Very random thoughts .....
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
My Other History
To see pictures of the rehearsals click here.
‘My Other History,’ is produced as part of (Un)making Time; a project to support new theatre-making initiated by the Sunethra Bandaranaike Trust.
To read more about the production and see the press coverage, please click here.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Review - Gandhi's Children documentary
I lived in India for three years and traveled all over the country for many years, so what I saw in the documentary was nothing new. I had also watched several documentaries over the years about the caste system in India, including the brilliant ‘India Untouched’ by Stalin Kurup. But for most people who watched it last night it really opened their eyes to the reality of the caste system in India, which I suppose is not glaringly obvious unless you live there. That is the advantage of living in the digital age – through technology we are more and more aware and made to be aware of our reality. By documenting these realities of people who live and suffer the way they do, generations to come will have the advantage of having that information available and maybe one day it will result in some positive change. The tools to bear witness are many and the mediums through which it can be disseminated to a large audience are easily and readily available and I hope that these activists and everyone engaged in this recognize its vast benefits and use it to full advantage. Today, people have absolutely no ground to deny the existence of anything – such as the fact that caste is still very much practiced in India – because they have been witnessed and shared.
What made this documentary a good one were the people that he had spoken to. It was an impressive group of people he had interviewed, save for one or two who should not have been interviewed in the first place. The academics and sociologists highlighted some very significant and important aspects regarding the marginalized communities in India. For me, something that the documentary succeeded in highlighting was that the caste issue in India is a social issue and not a political one – something that a lot people tend to overlook. An academic who was interviewed spoke about the perfect example – politician Mayawati, the first Dalit to gain great political heights and is now as corrupt as any upper caste politician. Having a member from the lower castes enter politics is not the solution to eliminate oppression as many believe it to be as there is no guarantee that those individuals will be working in the interest of the communities that qualified them to reach that position in the first place. The caste problem in India is a social one and hence why it is still practiced and will continue for decades to come. This is why vision or the overarching goal in the caste struggle is so important – the direction that they believe they should be heading in is, most of the time, the very same place that they are fighting against – and will ultimately decide the outcome of their activities.
Mr Vasu has documented some very interesting communities through his documentary and some of the footage is valuable as it a record of rigid system that has systematically discriminated against people on the basis of something that they have been born into. The stories in the documentary - rat eating communities who live in the most unhygienic environments, men whose prescribed occupation by birth is to cremate bodies brought to Varanasi and afterwards sift through the ashes for precious metal that may have been accidently left behind, a community in Kerala severely affected by the pollution of the Coca Cola factory there, a community that has been denied of a school for years because of their rural location, families of victims of the tragedy in Bhopal in 1984 – were an intelligent selection because it shed light into the different types and aspects of discrimination and subjugation faced by the low caste communities.
I especially liked the interview with P. V. Rajagopal and seeing on screen the padayathra and how they truly believe that they can have an impact through this non violent movement was fascinating. Whether or not they ultimately succeed in their next march to Delhi in 2012, Rajagopal and his movement will bear witness to hundreds of stories that they will be documenting as they walk hundreds of kilometres on their journey to the capital.
One thing I really did not like about the documentary was how the director had personalized it and made it his own story. That was where it was obvious that the overall vision was not properly thought through. I was left wondering whether Mr Vasu was trying to draw parallels between the suffering in his life and the making of the documentary to the suffering of the oppressed people in his documentary. It’s unfortunate that he has had a tough life and kudos to him for not letting his past dictate what he made of his life – but honestly, it did not sit well with the documentary. It was a sob story which came across as a marketing gimmick and compared to the people in the documentary, Mr Vasu has had a privileged life. One should not force the audience to applaud your work by using emotional blackmail – let the audience decide for themselves. From the website to introduction to the documentary to the actual documentary, the director constantly harps of the trials and tribulations of his life and what he encountered in the making of the documentary. The documentary should speak for itself, and by the selling point that the director used, it actually took away a lot from the final product. It was almost as if he is forcing you to feel sorry for him and thereby admire his work and after a while you’re left thinking yes it’s sad but so what? You’re not the only struggling artist in this world. Why must one appreciate the documentary solely because of the struggle to make it? This is what a lot of us felt when we listened to the beginning of the documentary. It is truly admirable that despite all that he was faced with, he went ahead with his work but it should have been subtle and understated and that would have gained him and his documentary a lot more respect. This is not the first documentary made about caste in India, nor will it be the last and what should have been highlighted is the experience of meeting with these people and the privilege of being able to witness a reality that majority of the people of the world don't see - not your own personal problems.
The documentary by itself was interesting but I don’t think it was well made – the editing, the narration and the script left a lot to be desired. The content was fascinating and what ultimately made it a good documentary. I think language played a significant role – the director would have benefited from having another person look through the script and rewrite it because I found it far too simplistic and disjointed. The director should have also refrained from being the narrator as he was too monotonous and it sounded like he was reading straight off a piece of paper. There were a few interviews where he used subtitles very effectively – and that made the bad narration even more obvious. Taking the ‘making of the documentary’ into consideration, we were told that Mr Vasu had many problems in putting this together and to give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe he did not have resources or knowledge to get the required expertise this documentary needed in terms of script writing and editing.
A blunt speech about the state of affairs of the country started off the premier of the documentary. Vishnu Vasu was outspoken when he said that in a country where we pay taxes to “house the cow shed we call parliament”; there is little or no support available from the state for people like him who pursue a life in the arts.
By the time he got to this speech, the audience had undergone the misfortune of reading several slides on the big screen about the documentary and about the plight of the director, Vishnu Vasu. From his difficulty to funding his dream project to his inability to pay for the DVDs that he had got made for the premier. I say misfortune because of the way this information was related. From “I might be on the breakfast table of my printer so PLZZ buy my DVD” to “Aney pau talk to him today after the film because he might not be there tomorrow” to “A DVD is only 400 bucks a meal at KFC is 1200” to “You look sexy tonight” to “Lets about this documentary over drinks at ssc/bloomfield/otters you have to pay your own BILZ”. Really, there was more but I will spare the reader.
I was rolling my eyes throughout it all and the credibility of the filmmaker was sinking lower and lower in our eyes. When I came to the Goethe to watch this premier I had heard a little about the difficulty in making this documentary and I always like to see the work of people who had an ambition or vision they felt so strongly about that they somehow with whatever resources available try to make that dream come true.
But why this need for melodrama? It came across as extremely unprofessional and therefore you begin to watch the documentary with that pre-conceived notion that it was created and made by an immature individual, whom I don’t think Mr Vasu is. To be fair by the director, I think (I hope at least) that this was his attempt at giving his story a humorous approach in that typically Sri Lankan aney aiyo humour – much like an Indu Dharmasena play in my opinion. But it failed, spectacularly. It is not enough to have a good product - how you market it is as important.
Gandhi’s Children had a lot of potential to be a great documentary – the conviction of the director and his perseverance to make aware this issue that he feels so strongly about being its biggest advantage. But unfortunately the execution of that vision compromised it. This is a great example of the potential that is not realized and lost because we in Sri Lanka don’t have a very supportive base for the arts. Funding, resources, expertise is extremely difficult and more so if it is a ‘controversial’ topic. This documentary would have greatly benefited if resources had been more available for basic things like editing, scriptwriting and even marketing. There are so many aspiring artists, filmmakers, writers who have great ideas and ambition but lack the support – from financial to technical - to execute.
I admire Mr Vasu for seeing his ambition right through till the end. This documentary is a good effort and hopefully through the exposure he gains more resources and knowledge to make more and better documentaries because he is clearly a talented man with interesting ideas and a sense of what is important. It’s never easy to start off but he has clearly displayed his powers of perseverance in times of hardship. I hope his next project will document the caste system in Sri Lanka, which in many parts of the country is very much existent and practiced and barely documented other than by a few academics. All in all, ‘Gandhi’s children’ wasn’t groundbreaking but it did leave one with a lot to think about and it succeeded in terms of raising awareness and sharing the plight of discriminated communities which most have chosen to ignore or deny existence.
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Publicizing porn stars
First of all, just how accurate the identification of these 83 people are is questionable. Secondly, a majority of the people who engage in this work do so not because it had always been their lifes ambition but because circumstances have left them no choice. Poverty is the most common reason that people engage in these activities and most of them are from rural areas and villages and their families are completely unaware of what they are really doing to generate money. It is not the best of occupations but who are we to judge? It is very easy for us to look down upon these people and pass judgment and ask why they can't get a 'proper' job. Jobs are scarce and even those who have graduated from university can't get a job in this country so what hopes do people who have not had equal opportunities in terms of education or occupation have? At least they are not stealing or killing to make some money. To them it is just a job, definitely not an ideal one and for most a job that they are ashamed of and have programed their minds to be disengaged from it.
What do they hope to get out of publishing the names and faces of these porn stars? They will be ostracized and humiliated, along with their families and what is their fate then? If we were a fair society where all wrong doers were equally punished before the law I would say this exercise can at some level be justified. But I really fail to understand what the authorities hope to achieve by publicizing the pictures of these people. Surely a country that can defeat terrorism can trace 83 individuals using the great intelligence services?
We accept rapists and murderers who are in parliament and running our country, and we applaud and cheer on sexists and lewd individuals on television but yet we maintain such a moral high ground when it comes to porn stars. The people who support these name and shame exercises believe that they are cleansing the country of all vices but yet will go home and gratify themselves watching probably the same people that are being 'traced'.
Monday, November 01, 2010
Celebrating sexist, lewd live television in Sri Lanka
When I overhead someone talking about the dramatic finale of Swarnavahini’s Megastar reality show I wanted to know what had happened since I had seen a few episodes of this bizarre show – where arguments and insults that fly freely between the judges and contestants is as much the draw as the singing skills of participants.
I checked to see what footage was available online and when browsing websites, and was horrified to come across a video of a comment by Minister Mervyn Silva about fellow MP and contestant Upeksha Swarnamali’s performance. Mervyn Silva expressly notes that he was so charmed by Upeksha’s attire he wished he was an infant and could be breastfed by her. The host of the show, Kamal Addararachchi, is seen to giggle at this outrageously derogatory comment. This, to be clear, is a programme broadcast live on public television.
I’m not a fan of Upeksha’s, but I was embarrassed for her and offended. I won’t comment on Kamal Addarachchi’s lewd behavior on stage because pandering to Mervyn Silva’s antics and comments is par for the course on this show. The video clip shows Rosy Senanayake, also a judge, noting that the comment really wasn’t funny and was uncalled for. Just watching the way Mervyn reacted to her demonstrated again that he does not have an iota of respect for women, or for that matter common decency.
After watching the video I ended up reading quite a few reviews and articles about the show and the comments made by viewers. What appalled me was that not in a single place, except in an article in the Daily FT which said that the Minister had made a rude remark at Upeksha, could I find anyone referring to this horrendous incident and saying it was offensive or wrong. In fact from the little I did manage to find, people found it funny.
This for me is a new low for mainstream journalism in Sri Lanka. When did sexist, lewd and offensive behavior broadcast live on public television be accepted normal? Why is such behavior condoned and promoted by the media just for the sake of popularity and ratings? More importantly, why hasn’t anyone taken up this issue with the TV station or sought to flag it for public debate? What Mervyn said was downright revolting. There is something tragically depraved about the way people perceive this incident, and by extension, it scares me that this is a reflection of the true mentality and regard the majority have for women in this country. Men and women are equally to blame for this, and as a woman I’m ashamed that we have let this sort of behavior slide over and over again, to a point where we don’t even see anything out of the ordinary when incidents like this occur.
This particular incident and people’s reaction to it, in my opinion, is exemplary of the state of the country today. We can’t stop the likes of Mervyn Silva expressing his true colors, but why give a platform for and condone repeatedly incidents where people can be publicly humiliated for the sake of a twisted notion of entertainment?
Watch video here.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
I think the government is really lucky
Sunday, January 24, 2010
If MR or SF wanted a few more votes
Blink and you will miss 50 posters and 3 billboards. Seeing their faces plastered everywhere in different angles and backdrops? That's sure to get my vote. Because an election is all about the Mr Photogenic competition. What they should have done was, the unexpected.
Declare a poster, advertisement, billboard, sms free campaign. And donate all those billions to the Cancer hospital and the Health sector, where people are dying everyday because they can't buy that 500 rupees worth medicine that they can't get from the government hospitals that no longer have the money to stock them. I find it criminal that people are paid 1000 rupees a DAY to paste posters of the candidates when patients are screaming out in pain because they can't get that painkiller. And this is just not just one or two. There are actually thousands of people all over the country who are facing this right now.
It wouldn't matter to me that the candidate did it solely to win election votes and that he would not have done it otherwise. Because its win win for me. You spend your allocated billions on people who really need it, who in turn will be so grateful and vote for you. And then you win over people like me, who had no intention to vote for you ever, just because you thought of spending that money that way.
It sounds very basic, but it works. All people can talk about now are who to vote for and about the truly absurd amount of billions that are being spent. Spend it on what really needs to be spent on right now.
That's what wins your vote.
Oh and, did everyone get the Sunday Observer FREE at every Keells today?
Friday, October 30, 2009
We must indeed be a great nation
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Bus tales
This was nothing new, I always find strands of my hair getting caught to people’s hands and bodies when I leave it down.
So I tie it.
Few seconds later I feel the pull again.
I feel my back but nothing is caught.
Strange.
Pull again.
I look back and at the same time I see this old lady giving a big whack to the guy sitting behind me (on his head that too!) with her umbrella.
*WTF
As she whacks him she says "thamusegey molay amaaruwakda?".
Light dawns on me.
Sooo, the bastard who got whacked was pulling my hair.
Before I could glare at him, the old lady turns to me rather menacingly.
*Shit, hope she doesn’t think I encouraged the greasy hair puller
She turns to me and says “atha diga arala denna puthey” and proceeded to get off the bus.
I burst out laughing and so did all the people around me.
What a cool old lady.
Monday, May 04, 2009
Misplaced spirit of Vesak
Where are the priorities of these people? In an emergency situation, can we for once, put aside these cultural traditions and think about where we should be directing our efforts into? Its not like anyone is asking for vesak to be banned ... I'm just saying that maybe this unnecessary spending should be used for those who really need it. Vesak is not about pandols and dan sal ... in the true spirit of Buddhism, shouldn't we be helping those who really need us right now?
If you were in one of those camps, how would you feel if you knew that Colombo was full of pandols and people eating excessively for free? I think people's priorities are really messed up at times like this .... life must go on I know, but these are not normal times and it amazes me how anyone can spend so much on unnecessary things like feeding people for free when they don't need it. Especially when all we hear are about how the bad the situation is in the camps.
I was glad to hear about one village who collected money for the annual dan sal but instead of having it for their villagers, they're sending the food to the IDP camps. I wish more people would think like this. If the Vanni was Colombo, I don't think we'll understand if the people in the North were doing all this while we were starving and dying off one by one.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Beatings for those who litter
'May nothing good happen to the families of those who litter here'
'Dumping garbage here is for dogs only'
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'We're hiding and waiting, those who litter will get beaten'
'Those who litter here, may their children get struck by lightening, may their vehicles be reduced to smithereens and their heads smashed'
'Beatings for those who litter'
'Beatings for the mothers of those who litter here'
Thursday, September 25, 2008
'Pain' of Sri Lanka aid pullout
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolpda/ifs_news/hi/newsid_7630000/7630187.stm
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Susanthika in the Semi finals!
It was a better ending than this morning, where everyone got the timings wrong and ended up gasping at 7.45am when Daily Mirror news alerts proudly announced that Susanthika has come second in the heat. Talk about a rude shock when you're rushing to work to make it on time to watch at the supposed right time.
Bets have obviously been made and I keep knocking on wood everytime someone opens their mouth.
I love any sporting event, I can watch them for hours. But "any" equals to my favorite sports obviously. Tennis finals see me shouting for Federer till I am hoarse, and then handing over tissues (no really) to my heart broken Nadal loving friend, who actually cried the last time. I have to really root for someone to show this level of excitement, and well, when it comes to something of the magnitude of the Olympics, its always nice to cheer for someone from your country! Phelps is great and all, but its not the same.
We look forward to the next two days!
Oh yeah, Go Susanthika!
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Sunday, July 13, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
Rape: now women can bite back
From 'The First Post - The Online Daily Magazine'.
Rape: now women can bite back
The words of a rape victim - "If only I had teeth down there" - have inspired the design of a new anti-rape device.
Rapex - dubbed the 'rape trap' - is a product worn internally by women. The hollow inside is lined with rows of razor-sharp hooks, which are designed to latch on to a rapist's penis during penetration. They can only be removed by a doctor.
The product will be on the shelves of South African chemists and supermarkets later this month. South African mother-of-two Sonette Ehlers developed the original prototype in 2005 but has struggled to get it patented and approved for sale, not least because of staunch opposition from feminist groups.
"Vengeful, horrible, and disgusting," was the response from Charlene Smith, one of South Africa's leading anti-rape campaigners. Lisa Vetten, of the Centre of Violence and
Reconciliation in Johannesburg, says: "This is like going back to the days when women were forced to wear chastity belts. It is a terrifying thought that women are being made to adapt to rape."
Some also fear that the sudden infliction of pain on the rapist could incite him to even greater violence.
Ehlers, however, is adamant that desperate times call for desperate measures. South Africa has the world's highest rate of sexual assault: a staggering 1.7m women are raped each year. She believes the product, priced at one Rand, will be particularly useful for poorer black women who walk long distances to and from work.
With state intervention frustratingly slow, Ehlers argues this ugly version of empowerment is justified. "I don't hate men," she says. "I have not got revenge in mind. All I am doing is giving women their power back."
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Parasailing - check!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
End of 3 years of uni
From our first semester onwards, T, would run out of the main block and shout "_ down _ to go" ! At the end of the first semester when I heard him I didn't know him too well and I thought he was just nuts but today I watched him run out and scream "6 down baby" and do his coorgi dance and I had to laugh at how things had changed, for the better fortunately. I'm leaving with a big group of close friends, each so different and yet so dear to me. I'll certainly miss uni and madness and the good times. My time here has taught me so much and changed me and there's nothing about the last three years, even the very worst parts, I would want any different.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Volunteers needed at Sahanaya
Friday, January 25, 2008
Indian brand names
Then I found 'Average' clothing - a brand. No really, you can't make this stuff up. It gets better. Yesterday I passed a man selling pillows in these nice polythene covers with 'Rational pillows' printed across it in bold red letters. Thats great, its always good to know that my pillows are rational and won't do anything crazy while I sleep.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Merry Ann Singers in Bangalore
The Christ College choir was super as always, and watching Swathi and Tanvi is always a pleasure.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
A Mighty Heart
And, I watched Loins of Punjab around 2 weeks back, which is a pretty new film, and its awesome. Its funny, its a good story, its terribly predictable and just SO Indian and I loved it.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
An Ode to Chick books
But none of this is intellectually stimulating you say. I say, f*** you, I don't read books in during my wind down time to be "intellectually stimulated". I read chick books during my chillout time so that I can unwind and relax. And laugh. Roll my eyes. I read theories of nationalism and the sociology of social problems for stimulation. And to pass my exams. But give me Mendelson and Kinsella and heck, I'll choose Kinsella anyday. I'll read my Shyam Selvadurai's and my cherished Japanese authors when I have the time.
But my food tastes better, my alone time is better all the more with my chick books. I'm reading 'The men's guide to the women's bathroom' by Jo Barret right now and I must say, its almost as good as Kinsella's stuff. Its enlightening to say the least !
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Prison Break season 3
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Before I''m 30 ....
1) Have a Masters in something I love.
2) Backpack all over Spain and Portugal with D.
3) Bungee, sky dive and para sail.
4) Have my own set of wheels.
5) Seen almost all of Sri Lanka
6) Done something proper with my writing and photography
7) Been all over South America, Greece, and Turkey.
8) Have a floor to ceiling, wall to wall book rack that is filled with books and movies.
9) Have my own place and 3 dogs
10) Get married
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Hampi-ed
The end of another great vacation. I have a lot of jewelery (with many bells), 300+ pictures, inside jokes that only can be shared with 6 people and a whole load of memories and good times.
Took off to Hampi last weekend for a much needed break away from the work and most importantly, the city that was driving me mad. Went by overnight train, which was 9 and a half hours and gave me heart burn with the cockroaches running around. Settled for the top berth and hours of chit chat which helped me get my mind off the smells and the roaches.
I fell in love with Hampi the minute we entered the main street bazaar. It was quaint, colourful and the complete opposite of a city. Its a temple town with lots of ruins and and temples and remains of a palace. There are excavation sites and heritage monuments all over. It is also a town inhabited by hippies from all over the world and frequented by foriegners who stay there for months so its no surprise that all the restaurants have menus that have Italian, Tibetan, Israeli food along with the usual Indian and continental.
There is just SO much to do in Hampi. One must visit is Mango Tree Restaurent, over looking the river. The tall swing hanging from the enormous mango tree, sitting on the mats and eating the brilliant food, walking through the banana groves - its no wonder Lonely Planet recommends it as one of the top five places in India. We didn't notice hours going by when we were there.
What did we do in Hampi? Its more like, what didn't we do in Hampi ! We climbed the Hanuman Temple which on top of a cliff, 600 steps up on a winding rock. We hired bicycles (six rupees per hour!) and cycled all over the Hampi bazaar and ruins, we climbed and hiked and walked for hours through the temples and excavation sites and the ruins of the palace and whatever we stumbled upon as we walked along and over the millions of rocks. We did so much the 2 days that we there and got only like 8 hours of sleep but it was definitely worth it. By the time we left I felt as if we've been there forever.
You might think that one can overdose on history and ruins but really, go to Hampi and find out that its not true. Its just so beautiful and untouched and clean and a whole different experience altogether. We were lucky enough to be there during a festival and the spirit of the locals was just out of this world.
Hampi is definitely one place in India I recommend anyone should go to, its right up there on my list with Gokarna. More picture HERE
Saturday, August 18, 2007
If you can't sing, don't.
These are just few things that was going through my mind after watching a rather disastrous interview on tv with Chaminda Vaas. It was on some indian news channel and he was talking about Murali being accused of illegal bowling action (isn't that old news or am I just ignorant?) Basically, ya di ya di ya he spoke about it and I was slowly losing interesting when Vaas said that it that was wrong to have been "fingering" Murali for his bowling action. And he said a few times. Ok then. Didn't realize that illegal bowling actions could bring on such extreme, er, action? Pointing fingers at someone is bad enough, but fingering them? Now thats just wrong.
Yeah so hit me with the usual English is not out first language. Thats fine. No one expects perfect grammar from you. Hell, we speak the language better than the English. But don't come up with your own interpretation of the language and go crazy with verbs and your grammar, especially not on foreign news. You're on international broadcast for a reason.
It was fairly disastrous after that and I just changed the channel. I'm sure it was a good interview, but I don't want to cringe my way through my tv time.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Blog update
I'm still amazed at the talent and potential. This year, the winning acoustic team had an own composition which was my favourite out of all performances yesterday. It was also nice that most of them are friends and classmates. The video is here and the performance is really something else, and worth a watch. They covered "wannabe" by spice girls for their sound check which was really funny and did a good job of 'don't phunk with my heart" all videos which I will upload later. Till then, enjoy acoustic chutney's own comp, the name I cannot remember however.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Live Earth
I had the apartment to myself on Saturday so it was absolutely blissful just curled up on the futon watching Live earth and enjoying the superb weather. I was chatting online with Confab and it was as good as having him here watching it with me since we were watching it from our respective homes and discussing each one as they were shown and bitching about the useless ones. I found some of the short films they showed very interesting, especially the one titles "Don't let it all unravel". So simple and the music was brilliant.
My favorite moment from the concert? The look on the security guys' faces every time Enrique Iglesias decided to mingle with the crowd. What a fool.
Friday, June 22, 2007
A boy in a salon
He felt the need to know why exactly he was being taken along for something he had never heard of. Our conversation went like this.
A - So exactly what are you going to do?
Me - Get my eyebrows done
A- What do mean, get it done?
Me - Get it threaded
A - (makes strange noise) Whats that?
Me - ( I stop and show him my left eyebrow) See all the newly grown hair? So i will get threaded and get rid of it.
A - I don't see newly grown hair. And what do you mean threaded? Sounds weird.
Me - They take thread and do some galata and take off the excess hair.
A - oooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww .... why do you girls do this to yourselves ?
Me - So that we don't look like you.
A - Jokes and all. So you can't do this threading yourself?
Me - No man its hard.
A - Ah skills and all needed huh.
Reach parlour. A seems hesitant to enter into unknown territory and wants to stay outside. In the blazing sun. Only after I promise a sofa and ac that he tip toes inside.
A - I'm scared.
Me - Eh shataap. You just come watch and see how threading happens.
A - Eh no man they'll think I've come for threading.
Me - Hmm I wonder why ....
A sits on couch. A girl sitting next to him looks at his in amusement and snickers behind her cosmo.
Me - Now look at my eyebrows. Then you can see the difference when I come back.
A - Gives a look of absolute terror and sinks into the couch.
I come back, with my perfectly done eyebrows.
Me - See ? Nice no.
A - I don't see a difference.
Me - Don't lie. Here look close. You can even see how its swollen a little.
A - You're paying them 20 bucks to pull off hair from your eyebrows and to make your skin swell ?
Me - Bah, Whatever. Lets go.
There are reasons why males are not allowed inside beauty parlours. They just don't appreciate the hard labour that takes place inside those hidden walls.
Pots for plants
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Shrek 3
Goodbyes
My dogs dislikes goodbyes with a vengeance and believes in doing whatever he can to make us stop packing
Are never fun. I've gotten so used to the constant goodbyes and the comings and goings that now I somewhat avoid it or ignore it altogether. I used to love having everyone over the day before I left and saying the million goodbyes over the telephone and sms. But now I just leave without much drama and all that and that suits me better I think. I do forget to tell people about me leaving sometimes and that causes some confusion but ultimately gets sorted on its own at times ! Being home for 2 months so wonderful and now I'm back and loving the wonderful weather :)
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Men are like shoes
Ask the expert herself and welcome her to the world of blogging and look forward to her discussions on anything and everything that crosses her mind, or at least whats left of it.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Caesar's Palace
I've seen way too many concerts of this band. So much so that I have some 200+ pictures of them and can sing along to all their own compositions. I love 'swim' and 'bittersweet mind' and no one does 'down with disease' better than CP. Yes, I'm oh so biased, but I have pledged my undying loyalty to this group of people, some who I have become so fond of and converted into ardent arrack lovers. Each person in the band is so unbelievably brilliantly talented and I'm not being biased when I say this.
Check out their music here, recorded live at a concert on Saturday. Swim, Wolchod and Bittersweet mind are their own compositions. I highly recommend 'swim' and 'bittersweet mind' from this site.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Camels outside my gate
Friday, April 06, 2007
How to make a documentary in two hours
Make sure your people fall into all categories - female, male, cute kid, hot college girl, football fan, menacing tall boy, lost girl and so on - so that there is someone who appeals to the general public at any given point.
2. Never ever say no to whoever that comes forward. Even if they don't remotely smart, use "like" after every 2 words, looks ready to talk till the cows come home, look like they've never been in front of a camera before. Beggars can't be choosers, and just pretend to be filming if the person is talking bullshit. Its a win-win situation.
3. Make sure your people know exactly where the camera angle is. That way, during editing you don't find your own people laughing and gaping like idiots watching people they dragged over being interviewed. Also, make sure your people (those who aren't aware where the camera is pointed at) aren't chasing each other, dancing, doing nothing when they are supposed to be hunting for subjects. They cannot be edited out.
4. Never ever, mutter under your breath while filming someone. Things like "he is fool", "ah think you're smart ah" will be recorded as well, and cannot be edited out. It will also make it hard to understand to what the person who is being filmed is saying.
5. Screen the people before if possible. There is no harm in including footage of people who claim to be "feminazis" and believe that boys should be hung upside down from their toenails if they do something wrong, IF they have some VALID points to make. However, people who were brought to be interviewed because "he was just SO hot" does not constitute as a valid reason to not be edited out. Especially if their footage consists mainly or only of "dude", "man", "like".
Thursday, March 29, 2007
300
I found some of the underlying themes most fascinating, especially that of the role of Spartan women, who were treated as equals, unlike their Persian counterparts. Leonidas' wife Queen Gorgo plays such a crucial in his life, and her final approval seals his deals. I loved the part where Queen Gorgo tells the Persian messenger why Spartan women are given such in importance - it is because Spartan women give birth to "real men".
What I found interesting was the scattered humor and sarcasm in the script, which is not something I expected. I found myself snickering and all in all, somehow gave a more a personal touch to the Spartans, who went to fight the immortals, but gave the audience the impression that it is they, the brave 300, who were the immortals.
More later, still digesting all the Spartan men and their conquests.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Goodbye Bob, Goodbye Inzy?
Monday, March 26, 2007
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Death awaits Indian cricket team
Since they lost to us, the Indians have been going crazy. They are very fanatical and I expected nothing less. 2 fans have died, 1 committed suicide and a couple of others hospitalized. However, this number is much less than what I had initially expected. The fans have been burning effigies, holding mock funerals, rioting, protesting ... basically the full works. I couldn't even cheer during the match because I wasn't too sure whether I had an fanatic neighbors so I had keep my screaming to a minimum and in Sinhalese !
As I read the entire Times of India this morning, I noticed that 95% of the articles were about the Indian cricket team. Its amazing what a LOT they have to say about it. There is hardly any repetition in the articles as one might expect, but given the disappointment, hostility and animosity cricket crazy india is going through right now, I really wonder what would become of the cricket team when they reach India.
One thing that stands out in the newspapers and tv reports is criticism against the cricketers and their brand endorsements. There is not one second on tv that goes without an advertisement that doesn't feature an Indian cricketer. A lot of people say that the cricketers have got lost in the world of endorsements and deals and that all that should be banned. Kapil Dev, in an article says "Fans want greater commitment from players, not a bigger name or brand".
However, India being knocked out has caused a huge catastrophe for brands. Brands like Nokia, Pepsi, LG are now rethinking their marketing strategies as their sales have started to plummet. No one anticipated this fate for India and I suppose no one thought of planning ahead. Apparently the corporate sector has dumped an estimated 600 crore into the world cup.
As usual, there are hundreds of email and txt jokes about the Indian cricket team. Two of the best that I got were - "The Indian cricket team has been kidnapped and the kidnappers are demanding 50 crore rupees as ransom or the team will be burned in kerosene. Please contribute, I have already donated 12 litres."
'India is a cricketing nation. It walks, talks, drinks, breathes and sleeps cricket. Too bad it doesn't play it."