16/11/10

“The unreal is more powerful than the real, 

because nothing is as perfect as you can imagine it. 

because its only intangible ideas, concepts, beliefs, fantasies that last.

 stone crumbles. wood rots. people, well, they die. 

but things as fragile as a thought, a dream, a legend,

 they can go on and on.”

Chuck Palahnuik

In India the elephants are often decorated. 

This one had two tigers on the side of its trunk.

Here now

Don't let your mind get weary and confused

Your will be still, don't try

Don't let your heart get heavy child

Inside you there's a strength that lies

Don't let your soul get lonely child

It's only time, it will go by

Don't look for love in faces, places

It's in you, that's where you'll find kindness

Be here now, here now

Be here now, here now

Don't lose your faith in me

And I will try not to lose faith in you

Don't put your trust in walls

'Cause walls will only crush you when they fall

Be here now, here now 

Be here now, here now 

Be Here Now - Ray LaMontagne

Home sick.

It is a curious emotion, , this certain homesickness I have in mind. With Americans, it is a national trait, as native to us as the rollercoaster or the jukebox. It is no simple longing for the home town or country of our birth. The emotion is Janus-faced: we are torn between a nostalgia for the familiar and an urge for the foreign and strange. As often as not, we are homesick most for the places we have never known. 

- Carson McCullers

8/18/10

He wrapped himself in quotations - as a beggar would enfold himself in the purple of Emperors.  ~Rudyard Kipling

                Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland

You could say I have mixed feelings about moving.

PROS-

1. I won't have to see any more people being beaten
2. I'll see less homeless/mutilated people
3. It's cleaner
4. It's (most likely) safer
5. Things will work when I need them too
6. I can make new friends (not that I need/want too...)
7. I can learn Russian
8. I can get a fur coat
9. I can still be an expat
10. I can travel more
11. Stronger Church
12. I hear the school is nice
13. Good public transportation
14. I can got o Siberia!
15. I can officially say I have lived through (at least ) 50 below 0
16. Beef is widely available 

CONS -

1. I'll miss India
2. I'll miss the school
3. I won't see my good friends
4. I won't see cows in the street
5. It wont be cheap in Moscow
6. People wont look at me
7. People from subway wont ask me out on a date (funny story about that one (: )
8. I'll miss my car
9. People won't ask me if I speak 'indian' anymore ( ): )
10. I can get away with dressing like a hippie
11. I won't be taller than everyone!
12. I won't see guys holding hands (and by hands I mean pinkies! )
13. I'll have to take the bus to school ):
14. I have to start ALL OVER AGAIN
15. I'll be freezing all the time
16. No more peeing people on the side of the road
17. Not as much traffic!
18. No more crazy teachers! ( I hope!)
19. No more crazy Indian stalkers on face-book
20. No more bollywood music (FINALLY!)
21. NO MORE LENTILS! (YESSSSSS!!!!!!)

Crazy as it seems, I don't want to move. Can you imagine that?
xxx

Three hints to where I am moving to!

Hint one -

Hint 2 -
It will be like this for 8 months of the year -

Hint 3 -
Россия

Flying Fox

We drove out to the 12 century fort in Rajasthan to go on the flying fox (zip lining)

The Neemrana Fort

My brother is a stud (despite the fact he is trying to get me off the computer at the moment)

Family Picture!

Hahaha!

We were being stalked by the local villagers! 

We're married.

McKenna

xx

Sorry ):

So, I went to a friends party tonight, where we watched the notebook -

(please note this photo does not belong to me.)

Needless to say, I cried, alot. I mean, come on, you'd have to be HEARTLESS to not cry when you saw this movie!...And I think everyboy in the world should watch this, and build a white house on the lake, with blue shutters, and a painting room over looking the lake, with a porch all around the house.

yeah.

Anyways, so while I was watching the Notebook I lost count of time and forgot to call my parents to tell them I would be late, and they got really worried.

I just want to say that I'm really sorry mom and dad and that it will never ever happen again. And thanks for always thinking about me and my saftey.

I love you 

McKenna

xx

I.CAN.NOT.DRAW.

Errrrg,

So I found this cool makeup tutorial - 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEV-42ZOf18

And I wanted to try re creating it with pink hair.

...It didn't work that well.

):

See?

Yeah, that was a fail.

Yeah, well, peace out homies

xx

Mia came to visit!

My best friend, who moved back to Australia last year, came back to visit!

I love you goon

xx

Punam and Surender's birthday!

We celebrated their birthday this year with a pink cake!

Sushma feeding Punam her cake!

Surender stole my glasses!

Ah, the beauty of self-timers

xx

Japan

So, I started to do individual posts of what we did in Japan, but that would take far too long.
So instead I'll just upload the best pictures I have from the amazing trip.

This was at the Silver Temple in Kyoto, he was trying to catch the rain in his mouth. so cute.

golden temple, Kyoto

Hemiji Castle, Hemiji

These are the cranes folded for peace, Hiroshima

A-Dom, only surviving building of the A-Bomb, Hiroshima

Adorable family we meet on the bullet Train, Roze, Raize, and Komiko

Chloe in her komono , Tokyo

Hemiji

Me, Robbie, Wendy, Chloe with Rose and Cherry blossom ice cream, Tokyo

Hemiji Castle, Hemiji

Lanters at a shrine, Tokyo

Cherry Blossoms, Tokyo

Cherry Blossoms, Tokyo

Fish Market, Tokyo

Man cutting a Tuna fish, Tokyo

Head of Tuna, Tokyo

Harijuko, Tokyo

Harijuku Girls, Tokyo

more lanters, Tokyo

Out side the Gagnons house, Tokyo

Subway station, Tokyo

Big Buddha, Kabuhya

The Buddah and Cherry Blossoms, Kabuhya

Big Buddha, Kabuhya

Big Buddha, Kabuhya

Shrine covered in Buddha's - Kabuhya

Mor Buddha's , Kabuhya

Kabuhya

Chloe and Tera Grace at the Shrine, Kabhuya

Kabuhya

The Beatle's walk, Kabuhya

Shrine Caves covered in the goddess of beauty,luck, and wealth, Kabuhya

Shrine Caves, Kabuhya

Kabuhya

Shrine in Kabuhya

Small Store, Kabuhya

Shrine, Kabuhya

Shrine, Kabuhya

We were tired (:, Kabuhya

Figures carved in Wood at a shrine, Kabuhya

Kabuhya

Cherry Blossoms, Kabuhya

<3, Kabuhya

Wendy, Kabuhya

We meet up with our friends from Germany! - Tokyo

The Shiozaki's - Tokyo

I had such a great time! (as you can see by how MASSIVE this post is!)

xx