good morning

hello!

well, not much going on here at the beach.

it is not quite noon here. so far the highlight of my day has been fixing up my lovely new long fingernails...and watching dog behavior on the beach.

my coco hut is in the small courtyard of other coco huts. about 10 in all. in the middle is this open expanse of sand which is swept hourly and the fallen leaves are collected in a basket by the sweeper lady. very clean area. there are a mama dog, a daddy dog, and 3 puppies that live in this courtyard and are "taken care" of by the people that own the cocohuts. the daddy dog has no tail. i met him this morning and we immediately became friends. he tried to bite the strap of my bag several tiems and followed me happily over to my restaraunt. but...lo and behold...the restaraunt is the territory of 2 other dogs who are not his friends. as soon as he crossed over into their territory the 2 dogs ran up and growled and barked ferociously at him. he tried to say he was nice, i could tell, but then finally he gave in and got mad at them too. the snarling looks were so viscious!! it was very funny! then when i left the restaraunt he joined up with me again and gaily bounced along side of me on my way back to my hut. it made me feel really good!

also i remembered my skin cure-all: coconut oil. it is fabulous! i liberally applied some to my burnt legs and arms last night before bed and this morning my burn is almost gone! i am very happy. for those of you who have never tried this, you must go get some pure coconut oil from the health food store. (in the cooking section) it is "hard" and white when it is cold, but as soon as you put it on your hands it will melt and become clear. i heard on NPR that this is the best oil for your skin. plus it is all natural. it does not smell as strong as the coconut versions of lotion or sunscreen, it has a subtle gentle smell that goes away quickly. indian coconut oil has a slight smoky scent to it which i find delightful and very indian. so, i am happy to have remembered this, and i hope some of you will go out and try some for your dry skin this winter. i sound like an advertisement, don't i? :)

i read a whole book yesterday, called "how NOT to survive at IIT". (indian institute of technology)...it was a little delight, as it was popular indian fiction and i also learned alot about how the education system works in certain ways. IIT accepts 300 students per year and there are over 3,500 that apply. the results of the entrance exam came out about a week or so ago and it was all over the news. this is the most prestigious university in india. apparently students applying study for the entrance exam for over TWO years. a certificate from this school ensures that you get a job, either in india or preferably in the US technology sector.

well, that's it for now. off to the beach to sit under the umbrella!

namaste
jo