Yet another start

On Aug 16th I started a new job after almost 5 years with the last company. Like many I have lost count of companies I had worked for. Most of it is due to the new wave business philosophy; merger, acquisition, buy out, sell out, down sizing, right sizing, risk taking, etc. Back in 1970 I had left my first job at BARC (Bhava Atomic Research Center) in Trombay, India after about three months to join Oil India Limited (OIL) to be close to home with more money in my pocket. I resigned from that in less than three years to venture out to the west called America. My first job here was with a company called AmSEC (American Science & Engineering Company), which was also owned by my graduate adviser. With his sudden and tragic accidental death in 1977, the business was sold and I did not want to be a part of that. My real job came with UGPL (United Gas Pipeline). I stayed there almost 15 years and was able to move upward in a career building process. Then UGPL was bought out by MidCon (a Chicago company) which in turn was bought out by Occidental Petroleum. So, temporarily I was an Oxy employee. Then in early 90’s Enron came calling and it was hard to pass up. I spent almost next ten years with Enron on a high note, building my career again, traveling to many parts of the world until Enron came tumbling down in the same year when terrorists hit the twin towers in New York. By that time I was done with my career anyway; big office, big title, secretary, etc. Most of us are slaves of our ego and I was past that phase of my life.

I enjoy what I do, but since after Enron I have not been looking to make a career; I do what I like for the almighty dollar. So, after Enron I started with PPL (Pennsylvania Power & Light), then with GulfTerra (an El Paso Energy company), which became Enterprise in late 2004 after an acquisition by Enterprise Products. After almost 5 years with GulfTerra/Enterprise, an engineering company made an offer I once again could not refuse. Besides, I had never worked for an engineering company. I was the client so far. I would like to find out how it feels to be sitting on the other side of the table. So, here I am. I suppose some folks still see value in me and are willing to pay for my gray hair. I hope to retire from the routine in a few years.

Thirty-two years

We were total strangers when we got married. We have been married thirty-two years. We had decided to get married on a cheap budget in a remote place in India on a day when India celebrated her 28th independence day. On that day we had decided to start a new life to be dependent on each other, closing the previous chapter on each of our lives. We really did not know what that meant. We have had our ups and downs, frustrations, disappointments, love, anger, loudness, silence, differing interests as individuals, and so on. On the spur of the moment we said things to each other that we should not have said. The bottom line is we have survived. When we were married only about five years, someone at work had jokingly commented to me that it was time for a divorce. Perhaps in the environment we live in there is some truth to it. Lesson: Getting married is the easy part, staying married is hard work and requires compromise, because you do not live for yourself anymore.

Through all these years, after all the ups and downs, after losing my thick “Afro” hair (a few gray hair is what remains) deep down I love her very much. I am thankful that that marriage blossomed into a wonderful family with two lovely daughters, a beautiful home, many friends, and an adorable pet cat named “Tigger”. Granted, I have not been the ideal role model to my daughters at times. To be a good husband and a good father is a continuous learning process and the process doesn’t end. I am not very good at expressing my affection to my near and dear ones. I am sure I will leave this place one day with my inadequacies as a husband and as a father.

Regardless, it's time to celebrate. So, we had a great lunch today at Brennan's (thanks to our daughters for a gift card). I even got some flowers and some clothes for my dear wife. It has been a great day. Happy 32nd anniversary to the two of us!

Limu, life, death, and cancer

I am not a doctor. I know very little about cancer or Limu and what I know is from reading here and there. A little learning could be a dangerous thing. However, I have seen dreaded cancer’s devastation – physically, mentally, and spiritually. I also realize that life and death are part and parcel of any existence of any living organism. Dance of death is a continuous process at cellular level. Cells are born and die continuously as a natural process except when something like cancer interferes.

Cell life is amazing. It is born, it dies if damaged (like in a burn or cut) in a process called “necrosis” or it dies through a suicidal process called “apoptosis” as part of its life cycle. So, life cycle at a cellular level or in general is a natural process. Cancer cell is an unnatural process and like a parasite it learns to grow with other hospitable cells, in turn killing the host cells in an unnatural way. So, one way to kill cancer cell is by cell suicidal method (apoptosis); easier said than done. Research is going on for cancer therapy to induce apoptosis that would focus on cancer cells.

A brown seaweed that flourishes in the clear water of south Pacific known as Limu has a nutrient called Fucoidan. Fucoidan is a prime suspect in cell deaths. Many cancer researchers believe that this substance may trigger the apoptosis process in cancer cells. It may not cure cancer, but it can strengthen the immune system warding off diseases including autoimmune diseases. There are claims made by some patients that after trying conventional treatment with little hope, they started taking Limu and their cancer cells started shrinking