And #NYCPride is on the move towards Stonewall. ๐๐๐
This is one parade in the city that never has a word of anger uttered.
This is my favorite picture of the day ๐๐
One thing I love about Americans is the even in a dense crowd, everyone is always trying to respect each other's space as much as possible. No shoulder to shoulder contact unless absolutely necessary and even then, apologetically.
First time at a crowded cocktail bar and I've never heard New Yorkers make this much small talk with strangers. ๐คฃ๐คฃ
There ain't no party like a #pride party at Washington Square Park
This is the most crowded, most effusive, most celebratory, most feel good #PrideNYC day in a decade, if not forever. So much pent up love.
Also, damn these vaccines are effective!!!
โข โข โข
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Last week in Pune, I went to many cousins' & friends' new or recent homes. In and around Pashan. And I could picture exactly which areas were sure to flood. I've walked those hills for years.
Why is it called Pashan?
Some of the oldest & hardest rock on the planet!
Marathi has a word for seasonal streams. เคเคขเคพ. Literally means "to pull".
Those rocky hills had centuries, millennia old odhas which took water from heavy rain all the way down to the rivers. Mudslides were unheard of, given how hard the rock was.
Recently I was in Pune for a short trip visiting parents. Had sprained ankle, wanted to ice it. But their fridge didn't have enough ice.
Went on dad's Activa to nearby medical store to get a gel pack. Next door is a barber shop. A dude was outside. /1
Guy in his 30s. Looked at me & gave a big smile, waved.
I was confused. This was Pune not the Midwest. People don't just randomly smile at strangers. Did I know him from childhood or youth? Didn't seem familiar.
But I was limping & in pain. So drove away.
Coupla days later, dad was making chai but we were out of khari. I took Activa to grocery store next to same barber shop.
Again as I was leaving, same dude standing outside smiled & waved. I again smiled. Still couldn't place him.
Be it 1993 serial blasts, 2001 Parliament attack, 26/11 or German Bakery, Indian govt identified perpetrators and laid out details of how they happened very soon.
But we still have no answers or details on Uri all these years later. Public was satisfied with Balakot alone.
Will that be the fate of Pahalgam too? Will we get no serious investigation of the terrorist perpetrators and no serious systemic introspection of security lapses, because these missile strikes and dogfights have brought the josh to shallow armchair patriots?
Have you ever been to Kashmir? There are so many security personnel doing security checks everywhere. You can't carry a nailcutter into a sensitive location, much less a truck full of explosives in the middle of a lot of Indian soldiers. Or guns at one of the most popular spots.
Why I think Mexican food is the best food in the world. A ๐งต
I'm not talking about the "taco nacho burrito quesadilla" snapshot of Mexican food that most of the world carries. That's like thinking chicken tikka masala, naan, samosa defines Indian cuisine.
I'm talking for reals
What I'm saying is I'm an Indian who's been all over the world and food I ate in Mexico is, on average THE best food I've eaten in my life!
Not talking Mexican food in America or your country or Taco Bell.
Actual real Mexican food in Mexico.
Reason 1 - Zero taboos!
Coming from brahminical India, it is so mind-blowing awesome to eat in a country that literally has no food taboos at all! They eat pork, beef, shrimp, everything! They even eat insects. Proudly. And those insects are delicious!
During & after COVID, I became good friends with a dozen neighbors ages 65-85, mostly women. Coming from India, watching their daily senior citizen lives is such a pleasant cultural shock! So happening!
Now bear in mind, there is a huge self selection element at play here.๐งต
These are senior citizens who can afford to AND have chosen to live in Manhattan. Didn't move to Florida Arizona California like many of their generation.
Manhattan is walking friendly. And it also makes you walk. And also keeps you in close walking distance from everything.
But still, their lives are so noticeably different from my roughly just as affluent or more affluent relatives that age.
They truly feel like characters from Golden Girls!
They are active in many clubs, travel a lot, and are politically VERY active. They're 60s flower children.
Another student visa cancellation horror story. Swimming in these today!
Dude was making a turn in rainy foggy weather and gently bumped against a car. That driver got out. Both examined the damage. Negligible. A nearby cop car saw the small accident and showed up. /1
Cop realized that Dude's license expired 3 days ago. Dude said I know and I've already applied for a renewal and the new one should be in the mail.
Cop said I still have to write you up for driving on an expired license. But explain your situation to the judge. It's cool.
Dude went to court and explained, I was traveling a lot. So only sent in license renewal paperwork close to the expiration date. It arrived literally 2 days after the accident. Which had no damage.