Stand up to violence against women

Today (25th of November) is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (White Ribbon Day in Australia & New Zealand.)Today I would like to share something different with my blog readers. Since the last 3 days, I have been writing 55 fiction. I found it pretty weird because I used to write some fiction in my school days, but then lost touch. I don't think they're great by any literary standards, but I hope to get better. The one I'm going to share right now was originally written on the 23rd (day before yesterday.) It's the second one I wrote, & planned to share it later. But when I found out what today was, I knew today is the right time.
So without further ado, here goes-

He handed her the flowers, and promised her it was the last time. That he'd change.
She believed him, like she always had. He seemed so sincere.
But as always, history repeated itself. False promises were made, flowers were gifted.
She accepted both... again.
The next time she got flowers, they were on her grave.

This sends out a message to victims of domestic violence. I know that it's not easy, but you've got to stand up to him. Before it's too late. This was inspired by a poem we had in school.
I would love to hear your views on my 55 fiction.

Remember the Bell Bajao campaign against Domestic Violence? The message it sent out was simple. When you know that there's domestic violence occurring, (at a home near you) don't be a silent spectator. Ring the bell.
Let us pledge to all try our best to stop domestic violence in whatever way we can. Spread awareness. Help victims. Ring the bell, whatever. As long as we do not remain silent spectators to crimes against women.

Until next time,

A case of disappearing blog comments

I didn't think I'd blog today. I was just randomly surfing a blog networking site, when I saw one particular blogger (whom I follow) complaining that a lot of her comments had just disappeared! I thought it was strange, because I've been blogging since at least 2 years (not on this blog) & have never come across a problem like that. Then I came to my blog & surprise, surprise, I had the exact same problem! Though I didn't have a huge amount of comments, I've lost about 30% of them. I'm not really sure what I should do. But I've been thinking about my options-

1) Declare that 'All is Lost' & then sit & mourn for a week
But this option doesn't seem too likely because- Blogging is a passion, yet it is not 'my life.' I've got French classes, college, etc. Besides, if I wanted to sit & home & mourn for a week, mom would kick me out of the house!

2) Put on my Sherlock Holmes hat, grab a magnifying glass & go snooping
No good either, because I suck at html or anything related.

3) Twiddle my thumbs & wait
This seems like the only good option, mainly because the earlier too options wouldn't work out. Do I look like I have a choice?
Do tell me if you are experiencing the same problem!

xo




images found via Google image search

Funny Conversation Snippet(s) #2- At the train station

Ever since I wrote my first Funny Conversation Snippet, I kept racking my brains to try to figure out what to write next in the series. And then it hit me. I've been travelling by Mumbai local trains since a little over a year in a half. And I've had some funny, weird, irritating & disturbing experiences in that time.

So here I'll blog about two funny conversations that I ended up overhearing around train stations.

The first one-
Man talking screaming angrily into his cell phone. This one was originally in Hindi but is translated into English because firstly- Non Hindi speakers can read it too. Secondly- My Hindi really sucks.

Man: Where Are You?! Don't you know how long I've had to wait here for you in the hot sun?
...
Man: Yes yes I'm in Bandra West only.
...
Man: Traffic!!! Yes I know there's traffic. I'm on the road & I can see the traffic.
...
These were just three lines of the conversation that I was forced to overhear that day? Didn't find it funny yet? Well the funny part is coming up. The man was NOT on the road or in the sun. He was just getting down from the Railway station over bridge in Bandra. It is covered (so no sun!) & one cannot see the road from there. So much for his silly lies, wonder what he was trying to prove to the hapless guy at the other end of the line? ('I'm always punctual'?!)

The second one-
This happened just 2 days ago when I was about 200 meters away from Andheri station.
Man (he too was talking on his phone!): I've been waiting in this ticket line forever! It's moving so slow!
The funny part here was that he had not even entered the station premises, forget the booking office! He too was probably late!

Wonder why both the jokes have lies & punctuality as the theme. Looks like mobile phones have been very beneficial to the 'Late Lateefs' as they constantly lie that they're on time.

xo

What drives Terrorists?

Today I saw the film New York (I know I'm a little late but I only go to watch films in the cinema if I'm really interested in watching it.)

I didn't have very high expectations for the film but surprisingly, I liked it! I guess it was mainly because of the alternative view of terrorism in the film. Too many of us (including me) just tend to condemn the perpetrators of terrorism. But do we think about what drives them to take such drastic steps? That sometimes circumstances, & people drive them to do it?

I've often wondered, how can terrorist kill so many people? So many innocent people?

But, so many people, mostly Muslims are illegally detained by the US government & the FBI, usually on very little or completely false charges, & are tortured. (Stripped naked, chained in standing position for days together, confined in tiny spaces, peed on etc.) More than 95% of them are innocent. Then what justifies the heinous torture that they're put through? Keep in mind that the torture here is not carried out by militants or terrorists but by police men & FBI agent. What justifies that?

The answer is simple- Enemies are faceless. To the terrorists, any member of a western country like USA, UK etc. is the enemy. And to the law enforcement agencies, any Muslim man is a terrorist. Terrorism seems like this terrible vicious cycle that's showing no signs of stopping any time soon. Rather, it's just gaining momentum.

Any time a member of the Taliban abducts & kills anybody from the western countries like a journalist, photographer, whomever, it always makes international news. What about all the people who are illegally detained & tortured, their only crime being their Muslim name/surname & sometimes their nationality? I think it's everyone's duty to see both side of the coin.

And it's time that law enforcement agencies change their methods, somehow. Because now, in the name of protecting people, they're creating terrorists. (And it's not the first time, either. Read this article to find out how the US created Osama bin Laden.)

www.Magalic.com

This is just a post to announce that my blog has officially moved to the custom domain http://www.magalic.com/
I officially did the registration yesterday. I'm very pleased with the new domain & excited with this change.
Thank you Mom for letting me use your credit card!

Thank you to all my readers & friends for visiting & commenting & helping the blog grow to what it is today.

love,

Feminist Fairy Tale...

I'm back from a hectic class trip, & initially I figured I wouldn't blog today as I'm just too tired. So I sat to read other people's blogs, leave comments, & also reply to comments on my own blog. Then I decided to inspect the many labels on my blog. And realized, to my absolute shock & horror, that there's no post labeled 'feminism.'

That meant I haven't blogged much about the feminist side of me. Shocked? Don't be. I've been a staunch feminist since well over two years. I tried going bra-less (though that was a necessity at that particular time, it was also uplifting & empowering!) & I've also been a man hater at one time (And NO, I'm not a lesbian, though I support gay rights.) Basically I later realized that men & women need to find ways to co-exist peacefully without fighting or being too negative to each other. So I don't hate men as much now, & I've been able to even make friends with some (be warned, I still hate typical men if you know what I mean.)

Anyway, I introspected a bit to find why I didn't blog about feminism before, which is am important part of who I am. Maybe it was just to not pick a fight with any of my male blog readers (7 out of 12 are guys.)

So I'm officially announcing today, 'I'm feminist!' (though the 'about me' section of my blogger profile has stated the same since months!) 

I've never had a boyfriend. Teenage boys sorta make me sick. I do not harbor any 'romantic' dreams for the future, but I do hope to meet a guy whom I think I can grow old with. But I HATE guys who treat women like servants. Or think that they're inferior. There's this little internet joke I'd like to share. I've read it over a year ago, & it's been circulating around the internet ever since. So I cannot attribute it to anybody except 'the internet'. So here's the joke- 

Once upon a time, in a land far away, a beautiful, independent, self-assured princess happened upon a frog as she sat contemplating ecological issues on the shores of an unpolluted pond in a verdant meadow near her castle.

The frog hopped into the Princess' lap and said: "Elegant Lady, I was once a handsome Prince, until an evil witch cast a spell upon me. One kiss from you, however, and I will turn back into the dapper, young Prince that I am and then, my sweet, we can marry and setup housekeeping in yon castle with my Mother, where you can prepare my meals, clean my clothes, bear my children, and forever feel grateful and happy doing so."

That night, on a repast of lightly sauteed frogs legs seasoned in a white wine and onion cream sauce, she chuckled to herself and thought: I don't fucking think so!!!!!

I identify a lot with the Princess' character. I think I'm self assured, that's the main reasons I have never ever felt the need to have a boyfriend. (When I ask many of my girl-friends why they felt like having a boyfriend, they've often cited the 'everybody has one' or 'having a boyfriend is cool' reason. Not me!) Mom happens to be quite happy & proud of the fact. And many other moms are jealous too (seriously!)

I think I might be like Princess Mia from 'Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement' I hope to fall in love someday, but I don't need to have a guy to feel complete.

Cheers,

How my tattoos became college faculty room gossip.

Another post about my tattoo. (Not a minute too soon). I've had lots of new blog readers recently, so I'll back track a little for their benefit. I love tattoos, I have three. Two are on my legs (one on each leg) & one on my back. You can check out a picture of my full-back tat here (this picture was taken immediately after my second sitting, so it looks a little dark. But it has long since healed & it quite a lot lighter now. So as you can see, it's big. Not something you would expect from your average 17 year old girl. (Even more so because I do not use ANY daily make-up, am simple in my dressing, wear spectacles & am usually too lazy to accessorize.) 

Two teachers knew about it. The first to know was my beloved Psychology teacher (no mentioning names here lest I get in big trouble!) & the second to know was my history teacher. Both happened to see it themselves, quite by accident. (The claw at the base of my neck tends to poke out of some T-Shirts & blouses.

Anyway, I've never been a teacher's pet. Neither am I the type to get friendly with teachers. I hate studying too. But it just so happens that all English teachers end up knowing my name. Even if I've never ever approached or talked to them in person.

So today in college my English teacher approached me & I wasn't surprised. This is her first teaching assignment, so she's pretty young, in fact she undoubtedly the youngest member of the faculty! I though she wanted to discuss my paper with me. Or wanted me to write an article (those are the standard reasons English teachers approach me!) but I was surprised when she asked me, "Are you Magali?" because she had called me by name earlier. In dealing with a lot of students sometimes makes it hard to remember names. But nothing prepared me for her next questions- "Do you have a tattoo? A big tattoo somewhere?" "Yes Ma'am," I quickly replied, "On my back." She then gave me this funny look (You know which look I'm talking about. The 'oh-my-today's-generation!' look) & walked off. So now I know that the teachers have been gossipping about tattoo in the faculty room. 

Great. Just Great. You'd think they were they would be used to it, being lecturers in this college.

Cheers,

OMG OMG It's here!!!

What's here, you ask? Why my beloved camera! (Canon EOS 1000D) Mom asked Dad whether she could buy the camera that I first blogged about 11 days ago (here). He agreed, provided I didn't ask him for anything more for at least a year! I obviously agreed.

But then I started having second thoughts. 'I'm not gonna ever be taking up photography professionally, so was it really necessary to have a professional camera?',' Would I be able to learn to fully use one?' etc.

But I had both my parents blessing (& my friends & my blog readers!) so I decided to go ahead with it. Mom took me to buy it today after college. I was a little nervous in the shop because the guys kept using technical terms. I read the manual on the way back home & took my first picture of Mom when I got home. And the moment I took that picture, I knew I would never regret having this camera. To anyone who just uses a digital (point & shoot) camera, the feeling is unexplainable. 'Pure magic!' was the closest I could get to putting it down in words (no exaggerations!) The image quality is SO much better. The flash works wonderfully, & you get brighter, clearer pictures. My second picture was once more of mom, but this time on 'portrait' mode. Guess what my third picture was? One of the most clichéd pictures ever - a picture of my lens cap!

Anyway, I just started exploring the manual features & I'm sooooo excited! I have got to get back to fiddling with the camera so bye for now! I'll try to put up a few pictures soon!

xo

When danger is close to home

Today started out like any other day. No wait. Mumbai isn't issued cyclone warnings everyday. Neither do I have a cold everyday!
Anyway, just before I left for French classes, I decided that I wanted to bunk college. I get that urge pretty often. But today I had a valid excuse. I had a cold. And it's raining. And Mumbai has been issued a cyclone warning by MET.
So I went to my classes & came back home. Mom went for her volunteer work. Later I read a Tweet from author Ashok Banker's twitter page saying that Mumbai colleges were closed & that his daughter returned from college.
Later I read this tweet:

And I must admit, that's probably what hit my mental PANIC button. I started trying to call Mom, & she wouldn't take my calls. Turns out she was just entering our building at the time. So I was happy that Mom & Me were safe at home, knowing that not many people were as lucky.

Then I saw a lot of Twitter jokes about Phyan, which really made me chuckle!

If only...

But soon later I got the news that Cyclone Phyan would be missing Bombay & heading straight for Gujarat. So MNS's work got saved!
So just like that, all this Phyan business is over. If you're interested, you can check out an awesome Satellite Image of Phyan here.

Until next time.

And I award my wife 'Employee of The Year'!!!

This morning, when I opened the paper, guess what caught my eye. Not some impostant current affairs or politics headline, but this:
Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes ‘renegotiating marriage contract’
Yes, you read right. Marriage 'contract'.

I've never been a romantic person.
I always cite this one quote by Mahesh Bhatt: "Marriage is legalised prostitution."
But I've still stubbornly clung on to the belief that when people do marry, they marry for love. Or maybe at least affection? But what's this???

Some excerpts: (Text in red is my comments)
"Holmes is said to be increasing her demands on everything from her clothing allowance to her negotiated fee for providing a sibling for the couple’s daughter, Suri.
According to Woman’s Day, the 30-year-old actress has called in her lawyer father to help with her demands for an extra 500,000 dollars for supporting Cruise’s chosen religion, Scientology
She’s also demanding an increase in her annual clothing allowance from 750,000 dollars to 2 million dollars.
Holmes has also asked for a role in the next ‘Mission: Impossible film’."

"Famous magazine has reported that Holmes received 3-million-dollar bonus from Cruise when she gave birth to Suri." Ahh... Good job. Here's your bonus for being a good employee!

And now wants more children and “increased the additional offspring offer as an incentive for Katie to get pregnant again”. Incentive? Like how companies offer employees to reach certain targets.
Cruise is apparently ready to pay up to 5.5 million dollars to Holmes to fall pregnant, with a 2 million dollars bonus if she conceives by 2011. Tom Cruise has a helluva lot of money. Why doesn't he just hire a womb? Probably cheaper!
However, according to the mag, Holmes wants at least 11 million dollars if she gives birth and 5.5 million dollars if she tries and fails. Sigh. The negotiations. I can imagine a board room with a long table. Tom & his lawyers on one side, & Katie with her dad-cum lawyer on the other. Then Katie quips, "My womb is much more precious to me! You won't get it that cheap!"

I mean, is their marriage a sham or what? Why do they insult the word 'marriage' with their silly little business deal? And then people wonder why I don't believe in the institution of marriage.
Mom's reaction on reading the article, "Their marriage is nothing but a great big sham..." But you knew that already, didn't you!
I bet they even have scheduled dates for making love too (according to the contract, you know!) Or maybe they only do it when they're trying. Maybe that's what this mean- "Holmes wants at least 11 million dollars if she gives birth and 5.5 million dollars if she tries and fails."
Mom also said soon later that they deserve each other. He's some weird wacko who's rumored to be either gay or impotent (and hence needs to hire a wife), & she was just a struggling actress when she met him (and now she's making utmost use of him). I can't help but agree.

xo

Magali

Funny Conversation Snippet #1- Buying eggs

Hello Blog Readers! Today, Mom told a snippet of a conversation that I couldn't help but share. And that's how the 'Funny Conversation Snippet' section is born. Hope you enjoy it!

Mom suddenly realised that our stock of eggs was over. So she went to the shop to buy them. Her usual shop was out of stock, so she had to go to a different shop. And the shopkeeper was this irritating, crabby woman. So the conversation went something like this: (Note: The conversation was originally in Hindi but I have translated it for everybody's convenience. Mostly mine)

Mom: Do you have eggs (in stock)?
Shopkeeper: Yes. Three & a half.
Mom thought she didn't hear the question clearly
Mom: I said, Do you have eggs?
Shopkeeper: Yes. Three & a half.
Now Mom was irritated!
Mom: THREE & A HALF WHAT?!!
Shopkeeper: Three & a half rupees per egg!!

The shopkeeper was telling Mom the price per egg! (Since the prices had increased!) But Mom never wanted to talk about the price, she was just asking about availability!
So it was just another one of those day-to-day misunderstandings/communication gaps. I must mention that it obviously got sorted out & Mom bought the eggs & left. And she's not gonna visit that shop again if she can help it.

love,

Magali


Image is from Google image search.

In simpler words

I know I said I would take longer, but I already feel better equipped to explain what I meant, in detail, in yesterday's post. Certain things have dawned on me in these last few days.

Like, 'Life isn't fair' & 'Life's too short'

Michael Jackson's death & watching This Is It made me feel really, really sad. Why? Because, he had a bad childhood, & an unhappy personal life plagued with suffering, sadness & humiliation. (I do NOT believe that he was ever a child molester) He had been off the radar in music for about 8 years (Invincible, released in 2001 was his last original album) & all that he wanted to do was to entertain people, & show them not to dismiss him yet, because he was still good. Still the King. And he worked so damn hard to rehearse for the concerts (he was also very involved in every aspect of it!)

But that chance was cruelly taken away from him. Mom too feels very sad every time she listens to his songs. She says that she wishes time could be turned back, & that he could have somehow had a happier life. And I agree with her. But it's just too late.

When I watched This Is It, I was touched to see once again what a nice person he was. So gentle, humble & soft spoken. He always said 'I Love You' & kept telling all the crew (his choreographer, back-up dancers etc.) that it was all about Love. I think Life was very cruel to him. However, I do believe in reincarnation & hope & pray that he has a wonderful next life. Because he deserved it.

This post is not supposed to be all about Michael Jackson. But I don't think any celebrity death ever affected me more. I don't think ANY death ever affected me more.

Then, I was browsing randomly on the internet, & I don't remember exactly when, but I realized something. Mom promised to buy me a 64 GB iPod touch for my 18th Birthday. Even though I had wanted an iPod touch since at least 2 years, I changed my mind. I didn't want it anymore. I still think it's quite an amazing little gadget. So I'm not really sure what made me change my mind. I think I suddenly found it very 'shallow.' Other than play music, use all those timepass & money-draining apps, what does it really do? Does it contribute to personal growth? I don't think so. I have a third generation iPod nano, 2 second generation iPod shuffles & one 1st generation iPod shuffle. That's enough PMPs (Portable Music Players) for now, I can wait till I start earning to buy my next one. And besides, if I use my iPod anymore than I already do, I'll surely turn deaf.

So I decided what I really wanted. A new camera. And no, I'm not talking about those 'cute' red digicams that slip into your pockets & are fashion accessories. I'm talking about a DSLR. Because I believe that photography will really help me to see the world in a better light. And contribute to personal growth. And if by fluke I end up taking some nice pictures, they'll cheer me up when I'm feeling blue. So I settled on a Canon EOS model (EOS 1000D) which incidentally costs one & a half times what the iPod touch would have costed. But Mom has agreed to get me one, I think she's happy that I'm taking to photography, though she hopes I'm not making her spend a small fortune in something that I'll lose interest in very soon. So she said I may get it in December at the earliest. And I'm grateful. In this past year & a half, I've really made her spend way too much money on me. (Laptop, tattoo & now the camera.) I feel happy about my decisions. Later on I fished out Dad's old film SLR (Olympus OM10) which is in pristine condition, though the lens has got mouldy. If I manage to get the lens cleaned, I'll use it for sometime. So I guess I have another label I could add to my bio- amateur photographer. Well not yet. But soon.

I know I went rambling around in this post. I know that the grammar may be a little off, & that it's not very literary. But I just recorded my thoughts as they flowed out. So though this post may not be good to read, it's straight from the heart. ♥

Love,
Magali