The next day I drove back to Orlando to visit the Universal Studios Theme Park. Aarti, Aniruddha & Aadit had left for Detroit, so I was left to spend the day by myself. After a bit a encouragement from Aarti I decided to venture out to Universal Studios on my own. Armed with a camera, I was hoping for another bright & sunny day. However, the weather had other plans and it rained pretty much the entire day after I got to Orlando.
Walked around getting soaked was really not much fun, but I did manage a few rides. The 'Revenge of the Mummy' ride was a disappointment, since the ride broke down just as it was my turn ... ! :( Oh well - guess I should count myself fortunate that I was not in the car that was stuck!
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Magical New Year
New Years' Day found us driving towards Orlando for my first visit to Disney's Magic Kingdom. After checking & rechecking maps and last minute instructions from Aniruddha, Aarti was all set to drive the huge rental mini-van all the way to Orlando. Since both of us were new to the area, I took my role as the navigator quite seriously. Fortunately, the road from Tampa to Orlando is well marked and Aarti was totally confident at the wheel. Aadit was all charged up to meet Mickey Mouse and all his friends too. As we neared Orlando, I could hardly sit still in my seat - and I could see an expression on Aarti's face that wondered if she would have to deal with two kids in Magic Kingdom!
My first glimpse of Magic Kingdom was the huge arch that welcomes you to Disneyworld. The parking lot to Magic Kingdom is simply huge. We parked in the Minnie Parking lot 40, about 1.5 miles from the entrance to Magic Kingdom. An open bus took us from the parking lot to the ticket center. A monorail brought us to the gates of the Magic Kingdom. It was amazing. It felt like I was transported into Fairyland. The quaint looking shops, the stone houses, and the entire setup felt straight out of a fairytale. As we walked down Main Street, there was a show in progress at Cinderella's castle. This show was called 'Believe in your dreams' and had most of the Disney characters in it. It was a well synchronized skit that was enjoyed not only by us, but also by 2 year old Aadit.
After the show, we walked to the Mad Tea Party ride. This ride consists of spinning tea cups that move. I am not too fond of spinning rides since they make me dizzy, but this ride had a controlling steering wheel - which let you control how fast you want your tea cup to spin. (I thought this was a really neat feature.)
After this ride, we went into a 3D show called Mickey's PhilharMagic orchestra. This was my first taste of the real 3D effects .... for example... when Donald fell into the water - the audience also felt droplets of water on them. Aadit loved all the musical instruments flying at him, and all the effects too.
Magic Kingdom has places marked Pinocchio's house, Toontown (where Mickey lives) and other setups from Disney stories. After waiting in a rather long line, we also met Winnie the Pooh & Tigger. Meeting Mickey was the highlight of my visit. To meet a character who I've known since I was about a year old - made me feel like I was child again.
We also saw the Disney day parade. This parade has floats with most of the Disney characters. I had always heard that the cast members at Disney(no, they are not called staff) go out of their way to make the experience memorable for the visitors. I had an opportunity to witness this first hand. During the parade, I was clicking pictures. One of the people I was clicking was a cast member dressed as Walt Disney riding a bicycle while drawing a cartoon. When he realized I was trying to get a picture - he came right by where I was standing - posed for a picture perfect photograph, and moved away only when I had acknowledged that I got the picture. It might have been a small gesture on his part, but it made me feel a part of the Disney magic.
After a lot more rides, it was time for the night parade - this has lit up floats and the procession dances with glowing lights and waers lit up costumes. As usual, Mickey gets pride of place in this parade and has his own float too. Everyone else shares their floats with other characters. The lights and music only add to the magic.
This feeling stayed with me throughout the visit - I did not feel like I was in a park for kids. Instead, it felt like I was a part of the magic, the enchantment and was sorry when it was time to head home for the night.
What better way than this to spend New Years' Day !!!
My first glimpse of Magic Kingdom was the huge arch that welcomes you to Disneyworld. The parking lot to Magic Kingdom is simply huge. We parked in the Minnie Parking lot 40, about 1.5 miles from the entrance to Magic Kingdom. An open bus took us from the parking lot to the ticket center. A monorail brought us to the gates of the Magic Kingdom. It was amazing. It felt like I was transported into Fairyland. The quaint looking shops, the stone houses, and the entire setup felt straight out of a fairytale. As we walked down Main Street, there was a show in progress at Cinderella's castle. This show was called 'Believe in your dreams' and had most of the Disney characters in it. It was a well synchronized skit that was enjoyed not only by us, but also by 2 year old Aadit.
After the show, we walked to the Mad Tea Party ride. This ride consists of spinning tea cups that move. I am not too fond of spinning rides since they make me dizzy, but this ride had a controlling steering wheel - which let you control how fast you want your tea cup to spin. (I thought this was a really neat feature.)
After this ride, we went into a 3D show called Mickey's PhilharMagic orchestra. This was my first taste of the real 3D effects .... for example... when Donald fell into the water - the audience also felt droplets of water on them. Aadit loved all the musical instruments flying at him, and all the effects too.Magic Kingdom has places marked Pinocchio's house, Toontown (where Mickey lives) and other setups from Disney stories. After waiting in a rather long line, we also met Winnie the Pooh & Tigger. Meeting Mickey was the highlight of my visit. To meet a character who I've known since I was about a year old - made me feel like I was child again.
We also saw the Disney day parade. This parade has floats with most of the Disney characters. I had always heard that the cast members at Disney(no, they are not called staff) go out of their way to make the experience memorable for the visitors. I had an opportunity to witness this first hand. During the parade, I was clicking pictures. One of the people I was clicking was a cast member dressed as Walt Disney riding a bicycle while drawing a cartoon. When he realized I was trying to get a picture - he came right by where I was standing - posed for a picture perfect photograph, and moved away only when I had acknowledged that I got the picture. It might have been a small gesture on his part, but it made me feel a part of the Disney magic.
After a lot more rides, it was time for the night parade - this has lit up floats and the procession dances with glowing lights and waers lit up costumes. As usual, Mickey gets pride of place in this parade and has his own float too. Everyone else shares their floats with other characters. The lights and music only add to the magic.
This feeling stayed with me throughout the visit - I did not feel like I was in a park for kids. Instead, it felt like I was a part of the magic, the enchantment and was sorry when it was time to head home for the night.
What better way than this to spend New Years' Day !!!
Monday, January 01, 2007
New Year Wishes ...
Something odd happened the other day. In the middle of all the metallic yammering that goes on, the phones, the faxes, the e-mails, the beeps and buzzes of modern office life, everything stopped. The power went off. My phone connection on the conference call went dead. The computer went blank. The entire office went silent.
Nobody did anything. Nobody yelled down the hall asking what's happening. Maybe it was my imagination, but I sensed everyone took a deep breath, savored the peace, and were happy not to be going at a breakneck pace for a few moments. Too soon, whatever caused this to happen reversed itself, the conference call was reconnected, and everything began whirring again.But just for a moment, it was an old-fashioned gift to everyone in the office.
If I had the power to give ten gifts to my friends and colleagues, what would I give?
Here are my wishes for all of us.
Ten Wishes ...
1. Quiet
Have you forgotten what it sounds like? Gotta get the morning news on radio or TV, mix up a milkshake, start the car, listen to the traffic report. I live in an urban area and I can hear sirens and dogs and cars whizzing by. When I walk by the lake, especially at night, sometimes I hear nothing. It's blessedly peaceful. It's refreshing. I wish you all moments like this.
2. Sleep
I, like many of us, feel thoroughly sleep deprived. Weekdays (or rather weeknights) are full of crazy offshore calls, being woken up inthe middle of the night to provide some data, early morning wake up calls that ask you to resolve some issue. If you have a production support beeper, it seems to go off just as you dropped off to sleep. Weekends pass in even more of a blur. Unending household activities make you wonder where the weekdays end and the weekends begin, only to have the week start all over again. For all my friends with lives as crazy as this, I wish you a peaceful night's sleep. May your beeper & phone remain silent - to allow you this basic necessity which is fast becoming a luxury.
3. The Ability to Listen
I'd say if you're in a co-ordinator/manager role, you talk too much. I talk too much. In my mind, I'm halfway through the thought I'm goingto express next before the other person has finished his or hers. We interrupt, we make our point, we congratulate ourselves on our witty stories and we move on. I know a colleague who, when you meet him, looks you in the eye and asks, "How are you?" Then he listens. He really listens. He's interested. You're thrown off at first, wondering what his angle is. Then you warm to it, knowing the rareness of his ability to listen and hear. You feel cared for.
4. Appreciation
Appreciation is a much-underrated quality that can get us through some rough waters. Not the long client appreciation mails that we are often asked to engineer, but the simple things. Please. Thank you. That was kind of you. I appreciate that. I appreciate you. When someone is doing everything they can to ruffle you, try seizing the higher ground; lay on some courtesy and see what happens. You will probably startle everyone. That's a good start. When others do something nice, it's so easy to let them know how much you appreciate the things they do for you, for the profession, and for the community. We need to let others know that their efforts have not gone unrewarded.
5. Perspective
As we get involved in projects or issues, it is easy to become myopic and have tunnel vision. Perspective is the ability to remove ourselves from the frame of reference we are in and see things as they reallyare. As an example, the work request I didn't give myself much chance of completing at the outset invariably becomes better as I go along,to the extent that, prior to the system test code drop, I just don't see how I there could be a defect. It is true that on some occasions this may be justified, but in many others it is not. We all need a reality check at some point, not only in our daily tasks, but in our lives in general.
6. A Sense of Humor
Caught in our daily routines, we often consider ourselves the center of the universe. Our work, our clients, and our thoughts make the world go around. When challenged, we become defensive. Are we really that serious? Is there not humor in all but the most serious aspects of life? We all need the ability to laugh, not only at situations, but at ourselves. When I think about it, I do some funny things, many ofwhich are not intentional. Hey, I'm a pretty funny person. Aren't you?
7. Integrity
Although we may have a good career and wonderful technical skills,when we come right down to it, our reputation is the most important thing we will ever have. I see this all the more in our day to day activities with friends and colleagues than anywhere else. Fame is fleeting, but integrity is enduring. It is our signature. To one's ownself be true; then you can't be false to anyone.
8. Good Friends
A few months ago, I met up with five of my classmates from school. Wehad been together all through 13 years of school. We had since moved to different places, pursuing our careers and families. We hadn't seen much of each other over the years. But as we chatted, the years just melted away, and it seemed like we were all in school together again. What a wonderful way to renew old friendships and to reminisce about some things that happened and some things that probably didn't. I am blessed to have such good friends. I wish you many such friendships.
9. A Winning Lottery Ticket
No–you all can't have one(I don't have one right now either!), but maybe one of you will be the fortunate one. If you were, I am sure you would do a lot more traveling, but would you give up working? I hope some of you would not, but that you would take time to smell the roses. Come to think of it, I wish we all could take the time to smell the roses. I wish you enough financial success to buy yourself the gift of time.
10. A Platter of Your Favorite Meal
Need I say more?
These gifts I wish for all of us. May the New Year bring us all health, happiness, and wisdom.
Nobody did anything. Nobody yelled down the hall asking what's happening. Maybe it was my imagination, but I sensed everyone took a deep breath, savored the peace, and were happy not to be going at a breakneck pace for a few moments. Too soon, whatever caused this to happen reversed itself, the conference call was reconnected, and everything began whirring again.But just for a moment, it was an old-fashioned gift to everyone in the office.
If I had the power to give ten gifts to my friends and colleagues, what would I give?
Here are my wishes for all of us.
Ten Wishes ...
1. Quiet
Have you forgotten what it sounds like? Gotta get the morning news on radio or TV, mix up a milkshake, start the car, listen to the traffic report. I live in an urban area and I can hear sirens and dogs and cars whizzing by. When I walk by the lake, especially at night, sometimes I hear nothing. It's blessedly peaceful. It's refreshing. I wish you all moments like this.
2. Sleep
I, like many of us, feel thoroughly sleep deprived. Weekdays (or rather weeknights) are full of crazy offshore calls, being woken up inthe middle of the night to provide some data, early morning wake up calls that ask you to resolve some issue. If you have a production support beeper, it seems to go off just as you dropped off to sleep. Weekends pass in even more of a blur. Unending household activities make you wonder where the weekdays end and the weekends begin, only to have the week start all over again. For all my friends with lives as crazy as this, I wish you a peaceful night's sleep. May your beeper & phone remain silent - to allow you this basic necessity which is fast becoming a luxury.
3. The Ability to Listen
I'd say if you're in a co-ordinator/manager role, you talk too much. I talk too much. In my mind, I'm halfway through the thought I'm goingto express next before the other person has finished his or hers. We interrupt, we make our point, we congratulate ourselves on our witty stories and we move on. I know a colleague who, when you meet him, looks you in the eye and asks, "How are you?" Then he listens. He really listens. He's interested. You're thrown off at first, wondering what his angle is. Then you warm to it, knowing the rareness of his ability to listen and hear. You feel cared for.
4. Appreciation
Appreciation is a much-underrated quality that can get us through some rough waters. Not the long client appreciation mails that we are often asked to engineer, but the simple things. Please. Thank you. That was kind of you. I appreciate that. I appreciate you. When someone is doing everything they can to ruffle you, try seizing the higher ground; lay on some courtesy and see what happens. You will probably startle everyone. That's a good start. When others do something nice, it's so easy to let them know how much you appreciate the things they do for you, for the profession, and for the community. We need to let others know that their efforts have not gone unrewarded.
5. Perspective
As we get involved in projects or issues, it is easy to become myopic and have tunnel vision. Perspective is the ability to remove ourselves from the frame of reference we are in and see things as they reallyare. As an example, the work request I didn't give myself much chance of completing at the outset invariably becomes better as I go along,to the extent that, prior to the system test code drop, I just don't see how I there could be a defect. It is true that on some occasions this may be justified, but in many others it is not. We all need a reality check at some point, not only in our daily tasks, but in our lives in general.
6. A Sense of Humor
Caught in our daily routines, we often consider ourselves the center of the universe. Our work, our clients, and our thoughts make the world go around. When challenged, we become defensive. Are we really that serious? Is there not humor in all but the most serious aspects of life? We all need the ability to laugh, not only at situations, but at ourselves. When I think about it, I do some funny things, many ofwhich are not intentional. Hey, I'm a pretty funny person. Aren't you?
7. Integrity
Although we may have a good career and wonderful technical skills,when we come right down to it, our reputation is the most important thing we will ever have. I see this all the more in our day to day activities with friends and colleagues than anywhere else. Fame is fleeting, but integrity is enduring. It is our signature. To one's ownself be true; then you can't be false to anyone.
8. Good Friends
A few months ago, I met up with five of my classmates from school. Wehad been together all through 13 years of school. We had since moved to different places, pursuing our careers and families. We hadn't seen much of each other over the years. But as we chatted, the years just melted away, and it seemed like we were all in school together again. What a wonderful way to renew old friendships and to reminisce about some things that happened and some things that probably didn't. I am blessed to have such good friends. I wish you many such friendships.
9. A Winning Lottery Ticket
No–you all can't have one(I don't have one right now either!), but maybe one of you will be the fortunate one. If you were, I am sure you would do a lot more traveling, but would you give up working? I hope some of you would not, but that you would take time to smell the roses. Come to think of it, I wish we all could take the time to smell the roses. I wish you enough financial success to buy yourself the gift of time.
10. A Platter of Your Favorite Meal
Need I say more?
These gifts I wish for all of us. May the New Year bring us all health, happiness, and wisdom.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Parasailing @ Clearwater Bay ....
Day 2 of
the trip to Tampa was spent at Clearwater Beach. We rented a cabana on the beach - this is like a half tent with some lounge chair
s where people can relax. After paying $20 for being able to sit on these chairs for 4 hours, we decided to have fun in the water. The waters at this beach were surprisingly clear ... It was a deep green hue that greeted us as we waded in. The first reaction on wading in was the coldness of the water. It felt soooo cold, but we soon got used to it and started playing in the water. Every wave would make us shiver with the cold, but it was fun jumping over them and watching them break. In the afternoon, we stretched on the lounge chairs by our cabana - and totally chillaxed !
Later in the afternoon, we decided to go parasailing. This was an awesome experience where we got into a speedboat tha
t took us about a mile off the coast and launched us into the air. Since we'd requested for a dip, the captain ensured that we had a freefall into the water where we got our legs wet and then pulled us into the air again. It was an awesome experience. I thought that the winds higher up would be gusty, but they were not. It was a surprisingly serene and quiet sail through the air. The Tampa skyline and the green waters of the Gulf of Mexico below us, and the sky above - it was phenomenal. The sun was setting, and I regretted not carrying my camera up with me to get a few good shots. Had I known that the air above would be so peaceful - I would have definitely carried it along.
After parasailing - it was time to head to Britts cafe for a quick bite before driving back to our hotel to end a long day. Fun in the sun - chillaxed to the core - this was a day that I will not forget for a long long time ...
the trip to Tampa was spent at Clearwater Beach. We rented a cabana on the beach - this is like a half tent with some lounge chair
s where people can relax. After paying $20 for being able to sit on these chairs for 4 hours, we decided to have fun in the water. The waters at this beach were surprisingly clear ... It was a deep green hue that greeted us as we waded in. The first reaction on wading in was the coldness of the water. It felt soooo cold, but we soon got used to it and started playing in the water. Every wave would make us shiver with the cold, but it was fun jumping over them and watching them break. In the afternoon, we stretched on the lounge chairs by our cabana - and totally chillaxed !Later in the afternoon, we decided to go parasailing. This was an awesome experience where we got into a speedboat tha
t took us about a mile off the coast and launched us into the air. Since we'd requested for a dip, the captain ensured that we had a freefall into the water where we got our legs wet and then pulled us into the air again. It was an awesome experience. I thought that the winds higher up would be gusty, but they were not. It was a surprisingly serene and quiet sail through the air. The Tampa skyline and the green waters of the Gulf of Mexico below us, and the sky above - it was phenomenal. The sun was setting, and I regretted not carrying my camera up with me to get a few good shots. Had I known that the air above would be so peaceful - I would have definitely carried it along.After parasailing - it was time to head to Britts cafe for a quick bite before driving back to our hotel to end a long day. Fun in the sun - chillaxed to the core - this was a day that I will not forget for a long long time ...
Friday, December 29, 2006
Florida for some fun n' sun ...
Here I am - a few hours away from my much awaited vacation to Florida. A few days of fun in the sunshine, away from the chilly Chicago winds - sounds heavenly. Although, in all fairness, I must say that winter has been quite nice so far.
Florida - I envision a warm tropical breeze, glorious sunshine, beaches as far as the eye can see, palm trees, and those umbrella drinks that look so good in pictures. Well, will write more about it when I actually get there!
Ciao...!
Florida - I envision a warm tropical breeze, glorious sunshine, beaches as far as the eye can see, palm trees, and those umbrella drinks that look so good in pictures. Well, will write more about it when I actually get there!
Ciao...!
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Politically Incorrect ....
My thoughts that can range from extremist to liberal, and casting political correctness to the wind.
Why am I writing them down? I suppose I'll want to recount these someday – a written account would help repaint the memories morevividly.
I recently saw the movie "Rang De Basanti". It has a storyline about ayoung British lady, drawn to visit India by reading accounts of theIndian freedom struggle, namely the revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Rajguru, Sukhdeo, Ashfaqulla Khan from her dead grandfather's diary. She plans on traveling to India and making a film on the memoirs. On reaching India, she meets a group of college students/ drop-outs/students who have graduated but still hang around the campus, and there begins her tryst with the realities of modern India. She repeatedly attempts to cast her new found friends into the patriotic roles only to be rebuffed and told that 'patriotism' is now merely a fashionable word, and that the meaning has been long lost. Among these friends is an air force pilot, who stands up for being a patriot and is willing to lay his life for the country although the rest of his friends scoff at his ideas & thoughts. When the pilot is killed in an air crash and politicians attempt to blame the crash on pilot error rather than get embroiled in a scandal that could expose the extent of corruption in the state & defense forces, the friends are transformed into revolutionaries seeking revenge on the corrupt ministers. They plan & plot to assassinate the guilty minister and make the scandal public. The plot to kill him is successful, and they also succeed in taking over a radio station to broadcast their message. Of course, the rest of the politicians send in the SWAT team which mercilessly kills the defenseless, unarmed students.
Discussing this movie with friends later – I was intrigued to see the various points of view that were tossed around.
1. The solution to the problem – killing the corrupt minister was wrong. They should not have taken law into their hands. If everyonetakes the law into their hands, we would have anarchy.
2. We are citizens of a nation that has a policy of non-violence. An eye for an eye – is not the solution. Gandhi was a great man who achieved freedom for India using the doctrine of 'ahimsa'. (I don't quite know how Mr. M.K. Gandhi was dragged into this, but given that they are someone else's views – I've recorded them here.)
3. They did a wrong thing by killing the minister, but killing them using a SWAT team was wrong. After all, they (though murderers) also deserved the right to a fair trial.
4. Considering that theirs was a crime committed in retaliation against the corruption in the state machinery – they should not have been killed like they were terrorists.
Interesting as the views were – I couldn't help but have some of my own. Since they are my thoughts – they've rambled far beyond the scope of the current discussion – but here they are …
I think the students/ friends were right. Unless today's generation sends a clear message to the crusty old politicians that corruption will not be tolerated, the mess in our country will not ever improve. Leaving the country for greener pastures, like most of those privileged to do so – is not going to help. It is like attempting toignore a particularly offensive odor. Coming to the part where India being a staunch believer in non-violence, and followers of Gandhi. I think it is time we stopped applying one cure to all maladies.
There was a time when oppression had to be stood up to, injustice from foreign powers had to be retaliated against. Given the resources and the prevailing political situation, non-violence was the perfect solution. The doctrine of non-violence is revolutionizing and great. No doubt about it. The civil disobedience movement launched shook the core of the British regime in India. Yes, true. But times have changed. Circumstances have changed. We are no longer fighting against a foreign enemy. We are struggling to stay afloat in competition withour own countrymen, friends and neighbors. Some of these people are part of our immediate society – but they are far from the model citizens we read about in our text books. Everyone is intent ofextracting their pound (or tons – in some cases) of flesh from the resources of the country. Why? When did we change from a country of patriotism to a country of indifference?
At times, I can't help feeling that this inclination towards non-violence(which is often translated into non-confrontationalism) has perpetrated the indifferent attitude. Here is an example – you observe a situation to which you may retaliate with a violent angry/ sad emotion. But, you've been drilled to be non-violent. However, the situation is gnawing at you –triggering a reaction, but you are not allowed to retaliate violently.What do you do? You school yourself to ignore it – since you cannot cure it, you endure it – there in sowing the seeds of indifference.
Our neighboring countries encroach on our borders, send terrorists to blow up innocent citizens, but what does the state do? We exercise restraint, thereby prompting the average citizen to fine tune his indifference. I wonder if India would have been shaped differently had the revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh and Azad survived the freedom struggle. Would we have adopted a stricter policy against encroaching neighbors? Against illegal immigrants? Against corruption? I wonder …and the optimist in me, hopes that we will eventually come around to such a policy, someday in the near future. Optimism or merely wishful thinking? Only time will tell…
Why am I writing them down? I suppose I'll want to recount these someday – a written account would help repaint the memories morevividly.
I recently saw the movie "Rang De Basanti". It has a storyline about ayoung British lady, drawn to visit India by reading accounts of theIndian freedom struggle, namely the revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Rajguru, Sukhdeo, Ashfaqulla Khan from her dead grandfather's diary. She plans on traveling to India and making a film on the memoirs. On reaching India, she meets a group of college students/ drop-outs/students who have graduated but still hang around the campus, and there begins her tryst with the realities of modern India. She repeatedly attempts to cast her new found friends into the patriotic roles only to be rebuffed and told that 'patriotism' is now merely a fashionable word, and that the meaning has been long lost. Among these friends is an air force pilot, who stands up for being a patriot and is willing to lay his life for the country although the rest of his friends scoff at his ideas & thoughts. When the pilot is killed in an air crash and politicians attempt to blame the crash on pilot error rather than get embroiled in a scandal that could expose the extent of corruption in the state & defense forces, the friends are transformed into revolutionaries seeking revenge on the corrupt ministers. They plan & plot to assassinate the guilty minister and make the scandal public. The plot to kill him is successful, and they also succeed in taking over a radio station to broadcast their message. Of course, the rest of the politicians send in the SWAT team which mercilessly kills the defenseless, unarmed students.
Discussing this movie with friends later – I was intrigued to see the various points of view that were tossed around.
1. The solution to the problem – killing the corrupt minister was wrong. They should not have taken law into their hands. If everyonetakes the law into their hands, we would have anarchy.
2. We are citizens of a nation that has a policy of non-violence. An eye for an eye – is not the solution. Gandhi was a great man who achieved freedom for India using the doctrine of 'ahimsa'. (I don't quite know how Mr. M.K. Gandhi was dragged into this, but given that they are someone else's views – I've recorded them here.)
3. They did a wrong thing by killing the minister, but killing them using a SWAT team was wrong. After all, they (though murderers) also deserved the right to a fair trial.
4. Considering that theirs was a crime committed in retaliation against the corruption in the state machinery – they should not have been killed like they were terrorists.
Interesting as the views were – I couldn't help but have some of my own. Since they are my thoughts – they've rambled far beyond the scope of the current discussion – but here they are …
I think the students/ friends were right. Unless today's generation sends a clear message to the crusty old politicians that corruption will not be tolerated, the mess in our country will not ever improve. Leaving the country for greener pastures, like most of those privileged to do so – is not going to help. It is like attempting toignore a particularly offensive odor. Coming to the part where India being a staunch believer in non-violence, and followers of Gandhi. I think it is time we stopped applying one cure to all maladies.
There was a time when oppression had to be stood up to, injustice from foreign powers had to be retaliated against. Given the resources and the prevailing political situation, non-violence was the perfect solution. The doctrine of non-violence is revolutionizing and great. No doubt about it. The civil disobedience movement launched shook the core of the British regime in India. Yes, true. But times have changed. Circumstances have changed. We are no longer fighting against a foreign enemy. We are struggling to stay afloat in competition withour own countrymen, friends and neighbors. Some of these people are part of our immediate society – but they are far from the model citizens we read about in our text books. Everyone is intent ofextracting their pound (or tons – in some cases) of flesh from the resources of the country. Why? When did we change from a country of patriotism to a country of indifference?
At times, I can't help feeling that this inclination towards non-violence(which is often translated into non-confrontationalism) has perpetrated the indifferent attitude. Here is an example – you observe a situation to which you may retaliate with a violent angry/ sad emotion. But, you've been drilled to be non-violent. However, the situation is gnawing at you –triggering a reaction, but you are not allowed to retaliate violently.What do you do? You school yourself to ignore it – since you cannot cure it, you endure it – there in sowing the seeds of indifference.
Our neighboring countries encroach on our borders, send terrorists to blow up innocent citizens, but what does the state do? We exercise restraint, thereby prompting the average citizen to fine tune his indifference. I wonder if India would have been shaped differently had the revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh and Azad survived the freedom struggle. Would we have adopted a stricter policy against encroaching neighbors? Against illegal immigrants? Against corruption? I wonder …and the optimist in me, hopes that we will eventually come around to such a policy, someday in the near future. Optimism or merely wishful thinking? Only time will tell…
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Football - Michigan v/s MSU
On Friday a friend of mine living in Ann Arbor emailed me that she had managed to get tickets to the Michigan (Wolverines) v/s Michigan State (Spartans) NCAA football game on Saturday. This game was to be played at the Michigan stadium.
Saturday morning, I found myself driving the 280 miles to Ann Arbor on I-94 ... It was a warm afternoon - perfect sunny weather to watch a football game. Here are some pictures from the game ...
For someone like me, totally new to the concept of "American" football - I had a crash course on the rules of the game before I watched it. I was skeptical about following the game, much less enjoying it, but to my surprise, I had an awesome time. The atmosphere around the stadium was charged. A crowd of 111,158 had turned up to watch this game - the stadium was Maize, with the poor Spartans quite sparse in the crowd.
At half time, the cheerleaders and the team bands had some great sequences that entertained the crowd, while the players took a much needed breather.
Check the cheerleaders jumping ... I am thrilled that I've managed to capture the spilt second jump on my camera!
As expected Michigan (blue & maize - no it's not called yellow, it's maize as I learnt during my crash course on football!) kicked MSU (white & green) during the game - almost out of the stadium. :)
The final scoreline ... 31-13.
Saturday morning, I found myself driving the 280 miles to Ann Arbor on I-94 ... It was a warm afternoon - perfect sunny weather to watch a football game. Here are some pictures from the game ...
For someone like me, totally new to the concept of "American" football - I had a crash course on the rules of the game before I watched it. I was skeptical about following the game, much less enjoying it, but to my surprise, I had an awesome time. The atmosphere around the stadium was charged. A crowd of 111,158 had turned up to watch this game - the stadium was Maize, with the poor Spartans quite sparse in the crowd.At half time, the cheerleaders and the team bands had some great sequences that entertained the crowd, while the players took a much needed breather.
Check the cheerleaders jumping ... I am thrilled that I've managed to capture the spilt second jump on my camera!
As expected Michigan (blue & maize - no it's not called yellow, it's maize as I learnt during my crash course on football!) kicked MSU (white & green) during the game - almost out of the stadium. :)
The final scoreline ... 31-13.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
A few days ago - I visited Lake Geneva in Wisconsin with a friend who was visiting Chicago. It was a typical overcast but not overly cold fall day. As we neared the lake, here is the sight that we saw ...
A deserted lakeshore, and all the sailboats docked for the day. A thunderstorm was predicted for the evening, and everyone was packing up for the night. Except for people like us, who were strolling by the lakeshore that evening!
A deserted lakeshore, and all the sailboats docked for the day. A thunderstorm was predicted for the evening, and everyone was packing up for the night. Except for people like us, who were strolling by the lakeshore that evening!
It was fun dodging the rain, picking up sandwiches from the nearby Potbelly's for dinner and ducking for cover before the storm really rolled in. Here is a pet parakeet that was enjoying a visit to Potbelly's as well!
Driving in that thunderstorm was a crazy experience, and I was glad that I had just changed the wiperblades on my car a few hours before we embarked on this crazy hare brained drive!
Nevertheless, the scenery was worth it all ...
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Fall Colors at Starved Rock
Last weekend, I decided to head out to get some pictures of the fall foliage. I went to the nearby Forest Preserve with a good book, some water and a jacket (just in case!) to enjoy the morning sunshine. After spending some time there - I decided that I needed to head out to my favorite State Park in Illinois - Starved Rock.
This is a 200 mile roundtrip drive, but I decided to venture out in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day and after the spell of pathetic gloomy weather that we had in Chicago - it was difficult to sit indoors for long!
En route the clouds made some interesting patterns, so had to pull over for some pictures. :)
Once I got to Starved Rock, it looked like I was too early for the fall colors.... Most of the trees were still green, but a few that had changed color, made the drive totally worthwhile!
Notice the few trees that have turned yellow and red - don't they look beautiful?
This is a 200 mile roundtrip drive, but I decided to venture out in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day and after the spell of pathetic gloomy weather that we had in Chicago - it was difficult to sit indoors for long!
En route the clouds made some interesting patterns, so had to pull over for some pictures. :)
Once I got to Starved Rock, it looked like I was too early for the fall colors.... Most of the trees were still green, but a few that had changed color, made the drive totally worthwhile!
Notice the few trees that have turned yellow and red - don't they look beautiful?
The picture posted here on the right - is not a tree adorned with red flowers, but that of a tree with a creeper that has changed color! There were a few such trees, and it quite made the usually green hued forest burst with color. It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon, the crisp air - walking through the woods - getting some much needed exercise while enjoying the change of scenery. Imagine such glorious weather all year round, and you kinda realize why people flock to parts of California!
If anyone knows of places for good fall colors around Chicago, please - leave a comment with the details!
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Tornado at work ...
Last evening, as I was preparing my status report for the week - I heard a few sirens in the background. Since I had heard such sirens in the past, I ignored them and continued to work. It being Friday evening, all I wanted was to finish my work and head out. However, the sirens got louder and the next thing I knew was an announcement on the office's public address system, informing us "A tornado has been sighted in the area. Please move to the emergency shelter immediately." So abandoning my work, I walked to the emergency shelter. This place was a stairwell in our office. We stood their for about half an hour - hearing updates of the tornado's progress. It was supposed to sweep all over the Chicago area, moving in from the South-Southwest to the North-Northeast. After a while, when told it was relatively safe to move out, we drove home ... and the status report?? Sigh - It's still pending.
The story of the tornado didn't end there. At about 9:30 pm, I got to know that a friend of mine who was scheduled to fly from St.Louis to Chicago and onward to Delhi - had missed her flight connection! This was at about 10 pm. Off I went to the airport to pick her up. The weather had totally calmed down by then, and it seemed impossible that we had even seen any thunderstorms during the day, let alone a tornado!
As usual - Chicago airport was a mess. The 2 mile drive from the freeway exit to the terminal took 20 minutes. Cars, cabs were all stuck in the bumper to bumper traffic. People waiting on the sidewalks looked harried and tired. Finally, after a crazy search at the Departure and Arrival terminal and some phone calls to find her exact location, we met up. This entire search had taken almost an hour!
Past midnight, parents and significant others back home were informed that she was safe and would be staying at my place. Dinner at IHOP and it was time to finally call it a day ....
Come to think of it, if it were not for incidents like these, how could any of us claim to lead a charmed life? ;)
The story of the tornado didn't end there. At about 9:30 pm, I got to know that a friend of mine who was scheduled to fly from St.Louis to Chicago and onward to Delhi - had missed her flight connection! This was at about 10 pm. Off I went to the airport to pick her up. The weather had totally calmed down by then, and it seemed impossible that we had even seen any thunderstorms during the day, let alone a tornado!
As usual - Chicago airport was a mess. The 2 mile drive from the freeway exit to the terminal took 20 minutes. Cars, cabs were all stuck in the bumper to bumper traffic. People waiting on the sidewalks looked harried and tired. Finally, after a crazy search at the Departure and Arrival terminal and some phone calls to find her exact location, we met up. This entire search had taken almost an hour!
Past midnight, parents and significant others back home were informed that she was safe and would be staying at my place. Dinner at IHOP and it was time to finally call it a day ....
Come to think of it, if it were not for incidents like these, how could any of us claim to lead a charmed life? ;)
Monday, September 18, 2006
Elephant bar
Dinner on Sunday night was at one of Bala’s favorite places – a restaurant called the Elephant Bar. This restaurant has an African animal theme. The first things that greet you are the elephant handles on the doors. As you walk in, the ceiling and décor has elephant, giraffe and zebra motifs all along. We met my friends Disha & Narayan for dinner here. Bala, being a veteran here – ordered for us. We had some spicy fried calamari with grilled vegetables and a shrimp adventure platter accompanied by some mango raspberry smoothie.
All the food was presented with flair and tasted as good as it looked!
It was fun catching up with Disha and Narayan. Narayan has lived in California for the past 5 years and had interesting stories of life in the Bay area to tell us. Disha and myself caught up on general gossip, news and friends.
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All the food was presented with flair and tasted as good as it looked!
It was fun catching up with Disha and Narayan. Narayan has lived in California for the past 5 years and had interesting stories of life in the Bay area to tell us. Disha and myself caught up on general gossip, news and friends.
Mystery Spot & Santa Cruz beach ...
Three days in San Jose. Visiting this place felt like visiting Bangalore in India. Tree lined roads – similar chrome & glass office buildings, commercial spaces with Indian food joints and the many Indian/Asian faces on the streets! It almost felt like being back in Bangalore.
Yesterday – we visited a place in Santa Cruz called “the Mystery Spot” This place is affected by some strange magnetic field, which makes it appear that you are leaning when you are actually stranding straight. It sounded too strange to be true – so off we went to check it out. The place is located on a hill, and is affected by a strange magnetic/ gravitational field. This actually affects all objects placed in the area – where you see objects rolling uphill. We actually saw a pool cue ball, a dry cell battery and a cigarette all roll up a flat plank placed at a 45 degree angle with the ground. Check the video out ...
Vegetation in this area is also affected. I found trees in this area growing away from sunlight. Also, there were no birds chirping or any animals to be seen in this area. Our tour guide informed us, that the magnetic field interferes with their natural sense of direction, and hence they stay away from any place where they might find themselves getting lost. Humans on the other hand – walk right into it, and even pay money for it! ;)
After visiting the mystery spot – we drove along CA – 1 North. This route goes along the ocean cliffs and offers breathtaking views of the Pacific. We stopped at one such place. This was cove by the cliffs – and getting there involved some agile climbing down a mountain cliff. Nevertheless, since my friend Bala had been there before, I was confident of making it down the cliff with my limbs intact.
Once on the beach – the view was spectacular. I tried clicking a few pictures, but the lack of a UV filter on my camera made it difficult to capture the breathtaking scenery in pictures. Here are some attempts …
There was a section of the cove where the waves would crash on the cliffs had carved out a path that joined two beaches. Since the tide was coming in – we had to run across the sand when the wave was going out, to avoid having to swim back! It was great seeing an un-spoilt (well almost) non-commercialized beach. Sitting on the rocks watching the waves crash in, was a serene peaceful experience. Just the sound of the waves and the wind, watching the waves crash onto the shore rhythmically was calming.
On climbing back up the cliff – we walked farther along to view the beach and the cliff and here are the views ...
Yesterday – we visited a place in Santa Cruz called “the Mystery Spot” This place is affected by some strange magnetic field, which makes it appear that you are leaning when you are actually stranding straight. It sounded too strange to be true – so off we went to check it out. The place is located on a hill, and is affected by a strange magnetic/ gravitational field. This actually affects all objects placed in the area – where you see objects rolling uphill. We actually saw a pool cue ball, a dry cell battery and a cigarette all roll up a flat plank placed at a 45 degree angle with the ground. Check the video out ...
| A place where the gravitational forces seem to work in such a way that objects roll uphill instead of downhill ! | |
Vegetation in this area is also affected. I found trees in this area growing away from sunlight. Also, there were no birds chirping or any animals to be seen in this area. Our tour guide informed us, that the magnetic field interferes with their natural sense of direction, and hence they stay away from any place where they might find themselves getting lost. Humans on the other hand – walk right into it, and even pay money for it! ;)
After visiting the mystery spot – we drove along CA – 1 North. This route goes along the ocean cliffs and offers breathtaking views of the Pacific. We stopped at one such place. This was cove by the cliffs – and getting there involved some agile climbing down a mountain cliff. Nevertheless, since my friend Bala had been there before, I was confident of making it down the cliff with my limbs intact.
Once on the beach – the view was spectacular. I tried clicking a few pictures, but the lack of a UV filter on my camera made it difficult to capture the breathtaking scenery in pictures. Here are some attempts …
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There was a section of the cove where the waves would crash on the cliffs had carved out a path that joined two beaches. Since the tide was coming in – we had to run across the sand when the wave was going out, to avoid having to swim back! It was great seeing an un-spoilt (well almost) non-commercialized beach. Sitting on the rocks watching the waves crash in, was a serene peaceful experience. Just the sound of the waves and the wind, watching the waves crash onto the shore rhythmically was calming.
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On climbing back up the cliff – we walked farther along to view the beach and the cliff and here are the views ...
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Sunday, September 17, 2006
Lombard Street & Oracle Headquarters ...
Pictures of Lombard street and Oracle headquarters at Redwood city ... Notice the database shaped - cylindrical buildings!! :)
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