table. My left hand fiddled unconsciously with an eraser as I stared blankly at the plain whiteboard. The words "Self-study: 2.30 to 4.00pm" loomed in front of my dreamy eyes, filling my mind over and over again with dull, lifeless thoughts. Thoughts about home, about play - anything and everything that self-study periods did not comprise of.

My eyes shifted up lazily to gaze at the wall clock. The drone of the tick-ticking of the second hand lulled me... I snapped awake from the emptiness, frustrated. I fidgeted restlessly in my seat, eyebrows tightly knotted; my down-turned mouth gave a severe expression but I was actually annoyed by the extreme boredom that surrounded and trapped me.

I heard pencils scribbling furiously; a ~~feet~~foot tapping continuously somewhere behind me. The sounds of paper rustling and pages flipping were constantly throbbing in my ears. My frown deepened, but there was nothing to distract me from the intrusion of noises in an almost completely silent classroom.

There was a faint cought and I looked up, glad that it kicked away my initial instinct to scream out in rage and run away from this place of sheer torture like a mad hyena. The teacher coughed again, this time more forcefully. My mind was suddenly filled with a sadistic point of view - the fact that I was not the only one suffering in the classroom comforted me and calmed my senses down. I studied her awhile more and gradually lost interest in her steady, grey, marking routine. A few ticks, and she flipped a page. A few more ticks, and the page was flipped again. She was like a black-and-white video that kept rewinding and replaying a monotonous scene; her face was expressionless, no other part of her body moved except for the occasional cough.

Looking away, the more colourful scene on my desk caught my eye and I started observing them like a scientist observing a change in a chemical reaction - only I wasn't looking out for anything in particular. My stationery lay, peacefully resting on my desk, leading my vague, drowsy mind to imagine what it would be like if I were one of my pencils or pens, just lying and waiting to be used all the time. But the word 'boring' drifted into my head like a poisonous wasp dancing across the room, sadistically cheerful. I rejected that idea, immediately wary of the eternity of boredom that would await me if it was even plausible in the first place.

My physics textbook was open and welcoming, but the sight of the tiny words and complex diagrams made me keep my distance, like how one would naturally avoid a poor, disfigured soul trying to gain acceptance. Pitiful, but creepy at the same time.

The sound of a chair pulling back abruptly signified a change in the atmosphere. The teacher got up and strode swiftly out the door. Suddenly a green light lit up in my head and my senses powered up, alert. Aware of the opportunity that was practically dragging me towards it. My heart raced - this was my chance. Hurriedly I stuffed my books and stationery into my bag, oblivious to several heads rising up to look at the commotion I was making. I clumsily stood up, knocking my chair against the table behind me and with big, purposeful steps I escaped from the prison of boredom and advanced towards freedom.

Teacher's comments: Gd but still a little brief! Nice way of holding onto the tone of the boredom in your writing!
I got a "star for class" on this essay, which my teacher (or me I can't remember) typed out for the class. And I have to admit, this is, I feel, one of my best essays in the whole of my secondary 4. Because it was purely descriptive, and the whole essay revolved around one scene and occurred, as my essay mentioned, between 2.30 - 4.00pm. It was so boring it was interesting, to me. And yah, I realize all my essays are brief, and even now they're still brief, if not briefer. I don't have a very long writing span. The last time I tried, the longest story I wrote lasted about 7 pages, and I never completed it. I lost all traces of it when i reformatted my comp some years ago. It was the most committed I'd ever been writing a 'long' story, inspired by, guess what, Grand Theft Auto. That's right, it was a story about the mafia, of working for the boss on assignments, of chasing cars and escaping from the cops. And there was a love story in it as well. I wonder what would have turned out if I finished that story. A pity, really.

Running Away

2008-12-04T01:11:00.004+08:00

A secondary 4 essay with the topic from TYS:
Write a story on running away.

A light breeze rustled the leaves of the tree gently. The shops had been closed three hours ago. As I walked along the path, the silence of the night overwhelmed me. Suddenly my imagination perked up and visions of the various horror novels and movies I indulged myself in surfaced in my mind. I hesitated, afraid to walk round the corner in case something appeared to pounce on me. My legs led me on ahead.

As my mind calmed down from the anxiety of possibly encountering a ghost or a horribly mutilated monster, I began to ponder about the reason why a young girl like me should be wandering around in the dead of night. I realized that it was a very trivial matter that started the whole problem. I had reached home late from school and my parents were not too happy about it.

"You might as well not come back at all!" My mother had shouted in her fit of anger. I had taken it as a challenge, a way to show them who was boss, and that I really would take their snide remarks seriously. So after they had turned in, I filled my bag with some of my essentials - handphone, chocolate bars, my discman, some money and my keys - and sneaked out.

Now as I thought about it, it seemed like a really typical, "problem-teenager" kind of situation - child and parents have a big fight, child runs away from home. But I was not planning to forever stay away from my home; alas, I was not your average, messed-up kid who was so rebellious and really bent on breaking rules. The fact was that my anger had simmered already, and I was just trying to scare my parents a bit, to let them know that I was capable enough not to heed their dumb advice.

A set of footsteps snapped me out of my subconscious state. I was suddenly aware of the dark, deserted alley way that I had absent-mindedly strolled into. In front of me was a dead end. The footsteps, I thought, and a chill went down my spine as I froze, not daring to turn around. I heard a werid, soft snicker from behind and forced my head to turn.

The stranger looked at me in a perversed sort of way with a maniacal grin showing off his dirty, yellow teeth. I paused for a split second before screaming, and somehow managed to get past his barricade amidst my panic-stricken state of mind. I ran away.

My feet pounded heavily on the pavement; my hands were flailing around wildly; my heart was beating madly and I had no idea where I was heading. I just wanted to escape from the clutches of that guy, whoever he was, but I was sure he was far from my guardian angel guiding me home. After a while I realized the only sounds were coming from my panting and my already exhausted legs. I stopped, and turning around frantically confirmed that I was safe. For now.

"Whew!" I thought. So much for running away from home. Well, I decided I had had enough, and, searching for that familiar street name, I began to make my way back.

Teacher's comments: "Gd try! Too brief though! Does not give you scope to display plot skill!"
Contrast this with the more recent one i wrote on Panic. It was inspired by this essay of mine, which had "plot skill". That was why I wrote the whole initial paragraph on my language deteriorating and blablabla, because I didn't think I could come up with such 'running away when i was running away from home' kind of plots anymore. This wasn't the only essay that I had plot skill apparently. And this is what is missing in all my recent narratives. There's hardly any plot at all anymore.
Where have my plots gone?!

Panic

2008-12-03T01:18:00.003+08:00

Below is exactly what i wrote a few weeks before the exams, while completing my FT resume and chancing upon my old secondary essays.

Today I did something I haven't done in 4 years. I looked through my past narratives in Sec 4 and was impressed. How did I ever conjure up such products, such ingenuity of plots and descriptions that the older, more mature me can never attain to that level ever again? What has become of my writing, of my use of descriptors, of my ability to create colourful phrases and imaginative metaphors, analogies and though provoking story lines? Judging by this paragraph alone is sufficient to spot the dull, repetitive style of writing that I have gradually adopted. Perhaps this is reflective of what life has become. Mundane, routinal, for lack of a better word, boring. And to look at the development, or rather, erosion of my writing pains me, disappoints me; to know that the colour and creativity of my life has significantly escaped from where it used to thrive at the tip of my finers, ready to transfer itself onto paper, into words, into stories; to feel that I have deteriorated, as a writer, as a person...

A few years from now, without a doubt, I'll be looking back at the above passage and perhaps wondering the same thing. My writing style would have probably mutated even further; I probably wouldn't even be writing anymore. Alas, that is the side effect of technology. Perhaps now should be the time, in light of my self awareness, to pick up the humble writing tool once again and attempt to invent a plot, to make up people and dream of fictitious events.

And this is what I am going to do.

***

Title: Panic.

Run, I told myself, run. It was a gut feeling, an intuition, and as the saying goes, sometimes you just have to follow your instincts. On that particular night that would forever change my life, I chose not to listen to my inherent fighting instinct.

It was late; the night was deathly quiet but for the sound of the cold, eerie breeze. Eerie, because the street was completely void of a single human soul except me. I walked through, momentarily enfulfed in darkness where a couple of faulty streetlamps covered, shielded the horrors that might lurk. My heels clicked-clacked on the concrete, this rhythm of night allowing me to immerse myself in my thoughts without any distraction.

As I walked further I neared the streetlamp that was working ahead. It flickered once. A few more steps and I was approaching it within seconds. It flickered again, and with a pathetic buzz the fuse fizzled and the light went out. The last streetlamp at the end of the pavement. Click, clack, click, clack, as I rounded the corner and into the alley leading to my street.

Click, clack, click clack, step, step, step - I stopped. Stiffness crept through my spine; my senses heightened immediately. Suddenly the darkness was overwhelming; it was like a storm cloud looming right above me. Tingles ran through my back, up the spine and crawled around my neck. I felt suffocated, shortness of breath developing as my heart pumped more and more furiously. Step, step. Slower now. Slower and surer. It was waiting for me to make my move. Waiting, anticipating without so much as a flicker of doubt in its footsteps. Yes, it knew it had me now. Step, step. It was inching towards me, intimidating me bit by bit, torturing my nerves, pushing me closer and closer to the edge of the cliff. To see when I would panic.

Run, I told myself, run. But my feet did not respond; it couldn't. It was as if my heels had been caught in a crevice in the pavement, as if my feet were stuck so deep if I were to try I would pull it right off its sockets. No, another part of me decided, put up a brave front. And as though I was a robot being operated by miniscule creatures in my brain, the top half of my body responded and turned to face "it", while the rest of my legs continued to stay rooted six feet deep.

I saw a flash of silver and that triggered my panic-driven instincts, but by then it was too late. Pain spread through my nerves, my joints, and clouded my vision as I sank, a messy heap of blood and flailing arms coupled with screams of agony and then, blackness.

I woke up from a coma two weeks later a victim of rape and assault, but more than that, I was a victim of my own moment of courage, my fight instincts, my failure to panic.

***

It felt too short for me actually, this essay. Too short and doesn't really follow the theme. In fact, I pathetically tried to fit the original theme at the end, which ended really cheesy. Until now I still don't know who the attacker is. Too lazy to describe when I was writing.
Shortcut101: Cut to the chase so you can avoid painful, tedious descriptions of attack scenes!

Ferris Wheel

2008-12-02T01:41:00.003+08:00

This is a short excerpt i did sometime this term, when i was browsing through photography on deviant art. Ferris wheel pictures can have alot of interpretations, and mean different things for different people. i wrote 2 perceptions, although both are similarly bleak. i have a tendency to write emo-ishly, i think.

One:
She sat upon the Ferris wheel, thinking, reminiscing. Listening to the cackle of children's laughter, their joy. Feeling the cool breeze blowing gently, lifting her bangs slightly, as if deliberately widening her normally obscured vision. Below her she could almost see the world, she thought. Bright futures, of kids, of families, walking about, oblivious to her. She was but an insignificant speck of matter in this vast, complicated world.

Two:
Alone and away from the world she sat, up on the Ferris wheel. Gears moving, wheels turning, slowly but surely, the Ferris wheel spun. Round she went, round she went. And below her, the world was spinning. Spinning with the mad crowd, spinning with emotion. With families, friends, with happiness. And all this while, she remained alone, up on the Ferris wheel.

Amateurish paragraphs signalling my language deterioration is evident here. i wrote excerpts because i couldn't conjure whole essays at that time. i got stuck, and left it at that. one of the reasons i set up this blog. to stir up my past inspirations to write again!