Riddle-me-Ree, Who can she be?

Greetings wonderful MTBs!!!
and good work to all of you!
For having solved the riddle before
I give you all this clue.

This time it's not a letter
nor is it a number clue
This time it's just a good old blank
which means no clue for you!

Booooo! you say with spirit...
Yaaay! we say in throng!
For it is part of the thrill of the chase
which leads to the next little song!

“Out of the ordinary and unusual – is her self-proclamation
Boring and bland, says her personal declaration
A chocoholic she is not, rather a fresh sprig.
Shoe-shopping is something she digs.
Trapezing or kayaking, parasailing or bungee jumping
This is one daredevil – who likes singing
A Latin domain she does have, as also a bouquet of verses.
Who is she? Oh! Who is she?”

Solve it and you get your lead
Misguess, and you lose your speed
Solve it slow but solve it now
And before you go, take a little bow

Go to 'Comments' and leave me a clue
Tell me which blog you are off to.
Good luck! Good luck! Be on your way.
You have your work cut out for the day!

Update (04-25-08):

If you're wondering what all this is about, then head over to these blogs!

Desigirl
Boo's Baby Talk
Kodimeow Kronicles
Moppet Tales
Babies Anonymous

Input for a Feature About the Returning Indian

A magazine called New Global Indian is planning a feature on those who have returned to India and are settled there. If you have returned to India or are planning to, and would like to be part of the feature, please send an e-mail to karmacom@hotmail.com and address it to Kiran. She will send back a questionnaire with questions about "reasons for returning, expectations vis a vis reality, challenges, etc."

Washington, D.C.'s Cherry Blossoms

There comes a time about three months after the official onset of winter — after months of freezing temperatures, early sunsets, late sunrises, barren trees, and drab, colourless landscapes — when, finally, the first signs of spring make an appearance.

The tiniest buds begin to emerge along seemingly lifeless stalks. Trees take on the electric, green sheen of fresh, new leaves. Pruning shears see the light of day after a long winter’s sleep. Birds wing back north. Abandoned porches and stoops buzz with signs of life again. Neighbours linger to talk for longer than it takes to exchange pleasantries. It’s a heady time when memories of snow, ice and slippery sidewalks recede to the background, and when unruly lawns and the hot, humid days of summer are too far off in the distance to ruin the party.

In Washington, D.C., these last days of winter are tinged with just that little bit of extra excitement — the region goes under a “Bloom Watch” (rather than a flood watch or a storm watch, for a change), and waits for the National Park Service to announce exactly when the 3,000-odd cherry blossom trees in the city are expected to bloom.

Over a period of two weeks around the end of March and the beginning of April, delicate flowers burst out of these trees in a profusion of pink and white petals. Most of the cherry blossom trees (these are the non fruit-bearing kind) are located near and around the Tidal Basin, close to the monuments on the National Mall, their concentrated presence creating a dramatic sensory overload. Leaves, if any, are tiny at this point and are lost in the thick cover of the blossoms.




Forecasting peak blossom time is far from being an exact science, of course, with the finicky weather having the final word, but the yearly ritual gets its due attention as everyone — from the Mayor of Washington to the media to the local businesses with an eye on the tourism dollars — gets into the act. Park personnel bemoan the squirrels that ravage the trees and implore the public not to pluck the flowers off the branches. (There was one memorable year when beavers, not native to the area, took a liking to the trees and merrily chomped on the trunks. Park officials went into a tizzy until they devised a way to trap the rodents.) Reporters camp out near the trees, zoom in on the buds, and, year after year, recount the story of how the trees came to Washington.


This year, luckily for the locals and tourists alike, the blossoms are expected to peak during the two-week Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington’s annual springtime celebration commemorating the arrival of the cherry blossom trees to Washington from Japan almost a century ago. A gift from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the people of the United States — following a few failed attempts by local residents to transplant and grow cherry trees in the Washington region — that first gesture paved the way for more exchanges between two countries intent on building and solidifying a relationship. World War II promptly put an end to the niceties, but the Festival returned to its rightful place on Washington’s social calendar in 1947. In a poignant twist to the story, Japanese horticulturists arrived in Washington in the early 1980s and returned home with precious cargo — cuttings from the trees that comprised their original gift — to replace their own trees that were lost to a flood.

The rest here.

Jagriti's Summer Theater Workshops for Children

Via e-mail, a flyer about a theater workshop near Whitefield for children and teens and a mask-making workshop at Alliance Francaise open to anyone. Contact information below:

Kids and Youth Summer Workshops
Time: 10 am - 12 pm
Dates: 14 Apr - 7 May
Monday - Saturday
Venue: # B304, Renaissance Jagriti Ramagondanahalli, Whitefield
Course fee: Rs. 3000

Basic acting exercises, dance & movement
Improvisation to performance, lighting & sound design

Public performance on May 7 ‘08 at the Alliance Française

Kids Workshop for 6 - 12 yr olds | Youth Workshop for 13 - 17 yr olds


Mask Creation and Performance Workshop
Time: 6.30pm - 9.30 pm
Dates: 21 Apr - 7 May
Monday - Saturday
Venue:Alliance Française de Bangalore
Course fee: Rs. 4300
(incl. materials and refreshment)

Public performance on May 7 ‘08 at the Alliance Française

Open to anyone above the age of 16 with a genuine interest in theatre.
Perfect for both actors and dancers.


Apply to: Co-ordinator, JAGRITI Education - Arundhati Raja
Email edu@jagrititheatre.com for a registration form
Call +91 80 2847 5373 for enquiries
Payment in advance by cheque, draft or Banker’s cheque favouring
‘The ART Foundation’