Short Story: Shuffle.

“Dammit.” This reports going to take the whole bloody day. Why do I do this? Why am I here?

“He’s calling you into his office.” A colleague with general information as he passed by. I wouldn’t be irritated if it wasn’t for that smirk on his face, bastard.

Walking into ‘his’ office everything slows down. I suddenly know what’s going to happen and I smile. Eternity in a moment. I’m sitting down and he’s moving his lips but I already know what he’s going to say and then Radiohead starts to play… Radiohead and Sigur Ros. It was like having my iPod on Shuffle but the music was blending together.

It also wasn’t music…

It was all visual… I was both climbing a mountain and sailing the ocean at the same time with the voice of Thom Yorke pushing me up the mountain at the same time as the slow glacial music of Sigur Ros pushed wind into my sails.

“Are you listening to me? Why do you have that blank stare on your face? This is serious.”

It sounds like ice cream, feels like a sunset, looks like Beethoven’s ninth. I see the summit and feel the waves beneath me. What is this?

“Okay, it doesn’t look like I’m getting through… Hello? We have to let you go… I’m sorry. You can’t work here anymore.”

I’m smiling and I stand and walk out. I realised that for the last six months I’ve only ever thought about work and each day was singular. And now I realise that this was what I needed. I didn’t stop at my desk, I didn’t look back. I was outside with a smile. Floating on music and climbing my future.

I was free.

Technorati Tags: Writing, Short Story, Sigur Ros, Radiohead

Review: In The Loop

Promotional Poster for the movie parodying Obama’s famous Campaign Poster

One thing you have to admit… British Comedy has the uncanny ability to force the laughter out of you. With its heavily-laden sarcasm loaded with metaphors and similes and utterly, utterly offensive bad language. Some of it will make you cringe while you’re splitting your sides.

‘In The Loop’ is one of those comedies you really must watch. It’s a political satire split halfway between America and the UK and deals with different political relationships and the ‘politics’ behind them. It also puts politics as a heavy-handed one-up-manship between countries (USA and UK) and within the governments of those countries. Now this all sounds very serious but look at only two aspects… the relationships and comedy. These are the classic hallmarks of great comedy. Pissed off Brits taking the mick out of each other doesn’t fail to please either.

I loved the movie and I highly recommend it.

To get the nitty gritties out of the way (director, plot, etc.)… here’s the excerpt from Wikipedia…

In the Loop is a feature film directed by Armando Iannucci. It is an spinoff from the BBC TV series The Thick of It satirising Anglo-American politics in the 21st century. The film was released on 17 April 2009 in the United Kingdom.

In the film, the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom are looking to launch a war in the Middle East. The plot follows government officials and advisers in their behind-the-scenes efforts either to promote the war or prevent it. It stars Tom Hollander, James Gandolfini, Chris Addison, Peter Capaldi, Anna Chlumsky, Gina McKee, Steve Coogan and David Rasche. The film is a joint collaboration between BBC Films and the UK Film Council.

Enough talk.. Go See it :)

Ramadan in the UK

made the above picture wayyy past my bedtime after Taraweeh prayer

Ramadan in the UK is a bit… different.

After years of idiosyncratic Ramadaan and Eid behaviour being drummed into me with the ritual eventually melding into the deeper meaning of how what we do affects who we are and how it will make who we are even better. South Africa was great with the community around me, it gives one an awesome sense of belonging.

In the UK, specifically here in Epsom, there’s a community as well, albeit a younger, less developed one. So, in essence, it can be a little lonely. Not so many friends… some family is here, but with London’s Transport Network – specifically the Road Network – Traffic is 10 X worse than Johannesburg, just to give you an idea, it’s a bit hard. The Public Transport ROCKS! I mean really… trains, busses and the tube are brilliant… but there are costs involved (temporal and monetary), and it does take its toll… makes you think twice before thinking of going anywhere.

It is a very different experience. It takes Ramadaan and puts a magnifying glass on the experience and focuses it. Ramadaan generally makes you forget the outer world and focus on the inner world inside yourself. Being without the general comfort of the family and friends you’ve come to love and trust at a time like Ramadaan takes the whole inner world thing to another level. You start feeling and thinking things about yourself that wouldn’t happen in any other circumstance.

I believe nothing happens without a reason, and so I must be here for a reason. In this situation, in this place. Yet another journey of self-discovery, and from this experience I’m also beginning to realise the truth in the saying that the Final Frontier won’t be space (What’s out there) but it’s going to be Mind & Soul (What’s in here).

Maybe my answer isn’t out there, it’s in me… and now I’m wondering if I’m asking the right questions.

Technorati Tags: Ramadan, Ramadaan, UK, London, Islam, South Africa, Family, Friends

How to Live a Better Life.

Right.. now the list below is not something to look at say it’s really ‘cute’ and ‘true’ and forward it onto 30 other people. This is for you if you’re reading this. Do what you want to with it, but most importantly… JUST DO IT!

1. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

3. Sleep for 7 hours.

4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

5. Play more games.

6. Read more books than you did the previous year.

7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.

9. Dream more while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

11. Drink plenty of water.

12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

13. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.

14. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.

15. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

16. Realise that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

17. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.

18. Smile and laugh more.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.

20. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

21. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.

23. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Don’t compare your partner with others.

24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

25. Forgive everyone for everything.

26. What other people think of you is none of your business.

27. GOD heals everything.

28. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

29. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

30. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

31. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

32. The best is yet to come.

33. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

34. Do the right thing!

35. Call your family often.

36. Your inner most is always happy. So be happy.

37. Each day give something good to others.

38. Don’t over do. Keep your limits.

39. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.

40. Don’t be more calculative in your life for all things.

Nothing Good Happens After Nightfall

I think vampires are a metaphor for our dark side. The darker side of humanity… and if you take into account their habits it all begins to make a little sense. Their thirst for blood mirrors our bad habit of always going after one another’s “blood”. Backbiting, Backstabbing, Violence, Abuse… everytime we put ourselves over others and go a little further with bad intent.. there we have it. We may as well have fangs.

Another aspect is that they only come out at night. I don’t think this is a coincidence. As far as I can see nothing good ever happens after the sun goes down. People end up drunk, spaced out, and most of the time up to no good. There must be a statistic which can prove this point because I have no doubt about it. Again, it makes sense. The dark provides anonymity… people can’t see us, so we let out who we truly are (just like the vampire). If bad intent drives us, that’s exactly what will come out. The anonymity of the dark makes us think that we can’t be held responsible for our actions (because no one knows its us) and we can hide very easily in the dark. Murders, Robberies and all other kinds of shit happens at night.

So there we have it. Vampires are our dark side.

Technorati Tags: Vampire, Philosophy, Life, Darkness

Pep Talk for the Job Hunter

Overheard at Starbucks. A noisy customer on his cell phone:

Hey, you lazy bum, don’t use summer as an excuse to stop looking for a job. Companies hire people all year round… Yeah they they hire during depressions too. So, get off your ass and get on the phone.

Oh, you’re afraid of the phone, are ya? Well, I’ll give you something to be afraid of. Livin’ on the street. How’s that? ….

OK, look, it’s been scientifically proven that you’ve got to get 50 rejections to get a hire. So we’re going to play a game and you’re going to love it. Are you ready?

We know that sooner or later you’re going to get a job. I don’t know. Some kind of job. So let’s pretend that every rejection is bringing you closer to that job.

Do you see the magic? Rejection seems to be pushing you away when really it’s bringing you closer.

They can punch you right in the face but they can’t stop you. You are unstoppable. Doesn’t that set your on blood fire? Don’t you just want to go out there and pounce all over everybody? “Look at me! I’m coming! You can fight all you want, but you can’t hide.”

Do you hear what I’m telling you? They can throw everything at you and you can still move forward. I didn’t make it up. It’s science. You make the calls, you get the job. You can’t fight that logic because if you fight it, you’re fighting reality. And you know what? You ought to start playing along with reality for a change. It’ll treat you a lot nicer.

You can’t resist reality. But reality isn’t as resistant as you think. Now that’s heavy. I mean a guru from India could say something like that and you’d be swooning all over it. But you don’t have to go to India because you’re hearing it right here — on Jerry Jerry what show is this?

Reference: Karla Porter
Link
Technorati Tags: perseverance, Job Hunting, Career

Is Advertising Really Pure Evil?

When it comes down to the bare bones of the issue, or is it the beating heart, whatever… the main thing is… they want you to buy more stuff. This is a pretty simple concept and it has been said before, blah, blah, blah. The power play comes in at the juncture where what they’re selling coincides with what you need. The thing which tips the power in the advertisers favour is when they convince you that you need something you don’t. This gets more complicated when you take into account wants versus needs.

Further complicating things is context. The context today is we’ve moved far away from worrying about needs. We WANT STUFF. Lots of Stuff. Shiny, pastel-coloured, Curvy Stuff which will make us happy and able to satisfy our every sense and then do it all again. We also want it all NOW. Instantly. None of this patience shit and waiting for things which are ‘worthwhile’… I know what’s worthwhile because I feel it now and I want it right fucking now.

I don’t believe Advertisers have any sway, not really, in terms of ‘Making us buy more stuff’. They are merely the temptation… WE make the choice. It is within us… the choice of wanting stuff we don’t need and also to want it right now. So is advertising pure evil? No. Advertising is just showing us what is within us… in the end WE choose. I would say that advertising is only evil if that is what we see within ourselves. You don’t have to buy the product and even if you do… do you need it right now?

Advertising is just stimulus and we can either react automatically to whatever whims and desires move us or be a little bit more AWARE of what’s happening around us and choose to RESPOND to stimulus in our own best interest.

Advertising is only really effective because we all only operate on auto-pilot, we set ourselves up with bad habits of wanting things we don’t need and things we want right now. So when it finally flashes before our eyes and ears we simply react. And, if we are all operating on auto-pilot, that makes us less human because the real thing which makes us human is our ability to choose.

You can’t blame the stimulus… advertising is not the enemy… you are.

The Edgware Road Diet

Edgware Road, City of Westminster, London… a.k.a. Little Beirut, Little Cairo… you get the picture. I love the place. Well it’s one of my favourite places in London mainly because of the food and also because of the atmosphere. It buzzes with busses, a myriad of people (not just middle-eastern), shisha smoke billows (I love that word) from the ubiquitous Lebanese, Persian and Arabian restaurants. You occasionally get the police and ambulance noisily running through Edgware road (more often than not) and you don’t always know where they’re going, so I can’t say whether it’s the road itself that’s dangerous or maybe some adjacent area that’s the cause of the constant traffic disturbances.

The reason I’m writing this? Because I think I need to document a certain experience I had there as well as some really cool advice given by one of the coolest guys I know in London… Mash. So anyway, I had Mint Tea and Shisha (pictured above) at a Persian restaurant called Palace something, I can’t remember but the decor was really well done and the tea and shisha was delicious!

The place also has it’s setbacks… you can’t get too much of it. It’s an occasional stop off point, but go there often enough and it will bore the hell out of you. What it is is a great place to go out with friends, especially small groups. Big groups have a problem, or would have a problem, only if they want to smoke, most of the middle-eastern restaurants won’t allow 1 or 2 shisha’s for big groups, they’ll insist on you buying more than a few or you can’t smoke.

The best place in London for Shawarma’s (according to Mash) is ‘Cafe Helena’, ‘Melur’ is a brilliant Indonesian restaurant. There are tons of other tid bits of info regarding food on Edgware Road, but I wasn’t taking notes at the time.

This narrative will hopefully be extended in future :)

Modern Urban Street Art

It seems one of the things I haven’t kept my eyes on lately has been that of Art of any form (although I did attend the National Art Gallery which was interesting in its own way but I find some the art REALLY BORING.) So here’s some examples of modern urban street art.

This is by Aakash Nihalani and if you look at the NYPD cop car in the background, you can see that he hails from New York! Simple and Brilliant.

via LikeCool
And… more technologically advanced and making gangs look all the more cooler –> LED Spray Paint!

While there are more than a few exceptions to the rule, most graffiti is nothing more but lame, self-serving tagging. But combine simple signatures with LEDs and slow shutter photography, and the genre is born anew:

Halo is a concept by French designer Aissa Logerot. Shaped like a bottle of spray paint, the LED light can change colors on the fly and while it’s powered by an internal battery (that recharges with a simple shake of the can—a cutesy but awesome idea).

Combine this LED light with slow-shutter photography and you can freeze light graffiti in thin air without ruining a facade in the process. Of course, that non-destructive practicality probably eliminates any incentive for about 99.9% of graffiti enthusiasts.

– Gizmodo

By far one of the coolest mash-ups of Culture, Technology and Design I’ve stumbled across on the net. Love it.
Technorati Tags: Cool, Urban, Street, Art, LED, Gangs

The Prophet’s Hands

It is said, according to sound narrations, that the hands of the Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him) were soft over the heads of children, the prophet’s hands worked in the struggle for peace, built places of prayer, held the sword at battle and grasped the hands of enemies with honor and good will in treaties of peace. The prophet’s hands dug the earth to bury the dead and dug the earth to protect the living. His palms, smooth as silk, rejected the bribe of sun and moon, remaining free and open to carry loads for neighbours, comfort his family, caress his wife and jestfully covered the eyes of his companion in a moment of market place merriment. The prophet’s hands were real, the prophet’s example was true, the prophet’s hands are gone, the prophet’s example lives on. – Dawud Wharnsby Ali