Ganpati Festival

Today was the start of the Ganpati festival which is a huge deal in Maharashtra. Ganpatiji's statue was specially made and then welcomed into the home today, first day of the festival. There was a big ceremony this morning (the floor was painted with footprints as if he'd walked in on his own) and there will be events this whole week. The culmination is in seven days and will involve a parade to the ocean...! I don't know much more than that, but based on how it started off, I'm sure it will be extravagant. I'm posting an unusual number of photos, but know that this is just 1% of the pics I took and this as much as I could narrow it down despite my best efforts. ;-)

theme of the week: 23.aug.09

"on the road"

sand sand




































I went to Juhu (again) and took lots of pics (again). I can't' help myself! But I promise that I will try and diversify soon. In the meantime, what I noticed today is all the intricate designs that the sand makes. I hung out, nose inches from the sand, bent over in curiosity, for at least half an hour walking all over the beach looking at the sand and trying to figure out what they reminded me of. The designs look so organic, so spontaneous and at the same time like they have been carefully formed, and intricately designed. How??

The first one: Is it a patch of trees on the edge of a lake and their reflection? The "branches" look so much like roots, too. Or veins. Or capillaries. Or an aerial view of a delta with little river estuaries spreading out into the sea. Or like snowflake designs. And probably so many other perfectly designed things on this green earth of God's.

The second one: Another aerial view but of the Rocky Mountains? Is there a valley in there somewhere? There's water running over some of the sand in the frame and the slowed shutter speed makes that area look like muscle tissue. And probably a whole bunch of other things. I was fascinated like whoa.

farmer's market bounty


I finished reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle a little while ago. Haven't read Michael Pollan yet, but he's next on my reading list. I'm re-reminded of why it feels important to me to support local farmers and sustainable food sources. Kingsolver does a super job of addressing a lot of the myths associated with eating locally, such as that it's more expensive (it's not), that buying imported produce somehow helps poor farmers (instead of, say, Dole Corp.), or that it just doesn't matter.

If anything, I'm busy enough that Safeway can kinda have its appeal--not to mention that I get to sample the gummy bears out of the candy bins... shhhh--but when I can make it to the farmers market, it's a total pleasure to sort through 8712 different varieties of locally grown fruits. And the samples of organic peaches are ACTUALLY free, not just... you know, "free."

can't get enough



oh, beach, I don't understand how you keep looking more and more magical.

I don't know what they're carrying in the first pic, but I couldn't resist the silhouette.

In the second pic, I saw a washed up piece of cloth or a plastic bag that was blending in so beautifully with the sand.

view from autorickshaw

"my" entrance to the beach

It's not exactly mine, but i like to think so because everytime i walk down this ramp, it's like being there for the first time. I get the same tinge of excitement and there's always a possibility to encounter the unknown, something new. I took this on my morning walk today. Have i mentioned that i get to see the ocean everyday?

minolta

A couple of months ago, I won a furious bid for a Minolta XG-M on eBay (which, by the way, is a pretty ingenious concept- auctions, I mean. People like winning things, right? So an auction essentially frames things as "Congratulations! You've won the right to pay for something!!!" And I actually get excited). I've since fallen in love with the camera and it's been treating me well. If it weren't for the fact that I have to pay to get film developed, the Minolta and I would probably be monogamous. Alas......

Anyway, I just developed my first few rolls of film off of the camera yesterday. I love that film doesn't offer instant gratification- that it can be days or weeks or months before you see the photos that you thought worthwhile to shoot old-skool style. That there are no take-overs. That you are inevitably surprised by the photos that you took and how they turned out. There's always the photo you don't remember taking. And the photo you were really excited about that ends up being all underexposed, dammit. And the last frame on the roll that more often than not ends up being one of the hottest photos ever taken, y'know?

I shot many of these film photos last week in California's Anderson Valley, where a whole crew of friends and I vacationed for a week leading up to two dear friends' wedding. Looking at these photos makes me so happy, in part because I got to experience the unexpected when I saw them for the first time and to remember some perfect moments.


It was a whirlwind week. Among many other things, I... lay out under an epic night sky and watched a meteor shower; celebrated my birthday with 40 friends (it was a night so overwhelming and love-filled that I cried so hard I couldn't breathe); biked a total of 110 miles along ocean, redwoods, vineyards and sheep; helped to organize a Grilled Cheese Invitational; participated in a Little Mermaid singalong; did a lot of singing, talking, crying, celebrating, shit talking, eating, coffee drinking, and chillin like a villian; and attended one of the most beautiful, heartfelt weddings I will ever hope to participate in. A couple of mementos:

at a cafe

at the beach

went back to Juhu Beach and i couldn't stop taking pics because the sun was so damn ridiculous. nothing here is toned, everything really was shimmery. really, Sun, you were out of control this evening.

j + sve | august 15, 2009

swine flu: it's hip to be healthy

paan-wallah

grilled cheese invitational

Going off of the guidelines of the original Grilled Cheese Invitational, my friends and I hosted our own 1st Annual Wellspring Grilled Cheese Invitational. It was intense, both aesthetically and gastronomically.


Winners included...

The Fatback, which was crumbles of cheese sandwiched between two slices of heavily buttered bread with more cheese sprinkled on top and then grilled.... Essentially, melted cheese held together with butter.

The Cowboy, an open-faced sandwich of cheese, deli turkey, beef jerky, black pepper and cilantro.

Midnight Delight, a dessert sandwich composed of Brie, crumbled walnuts and syrup sandwiched in a French toast croissant with raspberry jam dip.

"so fresh and so clean, clean"

In India, it's common for people to have their laundry done, and I'm amazed that when my laundry comes back that it's so fresh, so perfectly folded and pressed, and without a single crease out of place. it needed to be captured. also, i'm reminded of outkast all the way in mumbai. strange.

harmonium

catching up

I've been playing with focus.
Also, I <3 the 50 mm/1.8 lens. <3 it. s

my first post

I'm in mumbai.

packing for a wedding


J and Sve are getting married in a week on the Philo Apple Farm. A whole crew of us are heading north to California's Anderson Valley for the week before the wedding, to go swimming in the rivers, wine tasting, biking, cupcake baking and flower picking. It's going to be mad and beautiful. So far, I've packed: two skirts, two dresses, two bikinis, a clutch, a flower thing for my hair, a book, a sleeping bag, a toothbrush, my bike, and a map to the apple farm. Most of life's essentials.