I’m not feeling so well these days. It must be the damn weather affecting me and making me feverish. Curling up with a good book these days seems to hold more appeal than anything else.
One night, while I was about to nod off, something from the telly caught my attention. A program produced by TV3 known as 999, highlighting all sort of current social issues and crimes.
I did not make it a habit to watch this program, but something caught my attention. A raid by the authorities in a brothel. They were showing pimps and prostitutes clad in skimpy clothes.
All right, at this point, you may ask me… what’s so eye-catchy about the scene? It is not those attractive, perfectly sculptured half nude young female specimens that caught my eyes, but one prostitute in particular. She was clad in nothing but the bed-sheets.
She was in her mid thirties, tanned, rather plump, and not really good looking. That’s not exactly the image of… call-girls or prostitute that I have in mind. I’m absolutely under the illusion that all prostitutes are alluring, sexy, and young.
And then the narration started. Then I found out that the prostitute in question is a widower in her late 30s. Selling her body, serving 8-10 clients per day, earning more than what I earn in a month in just one night. I gasps in shock then, and turned to my husband and asked him why men would be interested to have sex with someone like that? I would understand it if… if she’s young, and sexy, and fair…but she’s…let’s just say she’s not that attractive and yet men are paying to have sex with her.
My husband told me that he doesn’t know why people slept with her…but…a few seconds later, I realized belatedly that what I’ve asked was a very stupid question. It’s almost the same thing where young women go for old, bald, married men but with a load of cash to spare. It is not their virility they after. It is wealth and status.
It’s not quite about some hot, mind blowing sex, isn’t it? It’s about being in the illusion of being in control, getting whatever you desire and being fooled into thinking that you’re on the top of the world…escaping reality. What’s a few hundred, or even a few thousands for such feelings? It is a form of escapism.
Not everyone are lucky enough to get such feelings, and I guess, the job of a professional sex worker is to do just that. That must be why people actually paid that plump prostitute who is in her 30s for companionship instead of choosing those young, doll-like chics.
I assume…there must be competition between her and those younger, prettier, sexier looking prostitute, and to be able to earn so much, to serve so much clients… there must be something that’s she’s really good at; that there’s a lot of clients goes to her repeatedly, enabling her to earn so much in just one night. I think, it’s not just her experience in bed…. but her skills in spinning illusions.
These thoughts, the thoughts of prostitutes, and spinning of illusion and giving some sort of visions to others, reminds me of a book that I’ve read…in this book, prostitution is not only legal, but also thriving, culturally speaking, and the main character, Empress Orchid, or rather, Lady Yehonala who is the last Empress of China also visited a brothel to learn some ‘skills’ in order to prepare herself to ‘serve’ her Emperor ‘husband’.
The book is known as Empress Orchid written by Anchee Min.
The Empress Orchid is a fictionalized account of the Empress Dowager Tsu Hsi, who was the power behind the throne for the last 46 years of the Ching Dynasty in the 19th century.
Orchid was a Manchurian born into poverty, but came to the Forbidden City to be one of the emperor’s 3000 concubines after deciding that the Emperor is a better choice of a husband than her retarded cousin.
She was one of his seven wives. She was chosen to be wife no.4, and she survives the dangers and palace intrigues.
Soon, after acquiring the ‘skill’ from the brothel and charmed her Emperor husband, she become one of his favourite wives, and the only one to bear him a son, who ascend the throne at a young age upon his father’s death.
With her son as regent, Orchid struggles to lead an empire already on its final legs. Anchee Min’s novel is full of historical detail and sheds new light on an empress demonized by Chinese history. A woman who was blamed for the fallen dynasty.
The novel’s first third focuses on Orchid’s gradual climb into favor. The opulence of life in the Forbidden City is hardly to be believed, and Min’s descriptions are so lavish that the story’s pace is quite leisurely.
On Orchid’s wedding day, June 26, 1852, now known as Lady Yehonala, describes her gown as “a medley of many reds. Rich magenta spiked with yellow, wine sparked with cream, warm lavender spilling to nearly blue. The dress was constructed with eight layers of silk and was embroidered with vigorous spring flowers, real and imaginary. The fabric was woven with gold and silver threads. It bore large clusters of jade, pearls and other jewels. I had never worn anything so beautiful, or so heavy and uncomfortable.”
Such exotic attire becomes a metaphor for Orchid’s early married life, which appears ideal, but is empty and almost unbearable.
She sleeps alone, guarded by eunuchs. Court etiquette prescribes 99 dishes at each meal, yet again, Orchid usually eats by herself only after her eunuch, An-te-hai, tests the food for poison.
Delicacies, clothing, jewelry, gardens, plays all the diversions of privilege can’t engage the 18-year-old Orchid mentally, spiritually or physically. Homesick, stifled by ritual, longing to visit her family, she begins a private quest to attract the emperor’s attention and affection.
Anchee Min entwines many story lines in the novel: the rivalry with the emperor’s first wife, Nuharoo, who takes over as mother to Tung Chih, Orchid’s son, the emperor’s failing health and increasing reliance on Orchid; power struggles among Chinese officials; and attacks by European forces, which drive the emperor into exile until his death in 1861.
At 26, the widow Orchid becomes Empress Dowager, but she is almost assassinated on her journey to return the emperor’s body to the Forbidden City. This segment of the book is the most rushed. Anchee Min’s efforts to do justice to both imaginative fiction and accurate history become strained. A huge cast of characters races through these pages, and keeping track of who’s who, much less whose side they’re on, grows difficult, but I enjoyed this book nevertheless.
Cleffairy: Trapped in a gilded cage, it is a wonder that Empress Orchid did not suicide.
It is surely about the super sex acts she can perform where she can get her clients coming back for more,,,,seriously that’s what i think.
Men and women alike have some little secrets in them as far as sex is concerned where they cant even their spouse, so when he/she gets the job that she/he can be blown away sexually, then she/he will be back for more.
i have got a business associate who once wanted to recommend me a so called part time whore that he told me that he could not resist, and he kept going back to her 3 times a months at 9 pm till 12 pm untill now. I have seen her photo and i can tell she was real hot….
we are all human and with some secrets only known to ourselves,,,take care now my friend
So I guess that is why men have secret flings like this? Cuz the sex is great? Well, I guess some things will never change. The forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest, eh?
I like this book better than the Last Empress. Very kesian her when she was in the Palace. Kena buli here and there
I oso likes this one better than The Last Empress. The Last Empress is really depressing… I’ll be reviewing that one next.
they didnt say her clientele consists most of bangladeshi and indonesian workers ar?
They din say worr…
Some men prefer those “housewife” looks than beautiful sexy hot ladies.. š
*pengsan* Why la so weird… I dun understand… same like inside the book… the Emperor Tung Shih also goes for prostitutes outside rather than his pretty 3000 concubines… til he died becoz of STD!
Because more exciting to go outside the palace mah…… and most probably the prostitutes won’t know he’s the emperor and would treat him the same like others.
I think that made sense… lol…the concubines were probably going “Your Highness, Your Highness” in bed, and I think that would have been a turn off. LOL.
Always exciting outside, leh? No wonder prostitution is thriving everywhere… and why toy boys exists too.
eee…scary la….no wonder 80 year old grandmother also kena rape as reported in the newspaper
Oh? So do you think I can make some dough if I go parading along Bukit Bintang? Pete! Pete! Lisa de Inn, can or not? Hahahahahahahaha!!!!
*PENGSAN* I would think that you’re the big boss of a brothel instead!
big boss of those at the sun complex š
A quote came to mind as i read ur post… “forget the face, attack the base!” lolz
In the sleazy world, good looks and body gets them more $$$. Those with lesser hv to make up with their skills, or charge less. I guess a plump women in her 40s wld still appeal to a 70yo ah pek , right? š
Time to work ur skills then? wakakaka
+Ant+
p/s ur post headers alwiz intrigue me. š
Forget the face, attack the base… *faint* gosh… what you said is so, so true…it just hadn’t occurred to me that a 60,70 years old apek will visit brothels… I mean… can they actually still get it up? I mean, they might need to get some… ahem… assistance, won’t they? Viagra and whatnot? And… does a man of an advance age… still got what it takes? I can’t imagine someone my grandfather’s age slaking his needs on a prostitute!
Gosh! Damn, I can’t believe that whores actually earn more than us in just one night…while we slave around for the whole damn month and earn peanuts,
Time to work on my skills? *grinz* Life… is all about learning, is it not?
I agree with eugene for his statement. I think those men went back to her because of her service. Either that or she’s always the last resort option where all the hot ones are taken and she is the only choice left. Some men can’t fight the horniness building up within so they have no other choice. That’s the same reason on why so many men frequent transsexual prostitutes. It is so called that they know better on how to please a men because they themselves have a dick to experiment with.
like what claire said, some men prefer women that way. You’ll be surprised to how many mature women porn out there.
And also regarding that young women going after men’s wealth etc etc. It’s true that love is not what they after. But if we think about it, we have so many good looking women around and how many handsome guys are out there? Due to the entertainment industry, men’s good look had been escalated to an extremely high level. How often do you see someone equally as good looking as Orlando Bloom or David Beckham? They are rare and some undergo plastic surgery to look like that. But let’s look at women, you can find millions of women that are equally as hot as Megan Fox. Just look at the amount of models out there in the world.
In short, men have options to choose a pretty lady but women do not have options to choose a very handsome guy..That’s why heart or money comes in play first. The law of attraction still remains the same. Like how the Empress choose the Emperor over a retarded cousin right? Coz during that era, love is something optional and not a necessity.
Women create some illusion? May be but sometimes men know they are falling into a trap but they still went for it. It takes two to tango right? Gosh…how long has it been I comment so long in your blog?? LOL
Gosh… trannies… to me is a real turn off. š I hate sissies and wimpy men. š
I’m not quite sure how I should respond to your thoughts and comment. Still trying to absorb your thoughts in. While your thoughts is not hard to understand, it made me think that men are indeed peculiar creature, though they claim us women are hard to understand.
Your statement, that it takes two to tango…that is so, so true, but I wonder why… why does men… when they already knew that they are falling for certain trap, they still go for it? Why is that? For exhilaration? Escapism? Or for sheer fun of it? And when they have fallen…bankrupt… divorce or sued for alimonies for marrying those who are not true to them, they seems to be a wreck? I mean, they ought to know the possibilities that could be the consequences of their action in the first place. They ought to… anticipate…such thing.
Gosh… I should stop trying to understand men… it’ll shorten my already short life!
it is not men that is hard to understand. It’s just humans that are hard to understand. There are a lot of things that could attract men or women into something. Women we can observed as a lot of women tends to have the tendencies to get as many branded handbags as possible. For what reason? i have absolutely no idea. There is a fine line between necessity and luxury. it’s the same case here i guess. it is easier to understand one person in particular than to understand men…LOL
I think I’m one weirdo… I dun fancy handbags…and I dun buy them in the dozen just because they complement my clothes. I prefer backpack, and a durable ones so that I can use it for a very long time. I prefer to buy a not so attractive looking shoe that can last for years too rather than those pretty yet uncomfortable ones. My logic: why buy shoes that will hurt your feet and you could barely walk in them?
However, I do indulge in good books… cuz they tell me stories, and sometimes, they comfort me too.
Maybe got super skills….
Wahh…prostitutes oso got super power leh… must be they makan the Ubat Superman! LOL!
Very nice article, thanks! I’ve subscribed to your RSS feed. Please keep up posting.
Well, different people have different needs. I look at news of some gwailo hurting small girls and boys in Thailand and Cambodia and these are old farts. Aiseyman..