Road To Mysore

Last Sunday was the first day of the new yoga shala. It is now called "Yoga East". There were at least 40 people on the first day. I didn't know what to expect from Maia but I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. I was a little worried that she may put her own spin to the practice. Most of us in the shala are Guruji's student(1/3 of the whole shala have been to Mysore at least once and more are going later this year for the first time) so we were just hoping that she would respect Guruji and the practice. Noah once said, "I'm not your teacher, I'll only an extension of Guruji." I think Maia is an extension of Guruji too.

After practice, I joined Amanda and Stephania for breakfast at Prasadam. I arrived around 9:15AM and they had already started breakfast. I think Amanda knows me more than I realized because when I told her that I was skipping the Philippines this year the first thing she said was, "Have you told your parents?" In the Philippine culture, even if your an independent adult, you parents blessing is very important. I told her, "No, I haven't told them and I haven't spoken to them since I made the decision." I still haven't figured out how to break the news...I think they will disown me or maybe they already have.

I spoke to them about a month ago and the first thing my father said to me was, "How's your job?" We got into this whole discussion about loving your job, working fulltime and not jumping from one job to another. I've explained to them many times that I want to live a simple life and that I'm very happy with what I have and what I'm doing. It's like talking to a brick wall. My father still expects me to have a professional career, make good money, have a nice house and car, get married and raise a family. I've told him many times..."it ain't happening" At one point he got feed up with agruing with me so he passed the phone to my mom. The first thing my mom says is, "How's your job?" I was ready to go blastistic but I continued to explain to her that I'm perfectly happy with what I'm doing. We're arguing for only a few minutes and I'm ready to bang my head against a wall. Why can't they just be happy for me? I was ready to just bang the phone, luckily the phone connection got cut. I was going to call back but I was no longer in the mood to talk. I haven't spoken to them since. I have no desire to talk to them in the near future. I have always been the "good son" growing up. I had good grades, obeyed all the rules and never gave them problems. My brothers have always given them problems. I have now become the "bad son".

I was hoping I could share this journey with my parents. At this point in my journey, I know I have to go alone. I wish they could just support me but they're trying to pulled me back to the old path. This yoga journey has been exciting and fulfilling but I have had to make a lot of difficult decisions along the way. Skipping the Philippines has been one of those difficult decisions but it's the only way for me to move forward.

Another thing I told Amanda during breakfast was that I decided to push my trip two weeks earlier. I recently realized that Guruji's birthday is two weeks before my original departure date. For some reason I thought the first full moon of July would be in the first week of July(like last year). I've never been to Guruji's birthday so I decided that I should experience it a least once in my life time. I think July is still pretty hot but Guruji's 90th birthday celebration is to hard to pass on.

At the tail end of breakfast, Abi came over and told Stephania and I that he was meeting Shannon for coffee at Casbah. Amanda had already left. Stephania had to go so I joined Abi and Shannon. I was too full to order anything so I just hung out with them. A few minutes later, Leigha and Michelle from the shala arrived. We didn't expect them and we barely knew them. We invited them to join us. I have spoken to Leigha a few times but I think I've only exchanged a few sentences with Michelle. It's strange that now that Noah & Kimberly are leaving, I'm getting to know the shala people more.

At around 12:30, Shannon decides that she's ready for lunch. I had no plans until 4PM so I decide to join Shannon, Abi and Leigha for lunch at Dusty's. I don't remember the last time I went straight from breakfast to lunch. It was a strange but fun morning/early afternoon. Good food and good company...life doen't get better than that.

Yesterday I checked out the Century Spa in Koreatown. I've heard about it so many times and Abi mentioned it again during breakfast last Sunday. It's been calling my name for awhile now and for $15, how can I go wrong. I was tempted to get some bodywork too while I was there but I'm very picky on who I get work from. I already booked a massage with my friend Carlos the following day to there was no point in getting one. I was pleasantly surprised. It was much cleaner than the Russian Spa I use to go to. The good thing was that even if I wasn't Korean, I didn't stick out like a sore thumb like I did in the Russian Spa. Soaking in the jacuzzi was great and jumping in the cold pool after felt even better. At one point I sat on one of the lounge chairs and dozed off. Overall it was a good experience and I hope to return more often.

This morning's practice was great. I was able to bind on both sides of Mari B on my own. I've been binding on the right side on my own the past week but this was the first time I did it on the other side on my own. My energy was great throughout the practice but after shoulderstand, I lost steam and went straight to savasana. I still felt like I had a great practice though.

I finally pulled the trigger today. The past couple of days I've been stressing on whether I should fly Singapore Airlines or Malaysia Airlines. Singapore Airlines is without question the better airline but it costs about $200 more and I don't get frequent flyer miles. My travel agent assured me that Malaysia Airlines is a good airline and if I'm not happy with it I can alway use Singapore Airlines next year. Cathay Pacific was no longer an option because I'm skipping the Philippines and I have no desire to fly into Mumbai. Both Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines fly directly to Bangalore.

I was going to mail my check for my ticket today but for some crazy reason I decided to drive to my travel agent's office in North Hollywood and deliver the check personally. I'm glad I did that because my travel agent showed me some brochures of Kuala Lumpur. Since I fly into Kuala Lumpur, I can get a tour package for 3 days/2 nights for under $150. Now I'm thinking of sqeezing in a week in Malaysia for probably under $500. I'm think of doing 3 days in Kuala Lumpur and 3 days in Langkawi. A week in Malaysia would not only be exciting but it will break up my trip so I won't be totally exhausted when I get to LA. So now my itinery looks like this:

LA to Kuala Lumpur departs July 18 at 1:40AM and arrives July 19 at 12:15PM
Kuala Lumpur to Bangalore departs July 19 at 10:15PM and arrives July 19 at 11:30PM
Bangalore to Kuala Lumpur departs Dec 28 at 12:50AM and arrives Dec 28 at 7:30AM
Kuala Lumpur to LA departs Dec 28 at 3:15AM and arrives Dec 28 at 6:25PM

So I get to Mysore early morning on July 20. I have a day to rest before Guruji's birthday...sweet. My travel agent told me that I don't need to book the tour right away. If I book the tour, I will have to leave Mysore a week earlier and leave Kuala Lumpur on Dec 28. I need to make sure I make the extra money in the next 2 months before I can book the tour. So there is now a sense of urgency to get my ass back to work. I got a call from one of my headhunters late this afternoon and he told me he didn't have anything. If I don't get anything by Friday, I will have to call the accounting firm in Brentwood and see what kind of extra hours they're willing to give me. As much as possible, I'm like to work close to home but it push comes to shove, I'm going have to commute to Brentwood...not looking forward to that. For some reason, I believe the universe will provide and I'm make the amount I need to do my tour and hopefully buy my scooter too. I don't know if I mentioned this before but since driving the scooters in Goa, the Mysore scooters are crappy and old. If I make the extra money, I'm definitely getting myself a new scooter.

Mysore here I come!!!!!.....Wooohoooo!!!!! :)

This is my third week of unemployment and I'm begining to feel antsy and lazy. I rolled out of bed around 7AM but didn't start practice until 9AM. I purposely took my time because I had a heavy dinner the night before. I didn't know how I would feel for practice today. My body normally feels worn out by the 6th straight day of practice. I managed to get through practice without losing steam. No major breakthrough to talk about.

After practice Stacy and I talked to Maia briefly. I told Maia that I booked my flight with Malaysia Airlines. She told me she booked her flight with Malaysia Airlines too and was leaving on July 18...OMG. We're on the same flight all the way to Bangalore. I'm not traveling alone after all. Maia said that she had traveled Malaysia Airlines before and was pleased with them. She said that Noah feels the chairs are smaller than the ones in Singapore Airlines...oh well. I'm glad I'm not traveling alone this time. We agreed that we would share the taxi from Bangalore to Mysore. On this trip, I'm on a tighter budget so I save about $700 ruppees by sharing the ride...sweet. I have to watch everything I spend now. Last year, I had a sweet budget and I was spending left and right...not happening this year.

After practice, Stacy and I grabbed lunch at my favorite Thai restaurant...Mae Ploy. I brought her there last Saturday and she loved it. This was her third time since Saturday. Like me, she ordered the same thing...larb tofu and fried bananas. Stacy is heading for Mysore this September or October so our trip will overlap. She's going to try to leave at the end of December too, so we can do the Kuala Lumpur tour together. As far as I know, there are going to be at least 10 LA shala people in Mysore this year. I found out Rachel is now touring India and will head to Mysore when Guruji gets back. Noah, Kimberly, Abi and Lisa are going to arrive when the shala opens in June. Maia and I are arriving the same time. Karrie might make Guruji's birthday. Kevin, Stephania and Stacy will be there around the same time. George and Tori are in the planning stages and Amanda will arrive after I leave. I swear... she's just trying to avoid me. I don't blame her. She left Mysore last year a week before I arrived:( I can't believe I'm going to have a whole new LA crew when I get there plus the people I met last year. The more I think of it, the more excited I am about the whole trip.

Today marked my 4th week of unemployment. The first two weeks were great but last week and today I felt stressed out. I recieved my plane ticket last Saturday so I'm begining to feel a sense of urgency. I'm a little short on my targeted budget after paying a huge chunk of my savings to the IRS & FTB a few weeks ago. I don't do well with tight budgets so desperate situations require desperate measures.

Last week I turned down a couple of jobs(one in Long Beach and another in South Bay), hoping I could get something closer to home. I think I played my cards wrong. I don't have much cards left in my hands. This morning I called the accounting firm in Brentwood hoping to get about 25 to 35 hours a week. I couldn't get a hold of the tax director so I left a message. I also called my other headhunter and told them that I was now willing to drive anywhere(sign of a desperate man). After those calls, I headed to practice.

During practice, all I could think of was my job situation. I got as far as Janu C and decided to start closing...no focus. I was hoping that by the time I'd finished practice, my Brentwood connection would have returned my call. I checked my cell phone when I got to the car...no call, oh well. That just means I'm more desperate. Should have taken the position in South Bay. I would have easily hit my target easily. When the offer was made, the my gut told me that universe will provide for something better...didn't happen. I got too cocky.

Went home for brunch and started to go through my "to do list". There were a lot of things I was suppose to do last week which I didn't do. I might as well make good use of my time. Last week, I watch between one or two DVD's a day. Nothing got accomplished. I figured that if I got some stuff done, I would feel better...it worked. By mid-afternoon, my Brentwood connection calls. He said he'll get back after he discusses it with the tax administrator. In the meantime, he referred me to another firm who needs helps for a few days. I spoke to the guy and he wasn't even sure of the scope of the engagement...not happening.

Later that afternoon, I got an email from one of my headhunters regarding a position in Long Beach. It seemed like a full time position but at least I had something. I then called the Brentwood connection and asked him if he can give me an answer by tomorrow because I didn't want to lose the Long Beach opportunity. I didn't want to respond to the email until I knew for sure if I had anything in Brentwood. I told my Brentwood connection that I wanted him to have the first shot but not to take too long. He said he'd meet with the tax administrator and get back to me in the morning.

Fifteen minutes later, I get a call from the Brentwood connection. I start on Monday. What a day...too much drama. I'm glad it's over. Headed out for a movie...needed to relax. Tomorrow, I tie the lose ends. Believe it or not, I'm looking forward to working again...did I just say that?

This afternoon, Luke came over and showed me how to post pictures on my blog. It's a relatively long process but fun. These are the first batch of pictures. More to come in the next few days...woooohoooo!!!!

LA Crew in Mysore - October 2004
Me, Rhonda, Shannon, Karrie, Christine, George & Vincent(sitting)

LA Crew Part II in Mysore - Jan 2005
Laura, Me, Luke & Jennifer

LA Crew back in LA

My teachers - Kimberly, Guruji & Noah

Breakfast with Amanda & Luke at the M

Colors of India at the Mysore Market

Flatemates - Rima & Sara in front, Phil beside me and Vivian at the top. Rima was was not our flatmate but she was with us often.

Breakfast at the Green Hotel with Phil & Stephanie

Mysore Market with Stephanie

Mysore Palace on Sundays with Sara

Western students in saris assisting in a pooja

My landlord Taresh, his wife Anita and two daughters Nikita and Pooja

One of my favorite places I visited while I was in India was the farm/bed & breakfast in Coorg. Mysore is so flat so it was nice to be in the mountains and have fresh air. That is sometimes hard to find in India. Coorg is known as the coffee region. Shobha our host and Simon's landlady is originally from Coorg. I have a whole entry about our trip(see November 14, 2004 entry).

Rhonda, Anthea and I. This is the waterfalls where we were attacked by the leeches...sneaky little bastards

More waterfalls picture. Shobha all the way to the right and Tomas also known as Frenchie beside her. I'm sure by know you know who is Vincent & Rhonda, they're in most of my pictures.

This was the summer home of the Prince of Coorg. It was abandoned by the prince and taken over by crazy westerns and a Filipino as you can see above...God save their souls.

Help!!! Crazy westerners everywhere.

We had been trekking all day,found this huge rock and decided to just chill. Life doesn't get better then this...

Simon of India, also know as Simon Automatic. This is the highest peak in Coorg. We had a 360 degree view and nothing man made in sight...sweet

It took Simon & I two and a half hours to reach the peak and the rest got there 30 minutes later. We were exhausted and hungry...can you tell?

Vincent coming down the mountain

Our accomodations...very simple but with character. We loved it and were supposed to be back for Christmas.

More on our accomodations...the walls were paper thin. On our first night Vincent and Tomas would not stop laughing. Simon didn't get any sleep.

Exhausted...what more can I say.

The hills are alive with the sound of music...that was the theme song for this trek. Between Tomas, Rhonda, Vincent and I, there was non-stop singing.

I think I was punishing myself when I decided to do 21 massages in 5 days. I've been unemployed for over 3 weeks when I decided I needed to pick up as many shifts as I possibly can. Normally I don't do more than 12 massages a week and not more than 4 massages a day. Well I went way over that. Last Wednesday I did 4, Thursday and Friday 5 each, Saturday I did another 4(one was a 90 minute) and today I did 3. I also don't remember the last time I did 5 straight days of massage. After my last massage today I just felt wasted. I've never done this before and I have no intentions of doing it again.

Thank God, I start my real job tomorrow. I'm not going to feel the pressure of having to picking up shifts this week. I decided to treat myself today and headed straight to the Korean Spa. I've been going there every week now. The jacuzzi and the steam room has really helped relax my tight and sore muscles.

Oh, before I forget, I just want to thank those who enjoyed my pictures. I have more than 800 pictures to sort through and pick. The process is fun but time consuming. I hope to post more pictures later this week. Got to get bed early tonight. No more 9AM practices. I'm back to starting practice at 6:30AM...damn it.

This was our first trip outside Mysore. We visited the Tibetan settlement in Bylakuppe. We were supposed to stay over night but decided to make it a day trip. It's a 2 1/2 hour ride from Mysore.

The Golden Temple in Bylakuppe

Outside the Golden Temple with Shannon and Rhonda

Meditating inside the Golden Temple

Tibetan monks on the way to class

Monks debating in the courtyard in Sara Mey. The yard was a sea of monks in their red robes. Watching all the monks debate was the highlight of the trip. If you go to Bylakuppe, don't miss the debates.

One on one debating. The guy standing would ask the question and end the question with a clap. The guy sitting would answer the question.

Group picture outside the Sara Mey Temple.
In the back from the left, Stephanie, elder monk, monk in the making, Karrie, Rhonda & Shannon. In the front, Vincent & Simon

We captured a monk and brought him with us back to Mysore. We wanted to keep him as a pet but he ate too much. We had to let him go.

Tibetan monks invade Mysore to rescue captured monk.

There is no rhyme or reason for this next batch of pictures. Just random events and people.

Eating...our favorite past time. Dinner at Simon and Anthea's one Friday evening. Simon had just taken a cooking class with Tina and he wanted to show us his talents. Shobha also cook some of the food. It was Simon's idea to use banana leaves just like the RRR Hotel. In Mysore, hotel also means restaurants so don't be surprised to see a shitload of hotels in the highways, they're just restaurants.

Help!!! Starving Yogi!!! Just $1 a day will feed this yogi. Dial 1(800)-STARVE (Sorry Shannon...had to say something stupid)

After dinner, Simon and the Simon Automatic Dancers performed a special dance number...and I'm not kidding.

Filipino Mafia having dinner at the Green Hotel. Planning our Mysore takeover. Mia in the middle is from New Orleans. Don't let her looks deceive you...she's dangerous.

Yogi's party at Hotario's in Laksmipuram.

Denise and Vincent show there moves...yogis can dance too.

DJ Simon Automatic in action

Practice at the shala. That's me in gray and Karrie beside me.

Sharath assisting me in Mari A.

Rhonda surround with her goons. Breakfast at Tina's.

Fundraiser for handicapped children in Mysore. From the left, Kevin (of Chandra House, now Kev Cafe), Julie from Bend, Oregon, Kate from Chicago and David Garrigues from Seattle. We raised over 30,000 ruppees.

Direct from Mysore...the one...the only...DIVASANAS!!! They were the finale in the fundraiser. They rocked the house with their dance number. I took this picture after the performance. I didn't get any action picture.

Getting ready for the White Elephant Christmas Eve party hosted by Joseph. Graeme (from Scotland) and Feather (from London)

Papa Frank and Mama Rebecca at the White Elephant party

From the left, Jennifer M, Shelly Swenson(David Swenson's wife), David Garrigues and Diana C at the White Elephant party. Being a certified ashtangi has it's benefits.

No that's not my son...Hanging with the Kiwis, Connie and Cat.

Don't mess with the Kiwis

Now who said fat is bad? You know your close to the Sri Shakra House when you see this sign.

I haven’t blogged in a long time. I don’t know how to start anymore. So much has happened the past week…where do I start?

Last Friday ended my first week of “real work� after being unemployed for 4 weeks. It was much easier than I expected. I got in about 28 hours of chargeable time in. I’m shooting for 30 hours per week until the first week of July. That should get within my projected savings budget before I leave. Within that budget, I hope to squeeze in a better digital camera and/or a scooter. Still haven’t decided on which is more important.

I had breakfast with Jennifer yesterday after practice. She told me that N & K left LA last Friday…I miss them already. We discussed a lot about the present and future LA shala situation…much to think about, don’t know what to do about it.

Early this week, my brother called me. He had just spoken to my mom. They’re wondering why I haven’t called them. He told them not to harass me about work and Mysore. He said I should call. I’m not particularly ready to talk to them. I’m still a little angry and upset…I know I’ll say something bad. I’ve been known to speak my mind without thinking…not one of my better qualities. My brother didn’t tell them, I’m skipping Cebu this year. I was hoping someone would tell them for me. At some point I’ll have to “face the music�. I have to call this Sunday(my dad’s birthday) and break the news…not looking forward to that, oh well.

I leave in less than 2 months (July 18) and Mysore preparations are on the way. I’ve been loading my CD’s into my IBook. I’ve loaded about 2 days worth of music already and I’ve only just begun. The music will come in handy in Mysore. The more I use it, the more I’m falling in love with it…my IBook ROCKS!!!. I ordered an encase sleeve and international travel adaptor last Friday. The list never seems to end.

Short list of things to bring before I leave:

1. Good raincoat – I arrive in the beginning of monsoon season, must have.
2. Flash drive – I think that’s what’s it’s called
3. More yoga clothing – can’t get my size there
4. Travel yoga mat – I left my thick black sticky mat in Mysore but I need a thin one for traveling. I’ve always used a thick black mat, not use which thin one to buy.
5. Mid size backpack – Good for 3 to 5 days travel, use full for short trips within India. I have huge bags and I a smaller one. Haven’t decided if I’ll get one in LA or Bangalore.
6. Good slip-on walking shoes or Velcro – wearing sandals everyday is not a good idea. My feet got really nasty and pedicures only last for a weeks. My heels were all cracked up.
7. Indian Visa – Visa camp is this Saturday in Artesia. I hope to get a 10 year visa this time.
8. Bed sheets – There are a lot of sheets in Mysore but I was not particularly fond of them. I’m thinking of getting fitted sheets which they didn’t seem to have. I don’t know the size of my bed so I’m not sure if I’ll bring some.

I'm sure I'll think of something else to bring but for now this is it. This trip doesn't seems as daunting as the first trip. There was so much mystery and fear behind the first trip...that's what made it exciting.

My body has been feeling beat up the past few weeks. I normally get a massage every week or every other week, especially if I’m I giving a lot myself. I haven't had one in a month. Carlos, my friend and regular therapist had to go home (somewhere in South America) for a family emergency. I was told that he won’t be back until mid-June…holy shit, I need some really good bodywork soon. My whole body was a mess…gave to many massages, daily ashtanga practice and not very good sleep lately. The last few massages I’ve had other than from Carlos were duds, so I wanted to make sure the next one would be good . I’ve been recommended to Nandi for a while now. I’ve heard so many good things about her but I was a little worried she couldn’t go in deep enough.

Yesterday, I decided to just go for it. I booked a massage with Nandi. Therapists tend to get nervous when they work on other therapists…Nandi was no exception. They know there is no room to slack because they’re going to be scrutinized. I feel the same way too when I’m working on another therapist.

As I entered the room, we had our usual chat about what I wanted and where I wanted the worked focused. I was pleasantly surprised to see the table set pretty low. Most therapist tend to set there tables too high, therefore much of the pressure/strength comes from there hands/upper body and not from their body weight. By lowering the table, good body mechanics dictates that the power comes from the core by using the legs and the body weight. You don’t need to be strong to go in deep. You just need use your body weight behind your hands/elbows. I could tell the moment she started, she had great body mechanics. Nandi was amazing…she had great technique, she was instinctive, good pressure and touch, hit all the right spots and gave an all out great massage…two thumbs up. She went deep and loosen a lot of my tightness on the shoulder and neck. She did this one move I absolutely loved. She anchored her fingers in the insertion of my SCM and scalene (neck muscles) and moved my head to stretch the muscles...I should try that move. This really loosened up my neck.

After the massage, Nandi told me she was initially nervous. I told her she was amazing and asked her if she would trade with me. It was so good, I had to write about it. Nandi’s massage was also a humbling experience...she taught me a lot last night. It’s hard to believe she’s only 22 years old.

I woke up this morning pretty sore. That's expected after getting good deep tissue work. I wanted to skip practice this morning but I skipped one day last week. I had to force my sore ass out of bed and headed to the shala. It took me about 10 minutes of non-sense stretching to start my first Surya A...I didn't want to start at all. I was actually ready for savasana.

I eventually did my first vinyasa...what a pain. After my third vinyasa, N who had placed her mat beside me started her first. The next thing I knew we were in-sync in our vinyasas. We never spoke or made eye contact but we flowed at pretty much the same pace. It was pretty wild because I started to drawn in her energy. Since I start my practice with 8 A's and 8 B's, we still were in-sync when I did my first Surya B. I think she was relying on my count because she joined me on the 6th B too. After the 6th B, she continued with her practice. She must have realized that she did more than she was planning to. I continued and finished my last two B's.

I don't remember that last time I was flowing with someone else in a Mysore practice. Drawing from her energy really help jump start my practice today. I never spoke to her after practice but I wonder if the energy drawn this morning was a circular thing or a one way thing. I hope I wasn't the only one sucking the energy from her. In Mysore, I practice beside Avi everyday. We were never in-sync but drew from each other's energy every morning...I miss that feeling.

I woke up this morning more sore than I was the day before. Maybe I should have rested yesterday. I think it was a combination of the bodywork I got and getting carried away in practice yesterday. There was no way I was practicing today…decided to go back to sleep. Second missed practice this month…not particularly happy about that.

I don’t want to sound like a baby but I miss N & K. They brought with them an intense energy in the shala. I can’t seem to feel it in the room now a days. I don’t want to say anything bad. M is a good person but she’s not N & K. I don’t want to blame her for my recent lack of motivation but I really miss N & K’s aura. Even when I was sore and tired, I would always find it deep within me to get out of bed and practice. I always looked forward to practicing with them. I’ve wanted to talk to M about something…difference in philosophy. I’m still trying to figure out how to say it without offending her. I know it’s not fair to compare her with them but its hard not to. I have less than 2 months before I leave…maybe I should just bite my lips.

My lack of motivation has spilled into my work environment too. I’m at work right now and nothing is getting done…what’s up with that. The thing is I don’t get paid to blog. I’ve been hoping to get about 30 hours of billable time this week…not happening. I’ll be a couple of hours short.

The whole balance between work/making a living and maintaining a daily practice is still a mystery to me. I’ve had to back down a bit on my practice because there’s nothing left for work if I go all out. I seriously need to make more adjustments…it never ends (story of my life).

Last Saturday, I had to get up early and head for Artesia/Norwalk (also know as Little India). Since the Indian Consulate is in San Francisco, once a month representative from the consulate head down to Artesia to issue visas. Last year I paid $100 to a visa facilitator to do it for me. This time, I decided to be cheap and do it myself...maybe a big mistake.

I got to Artesia around 8AM even if they officially started at 9AM. Vincent told me go early because the line will get really long. He was right...there were about 150 people ahead of me when I arrived, mostly Indians. It felt like being back in India. Fifteen minutes later, Abby arrives. I didn't expect him but was happy I had somebody with me in line. Abby is suppose to leave this week but needs to sub-lease his apartment before he heads for Mysore.

I later found out while in line that they had just increased all fee by $10 and were only accepting money orders and cashier's checks. The increase was posted two days before in the internet but I had downloaded the forms a week before. Abby held my spot on the line and I headed to a close by 7 Eleven. There was a good line in the 7 Eleven because a bunch of us didn't know about the increase. When I got back, we were told that they would accept cash for the extra $10...damn it.

We finally got to the door around 10:20AM and for the first time in over 2 hours, was able to sit my ass. Maybe I should have just paid the damn $100...the price of being cheap. When it was finally our turn, we turned in our passport, the application, 2 passport pictures and the money order. We were given a receipt and told to come back between 4 to 4:30PM to get our passport.

Since Vincent lives close by, he met Abby and I for lunch. We met at a South Indian restaurant called the "Woodlands". I don't see Vincent that often since he practices in his own little shala in Long Beach. It's always fun to meet up with him...he's one of the few asthangis who not only has a good asana practice but understands the practice. He is one visit to Mysore away from being authorized to teach...he'll get it early next year.

The food at the "Woodlands" was amazing. It's worth driving down just for the food. I know it's not very yogic but Abby updated us with the latest shala gossips. Some of it was hilarious and the others was jaw dropping...so and so is now dating so and so after so and so just left... After lunch, we walked down Pioneer Blvd and checked out the over-priced Indian shops...and I mean ridiculously over-priced.

After the short stroll, Abby left to meet up with another friend in Long Beach. Vincent and I headed to a close by Border's bookstore and just hung out until I had to head back to pick up my passport. At around 3:30PM, I headed back to pick up my passport. This time, there was no line and I just presented my reciept. It was sweet getting back my passport. I got a 10 year visa...wooohooo!!! I'm going home....