Monthly Mood: ’Tis The Season To feast at weddings, rub charas, and be festive with the Hindu gods. Monthly Mood: ’Tis The Season New content… new About page old about page made into a post: About Vivian Alive TBT: Diwali Delights Happy 11 11(: After seven shaves last year, my hair turns one today. Not one snip or buzz, just… Read More
TBT: Diwali Delights Celebrating today’s Diwali with ghee lamps floating on the Rishikesh Ganges and old writing from Diwali 2020. Diwali Delights Day 1010 14 November 2020 Parvati Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India My first Diwali injects me with an unexpected shot of nostalgia. The Hindu holiday is a blend of the Halloweens and Independence Days of my American… Read More
Monthly Mood: Good Company Comes In All Shapes “Finally,” I thought to myself, “back on track with Monthly Moods out on the 11th.” How foolish I was. October 11th would have me living India instead of writing about it. Life creates the content. I just edit. Monthly Mood: Good Company Comes In All Shapes New content: Falling In Love With India’s Finest Aloo… Read More
Falling In Love With India’s Finest Aloo Parantha Every morning in the quiet, four o’clock murk of a village outside Dharamshala, a humble, slightly balding man begins to stir from his sleep. Potatoes are boiled. The dal of the day, chili chutney, and whole wheat dough are carefully prepared. Everything is loaded onto a scooter and he’s off. At seven o’clock Vikram has… Read More
Monthly Mood: Stop Everything makes me smile. Somehow I have my doubts that it would make you, the reader, smile, but I catch myself smiling to myself about the thick spider that dwells in my toilet paper roll with its monolithic size and very visible pincers. This delayed post regards the events between August 11th and September 11th,… Read More
Monthly Mood: Himachali Summer Photo Journey Photo journey from Dharamshala to Parvati Valley and back. A scroll-licious, delayed post due to website changes and meditations. After all, a photo is worth lots of words. Both locales are part of the northerly Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Photos from July and August, 2021. Dharamshala… July saw many a coconut-cream extraction. Artistic… Read More
Monthly Mood: When I Close My Eyes I See Bliss Balls Gracias a las Himalayas que me han dado tanto. Written in early July, website remodeling and a heavy meditation retreat have delayed publication of this post by two months. Thanks for your patience Jo. Monthly Mood: When I Close My Eyes I See Bliss Balls I thought I would have been in Parvati Valley for… Read More
Ghanan And Ivorian Lives Matter This chocolate flavored post is devoted to a decades-long crisis in West Africa: cocoa farming in Ghana and Ivory Coast. Few industries have so little regard for ethics and human rights. My fixation with the truth behind chocolate blossomed after I watched the Bitter Chocolate episode from Netflix’s Rotten docuseries. I can no longer hear… Read More
Monthly Mood: I Feel Love And Pain Life will always connect the dots if you choose the draw the lines yourself. Day 1221 11 June 2021 Himachal Pradesh, India Just like that, nearly half of 2021 is behind us, never to be had again. After a month of heavy lockdown mode, I am able to sit in my favorite working cafe. Writing… Read More
Himalayan Hailstorms Himalayan Hailstorms Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India Our morning ha ṭha sweat becomes a jokeHimachali fields collect ice pebbles I decide to read poemsAnd instead start to write one I wonder if I have a gluten sensitivity Almost sure that I do I feel so good todayAfter a week-long pregnancyFrom a loaf of bread that was freshThat… Read More