Betrayed by his own flesh!

Hitler: The last 10 days (1973)
The random distribution of proteins adenine, thymine, guanine, cytosine and uracil makes sure that in any organization, be it animal or human kingdom, 1% of the population will always conquer over the remaining 99% of the remaining subservient. There can only be 1 alpha male in the lion colony and 1% will control the economy of the world no matter how fair an economic system man proposes. This status quo is mandatory to maintain peace and order in any group. If everyone is learned, influential and possess excellent leading qualities, there is bound to be chaos, hence, nature has created this arrangement.
Hence, in keeping with this background, history has shown again and again of leaders would bring a race to glory and then also to its downfall due to their greed. Hitler is such an example. It is amazing how the 99% follow blindly their leader and agree for horrendous terror against fellow kind which in retrospect would like to forget. Forgive their ancestors, maybe, but learn from history? I doubt it.
This 1973 British made film is acted to perfection by the legendary  Sir Alec Guinness in the leading role of the moody Austrian. As Hitler is the reason the movie is made, so Sir Alec is forgiven for taking over the main role and its mainstay. It shows us his soliloquy, his thought process and his glorious past to the rise of the Third Reich.
It tells the events that took place at the Führerbunker, the 60 feet concrete underground in Berlin built for the Führer and his faithful Officers between 20th April 1945 (Hitler's birthday) and 30th April 1945 (Hitler's suicide). All speeches and actions in the authenticated by an Oxford historians and a fellow soldier in the bunker.

The whole of Germany in chaos.The Russian army is drawing closer to Berlin. Hitler, however, is still in his own world, sticking fast to his grandeur idea of a German Empire! Eva Braun (his mistress) and fellow inmates of the bunker celebrate Führer's 56th birthday. Hitler has strict house rules, no smoking and no drinking, but that being an exceptional day, allows champagne to befit the occasion. The unhappy officers listen to Hitler's brag of how, he, a graduate of no military school, single-handedly, built an empire for the peasants of Germany who were ruined to smithereens after the First World War.
The soldiers have their own secluded place in the bunker where they have their dose of cigarettes and wines. Whilst the rest of Germany is being bombed by the Allied forces, the birthday bash with dance goes on with laughter and music, with the occasional interruption by sound of falling bombs.
And the Russians are slowly making their way to Berlin as the days go on. More bad news keep on rolling in as the Hitler breaks down as his Third Reich has failed.
Then good news comes that the Russian and American armies were engaged in an argument. As the days go on, more bad news..a telegram comes of his Deputy taking charge of administration.
Hitler laments on how everybody in his life was betraying him. Again and again Hitler states that he has been betrayed by all the Germans in spite of his contribution to Germany.
In a very puzzling move, Hitler summons an officer from Munich to Berlin, flying through the battle field just to inform him of his promotion as Field Marshal.
As the Russians move closer, Hitler decides to use the Hitler Youth, an army of young teenage boys to be their human shield to protect Berlin.

Alec Guinness

As the future appears bleak, Hitler discusses mass suicide rather than allowing the Allied Forces having the joy of parading Hitler like a caged animal for the world to see. After discussing about cyanide capsules, shooting themselves, burning themselves etcetera, Hitler presents everyone with cyanide capsules as a wedding present after he marries Eva Braun in the bunker. Of course a photograph of Hitler was presented to attendees for compliment.
Post wedding party continues with champagne and songs. Russian bombs are raining Berlin and Hitler writes his final testament. He floods the underground tunnels which housed hospital beds to protect himself.
Russians move in just 300 metres away.
Eva takes a capsule. Hitler shoots himself.
The film ends with the remaining soldiers looking into the Fuhrer's room. Instead of taking their cyanide capsules, for once in front of Hitler in the bunker, they lit their cigars and cigarettes.
In his death, Hitler must have felt betrayed, yet again.
It is a fantastic depiction of the Austrian who conquered Europe and brought the whole world at its knees by Alec Guinness. Somehow we feel pity for Hitler for his egoistic megalomaniac ideas for his unshakeable nationalistic patriotism and ability to unite a country which was poor and hungry. By uniting them and getting the economy going again, he gave the world the seed for the German brand that we all know today.
A good show.

Quotable quote:
(Upon receiving a fine elaborate embroidery of a Nazi flag on his birthday from some General's wives, Hitler says, "What exquisite workmanship! What loving care has gone into this. Love and devotion to a man are the highest virtues in a woman. Intelligence is not very important. My mother was certainly no genius but she gave birth to a great son to the German people. Well done."

(On decision to flood tunnels which hold hospital beds)
Nature is cruel so I have to be cruel.

Time and Tide

Released Sept 2012

While shopping for my running shoes, the literary part of me drew me to take a pit stop at a posh book store. Laid down pretty to greet me was the cover of the book above, 'The Time Keeper' by Mitch Albom. For the uninitiated, Mitch Albom is famous for his non-fiction books. His 'The Five People You Meet In Heaven' that I managed to read was a real mind opener. After that thought provoking deep book which basically told that everything on Earth happens for  a reason and a good one at that. Subsequent to that I managed to grab 3 of his other books - 'Tuesdays with Morrie', 'For One More Day' and 'Have a Little Faith'.
Another philosophical book (this time a fiction) from the man who writes about life and death. This time around he deals with time and how it controls life. He narrates about 3 different characters. The first character is an ancient man, Dor, who had supposedly discovered the concept of time at a time when life was easier and it started with sunrise and ended with sunset with no means of quantifying time. Dor, called the Father of Time, invented the sun dial and water clocks and forever brought the curse of quantifying time and rushing people through deadlines. For his misdeed, he is punished by being 'suspended' in time and is later propelled into the 21st century to see the effects of his discovery. His mission is to save the second and third characters from their mistakes.
The second character is a multi millionaire,Victor, who has terminal cancer. He is a self made millionaire who shined from the ashes of poverty. He is 80 years old but refuses to lose to his ailment just like how he had dodged all the adversities in his life. His research brings him to cryonics which promises conservation of his body till a time when modern medicine can cure him of his illness.
The third character is a teenage girl, Sarah, with low self esteem who attempts suicide after her love is rejected by the famous guy in school and is humiliated on social media.
Dor saves them from their wrong decisions. He shows them the future of the effect of their actions.
Sarah's love interest carries on life with no remorse or sorrow. Her mother is devastated and has to pick up the pieces alone as she is a single parent.
Victor left a very sad wife who never bade farewell to her husband. In the future, his body is not rejuvenated because of legal wrangles but instead his images embedded in his memory bank of the brain are screened to public as a showcase of a time deemed peaceful!
After performing his duties, Dor goes back in time to be reunited with his deceased wife, Alii, in death.
Sarah is sent back to be saved in the nick of time. She excels in her studies and is later honoured as a leading researcher. She is supported monetarily from Victor's trust. Victor says his final farewell to his wife and dies peacefully.
The take home message is 'God limits ones' days to make each one precious'!
An easy read but somehow nothing beats 'The Five People You Meet in Heaven'.

The crossroads: Emotional baggage vs. Ambition

Aparajito (1956, Bengali; The Unvanquished)

Director: Satyajit Ray

Akira Kurosawa once said about Satyajit Ray's filmmaking like this...

"The quiet but deep observation, understanding and love of the human race, which are characteristic of all his films, have impressed me greatly... I feel that he is a "giant" of the movie industry.
... Not to have seen the cinema of Ray means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon."

This is, in essence, the continuation of the story of Pather Pancholi which Ray directed in 1955. The film is the second offering of the Apu trilogy.

As we remember from the first movie, after Durga's (the elder daughter) demise, Harihar and Sarbajaya move into Benares (Varanasi) with their young son Apu for greener pastures.

The beginning of the movie starts with the melodious veena music composed by the maestro himself, Pandit Ravi Shankar. He did the music score, probably when he was not at dizzying heights yet. Even though in black and white, the early part of the film captures perfectly the daily ambience of a typical morning in the banks of the Ganges and the narrow cobblestones stairs and lanes of the roads leading to inhabitants' homes whose members thrive on performing religious rituals. A typical morning starts with the chiming of the temple bells, the recital of mantras and the obligatory immersion of one's body in the cold waters of Mother Ganga to purify one's body and soul and the feeding of pigeons.
A carefree Apu plays around running with his friends learning a thing or two by looking at things and people around him. His father, meanwhile, gets by reciting mantras for the alms he receives from devotees. Things were much better here than when they were back in their village. The couple is worried about Apu's schooling, but they thought he could just continue the family tradition of being a priest.

Then tragedy strikes. Harihar falls gravely ill and succumbs to what looks like pneumonia. Sarbajaya works as a helping hand in a wealthy household. Looking at Apu doing menial jobs for the head of the family, she decides to return to the village on the invitation of Apu's grand uncle. Apu takes up priest apprenticeship with his grand uncle. Yearning to go to school like other kids in the village, Apu manages to convince his mother to enrol him at the local school with her meagre savings. At school, he shines after a visit by the school inspector. He acquires the fondness of the headmaster who encourages him all the way to obtain a scholarship to Calcutta as he metamorphoses into a teenager.

Then starts the slight tiff between the mother who had lost all her known love ones and the ambitious son who wants to get out of the conundrum of poverty and continuing the family tradition. The loving, gentle maternal heart relents, and off he goes to start his studies.

Excited to tell mum all the things 

he learnt at school

Juggling between working late hours at the printing press to pay for his accommodation and studies, his planned visits home became scarce over time. Apu finds his return to the village a little drag which wears him down with emotional baggage which he finds difficult to deal. Sarbajaya, on the other hand, longs for her son's return with no avail. She is withdrawn and depressed over time.

A young Apu

One day, Apu receives a letter asking for his quick return for his seriously ailing mother. He returns to an empty house. As he comes out of the door, the sad look on his grand uncle's face is sufficed to narrate the turn of events. That is the plus point about this class act movies. They give dignity to grieving and dignifies poverty. They avoid melodrama and over-exaggerating emotions. Nobody wails stumping on their heaving chest.

The following day, despite his grand uncle's persuasion to stay back to continue his family vocation, Apu leaves the village to sit for his college examinations. The end.

Next stop: Apu Trilogy 3: Apur Sansar (The World of Apu)

Memorable quote:
"Apu, don't cry. Parents don't live forever."

The 50 somethings are people, not cadavers!

Monday September 17, 2012

Fashion not only the domain of the young

BUT THEN AGAIN
By MARY SCHNEIDER
star2@thestar.com.my

Who says fashion is the exclusive domain of the young?

MY mum wears my T-shirts,” said a teenager during a call to a local radio station. “She’s 50. That shouldn’t be allowed.”

“I recently saw another woman about the same age wearing a pair of tight shorts and high heels,” responded the deejay, who was inviting callers to talk about the issue. “That shouldn’t be allowed either.”

Had I not been driving at the time, I might have phoned the radio station and asked them what all the fuss was about. Living in a world that is facing global warming, starvation, human rights violations, land degradation and racial tensions, surely there are more important things to worry about than the clothes that the over-fifties are wearing.

My choice: A woman should have the freedom to wear whatever she wants, no matter what her age.

As I continued to listen, I realised that the majority of people calling the radio station felt that older folks should dress in an age-appropriate manner. For example, it seems that some young people are traumatised, or so they would have you believe, by the sight of their middle-aged mother wearing a short dress, or showing cleavage, or sporting loud designs.

“She looks like mutton dressed up as lamb,” some of them said.

As if it’s okay for anyone to refer to their mother as an old sheep.

It seems to me that if a woman raises someone to have opinions of their own, and instills in them the confidence necessary to call a radio station to express those opinions, the least her offspring can do is respect her and her fashion choices.

I’m not sure who came up with the idea that fashion is the exclusive domain of the young, but I feel we should all have the freedom to wear whatever we want, no matter what age. Why are women of a certain age expected to become invisible, to blend into the background with their middle-aged uniforms? Since when did middle age diminish a woman’s right to be noticed?

I’m not a fashion slave, but I do know what I like and what I think looks good on me. And that’s all that matters to me.

When I look in the mirror, I can see that I’m in my fifties, but I still smile at my reflection on those days when I think I look good – something that much younger person might find difficult to understand.

Many years ago, when I was in my early 20s, I remember walking into a Scottish pub behind two old ladies. I’m not sure how old they really were, because anyone over the age of 40 was immediately thrown into the “old” category, but I do remember they had grey hair and were a little overweight.

As I walked through the front door of the pub, they stopped in front of a large mirror on the wall, removed their coats and studied themselves. One of them patted her hair and examined her lipstick, while the other smoothed down her dress, a bright red number that seemed out of place on someone of her years.

“Is that a new dress?” asked the lipstick lady.

“Yes,” said her friend. “Do you like it?”

“It’s lovely. You look gorgeous in it.”

“Thanks. You look gorgeous yourself.”

With a final pat of their hair they both disappeared into the bar, confident that they did indeed look gorgeous.

“What does it matter?” I said to myself. “It’s not as if anything is going to happen. There will be no admiring glances, eyes making contact over a crowded room, offers of drinks, telephone numbers being exchanged, possibilities of romance …”

How naive of me. These things do matter, but I just didn’t have the wisdom to realise it at the time.

I think more and more women of a certain age are defying stereotypes in a way that makes some people feel uncomfortable. However, the more women go against societal norms, the more expectations will change.

We will surely become more accepting of our aging bodies, which will surely benefit everyone. Because let’s face it, none of us can escape the effects of gravity and the lines that time and life’s experiences leave on our bodies.

But we can choose what we put on our bodies, and how we want to express our personality through clothes.

If I want to wear a sunshine yellow mini skirt and crimson tank top, because they make me feel bright and happy, don’t spoil my day by telling me that I’m looking like an old sheep pretending to be a lamb.

Baaaaaaaa!

10 things you didn't know about Abraham Lincoln, really?

Every now and then people will come out with wacky facts for the consumption of the general public. In that vein, The History Channel screened an episode called, 'Ten things you didn't know about...'. That time around, it was on Abraham Lincoln, who used many a poor boy's idol to come out of poverty with stories of him studying in the street light etecetera.

Some of facts laid out in the story appeared far fetch with no proper documentation but the producers tried to authenticate the whole thing by having a history professor as the presenter and the interviews with many history academicians from the Mid West universities.

1. Enslaved as a child - As a child, Abe had to have from Kentucky to Virginia. To settle family debts, he was enslaved to work to pay off the debts. As a child labourer, he must have felt the inhumane and unjust treatment of slaves which must have had an impact on his future life.
2. Enjoys a good fist fight - Growing at a time when the strength of the might counted much more than now, Abe enjoyed a good fight to settle issues. During a political speech, he stopped his speech half way to beat up guy from an opponent party who was beating up his own man. After nicely giving the opponent a piece of his mind, Abe continued his speech with the loud approval of the crowd. 
3. A jovial person - Contrary to how Abe appears in the photographs as a stern no nonsense stiff upper lipped kind of a person. in real life, he was said to be a jovial person who livens up a meeting. It is the obsolete photographic techiniques that require prolonged stillness of the subject for this misconception.
4. Never joined a church - Abe was a revolutionary thinker and did not give too much thought of joining a church. he, however, used words used in the scriptures for his political speeches for garner mileage.
5. Is a techno geek - by 1860 standards, that is. Abe is a hands-on kind of a person who would test fire weapons before commissioned for use by the army. He even has a device patented by him to help ferries stalled in the sand bed of the river.
6. Problem connecting with women - AL was considered as uninteresting by marriagable girls of his era and after unsuccessful attempt after rejections and turning 'cold feet', AL married at late age of 34 years. Anyway, his wife, Mary Todd, was a politically correct choice as her father was connected. If fact, early in his marriage, AL had been seen being chased by Mary with a broom and even butcher's knife!
7. Could be considered racist by present standards - In spite of his fight for equality for all, he had said the whites and blacks can never be at par. He had a plan to free the slaves and deport them all to the isthmus of central America!
8. Shared bed with men - During tour of his duty, he had shared bed with 3 other guys ( Billy Green,  Joshua Speed, David Derikson). The relationship with Speed lasted 3 years before his marriage to Todd.
9. Best friends had slaves - AL's friend like Joshua Speed had a farm with many slaves. Perhaps during his visit to the farm, the idea of the emancipation policy must have materialized.
10. Almost shot in head - Months before his assassination, whilst riding home alone on horseback (as he usually he would), he was shot at. The bullet just hit his hat, missing his scalp by inches. That is when he came up with the idea of secret service for the President. The SS was started just a day before his assissination!
11. Was in the same picture with assassin - JW Booth, an actor, was the second most photographed person at that era after the President. In a few shots, he was seen in the same frame. JW often poses majestically as an actor would. JW was in a diiferent camp who despised AL's policy on slavery. He must have become incensed and pulled the trigger when AL suggested equal voting rights for slaves.

Joshua Speed AL's confidant

Supposed to be ten, but No.3 is a bonus!

Trial by social media

Not many are aware, maybe the Facebook generation would, (as they find immense joy and comfort in communicating through Facebook rather than face-to-face!) of a cyber discussion, justification and counter justification between a grieving wife and an husband who has been labelled aggressor.
This young couple (guy early 20s, girl 19 years) have not seeing eye to eye quite some time now. Saga of their unhappy suddenly surfaced one day when the wife decided to showcase the closed circuit TV recording of their domestic violence, which happened in her boutique, on You-Tube. The response from the netizens was viral. Sympathisers poured in their support behind the wife who was also 2 months' pregnant. The husband was criticised left, right, centre, sideways and back.
The following day, the beleaguered young man responded with his side of the story to 'justify' his violent behaviour. As with most marital disharmony, there is no right or wrong answer. The truth must be somewhere in the centre as the couple have to find common grounds to find solace.
http://mydestiny2011.com/2012/09/05/why-i-beat-up-my-wife-man-at-centre-of-cctv-assault-case-tells-his-story/
http://mydestiny2011.com/2012/09/06/its-all-lies-fong-denies-husbands-claims-of-her-infidelity-suicidal-tendencies/
A few years ago, one radio station in Malaysia set up a line for callers to call in for the radio DJs to fix their social problems. I remember one guy who was not man enough to remind his buddy to wash his hands after answering nature's call. It was eating him up so much that he decided to call the radio station for help.
When the DJ called the victim, he went ballistic with all the bleeped words on air. After finding out about the complainer, he told him to mind his business. It was his life and if he does not like he can just buzz off. It was his life and he can do what he wants. I guess there went one 'not so healthy' friendship.
Then there was a girl who got the help of the station to tell the guy she was going out with that she wanted to call it quits. So the DJs called the unassuming guy at work. He, who thought that every thing was going a-okay with his loved one got a shock when he was told that his girlfriend wanted to break up the relationship. He did not initially take the shocking news lying down. In fact they had dined in a fancy restaurant the night before. And he thought he made a good impression and thinking long term. After some explicit expression of many colourful unmentionable words, the guy started to break down and hung up... And the DJ did not stop there. He called and called and managed to talk to him and made him accept the bad news. For the DJ, it is a feather in his cap as 'Problem fixed!'.
That is status of a divine bondage called love these days. Something private which is to be shared by two consenting adults has now become a pastime for bored motorists in the morning traffic jam of Kuala Lumpur and inquisitive voyeuristic internet geeks who fancy viewing happenings behind closed doors.

Justice for all, still?

A friend of mine once attended a surprise party where sharks were the main item, not on the menu but rather attended mainly by lawyers. He ended up being surprised as the main conversation on everybody's lip was money, money and more money - all in tune of hundreds of thousands of ringgits, at least. It also left him with a bad after taste and it was not the food... Gone are the days where the practice of law is to fight for liberty, rights, justice and all that goes with it.
I just downloaded the whole Season 1 of the famed Perry Mason done in 1957. The TV series were instrumental in churning of many learned lawyers all around Malaysia (at least of the Gen X and late Baby Boomers). Later generations would have been drawn by the glitz of LA Law. By then, the fight for justice had dwindled and the so called glamour had taken over.

Faithful Secretary, Della Street
(Barbara Hale)

Perry Mason, the series, gives you the feel good era of the yesteryears where everybody is well behaved and well dressed. Of course, the strict rules laid down by the guild played a role -no profanity and no cleavage is revealed. Mason and his whole team seem to be working 24/7 and on top of that they seem to be dressed for the occasion, trim, proper and formal!
Some of the tactics employed by the hero appear to me like tampering with evidence and obstructing justice to me.
It is interesting that everybody is just willing to surrender when they are cornered without really denying it or giving a fight.
Raymond Burr, an actor, who later came out of the closet, used to be Appa's favourite actor when he acted in 'Ironside'.