Continued Unnoticed

Chi-Town Love!

2009-09-19T15:14:00.004-04:00

RockBottom, Rockit, O’Callahans , Funky Buddha , Mothers , Mothers Too , Bootlegger, McFaddens , The Apartment , Bull & Bear , Kincade’s , Zella , District Bar , Hub 51 , Duffy’s , LaSalle Power Co, SpyBar , Martini Park

3 weeks..and I am already Loving the Windy City!!

Chicago!

2009-08-31T13:54:00.002-04:00

My first memory of Chicago was that of walking down windswept Michigan Ave in January. Yes, I said January - there is no typo!! Only the bravest of the tourists would ever decide to visit Chicago in January. I guess, I was plain foolhardy! We must have been the only ones to be walking towards Navy Pier and Shedd Aquarium in -20F wind-chills. But despite this cold reception, I was pretty impressed by Chicago Downtown. Having spent a week in New York, immediately before my arrival to Chicago, I couldn't help comparing the two. Chicago Downtown clearly seemed more roomy, upscale and definitely cleaner. That was 5 years ago and never did I imagine that one day I would come back to actually live in downtown Chicago!

Although I have been to the windy city a few times before, I have never had the opportunity to spend time and explore the city. I have heard rave reviews about the city but all my brain could filter was the severe wind chills that hit the city for 4 months a year. Moving to a new place is always exciting. It gets even more exciting if the city is as big as Chicago. Having lived in the second largest (LA) and the fourth largest (Houston) city in US, I am excited to move to the third largest city in the Country. More importantly, I am exicted to live in the downtown of a city. I have always dreamt of working in a high-rise with sweeping views of the city. While that dream has never materialized, I have finally gotten an opportunity to live in a high rise, and most importantly with some amazing views of the lake, river, downtown and even as far as Soldier Field and the state of Indiana!!

Having never used public transportation in the last 4 years in Southern California and Houston, I am looking forward to the experience of living without a car. Having no car definitely seems like a handicap, but I am only focusing at the positives - No more car registration, insurance, parking and most importantly expensive gas!! With its El, Metra & CTA Buses, I hope to use plenty of quarters and monthly passes and pray I never get mugged in the city :) Moving from a V6 gas guzzler to no car will also help to significantly reduce my carbon footprint - a point which augurs well with my aspiration to contribute to the field of renewables techonology.

Every time I have moved, I have learnt something new about myself, and the people and the place around. I am sure Chicago will be no different. I have already decided to utilize my prime location in downtown to explore and devote more time to the arts scene in the city. With its plethora of museums and local theater Chicago should provide ample opportunities to this effect. I am also curios to explore and learn about the great architecture in the downtown. I am not sure if there is anything different about the Mid-Western culture, other than micro-breweries and tornadoes, but I definitely hope to explore the "City of Neighborhoods" to learn more about different cultures.

I am also looking forward to being a student again, but more importantly I am looking forward to being super-busy. Often times I have complained to friends that I have never been in a position to give an excuse, "I am too busy for that". Infact, I proudly claim that in 4 years of professional life, only twice have I actually worked on Saturdays. I have been very fortunate that last 6 years of my life have been at a very relaxed pace and yet things have fallen into place. However, I am craving for days when get to sleep less and actually fight to get what I want. I am sure the next 2 years will offer plenty such opportunities!

Leaving Houston

2009-08-09T08:04:00.003-04:00

For the 3rd time in last 4 years, I had to prepare myself for another move (Leaving SCE, Leaving Los Angeles). Leaving a place behind always brings about mixed emotions. On one hand, it is disheartening to leave familiar surroundings & good friends behind; On the other hand, more often than not, a move always signals progress towards better things in life. Despite the reason for the move it is always a painful process to leave a place behind.

When I moved to Houston a little over 2 years ago, I was dejected. It took me months, if not a year, to overcome the pangs of separation from Los Angeles. I hated the city and the views of the people. In absence of beautiful mountains and ocean, the locals talked about church and food all the time. I yearned for the weather and the scenery of California and wished I would move out of this town as soon as possible. My liberal views were pitted against the ultra conservative views of this Republican Heartland. At most times, I kept my views to myself, lest I get shot in this NRA's paradise.

But political views aside, Houston began to grow on me. Coming from LA, the thing which appealed to me the most was the cost of living. I paid less than half the rent I paid in Los Angeles and still got a much bigger apartment in a much better neighbourhood. I even joked to my friends in LA that 'why should I pay and park when I can valet for free'. The gas is cheap, the food is cheaper and the drinks are the cheapest of all major cities. Unlike other big cities, there are no cover charges in the upscale clubs and lounges. In short, Houston offers all the comforts and attractions of a big city, but at half the price. In presence of the booming Energy and Medical industry, the city is super wealthy too. It boasts of some great landscaped neighborhoods and houses the size of mansions. Despite my hatred for the republican government, I couldn't stop liking the Texas style of governance. With zero state income taxes, the state boasts of one of the best infrastructure in the country. The wide open lanes of Katy Freeway were a farcry from the traffic logged congested lanes of 405 in West LA.

After living in the east coast and west coast, the gulf coast wrought in a totally new culture and lifestyle. Texas has a unique culture and the virtues of this culture could be understood and endeared only by experiencing it. The people in South are nice and never too busy to engage in a conversation with an outsider. The legendary "Southern Hospitality" can truly be experienced in Houston. Words like howdy, bubba, gumbo, bayou, crawfish boil, y'all would never have meant much to me if I had not lived in Houston....and its these words, the stories behind them and their experiences which have enriched my life and helped me add new dimensions to my personality.

Part of my Houston experience was shaped by my work. Houston boasts of some great restaurants and the perks of my job profile allowed me to make the most of these nice restaurants. Houston location as Continental Airline's hub coupled with my incessant travelling for work and pleasure earned me many upgrades and ensured that I would travel as an elite member for atleast a while. Also, the cheap cost of living in Houston helped me save enough to plan my vacations internationally!

I leave Houston today with a very heavy heart. Houston gave me some great friends - many of them, I hope to stay in touch for the rest of my life. With my bent towards a career in Energy Industry, I definitely hope to return to this city in the future.

Mt. Whitney - The Summit

2009-07-19T18:06:00.006-04:00

This post is a continuation of Mt.Whitney - Day 2

When I finally reached the summit, I heaved a huge sigh of relief. Without stopping to read signboards or exchange pleasantries with other hikers, I rushed straight to the rocky ledge at the extreme end of the summit to soak in the incredible vista. It is not very common to see a 360 degree panorama of snow clad peaks, but here in the Eastern Sierra, the view was simply magnificent. The air was still, there was not even a speck of cloud in the clear blue sky and visibility extended for miles. In some ways, I felt the weather was making up with me for being so harsh the previous night. Elevated above the mean world below, I felt I was in an ethereal world in the company of sublime rocky peaks.

However, after few minutes of this bliss, my excitement quickly evaporated. Firstly, I was not the only one on the summit; there were atleast 15 other people and quite a few with grey hair. This was a grim reminder that my achievement was in no way extraordinary. Secondly, there was cell phone coverage at the top of the mountain. This completely squashed my wilderness experience. On most trips like these, I pride myself on shutting myself completely out of the mundane world – news/email/phone and everything else. The constant chatter of people and the occasional ringing of phones was symbolic of how technology and humans have obliterated the concept of “wilderness”. I even overheard an idiot talking to his chiropractor about his appointment in LA.

Lastly, it dawned upon me that my task was only half done. I still had to descend 11 steep miles before daylight fades away. I tried to convince my friends to shorten the scheduled break at the summit and head back, but to no avail. After taking a few pictures of my friends, and gleefully posing in a few others, I resigned myself to an extended halt and settled on a rock to take a power nap. When my friends had satiated their eyes and camera lenses with the outstanding scenery, we all sat down for a lunch. Here, I regained my appetite on some really tasty cilantro jalapeno hummus, courtesy Trader Joe's. At 14,500’ even plain bread tasted great!

The 11 mile descent to the bottom was completed rather uneventfully and in a much hurried fashion. Our first major halt was at the trail camp to pack all our belongings and head further below. We were relieved to find that the marmots and chipmunks had left all our equipment untampered, and more importantly they did not pee on our sleeping bags :) Once packed, we made a swift descent to the finish. In all, it took us about 7 hours to descend the 6300 ft, but we were in town before sunset.

Looking back, the entire trip was very unique. I went in completely unprepared. For most part of the trip, I wasn’t super thrilled, worst at times, it was frustrating and very strenuous. At most times, I didn’t feel anything special about this trip at all! However, when the dust finally settled, and I started revisiting the moments, and the trip started growing on me. It was definitely more strenuous than my half marathon effort or the hike to the bottom of Grand Canyon in 100F. We had been on the trail trail for 34 hours, hiking for about 15 of those 34 hours!

Having visited the Sierras before, I was pleasantly surprised by the breathtaking scenery. As I look back at the pictures, I cherish this trip evenmore. By the time we had finally made our way to the humdrum of Los Angeles, everyone in the group acknowledged it to be a very memorable trip. Like an aging wine, this trip feels better with every passing day. Today, I no longer revisit the trip as a checkmark, but rather as a very special experience.

The END.

Mt. Whitney - Day 2

2009-07-19T12:45:00.005-04:00

This post is a continuation of the previous post Mt. Whitney – Day 1

It was 4:00 AM on Monday morning, July 13th. I had slept only 2 hours the previous night. Needless to say, I woke up exhausted. The wind which was howling yesterday night had mellowed down a bit. It was still cold outside, and an extremely long day of hike awaited me. In the wee hours of the morning, the mountains glistened under the clear moonlight sky. I managed the morning chores courtesy this moonlight and my headlamp.

I tried to put the exhaustion and the nightmarish experience of yesterday evening behind and look forward to the long day ahead. At 5:30 am, laden with a backpack filled with water and food, we began on our final ascent of 5 miles (2500 ft) to the summit. Our first obstacle was the 97 switchbacks which weaved to the Trail Crest. After witnessing a beautiful sunrise, I kept marching forward, trying to minimize the breaks.

With fresh set of legs, I led the group for most of this part of the trail, while carefully keeping an eye on all my compatriots down below. We took periodic breaks to catch up with the entire group and ensure everyone is doing well. Group hiking teaches you valuable lessons in team dynamics. The most important I have learnt is that the group is only as strong as its weakest member. The best way to improve a group’s performance is to empower its weakest member. (Yeah, I am still in B-School essay application mode :)) )

The midnight freeze had left most of the trail icy. There was one treacherous turn where the narrow trail was completely icy and the railings were placed so far away as to be useless. The only way to climb these few steps where to find hand-holds in the hard snow on the right and try to get traction by digging into the ice below. This was also the first and probably the only time on the trail I realized that – One slip and I can die on this trail.

After ascending through these 97 switchbacks, we reached Trail Crest at 13,600’ and were quickly welcomed by some outstanding views of the Western sierra & Sequioa national park. There were snow clad peaks as far as my eyes could see. At the bottom, there were beautiful lake filled valleys. The view almost wiped out the strain of the last 2 hours of hiking and propelled us further. Soon we were walking on granite lined rocky trail to the summit.

The last 1 mile to the summit was the hardest. Above 14,000’ the altitude finally seemed to catch up with me. A mild headache, feeling of dizziness and lack of appetite slowed my progress. Ronnie suffered from similar symptoms, and we made it a point to make periodic stops and hydrate ourselves. Enroute to the summit, we would stop to talk to people descending the peak who would be kind enough to give words of encouragement. Atlast, we crossed the huge snowfield and made our way to the summit. 4-1/2 hours after we set hiking in the morning, and exactly 24 hours after we began the Mt. Whitney trail, I had finally reached the summit at 10 am. I was relieved……

...to be continued - Mt Whitney - The Summit.

Mt. Whitney - Day 1

2009-07-18T00:45:00.007-04:00

The whole trip had been ironical in some ways. Scaling the peak had been my dream ever since I came back from Alaska last summer. I had initiated the idea of applying for permits to camp and convinced a group of faithfuls to join the trip. Yet, in the months leading to the trip, I was the least prepared of all – no altitude acclimatization & no physical training. Worse, I had even been arrogant about my abilities and had adopted a callous stance towards the elaborate planning of my compatriots. With this background, I ventured into Mt. Whitney expecting to learn something new about myself.

“37 lbs”, I exclaimed after placing my backpack on the weighing scale. For the better half of the day, I had planned to lug this heavy backpack up along a 6 mile trail ascending 3,700’ to our trailcamp at 12,000’. The first one hour was the probably the hardest. My heart was throbbing loud. I have never before felt a pain in my chest while doing strenuous activities, today was definitely different. We marched as a group and took breaks at regular intervals to unload our heavy backpacks and revitalize ourself. TrailMixes and nuts have never been my food of choice, but I forced myself to eat them while continually consuming water to prevent dehydration.

Our strategy was to cover 1 mile/hour and enjoy all the beautiful sights enroute. The trail soon ascended into higher Sierra’s and offered some outstanding vistas of Inyo Mountains in distance. Our first major break was at Lone Pine lake after 2.8 miles, where we had a quick lunch of apple, bread and some more trailmix bars. After the initial break-in period, I had gained a rhythm and was more comfortable with the ascent. By the time we had reached our next major stop at Mirror lake, we had run out of water. At this juncture we decided to put our purifier to test as we purified the clear lake waters to fill our drinking bottles.

Once we passed Mirror Lake at an altitude of 10,600’ ft, we bid the treeline good-bye. The trail now was rocky and the sun was directly shining on us. However, the cooler climes of the high altitude made for a comfortable hike. In anticipation of the trailcamp, the last 1 mile of the hike definitely seemed much longer than it should have been. When we finally reached the trailcamp – just a flat rocky patch next to a lake – I was relieved that the long day was finally over, and that I could have a relaxed evening and a good night’s sleep.

However, the relief was short-lived. Above the treeline, the wind howled unobstructed. With 35 mph winds, it took us more than 1 hour just to prop up the tents. Six carefully placed huge stones inside the tent prevented it from flying away. It was already cold, but now the wind made it unbearable. My two layers of clothing seemed hopelessly inadequate to face this weather. Sheltered by huge rocks and stones, we finally got the flame on our stove going and cooked a quick dinner. Normally the best part of the trip, dinner, today was hurried, courtesy the unrelenting wind gusts.

As I sat out in the open braving the cold and the wind, I wished I could somehow teleport myself to the warm confines of the motel from previous night. I was prepared for the steep climb, the cold but never had I foreseen wind to be a factor. Later that night, under the moonlight sky, we spent another half hour filtering water for our hike tomorrow. I finally went to bed at 10 pm, 2 hours behind our original schedule. The warmth of the tent was overshadowed by the noisy tent cover fluttering in the wind. It had been a brutal end to our tiring first day of the hike. As I tossed inside the tent, sleepless, I wish I had never been here in the first place. For the first time, I doubted my decision to climb Mt. Whitney.

To be continued........Mt. Whitney Day 2

Keep Austin Wierd!

2009-07-01T00:23:00.002-04:00

On my trip to Austin last month, I noticed the following:

"Pedal to Lunch. We deliver lunch in downtown on a bicycle" - Sign outside Whole Foods store in downtown Austin.
"Monsanto is preying for your soul" - Sign at a local juice store.

These signs, in many ways, symbolizes the contrasting lifestyle between Austin and rest of Texas. There is a reason why Austin has always been known as an island in Texas. Although, not the birth place of hippies, it is known to shelter a lot of them. I have lived in TX for a little more than 2 years, and I have had the privilege of visiting Austin close to 10 times during this stay. Each time I visit Austin, I come back with more appreciation and love for this small city. I sometimes joke with my friends that after my stint in Chicago, I would love to come back and work in Houston as it is only 2 hours away from Austin.

Most people remember Austin for its legendary nightlife - 6th Street. Having lived in State College (Penn State) and spent many a weekends jaywalking on the bar-lined College Ave, I was surprised to see the size and scale of 6th street nightlife. Unlike, most college towns, Austin's nightlife is not just fueled by college students but also by tourists and local citizens. This makes the 6th street experience fun even when the school is not in session. My favorite on the 6th street is the musical comedy show Esther Follies. With the road closed for traffic on weekend nights, 6th street transforms itself into a maze of drunk pedestrians after midnight. The small roadside stalls serving hot dogs/ kebabs/ fried rice etc serve the appetite of drunk and hungry revelers after last call.

The upscale joints along 4th street provide a laid back experience for the more mature crowd. However, nightlife is only one aspect of Austin. Austin boasts of a plethora of amazing restaurants. In absence of chains, the whole town boasts of a very local flavor and serve some of the best cuisine of all kind. The city is filled with mom and pop local stores which gives it a very quaint appearance. Shops lining Gaudulupe street near the campus or the Congress Street south of downtown provide the best examples of this diaspora. Any city which such a liberal view inevitably boasts of its coffee and coffee shops. Some of my favorites are JP Java (best coffee), Mozarts (best scenery), Halcyon (best mix of alcohol and coffee).

Most people' experience of Austin is primarily defined by the above three paragraphs. However, another important aspect to Austin's personality is the stunning scenery. In a flat arid Texas landscape, Austin breathes a fresh lease of life with its rolling hills, lakes and lush greenery. For water enthusiasts there are plenty of options to boat on the Travis lake and Town lake. The hills around the city provide some amazing drives through narrow winding roads overlooking the lake. There are natural springs which maintain water at certain spots at a very comfortable temperature and serve as great swimming holes. No wonder, Lance Amstrong was able to practise well on this terrain and win 7 Tour De France!

Amidst all these, it is easy to forget that Austin is also home to the most literate people in the country with its huge academic population (Top 10 university) and booming semi-conductor and hi-tech industry. This high level of education also begets a high level of wealth which is evident from the ubiquitous mansions lining the hills surround the city. Outside of downtown, its hard to find any homeless people or run-down homes! Austin also has the highest singles population and coupled with the fitness craze in the city, it boasts of a very attractive set of population. I think this is probably the biggest difference between Austin and Portland - The other Weird City!

Travel Wishlist II

2009-06-23T23:00:00.005-04:00

Here is an update to Travel Wishlist I published before.

These places need to be visited before (I have) kids.

1) Backpacking in Eastern Europe - Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Turkey

2) Backpacking in Boundary Waters - 7 day in absolute wilderness of Minnesota!

3) Backpacking in Scandinavia - Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland

4) Backpacking in South America - Colombia, Venezuela & Ecuador

Oh Lord! Give me some Vacation & Money!

Check Mark

2009-06-17T23:05:00.002-04:00

My instructor showed me his altimeter. It read a little over 14,000 ft. He signaled that it was time to walk towards the door. I was walking towards the open door of an aeroplane for the first time in my life; my instructor for the the 5,026th time! I glanced at the ground far below. I had dreaded this moment for a few days and expected it to be the scariest part of the jump. But today things were happening in a hurry and after seeing two of my colleagues jump in front of me without a whimper, I seemed composed. The instructor did a quick countdown and thrusted me into the open skies. Thank God, I didn't have to make a decision!

Barelling down at 120 miles per hour, the one thing I remember the most is the wind trying to fill my mouth and tear my cheeks apart. It was a very weird feeling. We were dropping approximately 1,000 ft every 6 seconds, and we were supposed to drop for about 7,000 ft. My instructor did a great job of showing me his altimeter every few seconds to tell me our exact distance to the ground. At some point during the 50 second free fall, the wind made it into my plastic goggles and knocked out one of my lenses. Thankfully, I was still able to witness the fall with the lens in my right eye. The weightlessness was definitely a very unique experience.

After a short but memorable free fall, the instructor signalled to me to prepare for the opening of the parachute. I was anticipating a severe pull on my shoulders, but the open parachute signaled a welcome relief. Slowed down, I could now soak in the beauty of this flat terrain. It being a very clear day, I could distinctly see the green fields, the oak trees and the automobiles on various roads. At some point my instructor encouraged me to yank the cords and do some spins. A few spins later, I was dizzy and ready to just fly gently and appreciate the beauty beneath. The landing was well rehearsed and definitely much softer than what I imagined. Overall the experience of skydiving was very memorable, and not even close to terrifying. If it were cheaper, I would do it over and over again, but for now it remains in my memory as 1 more Check Mark.

Everyone goes through their life with a bucket list - a series of Check Marks. These wish lists come in different forms. For some, they pertain to adventure, pushing the body to physical limit. For others it might be as simple as visiting an oft coveted place. Sometimes I wonder why people have such a list? Is it to prove to oneself that we can be successful in achieving our dreams? Or is it just another way to prove others of one's mettle? At the end of the day, if these Check Marks make you a better person and give you a better perspective in life, then it probably couldn't have been bad.

On a personal note, this year has been a series of some thick Check Marks for me - Half Marathon, Skydiving and in 3 weeks time, I plan to do another big Check Mark - hiking up Mt. Whitney over a 22 mile trek. I am not as concerned about the strenuous hike as I am of the altitude sickness and camping at 12,300 ft. The relentlessly flat landscape of Houston offers no opportunity for high altitude acclimatization. The closest preparation for this trip has been climbing 60 floors on the StairMaster at the local 24 Hour fitness. While not tiring myself to death, I would also have to watch out for black bears who might kill me for a granola bar.

But the biggest and most challenging Check Mark of the life will begin in a few months time, the Fall of 2009.

GM - Government Motors

2009-06-05T23:31:00.003-04:00

I have been passionate about automobiles since I was a kid. With a special interest in vibration and dynamics, I landed six years ago in US to do a MS at Penn State which had close ties with "The Big3" in Detroit. I even overlooked a Fellowship offer from Ohio State to take up a Research Assistant offer at Penn State as I thought the latter would provide me best access to my career industry. Six years ago, I was dejected that I couldn't make it to Detroit. But after observing the automobile industry over the last few years, I am glad that my dream never came true!

On Monday, June 3rd, GM officially declared bankruptcy and in effect may have ended the glorious reign of one of the most popular companies worldwide. Kept alive on life support by the government for last few months, GM finally succumbed to the inevitable. It was unfortunate to see a company, which at one point held 46% of US market share, fold so abruptly. As it stands today about 3/4th of GM is now owned by the governments of US and Canada. It is the irony of Capitalism that allows paupers to become kings overnight and vice-versa. For almost a century, the US economy's crown jewels were the two Generals - General Motors and General Electric. With GM almost wiped out and GE stock flirting $6 few months ago, this might be the perfect time for a change in Guard. Welcome ExxonMobil & Walmart?

3 months from now, GM might still emerge strong, albeit leaner, from bankruptcy. It would however remain only a shadow of its prestigious past. It would be a miracle for this company to reach its glory days of mid 1950's. More importantly it would have to learn to compete with global market but not just the V8 savvy local truck markets. American car companies need to realize that cars (and trucks) cannot be sold on Patriotism alone. Patronizing the customers with advertisements like "This is my country", "American Revolution" etc can only get so much incremental revenues.

Some believe that cars would soon become a commodity. Just like the US no longer manufactures Televisions or Computers, similarly all cars would soon be made in India or China and probably assembled in Japan. The nice ones might still come from Italy and Germany, but most of the non-luxury, regular performance cars will come out of third world countries. In some ways this theory feeds on to the general trend that most manufacturing jobs will eventually gobbled up by developing economies. A few years ago, a person would have been ridiculed for suggesting that someday Jaguar would be owned by Tata and Hummer by a Chinese company. And its not surprising that the only profitable centers of GM today are GM Brazil, GM India and GM China!!

For over a century the American lifestyle has been defined by cars. The largest market in the world fed the automotive industry worldwide and at the same time employed millions at home. Its hard to imagine a similar scale of employment in this industry at home to continue any further. The only path forward for the US car companies would be to innovate and differentiate. I think that this might be the perfect time for the US to dump all its V8s and invest everything into electric cars. There is a whole new market to be tapped into and the country which jumps into it first will rule the industry worldwide for most of this century. Tesla anyone?

Food & Culture

2009-05-18T00:03:00.006-04:00

Last spring, I had a chance to visit Seoul on business. My office colleague picked me up from my hotel and told me, "I am going to take you to an Indian restaurant for dinner". But, I immediately protested, "I get enough of that in Houston. I want to eat authentic Korean food. I'll eat anything except dog!". For the next 3 days, I had the most awesome local cuisine by way of some great kimchi, soju, Korean bbq and kalbi. More importantly, these local restaurants gave me a peek into the local culture and gave me opportunities to interact with local people and not tourists.

Over the last few years in US, I have sampled and feasted on cuisine from all different countries - Chinese, Korean, Thai, Malay, Ethiopian, Colombian, Greek etc. In most cases, my exposure to a particular country and its culture has been primarily through its cuisine. For instance, I knew absolutely nothing about Ethiopia till I visited an Ethiopian restaurant many years ago. I was very surprised to find that their cuisine is spicy and delicious just like Indian curry. A little more research later (reading "Guns, Germs and Steels"), I learnt about how tropical countries evolved to make spicy food to compensate for high heat and humidity and lack of refrigerators. These spices acted as natural preservatives! I also learnt about the great Ethiopian coffee through these visits and my love for coffee. Similarly, I was surprised to learn that even the Chinese consume hot milk tea which is very similar to Indian masala chai. The other day I was at a Vietnam restaurant. The backside of the menu gave me a short lesson in Vietnam's geography and made for some interesting reading as I waited on some delicious Bo Luc Lac.

Most major cities in US have local neighborhoods devoted to a particular nationality. These neighborhoods which are full of ethnic restaurants also represent the best opportunity to showcase their respective cultures. Your odds of getting exposed to these neighborhoods is vastly increased if you like the restaurants in that neighborhood. Lets face it, you are not going to frequent China Town, if you are not a dim sun fan, or for that matter Little Tokyo if you are not a Sushi fanatic. These restaurants are a big doorway to these cultures. A curios mind would naturally learn more about a country beginning with the restaurants and the people there, and then in turn through the neighborhood!

The above three paragraphs brings me to an interesting conclusion. I think that people who don't experiment with their food choices miss out on a lot of opportunities to learn about different cultures. Being a vegetaranian presents one such hindrance to this exposure as your choices are very restricted. There are certain cultures whose gastronomic delights are meant only for carnivores. Non-meat eating people would thus be disinclined to try out these restaurants. I am not implying that vegetaranians are less culturally aware, but I do think that being one presents a big barrier to such learning opportunities as mentioned in this post. More importanly, it might represent a severe handicap while trying to assimilate with one of these cultures.

Good Bye Dear Friend

2009-05-04T23:39:00.002-04:00

Last week, I bid adieu to my best friend for the last 4 years. A friend I would never see again. A friend who fell to the perils of a 'drink and drive' accident. Navigating through flooded waters, my Mustang's engine decided to drink in the high waters and ride, only to end with a broken crankshaft and a severely damaged engine. As I stood at the Body shop examining the undercarriage of my car I stood in disbelief. I had just returned from a great week long trip to India and this ending was definitely shocking and totally unscripted.

I remember the first time I laid my eyes on the Mustang. I liked him instantly, but he was definitely out of my price range. Although he packed a regular V6, the dual gas exhausts and the modified air intake gave him the growl of a V8. The hard clutch and the noisy gear-box gave it a feel of a true muscle car. Some hard nosed bargaining later, I was able to strike a deal with the dealership. However, our friendship started on a very sour note. Still a novice stick shift driver, I jumped a red light on the very first day I owned this car. Despite my strong plea, the ruthless cop handed me a stiff ticket and ruined this memorable day. In the next few months the car did attract a lot of attention in the poor graduate student community. Most guys wanted to ride it and I would reluctantly agree to them toying with my clutch. However, I was more interested in offering girls a nice long ride, atleast the ones who seemed to be impressed by the bling factor!

Three months later, me and my mustang had the trip of our life as we drove 3,000 miles from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles. However, the best laid plans of men and mice often go awry. While enjoying the breathtaking scenery of the rockies at 12,000+ ft altitude, my friend skid on ice on Interstate 70, only to be bruised badly. It took 7 days worth of labor in a small bodyshop in Boulder, CO to get my Mustang back on the road. With his health restored, the mustang was ready to hit the multi-laned highways of LA. The mountains surrounding Pasadena only gave further opportunity to put all the torque to test.

The 3,000 miles roadtrip only represented the start of a wanderlust life. Barring the expensive gasoline, the magnificient scenery of California fuelled my Mustang to various long roadtrips. In some ways, my car lived a very satisfying life as it visited some of the best scenery in the country. The 48,000 miles I lapped on the car was dominated by a lot of mountain and ocean views and best of all great weather of Southern California. In the absence of a claustrophobic garage, my car led most of its life breathing the fresh air and delivering great performance, However, despite the straight line horsepower and amazing torque to climb hills, the mustang did exhibit some shortcomings when it came to handling. On slippery roads and sharp curves, the rear wheel would not always cooperate. However, like we do with most of our friends, I learnt to live with this friend's shortcomings.

For a while, I was hoping the insurance company would resurrect him and give him a new lease of life on the road. However, economics normally rule emotions, and in the end they might have made the best decision for me. But I wonder where my friend is today. The last time I saw him, he seemed tranquil; parked under a tree at a nearby mechanic.'s shop. This week, I went back to the mechanic to have one last look, but I was too late. He was gone, towed away by my insurance company to a land unknown. I guess he is probably at a nearby scrapyard. At this juncture, I only pray that his parts Rust In Peace!

15 hours 45 minutes (BOM - EWR)

2009-04-17T21:26:00.004-04:00

Most people view any flight of more than 10 hours as an ordeal. People complain about claustrophobia, boredom, leg cramps, noisy infants, smelly feet, rude stewardess and every other thing one could imagine. However, I have always enjoyed these long international flights more than the short 2-3 hour domestic flights. Its been only a few hours since I disembarked from the longest flight I have ever taken in my life - 15 hours 45 minutes from Mumbai to Newark and my belief has only been strengthened.

When I board one of these flights, I embark with a mindset that I am going to be here forever. I eye my seat as if it were my new apartment. I carefully choose my aids - book, I-Pod, Glasses etc and furnish my apartment. The remainder is neatly stowed away in my apartment's attic. Once ensconced in the seat, I survey my neighbors. I make it a point to break the ice with my neighbors before the flight takes off. If an interesting conversation is struck, I shall let my curiosity further the conversation. If the neighbor is cute, then its a bonus! If the neighbor is annoying, I just pretend to close my eyes and act exhausted.

Once the cabin door is closed, and I switch off my cellphone, I enter a zone of bliss. The blackberry no longer incessantly buzzes with emails. People can't reach me and I don't feel any guilty for the same. At 30,000 ft above sea-level, a different sense of freedom sets in. I feel I have cut all ties with the ground below and I am free to do anything I want. I can read, I can type (blogs like this!), I can watch crappy movies, I can eat or I can just do something more relaxing - sleep. Since I don't wear a wrist watch and as the plane flies across multiple timezones, I lose sight of time. I do not anticipate the trip's end. This seems like the perfect escape from planet earth. It seems like one endless journey suspended way up in the sky. In contrast, a 3 hour domestic flight seems like a painful countdown to destination.

These international flights are the only time that I turn into a strict vegetarian, as the veg food invariably turns out to be better than the dry airline chicken or beef. Thanks to the never expanding diaspora of desis and more importantly patel run hotels, the food in the flights nowadays are pretty delicious. In addition, there is unlimited wine. Nothing acts as a better sedative than a few glasses of merlot. I feel like a king as people serve me without me asking for it. International flights also tend to be the only times when I catch some good sleep on a plane. Except for one disastrous experience flying to Korea, I have mostly been fortunate enough to earn exit row seats with ample legroom to stretch and relax.

Its always a sad time when you near the destination and the stewardess request you to prepare for landing. The violent jerk of the plane rubber mating with the tarmac asphalt wakes me to reality. I switch on my phone, the flood of emails serves as a grim reminder that this was after all a dream! So ppl, next time you undertake a long flight, just approach it a tad different and I am sure you would attest to a whole new experience. Bon Voyage!

Vieques

2009-04-12T12:27:00.004-04:00

"You are too fast for me, Maan. Slow down, Maan!"

Well, I had never been exposed to a place with Caribbean influence, hence at this island of Vieques, 1 hour off mainland Puerto Rico, I was having a fun time. Things were slow, as they say, I was on "Island Time". People here took life slow and no one seemed to be in a hurry.

We spent two fun filled days in the town of Esperenza in the southern coast of Vieques . The town boasts of a strip of few restaurants which the locals call Malecon. It took us only 5 meals to eat at every restaurant in the town:) But the Malecon was the place were all the locals hung out at night and just people-watching entertained us for hours the first night. Many locals were happy drinking from a hole-in-the-wall shack and avoiding the tourist traps. But most locals just strutted their jarring car stereos by making multiple rounds of the small 2 block downtown area. There were also people doing the same on horses, albeit without the stereos. There were old men gathering at sidewalk and talking loud, there were youngsters drinking and humoring (teasing) every lady that walked past them and all this was happening with the backdrop of the beautiful blue Atlantic ocean.

With limited vacation, I could not afford to relax for long. The morning of the first day we ended up going for snorkeling. A few practise session later, I had perfected my breathing technique and was observing multi-colored fishes underwater. On this trip, we met up with a very enthusiastic guide and 3 pretty ladies who happened to become our travel companion for the next 2 days on the island. After the snorkeling trip, we had lunch in a run down shack by the beach. With no more than 2 big pans, a few ladles and limited spices, this guy cooked up the best king fish I have ever eaten.

A huge part of the island is unpaved, so we decided to rent mountain bikes and bike to a secluded beach. After 6 miles of hard work we reached at the most beautiful stretch of beach I have ever seen - Blue beach. Although the beach stretched for about 3/4 mile, there were less than 10 people strolling on it. The clear blue waters, the white soft sand made for a magical combination. An hour later, while wading on this beach, my friend alerted me to the sight of some fins in the vicinity. For a minute the movie "Jaws" flashed in our mind, but we soon saw double fins and guessed it must be a stingray. With Steve Irvin's demise fresh in mind, we started backing away. Then we met a local who confirmed the stingray's presence and even volunteered to snorkel close to it.

The tiring bike ride back to the town was doused by a pitcher of fine Sangria. A little tipsy, we then went for the most magical experience I have ever had - Bioluminescent Bay tours. My initial take on this tour was that I might end up seeing a lot of glowing aquatic creatures like jelly fish etc. However, what I witnessed that night captivated me no end. This bay has microscopic creatures which emit light when they are agitated. So any time our paddle hits the water, or you touched the water the surface would glow. That night we paddled to the middle of the bay and jumped into the waters to soak this beauty. It was fitting that the sky was at its clearest that night too. I don't recollect the last time I saw so many stars in the sky. Between the innumerable stars and glowing water, the experience was incredible. There are only 3 places in the world which boast of this kind of activity, and Vieques boasts to be best among the best.

The next day, with some persuasion from our new found friends we decided to go horse-riding. This was my first time riding a horse and although I learnt the tricks of the trade quickly, I was still uncomfortable when the horse would start galloping. Things were made more interesting by the presence of our super hot instructor who definitely knew how to carry a low-rise Levi's. Spending time on the ranch, we also learnt about the interesting love life of horses which very closely parallels that of human being, including the philandering part!

We returned from our adventure packed weekend at Vieques to Puerto Rico refreshed. After spending some more time on the main island and getting a flavor of the Spanish/Caribbean influence, I returned to the humdrum of Houston. Island life is definitely fun, and Its a shame that it took me 27 years to experience this!

Economy

2009-03-11T00:09:00.007-04:00

Its been over 5 quarters since the economy started its downward journey. A novice investor, I chose to invest my money at a very wrong time - Jan 2008. Having seen 50% of my direct stock investments evaporate, I have been following the market very closely. Economy rules the conversation whether it be TV or online forums or coffee shops. Last week, when I called my parents in India, even my grandmother struck a 2 minute conversation with me about the economy. She is 70 and she doesn't watch TV nor read newspaper! Although I have had strong feelings about the situation, I realized that I have not dedicated a single blog towards this Mega Disaster. So here it goes....

Growing up in India, I learnt the value of saving money. My dad rented our apartment for 39 years, and only on retiring did he use his lifelong savings to buy a house. People used the same philosophy to buy cars - save enough money and then pay in full. The concept of buying a house with only 10% down payment (or sometimes even less!) was thus very alien to me when I landed in US. Similarly, when I moved to LA, I got a big shock when I saw everyone in the city driving BMW & Mercedes. I thought people here are very rich, and without doubt they are definitely the richest in this country, but I soon found out that many just lived beyond their means. For $399 a month it was not difficult to lease a 3 series BMW. Why bother saving and buying, when you can finance and lease?

I found this credit driven economy fascinating. You could easily live 10 times richer than you would normally live, by borrowing. You can buy flat screen TVs, laptops, houses, cars, everything other than your family with borrowed money. You can use multiple credit cards and have a credit limit of $40,000 a month when you earn $4,000 a month! As the country's deficit continued to increase China, Germany and the rest of the world bought US bonds and financed this scheme. Surprisingly, this scheme worked very well. There were Harvard grad MBA's on wall street designing really complex models and keeping the economy steaming ahead. People kept getting richer and corporations kept making record profits. For the first 9 months last year, ExxonMobil made a net profit in excess of $1,500 per second!

The events of past year have left many questioning whether this was the greatest Ponzi scheme ever. Were people in this country really rich or were they were just made to believe so? I will leave the fine economists at various Ivy league schools to ponder over this conundrum. The recession has definitely showed that US economy rules the world and the world is definitely more closely connected than we imagine. Think it this way - A regression model devised by few high IQ individuals in Wall St caused such upheavals that even my 70 year old grandma sitting 10,000 miles away is concerned for me. But for now, the pain is real, the job loss, the loss of 401 K wealth, foreclosures etc is terrible. With recovery not foreseen in 2009, I hope early 2010 gets better news. 2008 has definitely been a historic year and when we are old, we all can reflect on the events and pass fiscal wisdom to our grandkids.

This is a historic year for US in other ways too. The country is now commanded by a resolute leader, one of finest orators amongst contemporary politicians and someone who easily has the potential to become the greatest president of all time. President Obama's great ideas in the field of Energy, Education, Healthcare and Foreign policy stands in stark contrast to the previous administrations single pronged agenda of bombing all Islam nations. This country has only a short date of 8 years with this President, and unfortunately this tottering economy is threatening to consume most of it.

The Southern States

2009-03-02T23:31:00.005-05:00

After spending 2 weekends away from Houston in Austin and Chicago, I was hoping to spend the last weekend in town relaxing. Thursday evening, I got a call from a friend asking me if I would like to join him on a road-trip from Florida to Houston, and I immediately jumped at the idea. 24 hrs later, courtesy one of our co-travelers, who works for an airline company, we were flying standby to Orlando. I was disappointed at not being able to rake up miles for this trip, but then again, its not too often that you book tickets 24 hrs in advance and pay only $100 for them. The plan for the trip was to pick up my friends car in Gainseville, FL and drive back 854 miles to Houston within a weekend.

Having never visited Florida, I was excited to land in Orlando. However, it was night time, and the only thing I noticed on my 2 hr ride back to Gainseville was the annoying number of toll booths in Orlando. We spent the better part of the next morning negotiating a car deal with my friend's friend. As we had no other option than buying the car and driving back, we had the bottom hand in the negotiations and were unable to reduce the price down to our satisfaction. However, this dissatisfaction was quickly downed by a feast cooked by our host and his fellow friends which included pepper chicken, egg masala, fried rice, aloo mattar and even a brownie for desert.

Its never a good idea to set out on a long drive after a sumptuous desi meal. After gulping some coffee, we handed the reins to our novice driver who also happened to be the owner of the car. The western part of Florida is lush green and the cattle filled pastures made the drive scenic. Although the terrain was devoid of any hills there were gentle slopes in the roads. More importantly thanks to big trees, unlike Texas, one's visibility did not extend forever. I had thought of Florida as a small state, but it took us almost 5 hours to reach from the centre of the state to its western corner. Key West to Pensacola, Florida actually runs 830 miles - same as driving Texas east to west on I-10!

After Florida, we finally reached the much awaited state of Alabama. The probability of 3 brown men driving through Alabama and Mississippi is pretty rare and I joked with my friends that I am glad we have tinted glasses, lest the KKK spot us. But jokes apart, I was little disappointed that we whizzed through AL and MS in dark and hence didn't get much chance to see both states. Courtesy, Corporate America, the interstate in AL seemed no different than most other states and I was pleasantly surprised to see that Mobile, AL was relatively big and the downtown even had the interstate going through a tunnel. Mississippi had some extremely long bridges over the bay and I wish to go back some day and drive the scenic byway US 90 which goes along the ocean for a long time.

The night was spent in the outskirts of New Orleans (Slidell, LA) where we got a well earned hard night's sleep. After gorging the complimentary breakfast, we braved the cold gusts and made our way to New Orleans. Just before entering the city of New Orleans, we got a chance to ride the Pontchartrain Causeway, which is definitely an engineering marvel. The cold weather caught us unawares and my friends were forced to go shopping for sweat-shirts in the French Quarters. After some good gumbo, cafe au lait, beignets and an entertaining street show, we were ready to head out of New Orleans. Louisiana is know as America's wet land, and this is very evident when you drive on interstate 10 which has multiple 10-15 mile long bridges on these swamps.

Once past Lafayette, LA, the landscape turned to the typical flat TX terrain. At this point, we were tired and just hoping to reach Houston in reasonable time for dinner. After reaching Houston, a few dosas later, I returned to my friend's garage only to find that my car had a flat tire. Luckily, this was only a slow leak and after getting a quick fix at a gas station, I was home by 10 pm on Sunday. 900 miles later, I was definitely exhausted and a quick shower later, I slept like a baby!

Austin Half-Marathon

2009-02-10T22:25:00.003-05:00

This Sunday (Feb 15th), I plan to run Austin Half-Marathon to raise funds for Association for India's Development (AID) - Houston.

If you would like to shower your generosity on AID Houston and support my run, please donate at the following site

http://www.runforindia.org/runners/aroon

Food & Energy

2009-01-26T21:27:00.006-05:00

I am going to pick up where I left off in the last post and throw some more food for thought from Michael Pollan's book. I have always maintained that Conserving Energy requires a more holistic approach as it is more than just the mpg of your vehicle. However, I never imagined the strong link between food industry and energy. Here are two ways by which you can conserve fossil fuels and do your bit to prevent Global Warming.

Try Vegetarianism

Every step in food chain involves inefficiency and the higher you eat on the food chain more inefficient is the process. For example, in today's industrialized world it takes a cow about 7-8 pounds of corn fat to produce 1 pound of fat. The meat industry's energy efficiency is further degraded by elaborate but essential processes like packing, freezing and transportation. Here is a detailed analysis of food energy by my friend - Transmogrifier. So am I suggesting everyone to become vegetarian? No. We probably don't have enough arable land to sustain a world full of Vegetarians. Besides, I am sure many cannot even think of a vegetarian gastronomic feast comparable to a medium rare centre cut filet mignon or southern style barbecued pork ribs.

However, would it be too much to ask to give up 1 meat meal a week? I have decided that from now on (call it my 2009 resolution), atleast once a week whenever I go out to eat, I'll choose a vegetarian option over meat. Its not a drastic change to my lifestyle, but even if everyone were to implement such a small change it would save thousands of barrels of oil annually and reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly. For those of you who think this small change is unacceptable, I would say its OK, but can you atleast make an effort to minimize the amount of meat you waste. Remember every ounce of meat wasted is like wasting 8 ounces of equivalent grain or cereal!

Eat Seasonal

When I was a kid, I remember my family would gather in the living room after dinner and my father would cut a certain fruit and serve each of us. In the summer, he would give us mangoes, in autumn grapes, in winter apples. Life was simple, you ate whatever was available in that season. I never craved for mangoes in winter nor did I crave for apples in summer. I contrast this to my present day situation where irrespective of which season I walk into the supermarket I can still get my favorite fruit. In some ways its a triumph of globalization that even in winter you can find asparagus (grown in Argentina where its summer) or Pineapples from Hawaii available in the supermarket. But as you would imagine, all these unseasonal non-local items leave behind a huge trail of fossil fuel consumption. Using the same argument as in the previous section, If we can all educate ourselves a little and try to reduce consumption of non-seasonal items by only 10% it can have a great impact on our carbon footprint.

If we can live with and accept snow in winter, fall colors in fall, and rain in monsoon would it kill us to shun asparagus on one winter meal or red meat on one hot summer day. I believe that more often than not people waste energy out of ignorance and not out of necessity. A little energy education will allow us all to continue with our lifestyles without making drastic compromises in the future.

I don't want to sound preachy, but if you liked this rant please forward it to your friends. In return, the Lord shall bestow you with some carbon credits :)

Non-Fiction

2009-01-17T18:39:00.004-05:00

I am not a big reader. Most of my reading occurs during my travel or vacation on an aeroplane. Lately, exhaustion induced sleep and work has robbed me of the precious airtime reading. Reading has never come easy to me. I am neither a fast reader, nor do I comprehend things quickly. As reading a book represents a major effort, I expect some value addition in return. Hence over the last few years, I have been reading only non-fiction as I believe there is much more information in them than in an investigative murder thriller or a fictitious political scandal. 3 weeks of vacation in India presented me an opportunity to read these 3 (long overdue) wonderful books.

The World is Flat - Thomas Friedman

This book is an eye-opening account of how technology, globalization and certain political events have leveled the playing field for the entire world. If you are an American or West European, be afraid, be very afraid because the Indian and Chinese are going to mother you unless you start innovating and creating more value added special jobs. The book dwells on important questions like why the largest exporter to US is China, situated 8000 miles away from US, and not Mexico which is across the border and pays no taxes courtesy NAFTA and has abundant cheap labor like the Chinese. It would have been better if the 600 pages of the book had been condensed into 300, but nevertheless the book packs mountains of information.

Wise and Otherwise - Sudha Murthy

This book is a compilation of about 50 simple experiences in the author's life which teach us great lessons in various human virtues. Most importantly it shows how certain attributes are not privy to a particular class or caste of people. This humbling tale is written in a language that even a fifth grader can understand. But the same simple language packs a very powerful tale. It made me realize that once doesn't need special vocabulary and sophisticated language to make an impactful story. Being a CEO's wife, Sudha Murthy could have chosen a life of leisure involving shopping, day spas and high society partying, but she chose to dedicate her life to something more noble. I have always had great respect for her social endeavors and more importantly her vocal support for woman's liberation. Now, I respect her as a writer too. May her tribe increase!

Omnivore's Dilemma - Michael Pollan

If you live in America, and if you eat, you must read this book. I am not sure how I picked up this book, probably the title seemed interesting, but this book is definitely one of the best I have read in a long time. It dwells into the fact that how increasingly what we have for lunch and dinner is not necessarily our choice, but something which is forced upon us by profit hungry greedy corporations and government regulations. More importantly, I realized that food is no longer simple and natural, everything is chemically processed and in America , everything is CORN!! Most shocking is the fact that how we have manipulated nature and changed nature forever. If you are vegetarian this refers to the chemicals in form of fertilizers and pesticides that goes into your produce. If you are a meat eater, it only gets worse, cause courtesy corporate farming, animals today are raised on stuff which goes beyond evolution and reason. And before anyone screams organic, it might make sense to investigate the company and see how they define organic.

PS: If you read this blog and know of a good non-fiction title, I would appreciate if you could put it down in the comments section.

Indian unReal Estate

2009-01-12T08:06:00.004-05:00

This weekend, I visited a friend of mine in Colaba in South Mumbai. This commercial part of Mumbai is infamous for its exorbitant real estate prices. I remember about 10 years ago, the commercial space in Marine drive costed Rs 22,000 sq /ft!! I am sure that things have only gotten worse since then. In Mumbai, the further south you live, the richer you are.

My friends house was about 2 blocks away from Nariman house - the sight of the infamous siege on the Jewish community on 26/11. For a 600 sq ft 1 bedroom hall kitchen, my friend and his room mates were coughing up Rs 45,000 /- a month. My friend corrected me that the real rent is actually Rs 50,000 / month but he is getting a discount because of some renovation going on in the building. Judging by the fortune he paid for the apartment, you would imagine it to be an ocean facing villa with modern amenities like swimming pool, gym and manicured garderns. Horror behold! His apartment was actually in a very busy market area, in a dilapidated building which was probably more than 40 years old and might come down any minute. Once inside his compact apartment, I immediately started comparing this with my $700/ month (Rs 34,000 month), 800 sq ft 1 BHK in Houston in a very wealthy neighborhood. If Senior Bush could live a mile away from my apartment, I am sure my neighborhood must be really good! So even if I earn in rupees, it is much easier for me to afford a place in Houston than in Mumbai!!

Throughout my trip to India, real estate had been a hot topic of discussion for me. As my trip unfolded, I first got a taste of prices in Pune, then in Madras, then in Chembur (suburbs of Mumbai) and finally the shocker in South Mumbai. The prices kept going up in the same order too. Consider this analysis - Lets assume two individuals one in Indian and one in US, both with a post graduate degree and working in the IT industry. Someone who makes Rs 10 lakhs per annum in India can be compared to someone who makes about $80,000 a year in the US. In US for 4 times his annual salary ($320,000) he can afford a nice house in suburbs of most cities with a backyard and garage. But 4 times annual salary of the person in India (Rs 40 lakhs), wont even buy you a 1 BHK in most cities. This person would have to probably invest 8-9 times his annual salary to get a decent 2-3 BHK apartment.

With no significant property to my name in India, all of a sudden I felt like a really poor man in India. I cannot imagine how I can ever start from ground zero and establish myself in a city like Mumbai. On the same lines, I wonder how first time property buyers without significant savings can afford a property? For people who did not buy property 3-4 years ago, the prices now are so steep that they will invariably have to make a comprise on the area and neighborhood. Many say that a correction is already happening, but I haven't seen any signs of it in the market.

I think this real estate price should be a top consideration for NRIs planning to return to India in near future. With 7% inflation rate things have become expensive in a hurry. The only way I could come to terms with most prices was by converting them into dollars. For the first time in 5 years, I felt that I cannot return to India yet, as I cannot afford to return!

2008

2008-12-31T01:05:00.001-05:00

The 2008 new year was wrung in with an unshaven beard and a severe hangover from my best vacation ever - my trip to Costa Rica. However, like most of my new years, this one too was a very low key affair. In the first month of 2008, I got an interesting fortune cookie at a regular Thai lunch haunt.

'Travelling will bring new perspectives to your life this year'

A big proponent of the above theory, I could not agree with it more. I liked this fortune so much, I saved it in my wallet for a whole year. 2008 was a good mix of both personal and business travel. Earlier this year, I got a chance to travel to Portland and get a flair for the northwestern hippie culture. The biggest learning experience this year was my trip to Korea where I finally got a chance to see the Far East. Apart from work, I did a fair bit of leisure travel too. I finally got a chance to visit my dreamland - Alaska, but looking back, it still feels surreal that I was actually there. I hope to revisit it multiple times to learn more about this elusive land. Then, there was an eye opening trip through the great plains of South Dakota. However, my favorite trips were the 5 times that I got to visit Los Angeles on business. But flight was not the only travel mode. There were numerous road trips around Houston, most of them to my current second favorite city in the US - Austin.

Sometimes traveling was hectic, but most times it was fun and I have always come back learning something new. I think every trip teaches you not only about the new place and people but also teaches you about yourself. While work trips enhanced my professional experience and taught me about different work practices, my leisure trips helped me bond better with my close friends. For what its worth, all the travel finally got me Gold Elite status from Continental. This gives me more ammunition to act smug amidst my less traveled friends :)

I typed the above two paragraphs while in transit at Frankfurt airport, which by the way is definitely one of the worst airports I have seen. On my second leg of the journey from Frankfurt to Mumbai, my co-traveller was a lady from Lisbon on a 2 month trip to Goa and Southern India. As we shared similar passion for travel, we immediately hit up a lenghty conversation on various travel destinations and experiences. But travel discussions often lead to further cultural and political conversations. For instance our discussions ranged from corruption in Nigeria to the Pakistani troops build up at our border. We also pondered on interesting issues like how Mexico City can sustain a population of 20 million despite being situated at 5,800 ft above seal level. More often than not, travel always provides me the best ice-breaker and a good topic of conversation. These discussions normally make all the involved parties wiser and more aware of the world around us. I always revere well traveled people for their experience and knowledge.

But 2009 is set to begin in a much more anxious note. Amidst an uncertain future, and probably some rough times ahead, rescue comes in the form of another apt fortune cookie prophesy which I found in my dinner couple of weeks ago.

'You will be transforming a situation in your life now with a positive attitude'

This fortune has replaced the 2008 traveling prediction and probably will accompany me for the rest of the year. I guess traveling can wait a bit, I need to muster up positive attitude to handle the situations I envision coming my way shortly.

unCommon Cold

2008-12-25T02:11:00.005-05:00

For those of you who have gotten to know me only in the last 2 years, let me tell you that I don't have a permanent nasal tone to my speech. I have been suffering from a cold for last 2 years. I am not kidding...this is true!. Some might contest that I always had a nasal tone and it has only been amplified in the last 2 years. I tend to ignore them and so should you.

I am still not sure when this cold originated. Researchers are still trying to experiment on me and my blood, urine, spit,and semen to find the exact birth date of this strain of uncommon cold. Some sources, mostly me, date it back to Nov 2006. Back then, like any other normal cold, I chose to ignore it, but it only got worse. Sometime in Dec 2006, I had to miss 2 days of work and stay home. My cold was characterized by really loud sneezing and running nose. A few preventive, over the counter, medicines cured this symptomatically. I celebrated this quick fix by driving to the Cold Sierra Nevada mountains during X-Mas and drinking crazy in Arizona over the New Year. Both these activities ensured a cold reception of 2007.

Blaming my cheap Plan B medical coverage at work, I chose not to go to a doctor. But this cold persisted well into Feb 2007. By this time I had tried at least 4 out of the 1000 different cold remedies made is US. When I finally visited India in Feb 2007, I decided to visit a doctor as it costed me only $1 to visit her and 50 cents to get prescription medicine. Screw you Plan B!!. The doctor told me that I might have a deviated septum and I should start doing Pranayanama. Convinced that this doctor was some kind of a charlatan, I chose to ignore her yogic suggestion.

However, the cold persisted and so did the sneezing. I learnt to live with about 25 sneezes a day. On days when this number would shoot up, I would get worried. But the cold had its highs and lows, and after missing another day of work in summer of 2007, I decided to terminate my friendship with this cold and visit a doctor in US. I got an expensive prescription drug and some nasal sprays. Despite burning a big hole in my wallet, the cure seemed symptomatic. A few days later the cold was back. Since then, I have tried the remaining 996 cold remedies in the country, but to no avail. Every time I break up with cold, a few days later we make up. And we make up with even louder sneezes. Sometimes, I fear sneezing in confined spaces with glass windows, lest I break them all. On a daily basis, I use the word 'excuse me' more than 'hello' and I hear the word 'bless you' more than 'hi'. Hey, I might be sick, but at least I am blessed!

Recently when I complained about this cold to a friend of mine, she asked me to visit an acupunturist. She even suggested a good doctor in Wisconsin, but I live 1500 miles away from Madison, and I am afraid of needles, so that idea never saw the daylight. One of my relatives suggested I try Ayurvedic medicine. I hope to implement this suggestion when I visit India in a few days time.

My friends tell me that I must be allergic. Since most of my affliction with cold has coincided with my stay at Houston, I boldly declare that I am allergic to the City of Houston, and allergic in more than one ways! But the malaise probably runs deeper. I am guessing this is some rare strain which is yet to be discovered by Scientists. And if that is so, I soon imagine scientists all over the world clamoring for a drop of my precious blood sample to conduct their research. I hope to happily sneeze away to riches by charging them exorbitantly for my blood sample. I can already envision using dollar bills to wipe my running nose instead of Kleenex. Hachooooo......excuse me!

Detroit Airport Fountain

2008-12-07T20:19:00.007-05:00

There is a very interesting water fountain in concourse A of Detroit Airport. Its hard to describe it, but I will continue to do it anyways. There is a huge circular flat-top granite structure, with tiny holes at different locations through which shoot jets of water. These water jets float in the air before they find their landing spot. Their are random patterns generated, but the water jets fly like birds with different trajectories without hitting each other .The entire surface is extremely flat and yet not a drop of water spills out to the area surrounding the fountain. Capillary action takes the water stream around the contour of the structure and channel them back. Here is a link to a youtube video of the same

As I sit there sipping my latte and typing this post, I see numerous amazed passengers stop by and take pictures. I hear a small kid say, 'This is science. Science is cool'. But its not just kids, there are grown ups who stop to admire this fountain as well. I see an old guy going in circles taking a video of the fountain. I see a teenager who tries to mess with the fountain by blocking one of the holes and stifling the jet, only to find that the lower half of his jeans is now completely wet. I mutter to myself 'Serves you right...you brat!'

This is not the first time I am seeing this fountain. I vividly remember that eventful day in August 2003 when I first landed in US. As if my arrival wasn't eventful enough, the entire North East suffered a power-grid failure the same evening causing a blackout that canceled all flights from Detroit. On that day, anxiety got the better of me, and I never spent enough time to admire this fountain. After being stranded for 6 hours at DTW, our flight finally took off to State College. As I sit here at Detroit Airport on this Thursday morning, it brings back a lot of memories from that young nervous evening. Since then, whenever I fly through Detroit, I pay homage to this fountain.

So if you ever happen to fly through Detroit Airport, take a hike to concourse A and see this fountain. While at that, walk through the funky musical tunnel connecting Concourse A to Concourse B & C. Off all the domestic airports I have been to in US, I would definitely rank Detroit Wayne Airport as the best!

Mumbai Blast - Searching for Answers!

2008-12-03T22:19:00.010-05:00

(This post has been written by my good friend Ramya)

Finally sitting down to deliver on my long overdue promise to write something on Pointy’s blog. And I waited this long partly because like everyone else I lead an action packed life which involves waking up in the morning, rushing to work, grabbing dinner, calling it a night and topping up the weekends with a few extra hours of sleep, catching some latest movie releases and complaining to friends about where life and everything else is headed in general. Does this sound familiar to the action packed life that any of you lead? If you reconnect with my second line now- the other partly is because all those inspirational speeches that evolve in my head as I read the papers during my daily commute, at best get reduced to a smattering of words pulled out from the GRE word list when I finally try to put them on written medium. (No prizes for guessing!!! I am no Jhumpa Lahiri). But I thought if events like the Mumbai Siege don’t get me to ask a few questions and (hopefully) get some answers nothing ever will.

My friend and junior from KGP, Khushboo Jha lost her fiancé (who was also my junior although I didn’t know him personally) in the attack at Leopold's cafe - so if things weren't bad enough already, now I have a face to put to it all.

Echoing the need for a political revamp in the country and touching upon the need for young, dynamic, honest, intelligent and upright leaders (as reflected in Aamir Khan’s blog) I want to say I know lots of people who may be ready to face up to the challenge. At the risk of sounding cliché, our circle of friends is supposed to contain the intelligentsia and the future entrepreneurs of

India

. This infers we have had a plethora of opportunity and resources at our disposal. It also infers we have survived in a rather competitive professional and perhaps personal environment till now. We are probably the best placed of all the common men and women that can rise to the occasion. Let’s just say there are enough amongst us who should not be afraid to at least make an attempt. But where do such highly motivated individuals go? How do you take the first step? Who do you talk to? If you are a professional jumping careers how do you convince people to take you seriously? And I mean not going from being an actor who has had the advantage of his face plastered on the walls and billboards in every village and town to a politician but someone like a banker or a scientist wanting to move into politics? Common sense dictates strong participation and involvement in the community and a good network are good places to begin. I can think of many of us who already do this then what are we missing? Would we be missing less if we were all human rights lawyers in which case we’d be mixing professional and personal interests and therefore have more visible community-based brownie points? As for the network, I shudder at the thought of that spiralling back to our same doddering, sick old politicians. Who is going to give me the confidence that not being from an illustrious political family will not be seen as a serious set back? I know politics is a dirty game, but if I am able and willing to work hard, will the system work with me? My scepticism sounds naïve I know. But isn’t this what’s stopping a lot of us from walking out the door of Mckinsey and walking into the Lok Sabha? Of course, the nosedive in income notwithstanding!!!!!

On a different note and because of its relevance in today’s world, combating terrorism, like everything else in this world has to come with the buzz word ‘sustainability’. And here’s how- Having specialized in Energy and doing what I do, I have decided Energy Independence and Energy Security should be made a priority for the government and a household term in India just like it is in the US or UK. Of the few things our government does correctly I see the nuclear deal as a step in the right direction. If all those EIA projections are right, we are going to be paying one hell of a price in the next 15-20 years for our own destruction. Meaning, the fraction of the oil money to the Middle East that can trickle down to the wrong hands! Where I had kept an open mind on the matter earlier, in the light of the Mumbai incidents I am wary of our gas deal with

Iran

because right now my mindset is ‘guilty until proven innocent’ rather than the other way round. Looking into the future, as I seek out professional opportunities if I work to meet the challenge that Vilas Muttemwar outlined, then this time I will have mixed work with pleasure!!!

“We have huge resources of renewable energy in the country. To begin with we have a potential of five trillion megawatts of solar energy, 70,000 megawatts of wind energy and more than two lakh [200,000] megawatts of hydrogen energy. We are now tapping this potential to meet our requirements." Asked by BBC Hindi why resources of renewable energy were not gaining popularity in the country, the Minister replied: "There is a widespread impression that usage of renewable resources of energy is less cost effective in comparison to the conventional resources”. Rest of this at http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/02_february/13/bbchindi.shtml.

With this thought lingering around my head from time to time, I am not very proud of the fact that it took a tragic event like this for me to make up my resolve. Spreading awareness on Energy Security will be top on my agenda.

I am a firm believer in women’s empowerment (not surprising considering I am a woman) All those with me on the issue of women’s liberty, we need to go full bore to help Muslim women find their voice. There are some interesting cases in the U.K where a mother was able to revert back a boy who had joined a terror training camp to normalcy. Boys will be boys, and coming from IIT I know how twisted their brains can get between the ages of 18 and 21. Little wonder why these boys are caught at this age and fed the wrong sentiments. A strong mother figure can influence them to stay on the right track. The doctrines I preach are not easy or will not happen anytime soon. But sustainability was never synonymous to quick-fix. There maybe many of you out there, who disagree, please do- that’s the only way we can be sure we haven’t left any stone unturned.

As for getting politically astute, time will tell. Although I am one for lofty ambitions, I need to make sure I can sustain this feeling of desperate need for a political overhaul long after the over-sensationalized media coverage of the Mumbai attacks have stopped. But I feel if enough of us keep an open mind about politics at least a handful of us are bound to stride into it. The stuff I am saying is not exactly ‘light bulb flash in the head’ material. It is stuff that even an average person calls ‘all too obvious’. But then which of these obvious things have we done right before? If enough graduates from Harvard and MIT hadn’t gone into politics as did into Google and Goldman Sachs, U.S politics wouldn’t have been as exhilarating as it is today. Hell, how on earth are we to become the world’s next super-power 10 years after China (according to popular belief) if our private sector keeps drifting away from our public sector labelling them a comedy of errors? On the contrary I would say considering how the private sector has led practically all the development in our country, maybe we should encourage a new form of venture capitalism that focuses on ‘able leaders’. The return on their investment will be a strong government. Follow the Obamas of the world.

For now, campaigns like ‘Jaago Re’ www.jaagore.com which is encouraging our country's Gen X to get out there and vote - is a promising start.We are the generation that’s seen snail mail go to email, arrange marriages turn to love marriages, paanwalas carry mobile phones and lardy, muffin-top trotting Bollywood actresses turn steaming sizzlers- nothing is impossible for us!!!!!!!

I’ll stop for now or else Pointy won’t let me hog more of his blog space next time.

Bottled Thoughts

2008-09-28T11:30:00.002-04:00

'IKE'
'Letter to I-Phone Users'
'Human Nature II'
'Short Story'
'Texas Rediscovered'
'Airport'

.....Blogging will resume in November

Country Count

2008-08-03T13:02:00.005-04:00

In many ways, traveling to Canada felt like traveling to the 51st state of America. Reality didn't hit me tell I had a rather unpleasant exchange with the guy behind the Foreign Exchange counter at baggage claim at the Toronto airport.

In a very nonchalant fashion, I asked him, " So they accept American Dollars here right?"
Piqued at my arrogance, he reprimanded, "You are in a different country sir. We have Canadian Dollars here. Look at the exchange rate. American Dollar is weak".
With humility restored, I slipped 5 greens to him and asked him to give me some colorful Canadian in return.

The concept of "Count" lives in a very small friend circle of mine. I don't even know how this got started in the first place. I guess one of us counted the states visited in US and that that set the tone for rivalry. Given my usual bragging ways, I am willing to bet that it was probably me! The early leaders in this Count game were me and my friend Shiva, and we decided to draw the framework for what constituted a State Count - You can successfully add a state to your Count, if you have driven through some part of it and set foot on it. To avoid confusing interpretations, we mandated that a gas station halt is a must for State Count. Airports were diligently kept away from State Counts.

In jest, we would abuse this Count, by starting parallel ridiculous counts like,
City Count - the name says it all...
Honk Count - number of honks received while driving (reflection of poor driving skills)
Gentleman Count - An acknowledgment received from the driver in front when you yield, thus signifying your gentleman like driving skills.
...hell ya! On some drunken nights, I remember keeping tab on even Piss Counts!!

However, the State Count has weathered the test of time, and kind of stood testament to the healthy competition as well as personal desires. With my State Count at 28, probably 28 of the prettiest, it seems like a mere formality to increase it to 50. Some of my friends might have overtaken me(??) and some lag far behind. But I sincerely hope each one of them gets to see the beauty of all the 50 states. However, like most things in life, dreams need to grow and the State Count is soon to be supplanted by something bigger - Country Count. But this time its not a game of oneupmanship, its merely a personal goal of visiting 100 countries. With only 10% accomplished towards this mighty goal, it might seem preposterous to suggest such a huge number. But I feel it would be a big shame if I were not fortunate enough to fulfill this goal in my life-time.

Last Paragraph deleted due to popular demand.

Missed Connection

2008-07-25T23:43:00.007-04:00

"Is this elevator going down"
" Yeah it.. it is" I stuttered, not because it was unusual to see such a pretty lady early in the morning, but because I was tensed about the test.

"Are you here to give a test", she quizzed.
"Yup GMAT"
"Oh...me too....I am so nervous".
She probably repeated that a couple of times, but she seemed far more relaxed than me.

Under normal circumstances, with the ice-broken, I would have continued into a meaningful discussion with this pretty lady. But today, I was tense, and was swallowing half the words I spoke and decided to limit my words to a diplomatic minimum. However, she seemed more interested in striking a conversation. As we settled in the hallaway waiting for the doors to open, she queried
"So where do you work?"
Blah...Blah..Blah..we went on for couple more minutes

Once inside the test room, she was ticket number 7 and I was number 8. So we waited our turn to be signed in and ushered into the test room, and I made myself comfortable in a seat next to her. After a few minutes of random conversation, I started staring at the passport she was holding in her hand.
"Are you wondering where I am from? I am from Ecuador"
I showed her mine, "I am from India".
I discovered more commonalities too. She had come to US in the same year as I did. 2003.

Our merry chatter was broken by the Test administrator, who yelled out "No. 7"
I patted her back and said, "Good luck"
She turned back, " Wish you the same. I think you would be gone before I finish the test"

Coincidentally we ended up sitting in adjacent cubicles. Through her fervent typing, I knew she was in the same section as I was in - Essays. Hour later, I opted for my first 10 minute break. As I turned the corner from the restroom, I see her smiling in front of me. Hmmm..our breaks had coincided.
"How were the essays?" she asked.
"Well..I used up 20 minutes to write them, and relaxed the next 10 minutes. I don't like typing on random topics. I heard you type a lot"
"Yeah...I tried"
..a few words later, she bid adieu and excused herself to the restroom.

I went back to write my Quant section, and as I was poring over my Question # 1, I could hear her tip toe behind me into her cubicle. 75 minutes later, after exercising my brain with algebra and geometry, I contently opted for my second 10 minute break. Again, I went to the restroom and hoped she would follow suit, as her timing should have been very close to mine...and as I turned the corner, it was no surprise that I saw her again. She was still smiling, so hope things were going well with her.This time, I was real nervous, because I was 75 minutes away from my score.
"Hey, looks like we are working on the same schedule." I remarked
She smiled and probed, "How did your Quant section go?"
"It went OK. But I am very worried about the verbal. I hope I do well"

We chatted for a couple more minutes, and once again she excused herself to the restroom and we wished each other well. 75 minutes later, I was satisfied to finish the test, but nervous to click NEXT and check my score. Thats when I heard her hurry behind me...this time she had finished the test few minutes earlier....strange I thought! Relieved with my effort, I took the printout of the scoresheet and tried to get to the parking lot as soon as possible. But she was nowhere to be found. As my empty eyes gazed at the few remaining cars on the rooftop, I noticed that she had gone - probably dejected by her score, cause I was very confident that she would have waited otherwise. But I hope she did well, she was a nice person, she definitely made my day better.

Alaska I - The Mighty One!

2008-07-12T16:32:00.005-04:00

It was about 10:00pm at night, but the Alaskan sun now hovered at an annoying location and blinded me as I drove towards our destination for the night - Talkeetna. As I squinted my eyes to look straight ahead, I saw an umbrage of something bigger than I had ever seen before. This giant shadow dwarfed the other tiny mountains in the front, and reached for the sky. Having never laid my eyes on something that enormous, my brain refused to believe that the outline was that of something rising from the ground. An hour later, with the help of a local map and an I-phone totting tech savvy friend, I convinced myself that this was not a figment of my imagination, but it was the tallest mountain in North America - Mt. McKinley!!

But my flabbergasted mind returned again, close to midnight, to convince itself of the inevitability. As I pulled over at the vista point, I knew I was looking at something extraordinary. Mt. McKinley rose about 4 miles from the ground, in a pyramid like fashion, almost touching the sky. Despite being 100 miles away, the size of the mountain was unmistakable! Now, the mountain was mocking me for getting excited earlier in the day at 5,000+ ft snow clad peaks. Alaska had always been a dream place for me, and for the first 2 days it seemed surreal that I was actually here. But the sight of Mighty One finally reminded me of the special land I was in, and would turn out to be defining point of the trip. The previous day I had seen grizzly bears cross road in front of me, I had seen moose and caribou gallop, porcupine scamper, and dall sheep graze on mountain tops. But no image would turn out to be as striking as the sight of the Mighty One. Mt. McKinley finally put things in perspective for me and definitely turned out to be the defining image of the trip.

Though they themselves undergo little change, Mountains actually have chartered the course of human history. They give rise to rivers, alter weather patterns and direct human migration. They establish the boundaries of cities and human civilization and constantly remind us of their importance. Visible for miles, they represent the final frontier for most human ambitions. The conquest to their summit, in many cases, is the ultimate test of human will power and achievement. Unperturbed by seasons, they stand guard and look down upon the world, fondly, and reflect upon their legacy.

Critics have called the Big Sur coast of central California as the greatest meeting of land and sea. I doubt if any of them have ever driven along the Seward Highway. Nestled between mountains and running parallel to the vast Alaskan water-body, this has to be the most scenic highway I have ever driven on. As one approaches the town of Seward, one is accompanied by the green mirror like waters of Kenai lake reflecting the snow off the towering mountains surrounding it. The town of Seward itself ensconces itself in the shadows of might snow clad peaks rising from the surface of the Resurrection Bay. Green chilly waters, and sheer jagged peaks make a match made in heaven, and Seward provides this feature galore.

Through my limited exposure to geography and television, I have always been fascinated by Fjords. Cruising along the Resurrection bay on that cold, rough Alaskan day I felt like my dream had finally come true. I hope someday I am fortunate enough to visit the Scandinavian Fjord lands of Norway, and the eight wonder of the world in New Zealand - Milford Sound. Most people were excited by the abundant wildlife in the sea; and I too, was bamboozled by humpback whales, defying gravity and dynamics, and leaping 10 ft above the ocean floor. But at the foot of these eternal mountains all the wildlife and the merry humans on the boat that day, represented only a minuscule passage of time. The Tall Ones had sheltered and entertained life for thousands of years, and will continue to do the same for many a millennia to come, but in a world replete with change, the constancy of their existence stood in stark contrast!!

Salmon Run, Here I Come!

2008-06-25T23:59:00.006-04:00

Trip Blueprint

Jun 27th - Friday
Arrive at midnight @ Anchorage
Crash at Travelodge

Jun 28th - Saturday
Pick Up Car
Shop at Local Grocery store
Drive to Denali Natl Park - Sightsee Enroute.
Camp @ Riley Creek

Jun 29th -Sunday
Wonder Lake Shuttle - All day
Camp @ Riley Creek

June 30th - Monday
Sightsee Denali Natl Park
One Short Hike
Crash @ Talkeetna International Hostel

July 1st - Tuesday
Drive towards Glenallen
See Matunuska Glacier
Sightseeing along Glen Hwy
Camp @ Lake Louise Rec Area or Wrangell-Elias Park

July 2nd - Wednesday
Drive to Kenai Fjords National Park
Sightsee along Seward Hwy
Check out the Bore Tide, if possible
Detour to Whittier
Drive to Exit Glacier
Find a Campground near Seward

July 3rd - Thursday
Major Marine 8 hour Cruise
Camp @ Seward (Same site as above)

July 4th - Friday
Kayak @ Kenai
Drive to Homer Spit - Towns on Sterling Highway
Detour through scenic Skilak Lake road
Stay @ Homer Spit Campground

July 5th - Saturday
Spend some time near Homer
Drive back to ANC
Chugach Mtns state Park, if possible
Crash @ 26th Street Hostel

July 6th - Sunday
Flattop Mtn Trail in the morning
Return Car - Rent bikes and do the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail
Ship Creek Viewing platform
Fly out of ANC

GOP - The Gas & Oil Party

2008-06-19T21:55:00.004-04:00

President Bush has done it once again. Not satisfied with the havoc wrecked in 8 years of one of the most forgettable presidency in the history, he has decided to take one last salvo at pandering to an oil addict country by proposing to raise the ban on offshore drilling. Worse, he is also debating the ban on the Artic National Wildlife Refuge(ANWR). Only a few months before the election, the GOP is trying to fool the common man by giving a false illusion of falling gas prices and a future with copious oil flow. However, one only needs to look past the veneer of this preposterous idea to realize that this move only mirrors the current government's denial of the inevitable.

After a long time, the United States was finally taking positive toddler steps towards energy conservation, as they drove 1.4 bn fewer miles in April, while SUV and truck sales plunged 36%. Ford and GM closed their truck manufacturing plants, while hybrid sales hit new highs. The sudden surge in prices had also inspired countries like India to increase its gas prices by 10%, and China - the second biggest consumer in the world - to increase its prices by 20% to curtail demand. But it would take only one foolish legislation to negate this hardwork, and I am hoping that sanity makes comeback before this idea gets a strong backing by the beltway boys.

Even if the ban on offshore drilling were to be lifted, it would take 5-6 years, if not more, for the first drop of oil to hit the pumping station. It would do nothing to alleviate the current supply of crude oil. Free market Capitalists argue that this would bring down the futures price of crude oil and subsequently drive the gas prices further down. But in todays politically charged atmosphere, it just takes one Nigerian militant blowing up an oil pipeline or a crazed Iranian president's jingoistic speech to drive the prices back to their inflated levels. In short, a potential for increased supply is no guarantee that the crude prices will continue to stay down. The demand will continue to outstrip the supply, and the only solution is to pursue a dedicated approach to lower the demand. Everything else is a mere hogwash!

Depending on whom you listen to, the estimates of crude from ANWR and most of continental offshore will only suffice to meet 2-3 years of US domestic gasoline requirement. A major assumption here is that India and China will not continue to grow their local demand and eat away into this share. So once we are done with this 2-3 year regime (which by the way would happen 10 years from now), the problem would only revisit us. In fact some reports cite that when this additional oil will be available (say 10 years from now), it would only drop the gas prices by about 3-4 cents. It would do absolutely nothing to wean the world of oil addiction, and would only prolong the inevitable by a couple of years.

Instead of giving summer gas tax breaks, the government needs to start investing that money in alternative energy and giving subsidies to those progressive minded individuals who make conscious attempts to reduce their non-renewable energy resource consumption. Don't mistake me to be a far left liberal activist, I am not against digging in the ANWR. A few moose dying to reduce my gas prices doesn't alarm me. Besides technology has advanced to a state where we can safely drill and consume gas without harming the immediate surroundings in the process. The best example was the almost negligible spillage caused by the hurrican Katrina. But the decision to increase current oil supply while not investing enough resources to find an alternative is like subsiding the price of cocaine to a cocaine addict. Instead of making it harder for him to buy cocaine, and curing his addiction, the decision would only please him today by providing a quick fix, while conveniently ignoring the real malaise. The only solution to lower gas prices, is to raise it!

Corn Husker

2008-06-11T23:51:00.005-04:00

Carson grew up amidst cornfields in the remote town of Greeley in central Nebraska. His ancestors had remained corn huskers for generations, content with a simple life amidst humble surroundings. In this remote part of the country, time stood still, and technology had yet to impact people's life the way it did it in bigger metros on the coast. But such modest beginnings didn't dampen Carson's desire to dream big. As a kid, when he would wander out to the fields at night, his gaze would be fixated at the stars and the moon lighting the night sky. Many a times he would stare at the moon for hours and dream of reaching it one day.

In the 70's Neil Armstrong was the person every kid wanted to emulate. Despite having no TV at home, Carson had heard about him from his friends and family and immediately developed an urge to reach the outer space. With great difficulty he learn't to pronounce the word astronaut. According to him, that was the hard part. The easy part was to follow his dream and reach the moon. At nights as his mom would put him to sleep he would often tell her, "When I am on the moon, I am gonna look down upon the earth and see our cornfield. I will come back to Earth and tell you how beautiful our cornfield and house looks from the moon". Like a good mom, she would let Carson nurture his seemingly improbable dream. Sometimes a tear would trickle down her eye and she would say to herself - Son, we have always been corn-huskers, and we shall always remain the same. This is what we were born to do, and this what we would die doing.

But determination is often under-rated. With a resolve of steel and a single minded aim, Carson started working towards his dream at the school. He immediately picked up a liking for science and started excelling in the science projects. By no means was he a prodigy, but he was definitely among the top 10% of his school. He managed to graduate with honors from his high school, but being the only son, he had to make a tough decision to forgo college, for the time being atleast, and till the vast tract of agricultural land owned by his family. At nights he would read science fiction books and secretly pine to study astronomy.

But he continued to nurture his dream and hoped that he would soon be able to go to school full-time and study his field of liking. Buoyed by a few profitable yields on his field he had already started working part time with a community college in Omaha on a degree in Astronomy. If Nature cooperated and gave him some more bountiful yields, he had calculated that he would have enough savings in 4 years to start full time school in Chicago. His family stayed supportive of his initiative and admired his resolve. In winters, when he had nothing to do on the farm, he would travel to Nebraska and study science. Through those cold wintry nights, his dream was kept alive.

However, the mid-west is known for its fickle weather. In winter there are snowstorms and blizzards, while the summers beget Tornadoes and thunderstorm. That is the price people pay for living on the Great Plains. Most people accept the perils of mother nature and continue to go about their daily lives with the faith that they would remain untouched with the grave acts of mother nature. However, one such year, Greeley was caught in a wicked twist of nature. A massive tornado in the month of June, wiped out the entire town and flattened all but the only concrete structure in the city - City Hall. The tornado was reported to be 2 miles wide and packed winds over 130 miles per hour. The town of Greeley suffered severe causalities and was completely destroyed.

Trying to cope with the bereavement of some close family members, Carson lay sleepless on his field. Without a roof, he would stare at the sky all night. At times, when he could get his mind of the tragedy that befell the town, he would look at the Moon. His mind was filled with nostalgia of the days when he would fondly look at the moon and dream of reaching it one day. Today that dream seemed more distant than ever. The best laid plans of men and mice often go awry, and tonite the biggest question facing Carson was not whether he could reach the moon but whether he could ever go back to being a successful corn husker and feed his family.

The Great Plains

2008-06-02T23:45:00.006-04:00

There are some states that you visit only if you are driving cross-country. South Dakota is one of them. I was thus mildly surprised when we undertook a road trip last weekend with the sole purpose of visiting South Dakota. While the high prices of gas kept most families out of the road, we did the opposite by clocking 1300 miles over the weekend. Courtesy of a 42 mpg hybrid, the round trip from Minneapolis to Rapid City was conducted with a mere 3 gas stops. Infact, I considered it a display of hubris, when my brother stopped at a gas station with the sole purpose of having coffee and using the restroom and NOT filling gas! I have already decided that while buying my next car I would give a serious thought to the SmartCar

Southwestern Minnesota is pretty uninteresting with a flat terrain with tilled agricultural fields. However, a plethora of windmills doting the landscaped testified the progressive environmental policies of the state. The 200 odd miles through this terrain was very uneventful and boring, and in many ways resembled parts of Texas. On entering Dakota, the wind which was already roaring, picked up even more. Here I was treated to the Great Plains of North America. Not only was the land flat as far as you could see, there were no trees to obstruct your views too. There were miles of prairie grass, fenced ranches, and grazing cattle. Having lived in Texas for over a year, it might surprise most people when I say this - I have never witnessed such plain tract of land before. This terrain of Dakota reminded me of the Serengeti's Plains of Africa abound with a million strong herd of Wilde beast and other animals. If not for billboards, and road signs, this part could easily be designated as wilderness.

After traveling 400 miles through this Dakotan landscape, we arrived at Rapid City. Rapid City seemed like a quaint little town which seemed dead even on what should be a busy Saturday evening. I remarked to my brother and sister-in-law that this part of the country must be atleast 20 years behind the rest. Sure enough, the bar that we went to, was playing Backstreet Boys, Michael Jackson & Maddona! The next day we went to visit Mt. Rushmore situated in the Black Hills region. This region is very scenic with a lot of lakes and mountain activities to offer. Mt. Rushmore itself was pretty impressive, and stood a testament to an architect's pursuit of innovation and the indomitable spirit of all the workers who slaved 14 years in its making.

In a place where only white men live, I was shocked to find the existence of an Indian Restaurant - Curry Masala. My shock was compounded, when the billboard to the restaurant was scripted in Tamil. A couple from Madurai & Chennai doled out some warm hospitability and food to mildly confused Desis traveling through Rapid City. I have encountered Desis in remote parts of Kansas before, but even in my wildest dream I did not think I would run into a desi restaurant in South Dakota! The indomitable Desi entrepreneurial spirit will never cease to amaze me. Bravo!

On the trip back, we made a stop at Badlands National park. Given the great weather, the park provided ample photographic opportunities. From points of higher elevation on the park, one could see a distance of about 100 miles in any direction courtesy The Great Plains and the absolute lack of pollution. The park itself provided various strange formations and a good mixture of prairie lands with dry rock formations.

Most people would consider a drive through Dakota rather boring. But I came home with some fond memories. It was flat, the scenery never changed, it was windy but it was not lifeless. The roads where always lined with ranches filled with cows. The contrast of dark green prairie grass, the black cows, a pool of water and the lone wind shredded tree stood symbolic of the vast expanse of the tract and the rural nature of the state. Having seen South Dakota, I am now inspired to travel to the even more rural North Dakota. Fargo, Here I come!

Disaster Technology, Heartless Dictatorship & Garbage Media

2008-05-21T23:06:00.005-04:00

Couple of day ago, I was watching my daily dose of world news with Charlie Gibson on ABC. They ran a small piece on a town in China, where a school building collapsed during the recent earthquake killing almost all the students in the building at the time. Since the Chinese dictatorship has been steadfastly following the 1 child programme for years, most parents lost their only kid in that building mishap. The images and the story of these disconsolate parents were really heart wrenching. With most parents not in a position to have kids again or too distraught to even think of raising another family, this village had surely lost a complete generation.

This got me revisiting my old idea of humans controlling the nature. Its hard to believe that we can build unmanned instruments that land on the moon, robots which can conduct an orchestra, cell phone service which lets you talk to anyone anytime in any corner of the world, but yet fall short in understanding this natural phenomena. Is it just unfathomable or are we not trying hard enough? How difficult would it be to predict the next earthquake or the next Tsunami? After all these events are not uncontrollable natural things like the rotation of the earth or the explosion of a star.

Technology is often driven by government policies and funding, and not always by people's necessity. For example, we can easily clone a sheep or a dog. Now, had the government and other organizations not vehemently protested, we would have had human clones walking around us by now. Stem cells would have let us grow artificial meat and completely eliminate corporate farming of animals. Sometimes I think that lack of funding and strong regulations is one reason why we don't have great disaster management technology? Unlike cellphone, aeroplanes, automobiles or entertainment this would not be a profit begetting venture for any corporation. This technology has to be completely bred and developed by a strong willed cash rich visionary government.

The magnitude of the Chinese earthquake was so huge that it was easy for the media and people to forget another major catastrophe which happened in the same part of the world - cyclone Nargis in Burma. This cyclone managed to permanently change the southern Burmese coastline and alter the lives of most families living in that neighborhood. 15000+ people lost their lives, and thousands lost their families. But the heartless military rule refuses aid from other countries and worse, maintains its visa restrictions and impedes rescue workers from entering the country. Is this ego of the ruling leaders or is it just a fear of letting the outside world an inside view of the administration's atrocities ?. Either ways, its pitiable to see that innocent lives are lost due to a governments stubbornness to stick to its guns.

Lastly, the US media sucks as usual in its coverage of the world events. After dismissing Fox as a republican mouthpiece, I used to trust only CNN for my daily dose of news. But in a country where Hillary Clinton's inability to operate a coffee machine and the American idol results are the biggest headliners, a loss of 50,000 lives is not big enough to merit 2 days of headline news coverage. Independent media is necessary to criticize the government and give a fair and balanced news. But one can only expect so much from corporate run news networks pandering to a market which thinks the world only consists of 48 contiguous states!

Guns, Germs & Steel

2008-05-08T23:30:00.002-04:00

Have you ever wondered why the whites are the most dominating race in the world? Why Africa mainly consists of Blacks and houses the most underdeveloped countries of the world? Or for that matter, why are the Brown people in Asia not as advanced as the white population elsewhere? Are some races genetically superior to others ? Although, it might be easy to draw the conclusion that all races are not equal, it has been proved that genetically all races are the same. After months of procrastination, I finally finished reading the book "Guns, Germs & Steel" by Jared Diamond, and it did a fantastic job of shedding light on some of my confusion about the current state of the world and the general history of human evolution.

It would be hard to condense 500 pages of this book into 5 paragraphs, but I would like to highlight some really startling points. I finally got convinced of the fact that early humans were primarily meat eaters and hunter gatherers, and vegeterianism and agriculture was a slow development. Infact agriculture by virtue of its ability to reap foodgrains in bulk and store it, rang in a sedentary lifestyle as opposed to the nomadic lifestyle of the hunters. This sedentary lifestyle gave birth to a division of labor and created resources for the development of economy, politics and science. It is thus natural that societies which learned these agragrian triats first, were also the first to develop weapons and assert their dominance over others. Given the fact that some parts of the world are geographically more conducive to support an agriculture based society, these parts developed faster than others. Hospitable weather, suitable soil, presence of right kind of trees & animals all were factors which favored some societies over the other.

Once you buy into this idea, it is easy to see how these traits were transferred to some of the underdeveloped parts of the world by movement of these agragrian societies. As most of these development started at the crescent valley area of Eastern eurasia, the Europeans gained an upper hand on all the other societies and started making the world its colony. As history would tell us, in time some of these local societies learnt these skills and kicked the Europeans out, however it would take a while before these societies can catch up with the West.

An interesting factor in the evolution of the society is the role of government policies. The best example in the book is of the typewriter. As anyone would agree the QWERTY system is probably not the best way of typing. All the commonly used letters are placed on your left hand and places a right handed person at great disadvantage. When they were invented, the sole purpose of this typewriter was to prevent people from typing fast and jamming their machines. Years later with technology advanced, we continue to use the same system partly due to tradition (and partly due to lobbying?). Thus, sometimes, government policies and popular voice may supercede scientific advances and pure logic.

Another principle advanced in the book is that of Optimal Fragmentation. This principle has been explained by considering the example of Europe and China. Both these societies have independently existed and developed for the same amount of time. All things equal, both the societies should have advanced to the same state of developement. However, this is not true. China has mostly remained an unified empire, whereas Europe in contrast has been a divided kingdom with with a plethora of different cultures. The author believes that this fragmentation would have created an atmosphere of healthy competition, and hence accelerated the development by way of this competition. So far so good, but you may then ask why is India not more advance than Europe? Afterall India has been more divided and diverse than any other nation. This is where the word Optimal takes effect. I guess there has to be some amount of fragmentation, but too much causes difficulty in propogation of knowledge and science.

On deeper introspection, I started thinking if the much cherished phrase used to describe India "Unity in Diversity" is actually a curse but not a boon. Is it possible that if we were not as diverse as we are today, we could have developed much faster and lead the world rather than catching up with it as we do today ?

Far East

2008-05-03T00:12:00.004-04:00

For more than a year, I have been craving a visit to the Far East. On one hand, strictly from a professional perspective, Far East presents a great business opportunity and in an increasingly global market an exposure is must for anyone aspiring to the higher echelons of any corporation. On the other hand, it represents the best mix of a well developed country where 1st class amenities and infrastructure meet with the third world diversity, cultural values and more importantly humility. For a light sleeper like me, 13 hour non-stop flights are never a fun. Add to this a middle seat in the middle row, and its recipe for disaster. As my protests, with the added air of being a Silver Elite member, were mocked away by the rude ticketing agent, I resigned myself to boarding the flight early and grabbing both my arm rests. However, a tiring 3 day business trip of Los Angeles and 2 glasses of wine made sure I slept like a log through the remainder of the journey. An interesting point of observation - I was the only brown man in the entire Boeing 777.

The one hour bus ride from Incheon International Airport to Seoul was rather un-scenic but gave me enough evidence to establish that this country is highly developed. Four, and at times five, laned freeways were whizzing with vehicles at 100 Kmph. There were not many small cars of the Maruti, Santro sub-compact kind and hardly any two wheelers. Once under the shadow of the city skyline, the streets resembled Manhattan, with tall buildings towering car filled streets. Although, at parts, the traffic was as unruly as Manhattan there was no incessant honking or irate drivers. And then there were markets which resembled tiny stores in India minus the filth and the crowd. For a city with a 11 million population, the city never seemed really dense. There was always plenty of open spaces.

The city is split into two halves by the Han river. I was restricted mainly to the northern half. The surrounding green hills and mountains provide a pretty backdrop to the city. However, the perennial haze impeded the mountains from doing a complete justice to some of my attempts to take post card snaps. But the hills did provide some pretty drives with great vistas of the city. I was fortunate enough to be put up in one of the higher floors of a rather tall hotel which provided panaromic views of the city. Call it high-tech or just plain luxury, but my hotel bathroom had an electronic toilet seat, which would spray, clean and rinse my behind at the push off a button. Hell ya, you could even choose the water pressure, temperature and the spray rythm! Just tells you how far the technology has advanced in the East! Also, residing in the club level of the hotel, I was at the receiving end of some great hospitality, where I was reminded of the Indian subservient culture. Money can buy you a lot of things in America, but this is definitely not one of those things.

Most youngsters in Seoul seemed fashion crazy as duty free shops and fashion markets doled out some of the really expensive fashion brands worldwide. The airport had more stores for perfumes and handbags than for food! The ladies were extremely pretty and seemed to have a keen sense of fashion. The men were almost always dressed nattily in suits, and made me seem like a sloppy informal American with his casual sense of dressing and arrogant disrespect to other cultures. Business meetings were trifle annoying with the customer jabbering away amongst themselves in Korean for 15 minutes before asking me a question. I guess it is not seen as disrespectful in Oriental culture to talk in the native language in front of a non-native speaker.

In US, I often joke around that "I eat anything that moves". I was careful not to blurt this out in Korea, lest they take it seriously cause I am aware that they are fully capable of implementing the above sentence. After 1 traditional meal, I had perfected my chop stick skills and was successfully downing all the kimchi and noodles that were thrown at me. Most Korean meals are very elaborate with atleast 5-10 ceramic bowls utilized to serve just 1 person. I wonder if the most hated job in Korea is that of the person who cleans the dishes. Despite much hype, I never got to taste Dog! When I mentioned this to a co-worker this morning, she expressed utter disgust, "Geez, Arun, I own a pet, I could never imagine eating a dog". To which another co-worker remarked, "It probably tastes like chicken".....and I could not agree more.

Apology to The City of Houston

2008-04-22T00:01:00.011-04:00

As goes the cliched saying, Time Flies. Its been a year since I have moved to Houston, and I have still not shut up bad-mouthing this city. Ever since I moved to the city, I have been complaining about the flat terrain, the ultra conservative right wing mentality, the plethora of pick up trucks and churches, the gun laws and hunting fanatics and in general a lack of personality in the city. Infact I jokingly used to rephrase the famous NASA Astronaut jargon as "Houston, you have a problem". But while doing so I have often forgotten some of the benefits of being in this unique Texan city. The one year anniversary marks the perfect time to patch up with this city and celebrate things which only it can offer.

Firstly, having lived in Southern California for couple of years, I had forgotten how cheap things were elsewhere. To my great delight, I could rent a bigger apartment in one of the priciest neighborhoods in the city and still pay less than half of my rent in Los Angeles. When you add the fact that Texas doesn't levy any state taxes it makes your paycheck taste that much sweeter. Being the fourth largest city in the country, it offers all the thrills and vibrancy of a big city but at half the price. Gone are the days when I would pay $15 just to get into a club, after having paid $10 to park. Houston allows me to valet my car, for a meager $2 tip, and then walk straight into some of the trendiest of the lounges and have relatively cheap Greygoose.

Secondly, it is in the center of universe when it comes to Oil. Major oil companies are based out of this city, and their policies and lobbying make or break political races in the Capitol. Infact, the importance of Oil internationally, makes Houston's place in the world even more important. Besides oil, Texas, and in general Houston boasts the best medical center in the country. The Texas Medical Center (TMC) is claimed to be the largest medical center in the world. Not to mention the NASA is based out of the city and employs some of the brightest minds in the country.

Lastly, Houston has made me realize why I should worship cows - they are the delicious! Thanks to places like Sullivans, Papas Steak House, Perry's etc, I have realized the joy of chewing on a succulent juicy piece of filet mignon while paired with a nice wine. When on budget, smoke sausages and ribs from Goode Co or Hickory Hollow work just fine. In general the city boasts of a huge selection of restaurants to whet your palette and keep you satisfied on any given day of the week. The fact that you need reservation at many places on a weekday, despite the number and the size of these restaurants, speaks volume about the eating out culture in the city.

Courtesy of the old western movies, most people perceive Texas to be dry, barren, with tumble weeds lining the freeway. On the contrary Houston receives a copious amount of rainfall and its greenery rivals some of the north eastern city. Only difference being, the greenery here is perennial as opposed to 6 months of greenery in the east! Besides the sylvan boulevards lined with elegant but gigantic oak trees is truly a unique East texan feature. Places like Memorial Park which is a forest in itself, but yet situated minutes away from the downtown, is ample proof of the lush greenery. Due to abundance of open spaces, everything is bigger in Texas. Add to this Oil money and Houston boasts some of biggest mansions you would see in the country. If you dont beleive, just drive down Memorial Blvd outside the loop or River Oaks Blvd.

As I begin one more year, hopefully a final one, I hope to convert my predominantly hateful relationship with the city to more of a love & hate relationship! Thank you Houston.

Excess

2008-04-15T23:30:00.002-04:00

"Plastic OK sir?"
"No paper bags please!"

Its not very common to hear these words in Houston. So when I was done with my request, I looked around with a smug feeling of being a progressive induvidual. Alas! there were no young ladies to impress but only septugenerians rummaging through their coupon book and rifling through their bags for the cheque book. However, this false sense of complaceny was quickly deflated with my dad's first jaunt to the grocery store. Seeing the paper bags stack up in kitchen, he grabbed some of them and said he planned to reuse them instead of getting more paper bags. Later in the same week, he found a big cloth bag and decided he can do away with the paper bags completely and use this big comfortable cloth bag for his daily pickings.

As I reflected on my dad's action, I realised that his action was more a reflection of an upbringing without an excess than a concern for the environment. Growing up in India, we are always reminded of wastage of energy resources. Our parents reprimand us for simple things like keeping the faucet open while brushing the teeth, or keeping the light on in the bedroom when not using it. Why then do we forget these roots when we are transported to this land of abundance? You don't have to be educated or progressive to care for environment. You just have to learn to take what you want and not indulge in excesses.

Here is one simple thing which I came across recently, which doesn't take any effort to implement but can a huge impact on your energy consumption:

Unplug Chargers when not in use

Only 5% of the power drawn by a cell phone charger is used to charge the phone. The other 95% is wasted when it is left plugged into the wall. Read the following link to see the energy savings from an "unplugged" not in use charger. And if you are really interested and rich, you might wanna try this green plug.

Finally, here is a fine article in Slate, exposing the hypocrisy of the "Green" Beijing Olympics.

This reiterates my point that energy conservation is a much more convoluted issue than a simple take on your car's gas mileage.

Phone-Book

2008-04-06T12:31:00.006-04:00

Last week, I finally made the switch from Verizon to AT&T. This decision was not a result of my personal choice but rather a necessity, given the wireless carriers of my current friend circle. Having battled with my minutes usage for past 3 years, I finally relieved myself of the hideous contract structure and shifted to AT&T. Due to false advertisements (my own perception), I was under the impression that AT&T had great phone deals. One visit to the store later, I realised that I might have to settle for something ordinary if I didn't want to dent my wallet. Luckily, a resourceful colleague at work hooked me up with one of his connections and I ended up getting a $50 value of phone for free.

Having carried an almost unrecognisable 814 area code for last 4 years, I finally got a more known 281 area code. Although I am still kicking myself for not making use of the opportunity to obtain a 310 area code, I am satisfied to carry the 281 code for the rest of my life. Atleast it belongs to a big city and not some small county. For the unaware, 310 is the area code for West LA, Beverly Hills, Malibu and all those fancy places along the Los Angeles coastline. It definitely would have given some sort of pride and bragging rights to have the same area code as those of Cameron Diaz, David Beckham & Tom Cruise.

Changing phone numbers is never an easy procedure. Unaware that a single message cc-ed to 15 recipients is equivalent of 15 text messages, I gleefully texted all and sundry. After having sent such an announcement to 120+ recipients, a thoughtful friend reminded me of my ignorance. Pheww...there goes my $50 savings!! Added to this, there were some really old contacts who messaged back "Who is this?". At first I was ashamed that I was already erased from phonebooks of some of my old friends, but I soon regained common sense not to message these folks back. If I am not important enough that you would retain me in your phone-book over the years, then sorry, you are not important enough for me to keep you informed of my new number!

Later that night I spent some time sifting through my contacts in order to trim it. As I paid careful attention, I came across several of whom I had know well in the past, but have had no contact in a long long time. I wondered if these people still had me in their phone-book and whether I should still have them in my phone-book? Even if I erased them from the phone-book, they would still be in my memory. But the wiping of the physical address seemed symbolic of a lost time and hence I thought twice before proceeding with any action.

On a different note, it is always amusing when a friend with whom you don't have a close contact calls you after a really long time. In such instances, my first feeling is always that this person must be in my town. As you nervously pick up the phone and speak to this friend, you always keep thinking in the back of your mind "Why is this person calling me?". This thought blocks a free flow of converstation as you exchange in a few formal greetings and wait for the person to state the real reason why he is calling. A few months ago, I had a friend call me, probably, after 2 years. My gut feeling was proved right when after exchanging a few pleasantries, my friend said, "Dude I am in LA this weekend. I am going to the club Vanguard in Hollywood for a party. Do you wanna join?" I said, "I wish I could, unfortunately I now live 1500 miles away."

Your Car & You

2008-03-31T23:03:00.005-04:00

This is what your car says about you

Hummer - My grand dad owns an oil field and I am a jackass driving a huge vehicle to over come my shortcomings.

Chevy Suburban - Ever heard of the word "excess". Well, I am the definition!

Cadillac Escalade - I am either a rap star or a drug dealer.

Ford 150 - I live in Texas!

Ford 500 or Taurus - I am a die hard patriot or this is a Corporate Car.

Buick LaSabre - I am 75 years old.

Toyota Camry - I am wise with my money.

Toyota Prius - I am rich enough to care for the environment.

Honda Accord - If there are more than 3 people in my car, I am an Indian!

Nissan Altima - I didn't want to be stereotyped with those Accord & Camry folks.

Subaru - I live in Colorado.

Chrysler 300 - Give me a big powerful spacious box.

Black Mercedes Sedan - I am driving my wife's car.

Mercedes AMG models - I understand Horse Power.

Cadillac XLR - Curves are for the pansy, give me the chisel edge super car.

BMW Z4 M - I am young and driven by pure adrenaline

Mustang - I am poor, this is the best sports car I can afford.

Porsche Boxster - The only reason I am driving this is because I could not afford a Carrera.

Jaguar XKR - I belong to a blue blooded family.

Corvette - I only care for the looks of a car not its performance. I drop cash for the Bling factor.

Lexus RX350 - I am a soccer mom

Land Rover - I am a trophy wife.

Bentley Continental GT - I am not sure if I want a killer sports car or a stately luxury Sedan

Ferrari - I have loadsa money

Lambhorgini - I have more money than the guy above

ROMM - The Hypocrite

2008-03-18T01:13:00.004-04:00

He had spent the formative years of his youth living by the dictum "You can't have the cake and eat it too". In a world corrupted by the gradual amortization of morals, he grappled on to his much cherished principles. When he was young, things were simple, and it wasn't always difficult to do and say the same things. In his adolescent days, ignorance was bliss and he was naive enough to believe that you could always do the best for the society while being righteous and consistent. Life chugged along at a metronomic, yet cheerful pace, as he maintained his sangfroid.

However, the above notion was dealt a death knell when he aged. As he reached a position of prominence - one where his actions and decisions could actually affect things around him, he ran into a serious conflict of interest. In umpteen situations, his well thought good natured actions would be circumvented by his past choices. His predicament was - Is it better if actions A & B are both wrong, yet consistent in their intent? or Is it better if actions A & B were inconsistent, which would make at least one of them right?. In the former case he was being true to his principles, but his outcome was not favorable. In the latter, he was a flip-flop and a fickle minded hypocrite, but yet achieved a better end result than the former case. Should his noble intentions in instance B be judged against his sinister reputation in instance A? Should he salvage his reputation and repeat action A for B, or just swallow the ignominy of being dubbed a hypocrite and perform differently, but for the good, on B?

On deeper introspection, he realized that he could debunk the inconsistencies in most actions of every person he knew. Was this setting up a rationale for people being hypocrite? No, this was merely an observation he was suddenly made aware of. It took a while, but enlightenment finally dawned upon the confused. He realized that life is not all white and black, but rather gray, and there is definitely more than one shade of gray. Even the most righteous personalities were guilty of acting differently in different situations. They might not admit it, but it wasn't difficult to look through the veneer of righteousness to see the selfish interests that people knowingly or unknowingly perpetrate. At first, this thought disillusioned him and he felt the world around had just crashed on him. But healing began as soon as he had picked up and cleaned the shards of this aftermath. Soon he began to rebuild his confidence and groom a different school of thought.

Convinced of a new philosophy that pardoned every person in the world for being hypocrite, he no longer pondered for hours over some of the ramifications of his actions. He did what he liked and what he thought was best for everyone, without judging it in the light of his past actions. Soon he realized he could say one thing and do another as long as some of his actions which violate his preaching were actually utilized for the good. Sure, there were those critics and theorists who pointed fingers, but it took him only few minutes to unmask their hidden hypocrisy and justify his actions.

It was only a matter of time before people understood him, and more importantly, his philosophy.This brought in a renaissance of a kind. The world had been gifted with a new order, an order which freed people from the anathema of a vile adjective, and rung in a happy ending. Ironically, with the world embracing hypocrisy, there were no pretenders, instead people were just being themselves.....long live The Hypocrite!!

Holy Cow!

2008-03-11T00:06:00.004-04:00

As my forefathers squirm in their grave, I have only I thing to say........."Yummmm.......!"

ps: Thank you Texas!

Silver Elite

2008-03-02T11:47:00.006-05:00

"M'am can you take my coat please?"
"Sure, sir, and would you like something to drink?"
"Yeah, can I get a red wine, please?"
"There you go sir....."
"Thanks"

As I sipped my red wine, I smirked at other frustrated economy class passengers making their way past me, bustling to find the much coveted overhead cabin space and the rights to rule their neighbours arm-rests. As I soaked in my cabernet, I mockingly muttered to myself, "If only you guys had worked a little harder". Arrogance had finally arrived, it was probably fleeting....but I was loving every minute of it!

Till about last year, I had never flown First Class in any airlines. However, 2008 has started out with a big surprise, as I have now flown 4 out of my last 5 legs in that luxury cabin at the front of the aeroplane. This reversal of fortune is the fruit of my year long allegiance with Continental Airlines, which earned me the Silver Elite status through Feb 2009. Prior to moving to Houston, I lived in Los Angeles, which due to its location never served as a major airline hub. This resulted in me earning miles on 4 different accounts and never reaching a point where I could rake up enough miles in a year to reach the elite status. However, the city of Houston is serviced almost entirely by Continental, and courtesy my trips to Asia and Europe last year, I finally clocked enough miles to get inducted into the elite club.

As an economy coach traveller, the curtain between the coach and the First Class cabin always reminded me of the heirarchy in the society. There is a whole world of difference in the 2 classes. I get my first cocktail even before the flight leaves the gate. For meal, I get white linen spread on my table and get silverware, not some cheap plasticware! Infact on the flight back from Costa Rica, the first class actually served Steak for dinner and Sundaes for dessert! The rest-room is always empty, and I dont have to wade throught the aisle with 1000 prying eyes resting on me. There are no crying toddlers or garralous war veterans annoying me. There are tired business travellers who either work hard or sleep hard and respect your privacy.

However the best part of the Elite Status, is the feeling that you are better than others. On second thoughts, it is not the feeling, its the fact that you are better than others. While others snake through a mile long queue to get through security, I step on a blue carpet welcoming me and breeze through it. Even while boarding, as soon as those nasty toddlers board the planes, I get to board and use up as much of the overhead cabin space as I decided to consume. It gives a great sense of importance to board, when 95% of the passengers are still getting fidgety in their seat looking at you enviously before they get their chance to board. I also relish at the prospect of the sadistic pleasure of watching your friends haul past you into their crampy economy coach, while you esconce yourself in the comforts of your huge seat.

Sometimes I wonder if I will ever be able to go back and adapt myself to Economy coach anymore?

Keep Portland Weird!

2008-02-23T17:18:00.003-05:00

Ever since my first memorable trip to the Northwest, I had been pining for more. Having
heard and read a lot about Oregon, and Portland in particular, I finally got an opportunity
to satiate this desire by visiting this part of the country over the President's day weekend. If you don't visit the Northwest between July 4th and Halloween, the weather at most times is gloomy and depressing. But fortune favors the brave, and my to and fro first class flights to the city was further sweetened by 3 bright days of sunshine and warm weather. The occurence of 3 consecutive days of sun was best summarised by my colleague at work, whose first words on hearing this was, "You lucky son of a gun!".

The city of Portland has a very laidback and casual air to it and is often compared to Austin and Madison. In many ways, it follows the trend of most of the west coast cities like LA, San Francisco & Seattle. Devoid of big chain stores, the city exudes a personality of a small town with local stores dotting the downtown. Given the liberal outlook in this part of the country there is a plethora of unique stores and especially notable are the neighbourhoods of Hawthorn and Division district. Courtest the gloomy weather for most part of the year, coffee plays an important role in the lifestyle of Portlanders. I had my fill at the Stumptown coffee, and I must say, it definitely comes close, if not matches the best one I have had in Houston. The city also boasts of an underground network of micro-brews and doles out some really cool local blends.

The downtown, despite the lack of really tall buildings, sits pretty on the banks of Willamete river. With numerous bridges criss-crossing the river, the city resembles, in some ways, the east coast cities settled along the river. But on clear days, the downtown boasts of some unparelleled views of Mt. Hood and Mt. St Helens. Although St. Helens has its top blown off, Hood retain its perfect triangular apex as it rises 11,000 ft above the ground in its snow covered splendor. This forms a perfect backdrop to travellers and commuters heading east on the Interstate 84.

The main agenda of the trip, skiing, was established in the vicinity of Hood. Despite faring better than my compatriots, I was a tad disappointed at my endeavour. Having arrived with the lofty goal of graduating to steeper climbs of Blues, I ended up languishing for most part on a terrain which although dubbed "green", must have been a simple "blue". As I quench all my aspirations for same this year, in flat Houston, I look forward to a prolonged outing next year, hopefully in the Rockies, Sierras or the Cascades!!

The trip also involved a small jaunt to the beginning of the columbia river gorge and a brisk hike to see the head of the Multnomah falls. Under strict time constraints, the steep 1 mile hike to the top was completed thanks mainly due to persistence of my friend, but must say, it was well rewarded with vista views from the top. Having had my fill of Waterfalls (Catarratas), in Costa Rica, I arrived at this falls looking to sneer down at it, but was mildly surprised with its height and beauty. The remainder of the day was spent driving to the coast to the small beautiful town of Cannon Beach. Due to a really flat ocean bed, and tides, I was greeted to an array of colorful aquatic creatures clinging on the exposed rocks. Starfish, Sea Anemones and Mussels clinged on to moist rocks as they waited for the high tide to bring them back to their moist habitat.

Mountains and jagged peaks always allure people and add beauty to the landscape. And then
there is a rocky ocean with waves beating down on them and miles of pristine sand. You mix
the two, and you get a great meeting of land and sea. Don't believe me....just head west!

Big "D"

2008-02-07T23:43:00.000-05:00

This was the third time in last 2 years that I have spent an entire week in Dallas, but I still cannot get myself to like this city. However, its always been a funtime in Dallas, as I have always been on training, which translates to 1 great week of hostipatility on company account. You also get an opportunity to meet and interact with people all over the world and learn new things. There are some crazy adventures and stories to tell from my first trip, but most of my other trips have been rather uneventful.

They have a saying in Houston which goes "If you don't like the weather, just wait 5 minutes". This probaby applies to Dallas too. Monday was a record high of 84F, whereas the low on Tuesday evening was 34F. A 50F (27C)differential in a day - truly incredible! But the extreme weather range of Dallas, 32F in Winter - 105F in summer, results in a very non-green, brown landscape which serves as no relief to the eyes from the concrete jungle.

On the face of it, Dallas is not very different from Houston or many other US cities, with its biggest claim to fame being the "Kennedy Assassination". It is flat, tall buildings dot the landscape, and the city is filled with strip malls lining the service roads by the freeway. Like most of Texas, you see a plethora of ugly huge pick-up trucks and massive restaurants serving twice the normal portion of what you should be eating. The city doesn't exude any special personality to impress first time visitors and things dont change much as you travel from one part of the city to other. The Dallas downtown skyline does boast of some impressive towers.

But in many ways, Dallas looks like a very white collared city with a lot of high rise offices of big companies. Infact a lot of big name companies have their headquarters in Dallas - must be some weird tax benefits. Combined with the cheap standard of living, this does make the city wealthy and some parts pretty upscale. This has resulted in the city boasting of 4 professional teams, one in each sport, with the Cowboys and Mavericks definitely close to the top of their induvidual league. Combined with Fort-Worth metro, it is definitely a big city, proven by its huge airport serving as American Airlines lines hub.

On my first visit to the city, I had made a valiant effort to find all things touristy and explore and learn more about the city. Soon I realised, the futility of that endeavour, and resigned myself to enjoying what Texas doles out best - Steaks! This time around, I got an opportunity to enjoy this bovine pleasure at probably one of the finest restaurant I have ever visited. The cheque at the end of the day was a record setter, but I should have seen that coming from the complimentary plates of caviars and ribs served to us. This also gave me a chance to add another delicacy to my long list of strange edible creatures!

A Discombobulated Mind!

2008-01-31T22:53:00.000-05:00

The Natural Order
"Water, No Ice!"
Memorial Drive
ROMM - The Hypocrite
Empty Calories - Beverages!
GOOG

....these are 6 blog titles that lay one below the other on my notepad. On some I have written a paragraph or two, on others there is merely an exclamation mark or apostrophe. Concrete ideas hatched during daily chores have somehow completely eluded me, as I sit down to elaborate on them. Its a shame! Well conceived ideas have been dealt a cruel blow, courtesy a disfunctional, utterly distracted cranium. As soon as I string together a nice train of thought, it seems to be derailed by a myraid of parellel corruptive opinions.

Is it ADD ? Is it just me or is it the Technology ? As I reflect back nostalgically, to a time when I was in high school being capable of sitting 2 hours or more non-stop poring over my science text-books, I wonder whats gone wrong? Is it just an inefficient aging process undergone by all and sundry or is it the ushering of new age of technology and distraction? Looking back at those high school days, there was no internet, the cable had 2 channels and both of them showed mundane melodrama of ladies clashing with their in-laws. Even the news would focus on pertinent, but boring, issues like a visiting foreign dignitary than something sleazy like the "accidental" slip of Janet Jackson' bra during the Super-Bowl. With minimal intervention of technology, things were tranquil. There were less things to entertain you, but at the same time there were less things to distract you. At most times the mind was innocent, yet pure and fertile!

With the ushering of the "knowledge" era, information is at our finger-tips. Most would claim that this has definitely empowered us with a tool hitherto lacking, and thus via multitasking abilities, increased our productivity. You no longer stop for directions cause your GPS tells you when to turn, you can keep in touch with your unlce 10,000 miles away via email or you can check the weather in Hawaii a month from now to plan your ideal vacation. An explosion in multimedia over the past decade has completely transformed the way we congregate and then digest information. It has fostered an unprecedented sense of awareness and enable execution of ideas previously dubbed purely theoretical. Under this pretext anyone taking as much as a distant potshot at this progress would be baptized a heretic.

....but that is not the point of the post. What I am clamoring, unsuccessfully, to portray is the loss of human power to concentrate and fixate on one idea. Devoid of this cursory distractions, the human mind is sharper and more perceptive. Hence if I think of something which is purely devoid of technology, like say reading 50 pages of a book, I bet I would have done that faster a decade ago. However there are pitfalls into buying into this arguement, as it soon presents a problem of recursive nature. For eg, technology has continually evolved for centuries, and the above arguement can easily be applied in a retrogressive manner, to reason that humans a century ago were sharper in their thought process than today.

However you soon realise that concentrating on issue alone is worthless without an array of information to support and give a rational unbiased view to it. Thus although the cavemen had less distractions and could regurgitate an issue sharper than us, his lack of reasoning derived from information would still make him inferior to the distracted humans of today. Infact the incoherent nature of this post is a perfect testimony to the fact that my mind is soon losing its battle to congeal, effectively, a fluid thought into something solid...and so I move to my other window with a YouTube video!

Lunch Hour (..and a half)

2008-01-29T21:24:00.000-05:00

"Dude, don't turn back immediately, but check out the desi chic sitting in the table behind you"
"The one in black? I am not getting a good look. Is she cute?"
"Was cute when I walked in...don't know now! I only caught the profile, looked pretty. What are you planning to get? Mongolian beef?"
"Naah...I think I might get Orange peel chicken"
"Ok..lets order, probably we might get a better view from the registrar...."
" Can I get the chicken fried rice..spicy...and water..."

Food ordered. Table sighted.

"Dude, I still don't get a view of her..."
"Why are you turning your back towards her..you will never see her..let me get some silverware and hot sauce..I'll be back"
"Thanks for the tip...this seat works better"
"Damn..now I get to face the mens restroom, and turn my back to her"
"Do you wanna change the table...that table would work fine for all 4 of us"
"Nah..its OK..I am desperate...but not that desperate"

"She is kinda cute...do you think she is a FOB"
"Don't think so....she is with 2 white guys and a black lady..she looks kinda ABCD.."
"Hmmmm..I have definitely never seen her before"
"Howz the orange peel chicken...this fried rice sucks"
"Have some hot sauce...will make it better"
"Dude..why are you throwing your peanuts away.."
"There is wayyyy to many in this Pad Thai..."

"Look back...she is leaving..."
"hmmmm.."..turning back to the table, "whats so funny ?"
"Dude..while all 4 of us were gawking at her...the 2 guys with her were looking straight at us..."

"Nice..they have a funny anecdote to tell when they get back to the office.."
"Hey..its OK to stare..the way I look at it is..if the lady smiles back, she acknowledges the compliment...if she grimaces and looks away she is not too happy...but who cares? Nothing wrong in appreciating beauty"

"Yeah ..who cares..you guys ready to leave.."

"Do you wanna stop by that new coffee shop on washington and pick up a Latte..."
"Shouldn't we be getting back to the office..."
"Lets make it quick...we'll take it to go..besides its Monday"
"Ok Lets do it..I have a long day anyways...conference call at 5:00 pm.."

I love lunch-time.

Pura Vida

2008-01-13T14:45:00.000-05:00

The Costa Ricans call it the "Pura Vida" - Pure Life. After a 7 day trip to this beautiful country, I am convinced of the aptness of this Costa Rican phrase. The lush green fields, the fresh produce, the aromatic coffee, misty mountains and the hospitable nature of the people are just few ingredients that contribute to the purity. Most of the drives through countryside are unbelievably scenic filled with great vista views, bridges over raging rivers, and pretty waterfalls.

San Jose a busy city is the capital of the bustling central valley and has a very temperate weather like Los Angeles. However drug peddlers, prostitutes and pickpocketers make parts of the city a difficult proposition to navigate after the dark. Still the city is steeped in history and busy commercial markets are a picture of color and variety. Some of the suburbs are very affluent, whereas some suburbs are completely Americanised with their Burger Kings and Pizza Huts, which caters to a study influx of tourists from up north.

For a country the size of West Virginia, there is an enormous amount of diversity and weather pattern. The central Valley is the most densely populated region of the country and is replete with terraced coffee plantations, and fruit plantations. Rainforests are scattered through most of the highger elevations of the central valley and abound with great diversity in terms of flora and fuana and wildlife. Due to the terrain and the rainfall there are innumerable scenic waterfalls which dot the landscape. The swelling rivers sustain good rapids and give ample opportunites to do white water rafting through some really beautiful landscape. Hidden among the mountain ranges are various active volcanoes. We were lucky to see the nightly display of Mount Arenal, as the hot red lava oozed from the sides of this perfectly conical mountain. The mountain stands at the edge of the beautiful lake Arenal which due to its windy conditions is ideal for wind surfers.

Having never driven in India, I was scared at the propsect of driving on Costa Rican roads. The fear was further compounded when I realised that it most places, there is no road at all! Its just unpaved muddy or rocky clearing. A 4x4 is absolutely must in most conditions, and I experienced the worst drive of my life while driving from Monteverde to Tillaran. Driving at night on an unpaved, wet, steep road with sheer cliff drops is always tricky - but then you add a thick blanket of mist and 5 ft visibility, and all bets are off. For 1/2 an hour I relied on my navigator to tell me whether to steer right or left, as I waded out a very nervous drive.

Prior to the trip, most of my backpacking had always been in the wilderness of national parks. This was my first urban backpacking expereince, and it was great fun to stay in various hostels with bunker beds and meet fellow travellers. Its always interesting to hear about people tell their travel tales, and more often than not when I listen to such veteran travellers I am always filled with awe and a great pining to travel more. But then it also leaves me with a tinge of sadness to realise that Corporate America only grants me 2 1/2 weeks a year for all my travel escapades.

What a Shame !

2008-01-07T23:36:00.000-05:00

On a recent trip to Costa Rica, I met an Australian who had backpacked for 4 months through Europe and was on his final stop in Costa Rica. It wasn't long before our conversations shifted to cricket, and after checking his watch he remarked that the boxing day test gets underway in 2 hours time, and this would be the first MCG test in 12 years that he would be missing. But his next remark shocked me, "I wish the Australians lose, they are becoming too arrogant". As I reflect back on his remark, I could not have agreed more with him.

What transpired on day 5 at the SCG has definitely put the whole cricketing fraternity to shame. A perfectly fought 4 days of test match ended on an abject note courtesy some egregious umpiring and unsportsman like conduct by the Aussies. With the tour itself in jeopardy, the gash left in the aftermath of the verbal duel, and umpring blunders will take a long time to heal. Its a shame that the record breaking 16th consecutive win would forever be tainted by an undeserved victory marred by a few remorseless players and the high handedness of the governing cricketing body.

A stoic and diplomatic Indian skipper Anil Kumble stood in stark contrast to a condescending Australian skipper Ricky Ponting. Raw talent may get you instant success, but you need character to gain a lifetime of fame - a lesson Ricky Ponting will have to learn if he pines to enter the pantheons of the game. In many ways Ricky succeeded in imbibing the aggressive instincts of his predecessors Mark Taylor & Steve Waugh, but failed miserably in grabbing Taylors humility or Waughs diplomacy.

Cricket - A game founded by colonists, still retains its authoritian roots in the form of the almighty umpires, whose decisions should be never doubted or dissected. When a player nicks a catch and doesn't walk, he is touted dishonest. But the same player who stands grounds and disagrees with the umpire when he has clearly not edged the ball, is branded a rebel and worse slapped a hefty fine. Under such hypocritical circumstances, it is indeed farcical to even invoke a semblance of the word integrity on the field. As the Indians tamely walked back to the pavilion in the face of poor decisions handed out to them, the umpires remained unscathed. Its unfortunate that with such unprecended advent of technology, the game still relies for most part, on the 2 pair of naked eyes on the field to make crucial decisions instead of reverting to a camera and computer, aided third umpire. Why is the game resisting to usher in technology ? Is it more important to preserve the tradition and keep the game "uncorrupted" at the cost of not being fair and unbaised ?

On the topic of sledging, I have always believed that the actions taken have been retroactive and not substantiated by enough evidence. I think people need to realise that chiding, and abusing happens in every sport around the world, and in every form of game right from tennis-ball-gully cricket to the international scene. This doesn't mean we pardon them. Racism is definitely abominable and must be eradicated in a systematic manner. If the authorities feel the burden of erasing this from the game, they need to be more pro-active and take measures like planting microphones on the field to pin point the culprit, rather than framing the guilty based on a jury of his accusers.

From the day I started following cricket , World Cup 1992, I have been an ardent Aussie fan. I have cheered them through their highs and lows. In many ways, they single handedly transformed test cricket by batting at over 4 runs per over, making sportive declarations and trying their best to produce results in every test match they played. Their domination has been of dynastic proportions in both forms of cricket, and through their clinical precision they have also managed to win over fans despite allegations of sledging and rasict undertones. I have often sidetracked these unpleasant incidents by taking umbrage of great characters like Allan Border, Mark Taylor, Mark Waugh & Ian Healy. Unfortunately, with the current crop of australian cricketers, I fall miserably short in this endeavour.

Lost in Translation

2008-01-03T21:05:00.000-05:00

After paying the entry fees to the Volcan Tenorio National Park, in Costa Rica, we were left with zero cash. It was noon time, we hadn't had any breakfast, and barring a dingy restaurant (below) closeby there was no place to eat for miles around.

After 15 minutes of searching every cavity and crevice of our rented vehicle and ransacking all the backpack pockets, we finally came up with 6000 colones (12 dollars), most of it in 100 colones coins! On an average a Costa Rican meal costed $5 / person, but we had no option but to survive on our find today. From the beginning of the trip, I was repenting on my inability to have learnt spanish, and as fate would have it, the restaurant was run by a single elderly lady who spoke no English at all.

Gathering my broken spanish, I said "Yo tengo solemente sies mil colones. Yo quiero comida" (I have only 6000 colones, I want to eat). She said she can only provide 3 plates. I mentioned "Uno vegetariano, dos chuleta....cerdo". (1 vegeterian, 2 chuletas..but pork). She finally understood that and started cooking alone in the open kitchen next to the patio.

I then urged my kind friends to lend her a helping hand in the kitchen.

There was intense feelings on both sides, but language stood a big barrier, and we stayed incommunicado and gestured through actions and a spanish dictionary. The lady was however kind enough to understand our predicament and actually distribute the food into 5 good plates. I greeted her, " Mi mucho gusto" (I like very much).

Finally, we had to pay her for her services, and it was funny as I counted atleast 50 different coins of various denominations to make up 6000 colones. We also managed to get an extra $2 to tip her.

...so we parted ways, our hunger satisfied, and the lady with a nice story to re-tell her comrades. At most times language is a severe barrier and impediment...but this time, it was a source of pure entertainment.

NFL

2007-12-15T19:41:00.000-05:00

Last sunday, I finally realised my 4 year long dream of visiting a NFL game. Over the last 2 years, I had the good fortune of seeing a MLB, NHL, NBA & MLS game, however it was always difficult to lay hands on tickets for a good NFL match. As I spent my student life in Pennsylvania, I would always yearn for a Philadelphia Eagles or Pittsburgh Steelers ticket. But both these teams have probably the craziest fan following in the country, and with season ticket wait for Steelers close to 12 years, it was difficult to get a cheap regular season game. Since Los Angeles didn't possess a professional football team, I was forced to support the San Diego Chargers. However during my stay in Southern California, the Chargers had 2 really good seasons which made getting tickets for the game quite difficult.

I finally got a chance when I moved to Houston, as the Texans are not a very popular team and chances of getting tickets are definitely much better. Also, now that I am in a different work environment, I was bound to get invited for a free game by a customer. Fortunately this happened last week, and I had a great experience. Although the Texans fans are not as fanatic as Packers or Steelers, there was still great energy in the stadium. The NFL is definitely the best showcased and most competitive league in the country. As there are only 16 games and play-offs, it makes each game very important, unlike the 162 games played in regular season MLB.

The game was very well orchestrated, with fireworks, different contests on and off field and over the PA system, & mascots and cheerleaders. Due to the compact construction of the Reliant dome, there was a good view to soak in from all angles. But just like most professional sports, things inside the stadium tend to remain ridiculously expensive, with some charging $9 for a watered down lukewarm glass of lite beer! At the end of the day, the Texans won and hence the crowd was in a good mood. However, as expected, traffic was nightmarish and it took more than 1/2 just to get back on to the freeway.

The Conservative Liberal !

2007-12-05T23:04:00.000-05:00

Hari was born in a pretty conservative Tamil Iyer family. Hari's parents were raised up the old fashioned way, and as they firmly held to a lot of their conservative beliefs, it was normal for them to pass it on to their kid. During his younger years, Hari did not know any better than to imitate his family and relatives. So he went to the temple religiously, smeared himself with 3 horizontal lines of holy ash, wore the sacred thread and followed the much cherished customs. Often times, this would be a source of pride for him, cause it would keep his near and dear ones pleased and happy with him.

However, growing up in a cosmopolitan city took its toll, and Hari spent his formative years amidst friends from different backgrounds which invariably gave him a broader perspective of different things in life. Influenced by his foreign educated cousins and friends, Hari were to later grow up breaking a lot of the much cherished family values. Taboo things like meat and alcohol were the first victims, but Hari did a good job keeping his parents unawares of the same. Even when they did become aware of it, they were ready to pardon such feats, as long as Hari performed them without their knowledge....like many parents they prefered to be in denial, than trying to deal with them.

Meat and alcohol were only the precursor to the beginning of Hari's "impious" life. Despite his parents staunch religious beliefs, Hari always nurtured agnostic beliefs. In many ways his parents learnt to become more progressive with age and travel, and came to accept many of Hari's waylay lifestyle and values. At the end of the day all that mattered to them was that their son still loved them and took care of them. In some ways Hari had managed to instill in them very liberal views.

But the word conservative and liberal are more often than not, very loosely applied, and it should never be used in an absolute sense while describing a person. Often our views regarding things in life are very topical, and the same person who is far left on a certain issue might be hard right conservative on something other. Hari's parents were probably no different. They were willing to overlook all of their son's profligate lifestyle in exchange for him being married to someone of the same caste. Like a typical conservative Iyer houseold, they could not imagine their son not being married to anyone other than an Iyer.

But they got the jolt of their lifetime, when years later, Hari came "out of the closest" and confessed his gay preferences to his parents. His dad nearly suffered a stroke and his mom moaned for months. Hari's mom had always fantasised getting him wedded in a wealthy religious Iyer family. An out of caste marriage by itself would have put them in great grief, leave alone the fact that Hari now planned to marry a guy and not a girl. Over the years his parents had managed to accept a lot of Hari's non-traditional behaviour, but nothing could prepare them for something of this magnitude. For 4 years they stayed incommunicado with their only son, almost to a point where they refused to admit his existence.

However, like most things in life, time is always the best healer. It was heart wrenching for their parents to disown their only son and slowly they started preparing themselves for the inevitability. Thanks to media and western influences, there was enough public awareness and acceptance of his kind, and his parents had to finally come to terms with the matter. After 4 years, Hari's parents finally called him to signal a change of heart,

"Hari, I know its been a while. But we finally accept your choice. We respect your gayness
and your decision to marry a guy. That is ok with me. But your mom had 1 question for you"

"Yes dad, put mom on the line, whats the question Ma?"

"Is the guy you are planning to marry a Tamil Iyer?"

.....Speechless, Hari hung up.

Think beyond MPG*

2007-12-01T14:25:00.000-05:00

Consider 2 different personalities below

I. Joe Redneck grew up in a small super conservative town of Midland, Texas. Thanks to striking oil in his backyard, Joe reaped riches and soon moved to Houston. Now Joe drives a 10 mpg Hummer, lives in a mansion consuming MW's of energy. He does not care about the environment and doesn't believe in conservation of our natural resources. He never recyles and doesnt care about running faucets in his palace. He has never set foot outside Texas and is totally illiterate about other culture.

II. Allene Green, grew up in the super liberal neighbourhood of Berkeley, CA. He now lives in the city of San Francisco in a small condo and drives a Prius which gives him 50 mpg. His small condo is lit with energy saving bulbs and he utilies only 1 light at a time in his house. He recycles all the cans, and never uses a plastic bag. He takes public transportation wherever possible. He is a conservationist and a tree hugger. Allene is also a big fan of travelling, and makes several trips to international and local destinations every year and is very well learned.

After reading the first 2 stories, it is very easy for a common man to draw the conclusion that Joe Redneck doesnt give a damn about the environment, whereas Allene Green is 21st century thinker who believes in preserving the natural resources of this world. Yet if you were to do a complete examination of their lifestyles, you would notice that the fuel consumed by Allene's international and domestic pleasure trips well exceed that of Joe's Hummers consumption. For example Allene' last weekend round trip to NY and back was equivalent of driving Joe's Hummer for 1250 miles** - a feat Joe accomplishes in more than a month! Thus in stark contrast to your assumptions based on two extreme cases presented above, Allene's carbon foot print is actually much more than that of Joe's.

If this result startles you, read more. Allene also spends 10 extra minutes in shower compare to Joe....and pray how is the hot water heated? Allene also has a voracious appetite and eats more than Joe. All forms of food be it meat or vegetables need enormous amount of energy for harvesting, transportation and packing. These are just a few examples from our daily lives where Allene consumes more energy than Joe.

Saving energy and natural resources are not simple as the mpg of your car. It takes a more holistic approach. We all need to realise, that at certain level all of us are hypocritical. Some may be aware of it, some may be denial...but at the end of the day the only way to conserve our resources is to do our bit. It might be as simple as recycling, or keeping the tap running for 1 less minute, or consolidating your dirty laundry to wash them all at once instead of washing 1 sock at a time.

* MPG - Miles per gallon
** Assumption - SFO -NY roundtrip is 6000 miles @ 48 mpg.

Diwali Musings

2007-11-12T22:23:00.000-05:00

It was 11:30 pm on Thursday night, when I was at a popular Houston hangout Taco Milagro,
watching some salsa dancers show their talent, when a desi guy who was walking past me,
smiled, patted my back and said "Happy Diwali!". Managing to hide my surprise, I returned his thoughful greeting, and continued to smile reflecting at the possible inappropriateness of the whole situation. As we stood outside the crowded bar and talked about the cigar bar nextdoor, I suddenly felt a tinge of sadness at not being in India at this festive moment.

Growing up, Diwali was definitely the most celebrated and anticipated festival. Schools in Mumbai would typically shower us with a generous 15 day break to celebrate this colorful festival. As a kid, I remember building the famous killas (forts of mud and stone), and decking them with small idols of Shivaji and the Peshwas - only to be blow them on the day of Diwali with some powerful crackers. Bursting fire-crackers and other pyrotechnics asscociated with it were definitely the high point as a kid. Rockets would defitely be the most sought after fire-works, and I would take special pride on a successful trajectory launched from the terrace of our home. Despite reprimands from others, I also got to show my manliness by igniting a bomb in the hand and throwing it such that it would tear apart midway.

But the highlight of the festival was meeting up with all the relatives and the great feast of sweets that would ensue. Almost all Diwali, was spent in the company of grandparents, uncles and aunts. I remember getting up really early in the morning, taking bath, and touching the feet of my grandparents who would shower their blessings and hand over the new clothes. Most of the morning would be spent greeting all friends and relatives either in person or on the phone, and after a round of fireworks we would return to a really sumptuous breakfast. This would further be followed by visits to all relatives and a grand lunch and some more family time. Everyone that I would visit or pass by on the street would seem merry. It was just one of those happy times of the year, when every one is in a good mood.

.... just like most festivities in this country, Diwali was also celebrated on the weekend, albeit missing much of the fan-fare. Fortunately, some of my kind friends had invited me for lunch - a real delicious one, cooked by her parents. Thanks to a round of tennis, I was able to digest the late lunch and whet my appetite just in time for another round of drinks and food at my aunt's party. I ended up meeting a whole bunch of strangers in a social setting that day, but everybody was cheerful and real nice. An impromptu decision to do Desi buffet for lunch on thursday, was followed by another round of the same on Friday, thanks to my Boss' participation. Hell, to celebrate the festival of lights, my boss even jokingly gifted us flashlights with our company logo on it!!

When I was in India, I would be amazed to see that some people were actually working on the eve of the festival. Typically on my small errands I would notice that the milkman, bus-conductors, taxi-drivers and many other in service would continue to work just like any other day. At such moments, I would feel a deep sense of pity and would sympathise with their plight for their inability to stay home and enjoy it with their family and friends. As I sat at my desk on thursday morning, sorting out Win-Loss data for our product in the last 3 quarters, I felt the same wave of sympathy for myself......

Travel Wishlist

2007-11-03T15:39:00.000-04:00

...Places I definitely have to visit in next 15 years, not necessarily in that order

1) TransSiberian Rail - This 6000+ km rail line which traverses the length of Russia, also traverses parts of China & Mongolia. It would be a wonderful 10-12 days on the rail where you get to see varied topography and 3 totally different culture, and mingle with various co-passengers and travellers and share experiences.

2) Mt. Kiliminjaro & Serenghetti National Park - At 19,000+ ft, Mt. Kilimanjaro might be the tallest stand alone peak. Serenghetti is definitely a place which showcases the best wildlife in the world and a trip to both the places would be a great eye-opener to the rich African culture

3) Fjordlands - Dubbed as the Eight wonder of the world, kayaking in the Milford Sound in the Fjordlands in New Zealand would be a dream come true. The Fjords of Norway come a close second to this place.

4) Rafting in Himalayas - The grand daddy of all mountain ranges, a 10 day rafting expedition through the rugged terrains would definitely be a life changing experience.

5) Northern Lights in Fairbanks - One of the natural wonders of the world seen from the 60th parellel in Northern Hemisphere; is definitely the most divine and super-natural thing you can ever experience.

6) Machi Pichu & Colca Canyon - A trip to visit the old Incan empire and a gateway to learn about the ancient latin american civilisation.

7) Gold Coast & Great Barrier Reef - I have always been a big fan of things down under, and visiting the 12 Apostles would be an opportunity of lifetime.

8) Interlaken & Jungfrau - The Alps at its best at this beautiful Swiss location

9) Mt. Fuji & Tokyo - People all over the world are fascinated by the highly developed yet really ancient Japanese civilisation, and it would be worthwile scaling the Mt. Fuji and then spending time travelling in Japan, learning this culture

10) Banff & Jasper - I already have a taste of these national parks courtesy Glacier National Park in Montana. My love for glacial mountains would be complete with these parks and a visit to Fjordlands mentioned above. In all probability, this would be the easiest thing to achieve amongst the list above. Moraine Lake is definitely the place to go....

ROMM* - Death of the Narcissist

2007-10-30T23:37:00.000-04:00

The Narcissist died today. He died alone; in a manner befitting, his hollow egotistical
existence. With the world cleansed of the reek emanating from his air of smugness and smoke from his megalomanical dreams, people could finally respire better. Over a period of time, many had changed their thoughts from hatred to sheer callousness, and thus today as he lies in flesh under the mound, there were not many who would lament. The were no eloquent epitaphs; there were no weeping damsels; and there were no sympathetic friends.

During his meaningless lifetime on this earth, his friends pandered to his feeling of
self-importance. Some rebelled, and swore enemity, whereas some swore fake allegiance, but lashed a tirade behind his back. But the latter folks are not to be mistaken as untrue, cause they were only showing their niceness to their so called friend - a fiend if I might rephrase.This act, however, continued to nurture and feed the ego of the Narcissist. It also gave him an excuse to refute and distance from those who actually indicated their honest expressions about him. Buoyed by this false support, and a few self-assumed facts, the Narcissist continued to thrive.

But today, his friends gather to spew venom and lash a vitriolic rhetoric which the Narcissist would never have seen coming. Alas! a thin layer of wooden casket, 2 feet of earth's crust and a veneer of moss laden tomb separates him from his fair whether follower's diatribe. Thus he died, oblivious to what people thought about him - what a pity!! But that did not prevent the hoi polloi, atleast the one who faintly cared for this demon, to pour their hearts out and come out boldly and violently against his deceased body. In the end his sheer hubris, and his condescending attitude led to his downfall.

But, in rebirth, he shall find solace. Faced with a humiliating and in many ways an eye-opening after-life, the Narcissist was reincarntated a different man. His downfall, though, was nowhere nearly bathos. It was a combination of a realisation ridden by denial, and a slow acceptance from all and sundry. Today he stands in front of people, to listen to them, and not to speak about himself and his greatness. His feet have finally touched the ground and realisation has finally dawned upon him that he is only one amongst the billion other mortals that walk the earth. He is greater than none, and at the same time lesser than none. With humility making a comeback, the Narcissist shall atlast continue to lead a normal life........

* ROMM - Ramblings of a Mad man. Some other posts in the same series can be found by clicking the label

SoCal Burns

2007-10-25T23:49:00.000-04:00

The Santa Ana winds finally have subsided, but not before making 1000s homeless and
making a record 1 million people flee their homes. In a region where the 3 of the top 5
millionaire counties in the country lie, the fire has already wrecked damage tothe tune of $1 bn. The 15 simultaneous fires in southern california have collectively been dubbed as the worst fire in the history of California causing an evacuation of epic proportions. There is no official count of the death toll, but some sources confirm that atleast 7 people have died, and more than 100 injured.

It is a really shuddering thought to think about people returning home to burnt embers and ashes. Years of good memories were washed away for many, in minutes, by the engulfing
flames. Some had time to salvage their precious items, whereas others probably lost years
worth of hard-work and sweat in seconds. Insurance might buy back some warmth, but for most the sorrow is insurmountable and I can only hope that time will be the best healer.

As evacuees poured in, Qualcomm stadium in San Diego, became a refuge for all the homeless. But before one could start drawing an eerie analogy with New Orleans stadium post-katrina, the donations and volunteers poured in and transformed it into something much more amenable. Infact, if you read this report, you would believe a carnival was happening in San Diego. Natural disasters often bring out the generosity and compassion in humankind, and this incident was no different.

Growing up in India, I had never heard about this form of nature's wrath. When I moved to
US, I ended up spending time in the east coast where the trees either stayed green or were
covered with snow. Under these circumstances fire was never a possibility. Only on moving
west of the Rockies, I saw a terrain ripe for the fires - extreme dryness, high winds through canyons and passes, and dry extensive grasslands. I did not realise how dry it can get in Southern California, till I started using moisturizer in peak summer, and I have definitely seen single digit relative humidity percentage in winter.

However, I always failed to understand how fires could be started spontaneously. I always
thought that fires were started due to live cigarrete stubs or careless embers flying into dry wilderness. But after a few searches on google, I finally convinced myself to the fact that nature can start a fire by itself without any human assisstance. Often times high wind gusts through narrow passages pack enough heat and when the conditions are extremely dry, they can ignite a brush and start a huge fire. This same sequence of event was responisble for starting atleast 12 out of the 15 simultaneous fires in Cal.

Traditionally, Southern California has always faced the threat of wildfires. Just like the Midwest suffers from tornadoes and snowstorms or the gulf coast suffers from different categories of hurricanes, this part of the country faces the fiery threat of the nature. But the effects of this threat has been amplified off late, courtesy the high costs of homes driving people further into the desert lands and mountain tops. But technology and money can only buy so much...in the end man has to always play second fiddle to Mother Nature.

New England

2007-10-17T21:27:00.000-04:00

There is one facet of NorthEastern US which is very unique and distinguishes it from the rest of the country - Fall Colors. Hence, I decided to make a trip up North to catch up with friends and relatives and also catch up on this Nature's spectacle. The trip began with a not so peaceful flight to Philly, as 3 old ladies around me incessantly chatted about spice girls, wine & airline jokes and distracted me from my book and my thoughts. As I ended up sitting on seat 1F, I also ended up overhearing their gossip with the steward, and got a great insight into airline steward's life and the industry as a whole. My ride from PHL to Edison on the NJ turnpike was a trifle disappointing as I failed to see enough evidence of Fall foliage. Had I mistimed my trip?

The next day, after renting the car from the cute Enterprise lady, we set out on our journey up north in the hope of catching fall colors. As usual Upstate NY turned out to be pretty, as we took a detour on route 9W to drive along Hudson river valley. A small pit stop at Kingston, NY was well served by a nice bowl of clam chowder and some raw peppered Tuna & wasabi. The higher elevations of Catskill Mountain showed plenty of evidence of fall colors, and most drives through the park were extremely scenic. The ride along the northern edge of the mountains offered some great views, with Point LookoutMountain Inn offering a view of 5 states from the vantage point. The cold evening was capped by a fancy desi dinner at a suburban Boston restaurant, which reaffirmed my opinion that the quality of desi food is inversely proportional to the number of white people inside the restaurant.

On Sunday, I finally realised my dream of visiting the city of Boston. The day started with an agonising 30 minute hunt for parking in Boston downtown, before I finally succumbed to the fate of paying for parking. A sluggish start to the famed Freedom Trail was capped by
a mouth watering jaunt through Quincy Market. The trail culminated with an exhausting climb along 294 steep winding steps of Bunker Hill monument, but the view from top justified the effort. In many ways, the northern suburbs of Boston reminded me of European
cities. I came into Boston expecting it to be a smaller version of NY, but to my delight it
turned out to be more laid back, clean and sunny.

A short train to the lively Harvard Square, on the other banks of Charles, got me to a
neighbourhood which probably has the highest density of nerds in the country. The Harvard
campus was pretty impressive, especially the Business School area. As we relaxed along the banks of the Charles, I got to see the famous sights of teams of varsity students rowing on
the river and passing those red bridges in the campus. The last halt of the night was at a
lesser known university dubbed as MIT. As I parked my car at the Electrical engineering building, I immediately recognised The Frank Gehry designed Stata building, thanks to my previous visits to his creations in Los Angeles & Dusseldorf. The next 1-1/2 hour was spent with me listening to a passionate discussion on string theory and gravitational physics between my cousin and my friend, and a whirlwind tour of the theoretical Physics building. At the end of the day, Boston did leave a lasting impression, and despite the harsh weather and high rents, I still wouldn't mind living in this beautiful city.

The drive back to NJ on Monday helped me increase my state count by 2, as we cruised
through the beautiful states of Connecticut & Rhode Island. All along the I-95, there were
beautiful sights of fall colors, and bridges over docks in the state of Connecticut. But the best laid plans of men and mice often go awry, and so did I have my share of hiccups on the final day. Firstly, our car blew a flat in Rhode Island. Luckily, I noticed this right when I was pulling out of the gas station and a small visit to a service centre nearby, resulted only in a 45 minute break in the journey. This was followed by an unsuccessful attempt to dine at the desi mecca on Oak Tree Rd in Edison, NJ due to paucity of time and store closures on Monday.

However, I was not so lucky with my flight back home. After having boarded the flight, I
heard the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard on a plane. The stewardess announced "Ladies & Gentleman, this flight is over weight, and we need 14 volunteers who are ready to go on the next flight....blah blah". Bravo Houston, Bravo !! You continue to set records when it comes to obesity. Anyways after much drama and 12 willing and 2 drafted volunteers, the flight finally did take-off, only to land an hour late due to thunderstorms in Houston and some gate delays. So, like most of my vacations, I went to bed well past mid night only to wake up groggy the next day and resort to espresso shots to survive a tough work day.

Hubbert's Peak - The Impending World Oil shortage

2007-10-09T20:58:00.000-04:00

I recently finished reading the above mentioned book written by Kenneth S. Deffeyes. Hubbert's Peak is a well known term which has existed in the industry for a few years, and a neophyte like me is only being introduced to it now. The absorbing book left me shocked and definitely much more aware of the energy problems facing our future generations.

M. King Hubbert a member of US Geological Survey (USGS) and an ex-employee of Shell Research Lab, made a rather prophetical and bold declaration in 1956, that the US oil production will hit its peak in early 1970, and the world oil production will hit its peak in this decade. His prediction came true when the US oil production peaked in 1970. A lot of mathematicians have followed on Hubbert's lead, and now predict the peak of World oil consumption to be around 2010. Hubbert's theory in its entirety has now been globally accepted, with very few criticism, and the only debate now is regarding the exact date of the peak.

A simple explanation of the mathematical derivation by Hubbert can be found here. The basic assumption underlying the math, is that most of the large oil reserves of the world have been discovered. Although, I still have tough time believing it, it can be easily proven, basis the geological mapping done by USGS and various other surveys. Infact 80% of today's oil still come from fields discovered before 1970. Once you agree that oil reserves are finite - 3 trillion barrels by the most optimistic estimate, it is just a matter of predicting the rate of production based on the demand. This is precisely what was done by Hubbert, using a gaussian curve initially and then correcting it with other fits.

So what does this mean? It only means that, soon, the world oil demand will exceed the production, and the invisible hands of economics will automatically cause oil price increases to maintain equilibrium. With energy starved countries like India & China only joining the race, the demand is set to sky-rocket, and in absence of viable alternative resources, the oil prices will definitely hit the roof soon.

I have always been a believer of technology overcoming human necessities to maintain things at equilibrium. I even believed that exhaustible natural resources will eventually be substituted by comparable human discovered/invented substitutes. However, given the current over dependence on oil at the rate of amortization of fossil fuels, it would take a discovery of epic proportions to overcome the impeding crisis.

The most effective ways to conserve and impact changes is through legislation by the government. However, at most times, politicians pandering to their electorate, negates the possibility of this occurring. This would then need to be overcome by induvialistic actions taken by progressive citizens. To take an example from the book, aluminum cost $200 per ton, but that is only $3 for aluminum ore and a whooping $197 for electricity, which is largley produced by non-renewable sources. A simple act like recycling, can make big inroads into the conserving electricity and prolonging the life of nonrenewable sources! Think people....think !!!

Capuccino & Biscotti

2007-10-06T16:44:00.000-04:00

Growing up in a Tamilian family, it was hard to imagine a day start as a kid, without a strong filter kaapi (filter coffee). I still remember my dad buying a specific blend of ground Kerala beans coffee from a famous store in Madras. Despite living in Mumbai, I was never deprived of a copious supply of the above mentioned special coffee. Thus I grew up with a very strong preference and a discerning taste for coffee.

I was never a fan of instant coffee - the Bru's, & Nescafe's. They were quick and
instant to make, as they were meant to be, but their aroma and taste died as soon as the final gulp was taken. I still consume a lot of instant coffee, but to me they continue to remain as a lazy man's coffee.

I was not introduced to black coffee, till I crossed seven seas and made my first visit to a local StarBucks. Now starbucks, prides itself in serving some of the best colombian blend (free trade) coffee, but unfortunately my taste buds weren't honed for black coffee. Adding half and half and creamer helped the cause, but still left the "regular tall" lagging behind the filter kaapi. However, one swig of a "tall latte" at the same overpriced coffee chain, reaffirmed my faith in the taste of good coffee. But I decided not to succumb to savvy marketing by CharBucks (FourBucks), and have since made efforts to avoid coffee at this store as much as possible.

It was only, after my recent move to Houston, and subsequent trip to Europe, that I am
coming to terms with a good cup of coffee. Offlate, on lot of dinners, the dessert is
either followed or complemented by a nice cup of cappuccino. A fine cup of frothy cappuccino and a small piece of biscotti seemed like a classy and very satisfying way of ending the last meal of the day. Soon I started repeating this activity at lunches too. However, given the economics of this procedure, this activity is often banished to company sponsored lunches and dinners!

Things changed recently when we finally acquired an Espresso Machine in our office. A pressure squeezed double pod of a really nice Sumatran blend makes up for a nice espresso. Add to this, milk steamed at 160F, and it makes up for a nice cup of frothy cappucino. One of my ingenious friend also discovered a blend of chocolate mocha, which further enriches the taste of coffee. Soon, colleagues started buying their own stash of unique coffee blends, and now making a fine cappucino post lunch is turning out to be a daily ritual.

Coffee, has never had an effect of stimulant on me - I can go into deep slumber within 30 minutes of having a strong double espresso shot. But nevertheless, I love the taste of coffee. It also serves as an ideal social drink, when you are not in mood for alcohol. In my opinion it easily supplements tea, as the most consumed hot beverage in the world - and don't listen to the English and the Chineese !!

ps: Here is my old rant on coffee.

20/20

2007-09-26T22:16:00.000-04:00

I had never seen a 20/20 cricket game before the world cup, and even after the conclusion of this memorable tournament, I can claim to have seen only one. Infact, the only way I came to know about the start of the tournament was through a friend who called me to rub salt on my wounds by informing that Aussies were beaten by Zimbabwe. After I hung up the call, I thought this was some kind of knock-out format and almost decided not to follow the tournament any further, only to realise that it was a round robin format and that the Aussies still had a chance to excel in the tourney!

Although the tournament doled out some close games in the beginning rounds, my faith in this format of the game was not affirmed till I watched the semi-finals game between India-Australia. The close fought Indo-Pak finals and the ensuing victory further firmly supplanted my belief in the future of this format. Boy! cricket has come a long way from days when Sunny Gavaskar grinded a painful 34 runs in 60 overs, to a day when Yuvraj blasted 50 runs of mere 2 overs!!

However, what gave me the greatest satisfaction was to see the crowd enjoy the game, in a way I have never imagined before. There were jumbotrons, fireworks at every boundary, DJ's belting out hit numbers, dancers dancing on stilts and given the short duration of the game, the crowd stayed lively throughout the night. Having seen professional sports in US like baseball, basketball & hockey wherein the audience is regaled to the maximum by the organisers, sponsors and announcers irrespective of the outcome of the game on the field, I have always thought of transplating the same culture to cricket. I have seen a few games in India in the stadium, and soon realised that discounting the great atmosphere in the stands, its a very discomforting experience if your team does not perform well. There is absolutely nothing in the stadium to distract or entertain you - but thanks to some infusion of theatrics off-late, cricket might be turning a new leaf. Also some of the western influence in player introductions, graphics and in general the presentation on TV etc are definitely welcome.

Now purists might object to corruption of the game by reduction of the overs, and stripping bowlers of any respect, but in a decade, I can easily see 20/20 completely subplanting 50 overs one-day internationals as crickets mainstay. The test format, with the men in whites might still maintain its position and please the orthodox, but the impatient younger generation will find it easier to identify with 20/20. It was not long ago when Kerry Packer was branded a rebel for disillusioning cricketing world with colored shirts and lights. Some going as far as to call his attempt a circus. Well! as we can testify today, day and night games have graduated to be the best form of one-day cricket.

However, if I might make a fair criticism of 20/20, I think it kind of devalues the long term strategy invoked in 50 overs format. You no longer need to plan 2 hours down the road and conserve wickets and preserve bowlers. The 20/20 lets you go slam bang and is very forgiving with some small erroneous strategies. The bowlers definitely don't get as reverred as they would be in longer version, but talk to RP Singh and he will give you a lesson or two on how to earn respect. All in all, whether you like it or not, 20/20 is here to stay, so start following it or else you may never be able to have a meaningful cricketing discussion with your kids.

Presidential Farce 2008

2007-09-21T20:54:00.000-04:00

Many posts ago, I had mentioned an analogy between election campaigns and advertisements
"....Sometimes I feel that the outcome is purely driven by the campaign rather than any agenda or ideology. The GOP is like Coke (Red), while the Dems are like Pepsi (Blue). Around 90% of people already have a preference for Coke or Pepsi. The remainder seemed to shift their liking based on whose commercials they like the most. This is not politics....this is pure marketing !! And since this 10% is ultimately the decider of the outcome, only a solid marketing plan could lead to success."

Since beginning of this year, the media has been bombarding information about presidential hopefuls forming exploratory committee and then raising funds through banquets and charities. As it stands today, a whooping $250+ mn has already been raised, and we are more than a year away from the D-day. Its easy to forget the amount of time, effort and resource wasted in acquiring this staggering amount of money and the equivalent amount of resources spent on utilising it to unleash a campaign. The media is so consumed in highlighting this fact, that no one cares that the country is ruled by a president having less than 35% approval ratings as Iraq continues to turn into another Vietnam

Let analyse the ludicrity of the current system with a simple example. I am Hillary Clinton and I live in the state of NY. I have great friends in Washington, and my husband is fairly well-known. Thus, it doesnt take me much effort to raise $60 mn in 6 months. On the other hand you are Mr. Mike Gravel, senator from Alaska, a state whose population is less than that of Brooklyn and a state whom many kids easily forget to be part of america. You have no friends in DC, and your spouse is not very well-known. Hence you are able to raise only $250,000 this year. Given this assumption, I (Hillary) have had enough funds & staff to travel to Davenport, Iowa 7 times in last 6 months, while you Mr. Gravel have had none. Now for young adults toiling in cornfields in remote suburbs of Iowa, on the election day it is a very easy decision on whom to vote. They obviously vote for me, casue they have never even heard of Mr. Gravel. It didn't matter who is a better candidate or what the candidates actually stood for...All that mattered at the end of the day was who campaigned better, who made his/her face more visible.

Now, I, Hillary Clinton have finally become the president of the country due to gullible voters swearing allegiance to me, only because I made them 7 visits while my opponents made none. But does this mean, that I repay your faith by standing up to things that mattered to you. Nope, cause I have my loyalaties directed somewhere else - my donors. The same guys who gave me $50 mn and made it possible to make road-trips to every village and parish in the country....and to their ulterior motives will I pander, when I take the oath and move into the white house with my hubby!

In an ideal campaign, all presidential hopefuls should be allowed to raise a fixed amount of funds and should be given a fixed amount of time to campaign. Lets say everyone gets only $5 mn to spend in 6 weeks before the elections. This would ensure that everyone gets the same amount of airtime & publicity. Under this system, all candidates will be analysed under the same microscope and the electorate would actually get an opportunity to appreciate the subtle nuances in their view points rather than following Mitt Romney's kids on a bike trail through state of Iowa.

As much as Youtube has been praised as the next breakthrough in the information age, I am utterly distressed at the colossal waste of time and effort it has caused on this campaign trail. Come on people, there are more important issues this elections than watching videos of Obama's girl clash Guillani's girl on Youtube. The media, as usual, is obsessed with the election trail, and it is never easy to sift the fact from the fiction. As John Mayer aptly puts in his brilliant song 'waiting on the world to change'

" and when you trust your television
what you get is what you got
cause when they own the information, oh
they can bend it all they want

that's why we're waiting
waiting on the world to change......."

Mother's Tongue

2007-09-16T23:23:00.001-04:00

Its supposed to be the first language that you learn to speak. Its obvious, your mom is
the first person who starts speaking to you, and all your vocabulary is nothing but a few words off her wide repertoire. Given this, it should also be the most fluent language that you speak, incase you are polylingual. Its true that your environment shapes the mastery of your language skills, and there is a good chance that you may obtain proficiency in a language different then your own mother tongue. But in my opinion, there is no excuse for lacking fluidity in your native language.

A recent trip involving few conservations with friends, left me into deep introspection on my native language skills. I have never been overtly proud of my abilities to speak in Tamil, but yet I believe I possess good conversational abilities. Most times, it's accented - as they say Bambai (Bombay) Tamil, but I never fail to convey what I intend. I have always prided myself in speaking to my elders in Tamil as a mark of respect, despite most of them being extremely fluent in English. Hell, I even learnt to write and read when I was in 5th grade, only to abandon it soon after for no other reason than being lazy.

But its been more than 4 years since I have left India, and I feel my grip on the language is relaxing at a rapid pace. The thought that I might not even be in a position to educate my kids (in their father's tongue) is extremely pitiful. Its particularly disconcerting when I realise that the probability of my kids being raised in alien environment in a land 10,000 miles away from home country is high. Under this assumption, their only link to their cultural heritage would be through their parents, and if I drop the baton, then an important cultural link could be lost forever

Having grown outside Tamil Nadu, I spend my formative younger years in an environment
where Hindi was all prevalent, and speaking English was a fad. At most times, the more
fluent you could speak English, made you seem more educated and classy. I had seen some of my convent educated cousins show their command of the British language, and in fear of
being ridiculed I started making efforts towards the same. At times, I would pride myself
in being able to communicate with siblings and close relatives in English. Outside home,
bollywood and Hindi ruled the streets. For some reason, the pride for native language never rubbed on to me, and thus even with people who spoke Tamil, I felt more comfortable rambling in other languages. Thus a combination of environment and few misguided personal choices later, I find myself in a bind.

I have always prided myself in knowing multiple languages. In school I learn English, Hindi, Marathi. I picked up how to understand gujrati from neighbours. During undergrad days, I made a weak attempt to learn Telugu and even put in a semester worth of effort to learn German. As I learn Spanish this month, I suddenly feel a strong urge to polish my skills in a language that I should have always known better - Tamil !!

Just a Terrible Day

2007-09-11T23:53:00.001-04:00

I returned home exhuasted to Houston, from a 11 day work cum vacation trip of Los Angeles, where I slept less than 5 hours a day on an average. The last thing I was expecting was this;
Read the 6 hour drama captured in 15 minutes of office chat.

Arun Rajamani/... Dude Mr. india killed me yday....
Arun Rajamani/... it was probably my worst day ever
Subramanya Pr... what happened
Arun Rajamani/... on phone..hold on a sec
Subramanya Pr... ok
Arun Rajamani/... i am expecting a call back...but I should tell u Mr.
India's antics
Subramanya Pr... okie..this will entertain me
Arun Rajamani/... Our man doesn't know how to use toilet papers...so guess
what /...the first thing...he kills my toilet flush
Subramanya Pr... 1 sec
Subramanya Pr... phone
Arun Rajamani/... I got freaked out as water started coming out and seeping
below the door
Arun Rajamani/... oh ok
Subramanya Pr... yuuck!!!!!
Arun Rajamani/... luckily it was only paper and water...but it still messed
up the bathrroom
Subramanya Pr... disgusting dude
Arun Rajamani/... luckily the emergency staff was on 24 hrs call...so they
came and fixed it
Arun Rajamani/... Our man was already having some problem with his leg..some
infection or something...so he was doing major nakhra
Subramanya Pr... yuck!!!!what did mr.india have to say!
Arun Rajamani/... Wasn't even putting effor to clean the restroom...I sorta
had to force him
Subramanya Pr... oh man!this is just awful...
Subramanya Pr... how can he do that ur doing him a favor
Arun Rajamani/... ok..then he went to take bath
Arun Rajamani/... I specifically mentioned him to be careful with the
curtains...
Arun Rajamani/... and guess waht he came out flooding the bathrrom again...
Arun Rajamani/... again we had to spend time to clean the bathroom
Subramanya Pr... he is total idiot!
Arun Rajamani/... he is...man
Subramanya Pr... did he not realise that the water is leaking without the curtain!
Subramanya Pr... its obvious!
Subramanya Pr... I mean he has lived here for a few months now!duh!
Arun Rajamani/... then this idiot takes of his shirt and cavorts around the
house in boxers
Subramanya Pr... i am laughing right now
Arun Rajamani/... he starts to crash on my couch...I told him to go use my
bed instead
Subramanya Pr... but i am feeling disgusted actually
Arun Rajamani/... atleast I can wash my bed sheets
Subramanya Pr... totally...
Subramanya Pr... u shud have given him a sleeping bag
Subramanya Pr... and a sheet
Arun Rajamani/... I finally cooked for him..and fed him and put him to bed
Arun Rajamani/... it was 11:00 pm by then....
Arun Rajamani/... he was neither apologetic for his actions nor grateful for
mine....
Subramanya Pr... what an idiot...
Arun Rajamani/... ..and not to mentioned he changed the thermostat to 80
degrees....and I was wondering why AC is not working
Arun Rajamani/... His BPM's (Burps per minute) were kicking in as usual ..
Subramanya Pr... oh thats just bad!!!very bad
Subramanya Pr... what happened to his keys?
Arun Rajamani/... hold hold..the plot thickens
Subramanya Pr... theres more?!!!!!!
Arun Rajamani/... oh his lock was changed becos some idiot in office broke
the key inside the lock
Arun Rajamani/... ....Shobhana's ladies had kinda left my place messy..
Arun Rajamani/... My kitchen sink stopped draining very soon...so I had to
again call emergency maintenance
Arun Rajamani/... this time they could not rectify the kictchen sink
Subramanya Pr... oh man...y do people do this...ur always extra careful when
ur at someone else's place
Subramanya Pr... so they have to replace ur garbage disposal in the kitchen
sink?
Arun Rajamani/... yup..so i lost the use of kitchen sink and stopped cooking
Arun Rajamani/... not the disposal..but somewhere downstream there is a
clog
Subramanya Pr... I'm sure they dumped rice or something there
Subramanya Pr... stupid ppl man
Arun Rajamani/... so anyways..I still managed to cook...but just after
cooking, I broke a glass bowl on the floor..and it shattered all over
Arun Rajamani/... I spent some time cleaning, vaccuuming after that...and
cut my finger
Subramanya Pr... dude u have had a rotten day...might as well havemissed ur
flight and stayed in LA
Arun Rajamani/... yup....other things too....
Arun Rajamani/... I then went to the restroom only to find that all toilet
paper is exhausted...shobhanas ladies had used up all the reserve paper in
the cabinet !!!
Arun Rajamani/... ..and finally after everything I finally settled down to
check my mails and internet wont work,.and I had to spend another 15 min to configure my wireless
Subramanya Pr... how many stayed in ur place?
Arun Rajamani/... I think 5
Subramanya Pr... its gets from bad to worse to worst....
Arun Rajamani/... it was terrible man
Subramanya Pr... did they drape themselves in TP or what!
Arun Rajamani/... ..I finally spoke to Liar Liar for a while and went to bed
close to 1:00 am....
Arun Rajamani/... my sleep deprivation continues !!!
Subramanya Pr... Today will be dfferent!
Subramanya Pr... go home early and sleep..
Arun Rajamani/... this morning again I spent 2 hours helping Mr. India with
his apt etc
Subramanya Pr... dude ur great...
Arun Rajamani/... ..I have a 3 hr spanish class from 7-10 pm tonite....
Subramanya Pr... have lot of patience
Arun Rajamani/... I am throught with this IDIOT man..
Subramanya Pr... to go and help again this morning after what happened
Arun Rajamani/... I had to...cos he was in my house, and Jeff expected me to
help him out
Arun Rajamani/... thats my sad and sorry tale in short !!!
Arun Rajamani/... hope things r better in LA
Subramanya Pr... oh well!hopefully it will get better
Subramanya Pr... take the week to settle back in and rest...
Subramanya Pr... do a rahul for a week and u will be allright
Arun Rajamani/... i think i should

The Centrist

2007-08-27T23:09:00.000-04:00

Growing up, I did not care much for politics. India always had a multi-party system and incumbency and people's fickle mindedness always made sure that all the parties got their share of power. Besides, due to the divisive nature of mandate in most cases, smaller parties could benefit from floor trading and ultimately decide which party governs the country. During my adolscent age, BJP and Congress were the 2 big parties. I did not like BJP for some of their extreme right wing views and their association with VHP, Hindutva etc. On the other hand, the Congress was always pandering to Gandhi family, and seemed bereft of a powerful leadership. I was under the opinion that given BJP's alliance and strong leadership, they would drift towards the centre while the Congress laden with communist parties would shift far left. Hence I started supporting the BJP primarily because I sided with some of their fiscally conservative initiatives.

Coming to US, I got the real taste of a bi-party left-right politics. I never favored the current republican party from the outset, given their hegemonic attitude towards other nations and raking votes basis people's fear of terror. The current president might be a great politician but I never thought of him as a charismatic ruler, in the lines of his predecessor. Capitalism was taken to new heights with hefty tax cuts for corporations and approval to major mergers. Lobbying plays a major part in this country, but I think some of the antics of this party even jumps the realms of what is acceptable.

Living in California, one is exposed to a very liberal mindset. The rules are progressive - the government thinks greener and taxes your fuel heavily, the emission norms are stricter, worker benefits are higher etc. Then their rules which fund stem cell research, green initiatives, higher minimum wage etc. I got a taste for the liberal nature, when I entered a grocery store for the first time and found a whole aisle for alcohol. This was definitely a huge change from Pennsylvania where in most places you can't buy beer after 9:00 and some places you can't even buy more than a 12 pack at a time !! I found a lot of people to be more outgoing, more aware of world outside and in general very progressive in their thought process.

I always thought of myself as a centrist till I moved to Texas. I finally realised that in this country, currently atleast, the right is so far out right, that even a centrist view like mine seems a leftist view. Infact if you hold a purely leftist view you might almost be considered a communist!! In a city run by oil companies, its no wonder that people dont give a damn about the current oil crisis or environmental concerns. . When it comes to religious beliefs, I am more of an agnostic or in most cases a very light thiest - someone who doesnt care much about religion. But in Texas, church plays an important part of everyone's life. This is good, but I get scared when I hear or see the fanatic side of the religion. Given its pro-gun stance and avid detest for gay & abortion rights, places in South definitely seemed to be very different in comparison with cities like New York, Los Angeles & San Francisco.

Most cities in the country are liberal, but I might have to say this might not be true for some of the cities in the south. One thing which always surprised me is that although most of the cities are liberal, the rural areas are always conservative. Similarly both the east coast and west coast in many ways is liberal, whereas the central portion of the country is pretty conservative. Also student towns i.e. people of that demographic are typically liberal in their mindset. Political views are generally not influenced by education or occupation, then why is there such a clear demarcation ?

Balance in Numbers

2007-08-19T23:15:00.000-04:00

This post is kind of a coherent development of an idea (100 for a perfect place) initiated by my fellow blogger totti.

A lot of times when I sit in a bumper to bumper traffic on a freeway, I wonder whether the world really needs to be this overcrowded ? How would our cities look, if instead of a population of 4 mn people we had only 400,000 ? Is there such thing as an optimum number of people in the world ? But then I realised that the word optimum itself is not absolute, but is subject to an objective function. For example, do we optimise to make everyone equally rich, or to have no dearth of natural sources, or to have adequate technology, or to make everyone happy. The objective function jumps the realm of science as some of the functions above, like happiness, can not even be expressed in numbers.

Since I definitely do not believe in intelligent design, lets say when human beings first evolved in their present form, there weren't very many of them. They were probably restricted to few isolated societies around the world. With time, man started his nomadic quest for riches and better life, and somewhere down the life the different societies became aware of each other. Some clashed and perished, some co-existed peacefully, but eventually the world became aware of various societies and after some negotiations, started trading globally.

Humans soon realised that division of labor and trading goods with each other made life much more rewarding and convenient. Hence, farmers in Ceylon could grow tea in excess and export it to their Europen comrades, while their Europeans counterparts exported their superior technology. Thus, the world got rid of unnecessary redundancy and humans started their pursuit of taming and creating the unknown.

There were some services which were critical and people filled them in first. For example, everyone needed farmers to grow and harvest crops. The world needed doctors to cure sick farmers, and the doctors needed engineers and architects to build their house and roads, while the engineers and architects needed rulers to rule and govern them all. But as the population grew, the society could not keep all the doctors, engineers and farmers busy. So people started diversifying and doing other things. Some became bankers to help people with their money, while some became entertainers to regale wary workers. Hitherto thought as pure pass time, sports now became a full fledged livelihood in itself, as people made a career out of it. Soon there were insurers, real estate agents, dolphin trainers, photographers and artists etc. The world now became a more enjoyable place courtesy the diversity wrought in by these new profession. In essence more people actually translated to more fun.

But the balance was never even in all societies. There were some societies which had just too many people tapping into strained resources. This lead to unemployment, poverty etc. On the other hand there were some societies with too little a crowd, which led to over dependence on other societies and in some cases paying a premium for their services. Globalisation continued to offset this disparity, but neverthless a balance could never be struck.

Inherently, I have always felt that more the people, more the number of occupations and fields of study that can be undertaken. So we can have, scientist studying the extinction of polar bears, or movie makers indulging in 3D graphics, or a lobbyist whose sole purpose is to perform propoganda for a particular subject. But our natural resources are limited and there in only so much oil or steel. But then again, necessity is the mother of invention, so shouldn't more people give rise to more technology - technology which helps us to understand mother nature better and thrive without exploiting her. The arguement soon falls into a vicious circle and I realise that there is no answer to the question that I am posing in this post. So should we just shun the idea of having an "optimum" number of people on this earth ?

ps: Totti, the word coherent, in the first line of the post was necessary!

Road Rage

2007-08-15T21:53:00.000-04:00

When I learnt driving 4 years ago in the small town of State College, PA, I was unaware of the term called road rage. There were less lanes on the road, there were lesser cars on the road and people never seemed to be in a hurry. There was a 5 second delay between lights turning red in one direction and turning green in the other. In addition to this, people would wait a couple of seconds before they rev their engine. In those days, driving outside the small town was always an adventure.

My first encounter with traffic was on the garden state parkway in NJ. Thanks to the traffic and some rude drivers, I was introduced into the world of road rage. In my early days, I was still a little apprehensive of my driving skills and would therefore mind my own business and be careful of other jackasses on the road. As I set out on various road trips across the north-east, I got a further flavor of traffic and road rage in cities like Philadelphia, DC & Pittsburgh.

You encounter different kinds of people on road. There are those who are on cellphone and thus too busy to give an indicator, and then there are ladies who are busy putting their make-up and wont budge when the light turns green. Then there are drifters who change lane unknowingly cause they are busy looking for a CD in their back seat. The tailgaters are the most annoying, and a lot of times I wish I had a Hummer just to jam my brakes and let them rear end into my vehicle. In the east coast, people respect the left lane and always yeild to the fastest guy on the road - but apparently this idea has never hit the west coast, as people refuse to respect the left lane and fill it with some really slow drivers.

When it comes to traffic, no place can rival Southern California. Despite having a whooping 26 lane interchange between the 5 & 405, there is still traffic at this intersection. By virtue of traffic, I developed a lot of patience to wade my way through bumper to bumper traffic. No other freeway in the country can get on to your nerves like the 405 - a virtual parking lot at places, don't be surprised to hit traffic at 1:00 am at night. Some of the interchanges in LA are phenomenal, especially the 5(or possibly 6) layered 110 & 105 interchanged. For all the hype, I found the traffic in LA to be mellow. At times, you were driving on a 10 laned highway, and lane changes would have seemed to be a challenge. But, I found traffic to be more sane than a lot of other big cities.

Over the years, as I have become more and more complacent with my driving skills, I have seen a steep decrease in my patience for nitwits driving on the road. Despite having far less traffic than LA, Houston gets on my nerves with its uncivilised traffic. At most times indicators don't mean a thing, as people refuse to yeild. The road is ruled by the size of the vehicle and there is no dearth of super sized Texas trucks in this town. On a daily basis I see many of those, who cut you abruptly, give no indicators while turning or drive really slow on a fast lane. Most of the times, I shout expletives from the comforts of my car and relieve my aggression. But what is annoying is the fact that these reckless drivers think that they are cool or they have a laid back attitude. However, they fail to realise that anyone can drive recklessly, its the common sense which prevents us from doing so and converting our freeways into a tolled accident way.

I know cities in Asia are clogged with traffic, and I have met with the same fate here in US. All major cities, despite the number of lanes are still bad. Some stay bad only at peak hours, while other like LA or some of the Bay Area freeways (notably 880) are bad all the times. I was expecting to see a different story when I travelled to Europe. But Alas! the traffic was the same, the lanes were lesser, but the cities still had traffic galore....and more traffic only translates to more road rage.

A Vagabond's Tale

2007-07-30T22:43:00.000-04:00

Martijn (pronounced Mar-taa-yen) was born in the fisherman community of Vollendham in northern Netherlands. Growing up next to the dikes, he began to appreciate how a country with more than 30% of land below sea level stayed dry. He remembered his elders thanking the atlantic ocean, rather calm in that part of the world as opposed to shores of US Gulf coast, for their sustenance. He also noticed how the sun would set at 10:45 pm at night in summer due to the high latitudal position of his country. Growing up he made a lot of good friends in school, and although he really revelled in their company and his tiny village, he always yearned to travel around the world and see how things were different from home.

Opportunity came his way, as his dad got transferred to southern France, where Martijn was exposed to the terrain of high Pyrennes and Alps. Devoid of such terrain in the dutch countryside, Martijn started learning the variations in weather and eco-system brought by high altitudes. Often times he missed his friends back home in Vollendham, and would try to stay connected to them over phone/mail. But it was a matter of time before he made new friends and started enjoying their camaraderie. As he travelled the new world of Alps, Basque country and high desert of Spain, his ties with his dutch friends loosened while he forged friendship elsewhere. During his adolscent years, he spent a lot of time travelling in Europe and spent at times, months in a different country. He noticed how Northern Italy was cold and wintry, while southern italy enjoyed temperate climates. He enjoyed the moderate weather of the mediteranean countries and learned about the different culture. As he shifted his loyalty from milk(dutch) to wine(french) to capuccino(italian), he also made and lost many friends.

By the time he was in his late teens, his dad had transferred to eastern Europe, and Martijn started studying in Turkey. He saw how the coast maintained a moderate mediterranean climate, while the mountains prevented it to seep inland and as a result some of the high plateaus experienced extreme weather. By now he had started appreciating the vagaries of nature in detail. As much as he had enjoyed travelling and living in new places, he started missing some of his friends from back in Vollendham and the Pyerenes. Often times, due to lack of strong family and friendship ties, he would feel a lonely stranger in a foreign land.

By now he had majored in Geography, and took the opportunity to travel to Eastern europe and also spend 3 months travelling the trans-siberian rail to land as far as eastern Russia, China and Mongolia. During his travel, he made a lot of friends, and learnt some amazing stories about different cultures. His perspective on life was greatly broadened by such encounters with people from different lands. However, at most times his acquaintances were fleeting and the contacts were lost a few months after his travel ended. As he struggled to maintain contact with his good old friends from middle school, he realised that his closest friends were always the once he met the last.

After obtaining a graduate degree from Kazhakastan, Martijn decided to take up a job as a lecturer in Singapore. South east Asia was in stark contrast to Europe - a totally different culture and weather. He learn't about Monsoon, and travelled through dense equitorial jungles in Indonesia & Malaysia. He learnt more about the Muslim & Buddhist culture and started appreciating the differences in cultural beliefs. He finally met his love of life in Vietnam, and against his parents wishes got married. His best phase of life arrived when he got a 5 year contract to teach in India. He was completely dumbfounded by the amazing diversity in the country. He travelled extensively with his wife from the high altitudes of bone chilling Himalayas to the arid scorching Deccan plateau to the rain soaked Konkan coast. 5 years in India had begot umpteen new good friends, but he lamented the loss of relationship with his Southeast Asian friends.

Only in his early 50's did he succumb to the urge of moving to USA. Here he started noticing climatic patterns of hilly east coast, flat central plains, dry high altitude west and the beauty of the pacific coast. He noticed the country to be a melting pot of all cultures, and courtesy his varied background, was able to make friends easily with different ethnic backgrounds. He also noticed political differences between liberal progressive cities and conservative hinterlands. However as his close knit circle of friends migrate elsewhere, Martijn started planning his next move. After his retirement he decided to move south to Latin America and settled in the vibrant city of Rio. He now travelled to the high Andes, the dense Amazon and the frigid antartic like south Chile. His smooth portugueese and spanish tounge got him new friends in this foreign country. At most time he found people hospitabe and soon he had a great circle of trustworthy friends surround him.

However, widowed and kidless, he finally had a strong sense of nostalgia attract him back to the village of Vollendham in Holland. As a septugenerian, he was still able to recognise some of the friends he grew up many moons away. He noticed a vast majority of people in the town lived their entire lives in the same place and hence had made friends for life and almost lived like one big family. People here didn't mind staying ignorant about the outside world, as long as they could spend their leisure time with friends partying and reminiscing on good old days. These folks had grown up together and spent an entire lifetime with each other, and hence fostered bondings as strong as siblings. Sick and feeble, Martijn spend his last few days reflecting back on his wanderlust life and inability to hold on to a strong bunch of faithful companions. It's a pity that a man who made friends in 73 countries, spoke 13 different languages, understood principles of 20+ different religion, experienced temperatures ranging from -60F to 140F, died alone in his own "hometown" !

The Land of Big !

2007-07-22T12:28:00.000-04:00

When people move from Asia & Europe to USA, they are overwhelmed by the size of everything - cars, people, houses etc. It is the same feeling which hit me when I moved from California to Texas. The Lone star state is definitely the land of the big and excess. The trucks are bigger, the people are fatter, the restaurants are bigger, and the houses most definitely are huger !! This scale of things has totally skewed my perception of what is normal and what is uncommon.

People pride in possessing the biggest gas guzzling trucks that they can flaunt. I can never understand why a person would need so much torque or load carrying capacity under his hood, when all he needs is a vehicle which would get him to and fro from work. Hybrids dont make sense to common texans. A prius sighting is as rare as a Lamborghini Murcielago in the city. Most maniacs drive their trucks as if they own the road. Giving indicators seems optional in most cases, as the road is ruled by size of the vehicle than the size of the brain, and I wonder if there exists an inverse proportionality between the former and the latter. Despite driving for 2 years in freeway crazy LA, my first 2 months in Houston has seen my road rage increase manifold.

Moving from West Los Angeles,(probably the second most liberal part of the country after San Francisco) to the bible belt of the country in the South, definitely is a big change. Houston sits in the heartland of the conservative state and church is definitely a very important part of everyone's life. This is clearly evident from the numerous billboards dotting the freeway, advertising church services and advocating bible study groups. At most times I try to be very careful while airing my political views, lest I get shot. Remember, this state prides itself in the pro-gun stance, which is further evident by people's penchant for hunting.

Houston definitely prides itself as the restaurant city of the country. All along the freeways, by the service roads, one can find innumerable number of restaurants. These restaurants are huge, but even on weekdays, some of them need reservations. People love to eat out, and are very proud of their BBQ & Sirloins. Meat is definitely the preferred choice of food, and there are some places which are definitely not meant for vegetarians. Thanks to the proximity to the ocean, Seafood aslo features high on some menus. There is no dearth of expensive restaurants catering to corporate card using clientele either! Only after moving to Texas have I developed my penchant for a nice centre cut of filet mignon alongside a cabernet sauvignon.

The landscape of the city is as flat as the surface of water. The tallest points are actually manmade - freeway interchanges and skyscrapers. Previously I do not remember living in a place which is as flat as this and devoid of a uneven terrain. Courtesy of some huge construction projects, the freeways are perinially coated in dust and surrounded by bricks. The greenery in the city is the only saving grace, and parts like Memorial Park add a semblance of civilisation!

However, given the economic position of the city as the Oil Capital of the world, it is most definitely a very very important city. All the big Oil Companies call Houston as their home, and some of the wealthiest people live in this city. Harris County (Houston) ranks 6th in the list of most number of millionaires in the US. Houston is also one of the cheapest big city and is very affordable place to save up money and settle down ! Despite the high humidity and constant thunderstorms, the weather is still more amicable than most of the country as barring 2-3 months of hot summer, the weather stays pleasant year around.

Twisted Ending

2007-07-16T21:06:00.000-04:00

Despite having a wicked imagination and uncanny talent, Chris had grown up as a simple
son of a farmer. Bred in a hardworking family of peasants, he was destined to lead a life very similar to his relatives. His talent never shone out while he struggled through his schooling and failed to make the grade for college. He took a modest job to make ends meet, while he secretly pined for fame. As a hardworking millworker in a small midwestern town, his exposure with the outside world was limited to his brief visits to big cities.

However, the internet revolution changed his life forever. Ever since he discovered the world of blogging, Chris dreamed of becoming a writer someday - specifically a short story writer. He had read the Archers & the Henrys of his time and had been inspired by their engrossing unpredictable short stories. Little did he realise, that he was one amongst thousands of such aspiring dreamers, and devoid of some serious effort and talent, he was doomed for failure. Nevertheless, he secretly yearned to abandon his mundane job someday in lure of riches and fame that a publication might beget.

In line with his gut feeling, he decided that all his short stories should have a twisted and totally unpredictable ending. He had come to the conclusion that departure from normal should be the governing norm for his stories and that he should always strive to achieve a shocker ending. So he set out devising convoluted ending and then supplying a story line to match the end. Under such circumstances, his concern was not how to begin a story but how to end it. It would take him days to conjure a unforseeable ending, but on the contrary it would only take him minutes to weave a mighty tale around it. This concept totally ran contrary to the contemporary story tellers who would spend more time on the plot of the story than the mere end. But Chris, had no issues taking on the established pillars of story telling as he churned some really absorbing material for his friends to read.

Every night as he would go to bed, he would think of some wierd endings and evaluate the
feasibility of developing it into a story. Bolstered by a strong peer review, he started
living in the grandiose plans of striking it rich with his idea and would spend many a
nights dreaming about the same. Most of his idle time would be spent day dreaming
situations which would never happen in ordinary life, but yet would give readers vicarious
pleasure when he would put them in print.

It was only a matter of time, before his concept caught the publication industry by surprise. He started with moderate success on some cheap publications, but such novelty was bound to usher in a revolution. His following grew leaps and bounds as people soon welcomed this new concept and started reveling his stories. His books were like popular thriller movies, where one would have no inkling of the end, yet would be prepared for a wicked climax. Most times, people would devour his writings just to reach the end of it, and then spend days reminiscing how every line of the plot set them up for such incredible end.

He soon became the toast of media as his name and astonishing story got splattered all over news. His wealth grew exponentially as he changed ownership from an old tractor to toyota camry, then a low end BMW and ultimately a high end SL Merc. His meteoric rise in the pantheons of literature was only rivalled by the growth in his wealth and stature. While many sulked at his richness, some gave him due credit for revolutionising the concept of story telling.

The day of reckoning finally arrived in July '03, when he was ultimately in a position to buy his first Lamborghini. Despite the ridicule from his friends, he had never stopped dreaming about this day. As he walked around the mustard yellow Lambroghini Murcielago, all those moments started coming back to him. Today was also the day, he had planned on asking his long time companion to spend the remainder of her life with him. It all seemed surreal to a small farm boy growing in rural Wisconsin, but his dreams were about to come true. As he pulled out of the Luxury Car dealers parking lot in Chicago, and stepped on the pedal, a twisted ending was probably the last thing on his mind. Filled with plans of a new beginning, he neglected to stop at the red-light. Alas! the rampaging 18 wheeler coming from the other direction was a little less forgiving, as it not only crushed his dreams but also all of his 206 bones.

The man who flummoxed the entire world with his anti-climatic tale fell prey to the same fate in real life. Its a pity that a short synopsis of his own life, written by a loyal reader, would read very similar to his popular stories themselves, a bit tragically though !

A piece of heaven !

2007-07-12T00:03:00.000-04:00

This July 4th weekend, I finally fulfilled my dream of visiting Glacier National Park (GNP) in northern Montana. Having visited Yellowstone, Grand Teton & Olympic National Parks over last summer, I arrived at GNP to determine the best national park in lower 48 states. Although I still maintain that Yellowstone & Grand Teton combined constitute the best park in the country, and Olympic is probably the second best, GNP is definitely the most scenic park. At most times the sheer size of the mountains and their proximity leave people overwhelmed and humbled.

Flying into the closest big airport Spokane, WA, I was probably the only brown guy in the entire aircraft. The same trend continued over next 5 days as I literally ran across less than 20 non-white people! Countryside Montana is as conservative as it is pretty, and at
almost every moment I could feel like a stranger lost in a land he shouldn't never have travelled. But once in the park, you come across the friendliest of the campers from all over the country (still white though!). Through my many camping trips at various national
parks I have found out that the visitors are most often old white folks. If the park is easily accessible, one might see a decent influx of asians or indians, but in such an inaccessible park, I wasn't expecting anything different.

Coming back to the park, I went in expecting most of the glaciers and snowpack to have melted away thanks to record heat all over country. But I was pleasantly surprised that the high elevations still locked in cold temperature and enough snowpack. Most sites in GNP are situated along the fabled "Going to the Sun Road", and it is definitely the best drive I have ever encountered in my life. The west side of the road starts at lower elevation skirting lake McDonald, but is soon gains elevation through Logan Pass and offer stunning
unparelled vistas of the continental divide.

The continental divide is like a wall of thin but super steep snow/glacier packed mountains which dissect the park. Numerous waterfalls wash the road and make driving on the narrow roads tricky. The east side of the park is more windy and dry and is dotted with
some beautiful lakes and creeks. The fresh glacial melts give the water a clean green tinge, and give the lake a very refreshing and unique look.

Although the park doesn't boast a wide variety of wildlife, I had the good fortune of having 3 bear sightings. One of them a mere 5 ft away (from inside the car obviously!), but I also had another sighting with the bear about 40 ft away while we were on our foot. Black
bears are normally calm and unperturbed by tourists. I was however, stunned by ability of mountain goats to walk on steep precipes at extremely high elevations. Other forms of wildlife included Moose, Deer & Big Horn Sheeps all adept at walking on snow covered steep
terrains.

Its definitely hard to get back to a normal life post GNP. The concrete jungle of Houston, alongside the ever growing construction dust on the freeway is a far cry from the pristine wilderness of Montana. But ordinary people have ordinary lives.....and so I live on with dreams of travel to my next destination !

European Terraces

2007-06-19T21:50:00.000-04:00

Since my timing to Europe coincided perfectly with nice summer weather, I got a great exhibition of the european “terrace” culture which I have only heard, read and seen in movies. Streets after streets were teeming with people sitting outdoors and dining or taking in home brewn beer or just a plain cappuccino. The skies were clear, the buildings were archaic, the streets were narrow and conjusted and the people were merry – symbolising the typical European terrace lifestyle on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

The first thing I noticed as I walked the streets of Antwerp was that things are definitely much smaller in Europe compared to US. Flying in from Texas, where everything is big, Europe kind of restored some semblance to my skewed scale of things. The people were fitter, healthier and there were more people on bikes or on feet than people on car. There was abundant public transportation to take you to places of interest, and it was a nice change to not feel your car keys in the pocket. Many a times, walking through streets of old European cities reminded me of Bombay with its old Victorian architecture on narrow streets.

The train ride from Amsterdam to Antwerp, gave me a flavor of the Dutch countryside. With more than 50% of land below sea-level and with extremely fat landscape, Amsterdam is well renowned for its dairy products. The Dutch lunch is strange, couple of slices of bread, a piece of meat, soup and 2 glasses of milk – almost a second breakfast! Normally, a super flat landscape with absence of hills and mountains would be boring. But the dutch countryside is lush green with beautiful farms, filled with cattle, goat and horses and traditional windmills alongside rivers and canals to add further beauty. The Dutch love to bike, which is evident from 3 storied cycle parking structures at some of the stations and the special right of way that cyclists possess on the road.

Belgium, is very similar to Holland, with people in north speaking dutch whereas people is south speaking French. Sights like Grand Palace Square and other historic palaces make Brussels a hot spot for tourist activities. Antwerp is a tiny bustling city on the banks of Shelde River and world famous for its diamond market. I was also fortunate to visit cities like Cologne, Bonn & Dusseldorf along the Rhine in Germany. As expected, people in Germany did not speak as much English as their western neighbours, and I tried to apply my limited german skills to navigate while we were away from the city. Girls in germany were extremely beautiful, and at most times I had to shift my appreciation of beauty from architectural to human. Cologne, or Koln as the locals may call, is also the birth place of eau de cologne, and I made sure I got my own small bottle before departing.

For most people from East, USA seems like the most liberal and progressive country in the world. Unfortunatley, it’s nothing but a glorious misconception portrayed by latte sipping Hollywood actresses and blonde bedding hunks. Europe in true sense has a much more open culture than the US and no where is it more clear than Amsterdam. Tourists throng the famed “Coffee Shops” and the legendary “Red Light District” (RLD) areas along the canals. Walking through the lively, and super touristy RLD lanes in Amsterdam is a unique experience in itself and sometimes you wonder how the local society accepts such a set-up.

Although Europe tended to be expensive place to travel for a tourist, it is a great place to work. The work culture is relaxed with ample holidays, and life in general seemed slow and cheerful than other parts of world. However, the thing which annoyed me the most was the absence of free restrooms and drinking water. Given that water costed more than Beer, I decided to use the cheaper of the two to quench my thirst most of the times! Europe definitely turned out to be prettier and more enjoyable than what I had imagined, and definitely intend to make multiple trips to the continent to discover all that it has to offer!

Northern Arizona

2007-06-05T13:00:00.000-04:00

When most people think of Arizona, the first thought which comes to their mind is cactus, desertland and dry hot weather. Unfortunately, these people have never made a trip to Northern Arizona, because it is in stark contrast to this common mis-conception. The first time I visited this area, it received 10 inches of snow over the weekend, and needless to say the temperatures were well below freezing. On my current trip six months later, the lows were still close to freezing and despite it being the last few days of May, I could still see some traces of snow on the San Francisco peaks (~ 11,000 ft high) near Flagstaff.

Within 40 mile of drive up north from the city of Phoenix, one observes a change of terrain. You kiss the cactiland good-bye as you make your car work over the gradients leading to Flagstaff. Somewhere in between lies the beautiful artistic town of Sedona. Situated in a valley filled with monstrous red rock structures, this town has been a visitors mecca for a long time. On my first visit, I could see snow on many of the structures and clouds suspended on top of the rocks like a hat, adding lot of scenic beauty. Things appeared a little different in summer, and undoubtedly this place looks much more pretty in winter. The town is filled with small artistic shops, and is a great place for an art afficiando to collect metal and rock collectibles. It is also a great place to go rock-climbing, off-roading and hiking.

But the best part of driving to Sedona, is the drive from Sedona to Flagstaff vis US 89 A. Here you gain an elevation of about 3,000 ft to the city of Flagstaff over a 30 mile drive lined with steep gradients and beautiful forest views. The hairpin bends and switchbacks are always a thrill to ride when there is no traffic and you let your adrenalin loose. Flagstaff is a small city situated on a high plateua and serves as the gateway to Grand Canyon for many. En-route to Grand Canyon you pass snow bowl Arizona ski resorts, the twin peaks of San Francisco, and for most part drive on the elevate plateau towards the South Rim.

This was my second time to Grand Canyon, and although I spent considerable amount of time exploring and hiking the canyon this time, I am still not in awe of this place. It is no doubt one of the wonders of the world, and an amazing sight to behold when you arrive for the first time. But to me, it tends to be monotonous after a while as the same terrain is repeated over the entire land. Temperatures tend to be extreme in this part of the world. On the first day we camped at the top of the rim where the overnight low was 35F (1C), while on the same day as we hiked down the canyon, we experienced 100F (37C) at the bottom.

The hike down was via a 6.5 Kaibab trail, which is hard on your knees and toes due to the steep descent. The dry weather dehydrates you without your knowledge and it is advisable to keep drinking water even when you are not thirsty. At most times you scrounge for shade in this hot weather, and relief comes along Bright Angel creek at the Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the canyon. The hike up the canyon is definitely the most strenuous I have done to date. It took us 7 1/2 hrs to gain 4,400 ft via a 9.5 mile hike. The gradient towards the end, combined with a 25 lbs backpack and high temperatures made it an arduous task.

But during my 2 day trip I saw great stories in the form of 70 year olds hiking from North rim - South rim, a total distance of 20 miles in 2 days, whereas some 40 years olds doing the same in a day. I saw old ladies carving their way up with sheer determination and kids walking the unknown. I met people who religiously have been backpacking the canyon every year for 15 years, and some who did it more than once a year. They served enough inspiration for me for hike up and for similar feats in future. There is something about man and the mountain, and his conquest to reach the top will almost always result in great stories of mental strength !

Leaving Los Angeles

2007-05-21T23:24:00.000-04:00

'Surf & Turf' ! There are not many places in the world where the above phrase would make sense, and even if it did, it probably can never be implemented. Surf & Turf refers to hitting the turf (on your snowboard) in the morning in the mountains where it is snowing and then surfing by the ocean in the evening where it is 70F and sunny !! And this incredible gradient in temperature could be seen in a mere stretch of 60-70 miles all within the limits of Greater Los Angeles. If you had more time in the day, you could even fit in a dirt bike or ATV run through the vast desertland a mere 60 miles from downtown. This diveristy is best signified by TV stations as they give 5 different weather forecasts for LA - Beaches, Metro, Valleys, Mountains & Deserts with about 25F difference between the deserts and beaches.

There is a reason why Hollywood exists where it is - the skies are clear, the ocean is blue, the mountains rise high above the basin and most importantly the weather stays 70-75F all year around. Hollywood might have made LA famous, but the common man in the city is probably as detatched from it as any other person in the country. The city is filled with self made and inherited millionaries who are not afraid to flaunt their wealth via cool cars and palatial houses in prime ocean locality.

But it's not just the weather, scenic beauty and riches which attract people to the city. It is literally a melting pot of a myriad cultures from across the world. You can find settlements from every country as you visit Little Tokyo, China Town, Little India, Little Armenia, Little Saigon etc. These places abound with rich heritage and great food. My culinary palate was widely expanded and I definitely felt more learned with a 2 year stint exploring these small neighbourhoods in the city. The greater Los Angeles consists of 88 smaller cities and each one of them has something different to offer. From the bungalow heavens of Pasadena to the bohemanian lifestyle of Venice to the high rollers of Palos Verdes to the great food of East LA, each part has a different personality.

West Los Angeles definitely seems like the second most liberal part of the country after SFO. Los Angeles kind of eschews the chain corporate culture in some ways as the city is filled with mom and pop restaurants instead of those monotonous chains, save the fast food places. Most parts have also successfully staved Wal Mart's efforts to tap into SoCal market. Hybrid cars are more welcome here than any other part of the country as they get special privileges to ride in the car pool lanes. California is definitely the most progressive state in the country as it is in the forefront of the eco preservation and pro climate choices.

But like any other city, Los Angeles has its own problems. On most days the traffic can be very frustrating, the smog reduces the visibility and blocks view of the great San Gabriel mountains. There are high crime neighbourhoods nestled right in the heart of the city and most importantly it is one of the costliest neighbourhoods in the world. But given the scenic beauty of the place and great quality of life California has to offer, I still feel it is worthwile to put up with all the above.

Over the past 4 years, I have travelled intensely within the country visiting more than 26 states and as many cities. San Francisco might probably be the most scenic city in the country, but add weather to the equation and LA wins hands down. As my dream stay at LA comes to end with my moved to Houston, I can only hope that someday I can afford to go back and live in California !!

More than a Game !

2007-03-19T23:57:00.000-04:00

I woke up this sunday to the shocking news that the legendary coach Bob Woolmer is no more. As I reflected back on yesterday when I saw him perched on the balcony anxiously watching his indisciplined team being dismantled and at my vicarious pleasure that the Pakistan team lost to a minnow the same day that we lost to the Bangla tigers, the feelings turned into deep sorrow. As I frantically called some of my cricket afficionado friends and communicated this tragic message, their reaction was the same - a state of utter depression. Cricket as a sport often has a unique attribute of transcending nationality & race, this was one such occassion.

I scrouged every possible online resource for details, but I was met with the same news 'found unconscious in his hotel room'. My earliest memory of Woolmer, was seeing him buried behind a laptop coaching the Proteans. When critics called him a maverick or a geek to try to bring technology to the game, he shrugged them off with a year when the Springboks lost only 6 one dayers. It is indeed a great loss to the cricketing fraternity, and the circumstances under which it occured is sure to shroud the tournament in a blanket of gloom. Speculations will run rife till the autopsy results are revealed, but today I just pray that his family and friends find the courage to recover from this insurmountable loss. Here is a very poignant tribute by Osman Saimuddin.

Why don't people in the sub-continent understand that Cricket is a sport and not a religion ? Soon after the loss to the underdogs, effigies of all leading players were burnt in India and Pakistan. Special protection had to be provided at Dravid, Kumble and others residences to prevent people from pelting stones and dung at them. People who irately protested against Kaif' apalling performance in the last World Cup, were seen protesting this time against his non-inclusion - truly puzzling, isn't it?. Acts like these would potentially have a negative impact on the career of budding cricketers. The pressure is just too much on the coaches and cricketers to perform. Why can't we treat them like movie stars - Go watch their game, if you like 'em...but if they stink, stop watching their game or stop buying stuff they advertise. Do we ever throw stones at Govinda's house if his movie flops, or burn Amitabh's effigy cos his movie bombed? Ultimately we need to make distinction between entertainment and fanatisicm - and don't we all go to schools to develop virtues like these. It grieves me no end to see such tragic moments in the game and its truly been one of the saddest weekends in the cricketing history.

The events of the last few days have definitely been rather tragic, but that should not take the shine away from some of the brilliant induvidual performances. Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahman, the 17 year olds proved to the world that the future is bright for Bangladesh. On the other hand Andrew Botha & Neal O'Brien showed the fighting Irish spirit as they staged a perfect St. Patrick's Day massacare. Its a shame that the cricketing world was so consumed in launching a vicious attack on India and Pakistan, that they totally forgot to heap the deserved share of accolades on these minnows. These two events truly embody the phrase which aptly describes cricket - 'a game of glorious uncertainities'.

On the other hand, Gibbs demonised the Dutch with a world record 6 consecutive sixes. Ponting showed why he is the person to break Tendulkar's record, while the little master himself, finally showed a glimpse of vintage SRT as he adeptly piled runs on the hapless Bermudans. Then there was the great tied game, where Zimbabwe created hara kiri against the Irish. Flintoff once again displayed his immature behaviour and has rightfully been kicked off the next English encounter. Fame often comes with great responsibility - someday Freddie will learn. There are 6 more weeks left in the WC2007 and it will take a really brave punter to put his money on the winner. Ireland - Any takers ??

Holi-Day !!

2007-03-04T22:01:00.000-05:00

Come Celebrate a color-filled Holi with friends and relatives at UCLA on Mar 11th.

Objects in the RearView Mirror!

2007-02-26T01:33:00.000-05:00

After 25 hours at 30,000+ ft altitude watching B-grade movies, sleeping, snacking on some
delicious "Hindu" meals served by some really cute air-hostesses, the flight finally touched down on the Chatrapati Shivaji International airport at Mumbai. With great excitement I breezed through the immigration and customs to greet my family and relatives who had braved the humid night and persistent mosquitoes to receive their loved one. After cramping more than the comfortable number of people into the jeep, we set out for a 45 minute ride to home in the wee hours of morning.

Growing up, traffic in India never alarmed me - I thought it was the same all over the
world. But after lapping up more than 30,000 miles in US, it was a huge shock to see traffic in Mumbai . My life flashed before my eyes innumerable number of times, as the driver snaked between high-beam lit cars, and some single head light lit trucks. I noticed a beautiful contradiction in the traffic philosophy in India and US. In India, you can stick your vehicle into any intersection and the assumption is that the oncoming vehicle will stop to let you go, whereas in US under such circumstances the assumption is always that the oncoming vehicle will not stop. Once you clarify this subtle nuance and you measure the exact dimension of your vehicle down to mms, driving in India is not so hard. But wherever I went there was traffic galore. People seemed to have gotten rich in a hurry and had filled their narrow lanes with cheap affordable cars, but the MLA's seemed in no hurry to build new roads and flyover to accomdate this sudden surge in motorized vehicles. What is more shocking is the utter neglect shown to the fate of pedestrians. I realized, much to the chagrin of my friends, that I had developed a sudden respect for oncoming traffic as I would patiently wait minutes before walking across the asphalt. On one such occassion I followed my friends advice to brave traffic underneath the Gemini flyover, only to be almost beaten by a traffic cop. But seriously, why don't we care about pedestrians ?

The other thing which amazed me was the wealth possessed by teenagers. Rs 75/- a coffee
seemed like blasphemy to me cause I had grown up drinking road-side tea for a buck or two
with a biscuit costing 50 paise, and I am not that old !There was way too much dipsosable cash in the society, thanks to the IT revolution, and people were not ashamed to flaunt it. Courtesy of the corporate culture, western outlets (Sub-way, Mcdonalds etc) are making in-roads, but due to adverse dollar-rupee conversion ratio, they still maintain a very small patronising group. The fad for being westernised is getting bigger as people happily seem to be swapping their local identity for someone whom they would want to be. Cars of all foreign manufactures adorn the road - what the hell, I saw a Porsche Carrera outside The Park, Chennai (5 star hotel). But it seemed like the wealth was only increasing the divide between the haves and have-nots, and with 7% inflation there was no end insight.

The best thing about trips to India is the great food. You dont have to pay 100's of
rupees in some fancy restaurant when you can enjoy the most delicious ones for less than 10
on the footpath. Hygeine suddenly takes a backseat while eating out as I enjoy the germs as
much as the spices that make the stuff tasty. At most times, I found myself with the predicament "Pet Bhargaya, per Dil na Bhara". Having spent 6 years in hostel eating zoo
food, and then 4 years eating microwaved food, your sense of appreciation really kicks in as
you relish even the simplest of the dishes. Ladies in India, don't realise what an immense
talent they possess over the entire world, in terms of their cooking ability. Living in a
cosmopolitan city like LA, I have sample food from some countries whose name people might not even have heard of.....but no cuisine seems to be as rich and diverse as ours !!

Personally, it was a roller coaster ride. One evening, I was on a tremendous high seeing
my sister getting married to a gem of a guy, and meeting old friends and relatives only to
meet the same set of people the other day after my grandfather's expiry in a very shocked state. Life is a great equaliser, and having witnessed the first death in the close family circle, I have realised one important thing - Your life is not just precious to yourself, but its precious to all the people who love you.

But trips to India are always too short and always memorable. The emotions don't actually
sink in till you have checked in your baggages at the departure terminal and received your
boarding pass. As you esconce yourself into the tiny little window/aisle seat in the big
bird, the reality hits you. Amidst the ruckus of big mouthed co-passengers you reminisence
the entire trip and nostaligically look back at the day you landed at the airport and met
your family for the first time. And then like a movie in flashback, you trace your thoughts
through all the incidents that unfolded over the last 3-4 weeks. This fond feeling continues
till your exhausted eyes give up their battle and take you into your fantasy world. It's a
shame that these trips happen only once a year or two !!

A tribute to the legend

2006-12-26T23:24:00.000-05:00

I still remember the day when Shane Warne took his 300th victim - fooling Kallis with a top spinner. On the same day I read an article by Richie Benaud in Indian Express, where Richie predicted that Shane Warne would end his career taking 600 wickets. Even a die hard Aussie fan like me deemed the suggestion preposterous as my friends mocked at the impossibility of such an outcome. Kapil Dev had reached 436 with great difficulty and to expect someone like Warne, who was already at his peak, to take 600 wickets was nothing but wishful thinking. But 8 years down the line, here the legends rests - 704 and counting.....

Despite the drubbing meted out by Ravi Shastri on his debut, Warne scripted an amazing comeback with the 'ball of the century'. I still vividly remember the way he bamboozled Gatting and rearranged his woodwork. I was only 11 then, and I had never seen a ball turn so much in my life before. Ever since then I became an ardent fan of the wizard and his wizardry. But it was not just me, the entire world took notice of this stout wrist spinner.

What followed next was as mesmerising as that fateful day. As he revived and perfected the art of leg spin, batsmen from all over the world dreaded to square off against the wizard. Except the ones from the subcontinent, most were held in a bind by his bag of tricks. Bowling round the wickets came into fashion, superfast flipper lbws became common and the combination 'c Taylor b Warne' entered the history books.

But only immense talent doesn't make someone popular, he had a very captivating personality too. He was aptly nickname 'Hollywood' by his mates for his flambouyant style and fashion sense. On the field he was a dynamite, and fired up his team mates even in desperate situations. It was this attitude which enable him and his team to script many a great comebacks. The one that immediately comes to my mind is the 1999 World Cup semis when he cleaned up Gibbs with a peach of a delivery.

However, what made Warne really famous was not just his on field antics but also his off field controversy. He was out for months with a broken finger, then with a shoulder surgery. In between he had a failed marriage, he was caught texting dirty messages to English nurses. On most times he would come out of his absences carrying extra pounds around him and would be the joke of all editors. But he made sure he had the final laugh.The final nail in his coffin was laid when he was kicked out of the world cup for taking banned substance. Many considered it to be his end, but he rose magnificiently through all his downfalls to emerge stronger than before. Contemporary spinners like Kumble, Muralitharan, Saqlain all achieved comparable success, but none caught the public attention like he did.

Some might argue that he still has atleast 2 years of cricket left in him and might be retiring prematurely. But they always say its best to get out when you are at the top. Rather than being an excess baggage like many cricketers do at the fag end of their career, Warne has decided to leave on his terms. Hollywood would definitely be missed by the cricketing fraternity, and leaves behind him a void which is almost impossible to fill. Muralitharan might break his record, but Warne will still be remembered as the best bowler of the 90's and 00's.

Here is a compilation of his best 8 deliveries.

When are you going back to India - III ?

2006-12-13T00:25:00.000-05:00

(The first 2 parts in this series can be found here - Part 1, Part 2)

Like most people, Ram came to the land of immigrants in search of better career opportunities, which indirectly (actually directly) translated to a move towards more money. Soon he realised that it was not just money, but it was also his standard of living which was suddenly elevated. He saw things in a way which he had not foreseen even in his wildest dreams.

He could buy a car, laptop, and an I-pod when he was still doing his graduate degree. He could fly cross country with ease and visit places he had only read about. He could buy designer clothing and live in a neighbourhood with sylvan streets and well trimed hedges and lawns. The infrastructure was better than anything he had imagined. He enjoyed the detatchment from bureacracy in his daily activities. When obtaining a license back home used to take him Rs. 1000 worth of bribing and 3 months of wait time, now it took him only 5 minutes of driving test. He no longer faced a situation where trains would be cancelled because somebody insulted a leader or a somebody defaced the statue of a dead personality. He was no longer affected by communal riots or water scarcity or power outage or flooding. He lived his life the way he wanted to live in the place he wanted to live. Soon he settled down with his family and his kids grew up in this new environment.

Often times he would be faced with the inevitable question - How long am I going to stay here ? What are the reasons driving me home, and what are the reasons preventing me from going back ? Despite embracing the alien culture to the fullest, he never considered himself as a part of it. Unlike many other immigrants, he did not despise the culture, but rather loved it. However, he had grown up in a land far far away and hence could never come to terms with identifying himself with this new culture. The adolescent and teenage years are the most formative and defining years of a person's life, and the lessons you learn then are the lessons you live with your entire life. Hence he could never develop the ability to drag his heart out of his homeland.

But on deep introspection, he realised that the real reason compelling him home was the comforts of his family and friends. So he finally abandoned his cushy job, his huge house and powerful car and relocated back home with his extended family. His kid continued to grow up with an american accent and struggled to adapt to the new surroundings. But their problems were not as big as Ram's himself. There were definitely simple things which he missed - like opening a faucet to get hot or cold water, or cruising at 160 Kmph on his car, or the omni-present restrooms in public places :)) But it took him no time to adjust back to the life he had grown up with, and such materialistic longings were thing of a past.

However, a few years down the line, reality hit him hard. He had abandoned everything to be close with his friends and family. But most of the elderly relatives passed away after a few years. The entire second generation of his family (his siblings, cousins et al ) had already migrated to US and esconced themselves over there. As he went in search of his old school friends, he was met with a similar fate. Some of the best friends he had made off-late were his colleagues in America. Deprived of his best buddies and closest relatives he finally felt a stranger at his own home - a home he so fondly returned to, after following years of selfish pursuits elsewhere.

Shaking Hands with Jay Leno

2006-12-06T00:52:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I finally fulfilled my year long Los Angeles based ambition of seeing the live taping of Tonight Show by Jay Leno. It was only 2 years ago, when I was in Pennsylvania, and as a regular viewer of the Tonight Show, My eyes would lit up whenever they flashed the address of the NBC studio - 3000 W Alameda Ave, Burbank, CA, 91523.

However it turned out to be more exciting than just being part of the audience. Due to busy work schedule and odd filming timings, we were one of the last few to reach the studio. But by a great stroke of luck, we got to sit in the first 2 rows. This gave us an opportunity to go upfront to the stage and shake hands and greet Jay, when he arrived at the podium before his gig. Coincidentally it also happens to be the only part of the show where they televise the audience ! The first guest for the night was Dennis Miller, and I couldn't care less. He was funny, but he alienated me with his extremely conservative right wing talk.

But the second guest happened to be my favorite pro-football player - running back Ladanian Tomlinson from San Diego Chargers. Even off the field LT remained humble and shy, and had an inspiring story to tell. For someone who plays in NFL, he didn't seemed to be really big or burly, but was rather medium sized built. The live band for the night was KT Tunstall, who gave a solid rendition of their current hit, 'Suddenly I See'.

Having lived in LA for more than a year, I have seen a handful of shows. The sitcoms are always long and boring as they shoot take after take. The talk shows on the other hand are quick and taped live. Jimmy Kimmel (ABC) & Late Late Show with Craig Fergusson (CBS) both were good, but they tried to manage the audience with stage enhancers and comics. The enviroment seemed very formal and kind of stole the fun out of the show. On the other hand, the Tonight Show had a very informal touch, with Jay himself walking out before the show and mingling with the audience. Their were no comic acts before the show, and we were in and out of the studio in little less than 2 hours.

I had also had the opportunity to see Jay Leno's stand up act at Hermosa Beach Comedy magic club in a very informal setting. The tickets were cheap and the show was really entertaining, as opposed to the dissappointing show by Russel Peters at the Wilshire Wiltern recently.

Dems Win

2006-11-08T23:50:00.000-05:00

Finally, the hoopla surrounding the mid-term elections has come to an end. The democrats savored an overdue victory as they gained control of both the house and the senate. In the end, Sen Allen of Virginia seemed to have paid a big price for his racist use of term Maccaca, and might as well have caused the GOP control of the senate.

It remains to see how powerful the current president would be without the support of both the houses. To me, this seemed like a 2 year deadlock wherein no laws could be passed by the current government. I tried to fathom this predicament of the US constitution wherein the party in power doesn't enjoy a majority in the houses - something which is directly opposed to the British/Indian system of government. The arguement put forth by some colleagues was that this would ensure that the government would stop furthering personal agendas while concentrating on popular issues acceptable to both ideologies. This philosophy, thus has the potential of creating good governace.

I have never like the current government, but nor am I far left liberal. For some reason I always associate hard left stances with tree hugging wusses. On the other hand a far right position conjures an image of super religious, wealth worshipping, incompassionate guy in my mind. I think there is always a middle ground which could be successfully tread, as exemplified by the Governator - Arnold. Despite being a republican he has successfully managed to retain his power in the most democratic state in the country, California.

When Bush won the presedential election in 2004 on the back of what was popularly called as 'gods, guns and gays', I was shocked. Despite the gross mistake of venturing into Iraq without any solid evidence and costing the nation $200 bn, he managed to win the election. Although Kerry was not a formidable opponent, I still could not come to terms with the fact that a highly educated electorate would make such a decision. But I guess, education plays no role in shaping people's ideology. Education might eradicate blind faith, but it also equips induviduals with smarter arguements to further their cause. On a tangent, I think that the arguement that if people in Bihar were educated, they would not vote for Laloo is fallible.

However, the best thing that happened since yesterday is that there no more campaign advertisements on the television. For weeks, regulars shows were interrupted by mud slinging commercials on different candidates and propositions. Sometimes I feel that the outcome is purely driven by the campaign rather than any agenda or ideology. The GOP is like Coke (Red), while the Dems are like Pepsi (Blue). Around 80% of people already have a preference for Coke or Pepsi. The remainder seemed to shift their liking based on whose commercials they liked the most. This is not politics....this is pure marketing !! And since this 20% is ultimately the decider of the outcome, only a solid marketing plan could lead to success.

Champions Trophy

2006-11-07T00:28:00.000-05:00

In the end, the outcome was familiar. The Australians clinically dismantled other mortal-filled teams to lift the elusive Champions Trophy. When they lost the first game, people suspected weakness, but some like yours truly, saw a repeat of the DLF cup in the offing. The Australians have finally managed to acquire the only missing stone in their star studded tiara. They now return home, with a fresh boost of confidence, to win back the ashes that they lost to the over hyped British.

But the most embarrasing fact was that none of the sub-continental teams even showed a resemblance of a fight as they capitulated in the league games. Pakistan, were dealt with a serious blow even before the first ball was bowled as their premier bowlers were sidelined for drug abuse. SriLanka, despite their stellar performance against the Windies in the opening nonsensical qualifying games surrendered tamely when it came to the real deal.

Not long ago, India set the record for most number of consecutive run chases in ODI history. Some thought that India had peaked too early, now most people think the same. There weren't many positives to write away from the tournament. They beat a lacklustre English side, had a close finish with Windies due to the visitors magnaminity and then got blown away in the decider against Australia. But I have faith in Greg Chappel to instill energy into this sapping team and get them in shape before they venture into the carribean islands.

However, I was very happy with the low scoring close games. It was a refreshing change from the games of last 3 years where scoring 300 had become a norm. Finally, the bowlers seemed to get surfaces which offered them some parity against the heavy hitters and oppressive field restrictions. I hope the champions trophy inspires curators and boards around the world to offer such sporting pitches.

On a different note, a champions trophy of a different kind was being played out on the fields of Buena Park, CA this weekend, as the Association for India's Developement, Los Angeles chapter organised its first fund-raising event. 8 enthusiastic teams took part in this noble cause as we tried to raise closed to $2,500 from this event. In the best game of the weekend Torrance Tigers chased 98 in 12 overs against Vernon City Rex. The contest heats up next weekend as we reach the knock outs and the competition becomes fierce. For those in Southern California, do drop in, there is no entrance fees!!

Too much Cricket !

2006-10-24T23:25:00.000-04:00

I remember when cable TV first made its appearance in our tiny little town - it was back in February, 1992 coinciding with the Cricket World Cup. I was then in 5th grade and the World Cup seemed like the perfect start to my life long love affair with the sport. For the next whole month, my brother would religiously wake me up at 4:00 am in the morning or whenever he thought the game was turning out to be interesting. India performed miserably, but there were still a lot of fond memories - Greatbatch going on a rampage for the kiwis, Inzzy playing one of the most spectacular ODI innings I have seen, Miandad teasing More with jumping jacks, India's one run loss to the Aussies......

Growing up, whenever there would be an Indian cricket series happening, I would end up doing home-work in front of the TV. But in those days, cricket matches were few, and were eagerly anticipated. Everyone would ardently await for the a cricket team to visit India, or for a tournament like Sharjah or Toronto to happen. I knew exactly the composition of all 9 test playing nations. I remember exactly how many centurions there were in a series, or how Tendulkar got out in the first ODI. Those were the days when every cricket game was important and people followed it religiously.

But somewhere down the line, cricket turned out to be more profitable than most cricket boards imagined, and the whole fraternity turned greedy. First they started eroding into the offseason, typically June-September. Then they started playing in nations like Singapore, Malaysia, Kenya etc. More triangular series and international tournaments sprung up and teams started playing each other on a regular basis. Indo-Pak is no longer a much anticaped battle, and the same goes for Ashes. There was a time when I knew only Wasim Akram to have played in more than 300 ODIs and I thought only Sachin would beat him. Nowadays, 300 games seems to be a norm for any decent player.

The game has thoroughly been exploited by over zealous, avaracious board managers at the expense of its fans. Cricket is now more like baseball in US, where they play 160 games each year, with most people interested to see only the Playoffs. Soon, a time would come when people would be interested in seeing only the World Cup or a Champions Trophy. The younger generation might disagree (dammit, I am still a part of it !!), but those who have seen cricket 10 years ago, would agree that it is different. Cricket might still be profitable and might still be loved by it's fans, but my romance with cricket has definitely faded !

Does Place matter ?

2006-10-13T01:38:00.000-04:00

Growing up in a remote suburb of Mumbai, I was always in love with the tiny little town I lived in (Ambivili). It was laid back, almost rustic, but at the same time it happened to be only 45 minutes of train ride to Mumbai - the commercial capital of India. Multiple times a year, I would visit relatives in Pune & Madras. But back then, I never liked one place over the other. Every city seemed to be the same, the people were same, the weather was the same and they all boasted of the same tourist spots. There were no special attraction of the beach over the mountain or the bay over the temperate weather. You liked the place so long as you liked the people you visited !! This might not be true today, but when you are 10 you don't care for geographical diversity.

Moving over to US, the first 2 years were spent in almost similar pastoral settings of State College. It was a big place by Indian standards, but by US standards it was nothing more than college town. It was prettier than what I had ever seen before in my life, and I made some really good friends too. It was an ideal place to live as a cash strapped graduate students. I always heard my city slick friends express disdain for such small towns, but I never understood them till I moved to one. Moving into a huge city has been a totally different experience, and I felt I matured much more in 2 months in a city than in 2 years spent in a small town.

Also I had always thought that the weather was the same everywhere. It is either too hot or too cold or it rains, its never pleasant. This myth was blown into pieces after I moved to Southern California. Now I have started discerning difference between 3-4F, or for that matter between 20% humidity and 65% humidity, cause I had never lived in a dry region before! The freedom to get up any day of the year and go out to jog or play tennis wearing just T-shirts and shorts, is something I think precious. Some people still don't understand why I rave so much about this fact, but in most cases these are people who have never experienced such a phenomena.

When I was looking for a job for the first time in US, I was open to any geographical locations, may it be Fargo, ND or Topeka, KS. Place didn't matter then, what mattered was career. But somewhere down the lines, I got lucky and landed in Los Angeles and I started looking at a location in a whole different light.

As I post tonite, I am balking on a great career opportunity because I don't want to move from Los Angeles to Houston. I never liked Texas from my first visit to the city and least of all Houston. I always thought of Houston as a place which is more like a Los Angeles devoid of Mountains, Beaches, Great weather but yet having traffic problems & pollution - the downsides of Los Angeles. I guess there are things in life more important than just a career, it's called enjoying life! So should place have such a big emphasis on our life ? Most people would anwer with a emphatic NO, and I am still unsure!

Cricket for a Cause

2006-10-10T00:24:00.000-04:00

Association for India's Development - Los Angeles
AID main website

Reflection

2006-09-29T00:15:00.000-04:00

My first memory of this world was of me lying in a dingy little ward of a public hospital with tubes sticking all over my body. There lay my wreathed body, motionless and senseless. I could see a group of people clad in white overalls walking around me and discussing primarily in a medical jargon which my atrophying ear failed to decipher. As I looked around at the almost flat cardiograph, I could hear only one statement, "Only a miracle can save him now....."

The status quo was maintained for a while, as I held on to my dear life through tubes and pills. But instead of lapsing into comatose, I actually started feeling better and eventually I was discharged from the hospital. I lived alone on top of a small hill by the brook or so I was told by the person who dropped me to my shack. With every passing day, I started feeling younger, my body was no longer swathed in wrinkles and I started feeling stronger. I took up a job of a cornhusker in the valley, to make ends meet. It was over here that I made some good friends, with whom I would sit after dusk and share stories about our lifes - most of my stories were very brief and current.

It took me 5 years to realise that something was not normal. While my close buddies, were getting weaker and smaller, I was actually getting healthier. Not that I complained, but it stayed beyond my comprehension. But such perceptible changes seldom go unnoticed, as the villagers around me soon noticed this strange phenomena and distanced themselves from me. Over the next 10 years I got younger and younger. My hair started turning from white to grey to blackish. I gained a little height and definitely a lot of weight. My vision improved, but my social life shrunk to a point, as people outcast me from their society and considered me to be some kind of a curse.

Thus, I moved to a different town. But it didnt take many years for my abnormality to surface out and I faced an exile in a short time, in most villages that I moved. Banished to a nomadic existence, I lived my life in solitude. I had pets which would live with me and die, but my health would only get better and better. Many moons ago, when I left the hospital after recovering from a near death experience, someone told me that I was 87. I should have been 147 today, but my new friends think that I am in my late 20's. As I turned fitter and younger with every passed day, I wished someone would give me an inkling of what was in store.

Soon I was a teenager, and I still continued my forced vagabond lifestyle scrouging for food and clothes. I knew the clock was running out on me and soon I would find it hard to fulfill my basic necessities. As my voice turned kiddish, and I grew shorter I had to resort to begging on the streets. Often times as I would sleep on the streets under open skies, I would look up to the stars and wish I could travel to them. I used to think people there were like me, and they wouldn't hate me. But the first ray of sun would jolt me back to reality.

However, things changed one nite, when in an undercover operation, the moral police of the city snatched underprivileged children like yours truly, and placed them in an orphan house. I was 3-1/2 ft tall when I entered the charitable house, and within a year I shrunk to 2 ft. Alarms were raised, doctors and miracle workers were brought in to investigate this phenomenon. But they all resigned to something supernatural as I was finally transferred to an infant nursing home. By now, I had profound memories but no speech. Through my monosyllabic language I tried to communicate with the world and tell my sorry tale, but to no avail.

As I lay tonite in the incubator, chugging volumes of oxygen, I am still unsure whether I would wake up tomorrow morning to see the world. In the middle of all the commotion around me, I hear two doctors standing next to me mutter, " Only a miracle can save him now ....". As I heard this a wry smile spread across my lips.

Sunrise of the Angeles

2006-09-23T16:37:00.000-04:00

Over the past year, I have seen some spectacular sunsets over the mountains in Malibu and on beaches of Santa Monica, Venice and Huntington. But great sunsets are expected in this part of the country, given the clear skies and undisturbed view of the horizon over the pacific ocean. But, what I did not expect to see is beautiful sunrises.

The end of summer has brought in shorter days, and the late sunrises have coincided perfectly with my daily commute to work, to make it beautiful. Normally driving east on sunrises like these are blinding and a menace to the traffic. But the hazy skies, and the huge wildfire burning to the north have given a nice orangish tinge to the sun.

Patel Snaps*

2006-09-17T23:15:00.000-04:00

( * Patel snap is a funny name given to those typical desi snaps taken at points of major interest, with the entire family beaming a cheesy smile in the foreground. However, I think we still have ways to go in this department if we have to catch up with the japaneese. )

Before I left for my trip to Wyoming, I proclaimed to a lot of my friends that there is a good chance that I might not see any desi for next 5 days, considering I was visiting some of the most remote states in US. Most of the first day was spent in Salt Lake City, which from my previous visits is easily the whitest place I have visited. During the first day we travelled through Utah, Idaho, Montana and finally landed up in Wyoming. Of the all the cars I peeped into, and all the gas stations we stopped at I recollect seeing only 1 non-white guy. It was at Idaho Falls, and probably this black guy was happy to see me too, cause he walked up to me and asked me the location of the restroom. ( An aside, Why is calling someone black derogatory, but calling someone white perfectly OK ?)

During my limited camping experience, I have never seen desis camp, and this record was maintained intact over the next 4 days. My non-desi sighting continued for about a half a day, till I saw a small desi family take a hike at Midway Geyser basin. Desi meetings at tourist spots are always awkward. Both the crossing party seemed to be deeply involved in their discussion as they approach each other. But when they are in each other's vicinity, suddenly there is a deathly silence. Some look to the ground, some look to the sky or some just look away. There is intense feelings, but there is no eye contact - and once the paths have been crossed, there is invariably a chuckle or a snide remark. Its strange that the same person who would react gleefully and greet total stranger of a completely different race and culture, would lapse into a lull while meeting someone of the same kind.

Given the inaccessibility of Yellowstone, I wasn't expecting to see more than a handful of desis in the park, but I was proven wrong when I visited the big restaurant at Old Faithful. Here, I saw atleast 50 of them. And as my friends gave me a hard time at every sighting, I debated what could be the reason for this phenomenon.

Old faithful is definitely the most popular and most easily accessible part of the park. Why is it that we always horde at easily accessible places, and avoid places like the campgrounds and backpacking trails. Places like Niagara falls, Grand Canyon are always flooded with desis, but at the same time, if you drive up to Glacier National Park in the wilderness of Montana, you would hardly find any of our kind. Are we not adventurous enough ? Why dont we go the extra distance to see things which are undoubtedly more beautiful ?Why should these activities be restricted only to the whites ? Very rarely do you see desis or for that matter any non-whites, pull off at a road in wilderness and walk to the snaking river or taking a dip in lake or for that matter backpacking in wilderness. Are we not as flexible as people over here ?

ps: Why do you never see afro-americans in National Parks ?

From the Caldera's Rim

2006-09-10T02:28:00.000-04:00

I learnt about the word Caldera only a month ago when I was planning my vacation to Yellowstone National Park. Caldera signifies the huge volcanic bowl in which the park is located. The Caldera was formed due to three major violent volcanic eruptions - 2.1 mn, 1.3 mn and 640,000 yrs ago. It is due for an eruption anytime now, and when it does happen, only the New England portion of this country would be spared from the ashes & dust of this gigantic hotspot.

Yellowstone houses more than 75% of the worlds natural geysers. The constant volcanic activity underneath surfaces in the form of hotsprings, fumaroles, mudpots & geysers. Bacteria (Thermophiles) which thrive at 70C and minerals give various shades of orange, blue and yellow and make these hotspots majestic. Probably the most spectacular of all the geysers at yellowstone is most definitely the Grand Prismatic spring. Most geysers reek of sulphur and hydrogen sulphide due to bacterial activity and visitors are warned from touching the hot acidic waters.

The whole park is situated at an altitude of more than 7,000 ft and hence exhibit extreme weather. The night time temps were below zero while the day time temps were sunny 80F (32C). The best part of the trip was, undoubtedly, camping at 24F (-3C). With no prior experience of sub-zero temp camping, I decided to brave the elements with a mere sweatshirt and a good sleeping bag, only to return home with a clogged nose and a sore throat. Camping in wilderness is always eerie. A deathly silence surrounds you at nights, and you try to link up every grunt to a big black bear or every howl to a wild coyote. I made sure that I never made trips to the restroom at night, unaccompanied, although it involved swallowing some male ego!

The eastern side of the park display a different geology with the mountains and the canyons. The highlight of this section is most definitely the lower falls on the yellowstone river which is actually twice the height of Niagara falls. The flat valleys in between the mountains are an ideal place for gazing at wildlife. Bisons, elk, deer abound in these areas and we also had sightings of fox. But the highlight of the trip was most definitely seeing a black bear from less than 20 ft distance, cross the road unperturbed by amateur photographers like myself around.

3 days at Yellowstone was probably not enough time to do justice to all the beauties of the park, but we were on a tight schedule and we decided to visit Grand Teton National park just south of Yellowstone. The view of the Grand Teton, is more intimidating than view of any other mountains in Rockies or Sierra Nevada. The tallest rise to a height of 13,750 ft, from a flat valley of about 6,000ft and easily the most inspiring memory from the trip.

Wyoming, turned out to be even prettier than what I had imagined. Most drives are flanked by cattle and horses grazing pastures with gorgeous mountaineous backdrops. And at other times you drive along snaking rivers through steep gorges and dense forests. The sights were spectacular, the air was fresher, and time was slower - and after 3 slow days at work this week, I realise my heart is still lying somewhere in that fabled land !