Wishing everyone a very happy belated Diwali. Above, a shot of my simple efforts.
आप सब को दीवाली की शुभ कम्नाये और साल मुबारक!
Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
11.15.2007
1.29.2007
2007
Happy Belated New Year!
And thus begins my year o' travel.
As my last post indicated, I needed a new camera and I needed one fast. For those wanting a quick update: I couldn't find the 700IS in stores anywhere in time, so I tried out the Canon 630. Fell in love with the 3inch display but really wanted to hold out for IS, so I returned that and borrowed my parents' Sony for my trip. As lovely as it was, it just reminded me how much I enjoy Canons. Now that I'm back in the States, I found a good deal on a the Canon 800IS and am eagerly awaiting its arrival to my apartment. :)
Which begs the question, where did I just return from and why did I need a camera so fast? Well, I've just returned from three weeks spent in Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. Similar to my Argentina and Brazil trip from last year, I visited these countries with a trip from school, part vacation part education. The trip was fantastic, save for the painful leg injury I got on the 2nd day of the trip (Thailand gutter system - not the most sophisticated) (healing nicely now, thanks). Visiting the three countries at once was pretty eye opening, to see how different the three were in terms of technological advancements, cultures, and governments.
I've gotten a lot of questions about which was my favorite. It's a tough quesiton to answer, because each one stands out for a different reason:
Malaysia was probably the one I was least prepared for. This being my first time in an Islamic nation, I wasn't expecting the religion and culture to pervade the everyday life as much as it did. My American beliefs kept doing belly flops as I realized that the separation of church and state was not a popular concept here.
Singapore is an extremely westernized (everyone speaks perfect English), nearly utopian place. Utopian in every sense of the word. The streets are beautifully clean, every last detail is managed efficiently by technology, it seems an idyllic land. And then there's things like the fact that it's unlawful to sell or even chew gum. Yup.
Thailand was the country that I had the most fun in. I felt completely comfortable, and yet there were so many cultural aspects that reminded me that I was in a locale far far away from home.
I've come home with lots of good memories, photographs, trinkets, an unwanted tan, and hopefully no long term diseases. I'll be uploading some of my better non-people pictures on Flickr. The people shots will likely end up on Shutterfly, and the link to that will be posted on my Facebook profile. Email me if you don't do Facebook but still want to see pictures.
Meanwhile, I'll leave you with a picture I took out of the plane in mid-Dec on the way to San Francisco.
It's good to be back!
And thus begins my year o' travel.
As my last post indicated, I needed a new camera and I needed one fast. For those wanting a quick update: I couldn't find the 700IS in stores anywhere in time, so I tried out the Canon 630. Fell in love with the 3inch display but really wanted to hold out for IS, so I returned that and borrowed my parents' Sony for my trip. As lovely as it was, it just reminded me how much I enjoy Canons. Now that I'm back in the States, I found a good deal on a the Canon 800IS and am eagerly awaiting its arrival to my apartment. :)
Which begs the question, where did I just return from and why did I need a camera so fast? Well, I've just returned from three weeks spent in Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. Similar to my Argentina and Brazil trip from last year, I visited these countries with a trip from school, part vacation part education. The trip was fantastic, save for the painful leg injury I got on the 2nd day of the trip (Thailand gutter system - not the most sophisticated) (healing nicely now, thanks). Visiting the three countries at once was pretty eye opening, to see how different the three were in terms of technological advancements, cultures, and governments.
I've gotten a lot of questions about which was my favorite. It's a tough quesiton to answer, because each one stands out for a different reason:
Malaysia was probably the one I was least prepared for. This being my first time in an Islamic nation, I wasn't expecting the religion and culture to pervade the everyday life as much as it did. My American beliefs kept doing belly flops as I realized that the separation of church and state was not a popular concept here.
Singapore is an extremely westernized (everyone speaks perfect English), nearly utopian place. Utopian in every sense of the word. The streets are beautifully clean, every last detail is managed efficiently by technology, it seems an idyllic land. And then there's things like the fact that it's unlawful to sell or even chew gum. Yup.
Thailand was the country that I had the most fun in. I felt completely comfortable, and yet there were so many cultural aspects that reminded me that I was in a locale far far away from home.
I've come home with lots of good memories, photographs, trinkets, an unwanted tan, and hopefully no long term diseases. I'll be uploading some of my better non-people pictures on Flickr. The people shots will likely end up on Shutterfly, and the link to that will be posted on my Facebook profile. Email me if you don't do Facebook but still want to see pictures.
Meanwhile, I'll leave you with a picture I took out of the plane in mid-Dec on the way to San Francisco.
It's good to be back!
11.23.2006
Thanksgiving
So today is Thanksgiving, a holiday so uniquely American. Eating till you can't see your feet, followed by crazy, crowded, deal hunting shopping? Truly American. :) While I can't say I celebrate it with the traditional turkey-induced coma, I won't complain about the vacation days, or the general festive mood it puts everyone in in preparation for Christmas and the end of the year.
One thing I do embrace about the holiday is the idea of thinking of things you're thankful for. We're all thankful for the basics, so I won't repeat those. But I have to say, in particular this year, I'm thankful for getting back in touch with friends. Whether through this blog, Flickr, Facebook or a random street sighting (it's true!), I am really happy to have gotten back in touch with so many old friends. Facebook is especially fun - I'm too old to deal with the mess of MySpace, but Facebook I like. If you don't have an account, you should really sign up just to see what all the fuss is about. And add me as a friend once you do. :)
Gobble gobble!
sangeet
11.05.2006
Diwali
First off, Happy Belated Diwali!
So, I'm just now getting around to watching some of last week's television, and in my normal fashion, I never watch commercials/promos/etc so I had no clue as to the theme of this past week's episode of The Office. Wow, I was completely unprepared for an entire episode, not only titled Diwali, but with Diwali/Indians as its central theme.
I have to say, my knee-jerk reaction was to cringe. In what fashion is mainstream American television going to slay my culture? Not to mention one of THE most important and widely celebrated holidays in the year for Indians. Instead, I was completely and pleasantly surprised.
(Just for reference, Diwali was on October 21st this year. The show aired on Nov 2, so it was just a touch late... but I'm really nitpicking here.)
It was strangely exhilarating to watch the episode unfold. It was a great blend of cultural tension (and therefore perfect for The Office's slightly uncomfortable, squirm-in-your-seat brand of humor): equal parts mockery of both Indian sterotypes of Americans, and American sterotypes of Indians. Bonus were the "inside jokes" for the Indians watching.
Thank you Mindy Kaling (and of course the rest of the head honchos at the show) for even putting this holiday on the map in American culture, let alone writing/acting in this wonderful episode. Brava, chica. How can it be that you and I are about the same age? I feel so unaccomplished. But never mind me, keep doing what you're doing!
(I tried really hard not to give anything in the episode away for those that haven't watched it. If you don't watch the show at all... you're sorely missing out.)
So, I'm just now getting around to watching some of last week's television, and in my normal fashion, I never watch commercials/promos/etc so I had no clue as to the theme of this past week's episode of The Office. Wow, I was completely unprepared for an entire episode, not only titled Diwali, but with Diwali/Indians as its central theme.
I have to say, my knee-jerk reaction was to cringe. In what fashion is mainstream American television going to slay my culture? Not to mention one of THE most important and widely celebrated holidays in the year for Indians. Instead, I was completely and pleasantly surprised.
(Just for reference, Diwali was on October 21st this year. The show aired on Nov 2, so it was just a touch late... but I'm really nitpicking here.)
It was strangely exhilarating to watch the episode unfold. It was a great blend of cultural tension (and therefore perfect for The Office's slightly uncomfortable, squirm-in-your-seat brand of humor): equal parts mockery of both Indian sterotypes of Americans, and American sterotypes of Indians. Bonus were the "inside jokes" for the Indians watching.
Thank you Mindy Kaling (and of course the rest of the head honchos at the show) for even putting this holiday on the map in American culture, let alone writing/acting in this wonderful episode. Brava, chica. How can it be that you and I are about the same age? I feel so unaccomplished. But never mind me, keep doing what you're doing!
(I tried really hard not to give anything in the episode away for those that haven't watched it. If you don't watch the show at all... you're sorely missing out.)
1.01.2005
2005
The screen in my building's elevator, which delivers ads to an until now untargeted, yet captive audience (god forbid I spend a full minute of my day not staring at some type of monitor), informed me of the following on my ride this afternoon:
In Scotland, it is believed to be good luck if a tall, dark, and handsome man enters your home on the first day of the new year.
I'm so glad I was made aware of this curious old wive's tale. I must ask, however, when and in what country is it ever NOT good luck if a tall, dark, and handsome man shows up knocking at your abode? I'm just asking.
Well, another year is upon us, and that means it's resolution time. I'll go ahead and say that one of mine is to lose weight. As for one I'm more likely to keep, how about I take a crack at that world peace thing y'all have been talking about? ;)
Happy New Year, everyone! Good luck with your own resolutions. :)
In Scotland, it is believed to be good luck if a tall, dark, and handsome man enters your home on the first day of the new year.
I'm so glad I was made aware of this curious old wive's tale. I must ask, however, when and in what country is it ever NOT good luck if a tall, dark, and handsome man shows up knocking at your abode? I'm just asking.
Well, another year is upon us, and that means it's resolution time. I'll go ahead and say that one of mine is to lose weight. As for one I'm more likely to keep, how about I take a crack at that world peace thing y'all have been talking about? ;)
Happy New Year, everyone! Good luck with your own resolutions. :)
10.25.2004
hallowe'en
Last night I carved my first pumpkin. Pumpkin guts aside, it was quite the experience. Check out my handiwork in the picture. I'd make you guess, but since there's really no way to know, its the one on the bottom row, sandwiched between the witch and the cat. Not too bad, eh?
Speaking of halloween, I finally went and picked up a costume today. If you, like me, thought that one week in advance would be early enough to avoid the crowds, boy, would you be sorely mistaken.
I could already see that I was in for a long afternoon when I got the parking lot and had to do my favorite stalk-the-customer-as-she-leaves-and-pounce-on-her-spot-before-anyone-else-has-the-chance maneuver. Once inside, 20 minutes later, I wasn't much better off. Throngs of people were peering up at the walls where pictures of costumes were displayed while employees used their walkie talkies to bark numbers at each other in an effort to procure your desired costume for you in record time. Including the time spent in the parking lot, in the line for the fitting room, and finally in the line to give the store my money, I spent about 3 hours of my life on this year's halloween garb decision. Not including, of course, the two other trips I had already made earlier this month, only to return empty handed because I was "certain that I could come up with something better."
This is what I finally came home with. Admittedly, I won't look half as cute as the model in it, but I was tired and it met my requirements: cute, comfortable, and relatively non-slutty. For those of you that see me in it, please pretend you don't see my stomach sticking out. :)
Speaking of halloween, I finally went and picked up a costume today. If you, like me, thought that one week in advance would be early enough to avoid the crowds, boy, would you be sorely mistaken.
I could already see that I was in for a long afternoon when I got the parking lot and had to do my favorite stalk-the-customer-as-she-leaves-and-pounce-on-her-spot-before-anyone-else-has-the-chance maneuver. Once inside, 20 minutes later, I wasn't much better off. Throngs of people were peering up at the walls where pictures of costumes were displayed while employees used their walkie talkies to bark numbers at each other in an effort to procure your desired costume for you in record time. Including the time spent in the parking lot, in the line for the fitting room, and finally in the line to give the store my money, I spent about 3 hours of my life on this year's halloween garb decision. Not including, of course, the two other trips I had already made earlier this month, only to return empty handed because I was "certain that I could come up with something better."
This is what I finally came home with. Admittedly, I won't look half as cute as the model in it, but I was tired and it met my requirements: cute, comfortable, and relatively non-slutty. For those of you that see me in it, please pretend you don't see my stomach sticking out. :)
10.11.2004
1492
Long weekends are truly a beautiful thing. Columbus Day weekend is actually one of my favorites. It's not centered around any religious holiday, and therefore there's no pressure for people to make crazy travel arrangements to see family. It's soon after Labor Day, and right around the time people are thinking of what they'll do for Thanksgiving this year, so the weekend creeps on you. It's almost like there's an extra day built in, just to reward you for all regular sized weekends that you've had to deal with during the year, and this time you can just enjoy the 3 days guilt-free.
At least, that's how I think of it.
The weekend's been fun, and it's unfortunate it's drawing to a close, but I suppose it had to happen sometime. The weather has been beautiful, and therefore my mood has been positive (Have I not talked about my direct link to the weather? Remind me to do that sometime.). Went to a football game on Saturday and had a fantastic time, especiallly because our team, the underdog, won. At the risk of sounding too much like a "typical girl", no relaxing weekend is complete without shopping, and so I came home with several bags. Throw in some excellent food and you've got most of my weekend. :)
It's turning to fall now, and I have to say I don't mind. Every time the seasons change, it's like I have a fresh start. I've been procrastinating my applications all summer, so now I can tell myself that I really need to get cracking on them because it's fall. Speaking of which...
At least, that's how I think of it.
The weekend's been fun, and it's unfortunate it's drawing to a close, but I suppose it had to happen sometime. The weather has been beautiful, and therefore my mood has been positive (Have I not talked about my direct link to the weather? Remind me to do that sometime.). Went to a football game on Saturday and had a fantastic time, especiallly because our team, the underdog, won. At the risk of sounding too much like a "typical girl", no relaxing weekend is complete without shopping, and so I came home with several bags. Throw in some excellent food and you've got most of my weekend. :)
It's turning to fall now, and I have to say I don't mind. Every time the seasons change, it's like I have a fresh start. I've been procrastinating my applications all summer, so now I can tell myself that I really need to get cracking on them because it's fall. Speaking of which...
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