Reality Check

Haven't updated since november but that doesn't mean my brain has since been rotting. I can safely say that the rotting of my brain will commence once i enlist. I hope it won't be too drastic because i shall do my best to enrich my life with random knowledge. Bought i book on Israel's history as i feel ignorant reading about recent news on the Gaza strip between Israel and the Hamas and not know the historical background. Only read 50 pages out of the 2000 over pages thus far and i've already been astounded by the resilience of the Israelis. These people were discriminated almost everywhere, attacked frequently by the Arabs, were not exactly living on fertile soil (they were tilling the land as farmers in Palestine) and yet, they found solace in recovering their Zion. It wasn't anything much compared to America at that time (and perhaps still isn't). Under the great leadership of a few influential men eg. Theodor Herzl and also from the philantrophy of the masses and the rich ones eg. Edmond De Rothschild, the home for Jews was formed under the British Mandate (I've only read until about the 1920s). I find the Jews to be a very gifted bunch of people as they tend to be highly intelligent, a classic example being Albert Einstein. I was told that the Jews are the main controllers of financial institutions and they own quite a large stake in banks. So as much as these people were dispersed and stateless for more than 2 millenia, it hasn't been to their detriment as they hold power and wealth all around the world. The Jews are just an amazing people.

I haven't been following the news closely but when the headlines flashed out "Indian Software boss quits, admits faking US$1 billion in profits", a thought came to my head. With the Madoff incident and now this, maybe a financial crisis is a blessing in disguise. It allows us to be aware of the threat of corruption from even the seemingly most reputable people or institutions. The system of checks and balances gets oiled when such cases are uncovered. So in future, hopefully no one falls prey to the such corrupt practises as such should be weeded out. These instances also reinforce my belief that it's hard to trust people out there in this world. I'm not being cynical but the world we live in is a dog eat dog world so it can't be helped feeling this way. 

It's time to go off to Tekong. My life as a souja boy begins. 

Movie to watch

The Sky Crawlers is brilliant. The style of the movie is altogether queer yet this is its strength. The awkward pauses throughout the film truly bring out the emotions of the characters. I'd prefer to watch this movie over again any time over Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle. I like how the plot will keep you on your toes as it hides the huge mystery of what the whole film is about till the very end. So here's a synopsis- simply put, this storyline is of bionicle kildren (children who never become adults) and their struggle in living their life of piloting planes (their designed purposes). The issue isn't with flying their planes to destroy the enemy, rather, it's in discovering that such a life is pretty much purposeless. But the ending though not the typical happily ever after, had this statement to actually find meaning beneath all the inner turmoil of the characters:

“You can change the side of the road that you walk down every day. Even if the road is the same, you can still see new things. Isn't that enough to live for?” 

 – Yuichi Kannami 

To me, it was a perfect ending for a film so full of silent emotions

Music that's in!

I can't stop listening to Bossa nova music. The tunes are so relaxing and simple, one can't help putting them on loop. Olivia Ong adds a nice innocent touch to her Bossanova albums but the original artists eg. Joao Gilberto are particularly special in their own way. I can't pinpoint it but somehow the music gives me the feeling that life is so easy to live, care-free and all. That just might be the Brazillian lifestyle- strumming the guitar and singing as time goes by. 

Here's Garota de Ipanema (Girl from Ipanema):