RSSApril 2006 Archives
April 28, 2006
Good Afternoon
Maybe it's a bit pathetic, but browsing Abebooks for dusty old things is one of my favourite ways to waste time.
This afternoon's search: Richard Francis Burton, sorted by highest price.
The top result is, predictably, a full set of the Arabian Nights bound in morocco, with gilt edges and illustrations throughout. Valued at $23,000US.
I wonder what kind of person pays that much for a stack of 120 year old books? My set is about 1/30th the cost and still quite lovely.
Posted by eerie at 02:43 PM
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Random Notes
April 26, 2006
Half-formed thoughts on plagiarism and buggery
[Apologies in advance for my incoherence, wanted to get this down before I forgot]
Lounsbury's note (and the ensuing degenerate commentary) on Kaavya Viswanathan's chick-lit plagiarism caused me to spend a good portion of the afternoon observing blogosphere responses to the allegations. Sepia Mutiny (a desi blog) posted a useful summary of events that led to a rather lively discussion with links to new developments as they were reported. Aside from the knee-jerk schadenfreude, some pondered the impact of this scandal on the wider South Asian community, others commiserated over the "pushy-parent syndrome" that seems to afflict so many Asian cultures and a few balked at the idea of paying $10-20k to a consulting firm (IvyWise in Kaavya's case) to assist students in preparing college applications.
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Posted by eerie at 06:20 PM
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Society & Culture
April 22, 2006
Accidental Lounsburyisms
Inadvertently used a Lounsburyism at work today.
Colleague: "We've got approval to proceed with X. Didn't someone say they had a contact number for that?"
Me: "Yeah, I've got it in my email. A manager in Y Division has been pimping X as a solution for months now"
Colleague: "Huh?"
(Holy fuck, what did I just say?!)
Me: "I said, I've got it in my email. A manager in Y Division has been promoting X as a solution for months now."
Colleague: "Oh, okay. Great!"
Posted by eerie at 12:37 AM
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Personal
April 20, 2006
Trivial
Very tired, but must make a mental note to read more of Unwilling Self-Negation, a blog by Ali whatshisface.
I don't agree with everything he says, but that's hardly a requirement for appreciating a well-written and thoughtful blog. He emailed me a month ago, I think. Should probably reply and tell him he's interesting. Or not.
Links for later:
On The Couch Interview on Islamic Reform
Time for a short nap. Feel free to start your own discussions in my absence.
Posted by eerie at 06:59 PM
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Random Notes
April 18, 2006
Battlestar Galactica
After months of hearing friends and co-workers go on about it, I finally picked up the Battlestar Galactica DVD box set. Started watching it at 11pm, but had to stop around 1:30 due to significant other's need for sleep (and my own I suppose, since it is technically a worknight).
So, human civilization is hanging by a thread after systematic and brutal destruction of various planets by odd (possibly monotheistic?) robots, with scads of civilians dying, being left behind, etc.
Can't sleep at all now.
Posted by eerie at 02:27 AM
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April 16, 2006
My Colourful Legs
My right leg has a smallish bruise just below the knee. My left leg, which leads, has a quarter-sized purple bruise on the kneecap, a 4-inch red bruise on the shin and a 6-inch green bruise immediately adjacent to it. The latter is a deeper injury, I think, because it hurts to walk and hasn't healed much after a week of rest.
My shoulders, thighs and calves reek of menthol and spices. Tiger Balm is my new signature scent.
It occurs to me that savate may not be the ideal sport for someone who wants to bare her legs in summertime. In fact, I am not looking forward to my manicure/pedicure appointments next week (gift certificates from Christmas, expiring in May) as there will undoubtedly be many annoying questions.
Posted by eerie at 07:08 PM
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Personal
April 10, 2006
Brazilian Waxing, Feminism and a Dose of Perspective
Now that I've committed myself to elaborating on a previous entry about hijabs and conformity, here are my initial thoughts on Western feminism and Muslim women.
Actually, let me start with a useful, vaguely sexual anecdote, since this sort of thing seems to appeal to Aqoul's highly intellectual yet degenerate readership.
As some of you may recall, I attended a friend's wedding overseas last year. It was a ridiculously ostentatious 7-day event that included a side trip to a nearby beach resort for the wedding party. My role, as I understood it, was to assist the bride with her tedious pre-ceremony tasks, such as accompanying her to the salon where she had all the hair waxed off her arms, legs and pubic area.
Yes, all of it. No more hair "down there".
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Posted by eerie at 05:49 PM
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Society & Culture
April 06, 2006
Hijabs and Covenants
Had lunch with a good friend and colleague today. She's a devout Muslim who adores me in spite of my bizarre obsessive-atheist relationship with the religion. Today we had a fantastic discussion about Islam, feminism, faith and the West. Feminism in particular has been on my mind lately as I consider how Muslim women view Western-style feminism and how this compares to the way Western women view themselves. I may revisit this idea in another entry, but for now I'll focus on the hijab and my friend's reasons for wearing it.
First, the hijab should not be confused with the burka, abaya, niqab or chador. Second, hijabs don't have to be dowdy or plain. In fact, I recall one girl in university whose hijab was so perfectly coordinated with the rest of her outfit that both Muslims and non-Muslims envied her unique style.
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Posted by eerie at 07:31 PM
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Society & Culture
April 04, 2006
Hereditary Wanderlust
My family, particularly my mother's side, has always been afflicted by wanderlust. My mother spent her early twenties as a flight attendant hopping all over Asia, Europe and Africa. That's how she met my father, a flight engineer, who was doing exactly the same thing. After they divorced, I flew across one ocean and two continents to visit my father every summer. As a result, I am largely unconcerned about travelling alone or being in strange places, and I have a near-constant itch to visit far-off countries.
Tonight I had a chat with my mother, who had just returned from a Latin American country where my semi-retired 40-something scummy expat uncle had taken up residence. He's spent the last few years hanging out on a student visa, perfecting his Spanish, learning to play the guitar and enjoying the companionship of a beautiful 20-year-old woman (recently broken up because he had an attack of conscience). Since my uncle and I have curiously similar temperaments, my mother is concerned that I will turn out exactly like him. Even worse, his old firm is wooing him with a new assignment in North Africa (not the nice part, the part where you need armed convoys). Obviously I'd want to visit him if he moved there, even if the country is a bit dodgy. My mother isn't crazy about the idea, mostly due to the location but also because being around my uncle for extended periods reduces the probability that I will settle down and give her a pile of adorable grandchildren.
Ah well. Wonder when he's leaving?
Posted by eerie at 08:36 PM
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Personal
Whimsy for the Bored
I've found a decent version of my favourite Arabian Nights story online: The Tale of Kamar al-Zaman
It's a long, wonderfully convoluted tale that begins with a quarrel between two jinn, Dahnash (male) and Maymunah (female). The Afriit is in love with one Princess Budur, while the Afriitah has recently become infatuated with Prince Kamar al-Zaman (jinn falling in love with humans is not an uncommon theme, though the expression of this love often amounts to nothing more than kissing them between the eyes while they sleep). The jinn proceed to argue over which human is more lovely and eventually decide that poetry and hearsay will not resolve their quarrel. The sleeping princess is whisked from her chamber and set down next to the sleeping Kamar al-Zaman for direct comparison by the two lovesick Afriit.
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Posted by eerie at 12:30 AM
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April 01, 2006
Many Wives
I'm watching an unusual HBO drama called Big Love. It's about a Mormon polygamist living in Utah with his three wives and seven children. The show's major themes bring to mind why multiple wives, while intriguing in theory, can be a nightmare in practice. I've only seen a couple of episodes, so the background is unclear. There is a no-nonsense alpha-wife, a slightly younger, emotionally demanding wife and an even younger bright-eyed thing who is routinely exploited by the elder wives. The show spends a great deal of time exploring mundane situations, such as the logistics of splitting the husband's time equally (including tense horsetrading over birthdays) and the pooling of finances when one wife works and the other two stay at home. The husband exhibits occasional moments of deep satisfaction, but overall appears pressured by their sexual demands (causing him to search online for herbal supplements and Viagra) and overwhelmed by the sniping between the alpha-wife and the demanding second-wife.
Posted by eerie at 06:24 PM
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