And now for what is probably the last of the emails from NY.
The last week or so i have done things i don't normally do - like walk over the Brooklyn bridge suspended above the water with traffic whizzing by at either side....heard things i don't normally hear - a neo classical shred violinist going on a wild rampaging solo over a minus one track of britney spears "hit me baby one more time" in the subway.....eaten things i don't normally eat - like veg dumplings.....and seen things i don't normally see - a man dressed in a tiger print jumpsuit, somersaulting over 6 people.
Yes NY has been wonderful, its like Goa but with a lot more Hispanic and African American people and not as many savios and peters. No one here seems to work as i always see grown men playing baseball or people strolling and sunbathing in parks. The people here are also very very polite....i thought this was a good thing, but over the last few weeks i noticed its a fake politeness....more like a reflex action. So if you nudge someone even slightly, you need to turn and apologize...not sure how we Indians will survive if we employ that practice in our everyday crowded lives.
Which brings me to my next point, despite the numerous people pouring into NY there always seems to be enough space for everyone. Trains and buses are never crowded, there is no millions of people concentrated per square area and people here are very conscious about personal space...something i really have grown fond of being an entirely new concept seeing how i come from the tough and crowded area of mumbai and the western suburbs!!
Ohh, and contrary to popular belief...anything you wish to purchase is generally expensive, while other things you don't want to buy are usually dirt cheap. Go figure!!
also, there is no real racism around here, and the people who matter (the ladies)...totally adore Indian men....so wooohooo.....im sure its just a phase but anyone interested (and eligible) should ride the wave while you can.....and anyone who is tut tuting my statement above, well i have two words for you'll - GREEN CARD!!!
I have a few more things i will be doing during the next few days before my long and tedious flight back which i unfortunately will not be able to recount by these emails as i will not have access to the internet (i want to cram as much fun as i can at the last minute, just like we did during exams, except exams weren't fun...or better still cram like a really hungry guy does at a buffet).....but have hope...unless my goan genes go completely out of whack i will be trying to put up a blog which will expound these misadventures of nonsense and i will add images and videos to distract you'll from the terrible spelling and grammar!!
and so i bid you farewell....till we meet again
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Farting Xylophones
Woke up really late (1:30 pm) again. the sky was gloomy again and so decided to stay at home for a bit...so got out some more donuts from the fridge and put on a DVD. finished the movie by 4 in the afternoon by which time it was sunny outside...so decided to head out to explore prospect park. kept going down paths in the park and ended up completely lost....was on one path that was made of gravel so you heard your feet crunching against it.....for a long time i saw no one else on the path and was beginning to freak out...i also kept hearing gravel crunching behind me, but it usually turned out to be an animal and not a armed killer...phew!!
finally got out of the maze of nature at 5:30 when karl called and said we were going to a place called brick lane for dinner. brick lane is an Indian restaurant where karl worked when he first arrived in NY. so lots of fond memories.....he also knew everyone there. so im sure we got the good stuff....adele was tripping on the food especially the mango lassi (these Americans i tell you)
after the meal....karl and me decided to go for some arty musical recital featuring some chick playing an instrument that worked on sound waves. adele needed to go to some meditation center.
karl and me arrived to a place called 'the stone'...it was packed. there was the lady playing the soundwave thing accompanied by a pianist, a saxophone player and a xylophone player.
it looked promising...then they started......and i decided the best way to preserve my sanity was to sleep :)....like i said i never get these arty things...it sounded like random noise or like an animal squealing.
after a good hour they took a break and some ventriloquist chick came up to do a short routine...she was funny and kept making fun of the xylophone guy.
then came the second set for the band....i thought "ohhh nooo".....before they began the xylophone guy suddenly looked into the crowd and asked if anyone wanted to play...he picked a short guy from the fist row......the song began and the "guest" xylophone player was tripping out....just whacking random notes...so pretty much matched the song, if that's what you wanna call it...then he got really experimental....he put the xylophone sticks down and closed his palms together near the mike and then made farting noises....it was brilliant...i loved it....and he was focusing too...not just making noises at random...it had dynamics and everything...he sat down after a while and i was like "ohhh whyyyy???"....then the real xylophone guy came back and i dozed again.
after it was done karl took me to a place called 'chocolate by the bald man'....really famous...it got tubes and all running all over to look like willy wonkas factory.....we pigged on chocolate cake and stuff and then decided we had too much of a sugar rush and so decided to head home.
i woke up today to see what will happen next...you really cant tell....this is NY!!!
finally got out of the maze of nature at 5:30 when karl called and said we were going to a place called brick lane for dinner. brick lane is an Indian restaurant where karl worked when he first arrived in NY. so lots of fond memories.....he also knew everyone there. so im sure we got the good stuff....adele was tripping on the food especially the mango lassi (these Americans i tell you)
after the meal....karl and me decided to go for some arty musical recital featuring some chick playing an instrument that worked on sound waves. adele needed to go to some meditation center.
karl and me arrived to a place called 'the stone'...it was packed. there was the lady playing the soundwave thing accompanied by a pianist, a saxophone player and a xylophone player.
it looked promising...then they started......and i decided the best way to preserve my sanity was to sleep :)....like i said i never get these arty things...it sounded like random noise or like an animal squealing.
after a good hour they took a break and some ventriloquist chick came up to do a short routine...she was funny and kept making fun of the xylophone guy.
then came the second set for the band....i thought "ohhh nooo".....before they began the xylophone guy suddenly looked into the crowd and asked if anyone wanted to play...he picked a short guy from the fist row......the song began and the "guest" xylophone player was tripping out....just whacking random notes...so pretty much matched the song, if that's what you wanna call it...then he got really experimental....he put the xylophone sticks down and closed his palms together near the mike and then made farting noises....it was brilliant...i loved it....and he was focusing too...not just making noises at random...it had dynamics and everything...he sat down after a while and i was like "ohhh whyyyy???"....then the real xylophone guy came back and i dozed again.
after it was done karl took me to a place called 'chocolate by the bald man'....really famous...it got tubes and all running all over to look like willy wonkas factory.....we pigged on chocolate cake and stuff and then decided we had too much of a sugar rush and so decided to head home.
i woke up today to see what will happen next...you really cant tell....this is NY!!!
Party in the garden
Woke up and felt strangely at home....must have been the gloomy skies that looked so much like the monsoon clouds from Bombay i was trying to escape from.Had a early brunch with Karl and Adele and then spent the afternoon helping Adele with her laundry...like all the stuff from her closet had to be cleaned cause of the bed bugs thingy. there were three loads.....really heavy stuff.
The rain kept coming down in soft continuous drizzle.....the really annoying kind.....I'm good if it rains heavy for like 30 minutes and gets it over with...but when it keeps on coming like that...man so annoying!!!
Karl decided to sweeten my afternoon with a visit to Dunkin Donuts. Even though we swore we would not visit a "commercial place", we found the best donuts came from there. So we braved the drizzle and i ended up buying 12 different donuts to take home.....from chocolate to raspberry to apple cinnamon to lemon to chocolate glazed with sprinkles...i had it all. Been eating them any chance i get...still got a few left over.
Spent the rest of the afternoon reading in the flat.
The sky kinda cleared up by 6 in the evening and Karl decided to take me for some arty film thing. I was terrified as these arty events are really beyond me and i never really understand them. But i went anyways.
The event was actually hosted Karl's friend Jenny, who was leaving NY. So she had hired this small beautiful
garden (bang in the middle of two brick buildings) where she had set up the projector and screen and a table for food. All those invited were asked to bring films they made (since most of them are film directors) or liked and just have a good time. (Note - the interesting thing about NY is that many communities have bought these small areas of land and or that sort of stuff....which is marvelous...and then rent these gardens for stuff like Jenny's party).There were some arty farty film
s and there were some nice ones. One of my favorites were about ducks....and another that had stuffed animals like ferrets and pigeons revolving on a pedestal while the track dum maro dum played in the background...kick ass....i kept explaining what the song meant to the peop converted them to gardens and ensured they will never be developed into residential buildingsle around me :)After a while i got a little bored and so Karl and me headed out to eat some dum
plings for dinner. We went to this place called the Dumpling Man. You get all sorts of really neat dumplings and some special sauces. Was a nice little meal.After we finished we debated on whether to have some chocolate milkshakes, but after seeing how our pants were about to burst open thanks to our paunches, we decided against it and just headed home.
The MOMA of truth
Woke up yesterday morning really really late (1:30 pm)....karl, adele and me decided to go for brunch to a nearby place....watched the Olympics on TV while we ate.
after that Karl decided to take me to MOMA (museum of modern art) to expand my mind and my intellectual quotient....adele decided to stay home and get some stuff done.
so the brothers headed off.....the entry is 20 $ each...but luckily since karl is faculty at new school he got both of us free passes.
to summarize MOMA...it is a cool looking building (there is a mini helicopter dangling from the ceiling as soon as you enter)...consisting of 6 floors....full of sculptures, paintings and other such arty stuff i didn't understand.
i mean if you saw some of the stuff hanging on the walls you would wonder what art is really all about. there is stuff that is like a white canvas with a red line running horizontally and it got some description like it is the "positive reassurance of blah blah blah, that combines the different layers of blah blah blah"...you get my drift.
luckily they were having a special DALI exhibition as well....his paintings and films......that was something i understood.....really nice stuff...all really twisted crazy ass madness is the best way to describe it....he collaborated with Hitchcock for a movie and even did one with Walt Disney...unfortunately the Disney one was never completed as it was considered too daring for its time.....after DALI died, the artists at Disney got together and finished the animated movie he was working on as a tribute...i saw it , it was brilliant. i think its called DESTINO or something. you can read about it here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destino
after the museum we decided to go watch a few movies that had absolutely nothing intellectual about them. so we headed to the theater....karl and me decided to start with mummy 3.....it was very very very disappointing.....or maybe i ws being too harsh cause i just had a bi intellectual boost at MOMA.
well we finished off with that but still needed something more, so decided to go watch pineapple express. NOW THAT IS A GREAT FLICK. of course i wouldn't recommend it to everyone, especially those with scruples, but i loved it. thought it was fabulous. adele didn't come though as she was stuck somewhere.
after the second movie which ended at 11 pm...karl and me went to a nearby place to eat hummus....the waitress there had a hard time understanding my Indian accent...so i just did my godfather voice for her and we got along splendidly. After a nice filling mean we returned home.
We wished my great uncle Russel (or uncle R as some of you might know) as it is his birthday today and i had a nice chat with my buddy (and more) Clyde online.
its 3 am now and my pillows are begging for my attention
after that Karl decided to take me to MOMA (museum of modern art) to expand my mind and my intellectual quotient....adele decided to stay home and get some stuff done.
so the brothers headed off.....the entry is 20 $ each...but luckily since karl is faculty at new school he got both of us free passes.
to summarize MOMA...it is a cool looking building (there is a mini helicopter dangling from the ceiling as soon as you enter)...consisting of 6 floors....full of sculptures, paintings and other such arty stuff i didn't understand.
i mean if you saw some of the stuff hanging on the walls you would wonder what art is really all about. there is stuff that is like a white canvas with a red line running horizontally and it got some description like it is the "positive reassurance of blah blah blah, that combines the different layers of blah blah blah"...you get my drift.
luckily they were having a special DALI exhibition as well....his paintings and films......that was something i understood.....really nice stuff...all really twisted crazy ass madness is the best way to describe it....he collaborated with Hitchcock for a movie and even did one with Walt Disney...unfortunately the Disney one was never completed as it was considered too daring for its time.....after DALI died, the artists at Disney got together and finished the animated movie he was working on as a tribute...i saw it , it was brilliant. i think its called DESTINO or something. you can read about it here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
after the museum we decided to go watch a few movies that had absolutely nothing intellectual about them. so we headed to the theater....karl and me decided to start with mummy 3.....it was very very very disappointing.....or maybe i ws being too harsh cause i just had a bi intellectual boost at MOMA.
well we finished off with that but still needed something more, so decided to go watch pineapple express. NOW THAT IS A GREAT FLICK. of course i wouldn't recommend it to everyone, especially those with scruples, but i loved it. thought it was fabulous. adele didn't come though as she was stuck somewhere.
after the second movie which ended at 11 pm...karl and me went to a nearby place to eat hummus....the waitress there had a hard time understanding my Indian accent...so i just did my godfather voice for her and we got along splendidly. After a nice filling mean we returned home.
We wished my great uncle Russel (or uncle R as some of you might know) as it is his birthday today and i had a nice chat with my buddy (and more) Clyde online.
its 3 am now and my pillows are begging for my attention
Jazz in the Bronx
Woke up a little later (12:30 pm) and headed to New School. sat online for a while when karl called and asked me to have lunch with him and adele in china town (the same place i got my bus to Boston to visit berklee)
so i go off with karl....adele was going to meet us there later. we arrive at the Vietnamese joint in 20 odd minutes......karl calls adele up and finds out she hast yet left from wherever she was supposed to. but she told us to wait for her for 30 odd minutes and not to eat without her.....so being the gentle men that we are, karl and me decided to just get some shopping done.
a friend of mine named savio who does tattoos in Bombay wanted some tattoo equipment....so karl and me wander the streets looking for it. china town is a lot like Bombay...really crowded, stalls line the streets, smells of different food waft through the air and mingle with the sound of people screaming at each other on the top of their lungs....well the only difference is they are all Chinese!!
we pass Italian restaurants and countless jewelery stores (even more than Bombay...shame on us) and stores selling shirts and hats and other such trinkets....we finally find the shop.....we need to climb a shady set of stairs...as soon as we open the door there is a huge space with trinkets just like the ones in the shops downstairs...i wonder whether we are at the right place, but we walk to the back of the shop and there are rows and rows of everything you need to tattoo....so we quickly buy our stuff...cause karl gets a call that adele has reached the restaurant.
we head back...meet up with adele and have some scrumptious authentic Vietnamese food....we head out later stuffed but cant resist going into a cool Chinese bakery and picking up loads of different buns to take home. we sit in the bakery a while and drink coffee..as it is raining outside....it stops raining in 15-20 odd minutes and we decide to postpone the rest of the shopping as we don't wanna get drenched (china town is even more similar to Bombay after the rain...go figure :))
its around 5 when we get home and karl decides he needs a nap...so goan he is....we are all so proud of him!!
he wakes up around 7:30 and decides to take me to a killer jazz joint in the Bronx (around one hour away) called St. Nicks (apparently miles davis once played there and malcom X used to visit there)...well this is a really different jazz joint as it is right in the middle of the Bronx...where black people and the poorer section of society (by their standards) live.
we go in and get a table right in front....the band playing first is a killer funk groove thing going....they sing songs about love and peace and loving oneself....i thought that was good message stuff...after their set, which ended at 10:30 pm...i got to talk with a cool guy named Floyd who was the lead singer of the band...he was one of the most tripped out guys i have ever met...really nice and down to earth...he wanted to see the pics i clicked of the band and was just going "ooohh man that so goood" and "yeah yeah that's looks awesome"....very encouraging fellow.
in the meantime the second band came up....they were all old people...i mean with really white hair..walking slow and stuff....i wondered what they would do....and surprise surprise they turned out to be one kick ass crazy time hardcore blues band...mind blowing....all of them....especially the pianist who was just plain crazy with his phrasing and speed....in spite of his age!!!
we left there around 1 am cause it was a looong ride back,.....i needed to pee and was glad the train driver was in as much a hurry to get home as i was.
so i go off with karl....adele was going to meet us there later. we arrive at the Vietnamese joint in 20 odd minutes......karl calls adele up and finds out she hast yet left from wherever she was supposed to. but she told us to wait for her for 30 odd minutes and not to eat without her.....so being the gentle men that we are, karl and me decided to just get some shopping done.
a friend of mine named savio who does tattoos in Bombay wanted some tattoo equipment....so karl and me wander the streets looking for it. china town is a lot like Bombay...really crowded, stalls line the streets, smells of different food waft through the air and mingle with the sound of people screaming at each other on the top of their lungs....well the only difference is they are all Chinese!!
we pass Italian restaurants and countless jewelery stores (even more than Bombay...shame on us) and stores selling shirts and hats and other such trinkets....we finally find the shop.....we need to climb a shady set of stairs...as soon as we open the door there is a huge space with trinkets just like the ones in the shops downstairs...i wonder whether we are at the right place, but we walk to the back of the shop and there are rows and rows of everything you need to tattoo....so we quickly buy our stuff...cause karl gets a call that adele has reached the restaurant.
we head back...meet up with adele and have some scrumptious authentic Vietnamese food....we head out later stuffed but cant resist going into a cool Chinese bakery and picking up loads of different buns to take home. we sit in the bakery a while and drink coffee..as it is raining outside....it stops raining in 15-20 odd minutes and we decide to postpone the rest of the shopping as we don't wanna get drenched (china town is even more similar to Bombay after the rain...go figure :))
its around 5 when we get home and karl decides he needs a nap...so goan he is....we are all so proud of him!!
he wakes up around 7:30 and decides to take me to a killer jazz joint in the Bronx (around one hour away) called St. Nicks (apparently miles davis once played there and malcom X used to visit there)...well this is a really different jazz joint as it is right in the middle of the Bronx...where black people and the poorer section of society (by their standards) live.
we go in and get a table right in front....the band playing first is a killer funk groove thing going....they sing songs about love and peace and loving oneself....i thought that was good message stuff...after their set, which ended at 10:30 pm...i got to talk with a cool guy named Floyd who was the lead singer of the band...he was one of the most tripped out guys i have ever met...really nice and down to earth...he wanted to see the pics i clicked of the band and was just going "ooohh man that so goood" and "yeah yeah that's looks awesome"....very encouraging fellow.
in the meantime the second band came up....they were all old people...i mean with really white hair..walking slow and stuff....i wondered what they would do....and surprise surprise they turned out to be one kick ass crazy time hardcore blues band...mind blowing....all of them....especially the pianist who was just plain crazy with his phrasing and speed....in spite of his age!!!
we left there around 1 am cause it was a looong ride back,.....i needed to pee and was glad the train driver was in as much a hurry to get home as i was.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Coney Island, Baby!!!
after my weekend at berklees, i have gotten braver traveling alone.....i needed to spend the remaining of Monday and Tuesday just recovering from the Boston massacre (of my drum technique).
yesterday i decided to go visit Coney island. its at the southern tip of Brooklyn....which is like at the southern edge of new york. so i get up early (i mean at 11 am) and get ready to leave. i catch a train at 12:30 odd. its around 20-30 minutes to Coney island...nice journey. as the train is pulling into the station i see a huge giant wheel and roller coaster right there in the distance. this is gonna be fun.
i get off and immediately do whats most important - EAT. i find this place called Nathans famous for hot dogs. i found it on the walkway ajoining the beach (yes coney island is a beach not an island - these Americans i tell you). the walkway is all planks and all that just like in the movies. so i buy a cheese hot dog. i have just one thing to say - OVVVEERRRRRAAAATTTEEEEDDDD. man that hot dog cost me 4 dollars...while i was paying for it there was a kid standing next to me....when he saw the price on the register he goes "you paying 4$ for a hot dog, i get mine for 1$"....then he leans over and whispers conspiratorially "just walk down there you can get a 1$ hotdog"...i just give him my Indian smile and say "too late" as the hot dog person had already made mine :)
i walk up and down looking at the different stalls...i spot the amusement park with the roller coaster and giant wheel just off the wharf....they have two amusement parks - one for kids and one for adults....the amusement parks are full of kids from different summer programs.....i walk through both.....don't go on any rides as i don't want to waste a 4$ cheese hotdog and would rather digest it properly....plus rides look much bigger and scarier up close.
i left the amusement park after a while and walk towards a long pier i spy at the far end of the wharf.....on the way i see a baseball field where a little league match was underway...so i stop and watch the game for a while.....then i continue towards the pier..i walk down and see a lot of guys fishing...some of them catch fish...while others wrestle with sea gulls to keep the fish they caught.
i walk along the beach and feel really sad i didn't bring my swimming shorts......i think the American women would have appreciated that....especially since my swimming shorts are insie weensie teenie weenie yellow polka dot speedoes.
after a couple off hours i decide im bored....there's only so much you can do alone.....when i spy the NY Aquarium on the other end of the wharf...so i think lets go for it.
at the entrance itself there is an exodus of kids and some older people shouting names and orders...some more peeps from the summer programs all leaving ....i wait for a break in this river of kids and cross over to enter after buying a ticket.
well i see everything you hope to see ion an aquarium - penguins (whom kids refer to as happy feet - the impact of movies), i saw otters being fed, i saw sharks and seals and fish and squid (and other creatures with tentacles)...and more fish, and aquatic plant life, and then i got to go touch a huge crab and a starfish, and then i saw more fish.
feeling parched with all that water around me i decided to go buy a cold drink...the man in charge of selling them is funny and liked me for some reason as he kept talking about something or the other....maybe i reminded him of a penguin or a fish??....suddenly he looks at me and says you should see the sea show......so into a place called the aquatic theater i sprint and sit in the stands.....the show is just getting started. it has really large seals doing tricks and stuff...like jumping to hit a ball, walking on their flippers and even one dancing to "walk this way" by aerosmith.....it was really good fun and they animals were super smart.....i cant really say too much more as some things you just need to see.
after the show i walked around some more and then decided to head home as it was 5:30 odd.
i took a train back and deiced to watch a Charlie Chaplin DVD adele lent me called "city lights"....beautifully done.
it was 8 by the time the movie got over...so i headed down to adeles apartment where karl was cooking us dinner (once again - no one tells my mama that karl can cook)
starters were some nice Jamaican cheese and pears....followed by the main course of rice and rajma and fried chicken......yummy.....and to wash it all down cool coconut water.
after that i went back to karls apartment.....read a book for a bit and decided to hit the sack.
woke up today with really burnt feet as i was wearing slippers yesterday at the beach and aquarium and the sun was merciless.
have come to new school and will be meeting karl soon
will write more as and when it happens
yesterday i decided to go visit Coney island. its at the southern tip of Brooklyn....which is like at the southern edge of new york. so i get up early (i mean at 11 am) and get ready to leave. i catch a train at 12:30 odd. its around 20-30 minutes to Coney island...nice journey. as the train is pulling into the station i see a huge giant wheel and roller coaster right there in the distance. this is gonna be fun.
i get off and immediately do whats most important - EAT. i find this place called Nathans famous for hot dogs. i found it on the walkway ajoining the beach (yes coney island is a beach not an island - these Americans i tell you). the walkway is all planks and all that just like in the movies. so i buy a cheese hot dog. i have just one thing to say - OVVVEERRRRRAAAATTTEEEEDDDD. man that hot dog cost me 4 dollars...while i was paying for it there was a kid standing next to me....when he saw the price on the register he goes "you paying 4$ for a hot dog, i get mine for 1$"....then he leans over and whispers conspiratorially "just walk down there you can get a 1$ hotdog"...i just give him my Indian smile and say "too late" as the hot dog person had already made mine :)
i walk up and down looking at the different stalls...i spot the amusement park with the roller coaster and giant wheel just off the wharf....they have two amusement parks - one for kids and one for adults....the amusement parks are full of kids from different summer programs.....i walk through both.....don't go on any rides as i don't want to waste a 4$ cheese hotdog and would rather digest it properly....plus rides look much bigger and scarier up close.
i left the amusement park after a while and walk towards a long pier i spy at the far end of the wharf.....on the way i see a baseball field where a little league match was underway...so i stop and watch the game for a while.....then i continue towards the pier..i walk down and see a lot of guys fishing...some of them catch fish...while others wrestle with sea gulls to keep the fish they caught.
i walk along the beach and feel really sad i didn't bring my swimming shorts......i think the American women would have appreciated that....especially since my swimming shorts are insie weensie teenie weenie yellow polka dot speedoes.
after a couple off hours i decide im bored....there's only so much you can do alone.....when i spy the NY Aquarium on the other end of the wharf...so i think lets go for it.
at the entrance itself there is an exodus of kids and some older people shouting names and orders...some more peeps from the summer programs all leaving ....i wait for a break in this river of kids and cross over to enter after buying a ticket.
well i see everything you hope to see ion an aquarium - penguins (whom kids refer to as happy feet - the impact of movies), i saw otters being fed, i saw sharks and seals and fish and squid (and other creatures with tentacles)...and more fish, and aquatic plant life, and then i got to go touch a huge crab and a starfish, and then i saw more fish.
feeling parched with all that water around me i decided to go buy a cold drink...the man in charge of selling them is funny and liked me for some reason as he kept talking about something or the other....maybe i reminded him of a penguin or a fish??....suddenly he looks at me and says you should see the sea show......so into a place called the aquatic theater i sprint and sit in the stands.....the show is just getting started. it has really large seals doing tricks and stuff...like jumping to hit a ball, walking on their flippers and even one dancing to "walk this way" by aerosmith.....it was really good fun and they animals were super smart.....i cant really say too much more as some things you just need to see.
after the show i walked around some more and then decided to head home as it was 5:30 odd.
i took a train back and deiced to watch a Charlie Chaplin DVD adele lent me called "city lights"....beautifully done.
it was 8 by the time the movie got over...so i headed down to adeles apartment where karl was cooking us dinner (once again - no one tells my mama that karl can cook)
starters were some nice Jamaican cheese and pears....followed by the main course of rice and rajma and fried chicken......yummy.....and to wash it all down cool coconut water.
after that i went back to karls apartment.....read a book for a bit and decided to hit the sack.
woke up today with really burnt feet as i was wearing slippers yesterday at the beach and aquarium and the sun was merciless.
have come to new school and will be meeting karl soon
will write more as and when it happens
Weekend at Berklee (Not to be confused with the movie Weekend at Bernies)
now to kristofor's weekend at Berklee:
(for those who are unaware - Berklee college of music is like the addah for all aspiring musicians...the best place you can get to....if you can get to that is...get the picture??)
SATURDAY -
i had to go to a place called china town to catch a bus (its called china town cause its full of Chinese people..a little like why England is called Patel town)...anyways china town is like a 20 minute train ride from karls place. the bus ride from there was 4 hours to boson (the home of berklee).......not being very fond of traveling seeing how i usually end up sick in the stomach and throwing up everything from last nights dinner...i spent the train ride praying and popping pills that promised to help my tummy stay settled. also i was nervous as i was going to be making this trip alone. my second greatest fear after clowns that mime.
karl, adele and me reached china town and went to buy the tickets...as soon as we got the ticket, the lady at the ticket counter was yelling and gesturing wildly...thanks to my degree in sign language i figured she was telling me to rush as the bus was leaving...forgetting my nauciousness for a few minutes i dashed and jumped onto the bus...luckily it wasn't packed...i got a seat by the window and looked up into the sky....it was gloomy....just like my hope of completing this journey in one piece.
to cut a long journey short...there was rain and more rain and then the sky cleared and then it rained some more......usually it rains for like 20 odd minutes in NY and that's it....but today it kept coming down...in between drifting in and out of sleep i kept hoping the rain rain would go away.
after 5 and a half hours of traveling i finally landed in Boston. and guess what, the rain stopped :)
i call my friend vishal whom i supposed to meet (vishal is this kick ass drummer from Calcutta whom i knew cause - his bro was in the same band as karl) anyways, vishal is like a super prodigy 23 year old, 6"5 foot tall, really nice, funny and good looking guy who can cook, studying drums at berklee. and he can also play piano and bass!!!
like i was saying vishal was busy at some rehearsal for a gig he was playing that night so he directs me to the berklee building he would meet me at...having time to kill, i roam around the place and try and look musical by flashing the drum sticks i was carrying to everyone i possibly could.....vishal calls soon and comes up with one bag of cymbals around a shoulder and a bag with his snare around the other....he is taller than i remember.....he takes me to the place he performing at ...as we pass by people they all hold out their hands to "slide" with vishals (their version of 'give talli')....hes known as the NOTORIOUS B.I.D (Big Indian Drummer).
as we walk he keeps telling me he is ok as a drummer and the show he is playing is for a friend who sings pop and R&B.....modest fellow....we go in and he meets the rest of the band...introducing me to everyone....apparently there are three bands playing this event. his is first...and they sound check....the girl who heads the band is this tiny little thing but when she sings its awesome....i think she is going to be big...she written all her songs. they were beautiful....i am trying to get mp3 of the show.....before the actual gig starts vishal takes me to eat some yummy stuff as a welcome meal..then its show time.
after a good 45 minutes of tripping out, the management says they need to stop as the other band needs to start. the crowd boos, but the management is like our Bombay management...only dollars can sway them.
i accompany vishal to his apartment which is a 5 minute walk away...my first glimpse of it....its a 3BHK he shares with two other ppl....i help him pack his kit as he needs to take it to a studio in berklee for some recording...he is very nervous about it. i learn musicians in berklee team up with those studying engineering there and both record together as the studio is free....so the engineer gets a recording for his portfolio and the musicians get a recording for theirs.
we cart his kit and enter the studio...its one nice big space and we are first to arrive....the engineer arrives soon after and we start to set up...soon the rest of the musicians start to trickle in. there is one hyper Japanese girl playing piano...a jittery American guy on trumpet.....a thin cool Japanese guy on upright bass.....a short European dude with a Jedi ponytail on guitar, another young Japanese chick on keyboards and to round it off the guy who composed the piece on saxophone who is also Japanese...just to be polite to the rest of us, the entire Japanese crew were talking in English....that was funny :D
the musicians gathered there were the creme of musicians from berklee and funnily enough the average age of the room (excluding me) was 22!!!
everyone was in the same room and recording together...they were separated by sound barriers...which were cool.....the guy handling the sound was doing a phenomenal job.
they kept splitting the piece into parts and recording it..it was one complex thing with so many different time signatures..but sounded soooo awesome and every time even one of them made a small mistake they had to do the section all over again.
they finally finished the recording at 2 am...i was sleepy and so was vishal...we decided to get ready for bed by eating some pizza first...the place we went to was pretty crowded, though the people there should have been asleep as they kept dropping pizza slices...i saw 3 different slices dropped while i was there.
we went back to vishals place and i met is roommates...one was a girl named Melanie who was pretty fun..the other was a guy who was some genius piano player named victor...so vishal and him start playing halo on the xbox (that's a video game not a music piece) for another hour or so while i impress them with my wit (i couldn't impress them with my spelling)
finally we go to sleep.
SUNDAY:
i wake up with the sound of the door rattling to see 6"5 giant with his drums on the trolley (we had left it at a locker in berklee after yesterday nights recording)...i help him set up in his room.
we go to a nearby place and get some Mexican stuff....then we meet up with a percussionist friend of vishals named perry who is totally infatuated with India and rajma :)
i thought him all the tricks of picking up Indian chicks (like saying "oye kudi...you and me tandoori??")....i think he be pretty popular with the ladies.
all three of us go for a nice walk to a nearby park with both of them telling me stories of the place and what it is famous for. the park is pretty nice...it got a pretty neat lake with ducks and geese and swans swimming free...they got some boat rides (shaped like swans) which ppl can go on for a price and go around the lake....we find a spot in the shade right at the edge of the pond and talk about things from India, to Texas to how since perry knows the guy who handled George bush's campaign when he was elected president, therefore by second degree i know president bush as well...its complex...but these guys are used to odd numbers in music.
soon the sky goes gloomy...and we decide its time to move..there is a nice light drizzle as we head to berklee with vishal planning to give me a tour de berklee.....perry decides to leave us as he has some other stuff to do...i look at all the different departments in berklee and keep going "ooh" and "ahh" at appropriate moments.
we decided to head back to vishals place after we see all there is to see. just as we around a block away from his house we suddenly hear the rain pour.....but cant see anything.....just then in the distance we see the rain falling and slowly like a wall move towards us....so picture this..there is no rain where we stand...but in the distance its pouring and slowly moving towards us...well we thought it was slow, but in seconds we had to run for cover.
we wait a while and the rain subsides...we do a quick amble to vishals place where he gives me my drum lesson....in other words he broke me down and made me rethink my gmail id.....but i kept at it and kinda figured the stuff he was teaching me...a lesson that i will be trying to master for quite some time.....yes it was complicated!!
then he takes me to berklee where he writes a few drum instructional dvds for me and shows me a few new drummers on you tube.
we head back home where he informs we that he had marinated chicken for dinner, and was going to roast it.....i was kinda shocked cause i didn't know he could cook....and roast chicken.....and marinated roast chicken....WOW!!!
so he dumps the chicken in the oven and takes me to a nearby store to buy macaroni...so he gives me macaroni and roast chicken and assorted vegetables for dinner (really well presented on a plate in terms of color and everything) and tasted absolutely fantastic...in fact if i was a dog...i would want him to be my owner.
and we do all this while watching the Dave Chapelle show.
at around 11 pm he gets a call from perry saying two other berklee dudes from their old gang were passing through town. so we all meet up at an Irish pub....a few of them get totally sloshed or at least pretend to be.....we talk about fishing and weed and other such stuff. i felt privileged to be in such amazingly brilliant company :D
on the way back home one small guy from the gang, decided to jump perry from behind...perry soon had him on the ground rubbing his face into the mud......a little while later both perry and the small guy are high fiving each other....berklee people what can i say.....i love them :D
we head back to vishals and i crash.....i wake up early (this time i really mean early) at 6:45 am....and head to the bus station to catch the 8:00 am bus.
i do the sleep and pill routine again and soon am back in china town....i head back to karls house and crash instantly.
i wake up later and karl and adele make some num num.
didn't do anything on Tuesday as was still too tired and recovering from the bus ride and lack of sleep in Boston.
NBC secret revealed
woke up early...ie 10:30 am....for Carlos. he turned up at 11:45......i should have known....after all i made him goan...we go down to adeles apartment and he finishes corking it...i find out he used to play football for some top NY clubs and loves Luis Figo...also he calls it football and not soccer...i think he wants to be goan!!!
well after we get adeles place smelling like sweaty man i rushed to some restaurant where i was supposed to be having lunch with karl and adele and her cousins who had come down from Paris. it was a nice Jewish place. her uncle and aunt spoke some English...but her cousins only spoke french..so i spent most of the lunch time eating a sandwich and listening to her uncle narrate stoires from his childhood while he and his wife kept figuring out the best English words to use...and asking adele to translate the french ones to English. that made it all the more enjoyable
after that adele called up one of her friends who worked at the NBC studios at times square for a tour.....so off we went.....the best part about having a friend give a tour rather than joining the tour group was seeing things public don't always see.
we saw their work places (looks like a FBI stakeout, with dark rooms and monitors all over and no windows. not very cool)...we saw the SNL set and some other sets.....but the piece de le resistance was the "SECRET GARDEN"
this garden was built on the ninth floor balcony of the building for a very popular NBC radio host a long time ago. he used to keep going to central park to relax his mind and the crew could never find him when he had to do the show. so the NBC management just built him a garden in the building.
the reason its called a secret garden is cause not many now about it and those who do still have trouble finding it. Adeles friend who was giving us the tour took 25 mins to find it. you need to take a particular elevator to a particular floor and then use some staircase to somewhere else...and you get the picture...the garden was nice...it being secret made it awesome.
after the tour karl and me went to the theater to get tickets for the dark knight.....yes finally :) adele and 3 of her friends were joining us as well.
we got the tickets and had time to spare so kaarl and me checked out a comic book store nearby...really kickass......felt like buying everything there.
we met adele and her friends for the movie....adele brought sweets and snacks for everyone...though especially for me, cause she wanted me to have the proper movie experience...shes so thoughtful
the movie was great...though i was hungry after and so decided to but some pizza to take home. did that and went home to get ready for my crazy ass weekend to Berklee college of music. (which will have to wait till the next post)...so be patient.....till tom :)
well after we get adeles place smelling like sweaty man i rushed to some restaurant where i was supposed to be having lunch with karl and adele and her cousins who had come down from Paris. it was a nice Jewish place. her uncle and aunt spoke some English...but her cousins only spoke french..so i spent most of the lunch time eating a sandwich and listening to her uncle narrate stoires from his childhood while he and his wife kept figuring out the best English words to use...and asking adele to translate the french ones to English. that made it all the more enjoyable
after that adele called up one of her friends who worked at the NBC studios at times square for a tour.....so off we went.....the best part about having a friend give a tour rather than joining the tour group was seeing things public don't always see.
we saw their work places (looks like a FBI stakeout, with dark rooms and monitors all over and no windows. not very cool)...we saw the SNL set and some other sets.....but the piece de le resistance was the "SECRET GARDEN"
this garden was built on the ninth floor balcony of the building for a very popular NBC radio host a long time ago. he used to keep going to central park to relax his mind and the crew could never find him when he had to do the show. so the NBC management just built him a garden in the building.
the reason its called a secret garden is cause not many now about it and those who do still have trouble finding it. Adeles friend who was giving us the tour took 25 mins to find it. you need to take a particular elevator to a particular floor and then use some staircase to somewhere else...and you get the picture...the garden was nice...it being secret made it awesome.
after the tour karl and me went to the theater to get tickets for the dark knight.....yes finally :) adele and 3 of her friends were joining us as well.
we got the tickets and had time to spare so kaarl and me checked out a comic book store nearby...really kickass......felt like buying everything there.
we met adele and her friends for the movie....adele brought sweets and snacks for everyone...though especially for me, cause she wanted me to have the proper movie experience...shes so thoughtful
the movie was great...though i was hungry after and so decided to but some pizza to take home. did that and went home to get ready for my crazy ass weekend to Berklee college of music. (which will have to wait till the next post)...so be patient.....till tom :)
Central Perk??
I guess you be wondering..where Kris is? he hasn't written for days.
has he -
1) been arrested for looking like a terrorist
2) defected
3) gotten married to an American blond who will love him for his mind and not his body
well the answer to all the qs above is an emphatic NO.
so without further ado presenting the continuing misadventures of kris in NY
woke up early in the morning. By early i mean (10:30 am). that was cause the bedroom needed to be corked to avoid getting another migration of our friendly infesting bloodsucking bedbugs. so what happens is one guy comes over and puts cork into all the cracks in the floor touching the walls. and just to maintain the stereotype - i was greeted at the door by a short round Mexican man with a mustache named Carlos who had white paint on his clothes. so he gets cracking on corking.
Funnily enough the cork smells like a sweaty man (like the kind of smell you find in the changing room after a football match) and for a while i was thinking about giving Carlos some deo. but decided against it and it was lucky i did. after he finished with the bedroom i decided to take him down to adeles flat for the same thing (both karl and adele were at "work" so i had to do all this myself).....i think some of my goaness rubbed off on Carlos cause as soon as he saw adeles flat, he goes i think we do this tom...cause i got loads of other "work" today....(i know what to think whenever that "work" word comes up)........anyways i say OK and Carlos says he come back tom morning. i call adele and inform her and she fine with it. im happy at least one person is more goan from my visit..i have done some good :)
it was around 11:30 so i decide to go see central park. what the big fuss is all about. so i make the trip there and my first impression of the place is - CROWDED. i mean not Bombay crowded but compared to prospect park (the park opp karls place) it had a lot more people.
the central park lake also was all overgrown with weeds and a green moss and was pretty disgusting...but there were ppl in boats cleaning it up...so i give them a chance. i walk around...buy a hot dog or two......listen to the birds and the bugs when i suddenly hear children screaming and a loud whirring noise....naturally curiosity clicks in and i don my green investigators hat. i follow the screaming to a hill....the screaming is getting louder and so is the whirring....i think some kids in trouble...probably being ground by a giant to make his bread...so i rush up the hill and rub my eyes....there in front of me is a mini amusement park ....just for kids...with rides and slides and things that go boom......those kids are lucky....i decided to walk away and found myself in a small covering where there are a bunch of tables set up with ppl playing chess.....i watch a few games for a while to try and forget those darn kids and their amusement park.....suddenly i spy one youngish American desi boy sitting alone with a chess board set up.
i walk over to him and ask if he wants to play a game...he looks up from the crossword he solving and gives me a really condescending stare as if i am stupid for wanting to play with him. i am about to walk off when he says "sure, just give me a minute to finish this crossword". so i sit down thinking maybe his sour attitude is cause he focusing on the crossword. after a bit he says ok lets play. i find out he grew up in India some time ago, but he didn't seem very keen or happy about being Indian so i drop it.
i tell him im not very good at chess and he gives a small grunt. the game begins...i decide to castle with my king...he looks alarmed and goes "you cant do that its a colored square"...i say im sorry but i am not familiar with these rules as i haven't played too much...he just looks at me like im a dumbbum and says "the rules are the same everywhere man..geeze"....so we go on playing...he keeps playing his turn and going back to his crossword as if im so bad he doesn't need to concentrate.
to cut a long story short....i got pissed and kicked his ass in that game.....i mean demolished him......he didn't know what to say.......i just got up and left. i don't like idiots like that who think they too cool.
i went back to new school and met up with karl. we decided to go for a movie...finally picked step brothers...its hilarious!!! wont describe it here of course...geeze.
then we went for Peruvian food (food from Peru)..that was pretty good as well and then back home to the flat...after all we needed to be up early for Carlos.
has he -
1) been arrested for looking like a terrorist
2) defected
3) gotten married to an American blond who will love him for his mind and not his body
well the answer to all the qs above is an emphatic NO.
so without further ado presenting the continuing misadventures of kris in NY
woke up early in the morning. By early i mean (10:30 am). that was cause the bedroom needed to be corked to avoid getting another migration of our friendly infesting bloodsucking bedbugs. so what happens is one guy comes over and puts cork into all the cracks in the floor touching the walls. and just to maintain the stereotype - i was greeted at the door by a short round Mexican man with a mustache named Carlos who had white paint on his clothes. so he gets cracking on corking.
Funnily enough the cork smells like a sweaty man (like the kind of smell you find in the changing room after a football match) and for a while i was thinking about giving Carlos some deo. but decided against it and it was lucky i did. after he finished with the bedroom i decided to take him down to adeles flat for the same thing (both karl and adele were at "work" so i had to do all this myself).....i think some of my goaness rubbed off on Carlos cause as soon as he saw adeles flat, he goes i think we do this tom...cause i got loads of other "work" today....(i know what to think whenever that "work" word comes up)........anyways i say OK and Carlos says he come back tom morning. i call adele and inform her and she fine with it. im happy at least one person is more goan from my visit..i have done some good :)
it was around 11:30 so i decide to go see central park. what the big fuss is all about. so i make the trip there and my first impression of the place is - CROWDED. i mean not Bombay crowded but compared to prospect park (the park opp karls place) it had a lot more people.
the central park lake also was all overgrown with weeds and a green moss and was pretty disgusting...but there were ppl in boats cleaning it up...so i give them a chance. i walk around...buy a hot dog or two......listen to the birds and the bugs when i suddenly hear children screaming and a loud whirring noise....naturally curiosity clicks in and i don my green investigators hat. i follow the screaming to a hill....the screaming is getting louder and so is the whirring....i think some kids in trouble...probably being ground by a giant to make his bread...so i rush up the hill and rub my eyes....there in front of me is a mini amusement park ....just for kids...with rides and slides and things that go boom......those kids are lucky....i decided to walk away and found myself in a small covering where there are a bunch of tables set up with ppl playing chess.....i watch a few games for a while to try and forget those darn kids and their amusement park.....suddenly i spy one youngish American desi boy sitting alone with a chess board set up.
i walk over to him and ask if he wants to play a game...he looks up from the crossword he solving and gives me a really condescending stare as if i am stupid for wanting to play with him. i am about to walk off when he says "sure, just give me a minute to finish this crossword". so i sit down thinking maybe his sour attitude is cause he focusing on the crossword. after a bit he says ok lets play. i find out he grew up in India some time ago, but he didn't seem very keen or happy about being Indian so i drop it.
i tell him im not very good at chess and he gives a small grunt. the game begins...i decide to castle with my king...he looks alarmed and goes "you cant do that its a colored square"...i say im sorry but i am not familiar with these rules as i haven't played too much...he just looks at me like im a dumbbum and says "the rules are the same everywhere man..geeze"....so we go on playing...he keeps playing his turn and going back to his crossword as if im so bad he doesn't need to concentrate.
to cut a long story short....i got pissed and kicked his ass in that game.....i mean demolished him......he didn't know what to say.......i just got up and left. i don't like idiots like that who think they too cool.
i went back to new school and met up with karl. we decided to go for a movie...finally picked step brothers...its hilarious!!! wont describe it here of course...geeze.
then we went for Peruvian food (food from Peru)..that was pretty good as well and then back home to the flat...after all we needed to be up early for Carlos.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Smalls, Pat and Apple
yesterday morning i was awakened by my brother really early (11:30 am)...that's really early for me....i think during the flight across the Atlantic or Pacific or whatever, a strong east wind blew standard goan sleep pattern time into the plane and it affected me...so naturally i need at least 15.5 hours of sleep a day!!!
anyways had to go help karl take some equipment from his office to the studio adele had gotten (arty people call it studio..don't ask me why)...to my brothers defense he did give me the option of not helping :)
first i head down to adeles apartment to get the big wood thing (remember the one we found on the street)....and carry that by subway to karls office...we leave that in the lobby after spending 5 minutes convincing the security guy its only for a few minutes.
we head up to the third floor and wait for the girl who is in charge of the stuff to come.....before that karl tells me a moving van has arrived downstairs...im like a moving van??? why?? we have to carry that much equipment....karl sends me down to put the wood board thing into the van...i reach the lobby and find it full of ppl on some tour of the school.....so being Indian i pick up the board (it is big) and with Indian accent scream excuse me....EXCUSE ME PLEASE MADAME.....and i walk out the door....i love being Indian!!!
i meet the van guy who is this dude named pat.....he plays drums for a rock band so was chatting with him...he asks what stuff is there...i say well 2-3 computers max.....when out comes karl wheeling a freaking load of computers and monitors and stuff on a trolley....i am stunned but help load in the van....i get into the van to leave and karl says wait...there are two more trolleys to go.......woohooooo!!!
so after all is loaded and done....off we go to the "studio"...its in one obscure place i may never be able to find again...we unload the stuff and take it upstairs to the "studio"....by now i am pumped with that workout and also very parched.
We head back to the school picking up some juice on the way...i spend some time replying to my many imaginary female admirers when i decide i want to do something....had planned to go for a jazz show in the night...but that started at 10:30 pm...it was 5 in the evening so needed to kill some time.....karl was busy so, despite my better judgment, i decided to go see Times Square for the heck of it.
believe me when i say it is just like Bombay...totally crowded with ppl all around you jostling and pushing.....i saw hard rock cafe....the David Letterman place and Broadway thing and other such stuff that any tourist seems so keen to look at for some reason....after an hour or so of walking around i got bored and decided to go back to karls school...(note - to anyone wanting to go to Times Square, just stand for half an hour at churchgate station...its cheaper)... i got back to school at 7:45 and karl was hungry so we decided to go get dinner....we walked around for a bit just checking places...then we thought of trying Spanish cuisine...went to one restaurant called Sevilla (yes like the football club).....and ordered our stuff...karl went for some chicken, seafood mix in rice and i went for a chicken, Spanish sausage curry type thing with rice.....i was disappointing with the service....they never gave me a glass of water...though they did give us a free salad (consisting of lettuce and some other green plants i don't recognize covered in a thick mint sauce...delicious)...and bread with butter.....im glad we had that on our table cause the main course took over 35 minutes too come...not something i'm used to in America.
the wait kinda killed the mood (plus the salad and bread kinda filled us) and we couldn't eat it all so decided to parcel the remainders.
it was 9 ish by then..so to kill some more time karl took me to a place called "Fat Cats".....nice joint....its like bowling company at phoenix mills without the crappy lights, the stupid loud noises, the crowds or the bowling :)
we played shuffle board....they had chess and table tennis and other such stuff there as well.
we were busy playing when suddenly we hear some Latin American music....i look up and see a band had come out of no where at were performing....so karl and me go to listen...it was amazing...a couple starting dancing as well......and the band was superb...lost of energy like Latin Americans :)
by 10:25 we left the place for "smalls"....that's the club where i wanted to check the jazz show. karl decided to go home as he was tired.
much like its name...its small...the owner named martin...is a short white man who stands at the door and sings old jazz tunes.....i waited outside for 10 minutes just listening to him.
i finally went in....the band was a quintet with sax, piano, trumpet, drums and double bass.
they started and it was like listening to Davis, Coltrane, the Duke, Mingus and Grupa.....great old school stuff...all of them were mind blowing...with runs and phrasing that you cannot memorize.....they followed a common format with each song.......play a few bars of the melody together and then each one solos....that's right each song...each member solos at least once.......then they all come back together and tie the groove to end it....it was outstanding
they finished their set at around 1:00.....i went up and talked to them....then made friends with the drummer.....who sat me down and gave me a few lessons....it was unbelievable!!!
i started home for the first time on my home so late in the night.....i was worried cause unlike Indian trains, the trains here don't have fixed timings...they just come. Plus i was going back by a route i had never taken.
i got my first train easily enough....it took me nearly home and then i had to change to another train....i climb a few steps here and there and finally find the platform i had to catch my train from...and whoopdedoooo...the platform is deserted....no one there.....and its dark....and a rat on the tracks made me jump with the noises it made while flitting around the plastic bags.....when suddenly i hear the echo of voices from the ticket counter upstairs...they sound like rowdy hooligans...the stuff that movies are made of....im wondering whether to just scream and run.....or be a man and fight...i decided to scream and run......but just as i open my mouth to release my superb almost tenor voice off terror...i see a light down the tunnel.....and since i wasn't dying, it had to be the train......i pray for it to hurry as i hear the voices moving down the steps towards me.
the train arrives and i jump in and close my eyes and open them only when i reach my stop...i hop off and amble very very quickly to home.
have a bath and go to sleep...
anyways had to go help karl take some equipment from his office to the studio adele had gotten (arty people call it studio..don't ask me why)...to my brothers defense he did give me the option of not helping :)
first i head down to adeles apartment to get the big wood thing (remember the one we found on the street)....and carry that by subway to karls office...we leave that in the lobby after spending 5 minutes convincing the security guy its only for a few minutes.
we head up to the third floor and wait for the girl who is in charge of the stuff to come.....before that karl tells me a moving van has arrived downstairs...im like a moving van??? why?? we have to carry that much equipment....karl sends me down to put the wood board thing into the van...i reach the lobby and find it full of ppl on some tour of the school.....so being Indian i pick up the board (it is big) and with Indian accent scream excuse me....EXCUSE ME PLEASE MADAME.....and i walk out the door....i love being Indian!!!
i meet the van guy who is this dude named pat.....he plays drums for a rock band so was chatting with him...he asks what stuff is there...i say well 2-3 computers max.....when out comes karl wheeling a freaking load of computers and monitors and stuff on a trolley....i am stunned but help load in the van....i get into the van to leave and karl says wait...there are two more trolleys to go.......woohooooo!!!
so after all is loaded and done....off we go to the "studio"...its in one obscure place i may never be able to find again...we unload the stuff and take it upstairs to the "studio"....by now i am pumped with that workout and also very parched.
We head back to the school picking up some juice on the way...i spend some time replying to my many imaginary female admirers when i decide i want to do something....had planned to go for a jazz show in the night...but that started at 10:30 pm...it was 5 in the evening so needed to kill some time.....karl was busy so, despite my better judgment, i decided to go see Times Square for the heck of it.
believe me when i say it is just like Bombay...totally crowded with ppl all around you jostling and pushing.....i saw hard rock cafe....the David Letterman place and Broadway thing and other such stuff that any tourist seems so keen to look at for some reason....after an hour or so of walking around i got bored and decided to go back to karls school...(note - to anyone wanting to go to Times Square, just stand for half an hour at churchgate station...its cheaper)... i got back to school at 7:45 and karl was hungry so we decided to go get dinner....we walked around for a bit just checking places...then we thought of trying Spanish cuisine...went to one restaurant called Sevilla (yes like the football club).....and ordered our stuff...karl went for some chicken, seafood mix in rice and i went for a chicken, Spanish sausage curry type thing with rice.....i was disappointing with the service....they never gave me a glass of water...though they did give us a free salad (consisting of lettuce and some other green plants i don't recognize covered in a thick mint sauce...delicious)...and bread with butter.....im glad we had that on our table cause the main course took over 35 minutes too come...not something i'm used to in America.
the wait kinda killed the mood (plus the salad and bread kinda filled us) and we couldn't eat it all so decided to parcel the remainders.
it was 9 ish by then..so to kill some more time karl took me to a place called "Fat Cats".....nice joint....its like bowling company at phoenix mills without the crappy lights, the stupid loud noises, the crowds or the bowling :)
we played shuffle board....they had chess and table tennis and other such stuff there as well.
we were busy playing when suddenly we hear some Latin American music....i look up and see a band had come out of no where at were performing....so karl and me go to listen...it was amazing...a couple starting dancing as well......and the band was superb...lost of energy like Latin Americans :)
by 10:25 we left the place for "smalls"....that's the club where i wanted to check the jazz show. karl decided to go home as he was tired.
much like its name...its small...the owner named martin...is a short white man who stands at the door and sings old jazz tunes.....i waited outside for 10 minutes just listening to him.
i finally went in....the band was a quintet with sax, piano, trumpet, drums and double bass.
they started and it was like listening to Davis, Coltrane, the Duke, Mingus and Grupa.....great old school stuff...all of them were mind blowing...with runs and phrasing that you cannot memorize.....they followed a common format with each song.......play a few bars of the melody together and then each one solos....that's right each song...each member solos at least once.......then they all come back together and tie the groove to end it....it was outstanding
they finished their set at around 1:00.....i went up and talked to them....then made friends with the drummer.....who sat me down and gave me a few lessons....it was unbelievable!!!
i started home for the first time on my home so late in the night.....i was worried cause unlike Indian trains, the trains here don't have fixed timings...they just come. Plus i was going back by a route i had never taken.
i got my first train easily enough....it took me nearly home and then i had to change to another train....i climb a few steps here and there and finally find the platform i had to catch my train from...and whoopdedoooo...the platform is deserted....no one there.....and its dark....and a rat on the tracks made me jump with the noises it made while flitting around the plastic bags.....when suddenly i hear the echo of voices from the ticket counter upstairs...they sound like rowdy hooligans...the stuff that movies are made of....im wondering whether to just scream and run.....or be a man and fight...i decided to scream and run......but just as i open my mouth to release my superb almost tenor voice off terror...i see a light down the tunnel.....and since i wasn't dying, it had to be the train......i pray for it to hurry as i hear the voices moving down the steps towards me.
the train arrives and i jump in and close my eyes and open them only when i reach my stop...i hop off and amble very very quickly to home.
have a bath and go to sleep...
Football and Soccer
i am too exhausted to type. why?? read on -
on sat i went for another walk through the park with karl and adele and ate lunch on the other side of the park...these parks are huge so getting to the other side was crazy.
we hung around the neighborhood...checked a few yard sales and ate ice cream and then decided to return home...when on the way back adele saw this nice BIG plank of wood lying against a tree on the sidewalk....it had a note attached that said "pls take for table top counter"....
so like all women.....her genes kicked in and karl and me were turned into coolies carrying the plank of wood on our heads to the subway...it was around 3 blocks away....that's long with a plank of wood on your head.....so we keep walking and somehow manage to get it into the subway and the train and then home.
it was a lot of work...luckily we have Indian genes that make carrying stuff on your head pretty ok.
i started tampering with the TV and DVD in karls apt left by his friend who actually owns it. it hadn't been working...was trying this and that for 20 odd minutes till i stopped and thought of the stupidest reason it would not turn on....and sure enough - it was just unplugged....yes yes sounds simple...but if you saw the number of cables you would have gone mad as well.
so i got the TV working but turned it off again cause i was enthralled with a book i was reading.
the next morning (sunday) i was awakened by pitter patter...thought it was a dog running upstairs but turned out to be raindrops with an overcast sky.....i decided to fall asleep again...woke up by 10 and stood at the window...the rain had gone but sky was still overcast when adele calls and says we are going to play football (soccer to Americans) in the park...so i get my shorts on and by the time im ready the sky is bright and sunny...yaaay (crazy NY weather).....so we get to the part of the park where karl and adele usually play and see a whole bunch of people there...we divide into teams....six a side...adele and me were on the same team with 4 other Caribbean guys...karl was on the other team with a mix of Caribbean and American guys.
the game started...i played goalie cause no one else wanted to..and i was too lazy to run...adele was the only girl in the game...she was the unofficial captain of the team...but did a great job....continuously encouraging our team and shouting plays....it was fun...here are a few excerpts from the game -
Karl - Putru men...putru men!!!
Caribbean guy 1 - What are you saying maaaan??
American guy - Pass the damn ball
Adele - Kick kris kick
Caribbean guy 2 - Hey maan, whose team are you on??
Caribbean guy 3 - We have teams??
we played for around an hour...i made one dart with the ball from my goal at the end on the game to the other side...i was like black lightning :)
then i got exhausted..so decided to just stay in goal on my side....too much activity for a goan!
after the game karl, adele and me drowned ourselves in water and went off to a experimental movie thing that was happening......we arrived there by threeish by bus....we got off at a bus stop and found it was 5-6 blocks too soon.....so we started to trudge towards the place...my body was starting to feel the strain now from football....it started to pour again just as we reached the building where they were screening it......we just entered and whooosh....down came a deluge of noahic proportions...we entered the screening hall and found we had missed half of the films
caught the other half...but this was just too arty for me...it looked like ppl were just putting effects into everything....there was no dialogue, no action, no plot, and no scarlet johanssen....my eyes started to wander and spied some wine and cheese kept for those attending the screening (i mean you aren't arty without wine and cheese)....so i started to help myself to the cheese and tried the wine...didn't like the wine too much...but the different cheeses were awesome.
finally the screening was over and we decided to go nearby for lunch...caught the bus again and prayed the rains would hold for a bit....it did!!
we ate at a nice Lebanese place....really awesome food....we decided to walk to a nearby subway....my body was almost falling off by now with exhaustion.......just before the subway we saw a place called 'juniors'.....adele insisted i come in there.....we had apple pie and cheesecake and coffee...and by the time it was over...my inside was hurting as much as my outside.
so we finally decided to go home ...it was almost 8 pm...i had a hot bath and watched some TV...then read some more and dropped to bed from exhaustion.
Was awakened today morning by a frantic phone call from dad about my VISA...got it sorted and came to office...my body now really suffering from the brunt of football. we were supposed to go to a jazz club tonight....but don't think i can do it....visiting the apple store with karl as his laptop is busted and then going with him to get some film developed and then home.
im then just going to sleep
will write more as my fingers get back their feeling
on sat i went for another walk through the park with karl and adele and ate lunch on the other side of the park...these parks are huge so getting to the other side was crazy.
we hung around the neighborhood...checked a few yard sales and ate ice cream and then decided to return home...when on the way back adele saw this nice BIG plank of wood lying against a tree on the sidewalk....it had a note attached that said "pls take for table top counter"....
so like all women.....her genes kicked in and karl and me were turned into coolies carrying the plank of wood on our heads to the subway...it was around 3 blocks away....that's long with a plank of wood on your head.....so we keep walking and somehow manage to get it into the subway and the train and then home.
it was a lot of work...luckily we have Indian genes that make carrying stuff on your head pretty ok.
i started tampering with the TV and DVD in karls apt left by his friend who actually owns it. it hadn't been working...was trying this and that for 20 odd minutes till i stopped and thought of the stupidest reason it would not turn on....and sure enough - it was just unplugged....yes yes sounds simple...but if you saw the number of cables you would have gone mad as well.
so i got the TV working but turned it off again cause i was enthralled with a book i was reading.
the next morning (sunday) i was awakened by pitter patter...thought it was a dog running upstairs but turned out to be raindrops with an overcast sky.....i decided to fall asleep again...woke up by 10 and stood at the window...the rain had gone but sky was still overcast when adele calls and says we are going to play football (soccer to Americans) in the park...so i get my shorts on and by the time im ready the sky is bright and sunny...yaaay (crazy NY weather).....so we get to the part of the park where karl and adele usually play and see a whole bunch of people there...we divide into teams....six a side...adele and me were on the same team with 4 other Caribbean guys...karl was on the other team with a mix of Caribbean and American guys.
the game started...i played goalie cause no one else wanted to..and i was too lazy to run...adele was the only girl in the game...she was the unofficial captain of the team...but did a great job....continuously encouraging our team and shouting plays....it was fun...here are a few excerpts from the game -
Karl - Putru men...putru men!!!
Caribbean guy 1 - What are you saying maaaan??
American guy - Pass the damn ball
Adele - Kick kris kick
Caribbean guy 2 - Hey maan, whose team are you on??
Caribbean guy 3 - We have teams??
we played for around an hour...i made one dart with the ball from my goal at the end on the game to the other side...i was like black lightning :)
then i got exhausted..so decided to just stay in goal on my side....too much activity for a goan!
after the game karl, adele and me drowned ourselves in water and went off to a experimental movie thing that was happening......we arrived there by threeish by bus....we got off at a bus stop and found it was 5-6 blocks too soon.....so we started to trudge towards the place...my body was starting to feel the strain now from football....it started to pour again just as we reached the building where they were screening it......we just entered and whooosh....down came a deluge of noahic proportions...we entered the screening hall and found we had missed half of the films
caught the other half...but this was just too arty for me...it looked like ppl were just putting effects into everything....there was no dialogue, no action, no plot, and no scarlet johanssen....my eyes started to wander and spied some wine and cheese kept for those attending the screening (i mean you aren't arty without wine and cheese)....so i started to help myself to the cheese and tried the wine...didn't like the wine too much...but the different cheeses were awesome.
finally the screening was over and we decided to go nearby for lunch...caught the bus again and prayed the rains would hold for a bit....it did!!
we ate at a nice Lebanese place....really awesome food....we decided to walk to a nearby subway....my body was almost falling off by now with exhaustion.......just before the subway we saw a place called 'juniors'.....adele insisted i come in there.....we had apple pie and cheesecake and coffee...and by the time it was over...my inside was hurting as much as my outside.
so we finally decided to go home ...it was almost 8 pm...i had a hot bath and watched some TV...then read some more and dropped to bed from exhaustion.
Was awakened today morning by a frantic phone call from dad about my VISA...got it sorted and came to office...my body now really suffering from the brunt of football. we were supposed to go to a jazz club tonight....but don't think i can do it....visiting the apple store with karl as his laptop is busted and then going with him to get some film developed and then home.
im then just going to sleep
will write more as my fingers get back their feeling
A walk through the park
yesterday didn't do too much again. went in the evening to a place called union square....there was a country band playing....some old couples were dancing in the area in front of the band..so that was cute.
after the country band there were two guys....one playing a sarangi (not sure what this called) and the other playing a 'box' (a percussion instrument)...they were nice.
then came home and adele cooked some yummy dinner for me...had corn on the cob for starters..followed by rice and lentils and mushroom...with a big slice of chocolaty brownie to bring it home....ohhh and cold iced tea to wash it all down :)
superb....then headed to karls apartment and read for a bit.....then slept.
woke up today morning...more like afternoon cause i slept till 1:30 :)
heated some lentils and rice adele gave me and added some guacamole dip with chip crumbs....excellent...
was about to leave for karls office when adele called and said she had nothing to do...so we went for a long walk in prospect park...opposite the building.....finally saw a big part of the park...its so beautiful...its supposed to be better than central park...though the latter is more famous...it got waterfalls and bridges and a lake where "DOGS CAN SWIM"...yes dogs can jump in and escape the heat...they got all the luck.....plus there was a huge old fashioned carousel.....mainly for kids...but anyone can ride on it....wanted to go but my tummy gets queasy and had a big lunch....so decided against it.....so adele didn't go on as well!!!...it was managed by a nice old jewish guy who tried to convince me to go on.....i cant tell you all the stuff he was saying...its embarrassing...but it was funny :)
anyways walked to the other side of the park...where the richer section of the area lives...mainly white people...go figure :)
walked along there and browsed some stores with adele...then she got some yogurt....it was too acidic for my tastebuds..so i passed....we walked back home through the park and here i am.
waiting for karl to get home...till then i will go back to sleep i guess...i haven't had a afternoon siesta for a while,,,,im losing my goaness..maybe a good shot of omum water is also on the cards :)
after the country band there were two guys....one playing a sarangi (not sure what this called) and the other playing a 'box' (a percussion instrument)...they were nice.
then came home and adele cooked some yummy dinner for me...had corn on the cob for starters..followed by rice and lentils and mushroom...with a big slice of chocolaty brownie to bring it home....ohhh and cold iced tea to wash it all down :)
superb....then headed to karls apartment and read for a bit.....then slept.
woke up today morning...more like afternoon cause i slept till 1:30 :)
heated some lentils and rice adele gave me and added some guacamole dip with chip crumbs....excellent...
was about to leave for karls office when adele called and said she had nothing to do...so we went for a long walk in prospect park...opposite the building.....finally saw a big part of the park...its so beautiful...its supposed to be better than central park...though the latter is more famous...it got waterfalls and bridges and a lake where "DOGS CAN SWIM"...yes dogs can jump in and escape the heat...they got all the luck.....plus there was a huge old fashioned carousel.....mainly for kids...but anyone can ride on it....wanted to go but my tummy gets queasy and had a big lunch....so decided against it.....so adele didn't go on as well!!!...it was managed by a nice old jewish guy who tried to convince me to go on.....i cant tell you all the stuff he was saying...its embarrassing...but it was funny :)
anyways walked to the other side of the park...where the richer section of the area lives...mainly white people...go figure :)
walked along there and browsed some stores with adele...then she got some yogurt....it was too acidic for my tastebuds..so i passed....we walked back home through the park and here i am.
waiting for karl to get home...till then i will go back to sleep i guess...i haven't had a afternoon siesta for a while,,,,im losing my goaness..maybe a good shot of omum water is also on the cards :)
Screening Brownies
karl has gone to Virginia till Friday for some work....so yesterday evening was wondering what i was going to do after working (by working i mean mailing you) from karls office, when adele gave me a call and asked if i wanted to watch a short film by her friend in the evening.....so definitely said yet...i want to be more arty....so left the office at 4:30...went home to pick up the laundry we had given in (a process we follow due to the bed bug thing..playing safe)...then met up with adele and came to NYU where they were screening the film.
(*a brief history.....if New School University (karls school) is GOA...then NYU is mangie....so was a weird trip of loyalties as i entered that place)
anyways we got there at around 7 and was a nice little screening room in the school....20 odd people had come..so was almost full house. i didn't know what to expect for this film....cause Ive seen a lot off short films....and some off them are...well.....like Thai iced tea (in other words not what i expected...in otherer words weird :))
well first thing they handed us a feedback sheet for the film with qs like...what scene you liked best...what scene was worst / unnecessary...etc
so at 7:04 they started the film.....the director was this one Vietnamese American young lady....like adele
the movie was based on a true story and was about this old guy who had lung cancer and was dying, his wife had passed away earlier, and he had a autistic son who needed taking care of.....so the movie was about how this father is desperately asking neighbors to take care of him...approaching a special place for these type of people ...and other such things.....nothing seems to work out and the father starts to get desperate as to what to do. so lots of drama and stuff in between and at the end....(which totally surprised me)...the father takes his son and sits in the car and they kill themselves with carbon monoxide poisoning.....i was super shocked....never expected it.....maybe im not giving a good gist of the film...but there was awesome scenes...outstanding direction.....you need to see it.....like in the start the father is shaving his son...and starts coughing cause of his sickness and accidentally cuts his son and then dumps the razor in the water cup..and you see the blood swirl...stuff like that!!
after the screening...which lasted 20 minutes..there was a Qs\Ans round.....the director was looking for feedback...everyone gave their two pence....some good suggestions...some i thought were pointless.....anyways we all also filled the feedback form and then adele and me left.
we decided to stop over at a diner and try the burgers that are supposed to be amazing...was overstuffed by the time we finished....and was walking to the subway when we passed "strand bookstore"...adele thought i should visit it
outside the store they had racks of books...all going for a dollar....i was like wow.....i didn't know what to pick up.....adele kept handing me books she thought id like...shes sweet.....i was hardly through browsing 5 racks when adele says we should go inside......any book lover would cry at this place.....there were racks and racks of books...reaching to the ceiling.....you needed ladders to reach the top shelves...and books about everything.....i spent an hour just browsing through the music books section....saw loads on the Beatles and one cool one on sting.
adele was checking the film section...she showed me a few nice ones and then told me..this was just one floor....the bookstore had two more apparently....i was like HAHAHAHAHAHAHA...you got to be kidding :)
but i noticed new yorkers really read a lot.....on the subways you always find ppl with books
anyways decided to finally head home....i stopped over at her place and she made some guacamole dip with chips and brownies (the brownies were a totally seperate entity from teh guacamole and chips of course) :)
went to karls place at 12 ish had a bath...opened a book and read till 1:30...then fell asleep...
woke up in the morning with some woman knocking on my door asking to sign a petition to allow a arts and crafts fair in the street.....i said cool...why not?
looked at the clock and noticed it was 12:30 in the afternoon...i really slept...maybe its cause my body is still running at Indian time and when its morning here its night there...
anyways get a call from adele asking me to come to her place as she made lentil soup and brownies....so i brush my teeth...do one and a half push ups (after all i am arm candy here so wanna keep that image) and went to her place.....yummy lentil soup and chocolaty brownies later i come here to karls office.
lets see what today has in store
(*a brief history.....if New School University (karls school) is GOA...then NYU is mangie....so was a weird trip of loyalties as i entered that place)
anyways we got there at around 7 and was a nice little screening room in the school....20 odd people had come..so was almost full house. i didn't know what to expect for this film....cause Ive seen a lot off short films....and some off them are...well.....like Thai iced tea (in other words not what i expected...in otherer words weird :))
well first thing they handed us a feedback sheet for the film with qs like...what scene you liked best...what scene was worst / unnecessary...etc
so at 7:04 they started the film.....the director was this one Vietnamese American young lady....like adele
the movie was based on a true story and was about this old guy who had lung cancer and was dying, his wife had passed away earlier, and he had a autistic son who needed taking care of.....so the movie was about how this father is desperately asking neighbors to take care of him...approaching a special place for these type of people ...and other such things.....nothing seems to work out and the father starts to get desperate as to what to do. so lots of drama and stuff in between and at the end....(which totally surprised me)...the father takes his son and sits in the car and they kill themselves with carbon monoxide poisoning.....i was super shocked....never expected it.....maybe im not giving a good gist of the film...but there was awesome scenes...outstanding direction.....you need to see it.....like in the start the father is shaving his son...and starts coughing cause of his sickness and accidentally cuts his son and then dumps the razor in the water cup..and you see the blood swirl...stuff like that!!
after the screening...which lasted 20 minutes..there was a Qs\Ans round.....the director was looking for feedback...everyone gave their two pence....some good suggestions...some i thought were pointless.....anyways we all also filled the feedback form and then adele and me left.
we decided to stop over at a diner and try the burgers that are supposed to be amazing...was overstuffed by the time we finished....and was walking to the subway when we passed "strand bookstore"...adele thought i should visit it
outside the store they had racks of books...all going for a dollar....i was like wow.....i didn't know what to pick up.....adele kept handing me books she thought id like...shes sweet.....i was hardly through browsing 5 racks when adele says we should go inside......any book lover would cry at this place.....there were racks and racks of books...reaching to the ceiling.....you needed ladders to reach the top shelves...and books about everything.....i spent an hour just browsing through the music books section....saw loads on the Beatles and one cool one on sting.
adele was checking the film section...she showed me a few nice ones and then told me..this was just one floor....the bookstore had two more apparently....i was like HAHAHAHAHAHAHA...you got to be kidding :)
but i noticed new yorkers really read a lot.....on the subways you always find ppl with books
anyways decided to finally head home....i stopped over at her place and she made some guacamole dip with chips and brownies (the brownies were a totally seperate entity from teh guacamole and chips of course) :)
went to karls place at 12 ish had a bath...opened a book and read till 1:30...then fell asleep...
woke up in the morning with some woman knocking on my door asking to sign a petition to allow a arts and crafts fair in the street.....i said cool...why not?
looked at the clock and noticed it was 12:30 in the afternoon...i really slept...maybe its cause my body is still running at Indian time and when its morning here its night there...
anyways get a call from adele asking me to come to her place as she made lentil soup and brownies....so i brush my teeth...do one and a half push ups (after all i am arm candy here so wanna keep that image) and went to her place.....yummy lentil soup and chocolaty brownies later i come here to karls office.
lets see what today has in store
Jazz and Lime with Marsalis
well yesterday the entire day was pretty droll and dreary....after spending the afternoon at school, i headed home by 8 in the evening (its still bright out here) and as soon as i stepped into the building at home it started to pour....and i mean really heavy rain....the showers lasted a while but i was very sleepy and saw an empty couch in the living room and being goan just had to use it properly.
at around 9:30 pm karl calls me and says there is some jazz show happening in the neighborhood....he didn't seem too excited about it but decided to go anyways....we pick up adele on the way and headed to the place.
it was in a nice club called lime....they had stringent security checks at the door by a big African American man.....even the airports are not that stringent :)
well we finally through and i hear the faint hums and strums from the back of the club...we go there and just then a drum solo erupts...this drummer is tall thin wears glasses and is tripping on the kit...i was flying listening to him....he goes on for 3-4 minutes and i am blown away...then the band joins in and they wind down the song....there was a drummer and sax guy who was a thin white man with a hat and a light beard (leading the band) and a keyboardist who looks like loy from the indian group (shankar essan and loy) :)
anyways they announced that the band was taking a break as they had finished thhe first set...we arrived late :(
adele knew the sax guy and was talking to him..she introduced me...his name is john....i asked him about the rest of the band...and turns out they are all really professional guys who charge a bomb...most are from different bands but since they were all in town at the same time decided to jam up for one gig.....and the awesome drummer was Jason Marsalis from the MARSALIS FAMILY.....for those who don't know much about jazz....the MARSALIS family is to jazz what the bachchan family is to bollywood...except 10 times more popular.....i was too awestruck to talk to Jason right then so slipped to the backdoor yard of the place to eat chicken wings being barbecued and to gather my confidence.
after we done with dinner...we returned to the band...they were just beginning the second set...this time a guitarist joined them as well....they were wild...each song improvised and each musician doing a killer solo.
they ended the set with their cover of Georgia by Ray Charles.....mind blowing.
after the show i chatted with most of them (and got pics of course) and met Jason...though the guitarist was the nicest and sat with me for almost 20-30 mins...just talking...but they were all great guys...no ego's and all!!!
after the gig it was around 1 am and karl, adele and me decided to go home...we passed a Caribbean bakery and bought some chicken patties...were different from the Bombay ones....but nice.
then we headed home.
the bug exterminator came in the morning to do a second round...so we had to leave.
the sky is all cloudy like its going to rain...nice and cool.
sitting in my bros office....lets see what happens today :)
at around 9:30 pm karl calls me and says there is some jazz show happening in the neighborhood....he didn't seem too excited about it but decided to go anyways....we pick up adele on the way and headed to the place.
it was in a nice club called lime....they had stringent security checks at the door by a big African American man.....even the airports are not that stringent :)
well we finally through and i hear the faint hums and strums from the back of the club...we go there and just then a drum solo erupts...this drummer is tall thin wears glasses and is tripping on the kit...i was flying listening to him....he goes on for 3-4 minutes and i am blown away...then the band joins in and they wind down the song....there was a drummer and sax guy who was a thin white man with a hat and a light beard (leading the band) and a keyboardist who looks like loy from the indian group (shankar essan and loy) :)
anyways they announced that the band was taking a break as they had finished thhe first set...we arrived late :(
adele knew the sax guy and was talking to him..she introduced me...his name is john....i asked him about the rest of the band...and turns out they are all really professional guys who charge a bomb...most are from different bands but since they were all in town at the same time decided to jam up for one gig.....and the awesome drummer was Jason Marsalis from the MARSALIS FAMILY.....for those who don't know much about jazz....the MARSALIS family is to jazz what the bachchan family is to bollywood...except 10 times more popular.....i was too awestruck to talk to Jason right then so slipped to the backdoor yard of the place to eat chicken wings being barbecued and to gather my confidence.
after we done with dinner...we returned to the band...they were just beginning the second set...this time a guitarist joined them as well....they were wild...each song improvised and each musician doing a killer solo.
they ended the set with their cover of Georgia by Ray Charles.....mind blowing.
after the show i chatted with most of them (and got pics of course) and met Jason...though the guitarist was the nicest and sat with me for almost 20-30 mins...just talking...but they were all great guys...no ego's and all!!!
after the gig it was around 1 am and karl, adele and me decided to go home...we passed a Caribbean bakery and bought some chicken patties...were different from the Bombay ones....but nice.
then we headed home.
the bug exterminator came in the morning to do a second round...so we had to leave.
the sky is all cloudy like its going to rain...nice and cool.
sitting in my bros office....lets see what happens today :)
Karl's Exhibition - Getting Arty
On Saturday evening i went for an exhibition of karls interactive work. it was held in this nice warehouse place that doubled as a club with a whole bunch of other artists as well showcasing their work...so there were paintings and pictures and photos and sculptures in the main hall (have taken pics don't worry)....karl was also set up here...his thing was based on a camera that captured a person when he/she stood in front of it and then was projected on the screen in front.....however karl was drinking fenni and added some extra garam masala...where the images were looped....and forwarded and rewinded.....so even a slight movement in front o
f the camera looked like you were moving in pieces and not one smooth movement...not sure how to explain this to you properly...but all the people loved it.....they were doing lots of silly things....it was fun....karl also had a super 8 camera set up on a stand generally in the middle of the exhibition to take stop motion film...but people thought it was part of the event and kept looking through it...that was super funny :)They also had bands performing in the next room and screenings of short films.....the bands were nice...but honestly i cant begin to describe what some ppl consider art in terms of short films.....one film was 12 minutes of pure static that occasionally changed its appearance...but was still static....its like getting a dolphin to scrabble paint on a sheet of paper and selling that as art (which happened in Dubai btw :))....they also had a BBQ set up...so ate some burgers and hot dogs and cheese balls and stuff....so overall nice event...thought it would be all arty farty but was like a party...though got a glimpse of the arty pants ppl in the neighborhood...all he guys generally wear really tight jeans and hand painted t shirts...like their distinctive style....crazy :)
Also met karls friend from school - anoushka who came for the exhibition...she seemed to remember me somehow but didn't recognize me :)....so while karl spent all his time talking to his fans i hung out with her...was nice to speak to someone with an Indian accent and not those fake American ones (though in fairness i guess we need to put on fake accents otherwise Americans don't understand a word we say) overall good night...full tight and we retired for the day at 12ish
woke up late yesterday morning...it was Sunday and we were supposed to go play football in the park (soccer if you American)...but karl and me were too lazy and plus my knee still slightly busted.....so we ended up going for a late lunch....yummy in my tummy....then dropped off some film equipment at new school and then went for movies...first we watched 'wall-e'.....super movie...then karl was adamant on watching 'wasted'...an Angelina Jolie starer.....we had time to kill after wall-e so went for a short walk and saw the empire state building...will be going to the top soon......anyways back to the theater and after the movie went for some
Korean BBQ buffet...they charge by the pound...but the food was amazing.....i tried to convince them to add xacuti and sorpotel to the menu.....they just might :) reached back home at 11 pm...and adele was back from her camping trip...she had plucked a bagful of wild raspberries so ate them for dessert and she shown us pics of her camping trip....it looked fun...completely ignored mochi so she started sulking in a corner :) went to sleep and woke up today and came to karls office to finish some more work....don't think too much happening today.....but who knows...this is NY :)
Kungfu Salsa
Today i went for lunch with Adele and another friend of her's named Daniel....hes half chinese-half american and knows kung fu and all....so pakaoed him to teach me some tricks...i am now a weapon of mass destruction and can render a man unconscious with a single finger.....i still haven't gotten to fighting against women though...apparently daniel isn't that advanced yet :)Anyways, we went to a nice Chinese place....really nice food....more like 5 spice and less like the roadside "chinase" stalls :)
Also it was all veg...cause Daniel was trying to change his diet...so i thought i would support him....yes laugh laugh :)
After lunch Adele headed off to her office and Daniel asked me to hang with him...we went to his apartment nearby...his girlfriend is like a jazz singer so his house is flooded with musical instruments....we jammed for a bit.
After a
while our ego's clashed and our band broke up (like the Beatles)....we decided to end amicably and visited a nearby apple store....i saw and played with the new apple iphone and the laptops and ipods and everything else there.After a while my thumbs got sore from all that exercise and we left to check out two different art galleries showing kick ass work by a Japanese artist...he did his work using ash...it was marvelous.
After getting our arty selves wired, we decided to go for a short walk. Daniel kept telling me the history of the place and how things had changed. We were passing through this shopping mall (that was themed li
ke a crumbling building) and saw a sign for free salsa classes...well as two good looking guys with nothing we do...we decided to go for it....it was fun.....practiced my Spanish on two ladies from Ecuador and Spain....they understood me...so i must be pretty decent at it.Then went shopping for some stuff with Adele and finally home...she is nice..making me sandwich for my help :)
Into the wild
Well after i finally recovered from that flight...we went with my bros friend for a nice hike....a guy named Emrey who used to be a guitar player in a major metal band in turkey...very cool fellow. We took a hour long train ride to some nice small town...it looks exactly like the movies....the town is full of nice people and small shops and stuff like that...and everyone is friendly and knows each other....actually everyone here in NY is very friendly...and i mean to ppl in general...like to waiters and sweepers and other people who mumbaikars tend to be very rude too.....that's what i like best about firangis...they are courteous to everyone :) 
Anyways back to the hike....we stopped at the town and had a quick second breakfast for our strength......then was 20 minute walk to the trail for the trek....luckily was a weekday so the trail was empty except for a few we kept bumping into now and then...but after Bombay crowds nothing can get crowded anyways.
There are like 3-4 different paths you can take for the trek...each of a different distance....we chose the shortest one which was about 2.5 hours one way, as we needed to
get back and catch the train....it was the most beautiful trek i have ever been on....really felt close to nature....my bro and Emrey both teach at film school..so my bro brought some cameras and was doing something called stop motion film...will send it to you when he develops the roll on Monday...and Emrey is a sound guy...so had gotten some heavy duty recorder and was recording the sounds of the forest...all the birds and bugs and trees and water....it was nice!! we kept taking breaks during our trek just to enjoy things around us...i loved trekking with those fellows...they were not rushing but enjoying it!! After the trek we caught the 7 o clock train to NY..when my bro decided he wanted to watch a film....so instead of heading home..we go to the multiplex and get tickets for Hancock...it was an ok movie.....the t
heaters here play like loads of ads and previews before the movie...so if you thought Bombay was bad...think again....:) Hancock got over at 11:30 ppm...when my bro decided we should try and sneak into the movie Hellboy and watch that one as well...so well, we did :)....hey for the ticket prices we deserve two movies....hellboy was really nice....we finally left the theater at 1:30 odd in the morning. I hadn't had dinner...so my bro took me to a place nearby for pizza....yummy :) NY was buzzing....well till 3, when my bro and me finally headed home. I went to sleep and woke in the afternoon ......went to get my phone sim card and some other work...then returned to my bros girlfriends apartment to watch a movie. at 7 ish in the evening we went for a nice walk in the park just opposite....its superb...not like the parks in Bombay...these parks are awesome! then we just got home and was helping bro make dinner. didn't do too much yesterday as my bro was not feeling too well....so just did some light shopping for groceries and such...were supposed to go to his friends wedding reception (in a bar...HAHAHAHAHH) and then to a jazz club.....but will do that some other time, we had an
infestation of bed bugs....apparently that's a big deal here. so had to send all the bed linen and all my clothes (even ones i didn't wear) to the laundry...just in case there were bug eggs there....they like chicken eggs..except invisible to the naked eye and taste like bacon apparently :) watched a movie on DVD called anchorman......saw it before, but wanted to watch it again as it was soooooo funny. You need to watch it.
New York New York New York
phew 14 hours on the lane to NY is just too much for me....i was queasy the entire trip and the ride wasn't what i call comfortable....really don't know how i survived.
anyways...met with my bro...nice place but found out the bed had bed bugs so had to sleep on the couch...and will continue to do so ill the exterminator comes in next week....after the 14 hour plane ride the small couch is pretty much the same as the airline seat...except more comfortable...so no worries there.
my bros girlfriend has a nice black cat with green eyes...just like in the movies....its really cute...you will love it...clicked a few pics of it...will send when i can.....i played hard to get with it for a while by refusing to pet her...no matter how cute she tried to be....rubbing against my leg and licking my hand....yes i am mean...but finally had to give in!!
anyways...met with my bro...nice place but found out the bed had bed bugs so had to sleep on the couch...and will continue to do so ill the exterminator comes in next week....after the 14 hour plane ride the small couch is pretty much the same as the airline seat...except more comfortable...so no worries there.
my bros girlfriend has a nice black cat with green eyes...just like in the movies....its really cute...you will love it...clicked a few pics of it...will send when i can.....i played hard to get with it for a while by refusing to pet her...no matter how cute she tried to be....rubbing against my leg and licking my hand....yes i am mean...but finally had to give in!!
Goodbye Dubai
July 8th
Went for a nice dolphin show today...was pretty good fun....they had seals as well...an animal lover like yourself would have freaked out.....in a good way....after the show, we posed with the dophins for a pic....they charged a bomb for the pic...but my uncle said it was a once in a lifetime deal....like getting married....so he decided we shld go for it.....will be putting them up on facebook soon!
Went for a nice dolphin show today...was pretty good fun....they had seals as well...an animal lover like yourself would have freaked out.....in a good way....after the show, we posed with the dophins for a pic....they charged a bomb for the pic...but my uncle said it was a once in a lifetime deal....like getting married....so he decided we shld go for it.....will be putting them up on facebook soon!
didnt do much else today as my uncle had to work and so stayed at his flat and did a few chores around the house...then kicked back and watched some TV......ahh travelled all this way to dubai, just to do the same thing i do in bombay......kinda reaffirms why people think im crazy!!!
tom will be flying to NY....its like a 14 hour flight.....wish you were with me now more than ever....you could hold my hand...rub vicks on my chest...and sing me the bunny song.....sigh.....but im gonna see if they upgrade me to first class cause im goan...else ill just have to say i know remo fernandes......i dont like to use influence....but this is an emergency!!
i guess thats all for now....the next time i mail i will be in NY
so till then..
Of Sheikhs and Sheekh Kebabs
July 5th
yesterday couldnt do much in dubai as was feeling unwell....you already know about the bus incident...and i hardly slept as i had to attend my baby cousin aneeshas birthday party in the afternoon..she turned 5 :)...after the party went back to my uncle russels place and crashed....watched a movie at home in the night cause didnt want to go out of the house...even my uncle russel was tired as he was awake waiting for my call so he could pick me up from where the bus dropped me off in dubai.
today on the other hand was more fun...went with my uncle russel and his wife kimberly and met up with my two cousins who are also in dubai...one is aneesha age 5 and her bro leon age 12. they are`really good fun. aneesha is really full of masti fasti and leon is the calm cool caring elder brother (like me :))
we went to some huge shopping mall....called imd wemeida or something...all these arabic names confuse me.
so we enter and go to this gamin zone...where we spend a good part of two hours trying to win some stuff that we dont :)
then we walk on to the food court and have some yum yum lunch..i had some thai stuff...very nice....and then after lunch i think we done with the mall...but my wonderful cousin leon says that the mall is just starting and we havent gone anywhere yet...it makes me wonder about the size of indian malls!!!
anyways so on we trudge...when my uncles wife, kimberely, decides she wants to shop for clothes...so as the boys make a hasty retreat to the mens loo...kimberely and my cousin aneesha enter the terrain where no men dare to go, especially if they are carrying cash they dont intend on spending.
anyways after a good 15 mins, we think she is done but find her still looking through racks of stuff. finaly after a lot of superficial sighing she leaves the store and we walk on through the mall.
this particualr mall is divided into sections related to each country...so first you have "china"...where all the architecture, etc is related to china...then we have "india"...and so on.....it was fun...before you know it...its 6 o clock...so we decide to leave and go to another place called dubai creek...
believe me...you will love this place...if you havent seen it...its sprawling grass (that you can actually walk on, most other places with grass in mumbai have "no walking on grass" signs if you know)....and has a beautiful creek and wooden benches and a special place where you can go on a camel or horse or pony ride....was super peaceful to just sit and be!!
we roamed the zone and took lots of pics (i will upload soon)......they even had bicycles you could rent and roam the place with...what surpirsed me was how clean and devoid of crowds such a place was...even though it was a holiday....in bombay it probably would have been full of garbage and people by now.
we stayed til around 8:30...then decided to go home as my uncle and his wife have work tom....just finished with dinner and am heading to sleep soon.
wil mail when i get a chance to next.
To Dubai
4th July
in dubai...finally....missed the initial bus from abu dabhi to dubai and had to wait an hour for the next one...but so far so good...its just like bombay...tall buildings.....construction work 24/7....traffic jams..and taxi drivers that refuse to go where you ask them :)
in dubai...finally....missed the initial bus from abu dabhi to dubai and had to wait an hour for the next one...but so far so good...its just like bombay...tall buildings.....construction work 24/7....traffic jams..and taxi drivers that refuse to go where you ask them :)
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