Farouk Gulsara's Blog, page 165
June 7, 2016
Inked for life?
They say the signature can turn your life line. In the Tamil proverb, it reads (உண் கையெழுத்து தலை எழுத்தையும் மாற்றும்; or உங்கள் கையொப்பம் உங்கள் விதியை மாற்ற முடியும் ); literal translation: your hand line [signature] can change your headline [fate]. The Indians believe that on the inner aspect of our skull, our lifeline or our destiny is written.
Just like how a game of dice became the change maker of the propriety of a kingdom, with a literal stroke of the pen, a prince can be a pauper. I vividly remember this mantra frequently being uttered by my elders during my childhood.
Early in my working life, I met a colleague who dragged life wearing a perpetual remorseful look and carrying on his shoulders a mountain and guilt and regrets. In his days of naivety when a good friend is one whom one could enjoy a good drink, he had stood guarantor, or rather, inked his signature above the dotted lines certifying what may that he would stand in front of his friend (guarantee) that the payment due to the bank is paid in full. Paid, he had to do, when his drinking buddy decided to go AWOL just a couple of months upon receiving the loan! The guarantor's plea of 'just signing for formality' and 'helping out a friend' was mocked upon by the fat bankers and men in the robe behind his back. Threatened by the possibility of bankruptcy, left with Hobson's choice, my colleague spent a good many years to come out clean off the black list. He paid dearly for his cavalier attitude at the expense of job promotion and providing for the family.
There is a reason why people of yesteryears took plenty of pride in perfecting their signature. They try to make it appear regal and a black ink is usually used to make it authentic. The ink on paper is worth a person's life or a nation's history.It is not a mark that gets washed away by time.http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara
June 6, 2016
Evasion under guise of self interest?
The Trials of Muhammad Ali (Documentary; 2013)
This documentary offering is not an offering to highlight the achievements of the most famous pugilist of all time, the three-time heavyweight boxing champion of the world, Muhammad Ali but it concentrates on a particular time in his life when he had a brush with the American legal system.
It focuses a point in the late 60s and early 70s when Ali was at the height of his youth. It starts with him narrating of his experience back home in 1960 after winning the gold medal in Rome Olympics. A restauranteur refused to serve him even though he had made his country proud.
He goes on to tell about the hypocritical attitude of the members of his church. The calling to embrace Islam came in 1964, but his conversion came under the scrutiny of the radar when he decided to follow the teachings of Elijah Muhammad and his association with Nation of Islam, Malcolm X and Dr ML King. The Nation of Islam was classified as a radical group which fought for a black separatist America.
When Ali was draughted for the Vietnam War, he refused on the defence that it was against his religion. He had famously said that he had no bone to pick with the Vietnamese, his beef was with the American system and the whites. In the trials which miraculously turned into his favour after a unanimous decision when a judge admitted erring in the first seating!
In this documentary, one can see that Ali is only quick with his legwork and punches, he is quick with his wit as well as sharp with his words. He is poetic in his sentences and has the charisma to lure the public. This, with his humble background to entice the impoverished black population in the volatile era of the 60s, must have given the US government machinery many jitters.
Believe it or not, Muhammad Ali, at a time when his boxing licence was revoked, actually took part in a musical. He appeared as a black slave in chains being transported to America. He seems to be in the lead role.
Sometimes, I cannot help but wonder. Are all these talks about not fighting a war because it is, as Ali alleges is not ordained by Allah, is just an excuse of convenience? Of course, it not for mortals to judge the religiosity of a believer, sometimes actions may appear otherwise. Ali is infamous for his weakness for the fairer sex. Who can forget the fiasco that happened in Manila when his girlfriend was wrongly referred to his wife at the Presidential dinner with Marcos and was televised on the US TV. Then there are the two daughters that Ali had outside the sanctity of marriage.
Whatever said and done, Ali did make Boxing a real world event. After his retirement, the interest in boxing has waned.
http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara
June 5, 2016
I am my own grandpa!
Predestination (2014)
Are we fatalistic when we say that life is predetermined? No matter how we try to change it, it would somehow end with an outcome that may not be favourable to us. Is there a reason why the word 'fate' and 'fatal' has the same root word? How much of free will do we hold?
I am surprised that I never actually heard about this movie before watching it. It is an outlandish movie about time travel, a beautiful hermaphrodite, self-impregnation and changing history! It may sound a bit like the 'Back to the Future' series, but this one is darker. It is quite confusing as the characters move in and out of timelines.
In the beginning, a man tries to defuse a bomb but sustains facial burn injuries. He is treated in a hospital and has extensive skin grafting or perhaps a facial transplant. In the next scene, this man is now attending to a customer in a bar and starts a conversation with him. A nihilistic man tells him tall tales about being a trash magazine writer who was born a female. At that juncture, you think, okay, she changed her biological sex. But no! 'She' grew up in an orphanage as Jane, a lonely, nerdy and sad child. After an unsuccessful stint at a space recruitment project, she meets a 'guy' who disappeared after getting her pregnant.
Complications during delivery need surgical intervention. She loses her uterus, and the doctors discover functional male internal organs. Somebody steals her baby, and she is all alone again. After a series of gender reassignment surgeries, Jane became John. John eventually becomes a writer with hatred hanging over her mind with the man who got her into this mess of pregnancy and life changing experiences! This takes almost half of the story. You start wondering. Is this some kind of trashy pulp fiction story where the sky is the limit; anything goes! Then it gets interesting...
The bar-keeper takes John to the cellar to show a violin case which is actually a time machine for him to go back in time to avenge the boyfriend who got her into her predicament. What do you know? When John goes back in time, (with the bar-keeper), John is indeed the boyfriend to Jane! In other words, John impregnants Jane at a different time and begets a child.
It is an intricate weave of a story to alter history to protect the lives of many who perished in a terror attack in 1975. The barkeeper, John, Jane and even the bomber eventually turned out to the same in the end. It needs a lot of mind-bending and science to understand this interesting concept. The story moves between 1975 to 1970 to 1963 to 1992 to 1981 to 1970....
The characters are supposed to be part of a secret organisation with a time travel device to put the world in order, avert danger and save lives. They come to realise that nobody is affected by what we do, mishaps may occur in other ways as the effect of our actions or inactions. We can stop one event, but the effect of that action can start another domino effect of another and another. They can never truly be 'Peace on Earth'. One of the side effects of this travel, however, is psychosis. This derangement is the one that pushed the bar-keeper to be a terrorist as he thought that action would prevent other catastrophes that were destined to occur in the future.
Need to check on grandfather paradox, predestination paradox and causal loop in the context of time travel.
http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara
Are we fatalistic when we say that life is predetermined? No matter how we try to change it, it would somehow end with an outcome that may not be favourable to us. Is there a reason why the word 'fate' and 'fatal' has the same root word? How much of free will do we hold?
I am surprised that I never actually heard about this movie before watching it. It is an outlandish movie about time travel, a beautiful hermaphrodite, self-impregnation and changing history! It may sound a bit like the 'Back to the Future' series, but this one is darker. It is quite confusing as the characters move in and out of timelines.
In the beginning, a man tries to defuse a bomb but sustains facial burn injuries. He is treated in a hospital and has extensive skin grafting or perhaps a facial transplant. In the next scene, this man is now attending to a customer in a bar and starts a conversation with him. A nihilistic man tells him tall tales about being a trash magazine writer who was born a female. At that juncture, you think, okay, she changed her biological sex. But no! 'She' grew up in an orphanage as Jane, a lonely, nerdy and sad child. After an unsuccessful stint at a space recruitment project, she meets a 'guy' who disappeared after getting her pregnant.
Complications during delivery need surgical intervention. She loses her uterus, and the doctors discover functional male internal organs. Somebody steals her baby, and she is all alone again. After a series of gender reassignment surgeries, Jane became John. John eventually becomes a writer with hatred hanging over her mind with the man who got her into this mess of pregnancy and life changing experiences! This takes almost half of the story. You start wondering. Is this some kind of trashy pulp fiction story where the sky is the limit; anything goes! Then it gets interesting...
The bar-keeper takes John to the cellar to show a violin case which is actually a time machine for him to go back in time to avenge the boyfriend who got her into her predicament. What do you know? When John goes back in time, (with the bar-keeper), John is indeed the boyfriend to Jane! In other words, John impregnants Jane at a different time and begets a child.It is an intricate weave of a story to alter history to protect the lives of many who perished in a terror attack in 1975. The barkeeper, John, Jane and even the bomber eventually turned out to the same in the end. It needs a lot of mind-bending and science to understand this interesting concept. The story moves between 1975 to 1970 to 1963 to 1992 to 1981 to 1970....
The characters are supposed to be part of a secret organisation with a time travel device to put the world in order, avert danger and save lives. They come to realise that nobody is affected by what we do, mishaps may occur in other ways as the effect of our actions or inactions. We can stop one event, but the effect of that action can start another domino effect of another and another. They can never truly be 'Peace on Earth'. One of the side effects of this travel, however, is psychosis. This derangement is the one that pushed the bar-keeper to be a terrorist as he thought that action would prevent other catastrophes that were destined to occur in the future.
Need to check on grandfather paradox, predestination paradox and causal loop in the context of time travel.
http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boyhttp://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara
June 3, 2016
Same rules apply*
Filth (2013)
They say there is goodness in every one of us. Even the most condemned person on Earth has an ounce of kindness in him. Youtube videos and social experiments are aplenty to highlight to us and probably makes feel good that humankind will survive despite what the doomsday philosophers and naysayers say or do not say. But then, why is so much violence, hatred and animosity in this world?
Well, the same people who profess that there is goodness in us are the same one who utter that goodness is subjective! What appears as good to one may seem evil to another. Feeding stray dogs may be a noble deed but may draw so many strays to one particular area that it may be uncomfortable to some. The fear of fights between well-fed dogs over territory or spread of illness may be a concern.
Back to homo sapiens instance, the evil thoughts, which disturbs the equilibrium of the community is conveniently blamed on the dark forces, the black dog, the crows, black magic or Satan. In modern science, this inability to conform to the societal demands is blamed on the imbalances of the neurotransmitters. Of course, deviously planning to rock the system for personal gains is also abnormal, e.g. psychopaths.
This Scottish dark comedy set in Edinburgh is an entertaining story with a twist at the end. What starts appearing as a comedy, it slowly evolves into a devious tale of corrupt cops, police brutality and back biting amongst colleagues to grab the coveted post of Detective Inspector.
The seemingly happily married protagonist, Det Bruce Robertson, is anything but monogamous. He is also seen drinking too much. And cops snorting cocaine too? And why is the Mrs only appearing as a narrator? Then, it dawns upon us. He actually has a severe mental disorder. His wife and child have left him, and he is left alone to deal with his noncompliance with medication, refractory illness, hallucination, unresolved guilt of a death of a sibling in childhood and the race to the promotion.
Bruce slowly spirals down the ladder of helplessness to decay into a mess leading to a disastrous outcome.
An underrated movie which nobody talks about. An intense but entertaining film with an excellent performance from James McAvoy.
* 'Same rules apply' - a line at the end of the movie that left everyone guessing its meaning in that context. Probably, refers to the mantra of a self-centred person who is only interested in ensuring that his goal is attained. No matter how much it hurts the bystanders, he does not give a damn!http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara
They say there is goodness in every one of us. Even the most condemned person on Earth has an ounce of kindness in him. Youtube videos and social experiments are aplenty to highlight to us and probably makes feel good that humankind will survive despite what the doomsday philosophers and naysayers say or do not say. But then, why is so much violence, hatred and animosity in this world?
Well, the same people who profess that there is goodness in us are the same one who utter that goodness is subjective! What appears as good to one may seem evil to another. Feeding stray dogs may be a noble deed but may draw so many strays to one particular area that it may be uncomfortable to some. The fear of fights between well-fed dogs over territory or spread of illness may be a concern.
Back to homo sapiens instance, the evil thoughts, which disturbs the equilibrium of the community is conveniently blamed on the dark forces, the black dog, the crows, black magic or Satan. In modern science, this inability to conform to the societal demands is blamed on the imbalances of the neurotransmitters. Of course, deviously planning to rock the system for personal gains is also abnormal, e.g. psychopaths.
This Scottish dark comedy set in Edinburgh is an entertaining story with a twist at the end. What starts appearing as a comedy, it slowly evolves into a devious tale of corrupt cops, police brutality and back biting amongst colleagues to grab the coveted post of Detective Inspector.
The seemingly happily married protagonist, Det Bruce Robertson, is anything but monogamous. He is also seen drinking too much. And cops snorting cocaine too? And why is the Mrs only appearing as a narrator? Then, it dawns upon us. He actually has a severe mental disorder. His wife and child have left him, and he is left alone to deal with his noncompliance with medication, refractory illness, hallucination, unresolved guilt of a death of a sibling in childhood and the race to the promotion.
Bruce slowly spirals down the ladder of helplessness to decay into a mess leading to a disastrous outcome.
An underrated movie which nobody talks about. An intense but entertaining film with an excellent performance from James McAvoy.
* 'Same rules apply' - a line at the end of the movie that left everyone guessing its meaning in that context. Probably, refers to the mantra of a self-centred person who is only interested in ensuring that his goal is attained. No matter how much it hurts the bystanders, he does not give a damn!http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara
June 2, 2016
Peace through annihilation?
The Fall of Berlin (Russian, 1950)
I remember it like it was yesterday. Mr LKK, our history teacher, impressed upon us the need to learn history. The beginning of the end of Hitler march started when he marched into Russia, what more during winter. Napolean Bonaparte found out the hard way of leading a weary, hungry army through the treacherous unforgiving wintry Russian winters.
History has also shown that Russians are super subs, a kind of a Johnny-come-lately, a late bloomer. Their army had been the kind that seems to be losing and weak but would come back strong with a vengeance to knock everything out of the way to victory.
This 1950 film is a Russian attempt at blowing their own horn of their past laurel of whitewashing Hitler's army and hoisting the Russian flag on the Reichstag building. It became a Stalin propaganda movie to boost his flailing image and as a birthday gift for Stalin's 70th birthday. It portrays the Supreme Leader in a demi-god status who gives a picture of the epitome of calmness and wisdom. In real life, his short temper and cruelty is an open secret.
This story starts with a love story of an industrious steel factory manager Alexei, who received the highest order of appreciation from Stalin himself for his exemplary work, and a pretty school teacher, Natasha. Their love story is cut short by the Germans attacking their town. Alexei is hit by shrapnel and goes into a coma. Natasha is captured and is sent to Berlin.
Alexei later joins the Army, which is sent to Berlin.
The second part of the film deals with Stalin using his military acumen and might to advance into Berlin while the Allied leaders are seen as conniving (Churchill) and spineless (FDR). Hitler is getting restless as he hears of the Russian advance. He panics, marries Eva, floods the tunnel, kills his own people in a foolish attempt to save himself and finally commits mass suicide with Eva and Blondi, his faithful Alsatian.
As the pulverisation of Berlin is complete, Stalin arrives in his private plane in Berlin to congratulate the joyous crowd of multiple nationalities to give his word of wisdom. This, of course, in real life, never happen. To add comedy to this charade, our heroes (Alexei and Natasha) are finally reunited and get Stalin's blessings. Before the leader leaves the scene, he wishes everybody peace and happiness! Interesting, after decimating the whole world, leaders want peace and happiness. Sure, after the annihilation of all life forms, there would be pin-drop silence, if that is called peace!
Vladimir Savelyev and Maria Novakova as Adolf Hitler and Eva Braunhttp://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara
I remember it like it was yesterday. Mr LKK, our history teacher, impressed upon us the need to learn history. The beginning of the end of Hitler march started when he marched into Russia, what more during winter. Napolean Bonaparte found out the hard way of leading a weary, hungry army through the treacherous unforgiving wintry Russian winters.History has also shown that Russians are super subs, a kind of a Johnny-come-lately, a late bloomer. Their army had been the kind that seems to be losing and weak but would come back strong with a vengeance to knock everything out of the way to victory.
This 1950 film is a Russian attempt at blowing their own horn of their past laurel of whitewashing Hitler's army and hoisting the Russian flag on the Reichstag building. It became a Stalin propaganda movie to boost his flailing image and as a birthday gift for Stalin's 70th birthday. It portrays the Supreme Leader in a demi-god status who gives a picture of the epitome of calmness and wisdom. In real life, his short temper and cruelty is an open secret.
This story starts with a love story of an industrious steel factory manager Alexei, who received the highest order of appreciation from Stalin himself for his exemplary work, and a pretty school teacher, Natasha. Their love story is cut short by the Germans attacking their town. Alexei is hit by shrapnel and goes into a coma. Natasha is captured and is sent to Berlin.
Alexei later joins the Army, which is sent to Berlin.
The second part of the film deals with Stalin using his military acumen and might to advance into Berlin while the Allied leaders are seen as conniving (Churchill) and spineless (FDR). Hitler is getting restless as he hears of the Russian advance. He panics, marries Eva, floods the tunnel, kills his own people in a foolish attempt to save himself and finally commits mass suicide with Eva and Blondi, his faithful Alsatian.
As the pulverisation of Berlin is complete, Stalin arrives in his private plane in Berlin to congratulate the joyous crowd of multiple nationalities to give his word of wisdom. This, of course, in real life, never happen. To add comedy to this charade, our heroes (Alexei and Natasha) are finally reunited and get Stalin's blessings. Before the leader leaves the scene, he wishes everybody peace and happiness! Interesting, after decimating the whole world, leaders want peace and happiness. Sure, after the annihilation of all life forms, there would be pin-drop silence, if that is called peace!
Vladimir Savelyev and Maria Novakova as Adolf Hitler and Eva Braunhttp://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boyhttp://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara
June 1, 2016
Never thought running could spur philosophy!
Running on the treadmill can be a daunting task, but it had to be done. Unpredictable working hours and inclement weather make it imperative for one to rely on this monotonous method of training. To ease the task of repetition risking premature retirement, many have devised their own means to beat boredom. I depend on the cable TV. That too sometimes lets me down. Thanks to the tropical weather and highly negatively charged weather clouds, transmission ceases more frequently than it should.I devised my own method to cut my runs into halves and a further half it. Say, I plan to 7kms (~4.2miles) that day. First, I aim to reach half the distance (~2.1miles). Then, I aim for half that distance, another ~1.05miles, then another ~0.5, then ~0.25, then ~0.125 and so on. Before I know it, I am drenched in perspiration and joy for reaching my target.
Never in my wildest dream did I think that what I was essentially doing was what Zeno of Elia was trying to tell people around him. In his philosophical treatise which was finally termed Zeno's paradox, he advocated that by halving the distance your destination, you will never reach your intended endpoint as there will always be a void between you and the target.
Just like a moving arrow is actually static at every moment of time but in relation to space and time is seen to move from point A to B.
If Achilles set his target to reach the point where the tortoise is, he will never be able to overtake the animal as the tortoise would always one step ahead no matter what!http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boyhttp://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara
May 31, 2016
It does not matter what people think
Bridge of Spies (2015)
There are truths, half truth, manufactured truths, lies bent to appear true. The problem is knowing the whole real truth is near, if not, impossible. Some truths are buried in the tombstones of time only to show a short cameo appearance before it is forgotten for good. Some never even see the living daylight. Some non-truths instead become gospel truths as they were uttered by victors and oft repeated!
One cannot be an idealist, doing only things which he considers the truth. As in most things in life, it is hidden in the shades of grey between white and black. We should do what we think is right. It does not matter what people think.
What is actually right, we may never know!
In this spiced up American movie, set during the heights of the Cold War, James Donovan (Tom Hanks), an insurance negotiator is summoned by the Justice Department to defend a suspected Russian spy. The US wanted to appear to be holding a fair trial. At the outset, the lawmakers wanted to make it an open and shut case but unfortunately, it dragged on. The accused, Rudolf Abel, a pessimist, denies any involvement with espionage. The defence lawyer, Donovan, and the accused builds a relationship of mutual respect. As expected, the accused is proven guilty by the courts. Despite being ostracised by the general public for defending an enemy spy, Donovan labours on. When an American air pilot and a student is apprehended by the Russians, he acts as a negotiator on a secret mission to East Germany.http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara
There are truths, half truth, manufactured truths, lies bent to appear true. The problem is knowing the whole real truth is near, if not, impossible. Some truths are buried in the tombstones of time only to show a short cameo appearance before it is forgotten for good. Some never even see the living daylight. Some non-truths instead become gospel truths as they were uttered by victors and oft repeated!One cannot be an idealist, doing only things which he considers the truth. As in most things in life, it is hidden in the shades of grey between white and black. We should do what we think is right. It does not matter what people think.
What is actually right, we may never know!
In this spiced up American movie, set during the heights of the Cold War, James Donovan (Tom Hanks), an insurance negotiator is summoned by the Justice Department to defend a suspected Russian spy. The US wanted to appear to be holding a fair trial. At the outset, the lawmakers wanted to make it an open and shut case but unfortunately, it dragged on. The accused, Rudolf Abel, a pessimist, denies any involvement with espionage. The defence lawyer, Donovan, and the accused builds a relationship of mutual respect. As expected, the accused is proven guilty by the courts. Despite being ostracised by the general public for defending an enemy spy, Donovan labours on. When an American air pilot and a student is apprehended by the Russians, he acts as a negotiator on a secret mission to East Germany.http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara
May 29, 2016
All kinds of everything...
Back in medical school, we had the honour of having the first-hand experience of listening to a learned man of stature croak cockamamie. The deputy director of Health then officiated some function. The gist of the speech that left an everlasting impression on me was his stand on allocations of funds for research.
From the podcast: Bigger than Bacon, Radiolab.
He lamented the idea of students complaining about the lack of grants for research. He insisted that of one is genuinely interested in doing research, he can even do it under the coconut tree! I am sure many findings can be cooked up under the tree - with the help of coconut oil, coconut milk and coconut toddy!
Somehow, this thought came to me when I was listening to a podcast recently.
Apparently, the first thing they teach you in underwater surveillance studies is to identify a crackling sound which is not the noise of a advancing naval fleet but a particular type of shrimps. These single clawed crustaceans were correspondingly snapper shrimps. They actually mask the passage of a submarine or ocean liner in the World War! Nice to know but the scientists were not satisfied with just knowing that. What did they do? Using ultra fast speed photography and acoustic measurements with various state of the art equipment, they discovered that the snapping sounds were not due to physical contact of the claws in the some kind of territorial ritual but actually caused by the popping of a bubble. The scientists managed to show that sudden movement of the claw created a vacuum and release a vacuole of air bubble that pops giving the characteristic rustic crackling sound!
What does it matter? How is it useful for humankind? Believe it or not, this knowledge has helped passage of certain medicines through the blood brain barrier.
This was the same scenario before the smartphones came to the scene. Many of the technologies used in smartphones were invented by people who did not know the use of their invention. They just discovered it and patented it, waiting for someone like Steve Jobs to come along and assimilate it into his product.
So, who said research is a waste of resources? It paves the path others in the future to have a blueprint upon which they can improve and hopefully use it in a meaningful for the benefit of the human race as a whole.http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara
From the podcast: Bigger than Bacon, Radiolab.He lamented the idea of students complaining about the lack of grants for research. He insisted that of one is genuinely interested in doing research, he can even do it under the coconut tree! I am sure many findings can be cooked up under the tree - with the help of coconut oil, coconut milk and coconut toddy!
Somehow, this thought came to me when I was listening to a podcast recently.
Apparently, the first thing they teach you in underwater surveillance studies is to identify a crackling sound which is not the noise of a advancing naval fleet but a particular type of shrimps. These single clawed crustaceans were correspondingly snapper shrimps. They actually mask the passage of a submarine or ocean liner in the World War! Nice to know but the scientists were not satisfied with just knowing that. What did they do? Using ultra fast speed photography and acoustic measurements with various state of the art equipment, they discovered that the snapping sounds were not due to physical contact of the claws in the some kind of territorial ritual but actually caused by the popping of a bubble. The scientists managed to show that sudden movement of the claw created a vacuum and release a vacuole of air bubble that pops giving the characteristic rustic crackling sound!
What does it matter? How is it useful for humankind? Believe it or not, this knowledge has helped passage of certain medicines through the blood brain barrier.
This was the same scenario before the smartphones came to the scene. Many of the technologies used in smartphones were invented by people who did not know the use of their invention. They just discovered it and patented it, waiting for someone like Steve Jobs to come along and assimilate it into his product.
So, who said research is a waste of resources? It paves the path others in the future to have a blueprint upon which they can improve and hopefully use it in a meaningful for the benefit of the human race as a whole.http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara
May 27, 2016
Stitches
A Classic. Based on a real occurrence...
"I am sorry, I won't be able to see in 4 weeks' time," the doctor told Ms Lee as he glanced at his calendar. "It is Agong's birthday."
"We can schedule the appointment to see in 5 weeks, is that ok?"
Ms Lee, an executive in a small assembly plant in the capital city, was scrolling through her smartphone, looking rather perplexed.
"Why, Ms Lee?" Doctor was bewildered to see his patient's facial expression. "You won't be around? You can come and see me earlier if you have any problems."
"Err... June 4th? Agong birthday? Is that a state holiday or a national public holiday?' Ms Lee said with a straight face. "You see, I work in Selangor."
***
Another classic, may not be based on true occurrence...
Bubba, a Texan, was excited to be have won at the raffles to tour Malaysia. As he was being toured around in a double-decker bus with his mother, a screeching siren brought the bus to a halt.
Confused, Bubba went to the driver of the bus to inquire.
"Sir, why have we stopped? Were you speeding?"
"No, Mister." the driver replied with a smile. "We have to stop for the King!"
Excitedly Bubba ran to his mother who was seated at the back of the bus.
He said, "Mamma, I told you that THE KING IS ALIVE, ELVIS PRESLEY IS ALIVE and HE IS STAYING IN MALAYSIA!"
http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara
"I am sorry, I won't be able to see in 4 weeks' time," the doctor told Ms Lee as he glanced at his calendar. "It is Agong's birthday.""We can schedule the appointment to see in 5 weeks, is that ok?"
Ms Lee, an executive in a small assembly plant in the capital city, was scrolling through her smartphone, looking rather perplexed.
"Why, Ms Lee?" Doctor was bewildered to see his patient's facial expression. "You won't be around? You can come and see me earlier if you have any problems."
"Err... June 4th? Agong birthday? Is that a state holiday or a national public holiday?' Ms Lee said with a straight face. "You see, I work in Selangor."
***
Another classic, may not be based on true occurrence...
Bubba, a Texan, was excited to be have won at the raffles to tour Malaysia. As he was being toured around in a double-decker bus with his mother, a screeching siren brought the bus to a halt.
Confused, Bubba went to the driver of the bus to inquire.
"Sir, why have we stopped? Were you speeding?"
"No, Mister." the driver replied with a smile. "We have to stop for the King!"
Excitedly Bubba ran to his mother who was seated at the back of the bus.
He said, "Mamma, I told you that THE KING IS ALIVE, ELVIS PRESLEY IS ALIVE and HE IS STAYING IN MALAYSIA!"
http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara
May 25, 2016
All trapped, are we?
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le Papillon, French; 2007)
In this life, we are all trapped. The trap could be our doing, by illness, by virtue of our birth or by wrongdoings in life. Because of individual bonds that we build in our lifetime, we are compelled to surrender the fate of nature. It could be easy to live for the moment, leave it all and be indulgent in hedonistic activities, but is it the right thing to do? If so, by whose standards?
This French movie, done by a painter, is set in a palliative hospital built by a picturesque beach of Northern France. We are introduced to Jean-Do, a quadriplegic victim of a basilar stroke, whose contact to the outside world is through his left eye. He cannot verbalise, vocalise or respond to the world in any form.
After the initial self-pity and brooding, he fights back. With a good set of therapists, he is kept alive. As his condition remains the same with no improvement, he decides to detail his every experience in the 'locked-in' syndrome. After learning the art of 'silent alphabet' - through a tedious exercise of winking at the sound of an alphabet-, he 'writes' his autobiography through a transcribe.
He tells himself, he had not lost everything. He still had his memory and imagination to put to use.
He dreams of all the places he had been in his childhood and imagines himself in places he wished to be. His routine would be therapy, the weekly visit by family and reading by a friend.
He was a big time swinging editor of the Elle Magazine with a wife, family and mistress. In the background is his father, an 82-year-old man trapped in his apartment, bogged with dementia and probably phobia. The wife seems to stuck too with his condition. Jean-Do's mistress whom he yearns to meet never turns up, citing the inability to see him in that vegetative state as the reason!
He eventually succumbs to pneumonia.
It is apparently based on real life events. Of course with artistic licence and the right of the story in the hands of the children, the real story had supposedly been altered. The wife was the one who did not care for Jean-Do, according to journalists' interview with the estranged mistress. In her words, the wife was already out of the country when he was sick. Jean-Do had two children in real life but three in the film. The director found all three kids too cute during the audition. Hence, he included all three of them!http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara
In this life, we are all trapped. The trap could be our doing, by illness, by virtue of our birth or by wrongdoings in life. Because of individual bonds that we build in our lifetime, we are compelled to surrender the fate of nature. It could be easy to live for the moment, leave it all and be indulgent in hedonistic activities, but is it the right thing to do? If so, by whose standards?
This French movie, done by a painter, is set in a palliative hospital built by a picturesque beach of Northern France. We are introduced to Jean-Do, a quadriplegic victim of a basilar stroke, whose contact to the outside world is through his left eye. He cannot verbalise, vocalise or respond to the world in any form.
After the initial self-pity and brooding, he fights back. With a good set of therapists, he is kept alive. As his condition remains the same with no improvement, he decides to detail his every experience in the 'locked-in' syndrome. After learning the art of 'silent alphabet' - through a tedious exercise of winking at the sound of an alphabet-, he 'writes' his autobiography through a transcribe.
He tells himself, he had not lost everything. He still had his memory and imagination to put to use.
He dreams of all the places he had been in his childhood and imagines himself in places he wished to be. His routine would be therapy, the weekly visit by family and reading by a friend.
He was a big time swinging editor of the Elle Magazine with a wife, family and mistress. In the background is his father, an 82-year-old man trapped in his apartment, bogged with dementia and probably phobia. The wife seems to stuck too with his condition. Jean-Do's mistress whom he yearns to meet never turns up, citing the inability to see him in that vegetative state as the reason!
He eventually succumbs to pneumonia.
It is apparently based on real life events. Of course with artistic licence and the right of the story in the hands of the children, the real story had supposedly been altered. The wife was the one who did not care for Jean-Do, according to journalists' interview with the estranged mistress. In her words, the wife was already out of the country when he was sick. Jean-Do had two children in real life but three in the film. The director found all three kids too cute during the audition. Hence, he included all three of them!http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara
