Christmas time is a lot different this year. First of all I cannot believe that it is the 6th of December already. I mean whoa time sloooow down. I do love this time of year though. I mean I am the brokest of the broke so it is forcing me to get creative with my Christmas presents this year. I am going to make some wreaths and other decorations as gifts. Making stuff n general is just so much nicer than buying something. I mean hey I love to be bought for but if you take time to think about me, and what I might really like and then you MAKE IT FOR ME...whoa. Awesome. My family hasn't decided what they are going to do for Christmas yet so it is kind of up in the air. Which is OK. No matter what it will be a world different than last year. In a gesture unmatched by any in my life my family showed me support by spending their Christmas Eve '09 on a plane. They boarded a plane and flew to China to be with me. Now it wasn't the smoothest trip, but honestly China isn't really one of those places you can just hop a plane and go vacay for a week. The language and the society are so different that it takes a lot more preparation. Unfortunately I was ill the week they arrived, not a surprise I was sick at least once a month. I also had only lived there a few months and so I was unprepared to show them around. I only knew a bit of the language and IT WAS FREAKING COLD!! But I will never forget that they got on that plane and came to see me all the way on the other side of the world.
One thing that I gained in China that I will continue to appreciate in my life is Indian food!! I mean I think Mexican food is #1 in my world but there is a serious lack of it in China. I didn't eat a taco for over a year...sad state of affairs! BUT almost as if the world was like sorry for taking away your favorite try this, and thus I was introduced to Delhi Darbar. It was a restaurant that after the first time I ate there I went to at least once a month and that was the bare minimum. It was the regular dinner spot for my roommate Lindsay and me. She, being from England, was well versed in the way of the curry. It never occurred to me that because we live next to Mexico that we would have more readily available Mexican food, where as England is closer to India and therefore they have more Indian food. Now I am not discounting that either country does not have varying degrees of each but between the two of us we just noticed that it worked out that way. and when Lindsay comes to the US she is going to get a major dose of Mexican deliciousness! Anywho back to Indian food. there were several occasions where David and I would start out to try a new restaurant and would just end up talking ourselves into Delhi Darbar. Well I fell in love, with the spices and the colors and the whole experience. Needless to say I have been craving since my return home. The other day on our ride home from work we were a bit out of the way and K pointed out an Indian food restaurant that he says is comparable to the greatness he enjoyed in Japan. So we decided that it was 100% necessary to have Ifood night, and we did. EG and I went to K&L's for dinner one night. K called in our order and brought it back for us. I ordered this:
Well since I have been talking about Indian cuisine I might as well tell you about a book that read while I was in China, a book that in some ways changed my life. Shantaram. Lindsay found this book in a hostel that we frequently went to to drink beer and play pool. She read it first, and I tell this girl could read, the book is roughly 1000 pages and she finished it in like a month (it took me 4 months). She would sit on the couch and read and laugh or read and cry and she would just say, wait till you read it then you will understand. And understand I did. the reason it took me 4 months to read the book is because it forced me to take it slowly. I began reading and was instantly mesmerized by the writing. It is really thick at first but once you start to appreciate it you are hooked. I found it brought out the lit. minor in me. I would read it with a pencil and a note pad underlining and writing in the margins. Taking notes on things that I needed to look up or ideas to cross reference. It is seriously a brilliant and intricately told story. The first half of the book is one that I can see myself reading over and over again. The second half is thrilling but it in no way compares to the beginning. It is philosophical and beautiful and tragic and terrifying. And it all takes place in India. A land that I have always had an interest in but is made even more magical after reading this story. I would suggest this book to anyone and even gave it to EG as a gift, although I don't think she has even picked it up. It is intimidating, but once you start you will be transported to another world entirely! You can check out some info about it here, and to tell you just seeing this cover makes my heart beat a little faster
What are you reading, or what have you read that has changed your world a little bit??
xox
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