Culture Crawl: Part 2

Culture Crawl: This Weekend!

This evening Hari Singh, Jagjeet Singh and I went to one of the most worthwhile events in Vancouver. It’s called the Culture Crawl. The East Side Culture Crawl opened tonight in Vancouver and will go on throughout this weekend. I highly recommend that you take time out and see the great artists out there.

We visited three venues where there were more than 15 artists in each building. I never imagined the art movement was so rich and diverse right here in Vancouver. You will be amazed at the amount of diversity and talent there is out here in our very own city.

Artists are among the best souls out there. Tonight we met some really great people and had the chance to see their artwork. Seeing all the great demos has inspired me to once agian take up art in the free time that i don't have right now.

This event is free and you should check it out tomorrow or SUnday.

"Purchase something that strikes your fancy, commission something to be uniquely yours, or just browse through the studios and meet the artists, learning about their specific works of art, materials and tools, approaches and techniques. This is a once a year opportunity to meet many diversely talented artists and view their creations in the studios where they work. Be part of this exciting event, which brings people from all over the Lower Mainland, and share in the imaginations that enrich our neighbourhood and lives."

Jagjeet Singh liked a T-shirt at Sidual so much that he was desperate to get one. However they did not carry his size; fortunately for him Steph made a white on white on an organic cotton shirt on the spot. He got it autographed too!

Surrey Babbai

One of the best things about living in Surrey is numerous Babbai(seniors) roaming the streets. Better still is greeting them and totally making their day. The majority greet you right back and their face lights up. This post is dedicated to them. No one else can experience this in the west, the close proximity isn't as much as it is in my pind Surrey.

Whenever I go for a walk or walk to and from Kwantlen(University College) it's a given that I'll see a few of them walking their grandkids or pushing a stroller or just merrily walking with an umbrella in hand no matter rain or shine.

Now many people have a negative view of all babbai as being drunk all the time and just sitting there on park benches playing cards. I think that's the case with a small minority who are pushed into these circumstances. From what I've heard and seen most babbai have a rotten experience at home and so they venture outside and find similar company and lessen their collective 'dukh.'
This pauree From Bahi Gurdass Jee comes to mind:
ਅਮਲੀਰਚਨਅਮਲੀਆਂਸੋਫੀਸੋਫੀਮੇਲਕਰੰਦੇ॥
ਜੂਆਰੀਜੂਆਰੀਆਂਵੇਕਰਮੀਵੇਕਰਮਰਚੰਦੇ॥
ਚੋਰਾਂਚੋਰਾਂਪਿਰਹੜੀਠਗਠਗਮਿਲਦੇਸਠਗੰਦੇ॥
ਮਸਕਰਿਆਂਮਿਲਮਸਕਰੇਚੁਗਲਾਂਚੁਗਲਉਮਾਹਮਿਲੰਦੇ॥
ਮਨਤਾਰੂਮਨਤਾਰੂਆਂਤਾਰੂਤਾਰੂਤਾਰਤਰੰਦੇ॥
ਦੁਖਿਆਰੇਦੁਖਿਆਰਿਆਂਮਿਲਮਿਲਅਪਣੇਦੁਖਰੁਵੰਦੇ॥
ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਗੁਰਸਿਖਵਸੰਦੇ॥੪॥

Over this summer I have gotten to know how bright most of them really are. It's surprising how much general knowledge these folks possess on all matters of life. You just have to get a conversation started.... These guys are on top of everything that happens around town, around the province, country, world and beyond. Its amazing the great number of them can fluently speak English have a crazy British like accent. I would guess it's because they served in the Indian Army, Air Force, taught school etc.

One time in 2002 I was starting work the first day and had to take a bus to get there. I was almost lost. Seeing my confused look two of them came to me told me what the best way to get to Richmond from 22nd Street Station would be and which bus to take. Most of the time I've taken a bus to places outside of Surrey, I've been amazed at how far these guys can go just with the help of the bus pass. More and more of them can be seen in the Downtown core whenever I'm there. Their navigational skills are unparalleled.

One of the most admirable things about them is that they don't hesitate to do what they deem right and stick up for it. One example is asking for rides at the end of a gurdvara program where they come up to you know ask you which way you are headed. I would never have the guts to ask someone who is a complete stranger....

Even the most dessiest of Babbai can get around easily. I have never encountered a baba who was lost and needed any direction.

It would be unfair to mention some of the negative aspects of the baba-life too. There are the ones who drink and urinate in public places. A few days ago there was this guy in his 60s singing a Jamla Jutt song and pointing at cars passing by. THere was the one who passes out across the street and was picked up by an ambulance. This week still one was sighted walking wildly and hit a pole while almost getting killed as he stumbled across to oncoming traffic.

I don't see how things could be different even if everyone tried to solve this. Negative aspects of the baaba life are quite old and old things turn into habits and habits never die. As Bhai Gurdass Jee has said, one naturally finds the company of the same without any problem. I think things are looking up even with the not so good public exhibits.

One thing you can do is to include the Babbai of Surrey in ardass and ask guru sahib to give them good-mutt and realize that death is coming nearer and nearer.... and that its still not too late to change.

Kirtan in Dreams

One of the best things ever is to experience a kirtan dream. What is a kirtan dream? Well it’s a dream where while asleep there is kirtan going on and you dream a dream and you hear kirtan in the background within the contents of the dream. Your dream follows kirtan. I myself listen to kirtan while asleep and I have recommended it to anyone I know as well. From having listened to kirtan at night, all night for over 14 years I can tell you that my dreams have been the very best someone can dream and I have never had a scary dream all this time.

As usual I had a really good dream last night. It was about my workplace moving to Langley and getting a really big warehouse with many big machines. Nearby there were other mega warehouses and a huge shopping mall.

So I was there at work at the end of the week and working night shift during a break I went to one of the windows and saw that there were kids in the opposite set of warehouses. I went out to my car and get a pair of roller-skates out and went to the business park adjacent to ours. It was nighttime and there wasn’t anyone about who I would have to report to.

So anyway I go over to where the kids were and when I get there I didn’t see anyone. I went to the back of the buildings and saw that there was a big opening to one of the buildings and when I went in all the kids were there skating, a group of about 5-6. The whole warehouse had a huge tubular track lined with white green and blue tiles with ridges and bumps like it was made just for skating.

So this may sound like I’m a gorafied Punjabi but for the longest time I taught these kids how to do new tricks. I then looked outside and it turned out that there was light coming from the windows and it was way late to go home.

As I went outside and told the kids I had to go home now, through the sidewalk of the building I made my way and one little guy tugs at my shirt and asked me what they should be doing. I told them that its very simple, they should Jaap naam. And like a dam bursting I could hear all the kids do Vaheguru Vaheguru Vaheguru in unison so loud that I thought the neighbors would wake up.

I kept going and the one kid who asked what they should be doing was still with me and i asked him if I’ve seen him before and he said yes he did and that I taught him Punjabi at Khalsa School during the summer, it turned out that it was a fact too I recognized him instantly at that.

When I woke up I was listening to the Bhai Prabhjot Singh Jee Track from Prince George Raensbayee 2005 with the Vaheguru dhunni still going.

Listening to Kirtan during the night pays. One dream too good.

A Classic Anecdote

Pressure of atmosphere at sea level : 76 centimeter of mercury column

This anecdote may or may not be authentic (I don't know where it comes from) but it's very amusing and interesting

Some time ago I received a call from a colleague, who asked if I would be the referee on the grading of an examination question. He was about to give a student a zero for his answer to a physics question, while the student claimed he should receive a perfect score and would if the system were not set up against the student. The instructor and the student agreed to an impartial arbiter, and I was selected.

I went to my colleague's office and read the examination question: "Show how it is possible to determine the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer." The student had answered: "Take the barometer to the top of the building, attach a long rope to it, lower it to the street, and then bring it up, measuring the length of the rope. The length of the rope is the height of the building."

I pointed out that the student really had a strong case for full credit since he had really answered the question completely and correctly. On the other hand, if full credit were given, it could well contribute to a high grade in his physics course. A high grade is supposed to certify competence in physics, but the answer did not confirm this. I suggested that the student have another try at answering the question. I was not surprised that my colleague agreed, but I was surprised when the student did.

I gave the student six minutes to answer the question with the warning that the answer should show some knowledge of physics. At the end of five minutes, he had not written anything. I asked if he wished to give up, but he said no. He had many answers to this problem; he was just thinking of the best one. I excused myself for interrupting him and asked him to please go on. In the next minute, he dashed off his answer which read: "Take the barometer to the top of the building and lean over the edge of the roof. Drop the barometer, timing its fall with a stopwatch. Then, using the formula x =0.5 * a * t2, calculate the height of the building." At this point, I asked my colleague if he would give up. He conceded, and gave the student almost full credit.
In leaving my colleague's office, I recalled that the student had said that he had other answers to the problem, so I asked him what they were.

"Well," said the student. "there are many ways of getting the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer. For example , you could take the barometer out on a sunny day and measure the height of the barometer, the length of its shadow, and the length of the shadow of the building, and by the use of simple proportion, determine the height of the building."
"Fine," I said, "and others?"

"Yes," said the student. “There is a very basic measurement method you will like. In this method, you take the barometer and begin to walk up the stairs. As you climb the stairs, you mark off the length of the barometer along the wall. You then count the number of marks, and this will give you the height of the building in barometer units.”
"A very direct method."

"Of course, if you want a more sophisticated method, you can tie the barometer to the end of a string, swing it as a pendulum, and determine the value of g at the street level and at the top of the building. From the difference between the two values of g, the height of the building, in principle, can be calculated. On this same tack, you could take the barometer to the top of the building, attach a long rope to it, lower it to just above the street, and then swing it as a pendulum. You could then calculate the height of the building by the period of the precession".
"Finally," he concluded, "there are many other ways of solving the problem. Probably the best is to take the barometer to the basement and knock on the superintendent's door. When the superintendent answers, you speak to him as follows: 'Mr. Superintendent, here is a fine barometer. If you will tell me the height of the building, I will give you this barometer.'"
At this point, I asked the student if he really did not know the conventional answer to this question. He admitted that he did, but said that he was fed up with high school and college instructors trying to teach him how to think.

The student was Neils Bohr and the arbiter Rutherford...