Invictus

I just finished watching the film, Invictus, which follows the story of Nelson Mandela's first days as the President of the South Africa at the time that South Africa hosting the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The title of the film comes from a poem by William Ernest Henley that was written in 1875. In the film Mandela refers to this poem as what motivated him, when he was incarcerated in Roben Island Prison, to "stand when all he wanted to do was lie down".

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

~ William Ernest Henley

Although in reality it was not this exact piece of writing that Mandela handed to the Captain of the South Africa Rugby team, Francois Pienaar, the poem itself deserves some attention. Definitely a wall hanger.

Everything I have blogged so far is of no importance.

As I sit here, these are 7 Iranian Baha'is are sitting in the Evin Prison (Tehran, Iran), as they have been doing so since their arrests in March and May 2008, awaiting their fate.

Their crime: Being Baha'i and Belief in Baha'u'llah.
Only today, after almost TWO years, their trial began. I ask for your prayers that they recieve the justice deserved by every single human being.

For more information on the situation surrounding the arrests and the trial that is now underway follow this link: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/01/12/Iran.bahai.trial/

Reader's digest

Having grown up as quite the book worm, the past few months of near constant travel have necessitated a wide selection of books to occupy all those 'in-between' times. And although I am a great Harry Potter fan and I finally caved and read Twilight (much to my disappointment), the rest of the books have not, for the most part, been bestsellers. And it just so happens that I found an article in The Economist which summerizes my point much better than I could myself. Just to quote:

"A lot of the people who read a bestselling novel, for example, do not read much other fiction. By contrast, the audience for an obscure novel is largely composed of people who read a lot. That means the least popular books are judged by people who have the highest standards, while the most popular are judged by people who literally do not know any better. An American who read just one book this year was disproportionately likely to have read “The Lost Symbol”, by Dan Brown. He almost certainly liked it."

Now, I'm not saying that I necessarily have the highest standards, but it's always nice to think of oneself as a little above those who ONLY read The Lost Symbol :)

The rest of the article is also definitely worth at least a glance.


Source: The Economist

Coffee for fortune

It seemed like a good idea at the time, drinking a cup of Turkish coffee to have my 'fortune' read. Perhaps I should've taken the time into consideration. It’s now almost 4 am and I'm still buzzing from my 10pm caffeine intake.

And after all the heart palpitations, this is what I learned of my future:

• I am too caught up in my dreams that I forget to live the present
  
• My future plans (near and distant) are going to be very busy and chaotic (story of my life)
• There is someone in my life that is begging for my forgiveness - down on their hands and knees!
  

Now, considering the last 6 months of my life have been a rollercoaster ride of semi-organised chaos, the prospect of a continuation of this hecticness is a little more than I can handle. As for the forgiveness business, anyone who knows me at all knows that I don't hold grudges and hence don't even need to be asked for forgiveness. And finally, dreamer I have always been, dreamer will I always be.

In conclusion, Turkish coffee --> fortune telling = no 'light' shed = sleepless night = (hate to say it) EPIC FAIL.

Let me occupy your mind