i plowed through half that erotic indian paperback-it's actually interesting coming from the mind of an 85 year old senile indian. way soft core, but by indian standards, HARD. we read the "F" word, of course the author is hung like a horse and it needs it's name in the cast of characters. ok.
he (he's a brahman) dumps the boring wife of 13 years and the kids. he hooks up with the sweeper, who is an untouchable, with an incredible dark, (BUT pretty anyhow-gee thanks) hourglass figured woman who is very happy to accept money and sex, especially since her husband is a lush and is never home.
than dude puts an ad in several newspapers for a live in sex slave for rps10,000 per month, room and board, free limo service-dude is an importer and a millionaire. hooks up with a short frumpy school marm with small tits and a fat ass who does not drink but suddenly turns into a 6 glasses of port a night hussy, the reputation of both of them becomes public, cause hey-servents are gossips.
now we learn of his schooling in princeton-free scholarship cause he's a genius and goes from delhi to princeton and back again. he meets an orthadox muslim pakistani hindu hater (the dude is a hindu) and the old(20 years his senior) fat smart mouthed pakistani woman gets all political on his ass, fanatical religeous and they have many interesting debates-the most interesting part of the book so far-and low and behold right before she leaves the college, she screws him silly and we get to know all the fleshyness of it-ewe!!! her orthodox muslim ways right out the window.
can't wait to finish so i can regurgitate it on this blog.
stay tuned.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
humility
i've been receiving firm and frequent adjustments in class for the past few weeks, in addition to the travel and india itself. i have now begun to live through the "real" yoga that i talk a good talk about. you know, the one where we embrace the hard times, the stiffness, the weakness, the voices in the head that convince you that everyone in the room is judging you, and i thought i learned this lesson more than once before.
the way this yoga works is this. you feel like on top of the world, sometimes for a day, sometimes a week, light, perfect, confident. than it comes to a screeching halt, and there is no explanation. sometimes i try to figure it out. "food? not enough carbs? toxins? planetary? biorhythms? my general attitude towards the world at any given time (!)"
the reason does not matter, because as soon as i think i've got it figured out, i am soaring like a superhero through the practice once again.
how humble this practice makes me.
*************************************************************************
the way this yoga works is this. you feel like on top of the world, sometimes for a day, sometimes a week, light, perfect, confident. than it comes to a screeching halt, and there is no explanation. sometimes i try to figure it out. "food? not enough carbs? toxins? planetary? biorhythms? my general attitude towards the world at any given time (!)"
the reason does not matter, because as soon as i think i've got it figured out, i am soaring like a superhero through the practice once again.
how humble this practice makes me.
*************************************************************************
you must have been an indian in past life, except we don't believe in reincarnation...
todd and i wandered into a bookstore somewhere on our way somewhere else, after canceling our plans to see "bluffmaster" at the parthas. sharaf was not available and i would miss his company and his big speakers and cd player blasting indian filmi music in the rickshaw.
the bookstores in india are usually small and the offerings often strange. the books are always dusty and dirty and in no particular order. but it was a slice of heaven, being rather book dry at the moment. they steered me right to, "the company of women" by khushwant singh. a sikh! ok. i got to reading it later and here is a snippet from the author's note: "i started writing this novel at age 83 and finished at 85. no characters in this expose are real: they are figments of my senile fantasies." i'm already skeptical and privately blushing. the 2 books i picked out for myself were selected tamil and punjabi short stories. call me conservative.
naturally we are invited to sit down with danny and tommy and culture swap. i vocalize my love for bollywood, they bash the bolly. "no good scripts-we like american movies. realistic is better." ok, i half agree, but i like the escapism of bad recent bollywood, as well as appreciate fine indian cinema as well. so i ask what these dudes like. "friends, animal planet, will and grace, and caroline in the city-very good script." ok. "so what about malayalam movies?" i chirp. of course they fall all over each other just at the mere mention of their beloved regional cinema, which is more realistic. "indians don't have washboard abs, fast japanese motorcycles and supermodels for girlfriends." this was a truly puzzling conversation.
they say to me, "you must have been indian in a past life, except we don't believe in reincarnation" and i don't know if this is a compliment or what. they are hindus who have converted to christianity.
which explains danny's obesession with the "god" cable channel. and i realize how alike we all are at the core, but so different in our approach.
the bookstores in india are usually small and the offerings often strange. the books are always dusty and dirty and in no particular order. but it was a slice of heaven, being rather book dry at the moment. they steered me right to, "the company of women" by khushwant singh. a sikh! ok. i got to reading it later and here is a snippet from the author's note: "i started writing this novel at age 83 and finished at 85. no characters in this expose are real: they are figments of my senile fantasies." i'm already skeptical and privately blushing. the 2 books i picked out for myself were selected tamil and punjabi short stories. call me conservative.
naturally we are invited to sit down with danny and tommy and culture swap. i vocalize my love for bollywood, they bash the bolly. "no good scripts-we like american movies. realistic is better." ok, i half agree, but i like the escapism of bad recent bollywood, as well as appreciate fine indian cinema as well. so i ask what these dudes like. "friends, animal planet, will and grace, and caroline in the city-very good script." ok. "so what about malayalam movies?" i chirp. of course they fall all over each other just at the mere mention of their beloved regional cinema, which is more realistic. "indians don't have washboard abs, fast japanese motorcycles and supermodels for girlfriends." this was a truly puzzling conversation.
they say to me, "you must have been indian in a past life, except we don't believe in reincarnation" and i don't know if this is a compliment or what. they are hindus who have converted to christianity.
which explains danny's obesession with the "god" cable channel. and i realize how alike we all are at the core, but so different in our approach.
Saturday, December 31, 2005
dristi 101
dristi is my new favorite astanga topic. if you have lino's book, you can look up any of them you are unsure of. there are 9 dristis, but we will begin with the 4 used during surya (sun) namaskar (greeting).
1.nasagrai (nose gaze)
2.angusta ma dyai (thumb gaze)
3.broomadhya (third eye)
4.nabi chakra (naval)
there are 9 vinyasas in surya namaskar
1.ekam-inhale hands up-angusta ma dyai
2.dve-exhale forward fold-nasagrai
3.trini-inhale head up-broomadhya
4.catvari-exhale chaturanga-nasagrai
5.panca-inhale up dog (urdhva mukha svanasana)-broomadhya
6.sat-exhale down dog (adho mukha svanasana)-nabi chakra
7.sapta-inhale jump forward-broomadhya
8-astau-exhale forward fold-nasagrai
9.nava-inhale hands up-angusta ma dyai
samasthitih-nasagrai
**************************************************************
pronunciation of sanskrit numbers 1-9
1-ekam-yay kum
2-dve-dway
3-trini-chreenee
4-catvari-chatwori
5-panca-pancha
6-sat-shot
7-sapta-sapta
8-astau-ashtoe
9-nava-now wah
happy learning!
1.nasagrai (nose gaze)
2.angusta ma dyai (thumb gaze)
3.broomadhya (third eye)
4.nabi chakra (naval)
there are 9 vinyasas in surya namaskar
1.ekam-inhale hands up-angusta ma dyai
2.dve-exhale forward fold-nasagrai
3.trini-inhale head up-broomadhya
4.catvari-exhale chaturanga-nasagrai
5.panca-inhale up dog (urdhva mukha svanasana)-broomadhya
6.sat-exhale down dog (adho mukha svanasana)-nabi chakra
7.sapta-inhale jump forward-broomadhya
8-astau-exhale forward fold-nasagrai
9.nava-inhale hands up-angusta ma dyai
samasthitih-nasagrai
**************************************************************
pronunciation of sanskrit numbers 1-9
1-ekam-yay kum
2-dve-dway
3-trini-chreenee
4-catvari-chatwori
5-panca-pancha
6-sat-shot
7-sapta-sapta
8-astau-ashtoe
9-nava-now wah
happy learning!
lungi love
regretfully, i finished "shantaram" and it's impossible to follow that one up. so i opted for the ridiculous and the sublime, 2 books that were hand delivered to my doorstep by friends. "journey to the east" and "scar tissue", a high school herman hesse and the biography of anthony kiedis from the redhotchilipeppers. i'm already almost finished with "scar tissue" and somehow feel soiled. that boy is about nothing but chicks and heroine. which makes him a very boring fellow indeed, and quite pleased with his tattooed self. but it's kind of fun anyhow. every year i bring a pile of books that don't get read, but this year i have to scrounge for reading material. i'm actually obsessed with books now, which is a tremendous achievement, remembering the television addiction i left at home. i was actually obsessed with "america's next top model" and "celebrity fit club." i may have been better off with a heroine addiction myself! and the horror of best sellers and romance novels scattered throughout this island is of epic proportions.
yoga is intense, as usual, and i am getting more than my share of assistence. i am learning a lot of subtle things i was not aware of-especially in intermediate series and am quite anxious to share the knowledge. the adjustments give here are not for the meek. they are extremely firm and frequent. they have eyes in the backs of their heads and they watch everything-check for bandhas, and make sure you are using correct dristi (gaze point).(follow up on dristi 101 in the next post)
there are at least 200 students right now and lino is making 70% of them do led classes for the next 2 days, which means they are really getting down to business with teaching correct vinyasa. YAY! the rest of us get to do mysore at 6am. this is the first time he has ever done this. the workshop is very organized and like a well oiled machine. it's very impressive. penucha has arrived today, so we are lucky to have 6 adjusters at the moment. it's SO good this year i doubt i will ever miss a winter here and encourage anyone who can get away in 2006 to come and join me. it really transforms the practice and i find it way better than the shala in mysore where theres too many people you just fall through the cracks.
i have officially fallen in love with the lungi, just like the turban. here in the hot south, it's all the men wear. it's a piece of cloth wrapped and tucked worn long to the floor or turned into a man mini-skirt. it's always paired with a crisp colorful button down shirt and perfect hair, of course. and i think the lungi for me has become a symbol for the place in india that my heart is really in-kerala. i just love kerala!
yoga is intense, as usual, and i am getting more than my share of assistence. i am learning a lot of subtle things i was not aware of-especially in intermediate series and am quite anxious to share the knowledge. the adjustments give here are not for the meek. they are extremely firm and frequent. they have eyes in the backs of their heads and they watch everything-check for bandhas, and make sure you are using correct dristi (gaze point).(follow up on dristi 101 in the next post)
there are at least 200 students right now and lino is making 70% of them do led classes for the next 2 days, which means they are really getting down to business with teaching correct vinyasa. YAY! the rest of us get to do mysore at 6am. this is the first time he has ever done this. the workshop is very organized and like a well oiled machine. it's very impressive. penucha has arrived today, so we are lucky to have 6 adjusters at the moment. it's SO good this year i doubt i will ever miss a winter here and encourage anyone who can get away in 2006 to come and join me. it really transforms the practice and i find it way better than the shala in mysore where theres too many people you just fall through the cracks.
i have officially fallen in love with the lungi, just like the turban. here in the hot south, it's all the men wear. it's a piece of cloth wrapped and tucked worn long to the floor or turned into a man mini-skirt. it's always paired with a crisp colorful button down shirt and perfect hair, of course. and i think the lungi for me has become a symbol for the place in india that my heart is really in-kerala. i just love kerala!
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
xmas eve
i posted a few dance photos and some other people stuff. this was a pretty fun night. he was one happy dancer. he was juggeling sparklers and shaking everything he had.
Monday, December 26, 2005
the crusher
so that girl who had all the good stories showed up at lino's class today. she was not allowed to drop in for a day, probably because he does not know her. she would have to commit to a week, which is fair. she got all snotty, stormed out and told a mutual friend, "lino is so arrogant!!" "my practice is way more advanced than most of the people in the room!"
that statement is SO sad. why is it that many yogis think the world owes them a big bow because they are "advanced?" i mean, yoga to me has always been about what you can't do,not what you can. because you are proud of your postures, this does not make you more yogi-er than though. i've met way too many people who are like, "look at me!! i'm such a yoga god cause i can do third series! actually, i'm too good to even talk to you!" i can't tell you how many people i have met over here in yoga land that exhibit this nauseating behavior.
xmas was way low key. yoga one hour later-7 instead of 6, my usual brekkie of gobi oothapam (cauliflower grilled rice cake with sambal (spicy lentil gravy), coconut chutney and tomato chutney, ginger tea, and fresh lemon soda-a true addiction. i opted for a little nap instead of attending the yoga party. davey, my irish acquaintance, yelled outside my door and wanted dinner at sunset. ok, cause i was on my way out anyhow. rooftop below average food, above average sunset, and below average conversation. because like so many people i meet, all they want to do is talk about themselves. even if they ask you a question, they don't listen to the answer. this is not communication to me. and i end up being one bored son of a bitch.
i spent xmas eve with davey and ann, another irish lassi, who is a yogi also. after my dinner with fellow chicagoans, i hung out with them at the way below average leos restaurant. it was amusing watching 2 people from the same country communicating. they could have been speaking malayalam it was so foreign, when out of the blue, the south indian ricki martin appears to juggle his sparklers and shake his booty like no one else can. my god he was flamboyant. and i wanted a piece of it. i couldn't help myself and promptly leaped up on the stage to fulfill my bollywood dream and dance with ricki khan martin to ole ole ole! soon about 3 dozen indian youth and geriatrics gathered and formed the typical stadium audience i'm so used to. god they love it when you dance or sing, cause everyone loves to do those things here. unfortunately what put a damper in the performance was the fact that the cd was skipping, making dancing a definite challange.
tina is here and we're about to embark in the greatest 10 days of yoga. she is the lion goddess-the crusher. i've named adjustments after her. she is very quiet and shy, you hardly even know she's there, when suddenly your being squashed like a rotton tomato! she is supremely gifted. lino's wife and teacher. she's kind of like a female sharath, if you know what that means. and incredibly humble. i want to be her when i grow up!
that statement is SO sad. why is it that many yogis think the world owes them a big bow because they are "advanced?" i mean, yoga to me has always been about what you can't do,not what you can. because you are proud of your postures, this does not make you more yogi-er than though. i've met way too many people who are like, "look at me!! i'm such a yoga god cause i can do third series! actually, i'm too good to even talk to you!" i can't tell you how many people i have met over here in yoga land that exhibit this nauseating behavior.
xmas was way low key. yoga one hour later-7 instead of 6, my usual brekkie of gobi oothapam (cauliflower grilled rice cake with sambal (spicy lentil gravy), coconut chutney and tomato chutney, ginger tea, and fresh lemon soda-a true addiction. i opted for a little nap instead of attending the yoga party. davey, my irish acquaintance, yelled outside my door and wanted dinner at sunset. ok, cause i was on my way out anyhow. rooftop below average food, above average sunset, and below average conversation. because like so many people i meet, all they want to do is talk about themselves. even if they ask you a question, they don't listen to the answer. this is not communication to me. and i end up being one bored son of a bitch.
i spent xmas eve with davey and ann, another irish lassi, who is a yogi also. after my dinner with fellow chicagoans, i hung out with them at the way below average leos restaurant. it was amusing watching 2 people from the same country communicating. they could have been speaking malayalam it was so foreign, when out of the blue, the south indian ricki martin appears to juggle his sparklers and shake his booty like no one else can. my god he was flamboyant. and i wanted a piece of it. i couldn't help myself and promptly leaped up on the stage to fulfill my bollywood dream and dance with ricki khan martin to ole ole ole! soon about 3 dozen indian youth and geriatrics gathered and formed the typical stadium audience i'm so used to. god they love it when you dance or sing, cause everyone loves to do those things here. unfortunately what put a damper in the performance was the fact that the cd was skipping, making dancing a definite challange.
tina is here and we're about to embark in the greatest 10 days of yoga. she is the lion goddess-the crusher. i've named adjustments after her. she is very quiet and shy, you hardly even know she's there, when suddenly your being squashed like a rotton tomato! she is supremely gifted. lino's wife and teacher. she's kind of like a female sharath, if you know what that means. and incredibly humble. i want to be her when i grow up!
Saturday, December 24, 2005
vagina mudra
so i noticed a horrible dead rat like smell in my clothes closet only to discover the shell i had brought back from vizhinjam had a decomposing crab getting eaten away by hungry maggots! super!
honestly, there's nothing worse than rotting shellfish.
***********************************************************
amir khan's new wife looks just like my friend cheekoo, who fancys him. are you there, miss lal?
************************************************************
i met a girl from san francisco who was in bangalore at a yoga confrence and somehow ended up here. super friendly with some very good stories i am about to unload. she had been shown all the pretty paths, the river, the palms, all that is lovely about this tropical paradise, met a little girl who was sharing her little hand made doll house, when suddenly an indian man appeared, removed his member and preceded to begin "choking the chicken" so to speak! in front of the child and everything! so the woman starts yelling at the dude and he says politely-"sorry" and does his indian head wag.
the next one was about a certain celebrity yogi who was swearing like a trucker, multi-tasking with 2 cell phones and a blackberry at the airport. she turns up at the conference with a posse of indian youth touching her feet, while she is dressed all in orange like a sadhu, totally "yogic" constantly holding the vagina mudra.
another she told of a tattooed girl with the entire body of kali on her back and front of her body. indian children tore off her shirt, lucky she had a bra on, only to discover the much worshipped deity tattooed to her, and fell to their knees and began to do puja!
honestly, there's nothing worse than rotting shellfish.
***********************************************************
amir khan's new wife looks just like my friend cheekoo, who fancys him. are you there, miss lal?
************************************************************
i met a girl from san francisco who was in bangalore at a yoga confrence and somehow ended up here. super friendly with some very good stories i am about to unload. she had been shown all the pretty paths, the river, the palms, all that is lovely about this tropical paradise, met a little girl who was sharing her little hand made doll house, when suddenly an indian man appeared, removed his member and preceded to begin "choking the chicken" so to speak! in front of the child and everything! so the woman starts yelling at the dude and he says politely-"sorry" and does his indian head wag.
the next one was about a certain celebrity yogi who was swearing like a trucker, multi-tasking with 2 cell phones and a blackberry at the airport. she turns up at the conference with a posse of indian youth touching her feet, while she is dressed all in orange like a sadhu, totally "yogic" constantly holding the vagina mudra.
another she told of a tattooed girl with the entire body of kali on her back and front of her body. indian children tore off her shirt, lucky she had a bra on, only to discover the much worshipped deity tattooed to her, and fell to their knees and began to do puja!
Thursday, December 22, 2005
HO-ho-HO
ok-the radio-AIR, which stands for all india radio-the best damn radio in the world is on and that dreadful theme song from the six flags great america commercial (the one where the kid in the old man suit dances all over the place)is playing with malayalam lyrics. i am wondering whose version had come first. the radio in india is one of it's finest treasures. it was created so all people in india would have access to free radio and they managed to set up 98% of the country with access. i remember a friend asking me why i don't need to take my own music with me to india. "why? when all you really need is a transistor radio and some strong indian made batteries!" she did not understand. "won't you miss western music?" "are you kidding? i come here to get away from it! you can't hear the stuff i hear here back home." i love to sponge up the stuff they play here cause it rocks. nowhere in america can you hear all punjabi radio, rajasthani radio (which REALLY impressed me) and tamil/malayalam radio. there is only one station in most of india, and it varies regionally, but the same format. kind of like npr-national public radio. only the languages change, and slightly different style of music, but always great and always fascinating. they play regional, english, and hindi songs-everything from classical ragas to filmi to backstreet boys, john denver and air supply.
i've been feeling lonely and stir crazy. i am counting the days i will be leaving. i am very homesick and have booked my flight back to bombay, which is kind of a pain. i have to take a train north of kochi, taxi to kochi, fly into bangalore and stay a night, fly into mumbai next day, stay another night, then come home. is ANYTHING easy here???
in the midst of my self deprecation, along comes angela, the girl i met from london during cooking class and invites me to dinner at sabrimala. an x-cook from lonely planet stole the magic gravy recipe and opened his own vegetarian restaurant. this is a good sign, cause i've been feeling anti social, blue, and i would have just sat around for the next 3 days moping and feeling sorry for myself. the holidays depress me. i have no family and i am away from home for the third year in a row. ho ho ho. i know-it's my choice, but it's still sad ass.
the island (i call it this because it feels like a tropical island cut off from the rest of india) is now filled with obnoxious europeans with their ill behaved children. my hotel chock full of screaming danish babies that like to play basketball outside my room at midnight. obviously they don't have to get up at 6 to do yoga. i just stuff my ears with my squishy ear plugs, close my windows and pray for SOME sleep. such a commodity.
HO-HO-HO
i've been feeling lonely and stir crazy. i am counting the days i will be leaving. i am very homesick and have booked my flight back to bombay, which is kind of a pain. i have to take a train north of kochi, taxi to kochi, fly into bangalore and stay a night, fly into mumbai next day, stay another night, then come home. is ANYTHING easy here???
in the midst of my self deprecation, along comes angela, the girl i met from london during cooking class and invites me to dinner at sabrimala. an x-cook from lonely planet stole the magic gravy recipe and opened his own vegetarian restaurant. this is a good sign, cause i've been feeling anti social, blue, and i would have just sat around for the next 3 days moping and feeling sorry for myself. the holidays depress me. i have no family and i am away from home for the third year in a row. ho ho ho. i know-it's my choice, but it's still sad ass.
the island (i call it this because it feels like a tropical island cut off from the rest of india) is now filled with obnoxious europeans with their ill behaved children. my hotel chock full of screaming danish babies that like to play basketball outside my room at midnight. obviously they don't have to get up at 6 to do yoga. i just stuff my ears with my squishy ear plugs, close my windows and pray for SOME sleep. such a commodity.
HO-HO-HO
Monday, December 19, 2005
the boys
these are my friends-well, sharaf and his best childhood friends. you can't imagine the weird looks from fishermen-a white girl and 6 indian boys. here they are holding up a bottle of cheap rum. they washed it down with water-took about 30 minutes for 4 guys to drink it. ick. and when they ran out, they swam out to a swank hotel with a roll of rps in their mouth and got 10 more kingfishers-2 of them holding onto the bag as they swam back to the boat. hardcore. i pretty much ignored them, cause they speak mostly malayalam anyhow, and they ignored me. i just took in the sights and enjoyed the rather amusement park fast speed the boat was going. i am very lucky to have had this cool experience. tourists ane women are never allowed to ride in the fishing boats. once in a life time experience and they were very sweet for doing this for me. now i am the one saying "thank you very much-i am very happy!"
of course my face is badly burnt and it did wonders for my cold, so i missed yoga the next day. oh well
of course my face is badly burnt and it did wonders for my cold, so i missed yoga the next day. oh well
yellow mosque in sharaf's village
this is the mosque that sharaf goes to. he lives in a small fishing village in kerala called vizhinjam.
fishing boat trip
well the boys decided to take me on sharaf's brothers boat today. it was a big one that was motor powered and moved really fast, like an amusement park ride. for 4 hours, we combed the arabian sea, and i got to see many fishing villages, temples and mosques.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
E-G-O
yesterday was another splendid vinyasa workshop with lino. he was in high spirits, which always makes for fine entertainment. i have taken this counting workshop several times over the years, and it gets clearer each time. he demonstrates the real science behind astanga-each breath has a specific count- each asana a specific amount of vinyasas-breath movements. this has been an issue in my classes as well as his. some students love to linger and mince around the asana, when they should be taking only one long breath. this helps to bring the attention to the bandhas and breath, rather than fixating on perfect asana, which is a different style of yoga (vinyasa flow or iyengar). many students waste their time with thinking too much, and incorporating unneccesary movements when entering and exiting postures. this is NOT astanga. astanga is a very precice science. unfortunately some students are stubborn as bulls, and think they know what is best for them, when the fact is that they are fooling themselves into thinking they are doing astanga. i can't tell you how often this system gets no respect, some even dragging toys (props) into the mix, which is NOT astanga! guruji is famous for drop-kicking blocks out of his classroom! it's unfortunate, because these students are wasting theirs and my time, are completely disillusioned, disrespectful to me, and will never reap the fruits of astanga yoga. astanga is not a popular yoga because it requires complete surrender to the system. it's a science. and westerners don't like to be told what to do. (why is this never a problem with asian people?) i often wonder why some students come to my class, because they never change these problems. like i am supposed to cater to what THEY want, like it's supposed to be all about them or something. pity. there's a 3 letter word for that- E-G-O.
Saturday, December 17, 2005
just let go
yesterday i saw my friend sharaf and i took him to see aaru-cause he did not see it yet-big surprise, cause it's rare i can turn him onto something-virrumaandi, kill bill and this one was it. he loved it and was back to his old self,(last year he was very affected emotionally by the tsunami cause he spent time in tamil nadu bringing supplies and collecting money) smiling, laughing, saying "thank you very much" "i am a very happy man" because it's rare a rickshaw driver gets taken to a movie, fed beer, AND get paid. in return, he has invited me out for a day on his brother's fishing boat tomorrow! woo hoo! this is also rare. and it's good, well not good for his brother, but he has been out of work cause of the floods.
i unfortunately had to use the ladies room at the cinema, which i always dread. it had a padlock on it, which they came to open for me. in it there were 4 stalls without doors and indian style toilets without a hole in the floor! just a drawing of a toilet! so i lifted my skirts and squatted and pissed on the floor, the urine splashing all over my shoes and feet--super. i can't say that i've seen that one before. and of course after wiping with my hand, no running water. super. it's always a very very good idea to pack moist towelettes in india, should this occasion occur, and you can bet on it.
we stopped at BAR (the "bars" in india have no interesting names.) simply a generic watering hole that has many individual grey compartments much like an office, but the doors close and there's a buzzer on the wall you ring for service. hardcore seedy. it really makes you feel like a convict when you go in there, especially if you are a white woman with a black rickshaw driver. i tried to get 2 parothas (steamed chappati bread) but they refused unless i bought some curry to go with it! "i don't want any curry" i told them. "you are buying curry!" "don't want any! just parotha" "no" "NO??" they have a fast loud conversation in malayalam with sharaf. "they said they won't give you bread unless you get some curry." this is absurd to me, but i was exhausted at this point, "ok. give me some vegetarian kadhai". it was actually pretty good.
i woke at 620am, walked through the winding paths to my first mysore class, and did a nice slow primary. maria paola (my very favorite)was there and i was so happy to see her. now i have a cold, so i need to move slow the rest of the week. it's ok cause i'm not in any kind of hurry. the greatest lessons yoga can teach us is when to pull back, and how to just let go.
i unfortunately had to use the ladies room at the cinema, which i always dread. it had a padlock on it, which they came to open for me. in it there were 4 stalls without doors and indian style toilets without a hole in the floor! just a drawing of a toilet! so i lifted my skirts and squatted and pissed on the floor, the urine splashing all over my shoes and feet--super. i can't say that i've seen that one before. and of course after wiping with my hand, no running water. super. it's always a very very good idea to pack moist towelettes in india, should this occasion occur, and you can bet on it.
we stopped at BAR (the "bars" in india have no interesting names.) simply a generic watering hole that has many individual grey compartments much like an office, but the doors close and there's a buzzer on the wall you ring for service. hardcore seedy. it really makes you feel like a convict when you go in there, especially if you are a white woman with a black rickshaw driver. i tried to get 2 parothas (steamed chappati bread) but they refused unless i bought some curry to go with it! "i don't want any curry" i told them. "you are buying curry!" "don't want any! just parotha" "no" "NO??" they have a fast loud conversation in malayalam with sharaf. "they said they won't give you bread unless you get some curry." this is absurd to me, but i was exhausted at this point, "ok. give me some vegetarian kadhai". it was actually pretty good.
i woke at 620am, walked through the winding paths to my first mysore class, and did a nice slow primary. maria paola (my very favorite)was there and i was so happy to see her. now i have a cold, so i need to move slow the rest of the week. it's ok cause i'm not in any kind of hurry. the greatest lessons yoga can teach us is when to pull back, and how to just let go.
Friday, December 16, 2005
you must dance with smiling face-afterwards it will be yum yum yum!!
HI-GRO
on indian television, this is some kind of foot device that claims to make you grow as much as a half a foot. don't think we have this in the states.
*******************************************
being alone is a challange-especially if you are shy, but smiling alot can go a long way. my technique is to first eavesdrop on conversations, gather the info so i can ask questions, and then take the plunge. it helps if they are drinking beers, so i know they won't be snotty. that's how i met an old dutch artist who had been to india 10 times, so he had many good stories and future travel advice. afterwards, i was swept away by the hot indian waiter whom i've known for 3 years who seemed particuallarly interested in me. however, he invited me to "talk" with him at 10:30 pm after his shift at a hotel. hmm. had to blow that one off. a young hot indian and me at a hotel late at night is just asking for trouble. it's weird, cause it seems if you are married, you almost become a dude magnet. go figure. maybe it's the committment thing-casual sex must be happenning like crazy here. they sure hide it well.
friday morning was my first practice with lino-a traditional led class called very slowly-about 2 1/2 hours, which was good for me. very nice. i just love that man lino. "reeelax your baby toe...." it quite wiped me out, but the beauty of this place is you can always take a nap pretty much whenever you want.
in the evening, i took my first cooking course with the famous SIVA of lonely planet. it was the best rps300 (US$6) i've ever spent and tons of good healthy fun. i even made a friend from london.
siva gathered the 10 of us around the cooking burners. it was like the indian emeril, but way more cool. siva has a unique way of speaking. the first things he said about cooking indian food was, "first most important. you must have a good mood. you must dance with smiling face!!! afterwards, it will be yum yum yum!"
he taught us 10 items in 2 hours, everything when prepped properly takes under 5 minutes to prepare "siva's very own fast food!" the first was his "magic sauce", an all purpose basic gravy you can use in 128 (?) items. with it we learned to make aloo gobi (potato & cauliflower), channa masala (spicy chick peas), aloo palak (potato and spinach). after, we learned to make fresh coconut chutney and tomato chutney (my favorite-he singled me out on that one cause he knows how much i like it, "maybe, lisa, you go back home and make your own dosa stall!" "how did you know my plan?" i replied. i got hands on experience making my very own masala dosa. that definitely was a highlight. than we made dal, dal fry, chappatis, and vegetable biryani-siva's own, with pineapple, cashews and raisens. we got to eat everything we made, no additional charge, and i left stuffed and very happy. i now feel very confident to start my own indian kitchen. it was a great way to spend a friday night. siva does indeed rock!
on indian television, this is some kind of foot device that claims to make you grow as much as a half a foot. don't think we have this in the states.
*******************************************
being alone is a challange-especially if you are shy, but smiling alot can go a long way. my technique is to first eavesdrop on conversations, gather the info so i can ask questions, and then take the plunge. it helps if they are drinking beers, so i know they won't be snotty. that's how i met an old dutch artist who had been to india 10 times, so he had many good stories and future travel advice. afterwards, i was swept away by the hot indian waiter whom i've known for 3 years who seemed particuallarly interested in me. however, he invited me to "talk" with him at 10:30 pm after his shift at a hotel. hmm. had to blow that one off. a young hot indian and me at a hotel late at night is just asking for trouble. it's weird, cause it seems if you are married, you almost become a dude magnet. go figure. maybe it's the committment thing-casual sex must be happenning like crazy here. they sure hide it well.
friday morning was my first practice with lino-a traditional led class called very slowly-about 2 1/2 hours, which was good for me. very nice. i just love that man lino. "reeelax your baby toe...." it quite wiped me out, but the beauty of this place is you can always take a nap pretty much whenever you want.
in the evening, i took my first cooking course with the famous SIVA of lonely planet. it was the best rps300 (US$6) i've ever spent and tons of good healthy fun. i even made a friend from london.
siva gathered the 10 of us around the cooking burners. it was like the indian emeril, but way more cool. siva has a unique way of speaking. the first things he said about cooking indian food was, "first most important. you must have a good mood. you must dance with smiling face!!! afterwards, it will be yum yum yum!"
he taught us 10 items in 2 hours, everything when prepped properly takes under 5 minutes to prepare "siva's very own fast food!" the first was his "magic sauce", an all purpose basic gravy you can use in 128 (?) items. with it we learned to make aloo gobi (potato & cauliflower), channa masala (spicy chick peas), aloo palak (potato and spinach). after, we learned to make fresh coconut chutney and tomato chutney (my favorite-he singled me out on that one cause he knows how much i like it, "maybe, lisa, you go back home and make your own dosa stall!" "how did you know my plan?" i replied. i got hands on experience making my very own masala dosa. that definitely was a highlight. than we made dal, dal fry, chappatis, and vegetable biryani-siva's own, with pineapple, cashews and raisens. we got to eat everything we made, no additional charge, and i left stuffed and very happy. i now feel very confident to start my own indian kitchen. it was a great way to spend a friday night. siva does indeed rock!
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
i think i will be happy now
i arrived in sunny kerala yesterday on a 2 hour jet airway flight. i am delighted how easy it is to fly domestically here after having so many hell journeys on busses and trains. and they have about 10 different airlines to choose from, so that makes it easy.
after setting up in my "luxury" pad, i strolled the beach trying to find friends. it was kind of like a ghost town. i guess the tsunami has kept people away. i ran into an old pal-shibu-who is working at a new restaurant. workers move around quite a bit here, but they are still here somewhere. anyhow, i asked what he suggested, and he said prawns with coconut rice. ok. even though i vowed to stay vegetarian on this trip, i figured what the hey? i received 4 pieces with the rice-quite fresh and lovely-almost like lobster. when i got the bill, it was rps500! whoa! that's really expensive (US$10). when i checked the menu, it said rps100 ($2). when i asked him why i was charged 5 times the price, he said, "sorry, lisa. they are jumbo prawns."
now in india, you MUST ALWAYS as the price first, even if you see it printed on the menu. and of course, it always sucks to be ripped off by who you think are your friends. his loss. won't be back there. i'll stick to my lonely planet veg restaurant.
i went to find lino at class, because he lets people practice on moon day and just supervises. there he was. about 20 knuckleheads practicing on moon day. i can start tomorrow-friday. each friday are lead primary class at 7am just like they do it in mysore. cool! i'm ready! and i get to start in the first or second group-630-645. the earlier the better, for me.
i went back to my room last night and discovered how ghetto my rps750 room is. they stuck me in a room without windows, privacy, electrical outlets, a/c (they promised i would have this), no tv (also a promise),no way to clean my clothes, stinking of moth balls, and a fan that was unable to be adjusted-was permanently on high and almost falling out of the ceiling! it was so loud with the workers congregating outside at the desk and the phone ringing off the hook.
so i got up at 7 and after seeing lino, went and priced a few places by the beach. i found a place twice the size as the other with a balcony, adjustable fan, outlets wedged right between my high speed internet pad and lonely planet (where i eat almost all my meals) for rps250!! how happy am i? that's US$5 per day, rather than US$15! and with the flying i did, i can not really afford such a place.
lucky for me i am reading "shantaram" a fabulous novel that is 1000 pgs long and very detailed about bombay, my favorite city. the book was given to me last year by judy and daniel neiman and i have finally got the chance to chew into it. i think i will be happy.
after setting up in my "luxury" pad, i strolled the beach trying to find friends. it was kind of like a ghost town. i guess the tsunami has kept people away. i ran into an old pal-shibu-who is working at a new restaurant. workers move around quite a bit here, but they are still here somewhere. anyhow, i asked what he suggested, and he said prawns with coconut rice. ok. even though i vowed to stay vegetarian on this trip, i figured what the hey? i received 4 pieces with the rice-quite fresh and lovely-almost like lobster. when i got the bill, it was rps500! whoa! that's really expensive (US$10). when i checked the menu, it said rps100 ($2). when i asked him why i was charged 5 times the price, he said, "sorry, lisa. they are jumbo prawns."
now in india, you MUST ALWAYS as the price first, even if you see it printed on the menu. and of course, it always sucks to be ripped off by who you think are your friends. his loss. won't be back there. i'll stick to my lonely planet veg restaurant.
i went to find lino at class, because he lets people practice on moon day and just supervises. there he was. about 20 knuckleheads practicing on moon day. i can start tomorrow-friday. each friday are lead primary class at 7am just like they do it in mysore. cool! i'm ready! and i get to start in the first or second group-630-645. the earlier the better, for me.
i went back to my room last night and discovered how ghetto my rps750 room is. they stuck me in a room without windows, privacy, electrical outlets, a/c (they promised i would have this), no tv (also a promise),no way to clean my clothes, stinking of moth balls, and a fan that was unable to be adjusted-was permanently on high and almost falling out of the ceiling! it was so loud with the workers congregating outside at the desk and the phone ringing off the hook.
so i got up at 7 and after seeing lino, went and priced a few places by the beach. i found a place twice the size as the other with a balcony, adjustable fan, outlets wedged right between my high speed internet pad and lonely planet (where i eat almost all my meals) for rps250!! how happy am i? that's US$5 per day, rather than US$15! and with the flying i did, i can not really afford such a place.
lucky for me i am reading "shantaram" a fabulous novel that is 1000 pgs long and very detailed about bombay, my favorite city. the book was given to me last year by judy and daniel neiman and i have finally got the chance to chew into it. i think i will be happy.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Monday, December 12, 2005
at the golden temple-amritsar,punjab
here i am at the golden temple. quite a beautiful and peaceful place.
at the wagha border
here i am on the border of pakistan and india in punjab. this was definitely a highlight of my trip. more pictures on my site:
www.flickr.com/photos/bindifry/
www.flickr.com/photos/bindifry/
Saturday, December 10, 2005
filum,filum,filum
the 2 biggest reasons i like bombay are food and film. can't get enough of either. yesterday we saw the 10am showing of "hanuman"-india's first animated feature. who dosen't love hanuman, right? this was so endearing-it was a bit sloppy, but cute and obviously modeled after the 1930s vintage disney shorts. there were times when you could see mistakes in the drawings, fills not proper, etc, but it just added to the charm. we see hanuman being born and turning into the powerful monkey king in the traditional ramayana fashion. i immediately set out to buy the soundtrack because it was excellent, and had my favorite singer, kailash kher, on many of the tracks, as well as sonu nigam.
after, we bought tickets for our evening show at 520, because this is opeffning week for a handful of hindi filums. we chose "kalyug" a movie about the porn, or "blue" film industry. all unknown actors, pakistani singers on the soundtrack, same people who did "paap", one of my favorite recent soundtracks. after strolling the city on a steller day, watching some cricket in the park, going to planet M, and doing some street shopping-(i purchased some great little yoga towels for some special girlie students of mine and the vendor held my rp100 bill flat in the palm of his hand as his friends marvlled at the crispness, utterring "atm"), we made our way back to the inox multiplex. kalyug did not disappoint. it was a political film about human trafficking and how most of them end up in the blue film industry. it was a fantastic soundtrack, and a great treat seeing all unknown actors. i really get sick of the same recycled hindi film actors over and over and over again.
we walked back towards the bay where we knew of a place called gokal near the gateway that is a supposed gay hangout with dozens of heavy drinkers. it was a real big dive, me being the only female in the entire a/c room, and not one male staring! such a treat. jeff ate the traditional pomfreit and liver masala, i stuck with prawn koliwada and some biryani (instead of chunks of chicken, there was a massive whole piece buried underneath the rice-a new one on me). the menu offered bottles of booze rather than glasses. we stuck with a couple of hayward 5000s.
but the real treat was this morning. there was one showing only at 930am sunday of a tamil film called "aaru"-i knew this had to be a good one because bombay does not get too many of these, and i expected there to be a small turnout. got up at 7 and did my yoga (strength is coming back!), went down to the kamut-for some idly, and to our delight, hundreds of tamil people huddled around the regal theatre for the one time showing of this big movie. and let me tell you, tamil movies put the current crop of hindi movies to shame. they've always been my favorite, because they usually are regular people (not yuppies), dark skinned (try to find that in hindi movies)-they dance like it's the last time on earth, they fight harder and better than any movies i've ever seen, even hong kong cinema, and they are just a true delight for the senses. my heart was racing throughout the entire film. and i got big pit stains from being constantly on the edge. the big star was surya, who i've seen before. and plenty of comic relief. i couldn't tell you exactly what it was about, but i could tell it was about betrayal, political corruption (most tamil movies tackle these themes) and, of course, love.
and it totally whet my appetite for the south. i can't wait to get to kerala! it kisses tamil nadu, and the films i end up seeing are tamil and malayalum. the sole hindi cinema is empty, you can hardly get near the local films. and it's SO exciting because the crowds really get into it-cheering their heros on, clapping and whistling. i love it.
now i remember why i love the south SO much. don't believe it when they tell you that the south is not the "real" india. it's more real and magical than you can ever believe.
after, we bought tickets for our evening show at 520, because this is opeffning week for a handful of hindi filums. we chose "kalyug" a movie about the porn, or "blue" film industry. all unknown actors, pakistani singers on the soundtrack, same people who did "paap", one of my favorite recent soundtracks. after strolling the city on a steller day, watching some cricket in the park, going to planet M, and doing some street shopping-(i purchased some great little yoga towels for some special girlie students of mine and the vendor held my rp100 bill flat in the palm of his hand as his friends marvlled at the crispness, utterring "atm"), we made our way back to the inox multiplex. kalyug did not disappoint. it was a political film about human trafficking and how most of them end up in the blue film industry. it was a fantastic soundtrack, and a great treat seeing all unknown actors. i really get sick of the same recycled hindi film actors over and over and over again.
we walked back towards the bay where we knew of a place called gokal near the gateway that is a supposed gay hangout with dozens of heavy drinkers. it was a real big dive, me being the only female in the entire a/c room, and not one male staring! such a treat. jeff ate the traditional pomfreit and liver masala, i stuck with prawn koliwada and some biryani (instead of chunks of chicken, there was a massive whole piece buried underneath the rice-a new one on me). the menu offered bottles of booze rather than glasses. we stuck with a couple of hayward 5000s.
but the real treat was this morning. there was one showing only at 930am sunday of a tamil film called "aaru"-i knew this had to be a good one because bombay does not get too many of these, and i expected there to be a small turnout. got up at 7 and did my yoga (strength is coming back!), went down to the kamut-for some idly, and to our delight, hundreds of tamil people huddled around the regal theatre for the one time showing of this big movie. and let me tell you, tamil movies put the current crop of hindi movies to shame. they've always been my favorite, because they usually are regular people (not yuppies), dark skinned (try to find that in hindi movies)-they dance like it's the last time on earth, they fight harder and better than any movies i've ever seen, even hong kong cinema, and they are just a true delight for the senses. my heart was racing throughout the entire film. and i got big pit stains from being constantly on the edge. the big star was surya, who i've seen before. and plenty of comic relief. i couldn't tell you exactly what it was about, but i could tell it was about betrayal, political corruption (most tamil movies tackle these themes) and, of course, love.
and it totally whet my appetite for the south. i can't wait to get to kerala! it kisses tamil nadu, and the films i end up seeing are tamil and malayalum. the sole hindi cinema is empty, you can hardly get near the local films. and it's SO exciting because the crowds really get into it-cheering their heros on, clapping and whistling. i love it.
now i remember why i love the south SO much. don't believe it when they tell you that the south is not the "real" india. it's more real and magical than you can ever believe.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)