Posts for January 2006

Earlier today, I helped my friend Sean shoot some scenes for his upcoming final project film. By help, I mean I donned a floor-length baby-blue burqa, clipped on a microphone and screamed sayings in Persian, such as "Don't piss, there are landmines over there!!"

Sean is enrolled in the MA in Visual Anthropology program with me and is, in my humble opinion, a fantastic filmmaker. I got to know him during the long days/evenings that went into editing our 5-minute films last semester, and I think his final cut was one of the best in the class. He is not afraid to push the limits of "anthropology" and he plays with experimental images and sounds in order to awaken and broaden his viewers' senses (and sense of the Possible).

So, when he texted me the other day and said, "Morning... need to recruit a burqa-wearing, farsi-speaking woman for 30 minutes filming... interested?", it was a no-brainer. His latest project is (loosely) based on his own experiences traveling throughout Asia (mostly Pakistan and India) and deals with our perception of physical and mental landscapes and our senses. His work is all pretty abstract (as opposed to a more direct kind of "this is a story about a man and his dog" film), and it WORKS. I hear the footage from today's shoot is fairly hilarious... I can't wait to see it once it's put together.

Here are some images from the shoot, with me, Sean and our friend Lukas.

It occurred to me recently that it might be quasi-interesting to post some pictures of what my home away from home, a.k.a. Goldsmiths College- University of London actually looks like.

So hot off the presses, here are some pictures taken this morning of "normal" views around campus (if you can call it that), some friends from Visual Anthropology, and other random things that struck my fancy. John came to school with me today to use the free wireless at our library, so his presence in these shots is an added bonus!

Well, by now most of us have heard the sad fate of the so-called Thames Whale. Usually found in deep northern Atlantic or Arctic waters, a beautiful northern bottle-nosed whale somehow lost its way last week and and slowly wandered up the Thames River in London, tragically losing its life before rescue efforts could safely take it back out to sea.

When it was first spotted in London, a few people asked whether we had seen it pass by our house, which overlooks the Thames. Although we do like to think we are the authority of all things river-related, John and I somehow missed the whale as it traveled north-west past us towards Parliament and Big Ben.

A few days later, however, at about 5:30 pm, I was at home studying when I received a frantic call from John. "Run out to the balcony and GRAB THE CAMERA! They've got the whale on a barge and it's in front of the house RIGHT NOW!". Before I could utter a word, I hung up the phone, got the camera and moved outside to the balcony. John arrived a few moments later, having just been downstairs on the river bank. Apparently, he had gotten off the bus minutes earlier and was on his way home when he noticed a crowd of people descending towards the river, and he ran alongside them to see what the fuss was all about. Although the mammal itself was on the far side of the barge (and not easily seen from where we were), it was still a fascinating procession to witness making its way down the river.

These pictures were taken on Saturday January 21, 2006 at approximately 5:30pm GMT, an hour and a half before the whale lost its battle...

There's a special rockstar who lives in Richmond, VA and brightens the day of countless people who have the pleasure of knowing him...

Informally known as "Captain Tom" to many of us, Tom tirelessly cruises down the James River for hours on end, and ensures that during the hot summer months, anybody who has ever even looked at a wakeboard is given the opportunity to hop on his boat, strap on a board and glide on water! A natural host and patient coach, he is the driving force and largest contributor to most of our wakeboarding careers (of course, aided by the talented "Coach Brian Brown")!

His love for active, healthy lifestyles is infectious and you can be sure that if he's not out on his boat, Tom will be pulling a group together to go rock-climbing, ride motocross, play volleyball, or maybe have an impromptu foam-wrestling match in the backyard!

So, I say we all take a public moment to go back to January 13 and send Captain Murphy a round of HAPPY BIRTHDAY wishes and golden cosmic energy. And if you're ever on the James River, look for the boat full of shiny, happy people... it'll undoubtedly be Tom's.

xo

Besides spending all day Saturday on the couch reading and nursing the latest incarnation of a nasty British flu bug (again?!), I navigated over to West London's Olympia conference center on Friday and Sunday to soak in the 2006 Adventure Travel & Sports Show.

Geared towards young (or young at heart!) adventure-seeking travelers, the show featured display booths, talks and seminars hoping to inspire all sorts of enthusiasts. Some big displays included student-travel giants STAtravel (where John and I bought our tickets to move here), plenty of specialized overland expedition tour companies (Contiki and Intrepid Tours, for example), guidebook gurus Lonely Planet and Rough Guide, as well as British travel mag Wanderlust. And of course, there was everything in between. Cycling and hiking in Finland? No problem. Botswana Travel Board? Right over on the left. Feel like having an adventure RIGHT NOW? Grab an ax and climb your way up the (fake) ice-climbing wall, sensibly constructed from some sort of durable (ie. not melting) foam.

Discovery Channel's Travel & Living had a booth as well as a camera crew, documenting the entire affair. I can vouch for the camera crew because I was visitng a stand and walked out only to be completely blinded for a moment, literally like a deer in headlights. Once I regained my composure (and sight), I realized that I was a natural extra (read: unannounced) who had unknowingly walked straight into a segment shoot, bright lights and all. With their suave TV host a mere 2 feet away, gabbing on about one thing or another, I shudder to think how cross-eyed I must have looked through their viewfinders!

Back in November, John, my cousin Anahita and I attended a surprise birthday party for my friend Natasha (aka Fluffy). Across the table from us sat a young British gentleman, who, as the night went on, chatted to us about this and that, traveling and education, film and anthropology. He mentioned a group called iNOMAD and thought I might be interested in their work. A few days went by and I visited their site...

Now, a month and a half and a couple of emails later, I am proud to announce my active involvement with the iNOMAD group, as their 1st ever Volunteer/Intern!

Although I've been enjoying a very relaxed and merry holiday season, the truth is I have TONS of work to do in the weeks to come. The most important project I am currently working on is what the British system calls an "assessed report". Essentially, my entire grade for my Ethnographic Cinema Studies class is going to be based on a 5,000 word research paper due February 20. We were given the option of 6 or 7 topics, and I have chosen to study early and contemporary political cinema, which I know will provide lots of good viewing.

Showing on my home screen this week: The Battle of Algiers, Control Room, Farhenheit 911, Bowling for Columbine, Battleship Potemkin, Rome Open City and The War Room.

Can't wait to start tying these threads together! :) More soon...

One of my new year's resolutions for 2006 is to stay in touch with my friends and family like never before. I feel blessed to have such a fantastic circle of people in my life, and I want to make sure they KNOW just how much they mean to me.

So, it seems only natural that I start the year off right by saluting each and every special person and marking their birthday in 2006 on this website! AND, I am lucky enough to start with none other than my little cousin Roya! Happy Birthday Roya!!! xo

My uncle Masoud and aunt Karin have four amazing kids: Brian, Kelsey, Roya and Emma. They are infinitely warm and caring, astoundingly smart and just plain wonderful to be around. As time goes on, I see them forging their unique personalities and interests, but they always staying true to their love and devotion to each other. [sigh] I miss those kids!!

Anyway, here's to family, and today, to Miss Roya! I love you! xo

After what seems like an absolute eternity, London (or my part thereof) is up and running again and I find myself in front of a computer that is connected to the World Wide Web! The great news is that I can continue my ramblings without further interruption! The bad news is that I can continue my ramblings without further interruption. Still waiting for the jury on that one... :0

Seriously, though, it is nice to be back at the school computer lab and connected to cyberspace, if only to share some recent images (and therefore little slices of life) from the 2005-2006 holiday season. Christmas and New Year's were each really special because we spontaneously decided to celebrate them from home (owing in part to London's transport issues over the holidays), but also because home was really where the heart was this year! I can't remember a New Year's Eve that inspired more ridiculous fits of laughter and fun AND included yummy Shiraz wine, watching the London Eye fireworks from our balcony, and an all-night Rummy 500 tournament. It was SENSATIONAL!