Rhythm Divine

A few years ago, mixing Indian pop music and hip hop music became popular in NYC nightclubs. Today, playing Akon, Backstreet Boys and especially Enrique Iglesias in coffee shops is very popular. In the last month alone, concerts in Mumbai included Akon, Beyonce and Chamillionaire.

Globalization-- allowing me to hear the same music anytime, anywhere.

Riding The Rails

Mumbai has a pretty extensive public transportation system. Trains and buses run frequently all day and night. And they are not expensive. 6 Rupees gets me to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST/VT), the main central train station shown in the first pic.

Each train has at least one ladies only car, and you will find me here. Ladies cars allow women to feel more comfortable and safe on the train. If you`re a guy, you`ve gotta work a little harder.

Because they are so crowded, using the trains can take some nerve. Maybe because I`m a city girl at heart, but I don`t think the trains are so bad. OK, they aren`t very modern. And there are no doors. But no doors means you always have fresh air. And if the train is stalled in between stations, you can just walk off, like the people in the second pic did. Tell me where else you can do that!

Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlaixXhNGOE to see ride the train.
Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFU2vu3wSGs to see the women come in.
Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86iyoRm8OzA to see the men shove in.

I`ve Got the Power

Who is he? Where does he come from? What does he do? When did he become so popular? Why is he so popular?

I don`t know the answer to any of these questions. All I know is that crowds of people were making a huge fuss over him and were excited to see him. And why not? The man is rocking out like P. Diddy with his own manservant carrying an umbrella for him. When that happens, you know you`ve made it.

Oooey Goooey

There are 2 type of stamps that I am used to. Everyone`s favorite self-adhesive stamps (yay!) and the not-so-delicious stamps that you must lick (boo!) I`ve now learned of a new type of stamp, the one used here in India. You dip your finger into a tub of watery glue sitting on a counter in the post office and rub the glue onto the back of the stamp. Once you place the stamp on the envelope, hold it for a bit, then wait for a minute or 2 until it dries. Just make sure you have a napkin ready to get that excess glue off your finger!