Archive for October, 2007

Misadventures in babysitting


I spent Saturday babysitting an almost two year old.Kelvin

I hadn’t seen K. in a while (his parents up and moved to Surrey), so I was a bit nervous and excited to practice my poor parenting skills on the unsuspecting baby.

I decided we’d go to Ikea – has anyone ever tried shopping with a two year old?

First off, people are nicer when you’re with a little person; they smile at you more.

Is it just me or are children always trying to get away? So there I was, knee deep in duvet covers loudly explaining my every action while I’m looking away. I read somewhere that if you’re taking your eyes off a child you should keep talking to keep his/her attention. What a load of crap!

I lost the baby! It was only for a second but the dread would last a lifetime.

I imagined having to explain to his parents that I’d lost their beautiful boy at an Ikea; if he were mine, I wouldn’t have to explain to anyone – I’ll just pretend he never existed and get on with life.

After a second of frantic search I found the boy among the bathroom stuff playing with an oddly shaped (and possibly oddly named) shoehorn.

That was too much excitement for me, we went home to watch Treehouse – baby shows are terrifying and I used to think the Boohbahs were scary.

Technorati Tags:

Those Foreign Movies…


Paul reminded me last weekend that I don’t watch as much foreign films as I used to.

I like foreign movies although I rarely say it out loud because it sounds pretentious.

“Hi, I’m… I enjoy foreign movies and fine wine”

I prefer foreign films for their non formulaic approach and sometimes honest storytelling, plus it’s a peek into other cultures.

I couldn’t catch a screening at this year’s film festival, I made a list and everything but life (or lack thereof) got in the way.

Here’s a list of movies I’ve watched in the past year:

Volver:

This is the third Pedro Almodòvar movie I’ve loved. It’s again a tribute to women and their resilience. It has drama, mystery, superstition, humour and Penélope Cruz.

The Syrian Bride:

I became obsessed with Golan Heights after watching this movie. It’s a great movie about the complexities born of our inability to live together. Simply put, it’s about a wedding and a border.

Cache:

This is one of those “French cinema” pieces. It’s an unconventional mystery thriller. I found it entertaining enough, others called it art, some might find it boring.

Inch’Allah Dimache:

The immigrant’s tale, a story of an Algerian woman who joins her husband in France with her children and mother-in-law. The film isn’t a stage to bring about a happy ending; it’s a simple movie that tells its story.

Sabah:

A small entertaining love story about cultural differences, and how love overcomes everything. It’s sweet.

Metallic Blues:

The comedic misadventures of two Israeli men (one’s parent a holocaust victim) trying to sell an American car in Germany.

Maya:

I watched Maya years ago but I felt it belongs on this list. It’s quite an usual movie, very beautiful shot with a very dark and shocking message. I couldn’t stop thinking about it for days.

Technorati Tags:

Eugene, Oregon


Lane County, Oregon

Day of Action for Darfur


“We will be judged in the future on the actions we take today — on results. On this United Nations Day, let us rededicate ourselves to achieving them.”   Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General

 

Darfur Poster copy

Globe for Darfur

Amnesty International

Save Darfur

 

Technorati Tags:

It’s always sunny somewhere


200710231423_00542They say if you ignore something long enough it’ll eventually go away. I don’t know who says this but it’s true in a sense

I pretended it wasn’t raining for almost two weeks and I’m being rewarded with sunshine today.

I went for a walk this afternoon; things seemed brighter and shinier. People seemed to smile more; it was quite a unique feeling.

This got me thinking, there are places in the world where it’s sunny all year round, why am I not living there? Clearly life must be better in sunnier places.

Technorati Tags:


Related Posts Widget for Blogs by LinkWithin