Resort-ing to Reality

I went to Cuba pretty recently on a resort vacation, that promised endless sunshine, sand and seawater in the clearest and bluest of blues. Apart from the tourist-y type things which I did A LOT of (i.e., spending money as if  I own a money tree, drinking, clubbing, swimming in the water, building sandcastles on the beach, more drinking with other tourists, and just being relaxed & lazy), I did think through a few things while lazing around a beach, getting the service that we Westerners can expect while vacationing, and drinking yet another servesa;

1.) The city of Havana: Beautiful with faded grandeur and a cloud of nostalgia hanging over it. While I was thrilled to have been able to visit the first city of the Western Hemisphere and one of the most well-known and history-rich cities of the world, I was taken aback that I did not see any homelessness, considering Cuba's modest per capita income. But then you look closely and realize that the buildings many people live in are musty, molded and old'; the alleyways narrow; the signs of fading and decay very evident in the winding alleyways which those air conditioned tour buses will never take you down on. Also, as I was walking past the National Revolution museum, I then saw it: the homeless were the ones who were old, weak and living with disabilities (I saw a homeless man on a wheelchair).

Indeed, the poverty has been very well hidden by the tourism industry.

2.) North Americans and Europeans flood Cuban resorts every year and bring in BIG income into the country. However, we tourists go into Cuba and other sunny Carribbean nations, expecting North American type food and taste; expecting big quantities and hot food on demand; expecting that we will get served by wait-staff, as if they are our servants; expecting that hot water will just come at the slight turn of a tap; expecting that all the staff will be able to talk to us in English, when we make no efforts to learn their language when we are on their land!

I almost feel that it beats the whole point of travelling in the first place: that is to see, experience another culture, a different type of food and being able to do things that the locals do (i.e. eating local cuisine; going to a restaurant frequented by locals of the place). And that is what is missing from my beach resort vacation to Cuba; and THAT is what would prevent this vacation from an amazing, memorable, experience. I do wonder how a large section of Cubans feel about this, wish someone would be able to take a survey...but then doing that would have real political implications

3.) Its easy to get ripped off, or in other words be overcharged, when you are drunk :P

4.) With the amount of prime Cuban beach-side properties being taken up by resort properties of various stars and stripes, I wonder whether your local/average Cuban has much of a public access to the beautiful, warm water beaches? I did hear from one local that Cubans, who are not directly employed by the resort, are not allowed to enter these beaches.

And the irony is that Communism was suppose to do away with the concept of private property and land ownership....

5.) Classism is also very much alive in Cuba. One needs to look at the different colored license plates of the cars on the road and also notice who drives the 1950's car models and who drives the modern cars and SUV's.

6.) I bought the infamous Cuban cigars (Monte Cristos as favoured by Che Guevera), because it is just THE thing to do when in Cuba. Thought that once I got back to Canada, I would totally smoke one of them and 'do it as the Cubans do'. But have I smoked ANY of the cigars since I came back.....uhmm no...I got back into the busy and stressful North American life pretty quickly...guess I am conditioned to accepting this stressful pace of life as my 'real life'

Boston Pizza: Can't Even Make Good Pizzas, Let Alone Anything Else

The title should make the point of this post obvious: Boston Pizza SUCKS! I don't even understand how they are as popular as they are; how their garish, red, blinking lights and their big box concept has been replicated like a virus in every city and 'dot on the map' town in Canada; and how in the world is this place always packed, no matter what time in the week you go. 

The restaurant industry, just like all other industries, is extremely competitive. New restaurants, with a variety of pioneering or tried and true concepts, come and go everyday. It is a rare thing to see your local restaurant lasting more than 5 years even with quality food and service, and if they do, then that is truly a laudable achievement. Yet Boston Pizza, with its bland and crappy food; prices that are not worth the garbage they feed; harried and forgettable service provided by staff who have the same high-pitched "Hey how you guys doin", but look like they hate their jobs; and the same, tired old, design concept, somehow endures. 

I have always disliked Boston Pizza and its same old, vanilla like blandness. I wonder whether those who actually like Boston Pizza, prefers all their things vanilla flavored. Going to Boston Pizza for a date with your girlfriend/boyfriend, is showing the significant other the promise that the night will end with you both in your trusty old bed from 10 years ago, moving like a well-oiled wheel, in the well-practiced/cant-go-wrong, missionary sex position! Bland and boring, for short. 


I would only end up in Boston Pizza if I had NO OTHER option of bodily sustenance (I'm not talking of food, which is not served in Boston Pizza by the way) and I was a few moral inhibitions away from cannibalizing a fellow human! Which is what happened to me while I was up in snowy and icy North Bay, ON, tired and muscles aching from controlling a dog sled charging through the snowy forests with six strong & speedy Huskies! Then try dragging a stubborn and unwilling Husky back to its kennel, your hands straining at the dog's harness; fingers slipping on it until only an index finger is precariously clinging onto the Husky's harness, straining and almost feeling like that poor finger of mine will break, and still the heavy and strong Husky is unwilling to move. And then add a dash of going uphill, your feet sinking soundlessly into un-trodden snow, and a blizzard coming in, your toes feeling frost-bitten despite wearing proper winter boots...

YEP, that was my weekend and NO WONDER I ended up at Boston Pizza, famished & willing to admit in defeat that my bland Jambalaya Fettucine did not taste that bad, after I added a motherload of pepper to it! And now that I am warm at home, about to jump into my warm bed, and do not have to struggle against the elements or drag a wet, dead-weight but ferocious Husky up a hill...I have time to remember back to my meal and say...THAT MEAL SUCKED & BOSTON PIZZA STINKS! Also, a memo to their cooks: Please go back to middle school family studies class, to learn the basics of cooking!

And There Goes Another....

2011 saw the break-up of high profile hollywood marriages which were a boon for the trashy tabloid magazine industry and set entertainment blogs on fire with comments, snarkiness and speculation over why the divorces happen. From Demi-Ashton to Katy Perry-Russell Brand, we have been inundated with divorce news, sordid stories and he-said/she-saids.

I'm sure many of us plebians have wondered (when we have nothing better to think about) that "why do celebrities have a big circus show of a wedding, only to get very publicly divorced in 5 years or less?" It goes against my twisted, cynical heart, to even entertain the possibility that they married for....love...so I'm going to go ahead and trash these celebrities and create a TOP 5 REASONS WHY CELEBRITIES DIVORCE????

5.) Its about money honey. I mean you were married to someone way richer than you, do you think that the poorer partner would remain content with just getting expensive cars, watches & holidays for presents? Hell, they want to not only have their own money, taken from their richer spouse as a divorce settlement, but find a new piece who will STILL treat them to all the expensive gifts & vacations they are used to.

4.) Apparently media scrutiny and attention can ruin a couple's privacy and ultimately their marriage. I blow a side eye to this excuse and say "whatever"..this is just said when celebrities cannot say that they simply got bored, as its not good for publicity. Really with the money and cachet these guys have, they can afford to live in privacy

3.) Boredom with marriage and screwing the same person for the rest of their days fills these frivolous entertainment-types with dread. I mean when they have the option of having so many well-done and juicy steaks, so why stick with a BigMac? Thus, a lot of showbiz marriages end in divorce, after a massive cheating scandal exposed, and free publicity galore!

2.) Any publicity is good publicity. Especially in these days when today's hot young star can become stale, fading & gone by tomorrow. So a divorce drama playing out in all manners of media for months on end, can definitely lead to one party winning public sympathy and thus dupe the public into spending their money on them. Or at the very least, at least people now know who they are and are talking about them & feeding the public's need for scandal & gossip...case in point, a straggly haired, British "comedian" Russell Brand.

1.) Irreconcilable Differences...whatever the hell does this mean? It just tells me that these people threw in the towel too quick. 

Walking Dead: Shane vs. Rick

Hello All Zombie Lurkers and Watchers!

I think more than the sick mixture of thrill-anticipation-fear of a hungry zombie shambling in from an un-noticed corner and devouring one of our favourite characters, its the descent into the lows of madness and the heights of your everyday heroism, which really keeps me hooked onto the show. This despite the fact that the 2nd season has felt ponderously slow for me at times, compared to the 1st season.

This will not be a review of the episodes, since they have been done ad-nauseum all over the net. These are my thoughts on the characters, their mental descent or ascent as the everyday hum-drum-ness of living in a zombie apocalypse sets in, and predictions on what direction the rest of the 2nd season could take.

*Note Spoilers Ahead. Don't Read Further If You Have Not Seen Season 2*

1.) Rick-Lori-Shane

At the end of episode 2.7, we saw Shane completely lose control over his inhibitions and sanity and he is increasingly losing control over any internal social code or moral conventions that he used to have. By now it is obvious that in the decades long relationship between Rick and Shane, Rick had always been the more stable one, the all around good guy, the guy most comfortable with adhering to rules and social codes and norms, the guy stamping down his own desires for the greater good. On the other hand, Shane has always been the rebellious one, the one trying to break the rules and blaze his own way, and have full control over his own life at any cost, and to HELL with society!

In the comforts of civilization, Shane's real nature has been locked up like a caged beast, waiting to come out at the slight loosening of the dead-bolt on the cage. Which most fortunately for Shane now has, through this zombie apocalypse.

It also seems that Rick was Shane's much idolized mentor and Shane tried to fashion himself like Rick, in order to lock up his real nature and better fit into polite society (something which Rick has done so effortlessly in the past). After all if one is to have any sense of belonging in the societal structure, then they are required to adhere to society's rules and not just go off and do whatever they please. Therefore, Shane loved Rick's wife and son and emotionally invested to turn himself into another Rick, or in other words a conventional man in society (when everyone believed Rick was dead).

I would reckon that Shane even followed Rick into a policing career, alongside Rick, to further fit into society's expectation of a man having a steady job and income through a respected career.

While we do not know much of the characters' lives per-apocalypse, I wonder why Shane never married or even had a steady girlfriend? Granted that we have an idea of Shane being a womanizer, owing to his really good looks (I confess, I prefer bad boy Shane Walsh over the good boy Rick Grimes! How many of you ladies are with me???), but he does have the capacity of being in a committed, monogamous relationship, as seen by his relationship with Lori. So was it just a simple he-never-met-anyone-good-enough to marry? Or he was content on being single and having fun? Or did he idolize Rick and then his wife Lori SO much and viewed them as the perfect examples of people who fit in society, that he sub-consciously wanted to be someone just like Rick and wanted a wife just like Lori, if not Lori herself?

Shane shirt open, sweaty, beastly!

I guess Shane sub-consciously knew the capacity he had within him to turn into a wild, amoral, beast with killer instincts, and perhaps this had frightened him, back in the more civilized times? That is why he dedicated himself to allowing Rick to be his best friend and guide, investing himself emotionally within Rick's family unit and becoming like Rick. But when Rick reunited with his family in the survivor camp outside of Atlanta (in Season 1), Shane not only lost the surrogate wife and son/family that he dearly loved (Lori and Carl), he also lost his chance at redemption and for being able to live comfortably like a morally upright, mentally stable, family man; just like his idol Rick. I feel that it was this loss at this inner power struggle between his id and his super-ego, something which he may have been struggling with his whole life, it was this loss that Shane felt more keenly as time went along.

I was re-watching Season 1 and it was eerie to see how much more gentler with others and compliant Shane was in Season 1, compared to the nearly homicidal maniac that he is now becoming in Season 2! Good Job to the writers, actors and directors for bringing this out.

2.) Rick being a Real Man

A pre-apocalpyse Shane would have seen Rick as, forgive me... Da Maaan! But in the mid-season finale we saw that Shane is now viewing himself as again please forgive me....Da Maaan! Shane is now seeing himself as having what it takes to make the tough decisions based on primal and basic physical needs, such as the need for safety and not becoming food for the zombies. He no longer gives a damn for morality, building trusting relationships and good-will with others (such as Rick agreeing to Herschel's rules to be able to stay in the farm). As far as Shane is concerned, those things have no place in this new world of just day to day survival in a jungle-like environment; therefore, what he use to see as Rick's strength, he now sees Rick being a good guy as Rick's greatest weakness.

Survival of the Fittest?

Thus, Shane believes that his real nature will see him survive for the long-term, be able to protect himself and protect those that he still cares about, such as Lori and Carl. Shane is now very keen on proving to himself that HE is the one that deserves the loyalty of the group and to be seen as the strong guy. He feels that Rick still holding onto the old world values will get Rick eaten and throw others into danger, something which Shane secretly hopes for, I bet.

Courtesy of RollingStones Magazine

But ironically, it was Rick who once again proved to Shane and to the group why his nature will still see him survive this new world and why the group should still put their faith in Rick, not Shane. What should have been Shane's moment of triumph, when he led the attack on the barn full of zombified Herschel family's friends and relatives, Rick, once again, stole his thunder in the closing moments of the mid-season finale. Its funny that for Shane to prove to himself and others that he is the real man, he had to shoot up a whole bunch of zombies and get all veins popping angry just like a steroid-charged WWE wrestler before a WWE match! But Rick, with his quiet and sad dignity, shot the single little girl zombie Sophia, and spared the group (especially Sophia's tragic mother, Carol) further trauma at seeing zombie Sophia feeding on a human.He did this for the group.

It seems to me that Shane only shot up those zombies to prove that he was a strong man; the ideal leader; the right protector for Lori, Carl and Lori's unborn baby. He cared less about the safety of the group and more about his own needs for glory and celebrating his new-found id. He scared and bullied others into following him. But, Rick with that single kill that mattered, showed that things like emotions; attachments; duty and loyalty, still matter in this new world. He felt responsible for Sophia getting lost in the woods in the first place; he led the planned group search for Sophia; and by killing the zombie Sophia, he apologized to Sophia for his failure and put his responsibility to rest. By doing that, Rick gained the viewer's trust and respect and also the trust and respect of the survivor group. 

Courtesy of ScreenRant.com

I feel that Rick will become more depressed, more unsure of himself, and maybe even more of a ruthless killer, doing whatever it takes to protect the group; as a result of beating himself up over failing to save Sophia. He could take on some of Shane's characteristics, ironically, as a result of failing in his capabilities! 

I bet that Shane losing his opportunity to prove his alpha-male characteristics, by hesitating to kill zombie Sophia, will see him becoming more jealous of Rick; will see Shane trying to further subvert Rick's natural authority within the group; and will see him becoming more reckless in showing off his tough-guy survivor skills. Watch out for more emotionally intense, adrenal charged, encounters between the zombies vs. survivors AND even survivors vs. survivors, led by Shane. 

3.) One for All, All for One. 

Courtesy of tvovermind.com

Shane and the pretentious trigger happy bimbo Andrea aside, the rest of the group really believe that there is safety in numbers, rather than believing that being a bad-ass=survival. The rest of the group, surprisingly Darryl even (I increasingly love Darryl), still want to hold onto their old human selves in this wild, survival of the fittest environment. The rest of the group seem to have realized (except for Shane & Andrea) that day to day survival isn't assured by simply being able to wield a gun (although gun-wielding is high up on useful skill sets in a zombie-ruled world), but it is assured by human, old-world qualities, such as relationship building; generosity; love; caring and sharing; trust and cooperation.

I mean how much more human and different will we be from zombies, if all we care about is physical survival, without giving one thought to the things which make us intelligent, higher beings and human? Shane is becoming just a walking being that only cares about his physical survival (with Andrea now following his philosophy), just like the zombies are! Just like the zombies who are insane and single-minded in their blood-lust, Shane too has become insane and single-minded in his need for survival and power! Its the other survivors: Dale, Darryl, Carol, Glen, Maggie, T-Dog, Rick, Carl, Lori, who have retained some measure of sanity and humanity and their old personalities, as a result of being emotionally supported within a group.

So definitely in the second half of the season and in the upcoming seasons, there are going to be open conflicts between Shane and all individual members of the group (there is already now a: Shane vs. Rick; Shane vs. Lori; Shane vs. Dale; Shane vs. Lori's bun in the oven). Shane is going to become increasingly isolated and a handful of members will decide to ally themselves with Shane, such as Andrea.

Twilight Saga Ruins Womens' Rights & The Allure of Vampires!

Two MONUMENTAL things occurred for women in the last week or two. Unfortunately, more people, even females, know of one of the monumental occurrence, rather than the other. Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn has just come out, sending women into a blood-curdling and moist frenzy at the sight of their sparkly vampire, Edward Cullen. It made a mad killing (pardon the pun) at the box office; THE BELLA wedding dress, which is the most anticipated wedding dress of the year after the Duchess of Do-Little's wedding dress (aka Kate Middleton), has already inspired knock-offs which will be flooding the lucrative bridal market and filling the heads of starry eyed bride to be's with silky-lacy dreams. Need I continue on the number the Twilight books and movies have done to the collective romantic fantasies of women? They have turned sparkly vampires and muscly, stinking werewolves, into viable romantic partners for mortal females? I'm sure the release of this movie has not gone unnoticed.

Then the second event, which may have slipped the notice of many a woman: it was the day of November 25th, The International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women. Such an important day, yet it doesn't receive half as much media coverage or leave an impression on the collective conscience, as those mind-numbingly silly Twilight books and movies have (must be pretty obvious by now that I dislike those poor excuses of literature and cinema, immensely)!

We are in the 21st century, yet horrific violence towards women still continue. Be it a woman who is being abused every which way by her husband/spouse; women being killed by their partners or families; to cultural notions of men being superior; to women being seen as easy & being preyed upon by sexual predators; to women being displayed as sexually available, quiet & submissive beings (a la Bella in Twilight); to women not being believed by judicial authorities (run predominantly by men) when they report their sexual assaults; to global sex trafficking of women to available "buyers"; to female rape being used as a weapon meant to cower and defeat war opponents.

Social support services for women in Canada are facing downsizing and cutbacks by government, thus leading to another method of exploitation of women. One of the many cases in point is the funding that was stopped by the Conservatives for the Sisters in Spirit national database for murdered, missing & cold cases of hundreds of Aboriginal women (Read more here: http://aptn.ca/pages/news/2011/02/03/conservative-mps-back-sisters-in-spirit-database-funding/).

These are the issues that the Nov 25th day is meant to raise awareness of; to keep fighting against the ignorance, which begets the violence, towards women; and fight towards the elimination of this kind of violence.

And then you have the Twilight books and movies, which promote the following, that takes the women rights movement back by 50 years:

1.) Revolve your entire life around getting the boy of your dreams, at the expense of having your own friends & social life, supports, paying attention to your family; developing a fulfilling career & gaining financial independence, instead of Bella depending on Edward to fill the emotional holes in her life & counting on him to always love her & take care of her.

2.) Constantly forgive & make excuses for a man who is emotionally abusing you & abandons you, by believing that he is doing this because he passionately loves you & doing it for your own good (just like Bella & Edward)!!! Kind of sounds like what a male spousal abuser will say to his wife, who he has gotten used to using as his door-mat.

3.) If the man is handsome enough, he can treat you however the hell he wants to, because hey....at least he is handsome and is a stallion in bed!

4.) Your boyfriend/partner watching you sleep & following you around, without your knowledge; should send tingles of lust up your spine, instead of tingling your fingers to dial the phone and call the police. 

And there are many more instances of how these Twilight books, which millions of young females are reading & developing their ideas of a romantic adult relationships, are giving females the wrong idea of what kind of treatment they should expect and demand from their partners. These Twilight books & movies, entrench ignorance about the presence of violence in relationships (such as justifying any psycho behaviour as love and possessiveness), and teaches women to not recognize signs of abuse being committed by their partners. Keeping females dumbed down through ignorance, breeds the prime ground for violence to occur and for a woman to continue being abused. It teaches women to accept that violence can and will happen in any romantic relationship, until the woman can change the man for the better! Which is what Bella Swan did, ladies. 

I'm not blaming the Twilight saga alone for promoting the idea of "abusive relationships are real relationships" myth & for all the other evils of the world. Nor am I saying that by engaging with this garbage literature and the far worse movies, all women will behave this way. 

What I'm trying to say is that global media phenomenon like The Twilight Saga, will be read by many women, through which many women will learn that the Bella-Edward relationship is a star-crossed, ideal, love story; the women's ideas about relationships could be influenced; or it could confirm many womens' insecurities about relationships, because they may say, "Hey Bella, the not-so-popular, not-so-hot girl got to marry and bang the totally hot vampire, by being willing to give up everything for him!" These media products and many others like it breeds women's ignorance; women's quiet acceptance of their victimization; and women confused ideas about their sexuality! 

These are what I feel takes the fight of elimination of violence against women, backwards! 

I will FULLY blame the Twilight Saga for one thing though: they have turned vampires from the towering, sexy, mysterious and deliciously dangerous villains of literature, into puny, sparkly, whiny, brats with forever bed-head hair! I hate the Twilight Saga for this very reason too!