Do discover new friends… and countries. Stay tuned.

MiniKhan joined me on a family visit in Salzburg and after an initial hickup, we spent a great time there getting into an early Christmas spirit.

Here the links to what happend….

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Driving to Salzburg

A visit to the Christkindl Market in Salzburg

We had a blast!

It has already been snowing last week and MiniKhan went totally bananas..

Apart from building a snowman, we also went to visit my Grandma in the mountains south of Vienna..

fun in the snow
more fun in the snow and a new friend
And tonight we´ll meet parts of the Vienna Bollywood-gang

There was a lot going on in Vienna on November 9th. Not only did Om Shanti Om premiere here, national TV covered the event and everybody was dressing up for the occation. November 9th also marked the date our celebrity traveller MiniKhan arrived from Germany and instantly used the opportunity to meet with fans from Switzerland, Germany and Austria and watched the premiere with a bunch of overexcited girls and gals.

So yes, he´s back from hiding. For all those fearing the worst.. He´s alive and very well and I got a little story coming up that might explain if not excuse his absence.

Authorities in Munich called a press conference today to announce an official missing person report for international celebrity Mini Khan. After a successful autumn tour of the midwestern, southern, and southwestern United States, Mini Khan departed from Los Angeles to Germany, where he was scheduled to visit more friends before heading to Vienna for work on his latest film project. However, Mini Khan has attended only one of his scheduled appearances in Germany, and it is not known whether he has been in communication with his European contacts. The last confirmed sighting of Mini Khan was October 5 in Donauwörth, Germany. Still, rumors of his whereabouts persist, and he is thought to have arrived in Vienna, where a black coat thorught to belong to his wardrobe was found, earlier in the month.

Unfortunately officials have not been able to verify this information. Though most recently in Central Europe, Mini Khan is beloved by his friends in the United States. His initial American host, Beth, has contacted American film reviewer Roger Ebert, himself a fan of Bollywood and a hometown boy of Champaign-Urbana, Mini Khan’s first stop in the US, with the hopes that his vast network of friends in the film industry would have heard from Mini Khan since his last public appearance. Hollywood stars Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins rushed to the plight of their Indian colleague, but while their efforts raised several million dollars for Transparent Shirts Anonymous, they were not able to locate Mini Khan. Other American friends are reported to be considering contacting government officials for assistance in what has tragically become an international investigation. “At the very least I could use my state connections to call in the Texas Rangers,” said long-time friend Ashley. “Mini Khan was beloved by the people of the Republic of Texas. Europe needs to learn that you don’t mess with Texas.”

As of this writing, the search for Mini Khan continues. Anyone with information as to his whereabouts should contact Bollywoodbloggers.com. Photographic evidence preferred.

Where and when he arrives - you’ll read it here.
What he has done last weeks - you’ll read it here.

The MiniKhan Experience.

(Sooorry, Beth, for all this delay)

Owsome Buffet for Breakfast - and i nice vine house nearby (yes, he hasn’t drunk anything)

MiniKhan has finally arrived in Europe.

After a sugar free red bull against his jag lag we talked a lot last night and this day. Mini will stay for some time with me, as i need time to organize europe trip and as i am traveling through austria next week (holidays!)

First we both discovered that we both like World of Warcraft a lot.

Mini likes my Char Gultan on US Realm “Velen”.

Mini told me he plays two chars there, also on US Realms.

One undead, but perfect and impressing looking rogue called “Rajnikanth”.

And a pink little baby gnome woman called “Abhishek”.

Don’t know where he gets the ideas for this names from. But looks like it will be fun with him.

P.S.: Every European who wants to host him: Write me.

(This post was written by Grrlpretty and posted by Beth.)

[This must be why we call him “Mini.” It’s like a flock of plastic Abhisheks back there. Mmmm, a flock of Abhisheks. - ed.]

Friday night we had a rare rainstorm, and I hung out with friends inside like a true Californian. We made a traditional Indian dinner (except for the ketchup!). We were so hungry that we didn’t take pictures of the food before we started eating, so here is a picture of the remains….

At some point, he decided to be a bad boy and hang with the other bad boys in the smoking lounge…(Bad Boy)

Saturday was errand running, with a trip to the threading studio. Vinita’s is a chain of threading and beauty studios in Southern California, and it is amazing to see how many metrosexuals show up to get their eyes done

Also, note that her pants don’t stay on too well when she is sitting I also tried to get photos at the Desi Grocery Store, but as the only woman in there, I got some weird looks when I pulled him out of his case and quickly put him back…

Saturday was location scouting for a film, and while there were no good photo opportunities, it was good to catch up on the gossip of our mutual friends and others back in Mumbai…

But, then we went to the mall. South Coast Plaza is one of the fanciest shopping malls in the country, and is so well known it is a tourist destination for travelers worldwide. Here are some pictures of the day.

Check out the closeup of him checking out the Man Fur (yes, fur coats for men - in California!)

and the famous carousel….

I work near the county offices of my county, a rare historic district in Southern California, and an area near where I grew up. I took Mini Khan on a tour of my town. First, a trip to the courthouse. You may have seen this before, quite a few films get shot here. [Including Legally Blonde, if my research is right! Imagine, a building that has housed both Luke Wilson (a former FPMBF) and SRK! - ed.]

The city I work in has the distinction of being the most economically disadvantaged city in the United States. Which means that, among the homeless that live in the area and the aging buildings, artists have settled in, bringing good restaurants and art galleries. Here is a picture of him on a sculpture by Firouzeh Karamlou in the Santora Arts Building, an old office building that is now rented out to artists.

Then, lunch on the patio of one of my favourite restaurants, The Gypsy Den (Gypsy Den Cafe Lunch Patio)

There is a secret garden that one night a month turns into a hidden, not so underground club. Here he is on a quiet, not rave day…(Santa Ana Secret Garden)

Then, to 4′th Street, a Mexican neighbourhood that has not gentrified, filled with traditional clothes stores, restaurants, mobile phone card dealers, and everything you would expect from a neighbourhood dedicated to the population it serves. One of the amazing things about the street is the dress stores. In Mexican culture, they take their Catholic sacraments seriously, and dressmaking is a major business. From first communion, dresses and suits are elaborate and expensive, and to walk down the street you will notice the windows filled with 16th century inspired corset dresses for every special occasion. I tried to get a picture with one of the more elaborate dresses, but kept getting chased away from taking pictures until I got this one. Not very good, but you can get a feel for how elaborate the dresses are…(With All the Pretty Ladies).

We also had time to catch up on some passionforcinema.com reading.

And, I couldn’t resist this last picture. SRK’s new look (six-pack abs) in Om Shanti Om is big news. But, he was only trying to emlulate Mini Khan. I tried to get the pose right, but couldn’t, so settled for a standard, almost beefcake shot.

What a fun week, I only wish the weather was better so we could go to the beach, and that it was two weeks as there was still Disneyland, Sea World, and so many other places to see…