I was 12. Everyone who was anyone was 12. Michael Owen. Ronaldinho. Pablo Aimar. We were all 12.
I had finished my UPSR and was spending the remainder of my school days in the AV room of my primary school, watching videos the teachers would bring.
There was Power Rangers The Movie, Gremlins and Honey, I Blew Up The Kid or something. All kids' movies.
Then, one day, one teacher brought a video of David Copperfield's performance. David Copperfield, the magician. Not David Copperfield the beggar thief whatever British kid thingy. Or perhaps, with a twist, Artful Dodger. Cockney rhyming schemes and all that.
Nope. It was simply, David Copperfield, making a ship disappear. Going through the Great Wall of China, levitating above the Grand Canyons. Making the Statue of Liberty disappear. Poking a cigarette through a coin.
All the girls refused to watch the vieo. They upped and left. Because they said, and I remember this today, "Hmph! Pakai jin!" (Hmph! Illegal use of Djinn!)
I was pissed off at that, and realised that girls are raised and taught to cry out and wail in pain about their bleeding vaginas every time, because the more a woman is in pain, the higher their worth in the cattle market or whatever.
And so I watched David Copperfield and his duck. David Copperfield and his djinns, as the girls all boycotted the multi-million dollar tomfoolery of amazing tricks that never happened.
One day, I will make you disappear. And I'm not sure they will have a video of it either.
