"Wait," I said to a college admissions representative over the phone. "So you are saying I'm going to pay double!?" I was met with a haughty yes and a circular explanation.
As a member of both the "When I grow up, I'm going to be Liz Lemon…blerg" and "The Slanket is far superior to the Snuggie" Facebook groups, I was obviously ecstatic when my love of Slankets (I own a blue one) united with my favorite TV show, "30 Rock," on Thursday.
That is the question. The 50th anniversary of the Tibetan rebellion recently passed: March 10, 1959 marked the day when the uprising of Tibetans against the Chinese government officially began.
I would consider myself a pretty compliant student. Okay, compliant may be too strong of a word...but I generally complete all my assignments, maintain a low-key profile in class and I've rarely sought beef with the staff.
Beats me, but it probably took him half an hour to get to the other side.
In the wee hours of Dec. 16, 1773, American colonists disguised as American Indians snuck aboard a British ship and threw overboard crates of tea to protest the new tea taxes.
At a glance, you wouldn't recognize the Metro station in Bangalore as a Metro.
Kicks fly high. Flyers soar in the air. Girls jump and move across the court with energy, beaming with smiles as wide as the poms they clutch in their hands. Many doubt that girls in skirts and smiles can participate in hard-core athletics, and the job is a lot harder than it looks.
At midnight if you listen out the window, you can hear the neighbors playing table tennis. During the Olympics, they celebrated every night with their television turned up to maximum volume. They're Chinese immigrants and they live next door in an apartment complex full of Buddhists. There's a statue of a Hindu idol outside the gate.
Indians aren't heavily into sports. In Bangalore, it's mainly just cricket, badminton...and surfing. Channel surfing, that is. Indian television is almost like American television, except sans WETA phone-a-thons and with a few twists.
Last month I saw a beggar woman sprinting down the street. She had stolen a businessman's laptop, hoping to make a quick buck by selling it - and he was at her heels. But not all lower-class Bangaloreans are thieves. Many are generous and charitable despite their financial situations. Random acts of kindness aren't extinct in Bangalore quite yet.
Three, two, one - BEEP. The gym erupts with victorious cheers as the stands struggle under the weight of jumping fans who are supporting their fellow classmates and school. Or at least, it should have.
In India, the regular rules of the universe don't seem to be in effect. Take, for example, the laws of time and space. Einstein stated unequivocally that they can't be bent, yet this country proves otherwise. "In a minute" to an Indian can mean anywhere from an hour to two days.
I never watch Oscar-worthy movies until well after the awards season...which is why I watch the Academy Awards not to see who goes home with the most gold, but to see all the gorgeous dresses and the entertainment. After last year's show of forgettable gowns and a so-so host (love ya, Jon, but stick to "The Daily Show"), the 2009 Oscars celebration was quite a treat for this shallow viewer.
What, really, is the dress code on Bangalorean streets? Well, when in Bangalore, do as the Bangaloreans do. For one thing, wearing "revealing" clothing like shorts above the knee is generally taboo. Yet sandals are a given for both men and women in Bangalore - whether on a walk in the park or at a formal gathering.
You don't have to be a corporate accountant to know that executives make more money than the rest of us. This is the way it's always been - and in a way, it makes sense: as a person climbs up the corporate ladder, their responsibilities increase dramatically and their salaries should reflect that. Then again, the earnings of corporate executives may reflect their positions a little too well.
It has taken the online social networking world by storm. The "25 Random Things" note, which asks Facebook users to list 25 interesting, bizarre, fun and often surprisingly revealing facts about themselves, is part of a new and strangely addicting phenomenon.
On March 4, 2008, Brett Favre declared his retirement from the NFL. But when the 2008 - 2009 season rolled around, there was Favre in a New York Jets jersey. After an up-and-down season, Favre is calling it quits again. On Feb. 11, Favre announced his retirement from the Jets and the league. And this time, it looks like we won't be seeing Favre in a uniform again.
When I was a kid, my celebrity hero was chef Julia Child. She was a WWII veteran and inspired my love of all cooking shows. She may have been old and her cooking styles may have been simple, but she was my hero.
Bangalorean dinner parties are seriously time consuming. If you've ever been to one, you know what I mean. Here's the basic schedule...
Recently, Fairfax County transportation planners developed a no-cost proposal to deliver high school students to school later in the morning, possibly pushing the starting bell to 8:30 a.m. from 7:20 a.m. Excuse me while I find a suitable outlet for my jealousy.
There are few places so totally in harmony with nature as Bangalore. South Indian parties and "functions" feature meals served on banana leaves, the perfect disposable plates. Cows roam the streets freely and motorists tend to give them the right of way.
In elementary and middle school, I remember painting huge signs throughout the hallways: "Don't pollute!", "Save the Bay!", "We drink this water too!" We read articles in science classes about attempts to revive the Bay, and took field trips to the estuary to learn about runoff, nitrogen pollution and oyster populations. We were involved in our local environment, deeply invested in a water source a mere hour from our homes.
Well, since we're finally in 2009 (the year before the year of all years...ONE-OH) here's a little something from SCO to you: the official unofficial guide to talking like an Indian! Practice speaking with these "Indianisms" to be as hip as those "Slumdog Millionaire" characters.
India is a kaleidoscope, a tapestry woven of 17 languages and a billion people. And it's people who give the country its color: the seemingly ordinary, unsung heroes of everyday life, the blue-collar workers.
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