All's Fair that ends Fair

Have you seen the new fairness cream advertisement on the telly? I won't go into specifics (so I don't inadvertently slander anybody) but the ad portrays the use of a fairness metre (*wink*) to help you determine what your current skin tone is and then monitor the changes as you use the product.

There are so many skin care products out there that guarantee you will be fair and beautiful after using them. Such marketing techniques simply play on the skewed mentality of the masses, that 'fair' and 'beautiful' are inseparable synonyms.
In India, for example, most men look for fairer women to marry. If you randomly picked a marriage ad from any popular matchmaking website, you'd most probably find that the groom-to-be is asking for someone 'fair and [insert any other positive adjective here]'

How fair is that? Not fair at all (sorry for the pun, but it is very much intended *snicker*).

Did you know that:

(a) your skin colour is predominantly dependent on your genes?
(b) your skin colour is not greatly determined by environmental factors?
(c) most fairness creams contain bleaching agents and so this is just a temporary, artificial way of looking fair?

When I go to the beach, I tan and then, admittedly, I complain. I don't like being tanned (mainly because I'm not naturally fair-skinned). But that doesn't mean that I want to be fairer than I was ever meant to be. I very much like my skin colour, thank you!

Of course, you may argue that just like I don't like to be tanned, there may be others who do not particularly enjoy being dark all the time. I ask you then: why change the skin colour that Nature has endowed you with?
There are many beautiful people out there who have dark skin. Just as there are many beautiful people out there who are fair skinned. And so many with skin tones in between!

We may look different from each other (except rare random people, identical twins, triplets, quadruplets...you get the drift) but in God's eyes, we are all the same...equal.

I don't want to preach but I sincerely believe that the world would be a better place if people just accepted their own uniqueness and that of others. If we do just this much, there will be no more racism, no more pining for a better skin colour, no more putting others down for their looks and accents. What a different, more beautiful world that would be!

Source: WareSeeker.com

Obviously, there are certain things we can and possibly should control: split ends (one might argue that Nature intended our hair to split at the ends), our health (I was destined to get Diabetes; its in my genes) and I-cannot-really-think-of-more-right-now-so-lets-just-end-the-list-and-perhaps-this-post-as-well =)


Excuse me as I try to get rid of some very unnatural blackheads.

Till next time,

Jo

A Dark Day in Mumbai

Sometimes, when an advert is going on during Shark or C.S.I., I tend to switch to a news channel, not really expecting to see anything significant; just some more on the ongoing financial crisis.

So on the 26th of November, 2008, when I saw on NDTV 24x7 that some terrorists had attacked Mumbai, I didn't think for a minute that it would last about 60 hours and that more than 100 innocent people would lose their lives.

'It's another one of those home grown blasts' I thought with disgust. And then slowly it started dawning on me that this time it was different. The terrorists were using guns and hand grenades and they were holding people hostage at five- or seven-star hotels and other places. It was not one of those throw a bomb-and-run cases; this time there were staying.
There were so many aspects that were different from previous terror attacks that it took me a while to process the whole thing! Guns? Hostages? At the Taj???

The whole thing seemed unreal. How did those terrorists get inside the Taj and the Oberoi-Trident with those explosives and guns? How could all this happen?

Over the next two days, my family and I watched with horror hoping that the police, army and NSG would stop the terrorists and save the hostages. Finally, on the 29th of November, it all ended.
But did it really end? Not really. Even now Indians are afraid, angry and insecure.
The worst part is that some terrorists are still on the loose in Mumbai! How can any normal human being sleep peacefully at night knowing that terrorists are still around and that they could start firing anywhere again- maybe this time at someone's workplace or a school?

What can India do now? Well, it's really simple in theory: stop wasting time with stupid, childish political games and start taking action. Today, all I see in the news is how this politician said something inappropriate and how that one behaved erratically.

I just hope that the brave souls who put their lives in danger for our safety didn't do so in vain and that something will be done soon! How much longer can we just sit back and complain? Not too long, certainly. This is War now. A War against Terrorism. No one has the right to instil fear in our hearts! And we must not allow it.

Enough is enough!

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Please pray for all the innocent people who lost their lives during this heinous terror attack.

May their souls rest in peace.

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Everything you need to know about the terror attacks in Mumbai can be found here (source: NDTV).

A Change Has Come (ref: Obama and his camp)

One of the greatest elections of all time has finally ended and Barack Obama is to be the President of the United States of America.
Now I am no politically inclined nutter who analyses every little or big thing that happens in the world. In fact, I barely know enough to write an entire article on why Obama may or may not be good for the US and for the world. My ideas are based on what little I have heard, read or seen through the different sources of media.
So, Obama seems nice. He is a family guy, he is charming, he is young, he is smart and he is not completely White.
Several African Americans may have been waiting for one of their own to come to power and to be in a position to do something for them. Even people belonging to other countries have wished for someone different. After all, the President of the US of A does influence what happens in the world.
Watching a bit of Obama's victory speech created feelings in me I never thought I'd ever feel: patriotism towards a country I do not belong to. I know that sounds dramatic and it may be an exaggerated truth but it is the truth all the same. I did feel like Change had indeed come. A fresh outlook on the different problems of the world may help reveal new lasting solutions. Perhaps Obama and his team can resolve the worldwide financial crisis, perhaps they can actually make world peace not just a superficial answer to a question at a beauty pageant but a welcome reality.
Unfortunately (or fortunately when I'm being pragmatic), I read a reply to an editorial recently that opened my eyes a little. The world is waiting with bated breath for Obama to cause change. But what many of us are forgetting is that his first priority is the well being of America and not the world. He is the President of America, not of the world. We've been waiting for someone to come along and change everything for so long now that I cannot even remember when we stopped thinking realistically and started dreaming of a knight in shining armour.
Somewhat stipulated by that reply, the best way to solve all the problems the world faces is for each nation to elect a quintessential Obama and for all of them to work together.
Of course, according to some prophesies, World War III is on its way soon and the beginning of the end is just around the corner (or it has already begun; I can never remember which one it is). Hoping to achieve world peace before the end may be a silly dream but I'm still up for it! Obviously, I'm being hopelessly idealistic but maybe, just maybe, Obama is our Prince Charming and he will save the world.

*sigh*

Till next time,
Jo

That Sinking Feeling

NOTE: Spoilers ahead! If you haven't read the entire Harry Potter series, like you should've, then please do not go on.

*

Recently, I completed savouring the first Kate Morton novel, The House at Riverton also known as The Shifting Fog. No, this is not going to be a book review. I just felt the need to express what I've been feeling since I finished the book.
Funnily enough, I felt this same way after I finished reading her other book titled The Forgotten Garden. The only other times I have felt this way, were after I read Yann Martel's Life of Pi and Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake.

Let me first attempt at a description of this feeling I've been going on about.
Its a strange sinking feeling...something I feel when I think I'm going to win a competition and then find out I was nowhere close to getting a trophy...when I'm running to catch a train and miss it by a few microseconds...when I say something tactless to someone without realising it even though someone else had previously warned me and I didn't comprehend what they were saying.

Although each of these books have a seemingly happy ending, there is something amiss for me, something unsettling. I've been thinking a lot about this. What is the common thread running through these different tales? What could possibly have caused me to feel so sad?

And then I realised that the answer was pretty simple. It was loss. Loss of a loved one, loss of a life the character could've had, loss caused by a small unfortunate trigger, loss caused by something preventable.

Why should the character have loved and lost? Why should he/she have such a depressing life? Why did that other character not reveal the truth a little earlier? Why? Why? Why?

But of course there is another thread running through the veins of these books: hope. Simple, unadulterated hope that gave birth to courage, strength and the will to move on. Unfortunately, this was not the case with all the characters I've felt for...isn't that, then, what we call life? Isn't this what we should learn from? To love, lose and move on...to embrace the changes you didn't expect...to forgive and forget...as hard as they all may be.

You must think me a sap, crying like this about the loss of fictional characters! But I don't always end up like this, I assure you. I certainly didn't cry when poor Sirius Black fell through the Veil. I did feel bad when Dumbledore died but I don't remember feeling this way. I don't feel depressed when a favourite Agatha Christie character ends up being murdered next...I experience some sadness yes, but not the kind that lasts longer than an hour.

I guess Kate Morton, Yann Martel and Jhumpa Lahiri just have that gift to make us feel for the characters so much that when they lose the various battles of life, we get a sinking feeling. Not that Agatha Christie's novels are not hard hitting. The main difference, I believe, is in the length of the book, which would allow for a more detailed description of the emotions experienced by the main characters in the other books.

*phew* I feel a little better getting this out of my system. I will still feel bad for a while but if I immerse myself in a nice P. G. Wodehouse novel now, I'm sure I'll be just fine!

Oh and apologies for the title. I couldn't come up with a clever one but methinks this one can make do for now, eh?

Till next time,
Jo

A Trip into the Past: Part Two

Atmospheric York *sigh*
I definitely want to visit again...to re-experience the sights, the feeling, the smell. Yes, the smell. In this part two about my York trip, I'll be focussing a lot on the smells my olfactory cells were lucky enough to process.
After our 'informative' tour of the Undercroft at York Minster, my sister and I ran off to York Museum, which was close-by. Unfortunately, we didn't enjoy ourselves much there. We did click a few interesting photographs but that about sums our time there. So I shan't dwell on this and instead I will talk about York Boat :)
Although the ride was less than an hour long, it was fun! Boat rides always make me feel giddy...in the best possible way and of course it's always great when all you have to do is sit, take in the fresh air, feel the breeze mess up your lovely hairstyle and learn something about a place in the process. Now I know that sounds a lot like the experience we had on the tour bus. But nothing beats salty air, quacking ducks and the feeling of being afloat in water without actually getting wet!
When the ride ended, we decided to hop onto the tour bus again so we could head over to our next interesting destination: JORVIK Viking centre.
If my olfactory cells were having a field day all this while, at JORVIK, they hit gold, baby! It was yet another ride although it was set indoors: perfect for a lazy person like me. It seems while excavating an old sweet factory, archaeologists found an entire Viking city. Makes one wonder what archaeologists were doing digging up the place in the first place...I mean, who tipped them off? I'll probably have to address this one in another entry :D
Back to my smell centre! The ride was designed to show us how the Vikings lived and what they ate and how they relieved themselves of digestive waste. Yes, there was one 'man' actually simulating egestion with sound effects! To add to that, the Vikings were not ones for deodorant in my opinion. And they didn't mind hanging their raw meat right next to the guy relieving himself. Its a wonder they didn't all die out of cholera and diarrhoea and what-not!
But if you know me at all, you will know how much I must have enjoyed myself at JORVIK. I recommend the place to anyone; the perfect romantic ride :D
After JORVIK, we went to the York Castle Museum, which was good fun because of all the sets representing different eras. There was also a Kirkgate street complete with a Bank, Prison cell and miscellaneous shops...too many opportunities for me to pose and photograph myself!
However, we had to literally run through the museum as it was nearly closing time. So, after that interesting marathon, we decided to brave the York Dungeon.
I will admit it: I was reluctant to go but my sister wanted to and I finally caved in. As fun as it was, I know I'm not going through it again. Although it was made to show us the different stages of horrific incidents in the UK's past, it wasn't without special freaky effects and sounds. This is how it all went down:
A few of us were thrust into a dark area and we heard a voice beckoning us to go through an even darker corridor. Obviously, none of us moved an inch and so finally after several minutes, the guy just came through and told us specifically to come through. I'm sure if we were still reluctant he would have reminded us that we paid quite a bit to go through with this. But thankfully, he didn't have to get out of character and we followed him into a small smoky room. This first bit was about the black plague pandemic and he happily told us with elaborate actions and fake models how the doctors of those times experimented on those poor patients.
We were then sent off to a small dingy room with a bar and there was this huge man in pirate garb. This giant of a man described to us how there was this crazy killer who was caught and hanged and how before he died, he cursed the hangman and some of the police officers because they mocked and mistreated him. After he narrated this story, he told us how those cursed men came into that very room to celebrate and how that killer's body was buried beneath our feet. Suddenly, the ligths went out and there was silence. I cannot even describe how I felt. All I can say is, I could actually hear my heart beating. The lights then came on but the man was nowhere to be seen and we could hear all sorts of horrible noises including some evil cackling. And then I felt something on my side and my sister screamed! The man had come up behind us and tried to tickle us. I think I would've screamed too except I had a slower reaction time :D
Anyway, after that, nothing else that happened to us was remotely scary. We attended a judging after which all of us were sent to the executioner who showed us how the people would be tortured in those days. But the guys acting as the judge and executioner were having too much fun to be scary enough.
We were also sent into a maze of mirrors and had to feel our way through. Then we were shown what happened on the original Guy Fawkes day and finally we were sent to this fat crazy lady who claimed to be the wife of a mad killer. After she tried freaking us out a bit, we were allowed to leave.
Boy were we glad to be out and see actual light!
Unfortunately, that was also the end of our York trip and we had to go back home. By the time we left, the wind had gone off to sleep so we weren't able to get all the gossip that we missed while hopping from one destination to another. Next time, I guess!

I will be honest...I was pretty glad to be back home so I could just take a shower and get that JORVIK-y smell off of me! Of course, I felt like I couldn't get it off but then again it may have been because my olfactory cells were simply in overdrive!

So, if you ever go to York, do visit these places but don't forget your umbrella and deodorant!

Till next time,
Jo

A Trip into the Past: Part One

When I think of history, I usually think of Ancient Egypt or Ancient South America. Rarely do I cast my mind to the Stonehenge or Loch Ness or 221b Baker Street. Oh sure, I know that last one is not a real historic site, but you have to admit, it's one of the places to visit!

Living here in the UK, you tend to hear about this historic city and that, museums and relics, folklore and bedtime stories based on a thread of reality. And so, after hearing so very much about York, I decided to visit the place with my sister who was here to see me...huzzah!

York. I literally felt like I stepped back in time as we got off at the Railway station. The breeze whispered stories in our ears as we walked to the tourist information centre. We weren't about to get lost in a place that talked to us you know. Tourist buses were all over the place and we could see domed buildings from afar calling out to us. The information centre didn't really tell us much. The wind spoke more we thought. But we did find out about a York Pass that we could buy and be granted free entry to several attractions. So we then had to decide if we would be able to visit most of those places or not. We took a risk and bought the passes and off we went! Now because we ended up doing quite a lot and because I love to mention all the details (whether important or not!), I'm dividing this account into two parts. Welcome to the first!

So, with a map in hand and no clue of how to read it, we ventured forth into the historic city of York. And yes, the wind was still busy chatting...the only problem was we had no idea what it was saying. We got onto one of the tourist buses, sat right on top with the chatterbox wind caressing our hair and tried to listen to the guide who went on and on about some lass who visited York only once and did something interesting (I did some research: the 'lass' was the Queen of England! Hahahaha!). Of course, we didn't catch the most important part of that monologue as it began to drizzle on us. Turns out that's what the darn wind was going on about all the while. Obviously, we politely asked for the rain to stop and it did after sometime.

Our first "attraction" was the York Minster, which wasn't really too far off from the Station but we enjoyed our bus ride anyway...even if it lasted all of two minutes. The Minster was huge and awe-inspiring. As it continued to drizzle, I brandished our bright green umbrella and we walked towards the entrance. It was pleasantly quiet inside and there were many statues of archbishops and saints of yore. We prayed a little there and truly felt the presence of God, which was simply awesome! After taking a few photographs we decided to go to the Undercroft; the entrance to which was within the Minster. The Undercroft has a few relics of the Norman and Roman times of York and is like a walk centred around them. We were given audio sets that explained each bit as we went through the tour. The voice that spoke into our ears was pleasant and clear and yet he made no sense at all. He went on and on about the Normans but the relics we saw before us were very Roman. Or at least they were labelled so. We went on further getting more and more confused with the speech. Finally we reached the end of the tour and suddenly we saw Norman relics. That's when it dawned on us that we entered through the exit and took the entire tour backwards! Yup, we had an interesting time down there. Suffice it to say, we quietly went back up, returned the audio sets and acted more knowledgeable than when we started the thing.

Yes, this is the end of the first part right here. Coming up next: The Yorkshire Museum, York Boat, Jorvik Viking Centre, Castle Museum and York Dungeon.

Life in Cartoon Motion

No, I'm not going to review Mika's debut album (although I will have to admit that I love many of his songs). I am going to talk about a book.

Recently, while browsing my University library, I saw a book out of the corner of my eye (now I'm simultaneously thinking of that Pink Floyd song). I promptly grabbed the book and ran to issue it. It was titled The Cartoon Guide to Genetics.

It took me all of two days to read the 209-page book because it was that interesting (this was while working on my dissertation). Never have I enjoyed reading a "textbook" before! The book described the origin and history of genetics in such wonderful detail that I could actually see how events unfolded and how the field of genetics came to be the way it is today.

After reading this book, I have been thinking a lot. Its funny how a comic book should excite me more than an extensive textbook with more details and information! (it's odd because I'm a postgraduate student and I should be excited with more information)
Is it all because this book had cartoon characters and little silly jokes? In fact, one of the reviewers of this book who happens to be a Harvard professor, actually stated that this book puts textbooks to shame!
Is it possible that soon, in a bid to interest students, people are going to start writing informative comic books? While that does sound pretty tempting, I don't think it would help much.

I know it seems like I'm contradicting myself but its true! If we move on to comic books to teach us the concepts of a complex subject, eventually we will lose the very essence of the subject. Unfortunately, life is not simple and thinking that it is won't help us get anywhere. If we start joking about genetics, we'll soon be joking about genetic diseases and then about cloning. Before we know it, we'll be cloning human beings just to get a kick out of it.

Maybe I'm just exaggerating the effects a comic book can have. And maybe comic textbooks will not replace regular old textbooks ever. I really don't know...what I do know is, like anyone else, I'd enjoy a comic book any day but I wouldn't want them to replace what we have now: huge tomes that seem boring but if you look close enough and just use your imagination to picture the concepts, you'll see that they do help.

Before I finish, I'd like to apologise for not updating this blog as often as I would've liked to and that the topic on God will come someday...not now though :)

I've also decided to stop the 'Question' thing at the end of every post. Instead I'll just continue with the polls. So, vote away!

N.B.: The Cartoon Guide to Genetics is written by Larry Gonick and Mark Wheelis and is an updated edition published by HarperCollins in 2005.

Till next time,
Jo

Of green apples and tomatoes

There was a time when I would simply read an article in a newspaper and believe it blindly. It started out small and simple: main headings and follow-up stories of elections, global warming or disasters. Unfortunately, I then moved on to less significant pieces of news such as the example I provided last time (about tomatoes and anti-ageing, remember?).

Believing the news isn't always wrong; some of the stories are quite enjoyable and make for interesting conversations. One of the first stories I read was about green apples. It was reported quite some time back that smelling green apples would help you lose weight. Imagine that! No need for exercise and controlled diets! Just buy a bushel of green apples and smell away!

Recently, I began to realise that not all we read/watch/hear is as it seems (not a moment too soon, eh?). I researched the Green Apple story and discovered several sites talking about aromatherapy and weight loss. But how much can you trust what you find on the Internet anyway? So, I used my trusty Google Scholar and found surprisingly few scientific articles on the benefits of sniffing them green apples. One paper caught my eye; possibly because it was the only one that was actually talking about apple odours and weight loss. I promptly clicked the link to the pdf and voila! A bunch of scientists studied the effects of sniffing odourants in about 3000 overweight volunteers. That seemed like a good enough sample size but I noticed that they mostly studied middle-aged females who were either unemployed or unskilled workers and who were separated from their husbands. I'm not sure that this would warrant credibility in the bigger scheme of things. Does sniffing green apples really help depressed women lose weight? Is there some other factor they might've missed that could cause the weight loss? Is there another fruit that could accelerate the weight loss in these women? Is a study conducted in 1995 still relevant today? Oh and just to make things clear, the study didn't mention what type of apples helped with the weight loss (for interested nuts, here's the link: http://www.aromapatch.org/Hirsch_Weight_Loss_Smell.pdf).

And now for the tomatoes and anti-ageing story. I don't think the actual study has been published yet because I couldn't find it :P I did find some e-zine articles though and they mostly talked about a study conducted in 10 volunteers. I didn't have to read further. I'm pretty sure 10 volunteers do not represent the world population and so this story can't gain any significant relevance unless a larger study is organised and executed (Linky for you nuts: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7370759.stm).

Of course, it is possible that sniffing green apples will really help us lose weight or eating more tomato-based dishes will certainly keep our skin firmer for longer (no wrinkles till you're 70! Imagine that!) but can we just read a story and believe it blindly? I think not. Sometimes results are exaggerated, samples don't represent a population well enough, or opposing factors are conveniently ignored. Having said that, I must acknowledge that research is not easy and props to the scientists who've managed to prove a point by painstakingly working at it. In a bid to be the best there is right now and to be popular at the same time, like their mentor Newton or whoever, some scientists just spend a lot of time chasing cars...or worse, falsely proving they caught up with one. As Sherlock Holmes once said, "It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories instead of theories to suit facts." [Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, A Scandal in Bohemia]

For next week: You must've already seen the poll I put up...but I ask again, do you believe in God?

And so it begins...

Right. I signed up for this thing at least two years ago and I present my first post today. It's a historic event, I'm sure. I am a procrastinator. I am also lazy. So I think its about time, don't you? Oh yes, I've decided to involve you as much as I can. Makes it seem less obvious that I'm actually just ranting my head off and forcing you to read said rant.

This first one's going to be short, though. I think its appropriate to explain the name here and then direct new "fans" to this post when they are feeling inquisitive.

Let me make things clear right now. I have not changed drastically so the new groove really doesn't mean I was enlightened in '06 and I processed my gifts for two years before I came up with this brilliant piece. Its really almost simple: I love Cap'n Jack Sparrow and The Emperor's New Groove. JS is simply one of the most amazing characters ever and tENG is a masterpiece. Note that I said "almost simple". The name also has a slightly deeper meaning, which I won't reveal just yet. Got to maintain some sense of mystery about this thing. How else am I to keep getting you (yes, you!) to read my blog? Of course, its possible I'm not telling because there is no deeper meaning but I shall leave you to ponder on that =)

Before I leave for now, I want to thank Shaahima, Judy and Janice. If it weren't for them I don't think I'd have resuscitated this blog. Oh I've also got a question for you:

Do you believe every scientific thing you read? To clarify: if you read in a newspaper or magazine that tomatoes could stop you from growing old too fast, would you believe it? Be honest, now!