Thursday, January 12, 2006
gimme shoes , Jimmy Choos
The shoe shopping has begun. My fashionista friend who leaves for the Big Apple soon is convinced that shoes are impressively expensive in NY and she needs to buy everything here, so last Thursday I trekked behind her as we visited shoe shop upon shoe shop in pursuit of the elusive bargain. With the sale on, you would think it wouldn’t be too difficult to find the perfect pair of shoes. But then you obviously have not met my the shoe fanatic.. She never knows when to stop. She needs a pair of pink shoes, a pair of mauve and 5 pairs in between, one with the bells and whistles, one with frill and the other with the witch type pointy toes. So far, I think, she has 15 pairs of beige in different tinges of the colour. Five pairs in black(which of course means there still a couple of good black sling backs we haven’t got to yet) a dozen or so in browns and burgundy. From Choos to Manolos to Gucci and Ferragamos and the occasional Prada boots, she got them all. This mad mad race to find the perfect shoes makes me wonder, we have but two feet. Shoes were once considered a status symbol,in early Rome when only officials and the emperors could owna pair. In the Chinese culture the smaller the shoe, the prettier the feet, and the more popular you are. So a couple till a couple of decades ago women actually used to tie their feet in shoes a couple of sizes too small to get dainty feet. We bargain hunters have no such lofty motives but when you confronted with the perfect pair of stilettos one size too small ( on sale that too) – we give into tradition (Chinese tradition that is). To be honest I didn’t realise what all the fuss was about as I joined the shoe frenzy a little late. I haven’t worn heels for six years but once I tentatively took my first few steps in a beautiful pair of Nine West, I was hooked. Everything looks so much better from up here. Especially, if you are 5’4’’ and have only worn flats and keds to presentations and meeting and high society ball. But the transition isn’t easy; the comfort that comes from not having to balance precariously on stilettos isn’t an addiction one can give up in a hurry. But when I bought my first pair of knee high boots with oh-so-comfortable-I-can-wear-them-and-go-jogging heels, I knew a monster had been created.
The POwer of One
What is it that makes this pint sized woman tick? What is it that makes people respond to her? Regular people and celebrity alike hold Oprah in great esteem. What is it about her show that sometimes makes you want to cry watching the jubilance of transformed women after a makeover, shock of the wildest dream winners, determination of those battling with terminal diseases or the demons within, awestruck faces of those who won the cars in the biggest giveaway in TV history. What is it about Oprah that women who know her love her and those who watch her on TV like myself aspire to be like her? It could be her guts, her courage, her self-effacing attitude, go getting energy, self deprecating humour, her everyday qualities or is it that she comes across as one of us. Whatever it is, I thought as I tried to swallow the lump in my throat as I sat watching the best moments of her 20 years in our lives, there is no one like her.
You don’t have to feel it – you know she is doesn’t put on an act. She as genuine as they come. Meryl Streep put it brilliantly when she said, “ Some people make a name for themselves pretending to be other people, like me, some people do it just by being themselves, like you”. The illustrious Sidney Poitier, the man Oprah looks up to as an inspiration took the time out to personally come to the 20th anniversary celebration show and tell her how much of a difference she has made to the world.
She has the ability to change lives, whether it’s of those who appear on her show or couch potatoes like me who need to have their weekly if not daily fix of Oprah. She’s had break downs and revelations in the middle of the shows like when Trudy Chase, a woman who has multiple personalities and was severely abused as a child , was talking about her experiences a light just went on in Oprah’s mind. She realised that she wasn’t to blame for the abuse she herself had received as a child. This revelation, she says, finally set her free. She finally acknowledged the fact that her teenage promiscuity was her inability to recognise the fact that the child is never to blame. After which she went on to get a bill passed (unofficially named the Oprah Bill) which made it mandatory for all agencies hiring child care providers to do background checks on the applicants. This year 2 child sex offenders got caught because their mugs were plastered on her wanted list.
The self made billionaire, entrepreneur, actress and entertainment executive who dedication to child reform is incomparable says that her compassion for the downtrodden comes from her own childhood experiences. She is a role model for millions and her philanthropy is legendary.
She got America reading again with her book club transforming the books that appear on her show into overnight best sellers. She's the first black American woman billionaire, and reportedly makes about half a million dollars a day from her TV show alone. She owns or co-owns the Oxygen Network, O Magazine, her own Harpo Studio, Harpo Productions, Harpo Films, Harpo Print, and Harpo Video. Harpo, of course, is Oprah spelled backwards.
As one of the most powerful women in the world, well in the truest sense of the word, the most powerful woman in the world, when this little girl from Mississippi talks the world (34 million plus people) sit up and take notice. So lets not underestimate the power of one.
You don’t have to feel it – you know she is doesn’t put on an act. She as genuine as they come. Meryl Streep put it brilliantly when she said, “ Some people make a name for themselves pretending to be other people, like me, some people do it just by being themselves, like you”. The illustrious Sidney Poitier, the man Oprah looks up to as an inspiration took the time out to personally come to the 20th anniversary celebration show and tell her how much of a difference she has made to the world.
She has the ability to change lives, whether it’s of those who appear on her show or couch potatoes like me who need to have their weekly if not daily fix of Oprah. She’s had break downs and revelations in the middle of the shows like when Trudy Chase, a woman who has multiple personalities and was severely abused as a child , was talking about her experiences a light just went on in Oprah’s mind. She realised that she wasn’t to blame for the abuse she herself had received as a child. This revelation, she says, finally set her free. She finally acknowledged the fact that her teenage promiscuity was her inability to recognise the fact that the child is never to blame. After which she went on to get a bill passed (unofficially named the Oprah Bill) which made it mandatory for all agencies hiring child care providers to do background checks on the applicants. This year 2 child sex offenders got caught because their mugs were plastered on her wanted list.
The self made billionaire, entrepreneur, actress and entertainment executive who dedication to child reform is incomparable says that her compassion for the downtrodden comes from her own childhood experiences. She is a role model for millions and her philanthropy is legendary.
She got America reading again with her book club transforming the books that appear on her show into overnight best sellers. She's the first black American woman billionaire, and reportedly makes about half a million dollars a day from her TV show alone. She owns or co-owns the Oxygen Network, O Magazine, her own Harpo Studio, Harpo Productions, Harpo Films, Harpo Print, and Harpo Video. Harpo, of course, is Oprah spelled backwards.
As one of the most powerful women in the world, well in the truest sense of the word, the most powerful woman in the world, when this little girl from Mississippi talks the world (34 million plus people) sit up and take notice. So lets not underestimate the power of one.
Resolve to not Resolve.
There is something about fresh starts - like the aroma of a freshly baked chocolate cake. Enticing. And on the eve of the New Year everybody wants a piece of the cake. So old moth eaten dear diaries get pulled out or spanking new ones get unwrapped and we get down to tackling the vices we want to get rid of. Bubbling with enthusiasm, the scribblers looks little like Bridget Jones on the loose. Most of our resolutions are about loosing weight, getting fit, not getting hammered every day, finding a man, keeping the man, not fret over bad hair days, try to be more feminine and not so much of a feminist, try an adventure sport like bungee jumping or white water rafting, support your not so commercial projects like a book, a blog, a painting. As nice as this all may sound – a new year doesn’t necessarily signal a change your life, it’s just the day the earth finishes one revolution – nothing earth shattering (pun unintended). Revolve doesn’t really mean you have to resolve. I really don’t understand the need to resolve to do things that might be good for you on the 1st of January every year. Honestly, I have never ever made resolutions. Every day is as special as the next. And every moment of every day has the power to change your life. It could be at 11.59 pm on the 31st of December or on 5th of July the year after that. Our expectations with the new years have risen so much that we have actually lost track of what exactly it is that we are celebrating. Isn’t every day that we live and breathe a reason to celebrate, isn’t the joy of being alive celebration enough. Change in lifestyle doesn’t come as a force of habit it comes from the force of mind, the power to believe in yourself. The day, date or time doesn’t really matter.
The fact of the matter is we don’t even really know how long it is that we have to live, so every moment is precious. So sing like no one listening, dance like no one’s watching, love like you’ve never been hurt before and live like you’ll die tomorrow.
The fact of the matter is we don’t even really know how long it is that we have to live, so every moment is precious. So sing like no one listening, dance like no one’s watching, love like you’ve never been hurt before and live like you’ll die tomorrow.
The shows that changed my life.
F.R.I.E.N.D.S
Nothing has ever been quite the same again. I was at University when the six of them tentatively reached out to me and made friends with me. Now I am ten years older and they have left, but their impact on my life in undeniable. I changed my schedule, my hairstyle, my sense of humour and even the colour of my walls to match theirs, seen them fall in and out of love, attended weddings, funerals and childbirths. Meet my F.R.I.E.N.D.S – Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), Rachael Green (Jennifer Anniston), Monica Geller (Courtney Cox Arquette), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Joey Tribianni (Matt Le Blanc) and Ross Geller (David Schwimmer). I was in India at the time and would leave parties early or arrive late to be in time to catch the sextet in action. The show changed how I viewed friendship. It wasn’t just about finding people on the same wavelength as oneself but also about accepting friends for who they are and not trying to change that. On the other hand it was all about evolution not just of the characters but also of relationships they shared. Like the time when Monica tells Chandler, that she wouldn’t go out with him if her were the last guy on earth and ends up marrying him and having a family with him a couple of years later. To me that was a powerful message about how life comes a full circle and you do get all that you deserve.
Oprah
There hasn’t been much that hasn’t been said about this pint-sized girl from Mississippi, she undergone a tremendous change in pretty much every aspect of her life since the first episode of Oprah beamed into our living rooms and the rest, as they say, is history. I don’t remember the first time I watched Oprah, simply because I don’t remember the time before her. Her historic shows on child molestation, sexual abuse, domestic violence, feminism have literally shaped my views. These important but controversial and sensitive topics are swept under the proverbial carpet in almost all cultures. The Oprah Winfrey Show was like the first ray of light into my ignorant mind. I also realised how hard it must have been for her before she started Harpo because as a rookie radio jockey hosting a women’s show hard as I may have tried, commercialisation didn’t allow me to hitch my ride on the Oprah bandwagon and let taboo be taboo. But once the fire in the heart was ignited with the advent of Oprah on telly in India, the change in the mindset of the generation next was palpable.
Will & Grace
Coming out of the closet was considered a big deal in India, where gay is never seen as gay really is – it is associated more with the eunuchs (plenty of which are found dancing on the traffic lights to make a living). The fact that a man can love men; function rationally and responsibly, sometimes in the higher echelons of the boardroom fraternity, was an alien concept. One day while waiting for F.R.I.E.N.D.S to air I caught an early episode of Will & Grace on a relatively new channel called Zee English. My constricted mindset couldn’t figure out the dynamics of the relationship between Will (Eric McCormack) and Grace (Debra Messing). Single, attractive, subliminally role-playing best friends had me confused. Not helping matters was the generous helping of Mr. Jazz hands, Jack (Sean Hayes) who is one of Will’s best friends and Karen (Megan Mullally) a rich socialite who plays Grace’s assistant. Will and Grace, with it’s brilliantly written dialogues and funny one liners had me hooked and lead the path into my discovery of the gay world. A superb cast, well defined performances and the crazy working dynamics of the quartet which play racquet ball in deciding which relationship, Jack and Karen or Will and Grace, takes the craziness quotient higher and is the focal point that keeps the show fresh. So in the words of my good friend, Just Jack (also known as Just Jack 2001), “Let’s get this GAY, Will & Grace, in a monumental insight into the gay world but the queerness of the straight world as well.”
Nothing has ever been quite the same again. I was at University when the six of them tentatively reached out to me and made friends with me. Now I am ten years older and they have left, but their impact on my life in undeniable. I changed my schedule, my hairstyle, my sense of humour and even the colour of my walls to match theirs, seen them fall in and out of love, attended weddings, funerals and childbirths. Meet my F.R.I.E.N.D.S – Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), Rachael Green (Jennifer Anniston), Monica Geller (Courtney Cox Arquette), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Joey Tribianni (Matt Le Blanc) and Ross Geller (David Schwimmer). I was in India at the time and would leave parties early or arrive late to be in time to catch the sextet in action. The show changed how I viewed friendship. It wasn’t just about finding people on the same wavelength as oneself but also about accepting friends for who they are and not trying to change that. On the other hand it was all about evolution not just of the characters but also of relationships they shared. Like the time when Monica tells Chandler, that she wouldn’t go out with him if her were the last guy on earth and ends up marrying him and having a family with him a couple of years later. To me that was a powerful message about how life comes a full circle and you do get all that you deserve.
Oprah
There hasn’t been much that hasn’t been said about this pint-sized girl from Mississippi, she undergone a tremendous change in pretty much every aspect of her life since the first episode of Oprah beamed into our living rooms and the rest, as they say, is history. I don’t remember the first time I watched Oprah, simply because I don’t remember the time before her. Her historic shows on child molestation, sexual abuse, domestic violence, feminism have literally shaped my views. These important but controversial and sensitive topics are swept under the proverbial carpet in almost all cultures. The Oprah Winfrey Show was like the first ray of light into my ignorant mind. I also realised how hard it must have been for her before she started Harpo because as a rookie radio jockey hosting a women’s show hard as I may have tried, commercialisation didn’t allow me to hitch my ride on the Oprah bandwagon and let taboo be taboo. But once the fire in the heart was ignited with the advent of Oprah on telly in India, the change in the mindset of the generation next was palpable.
Will & Grace
Coming out of the closet was considered a big deal in India, where gay is never seen as gay really is – it is associated more with the eunuchs (plenty of which are found dancing on the traffic lights to make a living). The fact that a man can love men; function rationally and responsibly, sometimes in the higher echelons of the boardroom fraternity, was an alien concept. One day while waiting for F.R.I.E.N.D.S to air I caught an early episode of Will & Grace on a relatively new channel called Zee English. My constricted mindset couldn’t figure out the dynamics of the relationship between Will (Eric McCormack) and Grace (Debra Messing). Single, attractive, subliminally role-playing best friends had me confused. Not helping matters was the generous helping of Mr. Jazz hands, Jack (Sean Hayes) who is one of Will’s best friends and Karen (Megan Mullally) a rich socialite who plays Grace’s assistant. Will and Grace, with it’s brilliantly written dialogues and funny one liners had me hooked and lead the path into my discovery of the gay world. A superb cast, well defined performances and the crazy working dynamics of the quartet which play racquet ball in deciding which relationship, Jack and Karen or Will and Grace, takes the craziness quotient higher and is the focal point that keeps the show fresh. So in the words of my good friend, Just Jack (also known as Just Jack 2001), “Let’s get this GAY, Will & Grace, in a monumental insight into the gay world but the queerness of the straight world as well.”
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