When Breath Becomes Air...

Title of the blog is confusing,isn't it! I finished reading book "When Breath Becomes Air" on Sunday evening (5th May 2019) and I spent my Monday quite restlessly. Firstly I thought it could be Monday blues but no it wasn't. It was impact of Dr. Paul Kalanithi!

Paul Kalanithi was a neurosurgeon who was diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 35 and he could survive just a year :(. His profile is very impressive with Stanford and Harvard on his list.
This book is about a very intelligent and successful doctor who does life critical surgeries on his patients, goes thru dilemma of informing the delicate condition to friends and relatives of the patients and one fine day finds himself in the same life threatening condition.

Book largely has medical notions and terminologies but Paul is philosophical throughout.Being a doctor, he is aware of the growth of his disease. He exactly knows "When is the Time" and that is scary.
Last chapter particularly makes a reader very sad and introspective.I was stunned to see the courage displayed by Paul when he gets admitted last time and rejects incubation. He feels the death..he knows that "This is how it ends"!! No matter what amount of reading we do or prayers we chant ,i dont think one can prepare for a death. I wonder about the journey afterwords..does soul realizes that it is leaving one body and entering into new one. Throughout life we are so attached to material /immaterial things/people but suddenly when Breath becomes air...all of it doesn't make any sense.

A must read book for like minded friends.

Gargi's Tiny

Last month, on a rainy morning, I went to wish good morning to all my lovely plants in my balcony and suddenly one little cripper caught my attention and I almost jumped with the excitement. It was little "Tiny" peeping out from the middle of another plant!

On start of new year,2011,I traveled to California on 3 months work assignment. Gargi was 9 and courageously bid me goodbye. She was in the safe hands of her father and grandparents. Apart from this, one person who played good role in supporting her during that time was dear friend, Manju Dhume. Gargi was going to her for value based lessons. As a part of that, Manju distributed pots with seeds sowed to all the kids of the class. In few days, little sapling grew and voila Gargi got her new friend. She named it "Tiny" and would talk to Tiny for long and used to take lot of care. I mostly feel she would have shared everything she would share with her mom (if I were in Pune).

Since then Tiny has seen many ups and downs :) At times, it would bloom then it would disappear but we felt very happy every time it bloomed. Two years back, we lost it completely ..means there were no signs of it during monsoon or spring season. Felt bad on losing our little Tiny :(


From January 2011 till June'2019 ...8 years passed  and it has resurfaced again. I guess, its all Gargi's love towards little plant which has helped it sustain all adversities in it's life cycle. I understand that all other kids had lost their plants in few months but our Tiny is 8 years old now!  It makes me proud of my both the kids and has special place in my heart.

Seeing Gargi and Tiny grow together is a beautiful experience.

The Brick Lane

Today I decided to explore the street art of London. Gargi had introduced me to street art while we were in Belleville,Paris but I did not take much interest then.

Luckily, this wonderful street was just across my hotel. So this Sunday morning, I put on my walking shoes and entered Brick lane bit hesitantly. Hesitantly because this part of city is bit notorious. I choose to explore in the morning to be on safer side.

If you enter from While Chapel Gallery side, initially you do not see much. Like everything else, you need to explore more and walk deeper into the lane. What I witnessed was very lively street with lot of Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants and lot of art on the walls. There was huge local market where local artisans were selling clothes, jewelry, postcards. After exploring markets, when I walked further down the streets, there were lot of food stalls set up on the road and tourists and locals were enjoying the cuisine. I noticed lot of "Vegan" boards. Further down, there was Brick Lane food court hall which again had lot of food stalls set up by local vendors. I ordered Veg Tacos from one of the stalls. Owner seemed Indian Bengali couple as lady had big Bindi and sindoor on her forehead. she had  strikingly noticeable  pleasant smile and was welcoming all the guests with lot of warmth.No wonder it was one the busiest counter. After food, I pushed off to another favorite activity to Stratford :)

Overall very nice experience! Enjoy photos from the lane.

Sillicon Valley Calling

I always thought if it has to be a USA visit , it would be to Shweta's place / Disney land with Gargi..and here i was ..travelling all alone to Sunnyvale on the night of 5th Jan 2011. All the pressure and hectic schedule took toll on me and i broke down at the Airport and so did Gargi :( That glass partition thing at the M'bai airport added fuel to it...
The journey was good but tiresome. I cld not contact home from Heathrow and felt very depressed..felt like taking back another flight home :( But a hairdresser from San Francisco "Maya", lady in sixties got me into talking and made 11 hr journey bearable...

Movies seen on board - SALT , AISHA , LONG DISTANCE

Landed in San Francisco on 6th Jan , around 3.30 pm ..the Staybridge suite looked impressive but lonely.

I was so low when Shefali took me home and i felt so nice to be with her..and when i came back on Sunday evening..i was much relaxed and composed! Also daily calls with shwetu helped me gather my composure, we wld chat anything on the earth...daily!

The StayBridge suites here are very impressive and lavish. It has complimentary breakfast everyday , dinner on three weekedays, gym , DVD rentals , shuttle pickup and drop off..What else does one need when away from home. I started enjoying it.
It was my FB post about "Google Headquarters" which got me in touch with two old acquaintances from Akola. Makarand Ganu and Rahul Deshmukh. Makrand is in Dallas and he called me up and we discussed everything from Ramdas peth, RLT college ....etc etc.
Rahul Deshmukh is my Chemistry teacher's son...aha! the joys of small cities...you almost know every person, we are meeting over for lunch on 19th Jan :)
Also, Sukanya , Swati Tendulkar's friend did visit me and made inquires. Nandita has called twice and provided me with India calling card which is like a great gift to me !

But highlight of the visit would be meeting with Ajay and Meera ( if she at all makes it to Sunnyvale)
It was surprising to locate Ajay in Bay area..oh my god...this trip is turning out to be really interesting!
Also ,went sight seeing with Juniper guy, jaikumar and his colleague from USA ,Donna. Donna is good..friendly and trustworthy. She liked the Indian style Tea, I made for her.
Also went shopping with Ananya, a simien's employee from B'lore ...

Movie list till now - Meet Joe Black, Revolutionary Road , Catch me if you can,It's complicated,Yes Man, The Firm ( Tom cruise is too chocolaty in this...!),Rumor has it!,Valentine Day,Red Corner,Mistress of Spices, Rita , Gaiir , No One Killed Jessica, Patiala House,Dil to Bachcha Hai ji,Gho Mala Asala Hawa (Marathi movie)

I am talking daily to Gargi and Pankaj but wish they cld join me here....My daily skype calls with Gargi are helping both of us. I like her style, she flies a kiss in the camera ,blows it towards the camera and says..Go!go to america...and when i do the same..she catches it and puts it on her cheek...chooo shweet...girls I tell you,are very senti from the childhood :)) I just love that moment!

My Blunders so far - Turning on the coffee brewing machine expecting to fill just my cup but it started pouring ...it is used to fill the Jars :) I threw three cups full in the sink and finally had to call for help ...lol!

23th Jan- I had a nice weekend , as usual I was busy chatting and on calls :) .This Saturday,i preferred not to go for sight seeing with someone i don't know but rather spend time time all by myself. I spent good 3 hours in a huge electronic shop here named as Fry's! What an technology,Sir Ji! I mean so many latest gadgets...so many systems just to listen to music..liked it very much and actually got tempted to buy BOSE system for iPod. In the evening ,Donna came over for an evening tea ..it was fun talking to her and discussing various geographies!
On Sunday,went to Great Mall ,Milipitas,with Ananya. It required us to take a light rail which is like a Tram. It was only two of us on the platform and moment we chatted , a speaker at the platform informed us that "Talking is prohibited on the platforms" ..LoL! Then came the time for us to buy the tickets. I was putting 8 dollors ( 5$ + 1$ *3 = total 4 bills /notes) together and machine was not accepting! Finally realised that one bill at a time should be injected into the machine..gosh but it was good fun :) Light rail journey was very good..it passes thru sillicon valley..huge buildings of cisco! The Great Mall is HUGE..we shopped till we dropped and lost track of time..had to catch 5.22 pm rail for the return journey and it was already 5.10 in the mall..we ran like crazy and yes, made it!! OMG..what an experience!

And yes, on Friday had lunch at Indian restaurant here "Bombay Garden"..nice buffet..i eat everything from south to north Indian food , sweets , ice creams :)

28th Jan -> This is such a foggy morning but since Friday its OK :) ..i mean the gloomy weather outside can can put down the Friday enthusiasm of the people!
I am taking an Amtrak today to Davis. Going to see Kiran aatya after 15 odd years ! Hoping to enjoy my two and half hr train journey. It is supposed to be a scenic ride but i am taking an evening train.

30th Jan - Time 9.20 pm PST
I am back from Davis and had most wonderful time of my life. It was so nice to spend time with Kiran aatya and Arihant Uncle. I met him for the first time and aatya after almost 15/16 years..but still we talked on various topics ,cooked together , watched movie and had wonderful food! I also enjoyed my journey way back home by train. It indeed has a nice view.

Now, I am no more amazed at people who thrive to come to USA,it is so neat and clean city.Cleanliness is a basic right of any human and in India..that is missing. Am i falling in love with USA ? may be or may be not...cuz i am a people's person..i need friends and family..it just this break away from the routine life of India..which is giving me peace and time for myself. Should take more such breaks even while in India.....may be to Goa /Ranthambore...;-)

Two two things I must mention about this journey..Amtrak and mazi fajitee :)
Amtrak is a local train which connects the SanJose to capital city of Sacramento. It is very much similar to ones we have in India with respect to speed and technology. But has chair car sitting on two levels and very neat and clean. It has comfortable chairs with enough leg room and a table to keep eatables / books. Has separate reading light for each seat.
About the second one, I have been facing problem with my card even since i am in USA. I had to buy a ticket to Davis. The "Quick Track" system ( self operated ticket buying machine) on the Santa Clara,Great America station did not accept cash but just the card. Based on my previous experience (mentioned above) i had made sure that i have enough cash to put in the machine. But this one..only cards. Well, i did put in my HDFC Forex card but it refuse to accept it. Got tensed for a second, as there was no help around to guide. But thr was no option to board the train without ticket! I sat all alert looking for conductor and when he came I kept my cool and conveyed my problem to him but he was all cool cuz they do have facility to buy tickets onboard :) Hussh....i was so relieved! But I need to cross my fingers all through this trip as this is the second incident with the card. Amazon did not accept any of my cards, i had to provide Shweta's card no for buying my camera :(

2nd February-
How aptly i call myself "Nomadic"!! Today, had to move to mBlox apartments as my stay got extended and naturally its more economical for the Client. I was thinking about the move over a weekend ..just then Sukanya mailed me saying she can take me shopping if i wish to! I decided to take her help with the shifting and moved this morning.
Its a nice two bedroom apartment furnished with all modern amenities.But again I am going through same hollowness / loneliness which i felt when arrived here. Controlled my tears while talking to Gargi. To keep myself busy and occupied , made some poli-bhaji for myself. Talked to Pankaj and Shweta. Shweta is playing a role of "Tai" these days :) The phone here is having problem..suddenly u feel cut off from the world..I might not get sound sleep today..navin jaaga...

3rd Feb-
Took nice walk around the neighbourhood this evening and also around the Garden. All the young mommies with their children were there in the play area,mostly Indians. I remembered my days in the Doha ! The place is quite soothing and got plenty of benches to sit..i think i have found my place to relax in the evening.

11th Feb-
Writing after a week! This is a lazy Saturday morning.It feels nice to just sit , listen to old Kishor Kumar songs while looking over the garden .aha! a perfect weekend! And oh yes...sourdough bread for the breakfast..yummy...what an aroma! I had nice dinner at DishDash resturant here with Darin and Naresh,mBlox colleagues. It is a Mideastern res. Made me nostalgic about my days in Doha with all that Falafel and overall ambiance.But had to walk for 35 mins to reach there..i am walking so much in Sunnyvale!
Last week was good. Had invited Donna and Ananya for dinner, we had nice time talking and cooking. Been to "the city" again. Took the Caltrain from Sunnyvale and then a public transport "muni" to go to Fisherman's wharf. I just releasied in this travel that i am not that bad with maps and figuring out the best way of using public transport. Generally ,when Pankaj is with me, i wont bother much. But i was proud of myself when we got the best deal for city sight seeing in SFO. Looking forward to San diego visit next weekend. Should be fun!

15th Feb -
Happy today,for three main reasons.
1.My assignment ends on 12th March
2.I would be visiting Shweta in DC on my way back :)
3.And San Diego visit
I am counting my days back now, longing to meet Gargi, hug her ,kiss her ,cuddle her.. Baas only three weekends more :)

American Woman
The American woman is so free spirited, i envy her at times. Her mind is so free from all the social stigmas. She dresses what if feels like, she talks the way she wish to.Ever wonder, if she is told in the childhood that a girl is not suppose to talk / laugh loudly!

17th Feb-
POT LUCK -> There was a pot luck today in mBlox US office. i decided to cook somthing Indian and made "Chchole". Everybody here just loved it and appreciated it. I felt like a celebrity chef to whom everyone is asking for an recipe ;-)
I am in all yuppieee mood to meet Meera and visit LA / San Diego!!

27th Feb-
Writing after 10 long days. Had wonderful time in San Diego with Meera and her daughter ,Siddhi! Meera had made so much plans for me and cooked some wonderful food. I am glad i visited her. I also met Sujata and Makarand Sohoni , that was a real surprise to find them living in the same colony as that of meera's! Had lunch with Sujata and their daughter "Radhika". San Diego is a pretty city with beautiful beaches. The sea world in San Diego has wonderful shows..i missed Gargi a lot! I want to show her all of this. On my next assignment, I am sure going to take her along ! few thing worth a note about my experiences on my San Deigo journey.
1. We ran out of gas (petrol) while in San Diego and car stopped abruptly in the middle of the road. I thought i will have to push the car now :) but we simply called the Insurance agent "AAA" who in 15 mins came with the enough gas so that we can drive till nearest Gas station. I quite really liked it. Imagine,if it would have happened to me in India :)
2. In a restuarnt while Meera's husband was just trying to control his daughter's behaviour, one American lady asked him to behave with the child else 911 will be called! My goodness...kid are given so much security here and poor parents..
3. On my way to Sunnyvale from San Jose Airport, the public transport was very good. There is a free shuttle from Airport to the main Bus stop. Also the buses here have a sort of by-cycle stand in the front section of the Bus, so bikers can simply park their bikes and ride the bus. So very convenient.

Writing after a long time....I had a wonderful wonderful time with Shweta.Instantly i felt at home at her place :) As if its my home. We are real soul mates..distance between us does not matter. The journey from San Diego to DC is worth a mention too. I had a interconnecting flights with transit time of only 30 mins. My leg 1 flight got delayed and i was tensed on reaching the Dallas Airport but luckily next flight was delayed. I needed veg food but could not get as most of the outlets were either closed or did not had veg food. Had to manage with Corn :(

I met Nandita after so many years and her husband Ganesh for the first time. We had a dinner together and spend some time at her place.

Somehow, return journeys are always pleasant.And what a reunion with a family :)) Gargi was awake at 3 am,ready with a lovely card and flowers. I was finally at HOME ..sweet home :))

But most importantly, what did this trip taught me or gave me. It regained my confidence of travelling and living in a completely new place. Got to meet my old closest friends , sister and her family. I made a wonderful new friend,Donna. 
Professionally,it added credits to my resume and have received good feedback from the customer.  

Challenges

Got this in one of the forwards,liked it !

Challenges

The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the water close to Japan has not held many fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went further than ever. The further the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring the fish. If the return trip took more time, the fish were not fresh. To solve this problem, fish companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go further and stay longer. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen fish. And they did not like the taste of frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price. So, fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, they were tired, dull, and lost their fresh-fish taste. The fishing industry faced an impending crisis! But today, they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan.How did they manage? To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks but with a small shark. The fish are challenged and hence are constantly on the move. The challenge they face keeps them alive and fresh! Have you realized that some of us are also living in a pond but most of the time tired and dull ? Basically in our lives, sharks are new challenges to keep us active. If you are steadily conquering challenges, you are happy. Your challenges keep you energized. Don't create success and revel in it in a state of inertia. You have the resources, skills and abilities to make a difference. Put a shark in your tank and see how far you can really go!

Serene Sikkim

In the summer of 2010, we decided to explore the unexplored and headed towards the north east region of India. We covered Gangtok, Lachung,Darjeeling.

We decided to take a train for the onward journey and booked spicejet for the return journey.The 36 hours journey in the Azad Hind Express was good and because of kids, it was fun. Most relief was when my brother's close friend Nitin Peshne got the steaming hot fresh lunch from Naivedyam,Nagpur along with lots of chocolates and ice creams.Thats what i wld call a Vidharbhi Pahunchar....a Royal treatment :)

We reached Calcutta early morning at 4 am and it was bright daylight in the City of Joy. Yatri Niwas(right at the station) was booked for us.Its a very comfortable, clean and economical stay for a short duration.We visited Victoria Memorial ,Birla Planatorium and Kali ghati temple. Birla planatorium was more of a power point presentation and narration was in plain tone...we did not go inside the kali ghati temple looking at the crowd and surrounding area.Calcutta was very hot and humid. Took a Darjeeling express to NJP from Sealdah station.Next morning a Tavera was waiting for us at NJP station which took us to Gangtok.The journey from NJP to Gangtok is apprx 4 hours and river Teesta accompanies you throughout the journey.A very scenic journey.
We stayed at pure vegetarian 'Tibet Gallery" which had a beautiful veiw of famous "Kanchanjunga" from our rooms. Gangtok is a capital city of Sikkim.Its a typical hilly town with absolutely zero pollution and slow paced life. Its MG road market reminded me of Croydon market of London..very well done and exlusilvely for Pedestrains.
Next day, we started our journey for Lachung in the north Sikkim.The vehicle was very good (Scorpio) and the driver as well.His name was Tenzing Buthia, a very smily person :) For Sikkim, it is said that journey itself is a Destination and we experienced that in our journey to Lachung....lot of waterfalls on the way surrounded by the lush green hills. We took a halt for lunch at a place called Namak.It was a real suprise to get freshly made vegetarian food in such a small town.The dining area of the house was ethenically made.
Lachung is a pristine small town surrounded by Himalayas. You immediately get a sense of calmness and humbleness infront of natures beauty and bounty. The Yamthang Valley, also known as "Valley of Flowers" is very beautiful.You can take small treks ( 3/4 km). The origin of Teesta river can be seen from Zero point.The Teesta here is very cold but again very lively. Wish we had more time in Lachung. If you happen to visit, keep yourself at least 2 days here. We also tasted the locally made wine :)
The tsomngo lake and Rumtek monestry in Gantok are also worth a visit.
Visiting Darjeeling after Sikkim is quite disappointing as Darjeeling is very crowded , commercial tourist place.We liked the local Zoo.
"Lonely Planet" series for India is an excellent source of information if you are not going with any tour operators.We followed it for the eatries and places of interest. Most of the suggested restuarants turned out to be good.
Overall ,it was a very good experience and we came back with a promise to visit again :)