The Platters-My Prayer

great song by the Platters. It was played in the scene when Benjamin Button went sailing on his late father's boat. I'm not sure if many knew that the movie was based on the short story by Scott Fitzgerald..I had only realised it when looking for The Great Gatsby some time ago in the library and chanced upon "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". Fitzgerald was inspired by another literary hero Mark Twain, who remarked that "Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of 80 and gradually approach 18." Some other sources quoted the phrase differently: "It is a pity that the best part of life comes at the beginning, and the worst part at the end." I am not sure if he is being funny, sarcastic, or he truly meant what he said. Is the end always the worst part? Perhaps it isn't... if you have lived your life the way you wanted it to be lived, and there is nothing else you wish to change, nothing else you wish to hang on to... perhaps the end could be the best part of your life, when you leave with good memories. The beginning of life, seriously, what do we remember?! But of course, I do not doubt the beauty and power of youth. With youth, you can afford the energy and time to make mistakes, to venture into new territories without fears that you might be wasting precious time. But it is also a pity that sometimes we do not cherish our youth while we have it. I realise now that I had not taken the advantage of youth to live a little fearlessly. Oftentimes, I did not have the courage to step out of the comfort zone, or the courage to hurt someone else even though by not doing that, the person that ends up losing the most, is myself. Even now, it is the same...I guess "we are who we are, people don't change"....

George Orwell-Animal Farm

I had came across and half-read this book when I was about 9. I think at that age, I had thought the book was what it was, a story about strange, talking animals. Re-read this book 2 weeks ago and honestly, I don't think I fared any better in understanding the historical basis the book was written on. However, I dont't think Orwell was trying very hard to disguise his distaste for Stalin and his administration (the author's note blatantly stated so as well).

It is rather ironic that after the revolution against the humans and working hard to upkeep the farm, the animals returned to not only the starting point, but at a seemingly lesser place. The pigs, especially Napolean, reminded me a lot of charismatic politicians, who are able to persuade others to do the dirty work for them without lifting a finger and having these "workers" do so, without a single word of complaint. That is the power of persuasion and it something that very few people could master.

The saddest character of the story was that of Boxer, the work horse. His mantra was "I must work harder". He had never questioned what and why he was working hard for and never once complaint that most of the workload fell on his shoulders. When he could no longer work, he looked forward to the promise of a retirement home but never got it. Instead, he was sent to the slaughter house by the pigs. Heart-breaking....

Into The Wild

Finished the book a couple of weeks ago. Pretty interesting read. The book mentioned several other individuals who like Chris, decided to live different lives, away from society. I once thought the life of a hermit would be pretty awesome, as it saves you the frustration of dealing with human beings, and the complexities of relationships, responsibilities, etc. but of coz the life as a hermit comes with a price.. Boredom, fewer resources, no affection and comfort when you need them,etc. I think these people were a little extreme in their lifestyle choices and sad to say, some of them ended up killing themselves or met with accidents... It's the same with Chris McCandles... I guess his reckless youth was the cause of his death. To go into the wild without a proper map, resources, training, is as good as issuing yourself a death sentence. And I seriously do not think he had any intentions to end his life, even though there were speculations that he had a death wish. He had asked for help and had hoped that passerbys would see his SOS note and rendered him assistance. But it was too bad that hikers found him a little too late. It's a terrible waste of life. And I just can't bring myself to admire his lifestyle although I do admire his courage in doing what he felt was right and giving up the sense of comfort/ security of his life. I think I would have admired him more if he had been a little less idealistic and went to live in the wilderness with the proper tools and resources. I found him a little irresponsible as well. Sometimes we have to realize that our decisions and actions can have an impact on the people around us, and it is naive and selfish to think that "This is my life and I am free to do whatever I want with it".

Into the wild

Been trying to look for this book. Saw part of the movie and thought it seemed rather interesting. The book talks about the travels of Chris mcCandless, who despite having a scholarship for college, dropped everything and wandered the US with the bare minimals. He later hitchhiked his way to Alaska and even adopted a moniker called Alex supertramp. Unfortunately, the young man was later found dead in an abandoned bus in Alaska. The cause of his death is still under speculation. I just find it rather interesting how someone could one day wake up and decided to change the course of his life. Most people would have followed the crowd and took the path most travelled- College, career, marriage,kids. To pursue the life of a homeless man when you have a bright future ahead of you seems counterintuitive. Thought it might be interesting if the book, written by Jon krakauer, could tell the readers why Chris chose the life he did.

Trapped

Here I am lost again.
Trapped in your web of lies.
I've gotten myself entangled again.
In that make-believe world you've built.
I long to leave.
I long for that taste of freedom.
Which eludes me yet again.
I have nowhere to run to
No safe haven.
Running in circles
Back to that darkness
I long to escape from.

Half Broke Horses-Jeannette Walls

Another compelling book by Jeannette Walls. This is sorta like a prequel to The Glass Castle, which I had previously reviewed. Half Broke Horses is a biography on Jeannette Walls' late grandmother, an amazing woman who was fearless and unafraid to break traditions. Interestingly, the book was written in the first person and I am pretty impressed at how Walls managed to revive the spirit of her grandmother. You can almost believe that the book was written by Lily Casey Smith herself.

Lily Casey Smith was born on a farm and at a young age, was able to tame half broke horses that people might have given up on. She was the tough one amongst the three Smiths, while her youngest sister was the pretty one that everyone thought would have a bright future. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Lily's sister had dreams of Hollywood but never quite made it. Instead, she got herself pregnant and later killed herself when she could not live with the humiliation.

Lily's resume would have impressed many, even at this age and time. She was a rancher, teacher, pilot, horse tamer (she could put many a cowboys to shame), etc. She had a lot of gumption, uprooting herself from home on a horse and travelled for months just to accept a teaching job. She seemed to be invincible! I wished we could all be a little more like her, be a little less fearful, not afraid of taking risks, love adventures a little more....

I think all women should read this book, in the hope of finding that adventurer hiding in us...

Still Missing- Chevy Stevens

If there is a razzies award for books, this book should definitely be on the list. The plot is old, the writing is dry, and it doesn't engage the reader in any way nor does it seem too convincing a story.

Annie Sullivan was a successful realtor who was abducted by a Freak( as she calls him), who kept her locked up in a cabin as his make-believe wife. Anne Sullivan subsequently bore a child with the freak, only to have him smothered the baby to death. After her baby died, she finally plucked up the courage to put an axe through the freak's head. There werent too many suspects in the story to keep you from guessing who the mastermind was. Zero points for intrigue.

The writing was also pretty messy. The author jumped from one past event to the future and then to the present. Anne Sullivan was also constantly relating the entire story to a shrink ( the reader, if you will) but the dialogue seemed too contrite and unrealistic.

It makes me wonder how the book got published. Stroke of luck maybe?