Colombus Day Funny

Some people are funny!

Man, Cheetah, Wild

In Man, Cheetah, Wild Kim Wolhuter follows a cheetah family, up close and personal. He walks barefoot, most of the time, through the Mala Mala game reserve as he follows a cheetah and her five cubs from when they are are little until they are a year and a half away. 

It's amazing how he is able to get really close to them. The first time he sees the cubs, after filming them from a little ways away, he goes closer and just lays on the ground as they little ones come to investigate him, liking his toes, climbing over him and checking him out. SO SO SO SO amazing and precious. 

The rule to interfere in life of the wild animals is either when they have been injured by a man made object, or if an endangered species is in trouble. When the cubs are a few weeks old, a lion is stalking them. Other predators kill cubs of other predators as they see them as competition. Kim feels the need to intervene. He RUNS towards the lion!!!! And chases her away. But, she comes back, with reinforcement. Now, the mother takes the offensive, and Kim works with her to chase them away! 

The movie is incredible. Watch it! 

RIP Dear Dear Raki.

I haven't seen you in many years, but the news...I don't know. I just hate it. But, I am glad you are not suffering anymore. You gave me more than you can possibly know. Rest in peace dearest one. Love you!

Navratri at Beanie's!

We went over to Beanie's for the Navratri pooja today. Karthik's parents are here right now to help with Beanie. Aunty had made all the food! mmmmm! Vadai, Dahi vada, Inippu (Coconut) Sevai, Lemon Sevai, Sundal, and Sweet Pongal. All super delicious! 

Beanie was quite cranky in the beginning, for quite a while! Eventually, much later, she was back to her happy baby self. Such a cutie she looked in her ghagra. 

Everything, minus the Sweet Pongal

Le Chat Noir

It's been on the list for a long time. Despite the rain, we went last night to Le Chat Noir. Poor Saurabh, not having gotten a ticket for the Malala event (Man! I'm so lucky he, without a second's thought, let me go in and listen to her and said he'll go home!), went home in the rain. And then, after the event, left the dry warmth of our home to meet me to go to dinner. 

We started with the Escargots (Snails in parsley-garlic butter). Saurabh got the La Baie Crepe (Crab, Bay scallops, mussels, melted leeks, white wine, St André cheese shallot sauce) and I got the Bijoux de boeuf sauce truffe (Grilled beef tenderloin, mushrooms, truffle sauce, & French fries). And to finish, we shared the Nutella Crepe. 

The food was good, but I don't see myself craving or rushing to go there any time soon. The beef was good, but definitely not unique. The escargots was really good, but I prefer the ones at Cafe La Ruche. And while I found the La Baie crepe a little fishy, Saurabh really enjoyed it. I did like the buckwheat crepe though. 

 Escargots

 La Baie Crepe

Bijoux de boeuf sauce truffe

Nutella Crepe

"Send Teachers, Not Soldiers"

Malala came to DC!!!!!!!!! AND I GOT TO HEAR HER!!!!!!!!!!!!! ok. breathe. deeeeeeep breath.

okay. I think I am calm now.

So here goes...Sanyu had told me about Malala Yousafzai coming to DC a few weeks back, but by then the tickets were already sold out! Luckily, the event was at Sidwell, so I knew I HAD to at least go there and try and see if there'd be last minute no shows etc.

I got home from work after at about 5:50 on an incredibly rainy day with no lunch. I was in a foul mood. I came home, shunned Saurabh, got some food, and then got ready to head to Sidwell with Saurabh, rain and all. We got there, I asked about tickets, they said they were oversold and that there was absolutely no chance. It was around 6:30 then, and the event began at 7:00. I decided that this was too important to just leave then, and to wait until 7 to see what might happen. I mean, it had been raining in DC for 2 days straight. Surely people might not want to show up. We stepped out, sat on a bench and watched the continuous stream of people coming for the next half an hour. I was quite annoyed at these people who dismissed the crappy weather and still came. Then, suddenly at 6:45, on the security personnel's walkie-talkie we heard " VIP is here". I was thrilled at just hearing that. Then, ANOTHER string of people in the distance. I was like, great, there is NO way we'll get a seat. And, as they neared, I realised "THAT IS MALALA!!! TAKE PHOTOS"!!!! And Saurabh did! :) We probably were the only non professional people to get photos of her, because photos and recording was strictly prohibited at the event.

Anyway, she went it, we sat on our lame bench, watched the clock tick away. Then, at 6:56, this guy came out and asked if we were waiting for extra tickets and said that he had just returned one extra one and that he could see if they hadn't given it away. We went inside with him, he asked for his ticket and just gave it to me! Even though I offered to pay. Saurabh let me have the ticket. This is what makes a happy marriage! :D :D

And in I went, with an overwhelmed heart and much happyness. The auditorium was full. I manage to find a seat, a wife saving it for her husband, who eventually never made it, so she offered it to me. A little after 7, Malala comes in with her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai and NPR's Michel Martin.

There are literally no words to describe this girl.She is just sooooo incredibly amazing! I wish I could express how I felt about her. But, I don't think I can. Her clarity of thought seems unparalleled, especially when you remember that she is only 16. Her articulation of her feelings, motivations, goals, and thoughts is excellent!!! She has her head on her shoulders and is not at all disillusioned by the fame and following that she's generated since her shooting last year, this week.

One memory of her that is stuck in my head is the naughty look in her eye and her half smile when talking about her fights with her brothers and her disobedience at home. She is, a regular 16 year old, although wise beyond her age. 

I will try and write about some parts of the interview that I really enjoyed. This doesn't meant the other parts were less enjoyable or struck me less. But, these were the ones I was able to record and remember while I am writing this out.

Martin asks Malala about her reasons and thoughts about speaking up not just for girls' education, but also that for boys, and the children of terrorists. Malala says (and I paraphrase), 'For centuries there has been discrimination by man. Now, women will speak up...they will fight for their rights, but, they won't be like man. They will believe in equality.'

As Malala talks more about boys being forced in child labour and being denied education as one of the many reasons children are denied education, Martin says, 'Not to make a joke about child labour, but you are worked very hard. You run pillar to post. Are you having any fun?' Malala pauses, and then responds, 'Outside the house, I look like a very obedient girl. No one knows what happens inside the walls of the house.' She then pauses as the audience erupts in laughter. Her eyes had such a NAUGHTY expression and a smirk on her face. She talks about how she fights with her brothers and then justifies it by saying, 'I fight with my younger brother because I am looking out for his future.' She talks about how she tries to stop him from spending all his time on the ipad. :) Her brother says to her, 'You can forgive the Talib. You can't forgive me?'

She talks more about her brothers, she said, 'My middle brother is good only for playing on my father's phone.' She gives a sly look to her father and continues, 'I don't think those games are for under 18, but...'. Then, she talks about her younger brother, 'He is like a...I hope there are no lawyers here...*laughter in the crowd*...a lawyer. He changes his voice and says things and makes me question myself. Did I really do something wrong?'

Also, her brothers don't know what she does when she is out of the house. She mentioned how they don't ask about her when she is away. She said she has been gone for 6 days and they haven't once asked about her. But, since they don't know what she does, they are confused by her fame. They ask, at the dining table at home, 'Why is everyone giving you an award? Everywhere you go, they say, "This is Malala." They give you award. Why?' 

About school, when she is asked what her favourite subject is, she says, 'It's the one I am weakest in. Physics. It explains everything about the world and puts the most difficult concepts in a few alphabets, F = ma..."

About the Nobel Peace Prize:

- When she was nominated, her doctor excitedly came to her and asked how she was feeling and if she was excited about possibly winning the prize. To this she says, "I want peace."

- She says, 'I have already won the Nobel prize. If you look at the nomination and the support of the people and just removed the jury. I have won it.'

Her only rule in life: "Be hopeful, but don't have great expectations."

Martin asks her about Islam and the Taliban. She talks about how Islam is religion of peace and brotherhood. How it says all people should be educated. Then, she says, 'Taliban only know jihad. I don't think they have read the Quran yet.'

I don't remember what the question was, but she is talking about some things she tells herself to ground her, and she says, 'Malala, you are under 18, people are supporting you. Tomorrow, when you join a party, half the people will be against you.' 

Such maturity and such awareness at such a young age!!! What an incredible girl. 

Until now, I have talked about Malala. But, her father is just as wonderful of a person. It is because of him that she is who she is. She loves and is extremely grateful for her dad. And, you can see why. To stand up against odds and champion women's rights in the Pashto culture, in the Swat valley takes an amazing and a brave person. He never let up...he did what he could. An incredible incredible person. 

Here are some of the things he said that I remember. 

Martin asked him if he thought the problem with the Taliban could be fixed and if they would be successful. He talks about how it is an extremely political issue...then he stops and asks, "Have you heard about the good taliban and the bad taliban?". Martin says no and jokes if it is like good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. He isn't much amused and goes on to explain. He talks about how the Taliban killing certain people in Afghanistan are "good". The Taliban killing some others in Pakistan are "good". He says, this categorization needs to stop. This political game for the benefit of countries needs to stop. He says, they have done enough of that. If the political leadership decide to tackle these issues for clean water etc etc, the problem of the Taliban can be resolved in a month. These political games need to stop. He said he didn't want to point fingers at any one country, there were many involved.

I feel, he was trying to say that American and the other powers need to stop using the people there for their benefit and disregarding the rights of Afghans and Pakistanis. He called out the media on how things are depicted and twisted. I don't know if the audience realised that he was saying that your country is the reason for this mess that is there. They created it for their benefit. But, that's what he said, in not so many words. 

Now, to talk about what he said about Malala. He spoke about how when she was in the hospital recovering, someone gave him a video clip that showed a thinker's forum ranking various people in the world and how Obama was at no. 7, and Malala was at number 6. This person asked him to show it to Malala, while he didn't think much of it, he wanted to do anything that would bring a smile on his daughter's face, so he excitedly showed it to her, waiting eagerly for a reaction and ask her how she feels. She watches it, and says, "Abba, okay, but I don't like such categorizations of humans."

He says, when it comes to purity of heart, when it comes to purity if intention, he learns from his daughter. 

And, towards the end, he says, I will quote my daughter, even though she should be quoting me, "Send pens, not guns. Send books, not tanks...and the most beautiful one....Send teachers, not soldiers."

Raindrops on my Umbrella

Sometimes...okay, many times, the rain is annoying with the wetness and cold it brings. But, sometimes, when you stand under your umbrella, waiting for your bus, the gentle pitter patter of the raindrops on the umbrella can be the most peaceful sound.

In every annoyance, there is happyness.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

Tour The Universe

Today, we went to the Navy Memorial for the talk by Ryan Wyatt called Tour the Universe with Sanyu. It was an EXCELLENT talk. Wyatt used a tool called the WorldWide Telescope to "drive" us through the universe - talking about the distances and guiding us through the universe. He started with the earth, and the international space station. Then moved on to the moon, the solar system, the radiosphere. After that we went to and beyond the radiosphere, and eventually out of the Milky Way so we could see it's size. Then, he moved further out, and the spots that used to represent stars, now represented the one million galaxies identified. At first was just a loose cluster of galaxy dots, but, as he moved further away, the sheer number of dots representing galaxies was insane and just blew my mind. BUT. THEN. HE MOVED OUT FURTHER!!! and showing a bow-tie type shape of the regions we have got light from and can see that there are bodies there. The reason for the bow tie shape, is only because those are the areas we have explored. The others, we haven't got it. The SIZE OF THE UNIVERSE IS JUST INSANEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mind. BLOWN.

Wyatt funny: In talking about Andromeda, the closest spiral galaxy to us, he said, "In about 3-5 billion years Andromeda and the Milkway are set to collide. Don't hold your breath.We aren't sure when exactly."

Navy Memorial

Seen the navy memorial so many times, as I've waited for the bus at the Archives metro, but never really gone to it. 

And today, in the rain, a photo! :)

Rainy Capitol

Meeting A Couple of Rugs at Shanghai Teahouse! :D

We went to Shanghai Teahouse, our favourite Chinese place, for dinner. There, these two showed up. Their fur didn't feel like it was on living things. It felt like a rug!! :)

Awesome Birthday Gift to me!! :D

Got my birthday gift from Beanie today! :D :D

Walking Around Dupont :)

After lunch at Agora, the others left, and Saurabh and I walked around Dupont. With all those mimosas in me, I needed to go to pee. So, we went to Steam Cafe, got coffee and used their facilities. I got an iced hazelnut latte and Saurabh a cappuccino. Their hazelnut is, by far, the best I've had. mmmm

From there, we walked to the NG museum. I wanted to buy the October edition of the magazine because it was on NG photography and had a lot of photos in it and Saurabh wanted to see the Lions & Tigers & Bears photo exhibit. 

From there, we wandered around a bit, went to Table Top, one of my favourite stores, before heading back home for the evening. It's been a while since we've just walked around and done nothing and things. It was fun! :)

Birthday Lunch at Agora

Saurabh planned a surprise lunch today at Agora with Mamta, Rachita and Mallik. (Beanie had fever after her 6 month shots and Karthik was busy). It was a nice place and I loved my pide. The bottomless mimosas were exactly that. Everytime I took two sips, my glass was topped up! Loved it! :)

For appetizers we all shared the Hummus (the pita was HOT and yum), Kasik Salad (diced tomatoes, onions, red & green peppers, parsley, cucumber, feta cheese, black olive, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, Maras pepper), and Patlican Közleme (charcoal smoked eggplant, green & red peppers, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, dill). I got the Sujuklu Pide (wood fired flat bread topped with spicy Turkish sausage & pesto) and Saurabh got the Scrambled Eggs With Sujuk (two farm fresh scrambled eggs with mildly spicy turkish sausage). I enjoyed my pide more than his eggs. 

Sujuklu Pide

 Scrambled Eggs With Sujuk

Fototbazaar DC

Soumita's photographs of dancers :)

Soumita is presenting some of her photos at the Fotobazaar this weekend, where photographers display and sell their work. This evening Sonu and I went for the opening party. There were a lot of photographers and photos displayed. Some of the work was really good and interesting :). 

Someone took photos of Nadal! :)

 Love ladybirds!

Awwww

 Doggieeee!

"After finished a PhD in engineering I hopped on a plane to Hong Kong for what I thought would be a 2 year trip across Asia. That trip turned into 6 years of exploring and photographing the diverse cultures of Asia" - Micah Hanson (micahhanson33@gmail.com)

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Himalayan Trek! :)

This morning Varsha sent me a couple of photos from the Himalayan trek and it brought back a flood of memories. After my 10th std was over and at the beginning of 11th standard, I went for this trek through school. 

We all flew on Air India from Muscat to Delhi via Bombay. From the Delhi airport, we took a bus to Dehradun. We had to pile our bags on top of the bus ourselves! It was the most uncomfortable bus ride I'd ever been on, but also one of the most fun! We picked up hiking and camping gear and then headed to our camp grounds on the Ganga banks. There we camped for 2 days so we could white water raft, before we headed to the mountains to begin, our 9 day (I think??) trek. 

The days were warm and no second layer was needed and the nights were frightfully cold. We'd sit by the fire each night, all of us trying to get as close as possible. And at the end of the night, once we got into our sleepings bags, it was nearly impossible to get out of it in the early mornings. Then, to wash our face in the ice cold water of a stream near by was usually brutal, but now, after so many years, I remember it fondly and I am so glad for the nasty cold I endured, because that experience was one of a kind and I don't think I would want it replaced, ever. 

The sights were beautiful, the hours walked were endless and the fun was just amazing. I am so so so so glad I got to take advantage of the opportunity! 

After our last day of trekking we boarded a bus to head back to Dehradun for water sports and for Sumit Dargan's wedding. The roads on the way were closed at around midnight or 1AM and we had to stop at a roadside town and sleep in a dorm. One LARGE room that housed us all, boys and girls. When our shoes came off, the stench. Oh Good God! The stench of smelly trekking feet that had accumulated after 9 days of almost no baths. Haha! :) But we had a wonderful time there, ate at small restaurant and probably woke up the entire town at 2AM with our loud singing on the road as we waited for paan. 

One of the best trips I have ever taken, and now, everytime I think about it, I hope I can afford the same opportunity to my children.