My lil space

Full House

2011-01-26T10:40:00.001-08:00

My first humble effort at a mystery I have always wanted to write.

To the readers: We can play a game of Clue. Keep guessing who is the victim and murderer as the story evolves.
Stay tuned for updates.

Colonel Bridgeman glanced over his guest list and smiled. "At the age of 70, it is inevitable to pick up some gems and trash along the way.", he thought to himself. His children, Annie and Steve wanted to throw a big party to celebrate what he personally thought as a meager achievement - living seventy years. However, it was this very age that made him complacent and give in to most of the demands of his children. He had brought down the guest list to twenty friends and acquaintances (who were invited solely out of social and political pressure). Annie hustled past the Colonel and he looked lovingly at his daughter whom he still adored sans the wrong choices she made in life. The Colonel decided to solve the morning's crossword and not get in the way of the nimble footed younger generation who were preparing for the evening.

Steve was checking the bottles in the bar while Richard, Annie's husband, was looking at the arrangement at the poker table. Steve was the prodigal son of the Bridgeman household. He dropped out of college and indulged excessively in revelry in his early years. The Colonel's obstinance on integrity and discipline accelerated Steve's wayward attitude. However, Richard's timely financial and emotional intervention helped Steve resurrect himself. Steve redefined "turning over a new leaf" and it filled his mother's heart to see him abandon his capricious lifestyle. Nobody but Richard and Steve knew what transcribed between them and the Colonel always eyed Richard with suspicion for what Mrs.Bridgeman claimed "no apparent reason". "Something about that boy is fishy.", the Colonel used to always tell his wife. "Put down your Colonel hat, Jim. After all that he has done for Steve, I don't want you talking about him that way." Mrs.Bridgeman often retorted. She embraced Richard into the family and would have sought him out as Annie's husband had he not asked for Annie's hand before that, much to the disapproval of the Colonel. Colonel Bridgeman's mistrust almost forced Annie to say no to Richard until Steve intervened to pay back his friend. The demise of Mrs.Bridgeman gave the Colonel a good reason to distance himself from Richard. As Steve's debauchery became a thing of the past, he started dating Jessie Foster, the eldest daughter of General Foster, a long time colleague of the Colonel. In Jessie, the Colonel saw the characteristics of Mrs.Bridgeman reinforced with the upbringing of a General. Annie was initially distraught over the lack of attention she received from her father and brother after Steve married Jessie. Jessie's patience and sagaciousness broke these ill-minded feelings and fostered a close knit relationship between them. As the years passed, the Colonel learnt to harbor his wariness towards Richard and the family attention moved on to grooming the next generation. Steve smacked Richard as he swapped places on the poker table to sit beside his father. "So you managed to get the 60 year old Scotch for the old man?", asked Richard amused. "Of course, anything for dad!" retorted Steve. "Rick, Do you think we would make it to seventy?". "With a lifestyle like yours, I am sure you would mate. I personally believe that life is a long process of getting tired." "Samuel Butler? Anyways, we will get through Rick. Stop thinking about the mess and enjoy the day. I have got it all under control."

The Colonel stepped into his suede shoes that Jessie had gifted him in the morning. He gruffed at the grandeur of the night, but decided to play along for the happiness of his family, just as he heard the high pitched greeting of Judy Johnson. Bridgeman groaned to himself and painted a plastic smile as he went out to greet Judy. Judy was Mrs. Bridgeman's friend and the Colonel always saw her as the Thames of Complaints. After Mrs.Bridgeman's death, Judy assumed by default that the Colonel would lend an empathetic ear to her imaginary miseries. Despite the Colonel's nonchalance, Judy often rambled on and on about the lethargic gardener, the unloving kids and the insensate doctors at the new hospital. Initially the Colonel attempted to steer the conversation to more pertinent issues, but quickly gave up when he could not command his miltary authority in a social situation with Mrs.Johnson. Judy was finishing her story, "And our mailman, Mr.Parker, will be taking his first vacation overseas tomorrow. Where did he say he was going Richard?" . "Oh there is the birthday boy!", chuckled Judy as the Colonel winced and remarked, "At my age, I would definitely not qualify as a boy Judy." "Oh Colonel, only cheese and wine are valued based on their age. Not us.", remarked Judy. The Colonel was relieved to see more guests come in and excused himself politely from Judy. Mr. Lee and his family wished the Colonel and as his children were frisked away by Steve's kids to play in the garden, Mr.Lee pushed aside the Colonel and whispered, "Congrats old man! You struck quite a fortune by that South African deal." The Colonel mimed a thank you and Mr.Lee realized that not many people in the room knew about the pot of gold yet. Jessie turned back and asked Mr.Lee, "You still have your secrets?" Both the Colonel and Mr.Lee flushed as Jessie slipped into her hostess's shoes and left to get the men a drink. The Colonel assured Mr.Lee that Jessie could not have heard them. Mr.Lee was Steve's age and a close confidant of Colonel Bridgeman. They met twenty years ago when the Colonel was inspecting a defense contract chartered out by a young entrepreneur, Daniel Lee. There was something about Daniel that the Colonel immediately liked. And, what started out as a professional relationship nurtured into an everlasting friendship. Mrs.Bridgeman often used to joke that Daniel was the Colonel's younger sibling and the Colonel himself wondered if they shared a common genetic pool. Be it a game of golf, gardening, passion for technology, or even the death of their better halves in a car accident, these men had too much in common even though their conversations were largely filled with silence - a comforting silence that alluded as a mutual reassurance. "Happy Birthday, Uncle Colonel!", chirped Kate Sandburg. When Kate was young, she heard everyone around her refer to Jim as Colonel. With the naive charm of young kids, she assumed that Colonel was his first name and called him "Uncle Colonel", much to the amusement of the people around her. The name stuck ever since. "Isn't this a pleasant surprise indeed!", remarked the Colonel as Kate reached out to hug her favorite Uncle. "You look prettier by the day and I hope I am doing the right thing by introducing Daniel to you.", said Colonel Bridgeman as he introduced Kate and Daniel. "I have heard Unc Colonel talk so much about you and being his pet niece I am embarrassed to meet you only now." "The Colonel does have a knack for hiding his treasures.", Daniel winked at the Colonel.

As the Colonel's gaze shifted towards the door, he saw General Foster and wife come in. "Come on Dad. How are you feeling now?" Jessie asked. The Colonel saw a look of relief on Jessie's face. General Foster mustered his strength and said, "How could I miss Jim's birthday?" and shook Jim's hand. Mrs.Foster apologized for coming in late and wished the Colonel. She turned to Jessie and said, "Where do I start helping you?". Jessie never ceased to admire her mom's perennial source of energy and often wondered if she kept herself busy to forget the humdrum of her life. "Annie and I have everything in place, Mom." "However, if you could bring the children in so we could start eating, it would be wonderful." she added seeing her mother's disappointment at having nothing to do. Steve walked by to say a quick hello to his mother-in-law. He turned to Jessie and told, "Your father is putting up a brave fight. Stop carrying that worried look that can make him lose hope." Jessie said, "It's just that..." Steve squeezed her hand and Jessie stopped herself short. "Thats my girl.", Steve caressed her cheek and waved to Daniel and Kate.

Annie finished setting up the table and called everyone for dinner. The children were seated on the far end of the table. Fortunately, they were of the age that didn't require constant attention and their voracious appetite ensured that the food on their plates got the attention it deserved. Diametrically at the other end, Colonel Bridgeman sat next to General Foster and Steve. Richard and Annie were next to Jessie, and Daniel and Kate sat next to each other near. Judy sat next to Kate and was enthralled by the opportunity to listen to their conversation. A small customary grace was said at the table as the appetizers were served. "Dad, I made sure your food was cooked with no salt.", whispered Jessie across the table as the General stared at his food. The Colonel smiled and remarked with an acerbic tone, "The day to celebrate the luxuries we need to give up". "What is a good thing that you would like to share with us today?", Annie challenged the Colonel to say something positive. Annie knew that a large part of the Colonel was lost after her mother passed away. The grandchildren fleetingly brought back his vigor but soon after they started attending school and spent lesser time at home, the Colonel was back to brooding over his lost love. Annie tried her best to keep her father engaged but lately her impatience at the Colonel's recalcitrance to her efforts surfaced more often. The Colonel was completely aware of Annie's looming worries about him and constantly tried to thwart them by staying practical. He saw his grandchildren look at him with rapt attention and cleared his throat, "I always thought that my younger days and achievements would be a prelude to what I am today and indeed it is. The respect, love, health, wealth and knowledge that I have today is a reflection of my life so far." He smiled and Annie and thought to himself, "However, none of this has made me any wiser. At 20, I knew I had to win a war for my country. At 35, I knew I had to raise a family and train a battalion. At 50, I knew I had a company to build. At 70, I have nothing to do." "Well said Uncle", Kate added. The appetizers were followed by generous portions of Crab Congee. The children engaged in rapturous conversations of the games they were going to play tonight as they drank their soup. Since the evening was bound to roll over into the wee hours of the morning, Annie had organized a sleep over for the kids. Daniel's conversation was completely hogged by Judy. Though he could hardly take his eyes off ravishing Kate, Judy acted like the obstacles that his kids crossed over on the Playstation games. "I think the city is not an ideal place to raise kids. City activities are far from what I would call kid friendly. The drugs at school..." Judy rambled. "My parents live in the city and take care of them when I travel. If you assure me that you will take care of my kids, I will move to your neighborhood next week.", Daniel cut her short. Kate chuckled softly and said, "Wouldn't that be wonderful Judy? More the merrier in our neighborhood." "Our attorney mentioned something about assignments in South Africa. What is that about Dan?", Steve asked. "We are thinking of exporting gold for some of our precision equipment from South Africa. The whimsical stock market for the past year has almost doubled gold prices and we are looking for ways to reduce the manufacturing costs." "Are you mining from Soweto?" Daniel fumbled for a brief moment but noticed that Richard had caught him. "We had some feasibility studies done by a firm from Soweto but I haven't given more thought about it. Looks like you have done your homework, Steve." "You promised no business talks at the table.", Annie intervened. Steve smiled at his sister but only after a long gaze at Daniel which meant only one thing, "I KNOW."

It is that time of the year

2010-11-09T12:01:00.000-08:00

"Grrrr..."
"Appa, I wanted Vishnu Vedi." "Archu, don't be stupid. Lakshmi Vedi has always been better." "I am not talking to you Arvi. Appa.."
"Arrrf Arrrf."
"Arvi and Archu, stop eating the thenkuzhal before Diwali. I want it to last till then." "But Amma, it is sooo good. Can you make one dark red for me?" "Atom Bomb - check, hydrogen bomb - check, seven shots - check.."

Now a loud bark came from that unnoticed voice. Forgetting all that the family was bickering about, we all turned our heads to our tail wagging friend whose round brown eyes shone with anticipation. He smacked his lips twice and rolled out his drooling tongue. "Now what?", asked Amma. "Let us give him one small bite of the murukku," I suggested. "Or that thenguzhal that you have been munching all the time?" snapped Arvind. Appa broke a little bit of the thenguzhal and deftly wooed Ceiloo with it and told us to wrap up all the munchies while he ate his little snack.

As much as we enjoyed preparing for Diwali with new clothes, fire crackers, sweets and karas, Ceiloo indulged in the festive celebrations immensely too with all the yummy edibles. He did have his preferences - Mysore pak from Krishna Sweets, Kaju Katlis from Mansukhs, homemade murukku with extra butter, etc. We knew dogs were not supposed to be fed sweet and salty food but the little thing would sniff his nose, wag his tail and make us fall for his trap.

On the day of Diwali, we woke up at 4:00 am and jolted Ceiloo's internal clock. His grumpiness increased when we did not give him his egg early in the morning ("Not on an auspicious day", dismissed my Patti). We all showered quickly, grabbed the new clothes and ran out to light the 100 wala. Excited about going out, Ceiloo followed us closely and I held him a good 20 feet away as Arvi lit the first cracker. My grin broke for less than two seconds and I frowned as I saw fear loom in my loved one's eyes. Ceiloo started shivering and Amma scooped him into her hands. We tried to close his ears but the ominous sounds around us would not stop. We every burst of the cracker, Ceiloo's heart jumped, stopped for a minute and then raced again in panic. The day passed on with each of us tending to Ceiloo - putting him in the farthest room in the house, switching on the air conditioning, trying in vain to make the room sound proof. But none of these could sufficiently mask his highly developed sense of hearing.

The day ended with a mellow evening of flower pots and rockets. Our Diwali spirits brightened as the noise levels went down and Ceiloo feasted on some more sweets. We hugged him tight and slept in the night. The next day morning, Ceiloo woke up before all of us and loitered around the house agitatedly. Appa woke up hearing him whimper and quickly took him out so he could relieve himself. He came back and called the vet. We drove him after breakfast to the vet and as we entered the clinic, the vet welcomed Ceiloo, "So how was all the bakshanam you ate?" A shot, few meds and a few hours of rest restored everything back to normal.

This was our Diwali ritual every year. Ceiloo would eat his yearly share of sweets and get a stomach upset. The day of Diwali was a day of misery for him and every year we tried to better his experience. However, the suddenness of the sounds would still throw him up every year. After a couple of years, we quit bursting crackers thinking about him as well as other homeless dogs which would be cared less and affected more. The happy sound of our barking friend was more fun than a 10000 wala.

Tumor Tumults

2010-09-16T08:36:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I am writing this post as my tear filled eyes can barely see

what I am typing. It is the last few days and the vet just confirmed. We knew it was coming and have been preparing for it for a long time but the ominous hard truth ("It is just a matter of days") rattles our hearts. My mind is boggled with fond memories zooming past me in a disarray - Ceiloo's distinctive scent, his sniffing nose and penchant for meat, him chasing cats to the end

of the shores, digging in the sands of Marina for the badgers in Germany. A weak smile finds its way on my lips.

The knowledge that Ceiloo is just ridding himself of a tired and diseased body gives me relief. That Ceiloo will become the soul that enriched every one's life warms

my heart. Jyothi will miss him when there will be no one to demand their rightful share of the coconut she grates. Appa's night walks will be forlorn to the point that he might stop taking them. The kids who play street cricket will miss their nose dripping third umpire from the third floor patio. Even Patti and Thatha will miss mumbling to the best listener around us. And our home will miss the resonance of the invisible anklets around Ceiloo's legs, the sonorous bark when someone rings the doorbell and the disney snore when Ceiloo sleeps.

Being thousands of miles away, I can only reminisce. At this moment I only wish Appa and Amma stay strong as they see the worst before their eyes. Eating mysore pak from Krishna Sweets (only from Krishna Sweets) will never be the same again. Driving in the car without a wet nose etched to the window or a pair of ears blowing to the wind will never be the same again. Our guests will never again be embarrassingly pushed out of the sofa. Drinking milk in the night will never be the same again. Waking up in the morning will never be the same again and our lives will never be the same again. But the 14 years and 8 months (and counting) will always be there to remind us, to inspire us, to please us that Ceiloo is a part of us forever and ever.

It is about an hour since Ceiloo passed away (Sept 20th 11:44 am IST). I prayed for strength in his last moments and I heard it wasn't painful.

The days ahead will pass in a daze,

as his memories stay alive ablaze.

Ceiloo, my dear baby, may your soul rest in peace.

On a Rainy Day!

2010-04-21T10:49:00.000-07:00

I squinted my eyes and looked up the dark skies. With a weary thought, I hopped to my car which just had it's rather long morning shower. I got in and revved the engine and noticed those tiny water droplets on my windshield. As I eased my car into the Expressway, I noticed the droplets dancing around. My fingers toyed on the wiper switch and I decided against turning it on as these pinhead shaped drops poked my clairvoyance.

Life had always been a race - it started out as one and the finish was always a moving target. There were times when I ran alone like those raindrops that created their own path and there were times when I joined bigger droplets. Sometimes the wind blew so hard that we split and never joined forces again. It was starting to rain again but I couldn't come out my trance. Visibility was not more than a few feet and I was forced to turn on the wiper. I stared at the one drop that was trickling down to the end of its journey as the wiper swooshed it away to set the ground for the new drops. Boooom! My head reeled as my car spun around. All I could notice was that drop at the corner holding on to dear life. Slowly my eyes closed as I saw that drop fly far far away.

I diggg MySpace on Facebook

2010-04-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

The advent of online social networking has brought about an interesting phenomenon - everybody has started feeling the overbearing necessity to express their opinions. The gaps between experience and expression have reduced immensely and in a lot of cases the latter seems to occur even before the former. "What should I put up on my status, today?" "If I finish this painting, how many of my friends will like it?" "I will bake you a cake, if you comment on my post." (Disclaimer: Examples not from personal communications :)). Our virtual personalities have become more dominant than our real personalities and we constantly crave for attention in the virtual space. Even an introvert in real life exhibits pleasant social skills online. Are all of us experiencing multiple personality disorders? Do social networks facilitate hypocrisy?

It looks like this sudden exposure to absolute freedom on the Web makes us act like excited electrons. We are in the higher energy band - affable, smarter, humorous. As our online network starts blending with our actual social network, we seem to fall back to our steady state (talk about family and co workers on facebook :)).

What is with all the infidelities?

2010-01-11T11:55:00.000-08:00

It is not uncommon to see infidelity being a household term in the *ollywood or entertainment spectrum (Yes I am trying to stereotype). And of course, Clinton, Sanford and our own Karunanidhi and his descendants have taught us to accept this in the political space too. Then came Tiger Woods who wanted to equal his affairs and grand slam titles. And now it is Charles Phillips, co-president of Oracle, who has left behind a sore lover.

What is with all the infidelities? Even Indian soaps have largely started revolving around infidelity to the point that it chokes on a person to indulge in affairs. Is monogamy a moral illusion that humans are compulsively bound to break? Interestingly I came across this article which reinforces my doubts - Monogamy is an oddity.

If this is the case, why did law makers world-wide (barring Middle East which hasn't revised their laws in a long while) buy into this illusion? Should humanity stop flaunting their sixth sense and superiority if they cannot acquire moral clarity and conform to moral norms? Or are we too self obsessed and continue making exceptions to the ordinary societal rules?

Some food for thought!!

Novel Heroes

2009-12-16T00:34:00.000-08:00

After being tagged by Nivi, it is my turn to come up with my list of charming, charismatic or inspiring personalities. Just to make it a little more interesting, I am not going to write the name of the person

Hero #1: (No it is not Govida) Few people might find this nimble footed old-fashioned short Belgian with an egg shaped head and an upward curled thin mustache as a charming personality. However it is the grey cells and the attention to detail that I find alluring. Logic ruled his world and continues to rule mine. This middle aged attentive listener who appeared in more than 30 novels continues to be my favorite hero.
Hero #2: If Rocket Singh is the salesman of the year, what could be said about this wheel barrow salesman who started out selling fruits and vegetables with his Grandpa. What a fine sketch of a character which makes you believe in the cloud of goodness which showers humans as scarcely as the monsoons in Chennai. His dauntless act of bravery in the War (despite his cowardly Captain killing his best friend in the war), his relentless and infinite love for the only lady in his life (who stood by his side all the time) and his diligence in business (and constant struggle to keep it growing in spite of venomous strikes from the grandmother of his son) makes him a perfect hero that I dream of.
Heroes #3: This is a tough competition from two men who stood out in the society and have already been mentioned in Nivi's blog. I am not going to elaborate on why I like them here to avoid being repetitive nor play the guessing game - Rhett Butler and Howard Roark. :)
Hero #5: The protagonist headmaster who strongly emphasizes in the character of men being determined by their choices and not their birth. The fearless magician with blue eyes behind the half mooned spectacles never ceased to amaze me with his patience. He was a symbol of hope and support in a world clouded by darkness and evil, holding little hands and teaching them to make choices and fly confidently in the world.
Hero #6: My very favorite animated Belgian investigative journalist who took me around the world through all his cases with his little puffy white dog. This sharp detective got out of every conceivable muddle caused by his friends and never let go of his faithful companion and continues to get me glued to his books or cartoons.

Books this year

2009-11-18T10:29:00.001-08:00

Keeping track of all the books I read this year:

Marley and Me - Top notch read for a dog lover like myself
Paths of Glory - Just like any other J.Archer - Could not keep the book down after the first page.
Have a little faith - In total good faith, worth every page.
The Curious incident of a dog in the Night time - Absolute Delight
Life of Pi - Fascinating read with an abrupt ending
Norwegian Wood - A peek into complexities of love and life amongst the Japanese youth.
Egypt - How a lost civilization was rediscovered - Getting prepared for my Egypt trip next year.
The White-Tiger - A dark read
Time Traveller's Wife - Movie is better than the book
Outliers - Interesting but statistical data seems biased to prove the hypothesis.
Blink - Ditto (Looks like Malcolm Gladwell's style of writing is not entirely my cup of tea)
The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy - I prefer fantasy novels like LOTR, Harry Potter.

Adding two more since I first wrote this blog:

Two states - Entertaining despite the poor language. I especially enjoyed it after my brother's wedding.
The boy who harnessed the wind - One of the most sincere biographies that I have ever read. Exciting both scientifically and emotionally. Loved the phrase where William says "The solution to Africa's problem lies in its people and not by waiting for help."

And I am done for this year. If you want to write up your own list, please tag your blog to the comments. :)

Soup Day.

2009-10-13T10:28:00.000-07:00

I woke up at 8:00 looking out through my curtains at the ominous looking skies that decided to open up today. Over coffee, I turned on the TV to listen to the weather channel as my thoughts drifted back home. Agriculturalists and city dwellers rejoiced the showers and lamented heavy rains equally in India. The first showers would invariably bring a sigh of relief to all Madrasis as the earth instantly sucked up the rain harvested water. As the state of happiness is an illusion, a few days into the monsoon, frustration sets in with the cloudy skies.

My mom gets into action first and hijacks the guest room and secures it using a crisscross pattern of clothesline that none of the Oceans 11+ team can wade through. I often wonder if this is why she insisted on cross ventilation in the rooms when we built the house. If we didn't have enough windows, I think the walls would have more paintings on them. Don't even bother asking me what happens when guests come home during the rains - my room becomes the "drying room". Fathers have more reasons to worry - with Duraiswamy subway flooded, the bridges and the flyovers will stream more traffic than the estimated bandwidth and getting to work could be a pain. Moreover, auto drivers reinstate your belief in sky not being the limit for the inflation due to local weather conditions. As Appa calculated the least wet route to work, me and my brother used to wake up wondering if we had the day off at school (silently believing that the AmrithaVarshini Raagam that we sang yesterday brought our wishes true). Since the Corporation of Madras never expects rains in Madras, the city is poorly prepared for the paltry showers that we get (they are also not prepared for the water shortage we might have in the event of no rains). The roads flood in no time and functional units of manholes and transformers become potential dangers. Luckily my mom was always over cautious and she used to make us stay back at home when it rained even if the school was working. It was time to snuggle back into bed slightly nudging Ceiloo who would have already been in the fourth phase of his sleep under the comforter.

I popped out of nostalgia and realized that I couldn't snuggle back to sleep. As I was getting ready to get ready to go to work, I was thinking of the warm soup I could have over lunch (of course still reminiscing about the hot bhajjis and tea on a cold wet day).

My geological expeditions

2009-04-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

In the past year, I have been rediscovering what I learnt from the books about 10 years back. I am going to spare the details of how these trips came to be and delve directly into Nature's beautiful landmarks and the impact of man's activities.

The first place, I went to last year was Mono Lake - the silent, sailless landlocked sea - paraphrasing Mark Twain (Roughing it. Chapter 38). Mono Lake was formed approximately 760,000 years and is 3 times more hyper saline than any of the oceans in the world. There is an unmistakable stench of the highly alkaline water even when you are about a 100 ft away from the water. Mono lake was formed by the Long Valley volcanic eruption and is dated to be the oldest lake in North America. Fed by glaciers in the Ice Age and various streams from the Sierra now, there is a continuous supply of salts flowing into the lake. With no outlet to the ocean, the dissolved salts from the streams stay in the lake and increase the pH. When the calcium bearing spring water mixes with the alkaline water, precipitation occurs and small calcite tufas were formed in Mono Lake. Also the alkanity is so high, that stained piece of cloth dipped in the lake will look as clean as it would be after a heavy laundry load. Mono lake sustains a very unique ecological niche. A pH of 10 makes the lake hostile to fishes. However, the lake sustains 4-6 trillion brine shrimp (Artemia monica). They definitely can't be used to cook the exquisite dishes in Asian restaurants. About the size of a thumb nail, brine shrimp is found only in Mono Lake. During the cold winter, there are no shrimp in the lake but plenty of dormant cysts which the female shrimp laid in the summer and fall. Simultaneously during this time, the microscopic planktonic algae reproduce rapidly feeding from the nutrients from the runoffs making the lake look like green pea soup in winter. As the water gets warmer in spring, the tiny shrimp begin to grow and start feeding on the algae. By summer and fall, the shrimp population rise to more than a trillion making the lake look like a thick shrimp soup. Though these shrimp have no culinary value to humans, they attract more than 2 million water birds, including shore birds which use Mono Lake en route to warmer waters. The California gulls also nest in Mono lake. It is difficult to miss the swarming alkali flies while visiting Mono lake especially in Summer. These scuba equipped flies that can swim in the water largely feed on the algae and are considered a delicacy by the Kutzadikas (The native Indian tribe in the area).

In 1941, the city of Los Angeles decided to divert water flowing into Mono basin to provide water for the growing LA population. This upset the delicate balance between the water inflow and water outlet (through evaporation) resulting in a 31% reduction in the surface area of the water. As the volume of the water halved, the pH of the water doubled. The islands in the lake which were once nesting grounds became accessible by mammals like coyotes forcing many birds to abandon the lake. The submerged tufas were exposed to the surface. With lesser water flowing into the lake, there were lesser algae in the river reducing the shrimp population too. The exposed alkali bed led to particulate matter in the air called alkali dust resulting in violation of the Clean Air Act. The lake and its diverse ecology was starting to die. Luckily for the brine shrimp and the small community of Lee Vining, David Gaines formed the Mono Lake Committee in 1978. After years of struggle, the California State Water Resources Control Board issued an order to protect Mono Lake and its tributary streams in 1994. In 1996 the water level in Mono Lake rose up to 1,946 m (10m short of what it was in 1941).

If you plan a visit to the Mono Lake, I would also recommend going to Mammoth Lakes - a beautiful resort nestled in the Sierras.

The next place I visited more recently is Black Chasm - a National Natural Landmark located about 1.5 hours away from Sacramento. I have read a lot about stalactities and stalagmites in 7th grade and seen pictures of it but the experience of being in a cave was exhilirating. Black Chasm is a vertical cave which was discovered during the Gold Rush. When the entrance to the cave was first exploded with dynamite and opened, people were disappointed to find marble (a metamorphic rock) which indicated that there would be no gold ore (which is an igneous rock). How does a place in the middle of the land have metamorphic rocks? The reason for this dates back to formation of the Sierras which trapped the sedimentary rocks in the Pacific Ocean as the mountains rose from the North American plate. One determined miner decided to make his gold, by allowing tourists to get in the cave and take any pieces of stalactites they could find for an ounce of gold. After three years, when most of the stalactites were taken away in the first room, he abandoned the cave. A construction company that took over decided to blast this wondeful cave to extract marble for building roads. With the intervention of the local community and recommendation of the National Speleological Society, this cave was assigned a status of a National Natural Landmark in 1966. Currently the cave is owned by the Sierra Recreational Center and is maintained for the scientific studies and tourism.

Since the Black Chasm is a vertical cave, the entry into it unbelievably narrow. This also keeps bats away from the cave because the bats sonar hits the cave walls very quickly and they don't realize that it is more space inside. Currently the Black Chasm has 9 rooms and 5 lakes in it and is a continually growing cave. A hairline thin crack in the marble is sufficient to form stalactites. When rainwater containing carbon dioxide seeps through this crack, it dissolves the limestone. The water droplet that reaches the edge of a rock (ceiling of the cave) drips down due to gravity and the precipitate calcium carbonate is left behind. This forms a tiny ring of calcite. Every subsequent drop will result in more rings elongating the first one to form a soda straw. As deposits collect around the soda straw, water flows on its sides and precipitates leading to a stalactite in a conical shape. When water flows along the edge of the rock before dripping, flowstones are formed which look like curtains in the cave. The first room at the very beginning has all traces of human activities where the stalactites have been touched or chopped off. Touching a stalactite causes the oil from the hands to stick to the stalactite. Since evaporation of water is crucial to the formation of a stalactite and water and oil don't mix, touching a stalactite should be strictly avoided. Moreover acids from the hand could react with the stalactites (which is limestone) and erode them. As I moved to the second room, I noticed how deep the cave was. About a 140 ft below where I was standing, I could see a small portion of Lake Reflection - one of the 5 lakes in the cave formed by dripping water. The lakes in the cave supported life forms like plankton and shrimp. Spiders were also seen on a few occassions in the cave. The cave was wet and I held tight to the railings while walking down the paths. As I entered the third room, I noticed a themometer which showed a temperature of 57 F. The temperature in the cave stayed at 57F throughout the year as caves tend to maintain the average median temperature of the surface above them throughout the year. Caves are also resilient to earthquakes which only affect the surface of the earth. The only problem might be that the outlet to the cave would get shut by the quake. The third room was eeriely silent because there was no water flow. This meant that no more stalactites or stalagmites would ever grow there again. How did the holes that once dripped water seal? I was shown what appeared to be a false floor on the wall and a line that led from it around the room. Below me, I saw a huge stalagmite weighing a few tonnes. Geologists speculate that the false floor was the orginal floor level containing the stalagmite. The earth below consisted of loose sediments which were washed away during the Sierras formation. The false floor crumbled under the weight of the stalagmite and this created a lot of dust in the air. The sand in the air combined with limestone and dripping water forming a key ingredient of modern day construction - cement - sealing all the pores in the room - the wonders of Nature. However, the third room was the reason Black Chasm was designated as a National Natural Landmark. Though the room shut itself to stalactites and stalagmites - it fostered the growth of a third speothem - helectites. Unlike the regularity of stalactites and flow stones, helectites can be found in different shapes - branching off vertical crystals, looping around, tying a knot, and resembling your favorite animals - deer, cobra, dragons etc. Capillary forces and wind are two of the possible explanations for how helectites are formed. Tiny fragile helectites in this cave is the densest growth found in the west coast and saved this beautiful chasm. Unfortunately the other rooms were not accessible by easy paths but we could peak into the dragon room which had the largest number of stalactites.

As we came out of Black Chasm, I turned behind to look at the unsuspecting dark entry that had held some of the earth's best kept secrets for centuries.

I would like to thank Naren for suggesting Black Chasm.

One Less Without A Drop..

2009-03-06T17:31:00.000-08:00

Tanya woke up in a hurry. She was getting late to work again. She rushed to the restroom and opened the shower letting the water warm up. Hot baths followed by hot coffee started her day. She opened the tap and started brushing her teeth. She turned on the radio and increased the volume to beat the din by the water. Her morning, though rushed, started perfect.

The villagers looked out of their dark, dingy huts. The huge coconut trees were swaying violently and the bright sky suddenly darkened in fury. Khin Myat, looked out of the window, the wrinkles deepening on his face. This was the third consecutive year where the cyclone had hit his farms and the third year that he and his family will go deeper and deeper into debts.

Raghu scorned as his mom told him to go bring the two buckets of water. The monsoons were late this year and there was water shortage in Chennai again. This had become a daily routine. Every eveing at 6 pm, a truckload of water came to the street which had around 300 families. Each house got two buckets of water (some areas had more erratic water supply - once in two days or three). Two buckets of fresh water for Raghu's family of four for an entire day with some underground brackish water used to flush toilets.

A year later...

Tanya had joined WHO and her first assignment was in Xavi, Ghana. As she peered into the 100 year old dried up well that served water to the entire community, Tanya was horrified thinking back on her hour long relaxing showers. She clutched on to her plastic bags of water (the only source of sanitized water).

Ba Kaung finished his work day and came back home. It had been barely a week since Khin committed suicide, but there was no time to mourn. There were fewer hands to help in the farm and Khin had the responsibility as the head of the family. He prayed to the rain Gods for a good harvest this year.

The monsoons had quenched the parched city. With diligent measures by the Government to enforce rain water harvesting through the city, the ground water levels improved as the earth greedily sucked up the rains. No more 6pm schedules, thought Raghu as he lazily let the water flow down while brushing his teeth.

One of the five elements of nature making earth hospitable to life, water is the most used and abused natural resource. Population growth, urbanization and increased domestic and industrial water use worsens the situation. According to WHO statistics as of 2008, water scarcity affects 4 out of every 10 people. Some of us live in countries where the ratio is less than the global average, making the problem less significant to notice. However, a conscious effort has to be made to reuse, recycle and conserve water. A good starting point would be here. My top 10 from this list:

There are a number of ways to save water, and they all start with you.
When washing dishes by hand, don't let the water run while rinsing. Same applies for brushing your teeth.
Run your clothes washer and dishwasher only when they are full. You can save up to 1,000 gallons a month.
Wash your fruits and vegetables in a pan of water instead of running water from the tap.
Collect the water you use for rinsing fruits and vegetables, then reuse it to water houseplants.
Shorten your shower by a minute or two and you'll save up to 150 gallons per month.
Collect water from your roof to water your garden.
When doing laundry, match the water level to the size of the load.
Use a commercial car wash that recycles water.
Check for leaks in your house and fix them ASAP.

March 22 is World Water Day. Adopt atleast one conservation technique and make a difference to the world.

Marley and Ceiloo

2009-02-12T13:02:00.000-08:00

Marley and Me - I must admit that I didn't know about the book till I saw the movie trailer. And though the movie trailer fondly reminded me of Ceiloo, I had my apprehensions to go watch the movie. I had gone on a long vacation to India when the movie released in the US. Curious to know what it was about, I caught hold of the book in Landmark. I quickly read the gist of the story and knew that it was a little more than just a naughty little dog. I wanted to read the book, but ah well, who needed Marley when I was with Ceiloo? So I spent the days in Madras trying to make up for all the lost time with Ceiloo - watching him sleep, feeding him, taking him to the beach, kissing him in plenty, hugging him tight while sleeping - wanting the clock to freeze at every moment that I spent with him. I came back to the US with a heavy heart, and thoughts of Ceiloo lingering in my mind, to find a pile load of things TODO - catch up at work, move into a new house, car servicing, etc. etc. The apartment I moved in was a dream house, overlooking a park and guaranteeing a peek of atleast one dog whenever I looked out of the patio during the daytime. Score! My yearning for Ceiloo and a faithful companion increased exponentially till my parents convinced me to keep my rash decisions at bay. I finally decide to get the book.

I am at loss of words to describe the book. Every page I read was recalled with analogies from Ceiloo's life to my mom every day for the last 10 days. that I took to read it. How could a 90lb Lab and a 20 lb Daschund be so similar in their habits - they both loved kids, stole food shamelessly, chased birds, whimpered when there was a thunderstorm, humped like no tomorrow, loved the beach, feared flights, and became the apple of the family around them? There were of course stark differences - Ceiloo was definitely not what one would call a friendly dog. He barked at every stranger (bit a few too) except kids, hated to get wet, looked upon any dog of the same sex and any other animal to be his worst enemy, fussed to eat and was definitely not dumb headed. We used to joke often that his acumen deserved the merits of an Ivy league school. Despite all this, Ceiloo was as impossible, adamant and cute as Marley was. The book was not just a walk through of 13 years of Marley's life in the Grogan household. It let me relive 13 years of Ceiloo in our family. All the memorable incidents and accidents by Ceiloo that were buried in the chasms of my memory churned up again. I am sure the experience of reading the book must be similar for anyone from a "dog household".

As I neared the end of the book, I knew what was going to happen to Marley. It has become a taboo in my house to talk about the inevitable. Ceiloo's birthdays in the last few years have torn us apart, especially because of the overwhelming questions of "How old is he?" followed by naive insensitive, nevertheless innocent statements like "Thats a really old for a dog!". The thought of a life without Ceiloo has made led to many spend sleepless nights. Though I live many thousands of miles away from home, an occassional bark that I hear over the phone and his numerous gimmicks retold by my parents has let me chug along. Some of Marley's symptoms like arthiritis has slowly started hitting Ceiloo too. He also has a thin layer of cataract , reacts slowly and tires easily. Ceiloo is spending most of his time sleeping and conserving his energy just like Marley did in his retirement days. These symptoms have not gone unnoticed but I was totally unprepared for what lay ahead. Reading about Marley's suffering made my eyes swell. And everytime I read about his stomach twists and his falls from the stairs, tears streamed down my eyes blocking what I was reading. I have always prided myself of being a passive detached book reader and movie watcher. But last night at 1:00 am, I was crying for Marley, Grogans and every family that has lost a dog (and partly for our family and Ceiloo). The book opened a pandora's box of fears but also gave me the courage and assurance that I will be able to face the end. A big part of me will fade away with Ceiloo, but the years with him has taught me a lot more and helped me develop myself to what I am today. Ceiloo came into my life when I was 12 years old and I think no one knows my sea of experiences and waves of emotions since then better than him. A pet can truly bring out the best in a person and a family around them. Peace be with Marley and families that have lost their beloved little ones.

PS: I haven't watched the movie and it will take me a while to brace myself to see it. However I encourage everyone to read the book or watch it. More info @ http://www.marleyandme.com

Memories of Bruno

2008-11-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

She remembered the days when she used to look into his eyes and he stared back at her, bringing a smile to her face. She remembered the days when he fell sick out of no where and she rushed him to the doc and nurtured him till he was healthy again. She remembered the days when he ate like he was going to hibernate for the next 6 months and the days when he refused to eat for no reason. On those days, she sat with him and fed him till that little tummy of his bloated. She remembered the day when he proudly fathered his daughter whom she welcomed to her home too. She remembered the day they both ran around the garden. She remembered how he hated to take bath. She remembered his angry self. She remembered his wet nose and adorable fur.

She remembered those aching days when she was away from him, on the other side of the globe. She remembered those vacations that she took back home which filled the emptiness in her life without him. She remembered the day she gave up everything and went back home to be with him. She remembered her life being the same old way.

But all these memories faded so quickly and she remembered that day. The day she saw him eat and a little while later saw him frozen in the rain. As she picked him up, she felt a crumbling sensation inside her. A part of her died inside. The moment kept coming back and haunting her - did she leave everything to see this? She was clouded by sorrow and she still is. But the good times with him are something that they both will cherish forever and ever.

Loss is always hard and I don't know if I believe in another world or another life. But I do believe that death is inevitable and the loss of a beloved should not revoke sorrow but bring back memories of good times together, how you shared your life and how your life changed.

This post is dedicated to Swapna and Bruno.

High on Tiramisu

2008-09-21T20:29:00.000-07:00

The theme was Italian. We had a fake italian amongst us too - the xxxxxvetti. So we decided to be hardcore - cook italian, drink italian and watch italian (We couldn't speak or think or be one). Yes you heard me right - COOK - not the easy readymade flat bread called a pizza, but something more exquisite. We decided to make tiramisu. Since we were determined to make such an elaborate dessert, we went light on the main course - just pasta. So here is how we made it:

Not to forget Emeril Lagasse's 5 star recipe on Food Network.
We spent more time shopping for ingredients than we spent making it. Sadly enough one of the major ingredients - the bread called lady fingers was not available at any store and we resorted to using angel pound cake (a grave mistake). Buying all the ingredients for a one time dessert made it the most expensive Tiramisu ever made. So after making the cream and dipping the bread in espresso and wine and laying it all out we set to cook dinner and watch a movie. After three hours, viola - the tiramisu was ready. It tasted great, but for a flaw. - the angel pound cake was too soft and absorbed too much espresso which was very evident. But who cares, our first effort in an exquisite recipe was a success. All the four of us who cooked it took different portions of the tiramisu home. As I ate the tiramisu again, in the night I felt something which didn't strike me until today morning - the pseudo Italian's roommate who had tiramisu got high - yes, we were a little too liberal with the wine.

I plead guilty...

2008-08-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

When I first started driving in the US, I was a really careful driver, probably because of lack of experience. After coming to the Bay Area, I have lost all my defensive driving instincts (Be a Roman in Rome). This is probably an exaggeration because the only crazy thing I ever did was Speeding with the excuse that I was "flowing with the traffic" (as opposed to my friends who deserve to be ticketed 9 out of 10 times that they drive). Anyways after a year of driving here and getting an Audi, I guess my driving got worse and I was appropriately ticketed when I was driving on 101 S near Redwood City. I was extremely concerned about my insurance especially since one of friends pays 3 times the regular insurance. I anxiously waited for my citation to come and was more than relieved when I had the option of going to traffic school after going to the court. Having indefinitely postponed the possibility of going to court, I had to lug myself a couple of days back as my deadline approached. For a small traffic violation, I felt extremely guilty about going to the court. The procedure was painless but not guilt free. The court rooms in US looked grand and since this was a traffic court there wasn't a jury stand. I was there, one of the defendants, waiting for the judge to call me. The respect that everybody paid to the judge was stunning. There was even a dress code - "No hats, no shorts and no tank tops". I wonder why the last two were there. The judge briefed everybody and his golden words were - "Going with the flow of traffic is not an excuse for driving fast". I didn't have any excuse to plead not guilty. Finally after an hour of waiting, I was summoned.

Judge: Do you have proof of correction?
Me: Yes Sir. (Passed them to the sheriff)
Judge: Do you want to attend traffic school?
Me: Yes Sir.
Judge: Ok I will reduce your fine. It will be ...(mumbles something and does the math) $xx. Do you want to pay that today or at a later date?
Me: Today Sir.
Judge: Please go out on your right and pay the money.
Me (mumbling): Thank you Sir.

And I was out of the court in minutes. I feel horribly guilty of having gone to the court , even though many have reassured me that it is not a big deal. The result of this whole exercise - I have decided to be a more conscientious and law abiding driver. Now my policy - "We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean, but the ocean would be less because of that missing drop - Mother Teresa"

Freedom of Information

2008-08-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

The 2008 Olympics has been quite exciting in the last few months. I missed the Olympic torch that came to San Francisco because it happened at around midday with no one publishing the route of the torch because of protests. And then there was some work so you can load your olympics gadgets and get your little something. Then it got doubly exciting after the extravagant and pompous opening ceremony on August 8th. It was an eye opener to the rest of the world on how to and, of course, how not to host Olympics.

And then there were the athletes - Abhinav Bindra winning the Gold for Shooting, bagging the first individual gold medal for India in the third day of the Olympics. Watching the youtube video of the Indian National Anthem being played at the Olympics made my heart swell with pride. Followed by the sensation and probably the greatest athelete of all times in modern olympics, Michael Phelps, who was keen on breaking every record ever created. Though there have been contentions about the accolades showered on him, I, for one person am smitten by his talents. There is another person who felt the same way too - the legend Mark Spitz. Quoting from Associated Press - "Mark Spitz had one word for the performance that gave Michael Phelps his seventh gold medal of the Beijing Games and equaled his own Olympic record that had stood for 36 years. "Epic," Spitz said Saturday morning". This was after the seventh medal, displaying true sportsmanship.

The next is of course, "Lightning Bolt" - the land twin of Michael Phelps. He has lesser events to compete in but the sheer speed and attitude of Usain Bolt is stunning. His last few strides in the 100m is memorable. Not to forget the 200m where he broke the world record again. The Iowa champion - Shawn Johnson, the desi wrestler - Sushil Kumar, my personal favorite - Roger Federer (who unfortunately lost in the Singles but won in the Doubles), Constantina Tomescu - the 38 year old Romanian mother of one who won the Women's marathon, and numerous other atheletes who have dedicated their life to sports. It is just not all the winners but even the participants in these games who dreamt of being there (with the world's eyes on them) all their lives, who deserve to be eulogised. Hats off to all the athletes.

I seem to have digressed away, considerably, from my intention of this post - NBC. Apparently, NBC paid $900 million to get the rights to the US market and spent close to a billion for the production to broadcast the Beijing 2008 Olympics. However, they have numbed the excitement of the Olympics in more than one way.

Firstly, to watch the Olympics everybody needs to download Silverlight 2.0 (beta). I obviously didn't have any qualms about this, since I worked on Silverlight in its inception stage at Microsoft, but I can see many others who will cringe about being forced into this.

Secondly, NBC and the rest of the world somehow don't seem to be on the same page of what "Live" means. Unless there is a term called deferred live, I don't see how broadcasting something 3 hours later can be Live. The sheer audacity to display "Live" while showing the 400m swimming relay where TeamUSA won, when ABC news was accolading Phelps for the 8th medal, made me wonder if it was time somebody took action against them. Did they really think they have the right to steal us from watching the moment that world history was made?

It is probably high time that NBC starts looking at the impact of the Internet and the power of online advertising. The games are not TV shows that shouldn't be put online till they have been aired to increase the prime time viewing for the channel. I had to go to my friends place to watch some events after I read the results on Google and Yahoo and couldn't wait for NBC to upload the videos online after telecasting them.

Though its broadcasted in America, NBC needn't be Pro-American. Universally, the Olympics statistics are presented in decreasing order of golds and then the silver, bronze and alphabetical order is used for any conflict resolution. However, NBC has set different standards for obvious reasons. Since the US has won the most number of medals, it displays the stats according to the count of the medals won. Shouldn't they give some credit to China for winning 45 golds (as opposed to 27 that US has won)? Is this fair play?

Finally, I tried to ignore all this till NBC decided to give me the real tester. I was watching the 1500m free style swimming - 30 laps in the pool. The race starts, after 5 laps there is an ad. When they get back to screening it was the 11th lap. I thanked my stars too soon - there was an ad after the 19th lap. I was more than grateful when the ad got over by the 25th lap. In a 2.5 hour marathon, having ads is acceptable but not in a 30 lap swimming race. And when it is not being telecasted live why bother cutting a few laps?

Having poured out my frustration, I wish the next time no channel gets exclusive rights over broadcasting the Olympics and if they do (which of course they will), act responsibly about giving the millions of viewers an experience to cherish.

Kaalangalil Aval Vasantham..

2008-08-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

People who know me well enough know that I have even less than half baked knowledge of Tamil. Call it my upbringing where I traveled a bit, or my schooling, it wasn't until a couple of years back did I start talking with people around me in Tamil. Even during the days of blissful ignorance, there was one song whose lyrics touched me deeply. I noticed the song because my mom was a huge fan of PBS, and of course, I am a big sucker for melody, and a bigger one for romantic melody. The song describes the beauty of a woman comparing her to the best of seasons, arts, flowers, birds, sonds, winds, etc. It finishes with a punch telling that the woman has made the person singing it a poet. The lyrics are simple and subtle and have been crafted to create one of Kanadasan's masterpiece with a deep beautiful meaning.

Anyways I encourage you to listen to the song (It is just 3:12 min):
Kaalangalil Aval Vasantham

A little more trivia about the song:

Movie name: Paava Mannippu (1961)
Singer: Sreenivas PB
Music Director: Viswanathan-Ramamurthy
Lyrics: Kannadasan
Actors: Devika, Gemini Ganeshan, Savithri, Sivaji Ganesan
Director: Bhimsingh A
Theme: Beauty

Finally the lyrics:

Kaalangalil aval vasantham
Kalaigalilae aval oaviyam
Maadhangalil aval maargazhi
Malargalilae aval malligai

(kaalangalil aval)

Paravaigalil aval manippuraa
Paadalgalil aval thaalaattu
Kanigalilae aval maangani (2)
Kaatrinilae aval thenral

(kaalangalil aval)

Paalpoal sirippadhil pillai - aval
Panipoal anaippadhil kanni
Kanpoal valarppadhil annai (2) - ava
Kavinganaakkinaal ennai

(kaalangalil aval)

This is truly a song that has lived through ages.

Eureka!! Here's a fuel efficient and Emission Free Car!

2008-08-04T20:37:00.000-07:00

It was summer and though the bay area is not half as bad as most other places in the US, we were tuned to the mind set of enjoying the sun and the heat. It was time to go to a picnic. Lazy and spoon-fed, we waited for the Google summer party in Shoreline Park. Other than the Google Talent Show (for which I would even fail to qualify), there was another event "Google Kart Rally - Teams of ten will build push karts to be judged on aesthetics and raced later in the afternoon" that intrigued me. It seemed interesting to my friends and we tried to collect a team of 10 in vain. Undeterred five of us registered for the event, waiting for one more to join (who luckily brought another team mate). We had one hour to go and all the raw materials - wood, nuts, screws, 4 tires, drilling machine and paint. As the clock started ticking, we decided on a split strategy - 3 of them left to get food and me and Saurabh stared at what we had in hand. The strategy was not the smartest idea for I was a person who had great difficulty in passing carpentry in my first year of engineering and Saurabh was a person who couldn't fix a flat and had had to call AAA. If that wasn't enough, the push kart had to have a steering ability and one person had to sit in it while another person pushed it. Luckily there was a prototype and we were atleast smart enough to think on the similar lines. The others came and we got to work. Software engineers do have a tuned mindset - design, develop and test. We designed our prototype (which seemed very similar to the prototype on display). Development followed the golden rule - divide and conquer. Saurabh, Mini and I fixed the front tires and Jai and Shwetabh the back ones (The ones at the back needed hard core drilling). Oops, we realized that we didn't count the steering mechanism. Ram and Jai (yup another one) joined us with no clue of what was happening. As we finally decided on the steering mechanism, the guys were sent off to get the wood chopped and drilling holes, while me and Mini focussed on the aesthetics. With the clocking ticking and the buzzer running, we realized that we confused the steering mechanism and put it down instead of the top of cart - basic

design flaw. Got to work again but couldn't bring anything on top. But we were engineers and of course are smart at quick fixes too. We figured that since the front wheels was protruding, the driver could steer it from down instead of the top of the kart. Schedule deadline approaching and we started putting things together. Sticking and stapling and putting more nails. I was unanimously voted as the driver on account of being the lightest. We put our creation down to earth and let her feel the roads between the wheels. I sat on it, hoping against hope that nothing fatal should befall. And it was testing time, I steered it as different people pushed me from behind. Yay we had a working model! Our deployment went on well too, our kart was intact after two laps of racing, but our competitors hit the race line before us (We were actually one of the three cars to have lasted in good condition at the end of the race). I must also give credit to Saurabh for having pushed me around for two laps.

Finally we retired the product after taking pictures with it -the experience was one of a kind!

Circle of Life

2008-07-02T18:13:00.000-07:00

She saw his silhouette through the translucent curtain draped over the French windows in her living room. She could see him hop on to a skateboard and before she could wink he lost his balance and fell down. She gasped quickly and extended her hand forgetting that she was across the road. He got up looked around sheepishly and after ensuring that no one caught him falling down hopped on again with the childish confidence that is common at his age. The sun was setting and the street lights dimly cast their lights. She craned her neck to catch him trying to turn at the end of the street. He swerved around gracefully and started speeding towards the gate of his house, not quite a home for him. A big smile stuck on his face as he passed her house as though reassuring her that everything went well today. Once she saw him close the doors of his house and her world with him, she went back into the kitchen. It had been almost a year now - a year without those blue eyes staring back at her, a year since there was laughter in her house, a year without having had a purpose to live for. Her eyes filled up at the very thought of him. She had nurtured him with so much love and care that her parents thought she was incapable of when she had told them she was pregnant but wasn't going to get married. She did her best to give him the best. She worked on two jobs to pamper him and keep him comfortable. She forgot how to be selfish. And she thought life was just perfect for the two of them. She thought of the day she had promised to try out cross country biking with him.

Life couldn't have been worse for him. He knew that she wasn't happy with him but he didn't once think that she would leave a note and bid him goodbye. She wanted nothing from him and nothing to remind her of him, not even their son. He was brooding in the good old Baileys pub. What was he going to tell him? One shot. How was he supposed to raise a young boy on his own? Another shot. How could she do this to him? The third one. And one more for every question that raced to his head till he was blissfully unaware of the why he was in the bar in the first place. Swaying himself, he reached his car and sat down in front of the wheel, squinting his eyes in the broad daylight. His thoughts went back to her and he floored on the gas pedal and let the wind breeze away his memories. He drove on the freeways he hadn't bothered coming to before - it was here that there were no annoying cops. He took the steep curves up the hill at dangerous speeds, the toys in the rear trunk being tossed around from end to end. He needed his music - his Iron Maiden and as he groped in his iPod for the song, he felt a sudden jerk. He found the song and pressed the play and soon the music drowned the screams behind him. He rode on - the music sobering him and slumped into his couch upon reaching home.

She was in a state of shock. Her mind felt numb and then the motherly instinct hit her. She screamed for help up in the mountains where there was no soul. Her hands trembling she reached out for her cell phone to see she was out of tange. Taking her little baby in her hands, she ran and ran to the nearest callbox. She kept telling him, "Stay with me, please" but could feel his pulse go down. As she dialled 911, the big blue eyes closed and forever. She didn't know what happened next - the paramedics, cops, questions they asked her - she remembered nothing and she felt nothing but pain. Days passed and then weeks, she spoke to no one and she thought of none but one. Everybody was supportive, her parents came and lived with her for a few months, people tried not to talk about their kids at work, but she didn't notice.

He woke up and felt wasted. There was his son watching TV and he had no idea which day it was. He looked up and saw their wedding photo and started feeling the intense hatred. He reached out for his bottle of beer and drank it up. Now he felt better. Ever since she left, it had become a habit, all he did was drink. When he first failed to show up at work, they thought he was getting over it and let it pass. And when he started showing up at work drunk, they pitied him and asked him to talk it out. And when he refused to talk and got into drunken brawls, they finally let him go. He didn't care not even for his little son. He hated that kid - the kid that carried his mother's genes, the kid that had those blue eyes like his mom. The sight of him reminded him of her and drinking was the only was to forget. He looked around at the house where he started his family - the house where he promised he will be a good husband and a loving father. He took the "For sale" board and put it out. He needed the money to drink - he had already exhausted his savings, sold his car and there was nothing more to sell than this house. It could keep him covered for at least a couple of years.

She heard the moving truck coming to a stop and came out to the patio to see her new neighbors. She gasped and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the two little feet jump out. She never imagined she would see someone who would closely resemble her baby. She ran into the kitchen and started baking some cookies and took it out to her new neighbors. She knocked on the door and an unkempt man opened the door. She could imagine a handsome face behind all the unshaven beard and was horrified to see the house inside. She looked at him in the eye and offered him the cookies, welcoming them to the neighborhood. The blue eyes, clutching his father's pants peeped out and her heart melted. The man at the door said something rude about nosy neighbors and that he loved his privacy. She ignored him and smiled at the blue eyes with so much warmth that the kid felt his mom was with him for a moment. The moment snapped away when he pulled his son away and closed the door shut. He warned the kid to talk to nobody and the boy whimpered into his bed with fear and tears wrapping his eyes.

He looked out of the window and saw her going back home with a basket of cookies. He smiled for the first time since that day. She was the first sign of what he had become over the months. He sighed and took to his bottle again. He woke up at midday - the little boy had gone to school and he went out of his new house. He looked at the empty lane and went back inside to wash himself. He looked at himself in the mirror and hated everything around him. He shaved, washed and wore new clothes trying to look like his old self and then he felt it - a sudden urge blocking his mind completely. He forgot everything that happened till a moment ago and opened the bottle of vodka. It was not until the first drop touched his lips that his hands stopped trembling. As the vodka burned down his throat he felt better. He sat down on his patio thinking into space and fell into a nice slumber. He woke up just when she drove back home. She looked back at his house, smiled pleasantly at him but her eyes searching for someone else. He frowned thinking about the boy and she turned away before he could put a smile back on his face.

Her heart reached out for the little boy. She could think how difficult life must be for him with an alcoholic father and no mother. She tried to be nice to the father but he was rude and always frowned. She wanted to tell the little boy everything about her, her son, dreams, friend - she wanted to welcome him into her home. Suddenly the winds seemed to have changed directions - she felt she had a purpose in her life and she decided she would be there for the little boy always. She was not going to lose this one - not to a drunkard again.

He saw her walk towards his gates. He tried to hide the bottle behind his chair and she smiled at him. She leaned across the fence and asked him if he needed anything for the house from the grocery store. He wanted to ask her if he could come along but heard himself grumping that they had everything. She smiled and left. He felt angry at himself and reached out for his bottle again. Days passed and there were very few times of the day when he was sober. On one such occasion, he suddenly saw her rush back home from work. She was crying, tears rushing down her face. He crossed the street and asked her if everything was ok. Between her tears she mumbled the she her mom had a heart attack and collapsed on her front porch. He told her he was sorry and got her some water. He promised to drive her to her parent's place and went back home to leave a note for the kid. Not that he cared but she had asked him to. As he opened the doors to his house, the sweet smell of alcohol reached him. One shot should keep him good for an hour or so he thought and fixed himself a quick drink. He might actually be gone for at least three hours and decided to drink another two. Feeling much better, he swaggered back to her house.

She was infuriated at his impudence to offer her ride to her parent's place when he breathed and smelt of alcohol. Knowing that if she showed her anger, the only victim on whom he could vent his frustrations was his son, she firmly but sweetly refused his help. He was confused and wondered why she was so capricious. He insisted that he at least came along and she decided that the kid might be better off without him. On their way, he told her everything - how he had loved his wife, how she left him and what happened after that. She felt sorry for him and urged him to consider counseling and rehab. For the first time, he honestly said that he would do that. She agreed to take care of his son and support him during his rehab. He asked her why she liked his son so much and she told him about the fateful day, the day that tore her life apart. As she related the incident, he felt cold and gripped on to his seat. It was the same day he was driving up the mountain when his wife left him. When she told him it was a big maroon truck, his mind started racing and he felt his sweat beads on his brow. They reached her parent's home and she ran to the door. He locked the car and felt a black cloud clutching him from inside. He started walking toward the door and felt his legs go weak and suddenly he collapsed on the walkway. She turned back just in time to see him fall and ran to him. He was coughing out blood and she felt helpless again. She told him it will be ok as her dad called the paramedics. He held her hand and told his last words "Take care of the little boy. I am sorry, really sorr..."

What would your vagina wear?

2008-06-28T22:37:00.000-07:00

What the %$@#$? My hands reached out for the remote and I wanted to turn the TV off. But I remembered the five star recommendation I had gotten for the show "Vagina Monologues" by my friend over the last 4 years and decided to continue with the show. I heard about the book back in India (which for obvious reasons is banned in India). There was Eve Ensler ranting about the strength and beauty of the vagina. There she was talking about the vagina as an embodiment of character and individuality. There she was narrating the monologues of women all over the world relating to the vagina. And there she was doing this on HBO and there I was all flushed and embarrassed even though there was no one around me. The answers to the question were Ralph Lauren skirt, diamond tiara, a hat, let it be nude. I wanted to scream "STOPPP". However, I continued watching it. Even though I knew what I was signing up for when I started seeing it, I didn't realize it was just the tip of the iceberg (I felt old and conservative when I couldn't digest someone on screen talking about the vagina so easily).

The first three monologues made me queasy and uncomfortable, but I slowly got used to watching it. I really like the monologue "Because he looked at it". The monologue dedicated to Bosnian women who were rape victims during the war - "My Vagina was My Village" was brilliant - I could start relating more to Eve Ensler's concept. I had never thought of the vagina as quite an organ like the heart and the mind. But monologues like the controversial "The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could" and "Angry Vagina" made me wonder if the vagina does indeed characterize a person's state of mind. And of course, the final touch "I was there in the Room", which spoke about the transformation of a vagina from a sexual organ to a life giving sacred vessel, was the best.

It was a revelation to me and I think it would be to every woman in the world to know more about vaginas. I started to however think if vaginas should have been brought up at all. We don't need to compare a vagina and a village to empathize with rape victims. But the monologues definitely has opened up a platform for women to discuss about the violence, the mutilations, the pleasures, the fears and a multitude of feeling surprisingly related to the one of the most sensitive organ - the vagina.

PS: I have given links to some of the videos though Eve Ensler's shows are the best. Still better would probably be the book though I haven't read it myself.

Biking Under Influence

2008-06-28T19:25:00.000-07:00

I always seem to have a knack for pulling up things more than what I can do. This is an exemplary example. Yesterday was a much awaited offsite, after months of deciding what to do, which groups to combine with, how well everybody's interests aligned, etc. we finally decided to go to one of California's wine country regions - Sonoma County. Initially there was a choice of winery hopping or bike tour and visiting just one winery. Me being me opted for the bike tour and since the majority decided for bike tours, we skipped the first option (Now there wasn't even another option). I went to work at 8 am in the morning (the first time I have been that early to work) and the bus started on its way through the peak hour traffic stopping at San Bruno (the Youtube office) and proceeding through the city and Golden Gate to Sonoma. We reached at 11:30 and hopped on to the bikes and got an unassuming map of the route to take. We had five guides and a bike mechanic and split ourselves into 5 groups with the bike mechanic following all of us. I started out on the first group, chatting happily and riding the bikes on the roads of Sonoma, going past General Vallejo's house and relishing the tranquility of the country side. After about 45 min of biking, it finally hit me that I wasn't cut out for this. I stopped midway, drank a whole bottle of water, ate my energy bar and phew, saw everybody shoot past me (waving and assuring everybody I was ok). Pete, the bike mechanic came by and I knew it was time to resume my journey. As I went by, I saw Shwetabh and an intern on the road (the intern had a flat tire) and Shwetabh joined me after Pete started attending to the flat tire. We rode as slowly as I could and kept talking about things to take my mind off the physical strain. I finally reached the Sebastiani Winery, where everybody was ready to start tasting the wine. We found a table and sat down, each person having 5 wine glasses in front of him - a Chardonny and four red wines (My wine knowledge was very limited before, I knew Chardonny and Merlot and had never acquired the taste for liking wine). I was so famished that even before someone could explain something, I gulped down the glass of Chardonny. I never thought I could like wine the way I loved it at that moment. :)

After my first glass, I was in better position to pay attention to the finer points of wine tasting. Apparently the best wine glasses are the clear ones with no fancy designs on them. This helps us see clearly the color of the wine (though I felt I was color blind when I saw the red wines). The experimental steps of wine tasting - Look, Stir, Sniff, Sip and Swallow. We practiced stirring the wine and checking for any colors they leave (remember the good old brown ring experiment? If your wine leaves a brown ring its bad). Sniffing the wine should be done with your nose into the glass to give you a nice wine mustache (if you had so much wine in the glass). And then sip the wine to feel the taste in the tips of your tongue and lips. Chardonny gave an immediate acidic taste at this stage. And finally swallow your wine. Pinot Nair gave its characteristic berry flavors when the wine touched the palate. After tasting Pinot Noir, Barbera, Merlot and Cabernet, I fell in love with Pinot Noir and Cabernet. They tasted just perfectly fruity for me. As much as I wanted to buy a bottle of wine, I decided against it because I wasn't seeing myself finish a bottle of wine in two days (the optimum period to keep an opened bottle of wine) until I threw a party (which wasn't happening in the near future too). After an enlightening wine tasting session, we ate a sumptuous lunch of salad and sandwiches. We had to get ready for the next round of biking (a longer route this time). I had initially devised a devious plan to get drunk on wine and not be allowed to bike under influence. Since wine tasting didn't exactly qualify for getting under any influence, there I was clicking my helmet and jumping on to the bike.

As always I started first and this time didn't even last 45 min and started falling way behind in the initial 20 min. There was Prajakta and Bright giving me company and of course Pete who kept cheering us up. The second trail was more beautiful, going through vineyards and seeing farms with sheep, peacocks and alpacas (the alpacas were on sale too). After being optimistically cheered up by Pete that we had only a mile more to go (right from the start), we reached Rhine Farmlands (a huge vineyard where we were shown around the vineyard. We learnt how the stem of the tree determined the age of the tree and how 4 tonnes per year is the optimum yield and how the trees are destroyed after 20 years to give way to the next set of trees. The most difficult part of wine making is trying to predict the taste for the next 20 years. Apparently since drinking wine while eating is getting more popular the trend is towards lesser alcohol content in wines in the next few years. (+1 for the fact). We were now ready for the final leg of the journey which was really 1 mile more. As the three of us and Pete trudged our way towards the parking lot, the team was there to cheer us for not falling to shame and give up biking. I had biked a total of 15 mi and felt my legs give way as I slumped into my seat in the bus. I slept all through the journey till Youtube and once I woke up started feeling the shooting pain in my legs. Thankfully we reached work without getting stuck in traffic and I ran to my car and got home in no time. A warm bath, hot dinner and aspirin did the trick for the night. As much as I loved tasting wine, I swore never to take upon things like biking until I get into a better shape. So here I am recuperating over the weekend and updating my blog. :)

Do you live the moment?

2008-06-08T23:53:00.000-07:00

It wasn't until recently that something struck me - with the advent of technological innovations starting from telephone, internet, cellphones to ipods, we have stopped living the moment as it is. How often do you catch yourself checking email or chatting in meetings or while watching TV, texting somebody during classes and movies, talking on the phone while driving, listening to the ipod while reading a book or sleeping? Why do we always have to be present in more than one place? Why do we always have to multicast? Something to ponder upon!!

Heal the world

2008-05-10T18:10:00.000-07:00

May 10th is Pangea Day - a day of hope, a day that might mark the beginning of the end to war and sorrow around the world, a day that fostered tolerance towards each other, a day that called out to humans around the world to forget the cultural, racial, religious, ethnic disparities and see the world through each other eyes. It was the first attempt of its kind which in a nutshell hosted a series of short independent movies (from 30 seconds to 10 min) which was broadcast from stages in Cairo, Kigali, London, LA, Mumbai and Rio de Janeiro and streamed in multiple locations including San Jose where I got my chance to be a part of this wonderful event. Pangea day was the baby of filmmaker Jehane Noujaim who was granted $100,000 and a wish to change the world when she won the TED Prize. Her wish was to create a day in which the world came together through film - Pangea Day - a pedestal to latent talents in children, villagers, refugees and city dwellers and an opportunity for the world to witness the lives of common man around the world.

The purpose of the event can be best summarized by paraphrasing the renowned anthropologist, Donald Brown - We should stop focusing on our differences which can only lead to more conflicts, instead we should think about the human universals, feelings such as love, happiness, sorrow, laughter, fear, anger, trust, gestures (unconscious features of humans) and many more which bridges the gaps we have created due to quantitative differences. The show started with the most potent human feeling - LOVE. People from all over the world were asked what love meant to them and surprisingly enough be it an Afghan, Indian, Sudanese, Ugandan, American, Spaniard, we all thought and felt the same. This was followed by a bunch of films (shot on Nokia* cellphones which were distributed worldwide to let people explore their film making talents and also express their feelings through the language of films). Similarly, other universals of happiness, sorrow, anger, fear and hope were dealt with. Some interesting movies:
I will wait for the next one
Dancing Queen
Elevator music
I remember Lebanon
The Slap
Walleyball
Refugee All Stars

Films were chosen as a medium of expression because they are powerful, not changing anything by themselves but changing the way we think. An outstanding example, is the story of the war in Iraq by an American soldier - Operation Homecoming: Road Work
The movies were interspersed with stories of visionaries, former child terrorists (Ishmael Beah), religious cooperation propagandists (Eboo Patel) transcending different countries and cultures. The last segment of the four hour show was dedicated to the Israel Palestine conflict. Instead of reiterating the stories we have read in the news and history, these videos below are examples of how people have risen above and joined hands to create miracles:
Robi Damelin
Combatants for Peace
Encounter Peace

Human minds are a wonder to me - our creativity and intelligence is endless. But is the downside of this lack of tolerance? Why do we draw lines and refuse to look at something from another person's viewpoint? The next time you discriminate against any person in any way think again.
"Never do unto others as you would never have them do unto you."
We might not act and behave the same way as our neighbors, but remember we share the same underlying feelings. Violence is not a solution to any problem, before you realize you will be caught in the cycle of violence (Hindu Muslim conflicts in India, Hutu genocide in Rwanda by Tutsis, Israel Palestine war, Mexican discrimination, Chinese oppression in Tibet and not to forget the World Wars). It is our world and our responsibility to protect and nurture it.
Paprioflexia

Finally, its not about just watching the videos. If this has changed the way you think, its time to take action (Act now). Its time to

Heal the World
Make it a better place
For You and for me
And the Entire Human Race

*Nokia was the official sponsor of this event. As a technology trying to Connect People, it was an astounding effort to sponsor this event.

** Not wanting to do injustice to any movie, please do check them all out at Pangea Films

Tagged

2008-04-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I am getting tagged. Thanks maverick! So here goes the answers:

1. Last movie you saw in a theater?
21 - It sucked big time and I remember talking all through the movie. Considering that Rahul tagged me, he might actually think that me chattering during a movie is not unusual.

2. What book are you reading?
I picked up a Ken Follet during my last travel. But recently touched base with Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I had forgotten most stories and it was totally worthwhile reading them again.

3. Favorite board game?
I love board games. Name anything and I am all game for it - Monopoly, Clue, Boggle, Scrabble, Carom, Carcassone, Pictionary, poker (if that counts), snake and ladder, ludo, checkers, ....

4. Favorite magazine?
Reader's Digest. Though the ones in US aren't as good as the editions in India.

5. Favorite smells?
Might sound extremely wierd - but its the doggy smell. :)

6. Favorite sounds?
My dad's snore.

7. Worst feeling in the world?
When my worst fears come true.

8. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up?
Think about what I want to accomplish today.

9. Favorite fast food place?
Depends on those sudden urges I get to taste something. :)

10. Future child’s name?
Will definitely have Spidey in it somewhere. :)

11. Finish this statement. “If I had lot of money I’d….?”
Travel around the world.

13. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?
Of course!!! Btw, its Cupid.

14. Storms - cool or scary?
Scary if I am driving. Cool otherwise.

16. Favorite drink?
"Fruit" juices (I am not sure if all of you get the pun).

17. Finish this statement, “If I had the time I would….”?
If you need to make time you can always find it. :)

18. Do you eat the stems on broccoli?
Only because it is good for the heart. Sigggghhh

19. If you could dye your hair any color, what would be your choice?
hahaha. There is no question of "If" involved here.

20. Name all the different cities/towns you’ve lived in?
In chronological order - Trivandrum, Chennai, Cochin, Chennai, Tucson, Seattle, Tucson, Bay area.

21. Favorite sports to watch?
Soccer, tennis, basketball.

22. One nice thing about the person who sent this to you?
Totally cool person. One of the best people's person I know (which is probably why everyone likes to talk to him about their problems) :)

23. What’s under your bed?
Its clean. :)

24. Would you like to be born as yourself again?
Nope. Very spiritual in this aspect and by principles of Karma and Moksha, obviously I don't want to be born again.

25. Morning person, or night owl?
Preferably night owl. But can adjust easily.

26. Over easy, or sunny side up?
Didn't understand this.

27. Favorite place to relax?
On my bed with Ceiloo by my side.

28. Favorite pie?
If pizza counts as a pie. ;)

29. Favorite ice cream flavor?
Chocolate.

30. Of all the people you tagged this to, who’s most likely to respond first?
Most people I know have already been tagged. So I am not sure who is gonna take this up. But I will pass this to Bankim, Thilak, Jai and Ram. And Thilak would be my guess.

Rupee wise Dollar foolish

2008-04-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

I still remember when I first reached US a few years back, the dollar was strong and going steady at a whooping Rs.46 exchange rate. It took me a while to adjust to the currency change and stop running those fervent multiplications in my head all the time. Luckily I was blissfully unaware of the prices of day to day things like vegetables, cleaning agents, electricity bills etc. which I found very reasonable (my roommates wouldn't hesitate to give a disapproving look even now). I could feel the conversion hurt mainly when I used to shop for clothes (if you think I shopped less because of that, you are sadly mistaken). Some of my other friends took the punch in their stomach faithfully eating the dollar menu in McD. Nevertheless after a semester, we realized that austerity wasn't exactly our way of life especially when we were earning in dollars even if it was the meager "student income". We satiated our yearning hearts with the "necessities" like laptop, sun glasses, ipods, road trips and flew to the fantastic desert lands of Vegas, and the beaches of California. After another semester of semi luxury, I decided that it was time to indulge myself. It was time for speakers, tv, projector, trips to any place the flight could take me around the world. Some of my friends decided it was time to get some wheels under their feet and bought cars. We fell prey to the American marketing and bought anything that carried the tag 'Deal' - 5$ off on a 20$ product (who cared about the 15$ we spent as long as we saved 5$). I came with two boxes to the US and left Arizona with seven(no furniture involved here thankfully), despite desperate efforts of generosity to Salvation Army and Goodwill. Life was perfect and we were in a state of balance defined by a simple equation:

Income = Expense + Taxes

Little did we anticipate that the winds would change and disrupt the natural balance. We moved out and got jobs (whoever said that "With great powers comes great power comes great responsibilities"? They come with sucky jobs too). Undeterred and without forethought, we went and bought fancy cars, home theater systems and big tvs, rented places worth our measly income at school, and decided to settle down and invest. Did you hear the quake? Yup that was the dollar crashing and the rupee getting stronger. I wince every time I send money home and see the exchange rate. I am driven to the doors of McD after a visit to the bank. I have removed the stock tickers from my computer after seeing it get redder and redder. I am looking forward to biking to work in summer every time I fill gas in the state of California. We love the clubs that have no cover charge and car pool to get to those clubs. Even now I am in a state of balance, but the variables in the equation have increased exponentially:

Income = Rent + Fuel + Insurance + Taxes + Food + Currency conversion loss

Siggghhhhh...

No more mainstream cinema

2008-03-31T17:46:00.000-07:00

Call it weird, call it nerdy,
Call it anything you want.
No more Rambo or Rocky,
No more chick flicks and Hugh Grant.

Its tales of Rashomon
Of the flattering falsehood of the human ego,
Or Y tu mama tambien which is more like porn,
and the horror of the world wars that occurred not long ago.

I can see Wordsworth turn in his grave at my modest attempt at poetry. So let me quit trying to employ any traces of my poetic talents.

The credit of this new found passion solely goes to my friend (lets call him X), who for reasons known only to real people, discovered the craze for watching critically acclaimed movies. The first in this genre that I watched was 'Y tu mama tambien' (literally meaning And your mother too - if your instincts tell you to think straight, DON'T). It is a coming to age tale of two teenagers in Mexico. At the end of the graphically explicit movie which apparently also depicted the political and economic realities in Mexico (you can take my word for the fact that these realities are easy to miss), I laughed to myself realizing why X was into critically acclaimed movies. The next step towards watching these offbeat movies was to watch the movies hosted by Google on Thursdays. I was skeptical about going to this the first time, especially because X was in the committee to decide the movies that were being played. I thought "critically acclaimed movies" was X's code word for the likes of my first pang at these movies and I wasn't sure if I should watch these movies with a large audience at my workplace. Unwillingly, I dragged myself to "Seduced and Abandoned", an Italian comedy by Pietro Germi. The name of the movie rang all possible warning bells and I mentally prepared myself not to giggle at those intimate scenes. Surprisingly, the movie was completely different, the story of a father who keeps up the family honor till his last breath concealing the fact that one of his daughter's womanhood was tainted by another daughter's fiance' in an extremely snoopy village. It reminded me a lot about the social circumstances in India.

The ball started rolling after that and I have watched a handful of these movies, notable amongst these being, Rashomon, Citizen Kane, Schindler's List, A Band's Visit, Life is Beautiful, Nowhere in Africa, Conversation with other women, Hotel Rwanda, No man's land, Kite Runner and many more that I can't remember off the top of my head now. One of the finest movies ever made in my opinion is Rashomon, by Akira Kurosawa. It is a simple concept about human mind, best summarized below:
"Human beings are unable to be honest with themselves about themselves. They cannot talk about themselves without embellishing. This script portrays such human beings–the kind who cannot survive without lies to make them feel they are better people than they really are. Egoism is a sin the human being carries with him from birth; it is the most difficult to redeem."
The story and the direction was brilliant and transgressed all linguistic, cultural and time boundaries.
Unlike most other movies, which took to dealing with popular sympathetic subjects like World War II, Jewish massacres, etc. Rashomon was a commonplace subject depicted beautifully through a murder mystery.

It has been quite a while since I have watched main stream cinema and I don't seem to miss them either. I believe that I now have an acquired taste for offbeat movies that are intellectually provoking. Most of these movies are in foreign languages, but they are every easy to relate to. Sometimes, I miss the point in these movies and reading reviews help. I have gone back to watch the movies to enjoy them the way they were meant to be viewed. For the first time, I could see the art in movie direction. While I was blissfully living in the world that my taste has become more classy, a funny incident happened (which I must quote here, is an exception). I was at a dinner table with a colleague of mine from Mexico, and X decided to ask him about Y tu mama tambien - the only mexican critically acclaimed movie we have watched. He quickly dismissed the fact that the movie had a parallel story and told us "Its funny. Movies that are unpopular amongst the local audience have an international appeal." He definitely had a point with the one sample we offered him, though it doesn't apply to a lot of other movies.

If my post has inspired you in any way to join the Club of Classy Cinema Watchers - here is something for your reference - The Best 1000 Movies ever made.

In my times..

2008-03-24T13:36:00.000-07:00

bash$ cd /home/my_memory
bash$ find . | xargs ls -lt | tail -1

Whoops, considering that the allocated space in my grey cells is more than a few hundred petabytes, this command is going to take a while to finish. So let us start another console in the mean time.

It was a sudden thought over the weekend after listening to the elderly generation (these are the people on the other side of the bridge of 25) talking a lot about "In those days.." and "In my times...", that I tried to run these commands on my mind, to recollect the earliest memory I have.

[I see a bell in the previous console.
Let us switch context to the earlier console.]
bash$ find . | xargs ls -lt | tail -1
Waiting after school on a bench near the bushes for my grandpa to pick me up after school (31/2 years old).

I am unsure if this or me trying to sharpen a pen I sneaked without my mom's knowledge in my kindergarten tops the list. :)

I was initially pretty appalled to notice that I couldn't remember anything before I was three. Of course, my mom's vivid recollection of certain incidents coupled with the photographs of the times when I was fatter than the fattest kid I can remember, fosters my imagination to visualize what would have happened (sadly enough my mom loves to talk about embarrassing situations that I was put into or I put people into, more than the high points in my childhood). However hard I tried, I couldn't pull a silver thread from the pensieve. Did I probably forget to drop it all in the pensieve in the first place?

I suddenly felt that somebody stole the years from me. Can you believe blanking out for three years? Probably there was nothing dramatic that happened other than the timely good food and sleep and the frequent cuddling by anyone and everyone who met you. Or was it the incomplete language development? Or am I also one of the victims of dreadful infantile amnesia. Siggghhhhh, I have searched the archives and the logs and the backups in vain. All I get when I try to access that "Before_3" folder is a read error (the grey cells are corrupted and I cannot retrieve any data for the rest of my life).

All the same, I would like to hear from you about your earliest memory and when it happened. This is purely to help the cause of the following research (which is the only fact about my amnesia that is making me feel good at the moment):
"Research has found that in general the earliest recollections of females are earlier and more vivid than those of males (Gleitman, et al., 2004)."
So all you people who are on either side of the bridge of 25, can contribute towards this cause by posting your comments.

3 Down. Leading lady goes missing in movie sound track (4)

2008-03-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

I am not genius at crossword puzzles, but am trying to solve some. This blog is dedicated to my friends who are crazy about these puzzles and these are some of the clues they have made. Have fun solving them:

Across

1. Magazine with no liquor will surprise you (5)
5. Two greeks get drugged at the beginning of opera (6)
7. Symbols originating from Greek leaders (9)
9. I don't see a ship sinking, but a watch ticking (5)
10. Give few to look good (8)
11. P.S. Amit has an interest in scramble, finally (7)
12. Trailing Hollywood star comes up with a famous game (5)
16. Two aliens having a Cuban product to produce something similar (9)
20. Medic takes a slice of pizza to cause an outbreak (8)
22. Lady offering a feeling of doubt (9)
23. Poor sci-fi movie puts you to sleep (9)
24. Family member makes a mistake with soup (7)
25. Bring in a hard-worker and make it famous (9)

Down

1. Atleast it is cheap without the end product (1, 5)
2. A giant sound is stunning (10)
3. Leading lady goes missing in movie sound track (4)
4. I’m dreaming of a noun form, to see the fictional beauty (7)
6. Partly tensile atom causes unrest (7)
8. Steer into the lane with a dead end, Scott (6)
10. A really solid ambition to produce computer component (4,5)
11. Being a friend and making an effort is not significant (6)
13. Turn back to serve again (7)
14. Take a part of the circle and mark it cold (6)
15. Moments of a country, one reads everyday (5,2,5)
17. Vibrating accessory to eat (6,4)
18. A bullet clip in periodical (8)
19. Parts of Seattle and Istanbul produce vibrations by making themselves heard (7)
21. Removing some weight would produce fire (7)

Though not in the crossword, this clue is my personal favorite ;)

A single system that may rule the world,
Its source operating on gratis,
Put on a crimson cover,
And you will know what it is
Take not a deep breath,
For there is more to do,
Hang its father upside down,
And there I am, without further ado. (5)

If you are still solving them, don't look at the comments. Post your answers as comments once you have cracked these clues.

Orkut to get apps

2008-03-03T22:50:00.000-08:00

I am really looking forward to this Apps on orkut coming soon. I am not propagating Google here, but the response time on Facebook is annoying (It is time for them to move out of PHP). I still use it for the amazing apps(my personal favorite is Scramble) that have been developed (though I do wonder why some of them even exist like vampire bites, doing your laundry). Talk around the bay area is that Facebook is looking to revamp its infrastructure. From the perspective of the end user, I just have a reason to be doubly happy now. :)

The Tale of Two Hearts

2008-03-03T13:10:00.000-08:00

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction and any resemblance between the characters and persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

Sam fished his sleek phone out of his jacket. He loved doing this in public making people around him aware of the fact that he carried the best phone in the market, but this time it was to check if she had called. His green eyes looked droopy and tired after a wild party the previous night. He shuffled around in the kitchen looking for something to eat. Life had changed for him in the last few weeks. He was trying to fight his inertia and become an outdoors person (though his feeble efforts were restricted to visiting the gym when his roommate worked out). His thoughts went back to her, she had shared the best lentil soup with him the previous day. He loved her curiosity and inquisitiveness over every tiny thing. He fixed himself a simple lunch and pondered about the day ahead. There wasn't much time left for the sun set. Sam hurriedly changed and went to catch up with a few games of tennis. He had a match coming up that week with one of his colleagues at work. His closest friends were piling up bets (of course against him because it wasn't a game on the Wii).

He was losing 6-3, 2-6, 5-1. He muttered to himself "I have to focus". Through the corner of his eye, he could see his friends bored and waiting for him to lose soon. But there she was, amidst them smiling and waving out to him. He saw a reassurance in that smile as the gentle breeze blew away her curly hair. His opponent was at an advantage and this was the match point. It was a tense moment. He saw the ball bounce on his side of the court and felt his racket hit the ball. Just a second after that he realized that he hadn't hit it hard enough. He knew the game was over even before the ball bounced back from the net and turned to look at her. With all the guilt and disappointment, his eyes scanned for her. But she wasn't there around. After the painstakingly long process of congratulating the victor, he went back to the stands to meet his friends. His friends patted him despite the miserable game and told him that Ray, his roommate was playing the next match with the last year's champion. He sat down tired and saw her coming. He mustered the courage to greet her with a meek smile but she turned away. She took her seat on the other end of the stand and smiled at the player on the court. The whole world seemed to swirl around now. How could he have been so blind to what was happening? Why did he only see himself all the time when it wasn't him? It all made perfect sense - why he had always met her when there were the three of them, why it was always the movie that Ray liked that they picked, why it was always Ray's favorite dishes that were cooked. It was at this very moment of adversity that he felt the dormant feeling for her surge up. He wasn't going to lose her, not to his friend. For the first time, he was possessive and damn it, he loved the feeling. This was a game he wasn't going to lose at any cost. The smile was back on his face at this thought as he saw his opponent trash the ex-champion. "You win some and you lose some, my dear friend", thought Sam to himself.

One of Sam's new activities included swaying and swirling to Spanish tunes. Undeterred by his genetically challenged abilities, he was making an earnest attempt to learn the Salsa. However, the disproportion of the patriarchal society hit him hard in the class. There were usually fewer girls and Sam used to swear no end every time he had to sway around the imaginary girl. He decided to call her for the class to get closer to her and share some of those intense passionate moments. This was a wonderful opportunity without Ray, who however had better plans which Sam was unaware of.

Keep a lookout for the nail biting, seat gripping tale of the hearts...

Magic in the air

2008-03-02T23:55:00.000-08:00

Have your felt the presence of someone could make all the difference in the world? Ever wanted to wake up and set your eyes on your most loving one? Find every trivial action of the other person amusing? Wanted to run home to be with your loved one on those miserable days when nothing ever goes right? Wanted someone to listen to all your grievances, resentments, accomplishments, frustrations and be by your side always? Ever felt the magic in the air at the very thought or mention of the person? Ever since my little baby entered my life, there hasn't been a moment I have regretted, but the times I haven't been with him. I felt the true meaning of unconditional love and felt it grow by the day.

This little post is dedicated to Ceiloo, my cutie little dog who has made all the difference in my life. :D

The road ahead..

2008-03-01T18:49:00.000-08:00

Ankit rushed back home and threw aside his shoes and bag. His mom was ready with the glass of boost and some hot samosas which he gobbled up in no time more because he had to run to his tuitions. At the age of 12, he had little time to spare for any outdoor sports. Other than the insignificant part of the curriculum that dealt with arts and sports, his world was pretty much centered around Physics, History, Maths, Sanskrit, Hindi and the other endless list of subjects. He had an innate talent for art which often showed up as doodles on his text books, something that his teachers and parents used to frown upon. Being a part of the rat race that every other child was trying o outbeat, he never did have the time to pursue his hobby.

It was one of those afternoons when everybody was silently cursing the sweltering heat in the mechanical workshop. Ankit looked at his watch and groaned. An hour more of this grueling exercise before he could head back to the classes. The lab instructor gave a cursory glance across the building where all the computer engineering students in front of the monitors in the air conditioned labs and muttered his disapproval. He thought that the days where tangible engineering products made a huge impact were over. He looked over and saw Ankit and smiled. Here was a boy who was quick with his hands and extremely creative. This boy couldn't work out the math quick enough to prove why something won't work, but he had the instinct and the ideas to fix it up.

The rain was pouring down and the roads were slippery. And suddenly the clouds cleared up and the sun showed its fury at being hidden behind the curtains. The heat was oppressive and Ankit wore his helmet. It was heavy on his head and he could feel himself sweating more after wearing it. The state had recently passed a law to improve the traffic safety and made helmets as compulsory headgears. Ankit shrugged again feeling itchy under the helmet. He reached home and immediately removed the helmet. His wife had already reached home and was cooking dinner. After a quick and tight embrace, she rushed back to the kitchen. Ankit couldn't take his mind off the annoying helmet and started thinking about how unsuited these imported designs were to domestic conditions. He spent the whole week, sketching and redesigning the helmet after coming back home. The next week, he dug up his books and researched through the bits and bytes on the web to find the right materials to make the helmet lighter without compromising on the safety. He salvaged some money from his salary to get the first few prototypes of the helmet and did the stress tests to measure the safety in case of a hard impact. And finally four months after the hot rainy day, Ankit smiled to himself looking at the helmet which he loved to wear not because it was his baby, but because the nuisance caused by the helmet didn't outweigh the safety benefits. His wife, a banker, helped him do the math on the production costs which was a tad bit costlier than the helmets in the market.

Ankit walked out of yet another helmet manufacturing firm after a presentation where he lost the attention of the engineers right after the first five minutes. Who wanted a redesigned helmet? It wasn't even sporty and stylish. As long as the state jurisdiction to wear helmets was compulsory, the companies were in good business. Ankit sighed and finally decided to risk it. He took a bank loan and started the manufacturing business. His wife was supportive, being the sole bread winner of the family in the initial few months till the helmets hit the market.

Ankit finished his speech, celebrating the silver jubilee of the company he started. This time he had the rapt admiration and attention of the audience, his share holders. He looked up at the woman who was lovingly by his side all these years. Sitting in the audience, at a far corner was Ankit's lab instructor who smiled to himself. Ankit is not a billionaire or a millionaire. Neither is he struggling to make his ends meet anymore. He is a content businessman owning a fairly prosperous business. However, he is the proud owner of the patent of the most popular helmet in the country. He is that man whom we don't know by name or face, little do we even remember him for his contribution to improve the quality of our life.

Often in the competitive world today, we lose perspective of tiny things. In India especially, we don't try as much to innovate or improvise or redesign a product. We have a large workforce with a lot of potential, but we are lacking in R&D in a lot of industries. Yup, it is definitely in my wish list to be a part of and see things change though I still don't have a clue of where to start. :)

Unix tips and tricks

2008-02-27T15:41:00.000-08:00

Probably I should separate my technical write ups. But until then, there will be mixed posting here. :)

Unix tips

Thanks Bankim for this link.

Dance with me?? Think again

2008-02-26T22:44:00.000-08:00

Tuesdays in the last three weeks have been pretty exciting with my Salsa classes. I definitely don't seem to have the dance bone in my body but that doesn't stop me from trying. :) I am trying hard not to recollect those days in my childhood where I was chosen by birth to learn Bharatanatyam. After years of admiring all those Indian big screen actors and falling in love with Hrithik's flexible body and long legs, I decided to give it a second shot. Salsa was what I wanted to register for, but since the class was overbooked, I signed up for Swing dance. The classes were fun and the formal instruction really helped. After joining Google, I have been saying to myself that I must go for the Salsa that was taught by some fellow Googlers on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Call it lethargy, lack of motivation, time, I always seemed glued to my monitor at 6pm on all days. Until...

Until on one of those amazing party nights, a bunch of my friends with similar genes as mine ended up in a dance party of people who were Salsa experts. I choose again to skip over the embarrassment we faced and move on to our resolve that we chose to fight our genetically inherited talents. Ever since, I seem to find the time and motivation to go to Salsa classes on Tuesdays (no matter how sore I am from a hike, on-call work, and of course the plain fact that I still suck at it).

Salsa and Swing dances do have a lot in common - in both the guys tend to do the leading and the girl follows. pfffttt - so chauvinistic. This also makes the girl have to anticipate the next move and act on the cues. Swing is more formal and Salsa requires more grace and movement. The girls always start on the right foot and certain steps like the dip are similar in both the dances. I was more comfortable learning swing dancing, but nonetheless I am going to pull my guts together and despite my half baked knowledge, try going to a salsa dancing club this week. And this blog is just a precursory caution notice. :)

Opening up.

2008-02-21T19:45:00.000-08:00

This has been on the talks for almost eternity, but yeah finally we see Microsoft breaking its iron wall and opening up.
Microsoft goes open source
A lot of skeptics deride the move as one with restraints, but well its atleast a start. A direct advantage I can see is that Windows is going to be more extensively used (if you think 92% is not big enough Market share). We can expect more sophisticated software, some wiping out existent Microsoft products themselves. Its a move I am looking forward to.

Life is Beautiful

2008-02-21T15:03:00.000-08:00

My passion for owning a big screen tv has led to an obvious spike in the movies I have watched in the recent times. I have always held on to a conservative viewpoint that books allow more freedom of thought than the theater and the myriad of genres of movies that I have seen have reaffirmed my faith. Today I saw one of the most striking movies ever - "Life is Beautiful". Is it the simplicity of the story, the fertile imagination of the director, the tragedy in the comedy, fatherly protection of the child's innocence? I would never be able to point my finger at one reason to love the movie. I should also add that I am always awestruck when comedy in international movies can make me laugh (humor more often than not is very subjective). Obviously I don't want to spoil the plot (wiki mostly takes credit for that, of course with a disclaimer). But kudos to Roberto Benigni for making a magnificient masterpiece!

Reliving my Childhood

2008-02-07T13:39:00.000-08:00

I still remember the days when I used to rush back from school to watch Captain Planet while eating the yummy snacks that my mom made. Munching those two idlis or dosas used to take atleast an hour(much to my mom's annoyance) extending into watching the clever mouse perptually being hunted by the house cat. Growing up hasn't dampened my passion for animation. Thanks to Walt Disney and Warner Bros, my horizon expanded to movie theaters too - exploring the pacific ocean to find nemo, entering the land of dreams through screams in Monsters Inc., seeing the beginning of the end of the ice age, the tap dancing penguins that can't sing, the vegetarian shark, the flashy sports car finding love and modesty in the lands of the canyons, the rat endowed with culinary skills, etc.

Years have rolled by - there is neither the Cartoon Network or the steaming hot snacks awaiting me when I reach home in the wee hours of the night. I still cherish the blistering barnacles, the human man on the battle cat, the basset hound with droppy eyes, the rabbit that might never have to wear a pair of specs, the talking tiger, kick-ass elementary school children, ... The list is endless and so are my memories.