Archive for the ‘Cafe’ Category
Chronicles of a Tamil Freshman – Part 3By Editor - February 9th, 2015 |
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Claire’s rose-shaped pendant triggered a flashback to July 20th, 2009—The Annual Top Tamil Teen Competition. The competition was geared towards Tamil teenagers, and offered games in a variety of subjects, such as Athletics, English, Mathematics, and a fashion show finale. The winners (one boy and one girl) received a $500 cash prize, an article in the Metro Star newspaper, and of course, the opportunity for Tamil parents to make this public announcement to relatives around the globe: “So, I don’t know if you heard, but my brilliant child just won this world-renowned, cut-throat, impossible-to-win competition. What has your child done lately, hmm?” |
Callout for Board of Directors – 2015By Editor - January 30th, 2015 |
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Canadian Tamil Youth Alliance (CTYA) is seeking dynamic individuals who are responsible, enthusiastic and creative to join our Board of Directors. We are seeking for candidates that can utilize their experience, skills, and passion to empower youth to provide new innovative ideas and enhance the delivery of our services. |
But…you don’t look Tamil!By Editor - January 30th, 2015 |
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When you tell me “you’re pretty for a dark skin girl,” you’re telling me that you are saddened by the bronze pigmentation that automatically depreciates my features. You’re telling me the forms of structural violence embedded within Eurocentric standards of beauty are justified every time my reflection hits a mirror. You’re telling me that I am an exception to your view of darker skinned girls to be despicably unattractive. You’re telling me that the already existing inferiority complex that I’ve developed from such a young age is completely valid. You’re telling me that this statement shouldn’t make me feel uncomfortable and that in fact, you’re complimenting me regardless of the mistake in the colour of my skin. |
Chronicles of a Tamil Freshman – Part 2By Editor - January 25th, 2015 |
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“Damn it,” she thought. She knew she had a habit of doing clumsy things, and being given the top bunk would just add fuel to the fire. “What if I roll over one night, and fall flat on my face? Or, what if I gain so much weight that I break the bed and crush Eliza?” She began to imagine an obese version of herself, dressed in black, attending Eliza’s funeral. She pictured her tombstone reading: “Crushed to death by fat Tamil”. Trying not to think about it, she began unpacking her luggage, and found the container of her mother’s infamous chicken biryani. “I’ll save this baby for tonight,” she thought. She put away her clothes and supplies in her assigned dresser, and organized her binders and notebooks for the first day of classes tomorrow. “I think that’s it,” Tanya thought to herself. She began digging through the rest of her luggage to see if she’d forgotten anything. She felt something underneath one of the folds, and pulled out a few packets of Fair and Lovely. “Jeez, thanks Amma,” Tanya muttered, as she threw the packets into the garbage bin underneath her desk. |
Chronicles of a Tamil Freshman – Part 1By Editor - January 5th, 2015 |
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With one swift strike, she hit the snooze button on her rusty Sony alarm clock and once again the room was silent. Her room was small with cream coloured walls, a twin bed, a wooden desk scattered with registration papers and to-do lists, a sliding closet opposite the bed, three labeled suitcases stacked in the corner, and a bulky Persian rug that gave the space a retirement-home feel. Fifteen minutes passed, and the alarm jangled again. Tanya opened one eye and peeked at the clock. “Ten more minutes”, she mumbled, whacking the snooze button once more. She closed her eyes, and exhaled deeply. She had a big day ahead, and was in no hurry to let it begin. The comfort, however, was short-lived. It was then, that she heard it. “TANYA?!” her mom hollered from downstairs, wearing an old-fashioned, brightly coloured Tamil nightie. Tanya knew how angry her mother became if, god forbid, her morning tea ran cold. Eyes wide, she channeled her inner Vijay and lunged out of bed. She showered, brushed her teeth and carried on with her usual morning routine. She brushed her short, wavy, black hair and clipped it back with one-too-many bobby pins. She slid open her closet and put on a red sweater and dark jeans that complemented her slender figure and olive skin tone. Feelings of fear and excitement welled up inside of her, as she knew she’d be moving into her college dorm room in just a few hours. |
New Year’s Resolutions: Make ’em & Keep ’em!By Admin - January 1st, 2014 |
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Written By: Kayalvizhi J. A new Year is a time to make some life changes. We often set out new goals, plans and resolutions. However, most New Year’s resolutions fail – in fact almost 85% of resolutions fail. Here are some foolproof ways to help ensure that your resolutions stay active past January end. 1. Write it Down. Write down your New Year’s resolution somewhere visible. When’s it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind. The best place to put your resolution list is some place you look at daily. Beside your calendar or on your fridge. We often are very optimistic in the beginning of the year and believe we will do many things, but as the year moves on, we lose our motivation and forget our goals. That’s why it’s important to write down your goals somewhere visible and remind yourself often of them. 2. Go Public. Tell a few of your friends about your goals and help them keep tabs on your progress. You are more likely to complete a task when you feel accountable for it – and if you told all your friends you were going to something, chances are you would feel motivated to complete it to avoid shame. Plus, when your friends see you, if they keep asking you how your project to paint a portrait is going, you may actually start working on it! 3. Baby Steps. When making resolutions, we often write down unrealistic goals. The more realistic we make them, and the smaller we break the goal into, the more likely we can actually achieve our goals. Make your goals into workable and achievable goals. Don’t make “lose weight” a goal. Instead, a workable goal is “lose 0.5 lbs a week by working out X times a week.” It’s more defined and approachable than a general goal. Plus, it’s important to write out how you will achieve your goal. The more clearly defined your goal and method is, the more likely it will happen. 4. Give Deadlines. Give yourself a deadline of when you want to achieve something by. When you have a deadline, you are more likely to work toward it because it will seem more concrete. Without deadlines, your goal stays abstract and is always pushed to tomorrow’s to do list. Don’t set everything for January, spread them along the year so that you continue to work towards your goals. 5. Reward Yourself. Reward your success. Be proud of yourself and reward your successes. Everyone needs a pat on their back once in awhile – and why not be the one to give yourself one? If you feel good about your successes, you will be more likely to continue to succeed and be motivated. |
To FamilyBy Admin - December 23rd, 2013 |
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Written By: Kayalvizhi J. When my brother was a child his word was ‘Akka.’ He would say Akka in this super cute way. With his chubby cheeks and bubbly self, he was the cutest little brother anyone could have. Yesterday, I told him a few of the many stories of him as a baby – from the way he would imitate Rajanikanth punch dialogues, to the way he would always cry to be held if he saw my sister or I, and of time he would hide behind us if he was afraid. Now that he is a grown teenager, far taller than me, he laughs when we tell him these stories. Last night, my father, my mother, my brother and I stayed up just rehashing these old family memories – and I must say, it was very enjoyable. It was really something we did because my dad could not watch TV, my mom could not cook, my brother could not play his video games, and I could not use my laptop. While the blackout was a huge inconvenience, it brought us all together. We sat and talked, and had a good time doing so. Technology has become such a huge part of our lives that our reliance on technology has divided us. We are all electronically connected through social media, but our face-to-face interaction has decreased. Spending time with family is important. The bond of family, culture, and values can only survive through family time, and we need to make undivded time regularily to spend with our families. We sometimes forget that in the end, we work to spend quality time with family, but we work too hard that we don’t spend enough time with our loved ones. There is nothing that brings people together like a crisis. The togetherness of family, the care and love everyone has for one another is most evident in times of crisis. The way a relative cares for whether you ate, the way a friend calls to see whether you have a safe place to sleep, all show you that you have people who love and care for you. We often take for granted the good people we have in our lives, but in times of crisis, we see who cares really. While this storm brought down electricity, heat and water, it brought with it gave us something invaluable – a provided us an opportunity to show our families and friends how much we care. It provided us an opportunity to bond with our families. Christmas has always been a big deal in my family, but this year, I feel like the blackout has brought together the real spirit of Christmas – family and love. |
Thoondal: Shall I compare thee…?By Admin - December 5th, 2013 |
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Written By: Shayanika Suresh As a society, we evaluate ourselves in comparison to others around us. We use our evaluations to motivate ourselves towards achieving our respective goals. Our parents compare us with our cousins and friends in the hopes that such comparison will cause improvement and success. Our friends compare us to remind us of our value, our unique talents and traits. Our partners compare us with others to encourage a more compromising attitude. We all make these comparisons, in our respective roles, but we complain when we find ourselves in the position of the one being compared. Why? What is it about being compared to someone else that irks us? As individuals, each one of us strives to be unique, to stand out in one way or another, and being compared challenges that. But there is more, isn’t there? We detest being criticized, and we dislike being inferior to another. The world we live in is a competitive one, and we find ourselves striving to be better than the others in all walks of life. Darwin’s ‘survival of the fittest’ theory must have really hit home, and as unfriendly as it may seem, there really is no harm in competing. After all, we do reach our personal bests by trying to be better than another, and by combining that with strong leadership and teamwork, we are indeed able to achieve success. Personal goals are set higher, and individuals are more likely to reach them. Therefore, maintain a sense of competition amongst your classmates or workmates at all times, but don’t lose control and keep it friendly. A well-managed competitive attitude can result in wonders for your entire team! |
Spicy Ginger-Lemon TilapiaBy Admin - November 12th, 2013 |
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Written By: Kayalvizhi J. Ingredients: Preparation: Heat oven to 400°. Lightly grease a large shallow baking dish. Combine cayenne pepper, curry leaves, coriander, black pepper, salt, garlic, ginger into a bowl with the fillets and mix well. Make sure to cover the fillets completely in the marinante. Let it marinate for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, arrange fish fillets on the prepared baking pan. Add lemon slices and chillies on top of the fish and under the fish and wrap in foil paper. Bake the fish fillets for 15 to 20 minutes, or until fish is cooked through. Fish will flake easily with a fork when done. Remove foil paper and let fish broil for 5 minutes longer in the oven. |
Thoondal: The “Plague of Sameness”By Admin - October 23rd, 2013 |
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Written By: Shayanika Suresh According to Zita Cobb, “there’s a plague of sameness that is killing human joy”. Zita Cobb, is the founder of Shorefast Foundation, which has been working towards building a sustainable economy on Fogo Island, Newfoundland. Zita Cobb’s story of success, dedication, and love for her homeplace is astounding, and a must-hear. But I want to dig a little deeper. When I read an interview of Cobb in which she refers to the “plague of sameness”, I was really intrigued by the phrase. That simple phrase is able to encompass many of the large, overbearing concepts that dominate modern society. Globalization, diversity, discrimination, culture, religion, just to name a few, have all, in one way or another, led to the structuring of societal norms that determine our lifestyles. We are expected to behave in a certain way, dress in a specific manner, and socialize with particular groups of people. We watch the same shows, and we drive the same cars. We are cut out to being exactly like each other. That is the gist of globalization. What’s the problem with that, you may ask? After all, our differences are being merged. But, is it really necessary that we lose our diversity in order to be included in society? It is a huge misconception to think that increasing sameness amongst ourselves will in effect make things better! The impact of increasing sameness, as Cobb observes, is nothing less than the “killing of human joy”. Yet, that has all been said. Iwan Baan’s TED Talk titled ‘Ingenious Homes in Unexpected Places’, on the other hand, really questions the idea of societal norm in a very specific way. Home, to us, as we have been taught, is a place where we live. It is usually described as a square two-storey building, with a triangular roof, two square windows and a door. This was the image that I drew as a small child, whenever I was asked to draw home. This was despite the fact that I was born in Sri Lanka and bred in Nigeria, where more often than not, houses were sheds built with twigs and leaves. Iwan Baan brings new light to our idea of home. His photos depicting homes built by ordinary people in extraordinary places – inside incomplete construction sites, on a lagoon, amidst garbage – really question my boring old square home. The creativity of mankind really shines when our norms are broken. When we are forced to find new ways to live, to survive, we truly are able to be inventive to suit our own likes and dislikes. Question the norms around you, there’s no harm in that! Do they make sense, do you agree with them? If you do, then just keep following. But if you don’t, go ahead and create your own norms. Your life, your game, and only you can choose how to play it! |
