The Secretary (2002)

Lee Holloway is a smart, quirky but self destructive woman in her twenties who returns to her hometown in Florida after a brief stay in a mental hospital. In search of relief from herself and her oppressive childhood environment, she starts to date a nerdy friend from high school and takes a job as a secretary in a local law firm, soon developing an obsessive crush on her older boss, Mr. Edward Grey. Slowly Lee and Mr.Grey embark on a more personal relationship behind closed doors, crossing lines of conduct into a deep realm of human sexuality, a unique love affair, in which the roles of dominance and submission suit both of them perfectly.

Secretary is a powerful and very unique love story, its bold, unflinching humour and strange yet seductive eroticism help explore the notion that love doesn't always occur the way we might expect.

The Road To Nowhere

'How about an open relationship?' He asks.
'Sure', I reply.

Now what sort of moron would be prepared to have feelings for someone who may not be a player but sure has the potential to develop into one later in his life? Exactly, Me. Only I could kid myself by saying I need the experience for a proper partnership that could come about in the future when I'm actually hurting deeply, at a soul level. I know for a fact that this new object of my affection intends to take me nowhere near rainbows and fluorescent butterflies but dump me in the familiar endless wasteland of unhealthy obsession and depression. I am expected to let out of my window every night, imaginary doves with love letters attached to their talons and wait it out for months and maybe years altogether for subliminal messages of some sort. He promises to let go when he no longer needs me, regardless of my need for his precious company. He makes me swear that I won't feel deeply for him or hold him back from a lifetime of fun despite knowing me to be an extreme romantic at heart. Why make so grand an entrance into my life when all I'm rewarded with are soured expectations and a future of instability with him? When all I can treasure is the slowly fading memory of his melodiously soothing voice, witty remarks and that slight squint he has when deep in thought? Why do this to someone who could sacrifice herself for you and love you eternally without passing judgement based on your appearance and status in society? Unfortunately for you, every road has a dead end and 'Nowhere' is the kind of word I only like to associate with dead-end affairs such as this one.

Stranger

I see you gaze penetratingly at her,

with eyes as black as the night.
What do you hope to see?

I've watched as you move your lips,
murmuring inaudibly into the crisp winter breeze.
What are you trying to say?

You've sniffed at the air more than once,
with that roman nose slightly inclined.
Whose scent do you so effortlessly detect?

What do you hope to hear
by tilting your head ever so subtely,
whenever she has something to say?

Do shivers running throughout your body
make the fine hairs on your skin stand,
as her arm accidently brushes yours?

Let go of all five senses for a moment
and you will discover that the key to your soul as well as her's,
lies within your reach.

Random Pics

 Above are snaps of my avian pal Lucius from Sharjah as well as a picture of our dearest hostel persian cat who pees on everything in his way. Below are pictures of my visit to Dubai Mall and the gigantic aquarium with its eels, stingrays, sharks and a variety of fish as well as a snap of Bloomingdales.

Goodbye Stranger!

Uptil seven years back, I lived at peace with myself and never felt the need to look for something more. This came to an end, with the arrival of the King of Swords who's largely responsible for the state I'm in right now. He lured me into his trap with an air of detachment and somewhat good looks (which are slowly waning). He drained me emotionally and then left me at the mercy of his pompous and quick-tempered partner in crime, the King of Pentacles. Now this wasn't the sort of guy I'd even look at twice, owing to his awkward mannerisms, priestly lectures and a terrible sense of humour but in my vulnerable state I needed all the support I could get. He further messed up the situation with an artless expression of simulated feelings and bogus sugar coated words. It took me about a year with the continuous replaying of 'Wouldn't it be Nice' by the Beachboys to recover from something I thought akin to Love, with his pusillanimous sibling, Knight of Swords tiptoe-ing all over my cyberspace like a stupid little girl and sending me crappy invitations over the internet which I couldn't have bothered about even if I was the loneliest person on the planet. Moving on from this assortment of freaks, I encountered several guys at college who weren't too out of this world but Boy, was King of Wands some catch! He never seemed aware of his surroundings and always danced to an imaginary tune in his head. Friends said that he was the biggest loser they'd ever encountered and warned me against losing my self-respect for him, but I didn't listen, as always. He was like a breath of fresh air from the emotionless freaks of the past. But several phone coversations and one love poem later made me realize he wasn't my type at all. And that brings me to my current situation. Seven years of disappointment, four assholes in succession, broken dreams and lowered expectations are enough to shatter one's hopes once and for all. So dearest Prince Charming, whoever you are and wherever you maybe at this exact instant, please understand why I'm giving up on my pursuit of you from this day on.

Forsyte Saga (2002)

Starring: Damian Lewis, Gina McKee and Rupert Graves.

This film centres around the life story of the beautiful but poor Irene, who makes a huge mistake by marrying Soames Forsyte and getting herself trapped in a loveless marriage. The controlling and seemingly hard-hearted Soames is unable to understand his artistic and independent young wife who refuses to be one of his 'possessions'. She in turn, is unable to tolerate his need for control over her and his inability to express passion without coming across as hurtful. Their relationship disintegrates within two years of marriage and Irene finds love in the penniless architect, Philip Bossiney. She threatens to leave Soames after he gets abusive and eventually does leave him, after Bossiney dies in an accident. Meanwhile, Jolyon Forsyte is busy carrying on a relationship with the governess of his daughter, June, following a separation from his wife, Frances. His family disowns him and he settles down to start a family with the governess Helene. He learns that his wife is dead and proposes marriage to the governess, who accepts. Helene dies later, and he falls in love with a mourning Irene in whom he sees a reflection of himself. The two of them have a son, Jon Forsyte. Soames moves on with his life and has a daughter, Fleur from his second marriage. Second cousins, Fleur and Jon fall in love, ignorant of their parents misdeeds and pasts. The series is concluded with Fleur finding out the truth about their parents and marrying a wealthy suitor, leaving Jon heartbroken.

Hell's Oven: Right at The Centre of It

Staying at home on my usual one-month long vacation has enabled me to take stock of my life and where I want to go from this point. One thing is for sure; I'm done living in hell's oven. It's the kind of sickening place where you get half your money's worth for every food item you purchase, making you some sort of semi-functional humanoid. It's a place where you're asked for a continuous output of information but are given measly input, on the condition that you're willing to travel several miles for it, as a result, rendering two-thirds of its population, complete morons. Everyone is more than glad to take material gifts from you, showering you with pseudo praise and affection soon after but leaving you to perish on the street from starvation right in front of their houses, months later. It's the kind of place where people occasionally complain about the pitiable state of their lives, but have no real intention of getting out of their self imposed plights. They yearn for monstrously ugly villas, truckloads of money, permanent jobs and faithful spouses. Yet, it never occurs to them that their pursuit of happiness could be simplified if only they could act saner, learn new skills, acquire more knowledge and become better people and not the pretentious saintly douchebags that they genuinely are. I'm mad at myself for having permitted others to drag me into this shithole and madder at time for not passing quicker. Spending another two and a half years here is unthinkable especially since I refuse to play along with the devil's helpers any longer. I'm sick of the 'friends' who leave you at the mercy of people they know you hate, leave you standing right beside them to witness their grotesque shagging sessions and sick of the ones who are never there for you when you most need them. Family tires me with their endless demands and impositions. Relatives on social networking sites happen to be the worst, with their pathetic posts which are in reality, desperate and annoying cries for attention. I mean who really wants to know what some sad old wrinkled hag wore to a party? You'd just be glad she's still alive and made it this far. And the flaky cousin who's constantly uploading photos and changing his relationship status to show the world how popular and desirable he still is? You'd have died never to be in his shoes, the day you witnessed him drop a bomb in a classroom full of cute eighth graders. Anyway, enough about the distant past. More recently, having to stand in the proximity of the Devil's spawn during my dearest grandfather's funeral, was more than I could bear. I could've grabbed a shovel right then, hit them all on the head and sent them flying straight into their afterlives. The disgust at encountering them wass just too overwhelming; the equivalent of having to endure an abscess in your brain for a few minutes. Year 2014! How I long for you! Your arrival is sure to kick me out of this zombie like stupor which I walk around in nowadays. The word 'Freedom' has taken on a whole new meaning for me. I don't even want a great love life anymore. To be forever free from the chains binding me to this private hell I've landed myself in, is all I ask for.

Random Must-Watch Romance Films

1. Sweet Jane

Jane, an HIV-positive heroin addict, meets Tony, a young AIDS victim with no family, and the two form a bond. Tony helps her get out of dangerous situations which she places herself in and she returns the favour by taking care of him on his deathbed.







2. Ruby Sparks

A novelist struggling with writer's block finds romance in a most unusual way: by creating a female character he thinks will love him, then willing her into existence.





3. Happenstance

Audrey Tautou plays shop assistant Irène, who on the way to work takes a seat on the Paris metro opposite an older woman who tries to interview her for a marketing survey. On hearing that Irène's birthdate is 11 March 1977, the woman reads her horoscope : today she'll meet her true love, but she must be patient. After she leaves the metro, a young man sitting alongside tells the older woman he was born on the same day and asks her to read the rest of the horoscope.

4. Moonrise Kingdom

An ex boy scout and a depressed girl flee their New England town, which causes a local search party to fan out and find them.






5. One Day

After spending the night together on the night of their college graduation Dexter and Em are shown each year on the same date to see where they are in their lives. They are sometimes together, sometimes not, on that day.

6. Big Love

This sexually explicit art movie jumps back and forth between two story lines, one tracing the obsessive affair between a teenage music student and a biochemist some ten years her senior, and the other chronicling the police investigation that ensues after the man has murdered the girl.



7. Leap Year

Anna Brady plans to travel to Dublin, Ireland to propose to her boyfriend Jeremy on February 29, leap day, because, according to Irish tradition, a man who receives a marriage proposal on a leap day must accept it.

Anna Brady plans to travel to Dublin, Ireland to propose to her boyfriend Jeremy on February 29, leap day, because, according to Irish tradition, a man who receives a marriage proposal on a leap day must accept it.

Guillaume Canet

Born: 10 April 1973

Guillaume Canet is a top actor and director in France. Son of horse breeders, the young man spent his childhood in the countryside near Paris. In his youth, Guillaume wanted to be a horse-rider, and briefly followed a professional career in the sport. A bad fall broke his dreams led to his acting career, and success. After briefly studying acting, he started his career with the success we know. Often cast in roles of naive young men, Canet knew how to be hired for other parts. Chiseled features and real talent brought him to stardom quite soon. A star in France, well-known in continental Europe, Guillaume could become easily one of the greatest actors of the next decade. 

He has starred in several films like Joyeux Noël, Love Me If You Dare and The Beach. In 2006, he turned to writing and directing with Tell No One and won a César Award for Best Director. He's currently married to french actress Marion Cotillard, his Love Me If You Dare co-star with whom he has a son Marcel.

Below is a trailer of his best romance film by far, 

Halloween Magic for Young Women

A young lady should try to peel an apple in one continuous strip. Holding the apple peel in her right hand, she has to whirl around three times and throw the peel over her left shoulder. The peel will form the outline of the first letter of her future husband's name. If the peel breaks, it's an indicator that she will never marry (I've tried this one, and got my peel resembling a J).

If a girl has several young men courting her and is undecided as to which she should choose, on Halloween she should take apple seeds, naming one for each man and stick them to her face. The last seed to fall off is the person she should pick. 

Another common method instructed to a girl is to light two candles at midnight, then sit  in front of a mirror and eat an apple. She was then instructed to brush her hair.  An image of her future lover/husband would appear in the mirror behind her shoulder. Some believe if you catch a snail on Halloween night and lock it into a flat dish, in the morning you will see the first letter of your sweetheart written in the snail's slime.

In Scotland, a woman would name a hazelnut for each of her suitors and toss the nuts into the fireplace. The nut that burned to ashes, rather than popping or exploding, represented the girl's future husband.

If you'd like to see your future husband in a dream, then just place a sprig of rosemary and a silver sixpence under your pillow on Halloween night. If a lady wished to dream of her future husband on Halloween then she could also place her shoes in the shape of a 'T'. The 'T' was believed to be a very potent talisman with connections with the Scandinavian God, 'Thor', the 'T' representing his war hammer. Once she had placed the shoes on the floor she would then have said, 

"Hoping this night my true love to see, 

I place my shoes in the shape of a T".