Just found out that my sister is going to be posted to Afghanistan in July. Normally this would really freak a person out, but she is cool as a cucumber, in fact she's even looking forward to going. Too many years in the army has fried her faculties I think. But that's my big sister, she's always been gung-ho about the stuff that scares the shit out of everyone else. She's done loads of weird things, she was even an embalmer for a time and although she has well and truly proven that she can handle herself and this wont be the first time that she has been posted overseas, I can't help but think - Afghanistan - bloody hell!
It is really difficult to know what to say to a person when they tell you that they are being posted to Afghanistan, because your first instinct is say Oh Fuck! You never hear any good news from that part of the world, and next to Iraq it has a rather distressing body count when it comes to soldiers. But my sister is more than happy to go, so I suppose that she is going into this in the best possible way that anyone could.
I know that I would make the crappiest soldier ever and I have never had any interest in joining the forces. Firstly, I don't do well with authority and I loathe being told what to do. Secondly, I am not a fan of fitness, running or anything to do with compulsory working out of any variety. And most importantly, I hate the word 'camp' in all of it's forms, especially 'boot-camp' which is my least favourite thing in the world after gastroenteritis and cancer.
Also, I don't think that my laid back, artsy, free-loving ways would be embraced by the forces, I think that they are looking for someone with a more 'go get 'em' attitude. I am more of a 'you go get 'em and I will just wait here' kind of a person.
So, I guess what I am trying to say is that I am really glad that there are people out there like my big sister. People that are willing to do whatever needs to be done, to put themselves out there and to step outside of their comfort zone, because quite frankly, most of us just don't have the minerals for it.
It is really difficult to know what to say to a person when they tell you that they are being posted to Afghanistan, because your first instinct is say Oh Fuck! You never hear any good news from that part of the world, and next to Iraq it has a rather distressing body count when it comes to soldiers. But my sister is more than happy to go, so I suppose that she is going into this in the best possible way that anyone could.
I know that I would make the crappiest soldier ever and I have never had any interest in joining the forces. Firstly, I don't do well with authority and I loathe being told what to do. Secondly, I am not a fan of fitness, running or anything to do with compulsory working out of any variety. And most importantly, I hate the word 'camp' in all of it's forms, especially 'boot-camp' which is my least favourite thing in the world after gastroenteritis and cancer.
Also, I don't think that my laid back, artsy, free-loving ways would be embraced by the forces, I think that they are looking for someone with a more 'go get 'em' attitude. I am more of a 'you go get 'em and I will just wait here' kind of a person.
So, I guess what I am trying to say is that I am really glad that there are people out there like my big sister. People that are willing to do whatever needs to be done, to put themselves out there and to step outside of their comfort zone, because quite frankly, most of us just don't have the minerals for it.
ZERO DARK THIRTY
Release date: 2012
Rating: R 18+
Running time: 157 mins
I learnt a lot about the events surrounding the hunt for Osama Bin Laden from this movie. The lengths that the government went to were incredibly intense and are all well portrayed in this honest account of the decade-long hunt for the leader of the terrorist group - al-Qaeda.
Jessica Chastain plays Maya, a CIA operative whose determination and single-mindedness leads her to the whereabouts of Osama Bin Laden, with the help of a Navy SEAL team they close in for the kill.
Most of the film is spent in various forms of investigation and brutal interrogations, chopping around from one place to another. But the final thirty minutes of the movie bring it all together in a documentary style that suggests that you're actually watching this unfold, it's edge of your seat suspenseful.
FINAL SAY: Not a lighthearted romp, but certainly a story worth hearing.
3.5 Chili Peppers
Release date: 2012
Rating: R 18+
Running time: 157 mins
I learnt a lot about the events surrounding the hunt for Osama Bin Laden from this movie. The lengths that the government went to were incredibly intense and are all well portrayed in this honest account of the decade-long hunt for the leader of the terrorist group - al-Qaeda.
Jessica Chastain plays Maya, a CIA operative whose determination and single-mindedness leads her to the whereabouts of Osama Bin Laden, with the help of a Navy SEAL team they close in for the kill.
Most of the film is spent in various forms of investigation and brutal interrogations, chopping around from one place to another. But the final thirty minutes of the movie bring it all together in a documentary style that suggests that you're actually watching this unfold, it's edge of your seat suspenseful.
FINAL SAY: Not a lighthearted romp, but certainly a story worth hearing.
3.5 Chili Peppers
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