Change is good...I think

It's that time of year again when everyone goes back to school, or in the case of my brother, heads off to university for the first time (which is totally freaking me out, by the way). Either way, whether changes in accomodation, educational path, careers, goals...life in general...it all seems to be happening now for some reason. I guess we're around that age, early twenties, when people are graduating and figuring out where they want life to go for them. I can't believe that we're old enough to get married. Or that I still am not sure what I would like to do when I "grow up". There are a ton of unbelievable changes that seem to be taking place in such a short period of time...it's would have potential to be really scary, but it seems to be happening sooo fast that there's no time to react. Which might be for the best, just to live it one day at a time. Anyways, I seem to be going off on a completely random rant, which was not the purpose of this blog entry at all.

What I meant to talk about...
First, I won't be posting much this week, because as my mother reminded me: I only have one week left in the comfort of my parent's home, before I'm back out on my own in the real world (and consequently will have an excess of free time to post as often as I like).

Secondly, a while back I posted a song by Muse that I was obsessively listening to. Well, here's my favourite Muse song for the week (click here to listen) - it's the title track off their new album, and it's simply the best song to sing along to (as I've been doing constantly while driving around town this weekend). You definitely should trust my opinion on this one, I've become an expert car-singer while living in suburbia. Also, for anyone interested, Muse is coming to Toronto in a couple weeks along with about a million other bands. It sounds pretty amazing.

China cracks down on funeral strippers

With so many troubles plaguing the world today, how can one person truly educate themselves about the situation at hand? Just to help out, I thought I would share the dire funeral-stripping situation currently affecting rural China. Funeral stripping is not about people stealing caskets or flowers from funerals, as you may have thought, and yes, all you people with your minds in the gutter...are right!

Basically, the greater the number of people that attend a funeral, the more honour that is brought to the deceased. So, in an apparently common attempt to help boost their post-mortem ratings and bring forth the crowds, they hire strippers. Not really your typical sad, morose atmosphere. Read the full article here. Inspired anyone? :) Let's just say this is one of those times where I'm glad I will be cremated.

Young at heart?

I swear, I'm getting younger day by day. I blame the summer students in our lab, they're bad influences (I am normally extremely mature, obviously). For example, today Eugenie* told us a story about some girl in her kindergarten class who drank milk mixed with coke...and traumatized her for life. Another co-worker was laughing hysterically over her computer, and got us all watching this Muppets video, which has been stuck in my head since. Bring back any memories? I like the two guys at the end. Who am I kidding...I like them all. It's SO CUTE.

Manah-Manah


If you have the time, check out the site on Wikipedia - not only used on the Muppets, this song has been used in a million different contexts, including a very scandalous Swedish one! Oi.

*Eugenie also told me I had to write about her in my blog...or else. She's scary sometimes, so for my own safety, I had to comply.

The sauce packets are speaking to me

And no, I'm not going crazy. Yesterday my brother and I visited our favourite fine dining establishment, Taco Bell. There must be someone really bored in the Taco Bell design department, or maybe someone with the same cheesy sense of humour as myself - either way, it made us smile! These are a few of my favourite examples of fast-food ingenuity:


Oh, but it doesn't stop there. Other sayings included:

So many Tacos, so little time.
Live life one sauce packet at a time.
Save a bun. Eat a Taco.
Live life...take two.
I'm in good hands now.
Pick me. Pick me.

At least you know that the next time you're feeling down and out, all you have to do is visit your local Taco Bell joint to know that someone loves you :) Awww.

Speaking of unrequited love...

Today tickets went on sale for the So You Think You Can Dance LIVE SHOW in Toronto - and it's all sold out!!!! 'Tis my own fault for forgetting to check at 10am (when they first went on sale), but it's only been four hours. Oi! So basically, I thought I would enter my desperate plea online:

Does anyone, anywhere have tickets?!?!

I will buy two of them from you! PLEASE! Dmitri is calling to me. Ha ha, okay maybe not, but I will be very VERY happy!!!! C'mon, help a couple of groupie-esque, obsessed girls out.

A bollywood classic

Showtime
Today my family and I went to see the new show in town, Bombay Dreams. When we first heard about a Broadway-style show with a Bollywood theme, we were excited at the idea of this little piece of Indian culture making it mainstream and, of course, had to buy tickets. It was fun and entertaining, although I have to say I was disappointed by a couple things. First, it did not compare to the sophistication of Broadway show classics like 'The Lion King' or 'The Phantom', period. Secondly, to me, the dancing was really simplistic and not even really coordinated at times - although when we spoke with other people afterwards, the one comment I heard was "the dancers were so coordinated!" - so I think they definitely will please the average theatre-goer. Lastly, it is problematic in that it is supposed to be like a Bollywood film, therefore it doesn't portray Indian people and culture in the most favourable way (with corruption, scandal, caste issues, etc. Typical Bollywood). So, what did I like? The classic Indian outfits were gorgeous, and the male lead was hilarious and perfect for the role.

Bollywood!
For those readers that may be unfamiliar with Bollywood films, here are a few characteristic features:

• ROMANCE: Romeo-and-Juliet-esque lovers, destined for each other, yet separated by their families
• Issues of caste/class: Think a good and kind prostitute / the evil oil magnate
  
• Corruption: usually embodied in the local police, or mafia ring-leaders
  
• Coincidences! Or should I say serendipity? A lot of what goes on in Bollywood films is seemingly random, coming from nowhere, yet somehow will always end up in the reunion of the seperated lovers.
  
• Requited love - the ultimate Bollywood theme. Add a little bit of family honour and respect for your parents, and there you have it.
  

All of this is going on amidst a lot of singing and dancing - a film is not Bollywood without this. Often when a movie comes out it might not be that great, but the music will build up it's popularity - destined to be played at weddings for years to come. As you may know from my obsession with "So you think you can dance", I'm a sucker for a good dance routine. So my preference in Bollywood films are the old-school ones: where classical dancing (often performed by the warm-hearted prostitute) was the definitive factor that brought an actress to fame. I love Indian classical dance, maybe because I was never trained classically (I learnt folk dance growing up) and I admire all the effort that someone has to dedicate to perform it well.

Devdas - Maar Dala
Here's a clip from one of my favourite Hindi films. I wouldn't consider it "Bollywood" in the typical sense, as it lacks the prevalent cheesiness-factor. A re-make of a classic story, Devdas was another one of those exciting cross-over moments, premiering at the Cannes film festival.
In this scene, the woman/prostitute (played by Madhuri Dixit) told the creepy guy (the one with the mustache) that she would wait for the other guy (the one she loves, but can't be with because he's in love with someone else) to come before she started dancing. Creepy guy mocks her, and says lover-boy won't come, so she burns a candle and tells creep-o that she will dance for him when the candle burns out. Anyone confused yet? :) So to make a long story short, her love arrives (depressed, because he can't have HIS love) and watches her dance. At the end he goes crazy with sadness and turns scandalously to alcohol, as he watches the wedding procession of his love go by outside. See what I mean about love and prostitutes and honour? Ah, I love it. The clip is pretty fuzzy, but it's the best I could find. Click here for the translation.

blog-worthy entertainment

Step Up
Ah, romance and dancing. Must I really say how much I liked this movie? Despite the unlikely characterization (think bad boy janitor becomes amazing, dancing boyfriend) and the occasional lack of acting ability (Can we honestly demand it all: good-looks, dancing ability AND acting? Really.) it was AWESOME. Okay so it didn't exactly boast originality, following along the same lines as Save the Last Dance. But I definitely like this one as much, or even better, for two reasons: First, the lead actor, Channing Tatum. He's gorgeous, buff and can dance. Some people like guys who have a sense of humour, others like guys who blog. Me? I like guys who can dance. It's not a requirement by any means, but it is a definite asset. And really, who cannot love this guy. Anyways, I should move on before this entry becomes "I love Channing!" oriented. The second reason I loved this movie was because of the dancing, obviously. Like the visit to the art gallery prompted the start of a new painting, watching this movie brings up feelings of nostalgia for my dancing days of way back when. Or my clubbing days. Either way, it's a lot of fun and something I will be watching again!!
Muse
My second obsession of the day, potentially of the week (yep I'm going for long term commitment). I know there are other bands out there that have the same idea - classical instruments supporting rock-ish music - but thanks to my little brother introducing me to Muse, and my limited exposure to other music, I like this one. I recently went to a concert featuring Collective Soul and Jacksoul (and others) supported by the TSO that was absolutely amazing. Muse takes the same idea, and adds Radiohead-esque vocals...basically, the ultimate combination. Listen for yourself here, and turn up the volume :)

babies, babies, babies

The family stuff
Today was a particularly important day for my aunt, who is expecting a baby (!!! yay!). According to Hindu tradition, during the 7th month of pregnancy you hold this ceremony, which we had today - I really can't tell you the exact purpose, but I believe it is to prepare the parents for their new baby...or something. There were coconuts involved, which means something to do with fertility (obviously - she's pregnant). There's also this part where some little kid has to come and "slap" the pregnant woman with red dye on his hands. Nice, eh? I asked my mom what the significance of this abusive tradition was, and she replied with "To punish her for having sex" (followed by multiple rounds of laughter with my aunt). So now I'm not only traumatized, but also scandalized by my mother.

The science stuff
Here's my little factoid for the day - for those of you that haven't heard this before. To begin, I'm a big embryology buff. You may call me obsessed, but it's really an amazing process, I don't understand how anyone cannot be fascinated by embryology. Anyways, so this guy called Da Vinci did a series of anatomical studies - although famous generally for his paintings, he was interested in examining anatomy and the proportionality of the human body. One of his most famous anatomical drawings was actually the source of confusion when used as a medical reference (which can be found in some textbooks!), as it was incorrect. Can anyone guess from looking at the picture??? (Does anyone think I'm crazy and ranting about embryological facts that are insignificant? TSK, TSK. You people should google embryology. Or click on this link on the left. Or wait excitingly for my embryology-entry.) :)

Okay well, here's the deal: Da Vinci used animal models (cow, in this case) for his sketches. He drew the human embryo sitting within a cotyledonary placenta*, while really humans have a discoid placenta**. Ooooh, Da Vinci made a mistake, Da Vinci made a mistake. There is reassurence in the fact that even brilliant geniuses aren't always right.

*Cotyledonary: Multiple, discrete areas of attachment called cotyledons are formed by interaction of patches of allantochorion with endometrium. The fetal portions of this type of placenta are called cotyledons, the maternal contact sites (caruncles), and the cotyledon-caruncle complex a placentome. This type of placentation is observed in ruminents (ie, cow).

**Discoid: A single placenta is formed and is discoid in shape. Single area of attachment, which contains cotyledons. Side note: Cotyledon is the strangest word - I cannot for the life of me figure out how to properly pronounce it, or where this word comes from. Anyone take classics and know if there is a rationale behind this weirdness?

Nothing wrong with a little happiness

In recent days, I've found myself consciously aware of the outlook of people surrounding me - whether they are people I interact with for only a few short moments, maybe on the subway, or people I see on a daily basis; it is obvious when a person's perspective is positive or negative.

When you think about it, it's suprising how seriously people take some things and how upset they can get. Today I met a very friendly woman while waiting for the elevator, and after chatting for a few moments about how ridiculously slow the hospital elevators are, we shared a moment of excitement when it finally arrived. When she left, she very sincerely wished me a "very, very good day". It's strange how something so small can have such a large impact. Simply bypassing the usual "no-talking" rule that seems to prevail in elevators had me arriving at work feeling extra upbeat and cheery. Things like this always help to remind me that, really, life isn't going to always be perfect, but it's all about how you handle what comes your way. Some people get upset and angry. Others joke about it, and continue on their way. Myself? I think I lean towards the positive end, so as a warning, this blog entry is going to be about some happy mushy stuff.

Have you ever read the book "Don't sweat the small stuff"? I read it many years ago, but the basic principle is that people can spend so much energy getting worked up over the "small stuff" in life that they fail to truly experience how beautiful it can be. To me, this doesn't mean that you shouldn't stop yourself from being upset, but just to be more aware of what you can change, and what is worth spending the time worrying about. The irony of it all is that you really cannot tell someone this - it's a mindset that one has to understand and take on themselves. I definitely have my dad to thank for brainwashing me with positive thinking - during our childhood (AND STILL), he employed the following sentences in excess:

"Don't worry, be happy"
"I am number one!"
"Always remember your dreams"
Dad: "How are you?" Us: "FANTASTIC!" (the only accepted response)

I think this is one of the reasons I love the movie Moulin Rouge so much. It's filled with 'bohemian' expressions of optimism and happiness (for example: "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be love in return"). Alright, well I think I could rant about this forever.

Basically, what I meant to start writing about, was this other blog I came across: Love Revealed. People send in a picture of something that makes them happy, something they love, and write a one sentence (anonymous) explanation why. To quote the author: There's so much negativity and hatred in the world, a slice of heartfelt love can't go astray. I'm all about this rationale. Check it out, send in a picture, or just browse through what other people have sent in. Enjoy!

I sent in this picture (haha YES!) as a reminder of awesome times with good friends on a recent trip to NYC. There are too many things I could send in, but this was the first thing that happened to come to mind today.

Dried fish - yum, yum

The other day my co-worker and I were strolling down the street chatting about our pets. She has an affection-hungry cat, I have a food-hungry fishie. When I told her my fish (blueberry*) was a Betta, she told me this:

Co-worker: I used to have a fighting fish, too.
Me: No way! I have one and I love it and it's so cute.
Co-worker: Yeah...it lived for about six months.
Me: Really?! I used to have one a couple years ago**, and it almost lived to over a year and a half. That's so weird.
Co-worker: Well, I took care of it for the six months, then one day just forgot about it.
Me: Forgot???
Co-worker: Yeah, well it was sorta hidden behind a couch. The water all evaporated and the fish dried out.

Sort of disturbing, isn't it? Especially knowing that this co-worker is a doctor (ha ha ha) and is a really nice person. The title of this entry refers to my vegetarian opinion that people eat random stuff, like dried seaweed and frozen jellyfish, so I wouldn't put dried out Betta-fish past you meat-eating folk. :)

*I recently got my fish from my friend Zainab's wedding, where it was the centerpiece. I chose it because it was a really cool shade of blue/purple, however after feeding it this expensive japanese colour-enhancing food, it's turned red. I refuse to change the name to raspberry (too girly).

**RIP jay-z. I also got this fish from Zainab (and my other friend Jaffer), hence the name "J" and "Z". It sadly died last summer when I was away on a trip to Spain.

clips of chicago

So the continuation of the Chicago-blog-entry has been delayed due to a large paper cut on the tip of my finger - not exactly the most conducive location for typing, unfortunately! Why, why, why do paper cuts hurt so much. Anyways, so here's my lazy attempt at a blog entry while temporarily unable to type...enjoy!

View of Chicago skyline: We went to the tourist hot-spot, Chicago's Navy Pier. The Chicago waterfront area is absolutely beautiful, and this seemed like the place where families/friends go to enjoy the city. I took this video on a ferris wheel ride, overlooking the Chicago skyline - thought it looked kind of nice

Click to Play

Trolley ride: Very San Francisco-esque, Chicago has these free trolleys that take you to various locations in the downtown core. We were riding on the "shopping tour" (hence the commentary by the driver), because it took us to the John Hancock building.

Click to Play

On the street: Post-John Hancock, the kiddies were sleeping in strollers so we couldn't take the trolley back. Instead, we hiked our way miles through the city, on our way to Navy Pier. This was at one random location where we were surrounded by some awesome architecture - the building that I pause on (the one across the street) is the Wrigley building.

Click to Play

The Windy City

This weekend, my family and I embarked upon a last minute trip to Chicago, also known as the "windy city". So, you may ask, what does a tourist do in Chicago on this beautiful summer weekend?

See the Tall Ships
The festival of the Tall Ships is meant to recognize the role these vessels played in the city's development - a step back into the 1800s. A lot of tourists flock to the city for this, and people seemed to be talking about it alot. Also, it was our "reason for visiting the city" at customs. But obviously, I really suck at describing it because we didn't see it at all. Okay I lie, we saw one ship...but really, we had no idea what was going on.


Visit Lollapalooza
The self-proclaimed "musical experience like no other", Lollapalooza was a huge attraction with over 130 bands performing outdoors in Chicago's waterfront park. Of course, with something that has such potential to be exciting, we didn't manage to go. Although we occasionally heard bands performing from the street while visiting other attractions, if that counts...hm.

So here's my excuse for skipping out on these Chicago-events: we were really only in core Chicago for a couple days, so we had to ration our time available to do tourist-y things (WE DID!). Also, we were in the company of two very time consuming kiddies aka #1 and #2...



Sure, they look all cute and innocent enough, but wait until they are tired or #2 wants "jus!" (juice) or "ba-ba" (camera) or "mum mum mum mum" (food)....you get the idea :) Although I must say they were tons of fun during their cute and innocent moments.

So you're probably wondering what the heck we actually did on this trip...well, I'm sorta tired now (it's really late!) so I will continue this entry tomorrow. After work, of course.
;)