Stop complaining

Lets not complain about the rain when some countries are suffering from drought.

At least we have rain and water. Dance in it.

Perspective Shots

Here are a few photographs taken from journalists in risky war situations. I think they put into perspective the value of life when we are willing put ourself in danger too.

Made In Chelsea

Usually a sentence like 'I am ashamed to admit, my guilty TV choice is 'Made In Chelsea', yet for me I have no guilt. I really enjoy it!

I feel drawn to programmes like these because of their desire for its demographic to endure an idea of ones lifestyle. We all desire to learn what is different from our own. Increasingly throughout the series, FINALLY the editing has got fairly better and some of the shots are beautifully captured.

Getting passed the conventions and structured scenes of 'Chelsea', I would like to focus on the particular lifestyles and attitudes shown within the programme. Of course we have to take everything with a pinch of salt, hours of endless editing exists to construct a storyline and exchanged glances across the table to create drama. All bitchiness aside, I find it interesting to examine the general attitudes across each character. 

Without mentioning names, I feel that though these people may be seen as to 'have it easy', a large part of me thinks they have their priorities in the right place. Their current day to day generally seems based on sourcing pleasure. They seek when to have the next best social event or together occasion. They thrive from being around others and enjoying themselves. Sure, we all assume that the rich are delusional towards what 'living' really is, though deep down we know that if there were a choice for ourselves-as if we would turn down the lavish lifestyle. 

To have a piece of 'what shall I do today, because I can', instead of 'what shall we do in two weeks because we have to save'...I am glad to see these people enjoying themselves and making the most of what they have got. If we saw people of the such moaning all the time (all personal dramas aside) and not going out at all-I am sure we would hold grudges about the programme even more!

Forgiving Acid Attack

For somebody to become so caught up with their own emotions, and to seek resolve by seeking revenge over a case of rejection. I am baffled.

Ameneh Bahrami is fighting for her attacker to have his own eyes burnt with acid, as he blinded and disfigured her face after throwing the substance in hers. There are two points to this article in which one I can agree with and the other, not:

"He said 'I am going to destroy your life and do something so nobody will marry you'," she remembers.

This all from being turned down for marriage. It actually scares me knowing that there are people out there who want to satisfy their own insecurities by paining others. I feel appalled by human nature:

'Bahrami won her case in 2008, when the court ruled that the 27-year-old Movahidi should be blinded with acid. It also sentenced him to jail and ordered that he pay compensation to the victim.'

But I think this also appals me as well. I couldn't imagine having some sort of power over somebody to feel the same pain one may have been through. It is just not within my nature, to get revenge. However, I do agree with Bahrami's point in wanting to teach people like this, a lesson in hope they would get perspective as well. Realisation of one's action MUST be realised, otherwise who knows what they may do next?:

'... But she is determined to pursue the ruling. "If I forgive, I get nothing for forgiveness," she says..."The same if I take his eyesight, I get nothing. But I want people like Majeed to know that there is punishment."'

Though what feels like double standards is also a very difficult situation to balance. How far should punishment go? I feel like this towards children in school too. As I have got older, it seems the children get smaller, and cheekier! Humans are becoming more intelligent in picking up peoples weaknesses, and children play on these vibes. I think a physical attack only shows a weakness in people, they feel they have to use brute strength to make their point. I find words are stronger than actions, but with words are they not stronger if examples can be attached to them as well?

All the more I am finding news that suggests classic methods of punishment should be brought back into action. Bear with me in trying to explain the following: If the consequence brought about the idea more strongly that if one does unfavourable 'action', they will have to under go another activity-unpleasurable, yet not exactly the most painful. However, this being unpleasurable in the sense that the 'activity' may not end as soon as they would like. Would this mean for those that 'sin', would gain a better understanding into the consequences they set for their victims as well?

London Bridge Girls

Apologies for the lack of posting today, the day has been somewhat 'wednesday-ish'. Though it's far from the middle of the week slump, I think one has had so many words to choose from.

On my walk home for the first time, my eyes met with the same girl I kind of look for every morning. We pass roughly just on London Bridge or just after it as you reach into Monument. I think it was her style of fashion that caught me eye. Not the most unique sense of style, though her hair become the most unique thing. Appearances aside, It got me thinking about regular occurrences we have with people every day; whether it's our daily commute, to get our coffee, our lunch at the supermarket or picking out our clothes at the nearest shop. I think I see these people more often than those I would call my friends.

Whether this has come from engaging a little bit better with the guys next door that make my coffee, or having worked as front of house receptionist for around 7 months now (wow time flies); I can't help but think shouldn't we make a little more effort in engaging with the people we walk past regularly as well? On my most recent trip to Wales, walking down the canal the certainty in people to just say 'hello' to a stranger surprised me again. Their interaction with 'strangers' was so natural. Whether it's living in London itself, because I haven't really experienced much animosity with passers by, I think based on the population of people, passing bodies become flashes and that is all. We loose their face. So what if I joined walking with some of those I pass everyday and said hello? What if I invited them out for a drink?...Would I be seen as crazy, or a little over eager?! 

I think I have a fascination in learning about people anyways, their character, the things that tick them off. I think it's some sort of beauty in life. There is a weird simplicity about me that can be satisfied with so little yet want so much at the same time. It's an odd battle because sometimes when I get chances to delve with people, I can get frustrated and bored. Whether it's a short attention span or disability to concentrate and become distracted sometimes-I think one should remind to be more patient with people. So if someone came up to me whilst walking to work, and said hello, how would I react?!

Initially, well if it's a guy I think it now has been built into most women (only recently for my naive self) that most of the time when a guy talks to you it's because he is attracted to you in some way. I hate this notion and still battle against it, I want to prove a point; my own urges to talk to women in just wanting to make friends, in talking to guys because I want to make friends ( I have grown up with a good amount of purely male friends my whole life). Are we now restricted to 'organised' and structured social situations as 'adults', to be allowed and for it to be acceptable to converse? I begin to understand how things may get 'harder' as we get older, yet we are setting up these restrictions ourselves. We become less patient and more unwilling to let people into our crafted and formed worlds. Are new faces worth the hassle?

It feels like a completely cut off approach to civilisation. As children, we play in a park and talk to others all the time, just because! I rarely hear a story these days were people meet, out of the blue. I'm hoping we haven't got our guards and wariness up, too much that it is unhealthy. I don't want there to always be some sort of alternative motive. Usually we hear tales of how people meet because there is an attraction linked:past date, work related function, friend of a friend. One day I would like to hear a story about how two people met, just because they got caught up in conversation about learning with one another, about who each other are!

Slut Rut

Ironically this topic came up in discussion recently with myself and others as to what is a slut. Is it a girl who sleeps around, though isn't that just embracing sexual freedom? Is it a girl who dresses and shows all, yet is really displaying a fabulous figure in which she has probably worked hard for? Is a slut these days, someone who is aware of their sexual being and uses this to get things for her advantage? I don't even know whether that could be considered power and intelligence itself!

The meaning of slut these days, I am massively confused to what meaning it really should take accept the classical dictionary meaning. I think the alternative still lies in what would you call a man if he were to do the same things, man whore?! How can we de-feminise the meaning of the words whore, slut, slag or tart? Maybe sexual freedom needs a large revamp within the media and society itself.

A child called 'Pie' and another named 'Like'

Facebook is inspirational for all... In reading about changing the law to allow children under 13 to use social networking sites, restrictions apply because of cyber-bullying concerns (and assurably peadophile scares as well, not sure why they haven't mentioned that yet), I have also come across the website inspiring some for the names of their children. Everyday Facebook never fails to impress me on its ability to influence and connect the world.

For me personally it also, through a friend's profile picture and in recognising the kitchen tiles, allowed me to see who now rents my old house. Coincidence!

Tubecrush...

It's not often you think about woman being perverts, this stereotype is deemed to men...

'a coed group of Londoners is subjecting men to unwitting Internet objectification with TubeCrush.net'

At first it may seem a laughing matter and we may generalise that males would handle the situation better...However the truth in question is if this were woman snapshots on a website holding a rating system, I am sure there would seem more vulnerability within the case. The other side questions a level of privacy and being subjected to having an image of ourself uploaded onto the internet without giving our permission. But we go through this everyday, our images are captured through various forms of cctv and we, by no choice of our own have to accept that who ever witnesses our bodies on camera are trusted to be responsible towards the material. If we looked at things to the extreme of protecting our privacy we would always be walking around with bags over our heads (somewhat now the dress of a muslim female seems ideal if you think about it...)

Society controls and it will always control us. I am not saying accept and move on of course-perhaps we could be provided with a little bit more information of where and when we are on camera (like those smiley face stickers do on the bus!). We know full well there is a balance to what should be put out there and what shouldn't. I personally don't agree with the website because I know full well If I found an image of myself up on the internet without agreeing to its publication-wouldn't it make you feel quite uncomfortable? It's why on facebook we have the option to untag the 'embarrasing' or inappropriate shots. It would feel like a computerised spotlight and on the one hand an unfair matter of judgement if we give no agreement for it.

Conversely, what have we got to hide? Coming from a film background I have had occasions where people have not wanted to be on film for reasons they could not give other than their own desire to show whose boss. Sometimes people just like to show their authority. Perhaps deep down we know that whenever an image of ourselves is put out there, we are automatically subjected into a position of vulnerability. Though who are we more scared of, subjection from others or subjection from ourselves?

I can see why those, regardless of the set up, do not like their picture taken. I am not sure how much subjectivity we are prepared to put ourselves up for...