A neglected human need

I think that there is another human need which is often neglected - to be listened to. I think its something everyone needs and its something that a lot of people don't get enough of. This is especially true for little kids and older folks. Sure, a lot of kids and seniors speak gibberish, jibber-jabber, and nonsense, but just sitting down and listening to someone can make a world of difference. So the next time someone wants to talk, just listen to them with an open-mind. It'll do the both of you some good.

Cafe Red Onion

Mmmm. I had the most amazing meal last night at Cafe Red Onion. I ordered something off the menu, the special of the night, as recommended by a most courteous waiter. Usually, the specials at a restaurant are not vegetarian-friendly so I typically ignore them. But last night the special was avacado enchiladas served with a mango salad, rice, and a few black beans. Did I mention that avacado and mango are two of my favorite things in the whole wide world? The meal was excellent, and Cafe Red Onion has once again shown why it deserves a spot in my top ten restaurants in Houston. Unfortunately, I am not sure my friends enjoyed their food as much as I did. Oh well, their loss!

Here is a picture of the meal I had at Cafe Red Onion the first time I went there. It was taken on a friend's cell phone way back when cell phone cameras were new and cool. I remember that night well as our group had just seen Peter Jennings and Jim Lehrer speak at school. Oh, those were good times.

Orlando

I just returned from a short vacation in Orlando. I realize that Orlando isn't exactly a hot vacation spot for people of my demographic (not a kid, not a parent), but it was a great time. Actually, being on vacation was far more important than the destination - I needed some time to relax, forget about some things, and reenergize for what promises to be a busy time ahead.

Some thoughts on Orlando. Its sort of like Vegas in that all these resorts take in huge amounts of money from tourism (here its the parks, Vegas has the gambling) and spend this money on huge, extravagant complexes full of over-the-top amenties and attractions. Its like Vegas for the family.

On our way to Disney Downtown (which is full of restaurants, bars, clubs, and shops to attract the not-so-young but not-too-old crowd) I realized that driving into the Disney complex is like driving into an airport. We exited the freeway, and were following these huge signs directing us to different resorts and parks (like terminals at an airport). There are so many resorts and attractions in this complex (Disneyworld, Epcot, MGM, Animal Kingdom, Disney Downtown) - it was crazy. It took 10-15 minutes after we exited the freeway before we got to our destination.

Another thing that I found a tad annoying - everywhere you go there is a note about tipping. I guess they need that to make sure the international visitors know what's up, but I found it annoying as heck. I wish tipping could be reserved just for really good service, and that it wasn't something that was expected for simply average service.

Anyhoo, it was great getting away from home and work and relaxing for a bit.

The Namesake (I)

I just finished reading an amazing book - "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri. The way she writes has ensorcelled (just learned that word) me. She writes about ordinary events with such vivid description and details that I feel like she is experiencing what she is writing as she is writing. Perhaps I feel connected to this book also because I can relate to the main character's trials and tribulations as an "ABCD." But I just can't get over how well she writes. I feel like Mrs. Lahiri has lived each of her characters lives fully and completely before writing. I don't understand how she can know so well what a 20-something year old Indian kid growing up in America feels and thinks.

Another thing that impresses me is her ability to describe the Indian-American culture without describing the Indian-American culture. By simply describing the events in the characters' lives, she reveals to the reader what its like being Indian-American. It reminds me a lot of a book I read called "Norweigan Wood" by Haruki Murakami. I learned so much about Japanese culture from his writing which basically went through the mind of the main character without focusing on Japanese culture.

I'm not sure I am making much sense with all of this. All I know is that "The Namesake" is a fantastic book. I plan to write more entries about it in the near future.

10 years

Last night was my 10 year high school reunion (the previous night was the reunion icebreaker). Its funny how much things stay the same. With some people who I haven't seen in 10 years, I felt like I saw them yesterday. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Also interesting to see what people are doing now compared to what I remember them wanting to do in high school. I felt like a lot of people found their niche career, even if it wasn't exactly what they saw themselves doing 10 years ago.

Everyone looked great. Almost everyone was married. I wish more people would have showed up. I can't find everyone I wanted to reconnect with on Myspace and Friendster after all!

10 yr reunion

Tonight is my 10 year high school reunion. It should be fun. Hopefully reconnect with some old friends. Maybe not. Seems like a lot of people are afraid of this reunion. Maybe they feel like they have to prove something to others, or achieve certain things before the reunion. Whatever, I'm not married, I'm still in school, I guess I haven't reached those so-called landmarks. But I'm going to the reunion to have fun.

tragedy filled week

There has been a lot of bad news this week. A family friend, who I did not know well, passed away unexpectedly. I feel horrible for his wife and children. The bombings in Bombay left almost 200 civilians dead, including four people from my father's neighborhood there. The brother of a cousin's wife lost his life. And in Lebanon and Israel, scores of innocent civilians are dying.

Will the cycle ever end? Hate vs. Hate - hate always wins.

But life goes one, tomorrow is a new day. I'll go back to my life of grad school, friends, and family, and hopefully appeciate them more. Well, at least the friends and family.

running

So today I got up when it was still dark (as an old friend would have called it, the “butt-crack of dawn”) to go running. It’s a Saturday morning, and the second week in a row I’ve gotten up to run. I’ve got 25 more weeks of this to look forward to.

I joined Houston Fit, a running group to train for the Houston Marathon in January. I’m running to raise money for education projects in India, but also to prove to myself that I can do it.

The roads were empty on my way to Memorial Park, but as soon as I got to the entrance, it was packed. Like crazy. I didn’t know Houston had so many eager runners. Most of my friends and most people my age are probably hung-over or at least sleeping in on Saturday mornings. At least that is what I was doing the for a few weeks before I joined the group.

I was also surprised to see so many normal looking people in the group. Big people, small people, young people, old people, everyday looking people, not especially athletic looking. I felt more comfortable.

The run was fun. I’m looking forward to the next few months. That is an understatement, after the run today, I was super-excited for the next few months. We’ll see how it goes.

this blog

I’ve thought about starting a blog for a while now. I’m a pretty quiet person, but I think about a lot of things, so here’s my way of getting some of the stuff in my head out there. I’m gonna be as open-minded as I can be, and if you want to add a comment, I ask you do the same.