The Ordinary Tales of Mr Barney

Mr Barney woke up early this morning. Strangely enough, there was no particular reason why he should be up at this time of the day but he did. It appeared as though some magic clock was triggered and he was up instantaneously, ready for work. Not a minute late.

But today's Sunday! He suddenly remembered.

Oh well, instead of sleeping again, why not do something productive? Maybe I should check my email to see if Boss sent me anything to do today.

Refusing to waste another minute on bed, Mr Barney got up quickly, like a soldier on quick-march. His actions executed with perfection. On his way to the bathroom, he scanned his room, everything was spic-and-span, as usual. He smiled to himself at the sight.

Finishing his daily business, he walked to his couch and sat down. He turned on his laptop and sieve through the pop-ups to his email.

No news from Mr Big Brother.

Mr Big Brother must be very busy today. He didn't even have to the time to send me an email on what to do. Maybe I should check with Mr Small Brother instead, Mr Barney thinks.

No news from Mr Small Brother as well.

How about Mrs Controller? She always gave me lots of work to do. I'm sure she will have something for me.

Nope, nothing from Mrs Controller either.

What on earth is happening today?? Mr Barney wondered, starting to feel a little distressed. He searched through his online calendar. It's not the Mind-Training Day, Sensor-ship Morning or even the annual "Love thy Brother" Conference. Where is everyone?

Maybe I should do something else first while I wait for their assignments. The weather looks pretty good this morning, Mr Barney admired as he pull the curtains.

The first rays has just shone on the city. The silhouette of the magnificent skyscrapers awed him. That plain sight of Perfection.

This is the perfect weather for a walk!

Oh wait. What if Mr Big Brother wants to look for me? Or even Mrs Controller? Mr Barney contemplated for a while.

Taking a walk is not exactly a good idea. Perhaps I should take some time to smell the roses. Didn't books always tell us to do that all the time? I should learn to enjoy myself too.

That's a good idea, Mr Barney smiled at his own genius.

And he turns on the Internet. A flower photo pops-up.

Ah, what a way to enjoy the weekends!

(CP, 06.04.12)

**My first attempt at writing short stories! I will try to write more in the future. Enjoy =)

For Love

For                                 love,

   we are                            willing to steal,
we dare to lie to                      our other halves,

we can imagine things               with greater extremity.

we can also kill, and hatred grows stronger the same time.

But for love, we can also do our best to sing in the rain,

we can persevere even when the world is against us,

we learn to see things beyond our points of view.

We accepted even the most difficult of flaws,

understood that one can give more than take.

Love is, most contradictory in discourse,

also the most complex of languages,

the most courageous of all acts,

most magnificent on Earth,

and the most essential
in defining us 

human.

(CP, 14.02.2012)

To my readers, Happy Valentine's day to you =)

Strawberry Generation

I am

a child of the 80s.

But I also go by different names,

Generation Y, Post-independence babies,

Internet-savvy kids, Strawberry Generation.

I know we have been in a glass cover all our lives.

I am deeply grateful for everything that has been done for us.

But is it an accurate assumption to say that we are a weak bunch?

Our forefathers have done a great job securing a good future for us.

We have a quality education, a good home and safe environment.

We need not experience the tough life our parents endured under the sun.

That is the irony of progress. We can have what we want too easily.

In the end, we may forget the fighting spirit of our ancestors.

But I'm not sure whether we have indeed lost that drive.

Our generation is a different bunch.

We go through life in a different world.

Expectations are different now.

Strawberries plants are not

as resilient as Durians.

But that does not

mean that

we cannot

survive on

our own.

Trust us.

Your blood

lives in us.

We are your sons and daughters.

(CP, 12.08.2011)

A Tribute to the Railway Station

You have stood the test of time,

watching the young nation begin its first baby steps,

till where it is today.

As a proud parent,

you have witnessed the joys and sadness,

and relived every moment in our lives.

This is the strong emotional ties binds us together,

across race, language and religion,

as well as the old and the young.

With your unwavering presence,

we have all grown up now,

and ready to begin another new chapter in our lives.

But I am in a dilemma mother.

I love you for who you are,

but there is someone better now,

Progress is my new boyfriend.

I have to be forward thinking,

and I hope you can give in,

because it concerns my future happiness after all.

Pragmatism they say,

that there is not enough space to live,

let alone room for nostalgia.

You will always be in my heart no matter what,

But mother, your time is up,

and I have arranged for another spot for you to spend your remaining years.

I understand how you feel (You are not me, how will you know?)

The new home has brand new facilities (How can I adapt?)

I will visit you often (What's the point after you have taken everything away?)

(My son, don't you understand?)

(How will you remember me if all I have left are just the old memories?)

(Like ties that binds, some tracks once broken, can never be regained.)

(CP, 21.07.2011)

Job-Hunting

The hunt is on.
The clock is ticking and time is short.
You looked out eagerly at the jungle in front,
anticipating the perfect moment to strike.

A new pop-up appears. That's that one!
With a click, you set your sight and start chasing the prey.
As you scroll through the endless portals of green,
your eyes spotted someone else, just like you.

A new competitor joins the fray. Oh no!
Without hesitation, you start to pounce and edge out the other.
Hurriedly, the other load up his ammunition,
Those As, testimonials and certificates, just like yours.

The target is in sight. Bang!
But it’s not yours. Someone else had a better gun.
You look in dismay but refuse to give up,
after all, a persistent hunter will always get the hunt.

Perhaps another strategy might work. That's right!
In stealth mode, you try to blend in to the environment.
Now I look like everyone else, in their crisp-suits and wide smile,
awaiting for the next opportunity.

My anxious parents are waiting. Of course!
They have spent their lifetime teaching you to be on your own feet.
This is the new frontier of the world, there must be a lot of jobs around!
It's time to load the guns once more.

This time you look around first. Oh my god!
Out of the suits appeared more PMETs from everywhere.
Undaunted, you give chase like a rookie.
It's going to be another tough fight.
Time is short and the clock is ticking.
The hunt is on.

(CP, 20.06.2011)

Breaking Free

Yours is a life destined for success.
I do not belong here, in the same league as you.
My life is not calculated in cold numbers,
in artificial means,
fine-tuned to near perfection,
permutated into another successful story like yours.

I do not have the talent to be like you,
Yours being, a noble aspiration to us all.
I can only follow behind,
tracing your footsteps,
trailing an ardous path,
one which I can never catch up to.

I see a way out.
To sneak from behind,
to take away,
fame, fortune and power.
But this is not what success means to me.

I seek a different fortune,
venture a different route,
partake in a different journey.
Materialism brings no comfort to me,
neither can it fill up this void,
the one that I have been carrying.

You may see pity in my eyes,
That I am such a fool,
for not chasing in the rat-race,
that I have no purpose in life.

I have no wish to join this little game of yours.
That others have tried so hard to win,
only to realise that they are trapped within
another bigger game.

I shall step aside this time,
and watch them play.
Exhausting all their trickery,
only to be outwitted by the smartest,
the one who programmed them,
the puppet-master behind the scene.

My plans for a sojurn has begun,
degenerating my ideologies,
shedding away the many layers of myself,
deconstructing every bit of me that made
me who I am,

until I become nothing.

Then can I truly be free,
out of this pre-destined doom,
the one that had been waitng,
waiting ever since we came here.
For me,
for you,
and for everyone else.

(CP, 10.12.2006)

For I am like the wind,

formless yet always present.

When the journey is calm,

I shall return to my quiet solitude.

But if the heat gets too unbearable,

You can be sure that wind will be there

to cool you down

everytime.

-peng-