Saturday 18th Sept
Of 'Osama' ...
The film opened with a group of Afghanistan widowed women veiled from head to toe, protesting against the harsh regime of the Taliman. They cried out "we are not political, we want work and food'. In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, women without a chaperon (male family members) are not allowed to venture out of the family compounds, lest they face the fury of the ruthless Talibans. Imagine these widowed women who lost their husbands during the wars, and have no other male family members to escort them, what were they going to survive on if they are not allowed to go out and earn their bread?
Very upsetting. Very disturbing.
The film revolves around a widowed woman, living with her 12 year old daughter "Osama", her elderly mother and her almost deranged sister. Although proficiently trained as a doctor, she was not free to practise and seek work, simply because she's a woman - and worse still, a woman with no male chaperon.
Out of sheer desperation, she has little choice but to disguise her daughter as a boy. As a boy, Osama found work in a shop and followed the men to their daily prayers. Her employer - a former comrade of her late father, treated her with compassion and for once, things seemed to be looking up as she brought food home to her impoverished family.
All was well till the Taliban decided to recruit young boys into the bin laden young boys' army. Unable to put a halt to her disguise as a boy, Osama was too recruited. When she was discovered by the Talibans that she was no boy (her period came), she was placed before a judge who 'forgave' her sins for impersonating as a boy. As a act of his magnanimousness, he gave her to the Mullah (i think it meant holy man) as wife. She, a sweet young thing at 12 years to be wedded to a disgusting man in his sixties?! The atrocity of it all!
The movie concluded with her looking terribly shaken on her wedding night, to one grostesque man she knows and love not...
Very sad.
When everyone was getting ready to leave the theatre, I overheard the lady sitting next to me telling her kids: 'boy, girl see how lucky you are to live in Singapore when you don't have to go through all those things.. '
How true. We are indeed blessed.
Of letters
I finally set aside some time just now to go through my box of letters, stashed away under my study table. Some of these letters and cards are at least 15 years old. And I found a really old letter dated back in 1987! That's like 17 years ago! Woah.
I used to have more such boxes, and I suspect mum threw some of them away when I was in Sydney. Hmm.
Anyway, I was reading through some of these letters and cards. Particularly, there was this stack of letters/cards Ad wrote me in 2001 - I felt a pinch of regret and sorrow as I was going through them. By the third letter, I couldn't bear to read further. Sigh.
The story of Ad and me -we never advanced further than the boundaries of friendship. I was back on hols then, we met up, and before my 3 week stay in Singapore was due, he told me he liked me. I was utterly confused and not wanting to commit to another relationship, having just broken up with the first boyfriend months back.
So things were left hanging in suspence between 'us' and I went back to Sydney. And then things between Kevin and me happened, like a whirlwind. I had to choose between them both, and no prize for guessing who I chose. I felt really bad for hurting Ad and because he was so upset with me, we contacted each other no more.
Sometimes (only sometimes) when I looked back, I wondered if things would have been different for me if I have chosen Ad instead of Kevin. Things probably would I guess, but its a choice I made and the consequences are mine to bear.
3 months later after Ad learnt about Kevin and me, he got attached too. And I was genuinely happy for him. 1 year later, he got married. He invited me to his wedding but I didn't show up, partly due to work but largely because I didn't know how to face the circumstance.
I rang him before his wedding - I apologised to him for all the pain and hurt I caused him, and that I am really sorry. I also wished him my blessings for his marriage.
These days, I don't contact him anymore. I just don't see the need to.
The film opened with a group of Afghanistan widowed women veiled from head to toe, protesting against the harsh regime of the Taliman. They cried out "we are not political, we want work and food'. In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, women without a chaperon (male family members) are not allowed to venture out of the family compounds, lest they face the fury of the ruthless Talibans. Imagine these widowed women who lost their husbands during the wars, and have no other male family members to escort them, what were they going to survive on if they are not allowed to go out and earn their bread?
Very upsetting. Very disturbing.
The film revolves around a widowed woman, living with her 12 year old daughter "Osama", her elderly mother and her almost deranged sister. Although proficiently trained as a doctor, she was not free to practise and seek work, simply because she's a woman - and worse still, a woman with no male chaperon.
Out of sheer desperation, she has little choice but to disguise her daughter as a boy. As a boy, Osama found work in a shop and followed the men to their daily prayers. Her employer - a former comrade of her late father, treated her with compassion and for once, things seemed to be looking up as she brought food home to her impoverished family.
All was well till the Taliban decided to recruit young boys into the bin laden young boys' army. Unable to put a halt to her disguise as a boy, Osama was too recruited. When she was discovered by the Talibans that she was no boy (her period came), she was placed before a judge who 'forgave' her sins for impersonating as a boy. As a act of his magnanimousness, he gave her to the Mullah (i think it meant holy man) as wife. She, a sweet young thing at 12 years to be wedded to a disgusting man in his sixties?! The atrocity of it all!
The movie concluded with her looking terribly shaken on her wedding night, to one grostesque man she knows and love not...
Very sad.
When everyone was getting ready to leave the theatre, I overheard the lady sitting next to me telling her kids: 'boy, girl see how lucky you are to live in Singapore when you don't have to go through all those things.. '
How true. We are indeed blessed.
Of letters
I finally set aside some time just now to go through my box of letters, stashed away under my study table. Some of these letters and cards are at least 15 years old. And I found a really old letter dated back in 1987! That's like 17 years ago! Woah.
I used to have more such boxes, and I suspect mum threw some of them away when I was in Sydney. Hmm.
Anyway, I was reading through some of these letters and cards. Particularly, there was this stack of letters/cards Ad wrote me in 2001 - I felt a pinch of regret and sorrow as I was going through them. By the third letter, I couldn't bear to read further. Sigh.
The story of Ad and me -we never advanced further than the boundaries of friendship. I was back on hols then, we met up, and before my 3 week stay in Singapore was due, he told me he liked me. I was utterly confused and not wanting to commit to another relationship, having just broken up with the first boyfriend months back.
So things were left hanging in suspence between 'us' and I went back to Sydney. And then things between Kevin and me happened, like a whirlwind. I had to choose between them both, and no prize for guessing who I chose. I felt really bad for hurting Ad and because he was so upset with me, we contacted each other no more.
Sometimes (only sometimes) when I looked back, I wondered if things would have been different for me if I have chosen Ad instead of Kevin. Things probably would I guess, but its a choice I made and the consequences are mine to bear.
3 months later after Ad learnt about Kevin and me, he got attached too. And I was genuinely happy for him. 1 year later, he got married. He invited me to his wedding but I didn't show up, partly due to work but largely because I didn't know how to face the circumstance.
I rang him before his wedding - I apologised to him for all the pain and hurt I caused him, and that I am really sorry. I also wished him my blessings for his marriage.
These days, I don't contact him anymore. I just don't see the need to.
posted by Shazza at Sunday, September 19, 2004
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home