All Booked Up

I am now on Spring Break but since it was too expensive to go anywhere after having indulged in the trip to the Bahamas, I decided to spend it here. So far, I have achieved various goals for the break, including doing many chores around the house, getting a pedicure (yay!), and getting back to reading.

Yes, the books were piling and piling and I decided to finish at least 6 of them before Sunday. If that sounds ambitious, you should know that there are 21 more on my bookshelves, waiting to be read. So, this is just the tip of the iceberg!

I already finished the first one, Buy-ology by Martin Lindstrom. Considering the man conducted the "largest ever" neuromarketing study, you'd think he'd have some crazy cool insights into how the human brain works, but a lot of what he concluded was fairly obvious to marketers everywhere (e.g. product placement only works in recall if your product is integrated into the plot line - well, duh?) and even after he made these observations, he didn't actually give any tips on how marketers can do such a thing. The whole premise of the book seemed to be, "Look Mommy, I made this cool thing, isn't it cool?" Bah.

Also, his writing was so sloppy and self-indulgent, it really put me off. Do I need to know how waifish and handsome you are, and how you're the best at what you do, and how global companies need you so much that you're home for only 60 days a year? Sorry, that doesn't make you an admirable expert, it makes you look like a man who has no sense of work-life balance and probably a useless personal life to show for it.

See, normally I wouldn't go all nasty on an author but when you open the door, be ready for the crap that follows.

Anyway, on to my next book - Marketing Metaphoria. I've already half of it, so completing it by tonight should be a piece of cake. Stay tuned for the review that rips that apart, too. Heh.

Watchmen

Currently reading my first graphic novel. It's really good. Distracting me from work, but at least it's more worthwhile than stalkering on Facebook and Twitter, right?

I think I want to be a crime-fighter. I wonder what my superhero name would be.

To be, or not to be?

Well, I don't really have a choice in the matter. I'm sick. Still fighting off this deathly cold (see last post), that I contracted from Sakinah, who must have picked it up in one of the five airports she traveled through to get to Houston from Malaysia. Bah. Hate airports.

Feeling slightly shivery and nauseous at all times, head feels all stuffed up with cotton-balls, while eyes continue to water uncooperatively. Currently reading Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead to entertain myself (yes, the Hamlet fever continues!), but I must admit that the wit and depth of this brilliant existentialist tragi-comedic play is being lost on this woolly, soggy mess of a brain, devoid of the ability to draw clever parallels and conduct meaningful analysis. Bah. Hate woolliness.

Speaking of wool, last week, I read this bizarrely entertaining book called Three Bags Full, which is the story of a flock of enlightened sheep who investigate the mysterious murder of their shepherd. Yes, really. It was Animal Farm meets The Secret Seven. Once you get over the shock of the premise, it's actually very interesting and deep, in a dark and Orwellian fashion. Go read it.

Now I shall go back under the covers, weep some more over my broken body, and dream of being an Elizabethan. Fare thee well, good sirs .

Wise Words

"People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that's holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then they leave. And thank God for it. Your problem is, you just can't let this one go. It's over, Liz. David's purpose was to shake you up, drive you out of that marriage that you needed to leave, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light could get in, make you so desperate and out of control that you had to transform your life, then introduce you to your spiritual master and beat it. That was his job, and he did great, but now it's over. Problem is, you can't accept that this relationship had a real short shelf life. You're like a dog at the dump, baby - you're just lickin' at an empty tin can, trying to get more nutrition out of it. And if you're not careful, that can's gonna get stuck on your snout forever and make your life miserable. So drop it."

"But I love him."

"So love him."

"But I miss him."

"So miss him. Send him some love and light every time you think about him, and then drop it. You're just afraid to let go of the last bits of David because then you'll really be alone, and Liz Gilbert is scared to death of what will happen if she's really alone. But here's what you gotta understand. If you clear out all that space in your mind that you're using right now to obsess about this guy, you'll have a vacuum there, an open spot - a doorway. And guess what the universe will do with that doorway? It will rush in - God will rush in - and fill you with more love than you ever dreamed. So stop using David to block that door. Let it go."

~ From Eat Pray Love, by Liz Gilbert

There were many parts of this book that I loved, but this particular exchange really moved me. Everything about it is perfectly true, and like all truths, it is an elegantly simple idea that is extremely hard to discern and understand until it is made obvious to you. And then it makes perfect sense and you wonder why you didn't see it before.

Almost everyone has felt the sadness and disappointment of losing a soul mate, or wondered about 'what could have been'. Here's hoping that this passage, and the rest of Eat Pray Love, helps its readers ease that pain and move on.

Salman's in town for 4 days! So psyched. Going to see him in a few hours and take him to Harvard Square where he can drool at Ivy League-ness for a while. Maybe will catch dinner some place nice too.

Finished reading "Eat, Pray, Love". Quite possibly one of the most uplifting and inspirational books I have ever read, comes a close second to "The Five People You Meet In Heaven" by Mitch Albom. Highly recommended for anyone who has ever felt depressed about anything, or confused about their place in the worl, or wondered how to make life more meaningful.

Speaking of healing, can I just say that I really don't understand people who sit in pain and sickness for days and days and don't go to the doctor. Why put yourself through the torture? Isn't that what doctors are for - to help you get better quickly? If someone picked you up and tossed you in jail, would you wait for two weeks until the gang-rape was totally unbearable before you called your lawyer to get you out of there? People can be so stupid. The desire to be healed should be a moral imperative, not an option. Otherwise you're just being ungrateful for the body that God has blessed you with.

That is all.

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows

So, it finally came. July 21, 2007. The end of the road.

Harvard Square was packed at the midnight release. Lots of people dressed up in Harry Potter garb, standing in line after the evening's concert in "Hogwarts Square".

It took me three days to finish it but I finally did do it on Monday.

I'm sad that it's over; it's like graduation - after all that time, it's all over. You can't believe there's life after this. And it's anti-climactic.

Yes, I must admit book was a little disappointing. Of course it was great fun in general, and engrossing and exciting, as all Harry Potter books are, but I had hoped JKR would have written it differently.

At least 100 pages could have been shaved off the beginning, the pages and pages of desperate wandering were repetitive. But perhaps that was the point.

There were too many un-original themes in this one: the locket casting evil-ness on the wearer (a la The One Ring), Ron pulling out the sword and breaking the locket (a la Excalibur).. and the radio and Lee's program (did anyone else see the influences of the Alan Johnston hostage crisis and how having a small stereo with the BBC helped him survive?).

I was disappointed in the lack of Snape, the lack of drama with which she described the final fall of Voldemort, and the mushy chapter '19 Years Later'. I'm glad she did an epilogue, but I would have preferred it to be less story-like, and more like the ending titles of a movie.

Speaking of which, I think this is the first book that I think she wrote for the screen rather than for the reader. Too much emphasis on the visuals, and not enough back-story or thinking process. No one will be able to complain that the 7th film isn't true to the book since this one is made to order for Hollywood.

The King's Cross chapter was frustrating for me; not enough answers, too much additional, unnecessary mystery. Though I was glad to see Dumbledore again.

I wish she had made Harry master of the Deathly Hallows and had him use that to conquer Voldemort. It was such a great tale, it would have made an extremely dramatic "see how I crush you" sort of ending.

And finally, my biggest beef - the ending. I re-read the ending three times but I'm still confused about what happened.

When Voldemort hit Harry with the Killing Curse in the Forbidden Forest, he killed off the Horcrux part of himself but not Harry's soul, because Voldemort shared Harry's blood and his mother's protection so while Voldemort lives, Harry must too.

The second time around Voldemort hit Harry with the Killing Curse, Harry disarmed him of the Elder Wand, and because he was the true owner of it, the wand refused to attack him, and the curse rebounded on Voldemort, finally killing him because all the Horcruxes were now destroyed.

This much I get.

But then this raises many questions:

Why did the Elder Wand succeed in attacking Harry the first time around? Yes, it killed the Voldemort part of his soul, but it still did hit him.

Why did the protection of Lily's curse not work in Voldemort's favor when his curse rebounded?

And if the blood connection protected Harry the first time, when Voldemort died why didn't Harry die with him?

Too many holes here.

Also, Harry being a Horcrux was the most ridiculous cop-out ever. Splitting your soul is dark magic, it can't just happen like that without you knowing, without an incantantion. Transference of Parseltongue and a window into Voldemort's mind is one thing, but making him a Horcux? Enough Harry Potter fans debunked this theory months ago.

Of all the people who died, I felt worst for Hedwig - maybe because she was the first casualty - and Dobby, the poor thing. Snape was expected, Mad-Eye didn't hurt so much since we don't really know him so well, Lupin and Tonks were also somewhat inevitable given the narrative power of killing off all 4 Hogwarts best friends and leaving Harry as godfather. And Fred's death was shocking but at least George is still around to make them laugh right?

I'm sad that Sirius actually is dead, I really thought he'd make a comeback.

At least we got the answer to why the Bloody Baron is bloody, although the random inclusion of the Grey Lady seemed like a quick-fix since we've never heard of her before.

All in all, it wasn't the most satisfying ending, and lots of it was predictable and expected (see previous blog posts for questions that were answered!), but I still love this series and am so sad to realize that it's all over.

Farewell, Harry Potter. You will be missed.

The Glass Castle

On the way back from the UK, I finished reading The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.

It is heart-renching true story about the author's own childhood experience of being raised by parents who so loathe the confines of traditional society, that they subject Walls and her three siblings to a childhood of unrelenting instability, extreme danger and disgusting poverty.

The story begins with Walls' earliest memory from the age of 3 - while making her own hot dogs for lunch (her mother is too busy painting in the other room, and feels kids should be self-sufficient from that age) her dress catches fire and she suffers from terrible burns on her chest and legs.

Her parents take her to the hospital, where she is thankfully saved from anything more than cosmetic damage, and required to stay for a few months to recover. But 6 weeks later, before her wounds can fully heal, her parents kidnap her from the hospital and make a run for it - technically because they hate these institutions and they think that fresh air is all the child needs to heal, but most likely because they can't be bothered to pay the bills.

And from then onwards, the book summarizes a life so shockingly lacking in anything normal, that it really makes you wonder why people have children if they can't take care of them in the first place; but it also makes you marvel at the resilience and strength of children in the face of adversity.

The Walls' kids are deprived of a home as their parents are constantly on the run from the law, and don't want to hold down jobs. The father is an alcoholic genius, who *can* bring home the bacon when he chooses to not spend it all on booze, and is a wonderful teacher of natural history, mathematics and geology - when he's sober.

The mother is shockingly flighty and spends her entire life complaining that she's stuck raising these children when she really wants to be pursuing her dreams as an artist. What's ironic is that while she keeps saying she's bound by these responsibilities, she actually does nothing to take care of her children.

In one terrible recollection, Walls tells us of a time when the children found their mother hiding away and stuffing herself with chocolate while the children were starving; their mother's defense was that chocolate was her addiction, just like alcohol was their father's. It just boggles the mind that a mother could act in such a way.

The title of the book, The Glass Castle, refers to the pie-in-the-sky project that Walls' father holds as his life-long dream; the reason (read: excuse) for all the running is to make enough money to finance this project. It would be a home made entirely of glass, that would run on solar power and would be the most magnificent invention of all time. Needless to say, this dream never ever comes true.

As a little girl, the author is in awe of her father, loves him deeply and believes in the possibility of the Glass Castle, as well as his rhetoric that their lifestyle is the ideal way to live. But once they move from the deserts of Arizona and California, to disgusting delapidated housing in what is really Hicksville, West Virginia, the children quickly grow up and begin to learn the reality of their parents' weaknesses.

It takes many years of struggle before they are able to escape their parents' chokehold on them, and move to New York one by one to pursue their dreams of a normal life. And the author manages to become especially successful - she is now a celebrity gossip column writer, which she likes because she can show people that everyone has a sad, secret story to their lives. and nobody is perfect.

Apparently the reason Jeannette Walls decided to write the book was that she was riding in a cab going to a party in Manhattan, when she saw a homeless woman digging through the trash and realized with a start - that it was her mother.

Because eventually, the parents followed their kids to New York and officially became homeless, enjoying the freedom and excited by how they could work the system to finance their voluntarily-chosen lifestyle of poverty and aimlessness.

The ovewhelming emotion that you feel after reading this book is anger; anger that such selfish, irresponsible, and dubiously-sane human beings are allowed to bring children into this world, and despite having the means to give them some kind of a happy life, voluntarily choose to sacrifice their happiness and safety as a scapegoat for their own weaknesses and vices. Over and over, I was shocked by the stories.. and each time I thought things couldn't get worse, and the parents couldn't fall any more in my eyes, they managed to actually do it.

But then there is also a message of hope, as one by one, each of the children manages to get out of the vicious circle of poverty and helplessness and make a life of their own. And this underscores something that my own personal experience has made me believe: children, at some level, raise themselves.

While my life has been extremely luxurious compared to the Walls' children, I can relate to their lives through the experience of my own dysfunctional and bitter parents. I know what it feels like to know that your parents have become so involved in their own lives that you have to learn to get by on your own; to know that even though you're a child you have to do most of the parenting in the household; to realize that the best, most wondrous years of your lives were wasted away in a constant struggle for sanity and normalcy, and even today you have little to show for it.

But eventually, you just manage. The madness becomes the everyday, and your perception of "normal" alters dramatically. At the end of the day, you deal with what you've been dealt, and you just simply learn how to make do with what you've got. Doing things any differently - becoming bitter, going off the deep end - would achieve nothing and just mean disappointing yourself. And after being disappointed by the people you love most, you know that that's the last thing you would want to put yourself through. So.. you just manage. That's what children do.

No God But God

It's been a week since I finished "No God But God" by Reza Aslan but I never got around to blogging about it. Can't be bothered to type today so, in short, it was good.

Why?

a) Aslan has a fantastic writing style that keeps you engrossed from start to finish.

b) It's incredibly well-researched and articulate.

c) For once you get to hear the shiah point of view without the histrionics and rhetoric mandatory in a live explanation.

d) Who'da thunk that Sufis were actually a legitimate sect of Islam?

e) And in general, it's nice to get a point of view that's different from (and questions) the over-simplified, Wahabist version of Islam that we were brainwashed with by the UAE school system.

I'm at work and it's 9:30am and I find myself already suffering from Friday syndrome (yknow when you become completely unproductive and just want the weekend to be here?).

It's especially funny that I should feel this way because I'm just freelancing and it's not like I have huge major deadlines. Plus I've been doing this for a week.. the first work I've done in 4.5 months.. yet I'm wishing for the laziness that I've been complaining about all this time because at least then I can sleep in until 11am, avoid spending 2 hours a day on public transportation and eat healthy, home-cooked meals instead of going back to the office routine of $8 takeout lunches.

This office smells like the agency in Dubai where I interned.. either that, or it smells like that 89.3 Radio 4 FM studio in Ajman where I also interned... maybe it's a small office smell. It's definitely a small office - 45 people total, with me being the 5th person in the media department.

On Wednesday I interviewed with another small agency here. It's an office of 10 people, but 70 more of them are in the Maine headquarters. If I joined the media team, I would be one of two people in the Boston office, and one of five people total with both offices combined.

This is all just very funny.. I come from a place where there are 800 media people in one building. The guy who interviewed me on Wednesday told me that moving to such a small team would be a huge culture shock, and would I be ready for it. I gave him a non-committal smile that said, "I really don't want to do this but you're offering a great salary so don't make me say anything I might regret."

The commute to work is so long. It's actually about 40 minutes sitting-in-the-train time, but 20 minutes goes in all the walking and train-changing so it's actually an hour door-to-door. I'm used to a 30minute commute that involves a 10minute train ride. It's funny that in Chicago, Sarwar had the hour long commute and I was a hop and a skip away from work. Now it's reversed. Unfair. *sniff*

Still, the long train rides have allowed me to catch up on my reading. I finished "A Long Way Gone" by Ishmael Beah, who was a child soldier in the Sierra Leone civil war who luckily was rescued and rehabilitated by UNICEF. It's a remarkable story - I can't believe he survived so much gory bloodiness and merciless killing after going through the physical, emotional and psychological madness he describes in such a clear, calm, third-person manner. As hard as it is to believe, I get the sense that it was easier for him to fall into and accept the madness of war and become a killer, than to get off the drugs he was pumped up on and learn to forgive himself and become a "normal" member of society - even though it took less time to rehabilitate.

It's a terrifying and sad read, but it does have a message of hope in it, that comes from Ishamel's own strength and endurance. And it certainly makes you appreciate the UN's work even though we all criticize it and think it's ineffective. If they're able to change lives like this one by one,they're definitely doing a wonderful job. Highly recommended read.

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.

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.

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 :)

The Fine Line Between Genius and Insanity

Just finished reading 'The Professor and the Madman' by Simon Winchester, a book about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary, which - when you stop to think and read about it - must have been a gargantuan task to envision, let alone complete. But it was achieved through the efforts of many, but in particular by one desperate lunatic with an astounding genius.

It took 70 years to put together, and Winchester tells the tale in the style of 'The Devil in the White City' - while greatness is being made, madness and murder lurk in an inextricably linked background.



The book is written in a bit of a hodge-podge, one-person's-opinion style rather than as a serious academic pursuit - but nonetheless an interesting read.

Cultural Consumptions (cont'd)

Forgot to mention in my earlier post!

The Inheritance of Loss, by Kiran Desai: C
An interesting premise and backdrop, but the book moved at a snail's pace, delved into a little too much detail, and ended with a conclusion that leaves you unsatisfied. Hmm, sounds a little like Tolkein only it's totally not :P
I guess all Indian writers that win Booker prizes have to be somewhat ephemeral and vague :P

Cultural Consumptions

So, here's my follow up to a previous post, with ratings on what I'm calling "Cultural Consumptions" in recent weeks:

'Blood Diamond': A+
Gory, in-your-face and bluntly violent but extremely well-made and well-directed. This story about mid-1990's Sierra Leone and the vicious civil war, funded by the sale of conflict diamonds, that ripped it apart is gruesome but so tightly made that you can't help but hang on to every scene like your life depends on it. Leonardo DiCaprio is phenomenal as a South African smuggler with a complicated moral compass, warped by years of suffering the many of the inequities and contradictions of life in Africa.

At its very core this film is about nationalism - it manifests itself in vicious jungle warfare and genocide, but also in a fierce love for country and kin and a dream for a more peacful tomorrow. But this hope is meek, fragile and fleeting. There is a vast emptiness - not only in the homes and bellies of these people, and not only in the sprawling heat-soaked savannah - but in their eyes as they witness merciless brutality and wonder if they will even survive to see tomorrow. And then there is the very obvious contradiction about the diamonds themselves. Standing in Tiffany's surrounded by shimmering rocks in glass cases, it's easy to forget the amount of blood that was spent and the suffering people had to endure to tweeze up scraps of carbon and watch it being snatched away from them.

Watch this movie - you'll come out shaken, but your perspective will be radically altered. After I saw it, I felt like selling all the diamonds I own and donating the money to people in Africa. But then I can only be selfless for so long. Still, I hope one day I can do something to make a difference.

'The Good Shepherd': C
Despite a good cast (Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Robert DeNiro), this 'the CIA is ruthless in the 1960's' movie was desperately slow and didn't do a very good job of making you feel connected to the characters or even caring about their fate. Angelina Jolie had about 15 mins of screen time but was actually pretty decent. Matt Damon was in every frame and tried to create a character that doesn't talk much yet feels a great deal, but the end result was a little too deadpan for me. If you don't see it, you haven't missed much.

'The 40 Year Old Virgin': B-
The concept was a little kitsch, the story was very predictable and the language was a little *too* over the edge for me, although Steve Carrell was hilarious. It was on HBO and I can't imagine it ever on basic cable without tonnes of bleeps or voiceovers or censored scenes. Okay for a one time watch, but nowhere close to Dude, Where's My Car, Road Trip, Harold & Kumar and other classic stoner movies.

'Night at the Museum': B
The reviews mocked it, but I actually liked this movie! Your typical Ben Stiller fare, this movie is going to be on TBS all the time in about 5 years. Definitely family-friendly, and laugh out loud funny if you're looking for some mindless entertainment.

'Abraham' by Bruce Feiler: A-
FYI, it's about the prophet, not Lincoln :)

This book is very interesting study on Prophet Ibrahim (as we Muslims refer to him) - who he was, what he did, and how/why all three of the world's monotheistic religions claim that he was the forefather of each one. Feiler tends to focus more on the Jewish and Christian interpretation of him, and in some cases seems rather blasphemous when he begins to assume why God may have said or done things (c'mon you can't put words in His mouth!) but once you begin reading this book you realize how little you really know about this man, and how much actually there is in common between all three religions. In fact, the book has spawned thousands interfaith discussions in the U.S. and around the world because Abraham *is* such a common figure that he helps bring opposing factions together to acknowledge his greatness, and the true meaning of his mission. A must-read.

'The Time-Traveler's Wife' by Audrey Niffenegger: A+
Props to Rumaisa for recommending this book! A fantastic concept and beautifully written, gut-wrenching love story that, I must admit, had me crying at many points through the book.

This is the story about Henry, a man who has a genetic defect that makes him travels to the past and future on a regular basis. Henry meets, falls in love with, marries a girl called Clare, only because of his time traveling, he meets her at different ages and throughout time. Clare's life, however, is running on a sequential basis. So when they meet in their 20's, she's actually already met him because he came to her when she was 6 and he was 40, but he hasn't met her yet because he's only 28 and not 40. Wait. This is confusing to explain. Read it yourself and you'll understand - and you'll definitely cry so keep a box of tissues handy!

'The Phantom of the Opera' on Broadway: A+
A visual and audio delight! Two thumbs way up. The music is phenomenal, plus we were sitting in the second row and it was a great feeling to be so close to the stage when the Phantom takes Christine away to his lair on the rowboat. And the chandelier fell on our heads too :D Overall, extremely enjoyable and engrossing, wonderful music (especially the title track) and very well put together!

So, that's my take. Looking forward to everyone's comments :)

"Angels & Demons" was alright. Lots of action and not enough brain-work. The final twist in the end was also a bit over the top and cliched... y'know, the "No Luke, I am your father!" Syndrome. Blah.

So, AA.com sent me their Net Saver fares for this month. I was overjoyed to see that my sister could visit me from Toronto for $106 next weekend! 'Course they didn't mention that was $106 prior to slapping on the famous Canadian taxes. By the checkout page, the ticket was $170! I know that's phenomenally cheaper than the usual price I pay (in the $250's) but heck, I'm going there on Thanksgiving anyway. I'll survive 3 weeks without her and save my $170, thanks.

Boobahh.. nothing fun happenin' anymore.

*burp*

If the purpose of Ramadan is to imitate and therefore understand the hardship that millions of poverty-stricken people of our ummah suffer through starvation, then how can one justify the tummy-bursting iftaris one indulges in come 5:59PM? Surely the indulgence of the impulse to eat defeats the entire purpose of fasting!

Its bizarre but almost every day this Ramadan I have been fit to burst 5 minutes after opening my fast. Either I'm really binging or the smallest quantities of food turn into large rocks in my tummy almost instantly. The worse part is that (unlike ever before) I find myself craving food during my fast. Seems like my moral strength is being tested - and is obviously failing. I am such a sinner :/

While at Devon this weekend, I decided to pick up the movie "Sarfarosh", as Sarwar hasn't seen it and I was in the mood to celebrate the death of the evil bandit Veerappan. Not only did he kill and lootofy hundreds of innocent people for 20 years - he was targeting our very own pan-Indian hero Rajnikath as well (see previous posts for fan posting). The brigand!

As luck would have it though, I went in and picked up some 80's B-movie called "Sarfarosh-e-Hind". Why? I'm blind that's all. Didn't read the whole label through before picking it off the shelf. Needless to say, my jubilation over Veerappan's death was marred when I played the tape and found Anupam Kher and Mukesh Khanna in skin-tight vardi's interrogating a muchhar bandit in a cardboard thaana. Sigh.

Alrighty, I'm off. I began reading "Angels and Demons" by Dan Brown today morning and only got to read 66 pages so I shall go back and satisfy my craving for the book. It's a lot like Da Vinci Code (or vice versa) in plot movement and narrative style but I love conspiracy theories - especially those about religion and apocalypses - so naturally I am riveted.

More later.

A Trip to Heaven

So on my way back from TO (and after I got here) I got to reading a book that Abdu gave me (it was a belated birthday present but had pencil annotations from a friend who gave it to him so maybe it doesn't fit the "bday present" category :P).

The book is called "the five people you meet in heaven" and is by Mitch Albom. It is possibly the most inspiring and soul touching book I have ever read, and I am not easily inspired or touched. In fact, the whole Chicken Soup thing never sat quite well with me, and neither does the sight of Cameron Diaz weeping live on Oprah because she's devastated by the thought of an America filled with apathetic people who don't vote and use "their voice". Ugh. Yes, this is true, I saw it with mine own eyes.

But I digress.

The book, briefly, is about a man called Eddie who dies and goes to heaven. But Albom's version of heaven is different from anything written in lore or religion; it is a place where we find out what the purpose of our life on earth was, and the journey that Eddie takes through heaven, meeting the 5 people who can best explain him to himself, is just exhilirating, illuminating, tender, and heart-breakingly melancholy. The book reads like the sweetest love song, made of the rich and varied colors of a sunset; dazzlingly simple yet layered with meaning.

I read the book and at once felt a calming peace and an urgent need to read it and experience it all over again. Highly recommend it to anyone who has ever wondered about life after death, or has felt lonely, or unaccomplished, or unhappy for even the slighest moment. I can guarantee you'll walk away an enlightened person.

As I look over my list of favorite books, I am struck by how almost all of these authors are British. Cor chief!