thumb top :)

Thumb-top sized
with 'fingernails'
and fuzzy hair
moving and swallowing
weird looking human
being , been waiting a while
to feel you,
and then I won't be able to wait
to see you.
thumb-top sized cute-ness
with Juno-like 'FINGER-nails'

Borders

At the junction of courage and fear
are borders that segregate the mind.
Aching poverty that didn't know how to dream,
Oppressive opulence that didn't know what to dream.
Gunmen at checkpoints stopping the fetus of dreams.
Countries that tighten and loosen their borders
like the inspiration and expiration of vile utility:
taking in when they need and tightening up when chips are down.
Borders that suffocate mobility, motility -
with pores so small that humanity's side-lined must squeeze through,
but large enough to be tossed back to the other side with ease.
Borders to exclude not to include-
Borders along which to build walls and fences,
motes and trenches.

Rise and Fall

rise-and-fall

a small story friend

Let me tell you about a man who never had his obituary written in a newspaper.
He spoke to each man as if the man had so much importance in the world. He won hearts without wanting to .He walked with humility, because he probably felt that he had nothing to be proud of. But striving never to hurt another man, sacrificing your needs for those of others, lending an astute ear and keen eye to the nuanced likes and dislikes of your loved ones and strangers, friend - such a man has reason to be proud (although he will never know it). This man walked a gentle walk, talked a gentle talk and held integrity above all else. Take his money, take his possessions, but please friend , don't falsely taint his name. And he died with a few shirts in his wardrobe, having crossed the sea only once, on pilgrimage. He left us comfort but so much else: a wealth of morality that would serve us good to tap into. This self-less hero, this grandfather-would-be...

BUDRUS - Movie Review

Behind the political rhetoric and media distortion, is a story about a people, their right to use their land to survive and their intrinsic connection to this land. Budrus tells this story while steering away from directly conveying the political narrative.The movie is gripping in a way that appeals to fundamental human emotions of compassion, empathy and justice.

Directed by the award winning filmmaker Julia Bacha,the documentary follows Ayyed Morrar in his attempt to lead a non-violent resistance against the construction of the separation barrier through his Palestinian village of Budrus. Bacha says that a decision was taken to focus on the villagers and their story, avoiding the broader political context. This is perhaps where the authenticity of the story lies. Through interviews with villagers and footage of their protracted resistance towards the construction of the wall, a personal connection with the audience is formed. The civilian statistics become real and the actual impact of the construction of the wall is contextualised.

A focal point is 'The Olive Tree' - the Palestinian people's connection to it, the life-source that it represents and the impunity with which the Israeli Defence Force uproots these. I recalled scenes from Avatar, where the Na'vi people feel like they have lost a family member when their precious trees are uprooted. The tragedy in the Palestinian scenario, though, is that it is real, not fiction and that it is ongoing. After the olive trees have been uprooted to make way for the wall, a farmer with innocent disbelief and morbid concern tries to explain to an Israeli soldier that he does not know what to do as his trees will now die. Never before was the simple yet intense relationship between the Palestinian people and their land been conveyed to me as powerfully.

While Budrus does not promise to tell 'both sides of the story', it gives a voice to Yasmine Levy, the IDF squad commander in the border police sent to Budrus.
A spokesperson for the Israeli army Doron Spielman gives the Israeli justification for constructing the wall.The interaction between the military and civilians is poignant when viewed through live footage.

The issue of non-violent resistance was a deliberate choice by Bacha (who is also a historian). She says that her studies have shown that violent resistance movements in history had always transformed into dictatorships.

The movie had been well received by international audiences, winning numerous awards at a various film festivals. Budrus is scheduled for screening around the United states and The United Kingdom over the next few months.

Spare (the) change - a penny for my thoughts

At my high school reunion a couple of weeks ago, an old classmate asked me what I planned to do. I mentioned that I wasn't sure as we were moving to Doha. "You're immigrating?"he asked.
I stopped... thought... and realised : well, I guess I am.

My boss gave a farewell pseudo-speech sometime last week. It was slightly strange hearing those words because I never felt that I was ever really a part of that space. Was it a deliberate disinvestment on my part, knowing that my future was on 'screensaver' moode and would be chnaging soon? Perhaps. I was there for nine months - it's crazy how a month turns into four turns into nine.

These farewell things are a bit of a formality. I realise that as much as I bemoan formalities, I'm suckered into creating and maintaining them out of politeness. Bah - politeness - my achilles heel. I'll take passion or courage any day, but what d I get stuck with? sterile politeness.

Then the visa comes and I need to book a ticket.

Staying in Cape Town for some months last year, I came to realise that the grass on the other side is not always as green as it seems. Change is change is change and contexts may enhance or detract from the overall experience, but the true constant and decisive factor is 'the self'. And grudgingly I admit that , yes... the universe does lie within.

It's always 'the people' and relationships that tear me apart. I know that the world is small and ever-shrinking but the thought of leaving behind rock-solid support-structures leaves me hollow. I often feel that I hold relationships in too much esteem. That perhaps my strong feelings of love aren't always reciprocated - but it doesn't really bother me much.
Don't be a baby I tell myself. Man-up ...
But 'myslef' really knows that's it's for a good reason that I'm being so clingy, so nostalgic and so sentimental - I've met and fallen in love with so many real people ofver the past years. Selfless people, spiritual people, ambitious people, intelligent people. People who have been strength when all that I could do was collapse. God knows that I have reason to feel nostalgic...

Inception

A made-for-hollywood type of movie- generous mix of sci-fi, some action scenes with a dose of mind-bending.It was a winning Hollywood formula - and I fell for it.

I think that it tried a little too hard to be an 'important movie'.

Fascinating aspects included concepts raised in the plot. Time lapse during dreams is intruiging. Relating the concept of this life appearing to be 'only but a day' when seen in context of the Hereafter seems conceivable - time is a relative construct.
As with 'The Matrix trilogy', we come to question the nature of which reality is the 'true reality'. It was a mind trip for sure. However, I agree with Ned's comment that it lacked clever dialogue.

The magic element was missing - but overall, it was a piece of an afternoon well(ish) spent.