What Stars Are Made Of
Slash (bin ...) was here recently. He wanted a picture with me. I obliged. Now watch Slash lick his guitar. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOwFkTGndGk
Slash is actually Saul Hudson a British-born American musician who was ranked by Time Magazine at #2 of the Top Ten Electric Guitar Players of All-Time! He started with a Les Paul together with countless Gibson and Fender Stratocaster. He listens to Aerosmith.
Rod Stewart was once a grave digger. How cool is that? Maybe he was singing I Don"t Want to Talk About It: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyrf4raknAo. Sure he went through ups and downs and then he sails through it all: "Sailing" was also an absolutely fabulous take: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpbuqh12oj4. This was around the time Morris Albert sung with so much "Feelings": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyBcHUe4WeQ.
Elvis was a truck driver who rendered songs like "Can't Help Falling In Love": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmakK7BSRnE. Clint Eastwood was a lumber jack or brick layer and no he didn't become a singer. Clint Eastwood went for an audition for a movie but got turned down by the producer because he is too tall, speaks with a soft voice and has a squint in his eyes. He got a shot in Raw Hide (TV), A Man With No Name, A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More and The Good, The Bad And The Ugly and the rest is history. This was a time where you fall in love with the Westerns with their uniquely spun music themes. Listen to For A Few Dollars More by Ennio Morricone:
Lovely isn't it? Feels like a gunslinger again? I search for these kind of music in the stores for quite awhile. Now, here's The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hYV-JSjpyU&feature=related. At one point in his earlier acting career, he got so depressed that he wanted to quit entirely.
Eastwood's second famed screen incarnation came in the form of detective Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry. "Go ahead, make my day". What about other iconic movies which he has artistic control over like High Plains Drifter, Pale Rider, Unforgiven, Sudden Impact, Tightrope, In The Line of Fire and even a love story The Bridges of Madison Square - no easy task considering acting opposite Meryl Streep yet he showed his soft masculinity. Eastwood became as great a producer/director when he gave us movies like Million Dollar Baby, Flags Of Our Father, Letters From Iwo Jima and if you can do catch this one Gran Torino. Every Eastwood moive is a signature. Eastwood is of British/Dutch ancestry and in his younger days did odd jobs like as a grocery clerk, fire-fighter and golf caddy. Any movie produced or directed by him is like a masterpiece.
If you talk about Clint Eastwood, you must also talk in the same breadth for actors like Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. If you have caught movies like Taxi Driver, Godfather II, Raging Bull, Deer Hunter, Goodfellas, as Al Capone in The Untouchables, Heat just to name a few, you will instantly remember how great he is. De Niro is of Italian/Irish descent. There's no explanation as to why people like De Niro. Watch him to understand.
If you are impressed with De Niro, how could you not mention Al Pacino. Remember movies like Scarface, Godfather (trilogy), the unforgettable Scent of A Woman, Serpico, And Justice For All, as the devil in The Devil's Advocate, Sea of Love, Donnie Brasco, 88 Minutes and Righteous Kill. He of Italian/American parents flunk all his exams except for English in his younger days and was once a janitor working to finance his acting studies. There was a time where he was frequently jobless and homeless. Can you imagine how tough it must have been? His range of acting ability and his portrayal of a character role is always incredible. To me, there is no actor with greater intensity and presence than Al Pacino except maybe Mel Gibson who may be equal to Pacino in intensity,
So, what's the story? If you think you are struggling today, think of everyone's humble beginnings. At some point in time, we all felt like giving up. From Rod Stewart to Elvis Presley. From Clint Eastwood to Al Pacino. Of course they had their opportunities but one thing they had in common was - they never gave up. They believed in themselves even when low in spirit and stuck to it like a postage stamp until they reached the final destination. That is when perseverance meets opportunity. Persevere till the opportunity comes along for it will.
It is like a sculptor working on a statue, chipping at the stone day and night. Sometimes, it feels meaningless in the struggle. Thomas Edison failed a thousand times before he invented the light bulb and he said he learned a thousand ways how not to make a light bulb. A martial arts exponent was once a novice who when he first struck a plank or brick, only his hand hurt and nothing else happened but through sheer determination, practice and application could he finally use the right technique to bash through planks and bricks. Many people told Clint Eastwood he can't make it - too tall, too soft-spoken and squint, all of which were true but boy did he not only made it, he made it on his own. His own term, his own style turning his bane to boon. The very things that were supposed to be his undoing became his assets and trademark.
What is there not to like about yourselves? I am not asking you to be like Narcissus who fell in love with himself when he saw his own reflection in the water. Or people who talks louldy because they like to hear their own voice but don't be too hard on yourself, be gentle and love yourself so that we could learn to love others like ourselves. Listen to what Simon & Garfunkel has to say in "Bridge Over Troubled Water": The Original -
When you are weary, feeling small. When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all. I'm on your side when times get rough and friends just can't be found. Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down. When you are down and out. When you're on the street. When evening falls so hard, I will comfort you. I'll take the part when darkness comes and pain is all around. Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down. Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down.
Sail on Silver Girl, sail on by. Your time has come to shine. All your dreams are on their way. See how they shine. If you need a friend, I'm sailing right behind. Like a bridge over troubled water, I will ease your mind. Like a bridge over troubled water, I will ease your mind.
It was probable that Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel went through a lot too when they penned this song. Stars were once just like you and me. Even now but there are always perseverance, persistence and tenacity. Here's the version from Russell Watson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3IrFc9yzRo and then Michael W. Smith:
Perseverance is to maintain effort, to be steadfast, to have tenacity. Persistence is to continue in spite of obstacles and objections. Tenacity (to be tenacious) is to hold on and grasp firmly, to be tough and cohesive. My friends, we are all stars in our own right. In Desiderata, it was said that we are no less than the stars and the trees. Your time has come to shine. All your dreams are you their way but watch out for that tree as we learn from George of the Jungle. Be of good cheer!
Bertrand Russell - Against my will, in the course of my travels, the belief that everything worth knowing was known at Cambridge gradually wore off. In this respect my travels were very useful to me. Your travels may not necessarily mean globe-trotting. It is your journey of life.
Patriotism
Do you know that I do not normally show emotion of loyalty and patriotism? I'm no show off but yet I will always extol the virtues of Singapore and defend our life style. My word is my bond and I wear my heart on my sleeves. If you look at the picture with my car adorning the Singapore flag, I 'm showing a rare burst of emotion. If you cut me up, the blood that spills is red and white. If you use a microscope, you can even see the stars and crescent moon. I love Singapore! Majulah Singapura! Happy Birthday Singapore!!!
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