Directed By Chris Milk
Music By Gnarls Barkley
Music By Gnarls Barkley
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Shantaram
By Gregory David Roberts
"I was going through deep and silent water.
Nothing and no-one could make me happy.
Nothing and no-one could make me sad.
I was tough.
Which is probably the saddest thing you can say about a man."
Nothing and no-one could make me happy.
Nothing and no-one could make me sad.
I was tough.
Which is probably the saddest thing you can say about a man."
"One of the reasons why we crave love,
and seek it so desperately,
is that love is the only cure for loneliness,
and shame, and sorrow.
But some feelings sink so deep into the heart that only loneliness can help you find them again.
and seek it so desperately,
is that love is the only cure for loneliness,
and shame, and sorrow.
But some feelings sink so deep into the heart that only loneliness can help you find them again.
Some truths about yourself are so painful that only shame can help you live with them.
And some things are just so sad that only your soul can do the crying for you."
"Sometimes we love with nothing more than hope.
Sometimes we cry with everything except tears.
In the end that's all there is.
Love and its duty, sorrow and its truth.
In the end that's all we have
- to hold on tight until the dawn."
Sometimes we cry with everything except tears.
In the end that's all there is.
Love and its duty, sorrow and its truth.
In the end that's all we have
- to hold on tight until the dawn."
"At first, when we truly love someone,
our greatest fear is that the loved one will stop loving us.
our greatest fear is that the loved one will stop loving us.
What we should fear and dread instead is
that we won't stop loving them,
even after they are dead and gone."
even after they are dead and gone."
Thursday, May 03, 2012
Saving Face
‘Saving Face’ is a short (40 min) award-winning documentary by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy and Daniel Junge, about acid attacks on women in Pakistan. The film focuses on two aspects of the lives of acid attack victims: their fight for justice, and the process of recovery.
In the span of the film, we follow Dr. Mohammad Jawad, a London-based Pakistani plastic surgeon, who returns to his homeland after hearing news of such violence, to support the fight for justice for the victims and perform reconstructive surgery to help restore their faces and their self-confidence. The film also features the Acid Survivors Foundation, who has been advocating for the parliament to pass a bill on acid violence, to bring justice to the perpetrators. The heartbreaking stories of two victims of acid violence by their husbands were also highlighted in the film.
A short background of acid violence:
The Acid Survivors Foundation has recorded about a hundred of such attacks in a year, and they estimate that the numbers are in fact much higher due to underreporting of such domestic violence. However, most of the perpetrators get away scot-free –sometimes even supported by other women from their own family!
While acid attacks occur in many places across the world, majority of reported cases are found in Pakistan, where there is very high unemployment and very low literacy. It can be clearly observed that it is a deeply patriarchal society where women are objectified. All reported acid violence victims are women, and their attackers are always men – usually their husbands or sometimes even men who wish to marry them.
Commentary: It was very heartbreaking to see how because of the society’s preference for men, women can be treated like such inferior beings, in a way quite similar to acts of violence on animals.
The dynamics of sexual exchange can be witnessed in this film, which are affected by the cultural beliefs and socioeconomic conditions of the Pakistani society. Firstly, Islam allows for polygamy – a Muslim man is by Islamic law allowed to have up to four wives – and this favors the sex drive of men while aiding the objectifying of women as sexual objects to possess. As we see in the video, many cases of acid attacks on women by their own husbands were actually reported to be because their husbands wanted to marry another woman. The acid violence against their wives was meant to make them ‘invalid’ so that it would be justified for them to take another wife to fulfill their sexual desires, which their wives had perhaps failed to do so.
Aside from attacks by husbands, some women have also been subjected to acid violence by other men who they – or perhaps their family – have rejected for their hand in marriage. With the poor socioeconomic conditions in Pakistan, many men lack the extrinsic resources to exchange for sexual access. Since women have the initial advantage, and yet these men lack the necessary extrinsic resources to bargain with, some of them resort to acid violence with the reasoning that if they are unable to marry a woman, no one else should have her. As the man lack extrinsic resources to bargain for sexual exchange, he thus seeks to remove the intrinsic resources –
i.e. her physical appearance of the woman desired, so that she will not be able to find another man.
The clear objectification of women as possessions of men is stark here, and this is not only apparent in the thinking of men. This highly patriarchal notion has been so deeply perpetuated in the society that women themselves believe so. Their looks seem to be truly their only resources – at least in their self-perceptions. A woman who lost an eye from an acid attack said, “It took one second to ruin my life completely.” Another who was attacked by her husband in her own home said, “My life was destroyed in this room.” It is quite saddening how low the self-worth of some of these women is, that once their looks were gone, they viewed their entire life to have similarly been destroyed. It was also a huge shock to me when a scene, as earlier mentioned, depicted how a man’s family, including his mother and sister, actually came together to attack his wife!
On the other hand, we can also see in the film that there are many women who are strongly advocating and leading the fight for the criminalizing of acid crimes. Unfortunately, the only male actor portrayed to be on the side of the acid attack victims is Dr. Jawad, who is well educated and probably undergone the enculturation of westernized ideas of gender equality. It would seem that education for both the men and women in Pakistan would be necessary in order for a shift in the persisting gendered status quo in the society.
I would highly recommend this film, as it really shows us an extreme side of a patriarchal society and how damaging unequal relations – in this case it is gender, but it could well be class, race, etc – can be. Aside from raising awareness to the world about acid violence in Pakistan, the film also started ‘Saving Face’ campaign to eradicate acid violence worldwide. You can show your support for these women too! Visit http://savingfacefilm.com/the-campaign/get-involved/
(You can access the full 40-minute video here! It is amazing to view gender through a sociological lens after going through a gender studies module in school. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt a lot from it. There are many more videos on gender, just let me know and I can share what I know!)
‘Saving Face’ is a short (40 min) award-winning documentary by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy and Daniel Junge, about acid attacks on women in Pakistan. The film focuses on two aspects of the lives of acid attack victims: their fight for justice, and the process of recovery.
In the span of the film, we follow Dr. Mohammad Jawad, a London-based Pakistani plastic surgeon, who returns to his homeland after hearing news of such violence, to support the fight for justice for the victims and perform reconstructive surgery to help restore their faces and their self-confidence. The film also features the Acid Survivors Foundation, who has been advocating for the parliament to pass a bill on acid violence, to bring justice to the perpetrators. The heartbreaking stories of two victims of acid violence by their husbands were also highlighted in the film.
A short background of acid violence:
The Acid Survivors Foundation has recorded about a hundred of such attacks in a year, and they estimate that the numbers are in fact much higher due to underreporting of such domestic violence. However, most of the perpetrators get away scot-free –sometimes even supported by other women from their own family!
While acid attacks occur in many places across the world, majority of reported cases are found in Pakistan, where there is very high unemployment and very low literacy. It can be clearly observed that it is a deeply patriarchal society where women are objectified. All reported acid violence victims are women, and their attackers are always men – usually their husbands or sometimes even men who wish to marry them.
Commentary: It was very heartbreaking to see how because of the society’s preference for men, women can be treated like such inferior beings, in a way quite similar to acts of violence on animals.
The dynamics of sexual exchange can be witnessed in this film, which are affected by the cultural beliefs and socioeconomic conditions of the Pakistani society. Firstly, Islam allows for polygamy – a Muslim man is by Islamic law allowed to have up to four wives – and this favors the sex drive of men while aiding the objectifying of women as sexual objects to possess. As we see in the video, many cases of acid attacks on women by their own husbands were actually reported to be because their husbands wanted to marry another woman. The acid violence against their wives was meant to make them ‘invalid’ so that it would be justified for them to take another wife to fulfill their sexual desires, which their wives had perhaps failed to do so.
Aside from attacks by husbands, some women have also been subjected to acid violence by other men who they – or perhaps their family – have rejected for their hand in marriage. With the poor socioeconomic conditions in Pakistan, many men lack the extrinsic resources to exchange for sexual access. Since women have the initial advantage, and yet these men lack the necessary extrinsic resources to bargain with, some of them resort to acid violence with the reasoning that if they are unable to marry a woman, no one else should have her. As the man lack extrinsic resources to bargain for sexual exchange, he thus seeks to remove the intrinsic resources –
i.e. her physical appearance of the woman desired, so that she will not be able to find another man.
The clear objectification of women as possessions of men is stark here, and this is not only apparent in the thinking of men. This highly patriarchal notion has been so deeply perpetuated in the society that women themselves believe so. Their looks seem to be truly their only resources – at least in their self-perceptions. A woman who lost an eye from an acid attack said, “It took one second to ruin my life completely.” Another who was attacked by her husband in her own home said, “My life was destroyed in this room.” It is quite saddening how low the self-worth of some of these women is, that once their looks were gone, they viewed their entire life to have similarly been destroyed. It was also a huge shock to me when a scene, as earlier mentioned, depicted how a man’s family, including his mother and sister, actually came together to attack his wife!
On the other hand, we can also see in the film that there are many women who are strongly advocating and leading the fight for the criminalizing of acid crimes. Unfortunately, the only male actor portrayed to be on the side of the acid attack victims is Dr. Jawad, who is well educated and probably undergone the enculturation of westernized ideas of gender equality. It would seem that education for both the men and women in Pakistan would be necessary in order for a shift in the persisting gendered status quo in the society.
I would highly recommend this film, as it really shows us an extreme side of a patriarchal society and how damaging unequal relations – in this case it is gender, but it could well be class, race, etc – can be. Aside from raising awareness to the world about acid violence in Pakistan, the film also started ‘Saving Face’ campaign to eradicate acid violence worldwide. You can show your support for these women too! Visit http://savingfacefilm.com/the-campaign/get-involved/
(You can access the full 40-minute video here! It is amazing to view gender through a sociological lens after going through a gender studies module in school. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt a lot from it. There are many more videos on gender, just let me know and I can share what I know!)
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Missä Muruseni On (Where my sweetheart is)
By Jenni Vartiainen
While I was backpacking in Laos in December 2011, I made a Finnish friend, Mari. She introduced me to this song Meteoriitti by Pariisin Kevät. And so my search for Finnish music begun. It's such a beautiful language that's sewn into the music. I noticed that Finnish (or at least the songs I've heard) uses a lot on the alveolar articulators, such as [t] and [r]. Because of this difference between English and Finnish, it just made the lyrics all the more enjoyable to listen to. It was also a joy to follow the Finnish lyrics because it was so easy. Like German, the pronunciation is quite literal. I don't know much about the language, but I do hope that it is easy to pick up. That reminds me, I have to continue with my French. I've only done a beginner's course, so if anyone is fluent in French, your guidance will be greatly appreciated, in exchange for my less-than-fluent Mandarin.
Also, you can access the lyrics and its translation in English here. Oh and, the band Rasmus is from Finland. So is Nokia. Just saying.
If you're interested in more Finnish music, here are some I have came across for now.
1. Pariisin Kevät
2. Anna Puu
3. Laura Närhi
4. Lauri Tähkä
By Jenni Vartiainen
While I was backpacking in Laos in December 2011, I made a Finnish friend, Mari. She introduced me to this song Meteoriitti by Pariisin Kevät. And so my search for Finnish music begun. It's such a beautiful language that's sewn into the music. I noticed that Finnish (or at least the songs I've heard) uses a lot on the alveolar articulators, such as [t] and [r]. Because of this difference between English and Finnish, it just made the lyrics all the more enjoyable to listen to. It was also a joy to follow the Finnish lyrics because it was so easy. Like German, the pronunciation is quite literal. I don't know much about the language, but I do hope that it is easy to pick up. That reminds me, I have to continue with my French. I've only done a beginner's course, so if anyone is fluent in French, your guidance will be greatly appreciated, in exchange for my less-than-fluent Mandarin.
Also, you can access the lyrics and its translation in English here. Oh and, the band Rasmus is from Finland. So is Nokia. Just saying.
If you're interested in more Finnish music, here are some I have came across for now.
1. Pariisin Kevät
2. Anna Puu
3. Laura Närhi
4. Lauri Tähkä
Friday, April 27, 2012
White Blank Page
Hello, it is been quite a while since I have stopped writing. I'm starting again, just to put down random things lest I forget. For my first post, I would like to share this amazing song by Mumford and Sons, White Blank Page. I think this first topic today, white blank page, is quite apt to mark the beginning of this blog. Before I go on to share my interpretations and how I connected to the song, here is the song and the lyrics...
This is one of my favourite song from Mumford and Sons. It spoke to me a lot about what has been going with my life. Being an agnostic, I do not subscribe to any religion, but I am interested in religion on a more sociological perspective, on its impacts on society. So I have been going to church to listen to sermons, and it was a good chance for me to meet Christians and to learn from them. I do believe in the value of practicing Christianity and most, not all, of the values they preach. But I have yet to have their faith. That is beside the point and I will leave it for another time.
The first verse of the song probably hit me the hardest because, then, I had a Christian girlfriend. To me, the verse seemed like God is asking me those questions.
"Can you lie next to her
And give her your heart, your heart
As well as your body
And can you lie next to her
And confess your love, your love
As well as your folly
And can you kneel before the king
And say I'm clean, I'm clean"
And give her your heart, your heart
As well as your body
And can you lie next to her
And confess your love, your love
As well as your folly
And can you kneel before the king
And say I'm clean, I'm clean"
I thought to myself many times about this. That is because she is quite a devote Christian, and when I asked myself those questions, my answer was always "No". That is perhaps, of my folly and 'cleanliness'. I have wronged her, I hid my smoking habit from her, and I lied to her time and time again. And oftentimes I felt it was my moral imperative that I stopped the lying, which meant the relationship altogether. Another issue was also the tension with abstinence. I loved her with all my heart and it wasn't easy to stop myself from coming onto her, despite much restrain. That was another reason why I ended it. I respect people's religion, that is why I did not want to put her in that position of making such a decision. This leads me to bridge of the song...
"Lead me to the truth and I will follow you with my whole life
Lead me to the truth and I will follow you with my whole life"
Lead me to the truth and I will follow you with my whole life"
I felt that this line was me telling it to two persons. T and God. She being a Christian, she did nudge me towards the direction, and honestly, I felt I was pretty close to it. It is basically myself telling these two that if you do lead me to the truth, I will follow you with my whole life. But it didn't turn out the way I hoped. Like I told her, I would probably regret this decision for a long time, but for now, it is for the best.
I sincerely apologize to people reading, you probably will not have any idea what I'm talking about without the context of my relationship. Perhaps I will talk about it more or perhaps not. In any case, do enjoy this wonderful piece of music.
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