This was taken on a recent trip to Haryana with a friend of mine. At the top of ever-winding stairs was a row of these water taps, which were attracting bees like flowers. What was more interesting was that almost nobody else seemed to notice and used them without care.

This picture stood out for me and I finally got around to posting it here cause it reminded me of that whole day. I was with somebody influential and though we started the trip alone, within minutes we were followed by a whole posse which finally cleared up to form a 10 man entourage. We rode with this entourage in 3 cars all day long.

Yeah, it was interesting.

There’s much to be said about cooking with love. I have never baked in my life before. Did this with my little tiny beautiful handsome son and somehow everything seemed to be better. Love rules.

Recipe:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/10 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Beat butter until soft, about a minute.
2. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each.
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add to mixer bowl. Add the milk and vanilla. Mix to combine.
5. Scoop into cupcake papers about half to two-thirds full (depending on whether you want flat or domed cupcakes).
6. Throw in a tiny raspberry or blackberry or blueberry or any fruit piece you want in there.
7. Bake for 22-25 minutes at 350 degrees until a cake tester comes out clean.

I got these lights at Radical Illumination 2006 in Toronto. This was a very interesting social experiment that I just ran into online and decided to check out. About two hundred people showed up (from ravers to photogs, passer bys to uni students) and were handed these small ‘Throwies’. Everybody was then led over to the middle of the intersection where they blocked off a streetcar and started throwing these on it. Right about when the ‘party’ was broken up by 4-5 cop cars. I wish I had captured the moment when 100s of these tiny lights were raining on the streetcar (need new and better equipment)

I couldn’t help myself but make different alphabets of these throwies. And which better word to spell than L-O-V-E. right?

I was sitting quietly browsing Techcrunch and GigaOm when I heard really loud dhol music. Ran down and there was a cavalcade of desis. It was part of the Khalsa Day Parade in Toronto going from the CNE to Nathan Philips Square. The reason that I titled this ‘Sikhism’ is cause of the engrossing 15 min conversation I had with one of the sikhs while I was trying to frame my shots. Got a crash course from a ‘partial sikh’ as he described himself.

I was lucky enough to enjoy the Nelly Furtado concert at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto with my best friend. The lights started going crazy right before she came on and I had to take a time lapse photo of it. I wish I could have held it steadier, but it had to do.