Made in Dagenham

Photo Courtesy New York Times

The New York Times describes "Made in Dagenham" as a non fashion film where clothing plays a significant role in telling the story. The little red dress up above is supposed to be an important part of both the wardrobe and the storyline. What??? You mean it's actually possible to pay to attention to clothing while still sending a powerful message about politics/history/civil rights/whatever? SHOCKING!

Ok so maybe I'm feeling a little bit defensive because I recently received some fresh criticism about being interested in human rights AND art AND fashion. I know, oh the horror of having diverse intersts!!!

Anywhatever, I think I'm going to see this movie, I'm not familiar with the historical aspect of it, so I'll I'll either learn something new or be totally confused. Remember when I said I'd see a movie even if the plot was shitty but the aesthetics were great? Yeah I wasn't kidding.

For Whom The Bell Tolls

Image Courtesy Onion Reads

So I've been stuck in a hotel for two days for a workshop for my job but the good news is that I had 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' by Ernest Hemingway with me!

'For Whom the Bell Tolls' is perhaps the most profound piece of literature that I've ever read. I mean... f**k. I you're an aspiring writer, here's a warning, reading this could make you never want to pick up a pen and paper again. Because whatever you write it will never be as perfect, s.what's the point? But on the same note, he can make love the craft so much that you can't help but try...

My favourite chapter is chapter 13, let's talk about it. The protagonist, Robert Jordan talks about love. A lot. He loves Maria and will love her for the rest of his life which measures up to be, oh, about 48 hours give or take a little.

Here's my favorite line from Robert Jordon on Maria "sweetheart, Cherie, prenda, schatz. He would trade them all for Maria. There was a name." So you live all your and the fairytales, odes, sonnets, telenovelas and tales of epic love are forced down your throat and then all of a sudden you meet someone and you have a name, a face. A new understanding of this thing that has driven the work of so many of the great thinkers of our time.

I love it, I'm all over it and before you roll your eyes let me just tell you that I hate all of that stuff the silly movies, the roses, that God awful Valentines Day. The stuff is just a concept and it's not what we should be looking for, that ideal exists on its own without us. What Hemingway is saying is that we need to find the person that enables us to understand what everyone was so wild about. To interpret the concept in our own way, to make it our own. That's the real goal.

God I love this book. I borrowed it from the library but I think I need to go buy it now.

The Wine of Astonishment

Photo Courtesy GoodReads.com

This weekend I read what was quite possibly one of the best novels ever. The Wine of Astonishment by Earl Lovelace.

He's a Trinidadian writer and this is the first time that I've read his work. My other favorite Trinidadian writer is V.S. Naipaul, I've heard that he's an awful person but I've never let that affect my consideration of his work. But now I think I might like Lovelace better. He captures the rhythm and the style of our local dialect in a way that I've never seen before. He gave me an entirely new perspective on the Shouter Baptist religion and their movement.

On my way to work this morning I passed by a Shouter Baptist ringing a bell on the sidewalk. I smiled to myself because today I understood the significance of what she was doing in I way that I never would have before. It was a great little boost to the day and it's all because of Earl!

Cafe Culture

Photo Courtesy: Lilit Cafe

Soo ... it's been a really long time since I've written here. I've been preoccupied with work and grad school applications and what not. I'm sorry. Let me make it up to the zero of you reading this blog with this interesting article on how original ideas are generated and the importance of cafe culture in said generation of ideas.

I someone who has worked, studied, napped and eaten all three meals on a daily basis for months at a time in one cafe or another I must say that I thoroughly agree. I've always found it easier to write/talk/work at cafes. Did you know that Hemingway wrote at cafes? Well he did.

See? That's better right? Friends again? Good. This can't be healthy.

Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival

Photo Courtesy bajanfuhlife.com

We've been having a great time watching the movies at the T&T Film Festival. We've seen a some of them good, some not so good, some just bizarre. My favorite so far is "Seventeen Colours and a Sitar". Directed by Professor Patricia Mohammed, the film is an interdisciplinary appreciation of the work of painter Rex Dixon and the sitar player Mungal Patasar.

The art is beautiful, the music is beautiful, the film is beautiful and it's all local. Please, find a copy and watch it, it's amazing. I'm so proud of our regional and local talent!

Never Let Me Go (The Novel)

Photo Courtesy Wordpress.com

I didn't forget. I just needed to get around to it.

So I've read Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and it was great. It wasn't earth shattering but it was definitely a good solid read. The book presents itself as a study of relationships but the ethical questions typical to discussions on cloning are still there. If I could ask a question of the author I'd like to know "Why did the clones never get the urge to fight? Why did they just accept their fate to live a brief limited life and die a long painful death?"

These questions left a nagging feeling at the pit of my stomach for a few days after completing the book. The only problem is that now that the book was good I'm afraid that the movie might suck. Ironic isn't it? I read the book to better appreciate the movie and now I'm worried that the movie won't live up to the book.

Hollywood tends to make things suck. Hope that doesn't happen here.

Picture Me

I don't think I've ever mentioned it but there was a time when I considered a career in Fashion Journalism. I interned for the ultimate in high profile magazines and followed that up with an inetrnship for one of the industrys budding young designers. I always have and always will love fashion. As a shy teenager I embraced the fashion, painting and writing as media that could express all of the things that I was terrified to say. But, as soon as I tiptoed into the industry, I soon learned success in fashion usually comes at a heavy price. In some ways I was perfect for the fashion industry, I am quick, funny, hardworking and I posess the ability to devote myself to my work at the all costs (this isn't necessarily a good thing). But, if I were to continue on that career path I would have had to supress all of the aspects of my personality that I hold dear. I am kind, compassionate, emotional and will always be a little bit shy. As a fashion editor I would have had to be colder, more detached, agressive and brazen to the point of a complete lack of shame.

I am happy and more fulfilled in my choice to pursue a different kind of journalism, because at the end of the day print media is what I truly love. Also, as a fashion intern I was always torn by the thought that I wasn't doing enough to support my human rights causes. I still follow the fashion industry with avid ineterest but in the end the stronger passion won.

That said, I'm eagerly anticipating Picture Me a behind the scenes look at the modelling industry. I'm hoping it's a good critical study of the seamier side of the fashion industry, a side that I've seen first hand. I posted the trailer above and you can check out the review at ABC News.

How the Internet is Killing EVERYTHING

First of all WOW. This Esquiire article is really well written. I have a good writer friend who's OBSESSED with Esquire, I also know someone who thinks it's a joke wannabe Playboy publication. I agree with the former, I thoroughly enjoy reading Esquire particulalrly for articles like this one detailing the fall of the mighty movie rental company, Blockbuster.

That said, I've never gotten into Blockbuster. I've tried to use it once when I needed to rent something right away, but I ended up buying it. Sidenote: I was doing a class project on the American Dream as seen through the lense of Titanic (ha! I know. Ridiculous.) Double Sidenote: WTF kind of movie rental store doesn't have Titanic in stock, I mean it's only the great movie of our time. No sarcasm there, I'm 100% serious.

Anyway back to Blockbuster. I'm pretty sure that Netflix, the wildly popular online movie rental site, has a lot to do with Blockbuster's demise. I'm a Netflix subscriber, even though I now live in Trinidad where the service isn't even available. The draw lies in their ability to suggest similar movies based on my tastes. Yes, I know that they're using my info to sell shit to me, I know. I know that the internet is an information sucking monster. But I guess I don't mind when my info is used to make life better. On the other hand when Facebook does it, it's really annoying, sometimes terrifying and never of any obvious benefit to its users. Ok, I'll stop now because if I start complaining about Facebook I may never get back to work.

Ciao!

Never Let Me Go

Image Courtesy Gossip Hut

My must see movie, Never Let Me Go screened at the Toronto film festival yesterday. Praying to the movie gods to make it a HUUUUUGE international box office success so that it'll be released in my beautiful but oh so small country.

Puhleeeeze make it happen!

Even Hollywood is Suffering

Image Courtesy Biz Box

You know the arts are suffering when even the big fancy Hollywood movie producers are griping about the economy. In the first part of this NYT article, Darren Aronofsky discusses the money woes he experienced when financing his movies after the finacial collapse in 2008.

Wow, I can only imagine how the small indie movie producers are faring.

Google Creeper

On days like today I feel like I've been living under rock. This story about the terminated Google employee totally flew under my radar. Apparently David Barkinsdale was fired after it was discovered that abused his access to private user information. Most disturbing is that he used his access to stalk and harrass young teenagers. Also shocking is that Google doesn't know the extent to which he abused his priveleges.

Gawker has intersting take on the scandal.

$100M Donation to Human Rights Watch!

Image Courtesy Human Rights Watch

Have you heard about the great news for Human Rights Watch? Philanthropist George Soros has donated $100 million to the advocacy group Human Rights Watch. This article form the NYT gives a good breakdown of Soros' donation and what the money will be used to do. It also mentions that donations like Soros' are becoming increasinly rare. No doubt the economy is to blame. Still I'm happy about he donation and even happier that it went to Human Rights Watch. I rely on the services to keep up on my Human Rights news and I trust the accuracy of their reports. Now Soros has made it a little easier for them to keep doing what they do.


Sidenote: There's an interesting little lesson on human interaction hidden between the lines of the article. Director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth, states that many people at Human Rights Watch didn't even know who George Soros. Yet Soros states that his presence at Human Rights watch has a hada profound impact on his life. It just goes to show that you can interact with someone and have a huge impact on their life without knowing it. If the impact is positive, you can reap the benefits of this in an unexpected ways. I'll keep that in mind as I go about my day today.

Ciao!

Closure of Upper West Side Barnes & Noble

Photo Courtesy LA Times

You know I never thought the day would come when I'd be sad to see a Barnes & Noble go. But I really did like this Upper West Side location. I strated going there as a freshman at NYU, I'd stop by on my way to volunteer at a nearby homeless shelter. After I graduated from NYU, I'd take long walks up to the Upper West Side and mill around the bookstore to clear my head from my job search woes. Plus everyone knows that Barnes & Noble is the best place to read magazines for free. According to this article, I'm not the only one that feels dissapointed by the closure.

But I'm not too devastated, as the article points out, there are still a gazillion other locations that can entertain me on my next visit to New York. In any case my attachment to this Barnes & Noble is connected to a time of my life that I hold dear, it really has very little to do with the actual store. Many of the people interviewed for the article admitted that they'd never bought books at the store and used it as a browsing spot instead. While I've purchased stationary there, I too never bought a book from this location. I guess when it comes to actually purchasing books, I'd pick a mom & pop store over a big chain anyday.

zzzzzzzz

Ugh. I'm really tired. I've been working on blog for hours. Putting up posts that I'd written on notepads and trying to come up with new ideas. So now I can't think of anything for today's post. To make it worse I have to be up really early tomorrow to pick up a package containing the remnants of my New York life... blah I want to go to bed.

I think I'm going to curl up with my new book, Darjeeling, written by Bharti Kirchner. it's one of those books that I just pulled of the shelf at the library without knowing a thing about the story or whether the critics hated it or not. But I do know that darjeeling is my favorite type of tea, I figure that's good enough. It seems like an easy enough read, I need it after Kundera and Sartre. I'll post about what I think when I'm done.

Ciao!

Robin Hood

(Photo: Pop Tower)

My sister and I watched Robin Hood today. Great movie. Have I mentioned how much I love Cate Blanchett? Not only is she beautiful, but she consistently chooses rich material that fosters high quality movies. Babel, Notes on a Scandal, Elizabeth, The Lord of the Rings. All Good. All featuring Cate.

Robin Hood was one of my favorite books as a child. I bawled when he died in the end. After watching the movie I'm suddenly filled with the need to watch it again. Maybe after Dubliners? I've been meaning to get to that.

Happy Independence Day Trinidad and Tobago !!!!!

Forty-eight years ago my home, Trinidad and Tobago gained Independence from the United Kingdom. I love my country dearly, there really is no place like home and I'm grateful for all the people that have helped to make it the multicultural paradise that it is. In a few hours I'm going to attend our Independence Day parade and then later tonight we'll all be going out for fireworks. Ahh these are the things that I miss when I'm away from home.

Did I mention that Trinidad is also an excellent place to be a writer? Our tiny island boasts two Nobel prize winning Trinidadian authors, V.S. Naipaul and Derek Walcott within the last two decades. Naipaul won in 2001 and Walcott in 1992. I'm more familiar with Naipaul's work, in fact I'm a huge fan of Naipaul's work. When I returned home earlier this year I re-read a few of his novels to get myself out of my post New York funk. My mom thinks I could be the next Naipaul, hahaha I wish.

Happy Birthday Mummy !!!!

Today's my mum's birthday. The older I get the more I value her and the time that I spend with her. Her sayings that annoyed me as a teenager are now the things that I long to hear and living away from home for so long has reminded how comforting her presence can be. Of course we still fight, we probably always will. She drives me crazy sometimes, I mean last week she corrected the way I was boiling water. Seriously. Water. How can you boil water wrong? These are the things that stir up fantasies of putting her in a retirement home. I tease her about it all the time, but she knows I never will because she's the best, the only, my mum.

Don't Forget

(Photo: UNICEF)

Please don't forget the millions of people displaced by floods in Pakistan. The aid efforts currently underway in Pakistan are in desperate need of funding. Click here to donate through UNICEF.

More Ground Zero Talk

(Photo: ABC News)

Yesterday I posted about the clash over the Ground Zero mosque. Well here's another perspective from Akbar S. Ahmed a former Pakistani ambassador for the UK. My previous post was largely my non-American, non-Muslim understanding of the American Muslim v.s. American non-Muslim position. Ahmed has opened up yet another corner of the debate to non-American Muslims.

I don't think I've mentioned this before, but I was a communication major as an an undergrad and I live for this kind of rich, complicated dialogue with multiple conflicting voices. I live for it because I firmly believe that a multiplicity of voices offers a multiplicity of solutions. Not surprisingly, I think that the best part of this article comes at the end when Ahmed gives his entirely new suggestion for the solution to the problem. He suggests that the property be sold and proceeds be donated to the victims of flooding in Pakistan.

I'll bet the house that this will never happen. This controversy has grown beyond the bricks and mortar of a building and taken on its new meaning and symbolism. This is not a real estate dispute. This a clash of religion and culture. Selling the building would be the equivalent of dispelling these two weighty principles that it has come to symbolize. Definitely not gonna happen, but still good food for thought.

Read the entire article here.

The Ground Zero Mosque

(Photo: Time Magazine)

I just finished reading an NY Mag article on the proposed mosque to be located near the site where the World Trade Center once stood. The owner of the building, Sharif El-Gamal, stated that he did not regret the uproar over the location of the mosque "because there was a conversation that had to be had, and now we’re having it.”

I get it. I get that this is an issue that needs to be aired and I am happy that it's out there in the public dialogue rather than festering under the surface. I just don't understand the logic behind the minds of the people who cannot separate a religion and the peaceful followers of said religion from the criminals who exploit it. It's so upsetting and so disheartening to see that this level of narrow mindedness does not only exist but is rampant. This article from Time Magazine shows just how rampant this pattern of thinking is. The magazine conducted a poll and found that 61% do not want a mosque within close proximity of Ground zero.

Read the full NY Mag article here.

NY Times and 20-Somethings

Here's an article from the NY Times about 20 somethings (me) who left home (me) didn't make it on their own (me) and moved back home (me) and who generally take a lot longer to become an adult in the financially-dependent-home-owning-baby-making sense of the word. It's reassuring that other people are having identical experiences and in large enough numbers to make me a statistic as opposed to a loser or worse a failure. I also feel a little better because this probably would not have been my story if the United States were not in the midst of an economic depression when I graduated from college. Also, in a strange way, I'm grateful for the tough experiences that I've had since graduating. Losing everything has a way of making you realize what's really important. I spent most of my life feeling embarrassed about being smart and being a bookworm. That will never happen again. I'm so much more appreciative of what I have and I'm more sure of my goals and interests than I've ever been. Now I know that when I do go back to school it won't be for want of better options. It will be because I want to pursue a field of study that I'm genuinely interested in. I've taken to referring to the last year as my "lost year" but when I think of how much I've matured in the last twelve months it's clear that it wasn't wasted at all.

Happy World Humanitarian Day!

(Photo: United Nations)

Today is World Humanitarian Day. Round of applause to all the humanitarian aid workers across the world who are working for the good of humanity and a prayer for those who have lost their lives doing so.

In recognition of this day and what it stands for I'd like to shine some blogger light on the humanitarian crisis that currently taking hold of Pakistan.

(Photo: AP)

Particularly heavy rains have lead to devastating floods which have lead to loss of life, economic losses and the displacement of millions. International aid has been slow and without it Pakistan has no chance of recovery. Please click here to donate through UNICEF.

TV Rots Your Brain

In a good way... I hope. Cuz I've been catching up on my TV and I just watched the entire season of Modern Family. So good. The final episode made me cry. It's that good. The writing, casting, everything is perfect.

(Photo: Sidereel)

Above is a still from one of my favorite episodes where Cameron's car gets vandalized after Gloria takes him to the shady part of town where she lived before she married Cameron's boyfriend's father Jay. Ok that was a mouthful, but that's the point. it's a complicated, hilarious modern family!

The Book of Laughter and Forgetting

Photo Courtesy The Unrehearsed Reader

So this is my second try at reading and enjoying Milan Kundera's work. I think he's an amazing brilliant writer but i don't think his stuff is for me. I much prefer the simple, uncomplicated brilliance of Hemingway to Kundera's in your face brilliance. I also can't help but feel that I'm reading different versions of the same book and if that's the case with all of his work I'd prefer to just re-read 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being'.

That said, it was a good read, one of those books that tempt you take to notes because you never want to forget the words that you're reading.

Today's Crossword Puzzle

(Photo: The Great American Diving Co.)

The Bikini Atoll (pictured above) was an answer to a clue in my crossword puzzle today. I had to Google it and I learned something new and entirely disturbing about our world history.

First of all I had no idea what an atoll was. Now I know that an atoll is "a circle of coral reef that surrounds a lagoon and is itself surrounded by open sea." The Bikini Atoll is part of a group of islands located in the Pacific Ocean. America captured the Atoll from the Japanese during World War II, convinced the Bikinians to leave and proceeded to test nuclear weapons on the atoll.
Displaced from their homes and their way of life, the Bikinians drew increasingly near to starvation before they were allowed to return home. Even when the did return home, they found that their atoll was polluted with nuclear waste and worse the Bikinians themselves were made sick by the nuclear blasts. This a really condensed version of the story and you can read more here at the Bikini website. But from what i understand the Nuclear Claims Tribunal awarded the people of Bikini $563,315,500 in compensation in March 2001 but they haven't been paid yet.

So, so sad. All this from a crossword puzzle.

Imagining Argentina

(Photo: Longitude Books)

I recently finished reading Imagining Argentina by Lawrence Thornton. This was a really, really good book. Even though we had a power outage, I couldn't put it down. I read it by candlelight and finished in one night. The novel is set in 1970's Argentina under the military rule of President Videla. It details the kidnapping, rape and torture of tens of thousands of victims that took place during the "Dirty War". The twist comes when Carlos discovers his psychic abilities after his wife is violently kidnapped and held by prisoner by agents of the state.

Apparently it was made into a movie in 2003. I'm going to try to find the movie, I'm quite curious to see how Cecilia, the novel's main heroine, is portrayed by the very British Emma Thompson. Great respect for Emma and her work but I can't see it working very well.

Favorite Movie

(Photo: Howard County Library)

So it seems like this is the week for favorites. I've talked about my favorite new word, my favourite quotes and now I'm going to talk about my favorite movie The Girl in the Cafe.

The Girl in the Cafe is a 2005 HBO TV movie starring the ever charming Bill Nighy and the equally captivating Kelly Macdonald. Nighy's character Lawrence strikes up a friendship with Macdonald's Gina. They hit it off so well that Lawrence, a government economist, decides to take Gina along to the G8 conference in Reykjavik, Iceland. Improbable? Yes. But what follows is a moving tale of love, politics and human compassion that hits all the right notes if you care about government. If you've ever wondered what would happen if the voices of logical but passionate individuals could be heard among the voices of diplomatic to a fault politicians, then you need to see this movie. Great subject matter, superb acting, I love this movie. So much.

Favorite Quote

My personal mantra is "make possible that which seems impossible." It's gotten me through many trials and tribulations, gruelling internships and examinations for which I was ill prepared.

The phrase "all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights" from the universal declaration of rights of man is the drive behind my day to day behavior (such as the way I treat the people I meet, live and work with) and my larger decisions as well (such as the things I choose to study in school, the type of work I'm drawn to etc.)

But my absolute favorite quote, the string of words to which I turn when I'm feeling happy, sad or just "whatever" comes from Kurt Vonnegut and it goes like this:

The arts are not a way to make a living
They are a very human way of making life more bearable
Practicing an art, no matter how well or how badly
Is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake
Sing in the shower
Dance to the radio
Tell stories
Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem
Do it as well as you possibly can
You will get an enormous reward
You will have created something

Now THOSE are not just words to get you through the day, those are words you can model an entire life on. Isn't that all we want? To have created something greater than us, that will last beyond the span of our lifetimes. Money, fame, love aren't these really creations of man that are meant to do the one thing that we can't do? They're thought to last forever.

I think that's why I like writing so much, it's my way to satisfy the urge to create. I'm not sure if this is a good blog or not, I hope it is. I'm still proud of it either way. In the words of Mr. Vonnegut, the ability to look back on the way my thoughts and ideas have evolved through this medium will indeed be "an enormous reward."

New Word

I learned a new word today: susurrant. I keep saying it over and over again. Susurrant. Susurrant. Susurrant. Susurrant. I found my new word in a newspaper article but I cannot find my new word in my dicitonary. Bah

Well the internet knows my new word so it doesn't matter. According to the Merriam Webster online dictionary a sussurant sound is a "hum or a whisper: a whispering or rustling sound"

I like it. I'm a really good mumbler, it's one of my bad habits, sometimes I wish I were a whisperer. Whisperers can get away with it under the guise of being ladylike and delicate but mumblers are just brash and awkward or at least that's what my teachers told me throughout my adolescence. Ever notice how the caretakers in Austen and Bronte novels are always either ramblers, mumblers or just plain non-communicators? I think I'm going to spend the rest of the day speaking in susurrant tones like an Austen heroine instead of grumbling like a caretaker as I usually do. I'm also going to see how many times I can use the word susurrant in a conversation without getting something thrown at me. I've already used it about eight times in this post, I'd say that's a good start.

The Obsession Continues

The voting obsession that is. Now I'm obsessed with the ink. I posted a picture here of what our fingers looked like immediately after we voted. The evening after voting day that pinkish stain changed to a dark brown. The funny thing about the change is that it happened to the both of us at the same time! Now, four days later this is what it looks like:


It's soooo gross and skin-peely. Now I get why people go through such lengths to get the ink off as soon as possible (my aunt took a small bottle of bleach to work). At the time I couldn't be bothered so I kinda just let it dry. Learned my lesson.

Update: I just did a little research on the ink. Apparently it can't be removed and only comes off with the generation of new skin.

A Better Way to Use that Deposit Slip

Today at the bank I saw a little girl doing her little girl drawings on a deposit slip at the bank. When she finished each one, she put it into a little envelope sealed it and gave it to her dad. Adorable. She reminded me of myself at her age, my mumz would always use those slips to keep me occupied while I waited for her at the bank. I wonder how many people do that? Why don't banks include a little stack of colouring pads for the kids?

I'd like to say that I've outgrown this little pastime but that would be a lie. I still draw little flowers on mine whenever I'm in line at the bank. If they started making colouring pads I'd totally use it. No shame or hesitation whatsoever.

A Beverage Post

In a recent post I mentioned that Trinidadians tend to put more sugar in their beverages than other countries. But I've also noticed that while Trinidadians prepare their drinks differently, pre-packaged beverages like Gatorade and Coca Cola also differ in taste when compared to versions sold is the US and the UK. During a high school field trip a worker at one of our local factories explained that these companies often change their recipes to suit the taste buds of their foreign markets. I did a little research and found this article from the San Diego Tribune on Mexican Coca Cola vs. American coca Cola. Although it doesn't state that differences in the flavor of Coca Cola are influenced by local taste preferences it does state that they can come as a result of the use of local ingredients, specifically cane sugar in lieu of high fructose corn syrup, to cut production costs. The article discusses some of the complications that arise when you have different versions of the same product and the fear of having these versions come into competition with each other.

After reading the article these are some of the questions that I'd like to ask: Are Americans aware that Coca Cola is sweetened with cane sugar for other markets? If the answer is no, why isn't this more of a scandal? If the answer is yes, why don't they care? Why aren't they putting more pressure on Coca Cola to produce a higher quality beverage for its home market? I mean who knows, maybe it doesn't matter because Coca Cola rots your insides anyway? Maybe Americans don't like the taste of Coca Cola sweetened with cane sugar? The article made it seem like drinking the cane sugar version is akin to drinking the tears of God but personally I hate it. I constantly thank the beverage gods that Coke Zero (my favorite of the Coca Cola offerings) tastes the same wherever I go. For now anyway.

Voting Day

You know those days when you just don't feel like doing anything? Yeah that was yesterday. Yesterday I didn't do shiet. But not today, today I was super productive. I voted! Here's a pick of our fingers stained with voters ink.


So... about the voting. I was a complete fool. I giggled the entire time, I followed the red line when I was supposed to follow the green one and I simply couldn't process the instructions on how to accurately fold my ballot. By the time I got to the final table the official must have been so convinced that I was a special needs voter that she gave me a little round of applause for not failing at dipping my right index finger into the tiny tub of voters ink. I don't blame her, I think my brain was on vacation that day. Throughout it all my sister pretended not to know me. Oh the shame.

Fun Times at the Supermarket

It must have been tea time at the supermarket today. The sample stations offered Lipton tea, toast with Flora unsalted butter and some kind of coffee. I skipped the toast but went for the coffee and tea. Both were delicious, the Lipton Chai tasted a lot like a popular Trinidadian tea that we make from the leaves of the Bay Laurel tree. The only downside is that I forgot how much sugar Trinidadians tend to put into their beverages. I'm bouncing of the walls a little bit which is fun for me but sucks for my my mom and sis. Anywhoooo the real find was the set of stickers that I found in the disposable diaper aisle. I think I'll use them in my room to add some kitsch those cringeworthy red walls.

Gen Art Closes After Sixteen Years

Today I found out that Gen Art has closed it doors. I'm a little late, they closed on May 5th, I didn't notice because I was in the midst of moving drama. I'm crushed by the news because I loved Gen Art and the goals that they represented. Gen Art was a nonprofit geared towards exposing young talent in the fashion, art, and film worlds. It had a bit of a bad reputation as a party charity but I have interned for a young designer whose career was launched by the Gen Art team. I've also had conversations with some of the Gen Art staff and they have always impressed me with their genuine passion for the arts and for giving young artistic talent a much needed lift. It's a shame that they've closed, but I do not doubt the rumours of mismanagement. I witnessed their lack of organisation first hand when I briefly volunteered there.

Some bloggers have tried to make light of Gen Art's closure, Gawker for example asked, "Why not give your 'Charity' money to, ya know, UNICEF?" I'm not surprised by that, a lot of people tend to assume that interests in the arts and humanitarian issues are incompatible. The former being pointless and the latter relevant. I think this is a misguided approach, both are important and both are necessary. A person who devotes their life to creating art is no less than a person who does the same for humanitarian work. This is coming from a person who has been engaged in non profit work for almost ten years while nurturing a love of art for a short lifetime.

The demise of Gen Art is not an indictment on the art charity but on the mismanagement and lack of organisation that is common to many nonprofits regardless of their mission. Hopefully when the economy recovers we'll see a revival of our nonprofits too. We need them!

World War III: The Squirrel Edition

SQUIRREL WANTED ON 8 COUNTS OF LARCENY.
SUSPECT AT LARGE. LAST SEEN
WITH 2 MANGOES CONCEALED IN HIS CHEEKS

My mother is currently waging a battle against a 2 pound squirrel that has recently decided to make our backyard his home. At first relations between the two were fairly cordial but things started to fall apart after our squirrel friend began taking huge bites of our barely ripe mangoes forcing our mumz to pick the fruit well before it was ripe. To protect it from the squirrel. Of course.

Now that the mango season has been ruined by the squirrel war, said squirrel has recently been spotted on the cherry tree. This was a surprise attack, we didn't know that squirrels like cherries. But then again why wouldn't they? Cherries are delicious. My mother has retreated for the moment to re-assess her plan of attack. Never has the world known such a conflict.

My guess is there will be a war and it will be bloody. Squirrels bite don't they?

EuroPopDance

So I guess this is the "boredom" part. I'm putting off a phone call that I don't want to make and I have absolutely no idea what to post about today. I figure this is as good a time as any to practice posting a music video. Since no one reads this thing anyway I feel like I can share my cheesetastic taste in music without shame. See? I'm all about the silver linings.

Last week I read an article about the Swedish singer, Robyn in The New Yorker and since then I've been having a throwback to my euro pop dance (is that a genre?) phase. Since the nineties Robyn has continued to release great music, she just released a new album called Body Talk Pt. 1 which The New Yorker described as "near perfect pop songs embedded with a casual kind of feminism." Oh yeah and she also managed to do this while keeping her bits and pieces covered in what the article describes as a "small but significant comment on her status as a sexual object, she typically wears outfits that, tight as they may be, usually cover her from head to toe." Remind me, why are we listening to Lady Gaga? Or is the fact that Lady Gaga has been able to distract the world from her lack of talent a talent in itself? Well played Gaga. Well played indeed.

Anyhoo! Clothed or not Robyn and her new album are definitely going to be regulars on my Ipod. I like to listen to her when I'm in the final stretch of writing a paper, usually at the editing stage when I need that extra push of energy. Who could forget her late 90's classic 'Show Me Love' it's such a good driving in the car song and the video is pure 90's cheese. In other words I love it! I'm pretty sure one of my aunts started wearing a single earring in her right ear like Robyn and my cousin definitely had that haircut. Ok I'm going to try to add the video...




Sweet! Success! You can read the entire article from The New Yorker here.

Mrs. Prime Minister

I just overheard a family discussion at my grandmother's house. Our Local Government Elections are coming up and we all got our polling cards today. I tuned into the conversation just as they started talking about our newly appointed Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar who my sister and affectionately call "Kams". The consensus was that Kams is doing a great job and the changes in our country are evident. Trinidad is known for taking the "lazy island lifestyle" to extremes usually resulting in an embarrassing level of inefficiency and corruption on all levels. But Kams is setting out to change all of that and my aunt noted that it's the first time in a long time that she's excited to vote. On the other hand, my grandmother isn't a supporter of Prime Minister Bissessar's political party but regardless of our political affiliations we'll all be heading out to the polls on Monday July 26th to exercise our right to vote.

Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to have grown up within a society and among a family that recognizes and celebrates the freedom that is denied to so many other people around the world. I've always been encouraged to follow the news, to express my opinions and to form my own views about the world around me even when they were in direct conflict with everyone else's.

As for Kams she's already an inspiration to me as the first female Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. If she can maintain the momentum of positive change that she's established over the last two months, she will be well on her way to becoming one of the great leaders of our time.

Oh Happy Day !!!!

One of the greatest drawbacks of moving back home to Trinidad from New York is the relatively high cost of magazines in Trinidad. Magazines are already pretty expensive but here they can cost up to twice as much before taxes! For a magazine nerd like myself the idea of paying US$12 for a copy of the New Yorker was pretty devastating and over the last couple of weeks I resigned to make do with the dreaded online version. Just as I started to exhibit withdrawal symptoms from living without the touch/smell/look of a real life glossy, I discovered the new and improved magazine section in our local library! Four years ago when I left for college there was at least a six month gap between the current date and the most recent issue of ANY of the mags on the shelves. But now, although the fashion mags are still shamefully out of date, my babies The New Yorker and Time are pretty damn current. It truly was a moment for tears and I captured it with this really crappy pic taken with my phone.


If they keep this up I might just have to forget about the fact that they closed the ENTIRE hardcover section for a month. Really, who does that?

Chinese Market

I came across some pictures of my family shopping at the Chinese market and I had an instant craving for salted prunes. I like the really unhealthy ones with orange food colouring and enough salt to send your blood pressure through the roof. Ohhhh I can almost taste them! There's a complex art to prune selection because some of them look exactly the same but taste radically different. The pic below shows my sister, wearing a confused/distressed look on her face while she tries to decide which bag doesn't taste like feet. Go for the salted ones!!!!!

Never Let Me Go

I recently posted about my eagerness to see Farewell, the French spy thriller staring Guillame Canet. I'm also looking forward to seeing Never Let Me Go, a sci-fi movie based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. I can't wait to the novel, I'm currently speed reading through a book of Hemingway's short stories (love Hemingway but not a fan of short stories) so that I can get to it. I'm not usually into sci-fi but the trailer looks promising and I love the costuming already. I'm definitely a judge-a-book-by-its-cover kind of person. I'm ashamed to say that I've bought several books just because the cover looked interesting and I will most certainly sit through an awful movie if the wardrobe is good. This isn't always a bad thing. I watched The Brothers Bloom because of Rachel Weisz's pretty orange umbrella and it was one of my favorite movies of 2009. I also read The Prophet by Khalil Gibran because of his beautiful illustrations and that novel has had a firm place on my top ten list for the last five years.

The only grey cloud on my movie going horizon is that there's a strong chance that these films will never be released in my country. Our local cinemas tend to favour the big blockbusters, so while Step Up 3-D and Resident Evil Afterlife are already on the list of coming attractions, Farewell and Never Let Me Go are nowhere to be found. Le sigh .... we desperately need an art house cinema in Trinidad. In the meantime I'm praying to the movie gods and keeping my fingers crossed.

Riverside Pholourie

Spent the day with my Granny and later went with my mumz to buy Pholourie at a nearby shop. Pholourie is one of my favourite treats, it's made of fried balls of pea dough and served with a mango or tamarind sauce (today I had mango.) While my mum was busy chatting with the shopkeeper I took some pics of the stream that winds around our neighbourhood.

Our stream actually used to be a beautiful river but it's slowly disappearing due to the deforestation of our surrounding hillsides and the corresponding erosion of exposed soil. Because of soil erosion the river bed is now extremely shallow and each year during the heavy rain season our neighbourhood is hit with devastating floods. Sadly, the stream that my sister and I know is nothing like the river my mother swam in as a child and by the time we have kids of our own it may not exist at all.

I'm Taking the Challenge !

The NALIS reading challenge that is !!

Our National Library is hosting a reading challenge. All I have to do is read ten books within the next month or so, submit a short review for each (which is what I do here anywayz) and huzzah! A super special NALIS eco-tote bag will be placed in my eager hands. My sister is doing it too because I BEGGED her. She doesn't get the excitement over the flimsy tote bag. I can't explain it either but the excitement is almost overshadowing my 'Farewell' fever. Almost.

Lolita

I have a pretty sweet crush on Russian Literature. It started with a little Tolstoy and then it got more intense when I started exploring Dostoyevsky. For the last couple of years I've been prompted by one person or another to read Lolita by Vladimir Nabkov. For why? According to the friends, acquaintances and complete strangers who've tried to turn me into a little Lolita lover, my thing for the Russians meant that I absolutelypositivelymust LOVE Lolita. This hyper enthusiasm is of course the main reason that I've been avoiding it for all of these years.

I started to give in after it was recommended to me by Sarah D. I call Sarah D. my lit twin we like the same books and we share the same weird habits like reading two books at once and judging books by the attractiveness of their covers. Anyway I respect her opinion immensely so I brought Lolita home but continued to avoid reading it. I caved a few weeks ago and finally read Lolita, not my fault, we can blame Virginia Woolf for that. We're "frenemies" Woolf and I. I've been trying to love her work for years, I want to love her work SO BAD but... I just can't focus on it. I fought my way through To The Lighthouse a year ago and I've been reading Jacob's Room but I had to put it down because I just couldn't. So I picked up Lolita instead.

The truth is that I really did enjoy Lolita but not for the reasons touted by my Lolita lover friends. I did not love it for its "Russian-ness". It does not depict Russia, it is not written about Russia and it does not feature Russians. Correct me if I'm wrong but the only thing Russian about Lolita is its author and so i would NEVER compare this particular Nabkov work to that of Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky or anyone in that vein. That said, I DID enjoy Nabkov's alliteration obsession and his frightening command of the English language. I've been speaking English all my life and I will NEVER be half as good as he is.

I'd recommend Lolita to anyone, it's hilarious and Nabkov's beautiful use language protects his perverse masterpiece from being misunderstood as sordid or pornographic literature. My only regret is that I waited this long!

Worldcup Blues

I was really sad to see Brazil and Argentina leave the World Cup. I'm rooting for Spain now. But almost everyone else at home is anticipating a German win. Germany may be playing well but for me there's no fun in watching the German team play. There's none of the spirit that I saw from the Brazilian, Argentinian and Ghanaian sides. Ah le sigh ... I'll miss them.

Speaking of Movies...

I can't even describe how unbelievably hyperactively stupendiferously excited I am about Farewell.

French. Russia. Communism. Canet. Espionage. Need I say more?

Must see it NOW!

The Last Station

My sister and I watched The Last Station yesterday. It wasn't exactly what I expected but I enjoyed it. I'm a HUGE Tolstoy fan and I was a little disappointed because I expected the movie to be more literary and less rom-com-ish. Helen Mirren was amazing so for me this movie was more about Sofya, the charming prima donna, and less about Tolstoy. I'm currently reading Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf but since watching the Last Station I'm itching to pick up Anna Karenina.

Nightlight

I started my summer reading a few weeks ago with Nightlight, a parody of the Twilight series. I have not and most likely will not read the Twilight books but I did enjoy Nightlight. It was a quick funny read, I definitely laughed out loud a couple of times.

World Cup Feeeevahhh !

I LOVE the World Cup because football is about so much more than just the game. In the poorer countries of the world football can be an escape from poverty and a vehicle for social change. My country didn't qualify this year because we suck so I'm rooting for Argentina to take home the trophy in the end. I know they're a great team but I really just love watching Lionel Messi being gorgeous on the field and Diego Maradona's antics on the sidelines.

I mean....look at Maradona's jaunty little cap! Adorable.

My First Post!

Hello World!

I've just moved from my beautiful New York City back to my equally beautiful home of Trinidad and Tobago where I expect to be beautifully bored for exactly one year before I leave again to attend Grad school. As an aspiring writer/human rights activist/journalist I've decided to follow my new years resolution (for a change) and start a blog (check!)

My guess is that there will be many posts about books, global news, friends, family maybe some fashion and who knows what else! I'm really excited to see how this develops so here goes everything!