Remaking of the old and beautiful-Is that necessary?

Is there no more ideas and new stories to write and create, except for pinching the ideas of the old and splashing a combination of ugly colours over them?  Is there nothing more producers and scriptwriters  could offer, but to parody, remake, recast and satire on the old??. Is there no more creativity  left that they have to attack  the purity of the old to distort,  and add  harsh elements, darkness and the unthinkable to the fairy tales we grew up with?
I'd always love Snow White and the seven dwarfs and Cinderella, gosh, that is  just so romantic . I grew up with the notion that happiness is when a prince comes in his shiny armour and carry me off to a land of joy and contentment, where I live happily ever after. Of course, there is always the bad witch hovering around, but at the end of the day, there is my prince waiting to rescue me and he does it with great style.

But now there is a sour and bitter version to those lovely stories. I really hate the adult reality of those versions. They flood the cyber-world. I  have personally received plenty of  not so nice images of the married Cinderella and Snow white, the behind the door realities, via email.   It appeared, there is no such thing as fairy tale ending after all. Those were mere constructed  illusions and wishful thinking. Now that the man has gotten  his princess, safely confined in his home, he can turn 360 degrees and his "princess" has to live with it. With the apple safely in his hand, he could now  pursue and conquer other territories, leaving his beautiful princess  lonely and alone,  more bitter by the day. Is that what life is,  in reality? Behind every close door, there are skeletons, and the unsavoury ? Are they trying to douse out the flames of all romantics in the world, "hello! there is no such thing as fairy tale ending?" Of course, "fairy tale" itself, reads fiction, imagination but, do they really need to douse out the flames, completely? Is that why parents do not read bed time stories to children any more? .

It is just like the Father Christmas thing. I was adamant that my children enjoy their childhood with Father Christmas, Santa Claus and every-year I would  take great pains to buy gifts and hide them and on Christmas day, viola! Santa Claus had come bearing loads of gifts on Christmas eve! We were the average working couple and there was never excesses, but we made sure, Santa brings in the gifts. Seeing the happiness on the faces of the children makes the day, creates so much meaning to our roles as parents. Year after year, they would look forward to Christmas and when the season comes, the house is always alive with the joys of Christmas. The expectancy and the hope were so beautiful to see. As parents, we worked hard to fulfil their secret desires. Then one day, the neighbours, wickedly disillusioned the children and the joys of Santa was lost for ever. Talk about insensitivity!!Father Christmas never paid a visit ever again, and the magic of Christmas was totally wiped out-pooh! gone! I remembered being sad for the children, sad, they had to accept truth in such a brutal manner and at such a tender age. It would be better if maturity brings in the realisation but ...

Again, is there no more creativity in the world that people have to thrash up the fairy tales and trade them for  ugliness, even though there is truth beneath? Could they not create something new and leave the purity and beauty of the fairy tales to remain forever beautiful in the minds of children ; and those who had grown up with such lovely tales? They  do feed the lacking in us and tell us, there is hope yet. I would say, leave the beauty alone. Do not spoil the landscape. If anyone wishes, please create new stories, new imagery with reality and realism incorporated. That would be advancing into the current and the futuristic. I hesitate  to    use the word post modernization, because, hei, that is a term for the academics and not for us walkers of the ordinary plains of life.

The fantasy and the magical-a stress detox ??

I noticed that TV dramas and film shows have gone into the magical and supernatural genre, the unexplained and the mysterious. When Harry Potters first hit the big screen, everybody was totally awed and people made a beeline for the cinemas. Lord of the Rings had a similar effect and people, young and old went goo gaa over the thrill of watching the mighty battle between the  good and  the wicked with all the elements of the supernatural thrown in. For a moment the viewers are allowed  to escape from realism into the incredible world of magic and fantasy. Even Chinese dramas have caught on. Extraordinary warriors with the third eye, those with Kung Fu skills so advanced, that they fly and perform almost magical feats. Have you noticed how the mind just quicken and you automatically shut out the stresses of the real to allow the unreal to move in to de-stress?

It is weird isn't it, that with advancement and development, also comes isolation and alienation, mostly  self imposed. The world is  moving just too fast , we get so burnt out with the noise of the world that various illnesses of the physiological have emerged. We desperately look around for something, anything at all to calm the mind and keep our sanity intact. Confusion sprouts everywhere and invade your living space. You need to do this, you need to do that. How do you define priority and what is more important in living? Career or relationship? Work or Play? Fine clothes or the abandonment  of them for the pure joys of  the wilds and nature? Recently, I read of two young and academically sound  young man , not even 30 years of age. They had given up the hustle and bustle of  city life and the slavery of the corporate world for the peace of the country. They have become fruit farmers and they have learnt that nature is a great teacher, . The eyes sees less of the material and the senseless cravings, which makes a "madman" out of you. You get real satisfaction touching the fruits of your labour. Life becomes more meaningful. Satisfaction and contentment is so reachable. You become more positive.

More and more  people, are looking for "gurus" of the mind to  help them find balance and they do not mind paying hundreds and thousands, just so that "gurus" could lead them out of the maze into a sphere of peace. The in-thing now is mediation, private moments with God, the healing of both the mind and body. Mental health is now the buzz word. Besides the religious remedies, some including Yours Truly have taken refuge in a spot of fantasy-the magical moments of the unreal and the wishful to shut out the harsh realities of a very ugly world. Just for the entertainment and relaxation. There are pros and cons in such actions, but to YT, it is more pro than cons. An hour or two of fantasy and make believe entertains and cools the overheated mind and you emerged refreshed and recharged to continue that upward climb up the ever challenging terrain.Frankly, the challenging road becomes almost level and smooth after the stop over at the rest place of  fantasy and the connection of the supernatural.

That why folks, there  is a future for the fantasy and the magical in today's world. You know, what  YT imagines when she gets stuck in a traffic jam? She has Chitty, Chitty, Bang! Bang! a magical car, of her fairy tale childhood. Whenever traffic obstructs her movement, the magic of the car will take over and she soars high up above the lines of obstruction and roars home. That always bring on a smile to her face and yes sir, it also took away the frustration of the caged in feeling.

Purpose of life

The purpose in  man's mind is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out. Proverb 20:5


A man of understanding  is clear and focus in his objective and his purpose in life and works towards that attainment. A man who lacks the wisdom and the understanding  faces confusion and sluggards, he is forever wandering in the maze, unable to find his way out-lost!.

There is purpose in the life of every man BUT how many even know what his purpose is and then act out his designated purpose in the manner that is called of him? Basically, a man of understanding acts out his worth. He does not do things in half measures.He does not question why he is not "king". He understands that,  not every man is born equal because all have come into this realm  to serve their own purpose, whichever role he has to play.  There has to be kings, leaders, middlemen,  traders, workers and servants, the have/s and the have nots. No matter his status and position he gamely lives his life as meaningfully as he could. He charts his path from the beginning to the accomplished fulfilled end positively. .

If his purpose is to be a son and father, he works on his filial love to his parents and then practices nurturing and straightening of his children so that they become people of worth in the future and hence the goodness lives on. Life's purpose has many stages and you will need to travel to experience, savour, recognise and appreciate its significance, then work to fulfil your purpose.


The Purpose of living is a complex and complicated matter.Many only recognise it when they have advanced into their autumn years. They spend their spring and summer chasing after career paths , the material and the physical, forgetting to show love and care to loved ones, both family and friends. Then as the leaves started to fall and the sun begins it descend,  and they find them selves isolated and all alone, enlightenment comes-they finally, realise, there is more to life than money and power. They  then realise happiness is the love and care from loved ones. That  matters a great deal..

Happiness is the nectar that adds meaning to life and strangely it also tells you if have lived a purposeful and  fulfilled life in this temporary realm of time.

The other image of predestination

Exams are such a chore. You spent days on end studying, pouring over the materials and it ends when you have transferred compressed material into the prescribed  line of the questions framed. Could  passing an examination  determine your worth or is it more important to know the mechanics of the applications? To me both are equally important and like any 'kiasu" out there, it has to be splendidly done as well. No Half measures. but the brim.

Tan Twan Eng's, Gift of the Rain got me thinking. Even if everything is predestined, you still got to work very hard to attain..Nothing comes easy. The steps leading to your desired goal is a journey in itself. Worth comes from self. You still need to discern and walk in the right manner, even if destiny has cast you into a certain path. In predestination, there is still a certain measure of free will and we have to polish our act every step of the way.


 I ask myself, why have I returned to this path, when the candle is way past the mid point? The hand of God? Is there still a task He has in store for me? Whatever it is, I shall continue walking in trust and confidence. I do not want to question, His decision for this late call. I'm just going to enjoy  this very rejuvenating opportunity. Today is enough, let God reveal the Tomorrow in his own time. 

Practice and live Dreams. Stop the dreaming!

When do you stop dreaming? Should there be a midway point where you stop and discern, your aims, your dream purpose and the results?  Where is my dream leading me? Am I fruitful or just drifting, with all the appearances of pursuing? Doesn't pursuing without the actual living = aimless?

Some people dream all their lives,they scramble all over the place and never reach their desired destination. Most of the time, they visualised what it will be like and think, they have got it. Hardly! There are others who  find it easy to convert , 'disarray'  into 'organised' to become what they want to be.  They see challenges as opportunities to conquer and act to achieve.These are the people who succeed in living their dreams.

I have a friend. She had always wanted to write, but never found the time. Then, motherly and wifely duties called and she had to give  up her promising corporate career to look after her family. It was at this time, in between her house chores, that she started to write  and against all odds, had a number of books published. Additionally, she freelanced for one of the main stream media. In the end, she had the best of both worlds, an author, a writer, a good wife and a cherished mother. For her it is utter fulfilment. It's God's blessings, she always say, "He closed one door but opened more fulfilling doors for me". I like her faith and I admire her fortitude.

Another friend dreams, and is still dreaming. She is not so lucky. She found uncontrollable obstacles, littering her progress path. Although, she fights them, the burden of  lacking, stops her moving into the progress corridor. She lacks money, luck ,emotional support and the list goes on. One has to  admire her fighting spirit though, she refuses to give up!
 ( Sometimes, I wonder at what cost)  Though time,is no longer  the young and vibrant man walking with her, ( my poet friend would term that,' flickering light') she  nevertheless pushed on relentlessly. Sad to say, till today,  she has yet to catch that elusive star. She is still very much in the process of pursuing. Unlike the first friend, who seemed to have all the help to get her moving; the latter  is faced with closed doors, even though she kept on knocking. Should she persist in whatever she is doing?

Let's speak 'practical' and logic. There must come  a point, when a person must wake up and stop dreaming. Stop wasting good resources and precious time. It is like, if you had turned into the wrong road, take a U turn and get back onto the right road. That should get you home in no time, but if you stubbornly push on,  perhaps you may find a new route at some point ( good for you then) but there is  also a greater possibility, that when they take you on your last journey, you look back and lament...if only I had......

Time and tide waits for no man. You may have lost some time, but it is never too late to  face reality and move from negative to positive. What you achieve, what you attain, not only depends very much on your own expectations and your resourcefulness towards that objective BUT also that ability to discern and rise up to the occasion ,make a decision and make it right!  

You have a choice. a) Shake hands with Wisdom and Realism , be in your action clothes b)  Sit and cry over failures and the unattained,  or c)  Remain  a passenger on that lost ship and drift  aimlessly on till your call comes.....You choice!