of scary movies & coward kids

I remembered watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with my little brother when he was 4. I know, I deserved Best Sister of the year award.


The thing about Harry Potter is that while it may have initially written for kiddies, there comes a point in the story where, "We are not in Kansas anymore". And the Goblet of Fire is about the point where that tornado hits and Voldermort officially comes to life.


I had not watched the movie in a while, so I forgot that the first scene after the big Quidditch game would turn scary (at least for the kids) quite fast. There was where the Death Eaters were introduced. The site was on fire and a big smoky green skull with a serpent tongue in the sky was announcing the imminent arrival of Voldermort.

Cue living room scene.


We were on the couch enjoying the Quidditch match. The kid was smiling and thinking how cool it is for these grown men to be flying around on brooms chasing balls and snitches. The scene cut back to the tent where Ron was gushing over Viktor Krum, when all of sudden there was a chaos right outside!


Everyone left the tent to see what the commotion was about and only to be met by the engulfing flames. At this point, the Death Eaters made their appearance. Here was where the fun began and my little brother went from huge smiles on his face and enjoying the movie to hiding behind couches and wondering how the worse scene could happen so quickly.


As soon as the Death Eaters came into scene, his face quickly changed from happy to worry as he said:

"Who are they?! WHAT'S GOING ON???!!!"

I couldn't help but laugh. And I found that he was now crouching behind the couch with just his head peaking over the arm rest.


It was just hilarious to see the kid scattered around the room looking for nooks to hide in. It made me think of the time when I was a kid, I would look under my bed before going to sleep, just to make sure that Chucky was not hiding there waiting to eat my face as soon as I fell asleep.


Watching scary movies as a kid is definitely not fun at all unless there is an adult to protect you from the monsters and, of course, secretly laugh and make fun of you for being such a coward kitten.




But, come to think of it now, I think I really cannot watch scary movies. I have a particular aversion towards scary movies. I also have a very broad definition of what constitutes scary.


The typical horror flicks are obviously included Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Scream, The Ring, Unborn etc etc. I also include movies with an especially high level of violence or suspense, or movies involving psycho and serial killer, or things that are very realistic and could actually happen to me in real life.


I remembered something about the movie called Urban Legends where a girl was walking to her car in the parking garage and a psycho was underneath her car and slit her ankles before killing her. Or something to that effect. Which made me preventing myself to be anywhere near the parking lot or garage for quite a long time.


My resolution is, I have to block that movie out completely from my memory. In fact, I have blocked out all the scary movies I have watched. I have somehow managed to compartmentalize my mind so well that all of the scary movie memories are locked away in some dead subconscious, where they cannot haunt me. And I would change the channel when commercials for scary movies come out. 


Up until now, however, I am still wondering how can I watch crime shows like CSI or Criminal Minds all night long. Oh, blame my neuroses on the lack of ability to separate truth from fiction. 


If I watch any scary movie, I will not be able to sleep. I am not exaggerating. I watched the Dead Silence last Monday. Now, when I am all alone in my room, especially at night, I keep imagining that Billy boy or Mary Shaw nanny is watching me from the window.


It's bad.


Yeah, it's really bad.


So, I have to avoid scary movies (in a way, like I am avoiding the plague) to preserve my own sanity. Oh, and I am wondering is there anyone else who has such strange mental stuff like me? I hope there is, so that I can safely think that I am normal.

engaging writing

Cause-and-Effect Essay.

Tittle : The real reason people should stop smoking.

So, yesterday I went to a convenience store to pick up a bottle of shampoo, but since the store near to my place did not sell (at least for yesterday) the shampoo I normally use, and there were so many to choose from, I had to open every bottle and smell it first. 

Then I read every word printed on the bottle, and then compared two bottles at a time until I was satisfied enough to make a purchase. Basically, it would take about the same amount of time for me to compare the products as it does for a doctor to perform appendectomy. 

As I was reading all the fine print on the bottles, two women came running abruptly into the store. And straight away headed to the shampoo aisle. Although the store was really crowded, it was fairly quiet until these two women started to speak. I was not sure if that explosive sound I heard was the word coming from their lips, or it was Krakatoa erupting again. 

To make things worse, she (either one of them or both, I was not sure) smelled like a six-foot cigarette. The lingering smoker's stench was so strong and it was interfering my shampoo-sniff-test. I slowly tried to move away from them, but they kept inching closer and closer to me like I had just given them an open invitation to come and share my kidneys.

One of them kept on asking the other why they made different shampoo for men and women, and she was talking like 20 decibels louder than our normal threshold of hearing. Like,

"WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MY HAIR AND MAN'S HAIR? WHY CAN'T I USE MAN'S SHAMPOO? IS OUR HAIR REALLY THAT DIFFERENT?"

I wanted to climb up her leg so I could reach her eardrum and be all,

"Who cares! Just buy the one that smells good, which is what I am trying to do, but I can't because you smell like a rotten tobacco, and that's so distracting!"

Finally, the lady found a hair product (woman's) she liked, but it was a conditioner. So she started to yell,

"WHERE'S THE SHAMPOO?! WHERE'S THE SHAMPOO?! WHERE'S THE SHAMPOO?!"

And I was not trying to kid you. She literally shouted it THREE TIMES. I could not take her bizarre (yet mildly amusing) behaviour any longer. So, I just got in line and decided to buy the shampoo I had in my hand. And only to find out later that I don't like anything about the shampoo, especially not the smell.

Did you hear that, Smokers? Now, I will be using shampoo that smells bad at least for another 6 weeks. May be you should think about that the next time you want to light up. 

Oh, and also, your lungs might disintegrate. But you've probably already heard that one.




Edited after being published:
p/s: Engaging Writing is the title of my text book. Don't get me wrong.

this is karma

A few days ago, I was sitting in my room doing some works when I heard someone outside rattle the front door. Oh, my house possesses quite a good sound-proof door. I could barely hear the voice. I heard the knock instead. It's 2.15pm. It couldn't be dad.


knock! knock! knock!


knock! knock! knock!


Locked up. But I didn't get up. Why? Because I was in my room, with my laptop, chatting with my cousin. Also, I was pretty sure someone else would open the door in about eight seconds.


knock! knock! knock!


*the person said something but I couldn't hear at all*


Yeah, I was there, but I had no plan on getting up to open the door. Why? Because my mom was probably on her way. About a minute later, the banging got harder. More furious. It was a man (I am very positive!).


And I still didn't get up. Why? Because now I was scared. I didn't want to open the door and have someone fling himself towards me like a ravenous beast. It could have been a crazy person, a rabid forest animal, a maniacal serial killer, and it could have been the devil. So I sat in my room for another minute trying to drown out the pleas for help. I also prayed. In case it was the devil.


I went to get my mom in her room. She was praying. Oh my God! I didn't know what to do. I was scared to death. But then, the banging got ferocious, the shouts got louder.


'Assalamualaikum.'


'Can someone open the door?'


It has been almost five minutes since the first knock on the door, and all the while I was having these conversation with myself:


Are you seriously going to sit here, and pretend you can't hear?
No. Yes. I don't know. May be.


What if it's really dad forget to bring the keys?
What if it's not dad?


May be by the time I get up, mom would have already gone to open it.
NO ONE is going. Now, GO!


Just then, I heard the voice calling me. BY NAME.


Oh, it's really dad. God really doesn't like how you are behaving right now, aisyah!


So, I got up and hurried to open the door. I was a bit scared because dad would yell at my face in no time. But he didn't (pheww =.="). Dad would be having a meeting at 2.30pm and he forgot to bring some documents. So, he rushed from his office without bringing his mobile and the keys. It's already 2.25pm now. It was my fault if he couldn't make it on time. Bad girl.


I knew, the consequence was big. I went back to my room, and as I settled myself in front of the laptop again, the thought came across my mind: this would totally come back to me someday. 


You guys, someday came today.


Yesterday, when I went to the shop, I put the keys in the pocket of my trousers. But, when I returned home, I didn't return them to the key ring, nor did I put it in my bag as I usually did. This morning, mom and dad were not at home. They went to my sister's school which took about one hour journey.


At about 12.30 noon, I stepped out to get ready to fetch my little brother from school. And as I turned the lock on the door handle with my thumb, and pulled it shut, I realized that I locked myself out. I called my mom to let her know that I was stuck.


Me -_-" :
Mom, I forget to bring the keys with me, and now I am stuck outside.
My mom:
It's okay, call along. He's in his room.
Me -_-" :
Well, he's not at home. I already checked.
My mom:
How could you forget to bring the keys?
Me -_-" : 
My bad. Did dad tell you, a few days ago he was outside banging on the door, and I didn't let him in? I think this is payback.
My mom:
You didn't let him in?
Me -_-" :
Well, not right away.
My mom:
Could you hear him?
Me -_-" :
Yeah..
My mom:
How long did he have to wait?
Me -_-" :
I don't know. Like a few minutes. And he was rushing for a meeting.
My mom:
What were you doing?
Me -_-" :
I don't know. Nothing.
My mom:
That's really... that's so wrong. I am afraid you have to wait for us. We are on our way home. Don't worry. Go fetch your brother first.


So, I fetched my little brother and returned about 10 minutes later, but my parents still weren't home. I had already spent 30 minutes stranded outside, walking in circles while my little brother kept on blaming me.




Dear God,


Lesson learned.


With apologies,
aisyah


--------------------


non-related topic:


Now, I am wondering if you guys ever ask yourself what will happen to your blog once you are gone?

Like you were to pass away right now without being able to edit your blog or to delete it?

What about all the things you said? Right or wrong. What if they are used against you as the evidence of your backbiting, stretching the truth, hurting other people etc.?

Mentioned in a hadith about how we will be questioned for the things our tongue said, but what about what our fingers typed? Our parts of body will testify against us, so what will our fingers say?

Am just saying. Has it ever crossed your mind?