Here it is!!!!

 I am not watching you CNN

I voted for Obama, but seriously not for his race. I did not think it was time we had a black president, just a right one. And Michelle is his wife, that is all. For all you know, Obama might have his own Lewinsky and I am fine with that too, since his personal life is his own.

And, India doesn’t need any messages from Michelle, we had our first woman prime minister within 35 years of independence, US is counting 230+ yet. We have elected political leaders from all kinds of minorities, not just based sex or color, to top it off - we don’t even consider that as accomplishments, just patriotism and democracy at work.

CNN, stop this and try to focus on ETHNIC CLEANSING going in Sri Lanka, AIDS in Africa and India, …. Even better, focus on economy, ECOnomy, and education and health systems. It doesn’t matter if Michelle is Aryan or not,  RESULTS do

This was a question Anand had on his blog sometime back.

And I commented on it just as I felt.

I would really like to know how people feel about this.

I am here for work, but as most know me, I do not know where my profession ends and self begins. So, bottomline - I am a very passionate worker - Krishna would not be proud of me. But, I am definitely trying to follow Gita to the dot.

Anyway, mi poquito habla espanol (speak little Spanish). And, I am a very picky eater too, plus a vegetarian. Here, except for desserts, some life is used in each dish. Even beans and rice have chicken broth in it. Soon, I was avoiding food and eating more dessert and drinking more chocolate than any sane person.

I fell sick, I was hospitalized. It had a lot to do with the altitude than my eating, me thinks.

People in Durango cared a lot about me that not for a second did I feel alone, even in hospital bed. The plant doctor was rubbing my forehead. The controller had my stuff packed and delivered to the hotel I stayed at. The plant manager, every morning at breakfast tells me how much he is worried about me, he said I could have gotten into coma if I had not been hospitalized at the right time. I think he was just trying to scare me to pay more attention to my health and food habits.

When I came back, the hotel employees would give me 10000 suggestions on how I could have avoided the fainting incident

They let me use their kitchen freely at any time of the day. The same at the plant cafeteria too. To top it off, one night a hotel employee knocked at 10.30 pm…I hastily dressed myself and opened the door…expecting a call from work. He told me that the people at the hotel’s restaurant were worried that I did not go to dine that day. Then I explained to him that I had gone to a nearby place on the road

But, here is the bottomline: Even without a proper verbal communication, people of Mexico made it very clear to me that they cared about other humans that they may not interact with after a few days and did not know a few days earlier. It was as though I was their pet animal whose language they understood by heart and they greatly cared for. I can live in Durango for the rest of my life.

I just wonder what the hell is it that people use violence for when there is so much love in everyone’s hearts.

I have recovered completely since then, esta bien.

I was thinking of not writing anymore on my blog, only because now I am keeping a personal journal and see no need in sharing my opinions with the online community. But, I just wantd to say some about Obama.

1. I am very proud of him and very happy for him. He pursued a fairy tale that came true and everyone wants to be a part of it.
2. I truly want him to succeed. Even if he doesn’t, I believe he is a leader with the right intentions.
3. His wife is the best first-lady with her regular looks and extraordinary brilliance.
4. Obama ROCKS!!!!

I knew her when she was more mature,

I heard from many that

she was quite short-tempered in her youth,

she used to be the tit-for-tat type.

In that case,

 it is even more amazing to imagine the personal struggle

 she must have gone through

to make herself a work of art, towards improvement.

She was love personified, ever forgiving,

sympathetic towards the cynics,

empathetic to the sufferings of the less fortunate.

She had the tenacity and persistence to follow her dreams.

Most importantly, she was able to endure when things did not go her way.

She was always there for her family and friends,

always thought of the footprints she left behind,

careful not to hurt another soul or the planet.

She was always trying to perfect herself as a fellow human.

She loved her family but often found difficulty expressing it.

She was involved in a detached way.

Shashi is surpassing my enthu for blogs by ordering me to take this picture last night and blog on it. Love you, Shashi

I just noticed that the middle item was not labeled, it was the crowning jewel of the evening - Moghalai Chicken Briyani.

What Do I blog on this?

- People who think I don’t know anything other than Work and workout, please look at the picture, it speaks far more than a 1000 words. (except I never published my blog site to many who think so)

- I can’t take credit for all the stuff on this plate. 2 more friends did bring food too. Shashi’s Kofta is the best I have had so far. Muni’s Chicken items got great reviews too.

- Eating like this will cause us to walk more in the park, not to mention all the soda and strawberry mousse cake. Same friends who gave me company yesterday will accompany me in the walking too, right

LONG LIVE OCCASIONS THAT MAKE US MEET AND EAT!!!!

PS: I think eating animals is not advisable when we can survive without murdering other life forms. I AM A PROUD VEGETARIAN! But I love many non-vegetarians and animals that eat other animals, like Shamu.

I had gone to a wonderful New Year party yesterday night. They had this ice-breaker game of writing 5 traits of yourself in a paper and dropping in a fishbowl. Later these were used as hints to guess people. This is what I had, and everyone guessed it was me IMMEDIATELY

1. I cannot stand unfairness, bias, discrimination

2. I have a kitchen only because it came with the house

3. I like to keep my kitchen clean, so please eat out

4. I am an eternal student

5. I think with my heart

I heard in a tamil movie trailor "Love can hapen at first sight or even without seeing the other person. Friendship on the other hand, requires to see, interact, and takes quite some time to bloom." Can’t agree more. Sometimes, I do get confused between friendship and feelings of sympathy. Do any of you get into this?

Stronger friendships are the ones that withstand the test of time and life events. These are the ones that bring a smile to you when you recall the warmth shared years ago, even if that friend is not nearby. Or not even a friend anymore. I think that is also a mark of true friendship, that you love that friend of yours even if the feling is not mutual.

In a friend’s house I read this - Every friendship starts with a decision to BE a friend, not to HAVE a friend. We all know how true it is.

There is another one I absolutely adore: Friends are like good books, you don’t hold them at all times, but know where to find it when you need it. Most of my friends fall into this category. They don’t require me to call/email/chat with them often. But we know we are there for one another. As said in my previous post on Chak De, I am blessed in HR

Entry to Writer’s Island: http://writersisland.wordpress.com/2007/11/10/prompt-friendship/

I do not like romantic movies based on a male and a female act of mating. Maybe because I am one of the lucky ones who never had a problem in that area. I should add, that is the only area I am blessed with and of course my friends and family, meaning I am blessed in HR

Also, I hate being a sports spectator, I have always been in the arena unless I am waiting to get a medal, YES, I am a very proud sports(wo)man. I am physically fit to this day.

So, when I saw Chak De DVD, decided to rent it out, you must be able to guess how much I was stressed and wanted ANY kind of deviation from reality.

I can go on and on about Shahrukh’s role as a coach, music, team-spirit, et cetera, but I am not going to. Reason being: THERE WAS ONE THING THAT CAPTURED MY ATTENTION

Are we Indians discriminating Islamic Indians? The movie started with KABIR KHAN, captain of Indian National Hockey Team, having a penalty shot and losing to PAKISTAN, immediately he is painted as a traitor and a social outcast. People want him out of the country. You may assume it is just like any other cinematic moment. But think about it, are Muslims in India given a fair chance? Or are they always considered a foreigner? They pay the taxes too and they have their history here too! What is that makes us assume we are more entitled of being an INDIAN than them?

There are many reasons I LOVE INDIA, but the most important reason I will never come back is the fact that We Indians DISCRIMINATE on sex, skin color, sub-caste, caste, region, religion, and anything else. And of course $$$$ Why is India so bad? Why do we need to sing Saraswati Namastubhyam in a Public School? Will Hindus accept it if THE Thiranga had green on top and Saffron at bottom [I hope I don’t stir wrong emotions]?

Why is it that I pick a nice bottle of Mango Jam and put it down because it says MADE IN PAKISTAN? What wrong has that Mango grower done to me? Maybe he has kids to feed and needs my money just like a kisaan in India. Do political borders affect humanitarian emotions? WHY,why, oh why…?

It is at this point I need the CHRISTIAN Serenity prayer

This too shall Pass!

This particular quote keeps me going when I am down. The other all time favorite one is ‘winners never quit & quitters never win.’  Somehow, I believe those who win are not necessarily the smartest or the strongest, but people who stay the longest. One fine example will be George W. I make my share of fun of him, but deep in my hearts I admire and respect him for one thing - he did not give up his hot seat. He knew how much he was made fun of, right from the start, all primetime shows think he is an absolute idiot, and they are correct too. But what made him run for 2nd term? SHEER PERSISTENCE. C’mon, you have to salute to him for that, even if he is a doughnut,

I once was fortunate to have Mrs. M. Sivananda Rani Abhiraman as my math teacher. She told me several times, over a course of 2 years, many insightful things about myself, but one that I remember in particular is when she told me ‘there is no shortcut to success. Hardwork and Persistence are the only two ways you can reach it.’ When she said that I couldn’t care less. I was quite good at stuff and had a high grasping capacity. But 10 years down the road, when I was doing my MBA while being a mom for a 2 year old and on teaching assistanship, it all came back to me. I always thank her for saying that to me while she knew I wasn’t "listening" and was in my TEENs.

WINNERS NEVER QUIT!

Now, 2 years after MBA, while I am still trying to make a career, everyday I tell myself of this. Also, life has indeed taught me it is not the smartest or the strongest, but who stays the longest that wins. There is one thing I tell my daughter time and again: Practice makes perfect and she agrees too, now that she is only 5

I maybe right or wrong, but I believe having faith during hardship is the only way out.

All or not 5, some are already 6, giving them the means to bully.

Mine is almost the youngest, shy, and with language barrier.

I was the one who made her talk in Tamil.

No doubt she will one day be more fluent in American English than I will ever want her to be.

Today, getting hit by a bigger girl.

How this is going to change her is a question that remains to be answered.

Hopefully,

she will learn more than the older one.

How not to tease the helpless and develop a kind soul…

makes the world blind. In this case (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19013495/), a missile for a missile makes the whole world a graveyard.

Till last week, I was concerned about global warming and took major steps like

1. planting trees

2. sorting even bits of paper to recycling waste

3. walking to nearby groceries and paying more money instead of driving to Wal-mart.

4. Carrying a grocery bag made of cotton

Now, I am not even feeling sad about Greenhouse effect, thanks to G8.

Love,

R

My daughter has always wanted a pet. We allowed her to buy a Betta [fighter] fish about 2 years ago. At Petsmart they predict the life between 12 -  18 months, and we thought it might be the easiest way out of a long-term commitment

My daughter named it thee "Thithee thee thithee thee thee thee", yeah the longest name ever

Anyway, it has survived for more than 2 years in her warmth. Even now, when she calls from India, she asks if I fed her fish, and changed its water. She is so considerate, caring, and thoughtful. I did not realize this until I met a couple of other children who have already unknowingly harassed a long length of pets to death :) Maybe this is how they will learn about the value of life. I feel sad for this, but different people have different ways of teaching their kids, not all have to be the same.

Maybe we should have a license for raising pets too…

A very close relative is paralyzed and hopes everyday for a miracle to happen that will let him be less of a burden to his family. His nervous system is damaged to the extent he can’t feel hunger, even his lungs don’t coordinate to breathe. Without dependence on others for more than a few hours, he may rot to death

Whenever he talks with me from India over the phone, he asks me if there is any progress on Stem Cell research.

Conservatives have put legal and financial restrictions on these research claiming it will cause a lot of unborn fetuses (fetii?) death.

However, we have lost more than 3200 American lives on the recent war, add to it 1000s of innocent Iraqi and Afghani civilians, versus 3000 people from various nations lost on 9/11. These honorable USA soldiers have sacrificed their lives to make us feel protected. After all, the whole reason for war[bio-chemical war weapon sites ??] was nulled.

Can you please explain why we have different policies on taking away the lives of unborn from that of young lads/women who have been nurtured with love for years by their friends and family.

Definitely rich people can go outside of USA, to Mexico or Europe, to get an abortion or Stem Cell surgery. It is the poor who get affected.

I pray sincerely, law of land doesn’t discriminate the actions based on economic status of its subjects. Will a person who travels abroad to perform procedures to overcome the legality in USA be prosecuted on their return? If not, how about removing these stupid restrictions biased against lower income classes?

In  certain aspects, I feel India has a broader mind-set, especially when it comes to female prime-ministers, pro-choice et cetera.

I maybe entirely wrong. Please enlighten me. I feel disturbed on both of these topics.

PS: This doesn’t mean I take abortion lightly or that I won’t hold arms to protect the nation that has accepted me as a citizen. I absolutely love being part of this nation. I cannot imagine living in any other place on this world.

Whole-heartedly quoting Shah Jehan  on Kashmir: If there a heaven on earth, it is USA, it is USA, it is USA.