tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33679042003803730102011-09-17T03:32:19.635-07:00Because life isn't about micro-managing the universeRobinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comBlogger231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-82264531119237925892009-01-16T23:27:00.000-08:002010-03-20T10:42:21.019-07:00

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Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-54229881848475008452007-08-17T03:31:00.000-07:002007-08-17T03:52:47.690-07:00

I never got to blog about this while in India, but I wanted to share this with you. I was in a computer lab, the only one in Kashmir where I went to hike in the Himalayas. Not too far from Dal Lake, the center of the small town on the outskirts of Shrinagar, I was there, not too long ago, checking work emails, personal emails, my blog, and most sadly, my return ticket to New Delhi which would

Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-3873309855637045822007-05-29T20:25:00.000-07:002007-05-30T19:48:00.787-07:00

I was still ancy being so far away from my Uttar Pradesh. But the weather was beautiful and breezy, a zen paradise high above the busy villages below. The greens shimmered through my window as dawn came over my room. The cows were up and I could hear their bells ringing from the north side of the house. I knew Mama, as I called Manzoor's mom, was downstairs baking fresh bread and preparing our

Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-46007126627258866292007-05-29T20:07:00.001-07:002009-10-20T17:36:59.978-07:00

A bit of time has passed since my last post, but India is still in my heart, beating like the drums I heard that first night in Agra. Everything is as fresh in my mind as if it happened just yesterday which is a beautiful thing, but it also hurts like heartbreak. I have been reflecting each day, how my life woke up from a dream, into this incredible other-world called India. It touches you at

Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-50061102438676785882007-05-14T19:54:00.000-07:002010-03-20T10:38:00.747-07:00

I am writing these blogs now, post-mortem, having arrived back from India a couple of weeks ago, but the memories are still so fresh in my mind and most I had written by hand when the internet was not available. People have been asking me if I really took all of the photos you see here of India. Of course I did! I didn't invest all that moola in the new Cybershot to google images and then cut and

Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-32175204748108750192007-05-07T23:19:00.000-07:002007-05-29T20:07:17.554-07:00

"I don't do parents very well", I said, fibbing nervously to Manzoor while shifting my weight from foot to foot.Manzoor looks at me exasperated, not really understanding what he was hearing. He was suggesting that I stay with his family who owns a bed and breakfast in Shrinagar. But it was my birthday week and I was tired of the ordinary hotels I had been staying at in Delhi and parts of

Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-50062070484074204222007-05-02T21:21:00.000-07:002007-05-03T10:09:36.278-07:00

Kashir India.... hmmm... I know I know this place. Why can't I remember the history?! As we checked in at the airport, I realized where we were going exactly when I looked down at our boarding passes "Destination Srinagar- Kashmir India". Kashmir, I repeated in my head, knowing it was a historically significant location, and with a sad history. I was annoyed with myself for not having a better

Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-64206499606694160622007-05-02T19:49:00.000-07:002007-05-02T20:43:42.012-07:00

Eating in India was culinary ecstacy. I knew the food was going to be good, but I never guessed that every meal would be a celebration of savory goodness.Eating in India is a revered part of the day, and people don't eat to stuff themselves, they eat to nourish, replenish and enjoy the ritual of eating. Prior to arriving, I knew that eating would be far from Western practice. Eating with your

Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-44321594497308885722007-04-30T23:48:00.000-07:002007-05-01T09:32:01.542-07:00

With a day free before leaving for Kashmir, I joined Manzoor for a tour of the Lodhi Gardens in New Delhi. I was excited to see another side of New Delhi that was less frantic and a mellow respite from the busy city life. Tossing my luggage into the back of a large taxi van, I prepared to meet up with Manzoor around 3pm, after deciding to leave for Kashmir the next day. Mr. Dinesh the bell boy

Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-29430111050251852002007-04-24T00:08:00.000-07:002007-05-01T00:17:28.730-07:00

7:00 am, New Delhi: The shriek of the hotel phone had not stopped all morning. With the wedding festivities over, I was exhausted and wanted to sleep in for once. At least until 10am. It had been ringing so much that I wanted to rip it out of the wall, just to get some peace and quiet. Who the hell is it? I thought, furious and slamming the pillow over my head. One of the calls was my mom- it was

Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-86608843285656186192007-04-23T15:24:00.000-07:002007-05-02T21:08:07.997-07:00

At last, the pictures of the wedding! Click here for the slide show photo blog:"Prepare yourself for a long day." I was warned by Maneesha the day before at the engagement party. Indian weddings are long drawn out occasions that can last all day for several days. Because Shalini is Sikh and Rajiv is Hindu, this wedding will be a blend of both traditions and the ceremony will be

Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-4010697621686655102007-04-22T15:39:00.000-07:002007-04-26T01:15:49.951-07:00

Rajiv called early with a wake up call, "Namaskar! Are you still sleep?""Namaste! No, I'm awake", I slurred sleepily."Ok, good". So do you want to come shopping today? Me and Renu will pick you up and you can get a few things for the wedding. To wear.""Sounds great, what time?" I asked."We will pick you up in about 2 hours at Cafe Coffee Day near your hotel.""Perfect, see you there". I hung up

Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-52294504092816140392007-04-22T14:47:00.000-07:002007-04-23T14:58:24.369-07:00

I woke up early to a symphonic overture of operatic peacocks, laughing monkeys, and the percussion of parrots wings flapping past my window. It was daybreak in Jaipur and sleeping in would be blasphemous. Feeling peaceful and pensive, it was a great morning to meditate as the morning sun streamed into my room,"Om, shanti, om shanti, om shanti shanti Om", I sang, feeling whole and at peace.After a

Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-34684433994457926602007-04-15T05:05:00.000-07:002007-05-01T17:09:43.650-07:00

After crashing quite early the night before, I wake up early again, still recovering from a jetlag hangover. I wake up at 6am, wash a few clothes out in the sink, shower, and head upstairs to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. This time I am staying at the Mandawas Haveli, a gorgeous hotel in the bustling city of Jaipur. Now this is what I’m talking about. It’s a hidden treasure, that looks like

Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-40423405706963345682007-04-15T04:39:00.000-07:002007-04-22T18:52:18.893-07:00

Before I get out of the car, Chander my driver warns, “Don’t talk to anybody. There are going to be many people inside trying to get you to do a tour or pay money inside the mosque. You do not need to do this, Ok? Don’t talk to anybody, just go see mosque, come out, ok?” Everyone wants to be my daddy, I thought. But I heeded his words and warily entered the mosque with my poker face

Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-17881798652417893332007-04-14T01:52:00.000-07:002007-04-23T22:34:34.648-07:00

12:00 AM: Tuesday morning(For all of the beautiful photos, click here for my photo blog of the Taj Mahal)After a blissful dinner at the Amar Villas, I had returned to the hotel, which, was unfortunately a let down. The service at the hotel left much to be desired although at first sight, I did like the hotel room. It was roomy and had space for a lounge area, and claimed to get WiFi service. Well

Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-27540614174595237952007-04-14T01:11:00.000-07:002007-05-01T17:10:02.960-07:00

I woke up 'bright and early' as the saying goes, ready to get the heck outta Delhi. My driver wouldn’t be at my hotel until 10am, per my request, thinking I’d want to sleep in late. It was only 6am and I couldn’t sleep any longer in the sheet-burrito I had wrapped myself in to keep the mosquitoes offa me. I woke up, did some meditating, trying to get that high I get when I’m at church, but church

Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-26980042548177220522007-04-09T07:42:00.000-07:002007-04-22T20:00:21.029-07:00

We stopped off first at a flower mart at about 7am. It was filled with hundreds of flower vendors, all of them men. There weren't many shoppers at that time, as a matter of fact, we were probably the only ones there but because of the hundreds of vendors, it was hard to notice the lopsided ratio. Rajiv warned me of the stares that I would get, but this was RIDICULOUS! I felt like Beyonce in

Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-8138397002592395742007-04-09T02:47:00.000-07:002007-04-09T08:29:04.789-07:00

I arrived in India this morning at 3:30 am after a loooooong flight. One leg was 10 hours, the other, about 7 and a half with a stop over in Frankfurt. The flight itself wasn't too bad. Being able to sleep on a dime, it wasn't too hard for me to zonk myself out once I got comfortable. Rajiv is quite clever- anticipating that the flight was not full, he recommended that we wait until everyone

Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-57995486129320400822007-04-02T13:42:00.000-07:002007-04-02T17:47:59.451-07:00

This past Friday was an amazing precursor to next Saturday's departure. We had a new member dinner at Agape where I attend church and it was such an uplifting experience. I arrived exhausted and without much of an appetite, not feeling particularly social and focusing on the things that I had to do over the weekend. However, the fellowship of our new member class and the new friends met over the

Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-60244951705735826612007-03-29T22:12:00.000-07:002007-03-29T22:49:17.278-07:00

Reality shows still pervade the networks, it really isn't the dying fad that I predicted it would be back when Survivor was new hotness and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy made gay the new black. Little did I know that those would someday be classics. Now the reality shows are Top Nobodies. Top Model, Top Chef, Top Apprentice, Top Fatties, Top Skinnies, Top Nannies, Top Trannies, you name it.

Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-674515788107755482007-03-26T16:41:00.000-07:002007-03-30T09:16:28.310-07:00

Namaskar! (Thats Hindi for "hello") So I'm quickly discovering that there are several key preparations neccesary for a trip to India. Most of them unexpected and quite costly. I would recommend saving about $3,000 for the entire trip. And that includes EVERYTHING. First, I had to get my passport renewed. Although it will not expire until June of 2007, in order to travel to India one must have a

Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367904200380373010.post-78713387236805292712007-03-23T22:00:00.000-07:002007-03-29T21:46:12.224-07:00

"I want freedom for the full expression of my personality." - Mahatma GhandiIt is two weeks before I will leave for a long anticipated trip to India, a destination that has been in my dreams for 10 years, almost to the day. When I was in college, as a senior at USC, I had applied for an abroad program in Bangalore, India. I didn't get the approval from USC to travel to India for my final semester

Robinnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12063446453047497603noreply@blogger.com