Flower Power

I am no beauty or nail polish blogger, but I couldn’t resist sharing what’s on my nails this week! Well, what’s a girl to do on a rainy afternoon when she’s bored out of her mind?

Like I said, I’m no nail polish blogger, so I don’t have fancy close-up pictures. This photo of my nails “in action” is all you’re going to see.

Alright, here's one more photo because you asked nicely (or because I'm a show-off).

I'll stop right here before I embarrass myself with more photos of my chubby fingers, short nails and unprofessional photos.

My nails make me think of quaint English tea cups. I adore things like that! A friend, though, said my nail art reminds her of the print she saw on a push up bra! There you have it – proof that nails can be sexy ;)

I have a confession – that bored girl on a rainy afternoon I mention above? That’s not me. That’s my sister, and I volunteered my nails as her canvas. (My conscience won’t let me take credit. Trust me, I tried not to include this detail!)

Fireworks: The Ugly Truth

This week included a pretty important day for Country A. There were big celebrations, and obviously, there were fireworks. Now, I like watching fireworks once in a while, but they don’t hold any special significance for me. And I have no problem whatsoever if there aren't any.

 

Photographing fireworks is HARD.

Fireworks are filled with chemicals, including toxic heavy metals like barium, lead, mercury salts, antimony, copper, and strontium. Where do they go? They don't just magically disappear after they're let off, or get burnt and converted into harmless steam. No, these poisonous substances stay in the atmosphere, they percolate the soil, they contaminate the water. Eventually, all those beautiful fireworks work their way to your system, into your food, your water, and least controllably, into your lungs. The air smells putrid after a firework show. It causes breathing problems in people without them, and exacerbates it for asthmatics. Let's not forget about the carcinogenics either.

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What about the big bang most make? It almost feels like there's a mentality of "the louder the bang, the better the firework.” Prolonged exposure to sounds above 85 decibels causes hearing loss. Regular conversation takes place at around 60 decibels. Compare this to fireworks, which at their peak can reach up to 150 decibels! (The higher the decibels, the shorted the time exposure required to cause hearing loss and related problems) A big concern for me are also the animals and birds. Usually, fireworks are let off at night, which is when most animals and birds sleep. They get scared by the noise; get woken from their sleep; baby birds fall from their nests. They get startled, and it sends them to panic. Pets get extremely unnerved too. A large number of dogs and cats are reported missing shortly after festivals which incorporate fireworks. My late German Shepherd dog used to make a racket every New Year's eve. I'd stay awake with him till 4 a.m. every time, till the noises subsided and he'd calmed down. I could see how much it affected him.

One more thing we hardly give a thought to are their production and storage. Fireworks contain lots of explosives, and that, coupled with the harmful chemicals, make for a horrendous combination for workers in factories producing them, and for people handling them.

Do we really need all these fireworks? Do they serve any purpose? Yes, they look pretty when they light up the sky. The sheer variety leaves me flabbergasted. The colours are beautiful. The sparkles are magical. Is it worth all the poison and contamination, though? Is it fine to disrupt the lives of all other living beings around us for our entertainment? To pollute our environment to this extent?

As much as I'd like to say we should eliminate fireworks all together, I fear it isn't a feasible option for many, at least not yet. A good alternative to having hour long displays of fireworks and lots of extremely loud bangs, would be to let off just a select few low-noise ones, which will be enough to satiate the crowd's hunger for a good show. After all, who watches a firework display beyond the first few minutes? After that, it's all the same.

"Don't Be So Childish"

"Don't be so childish."

The words cut me like a sword. I remember who said it because it came from someone I least expected to make such a remark, but as the words themselves are more important for the current purpose than their original speaker, let's pretend I've forgotten the source.

I've had this statement thrown at me more than a few times. Most often than not, they're not meant to be hurtful, just descriptive, but at the same time slightly disapproving as I don't necessarily "act my age". That realization made me understand that they often meant "childlike", and not "childish", but the demarcations in their meanings just didn't exist in their vocabulary. (In a nutshell, childlike is seen in a more positive light, while childish behaviour is rather undesirable and immature.)

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I find joy in little things. Animals literally make me squeal. I can bend over a shrub and start examining its morphology with exclamations of delight, trying to see how much of my high school knowledge I’ve retained. I love getting drenched in the rain and make it obvious. I goof. I make a fool of myself. My facial expressions are not smothered in an attempt to appear more grown up and mature.

We are expected to fit the mould, behave like everyone else does, especially as we get older. Anybody who doesn't, gets labeled various things, including "childish". It's like they want to stomp out the person's spark, their innocent and uncomplicated approach to life. I have to admit, I've not been immune to that stomping. I don't like the way I sometimes subconsciously (or consciously) control myself and my spontaneous exclamations just so I won't draw further comments of the sort. It has changed me when I'd much rather remain the same.

I spoke about this to my sister (who played a major role in this post), and she too has had similar experiences. Classmates saying she's too "innocent", being nicknamed Kung Fu Panda for her many facial expressions, even getting reprimanded by a professor for "having the facial expressions of a two year old child"! I find that last one especially hurtful and disturbing. Why do some people get bothered by a person who has an uncensored, genuine outlook and expression of life?

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I believe that you have enough time to get older, and irrevocably, you will. Being young though, is irretrievably moving further and further away from us each passing day. I'd rather remain young inside for as long as I can than give in to society's guidelines on the desired and expected level of "maturity", involving perfectly controlled expressions, well-manicured conversations, zero spontaneity, poker faces and no display of authentic emotions once you cross your mid-teens.

Like I once said, unfortunately oblivious to the alternative interpretation, “One must nourish the child within oneself.”

We've Been Robbed

There’s been a robbery in my home back in Country B. Yes, you read that right. Things have been stolen. My parents informed me that they’ve been having suspicions for a few days now, that they’ve felt like someone’s been trying to break in a few nights in a row. Being away from home, it really scares me, not just for the monetary damage it could cause, but also for the people.

A little back story now: we’re renovating. Which means, there are workers inside the house five days a week, for a relatively long time. I think it could be one (or a group) of them, for they are now familiar with the house’s construction.

I mentioned that someone’s been trying to break in, right? Well, something’s already been stolen. Somehow, strangely enough, these two incidents seem separate, yet connected. The burning question now, what has been stolen? What did those thieves take? They took chocolates. Yes, you read that right. Chocolates. See, we have a pretty good stash of exquisite chocolates stored in a small, separate fridge. We consumed them sparingly, as they’re the kind not available in Asia, these chocolates aren’t very tolerant of shipping, and we get to restock only every two years or so. And what did those bastards do? They took everything from the fridge. All the chocolates. Today, mum found some of the empty original boxes inside the house. That means it was one, or a group, of the workers currently renovating the house. It made me so furious; I was literally shaking with rage when I heard it. I do take my chocolates seriously, but this time, I was infuriated at the self-righteous manner in which they were taken, at the arrogance of exploring our fridges (and maybe cupboards too), the contemptuous way in which the empty boxes were discarded.

It might seem like something small, “just a few chocolates”, but who knows what they might nick next, or have already nicked? There’s only so much you can do to keep watch on a big group of workers at all times, and to find out who the culprit is is practically impossible.

The second incident I spoke about, of my parents feeling like someone’s been trying to break in – that isn’t connected to the chocolate robbery, but I have this foreboding that these two are related, possibly by the same person or group of people. I certainly hope nothing happens, that no one breaks in. From what I've heard, they've been lurking around for the past three nights. They sound frighteningly adamant. We do have a big ol’ Dobermann, but if the thief comes armed, I fear for his life.

Le Petit Nicolas

Last night, the whole household was unanimously craving a light, feel-good movie. We dug around in our archives and found one none of us had seen yet: the French movie “Le Petit Nicolas”.

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Le Petit Nicolas is a 2009 French movie directed by Laurent Tirard based on a series of French children’s books by René Goscinny (Does the name ring a bell? Clue – Astérix!). The movie centers on the 8 year old Nicolas, his parents, his school, and his friends, and is set in the ‘50s. After learning that one of his friends has a new baby brother, Nicolas misreads his parents’ exchanges as signs that he, too, will get a baby brother soon. Having heard accounts (some real, most exaggerated) from his friends of how their own younger siblings ousted them of their spoilt only-child positions, Nicolas fears that his own future younger sibling will supplant him. What follows is Nicolas and his friends’ efforts to find the perfect way to get rid of the forthcoming baby.

The movie is shot from the perspective of the young Nicolas. I liked that there is neither an attempt to make it appeal to adults through an exaggerated child’s perspective, nor a version of how adults like to think children see the word. The humour is subtle and understated. It isn’t a loud, slapstick comedy, there are no painfully obvious jokes, and the characters go about their business with complete earnestness. The movie transports us for a short while into the world of these kids, with their firm, albeit inaccurate, beliefs, their untouched perspective of adult behavior, and their innocent shenanigans.

The acting by the whole cast is commendable. I liked that every character is well-developed. Each person has a well-defined personality, story and conduct. The visuals are not overwhelming, with understated beauty, and are very naturalistic. I liked that they let children be children, and not what we want them or would like them to be.

If you are looking for a subtly humourous, light, engaging, beautiful movie to be watched with the whole family, I highly recommend Le Petit Nicolas. I honestly have nothing negative to say about this well-made gem.

A Lesbian Wedding

Last month, this happened:

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I recently saw this article making its rounds on Facebook, and was sucked in the moment I clicked the link. There is so much happiness. So many beautiful photos. Such a mixture of cultures. So much love.

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An Indian-American inter-racial lesbian wedding, a celebration of love cutting through so many traditional stereotypes and prejudices.

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My favourite part? Both brides’ families supported them and attended the wedding.What makes that even more amazing is that Indian culture is rather traditional and conservative, especially in this front.

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I also liked that they got both: the beautiful Indian bridal wear, and the traditional white wedding dress. 

See more of Shannon and Seema’s wedding here.

What do you think about same-sex marriages? Do you think they’re wrong? Or does everyone deserve their chance at love?

Can I See Your ID, Please?

Growing (and especially looking) older is a delicate subject, more so for women. Since coming to Country A, however, I noticed a commendable increase in the number of times I've been mistaken as being younger. Sometimes it works against me, like the time I was asked to produce an identity card when I wanted to buy mulled wine at a Christmas stand.

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Not that I have anything against being judged to be younger than I am (heck, I like it!), but it was a little embarrassing, holding up the queue and having to show my ID to buy alcohol, in front of so many people.  Note that here, you need to be above 16 to buy alcohol. Nobody else was asked to show their ID.

Sometimes, it works in my favour; just this week, I was issued a "child pass" when I went to a museum. The lady at the counter realized her mistake when I told her my age, but she let me use that cheaper ticket anyway. Maybe I should mention that I wasn't alone; my sister, who's older than me by a year, was issued a child pass as well! 

I don't think we both have some amazing genetic quality which makes us look younger, although that would have been awesome. No, I think it could be because of the way we're attired, and the way we behave. I have mentioned before that I grew up for the most part in an Asian country, where the culture and society are extremely different from Western countries. That too, it wasn't a big city we lived in. All that does seem to influence this age confusion. I reckon we both dress, look and act like a couple of slightly shy teenagers, by European big city standards. 

Ironically, in Country B, I was often asked if I'm the elder of the two of us. One very embarrassing situation stands out - when I was 19 or 20, I visited my sister at her student hostel for the first time. One of her friends asked her if I'm........ wait for it........................her mother!!

That's just... just... 

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Being mistaken as the mother of a 20+ year old college girl whilst still a teenager is not really a compliment. Anyway, right now, we're both mistaken to be "teenies" very often, and it doesn't bother us. All I can say is, I hope this "mistaken as younger" thing carries on for a good half century more ;)