Rhymes with 'Dharma'

I love this picture so much I can't get over myself. I saw it on Office-Politics today.

Two things

1. A lady from CA came across my story at her doctor's office and emailed me to tell me about her brother who had became quadriplegic. I am insanely touched by her effort to reach out to me, and this also strengthens my belief that we should attempt to communicate with one another. It makes me crazy when people forget their responsibility towards each other as human beings. You'd be surprised how common sorrows can unite mankind. Grief is a universal experience and it doesn't discriminate between the haves and have-nots.
2. It just hit me bigtime that Guideposts is amongst the top 20 magazines in the US (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guideposts).

On this day in history...

...the BBC and CNN websites had the same headline news. Rightly so because the damn news story is completely horrendous.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7371043.stm
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/04/28/austria.cellar.reax/index.html

A Frankie by any other name

Just to clear things up, the aforementioned 'Frankie' is actually potential Congressman Frankie Robbins who is running for Frank Lucas's seat.

Frankie goes to DC-wood

I thoroughly enjoy feedback regarding my creative endeavours, so I was extremely happy to read Frankie's comment in my previous post about my recent Guideposts article. I didn't know who Frankie was or how he heard about my article, but I don't discriminate between sources of appreciation. Turns out, though, that Frankie is actually U.S. Representative Frank D. Lucas, and he got my article from Amanda Ball, my fellow musician, author, and filmmaker. Amanda is currently the campaign manager for Lucas's recent bid for re-election to Congress from the largest congressional district in Oklahoma.

Too much cosmic bombardment for me to handle today. Now I know what the Fantastic 4 and Bruce Banner must've felt like, but in a good way.

Up, up, and away!!!

See my Superman story (click on the images below for larger images) in the latest issue of Guideposts magazine!

What do you think?

To cheer or not to cheer during cricket games? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7366516.stm

Puss in Heels no longer

In my effort to walk around more in my day to day life, I decided to abandon my office heels for sports shoes while walking to and from the office and doing my power walks in the daytime. It's been 2 weeks now and I feel GREAT not wearing my usual heels. In fact, seems like I wear my sports shoes more than I wear my office shoes. For a frightening look into the effects of wearing heels, click here.

Almost (but not quite) S&M

I felt like I was in Clockwork Orange this past Saturday when I showed up for a psychophysiology study at the University of Tulsa. The whole thing lasted 5 hours, and I sat in a small airconditioned room by myself watching a variety of images on a projection screen in front of me. I had various sensors attached to my body: 1 each on my left ankle, left knee, left hamstring, left index, left forefinger, left earlobe, left eyebrow, righ forearm, and waist. I also had 2 under my left eye and 3 on the top of my head. The pictures ranged from those of inanimate objects to those of mutilated corpses. Somewhere between those two extremes were images of snakes, sexual imagery, violence, and sports events. The goal of the study was to investigate physiological reactions to a variety of stimuli (noises, pictures, electrical stimulation). The most insane part of it was the electric shocks that were delivered to me through my left ankle. My left leg was leaping off of the recliner like nobody's business. Stanley Kubrick would've been so proud.

The Subway on Memory Lane

There's a Subway sandwich store in downtown Tulsa where I go for lunch sometimes. It's usually full of busy professionals carefully weighing their fresh lowest-calorie meal option for the day. Yesterday there happened to be a bunch of schoolchildren in the store. I think they were in downtown on a school trip or something. Their presence first startled then saddened me. There they were in their little groups, groups of pre-teens munching over their sandwiches and chips, some rebelliously accessorising their uniforms with a silver bag or black nailpolish, but all of them fresh-faced and completely unaware of the grief awaiting them in life. Yes, they will all go through their share of sorrow in their lives, and they don't know it yet. I saw myself in all of their faces, paused for a second, and then moved along in my line to order a Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki sandwich, not toasted with American cheese and regulation veggies.

My Chancellor is a Rock Star

Queen guitarist, Brian May, is the new chancellor for Liverpool John Moores University! He's 60 years old and recently completed his PhD thesis in astronomy which he had left when he went off to play with Queen. Wow.

Puttin' on the Ritz

I have always been fascinated with tap dance and the old Hollywood musical. As a teenager in Oman circa 1997, I had taped a grainy TV broadcast of 'Singin' in the Rain' (I upgraded to a DVD last year) and would indulge in it ever so often getting so caught up in the sight and sound of it that I'd be skipping about for at least an hour after everytime. So when 'The Souls of Our Feet' decided to grace Tulsa with a performance, I scrambled for tickets. The Austin-based tap group took me back to old Hollywood and the dancers channeled the old tap greats into 2008. I quote the Tulsa Performing Arts Center website when I say that 'this fast-paced collection of footwork restages the best of rhythm tap masterpieces from Fred Astaire & Eleanor Powell to the Nicholas Brothers as well as contemporary works of living masters. Led by the live jazz music of the Eddy Hobizal Jazz Trio, this one-of-a-kind concert brings swingin' jazz and 18 feet keeping time to the pulse of this wonderful and indigenous American art form—a celebration of rhythm at its best!'. Thank you, Tapestry Academy!

Here are some of my favourite tap dance routines. As you can see, I favour Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. In my late teens, I had a big crush on the former.

Have you been keeping up?

So I'm mildly intrigued by 'Keeping up with the Kardashians', and my fascination with it spiked when I saw that one of Khloe Kardashian's good friends' name is Khadijah!! Upon further googling, I discovered that her name is Khadijah Haqq and that she is of a pair of twin actresses.

I always get so excited when I hear my name in the public media.

Shaddddaaaaaaaaaaaap

I'm going to sock the next self-important IT person that scoffs at the 'horrible design' of Microsoft products. There seems to be this nauseating trend in the technical world of making oneself sound so important and knowledgable by sneering at the corporate giant. For instance, if there's something someone can't figure out on a Windows machine, the pissant will roll his/her eyes, sigh from the bottom of his/her all-knowing soul, and go, 'aah Microsoft'. There even are people who vehemently seize every opportunity to bitch about how horrible Microsoft products are.

If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail

I've arrived at the conclusion that it's mostly the insecure narrow-minded technical ignoramuses that resort to this cliche in a sad territorial effort to somehow prove that they belong somewhere in the IT world and are so much better than the poor users that use Microsoft's products. I mean, is it not enough that a lot of technical people have zero communication skills and love to spout jargon in an attempt to feel intelligent? Do they have to bash someone, just anyone, to feel better about themselves? Drives me up the wall, it does. They probably have unreasonably large chips on their shoulder about not being very proficient with common Microsoft products, and they fancy themselves as the David to Microsoft's Goliath.

It's not what you got, it's how you use it

In my opinion, Microsoft demystified computing for the common man and brought efficiency into almost every realm of society. It revolutionised how people approach technology and do business. Sure the software has its kinks, which software doesn't. And like most things in life, Microsoft products are a tool that are meant for a certain kind of user. They are best suited for everyday small- to medium-scale office/personal operations. Microsoft has standardised a lot of business processes across the globe. It has become the lowest common denominator (not always a bad thing) which allows everyday people to learn to quickly and effectively communicate in this global world we live in. Now if you insist on using Microsoft products for things they weren't meant for, then I think you're publically broadcasting your own thinly-concealed ignorance. I wouldn't use a Windows machine to edit photos or make a movie, I'd use an Apple gadget for that because that's what Apple is meant for. Conversely, you'd probably make a poor business plan if you installed Apple machines for your everyday business needs. I mean, it's like insisting that a general physician slice-and-dice your face so you can look like your favourite celebrity and then bitching about doctors not learning anything in medical school when you end up looking like a monster.

See the big picture

God, I have so had it with this pointless unending anti-Microsoft club. Quit trying to shove square pegs in round holes. If you want to criticise Microsoft's business practices or whatever, that is fine. But to you certain annoying (wannabe IT) people, stop trying to sound intelligent by ignorantly joining and giving the legit Microsoft critics a bad name. Get over yourself and find some real issues you can be passionate about.

And I can say all this because I myself am an IT person and can crib about other IT people as much as I want, thank you very much.

Post Quarterlife Crisis Update

My health took a battering because of stress over the past few years (okay, almost a decade), but now a lot of the stress and depression has gone. It was a giant effort with my having to consciously identify and remove sources of negativity from my life. With my natural enthusiasm coming back, I suddenly feel the energy and motivation to boost up my slowing metabolism (hello late 20s). I have decided to slam a pedometer on and try to get as close to 10,000 steps a day which sounds pretty intimidating given that today is my first day and my life has mostly become sedentary because of my desk job and car. This is going to be fun. Best thing is that exercise makes my endorphins go nuts, so here's to a happier glowy me. :)

I became a poet somewhere along the way

How does one trust
Again
And again
And again
And over
How does one trust
Words
Bonds of blood
Facial expressions
How does one forget
What it felt like to be hurt
Slashed
Ripped
Left
Thrown
Negated
Humiliated
Manhandled
Ignored
How does one
Get back to feeling
Like cotton candy
Like shiny bubbles
Like ruby red slippers
Like newborn kittens
Light as a breeze
How does one trust
In the goodness of man
In the promise of a laugh
How
Can one find one's way
From lies and bullying
From slander and terror
From panic and betrayal
From confusion and paranoia
From trauma and flashbacks
How can one
Just how can one
Believe again
BELIEVE
BELIEVE IN PEOPLE
To not turn on you
To not lash out at you
To be gentle
To be a teacher
To guide me
When you're always wondering
What the next person will do
Lying to you
Lying about you
Lying until you
Can't tell the difference
Tell me how to trust
In whom to trust
I can't find my way
Give me your hand

Britney Spearmint

This post has nothing to do with the unfortunate poptart. I just couldn't think of any other title for a post where I announce that now, because a packet of spearmint gum and my handkerchief have been residing in my purse for a couple of days, my handkerchief smells like a giddy splash in a flirty spearmint fountain.

I frequently speak in long sentences. Very Oxonian of me.