Film and book review: Happy-Go-Lucky and Julie & Julia

As I slowly sink to the murky depths of a kafkaesque bureaucratic hell and I despair at the ignorance, the lack of compassion and general malaise with which we interact with each other. I have read and watched a book and a film which reminds me that there is hope, love, joy and compassion. There are talented and creative people who will take the time and energy to share it with us and sometimes the world does reward such people:

Julie & Julia: The book about the blog which got made into a film.

The film is funny and a lot cleaner than the book which is just fucking hilarious. Before this book/film/blog I like many non-Americans had never heard of Julia Child, but I now cannot imagine a world without her. Julie Powell comes across as honest, open, funny, compassionate and positive in a neurotic and slightly narcissistic manner. I really enjoyed the book, it's like one of those self help books but without the patronizing platitudes. Julie Powell appears to celebrate life despite or actually because of all the crap. Blogs are a funny thing and Ms Powell's story is compelling; a blogger who finds fame and fortune. She may not win the Nobel prize for literature, but her book was a joy to read. It is not a French cook book, I do not think it pretends to be. It is one woman's journey, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and her life; or at least making her very best efforts to do so.

Happy-Go-Lucky: The central character Poppy, a "happy go lucky" type of girl decides to take driving lessons. Scott is a driving instructor who is the antithesis of Poppy. It's one of those character movies where not that much happens but is fucking hilarious. Interestingly, Mike Leigh, the director, starts filming in an improvised way and the film appears to owe a great deal to this style of direction. Poppy is a gorgeous, joyful, compassionate soul who is open and interested in everyone and everything. She is so very un-self aware which allows her to be so true to her self and those around her. At first you think she may be a little too naive and innocent. Scott sees this and is amazed and in awe. His selfishness does not allow him to see that Poppy will shine her light on him but he wants her all to himself. So the film is "driven" to it's inevitable conclusion and Poppy is left standing; open and vulnerable but her joy, compassion and empathy are in tact and even more important to her soul than ever.

Life can be good, there is joy and hope, compassion and creativity. (It just does not exist at the US Immigration Services or the IT department). Joy can be found, you just have to be open to it. Jigna

Big plug for Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Stress Relief products (No pun intended)

Every year at my place of employment there is an entire week of Secret Santa gifts, culminating in a "big gift" (around the $15 mark) to be exchanged at the annual Christmas lunch when Secret Santa's are revealed.

Last Christmas my big gift was the aromatherapy stress relief eucalyptus and spearmint body wash and body lotion, from Bath and Body Works. At the time I thought, mmmm nice and inoffensive, smells good. I thought I had done pretty well, I am always a sucker for lotions and potions!

This year I have had two baths, (by way of explanation it is not my personal hygiene regime that is at fault but our current bathroom, which lends itself to showers, but once in a while I try to de-stress using some of my lotions and potions, lighting a few candles and a glass of wine and I allow myself the luxury of a hot and steamy bath.) Anyway, so this year I have had two baths using my Secret Santa gift. The first time I was not expecting much, other than a nice smelly, hot bath. But honestly they are THE BEST products for relaxation I have ever in my life used, and I have tried a few! You may not believe this of me but I am slightly highly stung and neurotic of nature and do occasionally have to find a way to de-stress other than my usual rant, rave, tears and G&T remedy.

So let me tell you how great this stuff is, my legs felt like jelly I felt so relaxed and I did fall into a most luxurious deep sleep. A product has never worked so well for me, I recommend it. I am not sure if they have Bath and Body Works stuff in England yet, but maybe Boots or Body Shop may have the same sort of ingredient combination?

Might just go run myself a bath.........Jigna

The Mooncup

I heard about the "Mooncup" years ago, and then again recently when Roopa tried it out and said that she would never look back, I finally joined her and I couldn't agree with her more.

What is the Mooncup:

"The Mooncup® is the original silicone menstrual cup designed by women to be a convenient, safe and eco-friendly alternative to tampons and sanitary pads. .........the Mooncup offers an end to the waste, discomfort and expense of disposable sanitary protection."

Here are the benefits to the Mooncup:

• Environmentally friendly - no waste
• Many women suffer from fewer or less intense cramps (I can confirm this one)
• Cheaper then buying sanitary products every month
• Safe

The slight discomfort in "learning" how to use the Mooncup is a lot less then anticipated and you quickly figure out how to use it, with the result that you very soon forget that it is there. Cleaning is relatively easy, even when out and about. I mean lugging around sanitary products can be just as inconvenient and we all are used to that! I thought I would be a little "icked out" when I first took it out and with cleaning it, but I am really not, it is very natural and enlightening.

Try it, I dare you, you will never look back. Jigna

ms understood

We went to see this exhibition at the women's library. It was really interesting, while a little static in its presentation; the conversation that came out of the museum was worth it. Some of our group remembered the Grunswick and Gate Gourmet dispute on a personal level, some had lobbied alongside the union, some remembered relatives marching in protest. The exhibition has an array of fantastic articles, facts, opinions and criticism about all manner of female issues.

While a feminist, im not sure about male bashing eg ' when god made man, she made a mistake' ideology, nonetheless females have through history been persecuted. I recently learned about the psychoanalysis of the female vs queer theory; to be clear I was interested in that age old debate, the glass ceiling and whether women should be have a career or have a family. The discussion was about why women have to adhere to patriarchal rules of society, but instead, why does the patriarchal society not change and move in order to accommodate the females biological reproductive need?

Im not sure if I know enough about any of the above debate, I would like to, it fascinates me. Im blessed to be living in a world where men and women are said to be equal, all the history, all the wars that have been fought and won for me and other women- but what Im faced with in reality confuses me. Working with young people in an environment which was predominantly white male, i see females (colleagues and young people) who are not seen equal to men on so many levels; culturally, professionally, traditionally and witnessing social interaction and professional values...We live with it everyday, its sub conscious. but I must stop remember how it used to be and be grateful that the world is changing-in some places more than others, and it is up to people who are morally and politically grounded to keep at it. I think.

roopa

Sita Sings the Blues

I first read about the film via a blog, Devis with Babies, and then a few months later a friend suggested we watch the film, we recalled that we had planned to and failed, the friend had watched the DVD via Netflix. So we did the same. However you can download it and/or stream it for free by going to the website Sita Sings the Blues.

The film is interesting on so many different levels; the animation, music and the film itself, the different stories involved in the film, the retelling of the Ramayana from Sita's view and the struggles the artist has had to face in bringing her film to an audience.

Nina Paley, the brilliant talent behind the film appears to have faced her own battle of epic proportions with copyright laws and facing insurmountable costs she opted to distribute her movie via a different model, and so far she seems to be getting the film out there and generating a significant amount of interest.

Whilst watching the film, we both realized that we had heard the stories about Sita having to "prove her purity" to Rama but that it is one of the aspects of the Ramayana not repeatedly told, and in today's "enlightened age", it is a wonder why. I have to admit, I am not a regular reader of the Ramayana, but maybe that is why I enjoyed this film for its modern twist and because I am not beholden to one particular version?

I think if someone takes the time to complain, you are definitely on the road to making it. I understand that some Hindu's have taken offense at the animation as an affront to their religious beliefs and some "left wing" opinions have taken affront to a "white" woman re-telling the Ramayana, as this indicates neocolonialism. See the wiki entry for a summary.

It is a shame, that some people find art offensive, and wish to shut down such endeavors and discussions on the basis of their offense. I feel grateful to have been born in a time and place where individuals have some freedom to express themselves. It is my belief that art can sometimes be a generator of discussion and re-analysis, this is how art, which is a part of culture and society as a whole, moves (hopefully) progressively forward and does not stagnate or worse still, regress.

I feel that Ms Paley's art is an honourable expression, her comments about how she perceived her audience is a testament to her intentions, "I always imagine an audience of smart, compassionate people I’d enjoy spending time with." Maybe this sentiment is a little naive, but to believe that such people exist is probably a good thing.

To sum up; this clever, beautiful and unique animation is a joy to watch on various different levels not least of which it is a wonderful film by a talented and yet to be undefeated artist.

"This I Believe"

A little while ago I started paying attention to NPR as they would air, "This I Believe" this led to a an interest in the series, and then I purchased the book. Here is the premise, "Based on a 1950s radio program of the same name, Americans from all walks of life share the personal philosophies and core values that guide their daily lives."

I think the audibook may have been compelling, but the book is just as inspirational. I love the way they have worked in essays from the original series, from the 50's. The style of writing in the essays from the '50's is different, a lot more formal but funnily enough the empathy, the curiosity and the hope remains universal. You can dismiss it as sentimental indulgence but I like the positivity, the honesty and the commonality of the essays. It is like a direct antidote to the cynicism and "organized religion based goodness" that can seem to dominate. Now I just have to take pen to paper and write my own essay.

W. heard one of the new editors on NPR refer to how he believes that "beliefs" do not have to remain constant, and that is what he believes, that as you live your beliefs do and should change. I agree.

This is what re-affirms my faith in the base goodness of humanity, "This I Believe" and "Sunday Morning Love Songs on BBC Radio 2". Jigna

How do you get yours? (News that is)

I have stopped reading the newspaper and I miss it. I have been unsuccessful in my efforts to get into a newspaper habit in the US, I am not sure why that is, I think the New York Times is a very worthy newspaper.

So instead I read the Guardian and the BBC News on line, which quite frankly is not the same thing, although it is a very good second. I no longer watch a daily news program/show, I will occasionally watch BBC America (which is not the same as watching the BBC at home), Anderson Cooper on CNN or Rachel Maddow on MSNBC but I find the commercial breaks, the repetitive nature and actual lack of any news content annoying. The big saving grace to date has been National Public Radio (NPR) (which I know, I have already said, I absolutely love, elsewhere on this blog)

It is this lack of actual News content that I have been thinking about recently. I increasingly find myself watching, listening and reading opinion pieces, and this worries me. Instead of the getting the "factual" story I am getting someone else's opinion. I have to admit, although in my defence I do think it is human nature, I find myself seeking out opinion pieces which support my previously held opinion, thereby simply re-enforcing my opinion without challenging me or making me consider the other side(s). This is not good News. So I sometimes go out of my way to read opinion pieces or expose myself to viewpoints I do not share, this more often than not does not challenge me nor does it encourage me to re-consider my already formed opinion instead it just frustrates me at how "stupid" some people are and how they clearly do not have the "facts" to make a correct judgement, which is invariably my opinion.

I do agree that any News story/report, even those which attempt to be investigative and impartial will have a bias, it's inevitable, it's human nature, but at least with investigative or "traditional" reporting/journalism an attempt is made to gather and report the "facts" in an impartial fashion with at least some effort being made to portray all sides of the story. As opposed to opinions which often repeat stories without any effort to gather the facts and find evidence in support. Often any attempt to do so is perfunctory and superficial, the time and expense to carry out a thorough investigation, would mean that the story will have moved on, it is no longer considered relevant and the audience will have been lost. In addition to which an in-depth report will not fit into 140 characters or less. This insults our intelligence, we need to demand more.

Do not get me wrong there are some great pluses in the "twitter" revolutions, Internet campaigns, blogs (obviously) etc but the demise of the "paper" and the investigative or "traditional" reporting/journalism is a sad reflection of modern society and damages democracy. Fundamentally; how are we to vote, if we don't have the facts?

But how are people to get the "facts" if the options seem to be limited to the never ending parade of talking heads, "entertainers" posing as "journalists", and the revolving door of the never ending blogs and opinion pieces all fighting each other for space by becoming increasingly extreme and hyperbolic in their efforts to demand our rapidly diminishing attention spans.

W. recently heard Alex Jones author of, " Losing The News', And why it matters" being interviewed on NPR, I have to agree with a lot of what he talks about, as he says "opinion is cheap". And so ends another "opinion" piece.

Jigna