On why everyone should see Breaking Bad even though the show is over

Well hello there!
It’s been awhile – I blame my MSc Project…but no worries, I’m back to fill you in on something I’m a bit late to the party for: the show ‘Breaking Bad’. You may have already read the accolades about how it’s the best show ever, and the Emmy wins etc etc. I resisted all these signs for six years, and it wasn’t until the immense hype around the series finale,along with seeing netflix had almost all the seasons available, that I gave in and decided to give it a shot.
One lesson I’ve learnt, is that sometimes catching a TV series from some random episode does not do the show justice, and instead, one should start from the beginning. This lesson served me well with Breaking Bad. From the visually pleasing opening shots of the pilot, followed by a frantic man driving an RV with a gas mask on and in his underwear (or his ‘bukta’ as we say in Guyana) I was intrigued. By the end of the episode I was hooked.

Apart from the promising, but not unique concept of someone driven to break the law in order to provide for their family, Breaking Bad stands out as a stellar show for a few reasons, which you may have read/heard before, but I ‘m repeating because I find them to be personal truths and not mere parroting:

– The acting. Oh lord the acting. I’ve not seen any of the actors in other work, so they were fresh faces to me, and whilst Bryan Cranston was previously known for his comedic chops, he was immediately Walter White to me; Walter White, the beaten man who has frittered away his promising career (work in Nobel Prize chemistry!) to become a high-school chemistry teacher working 2 jobs to make ends meet, then faced with the sum total of zero accomplishments as he faces his mortality. He is a slightly pathetic  person I found very relatable. Everyone else, from the wise-cracking slightly douchey DEA brother-in-law, to the son with cerebral palsy give similarly first class performances.

-The writing. This is a series with 52 episodes where one is hard-pressed to pick out a weak episode. Even the few weak episodes are still better than 95% of anything else on any screen. I’ve never seen another show that so skilfully evolves all its characters (especially the one of Jesse Pinkman), whilst simultaneously devolving the central character.

-Cinematography. The series has been likened to a modern Western, and though I really don’t like Westerns, if they have the visual chops of this show, that’s a concept I can get behind!

-Thematic concepts. Much has been written about what the show creator, Vince Gilligan, had in mind when he conceptualised the show. I didn’t read these comments/reviews/interviews until I was in Season 4, but from the first season it’s obvious, but subtle. This show is about consequences. There are also others about redemption, acceptance, boundaries, addiction, victimhood, family….and of course, why cooking meth and being a drug kingpin isn’t really a good idea :D. These concepts are presented in such a way that they creep into you. It’s never an overt thing, but something you can’t help but think about, both as you watch and for the hours after when you’re drawn mentally back into the breaking bad world.

– Action. And comedy. With all the seriously intense dramatic stuff that happens, it’s sometimes easy to forget the show is also a dark comedy at times. I’ve had several actual laugh out loud moments that have rightfully become minor internet phenoms. You deserve to discover these for yourself 🙂

-One of the most memorable villains ever. In season two you’ll meet Gus Fring. Played by the amazing Giancarlo Esposito, this dude is a consummate professional, who I was convinced was a psychopath and loved to hate. Later on I realised he wasn’t and was in fact quite human. Didn’t make him any less creepy though.

So. If you haven’t already, when you have some time, watch at least the first 3 episodes and if you’re not hooked, then you must be dead inside. Just kidding, it only means your viewing-compass needs a bit of recalibration XD. Feel free to tell me whether you agree with my views or think Breaking Bad is highly overrated…because hey,  maybe I just watched the same video as Peter Griffin did….

Top 10 Theories on the reason for Max and Curtis’ DJ Set

The maestros doing their ‘thing’….

So we heard a lot about the introductory ‘DJing’ these 2 amazing musicians did during Mika’s recent North American tour and the views were conflicting. Most people tolerated it, some loved it, some hated it.

I finally got a chance to experience it first hand at the Le Poisson Rouge gig and my immediate reaction was a giggling fit. XD Throughout the set my reactions evolved through incredulousness, bewilderment, mild appreciation, then outright enjoyment. This maybe because the songs snippets went chronologically by decades and everyone knows I’m biased towards the latter part of the 20th century…

As I experienced the set I wrote down the thoughts for its raison d’etre as they pooped into my head and here’s what I came up with (in no particular order):

1. It’s a form of decade prejudice – done to highlight how much better the more recent music is (as opposed to the 40s, for example)
2. It’s a test of dance adaptability, to see who can adjust best and effortlessly to the varied rhytms
3. A test to see exactly how drunk the crowd is
4. The songs are a form of conversation between Max and Curtis…one that’s obviously coded..
5. Some of the songs correlate to Mika songs like ‘Singing in the Rain’ (Rain), ‘Big girls don’t cry’ (Big Girls), etc..but the link can only be identified for a few songs…this theory might be pure coincidence or we’re missing something XD
6. It was all an effort to have the best ‘worst’ DJ set – sort of like winning from behind…
7. A statistical test to see which songs people knew and how many people knew them…they then compiled data sheets and the result will be released shortly
8. A really slow burn method of getting the crowd to do some dancing
9. Subtle brainwashing to get us to buy the products they had jingles for…the music was merely a cover-up
10. See how best they could get us to forget about Mika coming on to perform

There’s a pretty good chance I entirely missed the point with these theories and Mika merely wanted some filler music before he came on…naaaaahh…

Dancing-ly yours!

Nasx

On the ancient pastime of drive-ins…

This one is going to be a quickie – I just wanted to take some words to appreciate the heck out of the Drive-in Theater here. I was there 2 nights ago and as the intermission came on they started playing authentic 1950s music that I haven’t heard since forever. I had a moment of time and space connected-ness with everyone who has every enjoyed the unique beast that is a drive-in and thought what a sad, sad thing it is that it seems to be going extinct.

There was a Drive-in in Guyana but it went bust sometime in the late 90s I think. In any case I never got a chance to patronize it..probably because I knew so few people who had vehicles back then XD Come April 1998, and I’m on a class trip to Barbados (my first trip overseas!) and one of the outings is to see the blockbuster ‘Titanic’ at the Drive-in. Needless to say, it was a very memorable experience as Titanic became one of my favorite movies for the next few years.

That drive-in in 1998 was the same one I was at 2 nights ago. It offers 2 movies for 7.50$US (and not old movies either, but two of the same ones that are playing in other theaters around the island). The food is delicious and very fairly priced. Popcorn is 1.50$US and a serving of BBQ chicken with fries 6.50$US. Beat those prices in any theatre! You don’t even need a car – they have a central area by the food where you can sit and watch/listen, though seating is limited to about 15…

If you’ve never experienced the joy of picnicking outside your car in the drive-in, or the honking of horns at a particularly applaud-worthy moment in a movie, then I urge you to. I hope the drive-ins of the world never become extinct, long live the drive-in!

PS- I don’t know the owners of the theatre, nor do I have shares XD but here’s the website, you should visit when next in Barbados!

Nasx!

On the King…Stephen King

I must’ve always known I’d never be particularly wealthy, because my career aspirations as a youngster never included anything that would improve net-worth substantially. Psychiatrist, ballerina, generic scientist-type, nuclear physicist… OK, so maybe actress and novelist were the exceptions, but the former was a pie-in-the-sky thing at best.

I was serious about wanting to be a writer though, and the man who most inspired me towards this goal was none other than the ‘Maine’ man: Mr. King (some bad Constant Reader pun right there for ya..).
My love affair with King dates back to my first reading of Carrie at the delicate age of 11. I would read that book so many times it literally fell apart. It was my introduction to ‘adult’ horror, but with the subject matter, entirely relate-able. I’ve always loved the ‘Tales from the crypt’ graphic mags, so it was inevitable I’d expand my morbid curiosity, and King was the perfect outlet for that. I only read a few more of his early work during that time (Christine and Pet Semetary, I think), and it wasn’t until the next big indelible book that I became a King fan for life. That book was ‘It’ (hah! another pun!). I was around 14 years old and I remember skipping class to finish it. It also solidified the creeping suspicion I had that clowns are to be feared and avoided at all costs…I think it was sometime around then that I wrote to Mr. King (not knowing his exact address, mind you) telling him how much he’d inspired me. Imagine my surprise when I got a response (standard issue, of course, but still!) with a lovely set of extra tips on writing! A letter from Stephen King to a teenager in Guyana in the pre-internet era was an amazing thing, in hindsight, and I wish I still had that letter, which got lost somewhere in the constant moving that was to come.

I would go on to consume all the King I could lay my hands on, with Gerald’s Game, The Stand, Dolores Clairbourne and the Shining especially prominent in memory. By the time I started University however, I’d come to regard King novels as a sort of guilty treat. The novels were way too mainstream and devoid of literary value (or so I believed). It was a time when I cultivated snobbery of a lot of things, what can I say…The fire smoldered for about five years then re-ignited when I moved to Barbados and craved the comfort of the ‘known’. I read all the more recent works then, including Cell, Everything’s Eventual, Lisey’s Story etc, but it was catching up on the missed books that were more enjoyable. ‘The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon’ was an especially vivid read of a book I will always remember.

Strangely, after all this time and having read roughly 60% of King’s ridiculously prodigious ouput, I had managed to avoid what some would call the linchpin of his work: The Dark Tower series. Back in the 90s I started ‘The Gunslinger’ and never got into it. That all changed in 2011 as I re-discovered this amazing series of books. To say it, as a whole, rivals the Lord of the Rings, would not be an overestimation for fans. It is indeed, epic, sweeping, fantastical, memorable and all-encompassing. King even tries out some nouveau linguistics in it – introducing words that will stick with you, such as ‘sai’, ‘kan-toi’, ‘kan-tet’ etc. The series is 8 books strong, written over almost 3 decades and there are some weak books in there, but the stronger ones make up for it. I’m sort of glad I waited until the last book was published before I got drawn into the world/s of the gunslinger, because I can’t imagine having to endure such a long break in the stories. Even waiting a day between books was too much for me! I think I took about 10 days to complete the whole thing. An all-absorbing, glorious 10 days!

Since then I’ve continued to read and re-read King’s books. My latest read – 22/11/63 – was what inspired this post. It’s one of his best works – easily top 10 – and I’m amazed at how critics have signaled his career end over and over, but the man manages to surprise us equally as often. By the way, if you’re not much of a horror lover, give 11/22/63 a whirl. It’s more historic fiction, with no gore or anything particularly scary, and a surprisingly well executed love story (if you like that sort of thing)

So is King thrash or treasure? No doubt he is an incredibly gifted story-teller. Some persist in decrying his literary merits, like this dude in the LA Book Review. Readers in the comments section were quick to point out the flaws in his argument however and the comments section got especially lively 🙂 I am convinced that King is the Dickens of our day – some of his works are undoubtedly classics already and time will prove the persistence of his legacy. If nothing else he is an inspiring example of someone who has earned much wealth from doing something he loves and still has the drive to continue to do it.

I had a similar brown typewriter I used as a teen…wonder if it would help focus me to get one again…

On Aging…

I’ve wanted to articulate my thoughts about age for a while, and today, feeling in a particularly pissy mood, seems to be the time. Let no one accuse me of not knowing time and place XD.

A pet peeve of mine is people who lie about their age. Wanting to not divulge your age is fine – that’s your prerogative  however to deliberately obfuscate for god knows what reason (well I guess I know the reason..shame. It’s often shame) rattles my cage. I think less of you and I think you’re an ungrateful twat. Harsh? Maybe…But after having been suddenly hospitalized and having to face my immediate mortality I’ve been made extremely grateful for every day I tick off on my calendar. I’ve always toyed and ruminated on my mortality but the screeching prospect of it is something the abstract can’t ever really prepare you for. Since this realization I have been guilty of taking days for granted, sure, but I’ve never been anything less than proud of being one of the survivors of every single hour as the world turns.
I think age is a badge. You’ve avoided numerous life-ending traps today; you’ve added to your stock-pile of thoughts and experiences (hopefully XD). You ought to be proud. Of course the seductive-ness of youth is constantly being hammered into us, and the visible signs of aging make us nostalgic for that period when it was ‘better’. There’s nothing like the numerous aches, pains and sudden ailments that come with aging, to make you long to be young again, but barring a time machine, why deny the present and not embrace it? Be the best version of you right now.

My other related pet peeve is people using age as an excuse to check out from current events. How many times have I heard ‘oh I’m too old for that <insert technology>/music/event’. Yes, tastes evolve and yes, you don’t have to be ‘into’ popular culture, but you don’t get to use age as an excuse for laziness, your busy life or lack of interest.

I was brought up in a culture where we’re taught that your elders always know best. I found out early on this wasn’t true, but I realised we’ll (hopefully) one day all be elders ourselves, so there’s no reason to think the elderly are particularly ‘icky’ or to indiscriminately disrespect them. Ageism has all forms, and the young aren’t exempt. Youths are thought of as naive, inexperienced, not worth listening to, and basically the reason the world is going to wrack and ruin. I confess I shared *some* of the negative perceptions of today’s young people especially in my early 20s, however I’ve recently been interacting with young people on the internet (mostly via MFC), and there is tremendous hope. Some of these girls are way more together and insightful than I ever was at their age. And I’m not saying that because they’re obviously possessed of great taste by being on MFC XD. Through the same medium of the internet I’ve also whittled away at any  ‘uncool older’ stereotype I may have had.

So yes, stop telling everyone you’re 21 for the tenth year in a row! And try to take care of yourself – physically and mentally. It’s a possibility that our raison d’etre might simply be to learn more everyday. Don’t waste it. Plus what better compliment is there than stating your actual age and having someone say ‘but you look so much younger!’ 😀

On really, really, REALLY disturbing movies

Hmmm it’s weird that I haven’t blogged for a while even though I have more ‘free time’ now more than before…but moving on!

So I found this list of the 50 most disturbing movies ever via my good and fellow morbid friend :). I found it intriguing because I had surprisingly only seen about 8 on that entire list. As a self-professed connoisseur of different and definitely disturbing films you can imagine how disturbed I was to find these many films had escaped my attention (see what I did there XD). I resolved to rectify by watching all the other movies on the list I thought worthy of checking out.

NB: Be warned that you might not want to ever see any of these films..ever…even the ones I would recommend. These are only the films I’ve seen thus far.

Let’s start with the ones I would recommend –

Se7en – if you like serial killer movies with a twist and a deep personal choice that you can’t help but ask yourself, then this is one for you. The mood and the acting by big names Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey is spot on. This is a film i’ve seen quite a few times and it never gets old.
The Exorcist – Not quite sure why this is on the list, as I don’t find it especially disturbing, maybe because the genre had advanced so much by the time I finally got around to seeing this. It was definitely groundbreaking, however and has great atmosphere. It’s a classic anyways, so give it a watch.
Clockwork Orange – ok ok I confess – I haven’t seen this movie in its entirety, I was sleepy and nodded off. So why am I recommending it? The bits I saw were disturbing indeed, more in moral implications than in gore or anything tangible. Andy McDowell is amazing and it’s a classic. Speaking of And,y if you want to see him in another more-deserved- of- the- title ‘distubing’ movie – check him out in Caligua. I have no idea why it’s not on this list.
Night and Fog – this is an old documentary in french (with english subtitles) about the holocaust and you can see it for free on Youtube. The images are graphic in spite of the grainy-ness and it’s to be suffered through, even though it’s only 30 minutes. Everyone should see this, it’s a lesson, a warning and a wake-up.
I Spit on your grave – the version in this list is the original, but I’ve only seen the 2010 remake. It has its gruesome moments and is more ‘mainstream’ than some of the other films on this list, but it’s torture-porn/revenge done right with a great ending so if you wanted a little relief after some of the other films, watch this.
Irreversible – I debated about adding this to the recommended ones but I had to. It’s a french movie (find a version with subtitles) told backwards about a rape in Paris and the consequences. The first 20 minutes are reeeaally hard on the senses, a combination of the crazy camera work, the audio and the snatches of imagery which culminates in a brutally graphic killing. Stick with it though and it gets to a more tolerable pace, though about half way we’re shown the rape – all 10 minutes of it – from an unflinching view. I fast forwarded. After that we’re left to ponder and think as things get a little more mundane. I think it’s one of the best films to deal with rape in a most brutally honest but non-exploitative way. So I would recommend it, but be prepared to close your eyes.

Recommended, depending on…

Hostel – This is well known and amped up the torture gore factor in the mid 2000s. Some people like it, some don’t. It definitely has it’s gorey moments, but is kinda thin on plot and acting. Watch if you’re curious, but I prefer the sequel, so maybe check that out after if you want.

Natural Born Killers – When this came out in 1994 it was hugely controversial and has been reported to have inspired real-life incidents. When I saw it during the late 90s it left a huge impression, it was the most violent film I had seen thus far. I’ve seen it a few times since and I think it has a lot of layers and great cinematic style, but only watch if you don’t mind the quirky style and extreme violence (though to be fair I can think of a good lot more recent movies that are more violent)

Kill List- this one was different…crossing many genres and ending with a twist. I really enjoyed the beginning, especially the dialogue, but I felt cheated and a bit ‘wtf-y’ at the end. After googling what other people thought was the point of the movie, I appreciated it a bit more, but still felt ‘unfulfilled’. It’s really not that disturbing, especially in the scheme of this list, but it will stick with you I’m sure.

Happiness – This one is a dark comedy with fun themes like pedophilia, rape, murder etc. There’s almost no onscreen nudity or violence. Everything is more implied, and boy is it disturbing as hell! It’s excellently acted and directed and I would have recommended for all, except not everyone could handle its pacing or the characters.

Antichrist – This has no relation to the satanic horror film, but is instead about a couple’s grieving and loss. And how the shit then hits the fan. The first half is pretty ponderous (thought there’s a brilliant opening scene), then the second half is populated by weird things and acts, including homemade surgery. The director made this movie in the throes of depression and it shows in some searingly authentic scenes. The imagery is amazing but the acting and plot are so-so at best. It’s one of those movies you’d love or hate, so watch if you like artsy disturbing films, but look out for that surgery!

Martyrs – This movie starts off as a ‘typical’ Japanese style ghost/monster film and descends into something else entirely. I don’t want to give away anything but this is a movie you’ll never forget, partly because of imagery and partly for the ending. It’s pretty brilliant that way actually…

A Serbian Film – Banned in several countries and probably the most controversial of the 21st century films on this list. This is not for the regular movie goer, or even the regular gore-fan. There is extreme sexual violence and baby rape (yes you read that right). The director said it was a metaphor for what Serbia as a coutry has had to endure. Whatever. Seems thin to me, but there’s an obvious meaning about money, corruption and sexual perversion that doesn’t have to be searched for. I saw the edited version which just showed enough thank you. I see no reason for there to be anything more graphic, the implications are enough, and there’s plenty graphic-ness in any case. I was feeling morally equitable at the ending, then the last 10 seconds ruined it! This one is a doozer…watch at own risk.

DO NOT recommend!

Cannibal Holocaust – I had never heard of this 1980 movie until 2007 when I watched it. I never need to watch it ever again. There is a bit of story to it – some filmmakers go into the amazon to film cannibalistic tribes and themselves  perpetuate atrocities. It’s also the first ‘lost footage’ type film that has become popular recently. My main beef with it (which could be a good thing I guess) is that it’s too realistic. It was so realistic the Italians thought the Director had murdered his crew for real and ordered an investigation! Every disturbing scene,  including actual animal killings, will stay with you for the rest of your life, so think hard before you think to watch.

Salo or 120 days of Sodom – At least Cannibal Holocaust had a story, even if it could’ve been told less graphically..but often life is indeed bloody and graphic. So I won’t say don’t ever watch it, just be prepared for the consequences. Now THIS movie. It has no story (only in the loosest sense) and no redeeming qualities.

It’s based on the book of the same name written by the infamous Marquis de Sade in 17th century France, but is transported to WW II Italy. The entire story is that 4 evil men kidnap some boys and girls, keep them in a mansion and do all sorts of hideousness to them. Honestly the gore, violence or sexuality isn’t that overt or even ‘impressive’. I’ve seen way worse torture scenes and more graphic sex scenes. It was just the whole pointless unecessary-ness of it. I can understand the Marquis’ book being valuable for it’s history and the fact that the full range of human depravity being relatively un-chronicled back then. Now we have the mainstream – Law and Order SVU, for example – and the less so- the films on this list –  to show and remind us of these things, and done in a better way. Salo is not a piece of art, nor a film that needed to be made. Doesn’t need to be seen either, so skip this one.

On vampires and Spies…

Saw the last of the twilight movies 2 days ago.Not the proudest moment of my life but hey, t’was something to do…Afterwards it got me thinking that for all ‘we’ might scoff at the depiction of their ‘forever love’, it’s a very powerful message. Especially to a 14 year old girl. When I was 14 I discovered the vampire Lestat. This was the first time I’d been exposed to this sort of creature – ruthless, good-looking, sexually ambiguous, exciting. I wasn’t the only one enthralled – Anne Rice made a fortune out of those books. But to be truthful, if Stephanie Meyers had written twilight when I was 14, I probably would’ve fallen for that storyline too. *end of shameface*

Recently saw my other long time cinematic obsession -the latest James Bond movie – Skyfall. The Bond obsession started when I was about 12 and a family friend had a near delusional relationship with the character 🙂 He did Bond impressions, villain impressions, pretended his cat was Blofeld’s cat…Everytime we visited a Bond movie would be on. I had no choice but to get sucked in too XD. I’ve seen every single Bond movie, and up until a few years ago my favorite actor to play the character was Sean Connery. As much as I continued to enjoy the camp and predictability of the series, interest in it waned as I grew and it was obvious they started to just phone the movies in. Then in 2006 Casino Royale hit the screen. I had little hopes for this ‘blonde Bond’ but I would give him a shot. By the end of the opening scene it was clear that this was a new, vastly improved character and I had a new favorite Bond actor.

I don’t want to reveal any spoilers about Skyfall for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, but I would say it messes with the theory some fans have that James Bond is just a code word for different operatives. By the end of the movie the different mythologies and connective story webs from the previous movies draw closer and connect. 007 starts to resemble his predecessors more than ever, or more accurately, starts to morph into his former self. Javier Bardem’s villain is mesmerizing and quite sympathetic. The movie had its occasional flaws, but I would give it higher ratings than Quantum of Solace. It’s definitely worth the watch  – go see it if you haven’t already.

Happy Sunday and talk soon!

Nasx

On teaching, teachers and being taught…

I couldn’t really decide whether to blog about teachers or patriotism. Funny combo you say? Well not really. Maybe I’ll get around to explaining fully, but for now ruminations on teachers.
Some of you may know I’ve taken it upon myself to learn francais. I never had an interest in languages as a child/teen, and in any case french wasn’t one of the languages offered, but as I grew I realised the importance of being multilingual and found myself being able to absorb spanish fairly easily (3 years of DirectTV with Spanish subtitles will do that to you 🙂 So, for a variety of reasons, I’ve decided to learn French. To this end I contacted a personal tutor yesterday and the immediate experience on the phone was one of aggressive questioning and brusqueness. Maybe she was having a bad day.Maybe that’s her way of treating students. Either ways it was glaringly obvious post-call that she was NOT the teacher for me (attitudinal you + stubborn me = disaster). I was befuddled by her attitude as well, since she makes her living from being a teacher…don’t you have to have a certain temperament to be one of those? I’ve always fantasized about teaching first year medical students (because they’re so malleable at that age *evil laugh*), but knew deep down I really am not cut out to be a full time teacher. I can hack it for a few I’m sure, but I lack the patience and essentially gentle nature it takes to be a good teacher. But mostly the patience. XD. I’m proud of  friends, and my best friend in particular, who have decided to make a career out of teaching. A really good teacher is worth their weight in gold.

We’ve all been shaped by our teachers. From the mostly forgotten ones in Kindergarten (sad, because they likely contributed so much!), to the deeply impressed ones in primary school, all the way up to whatever tertiary education you may have enjoyed/suffered. I vividly remember 2 teachers from primary school (the school you attend from roughly ages 5 to 11/12). One was an Amerindian (Indigenous person) from a real Amerindian village (!) who fired my imagination and obsession with all things rain forest and Amerindian related. I sadly have no idea what became of her after she left us. The other was my teacher the last year of school and I admired her self possession and competence. Years later I heard her say something about me which soured my perception of her and broke a childhood pedestal.

High school was filled with a host of memorable teachers. It would be shorter to list the teachers who didn’t make an impression. XD There was an entire cast of personalities: the ‘eccentric’ science guy; the easy-going playboy math guy (there were 2 of those!); the judgmental, borderline abusive home-economics lady; the diligent, highly zealous VSOs (volunteer teachers from the UK); the out-of-the-box literature teacher; the MacGyver-like physics guy, etc etc. Back then teachers seemed so wise and almost demi-god-like. You would think that I’d be able to appreciate they were only human, especially as both my parents were teachers up until my early teens, but I guess the power they held led to cognitive dissonance.

In medical school I had the pleasure of knowing some of the most interesting and dedicated teachers. After the pre-clinical years, these were almost all doctors who had busy jobs and lives but made the time to impart knowledge onto supremely green and starry-eyed medical students. They were the soldiers who stayed in the trenches of fairly poorly paying jobs, and chose to teach people who were highly likely to leave the country and practice abroad. Why did they do it? Altruism, power, obligation, money – it doesn’t matter, I’m extremely grateful they did. I only encountered two persons during the course of my medical training who I would deem unsuitable/unfit teachers. Every one of the others deserves a special thank you and recognition for their work, but allow me to wax nostalgic about two in particular. The first influenced my choice of specialty (yes I know, I haven’t specialized – yet! but when I do it will be in pathology). He’s almost larger than life – a heavy smoking, gruff, ruggedly handsome, no-nonsense, purveyor of various vices with an incredibly tragi-romantic background. The first few classes we had with him I would literally feel nauseated with nerves, sitting outside the morgue door reading and re-reading the pathology book, alternately hoping he ignored and noticed me. Eventually the nerves  settled down, but I never got the chance to relate to him as a colleague, or to tell him how inspirational he’s been. Hopefully one day.

The other teacher is an internist of almost mythic proportions. A giant of a man (literally and figuratively – he’s quite tall!) in the annals of my medical school. He’s been the inspiration, motivation and mentor for many a graduate now scattered across the world. Everyone’s passed through his hands, and whilst not universally loved, he’s definitely universally remembered. A cross between Dr. House and a hermit with a bit of  diva thrown in, we would wait for his rounds with excitement and trepidation. Earning praise from him was like winning an award and his snarky comments are the stuff of legends. Recently he had a huge personal tragedy and I was tangentially reminded of the limited time he had left to teach. When this hopefully far day comes, future generations of students and patients would be so much poorer.

Most of my learning now is very self-directed. The limited interaction with the University of London distance tutors doesn’t really mirror student-teacher interactions of the past. But, underpaid, under appreciated and increasingly undermined, the noble profession marches on. Vive la professeurs!!

On fantastical things…Mr. Neil Gaiman!

On the topic of books and writing, I recently discovered the brilliance that is Neil Gaiman and thought I’d share him with you. I knew of some of his famous ‘pieces’ like the movie Coraline which is based on a book of his and I’d heard of the Sandman graphic series but that was about it. I started following him on twitter and he has the most interesting blog posts so I finally sank teeth into some of his material.

The Sandman graphic novel series deserves all the hype I read – it is a superb piece of fantasy/horror storytelling and art. I ‘ve only read the first collected volume – Preludes and Nocturnes – but apparently it gets even better. I can’t wait! The next Gaiman book I read was ‘American gods’. It basically asks the question of what if the gods of different mythologies and times were real people still alive today? Transported to different places in the memories and hearts of people who worship them. And what if there are new gods in the various guises of modern technology and convenience? And there is a war brewing between these old and new gods? The book reads a little like a thriller and a little like a fantasy. It has its slow moments but the language and story are thoroughly engaging with these slightly off tangent vignettes that are scrumptious to the read.

I intend to eventually read his entire body of work. And I highly recommend you give him a whirl too. To get a taste of the man 🙂 listen to this story below:

 

 

Toodles!

Nasx

On the Sly Company of People who Care…A book review

I hesitated long enough to write this review. Mostly because I don’t think I’ve ever written a book review (high school obligatory string of words doesn’t really qualify) and I really want to do this book justice and partially because I am by nature a lazy goon 🙂

By way of preface, let me say I took unusually long to finish this book. Not because I read the kindle edition but because I really wanted to savor it. And then about half way I broke down crying and had to give the wounds a few days to heal.

But to the meat: this is a review of Rahul Bhattarcharya’s ‘The sly company of people who care’. I first heard about it on Facebook last year but the comments weren’t exactly complimentary so I shelved it onto ‘will browse one day’. Then recently a friend did an article on the role on gender in the novel which I found fascinating and so I was determined to read the book.

It chronicles the fictional account of an Indian sportswriter’s year in Guyana, and is divided into three sections with themes I would label  ‘Adventure’,  ‘Introspection’ and ‘Sexy things’, in order. The first section is bursting with wit and entertaining characterizations. It mostly deals with the protagonist settling into his environs and a trek into the Guyana jungle. The second ‘act’ chronicles some more travels, this time on the coast of the country, and offers some exposition on the history of Guyana and the monster that haunts its shores – Racism. I plodded through this part with a mounting sense of anger/shame/dread/sadness until the last emotion overcame me when I read the line “In the years of its rule, Guyana remained the poorest nation on the continent and the second poorest in the hemisphere…in a situation of such hopelessness the basest instincts burn; in Guyana it is race”. Tears came because everything he was saying did not reflect my reality, but was in fact the reality. I think he gave a very concise and insightful little history lesson in a few pages – one which every Guyanese should read. In the last section he meets a girl and they go a-travelling, something about the whole affair remnded me of something Gabriel Garcia Marquez would write, or maybe I’m just imagining things because they travelled to a Latin American country…

Throughout the entire book Bhattacharya’s grasp and relation of the Guyanese creolese language inspires both pride and envy. As a new comer to this language form he does a fantastic job of setting down both its town and country forms; it’s the liberal and unapologetic use of creolese that I find lends the book a lot of it’s joie de vivre. Creolese is not impenetrable to the uninitiated reader, it just requires a bit of deduction and dedication but the book could have benefited from a small glossary. Think I should email the author and volunteer to write one? XD

To sum up, I think Rahul deserved the prizes he has won thus far for this book, it’s an excellent little nugget of a read that I would unreservingly recommend…now go read it!

Nasx