Live well, work hard, play play? 
.
“There’s only one sun,” he says.
She nods her head, not catching his meaning nor caring much either. It is enough that she is kind and patient. These sorts give up after a while and move on, further down the bar where it may be easier to land a catch, and sure enough, they often do. You have to admire their persistence, if not their ingenuity, she smiles to herself, only for herself. Wit should be infinite yet the same three one-liners seem to spread around like some especially resistant strain of a should-be-retired-by-now venereal disease. Most of these men — and girls — probably have caught the whole lot, I wouldn’t wonder. The thought doesn’t please her but she does feel more relaxed.
Maybe it’s the wine.
There was once a lady from Shanghai. She was travelling a lot then, a lifetime ago, when she met this lady, in a nightclub much like this one. Except nightclubs in Shanghai take on a life of their own. Triad bosses and their scowling mistresses, rowdy heiresses and their gentlemen a-calling, the police and the thieves, thickly together, scheming and sleeping together, all the secrets of the world are kept here or else it’s your neck before sundown. She had a taste for danger, back then, and the lady from Shanghai was part of that. Everyone was, really.
She was sitting alone, at the bar, as she is sitting alone at this bar now. Always at the bar, always sitting alone. Except this time it was the lady who approached her and asked her to break bread with her at her table. I’m frightfully bored, the lady said, sitting alone at this large table, and the men look like such scum tonight, pond scum, really, the worst sort. Won’t you sit with me?
She could find no reason to refuse, and so she did, abandoning her usual post. It was good bread, fresh, oven-warm and the knobs of butter melting into them signalled a sudden craving in her. For conversation, for connection? The lady from Shanghai had large buttercup eyes, buttercup pearls, and it was easy drowning in her careful prattle, the freshest gossip around town, oven-warm. Still, the wine made her words reckless soon enough and they were dancing with words, with a camaraderie that was not sisterly, nor the chatter of friends. When perfect strangers meet and exchange histories and horrors, amongst the din and damage of the great city, is it not like making love also?
The man is still here. Presumably he’s talking about solitary moons or the singularity of stars now. There is nothing here for her. Why, then, does she keep returning? Not the company, heavens forbid. Maybe it’s the wine. There’s something deliciously wicked about sitting alone in a bar, unaccompanied other than the memory of buttercup eyes and oven-warm bread, sipping a glass of wine that only she knows the year of. Only she, and the lady from Shanghai. Yes, the lady would know.
She’ll keep the men guessing long after she leaves.
.
.
~ * ~
.
Photographs by Cumi&Ciki. Design by Kenny Mah.
just read ur previous post and u got this new one up? that’s superfast!!
i see ur continuing the WKW trend with the post title… it’s the next WKW film starring nicole kidman! maybe, he’ll get u to write the script, hehe…
there’s only one sun
and not to be outdone
the moon has splitted
into two, then a third
» priya
Yup, I took my title from his next film, which as I understand it, is not a remake of the Orson Welles film. Not too sure about Kidman’s involvement though. I’ve heard rumours she’s off the film now… Still, anything by WKW, even flawed, is an experience to behold…
» Célestin
If the moon is a set of triplets
There may be more chicklets
Lunar ladies may mushroom
Dancing in a Shanghai ballroom…
Dude, I’m beginning to get addicted to this exchange…
Men gather to play and shout. Skin deep. Women connect by conversing, in your words, histories and horrors. There is something trusting. You are right there is an exchange, esp. of confidence. An insightful piece.
» Chin
Well, for grown men, there are less opportunities to gather to play and shout as our beer bellies broaden. Maybe instead of playing soccer, we watch it and drink more beer and I guess, the shouting part, we can still do lah.
Don’t mean us men don’t trust each other unlike women do. We just do it with grunts rather than gossip.
And I assure you me and my guy friends do gossip away sometimes… Hehe.
who’s the mystery woman in the 2nd pic?
a dinner of wine between two beautiful ladies… so sexy…
» Jeffer
That would be the lovely lady blogger behind Cumi & Ciki. I took two of her recently taken pics and added a little texture and crackle to it, but otherwise left them as they are. True beauty shines with or without Photoshop ma…
» wintergirl
Oh it’s sexy all right. I just wonder what their main courses were, hahaha…
Can imagine Ciki’s huge ear to ear grin on seeing this!
a nice change to have two women bonding instead of another boy-meets-girl story. u do something different every time, kenny. that’s so cool.
» Tummythoz
When I first read your comment I thought you said “Ciki’s HUGE ear”, didn’t quite catch the rest of it in my immediate dismay that Ciki has been hiding her enormous ears whenever we meet. Cos mostly I don’t notice them. Yes, well.
Of course, now I’m wondering how HUGE her grin gets…
» Anna
Thanks, dear. Maybe for my next post, I’ll do something really different and write an essay on the emergence of biotechnology patents in Malaysia. Or not.
what’s WKW? a bit lost here…
have u watched Lust, Caution? that’s set in shanghai too. ur description here just evokes the feeling of that film to me.
looks like u got the writing rolling out thick n fast! and very skillfully done too!
such a short yet powerful piece..leaves alot more to desire and think eh?
» masni
WKW = Wong Kar-wai. An indie HK filmmaker who has directed some of my favourite films inc. “In the Mood for Love” and “Chungking Express” — both featuring the crème de la crème of the HK acting industry inc. Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung.
(Gosh, I feel like I’ve been promoting WKW for the past couple days. But he’s that good.)
» Calypso
Yes, I have. The full version, not that chopped-up one that arrived on our shores. Again, Tony Leung is featured here but also the tremendously talented Tang Wei. And yes, that’s a lovely period in Chinese history — for stories, anyway.
» lotsofcravings
Eh, I dunno… Just in the mood for words, I guess. Words & pictures. It’ll tide the readers over during the times when I don’t post for over a week, haha.
Sounds like my kind of lady actually. Self possessed and sure, serious and shrewd. And other alliterative words I’m certain.
Intriguing story. And great photos to go with it.
» Mojo
Tee hee. Nothing makes me happier than infecting others with my alliterative madness. Not that I’m guilty of it here in this post. Much.
Story was a rushjob this morning before I left for a seminar. The photos were the inspiration though. I saw them on Ciki’s blog and asked for permission to reproduce them here, albeit with a little Kenny-style tweaking.
She’s sure some lady, m’lad.
who’s the lady in the wine glass in the photo? :-p
The belles brim over their busts
We are cautioned against our lust
Once drunk, our desires we don’t trust
Till they wilter and turn to dust
» keropokman
She ar? The Mystery Woman lor…
» Célestin
The belles must kiss and tell
No warning will save our bell
They will ring it and they will wring it
Till we moo and bleat like Lil Bo-Peep
ur mystery woman has a great haircut! so sassy!
I suddenly see a head out of no where. LOL
At first glance I already recognised those pics from Ciki’s blog
Buttercup eyes buttercup pearls… i like that, although i can’t really connect the similarity? Great style… evocative in its simplicity 
» ~ elfie ~
Sassy is exactly it. One sassy lady she is…
» keropokman
Haha… I know EXACTLY what you mean. I was mid-way Photoshopping it when I suddenly saw the head. Dari mana? LOL
» Pureglutton
Similarity? Perhaps none. But the word “buttercup” to me reminds of a cow (Buttercup the Cow, see?) and cows have such big eyes and big eyes tend to sparkle just like pearls… Okay, I think I’ve confused even myself now, haha…
Whoa..
I’ve missed so many of your posts.
It’s holiday! yay!
Now I can read your blog and others in peace. Finally..
» moja
Yay for holidays! Hey waitaminute… It’s just you. I’m not a student no more… an old man now. Darn and double-darn. Have to work and churn out these posts for you some more.
*merajuk*
Wow, that was fast.
“There’s only one sun” was a fantastic piece of 10 mins french which reminded me of 2046. a baguette i’ll gladly have for lunch.
Those 2 pics are darn inspiring, i tell ya. do a prequel (or something in between) to this story lar cos sequels are so not WKW!
» Nic (KHKL)
You. Are. Now. Officially. My. Best. Friend. I thought no one else would catch the “There’s only one sun” reference. Sigh, a WKW-ian after my own heart.
I am so in the mood (no pun intended) for words this week, it’d be cool to do another WKW-esque piece. I mean, this one is barely WKW-esque at all, not having any protagonist voice-over, if you know what I mean? Maybe I’ll steal a pic from you next and write something from that? Hmm…
Hahaha.
well, we are getting old every minute, right? (it’s kinda scary because 2009 is approaching). Just a few more years to sink my face in the pile of books, and after that I don’t know what the future may have for me. (It’s a thing to be scared of no.2).
Don’t worry Kenny, you STILL look like in salad days! Let’s enjoy everyday as our heyday!
» moja
Oh, that’s another thing — 2009 is a-coming and I haven’t even figured out my plans yet for next year. Man plans, but reality reprimands, if you know what I mean. Given a limited amount of time of resources, how do we prioritize and work on what we REALLY want to achieve?
(Sorry, a panic attack break there.)
Well, you sink your face into books, my good man, and I will sink mine into a salad bowl. Meat makes one age faster, or so I heard. My oldest Japanese friend (as in I’ve known her the longest, she’s not old lah) just told me she’s been vegan for the past 5 years. Egads.
=P …. that silhouette of her can be recognised from miles (cm) away.
hahaha… overdosage from C & C’s blog perhaps.
haha, dude, i’m sure you have seen that film he did for BMW? the one with adrianna lima? i think it’s called “the chase”…who woulda thought a slick BMW could be so WKW-fied…excellent piece!
yeah, i know what you mean by that protagonistic monologue. word by word, sentence by sentence. in all simple vocab yet damn deep! kewl.
hehe, even my latest one, that shenzhen thingy was inspired by WKW! so was my sage post..well, partially lar..haha!
aw gee thx… my EARS are HUGE! haha (p.s. u and nic.. .so cheem.. till the ocean bed where the titanic sank, cheem…. )
» J2Kfm
C & C… sounds like a high-end fashion brand, no? Oh. Waitaminute. Isn’t that Cycle & Carriage? Oopsies!
» Nic (KHKL)
Yuppers. I love the chase. A simple, minimalistic film but so classy. The music (as usual) helped a lot in creating the atmosphere. It’s easily my fav of the first BMW Short Film series. (Guy Ritchie’s “The Star” is a close second. I mean, you get to see Madonna getting slapped around in a moving car, uhm, by the moving car!)
And bro, you gonna so regret using the “deep” word lah. Lookee C& C — she’s calling us cheem wor.
» cumidanciki
Where got HUGE? Where got cheem?
Hahaha..
Maybe I should start swallowing only salads now. Geez. Where’s the fun in meals if not because of fats and cholesterol? hahaha!
This year (2008), I have no resolutions at all. Maybe I should start thinking.. and thinking… and thinking of what to do and to achieve next year. Get married, maybe? Or 4 flat? (that’s impossible. I’m a major procrastinator!).
Hurm.. I think I’m going to put “attend The Readings”, at least once. I saw the poster at Sharon’s every month but still not be able of getting there. Geez. I should get rid of my ‘you-still-can-attend-next-month’ attitude.
*eating salad*
» moja
Isn’t it frightening that it is easier to get married than to achieve a four flat? (Or driving license for some folks.) And yet, marriage is not that easy for some of us. Ah me.
Salads do go particularly well with fats and cholesterol. I believe there is a term for this assemblage — dressing, yes?
Oh, and do say hi to Sharon Bakar for me when you see her (you must attend “Readings”, my boy) for I’ve missed out on dropping by Seksans (oops) for too many a weekend now. I guess Singapore has stolen me from that bohemian haven. Have I turned a capitalist in my elderly years? Ah me.
…buttercup eyes, buttercup pearls… delicious! And how I love that connection with another female stranger that is not fraught by the usual spite and spittle of feminine battle! Oohh.. just realised that feminine battle is usually absent from WKW’s films as well, even when it’s a head on head over a man between Maggie Cheung and Carina Lau in his earlier work Days of Being Wild.
» 550ml jar of faith
You make a great point about “feminine battle” being absent from WKW’s work. But at the other end of the spectrum, while he draws women into fine characters, they don’t really interact all that much with each other either. I guess while I love writing women, I haven’t really had them interact in a warmer manner… till now.
Ah me.
Mostly I’m just distracted by the names Maggie Cheung and Carina Lau in the same sentence. Now that’s what I call ladies…
ok. The marry-age part is impossible too. Why? No money, and this is a taboo; for my mom, she sure will kill me if I say I want to get married at 22. Hahaha! Marriage is something HUUUUUUGGGEE! She even mad at me when I mentioned that a friend of mine already engaged. She still think I’m a 7 year old boy, maybe. Geez.
But wait. When will you? Hahaha. A-million-dollar questions. Do invite me your readers! (that’s a lot, I think!). lol.
Yeah. Maybe I should go sometimes soon.
So, you are in Singapore now? I’ll picture the I’ll fated guy who died at Singapore Zoo weeks ago whenever I heard about Singapore. Sad.
i recognised the silhouette of them eyelashes in a flash…. is this a continuation of the little red series, or does this lady exist? as usual, too deep for me, my brain got cramp oridi trying to figure it out.
» moja
Taboo? I had friends getting married at 17, man. But I think it had something to do with knocking up their girls though I’m sure True Love featured in the equation somewhere. One hopes anyway.
We’re always lil boys in our mom’s eyes. As it should be.
As for me, heh. Not anytime soon, mein Herr. It’d be cool to have a table or two of my readers though, wouldn’t it?
I generally try and stay out of the tiger’s cage when I visit Singapore.
» fatboybakes
EXACKLY! Them eyelashes were what caught my attention when I first saw the original pic. Not a continuation of Little Red, I’m afraid; I tend to write these posts on a day-to-day/post-to-post basis. If there is any connection, I’ll be sure to link them up.
Have some chamomile tea, by the way. I heard they work wonders for brain cramps.
For whom does the bells toll
And the sweet maidens roll
Surely Shepherd Kenny and his staff
Would lead them down a different path
not really a taboo. It’s just a no-no, since still young, naive and immature (according to her). Better not rush things up, right? Hehehe.
Spare me a seat, ok? Hahaha! I Love to talk about marriage, and most of my friends said that I’m outta my mind. Hehe. Eventho I have no ‘candidate’ for this time being, I already have plans in mind- including a house plan! I’ve started designing my dream home when I was 17. See how crazy? Maybe I should go for architecture course. Hahaha!
The WHITE tigers were cute in my eyes before that incidents, now.. hmmm.. Hehehe!
*Alamak, I can clearly hear the opposition’s political rally few metres from my apartment! Geez.*
» Célestin
Kenny not a shepherd be but a nester
Tends not a herd but his larder
As his waistline expands tragically
The maidens disappear magically…
» moja
Perhaps. But Paula Abdul encourages us, “Rush, rush…” Can you not hear her plea? Our innocence last only that long after all. Best offer it up on a pedestal to a feckless lover or a sincere spouse. That’s just crazy talk, by the way. I fully suspect you will ignore me and hence follow the steps quite carefully anyway.
Dream home. Darn. You just reminded me of my yet-to-exist one. And I’m almost 3-0. Double darn.
White tigers ARE cute. Just cute and capable of biting one’s head off too.
*can’t hear a thing from my apartment cos i have my headphones on loud*
Hahaha!
I listen not to Paula, but I am afraid that Love will turn to be like Britney’s “Oops, I did it again”. Hahaha! Another crazy talk.
#1 darn: I still remember your post that featured your new home. last year, maybe? With candles and roses. fuuhh.. So Romeo, man!
#2 darn: 3-0? Age is just a set of numbers, man. (cliche) Hahaha! Life starts at Three-Oww!
Maybe we should just leave the tigers in their natural habitat. I choose guinea pigs over the cuteness of vicious tigers.
Aiyoo, of course you won’t hear a thing. Shah Alam is a far-faraway land! Now, I’m suffering just to get my peaceful beauty sleep.
bdw, I LOVE your ‘knocked out’.
hey, you’re super duper fast in replying message today! Why is it so? (curious)
» moja
Yes, well, if you are gonna listen to Britney, you might just turn out a “Womanizer”, no?
Darn nombor satu: That was the studio apartment I rented. Still need a place of my own, title deed and all. Capacity to paint the walls a very recalcitrant shade of purple included.
Darn nombor dua: Guinea pigs poo too. I choose desktop aquariums. Cute lil fishies without cute lil fishy pee.
Beauty sleep? At your age? You should be up 23 hours a day, er, doing stuff! Wait till you reach my age, then nak buat, pun nggak bisa, baru tau. Budak zaman sekarang…
*turns and smiles sweetly at fatboybakes*
» moja
P.S. Thanks. Nice of you to mention that.
P.P.S. Online all day ma… Plus got new wireless broadband modem to follow me all round town. Plus, I figured, best blog while I can, then when I’m busy, you guys won’t bug me about M.I.A. for a week or so. Right? (One can only hope.)
nice crystal/droplets effect on the pictures. gives it a crispy cold feel. and doesn’t hurt to have another pretty model too!
hey, NOT ALL MEN are pond scum. take me for example. lol
» Poh Chu
“Crispy” and “droplets” — great words, must use these more often. But yeah, I’m glad you felt that effect, dear. Something clean and clear about these images, despite the dark lighting and obscured visions and all, y’know what I mean?
» kristopher
Hey, one woman’s opinion is another woman’s, uhm, well let me ask that other woman first and get back to you, alrite?
Oh, I love the MV of the song. Hehehe! I’m indeed toxicated by it.
Conclusion: We both said the darndest things on the planet tonight.
Beauty secret from Tyra Banks, sleep, so you won’t wake up with MAS or AirAsia baggage belt under your eyes. (that’s my darn tip actually. nothing to do with Tyra)
Hahaha!
I went to the gym this evening! So tiring! And seeking for part time job too to earn some money. Haih… who said budak-zaman-sekarang’s life is easy? hehe
» moja
Don’t remind me about the gym lah. Haven’t been to it in aeons. *groans*
yes, yes… just clean and sharp and still got that mystery feel to it.
» Poh Chu
You got it.
i’m sure ur as fit as ever, even without going to the gym!
The maidens may disappear
Perhaps you left them in tears
For your gentleman’s charm
Do some ladies alarm…
» ~ elfie ~
I hope you didn’t make a bet on that, cos you’d have lost a lot of money!
» Célestin
I’m a brute, have no charm
Lack the looks, just the dumb
But amongst my better peers
I confess I possess the bestest leer…
LOL
Dark & dusty . Sipping elegance . Its worth the waiting I guess.
» my lumut
Oh yes. It is most DEFINITELY worth the wait. Whatever it is we are waiting for.
“rowdy heiresses and their gentlemen a-calling”
ru talking abt paris hilton here? lol
Ehh Yi e Kang sanghei wu leh? Nung kuyi ngu jiazoa jiazoa!
She’s such a seductve lady….
» crimson@venger
Uhm, since she’s got a heckuva lotta more lawyers than I do, nope.
» Justin Steve
Er, me no speakee Shanghainese…
» Adam Jin
Oh yes, she is…