Thursday, February 26, 2009

Kick Like a Girl


In the ring, a familiar refrain always was- don't hit like a girl Aqseer, hit harder! (em, what?) The flip side was that boys/men dared not lose to girls or cry, for fear of being thought of as sissies.

Kick Like a Girl is a really cute documentary that busts these two gender stereotypes, and how. About the "Mighty Cheetahs", an eight year old girl's soccer team, the movie shows how the boys, and their parents, learn than kicking like a girl can be a good thing too!

The Mighty Cheetahs are so sick of "creaming" all the girls teams, that they decide to sample tougher competition (itself a bit of a cliche). So enter the boy's division they do, with confident young lads thinking they got it easy.

They so haven't.

These tiny masses of grit and energy go to work, and end up winning 5 out of nine matches, tying two, and losing two. (as I remember the numbers) Guess who won the series.

Along the way, a ref responds to a foul against one of the girls by saying something to the effect of- learn to handle it if you wanna play in the boys division. Em, fouls are fouls. The girls respond by saying- "that made us want to win even more, so we did!"

They cried, some of those girls. That didn't make them any less capable sportspersons. They were better team players, they passed better and the tears DID NOT come in the way. At all. In fact, I think they might have angered fellow team mates and made them want to play tougher, better.

There's this one point in the movie where the coach's daughter says- "they used to tell me, you kick like a girl. Well... I AM a girl!" (Hoot hoot hoot! :) )

The film ends with clips of the oppposing team members answering the question, "what would you say if someone told you you kick like a girl?" The answer-"I'd thank them!"

Guess why the film made me cry.
(Yeah. It made "boxer bhai" cry. I cry. A lot. I don't break stuff, or drink to deal with it. Crying wins this won. Oh, and just cause I cry doesn't automatically mean I can't bust your ass if you mess with me. :) )

About the new name

Seeing the way my blog is going, I decided it would be apt to call it - "the fire of hell, considered as punishment for sinners".

Lance Black's Speech. Or not.

www.queerty.com/did-india-de-gayify-dustin-lance-blacks-oscar-speech-20090225/
I'm pretty sure they did, cause I dont remember Black's speech being half as moving as the women at feministing.com say they found it.
Now I know why. Really, what is left to say? This sucks.

(just watched the unedited version on youtube. It IS a moving speech. He tells gay and lesbian kids that no matter what people say, god loves them and they're beautiful. Also promises that they will have equal rights across the US. ARGH.)

Would Art be as Much Fun if they Didn't Name their Works?


Case in point- "Chef to Go". Or even "Bottoms Up". (both available at allposters.com)

In a way the caption (or title) for a piece of art serves as a reference point for the beholder. A clue to the insides of the artist's head. It gives you a hint of the artist's view, and you're free to interpret that work the way you want. But sometimes, you wouldn't understand the work without the caption. Does that make art "smaller" or less effective in any way?

I don't think so. I think its just testimony to the very nature of art... how it can be subtle enough or symbolic enough to escape being understood. Just because its not that easy to understand what Murakami is trying to convey doesn't mean writing as a tool of communication is ineffective. Its the way that you chose to employ the tool that decides its effectiveness.

Its easier getting away with obscurity where art is concerned though.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Why does a 50 year old's morality apply, in ALL spheres, to a 20 something's?

Think about it. Twenty to thirty year olds are adults too. Credit us with the sense to know what is decent, and what people of a certain age group can handle. http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth/msg/91c668142e58c20c?pli=1

Maybe some of us are forgetting Indian culture, or "Indian" values of decency. But heck, who defines whats Indian? People from the last generation, or the generation before that, or the generation before that?

Their culture is what Indian culture WAS. Which is not to say that our generation strikes a particularly appreciable balance between traditional Indianess and the far more accessible, and aggressive UK, US culture. It doesn't, we don't.

So I'm not saying that harbingers of "Indian culture" should put away their sitars, or sarees (the saree is actually a garment that the British forced us into adopting, btw). PLEASE, I do want to know more about my own, uninfluenced by Gwen Stefani, culture. I AM ashamed I know English better than I know Punjabi.

But while you do try and get me to learn my mother tongue, appreciate that "Indian" values are no longer the same as they were in your time. So if people with a different idea of decency decide to make a sensitive movie for a select audience that they think can handle it, keep your nose out of it. We don't destroy your harmoniums just because its not "Indian" enough for us.

Modi's Gujarat

I do not pretend to know much about politics. I am especially ignorant of Modi's capers. Of course, I know he can't boast of being very secular.
Two fellow interns at the office share the (apparently) widely held view in Gujarat that - Modi is a workaholic messiah for us, our welfare. Which I'm sure he is. But here's an interesting piece on the subject of secularism in the state. http://kafila.org/2007/04/03/cows-women-and-hindu-manhood/

Our Beloved Chief Justice

"Anuradha Roy of Permanent Black sent out the following:

On the 9th of February 2008, remarks by two eminent judiciary members the Chief Justice of Karnataka, Cyriac Joseph and State Human Rights Commission Chairperson Justice S.R.Nayak, stating that immodest dressing was the cause of increasing crimes against women were reported in the press.

The Hon’ble Chief Justice further elaborated his statement by mentioning that “Nowadays, women wear such kind of dresses even in temples and churches that when we go to places of worship, instead of meditating on God, we end up meditating on the person before us” and that the “provocative dresses that women wear in buses” put the “men travelling in the buses” in awkward situations and hence “women must dress modestly.”

The Chairperson, State Human Rights Commission, speaking on ‘Human Rights and the Lawyers Role’, gave his opinion on the Mumbai New Year molestation issue, when two women had their dresses torn off by a mob
of men outside a nightclub: “Yes, men are bad… But who asked them (the women) to venture out in the night…Women should not have gone out in the night and when they do, there is no point in complaining that men touched them and hit them. Youth are destroying our culture for momentary satisfaction.”

Anuradha sent this out without comments. I understand her mood. I’m done too. No witty commentary, no smart asides. I’m just plain exhausted."

-http://kafila.org/2008/02/20/judging-women/

Of Sparkly Autos and Musical Bigotry

So I think firang music is all or nothing. Either its all electronica, or its all rock. Or all pop or all country or all punk or all "iron and wine-y". Know what I mean? Which is why I have such rigid taste in that department.

On the other hand, Indian music does a lot of blending. Any recent AR Rahman track will reveal multiple layers of sound, and textures, genres, flavours of sound. Its not all or nothing. Its a superb mix of a lot of things.

Even Chekele by Avial. There's some funky electronica inspired stuff going on there, but I dont mind. Not one bit. Heck, I love that track.

...........

Autos in Delhi have gone funky. Or funkier than I remember. So I get into this auto, and I'm flanked on the right by Priety Zinta with very silly beads in her hair, and on the other by Priyanka Chopra in a lehenga with her nose in the air (to give the viewer a stunning view of her sparkly blue eyeliner).

My sister tells me she got into an auto once that was lined with pictures of former president Kalam, and that the driver had hair exactly like his.
I even came across Winslet and Caprio in their immensely identifiable Titanic pose on the back rest in one auto.

Bangalore on the other hand contents itself with fancy fur or shiny interior decor.
Sometimes even disco lights. Them chaps in England would charge for that, but here, its on the house man. :D

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

:s

http://www.hindu.com/2009/02/25/stories/2009022550050100.htm

Annnnndddd the Oscar goes to..

I swear to you, Kate Winslet is the most beautiful woman I've seen in a long time. Was especially so when Ledger's family was talking about him.

Jackman was actually quite cute I thought. I was pretty shocked at all the antics, but they're definitely preferable to dull speeches.

Wee for Slumdog!

Such escapism I indulge in... Swarovski crystals ka shining curtain and glitz everywhere instead of the news, or reading something "socially relevant" etc.

So the SC ruled that bloggers will be liable for comments from other people on their posts. No more allowing hateful comments, or your behind goes to court. http://kafila.org/2009/02/24/supreme-court-on-liability-of-bloggers/

Sigh. Although "fair comment" should still work... right?

Meanwhile, learnt something yesterday. The result counts at work. And the way you present your work. You could've worked like a dog, but shoddy presentation, and you're done for. Give em what they want, they way they want it. Down to the frills and the wrapping.

Going to try and watch the Hamlet and the Clown Prince (I think its called). Theatre... Finally!!! Life, is good :)

Thursday, February 12, 2009

And Oday to ze Moon

Me mater and pater bought me running shoes. With the cost of the purchase weighing down on me head, I decided to paisa vasoolo. (All lies, I want to lose weight. Hehe. Actually, no. I want to lose flab. There be difference. Vital difference) Anyhoo.

So six thirty am, when the mater rises, is too early for me. But me mater be quite the persuader. So I hauled posterior at ten thirty last night and ventured forth into the moonlight.

You know what I like about the moon? It doesn't hurt the eyes, its pretty and calm and spotty, it changes shapes
and most importantly...

it goes wherever you go. Like hutch puppy. Everywhere man! I'd be thinking of something slightly negative, and look up, and there it'd be, solid and true and calming to boot.

Awesome stuff.

Running is awesome. I've never liked it, as a form of exercise. Too boring, I've always though it is. But its kinda nice when you can master the art of adjusting ear phones while running.

All hail the pod. I think apple's a bit complacent about the pod though. They do only so much to make it worth all the hype.

Chalo ji
very random
"And in this moment I am happy"
Aqseer