Compensation

Saw this car on the streets of Dubai yesterday. Saudi Liscence plate...think he's compensating for something?

Moving

After being in the same house for the last 14 years, we move out this week.

I'm not going to say I've had the best years of my life in this house, because for 8 of those 14 years, I didn't live here, I was abroad. That may also be part of the reason why I feel nothing. I don't feel like I'm leaving my home, or abandoning my memories, or any of that stuff.

Maybe it has something to do with me moving around so much that I stopped getting geographically attached a long time ago, or it may be that I'm a cold hearted bastard who is just completely unemotional when it comes to these sentimental moments. So sue me...


Anyways, I'm actually very excited to be leaving because I've had it with the area that we live in.

I leave behind some memories though:

- The second day we moved into this house I bumped my head against the top of the door frame and was hospitalized and got 7 stiches across the top of my head. It has not failed though that every house I've lived in I've had at least 1 accident for which I got hospitalized.

- I still remember all my friends gathering at my place, since it was the point of collection, where anyone and everyone met during school before we went out. That has not much to do with the geographical location.

- The first time I got home really hammered... At the time I had school the next day and was home at 11:30. Parents were still awake and I had to pretend I was sober. I pulled it off... (or so I thought, they just didn't want to embarass me, I got an earfull the next day...I was 15)

So in honour of this departure, I've decided something....House warming parties are stupid...You've just moved into your new house, everything is new, and sparkling clean, why ruin it? Instead, and since they're demolishing this building eventually, we'll have a house trashing party at my current place at some point this month! Stay posted for details...also for pictures of new "home".

Sensory Overload

If anyone has read the book or seen the movie, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, they would know exactly what I mean by the title here! The portrayal of senses in this movie, playing particularly on the often forgotten sense of smell is beyond genius. Never in my life would I have thought someone could capture, with such vivid visual display, the scent of anything.

This movie does not play on one's emotion as much as it plays on the senses, which is a refreshing change from the cliche world of cinema. With every scene in the movie you see unfolding infront of your eyes a plethora of smells, overloading your senses and buds so that all you can think of is that one smell. The movie for once offers us, or at least it did me, the chance to truly use my imagination. It did not, as a movie normally does, give us all loose ends and offer a solution to everything.

One would argue that normally a book leaves a lot more to one's imagination, but everything about this movie was genius, to the point of the cast chosen. The cast, though all extremely good actors and actresses, do not, for a second, overwhelm the story, leaving that as the most powerful thing in the movie.

My advice to you: Go watch it!

So, just about 2 weeks to go and the Academy Awards, possibly the most anticipated and watched (though overrated) award show on the planet.

My predictions for this year:

Actor - Leading Role: Leonardo Di Caprio for Blood Diamond
Actress - Leading Role: Helen Mirren for The Queen
Actor Supporting Role: Djimon Honsou for Blood Diamond
Actress - Supporting Role: Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls

Animated Feature - Happy Feet
Art Direction - The Prestige
Cinematography - The Prestige
Costume Design - Dreamgirls

Directing - Martin Scorcese for The Departed
Documentary Feature - My Country, My Country
Documentary Short - Rehearsing A Dream
Film Editing - Blood Diamond

Foreign Film - Water by Deepa Mehta
Make Up - Apocalypto
Original Score - Pan's Labyrinth
Original Song - Listen by Beyonce Knowles from Dreamgirls

Best Picture - The Queen
Short Animated Film - Lifted
Short Film Live Action - West Side Story
Sound Editing - Blood Diamond

Sound Mixing - Dreamgirls
Visual Effects - Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest
Adapted Screenplay - Children of Men
Original Screenplay - Letters from Iwo Jima

What are your predictions?

There are 30 Categories, let's see who can predict the most out of 30.

Suggestions for a prize to the winner?

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

If the ending was better, I would have said movie of the year, but the last 35 minutes or so of the movie kind of ruined it for me.

You might be wondering what movie I'm talking about ... BLOOD DIAMOND

I will not ruin the story for anyone, but I will state a few opinions and a reflection upon watching

First my opinion:

Five years ago I would have laughed my head off had I heard someone say Leonardo Di Caprio is a good actor. I am indeed amazed at the evolution this actor has gone through. He has come a long way since the days of Titanic. He may have shown signs of genius in his first role in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, he took a turn to the worse in Titanic, a sad excuse for a movie. He then slowly began escalating with ok performance in Romeo and Juliet, The Beach and Gangs of New York (though the last one was all about Daniel Day Lewis). Leo excelled in Catch Me If You Can, Aviator, and more recently The Departed. This however was a totally different level of acting. 1) He maintains the South African accent throughout the movie almost to perfection. 2) He portrays various emotions with control he did not previously have. Granted the story is brilliant and the character very well written, but I have to give him credit for performing, to perfection, a very difficult role.

Leonardo Di Caprio: 10/10

When I first watched Amistad, I thought, if this guy can speak English, given the emotion and passion he shows in his acting, he will become something. He's kind of typecast himself with his choice of roles since then with the most mentionable once being Gladiator and Blood Diamond. Djimon Honsou got himself an Oscar nomination with this magnificent, powerful and passionate performance. He is the African patriot. He is also the father. Never torn between the two, his priorities always straight, again big ups to the character development and of course, to Djimon for the portrayal. I can congratulate you now on your Oscar! (Hope you don't make me eat my words)

Djimon Honsou: 10/10

This beautiful woman almost always carefully selects her roles. Which is why she's landed movies like Requiem for a Dream and her Oscar winner A Beautiful Mind, an Oscar Well deserved. The only one in the lead cast of the movie to have won an Oscar before, she's also the only one not nominated for one after this movie, with Djimon and Leo soon to join her, if not this year, then soon enough, as Academy Award Winners. Jennifer Connelly provides the female presence, plays the concsience. I would not go so far as to say her performance is lame, but she's extremely cliche in her role as the American journalist who saves the day.

Jennifer Connelly: 6/10

Blood Diamond Overall: 8/10

This movie would have gotten a 15/10 from me had the ending been different. To be honest, it may be easier for me to sit here and criticize than actually do something, I don't know what I would have done differently, but I know I would not have chosen to end it the way it did!

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Watching this movie, I felt so appalled by the violence, so disgusted by the apathy, and so angered by the gravety of the situation. One exchange in the movie really hit home, when Leo remarks that "God left this place long ago". As usual, I will not take a religious stand nor a political one. But for someone who believes in God to suddenly realize that the situation is so helpless that the ominous force in which he believes has lost hope, must make us stop to think.

I will not make this long nor philosophical I will not ruin the movie for you. Go Watch It. NOW if you can. And when you do, there's a message at the end of the movie. I would like to know how that can be done. How will you do it? I know how I will!

OK, a de go nau - (I'm going now)

27 Down ... The Reflection

As I near my 30th year, which for some reason is a milestone, I feel I need to share some of my thoughts with you...

- Success: How is this measured? Lately I've been exposed to many different forms of successes and failures, however, I fail to understand why the generalization that success today is measured mainly by how much money is in someone's bank account. I agree still that money is today an essential TOOL for survival, but with many people it has been elevated from a mere tool to an ultimate goal! Humans are now thinking like corporations, only in bottom line, and unfortunately it will take humans a while longer to consider a triple bottom line for themselves. Of course there are exceptions to this.

- Love: While I believe in its existence, because I have experienced it, and still do, I think that the myth of the ONE needs to be adressed! People need hope in their lives today, amidst everything else that they go through, and if the hope of loving and being loved evaporated because you have not found :"The One" or you've lost "The One", then we have a problem. I know that fairytale romance helps sell movies, books and Hallmark cards, but it does not help 90% of the world who don't necessarily find "Love". I say that there is more than one person for everyone, once you fall in love, you will never fall out of love, regardless of how bad you feel, but sometimes you need the power to move on, knowing that the human heart is big enough to actually love more than one person!

- Home: is where the heart is? Is where I lay my head to sleep? Is all around? whichever way we look at it, with today's advances and globalization, home is everywhere and no where all at once. My definition of a home is a haven, a safe place where one is in their comfort zone, where one feels that this is their own individual space that is protected from anything that is alien or unwanted. Home is where one feels they belong and doesn't struggle to fit in. Home is also where one stands out and feels that they matter, just like everyone else around them that calls this place home matters. Today everyone counts, everyone matters, everyone fits in, yet no where is safe or private, yes you have the ability to filter what invades your space, it is a limited ability, TV, Mobile communication, wireless internet, fast transportation, and maybe soon teleportation all lead to the same result ... Global Homelessness!

- Good Vs. Values: While this word is disappearing from many domains around the world, I still firmly believe that ALL human beings are good by nature. No one is born with a bad bone in their body or is genetically evil! However this does not mean that people remain good. My approach in life is to give everyone around me 100% trust. I believe in people. It is upto them to keep it, I've made the journey easier for them by granting it, they didn't have to earn it, because I trust people and their goodness. Their values will decide whether they keep the trust or whether it evaporates! Many would assume that values are merely common sense, but I would argue that common sense is hardly common and rarely makes sense anymore! Values should be an inherent part of personality that is portrayed in action and words. Unfortunately the importance of values has been diluted today by the struggle to survive and the competitveness of the world. It's dog eat dog out there and only the fit will survive, even if this means for a lot of people to ignore "common sense" embodied in their "values".

Just a clutter of thoughts that I wanted to share with you...

27 Down - The Celebration

Yes folks, two days ago, January 30th, I turned 27.

Went out with a group of friends, maybe around 40 or 50 of us, to Boudoire, probably my favourite nightspot in Dubai!

My friends were extra generous with me, so I don't really remember much beyond the order of drinks I had:

- Vodka Red Bull x2
- Shot of Absinthe, Shot of Jameson, Shot of Tequila (One after the other)
- Full Shaker of Amaretto and Southern Comfort, downed in one shot - x3 (In a row)
- One Third of a bottle of whiskey, downed in one shot - x1
- Vodka Cranberry Juice`x1
- Bull Frog x3
- One more shot of Absinthe

If I remember correctly that was about it...

Thanks for all those who came and I wish I could say it was an unforgettable night, but hmmmmmm.....take a glance at the list of beverages and you will excuse me.

Needless to say I was driven home by my friend, Shady (thanks man).

Thanks to: Mai (My sister), Nader, Mark, Mario, Aiyman, Inci, Waldo, Samer, Billy, Magda, Matt, Guillermo, Alisha, Ana, Nadine, Romina, Ioana, Dario, Danyyl, Peep, Janek, Shady, Ingrida, Karam, Stella, Audra, Seif, Kadry, Teresa, Nadim, Stacey, Gemma, Georgina, Laura, Pippa, Lisa, Helena, Ben, Seychelles, Chantalle, Chenelle, Gilda, Sarah, Andy, Rana, Faris - I think that's it (Someone said I wouldn't remember everyone that was there, so this is my attempt, please fill in the blanks!)