Yahaan Hai Ek Nadi.....Aur Wahaan Ek Laal Kila....Par Kahaan Hain Iss Shehar Ka Falsafa

so ive had many things to blog about, but just havent had a. the time b. been in the mood to away c. had a functional laptop on which to type away. ive made so many mental notes and now ive forgotten half the things i wanted to write about or rather preserve for posterity. so first thing firsts, this completes my one year anniversary in new york. cant believe how far ive come, from being totally scared to get on a crowded train to being the girl who will push her way into the train just as the doors are closing. so my love for new york continues and i have very few complaints, apart from the disgusting amount of tax one has to pay to live in the city. there is an unrealistic thinking that everyone who lives in the city is uber rich, and so they not only have to pay federal, state but city tax and also fund some schools. and yes we are working for the better good etc etc, so cant really be the bad guy and say why should i fund public schools, when i dont even have kids...yes thats the mean part of me, but the righteous side of me, thinks society in general should contribute to a good thing. even though he may or may not utilize it.

but, heres, my question very simple and super logical, is that if every month or rather every two weeks we get a summary of our salary with the deductions, and i assure you the deductions really add up to quite a bit. so if the govt gets an itemized list of how much we make and exactly how much is coming from us, why dont we get a letter in the mail saying this is exactly what we spent your money on. i dont need the minute details that so much went to fund X's school books. i just need something which says ok we contriubted this much to healthcare, and this much to funding a war that killed innoncent pple who really had nothing to do with terrorism.

pple need to know, it makes it all the more real. most of the americans and non americans i know dont want this war. they have their own problems to worry about. rather than trying to "solve" other countries problems, or creating problems for others. the health care system here is the pits, they charge a bomb and half for simple procedures. and so many pple here arent insured. i have been reading dr. atul gawandes complications and its a really great read. it talks about medical insurance, the insurance a doctor pays to avoid lawsuits, and a whole lot more. im definetly going to blog about this but in a different post.

so anyways in other news, am planning to visit delhi later on this year. as a dear friend of mine gets married. its been a long time since i visited delhi, maybe 10 years ago. and i hear its changed a lot. its also the first time i will be visiting india and not visiting family and doing the round of the relatives, so that should be really fun! im thinking of taking the train to agra, rather than flying there. should be an experience. i visited agra when i was 6 or 7 and i dont remember anything at all. apart from hitting the must sees, taj mahal, forts et al, hope to see a little more of the "real" delhi/agra. and of course having great food.