Dreamin...

Seven wonders of nature!

2011-11-11T21:49:00.000-08:00

Beautiful and inspiring vistas : Click here!

Inspirational Leadership

2011-10-12T11:53:00.000-07:00

A nice article : http://www.diamondbackonline.com/opinion/steve-jobs-on-the-campus-1.2643054

Tree of Life

2011-09-01T22:44:00.000-07:00

Tree of Life Blessing
By Shiloh Sophia McCloud

May you choose outrageous actions
that challenge who you are
and encourage who you are becoming.
May you take one step, however small,
toward that which you have always longed for.
Now is the "right time."
May you recognize the unique and powerful contribution
that you bring to the people whose lives you touch.
May you be as wonderful as you really are,
and do things because you want to,
not just because you should.
May you celebrate your creativity
and believe that you are an
artist with a unique vision that no one else has.
May you find peace and purpose and possibility
amidst the chaos
while remaining aware of the unrest in the world.
May you reach towards the Spirit
with a longing that keeps
you awake to the miracles available all around you.
May your faith move any mountains
that stand in your way
and bring you great teachers to awaken your understanding.
May you give up shame, guilt and self-neglect
and replace them with qualities like freedom,
integrity and self-nurturing.
May you offer the gifts and blessings
of your soul work
to beings of the world
when the time is ripe for you to release them.
May you passionately and deeply love and be loved
by someone who can see who you really are.
May your body speak to you and teach you
how to care for the temple
that houses your bright spirit.
May you walk gently on the earth
and honor your hearth and family
with your action and your rest.
May you find and enjoy the fruit of abundance
so that your life path can be fortified and furthered.
May you embrace the Tree of Life
and be informed by the wisdom
she brings to those on her path.
May LOVE be at the center of all your choices
and may you, with me,
send this blessing to all beings.
Amen.

What's Love, where to find it! (A beautiful poem by my friend and mentor Christine Arylo)

2011-07-14T09:06:00.000-07:00

I send you this letter from my heart to your heart,
knowing that the great human equalizer,
the thing we all have in common,
that truly bonds us all is love.

I believe that each of us wants to be deeply loved,
and that without that love,
we will never find the happiness we crave.

No matter how much money you make,
how beautiful your body or how many accolades you acquire,
at the core of who you are, you desire to be deeply loved.

And yet, how many of us would be willing to stand up
and admit to the world
this deepest of deep desires?

Would you?

Of course you might express that you would really like a loving relationship,
that your family is important to you,
or even that you'd like to take better care of yourself.

But would you peel back the curtain that protects your delicate soul
to reveal that inside is the most innocent and pure heart,
one who craves to be seen by another so deeply
that you could almost feel that person witnessing your soul?

Would you show us the holes of loneliness
that sometimes surface on that same heart
when your soul feels unseen, unheard, un-understood?

I'll show you mine if you show me yours.

The loneliest times of my life have been in relationship -
be it with a parent, a friend or a romantic partner -
in which I called out to be seen...
when I reached out for unconditional love...
and neither was returned.

After many years of trying to find that deep love
from the people around me whom I loved,
I was gifted with a profound realization,
one that I have since come to understand is the secret to everything in life.
When we live by it, the happiness and love we seek is ever present.
When we don't, we will find ourselves forever
seeking out happiness and love, in vain.

The secret is this:
The deep love you seek starts and ends with the love you have for you.

Every person on this planet, including you, desires to be deeply loved.
At the core of your soul, your spirit requires that in this lifetime
you seek out and find unconditional and pure love.
The reason most of us spend our lives searching without ever really finding it,
is not because this precious love doesn't exist, or even that it is rare.
You've been taught to look in the wrong places - outside of yourself -
when the truth is that the love you seek
starts and ends with the love you have for you.
It is your right to fall so deeply in love with yourself
that you only invite that same kind of pure love into your life.

It is your quest in this lifetime
to get to know who you truly are in your soul,
beyond all the surface and societal muck that covers up your beautiful spirit.

It is your gift to learn to accept the person you are today,
right now in this moment and love him or her, all of you.

And it is your duty to free yourself
to fully express every piece of you without apology,
So brightly that you light every heart you touch like a firefly,
including your own.

That is self-love.
Being.
Loving.
Living.
You.
Without apology. Without holding back.

When you can do this,
you not only receive the extraordinary ability to feel the greatest of love,
but you also gain the ability to give that same deep love back,
giving others the gift of witnessing and loving their beautiful souls.

My wish for you is that today,
you start and/or deepen your adventure of falling madly in love
with the powerful, beautiful and free being you are,
just because you are you!

with great heart,

Christine Arylo

25 paise coin fades into history!

2011-06-29T12:13:00.000-07:00

I have so many childhood memories around 25 paise coin. My grandfather sent me 25 paise everyday as my pocket money for the day with the man who delivered my lunch to school. And I bought candy with that money. That money was enough to buy me two pieces of candy or a helium balloon. The coin was a link and a reminder to that innocent phase of my life. 25 paise is no longer economically viable, so it is gone, but with it has gone those reminders of a time, when small things made me happy and made my day. Ah, I feel a gaping hole in my heart :(.

Google Art Project

2011-02-06T17:31:00.000-08:00

Another gem from google!

Why Americans don't travel much

2011-02-04T11:25:00.000-08:00

Some reasons for Americans not traveling much given by CNN.

click here

Love this quote

2011-01-15T21:53:00.000-08:00

I love this quote by Senator Dianne Feinstein :

Toughness doesn't have to come in a pinstripe suit.'

- California Senator Dianne Feinstein

Professional Women in India

2011-01-15T21:13:00.000-08:00

An interesting article that speaks about challenges women face in the Indian corporate world, professional women in India face more than a glass ceiling! Check this : http://www.diversitybestpractices.com/news-articles/professional-women-india-face-changing-social-expectations

25 most luxurious train journeys in the world

2010-12-03T14:05:00.000-08:00

Check these trains, they are amazing !

Lovely beaches

2010-07-18T07:30:00.001-07:00

These beaches look pretty good, check them out!

2010-06-24T23:59:00.000-07:00

CNN lists the most scenic drives in Asia : Scenic Drives

World's best restaurants

2010-04-28T01:23:00.000-07:00

Here's a list of the world's top 50 restaurants : Top 50 restaurants worldwide. Look forward to exploring these!

Am I a non-confirmist -- I have a weird feeling may be yes!

2010-03-09T09:38:00.001-08:00

The naive me -- young and enthusiastic looked at everything and everyone -- through my rose colored glasses of naivete. World had nice people just like me... trustworthy, honest, sincere, and curious. My rose colored glasses got shattered many a times. I continued to believe in the goodness and still do -- just that I am more cautious. I have also realized I am a non-conformist, followed an less taken road, derided for my choices, but nonetheless I believe in my choices.

The complexities in the world don't make sense to me -- I am simple and like simplicity -- in thought and expression. I found that it's not the norm -- people like to complicate, fuzzier the better, don't know why is that?

I made unconventional choices in schools. I left a famous public boarding school as I felt I was not being valued there. People tried to sweet-talk me to re-consider but I stuck to my decision. This is when I was 12. I chose to matriculate from a simple Central School 36 Kms from my then-home at Khairi, district Chamba of Himachal Pradesh. and far exceeded everyone's expectations.

I made unconventional choices throughout my education and work career. Always followed my heart and when I felt that I was not enjoying the experience, I questioned my assumptions, spoke to my fears, and if things still made no sense I let them go.

Money comes and goes. Careers come and go. Things happen, I learn the lessons and then I forget, just continuing on my journey, don't know what is my destination but I believe the journey is my destination.

You should do what you love to do...but er how do you find it?

2010-02-19T01:48:00.000-08:00

I have often heard people, media, and everyone who's successful profess, "Do what you love, and you will succeed"...I agree, who won't :). But, er, how do you find what you love? So confusing! It was very very confusing for me...till I bumped into Brian Kim's blog, via of all places, a comment on YouTube!! The inaight presented is marvellous and yes after doing the exercises recommended on the blog, I have an idea of 'What I love to do'. Brian Kim has an interesting way to help discover and pinpoint your interests, do check out : www.briankim.net, and read the column on 'How to find what you love to do'. Its definitely worth your time.

Exotic Ramblings

2010-01-16T04:47:00.000-08:00

Slurp Slurp :

Best Places for Ice Cream

http://www.cnngo.com/singapore/eat/homemade-ice-cream-611441

Bandra Ahoy :

http://www.cnngo.com/mumbai/none/streets-your-city-bandra-287237

What I wanna do...2010

2010-01-13T21:54:00.000-08:00

Ah, I wish...Here is my list of those 'not-to-be' kept resolutions

I wish I could ski
I wish I could travel to South America, Europe and Alaska and ofcourse US
I wish I could act... theatre anyone?
I wish I could train for a half marathon

........

Rs. 5 day!

2009-12-12T11:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I unknowingly found myself in a midst of a bizarre 'shopping spree'. Whatever I bought in till the day was over amounted to Rs. 5...(nothing more or nothing less). I started my day by buying a Rs. 5 steel ring in the local train, then spent another Rs. 5 for a packet of roasted chana (grams), another fiver for sukkha (dry) bhel-puri, and the last 5 for a small glass of Kokum sherbet. Interesting ... Rs 5 seems the way to snack in Mumbai!

Climate Talk

2009-12-12T11:09:00.000-08:00

The Climate Policy Wonks : http://climateprogress.org/
The Science Corner : http://www.realclimate.org
The Advocates : http://www.desmogblog.com

Booklist...

2009-12-02T23:11:00.000-08:00

Books I Want To Read:
Attracting Investors by Philip Kotler, Hermawan Kartajaya and S. David Young
Repositioning Asia : From Bubble to Sustainable Economy (Hardcover)by Tim Calkins, Hermawan Kartajaya
Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations (Hardcover)by James Surowiecki
Everyday Ethics : Inspired Solutions to Real-Life Dilemmas (Hardcover)by Joshua Halberstam
The Three Ways of Getting Things Done Hierarchy, Heterarchy and Responsible Autonomy in Organisations by Gerard Fairtlough
The Little Kingdom: The Private Story of Apple Computer by Michael Moritz
Spare Room Tycoon : The Seventy Lessons Of Sane Self-Employment by James Chan
Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
In an Uncertain World by Robert Rubin
Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes and How to Correct Them : Lesson from The New Science of Behavioural Economics by Gary Belsky, Thomas Gilovich
The Box : How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger by Marc Levinson
Say It With Presentations: How to Design and Deliver Successful Business Presentations
Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence (Paperback) by David Keirsey
Moving mountains;: Or, The art and craft of letting others see things your way by Henry M Boettinger
Tested Advertising Methods by John Capes
Personal Financial Planning By Koh, Benedict & Fong Wai Mun

An inspiring evening spent in Mr. E Sreedharan's presence

2009-10-16T00:49:00.000-07:00

My dad, one of Mr. E Sreedharan's most trusted lieutenants (then Chief Engineer of Tunnels) in Konkan Railway during (1993-1996), talks about the now famous 'Metro Man' as one who will be remembered like Gandhi in times to come. I had a great opportunity to meet this living legend and listen to an inspiring speech by him at the Konkan Railway founders day on Oct 15th, 2009 and I was moved. Such agility at an advanced age of 77 and such humility! He enquired about everything from children's playground, hospital, ladies club, health etc and asked personally for certain people during this visit. I have had an opportunity to meet Mr. Sreedharan on a few occasions but this is the first time I heard him speak publicly. He spoke slowly and softly and without any written aid and many things stood out from this speech. I have heard many great, successful and famous people speak but none has had such a profound impact on me.

1) He spoke about punctuality and respecting other people's time. He said respect people by respecting their time

2) He spoke about integrity. His integrity led government to invite him to chair Rs. 2500 crore Konkan Railway and Rs. 10000 crore (phase 1) Delhi Metro and Rs. 22000 crore (phase 2) Delhi Metro project. If anything that can win a battle and war for you in all fronts of your life it is this timeless value of integrity - personal as well as professional integrity

3) He spoke about health - sound sleep, good food, exercise, spending time with loved ones, i.e. overall balance, as a key to a happy life and its easy to see how he has practiced this value to its heart. He is 77 and can put a 30-something to shame.

4) He spoke about inculcating spiritual values as a key to achieving happiness, peace and success, i.e. work done with an attitude of service, not money, giving one's best always and leaving the final results to God. He emphasized the value in giving time for personal introspection and getting in touch with the spiritual power within us.

5) He also spoke about excelling in one's job by knowing everything as a key to self-confidence, self-assurance. If one excels one is beyond assail of any kind.

6) Last but not the least he emphasized the value of leading by example. Walking the talk.

God give Mr. Sreedharan a long life so that he can continue to inspire and lead the country and the world!

Words of wisdom from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

2009-06-22T11:36:00.000-07:00

There is a famous saying in Thirukural by Saint Poet Thiruvalluvar -- Vellathanaythu Malar Neetam Mandartham Ullathanaytu Uyarvu. It means that, just like the height of the water in a pond determines the height to which a lily would grow, it is the heights of thoughts that determines the heights to which you could aspire for. So as human beings they should have great thoughts, great aims, and when thoughts become transformed into actions performed with perseverance and devotion, success has to follow.

Goodbye Anandi Bua

2009-06-13T11:02:00.000-07:00

This is the most difficult blog posting of my life but I still want to carry on despite my feelings. This post is dedicated to a woman 'Anandi' who stood for happiness and joy, who brought joy to all and even in her most difficult times never forgot to smile. It is very hard to believe that she is no longer in our midst. She fought till her last breath with cancer and lost the battle on May 20, 2009 at 10.20 AM IST with a smile. It has been a very difficult moment for those who were fortunate enough to love her. However, hard it has been for me to come to terms with her death, I promise to live by the ideals she stood for. She stood for joy and that is what I will be for the rest of my life. That will be my tribute to this brave and courageous soul who lives in my heart now. May God bless her and give her the best He has to offer wherever she is. I love you Anandi Bua and miss you very dearly!

Managers versus Leaders

2009-05-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

I have been wondering - what's the difference. I hear about so many B-schools opening in India, about graduates getting salaries equivalent to those they'll be paid if they were to graduate from any of the top schools in the world. But, how many of these managers are actually leaders? Are these schools churning out leaders or managers? Are these schools serving the society by creating leaders or are these schools making money for their trust or owners by creating managers? In truth how many of the graduates of these schools are leaders ? But before I pass an opinion on these schools, how is a leader different from a manager?

I was confused by the difference between managers and leaders. What makes an individual a manager and what makes an individual a leader? In my experience, a manager is a person who can envision, plan and execute. Then what does a leader do and how is the leader different from a manager? While reading the biographies of some great leaders some traits appear to be common to all of them - leadership is taking a step forward when 99.9% of the reasons are against that step. Leaders anyways take that step. Call it faith in themselves, or the invisible and the unknown but leaders rise above the ordinary reality. Managers wait till there is 99.9% certainity and then execute their plans. Does it mean that managers do not have faith in themselves, the unknown and the invisible - well may be or may be not - but certainly most managers accept their own limitations.

Leaders are not stopped by opposition, resistance, discouragement, multiple no etc. Most leaders persist and believe in their vision and their work. The stories of Vinobha Bhave, Ela Bhatt, Aung Sang Suu Kyi, Gandhi are inspiring. Managers persist till they find some workable solution or till the time persistence makes sense.

Leaders put interest of others before their own self interest. I don't know what managers do, but I am certain that true leaders are motivated by much more than their own self-interest.

I am still studying this topic and will keep adding to this post as I find more points.

If bullets in their own backyard can't wake people up, then what will!

2009-05-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

26/11 happened in South Mumbai and the public outrage at the post-26/11 demonstrations (the demonstration at the Gateway of India on Dec 6) made me think that people were serious - serious to bring about a change. At-last, people were shaking-off their apathy and waking up. But April 30, 2009 presented a completely different picture. What happened to those promises to bring about a change in those post-26/11 demonstrations, where did that public outrage disappear? Why was the voter turnout a mere 43% in Mumbai. If bullets in our own backyard can't wake us up then what will? I am heartbroken to see this public callousness?

Gandhi said 'Be the change you want to see', change begins with us - but unfortunately many of us chose to use the long weekend to go on a holiday rather than vote. Many of us missed out on the opportunity to be the change we wanted to see. God forbid, if 26/11 repeats, what will we do? Demonstrations, ad-campaigns - I am sure we will do that all, but at that time who will believe us, who will trust our seriousness and our anger? By abstaining from our duty to vote haven't we exposed our vulnerability and haven't we have become an easy prey to politicians who can now use us at their will to meet their vested interests and give us the easy reason; 'you chose us'!

My heart goes out to the activists who campaigned day and night urging people to vote. What a waste of their effort, what a waste of resources but above all what a brutal waste of an opportunity! This act of ours is totally unforgivable.

Sad but true - from Narayana Murthy of Infosya

2009-04-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

We are not a nation of doers; we are a nation which believes that our articulation is our accomplishment.

Laws of Life ... funny but true!

2009-01-21T21:19:00.000-08:00

Law of queue: If you change queues, the one you have left will start to move faster than the one you are in now.
Law of the Telephone: When you dial a wrong number, you never get an engaged tone.
Law of Mechanical Repair: After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch.
Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to theLeast accessible corner.
Law of the Alibi: If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the next morning you will have a flat tire.
Bath THEOREM: When the body is immersed in water, the telephone rings.
LAW OF ENCOUNTERS: The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.
LAW of the RESULT: When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will!
LAW OF BIOMECHANICS: The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach. THEATRE RULE: People with the seats at the furthest from the aisle arrive last.
LAW OF COFFEE: As soon as you sit down for a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.

(taken from an anonymous source)

In the memory of those killed ...

2008-12-16T03:36:00.001-08:00

I wonder how the families of policemen, commandos and the innocent victims killed in the terrible attacks must be coping up with the terrible tragedy that has fallen upon them. What did they do to have lost their loved-ones to the bullets of unknown men? Not only have they lost their loved-ones but also have lost their dreams, hopes and plans for the future. Putting myself in their shoes scares the life out of me. On our part we can stand united and take better decisions to strengthen our country so that such attacks never occur in the future. That would be the best tribute to these precious lives.

Human beings as accessories ?

2008-11-20T22:38:00.001-08:00

I read an article in New York Times about looking at India's prosperity through the eyes of invisible men or have-nots. This article is an eye-opener and after spending almost a year in India and observing lives of people from different spheres of society here, I found myself agreeing to every single word written in this article. I strongly advocate this article. I wonder why in our society doing our own chores is looked down upon. Hiring a retinue of 'servants' or 'help' seems more like a social-symbol thing than convenience. I agree we all need help to manage our lives but treating other human beings just as some life-less creatures who agree to our whims, adjust to our schedules, never complain, being insensitive to their pain just does not seem right. These people have no labor laws so their pain is never heard and never addressed in a just way. If we are to truly progress as a society we need to make sure we treat the lowest rung of our society with the dignity they deserve.

Technology with a heart

2008-11-20T22:09:00.000-08:00

I read this very interest article on CNN.com titled 'Technology with a heart'. The beauty of internet and social-networking as a media is their amazing capability to touch and influence people's life to mostly create a positive change. This article talks about extending social networking to philanthrophy and to micro-lending. I think the concept is unbelievable and just brilliant. This article motivated me to the extent that I created accounts with Kiva.org, Change.org, Ammado.com and Nabuur.com. I'll keep posting whatever interesting stuff I come across or I do on these websites.

All it takes is imagination

2008-08-17T01:06:00.000-07:00

"The biggest thing is nothing is impossible ... With so many people saying it couldn't be done, all it takes is an imagination." Michael Phelps

Land of the Chinars - Is it a cursed beauty?

2008-08-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

Finally another wish fulfilled - I got to visit Srinagar, Gulmarg, Kinjarmarg, Qazikund, Banihal, Anantnag and Gulmarg in May. To repeat the cliche - Kashmir is beautiful and one could spend a lifetime in this paradise - is the sum total of my trip to Kashmir.

The most exiciting discovery I made during this trip was that I found out that Dal lake is not just a lake but a township in itself and I saw the majesty and beauty of Chinar trees. I was impressed by the buzz of activity and culture in Dal Lake. I had known Kashmir to be beautifu but I had not known about the existence of activity and culture in the Dal Lake - floating vegetable gardens, a bazaar with water streets, 2200 houseboats, four chinar trees planted by Emperor Jehangir in one of the floating islands of Dal Lake (also known as Char Chinar), shikaras for commuting, people selling everything from daily used items to expensive jewelery, carpets and food on Shikaras...wow! I was also impressed by women rowing Shikaras and women anchoring their Shikaras to catch-up on the gossip. Yes, it was very interesting to know this aspect of the Dal Lake.

With the happiness also came sadness and anger on seeing the slowly rotting heritage. There is a lot of algae in Dal Lake and this algae is slowly killing this beautful lake. Some cleaning efforts are in place but they are highly inadequate and I also learnt about the reckless felling of the Chinar trees. Chinar wood is highly prized and anti-social elements cut these trees illegally to make quick money. Chinar trees take a long time to grow and if cutting is not stopped, we may soon see the end of the Chinar trees soon too! What a loss it would be!

Finally - why Kashmir, is the beauty suffering from some sort of a curse, an evil eye...what a beautiful landscape and what a brutal treatment given to it ... merciless killings of men and women, innocent cries of children, brutal destruction of the Chinars, suffocation of the Dal Lake ... the soul of the land known to heal the soul of humanity is being ripped ... is there some logical explanation or is it fate? I am sure there is some bigger reason behind this suffering in the grand scheme of things but who knows what...till then God Bless Kashmir!

Dealing with the reverse cultural shock

2008-06-22T00:44:00.000-07:00

A lot has been written about the cultural shock that people face when they immigrate or live for an extended period of time especially in the western countries from India. A lot has also been written about the emotions or circumstances that lead people to come back to India. However, I haven't seen much written on the process of readjustment in India.

Yes, readjustment to India is a process and it does take a while to feel at home in India again.

Recently, during a conversation with an interesting person named Prashanth (who now happens to me my boss in the company I work :)), I came across some interesting facts. Prashanth asked m e if I realised how my expectations had changed after I had spent considerable time in the US. He then asked me that how to I plan to manage this changed expectations?

Yes, I went to the US as a student and after finishing my Masters degree, I set foot into the corporate world. Tech companies specially the ones in the Silicon Valley are known to pay well, and unknowingly I got used to a life of comfort and ' material luxury' (by Indian standards).
When I came back to India I never realised that my expectations had changed and a life or material comfort became the norm for me. Yes, I did face trouble, but I never realised that it was due to the conflict in expectations.

Add to that, I had changed a lot as a person. I refuse to accept fate or destiny unlike most people in India. My 'go-getter' attitude was in conflict with the society here.

Last but not the least, I had almost all of my close friends back in the US and though I have the family around me, the level of bonding and topics of conversation that I share with my friends, was hard to recreate in India. I think, forming a social circle with like minded people is the hardest. Prashanth found that by attending Indian School of Business, he found like-minded people (and his would-be wife) and from that point onwards the process of adjusting in India was easy. All of us may not go to the ISB, but yes there are several avenues to build a social life in India, some of them are : Joining clubs (Bombay has lots of them), social-organizations (there are a lot of them to choose from - Akanksha, CRY etc).

Once you have a good set of friends in India, a good home, a good job or your own company - it is every bit worth living in India.

Honda FCX Clarity

2008-06-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

Finally, the impossible has manifested - Honda has rolled out the first edition of hydrogen fuel cell powered cars! Wow! What an achievement. These cells use oxygen and hydrogen from the atmosphere and release water and heat as the by-product. Heat is definitely not good in the context of global warming, but I am sure heat will be dealt with in due course. What a remarkable day for the environment and what a feat by Honda!

Read the complete article on New York Times :

Honda releases FCX Clarity

Mission Accomplished

2008-05-05T21:44:00.000-07:00

I came to India almost five months back, fuzzy-headed, confused, looking for direction and a welcome break from the six-and-half years of mechanical existence in the US. I did not know what to expect from India. India had changed in many ways from the time I left for US in 2001.

The India I left was struggling in many areas even though software and IT sectors were doing good. Life was starting to get better for the people employed in the IT industry but others went about their lives the usual way with the familiar attitude.

The India I returned to is full of energy and enthusiasm and is bubbling with hope. I witnessed the launch of the Tata Nano, world's cheapest car. The self-confidence and the can-do-never-give-up attitude of the people is contagious and amazing. People it seems are itching to change the system and the way of doing things, and they are now courageous enough to be the starting point for the change they want to bring about. New ideas are welcome in India and a lot of young people are taking the entrepreneurship route to success and change.

What has touched me most is the blend of old-world charm and the new-found desire for change. The ancient Indian tradition laid emphasis on honoring the guest 'Athithi Devo Bhava' - your guest is like God. Most people are very warm, helpful and friendly and maintain the ancient tradition of honoring the guest . Ofcourse, we all come across and read about nasty incidents, but overall the majority of people are nice and are willing to extend a helping hand sometimes without you asking. I have had wonderful experience while travelling in trains and buses.

I don't know how many people feel this way but I feel there lies a sense of peace beneath the chaos of external material life in India. People are in general happy and content with life here. In the US, I always felt a sense of chaos and fear beneath the perfection of the external material life. There everyone seems to be in a rush to head somewhere.

Now once again, I find myself at the crossroads :). I have found what I was looking for in India. I feel a sense of completion to my trip to India. I now want to move forward from here, but don't know where. As always, I believe with time I will have all the answers and life will lead me to my next destination.

IPL Rocks - Now lets extend it to other sports!

2008-05-05T10:59:00.000-07:00

IPL is a great idea. Eight cricket leagues (teams), comprising established and well-known Indian and international cricketers and new comers, are scheduled to play 59 T20 format games among themselves. Thanks to IPL, there is something exciting to look forward to on TV that is full of repetitive reality shows and boring soaps. IPL is a great way to boost cricket in India. It provides an avenue to lesser known cricketers to show their talent, to earn good money and to mingle with the senior players. IPL seems like a win-win situation for all, though some people argue that IPL is destroying the essence of cricket. Like everything, cricket needs to evolve with time, and T20 format is a welcome change. After all, who has the patience to keep track of a 5-day test-match or spend a day tracking a 50 over match. We definitely need to preserve tradition, so test-matches and one -day international matches must stay. But blaming T20 for destroying the spirit of cricket does not seem fair.

Going a step further, why not have IPL like leagues for other sports in the country such as track&field, hockey, swimming, badminton, lawn-tennis etc somewhat similar to NCAA in the US. Such leagues will definitely benefit the sports culture in India, give an opportunity to sportsmen to earn money, recognition and experience. Though these IPL or NCAA like leagues for other sports may not be as lucrative as cricket, but in order to boost the sports culture in our country, we need to start somewhere, and forming leagues for all sports may just be the right answer to boost the sports culture. Almost every Indian wishes for more Olympic medals coming to India, and the sports enthusiasts here go into mourning after every Olympic games.
Olympics come and go, but India's medal-tally never seems to go beyond three. And it seems unlikely if the situation would ever change.

How can the medals come when there is no active promotion of sports besides cricket in India? Forming commercial leagues for other sports and actively marketing them may be the first-step towards more Olympic medals. But would there be any takers?

Breaking rules -- its not funny!

2008-04-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

I have been India for the last few months and enjoying every bit of my stay here, though at times I do get annoyed by the "irritatingly familiar" aspects of life here. Irritating why, simply because these aspects just don't make sense. And yes by these aspects, I mean the familiar everyday things, the kind I feel I have no choice but to silently endure them - as I just can't do anything about these things.

Take the example of traffic - the morning peak hours, everyone is in a rush, the trains, buses and autorickshaws are packed. If you commute by a private car, the traffic is in a big mess. I just wonder, why traffic cannot be systematized in a country with one of the highest educated work-force in the world? Why can't the government impose strict rules and penalties and why can't citizens abide by with the existing ones? Why citizens take pride in breaking or floundering rules? Why a rule or traffic-law abiding citizen looked down upon by some people in this country? Why can't we have a developed world kind of traffic organization in this country? We are rapidly progressing in all aspects of life in this country - economy is booming (unfortunately, so is inflation), incomes are rising, infrastructure is supposedly becoming better - then why not the traffic sense?

A look at the newspapers reveals the startling number of innocent lives lost everyday to road accidents. Reasons : rash driving a.k.a 'look I am breaking rules', trivial reasons e.g. a bus driver failing to notice a lady crossing the road, driver losing control of a bus filled with people to twice its designated capacity - leading to major accidents and causing loss of innocent lives. I sometimes wonder, if there were designated pedestrian crossings or a strict check on the buses to make sure the number of passengers does not exceed the designated capacity, could some lives be saved?

Sure, we cannot eliminate road accidents completely by following rules, but we can definitely reduce the number of accidents. If adhering to traffic rules can save lives, doesn't it make simple sense to just obey these rules!

Yeah, Only if wishing and seeing the wish getting fulfilled were the same. C'est la vie.

15 laws of life by Swami Vivekananda

2008-03-03T03:44:00.000-08:00

Here are a few gems from teachings of Swami Vivekananda..

1. Love Is The Law Of Life: All love is expansion, all selfishness is contraction. Love is therefore the only law of life. He who loves lives, he who is selfish is dying. Therefore, love for love’s sake, because it is law of life, just as you breathe to live.

2. It’s Your Outlook That Matters: It is our own mental attitude, which makes the world what it is for us. Our thoughts make things beautiful, our thoughts make things ugly. The whole world is in our own minds. Learn to see things in the proper light.

3. Life is Beautiful: First, believe in this world - that there is meaning behind everything. Everything in the world is good, is holy and beautiful. If you see something evil, think that you do not understand it in the right light. Throw the burden on yourselves!

4.It’s The Way You Feel: Feel like Christ and you will be a Christ; feel like Buddha and you will be a Buddha. It is feeling that is the life, the strength, the vitality, without which no amount of intellectual activity can reach God.

5. Set Yourself Free: The moment I have realised God sitting in the temple of every human body, the moment I stand in reverence before every human being and see God in him - that moment I am free from bondage, everything that binds vanishes, and I am free.

6. Don’t Play The Blame Game: Condemn none: if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If you cannot, fold your hands, bless your brothers, and let them go their own way.

7. Help Others: If money helps a man to do good to others, it is of some value; but if not, it is simply a mass of evil, and the sooner it is got rid of, the better.

8. Uphold Your Ideals: Our duty is to encourage every one in his struggle to live up to his own highest idea, and strive at the same time to make the ideal as near as possible to the Truth.

9. Listen To Your Soul: You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.

10. Be Yourself: The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have faith in yourselves!

11. Nothing Is Impossible: Never think there is anything impossible for the soul. It is the greatest heresy to think so. If there is sin, this is the only sin - to say that you are weak, or others are weak.

12. You Have The Power: All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark.

13. Learn Everyday: The goal of mankind is knowledge… now this knowledge is inherent in man. No knowledge comes from outside: it is all inside. What we say a man ‘knows’, should, in strict psychological language, be what he ‘discovers’ or ‘unveils’; what man ‘learns’ is really what he discovers by taking the cover off his own soul, which is a mine of infinite knowledge.

14. Be Truthful: Everything can be sacrificed for truth, but truth cannot be sacrificed for anything.

15. Think Different: All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything.

Career Advice

2008-03-03T02:12:00.000-08:00

Here are some website that have some useful career advice

http://www.quintcareers.com/career_change.html

Here is a wonderful book that advises job seekers, career changers etc :

What color is your parachute.

I have been recently reading the research done at the Mother Service Society pertaining to higher growth and accomplishment in life. These essays are profound and full of useful tips and I strongly recommend them :

http://www.motherservice.org/Essays/higher_career_accomplishment.htm
http://www.motherservice.org/contents.htm

Maa

2008-03-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

One of the most touching songs in a long long time ... Taare Zameen Par

Main Kabhi Batlata Nahin
Par Andhere Se Darta Hoon Main Maa
Yun To Main,Dikhlata Nahin
Teri Parwaah Karta Hoon Main Maa
Tujhe Sab Hain Pata, Hain Na Maa
Tujhe Sab Hain Pata,,Meri Maa

Bheed Mein Yun Na Chodo Mujhe
Ghar Laut Ke Bhi Aa Naa Paoon Maa
Bhej Na Itna Door Mujkko Tu
Yaad Bhi Tujhko Aa Naa Paoon Maa
Kya Itna Bura Hoon Main Maa
Kya Itna Bura Meri Maa

Jab Bhi Kabhi Papa Mujhe
Jo Zor Se Jhoola Jhulate Hain Maa
Meri Nazar Dhoondhe Tujhe
Sochu Yahi Tu Aa Ke Thaamegi Maa

Unse Main Yeh Kehta Nahin
Par Main Seham Jaata Hoon Maa
Chehre Pe Aana Deta Nahin
Dil Hi Dil Mein Ghabraata Hoon Maa
Tujhe Sab Hai Pata Hai Naa Maa
Tujhe Sab Hai Pata Meri Maa

Main Kabhi Batlata Nahin
Par Andhere Se Darta Hoon Main Maa
Yun To Main,Dikhlata Nahin
Teri Parwaah Karta Hoon Main Maa
Tujhe Sab Hain Pata, Hain Na Maa
Tujhe Sab Hain Pata,,Meri Maa

Keep the faith

2008-02-28T08:51:00.000-08:00

Reproduced from a column by Sri Sri Ravishankar

Keep the faith

Shraddhveerya smrutisamadhiprajnapurvaka itaresham (Sûtra 20) meaning “By faith, by vigour or courage, by memory of having experienced the self and through the deep state of equanimity, a state of heightened awareness is gained.”

This is a vital sûtra. Shraddha means faith. Faith makes your consciousness stable, steady and solid. Doubt in the consciousness makes you vulnerable, fearful and uncertain. Faith brings out the totality in you. It pulls together all loose ends of consciousness. It integrates your whole personality. Doubt scatters you. Doubt destroys you. Doubt disseminates you and your energy. Doubt is something that pulls you apart. Dissemination of energy is doubt. Consolidation of your energy is faith. Are you getting what I am saying? The very feeling of your having faith is a sort of consolidation.

That is why Jesus always said that faith is your strength. They are synonymous — faith and strength. When you are strong and bold, you have faith. When you are weak and feeble you have doubts. Doubt is a sign of weakness. When there is faith, then samâdhi (Equanimity or meditative ness) is also achieved.

Veerya is vigour or valour. For example, the force with which a soldier marches on is Veerya. Have you not noticed how valour rises in people when they say, “We fight for our country, my country. My country is in danger, my religion is in danger.” You think they simply do it without getting any joy out of it? In that moment of valour or extreme sense of patriotism, they get such a tremendous joy. That is why this world is facing wars again and again. If people would completely condemn war, if nobody liked war, then war cannot and would not happen.

Though the result of war is not palatable, the process of war is very thrilling for people. Every cell of your body becomes united and the whole defense system in you gets awakened. That is again strength. When defense against fear comes to its peak, it is joyful because there is also equanimity there. There is a sense of gratitude. So, a sense of patriotism or valour or vigour also takes you to the state of meditation.

Smruti is the memory of it.

Once you have had a very peaceful, beautiful state of mind, the very memory of it will come back again and again and make you relive the moment. Memory of samâdhi reproduces memory of one’s being. It brings the memory of self, memory of freedom and memory of devotion. Memory of surrender, memory of love, memory of joy brings you back to yourself. Often, we do not remember nice things. What we keep remembering is bad things. We do not remember compliments but we remember somebody’s insults.

But yoga is turning the wheel full circle. Remember those wonderful moments you have had. Sit and be with that very memory. Your entire being gets back to the state. Then through samâdhi, through deep meditation, through deep equanimous mind, awareness is gained. Pragna or heightened awareness is the result of samâdhi. So these many ways, these many avenues are there so that you can blossom in life.

And that beings us to the next sutra — Teevrasamvëganamasannaha meaning “The spiritual path is very easy for one who gives first preference to it, who gives it supremacy over all other things.”

What do we often do? We give priority to worldly things or survival and anything spiritual features last in our list. Patanjali says, Teevra samvegânâm âsannaha. When you give first preference to your spiritual practice, then it is easier. If the focus of your life is spiritual growth, then all other things will be around that. Your first and foremost commitment in life is to be with the truth, to evolve in truth. So, it is very easy for one who gives first preference to it, for one whose mind really wants to move in this direction.

My favorite stuff

2008-02-22T12:44:00.000-08:00

Amelie (Movie)
Chak De India (Movie)
Chariots of Fire (Movie)
Chris Isaak (Songs)
Chupke Chupke (movie)
Dead Poet's Society (movie)
Dil Chahta Hai (Movie)
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (Movie)
Eagles (band)
Forrest Gump (Movie)
Golmaal (movie)
Gone with the wind (movie and book)
Indian Ocean (Band)
Jerry Maguire (movie)
Johnny Cash (some songs)
Kite Runner (book)
Life is Beautiful (movie)
March of the Penguins (Movie)
Miles Davis (Jazz)
Pink Floyd
Pretty Woman (Movie)
Ray Charles (Jazz)
REM (Band)
Scent of a Woman (Movie)
Shawshank Redemption (Movie)
Sound of Music (Movie)
Taare Zameen Par (Movie)
The Alchemist (book)
The Beatles
The diary of Anne Frank (Book)
The English Patient (movie)
The Last Samurai (Movie)
The Police (Band)
U2 (Band)

Back to blogging

2008-02-18T06:51:00.000-08:00

Back to blogging. So much to write, just don't know where to start from :). So much change has occurred over the past few months! Well, lets start from the good news-Me back in India and enjoying every moment of it, trying hard to catch up on the things I missed in the 6.5 years I was away. It's fun and the change and transformation (both good and bad) that India has seen in the last few years is really something hard to believe. On one side, I hate the traffic jams, pollution, the depleting green cover but I so much love the new found energy, the bubbling enthusiasm...that is so contagious. The new can-do, nothing-is-impossible attitude really makes-up (I am still debating this point) for the traffic-jams and the pollution. For now, I am enjoying every bit of my experience here and looking forward to this weekend hiking trip to Uran and Nhava-Sheva in Navi Mumbai. There is still so much more to write - well that's for another day :).

There is always something to laugh about

2008-01-01T09:30:00.000-08:00

Hot Air
---------------

A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced the altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted. "Excuse me... can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The woman replied, "You are in a hot air balloon approximately 30 feet above the ground. You are between 40 and 41 degrees North latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude."

"You must be a Scientist," said the balloonist.

"I am," said the woman.

"How did you know?"

"Well", answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help so far."

The woman below responded. "You must be a politician."

"I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?"

"Well," said the woman, "You don't know where you are or where you're going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise which you have no idea how to keep,and you expect me to solve your problem."

She continued after a moment of silence: "The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Labor of Love
---------------------

My first job was working in an orange juice factory, but I got canned ... couldn't concentrate.

Then I worked in the woods as a lumberjack, but I just couldn't hack it, so they gave me the ax.

After that I tried to be a tailor, but I just wasn't suited for it.

Next I tried working in a muffler factory but that was exhausting.

Next was a job in a shoe factory; I tried but I just didn't fit in.

I became a professional fisherman, but discovered that I couldn't live on my net income.

I managed to get a good job working for a pool maintenance company, but the work was just too draining.

So then I got a job in a gymnasium (work-out-center), but they said I wasn't fit for the job.

I finally got a job as a historian until I realized there was no future in it.

SO I RETIRED, AND I FOUND I AM A PERFECT FIT FOR THE JOB!

My mantra for success

2007-09-24T21:16:00.001-07:00

Here is the sum total of my experience that I would love to share.
To me success comes :
- When I do my best and let the Universe or God take care of the rest
- Do what I love to do
- Manage thoughts , emotions, time and energy well - i.e. have happy thoughts, feel positive, be punctual, systematic, methodical and never procrastinate.

My Mantra for success in life (not from self-help books, but based on my experiences) :

Work hard - Know all that is there to know.

Keep commitments

Focus and concentrate

Be creative

Be passionate - it shows

Network well - i.e. build relationships, you never know from where it comes

Relax and let go - This is most important so mark it well

Laugh and play often- it keeps spirits high and makes you light and attracts more good to you

Set timelines or deadlines - but let go of the time frame in your mind, i.e. don't freak out when the expected thing doesn't happen in the intended time-frame

Be very specific with what you want - i.e. the only way you can ever reach your heart-cherished destiny - write all the details in paper very very clearly but don't be attached to any specifics. Let go and always have your mind, heart and soul open.

Be open to adventure

Let go of fear and worry

Communicate well. Ask good questions till you exactly know what was the intended meaning. It saves a lot of pain.

Never take anything personally. Remember when people are mean to you, it's not about you but about them

Always do your best and let God take care of the rest

Help everyone from the bottom of your heart and soul. Be good and do good

Watch your words. Say what you mean and mean what you say

Thank God always! Say a gratitude prayer often

Be patient...always!

Always visualize the end goal that you seek with a lot of feeling and emotion

Be very excited about what you want

That's it, you've conquered the world! Now chill :).

INS...Ufff

2007-07-18T06:28:00.000-07:00

What is going wrong with INS. It says something (i.e. Immigrants under all categories can apply to get their I-485) on June 12, raising hopes, revokes that decision and dashing hopes, and today once again reinstates the older decision... The whole thing is soooo confusing. The new decision came after a lot of hard work put by the immigrant community, including protests a-la-Gandhigiri ishtyle.

For all those who already have a US Greencard or those who don't plan to get one...glad you're out of this mess.

Another 2006 wishlist!

2006-02-22T11:56:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the activities besides work and usual stuff, I hope I can get engaged in this year. Let's see next year at this time, how many of them are off this list :).

1. Learn skiing this winter. It's been a while I've been wanting to do it, hopefully I can get a chance this ski season.
2. Learn professional photography. I plan to enrol in a course in UC-Berkeley extension by the end of this month.
3. Try snorkelling and scuba diving.
4. Learn a new language. Maybe French.
5. Try ballroom dancing.
6. Hopefully I can get a chance to go for more camping, kayaking and hiking this year.
7. Try golf.
8. Incorporate a fitness program on day-to-day basis.

I'll leave at this point. That's quite a list for now.

Some dream destinations ...

2006-01-07T12:04:00.000-08:00

I love to travel. I have had an opportunity to live at different places since I was growing up and travel to different countries. The longest I have lived at any given place till now is seven years (actually that's pretty long!). Let's see how long I can hold to this record :).

I happened to glance at the book "100 places to see before you die" at a bookstore. I haven't read the book but this book gave me an idea to make my own list of places that I'll love to visit in different continents in my life. I am sure this list will grow longer (or may be shorter, if I actually end up visiting most of these places) with time.

USA: Alaska, Hawaii, Death Valley, Key West, Maine, Vermont (in fall), Utah. Drive on highway 1 all the way to Oregon from California, Yellowstone National park.
Canada: British Columbia, Banff (Alberta), Montreal.
Mexico: Yucatan peninsula(Mayan ruins)and other Mayan ruins elsewhere, Peubla, Cancun...
Central America: Belize, Costa Rica ...
Brazil: Rio, Sau Paulo, Amazon Jungle, Iguassu falls...
Peru: Maatchu Pitcchu, Inca ruins ...
Argentina: Patagonia, Buenos Aires, glaciers with the blue tinge (I forget the name) in the extreme south of the country ...
Chile, Ecuador(Galapagos Islands): ...
Bahama Islands.
Cuba. Barbados
New Zealand.
Australia: Barrier Reef, Sydney ...
Bali in Indonesia ...
Cambodia, China (Shanghai, Great Wall), Japan(Mt. Fuji)
India: Leh, Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshdweep, Kerala.
Male in Maldives. Colombo in Sri Lanka. Thailand.
Jerusalem in Israel.
Egypt: Alexandria, Cairo, Luxor, Pyramids, Sphinx, Aswan dam ...
Morocco, Turkey. Travel across the Sahara.
South Africa, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Kenya (Wildlife safari).
Europe: Prague(Chezch republic), Poland, Hungary, England, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Croatia, Holland, Portugal, Greece, Russia ...

Trivia

2006-01-07T11:39:00.000-08:00

Links to some food festivals in California.

Gilroy garlic festival
Castorville artichoke festival
Napa valley mustard festival
Indio Salsa festival near LA
Tamale festival
Placer county strawberry festival (near Sacramento)
Avacado festival
Date festival
California travel and tourism commission
Taste California travel

Now some healthy eating tips

Healthy eating habits
The most popular yoga teacher in India

Booklist (books to be read)

2006-01-05T18:53:00.000-08:00

Empires of the Minds by Denis Waitly
Journey into Light by G Venkataraman
A Brief History of Time by S Hawking
Parallel Worlds by Michao Kaku
The Best of Indian Physics by Dr Siddharth
Woman's worth by Marrianne Williamson
Dare to be yourself by Alan Cohen
Mary Queen of Scots by Jean Plaidy
The mists of Avalon by Marion Zinner Bradley
A new kind of country by Dorothy Gilman
The bonfire of vanities by Tom Wolfe
The kite runner (Author unknown at present)
Gilead (Author unknown at present)
Winter in Kandahar (Author unknown at present)
Two lives by Vikram Seth
The time traveller's wife (Author unknown at present)
The prophet by Khalil Gibran
The art of war by Tsu Zhu
Failure is not an option (Author unknown at present)
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
Poverty of affluence by Paul L. Wachtel
The post corporate world: Life after capitalism by David C. Corten
The power of midful learning by Ellen J. Langer
Nearer the moon by Anais Nin
The road less travelled (Author unknown at present)
The richest man in Babylon (Author unknown at present)
The sixteen pleasures (Author unknown at present)
Poems by Robert Frost
Memoirs of a Geisha (Author unknown at present)
The greatest miracle in the world by Og Mandingo
The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra
The power of new by Eckhart Tolle
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Works of Francois Gautier

Commerce and creativity

2006-01-05T17:13:00.000-08:00

The link between commerce and creativity has always puzzled me.

Is it possible to be an artist, musician or be in a profession involving artistic creativity in its various forms, without any dilution by vested commercial interests. Is it possible to be an artist without having to worry about if the work will fetch enough money to pay bills or make the ends meet! I know this question sounds hackneyed, but yes, I have always been puzzled about the society's preference (when it comes to paying salaries) tilting towards non-artistic professions like lawyers, engineers etc over musicians, sculptors etc. It can be argued that a brilliant work of engineering or a brilliant argument or defense put forth by a lawyer is a piece of art.

But my point is, whether in the absence of commercial interests, will society pay an artist at par with a lawyer or an engineer. For example there seems to be a sudden surge in interest towards various forms of painting by masses as paintings are suddenly being considered as sound investment options. Suddenly painters seem to be making a lot of money via auctions of their paintings. Had paintings not been seen as investment options, do you think paintings will evoke similar interest from all kinds of people, even from those who can't differentiate between Renaissance art and modern art?

Any answers ....

Museums and me

2006-01-05T17:12:00.001-08:00

In the last few months I had an opportunity to see a few of the world's famous and not-so-famous museums.

Starting from Louvre and a small museum in Palais Garnier in Paris to Gallerie Uffizi and Gallerie del Accadamia in Florence to Sissi Museum in Vienna to MoMA (Museum of modern art) in New York city. Louvre has all modern facilities and has a vast collection of artwork from around the world. Most notable are - works of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, French Rennaissance paintings and sculptures, Egyptian artifacts right from the days of the Egyptian civilization, ancient Greek sculptures etc. It's a huge museum and at any given time, it is said that only 10% of the museum's collection is at display. From the sheer numbers it is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful museums I have seen. It is very tiring to see the entire museum in one day. Given an option, I'll spend a few hours for one week to see the musuem. Also, these days Louvre is getting a lot of publicity, thanks to Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. Let me tell you, I did not see two inverted pyramids as mentioned in the book. To the best of my knowledge and observation, there is only one pyramid. The museum in Palais Garnier is small and has displays related to ballet, European classical music etc.

Gallerie Uffizi has a vast collection of Italian Rennaisance art. It has some famous works of Michelangelo, Botticelli, da Vinci etc. This museum is very small compared to Louvre and at any given time there can only be certain number of people in the museum. Thus the lines to get in are long and you have to wait for upto 2-3 hours to get in. However, in my opinion, the paintings and sculptures on display are worth the wait.

Gallerie del Accadamia, is a museum dedicated to David, Michelangelo's most famous sculpture.This sculpture is beautiful and its perfection reflects the creator's genius.

Sissi musuem is one of the several museums in the Hofburg Palace, Vienna. My lonely planet guide mentioned that it is the most remarkable of all. It has a lot of imperial cookware and also includes the tour of Kaiserapartments, the residence of the King and his wife Elizabeth. Sometimes, it feels as if the museum's main theme is life and times of Queen Elizabeth.

MoMA has a lot of works by Henry Matisse, Andy Warhol, Picasso, Piet Mondrian etc. I liked the paintings there. There is also a section on photography and modern design and architecture.

Having seen these museums, I feel the paintings I'll put in my house will be more contemporary and modern. I can identify more with the work displayed in MoMA, than in the other museums. Other museums house great work, but I'll leave them there and not have them in my home !!!

Also, I hope I can someday visit Musee de Orsay and Picasso museum in Paris, British national museum in London, National museum of Rome, Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam ...

Ethiopian coffee ceremony

2006-01-05T17:12:00.000-08:00

The Ethiopian coffee ceremony is unique; I have neither seen anything like this ceremony nor tasted a cup of coffee this good. Thanks to my friend Shenait (Sunshine in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia), I have been invited to several Ethiopian parties that always end with a wonderful coffee ceremony. The prized Ethiopian coffee beans which are raw and green in color are first roasted over a flame. Guests take turn to roast the beans. Then these roasted beans are ground and set to brew. While the coffee is brewing guests sit in a circle and a special kind of incense is burnt in a small pot. This pot containing incense is circulated among all guests, and as a custom, everyone takes a whiff of incense from this pot. Then small cups (like the Chinese teacups) are arranged in a round platter. Now the freshly brewed coffee is poured in these cups and all guests sit in a circle and enjoy this fresh and heavenly tasting coffee.

New Year Wishes (anonymous)

2006-01-05T00:16:00.000-08:00

Take twelve whole months.
Clean them thoroughly of all bitterness,
hate, and jealousy.
Make them just as fresh and clean as possible.

Now cut each month into twenty-eight, thirty, or
thirty-one different parts,
but don't make up the whole batch at once.
Prepare it one day at a time out of these ingredients.

Mix well into each day one part of faith,
one part of patience, one part of courage,
and one part of work.
Add to each day one part of hope,
faithfulness, generosity, and kindness.
Blend with one part prayer, one part meditation,
and one good deed.
Season the whole with a dash of good spirits,
a sprinkle of fun, a pinch of play,
and a cupfull of good humor.

Pour all of this into a vessel of love.
Cook thouroughly over radient joy,
garnish with a smile,
and serve with quietness, unselfishness,
and cheerfulness.
You're bound to have a happy new year.

~~~~Unknown Author~~~~~~

March of the penguins

2006-01-04T23:51:00.000-08:00

One of the most touching movies I have seen in 2005. A brilliant story with an equally brilliant narration captures the heart and touches the soul.

Summary in short : The 70 KM march of the penguins, in the Antarctica, towards the nesting area, males choosing their females mates (yes, complete with dating :)), females laying eggs and protecting these eggs from harsh Antarctic winter, males making a march towards the sea to fetch food for the chicks that will come once these eggs are hatched, some males losing their lives on the way and finally coming "home" to re-unite with their respective mate and chick (recognizing it from the cry) and experiencing the joy of feeding the chick. Then the females leaving for the sea to feed themselves and then returning to their respective chick...

Its a story of love, sacrifice, caring, sharing and courage ... Highly recommended

New year's at Times Square, NYC

2006-01-04T20:16:00.000-08:00

Looking back, new year's eve at Times square is something that is off my to-do list permanently (hopefully). I went to Times square with my friend Juhi and her husband Francis. We reached at 51st street at 6 PM only to find huge crowds. The cops there said that 42nd-51st streets are full and you'll be lucky if you could find space at 54th street.

Well, we first waited in the line at 52nd street to get the security point. We waited for almost 40 minutes only to find ourselves gone ahead may be by two meters. Francis went out of the line to look for a way in which we could get to the security checkpoint without waiting anymore in the line. Guess what, he was pushed to the security point and was inside the 54th street block. There were some people in the line, who also mentioned that people were allowed to go to the security point without waiting. Juhi and I now decided to break the line. We must have walked five meters and then our line moved. Now everyone was in except us. And we found ourselves among this huge sea of the people near the security point. We were crushed between several people. Juhi was just a little ahead of me and I was between this group of girls from Manchester, England. Well, the good point of this whole ordeal was that we had some interesting conversations. I was in that situation for almost 1.5 hours.

When we were finally at the security point, we were made to open our bags. At that time, a college student who had two champagne bottles in her bags was forced to give them away to two passerbys. It was quite funny.

Well, we made past the security point. I was reunited with Juhi, but lost my new found friends from Manchester. Then we walked to 54th street. It was now 8.15 PM. Now we had to wait in that area for almost 4 hours. It was biting cold and it seemed very frustrating. We waited and waited for the moment the crytal ball will drop and 2006 will come in.

I chatted with different people there. There were these guys from a small town in Ohio, who were making this first trip to NYC. There was a college student from Bronx. We swapped stories. Later they gave up on wait and left. Then I met a family from Massachusetts, a software engineer. We had a good time, talking, taking pics, sharing gum etc.

Finally the moment of hype arrived. Supposedly, the ball dropped but I did not see it dropping. Then there were some very nice fireworks that lasted for maybe just five minutes at Times square. There were other fireworks displays elsewhere. It was now time to wish new year to everyone and also time to bid good-bye to my new friends.

Honestly, I feel the ball drop is not worth the wait. You are better off, watching it on TV. To me the only thing that stood out was the different people I met, while I was there. It was a good one time experience. If you don't mind the cold and the wait, go for it.

Mashed Potatoes recipe

2005-12-27T23:51:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe off the internet too. It looks yummy and easy to prepare.

Ingredients
900 grams baking potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 tbsp butter
1 cup milk
Salt, pepper to taste

Method
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm (this should take about 15 minutes); drain.

In a small saucepan, heat butter and milk over low heat until the butter melts.

Using a potato masher or electric beater, slowly blend milk mixture into the potatoes until smooth and creamy.

Season with salt and pepper.

2. Almond Meringue Cookies

This is actually a German recipe, but has always been popular for Christmas evenings. As the ingredients are easily available (almonds, eggs, cinnamon), they aren't too difficult to prepare either.

Ingredients
3 egg whites
1 tsp grated lemon zest
300 grams ground almonds
1 cup confectioner's sugar
3/4 ground cinnamon

Method
Preheat oven to 325° F (165°C).

Grease and lightly flour a pan or cookie sheet.

Whip the egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks are formed.

Sprinkle in the sugar slowly and keep whipping for around five minutes until the whites can hold a stiff peak.

Add lemon zest and cinnamon, and put in the almonds until everything is blended evenly.

Drop little mounds using a big spoon onto the baking sheet/ pan. Place an almond on each cookie.

Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.

Traditional Christmas cake recipe

2005-12-27T23:44:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe off a website. It looks simple and hence finds a place on my blog.

Ingredients
2 sticks plus 2 tbsp butter at room temperature
1 ½ cups dark brown sugar
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 ½ cups each currants, golden raisins, dark raisins
1 1/3 cups soft dried figs, chopped
1 ¼ cups dates, pitted and chopped
1 cup chopped, deseeded, dried prunes
1 ¾ cups chopped dried apricots
¾ cup blanched almonds, chopped
2/3 cup plus 4 tbsp brandy
2 tsp instant espresso mixed with 1 tbsp water

Method
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Grease a round 9- or 10-inch cake pan and line the bottom and sides with several layers of waxed paper.

In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar until thick and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Sift together the flour, salt and spices, then fold into the creamed mixture. Add the fruit, almonds, 2/3 cup brandy, and espresso, folding in well.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, levelling the surface.

Place the pan in the centre of the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Reduce the temperature to 275°F and bake for 3 ½ hours longer or until a tester inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean

Remove the pan from the oven, cover with first a kitchen towel and then a thick bath towel so that the cake will cool slowly.

When the cake is cool, prick the top with a skewer and drizzle with the extra brandy. Wrap in waxed paper and store in an airtight container. Keep in a cool place for about three hours before serving.

Schengen visa tips

2005-12-27T15:18:00.000-08:00

If you are not a citizen of US, Canada or EU in most likelihood you'll need a visa to travel within Europe. Under the Schengen treaty, you need one visa to travel through 15 Schengen states. Remember, Switzerland is not a Schengen country, but if you have a valid Schengen visa, you can travel through Switzerland by train and can also make stopovers. However there is a time limit on these stopovers. Check out the websites
http://www.schengenvisa.cc and http://www.eurovisa.info for more details.

Some tips:

1) Have all your hotel reservations, airline tickets (confirmations) and visitor's health insurance in place. If you have health insurance by Kaiser Permanente, you don't need a visitor's health insurance. You also need to show your 3 most recent bank statements and salary slips.

2) Go to the embassy of the country that is your main destination.
Main destination is defined as the country where you stay the longest. In case you stay for same number of days in two Schengen countries, say two days, your main destination is the country where you first fly into.

3) In most cases, you get the visa in a day, but if you are applying by mail, apply early, atleast 20 days before. Some embassies, do not accept mail applications. Check the specific rules with the consulate website. Even if you apply in person, apply early. Some consulates (Italian embassy in San Francisco especially in summer is very crowded and the waiting period can be as long as 20 days).

4) Have the faxed confirmations from the hotels where you'll be staying. Some consulates have this as a mandatory requirement. If you are staying with friends, they need to send you an invitation letter. Check with the embassy website for more details. Hotels are generally quick in sending out faxed confirmations. Call them up and almost all of them will comply.

Good luck with your visa application!

Ryan Air blues

2005-12-27T14:59:00.000-08:00

In my last vacation in Europe, I happened to book a flight on Ryan Air. I was tempted by their low fares. Before I booked the tickets, I did some research on the internet where I read experiences of some people who had used the airline. From what I read, there is no inflight service, and severe restrictions on the baggage weight. Also, airports from where this airline operates are normally far away from the major airports. However, if you are fine with no inflight service and have light baggage and if you can manage to find your own transportation to these far flung airports, Ryan air is okay.

Having read this material, I decided to go ahead and buy the tickets thinking that Venice might have just one airport. The actual cost of a ticket from Venice to Brussels was Euro 2.99 and Euro 20 tax. That was a less than cab fare in most places!

I had not read the fine print very well, and did not realize that Treviso and Venice are two different airports. The Ryan air itenary mentioned Venice as the airport and had Treviso in parentheses. For a first time traveller this can be quite confusing. Treviso is actually 40 minutes drive from Venice airport.

We first ended up at Venice airport and then ended up paying dearly for the cab, after I realized my folly. Also, when we got to Treviso airport the flight had left. So we were stuck in the middle of nowhere...literally nowhere. There were no hotels nearby and no cabs either. So we had to wait in the airport for the whole night.

We found some fellow travellers. So the night away, chatting and sharing jokes. We met this Algerian girl, whose name I still remember, Thilleli, who is a medical student at Padova( Italy) and was on her way to Algiers via Rome. We also met a group of Irish backpackers. Having met so many people, in the end there was no reason to complain. Afterall, every cloud has a silver lining...

In summary, unless you know the place you are going well and have friends who can drop you to the far flung airports, avoid Ryan air. You actually end up paying quite a bit!

Planning a vacation in Europe -- Some Tips

2005-12-27T13:40:00.001-08:00

1) Plan in advance. If you are not taking a group tour or visiting friends, and are going by yourself, you need atleast a month to prepare an itenary and gather information about the places that interest you. To gather information, I spoke to many friends who have travelled or lived in Europe and used Lonely Planet's book "Europe on a shoe string". I would personally recommend avoiding group tours. I feel, they restrict you and I feel travelling on your own is more fun.

2) Once you've decided which places you want to visit, you need to make the hotel reservations. There is a large variety of hotels to choose from in European cities. I would recommend pensiones and bed and breakfast over major hotel chains. In my opinion, service is more personalized in pensiones and bed and breakfasts. Most of the owners of these places I dealt with spoke decent English and provided valuable information about local events, places to shop, eat etc. Chances are you might end up meeting some fellow travellers and end up swapping stories and experiences. You also want to make sure the place you are staying is close to major railway station. Even if you have to pay a little more, but you'll save big bucks on cab and most importantly you save time.

3) In Italy, if you are interested in staying with local families, use the website
www.agritourism.it. Other good resource is www.venere.com. Also if you just drop in these cities, the tourist offices located at the airports or railway stations help you to find an accommodation according to your taste and budget.

4) If you are travelling by yourself, hostels are a good option. They are clean and cheap and located in the center of major attractions. I don't have personal experience with hostels, but from what I hear, they provide a different kind of experience and are easy on pocket. Some of these hostels have curfews, so you need to check that out in advance.

5) Rick Steve's guide books are a good source of information about Europe.

6) If you are planning on visiting many countries, you can either rent a car or take a train. Both are good ways to travel and let you explore the countryside where the real beauty lies. I did not have very good experience with budget airlines especially, Ryan Air. Though tickets are very cheap there is a lot of fine text, and as a tourist try avoiding these airlines.

7) In Italy, beware of cafes as a lot of them are tourist traps. If you eat at the counter of these cafes, you pay almost half of what you would pay for eating outside.

8) Don't carry too much cash. Credit cards are widely accepted and ATMs are located everywhere. If you use Bank of America ATM card, double check if it works internationally. I had problems with my ATM card.

9) In France, if you are taking a cab, make sure the cab driver and you are in sync. It's better to write what you intend to say, especially since French is pronounced differently, drivers also understand it differently. We had problems with the cab driver. We had to go to Paris Bercy station, but were dropped at Bastille station. Blame it on pronounciation :).

That's pretty much it. Enjoy your next vacation in Europe!

My Skydiving adventure in Hollister, CA

2005-12-24T23:26:00.000-08:00

To view the world from a parachute had remained an unfulfilled and now almost forgotten wish, too unlikely and somewhat bizarre to ever come true!

Not until I was introduced to Laetitia in Jan'05. She is a petite but high spirited and enthusiastic French woman from Lyon, who besides being a smart engineer is a very passionate skydiver. For her the first experience of a freefall (via a tandem jump), led her to enrolling in AFF (Accelerated Free Fall) program offered by a skydiving company in Hollister, CA. After successfully completing this program she is now a certified skydiver with 100+ jumps under her belt.

After several missed opportunities, I finally synchronized with Laetitia, her friend Silva and her roommate Nitin. The reality of the upcoming jump started to sink in and also the panic began to settle in. Jumping out of 15000 feet sounded crazy and absurd. Two days before the jump, I called up Laetitia and almost backed out saying I am too scared and I don't think I can do it. She then made me talk to a few of her friends and they all yapped about skydiving being a wonderful adventure. Laetitia finally told me "trust me everything is going to be fine and you'll really enjoy the experience but the decision to jump is up to you."

I decided to atleast go to the jump area, and we all drove to Hollister (south of Gilroy) on a bright Sunday in the last week of September. Hollister has a small municipal airport that serves as a base for the skydiving company's operations. After reaching there I did some paperwork and signed some legal documents that basically meant that if something happened, I'll be responsible. I paid for freefall from 15000 feet + videography + photography of my jump.

Now I watched some safety videos and read the Parachutist magazine to get a feel of this sport. I glanced at some photographs and the slogan caught my attention "CAPTURE THE MOMENT". Looking back, I can now say that the experience of skydiving is all about it.

Laetitia showed us around and then she put on her jump suit and quickly went for her first jump from 18000 feet along with Silva. I learnt from her that this jump requires skydivers to wear oxygen masks at altitudes over 15000 feet and it has 1.5 minutes of freefall. Nitin and I chatted with other skydivers and roamed around the place, clicking pictures. After about 45 minutes Laetitia and Silva were back and now it was our turn to skydive. We were now assigned our tandem masters (the expert to whom you would be literally "tied"). My tandem master was Kevin, a man who earns his living being a tandem master and jump instructor. He's been doing it for 15 years and loves this job. He explained me some rules and gave me some mock practice . Now I wore my jumpsuit and proceeded towards the airport. There I met a man named Friday, who was my videographer. At the airport Kevin once gave the instructions and I wore the cords around my shoulders, back and thighs. These cords would be used to "tie" me with Kevin. Since we were Laetitia's guests, she decided to skydive with us to boost our morale and entered our jumps in her jump log-book for her memory.

We all boarded the small Beechcraft plane, and now I was tied to Kevin. The plane took off and my pulse started to race. I told Kevin that I can't do this jump. He told me that I will be the first person out of the 4000 people who have jumped with him to bail out. The fact that I could trust my life with this guy comforted me. As I saw the plane sore higher I felt completely out of mind and told him that I've made up my mind to not dive. Kevin said I'll be fine but if I don't want to jump, it's upto me. But he anyways went head and double checked my cords and asked me to wear the goggles. I was still not sure if I wanted to go ahead with the jump. I looked at Laetitia who gave me a thumbs up signal and said "See you on ground". She again reiterated that I'll be fine. I simply shivered.

Now we were almost at 15000 feet. The plane door opened and out went Laetitia. Then the other skydivers followed. I was sweating with fear. Kevin pushed me to the door. I screamed and said, "No, I can't do it". Before I could say anything I experienced a strong wind. I knew Kevin and I had jumped. I let out a huge scream and then a few seconds later, I saw Friday taking my video. I looked down and felt the air around and Kevin patted my back. The view was was breathtaking and my fears began to subside. Now. I had nowhere elase to go but down, so I decided to to enjoy as I was totally into it. I began to relax and smile. (My video shows this funny change of expression on my face in a matter of few seconds)

And what an experience the freefall was. We were falling down at a speed of 120mph. To me it didn't feel as if we were falling at all with such high speed. It was almost a zero-gravity like feeling. I could feel the cool breeze hitting my face and I felt the thinness of air. Kevin pointed me to Monterey, Santacruz at a distance. Friday was still taking the video. I now spread my arms out like a bird and felt like one too. The objects on earth were getting bigger and bigger and the air was turning warmer. I looked around and saw expensive homes with swimming pools in the backyard, the cattle barn where we would land and highway at a distance.

The word looked beautiful and flawless from the top and with the decreasing altitude the flaws were more and more obvious. So true with people too. The more closer you get to someone, the more you notice the flaws. And these flaws and irregularity is what makes the earth and people so unique and beautiful.

Now I felt pressure at my back. I realised that the parachute was snapped open by Kevin. He showed me the altimeter. It read 4000 feet. I saw Friday and he opened his parachute and dropped a lot faster than us. After a few seconds I saw him on ground. After the speed and thrill of freefall it was now time to relax and enjoy the views. It was a beautiful day and I looked around and marvelled. Kevin and I now got a chance to have some mid-air conversations. He mentioned the homes I see below are $2 mn dollar and above and still have no privacy in backyards from parachutists :). Kevin now instructed me on landing position ans slowly we were getting more closer to ground. After 15 seconds we landed. I was out of breath, and glad to be alive!!! Laetitia and Friday welcomed me. They were all smiling and said "See, we told you that you would do it". I couldn't believe I had jumped from 15000 feet. What an experience it was...beyond description. We took the final round of pictures and video.

I then saw Nitin land. He was thrilled to an extent that he was jumping. Finally we went to the small pick-up van and sat at the back. I could not believe the last 15 minutes. I put my head on my lap and to take the experience in.

I never thought my wish would be fulfilled in this manner. It was just magical.

We came back to the office and Nitin and I spent the rest of the day with skydivers and later went to watch a landing. Laetitia and Silva went for 3 more jumps. At the end of the day we watched videos of the acrobatics these skydivers perform in air while freefalling.

As we drove back, I looked back and thanked for not succumbing to my fears and missing this opportunity of a lifetime to "CAPTURE THE MOMENT".

A tale of two embassies.

2005-09-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

Vacation to Europe!!! "Sounds cool", gushed my friend Neelakshi. "But whom are you traveling with ?", she asked and I replied, " A travel companion would be great, but if not I'll visit the few friends I have across Europe". "Hmm...I can come along, I've never visited Europe, and I would love to travel around too" exclaimed Neelakshi. "Wow, that sounds like a trip, right on, let's get going", I replied with excitement and enthusiam.

After the initial euphoria and excitement settled in, the reality of this trip hit us - planning and giving the shape to our idea. And boy! what a hell lot of work it was - agreeing on dates, applying for leave, pouring over maps, making an itenary, arranging for the international health insurance, talking to as many people as possible to dig out all possible information, making air and hotel reservations ... it just never seemed to end.

But finally all the hard work did seem like coming to an end, atleast we thought so. Now, with all the paperwork in place, we now had to get a visa. Amongst the unprivileged few in the US, as far as international travel is concerned, we as Indian nationals now required a Schengen visa to travel through Europe.

Neelakshi mailed her visa application to French Consulate in New York city. Paris was our entry point in Europe, and in our interpretation of Schengen visa rules from the French consulate website, we had to apply to French embassy. Thinking that all the paperwork was in order, she now waited for her visa.

Meanwhile, two days later I went to the French consulate in San Francisco. Early morning at 10, "We have too many people for the day, please come in the afternoon", said the security guard. Halfheartedly I went back to work, but drove back in afternoon. No big lines and no rush, things seemed fine. And then my turn came, the visa officer looked at my papers. Everything looked fine. Then he started to scrutinize my itenary. Still everything looked fine. Now the decision time for my visa application. "Hmm... you are spending 3 days in France and 4 days in Italy and you need to go to the Italian consulate", he said. "What! But Paris is my main entry point and by the rules I need to get visa from French embassy", I said. "No, you are staying the longest in Italy and that is your main destination, even it is by 16 hours, so go to Italian consulate", he said as matter of fact. Having no choice, I went back to my car and called my friend, and asked to check the working hours at Italian consulate online. She gave me the consulate phone number, and as luck would have it, the Italian embassy was open. I rushed there only to find huge lines. I stood in line waiting for my turn. But as I was to find, the Italians in San Francisco were overworked and were only accepting visa applications only for departure dates after a month after. Since I was flying in three weeks, I had no choice but come to work, angry and upset.

Utterly frustrated I didn't know what to do. I told my tale to my European co-workers, who were shocked and felt anger at their own people. Well, I needed a solution. Hmm...I didn't want to go to French again, but my co-worker suggested to go to them again and create extra reservation in France. I did that, and next day went again to the French. Now the same visa officer had no reason to complain and granted me a visa. Well all done, I was relieved that hoped to never see that visa officer's face again in my life.

But the saga seemed far from over. Next day, my friend got her application back. Quite nervous after my experience, she opened her application with bated breath. flipping throught the passport, only to find no visa in place. We feared the worst and it just happened. The reason for not giving the visa, "We need fax of hotel reservation confirmations, e-mail confirmations won't do". "But the French in San Francisco accepted that", we said to ourselves. It now seems that embassy don't have consistent rules. So with no choice, we now called the hotels and requested them to send the fax. They all complied and in less than 24 hours we now had all the fax confirmations.

Next day we mailed the applications, still 12 days to go. We are still waiting for the visa. There is no live person to talk on the phone, no response to e-mails. What happens next, I don't know. Sad end to the excitement, or is the adventure still on the way.

Well, I'll keep you posted...