Today was Delphine's last day with SNEHA so we went to Executive Enclave for dinner and afterwards Bonobo. It was really nice to have everyone that I've met in Bombay be together all at once, we had a really nice time! I ended up spending the night at Preethi place because I left my keys home, which was alright. She welcomed me into her home which was very thoughtful!
After the show...It was ridiculously hard to find a taxi to take me back to Bandra....I stopped everyone that was empty and they all drove pass or as soon as I said Bandra, took off. Finally by the grace of God...I saw a text message Preethi sent me asking if I wanted to go to this place called Blue Frog.I was completely exhausted from sitting and watching 2 hrs of classical indian dance...but I was up for it!! Want to squeeze in as much as I can while I'm here, and make the most of it! Well I told Preethi I was stuck in Matonga because no taxi's wanted to take me into Bandra, but thankfully she was kind enough to scoop me up for heading to Blue Frog. So while I was waiting for her I ate at the restaurant across the street from the College. I ordered Pav Bhaji and Pani Puri and ate whilst talking with Daniel on skype. I demonstrated how to make pani puri, it was pretty fun but I'm sure I got weird looks...well I know I did. 
So Preethi found me just as I was about to get up and top up my phone and we headed to Blue Frog. She told me it used to be like an old mill house or something. It had a really nice ambience. There was a show going on that night with this group called Dub FX. We made our way to the front just as it was about to begin and the minute time the guy stepped on the stage and made the first sound...I was blown away. This is probably the most refreshing new sound of music I've heard in a long time. It was a clash of reggae/dancehall meets techno/house with a hint of hiphop. Perfect for partying and dancing. What made is literally "jaw-dropping" for me was the way in which he made the music. First of all he's Austrailian, which already gives him a cool accent. Then he beatboxes, so first he starts off with a beat boxing beat and records it and it plays continuously. Then he starts adding it different sounds of instruments like the base guitar and throws in some other sounds and just starts layering them on as he goes til he gets a complete beat. It was wicked cool. I was literally stunned at how the whole thing works. Basically he had peddles on the floor, that are controlled using the feet, and thats how the whole thing is produced. 
Later on in the show he introduced his Fiancee, who sings as well. Her stage name was flower faerie. She sung with him as well and had so much energy and knew all the lyrics to every song he performed (she lip synced every song he was rapping to) They also had a saxophonist named Rhys who was quite amazing at only 22 yrs old. He was clearly a professional. And there was another guy on this really old string instrument, I forget the name of it but it was 100 years old, and lastly a guy on the flute. He was pretty good as well! The entire show was amazing and I'm so glad I had that experience. Everything was perfect. 
QANA (33 min)Produced by: Mohammadreza AbbasianThis documentary from Iran is a renewed unfolding of files related to the massacre of civilians of a Lebanese village named Qana who had taken refuge in a UN base in 1996.
DREADFUL FATE (22 min)Produced by: Lavanya KrishnanDirected by: Dulam SatyanarayanaThis film is an insight into the hideous lives of those innocent people who fall prey to the most basic need for survival – water.
A FAMILY DRAMA (20 min)Produced and Directed by: Tanmayee Deo & Dnyanesh ZotingThis film is an attempt to interpret the traditional Indian family and marriage systems within the context of the modern scenario. In the film, Mugdha, the 21-year-old protagonist, rejects to be a part of the marriage system and rebels in her own way.
TRISHANKU (17 min)Produced and Directed by: Dnyanesh ZotingThe protagonist of this film, Vivek, is an elite class engineering student who belongs to the Other Backward Castes (OBC) category. Vivek faces a dilemma between his caste identity and his higher economic status.The dilemma turns into a mental struggle when two persons come into his life; first is a sophisticated Brahmin girl and the other is a Dalit student activist.
LAPANDAV (Hide and Seek) (13 min)Produced & Directed By: Tanmayee DeoManu, a 10-year-old girl from a typical Maharashtrian Brahmin family, is entering adolescence. She happens to come across a Kathakali artist. His colourful appearance and gestures fascinate her. But as she moves deeper into this space, unexpected things start to unfold. Just as the game of Hide and Seek where you never know what you will come across.
Afterwards we at at Alfredo's this Italian restaurant right down the street where I ordered Fettuccine Alfredo of course...and it was actually pretty good. We chatted for a while and took lots of pictures, and that pretty much concluded my night!
One of the most adventurous days I had in Mumbai was today when I visited Matheran with Delphine. We began way early in the morning and took a cab to Dadar station where we caught a train to Neril. Then we had to take another cab up into the mountains to Matheron. When we reached we paid 25 rupees to get in and then haggled with one of the people there offering horse rides to the different look out points. We finally agreed on Rs500 each for 4 hours. It was beautiful! I was ecstatic to be riding a horse through the wilderness in the mountains. This would be the 3rd animal I got to ride for the first time in India! My horse was cute but Delphine's was cuter! There were lots and lots of hotels around and there was a market area which was busy with people, lots of restaurants and shopping. We really wanted to take the mini train down but, probably should have bought our tickets ahead of time because the line was super long. Instead we followed the train tracks down the hill to the entrance of Matheran. There were people selling fruits and other things along the way. I bought guava and not too long after the monkeys began harassing me. It was actually pretty scary...One monkey started showing me his teeth and then jumped on me and tried to take my guava. So I through a piece down and he still came after me swinging on my arm. It was funny and scary at the same time! It was such a long day. We got back to Mumbai between 7 and 8 in the evening. It was well worth the trip. It really is a lot more fun to travel with someone, rather than alone. The experience seems to be so much richer.
Today was SNEHA's 11th year! I'm so happy I was able to be here to celebrate...my internship period couldn't have been at a better time during the year. It was an early start...I woke up at 6:30am only have going to sleep at 3:30am, from skyping with the hubby on the other side of the world. It was an awesome day...full of lots of entertainment and food! I glad to be able to meet new people from the other sites and also interact with the community workers and program facilitators. I think my favorite part was the very beginning when the DJ was putting on all the latest Bollywood Hits. I actually knew almost all of them. This was for sure the first time I ever free-danced to Indian music in public...and not to mention wearing a Sari.
Today would have been the 2nd time wearing a sari (the first being at the Taj Mahal) I got a lot of compliments which was really nice...every was suprised to see me wearing one, and I was a bit worried because I totally forgot to buy a petticoat and used a big baggy drawstring pants to hold in. And for the most part it worked out quite well thanks to Nina, who helped me assemble it...pins and all. Everyone seemed to have a really good time and enjoyed themselvs quite a bit. I will say my nap on the hammock was very relaxing, since I could hear the waves crashing on the "Extremely Dangerous" beach behind me. I really fell asleep and was quite out of it...which began my pounding headache. But fortunately enough...it was towards the end of the day and not at the very beginning. We also got a nice surprise when Dr. Fernandez made a quick appearance. So quick I was not able to take a picture with her! But I did manage to get one with most of the staff members throughout the day. I thoroughly enjoyed myself today. I was looking forward to the picnic since I heard about it last week. It was a nice opportunity to talk with everyone outside the office and and just be around those people who make SNEHA what is.
Later on that night I met back up with Preethi and Nikki and we went to a lounge and and chatted for a bit and then went next door to Bonobo where there was Reggae Night. It was such a coincidence since I just got finished explaining to Preethi and Nikki my favorite music to dance to is Caribbean music like reggae and dancehall, which is exactly what they were playing. It was totally packed and there were so many different kinds of people. The overall atmosphere was really upbeat and fun!