Our first skiing lesson

We decided to take skiing lessons and the first lesson yesterday was uhh, not so good. The important learning was that we both are pretty lousy at skiing. Himanshu kept crashing because he couldn't stop. And I kept slipping backwards on the slope which is funny but could also be quite dangerous I'm told. But we did have a lot of fun!

For my sweetheart

Saw this and thought of Himanshu...
The only person I know who can watch three movies back-to-back :)

Ironical

I found this really ironical. While the whole of Israel is rooting for military action in Lebanon, there is one city called Hafia in north Israel where a majority of Israelis are actually pro-peace. And this was also the first city that was bombed & devastated by the Hezbollahs rockets yesterday.

All wars are fought for political reasons. And surprisingly, politicians manage to convince people that there is actually a cause in the madness. Only those who witness the war at such close quarters can tell that it is all madness, no cause.

More than a juice center

I was so excited that 'Haji Ali Juice Center' has opened a branch in Dubai. It feels so good to see pieces of dear old Mumbai when one lives away from it. Of course the branch in Dubai does not smell of the ocean, there is no crazy Mumbai traffic in front, no beautiful mosque in the background & there is no Abdul Kader (if you've read Shantaram :) ) who controls the mafia from the Haji Ali juice center in Dubai. But then the stawberry-n-cream tastes almost the same & the nostalgia makes the place lovlier than it really is.

I love hussain !

Paradise Now

My first experience ever when it comes to watching arabic movies, and wow, what a brilliant movie! 'Paradise Now' is a movie about two childhood friends recruited as suicide bombers for the liberation movement of Palestine. A serious topic, but the movie is so sensitive (and even humourous at times), it opens your eyes to a whole different world in Palestine. A must-watch no matter which side you are on.

Safe in Dubai

My family back home & friends from around the world have been calling up to find out if things are okay here in Dubai (what with 'Violence in Middle East' flashing on CNN all the time). So to confirm my well being here goes a 'I am ok & things are fine in Dubai'. Sure, there is a lot of tension in the air. The mood in general in the arab world is, well, angry.

As a non-muslim living in the middle east, it is interesting to see passionate reactions of people around you. Its shocking and surprising that after so many years of violence & so many generations lost to terrorism, nobody seems to notice that violence is not taking anyone anywhere. Neither the palestines/hezbollahs, nor the Israelis.

Hope that people see reason in peace. And that goes for the people in mumbai too. I hope the hateful blasts don't come in the way of making peace with the neighbours.