I Want More about Milosevic's Childhood, and My Trip Destinations

I’m reading “Milosevic” at a steady pace. Especially after “Orientalism,” which in many parts is recondite, it is a big relief that I don’t have to read the same one sentence several times to understand. When one writes about him, it may be natural to devote many pages to his rapid rise through the Communist hierarchy ladder and of course the 3-way war in the former Yugoslavia. However, my interest in his life is to learn more about how his childhood and relatively young days affected his later career as both his parents committed suicide. It seems that as a person, he found the absolute security in his wife, Mira. No matter whatever I do, Mira is always with me, defends me and never betrays me.

By the way, his daughter, Marija, was quite a glamorous beauty, judging from the one photo in the book! She, still while a teenager, married a diplomat and went to Japan along with him. She, a very much pampered kid, didn’t like the life in Japan and got bored, left there and divorced him. Her recent photos show a complete auntie, though. She was reported to have had a “nervous breakdown” after Milosevic was removed from power.

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Because the immigration officer at Woodlands was not very clear what “fly out” really means (must it be to Japan? Or anywhere?), I’m now thinking about destinations excluding Japan. Myanmar is an obvious candidate but visiting there requires a visa. Another is Vietnam, which I’ve also been interested in visiting because of the books I’ve read about the war and the movies, “THE SCENT OF GREEN PAPAYA” and “Full Metal Jacket.” To enter Vietnam, it is not required to obtain a visa, as far as the stay is within 15 days. As the year end, when embassies will be closed, is approaching and I can’t still make up my mind, a trip that requires no visa seems attractive.