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.