Shaman

An evening of Tuvan throat singing

zentrix — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:48:22 +0000

Alash, a Tuvan throat singing ensemble, was in Pittsburgh on Sunday, December 7th, for a concert at YourInnerVagabond, the hip, global coffeehouse and lounge in Lawrenceville, PA. The Alash quartet has collaborated with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones on their Grammy nominated album, Jingle all the way. Give that album a listen for a new twist on popular holiday tunes. (Imagine a Tuvan throat singing version of Jingle Bells !)

The concert was a fantastic experience. Alash rocked the house with folk songs from Tuva. The venue was perfect, and the audience enjoyed every bit of the concert. Here are some photographs from the concert:

And the lights, they are a changin’…

zentrix — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 06:13:26 +0000

The cathedral of learning has a new light pattern. The new pattern is the first photograph, and the earlier pattern is the one that follows.

Obama today, hope tomorrow

zentrix — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:34:21 +0000

Look, Ma! I voted!

zentrix — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:42:44 +0000

Set the alarm for 6:00 am, got up early and cast my vote at 7:06 am. This is my first time voting as a U.S citizen, and it felt good participating in the democratic process. Now the waiting begins…

At the circus

zentrix — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 03:42:25 +0000

The Greatest Show on Earth was in town the past weekend, and I was there on saturday to enjoy the circus. This time, most of the photographs I took were of the clowns. Happy and cheerful on the outside, but that tinge of sadness emerged from time to time.

New York Memories

zentrix — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 03:33:54 +0000

I was in New York last weekend, and visited the Empire State Observatory. I was returning to the Empire State Observatory after almost 9 years. My last visit was in the fall of 1999. I had taken a number of photographs from the observatory, and one of them was a photograph of downtown Manhattan, with the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in the background.

As I gazed at the void left by the twin towers, I began to choke up. I’ve had great memories of the twin towers, and used to visit them often when I was living in New York city.Â Last weekend, I shot another photograph from the same spot. The void hurts.

Fall photo walk at Nine Mile Run, Frick Park, Pittsburgh

zentrix — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 04:22:19 +0000

The Pittsburgh Flickr group organized a photo walk at Nine Mile Run in Frick park, Pittsburgh on Saturday, October 18th. It was a great fall day, and the light was good. Enjoy the photographs. (Make sure that you hit the play button)

Click here for the photo slideshow

Transformation - The cathedral of learning, painted by light

zentrix — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 03:57:14 +0000

Lucette de Rugy of Artlumiere has brought back her series of prominent Pittsburgh landmarks painted by light. The first in the series this year, the Cathedral of Learning and the Stephen Foster Memorial, look resplendent at night. The lights went on yesterday, and continue till November 20th. Other landmarks in Oakland, and the rest of the city will gradually be painted with light as part of the Pittsburgh 250 celebration. I was there tonight, and shot a few frames. I’m going to go back again soon, and I’m waiting for Heinz Chapel and St.Paul’s Cathedral to be lit up too. Here’s a PDF link to the Festival of Lights walking map.

Here’s how the Cathedral of Learning and the Stephen Foster Memorial look during the day.

Here’s how they look painted by light:

An afternoon walk in Oakland

zentrix — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:17:43 +0000

The weather was perfect today. Crisp, sunny and pleasant. Went for a short walk in Oakland with a colleague. Had the camera with me. Snapped a few photographs.

Stuffed cubanelle peppers

zentrix — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 01:31:29 +0000

Made some stuffed cubanelle peppers for dinner. Here are the ingredients:

Cubanelle peppers
1/4 cup cabbage, finely chopped
1/4 cup mixed vegetables (beans/peas/carrots/corn)
1 small onion, finely diced
1 small apple, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 green chilly, de-seeded and finely chopped
A tablespoon of raisins
1/4 cup low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese

In a medium saucepan on medium heat, add 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil. Add the green chilly and the garlic and sautee. Add the rest of the diced vegetables, along with the apple slices and the raisins, and sautee for about 10 minutes.

You don’t want to cook the vegetables completely. Cooking them for about 10 minutes will ensure that they still retain a crunch. Add a pinch of salt, and an optional pinch of curry powder,and stir well. Remove from heat and keep aside.

Wash the cubanelle peppers and dry them. Slice the head and remove the seeds.

Stuff the peppers with the vegetable stuffing. Place the peppers in a baking tray lined with foil. Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Place the baking tray in the middle shelf and bake for about 40 minutes at 375 F.

Remove the peppers from the oven once the top of the peppers begin to brown. Sprinkle some low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese and serve with a sprinkling of herbs. You can also serve the peppers with some fresh salsa.