The Mad Dash

The nomad has moved again! Now to SF. A good friend had suggested time and again that I do this a long long time ago. Finally here I am, sharing a house right on top of a hill. With an amazing amazing view, and good weather so far. I have yet to explore, but like what I see so far. The commute on the train, the welcoming rain, nice & helpful landlord (?) who loves to cut up things (!?), the hikes up and down the hill daily, the views, the people. That is probably my favorite. The mill of people churning around.
Changed the settings on my alarm & slept late yesterday, only to realize in the morning that I had overslept! But not till I was at the door did I realize how close I was to catching the train, and I couldn't give up without trying. So out the door I went, dashing down the hill, running in front of cars over the zebra crossing, just to see the train doors close right in front of my eyes about fifteen steps away! But wait the train wasn't moving yet and a few people were walking to the front of it. And so I followed too. There it was, the bothersome door, refusing to close! Oh how I loved it at that moment! And so the stars aligned to get me in on that train where I sat beating my brains over a crossword (not even one extra solution did I get though while on the train!).
I have a feeling my friend is right. And I will love it here.

Experience of a Lifetime

Backpacking South rim to North rim of The Grand Canyon. We were supposed to be eighteen of us on the trip, but dwindled down to fifteen cos of one collar bone fracture and two last minute drop outs. I knew only five of the others; but by the end of the trip got to know the rest too. Over long lazy afternoons, and early morning hikes. The shepherds - always looking out for the straggling hiker. The driven  hikers. The loyal one and the one underestimating his own capabilities. And the one hiker who stayed unfussy through the trip - not her usual style!
Got to know the unrelenting heat of the Canyon and how good it feels to rest in its shades. The pretty little nooks it has hidden away for the hikers who seek them out. The beauty of its vastness. The wild flowers springing in the most unexpected setting. The rivers trickling down over time smoothed rocks. The tranquil deer getting a drink from the stream, that decided to empty its bowels upstream of where we were unwinding in the coolness of the flowing water. The oasis in the dessert - where our thirsty & hot bunch got quenching, chilling & amazingly refreshing lemonade! And chilled out with some Uno, who would've thought!
The unbroken uniformity of the landscape while trudging along only to turn a corner and suddenly feel the cool breeze from the river flowing nearby. Ah the cool waters, how good they felt on the dipped feet. That piece of paradise formed by a piddling little stream of water. The grandest view of the Colorado cutting through the Canyon in the setting rays of the Sun. Chance meetings with strangers and getting to know that quintessential detail about them which somehow stays with you. Nights spent under starry starry skies with streaks shooting across every so often! (I've made a loot of wishes! :) ) The clamorous crickets and incessant buzz of more insects. The daring squirrels, the un-bothered deer. The soaring birds. The crisscrossing switchbacks. The sandy uphills. The sweet support of the trekking poles. The undying solar lamp. The never ending last two miles (so true is the untaught law - weight is directly proportional to time!). The beautiful beautiful sight of the dumpster which heralded civilization!
Best four days.

Alaska

 

 

 

Random Tidbit

Read this somewhere today - the reason we sweat when nervous is cos our system is preparing to run! Fight or flight. So apparently we sweat in areas which chaff when running so it helps against chaffing. Isn't that interesting?! the first reaction our body has to any kind of agitation is - run! :P
I find it hilarious for some reason! :D

Moonlight Hikes and Shooting Stars

Love living in the Bay. As they say - Location location location. And this one of the best I've seen. This summer has been particularly good to me. Numerous hikes, travels and fun in general.
Hiked the Mission Peak again yesterday and this time it seemed easier though I was on the harder trail. And was it beautiful! The weather was the best and the moonlit path back just divine! Seeing as I had a wish to make and that it was that time of the year for Perseid's meteor showers I was wishing to see a shooting star.. and wasting a wish in wishing for it! :D But I did see one and got to make my wish - so all is good!
One of the best hikes I've been on recently. Loving Summer! Always :)

Is it Me?

I often had issues with taking stuff people say at face value. I find nuances which make me believe they are making it up. Or some such excuse to say the speaker is not being true. Is it maybe because I am not capable of the what they are talking about and hence internally convert what they are saying into a falsehood?
As they say 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'

Finally

After a lot of procrastination, I have taken the first step toward exploring what I might like to do with my time. It might be hard to work it out, but still I'm hopeful. Involving others in my plans seems to be helping - one way or the other :)
So people, friends wish me luck! :)

Put to Rest

Today I finally closed my Orkut account. This is the first online account of any sort that I have closed out. I still have a few email accounts I don't access anymore but never got round to deleting. Don't know why I didn't. But for some reason I felt like shutting down my Orkut account today and went ahead and did it! In anticipation of Google+? Don't think so. More like to remove unnecessary distractions.

And I guess this is my eulogy for the account. Which had served me well back in the day. I do not miss you, but you shall be remembered.

Random Contacts

Have you ever contacted people randomly? I do. Started when I was a kid - picked three people from a children's magazines pen friends list. I did communicate with a couple of them for a while and then the mails trickled out. Till finally all I was left with was a bunch of old mail.

And then one day, on a whim I randomly check FaceBook for one of their names, and I happen upon her twin sister! My pen friend is doing good and remembers me. And is happy she is remembered too. But too busy to get back in touch looks like. Life goes on. Recently I happened upon a few pics in flickr which were so beautiful, that I had to contact the person and say so. In return I was presented with the link to his blog. Its such a window into life in India. Street life. I'm glad I did contact him.

These random contact experiences have been good to me. Maybe I shall explore it more. Or maybe not. Who knows.

Instant Updates

There was a time when I considered a cell phone with a data plan a superfluous extravagance. When being online at work all day or the frequent updates on a laptop were good enough. And then comes the iPhone. And perspectives changed. Actually scratch that, perspective is still the same. But habits changed. And I entered into the realm of update addiction - I check my email/FB etc every other minute! or so it seems.

Its such a frivolous waste of time. I need a break. From my online-ness. And there I am employed in a company trying to make more access possible. I guess more is no longer possible (or have I spoken too soon?). But faster for sure! How very fitting.

The good thing though, is that when I am doing something I find interesting, I can absolutely tune off. And its comforting to know I'm not a total addict. but for now I have to go and check in on my email, waiting for the next absolutely engrossing moments to occur. So long.

People

Been there!

All the way to the top!

 

The Resting Poles

Personal Favourite!

The Weeping Cliff

A Day at a Lighthouse

 

 

Random Days

I love random days - days with no particular agenda and things take their own course. Like the one I had this long weekend. Took my camera and toted along to SF on the train. As it seems to happen often on my days in SF, it was a glorious day. The Sun was out in full blaze and the winds were keeping things sane. My first stop was at the "Ice Creamery" right outside the CalTrain station. Had a yumm brunch of Crepes with some fruit and an iced T with a lot of ice (which was welcome for a change!). Love the decor of this place. They had a fresh bunch of flowers on every table and sturdy wooden furniture to go with it.
I got to meet and talk with a lot of  people this time, bolstering my intentions of moving to SF - I love meeting new people. The guy at the Creamery complaining about how his ex-wife was spoiling his weekend by not letting their kids visit him as planned; though he was so hooked to being online (showed off his FB page too!), I'm sure she has good reasons for it! The lady at the Muni station who talked to me about her time in SF and how she might be taking up a job in Oakland soon. But would be staying in SF still as she loved the city. The two old men in the train, one of who made me note down his number and let him know how this spot I was headed to turned out to be. They also told me about the Picasso exhibit in De Young, which became my next destination after the Mosaic staircase. And what a beautiful staircase it was! All made with the help of neighborhood people apparently. Was a lot of steep steps and uphill walking to get there, but totally worth the effort.

Since I was so close to the De Young, it only made sense that I head there and check it out. So that's what I ended up doing. And what a big museum it is! With a lot of good stuff. For a change I really appreciated some of Picasso's work. And the beautiful African art. The Balenciaga exhibit almost felt like a fashion show, with people not toning down their voices as is native at a museum, but discussing the displays with full gusto.
Towards the end of my visit, while waiting for the Spanish music program to start, I headed off with some hot chocolate into the garden adjacent to the food court. Was sitting there idly clicking photos and catching up on phone calls when this tiny toddler zones in on me with his hands held high for balance while he wobbled over. It was the cutest sight, silver blue eyes all focused on his target, which turned out to be my nose! I guess it was either too big by his standards(?!) or the glittering nose ring on it that caught his eye. But he had no compunction about running his mud filled hands all over my face and giving me the divinest smile in exchange :)
Wish I had taken a photo of him, but I was having so much fun I didn't want to spoil the moment by introducing a camera into the picture.
The Spanish music turned out to be decent too, with the lady tap dancing to the beats. Headed back home after listening to it for a bit. With a stop at the Creamery again. This time got a beautiful shot of the setting sun lighting up the flowers which were still fresh.

I Love!

National Parks. I can stare at NP pictures forever. I can plan trips to NPs forever. I can lust after NP trips forever. I could spend all my long weekends on them. I fantasize about visiting one every so often. They drive me to buy insanely expensive cameras so I can get some good captures of my moments spent there for posterity. And to sign up for carrying heavy backpacks. They always surprise me. Despite my already high expectations. I mean seriously, whats not to love?? Check these out.

Suffrage

For the first time in my life had a personal encounter which showed me how important it is to use your right to vote wisely. And to use it for sure. Democracy is good but when you elect people to represent you, and the representation is not correct, how would democracy work? Not everything can be put to vote. These representatives need to be the right people for the job!

And realized I have very low tolerance for what I perceive as "stupidity". Need to keep working on that Patience.

TV Series and My Life

Was in a meeting today that I was half interested in and listening to the guy drone on about his products. There were others present representing the vendor company and at some point I started watching the facial expressions going over each ones face during their interactions. And I think I could discern some things. Not that I can prove my conclusions are right.

So that's what "Lie To Me" is doing to me these days! Making me watch faces and expressions. Not an uninteresting hobby. But seriously, I need to stop watching so many episodes of it!

Water Balloon Fights & Concert nights

Had a surprisingly super picnic with co-workers yesterday. It was one of those days when nature conspires to make sure you have a good time :)
Lovely weather (after a long time) and great company to enjoy it with. My directors, managers and everyone just jumped into the whole water balloon fight and what a splash it was! Everyone left with a smile on their face and some with a promise of revenge! The fun times are rolling. Hope everyone is having a great summer.

And while I'm at it, should mention the simply awesome U2 concert I was at the night before! What a mid week. One to remember for ages.Aren't Summers just beautiful.

Boston

I was there for this long weekend and before I forget, I thought I should record my impressions.

People who know me, know how I'm always in a sweater/jacket. Can hardly tolerate a light breeze. The first thing I did on getting to Boston, at the airport, was to take off my sweater. And this was at 6am! The sweater  stayed inside for most of the trip. It was divine weather.
As it was so early, I didn't want to wake up my hosts right away, so ended up leaving my stroller at the apartment's unmanned lobby (! not something I would do here in the bay area, and it was there waiting for me when I got back!) and took off on a stroll. Seeing as how the river was so close by, I walked towards it. The place had a very suburban feel to it. Empty streets at that time of the day. Greenery all around. The one resident waving his arm in greeting when I passed by. Very laid back and idyllic. And the brick houses just made it all look so much more romantic.
There were people already rowing on the river when I got there. Probably practicing for the regatta? A few geese (the geese! will never forget them from my time at Rutgers :) ) waddling by. The stray runner jogging along. If I had this weather here in CA, I might be running every so often too! It was peaceful. And ever so pleasant.
Was sad come Monday evening when I had to fly back to CA. For many reasons. One of which was the sweater I had to don right after I landed at SJC.

Originality

After all that learning, reading, sharing, interacting the way we do, I wonder how much of what we believe in is original. Did I ever have an original thought? Considering the conditioning society sends its kids through, it is hard for original thoughts to survive. Conforming to the norm is always encouraged. Do people nourish original ideas? Are kids encouraged to think beyond the box?