Photo requests...

Hey y'all - sorry haven't been updating regularly - but been mad ass busy!! In any case, will post a desrciptive list of my birthday events on the weekend (whatever I can remember - sobriety chose not to visit my party).

Anyway, to all my friends who took photos that night - can you please email them to me? aneeshsheth@gmail.com

thanks

A

Teen deewane 

Posing for Picasso 

Sholay Patty 

Just the 5 of us... 

Boob jam 

Bhangu Angu Nangu 

George, me and bubbles 

Temptation

So went with Jordana today to pick up her iPod at the apple store, and happened to get a glimpse of the new iPod nano. Man, it is so sweet. Its so cute - fits in the palm of your hand, and has games, photos and music. I am sooo tempted to give in and buy it - and if I buy it at sharper image I may just be able to afford it - thanks to my generous aunt who donated a pair of $100 binoculars to me (I loved the opportunity to work at your pharm ad company in chicago - but why binoculars? Anyway, I exchanged them for store cred). That, and I can get $50 gift certificate from my Amex points by the end of this month (was planning on using that to buy a nice fall coat or sweaters - but they can totally wait). Which leaves me with $50 - which I can manage to foot.
Should I, Shouldn't I??!!!

Decisions decisions...

Also, looking forward to what NYU Divya calls my "3-day wedding/birthday" - Day 1: dinner with a family and a few close friends (registered wedding); Day 2: Sholay Party (Sangeet) and Day 3: My lounge bar party (reception).

For those who read my blog regulary and haven't recieved the e-vite - details about my birthday party:

Sat 9/24 10pm onwards at the Xth(Tenth) Ave Lounge - on Tenth Ave between 45 and 46. (No Cover!!!)

For those who want to come to Sholay (South Asian GLBT Bollywood Party):
9/23 10pm-12pm $10 cover, After 12pm $15 at CLUB REMIX (NOT Pepper - where they usually host it) 24 Murray St (between Broadway & Church St)Trains: A/C/E/2/3 to Park Place in Manhattan.

In other news, not much - saw Salman Rushdie speak at B&N and got enamored and bought his book - then realizing that I couldn't really afford it - so will return it soon (maybe even try and sell it on ebay for a profit - it's autographed).
Dying to read Maximum City by Suketu Mehta - the brother is reading it and raving about it - now I'm all eager, especially after shantaram.

Apologies

..for not updating my blog. (Like there are any real readers..!)
Been so mad assed crazy busy that I haven't had time to shave even (yes, I look like yeti - mess with me and I'll send you to the himalayas!)
Between the fact that my technician in the lab is ditching me (going to india for an emergency - which she seems strangely excited about) and leaving me to do the whole damn experiment on my own - and I actually have to do it 'coz I need a recco from the prof!
Also, actually had to TA my first class yesterday. I hate undergrads. These guys are non majors and probably the most unenthusiastic bunch I've ever seen in my life. How does one crack open an undergrad brain and make them into the fun thing that I used to be?
Speaking of getting old, I found my first gray hair last week. I'm in mourning. I do not like this whole idea of graying and getting old - and the birthday is a week away and I have no clue where I'm going to hold it. I was thinking this place called 'Tenth Ave Lounge' (courtesy George) which is between 45-46 on 10th ave. It's like slide, but no cover on saturday nights.

Will I ever make it out of this semester alive?

A Eulogy to Big Cup

When I came to the city in 2001, I was a closeted, introverted, shy young lad. And I had no access to gay bars, or gay anything. Then, while reading a gay guide to New York in B&N (I didn't buy the book - just read it there) - I came across Big Cup. I jotted down the address in my travel book and went there within the next 15 minutes. It was fabulous. Pretty things all over the place. It was my first taste of Chelsea. It was the first place that I ever checked out other guys (didn't get picked up though).
Later, when I moved to New York - I became somewhat of a regular there (maybe once a month or so) - and it was the best people watching/cruising place ever. And you didn't even have to buy anything to sit down there - and Lot and me would check out guys (actually I would check out guys and she would check out the trashy gossip mags). It was the universal chelsea meeting place.
But now - all that's there is a papered walls and a sign which says "FOR RENT".
*sniff*

We will miss you much BC!!!!

The Desi Debate

Seriously, some people have no work!

This is how it all started on the NYU Journalism List-Serv (by Anjali):
Were you born in India and are now studying here? Or were you born and raised here? Or something in between? No doubt (if you fell under any category) you've contrasted/ compared the advantages/ disadvantages of American born versus Indian born Indians. Confused yet? Now I'm writing about it and I want to hear from you! The interview will be short, sweet and fun. Either phone or email works: your call. Holler back!

Mayur:
Dear Anjali, It's nice to someone who is so enthusiastic to write about the situation of an Indian in U.S. and their understanding of their own culture.
However, I would suggest for you to know a difference between a "Desi" and an Indian. They both are completely different words and I think the former cannot be used to call or describe the later. "Desis" comprise people mainly from South-Asian countries. Additionally, I don't find the word "Desi" to appealing to call someone from any country or community here. And I do know that people from our former generations have been using it since a long time and has used it as a label for Indian community here . Being an Indian myself, I am not biased towards my community or not criticising any other community.
But I guess everyone would agree with the fact that it's more respectable to be specific when you are looking for people or talking about them.
Thank you for your time and patience.
Good Luck with your story.
Best.
Mayur.
Mayur Prakash Pahilajani
Newspaper Journalism (Master Degree)
Department of Journalism. GSAS.
New York University. New York.

Anjali:
Hi Mayur,
For the benefit of all those who missed out on our slight exchange (since I replied only to you in previous mail): let me clarify --- as an Indian myself, I do not see anything derogatory in the term desi.
Furthermore, I certainly did not mean to demean anyone from my community - and apologize for any discomfort the use of the term may have caused you. That said, you seem to have misread my email because the only mention of the word was in the subject line where I should perhaps have further clarified my subject to 'Calling all Indian Desis' as I have always believed that 'desi' is a term used to describe someone from your own country.
That said, according to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desi), the term refers "to the blend of cultures and identity of the South Asian communities of the west, crossing national and cultural boundaries that separated them in their ancestral countries."
Whereas according to http://www.free-definition.com/Desi.html, it is: Desi, (pronounced /they-see/) and Deshi (pronounced /they-she/) are the two variants of an Indian word which means national as opposed to foreign. But for Indians abroad, it has become a term that mainly identifies an other fellow Indian. It is also applied to anything seeming very Indian (to a Non-Resident Indian (NRI)). Sometimes it is replaced with the more generic word Indian, but it is agreed upon that Desi brings the real flavour for the expression."
Clearly, the second interpretation is the way I meant to use it.
Again, I apologize for any harm caused. I tend to forget how sensitive people can be.
~ Anjali

Mayur:
Hi Anjali,
Thank you for reminding me to open up our exchanges for others too.
Well, it's not about being sensitive but it's certainly about respect. I won't blame you if you don't find "Desi" a derogatory word as I did mention in my last mail to you the fact that now we all are used to using that word. It has become a common label now on all of us.
Also, I know my community (and what people should be called as) better than the person who has written that encyclopedia, which you referred me to check for the definition of the word. In that case why should I rely on any website that was written according the understanding of popular few?
By the way I never meant to offend you in any way through my replies. And I have just expressed my opinion, which I thought worth mentioning it. Mayur



Honestly, where do these people come from?!!

p.s. Note Mayur's Signature - Master Degree - like Master Vijay or Master Akhilesh (that's how they used to credit male child stars in Bollywood films)? Uff!

The last few days...

So, although I anticipated being in the lab on Monday - I didn't really actually get the technician who's going to be working with me till today. I start splitting the cells tomorrow (I still have to read up on what this means), and the major part of the experiment will continue next week. I'm pretty excited, though. I've missed the lab the last coupla years.

Oustide of that, tried to make the most of my off time - changed banks from BofA to shitty..er..citi, went window shopping in thrift shops around chelsea (nothing interesting), and then had a nice South Indian meal with bhangu, nangu and picoley (aka nicole) last night at Madras Mahal - a place one block east of my old office.

What is newsworthy, however, is that while window shopping in Chelsea, I realized that Big Cup shut down (Eulogy to follow). *sigh*

Also, Mayur Pahilajani, this cockroach like desi in the journalism department, who can't spell, write or report to save his life got into this big debate with Anjali Naik, a former NYU student and snobby rich kid brat who used to be in my class in cathedral, about the use of the word 'desi'. For those interested, I will copy and paste a transcript of the emails - How did Mayur Pahilajani ever get accepted into NYU??!!! I'm surprised he can even spell his own name. Well, he did write for the ToI - so that says a lot about him - and he's from Ulhasnagar (not that I have anything against people from Ulhasnagar)! Ugh!