As a rule,
Man is a fool
When it is hot, he wants it cool
When it is cool, he wants it hot
Always what is not!
Man is a fool
When it is hot, he wants it cool
When it is cool, he wants it hot
Always what is not!
Monday, June 24, 2013
Thursday, June 20, 2013
So that makes me a ...fujoshi?
Despite what most say, there is nothing wrong with being an otaku who just wants her yaoi.
...is what a test I just took on the subject told me. Such encouraging words. If you are interested, here is the link to the test. Its short and wonderfully accurate. ^^
The word fujoshi is a pun on the word for ''upper class lady", written with alternate kanji so that it means "rotten lady". For the uninitiated, fujoshi refers to die-hard BL fans i.e. girls who like boys who like boys. And 'Boys' refers to males of all ages, though I draw the line at shota.
This picture, found on google images, is also a marvelously accurate description of le me. (Should I say embarrassingly accurate?) The only two that don't fit are the ones about the clothing--since I'm not alone at home, I'm rather better clothed-- and about the dyed hair--my hair is of such a poor texture already that I don't dare dye. I'm not allergic to cats but a large part of my family is. I love them. My blog is dedicated to one.
Wikipedia notes some interesting points about fan preferences, which I found to be rather true for me. Particularly the point about "the borders between yaoi, shōjo manga and ladies' comics are quite permeable and fans of BL probably enjoyed both homosexual and heterosexual tales." However, "fans tend to prefer BL to non-BL shōjo manga... (there exists) a preference for BL over other forms of pornography, for example heterosexual love stories in ladies' comics...slash and yaoi fans are dismissive of mainstream hetero-sexual romance".
Its true. While I do (sometimes) enjoy heterosexual romance, I'm more often than not, dismissive of it. In fact, as long as we are discussing heterosexual romance in manga, my absolute favorite is Threads of Time by Noh-Mi Young, which isn't tagged as a romance. Its a seinen, action manhwa.
I think such a preference exists because a yaoi romance just seems more passionate. There's an element of all or nothing involved. After all, a romance between two men can never be easy. But its not as though most stories dwell on the issue. However, I'm very curious about whether this preference stands true for all BL fans?
Finally, I'd like to add that this explains my near-compulsive urge to read and write about yaoi (mentioned here) whenever I look at the laptop. Which is very often in a day.
...is what a test I just took on the subject told me. Such encouraging words. If you are interested, here is the link to the test. Its short and wonderfully accurate. ^^
The word fujoshi is a pun on the word for ''upper class lady", written with alternate kanji so that it means "rotten lady". For the uninitiated, fujoshi refers to die-hard BL fans i.e. girls who like boys who like boys. And 'Boys' refers to males of all ages, though I draw the line at shota.
This picture, found on google images, is also a marvelously accurate description of le me. (Should I say embarrassingly accurate?) The only two that don't fit are the ones about the clothing--since I'm not alone at home, I'm rather better clothed-- and about the dyed hair--my hair is of such a poor texture already that I don't dare dye. I'm not allergic to cats but a large part of my family is. I love them. My blog is dedicated to one.
Wikipedia notes some interesting points about fan preferences, which I found to be rather true for me. Particularly the point about "the borders between yaoi, shōjo manga and ladies' comics are quite permeable and fans of BL probably enjoyed both homosexual and heterosexual tales." However, "fans tend to prefer BL to non-BL shōjo manga... (there exists) a preference for BL over other forms of pornography, for example heterosexual love stories in ladies' comics...slash and yaoi fans are dismissive of mainstream hetero-sexual romance".
Its true. While I do (sometimes) enjoy heterosexual romance, I'm more often than not, dismissive of it. In fact, as long as we are discussing heterosexual romance in manga, my absolute favorite is Threads of Time by Noh-Mi Young, which isn't tagged as a romance. Its a seinen, action manhwa.
I think such a preference exists because a yaoi romance just seems more passionate. There's an element of all or nothing involved. After all, a romance between two men can never be easy. But its not as though most stories dwell on the issue. However, I'm very curious about whether this preference stands true for all BL fans?
Finally, I'd like to add that this explains my near-compulsive urge to read and write about yaoi (mentioned here) whenever I look at the laptop. Which is very often in a day.
Pooping on People: Easy lessons for birds
The most fundamental lesson for pooing on people. Important. Master this before you move on to others.
Aim for the head. If the target is vertical i.e. standing, the head will provide the largest uncovered surface area for your poop. Further, if the target has dark hair, the white of your poop will shine gloriously on a sunny day.
Lesson 2: Technique
This lesson will show you how to maximize the impact of your dropping. An easy tip: Cover the largest area possible. For this it is better to be seated a relatively higher than usual so that your droppings will fall over a larger area on the target, leaving no part untouched.
Lesson 3: Stealth
It is best if the target does not realize that a ready-to-poop bird is sitting on the branch above his/her head. More experienced targets will immediately move away and a good opportunity will have been wasted.
Congratulations! On having completed the three lessons described above, you have now grasped the basics of Pooping on People. You are encouraged to practice the lessons at least three times a week too keep your skills sharp.
Now that you have mastered the basics, you can challenge yourself to Poop on People in various fun and innovative ways. We have suggested a few examples:
- Pooing on a chair just before the target sits down.
- Aiming while flying.
- Aiming while the target is walking.
To conclude our lesson, we would like to remind you that in some cultures, such as in India, it is believed that bird droppings bring good luck. To be precise, if a bird poops on a person, something good is in store for them. Refer to the Panchatantra story about the bird whose droppings were as valuable as gold --quite literally seeing as they actually were gold. Therefore, for the more considerate of our students, do not be afraid of causing your target any trouble. You are doing them a favour. So go! Spread the Poop!
Ever since she was little, the author has had the rare privilege of being the target of many pooping birds. Be it during a volleyball match in 5th grade, on her way back from the Calcutta High Court after an internship, before an interview with the university's law review, on the way to dinner, sitting idly with some friends in college, on a beach, in a cafe, on a holiday in Manali, while jogging and the most memorable so far: After a very expensive hair spa on her last birthday, the birds have always been drawn to her.
Current Mood: Miffed
---x---
Tale of the Golden Droppings
(straight from the Panchatantra)
On the top of a mountain, there was a huge tree. In this tree, lived a certain bird, by the name of Sindhuka whose droppings always turned into gold.
One day, a hunter came to the spot to catch birds. While he was watching, this bird discharged its droppings. Immediately it turned into gold.
The hunter was wonder-struck and he thought to himself, 'I have been catching birds since I was a small child, but never have I seen the droppings of a bird turn to gold!'
So the hunter set a trap in the tree.
The foolish bird did not notice either the hunter or the trap and was caught.
The hunter took him out of the trap and put him in a cage.
Then he thought to himself, 'Now, before anyone finds out about this strange bird and reports it to the king, I had better go to him myself and present the bird to him.'
And so, he took the bird to the king and told him everything.
The king was delighted and said to his attendants. 'Look after this bird carefully. Give him food and water to his heart's content'.
But the king's minister said to him, 'Your Majesty! How can you trust the words of a mere hunter? Could it ever be possible to get gold from a bird's droppings! We advise you to take him out of the cage and release him'.
The king listened to his minister's advice and set the bird free.
Immediately, the bird perched himself on the top of a nearby gate and let fall his droppings which immediately turned to gold.
The wise indeed say : Check thoroughly even what seems to be impossible.
One day, a hunter came to the spot to catch birds. While he was watching, this bird discharged its droppings. Immediately it turned into gold.
The hunter was wonder-struck and he thought to himself, 'I have been catching birds since I was a small child, but never have I seen the droppings of a bird turn to gold!'
So the hunter set a trap in the tree.
The foolish bird did not notice either the hunter or the trap and was caught.
The hunter took him out of the trap and put him in a cage.
Then he thought to himself, 'Now, before anyone finds out about this strange bird and reports it to the king, I had better go to him myself and present the bird to him.'
And so, he took the bird to the king and told him everything.
The king was delighted and said to his attendants. 'Look after this bird carefully. Give him food and water to his heart's content'.
But the king's minister said to him, 'Your Majesty! How can you trust the words of a mere hunter? Could it ever be possible to get gold from a bird's droppings! We advise you to take him out of the cage and release him'.
The king listened to his minister's advice and set the bird free.
Immediately, the bird perched himself on the top of a nearby gate and let fall his droppings which immediately turned to gold.
The wise indeed say : Check thoroughly even what seems to be impossible.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Little Big Soldier Not Review
The 2010 movie by Jackie Chan is set in China during the warring states period. A fifty-something Liang soldier captures a Wei general in the hope of collecting a reward once the war is over. The movie is good. Jackie Chan is cutting down on his action scenes as he grows older but that doesn't stop one from enjoying the movie. The acting is good, the ending is perfect and the bear's entrance stole the show. I highly recommend it.
See? As a friend of mine once said about Colin Morgan of Merlin fame, "Thank you for your face." Don't get me wrong. This is not meant to take away from acting ability. I'm saying: In addition to great acting and singing, there's plenty of eye candy on the screen!
However, this is not a review of the movie. There are plenty of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and other sites.
I'm only interested in whether it is realistically possible for the captured general--played by Wang Leehom who is described as a superstar all over the net-- to look so hot even though he is a hostage, has been rolling about in the mud and dirt under the sun for days, is bruised and cut, and has clearly not been moisturizing, shaving or bathing?! On the contrary, the mud and dirt, tastefully smeared over his chiseled face, only serves to further enhance his good looks!
A few examples:
And my favorites:
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See? As a friend of mine once said about Colin Morgan of Merlin fame, "Thank you for your face." Don't get me wrong. This is not meant to take away from acting ability. I'm saying: In addition to great acting and singing, there's plenty of eye candy on the screen!
As a side note on an earlier post where I commented on unbidden yaoiness that emerges occasionally in my mind: This movie was one of those occasions (eg. the scene before the bear). These occasions seem to happen quite often. *sigh* I need help!
Current Mood: Very, Very Satisfied!
Saturday, June 15, 2013
On picking up hindi after nine years...
... I discovered why I had dropped it in the first place. I really like the language, but absolutely hate the subject.
In school, I would have been one of those nerdy and quiet, 'straight-As' type of students, were it not for my consistent Cs and Ds in Hindi. Instead, I remained a nerdy and quiet type of student without ever achieving the redeeming quality of 'straight-As'.
My problems with the subject were never-ending and the largest of these was my spelling. I was losing close to 20 marks out of a 100 mark paper on spellings alone. But spellings in Hindi are easy. The word is spelled exactly as it is said. Unlike English or French. However... those damn vowels! Choti 'u' ki matra, choti 'e' ki matra... it all sounds like badi 'u' and badi 'e' ki matra to me!! (Quick translation: there are two ways of writing each vowel depending on whether there is a small emphasis on its sound in a word or a large emphasis on the sound but it never sounds like a small emphasis to me).
This also applies to consonants which are halved if there is only a slight sound of that alphabet. Some words like उत्तर (uttar or north) have one and a half of the same consonant! (Agreed. The example used is a very simple word.) Sometimes, there seems to be more than one way of writing a particular sound. The whole thing just came across as being very dodgy to me.
Second problem: Vocabulary. Unfortunately, as one taught in English-medium schools, growing up in South Bombay, with both parents speaking Hin-glish at home as they are used to using English thanks to their jobs, I didn't have much contact with the language. I'm not too interested in Hindi cinema either and at that time, didn't read Hindi books. As a result, I didn't pick up too much on the vocabulary or on muhavare (phrases?).
Third Issue: Handwriting. OK its not as though my handwriting in English is particularly famous for its neatness. But it is legible most of the time. Forget about another person reading it, even I can't decipher my handwriting in Hindi.
In ninth grade, when I came upon the rare chance to choose between Hindi, Sanskrit (the scholarly language of the ancients and mother of Hindi today) and French, I dropped all efforts at improving my knowledge of the mother-tongue and defected to a language of the Europeans and the UN.
Come full circle to today and if I clear the exams I gave in May, I find myself facing a Hindi challenge in December. As I discovered yesterday when I started relearning the subject, I don't even recall what seven or eight of the alphabets look like! And get quite confused between many of the others.This not something to be proud of. Am squaring myself to start with the basics: writing down the varnmala (alphabet) five times. I can still read it somewhat comfortably though and obviously speak it fluently, if in simple words.
Thus now, to the subject that was once the bane of my existence, I say:
Current Mood: Confident, optimistic
In school, I would have been one of those nerdy and quiet, 'straight-As' type of students, were it not for my consistent Cs and Ds in Hindi. Instead, I remained a nerdy and quiet type of student without ever achieving the redeeming quality of 'straight-As'.
My problems with the subject were never-ending and the largest of these was my spelling. I was losing close to 20 marks out of a 100 mark paper on spellings alone. But spellings in Hindi are easy. The word is spelled exactly as it is said. Unlike English or French. However... those damn vowels! Choti 'u' ki matra, choti 'e' ki matra... it all sounds like badi 'u' and badi 'e' ki matra to me!! (Quick translation: there are two ways of writing each vowel depending on whether there is a small emphasis on its sound in a word or a large emphasis on the sound but it never sounds like a small emphasis to me).
This also applies to consonants which are halved if there is only a slight sound of that alphabet. Some words like उत्तर (uttar or north) have one and a half of the same consonant! (Agreed. The example used is a very simple word.) Sometimes, there seems to be more than one way of writing a particular sound. The whole thing just came across as being very dodgy to me.
Second problem: Vocabulary. Unfortunately, as one taught in English-medium schools, growing up in South Bombay, with both parents speaking Hin-glish at home as they are used to using English thanks to their jobs, I didn't have much contact with the language. I'm not too interested in Hindi cinema either and at that time, didn't read Hindi books. As a result, I didn't pick up too much on the vocabulary or on muhavare (phrases?).
Third Issue: Handwriting. OK its not as though my handwriting in English is particularly famous for its neatness. But it is legible most of the time. Forget about another person reading it, even I can't decipher my handwriting in Hindi.
In ninth grade, when I came upon the rare chance to choose between Hindi, Sanskrit (the scholarly language of the ancients and mother of Hindi today) and French, I dropped all efforts at improving my knowledge of the mother-tongue and defected to a language of the Europeans and the UN.
Come full circle to today and if I clear the exams I gave in May, I find myself facing a Hindi challenge in December. As I discovered yesterday when I started relearning the subject, I don't even recall what seven or eight of the alphabets look like! And get quite confused between many of the others.This not something to be proud of. Am squaring myself to start with the basics: writing down the varnmala (alphabet) five times. I can still read it somewhat comfortably though and obviously speak it fluently, if in simple words.
Thus now, to the subject that was once the bane of my existence, I say:
Current Mood: Confident, optimistic
Must be STRONG..
(Is it going too far if I liken my situation to that of Chief Hokutos...??)
However, there is no way I can regret falling in love with the genre. Buried within the giant mountain of BL literature - novels and manga, there are some truly amazing and touching stories. And it is such a pleasure to realize, while I'm reading a story, that it one of those gems. .
The me from 2 years ago scorned most romance for being 'pink fluff' that makes you gag. I think that 21 year-old Rimjhim would be angry with Rimjhim today -- a complete convert.
A massive thank you to mangakas and their publishers for creating such amazing work and to all scanlators for their efforts in bringing it to the rest of the world. I wish the manga market would pick up in India so I could buy them. It is far too expensive for an unemployed-law-graduate-preparing-for-various-exams to order them from abroad. Idle hopes of learning the languages are crushed as soon as I look at the vast syllabus for my exams later this year, but perhaps I'll get the chance to change this someday.
A note of caution though: Reading BL has given me an entirely new perspective on the male of our species. There are times when I'm looking at a person but only seeing the butt or thinking, "This guy is totally an uke." or "Imagine the two of them together." And so on...
*Sigh* As Haru puts it... Mom, Dad, I've become...
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