Pretty Flowers

Flowers are so pretty. Whenever I buy or get flowers it immediately brightens up my day; I love having flowers in my home. I don't like typical flowers like Roses and Carnations - I find them too predictable. I love Calla Lilies and find Tulips so simple and sweet.  I woke up this morning and saw these beautiful purple Tulips that R had placed on the window sill. It was a perfectly composed shot that I wanted to capture, but the light was too bright and the vibrancy of the flowers were not coming through. In the afternoon as we were leaving the house the sun began to shine perfectly on the bunch and I knew I had my shot !

Pillow Fights and Easter Bunnies

I have not written in ages and feel very guilty for being so inconsistent with my postings! I took these pictures a long while back. It was a perfect Spring day probably because it felt more like summer and the weekend was full of festivities. I have always wanted to go to the Annual Pillow Fight. I have to say I was a little disappointed. I imagined beautiful feathers flying about while people tenderly hit each other with soft pillows. No tenderness was shown in this fight, it was each person for themselves. I was actually scared and took pictures from the periphery – not wanting to go anywhere near the action which looked very boisterous and intense. On that same weekend I happened to stroll down 5th Avenue and caught the end of the Easter parade. I love it when in New York you just chance upon things. It was lovely to see people dressed in their “Sunday Best” – I took some shots that captured the mood. Click here for more pictures from Spring.
   

Beautiful Winter

We have had two intense snow storms this month. During the first one I refused to leave the warmth of my cozy home; but then regretted that I did not get any pictures. When the second storm was to arrive I was determined to go out. R and I were up by 7 am most enthusiastic to go click some shots of the beautiful white powder like snow. We trekked to Central park – slipping , sliding and avoiding the puddles along the way. The park was magical – I have never seen it so serene, white and just beautiful. I felt like I was in a fairytale of some sort. There were quite a few people out and about. Some fanatics were even jogging in the park, but the ones that were having the most fun were the kids who were scurrying around finding the perfect hill to slide down. Below are some shots I took. Click here to see more, and if you want a peek into R's pictures - Click here.
 

PRojEcT fifTY3

 
I embarked on Project 53 a few weekends ago. Well, embarked is actually a wrong word to use since it signifies the start of a journey. My P53 journey lasted 45 minutes as I walked on 53rd street from 3rd Avenue to 9th Avenue. The task at hand was to stick to the right side of the street and capture whatever caught my fancy. The reason for this was that I was meeting some friends for brunch on 53rd and 9th and I was on 53rd and 3rd – simple enough. When one has camera in hand you see and notice so much more. The thing I like about photography is that you capture the picture from your perspective and no one else has that point of view. I have passed Lever House a million times but have never noticed the little Hello Kitty. I love the picture of the building with Mother Mary looking down – again would never have noticed it if I was not looking. Above I have posted a few from the set – you can click here to see more. hope you enjoy them.  

My Other Passions – Food & Cooking

I love food. I also love to cook. I think there is something very warm about cooking and its great when you can share your creations with friends and family. I made Kofta curry (minced meat ball curry) tonight and was lucky enough to share it with close friends. I decided to marry my two passions – cooking & photography and clicked a few shots – I hope you enjoy it !    
   

It’s the Small Things

I was in LA a few weekends ago all ready to hit a very fun party when I realized that I had forgotten the screw of my earring - Damn ! I ran from store to store to see if I can fix this problem. I was even ready to buy a new pair of earrings. Then from no where this guy helps me out. He gives me the back eraser of a pencil to use that holds the earring in place - Genius! It was perfect and I was ecstatic. He had no reason to help me, but he did. It is amazing how the small things that people do makes one happy. The smile from a stranger on the street, or the musician at the subway playing a familiar tune just when you have missed your train. Babies and flowers have the same effect – you can’t help but feel warm mushiness when you get a bouquet of flowers or hear a baby chuckle. I have posted a few pictures that have made me smile in the last few weeks.

Bombay Meri Jaan

Bombay – a city that is often compared to New York; it is looked upon as the nerve center of India. On one hand, you have the most mesmerizing structures that were built centuries ago, and on the other you have an urban jungle that is built on greed and chaos. My visit this winter was a whirlwind, but I did notice a few things that disappointed me – the dug up roads, the pollution, the poverty. All of these have always existed in Bombay, but the level to which it had escalated was terrifying. I wondered, how long can it take this kind of abuse? There is so much positive press about India – we are a country of a billion people, but it is these people that live in conditions that are un-acceptable and basic requirements like water, cleanliness & clean air to breath are difficult to come by. We have a lot of potential, but no infra-structure in place to take it to the next level. With greed and corruption all around how will Bombay / India succeed. I see a beautiful country with so much, and yet depleting itself bit by bit till nothing will be left. I hope we can change this course and give some respect to our city – Bombay !

Note: The pictures were actually taken as I was driving from Bombay to Pune and in Sinhagad Fort - but I felt they depicted a piece of life in India that we see in Bombay as well.

A Slice of Heaven

A midnight flight to Bangkok and then an early morning connection to Krabi; that is what I recommend to anyone who is looking for some rest and relaxation. Krabi is located on the west coast of Thailand. What amazed me besides the beautiful white sand, the green-blue sea and the mesmerizing sunsets; was that it was un-touched and nature had prevailed over human commercialization. If your looking for a spot off the beaten path – this is it! We stayed at the Amari Vogue Resort located on Tub Kaek Beach. The resort has great restaurants and an amazing Spa. If you plan on visiting I suggest you definitely do day trips to Maya Beach and Phi Phi Islands where you can scuba dive or snorkel. Also, visit the Ao Nang market where there are great deals to be found and bargaining is a must. I tried my best to capture this beautiful slice of heaven.

Terror: a state of intense fear

Terrorism: A systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In 1987 I boarded a Pan Am flight that took me to New York via London for my summer holidays. A year and a half later a terrorist would blow up a plane just like the one I had boarded. On December 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 people on board as well as 11 on the ground.

This weekend I was in Syracuse and saw a memorial that was created for students that died in the 1988 terrorist bombing. There were 35 students aboard that flight. This brought back back memories from last year. Nov 26th is my mother’s birthday and also a day that anyone who has anything to do with Bombay will never forget. I remember frantically calling all my loved ones and breathing a sigh of relief to know that they were all safe; not everyone was that lucky. As long as there is politics, hate and greed in this world acts of terrorism will continue and people will live with fear and come to terms with grief. It is not fair, and yes, something must be done about it – how and what, I don’t know. It takes a lot to change the world; I hope to see this change in my lifetime.

Parades and such….

I have had bloggers block for the last few weeks; I guess sometimes you just don’t feel like posting and instead of forcing myself I just gave into my complacency. I took these pictures a while back on a bright sunny day when there was a parade in the city. NYC has the most parades, they get monotonous sometimes and of-course wreck havoc with the traffic. Forget about going cross town in a cab when there is a parade blocking all of 5th Avenue. There are actually over 50 parades a year in NYC click here for a list of them.

The first picture is of a mini Turkish festival that had a sufi dancer "wowing" the audience

This second picture is one of my favorites; every parade must have a band marching down the street……