O! what a month it has been? Unbelievable amount of activity at my end, and of course the rest of the world. I had this uneasy feeling over the past fortnight. Something felt amiss. I could not figure out what it was, until a few DFs inquired last week -- "Hey dude, what's up with your blog?". That's when it dawned upon me; I desperately needed the third best release known to man (in the recent times) -- blogging. So here I am, back again to update you with the happenings at our end and that of my DFs. I also have some thoughts to express about some of the recent events around the world.
The urge will never go. So, here it is again. The title of this post may be obvious to some, O = October. But, let me clarify that this is purely coincidental. My real intent was O = Obama! No points for guessing the candidate that I hope, will become the next President of the USA on November 4, 2008.
First things first. If you remember, I was on my way out to a get-together at DF Stephanie's place (Sept 6), when I excused myself out of the last post. It was a nice, well-hosted, private get-together (check out pictures) amongst a few office colleagues and several of their "little ones". I bet there were only about 10 of them (children), but it felt like 30. I try now and then, to learn about parenting from several of my DFs like Bulent. I hear that one tried and tested way to make kids not do something, is by distracting them into doing something else. Saying -- "Don't do it!", only aggravates the situation (agree Luann-Mike?!). Valuable lessons.
I also told you last month that we were worked on a home video during the Labor day weekend -- here it is. I hope you enjoy it and post your comments. This is our inspirational take on the ending track of the movie, Madagascar. If you haven't already watched it, you should check it out! I cannot wait for part deux -- Madagascar, Escape 2 Africa , coming to theatres on Nov 7, 2008.
We had a MIT (the other MIT) alumni reunion at Joshua Tree in NYC on Sep 13, 2008. It was nice catching up with alums ranging from 1984 - 2007. Here are a few pictures taken during the meet. Soon after, DFs Akshay, Kaushik, DW and I decided to go bowling at the Chelsea Piers. A pretty neat place to visit, if you have too much moolah to spend (mind you). I asked our waitress for water and she came back with a Norwegian designer glass-bottled water, Voss worth $5. Easily the most expensive 375 milliliters of water that I've ever drunk in my life. I tried my best to convince DF Akshay to take the bottle and say the award winning dialogue from OSO in Hindi while I take a video, but he wouldn't agree (and he expects me to work on the HQ of my blog). As usual, I tried to teach my DFs to spin the bowling ball. While I was at it, I asked DW to take a video. Thought I'd share it - here it is.
During the week of Sept 15-19, I was in Washington, DC, attending the 4th International Workshop and Exhibition on Plasma Assisted Combustion (IWEPAC). It was an interesting conference with smart plasma researchers from all over the world and few entrepreneurs seeking to invest in new promising technologies of the future. I could begin writing about using plasma in combustion and its advantages (may be some other day), but you wouldn't want me to. Trust me. DW can enlist a 100 reasons why not to ask Shailesh -- "What is plasma?". So, I will let you read about it here. During the evenings, I hung out with DF Sundari and took some nice pictures of the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Memorial and the US Capitol building (see above). During the same week (on Sept 17), DF Anand defended his philosophy and became a proud owner of the title "Dr." Anand Pillarisetti. His journey through graduate school was a roller coaster ride (started at UC Davis, moved to Drexel and finally graduated with Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park). After six years of unintended delays, patience and hard work, a well deserved sweet moment of success! We met that evening at celebrated at a Moroccan restaurant (Taste of Morocco, I definitely recommend this place). A week later or so, DF Sundari went skydiving along the coast of New Jersey (Ocean City, NJ). Check her out dive here. I probably will never have the guts to do this.
Talking about DFs; a close friends' group of mine from Manipal (undergraduate days), celebrated the 10-year anniversary of friendship this month (we first met on Oct 5, 1998). Often known as -- "The Squad", we had a great time in Manipal with loads of memories to cherish for the rest of our lives. We did some hilarious things during the time, one of which, thought I'd share with you today. Its called the "modern-day pictorial Ramayana" (pictures here -- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, taken in late 2001 and posted online in 2002). We parted ways after graduating (in 2002), but thanks to the Internet we kept in touch and celebrated 10 years (via email for now). There are a million things to write about the_squad. I will dedicate one of my future posts to re-live our memories.
On Oct 1, Sara Ansaloni, current President of the Drexel Graduate Student Association (GSA) sent me an email that made my day. After years of continual efforts of several GSA boards (including two that I was a part of, 04-05 and 06-07) in the past years -- Drexel University approved and implemented the graduate student health insurance subsidy program. Kudos to Sara/GSA team for getting this done and my congratulations to all eligible graduate students who will reap the benefit of these efforts.
I'd like to move on to expressing my thoughts about some significant recent events. In mid-September, the peace in Mangalore (DW's home town) was compromised by attacks on Churches by members of the Bajrang Dal. For years, Christians and Hindus have peacefully co-existed in this beautiful southern India town. The reason for attacks? There have been several, including (major ones) forcible conversions and supposed distributions of devious literary works by a Christian organization. Here are my thoughts. I have experienced being approached for conversion (wait, do not judge...read on) to Catholicism first hand (when DW and I were planning a Catholic wedding). But, let me also tell you that there was not an iota of "force" in it. My denial to convert in fact, was gracefully accepted and never was it mentioned to me again. At no point in time, was I ever made to feel uncomfortable about being Hindu. In fact, I took an excellent marriage counseling class (alongside DW, that I very highly recommend), wherein parallels of Hinduism and Christianity were very beautifully put into perspective for us. If you think that being approached for conversion was unacceptable, let me tell you about the events that followed. We of course had two beautiful inter-religious weddings (Catholic and Hindu styles) and soon after, went to register our marriage in Mumbai. On meeting the officer-in-charge (after 2.5 hours of waiting in line), we were asked -- "So, where are the conversion papers of the bride?". We explained that the two of us have chosen to respect each other's faiths and do without conversion. The officer replied -- "In that case, fill out form no. X and come after a month to sign the papers". Puzzled, we inquired -- "Can this not be done in today?". She promptly replied -- "Yes, if the bride converts to Hindu, this can be done today". Applause to the secular, democratic, republic of India! What double standards?! We decided to ask the officer to "shove it" and registered our marriage in the USA. Coming back to religious conflicts, check out these videos that showcase the misleading views of two hands (named Christian and Hindu) that belong the same "clap" -- 1, 2, 3 and 4. Do not get me wrong, I'm a big believer in the concept of religion. The original intent of religion was a noble one. Something that, in its unadulterated form was the key to the survival of humanity. See good in, be good to, do good to others (preached by all religions) are the quintessential elements of peace. Unfortunately, it has been grossly misused and abused by humans to fulfil their personal desires. There is a desperate need for modern-day humans to ingest religious information with a "survival filter".
Moving on to the big O. I'm enjoying every bit of the political drama that is cooking in the US right now, leading up to the Presidential elections in early November. I remember how awestruck I was, when I heard Barack speak (for the first time) 4 years ago at the Democratic national convention. I knew right then that he was cut out for something big. And here we are, looking at a realistic possibility of Barack making history. I watched all three Presidential debates (see here -- 1, 2, 3) and I have just one thing to say -- Barack Obama speaks my mind. I could not believe how much I agree with Obama and his policies. People in the US are easily the nicest that I have ever met. Yet, this amazing nation is perceived as a "bully" to the rest of the world. This (unfortunately) implies that the true quality of the American people somehow, never translates into its leadership. The US needs a President who will showcase the real face of the nation to the world, i.e. "change" the current face. The one who knows, how not to lose his cool during difficult conversations; one who will not take emotional decisions but a well thought out one with an exit strategy (we need Arjun and not Abhimanyu, haha!); one who believes that a dialogue and not force, is the right path towards peaceful solution to problems. Do not assume here, that I have issues with John McCain. His commitment and determination to serve/lead the country is incredible. He is a true fighter and I have high respect for him (I hate his smirks though). However, I believe that cool-as-a-cucumber Barack Obama is the way of the future. Let us see how all this shapes up in November?!
I recently took a diversity class at work. We were shown a video that I thought was amazing. I immediately decided to talk about it on this blog and share it with you all. This documentary called -- "A Class Divided", is a lesson on racism taught by Jane Elliot to her 3rd-grade students in 1970. She then shares it with them more-than-a-decade later in mid-1980s. Check it out -- Part1 and Part2. It shows how the human behavior, capability and productivity can dramatically change, when you are discriminated against. A excellent demonstration of the human nature in its purest form (in children). Talking about work, I am in the process of changing my job assignment. I will move from developing technological solutions for the metal heat treatment industry to modeling hydrogen production plants. I'm mighty excited!
Changing gears again. A lot to talk about in Sports. DT Eagles are struggling with injuries, but they seem to be displaying brilliance at times (4th quarter against 49ers last week). I'm not a big baseball follower, but it has happened. DF Nachiket says that I've now become a "believer". Home team Phillies made it to the World Series (WS) this year, their first after 1993. I hear that they have not won the WS since 1980 (the year I was born). Whoa! Such stats get me excited, big-time! I am really hoping to see a Phillies vs. Red Sox match up in the WS. Depends on what happens in the game today. I am also closely following the much awaited Australia vs. India Test series going on in India at this time. The first test ended up being a lame draw and the second one might head in the same direction (given the state of the pitch). The only saving grace until now has been Tendulkar breaking the world record number of runs in Test Cricket. He is indeed, the God of Cricket.
It is quite surprising, but there has not been a DWOM. I asked her yesterday - "Hey, how have I not seen you being obsessed about something this month?". She replied -- "Too busy". She recently changed her job profile from post-sales to pre-sales. The transition has been keeping her busy. Nevertheless, I did see her watching a couple of new songs by Britney Spears -- "Piece of Me" (she won the 2008 MTV video music award for this) and "Womanizer". You have to give it to the woman (Britney), what a comeback it has been?! Good for her.
Alright all, its time to sign off. I hope you enjoyed this update. I got some really good feedback from a few of my DFs about how my blog inspires them to write their own. This is a serious compliment and I thank you for it. I hope DF Mahesh (one of my inspirations to get into blogging), recovers from his mid-blog crisis. Take care and have a great coming month. You should read from me next, some time in November (possibly during or after Thanksgiving).
