A quick update

August 15 was our 31st wedding anniversary. I had a bouquet of flowers (they are still blooming beautifully) waiting for my wife when she got back home that evening from her business trip. There was not much fan fare. In spite of all the ups and downs, all the rough times, we have endured 31 years together. We must be tenacious.

On the 18th evening I picked up one of my close 1st cousins (whom I had not seen or talked to in 33 years) and his wife of 30 years from the airport. I took them to Galveston on 19th. We drove through a sheet of pouring rain listening to an ensemble of music (“Borgeet”, “Ghazals”, “Bihu Songs”, and Country Western). They did not see much of the beach. Then I took them to NASA –JSC. I think they really enjoyed it. On 20th we took them to a friend’s place for lunch where they made new friends. On our way back, we drove through downtown Houston watching the skyline up close. In the evening we were all invited for dinner at another friend’s place. On 21st morning, my wife left for office. We all packed our bags and drove to the airport. They were returning to their daughter in California and I was leaving town on business.

I headed for my departure gate after saying “Good Bye” to them at their gate. My flight was late. From New Orleans I took a rent car to get to Houma, LA. Next morning a helicopter took me to an offshore platform where my project would start soon. The blue sky and the blue water met at the horizon. Our helicopter was like a yellow bird flying through a hollow blue sphere. Upon returning from the platform, I drove, again through rain, to Lafayette, LA. The frozen margarita at the hotel restaurant tasted awfully good after a tiring day. Next day I had a long meeting with the construction contractor about the project. After the meeting I drove back to Big Easy, returned the car and flew home. Upon arriving at home, my wife gave me some sad news. A close friend from our small community suddenly passed away in Oklahoma from a massive heart attack.

Such is life. We are spinning our wheel like a hamster. Then suddenly it’s time to go. How about we start doing the personal things we put off until after we retire? How about we learn to smell the roses from time to time? How about we learn to love? How about we learn to say kind words to others before it’s too late?

The past has come alive

I have not had a chance to post for a few days. It has been hectic. The past that I avoided for so long has come alive and presented itself with happier tunes. First I found a niece (“bhagin”) that I never knew. She won my heart through our first encounter in one weekend in June. She is now far way, but we are connected through Internet. The past weekend I met one of my first cousins (an "older brother" with whom I had very little dealings because of the past I used to dread) after thirty-three years along with his wife. He and I had a lot to talk. We also packed in a visit to Galveston, NASA, and few other places during the weekend. Now they too are gone to their daughter and son-in-law (who live in California) to spend a few weeks before returning to India. Their daughter (another new niece I have not met yet) plans to visit me in the near future. Suddenly the past has come alive and I am not trying to bury it anymore. We must learn from the past, live in the present and work towards a brighter future. What the world truly needs is love.

Not much is happening

I keep thinking I am getting wiser with aging. Wishful thinking! I suppose I am very much human. I am still not in control of my six elements of life. I still get upset once in a while and that gets me in the doghouse. May be it’s that awful heat outside causing it. Can I blame it on Global Warming? I am continually trying to improve. I suppose I am not a fast learner. By the way, 31 years ago today I met my wife and we have been married ever since. If I could not learn in 31 years, I am not sure I can ever learn. Last year on this day we had a little celebration for our younger daughter's graduation, her leaving for Tokyo, and our 30th anniversary.

In any case, nothing extra-ordinary is happening. The older daughter is in Hawaii attending a friend’s wedding. The younger one (after saying Sayonara to Japan) is trying to settle down in the Big Apple to start her pre-med school at Columbia University in a few weeks. I also went for a run yesterday morning in this heat. Am I stupid or what? This morning I rode the bike as usual. I think my "Bhagin" in Bangalore is finally learning to treat everyday as a brand new day and not brood over "yesterday". My cousin (JDB) and his wife from India are visiting us next weekend. It will be our 1st encounter after 33 years. Obviously, I have never met his wife or their children.

The best part of the week was watching a Broadway Musical (The Lion King) on Saturday evening at the Houston Hobby Center. It was fantastic! One must see it to believe it.

War and Peace: A Bomb and Poverty

According to Swiss Scholar Jean Jacques Babel, in the past 5,500 years our planet has had only 292 years of peace. Of the nearly 15,000 wars known to history more than half were fought in Europe. The wars cost the world 3 million deaths in the 17th Century, 5 million in the 18th century, 6 million in the 19th century, and 10 million in the First World War and 55 million in the Second World War.

The two atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6, 1945 and August 9, 1945, caused unprecedented destruction and death. On day one alone 78,150 people in Hiroshima and 23,753 people in Nagasaki were killed. By the end of December 1945, 1,40,000 people in Hiroshima and 74,000 people in Nagasaki perished.

The trend is alarming. Are we becoming more civilized or less? We continue to kill and destroy, whether by justifying war or pushing others to desperation. We have more nuclear arsenal today to destroy many Hiroshima. The powerful won’t relinquish and yet they do not want others to have the same. It is because the powerful pretends to be cool headed not to use it.

How many millions will have to die if we have the 3rd World War and how many have already died since World war II? Do we care to stop the smoldering fire in the Middle east? The word "peace" is abused by many in making hollow speeches. Worldwide hunger and poverty promote violence and war. Yet funding for military defense and poverty is at a ratio of approximately 9:1.

Mixed news & events

ON GLOBAL STAGE: The Middle East is still burning and the world is shamelessly watching death and destruction. I have heard enough of those hollow talks of peace by the self-proclaimed civilized world. Fidel Castro is not well and some are happy about it. There is a stand off between “haves” and “have-nots” in Mexico over the results of the last presidential election.

ON PERSONAL CORNER: Corina is back from the jaws of death. It will be a long road to recovery. Our friend from Austin is back home after a surgery. Tigger is improving and watching “birdie” through the window as in the past. Both daughters came home and left, one back to San Francisco, one to the Big Apple. There was a wedding in town with all the pomp and grandeur. Some one we know and who lives close to us in Humble, TX lost all her money from her checking account. Some crook used an ATM in Brooklyn, NY thirty three times in one day and wiped out her account (and she is an elementary school teacher), a known case of identity theft. My new found niece ("bhagin") was distraught on her way to work by the scene of a dead dog on a street in Bangalore, India. Stowells are retiring and leaving after renting our first house for about twenty years. I wish them well in their golden years. I made a trip to Louisiana on business and met with several contractors. I smell problem with one of them. I rode my bike this morning in the neighborhood. There is still no respite from heat.