C'est La Vie

Since I spent a solid weekend debating between the two phones and harassing everyone I knew to give me their opinion, I thought I would share my findings for those of you who have yet to make the switch to one of these amazing phones.

I’ll start by saying that I switched from the Blackberry Bold 9900 to the iPhone 5.  I had the 4th gen Ipod touch for quite some time and was never really an “Ifangirl” (die hard apple fan).  I hate the fact that they aren’t universal (much like Sony).  I also was never a fan of their marketing and subsequently brainwashed fan base who shouted about their phones to everyone and anyone, nor was I fan of Steve Jobs (people who blindly admire the guy are idiots).  I was perfectly content with my Blackberry that worked, was amazing at emails and was a real PHONE.  So why the switch?  Well,  I’m still using my bb for contacts and bbm because it’s still popular overseas where a lot of my friends are however I’m a huge youtube and music junky and on my free time at work I wanted to be able to catch up on some videos/tv/video streaming– Blackberry’s are not the device to pick if you want to do anything other than tweet/text/check emails (at least until the BB 10 comes out?!)

Here is my UNBIASED review:

The casing:

The iPhone 5 wins hands down when it comes to the look and feel of the phone.  It has a sleek glass and aluminum finish whereas the Galaxy S3 has a very “plasticky” and “cheap” feel to it.  HOWEVER the S3’s large and beautiful screen makes you almost forget the plasticky backing.  In terms of sexiness the iPhone 5 just feels sleek, sexy and amazing in your hand.  If you’re big on looks like I am, you’ll prefer the iPhone 5.  The black and gun metal iPhone when turned off is sleek and shiny whereas the white iPhone and S3 have a panda bear look to it.  Definitely go with the black iPhone color, it’s a lot easier on the eyes when you are viewing videos and images (although the aluminum in black has been known to scratch so take care of it).  If you’re all about girly cases you may want to consider a white iPhone (because most girly cases are clear with like diamonds and stuff on it and the clear looks better with the white iPhone) but the black is sexy enough to go BARE, and it just looks like a more powerful machine.  Also, the diamond cut edges, the sapphire glass lens of the camera is superior and … again, sexy.

Winner: iPhone 5

Specs:

The Samsung Galaxy beats the iPhone 5 when it comes to the specs on paper, it has a quad core processer (which will really come in handy when the new operating system eventually rolls out and you’re able to simultaneously watch videos as well as surf the web at the same time).  The Galaxy S3 also has a larger screen with a comparable pixel density to the iPhone 5’s.  It’s great for older people who might not want to squint at their screen and for those with larger hands.  At first the large phone was intimidating but after a few days it WAS a little easier.  I do have smaller hands and I am on transit a lot (which requires deft manoeuvring and hanging on to the pole – the TRANSIT POLE INSIDE SKYTRAINS AND BUSES you sickos- while navigating the phone with the other hand – something I cannot imagine doing with the S3).  If you’re in the house or in the car a lot or you’re doing most of your phone usage at a desk or indoors than maybe the S3 would work out okay for you – I just couldn’t realistically see myself using the S3 while out and about (clubbing? no way!).  I do tend to drop my phone a lot (ahem back to the clubbing comment..)and the iPhone 5 fared better in drop tests, although I do believe that if your phone is going to drop and break it’s going to smash no matter what a drop test says so I wouldn’t put too much stock in those drop tests.  I found that the iPhone 5’s LCD Retina screen was easier to look at outdoors and that the coloring on the iPhone was more true to life vs the Galaxy that had a slightly bluer tint.  All in all the specs are very comparable and evenly matched – you will be getting a premium device either way – even though the S3 has a quad core vs the dual core on the iPhone, the software on the Android does not make full use of it and so they both run at roughly the same speed.

My main gripe with iPhone is that they changed to the “Lightning” connector.  I thought that was cocky and unnecessary because one of the benefits was that EVERYTHING from cars to audio docks had the old iPhone connector and now everyone needs to spend more money for this “lightning” connector.  Luckily though, there are enough ifanboys in the world that will immediately jump out and buy the new connector and cars will soon switch to this so in a short while it shouldn’t be too much of a problem to find a spare charger at your friend’s house or whatever.

The iPhone 5 comes in 16 or 32gb, the Samsung Galaxy S3 has the ability to expand by inserting micro sd cards into the phone.  Also you are able to take out and replace the battery very easily on the S3 whereas you would be looking at spending major moolah to replace the built in battery on the iPhone.  If you’re travelling you may like the fact that you can carry around another S3 battery.  I opted for the 32gb iPhone and I know I won’t be needing much more space than that but I suppose it’s nice to know the option to expand is there for S3 users.  Again, it’s all about what is important to you – if you aren’t storing thousands of videos or photos or music on your phone than I wouldn’t worry too much about how much it can hold.  We all still have laptops and desktop computers for a reason.

Winner: Tie! (as a girl the size of the S3 and where I would be using it made me lean to the iPhone 5 but the fact that Apple changed their connector just pisses me off and so it’s a tie.)

Operating Software:

The Galaxy S3 runs on the Android platform with it’s current “Ice Cream Sandwich” vers slowly being upgraded to the new “Jelly Bean” vers – it’s completely customizable and fresh.  It’s one of the main reasons I considered the S3.  The iOS on the other hand has been around for quite some time and for those who have used iPhones since they came out – the novelty of the little app buttons and slide to unlock feature have kind of worn off.  This is a huge reason for people switching from Apple to Samsung – the ability to customize your phone.  I absolutely loved the Samsung home screen, it was so large and pretty and the clock/weather feature as well as the different widgets and apps were amazing to set up and play with.  Both Google and iTunes have thousands of apps and although the iPhone is in the lead here, Android fans are slowly catching up in numbers when it comes to available apps.  If you’re not that tech savvy I would stick to the iPhone, customizing the features on the S3 can be a little intimidating and time consuming but if you LOVE customizing stuff I would go for the S3.

(L-R: iPhone 5 screen vs Galaxy S3 screen)

The downside for me with the Galaxy S3 and what led me to choose Apple is that I like being COMPLETELY up to date.  iPhone users have apps that are SPECIFICALLY designed for them and they are constantly updating their operating system (yearly) and the apps that are on iTunes.  You plug in or update wirelessly and you’re good to go.  Android users do not all receive the OS updates at the same time and they are not on a systematic schedule for updates.  Android users would do well to remember that while they may have increased the number of apps (especially free ones) that are available, the iPhone has apps that are specifically built for the few generations that have rolled out while Android apps are for ANY Android phone – Galaxy S3, HTC, etc.  That could lead to certain apps glitching on your phone and not working as well as it should.  On the plus side the S3 has more free apps that you can download from various resources such as Samsung’s store or Google Play, whereas Apple users download only from iTunes and they are not all free.  The saying “you get what you pay for” in this instance is true – while premium apps may not be free in iTunes, you know that constant updates for any glitches are systematically rolling out and the iTunes store is trusted – less viruses, less issues.  If you’re mainly going to be using your phone for Facebook and Twitter; you might not be too concerned with apps and you should be ok with the S3.  I’m a little picky.  If you want to connect with your tv, connect with your Xbox or PS3 or download videos and movies you may want to choose the S3 because you CAN do that with relatively no issues (and you can download in the S3 in the background while using other programs) whereas on the iPhone you would need to buy Apple TV.  Initially the iPhone caught a lot of flak for their Maps app but it’s a moot point now because you can just download Google Maps :) (as well as Google Chrome and various other Google apps).

As for customizing the phone – S3 wins for the screen but it all depends on what is important to you.  iPhone users can buy cases and accessories from their phone anywhere and everywhere (you would have to order online for the S3 - they do have cute cases too just not as easily found in stores like LV/Michael Kors/Chinese malls lol etc).  I’m content with simply changing my lock screen image every once in a while (right now its this sexy HD leopard – I love big cats ) .

I believe that after you’ve customized any phone you get used to it and it becomes boring – so while I am a little jealous of the S3 ability to customize the screens I think I can live with buying multiple cases for the outside, and painting my nails to look hot carrying said phone.  I might just stay away from seeing my sister play with the S3 though - - ugh the screen really is beautiful I’ll give them that.

Winner: iPhone 5.  The Samsung Galaxy S3 has a really cool OS which is customizable but the fact that their updates are not systematic could be problematic.  If you’re really into open source stuff and want to hook up your phone with anything and everything Samsung has the lead but whatever you will want done is possible with the iPhone, you just have to pay (for Apple TV etc).  I just feel secure knowing that the company is so huge and they’re focused on their product – whereas with Android you have multiple phones (HTC’s, Samsung’s etc running on their platform) and even with the Samsung line – there’s the Galaxy S3, the Note 2 just came out and with that much stuff going on I’m not too confident that glitches and issues will be resolved in a speedy manner.

Overall

Don’t be put off by iFanboys who shout and boast about their phones.  At the end of the day people jumped on the Apple bandwagon and just went nuts, and NOW a lot of those bandwagoners have jumped on the S3 bandwagon and are claiming that iPhone’s are played out and everyone from a 10 year old to a 50 year old has them whereas the S3 is a more exclusive, new product that will set you apart from the crowd.  I say – focus on what you want and don’t listen to those dimwits.  You won’t go wrong with either phone.  You really need to think about what is realistic for your lifestyle.  If you’re always on the go, running around for meetings and you have smaller hands than honestly the S3 is probably not for you!  If you’re a student and you want a larger screen to review notes and you spend a lot of time in class rooms or hanging out with friends at their house than the S3 might be your new best friend, likewise if you’re a club goer – the iPhone!  Both phones are relatively easy to set up and sync with your gmail and other email accounts so I didn’t spend too much time reviewing that.  I recommend going into an Apple or Samsung store and getting a feel of the phones.  You may find simple things about each phone completely off putting so it’s great to go into the store to manually handle the phone :).  For example I really disliked how on the S3 when you’re in the internet browser and you double tap the screen it doesn’t automatically filter to a page view it just zooms in and you still have to scroll left and right to read the whole sentence whereas on the Safari browser it starts off completely zoomed out and when you double click the browser arranges the wording so that you can just scroll down and see it all in one go.

Hope you enjoyed my review and let me know what you think!  What phone are you using?  (I didn’t include the Note 2 in this review because it’s more of a phablet – phone/tablet – than a smartphone).

I feel like such a faker.  I think it’s because all my life I’ve liked a little bit of everything.  I’m a jack of all trades but a master of none so when I’m in a certain environment with people of one trade and I’m not 1000% into it like they are I feel like a faker.

Example – I like dancing, bhangra, films, bollywood, writing, reading, journalism, politics, fashion – but I’m not a “fashionista” – I know designers/can spot out who’s wearing what, I’m up to date on all trends but I’m at no angle a fashionista or someone who looks like they love fashion and I don’t live and breathe it the way some people do.  I’m not a “Dancer” the way some of my friends are.. I’d say I’m good but I’m not proper.  Same with everything else – I can write really well I can write articles or stories and I COULD be a journalist or a broadcaster or a writer but I’M NOT.  So what am I is the question?  Do I have to choose one?  Is this what life is all about boxing ourselves and labeling ourselves into neat little packages?  “Hi I’m Sharin and I’m _____”.  Seems kind of boring  to me but at least those people can have a proper like Twitter handle and SAY who they are.  Needless to say my twitter handle is all over the place lol.  So who are you?  Really I want to know!   Leave me a comment!

Ciao!

Honestly I've written so much stuff on here that I don't remember right now if I've already written a post on this topic - if so forgive me but it's still worth writing about..

Sometimes even your closest friends and family can be crabs in a bucket - its a very blue collar/middle class mind set because it's hard for this social class (that I'm in as well) to take risks and to think big. Sometimes parents, friends - they're just scared, they're scared for you and they want you to be secure, have a nice little normal government job and live a normal life. It doesn't mean that they're bad people! They might act like crabs in a bucket and pull you down and even though they're doing it out of love - it's hard to deal with. Also if you're scared remember that fear is not a bad thing -a little fear is a survival instinct. Just don't let it take over your life.

They say if no one's laughing at your goals, then your goals just aren't big enough. Think big and even if you can find one person who believes that you can do it - keep that person close to you!! Touch base with them often. It might be a stranger, a random admirer on Twitter or Facebook or a friend that you're not all THAT close to...but they're there in your life for a reason. Remember that they believe in you and focus on that. Everything else will come around.

Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network

Rumor has it I'm the one you're leaving her for..
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network

Forward to 1:44

I’m currently obssesed with Carly Rose Sonenclar from The X Factor.

Have you read the book The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell?  It’s a book about different factors that contribute to a high level of success (high as in – Bill Gates, Beatles success).  If you haven’t read the book you really should!  It very systematically breaks down key factors that contribute to success and I for one have always thought about what makes certain people successful over others.  One of the things Malcolm talks about in the book is the 10,000 hr rule and it’s based on a study by Anders Erricson who, according to Wikipedia is “widely recognized as one of the world's leading theoretical and experimental researchers on expertise.” – so in short he’s an expert on expertise (pretty cool haha).  The 10,000 rule is that it takes one approximately 10000 hrs of practice on a specific task to become truly great at what it is that they are doing.  In the book he outlines: "It's not enough to ask what successful people are like. [...] It is only by asking where they are from that we can unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn't.”  In essence he questions whether truly successful people should be idolized or given so much praise because much of what contributes to their success is luck/fate/where they’re from etc vs capability.

Back to Carly Rose – it’s pretty clear that she is an amazing singer.

Carly Rose has oodles of talent and I am OBSESSED with her. I believe she is superstar material and I do think some people are just more talented than others. She has real talent (as opposed to just being able to sing like so many people out there). Her tone is amazing her last run in the song above game be goosebumps, her control and most of all the emotion made everyone else look like they were doing karaoke at a local bar.  Not like the people that she’s up against are losers – they are pretty incredible themselves and I’m rooting for a lot of them but when you see Carly Rose walk out and sing you’re just blown away.  That’s what amazes me that there are so many people out there that can sing, or act or dance or whatever – but some are just BETTER and more talented than others.  There’s a look in her eyes. (I also think her soul is old.. I mean where is she getting all this emotion from it’s freakin insane I tell ya). Besides talent, she’s also had a lot of training – she’s lucky enough to be born in a country and city that is close to New York City where she can go for auditions, she has two parents that are still married and love and support her and put in I’m sure a LOT of money to get her to this position. She’s been singing from a very young age – I would imagine she must have hit close to 10000 hrs by now!

A lot of people are capable .. certain people who obviously have talent on shows like the Voice or X factor make it on to the show but don’t win and then we barely hear from most of them again.  Why is that? 

Take the X Factor – you have a lot of people show up for the live auditions and so so many of them had amazing voices and I just thought to myself that they if given the chance could out sing Beyonce or Adele or whoever.  It’s not just about talent, it’s not just about looks.  It’s about your parents (I think that’s like #1), the community or environment you were brought up in, the amount of time you were allowed to devote to honing your craft, it’s about money, support, ease of access… so many different factors.  There are few people out there that despite everything overcame all odds and not only did they overcome odds they make you feel so much emotion when you watch them – Shah Rukh Khan and Oprah are a few people who are truly talented and superstars rightfully… but then there are others who are deemed talented and everyone applauds them and no one looks twice at any other factor.

If Beyonce or Britney Spear’s parents did not support and help them pursue their career from such a young age – move cities to help them and put their own time and money to get them trained and etc they would be nowhere today.  So when Beyonce talks about how she’s so blessed that God gave her talent – yes she is blessed, yes she is talented, but more than that she was just lucky she had the opportunity and the support (or rather encouragement) to do this from her parents who put a lot on the line for her to pursue this  (not to mention the genes to look so fierce).  There are SO many talented people out there – but talent does not guarantee success. 

This video just seems creepy.. and not very genuine lol.  Beyonce is defo blessed – she’s hot.. she’s got a nice family, she can sing, she can dance…but so can other people… I used to love her songs.. but something about her these days just rubs me the wrong way.  Every interview of hers seems fake and I think her and Jay Z are just so sickeningly removed from the rest of society.  They’re so flamboyant with their wealth it disgusts me.

Here is the convo that single attractive girls seem to have a lot:

Man: “A pretty girl like you must have a boyfriend…”

Woman: “No, actually I don’t.” **thinks in head..um does this mean I’m not pretty?**

Man: “What, that’s insane… are you just picky or are all the men you’re meeting blind?”

Woman: **thinks in head…WTF kind of question is that um… so I’m not picky and wow that’s such a negative word to use just because I’m single and want to find someone who isn’t a cheating, lying, unattractive, uneducated, immature and un motivated person… and no the guys I am meeting aren’t blind they ARE into me (duh) and I might be into them but that doesn’t mean I want a boyfriend or a relationship!…Hmm, wait but did THEY want to be in a relationship with me?? uh..damn I never really thought about that… I guess they didn’t I wonder why..wait… SOooo does this mean he’s saying I’m not cool because I’m single and should be snapped by now and if I’m not there’s something wrong with me???** …

Says:  “No I’ve just, been busy… focusing on other things like my career and life… actually I haven’t even THOUGHT about having a boyfriend, I haven’t really missed having one (**because I see soo many great examples of ppl in healthy and happy relationships out there lol psh**), it’s just been a lot of FUN being able to do whatever I want!!  I meet a lot of cool people, I ENJOY meeting new people and I’m always open to new experiences…” **thinks in head, great now I sound like a slut who wants to mess around and never get married, and he’s trying to hit on me and I really don’t want him to.. quickly try to cover up**

Says:  “Actually, I really haven’t had the time to date or anything I’ve been SUPER busy.. you know just NO TIME WHATSOEVER to meet up with people, I’ve been REALLY BUSY, like I’m busy ALL THE TIME.” **fervently prays he gets the hint**

Man: **thinks in head.. ooh she wants to get down n dirtyyy no strings attached yaaa buddayyy yeehaw** “Hey we should hook up sometime grab some coffee or something you gotta keep a night open for me!”

Woman: Yeah.  Sometime.  Great.

Recently I walked out of something thinking, “Thank God I didn’t invest myself too emotionally”, I learnt that something that I thought was going to be good was really just nothing and was HAPPY that I didn’t really let myself care too much about it, I was happy that I wasn’t let down because I didn’t put my heart and soul into it so I walked away unscathed.  Yay, that’s great right? 

Then I thought… you know what, that that was actually the tragedy here.  Forget the fact that something happened that disappointed me a little bit again.  That wasn’t the tragic part that something failed.  The tragedy really is that I never bothered to put anything into it at all.  I’m not normally a girl who does anything halfway… it’s always all or nothing for me, it’s always now or never.  I’m not a half way kind of girl.  Or at least I wasn’t.  So just a little reminder to everyone out there, don’t do anything half way.  Give it your all or don’t bother doing it at all.  I’m usuallyy that way but, I guess sometimes we all slip up.  No more! 

See yall’s later.

Solitude

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone.
For the sad old earth must borrow it's mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air.
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.
Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go.
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all.
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life's gall.
Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a long and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Poem.  If you’re still reading I commend you…wow!  Most people immediately blank out, recoil or think of old folks and Shakespeare.  Listen up fuddy duddy’s… POETRY is everywhere – in Jay Z’s songs, Taylor Swift songs…every effing song but I just mentioned their names to try and connect with all audiences lol and we…all… love poetry.  Yes we do, we just don’t want it to be called a poem cuz it doesn’t sound cool.  These two poems below are freaking AWESOME.  If you don’t get how awesome this is you need to live a little more. 

I Do Not Love You Except Because I Love You

I do not love you except because I love you;
I go from loving to not loving you,
From waiting to not waiting for you
My heart moves from cold to fire.
I love you only because it's you the one I love;
I hate you deeply, and hating you
Bend to you, and the measure of my changing love for you
Is that I do not see you but love you blindly.
Maybe January light will consume
My heart with its cruel
Ray, stealing my key to true calm.
In this part of the story I am the one who
Dies, the only one, and I will die of love because I love you,
Because I love you, Love, in fire and blood.

Pablo Neruda

If You Forget Me

I want you to know
one thing.
You know how this is:
if I look
at the crystal moon, at the red branch
of the slow autumn at my window,
if I touch
near the fire
the impalpable ash
or the wrinkled body of the log,
everything carries me to you,
as if everything that exists,
aromas, light, metals,
were little boats
that sail
toward those isles of yours that wait for me.
Well, now,
if little by little you stop loving me
I shall stop loving you little by little.
If suddenly
you forget me
do not look for me,
for I shall already have forgotten you.
If you think it long and mad,
the wind of banners
that passes through my life,
and you decide
to leave me at the shore
of the heart where I have roots,
remember
that on that day,
at that hour,
I shall lift my arms
and my roots will set off
to seek another land.
But
if each day,
each hour,
you feel that you are destined for me
with implacable sweetness,
if each day a flower
climbs up to your lips to seek me,
ah my love, ah my own,
in me all that fire is repeated,
in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten,
my love feeds on your love, beloved,
and as long as you live it will be in your arms
without leaving mine.

Pablo Neruda

I’m sitting there, minding my own business and these people I don’t know strike up a conversation beside me and try to include me in their conversation about whores.  Well actually it was about actresses and how they’re all whores, drug addicts, sleep with people to make it, are only pretty with tons of makeup on, how cinema was better back in the day, etc etc.  I’m SO SICK of hearing people talk about stuff without knowing what they’re talking about.

I can’t stand people who hate on Bollywood/Hollywood or actors and actresses and then pay 10 bucks to watch their movies.  This really really bugs me.  You have people who pay for and enjoy watching movies and then turn around and call the people in the movie whores?? 

Like these people who were talking about them (in my opening paragraph) knew everything about every actress “Priyanka chopra this, Katrina Kaif that”.. if they’re so beneath you and you think that actors are low class (actually what they said! ) then why do you know everything about them?  Hypocrites!

The line above loosely translates to: Your eyes are unclean and yet you want me to be the one to cover up? (essentially saying that since you’re the effed up one you should fix your dirty gaze rather than making other people cover up).  *note** I have nothing against burqa’s and support and respect every women’s right to wear whatever clothing they wish to wear out of their own free will**

• Singers and actresses– they’re in an industry where they have to look good to get people to like them because people are superficial and expect them to look perfect at every moment – if they didn’t show skin or look sexy they wouldn’t attract as many fans and wouldn’t bag as many roles.  It’s the nature of the business.  I’m sure many would love it (those who have talent) if they could just focus on their art and on acting but movies are a business – you will only get hired if people want to see you and there is a demand for you and if the producers think that you being in the movie will sell tickets.

• “All of these actresses slept with someone to make it”.  If EVERYONE could just become a movie star by sleeping with someone, everyone would be movie stars!  Why would women bother being prostitutes or hookers or strippers working at seedy places when all you apparently need to do is spread your legs?  Some people may have gotten a start by being on their backs but I give credit where credit is due – no one forces the audience to like someone.  If an actress is working, is being booked, has fans, it’s not because she slept with someone – it’s because she was liked – the audience wants to see her in more movies – if they didn’t, she would have stopped being booked no matter who she slept with.  If sleeping with someone is all it took to be a star – everyone would be a star.  Think of Marilyn Monroe – she was one of many people who slept with someone to get a role but that is not why we know her name today, we know her name because there was something about HER, or else her contemporaries would be just as famous, and they’re not (other than Elizabeth Taylor).

• “Every one of them is ugly without makeup”.  Who isn’t better looking with makeup on?  This is just pure silliness.

My favorite stupid comment that people say: “Indian cinema was so much better back in the day, back when they weren’t whores and had some decency and you could sit and watch movies with your family.”  What “day” are these people talking about?  The 50’s?  Those people are truly only talking about one decade or part of one decade – the late 90’s and yet they attribute all of Indian cinema to be clean other than what’s happening now.  What we think is acceptable and clean now was not acceptable or clean in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s.  There has NEVER been a time not just in Bollywood but in Hollywood (in the past) when actors or actresses were considered respectable (well actually I don’t know about the 50s).  It’s really only in the last 20 years or so when the world has made celebrities among the higher echelon of society.  People always loved them sure– but no one wanted their daughter to be an actress.  There were a lot of people who looked at Marilyn or Rekha or Zeenat Aman or Mumtaz and thought that they weren’t proper role models for young women.  Madhuri Dixit thrusting her chest out and singing “Choli ke peeche kya hai” or “dhak dhak karne laga” was not considered by a lot of people to be acceptable or classy.  While we may see nothing wrong with it now and some yearn for those days, it did cause a scandal (really a national debate!) for a reason (it was always a hit though but of course – probably the same people saying it was dirty bought tickets to see the song multiple times). 

Popular actress Mumtaz wore a bikini in a movie (yeah that’s right looong before the Kareena’s, Bipasha’s Priyanka’s and Deepika’s did it)

Sharmila Tagore was one of the first actresses in Bollywood to wear a bikini in a magazine.

That bottom half of that bikini is PRETTY DAMN LOW.. and people were complaining about Sheila Ki Jawani?!  Get with the times!!!  Women getting drenched in their sari’s wasn’t “family fun time”.  It was blatant sexuality then and it is now.. people just choose to forget all of that because they’re nostalgic.  I’m not saying it was bad or anything but its ALWAYS been in cinema. 

Zeenat Aman

Parveen Bhabi

Zeenat and Parveen (shown above) are two examples of women who were known to wear revealing and sexy clothes, songs had sexual entendres then and now.  Lyrics like “hum tum ek kamrey mein band ho aur chabbi koh jaye” (you and I are locked in a room and the key is lost) was not sweet and innocent.  There were rumors of affairs and drugs back then as well as now.  People glorify the past, but there was vulgarity (if you will) then and now.  SURE we might have kissing scenes now but we had RAPE scenes before to titillate the audience. 

In the world of cinema there are always cycles, sometimes action films are in, sometimes romantic films are in, sometimes family drama’s are in.  The mid to late 90’s (think DDLJ, KKHH, HAHK) was when the younger brigade who had studied abroad and grown up with western influences (Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra) brought in sweet, family friendly films where the trendy urbane hero and heroine still had hearts of gold.   They knew that it would appeal to the then suddenly booming NRI population living n the US and England who wanted reminders of what they considered to be good about their home country (again with the nostalgia!).  Suddenly from the angry/macho men (Amitabh, Dharmendra for ex) we had sweet, fluffy chocolate boys like Aamir, Salman, Shah Rukh who built their empires on this “sweet momma’s boy” image.  Shah Rukh wasn’t signing them contracts for ad’s when he was pushing people off the roofs of buildings (Baazigar).. he signed them in his new avatar.. the “Raj” avatar.  Thus the cocoa puff era was born and it lasted for a while.. pretty much until the year 2000 when Hrithik Roshan brought macho back and made the rest of the actors look…their age.

SO THERE YOU HAVE IT – NEXT TIME YOU WANT TO SAY THAT HINDI MOVIES NOW HAVE KISSING SCENES AND ACTRESSES WEAR SUCH REVEALING CLOTHES - - REALIZE THAT IT IS NOTTTTT A NEW THING AND YOU’RE LIVING IN LA LA LAND.

K. That is all.

The artist is derisive, knows what they want, stands apart to observe the crowd, is self aware and passionate.  They don’t follow convention, they don’t allow others to occupy space in their head, they’re confident, they know that they have something special to offer and yet at the same time they’re insecure.  Artists are whores, they will allow themselves to be purchased but they know that it is necessary to sell their talent for perhaps lesser things so that they may use that money to do things that are truly worthy of their time and talent or to get to a point where they can show their talent to a larger audience.  They will sell themselves not for money, but to survive longer so that they may allow their art to flourish later.  They may be whores, but in today’s world everyone is a whore, everyone can be bought to a certain extent and at least they know that they, as artists, have a vision.  Worldly goods do not interest them as much as immortality does.

Artists are insecure because they know themselves in and out, they know their flaws, they know how to minimize the flaws and then when people buy into the finished project, they feel disappointed but vindicated.  They know the audience liked their product but they know how they put that product out, the almost accidental nature of it, the combination of their mastery and luck or is it luck.. are they actually better than someone else who wouldn’t be able to do it, they know the complete failure of the one that came before it, the flaws that were minimised, and perhaps the artist wonders had they allowed people to see his/her perceived flaws if the audience would have found it even more beautiful, or dismissed it.  That thought haunts them.

Everyone wants to be a winner, but what most people don’t seem to realize is that first you need to be a survivor.  Do you have what it takes to survive?  Can you claw your way back up when you’ve been pushed down farther than you ever thought you could?  Do you have the endurance, the stamina, the wits, the passion for your craft?

I know this much about myself: I may not be the smartest, the prettiest, the funniest, or the sexiest girl, but I am a survivor, I have ambition and I have guts.  I believe that those three things are all that I need.  I don’t know where I’m going, but I know I’m going somewhere.  I think largely the reason why I have this spirit is because of how I was raised.  I was the third child, and I was a girl (third daughter).  I think everyone wanted me to be a boy and as I grew up I wanted to be my father’s son and really admired my father very much and I still do.

He moved his whole family to Canada without even ever seeing this country.  We just packed up our stuff in Singapore and came here.  He didn’t need to come here to check it out first because he knew that no matter where he went, he would be ok and he would be able to provide for his family.  As my father said (in punjabi) that he had his hands and his legs, what more does a man need to survive?  That stuck with me.  Sometimes people look down on immigrants, or they look down on people who don’t have flashy jobs.  My father could have been a businessman, a taxi driver or janitor… I really wouldn’t care because whichever job it is, he’s worked honestly to provide for his family and no matter what has knocked him down or came his way he persevered.  That’s what counts.  Some girls I know are looking for the guy who has it all… I’m looking for the guy who would be ok if he lost it all, who has a fighter’s spirit, who doesn’t need to depend on anyone but himself, someone who is a honest, hard working man.

My father had the guts and the belief in himself to leave his relatives, his friends, leave the country that he was born and raised in to come to a country on the other side of the world so that we could have a better life.

He taught me how to be strong, he has a black belt in Karate and used to train me when I was younger.  We would go to the park by our house and run and I used to have to do push ups if I didn’t speak Punjabi or got my times tables wrong.  He read me stories about the Gurus, about Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s travels and teachings and those really stuck with me and it’s why I’m close to my faith.  He taught me not to take shit from anyone, how to fight back.  He also taught me how to have fun, he has a great love for dancing and when he gets on the dance floor he is the center of the party!  He never once made me feel that I was a lesser human being because I was a girl.  He never once has forced me to do anything at all and he never would.  He has said that he would happily continue to support his daughters if we so chose to live at home forever.  He’s allowed me to do the many things that I do.  

Guts, ambition, survival skills.

That’s the kind of father that I have, now would you expect his daughter to be anything less?