Romp with a pet

But then serendipity struck. With the help of a mentor, Manjari began to discover where her calling lay. A freshman photography class required her to snap some pictures every now and then. At the end of the year, her professor gave her the equivalent of the best student of the year award in photography. She was shocked. Was I really that good? I was completely caught off guard. I was just taking pictures without paying much attention, she said. What if I started to pay more attention? To this day, Manjari, who has had her work exhibited internationally, considers her professor's award the most meaningful piece of recognition she has received as an artist. A fresh, ripe peach A spoonful of chocolate-chip ice cream Gargling with mint-flavored mouthwash A pungent jalapeno pepper A bitter leaf of endive lettuce Imagine the smell of: Bread baking in the oven A new bar of sandalwood soap A cinnamon stick A freshly cut lemon

We set up our `nest' at home and, as I was unable to sleep through or in between the surges, we lit candles, watched Friends on TV, and had lots of cuddles and massage, and I kept focused on the up breathing and affirmations. By 3am we headed to the MLU and the team there were fab. I said I was happy to be checked, and they confirmed I was 4cm dilated, suggesting a bath while they finished cleaning/preparing the pool delivery room for us. I happily got in the bath and it felt amazing. My boyfriend helped me maintain up breathing and an hour later I was feeling in the zone. My boyfriend then heard a pop and looked into the bath. My waters had broken and it was clear that there was meconium in the water with me. Two midwives came to help and supported me as I stood up and out onto a pad. I was taken to the labour ward and advised that there was a considerable amount of meconium (and of a certain consistency), which gave them cause for concern and they wanted to monitor baby. We knew this would mean a certain amount of restriction, but we talked it through together, used our B. Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly. Sexiness wears thin after a while and beauty fades, but to be married to a man who makes you laugh every day, ah, now that's a real treat. Write a toast for the newlyweds or memorize an old standard. May you always have warmth in your igloo, oil in your lamp, and peace in your heart. May you never forget what is worth remembering, or remember what is best forgotten. May your children be blessed with rich parents. It don't matter where you get your appetite, as long as you eat at home! May the best day of your past be the worst day of your future. May for better or worse be far better than worse.

He not only awakened Manjari's calling in art, but also encouraged her to travel to the United States to study photography, which she did in 2001 at the Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio. There, she was culture shocked, she said. For one thing, her ideas about America came to her via Hollywood. When she got to Columbus, she looked around and wondered, Where are all the people? She was lonely and missed home, but eventually she adjusted--and she soon realized that those feelings of estrangement could be transformed into something artistically productive. When you are pushed out of your comfort zone--when you experience alienation--amazing things happen, she said. For Manjari, coming to America pushed her into developing an artistic vision tied to her childhood experiences. Once Manjari left home, she did not continue to practice Hinduism regularly. Though religious ritual was central to her daily life in India, in America her focus shifted to immersing herself in art, from the art history classes that she took, to the art projects she was working on, to the museums that she visited with classmates. I went from being in a country where art was worshipped in temples to a country where art was venerated and placed on a pedestal in museums, she said. A fragrant rose MULTISENSORY IMAGINATION You can develop your subtle senses by imagining multisensory experiences. Start with the following exercises and then create your own visualizations to exercise your imagination. You are walking along the beach on a tropical island. You feel the warm sun on your body. You hear the ocean waves lapping at the shore and the call of seagulls. You smell the faint waft of your coconut suntan lotion. You are in a late-fifties diner. The sounds of an Elvis Presley song fill the room from the jukebox in the corner.

We also talked openly with the team and asked them to support us in continuing towards a vaginal birth (even though we knew water birth was now out of the question). The team was great, talked us through our options and we `laboured on'. I started using gas and air and got completely in the zone - I looked at and talked to only my boyfriend for about four hours while I followed his lead on the up breathing, lots of eye contact and reassurance. It was a bonding experience between the two of us that I will cherish forever; I've never felt such incredible closeness and connection with another person. The team praised me throughout for staying calm and several people made reference to a very low resting heartrate - apparently I stayed below 60bpm and they couldn't believe it. Other than the bond with my boyfriend, I don't have many memories from this stage - it felt a little `other worldly' and really quite magic! After four hours we had progressed to 6cm but then baby's heartrate started dipping. We were shown the charts and talked through our options. We used our B. Leave the rest blank so they can add to the article together from here on. At the party, divide the guests into two or more groups of three to five people. Each group must design and fashion a wedding dress out of toilet paper and choose someone to model it (mother of the bride and father of the groom are usually good choices) as they're constructing it. Accessories are allowed (earrings, bouquets, trains, headpieces, wedding ring, etc) but they must all be fashioned out of toilet paper. Once the groups are finished, the bride picks the winning dress and the team members all get a prize. Take pictures! There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved. New Ways for the Big Days Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love. We then lined up at our parents' bedside to wake them up so we could all see if Santa had come.

The art museums recalled the Hindu temples she visited as a child on road trips with her family. As in a temple, there was a ritualistic component to going to the museum: the standing in line, the anticipation, the connection with a piece of art. It had all the ingredients of a darshan, Manjari said. That insight sparked Manjari's most ambitious project to date. Darshan, as it's called, is a series of nine large photographic representations of Hindu gods and goddesses. These images, Manjari told me, are meant to stir the viewer in the same way that being in a temple, surrounded by the presence of the divine, electrifies the pilgrim. Creating Darshan involved more than just taking pictures of nine models in fancy clothes. It was itself a ritual. For each portrait, Manjari worked with a crew of over thirty craftsmen to create an elaborate diorama that she then photographed. All of the objects that appear in the final portrait--from the jewelry and costumes to the props and sets--were handcrafted, painted, sewn, and assembled in a workshop in India into a traditional representation of the deity. The young men in the restaurant are wearing white T-shirts with their sleeves rolled up. You take your first swallow of the chocolate milk shake served in a large frosty fountain glass. You are lying on a lounge chair on a warm summer night. Fireflies are glowing on and off as you gaze into the dark sky. Crickets are chirping in unison. The fragrance of night-blooming jasmine perfuses the air. As you take a bite out of a fresh peach, a shooting star flashes through the sky. Nurture the enthusiasm that comes with heightened awareness of the sounds, sensations, sights, tastes, and smells in your outer and inner worlds. Pay attention to the gifts your senses bring you. Learning and Growing