getting hotter

Summer is coming.... we can feel the humidity and the heat rising quickly. I have to say I feel a bit intimidated by it... more by how everyone has these knowing looks to each other as they tell us it's going to get hot, than anything else! I know it's going to kick my arse around the block.

Lots of small things been happening. Well... big and small... and I have missed writing about them. Still on dial up - and that seems to drain me of the energy to write for some reason.

We had a great dinner for the animation and bgPrep apprentices one night at PopTates... and I was lucky enough to be invited. It was also a send-off for Shish as he was finishing his time at the India office and heading back to LA. Everyone loved his presence and he was given gifts and a loving celebration. I'll post the photos on Flickr. For those interested I have posted a few more pics there...all people ones. I haven't been getting out with my camera much yet. It seems this trip has been all about people and my becoming a part of this India through the friendships I make... rather than in the past when I have done the tourist thing of taking photos and writing in my journal. I know I will take more pictures.... but I'm not in a rush yet. I can feel this time extending and the urgency is not there right now.

I saw Blood Diamond one weekend.... it felt odd to be seeing a movie where I could actually understand the dialogue! Man... what a serious and important film. Just see it... and then ladies?...reconsider when you ask your struggling boyfriend for a bloody huge diamond that is only expensive because someone decided it should be, not because it's rare. Is anything you strut around on your finger worth what those people are paying?... 'prolly not eh! :)

To lighten the mood a whole lot.... I had a fun experience getting my hair coloured! I needed a touch up... the ole' roots were showing in a big way and I needed some red back in my life! Vani had introduced me to a happening place in Bandra where lots of 'fancy people' go... so I headed down there to an appointment with 'Raychel' (it's universal folks... hair stylists worldwide always have trendy ways to spell their names!) at 11am on Saturday morning. I had allowed way too much time for the traffic, of which there was none. The drive through the suburban areas of Bandra through Parli Hill and along Carter Road by the water was just beautiful. Old large stately homes ... people out walking and a slower pace of life (a richer one of course). It was quite lovely with the giant trees bending out over the road and the cool air... I felt like I was in another time. I had half an hour to kill so I wandered along the streets and watched the people. It was lovely. I felt so relaxed by the time I walked into Hakim's Salon... the atmosphere with the fountain and the "om" recitation music playing just kept it all going. The big flat screen with Bollywood movie songs going was a fun contrast... you can't forget where you are! ;)

Colouring my hair red was quite a challenge... now, the way I describe my natural hair colour is 'desaturated rat brown'.... but you should have heard these gorgeous stunning Indian women... ' oh my god... you're so lucky, this is a real tobacco, it's amazing, look at it' and they were peering in at the roots and calling others over to see. Hehe - "one man's trash .." ... as my cousin Peter would say 'well there you are then'. But, it *was* difficult to change that 'tobacco' and get it to blend in to the rest of the red. They are used to dealing with rich jet black silky hair... not this woosey pale western stuff! So it took two tries but they nailed it!

During the second washing and rinsing phase, as I lay with my head backwards in the sink, enjoying the head massage and watching the Bollywood movies muted on the widescreen TV in front of me while I hummed along to the Bollywood soundtracks playing on the sound system, Little Miss Rich Mumbai comes along ... "Raychel... pleeeze...." I hear a whiney voice ... oh so familiar. Suddenly I could have been in Beverly Hills... it was a young spoilt brat of a girl, having what seemed to be a true crisis of a bad hair day... with somewhere special to be tomorrow and only our wonderful Raychel could save the day. She had a sense of entitlement that is reserved for the rich and annoying and she just hounded away in this pathetic baby voice that I wished I could have recorded for this blog ;) "Raychel, pleeze yaar, my godh, what will I do, you *have* to fix this.. you have to fit me in. I can't go out like this. Pleeeeeze yaar...... come on Raychel" I had to force down the gag reflex. ;)