Why do I need to do word verification to comment on my own blog? How gay! (no offence to gays)
I was listening to Tere Sang Ishq - Remix (Tom, Dick and Harry) and have decided that Paresh would sound like Himesh Reshammiya if he sang. And Tamanna would sound like the chick who sings the few girly lines in that song. And they would be bopping in a club. Don't you guys feel special? I just cast you for a music video in my head.
In other news, I finally have a claim to fame: My photograph was published in a magazine just overleaf from a photograph (and article) on Stephen Colbert!!
I haven't actually seen it, but turns out that the article that Dialogue (official magazine of the School of Communication at Northwestern, apna alma mater) wrote about my company (Starcom Worldwide) being NU intern-friendly was just as important as the story about Stephen Colbert (NU '86) being the grand marshall at this year's Homecoming Parade.
I guess it's just as well that I wore my colorful Jaipur ka kurta that day -- the photographer liked it so much he put me in every single shot, so I suppose I was bound for glory.
Muwahahaha!
November 17, 2006
November 15, 2006
November 12, 2006
November 8, 2006
Victory Lap
What a glorious day for America!
Rumsfeld resigns as secretary of defense...
Democrats take back the House, and hopefully the Senate..
and Britney files for divorce from "Fed-Ex" just before the next year of alimony kicks-in from their pre-nup. And I thought they only reason she announced it yesterday was so that the news would drown out in the noise of election coverage. Smart girl, Brit.
Rumsfeld resigns as secretary of defense...
Democrats take back the House, and hopefully the Senate..
and Britney files for divorce from "Fed-Ex" just before the next year of alimony kicks-in from their pre-nup. And I thought they only reason she announced it yesterday was so that the news would drown out in the noise of election coverage. Smart girl, Brit.
November 6, 2006
I burned my palm the other day. A drop of molten hot halwa-gone-wrong (too much ghee made all the sugar cystalize and turn into halwa-flavored hard candy) fell on my palm when I was trying to stop my tongue from burning into a black stump.
Anyway, a large burn mark has now formed on my hand somewhere in the vicinity of where the Brain Line and the Destiny Line intersect.
I suppose I'm now destined to be brainless.
Anyway, a large burn mark has now formed on my hand somewhere in the vicinity of where the Brain Line and the Destiny Line intersect.
I suppose I'm now destined to be brainless.
Finally - technology that's truly useful!
Sounds expensive, but we should work to donate at least one to every village in India during the monsoon season... :P
Hot Air Spells Death for Head Lice
11.06.06, 12:00 AM ET
Forbes.com
MONDAY, Nov. 6 (HealthDay News) -- A contraption that looks like a cross between a vacuum cleaner and a hair dryer could rescue children from the scourge of head lice, a new study claims.
According to one of its creators, the device has a near-perfect success rate at killing off both lice and any of their eggs lurking in kids' hair. And the little critters shouldn't become immune to the so-called "LouseBuster," as they already have to some pesticides.
"It's extremely effective and extremely safe, and we think evolution-proof," said study co-author Dale Clayton, a University of Utah biology professor. "It would be very hard for insects to develop resistance to this assault."
According to Clayton, an estimated one in four American children will get infected by head lice. The tiny insects -- about the size of a sesame seed -- can be very difficult to eradicate.
One way is to get rid of them is to use repeatedly use special lice combs on children's heads, but this approach is so time-consuming that it can overwhelm parents. A variety of anti-lice shampoos are also available, but some parents don't like the idea of using insecticides -- including Malathion -- on their kids. Also, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says some lice have developed immunity to the chemicals used to kill them, although such problems are scattered.
Enter hot air, which some specialists think may be better at killing lice and their eggs.
Clayton and his colleagues tested a variety of hair dryers -- including handheld and "bonnet" models -- on 169 local children who were infested with lice. Their findings appear in the November issue of Pediatrics.
All the hair dryers killed at least 89 percent of lice eggs. But only one -- the specially designed "LouseBuster" -- managed to both kill eggs (98 percent) and wipe out high numbers of living lice (80 percent). The remaining living lice appeared unable to breed, perhaps due to stress or sterilization, the team said.
So, according to the study, the heads of children treated with the LouseBuster were free of lice one week after the half-hour treatment.
"We think it has a delayed effect on the lice it doesn't kill," Clayton said. "When you go back a week later, there's nothing there."
The air produced by the LouseBuster is hot -- much warmer than a typical hair dryer. Also unlike a hair dryer, it has a special handpiece designed to expose the roots of the hair.
The device apparently works by drying out the lice and their eggs, not by heating them, Clayton said.
The cost of the device is unknown, although Clayton estimated it should be in the hundreds of dollars, not the thousands, making it affordable for school districts. He predicted it could be on the market within a year or two, and added that the time required for treatment could eventually shrink to 15 minutes.
Dr. Craig Burkhart, a dermatologist at the Medical University of Ohio who studies lice, doubted that the device will be a success, however.
"The problem with the treatment is that it takes a half an hour at least to destroy the lice and the contraption is somewhat expensive and very cumbersome," he said.
What to do? "As with all bugs, insecticides remain the treatment of choice," Burkhart said.
Hot Air Spells Death for Head Lice
11.06.06, 12:00 AM ET
Forbes.com
MONDAY, Nov. 6 (HealthDay News) -- A contraption that looks like a cross between a vacuum cleaner and a hair dryer could rescue children from the scourge of head lice, a new study claims.
According to one of its creators, the device has a near-perfect success rate at killing off both lice and any of their eggs lurking in kids' hair. And the little critters shouldn't become immune to the so-called "LouseBuster," as they already have to some pesticides.
"It's extremely effective and extremely safe, and we think evolution-proof," said study co-author Dale Clayton, a University of Utah biology professor. "It would be very hard for insects to develop resistance to this assault."
According to Clayton, an estimated one in four American children will get infected by head lice. The tiny insects -- about the size of a sesame seed -- can be very difficult to eradicate.
One way is to get rid of them is to use repeatedly use special lice combs on children's heads, but this approach is so time-consuming that it can overwhelm parents. A variety of anti-lice shampoos are also available, but some parents don't like the idea of using insecticides -- including Malathion -- on their kids. Also, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says some lice have developed immunity to the chemicals used to kill them, although such problems are scattered.
Enter hot air, which some specialists think may be better at killing lice and their eggs.
Clayton and his colleagues tested a variety of hair dryers -- including handheld and "bonnet" models -- on 169 local children who were infested with lice. Their findings appear in the November issue of Pediatrics.
All the hair dryers killed at least 89 percent of lice eggs. But only one -- the specially designed "LouseBuster" -- managed to both kill eggs (98 percent) and wipe out high numbers of living lice (80 percent). The remaining living lice appeared unable to breed, perhaps due to stress or sterilization, the team said.
So, according to the study, the heads of children treated with the LouseBuster were free of lice one week after the half-hour treatment.
"We think it has a delayed effect on the lice it doesn't kill," Clayton said. "When you go back a week later, there's nothing there."
The air produced by the LouseBuster is hot -- much warmer than a typical hair dryer. Also unlike a hair dryer, it has a special handpiece designed to expose the roots of the hair.
The device apparently works by drying out the lice and their eggs, not by heating them, Clayton said.
The cost of the device is unknown, although Clayton estimated it should be in the hundreds of dollars, not the thousands, making it affordable for school districts. He predicted it could be on the market within a year or two, and added that the time required for treatment could eventually shrink to 15 minutes.
Dr. Craig Burkhart, a dermatologist at the Medical University of Ohio who studies lice, doubted that the device will be a success, however.
"The problem with the treatment is that it takes a half an hour at least to destroy the lice and the contraption is somewhat expensive and very cumbersome," he said.
What to do? "As with all bugs, insecticides remain the treatment of choice," Burkhart said.
November 2, 2006
You've Got Nail
Two days ago, I was in a mall and got stopped by a lady running a stall with products from the "Dead Sea Spa" company.
She forcibly used her product on my right hand ring fingernail - 3 sides of a cube-like buffing brush (black side, then blue side, then white side), with drops of some goop and a moisturizer. And voila, ten seconds later my nail was glistening like it had just come out of a manicure.
However, I wasn't going to dish out $29.99 for months and months of beautiful nails and healthy cuticles - so I thanked the lady and walked on.
Today, I looked at my fingernails - and 9 of them have miserably crumbled in this shatteringly cold weather.
But one nail, and one nail alone, remains standing.. steadfastly shiny in the face of all temperature-induced odds. A testament to decently-priced products that do work which we pass over because we're cheap and think short-term, and then regret for a week afterwards.
Cheers, nail.
**Update: just found out that said product is being sold online for $19.95 - $10 less than in the stall! Scratch all that about product being decently-priced.. we're being ripped off I tell you!**
She forcibly used her product on my right hand ring fingernail - 3 sides of a cube-like buffing brush (black side, then blue side, then white side), with drops of some goop and a moisturizer. And voila, ten seconds later my nail was glistening like it had just come out of a manicure.
However, I wasn't going to dish out $29.99 for months and months of beautiful nails and healthy cuticles - so I thanked the lady and walked on.
Today, I looked at my fingernails - and 9 of them have miserably crumbled in this shatteringly cold weather.
But one nail, and one nail alone, remains standing.. steadfastly shiny in the face of all temperature-induced odds. A testament to decently-priced products that do work which we pass over because we're cheap and think short-term, and then regret for a week afterwards.
Cheers, nail.
**Update: just found out that said product is being sold online for $19.95 - $10 less than in the stall! Scratch all that about product being decently-priced.. we're being ripped off I tell you!**
October 24, 2006
Wanted
Can someone help me find an mp3 for a song by Stan Freberg called "Tele-vee-shun"?
Heard it on the 50s channel on XM and it's HILARIOUS. If anyone can help, holla.
Heard it on the 50s channel on XM and it's HILARIOUS. If anyone can help, holla.
An Ode to the Eternal Pursuit of Aimless Freedom
"The Way"
Fastball
(All the Pain Money Can Buy, 1998)
They made up their minds
And they started packing
They left before the sun came up that day
An exit to eternal summer slacking
But where were they going without ever knowing the way?
They drank up the wine
And they got to talking
They now had more important things to say
And when the car broke down they started walking
Where were they going without ever knowing the way?
Anyone can see the road that they walk on is paved in gold
And it's always summer, they'll never get cold
They'll never get hungry, they'll never get old and grey
You can see their shadows wandering off somewhere
They won't make it home, but they really don't care
They wanted the highway - they're happier there today, today
Their children woke up
And they couldn't find them
They left before the sun came up that day
They just drove off and left it all behind 'em
But where were they going without ever knowing the way?
October 23, 2006
Eid Mubarak!
Congratulations on completing the fasts of Ramadan. May Allah (swt) honor you and your families with countless rewards and bless you with a wonderful, peaceful Eid!
Eid Mubarak!
October 22, 2006
Moronic Superiority Complexes
Recently, Bill Maher invited Lou Dobbs, Ben Affleck and terrorism expert Danielle Pletka (2:25 onwards) to his show to discuss -- well, does he ever have any one agenda or theme? He sort of dances all over the place with no intention of a serious discussion.
Anyway, during this episode, Bill started talking about the Muslim tradition of 'naqab', i.e. women veiling their faces and its disappointing that despite Bill Maher having the opportunity to use his soapbox to do some good and engage the public (in HBO's case, the affluent, educated public) in real debate, all he does is perpetuate the stereotype of the arrogant American on his cultural/political/moral high horse. My sister-in-law did accurately point out to me that he considers himself a comedian/satirist and not a real journalist, but even Jon Stewart does some research before approaching his guests and uses his platform to see what the other side has to say, not just slap his opinion on everyone else.
I find it appalling how Bill Maher can call the American way culturally superior to all other cultures without batting an eyelid. In my personal opinion, being culturally superior also inherently means being socially and morally superior - in which case, he should have taken the high road by inviting a Muslim to his show to have a real discussion about the naqab and Islamic way of life, instead of putting on three completely unqualified WASPs to "debate" Islam's cultural oppression.
If America was culturally superior there would be no racism here - let's not forget their ugly history of slavery, and how much law enforcement today depends on racial profiling to do its job, and how private companies rush to fulfill "diversity" and affirmative action requirements the moment any advisory body singles them out as possibly racist.
The "idea" behind America is truly a great one - no doubt about that. How can you find fault with the philosophy "We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal"? But America isn't equal and when people like Bill Maher ignore the reality of a broken system, and just mouth off rhetoric about the perfect American way, it's really quite pathetic.
Because let's not kid ourselves -- America currently suffers from a president who is deaf to the demands and needs of his people and his Congress, a Congress that's too involved in getting itself out of a plethora of sexual, corruption and money laundering scandals to legislate effectively, a disenchanted electorate that doesn't actually vote, and a myriad of social problems - rising crime, increasing poverty, an alarming divorce rate and, lets not forget, reality TV. Hardly my idea of a culturally/morally superior nation. Economically, of course, it's a whole different story, and you'd think that Bill Maher would have read enough books by now to understand that equating economic imperialism with cultural superiority is so 10 years ago.
I do think that Lou Dobbs (however thick he may be in general) did have a fair point in asking that Muslims be cognizant of American culture when they're here, just as Americans are in the Muslim world (though lets not pretend that female American journalists are covering their hair out of respect, most likely its fear that they'll be shot if they don't... plus there's plenty of naked Western women lying around on the beaches in Dubai!)
However, you do have to think -- this country was founded by people who came here to escape religious persecution, who founded this country on the belief that every person should have the ability to practice his religion as he pleases. So didn't it occur to Bill Maher that this is America, the land of the free -- and if a woman is wearing a naqab here, she probably believes in it and isn't being forced to wear it? She's exercising a fundamental freedom guaranteed to her by the Bill of Rights.
I also think that Americans would never have bothered to debate about the culture of a foreign, "oppressive" religion before 9/11. People were wearing naqabs before that but now suddenly its a big deal to shield your face as a sign of modesty. This is now being equated to terrorist/Taliban like oppression, and thick-headed people like Bill Maher feel that its their "duty" to "save" these poor women from such inequality considering they're on freedom-filled home turf. He should pause to think about this "savior" impulse, considering it is what also drove Bush to Baghdad to topple Saddam Hussain and now look at the mess he's left with. "We will be greeted as liberators", said Cheney. Yeah, right. If the job of the liberator is have his ass handed to him, sure.
The naqab is a choice, and many Muslims today debate if even hijab is compulsory. I'm not super educated in this realm but if anything I do know that the Qur'an at the very least calls for modesty, which frankly I believe the majority of American parents would be very supportive of considering all recent parenthood studies show that American parents today believe there is too much sex and violence on TV. Even the Superbowl cannot be considered sacrosanct television anymore, what with 5-second delays to control semi-intentional wardrobe malfunctions.
Anyway, perhaps I give people like Bill Maher too much credit. Just because you're on the "intellectual" HBO (that's if you think sex-crazed New Yorker women with too much time on their hands and the bloody escapades of a mafia family equate to intellectual), doesn't mean that you necessarily have to have a superior intellect, if any at all.
Anyway, during this episode, Bill started talking about the Muslim tradition of 'naqab', i.e. women veiling their faces and its disappointing that despite Bill Maher having the opportunity to use his soapbox to do some good and engage the public (in HBO's case, the affluent, educated public) in real debate, all he does is perpetuate the stereotype of the arrogant American on his cultural/political/moral high horse. My sister-in-law did accurately point out to me that he considers himself a comedian/satirist and not a real journalist, but even Jon Stewart does some research before approaching his guests and uses his platform to see what the other side has to say, not just slap his opinion on everyone else.
I find it appalling how Bill Maher can call the American way culturally superior to all other cultures without batting an eyelid. In my personal opinion, being culturally superior also inherently means being socially and morally superior - in which case, he should have taken the high road by inviting a Muslim to his show to have a real discussion about the naqab and Islamic way of life, instead of putting on three completely unqualified WASPs to "debate" Islam's cultural oppression.
If America was culturally superior there would be no racism here - let's not forget their ugly history of slavery, and how much law enforcement today depends on racial profiling to do its job, and how private companies rush to fulfill "diversity" and affirmative action requirements the moment any advisory body singles them out as possibly racist.
The "idea" behind America is truly a great one - no doubt about that. How can you find fault with the philosophy "We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal"? But America isn't equal and when people like Bill Maher ignore the reality of a broken system, and just mouth off rhetoric about the perfect American way, it's really quite pathetic.
Because let's not kid ourselves -- America currently suffers from a president who is deaf to the demands and needs of his people and his Congress, a Congress that's too involved in getting itself out of a plethora of sexual, corruption and money laundering scandals to legislate effectively, a disenchanted electorate that doesn't actually vote, and a myriad of social problems - rising crime, increasing poverty, an alarming divorce rate and, lets not forget, reality TV. Hardly my idea of a culturally/morally superior nation. Economically, of course, it's a whole different story, and you'd think that Bill Maher would have read enough books by now to understand that equating economic imperialism with cultural superiority is so 10 years ago.
I do think that Lou Dobbs (however thick he may be in general) did have a fair point in asking that Muslims be cognizant of American culture when they're here, just as Americans are in the Muslim world (though lets not pretend that female American journalists are covering their hair out of respect, most likely its fear that they'll be shot if they don't... plus there's plenty of naked Western women lying around on the beaches in Dubai!)
However, you do have to think -- this country was founded by people who came here to escape religious persecution, who founded this country on the belief that every person should have the ability to practice his religion as he pleases. So didn't it occur to Bill Maher that this is America, the land of the free -- and if a woman is wearing a naqab here, she probably believes in it and isn't being forced to wear it? She's exercising a fundamental freedom guaranteed to her by the Bill of Rights.
I also think that Americans would never have bothered to debate about the culture of a foreign, "oppressive" religion before 9/11. People were wearing naqabs before that but now suddenly its a big deal to shield your face as a sign of modesty. This is now being equated to terrorist/Taliban like oppression, and thick-headed people like Bill Maher feel that its their "duty" to "save" these poor women from such inequality considering they're on freedom-filled home turf. He should pause to think about this "savior" impulse, considering it is what also drove Bush to Baghdad to topple Saddam Hussain and now look at the mess he's left with. "We will be greeted as liberators", said Cheney. Yeah, right. If the job of the liberator is have his ass handed to him, sure.
The naqab is a choice, and many Muslims today debate if even hijab is compulsory. I'm not super educated in this realm but if anything I do know that the Qur'an at the very least calls for modesty, which frankly I believe the majority of American parents would be very supportive of considering all recent parenthood studies show that American parents today believe there is too much sex and violence on TV. Even the Superbowl cannot be considered sacrosanct television anymore, what with 5-second delays to control semi-intentional wardrobe malfunctions.
Anyway, perhaps I give people like Bill Maher too much credit. Just because you're on the "intellectual" HBO (that's if you think sex-crazed New Yorker women with too much time on their hands and the bloody escapades of a mafia family equate to intellectual), doesn't mean that you necessarily have to have a superior intellect, if any at all.
October 20, 2006
The cheesiest 'religious harmony' statement ever made..
"Ramadan is incomplete without RAM, just as Diwali is incomplete without "ALI".
Stop, stop.. I'm drowning in this huge vat of cheese.....
"Ramadan is incomplete without RAM, just as Diwali is incomplete without "ALI".
Stop, stop.. I'm drowning in this huge vat of cheese.....
October 17, 2006
Again, this morning I thought of something random and said to myself, 'Self, that would make a good blog posting' -- and now it escapes me. This is ridiculous -- I'm going to have to start introducing myself as 'Hi, I'm Zeenat and my mind is like a sieve.'
(Hmm perhaps decline in blogging is directly co-related to fasting. Brain does not seem to be working as sharply as before.)
In other news, Vish was nice enough to send me Citibank-sponsored tix to the sneak peek preview screening of 'Don'! Thanks Vish, mighty kind of you -- although I may not be able to go, it being the end of Ramadan and me trying to get into the Almighty's good books 'n all.
Moving on..
We bought a new vacuum cleaner! Hmm, I am embarassed by my own level of excitement.
We needed a new one since Sarwar hoovered up my sock the last time, hence clogging the system and causing it to emit a terrible smell of burning rubber each time it's turned on. Plus it's blowing out more garbage than it's sucking in, and it's an eyesore given its gross dull green color.
So we spiced it up! Got ourselves a red and purple hoover which apparently can make the same claim as the Dyson because this 'doesn't lose suction' either (did you just hear that in your head in the guy's posh Brit accent?) but didn't take 14,000 prototypes to be made, so clearly whoever invented it knew what he was doing, unlike the Dyson dude.
We also bought new Swiffer dusters AND the Swiffer wipey-thingy for floors. Mmmm.. clean house, here I come.
In case you're wondering why I'm on such a serious disinfecting spree -- the house is full of bugs. Not just your usual infestation of summer houseflies (which have actually died down quite a bit) but I'm talking creepy-crawlies. There are spiders and centipedes and shells of dead somethings that are strewn everywhere, mosquitoes, moths - you name it. They're coming out of the blankets, towels, bathrobes, closets and bookshelves.
One of the aforementioned mosquitoes has made a permanent home in my bedroom and has bitten me raw -- I have un-ending red scratchy bumps on my feet, behind my knees, on my shins, my arms, my throat, and other spots that nobody should have access to, let alone the bugs. Sarwar says it's actually probably an allergic reaction of some kind -- yes, I'm allergic to bugs!
Brr. Okay, now that I've grossed myself out sufficiently I'm going to go and see if there's anything that I can work on to keep myself busy before getting out at 5pm.
Oh yes. Just realized. I haven't updated y'all on the work situation.
So, given the Boston-move scenario, I decided that my last day at Starcom will be Dec 1st. That's about 6 weeks away so I figured that even though the Disney client was going to make us restructure the team, I'd still be able to stick around on the same team for a few weeks before wrapping up.
But noooo, I got chopped off completely in this 'restructure' as did the position of my associate. Blegh, they sucked anyway. We've been making up stuff for the last 6 months so I'm not surprised they axed us.
Anyway, since I'm still here for the next 6 weeks, I'm now working on the Macy's team (no, I haven't heard of any discount/coupon freebies yet).
But since I'm a "temp" manager, I don't get any associates under me or any client contact, and don't work on any of the red-hot-needs-to-get-done-asap-or-else-we're-screwed type of things because it would take too much time to get me up to speed and then have all that energy go to waste.
Instead, I'm apparently helping out with longer-term strategic projects, stuff that no one else has time to think about because they're all too busy keeping things from falling apart.
So far, I've done 1 annoying budget project but I suppose I've only been here 3 days so I should stay hopeful that it will get better. Still, for a person who is used to doing 40 things at once, and doing each of them really well, it's quite depressing to be this unwanted :(
Ok, must go now. Toodlez.
October 12, 2006
I had identified something clever I really wanted to blog about and now it escapes me. Darn.
By the way, Stephen Colbert is coming to Northwestern next Friday and is going to be the Grand Marshall in the Homecoming Parade!
By the way, Stephen Colbert is coming to Northwestern next Friday and is going to be the Grand Marshall in the Homecoming Parade!
October 4, 2006
Which Evil Corporation Are You?
Strange considering I don't even drink coffee...
Starbucks
55% personality, 24% politics/class, 88% intelligence
You're a Starbucks whore. Spread those lips.
Take the test for yourself here.
September 23, 2006
Fall Moons on the East Coast?
Wow, looks like I've been absent from blogworld for very long... hmmm.. either there's nothing going on or just too much to report?
(Hint: answer is #2)
Well, here's the down-low on significant happenings in the past few days:
(1) We're moving to Boston
Yup, have officially decided we are moving to Boston. Not quite certain when but probably in January or February of next year, so I guess I better enjoy my last Chicago winter while I can eh? :P~
It took some time to finally make this decision, almost a whole year in fact. But at the end, it's best for Sarwar's career and a good change for mine, it's closer to friends and family, and I think I need a change from Chicago. I love this city and it really is home for me (the only place I've lived in longer than Chicago is Sharjah) but I think it's time to let go of old memories that will do nothing for me, and create some new ones in a new world that I can cherish and enjoy forever. Plus I'll get to decorate a new apartment - halleleujah!
Y'know, I'd never imagined that my kids would be born in any place other than Chicago, but there you have it. They're gonna have Bostonian accents now ('mommy lets go to the paaaaak') *shudder*
(2) Fall Schedule
Psyched by: pilot for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, season opener of The Office
Disappointed by: season opener of Grey's Anatomy
Waiting on TiVo: pilots of Jericho, The Class
Anticipating: Heroes, 30 Rock, Brothers & Sisters, What about Brian
(3) Ramadan Mubarak?
As usual, the confusion continues. Due to political/ideological differences between local mosques and the national advisory body of ISNA (Islamic Society of North America), each year North American muslims beat their heads against their proverbial walls in attempts to figure out when the lunar month of Ramadan starts and when it will end.
This year, the question has been compounded by ISNA's decision that it will only follow astronomical charts announcing a new moon and not wait for it to be sighted by a human eye before declaring Ramadan/Eid, as has been the tradition, because it's more important to be accurate by using the tools we have now, rather than cause strife by employing the potentially inaccurate methods used 1400 years ago.
Great - someone made a decision. Logical, bipartisan, sensible. But wait - will local mosques follow it and enforce it in their own communities?
Of course not. So now we're struck - we know scientifically that the first day of fasting is today, Saturday, (as it is in the Middle East and the UK), because muslim astronomers have calculated that there was a 3 minute window last night during which the crescent new moon would have been visible.
But no mosque is preparing for the Ramadan prayers that we need to go to - our local mosque says it could be Sunday or even Monday! - so now what do we do?
Well, Sarwar and I are fasting today anyway. Better one extra day just in case than accidentally missing one day, though we'll follow the local mosque's calendar of day 1 prayers, day 2 prayers, etc. It's the only thing we can do.
Same thing happened last year. We began Ramadan in Chicago, and then went to Toronto for Eid and turned out that the Chicagoans declared Eid one day before the Canadians, so we ended up fasting another day to follow the Canadian calendar (though in total there were 30 fasts so we didn't overstep the length of the month).
Bizarre.
Anywho - that's most of what's been happening (well, not really but the rest isn't up for public discussion yet!) so...
xinu out.
(Hint: answer is #2)
Well, here's the down-low on significant happenings in the past few days:
(1) We're moving to Boston
Yup, have officially decided we are moving to Boston. Not quite certain when but probably in January or February of next year, so I guess I better enjoy my last Chicago winter while I can eh? :P~
It took some time to finally make this decision, almost a whole year in fact. But at the end, it's best for Sarwar's career and a good change for mine, it's closer to friends and family, and I think I need a change from Chicago. I love this city and it really is home for me (the only place I've lived in longer than Chicago is Sharjah) but I think it's time to let go of old memories that will do nothing for me, and create some new ones in a new world that I can cherish and enjoy forever. Plus I'll get to decorate a new apartment - halleleujah!
Y'know, I'd never imagined that my kids would be born in any place other than Chicago, but there you have it. They're gonna have Bostonian accents now ('mommy lets go to the paaaaak') *shudder*
(2) Fall Schedule
Psyched by: pilot for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, season opener of The Office
Disappointed by: season opener of Grey's Anatomy
Waiting on TiVo: pilots of Jericho, The Class
Anticipating: Heroes, 30 Rock, Brothers & Sisters, What about Brian
(3) Ramadan Mubarak?
As usual, the confusion continues. Due to political/ideological differences between local mosques and the national advisory body of ISNA (Islamic Society of North America), each year North American muslims beat their heads against their proverbial walls in attempts to figure out when the lunar month of Ramadan starts and when it will end.
This year, the question has been compounded by ISNA's decision that it will only follow astronomical charts announcing a new moon and not wait for it to be sighted by a human eye before declaring Ramadan/Eid, as has been the tradition, because it's more important to be accurate by using the tools we have now, rather than cause strife by employing the potentially inaccurate methods used 1400 years ago.
Great - someone made a decision. Logical, bipartisan, sensible. But wait - will local mosques follow it and enforce it in their own communities?
Of course not. So now we're struck - we know scientifically that the first day of fasting is today, Saturday, (as it is in the Middle East and the UK), because muslim astronomers have calculated that there was a 3 minute window last night during which the crescent new moon would have been visible.
But no mosque is preparing for the Ramadan prayers that we need to go to - our local mosque says it could be Sunday or even Monday! - so now what do we do?
Well, Sarwar and I are fasting today anyway. Better one extra day just in case than accidentally missing one day, though we'll follow the local mosque's calendar of day 1 prayers, day 2 prayers, etc. It's the only thing we can do.
Same thing happened last year. We began Ramadan in Chicago, and then went to Toronto for Eid and turned out that the Chicagoans declared Eid one day before the Canadians, so we ended up fasting another day to follow the Canadian calendar (though in total there were 30 fasts so we didn't overstep the length of the month).
Bizarre.
Anywho - that's most of what's been happening (well, not really but the rest isn't up for public discussion yet!) so...
xinu out.
September 11, 2006
It's a nice day for a.. white wedding
Never thought I'd quote David Bowie in a blog title, but there you have it.
Guess where I spent my weekend this past weekend?
Omaha, NE.
Yup, corn town. We were attending the wedding of Sarwar's good buddy from work (Jason). He married a girl called Geri and she's originally from a town 4 hrs AWAY from Omaha so this was the best compromise they could make!
Omaha is a cute, small town but there's really nothing to do there or see, so we just lounged in our hotel room and ate the complimentary choc chip cookies that Doubletree provided (they were YUM), watched Meet the Fockers on HBO and I agonized over a bottle of nail polish that opened on the way there and then became gloopy and un-put-on-able. I tried to buy another bottle but the nearest store was 10 blocks away (this is downtown) and without a car I wasn't going to make the trip. Took me 3 hrs to paint 10 finger nails and 10 toenails. Insanity. I was so frustrated I banged the bathroom door and dislodged the mirror. And then there was nail polish everywhere - on the sink ledge, in the sink, on my skin, my make up. Everywhere. And the nail polish remover I got from the gift shop in the hotel lobby was the really cheap kind where you have to use 3 cups before you can wipe a spot off. I feel like the entire morning/afternoon of the wedding went by in curses and the smell of acetone.
Any the who, it was my first white wedding (white 'cos the bride wears white, not 'cos it's got white people in it - which for some reason confused my boss) and it was a nice event at an art museum (the groom is not very pro-church) though we didn't know anyone and got seated with a bunch of farmers (no, literally) with pregnant wives who just talked among themselves about their existing and upcoming children, the wheat harvest, irrigation and pretty much ignored us brown folks - the only non-white people at the party. Eventually, though this other guy at the table, an engineer from Maryland with a 3 yr old daughter started talking to us and when the topic of Dubai came up, we began talking about the place, and you should have seen the expression on these Nebraskans faces - they were in total shock and awe. Doubt they've even left the state, let alone fathom leaving the country!
Ironically, it rained the whole day so I suppose it wasn't such a nice day for a white wedding after all.
Still, an interesting social experiment if there ever was one :)
Guess where I spent my weekend this past weekend?
Omaha, NE.
Yup, corn town. We were attending the wedding of Sarwar's good buddy from work (Jason). He married a girl called Geri and she's originally from a town 4 hrs AWAY from Omaha so this was the best compromise they could make!
Omaha is a cute, small town but there's really nothing to do there or see, so we just lounged in our hotel room and ate the complimentary choc chip cookies that Doubletree provided (they were YUM), watched Meet the Fockers on HBO and I agonized over a bottle of nail polish that opened on the way there and then became gloopy and un-put-on-able. I tried to buy another bottle but the nearest store was 10 blocks away (this is downtown) and without a car I wasn't going to make the trip. Took me 3 hrs to paint 10 finger nails and 10 toenails. Insanity. I was so frustrated I banged the bathroom door and dislodged the mirror. And then there was nail polish everywhere - on the sink ledge, in the sink, on my skin, my make up. Everywhere. And the nail polish remover I got from the gift shop in the hotel lobby was the really cheap kind where you have to use 3 cups before you can wipe a spot off. I feel like the entire morning/afternoon of the wedding went by in curses and the smell of acetone.
Any the who, it was my first white wedding (white 'cos the bride wears white, not 'cos it's got white people in it - which for some reason confused my boss) and it was a nice event at an art museum (the groom is not very pro-church) though we didn't know anyone and got seated with a bunch of farmers (no, literally) with pregnant wives who just talked among themselves about their existing and upcoming children, the wheat harvest, irrigation and pretty much ignored us brown folks - the only non-white people at the party. Eventually, though this other guy at the table, an engineer from Maryland with a 3 yr old daughter started talking to us and when the topic of Dubai came up, we began talking about the place, and you should have seen the expression on these Nebraskans faces - they were in total shock and awe. Doubt they've even left the state, let alone fathom leaving the country!
Ironically, it rained the whole day so I suppose it wasn't such a nice day for a white wedding after all.
Still, an interesting social experiment if there ever was one :)
August 29, 2006
I want my money back!
So I've been obsessed with finding the soundtrack of the new Don, preferably for free. I don't really care to get any of the songs, I just want the soundtrack from the trailer, i.e. the funky remix of "Array deewanon, mujhe pehchaano, kahan se aaya, main hoon kaun?"
I looked everywhere but no bootleg copies of the album are out yet. Then, I took a chance on iTunes and voila! The whole album is available.
Checked out the sample tunes of a couple of tracks that seemed to be "it" - they all had "theme" or "remix" in their titles - but nothing had the juicy chords I wanted to hear.
But even so, I downloaded one track, thinking that maybe the sample led into the track I wanted - but sadly, it did not. So then I hopefully downloaded another file, but it still was not the song I wanted!
Now I'm beginning to think that that track isn't on the album at all (a shame) and I've also lost $1.98 over two tracks I don't want!
I want my song! I want my money back!
I looked everywhere but no bootleg copies of the album are out yet. Then, I took a chance on iTunes and voila! The whole album is available.
Checked out the sample tunes of a couple of tracks that seemed to be "it" - they all had "theme" or "remix" in their titles - but nothing had the juicy chords I wanted to hear.
But even so, I downloaded one track, thinking that maybe the sample led into the track I wanted - but sadly, it did not. So then I hopefully downloaded another file, but it still was not the song I wanted!
Now I'm beginning to think that that track isn't on the album at all (a shame) and I've also lost $1.98 over two tracks I don't want!
I want my song! I want my money back!
August 27, 2006
KANK STANK.
My goodness, I've never watched three hours of such trash in my life. Do not recommend for anyone to watch Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna in theatres OR on DVD!
Not only is the plot entirely full of holes, the story badly conceived, terribly written, and awfully acted - the music is AVERAGE. Except for "Mitwa" (whose picturization left much to be desired), and one or two dhuns from the title track, the music was rather disappointing considering it's coming from Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, the dynamic trio that gave us Dil Chahta Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho.
Besides "Mitwa" and the picturization of "Tumhi Dekho Na", the only half decent thing in the movie was Abhishek Bachchan's performance. He certainly is poised to someday give SRK a run for his money; at least he can emote and looks like the age of the character he's playing. Shahrukh is really beginning to look 40 and it doesn't suit him. He looks positively gross throughout the whole movie. But there are far worse things in KANK than SRK's wrinkles.
Karan Johar is the definition of 'cheap schtick'. He has no depth and no respect for complexity of character, of milieu, of circumstances. True, it's not like he has ever showed it before, but in KANK he just knocks in the final nail of his coffin as a writer/director to be taken seriously.
He tries to be deep by taking on a serious subject of dysfunctional marriages, but the story has nothing compelling about it. Both couples seem to have a broken marriage just because Karan Johar says so. Frankly, neither relationship seems all that terrible and incomplete, and if it isn't working, there's no foray into the "why" behind it - it just is that way.
Why do Dev and Maya fall for each other? Everytime we see Dev open his mouth, he spews bitterness. If we are to believe that this changes when he's with Maya, then why don't we get to see it and believe it for ourselves? If Maya loves him for the bitter thing he his, why don't we see the why behind it? What is it about Dev that makes Maya love him? What is it about Maya that Dev can't find in Rhea? There's no explanation or back story for their actions and motivations - it just is.
Are we really expected to believe that their whole affair came to be because they were both at the same place in their relationship and empathized? Just because Karan uses his typical ploy of having a character reiterate the "moral of the story", i.e. people in the same phase of life can empathize with each other, about a million times (in this case by Amitabh Bachchan, whose disgusting character that I shall pontificate on in just a moment) doesn't just make it so.
And even if it is the case, there was no empathy between the two characters whatsoever - they were too stupid to make their pretty functional relationships work and too dumb to be able to give each other useful counsel. Maya had no reason to feel that Rishi didn't find her sexy - he was always all over her, aching for her to love him back. Then why did she feel unsexy in front of him and need to dress up in leather with a whip to turn him on? It seems that Karan just put that whole vaahiyatan piece in the movie because either:
(a) he's a perv
(b) he's gay and desperately trying to prove he isn't by adding an overtly heterosexual scene
(c) he wants to create buzz by adding 'shocking' scenes in his movie
(d) all of the above
I go with (d).
To my intense chagrin, most ABCDs approach the concept of desiness with a degree of condescension, even when they are trying to praise it. They'll be talking about their mother's concern for their studies but imitate her accent and speech in a denigrating way that insults the mother but brings out laughter in their crowd because it perpetuates the Indian stereotype. They'll refer to the homeland with the most sweeping generalizations, like "all Indians smell bad" and use "you're such a FOB" to be an affectionate way of saying that a person is not cool enough for them.
However, Karan Johar's interpretation of desis in America seems to be equally shallow and disrespectful. At no point does it become clear if the main characters have lived in the U.S. all their lives or if they're immigrants. They all sure speak Hindi pretty well, but let's assume they're born and bred New Yorkers.
Well, all NYC desis don't party all night long, all NYC desi women don't leave their child at home and go clubbing in minimal clothing, and certainly NO woman goes to an elementary school as a teacher while wearing peacock feather earrings, blue eyeliner and a blue/black bustier tube top. That woman has sKANK written all over her.
This brings me to Amitabh Bachchan's character. I can understand an older man wants to have a good time in his later years. Maybe go out to parties and bring beautiful women home. Even have a steady girlfriend that changes from time to time. But 'Sexy Sam' (wham bam wham bam thank you Sam?) openly sleeps with call girls and prostitutes. That's how Karan Johar sees it - in black and white. If you want to philander, it's gotta be with hookers, leopard print handcuffs and broken beds. It can't be elegant, mature or realistic. Let's just cheapen every emotion, personality trait and motivation into its basest form so that it provides titilating laughs and cheap pleasures to the bus driver sitting in the orchestra section, jerking off with each simulated sex scene.
Karan Johar lacks any deep understanding of his character's lifestyles, their motivations, their priorities. Every single one of his characters is one-dimensional.
Shahrukh plays the pissed off footballer who is bitter about life even though we never really understand why, except that he probably lost his $5m contract. And that one experience is enough to shape him into what he is today? A bad husband and a terrible, verbally-abusive father, whom NYC Social Services would probably throw into jail if they saw the way he treated his child.
Priety plays the cleavage-toting go-getter female who wants to break out of the typical wife mould, and that one motivation is enough to shape her entire character. True, she gives up her move to London, but she still is going partying every night, leaving her kid to the dadi and forgetting whether he's playing the guitar or violin.
Sorry Karan, I'm not a working mother yet but I intend to be and I know plenty of them, and I know for a fact that working mothers can work AND be a mother without letting either go to the dogs. A working mom can and will work 12 hour days, pick up her kids from lessons, provide them with healthy meals and put them to bed at night with a goodnight story. It is possible and millions of women are doing it, and will continue to. However, let's make Rhea as one-dimensional as possible (the busy career woman) so as to provide Dev with some kind of a weak excuse to philander (as usual, blame it on the woman). As if being a pig of a guy wasn't reason enough to cheat on your wife.
I could make neither head nor tail of Maya's character. Why does she marry Rishi? We'll never know. Why does she love Dev? We'll never know. Why does she not get in touch with Dev during their three years of separation despite wanting to? Sure, she consoled herself he'd be happy but why doesn't she break down and call him anyway, screw the promise we made? It can't be out of integrity. If it was, she'd never sleep with the guy. Every woman who has ever broken up with a man she loves has picked up the phone to call him, even if she hung up when he answered. Why doesn't Rhea? We'll never know.
Finally, there's Rishi. He's a playboy-type who wears orange leather jackets and parties all night but he sincerely loves his wife. He's the only character that has some depth to him because he actually talks about what he feels, but most of it comes out during his final fight with Rhea, so it's not like the character develops over time.
Yes, Karan Johar - we know all people are flawed and that's why all your characters do stupid things. You don't have to beat it over our heads with a stick of a three hour shitty movie. If that's really the premise of this whole film then I truly wonder how your ideas would come to life if daddy's money wasn't there to keep funding Dharma Productions.
Please get out of your gay world and learn to understand heterosexual relationships are not driven by pleasures of the flesh; they are driven by emotions, insecurities, and personality traits that are developed in childhood and nurtured by family/culture throughout one's life. People are multi-faceted beings, contradictory and selfish perhaps, but still driven by key philosophies and ideals, formed over time by individual experiences, role models and places travelled. Not every sardar is fat and hugs random people in the street, not every gay guy in the street will announce he is gay to a random person who stops him and asks him about marriage.
Basically - stop thinking and perpetuating stereotypes. It makes us educated folks sick to our stomachs.
Not only is the plot entirely full of holes, the story badly conceived, terribly written, and awfully acted - the music is AVERAGE. Except for "Mitwa" (whose picturization left much to be desired), and one or two dhuns from the title track, the music was rather disappointing considering it's coming from Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, the dynamic trio that gave us Dil Chahta Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho.
Besides "Mitwa" and the picturization of "Tumhi Dekho Na", the only half decent thing in the movie was Abhishek Bachchan's performance. He certainly is poised to someday give SRK a run for his money; at least he can emote and looks like the age of the character he's playing. Shahrukh is really beginning to look 40 and it doesn't suit him. He looks positively gross throughout the whole movie. But there are far worse things in KANK than SRK's wrinkles.
Karan Johar is the definition of 'cheap schtick'. He has no depth and no respect for complexity of character, of milieu, of circumstances. True, it's not like he has ever showed it before, but in KANK he just knocks in the final nail of his coffin as a writer/director to be taken seriously.
He tries to be deep by taking on a serious subject of dysfunctional marriages, but the story has nothing compelling about it. Both couples seem to have a broken marriage just because Karan Johar says so. Frankly, neither relationship seems all that terrible and incomplete, and if it isn't working, there's no foray into the "why" behind it - it just is that way.
Why do Dev and Maya fall for each other? Everytime we see Dev open his mouth, he spews bitterness. If we are to believe that this changes when he's with Maya, then why don't we get to see it and believe it for ourselves? If Maya loves him for the bitter thing he his, why don't we see the why behind it? What is it about Dev that makes Maya love him? What is it about Maya that Dev can't find in Rhea? There's no explanation or back story for their actions and motivations - it just is.
Are we really expected to believe that their whole affair came to be because they were both at the same place in their relationship and empathized? Just because Karan uses his typical ploy of having a character reiterate the "moral of the story", i.e. people in the same phase of life can empathize with each other, about a million times (in this case by Amitabh Bachchan, whose disgusting character that I shall pontificate on in just a moment) doesn't just make it so.
And even if it is the case, there was no empathy between the two characters whatsoever - they were too stupid to make their pretty functional relationships work and too dumb to be able to give each other useful counsel. Maya had no reason to feel that Rishi didn't find her sexy - he was always all over her, aching for her to love him back. Then why did she feel unsexy in front of him and need to dress up in leather with a whip to turn him on? It seems that Karan just put that whole vaahiyatan piece in the movie because either:
(a) he's a perv
(b) he's gay and desperately trying to prove he isn't by adding an overtly heterosexual scene
(c) he wants to create buzz by adding 'shocking' scenes in his movie
(d) all of the above
I go with (d).
To my intense chagrin, most ABCDs approach the concept of desiness with a degree of condescension, even when they are trying to praise it. They'll be talking about their mother's concern for their studies but imitate her accent and speech in a denigrating way that insults the mother but brings out laughter in their crowd because it perpetuates the Indian stereotype. They'll refer to the homeland with the most sweeping generalizations, like "all Indians smell bad" and use "you're such a FOB" to be an affectionate way of saying that a person is not cool enough for them.
However, Karan Johar's interpretation of desis in America seems to be equally shallow and disrespectful. At no point does it become clear if the main characters have lived in the U.S. all their lives or if they're immigrants. They all sure speak Hindi pretty well, but let's assume they're born and bred New Yorkers.
Well, all NYC desis don't party all night long, all NYC desi women don't leave their child at home and go clubbing in minimal clothing, and certainly NO woman goes to an elementary school as a teacher while wearing peacock feather earrings, blue eyeliner and a blue/black bustier tube top. That woman has sKANK written all over her.
This brings me to Amitabh Bachchan's character. I can understand an older man wants to have a good time in his later years. Maybe go out to parties and bring beautiful women home. Even have a steady girlfriend that changes from time to time. But 'Sexy Sam' (wham bam wham bam thank you Sam?) openly sleeps with call girls and prostitutes. That's how Karan Johar sees it - in black and white. If you want to philander, it's gotta be with hookers, leopard print handcuffs and broken beds. It can't be elegant, mature or realistic. Let's just cheapen every emotion, personality trait and motivation into its basest form so that it provides titilating laughs and cheap pleasures to the bus driver sitting in the orchestra section, jerking off with each simulated sex scene.
Karan Johar lacks any deep understanding of his character's lifestyles, their motivations, their priorities. Every single one of his characters is one-dimensional.
Shahrukh plays the pissed off footballer who is bitter about life even though we never really understand why, except that he probably lost his $5m contract. And that one experience is enough to shape him into what he is today? A bad husband and a terrible, verbally-abusive father, whom NYC Social Services would probably throw into jail if they saw the way he treated his child.
Priety plays the cleavage-toting go-getter female who wants to break out of the typical wife mould, and that one motivation is enough to shape her entire character. True, she gives up her move to London, but she still is going partying every night, leaving her kid to the dadi and forgetting whether he's playing the guitar or violin.
Sorry Karan, I'm not a working mother yet but I intend to be and I know plenty of them, and I know for a fact that working mothers can work AND be a mother without letting either go to the dogs. A working mom can and will work 12 hour days, pick up her kids from lessons, provide them with healthy meals and put them to bed at night with a goodnight story. It is possible and millions of women are doing it, and will continue to. However, let's make Rhea as one-dimensional as possible (the busy career woman) so as to provide Dev with some kind of a weak excuse to philander (as usual, blame it on the woman). As if being a pig of a guy wasn't reason enough to cheat on your wife.
I could make neither head nor tail of Maya's character. Why does she marry Rishi? We'll never know. Why does she love Dev? We'll never know. Why does she not get in touch with Dev during their three years of separation despite wanting to? Sure, she consoled herself he'd be happy but why doesn't she break down and call him anyway, screw the promise we made? It can't be out of integrity. If it was, she'd never sleep with the guy. Every woman who has ever broken up with a man she loves has picked up the phone to call him, even if she hung up when he answered. Why doesn't Rhea? We'll never know.
Finally, there's Rishi. He's a playboy-type who wears orange leather jackets and parties all night but he sincerely loves his wife. He's the only character that has some depth to him because he actually talks about what he feels, but most of it comes out during his final fight with Rhea, so it's not like the character develops over time.
Yes, Karan Johar - we know all people are flawed and that's why all your characters do stupid things. You don't have to beat it over our heads with a stick of a three hour shitty movie. If that's really the premise of this whole film then I truly wonder how your ideas would come to life if daddy's money wasn't there to keep funding Dharma Productions.
Please get out of your gay world and learn to understand heterosexual relationships are not driven by pleasures of the flesh; they are driven by emotions, insecurities, and personality traits that are developed in childhood and nurtured by family/culture throughout one's life. People are multi-faceted beings, contradictory and selfish perhaps, but still driven by key philosophies and ideals, formed over time by individual experiences, role models and places travelled. Not every sardar is fat and hugs random people in the street, not every gay guy in the street will announce he is gay to a random person who stops him and asks him about marriage.
Basically - stop thinking and perpetuating stereotypes. It makes us educated folks sick to our stomachs.
August 26, 2006
August 22, 2006
Chai and Biscuits
I am having some chai. No biscuits, I had only three left in the packet and I took them to work as a snack. But chai is fine by itself too.
I drink my chai in a small, hand-painted, bone-china cup. It is a white cup, about three inches high, with a dark blue border around the rim and base, and delicate red tulips and sweeping green leaves painted on it.
My father bought me a set of 6 of these cups from India, and they're all so pretty and unique. One of them got chipped while my in-laws were here (someone must have mishandled it in the sink). I was rather unhappy about it.
I like the concept of sitting down each evening to have some chai. It naturally forces a relaxed conversation, something we probably don't indulge in enough in this day and age - the time to sit down and chat about things at leisure isn't something that's readily available, I guess.
I think my most favorite part of the day while growing up was when my dad came home from work at seven 'o' clock each evening, and would sit down with his chai and namkeen at the dining room table. Sometimes we'd snack in front of the TV, or in the kitchen, but mostly on the dinner table.
We'd chat about the news of the day, discuss plans for the evening or weekend, and collectively sigh about my mother's latest tantrums (when she joined us, naturally that did not enter the conversation).
I remember how I sat, usually in my PJs, with one leg folded under me at our mahogany table that can seat 12. The surface was covered with a transparent plastic sheet, to protect the beautiful panels from my regular knock-downs of glasses of water. I would rub away at the plastic and make squeaky noises.
My father would have two bowls - one for the nuts, one for the shells. He would crack open the pistachios and give them to me, fish around for the cashew nuts because he knows those are my favorite.
If I had showered before he came home, he would look at me and say with a laugh, Aray wah, aaj mooh dhoya hai, lag raha hai jaise chand nikal aaya. I would roll my eyes each time, but I suppose I did get very dirty in school.
I loved doing that with my father growing up, and I love doing it when I go back home even now, only now it's the kitchen table that we sit around and I crack open the nuts for him.
I love to offer him his chai each evening as he wakes up from his afternoon siesta, and creating the excuse to sit down and chat about all the random things in the world.
Simple and silly as it sounds, chai brings people together. I liked doing it when my in-laws were here, it helped melt away the initial ice and make us comfortable.
Sarwar doesn't drink chai, or anything that's caffeinated - it makes him twitch all night, but that's fine, because we sit down and talk each evening anyway.
But there's something about the conversation that results from a good cuppa, that nothing can replace. I suppose it may be all the more special to me because it's something I associate with my father, and I think it has become pretty obvious by now that there's nothing in this world than I love more than my Dad :)
I drink my chai in a small, hand-painted, bone-china cup. It is a white cup, about three inches high, with a dark blue border around the rim and base, and delicate red tulips and sweeping green leaves painted on it.
My father bought me a set of 6 of these cups from India, and they're all so pretty and unique. One of them got chipped while my in-laws were here (someone must have mishandled it in the sink). I was rather unhappy about it.
I like the concept of sitting down each evening to have some chai. It naturally forces a relaxed conversation, something we probably don't indulge in enough in this day and age - the time to sit down and chat about things at leisure isn't something that's readily available, I guess.
I think my most favorite part of the day while growing up was when my dad came home from work at seven 'o' clock each evening, and would sit down with his chai and namkeen at the dining room table. Sometimes we'd snack in front of the TV, or in the kitchen, but mostly on the dinner table.
We'd chat about the news of the day, discuss plans for the evening or weekend, and collectively sigh about my mother's latest tantrums (when she joined us, naturally that did not enter the conversation).
I remember how I sat, usually in my PJs, with one leg folded under me at our mahogany table that can seat 12. The surface was covered with a transparent plastic sheet, to protect the beautiful panels from my regular knock-downs of glasses of water. I would rub away at the plastic and make squeaky noises.
My father would have two bowls - one for the nuts, one for the shells. He would crack open the pistachios and give them to me, fish around for the cashew nuts because he knows those are my favorite.
If I had showered before he came home, he would look at me and say with a laugh, Aray wah, aaj mooh dhoya hai, lag raha hai jaise chand nikal aaya. I would roll my eyes each time, but I suppose I did get very dirty in school.
I loved doing that with my father growing up, and I love doing it when I go back home even now, only now it's the kitchen table that we sit around and I crack open the nuts for him.
I love to offer him his chai each evening as he wakes up from his afternoon siesta, and creating the excuse to sit down and chat about all the random things in the world.
Simple and silly as it sounds, chai brings people together. I liked doing it when my in-laws were here, it helped melt away the initial ice and make us comfortable.
Sarwar doesn't drink chai, or anything that's caffeinated - it makes him twitch all night, but that's fine, because we sit down and talk each evening anyway.
But there's something about the conversation that results from a good cuppa, that nothing can replace. I suppose it may be all the more special to me because it's something I associate with my father, and I think it has become pretty obvious by now that there's nothing in this world than I love more than my Dad :)
August 21, 2006
Mysterious Music
On my iPod today, I heard two songs that I don't understand. They're old favorites of mine and I know the words by heart, but if anyone asked me what the song meant, I'd have no clue. Here are the lyrics; any guesses what they're intended to mean? Both songs have ambiguous "she", "you", "I" references, so who are they talking about??
"Northern Star"
Mel C (1999)
They tried to catch a falling star
Thinking that she had gone too far
She did, but kept it hidden well
Until she cracked and then she fell
If all the history is true
She's gonna end up just like you
You made it to the other side
But tell me who will be my guide?
They build you up so they can tear you down
Trust the ocean, you'll never drown
Who is next? Who's gonna steal your crown?
You'll see..
I have learnt my lesson well
The truth is out there, I can tell
Don't look back, and don't give in to their lies
And goodbyes
Northern Star
Fulfil the longing in your heart
Then we will never be apart
And if they dare to question you
Just tell them that our love is true
They buy your dreams so they can sell your soul
Is it any wonder we've lost control?
Feelings come, feelings go
I have learnt my lesson well
The truth is out there, I can tell
Don't look back, and don't succumb to their lies
And goodbyes
Live your life without regret
Don't be someone who they forget
When you're lost reach out for me
And you'll see, she's not far
Northern Star
"Brother Louie"
Modern Talking (1986)
Dear, love is a burning fire stay
Cause then the flames grow higher, babe
Don't let him steal your heart
It's easy, easy, girl
This game can't last forever, why?
We cannot live together, try
Don't let him take your love from me
You're no good, can't you see brother Louie, Louie, Louie
I'm in love set you free
Oh, she's only looking to me
Only love breaks her heart brother Louie, Louie, Louie
Only love's paradise
Oh, she's only looking to me
Brother Louie, Louie, Louie
Oh, she's only looking to me
Oh, let it Louie
She's undercover
Brother Louie, Louie, Louie
Oh, doing what he's doing
So, leave it Louie
'Cause I'm her lover
Stay, cause this boy wants to gamble, Stay
Love's more than he can handle, girl
Oh, come on stay by me forever, ever, why?
Does he go on pretending that
His love is never ending babe
Don't let him steal your love from me
You're no good, can't you see brother Louie, Louie, Louie
I'm in love set you free
Oh, she's only looking to me
Only love breaks her heart brother Louie, Louie, Louie
Only love's paradise
Oh, she's only looking to me
Brother Louie, Louie, Louie
Oh, she's only looking to me
Oh, let it Louie
She's undercover
Brother Louie, Louie, Louie
Oh, doing what he's doing
So, leave it Louie
'Cause I'm her lover
"Northern Star"
Mel C (1999)
They tried to catch a falling star
Thinking that she had gone too far
She did, but kept it hidden well
Until she cracked and then she fell
If all the history is true
She's gonna end up just like you
You made it to the other side
But tell me who will be my guide?
They build you up so they can tear you down
Trust the ocean, you'll never drown
Who is next? Who's gonna steal your crown?
You'll see..
I have learnt my lesson well
The truth is out there, I can tell
Don't look back, and don't give in to their lies
And goodbyes
Northern Star
Fulfil the longing in your heart
Then we will never be apart
And if they dare to question you
Just tell them that our love is true
They buy your dreams so they can sell your soul
Is it any wonder we've lost control?
Feelings come, feelings go
I have learnt my lesson well
The truth is out there, I can tell
Don't look back, and don't succumb to their lies
And goodbyes
Live your life without regret
Don't be someone who they forget
When you're lost reach out for me
And you'll see, she's not far
Northern Star
"Brother Louie"
Modern Talking (1986)
Dear, love is a burning fire stay
Cause then the flames grow higher, babe
Don't let him steal your heart
It's easy, easy, girl
This game can't last forever, why?
We cannot live together, try
Don't let him take your love from me
You're no good, can't you see brother Louie, Louie, Louie
I'm in love set you free
Oh, she's only looking to me
Only love breaks her heart brother Louie, Louie, Louie
Only love's paradise
Oh, she's only looking to me
Brother Louie, Louie, Louie
Oh, she's only looking to me
Oh, let it Louie
She's undercover
Brother Louie, Louie, Louie
Oh, doing what he's doing
So, leave it Louie
'Cause I'm her lover
Stay, cause this boy wants to gamble, Stay
Love's more than he can handle, girl
Oh, come on stay by me forever, ever, why?
Does he go on pretending that
His love is never ending babe
Don't let him steal your love from me
You're no good, can't you see brother Louie, Louie, Louie
I'm in love set you free
Oh, she's only looking to me
Only love breaks her heart brother Louie, Louie, Louie
Only love's paradise
Oh, she's only looking to me
Brother Louie, Louie, Louie
Oh, she's only looking to me
Oh, let it Louie
She's undercover
Brother Louie, Louie, Louie
Oh, doing what he's doing
So, leave it Louie
'Cause I'm her lover
August 19, 2006
Omkara was...
.. OKAY.
I was geared up for it, quite excited about the concept of Othello in India. Have not seen Maqbool but have heard great things about it. But sadly I was disappointed.
In its defence, I do think Omkara was a very well-made film. Extremely well directed and shot - love the way the deaths unravel in the end. Great performances all around, especially Saif Ali Khan (as usual), Ajay Devgan and Konkona Sen Sharma. But that's about it.
~It was too slow - could easily have cut back half an hour..
~Thank God for subtitles, because the UP dialect spoken was near impossible to understand..
~I don't mind being called a prude, but I was not comfortable with the 'leecharpana' of the dialogue. I know this is probably very close to reality, but not my ideal way to spend three hours..
~Way too much senseless, conscience-less, violence for me to stomach after a great Orange Peel Shrimp dinner at Stir Crazy..
~Don't understand the hype Vishal and Paresh created around the music, I was not very impressed by it except for the 'Lakdi' song (something about it burning into charcoal)..
~Vivek Oberoi and Kareena Kapoor were passable and not too taxing on the mind..
~Bipasha Basu was intolerable - she can't speak hindi of any kind (refined or village-like) and cannot dance to save her life. Beedi was ok, Namak was pointless. She looked totally out of place with her makeup and costume, not very realistically nautanki-wali, but I guess they needed some spice in the trailer to get the audiences to come. (funny though, 'cos most of the people walk out for their cigarette/bathroom breaks during the songs anyway). Plus she still looks like she needs to wash her face..
~It just left me depressed at the end :(
Overall, I thought it was like Being Cyrus - a very good film, that I didn't "enjoy" watching.
I was geared up for it, quite excited about the concept of Othello in India. Have not seen Maqbool but have heard great things about it. But sadly I was disappointed.
In its defence, I do think Omkara was a very well-made film. Extremely well directed and shot - love the way the deaths unravel in the end. Great performances all around, especially Saif Ali Khan (as usual), Ajay Devgan and Konkona Sen Sharma. But that's about it.
~It was too slow - could easily have cut back half an hour..
~Thank God for subtitles, because the UP dialect spoken was near impossible to understand..
~I don't mind being called a prude, but I was not comfortable with the 'leecharpana' of the dialogue. I know this is probably very close to reality, but not my ideal way to spend three hours..
~Way too much senseless, conscience-less, violence for me to stomach after a great Orange Peel Shrimp dinner at Stir Crazy..
~Don't understand the hype Vishal and Paresh created around the music, I was not very impressed by it except for the 'Lakdi' song (something about it burning into charcoal)..
~Vivek Oberoi and Kareena Kapoor were passable and not too taxing on the mind..
~Bipasha Basu was intolerable - she can't speak hindi of any kind (refined or village-like) and cannot dance to save her life. Beedi was ok, Namak was pointless. She looked totally out of place with her makeup and costume, not very realistically nautanki-wali, but I guess they needed some spice in the trailer to get the audiences to come. (funny though, 'cos most of the people walk out for their cigarette/bathroom breaks during the songs anyway). Plus she still looks like she needs to wash her face..
~It just left me depressed at the end :(
Overall, I thought it was like Being Cyrus - a very good film, that I didn't "enjoy" watching.
August 16, 2006
Beint belated seems to be becoming a trend on this blog...
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! :)
Vaisay, as much as I love my country (nah, well, maybe) I have a rule of thumb that if a Bollywood movie opens with the song or tune of 'saare jahan se accha Hindustan humara' it's prolly gonna be a stinker. (no offence Iqbal)
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! :)
Vaisay, as much as I love my country (nah, well, maybe) I have a rule of thumb that if a Bollywood movie opens with the song or tune of 'saare jahan se accha Hindustan humara' it's prolly gonna be a stinker. (no offence Iqbal)
August 14, 2006
Spare the rod?
Re-watched a thought-provoking episode of West Wing last night about capital punishment, hate crimes and gay rights (Season 1 of course, after Aaron Sorkin left the show became so shallow).
Some thoughts:
1. Capital Punishment: are there crimes so terrible that the perpetrator be punished with death? Everyone's misdeeds will be accounted for on the Day of Judgement so shouldn't we take the high road and forgive people on earth, and pray for God's justice instead? I thought about this for a while, and then decided - how can one expect a devasted family will be patient and forgiving? I would be vengeful, why shouldn't anyone else feel otherwise? So I decided that I'm in favor of capital punishment for heinous crimes (pre-meditated murder, rape, sexual abuse) but I may have to think about it for other types of crimes (drug dealing, for instance).
2. Gay rights/hate crimes: Of course, all hate crimes are serious offences and should be punished. There's no difference between a message of religious hate or sexual prejudice, it's all evil and needs to be legislated against. But should gays have rights? Should they be allowed to marry and be recognized that way?
This question is hard for me to resolve. I believe all people should have equal rights, black or white, gay or straight.
But then I am held back by the staunch belief I have that being gay is, well, wrong. Now, don't get me wrong - I don't discriminate in my behavior towards gays - every human being deserves respect and honor, as long as they don't injure or threaten you in any way - and I have no prejudiced pre-conceptions about them.
However, I do personally believe that homosexuality is an aberration of nature. It is not how we were intended to be. So by no measure is marriage between them acceptable.
I believe that some people are born gay and can't help how they feel, and I believe that some people choose to be gay, for the thrill of experimentation or for the physical pleasure (and I'm perfectly ok with the counter-theory that some people choose to be straight). Either way, the experience is God's way of testing a person's ability to choose the right path.
Of course I'm not lumping my personal opinion on anyone else, and neither am I doing anything about my opinion - I'm just voicing it here. I hope I haven't offended anyone's sensibilities! Open to a discussion on this.
Whoops, gotta run. My ride is here.
l8rz.
Some thoughts:
1. Capital Punishment: are there crimes so terrible that the perpetrator be punished with death? Everyone's misdeeds will be accounted for on the Day of Judgement so shouldn't we take the high road and forgive people on earth, and pray for God's justice instead? I thought about this for a while, and then decided - how can one expect a devasted family will be patient and forgiving? I would be vengeful, why shouldn't anyone else feel otherwise? So I decided that I'm in favor of capital punishment for heinous crimes (pre-meditated murder, rape, sexual abuse) but I may have to think about it for other types of crimes (drug dealing, for instance).
2. Gay rights/hate crimes: Of course, all hate crimes are serious offences and should be punished. There's no difference between a message of religious hate or sexual prejudice, it's all evil and needs to be legislated against. But should gays have rights? Should they be allowed to marry and be recognized that way?
This question is hard for me to resolve. I believe all people should have equal rights, black or white, gay or straight.
But then I am held back by the staunch belief I have that being gay is, well, wrong. Now, don't get me wrong - I don't discriminate in my behavior towards gays - every human being deserves respect and honor, as long as they don't injure or threaten you in any way - and I have no prejudiced pre-conceptions about them.
However, I do personally believe that homosexuality is an aberration of nature. It is not how we were intended to be. So by no measure is marriage between them acceptable.
I believe that some people are born gay and can't help how they feel, and I believe that some people choose to be gay, for the thrill of experimentation or for the physical pleasure (and I'm perfectly ok with the counter-theory that some people choose to be straight). Either way, the experience is God's way of testing a person's ability to choose the right path.
Of course I'm not lumping my personal opinion on anyone else, and neither am I doing anything about my opinion - I'm just voicing it here. I hope I haven't offended anyone's sensibilities! Open to a discussion on this.
Whoops, gotta run. My ride is here.
l8rz.
August 11, 2006
**DISCLAIMER: I have been informed by Cranial Flatulence that quoting songs in the middle of introspective blogs is a no-no, so let me clarify that the songs aren't here to amplify or give meaning to the blog notes in any way; they were on my ipod at the time and so I wrote them down. No other "deep" reason for them!**
Feeling sad.
Was on Facebook. Saw some old faces. Acquaintances, mostly. Struck me how I passed through three years of college and nothing stuck. Everytime I go on Facebook I am reminded of lost opportunities, wasted time, bad judgements.. and how everyone else made long lasting friendships, had fun and inside jokes, became complete.
Kehke deewana, mujhe maar rahe hain pathhar
Aur kya iske siva deinge, tere sheher ke log
Tujhse milne ki saza deinge, tere sheher ke log
Yeh wafaon ka sila deinge, tere sheher ke log
Sick of being alone. Of course, I have my husband. And my family. And his family. But that's all really. Anyone else who cares about me (who knows in what degree) is at least 5 states away, if not in a different country.
Wish I had a social life outside of work and husband. People who dropped in for fun, knew inside jokes, cried with me in my sorrows, laughed during stupid movies with me.
Meri bheegi bheegi si palkon pe rehgaye, jaise mere sapne bikharke
Jale mann tera bhi kisike milan ko, Anamika tu bhi tarse
Wanted to update the blog with details from Vegas. Not feeling up to it anymore - self pity makes me think no one's going to read it anyway. Depression is too lethargic. I hope it makes me lose weight this time though, it worked the last time - though I was also living in an a/c - less room for the whole of a sweltering Chicago summer so the perpetual sweating may have had something to do with it.
When the night has come, and the land is dark, and the moon is the only light we'll see
No I won't be afraid, oh I won't be afraid - just as long as you stand by me
I know I should be grateful to Allah (swt) for what I do have. I guess I am at some level. But I can't help feel disappointed by how I let myself down. I didn't think I would hit 24 and still be the same that I was at 14 -- friendless, too shy to try, too lazy to bother, waiting for a miracle, using disdain to mask my desperation.
Now it don't feel like the world's on my shoulder
Everyone's leaning on me
'Cos my baby knows that her daddy's a soldier
Nothing can take her from me
Is it weird that songs make me cry? So do all movies. I mean ALL.
I love the sound of the guitar, its like the sound of the wind - it can be gentle like a breeze, passionate like a storm..
I think I'd be a miserable drunk, if I ever drank. Not a happy drunk or a giggly drunk. A really soppy, tearful, miserable drunk.
Milegi milegi manzil, chalke kaheen duur..
Aaye hain, chale jaane ko
Aaye hain, chale jayenge
Chalke do qadam..
Is it weird that I have picturized music videos for almost all Kamaal Khan songs? Why do I love his music so much? Lets not kid ourselves - he's an average looker, with an average voice, almost nothing in the bank and, last I heard, no girl either.
I think its my nature to love the underdog, the loser, the one the cool kids ignore, the one who can't talk back fast enough and gets laughed at, the one who has a gentle heart but no guts.. I used to make them my projects. Make them realize that they were good enough just the way they were, that I loved them no matter what, that anyone who puts them down is an arrogant snob and Allah (swt) made us all equal.
All that work got me nothing, except heartbreak.
Spent so much time lagging behind helping the slowpokes, that everyone else got ahead of me and took the trophies home. And here I stand, empty handed. With even the losers abandoning me for different paths.
Na tha kuch, toh khuda tha..
Kuch na hota, toh khuda hota..
Duboya mujhko hone ne
Na hota main, toh kya hota?
When I lived in that a/c less room, I had a fan (as in cooling machine, not devotee). And a full length mirror. I used to play romantic songs in the back, start the fan, let the wind blow my hair back like a movie star and mouth the words to myself in the mirror. Helped my self esteem, kept me busy and away from the other girls in the house who were giggling away at things girls giggle about.
I've always thought of myself as a guy's girl. A buddy to all the boys. Anjali to the Rahul's of the world. Maybe I was wrong. On the inside, maybe I am a girly girl and I should have made more girlfriends. But they were always so deceitful. They always betrayed me, hurt me, insulted me. So I ran away to the male side. Men make no commitment to be there forever. Their companionship is drama-free, but also fleeting. I surrounded myself with boys, perhaps trying to fill the vacuum of a brother. Perhaps too influenced about Bollywood movies and constantly seeking male company just in case Prince Charming showed up.
Yeh zameen ruk jaye
Aasman jhuk jaye
Tera chehra jab nazar aaye
(This was a fan-blowing-hair-with-mirror song)
I love my Prince Charming. He showed up quite by random but what a good find. He makes me so happy, gives me so much attention. Is it weird that I should feel so lonely even though I'm not disappointed by my marriage? I guess I just seek variety, more people than just the one. Maybe I shouldn't be so greedy.
I always stop myself when I think I'm being arrogant, greedy, selfish.. I'm so frightened of being branded again as a bad person that I put up with too much. At age 15, my "best friend" told me I walked with arrogance. That made me cry a lot, though in retrospect I know she was just jealous, insecure and stupid.
I have noticed that in my prayers I usually forget to ask for anything to do with me. I should change that, Allah (swt) has told us to pray to Him selfishly because everyone needs His grace and there's no shame in asking. I should pray more.
Ok this post has gotten way too long. I think I'm going to go watch Mohabbatein, or some other cheesy movie with a utopian world, perfect bodies, and happy endings. Go back to being a dreamer and a wisher, and leave the doing for another day.
xinu - out.
Feeling sad.
Was on Facebook. Saw some old faces. Acquaintances, mostly. Struck me how I passed through three years of college and nothing stuck. Everytime I go on Facebook I am reminded of lost opportunities, wasted time, bad judgements.. and how everyone else made long lasting friendships, had fun and inside jokes, became complete.
Kehke deewana, mujhe maar rahe hain pathhar
Aur kya iske siva deinge, tere sheher ke log
Tujhse milne ki saza deinge, tere sheher ke log
Yeh wafaon ka sila deinge, tere sheher ke log
Sick of being alone. Of course, I have my husband. And my family. And his family. But that's all really. Anyone else who cares about me (who knows in what degree) is at least 5 states away, if not in a different country.
Wish I had a social life outside of work and husband. People who dropped in for fun, knew inside jokes, cried with me in my sorrows, laughed during stupid movies with me.
Meri bheegi bheegi si palkon pe rehgaye, jaise mere sapne bikharke
Jale mann tera bhi kisike milan ko, Anamika tu bhi tarse
Wanted to update the blog with details from Vegas. Not feeling up to it anymore - self pity makes me think no one's going to read it anyway. Depression is too lethargic. I hope it makes me lose weight this time though, it worked the last time - though I was also living in an a/c - less room for the whole of a sweltering Chicago summer so the perpetual sweating may have had something to do with it.
When the night has come, and the land is dark, and the moon is the only light we'll see
No I won't be afraid, oh I won't be afraid - just as long as you stand by me
I know I should be grateful to Allah (swt) for what I do have. I guess I am at some level. But I can't help feel disappointed by how I let myself down. I didn't think I would hit 24 and still be the same that I was at 14 -- friendless, too shy to try, too lazy to bother, waiting for a miracle, using disdain to mask my desperation.
Now it don't feel like the world's on my shoulder
Everyone's leaning on me
'Cos my baby knows that her daddy's a soldier
Nothing can take her from me
Is it weird that songs make me cry? So do all movies. I mean ALL.
I love the sound of the guitar, its like the sound of the wind - it can be gentle like a breeze, passionate like a storm..
I think I'd be a miserable drunk, if I ever drank. Not a happy drunk or a giggly drunk. A really soppy, tearful, miserable drunk.
Milegi milegi manzil, chalke kaheen duur..
Aaye hain, chale jaane ko
Aaye hain, chale jayenge
Chalke do qadam..
Is it weird that I have picturized music videos for almost all Kamaal Khan songs? Why do I love his music so much? Lets not kid ourselves - he's an average looker, with an average voice, almost nothing in the bank and, last I heard, no girl either.
I think its my nature to love the underdog, the loser, the one the cool kids ignore, the one who can't talk back fast enough and gets laughed at, the one who has a gentle heart but no guts.. I used to make them my projects. Make them realize that they were good enough just the way they were, that I loved them no matter what, that anyone who puts them down is an arrogant snob and Allah (swt) made us all equal.
All that work got me nothing, except heartbreak.
Spent so much time lagging behind helping the slowpokes, that everyone else got ahead of me and took the trophies home. And here I stand, empty handed. With even the losers abandoning me for different paths.
Na tha kuch, toh khuda tha..
Kuch na hota, toh khuda hota..
Duboya mujhko hone ne
Na hota main, toh kya hota?
When I lived in that a/c less room, I had a fan (as in cooling machine, not devotee). And a full length mirror. I used to play romantic songs in the back, start the fan, let the wind blow my hair back like a movie star and mouth the words to myself in the mirror. Helped my self esteem, kept me busy and away from the other girls in the house who were giggling away at things girls giggle about.
I've always thought of myself as a guy's girl. A buddy to all the boys. Anjali to the Rahul's of the world. Maybe I was wrong. On the inside, maybe I am a girly girl and I should have made more girlfriends. But they were always so deceitful. They always betrayed me, hurt me, insulted me. So I ran away to the male side. Men make no commitment to be there forever. Their companionship is drama-free, but also fleeting. I surrounded myself with boys, perhaps trying to fill the vacuum of a brother. Perhaps too influenced about Bollywood movies and constantly seeking male company just in case Prince Charming showed up.
Yeh zameen ruk jaye
Aasman jhuk jaye
Tera chehra jab nazar aaye
(This was a fan-blowing-hair-with-mirror song)
I love my Prince Charming. He showed up quite by random but what a good find. He makes me so happy, gives me so much attention. Is it weird that I should feel so lonely even though I'm not disappointed by my marriage? I guess I just seek variety, more people than just the one. Maybe I shouldn't be so greedy.
I always stop myself when I think I'm being arrogant, greedy, selfish.. I'm so frightened of being branded again as a bad person that I put up with too much. At age 15, my "best friend" told me I walked with arrogance. That made me cry a lot, though in retrospect I know she was just jealous, insecure and stupid.
I have noticed that in my prayers I usually forget to ask for anything to do with me. I should change that, Allah (swt) has told us to pray to Him selfishly because everyone needs His grace and there's no shame in asking. I should pray more.
Ok this post has gotten way too long. I think I'm going to go watch Mohabbatein, or some other cheesy movie with a utopian world, perfect bodies, and happy endings. Go back to being a dreamer and a wisher, and leave the doing for another day.
xinu - out.
August 7, 2006
August 1, 2006
July 31st
Sorry, this is one day late. Should have been posted yesterday, on July 31st. I kept reminding myself to do this, but never got the time. So anyway, belated a wish as it is...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARRY POTTER! :)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARRY POTTER! :)
Prasoon Joshi.. Prasoon Joshi... now why does that name sound familiar? :P
The man's made it to the top spot at AdAge with his new commercial for HappyDent toothpaste. Check it out here.
The man's made it to the top spot at AdAge with his new commercial for HappyDent toothpaste. Check it out here.
July 24, 2006
Miss Puerto Rico won the Miss Universe 2006 title last night. She is super skinny, quite scary looking - and she was wearing a dress of metal ropes (yeah, not my ideal fabric for a glamorous night out) which eventually caused her to faint during the post-contest press conference - so clearly she's not very smart either.
I watched the live telecast of the contest after they had narrowed the playing field to the top 10. I was personally rooting for Bolivia since she was the most stunning but she didn't even make it into the top 5, sadly (India did not make it to the top 10 so I did not see her, I'm told she had big teeth?). Oh well. Not everyone has good taste like me :P~
FYI - I got my driver's license last week, think I forgot to update the blog with that. Whoop de do.
I watched the live telecast of the contest after they had narrowed the playing field to the top 10. I was personally rooting for Bolivia since she was the most stunning but she didn't even make it into the top 5, sadly (India did not make it to the top 10 so I did not see her, I'm told she had big teeth?). Oh well. Not everyone has good taste like me :P~
FYI - I got my driver's license last week, think I forgot to update the blog with that. Whoop de do.
July 17, 2006
Brainstorming Help
Can you think of brands that do one or more of the following?
~Transform the ordinary into the extraordinary
~Call on “other worldly” knowledge and power to make this happen
~Appear to work instantaneously, and seemingly effortlessly
~Are not available to us in our daily lives
~Transform the ordinary into the extraordinary
~Call on “other worldly” knowledge and power to make this happen
~Appear to work instantaneously, and seemingly effortlessly
~Are not available to us in our daily lives
Half Empty, or Half Full?
This clipping articulates exactly what I've felt all my life about American optimism and how/why it affects the way they live/work/function. I encourage everyone to read on to the end, especially to the section on how understanding people's individual pessimistic coping strategies can help relationships (hint hint to Sarwar ;) ...
'You can wipe that smile off your face'
Americans believe optimism is key to success
By Heidi Dawley
Jul 17, 2006
MediaLife Magazine
Pessimists generally get a bad rap these days. People should, the prevailing thinking dictates, be optimistic. They should be happy. In essence of the message is that glass-half-empty people should take their dreary selves back home, practice smiling and a bit of positive thinking, and reemerge as glass-half-full people.
Indeed, it's a core American belief that optimism leads to success in life and pessimism to failure.
But despite the widespread belief that optimism is the best path through life, a small group of researchers disagree. One of them is Julie K. Norem, a psychology professor at Wellesley College and author of the book “The Positive Power of Negative Thinking.”
“People think that if we can’t keep a happy face there is something wrong with us. Everyone, from the person on the street to a cancer patient, is told they should keep a happy face,” she says.
Not so, she says. “No one is going to create a life without any negative emotion. There isn’t something wrong with us because we feel that.”
As such, Norem believes pushing the idea that people should dispel negative thoughts by being optimistic doesn’t work. Some anxious people cope with life’s stresses better using what she calls defensive pessimism. In defensive pessimism, people use their pessimistic thoughts in ways that help improve their performance and work productively.
Norem believes that the American obsession with having an optimistic outlook stems from ideas at the very heart of American society. It’s linked with capitalism. “Your fate as an individual is in your hands,” says Norem. “If you haven’t pursued happiness and achieved it, it is seen as a failing as opposed to a mood.”
But Norem believes there are a group of pessimists, whom she labels defensive pessimists, who have developed a coping strategy that works better than optimism for them. This strategy involves setting low goals and then playing through in their minds all the things that could go wrong when they approach a task.
However, these folks actually use the information gained while rehearsing all the things that might go wrong to put in place strategies to combat these potential problems. As such their negative thinking actually helps them achieve their goals.
To prove that defensive pessimism has benefits for some people, Norem and her colleagues studied defensive pessimists and strategic optimists. Strategic optimists are people who aren’t anxious, set high goals for themselves, and then think only about the positive outcomes.
Norem and her colleagues found that both groups performed well when using their own coping strategies. But when Norem asked the defensive optimists to try to raise their expectations and avoid thinking through all the negative things that could happen, their performance fell.
Likewise, when strategic optimists set lower goals and thought through worst-case scenarios, their performance fell.
Her conclusion was that defensive pessimists had developed a coping strategy that dealt well with their anxiety. “Anxiety is not something you can pretend away. If you are someone who is anxious, saying ‘just relax’ doesn’t work,” she says.
This theory, found Norem, has also has implications for relationships. She has recently finished research which looks at what happens in couples where the individuals use similar or different coping strategies.
Norem found that if your partner offers support in a way that fits your coping strategy, you tend to perform well and be more satisfied with the relationship. So, she concludes, each person in a relationship should recognize their partner’s coping strategies and give advice in a way that suits their partner’s strategy.
“If they try to turn their partner into something that they are not, then it doesn’t work,” concludes Norem, who aims to publish her research soon.
Ultimately Norem is calling for the world of psychology to accept that optimism doesn’t suit everyone and that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
'You can wipe that smile off your face'
Americans believe optimism is key to success
By Heidi Dawley
Jul 17, 2006
MediaLife Magazine
Pessimists generally get a bad rap these days. People should, the prevailing thinking dictates, be optimistic. They should be happy. In essence of the message is that glass-half-empty people should take their dreary selves back home, practice smiling and a bit of positive thinking, and reemerge as glass-half-full people.
Indeed, it's a core American belief that optimism leads to success in life and pessimism to failure.
But despite the widespread belief that optimism is the best path through life, a small group of researchers disagree. One of them is Julie K. Norem, a psychology professor at Wellesley College and author of the book “The Positive Power of Negative Thinking.”
“People think that if we can’t keep a happy face there is something wrong with us. Everyone, from the person on the street to a cancer patient, is told they should keep a happy face,” she says.
Not so, she says. “No one is going to create a life without any negative emotion. There isn’t something wrong with us because we feel that.”
As such, Norem believes pushing the idea that people should dispel negative thoughts by being optimistic doesn’t work. Some anxious people cope with life’s stresses better using what she calls defensive pessimism. In defensive pessimism, people use their pessimistic thoughts in ways that help improve their performance and work productively.
Norem believes that the American obsession with having an optimistic outlook stems from ideas at the very heart of American society. It’s linked with capitalism. “Your fate as an individual is in your hands,” says Norem. “If you haven’t pursued happiness and achieved it, it is seen as a failing as opposed to a mood.”
But Norem believes there are a group of pessimists, whom she labels defensive pessimists, who have developed a coping strategy that works better than optimism for them. This strategy involves setting low goals and then playing through in their minds all the things that could go wrong when they approach a task.
However, these folks actually use the information gained while rehearsing all the things that might go wrong to put in place strategies to combat these potential problems. As such their negative thinking actually helps them achieve their goals.
To prove that defensive pessimism has benefits for some people, Norem and her colleagues studied defensive pessimists and strategic optimists. Strategic optimists are people who aren’t anxious, set high goals for themselves, and then think only about the positive outcomes.
Norem and her colleagues found that both groups performed well when using their own coping strategies. But when Norem asked the defensive optimists to try to raise their expectations and avoid thinking through all the negative things that could happen, their performance fell.
Likewise, when strategic optimists set lower goals and thought through worst-case scenarios, their performance fell.
Her conclusion was that defensive pessimists had developed a coping strategy that dealt well with their anxiety. “Anxiety is not something you can pretend away. If you are someone who is anxious, saying ‘just relax’ doesn’t work,” she says.
This theory, found Norem, has also has implications for relationships. She has recently finished research which looks at what happens in couples where the individuals use similar or different coping strategies.
Norem found that if your partner offers support in a way that fits your coping strategy, you tend to perform well and be more satisfied with the relationship. So, she concludes, each person in a relationship should recognize their partner’s coping strategies and give advice in a way that suits their partner’s strategy.
“If they try to turn their partner into something that they are not, then it doesn’t work,” concludes Norem, who aims to publish her research soon.
Ultimately Norem is calling for the world of psychology to accept that optimism doesn’t suit everyone and that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
July 16, 2006
A sad end.
My friend Shabbi's mother passed away in her sleep, on Friday, July 14th at Zuhr time (12:15pm), finally beaten down by her cancer.
Inna lillahe wa inna ilaihi rajeoon (Lo! We are Allah's and Lo! unto Him we are returning).
The funeral is today in Indiana. Strange to think that when her rooh was created at the beginning of time, Allah (swt) took the sand from Indiana to make her, because that is where she will be buried.
I have not talked to Shabbi yet. Yesterday when I got the email announcing his mother's passing, I cried and cried. I don't know why. I had never met his mother. I wasn't selfishly crying at the thought of "Oh my god, this could happen to me and my mom". I wasn't crying to pretend like I cared about him. I honestly don't know why I felt so sad.
Perhaps it was because of the futility of his struggle to raise money to save her, or the stoic way he announced it on his blog, or because I couldn't believe that the most happy-go-lucky person in the world had to go through such an excruciating experience to finally grow up. Maybe it was just because I knew my friend was in pain and I couldn't do anything to fix it. I'm surprised by my own affection for him, I thought being out of touch and out of mind really meant out of heart - but I guess not.
I couldn't muster the courage to speak to him. I knew that if he sounded stoic, I would cry more on the phone and then make him miserable. And I knew that if he was crying too, my crying would not help.
So instead I called a mutual friend, Hasan, and cried to him and asked him to call Shabbi and give my condolences. But Hasan felt too scared too, so he promised he'll call another mutual friend and have him pass condolences from both of us! Chicken.
This mutual friend is the one who send the mass emails announcing Shabbi's mother's death and arrangements for her funeral. He used to be Shabbi's roommate and my ex love interest, now he's a maulvi with a foot long beard who hasn't been in touch with either Shabbi or me for ages. Shabbi was too un-Islamic for his company, and I, well, I'm female. Still, I'm happy to see him supporting Shabbi so much and leaving petty squabbles behind. I hope their friendship is restored over this.
At some point I will call him. I only hope that because I don't call, he doesn't feel that I didn't know, didn't care or didn't bother.
May Allah (swt) bless his mother's soul with peace.
Inna lillahe wa inna ilaihi rajeoon (Lo! We are Allah's and Lo! unto Him we are returning).
The funeral is today in Indiana. Strange to think that when her rooh was created at the beginning of time, Allah (swt) took the sand from Indiana to make her, because that is where she will be buried.
I have not talked to Shabbi yet. Yesterday when I got the email announcing his mother's passing, I cried and cried. I don't know why. I had never met his mother. I wasn't selfishly crying at the thought of "Oh my god, this could happen to me and my mom". I wasn't crying to pretend like I cared about him. I honestly don't know why I felt so sad.
Perhaps it was because of the futility of his struggle to raise money to save her, or the stoic way he announced it on his blog, or because I couldn't believe that the most happy-go-lucky person in the world had to go through such an excruciating experience to finally grow up. Maybe it was just because I knew my friend was in pain and I couldn't do anything to fix it. I'm surprised by my own affection for him, I thought being out of touch and out of mind really meant out of heart - but I guess not.
I couldn't muster the courage to speak to him. I knew that if he sounded stoic, I would cry more on the phone and then make him miserable. And I knew that if he was crying too, my crying would not help.
So instead I called a mutual friend, Hasan, and cried to him and asked him to call Shabbi and give my condolences. But Hasan felt too scared too, so he promised he'll call another mutual friend and have him pass condolences from both of us! Chicken.
This mutual friend is the one who send the mass emails announcing Shabbi's mother's death and arrangements for her funeral. He used to be Shabbi's roommate and my ex love interest, now he's a maulvi with a foot long beard who hasn't been in touch with either Shabbi or me for ages. Shabbi was too un-Islamic for his company, and I, well, I'm female. Still, I'm happy to see him supporting Shabbi so much and leaving petty squabbles behind. I hope their friendship is restored over this.
At some point I will call him. I only hope that because I don't call, he doesn't feel that I didn't know, didn't care or didn't bother.
May Allah (swt) bless his mother's soul with peace.
July 11, 2006
Belated Notes
- I failed my Driver's Test on Saturday. Apparently I cannot, among other things, stop behind the white Stop lines, turn left, turn right, observe mirrors, back up, turn around or park downhill. And apparently I suffer from "Lack of Communication" (its on my exam receipt) even though my IQ and education are probably twice the levels of the woman who tested me. Otherwise, when she said "You need 35 to pass, and you got 58 points" I would have instantly known that she meant that the score involves negative marking and I had in fact failed, not passed with flying colors, as any correct English-speaking person would tell you. Ridiculous. I go back there on Saturday. Let's hope that now that I know the course it won't be too bad.
- Pirates 2 was not good! Very long winded, too much irrelevant action packed into too long of a movie, very little dialogue/humor to go around, so-so acting from all, and the special effects may be great for some people, but I didn't enjoy the LOTR-inspired gruesome, barnacled, crusty, rotting sea creatures taking up 90% of the screen for 90% of the time in a 2 hr movie that I went to watch with the expectation that it would be fun, not full of monsters. As one review said, the film was "exhausting when it should be thrilling". Very disappointing.
- I now know how to make Sindhi Biryani, courtesy MIL.
- HAHAHA! Italy wins the World Cup in a tremendously dramatic Final! Zidane was so stupid, no matter what the slur was to provoke him. Now I'm wishing I'd put some bets in and won some cash :P
That is all.
July 6, 2006
Why the BJP might come after Karan Johar
So you know how in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, the annoying young, Anjali goes with her grandparents to Riffat Bi's house to find out where the nice, big Anjali might be.
And Riffat Bi tells them that nice, big Anjali is getting engaged and married to brainless Aman, and annoying, young Anjali gets all panic attack-y with "Nahin, yeh nahin hosakta, Mummy ne kaha tha" etc.
So then annoying young Anjali goes into a Muslim namaaz pose and starts praying that the (presumably) Brahmin Baba-ji setting the wedding date will mess up his art of kundli-reading and suggest a much later wedding date.
And he does.
Now there is a whole HOST of gaping holes in this entire scenario. But even so, it occured to me that by writing this scene, Karan Johar just decided to say that my God is way cooler than his God(s) 'cos my Almighty ain't just there for spiritual guidance baby, he delivers the goods. You pray for something, and *bam*, all you Baba-ji's are history.
Now I'm not saying that Karan is or needs to be religious in the least, but surely he should have thought that through? Odd.
And Riffat Bi tells them that nice, big Anjali is getting engaged and married to brainless Aman, and annoying, young Anjali gets all panic attack-y with "Nahin, yeh nahin hosakta, Mummy ne kaha tha" etc.
So then annoying young Anjali goes into a Muslim namaaz pose and starts praying that the (presumably) Brahmin Baba-ji setting the wedding date will mess up his art of kundli-reading and suggest a much later wedding date.
And he does.
Now there is a whole HOST of gaping holes in this entire scenario. But even so, it occured to me that by writing this scene, Karan Johar just decided to say that my God is way cooler than his God(s) 'cos my Almighty ain't just there for spiritual guidance baby, he delivers the goods. You pray for something, and *bam*, all you Baba-ji's are history.
Now I'm not saying that Karan is or needs to be religious in the least, but surely he should have thought that through? Odd.
Ponderment #God Knows What Number We're At Now
In the Germany vs. Italy World Cup semi-final, who do you think the Pope was rooting for? His home country or the land of his elected throne?
Well, Italy won the match so I guess Benedict used his vaasta with The Big Guy to show he's a "team player".
Kiss ass.
Well, Italy won the match so I guess Benedict used his vaasta with The Big Guy to show he's a "team player".
Kiss ass.
A Tale of Two World Cup Finalists
Italy vs. France in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final. V. exciting, but having a hard time deciding which team to support.
Hmmm, let me weigh the pros and Cons:
ITALY
Awesome Contributions to Mankind:
Hmmm, let me weigh the pros and Cons:
ITALY
Awesome Contributions to Mankind:
- Pasta
- El Pope
- Setting for Angels & Demons
- Julius Caesar
- Civus Romanus
- Neapolitan ice-cream
- Mount Vesuvius
- Only country that looks like a boot
Unfortunate Contributions to Mankind:
- Mussolini
FRANCE 
Awesome Contributions to Mankind:
- French Fries
- The Eiffel Tower
- Setting for Da Vinci Code
- Enigma
- Perfume
- Tour De France
Unfortunate Contributions to Mankind:
- Napoleon
- Marquis de Sade (however cool he was, he did give birth to the word sadism)
- Racist, smelly, pompous people
- Stray dogs and pigeons
- Nasty uppity food, ex. escargot, brie and other despicable stuff
I guess this means its Italianoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
July 2, 2006
It's been quite the year so far for Bollywood sequels. For a film industry three times the size of Hollywood, the concept of sequels, surprisingly, did not take root until fairly recently.
A couple of sequels that come to mind:
Darna Mana Hai --> Darna Zaroori Hai
Hera Pheri --> Phir Hera Pheri
Koi Mil Gaya --> Krrish
Munna Bhai MBBS --> Lage Raho Munna Bhai
I haven't seen any of the sequels except for Krrish, which I watched today at the movie theatre, and surprisingly I was actually quite impressed.
Contrary to popular belief (read: Vishal), I actually enjoyed Krrish! Sure it was full of holes (see below), the music was so-so, and the choreography was a little too 'let me leap around like jungle boy and jungle girl' but nonetheless it was still pretty entertaining. I was quite engrossed in the plot, the special effects were really good by Indian standards, and Hritik gave a wonderful performance as Krishna, Krrish and *SPOILER ALERT* the aging Rohit in vegetative state. Priyanka Chopra was less irritating than usual (now that she's finally decided to shape her eyebrows a little more far apart, she looks less bhaingi) and it was a relief to watch Rekha finally play her age.
I know, I know - the movie was a mish mash of Minority Report, Independence Day, Tomorrow Never Dies, George of the Jungle, Spiderman, Batman, Superman and every other major sci-fi/fantasy movie of the past 10 years. S commented that all that was missing was the influence of Lord of the Rings, and if Rohit - in the end - summoned Jadoo and went off with him in the spaceship, it would be akin to Frodo going off with the elves and Gandalf at the end of LOTR3, and the imitation of all things Hollywood sci-fi would be complete. But still I have to give kudos to the Roshans for imbibing these influences to create something quite unique in Indian cinema and actually using great special effects to create a seriously credible superhero out of Hritik (who is probably the only guy in B'wood who could carry it off). Yes, it's a little cheesy for us to see a patchwork movie like this, but for the ordinary Indian masses this is going to be BIG. And different. And I hope it rings the cash registers, for poor Hritik's sake. He's a fine actor, but he has such terrible taste in picking movies.
Ok, so while it is super cool by Indian standards, the film contains the usual HOLES that come with Rakesh Roshan movies:
1) How come when Rohit goes abroad, Arya has already done innovations in wireless technology, people can watch cricket on their cell phones, and Rohit talks to his mother on a cell phone? 20 years ago there were no mobiles in India and we couldn't watch cricket on them. Ok, so assume Rohit went to Singapore in real-time since Koi Mil Gaya came out in the 2000's. In that case, Krishna should be hanging out in the 2020's and by that time I should hope there would be more than one STD phone in rural Himalayan villages and pedal pushers would be out of fashion.
2) How come Rekha has Rohit's trench coat with her? Shouldn't it have been with him in Singapore when he died? Did they fed-ex back his belongings after he "died"? Somehow Arya doesn't seem so polite.
3) Is it really that hard to recognize hunky Hritik Roshan in a black plastic mask that barely covers his face?
4) Indians create technology to see the future?
So, yeah. Plenty of holes integral to the movie's plot. But I still liked it anyway!
A couple of sequels that come to mind:
Darna Mana Hai --> Darna Zaroori Hai
Hera Pheri --> Phir Hera Pheri
Koi Mil Gaya --> Krrish
Munna Bhai MBBS --> Lage Raho Munna Bhai
I haven't seen any of the sequels except for Krrish, which I watched today at the movie theatre, and surprisingly I was actually quite impressed.
Contrary to popular belief (read: Vishal), I actually enjoyed Krrish! Sure it was full of holes (see below), the music was so-so, and the choreography was a little too 'let me leap around like jungle boy and jungle girl' but nonetheless it was still pretty entertaining. I was quite engrossed in the plot, the special effects were really good by Indian standards, and Hritik gave a wonderful performance as Krishna, Krrish and *SPOILER ALERT* the aging Rohit in vegetative state. Priyanka Chopra was less irritating than usual (now that she's finally decided to shape her eyebrows a little more far apart, she looks less bhaingi) and it was a relief to watch Rekha finally play her age.
I know, I know - the movie was a mish mash of Minority Report, Independence Day, Tomorrow Never Dies, George of the Jungle, Spiderman, Batman, Superman and every other major sci-fi/fantasy movie of the past 10 years. S commented that all that was missing was the influence of Lord of the Rings, and if Rohit - in the end - summoned Jadoo and went off with him in the spaceship, it would be akin to Frodo going off with the elves and Gandalf at the end of LOTR3, and the imitation of all things Hollywood sci-fi would be complete. But still I have to give kudos to the Roshans for imbibing these influences to create something quite unique in Indian cinema and actually using great special effects to create a seriously credible superhero out of Hritik (who is probably the only guy in B'wood who could carry it off). Yes, it's a little cheesy for us to see a patchwork movie like this, but for the ordinary Indian masses this is going to be BIG. And different. And I hope it rings the cash registers, for poor Hritik's sake. He's a fine actor, but he has such terrible taste in picking movies.
Ok, so while it is super cool by Indian standards, the film contains the usual HOLES that come with Rakesh Roshan movies:
1) How come when Rohit goes abroad, Arya has already done innovations in wireless technology, people can watch cricket on their cell phones, and Rohit talks to his mother on a cell phone? 20 years ago there were no mobiles in India and we couldn't watch cricket on them. Ok, so assume Rohit went to Singapore in real-time since Koi Mil Gaya came out in the 2000's. In that case, Krishna should be hanging out in the 2020's and by that time I should hope there would be more than one STD phone in rural Himalayan villages and pedal pushers would be out of fashion.
2) How come Rekha has Rohit's trench coat with her? Shouldn't it have been with him in Singapore when he died? Did they fed-ex back his belongings after he "died"? Somehow Arya doesn't seem so polite.
3) Is it really that hard to recognize hunky Hritik Roshan in a black plastic mask that barely covers his face?
4) Indians create technology to see the future?
So, yeah. Plenty of holes integral to the movie's plot. But I still liked it anyway!
June 27, 2006
Spain will win 2006 World Cup: Nostradamus
AFP, Monday, June 26, 2006 14:04 IST
MOSCOW: If Nostradamus has his way, Spain is all set to lift this year's football World Cup.
Spanish journalists have managed to find a prediction made by Nostradamus in 1555 about the outcome of the 2006 World Cup, the Russian magazine Pravda said. The 16th century author of prophecies wrote that "the Spanish king and his army will cross over the Pyrenees at the end of the sixth month of the sixth year. The king will win the battle with Beelzebub on the fields of Central Europe, and the army will return the Holy Grail to Spain".
Interpreting the prediction, the journalists said that "the Spanish king and his army" stands for the national Spanish football team and its coach Luis Aragones.
"The fields of Central Europe" stand for the football stadiums in Germany and "the Holy Grail" is the World Cup, the report said.
There is a consensus that Nostradamus accurately predicted the French Revolution, the rise of Napoleon and Hitler, both World Wars and the nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But will his prophecy hold true for the football World Cup?
Some fans point out that Spain has had a successful tournament so far and easily won all three of its league matches.
However, the first real test for Nostradamus' prophecy comes in Hanover tomorrow when Spain faces 1998 champions France for a place in the World Cup quarterfinals.
June 26, 2006
Help Save a Life
A close friend of mine called Shabbi Khan shared some very sad news with me a few months ago. His mother, Farhana, was diagnosed with a highly aggressive form of leukemia on New Year's Eve, 2005 and is currently in a very serious condition.
With no medical insurance, state or federal aid to cover medical costs, Shabbi's family has already racked up over $160,000 in medical expenses. Doctors have decreed that his mother will require a bone marrow transplant in the near future to ensure any success of her survival, but have said that a transplant will not be possible without any form of insurance or a payment up front. The family is very financially strapped, and it is for this reason that I'm reaching out to you for help.
How can you help? Just spend 5 minutes doing one or more of the following things:
1. Pray for his mother's health, and for his family to continue having the strength and patience to endure this ordeal.
2. Check out his website www.mymomhascancer.com.
Shabbi has set up this website and is accepting donations, big or small, from anyone willing to help him reach his $500,000 goal for his mom's BMT, by sponsoring cancer survivor stories.
3. Spread the word via emails to friends, announcements at your local mosques or even putting this story on your blog, website, or Facebook/Naseeb/Friendster profile.
If anyone has ever heard a funny story about my time at Northwestern, it has included Shabbi Khan. He was always the life of every party, an outrageously funny person with a really good heart. Seeing him so dedicated towards desperately trying to save his mother's life makes me proud to call him my friend. I really hope you'll help him in this effort.
JazakAllah.
With no medical insurance, state or federal aid to cover medical costs, Shabbi's family has already racked up over $160,000 in medical expenses. Doctors have decreed that his mother will require a bone marrow transplant in the near future to ensure any success of her survival, but have said that a transplant will not be possible without any form of insurance or a payment up front. The family is very financially strapped, and it is for this reason that I'm reaching out to you for help.
How can you help? Just spend 5 minutes doing one or more of the following things:
1. Pray for his mother's health, and for his family to continue having the strength and patience to endure this ordeal.
2. Check out his website www.mymomhascancer.com.
Shabbi has set up this website and is accepting donations, big or small, from anyone willing to help him reach his $500,000 goal for his mom's BMT, by sponsoring cancer survivor stories.
3. Spread the word via emails to friends, announcements at your local mosques or even putting this story on your blog, website, or Facebook/Naseeb/Friendster profile.
If anyone has ever heard a funny story about my time at Northwestern, it has included Shabbi Khan. He was always the life of every party, an outrageously funny person with a really good heart. Seeing him so dedicated towards desperately trying to save his mother's life makes me proud to call him my friend. I really hope you'll help him in this effort.
JazakAllah.
June 23, 2006
Mujhe mat roko, mujhe yaar ke ghar jaane do
Main hoon parvana, mujhe shamma pe mit jaane do
Usko paana hi meri zindagi ka maqsad hai
Gar woh milta hai mujhe marke, toh mar jaane do
Dil ki aankhon ne meri apna sanam dekhliya
Ab issi dar pe mere dum ko nikal jaane do
Hauntingly beautiful song from Gangster, which was actually quite a good film by general Bollywood standards. A well-directed, delicate concept . Good acting, interesting execution, great songs - a little slow, but definitely a sit-up-and-notice type of movie.
Main hoon parvana, mujhe shamma pe mit jaane do
Usko paana hi meri zindagi ka maqsad hai
Gar woh milta hai mujhe marke, toh mar jaane do
Dil ki aankhon ne meri apna sanam dekhliya
Ab issi dar pe mere dum ko nikal jaane do
Hauntingly beautiful song from Gangster, which was actually quite a good film by general Bollywood standards. A well-directed, delicate concept . Good acting, interesting execution, great songs - a little slow, but definitely a sit-up-and-notice type of movie.
June 21, 2006
5:48pm - he calls! Ok so no dinner tonight, lunch tomorrow :)
BTW Vish, Sarwar said "Next time tell him to fly in the night before!" and that the feeling is mutual re: wish you guys could have met.
Ok - see you tomorrow then!
(Why am I talking to him when its really to myself, and that too on a public forum? Odd.)
BTW Vish, Sarwar said "Next time tell him to fly in the night before!" and that the feeling is mutual re: wish you guys could have met.
Ok - see you tomorrow then!
(Why am I talking to him when its really to myself, and that too on a public forum? Odd.)
June 16, 2006
Until I have a baby of my own....
..Puddles P. Duck will have to do :)
(Don't know what the P stands for but he needed a middle name and this sounded perfect.)
Isn't he adowable? S got him for me from Seattle, and we are now inseparable - i.e. Puddles and I - much to the chagrin of S, who is suspicious of anyone I might end up liking as much as him (as if!).
Puddles is v. snuggly and has a squishy bum. What more do you need? :)
STEPHEN COLBERT WENT TO NORTHWESTERN!
I can't believe I forgot to put this on the blog when I found out about it weeks ago.
Finally, some good to being a Wildcat!
Go Colbert!
Finally, some good to being a Wildcat!
Go Colbert!
Paris and Nicole praying namaz?
I am speechless. I really have nothing to say after watching this. Really. Nothing.
Hey Paresh, got $147.54 on you? Cos you're gonna need to buy this for everyone who read this on your blog :P
Sarkiness aside, I'm not averse to public declarations of love, as long as the person you're talking about is actually standing in the public and gets to hear it :P
Oooh, cheesy song comes to mind:
"Yeh jo public hai yeh sab jaanti hai, public hai.."
Has anyone ever heard this song outside of Maine Pyar Kiya's antakshari?
Sarkiness aside, I'm not averse to public declarations of love, as long as the person you're talking about is actually standing in the public and gets to hear it :P
Oooh, cheesy song comes to mind:
"Yeh jo public hai yeh sab jaanti hai, public hai.."
Has anyone ever heard this song outside of Maine Pyar Kiya's antakshari?
June 9, 2006
I love it when Urdu poets create parallels between emotions and otherwise mundane aspects of nature. It's such a romantic way of giving a deeper meaning and richer texture to ordinary feelings, and makes one appreciate the beauty of the world just a little bit more.
While nowhere in the league of Ghalib and other great poets, a recent song reminded me how much I love this stuff. From Fanaa, "Mere Haath Mein" didn't make much of an impact on me when I heard it during the movie. But I've been listening to it closely and I really love the lyrics and now the song makes a lot more sense in terms of why it showed up in the movie where it did. Aamir and Kajol's relationship had been fraught with separation and misunderstandings, and this was their coming-together song - hence the emphasis on "paas paas" and closeness. If I'd heard the song more closely during the movie (or before it), and known the context, I think I may have enjoyed it a lot more!
Mere Haath Mein
Film: Fanaa
Music: Jatin-Lalit
Lyrics: Prasoon Joshi
Mere haath mein tera haath ho
Saari jannatein mere saath hon
Tu jo paas ho, phir kya yeh jahaan
Tere pyar mein hojaoon fanaa
Kitne paas hai khushbu saans ke
Jitne paas honton ke sargam
Jaise saath hai karvat yaad ke
Jaise saath baahon ke sangam
Jitne paas paas khwabon ke nazar
Utne paas tu rehna humsafar
Tu jo paas ho, phir kya yeh jahaan
Tere pyar mein hojaoon fanaa
Rone de aaj humko, tu aankhein sujaane de
Baahon mein lele aur khud ko bheeg jaane de
Hai jo seene mein qaid darya, woh choot jayega
Hai itna dard ke tera daaman bheeg jayega
Jitne paas paas dhadhkan ke hai raaz
Jitne paas boondon ke badal
Jaise saath saath chanda ke hai raat
Jitne paas nainon ke kaajal
Jitne paas paas saagar ke leher
Utne paas tu rehna humsafar
Tu jo paas ho, phir kya yeh jahaan
Tere pyar mein hojaoon fanaa
Adhoori saans thi, dhadhkan adhoori thi, adhoore hum
Magar ab chand poora hai falak pe
Aur ab poore hain hum
While nowhere in the league of Ghalib and other great poets, a recent song reminded me how much I love this stuff. From Fanaa, "Mere Haath Mein" didn't make much of an impact on me when I heard it during the movie. But I've been listening to it closely and I really love the lyrics and now the song makes a lot more sense in terms of why it showed up in the movie where it did. Aamir and Kajol's relationship had been fraught with separation and misunderstandings, and this was their coming-together song - hence the emphasis on "paas paas" and closeness. If I'd heard the song more closely during the movie (or before it), and known the context, I think I may have enjoyed it a lot more!
Mere Haath Mein
Film: Fanaa
Music: Jatin-Lalit
Lyrics: Prasoon Joshi
Mere haath mein tera haath ho
Saari jannatein mere saath hon
Tu jo paas ho, phir kya yeh jahaan
Tere pyar mein hojaoon fanaa
Kitne paas hai khushbu saans ke
Jitne paas honton ke sargam
Jaise saath hai karvat yaad ke
Jaise saath baahon ke sangam
Jitne paas paas khwabon ke nazar
Utne paas tu rehna humsafar
Tu jo paas ho, phir kya yeh jahaan
Tere pyar mein hojaoon fanaa
Rone de aaj humko, tu aankhein sujaane de
Baahon mein lele aur khud ko bheeg jaane de
Hai jo seene mein qaid darya, woh choot jayega
Hai itna dard ke tera daaman bheeg jayega
Jitne paas paas dhadhkan ke hai raaz
Jitne paas boondon ke badal
Jaise saath saath chanda ke hai raat
Jitne paas nainon ke kaajal
Jitne paas paas saagar ke leher
Utne paas tu rehna humsafar
Tu jo paas ho, phir kya yeh jahaan
Tere pyar mein hojaoon fanaa
Adhoori saans thi, dhadhkan adhoori thi, adhoore hum
Magar ab chand poora hai falak pe
Aur ab poore hain hum
I'm Chinese?
Cristina Yang is an extremely intelligent and aggressive woman. She puts her professional obligations first before anything. She likes to do things by the book. However, her horrible bedside manner and inability to relate to her patients causes her to appear cold and distant. She’s also pretty arrogant and persistent. But I got to say she’s my favorite.
Which Grey's Anatomy character are you? Take the test here.
June 5, 2006
Movies seen in past week:
Taxi No. 9211 (meh.. waste of time)
Gangster (not so bad, great music)
Fanaa (el crapo, see old blog)
Humko Deewana Kar Gaye (typical Akshay fare, if the DVD hadn't skipped for 2 hrs leading us to finish the last 10 mins the next day by playing it on the PlayStation, would have been more enjoyable)
DVDs at home, family saw without me:
Being Cyrus
Benaras
Pyare Mohan
As you can see, with the in-laws around, we are in SERIOUS Bollywood mode!
Gangster (not so bad, great music)
Fanaa (el crapo, see old blog)
Humko Deewana Kar Gaye (typical Akshay fare, if the DVD hadn't skipped for 2 hrs leading us to finish the last 10 mins the next day by playing it on the PlayStation, would have been more enjoyable)
DVDs at home, family saw without me:
Being Cyrus
Benaras
Pyare Mohan
As you can see, with the in-laws around, we are in SERIOUS Bollywood mode!
June 4, 2006
Life Choices
The last few days I have been wondering about what I want to do with my life. Now that I have been promoted, its hard to find something to gripe about or challenge myself towards. I am considering a couple of options but I don't want to balance more than two things at once because then I won't do justice to what I choose to pursue, and won't really enjoy them either.
So here are the things I want to do in the next 2 years:
-Stay at current job for another year
-Get master's degree in Medill's IMC program by studying full-time for 15 months (will need money for this)
-Go to India to explore working in advertising there, and/or becoming famous in the movie/music biz (will need Vishal for this)
-Work in India for a year (will need to wait for husband to get American citizenship for this, and also get him to agree to go there!)
-Have a kid soon (will need to be doing nothing else for this)
How to do all this? How to lay it all out on my life's flowchart? How to balance needs with wants, savings with splurging, family with career? The eternal challenge of the modern woman. Sigh.
So here are the things I want to do in the next 2 years:
-Stay at current job for another year
-Get master's degree in Medill's IMC program by studying full-time for 15 months (will need money for this)
-Go to India to explore working in advertising there, and/or becoming famous in the movie/music biz (will need Vishal for this)
-Work in India for a year (will need to wait for husband to get American citizenship for this, and also get him to agree to go there!)
-Have a kid soon (will need to be doing nothing else for this)
How to do all this? How to lay it all out on my life's flowchart? How to balance needs with wants, savings with splurging, family with career? The eternal challenge of the modern woman. Sigh.
Turn Offs
I saw some men display a lot of these traits lately (mostly on the train, but also in the office) and decided to document them in case someone decides to fall in love with me. Not that that would make a difference anymore, but still, lets try to ward off the immediate no-no's. So if you have one or more of the following qualities, please do not apply.
In no particular order, I am ticked off if:
1) You wear black suits with BROWN shoes
2) You have overly gelled, slicked back hair
3) You have bitten nails
4) You wear colored contact lenses
5) You own and wear belts with big buckles
6) Your shoes are dirty
7) You wear too much cologne
8) You wear spicy cologne (e.g. Brut, Old Spice)
9) You have yellow and/or disaligned teeth
10) You have a nasal voice
You have been warned!
In no particular order, I am ticked off if:
1) You wear black suits with BROWN shoes
2) You have overly gelled, slicked back hair
3) You have bitten nails
4) You wear colored contact lenses
5) You own and wear belts with big buckles
6) Your shoes are dirty
7) You wear too much cologne
8) You wear spicy cologne (e.g. Brut, Old Spice)
9) You have yellow and/or disaligned teeth
10) You have a nasal voice
You have been warned!
June 2, 2006
Destroyed...
...not in love, but by a disappointing movie that was a total waste of $63.00 for 5 adult movie tickets.
Fanaa was just sooooooo bad. Terrible ghissi pitti story, awful acting, full of holes and just.. so not worth Aamir Khan and Kajol. Hum Tum was obviously a fluke for Kunal Kohli (well it was pretty much When Harry Met Sally in Hindi) because Fanaa was even worse than Mujhse Dosti Karoge!
The only saving grace was the music - my current favorite is Chand Sifarish, which sounds better after you've gotten over the annoying whistling reminiscient of the uber-crappy song "Yaara yaara main toh hadh se guzar gaya re".
But seriously, the arrangement and composition of this song is actually quite remarkable. My favorite part is somewhere towards the middle where there's the fast-paced santoor (is that what its called? the metallic xylophone type thing you pling pling on with sticks?)... its like a blitz of sweet sound.. like blossoms falling from a tree, or a girl whirling around in a flowing skirt, or raindrops falling on leaves... hehe.. ek gaanay ko suna toh aisa lagaaa.... :)
I also really like Dekho Na and Mere Haath Mein.. but haven't listened to it super closely to get obsessd yet.
So, a crappy move overall but a very very good swan song by Jatin-Lalit, who are now splitting up after 16 years together. Yes, sad but true... they shall be missed :)
Fanaa was just sooooooo bad. Terrible ghissi pitti story, awful acting, full of holes and just.. so not worth Aamir Khan and Kajol. Hum Tum was obviously a fluke for Kunal Kohli (well it was pretty much When Harry Met Sally in Hindi) because Fanaa was even worse than Mujhse Dosti Karoge!
The only saving grace was the music - my current favorite is Chand Sifarish, which sounds better after you've gotten over the annoying whistling reminiscient of the uber-crappy song "Yaara yaara main toh hadh se guzar gaya re".
But seriously, the arrangement and composition of this song is actually quite remarkable. My favorite part is somewhere towards the middle where there's the fast-paced santoor (is that what its called? the metallic xylophone type thing you pling pling on with sticks?)... its like a blitz of sweet sound.. like blossoms falling from a tree, or a girl whirling around in a flowing skirt, or raindrops falling on leaves... hehe.. ek gaanay ko suna toh aisa lagaaa.... :)
I also really like Dekho Na and Mere Haath Mein.. but haven't listened to it super closely to get obsessd yet.
So, a crappy move overall but a very very good swan song by Jatin-Lalit, who are now splitting up after 16 years together. Yes, sad but true... they shall be missed :)
May 27, 2006
May 17, 2006
May 14, 2006
Also, last night I had a dream in the league of Tamanna's crazy one about me and Pepperidge Farm bread..
I dreamt that me, Paresh, Tamanna, Vishal and my family were at some crazy party at the Sharjah Corniche, which now had whales in it, that you could see from a higher platform, which were all chained to a big pole in the middle of the lagoon so that they could only stay near the rim and people could see them. And then there was something about a digital camera and how Paresh wouldn't give me his to shoot pictures with, and began bothering me about... and for some reason I can't remember much else (I did in the morning).. but Paresh was wearing a bright fushcia shirt and khakis.. bizarre eh?
I dreamt that me, Paresh, Tamanna, Vishal and my family were at some crazy party at the Sharjah Corniche, which now had whales in it, that you could see from a higher platform, which were all chained to a big pole in the middle of the lagoon so that they could only stay near the rim and people could see them. And then there was something about a digital camera and how Paresh wouldn't give me his to shoot pictures with, and began bothering me about... and for some reason I can't remember much else (I did in the morning).. but Paresh was wearing a bright fushcia shirt and khakis.. bizarre eh?
What? No comments on my teaser? People people, you disappoint me.
Well anyway here's what the BIG DEAL was (in retrospect, not so much of a deal).
I had a one of those mornings on 5/11.. yknow when everything that can go wrong, does go wrong? Spent lots of time blowdrying hair, and turned out it was raining and my hair turned to frizz like the 80s were back...
Almost got run over on the walk to the train station as I balanced an umbrella in gusty wind, a phone with a much ignored friend on the line, and a bulging purse with pizza in a sandwich box that I decided to take for lunch (and then forgot to have)...
Got to the train station, and couldn't close my umbrella for about 10mins so hung up with my friend, tied the unclosed umbrella, and tried to go thru the turnstile with my CTA monthly pass to discover it had ran out the day before and the new card was sitting in my cube.. and my spare card had $1.90 on it instead of $2.00.. so finally put 10c into the card, and got to the platform to find the train leaving..
10mins later, another train finally showed up and then... SAT AT THE STATION for another 10mins...
(BTW has anyone else noticed how whenever you're waiting for a train, bus or cab and want to go in Direction A, you'll have multiple vehicles going in Direction B, but nothing you need will show up forever?)
Anyway by the time I got to the office it was 9:35am and I was late but thankfully no one noticed.
Besides that, it has been a manic week and my inlaws arrive tomorrow for a two month visit and our main client presentation is due June 1 so its only going to get busier. Not to mention my cough is getting crazy and I owe three friends creative input on stuff: an essay, a track and a VC pitch. And I haven't done anything. Aargh. So much to do, so little of me.
Ok, time to go cook in large quantities to feed the growing number of people at 2165 North Bell.
PS: West Wing finale in 30mins - sniff.
Well anyway here's what the BIG DEAL was (in retrospect, not so much of a deal).
I had a one of those mornings on 5/11.. yknow when everything that can go wrong, does go wrong? Spent lots of time blowdrying hair, and turned out it was raining and my hair turned to frizz like the 80s were back...
Almost got run over on the walk to the train station as I balanced an umbrella in gusty wind, a phone with a much ignored friend on the line, and a bulging purse with pizza in a sandwich box that I decided to take for lunch (and then forgot to have)...
Got to the train station, and couldn't close my umbrella for about 10mins so hung up with my friend, tied the unclosed umbrella, and tried to go thru the turnstile with my CTA monthly pass to discover it had ran out the day before and the new card was sitting in my cube.. and my spare card had $1.90 on it instead of $2.00.. so finally put 10c into the card, and got to the platform to find the train leaving..
10mins later, another train finally showed up and then... SAT AT THE STATION for another 10mins...
(BTW has anyone else noticed how whenever you're waiting for a train, bus or cab and want to go in Direction A, you'll have multiple vehicles going in Direction B, but nothing you need will show up forever?)
Anyway by the time I got to the office it was 9:35am and I was late but thankfully no one noticed.
Besides that, it has been a manic week and my inlaws arrive tomorrow for a two month visit and our main client presentation is due June 1 so its only going to get busier. Not to mention my cough is getting crazy and I owe three friends creative input on stuff: an essay, a track and a VC pitch. And I haven't done anything. Aargh. So much to do, so little of me.
Ok, time to go cook in large quantities to feed the growing number of people at 2165 North Bell.
PS: West Wing finale in 30mins - sniff.
May 11, 2006
Have I got a story for y'all..
But I'm very busy this morning, so cross your fingers and hope that I have some time later in the day to debrief you guys :)
Muwahahahaha.. I am The Teaser!
Muwahahahaha.. I am The Teaser!
May 9, 2006
Oh and by the way...
I got promoted last Thursday :)
Yay! I finally will be making.. uhh.. 60% less than my husband (it was 80% before).. yay! Go Equality in the Workplace!!
Promotion is effective immediately, so should see the cash flow in with the May 15th paycheck.. muwahahaha.. however, don't move off my desk for another month or so until we get over the big planning hump. Will be moving up to a new supervisory position created on the Disney team, should be interesting. Husband is calling me "Boss" nowadays :)
Right now, however, all excitement has been killed as I am trying to get out of this miserable cold I've had for the last 10 days.
I've been suffering from itchy, watery eyes, itchy throat, and an alternatively congested and runny nose. The first symptoms were a congested cough, which gave way to the rest of the above. The most recent new symptom was, my best friend, diarrhea! Thank goodness for Imodium though. It has been brought under control.
UGHHHH SOMEBODY FIND ME A DRUG THAT STOPS THE ITCHING AND PUTS ME TO SLEEP!!!
I'm a wreck :(
Yay! I finally will be making.. uhh.. 60% less than my husband (it was 80% before).. yay! Go Equality in the Workplace!!
Promotion is effective immediately, so should see the cash flow in with the May 15th paycheck.. muwahahaha.. however, don't move off my desk for another month or so until we get over the big planning hump. Will be moving up to a new supervisory position created on the Disney team, should be interesting. Husband is calling me "Boss" nowadays :)
Right now, however, all excitement has been killed as I am trying to get out of this miserable cold I've had for the last 10 days.
I've been suffering from itchy, watery eyes, itchy throat, and an alternatively congested and runny nose. The first symptoms were a congested cough, which gave way to the rest of the above. The most recent new symptom was, my best friend, diarrhea! Thank goodness for Imodium though. It has been brought under control.
UGHHHH SOMEBODY FIND ME A DRUG THAT STOPS THE ITCHING AND PUTS ME TO SLEEP!!!
I'm a wreck :(
May 8, 2006
Sick
Runny nose, Itchy eyes, Sore throat, Upset stomach - since last 5 days. Not getting better. Just want to be able to fall asleep.
One bright spot in the haze of Kleenex and Tylenol: "Tere Sang Ishq" from Tom Dick and Harry. GOOD SONG.
One bright spot in the haze of Kleenex and Tylenol: "Tere Sang Ishq" from Tom Dick and Harry. GOOD SONG.
April 27, 2006
And then you call me and its not so bad at all...
Thanks for the haircut props peepz! You ma homies *thumps chest 2wice*. Word.
Hair looks much better after first day of flat-ness. Am quite happy with it now, sorry for the initial scare.
Another scare I had on Friday last week was of (brace yourselves) a COLD SORE.
After a night of freaking out that I was carrying a virus that spreads on contact, I woke up the next morning to find that the small bump near my lip had burnt down to nothing from the Abreva I had piled on it before going to bed. I guess the cold sore medicine zapped the poor zit into oblivion. Explains why it was burning so much when I put it on.. hmm..
Hair looks much better after first day of flat-ness. Am quite happy with it now, sorry for the initial scare.
Another scare I had on Friday last week was of (brace yourselves) a COLD SORE.
After a night of freaking out that I was carrying a virus that spreads on contact, I woke up the next morning to find that the small bump near my lip had burnt down to nothing from the Abreva I had piled on it before going to bed. I guess the cold sore medicine zapped the poor zit into oblivion. Explains why it was burning so much when I put it on.. hmm..
April 20, 2006
La Coupe Francais De Hair
Got a haircut today. The guy chopped off a whole lot more than I wanted. Am traumatized and miserable. Husband will disapprove, I know it.
The initial shock is wearing off. In general the cut is not bad. However:
1) its too short for my pear-shaped (and growingly rotund) body
2) tomorrow (and forever) it will look really crappy once the goop he put in my hair is washed out
People at work have been trying to console me and say it looks trendy, funky and professional. My boss found me sobbing in the bathroom. I'm wearing pointy stilettoes and my toes are on fire. My shirt feels too tight because of the tanktop beneath it but the neckline is too low and indecent for work to be worn without a tanktop.
It is HARD being a woman. Will find some chocolate to cheer me up.
The initial shock is wearing off. In general the cut is not bad. However:
1) its too short for my pear-shaped (and growingly rotund) body
2) tomorrow (and forever) it will look really crappy once the goop he put in my hair is washed out
People at work have been trying to console me and say it looks trendy, funky and professional. My boss found me sobbing in the bathroom. I'm wearing pointy stilettoes and my toes are on fire. My shirt feels too tight because of the tanktop beneath it but the neckline is too low and indecent for work to be worn without a tanktop.
It is HARD being a woman. Will find some chocolate to cheer me up.
Sacrilege!
One fine morning, somebody woke up and just decided to mock the dreams that drove my teen years. Just like that, up in smoke. Poof.
April 19, 2006
Revelation
I finally realized today what the song "Papa Don't Preach" is about. She's pregnant!!!
All this time I thought she just wanted her Papa to give her advice on the man who wants to marry her, and when she says "I'm keeping my baby" I thought she meant the GUY, not the actual baby! Well I guess this explains why the trouble is so "deep". I never quite got why marrying a guy was such a big deal. She could always divorce him later. Unless her Daddy was a preacher and she didn't believe in divorce. In which case, what's she doing getting knocked up out of wedlock? Slut!
Oh, the things that come to us when blow-drying hair.
All this time I thought she just wanted her Papa to give her advice on the man who wants to marry her, and when she says "I'm keeping my baby" I thought she meant the GUY, not the actual baby! Well I guess this explains why the trouble is so "deep". I never quite got why marrying a guy was such a big deal. She could always divorce him later. Unless her Daddy was a preacher and she didn't believe in divorce. In which case, what's she doing getting knocked up out of wedlock? Slut!
Oh, the things that come to us when blow-drying hair.
April 16, 2006
User Generated Content
Its all the rage - YouTube, MetaCafe, this other one I heard about that has something to do with mad dogs...
But is user-generated content a way for people to express themselves and share entertainment/culture/diversity across borders, or just a place for REALLY bored people with nothing better to do that make fools of themselves?
Here are some of the nuttier things that I have seen online lately:
Gora mime dancing to Bollywood love song
Strange remix involving Usher, KK and Shaan
Two Chinese boys enjoying Backstreet Boys a little too much
But is user-generated content a way for people to express themselves and share entertainment/culture/diversity across borders, or just a place for REALLY bored people with nothing better to do that make fools of themselves?
Here are some of the nuttier things that I have seen online lately:
Gora mime dancing to Bollywood love song
Strange remix involving Usher, KK and Shaan
Two Chinese boys enjoying Backstreet Boys a little too much
April 7, 2006
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
COPYRIGHT
The Xinugeist by www.xinu.blogspot.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.