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Vegetarian Japanese Food at Cha-Ya restaurant in the mission

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Mauritian Summer 2012 Picnic at Foster City

We had our annual summer picnic for the Mauritians in the Bay Area at the Leo J Ryan park in Foster City this year. For the last few years, we have been having the picnics in South Bay and this year, we decided to move it up the peninsula. We once had the event here in 2006 and I thought it'd be a good place to have it again this year. We had a good turnout of Mauritians from all over the bay and a good variety of food and a few new Mauritian people who had found the group. Glad to have them join us and be part of our Californian Mauritian family !

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Burning Man : El Pulpo Mechanico - The Fire Throwing Mechanical Octopus

One of the most awesome fire art cars at Burning Man was the "El Pulpo Mechanico". Definitely if there were prizez for most creative, most awesome, most fire throwing, most crowd attracting, most mysterious, most charismatic, El Pulpo mechanico would have gotten all my votes !!

From their official website - http://www.elpulpomecanico.com/ , it seems that El Pulpo was designed and created by 3 persons and was made mostly from scrap and recyled metal. From the artists' own words -- "The "El Pulpo" is a combination of art and technology melded together. We built this knowing that it would be fun to watch as the giant cam spun up through the center moving the tentacles and eyes in and out while fire spewed from the tentacles and head. No hydraulics or computers were used in this contraption. We built the sculpture primarily out of recycled and used junk found at our local scrap yard."

After Burning Man, there has even been the Chuch of El Pulpo Mechanico created, where followers of El Pulpo can worship the Great El Pulpo (https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Church-of-El-Pulpo-Mechanico/145321738896203)

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Burning Man : Dust storms, Whiteouts, dust, dust, dust everywhere...

This year, Burning Man was particular dusty and windy - hence tons of dust storms at the spur of the moment. One night, it was total white out for most of the night. Goggles, respirators and other protection from the dust was crucially important this year. While the dust storms and white outs is a unique experience to be stuck in, after the first few whiteouts, it becomes more of a hassle than anything else, but definitely this is the one of the key things that contributes to the atmosphere at Burning Man

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Burning Man : Iphone needs to cool down before you can use it

While at Burning man,  I saw this warning message for the first time ever on my iphone -- "Iphone needs to cool down before you can use it"... It gives you an idea of the heat during the daytime in Black Rock City...

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Burning Man : Scarbuts Coffee Shop - Get Spanked first, then get Coffee..

Black Rock city has it's fair share of coffee shops and eating establishments. One of the best coffee shops on the playa was next to where we camped (8:50 and J) - the Scarbuts Coffee shop. Every morning, we'd get our daily dose of caffeine from there. They served hot and cold coffee and with all the condiments..

The rule at the coffee shop though - to get a coffee, you need to have gotten a SPANKING.. so, first line, we'd stand it was to get spanked, then second line was to get coffee.. their motto was Wake up your Ass...

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Burning Man : Wall Street Art

One of the big art pieces this year at Burning Man was Wall Street. From the words of the artists - "Burn Wall Street is a large scale, outdoor art installation that is sprouting powerful conversations countrywide.  By bringing individuals from the Occupy and Tea Party movements together, this project asks participants to put their political identities aside in order to talk about common principles and goals for financial reform." Check out their website for more information - http://burnwallstreet.net/

This art piece changed a lot from the first days of burning man to the days before the burn. Initially it was all clean and proper buildings and by the end of the week, it was all covered in graffiti and spray paint messages and was being vandalized each day.

They were supposed to burn the wall street structure on Friday night, but they were unsuccessful at it, as apparently, a bunch of people decided to occupy it and not move out.. the actual burn did happen though, but it was on Saturday night rather after the burn of the man.

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"Before I die"... participatory wall at Burning Man

While wandering around the esplanade at Burning Man, I came upon this participatory art piece where we each could write things we wanted to do before we die. It was great to see all the messages - some serious, some funny, some sad. 

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Burning Man : "Compound I".... Mirrors, Mirrors, Mirrors

Loved this piece of art on the playa at Burning Man. It's called "Compound I". It's focusses on "I" as art.. an art piece featuring each and every one of us at Burning Man. Read more about this project at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cofone/compound-i-burning-man-2012

From the words of the author from their kickstarter page --

"Compound I/eye" challenges our sense of separate-ness from art, as it simultaneously presents the concept of eye as instrument of reflection and 'I' as object of reflection.

Up close, the sculpture reinforces a familiar sense of self by placing us at the center of each reflective lens. Stepping away, we see our image simultaneously contract and overlap with everyone else' onto the mosaic globe before us – nodes in a composite of shared reflection. 

Circling around "Compound I", its many reflected lights follow us… as if we are being watched. Looking into the shifting centers of the glistening lenses, we meet our own gaze. As we realize it is our sight and form that animates these pupils, our sense of separate-ness from the art is challenged.. 

Are we, the unrelated observer, watching from behind the seemingly impermeable membrane of our own eye? Are we watched by the seemingly animate Compound I? In front of the lens, or behind the eyes?

 We consider the strange totem of orbs before us.. once an object behind an artist's eye, now beheld by ours. As visual impressions pass through our eyes, a cascade of imagery unfolds; visual resonance, contagious and ripe, ignites the imagination, engendering new forms, perhaps to be brought back over the threshold to share on our side of the lens..to spark another mind's eye and echo the creative chain yet again.. behind the eyes, before the eyes.. 

The eye as instrument of reflection, the 'I' as object of reflection - boundaries blur between perspectives of inner and outer, personal and collective, to convey a picture of interconnectedness – us as facets of a compound “I/eye”

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Nice to have all these iconic things on my way back home from work..

Big announcement here in 2 days..

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Burning Man : The Temple of Juno

The temple at Burning man this year was the Temple of Juno. From the temple's website (http://templecrew.org/juno.html) "This year's temple is also known as 'The Temple of Juno'. The theme for this year's Burning Man event is 'Fertility 2.0'. Juno was a Roman goddess who had many roles and epithets; among those that she held were as a fertility deity and overseer of childbirth, a protectress of women and the community, and a preserver of marriages. "

The temple is one of the most spiritual places at Burning Man. You can feel the spirituality and depth as soon as you step in and it was very moving to read all the messages that people had written on the walls on the temple. Usually they write messages and remembrances for people that they have lost in their lives.

On Sunday night, they burn the temple.

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Sumo Wrestling in SF Japantown

Live Sumo Wrestling with world and national Sumo Wrestlers in San Francisco Japantown

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Foursquare Checkin: ABC Bakery Cafe - Having some Hai Nan Chicken Rice

Having some Hai Nan Chicken Rice https://is0.4sqi.net/pix/Kb1HpkvSdx2POJvF2nH-sdQIFQcJ77vzZQdxrMnA-UQ.jpg

ABC Bakery Cafe

( http://4sq.com/7zPbbg ) for 4sq infos about the venue

click here for Google Map in new window/tab

September 06, 2012 at 07:47PM

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Last stop of our 'C'hool bus in the town of Gerlach before entering Black Rock City

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Inside the bus.. 13 of us.. All strangers.. Going to the burn !

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Riding to Burning Man in style

We got this awesome ride to Burning man in a converted school bus fitted with a piano and bean bag lounges :)

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