RIFLE RANGE BOY

Plough deep while sluggards sleep!  It is quite comical to see sycophants struggling to have their voices heard over the mainstream. Perhaps because they have been so enthralled basking in the glory of the flashing lights that they feel naked without being in the limelight.  When the going was right, they were so full of hot air that their feet were off the ground. Now, reality has struck them, and they had to sing for their supper. It must be fun to see these goons rising early to the dew of the morning sun to hunt for the worms. Or maybe not, they may still have their henchmen running around to have their outsourced work done.  You do your thing, and I do mine? Perhaps that was the wisdom Amma was telling us to be. Aim just high enough, be satisfied with what you have but strive higher nevertheless, the higher the rise the painful the fall, live within your mean, waste not; want not and save for tomorrow as no one knows what tomorrow ...

Vikram Vedha (2017) Source: Wiki Whenever one goes back to his wayward ways, I remember Amma would say, "See, Vethalam has gone up murunga tree!" The story of Vedhalam (Vetal) goes back to the tales of King Vikramaditya and the fables of moral dilemmas. In one instance, the mighty King had to capture Vetal, a demon, from a cemetery. He was supposed to keep a code of silence and not utter a single word, or the creature would retreat back to the tree it was hanging. The King followed suit. The imp was such chatty chap who kept telling stories upon stories and demanding answers. He asserted that if the King knew the answer and did not reply, his head would explode. If the answer were correct, the devil would jump back to the tree. The devil would stay if the answer were wrong.  Like that the devil escaped captivity as the wise King could his tales that ended with riddles. 25 stories were told. The King could answer all 24. The demon dodged and the sorcerer caught him, an...

mother! (2017) I went in with both my eyes wide shut, not knowing what to expect. At first, I thought it was going to be a scary movie with all the close camera shots and sudden jerky movements which are often seen in this genre. Then, I thought maybe it was going to be like 'Rosemary's Child' - a happy couple meeting intruders with evil on their minds. Only as I delved further in, did I realise that there were more than met the eyes. It could be a biblical reference to God, Mother Nature, the creation of Adam and Eve, the struggle between Kane and Abel and the seemingly annoying character of people at large. In the typical fashion of an eerie flick, it started with a newly married couple staying in a secluded house out in the middle of nowhere. Then came trouble in the form of a visitor. And later his wife joined in, to disturb the serenity. Then came their sons who fought over the father's wealth. We are told that the father is stricken with terminal cancer. A bra...

Nari! Nari! (Untuk Bacaan Rakyat Malaysia) Uthaya Sankar SB The moment the author started narrating part of his story at a book reading event recently, I was transported back to the late 1960s. My sister and I, both toddlers, enjoying the spring of lives, without a care or worry in our lists, were living in bliss in Brown Gardens. This is one of my earliest memory of my childhood that I can remember. Puthu Atteh (new aunt), the newly married lady (then) with an infectious toothy smile, was renting a room in my parent's abode. Every living day was a day filled with adventure, exploring new nature's gift to game play. With our neighbour's battalion of kids of two families, we played ' masak-masak ' - 'cooking' up a dishes with leaves, drain water and twigs! and 'robbers and thieves' - hiding behind trees and in culverts! Night-time was out of bounce for games and we were homebound. To let our imagination go wild, there were Puthu Atteh 's ...

Noah (2014) The forbidden fruit always taste sweeter, they say. This film is banned in many Muslim countries as it is not acceptable for a human being to portray a prophet. From a production viewpoint, I think the film is of high quality with complex computerised graphic imaging. The main character, i.e. Noah, is made to appear very human and complexed. Even prophets do not know why they were sent to Earth for and which is the best path that they should take to be the correct path. There is no direct guide but decisions have to be made on hunches and signs which they would like to think as a nod from the Creator. I remember hearing about Noah during my days in Sunday School. Of course it was very simplistic and was not layered or convoluted. Noah had a dream, God told him to build an Ark through a dream, get all the animals, people around him laughed at him, it rained 40 days and 40 nights and the bad people perished. Then we would all break into a song... "The wise built his ...