RIFLE RANGE BOY

Lost in Bukit Bintang? It has been a long since I came to this side of town. More than 30 years ago, this place was 'happening' like the lingo in those days. A place brightly lit with neon lights, the epitome of capitalism, the enticement of the giant evil as it ushers in its sheep to the slaughter. Innovative advertising and enchanting window dressing were baits to detach the salaryman from his hard-earned in a jiffy. That is capitalism 101. There were a few choices back then, and Bukit Bintang was it. The place to be for the hip and trendy. Now, I feel lost. Walking on the footpath, I feel like a foreigner in my own 'Tanah Tumpah Darah Ku'. Everyone passing me looks foreign, speaking in incomprehensible tongues. Even the servers at the stall that line the footpath do not look local. Like a deer caught in the headlights, I felt like the proverbial deer that entered the village (Rusa masuk desa). I was too afraid of how things had morphed so fast since the last time I b...

Thalaikkoothal (Mercy Killing, Tamil, 2023) Director: Jayaprakash Radhakrishnan I grew up frequently hearing that Mr So-and-so died a 'good death'. I was often curious about what was defined as a 'good death'. In my naive eyes, all deaths were terrible, a tragedy. Everyone cried at a funeral. In time, I realised that a good death is one in which one dies in his sleep peacefully after leading a long, satisfying life fulfilling the purposes of his existence. The problem is that no one is given the choice of death he eventually gets. We still do not know what is in store for us anyway. This movie tells us the story of a filial son who would go to all lengths to care for his father, who is basically in a vegetative state. The doctors have told him point blank that there is nothing more the hospital can do. The father has to be given hospice care. Because the father needs so much attention, he does a less-paying job, provoking the ire of his young wife, who has to work as a ...

The Bacchus Lady (2016) Director: E J-Yong Bacchus was a new word to me. It actually refers to the Greek god of wine, sometimes associated with Dionysus. Following the 1997 Asian financial crisis, many elderly people found themselves needing to fend themselves. The Miracle at Han River, following years of economic boom following the Korean War, left a country so entwined in the material chase that the traditional Confucian values had lost their appeal. Many young Koreans had emigrated, leaving their elders at home. South Korea is said to be having one of the worst social safety nets amongst OECD countries for its senior citizens. OECD (Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development) countries comprise intergovernmental economic organisations with 38 nations founded in 1961 to stimulate world trade and stimulate economic progress. Its precursor, OEEC, was started in 1948 following the implementation of the Marshall Plan to develop post-WW2 Europe. The poverty rate of elderly peop...

Milestone (Meel Patthar, Hindi/Punjabi; 2021) Director: Ivan Ayr. It has been ingrained upon us that we are what we can contribute back to society. In philosophical terms, that is the tithe we pay back to the community for providing the security of numbers and the helping hands from the herd. So, as long as we have something to offer, we will not be looked upon as a burden. It sounds simple enough to prevent sluggards from hogging on the society for alms. And we also assume life will be the same forever and the Universe will be kind to us till the end of time. With the progressive lengthening of our life spans but incongruous to the available economic opportunities, there is a continual fight for the struggle for the young blood to fill in for the slowing older bodies.  The average worker will give his life, breath and blood to perform his job to the best of his abilities. He does that not necessarily due to his undying passion for his job. It may be the only thing he is good at. I...

The Father (2020) The good die young, they say. So we look sentimentally at the 'Club 27' and bemoan their premature departure from the world of music; we lament the loss of many of their yet composed pieces. We remember them forever as the spirited and creative maestros they were. But, on the other hand, we abhor the many who had obviously overstayed their welcome; a particular nonagenarian two-time ex-Prime Minister comes to mind. It seems the longer we seem to stay alive, the further we get away from the public likeability scale.  Perhaps we tolerate the old because of fear of what would become of us. In the hope of hope, we think all the good deeds will somehow be recorded and duly reciprocated by the Universe! Maybe, we are struggling to stay afloat in this Ocean of Life that we are looking for support in what we are doing. With the wisdom of having traversed similar paths, we secretly wish that they would give a nod of approval to our actions.  Jim Morrison, Amy Winehous...

Piku (Hindi; 2015) Are human beings innately wired to know what the right thing to do is? Do people do the right thing because it was is expected of them? Deviation of what is accepted as the right thing by consensus may lend an average in collision with the law. Alternatively, he may be doing it to avoid future repercussions. More often than not, we make our decisions using our emotions, not reason. Peer pressure, fear of the unknown and unquestioning obedience to the herd all form ways of our response to a situation. Are our actions paved with personal motivations or remunerations rather than altruistic intents? Sadly there is no universal law for all our dilemmas. We make up rules as we go on. Just when we think we have seen it all and have all the answers, pop comes a different scenario just to mock us.    If simply existing as a human being is a boon itself, then every human owes a moral responsibility to other humans and in turn in another; what more to...

K.D. @ Karuppu Dorai (2109, Tamil; கேடி என்ற கருப்புதுரை) This story reminds me of the many stories that I discussed with my fellow partner-in-crime in the not so distant past. Quite many a time, seriously ill patients with advancing age with the myriad of medical illnesses that complements the geriatric population often gets admitted to his unit. Invariably, the patient's children would insist that their moribundly ill elders get all the best treatment that money can buy. The oft-repeated dialogue would be, "money is not a problem". My friend knows it is no use flogging a dead horse but like a good servant he is, he obliges, every time.  The tide would be going against the acutely ill patient. The next of kins would, however, stay hopeful. The life is literally hanging on a thread, living on a prayer. But hope lies eternal in the human heart.  Days move ever so slowly but the patient's condition doe not improve. Slowly, the number of visitors hanging around th...

Kominsky Method (miniseries, Seasons 1 -2; 2018-19) Netflix People may have led different lives using separate yardsticks as guides to pave their journeys in life, but as they sail towards the tail-ends of their shelf lives, their concerns are the same. They worry about how they would spend the remnants of their human existence. Appreciating that end is nigh, every mild ailment is perceived as the coup de grâce. Many of the familiar faces grace the obituary column. They wonder whether the life that they led could have been better. Regrets start trickling in. So do guilt. The dilemma of 'what ifs' and 'if only' starts playing in their minds. After some soliloquy, they would probably realise that given the circumstances, that was the best they could do. Invariably, the question of offspring would stream in. The elders would go all out to pave a safe path for the young to pursue. Unfortunately, Nature dictates that the next generation would rebel. Perhaps this is to...

Admit it. One cannot remain in the limelight forever. Everyone has their temporary sojourn in the hall of fame, after which they would have to relinquish their baton the next Johnny-come-lately. One cannot stay perched on top of the pecking order forever. Professional decline generally happens in all professions, some earlier than the others. Athletes commence their declines quite early, whereas teachers, writers and researchers lose it much later. Peak performances of many professionals rarely happen at an advanced age. Not everyone takes the dimming of the spotlight gracefully. Charles Darwin 1809-1882 Charles Darwin was just 27 when he returned on the Beagle with his discoveries in botany and zoology. From that time, for the next 30 years, he was the go-to scientist who published the famous 'On the Origin of Species'. After 50, Darwin hit a brick wall. Not keeping up with mathematical calculations that were so important in later researches, he became irrelevant and ...

https://mybukz.tumblr.com/post/174902329732/poem-aging-with-grace-by-farouk-gulsa JUNE 15TH, 2018 WINGSWORLDWEB  Poem: Aging With Grace by Farouk Gulsara Photo by Pranav Jain on  Unsplash Ageing with Grace My mane, my crowning glory, Once my pride, my joy, Is now but just a silvery tuft. My dimples, my charm, Have lost their twinkle, now just wrinkles. My charming Bella Donna eyes, Cataractic, xanthomatous, have lost their glaze. My neck, so nimble, so supple once, Now only arthritic, sprouts crackles. My breasts sprout proud once, Parturient, now sag, atrophy. The curtain bows. My female chest so majestic once, Now left kyphotic and osteoporotic. My midriff navel tease, sari for cover, Left now with striae, protuberant and scarred over. My posterior, an asset, my pride, Adipose now deposited on both sides. The thigh, the thunder, Is flabby without tone, none to wonder. The feet used to...