Still life with vomit

Chatalog: Copied chats are the new blogs
Los Angeles to Kathmandu, Nepal

A Google Talk with my buddy, musician, singer and software designer Amod Dange in Los Angeles.

amod.dange: yo mama
amod.dange is online.

amod.dange: how ya be

sirensongs: oh, man i have been better for sure. just vomited in the bathroom of a japanese rest. and i hadn't even eaten. don't you love hearing this first thing in yo morning?
;-)

amod.dange: awww
sirensongs: cute huh

amod.dange: :)
well it happens to the best of us
sirensongs: sometimes even to me, ha
amod.dange: do you think it was the food?
sirensongs: no, i have been sick for nearly 1 week
off and on....kept thinking it was going away
amod.dange: oh no
sirensongs: got better

amod.dange: did you see a doctor?
sirensongs: then i took the Metronidazole meds. for it---no doctor
we know the parameters
however, i neglected to find out that
Metronidzle is also called Flagyl
and Flagyl makes me puke

amod.dange: honey you should see a doctor
sirensongs: thanks dear....yes my "special friend' keeps saying that
but, there are only 3 possibilities
cyclospora -- the meds. for which i am allergic to--Bactrim that is;
giardia
or amebiasis
giardia and amebiasis req. the same meds--Tinidazole
every year i forget and brush my teeth with tap water during monsoon. it's my fault

amod.dange: do you think that's what does it?
sirensongs: well, it could have been something i ate
bt evidently no firang here in nepal brush with tap water. in india it's always bn ok
amod.dange: maybe you should try gurgling with rum/whiskey after brushing... just a thought
sirensongs: so my foreign friends are chewing me out saying "you BRUSHED with TAP WATER??!?!?"

amod.dange: so much for the pure Himalayan spring water
sirensongs: oh hell, nepali water is disgusting
we are not that close to the mtns here in the valley
anyway i do feel much better after vomiting...i know it was the flagyl
can switch to Tinidazole
if that doesn't work then i have to sit it out.
take ayurveda
hey thanks for the SSBanner
that came out funny
star spangled, that is
SS, Secret Service, sirensongs

amod.dange: :-)
sirensongs: maybe I can find a way to play it at the Embassy 4th July party
amod.dange: i can send you a hi-fi MP3
sirensongs: in 2006 all they played was old Gerry Rafferty things from the 70s, and Billy Ocean. no really
well okay, i can put it on my flash drive i guess
amod.dange: or an audio file that you can put on a cd
sirensongs: dunno what setup they have there
amod.dange: well i can send you a regular audio file that you can put on a regular cd that will play in a system,
i'd really love it if the US Embassy used it
sirensongs: me too.

amod.dange: it will be a big honor :-)
sirensongs: even if they just play it once early in the day. yeah, most expats are pretty preppy, boring types
amod.dange: hahaha
sirensongs: so i wouldn't get too excited, ha
really, they only want clean scrubbed preps working for them.
no one going native or any weirdos like me

amod.dange: hey even if they played it to 2 people at the breakfast lounge i'd still be honored
sirensongs: cool. i think that could be arranged.
also my friends own bars here and i know that's not the same
but they may want to observe.
amod.dange: no bars are better
sirensongs: americans are here despite the travel warning
okay

amod.dange: what warning?
didn't know there was one
sirensongs: oh, the US offiically has an official warning that officially we shouldn't be here
then again Mandela was on their terrorist list till last week

hey, this is fun, maybe i will run this convo as a blog

amod.dange: i know wtf is that all about
sirensongs: for stuff he did with the ANC 30 yrs ago

amod.dange: you know i always thought chats were worthy of being published in their original form

sirensongs: back then he was a terrorist. but he did things like win a nobel pprize since then
amod.dange: i see

sirensongs: they are! chats
dialogue and the whole back and forth thing
is so much fun
much more fun than the ranting monologue stuff lots of blogs are made of

amod.dange: epecially since they retain the spontaneity of the moment
sirensongs: that's what really makes blogs special
like, if you hadn't called, or whatever people are calling it these days,
i prob. never would have written 'i just vomited in the bathroom of a jap. rest"
amod.dange: maybe you can start a new trend - i'd call it a "chatalog"
sirensongs: COOL


is there a bujilt in save on this chat device or must i copy it to word?
amod.dange: use google
cos it automatically emails you the whole chat session
sirensongs: oh right

amod.dange: but never CHANGE anything
sorry the caps should have been on NEVER
hahah

sirensongs: weren't you going to mention yr GF yesterday?
amod.dange: well yes she is awesome
sirensongs: cool
is this the Chinese girl?
amod.dange: she'll be here for the long weekend
yes
sirensongs: who is really young
amod.dange: yes she's 23, I am 35
sirensongs: so, quite a bit diff. of age. i suppose that doesn't matter much anymore
people are more accepting
amod.dange: well 23 yr olds are the lot smarter now than they used to be when i was 23
sirensongs: and a LOT more experienced, dang
kind of scarey
amod.dange: no kidding
yeah she surprises me all the time with her calm about things even I would get stressed about sometimes
sirensongs: wow
amod.dange: she's going to china for 2 months though
amod.dange: and she's not sure if they'll give her a visa to come back
sirensongs: wow, bummer
why would they not?

sirensongs: oh, it is china after all
hmmm

amod.dange: yeah well it's to do with finances for education etc. strange cos she is still enrolled in school which doesn't end for another year
sirensongs: hmm really strange
amod.dange: she thinks that the US govt discriminates between Chinese and Indian students
cos the indians all get 10 year visas
and the chinese only get 1 year
which can be renewed only from China
sirensongs: ah
well, that's prob because india was willing to make a deal with US and china was not, or something
i don't think the US has any reason to keep Chinese out
not chinese students
china would seem to have more of an interest in 'protecting' and being proprietary about its people

oh yeah, the thing about china being 'open ' now is rubbish

amod.dange: nah you think so?
could be i have no idea really
china is certainly not "open" of course
sirensongs: well, after making all the hoo ha about opening tibet and china again for foreigners
amod.dange: open to do business on their terms though
sirensongs: you can only travel in groups and all members of the group must be the same natilty.
which is very unlikely these days. for instance it means you and your GF could not go

amod.dange: what?
sirensongs: together
yep
amod.dange: that makes no sense
sirensongs: of course not
amod.dange: so if husband and wife have different nationalities they can't go together?
crap
sirensongs: my friend runs an Everest tours and they are letting him take 2 nationalities, but one has to be nepali, of course the porters are all nepali
and he is Kiwi
so...what, find 10 Kiwis?
amod.dange: hahaha
this is a joke
sirensongs: AFAIK [as far as I know] yes that's what it means.
then you must submit permission 2 mos in advance
but they reserve the right to reject it up to 1 wk before your intended travel date
amod.dange: how nice
sirensongs: and of course, for such a trip everyone has already bought expensive tickets often non-ref
and third of all
everyone's being really scrutinized
for instance, i might not get to go if they find out sirensongs is me
and biz people who have been going for 5 yrs are being rejected
this is all acc. to my close friend who runs the prof. agency
people who've been many times are being rejectd for mainland.
amod.dange: wow (sorry phone)
sirensongs: kay
your GF has any family in US? or no
Sent at 11:09 PM on Wednesday

amod.dange: back from phone.....
well she has an aunt
sirensongs: k, before you forget send me an MP3
amod.dange: in DC
sirensongs: oh that's good
amod.dange: ok sure
sirensongs: does that help at atll?
amod.dange: what? the thing about the Chinese policy?
sirensongs: with her staying
amod.dange: oh you mean the aunt
sirensongs: yeah
amod.dange: well the aunt is the sponsor
so she is instrumental in having her here
sirensongs: ah
amod.dange: but i'm not sure if the US immigration sees the aunt as also a factor increasing the possibility that she will not rerturn
Sent at 11:16 PM on Wednesday

amod.dange: ok darling i better focus on work - it's getting busier here
you take care of yourself

sirensongs: well great chatting. I will put this up on the blog. yep, i don't get alarmed at vomit anymore.
amod.dange: and i'll send that audio file across tonight
sirensongs: ;-)
happens with altitude, wrong meds, etc
amod.dange: that's the spirit -- well Happy 4th of July!
sirensongs: thanks! you too!!!
amod.dange: stay safe and eat well
and i'll send that audio 2night

Scenes from an embassy

Embassy embarassment

Kathmandu, Nepal

Pro-Tibetan Protests in front of the Consular section of the Chinese Embassy (Hattisar) had become an almost daily routine.

As of Tuesday the 1st, protests began in front of the actual Chinese Embassy building in Baluwatar (conveniently located down the block from the Prime Minister of Nepal's residence).

Here are some scenes from Monday's protest in Hattisar. Typically, the marchers approach the embassy's giant metal gates, holding banners and posters. The Nepal Police accost them, preventing them from approaching the gates. At this point the protestors sit down, "drop" or refuse to move, and the police drag them away.

On Monday, I noticed there were no monks in attendance. I asked a young English-speaking Tibetan girl about this. She, with her mother, was watching in tears.

"Some of them are monks," she said. "But they can't wear the monk dress. Police are arresting all monks and nuns on the road just for wearing the robes." So the monks were protesting in plainclothes. Indeed, I did notice quite a few protestors had the close-cropped monastic hair.

While the protestors shout and scream "stop the killing in Tibet, " "we want freedom in Tibet" and "Dalai Lama Zindabad" the police eventually apply the lathi (bamboo canes). Reporters and observers who'd been to many of the demos told me the police violence, while still including hair-pulling, even some face-punching, and lathi whacks, was actually reduced from that of a few days ago.

UN human rights observers in their trademark blue vests stood by watching. But they were denied entrance to the rooftop of a private house (next door to the Chinese Embassy) for better rooftop viewing. The Nepali homeowner said he "had been told not to" let anyone watch from the roof.

There were at least 2 dozen media members, both professional and amateur, in attendance, not to mention loads of ordinary Nepalis with cell phone cameras. Office workers peered down from the safety of first-floor windows while ground-floor shopkeepers slammed their metal gates shut.

Protestors were piled into police vans and trucks, and taken to various police stations where they were jailed until nightfall.

Just when the police would drive off with a truckfull of screaming protestors, another scuffle would start up down the block, with another group appearing seemingly out of nowhere. This went on for about 2 hours - groups appearing, sitting down, getting rounded up and dragged off, trucked away then another small group appearing elsewhere.

I read one report that claimed "protestors attacked the Chinese Embassy." I find that hard to believe, as they are not allowed anywhere near the enormous metal gates of the compound.

No fun

No fun to hang around
feelin that same old way
No fun to hang around
Freaked out - -for another day

The level of idiocy going on at the Indian Embassy is so...Stooge-like, I don't even want to start explaining it. After a while Indian bureaucracy ceases to bring a smile to your face, or even to be an interesting story.

And everyone knows (or at least I do - and I'm everyone, aren't I??) that Mercury Retrograde is no good for creating new media...better for reviewing old.

Since the Embassy is full of stooges, I decided the best soundtrack was Iggy & the Stooges.

Sometimes people ask me about the red scar on the side of my nose. I'm not sure I am ready to tell that story on the blog, or anywhere really, but the Stooges album Funhouse got me through that episode of my life (about 1984).

I swear to Godzilla, if it hadn't been for songs like "Down on the Street," I might not be here, at least not psychologically. It was better than all the therapy available in NYC at the time (not that I could have afforded therapy anyway).

In this vintage video, you can see the backdrop of Max's Kansas City, which was (believe it or not, kids - yes, I'm old) the first nightclub I ever, ever went to in New York City. It was still open in 1981. Yes, these feet have trod where the feet of Lou , Andy & Nico trod!

I was underage, but they weren't checking.

Alan Vega (from the avant-punk duo Suicide) and I stayed up till closing time, watching the Dictators and wondering if Johnny Thunders would ever take the stage as scheduled. (He never did. Come to think of it, I always thought Johnny Thunders looked kind of Indian. )

All that, and I still made it to French class at CUNY the next morning.

Here's my therapist Iggy, and a few ambient random (Rambient??) Kat-town photos. Enjoy!

My grain

The little elves that live inside my skull, hacking away with ice picks, are mostly on a break today. Or maybe they're on strike (better working conditions....?).

I am learning a lot about migraines. What the experts call the 'Aura' is lurking just behind my left eye all the time.

What is a migraine?
Usually migraine causes episodes of severe or moderate headache (which is often one-sided and pulsating) lasting from four to 72 hours, accompanied by gastrointestinal upsets, such as nausea and vomiting, and a heightened sensitivity to bright lights and noise. Approximately one third of people who experience migraine get a preceding aura.

^{And what the heck causes these things??}

According to the National Library of Medicine's Medical Encyclopedia, migraine attacks may be triggered by:

• Allergic reactions
• Bright lights, loud noises, and certain odors or perfumes
• Physical or emotional stress
• Changes in sleep patterns
• Skipping meals
• Lack of Water or dehydration
• Alcohol or caffeine
• Dealing with the Indian Embassy of Kathmandu

Ah! We have a winner......

Diplomatic license

Irrational International Relations
Kathmandu, Nepal

There just can't be such a thing as a normal visit to the Indian Embassy of Kathmandu. It just IS NOT allowed.

Always, there has to be some kind of extenuating circumstance inserting itself into the few thousand feet between my guest house and the complex of bungalow-style buildings in Lazimpat.

Today's episode featured a blockade of the front gates of the Indian Embassy by members of the Nepal Army, or maybe Nepalis in the Indian Army. What? No one could explain properly; evidently it had something to do with Nepali members of the Indian army striking for better pay and improved conditions.

Guys, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but have you looked around the neighborhood lately? You are lucky to have a job at all, let alone one working for the neighborhood superpower.

So I had to find the "secret" back entrance by a public school. Evidently this strike has been going on for a while, because the school gate has actually been now painted with the name "Indian Embassy Entrance." Armed soldiers come and go along with the uniformed schoolchildren and orange-robed ascetics applying for Indian visas.

When I finally reached the window, I was surprised to see the famous Toupee Man was no more. Toupee Uncle, gone! Now who's gonna smile at me and make playful banter?

In fact, all the faces had changed. Great, now I have to ingratiate myself anew.

A Colombian woman in line next to me had heard, via the expat jungle telegraph, that the previous crew had all been transposed - caught for taking baksheesh in exchange for issuing five-year visas, and sent upriver to some other office.

However, the grace of the avatars was in my corner. The new man at the window was either a Sherpa, or a Tibetan.

"WHY you are coming and going so much from India?" he asked, flipping suspiciously through the - by now several dozen - various stamps and stickers in my passport.

Of course, there MUST be a nefarious reason to want to spend time in India. I love this logic - it's as though they're admitting that no one in their right minds would go there. Come to think of it, they do have a point.

My impeccably chaste reply:
I am following His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

(Note to karma police: Forgive me for name-dropping, just trying to get back to Dharamsala to see Him.... this year he's teaching Dhammapada.)

The guy's head snapped up. "Really?"

Sure. Wanna see?

I switched on my camera and flipped through the close-range photos for him, as his eyes widened.

"You have MET him?"

Yes.

"He KNOWS you?"

Yes. (Not by name, just as that gutsy American woman who bullies around the Indian male news photographers. HH does get a chuckle out of this, I have seen it.)

Would you like some tenshug? I asked, reaching into my bag of silken blessing cords that had been 'zapped' by just two of the 1000 Arms of Avalokiteshvara.

Problem solved. Thanks, HH!

Because of some Hindu holiday (of course, there's one on a weekly basis - but what the hell is 11 February? - oh that's right, Vasant Panchami), I can't retrieve the visa till 14 February.

But Mercury will still be retrograde...maybe this time I'd better bring along some Precious Pill.

All About Vasant Panchami
I'm glad it's Vasant Panchami. If there were ever a patron goddess of Geek Girls, it would be Maa Saraswati.

Saraswati is the goddess of wisdom, art and music. It is believed that goddess Saraswati endows human beings with the powers of speech, wisdom and learning.
She has four hands representing four aspects of human personality in learning: mind, intellect, alertness and ego. She has sacred scriptures in one hand and a lotus — the symbol of true knowledge — in the second.

(Actually, it's not a lotus she is holding in the second hand...it is a mala, or prayer beads for saying mantra.)

With her other two hands she plays the music of love and life on a string instrument called the veena.

She is dressed in white — the symbol of purity — and rides on a white swan that symbolises Sattwa Guna or purity and discrimination.

Saraswati is also a prominent figure in Buddhist iconography — the consort of Manjushri.

Yaa Kundendu tushaara haaradhavalaa, Yaa shubhravastraavritha Yaa veenavara dandamanditakara, Yaa shwetha padmaasana Yaa brahmaachyutha shankara prabhritibhir Devaisadaa VandithaSaa Maam Paatu Saraswatee Bhagavatee Nihshesha jaadyaapahaa

Translation --
"May Goddess Saraswati, who is fair like the jasmine-colored moon, and whose pure white garland is like frosty dew drops; who is adorned in radiant white attire, on whose beautiful arm rests the veena, and whose throne is a white lotus; who is surrounded and respected by the Gods, protect me. May you fully remove my lethargy, sluggishness, and ignorance."