It's been a few days since my last post, and my posts will continue to be erratic over the next few days. My access is over dial-up (yes, dial-up!), and it's not as frequent as I might like.
There's so much to post about, and over the next few posts, I hope to cover the following topics:
1. My thoughts on Singapore
2. Darwin City & Australia in general
3. Blog revamp
Comment away.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Responsible journalism
I know I'm way behind on this one, but for those of you who haven't seen this one, here it is.
Truly, a most remarkable and pertinent piece of photo journalism. kudos.
Random quote for the day
I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man, I keep his house.
-Zsa Zsa Gabor
-Zsa Zsa Gabor
Lady Bunny
Of the Blogs I've been following, Lady Bunny is the funniest, and one of the smartest blogs that you're probably don't even know exists. Go there now (well, after you've spent some time reading my blog).
The Supreme Court has ruled that there cannot be a Nativity Scene in Washington, DC this Christmas. This isn't for any religious reason, they simply have not been able to find three wise men and a virgin in the Nation's capitol. There was no problem, however, finding enough asses to fill the stable.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
The Media Juggernaut...
Another drawback to Brokeback Mountain releasing. Publicity.
This was supposed to be a small, independent film. If you're read the novella, you can't imagine it any other way. But you can effectively throw that out the window now.
Given its A list backing, this film is getting some major column space, and sound bytes are swarming all over the place. I am not pleased. While I was initially glad for any info at all on this film, but as worldwide release gets closer, some rather unsavoury things have begun to happen. But perhaps the thing that infuriates me the most (and judging from the blogs I've been following, other BBM heads too) are the cast interviews. There have been a slew of interviews popping up all over the place that are alienating the old time fans of BBM. While I am hardly an old time fan, I totally agree with them on this. The madness has to stop.
I will not link to these interviews. Suffice it to say, that their foot-in-mouth comments make Paris Hilton look like a freakin' genius.
As one commentator said, "...if I have to hear one more mention of 'their bravery' and all that crap I will have to turn my attention to something else. One more article on Jake 'AmBIguos' Gyllenhaal taking one for the Gipper..."
This was supposed to be a small, independent film. If you're read the novella, you can't imagine it any other way. But you can effectively throw that out the window now.
Given its A list backing, this film is getting some major column space, and sound bytes are swarming all over the place. I am not pleased. While I was initially glad for any info at all on this film, but as worldwide release gets closer, some rather unsavoury things have begun to happen. But perhaps the thing that infuriates me the most (and judging from the blogs I've been following, other BBM heads too) are the cast interviews. There have been a slew of interviews popping up all over the place that are alienating the old time fans of BBM. While I am hardly an old time fan, I totally agree with them on this. The madness has to stop.
I will not link to these interviews. Suffice it to say, that their foot-in-mouth comments make Paris Hilton look like a freakin' genius.
As one commentator said, "...if I have to hear one more mention of 'their bravery' and all that crap I will have to turn my attention to something else. One more article on Jake 'AmBIguos' Gyllenhaal taking one for the Gipper..."
Monday, December 05, 2005
Brokeback releases
Exams over! Wooo hooo! Bring forth the dancing queens girls!
Brokeback Mountain has finally had its US release. So it begins.
While audiences squirmed uncomfortably in their seats, this film has squirmed its way into the public imagination. It's been called the most beautiful film of the year, if not the decade. High praise, indeed. Heath Ledger has been tipped for an Oscar nod, and my fingers are crossed. The more Oscars this film gets, the higher the chances of this film making it to Indian shores, and into the eye sockets of our cheap-scotch-in-cognac-bottle audiences. Hee hee. Grandma's gonna have a heart attack.
There is the flip side. This film has been criticized primarily for it's storyline, and how it is unrealistic and cold. This story has been criticized for Ennis Del Mar's lack of articulation, or for Jack Twist's eagerness to set up home from the moment he was porked. One reviewer said it left him feeling as “cold as the Wyoming mountains”. As someone who has read the short story, I beg to differ. This story may be many things, but unfeeling it certainly is not.
I admit, when I first read the story, I had a rather queer reaction: I instantly regretted it. I cursed myself for having put myself through the torture of reading those 20 odd pages, and felt as if I had stuck an ice pick in my chest. It was like being stabbed by an icicle, you just have a big hunka ice where your heart used to be. Then it changes. Ice turns to water (steamy scenes not withstanding), and you find yourself standing in a puddle. Make that a puddle of tears!!
As the days passed, I knew that for better or for worse, I would not be able to get the story out of my head. Over time, I came to feel that I was glad I read it. Seeing the trailer after that just made it all the more real, and I know I'll be a bawling idiot whenever I see it. I just hope I have a loved one close by to turn me over so I don't choke in my own tears. Or to put me out of my misery.
A State where a boy named Matthew Shepherd lived. And a country where a President named Dubya ponders his response to the war in Azkaban.
Brokeback Mountain has finally had its US release. So it begins.
While audiences squirmed uncomfortably in their seats, this film has squirmed its way into the public imagination. It's been called the most beautiful film of the year, if not the decade. High praise, indeed. Heath Ledger has been tipped for an Oscar nod, and my fingers are crossed. The more Oscars this film gets, the higher the chances of this film making it to Indian shores, and into the eye sockets of our cheap-scotch-in-cognac-bottle audiences. Hee hee. Grandma's gonna have a heart attack.
There is the flip side. This film has been criticized primarily for it's storyline, and how it is unrealistic and cold. This story has been criticized for Ennis Del Mar's lack of articulation, or for Jack Twist's eagerness to set up home from the moment he was porked. One reviewer said it left him feeling as “cold as the Wyoming mountains”. As someone who has read the short story, I beg to differ. This story may be many things, but unfeeling it certainly is not.
I admit, when I first read the story, I had a rather queer reaction: I instantly regretted it. I cursed myself for having put myself through the torture of reading those 20 odd pages, and felt as if I had stuck an ice pick in my chest. It was like being stabbed by an icicle, you just have a big hunka ice where your heart used to be. Then it changes. Ice turns to water (steamy scenes not withstanding), and you find yourself standing in a puddle. Make that a puddle of tears!!
As the days passed, I knew that for better or for worse, I would not be able to get the story out of my head. Over time, I came to feel that I was glad I read it. Seeing the trailer after that just made it all the more real, and I know I'll be a bawling idiot whenever I see it. I just hope I have a loved one close by to turn me over so I don't choke in my own tears. Or to put me out of my misery.
A State where a boy named Matthew Shepherd lived. And a country where a President named Dubya ponders his response to the war in Azkaban.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Life
Expectations.
Rarely is any word loaded with such painful possibilities.
What is it, that compels this human animal? Why are we so eager for hope? Why are we driven to expect better than the past?
Perhaps the thing more fragile than human life, is the expectations we make of it. To expect kindness; to be treated with respect and dignity. To be able to live your life in peace and security. To expect a better future. To realise childhood dreams. Is that not childish?
When we hurt, why do we think we have the market cornered on human suffering? Why are we so eager to cut ourselves off from others? What do we expect would happen? Why does fear drive us so much? What are we so afraid of? Why are we so afraid to accept ourselves?
Why do we hurt ourselves so much?
Expectations.
Rarely is any word loaded with such painful possibilities.
Rarely is any word loaded with such painful possibilities.
What is it, that compels this human animal? Why are we so eager for hope? Why are we driven to expect better than the past?
Perhaps the thing more fragile than human life, is the expectations we make of it. To expect kindness; to be treated with respect and dignity. To be able to live your life in peace and security. To expect a better future. To realise childhood dreams. Is that not childish?
When we hurt, why do we think we have the market cornered on human suffering? Why are we so eager to cut ourselves off from others? What do we expect would happen? Why does fear drive us so much? What are we so afraid of? Why are we so afraid to accept ourselves?
Why do we hurt ourselves so much?
Expectations.
Rarely is any word loaded with such painful possibilities.
One old Chinese woman... and Paris Hilton
Some time back the solitudinarian talked about the cruelty humans inflict on each other. Here is the flipside.
What is one man's cruelty is another man's necessity. Depending on where you stand, this may seem incredibly cruel, or incredibly heartbreaking. So which is it? Comment away.
Here's my opinion, for what it's worth. Whatever we make of this or any other case, we lead privileged lives (if you're reading this, then you're already better off than most people) and despite our bleeding hearts, we cannot grab the true magnitude of the lives of these people; regardless of whether they end up as the victim or the perp.
I think it's incredibly sad that more column space will be devoted to Paris Hilton's Hellenic obsession (come on guys, that woman has only ONE pose, for crying out loud). That woman probably doesn't know Greece is spelt differently from the musical.
What is one man's cruelty is another man's necessity. Depending on where you stand, this may seem incredibly cruel, or incredibly heartbreaking. So which is it? Comment away.
Here's my opinion, for what it's worth. Whatever we make of this or any other case, we lead privileged lives (if you're reading this, then you're already better off than most people) and despite our bleeding hearts, we cannot grab the true magnitude of the lives of these people; regardless of whether they end up as the victim or the perp.
I think it's incredibly sad that more column space will be devoted to Paris Hilton's Hellenic obsession (come on guys, that woman has only ONE pose, for crying out loud). That woman probably doesn't know Greece is spelt differently from the musical.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
The Mystery of the Disappearing Virus
I've been closely following the case of Andrew Stimpton, the British man who claims to have been cleared of the HIV virus.
While the claims have yet to be backed up with irrefutable scientific proof, if it indeed is true, it would be an unprecedented event. Till date, there has been no proven case of spontaneous clearance of the virus. As of right now, there just isn't enough evidence either way.
Last week the NHS went on record to say that Andrew probably never had HIV in the first place, and he was the unfortunate victim of a testing error.
Scientists have reason to be sceptical about Andrew, and I'll outline why this is the case.
In August 2002, Andrew complained of flu like symptoms and general malaise, and his doctor recommended a HIV test. At that point, Andrew had been engaging in protected sex with his HIV+ve partner. The test came back ambiguous, and the doc recommended another test after a few months. This test came back positive.
Andrew gave up using protection during sex with his partner, and received no treatment. After 14 months, another, more sensitive HIV test, came back negative. Three subsequent tests came back negative as well. Andrew decided to sue the hospital for their earlier false positive test, but DNA testing of his prior samples identified them as his.
This is the extent of what has been covered by the media. As you can see, there is a definite lack of scientific information available, and there has been unnecessary sensationalism. What is needed is a clear explanation of the facts.
The typical, routinely performed HIV test is the ELISA. This detects the useless antibodies produced against the virus. The caveat here is that the antibodies take several weeks to develop after infection, and it's very possible for someone to be HIV+ve and have an initial negative result. This is what was assumed to be the case with Andrew in August 2002.
The normal course of events should be thus: if an ELISA test comes out positive, it is repeated. Only multiple positive ELISA tests are considered conclusive. If a subsequent ELISA comes out negative, however, a more sensitive test called a PCR is performed. The PCR is the gold standard, and is considered irrefutable.
So what happened in Andrew's case? We don't know. That sort of information is just not available right now.
It is known that some people are just immune to HIV. They have certain mutations that don't allow HIV to infect their cells. This has been known for 10 years now. Other people have certain genes that greatly retard HIV growth, and while they do become positive, they proceed very slowly. This has also been known for a long time now. But for someone to become positive, and then negative? This is new.
While the claims have yet to be backed up with irrefutable scientific proof, if it indeed is true, it would be an unprecedented event. Till date, there has been no proven case of spontaneous clearance of the virus. As of right now, there just isn't enough evidence either way.
Last week the NHS went on record to say that Andrew probably never had HIV in the first place, and he was the unfortunate victim of a testing error.
Scientists have reason to be sceptical about Andrew, and I'll outline why this is the case.
In August 2002, Andrew complained of flu like symptoms and general malaise, and his doctor recommended a HIV test. At that point, Andrew had been engaging in protected sex with his HIV+ve partner. The test came back ambiguous, and the doc recommended another test after a few months. This test came back positive.
Andrew gave up using protection during sex with his partner, and received no treatment. After 14 months, another, more sensitive HIV test, came back negative. Three subsequent tests came back negative as well. Andrew decided to sue the hospital for their earlier false positive test, but DNA testing of his prior samples identified them as his.
This is the extent of what has been covered by the media. As you can see, there is a definite lack of scientific information available, and there has been unnecessary sensationalism. What is needed is a clear explanation of the facts.
The typical, routinely performed HIV test is the ELISA. This detects the useless antibodies produced against the virus. The caveat here is that the antibodies take several weeks to develop after infection, and it's very possible for someone to be HIV+ve and have an initial negative result. This is what was assumed to be the case with Andrew in August 2002.
The normal course of events should be thus: if an ELISA test comes out positive, it is repeated. Only multiple positive ELISA tests are considered conclusive. If a subsequent ELISA comes out negative, however, a more sensitive test called a PCR is performed. The PCR is the gold standard, and is considered irrefutable.
So what happened in Andrew's case? We don't know. That sort of information is just not available right now.
It is known that some people are just immune to HIV. They have certain mutations that don't allow HIV to infect their cells. This has been known for 10 years now. Other people have certain genes that greatly retard HIV growth, and while they do become positive, they proceed very slowly. This has also been known for a long time now. But for someone to become positive, and then negative? This is new.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Could this be it?
A British man may have overcome the HIV virus.
25 year old Andrew Stimpson was diagnosed as HIV positive in august 2002. 14 months later, his HIV tests have come negative.
Andrew, on learning of the negative results, tried to sue the hospital for bungling his initial results. However, DNA analysis of the old samples have confirmed them to be his. This spontaneous clearance of the virus is all the more mysterious in light of the fact that he gave up safe sex with his HIV positive boyfriend after his own diagnosis.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Talk about crappy cakes!
"A Dallas cab driver is in big trouble for getting caught on tape sprinkling dried feces on pastries. Forty-nine-year-old Behrouz Nahidmobarekeh is on trial for allegedly throwing fecal matter on pastries at a Fiesta grocery store. Police said they found a pile of human feces by his bed. He would dry it [and] grate it up with a cheese grater and then sprinkle it at the store, officials said."
It's the bit about the cheese grater that lifts this story out of the horror camp and plops it down in the mind-numbingly-horrifying-puking-nightmare camp. Will any one us ever be able to shake the mental image of Behrouz sitting in his apartment contentedly grating his dried crap? And, more importantly, will any one of us ever eat anything with a chocolate dusting?
I had a nice picture of a piece of cake to go with this, but thankfully I changed my mind.
It's the bit about the cheese grater that lifts this story out of the horror camp and plops it down in the mind-numbingly-horrifying-puking-nightmare camp. Will any one us ever be able to shake the mental image of Behrouz sitting in his apartment contentedly grating his dried crap? And, more importantly, will any one of us ever eat anything with a chocolate dusting?
I had a nice picture of a piece of cake to go with this, but thankfully I changed my mind.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Tale of Two Cities: Part Two
I recently went to Coimbatore for a Bioinformatics Conference. While the conference was fairly blah, the place was interesting.
I was immediately struck by how different Coimbatore is from Madurai. Life in Madurai feels like swimming in a viscous soup of molasses. There are times you feel like an insect who knows he's doomed to an amber sarcophagus, but struggles anyway. Everything seems constrained and decrepit, including the people.
Coimbatore seems so different. For one, it's much more modern, and that goes for the people as well. Thankfully the tragic fashion sense of Madurans doesn't extend it's hideous arms as far north as I might have imagined. Hence my amazement at the natives. The people are friendly and helpful (!!) and the weather's better too. It's claimed the Siruvani is the second sweetest water in the world. Madurai, by comparison, has very hard water. That is, when it has water.
I was immediately struck by how different Coimbatore is from Madurai. Life in Madurai feels like swimming in a viscous soup of molasses. There are times you feel like an insect who knows he's doomed to an amber sarcophagus, but struggles anyway. Everything seems constrained and decrepit, including the people.
Coimbatore seems so different. For one, it's much more modern, and that goes for the people as well. Thankfully the tragic fashion sense of Madurans doesn't extend it's hideous arms as far north as I might have imagined. Hence my amazement at the natives. The people are friendly and helpful (!!) and the weather's better too. It's claimed the Siruvani is the second sweetest water in the world. Madurai, by comparison, has very hard water. That is, when it has water.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Tale of Two Cities: Part One
It's been a while.
Since my last post, I've been to Bangalore and Coimbatore.
My, Bangalore has changed. It's a lot more crowded, and the traffic is out of control. Also, all the pretty people can be quite distracting. Luckily no such problem in Madurai. I was also struck by the fact that in the three days I was there, I heard more Tamil than Kannada.
Bangalore is quite a curious place, in an uneasy sort of balancing act between the traditional and the modern. It's everywhere you look. Bangalore has probably the most heterogeneous population in South India, yet this is something that people regard with both pride and resentment. The powers-that-be always seem unsure about what to do with the funny business that is Bangalore.
Case in point. The Bangalore Traffic Police erected a billboard warning about the dangers of jaywalking, and it depicted a guy in funky clothes running across the road, and what appears to be a red Ferrari zooming down towards him. Perhaps they were trying to point out the lack of civil mindedness among Bangalore's newest residents. But why have such a billboard only in Kannada? The target audience is clueless about Kannada, and even I can read more Kannada than the only Kannadiga I know. It's an obvious answer, and we all know it. The language of the billboard serves a greater political purpose, while masquerading as a social message. An average visitor to Bangalore may never even encounter spoken Kannada, and billboards such as these serve as visual anchors. Language identity in India is enormously important, and it's funny how us young urbane people never seem to notice it.
However, the biggest question in my mind was: why on earth is the guy wearing a blue shirt with red pants?! That ensemble is so last season. Haven't they heard? Crimson is the new red.
Monday, September 26, 2005
The Pariah Pietà
A body.
Everyone stopped. One of the firefighters aimed his flashlight low across the ground. A halo of light framed a man’s face. Everyone saw it. “Oh, my God,” they began to shout. “It’s Father Mike.”
He wasn’t buried under much rubble; his body, even his face, was still perfectly intact. They took his pulse. Nothing. “I took an arm,” says Cosgrove. “Someone else took an arm. Two other guys took his ankles.” Waugh grabbed him by the waist, and together the men carried him out of the building. They found a bunch of broken chairs on an outdoor plaza and nestled Judge in one of them, so that they could carry him down a staircase to the street.
That was the moment a Reuters photographer, Shannon Stapleton, snapped the picture that Christopher Keenan, one of Judge’s closest friends at the friary, now calls “a modern Pietà.”
The Rev. Mychal F. Judge, the Fire Department chaplain who died in the rubble of 9/11, was, and still is, one of the most widely loved Roman Catholic priests in New York City's recent history.
For 40 years, Father Judge tirelessly ministered to firefighters, their grieving widows, AIDS patients, homeless people, Flight 800 victims' families and countless others. At his funeral, Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani called him a saint, a sentiment that admirers have followed up by campaigning for his canonization. A simple prayer that Father Judge wrote has been circulated around the world and attached to thousands of donations to the needy. Pope John Paul II accepted the gift of his helmet.
Father Mychal Judge was gay. Pope Benedict and the Catholic Church believe that Father Mychal Judge was unfit to be a Roman Catholic priest.
Here's an article by the New York Times.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Hail Mary
The Pope wants to ban fairies in the Church.
It'd be outrageous, if it wasn't so friggin' ludicrous.
I pity the poor guy.
Imagine his plight. There he is, sitting in the Sistine Chapel, just north of St. Peter's (obviously named by a fairy), and looks up at the ceiling.... painted by a poofter. He nervously adjusts his hat and robe (which you KNOW was designed by a fairy!) and calls his assistant. Considering there are so many fags in the Church, there a good statistical probability that's he's a fairy too. Benedict breaks into a sweat, looking at the young priest's plucked eyebrows.
Hail Mary. The Lord is with thee... so no fear. Panzer Pope or no Pope.
Benedict, I'd watch my back if i were you. Pun intended.
It'd be outrageous, if it wasn't so friggin' ludicrous.
I pity the poor guy.
Imagine his plight. There he is, sitting in the Sistine Chapel, just north of St. Peter's (obviously named by a fairy), and looks up at the ceiling.... painted by a poofter. He nervously adjusts his hat and robe (which you KNOW was designed by a fairy!) and calls his assistant. Considering there are so many fags in the Church, there a good statistical probability that's he's a fairy too. Benedict breaks into a sweat, looking at the young priest's plucked eyebrows.
Hail Mary. The Lord is with thee... so no fear. Panzer Pope or no Pope.
Benedict, I'd watch my back if i were you. Pun intended.
Friday, September 23, 2005
The Federline-Spears Family Portrait
Aah, my favourite Pop Tart, with her little tartlet bundle of joy. Oh, and the baby too.
Do hurry back, Britney. We miss ya.
Do hurry back, Britney. We miss ya.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
BBM Dolls
Found these utterly cute dolls on the net while looking for BBM reviews... a deranged fan *sheepish grin* made them with Candybar Doll Maker. The one on the left is Jack Twist, and the one on the right is Ennis Del Mar.Admittedly, the Jack Twist doll doesn't have quite the 'come hither' look that Jake G has in the trailer, but damnit, they're soooo cute!!
Somebody suggested that the dolls could be animated so that they're dancing in Babylon...
Still cracks me up.
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