ok, first things first. the answers to the young world quiz:
1.finding nemo
2.HCL
3.ll cool j
4.it's a popular form of bullfighting/taming
5.eat it-it's a popular type of noodles, which are consumed raw or in a soup
6.convection
7.sirocco or scirocco
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so no matter how hard you try to eat safe, you still can get violently ill. my little safe lonely planet has done me wrong with serving tomato chutney from the previous cooking class. bad. you know what it is cause your stomach makes a familiar gurgling and you know it's all over. so i got to stay in bed all day yesterday watching more bad english flims, "white men can't jump," and, "waynes world 2-waynestock," staying close to the loo. coconuts and hydration salts delivered to my door. it's good to have friends here-thanks arnold. back to yoga today, did not think i would make it, but i figured drag my body there and begin, see what happens. you can always stop, ya know? however, i made it through my primary practice and it made me feel better. the body hurts a lot when you lay all day. get over it, get on with life. today i take it easy. swimming is theraputic. still waiting to "finish" intermediate, but don't care if it does not happen. got plenty to keep me busy. it took almost 6 weeks to get my old practice back from having a month off and 4 injuries to deal with, so it's all good.
temple festival going 2 more days. i asked 10 locals how long and got 10 different answers. it's funny how sure they all were about the duration. indians would rather lie convincingly than say "i don't know,"- course they were christians and muslims, what would they know about a hindu festival? i will miss it. it's the best malayalam jams i've ever heard-loud like a gay disco. and i'm the only freak who likes living right above it. they really jam out on those drums with the wild horns. it's pretty amazing, actually. my ayurvedic tailor, whom i've grown fond of (how many ayurvedic skirts do i need?) and is part of sri devi, invited me for puja tonight at the temple at 7pm. i'm there. as long as he tells me what to do, cause i'm not totally comfy with the spinning, fire, ghee, foot worship, and deity protocal. i guess a dude is going to carry the black sri devi on his head and dance tonight while little kids carry black candles and do fire blessings.
got me thinking, what does sri devi have to do with pongal? it kind of makes sense to worship the mother cause she symbolizes fertility, ya know? for those who don't know, sri devi is the equivalent of parvati (siva's wife), kali and durga.
don't know if this link will work, but i put up 23 photos, mostly of mumbai and agra, in my yahoo photos at:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ljhill11/album?.dir=/de9f&.src=ph&.tok=phfL0XCBqHfS0JtX
just e-mail me if the link fails to work.
bindifry
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Saturday, January 15, 2005
pongal pongal pongal
pongal
well it's officially harvest festival and it's celebrated all over india. here are some facts, and why i suddenly understand all the festivities at the sri devi temple.
-celebrations are part of sun worship (because the sun gives life and grows the plants)-hence the ladies throwing hundreds of flowers into little piles of fire at sri devi
-mid january has the sun moving into capricorn signalling the end of winter (vedic calandar)
-celebrated in punjab, assam, bengal, andhra pradesh, karnataka and tamil nadu. tamil nadu's harvest festival is called pongal, which means "rice."
*1st day pongal-bonfires burn and ashes used as manure for the future fields (sri devi had cleared out the field behind my hotel days before the fest in preparation, than the huge burning i did not know at the time was for pongal. remember thursday when i couldn't flee my hotel?
*2nd day pongal-sun worshipped (sri devi temple had the drummers playing ecstatically at the crack of dawn on tuesday)signalling the rise of the sun. milk is boiled over as a symbol of prosperity. (this morning i saw them doing this at temple)
*3rd day pongal-the ox and cattle crucial to farmers livlihood are worshipped. sometimes splashed with colored sand, painted, dressed up, and there are ox cart races and bullfighting all over.
so what kinds of things does one eat at pongal? rice and jaggery (jaggery is raw sugar)-the canes are stacked and waiting at sri devi temple. they also feed all the crows and critters, which is why at sri devi all the people sat down to eat and just all walked away from their half eaten plates without cleaning it. the entire place was full of animals feasting on leftovers. who knew there was a reason for this. at the time i had thought they were too lazy to clean up after themselves, but now it makes perfect sense. the names of the dishes traditionally eaten during pongal are called til gajak, til poli, and chakkarai pongal.
the festivites have been constant since thursday. there's too much going on to watch all the time-it seems to begin with the sun rise and goes till 11pm almost non stop. i did watch them errect a 40 foot pole with a long rope on it while a pile of frantic drummers played against avant garde horns blasting from the speakers. they tied a large pink marigold garland and a decorative hand made textile piece and hoisted it up to the top of the pole facing the sri devi deity. when it reached the top, off went the m80s, firecrackers, and fireworks. deity in red with giant orange marigold garland. than they wrapped the remaining rope around with music accompaniment and more explosions when that was finished.
so they are constantly playing this amazing film score music loud enough for you to hear all the way to trivandrum, which is why i'm the only one crazy enough to stay in the hotel above the temple. it's like having my own personal theatre speakers circling my pool, and i can get underwater when the m80s go off. it makes me wonder-who is the temple d.j.? does he get the job passed on to him by his father? does he audition? what would be the criteria? interesting. cause he's better than any club d.j. i've heard.
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here's a few questions from the hindu's young world quiz. i'll post the answers next time i blog.
1.in which popular movie does one come across deb, gurgle, gill and bloat?
2.it it's wipro for azim premji, what is it for shiv nadar?
3.the popular hip hop artist born james todd smith, would turn 37 today. how is he better known?
4.manju virattu may be witnessed during the pongal festival period in tamil nadu. what is it?
5.what would one do with a wai wai? eat it or wear it?
6.in physics, the transference of heat through a fluid or gas by the actual movement of the fluid itself is called...?
7.name the strong southerly to southeasterly wind in the mediterranean that originates in sahara region?
bindifry
well it's officially harvest festival and it's celebrated all over india. here are some facts, and why i suddenly understand all the festivities at the sri devi temple.
-celebrations are part of sun worship (because the sun gives life and grows the plants)-hence the ladies throwing hundreds of flowers into little piles of fire at sri devi
-mid january has the sun moving into capricorn signalling the end of winter (vedic calandar)
-celebrated in punjab, assam, bengal, andhra pradesh, karnataka and tamil nadu. tamil nadu's harvest festival is called pongal, which means "rice."
*1st day pongal-bonfires burn and ashes used as manure for the future fields (sri devi had cleared out the field behind my hotel days before the fest in preparation, than the huge burning i did not know at the time was for pongal. remember thursday when i couldn't flee my hotel?
*2nd day pongal-sun worshipped (sri devi temple had the drummers playing ecstatically at the crack of dawn on tuesday)signalling the rise of the sun. milk is boiled over as a symbol of prosperity. (this morning i saw them doing this at temple)
*3rd day pongal-the ox and cattle crucial to farmers livlihood are worshipped. sometimes splashed with colored sand, painted, dressed up, and there are ox cart races and bullfighting all over.
so what kinds of things does one eat at pongal? rice and jaggery (jaggery is raw sugar)-the canes are stacked and waiting at sri devi temple. they also feed all the crows and critters, which is why at sri devi all the people sat down to eat and just all walked away from their half eaten plates without cleaning it. the entire place was full of animals feasting on leftovers. who knew there was a reason for this. at the time i had thought they were too lazy to clean up after themselves, but now it makes perfect sense. the names of the dishes traditionally eaten during pongal are called til gajak, til poli, and chakkarai pongal.
the festivites have been constant since thursday. there's too much going on to watch all the time-it seems to begin with the sun rise and goes till 11pm almost non stop. i did watch them errect a 40 foot pole with a long rope on it while a pile of frantic drummers played against avant garde horns blasting from the speakers. they tied a large pink marigold garland and a decorative hand made textile piece and hoisted it up to the top of the pole facing the sri devi deity. when it reached the top, off went the m80s, firecrackers, and fireworks. deity in red with giant orange marigold garland. than they wrapped the remaining rope around with music accompaniment and more explosions when that was finished.
so they are constantly playing this amazing film score music loud enough for you to hear all the way to trivandrum, which is why i'm the only one crazy enough to stay in the hotel above the temple. it's like having my own personal theatre speakers circling my pool, and i can get underwater when the m80s go off. it makes me wonder-who is the temple d.j.? does he get the job passed on to him by his father? does he audition? what would be the criteria? interesting. cause he's better than any club d.j. i've heard.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
here's a few questions from the hindu's young world quiz. i'll post the answers next time i blog.
1.in which popular movie does one come across deb, gurgle, gill and bloat?
2.it it's wipro for azim premji, what is it for shiv nadar?
3.the popular hip hop artist born james todd smith, would turn 37 today. how is he better known?
4.manju virattu may be witnessed during the pongal festival period in tamil nadu. what is it?
5.what would one do with a wai wai? eat it or wear it?
6.in physics, the transference of heat through a fluid or gas by the actual movement of the fluid itself is called...?
7.name the strong southerly to southeasterly wind in the mediterranean that originates in sahara region?
bindifry
Thursday, January 13, 2005
temple fury
so the 10 day sri devi festival has begun. last night the 15 speakers that were now placed in different trees all over the place were blasting film score music. this puzzles me because i was expecting chants and devotional music and it sounded like one big indian rave. skeptical about sleep, they thankfully stopped the music at 9pm. course it was a thursday night, i am hoping they take pity on the sleepers and not let it go too late. however, in the past, they have gone past midnight. ear plugs do nothing to suffocate the sound, so your stuck awake with earth shaking sounds.(luckily they have good taste in music and i can't seem to get enough of IFSM-indian film score music) the ladies with the palm leaves had built a mini coconut palm house in the temple and another mini lotus flower hut next to the sri devi deity. when they woke me at 6am with head splitting drumming (fridays we practice together at 7, rest of week i'm there at 530), i passed by and witnessed 6 giant piles of fire and a circle of women throwing flowers into the flames. around 715 during yoga, off went dozens of fireworks and firecrackers. and than more music that made it almost impossible to hear lino calling the poses out. between that and the more than creative back-up sounds the taxis and rickshaws make (everything from love story to jingle bells), it reminded me of conference in mysore. guruji is SO quiet and profound when he talks, except you can't hear a word of it because of the musical horns and cell phone rings. i think the ring tones are an expression of high art here.
SO of course i'm thinking of a re-location of hotel, but part of me wants to stick around cause it's one serious party i have never been so close to before. it will take a gallon of patience and fabulous attitude. everyone involved is SO happy i'm just waiting to be dragged right into the festivities. the deity is getting her sari changed several times a day now. and half a dozen nubile indian youth splashing about in our swimming pool at 10pm. i'm hoping that elephants will come. the hawk's palm tree homes are in the middle of all this and it seems like they've relocated. how does a hawk move his entire family and nest?
so for the last 2 weeks, a girl has been practicing next to me who likes to use pure lavender oil when she does garba pindasana.(most of us use water) it suffocates me and i try hard to be in finishing when she gets to that pose rather than being the 2nd person to confront her. today she came up to me and asked me if her perfume bothered me. "it IS strong," i said. she apologized and went back to USING IT AGAIN! now yoga folks, the first things you learn about yoga are:
1. come 10 minutes early 2.do not eat before practice 3. absolutely no oils, lotions or perfumes.
this is horrifying and am rather surprised to see a seasoned yogi doing this. why is this a problem? cause the smell reeks up the entire room! not all of us are fans of lavender and it's extremely rude. why a teacher says nothing? i don't know. sometimes teachers just give up. fighting is futile. many students don't listen. i don't know why they spend the money.
saw a line of young backpackers, the caboose wearing a "von dutch" t-shirt. i found this amusing, cause one of those stores opened in chicago and i wanted a t-shirt. except they cost 150US dollars! guess the backpackers blew all their cash on t's. 100US can buy you a week in a ritzy hotel here or 2 weeks in a beach hotel. no judgement....no judgement... no judgement...........
well it's friday and it always seems like a vacation cause of the lead class and no class saturday. except theres nothing to do here but read, swim, watch tv, sit on the beach, or GO SEE THE NEW KAMAL HASSAAN MOVIE!
bindifry
SO of course i'm thinking of a re-location of hotel, but part of me wants to stick around cause it's one serious party i have never been so close to before. it will take a gallon of patience and fabulous attitude. everyone involved is SO happy i'm just waiting to be dragged right into the festivities. the deity is getting her sari changed several times a day now. and half a dozen nubile indian youth splashing about in our swimming pool at 10pm. i'm hoping that elephants will come. the hawk's palm tree homes are in the middle of all this and it seems like they've relocated. how does a hawk move his entire family and nest?
so for the last 2 weeks, a girl has been practicing next to me who likes to use pure lavender oil when she does garba pindasana.(most of us use water) it suffocates me and i try hard to be in finishing when she gets to that pose rather than being the 2nd person to confront her. today she came up to me and asked me if her perfume bothered me. "it IS strong," i said. she apologized and went back to USING IT AGAIN! now yoga folks, the first things you learn about yoga are:
1. come 10 minutes early 2.do not eat before practice 3. absolutely no oils, lotions or perfumes.
this is horrifying and am rather surprised to see a seasoned yogi doing this. why is this a problem? cause the smell reeks up the entire room! not all of us are fans of lavender and it's extremely rude. why a teacher says nothing? i don't know. sometimes teachers just give up. fighting is futile. many students don't listen. i don't know why they spend the money.
saw a line of young backpackers, the caboose wearing a "von dutch" t-shirt. i found this amusing, cause one of those stores opened in chicago and i wanted a t-shirt. except they cost 150US dollars! guess the backpackers blew all their cash on t's. 100US can buy you a week in a ritzy hotel here or 2 weeks in a beach hotel. no judgement....no judgement... no judgement...........
well it's friday and it always seems like a vacation cause of the lead class and no class saturday. except theres nothing to do here but read, swim, watch tv, sit on the beach, or GO SEE THE NEW KAMAL HASSAAN MOVIE!
bindifry
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
amrish puri gone
AMRISH PURI DIED TODAY. HE WAS 72
one of the finest actors in bollywood. this saddens me a lot. he will be missed. a fine villian, he was. i think i got lucky and saw his last movie, "aitraaz." he rocked in that.
JAFFLES ROCK
jaffles are indian mini grilled cheese sandwiches made in a device much like a waffle iron. i've had a few dreams about them.
there's some kind of sri devi/kali/durga festival about to take place. all the restaurants are playing durga chants and the devi temple next to my hotel is totally decked out with the flower tunnel and tons of lights. they even set up a bandshell with, GASP, 15 STACKS OF SPEAKERS! like metallica would use. i don't expect to get any sleep this weekend. every day they bathe the devi statue and put her in a different sari. she's all decked out in red and orange today, yesterday yellow, green day before. many people sleeping on the ground there and old ladies in the field with huge palm branches dried out making those festival bird things they hang everywhere. many men carrying i don't know what in gigantic palm baskets on their heads to the temple. i admit i'm a little excited about this one. i'll keep you all posted.
bindifry
one of the finest actors in bollywood. this saddens me a lot. he will be missed. a fine villian, he was. i think i got lucky and saw his last movie, "aitraaz." he rocked in that.
JAFFLES ROCK
jaffles are indian mini grilled cheese sandwiches made in a device much like a waffle iron. i've had a few dreams about them.
there's some kind of sri devi/kali/durga festival about to take place. all the restaurants are playing durga chants and the devi temple next to my hotel is totally decked out with the flower tunnel and tons of lights. they even set up a bandshell with, GASP, 15 STACKS OF SPEAKERS! like metallica would use. i don't expect to get any sleep this weekend. every day they bathe the devi statue and put her in a different sari. she's all decked out in red and orange today, yesterday yellow, green day before. many people sleeping on the ground there and old ladies in the field with huge palm branches dried out making those festival bird things they hang everywhere. many men carrying i don't know what in gigantic palm baskets on their heads to the temple. i admit i'm a little excited about this one. i'll keep you all posted.
bindifry
the ayurvedic tailor
tit bits
*"why chai time? "so we eat less." "what are the timings?" "730,1130,430,730
*feni time in goa-1-3pm daily
these above are ritually performed. much of india is asleep before 10am, and between 2-4, restaurants sleep sometimes till 730pm. late risers, late eaters. these are the people of india
*india is the land of "not my job, man." one job=one indian man. example-shaji the coconut wallah gets up too late to serve the eager yoga early riser coconut fans such as i. he is woken up by his brother and 2 co-workers. it's only recently they have given up on him in order to save the business, for we don't stay long being pushed out by the locals-THE MOZZIE.
*do you notice how india brings out the scizo in bindi? not write in my blog? impossible.
*i found an ayurvedic tailor that is being pushed by lonely planet. this is a new concept and his prices are double the average clothsman. it is nice soft fabric, like much of the fabric here. chemical free naturally dyed organic cotton. dyed with pure ayurvedic dyes. i don't know if this is marketing or what as i am not a tailor junkie. (terri, julie, deb-help me out with this one)
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THE HINDU
-baby found in amma cradle
the 38th infant to be found in amma's electronic cradle (amma or ammanchi is known as the hugging saint. her ashram is in kerala)
-piece of wood pierces boy's stomach
14 year old ratheesh was playing when he accidently fell on the wood
-norms for adoption of tsunami-orphaned children
--applicants must be 25-45 yrs old
--21 difference between parent and child
--community acceptance
--willingness of the children
willing parents contact office of the district social welfare officer, nagapattinam (phone#04365-253045)
-gender no bar to hear sexual offence cases
the surpeme court today ruled that no case could be trasnferred from a court to another on the ground that a lady judge would find it embarrassing to hear a case pertaining to sexual offences.
-mobile phones not safe for children under 8
studies show there are health implications
-the sri lankan president chandrika kumaratunga said she will adopt a tamil girl victim
after visiting the eastern coastline, the president had said one of her most touching moments was meeting an orphaned tamil girl. "she lost her entire family. i felt i should bring up that child myself."
bindifry
*"why chai time? "so we eat less." "what are the timings?" "730,1130,430,730
*feni time in goa-1-3pm daily
these above are ritually performed. much of india is asleep before 10am, and between 2-4, restaurants sleep sometimes till 730pm. late risers, late eaters. these are the people of india
*india is the land of "not my job, man." one job=one indian man. example-shaji the coconut wallah gets up too late to serve the eager yoga early riser coconut fans such as i. he is woken up by his brother and 2 co-workers. it's only recently they have given up on him in order to save the business, for we don't stay long being pushed out by the locals-THE MOZZIE.
*do you notice how india brings out the scizo in bindi? not write in my blog? impossible.
*i found an ayurvedic tailor that is being pushed by lonely planet. this is a new concept and his prices are double the average clothsman. it is nice soft fabric, like much of the fabric here. chemical free naturally dyed organic cotton. dyed with pure ayurvedic dyes. i don't know if this is marketing or what as i am not a tailor junkie. (terri, julie, deb-help me out with this one)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
THE HINDU
-baby found in amma cradle
the 38th infant to be found in amma's electronic cradle (amma or ammanchi is known as the hugging saint. her ashram is in kerala)
-piece of wood pierces boy's stomach
14 year old ratheesh was playing when he accidently fell on the wood
-norms for adoption of tsunami-orphaned children
--applicants must be 25-45 yrs old
--21 difference between parent and child
--community acceptance
--willingness of the children
willing parents contact office of the district social welfare officer, nagapattinam (phone#04365-253045)
-gender no bar to hear sexual offence cases
the surpeme court today ruled that no case could be trasnferred from a court to another on the ground that a lady judge would find it embarrassing to hear a case pertaining to sexual offences.
-mobile phones not safe for children under 8
studies show there are health implications
-the sri lankan president chandrika kumaratunga said she will adopt a tamil girl victim
after visiting the eastern coastline, the president had said one of her most touching moments was meeting an orphaned tamil girl. "she lost her entire family. i felt i should bring up that child myself."
bindifry
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
hawks 2-crows 0
thought you'd like to know the hawks have taken over both tall palms and crows aren't allowed close at all. the thing that concerns me is that they are doing building right below and if they chop those down, what will happen to the family nest? they burned down there heavily, so heavily i couldn't leave my room all day cause the only way out was to walk through it and my hair would smell like burned garbage for the duration of this trip. luckily i was finished with my swim when the burning began. the entire sky drenched in thick stinky smoke, pieces of charred newspaper flying everywhere. this is one of the things i don't like about india. the garbage is buried or burned. there is no such thing as recycling and plastic is a huge problem. to add to the horror, india is paid to import garbage from other parts of the world! with a billion living here and a large tourist population, it is getting real ugly real fast. if you choose to come here, purify your own water or refill at a purifier, such as the one provided by lino in yoga class. don't add to the trash problem.
yoga yoga yoga. what can i say except the pain never seems to go away. i think we are supposed to be aware of our pain, our weaknesses so we can learn to combat them.(bindi is in the school of xena warrior princess yoga and is learning a lot from gabrielle and xena) i don' t know a single person at any level who dosen't experience pain or exhaustion throughout this yoga. we just have to accept it as part of the ego destruction. it's interesting that some people's ego is stroked by this yoga, and others egos get destroyed. i believe the ones who have to battle hard, the ones where it dosen't come easy cause of body type, not having dance training or gymnastics training, are the ones who "succeed" in this yoga. so i guess you have to ask yourself, "do you feel good, punk? well? do you? " and if you do, come to india so lino, sharath or guruji can change that for you. than you will know yoga.
bindi
yoga yoga yoga. what can i say except the pain never seems to go away. i think we are supposed to be aware of our pain, our weaknesses so we can learn to combat them.(bindi is in the school of xena warrior princess yoga and is learning a lot from gabrielle and xena) i don' t know a single person at any level who dosen't experience pain or exhaustion throughout this yoga. we just have to accept it as part of the ego destruction. it's interesting that some people's ego is stroked by this yoga, and others egos get destroyed. i believe the ones who have to battle hard, the ones where it dosen't come easy cause of body type, not having dance training or gymnastics training, are the ones who "succeed" in this yoga. so i guess you have to ask yourself, "do you feel good, punk? well? do you? " and if you do, come to india so lino, sharath or guruji can change that for you. than you will know yoga.
bindi
Sunday, January 09, 2005
dude without a shirt
ok. there's a dude in this restaurant without his shirt on. now you don't see signs here that say, "no shirt no shoes no service," and the shoes part is ok, but something about looking at a hairy pot bellied white dude without his shirt on makes me lose my appetite. listen up-it is never ok to eat in a restaurant without your shirt on unless it's a beach hut next to the ocean. AND demand a tablecloth change! (i happen to like the company of ants myself)
bindi has her own soap opera in her yard. each morning when i swim, i can watch from the two tallest palms in the area. i've never stayed perched so high above the tops of coconut palms. it's a world above me. however, in these palms live the hawks. they look like mini eagles with a body in tan and head in white. they are magnificent. they have a nest and kids and the big drama is the crows that constantly take the food right out of the mouths of the babies. this is a never ending drama and way better than tv, no commercials! i guess i will miss this place.
heads up-new book reviewed for those who care called, "and......PRAN!." for those of you who like old bollywood filums know who he is. the greatest most popular villian during the 70s through the present. don't know where you can buy it, maybe amazon, but looks like fabulous reading. (hi jeff-i know you will have read this one before i get home-pass it on to mintz)
so bindi is seriously considering ending her blog. why? i just don't know what to say in my life which won't make me feel and sound trivial. i think being spared by a tsunami will do this to you. anyhow, i have under 5 weeks left in india and i have sort of become speechless. the world around me is no longer strange, but has become familiar, part of me. this is my 7th month this year in india and i'm afraid it's grown on me-not only it's beauty and magic, but it's turmoil. i accept the pain within me and around me.
talking about yoga feels tired and trivial. it is not a spectator sport. it's highly personal and discussing "posture" is posturing! however, i do know there are people out there who are interested, so i'll try to keep it interesting. today was a moon day and i haven't been practicing on those days. i do notice a difference in energy level and am affected by it. however, lino is kind enough to keep the shala open between 630-8 entrance times with no chant and very little adjustments. some people don't think they're getting their money's worth. he understands this. in mysore, you are often given 4 days off in a week just because or if they are in need of another holiday. it can be very expensive, especially with the first month fast climbing past 600US.
i watched, "quotation," yesterday with sharaf. i wanted to see a tamil filum called, "jayasurya," which he took me to, but upon arrival, refused to let me into the theatre. "theatre very bad" he said, don't know why except i did feel a little freaky being in that part of town. hard to explain the vibe, but it just wasn't right. SO he took me to the same malayalam (i apologize for repeatedly misspelling this word)movie he went to see when he dumped us off last week to see, "swades." (he is NOT a fan of hindi cinema and there was no way he was going to sit through THAT one again.) the movie was shot entirely in the dark, which got old. twas only 2 hours long with only 2 musical numbers, but instead felt like 4 hours. there was tons of blood and merciless violence, which looked real good in the dark rain. women are not spared, the hero was not spared. this was NOT your typical hollywood ending. women were the fattest i've ever seen(merely an innocent observation) and quite proud of their bellies, bless them. and i had no idea what was going on. sharaf with his very limited english thinks that i only care about fight scenes in movies. it's true i can't get enough jacke chan AND the tamil people are role models for hong kong, but i need more than that in a movie. i know it was mostly about revenge, and a sort of love thing that almost happened, but that's it. still, even without knowing too much, it is interesting to watch the south indian people in movies cause they are very dark skinned and have jobs just like everyone else around here-rickshaw drivers, cooks, coconut and iron wallahs. and the backdrop is often chennai in tamil movies or kochi in malayalam.
i think i take out my frustration of not really knowing what is going on by binging on bad english movies, cause i won't do that at home. i even buy many of the films i see here and watch them again with subtitles, opening a huge door of discovery. cept the malayalam and tamil ones are very hard to find with subtitles, even here.
so i am not formally concluding this blog. i can only promise to write less often until i return to the states on valentines day, trying to update once a week.
bindifry
bindi has her own soap opera in her yard. each morning when i swim, i can watch from the two tallest palms in the area. i've never stayed perched so high above the tops of coconut palms. it's a world above me. however, in these palms live the hawks. they look like mini eagles with a body in tan and head in white. they are magnificent. they have a nest and kids and the big drama is the crows that constantly take the food right out of the mouths of the babies. this is a never ending drama and way better than tv, no commercials! i guess i will miss this place.
heads up-new book reviewed for those who care called, "and......PRAN!." for those of you who like old bollywood filums know who he is. the greatest most popular villian during the 70s through the present. don't know where you can buy it, maybe amazon, but looks like fabulous reading. (hi jeff-i know you will have read this one before i get home-pass it on to mintz)
so bindi is seriously considering ending her blog. why? i just don't know what to say in my life which won't make me feel and sound trivial. i think being spared by a tsunami will do this to you. anyhow, i have under 5 weeks left in india and i have sort of become speechless. the world around me is no longer strange, but has become familiar, part of me. this is my 7th month this year in india and i'm afraid it's grown on me-not only it's beauty and magic, but it's turmoil. i accept the pain within me and around me.
talking about yoga feels tired and trivial. it is not a spectator sport. it's highly personal and discussing "posture" is posturing! however, i do know there are people out there who are interested, so i'll try to keep it interesting. today was a moon day and i haven't been practicing on those days. i do notice a difference in energy level and am affected by it. however, lino is kind enough to keep the shala open between 630-8 entrance times with no chant and very little adjustments. some people don't think they're getting their money's worth. he understands this. in mysore, you are often given 4 days off in a week just because or if they are in need of another holiday. it can be very expensive, especially with the first month fast climbing past 600US.
i watched, "quotation," yesterday with sharaf. i wanted to see a tamil filum called, "jayasurya," which he took me to, but upon arrival, refused to let me into the theatre. "theatre very bad" he said, don't know why except i did feel a little freaky being in that part of town. hard to explain the vibe, but it just wasn't right. SO he took me to the same malayalam (i apologize for repeatedly misspelling this word)movie he went to see when he dumped us off last week to see, "swades." (he is NOT a fan of hindi cinema and there was no way he was going to sit through THAT one again.) the movie was shot entirely in the dark, which got old. twas only 2 hours long with only 2 musical numbers, but instead felt like 4 hours. there was tons of blood and merciless violence, which looked real good in the dark rain. women are not spared, the hero was not spared. this was NOT your typical hollywood ending. women were the fattest i've ever seen(merely an innocent observation) and quite proud of their bellies, bless them. and i had no idea what was going on. sharaf with his very limited english thinks that i only care about fight scenes in movies. it's true i can't get enough jacke chan AND the tamil people are role models for hong kong, but i need more than that in a movie. i know it was mostly about revenge, and a sort of love thing that almost happened, but that's it. still, even without knowing too much, it is interesting to watch the south indian people in movies cause they are very dark skinned and have jobs just like everyone else around here-rickshaw drivers, cooks, coconut and iron wallahs. and the backdrop is often chennai in tamil movies or kochi in malayalam.
i think i take out my frustration of not really knowing what is going on by binging on bad english movies, cause i won't do that at home. i even buy many of the films i see here and watch them again with subtitles, opening a huge door of discovery. cept the malayalam and tamil ones are very hard to find with subtitles, even here.
so i am not formally concluding this blog. i can only promise to write less often until i return to the states on valentines day, trying to update once a week.
bindifry
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
*f.y.o./**b.b.b./and other ***t.b.s
*f.y.o.-for yogis only
**b.b.b.-bindi's blog break
***t.b.-tit bits
***************************************************************************************
well bindi took a blog break, not because she's lazy, but because she has nothing interesting to share at the moment, till today i guess. i've been concentrating on my health and well being, being very dilligent with building back my strength and getting my old bod back. takes time, but i am beginning to see that dim light at the end of my tunnel.
fyi
"next week we finish." these were lino's parting words to me this morning, after 5 weeks of intense yoga just trying to get back to where i was a year ago, pre injury. these words comfort me because i've been doing astanga for 6 or 7 years and after next week, i get to finish intermediate series, which means i can finally split my practice. lino believes in teaching stamina, the old fashioned way, by insisting you do full primary and intermediate until you reach the end. nowadays in mysore the practice is split earlier, like after supta vaj or karandavasana. i have 4 poses and 7 headstands to learn next week, than 2 weeks of intermediate only 5 days, friday full primary always. are my hips open enough? are my hamstrings ready? does the shoulder feel ok? what about that permanent crooked ring finger from the sprain? well i trust my teacher and if he thinks i am ready, it's showtime. i hate to admit to being goal oriented EVER in this practice, and i had let go of the fact that maybe this wouldn't happen cause of all the injuries, but i have before whined about the long practice. this shortens it to a reasonable time-instead of 2-3 hours, it becomes 90 minutes. much easier to handle in chicago. however, i have no teacher in chicago who can assist me, only friends who also do these poses. that's the way it goes, that's why i spend so much time over here. the method of working your body hard creates strength and stamina very much required for "nadi shodana," nerve cleansing, intermediate series, aka second series.
as i said before, lino has been doing lead primary on fridays, which is a super treat. these days in mysore, they have lead classes sundays and fridays and you have to be invited into the intermediate leads on sundays, which means you are very fluent in the series. only a handful are. intermediate is the flip side of primary, and both series used to be taught simultaneously in mysore. each series compliments the other. and it is quite dangerous to "take" postures from second series. i know of many people who do this, have done this, and are seriously asking for trouble. not only trouble in the body, but trouble in the mind. you don't just do what you want, you have to be given the postures by someone who really knows what they're doing, and for me, in the beginning, i would only take from teachers who have been to mysore, nowadays, only certified instructors-lino and dena. don't screw with this system. it's bite is very sharp.
SO what is lino concentrating on in his lead classes? sarvangasana sequence! that's shoulderstand, folks. he counts 25 in S.S., but it's so slow, it's more like 50 count, 50 count halasana, 25 count karnapindasana, 25 in urdva padmasana, 25 pindasana, 15 matsayasana, 15 uttana padasana. brutal! couldn't do it first couple of times out, but strong now. actually looking forward to it. in mysore, their thing is torturning you in uth pluthi. it's actually sadistic.
i love the lead classes cause it really sets the vinyasa, the movement. there are only so many breaths you are supposed to take, and each breath has a very specific movement. this is what we call "vinyassa." most people are quite ignorant of this specific thing, which is why i believe guruji is doing it, sharath is doing it, lino is doing it. very important.
my injuries have crept back, now i just have to deal with them. somehow you move beyond them, even though it's painful. painful not in a bad way, but in a balancing way. i'm not saying you should push, but injuries can be overcome over time with CORRECT METHOD, bandhas and proper breath. i do remember bragging that my injuries were gone for good, but they were just on vacation. it's ok. this is what we learn.
*************************************************************************************
tbs
a plumber came to my room to fix a water problem with his tools and toolbox. you know what an indian uses for a toolbox? yesterday's newspaper!
"i'd rather play the lead in a bollywood movie than play second fiddle to meryl streep."-kareena kapoor speaking of ashwarya rai and her taking a roll in a hollywood movie. gee, kareena, don't ya think if ya had ash's looks you would also be asked to play "second fiddle?"
i took scott and arnold to "swades" yesterday, it being my second time for this filum. "we the people" is the subtitle, and it's dedicated to mahatma gandhi. it's about a small town in uttar pradesh working together with the help of shah rukh khan, of course. he helps them get water, helps get the kids in school, teaches them how to build their own electrical system, brings the brahmins and the untouchables together in a very touching scene where the town sits outside to watch a famous movie, "yadon ki bharat." the movie quits on them, and mohan takes down the screen that seperates the castes. he teaches them about the stars in the sky, bringing togethre all people. all these themes are very gandhi. SRK is mohan, a nasa indian about to receive his US citizenship, who longs to visit his homeland. it's a tear jerker/feel good movie directed by the same director as lagaan. if you liked lagaan or/and love india, this one IS for you. bindi will be buying this one on dvd, she will have another bollywood party and show it with the subtitles. and the cd awaits my chicago arrival. the music is fabulous.
my friends sharaf, nass, mahin and sudek went to the beach tuesday, collected 12,000 rupees and took it and food and supplies to tamil nadu, the hardest tsunami hit state in india. such good boys. sharaf seemed so distracted taking us to the movie, i was wondering what was up. "you should see it, people everywhere crying, bodies everywhere, and the smell...." this is what he said to me. there have been many groups of people doing this here. we are only a few miles away from the destruction. that baby hit everywhere to our west, south and east, but decided to just skip over little old kovalam and trivandrum. who knows why, something about the position in the sea, something about blessings, something about luck. when is it bindi's turn? it takes a huge heart and huge cahones (balls) to put yourself in these places. there's nothing that can prepare you for it and it obviously affected sharaf, who is more used to such things than i am. i'm so close, it almost seems stupid not to go there, but i just don't know if i'm strong enough to see it. sending money is the easy way, but the temptation to go there is very strong. i think if sharaf does it again, it may be good for my soul.
bindifry
**b.b.b.-bindi's blog break
***t.b.-tit bits
***************************************************************************************
well bindi took a blog break, not because she's lazy, but because she has nothing interesting to share at the moment, till today i guess. i've been concentrating on my health and well being, being very dilligent with building back my strength and getting my old bod back. takes time, but i am beginning to see that dim light at the end of my tunnel.
fyi
"next week we finish." these were lino's parting words to me this morning, after 5 weeks of intense yoga just trying to get back to where i was a year ago, pre injury. these words comfort me because i've been doing astanga for 6 or 7 years and after next week, i get to finish intermediate series, which means i can finally split my practice. lino believes in teaching stamina, the old fashioned way, by insisting you do full primary and intermediate until you reach the end. nowadays in mysore the practice is split earlier, like after supta vaj or karandavasana. i have 4 poses and 7 headstands to learn next week, than 2 weeks of intermediate only 5 days, friday full primary always. are my hips open enough? are my hamstrings ready? does the shoulder feel ok? what about that permanent crooked ring finger from the sprain? well i trust my teacher and if he thinks i am ready, it's showtime. i hate to admit to being goal oriented EVER in this practice, and i had let go of the fact that maybe this wouldn't happen cause of all the injuries, but i have before whined about the long practice. this shortens it to a reasonable time-instead of 2-3 hours, it becomes 90 minutes. much easier to handle in chicago. however, i have no teacher in chicago who can assist me, only friends who also do these poses. that's the way it goes, that's why i spend so much time over here. the method of working your body hard creates strength and stamina very much required for "nadi shodana," nerve cleansing, intermediate series, aka second series.
as i said before, lino has been doing lead primary on fridays, which is a super treat. these days in mysore, they have lead classes sundays and fridays and you have to be invited into the intermediate leads on sundays, which means you are very fluent in the series. only a handful are. intermediate is the flip side of primary, and both series used to be taught simultaneously in mysore. each series compliments the other. and it is quite dangerous to "take" postures from second series. i know of many people who do this, have done this, and are seriously asking for trouble. not only trouble in the body, but trouble in the mind. you don't just do what you want, you have to be given the postures by someone who really knows what they're doing, and for me, in the beginning, i would only take from teachers who have been to mysore, nowadays, only certified instructors-lino and dena. don't screw with this system. it's bite is very sharp.
SO what is lino concentrating on in his lead classes? sarvangasana sequence! that's shoulderstand, folks. he counts 25 in S.S., but it's so slow, it's more like 50 count, 50 count halasana, 25 count karnapindasana, 25 in urdva padmasana, 25 pindasana, 15 matsayasana, 15 uttana padasana. brutal! couldn't do it first couple of times out, but strong now. actually looking forward to it. in mysore, their thing is torturning you in uth pluthi. it's actually sadistic.
i love the lead classes cause it really sets the vinyasa, the movement. there are only so many breaths you are supposed to take, and each breath has a very specific movement. this is what we call "vinyassa." most people are quite ignorant of this specific thing, which is why i believe guruji is doing it, sharath is doing it, lino is doing it. very important.
my injuries have crept back, now i just have to deal with them. somehow you move beyond them, even though it's painful. painful not in a bad way, but in a balancing way. i'm not saying you should push, but injuries can be overcome over time with CORRECT METHOD, bandhas and proper breath. i do remember bragging that my injuries were gone for good, but they were just on vacation. it's ok. this is what we learn.
*************************************************************************************
tbs
a plumber came to my room to fix a water problem with his tools and toolbox. you know what an indian uses for a toolbox? yesterday's newspaper!
"i'd rather play the lead in a bollywood movie than play second fiddle to meryl streep."-kareena kapoor speaking of ashwarya rai and her taking a roll in a hollywood movie. gee, kareena, don't ya think if ya had ash's looks you would also be asked to play "second fiddle?"
i took scott and arnold to "swades" yesterday, it being my second time for this filum. "we the people" is the subtitle, and it's dedicated to mahatma gandhi. it's about a small town in uttar pradesh working together with the help of shah rukh khan, of course. he helps them get water, helps get the kids in school, teaches them how to build their own electrical system, brings the brahmins and the untouchables together in a very touching scene where the town sits outside to watch a famous movie, "yadon ki bharat." the movie quits on them, and mohan takes down the screen that seperates the castes. he teaches them about the stars in the sky, bringing togethre all people. all these themes are very gandhi. SRK is mohan, a nasa indian about to receive his US citizenship, who longs to visit his homeland. it's a tear jerker/feel good movie directed by the same director as lagaan. if you liked lagaan or/and love india, this one IS for you. bindi will be buying this one on dvd, she will have another bollywood party and show it with the subtitles. and the cd awaits my chicago arrival. the music is fabulous.
my friends sharaf, nass, mahin and sudek went to the beach tuesday, collected 12,000 rupees and took it and food and supplies to tamil nadu, the hardest tsunami hit state in india. such good boys. sharaf seemed so distracted taking us to the movie, i was wondering what was up. "you should see it, people everywhere crying, bodies everywhere, and the smell...." this is what he said to me. there have been many groups of people doing this here. we are only a few miles away from the destruction. that baby hit everywhere to our west, south and east, but decided to just skip over little old kovalam and trivandrum. who knows why, something about the position in the sea, something about blessings, something about luck. when is it bindi's turn? it takes a huge heart and huge cahones (balls) to put yourself in these places. there's nothing that can prepare you for it and it obviously affected sharaf, who is more used to such things than i am. i'm so close, it almost seems stupid not to go there, but i just don't know if i'm strong enough to see it. sending money is the easy way, but the temptation to go there is very strong. i think if sharaf does it again, it may be good for my soul.
bindifry
Saturday, January 01, 2005
kerala feast
well i did end up going to my hotel managers house, col. rasheed. and i'm glad i did, cause he was having the spread just for me and it would have been horrible to let them hang. so here's the spread:
-first we are shown the house, however, it was more like a mansion. the colonel had been all over the world, egypt, dubai, china, etc. and had artifacts from everywhere. absolutely stunning place. the army is good to their people here. he's been retired 10 years, and our gathering was only us 3 (scott, who is in india only 2 days at this point, and arnold)and him and his wife.
-we were introduced to the film crew, who film in their house 5 days a month a very popular malayalum series on asianet at 7:30 pm. of course this made the event quite unexpected. we had to eat on the floor of the guest quarters because of this, but that was not half bad.
-he sat us down inside for beers, cause the indians don't drink outside in public in front of others out of respect. than we lined up to wash our hands and we returned to the quarters. the furniture had been taken away and 4 giant palm leaves (the wife does not eat with us traditionally cause she's serving) placed with 7 kinds of sauces and tit bits (like mango chutney, hot red ginger lime sauce, chopped long beans and mixed vegetable, which had green chili in it and looked like guacamole)
-mrs. rasheed did the honors and piled on that fat kerala rice in the center of the leaf. than first course-dal. we used our right hand to mix it together, add some spice (looked like a painters easel) and squashed a papad into the rice to bind it. papad is a deep fried tortilla like rice crispy bread. second course, sambar, a thin stew of hot dal with eggplant and okra, a hot as hell red prawn dish, (vegetarian?), and the curd came last. than fresh pineapple for enzymatic digestion. in india, they eat their food in a certain order for optimum digestibility. we did good, folded our palm leaves in half, and it was out to the garden for local black coffee and some photos.
that's pretty much it. took about 4 hours, than his "driver" took us back to kovalam, a good 40 minutes away. they live on the outskirts of trivandrum where i've never been before.
i felt quite honored being his guest. he invited me because he caught me red handed listening to air (all india radio) and singing along. he thought it was cute a little white girl who knows film songs, told his wife, and invited me with 2 guests. very sweet new years day, much better than new years eve.
the death toll of tsunami continues to climb and is still the main focus here on tv, newspapers, and in the hearts of the people. we weren't the only ones celebrating low key out of respect for the dead and dying. death toll over 170,000 and now people are starting to die from disease, which will to take the lives of many more people.
thanks to all who made donations. it's a wonderful thing when you can open your heart and your purse for something like this.
bindifry
-first we are shown the house, however, it was more like a mansion. the colonel had been all over the world, egypt, dubai, china, etc. and had artifacts from everywhere. absolutely stunning place. the army is good to their people here. he's been retired 10 years, and our gathering was only us 3 (scott, who is in india only 2 days at this point, and arnold)and him and his wife.
-we were introduced to the film crew, who film in their house 5 days a month a very popular malayalum series on asianet at 7:30 pm. of course this made the event quite unexpected. we had to eat on the floor of the guest quarters because of this, but that was not half bad.
-he sat us down inside for beers, cause the indians don't drink outside in public in front of others out of respect. than we lined up to wash our hands and we returned to the quarters. the furniture had been taken away and 4 giant palm leaves (the wife does not eat with us traditionally cause she's serving) placed with 7 kinds of sauces and tit bits (like mango chutney, hot red ginger lime sauce, chopped long beans and mixed vegetable, which had green chili in it and looked like guacamole)
-mrs. rasheed did the honors and piled on that fat kerala rice in the center of the leaf. than first course-dal. we used our right hand to mix it together, add some spice (looked like a painters easel) and squashed a papad into the rice to bind it. papad is a deep fried tortilla like rice crispy bread. second course, sambar, a thin stew of hot dal with eggplant and okra, a hot as hell red prawn dish, (vegetarian?), and the curd came last. than fresh pineapple for enzymatic digestion. in india, they eat their food in a certain order for optimum digestibility. we did good, folded our palm leaves in half, and it was out to the garden for local black coffee and some photos.
that's pretty much it. took about 4 hours, than his "driver" took us back to kovalam, a good 40 minutes away. they live on the outskirts of trivandrum where i've never been before.
i felt quite honored being his guest. he invited me because he caught me red handed listening to air (all india radio) and singing along. he thought it was cute a little white girl who knows film songs, told his wife, and invited me with 2 guests. very sweet new years day, much better than new years eve.
the death toll of tsunami continues to climb and is still the main focus here on tv, newspapers, and in the hearts of the people. we weren't the only ones celebrating low key out of respect for the dead and dying. death toll over 170,000 and now people are starting to die from disease, which will to take the lives of many more people.
thanks to all who made donations. it's a wonderful thing when you can open your heart and your purse for something like this.
bindifry
Friday, December 31, 2004
kal ho na ho
well bindi was all puffed out yesterday upon receiving news that the hotel manager had called me into his office and asked me, "do you like traditional kerala vegetarian meal?" and invited to have a car pick me up and take me to his home in trivandrum where his wife is doing the food, you know, the palm leaf on the floor, thali with mountain of rice, mix together with hand, pop into mouth, meal. i can bring friends. as much as i want to do this, i'm so pissed at my expensive hotel cause for the 3rd time i have no water and have had to take a shower in the pool, which is a drag. other problems which i don' t want to get into cause i don't like being negative, but i've written a long letter to the owner who is in dubai right now telling him all the problems i'm having. can't even get clean towels and this is an expensive place. they want me to promote the hotel, but i'm real mad right now.
my new years eve was spent with arnold and scott at lonely planet, eating vegetarian buffet, than watching, "rumble in the bronx" (i adore jackie chan no matter what garbage he has put out lately) and was in bed by 11. not much to celebrate here. kind of somber. i feel guilty whooping it up with 6 digits of death around me, and as many in camps-there are over 20 in trivandrum alone, and water bourn disease coming to wipe out more of the population.
listen to your teacher. lino told us no massage with intensive astanga, eat only vegetarian and only at lonely planet, and drink only pure water. he has generously installed a water purifier in the shala for us, which is an amazing thing to do. i used to poo-poo at his suggestions, but i have been completely poison free since i've listened to him. trust your teacher, but never follow blindly.
also a person who i admire from afar who works at a frequented restaurant e-mailed me to compliment me on my writing style. bindi is puffed out about that. shucks. thanks, kimmie, for that. you have a massive heart.
i was invited to my friend sharaf's party last night, but i did not think i could deal with another night of young drunken indian boys. low key for bindi these days. she wants to stay injury and poison free.
yoga is good. peaking now, lots of people of all levels in there. lino is on fire. i highly reccommend this intensive. you can do 1 week or 2 months. of course 2 months is best way to get the most out of it. but i know most people can't do that.
happy new year to all
hug your family and friends extra hard cause "kal ho na ho", tomorrow may not be.
bindifry
my new years eve was spent with arnold and scott at lonely planet, eating vegetarian buffet, than watching, "rumble in the bronx" (i adore jackie chan no matter what garbage he has put out lately) and was in bed by 11. not much to celebrate here. kind of somber. i feel guilty whooping it up with 6 digits of death around me, and as many in camps-there are over 20 in trivandrum alone, and water bourn disease coming to wipe out more of the population.
listen to your teacher. lino told us no massage with intensive astanga, eat only vegetarian and only at lonely planet, and drink only pure water. he has generously installed a water purifier in the shala for us, which is an amazing thing to do. i used to poo-poo at his suggestions, but i have been completely poison free since i've listened to him. trust your teacher, but never follow blindly.
also a person who i admire from afar who works at a frequented restaurant e-mailed me to compliment me on my writing style. bindi is puffed out about that. shucks. thanks, kimmie, for that. you have a massive heart.
i was invited to my friend sharaf's party last night, but i did not think i could deal with another night of young drunken indian boys. low key for bindi these days. she wants to stay injury and poison free.
yoga is good. peaking now, lots of people of all levels in there. lino is on fire. i highly reccommend this intensive. you can do 1 week or 2 months. of course 2 months is best way to get the most out of it. but i know most people can't do that.
happy new year to all
hug your family and friends extra hard cause "kal ho na ho", tomorrow may not be.
bindifry
Thursday, December 30, 2004
donations/animal lovers
tomorrow's new years eve and there are many articles suggesting using the money you would spend on "festivities" to tsunami flood victims. you can do this online at:
donathttp://pay.hindu.com/thrfpay/thrfpay.
www.thehindu.com
is also a great source of detailed info about tsunami,(way better than what cnn and bbc and network tv will tell you) and if the donation link above does not work, the hindu online will guide you there. i admit there is little to celebrate around here and would feel terribly guilty doing so. there is no way to explain how this tragedy has affected south india. anyhow, if you can, please send as much as you can. a hundred bucks goes a way long way here, especially since most families make 300 per year.
*********************************************************************
so here's something interesting in sri lanka for animal lovers especially:
SAVED BY THEIR 6TH SENSE
as sri lanka's human death toll surged, wildlife officials expressed surprise today that they found no evidence of large scale deaths among animals from the tsunami. "this is very interesting. i am finding bodies of humans, but i have yet to se a dead animal," said a spokesman.
the huge waves washed floodwaters inland and yala, sri lanka's largest wildlife reserve, but the animals apparently were not harmed and have sought out high ground, he said. "maybe what we think is true, that animals have a sixth sense." the park is home to 200 elephants, leopards, wild boar and other rare animals.
*********************************************************************
our power has been out at least 5 hours during the hottest time in the afternoon. i apologize if it takes me a little while to reply to the generous e-mails sent to me. i appreciate all the concern pouring in. our beach opened today first time, than it closed. i am fortunate to have a pool, however, usually don't think of going near it between 9:30am and night time. this south indian sun is a killer. i know all of you are probably popsicles right now and i'm not bragging, but intense heat without power can also be difficult. air, all india radio, came back on air yesterday and i'm smart enough to know about indian batteries. plus you can take your radio anywhere outside and entertain the men hard at work in their lungis as well as yourself.
happy new year
bindifry
donathttp://pay.hindu.com/thrfpay/thrfpay.
www.thehindu.com
is also a great source of detailed info about tsunami,(way better than what cnn and bbc and network tv will tell you) and if the donation link above does not work, the hindu online will guide you there. i admit there is little to celebrate around here and would feel terribly guilty doing so. there is no way to explain how this tragedy has affected south india. anyhow, if you can, please send as much as you can. a hundred bucks goes a way long way here, especially since most families make 300 per year.
*********************************************************************
so here's something interesting in sri lanka for animal lovers especially:
SAVED BY THEIR 6TH SENSE
as sri lanka's human death toll surged, wildlife officials expressed surprise today that they found no evidence of large scale deaths among animals from the tsunami. "this is very interesting. i am finding bodies of humans, but i have yet to se a dead animal," said a spokesman.
the huge waves washed floodwaters inland and yala, sri lanka's largest wildlife reserve, but the animals apparently were not harmed and have sought out high ground, he said. "maybe what we think is true, that animals have a sixth sense." the park is home to 200 elephants, leopards, wild boar and other rare animals.
*********************************************************************
our power has been out at least 5 hours during the hottest time in the afternoon. i apologize if it takes me a little while to reply to the generous e-mails sent to me. i appreciate all the concern pouring in. our beach opened today first time, than it closed. i am fortunate to have a pool, however, usually don't think of going near it between 9:30am and night time. this south indian sun is a killer. i know all of you are probably popsicles right now and i'm not bragging, but intense heat without power can also be difficult. air, all india radio, came back on air yesterday and i'm smart enough to know about indian batteries. plus you can take your radio anywhere outside and entertain the men hard at work in their lungis as well as yourself.
happy new year
bindifry
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
toll-a-risin
so today we're at 77,000 dead from tsunami. my plans of travel beyone the confines of kovalam have dimished for this trip. it's ok, cause i'll be back again, and susanna finocci and petri raisanen teach the entire month of february. i have my full practice back, but i feel like i need a walker when it's all over. all is coming. swimming is definitely a plus, something about moving the limbs around in cool water helps keep the pain away. i am well on my way to overcoming 4 injuries.
ASTANGA YOGA IS VERY CHALLENGING
*it's worth the long haul
*it's worth doing with correct method
*there will always be lessons to learn
i am guilty of watching "encino man" and liking it. is this good or bad?
bindifry
ASTANGA YOGA IS VERY CHALLENGING
*it's worth the long haul
*it's worth doing with correct method
*there will always be lessons to learn
i am guilty of watching "encino man" and liking it. is this good or bad?
bindifry
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
tit bits and tsunami
TSUNAMI DEATH TOLL TODAY SO FAR
58,000 and rising
over 10,000 in south india. here's an approximate breakdown for those who know this area or are interested:
kanniyakumari-1200+
kerala-200+
nagapattinam-1700+
sri lanka-12,500+
andaman and nicobar islands-6000+
tamil nadu-3200+
pondicherry-60+
keralarose-190+
alappuzha-35+
kollam-40+
andra pradesh-115+
bangalore-40+
of course all the animals that have perished, who knows how many fish, birds, cows, cats, dogs,chickens, roosters, oxen......
heavy rains here have made things worse and the death toll expected to double from disease carried by the waters. australia is giving 5 crore (a crore is a million rupies). there are mass funerals and mass graves on the front pages of the papers, lots of little kids. kovalam beach and surrounding beaches have been closed 4 days, many beachfront hotels evacuated, tons of cancellations. i am living on a tall hill, my hotel is booked solid cause it's safe. they're expecting more quakes and the weather has been strange. there are more than 1000 people in trivandrum in relief camps, and my friend sharaf's village was destroyed, including damage to the mosque that is way up next to the lighthouse.
*************************************************************************************
plastic is a huge problem here cause it's not bio degradable and there isn't a recycling program. now india is cell phone obsessed and other electronic gadgets, what's the name of this new waste product that's even worse than plastic? E-WASTE
india offers visas to pakistan students!
india and pakistan today agreed to continue the process on a sustained and serious basis, narrow down differences, and work towards resolution of all issues.
*************************************************************************************
i confess to have been watching "rosebowl-the feel good channel" on the tele. i can indulge in hindi videos, beegees, john denver,the carpenters,abba,metalica,bob marley, bad clapton,ricky matin, worst of aerosmith (really were they ever good beyone "toys in the attic"?
*************************************************************************************
BRAIN BITES
1.who was time magazine's first female man of the year?
2.lindsay owen-jones is the ceo of which global brand?
3.which entertainment celebrity set up "data"(debt, aids, trade in africa) to create global awareness about the plight in various countries in the "dark continent"?
4.name the only indian film to win the palme d'or and in which year did it do so?
5.what happened for the first time in 456 years when john paul II became the pope?
*************************************************************************************
PERFECT;KNOW YOUR ENGLISH
"love me, love my dog"-when you say this, you mean that you want a person to accept you for who you are.
"chinless wonder"-mostly british, used to refer to someone who is weak.
"he has deep pockets"-a rich person, like a politician. they become politicians to make the pockets deeper!
***************************************************************************************
bindi apologizes for any misspelled words or poor grammar. in india, the power is unpredictable and i often don't have time to proofread. sorry journalists and big brains out there.
bindifry
58,000 and rising
over 10,000 in south india. here's an approximate breakdown for those who know this area or are interested:
kanniyakumari-1200+
kerala-200+
nagapattinam-1700+
sri lanka-12,500+
andaman and nicobar islands-6000+
tamil nadu-3200+
pondicherry-60+
keralarose-190+
alappuzha-35+
kollam-40+
andra pradesh-115+
bangalore-40+
of course all the animals that have perished, who knows how many fish, birds, cows, cats, dogs,chickens, roosters, oxen......
heavy rains here have made things worse and the death toll expected to double from disease carried by the waters. australia is giving 5 crore (a crore is a million rupies). there are mass funerals and mass graves on the front pages of the papers, lots of little kids. kovalam beach and surrounding beaches have been closed 4 days, many beachfront hotels evacuated, tons of cancellations. i am living on a tall hill, my hotel is booked solid cause it's safe. they're expecting more quakes and the weather has been strange. there are more than 1000 people in trivandrum in relief camps, and my friend sharaf's village was destroyed, including damage to the mosque that is way up next to the lighthouse.
*************************************************************************************
plastic is a huge problem here cause it's not bio degradable and there isn't a recycling program. now india is cell phone obsessed and other electronic gadgets, what's the name of this new waste product that's even worse than plastic? E-WASTE
india offers visas to pakistan students!
india and pakistan today agreed to continue the process on a sustained and serious basis, narrow down differences, and work towards resolution of all issues.
*************************************************************************************
i confess to have been watching "rosebowl-the feel good channel" on the tele. i can indulge in hindi videos, beegees, john denver,the carpenters,abba,metalica,bob marley, bad clapton,ricky matin, worst of aerosmith (really were they ever good beyone "toys in the attic"?
*************************************************************************************
BRAIN BITES
1.who was time magazine's first female man of the year?
2.lindsay owen-jones is the ceo of which global brand?
3.which entertainment celebrity set up "data"(debt, aids, trade in africa) to create global awareness about the plight in various countries in the "dark continent"?
4.name the only indian film to win the palme d'or and in which year did it do so?
5.what happened for the first time in 456 years when john paul II became the pope?
*************************************************************************************
PERFECT;KNOW YOUR ENGLISH
"love me, love my dog"-when you say this, you mean that you want a person to accept you for who you are.
"chinless wonder"-mostly british, used to refer to someone who is weak.
"he has deep pockets"-a rich person, like a politician. they become politicians to make the pockets deeper!
***************************************************************************************
bindi apologizes for any misspelled words or poor grammar. in india, the power is unpredictable and i often don't have time to proofread. sorry journalists and big brains out there.
bindifry
Monday, December 27, 2004
turkeys are getting fat/for yogis only
friends, tailors, have 3 big turkeys that have been getting fed nonstop for the last week. they are getting bigger and bigger. little do they know they will be part of the new years celebration-tandoored on new years. eat up, turkeys, enjoy those meals.
well, the tsunami death toll is fast climbing to 24,000 and twice as many are expected to die from flood related diseases. it's creepy to be so close to this gigantic disaster (although i'm sure the US isn't paying too much attention, after all, it's only asia). our beaches are closed 3 days so far and kovalam feels like a graveyard. more disasters, fault shifts and volcanic eruptions are predictided to follow soon. how will the US fight this NATURAL terrorism?? i did, however, get a great deal on silver and copper because of the desperation of the shopkeepers (hi jim and debi), not that i'm proud of that or anything. it's just a fact.
*********************************************************************
FOR YOGIS ONLY
*i was blatently hit in the head by a water bottle during pasasana yesterday by a girl who keeps stealing my mat space. no apology. cat fight or accident? she speaks no english so i'll just ignore her.
*if you know more about other people's yoga than your own, you are probably not doing yoga-many people performing gymnastics
*quote "you mind your mulhabanda and i'll mind mine"-sri k. pattabhi jois upon being asked if he taught muslims
*yoga is always one step forward and 2 steps back. just whenyou feel strong, next day you can be weak as an infant. such is the ebb and flow of life.
*yoga is the perfect mirror of life
*if you talk about your yogic "accomplishments", you will probably collapse and hurt yourself.
*if you buy into others competetion games, you WILL get hurt
*yoga is the cessation of the fluxuations of the mind-yoga sutras book 1
*"judge not lest you be judged"-bob marley and jesus christ
bindifry
well, the tsunami death toll is fast climbing to 24,000 and twice as many are expected to die from flood related diseases. it's creepy to be so close to this gigantic disaster (although i'm sure the US isn't paying too much attention, after all, it's only asia). our beaches are closed 3 days so far and kovalam feels like a graveyard. more disasters, fault shifts and volcanic eruptions are predictided to follow soon. how will the US fight this NATURAL terrorism?? i did, however, get a great deal on silver and copper because of the desperation of the shopkeepers (hi jim and debi), not that i'm proud of that or anything. it's just a fact.
*********************************************************************
FOR YOGIS ONLY
*i was blatently hit in the head by a water bottle during pasasana yesterday by a girl who keeps stealing my mat space. no apology. cat fight or accident? she speaks no english so i'll just ignore her.
*if you know more about other people's yoga than your own, you are probably not doing yoga-many people performing gymnastics
*quote "you mind your mulhabanda and i'll mind mine"-sri k. pattabhi jois upon being asked if he taught muslims
*yoga is always one step forward and 2 steps back. just whenyou feel strong, next day you can be weak as an infant. such is the ebb and flow of life.
*yoga is the perfect mirror of life
*if you talk about your yogic "accomplishments", you will probably collapse and hurt yourself.
*if you buy into others competetion games, you WILL get hurt
*yoga is the cessation of the fluxuations of the mind-yoga sutras book 1
*"judge not lest you be judged"-bob marley and jesus christ
bindifry
Sunday, December 26, 2004
asian quake
just a note to let you all know that the huge asian quake you will soon be hearing about did not affect us here, even though many have died in kerala, this area. could be a million dead-sumatra epicenter-sri lanka badly affected, chennai and other parts of tamil nadu, and thailand.
biggest in over 40 years-8.9, still counting bodies washing up on the shores, especially fishermen.
live each day like it's your last cause it might just be.
bindi
who is no longer feeling sorry for herself
biggest in over 40 years-8.9, still counting bodies washing up on the shores, especially fishermen.
live each day like it's your last cause it might just be.
bindi
who is no longer feeling sorry for herself
Saturday, December 25, 2004
happy holidays
so what do i do on xmas eve? try to see this new malayalum movie that opened, we get there and it's not open yet. india. so we go see my next choice, a different malayalum movie called "black" starring the biggest kerala film star mammooty. the theatre was filled with indian families, lots of kids, which is really funny, cause the non hindi movies don't have the same censorship laws, so the violence can be shocking (eyes getting gorged out, children shot, babies thrown down wells, etc.) yet they can't show lips locking. go figure.
xmas eve was pretty lovely. my moods here seem to vary between elation and bliss to anger and utter depression. perhaps india is cleansing me. the holidays mean nothing to me since my entire family had died within the last 5 years, don't have a family anymore. i also hate the marketing xmas overload in the states. here, they just go out in their fishing boats and sing praises to the sea goddess for their livlihood. it's nice, actually. and thanksgiving does not exist here, it's only a gorge fest and football day anyhow in the states, and new years is full of amateur drunks, so i don't ever go out anyhow. i am quite blessed to spend the holidays two years in a row here. if it was up to me, and i had the cash, i would be here nov-feb each year for the rest of my life.
evening at beatles restaurant for bbq and dancing, although they couldn't get the bbq pit going, so it was mushrooms and potatos for me. than a dj and plenty of dancing, even though there were only 2 girls and 20 indian men, they behaved themselves. i got a lot of respect cause they picked my brain about indian cinema, asking the question, "who is your favorite actor?" "kamal hassaan!" instant bonding and a discount on the bill.
spent xmas alone in my room for the most part. supposed to go with sharaf on a motorcycle to varkala and elephant sanctuary, but it fell through. maybe next week.
hope you're all having a wonderful holiday-
xxx
bindifry
xmas eve was pretty lovely. my moods here seem to vary between elation and bliss to anger and utter depression. perhaps india is cleansing me. the holidays mean nothing to me since my entire family had died within the last 5 years, don't have a family anymore. i also hate the marketing xmas overload in the states. here, they just go out in their fishing boats and sing praises to the sea goddess for their livlihood. it's nice, actually. and thanksgiving does not exist here, it's only a gorge fest and football day anyhow in the states, and new years is full of amateur drunks, so i don't ever go out anyhow. i am quite blessed to spend the holidays two years in a row here. if it was up to me, and i had the cash, i would be here nov-feb each year for the rest of my life.
evening at beatles restaurant for bbq and dancing, although they couldn't get the bbq pit going, so it was mushrooms and potatos for me. than a dj and plenty of dancing, even though there were only 2 girls and 20 indian men, they behaved themselves. i got a lot of respect cause they picked my brain about indian cinema, asking the question, "who is your favorite actor?" "kamal hassaan!" instant bonding and a discount on the bill.
spent xmas alone in my room for the most part. supposed to go with sharaf on a motorcycle to varkala and elephant sanctuary, but it fell through. maybe next week.
hope you're all having a wonderful holiday-
xxx
bindifry
Thursday, December 23, 2004
take a big bite out of life
so time had come for another filum and i've been quite anxious to see the tamil remake of the hindi "munna bhai" starring sanjay dutt (whose role was supposed to be for SRK, but he was having back surgery), with my very favorite actor in the world-kamal hassaan (many spellings of this name for those who want to check him out). he's better than brando in acting, better dancer than astair, sings, choreographs, writes, produces and directs. he has done films in 7 languages, over 150 and he's only 50. the name of the movie was "vasoolraja mbbs." it took an hour to get to this theatre which is on the outskirts of trivandrum and when we got there, the movie was not playing. had not been there for a month! they never bothered to change the ad in the paper. this happened last year and it was an english movie i refused to see. this time i stayed, it was a 3 year old malayaylum movie called, "praja" starring the very famous and great fighter MOHILAL. not much of a love story, only fighting and revenge, some of it filmed where i stayed at in mumbai. it was fun anyhow.
anyhow, there are 21 theatres here and it's kind of hit or miss, mostly hit cause i love most of em. i ask everyone i know who lives here what they like, etc. and see most of the hindi ones, even though sharaf does not like those.
before the movie started, i took some pictures from the outside of the film projection booth, and it caused a commotion. sharaf told them we were filum students and that we could take pictures inside of the booth of the cameras, except only a man could go in there. lucky for me arnold was with me, so i got some primo pics of the indian projection booth from the inside, i'm sure some of you (hi jeff mintz) would love to see these photos. that was the biggest thrill. than to the "man" bar where you sit in private booths like an office with a buzzer and a man who brings little bags of cashews with 5 inside.
*********************************************************************
yogawise, things are raising in intensity and i'm very close to my original practice again, strength coming, but afternoon naps needed and tons of water and coconuts to sustain the energy. i am so surprised this has happened so fast, seeing i have 3 serious injuries. these people working with lino are amazing, and tina is coming this weekend. can't wait. so much hard work, stamina, and patience, and the ability to push yourself to limits unknown before. fridays are still lead primary, which i love, tonight is pranayama. i am learning much about the basic pranayamas and they are really amazing and calming when done right and not pushing. of course i still miss gwendoline, i think of her everytime i do krounchasana (her famous pose that was on her business card and her picture which hangs in the shala), and get teary eyed during the meditation portion, but i don't think gwen would want us all to keep slobbering over her and just get on with life and help people just like she spent her whole life doing. if any of you have seen "harold and maude" think of the character of maude and if you haven't had the blessing of meeting gwen, that was her. took a big bite out of life.
many blessings to all during the holidays-
bindifry
anyhow, there are 21 theatres here and it's kind of hit or miss, mostly hit cause i love most of em. i ask everyone i know who lives here what they like, etc. and see most of the hindi ones, even though sharaf does not like those.
before the movie started, i took some pictures from the outside of the film projection booth, and it caused a commotion. sharaf told them we were filum students and that we could take pictures inside of the booth of the cameras, except only a man could go in there. lucky for me arnold was with me, so i got some primo pics of the indian projection booth from the inside, i'm sure some of you (hi jeff mintz) would love to see these photos. that was the biggest thrill. than to the "man" bar where you sit in private booths like an office with a buzzer and a man who brings little bags of cashews with 5 inside.
*********************************************************************
yogawise, things are raising in intensity and i'm very close to my original practice again, strength coming, but afternoon naps needed and tons of water and coconuts to sustain the energy. i am so surprised this has happened so fast, seeing i have 3 serious injuries. these people working with lino are amazing, and tina is coming this weekend. can't wait. so much hard work, stamina, and patience, and the ability to push yourself to limits unknown before. fridays are still lead primary, which i love, tonight is pranayama. i am learning much about the basic pranayamas and they are really amazing and calming when done right and not pushing. of course i still miss gwendoline, i think of her everytime i do krounchasana (her famous pose that was on her business card and her picture which hangs in the shala), and get teary eyed during the meditation portion, but i don't think gwen would want us all to keep slobbering over her and just get on with life and help people just like she spent her whole life doing. if any of you have seen "harold and maude" think of the character of maude and if you haven't had the blessing of meeting gwen, that was her. took a big bite out of life.
many blessings to all during the holidays-
bindifry
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
swimfan/for yogis only/dristi dristi dristi
i moved out of my hotel couple days ago for a handful of personal reasons. mostly i desired a need to get away from the bustle close to the beach, more solitude, and mostly A POOL. i really do not like swimming in oceans and the arabian sea is no exception with it's dangerous choppy waves, unpredictable sand ground, the daily sight of dozens of deficating dogs right at the shoreline, and an outbreak of lice last year.
anyhow, i moved to what seems like a mile up lighthouse road where all the hoity toity places are, usually quite expensive, but since i'm in a place that's currently under construction, i'm getting a deal of sorts. the pool is immaculately clean and giant and gorgeous and empty (cept for me), which means i can swim after yoga and before bedtime. nothing like floating on your back in india in a pool staring into the moon and stars.
the place is not without warts. i had to have electricity installed yesterday, plumbing installed today, i need a new fan that won't keep me awake at night. but the view is spectacular, near a sri devi temple, which is SO loud, but lovely anyhow. i miss those temple speakers when i am back home.
************************************************************************************
FOR YOGIS ONLY
spending 2 months with lino and gwendoline changed my practice dramatically, which is why i come back. however, it's definitely NOT for the lazy or prop lovers or those who like to do "research poses" like pigeon in the middle of practice, or splits after prasarita d. he is hardcore in terms of how the vinyasa is taught, each breath, each lift, each gazing poing, bandhas, and breath, doing the pose and understanding it more internally rather than externally, which is SO common.
i just keep learning and learning, last year more about bandhas, this year, dristi is my focus. if you don't even know what that means and you practice astanga, you better find out, cause it's more important than the posture. something else i've learned from maria paolo (who works very closely with tina-VERY strict) was one day she saw i was doing all my lotus poses with left leg first. she said, "NO! you do right first always in half instead of full with left." i told her i was injured, and this was the very beginning of my healing. within 3 days i was doing a comfy right first full lotus by NOT avoiding, confronting instead. no tricks, etc. it was quite magical, actually, and i'm almost back to my normal long ass practice. this after 8 months of shortened modified and avoided practices. i have to admit i was kind of hoping to complete intermediate cause i'm so close (lino makes you do all primary and second till you finish second) and it is exhausting and takes a long time. but, "whatever will be will be." i am no longer attached to my practice. having multiple injuries can be very good for you, in strange and wonderful ways.
the pranayama that lino is generously sharing with us twice a week is wonderful. i do 3-5 rounds of the first one only before starting my practice and it really kicks in the bandhas and breath. i wait till i fully understand the second part before adding it. (which involves kumbhaka with alternate nostril breathing without even sides). another reason for getting to yoga 45 minutes early is to get a mat space that is yours, or close to yours. i don't know what it is this year, but people are in there 90 minutes before their scheduled time. last year we all had our spots and it was easier for the different teachers and adjusters to get to know your practice. not this year. a girl in first row stole my spot in second row, so i whine a little to lino, who is fed up with that mess, so he just says,"so take her spot in front." this actually was where i was last year and it's good cause you face a wall and don't have to notice anyone else-pratyahara is something else i am trying real hard with-dristi dristi dristi.
bindifry
anyhow, i moved to what seems like a mile up lighthouse road where all the hoity toity places are, usually quite expensive, but since i'm in a place that's currently under construction, i'm getting a deal of sorts. the pool is immaculately clean and giant and gorgeous and empty (cept for me), which means i can swim after yoga and before bedtime. nothing like floating on your back in india in a pool staring into the moon and stars.
the place is not without warts. i had to have electricity installed yesterday, plumbing installed today, i need a new fan that won't keep me awake at night. but the view is spectacular, near a sri devi temple, which is SO loud, but lovely anyhow. i miss those temple speakers when i am back home.
************************************************************************************
FOR YOGIS ONLY
spending 2 months with lino and gwendoline changed my practice dramatically, which is why i come back. however, it's definitely NOT for the lazy or prop lovers or those who like to do "research poses" like pigeon in the middle of practice, or splits after prasarita d. he is hardcore in terms of how the vinyasa is taught, each breath, each lift, each gazing poing, bandhas, and breath, doing the pose and understanding it more internally rather than externally, which is SO common.
i just keep learning and learning, last year more about bandhas, this year, dristi is my focus. if you don't even know what that means and you practice astanga, you better find out, cause it's more important than the posture. something else i've learned from maria paolo (who works very closely with tina-VERY strict) was one day she saw i was doing all my lotus poses with left leg first. she said, "NO! you do right first always in half instead of full with left." i told her i was injured, and this was the very beginning of my healing. within 3 days i was doing a comfy right first full lotus by NOT avoiding, confronting instead. no tricks, etc. it was quite magical, actually, and i'm almost back to my normal long ass practice. this after 8 months of shortened modified and avoided practices. i have to admit i was kind of hoping to complete intermediate cause i'm so close (lino makes you do all primary and second till you finish second) and it is exhausting and takes a long time. but, "whatever will be will be." i am no longer attached to my practice. having multiple injuries can be very good for you, in strange and wonderful ways.
the pranayama that lino is generously sharing with us twice a week is wonderful. i do 3-5 rounds of the first one only before starting my practice and it really kicks in the bandhas and breath. i wait till i fully understand the second part before adding it. (which involves kumbhaka with alternate nostril breathing without even sides). another reason for getting to yoga 45 minutes early is to get a mat space that is yours, or close to yours. i don't know what it is this year, but people are in there 90 minutes before their scheduled time. last year we all had our spots and it was easier for the different teachers and adjusters to get to know your practice. not this year. a girl in first row stole my spot in second row, so i whine a little to lino, who is fed up with that mess, so he just says,"so take her spot in front." this actually was where i was last year and it's good cause you face a wall and don't have to notice anyone else-pratyahara is something else i am trying real hard with-dristi dristi dristi.
bindifry
Sunday, December 19, 2004
the planet is indeed lonely
so the lonely planet is a great place to eat, safe, yummy, and one of the only places to get a real indian brekkie on kovalam beach. however, it's also full of very very very very very picky people from all over the world. on the wall, there is a sign that reads:
*********************************************************************
A CUSTOMER IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON ON OUR PREMISES
HE IS NOT DEPENDENT ON US, WE ARE DEPENDENT TO HIM
HE IS NOT AN INTERRUPTION IN OUR WORK, HE IS THE PURPOSE OF IT
HE IS NOT AN OUTSIDER ON OUR BUSINESS, HE IS A PART OF IT
WE ARE NOT DOING HIM A FAVOR BY SERVING HIM
HE IS DOING US A FAVOR BY GIVING US AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO
SIVA
*********************************************************************
a couple other ditties on the wall:
"one who looks for pleasure alone is done for"
"one must do some good to others at least once in a blue moon when you are above ground"
*********************************************************************
SIVA STRIKES AGAIN IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM
HERBAL FOOD FOR PERFECT HEALTH
-brown rice soup with pickle and papad
-green beans with steam rice
-succini steam rice
-tender coconut with rice and coconut water
-rice with bitter gourd and chutney
-pumpkin and beans and steam rice
-mix dried fruits and basmati rice
-mix hrbal fod
-dal kanji and pickle papad
*********************************************************************
a brazillian man trying to sell opium at internet cafe tells owners "you need to learn more english if you want to get ahead in life"
-excuse me, but i wonder if this brazillian speaks english, tamil, malayalum, hindi, a little japanese, italian, french and german?
*********************************************************************
FARM QUERIES (compliments of "the hindu")
"black elderberry"
what is the tamil name for the black elderberry?
-sambucus nigraisa plant of african origin is a known anti-oxidant. it is grown as an ornamental plant and not cultivated commercially
NOW, TO VISIT GRAVES ONLINE
sitting in her apartment, batool jaffer, a 70 yr old widow puts her wrinkled hand on a computer mouse, clicks on a website, then raises her hands in a muslim gesture of prayer for her husband's departed soul. on the screen is a photo of the grave at the wadi-e-hussain cemetery in karachi where her husband was interred last year-which she can visit online anytime thanks to a simple but novel internet service used by hundreds of shia muslims.
pretty cool stuff, huh?
bindi
*********************************************************************
A CUSTOMER IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON ON OUR PREMISES
HE IS NOT DEPENDENT ON US, WE ARE DEPENDENT TO HIM
HE IS NOT AN INTERRUPTION IN OUR WORK, HE IS THE PURPOSE OF IT
HE IS NOT AN OUTSIDER ON OUR BUSINESS, HE IS A PART OF IT
WE ARE NOT DOING HIM A FAVOR BY SERVING HIM
HE IS DOING US A FAVOR BY GIVING US AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO
SIVA
*********************************************************************
a couple other ditties on the wall:
"one who looks for pleasure alone is done for"
"one must do some good to others at least once in a blue moon when you are above ground"
*********************************************************************
SIVA STRIKES AGAIN IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM
HERBAL FOOD FOR PERFECT HEALTH
-brown rice soup with pickle and papad
-green beans with steam rice
-succini steam rice
-tender coconut with rice and coconut water
-rice with bitter gourd and chutney
-pumpkin and beans and steam rice
-mix dried fruits and basmati rice
-mix hrbal fod
-dal kanji and pickle papad
*********************************************************************
a brazillian man trying to sell opium at internet cafe tells owners "you need to learn more english if you want to get ahead in life"
-excuse me, but i wonder if this brazillian speaks english, tamil, malayalum, hindi, a little japanese, italian, french and german?
*********************************************************************
FARM QUERIES (compliments of "the hindu")
"black elderberry"
what is the tamil name for the black elderberry?
-sambucus nigraisa plant of african origin is a known anti-oxidant. it is grown as an ornamental plant and not cultivated commercially
NOW, TO VISIT GRAVES ONLINE
sitting in her apartment, batool jaffer, a 70 yr old widow puts her wrinkled hand on a computer mouse, clicks on a website, then raises her hands in a muslim gesture of prayer for her husband's departed soul. on the screen is a photo of the grave at the wadi-e-hussain cemetery in karachi where her husband was interred last year-which she can visit online anytime thanks to a simple but novel internet service used by hundreds of shia muslims.
pretty cool stuff, huh?
bindi
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
perfect-and much much more
this is from a weekly column from "the hindu" called "perfect-know your english", one of my favorite columns.
******************************************************
what is the difference between "childish" and "childlike?"
"some cricket players when they wiin a match take their shirt off and start twirlling it in the air. when a decision goes against them, they kick the ground repeatedly muttering to themselves, or run to the umpire and get into a heated argument with him. these kind of reactions we expect from small children, not from grown men. when you refer to an adult's behaviour as being "childish", what you mean is that he is behaving immaturely; he is behaving like a small child. the word has a negative connotation."
"the childish behaviour of the teacher had everyone in spllits."
unlike the word "childish", the world "childlike" has a positive connotation. it means having some of the attractive qualities that one normally associates with a child-innocence, simplicity, and sincerity.
*revathi took part in the activity with childlike enthusiasm.*
****************************************************
9TH INTERNATIONAL KERALA FILM FESTIVAL
*fewer kurtas and faded jeans this year
*popularity of hollywood and bollywood films short lived
*indian films too long, too many (1000/yr), time has come to decided whether indians need so many films
*tsai ming liang, taiwanese director, prefers realism, but he has been critisized his films were nothing but an account of life and were dull
*only good and serious films will survive
****************************************************
yesterday mr. bill was mistaken for arnold schwartzeneger, so he is no longer mr. bill, but gov. arnold. i am begging him to tell the indians who said that "i'll be back, girlie men."
****************************************************
"every day is not sunday" direct kasmiri rug salesman quote yesterday upon bargaining for silk rugs for arnold
****************************************************
big swedish lady laying on back completely topless yesterday(giant boobs). each man had someone watching his store as they took turns taking a look, her completely oblivious. we knew something big was going on cause of all the commotion here in boring kovalam.
****************************************************
strange event at my hotel couple nights ago. a dozen post graduation students move into 3 rooms clad in backpacks. apparently the english do a pilgrimage each year after graduation to india. after all, they once ruled it. these kids were real young-18-21 probably. at 1:30 am i hear a blood curdlilng scream, this girl is part of this brit pack and does not stop screaming. i thought
a. raped? (it's pretty darn safe here)
b. tiger attack? (there's been many leopards wandering into people's businesses and property)
c. giant bear attack? (cept there aren't any bears in kerala)
she would not stop screaming, and i have to wake at 6 to do yoga, and i've been extremely sick and it's been brutal to sleep all night. so i step out and slam my door, to see if that works. no. than i stick my head out the window and scream "shut up!!!." after about an hour, it finally stops, the dozen of them all congregating, crying, screaming.
next day i see they've all gone away and the manager of my hotel is hanging out. he said, "very sorry about last night, madam." i said it was ok, but if it happened another night, i would have to tackle those brits." apparently what had happened was a butterfly got into the girls room. yes, i said a butterfly. they're migrating right now cause of the season change, and india has some of the most beautiful ones i've ever seen. the manager told me butterflys only come to girls, not men. "they are incarnations of our dead ancestors," he tells me. i've always believed if one lands on you, it's good luck.
perhaps these kids should have waited a few more years before taking the plunge into the strange world of india.
bindifry
who feels better and hopes to stay that way for awhile
******************************************************
what is the difference between "childish" and "childlike?"
"some cricket players when they wiin a match take their shirt off and start twirlling it in the air. when a decision goes against them, they kick the ground repeatedly muttering to themselves, or run to the umpire and get into a heated argument with him. these kind of reactions we expect from small children, not from grown men. when you refer to an adult's behaviour as being "childish", what you mean is that he is behaving immaturely; he is behaving like a small child. the word has a negative connotation."
"the childish behaviour of the teacher had everyone in spllits."
unlike the word "childish", the world "childlike" has a positive connotation. it means having some of the attractive qualities that one normally associates with a child-innocence, simplicity, and sincerity.
*revathi took part in the activity with childlike enthusiasm.*
****************************************************
9TH INTERNATIONAL KERALA FILM FESTIVAL
*fewer kurtas and faded jeans this year
*popularity of hollywood and bollywood films short lived
*indian films too long, too many (1000/yr), time has come to decided whether indians need so many films
*tsai ming liang, taiwanese director, prefers realism, but he has been critisized his films were nothing but an account of life and were dull
*only good and serious films will survive
****************************************************
yesterday mr. bill was mistaken for arnold schwartzeneger, so he is no longer mr. bill, but gov. arnold. i am begging him to tell the indians who said that "i'll be back, girlie men."
****************************************************
"every day is not sunday" direct kasmiri rug salesman quote yesterday upon bargaining for silk rugs for arnold
****************************************************
big swedish lady laying on back completely topless yesterday(giant boobs). each man had someone watching his store as they took turns taking a look, her completely oblivious. we knew something big was going on cause of all the commotion here in boring kovalam.
****************************************************
strange event at my hotel couple nights ago. a dozen post graduation students move into 3 rooms clad in backpacks. apparently the english do a pilgrimage each year after graduation to india. after all, they once ruled it. these kids were real young-18-21 probably. at 1:30 am i hear a blood curdlilng scream, this girl is part of this brit pack and does not stop screaming. i thought
a. raped? (it's pretty darn safe here)
b. tiger attack? (there's been many leopards wandering into people's businesses and property)
c. giant bear attack? (cept there aren't any bears in kerala)
she would not stop screaming, and i have to wake at 6 to do yoga, and i've been extremely sick and it's been brutal to sleep all night. so i step out and slam my door, to see if that works. no. than i stick my head out the window and scream "shut up!!!." after about an hour, it finally stops, the dozen of them all congregating, crying, screaming.
next day i see they've all gone away and the manager of my hotel is hanging out. he said, "very sorry about last night, madam." i said it was ok, but if it happened another night, i would have to tackle those brits." apparently what had happened was a butterfly got into the girls room. yes, i said a butterfly. they're migrating right now cause of the season change, and india has some of the most beautiful ones i've ever seen. the manager told me butterflys only come to girls, not men. "they are incarnations of our dead ancestors," he tells me. i've always believed if one lands on you, it's good luck.
perhaps these kids should have waited a few more years before taking the plunge into the strange world of india.
bindifry
who feels better and hopes to stay that way for awhile
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