Football and Shajarian

Today after 12 years I have watched a whole football world cup match, Argentina and Mexico. I really enjoyed it. Look forward to the next play which will be Argentina and Germany.

Then treated myself with a programme from BBC Persian about the first and only Shajarian.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBWQGqW9vy8

For whom is much harder, me or my husband

Today I have met one of my Islamic country fellows. I was talking that I am living alone and how difficult it is but mentioned that now I am getting use to it. At this time she arrogantly while reforming her veil said "Yes" ... "but poor your husband, it should be much more difficult for him" and I said to myself "What !!!!", "Why...",
Why she said that really, all these time I thought my situation is much harder, I am the one dealing with new life, culture, study and loneliness.

Using Chopsticks

We were 8 to 9 people sitting around the coffee table in the Japanese style, each from different part of the world. Shamefully I was the only one who did not know how to use the chopsticks.
If you are interested to learn click here.

unpleasant circumstances

Since I came here I have tried to join different clubs and social events to make friendships and get to know people. Although it is very helpful believe me it is not always easy, if you were stuck at home you would have less problems and headaches.

For example, I was in a discussion group and a friend of mine was talking about the time he was going back to his homeland. He said even though he speaks the language perfectly local people there quickly understand that he is a foreigner and occasionally shopkeepers cheat the prices and charge him more money. While he was talking I recalled some of my own experiences in my homeland. They do the same ... Followed the conversation I said this, which I wish I should not have said: “Maybe they find you sissy”. He looked upset. It was meant to be an insult. But what I meant by that had nothing to do with him and it was about different contexts and people’s behaviour in different context. Being rough for local people has different meanings and signs. A man who is brought up in a very tough milieu has different body language and people usually expect a fixed definite understanding of being a man or women. Definitely sissy in the UK has another meaning and signs. That is why I said “they find you sissy” because as far as my experience tells me every word has relative meanings especially adjectives; there is no beautiful or ugly. Everything is relative. So to me in a society in which people are dealing with initial needs some behaviours look strange and out of norm while for others especially in affluent societies it is a norm and has nothing to do with sexuality or being inferior. In my culture upper classes are called “sissy” by lower classes because they treat women nicely, they dress up more colourful and they don’t have rough accents.

To be honest I look up the word in the dictionary again and he could be right by getting upset but I wanted to say something about different cultures and subcultures through a joke and share my observation. I hope people there would understand that. As usual I learnt something but I hope it would not have cost my friend’s anxiety.

cosmoplitan

Living here is not just experiencing British culture, it is about many cultures and different communities. It is about having friends from Russia to China, Spain to Brazil, Syria to India. How could I know all these people without living here?
Such a blessing situation, I wish for all my beloved family and friends and every human kinds.

Plurality

Hannah Arendt believes that communities are not based on homogeneity; on the contrary they are based on plurality (1958).

Big decision

I have finally made my mind .... I am going to work on the kitchen appliances, why? because the necessity of the kitchen itself needs to be reconsidered. Then, what happens to kitchen appliances if we look for a sustainable kitchen?my target group will be ... I think I should not put to much information on my page :)

Kitchen Kitchen ... Kitchen
Food Food ... Food
Eat, Eat ... Eat

Buy, store, gather, wash, boil, cook, bake, serve, eat, wash, restore, ... and repeat.
What else people do in their kitchens:
In Britain definitely people use their kitchens for different purposes, they often gather to talk, listen to radio or music, have an afternoon tea, wash clothes or dry clothes. write to a friend or using the Internet.

Useless Kitchens

"The definition of gadget would be its potential uselessness and its ludic combinatory value. … The gadget is indeed the truth of the object in consumer society. In this sense, anything can become a gadget." (Baudrillard, 1990, p.77)
“It is in fact neither its utilitarian nor its symbolic function that defines a gadget, but its LUDIC function. Our relationship to objects, people, culture, leisure, sometimes work, and even politics is increasingly governed by the ludic.” (Baudrillard, 1990, p.79)
Is it true that most of the functional things that we use in our everyday life are just only gadgets and have ludic functions? In a modern society like Britain for some lifestyles it could be true and when it is true even for a scare population then we can expect from a philosopher like Buadrillard to bring it into notes and claim it as a fact.
Kitchen in the UK is really useless for some families. Not useless useless but its function is just as an entertainment and nothing more. Every thing in a very decent quality can be purchased in ready made form at supermarkets. You don't even need a place in the kitchen to eat it because TV is the centre of the home and is "hearth".
Reference: Baudrillard, J. (1990) Revenge of the Crystal. London, Pluto Press.

share you some philosophical thought

I am reading "Revenge of the Crystal" these days and thought may be it would be interesting for you to know some of Baudillard's opinions about objects. Here are some of his statements:

Man is not at home in the functional milieu.

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This is what functional objects clearly lack: they only exist in the present, in the indicative, in the practical imperative, disappearing along with their use value without ever having previously existed. The functional object is effectual, while the mythological object is complete.

***

What man lacks is always invested in the object [ it is similar for savage and modern societies but in different form, for the former it appears as fetishism to modern objects and for the latter as fetishism for antique and bygone objects]

***

According to him our current lives have such controversies, and one completes the other one. a functional modern cupboard with a Spanish sideboard, an apartment in town and a house in the country.

Pray for me to overcome such deep philosophical meanings.

inappropriate feelings

I like to write something but I censor myself a lot. then I find nothing worthwhile to put in here. I know it is good to just keep it up to date, but what should I do with my personality. a self censorship. like everybody I have some ups and downs but I don't know why just as the moment of being down I like to write and share. I used to talk to a friend or someone very close to me (who unfortunately is not available for me these days for reasons) but here I feel it inappropriate to talk about ordinary feelings, especially your bad moods. Everyone tries to show or at least show off a positive character then you find yourself alone, lonelier than ever. I miss my close friends ...
When you are looking for something, at the moment of finding that, be sure that you have lost something else.

by the way Happy Valentine, love more than you can but have a respect for yourself, something we have always forgotten and hard to achieve.