Watch what you say

In this blog, I am making an attempt to address an already sensitive issue and am offering my comments and the way I perceive the entire situation. By no means am I a racist. So after reading, please don’t come to that conclusion either.

Recent hubbub is about Don Imus being suspended for two weeks for his racist remark that he made during his talk show regarding the Rutger’s Women’s Basketball Team. The purpose of this blog is not about what he said, despite the fact that it hurt some people. Don is known as the ‘shock jock’ and he does have the tendency to go over the top and say things for shock value, like they say “the modus operandi for a shock jock”. I have not heard his show, so I cannot say much about the quality of his show. But he is a shock jock and will pick on anyone to get that attention. It is his persona for the show. It is what keeps his show on the edge.

By making this comment it does not make him a racist. His comment went over board and he apologized for it and is on a two week suspension. But some people and groups wanting him to be fired and wanting to make his show and livelihood history seems a little over the top. The news media wants politicians and advertisers to back off from his show. No more ads from Proctor and Gamble, and Staples will be aired during his show. Politicians are asked not to be the guests in his show. Why? I have seen on T.V. and heard other radio shows where non-white (trying to be politically correct here) has made similar comments about their own race. But that does not seem to raise a flag anywhere. When one race makes a comment on another race, that too on a show, just to get an edge or make their show attractive or get some laughs out of the audience that seems to make the entire system hay wire.

Like I said, I have not heard Imus talk on his show but years ago, I was a fan of ‘The Greaseman’ show by shock jock Doug Tracht. I still am, except I don’t know on which station he is aired. (If anyone knows, please share the information). He was punished, suspended and finally booted off from his show because of similar racist comments he made during his show. He was not a racist either but it is just that his mouth outran his brain. Some days his shows don’t turn the way he intended to. If I am listening and I don’t like it, I switch stations; same with Howard Stern.

Few months back, Senator George Allen of Virginia, a Republican, was at a political rally in support of his campaign when he called Sidarth, a “macaca”. The Indian community was up in arms over this fact. Allen had of course apologized and his life and career moves on. Was he suspended from what he was doing? I don’t think so. I am an Indian (and am proud to be one) and just by Sen. Allen calling Sid (and us, Indians) a macaca, do we become one? No. We are who we are. Just by anyone passing comments on us, is not going to change anything. What ever happened to Gertrude Stein saying, “Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose” to mean "things are what they are". Let us just forgive and forget. It is just a show to entertain people and let us leave it at that.

What is your worth?

How many times have you ended up in restaurants to enjoy the surroundings and the ambiance more than the food in itself? I have. I have been to Marrakesh in D.C. which serves authentic Moroccan food which I consider it decent but more than the food, I like the atmosphere of the place, the way food is served and how the group who goes to the restaurant eats from the same plate using hands. Of course you will get your cutlery on request, but the fact that you get to eat from the same plate and using your hands in a different experience by itself. I also like the belly dancing that they perform in the restaurant as a part of entertainment. Will I go there again sometime in the future? Yes. But if someone takes just the food and serves it to me regularly just as any other restaurant, will I consider going back. Maybe not. It was for the atmosphere that I went for not for the food.

Why did I mention what I did above? I am not discussing dining in this blog but I just used it to prove a point that the atmosphere or the setting matters for any product or service offered. I was reading an article about Joshua Bell, one of the finest classical musicians in the world, playing some of the most elegant music ever written on one of the most valuable violins ever made, against a bare wall outside the Metro at the L’Enfant Plaza station. This was an experiment that was set up by Washington Post in January of this year to see if the talent was recognized and people proved his worth in the outside atmosphere.

As expected by me, the crowd paid no heed. He hardly made a collection of $32 and change from an hour that he played on a cold morning during rush hour at the metro. 1,070 people passed by him and only seven stopped to listen to his music for a minute or to and twenty seven threw in some tips in the open case of his violin he had kept in front of him. When he performs in the Symphony Hall, the hall is packed and the decent seats are sold for $100. But when the maestro performs on the street, no one pays much attention. Was his music any less than what he played in the Symphony Hall? No. It is the same person, same violin, same music, except the place was different. Where was performing in the Symphony Hall and where is standing in the metro and playing?

I am sure we are all enthralled to meet the super stars – may it be from movies or from the music world. How many times we attend a performance by such stars and we keep waving our hands from amongst the crowd to get their attention with a hope that you will be the one to be called upon to perform for a minute or two with the star. But when the same star happens to pass by you in a crowd, walking without glamor or make-up, you fail to recognize them. The locale, situation and the venue matters for anything that is offered. There is always a right time, right place and a right atmosphere for anything to happen. It does not matter how talented you are, unless you are amid the right crowd, like the idiom goes “it falls on deaf ears”.

My Cherry Blossom not so bloomy

This past week was spring break for Yash and whenever he has holidays, I do too. What do I mean by that? Whenever he is off from school, I either work from home or take off from work, so that I can spend the time with him or take him out somewhere like the museum and such. My schedule revolves around what his activities are or what he needs to get done for that day. Apart from school, he is into Kumon, Soccer and Tae Kwon Do. When he goes for Kumon, I end up doing my grocery shopping. When he goes to Tae Kwon Do, I pretty much stay there in class most of the time, admire and soak up the art as much as I can but sometimes I step out to buy things needed for my home.

So last week was a relaxed one for us. We lazed around (don’t tell my boss), watched T.V., went for movies, played around and I was glad that I got to spend my time with my baby (not a baby anymore, but will always be a baby to me). We also decided we will go to D.C. to see the Cheery Blossom and its bright pink hued flowers covering all the cherry trees surrounding the tidal basin. I remember years ago when I went to see the cherry blossom with my family when Yash was less than a year old. When I had gone then, all the cherry trees were either covered with white, pink or a mix of white and pink flowers. That picture is still in my mind and that is what I had in vision when I was planned my trip to D.C. with Yash last week.

For those of you who don’t know, the basin is covered with hundreds of cherry trees, not of the same kind but of different varieties and hybrids. It is true that Japan had donated some trees to U.S. as a token of friendship but we too had created many hybrids from the saplings that were given to us. That is the reason that you see a wide variety of pink and white flowers when the tree is in full bloom. Being a plant fanatic, I enjoy being amidst of trees, take pleasure in admiring the colors and their sweet fragrance, trying to learn a little more about the plants to add it to my knowledge base. I got this trait from my dad, who is a Civil Engineer by Profession, but also a plant lover. He is into gardening much more than I am.

When I had gone to tidal basin I was disappointed to see the flowers. There sure were flowers on the trees and had not withered. But the color was so faded because of the cold weather we have been having lately (even though it is spring). The scenery I saw was half in quality when compared to what I had in mind from my memories. Anyways, the best part was, I was with Yash, running around, biking along the tidal basin, sitting on the bench and reading a book together with a blanket on, while the passers-by were smiling at us looking at the coziness we were sharing even on a cold evening out in the open amongst the trees.

These are the moments that I will have in my memory and hold it close to my heart. Even though my trip to Cherry Blossom was not as I expected, I still will cherish those moments as it was time well spent with my son. A little time outside like these is what makes our lives that much more interesting and pushes us ahead. So, I am hoping I will be able to make it to the Cherry Blossom Festival this coming Saturday on April 14th. For those who are reading along, Yash is getting his Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do this Saturday during his Ceremony. If I make it to the festival, it will make the day that much more special for us.

Lost and Found and ….. Lost and?

Have you ever been in a situation where you have held something close to your heart and have lost it? It can be anything from personal jewelry to items you use on a daily basis. I have been through this, many a times. My best friend gave me a book marker, years ago and I valued that a lot. Whenever I would read a book, I would always make use of it. One time I had left the book with the marker in the van I drive and the marker slipped into the deep recess between the cup holder and passenger seat. Even today, pieces of it are still there barring the fact that I can’t get to it.

I also have been the victim of losing my wallet many a times and sometimes finding it too. Despite the fact that it has my driver’s license, my credit cards and money, it is valuable to me. Why? It has my sons’ picture and other papers that hold a lot more value than money itself. Here is my saga of one such “lost and found” that explains part of the title I used in today’s’ blog. Last week when I was at home, I had used the credit card from my wallet to charge it for a product that I bought over the phone. After that was done, I was about doing my other chores and went to the gym. When I went to the gym, I could not find my wallet to show my gym ID card. I got in OK though by using my home phone number (don’t use my home number at the gym, because my picture will come up anyways!) This incident raised a red flag for me and I knew I had to find my wallet and so the search began.

Desperate as I was, I was ransacking the whole place at home trying to find my wallet. I was running scenarios in my head trying to figure out what I should do in case I did not find my wallet. I was recollecting what I did after I used my credit card because that was the last time I saw my brown leather wallet. When I was at the verge of crying (I do cry!), my husband called out from the foyer of our house. “Honey, look!” I came running and wondering what happened now. Reason being - I love plants and have plants everywhere in my house and am very passionate about it. When a plant wilts or Yash breaks a branch accidentally, I freak out. So that was the reason for me to wonder what had happened. When I got to the foyer, I saw my wallet sitting on the handrails of the staircase, camouflaging itself with the color of the wood. So that is the story of “Lost and Found”.

So what does the other part of the title mean? Well, I was happy that I found my wallet. This week on Wednesday, I took my son to watch a movie in the theater. I paid for my tickets, watched the movie and after the movie was done, went to grocery shopping and Walla! There it happened again. When I was about to pay for the groceries at the checkout, I realized that I was the victim again. I left my groceries (of course, I didn’t have money to pay for it) and scurried back to the theater to look for my ‘lost’ wallet. (This is the second part of my title) The theater was packed with viewers for the next show and I searched even though it was amongst people sitting there but in vain.

It is very difficult to find what you loose in this world and if you are lucky enough you might find it sometimes. Hold on to what you value a little tighter; hold it closer to your heart, for you know not the pain when you actually lose it. Now for the magical ending; I did go back to the theater again that evening after the show was over and I searched (or rather ransacked the theater) and found my wallet. My happiness knew no bounds. I will be a bit more careful from now on and hold on to my valuables a bit tighter.

P.S. Do you think it was me who lost the wallet? Or maybe I did ;-)

As fast as fast can be

During my summer vacation while I was at my school and college in India, I would go to Bangalore to visit my cousins. I lived in Chennai all my life and I would go to Bangalore to visit my relatives on a train. Going for vacation is exciting enough but having to go on a train added that flavor for excitement. Average time to get to Bangalore would take 6 hours and that time was filled with fun. Why so much fun going on a train? The train was a means to see the country side that we passed in the interim. We would see people, their houses, their ways of living, farming, and more so, whenever the train stopped at the stations, road side vendors would bring in their local fresh produce to sell like fresh fruits, vegetables and sometimes home cooked snacks.

One would say it is not good to eat snacks from roadside vendors. But there is nothing like trying out such items. People from India would vouch on eating Bhel and Pani Puri on roadside, especially tea and coffee served in plastics cups. They do serve meals and snacks on the train itself. There is one car that is allocated for pantry where fresh food is prepared and train crew would come to sell them to us. Whenever the train stopped at stations, we could get out stretching or buying eatables or magazines from vendor stalls. Average train stop would be 10 minutes and in that time, I would get out to make a phone call to my friends or pick up snacks. There have been times when the train would start moving while I was in the middle of buying something or making a call to my friends. I would rush from what I was doing and hop on the moving train in whichever car I could. Since the cars were all connected to each other, it was easy to go from one car to the other and eventually to my car where I had left my belongings.

These are the memories that I would add during my train travel. But with the fast moving phase of travel, I don’t know what adventures I might be able to gather. Recently, the French set a train speed record of 357.2 mph or 574.8 kph on train V150. It was like going on a plane but on ground. People in that train were saying that the French countryside outside was just a green blur. Going at such a great speed is indeed a marvel and an achievement for the human race and will surely cut down on the time between destinations but not at the verge of losing little experiences that you would gather on a regular trip.

As it is life is moving at a fast pace in this day and age and all we needed was a fast train to minimize the distance between two places. The distance between Chennai and Bangalore is about 300 km and if I am on this train, it would take me about half hour to reach my destination but will I be able to enjoy my countryside site see or have my snacks and food from local vendors? Will I be able to hop on a moving train? It is those little experiences that make my trip a lot better and fill it with fun and pleasure. Even today, I can sit around and recollect those moments and smile and I am not going to give away such pleasures sitting on a fast train. I want to slow down and enjoy life while it lasts.

Is it his triumph or mine?

This past Saturday was a dream come true for me. I always had passion for Martial Arts and I grew up watching movies of Bruce Lee and movies like ‘Snake in the monkey’s shadow’ and the like. I always am mesmerized by the speed with which one can attack or self defend. Even though I did not have the opportunity to learn such an art, I was adamant about putting Yash, my son in one such class. After doing research on what schools and what martial art to put him in, as there are many schools teaching many styles, I landed upon a school in Centreville for Tae Kwon Do (TKD). I put Yash in that school three and a half years ago, when he was four and a half years old and this past Saturday, he tested for his black belt and is one now!

This past three years I took him to class three times a week in addition to him being in the demo team which met on Saturdays to practice. This team will perform in other schools and events as needed or requested. Taking him to his TKD class was like me going to the class myself. I used to drop him off at class and wait in the class watching Yash do his moves. I watched on instructors teaching him new techniques and forms and I used to spend my time learning the moves by watching. After class time, I would work with Yash at home and practice with him. For me, it was like comparing notes after a lecture is over in school. But what can I say; I am an ardent TKD lover. Even though I was not the one in class, every single class brought me new details.

There are times when Yash was tired or swamped with school work and other activities that he was involved in, that he would not feel up to it to go to the class. But my passion to the class was so much that I would force him to class as that was the only way for me to be in class to watch him and the instructors spar. This past three years has been like me going to the class and learning the art. When I came to know that he was ready for testing for black belt, I spent every day with my son practicing the forms, hand and leg techniques, board breaking techniques and sparring. We worked as a team in getting closer to our goal and getting the black belt.

On Saturday, we practiced everything and we were at the school by noon. The exam started at 12.30pm and ended at about 5pm. Those five hours was like being on a roller coaster ride. Everything he learned in those three years was tested in those five hours. There were spots that were rough and I would tell in my mind that it would all smooth out at the end. The instructors and his friends would boost his morale when he would be down with pain while trying to break his double boards (two boards together) or get hurt while sparring. Getting a black belt was just not Yash’s dream, but mine as well. We worked together in fulfilling this dream. It is true that the belt will have Yash’s name embroidered in Korean,(attached picture is just a sample, not Yash's belt - He will get his belt on April 14th during his black belt ceremony) saying that he is a first Dan in TKD but every time he wears his belt or asks me to tie it for him, I will always feel that I am the one wearing it on me and that I am a black belt. I am glad that I am seeing my dream come true even if it is through my son’s achievement.

March Marathon of Idiocy – Your pick?

We are three months into this New Year (not new any more). Looking back at some of the incidents that happened in the month of March, I decided to write this blog. From the title you must have gotten an idea of where I am heading towards. Well, let me start off then.

Pick 1: A couple of weeks ago, there was this news where the curators at the Ohashi Collection Kan museum in Takayama, Japan had their popular item on display at the museum, only to their dismay that the item was stolen. It was a 220 pound (100 kilograms) gold bar that was worth $2 million. Many museums have many valuables on display and they let their visitors to touch and feel them, take photographs and such. All this is allowed, after the museum has added security to guard the item on display. But this museum which lost its gold block did not have any security and the thief in the disguise of a visitor took off with the gold block to make his fortune. I did not understand the motive of the curators in leaving that valuable block of gold unguarded and letting visitors touch and feel and eventually walk away with it. If any of you know of it, enlighten me.

Pick 2: Latest news in terms of air travel is that United began its opening flight non-stop to China, a couple of weeks ago. The flight takes about fourteen hours to China from Dulles and it is the first of its kind in being the first non-stop flight to China. So where does the idiocy part come in? Well, just to be a part of this historic moment, a small group of aviation buffs, took off for two days, jumped on the first flight from Dulles to China, sat for fourteen hours in the non-stop flight, only to catch the next flight back from China to Dulles for another fourteen hours. They did all this to be in the hall of fame of United to be the first fliers in the maiden flight to and from China. Aviation geeks will be geeks, no matter what.

Pick 3: A disgruntled soul from Canada made an attempt to cross the Niagara Falls to immigrate to the United States. The falls was affected by the cold weather and ice was formed on the surface leaving a walkable plane along the edge of the falls. Making use of this, a 42-year old man made an attempt to walk on this surface to cross the Niagara to get into the U.S. using an inflatable raft and an ice floe. His ice floe broke and he was crying out for help when he got rescued by the Authorities of the Falls. Despite how bad the situation is, who would make this crazy attempt of crossing the border on the edge of the Falls?

I can go on and on giving you all a list for the best pick of idiocy but this only iterates the fact for me that this world is heading towards a bizarre end. Instead of trying to beat and be in the hall of fame of United, maybe spend the money and time wisely to help someone out who is needy. I know walking the mile over the Niagara was only to better your life, but what if you had lost the life in the act? What is there to better than? We are all people and we will all pounce on every opportunity to become rich. We pick up the $20 bill we see on the road unclaimed. Do you think we will miss the opportunity of getting away with a 100 kg of gold unattended? Come on people, we can do better than this.