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January 30 Echoing my sentiments ....WINTER FIELD Weekend in NJI had an interesting weekend in NJ, some of the places we visited: Friday I managed to check out the new MoMA exhibit on the facade that I posted on here some weeks ago. It was kinda fun trying to watch an exhibit - a movie really- about nothing from a parked car. It was great picture quality, almost like a drive inn.
Saturday We visited the RATS (top 10 things to do in New Jersey) in a town called Hamilton which was an hour drive from East Rutherford. It was extremely cold so we didnt walk around as much but we did see some great sculptures modelling French impressionist paintings (Monet, Manet, Renoir). They also had a restaurant called RATS (odd name really) and a cafe called Kabul. We had a pinot there which I totally abhorred but it was a different experience all the same. Rat's Restaurant Located in Central Jersey 16 Fairgrounds Rd. Hamilton 609-584-7800  When
you arrive at Rat's you'll think you've stepped into a European village
reminiscent of French impressionist Claude Monet's beloved town of
Giverny. The bar/restaurant is one of the most romantic places in NJ.
The bar has a stunningly beautiful small cozy french country ambiance.
Sip your drinks on the lush couches by the fireplace or in the
exquisite outdoor cafe. Located on the beautiful 35 acre Grounds for Sculpture. You
are free to roam the gorgeous Grounds for sculpture which is a lovely
breathtaking sculpture park boasting many sculptures in a variety of
styles and media, including bronze, steel, stone, wood, concrete and
mixed media. All Surrounded by beautiful gardens. This is one of the
most unforgettable romantic experiences that NJ has to offer.Sunday Visited this really cute hill station called Sugarloaf in New York state which was full of these quaint artistic shops selling different artifacts. It was a wonderful crispy morning and the drive was full of twists and turns. We had a really nice cup of hot chocolate when we were up there. 
Historic Sugar Loaf Village is nestled in scenic Warwick Valley, only 60 miles from New York City, and is an interesting mix of practicing artisans, eclectic shops and galleries. Established in the early 1700's, many of the buildings are still being used today.
Come and stroll our boardwalks, smell the aromas from the candle shop and restaurants. Be sure to pick up your free Visitor's Guide provided by our Chamber of Commerce, and don't forget to check our Calendar for upcoming village events, or visit the many apple orchards and wineries in our area.
The "Artisans of Sugar Loaf", the ASL, is a non profit organization representing a group of professional artists and craftspeople who live and work in this historic village. As a committee of the Sugar Loaf Community Foundation, we are dedicated to preserving the historical and artistic traditions of our hamlet. We sponsor this website, and promoted Fine Arts Exhibits in 1999, 2000 and 2001, The Hambletonian Fine Arts Show & Competitions, which were open to fine artists and craftsmen in the tri state area. The Foundation also awards Artistic Merit Scholarships to deserving art students in local schools.
Our
artisans
and
shop
owners
strive
to encourage new
artists
and
interesting
shops
to come to Sugar Loaf, put down some roots and join our
community. We
are
committed
to
maintaining
our
way
of
life
for
ourselves
and
for
our
children,
and
we
want
Sugar
Loaf
to
remain
an
oasis,
a
safe
haven
for
people
to
visit
and
relax,
and
to
enjoy
our
little
slice
of
history.
January 26 DESCENDING THEOLOGY: THE RESURRECTIONI was just going through my mail and came across this poetry and a wierd thought arose (borderline blasphemous). I love the way its written, almost like a fusion of a 15th century painting and the Ring :-) almost like the corpse is coming out of a neoclassical painting. DESCENDING THEOLOGY: THE RESURRECTION January 24 Deepa Mehta's 'Water' in final five for OscarIndia-born director Deepa Mehta's film "Water" was selected among the final five Oscar award nominations for best foreign language category. "Water", set in pre-independence India and focusing on the travails of Hindu widows, was Canada's official entry to the coveted awards. For Indian buffs, the Hindi-language film's inclusion would be some consolation after India's official entry, "Rang De Basanti", did not make it to the competition. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) morning released the nominations for Academy Awards 2006 at Beverly Hills, California. The winner will be announced at a glittering ceremony Feb 25 at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre. January 23 Persuation notes - PART 2The Advantage of Maturity of Mind
- Stay at Lume - Movie clip
- Contrast of Navy Men v/s High Society. Navy men have lost something.
- Anne at Lume, finally in the company of friends. Able to take control of the situation due to her role as a nursing aunt.
- Ch 12 - Part 1 - ' Anne wondered.... resolute charcter.'
- Charcater must be versatile (Mrs Smith). ' Passion that persists through change has value.'
- Louisa's resolute character v/s Anne's mature character
- Benwick story c/s Wentworth's story
- Decision and consequence. Elasticity of mind.
- Ch 5 - Part 2: ' The visit was paid .... counterbalance almost every other want'
- Pervading theme of loss. Walter's fortitude --> Denial ; Mrs Smith's fortitude --> Acceptance.
- Fashionable world goes to Brighton. Affect of Napoleanic wars 0 Change of Status, people's perspectives, ... places of importance...
- Ch 5 Part 2 - 'Lady Russell was now.... course of the following autumn'
- Lady Russell's thought on marriage - All about position
- Mrs Clay - easily molded but sits hard. Mistress to Mr Elliot (senior or junior)
- Clay and younger Elliot very similar in nature. Manipulations.
- Social Spheres in Bath (a watering placE) -
1. Aristorcracy - Elliotts, public dance balls - mingle with people.
2. Others - Musgroves, love of theater, shopping.
Jane Austen does not like Bath - flirtatious, superficial place.
Film Ending - Letter scene, circus on street - Film clip
What is character? Elizabeths (constant) or Charles (inconstant)
- Mrs Croft comparison with Lady Russell
- Chapter 11. Part 2 - ' "No" replied Anne, ..... impressions'; ' Your feelings may be strongest..... ' - set up for letter.
- 2 endings in the novel. Jane Austen never really lived to finish this book.
- Ch 8 - Part 2 - 'I confess that I do think..... he does not.'
- ' a man' signalling availibility.
- ' Anne saw nothing.....He must love her.'
- Anne made a decision before he comes back. Cpt Wentworth - In love - out of love- in live again (in constant) v/s Anne (constant).
- Sufferings are equal.
- 2nd POV: His feelings are repressed. Once he sees opportunity, he acts on it.
- She loves him differently in the end than in the beginning. Maturity that bears out the love.
- Ch 12 - ' who can.... hers hereafter.'
- Austens look into the psyche, great emotional intelligence.
- No body knows about their life affairs. Lack of a confidant.
- Novel shows the percolation under the surgace, what made Anne take the revolutionary, uncharacter-like behavior.
- resist change or alter with change
- Class I - Lady Elliot; Class II - Mrs Wentworth.
- Did she waster 8 years? Observer, decides what she wants.
- Safe and secure to more precarious but possibility of happiness - her final decision.
January 22 Bermuda diving plansSo I started doing some serious research on Dive Sites in Bermuda... since I am heading there on Feb 15th!!!!!
Some information I found:
Our hotel: Grotto Bay Beach Resort
Traingle Diving on the facility: Diving courses I may be interested in:
2 Tank Dive Package
Recommended Reading
I will definitely be picking up one of these !!! So much has been talked and written about the Bermuda Triangle and so little it is known about Bermuda's people and natural resources. Why not take a look at some books that introduce the travler to the "real" Bermuda: - The Story of Bermuda and Her People by William Sears Zuill. - Bernuda's Botanical Wonderland: A Field Guide by Christine Phillips-Watlington and David Wingate. - Bermuda Shorts: The Hidden Side of the Richest Place on Earth by T. C. Sobey. Be well prepared for some serious diving and snorkeling in Bermuda and have a look at these books:
- Lonely Planet Diving and Snorkeling Bermuda by Lawson Wood. - Diving Bermuda by Jesse Cancelmo. - Bermuda Shipwrecks: A Vacationing Diver's Guide to Bermuda's Shipwrecks by Daniel Berg. And the usual guides: - Frommeer's Bermuda by Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince; and - Lonely Planet Bermuda by Glenda Bendure. January 21 Busy Weekend in ChicagoJust wanted to chronicle the activity packed weekend in chicago: Friday:
Movies we saw in the planetarium:   Lincoln Park ConservatoryPark Description Step inside and be transported to another place and time - Lincoln Park Conservatory - where you will find tropical palms and ancient ferns, right in the heart of Lincoln Park. Constructed in stages between 1890 and 1895, the Conservatory was designed both to showcase exotic plants and to grow the thousands of plants needed for use in the parks. Lincoln Park Conservatory was designed by a well known architect of the Victorian era, Joespeh L. Silsbee. He built the Conservatory during a time of great fascination with nature. Studying and classifying plants, animals and insects were common hobbies. People were becoming concerned about the effects of industrialization and conservatories provided "tropical paradises" within cities. With its four display houses: the Palm House, Fern Room, Orchid House and Show House - home to the annual flower shows - the Conservatory continues to provide a haven in the city. More... Next we head to Websters Wine Bar: Webster's Wine Bar, established in 1994, is Chicago's oldest and finest wine bar. We serve over 35 wines by the glass and over 500 wines by the bottle from around the world. We also serve a selection of fine beers and spirits and offer a variety of appetizers, small entrées, and home-made pizzas tailored to match specific wine types. Since our inception, we have taken a strong, pro-active role in wine education by conducting numerous classes and wine tastings for beginners and "experts" alike. Our goal, quite simply, is to provide high-quality, hand-crafted, unique wines in a comfortable, casual, and unpretentious setting and to spread the joys of fine wine! More... After this we headed to Lou Malnati Chicago style deep-dish pizza is the heartiest of the pizza varieties and typically eaten with a knife and fork. The dough is patted out by hand and raised up high on the sides of a seasoned deep-dish pizza pan. True Chicago style pizza actually has a rather thin crust that compliments the delicious toppings. More... Saw Children of Men at Village Theater: Saturday Started with Broadway in Chicago theater tour: CHICAGO (Chicagoans and visitors will have the opportunity to get an unforgettable and in depth look at two of the most beautiful and historic venues of Chicago's famed Theatre District. Broadway In Chicago will offer a weekly, guided tour of the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St. and the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St. The tour will showcase the glittering vintage décor inspired by the foremost theatre designers of our time Rapp and Rapp, who created through their designs the riches of the Orient and the luxury of the palace of Versailles. You will also learn about the cutting edge technology that makes each theatre the home to today's most complex theatrical productions. More.. Walked over to the Millenium Park area and the Buckingham fountain. Chicago Millennium Park Located in downtown Chicago on Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Monroe Streets, the 24.5-acre park is an unprecedented center for world-class art, music, architecture and landscape design, where you can experience everything from interactive public art and ice skating to al fresco dining and free classical music presentations by the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus. Among the park’s prominent features is the dazzling Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States, designed by Frank Gehry, one of the world’s greatest living architects. MILLENNIUM PARK ATTRACTIONS
Evening we headed to see ' ..When all other lights go out' an Oasis project play on interviews from genocide survivors: When All Other Lights Go OutApollo Theater2540 N. Lincoln Ave. Playwright Jenny Montgomery's ensemble piece incorporates interviews with local residents about their experiences as survivors of conflicts around the world, including those in Armenia, Bosnia, Cambodia, Darfur, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Rwanda and Ukraine. After this we headed to a nice indian restaurant: Gaylord Gaylord India Restaurant Editorial Review – by J.P. Anderson
In Short Ended the night at Signature Room in Hancock: 
Located atop the John Hancock Center, The Signature Room at the 95th offers diners exquisite food, superb service, and a dazzling skyline view. The elegant dark wood designs and marble tiled, art deco interior, create an inviting and intimate atmosphere. The floor to ceiling windows exhibit the stunning Chicago skyline and 360 degree views of the entire city. Dine with us during lunch, dinner, or Sunday brunch and experience why people say that we are "the restaurant Chicago looks up to!" SundayBrunch in Wicker Park district at Earwax Cafe: Today, the neighborhood is best known for a lively hipster community of artists and musicians; however, gentrification has recently brought some of the yuppie population into the area. One bumper sticker reads, "Stop Bucktown before it Lincoln Parks." Earwax Cafe: Wicker Park cafe serves vegetarian fare to budget-conscious hipsters in a colorful, circus-y setting. Also saw Journey at home after that: The Journey: An Indian Love Story“In a Land Steeped in Tradition…a Secret Love.”The Journey depicts the story of Kiran and Delilah, young Indian women who grow up together in a small rural village and eventually fall in love. Kiran, who is rather shy and reserved, has always been drawn to her more gregarious friend, Delilah, the most popular girl in school. When Rajan, a neighbor, approaches Kiran to ask for help in wooing Delilah, by writing love letters on his behalf, she tentatively agrees. One afternoon, while studying with Kiran, Delilah mentions the letters and reads her favorite aloud. “My dearest, I know not what love is, but perhaps I will know it tomorrow or another day. Until that day, I will worship you from the valleys of anonymity. I see love awaiting me like a ripe thundercloud caught in the far horizon of my life’s journey. Like a cold, dark night, love must one day wed our skies. You and I, like fireflies, will soar into that darkening sky. My dearest, may your wings be bourne by strength.” Delilah notices that Kiran knows the words, can repeat them by heart. Their mutual attraction is realized and ignited. More...And that was my weekend.... January 19 MoMA and Creative Time Present Today Doug Aitken
January 18 Agha Shahid AliI was recently asked about Agha Shahid Ali's life and writing and since then I have been totally hooked on to this amazing poet, his life, writing and impressions on other people.
Here are some of the websites I have visited and some of the poetry I have read:
The Ghat of the Only World': Agha Shahid Ali in Brooklynby AMITAV GHOSH [from the February 11, 2002 issue] The first time that Agha Shahid Ali, the great Kashmiri poet, spoke to me about his approaching death was in April of last year. The conversation began routinely. I had telephoned to remind him that we had been invited to a friend's house for lunch and that I was going to come by his apartment to pick him up. Although he had been under treatment for brain cancer for some fourteen months, Shahid was still on his feet and perfectly lucid, except for occasional lapses of memory. I heard him thumbing through his engagement book and then suddenly he said: "Oh dear. I can't see a thing." There was a brief pause and then he added: "I hope this doesn't mean that I'm dying..." More.. Ghazalesque: Agha Shahid Ali, Kashmiri-American Poet ( from Amardeep's blog - )(Taking a break from politics... to talk about poetry...)
Calligraphy of coils IF, AS EDWARD Said says in Representations of the Intellectual, "...for most exiles the difficulty consists not simply in being forced to live away from home, but rather, given today's world, in living with the many reminders that you are in exile, that your home is not in fact so far away, and that constant but tantalising and unfulfilled touch with the old place," then perhaps Agha Shahid Ali exemplifies that condition very well. A Kashmiri poet who now lives in the US teaching creative writing at the University of Massachusetts, Shahid has become a well-known figure in the Anglo-Indian literary scene. Besides his collections of poetry (Bone Sculpture, In Memory of Begum Akhtar and Other Poems, A Walk Through the Yellow Pages and A Nostalgist's Map of America), he is also a translator of Faiz Ahmed Faiz (The Rebel's Silhouette: Selected Poems of Faiz Ahmed Faiz). More... January 16 Golden Globes and American Idol impressionsI am watching TV after a very long time, just want to write some impressions from both these programs: Golden Globes: Never seen Sacha Cohen in his natural form, it was fun watching him. America from Ugly Betty was pretty good, touching speech. Forest Whittaker was also made a very gracious speech Jessica Biehl was very hot. So was Mc Steamy. I thought J'Lo's dress was very pretty. Helen Murien totally deserved the award. Babel was a surprise, Notes on a scandal was a surprise nominee. Arnold was lame literally. American Idol - selection in Minneapolis I think the vocal coach was pretty good, just bad song selection. Randy was really obnoxious towards him. The boxer was too funny. Latino chic was pretty hot, great shakira song. The juggler was really sad, i cant believe he started crying. Prince was the flavor of the city. The rocker dancing queen was sad.. glad he didnt get through. January 15 Mature BildungsromanI had my first class on Thursday (1/11/07)... here are some notes. Maturity <---- Confessions ----> Initiation/Personal Development Bildungsroman = Novels of Maturity (german). Difference between dreams and experience of life. Accept and Integrate with society. Austen, Persuation (English). Set during Napolenic Wars. Character = 27, maturity. Written when author was in late 30's, early 40s. Flaubert, Education (French). Set during 1848 Revolution. Character = young man to 50s. Written when author was in late 40s. Lambrusa, Leopard (Italian). Set during Garibaldi/Facism in Italy. Character is an ageing man. Written when author was in 50s, end of his life. Mann, Death in Venice (German). Set during WW1. Character in 60s. Written when author was only 37! These novels are typically characterized by personal confessions. Specially in Jane Austen. Persuation Anne takes a decision on: 1. Lady Russell's advice 2. Fathers Opinion She comes to learn what romance is with time and experience. 'Forced into prudence in youth, she learned romance as she grew older - the natural sequence of an unnatural beginning.' Makes you think: Are you right to give advice? New movie coming - becomes Jane Austen - fictionalizes a lot. Film on Persuation - 95 version playing on Oxygen at 2 pm. New BBC production coming out in 2007. Anne - a social non-entity. Nurses people, everyones favorite aunt. Reflects Men and Womens spheres very distinctly. One of the best essays on Austen - Regulated Hatred. January 12 ABBA music on screen with Mamma Mia!This is splendid news!  Meryl Streep to Star in Mamma Mia! Filmby BWW News Desk 10 comments Variety reports this morning that Meryl Streep will star in the feature film adaption of Mamma Mia! (more...) January 11 Retrospective in LUX - new desktop design Michel Majerus, Einschiffung, 1996, acrylic on canvas, 480 x 700 cm, 15 parts, each 160 x 140 cm, Estate Michel Majerus. © Estate Michel Majerus, Courtesy neugerriemschneider, Berlin, 1996. LUXEMBOURG.- The Musée d‘Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, Mudam Luxembourg, is presenting through 7 May 2007 an ambitious retrospective dedicated to the Luxembourgish artist, Michel Majerus. With over 250 pieces, the exhibition is showing the most important group of works ever displayed together. Created especially for Mudam, it concludes the series of exhibitions co-produced with the Kunsthaus in Graz, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Deichtorhallen Hamburg and the kestnergesellschaft in Hanover. Born in Esch-sur-Alzette in 1967, Michel Majerus was regarded as one of the most promising artists of his generation. During his short career - he died in 2002 - he produced original works which oscillated between paintings and installations. He played with pictorial techniques influenced by the new digital world and combined these with a whole repertory of art history, most notably pop art and minimal art. His extraordinary installations are an ultimate demonstration...More Hairspray sneak previewI am pretty excited about this new movie, here is a sneak preview from broadway world. S_10442279a1.jpg) Photo Flash: Hairspray Film Sneak Peekby BWW News Desk Hairspray, New Line Cinema's upcoming film version of the Broadway smash, is currently in production for a July 20th release (more...) EMPTY SIMILESI have been feeling empty last couple of days... this poem touches somewhere... EMPTY SIMILES January 07 Merchant on VeniceI just got back from this really awesome play that dealt with way too many issues using shakespeares 'Merchant of Venice' as a vehicle. Some more description:
SILK ROAD THEATRE PROJECT'S
Directed by Stuart Carden
ABOUT MERCHANT ON VENICE:
Followed by a Q & A session with
WHEN
WHERE
COST
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