CNY and more... before I forget anything

I figured I'll share this before I forget it...

Trip to India:

Day 1:
Luika and I arrived at the New Delhi international airport at 3:45am on Friday Jan 19th. We were greeted with these large hand structures and apparently "ugly carpeting - Gobind" at immigration. We walked out the exit and exchanged for some Cash, went outside and grabbed a taxi that took us to our hotel. Jan in Delhi brings daily heavy fogs, so how the hell did we manage to drive to our hotel beats me. We never even saw ourselves landing and could barely see the road. Good thing we had a good driver, who also tried to have a conversation with us. But because I was told to be skeptic about anyone I meet in India and his heavy accent, I spoke little while Luika was trying to hide her laughter because his accent... was oh sooo funny..

We took a nap and decided to be on our way to experience the city. After much heavy medication from the plane ride I felt like I was floating on mid-air.. and floating in Old Delhi was quite helpful. You don't care much about the sanitation issues everywhere. We decided to just wander around. We were greeted by glances from the locals and a few cows. I just learned.. literally from watching Outsourced that the cows roam freely in India. Obviously it's due to their holiness. Our goal was to reach the Red Fort, and when we finally did, we were met with disappointment. It wasn't as amazing as I imagined. The best part was when these group of young boys on their field trip got extremely excited to see us and tried to shake our hands. Oh and not to forget that our first meal in India was McDonalds, because we couldn't find an Indian restaurant in Old Delhi... it was all just street food... and we all know the warnings against that..

Then we went to meet with Danny and his girlfriend Blythe. Danny is Luika's good friend from Vegas, They took us to try some India dishes and then took us on a little tour of Connaught Place. After, we met up with a contact, Gobind. He went to USC as well and he showed us around his neighborhood which was polar opposite of the poor old delhi. We walked through Lodi Gardens which was filled with trees. There were school children playing cricket (big in India) around this old structure. Then we were invited to Gobind's house where we met his family and just ended up chilling in his room. Later on, we went to this club which resembled Scoreboard in Binghamton with Gobind and his friend.....uh... forgot name. One thing I remember about him is that his favorite song was Welcome to St. Topez and that he spoke at lightening speed.

Day 2:
I got sicker, I mean I was sick before I got to INdia (damn drinking too much). Danny and Blythe picked up us and we drove to Agra to see the Taj. When we got to Agra, we had our first official Indian Meal, I had, of course my favorte, spinach curry with paneer cheese. I thought to myself, this is Heaven, I can eat curry allllll day... well.... this was just day 2.

The Taj was amazing, Gobind set up us with a tour guide who really got deep into the history of the palace. The Taj was building by a king who used all the state's tax money to build a white marble with semi precious stones morgue dedicated to his favorite wife. On the side of the Taj were two smaller, identical looking red stoned houses. It creates a balance of structures.

Entering the Taj was insane. There were sooo many locals waiting on line and we lucked out with our tour guide who got us in without waiting. I had to check in anything inappropriate, such as matches. And we learned that diplomats or any politicans were not allowed in.

After the Taj, we drove back to New Delhi. The drive there and back took about 12 hours. And on the way back we stopped at McDonald's and later got into a small car accident. I was too dosed up with cough medicine that I barely noticed. It was just a bump, no one got hurt.

Day 3:
We went to Danny and Blythe's apartment and hung around their area they lived in. Then we met Gobind for lunch before departing to the airport. We arrived in GOA at around 8pm. Luika's friend Pranav and his friend Arjun picked us up at the airport. As soon as we got into the car, we had a feeling that the next couple of days was going to being... absolutely insane.

We stopped and picked up liquor, and they just started drinking while driving... no big deal... and Prav drives like a maniac.. which I enjoyed while everyone else feared for their lives. We got to Prav's uncle's bungalow. It was really nice, it had two sections: one main house and one guest loft. We stayed in the main house and every morning was greeted by the cutest housekeeper in the world, I call him Mario. The house was strictly vegetarian so we ate out most of the time.

Day 4:
The four of us drove north to Morjim Beach. We relaxed there for a couple of hours before deciding to rent motor bikes. I Gotta give props for Luika to being such an amazing driver, since it was her first time and no way in hell I was going to drive.. even though i secretly wanted it. We drove north to this area that was dominate by Hippies. Legit Hippies. Some of these people looked like they came here in the 70s, got fucked up, and forgot to leave. we wandered to this beach bar where everyone laid on these bed couches watching a middle eastern girl dance with fire. Of course we were not in our normal state of mind at this point, and by being surrounded by hippies and very colorful things, I can say this place is extremely seductive. It grabs you in and make you want to do things and think things you normally wouldn't. It almost lured me into a blackhole of thoughts that I thought I put behind me.

Day 5:
Prav's family is in the Ship Breaking business. The government hires them to break apart old, sunken ships and then they sell the scraps. Apparently it's a pretty large operation. In the morning we met with another guy, Dev who was also in the Ship Breaking business. We went by a fort to look at the area where the ship had sunk. I accidentally dropped something into the ocean, which I'm not going to say until I replace it... :-)

After, we went to this lounge on the beach and just laid in the Sun that Luika and I both craved for. On the beach, there were a few cows tanning as well, and a statue of Shiva's face.. I thought it would be cool to take a picture of me standing on top of it, only did I know that was extremely disrespectful. I was took to get down and pray. And then I got scolded by some hippie who called me a tourist.. Seriously.. you're a fucking tourist too...

For dinner, we went to this Greek Restaurant called Thelassa.. (sp?). We had grilled king fish, garlic butter prawns, steak, spare ribs, grilled snapper, and a few appetizers. All for about 150 dollars... It was definitely the best meal I had in INdia.. which is sad.. because it wasn't India.. At this point, my stomach was beginning to reject curry.

After dinner, we went to this beach party near where we laid out earlier... You think beach party, you think hip pop music with pina coladas... no.. this was nothing I've even experience. Inside the bar was just completely filled with blacklight. The music of choice... HEAVY TRANCE.. Non stop. We kept waiting for a break but that doesn't exist. People were tripping hard core and going nuts. We bumped into a few european weirdos there, one thought we were from Norway, one told me I was different, One tried to give me a present, etcetc.. Luika then just started rapping and we just danced to the music in our heads. Exiting the bar area to the beach, it was crowded with street vendors all selling cigerettes, gum, and scrambled eggs. FYI... one of the best scrambled egg sandwich I've ever had was eaten here. We sat in these chairs and just gazed up at the stars. I started imagining the world beyond and also how amazing it is to see the sky without the light pollution.

Day 6:
Arjun left to go to work in Bombay that morning. It was Prav, Luika, Dev and I Left. We went to this huge outdoor market, where they sold anything and everything. It was extremely overwhelming. Luika and I got henna tattoos.. I actually wish they were real now.. it looks super cool. Bought some things, and had an incident with our bikes. Prav's bike broke down so we ended up leaving the market early to sort things out. Luika and I wandered off to a frozne yogurt store, and when we got back we were ready to go to Dinner at Club 9 / 9 Club. It's another trance party, but they also had a restaurant.. Imagine eating with that music in the background. After dinner we went to Dev's friend bar that over looked the ocean on a cliff. Chilled there for a bit before heading to another "beach" party. By this time, Luika and I were 100% done with trance music. We sat outside and just gazed at the stars.

This day in India,Jan 26th was also republic day, So when we tried to find another place to go, everything was close.

Day 7:
Spend the morning at the beach having an omelette. We had to leave Mario and the bungalow with Prav to head to Bombay. Our flight was delayed for 2 hours, but good thing there was internet at the airport. I haven't been as connected as I normally was.. except for whatsapp.. the whole time in GOA. I checked all my emails and facebook, and all the news may have dropped my heart a little. but it's okay.

We arrived in Bombay in the evening. Prav got there earlier so he came to pick us up with his driver and took us to his house. It was such a pretty house, had about 4 stories and our room was modeled after a hotel room. We met Prav's mom, who was extremely nice and when we left, gave us a bunch of presents to remember India by.

That night, we went to Prav's best friend's place. We sat on the patio facing the Ocean. Here I saw the fattest Golden Retriever... ever... I still can't get over how fat it was. We sat outside the patio and ordered Thai food. Thai food there was a lot creamer but stil pretty good. We had a couple more people join us.

It's interesting, because these kids grew up with 5 to 10 servants on their side. Rosahn (Prav's friend whose place we went to) had this buzzer on the coffee table. Everytime he presses it, someone will come from the restaurant downstairs that he actually owned. It was nice to be treated like a princess but also it was really sad to see the huge gap between groups of people. Man labor there cost close to nothing... and these people are on call 24/7

Day 8:
Last day in India. Prav took us around Bombay. The city has heavy british influence. The architecture from that time period still stood, they were mostly occupied by the government now days. We did some last minute shopping and last minute sight seeing. I personally liked Bombay a lot better than Delhi. It was more like a European city with the cafes and shops.

We had dinner At Roshan's restaurant that night. The food was actually amazing. Then we went to a club where we met up with some of their friends. This is the first night I drank, haha.. Didnt feel like drinking the whole time I was there for some reason. We partied until 2:30 am when the club closed (mad early) and went back to Prav's house. I went to our room and snuck a couple hours of nap time before we had to leave for the airport.

We left for the airport at 5:45 am. And that was all.

This experience was more than satisfying. I was able to see a culture that I've never encountered before, and especially living at an Indian Household really helped me better understand their lives. Although, we were mixed with the comfortable class, you can still see the poverty on the streets. I sit there feeling terrible for them, hoping their lives can get better, but to be honest, that country lives off their cheap labor.

I've been back a couple of days now.. my stomach is turning like a Mofo, and i've been kind of dizzy and sick. Ugh, hate being weak, just makes me over emotional.. and unmotivated...

Such an amazing trip though.. GO TO INDIA!

Day 1

Hello!! I'm in India!

Luika and I arrived in new Delhi this morning at 3:38am and didn't get to our hotel until 5... The area where we are stayin is called.... Paharganj.. Also known as backpackers .. Something.

If you thought china was dirty... This place will.ow your mind. The hotel is okay, minus the lack of hot water... Bed is comfy and clean..

Anyways, just had curry for brEakfast! Off to sightsee :)

Blessed

“The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that that situation is over, you cannot move forward.”

17 Simple Things That Really Make Your Day

Someone telling me that they appreciate me or something I’ve done. Seriously, seems so small but causes such a warm feeling.

When you forget it’s Friday in the middle of your work day, then as you are about to leave you remember. It’s like a miniature brain orgasm.

Hearing a new song and knowing I’m gonna like it.

Sitting on the grass on a slightly windy, but aggressively sunny day, knowing that I have no obligations whatsoever for the entire day.

Waking up on a day where i don’t have to go anywhere, and finding out that its pouring rain.

If it’s not cloudy, then looking at the stars and feeling both infinitely small and and infinitely worthy.

Waking up in the morning and realizing that I still have more time to sleep and being able to go back to sleep.

Falling asleep to the sound of rain outside my window

Being in a situation where some psuedo-authority figure is yelling/mad at you. Then suddenly you realise as an adult you can just get up and leave with zero consequences.

Smiling at a girl and getting the smile returned.

Coming home from a long day and taking my pants off immediately.

When I was younger I use to love watching the rain drops race down the window. I still do, I guess.

Being at the grocery store and realising that I, as an adult, can buy nothing but ice cream for dinner and no-one can say shit about it.

Napping uninterrupted. Bonus if it’s dark and rainy outside.

The first twenty seconds of a bowl of Fruity Pebbles. I don’t care after that.

A good dog by my side.

I enjoy when someone says to me, “You look good today.” It really is the small things.

I'm going to be a better person... again.

Most people are good. They dont intentionally mean harm to others, but sometimes subconciously they do. It's too easy to lose yourself in this world of materialism and selfishness... So I googled 'How to be a better person" and this is what www.ehow.com says:



1
Look for the best qualities of others and yourself. Take advantage of situations where you can exercise your best qualities and highlight those of others. Record your thoughts daily and review them to visualize what affects us and how. Schedule a window for quiet time each day.

2
Give others the same dignity that you would expect to receive. Recognize that status or income levels do not make the man nor determine his value. Take time to actually hear what others have to say instead of interjecting your own personal thoughts or simply not paying attention.

3
Become involved in what others have to say by asking sincere questions and waiting for an answer. This will enhance your relationships, allowing you to make positive contributions to a healthy friendship.

4
Provide assistance to others when needed, going out of your way if necessary. Acts of kindness are often met with reciprocal acts of kindness. You are further demonstrating how to be a better person and reaping the rewards from your efforts while making others feel special.

5
Empathize with others' plights or circumstances. Listening to your heart and following it instead of being judgmental contributes to your being a better person. Being honest in your dealings with others also promotes positive relationships. Problems arise when the truth is not spoken or twisted to suit one's motives. Choose your words carefully and precisely. Express yourself kindly.

6
Develop a set of standards and live by them. Don't allow others' viewpoints to alter your code of ethics. Maintaining your personal values during difficult times will help you to be a better person.


I got too caught up in what I needed and forgot who I was affecting around me. I'm going to try and be better person again. I'm sorry I've hurt you... maybe it was intentional, maybe it wasnt.

New year resolution...

Expectations expectations expectations.... They can be dangerous, when you have high expectations anything that falls short will only disappoint.

But then again, who am I if I don't have expectations...
1) become notable in the entertainment industry
2) continue my way to dominate shanghai, when completed, move onto different city
3) see the rest of Asia
4) spend more time with the family in Asia
5) forgive
6) read the bible
7) accept and help thyself
8) take the LSAT
9) find a way back to NYC towards the end of the year

The reality is that I'll forget this list by feburary... But hey at least it makes me feel better right now :)