prash

Religion is like a Penis ...

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:59:00 +0000

Just saying...

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:49:00 +0000

While the people in the US of A thought the whole world was getting it wrong, the whole world is making fun of them...

You MUST check this out...

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 02:44:00 +0000

10 years after 9/11

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 03:46:00 +0000

R.I.P. the 2,976 people who lost their lives on September 11th 2001 and R.I.P. the 48,644 Afghan and 1,690,903 Iraqi people who paid the ultimate price for a crime they did not commit & the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who experience this everyday.

I would hope that after ten years of war, the world can now wake up from this nightmare that is the war on terror and move on and leave behind the mutual loathing of the terrible Bronze age Abrahamic religions

My Favorite Things - Central Park chorus singers

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 06:24:00 +0000

I was getting home from Sheep's Meadow @ Central Park and for no reasons I chose this touristy path via Bethesda Terrace. And I ended up listening to these guys... and I went ecstatic when they started to sing My Favorite Things from the 1959 musical The Sound of Music and the Oscar Best Picture of 1968 movie of the same name. I was part of the humming category in my school choir for this song... enjoy what I caught on my iPhone and see what summer is in Central Park of New York City...

Disgusting... robbery in London Riots !

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 21:45:00 +0000

I like the name of this video as if Robbery can be cordial... but ya these are heartless pigs !

Word Music Day 2011 in France

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 11:04:00 +0000

21st June, is celebrated as world music day, aka Fête de la musique in France, and I was in a small town in Southern France called Draguignan in Provence. Free concerts all over the town, people just walking around and enjoying various kinds of music... what an ambiance !!! Take a look at these two videos I managed to get into my camera. Watching the first video in full-screen is recommended and sorry for the sound quality of the second video, I was so close to the loud speakers and i had to work a little on the sound to remove the echo.

Promise Kept - Congratulations New York

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 22:27:00 +0000

On Friday 24 June 2011, New York Governor Cuomo signed the same sex marriage bill, thus New York becoming the sixth state in the USA to have the same sex marriages. One should really congratulate the republican senators who voted yes for the bill on the name of "equality". We all know it didn't come easy for them. The city which witnessed the Stonewall Riots finally saw it's glory !!! I was glad to reach New York just the previous night of the pride march, right on time ! The mood was very intense, victorious, happier and prouder.

Spring in New York

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Fri, 13 May 2011 19:16:00 +0000

.... just check out what I caught on my camera during a Sunday afternoon walk in Central Park.

Muslim Prayers, literally speaking, ON a taxi in New York

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 04:22:00 +0000

A French friend from Pakistan shared this video with me saying : "ah, here we go, this is your city". I posted it on Facebook which resulted in heavy exchanges of political ideas on "religion / secularism / separation of church and state" etc... This was especially with the French and with those who are linked to France or French. Considering the current political ambiance in France, and if this happened in the streets of France, one can bet that this event will be on the headlines of every newspaper and news channel resulting in a political debate !

Legally Weird ....to you, but not to them !

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 20:11:00 +0000

Laws are made to function a seemingly healthy community in a stable and disciplined fashion. However, there are many strange laws still in operation around the world. Some evoke a response of "Is this real?" and others evoke genuine laughter, but technically you could be prosecuted if you break the following laws.

Do Not Feed The Pigeons
It's illegal to feed pigeons in Venice, Italy. The pigeon poop actually pollutes the local buildings and a fine of around 50-600 USD should be enough to deter you. In Denmark & Czech Republic, it is legal requirement to driver with your headlights on at all times.

Do Not Wear Hot Pink Shorts
In Victoria, Australia, it's illegal to wear hot pink shorts after midday on a Sunday. What about baby pink shorts

Do Not Forget Your Underwear
In Thailand, it is illegal to leave the house if you are not wearing underwear.

Do Not Stare At Mannequins
One law to remember when on your family holidays in the UK is that any boy under the age of 10 may not see a naked mannequin!

Do Not Drive a Dirty Car
Dirty cars spotted in Moscow can end up with a 100 USD fine, although how dirty isn't defined.

Do Not Driver With the Headlights Off
Strange may it sound especially on sunny days, but it does make drivers more aware of the cars around them !!!

Do Not Chew a Gum
Chewing gum isn't sold in Singapore and chewing it will get you in trouble, as will feeding the birds, spitting and not flushing public toilets. Singapore is a pristine and immaculate destination and they want to keep it that way.

Do Not Cheat On Exam
In Bangladesh, children 15 and older can be put in jail for cheating on their final examinations. Every year, Bangladeshi government takes strong measures to stop cheating and carries out a massive media campaign to forewarn students through print and television.

Do Not Have a S E X
In Bozeman, Montana, a law prohibits all sexual activity from the front yard of a home after sundown.

Do Not Make Ugly Faces
In Oklahoma, you can be arrested for making ugly faces at a dog.

Do Not Eat Chocolates
In England, it is illegal for a lady to eat chocolates on a public conveyance.

Beat Your Wife!
In South Carolina it is legal to beat your wife on the courthouse steps on Sundays.

Source : various websites.

Alien or Foreigner ?

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 07:22:00 +0000

My latest Facebook status says :

"prash is wondering why the USA uses the word alien to indicate anybody who is not from the USA, while the whole world is using foreigner and using the term 'alien' only for extraterrestrials".

Any thoughts ?

the more you travel the more wise you become

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 22:18:00 +0000

"Traveling makes a man wiser, but less happy."
-- Thomas Jefferson

I moved to this country like 5 months ago, before when I was living in Hong Kong, I had the opportunity to travel to many countries in Asia and South East Asia. I still feel lucky to have visited these countries and have learned/experienced/lived many things . And these travels did indeed open my eyes and made my strong convictions of tolerance even more stronger.

I have friends and family who are unable to travel or don't have the opportunity to do so. I wish everybody can see and feel what I see and feel. It is a wonderful world with many complex issues in culture, history and current society.

Yesterday, I met a guy in a bar and during our casual small talk, I asked this Green Card holder where he is from due to his accent in English, he replied Belarus. And then, we talked about the current political situation out there et al. At the end of the conversation, he tells me : "It feels so good to talk to somebody in America who knows where is Belarus and that Belarus is a country...".

Few months ago, I met a guy from Russia and while asking which part of Russia he is from, I discovered that he is from Georgia and not Russia. The sparkling curiosity in me forced to ask him why he said Russia instead of Georgia. His reply was simple and clear : "Many Americans don't know that Georgia is a country, and the only Georgia the Americans know is their state".

O.K.... coming to the point, why am I talking about all these today ? I came across this CNN article on Why more Americans don't travel abroad ? Of the 308 million-plus citizens in the United States, [only] 30% have passports [for a developed, modern and affluent country it is very low : Canada - 60 % and UK - 75 %]. The reasons are explained in four categories :

1. Cultural & Geographical diversity :

Yes, true America is a huge continent and offers everything from mountains to desserts to beaches... but I am inclined to agree when CNN points out "...But you don't have the cultural differences that you would get if you went to Asia, Paris or London."

2. Skepticism and ignorance :

The guys from Belarus and Georgia made their point clearly on this issue. I cannot generalize that all Americans are like that. I DO know Americans who know where is Belarus and Georgia... But there could be some truth to what they say, after all, they are in this country since more than 15 years and possess a Green Card.

3. Work Culture :

According to CNN, Workers in mainland Europe receive between 35 and 42 days of vacation, while Americans average about 16.6 paid vacation days as of 2005, according to the Families and Work Institute. 36% percent of those surveyed didn't plan to use their full vacation. What the hell...really ?

It seems that it's not just about how much vacation time people get, Americans don't even use all the vacation time that they have... Do you know how many people are fighting for more vacations ? Maybe we can have a system where one can transfer his/her holidays to another person... So, all the guys who don't want vacations, you may contact me right now !

4. Cost & Logistics

I agree, this is another reason why one cannot travel as others do. The disposable income do really help for some. But little savings for travel like most of Europeans do can be a problem solver for this. Easy to say and hard to practice, I confess !

I wish/hope that everybody should travel to different parts of the world and discover different cultures and languages to understand our own. The world will be more tolerant and we will realize that we are all the same but with different history, surroundings and culture.

But I admit that it is very easy to say such things from where I sit.

Arrgh....if only this world was an ideal world as I expect and dream !!!

Be Bold & Ban them completely

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:32:00 +0000

Egypt is on the news & minds of everybody now, and it should be !

But, I've been thinking for a while about the use of Guns in the USA.

So many people have been killed, Presidents have been assassinated, Civil Rights Movement leaders were murdered, students & teachers were massacred in class rooms and recently, politicians + common citizens were killed at gatherings like in Tucson. But still, I hear very few people talking about banning the Guns from the streets, all I hear is banning this type of gun or that type of gun, the worse part of all this : some politicians shouting that they will carry guns with them all the time for protection....

And, a 5 year old boy drops a .22 calibre gun in his music class in Florida, where did he find it ? in his step father's car when he was dropped at school at that morning ... read the news here.

Another recent event, an elementary school principal is fatally shot, CNN news here.

It continues everyday in the US of A.

New York's Mayor Michael Bloomberg talked to Rachel Maddow of MSNBC. How the Mayor sent a undercover team to buy illegal guns and how easy it is to get them even after saying that the buyer won't pass the background check, and this happened just two weeks after the Tucson shooting.

Each country has its own laws of gun possession and what kind of guns a civil citizen can possess. But, why only in the USA you see so many shootings happening.

In this BBC article, an American history professor at Fordham Univeristy of New York tells BBC that "the threat of French, Spanish and Indian hostility on the frontier meant that from the very beginning America was a society that relied very heavily on a population that is armed....Basically we had a militia as the organizational building block of internal and external defence."

In the same coverage, you will see what says Mr.Daniel Webster, a director at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research about "individualism". He says, "An important thing to understand about American culture is that we tend to place responsibility and focus on individual behaviour rather than think about laws and regulations to affect behaviour...it is common for people simply not to ask why guns are so prevalent or why mentally unstable people can so easily access them. Instead, their attention focuses on what was wrong with the individual shooter. Did he have a troubled past or a mental illness? "

This [so-called modern & developed] country should do something to ban the guns on the streets. BE BOLD and BAN THEM COMPLETELY....

The day should come when an American should wonder where he/she can buy a gun, or I go a little further in my hope, the day should come when a person is not even thinking of a gun even for protection !!!

NON-VIOLENCE

Didn't we have enough people to preach about it... oh, just in case, if you forgot who they were... let me see, for example, Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr. or Nelson Mandela...

Do we need more Gandhis or Martin Luther Kings or Neslon Mandelas ?
Aren't we yet smart enough to learn from the past and history ?

Americans really LOVE the ICE even in Winter !

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 08:30:00 +0000

Cultural differences, Yes !!!

If you go to China or South Korea or Hong Kong, you will be served hot water in typical local restaurants... in New York, you get iced water even in this snowy winter, especially when you ask for TAP WATER !!!

When you are used to room temperature water like in Europe or in India, it is so difficult to get used to the iced water in this cold weather...

Why ? Why ? Why ? I could find only very little on the net about this topic : here and here.

I am not that convinced by the health reasons given (bacteria killed in cold water etc...)

hope the best instead of making resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 20:53:00 +0000

I hate New Year's Resolutions (never made one in my life). They often seem so lame, narcissistic and clichéd, hopeless even before the year starts. But given that most clichés turn out to have at least some truth in them, I thought we should give it a whirl.

I'm all for hoping that you can change your life and our world for the better. However, if I could "resolve" anything for 2011, it wouldn't be losing weight or some other minor change in my life although I have plenty of flaws that need fixing. When I see so much of poverty and misery for many, I feel quite lucky and privileged where I am sitting now. I prefer not to have any of those stupid resolutions, rather :

I hope for the best,

the hope you have/had for your future when you are/were a child...

Over the years, I noticed that people’s New Year’s resolutions are most often things that they detested to do but got to do that is why these New Year’s resolutions usually die out faster than a virus being exposed to the heat of the sun. That is also the reason why these people easily fall in to that trap of "I can’t do it coz its soooo hard to do" crap. Take the case of these following new year’s resolutions :

I will quit smoking. (hello, if you’re a chain smoker, the thought of not having that fix will completely freak you out and the more you would stuff your mouth with those cigarettes until you die of lung cancer!) You better try this : I will smoke half a pack a day instead of the usual 1 pack.
I will not fight with my wife/husband or sometimes boyfriend/girlfriend. (It is like getting a knife and slitting your own wrist. That suppressed anger will definitely give you a heart attack). I suggest you do this : I will let off steam only after listening to his/her side.
I will go on a diet. (if you put this in your new year’s resolution list, every food that you will lay your eyes on would beacon you to go taste and stuff them in your mouth). There is nothing wrong trying this out : I will eat five small meals a day or will treat myself to 2 slices of cake a week instead of the usual 2 whole cakes.
I will go to the gym often. (believe me, every step towards that gym would be so heavy that you would believe that you really are not feeling well for that workout). What about this : I will do 15 minutes treadmill, 50 counts crunches & lift, say 3 sets of weights a day.
I will not shop so much. (Are you crazy?! If you love to shop and you put this in your list, go buy an anti-depressant drug now). The phrase which suits you more : I will be a smart shopper.
I will forgive those who have hurt me and forget about it. (hahaha! What are you, a saint?! Gimme a break! The thing about pain, it goes away with time. You cannot just force yourself to be fine with something that you feel just isn’t right that fast) Why don't you rather start with this : I will see the good in everyone.
I will save up my money. (and forever feel sad for not buying that favorite book or that smashing outfit or that little surprise for your loved one?! Such a heartbreak…). Centuries old piggy-bank can do wonders for you : I will deposit 500 in my account every pay day.

Nobody has got that magic New Year wand to change the planet
so let's be realistic and hope for the best in 2011.
Happy New Year to you all !

America' and its cinnamon

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 21:29:00 +0000

America loves cinnamon,

but why put it in almost everything ?

Doesn't the nation know you can't have too much of a good thing ?

And so to the question which has bugged me since a month. now has finally got the better of me, that question being: what the hell is it with Americans and cinnamon ? Or as I prefer to put it, bloody sodding cinnamon. They cannot get enough of the stuff. It is everywhere and on everything.

It's not just in the coffee shops, though it's bad enough there. You cannot move in Starbucks for cinnamon dolce frappuccinos and cinnamon dolce lattes and chocolate cinnamon bread, which are apparently such vital contributions to gastronomy they deserve to be trademarked.

Check out the recipe sites. Here's a recipe for squash purée with watermelon and cinnamon. Here's another for cinnamon pineapple pork. Yum. And how about this for cinnamon tinged jerk chicken ?

Yes, I know, they are all from the same site but still, you get the idea. Cinnamon is like herpes in a hippy commune: bloody everywhere.

And not to mention, cinnamon chewing gum and cinnamon tic-tac !!!!

You may surmise from this that I hate cinnamon. I don't, not really. In the right place and at the right time it has its place. But it is possible to be helped towards hating almost anything given significant enough exposure. Now, if I sniff it, I immediately experience the gag reflex. All I have to do is stick with it for a few more months and I will become inured to it, like most Americans, who look at you quizzically & shockingly when you ask 'Why does your country stink of cinnamon?'

So why does America smell like this? I have no idea. Perhaps because it is regarded as a marker of homeliness, and a pronounced tendency in the US towards the emotionally incontinent leads people to crave such things. In a country which attempts to venerate the family, even as the family unit atomizes, coffee smelling of cinnamon can give them the impression that all is still OK back on the ranch. Certainly there is a sweet tooth here, and you do need something to cut through the sugar. Or hell, maybe they just like the taste.

Certainly supermarkets are stocking up on it right now, for 'tis the season. Holidays just around the corner and though recipes for that particular holiday differ not just from state to state but table to table, you can be sure a lot of cinnamon will be involved.

If you can offer a reasonable explanation as to

why cinnamon is so popular here in America I'd love to hear it.

Pope is wrong...wear condoms !!!

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 02:55:00 +0000

Thanks to a friend's posting of this video on Facebook I discovered Richard Dawkin's speach in which he replies to the weak attempt of the Pope to confuse the public by claiming that Hitler was an atheist, and it was his supposed atheism that led to the Holocaust.

A must-hear speech !!!

America's obsession of Tipping

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:42:00 +0000

To tip or not to tip ?

If you tip, how much ?

America is the land of bald eagles, apple and ... Tipping !!!

If a hotel porter picks up your three suitcases from the taxi, walks with you to the hotel check-in, escorts you up to your rom, neatly unloads the bags, shows you where the thermostat is, how the TV remote works and where the US$12 can of Coke is located in the mini-bar, how much do you tip the guy for his 12 minutes work ?

You have dinner at one of New York's finest restaurants, the bill arrives and not only is there a section to tip the waiter, but there is a space to tip the maitre de' or caption. How much of your hard earned money do you depart with ?

The best tip about tipping in the USA is to tip. It is reality of life over here. Sure, it is un-French, un-European , un-Australian, "un-etc"... But you are not in France, not in Europe, not in Australia, not in "etc".. When in Rome eat spaghetti, when in the US tip. Leave a couple of coins with the bill and heading for the exit is not appropriate if the service was OK.

Suck it up. Pull out your wallet. Tip appropriately. Don't let the fear of tipping ruin your meal and your stay here. When you draw up the budget add tipping into account. This is a system of the US of A : for waiters, porters, bartenders etc the tips you give them are how they pay their bills.

There is a reason why the US has kept its $US1 notes while the rest of the world has moved on to $1 coins.

Good Bye Hong Kong

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:08:00 +0000

Four Years of life in Hong Kong...During my 15hr flight from Hong Kong to New York, this is what I read in a French magazine about my horoscope : "Vous avez envie de vous libérer du passé et, cependant, vous vivez des moments riches, liés à ce passé."

Rough translation - You want to free yourself from your past, however you still live intense moments related to this past.

I don't believe in horoscopes and I never read horoscopes... but you need to kill time during this long haul flight... This horoscope portrays vividly what I am living through now...

More Money or More Sex ?

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:39:00 +0000

This year [year of White Tiger], two big events fall on the same day - 14th Feb : Chinese New Year (aka, Lunar New Year) and Valentine's Day. Many of my Chinese friends are having troubles : Family or Love ?

As the tradition goes, elder family members give red envelopes to all (in which you can find 100 or 500 or 1000 dollar notes) during the family reunion lunch/dinner.

So the question is :

Family or Love ?

in other words

More Money or More Sex ?

Việt Nam

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 06:48:00 +0000

A real break and relaxed time to ponder was an absolute need after recent events. So a trip to Uncle Ho's country Vietnam [thus I finish visiting the whole Indochina] for 10 days with friends was planned and it certainly did help. Feeling much better now and can see things more clearly and rationally.

The trip consisted of three parts : Hanoi, Halong Bay and Ho Chi Minh City (previously Saigon, but still popular even among the young locals). Hanoi has got the colonial charm whereas the southern Saigon is more American with large avenues and big modern buildings . Halong Bay trip in a boat for two days and one night was more than fabulous.

What I wrote on post-cards : Vietnam, a country filled with colonial past, recent war & the remnants of its atrocities, Marxist propaganda, the co-existence of [Marxist] communism & capitalism and local delicious cuisine. Not to mention the great "art" of crossing a street amongst the endless and non-stop motorbike rally !!!

My impressions :

1. Vietnam may have developed a middle class, but this class represents a small percentage and is mainly based on cash. People got rich and wealthy by selling assets like land and gold, some by getting licenses from foreign companies. The Vietnamese value comes only from rice [world's number 1 producer], coffee and fish. I believe that the country needs innovation and improvement. That's future challenge for Vietnam.

2. The streets of the city are filled with motorbikes—maybe 300 for each passenger car. The motorbikes take up the width of the street. A narrow street might have 3 or 4 motorbikes abreast. A wide street might have 6 or 8. And it could be 20 or 25 in a grand boulevard like Dong Khoi or Le Loi.
I am NOT making this up !!!

3. Everyone is so YOUNG— it’s a demographic phenomenon that’s absolutely unmistakable. Do the math—people in the 1960s and 70s were killed in the American War what we call "Vietnam war"). People in the 1970s were killed in the war with Cambodia and in the famine created by the Hanoi government. People in the 1970s and 80s left in droves. Result: a nation of 23 year-olds, with a bunch of 65- and 70-year-olds hanging around shaking their heads.

Mommy....

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 18:52:00 +0000

I miss you very much

every minute
since you left this world

It is just hard for me
to believe that you are really gone

It is just hard for me
to believe that I won't be able to hear your voice again

It is just hard for me
to use the past tense when I talk about you

since you left this world
every minute
I miss you very much

An old family picture

France vs USA

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 07:57:00 +0000

Bill Maher of HBO's Real Time talks about France. This video did indeed made me laugh at first and then ponder... worth watching it, folks !

Diamond Jubilee of China & Europe

noreply@blogger.com (Prash) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:19:00 +0000

Yes, today (1st Oct '09) is a day to be remembered for both China & Europe. On one hand, China's celebrating its 60 years of Communism and Europe, on the other hand, celebrates the
60th anniversary of Council of Europe.

China : a cause of celebration ?

Business is booming in this country. GM is drawing closer (or maybe already did by now) to a striking deal with Beijing Auto. Fiat has also just signed a deal with Guangzhou Automobile Group Co Ltd. Do they have a point - can anyone fault China's efficiency ? People are even attempting to internationalize Yuan currency. And it's robust growth should help Asia's sluggish economies by providing healthy competition. It's even pitched to surpass the UK as the world's 4th largest advertising market. All the boxes are ticked, except - Human Rights, Free Speech & Democracy. Is this is the price you pay for "growth" ? Can we all learn something from China ? Should we be thanking China for 60 years of Communism ?

Europa : a federal Unites States of in Europe ?

United Europe was once a great dream. The 1st generation of European builders, just after WW2, achieved a lot because they made peace on the continent a reality. But now there is a huge gap between the peoples' wishes and what is being discussed & voted in Brussels. The Fathers of Europe (Jean Monnet, Winston Churchill, Robert Schuman, Konrad Adenauer, Alcide De Gasperi) dreamt of the "United States of Europe." But what today's generation of European politicians is now advocating is the "United States in Europe". General de Gaulle had clearly stated in the 60s that the only perspective for Europe was to achieve strategic independence from Washington. Yet, today paradoxically, Europe has increased its submission to Washington since the end of the Cold War. While, the European dream of a peaceful transition out of the current asymmetric system of global power relations belongs more and more to the realm of utopia. Will Europe have it's Great Leap Forward ? Will Europe be a continent of 'efficiency' ? Will we see a more influential & global Europe ?