Aishwarya Rai, Mike Jones, and Dangerous Dancing Dan

Well, anyone who followed my last trip to India will immediately recognize the older posts as nothing more than the emails that I sent trying to share my experience of 2005-2006. The new format introduces a few elements the previous one lacked, such as allowing for the posting of photos alongside text (although I haven't quite figured out how to make photos and text line up as it appears in my drafts!) and not requiring registration. I am also hoping that in the near future I will be able to upload and link mpegs to the blog.

Perhaps the greatest change is that the site is available for anyone's curiosity. With this in mind I debated editing the early postings, eventually deciding against this path as close observation will show my own growth from utter ignorance to lesser ignorance regarding things Indian/human. This is an important motivator for me.

It is hoped that as time passes my writing will substantially improve--at least in part from having a better understanding of my environment. The older posts, which could've been written by Mike Jones (you know, that rapper whose lyrics are limited specifically to "sittin' on fo fos" and "I'm Mike Jones bitch"), will hopefully be followed by something respectable. If I discuss slabs it will probably be within the context of explaining how the okie-dokie may justify turning a blind eye to pacifism.

Which brings me to some personal goals and reasons for returning to India. I get this question routinely. The first trip was multifaceted itself, education, travel, personal growth etc. This trip is no different except the education will be less formal, I may not travel as much, and I must continue working on personal goals (i.e. more patience and greater compassion). I hope to be able to read and speak Urdu (at least on par with my Hindi), build my Sanskrit vocab, have a decent understanding of Tibetan Buddhism, write a book, and be able to train an army of pigeons when I return stateside (this is of minor importance though).

So, there we have it, an introduction, and an invitation, to join me once again for an experience only India can provide: something altogether distressing, chaotic, and extraordinarily beautiful. If somehow India fails to astonish I will shift to Pakistan or Mumbai (to pursue my ultimate career goal of becoming a full-time Bollywood extra and stalk Aishwarya), or in some other way create noteworthy news.