Graffiti

I used to think that graffiti were just attempts by losers to destroy properties. But in past couple of years, I've come across many that are just fantastic art works on walls. I've come across fabulous such walls in Portland, ME,  NYC and Copenhagen (also, the drain by EBHS). Granted, many in NY and Copenhagen were awful but the good ones kind of sort of made up for them.

The thing with graffiti is, they are only picturesque if you have a great model or two in front.  

vs

Slightly Old

The picture is old. I have had WAY too much time to think and do nothing for the past two weeks or so - I finished school in May after going at it for solid 19 years, I had a month to reflect on my life (the past) and write them in complete details for strangers at med schools to read, and then I was off exploring the world. Even when I was in India being all alone most evenings for almost three months, my thoughts were focused on the day. Spending six-ish hours in a hospital in Nadiad can give you a lot to reflect on each day (unless you were born and raised there, still live there, and you pass the matter for business-as-usual).

Anyway, so all this six months didn't, thankfully, leave me the time to think about the future. I thought about today, the good the bad the ugly, but neither the past nor the future.
But after having nothing to do for the past couple of weeks except cook, read, do gardening, decorate my room, and deal with all the house-related-chores, I can't help but think about the mistakes of the past (didn't have enough fun) and the horrors of tomorrow (suburban housewife stuck with a man who doesn't dance). I've been spending days freaking out that some stranger will read about my life on a paper (narrated very poorly by yours truly) and judge that I'm not fit to be a doctor AND when I don't think about that, about the idea that I'm getting old and will never find a great... dance partner to spend my life with (I miss decent swing dancing).

BUT today, I was driving around (driving always makes me think clearer) in a car that has broken down way too frequently and that now smells like crap (cigarettes) and I couldn't help but laugh at the entire situation. (I have to admit, sometimes the words "Stop Panicking" delivered by someone you rarely talk to really help - sort of like when Cher slaps Nicholas Cage in Moonlight and says "Snap out of it!")  I mean, here I am, twenty-something years old, worried about things in life that'll hardly matter if I die of a car accident in six months (unlike anything else at this age). The only thing that'll matter is whether I did something awesome today or whether I spent the last six months of my life moping around (I'm not predicting my death - this is all hypothetical)

Anyway, so I'm going to have a little dance party by myself here (thank you, 8tracks.com) and then go to bed happy that I've spent this year living in three different countries, leaving a bit of food for thought everywhere, and learning important lessons like how to drive a manual gear car on the left side of the road. 

Here's a question - will we, the college graduates of this generation, ever stop thinking about "a year" being August - May (June and July being other-worldly) and get on board with the january-december idea?

Brooklyn Bridge

Leading you to home of the worst drivers in the world.

 

In Memoriam

Colors

Who says photos can't be blurry?

Bad quality - but you should get an idea of Navratri from this -

Santram Shak (Vegetables) Market

 

Kela Aya Kela!

Reviews of Cinemas Around the World

England

Overall Score: Mediocre
Movie/Location:  HP7 Part II,  Odeon on Magdellan, Oxford


Seating: Average/slightly below average. Not much of leg room, not very comfortable, and I kept having to lean on my buddies Joe and Laura (like a pendulum going back and forth) to avoid watching the head of person sitting in front of me.
Screen: Tiny, the fact made worse by a balcony seating above which constricted the view of the screen for those sitting below.
Sound: Absolutely horrible. If you can imagine the entire cinema full of kids being quiet then you might catch what the actors are saying. It was the quietest sound system I've ever heard - my t.v. can get louder than that.
General atmosphere: Less than satisfactory. Too many lights were on - I wouldn't mind the small screen as much if there weren't two bright lights shining from the back directly on the screen.

Joe tells me that this was a horrible example of a British cinema though, so I'm willing to give it a second chance in future.

India

Overall Score: Has a character, but I don't think I like it.
Movie/Location: Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Nadiad

Seating: Really nice for an average theater. Plenty of leg room, seating is all going up so no one's heads are in the way, and you can recline!  I *have seen fully reclining seats in India too.  Much better than what it used to be 10 years ago.
Screen: Decent size. Not extraordinary but definitely satisfactory.
Sound: Terrifying. I hadn't been prewarned and my heart and brain nearly exploded at the first note. It's SO LOUD. You couldn't hear your own scream if you tried. It's nice for watching movies with people who talk too much, but STILL. It might kill my eardrums if I watch enough movies there.
General Atmosphere: Entertaining for an outsider. It's completely dark, it's loud as a rock concert, and then all of a sudden lights go out and the movie stops. Twice. And you suddenly start to hear people's really funny conversations - people are talking to the screen and what not.  Also, let's not forget the intermission when people come around asking if you want food.

Indian theaters have changed a lot in last ten years. Especially the seating and the sound system. The older cinemas still exist and sell cheaper tickets - I think the sound is mainly in response to the public talking at the screen. You make the movie so loud it doesn't matter. I guess it's better than the too-low-sound experience especially if you care about the movie.

Singapore


Okay, first of all, I last went to movie there 3 years ago. So memories are vague and review's not recent. But I thought I'd add it on the list.

Overall Score: Very Satisfactory
Movie/Location: Wanted (the English one), somewhere in Downtown Singapore

Seating: Decent. Not extraordinary but comfortable (could have used more leg room). I didn't have the problem of seeing people's heads in the way.
Screen: Big.<3
Sound: Okay, so it was unremarkable because I don't remember. I am guessing that means it was just about right volume with a lovely breakdown into a surround system. And it's Singapore so obviously everything's good quality.
General Atmosphere: Inside the theater, it was just about you and the movie. You could hear the dialogues but it wasn't so loud it could drive you crazy. People around behaved and didn't talk. It was perfect, maybe a bit too perfect if you didn't like the movie and were looking for other sort of entertainment. The seats were assigned and had different cost for different seats. I thought that was lame - I believe in socializing theater seating and leaving it up to luck. (I might be biased though because we got the last available seats and they weren't that great)

Outside the theater, there was a big mall and a nice seating/hanging out area. This pattern of mall/theater/hang out spots repeats throughout the downtown. Like I said, it's nice but maybe a bit too perfect.

United States


I've seen too many movies in a wide range of theaters here. So I'll make general statements.

You can get the street entertainment and see people selling drugs if you go to lovely theaters in some parts of Memphis. The seating's average but satisfying, so are the sound and the screen.

You can get the cozy feel by going to small town theaters in Maine where you sit on the couch and hope that maybe today Patrick Dempsey, who lives in the next town, will come here as well. Or you can just enjoy the show. The screen's small, but so is the theater so it's not a problem. You're close enough.

On a normal day you can go to the theater in Uptown NYC where the premiers are held and the screens are lined with lovely sculptures. The screen's alright sized (bit small for the theater but not so small you have trouble seeing) and the sound's just about right volume though not as much of a surround effect as you could get in Singapore.

The best part is that all over the cost of ticket is around the same (a little hiked in NY but it's NY), and the seating is first come first serve. Take your pick. You'll see a movie, maybe annoying people will talk but you'll still hear the dialogues. Tada.


xxx
I have lots of thoughts on religious intolerance in India right now that I'll write about when I get home 

All in a Rikshaw Ride

When you walk around in India, the poverty is staring at you in face. You see it all around. You can tell by the bony arms, the dirty clothes, the yellowing teeth. You can tell they've lived a hard life. You also see these beaten up self-made home/shelters, etc. But after a month in Nadiad, I hadn't seen a single person homeless and/or begging. 

Yesterday I went to Ahmedabad, one of the bigger cities around here. The drive to it was wonderful - new national highway, green fields on both sides. You could tell me I was in Ireland and I'd believe it. The ten minute drive outside of Nadiad put me in a position to say that. The entire hour long ride was smooth, people were driving in lanes, there weren't cows or goats running across the road, etc. Until, of course, we entered Ahmedabad and then you barely have room to breathe (1 billion people living in this country, you are eventually going to see them and see them in masses). 

Anyway, so Ahmedabad clearly looks like it's progressing to some kind of order (as opposed to the chaos everywhere in India) - it has established inner city bus system with special lanes for the buses, people wear seatbelts, etc. etc (still primitive but with a hopeful future). But this is also where I saw children sleeping on the street corners. Elderly women asking for some spare change for food. 

I don't know if you read the post about my commitment to sparing change few months ago, but honestly I didn't know what to do last night. There are so many, that you'd be out of money in a few minutes if you gave some to everyone. It's not one here and there - you'll find a dozen in one spot. What would you do??

Stories of real people

I don't know if you are the kind of person who pays attention to the UN interest in human rights around the world, but back in high school, I was a huge fan of following all the little acts against human trafficking and child soldiers and what not. Especially when UNICEF stepped in and had these petitions people could sign or write to their senators about (I wrote more than I care to admit). 

Anyway, all these concerns were based on the reports of numbers. So many million women and children kidnapped and shipped off into slavery. So many young men promised jobs abroad and they never come back home because they've been sold somewhere in the world. You see numbers, you feel sad and especially considering that United States is one of the major "importers" of these slaves, you feel a sense of obligation to do something. I did. God I was an active little high schooler. 

Story of Mehul 

Mehul was a marvadi boy, brothe-in-law of my ex-nanny, a Marvadi. I seem to recall years ago her telling me that he studied all the way, got married, and his parents spent tons of money (everything they owned and all their savings because they were really poor) on an agent who'd take him abroad and give him a job. He went to Malaysia, and they were so proud. Until weeks, months, years went by and no one heard from him. His new bride went back home, and his parents had no way of contacting him, finding him. 

By some miracle, Mehul was an exception though. He came back, seven years later, not rich or anything. Surviving. The whole town went to see him - but they only spoke in whispers. He had been in trouble. He had escaped and now he was home, his parents weren't going to let him out of his sight anymore. 

Story of Bharat
His parents didn't have much, but he put himself through school. School in the morning, work in the afternoon. He was in twelfth grade, a big deal for his family, and passing with high scores till now. Not to mention very attractive. Also related to the Marvadi family. One day, a month before he'd have finished school, he just did not come home from work. They put notices in newspapers, on billboards, everywhere. No sign. Bharat was nephew of the woman in the photograph below.

"Life is too short for hatred"

Confinement

 

Photographed and posted with patient's permission

Irish Music

I mentioned above how European cities look the same etc. One of the things I really liked about Ireland though was the pub scene. If you know me at all, you know that I’m not a pub-kinda-girl. But I do love live music – and there was so much of it in Dublin!! (I read signs about live music every night everywhere we went, but Dublin was the only time we made an effort to go out). There was the traditional Irish music which you also hear in the streets during the day from people busking music. And just music you hear in the States but live and slightly individualized which just made it so much better (there are some random songs really popular there like With or Without You by U2 and Pianoman).  Also, the musicians when performing in the bar are also drinking which is just hilarious.

And the bars are just totally overcrowded with people wanting to drink and hear this music. SO MANY PEOPLE ON A FREAKING SUNDAY NIGHT! Anyway, back to the traditional….you walk around the Temple Bar area and you know you are in Ireland because of the sounds you hear. And I LOVE that feeling. I mean, how do you distinguish yourself as an English speaking country among so many others? England certainly doesn’t…I mean, their language is lovely, really. Way better than American. But I can’t quite say the same about Irish English – it’s so different on every person that it’s just not special anymore. This Irish gentleman I talked to in a bar told me that Dublin alone has some 18 different accents – and let me tell you, only a few of them sound nice. Rest are just hard to understand.

I keep getting off track. I guess I didn’t have much to say other than that Irish music is awesome, and that I’m glad that the pop culture hasn’t destroyed its demand.

 

Oxford University Press

I was walking past the Oxford University Press the other day when I decided that I should try to go in. I mean, how many times have I read books that I have to cite "Oxford University Press: Oxford"?


Turns out I couldn't go in, but the porter would let me in up to this fountain in the front gardens. As big as the building is and as fascinating it's history, the building's quite boring from outside. Large. Yellow. So I started talking to the porter:
Me: "Is this where all the printing happens?"
Porter: "I'm afraid not."
Me: "Oh. It's such a large building. Where does all the printing happen?"
Porter: "Ah all the printing is now done in China."

Sorry about the lack of posting lately. I've got hundreds of photographs, and no time to update (kids are tiring). I am on my way out of Oxford heading to Ireland in next couple of days. I don't know when I will have internet again but stay tuned second week of August. I'll keep working and post everything once I find some wi-fi.
Hugs from England. It's been a lovely summer.

Brighton Beach

Photo credit: Random stranger. I only set it up.

Doggy who loves her frisbee

This guy sits at the same place everyday, rain or shine (it was raining at the time I photographed him) with his doggy. He sells magazines, I think, but in the twenty-something minutes he talked with me, he didn't try selling anything. So who knows. But every minute, he tosses the disc for his doggy who chews on it like crazy and is absolutely in love with it. I don't know if the disk has just become a part of its diet. I could tell you everything we talked about then (mostly the story of the doggy's coming-of-age years), but I do not remember his or the dog's name. I'll ask again the next time I see him. 

"War is a part of God's Creation"

Texture (2D)

Quote of the day (cooking):

Me: "Okay I'm going to wash the onion" 

British friends: "This isn't India, Shikha. We don't wash the onions"

In US you have to because of all the chemicals!!

Little things that matter

For the last few years, I haven't really been sure how to approach the homeless people who are begging in the streets. There is the mentality that in the U.S., they are always drug abusers. In India, it's always the children begging and there is the belief that they are just being controlled by rich older people who have abducted them. I don't think I have ever spared change for anyone I have encountered in my life - I always get a rush of sadness, but more than anything, it's an embarrassment that I live in a society where there are children or adult starving or freezing on the street next to a parked Mercedes. Despite this sadness, I have learned to not meet the eyes, to ignore as if it's a situation that I am not responsible for or that I should not have to be the one to care about.

Two weeks ago, I met someone who gives change to any person asking on the streets, in the underground, or playing music for the spare change. I don't think I have ever met someone who does that before, and now I feel really embarrassed about how I have approached the situation in my life. I hope to change that. Because even if they are drug abusers, to me they are humans who deserve better. Especially the children - few years ago, my parents and I were in India on this foggy hill in pouring rain, and this little girl - twelvish years old - ran up to us to sell some popcorn. Dad bought it because she had ran in rain for the sole customer in sight. He asked her, "Do you go to school?" Her response: "If I went to school, how would I eat?"

I don't think I will ever forget that, and yet I don't know why I chose to do nothing about it.

Boring unrelated photographs (sorry):

 Blurry on purpose. I have a non-blurry boring image as well if you are interested. One of the best bookstores I have ever been to.

It's weird that people lived here

Too tired because I've been up since this sunrise