Su’z

After recieving great comments for the website below (and great marks! 95%!) I decided to take it a step ahead and make a sequel! On a larger screen this time! I made a documentary short in the same setting for my final project at school, which turned out to be quite hilarious too. The residents of this house are just amazingly natural performers for the camera. They were pretty spontaneous and coming up with their own ideas on how to present themselves too. It was a complete pleasure filming them.

The highlight of the film is a song, written by us in Hindi about their experiences in Melbourne. How everything turned out to be completely opposite to what they expected. It’s been rendered amazingly by one of the inmates too. I make this the official website for the film, and will publish information like the song lyrics, photos and festivals it has been entered into.

The first festival to have recieved and accepted my entry is Swansea Bay Film Festival in the UK. The screening schedule will be out soon, so look out for it in this section.

Hey guys,

An online documentary about a community! It started with a broad topic of Indian students in Melbourne, and I narrowed it down to a small sub community in it…my shared house! It has all the elements of a bollywood pot boiler – Action, drama, song and dance, fun, tension, suspense… of course it has no resolution yet, coz we’re still a community.  We don’t know where we’re going, but we’re together. I started out thinking I’m not so much a part of it, but I realised that I may not be a part of the core group, but I am a part of the hosue. And the lines between them are blurring…..

http://raws.adc.rmit.edu.au/~s3118373/

Check it out and leave comments.

notasweknowit » Blog Archive » arrested for blogging

The lesson here is serious issues about freedom of speech, and the reality associated with it. I feel blogging has given a platform to put our stories and feelings and thoughts into public, without putting ourselves directly in the public eye. (so I’m just typing in a few words into my computer, no one’s looking at me and staring at me or anything, I’m not conscious). I can write what I feel like, without having to feel very responsible. And blogging, originally meant to be online diaries are about truth (why would you lie when no one’s looking). But now, since it’s socially networked, people who feel they’re being talked about are impacting others as well.

I feel it’s a big question mark on authenticity. You have to go in to read blogs without really trusting them too much, as you never know what is propaganda. Which is really frustrating, as blogs are meant to be for relief and entertainment, maybe information,  therefore no pressure. But as they increasingly take up the role of communicators and our interface with our networked communities, there’s pressure and trust issues again. In face to face interaction at least you can read non verbal signs, what about blogs? This is one thing that is putting me off, if you have to doubt every single piece of information and communication, what are we headed to? But maybe there will be ways of reading between the lines and non verbal language experts and seminars making money teaching how to read blogs. There is always one movement, and all these tag along movements that make money through it, and then a counter movement! To find out about all of it though, we have to remain NETWORKED!

~*~MariaM~*~

Mariam’s a very agreeable person! She agrees with everyone’s blogs. But yeah food for thought is right, coz whenever I think too much , I feel hungry! And the last thing I want to feed it then is thought. Well, blogs are a means for scriptwriters and other media makers to test their stuff and explore human psychology and how their mind works with regard to different things. Now they have experts writing blogs to influence people and making money! Who ever thought blogs would fill the stomach? Food my friend, is related to our lives in more ways than it seems!

All this talk about food gets my brain going. I’ve realised as I come towards the final stages of this blog, that my blog has turned out to be about FOOD fot thought more than anything! I have discovered that people respond to blogs that are universal and emotional, talk about joy or pain or anger.. It’s like writinga screenplay. The ones that attract the most responses, from what I have seen are those that are not complete in themselves, that leave room for a conclusion to be added on.

I was reading about a portable games console that gives tourists more than 3000 crucial phrases for conversing in places such as restaurants, shops and hotels. The producer Yoshi Yamamoto came up with the idea for TalkMan after an Italian holiday. He was sitting ona bench, his eyes met with an arractive lady’s and she smiled, but they realised they couldnt talk, as they didnt share a common language. This gave him the idea of coming up with the idea of an entertaining electronic dictionary. Something that’s convenient but at the same time entertaining. The character shown in the link looks likable and potentially funny as well. This is a very good example of technology trying ot break barriers and communicate cross culturally. Another interesting point this throws up is in the context of dating. We all know how the internet and sms has empowered dating, but I’ve had a few experiences where people have added me on to MSN, but they speak a completely different language. I have tried using online translators and have carried out conversations that havent made any sense to me, but it was fun while it lasted! But since dating is more face to face, non verbal communication is more important, will people be more confident using such tools to help them with languages they don’t know? It would be even more interesting to see if these tools would allow for any arguments to occur, as even in everyday customer service situations they’re quite common! Just imagining 2 people’s eyes meeting, and then them talking into a machine is like putting this third person in between them, also the amount of time taken will be huge. But I’m sure it would be a fun one time experience. I’m kinda looking forward to using it!

After our discussion in the lecture about the moral implications of technology, I came across this article ” Feeling down? Turn off your phone” in The Age. It is kinda addictive this technology, and it becomes an extension of oneself, like  a mobile phone is an extension of our hand. I’ve spoken to friends about how the first thing we do after coming home is checking our email, even if that’s what we did before leaving the earlier place! I had a friend who’s phone would beep all the time, and we’d think wow, she’s so popular! And then one day she told us it was just alerts from all the different things she had subscribed to! Our phone has become a symbol of our social life.

Lastly, thinking about McDonalds sending messages to people who’re passing by, they can also use the bait and switch method to get people in. They may say Big Mac is on special, but when you enter they can say it’s over but we have ” XYZ new item”! And since you’ve created the appetite for a burger, you try this item! And I’m sure if technology can find ways of getting to us, there’ll be other people who’ll find ways of making money by creating software to block such advertising or SPAM sms’! It’s all a big chain reaction and like it or not, we’re in it!

Taste your life » Blog Archive » Su’z » Taste your life

Hey Min,

That sounds yummy! In Inida we have chinese food tailored to our own tastes. It’s spicy and red and crispy and yum!! I guess when food crosses boundaries, it blends into the tastes of the inhabitants. Even McDonalds has burgers called Maharaja Mac (for the big mac), etc. In Chinese food, I love the fried noodles… But well veggie food shaped like fish n stuff, I’d love to eat it, coz I love tryin new stuff but I donno how I’ll react to it, coz I’ve always been vegetarian! And yeah it is a surprise that Schezuan food  is not spicy as that’s how they make it in India, with lots of chilli and garlic. My fave is fried noodles dipped in schezuan. I remember having that as a pre starter in one of Jeri’s bdays! There’s a place called China town in Kolkata, India where authentic Chinese people live. There’s a market for Chinese items including veggies, etc. There’s a famous personality called FAT MAMA (that’s what everyone calls her with love!). It’s also supposed to be the name of an eatery.Is there any history or connection with a Fat Mama and food in China?

Jeri’s guide » Identify yourself!!

Sure accents don’t matter. It’s just a personal thing for me. Its like clothes. I just wear what I’m most comfortable in. People take it in different ways, which is what I discussed in my blog, but I just do what works for me, and I suggest other people do the same- Whatever works for them!

(Con)Fusion » Net Lingo – universal or culturally specific?

Hey,

Con-fusion brought up this idea about emoticons on the net being culturally specific. I feel anything you use to communicate is for convenience. If you’re communiacting with some one from a different culture, you may use different or simpler emoticons. Or you may introduce them to culture specific ones coz you can only say it that way, and then start using it. Depends how far you wanna go. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to stick to culture specific ones though. The choices you make are a reflection of your personality, and it needn’t be right or wrong.  I feel there’s so much pressure on us in different aspects of our lives, this is one place hopefully where we can be eased of it.

The yahoo audibles, or the avatars, for instance are really cool. For a while the audibles were mostly Americanized, but they did well to bring in some culture specific ones too. You feel good seeing your culture go places!I’m always one for learning new things, and cutting words short. My text would look like “V hv 2 ctch up 4 drnx 2nite!”

I want to bring up this other point. Do gadgets help create relationships or kind of alienate us? Sometimes I hear people say, “Oh, he’s such a different person on SMS, or chat!” And one problem I face is that, sometimes, I talk to people on the phone or through some electronic medium, and when I see them, I can’t relate to them at all. I don’t even want to be seen with them, maybe! That’s creepy. That puts doubts in my mind about people having online relationships, and even long distance ones, as the person’s presence is so important to me. I feel when the communication is mostly electronic, we’re having a relationship with our monitors, or mobile phone screens, rather than a person.

It’s low risk, you’re in control, you can block the person out if you don’t like what they’re saying, it’s too easy mate! But maybe you’re emotionally that much less attached, coz it’s just your screen after all! It’s easier to move on. Or it may depend on the person.

What do you guys think?

(Con)Fusion » Breaking barriers in cross-cultural communication

It is interesting how (Con)fusion talks about mis-adventures with regard to language and culture. When you’re outside your country, you tend to look for and bond with people who you identify with, i.e. your countrymen. I agree with you that it is also our adaptability to a new environment that matters in reducing communication barriers.

My experience has been totally different. When I first came, I was wondering if Melbourne is any different from Mumbai, as I could see so many Indians on the streets, familiar languages on traffic signals, Flinders Street Station looks just like Victoria Terminus (now Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus). I could speak in a global accent, but I was still a bit conscious of myself I guess. But in the holidays, I started working full time, and that really changed everything. The number of people I’ve spoken to (I work on the phone) has added to my variety of accents. I can speak like one of the locals. Initially and sometimes still, it would bother me when people would ask “Are you calling from India?” But talking to my peers, I realised Spanish, Swedish, Italian, Indian, it didn’t matter, they were all asked the same question! So it’s a matter of pride that India is brand when it comes to a call! Make jokes of them, abuse them, get naughty with them, buy what they sell, you can’t ignore them. That’s successful marketing! That’s what the entire branding and advertising industry work for. Publicity, generic branding!(I didn’t discover this till just now)!

We’ve all heard both sides of the coin about people who’ve made these calls and recieved them. Lemme know if you haven’t, I’d be happy to put some up on the blog. Most people asked me about my accent, and would make guesses that it’s Irish, Canadian, Scottish, Mauritian! It’s actually off the American TV that we’ve grown up on! I’d go ‘Indian’, and they’d be surprised, but I’d explain the TV bit too to reduce the shock. Even people who saw me wouldn’t really know I’m an international student, unless I made a mention or told them so! “Oh I thought you were born here!” And then suddenly they would have all these questions about how it’s like and it must be so different or hard, etc. A 180 degree change in attitude. But only for a while, which is good! I think I’ve adapted well.

One of my cousins in India, though asks of my accent, why do you have to put on something that’s not you? But it IS
me. I feel comfortable in it. I’m not decieving anyone deliberately. (How can an accent hurt anyone anyway). I’m multi faceted, and this is one of them. I feel he is viewing it in a narrow minded way. For me, I just naturally start mirroring the way a person talks. I think I’m more confident talking this way. But am I alienating my own country people? How much do I want to be a part of the global world, and how much a part of local? Do I have to distinguish between the two? There is a big gap between them, and it appears either I can bridge it ( I donno how), or choose. Some of my cuzins said, “We know you’ve got the Aussie accent when we heard your voicemail and couldn’t make out a word!” My friends in Melbourne get it of course. It’s pretty simple!

It really hit me when I made a call, and this lady went “At least you’re not INDIAN!” I was shocked! That was so in the face! Do I tell her I am, or do I go along with the farce? I said, “What difference does it make? Australia claims to be multicultural!” She said, ‘ oh you know how people who call to do surveys call from India.’ I went on to educate her about the call centres in Melbourne and Indians working here. But that was really a defining moment. It will be with me for a while, while I try to rummage through these identity issues. Phew!

Ants are good for the brain, my dad would say, if  I foun done in my food. I wouldn’t know if he was joking or being serious, as he is  a scientist! You can’t argue with people having such a label on their name. But he’s also a strict vegetarian! That makes the confusion even stronger, and the information even more dubious. My dad’s known for his jokes, and he’s also a really good cook. Not making life any easier for me guessing! But if ants were really that good, how come no one’s ever made any ant halwa? Or ant milk shake, or ant upma, or ant pasta? Just coz it SOUNDS gross?

( I can mostly think sweets, maybe coz ants love it. That must be their brain food!)

I was invited to a friend’s place for a surprise meal the other day. When I went there, I discovered that the surprise was, I had to cook the meal! (It’s something like all the fat -free chips that’s available. You get the fat free with the chips!) As soon as I was done preparing it, a chicken dish it was, which I couldn’t eat, as I’m a veggie (dad’s influence rubs off!) I was asked if I was ready to be dropped home! Of course they let me stay and enjoy watching them eat. ( They weren’t all bad, I got some fruit salad!) But they had a ball, as they hadn’t eaten such food in months, and I was proclaimed to be a saviour! You can’t argue with such a strong, logical premise based idea. I discovered talents I didn’t know I had too – cooking ! It all worked well to strengthen our relationship (based on fiction of course, coz I’m not an expert cook.. but I’m not complaining!)

Ever wondered why we say ‘let’s catch up over a drink’ and rarely say ‘over a meal’? (If you know the answer, I’d love to hear it! I just like asking questions) Coz it’s too distracting. I’ve seen great chatter boxes (not including me, coz Im a really quiet person) go silent as soon as food arrives. It’s such a conversation killer. In goes the food in their mouth, and all you can hear are orgasmic sounds. Silence (or even the aforesaid sounds) is the best compliment for amazing food. Drink on the other hand, makes blabbermouths go on for even longer. And not just that, it makes even the quiet ones catch up! Not me of course, coz I’m TOO quiet for the talk race!

So let me know if you have any anecdotes about your experiences with food or drink – like this blog. (I’m in drink mode and open to discussion