Be a Phoenix - America!

As the world around us burns with hatred..

Be a Phoenix - America..and Rise from the Ashes

Growing up in India - the word America was synonymous with Freedom to me. Not freedom in the sense of freedom from oppression from a foreign country - in that strictest sense I was already growing up in a free country after all - but freedom to be who you are without judgement, freedom to speak without fear of repercussions and the freedom for one and all to pursue the American Dream!

The American Dream by the way is not all about money - it is about having the ability to create and seize opportunities, it is about rewarding and being rewarded for innovation and above all it is about acceptance, not based on religion, race or nationality, but on merit.

When I landed here in a post 9/11 America - I was unsure if any of this would still be true. The country in my view had 2 choices - it could let hatred consume it or it could rise above it - stronger than before. And for a while - I thought 9/11 HAD changed America. That the country would not be able to rise above the hatred forced upon us by outsiders - but that wasn't true! I saw a country in grief - but a  people made more united by it. I saw a country finding its way - and a people more determined than ever to find the right way. I saw a Phoenix - rising above it all.

Now, 15 years hence, once again, there are forces around us trying to tear us apart. Fear mongering, hate, suspicion threaten the very freedoms that makes America great. They aim to take away our dream and replace it with a nightmare. But this time - the forces are within.We are no longer threatened by outsiders, we are threatened by our own! Our Own - are telling us America is not great already, Our Own - are filling our hearts and minds with fear and suspicion. This time - the fight is harder - because it is with ourselves.

But fight we must, for ourselves and for our children. My child is a proud American but I cannot see him growing up under a cloud of fear and hatred. I want for him a country proud of its past and confident of its future. I want for him a leader that leads us with hope not hatred. I want for him - the America of my childhood dreams.

For the future of our children, for the sake of our dream..
Be a Phoenix America, and Rise from the Ashes again
You can, You will, You must.

The Quality of mercy is not strained ..

The famous quote by William Shakespeare - as delivered by Portia in the Merchant of Venice - is on my mind today, for what is justice really, if not tempered with Mercy.

The act that brought about these thoughts - is the act that almost brought the twitter-verse down today - the conviction of Salman Khan (Indian Actor) for 5 years as he was found guilty of charges of culpable homicide.

Lets review the facts of the case as we know it :

1. in 2002 the actors car rammed into a bakery - killing 1 and injuring 4 others who were sleeping on the pavement nearby

2. The actor who fled the scene - later claimed he was not driving the car - but his driver was

3. The driver accepted that he was driving - and that the car went out of his control due to a flat tire

4. There were witnesses who claimed otherwise - and confirmed that the actor himself was driving the car

5. The actor was under the influence of alcohol

Now a court has ruled and found the actor guilty on all charges and sentenced him to 5 years. The nation is divided on the verdict - one half thinking justice was served and this proves that the rich cannot escape the justice whereas the other half claiming the actor did not deserve the verdict.

Before we go any further - let me make it clear - that i believe in holding a person accountable for their actions. If it was indeed proved that the actor was guilty - then a sentence to hold him accountable for his actions is necessary and absolutely required.

But where i waver is - how is a sentence that puts in him jail for 5 years (for what can only be termed as gross negligence ) of any value other than *MAYBE* making an example out of him!

In cases such as this - where we are holding a person accountable for the stupidity of their actions rather than any premeditated attempt at murder - should the justice then not review the case on a case-by-case basis when doling out a sentence?

How for example does putting him in jail help :

1. The victims family - who are affected by the death and probably reduced to further poverty
2. Help avoid such incidents in the future or make any change in the 2 root causes of this event
     a. Drunken Driving
     b. People sleeping on the street.

If the goal is simply to make an example out of him - then have we achieved even that? On conviction - he was able to use his significant resources and get interim bail faster than a normal person would under similar circumstances! what kind of an example is that??

Au contraire - we have convicted someone who is known for his support for humanitarian charities in India - negating any positive influence he might have in the future towards such causes!!!

Would it not be more helpful if in cases such as this - the justice was tempered with mercy ?

As I said before - in cases such as this it would serve us better to review the case on a case by case basis. In this case we know the actor has substantial monetary resources available, we also know that he has substantial sway in the community - so why then not use that to help the nation instead of putting him in jail !

Why can the sentence not be for example :

1. Monetary help for the affected family
2. 5 years of ONLY community service for the actor (no "for profit" work during this time)
     -- Have him spearhead a campaign for reducing drunk driving
     -- Have him work with organizations and mobilize (and in his case also maybe bankroll) the building of shelters in the city for people to sleep at night - get them off the street!
     -- Use his stardom for good - other causes that the government needs to push during these 5 years!

The above would not only penalize him and hold him accountable but it would also actually HELP others in the process. All putting him in jail (if he ever does go there) seems to do is add another burden on the tax payers money!!

My main reason for these thoughts are also slightly selfish - I put myself in his shoes. No one that I know can claim to have never done anything stupid. If I am someday where he is - and god-forbid, am responsible for another persons death due to gross negligence on my part - how would i like to be treated?

I would already be remorseful (as any sane human being should be) but add to that - the justice system would throw me in jail with real criminals where my own chances of survival would be minimal! I for sure will not be able to pay my way out and get bail / hire the most expensive lawyers to keep the justice system tied for many more years via appeals!! I (unlike Mr. Khan here) WILL end up in jail!

Would it not make sense if the system gave me a chance to do better - to make up for it rather than die for it myself? People ask why the actor didn't fess up that he was driving in the first place - but knowing our justice system and the way it works - my question is - would you??

As we extract our pound of flesh from Mr. Khan - I leave you with the words from Shakespeare that are on my mind :

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven

Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;

It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:

'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes

The throned monarch better than his crown;

His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,

The attribute to awe and majesty,

Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;

But mercy is above this sceptred sway;

It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,

It is an attribute to God himself;

And earthly power doth then show likest God's

When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,

Though justice be thy plea, consider this,

That, in the course of justice, none of us

Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;

And that same prayer doth teach us all to render

The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much

To mitigate the justice of thy plea;

Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice

Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there.

— The Merchant of Venice, Act 4, Scene 1

Life Lessons and Soccer

As a mom I try to imbibe "life lessons" in everyday play with my 3 year old …

For example A puzzle with a missing piece becomes a lesson on the importance of clean-up
or
Reading a book becomes a lesson on imagination - so we can create new stories to continue the book that has ended
or
Playing soccer - becomes a lesson in competition


- there are times however - like today - when he in-turn teaches me something - today was a lesson in contradictions for me ..

We were playing a game of soccer in the yard and usually we play by turn (so I would kick the ball to him and he would kick it back to me and so on - taking turns).
Today I decided to play some "hard ball" with him..I didn't give him the ball - but kept kicking it myself..when it went far - i ran to it before he could and kicked it again..

He protested - and I told him - well, if you want the ball you have to learn to take it from me..you have to be quicker than me, you have to play smart and take the ball from mommy.

Initially he played along - but then he stopped play - he motioned for me to sit down - and the conversation went like below

Aariv : "Mommy - you're not sharing the ball"
Mommy : "But I told you - if you want the ball - you just need to get to it before I do"
Aariv : "But why?!"
Mommy : "Because thats how this game is played"
Aariv : "But you also say sharing is good"
Mommy : "Uh Yes - it is..but the game.."
Aariv : "If the game does not let you share - then the game is not good - lets play share-ball and not soccer ball - OK?"

I guess we will learn about healthy competition another day, for now :

Mommy : 0 Aariv : 1

Game on!

Work-Life Balance

 

We've heard these 3 words so many times in our professional lives - most companies in the US (and probably elsewhere) make a big deal about trying to help ensure their employees achieve this balance. But when is that balance truly achieved - and is it ever?

I've heard the balance is achieved when you are successful at work and in your life! So the question then is - how do you measure success in your life?

Success at Work for example - is well defined and measured by your career growth . We work on a schedule - that we strive to meet, we work on a budget - that we try to stay within, we travel - for business needs, we attend conferences - to learn and connect with our peers, we take classes - to stay competitive - all of the above is time bound and absolutely essential for our professional careers - and our success is tied to doing all of the above

Success in Life on the other hand - is rather subjective. For most people it is only spending quality time with your family that counts as success in life - and since most companies in the US (at least in technology) - will allow you the flexibility in working that helps you achieve that quality time - can we then say we've achieved work life balance?!

Just like at work - shouldn't we have more metrics by which to measure a successful life? Spending daily quality time with family is important, but so are other things that contribute to the term life and finding the time for these is important to be successful at life too - for e.g. -  Ensuring yearly vacation travel - to gain new experiences and broaden your horizons, timely financial planning - for retirement, your death AND your today, health and fitness - ensuring you work out for a healthier you, providing a variety of learning experiences to your child - beyond school and travel and of course shared household duties - very important in cases where both spouses work - it takes effort to make your home life run smoothly and a successful life is only possible when that effort is shared!

While most of us do spend that daily quality time with our families - do we really have all our ducks in a row when it comes to these other things - or are we sometimes prioritizing our work deliverables over these other "life" metrics. If we are - then have we truly achieved work-life balance?

The Outcast

As one of the largest democracies in the world goes to the polls - there's been a lot of posts, write-ups and active debates around who one should and shouldn't vote for - I myself have participated in some discussions and I of course have my own opinion.

But today - as the city that I come from - Mumbai - goes to the polls..I sit here feeling like quite the outcast.

My status as an NRI (Non Resident Indian) - makes me Indian only in name, so it would seem, because "the largest democracy in the world" - does not provide the most basic democratic right - that of voting - to us Non-Resident "Indians".

The NRI community consists of over 2 million people (approx.) living, earning or studying in various countries around the world, they are one of the larger contributors to the indian economy by way of investments and they are also the face of India - winning laurels in many fields - that India can be proud of.

One would think the number is significant enough for the government to actively look into facilitating a way for us to vote by absentee - infact - till as late as 2010 NRI's had no right to vote at all!

As my fellow indians go to vote today -

-- I hope that they vote for a government that has India's social growth in mind
-- I hope that they vote for a government that has India's economic growth in mind
-- I hope that they vote for a government that has India's security in mind
-- I hope that they vote for a government that focuses on the infrastructure needs in rural areas as well as     the cities
-- I hope that they vote for change

And for my part - I hope (without a vote) for a government that believes in making India truly democratic - a vote for all and all this for one vote!

Once Upon a Time...

OK I'll admit it.. I have a thing for Royalty.

I totally enjoy being a silent voyeur into the private lives of kings, queens and all their lot. I'm not quite sure when this interest started - maybe it was all those fairytales I heard as a kid or maybe it was when we had to read about Akbar and other Indian emperors and their legacy in India as part of Indian history in school.

One cant quite be sure when these childish fancies develop - and i'm sure I had many such other varied "interests" growing up - but the one that has stuck with me through the years - is my love for everything Royal.

Today - some of my favorite books are about the lives of royals, I enjoy immensely every movie I can possibly watch on any king or queen - from the Kings Speech to Elizabeth and Marie Antoinette and from Mughal-e-Azam to Jodha Akbar - i've seen and enjoyed them all. I go to wikipedia and spend hours after watching a movie to read more about the king/queen/prince in the movie.

I was too young when Princess Diana got married - but I've seen the recorded footage of the wedding. When the princess died - I remember watching the funeral

When a new princess was being anointed - a new royal wedding in the works - I was there - popcorn in hand - in front of my TV set - watching the event and rooting for Kate.

And when a new prince was born - I was a silent part of the frenzy and truly happy for the monarchy!

God Save the Queen - because she and her family and other royal families offer an escape from reality for me - to a world of fantasies - and yes! in my fantasy world - the Royals lead a near perfect life - albeit full of intrigue.

And Welcome HRH George Alexander Louis! I look forward to reading about your many shenanigans

Friends

It seems like a long long time ago...(and 9 years is a pretty long time)..when I first came to the USofA.

Those first "baby steps" in a foreign country at the young age of 21 were scary enough..but to add to the fear..was the fact that I really did not know anyone in the city I was going to..Los Angeles.

New country, new customs, new school, new teachers, new ways of learning, new job (new to working - having never worked before) , new to handling money on your own .. and all this made easier by new Friends.

One fine USC evening - I was trying to study in a completely full computer lab when I noticed that the boys sitting on either side of me were playing a game of Y! Pool..against one another. They seemed to be having a good time and knew each other well and were talking to each other oblivious to the fact that I was sitting in the middle!

I passed a comment about one of them cheating (later i found out it wasnt really cheating)..and that lead to the three of us striking up a conversation..Dharmen and Kinjal - were both from Bombay as well and that helped me feel a level of comfort with them..like finding another ship mid sea.

These boys were childhood friends and they already had a lot of friends at USC  - most of whom they knew from India - whom they introduced me to. Amit, Bhanu, Vishal " Papa", Vishal, Mihir, Pratik, Kamna, Shraddha, Nishant, Kinjal..the list was long..

From then on it was all about - weekend trips, parties, cricket world cup nites and exam fever..- some of us became really close - one of them became my husband :)...we moved out of the Los Angeles area - but we all remained close..meeting often .. everyone got married..the group grew bigger..more friends more fun..

Now one of us is moving back to India..time goes on..but memories are forever..
All the best Bhanu and Krupa..hope the memories you build in India are as fun as the ones we built here together..

"Paris" a Trois

Day three in Paris..

In two days.. we had seen a lot in Paris..we had covered almost everything..they keyword being "almost".Day three in Paris was as filled with activites and walking as our first two days there..yes, lovely Paris! so much to see and do...

Day Three began as usual - breakfast of croissants and coffee at our now favorite french patisserie then onboard the metro. Our first destination today was Sacre Cour.

Sacre Cour Cathedral dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is located at the top of Butte Montamarte, the highest point of the city. The cathedral is said to be built in honor of the people who died in the Franco-Prussian war - and the cathedral has many nationalist themes - like the statues of Joan of Arc and King Saint Louis IX on horses at the entrance to the cathedral - truly majestic!

From the station - there is a short walk to the cathedral and during the short walk - on both sides we saw rows and rows of souvenir shops! Aha - the girls knew what we were doing on the way back for sure!!

The first view of the sacre cour is breathtaking.. the cathedral a white majestic structure on top of a green hill. You have to climb quite a few steps to get up to the cathedral entrance - and you can see people enjoying the open green space as you climb up - taking pictures (like us)..or simply sitting and enjoying the sunshine with friends!

As you enter Sacre Cour - a Giant Mosaic of Jesus Christ with his arms wide open welcomes you. It felt like he was welcoming one and all to the quiet sancity of the cathedral.The painting is so majestic that it is really all you will remember of the place and so captivating that it will be some time before you can pull your eyes away and enjoy the rest of the cathedral.Photography is prohibited within the cathedral though we did take a couple of shots - and we sat and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere for a few minutes and paid our respects.

You could climb to the top of the tower to get a great view of Paris - however we had trouble with the machine getting tickets to go up the tower and we ran out of time so we skipped the tower climb much to our disappointment!

As we left Sacre Cour - we enjoyed the souvenir shopping on our way back to the metro station - with Ashu keeping the time check - since we had to get to our next destination on time after all!

After the Sacre Cour, we found ourselves back in the Louvre. This time, we wasted no time outside and went straight down to ensure we got a place on the English Guided Tour. Since we had time before the tour started - and since obviously the tour did not cover the entire museum - we decided to explore the museum by ourselves a little. After a little discussion - we settled on the Richelieu Wing.

The Richelieu wing has a collection of french sculptures. The ones which you see as you enter are that of Adonis- the god of love - with every muscle carved to perfection..and that of a slave trying to control a horse. What's interesting about this second sculpture is - it seems to be in motion..the artist has captured the flexing of muscles to perfection to depict the power of the horse and the strength needed by man to control it!

The other highlights of this section for me were the framed sclpture of christ and the napoleon apartments. The Napoleon III Apartments in this section of the Louvre are meant to give an insight into the grand life of Napoleon - and they do just that. From the Grand Salon to the dining rooms - the furnishing are lavish and plush.

After enjoying the Richlieu wing the best we could on our self guided tour - we made our way to where we were to meet in order to start our Engligh guided tour.

This tour is a must do for first time Louvre visitors who truly want to understand and appreciate the history and art that is the Louvre!

The tour began at the basement or the crypt - the Louvre before it became the museum that we know today - was a fortress in the medival ages..and the only part of that medival fortress still visible is in the crypt - imagine seeing 14th century stones..and the guide explaining the history o how the louvre evolved into the museum/public gallery that is today!

The tour is designed to take you through some of the most famous works of art in the Louvre for e.g. - Venus Di Milo, Hermaphrodite, The Winged Victory and of course the Mona Lisa! While each of these works of art alone is worth the visit to the Louvre..the other art you see is equally awe-inspiring. The sheer size and magnitude of some of these paintings is amazing and the perfection in each feature of each element/body in the paintings is worth admiring. No wonder they say the Louvre alone requires a week to truly appreciate its beauty!

As we finished our tour - we realized we were famished. And infact we did not have the strength to walk anywhere to find a decent meal - So we settled on the Louvre Cafe - had some much needed coffee and opened our own food from our backpack as lunch.

After this short break - we walked out of the Louvre and towards Place de la Concorde. On the way we crossed the Jardin des Tuileries - the most frequented gardens in Paris. We saw the Palais De Tuileries on one side and enjoyed the many fountains, ponds and sculptures scattered accross the park.

At this point - it was hot and we were tired - we decided another break was in order - especially as we saw an outdoor cafe featuring fresh juice and cold beer!
We stopped to rest our feet - enjoyed some cold drinks and the nice shade!

After our nice rest we headed out of the tuileries towards place de la concord.
Place De La Concorde is the largest square in Paris and the site that greets you is a large Obelisk. The Obelisk was gifted to the french king at the time by the Egyptians. It replaced the Guillotine which was placed there during the French Revolution - many famous people including Marie Antoinette were Guillotined in this very square!

Ok..that was a little creepy.. as you move north from the Place De La Concorde you move towards Champs Elysee. This famous street ends at the Arc De Triomphe our final destination of the day.

Champs Elysees is where the modern day military parades are held and also all major parisian celebrations. As you walk it - you pass the Grand and Petit Palaces (the Petit Palace being the residence of the French President) ..and various shops and outdoor cafes greet you. Also on this street is the world renowned Macaron shop Laudree!

We enjoyed the walk and all the shops and cafe's along the way looked very tempting. As we were walking it got dark and we saw the Arc De Triomphe light up in all its grandeur at the far end of the street.. truly a lovely sight!

We had dinner on one of the restaurants with outdoor seating - average food but decent wine and cramped space ..the hotel got a thumbs down but the outdoor seating and the ambience that champs elysees provided a definate two thumbs up!!

After dinner we walked towards the Arc De Triomphe - on seeing it up close we went quite crazy - read camera crazy - and a photo taking frenzy ensued.

The Arc commissioned by Napolean to mark one of his victories picture perfect when all lit up at night. It is engraved with names of generals who commanded armies during Napoleans reign and in the center under the arch is the grave of the unnamed soldiers from the first world war.

We spent so much time photographing the arch from accross the street that we reached its base too late to climb to the top. Apparently from the top you get a lovely view of Sacre Cour and place de la defence. So we spent some time under the arch and headed back.

At this point - most of us were exhausted. We had walked for what seemed like miles and miles and we were ready to head home. Ashish and Nidhi however wanted to head to the Eiffel Tower one last time to get some night shots (this being our last night in the city). So we parted ways - the Yajniks went to the Eiffel and the Shah's and the Heda's took the metro homeee..

Once home - Shweta had the brilliant idea of a spa nite!. We filled the bath tub with hot hot water and Shweta , Dharmen and I soaked our feet in the hot water..aahh.. i can still feel the relief I felt at that time..

While we were finishing up our "spa" nite and giving our sore feet some much needed pampering - Ashish/Nidhi were having their own fun as the metro's closed down while they were on their way back and they got stuck at the metro station :). Luckily they found the way out and took a cab home with funny stories of their time stuck on the station!

We were all home finally..and this was our last night in Paris..this ofcourse called for a celebration..Maggie Noodles!! Dharmen made these indian version of Ramen Noodles which we enjoyed as we talked late into the night about the great time we had in Paris...

P.S. - I'll end this post with snaps of "some" of the madness we displayed under Arc De Triomphe!

Jour Deux

or Day Two in Paris..

After a good night's sleep, we were up and about early the next day, this one promised to be a full day as well...so much to see and do..

There was a lovely little Pattiserie, Boulangerie Pattiserie a couple of minutes walk from our apartment. That's where we started each day in Paris, hot Cafe Au Lait's(2 for Nidhi :D ), wonderfully moist croissants(2 for Nidhi :D), macroons and maybe an odd cake(remember "intense" shweta?) to fill us up and prep us for the day ahead. The girls there were sweet and always threw in some little free tidbit for us..a coconut cookie, a macroon etc.

Word from the Wise: when you're out and about on a self guided tour, meal times are skewed. i.e. dont expect lunch at 12:30PM or Dinner at 8:00PM .. your best bet is to start the day with a full stomach..
After breakfast, we headed for our friendly neighbourhood metro, on the way I was so busy taking in the sights and sounds of everyday life in Paris that i walked into a pole :))

We took the metro to the station close to the Louvre, the museum was top on our list today... Once out of the station we started walking in the direction of the Louvre per our map, about a minute away from the station we saw a lovely building accross the street with lovely sculptures, so we stopped to admire/take pictures while we tried to figure out where the Louvre was. Finally we stopped and asked someone "Excuse me, Where is the Louvre"? - "Right there" (Points to the Building we were taking pictures of)..:)). It seems we were looking for the glass Pyramid, something that we identified with the Louvre, however we had ended up on the other side of the Louvre (the rear entrance) and so obviously..no Pyramid!!

Word from the Wise: Paris is not completely tourist friendly, even major attractions like the Louvre do not have clear signs outside indicating their esteemed presence. So when in doubt..ask to save time and effort..we found the people of Paris to be friendly and readily trying to help us in English.

We moved into the Louvre, through the doors into a courtyard - the courtyard dominated by a fountain and surrounded by other architecture and from the courtyard to the front. The building set in a U Shape has the most beautiful sculptures on the roof and in the centre - the Glass Pyramid.

The Main Glass Pyramid is surrounded by two smaller glass pyramids, and the main pyramid is now the main entrance into the Louvre. The structure was commissioned to be built in 1984 by then French President Francois Mitterand. There was a controvery at the time because people thought the modern glass pyramid structure was out of place in the otherwise classical architecture of the Louvre, but today, it is a much loved structure that everyone identifies with the Louvre.

We spent a lot of time admiring the Louvre from the outside (read taking pictures) and eventually went inside. Once inside we figured it was best to take an English Guided tour to truly appreciate the large museum, however, there were no english tours that day but there were the next, so we decided to come back.

Change of plans! Now instead of the Louvre, we took the metro again and headed for the Eiffel Tower. We had appreciated the Eiffel on day one already, however we didnt go up the tower. This time we got into a loong line waiting to get into the elevators to the top of the tower.

The Eiffel has four elevators for general use and a fifth elevator exclusively for patrons of the Jules Verne restaurant on the 2nd floor. It was built and for the world fair in 1889 to mark the centennial of the French Revolution and just like the Louvre Pyramid, people at the time were unhappy with the building of the structure and thought it would be a blot on the city's otherwise classical look

We waited in line for about an hour before we were in the elevator whizzing up to the 2nd floor. As you move up the view of the city starts to amaze you. On the 2nd floorAs soon as we hopped in the elevator we went esctatic. First stop was the 2nd floor which had great views of the entire city and a souvenier shop! Girls being Girls thats where we headed first, while Ashu being Ashu was setting up high tripod and clicking away somewhere ;)

Soon we were ready to hop on the 2nd elevator and go right to the top of the tower. The view of Paris is amazing, unlike the USofA where a view from the top would show you rectangle chunks of land, Paris has an almost circular layout, with a wonderful mix of architectural delights clearly visible from the top like the Louvre, Les Invalides etc. Other than the 360 degree view of the city they have all around tiny flags of different countries with names of their major cities in the general direction of where the city would be and with kilometers indicating how far the place is from the Eiffel. Yes, we were 7026 KM's from good Ol Mumbai!!

After spending a great deal of time taking in the sights of Paris we were ready to head out and get some food. We followed our Fodors guide book and walked for about 20 minutes - on lovely cobblestone streets - to a restaurant in the 7th district of Paris - Cafe Du march. The restaurant was closed and hungry as we were at that point, we walked right into the next door cafe. here we had some of the best stuffed pasta, pizza, wine and topped it off with tiramisu and creme brulee!! Aahh truly a lunch fit for kings!

Word from the Wise : Ashish was carrying the Fodors guide to paris, this helped us greatly in not only finding restaurants but also understanding the history of the places we visited. Definately worth the investment!

After lunch, we headed to Les Invalides. This was built as a hospital and home for the veterans by Louis XIV, today it comprises of museums and buildings dedicated to the military history of France. We reached the place about an hour before closing, so we only had time to see the most famous part of Les Invalides - The Royal Chapel containing Napoleans Tomb!

When you enter the center chapel, there is a gigantic hole in the center where you can see a gigantic casket, there are 7 caskets of different materials - one inside the other and in the innermost it is said are the remains of Napolean Bonaparte! Under the casket, all napoleans major victories are written on the marble flooring and all around on the walls are carvings indicating Napoleans Life.Here too we took an audio tour which greatly helped us appreciate the place.

On leaving Les Invalides, we realized while we were a little tired, Paris was shutting down for the day! Yes, most places close around 6-7 PM. We decided that since it was still early, we would mark off a few more places if only from the outside.

So we took the metro to a station close to St. Sulpice church (thats where the last pic below was taken :) ) and then walked and walked and walked from St Sulpice Church, past the Lucembourg Gardens, to the Pantheon and the Odean Theatre. All this aimless wandering was interesting but very very very tiring too... by the time we were done it seemed like we had seen the entire city on foot!!

We ended the day with dinner at a Tex Mex restaurant near the Odeon Theatre - a disappointing meal (esp after the awesome lunch we had that morning) - and we decided to stick to pasta for the rest of our days in Paris!

With semi full stomachs and very very tired feet..we headed back home and straight away hit the bed..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Bonjour Paris!

The day began for us @ 3:00 AM!

Getting there :

We got ready, dropped Ashish/Nidhi to the San Jose airport and reached Premal's place at 6 a.m. so that he could drop us to the San francisco airport - > Detroit (beautiful airport btw) -> Amsterdam (no brownies @ the airport :( ) -> Paris!!!

Even with the early start and uncomfortable sleep inflight we got off at Charles De Gaulle airport with a lot of excitement. My advice to travellers is to make use of the adrenaline rush you have on the day your vacation begins..make the most of that day..we surely did as you will see..

From the Airport we collected our bags and got on a Metro train towards the city, our route was Train from airport to Gare Du Nord Station, second train from Gare Du Nord to Oberkampf station where the apartment we had rented was. The total time this took was about an hour.

Word from the wise: Travel Light, the Metro stations in Paris do NOT have elevators or escalators, instead they have steep flights of stairs where you will have to lift your bags. Coming from a super "invalid" friendly country this came as a rude shock to me. If you cant travel light, travel with a handsome strong hunk who can help lift your bags like I did ;) I'm sure Dharmen's arms still ache at the thought of those bags!!

We finally reached our apartment, met the rest of our gang, dropped our bags in the living room, freshened up a bit and left for the day!

The Accomodation:

Our Paris apartment was a 2.5 bedroom, 2 bath place with no air conditioner that was advertised to us as a 3 bedroom, 3 bath - airconditioned place. The living quaters were tiny (but this I understand is a Parisian thing, even the hotel rooms have very very less square footage). Over all the place was clean and liveable but nothing to write home about.

Day 1:

On Leaving the apartment we got back onto the metro and went into the city.The Metro in Paris is a superbly connected web covering a large part of the city, so definately plan to use it as much as possible as cabs are quite expensive.

We got off at Hotel De Ville, and entered the city of Paris. My first impression of the city was - its a mixture of then and now. The Architecture, the buildings and statues you see all around you remind you of the old whereas the shops,the fashionable people and the cafes on the streets are all very now! Ah..Welcome to Paris!

We started walking seemingly aimless but with a general idea of where we were headed, taking in the lovely buildings all around us, till we reached the river Seine.The Seine (from the word Sacred in Gaulish) was a river bustling with life, boats passing through on a regular basis, people along its shores and us..taking in the view while standing on one of the 37 bridges that are built to cross this river within the city or Paris.

Moving on we passed the Palace Of Justice and came to St. Chapelle Cathedral which is located inside the palace of justice complex on the ile dela cite in the center of Paris.This Chapel was built by Louis IX, king of France, to house the crown of thorns and fragment of the true cross, relics from the passion of christ.

The Cathedral has a lower chapel (which was used by the palace staff in the 12th century) and the upper chapel, which housed the relics from the passion and was only used by the king and his family and friends. It is said, that in buying the relics Louis IX put France "on the map"!!

The upper cathedral has the most amazing stained glass paintings (most of them original 12th century stained glass!). What was amazing is the entire story of the bible is depicted in these glass paintings, you're supposed to read the panes in a certain order and it has all the stories from the bible.

We had binoculars with us and that really helped us see and appreciate the art on the glass much much more.

After leaving the cathedral we headed towards the most famous cathedral in the world! Yes..we visited Notre Dame!

Notre Dame - or "Our Lady" in French was built in the early 12th century in Gothic Style by the pope of that time because he envisioned a great royal cathedral and did everything to make it happen. The first thing you notice at the entrance are the amazing sculptures, depcting the apostles and jesus among other scenes.Then your eyes move up and you see the famous Gargoyles. Gargoyles are nothing but water spouts, built to take out any water from the roof, but they are built in (often scary looking) human/animal forms. During the rains when water accumulates on the roofs, the water comes out from the mouth of these figures making it seem like they are gargling!!

Entrance to the Cathedral was free and on entering the Cathedral we took the audio tour. Audio Tours we found were available in most places of tourist interest all through Europe and they were a great big help in appreciating the places we were visiting.

Using the audio tour, among various things .. we saw the statue of mary and child that is the first to be brought out of the church even today when there is any official procession in Paris, We saw and appreciated the lovely carvings depicting the resurrection of christ and we saw an amazing collection of gold coins each of which had the potrait of a pope, the collection is up-to-date having a coin for the last pope (John Paul 11) as well. It is difficult to describe the cathedral entirely it is truly a place that must be seen.

On leaving the Cathedral, we were starving!! so we decided to grab a quick lunch. We walked into a nearby Cafe and ordered our first french meal. Sandwhiches and french fries ..lol..not very french eh?

The food was average and I suppose the right thing to do is to never eat near the tourist places (at least that was our experience), the best food we ate throughout the trip was always away from any real tourist attraction.

With semi-full stomach's and rested feet, we started on our way again towards the Seine. This time, we actually got onto one of those boats ! The Batobus (you can see it in the pic), is a mode of transport in Paris, it has 8 stops in total, covering the major tourist attractions like the Louvre, Notre Dame, Musee d'Orsay, Champs Elysee and the Eiffel Tower!!

Our stop was to the Eiffel Tower, we enjoyed the boat ride and got a riverside view of most of the above attractions, it was also fun to see other boats pass by and to watch all the different styles of bridges we were crossing under. Eventually, we got our first glimpse of Tour De Eiffel!

My first reaction, I remember very clearly, was "well, its small". And it did appear smaller to me than what I'd imagined. I guess, with all that I had heard about the tower, since I was a kid, made me imagine it as a behemoth structure, now dont get me wrong, it IS a huge tower and most magnificient to see up front, but I just had to share my first reaction :)

Once at the tower, we were in awe, we took a million pictures (read Ashish did) and as it was getting dark, we saw the tower lighting up! This was the most amazing thing to see, the Eiffel seems to completely change, right before your eyes, into something completely magical!

Once it was compeltely dark, the tower started simmering!! yes, they had these mini white bulbs on the tower that went on n off giving the tower a "disco" look. This was not something we expected and there was a collective gasp of delight from all of us when this show started! At the Eiffel at night..aah..truly stuff romantic dreams are made of!

And what a way to end our first day in Paris..the Eiffel Tower at night truly made it memorable. After spending some time here, we took the boat and then the metro back to our apartment. We were exhausted and thrilled and I think still trying to take in everything we had seen within a day!

Somehow, Dharmen had the strength to make Maggie that night which he shared with Ashish and Nidhi, but soon after that it was beddy bye time for all of us..sweet dreams folks..see you on Day 2!

European Escape Saga

 

Our trip to Europe was something we had been talking about for days before we left, the planning for the same resulted in a thousand or so emails between our friends and Dharmen. Hotel Bookings, Visas, Food, Travel arrangements, things to do etc etc etc.

When you're not taking an arranged tour but planning the whole thing yourself it is a LOT of work and right at the onset of this saga..take a bow..start drumroll...Nidhi,Dharmen,Brajesh and Ashish...end drumroll.

The 4 players above planned a near perfect trip that Shweta (the other one ;) ) and myself enjoyed to the fullest.

In documenting this trip my goal is mainly personal, I visited places I have dreamed of since I was a kid and I want to remember as many details of the trip as I can.. however, I hope this also helps others Plan their trips to the Magical World of Europe.

During the course of the next 15 blogs I invite you to travel with me to Paris, Geneva, Interlaken, Lucerne, Zermatt,Venice, Florence and Rome.. tighten those seat belts..its a wild ride!!

The Sweetest Thing...

We've been busy..work, visiting relatives,friends,party's et al - have kept us hopping for the last 4 months. The pace of life has been such that we've not had a lot of time to do ALL the things we've wanted to.And my blogging has been one of those things that took a backseat in the process.

I love writing and reading and both these things have been neglected recently. I have been passively complaining about the latter but didn't think anyone was listening to my rants on the subject.

Our busy lives continued to rush by and then today, my husband remarked - "Why don't you blog anymore?". Huh?? My reaction was stemming from the fact that I thought my husband really didn't read my blogs much less appreciate them. He went on to say "Well, you have a real talent, you write so well.. you should keep writing"..WOW!! I was sooo touched..it spurred me back into writing.

The subject of my blog..my husband..he IS..the sweetest thing!

Up, Up and Away

Apprehension.. That's what I feel each time I strap on my seatbelt and get ready for take-off.

Even after flying on hundreds of flights the feeling keeps returning like a bad penny..

Now, I'm not morbid by nature nor claustrophobic in general, in fact right after takeoff im absolutely fine..but there's something about sitting in an enclosed tin box and leaving the security of the ground beneath my feet that gets to me

Today is no different, as I board my flight and get in my seat, as I wear my seatbelt and hear the engines whir on beneath me.. I smile. I smile to mask my apprehension , then I wonder if the guy sitting next to me can see the fear on my face neways ..

I look out the window and say a silent goodbye to the city.. I look at the ground beneath and hope to stand on it soon

The airplane starts moving.. I hear the flight attendants go through the safety instructions in the background.. But I'm looking out.. I see an In 'n' Out restuarant sign..is that to be the last thing I see on earth??

No no no.. I look for something else.. The plane turns on the runway ready for takeoff.. Aah I see the sea.. The magnificent open sea.. And a bridge.. A man made piece of art seemingly standing strong against mother natures power!

Yes, my confidence in man made machines strengthens.. The flight takes off.. As the wheels leave the runway.. I say a silent prayer.. And then.. Up up and awaaay............

Which do you love more..

the USofA or India?

I often get asked that question when I go back to India for a visit. A random aunt, an old grandmother, an odd uncle and sometimes even people I've only just been introduced to!

Sometimes, the question is asked with an open mind and out of mere curiosity, but more often that not, the person asking the question is expecting the answer to be "Of Course I love India! Its the country of my birth, how can anything take its place!! America is nothing compared to my India", as soon as I give the answer they expect, there's a smug smile on their face and things move along to other topics.

Once in a while, simply to see the reaction, I have mentioned "Oh! I like America, its so much better there", and the reaction I get is a disappointed look and a statement like "that country changes everyone!"

*Sigh*.. In all honesty, I don't have a favorite.

India - Is the country of my childhood, some of my fondest memories are in India, memories of idyllic times, zero responsibilities, carefree days, family fun. Its the country where the foundation of the person that I am today was set, I learnt from my school and my parents to be who I am today.

America - Is the country that gave me my first paycheck. It is where I learnt to be independent and take on responsibilities. It is the country that has provided an easier lifestyle for me, simply because of the amazing infrastructure they have here and it is the country where I owned my first home.Almost all of my adult memories are associated with America.

Asking me which country I love more, is like asking a mother which of her children does she love more! I love them both equally, so does this mean I don't ever want to go back to India?

I've thought about that, and the answer is no, I do and I will go back to India, part of the foundation that was set inside of me in childhood, taught me to love family above all else, and while I do have an easier life in the US, I sorely miss my family. Each time someone is sick back home, my heart is restless, my mind becomes numb, I ache to go back! And so I will.

But if ever, anyone wants the real answer from me of which I like better, I will have none, I love both places equally and America, just like India, has a special place in my heart and life.

Words from the Heart and Soul

As I mentioned in my "catch-up" blog, I started a different space to keep in one place my small collection of poems..

The time has now come to reveal that blog :). .. Words from the Heart and Soul is my small contribution to amateur poetry..

Do leave comments on what you think about them ..

Gold Rush

The Olympics Gold Rush is half way through as I write this post, another week to go and I have been following the games on TV almost every night.

To start-off, the opening ceremony was truly unique, it not only had all the pomp and glory associated with an Olympic Opening but it also imbibed in it, an amazing show of tradition, unity and power that one will now forever associate with China.

Of the sports that I have been able to watch, (swimming, gymnastics and beach-volleyball being the only ones really) the skill and the passion of each athlete in these sports has clearly shone through.

Whether its Michael Phelps , with his world record equaling 7 gold medals , the 7th one in a photo finish even to add to the thrill, or it is Misty May and Kerri Walsh winning an almost lost first set (5 set points against them) againt the Belgiums in the most amazing game of beach volleyball I've seen so far, and of-course the Womens Gymnastics team - Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin - all poise, grace and balance - each athletes hard work was clearly visible in every movement of their bodies in their respective events! Many Kudo's to not just these, but every athlete who as competed in the games, win or lose - to play is most important.

As I write this, I notice that I'm most aware of and also inadverently always rooting for the American athletes, so when Nastia and Shawn were (i felt) unfairly given lower scores on uneven bars and balance beams that their Chinese counter-parts, even though their routine was far more flawless, I felt my blood boil for them! And when the eventual won Gold and Silver in the all round champioships I rejoiced at their gain..

Now, it could be because I'm in the US and the prime-time TV here focuses on events that the Americans excel in (all of the above) and also because having lived here for a long time, an American winning the Gold makes me as Happy as an Indian winning the gold would make me feel..I guess I do have the true Olympic Spirit in me then eh?

Well, almost :). When Abhinav Bindra from India won the gold, I almost fell off my seat in disbelief! I couldnt watch the event, it wasnt shown on TV here, so I read it in the news and after that momentary feeling of disbelief, I was amazed, happy, proud, laughing and sad all at the same time! Finally..after 25 years, 1 Individual GOLD for a country of 1 Billion People!!

It is a well known fact that sports are not properly encouraged in India, we're a country of engineers and doctors, of intellectuals and artists but unfortunately - no athletes. No? Well, we now have a name to be proud of too..Abinav Bindra - Gold medalist - 2008 Beijing Olympics!!

Wildlife Shmildlife..

"President" Bush wants to end an existing moratorium on off-shore drilling, this means allowing drilling for oil off the US coastline and opening the Alaskan Wildlife preserve for drilling as well, his pitch to the people is it will lower gas prices.

Some reports claim the oil got from these reserves will only last for 2.5 years (based on the current rate of consumption in the US) and other reports claim that the actual price decrease will be a measly 4 cents a gallon. So basically if we go ahead with the Bush-plan we would be ruining our coastline and tourism industry, hurting the environment, devastating the last preserved wildlife reserve in Alaska for a petty savings of 4 cents a gallon that would last for only 2-3 years.

Now, I don't know if the above reports are accurate or not, what I do know (from past experience) that President Bush is not always accurate, remember the "Iraq WMD theory"?, it led us into Iraq where no WMD's were found..but where thousands of American soldiers now lie. So when Mr. Bush says it will lower gas prices..how accurate is he this time?

Meanwhile, if we let this proposed thing happen, as humans we would have reached a new low. As the most evolved species on this planet that we call home, it is our duty to preserve the natural order of things, it is our duty to preserve the environment and it is our duty to speak for those that cannot speak for themselves. Yet, time and again, we have shrugged off these duties, we've killed animals for our own benefit or pleasure, we've ruined forests to grow concrete jungles and we've done our best to ruin the oceans with our oil leakages and industrial wastes. And now, once again..we pick up our drills and head into the last remaining frontiers of wildlife to ruin that too.

I was looking at footage of the recent flooding in the Midwest and the devastation it caused to peoples homes and businesses and the pain to the people living there, this is an example of the environment enroaching on OUR land..how does it feel? Don't we hate it? That's probably how the animals feel when we take over their land and they cant even give Televised interviews to complain!!

We need to wake up to our own responsibilities, we have been faced with the impossible before and we got over it with innovation didn't we? We said we would and we did put a man on the moon didn't we? Where did that America go? Why do we now look for short term benefits v/s long term results? Why cant we put all the money we would invest in these drilling activities into searching for alternative fuels instead? Isn't that the real long term solution in any-case? And if we take that decision now..wont we sleep a little better knowing that we saved some animals in the process?

If Mr. Bush really wanted to help the Americans, he would introduce policies to promote and better public transport and carpooling instead of suggesting drilling as an option. There are other options out there and only we can find them if we try!! A recent poll shows only 1 in 4 Americans still believes in Mr. Bush..and yet 57% Americans might approve of drilling for oil ?? How can you agree with the policies of a man you dont believe in?

Wake up America! Speak for the animals who cant speak for themselves, lets show them we are the more evolved species and lets show them why.

Playing Catch Up

Its been so long since I've written anything here and its more due to lack to time than lack of things to blog about!! I was reviewing all the posts lying around as Drafts in my dashboard (and there are soo many) and I figured this was really really not good :)

Some Time Capsule this will be if all the posts are never published :(. So i've promised to find a few hours each week to complete each of those posts and keep this blog more updated.

To quickly catch everyone up ..its been a pretty eventful year so far..
- My Mom and Grandmom paid us a visit recently - the best 20 days eveahh
- We started looking for a house..our very first home..yay
- We went on a trip to Yellowstone National Park
- I started another blog to post all my poems on (Yes!)

More on all of this and more coming soon..stay posted ;) ;)

To Live Beyond Life..

This was going to be one of those posts that are heart rending and sad because that is exactly how I feel right now, however, I dont think the person who this is for would approve, so instead of a feeling-sorry-4-myself post..here's a post that hopefully celebrates life and all it has to offer.

My grandfather (Dada) was born and grew up in pre-independance India and yet in thought and nature he very much belonged to modern India. Each of us passes thru many phases in life and and in each phase we play a very specific role, my grandfather was the master of each role..


The Student : He studied engineering in Benaras one of the better places to study in India at that time, kudo's to him for following his dream and his English was perfect! Maybe a result of growing up in British India.. :)


The Family man : This role more than any others I am most aware of, Dada together with my grandmother, raised 3 great sons. As the son's grew up and got married, the new daughter-in-laws also were brought into the family with a lot of love and respect. Till date, I have not seen 3 brothers who respect and love each other as my dad and uncles do and the same goes for my mom and aunt's. The one person responsible for keeping everyone together this way, the one person who commanded everyone's respect and love the most, and the one person who through his letters of advise and gentle guidance made this family a model joint family was my Dada.


The Grandfather : On every single birthday or every small achievement the one thing we could be sure of was that we would recieve a letter from Dada. Till the very end, he wrote us letters on every important day in our lives. Each letter was filled with advise on how to live life and what was most important to us at that point in our lives. The letters as always were only meant to guide, we were never pressured into following anything we did not believe in, and in-fact Dada and our parents always encouraged a healthy debate on things we did not commonly believe in. Dada did not only write letters to us grandkids,but also to his sons and daughter-in-laws, and these letters were all compiled into a book a few years back and distributed among our friends and family, everyone loved reading them..they were great pointers to leading a simple trouble free life!


The businessman : Dada started his own business (P.C. Gandhi and Associates) and till he fell sick recently, he used to go to office every single day. Never once did he talk about retirement, this I believe kept him sharp in mind. He was very aware of the goings-on in the world and always had examples and ideas to throw at us on possible things we should do with our lives.


The Religious Man : From the above, it should be very clear that whatever dada did he did with all his heart and soul and the same held true as far as religion was concerned. He used to pray every morning and go to the temple as often as possible. We used to have many healthy discussions with him on religion, god and blind faith and being true to himself, he held his own in our discussions but never inflicted his opinions on us. He always accepted our arguments with a twinkle in his eye.


Dada fought many health battles in his life, he was even taken to London early on in his life for a Major operation. However, he never let any pain show or stop him from leading the life he wanted to lead.


Recently, when he passed away, we were all lost .. it was like loosing the hand that was guiding us through the woods.. then we found his last letter, it was not addressed to us but to God. In the letter dada said he was happy with the life he had led and was ready to move on.. so even his death was on his own terms!


But who says he's gone? Dada lives on through his lovely letters, he lives on through his values that are imbibed in all of us and he lives on through all of us.. he prepared us for life and gave us a headstart..and now he lives on forever through us..


We LOVE YOU DADA..

Its Official! I can go to prison..

...at least in most of the states in the USofA. Am i getting morbid thoughts? Lets see..its Friday night, i'm sitting at home writing a blog, watching Desperate Housewives and waiting for my hubby dearest..who is out gallavanting with his friends from work at the "office" party..hmm reason to be morbid? most definately..am i? nah :)

I love these times when i'm alone with my thoughts..my personal time..something i cherish! So how did my thoughts turn towards prison? I read this article in Newsweek this morning about a prison in Maryland, that was turning its prisoners Vegan, simply because it served better vegan food than the non-vegetarian variety!

Now, I'm a vegetarian in a primarily meat (read : beef) eating country, however i'm very lucky to be living in california, a state where more & more people are turning towards vegetarianism, but i'm not living in a fool's paradise..its not that great everywhere else for us vegeterians, but still in the free world i might find something to graze on..but in prison???

When i read that article, i felt good and intrigued! So i googled "vegeterian food in US prisons" and was surprised to find a Top 10 vegeterian prisons list! Also, the article went on to say prisons served vegeterian food as a "punishment" to naughty prisoners, but more and more prisoners were liking the vegeterian food better than the meaty version, simply because it was healthier and it tasted better to boot!

To top this off, i recently saw "Sicko", the very interesting documentary by Michael Moore, and he found the healthcare in the Guantanamo Bay prison is better than that available to us general public! That settles it, if i need to go to prison..i'll survive :).

Now dont get me wrong, its not something i'm planning on doing anytime soon (or ever)..but life has a weird way of throwing curve balls at you, and if this one HAS to come my way..its a happy thought to know i'll be well fed and cared for while i fight the courtroom war..and on that happy note..Good Bye & Good Night!