Memoir Shamsiah Fakeh
2007 Edition
Published by Strategic Information and research Development Centre

Details gerakbudaya

Started reading 9 March 2008
Finished reading 12 March 2008

The lady in question has always been a fascination to the generation of Malaysians who lived through the years between the end of the Second World War and the beginning of Independence. How could a Malay girl from the a rural background, brought up in a traditional Muslim household leave all that behind and join forces with the communists.

The memoir does answer some parts of the question. But I guess the present has clouded some of the past memories. There are still some nagging question on her psyche, that momentous decision when she decides to abandon family and everything familiar for a life unknown.

She did live by her ideals. Even when she thanked the Malaysian government for allowing her to come back, there is a sense of satisfaction that she did not sell out. Her struggles does warrant a note in the history books. She is representative of the alternate route that some have chosen in the quest for independence from the British.

Gitanjali
by Rabindranath Tagore

Ebook version

Started reading 9 March 2008
Finished reading 10 March 2008

Details schoolofwisdom

This should be read at a leisurely pace. Each stanza should be savoured for its succulent images that come to mind. An ode to an almighty, a creator who is omnipresent. His touch is everywhere, seen through the naked eye and felt subconsciously. This is a love poem from a subject drunken in the throes of such greatness, dedicated to the one and only relevant idea that deserved such adulation.

This read requires patience to fathom the underlying beauty. A worthwhile effort.

The Unnecessary Man
by Randall Garrett

Ebook version

Started reading 25 February 2008
Finished reading 27 February 2008

Details manybooks

Enjoyable short story. On the surface, it is just a simple story of a secret agent doing his job looking for secrets from the enemy. Interspersed in the dialogue, however, the reader gets a bigger picture of the power struggles among the ruling elites. We get discourses on the limits of power and how ordinary people, the citizens of a state, are sometimes just mere pawns in the grand game of chess among the kings.

A quote from the book:

"No, you young fool, he is not unnecessary! He is, in a very real sense, the Emperor's shield. Our Emperors have always given the people of the Empire the kind of government they need, not the kind of government they want. There are certain things that must be done, whether the people like those things or not.”

'There are certain things that must be done, whether the people like those things or not', seems like a very familiar refrain. Such benevolence from those in power.