Diwali's over (see pic for me on that day). I spent it at the home of a lovely couple that has welcomed me into their family. We consumed more sweets and breathed in more smoke from firecrackers in that one day than one should expose oneself to in a year. But, akin to Christmas or Thanksgiving Day excuses, this holiday occurs but once a year. I enjoyed wearing my new sari, though it was time for hair, make-up, and a costume change before going on the evening show to discuss Obama. All in all, a full Diwali. I'm visiting my fav Indian city, Delhi, and staying with a friend who has encouraged my coffee-drinking tendencies. I just drank a full mug and am a bit wired. We're feverishly following the upcoming US election and I'm feverishly getting out biz info to make this start-up happen in India. Coffee has only supported me in my quest to feel productive and empowered today. Hmm , maybe I should re-think this foray into the world of caffeine!

My outdoor Hyderabad buddy & I set off in search of the Secret Lake today. Though I didn't take this pic myself, this was our playground for the afternoon. We climbed rocks, trees, and the paddle boat after our evening swim. We got whistled at by the guards, circled by a potential rescue vessel, and charged for keeping the paddle boat out past its bedtime. Yeah, I was loving life this afternoon!

first, check out My Pics for some shots of my HYD home (scroll to the bottom). second, i've been reading Kiran Desai's The Inheritance of Loss and wanted to include a passage that is cause to pause, especially living as a Western foreigner in a developing country: "These people could name them, recognize them-the few rich-but Lola and Noni could barely distinguish between the individuals making up the crowd of poor. Only before, the sisters had never paid much attention for the simple reason that they didn't have to. It was natural they would incite envy, the supposed, and the laws of probability favored their slipping through life without anything more than muttered comments, but every now and then, somebody suffered the rotten luck of being in the exact wrong place at the exact wrong time when it all caught up-and generations worth of trouble settled on them. Just when Lola had though it would continue, a hundred years like the one past-Trollope, BBC, a burst of ...

One of my fav phrases in Nepali is " ke garne ," translating to "what to do?" I find myself asking this exact question because I've flooded my stove. Yep, it all started when I decided to be smart and boil a bowl (mistake #1) of water on the three-range stove. When the water began boiling, the bowl tipped and began flooding the gas nozzle (technical term might be incorrect). I reached for a towel (smart move #1) to return the hot bowl to its upright position and turned off the gas. I then quickly began sopping up the spilled water. Unfortunately, the water made its way into the gas chamber (this is where my "best guess" enters the picture) before my quick sopping moves took effect. So now I've resorted to microwaveable foods like oatmeal, microwave dinner, and nighttime milk with honey. Seriously, I'm being driven to extreme measures over here. If you have ANY idea how to return my stove to its former working condition, I'd be ha...