Basement Bhangra on Thursday, January 20thClick Here to Buy Advance Tickets <http://congaroom.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=325200> $15 General Admission Presale | $45 VIP Admission Presale Since its launch in 1997, Basement Bhangra has forced New York to sit up and take notice of Bhangra, rapidly making the outsider art-form an essential part of the NYC club scene. DJ Rekha’s production company, Sangament, has succeeded in putting Bhangra and Indian pop on the map of music consciousness. As stated in Billboard Magazine, “gaining entry after midnight could prove impossible.” Basement Bhangra has enticed the ears of many and has successfully sold out for 10 years in New York. On Thursday, January 20th 2011, DJ Rekha launches the Basement Bhangra residency at the Conga Room at LA Live. Los Angeles: Are you Ready to Bhangra? <http://congaroom.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=325200> Doors open at 8pm &bull Dance Lessons at 8:30pm Bhangra until 2am with DJ Rekha with Jess & Malinder of Dhol Nationft. Opening Sets by Sandeep Kumar, Nitro, Doc bLAdeZ, BenG For Dinner Reservations & More Information Call (213) 745-0162 or Email RSVP@CongaRoom.com Click Here to Buy Advance Tickets <http://congaroom.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=325200>
$15 General Admission Presale | $45 VIP Admission Presale
—— Forwarded Message From: Santoshi Verma <agnge77@gmail.com> Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2011 22:30:32 -0800 To: MEGHA BHARDWAJ <ndiankudi@yahoo.com> Subject: Jay Z on life, music, and more…
http://www.youtube.com/v/2L_5yOXXxqU&hl=en&fs=1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Go gcoinne Dia thu
The Music Fuels Me, The Dance Completes Me
Anybody can become angry – that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy – Aristotle
The mystery of life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced – J. J. Van Der Leeuw
Om Mani Padme Hum
—— End of Forwarded Message
From: Jay Proano <rproano@mac.com> Date: January 3, 2011 1:19:01 PM PST To: Jay Proano <rproano@mac.com> Subject:ALC 10 – We Are Half Way There! Thank You.
I would like to start off with a Thank You to everyone that has made a donation, passed along the message(s) to other friends/co-workers, and those that have continuously shown support the past few months of this journey. Because of the efforts shared by you all, I am happy to announce that together we have climbed up to 51% of the goal. I had set a goal of $5000.00 to raise awareness and continue to fight the epidemic that has taken millions from us…AIDS. Over the months that I have been fundraising, meeting other cyclist, and training I have heard and remembered the many stories that I have received so far. Stories from those that I never expected to hear from, stories from those with this disease and their challenges, and donations from people I least expected it from. So to all of you…thank you every much.
With being 51% of the way to reaching the goal of $5000.00 I know there is still more to do. As the months get closer the raising gets harder. So I am asking for your help yet again. If there is anyway for you to make a donation, send the message below to someone who may be able to, or raise awareness…it would be a great help. Once again the link to find out more or make a donation is : http://www.tofighthiv.org/goto/jayproano
A Message About Why:
I first read about AIDS/Lifecycle ride last year and was extremely interested in the ride, but knew I was no where near shape enough to do it. But I did make myself a promise to ride, the completion of the 545+mi journey, will be my goal and greatest accomplishment. So a year has gone by and life has gotten busy, to be honest I forgot of this goal until just a four months ago when I saw AIDS/LIFECYCLE on Facebook. I click the “LIKE” button, visited the website, BEGGED for an extra week off of work, and the next thing I knew…I got the OK and was registering to ride.
AIDS/HIV is a horrible disease that has effected some of the people closest to me, never have I looked at him/her any different, never have I judged anyone with it…BUT I have wondered what would happen if the medication doesn’t work, I have wondered how big that empty hole in my life will be without their big personalities to cheer me up. Those friends close to me, those friends I will meet, and the many lives that will be touched along the path of this ride is why I am riding. I’m Riding to End AIDS.
From June 5-11, 2011, I’m bicycling in AIDS/LifeCycle. It’s a 7-day, 545+ mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to make a world of difference in the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS.
Help me support the millions lost, effected, and those that will be born into the world of this epidemic by giving what you can. We’ll keep riding until AIDS and HIV are a thing of the past.
Today was one of her good days, and the old beautiful smile of hers returned as well as the desire to put something of substance in her stomach instead of my constant pleas to eat. I also learned that the fear of the many horrors they told us about had not manifested yet, and I thanked God for the break in schedule. Instead of a full week full of anxiety dreading the side effects, we got a small dosage of what was to come, and for that I am thankful.
I have much to learn that much I realize now and accept. While a chance comment from one of her dear friends that I was a “robo husband” hurt my feelings for a second, the reality was that it hurt because it was true. I am constantly struggling between being a caregiver rather than a caretaker. I know for her what’s more important is not someone who can attend to all her physical needs but someone who can replenish her with love and care (a gentle reminder from another good friend of hers).
I am not going to lie, that’s exactly what I am scared of. Between constantly wanting her to be comfortable and trying to provide her all the comforts of the world, I am worried I am not up to the task, that what I am doing is hollow and meaningless. This is no longer someone who is sick, but my wife and we are going to spend the rest of our lives together. What scares me is not knowing what will happen, and when the side effects will take form and then it hits me that I am again failing to be in the NOW. I cannot control what she will go through nor can I stop the process. And then it hits me that I have to be full myself before I can empty myself into her. I need to do what makes me, ME or I will just remain a caretaker.
I know she knows that I love her deeply but the reality is I need to show it more than just feeding her medications at the right time or filling the fridge with her favorites. I have to stop being robotic or worse just a caretaker. I also see now that is how I am dealing with her pain, by compartmentalizing her into a schedule which does not allow for her to express her emotional pain and frustration. I have to let her have the slice of pizza without the admonition to not put red peppers on it or take her medication as I scheduled. I just have to let her be, let her get it out, whatever she is feeling because the cancer is not just physical, it’s also taken over her mind. I cannot be a Robocop, not allowing her to go through all the motions she needs to in order to get a grasp of what has happened to her.
As I struggled with my guilt, I received a wonderful email from a stranger who encouraged me to go on, to keep on writing to figure out what we are going through and suddenly that one page email reminded me that I have all the tools to make her get through this and that is through friends, family but most importantly me (as self-important as that sounds).
And so a week ends, and we begin anew again tomorrow. I think I know what I must do, and for now that is enough.
To the nameless friends and strangers who gave me the idea for this post: Thank You.
Too many unanswered texts, too few call backs, too much selfishness. I picked the picture to the right because it illustrates to me that there are many who will just continue with their lives not really concerned about friends or family. I can’t but help be fascinated at the raw emotions I feel as those who I considered close to me once have left me to languish in the toughest battle of my life. Others have surprised me at their tenderness and care and still other’s I cannot fathom their immaturity. The reality is that friends come and go, family does the best it can, but only I can make the life I need to live.
So today, I celebrate letting go. The 1’s being of particular important because at the end of the day I only have myself to rely on. I no longer want to be dominated by disappointment, hurt or worse, Anger. No longer will I give lip service to the ideal of being here NOW. No longer will I dread cancer, chemotherapy, radiation or any of the myriads of side effects we will face because the reality is we can either be overwhelmed by it or live day-to-day.
Moreover, I cannot expect people to be the way I want them to be. They are going to be only true to their own nature and while some pay lip service to the ideals of great friendship or family, I just have to take it with a grain of salt. I want today to be the only day I vent these sentiments because in the past 2 months alone, I know who my real friends and family are. The rest just acquaintances who once provided fond memories and now just need to be relegated to old photo albums as reminders of a great past. Some need to be removed completely, others left at a distance, and a few to be politely fake too because it matters to her so much. So to some I say hello and to others Goodbye, it was nice while it lasted and thanks for the memories.
So 1/1/11 help me today to let go of the past, not worry about the future and just revel in the present. That’s my gift to myself.
You weren’t a good friend, come to think of it you weren’t much of anything except a source of constant grief. I am not sorry to see you go, in fact I would say I am glad but I am not going to even dignify that sentiment in relation to you. But then I realize I have something you cannot take away which are my friends, my family and best of all my brand new wife, Preeti so perhaps I can begrudge you a bit of a farewell. Except today is just another day, and that’s how I plan to spend it. No parties, no celebrations just a night in with my beautiful Preeti, just the 2 of us lying next to each other, savoring the closeness and the love of all the ones dear to us in memory.
You weren’t easy to deal with. From taking a dear family member, giving me a stroke to afflicting the love of my life with a life changing disease, I can definitely say you have made it a mission to be memorable except you are not. I am not going to give you that power. Instead, you get this tiny post almost 2 hours before you die in my memory. You don’t exist, and if you plan to tell your friend 2011 to do the same, then it will get the same middle finger.
I am not bitter. I am not angry. I am just done. I know what I have in my life, and guess what, I know I am rich in that. Forget money, forget fame, forget the material things or the many meaningless promises I have made at other New Year Eve’s. I have what I need and want. Now all that’s left is for the rest of the year to recognize that they have been reduced to numerical symbols, meaning nothing except for the passage of time. If you thought you were going to beat me down, 2010, you were mistaken.
Hear me out 2011, you might want to stay on your best behavior before you, too become another torn out calendar. You have been warned.
