Well I'm new to blogging. Most of what I've done is copy Guru Mustuk's style. One point that Guru Jot Singh made to me yesterday was that I'm posting so many pictures at once that I'll run out of stuff to post. I've really posted a lot of pictures! If you've only glanced at this blog, but like what's on here, I would suggest looking closer at what's here. I'm sure I'll get pictures this weekend, but I don't know if I'll get anything up until Monday. Until then, enjoy what's here!
I actually did get some photos on the way home yesterday.
This picture does have some pink clouds but not they are not quite hot pink like some of the others that I saw later.
I don't want to turn this into a 'talking' blog. I definitely don't want to make a political blog, that would contribute nothing, since all my political viewpoints are spread out on other people's blog somewhere already. But I don't have any new pictures. I certainly will get many more pictures in the future and from the past. I thought I might describe my drive home yesterday rather than show pictures of it. I stayed in Los Alamos late because I play ultimate frisbee on Wednesday night. I left frisbee early though because I did squats in the gym before hand. I never did it before, so I wanted to see if what I thought was true actually was true. I found out what I already thought, you cannot play sports after doing (heavy) squats in the gym. I was hurting out on the field. I wasn't nearly as fast as I usually am, and I had a lot less energy.
Anyway, yesterdays sunset was pretty cool. We got every color in the spectrum, red, orange, yellow, blue, white. At one point some of the clouds were reflecting a lot of light and seemed to be a hot pink color. It reminded me of the 80's and then me and Balwinder got into a discussion about 'what were people thinking in the 70's and 80's?' Balwinder summarized things very well when he said much of what was popular in the 80's was gaudy. But definitely a hot pink sunset looked pretty cool. Hot pink spandex is a whole other story.
I love Española. I'm not in love with a Spanish woman (the meaning of Española) but the town. There is so much beauty here. Too many people see the worst of Española and make judgements on that, but I see the best. Outside the Sikh community, you will find problems with drugs and alcohol and abuse and poverty, just like any where else. Many of my former classmates are dead or in jail, and many more are involved in the activities that put the others in those places, but still I do not lose hope of a better world. There are still others who did well for themselves. If anybody comes to me for help, then I give it. I do not attempt to interfere with people who are on drugs. This is not safe, but those who ask for your help are looking for it. Some people ask me to pray. In this case they don't care that I'm a Sikh and they're Catholic, they believe in prayer.
Real estate in Española is outrageous. You can't get anything nice for under $250K. So I went to a place that wasn't that nice and tried to make it nice and continue to make it nice. I certainly won't live there for ever, but it works for now. I'm used to being the only Sikh around. Though I must say getting a roommate was great. God did not make me to live alone, it was not something I enjoyed at all. My rommate Balwinder Singh is like a saint, it is so easy to live with him and get along with him.
Anyway, enough about me and my neighborhood. A lot of New Mexico is desert. The desert in Northern New Mexico is called 'High Desert' because it is at such a high elevation. I find much beauty in the desert. The desert here is full of life! We have many desert flowers, sometimes you may find just one flower and it stands out so royally, when surrounded by dirt and dry grasses. There are also many lizards and jack rabbits and really colorful beetles. One of the beautiful principles of the desert is that people may believe that it is harsh and or a waste land, but it is really so delicate and harmonious. If you change one thing, like the climate or the amount of water, life will be disrupted or destroyed.
This desert valley is supported by the Rio Grande. It does not look much like the desert when you get near the river. Also the native grasses in the desert can become real green when we get a lot of rain. Monsoon season is in July. Though we've been getting many clouds lately (as evidenced by the pictures), until last night we haven't got much significant rain. Last night it rained pretty heavy. The rain was loud, the thunder was loud and the lightening was bright. This morning it was really cool. I saw people wearing jackets!
Because it is such a high elevation, it still gets cool at night in the summer. Also we never reach temperatures above about 95, and the normal for June/July is around 90. It is cold, cool, or warm here way more often than it is hot.
If you live in Española you will no doubt hear people complain. People complain that it is not green enough and that they don't like New Mexico because it is desert. I always think these people have lost all senses. In Española you can leave the desert for the forrested mountains by driving 1/2 hour in any direction! Furthermore New Mexico is the 5th largest state, you cannot say that it is not green or it is all desert when we have so many mountains from the North to the South and East to the West. It is the space in between the mountains that is considered desert.
Also you will hear people complain about the local people and/or the problems with crime. I take offense to that because I'm local. Española has more of certain kinds of problems than Santa Fe or Los Alamos, but these kinds of problems are found everywhere that poverty is found.
To summarize my point, you can see beauty or you can see disgust in Española. We have the best of humanity (those who are living in a spiritual community, not just the Sikh community, in an attempt to better themselves and the world) and you can see the worst of humanity (those who are involved in all sorts of criminal activities and depravity, just like any where else in the world). You can see the most beautiful mountain scenes and desert scenes, or you can see dirt. You can care to get to know your neighbors, or you can hate them for their differences. You can condem all people with drug problems or you can see their suffering and have compassion for them. You can complain or you can uplift.
Those people who see my blog and/or Guru Mustuk's blog will see so much beauty, they may be surprised to see Española if they visit here. What we are doing is sharing the beauty that we are constantly surrounded by, and you can choose to see this if you want. If you visit, you will no doubt see things that are ugly, such is the world. However, you can choose to live in beauty and see the truth of this beautiful place.
I'm continually amazed at how well some pictures come out, even though I'm driving. I took some of these and Balwinder Bhaiji took a few as well. It's not that safe to be taking pictures while driving. You pretty much just have to hold the camera and push the button and hope that you got something good. Otherwise you'd have to take your eyes off the road (not a good idea).
I took this picture by sticking my hand out the window and aiming the camera backwards.
Same technique.
One more time.
I wanted to get this one central ray of sunshine which came through.
The rays of sunshine are quite visible in this picture.
View through the windshield of the valley on the way home from work.
A view of the valley on the way home from work. Coming down the mountain. This view never looks the same. Always something about the time of day, the clouds in the sky, the rain or snow, or lack of moisture, anything and everything, makes this expansive view different every day. I cannot drive home from work without thinking of God's beautiful creation.
A view of the San Ildefonso and Santa Clara Pueblo lands, with Black Mesa in the center.
Black Mesa, this feature has a lot of history to it. Originally it was formed thousands of years ago when lava from the Valle Grande (A huge, I think second largest in the world, volcano which lies dormant) up in the Jemez mountains. It has also played a part in the history of the local Tewa people.
Black Mesa in the foreground and the Sangre's in the background.
A view of the Sangre De Cristo mountains from the Santa Clara Pueblo.
A view of the sky as we approach Española
Crossing the Rio Grande in Española. There are three bridges in town.
This road is right off the main street in Española, I don't know why they don't pave it. Off of this road is another dirt road which I live on.
To the right of this road is the Santa Cruz River, a tributary to the Rio Grande. I grew up walking along this river and swimming in its waters. I also grew up using water from this river for irrigating.
Cutting the Cake.
Mr. Sikhnet always in action (thus the blurry picture).
Girls dressed as Punjabi Munday doing a dance at the reception.
Real Punjabi Munday (most of them spent more time in Punjab than here) doing a dance at the reception.
Using an interesting feature of the camera to capture part of the bhangra dance.
More of the dance.
A view of part of Albuquerque and the Sandia mountains through the windshield.
Approaching Santa Fe, the view through the windshield (Every car in New Mexico has at least one crack in its windshield).
A view when leaving Santa Fe for Española.
The sky to the west.
I've shown so many pictures of the mountains in the East (Sangre de Cristo), but I've shown few pictures of the mountains in the west (the Jemez mountains).
The sky above the Jemez.
Another view of the Jemez mountains and sky above.
Sometimes one of the local tribes (a tribe without a Casino) has buffalo grazing in this area.
At this point I was almost home. This is the view to my right.
This is the view to my left.
A picture taken from my roof.
A view from my roof.
After discussing his Spiderman shoes, Siri Avtar starting shooting webs.
Siri Avtar Singh.
From where I sat in the Gurdwara this was my view.
Well I was trying to look serious, but it's hard when you're joking about being serious.
Siri Dyal Kaur from Mexico. She's not really making a call, can you tell?
Sopurkh Singh. I'm going to find out Snatam Kaur's email and then I'm sending this picture straight to her.
Balwinder Singh. Bhaiji as I call him.
It is just bad lighting but I swear that is Sharuk Khan next to Balwinder. Just kidding it is Manpreet Singh.
Helping to set up for the reception later.
Hanging out after Langar.
Too cute.
Sunday was the wedding of Krishan Shiva Singh and Sat Darshan Kaur.
The couple serving fruit at the end of Gurdwara.
The couple and friends.
One sharp dressed man.
This is the kind of picture you frame.
Hari Mandir Jot was so inspired by the last picture that he wanted to be in one as well.
After my sister's 120th day we went to Guru Bachan Singh's birthday party.
Party from the view of the ristras.
I like chile and I like chile ristras. I also like Piñon a whole lot, I'm a true New Mexican.
Lakhmi Chand looking good. The picture is a little blurred but that can't take away from Lakhmi Chand's style.
Attar in full atire.
Mataji standing next to a statue of Guru Nanak.
Ram Rattan Kaur.
Taking a picture of myself and Jodhan (my nephew).
Sahib Singh and Amar Singh.
Jodhan wrestling his Dad.
Siri Chand holding both Sahib and Amar. Siri Chand is a really good tabla player and Amar will probably grow up to be a master.
Yep, I got your picture.
View of Black Mesa from Guru Bachan Singh's house. This area is pretty green because it is near the Rio Grande.
These are pictures from my sister's 120th day celebration. She is pregnant with a second child. We celebrate the 120th day as the day that the soul enters the body.
This is my nephew Jodhan the first child of Kirtan and Mark, riding the horse.
Narayan wasn't camera shy when in costume!
Sarib Jot Kaur is so cute and her sister too.
This is Siri Atma Kaur the sister of Sarib Jot Kaur.
Amar Singh.
Jodhan playing a drum.
Two buddies from Albuquerque playing the drum.
Amar explaining that he has his own drum at home.
My sister glowing.
We sang this shabad.
Hari Bhajan Kaur singing and my Dad playing tabla. Amar will just sit in the tabla player's lap without even introducing himself!
Kirtan, Mark and Jodhan hanging out after the shabad.
Suraj Kaur.
Suraj again, so cute!
Uttam Kaur no longer hiding from the camera.
Vasu Sukhmani Singh!
To really enjoy the pictures that I've posted (especially the pictures of the landscape) you have to click on them. They are a lot bigger and look so much nicer when you click on them.
I took these pictures while driving. I didn't want to get home too late, but the scenery was too beautiful for me not to take pictures. Rush hour was over and few people were on the roads. This kind of scenery is something you can see everyday here, but I never tire of it.
These mountains (part of the Rocky Mountains) are called the Sangre De Cristo mountains. For those who don't know Spanish Sangre De Cristo is the "blood of Christ".
The mountain on the left is called Santa Fe Baldy, because it is bald at the top. I've been to the top of this as well as other mountains here.
In the center of this picture is a new resort next to a golf course. This resort and golf course are run by pueblo Indians. This golf course is notorious for using drinking water to water their grass. Golf courses should not be in the desert!
This is a natural feature called Camel Rock, I've been looking at it since I was a kid. The whole area has changed a LOT since I was a kid. Now the road is totally different with a big over pass at this point so that you can get off the road and go to the enormous Camel Rock Casino. There are a lot of casinos here, even though poverty is prevelant.
You can see the shadow of my car in this picture. The median also appears in the next two photos.
What a house, huh? Santa Fe and Los Alamos have a lot of money, the rest of Northern New Mexico is poor. Though a lot of people from Española work in these two places and that is the majority of Española's economy.
I took this picture from the parking lot of Trader Joe's.
These are some pictures I took on Friday evening before leaving for Santa Fe. We don't have any health food stores in Española, just conventional grocery stores so I went to Santa Fe. I didn't know at the time that I'd be going on Sunday through Santa Fe to Albuquerque.
A picture of the apple orchard and hammock.
The monsoon rains have been scarce, but they are here (sort of).
Hari showing Jodhan the capabilities of the super soaker. It will really get you wet.
I now have a digital camera. I took hundreds of pictures this weekend, which I hope to post soon. On Friday evening I had to go to Santa Fe and I took a bunch of pictures while driving there. Even though I'm driving there are some good pictures. Also Saturday we had a celebration for my sister's 120th day. In our tradition we celebrate the 120th day of pregnancy, this is the day that the soul enters the body of the baby in the womb. My sister and her husband have one son already, his name is Jodhan and now they have another baby on the way. I'm hoping for a girl, but we'll see.
I have so many cute baby pictures.
On Saturday evening and night I went to Guru Bachan Singh's birthday party and have nice pictures from there. Also I have some pictures from Gurdwara on Sunday, including the wedding.
On Saturday I found out the hard way, that BMW's are not made for off roading. I was going down my brother's driveway a little too fast and I really messed up something on my suspension. As a result I had to borrow my brother's car, which meant I had to take him to the airport after Gurdwara on Sunday because he's going out of town for a week. On the way back from the airport I got more pictures of scenery while driving. Then I got pictures from the wedding reception Sunday evening. So I have lots of pictures.
Coming (real) soon.
Well I finally placed an order for a dilruba.
Well it was pretty costly, but who can put a price on my ability to learn a traditional Sikh instrument? For those who don't know me, I'm well trained in many western instruments, starting with Piano when I was 6, but I now have the opportunity to learn traditional raag and I want to do so badly. Maybe someday I will get a chance to put an audio recording on this blog of me doing kirtan with this instead of a harmonium.
Hari and I took a few art history classes in college, pretty much our whole European experience was to visit those pieces of art that were scattered throughout Europe.
A view of Paris at night from the Eiffel tower.
Hari in the Eiffel Tower at night.
Hari and I in front of the Eiffel Tower at night.
Hari and I outside Notre Dam.
Notre Dam Cathedral in Paris.
At the musée d'orsay
It wouldn't be art history (a misnomer since only European and American art is discussed) without Monet.
Botanic Gardens in Paris. It looks like I gained weight, but it is just the wind blowing my shirt around.
The Thinker. This was in the Rodin Museum.
The Kiss. I guess Rodin liked simple names for his works.
Hari in Amsterdam.
Hari in front of Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam.
Visiting Anne Frank's house where the secret stair case is.
Me in that Dam Square in Amsterdam. Really it is called the Dam Square.
Hari and I outside the Rijks museum.
Flash is not allowed and I didn't mean to use it. This is Rembrandt's Night Watch.
Sitting in the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam.
Hari and I finished college in December of 2001. Having lived very frugally throughout college, we managed to have finished college without any debt and actually ahead. We both thought this is the time to travel. We had never left the United States except for a couple day trips to Canada. Once when we were 19 and in New York for Woodstock 99 and another time we crossed the border while attending our Aunt's wedding in Michigan. Until the travels of 2002 the biggest trip we had ever taken was our trip to New York.
In January 2002 Hari and I went to Mexico. We stayed there about a Month. We flew into D.F. (Mexico City) and we visited areas around there. We also went to Cuernavaca and nearby towns and then to Ciudad Oaxaca, Mazunte, San Cristobal, and Palenque. We got back to Española in February and took care of some business (taxes, applying to grad school, etc.) In March we left for Europe.
In Europe we landed in Amsterdam, then went through Belgium to France, then from France we went to Italy, from Italy to Greece, then back to Italy, then to Switzerland, then Germany, and then back to Amsterdam. We did this all in about a month. We were in a new country with a new language every few days. We had never done anything like this. I'm a bit of a country boy myself and Europe was a whole new experience.
These travels were pretty recent after September 11 2001, we wore our turbans every where we went and you can bet that in Europe we got harrassed. For the most part Europe lacks any kind of real diversity (like America) and there are so many people who are proud of their culture alone. In America, even the smallest town has people from Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. America may be dominantly European, but the diversity is expansive and present everywhere. In every country in Europe somebody shouted Taliban, or Bin Laden at Hari and I. In Mexico people did the same, but in Mexico people were doing it just for a laugh, and it didn't happen often. In America nobody has ever called me Bin Laden or Taliban.
Anyway, after we got back to Amsterdam Hari and I took our first trip to India. That trip was amazing. Imagine seeing pictures of the Hari Mandir Sahib since birth witnessing your sister go off and come home from school in India for 8 years, hearing about India your whole life from other Sikh children that went to school there and never seeing India. We arrived there in April and stayed 6 weeks into May. I'll never forget my first time at the Hari Mandir Sahib. It only rained once when we were in India, and it had just rained on our first day at the Hari Mandir Sahib, as a result the sky seemed clearer than it usually does and a rainbow was present for much of our visit. In India we went to Anandpur Sahib for Baisakhi, and we went to Goindwal for a weekend (to read japji on all 84 steps), other than that we stayed in Amritsar the whole time. It was incredible, no words can describe my experience there. I have been blessed so many times in my life. Even just to be alive seems like a miracle to me, and to have had the chance to go there was great.
Though I'm biased, very much so, I'll never be convinced that any place on Earth exists that is better than Española. For me the Hari Mandir Sahib is the only place that has more power than what I experience in Española. In Española, you cannot even step foot on the grounds of the Gurdwara without immediately feeling at peace. When you attend Gurdwara with the sangat, you cannot sit there without being uplifted. The fashion show, the gossip, and whatever else that goes on in many Gurdwaray cannot even disrupt the tranquility, the love, and the DEVOTION felt when in the sangat singing kirtan at the Gurdwara in Española.
Travelling is great, I really enjoy it, but I know where home is. I have everything here. We have an amazing Gurdwara, a sangat that cannot be found any where else, the most beautiful nature in the world (I love mountains, which we're surrounded by, and I love the high desert), and we have a commitment to the Guru and to the world to be here, standing as the Khalsa in the West and for all time.
WaheGuru Ji Ka Khalsa, WaheGuru Ji Ki Fateh!
These are some pictures from the trip that Hari and I took to Mexico. They are from January and February 2002. You'll notice our beards have grown quite a bit since then.
Hari in front of a famous museum in Mexico City, I can't remember the name, but it was nice.
This is me in front of the museum.
Hari and I in the "zocalo" which is a really famous plaza in Mexico City.
A picture of me in a town called Taxco. This town is known for its unique architecture and its silver mines and silver products.
Hari and I in Taxco.
Hari in front of a famous church in Taxco.
At the house where Pritam Pal and Ardas used to live in Cuernavaca there was a pool. Hari and I noticed that the water slide curved up slightly at the end. So we thought we'd see if we could get enough speed and rotation to do flips off the end of the slide. Here's yet another picture of me doing a flip.
I'm standing in front of a wall in the center of a town called Tepoztlan. The artwork on this wall was made up entirely of beans and seeds.
Close up of a portion of the wall.
A view of Tepoztlan from a friends house.
Hari in the town of Tepoztlan, before we embark on our hike to the pyramid above this town.
This is me in front of the pyramid. This was the closest that we got that day, because they were closing. We did the hike again later and got to hang out on the pyramid.
Me and Karta (from Chile) on the pyramid above Tepoztlan.
Hari and Karta on the pyramid.
Me and Karta in the town of Tepoztlan.
A random parade in San Cristobal with natives.
Hari and Simrit(from Chile) as we were walking to the ruins in Palenque.
Hari in front of a waterfall on the way to the ruins.
A panoramic view of the ruins.
Another panoramic view of the ruins.
Simrit, Hari and I at the ruins.
Hari and I on the steps of a pyramid.
Simrit and I at the ruins.
Huh? what's going on, did Escher design this place?
Hari and I at the ruins.
Hari and Simrit at the ruins.
I had a dream one time in which I was dressing for battle. In my dream I was in cherdi kala, I was in such a state of bliss as though I knew that I was going to meet the creator on the battle field. After the dream I searched the internet and found this picture which shows the amount of shasters that I was wearing in my dream. Though in my dream I had boots and a few shasters there as well.
This was a picture taken last year in the Gurdwara. I have discussed with a few people the idea of getting better swords. You may not be able to tell from the picture, but these are more ceremonial (though I'm wearing two other kirpans). Since the children like to carry the swords in front of the Guru we may have to keep the ceremonial swords and keep the functional swords out of the reach of children. Having the ceremonial swords and allowing the children to carry them, certainly teaches them respect for weapons. In shaster vidya (which I know very little about) weapons are considered as another teacher and are quite respected.
Hari and I went up into the hills to go sledding. Because there was so much snow work was cancelled. There are hundreds of people who commute to the Los Alamos National Labs which are located in Los Alamos, up in the mountains. We received almost 2 feet of snow in the valley and even more in the mountains so a snow day was called. Hari took this picture of the Gurdwara from the Hills.
This picture was taken right in front of Hari and Sita's house. You can see two little fences protecting jujube sapplings. Hari's excited about the Jujubes because they all survived and are growing pretty well as of now.
Hari and Sita looking great after the fourth lavaan.
Me and Jodhan. He wasn't even a year old in this picture, now he's almost 2.
Me and Hari and our uncle Michael (Dad's brother) and our Pitaji.
Hari and Sita with Sita's parents. They came along with Sita's brother all the way from Chile to the wedding.
Hari (My brother) with Jodhan. Jodhan is a lot bigger now.
Kirtan (my sister), her Husband Mark, and son Jodhan.
Me reading the English translation of the hukam in Gurdwara.
I found some old pictures. Since I don't own a digital camera (yet) I'll have to post old pictures.
This picture is from Baisakhi two years ago (2003) in Española. You can see Sada Sat Simran Singh (of Cherdi Kala Jetha fame) spinning the chakar and me on the far left as a member of the Panj.
This pictures is from last year after langar in the summer.
This picture is really old, we were dressing up for All Saints Day. That's me and Hari in the front. We tried to dress up as Sikh warriors. Instead of celebrating Halloween which is associated with dark themes our community used to organize something for All Saints Day for the kids.
I took a class in rock climbing two years ago. It was mostly a class in safety and knots more than a class in technique. I took this class because of encouragement from my Dad, I then found out that I really enjoy climbing (although I don't do it that often) and I had a natural ability for it. Living in a valley surrounded by the Rocky Mountains definitely provides plenty of good climbing, if you have the time.
You've probably all seen this at GMS's weblog, this picture is probably 20-22 years old. I'm on the far left, follwed by my brother Hari, then Lakhmi Chand, Siri Chand, Siri Mandir, and Hari Mandir. Now we are all grown up. Hari and Hari Mandir are now married.
Another one from GMS's weblog. If you're wondering, I'm wearing a ski hat over my turban because it was cold. I only ever do this when playing sports, or skiing or snowboarding. I love my turban and never try to hide it.
This isn't a second picture of the same flip. I did two flips to get some pictures. Akal is in the background of both.
Well I've got enough encouragement now, so I'm starting my own blog. Like so many others I'm inspired by Gurumustuk's weblog. I think he is accurately showing our community in a positive light and being very courageous by sharing his personal life on the internet. I'm not sure how much I'll put on this blog, but I'm hoping, like Gurumustuk, that I'll take good pictures and share them here.
