The Cairo and Tehran Conferences

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Cairo_and_Teheran_conferences.ogv

Running for Charity

Dear Family and Friends, 

I am running to raise money and awareness for the Omid Foundation who help disadvantaged Iranian women by giving them emotional support and an education to re-start their lives. These women come from various backgrounds and have had traumatic experiences - some had been sold to prostitution at an early age, or are children of drug addicts. They have not had a normal childhood nor access to a stable family life; some have never even been to school. 'The Glass House' was a documentary-film made about the work of the Foundation and charts the lives of some of the young girls they helped. You can read more about them and the women they help on their website here. 

Omid is a well organised foundation that aims to give direct help and support to these women so that they can get a second chance at life. They are given an education, taught vocational skills, encouraged to gain academic qualifications and are rehabilitated into society with the help of trained professionals. As they are a charity, they heavily rely on donations. This is the reason I want to run for them - I believe in their work and I was truly touched by the stories of these women. I want to help give them that second chance. 

I aim to raise as much money as possible to help Omid with their work - and I need your help to do so. This is a link to the donation page, together with my running manifesto:http://www.omid-e-mehr.org/ebl ast/runtothebeat-2011.htm 

Many thanks in advance - all your support is deeply appreciated. 

rowena 

Nakba

Take a moment, ladies and gentlemen, and listen to both the silence and the gunshots around you. Today is the Nakba.

Omar Sharif: Making fact rather dashing

Omar Sharif as Sharif Ali in the film Lawrence of Arabia. I'm not sure whether it's the piercing dark eyes, the bushy moustache or the majestic posture - whatever it is, Omar Sharif cuts quite a figure in the desert. 

War is Over

Happy Birthday, John.

We still love your songs.

I think we've lost him, Mr Helpmann

Familiar with the eccentricity (or just plain madness) of Terry Gilliam, I was not too surprised at the out of this world experience that is Brazil. Powerfully performed by an amazing cast, the film made quite an impact. Set in a 1984-type world, it is similar in storyline too but from then on, it's an original and unique piece of cinema. Michael Palin, despite his daytime job, is all smiles and good humour. Jonathan Pryce plays a government bureaucrat, Sam Lowry who leads a rather dull and unfulfilling life by day but at night, in his dreams, he is a knight in shinning armour, fighting demons in pursuit of a nameless damsel in distress. He goes on robotically, until a chance meeting finds him face to face with the girl from his dreams. In pursuing her, he encounters a rebellious repairman, bureaucracy at its finest, and the dark underbelly of a very sinister brand of "Happiness".

It seems almost impossible to follow the train of thought of the movie, and it feels almost okay to not bother, and simply enjoy the incredible sights and sounds of a madman's imagination.

Within the Orchard, Beyond the Trees.

Women without Men is a film by Shirin Neshat and is set in 1950s Tehran - specifically during the Musaddiq crisis and the ensuing people, albeit male dominated protests. The film charts the lives of 4 women - the spinster sister of a strict, religious, conservative man; her innocent, naive friend who is unwittingly thrown into the bitter reality of life; a disturbed and deeply damaged prostitute; and a woman in her 50s who discovers life late but discovers that maybe it is all just a little too late.

The role of women in Iranian society and politics were carefully and delicately addressed - how they were (and arguably continue to be) omitted or at best sidelined from mainstream politics, how they satisfy roles as lovers, wives, mothers, and sisters. What emerges is not a bleak portrait of women as submissive creatures, but as human beings who are strong, beautiful, determined, and defiant. Even though at times, the price to be free is just too high to pay.

It is a film of little words and dialogue is kept to a minimum. Instead, the plight of Iranian women are addressed by stark images, haunting music (provided beautifully by one of my childhood heroes, Ryuichi Sakamoto), stunning as well as painful scenes. It has a slightly dreamy and eerie feel about it, which adds to its sense of poignancy and loss. It did not overwhelm the audience (I was personally pleased with the length of time), and left us all with the need to reflect on our own society, coming of age, and how we can escape or come to terms with our own pre-determined fates.

For more information, this is the film's website: http://www.womenwithoutmenfilm.com/.

If it will do for a mug...

Pomegranates bruised and ripe.
Contemplation and revolution,
Over our water-pipe.

For the Workers

Happy May Day.
I know it is a day late. But every day is Worker's Day. You. Me. All of us. Every one of us.

Easter

Happy Easter.

Blessings to you all.

The Constitutional Revolution of Iran

The Constitutional Revolution.

Preparation time: 1905-1911 

Several sprinklings of Bread Riots 

1 wasteful trip to Europe by the Shah and his entire family 

3 Secret Societies 

1 arrogant foreign financial advisor
A spoonful of political discontent
A teaspoon of economic improvement
Several alliances between civil society and the hierocracy 

A helpful serving of political awareness and exposure 

Mix well. Best served hot. 

So strange, yet beautiful?

You take a perfectly successful musical. You add ten years, technology, a new place, bathing suits, hot ait balloons and well, you get Love Never Dies.

The story takes us to Coney Island, New York where freaks and stars mingle. The place for the Phantom as you can imagine! Roaming fairly freely without so much as a second glance, he still hurts from losing Christine. He sends for her - after all a bait of money and music is much too much to be refused, especially for Christine and her need for music, and the Phantom. Bien sur. She arrives in New York, with husband Raoul (who has turned out to be a drunk, gambling-mad blaggard - hmmm, surprise surprise) and musically inclined (hint, hint) son, Gustave. 

She is "shocked" to find the Phantom there and they reminisce about some moonless night. Madame Giry and her daughter, Meg are also around Coney Island, as the Phantom's business partners for his spectacle, Phantasma. Meg, has developed a little bit of a crush on the Phantom, as do all of us after all. Christine regrets her choice of Raoul and realises, perhaps too late, that she has been in love with the masked genius all along. The Phantom, as always as always, will always always love Christine so he, determined to get her back, makes a bet with Raoul - if she sings the aria he wrote for her, it would be proof that she needs him and the music, and if she doesn't then she can leave with Raoul and a handsome trousseau. 

I shall leave it there - after all, any blogposts about the Phantom should have a little mystery, don't you think. As for the ending, there are some happy points, especially with regards to choices but some tragedy as one can expect, judging from the Phantom's track record.The music is, I can say, excellent. There are some hints of the classic but a really good score. Ramin Karimloo as the lead, is in a word - phantastic. Truly, a voice of gold. 

Give yourself to the Dark Side

A recent delve into my geekish side, has revealed what I suspect to be an old fascination with the villain we all hate to love, Darth Vader. As a child watching the Star Wars movies, I was drawn to his voice (lent lovingly by James Earl Jones of course) and his cool demeanour (after all, how much emotion can one show in a metal black suit with dials), but really more interested in the cuddle appeal of Chewbacca.

But I revisited that old classic, which has spawned games, t-shirts, Lego sets (I admit my ownership of one or two of these with my own pocketable Darth with red glowing lightsabre attached), and again, my interest has perked. Perhaps because I need yet another distraction - perhaps? But no, I stand true to his appeal. It is his boots, his gloves, his anguish and his temper. Trying to translate him into a present-day setting is a little difficult and I can only imagine that we are simply drawn to his human-like qualities behind the mechanics, which manifest in fatherly concern, the desire for redemption, confusion, and conflict.

Ah, whatever it is. He is pretty cool.

Hey Hey What What

Happy new year to everyone: all the boys and girls, all the sad and happy people, all the optimists and pessimists, all the loved and unloved, all of you and all of me. May 2010 bring us what we want, what we pray for and what we dream of.

I recently rewatched an old favourite film: The Madness of King George. I forgot how good it was: it tells the story of how George III of Hanoverian England lost his mind. We see him degenerate from a jovial, overly excited, well liked monarch to a foul-mouthed, deranged lunatic. With an ambitious Prince of Wales (played by Rupert Everett in all his oily and wigged glory) waiting in the wings to become Prince Regent, it becomes highly important for the mad king to find his sanity. He is aided by William Pit (the younger) and a parson-turned-doctor who uses unconventional methods to treat the poorly sovereign. Wonderfully portrayed by Nigel Hawthorne, the cast also includes a German accented Helen Mirren who plays Queen Charlotte, the devoted and patient wife of Farmer George, as he is lovingly known as by his subjects.

It is also a play by Alan Bennett, and as you can imagine, the dialogue reflects his usual wit! An interesting look at lunacy and how it affects even the highest of kings.

Written in Squid Ink

After 6 months of waiting (I exaggerate but the wait was significantly long), a vertigo-inducing seat, it was time to see Eddie Izzard LIVE at the O2. Mum and Art had to endure me on the Thames Clipper ride to the stadium. That is 20 minutes of hyperactivity and a blabber of incomprehensible chatter every time the Eddie Izzard Stripped Advert came on the built-in floating TV. But next thing I knew, we were seated in the massive O2 tent and then after a play of lights, Eddie Izzard stepped on to the stage, bowed at all corners and began his mad tirade on human civilisation with dinosaur roars, speeding raptors, jazz farm animals, raptor porn, chariot windshield wipers, wikipedia, the out-of-towels-Pepys-diary-keeping giant squid, Mr Squirrel and every other surreal combination of everything.

In an nutshell, he was absolutely amazing. I can still see his name in lights, his expressive eyes and the way he laughs at his own ridiculousness.

Phantom II: He Still Loves You, Christine!

It's here. The months leading to the opening of Andrew Lloyd Webber's new spectacle loom ahead. On this dark, mist-filled path, one can only imagine what wonders await us. Love Never Dies follows up the story of our much loved, well used characters (the Phantom, Christine, Raoul - okay no one really likes Raoul but he's a necessary character - Madame Giry, and Meg Giry) but in a new setting. An over ground one at that, which makes for some interesting symbolism. As far as I can gather, the Phantom is now an important figure in new-world-type-thing-going-on New York, being the successful owner of Coney Island. He lures Christine (husband Raoul and their son Gustave in tow) over, having pined for her for the last 10 years. Move on, Phantom? But I suppose his torment is what he (and his loyal fans) live on. So bring on the potential tragedy (or surprise happy ending - come on Phantom needs it) and sweep us off our feet with your music of the night.

Ramin Karimloo (the sexy one) plays the Phantom in the new production, with Sierra Bogges as the ever wandering Christine. I've already got my tickets for March 2010. Can't wait.

Halloween

Ghouls and goblins and phantom masks
Love and life and heartbreaking tasks.
There is nothing more to say about this day.
Nothing more to add to what you have to say.

Now don't we all like a horrorshow filmy to viddy once in a while?

I had the opportunity to read A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess a few months ago. A verbal, sexual fest of words (just flowing like unmuddied water), it was such a read that caused a plethora of emotions. The story was amazing, frightening and adventurous. Alex and his drogues will be beating you with their actions but wooing you with their language. We lap up whatever his tongue dictates.

Fairuz then recommended me the film. A Stanley Kubrick classic of the same name, it is a wonder to the eye as it is a pleasure to the ear. A ready hand to cover one's eyes at times. But one's gulliver is indeed filled with words by the end of it! Morality and ethics are brought to question by Alex through his actions and his punishment. While his treatment is as contreversial, his pleasure in ultra-violence is manic as well as fascinating (only a mandman could derive such delights in rape, pillage and pain) - not to mention a love for Ludwig van.

Moloko plus first, my brothers. Right, right, right? But not this notchy for what thou didst have in mind.

September Ramblings/Happy Merdeka

Looking back on the last months, I can say that I've done things I never thought I would, seen stuff that opened my mind, felt everything from heartbreak to elation to excitement to happiness. What can I say. It's all been good. Hey scrap that. It's been one helluva (don't you just love that word?) ride.

I wrote at the beginning of the holidays that we'll be discovering ourselves, welcoming new sides of us. Humbert Humbert said, parentheses included, (in reference to his and Lolita's travels) we had travelled everywhere and seen nothing - or something to that effect. I think I've practically been nowhere but seen everything. I stayed in London most of June, July and half of August: I worked, I camped, I cried, I spent days that never should've ended, but I loved it all. I was in Malaysia for the other half of August, and most of September to be with family, friends, to read, to rekindle my love of the X-Files (for all my highbrow Marxist ways, where would I be without Mulder and Scully?) and restored my tired soul. It was indeed tired.

Oh and Happy Merdeka, Malaysia. 52, and it's only just going through its teenage years. As countries go. It's a young nation with an old soul, and a lot of attitude.

Something to Tickle your taste buds

Enjoy!

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