sj sindu | bedlam riot!

Jessie J's new video - A Tomboy's Revenge

2011-09-03T15:30:00.000-05:00

Jessie J's new music video for her single "Who's Laughing Now" (from the album Who You Are) takes on the subject of bullying, much like other recent singles (P!NK's "Raise Your Glass"; Gaga's "Born This Way"; Taylor Swift's "Mean"; etc.).

But what Jessie J's video does differently is play with gender role stereotyping among young girls. Young Jessie J is portrayed as a tomboy who gets picked on by the pink-drenched feminine mean girls at school. From her clothing to her walk, the masculine aspects of Young Jessie's appearance and behavior are highlighted beautifully in the video. In the end, Young Jessie gets her revenge on the girls who bully her and the adults who are apathetic (the school teacher and lunch server, both played by the real Jessie J).

What should be noted, though, is that adult Jessie J is super feminine in appearance, even though her behavior is a mixed bag of masculine gestures, feminine dancing and fairly androgynous facial expressions.

Also, I love the depiction of the masculine, lesbionic janitor. From the smirk to the rainbow pin on the vest, there are plenty of clues there for those with any sort of gaydar.

Hats off to Jessie J for a great video and an interesting look at gender-based bullying in schools.

YouTube - Beyonce- Run the World (LIES)

2011-05-23T22:27:00.000-05:00

The Filter Bubble: How the Web Gives Us What We Want, and That's Not a Good Thing | Brain Pickings

2011-05-14T12:14:00.000-05:00

The Filter Bubble: How the Web Gives Us What We Want, and That's Not a Good Thing | Brain Pickings

NY Times Article Fail: Chaz Bono, Reluctant Role Model - NYTimes.com

2011-05-12T11:35:00.000-05:00

Chaz Bono, Reluctant Role Model - NYTimes.com

Possibly the WORST trans piece the New York Times has published recently. Also, another example of how lived experience doesn't always translate to subject expertise.

Some awesome lines:

Article Author: "Could it be possible that the fact that Chaz is now a man is somehow Cher’s fault?...Did Cher’s almost drag-queenlike hyper-female persona somehow devour Chastity’s emerging femininity? Could Chaz’s transition have been motivated by gender-bent Oedipal revenge?"

Chaz: [Referring to trans people] "It’s a birth defect, like a cleft palate."

Chaz: "I never really understood women before, to be honest, but I had a tolerance for women that I don’t have now....There is something in testosterone that makes talking and gossiping really grating."

Chaz: "I’ve learned that the differences between men and women are so biological."

Chaz: "[After transition] I got way more gadget-oriented, I have to say. I don’t know why. Definitely since transitioning I’ve wanted to be up on the latest, coolest toy."

Rosie O'Donnell: "But all of us struggle with whatever it is: special-needs kids, gay people. We all have our speed bumps."

Article Author: "To finally usher a complete color wheel of sexuality into the mainstream, perhaps it takes a child of Cher."

I don't know if I'd call gender transition to a traditional male role a rainbow of color.

Also, way to push the misogynist transguy image.

It's not all about the Taj Mahal

2011-04-29T20:50:00.002-05:00

Sathiyan has some amazing, close-to-the-bone photos of Tamil Nadu. No airbrushed Bollywood image of India can live up to this kind of raw beauty.

Tamilnadu. - a set on Flickr

National Writing Project Needs to Be Funded! #blog4nwp

2011-04-07T23:15:00.002-05:00

Last summer I took a National Writing Project class as part of my graduate Teaching of Writing Certificate program.

It. Changed. Everything.

For those that don't know, the National Writing Project is a network of programs across the country that function as continuing education for practicing teachers, creating a space where teachers can explore and discover themselves as writers and navigate teaching philosophies together and individually.

The best teachers of writing are writers.
This is almost too obvious, but is a point that many people overlook. Teachers don't often get the chance to explore their own writings, away from the intense experiences of teaching in public and private schools. By discovering and developing themselves as writers, teachers are able to put themselves in their students' places, to feel the vulnerability and the rapture that comes with writing and sharing. This kind of experience changes the way that teachers teach writing, and allows teachers to empathize with their students and learn as a community.

The best teachers of teachers are teachers.
Pedagogy and theory are well and good, and as part of the academe, I'd had my share of these courses. But nothing compares with the raw, visceral experiences that teachers have to share about teaching. From teachers I met at the NWP class, I learned just how hard teaching can be, but I also learned that I have a passion for it. These teachers are my inspirations for walking through those school doors day after day and continuing to do the great things they do, most of which go largely unappreciated.

We need this program for teachers. The National Writing Project provides teachers a space to develop themselves as writers and to learn from each other as teachers. It's an important part of our education system that we cannot afford to lose.

Please support the campaign to restore funding to the National Writing Project.

Get funky in saree for bridal shoot! | Saree Dreams

2011-04-02T13:56:00.000-05:00

Interesting punk/traditional fusion saree photo shoot: Get funky in saree for bridal shoot! | Saree Dreams

Jessie J's Video for Do It Like a Dude

2011-03-09T19:57:00.000-06:00

Jessie J doesn't look very masculine in this, but I've never seen so many masculine women on a VEVO video. Reminds me of Ciara's "Like a Boy" but better, less caught up with heterosexual relationships.

Daniel Craig in drag for International Women's Day

2011-03-09T19:36:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share an interesting ad where Daniel Craig appears in character as James Bond and then in drag, in an attempt to show support for International Women's Day.

But more than that, I would like to direct some attention on the appalling abundance of anti-women comments on the video. Lots of men quick to complain that they're discriminated, too. Yes, men have it so much worse, and so do whites and heterosexuals. So, so, so much worse than all those people you're standing on.

Or should I join in with the madness and complain about how I'm discriminated against all over the world because of my American passport? Well, the American passport may get me a few scoffs, but it also saves me from random searches I got when I had a "third world" passport. I often get special lines so I only have to wait a couple of minutes for customs instead of hours. That little blue book is the most powerful shield I have when traveling abroad.

Oh, and my American accent. Let's not forget that. Yes, people recognize me right away when I'm abroad, and ask me if I've ever met Chris Brown. I also can work teaching English to students all over the world, not because I'm trained to teach, but because I speak English with an American accent. If I wanted to sing or act or read books on tape, I'd have a much easier time landing parts.

My point: How abouts we try to look down the ladder instead of up? How about we try to see the plight of those who have it worse? How about we use some of the power we have to help?

Study on how liberals and conservatives respond to facial cues

2011-01-21T08:31:00.000-06:00

UNL Prof Michael Dodd leads study on the ways self-defined liberals and conservatives respond to visual cues of faces. Result: liberals are more likely to respond to the visual cues of faces (the direction that the eyes look) whereas conservatives are completely immune. Adds to previous study that showed conservatives are more likely to respond to threatening images.

Read more: http://newsroom.unl.edu/blog/?p=320

Miss Representation Trailer

2011-01-21T08:02:00.002-06:00

From the Miss Representation website:

"Writer/Director Jennifer Siebel Newsom brings together some of America's most influential women in politics, news, and entertainment to give us an inside look at the media's message. Miss Representationexplores women's under-representation in positions of power by challenging the limited and often disparaging portrayal of women in the media. As one of the most persuasive and pervasive forces in our culture, media is educating yet another generation that women's primary value lies in their youth, beauty and sexuality—not in their capacity as leaders. Through the riveting perspectives of youth and the critical analysis of top scholars, Miss Representation will change the way you see media."

;

No Name Reading

2010-09-28T17:29:00.001-05:00

I'll be giving a mixed genre reading as part of the No Name Reading
Series on October 8, 2010, 4 p.m. at Sur Tango (12th and P Street) in
Lincoln, NE. Free and open to the public. I'll be reading along with
poet Marianne Kunkel.

The No Name readings take place twice-a-month. The graduate students
at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's English program get a chance
to flex their vocal chords and conquer their stage fright. It's a good
time. Check out more: http://www.unl.edu/noname/

Girls Suck at Video Games...? A Look at Women's Careers

2010-06-26T08:58:00.000-05:00

This is an amazingly hilarious social commentary on the obstacles many women face in their careers. Check it out:

Girls suck at video games / Les filles sont nulles aux jeux vidéo from Stéphanie Mercier on Vimeo.

Racist Casting for The Last Airbender

2010-06-20T10:28:00.003-05:00

I've got a bone to pick with M. Night Shyamalan. No, not for his abundantly bad movies, but for his racist casting of The Last Airbender. I speak as an anti-racism advocate, as a person of South Asian descent and as an avid fan of the Avatar series.

Take a close look at the cast list. Every actor of color plays a villain, or at least a villain who eventually turns good later on in the series (unfortunately, not a span of time portrayed by this movie). Dev Patel plays Zuko, while the white Noah Ringer plays Aang.

This when in Avatar, Aang is part of the "race" that has the closest resemblance to South Asian and Southeast Asian culture, so much so that they are monks with Buddhist-like philosophies who live in mountain-top "Air Temples" that look like a combination of the towering temple piers in South India and Buddhist temples in mainland Asia

MANAA, the Media Action Network for Asian Americans, has been fighting the good fight against the producers of The Last Airbender, but hasn't had much luck. The producers maintain the film has a large amount of diversity. That's like the proponents of The Birth of a Nation (based on Thomas Dixon's The Clansman, which mounted an almost propaganda support for slavery and portrayed the KKK as a group of white knights) claiming that the film isn't racist because it has black characters (played by white actors in blackface). Obviously, I'm not making a case that these two movies are the same or similar, but the concept is the same. White actors play the heroes and the actors of color...well...don't.

Edit 2/24/2011: I'd like to also point out that General Iroh, who is arguably the only undeniably good main character in the Fire Nation (I'm not counting Zuko, since he spends 2/3 of the story on the not so good side), is played by a white character.

Top 50 Racist Movies

2010-06-20T09:49:00.000-05:00

Complex.com names the Top 50 Most Racist Movies. Some aren't very surprising, but others are interesting, including their pegging of White Chicks for reverse racism. It's a very interesting list.

Thought of the Day

2010-05-07T09:40:00.000-05:00

Louisville, why are you proud of Muhammad Ali, but not of Hunter S. Thompson?

Coloreds Welcome: Web Goes Un-White

2010-05-06T09:51:00.000-05:00

This is a milestone for the web: web addresses with non-Latin characters. Among the first to have one is Egypt's Ministry of Communications. According to BBC, over 20 countries have requested domain approval for non-Latin URLs.

As an English-speaker living in the U.S., I have a slight tinge of anxiety. All these addresses in languages I can't even read, not to mention understand. So many websites I can never visit, things I'll never know. Don't get me wrong. I'm thrilled this is happening. My reaction of anxiety is why.

English speakers, whites and Americans have long been encumbered with a sense of entitlement that needs, in my opinion, to be knocked down a few pegs now and again. We feel we have the right to be able to understand everything on the web, or at least be able to read it. Well, this is a landmark move for the under-web-privileged (the non-English, the non-white, the non-Western) countries to take a little piece of the web pie for themselves. And I applaud them.

Read the full story on BBC -->

iPad vs. Slate: Epic Battle Round 1

2010-04-05T15:16:00.003-05:00

HP just released its iPad killer tablet PC, "Slate."

I tried out the iPad today and from the looks of this video, I'm not convinced. iPad has Pages, which is a good enough replacement for Word as far as I'm concerned (for my uses, anyway...mainly typing up papers and writing). Plus it has Numbers, which does all the rudimentary things Excel does. I don't really see a reason to video tape the subway as it passes (I have my phone for that). It would be pretty amazing to be able to video Skype, though.

The one thing I had a problem with on the iPad was the typing. It definitely knocked down my words per minute, but I think as with all new keyboards I can get used to this one fast. Mainly I just had a
problem with the key placement, which is obviously QWERTY but isn't exactly the same as a regular keyboard. I type half with my nails, and that didn't work out so well. It kept missing the keys I typed with my nails, so I'll have to keep mine pretty trimmed if I get an iPad.

Some of the security holes on the iPhone OS seem to have carried over to the iPad, but hopefully Mac will get that patched up pretty soon.

From the video above, the animation tweening and such on the Slate seems extremely second-class. The iPad was a dream to touch and the resolution is mind-blowing. Plus I was hoping to use the Brushes app on the iPad, and I don't think the Slate would be conducive to paint simulation.

I guess we'll see on this one. There's no way the Slate can beat out the iPad. The level of brand loyalty associated with Mac users and the increasing Apple fan-base means that the iPad won't be killed any time soon. Keep trying, HP.

APA Competencies for Counseling with Transgender Clients

2010-03-22T13:06:00.000-05:00

The American Psychological Association approved a list of "Competencies for Counseling with Transgender Clients" in Nov 2009. Among the highlights, counselors should:

- "Identify the gender-normative assumptions present in current lifespan development theories and address for these biases in assessment and counseling practices;

- "Recognize that although group support can be very helpful, peer pressure to conform to specific expression or plan of action exists within the group;

- "Acknowledge and address the gatekeeper role and subsequent power that mental health professionals have historically had in transgender clients accessing medical interventions and resulted in mistrust of mental health professionals. This power difference needs to be minimized in the counseling relationship with transgender clients;

- "Recognize research is never free of positive or negative bias by identifying the potential influence personal values, gender bias, and heterosexism may have on the research process (e.g., participant selection, data gathering, interpretation of data, reporting of results, DSM diagnosis of Gender Identity Disorder), and seek to address these biases in the best manner possible."

...and many many more. Overall it's an inclusive and important list that will hopefully help trans people attain more positive counseling, and address issues of power and hegemony that haven't been addressed in counselor-client relationships.

We brought sexy back...rhetorically

2010-03-19T23:00:00.001-05:00

As I'm getting ready to leave the CCCC in Louisville, KY, I feel I should record some thoughts about my first time. Here are the highlights:

1. The sessions were great. We may have talked digital literacy to death this year, though. I haven't decided.

2. It was interesting to be around so many academics. I've always been around activists before this. It's a different energy.

3. The "Authentic English Pub" was not really English and not really authentic. It was more like a Scottish Hooters.

4. I was sad that no one wanted to explore the Hotel Night Club with me. Is it a hotel or a night club? I guess we'll never know.

5. There's nothing more entertaining than a bunch of drunk English professors and social-life-deprived grad students gettin' down to Lady Gaga and MC Hammer. The Q has got nothing on this year's CCCC Jam.

6. I held my own against my two other panel members: Vershawn Young and Frankie Condon. Seeing as how both of them are very accomplished faculty, I feel pretty good about that.

7. The flyer lied. Fourth Street Live (a one-block strip of Las Vegas in Louisville) did not change my life.

Australia Recognizes Unspecified Gender

2010-03-12T11:33:00.001-06:00

Australia's New South Wales government has become the first governmental body to recognize "SNS" (Sex Not Specified) as a legal gender category. Hmm...where did I put those immigration papers?

Read more -->

Indians on the L Word??

2010-03-08T07:09:00.001-06:00

Papi from the L Word was played by actress Janina Gavankar, of Indian and Dutch descent. Carmen from the earlier seasons was played by actress Sarah Shahi (Aahoo Jahansouz), of Iranian and Spanish descent. Both actresses played Latina characters.

Great, good. Whatever.

But if you're hiring actresses of Middle Eastern and Asian descent, shouldn't you have considered possibly writing in some Middle Eastern and Asian characters? I suppose whats-her-face-third-wheel-crush-on-6th-season counts...but that was a guest appearance. I know, I know. The show was pretty white-infused as it was and even having some variety is a big deal but what can I say? I held the writers to a higher standard than they could apparently reach. Boo.

Graphic designs for free?

2010-02-12T14:14:00.001-06:00

lunchbreath Flickr page

Let's enhance this 5 by 5 pixel picture...

2010-02-12T13:54:00.001-06:00

Sri Lankan aid projects investigated

2010-02-12T11:14:00.001-06:00

NEARLY $537 million in tsunami aid for Sri Lanka is unaccounted for and more than $686m has been spent on projects unrelated to the disaster, an anti-corruption watchdog says.

Berlin-based Transparency International has demanded an audit of the money received by the Sri Lankan government to help victims of the Asian tsunami that hit the island on December 26, 2004, killing 31,000 people.

As the tropical nation marked the fifth anniversary of the tsunami, the group alleged that out of $US2.2 billion ($2.5bn) received for relief, $US603.4m was spent on projects unrelated to the disaster. Another $US471.9m is missing, the group said.

"There is no precise evidence to explain the missing sum of $US471.9m," the TI statement issued in Colombo added. An "audit should be done by the government to explain the utilisation of the money received and the challenges faced", the group said.

Read the full article -->

Doghouse Diaries = Awesome!

2010-02-12T11:00:00.001-06:00

Go check it out: Doghouse Diaries

Really, Sports Illustrated? - Exotification of Indian Women

2010-02-11T08:46:00.002-06:00

Here's the original post on Saree Dreams: Sonia Dara in the Sports Illustrated bikini issue.

Are you serious?

A light-skinned desi girl who is way taller than most Indian women. And not only that, she's posing in a bikini with actual Indian women in the background. I don't use this phrase often but wtf?

I don't know what these photos are even supposed to mean, but I don't find them fetching at all. Here's what the original poster said:

Sonia Dara. Nice to see a desi girl in the Sports’ Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.
Oh, and she’s a sophomore at Harvard – beauty and brains combined – thats why I love desi women!

Yes, it's nice to see Indian women being represented, but why can't they just be next to a tree or something? Sonia Dara doesn't look like she's any closer to understanding the women she's posing next to than Jessica Alba did.

Why can't Indian women be represented on their own terms, not under the exotifying gaze that puts them in a culture they have connections to but may not be a part of? It's like always shooting Lucy Liu with Chinese/Taiwanese women in cheongsams in the background.

Doing Herstory

2010-02-11T08:24:00.001-06:00

So...I understand using womyn/womon. I do.

But herstory? The false etymology makes me cringe. It's not "his story." Let's look at the Greek:

historia "a learning or knowing by inquiry, history, record, narrative"
historein "inquire"
histor "wise man, judge"

Aha!, the root is gendered, but at least change the root appropriately.

Before I get clubbed over for dissing the second wave, I will say that I respect the history/herstory that has been associated with this word. I understand the sense of empowerment, the breaking of the silence, I get it. I will continue to keep using the word in contexts where it has already been used, but as militantly feminist as I am, I will not use the word beyond its historical context and scope.

People feel free to argue with me on this.

Becoming Anthology Call for Submissions

2010-02-08T11:31:00.000-06:00

The University of Nebraska Gender Programs / Women's Center is publishing the anthology Becoming, edited by Jill McCabe Johnson. The editors seek personal narratives and a small number of poems relaying the story of a formative experience that helped shape the woman you've become.

Find out more.

Rihanna - Hard Music Video is a Surprise

2010-02-08T09:42:00.000-06:00

Unexpectedly, the new music video for Rihanna's "Hard" gives a new twist to the song lyrics with war imagery. Yes, it's glamorized beyond belief and yes, it's romanticized beyond recognition and yes, Rihanna rubbing mud on herself and posing with people dressed in military uniforms is pretty ridiculous. But on the whole, the commentary made about America (that the country is lashing out at those "aimin' at [its] pedestal" and the phallic focus of war in general) is apt and smarter than I was expecting.

Lyrics

Yeah, yeah, yeah (Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Yeah, yeah, yeah (Ah yeah, yeah, yeah)
Ah yeah, yeah, yeah (Ah yeah, yeah, yeah)
Ah yeah, ah yeah, ah yeah, yeah
Ah yeah, ah yeah, ah yeah, yeah

They can say whatever
I'ma do whatever
No pain is forever
Yup, you know this

Tougher than a lion
Ain't no need in tryin'
I live where the sky ends
Yup, you know this

Never lyin', truth teller
That Rihanna reign, just won't let up
All black on, blacked out shades
Blacked out Maybach

I'ma rock this shit like fashion, as in
goin' til they say stop
And my runway never looked so clear
But the hottest bitch in heels right here

No fear, and while you getting your cry on
I'm getting my fly on
Sincere, I see you aiming at my pedastal
I betta let ya' know

That I, I, I, I'm so hard
Ah yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm so hard
That I, I, I, I'm so hard
Ah yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm so hard
That I, I, I, I'm so hard
Ah yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm so hard
So hard, so hard, so hard, so hard

Ah yeah, yeah, yeah
That Rihanna reign just won't let up
Ah yeah, yeah, yeah
That Rihanna reign just won't let up
Ah yeah, yeah, yeah
That Rihanna reign just won't let up
So hard, so hard, so hard, so hard

All up on it
Know you wanna clone it
That chick to boney
Ride this beat, beat, beat like a pony
Meet me at the top (top, top)
Gettin' lonely

Who think they test me now
Run through your town
I shut it down
Brilliant, resilient
Fan mail from 27 million

And I want it all
It's gonna take more than that
Hope that ain't all you got

I need it all
The money, the fame, the cars, the clothes

I can't just let you run up on me like that (all on me like that)
Yeah
I see you aiming at my pedastal
So I think I gotta let ya' know

That I, I, I, I'm so hard
Ah yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm so hard
That I, I, I, I'm so hard
Ah yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm so hard
That I, I, I, I'm so hard
Ah yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm so hard
So hard, so hard, so hard, so hard

Go hard or go home
Back to your residence
Soon the red dogs will give the block back to the presidents
I used to run my own block like Obama did
You ain't gotta believe me, go ask my momma then

You couldn't even come in my room
it smelled like a kilo
Looked like me and two of my boys playing casino
Trying to sell they peeping my bag they can't afford it
Tell 'em to give me back my swag
They tryin' to clone me

See my Louis tux, Louis flag, Louis frames, Louis belt
What that make me
Louis mane?

I'm in an all white party wearin' all black
With my new black watch call it the heart attack
Cardiac arrest, cardiac a wrist
Yeah, they say they're hard
They ain't hard as this

Hard!

The one word describes me
If I wasn't doin' this
You know where I be, too hard

Where dem girls talkin' trash
Where dem girls talkin' trash
Where they at, where they at, where they at?

Where dem bloggers at
Where dem bloggers at
Where they at, where they at, where they at?

Where your lighters at
Where your lighters at
Where they at, where they at, where they at?
So hard, so hard, so hard, so hard
That I, I, I, I'm so hard
Ah yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm so hard
That I, I, I, I'm so hard
Ah yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm so hard
That I, I, I, I'm so hard
Ah yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm so hard
So hard, so hard, so hard, so hard

That I, I, I

Harry Potter vs. Percy Jackson: "Different?"

2010-02-06T15:00:00.002-06:00

An interview with Rick Riordan:

Q: It’s been said Percy is the second most popular YA fantasy hero after Harry Potter.

A: That’s quite a complement, but it’s a mistake to compare anyone to J.K. Rowling. Her success is the exception, not the rule.

Riiiight. Why don't we all capitalize on Harry Potter's success and blatantly rip off everything? And then of course, sell the movie rights to Fox so they can unabashedly exploit the similarities more?

But according to Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson), they're really very different movies:

"Sure, yeah, you want it to be as big as Harry Potter and have as many fans as Harry Potter, but it's different. I guess once you see Chris Columbus' name attached to a big fantasy film about a kid thrown into a big situation, yeah, you are going to think Harry Potter, but it's very different."

Yeah. There are no words for how different it is.

Indian Military Uniform Saree from 1945

2010-01-31T11:03:00.000-06:00

Indian Military Uniform Saree from 1945

2010-01-31T10:57:00.000-06:00

tearing through the spider webs, trailing with the stop watch, pen in hand and sword in the heart, waiting under the grape tree for reincarnation.

Sri Lankan police raid on defeated presidential candidate

2010-01-30T21:30:00.003-06:00

"The Colombo campaign office of defeated Sri Lankan presidential candidate Gen Sarath Fonseka has been raided by 40 policemen, his supporters say. They say that Criminal Investigation Department (CID) personnel arrested 13 people in the raid. The government has given almost no information on the operation, which saw a street in Colombo cordoned off. The military excluded all journalists from the leafy street where the general's campaign office is situated."

Beauty pageant inspires India's transgenders

2010-01-30T21:29:00.001-06:00

"Auditions to become India's first 'Super Queen' are going to be held in cities across India over the next few weeks. The semi-finals will be held in Mumbai and the finals will be hosted in Delhi on 21 February."

2010-01-30T14:34:00.002-06:00

the wind flew like a ragged comb dragged through teeth, like floss in the ears and hot sauce at night in a barrel of pickles

Welcome

2010-01-30T14:31:00.002-06:00

Hi, all! This is a blanket welcome to my new site and blog: sjsindu.com. Feel free to poke around. Hopefully will be getting some stuff on here pretty fast.