Siddhartha: The Search for Kelly Chen.

Siddhartha: The Search For Kelly Chen. PART 1: (Chp 1-3 are missing.) Chapter 4: The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path. These are the teachings of Buddha, the 'enlightened one'. That all life is suffering (Dukkha), and that that suffering is a result of our 'thirst', or desires; our goal is to 'quench' that thirst, the cessation of suffering, overcoming our desires by following the eightfold path. Thus the path states: right belief, right aspiration, right speech, right conduct, right means of livelihood, endevor, memory and meditation. By following these precepts one can gain liberation from the continuous cycle of samsara (rebirth), and become free from all suffering, to be 'enlightened'. The ultimate path of Buddhism is to the attainment of Nirvana, Buddha achieved this by rejecting the extremes of pleasure and pain for the Middle Way. This concept, that this man who was born into great wealth and influence, rejected his princely unbringing to live a life as an asthetic, a wandering holyman, suffering and enduring great pain. And still he had not realised his aims, the answer to suffering. one day he sat under a tree and bowed not to move untill he had answered his plea. on the 49th day he achieved his great 'enlightenment', and began life as the Buddha, teaching about his findings. He lived to eighty. Chapter 5: Take your time. i'm beginning to think kelly's not going to reply to my fan mail. it's been over three months, i'mean how many letters can she get? nobody knows her outside of hong kong and parts of southeast asia. it's nearly christmas, maybe i'll get a card. 'She's not gonna write back.' that's what they tell me, for some reason i must be the only person who thinks that she'll write back,' they never do.' Am i then resigned to the fact that this story has no substance since the leading lady has refuse to show? i think not. There's a lot to be said even without a spiritual partner to guide you. i shall endevor but let me just say, ' i'm making this all up from now.' Taking a tip from Buddha, i ask myself, ' Just what is it you want to say to her?' i suppose i just want to wish her well, for some unknown reason i feel a great affinity to her. did you know she was born one day before i was? there's nobody i know of that has a date of birth so close to mine, isn't that something. It won't be a smart thing to start with though, ' Hey! we've been on this earth the same time babe, do you want to end it together?' she won't be impressed. Anyway i'm not gonna be able to tell her this in person, and writing it in a letter is pointless! so how's it gonna happen...? It ain't, your gonna have to write this one by youself. PART 2: SIDDHARTHA- THE SEARCH FOR THE GREAT 'ENLIGHTENMENT'. Chapter 6. Now your in trouble, this is like shooting the rapids without a paddle, nothing to steady me with. the premise is to achieve the great Buddha's Enlightenment without the aid of a Buddha? or something like that. simply coast through life without a care in the world, thinking about how nice it would be to live a life of Reilly, i'm sure that'll be a good start. kelly's not interested in people like that, always looking when they should be doing. do you think kelly has time to be searching for something she'll never experience? I guess not. but she's a canton pop-queen, thousands of people adore her, she's got to write back to someone, even if it's just to acknowledge the appreciation. she can't be that cold, kelly fans are clean and wholesome, surely she'd want to get to know some of them, that's half the reward. Nah, she's a money grabbing show queen, take you for every penny, then drive a stake though your back... she's bad news bear. Enough of this! listen to me when i'm talking to you! stop this, it's my turn to speak! Noway man, you won't last a minute, she'll eat you for breakfast and spit you out at lunch. she may look cute but believe me, she's got a heart of thorns. Heart of thorns? what d'ya mean?.. heart of thorns. i mean she's recieved so many roses from so many good men, she started eating them, but the thorns remain within her still, piercing her heart. Jesus! that was deep, man were do you get it! Don't you listen to kelly!? how... what sort of kelly fan are you if you don't even listen to kelly!? No, i have listened to kelly but i don't understand the words, i don't really speak cantonese; but i do like what i've heard. But your missing the point, her words are kelly chen, that's why she's number one! Doesn't mean a thing, you can like music and not understand the words, i'm a big fan of world music, i never understand the words. Pah! stupid! stick to your own language! But i'm as cantonese as she is, it's only natural to like her. so what if she can't understand me, someone can translate. anyway she's not gonna reply. You can't give up that easily. look man, i'll lend you some kelly, thery're all love songs, so you can float in heaven with her... Bye. Chapter 7. Siddhartha sat glumly on a bench. He's lost. He's not lost like when someone loses a dog, no his soul is lost, he's wandering in samsara. He's in hong kong, on holiday, and it's the night of the handover. Unfortunately he finds himself all alone. There is a sudden feeling of loss. He's thinking about his mother. When he's lost, like this, people say he's just thinking about his mother, spending some time with her soul, which arts in heaven. Siddhartha doesn't know that he's mentally ill, to him it's just one big illusion, life that is. I know he doesn't realise reality from fiction, to him life is like one big fairground, some rides are fun, others make you heart jump so far you feel it'll never come back again. But it always does, that's illusion. So what exactly is illusion for Siddhartha? when i say life itself i mean his notion of reality, or psuedo-reality, being a by-product of his experiences and senses. it's like it's going in but nothing is coming out, he doesn't react to stimuli. We know there is talent in that head of his, but for some unknown reason, nothing is coming out! he won't even try, it's like the very idea of commiting to something requires a great effort, he doesn't seem to take to new situations very easily, he's rejecting life for some other alternative, and that's why he's mentally ill. One day he'll realise it, we all do, then he'll be a success, doesn't matter what he does now. He's still a kid, interested in the most useless things, sometimes he acts like a child with building bricks who can't even discover a wall, while the other children have advanced to building bridges. we know he's smart, maybe just too smart for his own good, maybe he's just modest. What will he be? i just can't answer that. So lost, and for so long, pitty, he really needs a partner, someone to share with. I'm gonna introduce him to kelly, yes, like so many of hong kong's lonely hearts club band, i'll intoduce him to kelly. Siddhartha sits quietly in a cafe de France, sipping a cappo. Music is playing, a compilation which one of the waitresses has put on. Siddhartha listens to the dulcet tones of the female vocalist, she sounds sweet to him. He listens to her and his worries dissolve into thin air, a sudden uplifting, he feels contentment at this point. Kelly can soothe all ailements. As the tune plays with his heart, he remembers himself again. With a smile, he walks off, kelly playing heavily on his heart, and mind. When you hear kelly, nothing else matters, that's what they say, and why shouldn't he be happy, feel content, he has his whole life to live, and a little help from kelly is all that is necessary, sometimes. Chapter 8. Stop thinking about her! your beginning to annoy me. the way to reach kelly is to free your mind of all thoughts, just think of kelly as a sky with no clouds... at the moment there's a storm brewing and your looking for shelter, what you need to do is accept that this storm will soon pass. untill then be like the wind and blow those storm clouds away. I'll try, for kelly's sake. this is difficult. it's a force 10 gale and i'm sheltering under a tree, yes it's a big tree but the wind, the winds really blowing like never before. Good, that means the clouds will soon be gone. be patient my friend. I think it looks like it's passing, phew! i thought for a second kelly would be gone forever, imagine a world without kelly... Yes, i know, rain every day. I can see blue sky, look! it's really working and i'm back thinking only positive things. i can remember feeling down once, and i heard kelly playing somewhere, can't remember where it was, or when, but on listening, all my troubles fell away, like her songs had an effect which no other artist, or person, could have. she's special, that i know. Yes, we all like kelly. So why is it that you know so much about kelly? you seem to be the authority when it comes to kelly. Well my friend, me and kelly go back a long way. the first time i heard kelly i was having an affair with this girl, to cut a long story short she was married and i was lost. i knew what i was doing was wrong and that the only outcome was hurt and pain, but without someone to understand... well, she was the only one who understood. Oh, so you were a sinner. Yeah, you could put it that way. like i said i was lost and i found refuge in a relationship which was doomed to failure. i've learnt my lesson though, now i have kelly. Does kelly understand? It's not like that, it's more the I that understands and it's kelly i have to thank. Great! so the story has a happy ending. I suppose so. i remember she was the one who introduce me to her, she got these tickets for a kelly concert, i wasn't really interested but she insisted, so i went along. What was it like, i've never seen Kelly Live. It was good, not mind blowing, but good. for some reason every time i heard kelly, after that concert, a little bit of me changed, and soon Mrs X didn't seem so important any more. You gave up love to be one of Kelly's Heros, how romantic!!! Yes, i was a fool for love, young and impressionable. you shouldn't tease, it really sorted my head out, put life into perspective. i'll never look back. once i was lost, now i am found. i've made my peace with kelly and we're in it for the long term. Have you ever written to her, you know you should tell her your story. i'm sure she'll love to hear how you found the light. No. i just listen to her when i need peace, she's my refuge now. Me too, three cheers for Kelly!!! Chapter 9. Nah! this ain't workin'bro, it's going nowhere and i'm sick of talking about kelly. man can only take so much redemption. what else you learnt? I know she collects stamps. Who? Kelly. I thought we agreed to change the subject, talk about something apart from kelly. Stamp collecting, why do people collect stamps? Okay. so kelly collects stamps, what's so strange about that. lots of people collect stamps, my brother used to collect stamps, it's a natural, healty pastime; at the end you have something to show for it. it's a good hobby. look, it's not all star turns with kelly, yes, she wins awards and does a lot of work with childrens charities, but she also finds time to do things she likes, stampcollecting being one. maybe she writes to people (a lot). Nah, your right, let's change the subject, i see a cloud on the horizon. I know, let's talk about the life of Buddha, you mentioned him earlier on, what makes you invite the 'enlightened' one along on such a journey? Well, Buddha is my refuge on such a journey. i bring him everywhere. he provides me with peace in times of turmoil, order in times of chaos, understanding and compassion. he is the example for spiritual partner if you are travelling alone. That's good! shows discipline and industry, one day you'll realise what's out there by looking within. do you meditate? I suppose i do. i spend a lot of time just clearing my mind of all thought, realising a clear blue sky. i often find myself meditating when i listen to music, i get totally lost in the music and i literally leave my mind! all i can hear is the music and i am subject to its whim. And when you listen to kelly you think you are walking the middle way with her, right. Percisely! Well its a good start, but we'll need to leave now if we're ever gonna catch that plane. What plane? The plane for Thailand, you've won an all-expenses-paid-for-trip-to-Thailland to see kelly chen play live! What! Kelly Live. Yes my friend, your going to Thailand to see her play a christmas concert at Phuket. Wow, what joy!!! Thank you my friend!!!! How long have i got? Plane leaves this evening, be ready at eight. Aren't you coming? No, sorry. the tickets for one. you'll have to sit this one by yourself.... Bye. Chapter 10. Christmas at my brothers is an annual event. its the only time i feel like being a member of a family. there's my brother, david, and his wife, stephanie; her sister, cynthia, their father, the children, clarence and zoe; and my two other brothers, jimmy and peter, and my sister, shirley. this is held at david's house, always decortated to the top with festive spirit. stephanie cooks us a delicious christmas dinner and we all eat together, just like the old times. my father is not present, he lives in hong kong and only visits during the summer months. but we gather in his absence, to celebrate the family. This was a typical christmas day, one of those days when you forget what your doing and just belong, part of a family, everyone's equal, no ego's and no arguements. i've waited a long time, but surely this was a good christmas. We've always celebrated christmas, for as long as i can remember, the family has gathered at this time of year to meet up and share time off to be together, it's usually a somber affair, with my father dictating the proceedings, but since my mother's death, his influence had weakened and now it's david and stephanie who usually play host; it's a more youthful affair without authority, now we get to decide what we do for christmas, and even though my father isn't there, he isn't missed; and i say that without any bad feeling, i just prefer them without him. And the children are great, they really make this a special time for me, i love seeing how much they've grown, how their ability to reason has developed, they're intelligent and beautiful, i'm really proud of them; that's what families are all about, the children. i feel one day, i must have children, life won't be complete without them. I love the children, i love this family. Chapter 11. Breaking news reports of an earthquake in southeast asia, the quake has caused huge tsunami, flooding much if the indian oceans borders, including India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia. the waves were felt as far away as Kenya, on the African continent. The death toll is 80,000 and still rising. Many foreign tourists are amongst the dead. (INCOMPLETE.) by Steven KK Li (BSc) ref: 'I Think I'm In Love' by Spiritualized. (Chapter 3) PART 3: Siddhartha- The Search for Kelly Chen. Outro. Its been a long time, too long; and still no show. oh why, oh why! well i guess its true.... they never write back. its been a year now and i've lost track of time. kelly, she hasn't crossed my mind, that's a good sign, shows i'm getting over it. But a re-write, nah it'll never work. and because the first three chapters are missing, you're none the wiser. the letter's not important, neither is my birth; we are all 'born'. So where do we go from here? from a plastic pop star to the legend of a messiah, and back again. what is it that brings us back to where it all began? Buddha explained it as samsara, or 'rebirth'. and we must end this journey with a begining, and 'the search for Kelly Chen'. The flight will leave on saturday, bonfire night. i will transit in Paris, Charles de Gaulle. i picked this flight because i wanted to see fireworks whilst leaving for Hong Kong, somehow that has a special meaning for me, fireworks and leaving, that is. it's been over seven years since the last time i was 'home' and i must return to the scene of the crime to protest my innocence, and i was innocent. even the most harden criminal is innocent, if not for his crime, then at least for his motive, and when it comes to love we are all innocent, in the end. And what is it if it is not love which drives us to acts of insanity? reason? i think not. you cannot reason with love, and to love a pop star, well that's just insanity! but i must return, to the place where i loved and lost, and my plea is that i was not in my right mind, your honour. i didn't neglect my true feelings, i was betrayed! yes, a pop star stole my heart, when i was with the one i truely loved! delusion, my oh my, how innocent i was. and denial, to give up reality for a fantasy so ludicrous not even the pope would side with me. and i'm truely sorry for my actions; well, we live and we learn... life, as it were, goes on. And my life has changed, we accept the 'middle way', nobody should be that happy, nor shall we be deluded about the truth. what happens, happens, and it's all for the right reasons. we forgive and we are forgiven, and it doesn't matter if you never made the A-list, celebrity comes to us all; fifteen minutes is all it takes. So i must return the land of delusion, the motherland of fantasy, to reason with my soul, so to fall in love again. and this time it's for real. delusion haunts us all, for a time, but then the blinding light of realisation hit us, the thunderbolt, and we are lost again; are eyes never decieve, and we begin to see our destiny. and love? what of this evasive truth, that which we pursue and cling to for all we are worth, well, that only reveals itself to those who are truely lost, for only then can we be found. END. Dear Kelly, I am writing in the hope that you recieved my last letter. In that letter i requested your permission to write a short story and hoped that your wouldn't mind me using your good name as the subject of the story.i have now finished the story and take it as red that you grant permisssion having not written back. The story will be published on the internet for all to read. If by any chance you come across my published works and like what you read, then please leave a comment, annonomous if need be, as i would be grateful for the feedback. i wish you evey success in your career and hope to hear your songs on my visit to Hong Kong later this year. Keep up the good work! yours sincerely, Siddhartha xxx Well there you have it, and i do hope she reads it. it'll truely blow her mind, if not her cotton socks. And i'd also would like to add that Kelly is one of reasons i have chosen to write, words are vitamins, as i recently read on the net... to your health, Kelly Chen! 'I Think I'm In Love' by Spiritualized. S: i think i'm in love K: probably just hungary... S: i think i'm your friend K: probably just lonely... S: i think you got me in a spin K: probably just turning... S: i think i'm a fool for you, babe K: probably just learning... S: i think i can rock and roll K: probably just twisting... S: i think i wanna tell the world K: probably ain't listening... come on! S: i think i can fly K: probably just falling... S: i think i'm the life and soul K: probably just snorting... S: i think i can hit the mark K: probably just aiming... S: i think my name is on your lips K: probably complaining... S: i think i have caught it bad K: probably contageous... S: i think that i'm a winner, baby K: probably Las Vagas.... come on! S: i think i'm alive K: probably just breathing... S: i think you stole my heart, now baby K: probably just thieving... S: i think i'm on fire K: probably just smoking... S: i think that your my dream girl K: probably just dreaming... S: i think that i'm the best babe, come on K: probably like all the rest... S: i think that i could be your man K: probably just think you can...! S&K: i think i'm in love... (Lyrics by J. Spaceman)