Bombay knows how to party

I don't go out much here during the day. Mostly because of the rains or the super hot humidity. But I do venture out most nights and have found the same thing time and time again. Bombay knows how to party!

I learned the hard way that wearing shorts in the street in a no-no. But in the clubs, anything goes. Suddenly I feel transported back to the states, the music's pumping and the drinks are flowing. Luckily everyone has drivers and the taxis are abundant. But perhaps better than the clubs are the after parties.

Many an after party has ended on the rooftop of a high-rise with an amazing view of the city. The night winds are so pleasant and Bombay seems much more glamourous from above. This is a new India, where the youth of the nation just want to have a good time. Their parents don't understand them and times they are changing. I've been told that India is like 1950s America, and I believe it. I can feel the 60s coming. I predict a sexual revolution in India's near future. After all, that's what happens when the youth start dancing, right?

Love in Other Cultures

I've been hearing about, reading about, thinking about and writing about love in other cultures. Here in India, arranged marriages are still very relevant. And if you do want to choose your mate, you better choose someone your family will approve of. Someone of the same class, same religion, same background. To me that seems so limiting. Surely I wouldn't be able to be with my boyfriend if the same rules applied to me.

After the marriage, the bride goes to live in the grooms house. With his parents. A very patriarchal society. Having spent a lot of time with my boyfriend's family by now, I would really hate to live with them for the rest of their lives. No offense of course, I'd hate to live with my parents too. Independence is a drug I've become addicted to.

This day in age, why do Indian girls put up with these old fashioned rules? Because it's a part of their culture of course. It's as normal to them as spicy food! It's easy to assimilate if their groom is from the same background. Of course they should take care of their parents in old age, they took care of them in youth. Many girls don't trust themselves to choose their own mate. And they certainly don't want to go through the heartbreak that comes with Western dating. All the power plays and games seem like such a waste of time to them. How to do they learn to be in relationships if they don't have that trail and error? What if their husbands, whom they've only just met in some cases, turn out to be terrible people? They shut up and bear it. Divorces are very frowned upon. Quite a difference compared to America's 60% divorce rate.

So who's right? Quite simply, everyone. Love manifests itself in so many different ways. Who is anyone to judge how others go about finding their life partners? Soul meets soul on lovers lips, no matter how they come to find each other.

Monsoon Madness

I have never seen so much rain in my life. It comes and goes with no warning and the intensity is beyond measure. The sound of the drops hitting the rooftop is enough to wake you from the deepest slumber.

My productivity has skyrocketed due to the torrential downpour. Never in my life have I written so many pages of a script so quickly, especially while simultaneously prepping a major production. So despite the restlessness the rains can cause, it has served a significant purpose already in my stay in Bombay.

The moments when the rains subside are that much more enjoyable. When the rain stops, the city seems to really come alive. What's best of all is the cool breeze that accompanies the showers. I've been told that before the rains came, the heat was unbearable. So for the monsoons, I am thankful~

 

Tips for Anti-Malaria Medication

The worst part about traveling to India has been the anti-malaria pills. Being pumped with vaccines was bad enough, but to take a pill everyday that gives you stomach and head pains is a whole other story. The thought of ditching these pills has already crossed my mind. A lot. But then my boyfriend's voice echoes in my mind, the lectures he gave me about being safe and taking all the health precautions. So I'm left with no choice but to take the stupid pills.

Trail and error has taught me valuable tricks to taking these horrific pills. A few tips:

1. Take them at the same time everyday so you don't forget.

2. Take them immediately after you eat dinner! If you take them before you eat, nausea sets in quickly and lunch is lost. If you eat them hours after you eat, headaches consume you and dinner is lost.

3. Why after dinner and not lunch? They make you kind of sleepy and lazy, so best not to waste the day's energy.

4. Carry them around in your bag so you have them wherever you are. If you eat out and don't have them, you'll have to take them later and trouble ensues.

I hope these tips can help other travelers along the way. I learn these lessons the hard way so you don't have to. If nothing else, they are helpful for me to reinterate to myself so I can stop the anti-maleria madness inside my body! It's really not pretty~

Mumbai at a Glance

The last few days in Mumbai have been wonderful. I didn't know what to expect and came with a completely open mind. Thus far, it seems like such a unique, dynamic city. There are people everwhere you look, the city streets are crowded and chiaotic. The people are humble, generous and so welcoming. I have not met one person I didn't like. The food is delicious and eclectic. The monsoon rain is calming and clearing. The traditions are rich and the movies are touching.

I can't wait to explore the city further. Although I have only been here for a few days, I know that it is not a city that you can catch in a glance. It's one you must experience fully and feel deeply. So explore I shall! Stay tuned for what's surely to come~

Musings from Grasse

This place has so much history.

We stand on the shoulders of others --

   

-- Building on what was built before us.

     We create lives, so simple --

Yet full of so many pleasures...of every kind.

Food, drugs, art, music, sex; luxury indulgences that please
on oh so many levels~

Leaving a lasting impression on those that come after so that

they might stand on these shoulders of progress...

~Musings from Grasse~