.one too many.

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merry christmas to you too!!

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just added these to the fray.

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kathputlicolonyforever.

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cans.

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as you all know,

over the course of the past two years,

i’ve been working on developing/encouraging/having a spiritual side…

admittedly, it has been a struggle.

but recently, i found an outlet for my angst,

and sure enough, i wake each day with a quieter conscience.

now,

it may seem a bit strange,

but i find the best way to achieve the peace i am seeking,

is through sacrifice…

…

not

sacrifice of the

“eat less bread”,

“give money to charity”,

or

“stay away from hard drugs”

variety…

…

but

actual

literal

sacrifice

…

conveniently,

it’s holiday season here in the subcontinent.

eid al-adha.

aka

greater eid

(totally different than lesser eid!).

aka

the festival of sacrifice.

as i said…

…

convenient.

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DISCLAIMER.

this one was messy.

if you are squemish i suggest you stop here.

if you’re morbid and fatalistic, the door is wide open.

…

anyways,

off we go.

back to the old city.

…

…

so here is how it works.

get a handful of knives.

fuck your ginzos.

the rustier and more homemade looking,

the better.

…

…

grab a leash.

clip it to your favorite domestic animal.

look him in the eyes,

pat him on the back,

and

lie to his face.

“just going for a stroll, little buddy.”

…

…

now this is the tricky part.

we used a method of distraction for this

but sometimes a surprise move can get the job done…

the idea is simple.

when your animal is not looking,

tie his legs together,

push him to the ground,

and slice his throat!!!!

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that gurgling noise followed by a tsunami of blood is totally normal.

…

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alright then.

once the blood seems to have slowed,

and you’ve pooled it towards your nearest drain with a squeegee and some water,

it’s time to organize.

to start,

we felt it would be easiest to just chop the head clean off.

that way we could hold it over our heads while we screamed like banshees,

which is in fact,

an Eid tradition.

…

…

next,

remove the heart.

sometimes it is fun to just hold it in your hands for a few minutes.

there’s something just fun about it.

just holding it…

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…

from here on in, it is all in bulk.

skin, torso, ribs, muscles, flesh, fat and vital organs.

i suggest writing a note to your neighbors.

ours said,

“sorry for the mess.”

…

…

obviously the work is sloppy.

one way of removing excess liquids is using your hand.

just make a cup and begin to splash said liquids away from your work area…

…

…

once the animal is properly cut into 10-45 pieces,

find a bicycle with a wooden plank tied to the bike,

and pile them high in a pyramid-like structure…

…

…

always put the skinned head on top.

it personalizes the experience.

…

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once your slabs are properly layered,

(don’t worry too much about this.

it’s ok for them to drop into the street on the way to your station.)

let a total stranger wheel them away,

destination unknown…

a few handshakes, hugs and hi-5s with friends,

and then…

…

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go find yourself a new favorite domestic animal.

…

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ok that’s not even a little bit funny.

(see how i used this post about a serious religious ritual

as a way to throw in some more photos of my cats.

but they’re pretty fucking awesome.

look how adorable they look as they play Eid with that pigeon.)

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Happy Eid!!!

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foodtheyeat

vs.

foodieat

no.

thank you.

…

despite the fantastical lack of concern from my readers,

i just wanted everyone to know that me and my cats are safe + sound.

i am sure you all were very worried,

but being the emotionally unavailable type that you all know me to be,

you just had forgotten how to ask

(i’m not mad)…

…

anyways, i did get to go and cover the event,

and i thought i’d share some unpublished images,

and some on the ground storytelling,

for those in the cheap seats…

…

admittedly,

i had assignment duties which mostly kept me away from the action.

but i was there.

…

longstoryshort,

fast asleep after a night of pizza and beer,

the fun began with a 4am phone call

(it was actually 444am which is my lucky number).

and i quote,

“get on a plane.

terrorists have blown up mumbai.

americans are being shot in the street.

we’ll pay you an extra $50 per day!”

i responded fast.

“i’ll do it!”

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5 hours later…

i’m on the scene.

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later that night,

the oberoi was no better.

as you can see,

there was quite a bit of waiting and watching.

one thing that the local police love to do is…

lounge.

…

this snap was about 1am.

spectator sport was the theme during the 3 days i was there.

voyeurs would have gone into the building if they could have.

but for the most part

there was nothing to see.

besides the occasional ratatatat and badabingbadabooms

…

but apart from your occasional smoky window,

most of us sat there staring at buildings like they were 3-d art…

if you unfocus your eyes and look through the building,

it sort of looks like a kitten.

…

the next morning,

i headed off early to the Nariman House.

i wasn’t the only one….

…

some of the police sure enjoyed being photographed.

this guy in particular.

…

i couldn’t help myself.

he was so earnest in his approach…

…

then again back to the Oberoi.

hostages were supposedly to be released as the terrorist threat had been…

‘sanitized.’

strange choice of words i admit,

but the local media are a strange lot…

…

the lingering of the police was probably the best thing i photographed.

…

lingerers.

…

they did finally let the hostages out…

…

to the overwhelming joy of the media…

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and more spectacle.

…

and more lingering.

…

and more police happy to be snapped.

…

2am on the next night,

a bit of drama unfolded at Nariman house…

…

the body of the Rabbi’s wife was rolled off to the morgue…

…

followed by the commandos that had been injured during the 60 hour firefight.

…

followed by the local hindu-nationalist citizens firing into a loud chant of

“mother india!”

“fuck you pakistan!”

…

followed by the remaining healthy commandos…

who exited to a heart helping of clapping, handshakes and back-pats…

now don’t get me wrong,

they did end the conflict,

but not before 5 were killed inside,

including the Rabbi and his wife.

last time i checked,

that isn’t a recipe for success.

then again,

what do i know?

…

i never made it inside any of the attack sites.

here is a bit of external damage from the Nariman house.

this really doesn’t even break the surface of what ugliness resulted…

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the next morning at 5am a few more bodies rolled out.

the rumours were these were the terrorists but,

i think they were either innocents or more commandos.

hard to say really.

the truth is,

you all at home had more knowldege of the happenings than i did.

mismedia was in abudance.

the rumourmongering was in full effect…

and the story was rarely clear.

it still isn’t really.

for the next week or so,

the pieces will slowly be put together,

but it’ll take time.

…

after days of trying and failing to get in,

the hospital was finally opened to some media.

these two are commandos injured during the Taj skirmish.

obviously the first guy is a bit better off than his partner below.

…

finally, after what seemed like a ridiculously long standoff,

the battle at the Taj ended.

unfortanetly i missed the final action,

and only caught the lastlast stages…

…

that’s it.

72 hours later i’m back home.

if you want more

the most intense photos i’ve seen from the attacks are here (not mine!).

other than that…

keep it safe,

hug your loved ones

and

stay out of luxury hotels for awhile.

…

canepariiam.