last night i officially made my debut into the bombay music scene.  a 30-minute performance at prive, a members only night club in colaba (mumbai).  acoustic set.  accompanied by a friend of a friend…who we affectionately call, poopsie.  the set went really well.  and once i got to the club, i quickly realized it was another gig, just happened to be in mumbai.  a way to stave off the anxiety. 

they are calling me india’s answer to sheryl crow.  i like the tag line.  not only because of the great comparison, but also because of the sense of nationalism and possession.  it makes me happy to be claimed by india.  whatever love and affection i have for my mother country is reflected back to me in this tag line…at least in my eyes.

tasha and i decided to promptly live the rock star nightlife.  out with friends til 5am, club hopping, dancing, meeting new people, and a final stop at bade miyan, one of my favorite road side kebob stalls.  most of us were vegetarians so there were at least 5 types of paneer and rotis on the table.  included in the party was an old college mate of mine who i hadn’t seen in years.  funny we end up meeting in mumbai.  he had brought a couple of his friends – writers from time out mumbai.  very fun set of gentlemen.

we tried to sleep in a bit, but meetings at the zoom offices for the awards show tomorrow rushed us out of bed.  but in typical india fashion, things were delayed and what would have been a 2 hour meeting in the states, ended up taking 5 hours here.  granted, there was tea and fanta involved and a fair amount of laughing, but when we haven’t had the time for jet lag, the days can feel long, especially when you have to be on!

we kept it low-key tonight.  late dinner with friends at suk at the top of the taj hotel.  lovely food.  lovely company.  but now i’m ready to just crash.  morning rehearsal with shibani kashyap, whom i’m singing a duet with.  she writes hindi songs.  i’m going to sing the chorus on her song.  she’ll sing the chorus on one of my english songs.  should make for a very cool collaboration.  okay…off to bed.  it’s 1:15am here.  12:45pm in LA.  goodnight.

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day two in mumbai.  we got in early afternoon yesterday.  i cannot begin to tell you how incredible it is to be here.  and i mean incredible as in…i can’t believe that i am here.  very very surreal. 

savio, our label rep, came to meet us at the airport.  he reminds me of my cousin and so has a soft spot in my heart.  patiently he took us to get a SIM card for our cell phone.  the man behind the counter told us 2 minutes…of course it took 45.  that is india.  we are on a different time system here. 

we got to our hotel next.  it’s a 5 star.  our room has an ocean view.  i am looking at the bombay marina as i type this.  i keep asking myself…what did i do to have my dreams come true?  not just the ocean view room.  everything.  having my place in the world marked by my music.  that’s a gift i only imagined. 

after chillin in our room for a few hours and having lunch, savio had us meet him back at the label offices.  he wanted to show us the packaging and what they were planning.  have us meet more of the label folks.  i was overwhelmed at how much attention to everything they have put in. 

tasha and i got to hear about the week ahead.  gig tonight at a member’s only club in mumbai called privvy.  press through the day.  sunday is the glam awards.  i have a 7 minute set smack in the middle of the show.  next wednesday and thursday will be filled with in store appearances and more press.  they have a 10 foot poster they’re hanging in the stores of me!  what?!?  i’m officially and technically larger than life.  i’m giant sized!!!  {btw…all the kids in school who used to call me amazon woman cuz i was so tall can feel like it’s even more true.  they can also eat their hearts out.  sorry…momentary egoic rush.  ; )}

the bombay times is coming to the hotel to interview me in a bit.  while i wait in the room, my family calls in to say hello.  glad to hear their voices. 

my grandmother chatted with me on the phone and scolded me for not making it to the village to visit my dad’s mom.  i’m all the way in india and won’t be able to take the 2 day journey to my daadi.  i understand the frustration – i find it a bit absurd too.  but the nature of travel in india doesn’t make the journey to pallipati an option this time.  from bombay with this schedule, palipatti might as well be fiji.  but when you’re scolded by your naani, you get jolted back to a simple reality.  the things that actually mean something in the end.  human interaction.  family.  love. 

it helped me get focused again.  these are the things that are larger than life. 

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the beautiful part about flying to india…hmm…let me count.  honestly…absolutely nothing.  this is one long-ass journey and it can feel pretty miserable at times when you’re packed in like sardines and you haven’t brushed your teeth for 24 hours.  minty gum is a decent substitute. 

thankfully, the flight from LA to japan had 92 people on it. tasha and i each took a row and stretched out.  we slept a good chunk of the way so the first 14 hours weren’t that bad.  on demand tv with each seat meant i could watch all kinds of movies.  rumor has it.  derailed.  (had a jennifer aniston marathon going for a bit.)  rent.

i always make sure to have a special meal selected – asian veg.  that means daal and rice and naan, which is perfect.  you never know what you’re going to get otherwise and the worst is to be hungry on the flight.  pretty hard for that to happen cuz they feed you every 3 hours.

had a pretty bad sore throat for the past week.  coughing and all.  so i was disciplined enough to not partake in the free liquor.  got a gig on friday.  have to save my voice.  the sore throat is almost healed. 

i brought my video camera to document all of the hangama (craziness) in india.  we started taping as we were taking off in japan.  it was like a diary moment from real world.  i’m definitely going to interview some taxi cab drivers and samata wants me to ask savio (our label rep who is fully indian) who he got the name, savio baretto?!? 

more soon i’m sure.  i will try to write pretty frequently.  right now, i’m going to grab a towel from the lounge reception lady and take a long hot shower!

please send good wishes and lots of prayers…i would love that!

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shameless plug…i have made it as one of 30 semifinalists for east west magazine face of 2006 contest.  it’s one of my favorite magazines.  so it’s pretty exciting. 

there’s a voting process.  if any of you feel so kind to register to the site and vote for me, that would be lovely.  i think it would be fun to be on a cover of a magazine.  don’t you?  thanks.

voting ends may 3rd.

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it’s risky isn’t it?  going after something when you’re not sure how it will turn out.  over and over again, we do this in our lives, every day.  some more simple.  say trying a new restaurant.  going on a first date.  buying your first car.  others a bit grander.  pursuing your dream career.  getting married.  raising children.

last weekend, i found myself on a plane to new york city.  a bit of a last minute trip.  i realized i hadn’t been back in almost a year…a shame.  i went to visit one of my favorite cities.  to meet some new musician friends i made on myspace.  to visit my rock sister, tasneem – who by the way has a very cool new song called "girl."  to meet up with a friend from toronto.  natasha and samata even booked a few meetings for me – it helps to deduct the trip as an expense.   not too mention get some work done.

during the trip, my friend from toronto bought me some organic fruit, an apple and a pear.  all weekend long, i kept carrying the apple in my purse, in case i got hungry.  but every time i got hungry, i stopped in a restaurant and grabbed some new food. 

the weekend went by so fast.  my apple came along for the ride.  a trip to moma and the new contemporary islamic art exhibition.  a vinyasa yoga class.  a stop at the kati roll for an after class snack (the apple sat by).  dinner at bobby flay’s restaurant, the mesa grill.  (this time the apple didn’t fit in my evening purse.)  late night chats over a neat scotch (my new drink of choice) as dear mr. dj spins. 

by the time sunday rolled around, i found myself on the hampton jitney heading out of town…crying.  new york is a vibrant city and the trip seemed too short.  not enough time with tasneem.  not enough time to visit with new musician friends.  not enough late night chats. 

when i got to the airport, i was hungry.  and airport food is never appetizing.  so i opened my purse and realized i still had my apple.  i took a bite.  and i thought…poetic.  all weekend long, i’m in the big apple and i only chose to take a bite out of it on my way out of town.  the forbidden fruit.  the forbidden truth.  i’m curious to know what lies ahead of me now that i’ve had a taste.  it’s important to risk.  without risk, i’d still be hungry.

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