The New M(e)ntra

Women are often blamed of being insecure; from their insecurities, it is alleged, they give way to cynicism. The weaklings from Venus are at absolute unease with their husbands' female co-workers; should the 'man of the house' come home late from work, they are looked at with meaningful glances. Do you think this is more cliched than it is real? I, for one, do.

Having been in conversation with some married girlfriends of mine, it has become alarmingly obvious that it is the men these days, who are insecure. As women discover their right to indulge in economic work, to not be shy or guilty about frequenting their own family; away from the stoves, finding independence in a stroll away from the 'need' to seek permission to go out with friends, or to simply have a life of hers (previously, there only being 'theirs' and 'his'), it is the men who now put on scrawny thinking caps, coming up with unflattering innuendos towards their other halves.

I think the male species is having a hard time letting the 'fairer sex' stand with it, shoulder to shoulder. The wife's confidence is instantaneously rewarded the status of feminism, in attempts to keep her playing on the back foot. And don't ever try saying, "This is the 21st century, man!" No wonder everybody's on the lookout for metrosexuals: men just don't cut it anymore...

The glass is half-full, and so is my patience

Family setups in the East are generally more well-knit than the West, or at least, that is the impression. There are a few places like Spain, Italy and Greece, which seem to still have a lasting fabric of familial ties, but I personally see those as exceptions, rather than the rule. Movies like 'Failure to Launch' are reflective of patterns of living in the West. If you're old enough to earn, you're out. If you're living in the same house as your parents, your market value falls sharply.

On this end of the spectrum, the opposite holds sway. If you're old enough to earn, you're supposed to tell your parents to relax and enjoy a retired life. You're not only supposed to provide for them, but to live with them as well. We, as a people, look down upon the concept of old people's homes. Not because the old should be left to rot, but because they deserve better. Of those who digress from their duty as obedient and caring children, it is often lamented, "One mother can wean and nurture 10 kids, but those 10 kids find it hard to care for that same woman, 30 years down the road."

I agree. Whether it is my conscience itself, or what it has been taught, I agree. Family is very important to me. It remains the fabric of my life. I would extend these feelings of belonging and responsibility to so many relatives. But...it gets tricky.

It becomes hard for most people to draw the line. At what point do they start interfering and stop caring? Should Mehek's aunt keep pressing her to get married? And if she does, should her grandmother be constantly nagging her to plan a baby? When little Amir is a year old, should Mehek's mother-in-law pressurize her to seize the day, and bring Amir's little sister into the world?

We, in the East, are proud of our family systems, but we, in the East, are also too tired of the utter lack of privacy. If you like to see the glass half-full always, then maybe, we are all superstars, because we just can't be!

A Simpleton...and Lovin' It!

A couple of months ago, we tried a new restaurant in the city. Well, not so much new as new-to-us. My husband and I loved it. He loved what he ordered, and I loved the stuff on my plate. A couple of other people had highly rated the food there too. So, on my sister's birthday last week, I recommended that we all dine there. And we did. She didn't like the entrée I had so fondly recommended. Why? Because she is a cooking-show addict, which means that she can pretty much disect the ingredients of anything cooked, baked, boiled, poached...it just has to be edible. Her biopsy revealed to unwitted food-lovers such as myself, that the chicken was merely grilled in ordinary condiments; no special culinary skills backed it up, and there certainly were no signs of marination. The sauce was a simple mixture of this, that and those. Hence, not special. Bottom-line: the recipe has to be special for the restauranting experience to be fulfilling. Shucks! I didn't have the guts to say 'yummy' after that.

Are connoisseurs of this, that or those ever able to enjoy this, that and those? Just something that I've been thinking about.

Do film critics ever really enjoy a film, just for the heck of it? Doesn't it always become a matter of study for them? Is it well-directed? Is the cinematography technically correct? How can he realistically do that? Isn't her reaction too frothy for the story? Is it weird that most Oscar-winner movies aren't as entertaining as they are different? When will a movie like The Dark Knight get the accolades it deserves? Why can't such a movie ever be nominated for the Oscars?

Copyright (c) 2008 Saadia Malik

Image credits: passingstorm.com

Visual CV: A Review

The traditional CV does not say it all anymore. The world is a dynamic bouncing ball, where people keep taking swings in all directions; they fine new ways to connect every day. The exuberance and vibrancy of it all, doesn’t always fit under ‘work experience’. We have all been feeling that for a while, but it took the folks at VisualCV.com to do something about it. 

VisualCV.com uses Web 2.0 technologies to benefit employers and potential employees alike. When putting up a CV at the website, students and professionals have the option to include their blogs, projects, previous work, writing samples et al. The idea is to show skills to companies and organizations, not just tell them. The visual CV will, therefore, link to any work you’ve done, that is available on the web. YouTube or other multimedia widgets on your page can be used to make short presentations you might want to do for potential employers.

For the employers, on the other hand, it is all about saving time and being able to choose the best, when supply is aplenty and vacancies are limited. If they hover over a university name on a prospective employee’s page, Visual CV will instantly pull out information on the school and its standing according to Princeton Review, for instance. These kinds of features save employers precious time, and account for more sound decisions.

In a pre-dominantly employers' maarket, Visual CV is a hot tool. It offers extra-ordinary features and interface, among an ocean of a million job sites on the web. What’s more, you can link your CVs to social-networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn.

Copyright (c) 2008 Saadia Malik

Satire

I have yet to come across a TV junkie who doesn’t think that The Simpsons is one of the best shows of all-time. It screams brilliance every minute. I can even foresee a day when ‘simpsons’ is incorporated into english dictionaries, as a word that best describes genius satire. Or the day when ‘satire’ is defined in dictionaries as ‘The Simpsons’. Err…you get the point, right! Even though the verdict for the most popular character on the show is out and out in favour of Bart Simpson, I can’t help but love the fact that Homer Simpson just is. His stupidity quotient can only be matched, and surpassed, by the one and only: George Bush Jr. (Why can’t we stop missing him?)

Three other animated shows I’ve enjoyed over time have been, Beavis and Butthead (for sheer dumbness or dubya-ness), The Family Guy and King of the Hill. But none ever got close to the kick and the thrill of The Simpsons. Till…

…till The American Dad. Its been running in the U.S. on Fox TV since 2005, but has made its way to Pakistan through satellite only now, or perhaps I’ve been slow to discover. Have you? What do you think? Viewer response has been good, but generally, the other four are rated higher. I fail to understand!

It tracks the life of CIA Agent, Stan Smith, his right-wing philosophies of America under-threat, his admiration for George Bush Jr., the Patriot Act and Karl Rove. Hilarious! Of course, it is satire, so all doves out there should enjoy the thrashing that the Republican Party and its obsessions against anybody remotely outside their white American bubble, gets on the show. [Disclaimer: I hope y’all aren’t sensitive to exaggerations and stereotyping, sport!]

Some memorable quotes:

[Stan brings home a baby to replace Hayley when she moves out]

Roger the Alien: Is that a Chinese baby?

Stan Smith: Sure is! Japanese, to be specific.

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Francine Smith: We're so glad you could make it. Where's your wife this evening?

Bullock: Handcuffed to a radiator in Fallujah. She wanted to come, but I do not negotiate with terrorists. Hey, do I smell meat loaf?

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Hayley Smith: You know, Steve's dog would still be alive if you right-wing lunactics would agree to gun control.

Stan Smith: You know what I have to say to that?

[pauses]

Stan Smith: Ah, I thought I was gonna fart.

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Stanley Smith: Why can't you take a page from that bitch Hillary Clinton and let it go?

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Copyright (c) 2008 Saadia Malik

Invasion

A couple of bloggers here, because of sheer kindness and nothing else, have been making me feel like a superstar. They've been sending messages, pinging me again and again, to post something. Yes, it seems, the gaps are on the rise. I consider it altogether unnecessary to explain now, for their sake, since it seems to be developing into a norm rather.

My husband (a teacher) has written a couple of guest posts for me on this blog, and all of a sudden, his students - girls mostly - have started sniffing around my page. Word has gotten around campus about it, and google analytics reveal that 90 per cent of search engine hits come from his name-search alone! None from my own. I have, therefore, gotten a little wary of the entire charade. The few things I've wanted to write about lately, have had one thing or the other to do with our personal lives. Or maybe, some of my personal experiences. If I write about a recent trip to an embassy - this is just hypothetical lest some of those eager hormones make their way to a certain office in question - he'll instantly be exposed to queries about our travel plans. There have been demands of sharing wedding photographs and the sort. It is not that I do not approve of a good rappo between teachers and students; most of these lurkers have already graduated his classes, which is a good thing, but word gets around like anything, and before you know it, incoming students will have researched his personal life (and wife) to be in a place that would seem a bit too comfortable to me.

Now don't I sound like a snob? Maybe I truly am a superstar.

Please pray otherwise!

Laughing Gas

So Ramesh just pinged me a while back, asking when I'd be posting next. Yes, its been a few days. The reasons for my absence are three-fold: internet problems, lack of inspiration and a very bad response-meter to my last post (shame on everybody but me!). The first problem has been temporarily fixed, thanks to my father. The second too, thanks to him. He just emailed the following and I'm in tearful bliss. So here's some laughing gas for you all: