My best friend's wedding

It finally happened. She always wanted the big-fat-wedding and it was exactly that. We were nine bridesmaids, three flower girls and the cutest ring boy. Weddings at home with thousands of strangers around is really not my scene but you cannot help but be overwhelmed and blessed when you witness the people you care about getting married. At the end of the day, we dropped her off at the lucky guy's place and I could not help but shed a few bittersweet tears as I hugged her goodbye.

Post's Sake #1

Most of my blog friends are posting thier AWOL reasons and I want a new post on my blog too! :)
Books - Read Epicenter by Joel Rosenberg - about the middle-east politics in a biblical perspective - I know he is writing sense. Currently reading Obama's Audacity of Hope.

Work - Exciting project in hand, struggling for it which means I will learn a lot.

Boys - Last I heard my russian spy was howling my name, looking for me on the beaches of Goa Lol. Kidding. He was actually in India but I did not want to ruin my perfect night.

Ouch points - ICICI Bank - will post a long post why not to get ICICI Credit Cards. They are trying to screw me but fighting back. Good thing is that I have not used my credit cards for more than a month!

Others: My best friend's 13 year old sister is here. I feel so, so old but wise also :)

Twilight - not just for "young adults"

Got them as a birthday gift and read them on the birthday week itself.
Pure, unadulterated indulgence :)

Who would have thought that "young adult" teenage-vampire-romance novels could be so exciting! I live for these kind of surprises.

Happy beach days!

These are but mere words of what I saw and felt - of course, it does not do justice to the real thing or even the picture posted which my friend just about managed to click from her camera phone!
The sun was the deepest red-orange color, strong enough to create a bright sun ray like haze on a part of the ocean; a white yatch zips through the haze and a fisherman's small boat slowly struts through the same haze. The small crowd turns toward the sun and enjoys the sheer beauty which is only for the senses. Everyone's scattered - atop the small hill, boulders, 'insea' and inland but we are all held together by the amazing glorious dying sun.
Two cute young guys - one particular in red shorts and barefoot, runs toward one of the many boulders which surrounds this tiny island-like place and starts moving to the beat of the best trance/house music I'd ever heard. I am in a daze. If I have ever felt perfection, this was it. Everything came together harmoniously - the beat, the dancing, the lull in the sea, the rich white yatch and the fisherman's modest boat within the warm rays of the sun - this lasted for about 20 minutes and I'd like to think that I stopped breathing for those 20 and was in another reality .

How to get to this spot? take right from the main entrance of Palolem Beach - it is right at the end of the beach; ask for Sundowner. You can swim across the river or take a boat for 50 Rs. It is hilarious how we find the best for last. This was our last and the best night.

Yes, another Palolem Birthday!

and it just keeps getting better. Did some things differently; stayed for a week, became "canoers", saw an open air screening of a movie next to the beach and danced away to glory on our last nite - barefoot and happy and yeah, I almost drowned one and a half times but no big deal :)

The picture above is with two of my best friends who made my bday in Palolem possible. I got such good friends, it is indeed a blessing! The next picture is at little quaint Cafe Inn (of course, how can I miss not adding me without shades? hee hee) - Cafe Inn serves the most amazing coffee and breakfast. It has wi-fi and AC - if you want to beat the mid-day heat, head out there with a book/laptop and once the AC kicks in, start ordering coffee!

Who wants to be old???

There were so many cute young guys! sigh! :) To get older and to see what is/will be behind you is really not a very happy realization. We met George who is this tall, strong and loud happy guy about to retire in 5 years time. He told us about how he is beginning to question his whole life; the bourgeoisie dream of owning a house, raising kids, saving money, retirement etc. only to realize that you've never lived at all. Youth is really fleeting, the moment you realize the beauty and importance of it, it is gone (for him hee hee) and nearly gone (for me boo hoo hoo waaaaaaaa). He said that when you are 25, life is slow, at 30 you just feel like you turned 10 pages and then bang! you are 40. It truly sounds like a chop chop affair. Scary huh? It is for me...ayayaaaaaaaaaaaa!

The Wonder of X & Y Chromosomes!

On our last night, I ALSO met this very funny & cute (older than me!) "Russian Spy" who refused to tell me why he came to Goa for one day and couldn't believe that I was an Indian. He had this cutest accent and kept saying I was "Number One". Ah, I just love cute guys with unfathomable foreign accent. Yes, I don't understand half of what they say but me thinks they say the most sensible, smart and funny things. Otherwise, most of the guys I meet just speaks crap in eloquent english.

I remember that happy feeling when you meet someone nice and adorable who makes you laugh for the silliest of reason. I'd thought I was finished with that! The forces between the opposite sex is truly magical, IF you can handle it. Now, my moronic friend does not know how to handle it; he was busy trying to get high instead of getting to know this beautiful girl who am sure was "kinda" interested in him. I mean he could have been the "Russian Spy" for her, except with truck loads of crap :D He could also have extended his holidays for another day (which was 100% possible) and hung out with her, but he calls me up from home and tells me he did "facebooking" instead. Sigh :) What a lost cause!

Icing on my birthday cake? The "Russian Spy" definitely. I didn't know that I could still have those girly giggles and be smitten silly by a guy. Forget about the fact that I will never see him again or about any stupid romantic inclinations but to feel free, bubbly and just enjoying those couple of hours without any expectations? It was truly refreshing.

He writes "were" for "Where?", call me silly but I just couldn't get over that cuteness! :)

La de da 'tis always better late than never...

My Woody Allen experience has always been kinda wishy-washy. I was fascinated by him but never dug deep; saw him cracking hilarious jokes on TV, loved his movies without being alarmed that he Created them or just go mad with joy when he opened his mouth. All because I could not fathom a 53 year old man with a 17 year old daughter of his lover of 12 years. That was in the late 90s.

Today, I saw Woody Allen's Annie Hall and wanted to tear myself apart piece by piece for depriving myself of one of the best movies by perhaps one of the world's greatest director and actor living, dead or soon to be dead. He made this movie more than 30 years ago and it is as ground-breaking for me today as I am sure it was those times. I have never felt the most used and boring phrase 'tis better late than never as I felt today. Touche, touche, touche :)

The first 2 minutes of the movie - how can anyone not be fascinated?

Boy oh boy! This Is Planet B-Boy

(B-boying/breakdancing is a form of hip-hop dancing. It is also a term used for a B-boy or a B-girl who is devoted to hip-hop culture.)

What an amazing documentary about how people from different parts of the world can come together in one platform and communicate with what they know best - B-boying. Since it is a little over an hour long, the doc. focuses on five teams who ultimately are the finalists at the Battle of the Year 2005 in Germany.

(Source: IMDB)

Most of the teams do not even interact with each other till the final day. There is always high tension as the competition is stiff but as you see each other dance in the end they cannot help but respect each other's craft and style.
Along with the scenes of awe inspiring body movements, the doc. also weaves in personal stories of some of the dancers from all the five teams. So, as you get to know the personal lives of some of the dancers, you actually feel the emotions of the dancers as they give in all their passion and dreams to their movements. While most of them are poor, shunned by "society" or a failure by most "standards", I think all of them have lived their dreams - of doing what means most to them. They may not be b-boying forever but I cannot help but be sure of the fact that this art they imbibed have made them a better human being. To dance like they do, you need dedication, commitment and love and in the process they learn just that; to be dedicated, to be committed, and to love.

A joke: How would a b-boy react if I wished him "Break a leg!"? I know it's lame! :D

Surfwise - Not Your Average Surf Movie

I made a Big cup of hot piping tea to relieve my sore throat and jumped on the bed to watch Surfwise. Listed as one of the best movies of 2008, I thought wow, another surf movie/documentary, let's watch the waves! I was very gladly wrong. What I discovered is this beautiful flawed family that Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz, an MD from Stanford University engineered. He left the normal "comfortable" life and hit the road with his wife and had 8 sons and 1 daughter on the way to the beach. None of them attended school but grew up surfing and moving about in their 25 feet camper/home with a strict diet - no fat or sugar.

It is not a rosy picture that filmmaker Doug Pray paints. It is real emotions. The children are angry at their father for not giving them the "tools" and "skills" to thrive in the modern society. Their father agrees. The mid-80 year old father regrets that he did not give his children the choice that he had; a) leading a "decent" and "normal" life or b) leave the material world behind and go be one with the world/ocean - he chose b, his kids had no choice.
Irony is that they still wish that they had a choice but none of them would change a thing.

(Picture Source: Magpictures)
"Even a flawed family that sticks together is better than no family at all." - Joshua Paskowitz


This movie is thought-provoking and it moved me. Please watch - it is not just my obsessive love for the beach or surfing :)

And we be body surfin...

During the elections, this picture was posted on the lading page of Jack Johnson's website with the caption "I support Barack Obama, A leader with the Aloha Spirit.”
Alohaaaa baby! :)

Barack H. Obama - the 44th President of the United States of America

The world is affected by the United States of America because it is most powerful country in the world. Yes, with great power, comes great responsibility but does that mean that they should be perfect? Can they be perfect? I have listened to numerous U.S. bashing and beating and though almost all are true I cannot help but reason that along with great power, comes great criticism too. The U.S. is both loved and attacked just because it is in power.

But today, as I watched Barack Obama being sworn in as the most important man in the world, I am filled with pride with the human spirit that a son of an African immigrant stands tall as the 44th President of the United States of America.

Indeed, it has been a been a long walk for Barack Obama who has risen through the ashes of his ancestor's history. More than forty years ago, an African-American could not vote but this nation has shown that they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character by electing the son of an African immigrant as the most powerful man on earth. Dr. King's dream has come true today.

May God bless America and Barack Obama. He has a long, long way to go.

Holidays 2008

(This post was written late December in Nagaland and posted today in Hyderabad. I haven't been active as usual but Wow blogger has improved and how...love all the features!)

I am home for a month. Like always, each year is unique. Last year it was all about my nephew Aarak, since his brother was just a month old. This year I have the pleasure of being with my second nephew. He is 13 months old and already I can see his personality so different from Aarak, who turned 4 last month. These two boys are such joys to me and I cannot believe I am their second mom! I remember telling my sister to have only one kid because of the fact that she will have her hands full and all the blah about not being able to enjoy her ‘me’ time. I take it back! I cannot imagine life without either of my two nephews. But yeah, she is not having any more babies :)

Things are changing at home - there are more traffic, more shops and more activities around. However, one thing constant in Nagaland is that Christmas is always warm - free open concerts in almost every corner, carols in buses and a star in every house. I even got to see a Whitelion concert (with my older cousins, sister, their husbands and nephew(4) and niece(6) - yeah, imagine). Not that I am a fan but I remember their song "You're all I need" sung by almost every guy in school. So it was pretty awesome to actually listen through the horse's mouth!

I also met some old friends and acquaintances who I was not in touch with and realized how differently I felt; you'd never think at that point of time that you'll grow apart. This actually reminded me of an old literary class lecture about how art or a text does not change, but we do. I have changed, the way I look at life has changed and I guess that is why I don’t feel the same about people who I am not growing up with literally or virtually for that matter.

Travel wise I, "Loren" and her brother/my friend also drove up to Kohima which is almost three hours away. The drive was amazing – I actually felt like a tourist as we crossed through the mountains and streams and the little waterfalls amongst the greenery. See pictures below...we stopped to buy pineapples on the way up and down as well...they were so sweet and juicy!



Now, I am from Dimapur and this town is as plain as any city. So, technically though people gush about the mountains and the weather when I say that I am from Nagaland, I actually do not see the mountains and greenery except when I go toward Kohima and further. Otherwise, Kohima and every other area of Nagaland is all lush and green and all the splendor that comes with it – almost all my friends houses in Kohima are on hill-tops amidst the glory of the mountains and the greenery and to wake up to such a sight in the morning must be like a piece of heaven.

The only overkill factor - BBQ. I am not going to have another BBQ or attend any for the next six months! We had BBQ nights almost every other night - if it was not at Loren's place (pic below), it was at Kohima or at my place and I was always tending to it cause' I was the best tee hee :)

Happy new year everyone - may we always, always make the best of every situation - Cheers!