Travelin circus

Sigh ... it's time to re-enter the corporate world. But before that happens, I decided it was time for Homyar's first road trip in the U.S... Vegas, Bryce Canyon, and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We decided to take 5 days to drive more than 1,800 miles through Nevada, Utah, Arizona and back through California. The first day was a grueling 10-hour drive to Vegas. The temperatures of 104 F reminded me of Chennai. For Homyar, the highlight of Vegas was stumbling upon the Lion Habitat at the MGM Hotel. Being just inches away from the lion (separated by a very thick piece of sound-proof, smell-proof glass) was a thrilling experience. The habitat was built at a cost of $9 million to stiffle the lion's sense of smell and hearing. Can you imagine what ... read more

After 2 years of living in India, my stay is coming to an end. As a first generation American, there has always been a tug of war between the traditional and the modern, the East and the West. As I’ve grown (more mentally than physically), I’ve learned to balance the two, which hasn’t always been so easy to do. These past 2 years in India have been an educational and cultural experience beyond my imagination. I’ve gained a deeper knowledge of my culture, developed a greater understanding of my parents’ idiosyncrasies, cultivated a new appreciation for my own personal space (3 feet in the U.S. has shrunk drastically to less than 3 inches in India :), learned to laugh at the ever-creative use of the English language, found a husband I adore, unleashed a fighting spirit ... read more

Here are some random pics from village life in India :) ... read more

For my birthday weekend, we decided to take a trip to Kanyakumari and sneak a peek at Kerala. Kanyakumari is a little beach town at the Southern tip of India. It’s the place where 3 bodies of water meet: the Bay of Bengal from the East, the Indian Ocean from the South, and the Arabian Sea from the West. This little area is of great spiritual significance - there is a Hindu temple devoted to Goddess Devi, an island devoted to Vivekananda, a memorial to Gandhi (where some of his ashes are buried), and sacred waters for people to bathe in. I’m not exactly sure why this spot has such great significance, it seems like there are temples on every corner in India, but it is a friendly, serene choice for a weekend getaway. The one ... read more

I’ve visited India many times over the years and I’ve always noticed how crowded and noisy the big cities are but it never bothered me so much. Probably because I knew that I would shortly be returning to the quiet of the US. I took it all in as just part of the experience. Now, since I’ve been commuting for the past month, I’m wishing that I could go back in time and stop GM from adding the device known as the horn to its first car. If the makers of the horn only knew the way it is being overused and misused, well, I guess they would be proud that their invention is so valuable to so many. In my experience, the horn is reserved for emergencies. If a child is running in the middle ... read more

All the animal activists and general animal lovers out there, this posting is not for you. Please stop reading and go do something else because this is something that I’m sure will not appeal to you. For Indians (and other people living in third-world countries), this is likely a run-of-the-mill every day occurrence. But for me and my fellow Americans, this story is one worth sharing. We, as Americans, live in very sterile environments. If we see a tiny spider or a fly in our homes, we chase after it until it’s expelled out the door. Now, after traveling in remote places and living in cockroach-infested hostels, I’ve learned to accept the fact that these creatures inhabit this world with us. While I don’t like seeing creepy, crawly insects, I don’t get so queasy anymore at ... read more

I’ve been working in Corporate India for about 3 weeks now. Some things are very different and some things are not so different from Corporate America. The one thing that strikes me every day as I walk into the building is how everyone looks the same. The men come in 2 varieties: with mustache and without. Everything else is identical from their hairstyle to their dressing sense to their accents and mannerisms. As for the women, they all wear the typical salwar kameez with their long, black hair slicked back and braided. As I stand at the back of the elevator scanning the crowd, I recall all the other jobs I’ve had over the years. The plethora of skin colors, every shade imaginable, the hair colors, the many different styles of dressing, the uniqueness that every ... read more

I've been seriously slacking on my blog posts lately. My apologies to my faithful readers :) Here are some pics from our honeymoon in Thailand! Unfortunately, we didn't get to enjoy much because we were still recovering from the wedding festivities and were sick/exhausted for the first 2 days. The beaches of Pattaya were breathtaking and luckily just walking distance from our hotel. A few hours on the beach listening to the calming waves was exactly what we needed to get over the stress-filled days (weeks, months!) of wedding planning. The temples in Bangkok were soul-stirring. And of course the food was fabulous :D ... read more