We are all that we have met.

Foto Flicks of the day: Photography a la Ron Haviv

 Ron Haviv is an award-winning photojournalist who has produced images of conflict and humanitarian crises that have made headlines from around the world since the end of the Cold War. 

Many of Haviv’s photos were shot in countries such as Afghanistan, DR Congo, Haiti, Yugoslavia, etc.

This post was inspired by a conversation I recently had with one of my co-workers about what our “dream job” would be. We both mutually agreed that being a photojournalist for the National Geographic, for instance, would be incredibly badass…

This topic in itself reminds me of a fictional but sensible character in Jhumpa Lahiri’s Unaccustomed Earth, (a brilliant collection of stories which I highly recommend reading) who was a photojournalist. Throughout his career, he had captured death, demise, and despair. However, he became numb to the gruesome casualties that he photographed from all over the world, and even those within his own family, because he had built a life from hiding behind a lens…that’s powerful. 

As visually and captivatingly awarding this career could be, it takes one with immense strength and courage to do it. Photojournalists make a daring living by portraying scenes that aren’t shown in the everyday media…they illustrate stories through their photos, which look similar to war movie freezes…yet somehow, the blood flows as a brighter scarlet and the facial expressions are deeper than the viewer can fathom; utterly real, unscripted, and inevitably poignant.

Say cheese.
Chetna

What better way to close out 2009 and bring in 2010 than with the heart-pounding (overkill? nah…) beats of Kaskade and David Guetta, my all time favorite House DJ?!

Not many:]
C

Clapping and dancing clumsily in front of an oversized ‘80s Television set that displayed MJ’s “Black or White” video. Halting momentary to gaze in awe at the seamless transformation of colorful faces from one to another, curious too, about the green lady who held the flaming torch. Singing unashamed to the few words known by a 5-year old as my Dada excitedly snapped to the rhythm…that’s my earliest memory of the late Michael Jackson.

This Is It was merely a compilation of raw rehearsal footage of MJ and his crew, yet, his artistic brilliance and humble yet certain demeanor shun through…even brighter than his gold-sparkled pants and platinum-silver blazer. I literally had chills crawl up my spine every time I realized how utterly mind-blowing (complete understatement) his concert would’ve been, and more notably, how many life-long dreams (i.e. of all whom earned the golden ticket to rehearse with him) he has fulfilled.

RIPMJ.
C

http://outlawconsulting.com/sites/all/themes/outlaw/pdf/GenYFinal.pdf

It’s always interesting, and occasionally upsetting to become aware of how we are perceived by others. It can be even more distressing when our character is determined by the generation which we belong to…a mere but professing alphabet (Y) that declares the story of our very existence, attitudes, and ethos. FYI, Generation Y includes those who were born in and between 1979-1997.

The link above is to a 31-slide PowerPoint presentation (which I suggest clicking through) from a marketing company called Outlaw Consulting, Inc. based in San Francisco. They are a qualitative research firm specializing in Gen Y and trendsetters. I’ll give it to them; their work and philosophy are incredibly intriguing. They claim that they are “in the club with hipsters one day and in the boardroom with marketers the next” (as cheesy as that is, it says so on their website) all in an effort to delve into needs of consumers everywhere.

Either way, this slide-show is post-worthy because it identifies many revealing facets of society and its citizen majority, Gen Y…dun dun dunnnn. Obviously, what I take to be true from this presentation is only what I can relate to directly or indirectly through the traits of those whom I know. How true is it to you? 

rotflmao :].
C

Video Snippet of the day: Joanna Krupa & Derek Hough’s Paso Doble from “Dancing with the Stars”

Thanks to DVR, we literally rewound to rewatch this dance approximately 10 times last night after it aired. And now, thanks to YouTube, we can all watch it a few times more. :]

Also, a minor plug on “Dancing with the Stars” and how amazing of a show it is: It’s brought to my awareness so many different kinds of dances, choreography styles, and music from all over the world. The costumes are always so beautifully designed and constructed, the dancers and guest performers are hardly short of entertaining, the live singers are on point with the song covers, and the hosts and judges (when they’re not completely off with their scores) are witty and hilarous. I highly recommend checking it out!

Paz Doble.
C

Emma Watson for Burberry?! Nice!

I don’t know if this is a recent trend, but browsing through Vogue and Elle, I’ve noticed that there are so many more actresses and/or musicianistas whom are strewn across white bedsheets, caressing perfume bottles, or sporting the latest, lavish accessories in editorial advertisements for the high-end players; i.e. Madonna for Louis Vuitton, Scarlet Johansson for L’Anti Marilyn and Dolce & Gabbana, Keira Knightly for Chanel, etc.

Emma Watson is my fav. though!

Muggle…out.
C

Foto Flick of the day: “Ma’der desert – Morocco” [By http://chromaphobia.deviantart.com/]

This photograph reminds me of Sharbat Gulav, the mysterious Afghani girl with the unforgettable, green eyes who graced the cover of National Geographic a few years back.

Speaking on Sharbat Gulav, and being that Halloween just passed….

HAHAHAHAHA…I don’t even know who this person is but this is just GREAT…

Eye revoir.
Chetna

I saw a play called “Groundswell” at the San Jose Repertory on the evening of Halloween with my parents. We had the best seats in the small but accommodating theatre; orchestra seating, smack-dab middle of the second row. So pretty much we could see every bead of sweat on the actors’ foreheads and the spit sputtered with every bellow.

Despite the play’s modest cast of three actors, a 1 hour 40 minute act, and minimal sound effects; the intermingling of three forlorn South African characters from very different backgrounds and pasts led to an interesting and subtly profound performance.

The play takes place in modern day, post-Apartheid South Africa, in the dining room/lobby of a cottage villa in the middle of nowhere off the beachy west coast. Although a portion of the dialogue was in Afrikaans and each of the characters came from diverse and predominant backgrounds and classes of South Africa (Kosa, Afrikaner, and South African Brit – mind you, the American actors had an impeccable impression of each of their character’s accents, in my opinion), this performance could appeal to any audience from any continent. The diamond trade business went mentioned in the play; however, its details were muted. The post-Apartheid life was a more present focus throughout the scene but every major theme entrenched in this story ultimately related back to human nature; what people do when they feel guilty, helpless, desperate, in denial, or in need of compensation or even redemption for themselves.

Every character displayed a strong yet personal impression of how they and their people should be treated in present, post-Apartheid South Africa. The surprising thing is that there was a lot of overlap…each of them felt that they should be compensated in some shape or form for their experiences in the past because of the Apartheid or the results of it, further proving that people are still trying to find their identities, roles, and responsibilities in society today.

Below is a behind-the-scenes interview with the three actors and the director. I would definitely recommend seeing “Groundswell!”

Vrede.
C

Everyone says that coming back from studying abroad offers a more intense culture shock than living in another country. It’s partly true. I definitely felt it when I returned to Cal Poly from Costa Rica last spring. But somehow, this time around, I’m really happy to be home. It might have something to do with the fact that I’m graduating in less than four months, or that I’m 21 now and the activities in San Luis Obispo has suddenly expanded dramatically, or that having family from South Africa visit in December gave us more to look forward to and significantly helped the transition into normalcy. Either way, all factors are working in my favor and it doesn’t hurt that I love California, where the sun decided to stay strong this year despite the season.

I’ve been getting into yoga, especially recently. It’s the perfect indoor activity to stimulate the heart, loosen the muscles, and detox the soul even when it’s cold and rainy outside (weather that typically makes me feel lazy and dull). It’s not only a workout, but it’s self-paced, peaceful, and meditative all at the same time. An unknown author once said ”Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.” And that is fact attained through something as marvelous as yoga; it’s amazing how my mood is elevated even after 30 minutes of practicing it. The image to the right is of me getting in some yoga time before the sunset on a beach in Malaysia (Tioman Island) and the crazy one to the left was taken by “barrel-maker” on www.deviantart.com. There are so many challenging poses and positions that I’m striving to achieve. In the process, I’ve gained a new appreciation for the art of bboying/bgirling (commercially known as breakdancing). So many of their moves take some serious yoga skills…all while spinning, jumping, flipping, and rolling around in a dense circle of gaping spectators. Here’s a video of one of my friends, Bedrock, and his crew, the Infamous Zebra Mob of New Jersey, who continuously take it to a new level.

Peace