Saturday, 7 December 2013

XIX - Inner space and Outer space

Inner space and Outer space


Being in a new city with no family or relatives close by I’ve realized how contrasting my private space is compared to home.
At home, I share a room with my sister, so it’s not completely my own space. Then the house is always full of staff, so there’s always some movement, some noise. Sometimes my cousins come over in the mornings and wake me up. In fact, the last few months before I left home, I was waking up to my father and my uncles having breakfast together.
Here, in this unknown city however, I have my own room, people respect each other’s space and don’t barge in like family. The only noise I hear is of the construction going on outside, or the occasional doors opening and closing in the hallway.
It’s a strange feeling.

Taylor Swift as Rapunzel by Annie Leibovitz

A feeling that could be serene, peaceful and calm, but a lonely vacuum as well all at the same time. There is a strong tendency to forget the world outside. One could easily step into a cyber cocoon and stay away from any conflict which could occur if there was prolonged interaction with the people outside.
My room, my privacy, my space allows me this and I do love it, don’t think I’m being ungrateful, but sometimes you need that outside force to pull you out of your inner world. Sometimes you need help turning the potential energy into some form of motion.
Right now my readings have become more of a natural excuse I think. It stops me from having new experiences with friends or potential friends, and procrastination stops me from studying. It’s a vicious cycle that must be stopped. I guess this could be my New Year’s resolution.



Carpe diem!



Friday, 6 December 2013

XVIII - While procrastinating

While Procrastinating


Hello!!
I realized that I hadn't made a blog entry in too long a time. Sorry about that, but dissertations, reports and essays have been haunting my mind these past few weeks...

So of course that means that I have been procrastinating a lot and discovering many new things online. (Kill me now.)
Seriously, my "work : fun" ratio must be like 1 : 3.

Anyway, so I haven't been picking up the camera much, but I have been admiring a lot!
Here are a few of my favorite iconic portrait photographs that I happened to come across. These photographers are geniuses. Seriously!

Isn't this just marvelous?

Gelsey Kirkland by Daniel Sorine

They were the most compatible pair as is apparent by this highly synchronized pose
Gelsey Kirkland and Mikhail Baryshnikov by Max Waldman

Annie Leibovitz has become a new obsession. I love her portraits, especially the ones with the Disney themes. She's done so many of them that it isn't possible to share them all. Here are two examples of her magnificence.

Peter Pan (Mikhail Baryshnikov) meets Wendy (Gisele Bundchen) as Tinkerbelle (Tina Fey) gets jealous.  

Leibovitz gives class to even coffee advertisements! Here's one for Lavazza.

Will be back with more "internet spoils" soon. :)




Tuesday, 19 November 2013

XVII - 'Twas a fulfilling day

'Twas a Fulfilling Day


Today was a day full of inspiration.
I attended a spoken poetry event where various artists performed. The theme was celebrating 50 years since Martin Luther King's iconic speech which began with perhaps the most quoted line in history, "I have a dream". Each poet gave their version or understanding of this speech. So you can imagine the mood of the place. We were all united in an appreciation, awe and understanding of the various social issues this speech touches. Issues that still exist, but are tougher to see for the rose tinted eyes.
I was nearly moved to tears by the poem "third world girl" by the last poet and performer, Jean 'Binta' Breeze.

After such intellectual stimulation, I was welcomed by a link on my friend's wall (on facebook obviously), that introduced the viola organista. An instrument designed by the master, Leonardo Da Vinci, it combines the harpsichord, the organ and the viola. It was brought to life by Slawomir Zubrzycki, a Polish concert pianist and a skilled instrument-maker, by patiently interpreting Da Vinci's  plans, and I am so grateful.

Here's the video. The sound is magnificent. Its sad that the creator himself was never able to hear the actual sound of the instrument.





*If you'd like to read more about it, then please click on the instrument's name above. Cheers! :)



Sunday, 17 November 2013

XVI - The yellow Brick road once more

The Yellow Brick Road Once More:


I tend to click A LOT of pictures when the day is kind, and before the gloomy winter weather set in I was able to get quite a few of them; mainly of my next door neighbour, the eclectic Bricklane. Thought I'd share them with you. Enjoy. :)


A peek of the iconic White Chapel

I found this so typically English, like an image out of a Dickens novel.

The central essence of Bricklane

One of the many spray painted walls

This artist is all over the place, and he/she is certainly marvelous

I really miss the blue skies...



Thursday, 14 November 2013

XV - A revelation

A Revelation



I’ve realized, after observing the last 8 years of my life, that I am more comfortable being the admirer. 

Regardless of how many talents I develop, there seems to be something that always keeps me from excellence. I am the jack of (almost) all trades. Perhaps its my lack of will, my easily dampened confidence, my quickly silenced enthusiasm. I know the passion remains, but it is underneath the calm surface, overflowing only sometimes during the rains.

I had always thought that perhaps I have just not found the correct field yet, but I must accept that I am an admirer of the art and its genius. There is no shame in this. "Reaching out" comes with a certain amount of stress and vulnerability that usually affects me negatively.

Even romantically I find myself attracted to men with some passion and drive. I am a part of the individuals in the background. The people who form the support and encouragement for the artist struggling with their inner and outer demons.

In academics, in music and now in anthropology, I contribute with my limited means and keep the field alive, but I can only marvel at the accomplished thoughts of the people around me. Perhaps it’s in this acceptance that I can finally find peace and excel in admiring instead. 

xoxo



Sunday, 10 November 2013

XIV - Autumn in the countryside

Autumn in the Countryside


After a brief visit to Keswick in the Lake District I finally understood what it was that inspired all the greats of the English canon. No wonder people chose to go on walking tours. The sights around Derwentwater Lake and the pure serenity of the place could calm the most tangled minds. 
I grew up in the hills surrounded by trees and nature all around me. (Sometimes even creeping into the house in the form of insects, bats and sometimes snakes. So being in east London, I did realize I the lack of  interaction with Mother Nature, I just didn't realize to what extent. 
I just sat on the shore of the lake and listened to the rustling of the leaves, the call of the birds, the gentle breaking of the waves. I ended up skipping lunch.
Music is the food of Love, and here my Love was being fed by the music of Mama Nature.



You cannot imagine the country side without the presence of these adorable creatures

The different shades of Autumn on a single tree
Its like as if God accidentally dropped his paint palate creating this magnificent landscape

The next morning there was snow fall on the mountains in the background

~ I know I must return ~



Wednesday, 6 November 2013

XIII - Small Talk

Small Talk


I've realized that one of the hardest things to do in life, especially if you're someone who tends to over-think, is NOT to be socially awkward. Most conversations with acquaintances begin and end with small talk. No matter how confident or charming you are, you reach a point when you've said all that can be said and then what follows is the best of the worst experiences, the awkward silence...

(Can you hear that? Its the sound of someone breathing.)

But then, every once in a while, you'll come across a person with whom even small talk is essential, because you'll want to share as much with the person as possible. The many others in the party don't appear to be staring at you with judgement anymore, mainly because now you aren't as nervous as before. That stain at the corner of your skirt probably isn't visible anyway. Even the silence is comforting. 

Such people are tough to come across, and all the past socially awkward moments are worth the find.


Saturday, 26 October 2013

XII - Trials and tribulations in a "first world" country #2

Trials and Tribulations in a "First World" Country #2


I just had my first experience of "Daylight Savings", a phenomenon which is apparently experienced by almost half the world. Have a look.
My mother had been warning me about this for quite some time, but the experience of it was just surreal. 

I  was doing a bit of reading (Yay!), and I realized that it was getting really late (2:50 am). I've made plans with some friends which would require me to wake up on time. So I was setting my alarm on my phone and I realized that the time on it was an hour behind my watch and desk clock. I was about to correct it, when I realized that even the time on my laptop was in the same state! 

≈≈ It was like being in the twilight zone. ≈≈

Thankfully, Mum's constant warning prevailed! I googled "daytime savings" and voilà! It was as I had suspected. Phew! I finally took a deep breath and corrected my watch and clock. 


Tomorrow's definitely gonna be an off day for people with a tight schedule. :/




Thursday, 24 October 2013

XI - Memory

Memory


It was the birthday of some one really close to my heart yesterday. ~*

Its funny how somethings make you look back on the past, and you end up spending hours just going through old pictures or videos or sound recordings of happy times. Things that had been captured just for fun, but which now hold memories more precious than everything money can buy.

I've often cursed my memory.
"It's very weak."
"It can't retain enough."
"I'm probably gonna get Alziemer's really early in life."
But to be honest, I guess I'll only be happy and truly satisfied with my memory when it becomes one like a hard disk...or like Sheldon.



I wish I could retain every favorite event and remember it like it was yesterday. I wish I could remember the smells, the conversations word by word, the thoughts, the sounds, the touch. Sadly, snippets is all I end up with at the end of the day; fractured scenes and sentences. That and a bit of the feeling of the experience, which is the only saving grace.

I believe that the mind is the most powerful and dangerous weapon. People can be controlled though it without the slightest hint. It can also lead to self-destruction. You can end up hanging on to the past and keep living in denial, destroying yourself mentally. However, there is a most magical side to this as well. Your mind can help you re-live some moments with someone through a Dream.

After he joined the angels, these dreams became my safest haven. Waking up was a new tragedy to be dealt with.

Eighteen months later I've reached a point when all I can remember are the happy memories. There's still a little feeling of melancholy when I look back, but time heals little by little. 

As Juan Antonio said in Vicky Cristina Barcelona

"...only unfulfilled love can be romantic."



Tuesday, 22 October 2013

X - A world like our own

A World Like Our Own


Many times, especially these days with gender being one of my subjects of study, I've wondered what would life be like if we lived in a world where it was "normal" to be homosexual, and "unnatural" to be heterosexual. You clever people will immediately bring up the problem of procreation, but what if there was another social system of creating life, like donors, surrogates or test tube babies.

Now you'll probably say that these are systems of our modern world. I do agree, but there are always ways of making space for such a need through socially accepted customs and rituals. For example, I once read a book called The Pregnant King which was based around the time of the Mahabharata. Here we see that there was a system among the people which allowed an impotent husband to choose a young man from the village to impregnate his wife for him. In the book, a man chooses his nephew or some relative to do so. This was all highly acceptable.

So tell me, other than the desperate attempt at reasoning through religion, why can't people freely choose who they would like to be with and who they would like to marry? At first I had major difficulty trying to imagine a world so different from our own, but I just happened to come across an interesting short film dealing with this same issue. The film is called Love is All You Need? and was created and directed by K.Rocco Shields as a part of WingSpan Pictures. Have a look. Its very interesting.









Sunday, 20 October 2013

IX - Untitled

Untitled


I've been writing songs since the age of twelve and this developed into the need to write a bit of poetry. Though I've always admired the works of Wordsworth, Tennyson and Blake, my poetry always seems to reflect darker themes. Here's one for now. I'll post some more in time if you like.

This untitled work was written on my phone during a horribly slow traffic jam in Delhi. I had just had a tiring and demanding day so you can imagine my mindset. Its usually a certain feeling that inspires me and not something concrete.   




White jackals running in the stream of darkness
Forever flowing into the black core of this Earth
Its reality
Infecting everything in its path

It cares not for the innocence it robs
Nor the peril it introduces in the life of an ignorant
Its birth was sourced in the very thoughts and desires of the creatures it now infects
Like a slowly festering wound


≈≈≈≈≈ Ω ≈≈≈≈≈



Saturday, 19 October 2013

VIII - Fan Girl

Fan Girl


Ok, so I know some of you might not be fans of my next topic, but I simply HAVE to record this. I love watching the Vampire Diaries. I love the plots, the effects, the direction, the fashion and the love triangles. So after two seasons of watching Elena whine about all the horrible things that happening to her, and her confusion about her feelings for both the good looking vampire brothers in love with her, we finally see a fresh love triangle. This time with Caroline and two hot hybrids.

I love Caroline. I feel like I can really relate to her character, and after becoming a vampire, she becomes the girl I'd like to be, strong, smart and well, spunky. Candice Accola is able to balance strong and vulnerable, sexy and elegant, charming and goofy. In simple words, she's AWESOME! *_*

Anyway, so I've been following the series religiously and have become a firm supporter of Klaroline. There's just something about "a dangerous man and the woman he'd change for" type of romantic plot. Though I have been disappointed so far by the separation of this coupling due to the new release of The Originals, which follows a separate tale keeping the original vampires (hence the name) in the lead, I am hopeful that I will have some more Klaroline moments in the future episodes.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures and moments. Enjoy. :)

I like them all, but don't Candice and Joseph look just perfect together!
Girls just wanna have fun (making boys who like them watch from a distance) 
My favorite moment. (She understands him so well. No wonder he can't help loving her.)
The way he looks at her *sigh*

 So yes. I'm a major fan girl sometimes. Can't wait for Caroline to finally be with her "last love".
<3

VII - Trials and Tribulations in a "first world" country

Trials and Tribulations in a "First World" Country


Ok, so being in a new country and living in an accommodation that has above standard facilities offered, there are a few systems I'm still getting used to. Like using an electrical stove, using a white card as a key (and almost locking myself out of the room every time), and getting almost everything done via the internet. (Even charging my bloody laundry card!)

This is the first time I'm using the washer/dryer system. Being in India, we have more primitive but equally lazy ass methods of washing available to us, like the dhobi system or getting the bai or maid to hand wash everything. So I was a bit nervous about doing my laundry for the first time. I didn't want anything to happen to my precious clothes.

But I managed to shrink my favorite gym pants. Damn these first world gadgets!



I know it isn't all that bad, but I like my ankles covered when I wear sneakers with pants so
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VI - My strangely realistic dreams

My  Strangely Realistic Dreams


What's written ahead is a fictional event created during the course of a night's slumber. :)

He was a musician of some sort in my dream. One of the many in Delhi, looking for a break. He and his band were in a documentary recording their trials and tribulations as a young band in the big city. 

The same gang from the outdoor movie outing had come with me to watch the premiere of this documentary. (They were wearing the same clothes.) Apparently the movie had been such a hit at the various prestigious film events all over the world that it was now being shown in the biggest movie hall in the UK. 

I almost tumbled down the steps trying to get the best seats possible as it was on a "first come first serve" basis. We watched him on the big screen and  I remember thinking, "He's so good looking. No wonder he's an actor." *sigh* Such a fan girl.

~ I know I'm strange ~

Friday, 11 October 2013

V - A Beautiful Sunday

~ A Beautiful Sunday ~


'Twas a beautiful, sunny, PERFECT day to visit the Colombia Road Flower Market nearby. 
Though it didn't start very perfectly. :P I overslept and delayed the plan by an hour. Not my brightest moment, but that didn't stop the day from being thoroughly enjoyable.

My flatmates and I headed to the market which took place only on Sunday mornings. The friend who knew the way to the place was joining us at the market place itself, so the rest of us relied on the ever faithful knowledge of Google maps. :P After a point it got pretty easy finding the place as we saw people walking away from a certain direction carrying bouquets and pots of flowers. 

Many such "Sherlock Holmes" observations later we found ourselves greeted by an acoustic band right outside the area for the flower stalls. It was noon by now, yet there were so many people around. I went crazy with my camera, and ended up getting left behind quite a lot, but there was so much to take in that I didn't even notice most of the time. I managed to get some lovely shots of the day.

We squeezed through the crowd, admiring the flowers of the stalls on either side of the road. Even though there were so many people, not to mention their dogs around us, the air still smelled so fresh. When we reached the other end of the market, we treated ourselves to some ice-cream and relaxed in the autumn sun shine. 

After a bit of vintage shop surfing and actually purchasing some flowers, we had spent almost two hours at the market without even noticing it. Tired and hungry, we decided to head to Bricklane for some bagels. It was close by and fell on the way back to our accommodation, so the plan seemed pretty suitable. Some of us went back, while the other more enthusiastic bunch went forward to explore busy Bricklane on a Sunday. I was one of the latter of course.

I'll tell you about that bit in the next post, otherwise this one will become too long. Got some more pictures coming your way. Ciao.


 While maneuvering through the crowd. 



Just a regular Sunday for this man.


I found her so chic.


My favorite picture of the day.



A picture of regular London.


The group of us! :)