Nishi is an Indian American who works as a lawyer in New York City practicing personal injury and insurance defense litigation. She is also a writer and singer / songwriter who writes and performs her own music. Her greatest dream is to bring her songs to the world and move people with her music. Check out her music & videos at NishiMusic.com.
Nishi is passionate about foreign policy, international affairs and human rights and is the Chair of the Lawyers' Committee of ECPAT-USA, helping to end the trafficking and exploitation of children.
When she's not busy working, writing, pursuing music
and humanitarian efforts, you can find Nishi gazing up at the stars
or attending archaeological lectures (she's an astronomy and
archaeology buff) and when all else fails, she relaxes with
Japanese anime and manga. An avid shoujo animanga fan and web designer, she's designed many websites to her favorite series.
She also writes fantasy fiction & children's stories. This blog is part
of Nishi's personal web domain: A Dream I Dream . com.
Name: Nishi
Where: New York
Faith: Christian
Sign: Aquarius
CH-S: Fire Dragon
AIM: SelenityHime
ICQ: 21380169
MySpace: Nishi's MySpace
FaceBook: Nishi's Facebook
Email: be83398
The Story Thus Far . . .
In addition to working full-time as a lawyer for the past 5 years and pursuing a career in music at the same time, Nishi is also a writer and working to publish several illustrated children's series as well as several other fiction and non-fiction projects. Join Nishi @ YahooGroups to be updated on these projects; to be updated on music join NishiMusic @ YahooGroups.
Jogging, Martial Arts Kickboxing, Dance - currently middle eastern dance & bellydance, Tennis, Singing (of course ;) and working on my songs, Reading & writing about all the things I am interested and passionate about, watching tv and movies, painting, drawing, astronomy, rollerblading (and trying to get better at it and ice skating!), obsessive anime and manga fan and professional web designing, ancient studies / ancient civilizations, history and archaeology, world mythology, politics and world affairs, international law, human rights, studying many languages (have studied and continue to study spanish, mandarin chinese, japanese and hindi).
Books / Stories
King Arthur and all things Arthurian, Merlin, light and dark; The Crystal Cave, The Dark is Rising series, most anything to do with magic, vampires, werewolves; anything fantasy and romance-like: EMMA, Jane Eyre, Phantom of the Opera, Count of Monte Cristo, The Cask of Amontillado; almost anything Shakespeare wrote; The Harry Potter series; my childhood stories - Sweet Valley High, Twins, Kids, Babysitters Club, Boxcar Children, Bobbsey Twins, RAMONA QUIMBY series; SHERLOCK HOLMES, NANCY DREW; all books dealing with things I love from art, mystery, religion, magic, mythical creatures such as "DA VINCI CODE" and "Interview with the Vampire"
Movies
Emma, Contact, Ever After, Farenheit 9/11, Bowling for Columbine, Legally Blonde 2, Princess Diaries, Sweet Home Alabama, Matrix: Reloaded, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Staw Wars: Episode II, TOMBRAIDER I & II
All-time TV Shows
Three's Company, The Nanny, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, FRIENDS, Relic Hunter, Buffy, Xena, Clarissa Explains it All, OUT OF THIS WORLD, Wings, Mad About You, Simpsons, Married with Children, Carol Burnette Show, Anamorphs, Punky Brewster, Smurfs, Rainbow Brite, and the list could go on forever ;)
Musicals
Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, WICKED
Favorite Drinks
In the summer: starbucks' iced caramel macchaito - decaf and nonfat; lychee, boba/bubble tea/pearl milk tea; thai iced tea; lipton lemon and raspberry iced tea
In the winter: hot chocolate and starbucks' white chocolate mocha non-fat
Fave Alcoholic Drinks
Margaritas, amaretto sours, singapore slings, rum & coke and white wine - pinot
Music to relax to:
The slow version of the sailormoon theme song, the theme for Phantom of the Opera, the theme by Mono from Great Expectations and theme from Romeo and Juliet....so many more.....I can't live w/o music.....
A Fan Of:
I'm more a Democrat so I'm a fan of Bill & Hillary Clinton, Madeline Albright, Margaret Thatcher, Lee Iaccoca
Movie Actresses
Drew Barrymore
Kirsten Dunst
Kate Hudson
Nicole Kidman
Demi Moore
Gwyneth Paltrow
Julia Roberts
Reese Witherspoon
Renee Zellweger
Movie Actors
George Clooney
Johnny Depp
Matthew Goode
Tom Hanks
Ashton Kutcher
Brad Pitt
Keanu Reeves
Adam Sandler
Robin Williams
Magazines etc.:
Vogue
Cosmopolitan
Shape
Glamour
Bazaar
Fitness
Allure
Elle
Marie Claire
Archaeology
Mysteries
Foreign Affairs Journals
The Economist
Discover
Astronomy
Sky & Telescope
National Geographic
New York Times
Commondreams.org
In Style
US Weekly
PEOPLE
Reminders:
Salons in NY to try:
Buff Spa at Bergdorf Goodman: 754 5th Ave $$$
Tiffany Nails: 903 Madison $$
Soho Sanctuary: 119 Mercer $$
Maximus Spa - Massage: 15 Mercer $$
Just Calm Down: 32 W. 22nd $$ - get grape gatsby with Essie Bordeaux polish
Ajune Spa: 1294 Third Ave $$
Frederic Fekkai: 15 E. 57th - Mandarin Supreme Pedicure $$
I'm so freakin sleepy and I should be in bed but I had to post this - I had an absolute BLAST being interviewed/featured LIVE On Air at New Jersey's hottest Indian radio station, DHOOM FM last night! My friend Mona is a phenomenal host and radio personality. The hour-long interview/feature went awesomely - they played all the tracks off my demo and the questions they asked me were thoughtful and deep. Didn't get back until almost quarter to 1 a.m. Will be getting the live stream copy of the show this weekend and will post it up. I've been invited back to do future programs and will be bringing my guitarist and hopefully performing/playing tracks with my new producer. Here're the pics from last night - click on the thumbnails to see the bigger pictures:
I'm meeting a friend for dinner tomorrow night and a movie so am off to bed now. *HUGS* to all!
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Tune in to Dhoom FM Monday night 9-10 p.m. EST
Monday, August 4, 2008
02:46 a.m.
New Jersey's hottest Indian radio station shall be interviewing me LIVE On Air Monday night from 9-10 p.m. EST. If you're in the area, tune in to 100.7 or 89.3; if not, listen on line via live stream at http://dhoomfm.com/listen.htm
Just got home from a very late night out in the city - had a lovely dinner with a new friend. Am going to slip straight into bed now.
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Total Solar Eclipse
Friday, August 1, 2008
11:30 p.m.
Today was a special day. For two reasons. One was that there was a total eclipse of the sun today. Being the astronomy nut that I am, I followed the news about it. It began in Arctic Canada, and then passed over Greenland, western Siberia, Mongolia and China. The next one isn't until January 2011.
Below are some very cool and funny pictures I found taken in Germany, Siberia, Bulgaria & London:
The partial solar eclipse is seen pictured through the telescope at the University of Applied Science in Kiel, northern Germany:
A child looks through protective glasses at the total eclipse of the sun as a projection of the sun is displayed on card, near the Bulgarian's Black sea town of Varna east of the capital Sofia.
Neza Pintaric, 9 and sister Ula, 11, right,from Slovenia watch the partial eclipse of the sun through solar glasses in Hyde Park, central London.
A Metropolitan Policeman watches the partial eclipse of the sun through solar glasses in Hyde Park in central London.
Woman checks filters ahead of a solar eclipse in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk.
The second reason? It is too special to write here.
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Helium Balloon Rides in Central Park Until August 22, 2008!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
11:46 p.m.
Just finished watching my recorded ep of Regis & Kelly from this morning - wow have I missed watching that program - I stopped recording and watching it past few months...wound up never having time in the evening to watch but I remember now why I loved it: it makes me laugh and genuinely smile and reminds me how much I love New York City. I'm so glad I did because I learned about the AeroBalloon they've launched in Central Park for a limited time. Here's the news on it:
Helium-filled balloon rides offering spectacular views of New York City's Central Park took flight on Friday to mark the anniversary of the design of the landmark 150 years ago. To celebrate the occasion, the Central Park Conservancy and NYC Department of Parks & Recreation launched AeroBalloon, a helium-filled balloon with a basket attached that will allow visitors a chance to soar as high as 30 stories above Central Park.
The AeroBalloon rides, which will run through August 22, will carry four passengers at a time. It will cost adults $25 and children $17.50 for a 10-minute trip. The rides will run from 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. with the balloons illuminated at night.
I *have* to go on this!!!! :)
Last night I went with my good friend Tara to Bryant Park where we picnic-ed on 'wichcraft's sandwiches (my fave is the marinated white anchovies), had cupcakes from CRUMBS and read magazines and watched The Apartment starring Shirley MacLane who is honest to goodness the forerunner of Renee Zellweger! The film was fantastic and it was a beautiful night at Bryant Park. Every time we've watched everybody gets up and dances when the HBO logo theme thing comes on - for some reason it's some weird tradition to get up and dance for it? No idea. All I know is I LOVE the Looney Toons cartoons beforehand :) Here're some pics I took from last night:
I didn't get home until after 12:30 a.m. last night and after a long hot shower and answering emails, didn't get into bed until 2am. Tonight, after work, went to hindi class, came home at 10 a.m., showered, just had mummy's delicious dinner, finished Regis & Kelly, talked to Mekha for a bit, and am FINALLY going to get into bed and sleep even though it is again late (now 12:30 though I began writing this back at 11:46 ;)).
I am off to sleep. *HUGS* to all and good night :)
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
11:47 p.m.
mek and I didn't see Dark Knight tonight but instead stayed home and watched TV and just caught up as sisters do :) it's going to be so much fun having her live here :) she's given me her car to use to drive to work tomorrow - perfect because I plan to stay late after work with friends for the HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival which is something Bryant Park does every summer on Monday Nights care of HBO. At sunset (usually by 9pm) they begin movies the way they used to be shown many years ago - with a cartoon opening like Bugs Bunny followed by that old familiar HBO logo and movie previews. Few weeks ago I saw The Man Who Came to Dinner (scroll down to see photos from that night) and tomorrow night they're showing The Apartment an old movie from 1960 starring the great Shirley MacLane and Jack Lemmon :)
I'm quite content right now: my room is spic and span spotless, everything is perfectly organized, my closet neat and orderly, I even organized my jewelry! A productive Sunday evening and I even napped for 2 hours and got to lounge outside on the grass - ahhh I love summer :) tomorrow during lunch I plan to work on finishing the last couple stories for one of my children's illustrated series and give the finished copies to my illustrator - hopefully before the end of August I'll have a finished manuscript to send to publishers :) Mmmm maybe I can even get some writing done at Bryant Park while we picnic and wait for the movie to start at 9 - we're getting there at 5:30 and will be there alllll night :) I'm bringing a deck of cards like I did last time - was so much fun playing Pig :)
Memory I sent you an email at your gmail account in response to your guestbook comment :) *HUGS* your folks are from Gujarat? Did you hear back from your interview? What's the name of the refugee org? Oh my god the BAR EXAM! How are you doing??? Are u ready? *BIG HUGS* I am crossing my fingers for you - I know you'll do great :) Study tips? Study your outlines, memorize them cold and take the practice exam questions over and over - it's what I did and I passed on the 1st try :) I had a LOT of essays on my exam but this was back in 2002 - it's now been 6 years and I know even then they changed their format each year so you didn't know which topics they'd most likely question on. I'll say tons of prayers for you babe but I have faith in you that you will do great! :) Then one day you can work for *MY* human rights foundation I plan on creating soon - it will be a team of lawyers working to expose human rights violations and prosecute instances of such. Want to be on board? :)
Mia writing that poem made me cry too... :( but I'm very glad that you liked it and that it made you feel emotions as well....one day I'd love to hear your story if you ever feel like sharing, email me. I do speak Japanese (not fluent, just enough to get by, but I will be taking new classes in September and learning to read & write from scratch again). I'll check out the video :) Do you ever listen to X-Japan? Keep up the running! My cousin began running this past Spring after joining track at his high school and he lost the weight practically overnight (he was a kinda stocky and now he's *lean*). Nothing like running to get you in shape and strong - especially if you mix it with toning exercises.
Marcia I swear your comments always crack me up *BIG HUGS* when are we EVER gonna get together and just hang? How are Sina and his family? Did you hear about the newest bomb in Istanbul? You have to try Juicy's new perfume 'Viva La Juicy' cause oh my god it is THAT GOOD!!! No joke! :) Tell Sina to come to NY!! Do University here! :) Think about how much fun we'd have!! :) Next year (after I've mastered hindi) I plan to take Arabic and/or Farsi - I am totally in love with Kabul & Afghanistan and want to visit and be able to speak the language well. How are you feeling now? Still cranky and anti-social? :) let's chat on facebook again soon I really enjoyed catching up with you last time.
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
04:05 p.m.
it's thunderstorming....thunder and lightning everywhere....I love it :) normally I'd have the windows thrown open relishing it, but I just came in from lounging outside, having lunch and reading an old issue of Bazaar I hadn't read and I'm sleepy. Nishi needs a nap. Nishi needs to clean her bedroom too but agh, that can wait ;) hahaha :) my sis Mek and I might go see Dark Knight tonight - another good reason to take a nap so I'm refreshed to watch a movie! woo hoo! :D
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Bomb Explosions in Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Saturday, July 26, 2008
11:28 p.m.
My friend Hemal alerted me to the bomb explosions that occured in Ahmedabad, Gujarat today - he is there visiting his family. He's fine and so is his family, but the city is on red alert and they're moving in troops. Apparently the group responsible for the 16 or 17 low intensity explosions that took place within an hour say it is revenge for the 2002 Godra massacre.
Watch the BBC's video coverage of the explosions and their aftermath. So far 38 have been killed and more than 100 wounded.
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
05:42 p.m.
my sister mekha, her friends Bill and Rondell and my other sister Mili just came home - Mekha is moving back in to our home (she finished her PhD in clinical child psychology and will be working for a year in the city) and we're unloading the truck filled with her things from her apartment and moving all of Mekha's boxes to the basement, garage and her bedroom.
i am soooooo sweaty.
mum made us a HUGE lunch/early dinner too and I am full and sweaty! hahahaha :) (rice with salmon curry, broiled chicken legs, chick peas, cabbage thoran and dessert of ice cream with brownies and delicious iced tea)
looking fwd to my run tonight.
and maybe I can convince the girls to see a late show of Sex and the City and we can FINALLY, FINALLY see it!! If only Nith were home too (our 4th sister) who just came back from a vacation on the island of St. Thomas.
think I'll have some more brownies and ice cream tonight after my run :D the weather is so gorgeous out - sunny and warm - gorgeous summer saturday in late July :)
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Half Moon in Dobbs Ferry for Papa & Mummy's 32nd Wedding Anniversary
Friday, July 25, 2008
11:41 p.m.
Took my parents out tonight for dinner to a new restaurant that opened back in May in Dobbs Ferry called Half Moon and it was *fabulous* - made reservations for 8:45/9pm on a Friday night, we arrived at 9 and were promptly seated - place was packed and the wait staff was wonderful, quick and our food was *phenomenal* - I'm not joking or even slightly exaggerating. My parents had a wonderful anniversary dinner :)
We began with 4 appetizers: the 'duck tacos', 'grilled corn empanadas' (which are like Indian samosas), 'halibut ceviche' and 1 of the 'mini-pork buns' and each dish was well-prepared, beautifully presented and tasted SO GOOD!!! I cannot rave enough! We had wine, Merlot - Indaba Red Wine from South Africa - beautiful buttery medium red wine that left a velvety feel on your tongue. Our main entrees - we ordered 2: the green herbed tuna (sensational) and the tile fish which came with a green minty chutney like sauce that gave the fish just the right kick - both fishes were grilled and very healthily prepared with lemon and came with salsa, mushrooms, and other vegetables. The portion sizes were just right. Dessert was 2 orders of Rum Babas - delicious rum drizzled cakes - I love, love, LOVE Rum Babas :)
Finished off the delicious meal with decaf tea with lemon and honey and a bit of milk....one of those rare perfect meals that make dining out a beautiful experience :)
Tonight was gorgeous - weather was in the 70s...stars were all out - perfect summer friday. Tomorrow is Saturday....though it's now 1 a.m. as I finish writing this entry, I'm going to see if I can't get myself up early at 7 a.m. and go for a run - I don't want to miss a minute of this gorgeous sunny Saturday they're predicting. Sunday is supposed to rain and thunderstorm but I have a date Sunday night to look fwd to at the fabulous NYC restaurant One if By Land, Two if By Sea and my sister Mekha is moving back home this weekend and the girls will be up for the weekend so shall be fun :)
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
11:46 p.m.
my sister Mili made me chocolate cake and it is sinfully delicious and I can't stop taking bite after bite :) what the heck I jogged 6 miles tonight so I earned this! :) mum made delicious fish curry (blue fish) which I ate on top of a bed of spinach and white rice followed by dessert of a bowl of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries in very-vanilla soy milk.
tonight on my run I was surprised to see that creepy stalker-guy from last summer who I made the mistake of saying hi to and who after that made very aggressive attempts to get to know me even when I'd told him about R and us being engaged to get married - he's begun riding his bike around our neighborhood but I can tell he's not doing it for fitness' sake - he wears a regular dress shirt - fully open so his naked chest is exposed - who rides a bike for fitness like that???? And the bike is not a fitness bike and the way he rides it - perched high upon the seat - it's obvious he's biking to coincide with my runs - UGH. I know the regular bikers - they're dressed appropriately, most wear helmets, this dude is NOT serious about fitness. Time to start packing mace or maybe a tazer.
I'm up late again - ughhhh I keep doing thissssssss. I'm taking my parents out for dinner tomorrow night - it's their 32nd Wedding Anniversary :) Found this gorgeous water front restaurant I'm going to take them to - can't wait! :) ok am off to bed - will respond to messages tomorrow night :)
a small poem I wrote recently...
I saw your new photo on facebook
you were smiling in it
my heart broke
you live a life I am no longer
a part of
the brief glimpses I allow myself
which I shouldn't
remind me of how great the distance has grown
between 2 hearts
that were once one
I love you....I still love you....
oh how dearly and so greatly I love you...
memories, darling, every day memories
flood my mind...little moments in time
that I remember and still treasure
oh how dearly and so greatly I still love you.
- by Nishi Rajan; all rights reserved July 2008.
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
11:40 p.m.
I sat on the deck last weekend, I think it was Friday evening...I had just come back from my run, showered & changed and eaten dinner and mummy and papa were still in Florida at our vacation home there...it was after 8pm and dusk was falling.....I swung on the old sofa swing couch and looked up at God and tiny tears fell and I asked Him "why, what is the point . . .?" and I got back the instant answer "the best is yet to come." More tears fell and I said to Him "then please make it hurry and come."
night fell and I stayed until the fireflies lit up the woods and then went inside. In the past when I've gotten these answers, they've always come true. I believe. I have faith. My belief, love and faith have never failed me.
tonight it is thunderstorming...the stormy wind is pelting our beautiful house...I peeked through the blinds out onto the lake and it's choppy....I wonder where all the ducks and geese have gone to seek shelter....I think about Che and the small baby ducks she was feeding a couple weekends ago....I love thunderstorms....
Long will I love you....long will my heart bleed for you...long will the tears fall....but my faith and love are everlasting.
I need to get to sleep. *HUGS* to all memory I saw your message - I'll get back to you tomorrow or Friday? I love your blog-like messages to me :) Sarah Beth I *shall* call you my dear friend - perhaps tomorrow or Saturday night? I got Lisa's massive email about her work stress - she always cracks me UP! :) Good night for now - see ya guys tomorrow.
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
oh my god I am in love with Tadanobu Asano in MONGOL
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
11:59 p.m.
Saw the movie MONGOL tonight and it was inspirational to me. It is a movie about the man behind Genghis Khan - the founding ruler of the Mongolian empire. Was definitely worth seeing :) and Tadanobu Asano is this gorgeous Japanese actor who played the starring role - fabulous!!
ugh I'm up late again - almost 1 a.m. now - must sleep!
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Monday, July 21, 2008
07:33 a.m.
ugh. it's monday morning and I feel sick. I tossed and turned all night and when I woke up my face was hot and i have that tiny lump in the throat when you swallow. I hate to do it but I think I need to call in to work sick...I'll wait until 9 so I can speak with my supervisor personally and make sure it's ok.
edited at 11:18 p.m.
I feel a lot better now - a day of bed rest and lots of tea and lemon and grapefruits worked - throat is still a little tight but my face is no longer warm. Going to head to bed now and get a good night's sleep - am not missing work at all tomorrow.
Mia I read your lovely message and it put such a smile on my face :) thank you :) I run 6 miles 4-5 days a week and after that do anywhere from 90-150 different push ups (3 varying arm distances), 80 dips, and 500 different crunches (8 different kinds to target different ab muscles), and I try to squeeze in shoulder exercises, leg lifts and will pop in my tape of "8-minute buns" sometimes as well.
I just ate a huge sugary-carb pre-bed meal I probably shouldn't have but I allow myself to indulge once in a while ;) strawberries in soymilk, a buttered hot-dog roll, and 2 slices of my sister Mili's chocolate cake with chocolate icing - yumm! :) Ok off to bed. *HUGS* to all and good night.
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
TGIF & the weekend!
Friday, July 18, 2008
11:05 p.m.
it's the weeeeeeeeeekkkeeeennnnnddddddddddd!! THANK GOD! I can finally get some freakin' sleep!!! :D
After work yesterday, met my friend Chelsea for dinner at MA MA BUDDHA - this chinese restaurant in the West Village. I ordered delicious steamed prawns with vegetables, brown rice and hot garlic sauce. The Mongolian Beef Chelsea ordered was not so good but the sauce it came in with the mushrooms was fabulous!). Afterwards, we went across the street to Magnolia Bakery for dessert - we got their Banana Pudding which is this very thick-cake-like pudding with real, fresh banana slices - it was phenomenally good. Magnolia Bakery is known for its cupcakes (as featured on Sex and the City) and their cupcakes are delicious but it's their Banana Pudding that Chels and I believe could win PRIZES for how good it is. Next time I go I'm going to try their Cherry Jubilee cake - they have decadent cheesecakes in so many flavors and styles. I'm getting hungry again just thinking of it now ;)
We sat out by the playground/park on Bleeker Street enjoying the pudding - was such a beautiful Thursday night :)
We then did some shopping and hit the JUICY COUTURE store where I picked up a new bottle of their gorgeous perfume and tried their new 'Viva La Juicy' scent which I LOVEEEE and added my name to the waiting list for ordering. Then went to MAX & MARC - this tiny little boutique also on Bleeker - it has gorgeous chemises, nighties, and cute dresses - and got a gorgeous sleepshirt that fit me like a glove! :)
Walked around some more showing Chelsea more of the Village before settling in at CAFE ANGELIQUE for tea (tried the African Amber tea & loved it). We found 'One If By Land, Two if By Sea' - NYC's consistent annual winner for most romantic restaurant and learned it has brunches for only $20 and is doing restaurant week lunches & dinners for only $25/35 (respectively). Totally worth it!
Didn't get home till after 10pm last night and after a long day at work today, came straight home, jogged 6 miless, did toning exercises for my abs and arms, and now just came out of a long, relaxing bath and am getting ready to sleep. I'm going to enjoy this weekend relaxing, writing, working on music etc - it's the middle of summer - am not going to miss it!!
Hope ya'll are having a good start to your weekend. *HUGS* to all!
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Catching Up From Saturday through Wednesday ;)
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
11:28 p.m.
back from a night of rehearsal with my guitarist, a late dinner and a moonlight 6 mile run - the moon is almost completely full and was a golden yellow tonight; the full moon falls this Friday the 18th. Was so peaceful jogging late.
Last night went with friends to a South-Asian professionals event at Providence - this fantastic club/lounge up on 57th Street between 8th & 9th Avenue - below are pics of me with friends Mona and Shah. We managed to score a nice couch area where we ordered beef sate, chicken sate and curly fries and just enjoyed ourselves - the food was fantastic and they played great music all night long - met a lot of really cool people last night.
Saturday met with my new producer Manoj and he is AWESOME! He has great ideas for my songs, we jammed really well and I'm excited about making new albums with him. He lives with his wife in Queens in this amazing apartment that has a grand view of the Manhattan skyline from the super-large wrap around balcony which has a firepit, a patio set, and a grill - his home simply rocks :) We're meeting again this Saturday to begin real work on the music.
Sunday met with my friend Alexi and his friends from Boston and we had dim sum in chinatown at Jing Fong - one of the best dim sum places in chinatown - we gorged ourselves on delicious food for like an hour and a half or two hours before calling it quits ;)
Headed uptown then to Columbia University to meet Tyler to rehearse and he is such a fantastic guitarist! I'm so glad he was my Hindi instructor and that we became friends because he really GETS my music and accompanies it beautifully! :) Can't wait to perform with him this August and September. I absolutely LOVE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY. I am definitely meant to be there - its steps and buildings seem so familiar - I've always wanted to go back and complement my Juris Doctorate in Law with a Masters in International Affairs and Policy and now I know for sure I will apply to Columbia to obtain that further deegree one day. I would love to teach there one day too - either English or History or Law or International Law. Parts of it even remind me of USC which also has a great International Affairs program - I loved USC so much, its campus is gorgeous...
It's getting late and I wanna try and get a full 7 hours of sleep tonight. Tomorrow after work I'm meeting my friend Chelsea for dinner at Mama Buddha in the village - it's supposed to be a fun place with fabulous food - looking fwd! *HUGS* to all and good night!
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Friday, July 11, 2008
11:38 p.m.
I'm going to the shooting range tomorrow morning to practice shooting an XD90 handgun again as well as learn how to use a rifle. I practiced shooting targets with an XD90 back in 2006 in L.A. and it was a lot of fun - this time I'll wear a zippered hoodie to my neck because I wore a tank top before and the hot shell casings from the guy firing in the next stall flew over and singed my skin ;) LOL :) Don't get me wrong - I'm *against* the general use of guns - I believe it should properly belong in the hands of the authorities and be used only for justifiable reasons of self-protection and survival. I am for strong and strict rules and enforcement of gun laws and regulations for obtaining and using a gun. However, that said, I do believe in protecting ourselves and having knowledge of use of weapons (if that's something you're interested in) and I LOOVVVEEEE knowing how to use weapons: swords, guns, etc. If there ever came a time where knowledge of using a rifle and other guns were necessary, I want to know I have the knowledge and skill to call upon - plus, it's just FUN for recreational sport activity - I'm not going to shoot animals or any living thing. I'm debating whether to take a light women's only rifle course - 4 week/8-hour course for only $50 is cheap!
Afterwards, I head to Queens to meet with that new producer I met last weekend and do an informal jam session to see if we will vibe well in production of my dance and pop tracks. And then it's either rehearsal with my guitarist or come back home to spend time with my sister Mekha who'll be home for the weekend I think and then Sunday meeting a friend for dim sum in chinatown and then rehearsal again.
Must head to sleep now - want to get up early and run my 6 miles - I haven't run in a WEEK! A whole WEEK!! I've gotten to that stage where I actually MISS running! Whoda thunk it!
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Wednesday, July 9, 2008
10:32 p.m.
The Bronx ain't so bad ;) friends from work and I headed over to Jacobi Hospital today way up on Pelham Parkway in the Bronx this evening to visit our friend Eric who's in the hospital after being in a car accident Monday night and breaking his leg and having surgery - Eric looked great (well except for the cast on his leg) and I think we did a good job of making him feel better :) We brought him a care package - a bag full of treats like healthy fruits as well as candies and water and Cynthia even picked up UNO cards since we were eying another group of people playing them at the park on Monday night.
Waiting on the platform at 125th Street for the Metro North train home was strange - I could swear I was having semi-deja vu over seeing this little blinking neon red-purplish light cast a shadow on something that looked like moose antlers against some old crumbly building wall. I'm sure I dreamed of something similar a long time ago.
I miss Chinatown - haven't been down there in a while and I miss the familiar sites, the feel, the people, heck even the smell of fish over near the corner of Canal and Baxter ;) think I'll head down there with a couple friends after work tomorrow if I feel up to it and enjoy some dinner and shopping or maybe head over on Sunday for lunch perhaps. Haven't had a well-prepared sweet mooncake in ages.
am off to take a relaxing shower and head to sleep. G'night folks :)
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Tuesday, July 8, 2008
10:46 p.m.
Eric, one of my firm's legal interns shown in the pictures below, who joined us at Bryant Park for the HBO movie, got into an accident late last night after he had gotten home. He lives up in the Bronx and turns out that after he had gone home, he got into his car to do something for his family and got into a bad accident, breaking his tibia and femur (and no, no alcohol at ALL was involved). Walked into work this morning and that was the 1st news that greeted me - was so sad! We found out he was in surgery all morning. We're going to the hospital tomorrow up in the Bronx after work to visit him and take him a care package. Poor guy.:( We all felt so bad because he's so young (just 20) and he'll have screws and rods in his leg for the rest of his life - we still don't know any details about the accident and what happened - hopefully we'll learn more tomorrow.
Good night all :)
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Summer Monday Nights at HBO's Bryant Park Sunset Movies
Monday, July 7, 2008
it's wayyyy after 1:15 a.m. - just got back home at 12:30 from a night at the free Monday night HBO movies at Bryant Park - it was SO MUCH FUN! :) Friends from work and I went right after to Bryant Park, set up our sheets/towels and went for sandwiches at 'wichcraft (I got this delicious white anchovies thing) and dessert of Crumbs' cupcakes and played cards and talked and hung out until the movie finally started at 9pm - we saw 'The Man Who Came to Dinner' - was a GOOD film - one of those old black and white comedies that are just so much fun to watch :) Was so beautiful to lay out on the grass looking up at the sky and the lit up NYC buildings all around - among hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of other fellow New Yorkers...it was so packed...but because we got there early we got a great spot on the grass up front. I loved it. I'm going to make it a semi-regular thing to do this with my friend Tara - we're going next time on July 21st to see Arsenic & Old Lace :)
I just finished taking a long, hot shower and am going to finally sleep. Gosh I haven't slept more than 4-5 hours in a week. Ugh. I'm so gonna pay for this tomorrow ;)
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RAFAEL NADAL WON WIMBLEDON!!!! YAHOOOO!!!!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
11:56 p.m.
AGGHHHHHHHHHHHH! I am the HAPPIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD right now!!!! My favorite darling tennis champ WON against Federer on GRASS at WIMBLEDON!!!!!! RAFAEL NADAL!!! YAHOOOOOOOOOOO! Today's game was f'n AMAZING!!!!!! The BEST game EVER in the history of tennis!!!
I missed 1/2 the game however because I went down to the city to meet with a new Indian producer named Manoj who is AWESOME! His music is gorgeous - check out If Time Could Sit Still produced for his artist Pramanik.
Weekend was spent writing new music, doing a lot of vocal exercises, fixing my broken closet which came crashing down last night (all fixed now) and cleaning, sweeping and mopping - was a very productive weekend :)
Updated at 11:56 p.m.
I finished writing the above at 10:17 when my parents came home from Connecticut - they had gone fishing with my sisters and papa and mummy brought back 8 HUMONGOUS BLUE FISH!! Here's papa holding the fish in our basement just now:
How cute is my dad :) They didn't take pics on the boat so he asked me to take pics here because he'd NEVER caught such huge fish before :) My papa is so adorable :) We just spent the past hour and a half helping mummy cut and clean the fish and pack them away into the freezer....ugh...the smell of blood and guts...ICK. Mummy was like 'how're u going to be a good housewife' and I was like 'oh mummy you know I am never gonna do this' and she's laughs and is like 'yeah! i know!' ;) I'm so exhausted now and just finished scrubbing down, showering and changed into a pretty cotton chemise and am going to slip into bed and sleep. G'night all :) and Soul I left a message for you in the entry below :) *HUGS*
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Saturday, July 5, 2008
11:59 p.m.
oh my god the most awful thing just happened - my closet shelf broke and all my clothes came crashing down! My dad is going to FLIP - he and mummy have always yelled that one day the closet would come crashing down because of all the clothes I put upon it - oh GODDDDD how the hell do I find a handyman before they come home from Connecticut tomorrow?
Updated at 1:56 a.m.
Oh thank God, thank God, one of my dear good guy friends will drive over tomorrow morning and help me fix this thing! Stupid closet shelf - I spent ALL DAY cleaning, mopping and sweeping and dusting and after being done at 11pm and showering and all ready for sleep, come back into my spotless room to find the closet crashed down....ugh, I'm going to eat something, talk to a few friends online and go to bed. Have to go to Home Depot in the morning and get sheet rock screws before my friend comes over and find papa's drill - lord help me find that drill.
Update Sunday: everything's fixed!! :) And was quite easy too! All it took was drilling new holes and even went to Home Depot and got the same closet shelf with the screws and reinforced the shelf so it's stronger than ever! WHEW!!!! :) Crisis averted!!
SOUL I just read your message now :) Thank you :) *HUGS* Honestly, some days are good and some days not...yesterday was actually awful, I unleashed a lot because I was home alone and had a very good cry as I listened to music and wrote 2 new songs...felt much better after that...lit a candle and prayed a lot to God and then focused on writing music....and cleaning ;) Helps to give in to your emotions (when you can privately) and then when you feel better, to put your energies into something fruitful and productive....it's hard...it's been..SO hard....on the bad days/moments, it is all I can do to force painful thoughts and memories out of my head so I don't get lost in sadness and the pain...it requires so much strength...thank you for your kind words - they made my heart feel so good. God bless you. *BIG HUGS*
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Friday, July4, 2008
11:59 p.m.
Happy belated 4th of July everyone :) I slept in late today until 9 a.m. and then enjoyed a delicious breakfast with mummy of pancakes with bananas, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries along with a cup of milk and a fried egg and then relaxed with the newspaper and a cup of chai tea. Afterwards, I took mum for an hour-long walk where all the fancy mansions are nearby before heading out on my own 6-mile run - a gamble because the forecasters kept saying there might be a chance of rain all-day for this Independence holiday and, indeed, the skies were cloudy and alternately sunny and then threatening to pour ;)
It was on my 4th and a half-mile that the rain clouds finally let loose and I took cover on a rock by the lake underneath some dense tree foliage....it was the same spot, the same rock, that R and I had sat on just this past winter...he had marveled about how frozen the lake was and we tried to break the ice by throwing rocks out onto it....as I sat there remembering how different things had been just 6-7 months ago, tears fell and I composed a poem as I sat there and recorded it on my phone....my voice broke with emotion as I recorded it...
Last winter, when the lake was frozen
by Nishi Rajan July 4, 2008
Copyright Nishi Rajan, no copying or reproduction allowed Today, on my run,
the rain started to fall
and as it fell
I decided to take cover under some trees
and so I walked
where you and I had once walked
back last winter,
when the lake was frozen
and I sat on the same rock
that you and I had sat on (my voice breaks)
and I remembered
how we threw rocks together
trying to crack the ice
and how you marveled
at how frozen the lake was
because you had never really seen
a frozen lake before
and now here,
a little more
than half a year later
I sit
without you,
watching
as the water droplets hit the smooth surface
and tears fall down my cheeks,
mixing with the rain,
until I can no longer tell
the difference.
I let the tears fall for a while, saying a silent prayer to God, and when the rain let up, I turned and saw a woman, chinese or japanese woman, whose name I learned was Chiego - she had driven her car specifically to come to the lake and feed the geese/ducks with grain she brought. I walked over to her to say hello and she pointed out recently born ducks (or geese?) - they were SO CUTE :) I said bye to her and returned to jogging...the rain fell again and I walked for the most part...enjoying the feel of the cool, soft, light rain...and the delicious foresty smell of the pine tree-filled road I live on which has a beautiful brook running through it emptying out onto the lake....life goes on.
spent the rest of the afternoon and evening watching A Snow Fairy Sugar, reading magazines, catching clips of Rafael Nadal winning at the Semi-Finals at Wimbledon - he's on to face Federer on Sunday and I am SOOOOOO rooting for RAFA to win!!! :) Just enjoyed this day off before watching the fireworks tonight....now I've been up late purchasing new beauty products - I'm very much about skin care and have been using anti-wrinkle products since I was 23/24/25 and it shows - I have very good skin. I believe very strongly in taking care of your skin, hair, body and health and believe in eating healthy, exercising regularly and using good products - your skin is worth it!
My new beauty loot: (1) prescription-strength Prevage MD with 1% idebenone, (2) DIOR Capture Totale cream, serum, lotion, face wash & with a pretty beauty purse that came with it, (3) Miss Dior Cherie perfume & lotion & (4) Burberry London perfume, lotion & body wash gel. And all purchased on Ebay for super cheap!!! Except for the Miss Dior Cherie gift set which was from Sephora and which was also cheap considering everything you got with it - its retail value was over $120 but I only paid $68 and with free shippingand with tons of free samples of free products from Sephora when ever you purchase over $50-worth and additional samples if you're a Sephora Beauty Inside (free to sign up) :) Gotta love Sephora and Ebay - they make your dollars go the extra mile ;) Make sure to search very thoroughly on Ebay for the best values in sets and packages and factor in the cost of shipping and type in different spellings - it's worth diligently searching ebay because you will find bargains in beauty and perfume products - why pay more elsewhere??
It's a woman's right to treat herself well, in every way - if you don't, who will? Same goes for men - we should all take care of ourselves - body, spirit, heart & mind.
It's now very late and I must get to bed - sleep is the #1 most essential thing to good health and beauty ;) skimp on sleep and your health suffers. Hope ya'll had a wonderful 4th! :)
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Wisdom & Maturity Come With a Price
Thursday, July 3, 2008
09:42 p.m.
Great wisdom and great maturity only come through great trials, great tribulations and great pain. Indeed, it is only through one's own suffering that one can truly understand, truly grow, truly be wise. To an extent, I wish I were not so wise or so mature. I was far more happier when I was less.
I trusted you. I loved you. Yet, the one who I loved and trusted the most in the world is the one who caused me the most hurt, the most pain, the most suffering..
I realized today that I will never be the same, ever again. I am even more wise, more mature, more understanding....but at a high price - I am infinitely changed....I am haunted by what happened....by the pain.....there are days when it doesn't bother me, and days, like today, where it comes back in full force and I find myself fighting to hold back the tears...
The words of Lord Byron's poem When We Two Parted: In silence I grieve
That thy heart could forget,
Thy spirit deceive.
If I should meet thee
After long years,
How should I greet thee?
With silence and tears.
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Eye on the humanitarian situation in Aghanistan
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
11:54 p.m.
Got home 20 minutes ago after a lovely night out with my friend Kerri who I met up with after hindi class tonight at the NYC-famous Shake Shack at Madison Square Park - an outdoor California-style "shack" in the middle of the gorgeous park serving Los Angeles style small hamburgers with special shack-sauce that is out of this world good, hot dogs with everything you can imagine upon them, shakes in mouth-watering flavors, the BEST custards this side of the Mississippi, and also offers a great selection of beers and wines, etc. - you think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not! The food is well-prepared, it tastes SO good and is well-worth the typical 15-20 minute wait. And wait we did on the loonngggg line for the super delicious famous shack burgers and the to-do-die-for concrete jungle (the Shake Shack's famous custard) - it was completely satisfying :) And tomorrow, if I can get myself up out of bed early enough, I'll get up super early and run 6 miles to make up for the amount of custard I ate ;) LOL! :) It's one of my most favorite places to eat at night outside in the summertime.
Caught up on the news as I took the late train home and am astounded by the bill President Bush just signed to pay for the war - another $162 *BILLION* is being sent for the war - the total to date is $650-BILLION. That amount of money is just MIND-BOGGLING given how much our economy is suffering, how much we Americans pay for gas and groceries! That's over 1/2 a TRILLION dollars and all for a war that will likely never end and will spark only further horrors for generations to come. This is the war that never ends - it just goes on and on my friends (you know the tune, sing the song).
In fact, the number of dead just keeps rising. Civilians killed in Afghanistan just this year so far, in the past 6 months, is 700 - a throttling reminder of how Bush's 7-year old war now has failed to establish any semblance of peace in either Afghanistan or Iraq.
Sir John Holmes - the Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations, whose career and accomplishments I find inspiring, was interviewed recently on the above high rate of civilian deaths and casualties within Afghanistan over the past 6 months and was quoted as saying that the insecurity within Afghanistan has made it difficult to deliver emergency aid to poor Afghans hit by the global food crisis. What will another $162 billion actually DO to get poor Afghans aid they can actually benefit from? Holmes said most of the casualties are caused by insurgents who have no regard for civilian life but a significant number are also caused by international military forces. Approximately 422 of those deaths were the result of insurgents and 255 by government or foreign troops. Holmes is in Afghanistan now because the humanitarian situation is serious and getting worse there.
I've always wanted to visit Kabul in Afghanistan...I wish I could go now but it's too dangerous - the closest I can get is reading the Bookseller of Kabul (I'm 3/4 of the way through it now) ;)
It's 12:38 a.m. now and I *must* stop writing now and slip into bed. *HUGS* to all - good night :)
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Monday, June 30, 2008
09:56 p.m.
tonight, after my 6 mile run and a long relaxing bath, I sat down and did my hindi homework - memorized the entire Hindi alphabet and I can now read, write and speak it - the hard part now is learning the matras or the short-form of the vowels, but I'm sure I can do that before I go to sleep tonight. It's amazing how quickly we're learning this stuff considering I've only attended three 2-hour classes so far and tomorrow will be the 4th.
rehearsed for the first time yesterday afternoon (sunday) with my new guitarist, Tyler, who is also my Hindi instructor (ya see why it's important I know my stuff? ;)) and dude, he is phenomenal on the guitar - he picked up 6 of my songs like a breeze and he can sing too! So impressed. Rehearsal went so well, in fact, I'm thinking it'll be a good idea to set up some gigs the last couple weeks of July.
Felt so good to sing with guitar accompaniment again - nothing but the music shining through. Outside the rain was falling and it was thunderstorming - it was the perfect backdrop - way up north of Columbia University - love the area - it's so alive with culture and a different way of life - the writer in me got inspired by the Dominican culture I saw everywhere....
ok back to studying :)
Sarah Beth if you see this - I got your email about the legal question - I'll answer you tomorrow/tomorrow night (hopefully); if for some reason you don't hear from me tomorrow, then Wednesday definitely (at best, I'll see if I can call you tomorrow night :))
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Crowd watches Pakistan militants kill 2 Afghans
Saturday, June 28, 2008
11:54 a.m.
Crowd watches Pakistan militants kill 2 Afghans By HABIBULLAH KHAN and RAVI NESSMAN - Associated Press Writers
Jun 27th, 2008 | KHAR, Pakistan -- A gang of Pakistani militants executed two Afghan prisoners in front of thousands of cheering supporters Friday, beheading one man and shooting the other after accusing them of aiding a U.S. missile strike. The executions in the Bajur region highlighted the power of local Taliban forces in lawless tribal areas near the Afghan border. Militants calling from the loudspeakers of mosques summoned people to the banks of a stream outside the town of Khar, about 120 miles northwest of Islamabad. At least 5,000 people gathered to watch the executions.
Masked militants pulled the two blindfolded Afghans from a car and forced them to kneel on the ground. Waliur Rehman, a local Taliban commander, told the crowd that the two men had confessed to aiding in the strike on a house in the border town of Damadola that killed 14 people last month. The men disclosed the names of others accused of involvement, who would be killed as well, Rehman said. "Whoever, for the sake of money, for the sake of America, harms the interest of the Islamic world will meet the same fate," Rehman said.
Gunmen with daggers then pounced on one of the men — identified as Jan Wali, 36 — decapitated him and waved his bloody head to the cheering crowd, according to an Associated Press reporter and AP Television News footage from the scene. The militants then argued over how to kill the other man because he may have been a teenager, before one lost patience and shot him with an assault rifle. The crowd erupted in cheers of "God is great!" and gunmen fired in the air in jubilation. The celebratory gunfire killed two bystanders and wounded six, local official Fazal Rabbi said.
I feel that when man can so easily kill man in an inhuman and grotesque fashion, his humanity has long since left him. It is terrible how life can warp and twist the original innocent soul of a man into a devilish creature who can commit such a heinous act as bloody decapitation of another. I believe it is all of humankind's responsibility to prevent such acts. That we, both through our actions and through our failure to act/intervene, hold responsibility & accountability for the horrors committed against our fellow man.
Those Taliban militants above who decapitated that 36 year old man - it is so easy to view them as evil and inhuman, and truly, their actions justify that - but they were not always evil...in the beginning, they were innocents just as us, but whose consciousness was warped and brutalized through environment (warfare, victimization, abuse etc.) - and our country, we ourselves, could have taken a hand way back and helped prevent the things that led to the creation of such an environment. But the sad thing about humankind is that we, very often, are selfish and fail to see outside of ourselves....we, through lack of understanding, fail to see how our actions/inactions lead to the suffering of others, fail to see how we are all interconnected and hold blame and accountability for even the most distant, minor and far-off events. Perhaps one day we will wake up and understand we are all one and the same, what we do, each day, impacts not only ourselves, but something and someone thousands of miles away.
I sat at my kitchen table enjoying a beautiful breakfast while tears filled my eyes as I read the above story. I felt acutely aware of the differences in lives and feel called upon to do something good in return, to help ease another's suffering. I believe strongly that those with benefits and fortune should help those without and less-fortunate. Don't get me wrong - there is nothing wrong with being happy with your blessings and fortune - what you have been given or earned in this life is something you should, and must, enjoy - otherwise, what is the point in living? But, you should also be grateful for it and recognize that not everyone is as lucky or as privileged as you. Temper your enjoyment of good fortune and blessings with knowledge and compassion of others.
In contrast to the above, I slept in till 9am this morning after setting my alarm for 6:30 to get up and run - felt better to sleep in ;) mummy made putih and pyrih and I added a sunny-side-up egg and a bowl of strawberries and 2 cups of medium-strong coffee with lots of soymilk :) then opened the paper and read all the news - good and bad. The above story is the one that really moved me to tears.
I'm so blessed to be able to sit in the kitchen with my mom, hear her laugh as she watches AsiaNet and I have breakfast while in another part of the world, someone is suffering and crying. God I want to do good. Help me to make a good difference in this world with my talents, my abilities, my love and spirit. With the fortune I have been given or earned, let me be a light and a source of comfort to those who are less-fortunate - because we are all one and the same....my fellow man is my fellow man, we owe a duty of goodness to each other.
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Friday, June 27, 2008
11:12 p.m.
looonngggg week at work......so hooohhhhhhhh tired and ready for a productive and relaxing weekend. Saw Get Smart tonight after work with friends - cute & funny movie :) But WANTED with Angelina Jolie is the movie I absolutely WANT to see :) Going to take a long relaxing shower and slip into bed (of which I just put fresh, crisp, cool clean sheets on :)) and begin the weekend right with a run in the morning, a leisurely breakfast of eggs, toast, grapefruit & coffee with the Saturday paper, then settle into cleaning and shopping, and then spend the rest of Saturday writing and reading...Sunday I meet with my new guitarist to begin rehearsals for my gigs this summer - hoping to perform regularly every week beginning in mid-to-late July! :) My new guitarist is a sweet guy named Tyler who's also my hindi instructor - phenomenal teacher and turns out he's a musician as well! Raised in California but spent the last 7 years in India and is now a PhD at Columbia here in the city. He was the 1st foreigner elected to the Vice President position of the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi - a HUGE accomplishment - he was interviewed by NPR and he's like all over the Indian and international news for his accomplishments - I was beyond impressed - the guy speaks better hindi than even Indians and I'm learning so much in the class. Ok am off - see ya'll tomorrow :)
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Sunday, June 22, 2008
03:57 p.m.
Friday night I went out with a big group of friends to see fellow Indian musician Pramanik of BrownSkinzMusic perform at Duvet - a really trendy club/lounge which has real beds all over the place.
That's Pramanik performing his song Run.
Didn't get home until almost 3 a.m. and slept in on Saturday until 2pm!! :) Felt so good :D The venue had an open vodka bar from 10-11 so I enjoyed a nice vodka & cranberry while chatting and catching up with my friends on these lovely big white beds with white sheets hanging on the canopies - they played awesome music all night long! Afterwards, my friend Neil walked me back to Grand Central to take the train home and we stopped by this Gyro stand where we had some delicious chicken & vegetable gyros on pita bread to enjoy for the mile walk to the station.
Saturday was spent running my 6 miles and catching up on world news and events - so many fascinating happenings - they found frozen water and ice on Mars, a huge solstice event was held at Stonehenge for the 1st day of summer (6/21) which recently was confirmed to have been a burial plot at one time for 500 years (before the stones were erected). Today I've been cleaning and doing laundry and preparing Mekha's room for her - she moves back home in July and needs her room to be readied. Need to head out in a bit to the green market to pick up food for the week.
Tomorrow after work I'm taking friends and the interns at work for a picnic at Bryant Park to watch the summer HBO sunset movies at the park! They're showing Bride of Frankenstein tomorrow night :) We're ordering sandwiches from 'wichcraft. Should be fun!! I've got to remember to bring my blanket!
I've gotta head out to the market now and hopefully, by the time I get back, the weather will hold up so I can go running tonight! :) Hope you've all had a wonderful 1st Day of Summer weekend!! :D
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Christiane Amanpour & Doctors Without Borders Panel
Thursday, June 19, 2008
11:42 p.m.
Tonight, my friend Erdal and I attended an important conference and met Christiane Amanpour and spoke with Nicholas de Torrente, the executive director of Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres) who were holding a special panel on the The Food Crisis and how it's creating emergencies in countries from Haiti to Somalia.
Christiane Amanpour is one of my inspirations and role models due to her work in journalism and her dedication to bringing attention to causes that the media ignores or does very little on. Meeting her (briefly) and hearing her speak was so inspiring - she is such an amazing woman.
Tonight's conference focused on the fact that the rising costs of food for those living in war-torn or poverty-stricken areas results in violent riots, crime, malnutrition and full-on starvation. For those of us here in the U.S., Europe, Canada, and other developed countries, higher costs of food simply mean we can't afford to buy organic or eat lavish dinners, but for those in poorer countries - it's the difference between life and death.
Some facts: in poor countries like Somalia, people make about $1 a person. For a family of 5, assuming that 5 people can earn $5, from that amount about $3.50 used to go to the cost of food, but now with the high prices, $4.25 goes to the cost of food. The remaining 75cents? That goes to school fees and health costs and things that we take for granted. And that's IF all 5 are making $1, most however only are making $1 or $2 - so you can imagine how hard it is for them to get food and pay for government mandatory fees and eek out any semblance of a life. Children are the ones worst affected: each year 5-million children die from malnutrition.
And this isn't just something that affects a few people - about 800-MILLION people are living under these conditions - nearly a billion people. And this isn't an urban thing - it's both a rural and urban problem - these people don't grow their own food, they buy their food...as a result, cities like Mogadishu are unsafe - its citizens rioting and murdering...
Doctors Without Borders is an international volunteer organization that provides medical care to countries in need. Their work so far on the food crisis and providing medical care to malnourished children has been remarkable.
Here's a video I took that I wished I'd held the camera straight for ;) If you're using firefox, right-click on the image below and select 'play' from the menu that appears.
Please go to Doctors Without Borders' website and read up on this. It's important we educate ourselves on what is going on in the world - one way or another, it comes back to us. We have to make a difference - we have to do good - it is our duty as humans being.
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Wednesday, June 18, 2008
11:59 p.m.
home late tonight - went to my friend Bhumi's place in Queens to attend PUJA at her temple - I LOVED it....so peaceful....I practiced my hindi on her :) I absolutely love my hindi class - am learning so much and the instructor for the class? Turns out he's also a musician and is willing to accompany me as a guitarist! :) I'm so amazed! :) Super tired and will write more tomorrow night. *HUGS* to all!
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Back from North Carolina - Lots of Pictures Below! :D
Monday, June 16, 2008
09:32 p.m.
I had the best time in North Carolina with my dear friend Esther!! I miss her and her beautiful home and all of North Carolina so very, very much.
Soul: I've had my videos of past performances from 2006 - 2007 up on YouTube :) Check them out on my music website :) I recommend listening to original songs 'Under My Skin' & 'Endless' :) Caroline I hope so too - I would love to hang out with you - but WHY oh WHY are you a Federer fan when I love Rafael Nadal so much? :) Lorie awww thank you!! *BIG HUG* your words always cheer me up. God bless you babe.
Sunday was perfect - got up early at 6:30 a.m. and was out the door at 7:08 for my 6-mile run down the east side of Mt. Pleasant - went through the main road east and passed gorgeous fields - the sun was still low and everyone was still asleep - quiet houses...so everything was peaceful - birds were all I heard - the lush greenery and silence and birds made me feel like I was in India....I swore I was jogging to some paddy field :)
While running up to the 3rd mile, I came across a breathtaking sight - chestnut/mahogany horses - 2 of them - one with a beautiful white star on its forehead. I stopped and gasped and as they stared at me (as if *I* was the curiosity ;), I took out my cell phone which is a cameta phone and, as I did, the two came together and posed for me - NO KIDDING - it's as if they KNEW I was going to take their picture. I thanked them and ran on my way. I was about to turn back at a bend in the road but decided to push myself and I'm so glad I did because another breathtaking site - WHITE HORSES - 2 of them in another field surrounded by a fence who also came close to me so I could snap them - then I saw a black and white horse not too far behind them
(click on the thumbnails to see fuller-sized pics)
I felt so blessed - here it was 7:40 a.m. and I was seeing the most amazing sights....
Came back to Esther's beautiful home in Mt. Pleasant in time for the sun to start really beaming down - was going to be another beautiful, hot & sunny southern day. After getting ready, we headed out to LAKE NORMAN for a 3-mile hike through its gorgeous trails and to see its beautiful lake! So many families were out with their boats - I want a boat soooo bad.....the houses upon Lake Norman are all *mansions* - gorgeous.
We ate at Panera Bread where I ordered a vegetarian sandwich & a positively delicious strawberry & poppyseed salad! And after going to Starbucks to get their Double Shot Espresso on Ice (simply heavenly delicious) we headed back home to rest, shower, pack my bags for my flight back that night, and headed out for a SUPERB DINNER at SOLE this Spanish place with the BEST TAPAS!!! We ordered salads and tapas of Shrimp Picantes (so hot & spicy & just like mummy would have made), portabello mushrooms (in this delicious sauce) & beef empenadas - perfectly moist and mouth-watering - washed it down with a yummy sangria and finished it all with blueberry cheesecake. LOVE LOVE LOVE SOLE!! :D
I LOVED North Carolina: Mt. Pleasant, Charlotte, Concord, Pineville, Dilworth and Lake Norman :) Esther made me feel so special all weekend - she is one of my bestest friends ever :D I miss her a lot now but I plan to go back to visit her in the Fall :)
That night, after Sole, we raced to get to Douglas MacArthur airport to make the flight and turned out my flight wound up being HORRIBLY delayed - I didn't get home until 2 a.m. last night and got up at 6:30 for work - exhausted today and somehow made it through work on 2 twelve-ounce cups of coffee & 1 12-ounce up of Lipton Tea (that's a LOT of caffeine for me)! ;)
I am so ready for bed tonight. When I woke up this morning, I wished I was still in NC, getting ready to run outside and greet the day and see the horses again....
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Saturday, June 14, 2008
11:38 p.m.
my gosh how much has changed since December of 2002. Someone from Los Angeles was reading my archived entries from back then (saw it through my tracker) and so I re-read my old entries from there and it's funny because Friday as I flew here to North Carolina, I spoke again to God in a prayer in my head - reminding Him how so many years ago (in that same December 2002 entry) I had prayed to him like that from high in the heavens, believing that because I was so high up & closer that He would better hear me & answer. So coincidental that I should find someone reading those entries and that they are the ones containing the specific memories I prayed to God about on the flight yesterday...
I remember that trip to L.A. so well...I remember the prayers I said on the plane as I flew back to New York - they were about Ricky, about my life, dreams & goals...how I believed, so hard, that God would hear those prayers and answer each - and, in some ways, He did, I got a job as a lawyer the next month...I began making a music career and Ricky and I grew more in love and more closer and happier with each passing month & year.... I was just 25 years old then and hadn't yet started working full-time as an attorney...still wasn't independent back then....so many memories...so many experiences, things learned...how I have matured, grown wiser, better, smarter.....it is amazing to see myself then and see the woman I have grown into and how much I have accomplished...though some things have not worked out as I'd prayed/hoped (they still may), I am still quite impressed with the beautiful & accomplished woman I have become - somehow, despite everything that ever happened - I continue to follow my dreams, my wishes, hopes, goals....I have been working very hard to make everything I ever wished for come true and I know it will take even more work but I will do itt. Let nothing and no one stand in the way of my dreams - I will be the change I wish to see in my life and in this world.
I am in North Carolina and it has been wonderful thus far. Left work early yesterday at a quarter to 3 and made the 2:52 train to Jamaica, then caught the AirTrain to JFK and my flight on JetBlue to Charlotte was practically empty - I had aisle 6 all to myself :) I think that was why I was able to remember how I prayed to God 6 years ago like that - empty aisle seats all to myself :)
Esther met me at the airport and it was like no amount of time had ever passed since we last saw each other in college - we picked up right where we left off :) That's the good thing about true friends - even if you rarely ever see them - they are true and true no matter what. She and I went to this delicious Turkish restaurant where we had FANTASTIC chicken saute and amazing dessert called KIFUNE - afterwards we went and saw M. Night Shyamalan's new movie The Happening - his movies are always thught-provoking and intellectual and philosophical - I enjoyed it although it was a little weak in the beginning - but among the crowd of rude movie goers we were with, there were disappointed people who expected the movie to be some monster-horror flick and who were cursing left and right - read reviews people. Esther was pissed by the movie goers - they were the rudest bunch of people EVER to go to a movie and we're both originally from New York and we've seen rude!!
Esther lives in Mt. Pleasant, NC and the drive from Charlotte, NC to her place is about 45 minutes - Mt. Pleasant reminds me of Patterson/Carmel, NY where I grew up. It's country and gorgeous but then the city is just 45 minutes away. This morning I got up and ran 6 miles from her home and passed so many gorgeous homes and farms...ran alongside the countryside highway and heard the sounds of a rooster as I jogged by some farms - the sun beat down hard and I definitely turned 2-3 shades darker ;) Afterwards, Es and I went for breakfast at this wonderful *wonderful* (yes, so good it gets 2 wonderfuls) spot named Eddie's Place where we had egg-white omelettes with crab meat and french toast, fruit and coffee and then we headed out to Uptown Charlotte where we spent a good 2+ hours walking the city and exploring the buildings - I love Charlotte, NC and I love Mt. Pleasant as well - we spent time in Concord and Pineville as well. NC is a beautiful state.
Came back home & changed into pretty dresses and headed out for dinner tonight at NAMASTE - delicious Indian restaurant where we dined on naan and malai kofta, biryani and various other cream, vegetable and meat dishes and they had delicious paisam for dessert and this orange custard fruit dessert as well and to finish we had masala chai tea :) We then headed back to Uptown Charlotte to see a musical production of Shakespeare's A Mid-Summer Night's Dream - one of my favorites (next to Much Ado About Nothing, Taming of the Shrew and The Tempest) and the musical was fantastic - well adapted and the actor-musicians who played Puck (Barbi Van Schiak) and Bottom (Stan Peale) were beyond phenomenal! :) The ensemble cast was fantastic and the show was inspirational - I am definitely going to see if I can audition for some off-off-off-broadway musicals.
We just got back home and I need to head to sleep now so I can get up and jog again tomorrow in a different direction here before we had to Lake Norman for a day of hiking and then head to another delicious place called Nolen Kitchen for dinner & then catch my flight home tomorrow night back to New York. Coming away here to see Esther in NC was a wonderful idea - her home is gorgeous and she has a library of books that rivals my own - not to mention that she LOVES Hindi movies now and has seen almost as many Hindi movies as I have!!! :)
Ok am off to bed - she has this beautiful soft bed with this white quilted blanket atop and blue and white flowered pillow shams...so comforting and pretty :) I love it here :) I'll be back often to visit Es here :)
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Taking the Interns out & off to North Carolina :)
Thursday, June 12, 2008
10:58 p.m.
Every year now for the past 4 years I've been part of the summer intern buddy program at my law firm - meaning I was an attorney-mentor, or a "buddy", to a college intern experiencing what working at a law firm was like for the summer. And each year, in addition to doing that, I would organize social events to help the group bond and to help make sure they had a wonderful summer in the city. So many of them are just 21 and visiting NYC for the 1st time and I want them to all have a wonderful experience :)
Tonight was no exception. The interns started this week and I took 5 of them out for their first "happy hour" after work. Took them first to L'Annam - a wonderful vietnamese restaurant on 13th Street & University Place where we shared delicious appetizers and then next door took the remaining 4 who were 21 years or older to 13 Bar, a triple level bar with a roof deck - it was wayyy crowded but we had lots of fun. My friends Alaina, Chelsea and Beven even came and it was so much fun hanging out with them.
I plan to take them to Bryant Park the next 2 Mondays for the HBO Summer Movie Series @ Bryant Park - they're showing Dr. No this coming Monday and Bride of Frankenstein the next and we're going to do a picnic there on the grass and just enjoy our Mondays like that :) I also plan to take them to great after-work bars/lounges like the roof-top bar of the Gansevoort Hotel and Pastis and Tonic as well as trips to Little Italy and Chinatown and weekend brunches & days at the Metropolitan museum etc. :) I love doing these kind of social events for people who visit the city for the 1st time - it makes them feel at home and truly fall in love with this city I love so much.
I had a blast tonight! :)
Tomorrow, I am flying out at 5pm to North Carolina to spend the weekend with my friend Esther at her gorgeous home in Charolotte, NC! :) I haven't seen her in years and we're going to have so much fun together! :) It's 11 p.m. and I just got home a half hour ago and still need to pack my weekend getaway bag :)
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Tuesday, June 10, 2008
07:30 a.m.
Updated at 11:30 p.m. below
It hit over 104 degrees yesterday - work let us out early at 4pm because of the heat! :) I love my job :) It's supposed to hit over 103 degrees again today - maybe we'll get out early again?
I'm excited - today I start Hindi classes in the city! Every Tuesday evening for 2 hours until mid-August - used to speak Hindi fluently as a child until we moved to the States and I got absorbed by TV and forgot all my hindi for english ;) Can't wait to re-learn everything - reading, writing & speaking.
I'm ready for the summer heat today - yesterday I wore a pretty navy blue and white halter dress with a little cropped white jacket. Today, I'm wearing an electric blue dress with a white belt, white shoes & my white Kenneth Cole bag - it's an electric blue and white day ;)
Interns started at work yesterday and I'm planning a lovely summer calendar of events for them - the kick off is Happy Hour this Thursday and on Monday - a picnic at Bryant Park to watch the Summer HBO movie presentations on the Bryant Park big-screen - they're showing Dr. No on Monday - who doesn't love James Bond?? Because of Papa's love for the series, I've seen every one of them except the recent movies ;)
Marcia oh yeah? well it DID hit over 104 degrees yesterday! :) Hah! SEE? :) and it plans to reach 103 here today too! :)
I'm off to work now - have an awesome Tuesday everyone!
Updated at 11:30 p.m.
oh my god I LOVED my Hindi class today!!! :D I learned so much in just 2 hours - the instructor is a really cool & funny guy who's doing his PhD @ Columbia and who did his grad school in India studying Hindi literature! I think 1/2 the girls in class already formed a crush on him - he definitely ain't bad to look at ;) He started the class off completely in hindi conversation and we had to pick it up right away - he challenged us to use our full intellect and to learn and understand as it was being spoken to us - a very 'in your face', 'throw them in the water to learn how to swim' approach that WORKS! :) We learned the hindi script for the vowels and some consonants and already I'm able to recognize the characters and effectively engage in conversation of a basic nature - amazing for just 2 hours for a beginner like myself. The class is full of cool people and I'm already looking forward to next Tuesday :)
It was SO hot and humid today - our law firm DID let out again at 4pm due to the heat-wave we're having but I stayed past 4 to get some extra work done and then headed on over to my regular hair salon where my lady Lora did her magic and cut a couple inches off in new long layers - even walking the mile to Hindi class in the high-humidity heat-wave didn't mess up my hair because of this "shine" she puts on it ;) After Hindi class, as I walked the mile back to Grand Central to catch the train home, this random Indian dude named Samir (who introduced himself as Raj) starts talking to me as we walk 5 blocks - now, normally when guys hit on me I just smile and walk away, but this dude was good looking so I entertained him for the full 5 blocks before letting him down easy - dude was persistent but I'm not the kinda girl to give out my number to a guy I just met - I believe in being friends with a guy first and learning what he's actually about - I have high standards - a guy has to be as intelligent & diverse as me and with his own passionate interests to capture my interest. Plus, humidity & heat accounted for - he had sweaty palms when we shook hands - YUCK!
By the time I got on the train back home and arrived at my station, it was thunderstorming! :) I LOOVVVEEE summer thunderstorms! I love to throw open the windows, part the blinds, sit in complete darkness and watch the lightning illuminate the sky...I love the sound of the thunder...the night sky being lit up...everything is so vibrant and alive....it's intoxicating to me - making love during a thunderstorm is beautiful...
Just enjoyed a lovely dinner of pork curry & carrot thoran with dessert of organic strawberries & blackberries. I'm off to bed now. *HUGS* to all!
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Rafael Nadal Crushes Federer & Wins 2008 French Open
Sunday, June 8, 2008
11:40 a.m.
Oh my GOD!! Rafa beat Federer in the most crushing victory to date!!!! I can't believe it and I'm thrilled for him! Rafa has been my favorite tennis player now for years - I adore him!! :D He has always impressed me with his humbleness and the fact he is so young and carries himself so well - may be #2 now but I bet he'll reach #1 soon enough :)
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Saturday, June 7, 2008
02:38 p.m.
updated at 6:10 p.m. and 8:12 p.m below
it is 92 degrees outside - 92!!!! It is blazing hot and sunny and summer is here to stay! :) went for a 3-mile run just before 11am before the major heat and humidity struck and was beautiful - birds out...lake was gorgeous...and the trees and the grass...summer just makes everything so alive.
I'm spending the afternoon summerizing my closet and drawers (i.e. packing away all my winter things - hope you've all brought out your summer wardrobe too ;)) but as I sit here with clothes strewn all over the bed and floor and my closet 1/2 empty - I swear I just wanna make a tall cold glass of lemon-water and lounge on the deck with a magazine....*shakes head and focuses* MUST do this all today because tomorrow I'm watching the Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer match on tv all morning - they're facing off again at the French Open - go RAFA!!!! :D And next weekend, I am flying to Charlotte, North Carolina to visit my dear friend Esther who I haven't seen since our days at college together! :) So this weekend - as hot, sunny and gorgeous as it is - is it - who knows, if I can get this done in an hour, maybe I can relax outside at 3:30! :)
Hope you're all having a fantastic Saturday!
updated at 6:10 p.m.
ugh, I'm still not done....there're 3 drawerfulls of shirts and tanks and skirts in the other room waiting to be hung up, not to mention a closet of dresses downstairs and I still have to empty out the coats from the other room. Maybe this was too touch a job for 1 afternoon ;) I got distracted by the Disney Channel and episodes of That's So Raven, Zack & Cody, Derek & that fantastic cartoon Phineas & Ferb ;)
think I'll head out for another 3-mile run (I usually do 6 miles straight and call it a day ;)) and do a good workout tonight and head to sleep early. Tomorrow I can finish up and I won't be so tired :)
Am looking fwd to Tuesday - I begin Hindi classes then and then the following Thursday, I begin Japanese classes and then in July? Mandarin! That's right - I'll be learning 3 languages this summer! :) I'm actually very adept at learning languages so taking on 3 is not hard for me. I plan to be a very good student for the next 3 months ;)
Maybe I'll write a bit tonight too...wrote a new song today called God Do You Remember?....
Updated at 8:12 p.m.
It's gonna be a movie night instead :) I'm taking my cousin Jency, who's visiting from India, and her adorable dimpled 4 year old son (my second-cousin), little Neeraj, to see INDIANA JONES :) They should both love the movie as will I being both an archaeology and tomb-raider buff :)
It's still something like 90 degrees out...think I'll splurge on an ice-cold chocolate milkshake tonight to cool off from this heat.
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Wednesday, June 4, 2008
11:49 p.m.
got the flu from my relatives who are visiting from India and had a fever over the weekend and since Monday have been completely stuffed up, sneezy & coughing. Yesterday after work, to comfort myself, I went to one of my favorite Japanese cafes here in the city....sat and read a book while enjoying a vegetarian bento box...inside was included a small serving of edamame - some of the most delicious I've had in a couple years! :) Treated myself to a green-tea pudding with red beans on top :) Then went home and mum had made idily & sambar and god was it goooooddddd :)
Memory I just read your message and in reading it, you remind me SO MUCH of my self!! :) From the international/public policy/human rights...to the Bar Bri...to the publishing your writing...SO similar to me :) we're kindred spirits *HUGS* email me - would love to talk to you more :) am on gmail as nishimusic
Sarah Beth *HUGGGGGG* i looovee uuuuu :) I can't wait to drive up to your house in a few weeks!! Last weekend in June? :)
Kayla God bless your soul sweet friend - thank you for believing in me and everything I do and your words are exactly right - the storm will pass & the sun will shine & flowers bloom. Please tell me everything that is going on lately! Send it as a private message or email me :) I would love to hear from you.
*BIG HUGE HUGS* to Marcia, Azure Kaze, Raman, Lady (Jeanne I got your phone call and am meaning to return it this week!) and lastly to Soul - all of you whose beautiful messages have cheered me and warmed my heart - thank you dear friends.
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Announcing 'Nishi's Niche' - my new column in Indian Online Magazine: Bravura Artist
Saturday, May 31, 2008
4:49 p.m.
Edited at 8:00 p.m. below
This June launches my new monthly column, Nishi's Niche in South Asian Indian online magazine, Bravura Artist, started by my friend Tirusha Dave, who also will be doubling as my publicist ;)
If you would like to link to my articles use the Nishi's Niche badges below :)
Just finished coming back from a 3 mile jog and am headed out to the green market to pick up some organic strawberries and blueberries. Tonight, my cousins might come over and we may go see the new Indiana Jones movie.
This past Thursday my friend Lynne and I met up for Korean food - she took me to this awesome place near Little Korea in the city called HAN BAT where we had an assortment of traditional korean appetizers (which are free and served with every meal prior to your main appetizers & courses) consisting of kim chi, vegetable & fish dishes. Our main appetizer was Pajun, this thick pancake-like grilled-bread filled with green onions & shell fish which was so phenomenally good. Our main meals were Gobdol Bi bim bab: marinated beef, vegetables over rice & egg on top in a heated stone pot and Soon Du Bu Chigae - soft bean curd stew with hot and spicy sauce & seafood.
Simply fantastic :) We didn't even need dessert after all that food - she showed me where the restaurant keeps their gum for the customers because after all that kim chi and spicy food - you better chew gum, she said! ;) LOL! :) I'm going to miss her - she leaves at the end of June to go back to Singapore - her husband got a position as a cardiologist over there and she and he were both originally from Singapore and here in the U.S. for her husband to study and pass his medical boards. She's so excited to go back. She said if ever I visit Singapore, to let her know because I'll now have a friend there - she wants to show me all over Malaysia if I visit :) I hope to see her again before she leaves the U.S. for good but this time, I plan to take her to a fantastic Indian place I know here in the city, instead! :)
Edited at 8:00 p.m. below
I just got back from a quick run to Starbucks to get a decaf iced soy latte - nothing like a tall cold iced beverage on a hot summer day.
When I walked back into my room, I was struck by the view outside my 4th window that faces the lake - large rolling clouds were coming overhead - a great thunderstorm brewing (they've been predicting it all day) - the sky is yellow, purple, red and orange...and the trees - now coming to fullness with their foliage - are bathed in this gorgeous light...the lake reflects the golden light...I sat at my desk and folded my hands and prayed to God & thanked him for letting me witness this unique moment of beauty - never have I seen the clouds, the sky - any of this - look like this before.....the tree branches have begun to shake and now streaks of lightning arch through the sky...the thunder is lowly rumbling....
I. Love. Thunderstorms. And sunset thunderstorms are now my fave :)
Beginning June 10th, I will be taking Hindi classes every Tuesday for 2 hours for 2 months - am so excited about this :) I was born in New Delhi and spoke hindi and malayalam for the first 5 years of my life, but once I came to the U.S. (and watched nothing but TV non-stop ;)) I spoke only english and forgot my hindi. I'll also be going back to my chinese classes in chinatown this summer every Saturday and immersing myself in Japanese lessons as well. So looking fwd to this summer :)
Cousins can't come over tonight so no Indiana Jones for me - maybe next weekend? Instead, I'll spend tonight reading and writing and maybe pop in some Snow Fairy Sugar - the netflix DVDs have just been sitting there forever ;)
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Odin, Wisdom, Knowledge Selflessness & Sacrifice
Thursday, May 29, 2008
09:36 p.m.
I read today the story of Odin - a Norse mythological deity who sacrificed himself in certain ways in order to gain great wisdom & knowledge. He is a god of war, wisdom & poetry, of magic & prophecy. He is accompanied by 2 ravens whose names mean thought & memory. Upon his throne he is able to see all that takes place within the 9 realms. He is exceedingly wise.
He obtained his great wisdom & knowledge through self-sacrifice - he went to the great World Tree where all wisdom lies, exchanged one eye for a sip from the Well of Wisdom, and in doing that, his one eye enabled him to see far ahead. Then he stabbed himself with his own spear & hung from the World Tree for 9 days and nights. On the 9th, he was allowed to see the magic runes, which he was able to gather due to his sacrifice and obtain all the knowledge & wisdom there was. Be was instantly freed of all encumbrances - restored and rejuvenated with everlasting vigour.
His tale is a lesson that in times of trial, one must allow oneself to become vulnerable, to sacrifice something precious (be it his position on an issue, his opposition to it, his wish, hope, dream, belief, perspective, money or time) for something greater to happen.
His tale is a lesson in meditation, in selflessness, in sacrifice and prophecy. He tells you - stop resisting and give in. Give up that which you hold dear and something even greater will come. Let your face, mind and heart show peace and acceptance - let go, step back, and see things as they are - as they must be. Thus will you gain illumination. Answers will become clear, solutions to problems found.
The wisdom & knowledge gained from self-sacrifice, from selflessness, is truly great - you see the world completely differently - with eyes that are truly wise, knowing, accepting & understanding.
I have first-hand learned the meaning of Odin's sacrifice, of selflessness, and it has brought me peace and wisdom. I have uncovered magic runes which are restoring and rejuvenating me. Something even greater is happening, shall happen. Everything done in selflessness, whether anyone sees it or not, is never a waste. Great good comes of it - it is its own reward.
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
08:42 a.m.
this should be the last day I take no-pay....I will probably lose pay for yesterday too....so many consequences...so much hurt...so much financial pain & loss....somehow you have to recover, no matter how hard that is. Thank God I have my family.
This is something I composed last night but did not post, choosing instead to post today:
when you lose something precious, something you were so used to having, you have to learn again to be content without it, to see all the other amazing wonderful things you were, are & have and realize that what you lost, though precious, was not everything. And even if it was everything, you still did not lose the experience and the knowledge gained from it. You are a better person for it - in every way. And you must also realize that though is has been lost, it can always find its way back - all it takes is time. What was once, can be again.
when it comes to matters of the heart, of love & relationships: if it is meant to be, it will be. Simple as that. But it is a choice. You choose things to be meant to be, when it comes to such matters. Everything in love is a choice...often choices you make not even knowing any better at the time...that is why learning as much as you can about life, relationships, love, education are all so important. Then only can you make educated, correct choices.
People so easily say things such as 'meant to be', 'fate', 'destiny' when it comes to matters of the heart, of love & life - but they fail to see that, in such matters, we have complete control over everything. It is our actions, our choices & decisions that truly define our 'meant to be.' Sure, there are things we, as individuals, cannot control - 9/11, being in an accident through the fault of another - in that respect, that was our "fate" - but those are things a part of living in this world - not matters of the heart.
From this day forward, of the things *I* can control, I choose to steer the reins of my life and live with the consequences of my actions. I will make educated decisions. So much of what has happened, could have been avoided - could have been better - the fault lies in many hands - good intentions aside - we are all to blame in some way, small or great. For my part, I refuse to let anything like this ever happen again.
The barbeque on Sunday was wonderful - lots of family were over from Texas...I love my cousins Jobin, Sonia & Tania from Houston :) All the families didn't leave until Memorial Day Monday...
I loved this weekend spending time with my sisters....my parents....family - no matter how much your family may have irked or annoyed you growing up, even if you fight with them a lot - there's no love quite like a family's love...they're by your side no matter what. My parents & sisters are the things I love most in this world - I am so greatful & blessed to have them, their love & support. Though we get annoyed often...we love each other so deeply...so truly & honestly...we put up with a lot in the spirit of love....because we're family - there's nothing else like that.
Monday morning at breakfast - mum made what I now deem my favorite Indian breakfast - mota curry & iddiappam (that's egg curry with these stringy round rice balls - check the pictures linked here) and I caught up on all the newspapers I neglected to read since last Thursday.
Caught up on all the world events and international affairs - I was happy to hear about the new Mars explorer bot 'PHOENIX' landing on Mars Sunday, and about the fact that Syria and Israel are talking again after 8 years....
My friend Marcia told me about Iran's arrest of 6 members of the Baha'i - a non-muslim religious minority in Iran...one of those arrested was my friend's boyfriend's childhood teacher....you can read more about this at these articles on CNN and Bahai.org.
I have a lot to be content with....though I have lost something incredibly precious to me......nothing can truly replace what has been lost but you can find happiness again in much else....like the old saying goes, if it is meant to be, it will be. Our choices will make it so.
I will return to life as normal before this, though one thing has hugely changed and without it, life cannot be truly normal as before. But I will be fine again, one day. I am not content with everything - there is much I wish to change & accomplish. It is time I re-double my efforts and push forward again.
A funny old Indian commercial a friend showed me last night - too cute and had to share here:
Last words for now, a quote from one of my favorite philisophers:
Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies. ~ Aristotle
That is so true.....when you truly love someone, you are like one soul - doing what is best for yourself and the other - because he/she is a part of you and you are a part of him/her.
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
11:57 a.m.
singing my song, "In Your Hands", written originally June 3, 2006. it is beautiful....haunting....so gorgeous...I wrote it for Ricky and it is filled with my love for him.
Leaving Long Island soon and going home for barbeque with the family. The girls and I went out dancing until late last night and didn't get home until 3 a.m. I will update when I get home with pictures and everything from my weekend away with them. Please check back this post later today.
Updated with Photos at 3 p.m.
Friday night we went out to this club called MIRAGE in Long Island. Here are a few pics of my 3 sisters and I dancin' it up :)
The next day, we got up early and took the train into the city for breakfast at CAFE HENRI - this wonderful french place on Bedford Street that I love. Just LOOK at the breakfast we ordered - fruit crepes & egg-white omelettes with tomatoes, roasted red peppers & spinach with potatoes & a soft bread called a tartine with apricot jam - we got big cups of cappuchinos too :)
We then walked over to Morton Street where we rented bicycles and biked over to Hudson River Park where we did a total of a 12-mile roundtrip bike ride up the whole west side to 100th Street and then into Central Park where we biked on over to the Central Park Boathouse (famous from the When Harry Met Sally movie) and lunched there before biking back to Morton Street. The weather was GORGEOUS. Central Park was beautiful - we saw a band set up and play (picture below) and came across this gorgeous stairway/bridge thing which ultimately led us to the Boathouse.
Once we dropped off our bikes, we were so tired but the girls gave in to me to go see the movie BEFORE THE RAINS a movie about Kerala in 1937 and a forbidden love affair between a white man and a Keralite woman.
The movie made me 100% certain that I only want to marry a man of my culture - there's just something about being with someone (and both of my 2 true loves have been malayalee) who knows our language, how to eat with our hands, the foods, the inside jokes about families & traditions...something that makes us that much closer - a shared heritage bond. The movie was fantastic.
Afterwards, we went back to Long Island where we showered & changed and went out for dinner at CHI - an outstanding fancy restaurant in Westbury where we had calamari & spicy shrimp appetizers and dessert of mocha cappuchino mousse cake :) After that we went out to SAVANNAH - a club in Long Island that played AWESOME music! DJ Karma was apparently spinning with DJ RAZOR. We danced until 3 a.m. and had a blast.
Woke up this morning at 10 a.m....am dressed now in a pretty white sundress with green flowers and am home waiting as the food gets prepared for the family barbeque. I'm going to go read VOGUE & relax. *HUGS* to all.
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
09:02 p.m.
There are days every now and again I pretend I'm ok
But that's not what gets me
What hurts the most
Was being so close
And never knowing
What could have been
- Rascal Flatts - What Hurts the Most
As I watch the sun set.....I can see all that was possible or could have been...maybe in another time, another place, another plane of existence...a future that could have been highly possible - I can see it all fading, like a ghostly apparition, into non-existance - a result of a choice/decision that was made...I can see the twirling, the dancing, the vision that perhaps once could have been....disappearing....as if time/history was altered.....and all that is left are the imprints of what was once a certain possibility - horribly altered - perhaps forever.
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Friday, May 23, 2008
08:13 p.m.
got up early and jogged 3 miles this morning, then got ready & picked up my wedding dress....beautiful...I packed it carefully...it will look beautiful one day when it is the right time for me to wear it....
The girls picked me up at 1pm....we drove to Long Island where I got a small hair cut - nothing major, just an inch off and a few layers....we went for dinner at GRAND LUXE and sat outside under these heat lanterns and large umbrellas - the sun shined down gorgeously. Had delicious "Indochine shrimp and chicken" and a glass of white wine, dessert was molten chocolate cake. The girls brought me back to Mili's apt where they did my eye make up - if you know me at all you know that I am notorious for not wearing make up on a daily basis - only if the mood strikes me & I feel like it, but normally only to go out at night which is like rarely - they laid the black kohl eyeliner thick upon my lids...I look like I have cat eyes now and it looks dramatic and so gorgeous :) I have on silver high heels and this gorgeous strapless sky blue, yellow and white floral dress that hugs me in all the right places :) We're going to some lounge/club/bar for an early Friday night of dancing - not staying late cause we're heading into the city early tomorrow for a breakfast of crepes at this amazing french breakfast place I know in the village & then renting bicyles and biking up the Hudson River & then hiking through Central Park before riding the bikes back down.
This weekend...will be hard....but I will get past it. I have my loving sisters, parents, and friends....and myself...God knows how strong I am.
I don't know what the future holds anymore - but I know I create my own path, my own destiny, my own happiness. It is all in my hands. I will reach out & grab my life's reins and steer.
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Thursday, May 22, 2008 to Friday, May 23, 2008
Came back home at 12:30 a.m. tonight - wonderful Thursday - took relatives visiting from India for a Nishi-style tour of NYC - took them to Bryant Park, to Times Square, down to Battery Park City to see a view of the Statue of Liberty out on the water, on to Chinatown to a ramen house I love on Mott Street, on to Central Park and back to Grand Central before coming back home and getting ready to meet my friend Chelsea for dinner at this wonderful place I found in my wanderings down in Soho on Thompson Street called 'Cubana' - a cuban restaurant I absolutely fell in love with tonight. Small little place you have to climb down stairs to get to and the place is tiny - but the FOOD - YUMM!!! I had #21 - the turkey hash with yellow rice & a mango BASTIDOS! That's a type of milkshake fruit drink :) Chelsea and I spent a good 90 minutes there enjoying our meals before skipping dessert & heading over to BLVD on Bowery Street for the Burma/China Benefit party where we enjoyed Amaretto Sours and where some sweet guy, who was very drunk, bought us a 2nd round and tried to convince us he was rock-n-roll ;) He wrote down his myspace music profile and I checked him out now and he actually is rock-n-roll! Whoda thunk it! We thought he was an overly drunk guy trying to convince us otherwise. ;)
On my way home on the train I ran into a guy I met a month or 2 ago named Leonel who is a director/producer working on a political movie on the CIA's involvement with the Contras in Nicaragua & El Salvadaor - the guy is FASCINATING! We talked the whole train ride home about his movies - he is self-employed but also does camera work occasionally for Law & Order Criminal Intent. Truly fascinating man who I am going to try & help get sponsorship for his film. I offered to help out musically for the film.
It's really cool how random people you meet - who you even dismiss as having less than worthy intentions - turn out to be people worth their weight in salt.
Interesting call from a guy in New Jersey tonight who said he was with a record label. Am meeting him on Sunday to discuss music.
Am off to bed now, and it's almost 2 a.m. Tomorrow I go to Long Island with the girls for a Rajan-Sisters weekend away - we're heading into the city early Saturday for breakfast in the village at a french place I've been meaning to try, then renting bikes & biking up the Hudson River to Central Park, lunching at the Boathouse there and then hiking all over Central Park before I take them to Serendipity for dinner. Think we'll go for a movie afterwards and I want them to see 'Before the Rains' an indie film that was being shown at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this month.
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
10:31 p.m.
Today was like a gift - eye-opening and mind-freeing. I experienced, saw, felt and learned so many things....
Tomorrow night I will be attending my friend Suneet's Burma/China Benefit - a charity fundraiser event to raise money for the victims of the Burma & China disasters. I once performed at a Tsunami benefit he organized back in 2006 that was phenomenal! This will be a performance event as well with HBO Def Poet Carlos Andres Gomez and musicians Brent Shuttleworth and Taiyo Na and DJs Bollygirl and dimmSummer. It's a worthwhile event and if you're in the city, attend! It's at BLVD at 199 Bowery Street here in NYC & it begins at 7 p.m. Flyer below.
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
full circle
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
10:16 p.m.
isn't it strange how things happen and they bring you full circle? how they make you re-discover in yourself things you'd long overlooked or even forgotten. :)
I am such a blessed girl. I have the love of a wonderful soul, the love of wonderful family & friends, and I love myself as well.
I want to lose myself in dance music tonight...in rhythm and song.....
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Hope
Monday, May 19, 2008
03:32 a.m.
The power of unconditional & eternal love DOES save, does conquer many things.
However, it is not always a question of love, but one of timing, of being whole as a person inside. You cannot love or be with another if you are not whole.
Inside me love & hope are intertwined & they will live on...lit as an eternal flame. I believe true love will find a way - in the end, it will all work out, as it should.
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
07:15 p.m.
I put on my wedding dress today. It was beautiful. I turned around in front of the mirror at the seamstresses. I'll pick it up Friday...
Mil then wisked me away into the city because we all know only 3 things bring me peace and comfort: the beach, forests with lakes & New York City. We spent the most beautiful Saturday night in the city. I took her first to Cafe Zaiya for Japanese food, then to Kinokuniya for Japanese teas & desserts, then to Bryant Park to people watch, and then down to Little Italy where we walked all over under the night stars - Chinatown & Little Italy are 2 of my favorite places in the city (along with Greenwich Village/West Village and SoHo). We finally chose to eat at Sambuca's which had tables & chairs set up outside on the sidewalk and ordered caramel nut cappucchino & marble cake and watched all of life pass by - bfs/gfs, families, friends...saw people looking out of their apartments...it's so alive down there....I love it...doesn't take away the sad feeling inside (nothing ever truly will)...but it's a small comfort.
I listen to Dido - a song named Isobel.
I thought it was funny when you missed the train
When I rang you at home they said you left yesterday
I thought it was strange when your car was found
by the tree in Ennis where we used to hang around
Dear Isobel
I hope you're well and what you've done is right
Oh it's been such hell
I wish you well and hope you're safe tonight
It's been a long day coming and long will it last
when it's last day leaving, and I'm helping it pass
by loving you more
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Listening to Georgia by John Mayer
Saturday, May 17, 2008
11:58 p.m.
A friend named Rup who's an international singing star messaged me tonight and told me to listen to this song by John Mayer. I've put it on here for you guys to hear as well. Play & enjoy. I love it and it reminds me of how music is my drug - how it heals me. I never heard this song by John Mayer before and it's making me like him & his music a lot more now. Listen & you'll see what I mean.
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Have you 'Sloohed' yet? If you love astronomy like I do, then you have to try the *LIVE* telescope missions at Slooh.com! Sign up for a free trial and see nebulae & galaxies right on your computer *LIVE*! I'm there most evenings & weekends. Join the Chat!
Since 1998, I have been designing websites. The following are almost every main site I have ever made.
A Dream I Dream
My personal page with pictures of me and everything I love!
TooyaandAya.com
Devoted to Touya/Tooya and Aya of Ayashi no Ceres!
UsagiandMamoru.com My favorite and best couple ever! Sailor Moon's Usagi and Mamoru (Serena and Darien)
MiakaandTamahome.com My tribute to Fushigi Yuugi's main couple who always have my heart, Miaka and Tamahome!
Kare Kano Love
A Miyazwa and Arima ML - discuss everything Kare Kano here!
Favorite Manga and Anime most everything in Ribon and Nakayoshi!
Alice 19th
Anatolia Story a.k.a. Red River
Ayashi no Ceres/Ceres Celestial Legend
Basara
B.B. Explosion
Call Me Princess
Catcher in the Horoscope or ZODIAC P.I.
Crescent Moon
Cyber Idol MINK
Delicious! (Yui Ayumi)
Dream Saga
Fruits Basket
Fushigi Yuugi
Gals / Super Gals!
Hana Kimi
Hot Gimmick
IMADOKI
Instant Teen (Otona Ni Nuts or Just Add Nuts)
Juvenile Orion
Kaikan Phrase or SENSUAL PHRASE
Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne
Kanata Kara a.k.a. From Far Away
Kare Kano
Kodomo no Omocha
Magic Knights Rayearth
Maria (Naoko Takeuchi)
Marmalade Boy
Max Lovely
Mint No Bokura
Miracle Girls
MODEL
More Starlight to Your Heart
Mouryou Kiden
Neck and Neck
One
Ororon
Othello
Otona Ni Nuts 0r INSTANT TEEN - JUST ADD NUTS
(the) Queen's Knight
Psychic Academy
Random Walk
SailorMoon
Saint Tail / St. Tail
Saiyuki
Sweet & Sensitive
Tokyo Mew Mew
Ultra Maniac
Vampire Game
Wild Act
Words I live by:
Man is never so tall as when he kneels before God - never so great as when he humbles himself before God. And the man who kneels to God can stand up to anything. -Louis H. Evans
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. - Eleanor Roosevelt
"All human wisdom is contained in these two words: wait and hope." - The Count of Monte Cristo
"The winds of God are always blowing but it is up to you to set the sails." - UNKNOWN
"The only dream worth having, I told her, is to dream that you will live while you're alive and die only when you're dead. [Which means:] To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to forget." - Arundhati Roy
"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it." -
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Jogging, Martial Arts Kickboxing, Dance - currently middle eastern dance & bellydance, Tennis, Singing (of course ;) and working on my songs, Reading & writing about all the things I am interested and passionate about, watching tv and movies, painting, drawing, astronomy, rollerblading (and trying to get better at it and ice skating!), obsessive anime and manga fan and professional web designing, ancient studies / ancient civilizations, history and archaeology, world mythology, politics and world affairs, international law, human rights, studying many languages (have studied and continue to study spanish, mandarin chinese, japanese and hindi).
His tale is a lesson that in times of trial, one must allow oneself to become vulnerable, to sacrifice something precious (be it his position on an issue, his opposition to it, his wish, hope, dream, belief, perspective, money or time) for something greater to happen.
