My old school mates of Nirmalabas

I have been mulling over for a very long time to have all my old school mates of Nirmalabas school, Imphal for a REUNION of sorts this year during summer around 4th or 5th June, 2011. I have even asked many young friends on Facebook & elsewhere if they could help me out spread the word/message to one & all if any of them knew anyone from that old batch of '74-'75. They could be someone's uncle, aunts, cousins or brothers or sisters, who knows!!!

This was the last batch of class IV before the new building was constructed and we all had to disperse to different schools. Some of our friends left before that too. This is a very dear batch of my school friends that I hold very close to my heart to this day!!!

I cant remember all of their names but would it help with the ones I still remember? Here it goes....
1) RK.KIran (Thokchom Leikai)
2) Priyovashini Ahanthem( Ahanthem Elang Leikai)
3) Surodhoni (Thangmeiband ..am not too sure )
4) RK.Rajshree (Uripok)
5) Pukninghuba Singh (Uripok)
6) Sushil Laishram (Uripok)
7) Suresh (I dont know his place)
8) Jibanlata Tongbram (Waheng Leikai...am not v.sure of the leikai)
9) Niranjan (Waheng Leikai)
10) Sashikanta (Waheng Leikai)
11) Ashalata & her brother..(dont know their place..but I remember them always being dropped off to school in a jeep..ha..ha..)
12) Gulapchand (Thangal Bazar)
13) Sobita Jain (grand daughter of PC&Co..news agent,Thangal Bazar)
14) Narinder "Nindu" Kaur (Thangal Bazar)
15) Suman Bhatia (formerly of Thangal Bazar..now married to a meitei guy ..dont know her real address)
16) Ravi (Thangal Bazar)
17) Peter Mao (Thangal Bazar)
18) Jacinta Mao (Thangal Bazar)
19) Asha Mao (of Naga Restaurant, MG. Ave..dont know it its still there or not)
20) Jasmeet Kaur Pasricha (MG.Ave)
21) Daisy Kaur (MG.Ave or Majorkhul)
22) Lanjaimei "Rita"(Majorkhul)
23) Langanglu (Majorkhul)
24) James Golmei (Majorkhul)
25) Benjamin Misao (Paona Bazar)
26) Neikim Kipgen (New Lambulane )
27) Gaichuiru & her brother (Kakhulong)
28) Tampha Golmei (formerly of Kakhulong but married2 a guy in Keishamthong)
29) N.Prakriti (of Sagolband..her folks used to own a shoe store near Pratap talkies)
30) Romi Ningthoujam (Lamabam Leikai)
31) Rachel Shimray (Lamphel)
32) Marcus Roy (Lamphel)
33) Rebecca Mao (Dewlahland)
34) Memcha Loitongbam (Lalambung)
& of course my younger sister Helen....and many others....

These are the ones I still know their names and it is my fervent request and prayer that I need help from all of you to trace /track them all down to make this REUNION this year a possibility. Sadly three of our batchmates are no more with us. They are Johny Ningthoujam, Jagjivan Singh & Boisy Haokip!!

We really want to get everyone together and honor them and also all our past teachers....like mother Jerome, Sr. Jeannette, Sr. Mariya, late Ms. Ranjana (our manipuri teacher )& Ms. Matrika Mao (our hindi teacher) & all other teachers whom I dont recall their names, please forgive me ya'll!!!

We had a very good schooling there and I give all credit to our strict teachers there for instilling in us all hard work and love of knowledge. I still remember sister Jeanette's pinches on our arms if we did our class work wrong or not listened to her. She would get furious and we knew she would calm down soon if we got our acts right.

Its due to her that I got to love reading books. Thanks to all her pinches. It was hurtful at that time but it was worth it!!! Mother Jerome was a very sweet soul for us all . She always taught us to sing songs. My goodness, she was tall & stately. We could hear her thunder from afar!!!

With her swish of her "habit" passing by us we knew she was after one of the ones who was in trouble for not listening in the class. One look from her would make your knees knocky!! But she had genuine love for us all..Thats all we know!!!

One time our school had gone for a picnic at Leimakhong ..I still remember vividly...how excited and agog we were all to climb onto a bus & be going out !!!! The teachers prepared us well ahead of time ..what to do...while in the bus...to stand in queue..to wait for our turns & not to be disorderly !!

My, my we learnt so fast as we really wanted to go on this outing that bad!!! So it did not matter what kind of instructions they put out,, we quickly lapped it up!!! much to the amusement of our teachers!!! They all agreed we were all partners in this big outing!!!

The morning of of the picnic day, all my friends were dropped off by their parents or guardians. As for me & my sister we walked as we lived near the school. Excitement was all over the place!! We could not even hear each others' voices !!! We could not wait till the bus finally tooted the horns & drove out of the school compound!!!

Freedom....ha..ha for the day!!! from the classrooms which were only partitioned by thin walls frome ach other. But we loved our school no matter what condition it was in!!

The younger generation of NBS students are very lucky to have the present new building to complete their high school there with top honors!!! All i should say is "Hail Mother Jerome & others " for their pioneering efforts to run the NBS & produce good students & be proud of!!! Sorry for meandering away !!!

To continue with what I was saying....... Mother Jerome led us all into singing from start till we reached the place. She had taught us all the other day what songs to sing on the bus. She didnt expect us all to learn that fast enough & but boy, we did sing with all our lung power..ha..ha..ha.!!! I am sure her head must have been hurting very bad from all of that!!! But hey, it was great fun!!! & it warmed the cockles of her heart!!! We just love her to death!!!

Then we got to sit in line on news papers & served boiled eggs, sandwiches,& fruits & juices. Who wanted to eat at that time anyway? We were so happy to be out of the class room & enjoy the beautiful place there !!! I must say our teachers were so hard pressed to keep us all in order and in line!!! Hats off to them all for their patience & great love for all of us!!!

We could not even sit still due to the excitement!! It ended so soon!! We were so sad....& all of us were much quieter on our return back to school because we wanted it to continue!!! All good things also must come to an end!!! Now back to school !!! We had lots to talk about the next day!!! Some got sick and did not come.I am sure they had "picnic" fever!!! We all stuck by each other all through!!

Thats why I would like the public help to find me contact all my friends and make this REUNION a possibility this year! I would really appreciate your help in this regard!!! The main contact person would be me or Memcha Loitongbam - memcha(at)gmail(dot)com

Is there any good samaritan manipuri brethren to help with this?

I will write more soon.....I know many of you have been asking when would I write the next one or so...Thanks for all your emails. I am so ever thankful to you all!!!!

To be Continued.......

Road trip to NAMA convention 2009 at Maryland

Coming back to my story again, Oja Mani was all smiles as he was being greeted by so many Manipuri folks which surprised him so much. He said he never knew so many were here. He did his speech on a general topic and I must say it made him feel so important and appreciated.

The host families did a great job of organizing though the venue was a little smaller than the one in Chicago but who cares, we were here to meet and greet and catch up once a year & most importantly was to eat our traditional Manipuri dishes which we had been waiting all for a year !!

My mouth waters at the very thought of those foods... that were being prepared painstakingly by all of them in Maryland. I was very impressed with Monica Ingudam's hubby Saji (one of Manipur's Keralite son-in-law) who worked very hard to make the NAMA a success. Hats off to you all there ! !

The food-spread had wonderful choices like the Tharoi (snail ), Ironba (special manipuri dish.. with potato, fermented fish & bamboo shoot etc), Singju( hot salads), Nga Thongba (fish dishes).

We just wasted no time but set out to eat. I sat with my group of our chatty members like the Waheng Leikai Rani of Cincinnati (a nickname for a very precious lady who is the soul of any Manipuri party (Chak Chanaba), that tall & young Laishram model from Palace compound and many others. She told me that she used to be teased of her height by others as "Mirang Kotpi" (spider web cleaner) . Such merciless teasings ..... but look now, she has turned that very same thing into a positive attitude & with her hard work & good looks, she is in an enviable place whom all can't be there!! Way to go, gal!! We are proud of you....Keep the Manipuri banner/flag flying high there in NYC !!

The ever smily couple Linthoi & her hubby had an after party at their place & I heard everyone had a blast. We could not attend as we had a different itinerary. We had to head back with Oja Naba to his place as we had already given our Wada (promise ) so we had to keep it. I too wished I had gone there at Linthoi's to take part in the Halla-gulla (fun and banter party)!! I missed out on that.. Maybe another time will come again!!

At uncle Naba's place we all sat down to eat...my goodness...!! All we have to do everywhere when we visit our folks is eat....eat & eat more...but no complaints...cos Aunty Indrani cooks so good !! Their daughter Lata came to spend some time with us oldies ...ha..ha..ha....!! She was very free & frank to talk to...I like that.....

Uncle Naba put on some of the earlier NAMA tapes for us to watch. It was very beautiful !! This couple has a very neat and tidy home with a little garden in their back yard corner. They grew Maroi Napaakpi ( a kind of herb -chives ), Tung Ning Kok ( Lizard Tail ), Mayangton ( basil variety ) & many others.

I can't make out how they managed to get so much in little space !! Kudos to them for making good use of the space. Both have very good green thumbs !! Everything they touch , grows where as for ordinary folks like us, nothing grows..let alone buy potting soils for those plants !!

Our conversations went beyond midnight hours we did not even realised if it was not for aunty Indrani's insistence that we should all take rest for the night. Thank god, she did that, we almost forgot we had to return to Tulsa the next day. Oja Mani & Uncle Naba had the best time as they talked and talked non-stop and laughing like old school boys.....!!

The next morning, aunty prepared good yummy breakfast for all of us. It was time to say goodbye to them after that. We felt so sad but we would meet again soon!! They gave me potted plants of the herbs to take home. We then left at about 9.30am onto I- 70 West.

We had taken a different route on our onward trip as we passed through the southern parts of Missouri, Ilinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia etc., via I-44 East, then to I-55 North for some distance & then onto I-70 East for some more distance till the border of West Virginia & then different state highways as indicated on the google road maps. It was a great trip & experience of a lifetime watching all those beautiful scenic places on the way !!

I drove through the Pennsylvannia greenery. It was breath taking view to see the Amish farmlands ......!! I had to stop in Pittsburg at an autobody shop for an oil change....which was due cos of the long distances I already covered ! We had a good short break. The people helped us out with the road directions to get back on the highway. I must say its real helpful !!

Oja Mani got busy with recording again with the video cam.. God only knows he turned it on the record button or not...He asked me & I told him "Nyet" (no) talk about the blind leading the blind about all these hi-tech gadgets.....!! I was too busy driving so I said that he could do what he thought best. It was all his to do...!!

In between I heard him call up his wife again & tellling her all the wonderful time he had there in Maryland & other places we had visited.

To be Continued.......

Road trip to NAMA convention 2009 at Maryland

We left for Maryland from Simon's place after a good breakfast. They said they would follow us later. He printed out the google map for the NAMA event center. It took us an hour to reach there. Just a little before we got there, Mr. Hari Singh of Chicago called and requested Oja Mani to be the Chief Guest & that we were waited for our arrival. We just had only 20 minutes to get there so I had to think fast !! What to do in this situation.......???

Oja Mani was taken aback as he could not imagine himself being a Chief Guest at such an important gathering of the Manipuris here !! I knew his head was going round in circles at the very thought of it ! "how would all the general NAMA folks receive him...., how would he speak to them on what topics & stuffs like that " I had to bring him back to reality even while driving in that busy road.

I asked if he brought any suit or not. He was just wearing a black color Hawaiian themed shirt & cargo shorts . Thank god, he brought one suit but no proper bush shirt to go with it. But we had to improvise fast..We didnt have enough time to ponder so we stopped at a stop sign near some residential apartments before the NAMA venue.

The good sport that he is, Oja Mani just pulled his shorts down & began to dress up for his D-DAY as the 2009 NAMA chief guest, all the while we both were laughing cos he said that it was the 1st time in his life that he had to get dressed up like this that too, out in the open public space.

We were lucky, there was no one around to witness except for some passing cars whose occupants peered out of their cars wondering "what in the world were these loonies doing out there? the senior guy pulling up or down his pants oblivious to the watching world? " But hey, the end product was that Oja Mani was ready to go and be the Chief Guest.. thats what mattered most at that crucial time .......izzat ka sawaal hai,mai baap !!( it was a great matter of honor for him ,Lordy Lord !! ).

No one knew what we had just conspired & done at the STOP sign... We were pretty proud of ourselves. He gave himself a pat on his back but he could not help laughing out silly cos I knew that the very thought of his changing clothes at the STOP sign came back to him again and again. We didnt disappoint anyone. Everyone was glad that we made it in time.

I was able to meet up with other known NAMA members and many new ones too. There were more little kids this time. It was nice to see the family take care of them, I mean ...both the husband and wife team !! I could see the changing dynamics of the roles of parenthood among our Manipuri folks. Its no more the days of yore where the women would be the sole care taker for everyone in the house and the men would take it for granted that very role.

Maybe back home, it must not have changed a lot but I am talking about the present situation here. Its a great relief & heartwarming to see the men pitch in to help change the diapers & bottle feed the babies !! Gone are the days when men would just sit back and leave everything to the women of the house for child care & other household chores...! ! !

At least here in the States and in other cities in India....from my experiences after having met .....and interacting with them......I can say this now......!! except for a few neglible % who still call out to their wives as " hey! nupi! kwa purak u, ising pirak u, chaak thangat lo ! etc ( Hey! Woman, bring betel nut, water, cook rice )......Its interesting because the women folk also willingly go along with it !!

The men folks are in fact doing quite a good job of it & enjoying being with their kids while the first time moms are the hardest ones to deal with as they are so obssessive of their roles that they would deny themslves their "me time alone " and feel stressed out of their own doing !! While the dads are pretty much relaxed about stuffs.

The moms obssess about the kids' food, drinks, dress etc.Its natural to feel that way but you know,the kids are not going to eat any more than what they want ,if you keep a tab on them but give them choices & more freedom !! and step back a little bit...maybe just may be it would be a great help to yourselves too !!

They will eat what they need and want & not what you want and need them to eat !! They go through different phases as they grow up. I know you all moms, in your eyes, your kids will always look skinny cos you want them to eat more and more and that you would refuse to hear anything when people say they are healthy !!

I like the banter going on between such young parents..The dads would say calmly ,"kei dou rage, cha ning ba adum chaja sanu,"(whats the matter, dear? let them eat what they want ,) but the moms would retort back hastily with their fangs out ,"nang na keisu khang de , mai pabung /or tamo ! (you know nothing, my dear/ brother ---(calling your hubbies Tamo (brother ) in this age seem too outdated & middle ages..it only is prevalent in the our region.. ..forgive me again...as I dont belong to this category! but no hard feelings .....to no one..each to his own...!!

Its understandable cos some of the moms come from a very sheltered life & so used to having others to help them & they find it hard to transition to let go and relax !! Nothing to make you all upset but am just sharing my own view point !! This is to say you are doing a helluva good job of raising a child .....try and relax more so as to be able to care for them much better !!

Your kids can sense easily if you are nervous, anxious, jittery, impatient, angry, upset etc....and it would become a tug-of -war for moms during feed times cos they gonna do the same thing over and over again. I can only say take a deep breathe and let kids be kids and let them grow up naturally with no pressures from parents !!

I know some of you may like to crucify me for saying this but its a true fact !! whether or not you like it !!

To be Continued.......

Road trip to NAMA convention 2009 at Maryland

We rested at major gas stations for short periods so that I dont get all exhausted. I slept on the front side while Oja Mani walked and stretched himself at such stops as he is a tall man and can't squeeze into the back seat like me who is small built . But I must say he is cool cos he didn't complain at all. I had brought masala chicken to last us at least for a day & that helped too.

I saw Oja Mani chomping them whenever he felt like but I also let him pick Mcdonald's lunch whenever we saw one & he was a good sport about everything. If he had been picky & always complaining about everything, believe you me, I would have asked him to get off at the very next stop and go his way! Just kidding!! I would not do that ever....!!

We reached Virginia early in the morning. It was beautiful countryside all over. What a difference in the landscape of the East Coast & the Midwest regions!! We were on I-70 East and that wasn't much of a problem. What I love about these highways is that there are signs to indicate which cities, how many miles to go before next gas station, food , motels etc..

Mr. Simon was anxiously waiting for us at his house. He came with another young man named Apam to meet us up at the Home Depot store at Reston, Virginia. I introduced Oja Mani to both of them. They were happy to see us. Oh! my gosh, it was such a big relief to reach our destination safely. He could not help asking if we were ok and made sure we ate good & have a good rest before we even begin to have any kind of conversation. He was a very good cook and made coffee for us.

We had lots to talk about and share information. His family was so sweet. His wife Cinthia was so nice to us. I asked how he managed an American wife...pat came his answer that he has "Naga-ised " her by making her eat all steamed & boiled Manipuri dishes, made her adjust to Indian lifestyle when they were in Delhi during their early marriage years !! That was too funny !! He has a good sense of humor !! Anyway, we had a good day's rest after we ate !!

We talked and talked for hours in the evening. I made Aloo Ironba (traditonal Manipuri dish with potato & fermented fish) Kobi (Cabbage ) Singju ( Manipuri hot salad ) as I had brought Ngari , Thoiding (fermented fish & sesame seeds ) from Tulsa to share with them. Thats the benefit of travelling by car...You can pack anything you gonna need anywhere !!

Our conversations lasted well into the wee hours of morning ..we didn't know how time flew by......!! Mr. Apam cooked fish for us. He too is a real good cook !! Now all along Oja Mani had kept reminding me that he was diabetic & cant eat every and all things !! But as the food was spread out ...immediately that reminder of his was nowhere in place because he jumped into it & started the Bhojan (food ).

I am observing him & enjoying it cos its the very environment that makes him do it as he felt very happy and comfortable in the company of our host and the young cook Apam. This is the real reason we all Manipuris ..wherever..whenever we meet, food is always a must and its a good way to connect, for real !! Dont you all agree ?? We all love eating our traditional dishes & think its the most exotic dish in the whole world!! All you hot food eaters, Amen !!

Anyway, the next day was for us to attend the 4th of July celebration for the NAMA Convention at Maryland. The main host Oja Naba had wanted us to stay at his place but we thought and decided that it was better to pay Mr. Simon & co. a visit first as it is on our way and more convenient than doing the reverse visit after the NAMA meeting.

We did the tried amd done method of -----("lin su sinaba cheisu su tek tanaba" to kill two birds with a stone. I know uncle Naba felt bad about it , do forgive me for that, but hey, we dont get to drive out there every day & I like to meet up with friends and alike if possible on my way to my destination especially if that falls in the planned route that I was taking !!

This place Reston in Virginia is a very calm and quiet neighborhood. I wandered outside the house to look around its surroundings. There was a a kind man who was Simon's neigbor. He asked me a lot of questions as to why I was in a backward state like OKlahoma & why not move to VA. I told him that it was ok but he was insistent, I dunno why. He then handed me his card which indicated he worked for the US defence agency or something.

In just one breath he told me that he was newly single, available & financially secured & was looking for asian women !! As if I was looking for a date .....!! ha..ha..ha..!! He doesn't know how much I love to go on road trips in summer & meet up with friends and do something worthwhile !!

Funny, how some men can just yak away like that without even knowing me nor my name. Just cos he saw me at Simon's place, he must have assumed that I could be persuaded as most westerners have preconceived notion that asian women were passive & submissive !! May be he felt I needed a burly man like him for protection or something....he doesn't know I may look tiny but not tiny in mental strength..

He has approached the wrong female for his advances, Boy, I tell you....a Manipuri one at that..........but to be nice to him, I listened instead !! and he was happy to get something off his chest for the moment !! He should have gone and taken a good look at his physique which needed serious consideration for exercise before he even indicated his singledom !!

Not to offend him or anyone, I would rather be pole dancing than be with a paunchy guy !! This includes all our Manipuri men too.. high time all our guys start taking care of their health & look good for yourselves & your wives & your GFs !! It would give you all a real high to be in good physical shape !!

Or am I touching on some raw nerve ? In these times and age we all should be doing just that as we all lead too much stressful lives with work, family & others !! We hardly have enough time to enjoy life as we are all so caught up with life !! Natro ? (right?) mayam yabi ning bro? ( all agree or not?) koi sak ya sawaal ?(any questions/concerns ?) so far....?

To be Continued.......

Road trip to NAMA convention 2009 at Maryland

I had a great time during my road trip to the 2009 NAMA convention at Maryland. My son was in India for his summer vacation with my mom and siblings in Imphal & Bombay. I was pretty aware that I had my right hand man missing for this trip !! So I invited other folks here again to ride with me but none came forward but I managed to get Rev. Pastor Manichouba of Moirang , who was doing his D-MIN at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa.

He was out of work at that time so he said he could come but that he was kangal (penniless ). I told him that it was no problem. I told him that I would be carrying all non-perishible snacks in the car to save money. That was a real true fact. He told me he was a diabetic, I said to myself 'all the more better' as I didn't have to worry about him wanting "achapot" (snacks). I dont buy snacks or otther stuffs on the way during such trips! I get everything all packed from home cos I believe in self sufficiency !!

He was anxious as to how "I could drive that long distance"!! I told him "oja mani, laak ta laakpiyu, aduga gari da fambiyu...eina adum thoujage. (just hop in the car & sit quietly while I drive)!! He looked at me "funny & crazy " cos he was in two minds about the whole trip. I knew what he thought "is this woman able to do that ? Am I headed for a free ride straight to Hell with no passport?" ha..ha..ha..ha...!!

I had to allay his fears. I told him that we would be driving into different states and that I needed to concentrate on signs and speed limits of every place! I had all the google maps printed out for ready reference & guidance. I had brought in my video camera and told him to go ahead and record the trip. This was a totally different story. I never had the urge to do such thing except use a regular camera for any snapshots I wanted.I thought he could occupy himself with it.

I had suggested him to bring like a pillow, water bottle and books to read...(which he never did read on the way as he was too busy looking out the window all the time ). I must say he was a good sport. I like that spirit in him. He is easily adaptable to all people. Thats a very good trait to be for a Pastor because that would make him connect to people better!!

We left Tulsa before 7am and rolled onto highway I-44 East. He kept asking me --"nang eibu lam bida thadok pi ram gadra?" ("are you sure you wont abandon me at some place ?)" I had to reassure him that I would take good care of him every possible way that I can. I began to think "oh my gosh, I hope my son is not inside him" because I knew I had to be prepared for more questionings from him!!

It was over 1500 miles drive to Virginia & I told him that I planned to drive straight there non-stop and that he had to bear any inconveniences we had to come across or face on the way!! He said it was ok.

We stopped at St. Louis in Missouri for two hours for sightseeing of the Archway. He did a lot of video recording against the backdrop of the steel Archway. We found out later that he never did turn on the record button....So much for the recording he did and the speech he made on the video!! He posed against the steel archway for the video...He was amazed at all of the structure.

At one point, he kinda wondered why would Americans build such structure in the middle of the busy junction of the highwyays I-44. I-55. I-70 & others. Again, he answered the questions himself!! I just nodded in agreement to whatever he said !! My mind was already plotting which toll roads to take and which ones to avoid..... as they charge high toll fees... I was on a budget so I had to stay within it. What if some unforeseen circumstancs arises !! That was also a nagging thought on my mind ! I am a multi-tasker so I cant help if I am that way...I am just not the sit still type at all !!

After our short rest at St. Louis, we resumed our trip & now Oja Mani is really starting & beginning his questioning about the roads, the places. As we crossed Ohio state it began to get dark & I really had to look carefully for the road signs to follow the google maps. In between he called up his wife Premila back home and gave her a minute-by-minute account of the trip & she was wanting to know more cos I knew she very much wanted to be part of that trip.

He was vividly describing to her all that he saw & experienced and made her do tin yotpa (salivate). I heard him say that "shanti na lambi da eibu yonthok lam labasu eidi khangoi" (I wont know if Shanti would sell me off on the way!"). It was hilarious .

Here I am dealing with an adult version of my own little boy !! I can understand his excitement, anxiety etc., as he had never been out of Oklahoma and so this was a new thing for him . Oja Mani gave me the phone to talk to his wife & as I did, I happened to miss the exit I was supposed to take & I landed to nowhere. But I took the next exit to turn back and resumed the planned path and vowed not to take any more calls again on the way as it messes up my concentration.

He did all the talking and kept busy with that. The best part was when he narrated the one related to the trip made by his room mate Khaigin Haokip to India from here when he was new. We had lot of fun laughing about it as he narrated the incidents of how this guy hopped onto the wrong plane like a zombie from Tulsa to Chicago, then to California onto S. Korea bound plane to Seoul.

He was just following other passengers instead of looking at the airport terminals, the flight number & the gates etc. We could not help laughing as we wondered why couldn't he have looked at his ticket for his connecting flight or lay over...or whatever...My belly ached & my eyes had tears from so much laughing....That was a great stress reliever !!

I stopped for short rests in every major towns, cities so that we dont have to stay overnite at a motel. I was bound and determined to reach Simon Maring's house ASAP & then rest at his place. He also kept calling to inquire our location & be updated. We reached the green countryside of the West Virgina at night but we could see except the road signs.

I told Oja Mani to get some sleep as I was the one to drive & I didn't want him exhausted. You know what he did? He slept for sometime but soon got up and began the questioning about where we were and what time we gonna reach where we were going.

I knew he was a little anxious about the trip cos this was his first such trip on the road ..that too with me driving and he had all his doubts in his mind. He had heard about me driving to places but this is the first time being on one with me himself for real!!

I heard him say to his wife "shanti di lai gumbani " (she is something unreal !" ) I exactly dont know what he meant by that..Ha..ha....ha... may be he thought I was good at driving or maybe at my energy or whatever....!!

I dont really bother..My first thing to do is reach Virginia safely...........!!

To be Continued.......

Leisabi has left Tulsa!

I am really sorry, folks for not keeping up with more stories. I know you all have been requesting for more...but forgive me, these past few months I have been damn busy with so much going on in my life!! Don't know where to begin....

Its been a great time...when I reflect back....I can see how stupid I have been in believing people at face value but it ain't gonna stop me from helping them again. This young Leisabi (lady) whom I wrote about in my previous story just upped and left Tulsa without even saying bye to us despite everything that has happened.

Both she and her cousin saw me at the church and they really could not avoid me as I sat in the front row. Her cousin came upto me and asked for forgiveness while she stood there. I wondered what went through her mind at that time? Was it appropriate to do so at that time in the church while the service was on? Wasn't she the one I helped her with a car or did she forget that too soon or did she develop amnesia already?

Why was she making her cousin do all the talking? Wasn't she taking responsibility for her actions? Or did she think she was a great master at trying to beguile people? Was it not better to have met at their place or somewhere to diffuse any tension or ease out any difficulties they might have had to confront me?

I still am trying to figure why she did what she did. It'll haunt me forever that I fell into a trap like this. The fact that they are from my own community makes it even harder to digest ! I have said enough now but cant help it continues to come out during conversations...

Another friend Simon Maring from Virginia informed me that these ladies gonna visit them on their way home to Imphal. When I tried to introduce these people to them last year , they did not want anyone to know them ! Methinks..if its for their matlab (benefits ) they didnt mind it cos they have all the ammunition to charm the males !!

If you met the leisabi (lady) you would not believe at all. You might all think that I am out to get her! No folks, sorry, I am just damn too busy to go in for that. I have no free time either..but I like to share with you all whats happened in my life so that it can be real helpful to others if they happen to be in a similar situation....I wish her no harm at all but request her not to do again such acts to anyone in future cos it hurts bad....!!

For me,I would have preferred they not go here and there but come to me directly instead of trying to be defensive of their actions. It did not serve any good nor any purpose for them to visit some religious workers from Manipur here to plead their case. Because its me who they have to face and deal with and not them.

I was the one to provide accomodation & car for their initial needs and notthem so its surprising how they thought their going from door to door to these folks would help their case!! Anyway, I have moved on but the heavy price of still making monthly car payments of $260 with high interest rates is still on. This is a great financial stress for me!! Don't know when I would ever get out of this debt !!

One of their room mates called me long after they left to say that an envelope was there for me from these ladies. I went & got it and this leisabi (lady ) left $400. Could she not have handed to me personally with an apology. That would have been much better! But I guess they didn't want to face me due to their guilty conscience!!

What a freak act on her part ! We had to part like this !! I always sing hosannas to everyone about the goodness of our folks !! I think its the case of a "bad apple in a basket"

Next week, I gonna be representing our community at the Assamese Bohag Bihu program in Dallas. I sure gonna be asked why those ladies aren't coming.. I can tell them that they are gone for good for now......I heard trom others that they gonna get married and to some they said they gonna open a restaurant...whatever.....It doesn't surprise me to hear such statements of theirs from others...cos everyone thinks they mean it ......

I am looking forward to meet up with all my Assamese friends there and eat all kinds of "Pitha" (assamese snacks)....!!

To be Continued.......

Meeting with Astronaut's family at Houston

This year was a very good year of ups and downs.I would emphasize more on the good side.

In May 09, we had the opportunity to be at the function of the welcoming of the US astronaut Michael Fincke after successful completion of the Expedition 18 on International Space station as the commander. He is married to a sweet Assamese lady.

The organisers wanted a broad representation of the NE people residing around Houston in Texas so when I was contacted by Mr. Rajen Barua and his wife Mrs. Ajanta of the FASS (Friends of Assam & seven sisters) group, I could not say no as it was a really good opportunity to showcase the NE region in front of the NASA community (colleagues of Mike Fincke) in Houston.

I called up Roshan Ngangom of Houston and asked if he could be present there and he assured me that they would do so. As for us, me, my son, Victoria Oinam & Priya Shimray were all agog with excitement as we gonna see and meet in live and shake hands with him live astronaut. They had arranged for their off days after months of deliberating whether to go or not.

We were like giggly school girls and so was my son cos this time around, he was going to have company for the ride to Houston for over 9 hours. I baked masala chicken, aloo samosa & other snacks to keep us well fed during our long drive from Tulsa. We had so much fun talking and just blabbering away in side the car and enjoying the countryside.

We stopped at travel centers for restroom breaks an some stretching. It took only 4 hrs to reach Dallas city. The 635 Dallas Loop was very busy as usual with road constructions and other vehicles in a hurry....!!

It was a very hot after noon but we kept ourselves hydrated and our food supplier was Priya as she sat near the cooked food box. It was pretty fun thing for her to do because she just had to dig in her hands to fish out any thing whoever wanted to eat whatever was there in the food basket!! Gosh, we ate non stop.....We all Manipuris love to eat "achapot" (snacks) and chit chat and have fun.....!!

When we reached Dallas, we turned on the radio station named "Salaam Namaste" which played so many old and new Hindi movie hit songs and that kept us so much entertained and not boring at all. We even sent in our "Farmaishi" (request) songs. The RJ was very funny and she asked us our names and she was very happy to play the song for us on air during our drive.

My 2 friends were asleep when they got tired. I had to ask my son to help me out with directions, or exit signs, in case I got tired and missed it at any point of the drive. I must say he comes in handy as he is over eager to help. Though he talks too much non stop!!

Anyway, we reached safe and soundly around 4 pm way ahead of any of the atendees. The ceremony was being held at the south side of Houston in an Indian restaurant called the "Moghul Restaurant". The FASS head honcho Mr. Rajen Barua was there to welcome us warmly. He was so pleased to see us all make it there. We all went inside the bathroom to change into our Manipuri cultural dress which was very colorful.

I must say the NE is real unique as we have all different dress, culture and tradtions. It was a great privilege for us to be there at such an august do and we felt very proud of our NE region. Bole To Ham Kisise Kam Nahi ( we are not lesser than anyone else....)!!

Many in the gathering started taking our pictures. I was a little uncomfortable of the camera flashing but consoled myself by saying "you fool, they are taking pictures of the colorful tradtional Kuki costume I was wearing and not me!!" and also the other two friends wore equally beautiful Naga and Meitei traditional dresses which was a real kicker. It made us realised how special and beautiful the NE region was ! No wonder Rajen Dada was adamant for us to attend.It was also a big boost for him for all his efforts to have a common platform for NE issues.

For me, I was very happy to see and meet up once again with all my Assamese friends I met at last year's Bihu. I brushed up on my Assamese when I tried to speak with them. They are so warm and welcoming. I could not believe the astronaut's wife was so simple and down to earth. She was short like us so it made us feel very comforted...ha..ha..ha...!!

Any other lady would have been very snotty just cos her hubby was an astronaut...Welll, she has that warmth and infectious smile on her always....! Her parents too were so happy to see us and appreciated our driving all the way from Oklahoma !! Her kids are named after the moon, sun & stars ....chandra, surya, tarali who are all sweet kids.

I thank Roshan Ngangom and his dad for joining us. It was funny how his family divvied up among themselves to represent at this ceremony and the other one at his aunt who lived a little distance from where we were gathered. But I am appreciative of the fact that he showed up with his dad and we could meet up personally for the 1st time.

Thanks also goes to Nengboi Haokip of Houston for coming in with her family. We all made a good representation of Manipur...!! My two friends were so excited and went around taking pictures with the Assamese ladies who wore beautiful Muga silk mekhela chaddar( Assamese tradtional dress). You could see how they got so animated meeting so many people there.

There was a question answer session with astronaut. I remember the "Space Talks" organised by the FASS back in january where NE students gathered to ask him questions and here we were, able to see him in person, shake hands with him and ask whatever questions we wanted. I asked him how he managed to do the Bihu dance in space with zero gravity.

We had a lot of interaction with the NASA community and that did break the ice with them for us. There was a very good and sumptous dinner catered by the Indian restaurant. All kudos go to Mrs. Ajanta Barua and the astronaut's wife for making it happen and organising it.

I liked the part where they compared the functions and duties of the astronaut and his wife at home and on space. It was a very hilarious moment!! We also took pictures but many of mine did not come out okay as we had to request anyone and available person to do that for us...I ate so much of the good food. I made small talk with other friends. My son was busy playing with his video game with the astronaut's son and did not even want to eat !!

There was Bihu dance and I must say Mike Fincke has truly mastered the art of this dance form. No wonder the whole state of Assam considers him their son-in-law and he is living upto it !! and making everyone proud of him! What I liked about him was his down to earth nature and easy going personality.. He has met his match in his wife !! Good for both of them....

We stayed the night at the Barua's home. This couple is so hospitable and I am thankful to them for making our stay so comfortable. Ajanta baidew (sister) made so much yummy breakfast. She is such a real good cook and a very economic one at that. She does not appreciate any kind of wastage of food.

Thats a very good trait I learnt from her afetr observing her. Next morning we drove to Lake Wood Church to attend the service of Pastor Joel Osteen and took pictures with him for Saboot(proof ) that we seen him and shook hands in person. Its not everyday that we get to drive down there to attend his services...! It was a real fruitful visit...

We left Houston around 12.30 noon and reached Tulsa after midnight...all my passengers were quiet as a mouse because they were all so pooped out and exhausted.....while I was the only one awake and driving...!!

More stories later...Be patient...ya'll....!!

Raj's B'day..in Tulsa!!

A Life Experiences series by Shanti Thokchom

An unsavoury experience

I have been thinking hard and fast whether to share this unsavoury experience of mine with you all or not. But I am going ahead with it anyways as it is really bothering my mind so much. I must say money does make the world go round!! If you all want to break up friendship with anyone, lend that person money and you will see and know what I mean. They would not know or choose not to know that amount has to be returned to the same person who lent her!! I learnt that the hard way too late....

I had a young lady friend from my own home town who came to pursue some studies here last year. I will not name her but will just call her "Leisabi"(young lady). She is such a dear and sweetest of a person whom you'd think would not even hurt an ant nor anything. She has a very innocent and sweet face which melts everyone's heart !!

There was just no way that I could not trust her with all my heart just by looking at her ...!!! me , am a damn fool all the time getting conned by people who come to me with their sob stories and needing help here and there. I cant just say no to anyone who needs my help. That's my real weakness and I cant stand by and watch people suffer.....

Well, this lady requested me so much to help her get a car from a dealer for her work. I took pity on her & how could not I? And I went ahead and got one with the car dealer's offer of financing it at a high interest rate. I didn't much think about that fact. I was only concerned about getting an affordable car for her with me to co sign the papers. She said that the car being offered by the dealer for sale was too expensive for her budget & suggested that she would love to buy my older car from me and that I could go on to buy that new car. Well, it sounded all good and truthful !!

Mind you, I am a very trusting person & reflecting on back, methinks "what a great fool I have been to take her at her face value and her great act of being a "poor me" version of an international student??" After using that my car from April '09 till end of Aug'09 for her work, she told me one day that she no longer needed the car and wanted me to take it back. She said that she was going to Imphal on a personal business ....Simply put, she did not want to pay for the car.....but used it to the fullest advantage for transportation to and fro her work!!

After all my car was all paid for complete with the insurance...and all that...She did not even want to pay up for the insurance that I paid for. I think it was not fair of her to use people like that for her benefits only. Its a case of her Dosti (friendship) for her own Matlab ( selfish benefits). If she were to rent from a car rental agency here in the US, she would have had to pay at least $40-45 /per day for a midsize car. When I mentioned it to her, do you all know what came out of her mouth ?

"Oh, nangna mateng paangbasi di, $40 gi damak ta oiramle, nungsibagi damak natte...( oh, all the while your help was only to get $40 from me and not for love for your fellow brethren.) "That comment of hers pissed me off so much so that, I told her "pining laga piyu..piningdraga tok u...( you choose to pay or not pay but I wont die from it) and I stormed out of her apartment, feeling very upset, humiliated and what not......I have never ever felt so insulted in my life......for helping her out and for her to say stuffs like this to me, after all that I did for her......was really too much for me....She did not even have the decency to even call up and apologise nor even inform me of her departure from here to home.

Maybe she thought or was scared that I would ask her to bring stuffs from Imphal or something. I will not do that ever cos I know the mentality of our folks. The only thing I would have wanted would have been Manipuri ethnic stuffs for display at local festivals. But I had enough of that cos my son had brought them when he visited India during his summer vacation.

Anyway, to cut long story short, I did not hear from her at all...no call, no emails nothing. That was a real insult to me..I have done nothing wrong to her..... I got very upset by her silence all these time and so I emailed to her bro-in-law leting him know how upset I was by her sis-in-law's actions. She could have easily emailed an apology or something that she would pay up when she returned or just anything.

But she did not and I was wondering, why is she not communicating with me? I am the one whose car she used it to her advantage, it was me who let her drive my car for her to get her driver's license here. I took my time off to do that despite my very busy schedule !! Anyway, my conscience is clear and I can move around without any fear at all everywhere but this particular lady , I pity her cos she has to watch where she goes cos she has the insecurity in her that I might jump at her throat or something !!

After all, I am a Manipuri to the T.....!! If you are reading this( and I know you do) , have no fear from me, just pay up whats due and go your way.....thats all I want cos I am also paying for that other car I got (unnecessary ) from the dealer to help you out with. I did not get it for free. Please remember that always!!

So for you to go to other people's houses and butter them up and try to leave some money for them to hand it to me, thats unacceptable totally....You are the one who agreed to buy the car from me and not the other people, so face it up and make amends cos its not worth breaking up friendships like this which leave a very bad & bitter taste in the mouth ...that too among our own folks.... it is something I dont want it to continue happening...Why cant we be honest with each other? It would make life much more easier and better...!!

For me friendship is a lifelong thing and not just a drive by thingy...This lady's cousin said over the phone to me...that they were not gonna see me ever again as they will leave the US forever and go back home to Imphal? I did not understand what she meant by that. Did she mean that they befriended me for short term selfish benefits or what? Sorry , if I bored all of you but I had to get this out of my system and share with you all. I am sure I am not the only who have had such things happened to them and can relate to how I feel ....

The fun and greatest tomfoolery of my being was that I got taken in by their convincing ways to make me join the popular online thingy called the TVI EXPRESS. They gave me so much good reports about it and I like any other trusting hypnotised fools , I also sent $280 in May '09 to their bro-in-law despite my siblings warning me about such online schemes. I decided to trust these ladies more than them cos they said that I would be getting big dividends soon after I joined.

I had my doubts but in the flush of their animated excitement over their sis getting so and so amount,I was trapped for good and till to this day, I have not seen any penny of my money back though they got theirs amount from their initial investment as this particular bro-in-law did all for them at home. For me, its gone down the drain. I could have sent that money to my mom who was ailing and had no money to buy her high BP medications..I really regret having not listened to my own siblings!! I can't do anything much cos I got no communications from them ever about it at all.

I have missed my college classes to take her to her nurse aide training classes for over 2 weeks...who would do such things for here here ? She knows it......I did it cos I have a genuine urge to help people who needed it. Thats the joy I get out of helping people.I lent her money when she needed it the most cos I knew how hard it is for folks to be without that green bucks in a country not of your own!! She paid back in installments initially without any interest on it..I thought she' d do it but she chose to stay ignorant of that fact but I kept quiet. When her cousin also borrowed some $$ from me, she always returned with $5 as interest and always on time. That was kinda nice..

To this day, both she and her cousin are always avoiding me cos they know where I work and what time & where I go to work...For me, I am carrying on life normal cos I have life's crisis to face and no time to indulge in petty stuffs. Its just not worth it at all.They can hide from me all they want and I guarantee that they are always thinking in fear "what next?" cos of their guilty conscience.

To me, it was simply a very calculated move & all pre-planned one from the word go..on her part and she pulled a fast one one on me...I must say she did that with great acting and had all plans of breaking off our friendship cos she did not want to pay for the time that she had been using my car under the pretext of buying it !! We had mutual agreement that she would make a minimum monthly payment towards the car at her every paycheck she got from her work..I should have got stuffs written down on paper...but like I said...I trusted her so much that it didn't even occur in my wildest of thoughts she would turn out to be such a con-woman.....She meditates for over an hour with her daily prayers and bible.

That was an observation I had of her when she stayed at my apartment for over a month rent free,as she had nowhere to stay. The friend with whom she was put up could not let her stay for few days as she was married to an American and that's how I came in handy for her cos I don't mind helping anyone in any capacity though I don't own a fancy condo or dream homes like others....

I see that she moves around with a calculator in her hand always...For stupid fools like me who always trusts people....never even thought for a single moment that she would turn out to be such a sneaky operator like this...That really hurt my feelings so bad that my mind became so clouded......and I kept thinking" how could she do this to me?" To this day,I am unable to figure out why she did what she did.I console myself by saying " what goes round comes around"

Now , I learnt my lesson, never to trust such types again, no matter what they say and butter up people for their cause.....!!This is the most hurtful and damning experience I have ever had of this type with an innocent -faced person..that too....of my own people from the same place....awww....that really is hurtful....!!

And most of all ..insulting to the very thought that she used me for her own benefits only....without having any decency to say any thank you nor any kind of verbal acknowledgment of some sort!! Anyone out there who got similar experiences like this, do share with me so that I can console myself that I am not alone!! I would say to such types "mung mei ram-ram, bagal mei chhuri" (nice on the face backstabbers!)

More stories later ...... I have lots......!!

India Festival UTSAV '09 at Tulsa, Oklahoma

Dear friends, I am glad to be back to writing once again. I had been so busy all these days and months, working two jobs to make ends meet and also trying to raise enough funds to help sponsor the Manipuri Dance Troupe from Maryland.

Thank god, I was just able to do that and I can heave a sigh of great relief!! What if I had to depend on people for funds, I would never had gotten off the ground!! I had to focus on that so much so that I had to ignore all of your requests to write more articles. Please forgive me, ya'all !! I am just human, y'know !!

Well, this year's India Fest Utsav '09 was held on 12th Sept here in Tulsa, Oklahoma and I am really proud to tell you all that for the first time here the Manipuri dance was performed by Mrs. Indrani Singha and Ms. Noopur Singha of the Nritya Rangam Academy of Maryland. They both mesmerized the festival goers with their unique and graceful dances.

I really am happy and so grateful to uncle Naba Ghana Singha, his wife Mrs. Indrani & his sweet daughter Ms. Noopur Singha for having made all the efforts to make this trip and help us out with our booth and perform the "Mangala Charan & Krishna Nartan" dances. It was a big treat for T-Townspeople !! All I can say is a big thank you to you all for that!!

Even though Ms. Noopur was jet lagged from just having arrived from India a few days ago, she decided to accompany her dad and I sure appreciated that!!

It made it all the more worthwhile for me to have put in so much efforts and time for this Utsav!! Well, its for spreading awareness and existence of our home state of Manipur!! So I dont mind it cos I like doing it as it gives me a sense of pride and happiness to do that!!

Though back home, the scenario is entirely different and that is one reason which makes me very, very sad!! Would we ever be able to see a quiet and peaceful Manipur & the NE region at all ?? Nope, so long as they are under the rule of the UGs & rampant corruption!! Can we ever hope of having an "Obama" in our region ? Dont we have one amongst our youth and present generation? Its just my thought, no offence to anyone...!! I cant help pondering about it every now and then !!

At the stall

Back to my story ,many of my co-workers from my church and assisted living center came to visit and they went back all happy and beaming!! They all got their full Vasooli (money's worth) for their Moolah...ha..ha..ha...!!

It was pretty much a small town affair and I am sure the dance team knew it was not like other big US cities they have performed before. I ask you all to forgive me for any technical delays/glitches you might have faced at the Utsav...It was not under my control but I am very thankful to you all - having travelled such long distance to be here and perform without any complaints!! It was funny when aunty Indrani described how exhausted she was, just by being a passenger in the car driven by Ms. Noopur and uncle Naba.

There were lots of other exciting things going on at the UTSAV like Henna tattoo, Sari draping for photo ops, giving out free t-shirts by some organisations etc. I was busy doing my stuffs - answering questions about the location & the people of Manipur. My hands hurt from using the globe for just that but its worth it!! I had few visitors/students from other Asian countries wondering about Manipur.

They were from S. Korea, Vietnam , Laos & Cambodia and were very curious to know the existence of Manipur. One of my volunteers Khaigin Haokip was very nice enough to write out their names in Manipuri (Bengali script-sorry, we dont know the Meitei mayek as we graduated from h/school eons ago....forgive us, brethren ! ")

All of them squealed out "cool" especially the young gals who thought it was the coolest thing to have their names written on a card with a foreign language!! Thanks goes to Ms. Manju Kaul for providing us those cards!! Some of them took so many pictures of the displayed stuffs and wanted to buy them. I had to tell them that it was only for display and not for sale.

Many youngsters liked the different tribal beaded necklaces, bracelets and some others wanted the colorful shawls for their wall and table decorations. It was a great to have students come in just to take pictures for their class projects and to get good grades. I do feel my efforts did not go in vain. At least some students went back with some knowledge about the location of our tiny state of Manipur and be able to tell their class!!

I displayed the dance "Potloi" (costume) ,"Pung" (drum), the Radha-Krishna dolls, courtesy the Maryland dance family and some more ethnic stuffs like the "Sagol Kangjei" mini horse polo stick & the ball. People really enjoyed looking at the Manipuri hindu wedding pictures and wondered about the bride's "Potloi" (costume).

I made some beaded bracelets and handed them out to kids and adults alike which they all appreciated. I also gave away few visors with "Manipur" written on it in Manipuri & in English. It was a great opportunity for me to tell them all about the culture & unique traditions, in a short time!! Oh, how my jaws hurt from non-stop talking and explaining to the people, at the same time looking around to see if my son was in sight and not gone anywhere!!

He just disappears nowhere as he was having so much fun around wearing his kurta-pajama !! At one point his pajama "Nara" (strings) came off and we had to take some emergency measures..ha..ha..ha....! I'm sure all of you who have hyper active sons/ daughters, go through the same as I do.I can relate to your condition.

People kept asking why we looked the way we did and not like other people from India. It was great fun telling them why and its differences in dress, looks, habits, foods, culture etc. But I love it cos it sure gives me a great high doing all I can to promote awareness about my home state, to hell with all the nay sayers!! Goli Maro, literally.....all who thought it could not be done without all and sundry!!

At the stall

My biggest thanks go to Ms. Anjali Parekh of Comfort Suites of Tulsa for accomodating the dance troupe which made their stay comfy & that took a big burden off my me!! whew.....!! I was running around like a chicken head cut off....cos all my volunteers were all working in different schedules & times and could not come at the time I needed help. I forgot to even drink water in between. I wanted to make sure the dance troupe was comfortable and eating good. For us Manipuris wherever we are, our first job is Food....right away....ha..ha..ha...!!

I made Alu Soibum Ironba (manipuri dish made with potato, bamboo shoot, dried fish Ngari & green hot chillies-peppers ). It must have made aunty Indrani's belly upset with all the hot foods. But uncle Naba, I should say, ate her share too..He must have really liked it, I' m assuming.

I really wanted to feed them all. I do have a motherly instinct in me so so I guess maybe thats why I cooked all of those foods for them all- Kelli Chana (chickpea), Bhelendri Ironba ("ladies finger" -okra dish with dried fish & green chillies), Alu Samosa( potato snacks), I for one, still dont know how to cook a proper Manipuri fish curry cos it breaks up if I tried to cook!!

I made strawberry lassi too ..which was a big hit with Ms. Noopur. I was surprised to see her drink all the jug of sweet lassi I made for them. Well, it makes me happy to know at least some one likes to drink! it!!

Anyway, we got it done and thats what counts!! Thanks goes to Mano Haobam for the pizza for uncle Naba & family & taking pictures of the UTSAV and also to Rev. Manichouba for his company and helping them feel at home. I also thank Chingboi Touthang for coming out with her kids to volunteer for sometime at the booth.

Some of the Burmese Kuki fellas also did help me pack up my display stuffs and that was so nice of them to do so. I really appreciated all of you for that!! It was none-the less very exhausting when you are doing stuffs as a one-man-army but hell!! I sure enjoyed it as it served the purpose of making people know about Manipur!!

I was having a hard time wearing the Kuki "Fanek" (wrap around dress of the kuki tribe) cos it was slipping away and I had to hold it tight one time while I was taking questions from a visitor. They asked me if I was ok, I for a second did not know what to say!! It must have looked funny to them, me holding the falling "fanek"(wrap around dress).

For me, I profess to be a Manipuri rather than saying I belong to this tribe and that tribe cos its very petty to be indulging in caste politics and better off by being "One"!! Thats my view and no offence once again top anyone!!

So I am very pleased to say that this year's UTSAV highlight was the Manipuri dance performance by Mrs. Indrani & Ms. Noopur Singha and lots of thanks to all those volunteers Rev. Manichouba, Dr.Khaigin Haokip, Joe Cory, Chingboi Touthang, her kids Deborah, Grace & Daniel, Mano Haobam, his daughter Mitsna, Jamjang, Minthang & his friend!!

Hope next year's UTSAV will be better!! I am hoping to have an interactive booth with quizzes about Manipur & to hand out some little prizes for those who are able to answer questions about it!!

PHOTOS - The trip to NASA, Florida

The trip to NASA, Florida

Back to my trip, there was a lot of road constructions going on and it was a great inconvenience for the morning rush hours !! I kept calm and went on as if nothing bothered me!! It was entertaining to listen to the morning radio talk show.

Boy !! they know how to cook up stuffs for their show and talk and talk anything.... from politics to everyday affairs!! It was a real pleasure to listen to the various hosts trying to get out their point of view across on the various topics !!!

My young friends packed good enough food for the day- chicken masala, snacks and drinks!! It was at least 3 hours' drive from Miami Beach to Orlando. The weather was warm and sunny!! My son did not want to leave as he loved the beach !!

The drive was smooth and sometimes there were short delays due to constructions going on. I kept looking for the road signs to Kissimmee and followed it through with the road maps I had. The gas price was all time high over $4.00/gallon!!

I kept filling the gas everytime it went low as I did not want to run out of it at any time on the way!! We enjoyed the sights of green trees and the Florida greenery!!

We bought some fresh fruits sold on the roadside and its a great feeling to be able to eat like that in the middle of nowhere!! It reminded me of the times I used to buy fruits back home near Lilong bazar, Thoubal bazar etc., during my visits to my granny's place.

My son was my ever helpful handy man!! I let him read out the road signs for me and also the miles that still needed to be covered to reach a certain town or city!! Sometimes he was enthusisatic and sometimes he just wanted to watch movies on his DVD player!!

Well, I turned on the radio to listen to good 'ole country music /classic rock for company!!! We at last reached the NASA center around 12.30 noon and went straight there. It was a cool place!! We bought the tickets for $52 each or less (cant remember much now) and also for the bus tour!!

We had great excitement building up within us as we were in the prestigious NASA grounds where all the Space related activities can be experienced !!There was a huge summer crowd of families with kids to enjoy the NASA fun!! It was worth every cents!!

We first went to the 3-D movie theater where they showed us the film "Man on the Moon". It felt as if they were showing us around where and what they did on their first landing mission on the moon! It was a wonderful experience which we would never forget!!

There was a long queue for this!! We were lucky to get there on time!! Next we went to the "Rocket Garden" and saw how they evolved from the past models to the more sophisticated and modern ones!! My son was awestruck by all these and I had a hard time trying to pull him out out of one of the moon rockets (lunar modules where you lay on your back and bend your knees).

Kids loved all those models trying to be an astronaut and posing for pictures in it!! There were lots of stuffs to see and do!! We also had space encounter with an astronaut named Bob Stringer who was on a satellite mission year ago.

He gave a talk and backed it up with a video which was very neat and informative!! We got to take pictures with him at the end of the talk show! He gave us so much information about space travel and the the NASA.

He told us that he had to undergo a very rigorous training schedule for the space missions like underwater training, shuttle simulation and many others!! He had to get used to eating Space foods which are packed after air vacuumed and drink recycled urine when there is less water for use in space!! It was awesome!!

Rocket garden, NASA at the Kenendy Space Center (NASA) in Florida .

My son was too short so he could not go on the "Space Shuttle Launch Simulation" but I very much wanted to experience it...so we had a talk...and came to an agreement that he would sit near the sidewalk and not be scared but be brave !!

I gave him a pep talk that the NASA was a center for brave people who went out in space shuttles and that we should learn from them!! and most importantly, that he was the son of a Manipuri mom who was unafraid & adventurous !!

And to keep himself busy by reading or coloring pictures on the activity book given by the NASA museum and also that he could always look up at the stairway where I was walking up the ramp to the "Simulation " room. He kept looking out for me and I waved back at him to reassure that I was still there and he not lost!!

The NASA did not allow anyone who had heart problems or any other medical problems for this "Simulation" experience as it had a lot of rattling, shaking, vibrating and thundering loud noise. This same kind of "Simulation"was used for the astronauts to train for their space missions!! It was great nerve -racking !! but great fun and excitement!! We had to strapped in for that!! I really salute all those space guys who undergo such hard training!! Its not for the weak-kneed or weak hearted ones!!

I have real appreciation for all these great job they are doing for mankind through the space missions for the benefit of all mankind!!

We also visited the memorial for the "Columbia" shuttle crew. We spent some quiet time there to remember them!! Was a really moving time for me as I read their bio and other interesting stories!! We spent the whole day there enjoying everything that we could !! We had to come in the next day for the guided-bus tour of the NASA center. This was a real Vasooli for our "Moolah!"

Now, we left the place and drove around the vicinity for a an affordable motel to rest for the night. I checked some of the hotel guides and found one "Motel 8" run by the "Patels" once again which was only 10 minutes away from the NASA center. I got a room for only $52.00/night and they provided continental break fast...which was all the more better for Vasooli again!!

There was a gas station near by so I did not have to drive out that far to fill up my car!! The motels near the NASA center were very expensive and way out of my budget. I was here on a shoe string budget to enjoy the max with the min!! Kya Kehna Hai !! Kari Hai Doiba!! (what more can you say?)

Well, if you search well and good enough, you'll get good deals everywhere and can travel anywhere within your budget!! I tell you this because everyone thinks you need to have lotta $$$ to go around travelling! Of course thats true too.

But for me, if I have enough Moolah for the gas and the motel, thats more than enough cos I gonna pack my car with snacks and drinks. It wont hurt nor kill us if we live on snacks for the day!!

I carry extra toilet roll, just in case we need to use the out house for an emergency deposit !! ha..ha..ha... like we do back home in the wilderness...Jungle Lam Haang....!!We can fill up our water bottles from the water fountains everywhere available!!

If you are very picky about everything, then car travelling on road trips is just not for you!! I have encouraged some of my friends that they can do so easily with a well planned itinerary. If they have small children, they can have kid friendly places to stop by and relax and stretch out their limbs and continue driving and enjoy family time while driving!!

We had a very good night's rest at the motel after eating good food we packed from myf riends' house in Miami Beach. Thank you for that as it was a great $$$ saver and most of all, it was yummy food!! My son was too excited to eat!

I let him be as we came to enjoy ourselves!!

American Presidential Politics

Sorry for the delay in writing the next story as I had been very busy.Many of you have been emailing me and asking" Iche, Wari Makhadi ?".."how about the next story?"

It was real encouraging because you all have treated me as if you all knew me since you were children! I was very overwhelmed by those responses!! If I am able to connect with you all in anyway and make you smile with my stories, then I will consider having been useful to the community!!

If anyone finds my stories offensive or unreadable, no one is forced to read so!! Its just that I wanted to share with you all.

I am seeing life in a very different perspective than when I was younger. Now I am in my forties and appreciate life so much and am thankful for everything that I have and able to do. So I find lot of contentment and mental happiness from being true to myself and beliefs instead of chasing dreams which are beyond my reach and limits!!

There is so much joy and satisfaction in my life to see my son growing up every day, every moment. I would not like to trade it with anything even if given a million $$$$ cos his childhood will never come back again so I am making the most of it !!!

All the negative events in my life gets drained out of my system and fill up with fresh energy and vigor every day! Thats why I love to meet and make new friends and enjoy life as it is very short!! As long as I dont "Chara Henba " -starvation ", I will continue to be a self-made ambassador here for our beloved home state of Manipur and the North East India!!

I do feel I have an obligation to spread awareness about it to others!! As they do not see the real NE region whose people are very sweet natured but due to the ignorance and political bickerings among its people, news do get out to the world and thats what people have the wrong perception of us all!! This is continuation of my life experiences........

My heart was very heavy as we said goodbye to this wonderful couple..and left Miami Beach around 9.30am !! This time I had to drive through a different route as my plans were to visit the NASA center and one of the Disney World theme parks at Orlando on our return trip home -all -in-one for Vasooli !! We had a great time with this young couple and going back home with good memories of our precious times at their place!!

Rocket garden, NASA at the Kenendy Space Center (NASA) in Florida .

I must share with you all about the political atmosphere there during my visit !! A lot of meetings/rallies were held or were going on around many places there in Florida as both Republican and Democratic parties were clamouring for the retirees ' vote and by gosh!!

The seniors in this sunshine state for once had become so important in this 2008 presidential election!! It was refreshing to see people all so excited and perked up about it!! Its truly an amazing election as we have not seen such level of enthusiasm of politics among the people !!

Much credit goes to the president-elect's (now president) untiring and effortless campaign and his vast reach of internet users to get the vote out from grass roots level and to register millions of 1st time voters and the young people ( of course, they all voted for him !!)

It was a very effective tool for him to be on Facebook and campaign from there to young people!! They felt very important and all the campuses everywhere around this country were all Obam-mites...because he knew them better thanthe resat of the candidates..from both parties!!

I think they can take a leaf or two out of his book to learn about his successful campaign !! Even if his party came under so much scrutiny for the dubious ways of getting the voters registered through the ACORN and what not !!

He truly tapped on to this segment of voters at the right time with his message of "hope and change". And for the people who were very unhappy with the incumbent president over the Iraq war and the economy, it was a winning Mantra, no doubt !!

Anything to win the election.....!!! Chicago politics was very much in play here!!! That I have noticed ......from the top guy who ran his successful campaign to all his other staff had connections with the city !! Not that everything was all fairy tale like story !!

People in their quest to get rid of the president just got mesmerized by the "Change" Mantra and hoping for a dramatic one at that!! For now,its a real honeymoon for our incoming president as he has got the people's heavy mandate !!

The liberal media in large part was also responsible too, for his election....They went ga ga all over him and you could see the great media coverage every single day everywhere !! It seemed like he was some sort of a demi god or something!!

And that he could do no wrong!! All the shady connections with tainted political figures were kinda brushed under the carpet by the liberal media !! The opposite party was also so much under ruthless attacks by the very same media on the female VP pick for their party's candidate !!!

I can't believe the media here is so sexist and biased towards the female candidates!!! I wonder when would this land have a female head of the country ever if this kind of sexism still continues!!

At least in Asia and other parts of the world, there are female head of states and have been there e.g...the first female Indian PM Indira Gandhi, British PM Margaret Thatcher, Israeli PM Golda Meir, Pakistani PM Benazir Bhutto, the German Chancellor etc. and so on...!!

The real test would be when the president starts working and get results!!!! Will he be able to deliver all that he promised during his campaign?? Its a big NO but we can give him the grace period for that!!

Many of his campaign big donors would all want a piece of the pie and will he be able to run his administration with authority, I doubt it!! But he is a smart man and so far his cabinet choice is nothing but impressive and its reassuring for people !!

Its an incredible story of how an inexperienced senator rose to such political heights in an amazing way!! Of course, we dont doubt his excellent oratorial skills !! Lets hope and pray for him for his good rule!!! His election has no doubt energized others too as everything seems possible now for all people of color!!

Of course, there is always a smart and intelligent woman behind every man's success!! In this case, we have Michelle Obama whose strong personality had to be toned down and given a softer image and low profile for the public by her husband's campaign headquarters as a mom of 2 school going kids and also as a juggler between a mother and wife and a career woman!!

Interesting story indeed!!! I just love the way the biased media goes bonkers over her dress and all thats she does!!

Living 'clean' at Miami Beach, Florida

We were in a totally different countryside as we passed through the borders of Georgia and entered the sunshine state!! As I was enjoying listening to the good old country music on the radio, my friend Chingboi from Tulsa just called me on the phone wanting to know where in the world I was at that moment....when I told her that I was driving through Florida now, she just laughed out loud and said "mihemnu, kidang sah ah!! (in kuki- my goodness, strange and cool!!).

I am sure her jaws must have dropped or something cos there was silence at her end for some moments!! I told her that I'd call her up and keep her posted about the trip and introduce her to my friends later !! My son was playing with his game boy and no disturbance from him so far!! Looked like our pact is still in place and working!!!

The fun part began when I saw the coconut and palm trees on the side of the roads. It meant we were getting closer to our destination but yet still another good 6 hours' drive !! We took souvenir pictures and got some more road maps and info booklets !!

My friend called to inquire if and when we were to reach her place and accordingly, she'd like to get her sleep as she worked the night before!! I was admiring at all the lovely sights and smells of the place!! There were some quite cool places on the way for souvenirs ,food, gas and restrooms -all in one spot!! But the sandwiches were so expensive....we had to stick with our plan and budget!!

My son really wanted one of the sandwich so bad that I had to give in to his pleadings for once!! I think it was just the mere excitement of being in a new place and seeing the food in attractive and cool packages..that made him want it!! I was not happy when he did not even take 2 bites out of the sandwich !! It was a waste of my moolah!! But Chalo,its done now!!


The radio weather forecast said that there might be some stormy rain on the way, and rightly so we were caught in some minutes of torrential rains !! I just stopped by the roadside until the it ended! It seemed like unending ...luckily enough, the storm moved on towards the east and we were in the clear!! I resumed my driving! I kept my constant watch on the road signs and at the same time referring my good old Google road maps + the one prepared by the AAA for this trip.

We finally reached Miami Beach around 6pm eastern time safe and sound without any mishaps. When I drove through the connecting bridge, my first reaction was "wow! cool! " to see blue sea all around.......beautiful and serene and so many tall buildings and the marina and its restaurants...!!!

I got a little lost before I got to the right place where my friend lived next to the Mt. Sinai Hospital where she worked. I called her and she excitedly came out to meet us. It was really a wonderful feeling to see a fellow Manipuri sister in a new place!!

I admire all you fellow brothers and sisters all over here and there who have made it to where you are with your sheer hard work and determination!! That brings honor and glory for our motherland Sanaleibak Manipur !! I am real proud of you all !! Way to go, ya'll!! Keep it up always !!!

Coming back to my story, this Wabagai (a town in Manipur) couple had made so much good food for us !! Gosh!! I cant believe the husband could be such a damn good cook!! The wife is real lucky...I am telling you this cos there are many ,whose husbands dont cook, let alone fix some ready made ones !!

I was very impressed and its indescribable!! They were downright so down to earth and that is one real comforting feeling you get when you meet people like them!! I am glad I did !! Let me also tell you this...they are both real nuts about cleanliness....total clean freaks in the real sense!!

The wife would literally pull out her hubby's shoes to clean them as soon as he got back from work or anywhere ! I found that too funny !! There was not even a speck of dust in their apartment !!But I can understand it cos right now, they only have each other and no tiny tots yet to make clutter around the house !! ha...ha..ha..

Wait till their bundle of joy arrives and lets see if they can keep up what they were doing!! I could not believe they had so much "Achapot" (snacks) in their closet and everywhere instead of clothes!! My friend told me that back home , her mom had a Dukan (convenience store) and she got so used to eating snacks from that store, that she had kept up that habit till to date.

Her hubby makes sure that she has a steady supply of those "Achapot" (snacks)!! No offence to you both, if you are reading this !! Its just my simple observation !! I am very fond of you both and very refreshing to see such a loving couple who are very with "it" in everything they do together ....

It was pretty relaxing and cool at their place ..no pretenses or no nothing of any kind... just a simple desire to meet another fellow Manipuri and be connected !! We ate and ate so much..!

Still my friend's hubby thought it wasn't enough so he spread out more of his goodies and sorry to say,I could not eat any more!! I just have a small stomach...stretchable to some extent ! ha..ha...ha....!! He had cooked pork, chicken biryani and what not!!

I dont remember them all cos I was so busy eating and talking with them!! Of all the stuffs he cooked,the pork special dish was the best!! I could go on and on eating them....!! For my son, it was another chance to have another Kaka and aunty in another state and he was very happy to be with them and I must say ,he kept them both busy !! We talked and talked no end till the wee hours of morning but so much fun and joy!! We slept like logs!!

The next day they took us to the Miami Seaquarium as an advance treat for my son's birthday. Believe you me, it made his day when I told him that!! At the seaquarium , they have so many stuffs to do and see there. We especially enjoyed the Dolphin's antics at their pool.

It was so amazing to see these mammals perform what they are told to do so by their trainers going by the sound of only a whistle I could see they were so in sync with each other that they automatically knew what their next one performance was!! So intelligent mammals!!

One of them even came flashing its fins in the water and all the kids at that pool was very excited to get wet when she did it!! I was very awestruck by one of the big dolphin who jumped out of the water and had his trainer standing on her nose!! That was a real unforgettable sight !!

We also saw the sea lions performing tricks and was very entertaining !! The alligators were so huge and their pond was crystal clear !! This seaquarium had been affected by the Hurricane Wilma - a few years ago and you could see its before and after pictures posted on the board !! It was an interesting, fruitful and a very good learning experience and visit me and my son!!

The next day was a trip to the beach which was only few minutes away from their place.!! We packed a picnic and spent the whole day there....!!

Random shot of Miami Beach, Florida

My son had the maximum fun cos he loves playing in the water and sand!! We just relaxed at at the sunny beach, playing in the sand or just swimming!! I can't swim for the life of it !!We had a good picnic under the coconut trees eating our traditional dishes and of course, the special meat Kaka Bikram cooked..!! By now,I was too full and heavy and ready to take a nap ! even though I am no noon napper..Kaka's good food made me feel so!!

We enjoyed the beach so much so that my just did not want to go back home! We were all so sandy and dirty.I was by very worried as I knew this couple was very conscious of any kind of dirt at their house!! I cleaned as much sand I could from our clothes and other stuffs so as not to mess up their place!! They did not mind.

It was just their habit to keep clean. I dont fault them for being so!! We had so many interesting stories to share and laugh so much!! The wife was telling me about how much her in-laws were into the Gauriya Dharma (traditions) and that she was kind of getting stifled by it all...It was fun cos I could relate to it due to my own paternal granny's being one !!

We cant do much about it as they were born and brought up in that period of time !! The husband said all he had to do was to be diplomatic and just keep your folks happy and to let them feel that they are in no danger of being wiped out or out numbered by un- Gauriya Dharma followers!! ha..ha..ha...!!

I can make out that this couple are very,very understanding and has a one on one kind of good marriage- the kind which are rare in this age and times!! They are the best of friends and can rib and attack in good spirits about each other or about anything. They are very comfortable with each other and have no fear of what others would say!!

The wife does not address him as "Tamo"(brother) which is impressive !! For me, I find it very hard to understand this custom/tradition of "Tamo" but do their better halves call them vice versa? But I guess , its just ingrained in them by our parents as a way of respect.

What I can't fathom is the idea behind that calling "Tamo" to your husband....I find that very incestuous, period!!! A husband is a husband and not a brother..!!! You do sleep with him at night !!

Where can we find the rules of it to call "Tamo" to your husband or is it written anywhere in any Holy books ? If someone can point it out, I would be very glad to know. I dont mean to offend anyone but I am just curious about this whole "Tamo" business....!!

That has been bugging me for years and years!! I like it when the moms call their hubbies "Mai Pabung" or their hubbies calling them " Keino Gi Mama". My own folks called each other "Apna" (my own)or sometimes my dad called her "Mema" after my paternal granny started that trend . This extended to my dad's own circle of good friends. So I grew up hearing them calling out "apna" whenever they met.

Again, I veered off course! Now back to my story, after 2 days of great fun and sight seeing, we had to bid them goodbye. They made so much food for us to take with us to eat on the way. My car was now full with "Bhojan" and other snacks and water !!

I was going to drive by to visit the NASA center and the Orlando Disney World on a shoe string budget on our way back from Miami Beach....!!!