I don’t mind telling you: writing again on this blog is like clawing my way back into the light - or normalcy, take your pick. I told myself I’d stay away till the polling dates are finalized. Well, it’s been finalized now, and therefore -
A few weeks ago, I watched two movies based on the legend (or myth) of Beowulf. Back in 1999, I watched Antonio Banderas prance around in chainmail and scimitar, dancing the blades with the eaters of the dead in “The 13th Warrior”, as part of a team of warriors lead by a “Bulwyf” - that’s pronounced “Bull-vie” in the movie, how cool is that? - out to help a besieged village. I liked that movie, nevermind the inaccuracies, because the movie sought to delve beyond the Beowulf myth. I mean, a fire drake turning out to be lines of calvary bearing torches in the fog - brilliant.
But what really blew me away was that whole digitally animated version of Beowulf - yes, the one in which Angelina Jolie pranced around almost nekkid. Everyone got so focused on that whole naked Angelina thing, and there was so much hype and talk surrounding this one fact, that I decided to stay away from the movie altogether. I see enough naked women in porn. So when I did finally get down to watch the movie, I saw in the credits that the screenplay was co-written by Neil Gaiman. I knew I was in for a fantastic time, and I wasn’t the least disappointed.
I won’t spoil it, in case you’ve not watched it, but there’s a whole bunch of destiny, fate and hubris in the tale. A departure from the original Beowulf legend, definitely, but one that I’ll savour for months to come.
(Damn, two months of not writing anything and I find it difficult to articulate much at all…)
In any case, the elections. It’s coming, what more is there to say about it? The recent news I’ve been reading off Malaysiakini doesn’t sound too positive: all parties - BN or opposition - seem to be jockeying for seats, though most eyes should be trained on UMNO since they are the real power in the country. The opposition? Well, the opposition are squabbling over seats, and the mainstream media, I hear, is making a meal out of it. I throw up my hands in despair and wonder if the opposition will ever get its act together and I find myself shrugging in response - everyone wants to guard their own turf, everyone who’s in parliament wants to remain in parliament - surprise, surprise.
I’ve been on the verge of losing hope these past few weeks. I despaired when I heard just how much money they were pumping into the “Chinese community” - RM 300 million, apparently. I found myself wondering, a bit nastily, if the bribe was enough to secure Chinese votes. RM 300 million is nothing to sneeze at, mind you. I just hope people realize there are things money can’t buy - like peace of mind and one’s own dignity.
Speaking of bribes and pay-packets, I’m wondering when I’ll get a share of the UMNO war-chest. It must be huge by now, and I imagine little goblinoid accountants fussing over mounds of cash, making dead certain they’ve got all the figures right. Someone told me once that come election time, there’d be rooms full of cash just waiting to be delivered to delegates and such - the amounts of cash we’re talking about should give you some idea of how much people are demanding to have “short term memory loss” - or what I’d call “taking leave of one’s senses”.
No one said those being bribed are traitors - not yet, anyway.