s u b c o n s c i o u s

i feel surreal, trapped in a post gen X, geeked out haze. i want to be in london in a gap store. this doesn’t imply desire for or dependence on the machine that churns out uniforms for misguided wretches stuck in a capitalistic world they helped create

linearity sucks. deadline this, client that.

transcendental
transatlantic
trance
transvestite
transnational
transcribe
translate
transaction
transmute
transsexual
translation (lost in)
transmit

seems like i am trying to make a statement but really, all i want is to be free

the jazz rendition of bolero is superb

the body doth protest

we are not the same, equality is a myth

i am totally inefficient today, and that, in a way, smacks of conformity to an established situation

what shall i drink? what can i drink at 11:27 in the morning

money, cars, penthouses, suits, bling bling – you know where to run, i’ve got a story like everyone

barbie dolls, pink walls – decay

does everyone have problems with apostrophes?

i know someone who spell checks instant messages

send me an SMS expands into “send me a short message service” – which is dead wrong

chaste
cannabis
delete
trivia
exalt
mindfuck
ideology
luther
clockwork orange
in transit
immortal

shehzad roy’s saali number is a pr stunt to get attention. it’s working baby – the nation has gone apoplectic …

The most famous example of barter was peter minuit’s swap in 1626 of $24 in beads and trinkets for the island of manhattan. its property value in 1993 was assessed at $50.4 billion

ufffff is a sub-continental expression that simply cannot be explained to those who don’t get it

getting it is a complex thing. what is “it”?

caps lock
shift
control

tick tock tick tock tick tock – are we living in a box?

tech monoculture
wasteland
creaky bones
bollocks
grandiose
gosht ka lothra
mao
che
toynbee
dateline london
rocket seeds
feta cheese
widgets
the shit has missed the fan

The President of Pakistan has a website through which you can send messages to him. The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) office reads the messages and routes them as they see fit. I beseech everyone who reads this blog to PLEASE go to the Write to the President section and express your views about the recent statements the General has been making about rape whilst on his grand trip to New York.

Also, please can we brainstorm ways to protest meaningfully? Standing outside the Press Club is going to achieve zilch. What can we, as a connected, articulate, media/net savvy community do to make our voices heard? We need a new movement. C’mon people! Let’s move our backsides.

Here is what I have just sent in …

This is with reference to the statement made by President Musharraf regarding rape:

“You must understand the environment in Pakistan. This has become a money making concern. A lot of people say if you want to go abroad and get a visa for canada or citizenship and be a millionaire, get yourself raped.”

Messages expressing shock and horror after reading this “gem” are pouring in from all over the world. However, for the most part, we feel utterly helpless. It’s one thing to aim to project a “soft image” of Pakistan but making ruthless, inconsiderate, chauvinistic, and totally untrue statements like this doesn’t help our cause.

Claiming that rape is an issue all over the world doesn’t justify the actions of those who victimize and torture other human beings and nor does it eliminate the need for the Pakistani Government to repeal unjust laws or take action against those who commit heinous crimes in the name of religion and honour.

I want to know exactly what this statement means. Would whoever answers these letters please deconstruct it for me and “explain it to me like I am 5 years old”. Does the President really believe this? Does he genuinely believe that women who get raped are “in it for the money”? Are people so desperate to go abroad that they’d willingly allow themselves to be violated in the most horrifying fashion? If this is what Pakistani society has come to, why are we bothering to try and change anything? The sheer obnoxiousness and crassness of this statement still hasn’t sunk in and a lot of us hope that the General has been misquoted.

I live in a city beset by crime and violence – every women runs the risk of getting raped – now we know, of course, that no one stands a chance of recourse to the law. The highest authority has spoken – it’s all about the Canadian visa. Mr. President, the least you can do now is to apologize and assure us that you didn’t mean what you said. The damage has been done, but, please, tell us you’re sorry and that you made a BIG, FAT mistake by making that hideous, shameful statement.

I won’t cry for yesterday
There’s an ordinary world that
Somehow I have to find
And as I try to make my way
To the ordinary world
I will learn to survive …

Ordinary World – Duran Duran

egalitarian |iˌgaləˈterēən| adjective of, relating to, or believing in the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities.

But – are people really equal? Morally, emotionally, intellectually? And if not, then why should everyone be treated equally? What happens when someone kicks you in the backside? What is “correct” and “appropriate” for one usually doesn’t make sense to another. Do you continue to be a “chay” and go out of your way for them and treat them as equally as you would someone who hasn’t YET kicked you in the backside? Vaisay, it’s all merely a matter of time – sooner than later, everyone WILL kick you in the backside. It’s all about timing and learning to sidestep the really brutal kicks.

Do your kids a favour … don’t teach them that honesty, goodness, patience, and hard work pay off. This is a fairytale. I am not suggesting that lies, nastiness, and slacking off are the way to go – however, if you plan to be decent and reside on the “stupid” side of the moral twilight zone, please don’t expect life to work out for you – it just doesn’t.

“She drives me crazy …”
(in a nice way)

Tarun Tejpal (Tehelka) has been to hell and back – in the name of the truth. These words help me get through the worst days …

What say you?

A South African inventor, Ms. Sonette Ehlers, has created a device to snare rapists. South Africa has the world’s worst sexual assault record and the former medical technician contends that the rape problem is so severe that women cannot wait for male attitudes to improve.

The ‘rape trap’, trademarked ‘Rapex’, is a condom-like device bristling with internal hooks and is concealed inside a woman’s body. It hooks onto a rapist during penetration and must be surgically removed. The inventor claims that “the rape trap would be so painful for a rapist that it would disable him immediately, enabling his victim to escape; but would cause no long-term physical damage and could not injure the woman”.

The device has caused considerable controversy in South Africa and some say that Ms. Sonette Ehlers deserves a medal, while others say that she needs help.

The complete article …