You Decide ?

My daily commute to work involves walking through a passageway that connects 2 subway stations. It's commonplace to see pan-handlers, bible thumping preachers, and musicians along the way.

This morning I noticed a well dressed Caucasian family standing beside a teenage boy reading music and playing the guitar. The older gentleman (who was most definitely the father of the boy) held a placard that read - "College or Music - You Decide?"
Interesting way to take a poll and put a family dispute to rest!

Give Beirut a chance

Tariq's dearest uncle works at the American University of Beirut (AUB). He has been in the eye of the storm ever since he got the opportunity to move there. He was on one of the first flights to land into Beirut after the Israelis bombed it last summer. From what I read and hear, most all the construction and preservation work done in Beirut was destroyed during the Israel-Lebanon war last year. It's such a pity considering how beautiful a city it has the potential to be, not to mention the constant fear that it's citizens live with.

And now Fatah al Islam, and it's starting all over again. Although the fighting seems to be in Tripoli, there is fear that the fighting is going to become more widespread in Beirut. Uncle Mike sent us this mail today -

On the news this morning there was a report that Fatah
al Islam has declared that if the Lebanese Army
doesn't "capitulate" they will bomb "the Crusader
colleges and universities of Lebanon," which would
most prominantly mean AUB but also LAU and St.
Joseph's. Everybody on campus seems expecially
nervous. Just after hearing that on TV there was a
stupendous noise from a very near low-flying plane and
I even walked into the stairwell of the apartment
building, worried they were going to pull a 9/11 plane
attack on AUB -- it sounded that low and that close --
but then the roaring plane passed. A few minutes later
I heard the approach again of another plane -- equally
loud and low -- and went out on the balcony. It was a
gigantic American transport cargo plane flying in very
low. There were several more. On Naharnet it says the
Americans are flying ammunition, tanks, Humvees, and
other such supplies in for the Lebanese Army in
response to an urgent appeal. Some of the transports
are coming in from Kuwait, some from Egypt. I suppose
that should make me feel safer, but frankly it makes
me feel more concerned. Things are feeling a lot more
bleak.

Pretty enough to eat

In this month's issue of Domino Magazine, I came across a design feature of a Brooklyn based boutique owner's home. I was mesmerized with her living room - a white canvas that provides a grounding contrast for vibrant Indian fabrics - antique silks, embroidered cottons, kullu shawls.

She first visited India in 1989 and turned her passion for color and pattern into a successful business. I can't wait to visit her boutique - Layla in Brooklyn.

The picture of these glass bangles looked pretty enough to eat. Of course, it doesn't help that I just got back from a very relaxing trip to India and am homesick for the colors and aromas that I associate with home.

The Goechala Summit and beyond

A friend from NY recently took his first trip to India. Instead of Rajasthan and Agra that most other tourists flock to, he made his way to Calcutta and then Sikkim to climb the Goechala summit. He is an artist and I expected some breathtaking pictures from his trip. He didn't disappoint.

I loved this picture of prayer flags fluttering from Dzongri Hill. He wrote in to say "I had a good time and was very impressed with the feeling I got from my limited time in India. I am a huge fan forever."

Mask pronounced "Mosques"

My husband often jokes that he married me for my distinctive "Nigerian-English-Indian" accent and pronunciations. Ever so often he misunderstands both the context and subject of our conversation, which can be frustrating and entertaining all at once. So you can imagine the look on his face when I spoke about painting our entry-way wall so as to mount my "mask" collection, which he heard as "mosques". I could spend a lifetime in this country and I still will not be able to twist my A's to have it sound like how Americans/my husband say it.

Communication hurdles apart, the wall turned out perfect, and my "mask" collection has a new home.

Winter in Vermont

My husband and I along with a couple of friends took a house share up in Vermont all of December. It sucked driving 5-6 hours each way especially after work on Fridays. But that apart we had a cozy country home nestled on a hill with a front yard that had a blanket of soft powdery snow (perfect for snowball fights). I loved the small town charm of Proctorsville and buying groceries at the mom and pop stores that are hard to come by in Manhattan. I learned to ski and got rather good at it, except for a nasty fall on our last day on the slopes(which also happened to be my birthday),which left me with a sprain on my left shoulder - oh well!