Something to be thankful for...

They always say that you don't appreciate something until you no longer have it.  When the HyWy and I did the cleanse I realized how much I loved food.  When I moved to college I realized how much I missed homemade Indian food.  These were things that I took for granted until I no longer had them. 

When I first moved to California my cousin and his wife lived here.  While they were here I didn't see them as often as I would have liked to, because it was difficult to coordinate schedules and we lived far apart.  Last year they moved out of state and now as the holiday season is here I have realized how much I miss having family nearby.  I miss being able to go over and do nothing with family.  I can neither explain nor put my finger on why I enjoy spending time with relatives.  I think that spending time with friends is often more structured or there is more of an agenda.  It's not like relatives don't have their own lives and that their time is not precious, but there is simply a more casual feeling.  Maybe it is because I have never grown up around relatives and now that I have experienced what it is like to have them nearby I find I like it more.  Whatever the feeling I know that both the HyWy and I are in agreement that we would definitely want to eventually settle down more permanently somewhere near family, whether immediate or relatives it doesn't matter. 

I am thankful for a large and wonderful immediate and extended family. 

Slumdog Millionaire

We just saw Slumdog Millionaire over the weekend at the conclusion of the South Asian Film Festival.  I loved it.  I can definitely say that it was one of the best movies I have seen this year. 

It was vivid and captivating.  The story and the feeling of watching it reminded me of City of God, which was equally brutal.  One of the reviews I read said that the movie was bland and somewhat predictable until the final 30 minutes.  I disagree because I felt like I was thrown in full speed ahead from the first scene.  There has been much praise lavished upon the main star, Dev Patel, but I would argue that the real stars are the kid actors.  The story is told through a series of flashbacks and the actors who play the two main characters in their younger years truly steal the show.  Even if you don't like the story and find it predictable there is still one more reason to see this: the scenery.  I'm not talking about sweeping vistas and beautiful Indian countrysides...rather the exact opposite.  Being that the main character is a "slumdog" the majority of the flashbacks take place in the slums of Mumbai (or so we are led to believe).  As the kids race through the narrow alleys and gullys I could help but remember my own experiences in Ahmedabad.  Of course I wasn't running from anyone or for that matter racing through the slums for any reason.  However, the feeling of claustrophobia and homes/stores/stalls stacked precariously on top of each other made me feel like I was there.  Scenes like those could not be done on a sound stage no matter how big and I applaud Danny Boyle's decision to do so much on location.  There are definitely a handful of scenes that made me turn away or cover my eyes, but getting through them was worth it to see what was overall such a wonderful movie.

Berkeley vs. Houston

When I moved out to California I was coming from Atlanta, which at the time seemed like a wonderful change in political perspective. 

After living in California for a few years I realized that I really liked Oakland when compared to Berkeley.  Many have given me my share of a hard time for why I dislike Berkeley.  Only recently did it hit me.  I don't like Berkeley for the same reason I don't like Houston.  As I write this I can sense the shock most Berkelites would feel at being compared to a town like Houston.  In Houston there was only one way...the conservative way.  Similarly in Berkeley there is only one way...the ultra liberal way.  Whether I agree with the conservative or ultra liberal way is irrelevant.  What is relevant though is the reaction one gets in either city when they express an opinion, ask a question, or even feign interest in something that goes against the norm.  In both situations I definitely feel an air of intolerance and condescension towards anything that is not what is 'typical'.  That is precisely why I have trouble with Berkeley and why I compare it to Houston.  At least when I lived in Atlanta I knew who I disagreed with and I wasn't made to feel bad for holding the opinions, beliefs, morals, etc. that I did. 

Funny now I'm in California pining for Atlanta. 

on the hunt

The job hunt that is.  There is something entertaining about reading job postings.  The one qualification that always cracks me up is, "excellent oral and written communication skills."  I would particularly enjoy seeing the position that requires poor or even average communication skills.  I wonder what job that would be.  Security guard on a night shift?  Truck driver?  Production line operator?  Not to say that any of these jobs are bad jobs, but they strike me as the type that would not be very communication intensive.  Will post more job search related musings as I come across them.

Props to the props

I'm on a posting rampage…there's just this one and one more that I have to put up. 

 

I have another rant from Election Day that didn't really fit in with the flow of the previous post.  After reading the propositions and the various measures I was left in the dark.  There was a very insightful and informative guide published, which provided pro and con arguments for each proposal.  Unfortunately I feel like the lawyers really have the upper hand on this one, because often the arguments were "vote yes…we won't raise taxes" vs. "vote no…they will raise taxes".  How does one make a decision on that?  I'm sure I can be more informed, but the props and measures are written in such a convoluted way I don't think I could make heads or tails of them.  Obviously I'm not talking about the straightforward ones like gay marriage, but rather the ones like alternative energy rebates and victim's rights bills.  Sometimes it felt as though we just had to pick the lesser of two evils not the better of rights.  Now I think I have a little more clarity on why I am so apathetic towards the political process, because it is so difficult to navigate. 

Apathy to Hope

It took about a day to let the enormity of it sink in, but I think I need to write about what Tuesday night felt like.  I went for a run Tuesday evening and I was thinking to myself about how glad I was that the election was over.  As I ran I considered all the apathy I had towards the political process and voting in general.  I think that in my limited perception (assuming I became aware it around 12 or 13 years ago) of the federal political arena I have seen only two elections and I have trouble saying that I have seen much good come of it all.  My apathy towards voting stems from not only the fact that I don't think it will matter because of where I live, but also because I question whether in so many years what positive change has our country made.  I wondered whether that makes me unpatriotic.  I wondered whether that made me a bad citizen.  Before the flaming starts let me say that I did vote regardless of my apathy.  I can't say I know why I voted though. 

 

However, then after my run I read a post on one of my favorite blogs.  Irrespective of what I feel I think I can certainly get behind the sentiment echoed in that post. 

 

Still later when President-Elect Obama was announced the winner I sat in shock.  I could not believe that it had actually happened.  The HyWy and I discussed the impact of what we were watching play out.  In the last 10 years our generation has seen two events (one good and one bad) that will forever shape American policy.  Another thing that occurred to me was that my concern is that President-Elect Obama will have to do and achieve so much during his term to be seen as more than just "the first African American president".  Don't get me wrong I think being the first African American president is a good thing in itself, but I don't want to see that define his presidency.  I think he has so much more potential. 

 

Sorry this post was a bit disjointed, but there was obviously a large range of thoughts I was trying to convey. 

The Brief History of the Dead

While out of town for the weekend I finished a book called The Brief History of the Dead and one of the most interesting aspects of it to me was the take on the afterlife.  Apparently in many cultures in Africa the thought is that people live on in some form of the afterlife as long as there is someone on Earth who remembers them.  Once everyone on Earth that remembers you passes away (or worse yet forgets you) then you move on to the next phase of your existence.  I don't intend to debate what the next phase of life or our existence is, but rather to consider the enormity of everyone you can remember living on as long as you (or someone else) continue to remember them.  Also when I say you remember someone this doesn't necessarily mean you know their name.  At one point in the story one of the characters attempts to make a list of everyone he remembers in his life.  His list rapidly grows to 5 figures.  Often when I let my mind drift I think about all the people that I directly knew and from there I think about the people I have encountered in my life and it just goes on from there.  If I thought I remember people well then the HyWy is way beyond me and her list could easily go into the 6 figures.  I wonder how long your list would be.