Rihanna & Chris Brown - Reunited

Word is that Rihanna and Chris Brown are back together. Apparently they are hanging out at one of Diddy's homes. If you'll remember, just three weeks ago Brown was booked for allegedly assaulting Rihanna after a pre-grammy party. Neither of them showed up for the Grammy's and subsequently cancelled their performances. Rumour-mills were going crazy, still are, with what went down. People started freaking out, Chris Brown's tracks were being pulled off the air as a result of angry fans/listeners.

Basically people were saying: "How dare he lay a hand on Rihanna?"

Well...seems like they're reuniting -- or maybe just meeting to work some issues out. At the same time, before y'all start lashing out - remember we still don't know what went down that pre-grammy night.

I guess if  you're interested in knowing -- just going to have to wait and see...

-

Happiness...

I was watching a film the other day, "Vicky, Christina, Barcelona" - Penelope Cruz even won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, for portraying the insanely jealous, hyper and breathtakingly artistic Maria Elena. Watching Scarlett Johansson's character, Christina, who spends a summer in Barcelona trying to "find herself" - I was left with a nagging thought -- "do we ever truly find ourselves?"

She arrives in Barcelona acknowledging the fact that she is facing a time in her life where she can no longer just keep treading through life like she has been and she desperately needs to figure out what she wants and find happiness. Throughout the course of the summer, she truly begins to feel that she has found that purpose, and herself -- yet in the end she leaves Barcelona just as confused and lost as she was when she first arrived.

So it begs the question - "Are we ever satisfied?" Which then begs the question "what defines our happiness?"

We work hard to achieve a certain position in life  and I've seen through some very successful and prominent people, that when they reach that place, they're still not satisfied. They need more, as they realize that what they envisioned doesn't give it all to them. So then what are we looking for?

I know that when I shut myself off to the world and hide behind my writing I become absorbed in the characters that take shape in my crazy imagination. That process as well is complicated enough to drive me mad, because once you take on these characters they do not leave you until you complete the story and are done with it. But the experience is still very much exhilarating.

Yet, I do not have the courage to simply leave what I do (which is law school full-time) and just pursue this passion and why is that?

So, instead I choose to be overwhelmed; I choose to be stressed out; I choose to break out, when I don't even eat any chocolates! And for what? What am I trying to achieve?

Happiness?

Something tells me that when I get my law degree, I will not have achieved my true happiness. Yet we treat these goals as our aim towards happiness.

Seeing my book in print is probably the biggest dream I have had. One that instantly soothes me when I think about it. Yet, I know that it will not bring me the happiness that I have attached to it. 

After some thought -- I realized what will give me happiness in the form of that specific dream -- and that is expression. I will be happy because I have successfully expressed myself and left it for others to see. It is a tangible expression of myself.

But it will not stop there - it will continue with the many other stories that are begging to be put into print, but are as of yet stored in my memory.

If one wanders down the "religious" or "spiritual" route -- one has to consider what the purpose of life is? If we're born into this world, only to hurl over and die one day - then what's the point? To find love? To pursue happiness? To have a family? To build relationships? To discover the meaning of life? Sure I've heard all of these answers -- but again...if we are to just die, what's the purpose?

Is it just God's experiment? See what souls will do in the images of humans? Animals?

I think I'm waiting on someone to turn around and tell me that I'm living in the "Matrix" -- lol.

Anyways -- I've got a fever today, and it's raining outside and this movie just really made me reflect. But look at your life and try to find the answers for yourself. If you've already got them -- then maybe you should write a book

Take it Easy people ;)

News Update

• Maple Leaf is recalling it's weiners, hehehe...ehem *hot dogs. There's been some Listeria detected - so be aware of the hot dogs in your refrigerator if you've got any.

• There's a new Green Energy Act being proposed on the floors of the Ontario Legislature (Canada), which would require every home seller to get a 'Green Audit' - right now that cost is about $300. So that's a stinker for sellers, but it's good for the environment so just suck it up and support it.

• Bishop Richard Williamson, who denied that a Holocaust ever took place - I guess his nose was elsewhere during history class - just touched down in Heathrow Airport in London, as the threats for his expulsion from the Church increase. In London he will be meeting with a team of lawyers, who by the way keep telling the media that they are not anti-semitic. They will be helping him to, reportedly describe his views on the Holocaust in a manner that won't get him into trouble. Now I don't get how he's going to do that. You either say the  Holocaust happened, or you act ignorant and say that it didn't. Where's the grey line in all of this?? Anyhow, it'll be interesting to see what he comes up with.

• Abhishek Bachchan is telling people not to call Bollywood, Bollywood - instead he prefers "Indian Film Industry" -- so all you people keep that in mind! 

• A 14 year old girl, who was looking for a job in Delhi, India, was mislead by a woman at a railway station and then she was sold by that woman to two other people for 1 lakh rupees. And Mr. Amitabh Bachchan was critical of Slumdog Millionaire, claiming that the world needs to look beyond stuff like that and focus on the "pretty" things about India. I think someone needs to show him this article. As much beauty as there is in India - there are still some very grave issues. For example, the need for a 14 year old to be wandering about on the streets of Delhi and to be vulnerable and then raped in such a sense. Child labour, infanticide, the state of widows -- these "ancient" inhuman qualities that made India seem 'uncivilized' are still very present. It's wonderful that the country has moved on with excellent technological advances and that many middle class and rich class people live a life that closely resembles those of the West - but what about all the negatives? Who's looking after that? And why do people like Amitabh Bachchan, who by the way owes his career to the "small folks" in India who literally worship the man -- speak out against movies like Slumdog Millionaire because it depicts the hard-life in India. Someone needs to roll down Mr. Bachchan's tinted window.

•  OH! And President Obama said something today on television --- his address to Congress, how can we forget. Basically: he reassured everyone that they'll "rise above" their troubles. Feel reassured? Great! And Hillary looked great, after she returned from her trip from Asia, where she stated that we can't let human rights interfere with the faltering economy and security issues, lol. I'm SURE she didn't mean it like that -- oh Hillary... She did make inroads with China in discussing Human Rights. Chinese administration agreed to discuss the issue. So that's a plus. She is right. She needs to "wooo" the Chinese before she can start making demands on them. So, she's a smart lady -- she'll get the job done. And...yeah...President Obama said you have nothing to worry about because we'll "rise above".
  

;)

Okay you "Twilighters"...

The release dates have been announced for the 2nd and 3rd installments from the Twilight Series. Hitting theatres on November 20th, 2009 is the second installment, New Moon. The third movie, adapted of course from the third book, Eclipse, will hit theatres June 30th, 2010. All of the original actors will reprise their respective roles. 

Bad news: Melissa Rosenberg is penning the screenplays --- she did the first one remember and we all know what a bad job she did with that one. I'm hoping she does better this time around. But at the rate they're moving, it might seem rushed.

Good news: We get to see Edward Cullen...er..sorry..Rob Pattinson back on the big screen very soon :)

Although the second film rests on the shoulders of both the characters of Bella and Alice. But any time he spends on screen will be well worth it ;)

Oscars 2009

Kate Winslet finally gets her an Oscar!

The talent Kate Winslet portrays on screen as she brings her characters alive is absolutely mesmerizing. Globally we all got wind of her in Titanic. Some may have thought that it was Leo that was pulling in the audiences for that mega-hit - you know all those girls that kept swooning over him and falling over themselves. Yet, she was the one that walked away with uber nominations, including an Oscar nomination. Since that time, she has rolled out some incredible and unforgettable roles. Her passion, her charisma, her fierce ability to grip each and every individual audience member and refusing to let them go until the movie is over and leaving them only wanting more, is the true art of an incredible and legendary actress; and that is Kate Winslet.

One thing that kept me in tune with the Awards season this year 

was watching Kate win accolades for her performances in both The Reader and Revolutionary Road. When she kept winning 'Best Actress' for The Reader it became somewhat predictable that she would win the Oscar for it. However, when her name was called last night at the 81st Academy Awards, it still came as a sweet surprise. That's the thing about the Oscars, you really just never know. The best part was when she yelled out to her father to "whistle or something" so she could spot where her parents were and then immediately we all hear this insanely loud whistle and then both Kate and her parents continued to wave at each other for several moments -- it was a sappy yet comforting moment.

The whole show this year was incredible. They finally changed the look of it - modernized it somewhat and made it more intimate. Best Actress and Best Actor were announced by 5 of the previous winners who each gave a tribute speech about a nominee. I think this was a fantastic idea. Although, I do wonder who wrote those bits, because some of the past winners gave wonderful and sentimental tributes to a nominee, such as Marion Cotillard's tribute to Kate Winslet. Later Nicole Kidman's seemed a little "bla" when she spoke on Angelina Jolie. Or perhaps it just seemed that unbalanced because Cotillard was in tears and genuinely "in love" with Kate Winslet when she was talking, lol. Maybe she really does idolize her...

And what about A.R. Rahman winning 2 Oscars for his Score and Song in Slumdog Millionaire. He was funny on stage. I'm not sure what he spoke about, but I picked up on one line which was simple but beautiful:

"All my life I had a choice between hate and love. I chose

 love and I am here."

I did wonder why Zac Efron and Alicia Keys kept making Rahman's name sound Arabic, lol. They put a lot of emphasis on the "Rah-man" the middle part of his name. They kept making the "ahm" part of his name sound like "ach-man". It was hilarious and made them look stupid and almost pretentious. You think someone would have told them how to correctly pronounce his name during rehearsal. The performances of "O Saya" and "Jai Ho" weren't too wonderful. I was under the impression that Sukhwinder Singh was going to perform with him, but out came the two female singers - who did a wonderful job on their own and added flavour that was much needed in that performance. And I don't know about you, but John Legend mixing his song in with "Jai Ho" didn't work at all! Not at all. What were the composers thinking...

Hugh Jackman, the host, was funny - even though he's not a professional comedian, as past hosts have been - he was fresh and made the Oscar night, his own night; unparalleled to any other presentation in the past. Right now I'd have to say my top two hosts for this Award ceremony are Ellen Degeneres and Hugh Jackman -- the rest have sadly been boring.

Best "ohhh.." Moment: When Jennifer Aniston walked out onto the stage with Jack Black and had to stand there for like 10 minutes doing 2 presentations, all the while staring directly at her ex-husband, Brad Pitt and of course Angelina Jolie. Lol....words cannot describe how that must have felt -- try to get your hands on a copy of that clip if you didn't catch it.

Best "in your face" Moment: When Sean Penn told off the people that voted for Proposition 8 in California to ban Gay Marriage. 

Favourite Moment: When Hugh Jackman airlifted Anne Hathaway and made her sing the next duet for his parody of Frost/Nixon. Who knew Anne Hathaway could sing so well! She's also one of my favourites and now that Kate Winslet has gotten her due -- let's turn our attention to Anne Hathaway in the future.

Hope you enjoyed the night as much as I did - I don't think I have ever sat through an Oscar presentation from beginning to end like that.

;)

A Good Band...

I don't exactly know how to describe this, but I'm going to do my best....

When the days are long, and the times stressful... when life just makes you stop in your tracks and makes you take that long deep breath of regret - there really is only one thing that can cure that state of being... and that is a really good band.

Have you ever been to a rock concert?

Ever stood amongst hundreds / thousands of people and just soak up their energy, their enthusiasm?

Ever stood still, closed your eyes and just listened to the music - the guitar, the drums, the vocals... just let it take over...

Rock music has the power to do just that. If you actually give it a try, then you'll need no explanation from me. However, if you seek an explanation before experience, then really it's just not in the cards for you. But still, I'll try to explain it: this music has the ability to reach into the deep core of your 'being', your 'essence' and forces you to come face to face with the tough choices in your life. In most cases, it helps you build a "backbone" - literally it helps build you into a stronger person; one capable of endurance. It allows me to sink into the world of my own imagination and creativity - something that has allowed me to continuously write over the years.

It's not always easy to attend a concert or do as you wish, but that's where the joys of technology come in. My music travels with me everywhere, whether I'm studying, sleeping (yes even while I'm sleeping it's playing), or writing -- if it's not there, then things just don't feel right.

I'm sure some experience this with other genres of music -- I mean I have a love of sappy hindi love songs; okay...sappy and depressing love songs. I dunno why I love misery so much, lol. Hey I blame it on my writing. You have to be able to tap into many different emotions in order to do so.

But, listening to a good band has always given me an escape. It's that light at the end of the tunnel, that last prayer before bed... it's my last thought, my first thought...and it makes me happy. Everything else just follows after this.

I wasn't planning on sharing this - I guess I just couldn't resist -

take it easy :p

"The Visit"

Obama came and went and now we've got to fill the bill of $2 million - the cost of his security. From things that they discussed: Afghanistan - Canada's Parliament has voted to pull our troops out by 2011, US wants us to stay in and fight; Trade -- Canadian Gov't has fiercely opposed any measures of protectionism, Obama reassured us that his Stimulus bill avoids that and protectionism will not be the goal for the US (we'll see about that); Environment -- they're going to map out ways to help the environment and effectively combat global warming.

Harper was his usual self. I would assume that hosting a public figure that has literally made all media folks and the lay person "ga-ga" over him for the past year isn't easy. Pres Obama perhaps is more famous than the Beetles, or even Jesus! Okay I take that back -- but he's definitely a "rock-star" as the American media keeps calling him and we haven't seen such a reception for decades. But Harper behaved like a PM. Harper has never had a problem with his composure; rather the problem has always been his inefficiency when it comes to talking about the environment or his refusal to bend on his far right-wing politics. However, for the past few weeks he seems to have "settled down". And in the company of Obama he held his own. I'm just happy to hear our Prime Minister talk about combatting Global Warming -- whether he does it or not is another story. We're going to have to keep hounding him. But talking about it is definitely a start.

Obama -- he's not very good at doing a press conference. A while back I watched him hold one on the economy and I had to shut it off. There was too much of "errr....uhhhh....well....errr..." It was enough for me to say "THIS is why Hillary was the better candidate!"

Don't get me wrong -- he's amazing at giving well thought-out and organized "inspirational" speeches. But when it comes to talking about policy and selling policy on the spot in the form of say a press conference -- that's where his lack of experience shows. 

Yet, the world is in love with him and so the world will be patient. He's a smart man and I believe that will make him successful as it has done so thus far. 

In the meantime, we Canadians need to support our own Government and make them do what we need them to do. Instead of belittling our own political heads in the wake of US leaders, especially President Obama, whose popularity cannot be matched by any current political leader in the world. 

-- Our Governor General, on the other hand, was quite charming and did a fantastic job of welcoming the President on the tarmac -- but $2 million dollars to say things that could have easily been said over the phone. Hefty price in a recession. Let's hope they actually did put their time to good use.

;)

The Underworld Series

I've always loved a good action flick that portrays a strong and highly capable female "ass-kicker" in a sense :p  Oh and of course if she's got superhuman abilities that just makes it better.

The Underworld Series, crafted through the brilliant mind of Len Wisemen, is one such storyline that caught my attention from the beginning and really I do not believe they can do an injustice to it. 

From the first film, Underworld, leading Kate Beckinsale in the role of Selene the pissed off, but totally fit vampire death dealer who locks into the dark secrets of her coven's history and eventually realizes the truth behind her own creation, into the sequel, Underworld: Evolutions, where things just get better and better -- the writers have kept the story consistent and gripping.

The third installment, Rise of the Lycans, which served as a prequel to the first two movies only adds to the brilliant and unique storyline. 

Rhona Mitra plays Sonja, the courageous daughter of Viktor, who is a an Elder of the vampire coven and for centuries led people to believe that he was the first vampire -- but in Evolutions we find out that he wasn't the first vampire, it was actually Marcus - another Elder.

Anyways -- Sonja falls in love with a Lycan, Lucian (played by Michael Sheen). Who are werewolves able to take human form (Lucian was the first of his kind). Lycans are slaves to the vampires. Lucian eventually rebels and frees his kind, starting the war that we hear so much about in the first two movies.

Vampires hold a soft spot for me. I even toughed it out through one of the most challenging courses in my uni, gothic literature, because I'm so intrigued by their history. The storylines that have emerged from this...myth...historical entity...whatever you want to call it, have been quite amazing. Anne Rice, of course is the most famous author, having penned "Interview with the Vampire" and "Vampire Lestat". Josh Whedon created "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" in a tv series that spanned 8 seasons and produced some of the most deeply mythological and heart-wrenching storylines (e.g. Buffy's love with a vampire who has a soul and the death of her mother! And how can we forget the history behind the creation of a slayer in every generation). More recently, Stephanie Meyer's account on vampires in Twilight, has tweens and women swooning over these insanely hot creatures of the night.

What is it about these vampires? Perhaps it's their sultry nature; or the fact that the male vamps love to brood and look heartbroken, while the female vamps carry passion in their eyes and for some reason always look like they're about to pounce on someone. Or maybe we love the fact that we can spend all night with them and then not have to see them in the morning. Is it the dark, secret, hidden nature of theirs that attracts readers? The myth, hot characters and superhuman abilities is what attracts people to the movies, there's no doubt about that. Is it because we envy their immortality? Do we envy immortality? To forever look your best and have all the money in the world, not afraid of anything, and the ability to see and experience a wealth of things over a vast period of time...

I think people are just attracted to things like torture and anguish -- and that's the sad bottom line :p

But Underworld is unique in that it provides everything mentioned above and then some. It reaches into the depths of human emotions for characters that are anything but human. For me the selling point was that it indulged in themes such as origins and legacies and evolution. That's a sufficient storyline for me.

Go pick up a good vampire book -- or watch a good vampire movie. It's well worth the distraction.

;)

Review: Billu Barber

I wasn't planning on watching this so soon, but I was forced to do so and I must say I'm not disappointed. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan as filmstar Sahir Khan, Irfan Khan as the failure, Billu Barber, and Lara Dutta who plays Billu's wife. 

SRK's role is just a 'tad' more than what we would usually expect from a cameo role. He's got all the songs, but minimum screen time. Even so, whenever he is on screen his presence is inescapable. It's classic SRK. You can't help but love his character. He's still got it and he does an excellent job in this film.

But the film isn't about SRK. Surprisingly, this film's credit goes directly to Irfan Khan, followed by Lara Dutta.

As little as Irfan says in this film, Lara says ten times more. She plays the star-struck wife who just wants one look at filmstar Sahir Khan and flaunts her husband's alleged "friendship" with the filmstar to all the village women. Irfan on the other hand tries to avoid talking about Sahir or explaining how he became friends with the filmstar who he's now avoiding.

It's a very simple story; nothing major, nothing earth shattering. And yet, it has a profound undertone that speaks volumes about 'true friendship' while it takes a few jabs at people who go crazy over filmstars and view them as larger than life. The music is worth a good listen as well. Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Pudokone, shell out some good item numbers with SRK. I'm sure you've probably seen the music videos as they've been playing non-stop on every major indian channel.

However, watch this film for Irfan Khan and for Lara Dutta. They step away from the various roles they've portrayed in the past. What they've done in this film is take on genuine, real-life characters that are simple, at times silly, but lovable and sweet. Overall the film is good. It's got something for everyone. So watch it.

:)

When is someone... just a memory?

We spend our whole lives around 'people'. Some are insignificant, while others we love dearly. Some are just passing through, while others stick with us, long enough to leave a lasting impression. Then there are those that are joined with us forever. Our parents, our siblings, our significant others, all become our loved ones... our family.

We live and breathe around these people. We soak up their energy, become absorbed in their warmth, in their smell, in their essence. We feel them, we are a part of one another. Your parents are a part of you; your brothers or sisters, your husband or wife... all become a part of us. We slowly begin to take advantage of their presence, as we continue to keep up with our fast paced lives. That 'sense of belonging' takes a back seat to everything else we need to pay attention to in life.

One day, one person dies.

It's a strong word, yet we say it with such ease when it refers to someone we don't know. However, when it touches someone dear to us, we are left terrified and scarred by this word.

First we get through our grief by remembering that person's presence. How they smiled, how they smelled, the texture of their hands, their face. The shape of their hair. How they walked, talked, sat, stood... all of their habits and vices... their simple presence.

With time, this too becomes blurry. You can no longer smell them in the clothes that they left behind. Those clothes are just clothes now. They're not his anymore. They don't smell like him anymore. They're just plain clothes.

Before when you walked into his room you still felt his presence. You fool yourself by thinking "Oh, he's just in the other room... I just can't see him. We keep missing each other." Slowly that disappears as well. Now you walk into his room and you know he's not there.

His shaving cream is still in the washroom. His coat is still in the closet, his shoes are still there along with everyone elses. His tools still in the garage. No one has the courage to remove them. They sit still waiting for him to adorne them again... of course that will never happen. But they're not his anymore. They don't carry his presence anymore. They're just objects that everyone ignores.

The images in your mind become foggy. You begin to forget the sound of his voice. You strain your ears to hear him again clearly, but you can't. It's fading. You try to envision his smile, but it keeps fading away. You become desperate to just feel...once more how it felt to hug your own father. To feel the protection of your father. His love and his guidance. But even the thought of it seems foreign now... unfamiliar... as if you don't deserve it.

Is that someone now just a memory? Something that comes in passing and then slowly fades... Something that people think you've just "learned to live with" as the rest of the world continues to move forward...

Death and loss touches everyone at some point in their lives and it does so in many different ways. It just surprises me how someone could be such a big part of your life and then just... disappear. How even their scent, their image from your mind... how it all just fades...

A loss, a memory, then just a story.

Removing a Dead Bird :s

Who knew that removing a dead bird could be soooo difficult!!

I just spent my morning trying to figure out how to remove the insanely large dead bird that found its way beside the driver-side of my car. I had to venture out in the crazy wind to fix the garbage bin that was jofully rolling around on the sidewalk. On my way back in I saw on my driveway, right beside my car, the one thing that terrifies me the most in this world --- a dead animal.

There's really nothing else that I'm afraid of, but a dead animal, even roadkill gives me the creeps. I ran back inside the house and tried to calm myself as I continued to shudder at the sight of it. The image just kept flashing before my eyes. It was one of those white/grey birds that always eat everything. On account of being...well dead...it's legs were just dangling there and I don't think they were in the right position....eeeewwww!!!! lol. And it's head...omg it's head...let's just say these birds got some flexible necks......  :o

Anyhow, I called my sister, she screamed along with me. Mom called, she laughed at me and was like "well the garbage man isn't here yet, so go quickly throw it in the trash." Then she calls back and says that her colleague said to call the humane society because the bird might be carrying a virus.

Then I thought great I'll call animal control, or Peel Public Health because of the whole West Nile Virus - and them monitoring dead birds. So they can come remove it and I'll be spared. It turns out they're only interested in dead black crows and blue jays. They are the signs that WNV could be in the area. So this wasn't any of those...basically I was on my own.

I ran outside and back in at least 10 times before I got the courage to pick up a shovel....then I set the shovel back down like 5 times before I got the courage to get close and "try" to pick up the dead thing. That didn't go too well either. Even though I was holding the handle of the shovel, I felt like it was my own bare hands touching the thing and something inside of me just couldn't take it. So I ran back inside. By this time the students hanging out across the street waiting for the bus were wondering what I was doing.

So then I got an idea. I got a black garbage bag. Now problem was that the bird decided to die on a day that is so incredibly windy. So my bag kept flying all over the place!  So I placed the bag inside my garage. All I had to do now was get the bird from the driveway to the bag, which meant I had to pick it up. I couldn't take the sight of it, so I thought what I can't see shouldn't scare me. I scrambled about for a black cloth and threw it on top. Omg, that made it worse, because now I couldn't see where it was in the mess and what if it fell out and on me!

So basically I was freaking out even more -- the garbage bag was just too far away. Then thankfully, thankfully, I found some bricks and got an idea. I moved the garbage bag as close as I could before freaking out even more. I stood the bricks up inside the bag so it provided a "door-way" in a sense. Then I ran to the other side and with the shovel just "rolled" the black cloth and the 'thing' inside of it into the bag.

With a long sigh of relief I closed the bag, ran as fast as my legs would take me to the end of the driveway and threw the bag into the garbage bin, finally ridding myself of the dead bird problem.

I can still feel it though -- I don't think the image will leave me for a while. So if you'll excuse me, while I go 'cleanse' myself of this...creepiness...

:s