More chatter

Right now… I’m dreaming of a bowl of Bakmi Gajah Mada. Oh man, just thinking about it makes me happy. Of course, the reality is quite different. Dinner tonight was (canned) cream of chicken. No bread (too lazy).

I had a nice Saturday, though. Woke up not too late, just in time to go to McCord Museum, which admits visitors free of charge between 10 to 12 on the first Saturday of each month. I only had the energy (and patience) to see one exhibition ‘Reveal or Conceal’ which traces the evolution of women’s clothing from the 19th century until the present time. Specifically, its relation to modesty and eroticism. Noted two interesting things:1. A ‘full dress’ actually means a dress that reveals the shoulders, arms and even cleavage. It was the dress code for elite women in the late 19th century (don’t quote me on the exact period though, it could’ve been early 20th century) when attending balls. At one such occasion, the invited women were instructed to wear a full dress where failing to do so required them to submit a medical letter saying why they could not wear one! Crazee…
2. Of course, an exhibition named ‘Reveal or Conceal’ has to mention veiled women, right? One woman’s comment on why she loves the veil so much is because “after wearing the veil all day outside, when you come home, take it off and see yourself in the mirror, you’ll find yourself even more beautiful [than you think].” Also, “I love wearing beautiful and soft fabrics. Wearing the veil just gives me the excuse to wear these nice things everyday.” I knew that thing has nothing to do with modesty! The other comments defend the veil because the veil gives the wearer self respect. Ay ay ay… I don’t buy that crap. You don’t need a piece of cloth covering your head in order for others to respect you. There are things like being smart, being friendly or being generous.

Moving on... I then went the Salvation Army shop to look for clothes I can wear to work. Didn't find any decent looking tops, but I did find two really nice skirts (one even bears a Polo Ralph Lauren label, though authenticity is in doubt) at $4 each! Woohoo.

The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around the city which, thanks to the rain, is no longer a smog factory. I love this city full stop.

And tonight , we learnt that Canadian TV journalist, Melissa Fung, who was kidnapped last month in Afghanistan has been released. Great news, of course, but it does remind us that, while we go to our warm beds tonight, fearing nothing but the alarm clock that might strike at any moment to remind us that we have jobs to go to, many, many people around the world live in captivity. Held by political enemies or, even scarier, by people close to them. Remember earlier this year the story about this guy who held his own daughter in the basement for 25 years and had children with her? It's stories like this that sometimes makes me think - despite the obvious invasion of privacy - that we all have to be electronically chipped.