Walking down a corridor in Low Yat Plaza, KL, I
stop at the door of Sifu Sabrina’s office, put the box of
Mandarin oranges I’m holding with both hands on the floor, and knock a few
times.
A
muffled voice says, “Come on in.”
I
ease the knob, open the door a crack and stoop to heave up my box of Mandarin
oranges. Carrying the box with both
hands, I push the door open with my hip and stride inside.
Sifu
Sabrina is sitting at her desk, rummaging her handbag in front of her on her desk.
She looks up (pix above), snaps her handbag shut and shoves it aside. “Hello! Yin Fire Metal
Rooster Year starts on January 28!” She makes a mock flapping of wings with her
arms (right pix). “Bock! Bock! Bock Bock!” A little-girl giggle erupts from her throat.
“Mandarin
oranges for you.” I put the box on one of two empty chairs in front of her desk, and plunk my butt
on the other. “Your predictions for the Chinese animal signs ready?”
“Why,
you son of a – ’’ she cocks her head sideways (pix below), “son of a sly man! There’s no
such thing as a free lunch or a free box of oranges, isn’t it?” She pauses for breath. “Done halfway. I told
you I’d call you when it’s ready, didn’t I?”
“In
that case, can you give some important general impressions about 2017?”
Sifu
Sabrina rests her elbows on her desk. “The first thing I want to warn your
readers is to avoid flying in airlines which have depictions of birds as their logo.”
“Holy
cow!” My jaw sags in surprise. “What makes you say that?”
“2017
is the Yin Fire Metal Rooster, symbolized by fire and metal atop a rooster.
Fire destroys metal, and an aeroplane can symbolize a metal rooster. Yin fire is
different from Yang fire. Yin fire is small and can symbolize a spark, a short
circuit, or a candle flame. Therefore, risks of accidents with these airplanes are
high.”
I
raise my eye brows. “Serious?”
“Of
course! In 1957, which was also a Yin Fire Metal Rooster Year, President Ramon
Magsaysay of the Philippines died when his Douglas aeroplane crashed in Cebu island.”
“Garuda
and Japan Airlines have birds as their logos!”
Sabrina
chews on her little finger (top pix) as she ponders for a second. “Yes, but there’s also Lufthansa
and China Eastern Airlines. Lufthansa’s logo is a stylized crane, Chinese Eastern
sports a stylized swallow.”
“So,
next year isn’t good.”
She
whips out a pair of sunglasses from a drawer and puts them on (pix above). “I’ve to go out now, but I’ll
give you one more prediction.” She releases a gentle exhale, and I catch a
whiff of peppermint. “Rooster is a strong peach-blossom animal which is related
to love and romance." She leans back on her swivel chair and puts her hands behind her head (right pix). "This means entertainment and glamorous industries like movies, fashion boutiques, beauty salons, nightclubs,
dance clubs and other businesses which open at night will be favoured. There’ll also be sex scandals that will
make front-page news. Many naïve young girls will also fall victims to unscrupulous
playboys or get involved in love affairs with married men."
I
give a soft, low whistle.
Sifu
Sabrina jackknifes to her feet. “Please excuse me, I want to go shopping.” She starts to round her table. “Thanks for the
oranges.”
/end
Kuala Lumpur Undercover II will released in March,
2017
by Monsoon Books, UK
Five Reasons to Buy This Book
§ You simply want to
read fantastic creative non-fiction set in
Kuala Lumpur,
Bangkok, Batam and Tanjung Balai Karimun
§ You want to peep
into the underbelly of these four places
that you never
knew existed
§ You want to know
the temptations that lead weak-willed
men and women to
go astray
§ You want to know
where and how to get the best babes
at the best
prices
§ You want to know
the bobby traps and scams awaiting amateur
night-clubbers,
karaoke aficionados and johns-wannabes/end
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