Wake up, wander, wait.
Breakfast, blog.
Shower, dishes.
Clean, launder, cook.
Read, wander, wait.
This is ALL I do.
Yesterday I was sad. I wanted to punch my fist through a window just to see it bleed and feel something beyond this numbness and lethargy.
Today I'm angry. I want to slap someone really hard. In the way that leaves your hand tingling and all your fingers stencilled in red across the other person's face.
I feel worthless, like any smarts or creativity I did have are melting away and I can do nothing to stop it.
I'm sick of stupid agencies and stupid HR and stupid stupid unemployment.
February 26, 2007
February 25, 2007
The Bad Outweighs the Good
Yet again I awoke from a dream today in which I was at Ibn Seena English High School.
I dream about my school constantly - variations of real life scenes, bizarre new scenarios - even though I haven't visited it physically in almost 10 years. But every few times a week my dreams allow me to return to those safe and familiar and loved walls (painted a ghastly green and yellow) among teachers and friends who have since dropped by the wayside, but at the time formed my entire world.
I don't know why my unconscious self finds its way back here over and over again. But I can remember every square inch of this school: how the window AC's blared and the ceiling fans creaked in the classrooms in an attempt to keep out the dusty heat; how we balanced ourselves on horizontally constructed green poles along the walkways without our butts getting numb; the smell of the room where the photocopier and chart-paper supplies were stored; how cold and wet the water coolers felt to the touch, and how strangely metallic yet refreshing that water was; the grimy smell of the buses that ran on diesel; the sounds of shoes scuffing on the stone steps and clanking on the iron staircase in the Girl's Block.
This is where I first experienced, no doubt in a sheltered microcosm, the realities of life to come - first love taught me about heartbreak, friendship taught me about betrayal and changing loyalties, supportive teachers taught me about hard work and confidence, and rigged elections taught me about prejudice, corruption and unfairness.
I spent 12 years in the same school, so maybe that's why I have this unbreakable bond with it. But sadly, I am no longer the person that that school knew. Because after 12 years there, I moved to a different school for two years. Two small, simple years shattered everything I knew about myself, how I viewed the world, and what I could dare to expect from it.
I moved to Dubai College for two years to do my A'Levels. No doubt that those two years were the most academically rewarding years of my life - I learned more then than in three years at Northwestern - but the social experience of DC left me dazed and confused for many years to come.
Suddenly, I was no longer top dog. No one knew me, cared about me, or wanted to know or care about me. The school was mostly made up of British students, of the worst and most racist kind. The small non-Brit minority was so culturally assimilated that there really wasn't much hope of being accepted by anyone.
I was insulted and taunted in public - about my skin, my religion, and my sister had recently graduated from there so they yelled out unkind things about her weight. I was physically assaulted - they threw food at my head and vandalized my cubicle - and eventually emotionally destroyed, left with a chronic fear of white people.
This was a school with endless opportunity and resources - a great library, numerous extra curricular activities and sports and clubs to get involved with. It was like everything I had read about in Enid Blyton's Mallory Towers and St. Clare's series - only everyone despised me and treated me like an untouchable. I craved their approval, but I could trust no one.
Perhaps the lack of distraction is what made me focus on my studies, which I truly did enjoy because it was so different than how I had previously learned. I did extremely well, but even that success was bittersweet: my good work brought about racist remarks from jealous teachers, and I was excluded from winning prizes everyone said I deserved by teachers who preferred to confer them upon white students. All of this helped to underscore my deteriorating confidence and growing fear of success.
Thankfully, the horror lasted only two years and I managed to make the best of it by learning to ignore a lot of the insanity and lay low. I took comfort in the friends I made online and rushed home to talk to, and to Kamaal Khan songs I heard on my walk-man. It's telling to see that the song I clung to most (a remake of a Munni Begum song) went like this:
"Ae mere humnasheen, chal kaheen aur chal, iss chaman mein ab apna guzara nahin..
Baat hoti gulon tak, toh sehlete hum.. ab toh kaanton pe bhi haqq humara nahin.."
Anyway, life went on and took many more turns. I stumbled and cried and faced greater challenges, but eventually I picked myself up again to become a much stronger and better human being.
But that's the sad part about life - how two years of horror can undo twelve years of bliss. How a little bit of a bad always outweighs mounds of good. How life so quickly becomes about sadness and disappointments, with little attention paid to the bounties and blessings. How we always are quick to write criticisms in suggestion boxes and feedback forms, yet spend so little time appreciating the good things we are provided.
Maybe that's why my dreams return me to the comforting memories of Ibn Seena time and again - to remind me of all the good that I have been blessed with, to make me appreciate the little pleasures I have in my life, so that I can look at the present and feel content, and look to the future with optimism and hope.
I dream about my school constantly - variations of real life scenes, bizarre new scenarios - even though I haven't visited it physically in almost 10 years. But every few times a week my dreams allow me to return to those safe and familiar and loved walls (painted a ghastly green and yellow) among teachers and friends who have since dropped by the wayside, but at the time formed my entire world.
I don't know why my unconscious self finds its way back here over and over again. But I can remember every square inch of this school: how the window AC's blared and the ceiling fans creaked in the classrooms in an attempt to keep out the dusty heat; how we balanced ourselves on horizontally constructed green poles along the walkways without our butts getting numb; the smell of the room where the photocopier and chart-paper supplies were stored; how cold and wet the water coolers felt to the touch, and how strangely metallic yet refreshing that water was; the grimy smell of the buses that ran on diesel; the sounds of shoes scuffing on the stone steps and clanking on the iron staircase in the Girl's Block.
This is where I first experienced, no doubt in a sheltered microcosm, the realities of life to come - first love taught me about heartbreak, friendship taught me about betrayal and changing loyalties, supportive teachers taught me about hard work and confidence, and rigged elections taught me about prejudice, corruption and unfairness.
I spent 12 years in the same school, so maybe that's why I have this unbreakable bond with it. But sadly, I am no longer the person that that school knew. Because after 12 years there, I moved to a different school for two years. Two small, simple years shattered everything I knew about myself, how I viewed the world, and what I could dare to expect from it.
I moved to Dubai College for two years to do my A'Levels. No doubt that those two years were the most academically rewarding years of my life - I learned more then than in three years at Northwestern - but the social experience of DC left me dazed and confused for many years to come.
Suddenly, I was no longer top dog. No one knew me, cared about me, or wanted to know or care about me. The school was mostly made up of British students, of the worst and most racist kind. The small non-Brit minority was so culturally assimilated that there really wasn't much hope of being accepted by anyone.
I was insulted and taunted in public - about my skin, my religion, and my sister had recently graduated from there so they yelled out unkind things about her weight. I was physically assaulted - they threw food at my head and vandalized my cubicle - and eventually emotionally destroyed, left with a chronic fear of white people.
This was a school with endless opportunity and resources - a great library, numerous extra curricular activities and sports and clubs to get involved with. It was like everything I had read about in Enid Blyton's Mallory Towers and St. Clare's series - only everyone despised me and treated me like an untouchable. I craved their approval, but I could trust no one.
Perhaps the lack of distraction is what made me focus on my studies, which I truly did enjoy because it was so different than how I had previously learned. I did extremely well, but even that success was bittersweet: my good work brought about racist remarks from jealous teachers, and I was excluded from winning prizes everyone said I deserved by teachers who preferred to confer them upon white students. All of this helped to underscore my deteriorating confidence and growing fear of success.
Thankfully, the horror lasted only two years and I managed to make the best of it by learning to ignore a lot of the insanity and lay low. I took comfort in the friends I made online and rushed home to talk to, and to Kamaal Khan songs I heard on my walk-man. It's telling to see that the song I clung to most (a remake of a Munni Begum song) went like this:
"Ae mere humnasheen, chal kaheen aur chal, iss chaman mein ab apna guzara nahin..
Baat hoti gulon tak, toh sehlete hum.. ab toh kaanton pe bhi haqq humara nahin.."
Anyway, life went on and took many more turns. I stumbled and cried and faced greater challenges, but eventually I picked myself up again to become a much stronger and better human being.
But that's the sad part about life - how two years of horror can undo twelve years of bliss. How a little bit of a bad always outweighs mounds of good. How life so quickly becomes about sadness and disappointments, with little attention paid to the bounties and blessings. How we always are quick to write criticisms in suggestion boxes and feedback forms, yet spend so little time appreciating the good things we are provided.
Maybe that's why my dreams return me to the comforting memories of Ibn Seena time and again - to remind me of all the good that I have been blessed with, to make me appreciate the little pleasures I have in my life, so that I can look at the present and feel content, and look to the future with optimism and hope.
February 22, 2007
Recent Cultural Consumptions
Haven't updated the blog in a while. Here's a quick update on a few recent consumptions:
Salt and Saffron, by Kamila Shamsie: B
Though slow and somewhat childish at first (informal conversations between various young cousins are really quite annoying) this story actually picks up very well about 40 pages into it and left me very curious and emotionally invested by the end. Through the lens of a story about five generations of a dramatic and mysterious family with lots of secrets, the author provides an interesting perspective on the political history of India/Pakistan, the mixed feelings of families that went across the border during Partition, and the resulting tensions between the strata of Pakistani society. By the end, you have a fairly good idea of all the missing pieces to the puzzle, but Shamsie doesn't actually put them together for you.. so there is that sense of not being completely satisfied by the ending. Overall, an interesting concept that keeps you hooked and thinking about it long afterwards.
The Squid and The Whale: Avoid! Highly disturbing drama about how two adolescent brothers in 1980's Brooklyn deal with their parents' divorce. Laura Linney and Jeff Daniels are great actors and they were great in this movie too (it won many awards as weird indie films do) but I was still left rather traumatized by it, so avoid it while you can!
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: B
An amusing movie based on the true story of a housewife in the 60's whose husband spent all his money on booze, so she ran a household of 12 (10 kids!) with money and things won in write-in competitions for jingles and limericks. A great tribute to the strength and patience of women! Julianne Moore did a decent job as the struggling mother - though she really isn't very convincing as a housewife, she just seems too modern!
Eklavya: B
Definitely a refreshing change from the general brand of movies today. Very Shakespearean-tragedy in nature, this film told the tale of a Royal Guard (Amitabh) who protects a royal family physically and also guards their biggest secrets.
Ironically, the family is disintegrated, and in today's day and age entirely ineffectual, but Eklavya continues to be as loyal as ever. A tragic turn of events results in a myriad of murderous plot twists that boldly question righteousness, duty, social inequity and the fine line between homicide and self-defence (to speak in Law & Order terms!). The film was almost Omkara-like in its fateful irony.. and had traces of Being Cyrus in it with its 'whodunnit' plot, though it thankfully had a less bloody and more concilliatory ending.
As usual, Amitabh and Saif were flawless, and the supporting cast was excellent as well (Vidya Balan, Sharmila Tagore, Jimmy Shergill, Jackie Shroff, Boman Irani). I didn't think Raima Sen's performance was particularly bad, but a gora friend we were watching it with said afterwards, "I don't think mentally challenged people really behave like that". Who knows - they do in Hindi movies anyway!
However, I have to admit that it was too slow and rather repetitive, not just in terms of script/plot, but also camera angles. The first time a poignant scene ended with the sound of ominous mantras and a long and lingering zoom out shot it was nice - but then Vidhu Vinod Chopra kept doing it again and again until it got boring and frustrating. We get it, it's a sad moment - let's move on! It felt like he was beating us over the head with a stick with those long drawn out shots. They added about 15mins to the film and lost appeal by the second time we saw them.
Also the constant repetition of the concept of dharma, and what it meant to Eklavya and Harsh, and what it meant to go against it.. over and over. Yes - we get it! Get a move on!
But overall, a good watch. Highly recommended.
Salt and Saffron, by Kamila Shamsie: BThough slow and somewhat childish at first (informal conversations between various young cousins are really quite annoying) this story actually picks up very well about 40 pages into it and left me very curious and emotionally invested by the end. Through the lens of a story about five generations of a dramatic and mysterious family with lots of secrets, the author provides an interesting perspective on the political history of India/Pakistan, the mixed feelings of families that went across the border during Partition, and the resulting tensions between the strata of Pakistani society. By the end, you have a fairly good idea of all the missing pieces to the puzzle, but Shamsie doesn't actually put them together for you.. so there is that sense of not being completely satisfied by the ending. Overall, an interesting concept that keeps you hooked and thinking about it long afterwards.
The Squid and The Whale: Avoid! Highly disturbing drama about how two adolescent brothers in 1980's Brooklyn deal with their parents' divorce. Laura Linney and Jeff Daniels are great actors and they were great in this movie too (it won many awards as weird indie films do) but I was still left rather traumatized by it, so avoid it while you can!The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: BAn amusing movie based on the true story of a housewife in the 60's whose husband spent all his money on booze, so she ran a household of 12 (10 kids!) with money and things won in write-in competitions for jingles and limericks. A great tribute to the strength and patience of women! Julianne Moore did a decent job as the struggling mother - though she really isn't very convincing as a housewife, she just seems too modern!
Eklavya: BDefinitely a refreshing change from the general brand of movies today. Very Shakespearean-tragedy in nature, this film told the tale of a Royal Guard (Amitabh) who protects a royal family physically and also guards their biggest secrets.
Ironically, the family is disintegrated, and in today's day and age entirely ineffectual, but Eklavya continues to be as loyal as ever. A tragic turn of events results in a myriad of murderous plot twists that boldly question righteousness, duty, social inequity and the fine line between homicide and self-defence (to speak in Law & Order terms!). The film was almost Omkara-like in its fateful irony.. and had traces of Being Cyrus in it with its 'whodunnit' plot, though it thankfully had a less bloody and more concilliatory ending.
As usual, Amitabh and Saif were flawless, and the supporting cast was excellent as well (Vidya Balan, Sharmila Tagore, Jimmy Shergill, Jackie Shroff, Boman Irani). I didn't think Raima Sen's performance was particularly bad, but a gora friend we were watching it with said afterwards, "I don't think mentally challenged people really behave like that". Who knows - they do in Hindi movies anyway!
However, I have to admit that it was too slow and rather repetitive, not just in terms of script/plot, but also camera angles. The first time a poignant scene ended with the sound of ominous mantras and a long and lingering zoom out shot it was nice - but then Vidhu Vinod Chopra kept doing it again and again until it got boring and frustrating. We get it, it's a sad moment - let's move on! It felt like he was beating us over the head with a stick with those long drawn out shots. They added about 15mins to the film and lost appeal by the second time we saw them.
Also the constant repetition of the concept of dharma, and what it meant to Eklavya and Harsh, and what it meant to go against it.. over and over. Yes - we get it! Get a move on!
But overall, a good watch. Highly recommended.
February 19, 2007
It's a Girl!
My sister in law delivered her first baby yesterday, so Sarwar is officially a mamu and I'm officially a mumaani :)
I also spent 4 hours yesterday at a relative's baby shower discussing nothing but booties and cute clothes and allergies to baby formula.
Babies, babies everywhere! And not a drop to.. oh never mind.
I also spent 4 hours yesterday at a relative's baby shower discussing nothing but booties and cute clothes and allergies to baby formula.
Babies, babies everywhere! And not a drop to.. oh never mind.
February 17, 2007
February 16, 2007
Scrabble Score
Z - 302
S - 280
I finally broke 300! And without any triple word scores or bingos! Woohoo!
Felt bad about beating S, so I decided we were playing for each other and so in "reality", he won.
:)
S - 280
I finally broke 300! And without any triple word scores or bingos! Woohoo!
Felt bad about beating S, so I decided we were playing for each other and so in "reality", he won.
:)
February 8, 2007
Again.. who comes up with this stuff!?
Dubai recently announced plans for a building called "Burj al Arabi" - a building designed to look like a man wearing a kandoora.
I heard about this a while back, but just found pictures on a fellow blogger's site..
Somebody stop this country!!!
I heard about this a while back, but just found pictures on a fellow blogger's site..
Somebody stop this country!!!
Soupy-Powers
Since I have been reading lots of Harry Potter and watching lots of X-Men, Star Trek, Charmed and Heroes (and am also generally feeling quite useless), I have decided to rank the superpowers I'd like to have, with #1 being the most desirable..
#1 - Orbing: How cool would it be to be able to look at something and will it to land in your pocket or go back home and then have it do that? Sure it's magical shoplifting but I've dreamed of being able to do this my whole life! Umm.. is that weird?
#2 - Mind Reading: Would totally make communication and understanding easier. And I can finally be right about my theories on Sarwar's emotions.. which I'm always wrong about :/
#3 - Memory Alteration: It would be so great to be able to make people forget all the bad things that have happened to them and protect them from that sadness.. as well as the fights they have with me :P
#4 - Persuasion: I'd be able to save so much money bargaining with shopkeepers!! Plus I'd get my way all the time so who needs the Mind Reading and Memory Alteration.. Hmm maybe this should go up on the list...
Ok - enough psychological powers, I'm scaring myself with the amount of control it seems I want over people's minds. Let's dive into more corporeal abilities...
#5 - Flight: Big money and time saver, though doesn't come with airmiles. Imagine being able to get to Dubai without wasting the time, and standing in line for visas!
#6 - Invisibility: People say this is the coward's power - sneaking around behind people's backs, invading privacy and taking unfair advantage of people's ignorance for personal gain... but look how much Harry Potter accomplished because of his Invisibility Cloak! This is for justice people.. not to spy on others..
#7 - Teleportation: Bending the space-time continuum just sounds way cool.
#8 - Super strength/Invincibility: At least you'd feel safe coming home late at night from work. A good perk to have, I think.
#9 - Morphism/Transfiguration: Going through objects, turning into other objects, having chameleon-like properties just sounds like a very fun and creative hobby.
#10 - Premonitions: I'm not sure I want to be able to see the future.. that usually is a bad idea.. so definitely last on the list.
Any thoughts? What kind of power(s) would you like to have?
#1 - Orbing: How cool would it be to be able to look at something and will it to land in your pocket or go back home and then have it do that? Sure it's magical shoplifting but I've dreamed of being able to do this my whole life! Umm.. is that weird?
#2 - Mind Reading: Would totally make communication and understanding easier. And I can finally be right about my theories on Sarwar's emotions.. which I'm always wrong about :/
#3 - Memory Alteration: It would be so great to be able to make people forget all the bad things that have happened to them and protect them from that sadness.. as well as the fights they have with me :P
#4 - Persuasion: I'd be able to save so much money bargaining with shopkeepers!! Plus I'd get my way all the time so who needs the Mind Reading and Memory Alteration.. Hmm maybe this should go up on the list...
Ok - enough psychological powers, I'm scaring myself with the amount of control it seems I want over people's minds. Let's dive into more corporeal abilities...
#5 - Flight: Big money and time saver, though doesn't come with airmiles. Imagine being able to get to Dubai without wasting the time, and standing in line for visas!
#6 - Invisibility: People say this is the coward's power - sneaking around behind people's backs, invading privacy and taking unfair advantage of people's ignorance for personal gain... but look how much Harry Potter accomplished because of his Invisibility Cloak! This is for justice people.. not to spy on others..
#7 - Teleportation: Bending the space-time continuum just sounds way cool.
#8 - Super strength/Invincibility: At least you'd feel safe coming home late at night from work. A good perk to have, I think.
#9 - Morphism/Transfiguration: Going through objects, turning into other objects, having chameleon-like properties just sounds like a very fun and creative hobby.
#10 - Premonitions: I'm not sure I want to be able to see the future.. that usually is a bad idea.. so definitely last on the list.
Any thoughts? What kind of power(s) would you like to have?
What is the world coming to!?
Move to ban iPods from crossing the street
Telegraph.co.uk
A New York state Senator is proposing a law to make it illegal to walk, jog or bike across the street while using an iPod, a BlackBerry or any other electronic device.
State Senator Carl Kruger said: “If you’re so involved in your electronic device that you can’t see or hear a car coming, this is indicative of a larger problem that requires some sort of enforcement beyond the applicaton of common sense."
Sen Kruger said a 21-year-old man in his district was killed last winter when he stepped off the curb at the busy intersection while listening to music. And a 23-year-old iPod listener was killed Jan11.
“You could have a fire engine coming and you wouldn’t hear it,” said Jason Koppel, Sen Kruger’s chief of staff.
The proposed ban - on iPods, mobile phones, BlackBerries, video games or other electronic devices when crossing the street - will be introduced this week, Mr Koppel said. He was not aware of other states or cities with a similar ban.
The proposed fine? $100 (€77).
Charlotte Troisgros, 16, a student talking on her mobile phone on the street, laughed and said the law may not be such a bad idea. “You really don’t pay attention. You might get hit by a car,” she said.
Telegraph.co.uk
A New York state Senator is proposing a law to make it illegal to walk, jog or bike across the street while using an iPod, a BlackBerry or any other electronic device.
State Senator Carl Kruger said: “If you’re so involved in your electronic device that you can’t see or hear a car coming, this is indicative of a larger problem that requires some sort of enforcement beyond the applicaton of common sense."
Sen Kruger said a 21-year-old man in his district was killed last winter when he stepped off the curb at the busy intersection while listening to music. And a 23-year-old iPod listener was killed Jan11.
“You could have a fire engine coming and you wouldn’t hear it,” said Jason Koppel, Sen Kruger’s chief of staff.
The proposed ban - on iPods, mobile phones, BlackBerries, video games or other electronic devices when crossing the street - will be introduced this week, Mr Koppel said. He was not aware of other states or cities with a similar ban.
The proposed fine? $100 (€77).
Charlotte Troisgros, 16, a student talking on her mobile phone on the street, laughed and said the law may not be such a bad idea. “You really don’t pay attention. You might get hit by a car,” she said.
February 7, 2007
What's Next?
Just finished reading Mugglenet.com's book - 'What will happen in Harry Potter 7'.
There are some predictions/theories that I found rather intriguing so I will share with y'all:
1) Snape was infatuated/in love with Lily Evans. -According to his memory in the Pensive, Snape was unpopular at Hogwarts, but Lily stood up for him when James used Levicorpus on him, putting his underwear in full view of the watching school.
-This memory was one of only three that Snape put away into the Pensieve during Occlumency lessons with Harry and that chapter was called "Snape's Worst Memory" so it was obviously important. It may have been because it was humiliating, but as a major wizard, underwear probably isn't his biggest concern. This memory may have been a priority for him to hide because he didn't want Harry to see that his mother stood up for Snape and deduce a connection.
-When Lily stood up for him, Snape said he didn't need a Mudblood's help but he was probably just covering up his embarassment because he was hanging out with Lucius Malfoy and the other evil cool seniors and he couldn't act grateful. -This also provides Snape with another reason for hating James, and a big reason why he's never actually put Harry in any danger even if he was mean to him. Plus it explains why he was mortified when he found out that the person he betrayed to Voldemort was the woman he loved, making his defection all the more believable (perhaps Dumbledore knew this?).
2) Dumbledore asked Snape to kill him if it came to saving the mission.
-Similar to how Harry was asked to keep making Dumbledore drink the poison to get the Horcrux, Dumbledore may well have made it clear to Snape that he shouldn't blow his cover as a spy and if it came to it, Dumbledore should be killed so that the mission is completed. Wouldn't put it past him.
-Dumbledore was pleading when he saw Severus, as if he was begging for something - probably that Snape overcome his hesitations and do as he had been asked.
-Snape was furious afterwards in the chase out of Hogwarts and yelled 'Dont call me a coward' - considering what he had done, don't blame him for thinking that Harry was kinda outta line!
There is also a considerable debate in the book over whether Harry is a Horcrux (hence the scar, Parseltongue abilities, seeing Voldemort's thoughts) but for that to have happened, Voldemort would have needed to accidentally say Avada Kedavra and release the Horcrux spell at the same time - highly unlikely. Plus Harry would then be existing with two souls in his body and since we haven't seen any evidence of an internal morality battle within him, its unlikely he's carrying the shred of an evil soul.
More food for thought :)
February 5, 2007
Sexual Subjugation in Desperate Dystopia
Just finished reading 'The Handmaid's Tale' by Margaret Atwood.I was taken back to my A'Level years, when we read and dissected Atwood's 'Cat's Eye' every which way to make sense of her stuccato, heavily comma'ed first person narrative style, multilayered themes and deep cultural references. It was much harder then - the simple experience of having lived 8 more years since then has equipped me with more tools with which to deconstruct her strange and sad worlds.
This story in particular tells a tale of a future, somewhere in the early 21st century, where the United States as we know it no longer exists - the President and Congress were all shot dead and the Constitution was suspended. The country has been replaced instead by the Republic of Gilead, a nation run using fundamentalist Christian ideals to redefine gender roles and societal norms to cope with the decline of healthy human births, a decline brought about by some form of ecological disaster, not described but merely alluded to.
In a world where sex for pleasure is a forbidden concept, and children are a scarce resource, women are now essentially classified based on their reproductive abilities. Our narrator, Offred, is a Handmaid - a woman employed by a highranking male Commander ("of Fred") with a barren wife, solely for the purpose of having sex with him once a month in the hopes that she will give birth to a child that he can raise with his wife. The wife may well not be barren, but infertility in men is considered impossible and the lack of bearing a child is wholly a woman's fault.
Offred comes to this fate because she had been married to a divorced man before the revolution and in light of new laws, had committed adultery and must be punished. However, she bore her husband a child, and was therefore fertile enough to be a Handmaid.
Women in Gilead are no longer allowed to read or have access to money - they must follow pictorial signs and use pre-assigned tokens. Stratification by status is depicted by the color of their clothing, all of which allows no portion of the skin to be seen and, in the case of the Handmaids, includes a headress with blinkers on it so that they have no peripheral vision.
Life in Gilead is reminiscent of Orwellian stories that predicted societies run by fear and extremist totalitarian regimes, and Offred describes the change in times, the fates of different people in her life, and her conflicting feelings: of hatred for the regime and the brainwashing, but fear of being killed for her blasphemous thoughts; of wanting to break free from her life, but wanting to conform to the rules for the comfort of some kind of routine; of apathy towards the mandatory sex she must have with the Commander, but an adulterous yearning for real passion with someone else since her husband must now be dead.
The book is an interesting read, occasionally shocking and disturbing, but intriguing in the way Offred's (we never learn her real name) tale unfolds and shows a fascist world that could have been the aftermath of the feminism and fundamentalism of the 70's and 80's.
Brit kids seem rather vulnerable to pop culture...
Helpline for fearful fans of Harry Potter
Telegraph.co.uk
Waterstone's is looking to set up a helpline for fans of Harry Potter because two important characters in JK Rowling's saga will die in the last instalment to be published this summer.
The book chain forecast that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows would become not only the best-selling Harry Potter title but the biggest selling book in history. But that may not bring unalloyed happiness to the nation because of Rowling's warning about the deaths.
Debbie Williams, of Waterstone's, said yesterday: "This could be a similar moment to when Take That split up — there could be a lot of upset teenagers out there. We are looking to set up a helpline for them."
The seventh book in the wizard series will be published at midnight on July 21. Bloomsbury, the publisher, said Rowling had delivered her final manuscript "recently".
Telegraph.co.uk
Waterstone's is looking to set up a helpline for fans of Harry Potter because two important characters in JK Rowling's saga will die in the last instalment to be published this summer.
The book chain forecast that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows would become not only the best-selling Harry Potter title but the biggest selling book in history. But that may not bring unalloyed happiness to the nation because of Rowling's warning about the deaths.
Debbie Williams, of Waterstone's, said yesterday: "This could be a similar moment to when Take That split up — there could be a lot of upset teenagers out there. We are looking to set up a helpline for them."
The seventh book in the wizard series will be published at midnight on July 21. Bloomsbury, the publisher, said Rowling had delivered her final manuscript "recently".
The Great Snape Debates
Customers Coming to Borders and Waldenbooks to Reserve New Book Receive Free Stickers to Declare Their "Friend or Foe" Allegiance Beginning Feb. 3
ANN ARBOR, Mich., Feb. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Now that author J.K. Rowling has announced the July 21 release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," Borders -- which has been taking reservations for the book in its superstores and Waldenbooks mall stores since Dec. 8 and is now also accepting online reservations -- today e-mailed more than 15 million customers asking the question "Is Professor Severus Snape a Friend or Foe to Harry Potter?" The quandary, sure to pit muggle against muggle and wizard against wizard, is the centerpiece of the exclusive "Great Snape Debate" that Borders and Waldenbooks will carry out in the coming months as fans eagerly await the book's release this summer.
The campaign, which includes a series of events, discussions and surprises, kicked off today and features an exclusive offer beginning Saturday, Feb. 3 when customers visiting their nearest Borders and Waldenbooks store may select from one of two Snape stickers as they reserve a copy of the seventh Harry Potter book. By choosing either the "Trust Snape" or "Snape is a Very Bad Man" sticker, customers will take sides on a burning question that has become more compelling with each book in the Harry Potter series. To make sure they are not left out of the fun, Borders and Waldenbooks customers who already reserved a copy of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" when the stores began taking in-store reservations in December, as well as those who reserve the book online, may pickup a sticker when visiting their local store.
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Hmm. I can't say I'm sure I could pick one of the two stickers.
I do believe Snape has killed Dumbledore (its taken me a year and a half to come to terms with his death) but I think he is a conflicted man and the killing was more likely a plan that went wrong rather than premeditated murder despite the Unbreakable Vow.
Therefore, I don't trust (or like) him, but I think he's caught between a rock and a hard place right now. I suppose my sticker would read "I Am Wary Of Snape".
I also think that Sirius is NOT dead and in Book 7 we will see him come back come back from that whispery arch place. Why? When Dumbledore died, there were signs to prove it (the breaking of the spell that bound Harry, the obviously dead body and funeral, the headmaster's portrait, the Phoenix song) but when Sirius died there was nothing - just disappearance, not even a ghost. Contrary to Nearly Headless Nick, I think Sirius may have chosen to become a ghost so that Harry wouldn't be alone - but was he even given the choice in true death?
I think Sirius is lost in some place, the way whatshisname was lost in that cupboard that Malfoy used to get the Death Eaters into Hogwarts, and will make his way back in Book 7.
Plus, considering RAB is most certainly his brother Regulus Black (ex Slytherin, ex Death Eater who abandoned Voldemort, took the Horcrux and was killed two days later) I think Sirius will have to come back to help put the final pieces of the puzzle together.
What do you think?
ANN ARBOR, Mich., Feb. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Now that author J.K. Rowling has announced the July 21 release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," Borders -- which has been taking reservations for the book in its superstores and Waldenbooks mall stores since Dec. 8 and is now also accepting online reservations -- today e-mailed more than 15 million customers asking the question "Is Professor Severus Snape a Friend or Foe to Harry Potter?" The quandary, sure to pit muggle against muggle and wizard against wizard, is the centerpiece of the exclusive "Great Snape Debate" that Borders and Waldenbooks will carry out in the coming months as fans eagerly await the book's release this summer.
The campaign, which includes a series of events, discussions and surprises, kicked off today and features an exclusive offer beginning Saturday, Feb. 3 when customers visiting their nearest Borders and Waldenbooks store may select from one of two Snape stickers as they reserve a copy of the seventh Harry Potter book. By choosing either the "Trust Snape" or "Snape is a Very Bad Man" sticker, customers will take sides on a burning question that has become more compelling with each book in the Harry Potter series. To make sure they are not left out of the fun, Borders and Waldenbooks customers who already reserved a copy of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" when the stores began taking in-store reservations in December, as well as those who reserve the book online, may pickup a sticker when visiting their local store.
****
Hmm. I can't say I'm sure I could pick one of the two stickers.
I do believe Snape has killed Dumbledore (its taken me a year and a half to come to terms with his death) but I think he is a conflicted man and the killing was more likely a plan that went wrong rather than premeditated murder despite the Unbreakable Vow.
Therefore, I don't trust (or like) him, but I think he's caught between a rock and a hard place right now. I suppose my sticker would read "I Am Wary Of Snape".
I also think that Sirius is NOT dead and in Book 7 we will see him come back come back from that whispery arch place. Why? When Dumbledore died, there were signs to prove it (the breaking of the spell that bound Harry, the obviously dead body and funeral, the headmaster's portrait, the Phoenix song) but when Sirius died there was nothing - just disappearance, not even a ghost. Contrary to Nearly Headless Nick, I think Sirius may have chosen to become a ghost so that Harry wouldn't be alone - but was he even given the choice in true death?
I think Sirius is lost in some place, the way whatshisname was lost in that cupboard that Malfoy used to get the Death Eaters into Hogwarts, and will make his way back in Book 7.
Plus, considering RAB is most certainly his brother Regulus Black (ex Slytherin, ex Death Eater who abandoned Voldemort, took the Horcrux and was killed two days later) I think Sirius will have to come back to help put the final pieces of the puzzle together.
What do you think?
February 4, 2007
Seasame Street Classics
Because we were barely watching them, yesterday we cancelled our two Premium International Channels (Zee TV, TVAsia) and upgraded to the DigitalVisionPlus package that - among many other channels, including lots of movie channels and Showtime - got Sarwar excited because we finally would have Boomerang.
For those of you who don't know what it is, Boomerang runs all the cartoon classics from before the 1990s - a treasure trove for those of us who are tired of the super-powered anime hamsters/dogs/kids and other screeching Cartoon Network charcters of today, and would rather spend some time watching Tom & Jerry, 2 Stupid Dogs, Pink Panther, The Jetsons, The Flintstones and Dennis the Menace.
Anyway, watching all these cartoons for the past two days reminded me of a few classic Sesame Street clips I want to share with y'all:
The catchiest song ever created on Sesame Street... (5:13)
As much as Elmo and Kermit annoy me, this is actually pretty cute...(2:56)
And finally - what is wrong with Martha Stewart? Freak! (2:50)
For those of you who don't know what it is, Boomerang runs all the cartoon classics from before the 1990s - a treasure trove for those of us who are tired of the super-powered anime hamsters/dogs/kids and other screeching Cartoon Network charcters of today, and would rather spend some time watching Tom & Jerry, 2 Stupid Dogs, Pink Panther, The Jetsons, The Flintstones and Dennis the Menace.
Anyway, watching all these cartoons for the past two days reminded me of a few classic Sesame Street clips I want to share with y'all:
The catchiest song ever created on Sesame Street... (5:13)
As much as Elmo and Kermit annoy me, this is actually pretty cute...(2:56)
And finally - what is wrong with Martha Stewart? Freak! (2:50)
February 2, 2007
Follow Your Dreams, Fulfil Your Destiny - and Experience God?
That's the message in the book "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho, which I just finished reading.Or at least that's what I *think* is the message.
It was one of those symbolic, metaphorical reads about spirituality and true connection with God (and also the juxtapositioned concepts of luck and coincidence, free will and fate), that is hard to condense into a short abstract. Still, I will attempt to try and sift out the main message of the novel - if anything, for my own satisfaction so I know that I understood what I read!
The story is told through the eyes of a young shepherd who dreams of a treasure and, after meeting a King (or angel?) is convinced that he should fulfil his destiny and goes on a journey to find the treasure.
The journey is a constant struggle, yet he learns to follow good omens, tune his intuition and improve his luck by tuning into the signs around him. His internal learning process is paralleled by an Englishman who wants to learn the arts of alchemy, but cannot make sense of the codes, diagrams and mysterious instructions. The Englishman represents the countless men who have gone mad trying to master the arts of alchemy, turning lead into gold and producing the Elixir of Life, because they didn't recognize that in order to achieve these things, bigger lessons had to be learned first.
But the shepherd boy realizes that it is first important to learn the Universal Language of the World - each of God's creations are manifestations of His greatness and bear His imprint, and therefore communicate in a common language - and then connect with the Soul of the World to master these arts, and truly experience the love and majesty of God. This spiritual union is perhaps intended to be the destiny of each human being, but because most people ignore dreams, hopes and desires, because of their impracticality and remote chance of being true, their lives are deprived of this kind of spiritual fulfilment.
It's an interesting concept, and while the shepherd boy starts off in Spain as a Christian, all of this realization happens to him in the Arabian deserts, where he is guided by Muslim guides, tribesmen and even the Alchemist himself, and I can recognize traces of Islamic thought in the symbolism.. so it's intriguing to see how Coelho - for whom this book was a symbolic version of his own spiritual exploration - brings all of his religious and alchemist influences together to create an uplifting story that really makes you think.
Definitely recommended for those who don't find such topics frustrating or too vague to be enjoyable :)
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