Yesterday was Holi. And what a festival it was. It is aptly dubbed the festival of colors for all of the gulal or colored dust that is tossed about. Kids and us alike were running around with gulal and water guns filled with dyed water. Much of my body is still colored from the celebration. It ought to be gone in the next week or so. Good fun the whole day. We celebrated over at Prashast's brother's house. Gaurav and Pearl were delightful hosts to myself and a slew of their other friends. Drinking began somewhat surprisingly early, around 11AM, so the afternoon was a wash, and I crashed around nine only to find the room filled with another gang of friends. Prashast opted to spend the day with some other friends as he had not gotten up in time to head over to his brothers. All around it was a great day; although, if I were you, I would pass on Mila Jovovich's The Messenger, agh not worth losing sleep over.

Today was great for cooking. Shivi and I got off to a rocking start with a masala gravy mixed vegetable dish, then I watched further as he prepared Mung Dhal (lentil beans) with some Masala. The rice had slowly been cooking all morning, add some curd, and you have a great meal for everyone. Tonight we're moving on down the line to Mutton. Perhaps I'll be a bit more hands-on this time; although, I am still copious notes while he works, so we'll figure out the balance. And, in a great development today, Prashast's aunt gave me the approval to work in either of the Chor Bizarre restraunts here in Dehli. So, I will be heading into apprenticeshiphood on Wednesday, when Shivi next goes to work. Then, after a week or two if I would like to delve into more specific Kashmiri cuisine I may shift over to the other restaurant located in Old Dehli. This is all very exciting.

Things have been going pretty good in the last several days, and I feel a real surge upward in my motivation and excitement. It's a nice feeling. Deciding to stop traveling through India and settle in Dehli until I depart April 10th has offered me some peace of mind. Traveling constantly is not the most suitable thing for me. I like being connected to a place and establishing good relations. Dehli has offered me a lot, and I intend to keep learning more about this expansive city. Time during this trip has really revealed a lot about my love of big cities. New York is a very suitable place for me despite all the trash talking I did before leaving. And, you won't hear me complain about having difficulty breathing the City's air after some of the places I have been. We've got it good comparatively!