Pumpkin seeds

Who doesnt love to pop open dried pumpkin seeds? I recently tried that with cooked ones..because I was too lazy to dry them in a clean space, and discovered that easier to pop those than dried ones. Bite just behind the fleshy part, and the whole fleshy part pops out.
Note of caution: However amazing it is, it's to be tried only when you are alone, lest a manners nazi gets a fit. For a more civilized/ less disgusting version, one might try popping seeds with nails. I just tried, and it was messier than the bite method.
Protest against unfairness: The same manners nazi will not object to someone biting off a piece of meat from a bone..

Thanksgiving P-log

While we were hiking down a unused trail in the Sebastian Inlet State Park, my colleague asked me what do I do with the many pics that I take, do I even see those later. She suggested I have a picture blog, and I thought it was a great idea.

My plan for a perfect Thanksgiving 4 day off was:
Day 1: Everglades in the morning, Miami by night. Spend the black friday night/early morning shopping in Miami.
Day 2: Explore Miami
Day 3: Start early, scenic drive to Key West + water sports. Hope there's at least a single spot in Key West where you can see both sunset as well as sunrise the next day. Find that spot and camp there.
Day 4: The long drive back home.

**RANT ALERT**
But both Sasa and my colleague had Thanksgiving dinner plans. My colleague told me she had to go to the office to check if anything needs to be done and then we'll start. जो दुसऱ्यावरी विसंबला तो संपला.. A day that could have been spent car shopping when the mechanics were open. The plan was then modified to a short daytrip on Saturday to nearby Sebastian that should encomapss hiking + water-sports + beach. Parasailing and kite surfing were both "windependent". I really hate it when I end up planning for nearly all the trips and hence if the trip goes wrong the onus is mine! (Thank God that I have plans B/ C).  (Harry, Rutu n Aswin - wholehearted thanks for donning the planning cap :) ) .  Modified plan was -  go to State park, go for parasailing, if time permits go kite surfing.
What happened was - Start late, dont trust that I have correct GPS co-ordinates to park, go to Parasail place instead, ponder what to do till the Parasailing appointment, (My back up plans were jet skii and paddle surfing), try paddle surfing, go parasailing, then hike at the State park, and catch up an amazing sunset Note: sunset at East Coast = jumping at the opportunity nature gave us.
** Rant Over**

Its thanksgiving my dear..be thankful that you have a colleague who has just 3 more weeks to go before her intern ends, and is bound to be busy in the last month of her intern. Be thankful that you dont depend upon smartphone, but are smart and spirited enough to plan your day on your feet. Be thankful that you have a friend who agrees to your "tends-to-dangerous" plans of hiking on any trail you see.. And never the least, be thankful that your "wish I were in Dallas" mood-offs stay only for a few minutes and you can lap up the natural wonders of Florida.

I am so tired of planning every trip

Amazing driving along US1

After falling off the surfboard twice, upturning it once..i finally GOT IT!!

Parasailing

Our boat, its wake, and the shadow of our parachute..parachute was harnessed to us + it's water underneath (though by Newton's 3rd law the fall would still be serious), so I was very relaxed even with the winds, unlike my skydive

View from top thru my cam..spotted a couple of dolphins and a turtle

Hiking on a unused trail.. with marina on one side and standing water on the other..I was worried there might be an aligator/ snake lurking. Seeing a mangrove forest for the 1st time..notice the stemmy projections

different type of खारफुटी /mangrove?

Random shots during the hike

Sunset from the easternmost strip of East coast..wonders of the world

On guy friends

A few days ago, I had a super awesome time pillion jetskiing with A, when out of nowhere a thought popped in my head.  My friend calls her committed friends as "3D" 3 dimensional - parents friends and the GF/BF. She claims that she doesnt enjoy an outing with her committed friends + their BF/GF because when together they have absolutely no time for her. For the past 2 yrs I was hanging out with a different kind of crowd, many were single, a handful had their GF/BFs in India or in other universities, many got added to the list of UF couples during the 2 yrs that we spent at UF.

Shifting to Melbourne especially, after spending 2 rocking years at UF + Dallas felt very drab and I planned many getaways. Now that I think of it, spending these couple of "single" years in Dallas amongst many more friends would have been better for a wanderlusty person. Yet when I actually went to Dallas for a week, I found out many friends who a year back had similar wheels to their feet were now spending friday nights/ weekends @bars. And then it was my amazing Austin trip..

As I stepped off the jetskii with my knees tired after hugging the jetskii with all my life, I couldnt walk straight for an hour. (The previous day, even post 2 shots, I could still walk straight.)  I told A that I was high on him! Suddenly it dawned that probably its the last time we are having so much fun together. Soon, destiny will introduce him to his significant other, and then the person riding pillion would be her and no one else. One of my Dallas roomies was married and now her words- "you stop being friends with your friends once you are married" start sounding resoundingly true. (One of my MLB roomies is married too, and she totally agrees.) There could be jealousies etc, and even simple hanging out could be time crunched, and probably no more salsa together or crashing overnight at your close guy friend's place!

I guess all we are left with is to reminisce the awesome times spent together once we come to that point, and enjoy while it lasts.

Car search update

1. Used car Vs New car..
To put it in Sasa's words, I need a car just as a safe cube to get me point A to point B. My preference is definitely going places and flying to vacations than splurging on a new car. A thousand bucks saved on a car is equivalent to 2 vacations. US is a huge country and 90% of nice spots are out of Deepika's car range ( because she will still think about whether it is justificable to drive and waste fuel+harm earth than spend more money but fly there, that plane is going to be scheduled irrespective of whether Dee flies on it or not. )
My recent vacations in the past 2 months were Seattle, Atlanta and Dallas, and I would fly of course. Other top spots on my wish list are New York, a cruise in Alaska, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon and Smokies. )

2. Used car..
In search of a "आखूड शिंगी बहू दुधी गाय" medium mileage/ relatively not so old, and a price tag that goes with both these qualities. But looks like I can only find 1 quality at a time. If there's a car that matches both qualities, It will have a "Call for price" written in the online ad. Yeah right, all people going for a used car are going to be so jobless that they have no other work but to call all the dealers for their "potential shortlist?" cars.

3. Features
Yet another group of cars will satisfy both qualities but lacks ABS/ Cruise control. I dont give a damn to whether AC works or not, or whether it has power windows - my parents car had neither and yet was comfortable. One dealer called me back to say there was no ABS but there was a Satellite Radio.
Quoting Shashank: Satellite Radio वर गंधर्व गाणार आहेत का? (Translates- Do I get to hear celestial singers if there's a satellite radio.)

4. Dealer fees
Either I completely lack negotiation skills or whatever. There was only 1 dealer who included dealer fees in the cost listed online, and only a couple others who bothered to list their dealer fees on their own website. Again apparently everyone has spare time on hands to call the dealer for the dealer fees (which ranged 249 to 999 in MLB/ MCO) for all potential shortlists.

5. Online price
Most cars will have a better price online, as one dealer said, to get your foot in the door.

6. Mechanic hunt
Most dealers will have a service branch in the same premises. Yet there will be no warranty on the car. You, with all the free time in the world, have to make a few more calls to find a mechanic in the area who charges the least for looking at a used car and giving their opinion about it.

7. Manufacturers warranty
You will find a 2011 rental car with "just" 30k miles on it. Its 5k less than a new car (=10 more vacations for me.) It will still have manufacturer's warranty left on it. If its a Nissan, chances are that the rental car has used it up - easier to reject it on the spot. If its a Certified Nissan/ Honda/ Hyundai, you are better off with the warranty. You call up Hyundai to confirm about it and they will give you a list of exclusions from the warranty.

8. Manual Vs Automatic
You find the purrrfect car, its 2011, still has warranty left, what you ignore to read is that its Manual. 2 yrs out of India I forgot driving anything, leave alone driving a Manual. You still brace yourself and go for a testdrive.. best luck with that!

9. Thanksgiving offers
Some dealers do have specials/ offers. But Mechanics are either booked/ on vacation. 

Thus endeth my 2 weeks since I started serious car search. Shortlists:
2003 camry 117k miles 9k usd - ranks 1st bcoz its the only one approved by mechanic so far, mechanic says its really good inside
the cost doesnt justify the miles at all.
3* 2011 rental cars ranging 30-35k miles @12k. 
2008 hatchback accent without cruise control - hey if I buy a car which is good enough to be taken for a longer ride, I surely wish for a cruise control and enjoy the drive!
Sasa specializes in sensors and actuators and claims that getting one installed खाउची पेंड नाही आहे! (not a piece of cake - hey this is one of the rare idioms that uses the exact same analogy in both the languages)

Better safe than..

Was just reading the gory details of Hetal Parekh rape and murder case..
The rapist was accosting Hetal for some days and she had complained to her mom. Her mom had got the lift attendant transferred to another building. He went to Hetal's apartment when she was alone and had told another security guard that he needed to make a phone.

All the girls out there,
Please dont open the door unless you know the person. Else call your neighbour over. It is okay to be labeled as someone who got scared over nothing.

Long time after my mom's family shifted, we had visited that area. My mom n granny were nostalgic and wished to see their old home. We went to the home, and the parents of the girl had gone out. She called her neighbour over, who came over with a couple of dogs and only then she opened the door for us. Of course at that time, the unknown people entering her home were a family of 2 kids, their parents and granny; still its always wise to be careful. As portrayed in the movie Changeling, anti-social elements may gang up with kids to force others to let their guard down.

If someone asks to use the phone, you dont need to open the door. Tell him/her to give you the number, you call and say that you can pass on the message. 

If you are biking/ walking alone, its better to take the main road than the sleepy bylanes.

Parents and teachers, please..its high time we teach our kids to differentiate "good touch" and "bad touch". There is nothing wrong in raising your voice if you feel uncomfortable in a situation. Most "bad touches" come from someone you know, and kids need to be taught that its not their fault and they need to report it.

Me and my friend were travelling in a bus, and the old guy behind us started getting touchy. My friend stamped on his foot hard. When that didnt help either, she raised her voice enough to let the whole bus know, and asked the guy to keep his hands to himself. In a situation like this, a group psychology is to help.

To Parents, it is okay to ask your kids not to open the door to remote uncles or cousins or electricians or repair-wallahs or whoevers if they are alone. The Indian family concept and extending your welcoming door is okay, but not at the cost of your kids safety. Either ask your neighbour to come over, or dont open the door.

My family taught me not to send anyone away without atleast giving them water. Nothing wrong in  passing a bisleri bottle to the unknown wo/man through the grilled door.

After doing every household chore for the past 2 yrs, I now know that we can do without kaamwali baais. I noticed a slow change in the maids' attitudes post Ekta-Kapoor-super-rich-serials. We even have had one maid just flicking something and taking it with her. When it was noticed and we asked her about it - she simply said that she took it because we have too many of those! Why have kaamwaalis unnecessarily for them to hold grudges against you for purported low wages or you catching them red-handed or for sacking them? 

Saja-e-maut

I was too young to know about it when Auto Shankar was hanged.  The capital punishment being implemented in India, when I was old enough to know about it was Dhananjoy Chatterjee's execution. 

His crime was proven, yet people backed the "son of their soil" as a community. They agreed that his crime was heinous indeed, yet protested against the capital punishment. I guess Gandhiji has made protesting so fashionable, that many used the platform to propel their careers as self-proclaimed human-rights-activists (which for some reason helps protect the rights of only media-popular cases).

Just as Dhananjoy Chatterjee case came up, we read about an incident in Shivaji's life as a part our school curriculum. An influential "Patil" (a post analogous to sheriff of a small village) had raped a poor woman. This "Patil" was the head of the village, on top of that, he was a kin of Shivaji, and therefore, he assumed that he was above law.  The victim's helpless father turned to Shivaji. Shivaji ordered that the Patil be arrested and brought in court. He was tried in court, and Shivaji ordered that the Patil's hands be chopped off. I want to point out 3 major points which are relevant today too.
1. The incident dates to 1600 AD, there was no DNA testing, no chemical analysis of circumstantial evidence.A crime of such a nature has no witnesses.
(Just because details of a classified trial are not revealed to general public, it doesnt mean trial wasnt fair.)
2. Just because the Patil was a politician's kin (or belonged to same state), he was not above law. 
3rd is what Shivaji said to his courtiers.. he said that he has to be strict and the punishment has to be so severe that in future no one should dare do a similar crime.

10 years after Dhananjoy, human rights activists have found another case to bleat around the media bush. What pains me is that a man who was studying to be a doctor to save lives was so brainwashed that he did the opposite. What pains me the most is that politicians are using his stalled walk to gallows to instigate people going astray. 

People's President

I came to know about President Dr. Abdul Kalam's visit to Florida through Team Asha. He was to speak at several lectures in UCF, Jacksonville, plus over lunch/ dinner at Ocala/ Jax.  Since the lectures were scheduled during UCF school hours = my work hours, Ocala it was, for me.

The organizers offered to fly him from Jax to Ocala, but he is a man without any airs and graces, and he suggested that he would travel by road. He entered the banquet hall amidst unanimous applause. He had refreshments right amidst people, another instance of the humble man that he is. (Another politician would have had food privately to emphasize how divine/ unlike common man he is)

As a school kid, I have heard him talk in person on 2 occasions in Pune while he was the President. This time, it was an completely different experience altogether. He started with a witty observation about how Ocala, which is  leading horse breeding city in US, now seems to be "breeding" doctors. A fourth of the crowd was 2nd generation Indians (since I was closer to that crowd, I also noticed that the 2nd generation kids seemed more interested in gossiping amongst themselves than hearing him talk). He addressed them, in a way completely different than what I would have expected an Indian President asking of NRIs. He said, if they wish to serve the society, they have to do it locally, they have to make Ocala a better place. Mind you, there is no imploring the kids, (whose only connection to India is their looks), to come to India and nurse its sick. Hats off Mr President, you won my heart right away.

The theme of his talk was, "what can I do". He spoke of a man who donated his kidney to a stranger, of a non-Indian lady doctor, who made India her "karmabhoomi". Another fourth of the crowd was UF students. His message to us was, dont come back to India as a job-seeker, return as a job-creator.

We soon started with a Q&A, where we realized for the 1st time that the enthusiastic man on the dias is an old man, and hence is hard of hearing. His assistants were live texting the questions to him, plus he had a hard time figuring out the accent of the 2nd generation kids. But the kids, who are not even at a fraction of wisdom or maturity that he has, wasted no time in laughing at his disability.

The questions ranged from what can be done about the pollution in India, or if veterinary science be chosen, or what in his opinion is an upcoming field in the next few years He cited an example of the stent for bypass surgery in  heart patients that he has helped design. He told us not to limit ourselves to just one field but expand our horizons to conglomeration of 4 technologies - nanotech, infotech, life science, (and something else that I missed).

After the Q&A, at lunch, people (including us) looked for an opportunity to take a photo with him; till the organizers had to announce to let him have food in peace.  Post lunch, the organizers announced that Dr Kalam would come to each table, to enable everyone to have a photograph and autograph with him. If I was just impressed with him earlier, I was completely bowled over. This is the President of India, mixing with people without any security personnel closing off people from him. He is the one who is talking to everyone, asking them what do they study, and if its a kid he is talking to, then is the kid a good girl/boy. When he came to our table, I thanked him for being a people's president.

But just being in the company of a good man doesnt make us any better humans. After the President had retired to his room to rest, there were queues of people hankering after him right in his room on the 6th floor. Couldnt they see that he is a 80 year old man who has flown from India less than a week ago, has driven for 4 hours a short while back, and is probably tired after speaking to everyone? Indians! when will we ever have a sense of responsibility for anyone except ourselves! He is one of the most popular Presidents, he has proven to be the People's Presidents, but when will we live up to be President's people?