Well, it was long time back,
when i was still young,
not really that young, but those times,
when we used to have so much fun.
she was new there, had just arrived,
and it was in school we shared a class
I had lots of friends back then
and one of my friends she was
and among all my friends good and true
she was the cheerful bubbly Yashu!
Cute and adorable and a good friend
her demeanor would make you smile
a lil girl, cho chweet, she was
lots of boys troubled her for a while
I bet it was tough for her to deal, but,
how did she deal with so much attention?
how could anybody be so innocent and pure
after all, it was a time of moral apprehension
obviously, this wasn't a mystery,
after all she was the cheerful bubby Yashu!
we parted, ohh so sad!
chances were, we wouldn't meet again.
someone wise had once said
'meeting is a pleasure and parting is a pain'.
i knew not what an effect she had
on everyone I knew, and of course on me.
it was when we parted
that it hit me.
what made my days colorful with green and blue?
It was all thanks to cheerful bubbly Yashu!
but our paths had to cross again
voila, this was amazing!
this time bigger and older we were
but she was still the old sweet thing
the good times came back
and after all, we were friends
this time for good as we would forever keep in touch
for being my friend, thanks
oh as a friend, i am lucky to have you
you really are the cheerful bubbly Yashu!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Requirements of a Social Guru
Dear All
In light of the recent bad news regarding the dwindling job opportunities, we have an exciting new offer for anyone who is well qualified. A Social Guru is required to convert a socially awkward anomaly into a social icon. Apart from adopting an awkward ‘Vai’ (as our current Social Guru puts it), the Social Guru gets to interact with an amusing character with a different perception to the ‘normal’. The ‘Vai’ you get to adopt, doesn’t need to be fed regularly, though you might have to drive him around, back and forth, again and again, as he commits one social blunder to another. Apart from a lot of patience, a high intellect goes along well with this work (our current Social Guru has an IQ of 152).
Coming down to the responsibilities, some of them can be enumerated as follows:
1. Social dancing – while ‘Vai’ is already taking some dance classes, he needs more practice than most normal people. this means, you might have to organize a lots of impromptu post 1 am salsa practice sessions in the front porch of 2717 Orchard Avenue. Also, ‘Vai’ needs to be taken out for ‘socializing’ once every two weeks or he will forget all that he learned during the past month.
2. Driving – ‘Vai’ can travel on Metro, but he needs a ride back home after every outing. No matter how important your ‘commitments’ for the night stand to be, you will have to make sure he reaches back home in one piece and without getting mugged, or worse, ‘Vai’-napped!
3. Interaction – If you wait long enough, ‘Vai’ will always amuse you with his take on normal stuff. He is a real social anomaly and his point of view can make you break into pearls of laughter. It’s good that he doesn’t have ego issues, so you can laugh on his face if you want.
4. Experience – Under no circumstances is the Social Guru required to step into ‘Vai’s apartment. It is advisable to avoid it, as his current dwellings aren’t fit for female Homo sapiens. Where experiences are concerned, at the end of the day, ‘Vai’ will ensure that you always have a story to tell.
5. Fashion – ‘Vai’s dressing sense sucks. In his own words, ‘Vai’ comes with ‘default Windows 95 settings which only understands 15 colors.’ For him, Peach is a fruit and Maroon is the current Social Guru’s favorite band. He is more prone to wearing aesthetically horrifying color combinations and his sense of style is moronic and petrifying. It might be suffice to mention that he owns a neon-yellow ‘dress’ shirt and a golden colored sweater which he loves to wear.
6. Accents – ‘Vai’ is said to be Indian (seems more of a Martian to most people though), and he has an Indian accent. More often than not, you won’t understand the messages he leaves on your answering machines and you have to correct this.
7. Socializing – ‘Vai’ isn’t gay, no matter what he may seem to be. No matter how he interacts with people, this is not to be considered ‘normal’ as he is a red blooded male creature who hasn’t had luck with any women (‘Girls come into my life, inspect the premises and then decide on alternative accommodations elsewhere’ – Richard Gordon). You have to help him change that. It must be noted that nothing is implicit with ‘Vai’. He needs to be schooled how he must exactly interact with the fairer sex in the minutest details. He currently has some one in his cross hairs, but he needs your help or else this ship will sink too.
Some of the things you need to remember about a ‘Vai’ is that he is idiosyncratic, hypocrite, frivolous, annoying, demeaning, selfish, self centered and thinks very highly of himself. Putting up with him is a challenge. Please don’t apply if you can’t handle any of the above things. It is worth mentioning that, the current Social Guru, though very apt and qualified, is now fleeing the country as we speak. If you think you have the required qualifications and motivations, or just want to test your skills, or have suicidal thoughts or even psychopathic inclinations, you are free to adopt a ‘Vai’. We can assure you that he will change your life.
Sincerely,
The Hiring Committee
The ‘Vai’ organization.
(I don’t know how she put up with this, but Ashley Zeldin had a very tough role to play and she played it with panache. It is very hard to find a replacement for her and we wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t find anyone. In any case, it must be noted that we should never underestimate the effect we might have on other people. The current Social Guru needs all commendations she can have, cause she did a fine job putting up with a ‘Vai’)
In light of the recent bad news regarding the dwindling job opportunities, we have an exciting new offer for anyone who is well qualified. A Social Guru is required to convert a socially awkward anomaly into a social icon. Apart from adopting an awkward ‘Vai’ (as our current Social Guru puts it), the Social Guru gets to interact with an amusing character with a different perception to the ‘normal’. The ‘Vai’ you get to adopt, doesn’t need to be fed regularly, though you might have to drive him around, back and forth, again and again, as he commits one social blunder to another. Apart from a lot of patience, a high intellect goes along well with this work (our current Social Guru has an IQ of 152).
Coming down to the responsibilities, some of them can be enumerated as follows:
1. Social dancing – while ‘Vai’ is already taking some dance classes, he needs more practice than most normal people. this means, you might have to organize a lots of impromptu post 1 am salsa practice sessions in the front porch of 2717 Orchard Avenue. Also, ‘Vai’ needs to be taken out for ‘socializing’ once every two weeks or he will forget all that he learned during the past month.
2. Driving – ‘Vai’ can travel on Metro, but he needs a ride back home after every outing. No matter how important your ‘commitments’ for the night stand to be, you will have to make sure he reaches back home in one piece and without getting mugged, or worse, ‘Vai’-napped!
3. Interaction – If you wait long enough, ‘Vai’ will always amuse you with his take on normal stuff. He is a real social anomaly and his point of view can make you break into pearls of laughter. It’s good that he doesn’t have ego issues, so you can laugh on his face if you want.
4. Experience – Under no circumstances is the Social Guru required to step into ‘Vai’s apartment. It is advisable to avoid it, as his current dwellings aren’t fit for female Homo sapiens. Where experiences are concerned, at the end of the day, ‘Vai’ will ensure that you always have a story to tell.
5. Fashion – ‘Vai’s dressing sense sucks. In his own words, ‘Vai’ comes with ‘default Windows 95 settings which only understands 15 colors.’ For him, Peach is a fruit and Maroon is the current Social Guru’s favorite band. He is more prone to wearing aesthetically horrifying color combinations and his sense of style is moronic and petrifying. It might be suffice to mention that he owns a neon-yellow ‘dress’ shirt and a golden colored sweater which he loves to wear.
6. Accents – ‘Vai’ is said to be Indian (seems more of a Martian to most people though), and he has an Indian accent. More often than not, you won’t understand the messages he leaves on your answering machines and you have to correct this.
7. Socializing – ‘Vai’ isn’t gay, no matter what he may seem to be. No matter how he interacts with people, this is not to be considered ‘normal’ as he is a red blooded male creature who hasn’t had luck with any women (‘Girls come into my life, inspect the premises and then decide on alternative accommodations elsewhere’ – Richard Gordon). You have to help him change that. It must be noted that nothing is implicit with ‘Vai’. He needs to be schooled how he must exactly interact with the fairer sex in the minutest details. He currently has some one in his cross hairs, but he needs your help or else this ship will sink too.
Some of the things you need to remember about a ‘Vai’ is that he is idiosyncratic, hypocrite, frivolous, annoying, demeaning, selfish, self centered and thinks very highly of himself. Putting up with him is a challenge. Please don’t apply if you can’t handle any of the above things. It is worth mentioning that, the current Social Guru, though very apt and qualified, is now fleeing the country as we speak. If you think you have the required qualifications and motivations, or just want to test your skills, or have suicidal thoughts or even psychopathic inclinations, you are free to adopt a ‘Vai’. We can assure you that he will change your life.
Sincerely,
The Hiring Committee
The ‘Vai’ organization.
(I don’t know how she put up with this, but Ashley Zeldin had a very tough role to play and she played it with panache. It is very hard to find a replacement for her and we wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t find anyone. In any case, it must be noted that we should never underestimate the effect we might have on other people. The current Social Guru needs all commendations she can have, cause she did a fine job putting up with a ‘Vai’)
Name's Singh,... Vai%&@# Singh!
Alright, my name is pretty common in India. We have lots of 'Vaibhav's back home and we also have a large number of 'Vaibhav Singh's. My parents didn't really give me a 'unique' name, which is generally the norm back home. But the weird thing is, people almost never get it right.
So, I have heard a lot of variations of 'Vaibhav' back home. Even my grandmother didn't get it right! In north, people usually use 'Vai' as in 'vanity'. In fact, I also think that's the right way to say it. I mean, that's how my parents say it, and they gave me this name! I might be exaggerating here, but I only want to emphasize how different the pronunciation gets as I move from one place to another. In Maharashtra, people emphasize on the 'i' after 'Va' and the result somehow rhymes with 'why'! Bengalis almost always use 'b' in place of 'v' and even end with a distinctive 'o' ('Ba-i-bo', 'bo' as in 'cross-bow'). In college, I saw lots of contortions, some ranging from 'Vei-bo' to even an amazing 'vabe', rhyiming with 'wave'! One of my friends prefers to call me 'Babe!' and what's weird is the fact that he is, after all, a he! Gay connotations aside, I am reserved to the fact that there's a big chance that most people will almost never get my name right, the first time they try.
But it got worse. Usually people only mess up that 'Vai' part of it, or so I thought. I came to America and suddenly, it was the '-bhav' which created problems for people. Apparently, there is no English word which rhymes with '-bhav' and soon, I got some even more weirder versions of my name. Whenever I introduce myself, people would always ask me to either repeat my name, or how it is spelled. They would try to say it and then they would go apologetic about it. Usually people would prefer referring me by my last name - Singh (though they miss out the half-'h' sound in the end, and some say they are tempted to use an 'ing' at the end to make it 'Vai-whatever' singing!)
But some of these versions are interesting. One lady from Ukraine calls me 'Mr. Welles'. Another acquaintance calls me 'Bebo'. One salsa dancer goes further to refer me as 'Octave', which has no resemblance to 'Vaibhav' whatsoever. But there have been some spot on contenders too. I was surprised when one of the salsa people, Cassandra, got it right the first time! But then, I found out that she had South Asian connections and, maybe it's in her genes, to get it right. Then my manager at work also got it right - he's currently the best manager I have ever worked for. I really appreciate the efforts people put into the matter, but honestly, as long as I know they are addressing me, it doesn't matter.
Denise always tries hard to get it right. Mary did try for sometime, but she uses 'Singh' and it's fine, since she gets the 'h' part right. Ronen (or, is that 'Ronin'?) tried and recently, he's come pretty close. Ashley tried too, but she settled for a better, more preferable version 'Vai'. At one point, I even thought of giving out my pet name, but my pet name is something I haven't shared with people for over ten years. Why didn't I do that? Yesterday, I revealed it to my salsa group. And soon, they started using it on me, and let's just say, it didn't really have the effect I had expected. Already, I get teased about my childlike nature. Plus, I had forgotten how long it really took for me to finally get rid of my pet name (I am not giving it out here!). And now, it's out in the open again. Hopefully, they won't remember it by the time we meet again next Saturday. So, what do I do with my name? For sometime now, I am have been thinking of using 'Vaivij'. The upside of using this name is that I already use Vaivij in my email ids (vaivij@yahoo.com and vaivij@gmail.com). I reached 'Vaivij' by, taking first three letters of my name and adding the first three letters of my brother. My brother was lucky that way. I still haven't heard a bad or wrong pronunciation of 'Vijit'.
So, for the time being, I have another concern on my head. I have to curtail the spread of my pet name. I blurted it our yesterday (what was I thinking?) and people seemed very enthusiastic about it. I guess it's my desperation to get some sort of conformity in what people call me. I have even made a resolution. I will ask the first girl out, who gets my name the first time. The criteria should be: a) she shouldn't have any Asian connections either way and, b) she gets it right the first time. There's no need to raise any eyebrows here, as I don't really think anybody is going to get it right anyways.
At the last salsa class, a new girl showed up. When Mary did the usual introductions, I really didn't pay attention to her name. When we were partnered together, I completely forgot what to call her. She called me 'Singh', but I had no idea what her name was. To make it worse, she kept giving me hints ('The Little Mermaid! Remember the Little Mermaid!') and still I didn't get it. God! I still don't remember her name! But now I saw the other side of the picture. It gets really embarrassing if you don't get someone's name right. In this case, I simply forgot or didn't pay attention when she said it, but the end result was the same. You end up making people dejected.
As of now, I am going to make sure that my kids get more 'international' sounding names. What I worry about is, what if I am destined to become somebody famous? I would want people to say it right during the award functions! After all, nobody gets 'James Bond' wrong, no matter what nationality.
So, I have heard a lot of variations of 'Vaibhav' back home. Even my grandmother didn't get it right! In north, people usually use 'Vai' as in 'vanity'. In fact, I also think that's the right way to say it. I mean, that's how my parents say it, and they gave me this name! I might be exaggerating here, but I only want to emphasize how different the pronunciation gets as I move from one place to another. In Maharashtra, people emphasize on the 'i' after 'Va' and the result somehow rhymes with 'why'! Bengalis almost always use 'b' in place of 'v' and even end with a distinctive 'o' ('Ba-i-bo', 'bo' as in 'cross-bow'). In college, I saw lots of contortions, some ranging from 'Vei-bo' to even an amazing 'vabe', rhyiming with 'wave'! One of my friends prefers to call me 'Babe!' and what's weird is the fact that he is, after all, a he! Gay connotations aside, I am reserved to the fact that there's a big chance that most people will almost never get my name right, the first time they try.
But it got worse. Usually people only mess up that 'Vai' part of it, or so I thought. I came to America and suddenly, it was the '-bhav' which created problems for people. Apparently, there is no English word which rhymes with '-bhav' and soon, I got some even more weirder versions of my name. Whenever I introduce myself, people would always ask me to either repeat my name, or how it is spelled. They would try to say it and then they would go apologetic about it. Usually people would prefer referring me by my last name - Singh (though they miss out the half-'h' sound in the end, and some say they are tempted to use an 'ing' at the end to make it 'Vai-whatever' singing!)
But some of these versions are interesting. One lady from Ukraine calls me 'Mr. Welles'. Another acquaintance calls me 'Bebo'. One salsa dancer goes further to refer me as 'Octave', which has no resemblance to 'Vaibhav' whatsoever. But there have been some spot on contenders too. I was surprised when one of the salsa people, Cassandra, got it right the first time! But then, I found out that she had South Asian connections and, maybe it's in her genes, to get it right. Then my manager at work also got it right - he's currently the best manager I have ever worked for. I really appreciate the efforts people put into the matter, but honestly, as long as I know they are addressing me, it doesn't matter.
Denise always tries hard to get it right. Mary did try for sometime, but she uses 'Singh' and it's fine, since she gets the 'h' part right. Ronen (or, is that 'Ronin'?) tried and recently, he's come pretty close. Ashley tried too, but she settled for a better, more preferable version 'Vai'. At one point, I even thought of giving out my pet name, but my pet name is something I haven't shared with people for over ten years. Why didn't I do that? Yesterday, I revealed it to my salsa group. And soon, they started using it on me, and let's just say, it didn't really have the effect I had expected. Already, I get teased about my childlike nature. Plus, I had forgotten how long it really took for me to finally get rid of my pet name (I am not giving it out here!). And now, it's out in the open again. Hopefully, they won't remember it by the time we meet again next Saturday. So, what do I do with my name? For sometime now, I am have been thinking of using 'Vaivij'. The upside of using this name is that I already use Vaivij in my email ids (vaivij@yahoo.com and vaivij@gmail.com). I reached 'Vaivij' by, taking first three letters of my name and adding the first three letters of my brother. My brother was lucky that way. I still haven't heard a bad or wrong pronunciation of 'Vijit'.
So, for the time being, I have another concern on my head. I have to curtail the spread of my pet name. I blurted it our yesterday (what was I thinking?) and people seemed very enthusiastic about it. I guess it's my desperation to get some sort of conformity in what people call me. I have even made a resolution. I will ask the first girl out, who gets my name the first time. The criteria should be: a) she shouldn't have any Asian connections either way and, b) she gets it right the first time. There's no need to raise any eyebrows here, as I don't really think anybody is going to get it right anyways.
At the last salsa class, a new girl showed up. When Mary did the usual introductions, I really didn't pay attention to her name. When we were partnered together, I completely forgot what to call her. She called me 'Singh', but I had no idea what her name was. To make it worse, she kept giving me hints ('The Little Mermaid! Remember the Little Mermaid!') and still I didn't get it. God! I still don't remember her name! But now I saw the other side of the picture. It gets really embarrassing if you don't get someone's name right. In this case, I simply forgot or didn't pay attention when she said it, but the end result was the same. You end up making people dejected.
As of now, I am going to make sure that my kids get more 'international' sounding names. What I worry about is, what if I am destined to become somebody famous? I would want people to say it right during the award functions! After all, nobody gets 'James Bond' wrong, no matter what nationality.
Accents and identity.
I have an Indian accent. No matter how hard I try to cloak it, whenever I speak, it still oozes out its presence from the corners. Nevertheless, I still try to hide it, whenever I am on the phone or talking to my friends who are not of Indian decent (my answering machine recording is one such example). But, why do I have to be apologetic about it? I do not know.
It's my personal belief that stereotypes bring a stagnation to one's identity. No matter how much a group of select individuals prosper and move on, a general stereotype can bring them back to the place they started from. In some sense, stereotypes actually give us our identities, which we can't really run away from. Still, I think I am better off compared to most other people as some stereotypes are plain horrible!
I think it's an irony that I landed up here in LA. In India, I belonged to a somewhat snobbish and pretentious group of people, who looked down upon other Indians who weren't as 'good' as them. The point to ponder here is that, the basic idea of one being 'better' than the other, is really questionable to start with. I am a hypocrite that way. In India, I was somewhat irritated by other Indians who didn't speak better English than me, but still insisted on using it. They could have very well used some local language to bring their points across. Or could have just as easily used 'Hinglish'. But, somehow, we don't really see the real picture when we have the upper hand. Back home, I thought I was one of the creme le da creme of the society. Thank God I came to US. Because when I came here, I realized how relative the term really is. There are no black or white; only shades of grey.
So, here I was, in the US, an Indian guy with an Indian accent. Out here, suddenly, I was clubbed into a single group. A group called Indian. Back in India, I wasn't really a member of one common group. In India, I was a north Indian with roots in the state of UP and thanks to the Army background, a member of a more secular setup, for whom the term 'civilians' defined everybody else. We spoke with different accents. In schools and colleges, we used to make fun of the Bengalis because they used 'B' in place of 'V', Maharashtrians for their strong 'T' and 'D' and South Indians for their oily vowels. Amazingly, I believed that my English was perfect. And that only those who spoke like me, merited my acceptance as a member of the fellow 'la creme, da creme' group.
India is really a microcosm of the whole world. With the kind of diversity we have, we get the opportunities to play the roles of all the characters we can think of. From oppressors to messiahs, from the rich and mighty to the really downtrodden, from local populace with paranoid levels of xenophobia, to outsiders themselves. And for those who still haven't seen both sides of the same coin, I really recommend a tour-de-India for them. You will always find people who are 'better' than you and people you look down upon.
But, out here, in the bustling big city of LA, I am reduced to just plain 'Indian'. I am no longer the cream of the society, no longer the higher or upper class, no longer a north Indian, but only an Indian. This is weird because, it somehow helped me shatter my own perspective and helped me connect with more people from my background. We all now had something in common, and the stratification of our community here doesn't really make any sense. No matter how distinct we may be from each other, to the people without Indian connection (amazingly, called 'foreigners' by us here!) we are all from the same group. And our accents, no matter how different they are from each other, still 'sound' the same to the Americans. Suddenly, the diversity is gone!
So, while I have people complaining that they don't really understand the messages I left them on their answering machines, or asking me to repeat what I just said, albeit slowly, I still can't get over the shock that right now, I am really not the best of the community here. And suddenly, even 'best' loses its objectivity. Nobody can really define what 'best' is out here. I can still believe myself to be better than others, but how will my opinion count? My inflated ego and hypocrisy has taken a severe beating and I might end up being a good human being after all.
So, coming back to the issue of accents and identity. There's no escaping it. I am an Indian and I have an Indian accent. And no, 'Indian' is not a language. Personally, I think it has offered me a new opportunity to be better and I plan to get the best out of both the worlds. But first, I have to make sure that Mary and Ashley understand my voice mail messages, and Denise doesn't have a problem getting what I say to her. Man! How do you really roll your 'R's?
It's my personal belief that stereotypes bring a stagnation to one's identity. No matter how much a group of select individuals prosper and move on, a general stereotype can bring them back to the place they started from. In some sense, stereotypes actually give us our identities, which we can't really run away from. Still, I think I am better off compared to most other people as some stereotypes are plain horrible!
I think it's an irony that I landed up here in LA. In India, I belonged to a somewhat snobbish and pretentious group of people, who looked down upon other Indians who weren't as 'good' as them. The point to ponder here is that, the basic idea of one being 'better' than the other, is really questionable to start with. I am a hypocrite that way. In India, I was somewhat irritated by other Indians who didn't speak better English than me, but still insisted on using it. They could have very well used some local language to bring their points across. Or could have just as easily used 'Hinglish'. But, somehow, we don't really see the real picture when we have the upper hand. Back home, I thought I was one of the creme le da creme of the society. Thank God I came to US. Because when I came here, I realized how relative the term really is. There are no black or white; only shades of grey.
So, here I was, in the US, an Indian guy with an Indian accent. Out here, suddenly, I was clubbed into a single group. A group called Indian. Back in India, I wasn't really a member of one common group. In India, I was a north Indian with roots in the state of UP and thanks to the Army background, a member of a more secular setup, for whom the term 'civilians' defined everybody else. We spoke with different accents. In schools and colleges, we used to make fun of the Bengalis because they used 'B' in place of 'V', Maharashtrians for their strong 'T' and 'D' and South Indians for their oily vowels. Amazingly, I believed that my English was perfect. And that only those who spoke like me, merited my acceptance as a member of the fellow 'la creme, da creme' group.
India is really a microcosm of the whole world. With the kind of diversity we have, we get the opportunities to play the roles of all the characters we can think of. From oppressors to messiahs, from the rich and mighty to the really downtrodden, from local populace with paranoid levels of xenophobia, to outsiders themselves. And for those who still haven't seen both sides of the same coin, I really recommend a tour-de-India for them. You will always find people who are 'better' than you and people you look down upon.
But, out here, in the bustling big city of LA, I am reduced to just plain 'Indian'. I am no longer the cream of the society, no longer the higher or upper class, no longer a north Indian, but only an Indian. This is weird because, it somehow helped me shatter my own perspective and helped me connect with more people from my background. We all now had something in common, and the stratification of our community here doesn't really make any sense. No matter how distinct we may be from each other, to the people without Indian connection (amazingly, called 'foreigners' by us here!) we are all from the same group. And our accents, no matter how different they are from each other, still 'sound' the same to the Americans. Suddenly, the diversity is gone!
So, while I have people complaining that they don't really understand the messages I left them on their answering machines, or asking me to repeat what I just said, albeit slowly, I still can't get over the shock that right now, I am really not the best of the community here. And suddenly, even 'best' loses its objectivity. Nobody can really define what 'best' is out here. I can still believe myself to be better than others, but how will my opinion count? My inflated ego and hypocrisy has taken a severe beating and I might end up being a good human being after all.
So, coming back to the issue of accents and identity. There's no escaping it. I am an Indian and I have an Indian accent. And no, 'Indian' is not a language. Personally, I think it has offered me a new opportunity to be better and I plan to get the best out of both the worlds. But first, I have to make sure that Mary and Ashley understand my voice mail messages, and Denise doesn't have a problem getting what I say to her. Man! How do you really roll your 'R's?
Monday, November 17, 2008
The tangential writer- me!
Thanks to Ashley for this one. She claims that I am tangential in nature. I get distracted easily and can veer of topics in most incomprehensible manner. But, she has a point. So, I decided to give this a try and see how much I can deviate. I am only going to let my thoughts wander, sometimes peregrination is more important than the destination.
So, what do I write about? I can start from my daily activities. Today is Sunday, November 16, 2008. Yesterday was Saturday. I love Saturdays. The only reason why I love them is because of Salsa dancing. Without fail, I have been showing up at her Beginners, Intermediate and Workout classes at Melrose and Highland on all Saturdays I am in LA. In fact, I believe that I am her most loyal student and have refrained from 'checking out' other salsa teachers out there. So, yesterday was one such day and I totally loved it. We have become an eclectic mix of people, our salsa group and everyone is kinda unique and special.
The first person that comes to mind is Denise. Denise is a very jovial and gregarious person and I really have a great time with her. She loves horses and was once a very good rider. But then, she met with an accident and couldn't ride again. Apart from Salsa, she does some ballet too. She's an interior decorator and one of the funniest people I have met. She's also a darling and actually takes care of me. She even gave me an air mattress! She's the main reason why our Salsa classes are so much fun. She always lightens up the atmosphere and she's just a great person!
From Denise, I move on to Joan, Denise's sister. Joan is very sweet person. She isn't as talkative as Denise is, but nevertheless, she also has an amazing sense of humor. She's married to an acclaimed film editor and loves her cats dearly. She really works hard in Salsa and I really like her as a dance partner.
Janet and Adrian, I put both of them together because they are so adorable together. They both are married and Adrian also has an amazing sense of humor. He's an actor who once worked with the Universal Studios. Lately he's been busy with his work but he's still fun whenever he's around.
I am running out of time, so I will update on the others later on. I have loads to do today and it's already 11.32 AM!
Saturday, July 28, 2007
My inclinations from the screen-world.
'To Kill a Mocking Bird', I think, is a wonderful movie. Gregory Peck was awesome in this movie and I think its one of the greatest screen adaptations of what a 'hero' should be.
Speaking of heroes, there's another one I would like to talk about. However, in this case the 'hero' isn't a hero because of all the usual characteristics you might think. This hero is different because in this case we are talking about breaking the shackles of stereotype, and creating a character stronger, and more independent than it is usually portrayed on screen. I am talking about Gillian Anderson's character of Agent Dana Scully on 'The X-files'.
Few people know this, that Gillian Anderson wasn't the first choice for the role of Agent Scully. The producers were actually looking for a Pamela Anderson type of an actor, to portray a bimbo type of character - who would keep getting into trouble most of the times, and then the hero (of course Agent Mulder), would risk his neck, and save her, as well as saving the day.
Gillian also wasn't sure about getting the role. However, Chris Carter, the maker of the show, liked her portrayal of Dana so well, that he actually had a fight with the producers to keep her. Over anything else, Gillian's Dana represented an intelligent and independent women. She didn't let the 'wo-' tag hamper her work and she was critical and had a clear perception of things. In fact, the portrayal of 'X-files' turned out to be a portrayal from the perception of Dana Scully,, and not that of a third person viewer. Agent Scully was a no-nonsense and a serious professional. In fact I have never seen a stronger portrayal of a woman in my life on screen. She is an ideal - for feminists and the idea of feminism - and I think this is not an understatement when I say that Dana Scully gave the women-folk their first 'hero'!
So, I have closely followed all nine seasons of 'X-files'. The other shows I have shown such dedication to, are 'Friends', 'That '70s Show', 'Smallville' (they really picked up from 6th season) and 'Lost'. I love watching movies and I think I have watched so many movies that now I have become a very good critic of what good entertainment should be. Maybe this is the reason why I didn't like 'Dhoom 2'!
Speaking of heroes, there's another one I would like to talk about. However, in this case the 'hero' isn't a hero because of all the usual characteristics you might think. This hero is different because in this case we are talking about breaking the shackles of stereotype, and creating a character stronger, and more independent than it is usually portrayed on screen. I am talking about Gillian Anderson's character of Agent Dana Scully on 'The X-files'.
Few people know this, that Gillian Anderson wasn't the first choice for the role of Agent Scully. The producers were actually looking for a Pamela Anderson type of an actor, to portray a bimbo type of character - who would keep getting into trouble most of the times, and then the hero (of course Agent Mulder), would risk his neck, and save her, as well as saving the day.
Gillian also wasn't sure about getting the role. However, Chris Carter, the maker of the show, liked her portrayal of Dana so well, that he actually had a fight with the producers to keep her. Over anything else, Gillian's Dana represented an intelligent and independent women. She didn't let the 'wo-' tag hamper her work and she was critical and had a clear perception of things. In fact, the portrayal of 'X-files' turned out to be a portrayal from the perception of Dana Scully,, and not that of a third person viewer. Agent Scully was a no-nonsense and a serious professional. In fact I have never seen a stronger portrayal of a woman in my life on screen. She is an ideal - for feminists and the idea of feminism - and I think this is not an understatement when I say that Dana Scully gave the women-folk their first 'hero'!
So, I have closely followed all nine seasons of 'X-files'. The other shows I have shown such dedication to, are 'Friends', 'That '70s Show', 'Smallville' (they really picked up from 6th season) and 'Lost'. I love watching movies and I think I have watched so many movies that now I have become a very good critic of what good entertainment should be. Maybe this is the reason why I didn't like 'Dhoom 2'!
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