The Mexican

From my 2008 travelogue to the "dark" continent!

As she got on the plane, she gave me one of those smiles. A smile makes you tingly all over. Fries your neural circuitry. Makes your heart go "thud" for a moment. God gave that woman a smile that tasered people into utter confusion.

Sitting in first class, 2C, to be precise on Virgin jet, I was just about ready to say goodbye to the real world for a couple of days. The plane had been fashionably late. When I asked a member of the air crew why Virgin was always late. He smiled, and then retorted, "That's because Virgins never come, Sir!"

An airline with an attitude. This is what America needs. As the gate closed, one of the flight crew brought that girl with the lethal smile over to first class. You can have 2D, the flight attendant cooed. This time I would return her smile, but her eyes got me this time.

As we glanced at each other, our eyes made contact. She had the look. The look that makes a second seem like eternity. The look that makes you want to never stop looking.

I went back to my movie. I was watching Sex and Lucia. An art film recommended by a friend. Little did I know what I was getting into.

"I like that movie. Pretty intense!"

We introduced ourselves. Her name was Zelda, short for Esmerelda.

"So you're Spanish, like the actress in this movie?"

NO! I am Mexican. Spanish girls fuck with their breasts, Mexican girls, we fuck with our hips. Can't you tell.

She was forward. I was on the back foot and laughed off my lack of a comeback. She made my long haul flight go by very quickly, not to mention I have a new appreciation for Mexican women.

Sarah Palin's High School Transcript!!!

Prior to marrying Todd Palin, she was known as Sarah Heath. Here's her SAT score report from 1982. A GPA of 2.2, a C average high school grade and a 39% percentile score on the SAT. I don't have high expectations of our politicians, but seriously, couldn't John McCain have picked a better running mate.

Come on America! It's time we elected someone who is qualified and has the intellect to bring America back from the brink of disaster that the Republicans have brought us to in the past 8 years. Give the dems the next 4 years, the only way to go from here is up. W made sure of that, now it's your turn to punish the party that is responsible for making you worry about your job, money and ability to live a financially secure life.

Everyone's counting on YOU!!

Bringin' Mavericky Back!

I hate John McCain for making Maverick sound so eh! When I heard the word Maverick before, I thought of Tom Cruise, fast fighter jets and kissing hot flight instructors on motorcycles. Not so much anymore.

The word Maverick is being abused. There's nothing mavericky about John McCain. Did he fly a plane upside down? Did he date a woman who was 6 inches taller than he was? Did he make tighty whities sexy?

The answer is NO! America needs to take the Maverickyness back from McCain and restore the word to its former glory.

Nothing personal John. You just aint got it!

Disconnect Central

I had to get some work done, and had to cancel my plans for the evening. At 10:30 pm, when I was just about done, I received a call from an old friend. Someone who I hadn't heard from in a while.

We talked. I was invited to watch a movie. With nothing more left to do, I jumped in my car and joined said person. Through the duration of the movie, banter and lots of laughs ensued.I was the only one laughing though. My friend, joined in sometimes, but it seemed somewhat forced.

How time had changed us. The same things that made us giggle for hours at SC had lost their hilarity. The drive back was 40 minutes of introspection. The two of us had just driven away from a 3 hour stop disconnect central.

Made me remember Barbara Striesand's famous single about memories.

Memories,
Like the corners of my mind
Misty water-colored memories
Of the way we were
Scattered pictures,
Of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another
For the way we were
Can it be that it was all so simple then?
Or has time re-written every line?
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me, would we? could we?
Memories, may be beautiful and yet
What's too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget
So its the laughter
We will remember
Whenever we remember...
The way we were...
The way we were...

I suspect the only reason we remain friends is because we remind each other of the way we were.

I'm going to let Tiesto put me to sleep.

The Magical JK Rowling

Commencement season is here. And for me, this is the time when I read twenty or so commencement speeches. Many are unremarkable because they are no more than pontification from the rich and famous, but there are some that truly resonate and touch you in profound ways.

Steve Jobs commencement speech at Stanford several years ago inspired me and provided comfort at a very trying time in my life. Since then, I have always paid attention to commencement speeches to see if there was indeed someone who recapitulated their experiences in a candid way. Experiences that I could learn from.

JK Rowling's speech (Parts 1,2,3) at Harvard was truly phenomenal.

Here's my favorite excerpt from her speech.

You will never truly know yourself or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity. Such knowledge is a true gift, for all that is painfully won, and it has been worth more to me than any qualification I ever earned.

Looking back at the two score plus years of my existence, I cannot but concur with her -- my secret sauce for happiness, success and lasting relationships has been learnt only through the trials that life presented me.

Highway 760 to G-City

Gotta get on that high road to bling. Busting my ass to get my wheels ready for the big rat race. They killed my soul. Now I'm just an economic man, looking for economic things.

Confused. Well, then don't even try. Cause you gots to have some b-rizzle to get my drift.

So don't attempt, to beg for my pardon,
Cause' I'll keep talkin' til' my arteries harden,
I've takin' losses, told off some bosses,
Sick of all them jobs that all make me nauseous,
It ain't worth it, workin' for your purpose,
For cash I'm hurtin', future's uncertain,
So I keep searching, livin' and learnin',
Earnest to earn everything I'm deservin'
If I can't be on the stage with my band jammin',
I'll be standin' on the street corner panhandlin'!

You won't see what you want from me,
So don't come to me with "what's it all mean?" cause'
It don't mean a thing
Your lies is all I despise,
Been fightin' guys like you all my life and
They don't mean a thing.

God speed

He is a good man.
He is the villain in my story.
But he is a good man.
I hope for his sake he is.

May God liberate him from his troubles.

Project Shiksha

I signed up to help build a site for an NGO that's run by a friend in India. The non-profit focuses on women's education, esp. trying to get women to send their daughters to school.

The url is www.project-shiksha.org, and still under construction.

Would be awesome if any of you would be interested in volunteering some time to help build this into a functional site. My thanks to G for spending some time on this already.

Anyone in a giving mood, shoot me an email.

I heart Bill Drayton

<rant>

(If you don't know him, google him.)

Much love to you sir!

I was listening to one of his talks at Stanford and he was one of the first people who acknowledged that young people are disadvantaged today as were women in the last century. Most organs of government or commerce, according to him, represent the old guard and antiquated thinking that wont embrace a huge pool of talent and ideas that young people represent.

In this world where the rate of change is constantly escalating, young people have tremendous potential to be change agents and help companies and governments make the right choices for a generation that demands products and policies which represent its priorities. Without them, governments and companies risk falling behind. Sound familiar?

So next time you see an iphone totting, converse wearing, skate boarding youngin and think to yourself - "Kids, these days," know that in a couple of years these kids will be a part of the workforce, making purchasing decisions worth millions of dollars. And if they're loyal to your competitor - ROI, TCO, and all the cutesy TLAs pretty much go straight out the window. Someone else walks away with your lunch.

On an unrelated note, please, if you're thinking about who to vote for - vote Obama. Worried about experience? Just look at how the last 8 years turned out at the hands of an experienced leader. Time to give youth and optimism a chance.

</rant>

Massage 101

I had my first massage class today. It was mostly anatomy - talking about the major muscle groups. Now most people who know about my latest pursuit ask me one question - WHY?

I like spas and massages. Now, this indulgence of mine costs me quite a bit every year. Recently a masseuse who I have been going to for months mentioned how going through massage school she had to give several massages. And, wait for it, she had to receive an equal number of them. Approximately 3-5 a week.

CHA CHING!!!

I know opportunity when I see one. With her help I found a class that has mostly intermediate level pupils studying massage. I am on my way to not only learning this art that will be put to good use (ahem!) but I'll get some free massages on the way.

After my first class, Thea and I went to Urth.

T: What's the deal with this massage thing you've got going on?

Me: Nothing. Just a way to get free massages. And meet some ladies. 13 of the 15 people in class were twenty-something cuties y'know.

T: You're such a pig!! Everything you do is for profit. I'd never believe that you could raise a finger for others if I didn't know you better.

Me: I'll raise a finger to you...

T: F#%k you!

Resolutions

Most people make them at the beginning of the year. I am committing to them today; May 18, 2008.

1. Shed 50lbs in body weight
2. Be accepted to a top MBA program
3. Become a certified massage therapist

I'll check-in on these items same time next year. I can do this!

Pauschian Realization

All American Rejects were on the radio, exhorting listeners to move along. Thea and I were driving to the beach. I had been to a lot of cold places in the past few weeks and had this sudden urge to lay on the beach for hours doing nothing. Sometimes its the best thing you can do.

So champ! What's next?

I had just told Thea that the outcome of another interview was pretty much the same. I wouldn't be hired because I didn't have the right "level" at my company.

I'm moving along. To new things.

She smiled. A moment of inspiration-by-radio I see.

Actually, its not just the radio. I've been reading this guy's book - a professor at Carnegie Mellon. He's got a few months to live and he decided to use that time to do a lecture and write a book. One of the things he says, which is beginning to sink in, is that sometimes, one gets more from pursuing a dream and not accomplishing it.

Early this year, I had set myself a rough deadline. If by the end of April I wasn't able to get a job (a job that I wanted,) I would cease and desist and do some introspection on future paths that I must take.

Am I hearing this correctly? You're finally thinking about giving up on this.  F**K! I cant believe this.

Thea has on many occasions told me that I never know when to surrender, to my own detriment. Many battles were won because warriors deserted a battlefield only to return fit and better equipped to force a suitable outcome, she would tell me.

We parked the car and began walking to the beach.

I always thought you were over-reaching. Don't worry! Whatever it is you want, it will come to you, surely. I know it's hard for you...

How about I let you rub some SPF30 on my back to cheer you up wonderBoy? You haven't had female contact for a while have ya? (evil grin)

Compliments that matter...

Without going into details, I just want to share a moment of elation that transpired today. After an assuredly tiring day, I found myself looking through my mail. I got a note from someone I am working with on a female literacy project in India. I helped this person navigate some bureaucratic obstacles, hence the thank you note.

...

Your conviction and compassion changed me in profound ways. Never change!

...

Quite frankly, my contribution is meager compared to people who dedicate their lives such a cause full time. But my spirits were truly lifted!

Introspection

I took the strengths finder test. Though it didn't tell me anything I wouldn't suspect, it did confirm what I have realized about myself in the past few years.

One of the questions on the test alluded to how much time I spent on introspection and thinking about the future. On average, that is approximately 10-15 hours a week; when I'm driving, on a plane, at the gym or listening to jazz while cooking me some food. Funny.

Thinking is dangerous business.

My birthday happened a couple of days ago. Hit the 2-6. And got some fireside advice from a friend; "Too much thinking is dangerous. It takes you places you don't want to go." Words from someone I admire immensely. Words that rang through my head throughout this week.

If you don't think, you'll never know who you are. My 2 cents on the matter.

You can life your whole life and never know who you are. Rarely, you may realize what you want to be, but the world wont let you become that person. And then, you are faced with the dilemma that has confronted humanity since time immemorial.

To obey, submit, conform. Akin to draping your spirit in barbed wire and live a life that is drenched in remorse. Live for years with anger and frustration seething within, not knowing who to hold responsible for an existence you never wanted. You live the rest of your life pretending. Pretending to be busy or working. But you're not doing anything. You're not going anywhere. Just filling that void within you. Filling it with money, materialism and the short-lived endorphin rush of the rat race. You have everything, but nothing that really matters to you. Sound familiar? I see so many people like this everyday. At work, at school, all around me. Human zombies, that have willingly renounced their inspiration.

Or you can live brave! Stand up for yourself. Stand up for something. Stand up for others. And help others develop the strength to do the same. Be the change you want to see in the world. And never let the cynicism and deficit of faith of others diminish your passion or optimism for the things that matter to you.

This is the choice you face. The choice I face. The choice that everyone faces. And for the sake of humankind, I hope we choose the latter.

The Visitors, Eli Stone and the lovely Thea are the realization behind this b-l-o-g. They helped me think through this. Thanks to ya!

To my good friend who gave me this advice. I hope you continue to ponder and contemplate on that important existential question - who are you? But don't loose spirit if an answer isn't forthcoming. It will come, surely. And 40 years later when you and I have the same conversation, I am sure your intellect and accomplishments will not only be a source of great pride to me but of tremendous inspiration to many others.

Anaya: Plan B

Anaya and I hadn't met in 5 years. The check-in agent had an annoying smile on her face. Annoying, because my flight was delayed for 3 hours. The computer had "forgotten" to assign pilots to this particular flight and they were being flown in from Phoenix. I'm sure you know someone, the check-in agent said. This was in response to my comment that courtesy of Alaska Airlines, my Friday evening was ruined.

I had promised Anaya that I would look her up when I came up to Seattle next. She had just moved to work for Google in Seattle. We had taken a class together at USC several years ago and had thoroughly enjoyed each other's company, though the same could not be said of the class.

I hit call and 206-XXX-XXXX flashed on my phone's display. It was Friday, and I put a 90% probability on hitting up her voicemail. Who takes call on Friday evenings? Most people, myself included, have plans that have been carefully put together weeks in advance.

"Hi, This is Ann," a voice said. There was music in the background. I think it was Amr Diab. Tamally Maak. " Anaya, I mean Ann!! This is Sharjeel. How have you been?" Now I had to put my sales skill to work and get Anaya to invite me to whatever she was doing that evening.

After exchanging a couple of pleasantries, she asked if she could call me back. She was out with friends. Great! I thought. I probably wouldn't hear from her, and if I did, it wouldn't be tonight.

"No worries. Later!" It was over. A lonely evening in an airport terminal. How did I get here, I wondered.

I went through security. Got a small decaf soy latte and opened up my computer. I had lots of news to catch up on. Several minutes into a story about how a new anti-monopoly law in China that goes into effect in August could impede a Microsoft-Yahoo merger, my phone rang.

It was Anaya. I had to pick up.

She was on a date. A date that didn't pan out for her. Apparently this guy kept talking about how Stanford lost to Texas in a 20 point upset. Strange, I thought. I had caught a little bit of the game earlier with a friend at Spitfire. And both teams were pretty close.

"Where are you now?" she asked. I told her my story and how I had a couple of hours at hand. "You're at the airport huh? We really ought to meet up. (Long pause) I'll come pick you up and we can get a drink or something."

"That sounds FANTASTIC!" I had the widest smile on my face of anybody sitting in the terminal, waiting to get to LA. As I started walking to leave Terminal N, the flight was further delayed until 1 am. I wasn't mad. There was something to look forward to. Anaya.

Anaya and I go way back. From being lab partners in EE102, we had become really good friends. For about two semesters, we did everything together. Both of us had significant others too. And eventually this made things complicated. One day, when I finally gathered the courage to tell her I was attracted to her, she got mad.

"I like you Sharjeel. Because you don't have motive. You never want anything from me. I like being around you. You're safe, and I don't want anything to change."

Safe? That hurt. I was safe. And I was embarrassed. It was one of those things that would never be the same. I avoided her and hadn't spoken to her until a few months ago.

When in San Francisco for work, I went out to dinner with a couple of friends. My friend JP, another Google employee, decided to bring a friend along - Anaya. It was a bitter sweet moment. Both of us had grown up and handled it like adults. Exchanged numbers and email addresses and decided to keep in touch.

Then she moved to Seattle and asked me if I could introduce her to some people. Which I did. And pretty much, we started talking again.

Moments later she picked me up. Small talk happened.

"So what are we doing tonight ANN? Of all people I didn't expect you to give up your name so that others could pronounce it easily."

"Sure, Seth Vogel!" (She remembered. McLovin? Get the drift)

"There's this place called the Triple Door. They have good music. You want to go. My treat. I kinda owe you."

"Sure. I like all kinds of music. I don't discriminate." I got one of those you-don't-need-to-play-cool / watch-your-back kind of smiles that women give you, especially when they think they've got you all figured out.

A couple of minutes to 10 we were able to get in. It was a dinner theater type of place. And there were people waiting to get in. Anaya told me that she had wanted to bring her date to this show, but he was so "boring and full of himself."

I smiled. Here we go again. I was Plan B.

(To be continued...)

Skoll World Forum on You Tube

Fear not, ye poor folk of large spirit but feeble purses. Catch the summit highlights on http://www.youtube.com/skollfoundation

Ok. Someone needs to get these people on to live video and podcasting.

My friend Rach is attending this summit - she's a part of this socially conscious hedge fund that provides capital for "innovative" ideas for "poverty reduction" and "sustainable economic development" in the "global south." She tells me that they plan to put stuff on you tube in a couple of days.

Actually, I know someone from work who may be at the summit, though he didn't mention why he was going to Oxford. Anywho!

A Gambler's Playbook for Social Change

Gambling is a vice. Or so I am told. And so I've always kept a safe distance from the sport. This weekend I found myself in Las Vegas for a friends birthday. A friend's boyfriend's birthday who is now a friend.

A weekend in Las Vegas after a week of that was full of "No's." Some polite, some not, and some couched in political correctness.

Getting on the plane to Las Vegas, there was a certain kind of heaviness in my heart. Not one where I was disappointed in myself. But one, wherein I was disappointed in the world at large. A world of social entrepreneurs and capitalists that lecture and sing hallelujah to the world about passion, a drive for out of the box thinking and a tremendous appetite for risk. But at some level, their head doesn't follow their heart.

Sitting at the roulette table. Where the odds on average for a house to take away one's money are 37 to 1, a rare moment of clarity presented itself. The world of social enterprise can be characterized as a roulette table. One where the currency is passion. And the odds, well, they are one in a million. Success here is directly tied to a calculated approach that rewards endurance and a resolve to not bankrupt oneself of passion. A belief that no matter what the odds or losses, a win is achievable.

The $200 in my pocket spoke to me. Make a big bet. A roulette table, your lack of gambling experience, and the odds against you; if you lose it's time to get on with other things and let someone else take care of "changing the world." Maybe I wanted to lose, I wanted someone to tell me that sometimes, when you're down and out, the best thing to do is give up. I almost want to, but it's fundamentally offensive to the way I am constructed as a human being.

30 minutes of play. With no knowledge of roulette. That was the plan. I watched some of my friends play. I asked questions. And finally, I put my money on the table. First 5 spins. The house took $150. I had my answer, or so I thought. Cut my losses and walk away with what I had left.

But with $50 in hand, I had a chance. I took it.

A few minutes into the game I walked away with $570. I cashed in my chips. Take that you "experience" gamblers.

What experience did Yunus, Gandhi, MLK have. Did their passion for their cause trump experience? I have my answer.

525,600 minutes

How do you measure a year in the life?

Rent has always been my favorite musical. Not only because it poses the right existential questions that each of us must ask ourselves, but also because it offers the answers too.

Recently, Thea and I had this conversation. It was about what we were living for. She lives to help lunatics. Maybe that's why we get along so well. I told her I wasn't really living for anything, other than myself.  Chasing things that somehow made sense, but I wasn't prepared to embrace.

Like last Friday. I interviewed for this sales job, that I (quite frankly) have little interest in. But it makes sense from a career perspective. More responsibility, more money. Hey, what's there to not like? I told her about it. I am fairly certain I might receive an offer sometime this week.

She also knows of my keen interest in social ventures and citizenship type work and the difficulty I have had in breaking into that area. Why don't you go do what you want? Just quit your job and follow your passion.

Not that I haven't thought of it. The very idea is so liberating to say the least. 525,600 minutes of pure bliss, generated by the pursuit of my passion for helping people in any which way I can.

Like a friend, who left the company and went to work for the Obama campaign, maybe, I need to break away to find that satisfaction that I often find myself looking for.

525,600 minutes; each spent doing meaningful work. Now that lights my candle!!!

Saigon Poison

Food poisoning. That's what happened. As my skin broke into hives, red itchy patches all over my skin I felt I was covered in a blanket of fire ants. It was quite painful, no matter how many antihistamines I took, I was red enough to make a lobster shy.

Strange that some Pho Ga and coconut water could do this to me.

My doc gave me some prescription medicine and asked me to meet with an allergist next week. The meds are helping, but I was reminded how frail and vulnerable human beings can be.

And now, I must prepare to fly to Seattle.

Boston is Bizarre

As I wait for my afternoon flight to San Francisco, I find myself thinking about my recent visit to Boston. I went there to get a feel for the MBA schools and the city.

If I filter it all down, the information, conversation, ideas, pretty much everything that was said and heard and try to zero in on the feeling I walked away with. It was that Boston is a funny town.

Funny because on either side of a street are these two universities that enjoy iconic status in the world of academia. Their graduates evoke cynosure of all eyes when they speak of their alma mater. Yet either university didn't somehow resonate. It made perfect sense why someone would want to study here, but ... And that's a big "but" that's still lingering.

On one end of town, barring one or two individuals, I found myself amidst self assured and, though I hesitate to say it, a pretentious and judgmental group of people. Not a gaze or glance that I encountered seemed to indicate genuine warmth. It was like being in Tokyo during rush hour. Surrounded by people, everywhere, each accomplished in their own right, but uninterested, almost making an effort to be distant. Not fitting in, would be an understatement.

The other end, all I can say is wow. What great people. Yes, the infrastructure is a little behind, but both faculty and students didn't let anyone walk away without feeling welcome. I absolutely loved it, except for one thing.  The curriculum. I still need to find out more about this.

So as I think about this, I wonder why I feel the way I do. Was it the weather, was it me or the time I visited. Maybe I'll go again when I am in Boston in October. If you've visited or studied there and have some feedback for me, do share. (please)

Having visited over 10 schools I think there's one located in Palo Alto that I am absolutely and completely in LOVE with. It's west coast, its down to earth, its so me. Fingers crossed!

(This post will be deleted eow next week, just wanted to share with my peeps. I do understand how fb has the power to turn something innocuous into a career destroying event.)

Art Expo at the Javits Center

Saw lots of great artists today. Made me want to paint again.

Check out Yuroz

Twenties are closing in fast

It's one of those nights. The nights when you contemplate/introspect/brood/plan/et al. This year I'll be 26. The realization that the 20s are closing in fast and that in a couple of years I'd be at a 10 year high school reunion is somewhat terrifying.

When one hits the big 3-0, or thirty years of existence on this planet, a major milestone is achieved. At 30 some people know what the next 40-45 years are going to look like. A big picture idea. Some folks had made great strides in their personal or professional lives. Some have discovered their raison d' etre. Some have traveled the world. Some have created great art or music, or just created.

Here's to four more spectacular years before the big one.

Oh cho cute!

Kiva: Peer lending meets Micro-credit

A previous co-worker of mine had his birthday today. I took him out to this really awesome restaurant called La Boheme in Hollywood and had a great time.

When the check came, he wouldn't let me pay. I insisted. He said, "Well, if you have extra cash in your checking account, give some to Kiva."

With a puzzled look I asked him to explain what Kiva was about. And then after a 10 minute explanation, I was utterly fascinated.

You lend money (you do get it back) to Kiva. You select the project and person to lend it to. You get reports on what the money is being spent on and the state of the business and finally, when the borrower is able to pay back the loan, you get your money back. Kiva selects microlending partners in areas across the globe and acts as an intermediary to connect them to people who want to make a difference.

Learn more about Kiva here. Even Bill Clinton's on board. Take a look.

So, I put down my first contribution. $185 to a goat farmer in South America.

Look into my eyes...

You'll love this. If speed dating wasn't a bad enough urban fad, now you've got stare dating. Take a look.

Now I need to find a way to get into one of these eye gazing parties. Apparently, if I own a Prius and wear eco-cotton with natural dyes, my chances are way higher than say a loser i-banker or tech prodigy.

021401

Cupid had his automatic. We were innocent bystanders. He took  shots at us. At close quarters, it was fatal. There was no saving us. Tore right through our hearts.

Our eyes locked in surprise. How could this happen to us. Weren't we too young for this to happen. And then, as we took the fall, there was this moment of clarity, almost a divine calm.

It was all over. Just as it all began.

Cupid chuckled. His suit was malice. Valentine's day is no Christmas you amateurs! he shouted. And just as he had appeared, with those tiny little wings, he flew away. His sack of ammo still full. His list of heartbreaks still incomplete.

Watch out for him this Valetine's Day!

A little too much??

So I have nothing against body art. I actually admire tattoos and secretly have desired to get one. Even designed one for myself.

But a friend sent me this image via email. She wants to get a Microsoft tattoo. She works there and loves the place. I respect her decision, but isn't this a little too much.

Maybe she just drank a little too much of the kool aid they serve at MS101.

Om Shanti Om

It's an Indian movie that released last year. I got to watch it all over again on the internet at bhejafry.net; try it out if you're a bollywood fan.

One of the things that I have always admired about literature and cinema is its ability to connect on a personal level. Think of it this way; you observed something, a feeling, had an experience or a realization sometime in this life. Now when you read a book or watch a movie and another person, completely unknown to you, at another point in the time-space continuum makes the same observation or feels the same way you do, it reaffirms the common set of challenges that the human condition tends to present us all.

Getting back to the movie. There's a dialogue, when SRK, the lead actor makes a statement. He says, for some dreams, one lifetime isn't enough. It got me thinking. At 26, I have only about 49 more years to go, assuming average male life expectancy for an Indian male.

And there's so much to. So little time. And lately, for the past couple of years, time seems to be passing at a dizzying pace. It just seems like yesterday when I celebrated my 21st birthday.

So tomorrow, I will go to the Malibu temple to pop open a coconut at the sacred altar, to ask God for expedited service. It all needs to happen in this life time, I'll tell him. I'm doing my part, it's time he did his.

Om Shanti Om!

Flock you?

If you aren't flocking yet, check out the newbie guide to flock. It's been around for a while and people don't give it the credit it deserves, but having used it for a while, all I can say is if you haven't started flocking yet, this unified experience to manage your fb/myspace profiles and more will get you the social recognition you deserve to begin flocking.

I'm proud to say, I'm quite the flocker.

(Ok, enough with the puns, but you get my drift web2.0 people)

Secret Sauce

At breakfast this weekend, I saw two Asian kids. Two Asian kids having hot chocolate with whipped cream on top; an image of pure innocent childhood brimming with happiness and glee.

For a moment I thought of the Daffodils, and realized how Wordsworth must have felt when he saw those flowers on the lakeshore, dancing and fluttering in the breeze.

The secret sauce to a joyful life, as told to me, is to enjoy the simple things in life. So off to lunch I go in the wonderful California sunshine that I've been missing for a while.

Dont Stop Believing?

Well, look at the irony. Driving back from an informational yesterday to my hotel, even the radio trys to ridicule the phase of life I find myself in. Dont stop believing, hold on to that feeeeaeeeeaeeling... it blares out.

Really? Life's given me the opportunity to do the things I've wanted primarily because I never gave up on my dreams. But there are times I doubt if I can continue doing that. Especially after meetings like the one I had on Monday.

As a salesperson, one's taught to know when to stop pursuing an opportunity. The funny thing is, like love, I dont know when to let go.

Que sera sera...

Vanishing Act

You're crazy. No, I mean like really fucked up in the head. How could you be such an asshole to me? Fuck you and fuck your wierd-ass notions of life.......

My mind tuned out anything else vitaminA had to say. Over a plate of fries, I had told her that I was going to disappear. Disappear from her life. Like I had planned to do from the lives of several people in my life. Call it marginal diminshing utility, social clutter or what you will.

All I got were blank looks. She didnt get it. She had always trouble figuring out if I was a psycho in the skin of a bon vivant intellectual (she told me so.) Maybe this would make up her mind.

What do you mean by "disappear"? It means I am renouncing you. You're the maya in my life that keeps me from thinking straight.

She harangued. I tuned out. The fries tasted real good. The ketchup was watery. By the time I was done with the spuds, vitaminA had left.

What were my reasons exactly? Just one. I'm resigned to renouncing people who dont bring anything to the table. What does that mean? It means that if said person cant enrich my mind, body and soul in some meaningful way, said person is "outed" from my life.

So if you havent heard from me in a while, you probably wont. You know I'm very good at keeping in touch. I have moved on. Just deal with it.

And to wonderland I go...