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Do you smile to tempt a lover, Mona Lisa?
Or is this your way to hide a broken heart?
Are you warm, are you real, Mona Lisa?
Or just a cold and lonely lovely work of art?
~ from ‘Mona Lisa’, originally sung by Nat King Cole ~
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It is very odd when you compare your best friend to a 16th century portrait painted by Leonardo da Vinci. But then, when your best friend has a habit of calling you up in the middle of night or during rush hour traffic to suggest we abandon our mundane lives and abscond to Switzerland (or Brazil, or Zimbabwe) and start a goat farm (or a shop selling surfboards and suntan lotion, or whatever it is they do in Zimbabwe), your definition of ‘odd’ tends to stretch some what.
The Diva, the Goddess, the Cat Woman (not the sexy Michelle Pfeiffer version; the bag lady type staying in a small, cramped apartment with fifty-four smelly and stinky cats version). The Good Daughter, the Constant Sister, the Best Friend. So many titles and so many roles. She is all of them and none of them; she is her own woman. Even when she forgets that herself sometimes.
Remember those good ol’ days when we would spend our Saturday afternoons curled up in a couple of sofa chairs in Starbucks, next door to the Borders bookstore so we would always have a page to turn and coffee to nurse and all the empty gossip of the world to pass between us like cigarettes, like currency for those who are only addicted to life itself?
We used to dream of a different future from our present daze then, when we would have spouses (rich ones, naturally, who would clothe us and bed us and feed us their laughter and their love), we would live in the mountains somewhere (the Alps!) or on a beach (Brazil!) or simply go wandering wistfully in the wild (Zimbabwe!) — our travels would cover an entire Miss World pageant.
Time passes.
I meet someone amazing (the first one you ever truly approve of, and though it shouldn’t really matter, it does to me and you have no idea how important your blessing is to us) and settle down soon enough. I move to KL. You move out too, change jobs (we both did, on the same day — more fate, more shared good fortune); now you travel up to the north all the time. We live different lives now. There is distance between us.
But that’s mere geography. We may not see each other as often but we chat and check in on each other every day. I worry about you and wonder if you will devour them Penang boys whole and leave no trace of your meal; we don’t call you the Sex Goddess for nothing, do we? (In hindsight, perhaps I should worry for them Penang boys instead.) You nag me about my health and remind me incessantly how lucky I am to have someone pampering me daily.
Days apart and distance don’t matter. Best friends come and go, from kindergarten to the unfortunate school of adulthood. But your real best friend stays forever. Like a true lover, best friends pass the test together, their bond won’t ever sever.
You’re in town this weekend. We’ll go out for a meal. You’ll bitch about getting up early and I’ll grouse about your being late. We will take hours to decide where to go and what to eat cos we’re both irreparably indecisive like that. We’ll end up in a place we both hate and by that time so harried and hungry, we’ll just go to the one next door and be happier with that. Why didn’t we think of this one in the first place? (We never do; it’s part of the aggravation and part of the magic.)
We will bicker and bemoan our current situations no matter how good things are, like playground rivals comparing sizes. We will make inappropriate sexual advances on one another (well, I will, if only to see you squirm). We might even break out in song (remember that time we did the whole ‘Say a Little Prayer’ routine from ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’, loudly and repeatedly at four in the morning till your neighbour almost called the police?) or we might keep our silences and just know what the other person is thinking.
We are the most gruesome and gorgeous pair they ever did see (and hear. And smell. And taste, if they ask nicely). We are best friends forever, babe, and they won’t even know what hit them.
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Postscripts.
1. A special thank you to all my readers for their well wishes and concern when they found out I was ill. I really appreciate your kind words and virtual hugs — amazing what a lil bit of love can do; I’m all better now! Back to blogging and my other acts of random rakishness. ;)
2. No, that’s not a typo. It is supposed to read ‘Mona Nisa Smile’ and not ‘Mona Lisa Smile’ cos my best friend’s name is Nisa, what. Geddit? :P
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Copyright © 2008 Kenny Mah Ying Fye.
~ My Best Friend the Diva ~
Part 1 • Boo Boo Kitty!
Part 2 • You Taste Like Tong Sui
Part 3 • Merdeka (also featuring Msiagirl & Lyrical Lemongrass)
Part 4 • Mona Nisa Smile
Part 5 • Secawan Kopi
Part 6 • The Most Happiest Girl in the World
Part 7 • The Domestic Goddess (and Her Boys)
Part 8 • Like Tea for Tai-Tai’s
Part 9 • The Diva and I
Kenny Mah believes in the good in people. He has been blogging for over ten years. No, his hands aren't tired. Yet.
“the moment i wake up.. before i put on my make-up.. ” (liddat ah?) so cute.. :D your best friend is gorgeous… v photogenic – i like the ‘monalisa-fied’ tone/texture of the photo.. so cool ;)
» Cumi&Ciki
Exactly liddat! Aiyo, don’t get us started lah… sure this weekend when we meet up for breakfast we’ll break out in this perfect chorus! Much to the dismay of the breakfast crowd, of course. Hehe.
And she is gorgeous, isn’t she? :D
is that a photoshopped lyrical lemongrass? or is she really someone else.
argh, now i have nat king cole’s voice stuck in my head…
and yes, ur friend IS very choon…
» fatboybakes
Oh dear, I don’t know how to answer that question without offending at least one lady. Let’s just say that this is Nisa @ The Diva. Lyrical Lemongrass @ Queen DLSR is someone else. Really. :)
And there could be worse things than having Nat King Cole’s voice in your head. For one, it could have been my voice. LOL
Everyone is beautiful..
Reminds me of one of my fave Joe Cocker’s song..
“You are so beautiful to me
You are so beautiful to me
Can’t you see
Your everything I hoped for
Your everything I need
You are so beautiful to me
Such joy and happiness you bring
Such joy and happiness you bring
Like a dream
A guiding light that shines in the night
Heavens gift to me
You are so beautiful to me”
» jemima
Yes, it’s finding the beauty in others that is such a daily source of joy, for when you see the beauty in others, you see the beauty in yourself. :)
A picture is worth a thousand words, brilliantly captured! Pensive, melancholic mood, the come on and get lost ambivalent feel. Dreaming yet focused. Is she breaking into a smile or a scowl?
» Chin
“Is she breaking into a smile or a scowl?”
We don’t know. That’s the beauty of it. She’s as likely to break out into one as the other. The mystery and the suspense… ;)
this “mona” composition is much large in life than Da Vinci’s A4 size piece. and i can appreciate it on my own comfortable chair and not be pushed aside by kiasu tourists who so badly wanted to snap the reflective glass protecting the portrait at the lourve..
have a great weekend with the lovely work of art :)
Did you make her tear? I see glittering in the eye.
» Nic (KHKL)
Yes, and this version of ‘Mona’ is very much alive and feisty too. Wouldn’t you like to have her on your comfortable chair? Or do I mean your comfortable lap?
(I am so guilty of pimping out my single friends, tee hee.)
» keropokman
Nope, that was there somehow. No touch-ups or make-up. Just so. Beautiful woman, she.
Hee hee, take me to the Louvre and back why don’t you?
To quote our dear Bard again, “I would not wish any companion in the world but you.”
A wonderful written piece dedicated to Friendship.
Glad you are feeling better :-)
» Kaya MeeKoo
That’s a greate quote from the Bard. Let us find someone we can say this to. :)
As for the “take me to the Louvre and back why don’t you?” bit, are you flirting with Nic (KHKL)? Hehe.
I think we are all blessed to be able to have someone in our lives to say this too :-) ..
As to the scandalous “flirting”, I have this to say….Flirting is not my style.. I pounce baby, pounce.
I bet the poor dude is running scared now.
Hee hee, *kidding yeah, Nic (KHKL), no offense meant :-) *
» Kaya MeeKoo
You do know we all call Nic (KHKL) “Hairy Berry”, right? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind some righteous pouncing done onto him. It’d be just like another weekend @ Hooters, an establishnment I hear he is prone to patronizing. :P
As for flirting, nothing scandalous about it lah. It’s as natural as breathing… to me, at least. I guess that’s why those floggers awarded me ‘The Most Flirtatious Blogger’ at their X-mas party last year. I wonder if I’ll win again this year… LOL
Woohoo, be still my heart!
Yeah, I hear Hooters can get “bouncy” or pouncy :-) …
Congratulations, judging from your posts, you definitely earned the title, and deservedly so. Perhaps another title this year, “Somewhere over the Rainbow Blogger” for your efforts to inspire the artists in us and to follow our hearts :-)
» Kaya MeeKoo
Just be careful Mr. Hairy Berry doesn’t get “pouncy” on your “bouncy” (or possibly, the other way round, hehe).
“Somewhere over the Rainbow Blogger”?? *faints*
“Doesn’t get pouncy on your bouncy” ??????
– my turn to *faint* in D-I-D mode.
» Kaya MeeKoo
Hey, those were your words. The only thing I did was contribute a more thought-provoking arrangement of said words. LOL
Why you saucy thing…notti, notti…wot were you thinking about?
*Wide eyed innocent look*
:-D Ok, ok, I said it.
» Kaya MeeKoo
I’m saucy?
*innocent, slitty-eyed look*
Saucy? O yes I am… ;)
aiyoh, suddenly HairyBerry came up in Life For Beginners pulak..haha!
i thought the spare ribs in Hooters were good. So were the pork bellies..not the wings, definitely…haha!
and yes, Hooters was for food. definitely! LOL!
most gruesom and gorgeous pair… wow. but then… how can one be gorgeous and yet gruesome… only you can! hahaha…
nice to see you that day in pav.
» HairyBerry
So you like the ribs and the bellies, eh? I didn’t know the Hooters Girls did belly-dancing, hehe.
Hooters was for food? Oh we believe you.
*mutters under breath “yeah, rite”*
» zewt
Yup, glad to have bumped into you and your lovely wife. You two are a gorgeous pair also. (Just gorgeous, no gruesome, haha!)
What a lovely girl of course. Glad you can still hang out once in a while ;) xx
» msiagirl
:)
That true best friend is an elusive one or is our dream of a true best friend the elusive one.
You’re in town this weekend. We’ll go out for a meal ~~~~ reminds me of Jackson’s latest blog on this….checkout.
I love that picture of Mona Diva! Can you do a still life with Ravenous Rabbit? You crazy peeps are lucky to have each other! :-)
“No, that’s not a typo” can be a title of another beautiful story, given the Kenny Mah treatment, of course.
» JENCOOKS
Let it not be a dream, elusive or otherwise. Our best friends are already there before us. Meal-wise tomorrow, I’m going to an exclusive Oktoberfest celebration in town. It’s been ages since I’ve had the incomparable Bavarian beer, so let’s hope my notoriously wonky tummy holds up.
» Paprika
A still life with Ravenous Rabbit? I only fear the hungry hutch-dweller might devour me before I manage to complete the portrait! LOL
» kak teh
I wonder what that story might be about. Thanks for the ‘idea’, though. I just might take it up, haha.
The “it’s not a typo” footnote had me scrolling up the page to re-read the title. Yup, I’m guilty as can be for speed-reading and ‘glancing through’; I didn’t even pick up the non-typo!
Well, beautiful people attract equally beautiful people. You seem to be attracting your fair share of beautiful friends. I’m glad for you! :)
» Michelle
Speed-reading is usually a blessing, no doubt. I tend to pepper my posts with little Easter Eggs and gems of trivia and nods to the audience that won’t be obvious at a casual glance though. Kinda like a reward for the careful readers. :D
Ah, you’ve made me feel bad about not being careful enough.
Thus now I make a solemn promise to find most of the easter eggs you hide in your writings. So I’ll probably be taking twice, if not three times as long to read you. ;)
» Michelle
Haha, and how is that a bad thing? :D
Those are very lovely montages of your dear best friend. And you achieved a similar lighting/colour effect of Signor da Vinci’s masterwork.
Also, it’s wonderful you and she are so addicted to life at such a youthful age. ^_*
» Argus Fusebox Survivor
Hey, be careful with those fuseboxes, my dear. Hope you are okay.
As for the addiction to Life, it’s the only vice worth having, even if we are still beginners at it. :D
Ah, not bad at all. Only for the fact that I normally come here weekends, and during the time when I’m trying to find other things to do other than the more pressing ones like assignments and studying for exams.
But well, since I’ve made that oath to find them easter eggs… ;)
» Michelle
Haha, fair enough. I’ve been around KL all weekend taking my Singaporean guests to all the ‘must-go’ places. Hope I’ll find some time later today after going through all my paperwork to do some blogging… and hide some Easter Eggs. Hehe.
Oh nothing much. Just me browsing through once again. And since I had some extra time to kill, thought I’d just drop a comment on your post and errr…beautiful pictures! Keep it up!
*evil grin*
» A Lil Fat Monkey
Oh dear. An evil grin from A Lil Fat Monkey is not unlike an evil grin from the evil Joker. Oh heavens, what have I in store for me?
*worries away*
me being so unkultured, usually cant tell the difference between a mona lisa and a mona fandey, but indeed, your mona lisa IS a work of art.
and now with enough rest, and a clearer mind, i see no possible resemblence (gosh, is it blence or blance?) …resemblance, to lyrical lemongrass.
» fatboybakes
Haha, I was wondering when someone is gonna make a ‘Mona Fandey’ crack. (For non-Malaysians, Mona Fandey was a local pop singer slash witch doctor slash murderess. Not a popular lady.)
And it’s ‘-blance’, methinks.
Well, wish I could say my hair is still standing on end. Our kitchen appliances and one bathroom lost power late Friday night. And Saturday morning had to wonder what to do with two boxes of ice-cream and a giant pack of chicken thighs. For an electrician to come in on a weekend would’ve cost CHF300 (RM900). Luckily a helpful neighbour told my other half where ‘the other fusebox’ was — in the cellar of the building and he had the key, it so happened. Phew!
» Argus Who Sent Hubs to Look at Fusebox
Thank heavens for Good Neighbours! Otherwise you might have to whip up some fancy fast fusion feast of deep-fried chicken thighs slathered in melted premium ice-cream… and that’s one fuse too many! :P
she has got that certain spanish eye drool though , so cannot be mona
» backStreetGluttons
What ‘certain spanish eye drool’? Aiyo, I assure you our lil Mona Nisa is ALL MALAYSIAN. Just hear her and her “Lah!” and “Alamak!” LOL
The lady calls to us
With her beery thirst
Is it a blessing
Or a curse?
» Célestin
The lady’s not a lady, it appears
Just a gal who likes her beers
Neither curse nor blessing
But a love in passing?