Novel Ideas

In my early years of writing, I concocted truckload of ideas, most original, for a novel. But the funny thing was, before I put images to words, I discovered that someone had "done that, been there". Heartbreaking indeed, as if someone had recorded your thoughts the very moment they sprouted, discarding whatever was average, or bad, using what worked.

For starters, I came up with "The Teenage Textbook", in words by Adrian Tan. And the lameness my writing exhibits is the greatest testament! Though, I think I can't better Adrian's knack for a saccharine ending. Er, Adrian, if you are out there, you can take it as a compliment.

Then, there was "Goal!". Oh, how I hated the script-writer or writers who totally ripped off my childhood daydreams! The only difference was that my story was set in Singapore - The Next Fandi Ahmad, or something along that line. (Talking about Fandi Ahmad, The Goat happens to know "Yahya Madon" as his referee and coordinator for his weekend social soccer, without knowing he played with Fandi as a creative playmaker in the national team. Yes, that's the sad state of local soccer. I say, bring back Malek Awab, David Lee and the lot on replay of games from the glory years. The youths today have a right to the legacy!). And how can one forget Stephan Chow's Shaolin Soccer - I watched it three times in the cinema you know. You remember there was this scene where the Stephan Chow's Character punted the ball into the sky, so that everyone had to sit around and wait for it to fall from the sky? That was my, my, my idea!

So today, it happened again. I was reading the paper when I realised that Jack Neo has this idea for a movie: a love story between a maid and a Bangladeshi worker!

P.S.: Now, the worst idea I ever have for a novel has to be "My Days in the Civil Service". Wait a minute, isn't that a Jack Neo's movie?