Random Ramblings

Aalu Anday

2011-11-08T22:31:00.000-08:00

A social commentary of what's going on in Pakistan:

A Tale of Two Cities

2011-11-04T11:08:00.000-07:00

San Francisco is truly an anti-thesis of Los Angeles. Where Los Angeles's skyline is all concrete and covered with heavy smog, San Francisco's downtown core consists of an eclectic mix of old and new buildings, art museums, and beautiful gothic-styled churches. San Francisco is unique and it promotes uniqueness, but Los Angeles is all mass-produced. San Francisco also has very unique and creative cuisine to offer.

So on our annual Anniversary/Oracle Conference trip to San Fran we got to try some of the most creatively delish food.

Chile Pies (& ice cream) has both sweet and savory pies to offer. We had their Apple and Green Chile Pie. The crust was very light and flaky, and the pie tasted good but sadly it was nothing extra-ordinary. They served water in mason jars, which I thought was cool. We had heard about this place on Food Network, and now that we have tried their famous pie, I don't think we would be going back there again.

Restaurant LuLu is located in the SOMA district near Moscone Convention Centre. We had pizza there, which was cooked in the wood fired oven. The pizza was very tasty, the crust was very light, and the tomatoes were very fresh.

The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen is also located in the SOMA district near South Park. We went there for lunch. I ordered the Mushroom Gruyere Grilled Cheese which had roasted wild mushrooms, potatoes, melted leeks and caramelized onions. The grilled cheese was very delicious. However, the tomato soup that my husband ordered tasted like can soup. The place was really busy, and it was difficult to find a place to sit.

Scoma's located at the Fisherman's Wharf has the freshest seafood to offer. This was our second time to this restaurant. Unlike the previous time, I was disappointed with the service. The staff was extremely rude and we had to wait for almost an hour to be seated. The calamari and lobster bisque were the best I have ever had. The calamari was not chewey or rubbery. For entree I ordered Halibut, something I had tried here before. But, this time around I was not fully satisfied with the fish, and struggled to finish it.

Mark Twain: The Mysterious Stranger

2011-09-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

I am not quite well-versed in American literature. So when the New York Times' Nicholas Kristof published his summer reading list, I figured it was as good of a time as any to read Mark Twain's The Mysterious Stranger. Mark Twain's short story The Mysterious Stranger is not as famous as his other full length novels. But, in spite of its short length the story deals with a very complicated dogmatic issue of Moral Sense. Moral sense is what separates us from other living beings, be it higher primates or angels.

This post-humously published Mark Twain's marvel has several versions. The one I read is set in Austria. The story is about three boys and their encounter with a devious angel called Satan, who is named after his uncle, the notorious Satan himself. This mysterious stranger appears in the village and shows the boys that how little control humans have over their own destiny. The Satan also shows that the Moral Sense does not make Homo sapiens better than the rest of the animals, it in fact makes us more barbaric and evil.

It is like your paltry race--always lying, always claiming virtues which it hasn't got, always denying tot he higher animals, which alone possess them. No brute ever does a cruel that is the monopoly of those with the Moral Sense. When a brute inflicts pain he does it innocently; it is wrong; for him there is no such thing as wrong. And he does not inflict pain for the pleasure of inflicting it -- only man does that. Inspire by the mongrel Moral Sense of his! A sense whose function is to distinguish between right and wrong, with liberty to choose which of them he will do. Now what advantage can he get out of that? He is always choosing and in nine cases out of ten he prefers the wrong. There shouldn't be any wrong and without the Moral Sense there couldn't be any wrong. And yet he is such an unreasoning creature that he is not able to perceive that the Moral Sense degrades him to the bottom layer of animated beings and is a shameful possession."

Satan points out that humans have the power of will and a conscious mind, and yet they knowingly commit barbaric crimes against other human beings. Their bad behavior, unlike that of a horse or any other animal, cannot be blamed on nature, but on their own devious mind. Satan also points out humans' cowardly nature. They listen and follow the beliefs of minorities, because the majority is too scared to stand up and speak their minds. For instance, majority of the world is in favor of Palestine's UN membership, and there are only a few countries like the US and Canada who in spite of being democratic countries are denying Palestine of this diplomatic opportunity of getting its voice heard.

I know your race. It is made up of sheep. It is governed by minorities, seldom or never by majorities. It suppresses its feelings and its beliefs and follows the handful that makes the most noise. Sometimes the noisy handful is right, sometimes wrong; but no matter, the crowd follows it. The vast majority of the race whether savage or civilized are secretly kind-hearted and shrink from inflicting pains, but in the presence of the aggressive and pitiless minority they don't dare to assert themselves.

Humans also have their set views and preconceived notions which create divisions among them. Two humans can be presented with the same evidence and information and yet they will distort the facts to fit their own narrative and personal agenda. For instance, look at the Fox News and CNBC News. They are both American 24 hour cable news channels. They are presented with the same reality everyday but yet their narrative is completely different from each other. Fox promotes their Republican agenda, and NBC ignores real facts in their quest to promote the liberal ideology.

"You can find in a text whatever you bring, if you will stand between it and the mirror of your imagination. You may not see your ears, but they will be there."

Resistance is Futile

2011-09-19T11:05:00.000-07:00

Someone should notify Pamela Geller, the Sharia Law has now made its way into the fashion world.

The new fall lines of Gucci and BCBG are full of uber halallified dresses like the following:

Who knew the designers would be this accepting, eh?

Peppy Poppy New Music

2011-06-08T11:03:00.000-07:00

Something about Spring makes me want to listen to peppy poppy songs.

Sara Bareilles - King Of Anything: I loved her previous album, and I am really enjoying her new songs. This song sort of reminds of me Katy Perry's Firework, as it's all about taking control and what not. Girls can be so cheesy.

Coldplay - Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall: Girls can be cheesy, but nobody can write more melodramatic lyrics than Christ Martin. Seriously, who says things like, "I rather be a comma, than a fullstop." As much as I don't appreciate the sappiness Coldplay comes up with, I still love their music, and shamefully I am liking this song.

OneRepublic - Good Life: This song caught my attention because it starts off with a mention of London and Piccadilly. And, we all know how much I love London. *SIGH*.

Sara Bareilles - Uncharted: It's not as Girl-Power-Anthemish as the first Bareilles song on this list. It's a good song, with good beat and good lyrics.

Liking Is for Cowards. Go for What Hurts.

2011-05-29T14:22:00.000-07:00

The following excerpt is taken from Jonathan Franzen's op-ed piece for the NY Times, in which he discusses the difference between liking and loving. One is more narcissistic and impersonal, whereas the other is more vulnerable and sincere.

There is no such thing as a person whose real self you like every particle of. This is why a world of liking is ultimately a lie. But there is such a thing as a person whose real self you love every particle of. And this is why love is such an existential threat to the techno-consumerist order: it exposes the lie.

This is not to say that love is only about fighting. Love is about bottomless empathy, born out of the heart’s revelation that another person is every bit as real as you are. And this is why love, as I understand it, is always specific. Trying to love all of humanity may be a worthy endeavor, but, in a funny way, it keeps the focus on the self, on the self’s own moral or spiritual well-being. Whereas, to love a specific person, and to identify with his or her struggles and joys as if they were your own, you have to surrender some of your self.

In addition to what Franzen mentioned in the article, I believe that our smartphones are altering our thought process. Our brains are constantly bombarded with so much information that now our conversations are determined by our cellphone's news feeds. Our phones are depriving us from observing the world around us. They are also depriving us from formulating our own original well-thought and processed opinion about what is going on. If we find a news article that we like, instead of using words to describe what we like about it, all we have to do is hit the oh-so-convenient "like" button, and "share" it with the rest of the world.

Are our smartphones making us dumb?

My Loves

2011-03-04T11:49:00.000-08:00

In my South Asian culture children live at home until they are married. So after marriage when I moved to California my love for my family evolved into a deep feeling of appreciation. In the past one year I have become more appreciative of what my family means to me.

My mom made me the woman I am. If it were not for her I would not have the happy marriage I have. She taught me the value of a good marriage. She showed me how to balance the dichotomies that lie within me. If it were not for her I would still be struggling with the East vs. West conflict. I would still be struggling to keep a balance between my beautiful relationship with my husband and my own academic goals. She really created an environment for me and my sister where she showed us that we can achieve anything we want. But a successful life does not mean you have to compromise your family life. Because true sustainable happiness comes from your family life.

My father travelled a lot because of work. He was never an active parent, where he was involved in our day to day life. But, whenever he came back to visit us he brought us books. He took us to museums and encouraged us to think and reflect about the great people who have lived before us. These "nerdy" exercises which we were made to do, did not seem very significant when I was growing up. But, now that I am in the graduate program I have a new found appreciation for the academic foundation my father laid for me when I was just an ignorant kid.

My brother lived away from home because of school and then later for work. I am ever so grateful for all the childhood memories we made together. He has a son now. My nephew, who my sister and I helped in naming, coincidentally has the same name as the first Muslim superhero, Batman's new sidekick the Nightrunner. How cool is that! My nephew can dress up as "himself" on Halloween.

My sister is my life and soul. She is the most intelligent person I know. She is my intellectual compass. She is my other half. I had the hardest time getting used to my new life in California because my sister was not here with me. I do not ever have to explain myself to her. She gets me just the way I am. She is truly a beautiful gift that God blessed me with.

My husband is the most understanding man I know. We have been married for over a year now, and he has made me happy above and beyond my expectations. He has already fulfilled all of my dreams. He is extremely sensitive to my needs. All I have to do is ask for something and he will make it happen. I am so blessed to have a husband who understands me, loves me, appreciates me, and provides me security and confidence. I am so lucky and blessed to be with him each and every day for the rest of our lives.

I would also like to mention my best friend. Even with all the distance we still make time to talk to each other once a week. My undergrad years would have been a total waste if it weren't for her. She is an epitome of eternal understanding.

These are the people who define me. I hope I am able to show them how much I love and appreciate them.

SURVIVE A NEW YEAR

2011-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

Found here.

Movie Marathon: Buried

2010-12-29T11:57:00.000-08:00

Hollywood films come in plethora of genres, romantic comedy, teenage romantic comedy, comedy, romance, drama, thriller, horror, action and so on. But when it comes to movies, I only have two distinctions, cerebral vs. brainless-fun movies. I watch the latter type of movies like "Easy A", when I just want a good entertainer that does not require too much thinking or deep mental provocation. The former type, on the other hand, includes movies that have a visceral effect on me. In the recent past, movies like "127 Hours", and "Toy Story 3" really moved me both intellectually and emotionally.

"Buried" classified as a thriller is neither a cerebral nor a brainless-fun movie. It is a movie that never really makes a case for itself. The story-line holds a lot of promise, but the movie sadly never takes off. "Buried" is about an American truck driver who is buried alive inside a coffin in Iraq, with nothing but a blackberry. He is held for ransom by Iraqi insurgents, who ask him to make a plea video and call his supervisors back in Washington for five million dollars. He uses the phone to call his family, FBI, and the private trucking company he works for. But, he is either put on hold or gets the answering machine.

The movie is somewhat about the politics and immorality of the Iraq War. It is somewhat about the value of human life. It is somewhat about the bureaucracy of American corporations and how they do not give a rat's ass about the lives being lost in Iraq. "Buried" touches upon a lot of themes but does not fully grab onto one theme to make a connection with the audience. Ryan Reynolds plays the lead role. I don't know if it was his poor acting or the shallow script but I did not care about his fate in the movie. I did not care whether he would be able to arrange for five million dollars from the grave, or whether he would get to talk to his family. Even though, as an audience I was not able to bond with the character, I was also not utterly bored. I watched the movie waiting for something to happen.

This movie is based on a good idea, but fails in delivery because of the poor script. The most interesting point the movie makes is that even though the protagonist is able to get a good network connection from six feet under, he still struggles to get help.

p.s. I want to know who the network provider was!

Movie Marathon: Easy A

2010-12-28T13:23:00.000-08:00

"Easy A" is a romantic comedy starring Emma Stone, which is loosely based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter. The novel is about an adulterous woman, Hester Prynne, whose actions are publicly condemned by her Puritan society, and the same man who is an equal partner in her sin. The movie is a smart comedy about a generation that is greatly linked through texting and other social networking websites.

I recently read an article in the NY Times regarding the demise of emailing. Our generation prefers to communicate through texting or instant messaging. I remember when I was a teenager my friends and I preferred to communicate through MSN messaging, or emails. Then Facebook came along, and we started writing on each other's walls. We commented on oodles of pictures that our friends posted. However, things changed a couple of years ago, when people realized that information on social networking sites such as Facebook is not very private, and in fact very public. The shift happened, instead of sharing our pictures with everyone on our friends list we became more discreet. And, instead of writing on each other's walls, we started private messaging each other.

The way we communicate has changed a lot in the last 15 years. My husband and I prefer to either text or "talk" to each other on gtalk. We both have android phones which make keeping in touch and sharing quick updates on gtalk much easier. My major concern about texting is that kids are not using proper grammar and/or spellings. In the world of spell check, abbreviated syntax and 140 characters long sentences, the art of beautiful composition is at abysmal loss.

What "Easy A" shows that no matter what the preferred medium of communication is, gossip travels fast. And it is no picnic to be a teenager! The other interesting theme the movie touches upon is that high school kids do not read the books they are taught in English class. They either rent the film versions of the books, or rely upon SparkNotes. The books on the high school reading list seem dated to the students, but as the movie shows, they are far more relevant than they appear to be. In the past, myriad of classics have been turned into teenage romantic comedies. The list entails, Emma ("Clueless"), Romeo and Juliet ("Romeo + Juliet"), Taming of the Shrew ("10 Things I Hate About You"), Othello ("O"), Twelfth Night ("She's the Man"), and so on.

Emma Stone is wonderful in the movie. If you are looking for a fun and yet not a dumb movie, do check this one out. I will be posting more reviews throughout this week, as I have some time off until the next semester starts. My husband and I have a rather ambitious list of movies we want to finish watching during the holidays.

Disclaimer: For the sake of my husband's street-cred I should mention that I watched this movie without him.

Lessons Learned after 1 year of Marriage

2010-10-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

1. Nagging has its merits.
2. A little bit of patience goes a long way.
3. Onions make you cry, so after peeling them put them in the freezer for a minute or two.
4. Marriage makes you smarter. I am taking courses at Berkeley for Heaven's sake :).
5. Never read a depressing, albeit engrossing, book like Jonathan Franzen's 'Freedom'. It is a social commentary of our modern day dysfunctional nuclear family. The book would make you utterly depressed about the current dismal state of marriage in our society.
6. TV shows play a crucial role in the success of a marriage. Have specific shows that the both of you should watch exclusively with each other.
7. Traveling with the spouse is fun.
8. Don't act on emotions right away. Give them some time to settle and coherently discuss any conflicts you may have.
9. Never go to bed angry.
10. Never have the same argument twice. Move on. The important thing is you both love each other and nothing can separate you.
11. Snoring should be taken as a sign of love and trust.
12. The key to a man's heart is through his stomach.
13. Ironing burns calories.
14. Even small romantic gestures go a long way.
15. Grow together. Learn from each other.

Heads or Tails

2010-09-26T19:43:00.000-07:00

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Thousands died on 9/11, and thousands of innocent people are dying in Afghanistan, and Iraq. America waged two wars in Asia after 9/11. And, like any other war, American soldiers are losing their lives, and taking lives of many innocent people who have nothing to do with the doctrine of Bin Laden or any other fundamentalist group out there.

For American Muslims, August was probably the worst month. Muslims were called a lot of names in the media, all because they wanted to build a community centre near Ground Zero. The issue of Islamic extremism was plastered over and discussed on every single news channel. But, what the media refused to acknowledge, explicitly, was that the elements of extremism also exist in their American society. Fanatics like Pastor Terry Jones, Pamela Geller and the Fox News clan, in my humble opinion, belong under the extremism umbrella. They are doing an awesome job in dividing the American society and deteriorating peace. If you objectively look at the narrative of Al-Qaeda (Bin Laden clan) and right-wing ignorant Americans (The Fox News clan) they are the same. Their narrative is antagonizing, offensive, manipulative, and simply hatefully ignorant.

I am typing this as I am watching 60 Minutes' cover story, A Relentless Enemy, about the war in Afghanistan. Lara Logan reports, American lives are in danger in Afghanistan. They are being attacked by unknown Afghans and Pakistanis, when all the Americans want in return is peace.

This is expected when the war Americans are fighting is so abstract. The "War on Terror" is a very abstract phrase. What is terror? Who are terrorists? These two terminologies have never been clearly defined. And, yet so many of our soldiers (both American and Canadian) have lost their lives in the past 9 years. My heart goes out to them as much as my heart goes out to the innocent civilians who lose their lives everyday. Sometimes because of the drone attacks. What I find so inhumane about the drone attacks is that in the eyes of Americans these civilians are so worthless that they can just die by a machine with the push of a button. The lives of these civilians are so worthless that they don't even deserve to die by someone who would be able to experience the direct repercussions of his or her actions. The lives of these civilians are so worthless that they don't even deserve to get killed by a human, but by a machine; just like how animals are slaughtered by a machine in an assembly line.

There are peace loving Americans. And, there are peace loving Muslims. The moderates, which I believe is the majority, want the same thing - peace. But sadly their message gets lost and never crosses over to the other side.

The problem we are faced with is that we never see both sides of story. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have two different narrations, "theirs" and "ours". Now that the war in Iraq is supposedly "over" we may term it a victory, but the country is still unstable. We may call the Karzai government in Afghanistan a democracy, in other words a success, but his government is extremely corrupt. Just like there are always two sides of the same story, there are extremists on both ends of the "West vs. Islam" spectrum. Until we don't recognize the similarities between the two extremist camps we would be stuck in the same abyss, which is the war on terror.

Toy Story 3

2010-08-03T10:28:00.000-07:00

Moving on and/or growing up requires one to come in terms with their new role in life. And, this is the theme of Toy Story 3, a very emotional animated film by Pixar, which perfectly tells the story of what love and moving on is. Love is fluid and in many ways impermanent and immortal at the same time. It is an abstract feeling which is not fixed in time or place. The distance doesn't change our love it just reshapes, and redefines it.

Our adolescence is dominated with the feeling that we are the absolute centre of the universe. We feel we are misunderstood by everyone because we are "oh so very unique". We want everything; and everything is possible. We live by the doctrine "All or nothing" as Shakespeare showed in "Romeo and Juliet". If the 15 year old Juliet couldn't live with her teenage Romeo she didn't want to live at all. But, as we grow up we become more aware of our own limitations. This self-awareness may lead to disappointment and dismay as Richard Yates depicted in "Revolutionary Road".

But growing up is also an evolution of our relationships. I feel I have learnt a lot in these past 9 months of marriage. Living away from home (Toronto), and the distance of almost an entire continent forced me to reevaluate my life, and my relationship with my family and friends. Recently I was back in Toronto for one whole month. I had anticipated that my time there would be the same as what my life was like before I got married and moved to California. But my month long stay made me realize that my life is in California now. Until my husband and I move back to Canada for good, I would always be a visitor...guest...there.

As humans we are very adaptable. Life is constantly changing around us, and like the toys in the movie, we are forced to adapt to these changes. Holding onto the past would only lead to unhappiness.

But then again it's good to hold onto some traditions. For instance, I waited a whole month to watch Toy Story, so I could honour the tradition of watching Pixar productions with my sister. And, it was worth the wait.

Justin Halpern: Sh*t My Dad Says

2010-06-07T23:31:00.000-07:00

I like to eavesdrop on other people's conversations when I go out to eat. My sister shares this secret shame with me. Trust me this is not because we are snoopy, it's just usually we have nothing interesting to say to each other, so we rely on other people to entertain us. Recently, when I was out having dinner, there was a group of friends sitting at a table next to mine. Judging the way they were showing off their phones, it seemed that they had not seen each other for a while, and had recently reconnected thanks to the mighty Facebook. It is amusing that now when long lost friends have reunions they feel the need to whip out their cellphones, and marvel on the little wonders their gizmo can do.

Technology has changed our social behaviour at such an exponential rate that sometimes we need blunt people like Justin Halpern's father to provide an honest social commentary.

Son, no one gives a sh*t about all the things your cell phone does. You didn't invent it, you just bought it. Anybody can do that.

Sh*t My Dad Says is a "LOL-funny" book (memoir) based on Halpern's Twitter account. Halpern started tweeting about the random stuff his father says, which not only got him this book deal, but he also has a sitcom with the same title premiering this fall. This book is another testament of the way technology now allows us to share our ideas with millions. Thanks to blogging and tweeting people have the possibility of getting their work published without having to worry about running after publishers and literary agents.

I really enjoyed reading this hilarious book. So if you are looking for a light read do check it out.

Here is my favourite sh*t Justin Halpern's Dad said:

On Chivalry

Give your mother the front seat...I don't give a sh*t if she said you could have it, that's what she's supposed to do, and you're supposed to say, 'No, I insist.' You think I'm gonna drive around with my wife in the backseat and a nine-year-old in the front? You're a crazy son of a b*tch.

Should You Judge This Book by Its Cover?

2010-05-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

"He who hesitates is lost" vs. "Everything comes to he who waits."

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder" vs. "Out of sight, out of mind."

"You can't teach an old dog new tricks" vs. "It's never too late to learn."

"The best things in life are free" vs. "There is no such thing as a free lunch."

"Seeing is believing" vs. "Appearances could be deceptive."

"Tomorrow is another day" vs. "Tomorrow never comes."

It's rather funny to notice how the above aphorisms contradict each other. No wonder proverbs are so confusing. In his new book Should You Judge This Book by Its Cover? the author Julian Baggini deconstructs 100 well-known proverbs and phrases we frequently misuse.

The book seems interesting. But, then, not everything that glitters is gold, eh? I am waiting for the Kindle version to be released, so I can read the book on my Kindle. Since I don't want to judge this book by its cover :).

Machu Picchu

2010-05-17T12:40:00.000-07:00

When I met my husband for the first time, a year ago today, we didn't talk much. To me he was just one of the many guys my parents were forcing encouraging me to meet. All I knew was that he worked and lived in California. Since I had no plans of leaving Toronto, I just sat there comfortably on my cynical high horse, while he tried to impress my folks. He was talking to my father about work, and I found him boring. But, when he was finally leaving he gave me the most sincere and sweet smile.

It was because of this smile I agreed to meet him again for our second date. My second first impression of him was completely different from my first. He was so not boring. I found him witty, intelligent, and humble. I saw respect in his eyes. We talked about a lot of things including my research and the swine flu. It was when we were talking about Peru, I realized that it would be a great loss, if I didn't get to spend the rest of my life with him. Since I got the feeling that he would always take care of me. While I was having this epiphany my brain completely froze, and I couldn't, for the life of me, remember the name of the Inca site, Machu Picchu, we were talking about. I literally blanked out for five minutes and then ended up apologizing for my ditziness.

Four months later we got married, and I have been living in the States for the past seven months now. It has taken me a year to actually blog about my love story. Cheesy, I know. Everything with us happened so fast that it got very overwhelming at times. In the first few months I couldn't make sense of it all. But the reason this relationship worked out for us because we knew exactly what we were looking for. So when we finally met each other we didn't waste anytime.

I have realized that what makes marriage work is the commitment the husband and wife have for each other. If it is important for them to have a happy married life, they would do whatever it takes to make it work. Superficial aspects, like oh we must like the same shows, or read the same books are not important in the long run. If the husband and wife both want to keep each other happy they would do whatever it takes to make that happen.

I know it sounds like a simple concept. Just be committed to being committed. But it seems so elusive in today's world. We care too much about the material things.

Life is wonderful and complete, if at the end of the day, you, your loved ones, and your family are healthy and happy. That's all that matters. I know we lose sight of that sometimes. Even I lose sight of that. Living away from family in the States has been a difficult challenge for me. It has made me a snobby patriotic Canadian. But, the fact that I have my husband with me makes everything okay. I can cry to him when I miss home. I can talk to him when I get frustrated. It's just at the end of the day I know he will do anything and everything to keep me happy. And, that is what has made this past one year so remarkably beautiful.

Now Show Me Something Pretty

2009-05-17T17:00:00.002-07:00

Patrick Park - Something Pretty
Sia - Day Too Soon
Blue October - 18th Floor Balcony

For the Sanctity of the F-Word

2009-05-14T21:04:00.023-07:00

Okay, I am confused. The movie tells me that if a guy doesn't call you, doesn't ask you out, makes you wait on him, doesn't want to plan stuff, doesn't want to go out, doesn't want to move in together, doesn't want to have kids...HE IS JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU.

Is it really that simple? So, what if the guy is shy? Or, what if, when you are busy being coy, the guy arrives at the conclusion that you are not interested in him, and the fear of rejection stops him from making the move, you have been waiting for?

I get confused with these dating guidelines. I would find it endearing if people just went for what they wanted. Both girls, and boys. I like to think that I am an upfront person, and if the opportunity presents itself I wouldn't have any qualms about asking the guy out. We are supposed to be beyond sexism. Equal opportunities for all. Do what we please. So why slow down the dating process with these stupid rules? Who benefits from these stupid rules, anyway? The "Self Help" book industry? And, the "feminists" at Cosmo?

Okay, so this is what I have against Cosmopolitan. The periodical's former editor, self-proclaimed feminist, skeletal Helen Gurley Brown, once said that girls should have border-line anorexia nervosa to maintain an "ideal" body weight. Cosmo, the 80 year old magazine, instead of writing about women in politics, or positive female role models, primarily focuses on "How to Please Your Man", "What Men Like", "Where to Find Eligible Bachelors", and other male-centric topics. Okay, I realize nobody wants to read about the brutalities women are faced with in Darfur and Congo. But, why they are turning their readers into predatory men-hunting sex slaves is beyond me.

Then there are the other delusional feminists, the "Sex and the City" clowns. They believe, men are like shoes, wear them and then dispose them off. These women use feminism to liberate themselves from any moral and/or social obligations. Look, I love pretty outfits as much as the next girl, but since when did it become okay to spend our entire paycheck on our wardrobe? And, now, they are coming up with another "Sex and the City" movie. Hey, at least these women are helping the economy, Paul Krugman style.

And, I don't get the Oprah cult either. Oprah started bugging me back when she plastered her stamp of approval on James Frey's dubious A Million Little Pieces. Later, when it was discovered that Frey exaggerated the truth, and his book was more fictional and less of a druggie hero's triumphal memoir, she called him on her show to yell at him. Dude, Oprah, didn't you have a moral responsibility to check the book's credentials before you endorsed it? And, what is with the "O" logo mugs, which are sold for 12 bucks each? And, if we are supposed to love ourselves first, and be comfortable with our body, embrace all body shapes and forms; then why is Oprah so critical of her own weight gain? Look, I respect the woman's rags to riches story, but I don't respect her bogus commercialism tactics.

By the way, to the future object of my affection, if I am ignoring you, please don't think I am not just that into you. Take my bizarre behaviour as a cue to ask me out :). And, don't ever quote The Secret to me! Don't ever tell me that some bizarre law of attraction brought us together! And, if you dig a girl who avidly reads Cosmo and its clones, remember this sort of "feminism" can backfire too:

Today, my girlfriend broke up with me because she found out that she wasn't really in love with me. She got that advice from an internet survey. FML

EDIT (2:44 PM): I just read it in the news that Oprah apologized to James Frey for shaming him on her show. Looks like blogging does have some journalistic relevance after all.

Another Day In Paradise

2009-05-09T22:51:00.016-07:00

During this economic downturn it is very easy to feel melancholic. Recently, I went to get my passport renewed, and I saw that a whole bunch of stores in the mall, where the government office was located, were having a "closing down sale" because they couldn't keep up with their lease. The thought of so many people losing their jobs made me extremely sad. Which sort of worked in my benefit, since due to the new government policy, Canadians are not allowed to smile in their passport pictures. I guess, this is the government's way of defying the stereotypical view of our innate Canadian niceness.

One of my friends has X-linked myotubular myopathy. Meaning where his twin sister has healthy legs and muscle strength, my friend has trouble moving around. Earlier today, he was telling me that he has a very hard time staying in touch with people, and going out, because he has to either rely on others, or on TransHelp to get to places. This made me realize, here is another thing I take for granted. The ability to walk. The ability to drive.

Tens of thousands of civilians have fled the fighting [in Northern Pakistan] this week and provincial authorities have estimated that as many as 500,000 people may have been displaced.

One of the colossal mistakes we make is that we focus on what we don't have, instead of being grateful for what we do have. There are people getting laid off, and shops getting closed, but at least in this country we have a welfare system, where the unemployed would be looked after, by the government. Unfortunately, we can't say the same about the people in the third world countries. For instance, there is a humanitarian crisis in Pakistan right now, but the country's president instead of being with his people in their time of need decided to travel to the US to ask for more aid, which he would eventually end up spending on himself.

Pakistani children displaced from Buner reach out for food at a United Nations camp in Takht Bai, about 85 miles northwest of Islamabad.

We do not get to determine our place of birth, family, or country; but for the most part they shape our destiny. Any one of us could have easily been one of the individuals in this picture above.

Star Trek

2009-05-07T16:00:00.030-07:00

Don't worry Trekkies, no spoilers here :).

Urmm...Now that the obvious "review" has been successfully plastered on my blog, here are my thoughts on the movie.

I found "Star Trek", the TV series, boring, and I have never been a fan of the canon. Back in the day, my friend used to write short stories based on the series, and since FanFiction didn't exist back then, for the sake of my coolometer/geekometer (however you wanna look at it), he used to email them to me. So whatever previous knowledge I had of the series was due in part to his stories.

I went to watch the movie because of J.J. Abrams. And, folks, Abrams definitely built up his already impressive resume with this movie. There is an excellent mix of action sequences, charm, and humour. It is an entertaining movie, which takes you in, from the get go.

The storyline deals with the eternal struggle between the mind and body, shown through the contrasting characters of Spock (Zachary Qunito from the Heroes), and Captain Kirk (Chris Pine). And, OH MY GOD, Chris Pine is oh so dreamy. Zachary Qunito fits the role of Spock to the T. They both do complete justice to their respective roles, and are a pleasure to watch.

Trekkie or not, DO WATCH THIS MOVIE!
Beware, sadly, CNN's holograms sorta stole the CGI's thunder.

Here is what the Onion has to say:

XKCD: Swine Flu

2009-05-05T20:31:00.027-07:00

One of the frustrating things about Swine Flu, other than people's blatant ignorance, is the amount of dedication our media and government have provided to this outbreak.

Recently, for my research, I have started to look at the correlation between TB and HIV. TB has been on the rise since 1980s, but this problem is more prevalent in Southeast Asia, and Africa. That is why we don't really care how it has become a major cause of death among HIV patients in Africa.

Usually when doctors misdiagnose a TB patient, or when the patient does not have the money to follow the dosing regimen properly, the bacteria becomes more deadly. HIV patients who come in contact with the deadly TB normally end up dying, since their immune system is already compromised. Basically, all because we do not have the means to educate the doctors, or the patients properly. And, I find that disappointing and gut-wrenchingly depressing.

Plugging South Asia

2009-04-30T19:21:00.004-07:00

So what happens when the education system fails us, and we are left to stew in our ignorance bubble? As Jon Stewart brilliantly pointed out: Wars, and global crises, God's way of plugging geography. So here is a little Geography 101 for our attention deficient brains.

First up, South Asia. Now, now, the only reason South Asia is getting preferential treatment here is because it won't be around for too long.

Country: Afghanistan
Why we care: "The Kite Runner", and "A Thousand Splendid Suns". Thankfully, Khaled Hosseini's bestsellers have provided us with an easy access to the "worldliness" badge.
Plug: When Steve Curry's famous 'Afghan Girl' refugee photograph didn't really do it for us, the Taliban came into the picture, to prove that we may have transcended race, but ignorance is the highly esteemed western value we cannot renounce.

Country: Pakistan
Meaning: The land of pure; and people say Muslims don't have a sense of humour.
Why We Care: America loves Pakistan for two reasons. Firstly, Bin Laden is believed to be hiding somewhere in the Northern region of Pakistan. But, it is not just the search of their estranged ally that has put Pakistan on the map. You see, back in 1998 when Bill Clinton was busy "not lying" to the American people; Pakistan, the most unstable country, somehow went under the radar, and became a nuclear power. So this lovin' maybe out of guilt, but who cares, at least now we know that Pakistan is an actual country, and not all brown people come from India.
Plug: Since, Africa has dibs on malnourishment, and illiteracy, so Pakistan needed to elect an idiot of a President to get our attention.

Country: India
Why We Care: Slumdog Millionaire. But, if you are really looking for some humanitarian street cred, in addition of talking about the slum kids, you could discuss child hunger in India.
Plug: India's negligence to provide education in Bihar, and spurring of sectarian violence in Gujarat; may give it an edge over China to have our undivided attention for a day or two, in a couple of years. We don't care unless the problem comes with casualties. And, let's just face it, something like human trafficking would never become a part of our collective social conscious. After all, slavery is so 19th century.

Country: Nepal
Why We Care: Well, we care because now that the Maoist have turned Nepal into a republic, it is safe for us to go trekking in the Himalayas.
Plug: Since this country has been a bit MIA lately, here is hoping human trafficking would make Nepal a media regular.

Country: Bangladesh
Why We Care: Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel laureate who pioneered microfinancing. A concept our governments are still struggling with.
Plug: In the midst of the swine flu outbreak, it's hard to draw attention to the diarrhea epidemic that has affected thousands of poor Bangladeshis. So, sorry Bangladesh, looks like we would have to rely on the floods, again.

Country: Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.
Why We Care: Last year, cyclone Nargis killed 150,000, and devastated the lives of 2.4 million other Burmese; making the junta's brutalities finally newsworthy. But, then, we got distracted by the earthquake, and the Olympics, in China. So in this case, China is at fault for stealing Myanmar's thunder. For the sake of our attention deficient brains, one global crisis at a time, please!
Plug: Myanmar shows how important politics is. HIV-AIDS patients are dying because the clinics do not have the facilities to treat them. Here is hoping they would find oil in Myanmar, so our governments would be willing to establish "diplomatic relations" with the junta, and we would be able to help the locals. The 49-year-old man in this photograph died two weeks after the picture was taken.

Country: Sri Lanka
Why We Care: Frankly, my dear, we don't care. Since late January, more than 6,400 civilians have been killed, and 13,000 wounded.
Plug: These deaths have not made it to the front page, because we are more concerned about how Obama has "faired" during his first 100 days. Also, we have already gone through a similar atrocity, albeit in a different region, Middle East, earlier this year. That is more than enough geography for us.

Paging Descartes: Afghan Dreaming

2009-04-26T15:17:00.005-07:00

I have to admit my subconscious' humanitarian efforts always put my awake state to shame.

Last night, I had a dream that I was in Afghanistan. I was in Kandahar where the Canadian forces are stationed. Across the street past the barricades, I could see little Afghan children playing under the watchful eyes of the Taliban.

I believe one of the grave mistakes, the US made in Pakistan was that they just handed over 10 billion dollars to the former Pakistani President Musharraf, without any accountability. I think the drone attacks, which Obama supports, further polarize Pakistanis. Before 9/11 there were hardly any extremist groups in Pakistan, but now the Taliban control majority of the Northern Pakistan.

Handing out weapons, and backing corrupt governments is not the way to secure our borders. In Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson shows us that with education we can eradicate the spread of extremist ideology in the region. But, sadly, we would rather solve the problems with weapons, and power exertion; than providing them with the basic necessities, such as proper health care, and education. Poverty nurtures terrorism. Not religion.

I see the US repeating the same mistake in Afghanistan. The US backed Karzai government in Afghanistan is corrupt and weak. Instead of funding the military to tame the ungovernable Afghanistan, we can spend the same money on setting up pharmaceutical industries in Afghanistan, which would not only put an end to the opium drug trafficking, but would also create jobs.

I have no faith in the world leaders to solve our problems, but what gives me hope is people like Fatima Gailani, who are changing lives in one of the most intolerant countries.

Quotes of the Day

2009-04-24T14:25:00.001-07:00

*and my two cents.

Zahi Hawass, Egypt's chief archaeologist, after a bust of Cleopatra and coins showing her image were found; Hawass says the discovery counters the fact that some scholars say Cleopatra was ugly:
"The finds ... indicate that Cleopatra was in no way unattractive."
*Does this profound, and oh so productive discovery mean, I shouldn't have broken my mirror, when it reckoned Cleopatra to be the fairest one of all?!

Barack Obama, affirming his unwillingness to prosecute CIA interrogators who used waterboarding on terrorism suspects during the Bush Administration:
"We must provide them with the confidence that they can do their jobs."
*Because after waterboarding one suspect 183 times, and another 80 times; it is the confidence that the CIA is lacking!

Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State, on of the Taliban's recent gains in Pakistan, including gaining control over a district just 70 miles from Islamabad:
"The Pakistani government is basically abdicating to the Taliban and to the extremists."
*After 8 years of abdicating to the Bush administration, you cannot get mad at Pakistan for being spineless now. You should have thought of that when instead of providing education to Pakistanis, you figured it would be more fun to stuff their faces with weapons.

Rod Blagojevich, the former Illinois governor facing corruption charges, on why he asked a judge to let him film a reality-TV show called I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here; the request was denied:
"I have two little girls and a mortgage to pay. Obviously, I'm looking for a new line of work."
*Now, that's a new low for a former governor. What's next, going on Fox News to discuss the financial crisis, a la Spitzer.

Neil Fees, Texas resident, on the ammunition shortage in central Texas that may be caused by fear that Obama will regulate, ban or tax guns and ammo:
"I've got a gun but no bullets."
*Now, here is a "famine" that needs our immediate attention.

You know the economy is in shambles when:
Dimmick, Chuck P.
born December 29, 1958 in Riverside, CA passed away suddenly on April 18, 2009 while attending a NASCAR race to watch his favorite driver, Jeff Gordon. Chuck was the loving husband of Kristen and devoted father of Dillon. Chuck was the Director of Marketing for the Lund Cadillac Group. We are sure he would still want all to know that 0.9% financing is still available on all New 2008 Hummer H2's. A mass celebrating Chuck's life will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, April 24th at St. Patrick's Church - 10815 N. 84th St. Scottsdale, AZ. Arrangements handled by Hansen Desert Hill Mortuary 480-991-5800. In Lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Dillon Dimmick Donation Fund at any Bank of America.

Blogworthy: The Great Incomprehension

2009-04-19T20:37:00.006-07:00

Okay, here is the third edition of 'Blogworthy'. I am a dork, I know.

1. "If Only Literature Could Be a Cellphone-Free Zone" [The NYT]

This is one of the most amusing, and clever pieces I have read recently. Imagine if Romeo and Juliet lived in the cellphone era!

2. "The iPhone Gold Rush" [The NYT]

Speaking of cellphones, the recession might be kicking everyone's butt. But, software engineers, and programmers can find some sort of refuge under the Apple umbrella.

3. "Generation OMG" [The NYT]

So what of the youth shaped by what some are already calling the Great Recession? Will a publication looking back from 2030 damn them with such faint praise? Will they marry younger, be satisfied with stable but less exciting jobs? Will their children mock them for reusing tea bags and counting pennies as if this paycheck were the last? At the very least, they will reckon with tremendous instability, just as their Depression forebears did.

I remember the '90s. The huge bonus checks, and the I.T. bubble. But, my generation, which is the oldest of the recent "Recession Generation", does not have the luxury to make grand plans about the future. I know three people who got laid off this past week. And, one of them has decided since the job market is so bad for the engineers of the world, he would be better off going back to school, than finding another job.

Things are bad, and this article discusses the affects the recession is having on the recent graduates, university students, and the high schoolers. We do not know how long this recession is going to last, and what sort of lifestyle changes we would be required to make. But our youth culture is embedded in commercialism, and consumption. I wonder, if people can make the same sacrifices that our predecessors did in the '30s.

4. "Help, My Degree Is Underwater" [Slate]

The article poses the question, "In the recession, does advanced education really pay off?" More people are going into "safer" professions, such as teaching. When the tuition is sky high, and over-qualified university graduates cannot find jobs, does it really pay off to go to university?

5. "Torture Versus War" [The NYT]

When the Central Intelligence Agency obliterates a dozen suspected terrorists, along with assorted family members, with a missile from a drone, the news rarely stirs a strong reaction far beyond Pakistan.

Yet the waterboarding of three operatives from Al Qaeda — one of them the admitted murderer of 3,000 people as organizer of the 9/11 attacks — has stirred years of recriminations, calls for prosecution and national soul-searching.

What is it about the terrible intimacy of torture that so disturbs and captivates the public? Why has torture long been singled out for special condemnation in the law of war, when war brings death and suffering on a scale that dwarfs the torture chamber.

Obama has strongly condemned waterboarding, and other terror tactics that the previous administration used, to interrogate "enemy combatants". However, he supports the drone airstrikes, which have killed hundreds of Pakistanis, children and women included. This article explains what makes torture the subject of public outrage, and the airstrikes unworthy of the same outrage.

Survival of the Fittest

2009-04-15T12:18:00.006-07:00

Often times when I think of contemporary Pakistan, I wonder what my life would be like, if I lived there. I think about the rich Pakistanis, in their fancy air-conditioned cars. I think about rich people driving hummers, in the narrow crowded streets of Karachi, Pakistan's largest city. I think about the small percentage of Pakistanis who are rich, speak fluent and proper British English in their Anglicized-Indian accents. I think about the rich Pakistanis with better health care plans than the average American.

Then these words of Charles Dickens' come to mind.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

I believe, the above passage effectively describes the contradictions one finds in Pakistan. Pakistan is full of surprises, inconsistencies, and cultural shocks. The only way to survive a trip is to shut off your brain, and leave it at home. My parents are from Pakistan, and after spending every single high school summer in Pakistan, I still cannot fully understand this country of pretences. I cannot seem to find my place in their society.

Last week, The New York Times did a cover piece about Pakistan. The article was centered around Pakistan's bleak future, under Asif Ali Zardari's presidency. The cover story had a picture of Asif Ali Zardari sitting in front of a big portrait of the country's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. On the table to his right, there rests a closeup framed photo of his late wife, Benazir Bhutto. On the table to his left, there is a framed photo of Ms. Bhutto taken at a political rally. In front of the said picture there is a Kleenex box, depicting Zardari's sensitivity. If anyone out there knows how to send out a pictorial message of patriotism, spousal devotion, and sensitivity, it is definitely the people who orchestrated this photo shoot.

Pakistan is a country where the rich are ostentatiously rich, and the poor are extremely poor. The weak government is corrupted. The country is in the epicentre of terrorism, both by the government and the Taliban insurgents.

The country is in shambles. Which prompts the question, what happens to failed nations? In 60+ years of its independence, Pakistan has never had a stable government. People are dying of hunger, infectious diseases, and illiteracy. The Urdu language, Pakistan's official language, is dying.

So, who should bail out Pakistan? What happens to failed states? Who comes to their rescue? Bush believed he was saving Iraqis from Saddam Hussein. G20 nations have their own economic problems to overcome. But, at the same time there are flattering nations like Pakistan, Haiti, Myanmar, which need our immediate focus. Or, is it all about survival of the fittest? Something I know Dwight Schtrute would attest to:

Michael Scott: No no no no, I mean have this kind of party. I look around and I see all these beautiful people who are alone on Valentine's and I think that there are other single people out there too. We just need to find 'em. There's a girl out there for all of us. Maybe even in this office park. There has to be a way to get all these lonely people together.

Dwight Schrute: What do you have in mind?

Michael Scott: I was thinking maybe like a mixer.

Dwight Schrute: Oh God that's a terrible idea.

Michael Scott: Old-fashioned meat market. I don't think it is.

Dwight Schrute: No. Lonely people mixing with one another? Breeding? Creating an even lonelier generation? You're not even allowing natural selection do its work. Pssh. You're like the guy who invented the seat belt.

The Office

2009-04-14T23:14:00.004-07:00

I am hoping, The Office fans would appreciate the above picture :).

In other television ramblings, I am really enjoying the new comedy called "Better Off Ted". Since it's 2ish in the morning, and I am absolutely tired, I would just share with you what The New York Times has to say about this hilarious show.

The show's satirical sense of humour is on the same par as say The Office, and 30 Rock. The last two episodes were HILARIOUS. So give this show a try, before the mighty mouse (ABC) cancels it for some other Paris Hilton wannabe reality show.

Sweet Tooth

2009-04-13T10:35:00.003-07:00

I believe the recession has improved my culinary skills. For instance, a few weeks ago I baked whoopie pies which would have otherwise cost me about $3 each. Normally, I don't think I would have tried the recipe because it literally took me hours to make them.

On this beautiful, sunny day, I am making apple pie. So I figured that I would do Martha Stewart a favour and share this delicious recipe that has been in my uncle's family for generations.

So enjoy!

Apple Pie

Filling
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cinnamon
Dash Salt
5 cups thinly sliced apples
1 tbsp butter

Mix Sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon & salt
Pour on apples & toss
Turn filling into pastry-lined pan
Dot with butter

Heat oven to 425 degrees
Cover filling with top crust which has slits cut in it
Seal & flute
Cover edge with strip of aluminium foil to prevent excessive browning
Remove foil last 15 minutes of baking
Bake until crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through crust (40-50 minutes)
Cool slightly on wire rack

Pastry for 8-inch two-crust pie
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup + 2 tbsp shortening
3 tbsp water

Into mixing bowl add flour and salt
Cut into shortening.
Sprinkle in water gradually mixing with fork until all flour is moistened
Shape dough firmly into ball
Divide dough in half
Shape one half into flattened round on lightly floured cloth-covered board
Roll dough 1 ½ inches larger all around than pie pan
Carefully lift dough occasionally if it sticks rub a little flour into cloth beneath & continue rolling
Ease pastry into 8 inch pie pan
Turn filling into pan
Trim overhanging edge of pastry

Now I can format my computer in peace.

Running To Stand Still

2009-04-11T00:51:00.007-07:00

There are two reasons why I am so impatient about finding the one.

One, I feel the longer it takes me to find him, the fewer years we will have together. I don't want us to only have 40 to 50 years together. I am greedy. I want more than that. I want as many years/decades as we can possibly get together.

Two, I have been wanting to have kids since high school.

I don't know about you, but I am still of the opinion that love is, and should be simple. You meet the person. You fall in love. You get married. Maybe this makes me naive, and/or very old school. My best friend thinks you need a good story for your kids, and grandkids. Just saying, "you met, and fell in love" does not sound exciting.

But, I find myself getting drawn to the simplicity of love. No drama. No stupid chase. Just simple, upfront, blunt love.

Charles Darwin made a list of the reasons why he should and shouldn't marry his wife. Ross, on "Friends", did something similar, and almost lost Rachel because of it. I also have a table with columns and everything consisting of guys I have dated, and the reasons why it didn't work out. My best friend suggested that the list would provide me with some sort of perspective about what is that I am actually looking for. Plus, she suggested that when I finally meet the guy I can show the list to him, and it would provide him an ego boost, which, trust me, he would need after marrying me.

But, I guess the hard part is recognizing "the one" when he finally does show up. Scientists say the trick is not to be fooled by the surging dopamine levels, and instead let oxytocin do all the deciding. Dopamine is a feel good hormone which causes a heightened response to the outside world. You know when you meet someone for the first time, and you get the butterflies? Well, all of that happens because of dopamine. The initial infatuation is also due to dopamine.

Whereas, oxytocin, which is also called the love hormone, is a good marker of our true everlasting feelings. It is released when the mothers and babies first bond. It is also found during intense emotional situations. It increases intimacy, and helps in building trust. It is released when a couple eats together, and looks into each other's eyes. No wonder, Picasso never neglected to draw a woman's eyes.

So, I guess, dopamine is necessary for building chemistry and the initial attraction, but oxytocin is what we need to form an everlasting bond. I don't know if this discussion of the two hormones contradicts my theory about love being simple. Or, should we wait for dopamine to wear-off so oxytocin can do its magic? Or, when I look out my window at the beautiful full moon, and think that it would be nice to share the beauty with the one; does this wish have anything to do with either of the two hormones? Or, is it just me being a sad insomniac?

Bittersweet Playlist

2009-04-07T13:35:00.001-07:00

Love, Save The Empty by Erin McCarley: It's one of my hairbrush sing-along songs :) - "Loooveee, saaaaave the eeeeempttty".

La Meme Histoire/We're All In The Dance by Feist: I know it is a little biased to say this, but I think Canadian singers are so talented. Feist can sing beautifully both in French and English. This song provided the perfect ending to Paris, je t'aime, one of the most riveting movies I have seen.

Cartoons and Forever Plans by Maria Taylor: It's a cute song, and the video is also very adorable.

Black and Gold by Sam Sparro: It's a shame this song never really made it here.

Prettiest Friend by Jason Mraz: I love how this song is so simple, and love the way it unravels.

Time To Pretend by MGMT: Is it just me, or these guys sound very feminine? It is one of the "cheery" songs on my playlist these days. Even though, the lyrics are pretty bittersweet.

Lose You by Pete Yorn: This song was not supposed to be on this list. Heard it for the first time last night, and it made me bawl my eyes out. (Whatever you do, do NOT read the YouTube comments.)

What lies behind a smile?

2009-04-05T16:27:00.004-07:00

The above woman abuse advert made me think of an ex-friend of mine.

When I witness domestic violence in the media, I can predict how people who have never been exposed to abuse would react. I can also predict how the victims of abuse would react. But, I wonder what an abusive person thinks about, when he or she watches the above ad? Does this ad validate him? Does it remind him that there are other men out there who are living by his barbaric code? Or does he think that his situation is different, in his case the object of his abuse actually deserves the beatings?

My really good high school friend, unbeknownst to me, turned out to be abusive. It is ironic when I saw this ad, a couple of days ago, it made me think of him, and today I actually ran into him after not seeing him for more than 5 years.

He was a good kid. He got the highest average in school. He was excellent in sports. He helped everyone, and volunteered at a hospital. In grade 12, he started seeing someone, and by the second semester their relationship got a bit strange. They started skipping classes, and only hung out with each other. We witnessed them fighting in school hallways. I went to a very small high school so the word travelled really fast. His girlfriend was held responsible of their public outbursts. After all, he was the apple of everyone's eye.

High school ended, and we all went our separate ways. Those two stayed together for another year, until she reported him to the police, and got a restraining order. He tried getting help, but repeated the same cycle of abuse with his next girlfriend. At this point we had stopped talking so I don't know what happened next. I really hope he is better now.

The reason I am writing this post is because domestic violence exists in our so-called liberal society. These men may appear pleasant on the outside, but nobody knows what lies behind a smile. Majority of the women end up going back to their abusive partners. It really takes a lot of courage to break this vicious cycle of abuse, and put all the missing pieces together.

Duplicity

2009-04-04T11:57:00.005-07:00

I finally got around to watching Duplicity last night. It's written by Tony Gilroy, who also wrote the screenplays for the Bourne movies, and Michael Clayton. Duplicity is a spy-thriller with some romantic comedy on the side.

I found the movie interesting, and enjoyed it very much. But, it was not as mysterious as say Michael Clayton, or as engaging as the Bourne series. It was entertaining, but something was amiss.

The major asset this movie has is Julia Roberts and Clive Owen's undeniable chemistry. Both of them are extremely charming in the movie. Clive Owen reminded me of the old school "Bond. James Bond", which is all a girl could ask for :).

The corporate rivalry between the two medical companies, shown in the movie, reminded me of the 3 Big North American automobile companies, GM, Chrysler, and Ford. These companies are lagging behind in terms of coming up with new innovative car models. In 2008, for the first time Toyota sold more cars than GM. For decades they have been relying on their staples, vans and trucks. Whereas, Toyota is constantly coming up with new models, which are both good for the environment and also provide a solution to the hiking gas prices.

In the movie, one of the company's CEO mentions the concept of "corporate evolution". GM et al. received the bailout money, and they still have not been able to come up with a plan to recover their flattering companies, and productivity. This really makes one wonder, whether these companies have exhausted all of their options and creativity. They have not been able to come up with new car models, recently. Ford's Model T of the last century still seems Detroit's biggest and innovative contribution to the automobile industry.

The New York Times columnist, Thomas Friedman, wrote about an electric car network, called Better Place. The Better Place, in association with Nissan, is planning on installing charging spots in parking lots, and major intersections. The company has already installed plug-in outlets in Israel, in December of 2008. They are planning on utilizing renewable energy, wind and air, for a national car charging infrastructure. This would not only make them oil independent, but would also help the environment. This is how Friedman explained The Better Place's plan:

"Under the Better Place model, consumers can either buy or lease an electric car from the French automaker Renault or Japanese companies like Nissan (General Motors snubbed Agassi) and then buy miles on their electric car batteries from Better Place the way you now buy an Apple cellphone and the minutes from AT&T. That way Better Place, or any car company that partners with it, benefits from each mile you drive.
[...]
The first Renault and Nissan electric cars are scheduled to hit Denmark and Israel in 2011, when the whole system should be up and running. On Tuesday, Japan’s Ministry of Environment invited Better Place to join the first government-led electric car project along with Honda, Mitsubishi and Subaru. Better Place was the only foreign company invited to participate, working with Japan’s leading auto companies, to build a battery swap station for electric cars in Yokohama, the Detroit of Japan."

Going back to the movie, I think the competition that they show, between the two companies, is healthy. This is exactly what we need to resuscitate our economy. Microsoft, and the cellphone industry carried us through the 90's, and changed the way we communicate. In 2001, Apple reappeared with their new idea, the mighty iPod. The reemergence of Apple computers, inspired Microsoft to come up with their cheap knock-off of Mac's OS X, in the form of Windows Vista. If it was not for the epidemiology program I use, I would throw away my Vista in a heartbeat. Now, Microsoft is about to launch Windows 7 this year.

This sort of healthy competition and the drive to find the next big thing to feed our consumer minds is what we need. Bailing out already handicapped corporates would not really provide us with a long-term solution. Yes, I am being profound today :).

Here is an Onion video for your pleasure. I think which you have earned after being subjected to my above gibberish. Beware of the profanity below :).

Sony Releases New Stupid Piece Of Shit That Doesn't Fucking Work

You Made a Mistake

2009-04-01T15:02:00.005-07:00

I am writing this post with all the stereotypical Canadian politeness, to inform you, my dear American readers, that you made a mistake by electing Barack Obama in the midst of the global economic crisis.

So ever wonder where all the taxpayer dollars are going?
Well apparently, your elitist of a President thinks, the phrase "War on Terror" is just not zen enough. War on Terror shall now be referred as "Overseas Contingency Operation". Yes, we get it Obama you went to Harvard, and you have written two books, but why must you turn war into a snobfest is beyond me. Furthermore, terrorist attacks will now be called "MAN-made Disasters", which sounds extremely sexist. Seriously, whatever happened to equal opportunities for all?!

As Jon Stewart mentioned, Obama wants you to start calling the Obesity Epidemic as "Enhanced Biological Jollification", which sounds so much more palatable, eh? My advice to all the haters out there: Instead of blaming immigrants for stealing your jobs and money, blame the linguists for coming up with this huggy-feely Orwellian speak.

Obama's recent no-expense spared trip to London to resolve the global economic crisis, ought to have put some serious dent in the American budget-wallet. The guy is travelling with his own personal chef. Way to stick it to the Brits, eh?

In Obama's defence, he maybe a diva, but he has transcended geographical barriers, and created jobs for other black look-alike men. Look how far we have come. Here is a black man selling a South Korean made car:

Also, I love The Office for introducing a black character as Michael Scott's boss. Nothing cracks me up more than the fact how Angela and Kelly Kapoor are going all ga-ga over this new black dapper authority figure. Obamamania, anyone?!

Oh, Obama, the ways in which you have undone your wrongs.

Ghajini

2009-03-30T09:25:00.007-07:00

Ghajini is the title of the Indian movie I watched last night. After hearing some negative reviews, my curiosity got the better of me. Let me inform you, being of South Asian descent I am realizing it is very important, in fact crucial, for my cultural brown identity that I engross myself in anything Bollywood. I have been tested on my Bollywood knowledge by the guys my parents set me up with, and needless to say I don't pass those tests with flying colours.

So I put on the movie, as background noise, as I started to work on my sister's architecture paper last night. What can I say my sister is a slave-driver. But the movie took me by surprise, and had me watching it with my hands covering my eyes, because of all the grotesque violence, and heart on the edge. It is good cinema, and goes in the same category as Revolutionary Road, in terms of acting.

It is an action thriller about a guy who has amnesia. This part of the movie reminded me of Jason Bourne, from the Bourne trilogy. But, the element that appealed to me was the love story between the male protagonist, the Indian Bourne, and his love interest (Duh!). Theirs is the most beautiful love story I have seen in the movies recently. It had me in tears. My favourite part of the movie comes right before the following song, which I have been listening to obsessively. I tried finding the subtitles on YouTube, but clearly YouTube expects you all to understand Hindi. After all India, along with China, would be our overlord, so consider this song your first step towards learning Hindi. The song in a nutshell is about the fact that the protagonist cannot believe his luck that he managed to meet and have the love of someone so kind-hearted. It is a beautiful song, again I wish I could find the subtitles for it. Btw, the music is composed by the Slumdog Millionaire's composer and Oscar winner AR Rahman.

The movie also implicitly discussed the division between Indian socio-economic classes. Also, discussed the problem with human trafficking, and teenage prostitution. It depicts the multi-layered modern Indian society, and its contradictions.

Ghajini is an excellent movie which I highly recommend.

C-eh? N-eh? D-eh?

2009-03-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

This is what the world thinks of Canada.

Q: I have never seen it warm on Canadian TV, so how do the plants grow? (UK)
A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around and watch them die.

Q: Will I be able to see Polar Bears in the street? (USA)
A: Depends how much you've been drinking.

Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in Canada? (Sweden)
A: So it's true what they say about Swedes.

Q: It is imperative that I find the names and addresses of places to contact for a stuffed Beaver. (Italy)
A: Let's not touch this one.

Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in Canada? Can you send me a list of them in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Halifax? (UK)
A: What did your last slave die of?

Q: Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Canada? (USA)
A: A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe. Ca-na-da is that big country to your North . . . oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Calgary. Come naked.

Q: Which direction is North in Canada? (USA)
A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.

Q: Do you have perfume in Canada? (Germany)
A: No, WE don't stink.

Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in Canada? (USA)
A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.

Q: Can you tell me the regions in British Columbia where the female population is smaller than the male population? (Italy)
A: Yes, gay nightclubs.

Q: Do you celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada? (USA)
A: Only at Thanksgiving.

Q: Are there supermarkets in Toronto and is milk available all year round? (Germany)
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of Vegan hunter/gatherers. Milk is illegal.

Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? (USA)
A: Yes, but you will have to learn it first.

Thanks Sus for the link :).

The glass half full or empty?

2009-03-18T17:43:00.004-07:00

This is my blog's first spring. I should warn you that I am a spring fanatic. I love everything about spring.

Following is the conversation that happened on MSN, after I changed my screen name to: "Zany saw the prettiest pink tulips. *HINT*HINT*"

Friend says:
who u hinting to
Zany says:
i'm not picky
Zany says:
whoever
Friend says:
just an open call
Zany says:
omg i saw this guy buying flowers
Zany says:
my heart skipped a beat. he was holding white daisies
Friend says:
did u jump him?
Zany says:
i just smiled at him
Zany says:
and he smiled back
Friend says:
well flowers can also mean i'm sorry...
Zany says:
why do you have to kill my optimism?
Friend says:
i drove my car into ur mothers house
Friend says:
or someone died...
Zany says:
no no
Zany says:
stop
Friend says:
just a shake of reality
Zany says:
it was out of love
Zany says:
he wanted to make her day special
Friend says:
maybe he was visiting his mommy
Friend says:
and wanted to bring her flowers
Zany says:
that's sweet too
Zany says:
all the more reasons for my heart to flutter
Zany says:
a guy who buys flowers for his mom is a keeper
Friend says:
yeppers!
Friend says:
(that mite leave him single too)
Zany says:
i know and he smiled back
Friend says:
ohhhh
Zany says:
lol
Friend says:
i love a good cute unexpected smile
Zany says:
well i smiled first
Zany says:
can't even expect guys to make the first move when it comes to smiling

Spring is in the Air

2009-03-18T12:42:00.003-07:00

This poem has been running through my head, on this beautiful sunny day. It's 14 degrees Celsius outside, folks. The sun is out, birds are chirping, and I can see children playing, out my window. Ooo, also, tulip sprouts have made their much anticipated appearance.

Children
by Henry Longfellow

Come to me, O ye children!
For I hear you at your play,
And the questions that perplexed me
Have vanished quite away.

Ye open the eastern windows,
That look towards the sun,
Where thoughts are singing swallows
And the brooks of morning run.

In your hearts are the birds and the sunshine,
In your thoughts the brooklet's flow,
But in mine is the wind of Autumn
And the first fall of the snow.

Ah! what would the world be to us
If the children were no more?
We should dread the desert behind us
Worse than the dark before.

What the leaves are to the forest,
With light and air for food,
Ere their sweet and tender juices
Have been hardened into wood, --

That to the world are children;
Through them it feels the glow
Of a brighter and sunnier climate
Than reaches the trunks below.

Come to me, O ye children!
And whisper in my ear
What the birds and the winds are singing
In your sunny atmosphere.

For what are all our contrivings,
And the wisdom of our books,
When compared with your caresses,
And the gladness of your looks?

Ye are better than all the ballads
That ever were sung or said;
For ye are living poems,
And all the rest are dead.

If you want it bad enough...

2009-03-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

Found here.

Found here.

No Line On The Horizon

2009-03-09T10:16:00.003-07:00

Is the title of U2's new album, which I have been playing, obsessively, since this past Wednesday. I have to admit the album is a grower. The first time I listened to their single "Get On Your Boots", I wasn't really impressed. So I didn't become a fan of the song until I watched their opening act at the Brits. In spite of my initial apprehension, I shelled out 13 bucks, and purchased their 12th album. What can I say, I am a U2 loyalist. And, *drumroll please* this is one of my favourite albums. The lyrics are deeply enthralling. The music is volcanic, eruptive, riveting...and I can keep going. They recorded some of the songs in Morocco, and one could actually feel the Arabic cultural influence both in the sound and lyrics. But this influence is not a case of Orientalism, or as The Edge pointed out, of musical tourism. They made the Arabic tunes their own.

The songs are longer, and each song has its own narrative.

1. No Line On The Horizon
This title track gives the album a kick-start with the classic U2 sound. The song is about a girl who said "Time is irrelevant, it's not linear". The girl apparently has them mesmerized, Bono sings: "The songs in your head are now on my mind".

2. Magnificent
In my opinion, the song is about U2's growth and their relationship with their audience. Bono sings:

I was born
I was born to sing for you
I didn't have a choice but to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to
I give you back my voice
From the womb my first cry, it was a joyful noise...
Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love can heal such a scar
Justified till we die, you and I will magnify

The song reminded me of "Beautiful Day". With "Beautiful Day" and its corresponding album, U2 reapplied for the job of the world's greatest band, and expanded their fan base. But, I believe, with their 12th album U2 has reinvented themselves, something Coldplay attempted to achieve with their 4th album, Viva La Vida.

3. Moment of Surrender
My instant favourite, as it reminded me of Rumi's poetry. I think the lyrics are simply poetic.

We were barely conscious
Two souls too smart to be in the realm of certainty
[...]
It's not if I believe in love
But if love believes in me

In a recent TV interview, Bono said that they get a lot of their musical inspiration from Gospel music, and the following verses remind me of the act of praying. Remind me of the moment when people bow down to pray, which in my opinion is the ultimate moment of surrender. In a solitary moment of devotion, when someone becomes oblivious to his or her surroundings.

At the moment of surrender
I folded to my knees
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me

The last part of the song depicts the frenzy of our everyday life; especially the uncertainty that's hanging over us these days.

I was punching in the numbers at the ATM machine
I could see in the reflection
A face staring back at me
At the moment of surrender
Of vision over visibility
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me
I was speeding on the subway
Through the stations of the cross
Every eye looking every other way
Counting down 'til the pain would stop

4. Unknown Caller
This song pleas for the beginning of a new era.

I was lost between the midnight and the dawning
In a place of no consequence or company
[...]
I was right there at the top of the bottom
On the edge of the known universe where I wanted to be
I had driven to the scene of the accident
And I sat there waiting for me

Another song that reminded me of Rumi's poetry. A poem called "Be Lost in the Call" comes to mind. I am just going to copy-paste it here.

Lord, said David, since you do not need us,
why did you create these two worlds?

Reality replied: O prisoner of time,
I was a secret treasure of kindness and generosity,
and I wished this treasure to be known,
so I created a mirror: its shining face, the heart;
its darkened back, the world;
The back would please you if you've never seen the face.

Has anyone ever produced a mirror out of mud and straw?
Yet clean away the mud and straw,
and a mirror might be revealed.

Until the juice ferments a while in the cask,
it isn't wine. If you wish your heart to be bright,
you must do a little work.

My King addressed the soul of my flesh:
You return just as you left.
Where are the traces of my gifts?

We know that alchemy transforms copper into gold.
This Sun doesn't want a crown or robe from God's grace.
He is a hat to a hundred bald men,
a covering for ten who were naked.

Jesus sat humbly on the back of an ass, my child!
How could a zephyr ride an ass?
Spirit, find your way, in seeking lowness like a stream.
Reason, tread the path of selflessness into eternity.

Remember God so much that you are forgotten.
Let the caller and the called disappear;
be lost in the Call.

5. I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
My appreciation for this song grew after I watched their live performance on the Letterman Show. I think, they brought down the house with this song. It's a classic U2 number, with the hidden plea for social awareness and global involvement.

There's a part of me in chaos that's quiet
And there's a part of you that wants me to riot
Everybody needs to cry or needs to spit
Every sweet-tooth needs just a little hit
Every beauty needs to go out with an idiot
How can you stand next to the truth and not see it?
Change of heart comes slow...
[...]
Every generation gets a chance to change the world
[...]
Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear?
The right to be ridiculous is something I hold dear
But change of heart comes slow...

6. Get On Your Boots
For better or worse, this track is different from the rest of the songs on this record. I think the reason they chose to release it first, because the story and/or the chaos begins from this song. Here they pose the question, what do you do when the world falls apart in front of your eyes? Something our generation has had to deal with over and over again, in this past decade. We dwindle from not wanting to talk about the outside world, to feeling selfish for not caring, to feeling inadequate, to believing in the power of one.

Winds blow with a twist
Never seen a move like this
Can you see it too
Night is falling everywhere
Rockets hit the funfair
Satan loves a bomb scare
[...]
If some one's into blowing up
We're into growing up
Women are the future
All the big revelations
I've gotta submarine
You've got gasoline
I don't wanna talk about wars between nations
Not right now

This song is a definite grower. But, don't judge the entire record based on this one song.

7. Stand Up Comedy
One of the shorter tracks about Bono's crusade to instill individual responsibility in us, to solve our global problems. I think, this song goes perfectly well with the following video, which changetheworld360 mentioned on her blog:

8. White As Snow
In this song, U2 is reminiscing about yesteryears. It is a slow song and has an entrancing effect on me.

Once I knew there was a love divine
Then came a time I thought it knew me not
Who can forgive forgiveness where forgiveness is not
Only the lamb as white as snow

9. Breathe
The song starts with The Edge's powerful guitar strings. This song is chaotic, and random, very much like our lives.

10. Cedars of Lebanon
Just the title alone reminded me of the 2007 Lebanon Conflict. I remember Lebanese with foreign passports were able to leave the country, and escape the conflict, but the ones, who didn't have the luxury of having dual-citizenships, stayed behind in the midst of "Cedars of Lebanon". I am not sure who the narrator is, in this song. It could be a journalist, who reported from the country during the conflict, portrayed through the song's linear tone.

I haven't been with a woman, it feels like for years
Thought of you the whole time, your salty tears
This shitty world sometimes produces a rose
The scent of it lingers and then it just goes
[...]
The worst of us are a long drawn out confession
The best of us are geniuses of compression
You say you're not going to leave the truth alone
[...]
Child drinking dirty water from the river bank
Soldier brings oranges he got out from a tank
I'm waiting on the waiter, he's taking a while to come
[...]
Choose your enemies carefully 'cos they will define you
Make them interesting 'cos in some ways they will mind you
They're not there in the beginning but when your story ends
Gonna last with you longer than your friend

11. Fez-Being Born
Fez is a 400 year old Moroccan city. Wikipedia tells me, the city has the oldest university in the world. This is the last song on the album, perhaps paying tribute to the city where U2 sought for their rebirth.

I'm being born, a bleeding start
The engines roar, blood curling wail
Head first then foot
The heart sets sail

We are two but we are one.

2009-03-07T14:06:00.002-08:00

In a Charmed Life, a Road Less Traveled

One of my Saturday morning rituals is to read the Modern Love weekly column, in the New York Times. Reading other people's take on love, be it about real life obscure breakups, or once in a lifetime eternal love, somehow has a therapeutic effect on me.

The story above pointed out that when we think about love, or when we get into a marriage, we are usually thinking about building a happy life together. For some it is having children, snuggling in front of the idiot box, going to the park together, vacationing together, and the list goes on. But, I guess, even the most morbid individuals don't wonder, would their partner be there for them if they became physically disabled. Then again, these are the things we should not plan for, right?

In this week's love story, a car accident leaves the writer's wife physically disabled, where the writer is left to look after her. When he got the call from the hospital he wondered if she was mentally okay. The fact that he would be required to clean after her didn't bother him. He just wanted the essence of her being, her personality, the person he fell in love with to be there.

You know how they say looks come and go, but who we are, our soul, our personality, our intelligence is something that is truly uniquely ours. I think, at the end of the day, if somehow I could find this mythical mental connection with someone, then I know I would be okay.

On This Day

2009-03-04T12:06:00.005-08:00

So folks, on this day, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Sudan's President, Omar Hassan al-Bashir. He has been charged for war crimes, and crimes against humanity. President Bashir is responsible for supporting the Janjaweeds who have killed millions in Darfur. This is the first time in history the ICC has issued an arrest warrant for a sitting head of state. The Sudanese government reacted by revoking the aid licenses of 6 humanitarian organizations in Darfur, demanding them to remove their personnel from the region.

I reckon, the warrant would probably result in more bloodshed, but it was a necessary measure. The world needed to display some sort of action against the acts of violence campaigned by President Bashir. However, at this point the warrant only seems ceremonial since the ICC does not have any military of its own, and the UN Forces lack the means to arrest the President. I suppose, we are headed in the right direction. Here is hoping, President Obama sticks to his word, and follows through with his promise of assigning a special US envoy responsible for ending the genocide in Darfur.

On a personal note, my sister gets her Iron Ring today.

Canada 101

2009-02-25T19:42:00.000-08:00

Just a little pointer: the Queen's representative, Governor General Michelle Jean, has a French accent. This is what the Brits get after years of Colonialism and oppression. Revenge at its best.

Sisters. Victims. Heroes.

2009-02-23T21:51:00.002-08:00

When so many of the families are scrambling to overcome challenges the economic recession has posed; the genocide in Darfur seems a world away. The genocide has now lasted longer than the second world war. The humanitarian crisis in Darfur has never really received the media coverage, and/or the international community's support that it truly deserves. But, thankfully, Nicholas Kristof, has been writing about Darfur endlessly. He posted the above video from the region.

Hopefully his message would be able to raise awareness, and the Obama government would do its role in ending the genocide. My own Canadian government has been completely ambivalent about the issue. You see, live-blogging about Obama's visit, and giving it endless media coverage is apparently far more important. After all, Obama did go through the trouble of spending FIVE WHOLE HOURS in Ottawa. So in this case, our local media's 48-hour news-coverage of the trip was totally justified :|.

The Eligible-Bachelor Paradox

2009-02-23T13:36:00.003-08:00

The Eligible-Bachelor Paradox

How economics and game theory explain the shortage of available, appealing men.

By Mark Gimein

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the available, sociable, and genuinely attractive man is a character highly in demand in social settings. Dinner hosts are always looking for the man who fits all the criteria. When they don't find him (often), they throw up their hands and settle for the sociable but unattractive, the attractive but unsociable, and, as a last resort, for the merely available.

The shortage of appealing men is a century-plus-old commonplace of the society melodrama. The shortage—or—more exactly, the perception of a shortage—becomes evident as you hit your late 20s and more acute as you wander into the 30s. Some men explain their social fortune by believing they've become more attractive with age; many women prefer the far likelier explanation that male faults have become easier to overlook.

The problem of the eligible bachelor is one of the great riddles of social life. Shouldn't there be about as many highly eligible and appealing men as there are attractive, eligible women?

Actually, no—and here's why. Consider the classic version of the marriage proposal: A woman makes it known that she is open to a proposal, the man proposes, and the woman chooses to say yes or no. The structure of the proposal is not, "I choose you." It is, "Will you choose me?" A woman chooses to receive the question and chooses again once the question is asked.

The idea of the woman choosing expressed in the proposal is a resilient one. The woman picking among suitors is a rarely reversed archetype of romantic love that you'll find everywhere from Jane Austen to Desperate Housewives. Or take any comic wedding scene: Invariably, it'll have the man standing dazed at the altar, wondering just how it is he got there.

Obviously, this is simplified—in contemporary life, both sides get plenty of chances to be selective. But as a rough-and-ready model, it's not bad, and it contains a solution to the Eligible-Bachelor Paradox.

You can think of this traditional concept of the search for marriage partners as a kind of an auction. In this auction, some women will be more confident of their prospects, others less so. In game-theory terms, you would call the first group "strong bidders" and the second "weak bidders." Your first thought might be that the "strong bidders"—women who (whether because of looks, social ability, or any other reason) are conventionally deemed more of a catch—would consistently win this kind of auction.

But this is not true. In fact, game theory predicts, and empirical studies of auctions bear out, that auctions will often be won by "weak" bidders, who know that they can be outbid and so bid more aggressively, while the "strong" bidders will hold out for a really great deal. You can find a technical discussion of this here. (Be warned: "Bidding Behavior in Asymmetric Auctions" is not for everyone, and I certainly won't claim to have a handle on all the math.) But you can also see how this works intuitively if you just consider that with a lot at stake in getting it right in one shot, it's the women who are confident that they are holding a strong hand who are likely to hold out and wait for the perfect prospect.

This is how you come to the Eligible-Bachelor Paradox, which is no longer so paradoxical. The pool of appealing men shrinks as many are married off and taken out of the game, leaving a disproportionate number of men who are notably imperfect (perhaps they are short, socially awkward, underemployed). And at the same time, you get a pool of women weighted toward the attractive, desirable "strong bidders."

Where have all the most appealing men gone? Married young, most of them—and sometimes to women whose most salient characteristic was not their beauty, or passion, or intellect, but their decisiveness.

Evolutionary psychologists will remind us that there's a long line of writing about "female choosiness" going back to Darwin and the male peacocks competing to get noticed by "choosy" mates with their splendid plumage. But you don't have to buy that kind of reductive biological explanation (I don't) to see the force of the "women choose" model. You only have to accept that for whatever socially constructed reason, the choice of getting married is one in which the woman is usually the key player. It might be the man who's supposed to ask the official, down-on-the-knee question, but it usually comes after a woman has made the central decision. Of course, in this, as in all matters of love, your experience may vary.

There may be those who look at this and try to derive some sort of prescription, about when to "bid," when to hold out, and when (as this Atlantic story urges) to "settle." If you're inclined to do that, approach with care. Game theory deals with how best to win the prize, but it works only when you can decide what's worth winning.

Found here.

Also check out: "The Case for Mr. Not-Quite-Right." Needless to say, my Momma Bennet of a mother really enjoyed these articles :).

Picket Fence

2009-02-18T20:28:00.029-08:00

I had the hardest time writing this post. The thing is, I cannot isolate myself from Revolutionary Road. When I read this novel, written by Richard Yates, I could see myself in Frank Wheeler. This story is about broken promises, and unfulfilled dreams. The reason this story is unique because it is an anti-thesis of a typical coming of age tale.

Marianne Williamson said that our deepest fear is not realizing, we are insufficient, but coming in terms with our true potential. If we know we are intelligent and have the potential of achieving whatever we put our mind to, then we really have no excuse to fail.

Revolutionary Road took away the blind-faith that I would be happy in the end. It made me realize that sometimes even the most gifted, and blessed people are not happy in life. People like Frank and April Wheeler, who have everything going for them. Frank Wheeler is intelligent, attractive, and is married to a beautiful woman, with two kids. He earns a good living at a job he hates, where he does not really have to apply himself. He is financially well-off, and is living in a beautiful suburban house. His wife, April Wheeler, gets drawn to Frank because he has new ideals. He is mysterious and he has travelled the world. Whereas, April has not been anywhere. She took acting classes, and believed she could have been an excellent actress, if she had not gotten married and had Frank's two kids. But this false belief gets shattered when her local theater performance is declared mediocre by her suburban neighbours.

Together the couple ends up having this life which neither of them had expected. They find themselves getting lost behind the mundanity of white picket fenced suburbia. They are unhappy because the novelty that brought them closer is missing. They come to realize, neither of them is as unexceptional as the other thought they were. They get this grand idea to move to Europe where they could finally amount to something spectacular, out of the ordinary. This Old World fascination is akin to what many members of the Lost Generation felt, including Ernest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The reader or viewer is left to wonder, are these characters so lost because they got thrown into the circumstances they didn't expect? Both of them had hopes that they were beyond the simple and monochromatic lifestyle that one would expect from a husband, a wife, and parents of two children. The other question is, are these two characters "exceptional" because they are daring to be different, or are they flawed and foolishly idealistic because they want something they can't have? Perhaps, they should have tested their true potential before they got married.

In terms of the cinematic characterization, one thing I didn't like in the movie was the fact that April's character seemed more confused and lost than Frank's. April was shown to make more unrealistic and idealistic choices than Frank. Now that we are on the subject, let me discuss the movie a bit more. My favourite part of the movie was the beginning. April and Frank are shown walking down a hallway under ceiling lights, walking parallel to each other, but not right beside each other. I don't know if that makes sense, but to me I thought it was an effective way to set the premise of the story. In terms of acting, I am still angry with the fact that neither Leo DiCaprio nor Kate Winslet got nominated for their roles. They transpired Richard Yates words through their acting, with their body language and facial expressions. Both of these actors have the power to reach out of the screen and somehow move me with their performances. There are not that many actors I can say that for.

I was ready to hate the movie, because I never like film adaptations. But, the movie ended up helping my understanding of the novel and its author. For instance, for some reason I saw Richard Yates in Howard Givings, who turns off his hearing-aid because he doesn't want to hear anything negative about the Wheelers. I think, Yates felt sorry for the Wheelers, after all, the Wheelers are the embodiment of our worst fears and moments of self-doubt. We are afraid to be stuck in a job we don't like, or in a marriage that only seems perfect from the outside. Furthermore, Yates also included us in his story. We are shown both as the ordinary Campbells (more about them in a few minutes), and John Givings. Yates entrusted John Givings to ask the Wheelers our questions. John Givings screams and scolds the Wheelers for us.

Okay now something about the Campbells. Yates used this couple as a foil to highlight the Wheelers's flaws. Where the Wheelers are dreaming about moving to Paris, the Campbells are busy looking after their kids. Where Frank is dreaming about quitting his job, Shep Campbell is lusting after Frank's wife, April. See how simple and ordinary Shep's dreams are (!). At the end of the day, the question is would Shep prefer a wife who is like April or like his own wife, Milly. Milly is not as beautiful as April, but she is an excellent mother, and caregiver.

The other theme that had my mind going was manliness. April thinks that since Frank did not amount to her first reaction of him, he is incapable of carrying through and completely finishing a task. Even in the instances, when he raises his hand to hit her but holds back last minute, and does not follow through. She sees his failure to physically harm her as his inability to be a man. She actually says something along the lines that how Frank is not even man enough to harm her. Frank compensates for his un-maniliness by sleeping with a co-worker.

I would strongly suggest anyone out there who's reading this post to read the book. It will change the way you look at life and relationships. Too often we hold back emotions and resort to silences when just simple sentences and words would have been the best option. Too often we take life for granted. We take ourselves for granted.

You try until you don't...

2009-02-14T20:59:00.013-08:00

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is my favourite Valentine's movie. It is about a couple who get their memory erased after they breakup. During the medical procedure Joel (Jim Carrey) realizes, not all of the memories he shared with his ex-girlfriend Clamentine (Kate Winslet) were bad, and he resists the urge to let go of those memories.

Personally, I am very hesitant to keep memorabilia, be it photographs or any sort of stubs. I am scared that I would end up keeping something which would hurt me in the future. So, unless, I am absolutely sure that saving something would not be torturous in the long run, I would not bother keeping it. I think, I have gotten better with time. I take more photographs now, than I ever did in the past. I do not have any school pictures, be it from elementary, middle, or high school. I also used to be really bad at staying in touch with people, I think I have gotten a bit better now.

But, I feel if I were to enter a relationship now, I would not hesitate from keeping physical evidence of the memories we would share, regardless of the outcome of the relationship. I feel now I have the maturity to realize that for better or worse our memories make us who we are. And, at the end of the day, the ultimate goal is to find someone who can see me beyond my flaws, and somehow still end up finding something likable to hold onto for the rest of our lives.

I know, I shouldn't be talking about breakups tonight. Btw, sorry, changetheworld360, I promised I would write about Revolutionary Road next, but I need to get this breakup rant out of my head first :).

The thing about memories is that they define us. Even the most tumultuous relationships have beautiful memorable moments, which are hard to hate or dismiss. Maybe people focus on the anger and hurtful memories during a breakup because these bad memories help them in stringing away from their ex, away from the routine, the regular habits, and rituals. During a breakup, thinking about the good times, the beginning of the relationship, will perhaps make it harder for the two to find their separate paths. I think, overtime people can look back and take the good with bad, and not long for what they had. Or wonder about what it could have been.

My old English teacher used to say that the opposite of love is not hate; it is indifference. I think, when two people are not meant to be, and no matter how much the third party tries to remind them of their inevitable incompatibility, the two wouldn't be able to break free from each other, until they get to this stage of indifference, where you are not left with any other option but to part ways. I, for one, strongly believe that most people don't get love right, in the first try. Sometimes it takes multiple tries to finally find the person we are meant to spend our lives with.

It's all about sharing...

2009-02-14T14:28:00.002-08:00

I am glad, I have something to show for my math minor :).

124155 + 100485

2009-02-13T22:21:00.008-08:00

Mathematical Aphrodisiac

by Alex Galt

In the days when John and I used to break up all the time, we made a decision to see each other only casually. Dates were okay, but no more than once a week. We were going to lead separate lives, getting together occasionally when the spirit moved us, but without worrying about commitment.

One day at the beginning of this period, we were sitting together on the floor of John’s one-room apartment. He was knitting himself a sweater and I was reading Fermat’s Last Theorem. Every now and then, I’d interrupt his knitting to read him passages from my book.

“Did you ever hear of amicable numbers? They’re like perfect numbers, but instead of being the sum of their own divisors, they’re the sum of each others divisors. In the Middle Ages people used to carve amicable numbers into pieces of fruit. They’d eat the first piece themselves and then feed the other one to their lover. It was a mathematical aphrodisiac. I love that – a mathematical aphrodisiac.” John showed little interest. He doesn’t like math much. Not like I do. It was one more reason for us to be casual.

Christmas fell during this period, and since I hate to shop, I was glad to be able to cross John off my shopping list. We were too casual for presents. While I was shopping for my grandmother, however, I saw a cryptic crossword puzzle book and bought it for John. We had always worked on the cryptic crossword puzzles at the back of The Nation, and for five bucks I figured I could give it to him.

When Christmas rolled around, I handed John the book – unwrapped, very casual. He didn’t give me anything at all. I wasn’t surprised, but my feelings were a little hurt, even though I wasn’t supposed to care. The next day, John invited me over to his apartment. “I have your Christmas present” he said. “Sorry it’s late.”

He handed me an awkwardly wrapped bundle. When I pulled it open, a rectangle of hand-knit fabric fell on my lap. I picked it up and looked at it, completely confused. One side had the number 124,155 knitted into it; the other side had 100,485. When I looked up at John again, he was barely able to contain his excitement anymore. “They’re amicable numbers,” he said. “I wrote a computer program and let it run for twelve hours. These were the biggest ones I found, and then I double-knit them in. It’s a pot holder. I couldn’t give it to you last night but I still haven’t figured out how to cast off. It’s kind of geeky, but I thought you might like it.”

After that Christmas, we were a lot of things, but we weren’t casual anymore. The ancient mathematical aphrodisiac had worked again.

HAPPY "SINGLES AWARENESS DAY", everyone!

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

2009-02-12T19:56:00.006-08:00

According to this "Stuff White People Like" satirical post, all white (and by "white" the blog's author means upper-brow elitist) like to travel to Europe, after university :). They believe, visiting Europe would alter their life, and would make them more culturally and artistically unique.

This is what we see in Woody Allen's latest movie, Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Watching the movie is like reading a beautiful novel, where the characters have fluidity, and are not just some caricatures we usually see on our cinema screens. I really liked the movie, and strongly recommend it. It reminded me of Woody Allen's other marvel, Match Point. A brief note about the acting: Penelope Cruz's character, Maria Elena, was the key catalyst in this movie, but it was Rebecca Hall's performance, and character, Vicky, that resonated with me.

The movie showed, we look at the Old World in wonderment, and while we are there we look at our North American materialistic lives with contempt. We hope that by being in Europe we are better than the rest of the people back home. We believe Europe would make us more culturally and artistically aware, and subsequently we would be able to escape the redundancy of the 9 to 5 quotidian.

The movie raised the question of love. Something Woody Allen has been playing around with, since Annie Hall. The reason love is such a well-discussed, and yet enigmatic topic is because it varies with a person's expectations. There is the innocent-not-so-tainted teenage love. But, as we grow older and our responsibilities start to pile up, our definition of love also becomes more realistic. Maybe the love you eventually settle for is not something you had fantasized about. Depending on what you are looking for, love could be rational, practical, and predictable. Or, maybe you are sure what love should not be like, but unaware of what it actually is. A Venn diagram would be oh so very handy in this case.

Then, supposedly, there are these mythical people who know from the get-go what they are looking for, and can identify it when they see it. Enter this David Gray song: "Be Mine".

I think, Woody Allen summarized the state of relationships cynically, and yet realistically, in the last scene of Annie Hall:

Francophone II

2009-02-10T21:30:00.010-08:00

"Mademoiselle" by Berry: Love the video. The song has a very calming effect on me. I also really like the lyrics.

"Contre Toi" by Loane: I keep playing this song over, and over again. I also love her eye makeup. I find lately all of my superficial girlishness has been coming out on eye makeup. I know, I am very random.

"Une Autre Vie" by Cleopatre: A nice ballad. But, sounds a bit mainstream.

Clueless & Useless

2009-02-10T12:08:00.002-08:00

Here & There

2009-02-04T09:54:00.006-08:00

Songs I am probably over-playing. In no particular order:

1. "Up All Night" by Take That: A new single by the British band Take That. It sounds a bit country, but it sounds uplifting and happy. Judging by the video, this song could very well be used for Canada Day or July 4th celebrations. However, this song comes nowhere close to my favourite Take That song: Back for Good, which I probably like for nostalgic reasons.

2. "Mr. Pitiful" by Matt Costa: I love Matt Costa.

3. "Lucky" by Jason Mraz ft. Colbie Caillat: I am a huge Jason Mraz fan, and I'll have you know he is not just a one-hit wonder. I also enjoy listening to Colbie Caillat's songs. I thought her first CD was really good. And, together their performance on last week's SNL was amazing. Although, I have to admit I am getting a bit sick of "I'm Yours".

4. "Ye Mere Deevanapan Hai" by Susheela Raman: I know this song from the movie "Namesake". Susheela Raman is a British singer, who usually sings traditional Indian songs. The title means "Is this my insanity?" in Hindi. I believe, this form of poetry is called Ghazal (pronounced guzzle); where the couplets rhyme, and the poetry is about love [Wiki]. It reminds me of the old Indian folk music, my grandmother listens to.

5. "Her Morning Elegance" by Oren Lavie: Love the song, sorta reminds me of Josh Radin's music. The video is very cool and reminds me of Adele's "Chasing Pavements".

6. "The Ugly and the Beautiful" by The Real Tuesday Weld: I absolutely love the lyrics.

7. "On the Radio" by Regina Spektor: She has an amazing voice.

Blogworthy: I'm How I Read

2009-02-01T20:48:00.000-08:00

I apologize, if this post reads like a snoozefest. The first three articles explore the evolution of our reading and writing habits in the so-called Internet age, which is mainly governed by the imperious Google. I have also added someecards for aesthetic reasons :).

1. "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" [The Atlantic]

"Then again, the Net isn’t the alphabet, and although it may replace the printing press, it produces something altogether different. The kind of deep reading that a sequence of printed pages promotes is valuable not just for the knowledge we acquire from the author’s words but for the intellectual vibrations those words set off within our own minds. In the quiet spaces opened up by the sustained, undistracted reading of a book, or by any other act of contemplation, for that matter, we make our own associations, draw our own inferences and analogies, foster our own ideas. Deep reading, as Maryanne Wolf argues, is indistinguishable from deep thinking."

This article raises a very interesting point. I have noticed that Internet has changed my reading habits. The difference between Internet reading and actual traditional book reading is that I am not using my imagination as much. Words don't have the same effect if they are not on paper. I find, when I am reading in a secluded corner, I can imagine what the characters look like, and what the setting would feel like. I can better associate with the characters, and sometimes I can even see myself in the protagonist.

I read the newspaper online, but I am always switching between the articles. Or I get distracted by my MSN conversations. And, now I suffer from ADD. I find it a lot harder to read a book at home. I get better reading done on the subway. Or wait for summer to finally make its appearance so I can go out to read in my backyard.

"The idea that our minds should operate as high-speed data-processing machines is not only built into the workings of the Internet, it is the network’s reigning business model as well. The faster we surf across the Web—the more links we click and pages we view—the more opportunities Google and other companies gain to collect information about us and to feed us advertisements. Most of the proprietors of the commercial Internet have a financial stake in collecting the crumbs of data we leave behind as we flit from link to link—the more crumbs, the better. The last thing these companies want is to encourage leisurely reading or slow, concentrated thought. It’s in their economic interest to drive us to distraction."

The article also points out that we "read" more than we used to. But, we actually learn and reflect less than we did before. Relying on one source, our computer, for entertainment, academics, and leisure reading cannot be good for our brains.

2. "All Hail the Information Triumvirate!" [Britannica]

"Three things have happened, in a blink of history’s eye: (1) a single medium, the Web, has come to dominate the storage and supply of information, (2) a single search engine, Google, has come to dominate the navigation of that medium, and (3) a single information source, Wikipedia, has come to dominate the results served up by that search engine. Even if you adore the Web, Google, and Wikipedia - and I admit there’s much to adore - you have to wonder if the transformation of the Net from a radically heterogeneous information source to a radically homogeneous one is a good thing. Is culture best served by an information triumvirate?"

Again, a very true observation made by Nicholas Carr. Over the years, most of our Internet activity has become limited to Google and Wikipedia. And, Internet has become the primary source of information; and there is nothing wrong with that. Perhaps, it is a good idea if everyone around the world is relying on Wikipedia to learn about obscure things. We know that Internet has brought us closer. But the question is, how is our shared source of information affecting our political and social views?

"In Plato’s Phaedrus, Socrates bemoaned the development of writing. He feared that, as people came to rely on the written word as a substitute for the knowledge they used to carry inside their heads, they would, in the words of one of the dialogue’s characters, 'cease to exercise their memory and become forgetful.' And because they would be able to 'receive a quantity of information without proper instruction,' they would 'be thought very knowledgeable when they are for the most part quite ignorant.' They would be 'filled with the conceit of wisdom instead of real wisdom.' Socrates wasn’t wrong—the new technology did often have the effects he feared—but he was shortsighted. He couldn’t foresee the many ways that writing and reading would serve to spread information, spur fresh ideas, and expand human knowledge (if not wisdom)."

The other thing I am really curious about is, what would the next generation or some future civilization say about our blogging habits. I feel, and this is a sentiment shared by many, there are more writers out there than there are readers.

3. "Handwriting is on the Wall" [The Wall Street Journal]

"Typing and texting have caused cursive skills to atrophy, and schools regard standards of style and legibility the same way they regard standards of dress. There may even come a day when longhand writing can no longer be deciphered by ordinary people -- you'll have to bring those old letters in the attic to some fussy museum curator. In 2006 only 15% of students taking the SAT wrote out their essays in cursive script; all the rest -- no doubt to the relief of the examiners -- used block letters."

I have to admit, when it comes to handwriting I prefer printing over cursive script. I feel reading another person's handwriting is an intimate experience, especially these days when it has become such a novelty. I thought this article was interesting, because it got me thinking, when was the last time I actually sent a handwritten note to someone. Oh, how I miss passing notes in class!

4. "The hijab gets an eco-friendly makeover" [The Toronto Star]

I buy scarves from H&M and use them as head-wraps, or the Muslim headscarf, or the hijab (whatever you wanna call them :D). According to this article, a Canadian girl came up with the idea of making eco-friendly hijabs, locally. These hijabs are not only good for the environment but have also created jobs at home; helping our flattering economy. So, I am glad to report that hijab just got green :).

WinterCity Festival '09

2009-01-31T18:31:00.005-08:00

WinterCity is a winter festival (Duh!) going on in Toronto. So, if you are in the city, do check it out. They have street circus by the Dutch street theatre troupe Close Acts, in the Nathan Philips Square. The act is called Pi-Leau and the performers are brilliant. My friends and I thought the act was based on 'Little Mermaid', but it really isn't. We are clearly bunch of ignorant idiots. It is actually about global warming. Seriously, in Toronto we are all about saving the planet. Go T Dot! (Yay, my love for Toronto has been resurrected).

Here is a video friend of a friend made about Toronto's transit system:

Apple & Sudoku Know Best

2009-01-30T10:01:00.002-08:00

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

iPhone Day!

Foamy's Rant

2009-01-27T14:16:00.006-08:00

Following clips contain offensive language - just a friendly warning :).

Accidents at Home

Words and Phrases

Fortune Cookie

Milk

2009-01-26T16:13:00.016-08:00

"Milk" is the story of a death foretold; released in the wake of Proposition 8 referendum.

The movie tells the real-life story of Harvey Milk, the first openly homosexual man to be elected to public office as supervisor, in San Francisco. I have to admit, the movie has all the elements that one may expect from the "biographical" genre. However, this film is critical in the sense that it reminds us of all the events, and sacrifices that made Obama's inauguration possible. Obama's campaign transcended biography. But the only reason he could afford to ignore to talk about himself and/or his race, at the inauguration, was because of the struggles people like Milk went through in breaking the boundaries their sexual orientation or ethnicity imposed on them.

The other striking factor is that it was only in the 1970s, when people were struggling to keep their jobs because of their sexual orientation. So it was reassuring to know that in just a few decades we have come a long way. I realize, in terms of equality there is a lot of other issues and stereotypes we still have to tackle, but the movie gave me hope. I know, all this optimism is almost nauseating :).

Milk's character is played by the always brilliant Sean Penn, and he has completely transformed himself for this role. He played this character with both vulnerability and assertiveness. And, of course, James Franco's presence in the movie didn't really hurt :). The other remarkable part of the movie was the inclusion of archival footage from the 1970s, providing us a glimpse into the period we don't really hear or read about.

Tropic Thunder

2009-01-25T15:51:00.003-08:00

I had made plans to see this movie at the newly opened AMC theater downtown. But, for some reason, it didn't work out. I think, I ended up going to the Chinese Lantern Festival, instead.

I exceptionally enjoyed watching this movie. It is really funny, and edgy. There was controversy surrounding this movie. Apparently some groups believed, the movie ridiculed people with disabilities. Having volunteered with people with intellectual disabilities, I have a strict policy against the use of word "retard". Even though, the characters use that word a lot; the joke is not on people with disabilities, but on Hollywood actors, and filmmakers.

The movie promises brilliant performances from Tom Cruise and Matthew McConaughey. And, let's not forget my favourite Robert Downey Jr. I fell in love with him in 'Iron Man' and 'Charlie Bartlett'. Kudos, for his Oscar nomination.

P.S. I thought the trailers in the beginning of the movie were hilarious.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

2009-01-24T20:44:00.014-08:00

This movie is no Forrest Gump. Brad Pitt is no Tom Hanks. Having said that, the movie is good. It is about love and life. It even got me choked up.

As the name suggests, the screenplay is based on the fairytale-like short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald's simple, and beautiful, short story is about a boy, Benjamin Button, who ages in reverse. Benjamin is born as a 70 year old man, and with the passing of time gets younger. But this is where the similarity between the screenplay and the short story ends. The writer Eric Roth, who also wrote Forrest Gump, took the premise and turned it into a story about compassion, and human curiosity.

However, Brad Pitt's acting is anything but curious. He seems distant, and does not fully embrace the character. Brad Pitt, unlike Leo DiCaprio, does not have the ability to move the audience with his performance. But I have to hand it to him, Pitt does look boyishly handsome in the movie. And, as an elderly he looks scary and cute at the same time.

In the movie, storm and water are used as symbolic devices. Storm is one constant unifying device which creeps up throughout the movie, tying the lose ends of chaos that is life. The water, the waves, and its myriad vivid colours never looked better on screen. I think, the water symbolizes fluidity. The message that in essence we are the same, no matter how we weather or, in the case of Button, thrive with time.

The movie filled in the gaps that Fitzgerald left in his very brief short story. The original story reminded me of Margaret Laurence's Stone Angel. When the protagonist, Hagar, in Stone Angel, is approaching her demise, she has flashbacks of her life. But the question is what happens when you come to this world weathered, wrinkly, and crippled, but die with innocence and baby freshness? Is it better to be haunted by the mistakes one made in his or hers life, or is it better to forget about the past experiences, and die with no recollection of the life lived?

Here is one of my favourite poems about death by Dylan Thomas.

"Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night"

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Infinite Playlist

2009-01-24T11:04:00.013-08:00

'Lover' by Devendra Banhart: A cute fun song.

Nick & Norah's Theme: Reminds me of the movie, and the twirly feeling it imparted.

'Last Words' by The Real Tuesday Weld: Love the beat.

'Baby, You're My Light' by Richard Hawley: A very sweet ballad.

'Ottoman' by Vampire Weekend: I absolutely love Vampire Weekend. They are Columbia graduates and that fact alone makes them oh so very appealing. (I clearly suffer from the Spiderman syndrome). This song is right up there, for me, along with Oxford Comma.

'After Hours' by We Are Scientists: Reminds me of all the stores closing down because of the economic downfall. Sad, I know.

Decrease in Demand

2009-01-20T08:45:00.004-08:00

HAPPY INAUGURATION DAY!!!

Blogworthy: I'm What I Read

2009-01-18T20:12:00.012-08:00

One of my New Year's resolutions is to write a weekly blog post about the articles, anything from the world wide web, which I found interesting. Yes, can't you tell I am single and I have no life :). So here's the first installment.

1. "The Power of Prayer" [The Wall Street Journal]

"Barack Obama mostly seems focused on ideological rather than denominational diversity. He chose Rick Warren, who opposes gay marriage, and then added Gene Robinson, the gay Episcopal bishop from New Hampshire, to pray at a morning service. He's also reportedly going to have a full range of faiths -- including Muslims and Jews -- at the prayer service the next day. But at the high-profile, official event -- the swearing in -- there will be just Rick Warren and Joseph Lowery, both Protestants."

Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony is on this Tuesday. Just an obvious pointer, in case you have been living in a cave for the past two years, and missed the news of America electing its first Black president. In my opinion, I think it is wrong to call him black. Because phenotypically he may look black, but genetically he is also half-white. This brings my attention to Pasha Malla. Malla wrote the following about racial terminology and assignment:

"When people ask me my "background," a common question, I've started telling them that I'm "half white." This usually proves inadequate, and sometimes disconcerting. Folks want to be able to categorize other people based on difference: knowing what you "are" will dictate how they can interact with you — and more importantly, what they can and can't say. My ambiguous response might seem snide, but I struggle to think how it's any different from people defining themselves as "half" whatever ethnic minority. Regardless the halves, I'm still neither one race nor the other."

Pasha Malla in this insightful article, "Self-portrait of a racist" points out, we are all racists. I actually agree with that. Malla kept a racist journal, and here are a few of his journal entries:

"…today I was sitting on the subway beside a black man. When he got off at his stop, I instinctively checked my pocket for my wallet."

"… at the movies I noticed a Middle Eastern-looking guy in line, wearing a backpack. For a moment, I second-guessed going into the theatre."

"… a Hasidic man cut in front of me at the grocery store. My thought was not: 'Asshole.' My thought was: 'Jew.' "

He continues:

"We often hear that racism is largely a result of ignorance — but I live in Toronto, with regular exposure to all races. If my journal is any indication, exposure to other cultures doesn't necessarily allay racist tendencies. Maybe part of the problem is that Toronto neighbourhoods are often divided along ethnic lines, so (with a few notable exceptions) there's little interaction between one cultural group and another. My only real communication with the city's Vietnamese population, for example, is when I order pho tai from one of their excellent restaurants."

Furthermore, judging by "Stuff White People Like" and the Onion, Obama is as "white" as they come. But going back to the inauguration article, I personally believe that they should not include religious priests in the inauguration processions, because that in my opinion makes the inauguration ceremony too much like a coronation.

p.s. While we are discussing racism I would recommend another article, "Would You Have Been A Nazi?" - This article discusses Milgram's average rate of obedience.

2. "Clara" [The New Yorker]

It is a short-story about love and life. Lately, I find myself wondering, what is that keeps people together? What is that makes us take the big leap, and decide, "Okay, you, right there, I want to spend the rest of my life with you." I keep hearing that in life you don't get everything you want. Sometimes you have to meet destiny halfway. But, how about those who refuse to compromise, and persistently remain on their quest to find the right person? Are these the individuals who end up losing out in the end? And, those who are not really happy but still stick it out, are they smarter than the idealistic individuals, such as yours truly?

My biggest fear is settling down with someone who seems okay at first, but then things fall apart once the honeymoon period is over. Enter these 2 breakup songs: James Morrison ft. Nelly Furtado - Broken Strings and Gnarls Barkley - Going On. There are certain people who sound perfect in theory, but their personalities and values just don't mesh in the end. And, then there is the case where you meet the person, who has everything you ever wanted, but something is awry. I am starting to think that this relationship stuff is very complicated. People should either live alone. Or, when they get married their brains should be reprogrammed to fulfill each other's needs and wants.

Geez, when did this blog become so confessional! In my defence, I just got a "talk" for being too picky. My mom clearly took a page from Mama Bennet's 'How to successfully get your daughter married' book. I always believed that the only important thing a person should look for in a relationship is mutual respect and appreciation. But now I feel, respect and appreciation alone can only take you so far. I guess nobody understands this stuff, hence the abundance of movies and books addressing this subject. Theoretically we all know a successful relationship is based upon myriad factors. But it seems that when push comes to shove we are required to have a moment of solitude and decide what is important to us. Or, if some one's making you do that, and things don't flow and fit automatically, then you know it is not working. Right?!

3. "Horatio Alger Relocates to Mumbai Slum" [The Times]

This article is about 'Slumdog Millionaire'. The movie won the Globes last week, and has a strong chance of winning the Oscar. The million dollar (insert: embarrassed smile) is what makes this predictable fairytale story so exceptional? The writer here says, in Jamal the American audience sees Great Gatsby. It is the first movie out of India which is not about the exotic land or about the Indian singing and dancing ('Monsoon Wedding').

The movie for the first time shows:
"The arbitrary power of the police officer toward the citizen and the gangster toward the slum dweller. The schools where teachers throw books at students and lessons consist of choral echoing of the teacher’s words. The slum where cooking and child-rearing and defecation are semi-public activities, and where it would be hard to develop the mental independence to question an arranged marriage or abuse by the better-born."

But that is not it, it also reminds Americans of an important lesson of Collectivism, a cultural belief Indians hold very dear, and sometimes use to attack the West; but now trying to shed.

The movie works because:
"It is roots and linkages that many Indians now seek to shed, and many Americans now seek to reclaim. And that may be the silent allure of “Slumdog Millionaire.” It is a tribute to the irrepressible self, filmed in a society now realizing it has given the self too little, watched in a society now realizing it has given the self too much."

4. "One Day You're Indispensable, the Next Day..." [The Times]

"'Nobody is indispensable indefinitely,” said John Kao, a jazz musician and innovation consultant to corporations and governments. “The ‘great man’ theory does hold water, but mainly at times of transition when a charismatic leader lends what psychologists would call an individual’s ego strengths to the organization or country as a whole, to allow it to regroup and move forward.'"

This article, ponders over Steve Jobs's indispensability, and what the future of Apple would look like in his absence. Resisting the urge to mention any of Bart Simpsons jokes I have already mentioned here, in the past.

This article about indispensability makes me wonder, how Obama would be tested. Bush in his last interviews has said that only time would be able to judge his 8 years objectively. The article also mentions that in 1930s Churchill seemed indispensable, but by the end of his term in 1935 that was clearly not the case. On Tuesday, new era would be sworn in. I have doubts and my share of skepticism, but you cannot really go wrong with hope, eh? Maybe I wouldn't mind dating an American guy after all ;). Only if Obama knew, how happy he is making the North American-South Asian community :).

N.B. I have included pictures, I took on this beautiful Snowy Sunday.

Long Overdue Mumble Jumble

2009-01-17T14:15:00.015-08:00

I have been wanting to write a final post about my trip (as if I haven't annoyed you enough), since the day I got back (January 5th at 3 PM). But, I couldn't bring myself to write about the amazing time I had. So here goes, all the things I have been wanting to say about my trip, in no particular order.

1. My first trip where I did not read a book or the newspaper. (Do I sound a bit proud of my ignorance?) I had taken Dickens's 'A Tale of Two Cities' with me but I forgot it on the plane.

2. My first adult trip without parental supervision. I had travelled to Pakistan on my own once, but I stayed with my dad's parents. I spent the one month I stayed there, thumbing through Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale' and Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'.

3. I made a trip itinerary and named it 'A Tale of Two Cities'. I wanted to make sure that we would make the most out of our 12 day trip. I got teased about this particular schedule. But it saved us time. We also ended up losing the itinerary in Paris, but luckily my friend had a copy.

4. I found maturity in the fact that I have an international, British to be exact, friend, whom I met for the first time. You know how in the movies, the grown-ups always have globetrotting friends, who they meet for dinner, and later they discuss world affairs with them. My dad has friends like those all over the world, and now I do too :D. Well, only in one country. Hmmm...I guess, I should start stalking more people :).

5. I had the best hot chocolate of my life in London, which I can still taste. Ahhh...

6. I had the best chocolate in France. I loved the French chocolate so much that I even forgot to have my favourite, British Kit Kat. Previously, my tradition had been to bring oodles of Kit Kat and Dairy Milk from London. But this time I forgot all about the chocolate, until a friend in Toronto asked, if I had brought any Kit Kat for her.

7. Had the best crepes in Paris at Le Sevigne. It is a small restaurant in the Parisian suburb Marais, where we were staying.

8. Met American expatriates. I had read about cultured Americans, who learn French and then move to Paris to pursue art. Meeting them made me feel cultured in association. Man, I am sounding really full of myself.

9. Towards the end of the trip my sister and I ran out of conversation topics, so we relied on our eavesdropping skills to keep ourselves entertained.

10. I became more aware of our own Canadian culture and mannerism.

11. I have realized the importance of travelling. It increases a person's breadth of knowledge, not only about the world, but also about themselves. I would like to travel more of Europe, and leave South America, Asia and Africa for when I meet the guy. I have these grand plans for me and my husband to visit a new country every year, where we not only get to experience a new culture, but also have an opportunity to do our bit to help the global community.

12. My friend and I have made plans to visit a new Canadian province every year. Europe may have all the history and impressive architecture, but Canada is beautiful.

13. I have realized, the more we travel, the more we get to learn about ourselves and our own country.

14. There is a bridge in Paris, which is nicknamed "Love Bridge". I told my mom about it, and her reaction was: "Did you pray that God would bring you a nice boy?"

15. There are no words to describe how...hmph...different (?) French men are.

16. I miss my holidays, and the lack of responsibility and accountability you feel when you are away from home.

17. In a year's time after the economic crisis has settled a bit, at least that's what Paul Krugman predicted, I am planning on applying for a job in Oxford, England.

I think this is all. Hopefully, the trip is out of my system now :).

Okay, one more thing. This trip has taught me that you can't predict life. Earlier last year, I was first planning a trip to Israel, and then to Nepal. Neither of these trips worked out, and I unexpectedly ended up going to Europe...

Graduation

2009-01-14T22:39:00.013-08:00

Remember this song?

Okay, before I start writing, I just want to warn you, this entry is a case of me thinking out loud, so I apologize in advance if it sounds self-involved.

I recently started to talk to someone I was close to in high school. Yes, sadly the high school drama still follows us, regardless of our age. Or so it seems. I was pretty social in high school, but by university I limited my circle of friends to a few people. Partially because I felt that I didn't have the time to meet everyone I once spoke to. And also because I felt I was changing, or they had changed.

Over the years I have become more selective about my friends. Quality takes precedence over quantity. I just didn't bother staying in touch with people who did not have my core-views/values. One of my favourite lines from the series 'Six Feet Under' is when Brenda and Nate discuss that as we age our circle of friends keeps shrinking, when technically it should be the other way around. Technically with age, we meet more people. We have school friends. University friends. Work friends, and so on. But, our lives get busy. Our responsibilities increase. The limited time we have we would rather spend with someone who we actually really like.

At least that is the case with me. I don't do anything half-way. I either like someone or I don't. I would either be your friend, and annoy you with my lameness, or I would just not bother with false pretences. So, when after university graduation a bunch of people started organizing high school reunions, I did not bother going. I felt that the people I wanted to stay in touch with are already on my MSN. I already have the friends I want and actually like, so why go digging through old fossils to form new friendships.

For this reason I also avoided facebook. But eventually I gave into the pressure and became an active facebook user. This meant old friends were added. I recently talked to one of those old friends on the phone. The first time we spoke on the phone it felt that time had not passed and we still had the old connection. We filled each other in about our lives and what had happened since high school. Then when we talked the second time. I was shocked how much we had changed. Or I had changed. With that realization came another.

Do we ever leave high school behind? Is high school something that would haunt us for the rest of our lives?

With the people we grow up with, there is this shared history. They get the essence of our being, because they have seen us transforming. We have seen them through the first silly crushes, teenage angst, university application freak-outs, and so on. But with the new people we meet, they see us as adults. We meet them because we have shared-interests and values.

My high school formal song.

I Have a Dream

2009-01-13T12:28:00.010-08:00

I have not written anything about the Gaza strike. Partially because I have read excellent blog entries about the crisis, and felt I did not really have anything to add to what you guys have already mentioned. My friend who attended one of the many protests they had all around the world, took a picture of Jews protesting against the killing of a ~1000 innocent people, to show that it is not a religious issue but a human rights issue. Nicholas Kristof, my hero, also wrote an article about the problem last Thursday.

The question that everyone keeps asking is, what makes this issue so much more polarizing and engaging than say the genocide in Danfur, raping of women in Congo, and high maternal mortality in Africa?

I don't know about your Facebook, but some of my friends have dedicated their statuses (statusi?), so they can get the latest update about the number of causalities in Gaza. My Facebook inbox also got ambushed with constant updates.

Last night, I had a dream about Facebook and the Gaza conflict. Hey, before you judge my randomness, you should know I have already sort of hinted at my subconscious going off on multiple tangents in this post here. I had a dream that Israel has ended its air strike in Gaza, and I find this important, and much awaited news through my friend's facebook status.

The Time Magazine published an article about Facebook's role in the Gaza conflict. It is almost like the people at Time have an access to my sub-conscious. (I am being lame, I know). I personally have no opinion about the overtness of Facebook activism. After all, a cynic may look at my blog picture (Save Darfur), and question its effectiveness. And rightfully so, because I am not doing anything physically to save Darfur.

The Time article talks about censorship of our thoughts, because apparently people from the opposite sides of the argument have been sending e-death threats over Facebook. Facebook does not have a strict censorship, like say YouTube. YouTube, to promote its accessibility and use all around the world, does work in association with other countries' censorship laws. For instance, in Turkey, YouTube agreed to take down a few videos, which were criticizing Kamal Ataturk, the country's secular founder.

This phenomenon is interesting because we are the first generation who is experiencing the internet and its activism.

Paging Orwellian Thought Police, right about now?!

Francophone

2009-01-07T11:44:00.007-08:00

So, what do you do when you are missing your holidays? You ambush your friends with French songs you discovered when you were away.

In England, our mornings consisted of watching Enid Blyton cartoons (I grew up reading her books), and the news. But, in France, we almost always had their music channel on.

So here are the French songs I listened to every morning.

Toi + Moi by Gregoire: Doesn't the singer look like Justin Timberlake? Oooh-lala (I wonder, when this expression would get old). My friend, who works in Quebec, said that this song is very big in the French-speaking world, and they play it on the French radio here.

Toi et Moi by Tryo: I think, the video is very beautiful. And, the song sounds very sweet.

FM Air by Zazie: There are dressed up Indian people in the video. And, you can also see the blue Parisian street signs.

Peut-etre une Angine by ANAIS: Sounds cute!

Appelle Mon Numero by Mylene Farmer: This song drove my ageist sister insane. She believed, the singer is too old for this video. I don't care, they have maple leaves in the video. Go Canada!

Place de Wazemees by Bruno Maman: Sounds very beautiful and romantic. No idea what it's about.

It seemed that in England they were all about Leona Lewis. I don't care what people say, I find her very annoying.

LDN 5: Cheers, Mate!

2009-01-04T20:42:00.013-08:00

Eurostar

The train ride to Paris from London was comfortable. There was a German family, parents and a young boy, sitting across the aisle. The father read to his family. At first, I was enthralled by his reading voice, and thought the gesture was very sweet. But, after a while he just gave me a headache.

Piccadilly Circus & Oxford Street

Walking from Piccadilly to Oxford in the morning brought on a new found appreciation for London. After spending 6 days in Paris, London seemed very home-like. There are some parts of London that look exactly like Toronto.

Science Museum

The two major attractions for me were the Energy Hall and the Exploring Space. They actually had a room dedicated to the field of Epidemiology. After a year of explaining to people what is it that I do, I was glad to have something dedicated for my peeps. There was also a mention of insulin being discovered in Canada, but the ignorant Brits forgot to mention the university responsible for its discovery. BAH!

South Kensington

As I have mentioned before, South Kensington is my favourite London neighbourhood. I am impressed with the architecture.

Since it was our last night here, my sister and I decided to walk from Kensington to Victoria Station. From there we took the underground to Leicester Square. We walked around the city feeling sad that our vacation has come to an end. This was my first trip as an adult, where I was responsible for all the logistics. London has this hold over us, no matter how many times we visit this city, something about it feels like home.

Paris 6: We'll Always Have Paris

2009-01-03T15:53:00.009-08:00

Today was our last day in Paris.

The morning started with us hand washing our clothes. See, technology has never been my friend. (Says the girl who has the urgency to blog about her trip, almost every day). But somehow half of the apartment's power outlets went out.

Since the Picasso Museum was just two minutes away from the apartment we were renting, we left it for our last day. It is definitely one of the best museums they have here. After today, and having visited Musee d'Orsay yesterday, I feel that Louvre is a bit overrated. Yes, Palais du Louvre's architecture is magnificent. But, the crowds, and the constant pushing and shoving really spoiled the experience. Moreover, sometimes with art you need to take your time, and let it all sink in. But, then again, you can't come to Paris, and not go to Louvre.

If I am ever in Paris again I don't think I would re-visit the Louvre. Unless the guy I am with absolutely insists. On the other hand, I guess, it would be romantic to see Cupid and Psyche's sculptures with the guy.

Yes, I clearly think Paris is one of the most romantic cities in the world. Once you learn to look beyond the urinated-littered-dog-poop-laden streets. I guess, what makes Paris romantic is its immortality. The city has not only survived the French Revolution, but also the two world wars. If I remember my history correctly, during the WW2 the plan was to bomb Paris, including its historical bridges and palaces; and the French were sending off troops to the Belgian border in their taxi cabs.

I think, another city that is right up there in the romantic-city scale is St. Petersburg. Since, the city is on a high altitude, in July, the night sky remains mystically white. So if taking a night stroll along the Baltic Sea, on the historic bridges is not romantic then I don't know what is. Speaking of which, people should definitely take a trip together before they get married. Seriously, nothing tells you how compatible the two of you are, like being stuck together in a new city. There ought to be a way where one can take a PG-13 (Halal) trip.

Look Paris has evaded me of my steel-rockiness.

I also blame Picasso's "The Kiss" (1925). It is a very romantic painting. They have a really impressive collection of Picasso's work in the Musee National Picasso. I find Picasso one of the most thought-provoking artists. I look at his work and wonder what was going through his mind, when he made these paintings. After visiting the museum I realized how truly diverse his work is. In most of his paintings, he hasn't given much attention to the women's form, or faces. So it makes me wonder what is that he saw in them. And, in some cases the only physical attribute he gives any attention to is their eyes.

In his painting, "Women at Their Toilette" (1938) he made use of multiple mediums. He copy-pasted wallpapers, and also used oil paints. In this painting he has shown several women using a hotel powder room, taking care of their business. He copy-pasted maps of the continents to show our connectedness and universality. This painting reminded me of what is going on in Gaza. The Israeli government has evacuated the foreigners from the enclaved Gaza strip. But most of these foreigners are married to to Palestinian locals. I really commend France, for being the only country that came out and explicitly condemned the killings of innocent people. I mean, it doesn't matter who is doing the killing, or who is being killed. The fight is not about religion. The important and most disturbing fact is that innocent people are dying there. Last year, when Russia attacked Georgia, the world and political leaders sternly condemned the raid. Where are these government voices right now?

I really liked the museum. It was not crowded, and Picasso's work was organized chronologically. They also have Picasso's sculptures, and a couple of Henri Matisse's paintings, from Picasso's personal collection.

I also saw a family of three young daughters. Their parents had brought them to the museum to draw. And, they were drawing Picasso's paintings. I thought it was very impressive that the parents were trying to encourage their kids to draw, and nourish their artistic skills. I remember when I was in grade school, during the summer holidays every year, my sister and I would go to our local art supplies store and buy water paints and pastels, and draw trees and other random objects. I hid behind abstract, since my technique was not as good as say my sister. Her paintings are as good, if not better than, the ones I saw at Tate Modern.

Paris 5: I'll Give You the Moon

2009-01-02T20:20:00.011-08:00

The plan today was to walk from the Latin Quarter of Paris to Champs-Elysees.

Notre Dame

Our first stop. It is by far the most beautiful cathedral I have ever visited. The cathedral is built in the Gothic style, and it is famous for its stained glass windows and gargoyles. I especially enjoyed walking around the cathedral and admiring its architecture from the outside. It was a beautiful sunny day. The cathedral is hidden behind trees, which add to its beauty and historical elusiveness.

Conciergerie

A Gothic royal palace, which looks a lot like the Sleeping Beauty castle they have in Disney World. During the French Revolution the palace was used as a prison. Marie Antoinette was also imprisoned here. But the museum inside the palace didn't seem worth visiting, only contained photographs from that period.

Boulevard Saint-Michel

This part of Paris has a very beautiful Gothic library. It also has one of the best shops in Paris, which are not crowded with tourists. In my opinion, comparatively, the French do have better fashion sense. I have become a fan of the way the girls wear makeup here. Instead of myriad layers of eyeshadow, they are all about the eyeliner, which looks very pretty. And, the French men dress very nicely too (Oooh-lala). Now, that I have wasted your time with a little Fashion 101, let me tell you about this beautiful jewellery store I discovered here, called Anoki. They have the most unique earrings and necklaces I have seen. I am not into ostentatious jewellery. However, I like delicate one of a kind vintage accessories. And this store just had that.

Musee d'Orsay

In my opinion, is one of the best museums they have in Paris. The museum has an excellent collection of Impressionist art by Edgar Degas, Manet, Monet, Pisarro, Sisley and Renoir. And most importantly, there were paintings by Vincet Van Gogh. I have a poster of three of Van Gogh's paintings in my room, so being only a few inches away from the originals was a very fulfilling experience. This, including London's Tate Modern, is another museum I would definitely return to if I am in Europe again.

Tour Eiffel

We saved Eiffel for our last night in Paris. Eiffel is such a simple and yet intricate structure. Simple in the sense, unlike the rest of Imperial French architecture where buildings are adorned with Greek mythological sculptures, this symbol of modern Paris is composed of one solid element. In it's simplicity there is beauty. In spite of the cold, the view from the top was breathtaking.

Arc de Triomphe

It is a monument honouring those who lost their lives in the Napoleon war. To be honest, this structure is not that different from say Marble Arch, in London. But it was one of those places I guess you have to visit when you are in Paris; so we obliged.

Champs-Elysees

The street looked beautiful at night, with the glittering lights, and the crowd. This is probably the one time in Paris, I didn't mind the crowd so much. In spite of it being 10(ish)PM, most of the shops were open. Including the dazzling Disney Store, and a few auto showrooms.

In London, I was impressed with the Audis I saw parked in the streets of Westminster. Reminded me of the Audi they had in Iron Man. But in France, most of the cars are compact, and hence more fuel efficient. I didn't get a chance to see any gas stations in Paris, but the gas prices in London were very high. This is because the European governments put a much higher tax burden on oil than the US and Canadian governments. Plus, considering the impressive parallel parking stunts they pull here, I would prefer a small gas efficient car over a luxurious vehicle any day. In this economy who has the money to buy an expensive car! But I have to admit they are not bad to look at.

Concorde Metro Station

There is a monument outside the station that marks the place where Marie Antoinette was publicly humiliated and hung. There is also a fountain here that pays homage to the innocent lives lost during the French Revolution.

At this point before entering the station to go to our apartment, I, embarrassingly enough, turned around to take the Eiffel in for one last time, and look at the beautiful Parisian moon, for one last time. God knows, when I would be back here again...

Paris 4: The City of Light

2009-01-01T19:04:00.015-08:00

Since today all the museums and most of the shops were closed, the plan was to visit buildings and parks.

Hotel des Invalides

Our first stop of the day. Another building commissioned by Louis XIV for disabled war veterans. Louis XIV wanted to look after the soldiers who fought for France. It has a beautiful structure, and he also built a chapel for the veterans. The chapel was later turned into a burial place for French notables. Napoleon Bonaparte is also entombed here, and the dome is called Dome des Invalides. Yes, the French are very clever with the names. Again, I was very impressed by the architecture and the courtyard. Inside the building they also have French artillery and weapons from the 18th century and the two world wars. When we were there in the morning, it was very quiet and ironically enough I found it peaceful, walking through the facility's passages and looking at the canons and tanks, which were used to kill so many.

Jardin du Luxembourg

We took the bus for the first time, in Paris, to get to Jardin du Luxembourg. It is a the largest park in Paris built in the 17th century by Queen Medicis for the royalty's private use. The park was open to the public in the 19th century. There are sculptures of Beethoven, and the French royalty in the park. The French Senate, the Luxembourg Place, is also adjacent to the park. The replica of the Statue of Liberty, which the French sculptor Bartholdi used, in designing the one in New York, is also present here. And in spite of the freezing cold and barren trees the park looked beautiful. There is history everywhere in Paris. We saw Parisians jogging, and playing ping pong, and you can't help yourself from wondering what does it feel like to live in the midst of all this history?

Pantheon

After Luxembourg we decided to walk aimlessly and admire the architecture. But somehow we ended up at Pantheon, which was on our list of places to see in Paris. Pantheon is a burial ground built in the 19th century. The building has Greek columns. It was here Foucault performed his pendulum experiment to show that the earth rotates around its own axis. Much to my sister's delight, the building was closed, so we didn't have to climb the stairs to go in.

Cruise

Usually when we go to a new city we try to explore it on our own, and avoid the touristy cruises, bus rides or guides. But this time around I had planned to take a cruise along the Seine River. The only other time we took a guide tour was when I went to Oxford with my siblings. My dad wanted us to learn about the history of the colleges. He hoped, it would inspire us to do great things in life :). Taking the cruise in a chilly night was a great idea, it kept us warm. It also gave us an opportunity to learn more about the city's history.

I clearly fell in love with Paris. Prior to taking this trip, I didn't really believe all the jargon you hear about Paris being the most romantic city. But, seeing Paris and going under its ancient bridges could turn even a steel-hearted person, such as yours truly, into a mush. Being with my quasi-engineer sister I have learned to appreciate the skills that are required in constructing bridges. It was amazing to see that they were able to build the bridges with such excessive artistic abilities in the 17th and 18th centuries. I guess, when the British were busy spending their resources on colonization, the French spent the money on improving Paris's architecture.

Whilst waiting in the line to board our cruise ship, I noticed how the Europeans have no sense of personal space. Throughout this trip we have been constantly getting pushed around, and got elbowed to move. During the huge line ups people stand very close to each other. Where in North America we are all about guarding our personal space; you would never see people standing too close to each other, even during the rush hour commute. When a North American gets on the subway he or she wouldn't sit next to an occupied seat, but would instead prefer to stand. We are very aware of our personal spaces and distances. I don't know if it is because Europe is a crowded continent, compared to our measly continent with only three countries, and since people like Palin (oh, how I miss her) usually forget about Mexico's existence, the third one doesn't really matter :).

But, I have to admit my sister has transformed into an European. When they push her, she reciprocates the gesture. I remember last year when we went to Pakistan alone, we were stuck at the immigration, because we were being our Canadian-cordial-selves, and were clearly lacking our Asian/Old World innateness to push and move forward in the line to get our passports stamped. My family had to wait for us outside the Karachi airport for two hours. But, I think if we ever go to Pakistan again, my sister should be okay, because this trip really taught her to use her elbow for the greater good.

P.S. I have attached a picture of one of the 100 sculptures I saw in the park. This dude's female admirer adorned his sculpture with the flowers to show her affection for him. People don't show affection like this anymore. Even the act of burning CDs to express feelings has become so last decade. BAH!

Paris 3: Ah, the French

2008-12-31T19:08:00.015-08:00

So, I went to the Louvre today.

To be honest, I still can't believe, I am in Paris. I have this big Paris poster in my room. So, I knew I would want to come here one day. Maybe once I find the guy, and we would go together. But never thought it would happen NOW. And, the reality of the trip, definitely, sunk in today.

Louvre without a doubt has the best art collection in the world. The architecture of the building is adorned with Greek figurines and columns. Louis XIV, like the Versailles, commissioned for Louvre's extension and spent funds in improving the fortress's structure. The building in itself is beautiful, with very impressive ceilings. After you are done visiting the art collection go outside and walk around the courtyard. You would find that each arch-window has its unique Greek-styled sculptures.

There is no way you would be able to see everything in the Louvre. So before visiting the museum visit the website and make a list of things you are interested in. The best place to start is the Denon Wing. It is here you would find Mona Lisa in the wing's 6th room. To be honest, Mona Lisa does look more beautiful in the original but the huge herd of people and constant shoving and pushing ruined the experience. Right across of Mona Lisa there is a beautiful and huge painting called "The Wedding Feast at Cana" by Paolo Veronese. In the frenzy to see Mona Lisa people fail to appreciate the artistic marvel of this late-Renaissance painting. I felt really bad for the other paintings that were present in the same room as Mona Lisa.

On your way to the Grand Gallery you would see the spectacular structure of the Winged Victory. So sit by the stairs to enjoy one of the most famous sculptures in the world.

Personally for me, I really admired Da Vinci's "The Virgin of Rocks" and Panini's work. They say that each painter has his/hers own speciality. Panini in my opinion is an amazing painter. In his paintings special emphasis is placed on not only the people but also the structures that are used not just as backdrop but are important participants of the story Panini has painted. I took several pictures of his paintings from every angle possible. At the Louvre you are allowed to take pictures as long as your camera's flash is turned off.

After the Denon Wing, my sister and I went to the Sully Gallery to see Venus de Milo. That is another beautiful sculpture. Again, the thing that makes it so amazing is its elusiveness. Her body is half-draped, and she is showing off her well-defined abs :). On your way to Venus de Milo do not miss out on the sculptures by Michelangelo.

I definitely felt something in my heart, when I saw the two sculptures depicting the unlikely love between Cupid and Psyche.

After the Louvre my sister and I did some sight-seeing. We walked over the oldest bridge in Paris called Pont Neuf, and the Palais Royal which was built in 1629. We also did some window-shopping in Forum des Halles. Paris is too expensive for us to actually buy something here.

After that we came back to our apartment to rest so we are ready to go out again to ring in the New Year. Since I have a cold, I have been drinking insane amount of Lipton mint tea they have here. It tastes really good and has really helped with the cold. I took a couple of Advil and I was knocked out.

For New Year's we planned to go to Chaps d'Elysees and the Eiffel Tower. The transit system was free tonight. I guess big cities like London and Paris can afford to have the subway running for free.

We walked around Paris at night time. And, I have to admit Paris is beautiful. Everything that you have probably heard of Paris is true. I wish I could photograph every inch of Paris. I can definitely see why people call it the most romantic city in the world.

Up until now my sister and I were avoiding going out too late in the night here. The French men are very flirtatious. Even the locals don't wear revealing clothes because the men are known for their rowdy behaviour. I honestly, thought we would not have to worry about this. But I think they have some weird testosterone in the French water. Men here are perverted.

Not to say all French men are horndogs.

But, tonight we didn't even stay out too late. And, tried to stay with other North Americans. We just wanted to see the Eiffel at midnight. And, we came home right after that. The streets were safe (crime wise). They had the police stationed all around the city. The subway was extremely busy. There was a huge line-up to enter the station, and then some serious pushing and shoving ensued inside the subway.

In spite of all this, the Eiffel Tower looked beautiful at midnight. Nothing could have prepared me of how spectacular the Eiffel looks at night. It changed colours from blue to gold right at midnight.

It is just a different culture here.

Btw, a Happy New Year to all of you out there. During the New Year's countdown I wanted to scream OBAMA, just for fun. Considering how this year will mark his inaugration and we are all counting on him to fix all of our problems. He is the modern day surfer dude of a messiah, folks. To be honest, I was also thinking of the recent Middle-East crisis. I know it is a beatup cliche but I really hope 2009 turns out to be peaceful for all of us. I really hope something good comes out of this New Year.

Paris 2: Wet and Cold

2008-12-30T09:50:00.006-08:00

So, what do you do when you have a really bad cold and cough in Paris? You stand in the line for TWO HOURS, in the rain, which turned into freezing rain, and then flurries, to enter the Palace of Versailles.

There were two line-ups for the palace, one for the tickets, and once you get your tickets you line-up again to enter the palace. So the smart move is to buy the tickets online to avoid waiting outside. My sister ended up lining up for the tickets, whilst I waited in the other line. The only good thing about the waiting is that you get to talk to other tourists. There was an old couple from the States and a girl from Australia. Since she didn't have an umbrella we ended up sharing and she gave me a few tid-bits about Paris. Apparently there is a free historical walk tour. In the other line, my sister found out about this really good underground art gallery called the Palais de Tokyo. So considering how much we liked London's Tate Modern; we would hopefully get to check out some contemporary art in Paris, as well. I think the best part of travelling is meeting new people from all over the world.

The palace was worth the wait. It is gorgeous and like the most French imperial architecture is inspired by Greek figurines and mythology. The palace was commissioned by Louis XIV and it was here the Treaty of Versailles was signed (Duh!).

The most striking thing about the palace is that it is very underrated. The royal palaces in Russia are extensively decorated with gold and shiny wallpapers. Whereas, this palace was nicely decorated and didn't seem tacky. During the visit, we also saw the secret doors which Marie Antionette used to escape from the palace. The sad thing is that when the French people were dying of hunger the royalty was living lavishly.

Outside the palace there are beautiful Versailles gardens. Even in the freezing cold they seemed so beautiful and romantic. My sister and I were just wondering how could anyone be unhappy in the midst of all this beauty. But, I guess you know how they say that happiness comes from within. Yes, I am being very profound today :).

Photography is allowed inside the palace. And, it is just amazing how the French are so welcoming and open about their heritage. There were no guards present in the gardens. Visitors have the freedom to walk about and enjoy the beauty at their own pace.

After the palace my sister and I decided to walk about the city of Versailles. The architecture here was impressive, and the people didn't speak much English.

We bought bread from this bakery called Paul, which is really famous here. They have been around since 1889. Their bread and chocolate croissant are to die for. I was that embarassing tourist who took pictures of the bakery. Usually, back home I try to be more conscious about what I eat. But here I have been eating the carbs and the cheese and all the French goodness like there is no tomorrow. But, seriously the French know how to live. The rest of us...I don't know what the rest of us are doing.

By the way it is freezing in Paris.

Paris 1: Ratatouille

2008-12-29T14:12:00.012-08:00

I love Paris.

The train ride from London to Paris was very comfortable. We got to Paris in the morning, but figuring out the complicated-pee-smelling Metro took us ages. It took us more than an hour to get to our apartment. When the journey time technically should have been only 20 minutes. Moreover, they don't have escalators inside the subway stations so you have to take the stairs, when changing lines or exiting the station. But, God bless the French men they took my luggage from my hand and carried it up the stairs. I am totally touched by their chivalry.

I don't speak French, even though I took French lessons in Russia. But regardless of my lack of French, people are nice and very polite. And, here people think I am Arab. I get that in Canada too, but people don't get disappointed when I correct them. Man, I guess my parents made a mistake I should have either been born in an Arab country or France :). I am considering going back home learning French and moving to Quebec City :). But, the French coming up to me, only to ask whether I was Arabic, was a bit strange. If someone had done this to me in Canada I would have been majorly freaked out. I guess people are very curious here.

The apartment I am staying in is beautiful. It is clean and extremely gorgeous. The washroom is divided into two rooms/quarters. The first one only has a toilet. And, the second, right next door, has a shower and the washing basin. I know this sounds gross. I think the washing basin and the toilet should have been together in the same room. My neighbours are American expatriates, who are extremely nice. I think on this trip I would be thinking of Ernest Hemingway a lot.

One of the advantages of renting out an apartment here is that you can save money on food and cook at home. After walking around our neighbourhood we did some grocery shopping. I saw a cute little rat. See, I am on such a Paris-high that I even found the idea of a small fuzzy rat inside the grocery store cute. It reminded me of the Pixar movie, Ratatouille.

The chocolate tastes so good here. And, the flowers they were selling outside the grocery store were so pretty. They had pretty pink-purple gerberas. I absolutely love gerberas.

I can see why people call it the city of romance.

LDN 4: South Kensington

2008-12-28T12:08:00.006-08:00

It was one of the busiest days. Our first destination was South Kensington Station. Architecturally, I believe it is one of the most impressive neighbourhoods in London. I was utterly impressed. Here, they have three museums all located very close to each other, the Natural History Museum, the V&A, and the Science Museum.

Since we got there early we had time to walk around the neighbourhood. We saw the Albert Memorial located in the Kensington Gardens. The Kensington Gardens are on the other side of the museum block. Imperial College is also located in the same neighbourhood. And so is the Royal Albert Hall. I really liked the buildings around the Royal Albert Hall, and the Imperial College. Again there were a lot of red and white brick buildings, and several other old brick buildings. Much to my sister's dismay I kept clicking away my camera. I just loved this part of London. I love the old London architecture.

Our first stop was the Natural History Museum. The building was built in the late 1800s during the Enlightenment Era, when scientists were sent out on sea expeditions to collect specimens so they could be stored and displayed in the museums. The building is also very impressive. I saw these really pretty pink blossoms, when I was waiting in the line to enter the museum. They smelled very refreshing. The museum has an excellent dinosaur collection. I have studied skeletal remains, so it was interesting to look at their skeletal structures and then compare it to those of our own, other amphibians and early primates. The Natural History Museum is definitely an excellent place for young children. They even had a visual stimulation where young middle school-aged students were talking about abortion. I believe, encouraging discussion of this rather controversial topic in schools is a very impressive way to deal with young pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.

Our second stop was V&A, which was just down the street. At the risk of sounding "boring", I would not have known this if it wasn't for my British friend, so knowing that all these museums are close to each other saved me a lot of time. At the V&A I was more interested to see the Islamic artefacts. The collection was very small, but it was impressive nonetheless. Most of the artefacts were from Bursa, Turkey and Kazakhstan.

In university, I don't know if it is just the case for Canadian universities, we are all required to take one full year humanities course, regardless of our major. I took Russian and Ottoman history, they were offered as two separate half year courses. So the Islamic collection reminded me of the material I had studied in the class. Even though, my friend and I spent the entire time passing notes, and complaining about the professor, surprisingly enough there were certain pieces of information that have managed to stay in my bird-sized brain. One of the things I really find interesting about Ottoman art is how it is so similar to the medieval art. The Ottomans led several campaigns against Rome, Constantinople, and Russia, and most of them were very successful. But the similarity in their art and that of the Christian Medieval art is something that I have always found very astounding. Although, the Islamic collection at the V&A consisted of potteries and relics, there were a few Ottoman paintings there too.

After the V&A the plan was to go to the Science Museum across the street, but we were all museumed out, and were starving. So the Science Museum is another thing we have left for our last day in London. We ended up at Leicester Square to eat super healthy Hagen Daaz. I had this delicious brownie, chocolate ice cream and raspberry sorbet dessert, and man oh man I can still taste the raspberry.

After we walked through the China Town towards the BT Tower. From there we ended up in the City of Westminster. There were again some really impressive buildings in the area. Also, we saw a couple of Alfa Romeos and some very nice Audis. I also took a picture of a gas station, because I was shocked at the gas prices. Gas is really expensive in London. Almost the twice (if not more) of what we pay in Canada. From there we hopped on a double-decker which took us to the abbey. You know you are a tourist when you quickly climb up to the top floor and dash to sit in the front seat so you can see the city. Again, instead of buying the stupid tours, you can just hop on any of the double-deckers, and enjoy the city's spectacular architecture. We went to the Tower Bridge, and walked by the Thames River. It was a nice walk, but it was freezing, and I have a bad cold and sore throat now :(. My sister and I walked aimlessly discovering new parts of London, we had never been before. We also made it to their financial district to see 30 St Mary Axe.

After spending the night walking about my sister and I were absolutely sore and we had to get up early to pack for our train ride to Paris.

Again, the more I see of London the more I love it. Our initial plan was to go to Stonehenge on our last day but we have decided to spend our last day in the city. I think the reason London is so alluring is because it is historical enough to be foreign, but because of the language it is familiar. We roam around the city without a map, because even when we do get lost, somehow we always end up finding our way. That is what's so amazing about the London's transit system.

LDN 3: Salad Platter

2008-12-27T13:44:00.008-08:00

My sister and I decided to get an early start today. The museums here open at 10 AM, so we wanted to walk around the area before the opening. The plan was to visit the National Gallery and Tate Modern.

We got off at Leicester Square and walked around the area. This place is one of my favourite neighbourhoods in London. Here one could see the contrast between the old and new buildings. I have fallen in love with the old white and red bricked buildings here. Even though I walked around this area a million times before, I had never been to the National Gallery before. The building itself is in the Trafalgar Square and is gorgeous. The big dome inside the gallery is spectacular. I believe I took a picture of it. I am a bit obsessive with picture-taking, which annoys my sister a lot. Things my poor sister has to put up with, during this trip.

The National Gallery, like the most British museums and art galleries, is free, and very welcoming. I was drawn to this gallery because of Van Gogh and Monet's art pieces that are present here. This gallery also has one of the many water lilies painted by Monet. Monet and Van Gogh, along with Picasso, are my favourite artists. I also enjoyed the BSing session that ensued when my British friend and I decided to make sense of the paintings that surrounded us.

This was my first time visiting London with our very own Londoner travel adviser. He pointed out things that we wouldn't have noticed otherwise. Moreover, he pointed out our inherited Canadian traits, which were totally oblivious to us. Apparently, things considered polite in Canada are rather offensive in Britain. Also, he pointed out, compared to the British, we are overtly polite. He took us to a Persian restaurant for lunch. My sister and I had never had Persian food before, so it was a unique experience.

During the lunch we were comparing the degrees of racism between London and Toronto. Coming from Toronto, I had a strong belief that Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. Although, I am not as defensive about Toronto as my sister. But my friend made me see racism in a different light.

In Toronto, people are colour-blind in the sense that everyone is seen as an equal. For that reason I used to think that Toronto is one of the most tolerant non-racist cities in the world. As a visible minority I have not been attacked by racist slurs, but I have experienced passive racism. For instance, I never realized I was different from the rest of Canadians until I became more socially involved and started entering venues where one wouldn't really see a minority. I think it is a combination of our political situation where we are more skeptical of Muslims, or the fact that I have become more self-actualized that I have realized how different I am from the mainstream culture. For instance, in Jhumpa Lahiri's book the Namesake the protagonist grows up hiding his parents culture, whilst trying to fit within the American mainstream culture, but in his 20s he realizes that he is neither American or Indian, he is somewhere in the middle.

So going back to the first sentence of the previous paragraph, you might wonder what is wrong with being colour-blind, and reckoning everyone as equals. (I pondered over this question all day today). But the thing is we are not equals. Malcolm Gladwell discusses this topic in his new book Outliers. In his book, he discusses the age old dichotomy nature vs. nurture. He mentions, Bill Gates attended a high school that had a computer lab, and back then only a few schools had computer labs, and only a few teenagers had an early exposure to the computers. Moreover, Bill Gates also had an access to the computer labs in Seattle's Washington University. So by the time he got to Harvard, he already had an early start compared to his peers. This gave him an edge, and an advantage over others.

Similarly, the children of immigrant parents are not only left to learn the culture of their parents' adopted countries and their birth country on their own, but are also required to interpret the culture and translate it for their parents. The responsibility is on them to find a middle-ground where they have to find an equal balance between learning two languages at the same time. Stephen Jay Gould also discussed this phenomena in his book The Mismeasure of Man. In the book, he criticizes the biological determinism theory, which claims that IQ is inherited or it is some gene that you can locate. He mentions that intelligence is a combination of myriad factors.

So in Canada, by ignoring our differences we are not being anti-racist, but we are ignoring the obvious. You have probably heard of the "melting pot" and the "salad bowl" expressions. So after hours of pondering on London's double-decker I tried to come with an expression to classify the problem we have in Canada. Canadians clearly don't suffer from the melting pot phenomena. Canadians are allowed to express their cultural identities. We have Mandarin, Bengali, Jewish, Greek, and Muslim schools in Toronto. In downtown Toronto we have Little Italy, Portuguese and Greek neighbourhoods, the largest Indian bazaar, and one of the best China Towns in North America. Heck, our China Town is even bigger than the one in London.

But just because we don't have forced assimilation doesn't mean we have the salad bowl situation in Canada, where all the flavours are mixed. People from the same ethnicity (in most cases) have no exposure to other ethnicities. In my university, they had a halal hot dog vendor. Mind you, University of Toronto is one of the most culturally diverse universities. But, there were these two white students who had no idea what the word halal meant. One of them thought it meant that it meant the meat was organic. If someone asked me to explain halal, I would either explain it using the Jewish kosher meat practice, or just simply brush them off saying, "Oh, it is a religious thing." I don't know if I can blame this on my Canadian culture, for not really giving me the vocabulary to explain my religious heritage to someone, because after all we do focus on our commonality. We are all Canadians. We all came from somewhere. Regardless of our different ethnicities we all have equal opportunities in our True North strong and free.

Since, in most cases, we express our ethnic uniqueness only within our own communities, in our own community centres, we don't really get to mingle and learn about each other. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for the opportunities to express our cultural beliefs we have in Canada. I also love the fact that we have so many cultures living in Canada. But, we are all hidden in our own little neighbourhood pockets. The children who are brought up in Italian communities and neighbourhoods have no exposure to other minorities. They learn to classify them all as one social group, "the minorities", but yet as Canadians.

So what we have in Canada is a salad platter not a salad bowl. You have all these cultures present in the same country but there is no intermingling. However, in London, as my friend pointed out people are more aware of each others cultural uniqueness. They know what a sari looks like. There is no beating about the bush. They realize that not all British are the same. They are British but they are from different cultures. So in order to have a successful society you need to fulfill every one's needs as a collective-society, not as an amalgamation of various communities.

So this is where London, is yet again, better than us. Yes, there are cases of racial profiling where people of a particular ethnicity are stopped at the security checks. But the authorities are only doing that to ensure we are all safe. It is for our own safety.

So that was an enlightening discussion.

Going back to the details of my day. After lunch, we walked around the city. I think the best way to get to learn about a new place is through walking. But, for some reason London is extremely cold. I feel that I am dishonouring my Canadian heritage by being cold here in London.

I also had the best hot chocolate in this really posh place. Unfortunately, I have forgotten the name of the place. The hot chocolate was served in china cups, with three different types of sugar. There was a library in the sitting area. They also had a fireplace. Having a British friend totally paid off here :).

Later in night, we also visited Tate Modern. I had learned about this museum in the Time Magazine. As the name indicates the museum promised a collection of contemporary art. (Duh!) There were paintings, and visual and audio displays by a diverse group of artists. I really enjoyed the "Material Gestures Contemporary Paintings" wing. Here there were two amazing paintings by Pablo Picasso, called "Goat's Skull Bottle & Cattle", and "The Studio". I also really liked the following paintings:

- Albert Oehlen's "Loa"
- Mark Bradford's "Los Moscos"
- Claude Monet's "Water Lilies"
- Lee Krasner's "Gothic Landscape"

In the 1980's wing I exceptionally liked Julian Schnabel's "Humanity Asleep". The museum also has other interesting wings such as Poetry and Illustrations and States of Flux. The building of the museum reminded me of this building we had in my university (CCIT - if anyone's interested). It is by far the best museum I have visited during this trip.

After visiting the National Gallery earlier in the day, I had a new admiration for these contemporary artists. There was an illustration where the artist printed out a whole bunch of one paragraph stories and pasted them on a wall. And, you look at it and may wonder what is so special about this, anyone could have done that. I don't know if this art display would survive the test of time, but it surely, in my opinion, showed confidence. The artist had so much faith in his work that he sold the work to Tate Modern so other people can see it and wonder about it.

This made me think of Van Gogh. I consider Van Gogh as one of the best painters. His vibrant colours, self-portraits, starry night, sunflowers, his shoes, the painting of his room are beautiful in my eyes. But during in his life, he never considered himself to be good enough, and lived a life of sordid oblivian. I guess (and I am just hypothesizing here because other than the compulsory high school art credits I have never taken art history) what Van Gogh lacked was confidence in his work. As far as I know, he died alone, unknown, and poor.

Going back to Tate Modern, it is one of the most stimulating art galleries you may find. The only thing like this we have in Toronto is Nuit Blanche, where they display modern art. Tate Modern has the perfect location. On the way back we walked on the Millennium Bridge to return to Central London. I am planning on visiting it again, so we are gonna try to squish it in on our last day here in London.

I know this is probably the randomest post in the history of blogging. So apologies for that. I just had to get it all out, even though I am a day behind. I also apologize if it is incoherent as I am tired.

LDN 2: Globalization

2008-12-26T13:38:00.012-08:00

Today I visited the Westminster Abbey. In the words of Friends's Joey, "It is hands down the best abbey, EVER." And, I absolutely concur. It is baffling to me why I had never been to the abbey before.

The abbey was built in the Gothic style, which is one of my favourite architectural styles. It is a burial ground of several British sovereigns, warriors, political leaders and literary notables. Structurally the most impressive part of the abbey is its ceiling, and columns.

The carnation chair of the British royalty is also on display here.

But, I was more moved to see the burial memorials in the Poet's Corner. Several of the British literary patrons are buried in this part of the abbey. Including, Charles Dickens, Lord Byron, Chaucer, Jane Austen, and the Bronte sisters. Robert Browning is also buried here, however his beloved wife and the source of his love poems is buried in Florence. There is a memorial dedicated to William Shakespeare, who is buried in Stanford. There were talks of transferring his remains from his hometown to the abbey, but they decided to keep the remains in the original graveside.

The abbey has witnessed the carnations, and funerals of several Kings and Queens but it is still here, and till this day functions as a place of worship. There are monks who live in this historical building.

Charles Darwin, whose theory of natural selection and evolution are considered blasphemous, is also also buried here. I was bemused by the irony. Take that Creationists. The only other scientist who is honoured here is Sir Isaac Newton.

There was also a prayer request for a Muslim who is being tortured. I found that very touching. Here in a Christian house of worship they are requesting for a safe return of a Muslim soldier. I think people need these little reminders to help them realize that religion is not the source of all evils, but it is just used as a device to increase barriers between people.

All in all, I enjoyed my vist to the abbey. Moreover, it seemed like they were having a North America Appreciation Day today. The place was full of North Americans. The reason I am stressing on North America, so much, because I have already been mistaken for an American THREE times. This has left me feeling very insecure about my "aboot's" and "eh's".

After the abbey, my sister and I went to the newly opened Westfield Mall to check out the British retail stores. Needles to say, because of the Boxing Day, the mall was extremely crowded. I guess, that is a good thing, hopefully our global economy would improve with more people spending their money. However, I was shocked by the globalization. They have AMERICAN Apparel here. I was so shocked to see this store that I even took a picture of it. Their H&M, The Body Shop, La Senza, Zara, and ALDO are exactly like the ones in Toronto. I have to admit the British GAP is a lot more colourful than the ones I have seen in Canada and the States. I really liked the bags they had at Accessorize, but even with the sales everything was extremely over-priced for me.

The biggest culture shock was the food court at the mall. The food court had a sushi bar, and many other proper restaurant-like food kiosks. No wonder we are the ones fighting obesity. When the British people are eating healthy proper meals during the shopping breaks, we are busy stuffing our faces with New York Fries, McDonalds, KFC, et al. Here was another shocker. They serve food in proper stoneware plates, and silverware; as opposed to where I am from, where all we get is styrofoam plates, and plastic spoons and forks. I guess their way is better for the environment, but recyclable plates would have been more time efficient.

After the mall, my sister and I walked around the posh Kensington area. This is where we saw the brightly lit Harrods. Then we hopped on random double-deckers and got a tour of the city, in its Christmas glory.

By the way, it is extremely cold here. It seems like the cold wind follows me, wherever I go. The sun rises really late, and goes down really early.

Okay, I shall get some sleep. I have an early day tomorrow, and my eyes are closing on me.

LDN 1: Happy Christmas

2008-12-25T12:41:00.007-08:00

My flight from home to London was delayed, due to the bad weather, so my sister and I were stuck at the airport for at least 3 hours. Since we got here on Christmas Day and everything was closed, including their transit system, we ended up staying at Holiday Inn Ariel. It is a good and reasonably priced hotel to stay in, if you have a layover in London and you want something comfortable. The day was spent catching up on sleep, and watching the British telly. I have to tell you the British soap Eastenders is bazzaringly interesting. In the evening, we went for a walk and picked up bread and cheese for dinner (I guess we are trying to prepare for our trip to Paris).

In Toronto, we have trash cans (both for recycling and garbage) at every street corner, but that is hardly the case here in London. I wonder how they keep the city clean. Or maybe there is a conspiracy, maybe they are only visible to the locals.

My personal goal during my 5 day stay in London is to get over the love and enthralment I feel for this city. But I have to admit the city keeps amazing me. I keep wondering what it feels like to live in this city. The city has so much to offer, both historically, culturally, and socially. At the Heathrow Airport they had special visible arrangements made for the travellers seeking political assylum. I have not seen that in Canada or the US. Yes, we have refugees in Canada, but even our immigration and refugee policies owe a lot to Britain.

I wonder, what Londoners feel about living in the midst of all the attractions that draw so many tourists to their city.

Happy Christmas, everyone. Apparently that is how the British say, Merry Christmas. Sounded very weird the first time I heard it. But, now, it has grown on me.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2008-12-23T16:38:00.006-08:00

I apologize, my dear readers, for not blogging lately. I have been busy with planning a trip for the holidays. You see, I am leaving for London and Paris (Yes, Dickens' twin cities) soon. So the trip planning really took a major toll on my time and social life. But at least now that I know what I am going to do during my trip, hopefully I would be able to relax and enjoy myself :).

I am not sure if I would have the internet in London, but I will try to keep you guys updated from Paris. Turns out my procrastination paid off, and I was able to rent an apartment in Paris. The apartment is in this bourgeois neighbourhood, and the legend has it that Ernest Hemingway used to hang around there. Plus, I got a very good deal. I did some serious e-bargaining via the email, and tried to dazzle the guy with shameless emoticon smiling. It all paid off, folks :) - See, I am doing it again.

I am very excited. It all sounds very exciting. Travelling in the midst of an economic crisis. And, people think I don't know how to live on the edge :).

Until the next post, I would like to wish you guys a Happy Belated Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Year. And since I am from Canada, and we are all about political correctness, I would like to wish you all very happy and safe holidays.

THREAD

2008-12-16T04:20:00.001-08:00

THREAD
by Dan Chiasson

I lack the rigor of a lightning bolt,
the weight of an anchor. I am
frayed where it would be highly useful—
and this I feel perpetually—to make a point.

I think if I can concentrate I might turn sharp.
Only, I don’t know how to concentrate—
I know only the look of someone concentrating,
indistinguishable from nearsightedness.

It is hard for you to be near me,
my silly intensity shuffling
all the insignia of interiority.
Knowing me never made anyone a needle.

Source: The New Yorker

Slumdog Millionaire

2008-12-12T20:35:00.022-08:00

So I finally watched Slumdog Millionaire. There is so much to say about this movie, and I am gonna try my best to not give anything away. I have never seen a movie like this, and I can't recommend it enough.

In one word, Slumdog Millionaire is inspiring.
I don't even know where to begin.

Okay first something about Simon Beaufoy's screenplay, which is based on Vikas Swarup's novel Q & A. The screenplay is not a close adaptation, but the story unfolds in the same manner as the book. I think the reason Beaufoy only followed the premise of the book, because even though the book is about "Jamal" (in the book the protagonist has a different name), the novel seems like a compilation of several vaguely similar short stories. I personally can't compare the screenplay with the novel. They are equally amazing, and go beautifully together. I can't believe Simon Beaufoy, who had never been to India prior to writing this most awe-inspiring script, was able to capture the lives and struggles of these slum kids with such blatant honesty.

Okay now about the direction. Danny Boyle is brilliant and extremely observant. He captures every little detail about Mumbai. I have never been to Mumbai, but I have been to Karachi enough times to know how these developing metropolises work. The rich are extremely rich, and the poor are poor beyond our imagination. Young children are bathing in murky water, and their mothers are doing laundry in the same water. I have actually seen that happening in Karachi. Again, you MUST go watch this movie to really appreciate the dedication that went into making this movie. I really hope Danny Boyle gets an Oscar for bringing this amazing story to our ignorant Western lives.

The acting is brilliant. The story follows Jamal's life from his childhood to adulthood. The child actors in the movie are actual slum kids. This part made the movie watching experience more painful, and the story more authentic. I have to admit, I was cringing and covering my eyes, grabbing onto my jacket to keep myself from bawling my eyes out in public. Everyone in the movie is brilliant, and does complete justice to their respective roles.

The background score is produced by A.R. Rahman, who is a brilliant musician. When asked about Rahman, Danny Boyle said, he doesn't know how to explain Rahman's musical brilliance to the Western audience, who are not fully familiar with his music. I am not a big Hindi music person, but I have always been an admirer of A. R. Rahman's songs, especially Chaiyya Chaiyya, and Ae Ajnabi. Sorry, going back to Slumdog Millionaire's soundtrack. Again, the music is so amazing that I am listening to it right now as we speak. Each character has their own distinctive theme. Again, another thing I would urge you to spend your money on: buy the Soundtrack :). My favourite song (there are so many to choose from) is the one called Dreams on Fire by A. R. Rahman and featuring Suzzanne. But again every single song on the record is worth your penny.

Before going to the movie, I was wondering why don't the good folks in India (Bollywood) make movies about the slums in Mumbai. Instead of showing the poverty in India, Hindi movies show rich Indians living in extravagant houses. But after watching the movie I found my answer. The reason we have the heart to watch movies about slums in India, and extreme poverty is because these atrocities are not part of OUR reality. We spend 12 bucks on a ticket, watch the movie, get moved by it, and return to our heated homes. But, a person in India who sees the slums, or is from the slums would not like to spend his or hers hard day's earning, just so he or she can be reminded of their ubiquitous brutal reality. They need a break. They need to escape from that reality and for a few hours want to be dazzled with the Indian singing and dancing, so they can witness and experience something other than watching kids fight for the last piece of bread, or just basic shelter. The other thing that is shown in the movie is how Indians literally worship the Bollywood stars. To them these are the screen gods who allow them to dream, who provide them with temporary happiness, and an escape from their lives.

Again, I can't recommend this movie or the book or the soundtrack enough. Please do go watch it. Films like this don't come around too often.

p.s. I hope they fly out the child actors to LA for the Oscars, because they need to be a part of the celebration and critical accolade.

Happy Carcass Day

2008-12-07T21:04:00.024-08:00

Otherwise known as Eid ul Adha. In the Islamic lunar calendar we have two Eids (Christmas like festivals). Just in case you mess up on the gifts the first time around, you can make up for it on the second Eid. See, for instance, my friend didn't get anything for his girlfriend on the first Eid, which enraged her, as she had gone all out for his present. So, this Eid (I almost wrote Christmas) he got her three presents, and during the economic crisis too. So that ought to count for something.

Out of the two Eids, the second one, the one today, is my least favourite. The reason I call it a Carcass Holiday, because this Eid is a nightmare for non-meat-eaters, such as yours truly. See, on this Eid, raw meat is distributed among the poor and relatives. A portion of the meat is kept and cooked for big family feasts. Therefore, there are hardly any vegetarian options at these extravagant dinners.

So if you love meat and love food, I would strongly recommend you to find yourself a Muslim buddy, just like Bart Simpson, and indulge in the meaty goodness that this holiday promises.

If you have no idea why I just name-dropped Bart Simpson to legitimatize this Muslim holiday, I am talking about the Simpsons episode called "Mypods and Boomsticks". Here are a few clips from the episode (the only ones I could find on YouTube) to get you all caught up:

On his way home from the mall, narrowly escaping being attacked by the "phonies", Bart gets allured by the BBQ smell, coming from someone's backyard. He goes in to find a Muslim boy, Bashir, bbqing lamb. He loves the exotic cuisine, and befriends Bashir. But, then Moe et al fill up Homer's head with Islamophobic comments, and Homer suspects that Bashir's parents are terrorists.

The episode ends off with the following message:

Now that I have outted Muslims for loving meat, I hope PETA people don't turn into the Eid Grinch.

In all seriousness, this holiday is not that bad. There are opportunities for people to provide meals for orphans in impoverished villages around the world. So these poor children can also be a part of the holiday festivities.

A Puddle of Mush

2008-12-06T19:07:00.017-08:00

Perhaps I should wait till Valentine's Day to expose my mushy side. But, I am a giant puddle of mush right now, so I figure writing about these embarrassing guilty pleasures, would be an effective way to evade me of my temporary insanity.

So here goes (in no particular order)...

1. The Prince & Me (2004)
I like this movie for sentimental reasons. It was filmed at my alma mater, in one of the several chemistry labs I had to take. The movie came out when I was taking pre-med requisites, so I felt some sort of kinship with the female lead, Paige Morgan (played by Julia Stiles). Paige falls in love with the Prince of Denmark, who for some reason has a British accent. Shouldn't he have a Scandinavian accent? But, hey, I am not the one to complain :). Regardless of the alluring accent, the best aspect of the movie: the girl is strong and she doesn't have to make sacrifices to be in love. Usually in the popular media, it is almost always the female lead who has to give up on her dreams to have that proverbial happily ever after. Even on Friends, Rachel had to give up on her Paris-dream to be with Ross. (Yes, clearly, I am still peeved about the Friends finale).

2. Two Weeks Notice (2002)
I love Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock's chemistry. I love Bullock's character Lucy, who is an environmental lawyer, working hard for various social causes. She is smart and headstrong. Hugh Grant is very dashing and charming.

3. Wimbledon (2004)

4. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) - Translation: The lover will take the bride
In spite of its cheesy title, this was my first Hindi/Bollywood movie. So if you are considering on getting on the whole Bollywood bandwagon, I would strongly recommend this film. The story is very simple and extremely sweet. The movie is about two British-Indians who fall in love during their trip to Europe. The way the story unfolds is beautiful, because these two couldn't be any different. But when they get back to London, the male-lead finds out that the girl is already engaged to someone in India. The girl leaves for India, and the guy goes after her. There is a lot of singing and dancing involved, and the male-lead is very charming :). I think this is by far the best Indian movie I have seen.

5. Mulan (1998)
How can I not love this movie! There is an evil matchmaker encounter at the beginning of the movie. Mulan is unlike any other Disney princess; that girl can kick butt. This movie, I reckon, can be blamed for my love for Spring Blossom trees. Yes, sadly, I have a favourite tree.

Okay, now my turn to reveal my sappy book choices.

Love Story
You have probably heard of the most famous and beat up quote from this book: "Love means never having to say you are sorry." They even made fun of this line on the Simpsons. I have read this book a gazillion times, and know it by heart by now. Whenever I am sick, and too brain-dead to read anything, this is the book I turn to. It is a sweet romantic story, but it is not cheesy.

Breakfast at Tiffany's
This novella by Truman Capote is ten times better than its film adaptation. Capote is an amazing writer. I love the way he has written this story; leaving the reader with a little glimpse of hope.

Now time to reveal my absolute mushy songs. Again, in no particular order:

1. Lady in Red by Chris De Burgh
Wars have been fought over this song. When my friend and I first discovered this song, we argued to decide who would get to make this particular song their wedding song. The battle is still unsettled, so whoever gets married first would get to play this song at her reception.

2. Take My Breath Away by Berlin
I absolutely love this song. Nothing can kill this song for me. Not even Jessica Simpson.

3. Heaven by DJ Sammy
This was the song, when it came out. It was the song they played at my high school formal. It brings me back to those times of gleeful innocence, where you are not so jaded by the reality, and things are still very rosy.

4. Edge of the Ocean by Ivy
She is dreaming about a place where the sun never goes down. It gives me that twirly feeling :).

5. Dreaming of You by Selena
I absolutely love this song. It is such a bittersweet song.

6. With or Without You by U2
U2 is my favourite band. I know, a lot of this has to do with Bono's humanitarian efforts. But, I think their music has evolved with time, and yet they have somehow managed to stay true to their genre. I think, it is a very sweet song.

7. Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits
I love the lines: "I can't do everything but I would do anything for you / I can't do anything except be in love with you."

8. When the Stars Go Blue by The Corrs & Bono
This is the perfect wedding-first-dance song. I know there are many versions of this song, but I only love this one.

9. Fidelity by Regina Spektor
I think, this song right here describes me to a T.

10. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking for by U2
Another U2 song. I figure this song would be the perfect way to finish off this post.

Confused OH-EH

2008-12-04T20:05:00.006-08:00

Now that the American politics has settled in somewhat; Canada has decided to stir up some political drama of our own. See we are not all "aboot" hunting, and hiking (Great, I'm making fun of my own people). We are finally trying to be as politically interesting as our neighbours to the South.

So here is the low down. In October we had elections, and the Conservatives were re-elected for another term. But, with the economic fallout the opposition parties (Liberals, NDP, and Bloc Quebecois), decided to graciously entertain and distract people with some unnecessary political drama, which unfolded today. The opposition parties claimed that Prime Minister Harper broke his campaign promises, and should therefore resign. The Prime Minister retorted that the opposition parties do not have a constitutional right to dissolve the government. The opposition parties were planning to hold a no-confidence vote on Monday, in the parliament, to dissolve Harper's government.

But, Harper got up early in the morning and met up with Governor General Michaelle Jean, and convinced her to suspend the parliament until January 26th. This gives Harper enough time to revamp the federal budget, and hopefully create enough suspense and "will they, won't they drama" to steal America's thunder. You see, the world finally gets rid of Bush on January 20th, six days before our parliament is reinstated.

I believe, Governor General Jean, Queen Elizabeth II's representative, made the right decision. This would not only give Prime Minister Harper time to fix the problems in the new budget, which is scheduled to be announced on January 27th, but it would also provide the opposition parties an opportunity to realize that Liberal Party leader, Stephane Dion, is nowhere near ready to be our next Prime Minister. Some prominent MPs of his own party are against his leadership, and have suggested that a new party leader should be announced before the 26th. NDP leader, Jack Layton, could be the next Prime Minister, if they still decide to go through the parliamentary vote in January. But that would mean that Layton's staff would constantly have to be on the Internet, plagiarizing Obama's speeches and ideals, and selling it to us poor Canadians.

But in some ways I am grateful to the opposition leaders for providing us an opportunity to join a facebook group which has a direct relevance to our national policies. See earlier this year, my friends, due to the lack of options and our dull politics, had joined Obama's facebook group, even though they had no say in the debacle we call the US elections.

By the way, I think Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth would be proud to know that the Governor General decided to suspend the parliament, when she met up with Harper, over morning TEA. Seriously, we are so British with our tea mannerism, and so American with our political drama. We are oh so confused.

p.s. A most un-Canadian caper - I love this article. It shows how this recent political uncertainty we find ourselves in, is so un-Canadian.

My Two Cents

2008-12-03T14:59:00.015-08:00

Calling All Pakistanis
In this article, Thomas L. Friedman suggests, Pakistanis should take to the streets to peacefully protest the Mumbai attacks. He points out, the Pakistani government and media have strongly condemned the attacks. But, India needs to be reminded that their Pakistani neighbours are with them in the mourning of at least 173 innocent lives. If Pakistanis don't explicitly show their disdain for the attacks, the relations between their neighbours and them would deteriorate, immensely.

At the same time, India should realize the enemy is not Pakistan per se, but it is these heartless individuals, who think they can achieve whatever distorted goals they have in their minds, by taking innocent lives. The world and Indians need to be reminded that Pakistanis really do care for their Indian brothers and sisters. The world also needs to be reminded that you can only curb terrorism in Pakistan with education.

Terrorism That's Personal
Every time I look at this picture, I get shivers down my spine, and my heart sinks in. But then I realize, I only have to see this picture for what a few seconds. This woman, on the other hand, has to live with this face for the rest of her life, unless someone pays for her surgery. Like many other women from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and India, Naeema Azar was attacked by her former husband, who threw acid in her face. Why, you ask? Ms. Azar used to earn a decent living, but decided to divorce her husband, when he became interested in another woman. After their divorce was finalized, the husband requested to come by the house to bid farewell to their children. Naeema was sleeping, and he attacked her with acid, which not only burned her face, but caused her to lose her eyesight, and her ability to support herself and her three children.

Nicholas Kristof, who is reporting from Pakistan these days, said he had the first draft ready for an article about the Mumbai attacks, but instead decided to write about this grotesque form of terrorism, which we really don't hear about in the news. In November, a group of Afghani men attacked school going girls with acid. In this part of the world, women really don't matter. In Nepal, they are sold like commodities to the brothels in Mumbai, India.

Terrorism is, sadly, not just about people blowing up hotels, and killing foreigners. But it exists silently in the streets of Pakistan, where these nameless women are subjugated and pushed to the curb, when all they have done is dared to speak their minds.

I really hope to travel to these places one day, and do my small bit to help these women, and young children.

Until then...

Mukhtar Mai
Progressive Women's Association

War and Peace

2008-11-30T15:46:00.008-08:00

PEACE
by Stanley Moss

The trade of war is over, there are no more battles,
but simple murder is still in.
The No God, Time, creeps his way,
universe after universe, like a great snapping turtle
opening its mouth wagging its tongue
to look like a worm or leech
so deceived hungry fish, every living thing
swims in to feed. Quarks long for dark holes,
atoms butter up molecules, protons do unto neutrons
what they would have neutrons do unto them.
The trade of war has been over so long,
the meaning of war in the O.E.D. is now “nonsense.”
In the Russian Efron Encyclopedia,
war, voina, means “dog shit”;
in the Littré, guerre is “a verse form, obsolete”;
in Germany, Krieg has become “a whipped-cream pastry”;
Sea of Words, the Chinese dictionary,
has war, zhan zheng, as “making love in public,”
while war in Arabic and Hebrew, with the same
Semitic throat, harb and milchamah, is defined
as “anything our distant grandfathers ate
we no longer find tempting—like the eyes of sheep.”
And lions eat grass.

Source: The New Yorker

Mumbai Attacks

2008-11-28T20:58:00.022-08:00

The siege in Mumbai's Taj Hotel just ended a few minutes ago. My thoughts and prayers go out to the people in Mumbai. May you find strength and hope to recover from this extreme act of terrorism.

The Special Sting of Personal Terrorism
It is ironic that last week, in the New York Times' 'Week in Review' there was an article about American-born-Indians choosing to work in India, their ancestral country, because of America's failing economy, and India's emergence as one of the fastest growing financial centres. But in the Mumbai attacks, we saw that the terrorists cherry picked their targets. Unlike the previous attacks, the terrorists had a close encounter with the victims. They asked the hostages their names, and decided their fate based on their nationality and religion.

At times like this, it is crucial that we keep in mind that scapegoating people of one particular religion will not help us in solving the epidemic of terrorism. We really need to put aside our bogus differences, and really need to work together to fix the problems our world is facing. I know, I sound like a broken record.

What They Hate About Mumbai

As this article points out, the attacks may have originated in Pakistan, but it will be India's Muslims who would have to endure the backlash.

“The Second Coming” - William Butler Yeats

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

Mirror Mirror, who's the fairest of them all?

2008-11-26T20:03:00.016-08:00

Imagine a species that can challenge our claim of being the ONE and ONLY species of the Highest Order.

What does that species look like?
Does it look like us?
Or does it look something like E.T., a friendly alien from Steven Spielberg's movie E.T., with inflated and elongated head and protruding eyes?

Or does it look more beautiful than us?

A recent discussion with my sister got me thinking that as humans we are very resourceful, creative, and generous when it comes to giving ugly attributes to say a friendly alien, or a mutant. But unfortunately we cannot imagine a single biped, extraterristial or earthly, which is better looking than us.

Thomas Huxley, a 19th century anatomist, pointed out, only egocentric species, such as humans, could deny having similar anatomical traits as primates. Maybe if our closest genetic relatives, chimpanzees and orangutans, were LESS hairy and a bit MORE "attractive", naysayers would be more than willing to accept the reality of evolution.

Also, if you look at computer generated images of our early ancestors, they look less attractive than us. The most recently discovered ancestors of ours, Homo floresiensis, were nicknamed Hobbit by the popular media. Maybe there is some pleasure involved in outgrowing one's ancestors, but that is hardly a politically correct way of referring to our genetic progenitors.

In science fictional accounts, aliens are either less attractive than us, or they take our anthropomorphic forms. We often hear that our imagination is limitless, but my imagination fails me to come up with a species (earthly or martian), which trumps our attractiveness. I am not talking about enhancing our own human characteristics, or eugenics. I am referring to our collective high self-regard, and limited creativity, which fails us in imagining a bipedal species which is better looking than us.

A couple of weeks ago, evolutionary biologist Olivia Judson in her blog entry "Wanted: Intelligent Aliens, for a Research Project" pointed out, humans usually rate themselves high when it comes to being more attractive, funny, intelligent, and reckon themselves to be below average when it comes to "bad" traits such as, racism, dishonesty, and so on. So our personal bias dictates that we are far more intelligent and attractive [1]; and far less dishonest than we actually are. Maybe it is this personal bias that stops us from imagining a species far more attractive than us.

Here is my favourite paragraph from the aforementioned article:

"Moreover, in our assessments of other animals, we are consistently surprised. My favorite example of this comes from a headline in Nature a few years ago that announced that 'sheep are not so stupid after all.' The reason for the re-evaluation of ovine intelligence was a series of elegant experiments that showed that sheep can recognize and remember other sheep. But sheep are social animals: they live in flocks. It would be astonishing if they could not do this. (A sheep newspaper would no doubt have run the headline, 'Humans Amazed Again!')"

[1] However, most people I know underestimate their looks.

The following video shows that our concept of beauty, just like everything else in this world, revolves around us. Accentuate a couple of facial features, make them symmetrical and voila you're beautiful.
"No wonder our perception of beauty is distorted."

Safe Trip Home

2008-11-22T08:30:00.005-08:00

I am a HUGE Dido fan. Her voice is very unique and soothing. I have enormous respect for anyone who writes their own lyrics. Dido, not only wrote the songs on this record, but was also her own band. She played the piano, drums, and this flutey instrument.

This record has a very post-breakup/self-awakening vibe. My favourite tracks, so far, are:
Track 2 - Quiet Times
Track 3 - Never Want to Say it's Love
Track 5 - It Comes and it Goes
Track 6 - Look No Further
Track 7 - Us 2 Little Gods
Track 10 - Burnin Love
Track 11 - Northern Skies

My all time favourite Dido songs in no particular order are:
Life for Rent
Here with Me (filmed in Toronto, I think; judging by the streetcar)
Sand in My Shoes
Stan (her collaboration with Eminem)
Thank You

Garden State

2008-11-20T08:53:00.009-08:00

Last night, I finally got around to watching Garden State by Zach Braff. I have been meaning to watch this movie for a while now, and had the soundtrack, which is amazing by the way. Since I am also reading Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises these days, I couldn't help myself from drawing parallels between the two.

Hemingway's semi-autobiographical The Sun Also Rises is about the expatriate lifestyle many American writers opted for in the Post-World War I era. But one doesn't have to leave his or her country to feel alone and lost, you can feel that even at your home. It is this feeling of dismal depression, Zach Braff's character finds himself in. Braff's character is a struggling desolate actor living in Los Angeles, who doesn't have his life in order. He returns home to New Jersey, the Garden State, for his mom's funeral, and during his short stay reconnects with old high school buddies.

Zach Braff, who also wrote and directed this movie, during the post-production said, we go through physical puberty in our teens, but our 20s are about mental emancipation. I think once school is done and you have achieved whatever academic goals you had set out for yourself, and you start to take your first steps into the real world, you get this sense of awakening. In some cases, it is the realization, is that what you were working so hard for, is that why you pulled all those all-nighters in university?

The other feeling that I have to deal with is this sense of lack of achievement. For instance, in my case there are still a lot of books that I have to read. So many authors I haven't read. Take Ernest Hemingway for example, he is a renowned American author, and this is only the second book of his I am reading. Or the fact that I still have to crack open my copy of War and Peace that I purchased a couple of months ago. I still have to read Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.

I had the same sense of under-achievement when I was reading Raphael's biography the other day. Raphael painted The School of Athens in his late 20s. I have had the pleasure of seeing some of his masterpieces in their original form, in my early teenage years, and now reading about his achievements reminded me of the ambitions I had then.

In the movie, Zach Braff's character says something along the lines that you can't wait for your life to happen you have to start living it now.

I am not measuring my achievements in the amount of books I have read, or the artwork I have seen. I have graduated with distinction from one of the best universities in the world, and in some people's eyes that is a big achievement. But, I personally don't see that as an achievement, I could be proud of. And, this is not a case of false humility. In terms of knowledge and wisdom, there is still so much I don't know. I still have to read and benefit from the literary masterpieces of great minds such as Tolstoy, George Elliot, George Orwell, Thomas More, I can keep going...

But, I guess this is what the 20s are all about. Finding our place in the world, and making sure we don't get lost in obscurity of the whole 9 to 5 quotidian.

Proposition 8

2008-11-14T17:10:00.004-08:00

Proposition 8, the California measure that bans same-sex marriage, passed by a 52 percent to 48 percent margin. What reasons did people give for voting for it?

17% Always vote yes to everything
16% Marriages are already gay enough
11% Thought it would be last good opportunity to deny someone civil rights
5% Proposition was a lot of reading
4% Still trying to prove not gay after that one night with Sean
2% Unhappily married gay people too lazy to get a divorce
.001% Love and support their son Frederick, but didn't want to see him make a mistake by marrying that good-for-nothing Manuel

Source: The Onion

Arbeit macht frei

2008-11-13T06:01:00.005-08:00

War Crimes.

Who do you punish for war crimes? They are ordered by a political leader, and carried on by soldiers, who are just doing their jobs.

"But executioners don't hate the people they execute, and they execute them all the same. Because they are ordered to? You think they do it because they're ordered to? And you think that I'm talking about orders and obedience, that the guards in the camps [Nazi concentration camps] were under orders and had to obey?...An executioner is not under orders and obedience. He's doing his work, he doesn't hate the people he executes, he's not taking revenge on them, he's not killing them because they're in his way or threatening him or attacking. They're a matter of such indifference to him that he can kill them as easily as not."

The above lines are taken from the book 'The Reader', which I recently finished reading. The book is about relationships, and the morality of war crimes. It is very well-written and in my opinion is a must read. If you haven't read it yet, I can't recommend this book enough. The film adaptation stars Kate Winslet, and the movie comes out in December.

In the book, the narrator, who had an illicit affair with a former SS guard when he was 15 years old, struggles with the moral dilemma: What does loving a Nazi make him? The narrator also belongs to the generation that grew up in Post WWII Germany, and has to not only deal with his own moral predicament but is also burdened with his nation's guilt.

In the past, I have compared the Holocaust to the genocide in Darfur. But reading Bernhard Schlink (the author)'s description of the concentration camps not only reminded me of Anne Frank and the plight she went through, but also about our modern-day version of Auschwitz, Guantanamo Bay. Guantanamo Bay was commissioned by the Bush administration so those with "terroristic" inclinations could be sent away to Cuba, where they wouldn't have to be treated according to the Geneva Convention treaties. Its defenders say the treaties of Geneva Convention don't apply to the Guantanamo detainees because Al-Qaeeda and Taleban terrorists are not uniformed soldiers, they don't belong to any particular country's military. Yes, they are not legitimate uniformed soldiers, but they are humans. Shouldn't we be treating all humans with respect!

The much revered Western value, innocent until proven guilty doesn't apply to Gitmo suspects. Upon their arrival they are already considered extremely dangerous, referred to as "enemy combatants", and are put through extreme abuse. They are not only denied legal liberties, but also face extreme torture.

The only Western foreigner left at Gitmo is Canadian born Omar Khadr. He was sent to Gitmo when he was only 15, accused of killing a US soldier. He has already spent 6 years there, and is 21 now. I am not gonna speculate whether he willingly committed the crime or not, that's for the jury to decide. BUT, a vulnerable child shouldn't be housed in the same prison as other grown men. Not much has been done to provide him with the same rights he would have had in his birth country.

The guards believe that the detainees deserve the treatment they are graciously bestowed upon at Gitmo. President-elect Obama has said he would put an end to the atrocities that go on in Guantanamo. But the question is where would he send them? So far out of 225 prisoners (mostly Muslims) only 23 have been charged. The crime of other 204 detainees: They have the ultimate horror of having Muslim names.

Once Gitmo is eventually closed down, would the guards be persecuted, like their SS predecessors? Till this day we still don't know enough about what actually goes on at Gitmo. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Diaz was court-martialed because he publicized the names of Gitmo detainees. Humanitarian organizations, such as the United Nations and Amnesty International have been denied access to the camps and the interrogation rooms.

I think the reason Holocaust still effects us because decades after decades we keep repeating the mistakes of Nazi Germany. There's always some ideology that prompts its adherents to wage a political vendetta against innocent people, who are guilty of having the "wrong" pigmentation, or belonging to the "wrong" religion.

Inside Guantanamo - Photo Essay
Inside the Interrogation of Detainee 063

Racism in America

2008-11-05T13:49:00.002-08:00

WASHINGTON—African-American man Barack Obama, 47, was given the least-desirable job in the entire country Tuesday when he was elected president of the United States of America. In his new high-stress, low-reward position, Obama will be charged with such tasks as completely overhauling the nation’s broken-down economy, repairing the crumbling infrastructure, and generally having to please more than 300 million Americans and cater to their every whim on a daily basis. As part of his duties, the black man will have to spend four to eight years cleaning up the messes other people left behind. The job comes with such intense scrutiny and so certain a guarantee of failure that only one other person even bothered applying for it. Said scholar and activist Mark L. Denton, “It just goes to show you that, in this country, a black man still can’t catch a break.”

Source: The Onion.

Yes We Can. Yes We Did.

2008-11-04T20:15:00.009-08:00

friend says:
i think its official
friend says:
congrats
zany says:
the happiest day of my life
friend says:
i swear i worry for ur hubby
zany says:
why
friend says:
babe is this this happiest day of ur life (wedding)
friend says:
ummm......i can't say it is
zany says:
lol
zany says:
no sorry
zany says:
my happiest day of life was back in november 08
zany says:
when obama won

In the words of Dr. King, "Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty we are free at last!"

I am so glad Barack Hussein Obama actually won the presidency, and I am alive to see this day. I can hear people blaring their horns, and this is in Canada. I can only imagine how people are celebrating in the States. His story is definitely one of resilience and hard work. People around the world were rooting for this guy, and that alone is a strong sign of leadership.

"Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them." (Shakespeare, Twelfth Night)

Congratulations Mr. President, you are an inspiration to all of us. God Bless America! =).

Alan Bennett: The Uncommon Reader

2008-11-01T18:21:00.012-07:00

The Uncommon Reader is a modern day fairytale about reading. The author Alan Bennett toys with a very unlikely possibility: what would happen if Her Majesty became a voracious reader. The Queen of England starts reading the likes of Proust, Henry James, Nabokov, T.S. Eliot, among many others. Reading ends up making her more introspective, and she realizes, reading is like a muscle, the more you read, the more you learn to enjoy it.

Consequently, her staff is not too happy about her new endeavor. They are worried, her reading would further alienate her from her subjects. Their concern, she shouldn't be doing something which her subjects are not too keen on. Reading is seen as an elitist activity. This part reminded me of the US politics. Poor Obama has been criticized of being an elitist both by Clinton (in the primaries) and McCain, because of his intelligence and eloquence. Based on modern day political wisdom, we want our leaders to sound stupid.

Moreover, reading is a symbol of status. People are judged based on the books they read. A few months ago, I read this essay in the New York Times called, It's Not You, It's Your Books. Basically if a guy has to impress a girl with his reading, he shouldn't be mentioning the names of middlebrow authors such as Dan Brown. An avid reader of Russian authors like Pushkin and Tolstoy would be considered irresistible among the highbrow book-nerds. So the old saying, never judge a book by its cover, could be rephrased to, never judge a reader by the books he or she reads. I guess, the act of reading is not just about losing oneself to the world one is not familiar with. Or learning about people's experiences and stories. Or even finding comfort in the knowledge that our personal struggles are very universal, and not so unique after all. But our choice of books tells others something about us. I am a huge fan of Margaret Atwood, so maybe loving her books makes me a feminist. I also like reading books where the characters have conflicted-personalities. This doesn't mean I am conflicted (well, let's just hope not), but I just like complex characters.

This book, however, was not complex at all. It is a very quick read, arguing for the importance of reading. As the Queen mentions in the book, reading is an act anyone can do. It transcends cultural and social boundaries. All you need is a library card, and voila you have earned a free pass to an endless world of new adventures and knowledge. Reading is the least egocentric activity. However, the aforementioned article, contradicts this statement.

Reading to me is a personal experience, something we do alone. Most of us don't go to the movies alone, or watch the telly alone. But when we are reading, it is just us and the book we are flipping through. Sometimes these books make us cry and there are times they make us laugh out loud. I started reading Nick Hornby's 'Slam' last night, and the book has already made me snicker twice.

I don't know when reading became a status symbol, or why it is considered a boring and/or an elitist activity...

Goosebumps

2008-10-31T17:12:00.009-07:00

I have to admit, I find horror movies extremely lame and stupid. Personally, The Ring was the only movie I found to be truly scary. In honour of Halloween I thought I would put up pictures of these 5 haunted buildings. Courtesy of CityNews. So if you are in Toronto it would be best to stay away from these places tonight ;).

5. Old City Hall

It is believed, the ghosts of Robert Turpin and Arthur Lucas, last two men sentenced to death in Canada, still roam around this building, where their death sentences were announced. Both of these men were believed to be wrongly convicted, so now their ghosts are supposedly avenging their deaths by mysteriously pulling on judges' robes. Cheeky delinquents, eh?

4. The Royal York Hotel
The staff has reported mysterious screams coming from the stairwell leading to the top two floors, which house the maintenance staff. These stairwells are monitored by a camera and motion sensors, but no visual evidence has been found of the screaming. The ghost of one of the staff members, who hung himself in the stairwell, is held responsible of the screaming. Moreover, some have witnessed spirit of an old man walking the hallways on the 8th floor. So remember if you are staying at this posh hotel, never to book a room on the 8th floor or on the top floors. Gravity is your friend, stay on one of the bottom floors.

3. Keg Mansion

The spookiness of this steakhouse is another good reason to become a vegetarian. Visitors have witnessed paranormal feminine presence in the ladies room. Apparently there is a mysterious pair of eyes which follow around people. If you are there be sure to flush, you don't want those peepers to follow you to the dining area now.

2. The Guild Inn

Mysterious sightings of a soldier with one blue and one brown eye have been reported. Loud noises and random temperature drops have also been experienced by the visitors.

1. The Old Don Jail

This 19th century penitentiary has housed more than its share of evildoers. The last two capital punishments were also carried on here. Let's just say the inmates were not treated too kindly here. Last year human remains were discovered in the parking lot. People have seen ghost of an angry blond female inside the building.

So now that you have been warned.
Have a HAPPY AND SAFE HALLOWEEN!!!!!

Happy Birthday Me!

2008-10-30T20:32:00.025-07:00

Okay so half an hour left till my birthday is officially over. I clearly overreacted, but as a friend kindly pointed out, it is never too early to start overreacting about getting old.

It was one of the best birthdays I have had so far. Thank ya'll for making it special and putting up with my bday rants.

By the way, they have the best vegetarian menu at Alice Fazooli's. Their Penne Arrabbiata and Margherita Pizza is to die for. The dessert was really good too, and it came with a sparkler (Thanks, Hotchick^n).

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Jack Astor's jalapeno veggie tacos, going there this Sunday with friends =). Last time I did a bday dinner there, which was like ages ago, they made me stand on a chair, when they brought out the cake (Thanks for that, Bee). Not doing it this time. I am much older now. Might even have trouble climbing on and/or off the chair.

In the not so self-absorbed ramblings. Fox News reported that Joe the Plumber has joined McCain on the campaign trail. I can't believe Americans are relying on this dumbwit to show them the light. "We have learned more about Senator Obama's real goals for the country over the last few weeks then we've learned over the last two years and that's only because Joe the Plumber asked him the right questions." [Politico]

What right questions? This guy has been insinuating that Obama has anti-semitic inclinations, just so that McCain can win over the voters in Florida. The American election is making me nervous to the point that I have stopped reading anything that's related to poll rankings.

Here's hoping for a blissful year. I am looking at you my neighbours to the south.

p.s. Special thanks go out to changetheworld360, you are really so sweet =). Your post sincerely touched my heart. Thank you so much. Also, thanks Josh for remembering.

I think I maybe going soft in my old age :).

Islamic Pickup Lines

2008-10-28T21:03:00.011-07:00

Jury might still be out whether Muslims have a sense of humour. But at least we can find solace in the fact that Muslim guys are just about as corny as the rest of men out there :P.

1. OMG!! I just saw part of your hair, now you are obligated to marry me.
2. Wanna date? I bought a whole box when I went to madinah.
3. Marry me so I don't have to lower my gaze everytime you walk into the room.
4. Girl you so fine. I see praying 5 times a day has really payed off.
5. Girl when I saw you I said mashAllah (praise to God), then I said inshAllah (God willing).
6. Girl...I know it's haraam (forbidden) "paying" so much "interest" in you...but I can't help myself...
7. Girl you're so hot, you make Shaytan sweat.
8. Have your mom call my mom.
9. You are the reason hijab was mandated.
10. Will my platinum VISA cover your dowry?

Source: Stolen off someone's Facebook.