Kindle vs Books

Today I was waltzing about my favourite shop, Exclusive Books, and as my sister and I were considering which Sherlock Holmes volume to purchase, when a man came up to us and suggested that we download the free eBooks. I told him eBooks hurt my eyes, and he suggested we buy a Kindle, an eBook reader. I've seen a Kindle before, and I love the fact that it has a 'dull' screen so it's easy on the eyes, but at the same token, it doesn't have a book smell or feel. But in any case I figured it wouldn't hurt to research it and see whether it is worth saving up for.

Pros:
- eBooks are quick to download
- Gentle on the eyes
- It's light
- You can carry your library around with you (reading fiction during lecture made easy)
- You don't pay extra for hardback books
- You can adjust the screen format to suit your needs (bigger font, etc)

Cons:
- There's no book smell
- There's no turning of pages
- There's no 'hardback' version, so no spine labels on my books
- Chances are, my mother will see the electronic device as a distraction from my studies and confiscate it as a form of punishment. She's done this with my books before, but it's easier to hide a Kindle than it is to hide a thousand paged book. Also, the Kindle would have all my books, which means all my books would be confiscated.
- Because technology comes with unaccommodating prices, we'd probably only get one. So my sister and I would fight over it, thus increasing her argument about me being her 'arch enemy' (See, she's going through this Sherlock phase and refuses to call me anything but Mycroft and responds to nothing but Sherlock - She even changed our names on my mother's cellphone address-book. She's sixteen years old.)
- Lack of physical books means I won't have enough reason to build a secret library with a secret passage in my future home.

The Kindle is about R 1 600 if I'm not mistaken. Currently, the A Song of Ice and Fire box set is just under R 1 000 at Exclusive Books. I'm sorry Kindle, but that box set comes with a map of Westeros and the Seven Free Cities, which already has a spot on my wall. Maybe next year.

Ice and Fire

I've not yet blogged about my recent obsession, mostly because I haven't had time to blog in the last few months, however I'm both pleased and petrified to announce that I have a new, growing obsession which is showing clear signs of becoming almost as time consuming as Harry Potter is for me. 

I started watching Game of Thrones about two months ago and, with some time on my hands, I've started the books. Books are better, just saying. Although the TV series is pretty good. 

Instead of bombarding my blog with ASoIaF posts, I figured it would be better if I just fangirled on Tumblr - which is why I've created a new blog from my Tumblr account. 

Oh, and I LOVE Arya Stark.

Nelson Mandela - Simplicity of Intention and Action.

The common Absurdist belief follows that the only two things that mankind can be certain of is life and death. It is the same for every man and woman, regardless of their status or wealth.

I think that’s something everyone should consider when we make decisions and take actions. We have a limited period on this earth, and we don’t even know the length of it. What matters is not the start of our life or our death, but the time in between. 

Nelson Mandela is someone who used his time effectively and is proof that sometimes simplicity in actions and intentions can create the biggest societal impact.

There appears to be no ‘idle time’ in his history. Even his twenty seven years on Robben Island wasn’t simply spent in isolation - his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom was drafted on scraps of toilet paper during his imprisonment and hidden in the garden outside his prison cell. 

Twenty-seven years of imprisonment is still difficult for me to understand because I’m only twenty. It seems practically nightmarish and untrue. But this is because I was born into a time when democracy was being introduced in South Africa, so I have no true understanding of the struggle the older generations of our country faced. The scary part is that I could have easily been born into a time of civil war in South Africa. But Nelson Mandela chose forgiveness over revenge, and I am able to enjoy rights, facilities and a life my parents and grandparents were not allowed to, able to choose my friends without the restriction of racial prejudice. 

Today marks the beginning of national mourning for the late president. But the best way to honour someone is to understand their legacy and do our best to ensure it’s never forgotten. For me, it will be his simplicity of his choices that will always stand out. Forgiveness saved South Africa from civil war. Wearing a t-shirt to show his support for those living with HIV and Aids created an awareness, eliminated any notion that is was taboo and gave hope to those affected by the illness. His support for the Springboks in the 1995 Rugby World Cup, in the wake of democracy, helped unite South Africans,

He was never excessive and over-dramatic, just simple and poignant. And this is something we could all implement in the uncertainty between life and death.

Thank you, Nelson Mandela, for your simplicity, your compassion and your determination. May your legacy remain deeply rooted in African soil and help our country flourish. 

Vanity Fair

There have been a few.. uh, things swimming around in my head recently. Some people would consider them topical and interesting, and others, downright insulting. But there's one I'm sure a lot of people would ideally agree on. Vanity and its prevalence.

I guess we can't really escape it. As human beings, we're naturally attracted to things with aesthetic appeal - people, achievements, status, homes, lifestyles. We always find ourselves envisioning futures guided by vanity. But why has it become the focal point of futures?

Why do parents put pressure on their kids in school to get the DUX or become Head Girl or Head Boy to the extent that to not achieve it is seen as a failure? Does the fact that your child is not the DUX mean that they're academically incapable? Is fifth position, as opposed to first, really that detrimental? And why, exactly, do you want your child to be DUX of the school? So you can show off to friends and family?

Why, in terms of dating or even marriage proposals, is looks so important? Hormones aside, why on EARTH do we still hear the phrases 'oh, he's so fair' or 'does she have blue eyes'? Why do we allow physiques blind us against the important things like values or, simply, personalities? Why do we allow physical attraction crumble solid relationships that we've already built? (And why on earth is the 'prettiness' of our unborn, un-conceived babies so important?)

Why do we care about what cars we drive, the cars our friends drive, why their parents bought them such an expensive car and what our parents would've done? Is it really difficult to simply be happy for someone else's fortune? Why do we see the need to better someone else?

Why is the time spent planning an elaborate wedding longer than the duration of the actual marriage? Why has the detail on a serviette holder on the table twenty five of the reception hall become so important? A single person is not defined by their family or upbringing - so why do we place emphasis on the surname of the family our sons and daughters are marrying into, instead of looking at the qualities of the individuals they are marrying?

Why are the perceptions of others so important to us? And why do we scrutinize and criticize others?

I guess vanity and perception is something that is constantly drummed into us. Every male lead in a book or film is physically attractive, so young girls are brought up looking for their potential 'other-half' based on looks (and probably a dark, mysterious allure). Our economy has places emphasis on consumption, hence the use of marketing and upgrades to create trends. Shiny badges and braided blazers earn us pats on the head (and maybe even money).

Vanity is a veil that both covers and blinds us. It is outwardly. It is perception. And perception is not always reality.

* * *

In other news, I started (and completed) a book that has no relation to my degree of study whatsoever for the first time a few months. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. I'm a sucker for fantasy novels, so it was a wonderful 12 hours. Keen to start City of Ashes!

Controversial or Disrespectful?

In my opinion, there are two types of controversial statements; one which offends a societal ideal and one which is downright disrespectful. I shamefully enjoy the first type of controversy; it's really interesting to see different ideology being challenged, particularly on a creative platform - my favourite being dramatic arts. But just reading up on Salman Rushdie's 'The Satanic Verses' was enough to make me cringe audibly.

Basically in 1988 author Salman Rushdie (I prefer not to refer to him by his newly acquired 'Knight' status) published this book and, though it is classified under the genre of 'magical realism' in fiction, it contains clear, controversial elements directly linked to the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH), His life, His family and the Origins of the Holy Qur'aan. Rushdie is clearly well-read, but to use his talent and knowledge for blaspheme is petty and disrespectful. Perhaps he doesn't like Islam or its teachings, and that's okay. That's his opinion. But to intentionally include incorrect and offensive information about something that is important to someone else; where is the respect in that? How does he expect anyone to respect his work if he disrespects others?

At the time of publication, there was (naturally) a huge uproar in the Muslim world about the book. First it was band in several countries, which is acceptable. But a year later, the Iranian government released a Fatwa which ordered the execution of Rushdie and his publishers. As much as I dislike this man and his blaspheme, I really do think that this Fatwa is the worst thing that could have happened. Yes, the book is a clear crime against Islam, but to retaliate with violence doesn't exactly help to improve the image of our religion. The media has a wonderful talent of highlighting the extremist behaviour of people who call Islam their religion and occurrences like these only create a negative image. I understand the anger and frustration over the book and its content, but there was unnecessary loss of life that resulted from the Fatwa.

I came across this quote when I was reading up on the Rushdie Affair:

“What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.” - Salman Rushdie

If expression simply means 'to offend', then you need to rethink your ideas, Mr. Rushdie. Literature and expression is about so much more that about being controversial and offensive. When I was in high school, one of my English teachers raved about Rushdie's work, but I'd remembered my mother telling me about a book he had written which insulted the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) and so I mentally cast him aside. Perhaps he is a fantastic writer and deserves those awards he has received for his works, but I cannot possibly enjoy the acclaimed literary merit of his writing when he has published such an atrocity.

Untouched Pages

So the sad truth of my holiday; excessive stress, unsurprising procrastination and a whole. stack. of. untouched. books. And, of course, today I unashamedly added another book to that stack. This one was well-worth it though. As soon as I'm done with Ms Austen's Sense and Sensibility, I'll be attacking this one.

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith. I mean J. K. Rowling. I would love to go into excruciating detail about the big reveal that my favourite author published a book under a pseudonym, but in light of keeping with my birthday "No Procrastinating" resolution, I want to keep this post short. You can read about it at MuggleNet. My wonderful friend managed to get me one of the last copies of the First Edition of this book - i.e.: the book has no traces of J. K. Rowling in it.

Pray I get over the initial booksniffing stage, then perhaps I'll get down to the reading.

Roadworthy

I was just reading a blog post about a stressed out matriculant who will be writing trials in under a month and thought back to my trials period and realized my stress levels were nothing then compared to how I felt when I took my drivers test a week and a half ago. Whilst America was enjoying their Independence Day, I spent most of my morning feeling nauseous and hysterical, clutching onto every shred of faith and Divine Intervention I could get before doing my drivers test.

Now, let me explain why the stress levels over 9000. In South Africa, we have this wonderful method of getting your license through the payment of bribes. The bribe generally 'sees to it' that your inspector will overlook any minor or slight mistakes you make when doing your test - basically they'll overlook anything that isn't apparently an automatic fail. 

According to my instructor, if you do not pay the bribe, you are guaranteed to fail. And for two weeks prior to my test, I was continuously subjected to this mantra, purely because I refused to pay the bribe. Firstly, it's unethical and, call me old-fashioned or (sarcastically) 'holy', but I do not believe that there is an Barkat or Blessing in anything that's done unIslamically. And paying a bribe is pretty unholy to me. Secondly, I couldn't afford to pay the bribe - paying for my driving lessons myself was wearing out my bank account. So the mantra was the main reason behind my ridiculously high stress levels that morning. 

So I go into the test, with the feeling that I was about to vomit and I make the wonderful rookie mistake of mixing up the indicators and the wipers for my pre-trip inspection. And my groundwork. And on the road.

Luckily that was the only mistake I made and, by some Miracle of God, I passed my drivers test. My reaction to my pass: Shock to Disbelief to Numbness to Relief to BURSTING INTO TEARS IN FRONT OF THE INSPECTOR to Disbelief (at this point, I had my temporary license in my hand). [Fast Foward to the next afternoon] OMG MOM I CAN DRIVE ON THE ROAD LEGALLY.

Of course my mother still wont let me use her car, but that's okay. My faith that integrity does get you  somewhere has been restored and to all those instructors who pester your learners into paying the bribe: take that. It is possible to get your drivers license in an honest fashion in South Africa.

Oh, and to the matrics who are preparing for trials - good luck! I know it currently seems like the end of the world if you don't get all A's, but you'll be laughing at yourself next year when you write your first university exams, I promise.

Review: Myspace

So the other day, as I was stalking Taylor Swift's personal social profiles for news (which is perfectly normal behaviour, mind you), I decided to visit her Myspace page. Remember that? Yes, where most new artists start out, adding their music to their profiles, creating a fanbase, etc. The one with quite an ordinary, blue homepage which has the latest news from the music industry, where your own page has a typically NING type of feel with your blog posts, Top Friends, all your top five songs, albums and movies, a comment wall; and, quite blatantly, a certified death wish.

Well, it's gone.

No, not Myspace. Just the ordinarynessness. I didn't take their emails about the change seriously when they had sent them a few months ago, and I'm glad I didn't. It was a wonderful surprise when I did see the change. Apparently Taylor took their emails seriously though; although she didn't add the entire RED album onto her page, she updated her profile picture, cover page (yes, cover page), as well as her bio. Unfortunately it's not the personal message that she usually has up, but pretty much something that would have been written by her agent.

Firstly, Myspace is white! Seriously, the profile pages pretty much have a white palette. I quite like it; the white gives the page a rather... clean finish. The profile set up has also changed completely. And by completely, I mean it's gone 90 degrees anti-clockwise. You now have to scroll to the right to see the entire page (this is for the entire site). There is now a cover page facility and, unlike Facebook, if you choose not to put a cover page, Myspace puts a cover for you, mostly landscapes, which change every time you refresh the page.

When I first signed up for a Myspace account, back in 2008, once you chose a username/url extension, you could never ever NEVEREVEREVEREVEREVER change it and Myspace made that very clear when you chose your username/url extension. It appears that they have changed their policy (probably in an attempt to revive themselves), because I successfully changed my extension from harrypotternutter  to mishfics. Not that I don't like Harry Potter anymore - how dare you even think such a thing - I just needed to streamline all my social networks and using one username makes things easier. I still retain the title of the Harry Potter Nutter.

There are, naturally, a few things I don't like about the new Myspace. Firstly, I had absolutely NO idea how to locate my settings page, library or anything other than my profile page. Everything, as I later learned, is located on the Myspace homepage, which makes profile editing a little frustrating. Another thing, I couldn't figure out how to change my bio or likes, etc, as it wasn't under settings. I eventually managed to edit mine by going to Taylor's bio and looking at the url. But really, I shouldn't have needed to do that. They could have included these things in their introductory video or setup process after logging in. Also, what happened to the blog?

I suppose with regard to anything new and computer related, the best thing to do is to play around and figure out things, which is what I've been doing and it's been fun. Final verdict: I think Myspace is on the right track to becoming one of the social network kings it once was. They just need to... get out there more, I guess.

I think I overslept

For the past week, I've spent every second waking hour sleeping (first waking hour is for Fajr, btw). Exams are finally over and, finally, I can read more, sleep more, exercise more, write more and blog more. Right? Wrong, I've been spending most of my time oversleeping to the extent that I'm so tired when I wake up and all I look forward to is going to sleep. Not to mention all the post-exam cleaning up, those mini heart-attacks whilst opening up the campus site to see my marks and projects. Yes, I still have campus work. So much for a holiday.

I do have a list of things I would like to do during this one month holiday, though. And I intend on crossing off at least half the things on that list. One of those include learning the Glee cover of Papa don't Preach on guitar. I found this video tutorial that makes it quite easy to learn, so I'll be using that to help me.

In other news, Kim And Kanye have named their daughter North West. And, of course, it is currently a World Trend on Twitter. And, of course, the first thing any logical person would think is that everyone is talking about the South Africa province, right? RIGHT?? I guess, though, that the parents looked at their baby and thought 'YOLO'. Speaking of the couple, a friend of mine posted this on Facebook. I checked on Twitter if it was legit, but I couldn't find the post. So, assuming that this is in fact a photoshopped item, hats off to the person who made this.

Monday Madness

Does it make me weird that I enjoy Mondays? I mean, I know it's the generally accepted view that Mondays mean work and reality. But Mondays are beautiful. They're the start to a new week, a fresh start to correct mistakes of the previous week. A chance for redemption, to catch up on work that should have been done ages ago. An opportunity to study for that test on Tuesday, the one which you promised yourself you'd study for on the weekend. My point is, if there was no Monday, you'd be quite screwed for that test.

Monday's also start with 'M', which is the first letter of my name. I'm currently spending my Monday afternoon waiting for my lift to pick me up from campus. I should probably make use of this time and study or something. Believe me, I tried. But it's almost 5pm and I want food. So I'll study for my test tomorrow when I go home.

O Captain, my Captain

I sat here for about five minutes trying to figure out how to start this review. So I'll be just plain. Yesterday, 12th April 2-13, I FINALLY watched the movie I've been waiting to see since 2007. And I now finally understand why my grade eight English teacher went on and on about Dead Poets' Society. She described it as being one of those movies that would leave you thinking about it years after you'd watch it, a movie that you'd re-watch and get your own copy so you could show it to your kids. And as dramatic as it sounds, she hit the nail on the head.




The script, the acting, the setting - it was all fantastic. The story-line was so intense and thought-provoking, that when I googled the movie, one of the searches that came up was 'dead poets society book'. I read up on the making of the film later and discovered that it was actually based loosely on the director's school in Australia and bits and pieces were taken from other executive crew members' back-stories  So sadly, there is no Dead Poets Society novel to look forward to. But I suppose re-watching the movie would prove just as satisfactory.

Robin Williams made me wish I had a teacher like his character, John Keating (and then I remembered I did have such a teacher\in high school). Although it was a bit strange to see him with such a mop of hair on his head, his performance was nothing short of brilliant. I suppose we're all drawn to controversy, or at least the person whose causing it, and John Keating, the man "who could do anything" is the heart of this movie. His students, a group of diverse, crafty individuals, wish to continue what their teacher once did with his group of misfits, suck the marrow out of life and by means of the Dead Poets Society. Each of the young actors portrayal of their characters was fantastic and you couldn't help but feel emotionally attached to each of them. I personal favourites were Charlie Dalton and Neil Perry. I guess in some ways, I can relate to Neil. And who wouldn't love Charlie? (As a side note, I IMDB'd all the actors from the movie. They're reeeeeeeeally old :/)

The setting was a school governed by tradition, discipline and honour in America in the 50's. I absolutely loved the male fashion, the typewriter and the olden day feel of the school itself. Almost like Hogwarts, with the woods and a lake nearby. Speaking of Hogwarts, I actually found out about this movie because of Harry Potter (of course, it all comes down to Harry Potter). In grade eight, I was going through this insane Marauder phase and I used to Youtube everything I could find about them. And then I stumbled across this video:

Thereafter I discovered that the scenes from this video were from Dead Poets Society. And so, the waiting began...

The only thing that made me scream "NO!" and the computer, was the ending. This movie was far too realistic and I just felt things were too unresolved (because there weren't that many happy endings). But the last scene, that final one before the credits roll is by far the most powerful scene. I suppose what makes it so powerful is the fact that there is still zest and spark even a midst the sad endings. 

If you're planning to watch this movie, make sure you have a box of tissues handy. And prepare yourself for a night of thinking and dreaming about it. 

Solidalitory and Resistance

From the 11th to the 17th of March, the annual Isreali Apartheid Week was held for 2013. 15 Universities across South Africa participated in various activities to create an awareness of the situation in Palestine. What is this situation, you may ask?

Well, if we cast our minds back to our own South African history of oppression and segregation, then the situation in Palestine becomes very clear. Palestinians not being allowed to live freely on the own land is one part of the issue, with waves of violence being the other part. The bombings of schools, hospitals and places of worship, demolition of Palestinian homes; the blatant murder of innocent civilians - no woman or child spared. Young men arrested without reason and tortured  by those made to believe that they're acting in good faith of their people, blind to thought of what is considered humane.

Isreal Apartheid serves to create an awareness about these injustices. At Westville Campus, we started the week off with a mini flash mob and a small stall in the quad, selling Palestinian scarves, keyrings and t-shirts, along with facepainting and henna tatoos spelling our message 'Free Palestine'. The stall was abuzz right through till Wednesday, where we hosted artists Waahid and Ewok who showed their solidalitary with Palestine. Thursday evening saw an interactive Skype session with Palestinian and American students and activists, and on Friday we wrapped up the week with a rally.
 

The Sunday prior to Isreali Apartheid Week, Ewok (@ewokessay) displayed his solidarity through his talents by spray painting a wall at North Beach; which ended up being a wonderful start to IAW2013. However, there was some resistance from the local DA counsilor, who labeled the artwork as 'Hate Speech' and then threatened to have the wall painted over. Of course, there was much resistance from IAW supporters, however the next day someone did paint over the wall. The Ethekwini Municapality denied any involvement with this occurence, however it is alleged that the person who did this arrived in a Municipality vehicle. At the end of IAW, many returned to the beachfront wall to show their resistance. You can decide for yourself if the terms "Freedom" and "Equality" is equivalent to hate speech