History!

"It stuck me how rather glorious it was that in two thousand years of human activity the only thing that had stirred the notice of the outside world even briefly was the finding of a Roman phallic pendant in this English countryside. The rest was just centuries of people quietly going about their daily business-eating, sleeping, having sex, endeavoring to be amused-and it occurred to me, with the forcefulness of a thought experienced in 360 degrees, that that's really what history mostly is: masses of people doing ordinary things. Even Einstein will have spent large parts of his life thinking about his holidays or new hammock or how dainty was the ankle on the young lady alighting from the tram across the street. These are the things that fill our lives and thoughts, and yet we treat them as incidental and hardly worthy of serious consideration." - Bill Bryson, At home.

Extraordinary, Ordinary People

"I don't think they ever read a book on parenting. They were just good at it-not perfect, but really good" - Condoleezza Rice

Reminds me of my parents!

IL to CA - Day 2, day of the longest drive

We had a long drive ahead of us on Day 2, all the way to Denver, CO through KS (Map), and so we started early in the morning (8:30 AM) after a quick breakfast at the hotel. Our initial plan was to drive along I-70 W throughout the road trip, till we hit I-15 S in NV. But to avoid paying toll, we took a little detour from I-70 W onto US-40 W, as we entered KS. Fortuitously, the countryside was beautiful, with small houses, stables and cows grazing around the narrow winding highway. After an hour or so, we merged back onto I-70 W.

I must admit that the drive through KS in the middle of summers can be excruciating. First of all, there is not much to see around, just vast expanse of grasslands. Secondly, it is extremely hot and we could not keep the A/C of our over-loaded car running for longer than a few minutes at a stretch. The window that I had opened up to get some "fresh" (read hot) air, refused to close down, deafening us with the loud highway noise. Thirdly, it is so windy that it is hard (at least for me) to keep the steering wheel stable. This poses a great problem when you are trying to overtake shaky 18-wheel trucks. Ooh! that drive was stressful. All along, me and Monik kept wondering why such high intensity winds are not being put to good use, until we encountered rows and rows of wind mills. Go, Green Energy :)

We decided to take a lunch break at Gella's diner and Lb. brewing co. in Hays, KS. As we walked to our table at the restaurant, everyone's eyes followed us. Hmmmm, maybe we were the only non-white people they had seen in a long time!? We ordered a Falafel pita and a Salmon burger, along with the home-brewed American Hefeweizen. Everything was great, especially with the A/C to cool us down :)

Monik was coping much better with the heat and wind, and so he drove the rest of the way for 5 continuous hours. This was a bad idea because by the time we reached our hotel in Denver, his feet were toast. Nevertheless, he was game about checking out the downtown. The Lower Downtown (LoDo) district of Denver is quite happening, with loads of restaurants, bars and pubs. We decided to dine at Gumbo's Louisiana Style Cafe that serves Creole/Cajun cuisine and let me break it to you right away, this was one of the best meals of my life. The food was simply delicious. Every bite brought along mystical flavors. The lemony and peppery spread that came with the bread was crazy good. The ordinary Idaho potato chips were uplifted to a whole new level of savory "Cajun chips", which came with a mustard-like dip. The shrimp gumbo flavors were equally amazing, but the cherry on the cake was the Salmon wrapped in puff pastry with spinach, cheese, jalapenos and some heavenly sauces. It was like a foodgasm. The build-up to this climax wasn't bad either. The restaurant was beautiful, with romantic dim lights and jazz music playing in the background. Oh! how I loved the whole experience :)

After the lovely meal, we headed back to our hotel, where we could not find any parking in the front lot. I drove all the way to the back and pulled up into a free space, where a bunch of teenagers were just siting in a car parked adjacent to ours. Monik immediately asked me to pull back and drive to the front. I obeyed and started looking for parking spots in the front. The same car zipped past us. This scared the shit out of me. We decided to wait for a parking spot that could be seen from our room window. Finally, we found one and as I pulled in, Monik saw those teenagers again. He tried to follow them, but they had disappeared. Their car zipped past us again. By this time, I was horribly scared, but Monik was calm. Once we reached our room, he called the reception to report the incident. Fortunately, they were aware of the situation and had already called the cops. We were relieved, but I couldn't sleep that night. My thoughts kept going back to those teenagers in the car and if they would come back to steal. Luckily, nothing of that sort happened. The car was fine and I was raring for the adventures of Day 3 :)

Our ratings:
Gella's diner and Lb. brewing co.: 4/5
Gumbo's Louisiana Style Cafe: 5/5
Red Lion Hotel Denver Central : 3/5

Odometer reading:
452 --> 1095 miles

Road Trip IL to CA - Day 1

On that hot Delhi afternoon, a clairvoyant said to a 14 year old pigtailed girl that one day she would become a "Doctor". I didn't believe it then and I couldn't believe it the day I became one. Although, as they say, not a "Real Doctor", just a "Doctor in Philosophy". Graduate school was my life for 6 years, but it was over and I had to move on. I had to leave the small, quiet, friendly and lovely town, where I made the best of friends, learnt from the best of teachers and matured as a human being. I did leave, but a part of me will always be there.

The route out of Urbana, Illinois to Riverside, California was through 6 different states, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Nevada (Map) . Needless to say, I couldn't have done this 2115 miles drive alone. Me and my husband, Monik, did it together :) Our first ever Road Trip!

Like every other road trip, we had our share of adventures from the very beginning. Or, wait a minute, even before the beginning. Monik came down with Chicken Pox at the tender age of 30. And you know how it goes at that age. His body was wired with tiny, but devastating, "itch bombs" that went off every other second, leaving behind ghastly scars. This, combined with an "untouchable" treatment, sucked the energy out of him. But, Monik fought courageously and came out of this horror unscathed. Our journey was delayed by merely 3 days and we learnt an invaluable lesson: Always buy insurance while booking a hotel :)

We started driving my over-stuffed car on the lovely morning (9:00AM) of May 21 (Lara's wedding anniversary, a good day, indeed :D). The weather was perfect, overcast with little to no showers. This was a blessing, as there was no way we were using up gas to run the A/C in such a loaded car. We reached St. Louis, MO around noon and headed for lunch at an Irish Pub called Tigin along I-70 W. Before we started this trip, we had set our minds on trying different cuisines along the way and so we ordered traditional Irish potato pancakes called "Boxty". I thoroughly enjoyed my savory "Veggie Boxty Quesadilla" and so did Monik his "Blackened Chicken and Shrimp Boxty". With good food and beer in our bellies, we walked to the St Louis Arch. This was Monik's first time in St. Louis and he loved it. Was it the weather or just his mood that made him feel like he was roaming the streets of Europe?

After a few touristy snaps, we were off to our destination of the day, Kansas city, MO. We made a brief pit stop for gas and coffee at Exit 148, before reaching our hotel in the evening (5:30 PM). Lucky us, out of all the floors in that 15-storey hotel, we got the lowest 2nd floor room :( Nevertheless, the room was nice. We decided to try our palates at an Ethiopian restaurant called Blue Nile Cafe in the downtown "City Market". The market was small and nice. At the restaurant, we started with some beers, Belgian ale-Delirium Nocturnal and Kenyan-Tusker, and then had the traditional fermented Dosa-like bread, Injera, with chicken (Doro Watt) and potato (Dinich Watt) curries. The curry flavors were amazing and Indian-like. We also got complementary red lentils (Misir Watt) and greens (Gomen), which were equally yummy. After the meal, we drove down to the Missouri river front and then headed back to the hotel (9:30 PM).

Day 1 went great and we were eagerly looking forward to our next day.

Our ratings:
Tigin: 4/5
Blue Nile Cafe: 4/5
Holiday Inn, Kansas City : 3/5

Odometer reading:
Zero --> 452 miles

My first love!

He is the first man I ever fell in love with. The first man I impatiently waited for every single day of my life. The first man whom I simply couldn't ignore, even when he played "hard to get". The first man whose smile and style drove me crazy. The first man who could do no wrong in my eyes. The first man whose opinion mattered to me. The first man who was as strong as "He-Man". The first man in my life, my Baba.

He taught me to be a dreamer. To reach for the stars, and not be afraid of ending up with stardust. He taught me to be vulnerable. To appreciate the beauty of a poem, the melody of a song and the brilliance of an actor. He taught me to "Talk the Talk and Walk the Walk". To be scared of no one and no thing. He taught me to live life king-size.

At 60, he is still my hero.

Being Happy

"The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness" - Author Eric Hoffer.

I wholeheartedly agree. In these times, people are so caught up in learning about the science of happiness, that they forget to practice it. Everyone's attending motivational classes, reading inspirational books, consulting shrinks and trying too hard to learn....exactly what? A protocol for attaining happiness? Mix one teaspoon of "positive thinking" with two tablespoons of "smile at least twice a day" and then add a pinch of "your love"..and VOILA...you have got it! Really?

I think, life is way more simpler than that, if you just take it as comes. Not over think or over analyze it. Just do your job, as Lord Krishna has so beautifully said in the Gita "Karm kar, phal ki chinta nahin" (Do your work, without worrying about the outcome). And the older generation is a testament to this theory. They didn't need any of the "help" tools that we use today. They just carried on with their day-to-day duties without constantly thinking about "What steps should I take to attain happiness?". Whatever the circumstances, good or bad, we just need to carry on. Keep working at it. Of course, we can aim toward self-improvement and betterment, but why sweat over it all the time. Just live in the moment!

PS: I am not against people seeking help to be happier. I am sure some people need assistance. I just think it has become a trend and people get lost in the means without ever achieving the end.

The Great Stories

Passage from "God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy:

"The secret of the Great Stories is that they have no secrets. The Great Stories are the ones that you have heard and want to hear again. The ones you can enter anywhere and inhabit comfortably. They don't deceive you with thrills and trick endings. They don't surprise you with the unforeseen. They are as familiar as the house you live in. Or the smell of your lover's skin. You know how they end, yet you listen as though you don't. In the way that although you know that one day you will die, you will live as though you won't. In the Great Stories you know who lives, who dies, who finds love, who doesn't. And yet you want to know again. That is their mystery and their magic."

This is so true and beautifully written.

Amreeka

I just watched a movie called "Amreeka". When I had heard this name for the first time, I thought this has to be an Indian movie, because that's how us Indians pronounce "America" :) But, when I read about it in National Geographic, I learnt it is an Arabic movie. Since then, I was curious to know what the movie was all about. "Amreeka" beautifully portrays the hardships and hopes of a single mom and her son in their homeland, Bethlehem and in a foreign country to which they emigrate, USA.

I am blessed to have been born and brought up in a free country, where one can lead a life at his/her own will. But, what about Muna (mom) and Fadi (son)? Where do they belong? Unfortunately, these Palestinian people do not have a country that they can call their own. They do not even have the right to simply walk into their homes, without being questioned by "law-enforcers" every single day of their life. Somedays, they make it home and somedays, they are stuck at any one of the multiple checkpoints along the Israeli wall. But, in spite of such hostile circumstances, they manage to maintain their sanity in the most gracious manner. My heart and my prayers go out to them.

Of course, things aren't any different for Muna and Fadi in post 9/11 USA. Because, if you are an Arab, then you have to be a Bin Laden relative and most definitely, you have to be a Muslim. How simple! They are gawked at, ridiculed, and even threatened. But, it is heartening to witness that within this sea of prejudiced people, there are a few, who perceive Muna and Fadi as what they are, harmless humans in search of happiness. I hope we can teach our children to have such tolerance.

As is evident, I simply loved the movie and all the actors, especially the adorable Muna. I think the movie leaves you with a good message and a good feeling in the end. So, I definitely recommend it :)

http://amreeka.com/html/af.html

Change (Yes we can!)

Once you reach the late 20s, it's hard to change the very core of your nature, especially (probably only) the bad shades of it. If you are socially awkward, you will be such a person for a long time to come. Like me, if you are under-confident, you will probably suffer from this syndrome for a significant part of your adult life. Well, that's what I believed, until now. I think, we can change for better whenever we want. The key is to move on, forgive your self and forget the past. I started thinking on these lines when I read about (arguably) the greatest tennis players of all times, Roger Federer. Years ago, when he was a newbie to this sport, he let his temper get the best of him. However, today his biggest weapon against other players is his "mind". His mental strength far exceeds any of his opponents. Maybe, because a two-set down Federer forgets that he's lost those two, but remembers that he still has three to win and change the course of the game completely. I think that makes all the difference; to have a clean slate; to prevent our past from fogging away the present and future; to let it go and start afresh with a positive attitude. At 30, we still have 40 more years to get it right and brooding over the past ain't gonna get you anywhere, honey! Of course this change requires active efforts from our side. For instance, my way of dealing with my dwindling confidence is to say "Yes" to every little thing I fear. So, if I feel I wouldn't be able to pass a goddamn class, I will dive in and sign up for it. Sounds easy, isn't it? Well, it has helped me so far! But, since I have been using this strategy for such a long time, I wish the next time I won't fear or doubt myself at all. The next time, all I would remember is that I have succeeded these past few times, so I will be fine. I know it's hard, but overcoming the slightest weakness, might help us take the biggest step of our lives one day and living under its fear, might leave us stagnant. So, apparently, the choice is quite simple. Just need to grab it till we can :)

Women...

In these modern times, when equality transcends race, religion, color and gender, sometimes you want to be treated unequally or dare I say in a more special way. Of course, I don't mean this in a bad way, but in a silly good way. Like, when I get into a tiff with my husband, it gets blown out of proportion by our very logical point by point argument. This goes on endlessly, as neither of us is ready to simply "accept and apologize". My thinking cloud, however, is constantly saying "Why can't he just give in and lose because am I not his beloved WOMAN????". But, I don't say this out loud as it would hurt my liberal image, wherein, I am EQUAL to him. Unlike a typical TV serial wife, I don't even demand gifts from my husband or complain (investigate) about his whereabouts. But, once in a while I do wish for that silly gift or gesture that says how much he loves me. Of course, if I expect that, I should also reciprocate and do something for him every now and then. But, my illogical emotional (womanly) side sometimes wants gifts with no returns. I know that's horrible, but these are just my fleeting thoughts that I don't listen to. To be fair, I am periodically showered with great gifts from my super-cute husband, who doesn't get into too many arguments with me. Still....there are always the stupid thinking clouds :)