Taking time out, just somewhere else

Sari, I was so wrong!
Originally uploaded by Karan V.

I knew it wouldn't be long before I was sick of my own company and would need to escape home detention for some fresh air.

In search of my Audrey artwork, I realised that lugging home a 3ft piece of pop art on the bus was NOT how I wanted to spend a sunny Saturday, so I went shopping for photo frames instead.

Indulging my love affair with "World Market", I headed there first and was pretty disappointed with their frame selection. No matter, because I picked up another sofa cushion (to match the ones I already have), as well as some delicious Indian sandalwood candles. I was never a candle fan until I moved to the US, so I'm not quite sure why I'm indulging now, but I seem to love them.

Anyway, while I was in the area I called in to the local independent cinema just to see what was screening. I was in one of those moods where I figured that if something was showing pretty well straight away, then I would buy a ticket. If I had to wait around for any amount of time, I wouldn't bother. As luck would have it, "Brick Road" was screening about 5 minutes after I got to the cinema, so I bought a ticket - with absolutely no idea what it was about. In fact, I had no idea what ANY of the movies were about, and the ticket booth dude was no help - he hadn't seen any of them yet either.

"Brick Road" is a really lovely movie that starts out in Bangladesh, and ends up in London. It's principally the story of a woman who grows up with her sister in a small Bangladeshi village but then gets married off at 16 to a rather rotund man in London, who she has never met. The separation of the sister is heartbreaking, and while they never see one another again, they do stay in semi-regular touch through letters. The story is a commentary (in some way) on a Muslim community in a very average part of London, and their immediate reaction after September 11, which happens quite late in the film. The characters are so real and so normal, that I thought it was a really beautiful story and I enjoyed it. I did not enjoy the steady commentary provided by the woman on my right, whose companion would have been about one million years old. Both of them were carrying on like porkchops the whole movie, and were quite hard to zone out. Still, I focused on the gorgeous saris that the main character wore - they were stunning colours.

It's funny because back home, I would never have gone to the movies by myself but since I've been away, I do it quite often. I will also go to the theater by myself quite confidently. I haven't got the courage to go out to dinner or a bar by myself yet, though I am sure that day will come.

Until then, it's back to house arrest for the day, before I am flung, full-force, back to the office tomorrow for the start of the working week.