you okay or not.....you?

"Strive to discover the mystery before life is taken from you.
If while living you fail to find yourself, to know yourself,
how will you be able to understand
the secret of your existence when you die?"
-farid al-din attar
(from 'mantiq al-tair')

it's saturday night and in her snoopy pyjamas and glasses, she types away furiously on her computer. the parents are out of town, the friends are all out and about and yet here she is living the typical geek lifestyle that she never had in college. invites after invites beep on, deepening the intent scowl on her forehead.

in the background, songs of yesternight played on, as a form of consolation for her self-imposed isolation.

in her head, order was called and delegates returned to their seats to signal the start of the...
Conference of the Birds

owl: alright, first order of the day. saturday night dilemma. you may begin your speeches whenever you want to or NOW!

peacock: oh come on, i can't believe you're not going out tonight. remember the top you bought in kl? that would go so well with your green heels and the skirt you bought today. oh come on, dress up and just go out for a bit... strut your stuff and just chill out. you don't have to have a big one like last night.

swan: that is so lame... if you're going out just so that you can look pretty and stand around the bar like a bloody poser, skip it. you might as well just listen to the same music at home and dance as and when you feel like it. how often do you get to jiggy in your pyjamas anyway?

dove: that's true... besides you need some peace and quiet... some chill time... you've been partying hard for weeks now... i'm afraid you might lose your centre and you know what that does to your life. remember, stay grounded... maintain zen and wuuuuu-ssssssssshhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...............

humming bird: yup.don't.lose.focus.keep.your.mind.on.your.goals.you've.
come.too.far.to.let.it.slip.don't.be.silly.not.now.don't.drop.the.ball.keep.workin.it.keep.workin.it.keep.workin.it.keep...

pungguk: aku rindukan bulan. aku tahu. aku tahu dia takkan jatuh ke atas riba aku. dia nun jauh di sana. aku rasa mungkin angin tak sampaikan pesan aku pada dia. hai lah bulan... kalaulah kau dapat terima pesan yang aku sampaikan, tak sesialah aku mendongak... ataupun mungkin dia dah terima, tapi dia tak endah... dia kan bulan, aku ni pungguk.....

parrot: i want to go where everyone is at. dance to the same beat as everyone else. sip the same cosmo. if she's got a new bag, i want one too. if she achieve something-something by the time she's 27, so will i. if they're all having the assymetrical bobs, i'll chop my locks too. if their boyfriends rock, i want mine to as well. if they look happy and contented, i want to sport that look too. if they're in love, if they're in love... maybe if i imitate every gesture, repeat every word, ape them every step of the way, maybe i'll be in love as well... "when i move, you move, just like that..."

rooster: you know what, trust me. it's not that big a deal. i think you're just enjoying being silly and indulging yourself for a bit. go ahead, take a little break from rationality, you deserve it. but make sure the alarm clock is set first so that you will wake up from your little dream and everything will be as bef... OI! don't fall asleep, not yet! oi! i need to know what time you planning to wake up! hey! you have to set the alarm first!!! hey! hey! oh come on... this is so... not funny!

pigeon: security! security! please report to main chamber. we have a code blue. we have a code blue. i repeat, code blue. delegates of conference, please remain calm.

owl: hush! hush now! order! ORDER! SILENCE! CAN YOU HEAR ME???? Can You Hear Me??? can you hear me....

*to be continued...

the pandemonium cresendoed. she winced and grabbed her temples. throbbing dub dub dub in her head...

so am i ok? i dun noe man... you tell me...