Friday, October 25, 2013

Karva Chauth

Karva Chauth was on Tuesday night. It is a one-day festival celebrated by married Hindu women in North India. You fast from sunrise to moonrise for the safety and longevity of their husbands. Tru luv, right?
In modern India, it's seen as a romantic festival akin to Valentine's Day. According to wiki, advertisers have also jumped on board, e.g. Chevrolet ran an ad in "which a man demonstrates his caring for his wife by buying a car with a sunroof so he can drive her around on Karva Chauth night until she spots the moon through it."
Here's my darling Mum looking up prayers and songs for the ceremony on YouTube- East meets West much? Or maybe, Old meets New. Either way, something meets something.
Mum fasted until she saw the moon at about 10.40pm on Tuesday. 
Her and my Dad had an arranged marriage 30 years ago, she was only 19 years old.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Gravity Falls


Was I the only human on planet Earth who found 'Gravity' underwhelming and dare I say it, a bit boring?
Factors that could have effected this: I didn't watch it in 3D, I was a bit hungry during the viewing, I was distracted due to some #fullonshit that had happened that day, I find Sandra Bullock and George Clooney to both be at that 'too famous' level where I can't suspend belief and am like "Is George Clooney still dating Stacey Kiebler?"

Monday, October 21, 2013

Cat Got Your Tongue


Photographer Hannah Price takes portraits of men moments after they catcall her in her series "City of Love". She describes the process in an interview with 'The Morning News': “Once a guy catcalls me, depending on the situation, I would either candidly take their photograph or walk up to them and ask if I can take their photograph. They usually agree and we talk about our lives as I make their portrait.”
This is such an endlessly fascinating idea, to turn the tables and remove the veil of anonymity that these men hide behind. I think most women, have at some point experienced the uncomfortableness of being heckled by guys on the street or in a car driving past. 
Sometimes it's aggressive, sometimes it's scary, sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's just stupid.  But the overwhelming reaction I have is contempt- how dare you make me feel unsafe and violated, even for a millisecond. I always think- what if this guy's girlfriend, mother, sister or daughter saw them right now.
Hannah Price's works are presented in a completely non-judgmental way- not vilifying these men, but rather showing us their humanity and ironically, vulnerability.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

TEST

DISCUSSION WORTHY OR WHAT?