just minishorts.

An opinion is not made to be owned. It exists merely for expression, and once let loose, it should be set free. And so I have learnt, that being opinionated may not be a flattering description if you struggle too much to hold on to that label - an opinion exists after all on planes of expressions, and expressions are whispering flutterbys that disappear with the soft sigh of a human breath. It is heard, said, and then *poof* it goes. The space for new opinions is created, and recreated. 

A God, or God, doesn't exist to be owned. Like something that isn't or that is, He is pure existence, a gathering of possibilities or impossibilities. Like nothing, or something, He is pure words, or pure concept, there, but not there… But because we human beings cling on so tightly to our possessions, we fight to keep God, or our concepts of what a God is (or isn't) to our own realms and boxes of acceptability. When someone disagrees, we turn to what is essentially 'pure possibility' to dictate our inbuilt moral consciences, and define people who do not agree to our rights to possess God, as heretics. And so, wars.

A human being, isn't made to be owned. We exist purely because, and we all deserve our rights to be free. And so when I met him, and I decided I would do whatever it takes to keep him, I decided to cage him up and made sure he would behave the way that I, the owner, would allow him to, I did the biggest, and gravest mistake ever. He struggled, and he fought, and in the end, like a caged animal, he decided to escape from my clutches.

We come from nothing, we live with nothing, we will go into nothing. A long time ago, someone came into this world, and made a difference while he lived. It was either a 'good' difference, or a 'bad' difference, and either way, he made an imprint while he lived. And then, time was up, and like a breath caught in the wind, he was gone. We all have someone like that in our lives, or many people like that in our lives. My grandfather died when I was 13, and but while he lived, he made condensed milk sandwiches and watery Milo for my breakfasts and took us out on walks near that house in Pengkalan Chepa. Jesus came, he lived, he died, (then he lived again, and then he left); or earlier, Buddha came, said many things, then he was gone. Muhammad lived, and he was gone. And so shall we be gone. From nothing we came into existence, and so we will go into nothing. To live rich, is to accept that we own nothing.

I want to believe that this is not just pure rhetoric. But my mind tells me that this is true, I don't own a thing, not even the man I am marrying. Our relationship exists purely because we know we don't own each other - neither of us are possessions for each other to control, in the same way, I keep my sanity intact, because I know I don't own my opinions, my thoughts… my space must be constantly kept free for new ideas to come into being, and then they have to go away to give more place for new things to come in. All of this is temporary.

Time to move on.

"You know yah, now I suddenly realize what love is about… what marriage is about. It's actually quite futile,' I said.

'And then?'

'Because I can't exactly have you forever, we can't be together forever…'

'True…'

'Because you know, one day either one of us will leave each other, either because one of us dies or something else crops up, unless of course something like that happens to us at the same time, but even if we both die at exactly the same time, we know that we will be separated eventually,'
I said.

'So morbid…'

'Yah, so what I'm saying is this lor, that because I can only love you as long as I have you, as long as I have you I will love you lor…'

Love is brief like that.

Chinatown in Singapore is a quaint old tourist haven with little antique shops neatly tucked behind the CNY goodie stalls. As tourists, we did as all tourists in Singapore do, visit the antique shops.

And besides the things there were pretty cheap yeah. Four snuff bottles for SD10 bucks? I call that a steal.

Never mind that. No, let's not take a stroll through the rain-splashed puddles of good old 'niu che shui' (a bit bad luck lah me, it had to rain non-stop during my visit)… And I didn't want to show the photos either, or at least, not today.

I just wanted to tell you about this magic mirror that my guide told me was hidden somewhere in one of the antique shops over in Singapore. This is supposed to be a real magic mirror that comes on top of a nice dressing table, in all its Chinese rosewood and mother-of-pearl glory.

Oh no, it's not just any magic mirror like the Snow White one that talks to you like when you ask it stupid questions like, 'Eh tell me lah I'm the most beautiful woman in the world', nothing that feeds stupid narcissism like that. It's the type of magic mirror that can DO THINGS FOR YOU, as in make incredible wishes come true liddat.

My guide told us that it was hidden in one of the shops lah. So Eric and I were intrigued, and he asked, 'Eh, how magic is magic?'

I tell you I felt goosebumps all over my hands as my friend retold us the story… I mean imagine this, you're walking through corridor-after-corridor of old, Chinese stuff from days-long-gone, and you have a friend who's telling you, in hushed tones some more, about some quaint old mirror hidden somewhere that can grant you wishes.

'Very magic lah,' said our friend. 'Story goes that this rich tai-tai brought the mirror back to put in her room, and then you know lah what you do when you get a new mirror yah? The lady couldn't stop admiring her new purchase, and she spent the whole afternoon cleaning up the expensive junk.
Then when finally the mirror was gleaming clean, she smiled and started to do little pirouettes in front of the mirror. She turned here, and there, and then she put her hands around her waist. She made a cute pose and then she said in a sexy voice lah, "Mirror mirror on the wall, why are my boobs so tiny and small?"
See the mirror can't talk. So the woman twirled around again, and then after that she said, "Oh mirror, mirror, on the wall, may my boobs grow like basketballs."
AT THAT INSTANT, I tell you, the mirror worked its magic ok? The woman's breasts grew to 42D sizes. Wahlau, she was damn happy.'

'Serious,' said Eric. I was too dumbstruck to respond, my heart just quivered a bit. Sounded more freaky than amazing to me, then. 'Continue please.'

'So obviously, the husband got home to his new present lah. Wahahaha they had a wonderful frolicking night with the new basketballs, literally, and after several awesome tumbles in bed, the husband rolled over her pinnacles and asked, "Eh lau-po, you went and did surgery also never tell me oh…"
"What surgery? No surgery. You see the mirror I bought with your money? It is magic one you know…"
"Really? What did you do?"
"Aiyoh, I did a Snow White lor. I just walk to the front of the mirror, dance dance a bit, and then I told the mirror that I wanted boobs as big as basketballs. And then see, see, see… now I have basketballs!"
"Wow…"
The next morning, when the wife had gone out to market to show off her new assets, the husbands stared at the magical mirror. He stood there for quite sometime, thinking for a bit, and then finally he decided to ask for his own wish to be granted too.
"Mirror, mirror on the wall, please make my dick touch the floor."

All of us were now silent for a bit, because at that very moment, we came to stand in front of an old antique mirror. I didn't even dare to look at my own reflection in it lah… scared mah!

My friend, he turned around and said at last, 'At that instant hoh, his wish came true! A pair of scissors appears out of nowhere and his dick really touched the floor.'

Celaka betul that bummer.

Go to Part 1 first if you haven't read it yet.

The trampling horses ran like the storm, and the earth that was kicked up left a trail of choking dust that betrayed the route of the caravans of the Travelling Animal Circus Troupe.

In the middle of the 30-odd caravans was a single, five by five foot box, and in it was a very, very sad orang utan. His name was Orgus, short for Orgusmarkeshvillamann (apparently its Swedish-Thai), and he was the resident star of of the troupe. He was shrouded in darkness, but he was at peace, his heart rocking to the running hooves of the stampeding horses.

Orgus most loved these times of travel. He didn't need to perform, and he didn't need to think about the huge crowds of people who found entertainment in jesting him. While being trapped in a five by five foot box robbed him of the freedom of movement, he was free to think, free to imagine, free to remember.

He had stopped dreaming of his freedom now, now that he was doomed to eternal slavery to the relentless and merciless Orc Horde. At places where the circus stopped for shows, Orgus would be led into the centre of the ring where he had to do all sorts of tricks. Sometimes he was met by approving rounds of applause. Usually, the audience loved him. But recently, he had become a tired circus freak. The last place he stopped, he was met with splattering rotten eggs, thrown tomatoes and angry boos. To top it up, after the show, his cruel owners gave him a very bad whipping.

As Orgus sat in the darkness, huge drops of tears started to roll down his hairy cheeks as he remembered his 'glorious past'. Oh, the days when he was still a young and handsome Orang Utan, king of the green green tropical jungles in the Niah National ParkSepilok Nature Resort (an overly enthusiastic fuckwit observer pointed this out to me)! He owned the forest, and the animals loved him to bits. Everything he said, and did, was a gem, and he was soon christened Mascot of the Year. The sound of his name 'Orgus', echoed across the animal nations, and there was nary a nation in Animal Kingdom who knew not who Orgus was.

And then, one day, everything changed. The horrible, horrible Travelling Animal Circus caught up with him, and decided that he belonged to them. Enticed by a huge huge huge bunch of bananas, apparently, a trophy for his wonderful talents, he walked into the five by five foot box that was damned to be his home for the rest of his life.

Today, he sat alone in his little box, knowing not where he was headed, dreading both light and darkness. He was left with only memories of a sad sad past, and knowing this made him even sadder.

The ancient Angsana Tree russled his leaves and sent a shower of them falling down on the tiny creature that sat on his roots.

'SHUT UP!' he boomed, his voice echoing through Taman Negara like the sonic of a threatening thunder. 'Haven't you said enough? The last time you spoke of the pink phenomenon, you caused an unwarranted uproar that shook the age-old harmonious ties between Taman Negara and Pets 'R Us, and now you're talking about the Travelling Animal Circus's impending arrival?'

Eshpie whimpered, and then began her shrill call again, 'But its true, its true. I saw it coming. I saw the caravan, the boxes, I saw a very sad old orang utan crying, and I bet it was Orgus that famous monkey from NiahSEPILOK… and then I saw more…'

'Who cares what you saw? In times like this, it is best you shut your yap. Like us,' said the ancient Rafflesia, that lay next to the Angsana Tree.

Eshpie's pointy ears perked up, and she rose her eyebrows. 'Is it true?'

'What?' boomed the Angsana Tree.
'That the two of you were once animals, like us… but you decided to animorph into plants that seldom spoke?'
'We still speak. Neutrality is the key. Not to comment where our comments are unwarranted. We're the wise ones.'
'Wise ones…'

'Aye, wise ones,' echoed the Rafflesia. 'Long time ago, before the time of the Travelling Animal Circus, we were here before, except, we were the wild bear, and the wild ox… and we were loud, we were brash… and then, our names got out far and loud…'

'And then, came the birth of the Travelling Animal Circus… that horrible, horrible circus troupe that has no mercy to animals…' said the Angsana.

'…or elves,' the Rafflesia continued.

'Especially elves like you.'

Eshpie cried, 'But when I see, when I know, I cannot keep my mouth shut! I must say something!'

'Don't you even care for your own reputation?' asked the Angsana Tree. 'You must learn how to meditate, and you must learn how to become from an elf, to a… a… bunga raya…'

'That is absurd! I am no ancient meditating elf. I have the Gift of Foresight, and since you will not help me, you will not say anything, I will say it and I will warn the animals, especially Tang the Tiger, about the coming of the Travelling Animal Circus.'

She left in an angry huff. The Angsana and the Rafflesia continued to sway in the still air of the tropical jungle. The Rafflesia sighed, 'This elf cannot be saved.'

Angsana said the wise line, 'We will be silent. Let them that have to be captured, be captured.'

Doom was casting His evil shroud over the jungles of Taman Negara, and the trees would be silent as a sign to the minions in the jungle. Unfortunately, the minions were hardly intelligent enough to realize the prudence of silence.

'You are very annoying, you know that?' growled Tang the Tiger, who was awoken from his slumber by the shrill nagging of Eshpie the shorts-wearing Elf. 'Will you like, let it rest already. I have said my piece, Pinky has said her piece, I believe, and now you're telling me about what stupid Circus? It doesn't even exist, my dear. I've never heard of it in my entire life.'

Eshpie slumped in resignation. She had tried every resource available to warn the haughty tiger of his approaching doom, but it seemed like Tang was basking in his newfound glory too much to even bother about the near future.

'What ever. It's just a vision. Maybe it's a dream, dear. Dreams may, or may not happen,' said the Tiger. 'Honey, you worry too much, and you talk too much. Sometimes, I think it best, you keep your insightful thoughts to yourself.'

'But but but…'
'No buts, babe. You're known, darling, for being misunderstood, and frankly, this is one time that I'm only too glad to MISUNDERSTAND YOU. A Travelling Circus that kidnaps famous and outstanding animals? Oh baby, if they take me into their folds, it'll just mean that I'm THERE. Now what's so bad about it?'

It was hopeless to convince Tang that being a slave to the Travelling Animal Circus Troupe WAS a bad thing. Eshpie finally said, 'Fine. It's up to you. Don't say I didn't warn you.'

And off she went, deciding that maybe she could defy 'fate', running off to her little house at the edge of Taman Negara to pack up her goodies and ready to fly far far away from it all.'

Tang stared at the disappearing figure of the shorts-wearing elf, and roared a hearty laugh. 'Ptui! Travelling circus pulak… what nonsense, that girl thinks too highly of herself…'

He strutted back in his haughty trot, back into the cave when suddenly, a delicious whiff of meat drifted past his nostrils.

'Is that what I smell it is?' thought the Tiger, and eagerly, he decided to follow and seek the origins of this meat trail. It was a churl-inducing, mouth watering aroma that went, 'Come here, come here', and Tang the Tiger, having gone on a diet of peas and porridge for days, just COULD NOT RESIST the amazing smell.

He didn't even notice the dead silence that had filled that corner of Taman Negara. There were no sounds of birds, no sounds of insects, just a very eerie calm that shrouded the condoned area with a sense of fear.

But Tang was oblivious to this. He walked, and he walked. And then he arrived in a clearing where all the trees were gone, and there was a wonderful, wonderful pile of meat spread on the ground.

'FOOD!' He snarled and his claws extended to pounce on the food, and then suddenly, it was pitch-black.

Eshpie could feel her heart pounding. She hurriedly drew up the curtains in her little home and proceeded to stuff as many things as she possibly could into a huge bag. Never mind that the bag was almost too big for her to carry, she just had to leave with every single possession worth TN Dinars that she could take away.

Either that or she knew that no matter what she did, the impending doom was unavoidable.

Just then, a sharp rattle at the door made her jump out of her elvish shoes.

'Who's there…' murmured the terried Eshpie, although SHE KNEW who it was. She knew, and now, she moved silently to the living room, looking at closed door, and fearing the thing that stood behind it.

'You know who we are…' came the frightening voice of the Orc Horde leader. 'You know and you are ready…'

Eshpie closed her eyes, and knew that it was time. 'Come in then. I have been waiting.'

It was inevitable.

The End.

Or is it?

Special thanks to ST and Wendy (OMG OMG I PUT YOUR NAMES TOGETHER WAHAHA!) for sportingly agreeing to star in this sequel. Thumbs up to Kenny for thinking up his own moniker Orgusve-wha-wha-wha.

Folks, these people are damn open-minded-lah, this is the true spirit of blogging I guess and that's why they're such biggies over here.

Big big hugs to Elaine and FS for trying to stop me from going ahead with this no-brainer. Slurpy kisses on Vince and Edrei for telling me 'Ah heck with it publish it lah!'

If this ever becomes a book (in my dreams) I'll dedicate it to all these special-mentioned.

PINKY BARKS FOUL AT LACK OF COURTESY

The TN Gazette's bright red headlines flashed at Tang the Tiger's face today, causing the whiskers on the silent feline to twitch and twist. He growled, the anger in his belly simmering with the amusement that coupled his suspicions. And then he snarled cunningly.

Slightly before arriving in Taman Negara two years ago, Tang had decided that here he would reign supreme once more like his forefathers did. Not a native of Taman Negara, but one who had found himself settling down in the lush green jungles surrounding the waterfalls of TN Falls, Tang loved Taman Negara like his own home. He was born and bred in a foreign zoo, groomed and cared for by human beings, cuddled to be so domesticated, that there was very seldom an opportunity for him to flex his tiger muscles.

Tang the Tiger was feeling mightily pleased today.He had given up on the opportunity to 'show off his stripes like a real tiger, a long long time ago, and today that opportunity had fallen into his laps with the arrival of The TN Gazette. Words carelessly uttered by Pinky the famous Poodle, like 'Rude Fat Elephant', and 'Cheating, Dirty Pig!', seemed like easy prey to pounce on, and Tang laughed heartily when he saw his own, usually, last page column, finally appearing on the cover. Tang the Tiger: In Defence of The TN Citizens.

It was a hit, and the citizens loved it. He was hailed as the local accidental hero, and he was loving every bit of the glorious attention.

His time had come at last, and the point that it was at the expense of an innocent wide-eyed traveller from a sanitized pet shop was not the issue. For years he had been seeking to receive honour and citizenship in Taman Negara, but his anglicized roars and tea habits made it obvious that he was an immigrant. Today his love for the TN community was sealed and confirmed, and no one could deny he was a TN citizen in heart and spirit.

Tang sank into his bed of rumpled angsana leaves, yawned lazily, and then drifted into a satisfied slumber.

Elsewhere in Pets 'R Us, Pinky was having a horrible time dusting off the effects of the atomic verbal warfare across the two animal nations that she had unwittingly set free with her emotion-led outburst, after a terrible holiday ruined by ruthless Taman-Negara-ians.

'You still shouldn't have said what you said,' said Kodomo the wise toy lion. Legend said that Kodomo was once a ferocious lion who lived in the jungles, but he cleverly transmigrated his strength and spirit into different stuffed toys all over the nation. This particular spirit-filled Kodomo toy only woke up in the middle of the night to talk to the real life animals.

Today he said to the distraught Pinky, 'You know-lah, you're famous. Everything you say is scrutinized. Being famous, you even have to sneeze with style, dig nose also cannot. Even if a fly flew into your nostrils, you have to hold it in and smile happily. What to do? You're famous!'

'Where got fair? I want to bark also cannot. I always bark, okay? And that's the way I do it. Hello, that's the reason why I'm famous. I always speak my mind,' she sniffled. 'Usually, they think it's funny, but this time, I feel so horrible… everyone seems to be laughing at me and making fun of me.'

Kodomo sighed. 'Well. You'll still have to mind your words from time to time. Pets 'R Us is a protected sanctuary for animals like you and me (a pseudo one though I am), but there is nothing I can do if your antics get noticed by the Travelling Animal Circus Troupe. If they get their hands on you, there it goes…'

'The Travelling Animal Circus Troupe?'
'It's a travelling band of evil trolls and gnomes, the Orc Horde, that spends its time capturing outstanding animals and strange creatures for a very very popular, but morbid circus set-up.'
'Oustanding animals…like you?'
'No. Like you. As for me, I decided to lay silent a long time ago. Hence I am now Kodomo Lion. But you, you're a living, breathing specimen, just waiting to be captured…'
'Captured, is it that bad? We are already in captivity… besides, its a circus troupe, doesn't it, urm, travel around? Travelling around is good, no? You can see things…'

'Yes, but with the Travelling Animal Circus troupe, your affiliation with fame will be sealed with a terrible price,' said Kodomo, sounding very very grave. 'You lose complete freedom. You get scrutinized for the tiniest things. When that happens, even if you shit, the trolls and gnomes that man the troupe will take your poo to do all sorts of experiments on. Getting into the Travelling Animal Circus Troupe is like a seal of damnation–your rights to freedom will be violated permanently. And to add on, you will be forever at the mercy of the ruthless Orc Horde, who will put you to an entire life of servitude. No no no … it is not good, to be captured by the Travelling Animal Circus Troupe.'

Pinky felt a cold cold shudder, and nodded appreciatively for this piece of information. She already knew the price of fame a long time ago (that pink connection had to continue for the sake of her image and the huge fanbase that she carried), and she didn't really enjoy its after-effects as much as the world thought she did.

She decided to lay low, very low.

Eshpie the Shorts Wearing Elf was restless. She had tossed and turned the entire night, but still she couldn't fall asleep. The nagging thought that kept on ticking at the back of her mind just wouldn't go away.

Eshpie, the native witch with magical powers who lived at the edge of Taman Negara, had the Gift of Foresight. But woe be on this gift, for it was really, a curse. She had this knack of knowing things before they happened, and today, a sudden vision had appeared before her eyes just as she was going to drink her daily dose of Ribenaberry juice.

She saw the quick galloping horses of the terrible Travelling Animal Circus Troupe, fast approaching the lands of Taman Negara.

She saw the caged-boxes that made up the caravans.

She saw an orang utan, a tiger, a dog, and worst of all…she saw herself, in shorts and all, sitting in a little cage, all by herself.

Eshpie winced, and tried very hard not to cry. She wished her visions were wrong, but alas, deep in her heart, Eshpie knew. She had never been wrong before, and the accuracy of her foresight was the rhyme and reason for her fame.

But how she wished she was wrong.

Next:the Travelling Animal Circus Approaches