Well, Narayan is older now (6 yrs) and won’t let me get picture of him that often, so all the pictures these days seem to only be of Charanjeet Kaur.
Charanjeet is 15 months old and is running all over the place. She is a pretty smart kid and remembers lots of things. A few of her latest words that she says often are: Ek Ong Kaar, Kanga (the comb), Wazo ("bird" in french), Naris ("nose" in spanish). Whenever she sees a picture of one of the Guru’s she says "ekongar". She loves pictures so much. Also, whenever she sees a picture of a baby (or her brother), she get’s soo excited (bubbling with joy)!
One funny thing is that, no matter how much I try to have her call me "Papa" she always calls me "Mamma" (mother). So I guess I am momma #2. She knows me as papa….but she won’t call me by that name. I’ve started to get used to being Mamma. So, if you are with me and hear hear shouting for Momma then know it might be for me.
During my recent visit to Vancouver, I had the opportunity to be interviewed for the Channel M News and talk a bit about SikhNet and the Youth Online Film Festival. Roma Kaur (Channel M Punjabi News Producer and Kaurs Magazine editor) wanted me to talk in Hindi/Punjabi, so I did my best to squeeze some in. My vocabulary isn’t that extensive so I couldn’t really express myself properly without using english. When I was in boarding school in India (1983-1993) our school was located in Uttar Pradesh (Dehradun/Mussoorie) so most people only spoke hindi. We did learn how to read punjabi….but our teacher wasn’t that great so we hardly learnt much conversational Punjabi. After my visit to Vancouver I felt that I really do want to continue to learn Punjabi and Hindi. There are not really any people here to talk with in Espanola, but I figured I could find a Skype buddy and we could have conversations in Punjabi/Hindi to get practice.
"Recorded at concert halls, churches and yoga studios as Snatam Kaur and her ensemble traveled across North America, you’ll hear performances which soar to the heights of these sacred spaces and find a home in the hearts of their audiences. Join in the magical experience of Snatam Kaur Live in Concert. Also includes a bonus DVD, Path of Peace, that intimately chronicles this tour.
This album fulfills years of requests for Snatam Kaur to capture the experience of her live performances on CD. There is something mystical that happens at her concerts that is represented in these songs.
The album opens with Azure Salver, a prayer translated in the book Peace Lagoon (Sukhmani Sahib). This song has been a favorite at her concerts, but has never been recorded before. This song is hilighted by the clarity of Snatam’s voice, the poetry of the lyrics, and the expert instrumental accompaniment."
Yesterday in Gurdwara Ek Ong Kaar Kaur sang beautifully from her heart to the few of us that were there at the start. I always love to get to Gurdwara first thing because so that I can listen to all the kirtan, and that is when it is the most quiet and easy to meditate. Some of you might remember Ek Ong Kaar Kaur who is a guest blogger on MrSikhNet.com and always writes very interesting and thought provoking things. You can check out her blog and listen to her beautiful voice sing "Ang Sung Wahe Guru" (God is in every limb/part of my body)
I had a great time in B.C. (Vancouver/Surrey/Kelowna)…though it was too quick of a visit. I hope to go again sometime with my whole family. Thanks so much to Randeep Singh and Pardeep Singh for hosting me while I was there. Canada is pretty cool. Every time I go there I am impressed at how friendly people are. If I ever move from Espanola, I’ll definitely consider migrating to Vancouver :)
Here are some pictures that Pardeep Singh took while I was with him. If you are ever in need of a good photographer for your wedding or any other occasion, look him up. He is an up and coming photographer :)
A sign from Narayan Singh from New Westminster, welcoming me to Vancouver (I went to their house for dinner and this is what I saw on the door when I arrived). My son Narayan has another friend who also has the same name and is about the same age.
Me and Pardeep Singh eating Edamame at the Japanese restaurant. He had never tried sushi or other Japanese food so this was his first adventure in this type of food. From time to time we have sushi "parties" at our house and we all roll sushi ourselves and eat it. Yum…yum!
Eatin’ sushi. I need one of these wide angle lenses! Grrrrr….
Stroll through Stanley Park. I loved the part of the park that was like a jungle with the giant trees which touched the skies. One minute you were in the city…the next you were off in the forest. I wish we had more time to go through the park. I guess I’ll have to wait till my next visit to vancouver.
Here I am during and Interview for Channel M News, talking about SikhNet and the SikhNet Youth Online Film Festival. I am waiting to see how the video came out. Pardeep….I hope your brother is able to get the video off his media center computer :)
Talking about pardeep and him taking pictures. Roma Kaur, producer for Channel M Punjabi News and editor for Kaurs Magazine.
We took a quick day trip to Kelowna with friends and family. It took about 4 hours to get there and we left Surrey pretty late so we didn’t get there till like 1:30AM. This is a picture of the kids getting ready for a boat ride. We had lots of fun pulling each other on tubes on the back of the boat.
TRADUCCION EN ESPAÑOL DEL HUKAMNAMA DESDE EL SIRI HARIMANDER SAHIB
You might have seen the hukamnama english translation/katha at http://hukam.sikhnet.com but did you know that you can now get the hukam translation in Spanish too? My friend Siri Dyal Kaur from Mexico just started doing this seva. Check it out at: http://hukamespanol.wordpress.com
A spanish translation of Siri Guru Granth Sahib ji was recently completed by "Babaji" from Mexico. His life mission was completing this, and right before he passed away earlier this year it was bound and printed into a single volume with Gurmukhi, Spanish Translation and Transliteration.
My friend Randeep Singh from UK was in the world beard and moustache championships. There were some pretty silly looking beards and moustaches that other people had. Have a look at some of the other contestants.
The World Beard and Moustache Championships goal is to: "To promote good relationships between members of moustache and beard clubs throughout the world and to foster networks in the interests of friendship, conviviality and fun.
To encourage and celebrate standards of excellence in the growth, design and presentation of facial hair.
To raise the profile of beard and moustache clubs in order to attract new members and to bring to the general public a topic of interest and fun (put a smile on people’s faces)."
An exchange takes place - a communication of looks, words, touch, even fragrance-a connection is made, subtle or overt. A relationship has begun. Just as the secret of success in Real Estate is "Location, Location, Location," in relationships it’s "Communication, Communication, Communication."
The challenge is to remember that although we are all "homo sapiens," males and females of this species usually have vastly different expectations, attitudes, and abilities when it comes to communicating. Understanding and respecting the other person’s perspective, even if you don’t agree, and being willing to listen are essential if you want a harmonious relationship-with anyone!
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