Sunday, April 25, 2010

More finds

Just fixed a new car. Then the move to the new apartment. So, would be a week or two before we start our travels.
In the meanwhile, about Calgary:

1. This city is definitely developing infrastructure-wise. Construction everywhere all the time(maybe they can do it only during Spring-Fall).
2. Calgary seems to be the hub for oil sands, internet & technology.
3. Weather is obviously the best in all of Canada. Never seen no rains here. It is either sunny, cold or it just snows.:)
4. Easy to spot a Canadian. He always ends a conversation with an "eh?".
5. There are pubs everywhere. (a quick reminder: I live in the downtown, eh?)
6. People smoke. More than I am used to.
7. People do not look that they are doing a favour by making a conversation with you.
8. Customer service in banks, offices are way better(than I've known).
9. When it snowed yesterday, we were the only people who were watching it out the window like a natural wonder. People were going about their business as usual, if not faster.
10. Volunteering is big time here.
11. There are a lot more immigrants here than I imagined. Chinese, they are everywhere.
12. Locals call this a big town. Not a city yet. You are never far from anywhere. But the traffic can be crazy. Not many lanes on the freeway(inside the city) contrary to what one would expect from the 2nd largest country in the world.
13. The icing on the cake: Canadians seem to have a work schedule. 9am - 5pm. Good thing in itself! Bad thing: When everyone leaves office at the same time, what do you expect? Yes. A traffic jam!!!
14. Apart from all of this, there is enough space to get lost here.
And right now, I am all ears for getting desperately lost. So, I am absolutely loving it here.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Strings...of emotion

It is difficult to put in words what I am feeling. More & more truths surface! Another parallel universe seems to exist...or is this that one?

A yearning, to make myself useful. To grasp this entire world.
A burning desire to know what the heck am I? And what am I doing in this world?
There exists more love than is going around. A horrible feeling that poverty is obscene & I am a part of it as much as the people who are in it. It may seem silly, but by not doing anything significant to eradicate it, I am only being a part of it.
And there is no sense of modesty or humility associated. It is blatant truth.
As more truths come up, the more I realize that the truth was always there.


Dissolution of the I, making yourself a part of this world, the possibility of knowing thy self, everything that once seemed distant, illogical, unwanted, looks possible, within reach.
I can never forget my first Inner Engineering class or the subsequent classes I had the privilege of attending. If I had to thank some people for all of this, my thank you's would be endless.

P.S: I am not going insane or being philosophical. I know I am not. For those of you that may think that, please be assured. I am finer than I've ever been.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

This is

around where we live now :)



Where we go for a walk everyday(notice the warning for coyotes...I was a little amused the first time I saw it)



Where S plays almost everyday - on princess island park



I haven't done this city justice through photos. Still settling down. But will post a new entry in the travel blog soon.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Is water emotional?

I received an email fwd from a friend that read,
"Can water be affected by words?
Dr. Masaru Emoto, a Japanese scientist, believes so.
And he has proof."
"Dr. Emoto took water droplets, exposed them to various words, music, and environments, and froze them for three hours. He then examined the crystal formations under a dark field microscope. And he took photographs.
The results were totally mind-blowing.", reads the email with lots of pictures of water crystals.

I looked up this guy's name on Wiki & I was a little surprised that he is true. :)
I looked up his website.
Now, from what I read, this guy is not a champ or a pro in what he says. His words may seem illogical & ridiculous too. He may not have credibility to prove his own experiments. But that does not necessarily mean that it is not the truth.
What if water does respond to emotions?
As the email read, we have 70% water inside. That makes a huge difference if what he says is truth. This is one more instance of our age old moral-science classes that the kind of words we use affects us as much as it affects the person it is aimed at, if not more.
May not be a fact, but it is the truth.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Hinduism is not an 'ism'


I was a happy Brahmin as a child. Rather, happy to be a Brahmin child. It has got nothing to do with my caste. But it has everything to do with my parents. My parents were really unconventional, broad-minded, service-oriented(with limitations, of course), never-say-go to a temple(never-not-say-go to a temple either). We'd travelled a lot as a family. We have visited most important temples in India. But never once did my father or mother insist that I should pray or do any of the things they believed in(or not believed in). So, I assumed if this is how a Brahmin is, I am happy to be one. At that age, I believed you are never born as a Brahmin. You become one by your actions. Anyone can become a Brahmin. It is a way of life.

But with all the things that started cropping up as a part of this religion or caste, somewhere I started experimenting with everything I came across. I had to try it to make sure it worked for me. With time, I started to lose interest in rituals & religion itself. All of it does not make sense to me anymore.
C'mon, what is the point of going to a temple with 5000 others just to see a glimpse of a statue?(when your religion says God is everywhere)
What is the point in circum-ambulating a mountain for 14km with 10,000 others when you hear them talk about nothing but crap. I could not find sanctity in that.
It did not make sense to follow some rituals & not be able to explain its significance.
This is when I felt that religion should not come by heredity. A person should have the choice to choose a religion(as a "way of life") he wants. At least this way it is his path. At this point, I am a liberal or a rebel, I don't know. And it doesn't matter which one of the two I am.

When I heard Sadhguru say that Hinduism is a culture but not a religion, somewhere something seemed to make sense. Something inside me felt so relieved. What if it was true? What if we are making a mess out of religion(s)? I understand that rituals hold certain significance, but I am not there yet experientially. So, I am not scared to say, "I do not know".

Hinduism as a religion is very liberal. We all know that. We can do everything we want & still be a good Hindu. We can do nothing & still be a good Hindu.
Hinduism as a culture is even better. It seems a higher possibility.
It works for me!

Thursday, April 08, 2010

Calgary - my first impression

It truly amazes me to know how much accepting I can be when I just don't resist. When I just let things be.
This country, Canada & its people are soooooo friendly that words fall short. People at the Federal office really don't need to please people. They don't have the need to bring in customers. Today, I had been to their office to apply for SIN card & I had no palpitations when I met the officers - which is straight opposite to my every single experience in the US.

My last name is pronounced close to what it should be & I don't feel familiar or alienated. Fewer people in a city than I'd ever see in my entire life(I'd been to Alaska in Summer- so that doesn't count).
The Bow river borders the downtown & for a change the downtown feels relatively safe. The buildings are not as unique as San Francisco, but they are not grey & blue like in Vancouver. I am not ready for Toronto, yet. And so! There is nowhere else I'd rather be now, than here.
I'd never stepped out when the weather read 4C(would never ever dream of taking my daughter out at that temp). But I did it. Today. It wasn't so bad, actually. And she loved being out. So, there's to new beginnings.

I am as ready as I can ever be to face my life with an open heart. And it feels so gratifying to say that.
A friend often says that we are not bubbly & happy all days. So, today is my bubbly day & I am enjoying it. Tomorrow, if I am not, it is still okay.
And believe me, I am still surprised at the new me. :-)

Monday, April 05, 2010

The move

Revelations about the move.
1. We were not as ready as we thought we were...for the move.
2. But after the initial jitters, I think we know this is what we want.
3. I am truly happy. I'd rather be here & complain about not being in Bay area than otherwise.
4. Isha has become a bigger part of me than I knew it to be.
5. I need a few more moves to feel more detached, but I am getting there.
6. Money is needed, but is pushed to the very last rung in my ladder.
7. There is divinity in everything around me. I have just turned a blind eye so far.
8. Help comes from unexpected corners, & such help is never forgotten.
9. People are extremely friendly here. Maybe it has got to do with the weather.
10. Me & my family are so darn lucky & I am soooo grateful for that.