There have been flash mobs popping up all over the world. The latest is a mob from Russia....This is probably one of the best I've seen.
I also saw a flash mob doing the hula aboard a Hawaiian Airlines flight 38,000 feet in the air. But here's another concept called Hit and Run Hula. This hula troupe went around San Francisco and did the hula....They performed at Pier 39, a four way traffic stop, a BART station and the Apple Store. Now that seems like fun to just "hit and run."
Here's another mob...this time it is Tahitian dancing at the beach at Ka'anapali on Maui. Now that is a cool idea and what a treat for the tourists. Ka'anapali is a very beautiful spot for vacation.
This mob dance is great coming off escalators at the Windward Mall in Hawaii.
My daughter did a flash mob dance when we visited San Francisco. She had a lot of fun. It takes a lot of practice though. My problem is that I wouldn't remember the steps and screw it all up!
These events just spread fun and cheer and I'm all for it!
One Christmas my daughter purchased the Wii. We started off with the exercise program, WiiFit. It recorded our weight to start off with and then went on to keep track of how much we exercised and told us how many calories we burned....it was fun at first....then came the strength training...then the balancing....boy that was the toughest. There were also video games you could play...I had more fun with those.
Every Christmas after that we added to the Wii Family....
We went on to the Rock Band where you got a set of drums to play and a guitar and microphones. The family stayed up late and played...that was fun.
Next came the singing Karaoke style....you had to hit the notes or your score would not be as high. Songs that I thought were easy to sing were actually not. One such song was Gladys Knight and the Pips singing Midnight Train to Georgia. I loved to sing that song...but boy was it tough. I never realized the highs and lows Gladys sang in this song with the OOO's....and holding your breath to sing a long note...that was a killer!
Now here's where the fun comes in....I challenged my daughter to sing this next song....the notes and rhythm are so unique. This song is called Bohemian Rhapsody. Heaven forbid that I should be outdone on this game!
Scara Mooche, Scara Mooche....she did the Fandango! She out scored me! Oh it must be the age gap....oh to be young again! (as I'm gasping for air).
Well my granddaughter got in the act and one of her favorite Wii songs was.....Put Your Records On....
Now....I would have been satisfied with all that fun....but then somebody at Wii thought about having a dance program....and I could see my couch potato days coming to an immediate halt! Not only did we get the first dance program that came out...but it was so popular they came out with yet another more difficult one. With this program...if you don't do the moves you get a low score!
Well, needless to say I thought my lungs would collapse at the end of doing the following dance.....now mind you....I still couldn't be outdone and rose to the challenge from my family.
Gosh just watching that video makes me shiver! (Actually....the truth was that the more I did it the less out of breath I got)...."Oh my Lord....Can't Touch This!"
Watching Hindi films is quite fascinating because as mentioned before, they seem to really know how to party hearty.
One of the festivals I've learned about is called the Karva Chauth. This is an annual one day festival which usually falls on the fourth day after a full moon in the month of Kartik (November).
Married women fast from sunrise to moonrise for the safety and longevity of their husbands. Sometimes unmarried women observe this custom for their fiances.
Preparations begin a few days in advance. On the day of the fast the women awake to eat and drink just before sunrise. The pre-dawn meal (Sargi) is prepared by the mother-in-law. It consists of sweets, almonds and lots of love and good wishes. (I guess this custom limits the number of mother-in-laws that some claim are from hell?.....just thinking out loud) The day passes meeting friends and family. No housework is done on that day (wow a day without housework....where can I sign up?)
Below is a clip from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham showing one such festival. Of course my favorite actor Shah Rukh Khan is in this clip along with Kajol (in red), who portrays his wife. Hrithik Roshan is his brother and Kareena Kapoor, his sister-in-law who in the movie becomes engaged to Hrithik. Also starring in the movie are Bollywood legends Amitabh Bachchan and his real life wife Jaya Bachchan. My 10 year old granddaughter Kanami loves the music from this film. She has it on her IPod and loves to sing this song and a couple of others from this movie.
Another festival that looks like fun is called Holi. It is a religious festival celebrated by Hindus to welcome Spring and a time to enjoy Spring's abundant colors and say farewell to Winter. Throwing scented colored powders and perfume at each other is all part of this festival along with a lot of hugging.
Here is a clip showing Shah Rukh Khan and his wife Gauri enjoying this festival with their family and friends.
Yet another ritual is the application of a Bindi, a red dot (vermilion) in the center of the forehead between the eyebrows. The color red represents honor, love and prosperity. Some believe that it is a way to worship one's intellect. By doing this it helps to keep your thoughts pure, to stand up to challenges with courage and to make noble decisions in life. Wow....what a concept!
During a wedding ceremony, the groom will also place vermilion at the center parting of the hair as shown above.
And....oh.....the brides are so beautifully dressed with jewels and usually the color red for their dress. They have their hands and feet painted with henna and the jewelry never quits! Here is Aishwarya Rai in wedding garb. Aishwarya is often referred to as "the most beautiful woman in the world" by the media after winning the Miss World Pageant in 1994.
Here is another scene from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham that shows a wedding reception. During this clip, Shah Rukh Khan flirts with Kajol, the bride's best friend...but you can catch a glimpse of the bride and the jewels. At this reception the holy man will double check the birth charts of the bride and groom and say whether the marriage ceremony is approved or not. The groom has his face covered...I'm not sure why....but he is told that the marriage has been sanctioned. This is one of my favorite parts of the movie. Ditto for Kanami too.
No wonder the wedding party goes on for days! Gosh....Shah Rukh looks so handsome in the above clip! He and Kajol have such great on screen presence as a couple.
There are certainly other festivals that I believe are just so beautiful and touching.....I'll cover those on future posts.
Shah Rukh Khan is a Muslim and his wife Gauri is Hindu. They were married three times in observance of both their religions. Their children are being raised to worship both religions and are being taught about other religions as well, which is how Shah Rukh was raised. In this next clip filmakers are having a discussion on stereotyping Muslims post 9/11 in the Hindi film industry.
The film they are discussing is a very beautifully put together film written and directed by Karan Johar. It is definitely a film worth seeing.... about the effects on a family worshipping both Muslim and Hindu faiths.
The film is called My Name is Khan.....and it is available on Netflix. Don't miss this beautiful film! When travelling to America, Shah Rukh Khan has been detained more than once at the airport for several hours because of his name....just like in this movie. The latest was an incident just months ago (in April) when he was invited by Yale University to accept a Chubb Fellowship and speak to the students.
In the clip below, Rizwan Khan is trying to console Mandira after the death of her son. Shah Rukh and Kajol put in stellar performances for this movie.
In an interview Shah Rukh tells how while filming this movie he would go home with such a headache because of the way he used his face to make his character seem more authentic. He portrays a man with Asperger Syndrome, a form of autism.
I believe that with this movie and the lifestyle that Shah Rukh and Gauri have with their children is a step in the right direction for Peace and I whole heartedly applaud them! A wonderful custom for World Peace in our lifetime is the freedom of religion!
Indicative of the times when I grew up with TV shows, Walt Disney made shows like The Mickey Mouse Club and Davy Crockett.
People in my age range went around singing....
"M-I-C....K-E-Y.....M-O-U-S-E" .....all of us knew the words by heart....
Meeska, Mooseka, Mouseketeer....
or....."Born on a mountain top in Tennessee....greenest state in the land of the free....raised in the woods so he knew every tree...kilt (killed) him a bar (bear) when he was only three....Davy...Davy Crockett....king of the wild frontier." (or something like that).
It's scary how I can still remember the words to these songs all these years....when sometimes I can't even remember something I thought about just a minute before.
As kids we were literally glued to our television sets on Sunday nights watching the different adventures of this show. My favorite mouseketeers were Cubby and Annette. She later went on to star in many movies opposite Frankie Avalon in those "Beach" movies, like Beach Blanket Bingo. Loved those too.
Of course, there were other goofy songs that we sang a lot.
Alley oop oop.....
Oo e oo a a ting tang walla walla bing bang.....
Careful....these songs have a way of sticking in your brain!
It's no secret that I love musicals. One of my favorites was the musical A Chorus Line starring Michael Douglas. The film was directed by
Sir Richard Attenborough.
Here is the official trailer for the movie:
There were so many songs that were great and the dance sequences were thrilling. I did get to see a stage version of the play in Hawaii and the woman that did the following solo number for this song was a fabulous dancer. She received a standing ovation at the end of the song.
Here is a short version of that particular song....now bear in mind that this clip is different than the actual stage version I saw....that version was much better in comparison. You had to be there!
The dancer in the next clip was really great in the movie....
Another part of the movie that I liked was the song Nothing. I just fell in love with the emotion of the song. Now personally I find the movie version of this song to be the best. This is a broadway version.
The funniest was the Dance 10 Looks 3 (Tits and Ass) sequence: (These last 3 videos won't fit on this blog...so just cut and paste to the YouTube site).
Once in a while I would watch a series called The Vicar of Dibley, a BBC comedy show. The show was a riot of laughs. Especially at the end of the segment there would be a little bantering back and forth between the Vicar and her friend Alice Tinker.
The main character was played by Dawn French.....a somewhat overweight Vicar.
Her friend Alice was akin to the village idiot.
Well....there was a Christmas Special episode that had a very handsome man that played the Vicar's love interest! I considered that episode to be the funniest of them all. He was called Harry in the show but the actor's name is none other than Richard Armitage (not to be confused with the politician).
I first encountered Richard in the series called North and South. Then I watched him as Guy of Gisborne in Robin Hood another BBC Series. I believe that he also acted in MI-5 right before that wonderful series ended.
If you ever get the chance....watch the entire episode....you will truly enjoy it. This is only the end of the final episode....Now be sure to stay tuned to the bantering after the credits.....
Too funny! But seriously, watch the episode in its entirety.....because it's the best yet!
Oh...by the way....watch the Robin Hood series as well....because he is such a handsome Guy (of Gisborne). I believe that this was probably one of the better Robin Hood movies that I've seen.
No....I take that back....another great version was an old movie from 1938...called The Adventures of Robin Hood. Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone and Claude Rains starred in that version. Now that was a classic. The fact that it was in color and the gorgeous costumes added tremendously to that movie.
The song Crazy, performed by Patsy Cline is one of my favorites. I never knew that it was composed by Willie Nelson. I saw the movie Sweet Dreams which starred Jessica Lange and just fell in love with Patsy's songs and the movie too.
Here is the real Patsy singing the song Crazy.
Another singer I like is Johnny Cash. The movie Walk the Line, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon,brought to light for me the songs Folsom Prison Blues and Walk the Line...I also like the comical Boy Named Sue.
I really got to liking Country and Western music when we lived in Missouri. The kids were little back then. Although we only spent a year there, we got to experience so many new things....snow, dry lightning, defrosting the car, gas shortages, tornado scares and long drives down to Arkansas going through the Ozarks to visit grandma and grandpa Boyle.
They lived on a farm that stretched as far as the eye could see and we saw bales of hay (they were round not squared). Grandpa Boyle would come out with a flashlight when we arrived at night...to scare the snakes away. He warned us to wear long pants...preferably jeans. Oh....we got to see a family of skunks cross the road one night too.
The nearest neighbors lived miles away. Grandma Boyle would "put up" fruits and veggies from her garden and when she would cook...YUM....we had freshly made tofu (not store bought). The taste was unbelievable! She was from Korea and while we were there....one day she made KoChooJung (fermented bean paste)...YIKES the whole house stunk something fierce for days!
The tornado scares were the worst. There is a really eerie low pitched whirring sound. We had to evacuate to the basement laundry area and stayed there awhile.
We got to meet some very nice people at the Southern Baptist church we attended. We got to watch them making ice cream (so delicious) and we attended roller skating parties in the gym. There was always something to do there. Oh, I forgot....homemade chili (we missed the rice and mac salad...not typical for us from Hawaii). We even got to go on a hayride. That was a first for us.
We did the typical touristy things like standing in 2 states at the same time....because we lived close to the border, with one foot in Kansas City (Missouri) and the other in Kansas City (Kansas).
We toured the Fantastic Caverns, America's only ride-through caves. The Ku Klux Klan used to hold meetings there...nowadays they have parties and weddings. Some of the caves still have bats hanging from the ceiling.
I had a job and worked downtown as a secretary for the owner of a chain of home improvement stores and one day my co-workers took me to Little Italy where I had the best Spumoni ice cream ever! I don't know if they were "pulling my leg," but they told me not to catch any one's eyes or draw attention to myself...because Little Italy was a mob hangout.
Looking back, I must have been a cutie back then....I had a man sending me love letters from Hawaii every day telling me how much he missed me, my ex-husband wanted to reconcile with me, I received a marriage proposal from a man that I met in Arkansas and I was dating a guy named Jim (???) from church...but when I found out he worked at a mortuary....that ended that....I was too spooked! (Sorry no offense meant!)...I was so young and foolish because he was actually handsome! How does the saying go? You win some...you lose some? No....You snooze you lose.....nah....it is: C'est La Vie?
Jab We Met is a Hindi romantic comedy film starring Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor (no they are not related).
The story is about a feisty and talkative Punjabi girl who meets a depressed Mumbai businessman on a train going to Delhi. She is planning to elope with her boyfriend and he was just dumped by his girlfriend who marries another man.
What I enjoyed most in this film was the view of the Himalayas and the ethnic costumes in one of the dance numbers. I hope that you will find it to be great as I have.
The other dance number I liked is when Shahid goes to Kareena's family home and performs the following song and dance sequence. From childhood her family arranged a man to be her betrothed and he has come to visit. Her family suspects that Shahid and Kareena are a couple and he is trying to avoid her while she is trying to flirt with him to get out of the arranged marriage because she wants to elope with another man. It is a really cute plot.
What I've come to realize from watching all these Bollywood movies is that the people of India really know how to party. Their weddings can last for a couple of weeks! And.....they have so many different religious and holiday customs that seem like fun. More on that subject in a later post to come.
I love the colors on Kareena's sari outfit. The jewelry looks like fun to wear too.
Backstory: Shahid and Kareena in real life were a couple for 2 years prior to making this movie....but during the movie they broke off the relationship and Kareena is now engaged to another Bollywood actor....Saif Ali Khan who was proclaimed the 10th Nawab of Pataudi, something equal to a prince. What a fairy tale life happening for real.
Here is a picture of her real life fiance. I am guessing that this picture was probably taken at the funeral of his father (hence the photo with the garland in the background and the fact that he is dressed all in white).
Hrithik Roshan is an Indian film actor who also sings and dances. I first saw him in a movie called Dhoom 2, a Bollywood action film. What gets your attention....besides the eyes....oh and muscles....is his fluid form of dancing.
Here is a sample from that movie...
The next clip is from the show Just Dance...2 things to note: you can see his right hand has 2 thumbs. The second thing is the head thing....how does he make his head do that? Oh, by the way....he can sing too!
I found this next clip to also showcase his style. It is also from the show Just Dance...finale show. Here is dancing with Ankan, the winner of the contest.
What Makes a Dad
God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad Author Unknown
I just watched a wonderful short film from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer and Hay House that is being shown free today and tomorrow. The film is called Tales of Everyday Magic: My Greatest Teacher. The end of the movie is very thought provoking!
Growing up in the 50's, 60's, 70's and so forth there have been a number of goofy songs that have stuck in my memory....go figure....sometimes I can't even remember something that I thought of a couple of minutes ago.
But goofy songs were all the rage a while back. A lot of us remember Yellow Submarine by the Beatles, or Blue Suede Shoes by Elvis Presley. Perhaps some may remember some of the songs below...and then perhaps this may be something totally strange....but nevertheless....if you know the song....please sing along because it is so much fun.
Oh here is one song that was the rage....a lot of guys in my intermediate school had Cookie's hairstyle and of course combed their hair quite often like the following video...sadly....I've heard that one guy in particular is now bald...alas....too bad because he had great hair!
Some people love to sing in the shower....not me. I love to sing out VERY loud while driving in my car listening to music on the "oldies" station with the windows down and the wind blowing through my hair. Even with the 100 degree heat....the hot wind feels good travelling at 60 MPH.
The drawback?.....oops sorry Shirley.....I didn't hear the phone ring when you called 20 times looking for help because your car battery died...but you were safe and got some help from your co-worker so I'm relieved.
Anyway....here are a few songs that I love to sing along with. I hope you enjoy them and if you know the words....by all means....please sing along too!
My friend Shirley has been wanting to go to the Louis Anderson comedy show at the Palace Station Casino for a while now and last night I had 30 minutes to jump in the shower, put on my makeup, put in my contacts and other unmentionables (teeth....oops I said it) and then wait out on the street for her to pick me up because we found out last minute that he was performing that night.
Now imagine....this 75 year old woman at break neck speed coming to pick me up from the other side of town so that within 30 minutes we could be sitting in the audience before the show starts.
Well....I get out to the edge of the parking lot and see my friend speeding down the street and missing me completely. She must have had a senior moment because she completely forgot where I live. So I call her on the phone and after 5 rings she answers...by then she is almost out of sight....I yell at her over the phone to turn around. Without skipping a beat I see her car make a U-ee and she is now speeding up towards me to pick me up.
Long story short....we actually make it to the showroom just when the opening act starts...now Shirley leaves to go and complain...believing that the opening act was substituted last minute for the main attraction....only to find out that Louis comes on after...well...he did look somewhat like Louis.
We did have fun at the show. Oddly enough...I did find some of what we saw last night on YouTube....boy you can find a lot of stuff there. Here it is:
Being a stand up comedian is certainly not easy on the legs...he rocked back and forth to shift the weight (so he says) then finally sits down to do the rest of the show from his circular couch.
The part that you are missing is the banter he has with people in the audience. Actually that is the best part because sometimes what people say is so funny and it takes a stand up to really milk the information people reveal about themselves....and turn it into a joke.
Last night we had a coal miner and his wife in the audience....along with a guy named Michael from...now believe it or not....from Corleone, Sicily...and a couple with the last name of Boos (pronounced booze). Well, you can imagine the jokes Louis cooked up with that. We had a great time!
The following morning....Shirley calls me up from church to schedule lunch at WoFat...a Chinese restaurant that has a $5.50 special of soup and your choice of entree. She is so funny....I am learning how to get ready in a flash thanks to her....
A little while ago, Oprah visited India and amazingly...she was interviewed for an hour by a woman who did an awesome job of interviewing Oprah.
Her introduction alone was the longest I've ever heard and she did it without a prompter....just strictly from her heart.
Oprah talks about how she had on her vision board about going to India and riding a camel. When she found out that Deepak Chopra was going to India she tagged along.
Wow....I'm creating my vision board...because like Oprah I would love to go to India and see where my favorite movies are made and experience the people like Oprah has done. I've even dreamed about living there for a time.
Here is the interview....Enjoy....it's fun! But be prepared for some AHA moments...they are definitely there.
Oh for you political followers...hear what she has to say about Obama.
The three musketeers....Shirley, Luis and I went to lunch today and had Pho, a Vietnamese noodle soup at our favorite restaurant called Saigon 8.
No matter what time you show up to eat...this restaurant is always crowded. In fact, the hours posted on the door is quite strange.....they don't have a "from" time....just an end time.
I never realized that people like to have Pho so early in the morning...because someone commented that no matter how early....people are eating Pho from 7 or 8 a.m.
Now this restaurant is all by the numbers. Shirley and Luis have memorized the number of their favorite type of Pho and can order it by the corresponding number. They like the kind that has dumplings with egg noodles. I on the other hand just tell them that I want the veggie one with tofu. These dishes have a relish tray that consists of fresh basil, beansprouts, lime, chili peppers and today this scratchy leafy thing....we don't know the name of.
They don't bring the check to the table...you have to tell them your table number when you go up to the cashier to pay the bill.
I also like their Thai iced tea...without the bubble thing--ees. Ugh.
Now for the good part. Is it pronounced FA or FO? Different people say it differently.
In fact, my friend Shirley has a corresponding joke she tells the first time she tried this dish....someone asked her if she wanted to FA and being 75 years old and a bit hard of hearing (oops...joke)....she thought she heard
F%*K and was taken aback.
Well, the 3 of us were like little ladies out to lunch.....because what's funny is that Shirley tends to repeat herself....Luis is very popular in this restaurant. He is also very prim and proper and has his own style...and well I am usually the serious one. We gossip like 3 old hens (oops....my bad....Luis for referring to you as a hen...but you are really like one of the girls...that's how close we feel towards you). You are like a well of information....especially computer tech--ie type of information.
Well having Pho in 100+ degree weather...Shirley found it to be quite refreshing. When you get outside the restaurant it is sort of like you stepped into an oven. The heat is dry and just hits you. The steering wheel of your car is too hot to handle. It may sound crazy....having hot soup in hot weather...but hey....we are quirkey that way.
Have FO or FA (translation: FUN). See veggie Pho below:
