Two reasons I'm wary about the 'Sex and The City' movie-
1) If the last 'X-Files' movie was anything to be judged by, TV series made into movies don't work. They have the look of a regular episode extended over an hour, minus commercial breaks.
2) I'm scared of the sheer number of belts-that-hold up-nothing I'll have to see.

You see, the show was as much about fashion as it was about the not-so-taboo-anymore topics that the women discussed. It set trends, not that I was ever a fan of Carrie's weird fashion sense. Sure there are three other leading women as well, but really, who could see what anyone else was wearing with the giant flowers/tutus/crazy feathered hats/accessories Carrie pulled from her seemingly tiny closet?
Now for the movie version, the trailers and production shots just keep showing abundance of the cinched waist belts over everything on everyone! Go ahead, google some images from the movie and you'll see what I'm talking about.
It's like the design team was thinking, "Hmm what would make the 40something leading ladies seem trendy and appeal to a larger younger audience? Yes! put some belts on them!"
Maybe it was THE thing the summer they were shooting it, but people, if every girl on the street over the age of 13 is wearing it, the belt trend is dead. It has expired; ceased to be- LET IT GO! LET IT BLOODY GO!
Plus it is never a good sign for a movie when the trailers give away 90% of the storyline.
Having said that, I will still, 100%, go watch it.
Why?
20%- for all the witty repartee and frank discussions on romance and s_x, which are highly entertaining to watch with the girlfriends.
80% - because I'm haven't been to the theatres for a Hollywood flick since February!
Yes, the 23 year old Me would have been horrified at this lapse in movie watching.
What can I say but unless they had come up with a fourth edition of the 'Bourne' series, I was just not interested.
The theatres have been charging a lot more for the utter crap that the movie industry has churned out. So, if it's not gonna have any awesome special effects or stars that I care to see, I'd rather rent two movies for the same price.

*sigh*
Can one ever get tired of watching Matt Damon run around be aloof and dashing in a torn sweater? Nope!
Until then, the new 'Indiana Jones' movie will have to do, I suppose. It has all the elements of the perfectly entertaining movie on big screen- action, camp, improbably story line and Harrison Ford with a whip.
Snap that!




....is where you don't have to deal with your partner.


Seeing and talking to the same person day in and day out....and then having to include him/her in 90% of your plans is beyond tiresome. I'd like to believe that everyone thinks this way and are just too chicken to admit it. yes?

My ideal relationship would be where I see him maybe three four times during the week and one day of the weekend. The general concensus is that, the idea is silly and at some point I'll have to move in with the guy and see him every single day. Fine. Then for relationship to survive, we have two options-
1) One of us gets a job that takes us out of the city for a few days, at least every two months (you know, to make our hearts grow fonder?)or
2) We get a big enough place where we each have our own space- like separate study areas/reading room and most definitely a separate bathroom for moi!

Two living rooms are not required, as one of us can leave the house if the other feels like entertaining a guys/girls night. I would still like one dining area, preferably a small space set up like a 50s diner, next to a large window. That would be lovely. It'll have those cute little cafe style salt,pepper and suger dispensors, napkin holders, bottles of hot sauce and fresh flowers in a glass vase for us to enjoy, while I cook up scrumptious breakfasts for the two of us. Shattup. No, I won't burn it. Let me dream will you?

Aahem..so I'm itching to get my own place,can you tell?


I should, technically, have enough saved up for a move downtown again. Just a matter of time now. After all the crazyness of last year, tt has been very therapeutic living with the parents. Yes, I know, I know. I'm more surprised than you, believe me. Maybe its because I'm only expecting the generic level of insanity, I've been able to deal with it better.
Do you know how very easy it is to get used to having dinner made and even have someone pack up a nutritious lunch for you?
Thank you, MOM!
I know why you are doing it(to keep me under your nose), but I love you anyway :)


PS: I turned thirty, in case anyone is keeping count.
Apparently being being 30 means- watching, yourself and others around you, F up over and over again. Looking foward to 35, when everything will make sense again! Yippe.




Four odd jobs I've had in the past

- Coffee girl at Tim Hortons
- Associate at Men's Fashions in Walmart
- Telemarketeer for Nesbitt Burns
- Donut and cake decorator at Tim Hortons

Four films that I can do a marathon of

- Pride and Prejudice(*edit*: The BBC version ofcourse)
- My Best friend's Wedding
- Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge
- Ever After

Four celebrities I'd love to meet up with for coffee

- Matt Damon
- George Stroumboulopoulos
- Paris Hilton (just to know if she is, you know, real)
- The cute Imam from 'Little Mosque on the Prairie'

Four places to see before I die

- ALL of India, from Rajasthan to Assam and Kerala to Kashmir
- 4 cities in Europe (Barcelona, Rome, Athens and Moscow)
- Amazon rainforest
- The Louvre in Paris

Four memorable foodthings

- Cheesecake from 'Cheesecake Factory', Palo Alto
- Lamb korma from 'VJs', Vancouver
- Meat pies everywhere, New Zealand
- The very very spicey seafood stir fry at some Thai place, Victoria

Four sites that I visit daily

- CBC news
- Go Fug Yourself
- Wikipedia
- PhDcomics


Four people I would love to get together with, for drinks anytime

-My three best friends (in order of how long we've been friends)- Sakina(15yrs), Simica(12yrs) and Sadiya(10 yrs)
-One really hot guy to keep the drinks coming




Bet you didn't know that the 'Dump Truck Association' is contemplating a strike in Toronto, eh? Yep.
They are concerned about money as a result of rising fuel costs and the heavy load they are forced to carry.

Alright- I'm on board with that.

This is how they are choosing to protest today.
A convoy of 150 trucks are going to travel, together, ree-aa-ll-y slowly, from HWY 400 and 427, down to Gardiner and upto DVP.

Got that?
Protesting about rising fuel costs by driving really slowly across all major highways.


See, kids?
News CAN be entertaining.




In light of THREE people, all in this week, asking Tazzy why she isn't getting married yet, here's why.

Observe, my attempt at online dating....

--------------------------------

*ping*
'Dr Casanova' wants to IM you!
Accept?

Erm...o-kay

"Dr. Casanova: Hi! You are very pretty."
"Tazzy: Thanks."

Click on Dr Casanova's online profile- 'I am a physician who has branched out into Marketing. There is no place I really call home yet because I travel frequently. My medical training has given me intimate knowledge about women's bodies where I instinctly know how to make them happy and pleasure them....blah blah....'

"Dr. Casanova: So what are you upto today?
"Tazzy: Not much. Hold on...your medical training has given you knowedge of what makes women want? How IS that exactly?"

(silence for 3 mins)

"Dr. Casanova: Can I reply back in 5 mintues. I have to get out of my limo to get into my hotel for a meeting."


"Tazzy: uh uh. whatever."


Close window.

(2 min later)

*ping*

"Dr. Casanova: Sorry I had to step away just as you wrote to me. "

Close window.

(1 min later)

*ping*

"Dr. Casanova: So, want to meet up this evening?"

Shocked silence


---------------------------------------------------

Sometimes you just can't make this shit up!!





Is it true what they say about fairy tales- that they set up young minds for unrealistic expectations?

I've been wondering about that lately (especially after renting 'Enchanted' the other day).
Since I didn't grow up on disney movies, I started tracking back to things I read as a child.

Supposedly most girls love fairy tales and want to live in castles and wait to be rescued by their knights in shining armour. But what about if you loved the same tales and wanted to be the knight, like I did? Not so much to rescue a princess (no I'm definitely not attracted to women and totally support women who are) but because the knights seemed to have all the fun!
Maybe there is a reason why 'The Little Mermaid' was my favourite fairytale princess who swam (excuse the pun) above them all. She didn't just wait at the bottom of the ocean- she longed for adventure. She found the prince who 'dropped to the bottom of the ocean', rescued him and then followed him to the land in search of love. Predictably, she got jilted in return and died (original version). One could almost say Anderson punished the 'Little Mermaid' for her audacity. But I still loved her and wanted to be her. Is that the reason I'm hesitant about 'meekly committing' to an arranged match and equally skeptical about 'the one' while dating? Because deep down I know I'll 'follow my prince' and get hurt?

Don't get me wrong- I still love fairy tales. I'm actually a little obsessive about them. Nor do I want to make them 'politically correct' (even thought 'this one' is pretty funny). But I do wonder how much what I read as a child shaped who I am now. In my childhood, along with fairy tales, there were the 'children's adventure' stories in Bengali by Mohd Jafar Iqbal such as 'Dushto Cheler Dol(Bad Boys Gang)', 'Haat Kata Robin', 'Dipu number Two' etc. The only Western parallel to these books that I could think of , would be those by Enid Blyton. Basically they were stories where pre-teen children rode out their own adventures, solving crimes, with minimal adult help. Only in Jafar Iqbal's novels, the children were ALL boys. If women or girls ever made any appearance they were in 'maternal' roles. I read these novels religiously and longed to be a boy every day.

Now, I don't blame Mr Iqbal for writing the novels the way he did- he merely portrayed the reality of the Bengali society which doesn't include pre-teen girls running around having any adventure besides an aggressive round of hopscotch! Nor do I begrudge those books as I would probably re-read them if I still owned them. But it leaves me wondering if that is why I hated boys for so long- because I envied them so much.
It is entirely possible that Enid Blyton books also set out certain gender roles (she has been accused of being sexist apparently), I haven't read them, only heard about them. But the mere inclusion of girls in the fun and adventure, no matter the subordinate role they played (if at all), must account for a different mindset for girls who grew up reading her books.

Of course eventually I did find and loved the Nancy Drew series in my teens but I couldn't really imagine myself in her - she was the 'white' girl I could never be. For years I never allowed myself any adventures and actually felt guilty for wanting to be a 'boy' but still love the pretty red dress. I longed for a female role model and eventually found one while reading the biography of one incredible Bengali woman- Begum Rokeya who was a prominant figure in encouraging education among Bengali women by opening the first school for Muslim girls in the Indian subcontient. Still, I couldnt' help but notice that she might not have been able to do so, without the emotional and financial support of her late husband. The life of a rich inspiring widow held its appeal, but I had to find someone to get married to first!

So, the search for female literary characters that I could relate to, continued...until, at age 18, I stumbled onto Jane Austen. Surprisingly, the cultural difference wasn't such a big issue here because the social makeup in Austen's era is so similar to our current Bengali society. I could easily imagine myself as Elizabeth or even Emma (with a job ofcourse), mainly because as young women, they had such strong personalities and still led seemingly eventful lives. Plus, they just happened to have met wonderful men along the way who fell in love with their independent spirits.
Granted, I might not have appreciated Austen when I was a 7year old, but I think, even reading one book where the main protagonist was a strong girl with a rich fulfilling life would have made me happy to be born a girl, a little sooner.

Moral of the story: Reading in children should be encouraged, but expect them to draw their own lessons from it.