The pianist

I finally finished watching the movie 'The Pianist' on DVD. When it was showing on tv on a Sunday and only halfway through at midnight. It's a three-hour show about how a famous Polish Jew pianist survived WW2 under the Germans.

The most memorable scene is Germans soldiers entering a Jewish family's home during dinnertime and made everyone stand up to salute them. An old man on wheelchair obviously couldn't, so they lifted him and the wheelchair and threw him off the balcony.

And the coincidence that I'm now working for a German company and my German colleague suddenly talked about the war. The last time such coincidence occurred was during hari raya when I had wanted to ask why Muslims can't eat p***k and then my friend started talking all about it.

So back to Germans and WW2, my colleague said when he was a teenager and traveled around Europe, people weren't that welcoming, especially the Jews who were exterminated. The Germans have WW2 as part of their education. Students were showed videos of the atrocities. The nation was upset how others looked at them. The Japanese on the other hand, offered no apology to-date. But, do the new generations care? My favorite fashion brands include uniqlo and muji. When it comes to cartoon characters, however, it has to be made in hong kong - McDull. I plan to go Tokyo for Sakura after the radiation but that may be 20 years from now. The day hopefully will come now that most of the bees have disappeared.

Watches change with time

My dad was a watch lover so when I was young, he bought for me classic citizens, seiko - the kinetic type with a simple face and metallic strap. I was envious of my classmates' Mickey mouse and other fanciful watches.

Then I started buying colorful fun designs when I went to junior college. They might be cheap, but hip and I enjoyed the positive comments from my friends. When I started taking vacation jobs, I was even willing to spend on Swatch watches. Now my budget is only $60 and even then it's a little pricey to me.

Recently, my casio watch I bought some 4 years back for $37 (or was it $35?) during a sale, stopped working due to a flat battery. I was contemplating buying a new, good one but finally decided after some shopping/ market research that all I need was a time teller an this one has served me well. $6 and I got back a reliable and sturdy watch. Good things don't have to be expensive they just need to be reliable and practical.

I still have some of the old watches in my drawer, maybe I'll have them all repaired one day.