I firmly believe in the above statement or phrase or whatever it is we want to call it. Life just isn't that complicated. People might be complex because let's face we are complex organisms not single-celled. However life in its entirety is not complicated at all people complicate things. Take sports for instance, people take sports waaaay too seriously, I am a die-hard Arsenal supporter and today I was screaming my lungs out when van Persie scored the third goal jumping like a crazy person with my father yelling joyously at my side, I was equally lungy as well though my words were less ladylike when Fabregas missed what could have been a fourth. However, I understand that as much it might hurt when the gunners lose ( which they've become accustomed to in recent years) I am able to rise above it and recognise that it is only a game. I have watched grown men reduced to a puddle of tears because their team lost, I have seen friendships end because two people dared to support mortal enemies ( Man U and Gunners fans are not meant to be in the same room). People it's not that complicated.
It's like when you have lunch with someone and because they are afraid to call it date because of the emotional and social implications that such a word possesses they try to define it as something other than. To give it a new name, one that impersonates the regular social conventions that a date requires but isn't a date itself. So it becomes something ridiculous like an "outing" or a "lunchness" and my personal favourite "our out time" what does that even mean? An outing? what were we hiding before? lunchness? the attaching of ness to words is only cute when it's not being used as buffer what relationship phobias. And of course our out time, dude seriously? People it's not that complicated.
I don't understand why people go through life with all this irrelevant intensity, if you must be intense about life then love it and live it don't stifle it. Because guess what, it's not that complicated.
Put up your hand in Church?
Friday, October 23, 2009
Last night I was telling H about our old pastor that I found on twitter, this man was a pretty great pastor and I enjoyed his sermons thoroughly. However reminiscing with H about this pastor reminded me of last Sunday's sermon and H and I don't go to the same church. I don't really see a problem in that V goes a different church as well, in my opinion as long as we are united as Christians as family it doesn't matter if we choose to go to different churches after all we believe in one God. Which being me to the thing that bugged me about last Sunday's sermon, something I have been debating whether I should blog or not, according H I should just email the pastor and have it out. Rather I prefer to pose the question to you guys, the whole thing was about debate, debating the existence of God and the right way to find him. According the pastor man, he seems to think that pentecostal and orthodox churches, Catholics and Anglicans, the Baptists too are doing it wrong. Here is my thing says who? I mean let's face it all these churches unless I am severely misinformed are preaching the same Bible, no? I was born an Anglican and I am still in many ways, I didn't leave the Anglican church because I find a better way to find God, the service was just to long. Perhaps I misunderstood what he was trying to say but I just felt really uncomfortable with the whole thing that I was itching to put up my hand like back in school and ask some questions. I beginning to think they should let you do that in church these days because whoa I have a lot of questions.
A General Plea
Thursday, October 22, 2009
So I have made the conscious be it crazy, as some refer to it, to embark on a doctoral study of the Nigerian film industry. I enjoy academics, truth be told I actually like the stressful feeling research and deadlines give me, it makes me feel as if I am doing something important. Besides what is more fantastic than 3am in the morning when you're knee-deep in academic jargon and you have the 'I want to die coz he don't love me anymore' music blasting? Or when you succeed and all that girl power 'I am so better than you' music echoes through the whole house? Yes my research might mean absolutely nothing to the world at large but at least my Daddy thinks I am special and according to Fame I'm going to light up the sky like a flame.
However, the major issue here is that I need to get a hold of people in the Nigerian film industry. I do have some contacts but I need plenty more. My research is a little unfocused at the moment but I am interested in exploring the political economy of nollywood, the social function of Nigerian movies and possibly opinion shaping for people outside Nigeria.... One of those will formulate the final research question. So if you know anyone involved in nollywood or happen to be a producer, actor, director, writer or all of the above please drop me a line here. I will be eternally grateful!
However, the major issue here is that I need to get a hold of people in the Nigerian film industry. I do have some contacts but I need plenty more. My research is a little unfocused at the moment but I am interested in exploring the political economy of nollywood, the social function of Nigerian movies and possibly opinion shaping for people outside Nigeria.... One of those will formulate the final research question. So if you know anyone involved in nollywood or happen to be a producer, actor, director, writer or all of the above please drop me a line here. I will be eternally grateful!
Combating the Recession
Thursday, October 15, 2009
I had a meeting with the head of school a couple of weeks ago to discuss a possible topic for my PhD thesis; it was quick. It went something like this:
“So professor, I am keen to explore the Nigerian film industry. I have some great ideas.”
He responds: “That's wonderful Michelle; it will involve some travel to Nigeria.” The last part was more implied than spelt out.
And that's where our conversation ended. The PhD itself is free at our fair institution but there's no funding for the actual research - as in expenses incurred through travel or hiring of research assistants.
I walked out of his office glum; needless to say my buzz was completely murdered. This recession is really hashing my mellow.
I remember, what now seems like a lifetime ago, when the idea of the recession was simply something dreamt up by boring financial people who didn't know how to have fun. When varsity students could lunch in style; way back in 2007 when lunches were comprised of a three-course meal, which began with escargot, the main course lobster served on a bed of wild rice, and baked cheese cake with strawberry clothed cream for dessert all washed down with a glass of fine wine. Yes, even though the next day I would be broke and had to survive on a R3.50 toasted sandwich from ‘kara-munchies’.
These days such an indulgence is a taboo, stuff found in back episodes of Boston Legal involving Denny Crane, Alan Shore and possibly a balcony. Now it's a garden salad eaten under the facade of a diet.
Everywhere I go I keep hearing about the dreaded R, it's starting to feel like a dirty word. Every time I spend money on something that could be considered frivolous I feel the judging eyes of a big R sulking behind me in a dark alley getting ready to make me pay for my crimes.
People everywhere are looking for an alternate source of income and they are getting more and more desperate.
It seems the best way to try and combat the effects of the dreaded R is to get famous, people get famous by doing nothing all the time, look at Paris Hilton and Perez Hilton. I could start a YouTube channel chronicling my dreams with the dreaded R, depicted my uber tall friend in an R costume, chasing me down an alley in the dead of night, I bet that will get some press. I would have to jazz it up every now and again, maybe engage the R in a fist fight, you know “fighting the recession”. Or me reading a book on derivatives pretending I get it just so the big R would leave me alone. I am not quite sure how it will work. I am still working out the kinks.
A couple of years from now when the recession has reached its peak, with pictures immortalising it in art galleries and my YouTube show has been turned into a TV movie starring Gabrielle Union or something. Some schumck living in his mother’s basement will decide to make money off of the dreaded R. Ironic huh? He’ll write what he will term “the best script of our time”. Some industry douche-bag will produce it because he has copious amount of money and he is bored or possibly high. This “master piece” will be produce with the best resources. They’ll grunge it up in editing and add a few shaky camera effects and call it guerrilla filmmaking because anything with Blair Witch-esque camera angles is guerrilla these days it seems. Its opening sequence will show strangely dressed and possibly disfigured futuristic humanoids all clobbering each other for one peanut, just like the first ten minutes of Planet of the Apes. Of course we’ll go watch because ‘wanna-be’ critics all over the internet will urge us to because it is the “most existential (they themselves not actually knowing the meaning of the word) human story every told” instead of what it really is, which is STUPID, STUPID and more STOOOPID. You know, like the movie Idiocracy.
I think there could be an upside to this recession, taking a leaf out Mr. Schumck’s script. I think it just might be the cure for all the weight obsessions that is plaguing our society. No money means no food, no food means weight loss. You know what this means? By the heat of summer we will all have slamming bods like that Lima chick. Which makes everyone happy!
“So professor, I am keen to explore the Nigerian film industry. I have some great ideas.”
He responds: “That's wonderful Michelle; it will involve some travel to Nigeria.” The last part was more implied than spelt out.
And that's where our conversation ended. The PhD itself is free at our fair institution but there's no funding for the actual research - as in expenses incurred through travel or hiring of research assistants.
I walked out of his office glum; needless to say my buzz was completely murdered. This recession is really hashing my mellow.
I remember, what now seems like a lifetime ago, when the idea of the recession was simply something dreamt up by boring financial people who didn't know how to have fun. When varsity students could lunch in style; way back in 2007 when lunches were comprised of a three-course meal, which began with escargot, the main course lobster served on a bed of wild rice, and baked cheese cake with strawberry clothed cream for dessert all washed down with a glass of fine wine. Yes, even though the next day I would be broke and had to survive on a R3.50 toasted sandwich from ‘kara-munchies’.
These days such an indulgence is a taboo, stuff found in back episodes of Boston Legal involving Denny Crane, Alan Shore and possibly a balcony. Now it's a garden salad eaten under the facade of a diet.
Everywhere I go I keep hearing about the dreaded R, it's starting to feel like a dirty word. Every time I spend money on something that could be considered frivolous I feel the judging eyes of a big R sulking behind me in a dark alley getting ready to make me pay for my crimes.
People everywhere are looking for an alternate source of income and they are getting more and more desperate.
It seems the best way to try and combat the effects of the dreaded R is to get famous, people get famous by doing nothing all the time, look at Paris Hilton and Perez Hilton. I could start a YouTube channel chronicling my dreams with the dreaded R, depicted my uber tall friend in an R costume, chasing me down an alley in the dead of night, I bet that will get some press. I would have to jazz it up every now and again, maybe engage the R in a fist fight, you know “fighting the recession”. Or me reading a book on derivatives pretending I get it just so the big R would leave me alone. I am not quite sure how it will work. I am still working out the kinks.
A couple of years from now when the recession has reached its peak, with pictures immortalising it in art galleries and my YouTube show has been turned into a TV movie starring Gabrielle Union or something. Some schumck living in his mother’s basement will decide to make money off of the dreaded R. Ironic huh? He’ll write what he will term “the best script of our time”. Some industry douche-bag will produce it because he has copious amount of money and he is bored or possibly high. This “master piece” will be produce with the best resources. They’ll grunge it up in editing and add a few shaky camera effects and call it guerrilla filmmaking because anything with Blair Witch-esque camera angles is guerrilla these days it seems. Its opening sequence will show strangely dressed and possibly disfigured futuristic humanoids all clobbering each other for one peanut, just like the first ten minutes of Planet of the Apes. Of course we’ll go watch because ‘wanna-be’ critics all over the internet will urge us to because it is the “most existential (they themselves not actually knowing the meaning of the word) human story every told” instead of what it really is, which is STUPID, STUPID and more STOOOPID. You know, like the movie Idiocracy.
I think there could be an upside to this recession, taking a leaf out Mr. Schumck’s script. I think it just might be the cure for all the weight obsessions that is plaguing our society. No money means no food, no food means weight loss. You know what this means? By the heat of summer we will all have slamming bods like that Lima chick. Which makes everyone happy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)