Face the Wall!

Here is a really cool wall I found.  I don't know if it is made to look retro or it is just a very old ad for Coca-Cola?

Sai Baba

I have been watching the Story of India (on Netflix).  If you haven't seen it its really a wonderful show that talks about India's history starting from the early migration of man from Africa.  I am on episode 3 and am fascinated and captivated by the stories told.  I want to know more.  In that quest to seek more information about India I am going to try to track down books about Indian History after I graduate.  Another part of Indian religious history I want to know more about is Sai Baba.  He is an elusive and enigmatic figure in Indian religion.  I say Indian religion mainly because he wasn't really a leader for any particular religion.  He, as many leaders in India, encouraged religious equality and reverence for ideas and morals displayed by all religions.

You will be hearing more about Indian history and Sai Baba as I learn more about both.

BBC's efforts to restore lost Doctor who episodes

If you know me I am a big fan of Doctor Who at least the new series.  I really really want to watch all of the old episodes, but most of them are lost because they reused film strips because it was expensive at the time.  Which is why I am excited about two things:

1. They are trying to track down old recordings of the doctor who episodes and in a CNN article it mentions that they have found two recently.
2. Old tv signals are being bounced back from deep space with TV signals from half a century ago.  These include some doctor who episodes.  Radio astronomer Dr. Venn and BBC are working to recover these signals. 

This is very exciting.  Hopefully by my lifetime we will recover all the episodes and we will be able to watch them all.  In honor of Doctor Who here are all the doctors:

What i do every weekend

I spend a lot of time at comedyworx. Its fun watching improv.

Friendship

I really like this article: http://persephonemagazine.com/2011/11/fing-female-friendships-how-do-they-work/#more-47762

I don't really have one best friend.  I just have good friends.  I am the one in the article that has friends that I have different interests with.  I have a friend that I sit and watch girly things with and who understands me the best, one with whom I can be chill and not worry about anything, one with whom I can be wild and crazy, one with whom I can have interesting conversations, one with whom I take holidays on a whim, one whom I rarely see, but with whom I can be completely honest and she will be the same with me, one with whom I can be crafty and one with whom I am a blood sister and who has known me my whole life.

I guess my sister is the only person I would really give the "best friend" title to if I had to give it to anyone.

I hate to be around people who expect me to act a certain way or point blank expect anything from me.  I am who I am.  I am not planning on changing.  I have my own expectations.  I don't need anyone else's to add on to that.  My friends understand that work and school are for expectations.  The rest of our lives are for living and not caring about how others feel (apart from your family and significant others of course).

My only expectation of my friends is for them to not have expectations from me.

Happy Diwali

Today in Hinduism is the day good defeated evil.  It means a little bit different for different kinds of Hindus, but that is essential the idea.  We light little lamps like these:

And place them all over the outside of the house, and we have fireworks, and dance.  Its a fun holiday that I miss out on being here in Raleigh.

The Black Plague

Thought I would start my posts with something a bit morbid.  Remember the black plague that was so feared. Well fear no more.  It seems that the modern version of the plague and the ones that were around 600 years ago are very similar and can be defeated by antibiotics that are around today.  Meet Yersinia pestis:

There are a reported 2000 cases per year world wide.  Its seems that the plague was so devastating (killing ~50 million people) back in the day because of circumstances of the time.  Back then Europe and Asia were also plagued with famine, war, and rapid climate change (coldness!!).  People also had no innate immunity (meaning this was the first time they had encountered the disease).  It killed people who were not resistant to the bacterium and the people who were resistant survived and reproduced offsprings who were resistant.  If you want to learn more go read this article: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2011/10/13/2011-10-13_black_death_bug_hasnt_changed_but_we_have.html

Obsession with Superman

So I have this obsession with Superman.  I am not sure why I like Superman more than say Batman or other superheroes, but I mean look at him.

I guess I relate with Clark Kent.  He is an outcast.  He is not from Earth, but he feels like he belongs there.  He is affected by humanity, but he is not human.  I think that is powerful.

Doctor Who/Old Spice Commercial

Doctor Who meets Old Spice commercial.  Enjoy!

I think CNN has an obsession with zombies

Here is yet another article about zombies.  Its pretty funny that the CDC is thinking about this.

Tallest building and a pretty path near the souk

I went to Dubai a couple of years ago, and saw the tallest building in the world (Burj Dubai) under concentration.  There was a pretty path near the viewing area that lead to a beautiful souk (an Arabic market).

These are the buildings next to them.  They are all sky scrapers!

This is the pretty pathway to the souk.

Series on America's next top model (Some of my favorite pictures) III

I would love to have a model like Nicole Fox.

Series on America's next top model (Some of my favorite pictures) II

Dancing photoshoot!

Series on America's next top model (Some of my favorite pictures)

This particular shoot was for jewelry!

Beautiful journey

Graduate school has kept me busy for the past few weeks, but I found this TED talk that I absolutely wanted to share.  It by this researcher named Deb Roy.  He decided that he would record his and his son's life from birth to full speech.  From the video he is able to track movements through space and time and analyze it against words spoken by the parents and the words the child finally learns.  It an amazing and beautiful journey captured for the first time with real honesty and care.

Windy Day

So I was driving home today from work and it was really windy.  I started thinking about tornadoes and I realized how easy it would be for a tornado to just pick up my car and suck me in.  So here is the dilemma do I get killed by the debris outside the car or by the car being thrown several hundred feet and it explodes.

Now those are debris.

Getting out good or no?

Last time I was in the presence of a tornado I stayed in the car and drove toward my house.  The tornado never touched down thankfully, but it was hanging over us almost the whole time.  People say staying in the car is a bad idea, but how is going outside of it any better?

Church wars are usually not funny, but this is!

Today is my last day at the EPA as a Student Services Contractor.  And I am following tradition by sending Katie Shumake a picture of the Doctor. 

David Tennant as the Doctor

And in response she send me this link.  I really enjoyed it and thought you might like it.  Enjoy the pretty face of the Doctor and this funny rivalry between Presbyterians and Catholics.

Breathless

I grew up listening to this thinking..."there is no way this guy sang this song in one sitting.  He had to have clipped things together", but damn its true.

This clip is form Indian Idol of the contestant singing the song, but later the actual singer gets on stage and sings it with him, and it is incredible!  Watch:

Best Conversation Ever. If only we can record live conversations all the time to record it!

My sister and I are dorks.  But here is our conversation from earlier today:

Sumathi:It is snowing here..
Apparently, Dallas is the new Alaska!
me: really? You guys can't catch a break.
lol apparently
Yesterday was like a spring day here.
Sumathi: I know the weather cleared up just for the Superbowl and now it is back
me: today I don't know because I haven't been outside since this morning.
Sumathi: I guess God wanted to watch the Superbowl
me: I guess so
I think god has x-ray vision so he can watch it whenever he wants.
Sumathi: what does X-ray vision have to do with watching it whenever..
doesn't that mean watching it through anything, except maybe lead!
me: well I mean he can watch it if he wants to despide the clouds
Sumathi: yeah.. but humans will not put on the game if conditions are not good.
so he can't watch a game that does not take place.
me: thats true
Sumathi: This is a mindblowing discussion..
me: He could create a fantasy football team in his head and actually play it out.
Sumathi: true, then again maybe we are all encompassed within God's head! His thoughts are our actions!
me: yeah that might be true.
which would be funny that he is creating a fantasy conversation about him in his own head
Sumathi: Yeah, he is a narcissist..
me: haha

Vacation Time?

I am a pisces no matter what the new zodiac thing says.  I love water!  Wouldn't you love to live here?

The Over-Water Bungalows at Le Meridien, Bora Bora

I would love to live in a place like this.  Whenever I get a job, and go on a proper vacation I am so going to an island like this, and relax.  I am thinking about vacations a lot lately because I really need one.  Anyway, how sweet would it be to vacation here?

I am thinking a cruise or a Carribean vacation after I get a job.  Will you join me?

Validation

I have shared this with many people, but in case you haven't seen it yet here is the cutest video in the world!

The funny in life: Midwest being slammed

Mamika

One of my favorite grandmothers.

Women in leadership positions

Recently I have been focusing on leadership and women taking leadership opportunities, and there is a TED talk you must see about it.  As I am focusing on business more and more I have seen the trend where men take leadership roles more than women.  In fact in my MB 590 case studies class we were split into groups and  only one woman is leader (granted there only three groups, but even last year we had one women be group leader and the rest of the groups had men as leaders and there were 6 team last year).  We don't take that opportunity as often as we should.  I finally decided to step it up.  I volunteered to lead my group for MBA 585 class for our case study in that class.  I need to be confident and know that I can take on the responsibility.  I have to be a risk taker and at the same time I have to be a risk manager.  Anyway I was browsing through the website of my case study company called Humacyte, and guess what!!...The people running the company are mostly women.  In fact there are 5 women and 1 man: http://www.humacyte.com/pages/profile/leadership.shtml

If you are a women or even a man, but definitely if you are a woman you should watch this TED video: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/sheryl_sandberg_why_we_have_too_few_women_leaders.html

Its so fascinating.  Perception of women in leadership positions need to change.  Let our generation be the one to change it!