Tell me this isn't so

I have something of a set ritual every day when I wake up. I try and dodge the alarm clocks. I have an old little analogue alarm clock I set for around 6am. I also have the alarm on the blackberry set to (depending on how I feel the night before) about the same time. I usually don't hear the regular clock for whatever reason. Anyway, one favourite technique of avoiding the alarm is to wake up, pick up the blackberry and head back to bed. I keep the thing deliberately away from arm's reach so that I have to get up to turn it off. Usually, it ends up with me taking the phone back to bed with me and leaving it by my head so I can hit snooze again in 10 minutes. Sometimes, I read the already queued up emails (being on the West Coast of North America means that the Indians, Chinese and the East Coasters have already finished/started their day). I also, if I am up for it, check facebook and the BBC in that order. And so it was Friday morning last week. The headline of course, in case you have forgotten, is that the President of the United States won the Nobel Prize for peace. I dozed off. I think I woke up at the next alarm ring and checked again to make sure I wasn't dreaming that one up.

I wasn't. My first reaction was... for what? Traditionally, the Nobel prizes are held in fairly high prestige around the world. Its not so much that people compete to win, its more just something very prestigious to be associated with. I know that my Alma Mater has been dreaming forever of winning more Nobel prizes. To date, we have a single one, that of Dr. Michael Smith. There are other measures of a research university besides winning Nobel prizes (say, publishing in a prestigious journal like the Lancet or Nature)... but winning a Nobel prize seems to be the gold standard as it were.

The peace prize is probably the only controversial one of the lot. It seems like they are given out (not always) for political reasons. That is not to say that many of the winners are not worthy; people like Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela and organisations like the ICRC are perhaps the epitome of the award but sometimes, the Norwegians hand the award out to some questionable characters out there. Like say one Henry Kissinger. Someone many people consider worthy of being sent to the Hague to be tried for crimes of war committed primarily in many South American countries during his time in the State Department and as National Security advisor. One such event was that other September 11th, way back in 1973, for those who care to go find out more. Or say Arafat, Rabin and Peres. Or Al Gore. And now Obama.

Nevermind that the citations were for some noble cause in most cases; in the case of Kissinger, it was for the end of the hell that was the Vietnam war, in the case of the trio from the middle-east, it was for the Oslo Accord. Al Gore won probably because of that film he made and for his talk on global warming in a country that officially didn't accept it (at the time anyway). I am sure there are plenty of people out there who believe, one way or the other that these people didn't deserve their awards and should be thrown in prison or mocked for their hypocrisy or something like that. Equally, I am sure there are those out there that believe their contributions were legitimate to the Nobel committee's stated citation, no matter what they did before or since.

The Obama nomination is something else though. Pretty much anyone else prior has done _something_ to deserve their award. We can point to something tangible to justify that. Henry Kissinger _did_ help end the war in Vietnam. The three musketeers from the Middle East _did_ indeed sign the Oslo accord (and Clinton made sure they shook hands) in the (I think genuine) hopes of making peace amongst their people. US President Obama was nominated two weeks after he was sworn in as President. His citation talks about "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples". Aside from making a promise to close the illegal prison in Cuba, he had not done much else other than being a) not Bush and b) the first half-black President of the United States. His election did indeed bring about something of a renewal in the United States. People seem to have genuine hope and a wish for a more progressive prosperous and non-violent United States. Or at least one that is much more multilateral than the prior administration.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am not anti-Obama or pro-Obama. I am merely interested in the man. Generally, I think he has been good for the image of the United States; Obama is much more palatable as the person representing the United States compared to the cretins from the previous 8 years. Some of them are probably responsible for crimes against humanity and will never face justice for their crimes. But that is the world we live in. Obama is also a very eloquent man who has expressed some incredibly noble thoughts and ideas to various parts of the world. I recall seeing a survey they conducted in Canada which said that Canadians would elect Obama by a 94% margin. For those keeping score, that is much higher than the percentage the Americans themselves were willing to elect him by. Not that the poll has much credence because a) it is a poll, b) Canadians do not get to elect American presidents and c) Canadians are a lot more left leaning than our American cousins. Suffice to say, Obama is a rock star in Canada. Canadians probably know more about him and his life than they do about their own leadership.

Anyway, the point here is to ask what exactly Obama has done so far to be given the Nobel prize for peace. I am baffled as to what he has done to strengthen anything. He hasn't said silly things like "If you're not with us, you're against us" for example, but does that qualify to put him the same league as Linus Pauling? He hasn't started any new wars based on highly questionable intelligence or flimsy lies. Does that qualify him? He hasn't added any new country to the Axis of Evil yet. Is that enough? He hasn't really made any headway with any of the issues that the world has put on his plate (and ones he has gladly championed)... the plight of Cuba, the lunacy of what is going on in the Middle East, the mess the previous administration left with the two active wars, the illegal prison in Cuba, the support for questionable governments (like the ones in Pakistan, Israel, Saudi Arabia), the alarming changes in climate and so on and on and on. He is the President of the United States, not the President of the rest of the world. Just because we want him to solve all the problems out there... it doesn't mean he will. I don't know what he has done to get the award. I am baffled as to why he was given the award.

Note that this is jealousy or some kind of anti-American rant or anything like that. I've so far heard many people have issues with people questioning the logic behind handing him the award. I feel that some of these die-hard supporters of Obama consider than in the same vein as someone picking up a rusty nail and poking the eye balls out of a cute puppy and then stomping it to death. I mean, yes, he's a half-black man, he won fair and square in the election and he means well and electing him is quite an accomplishment for the United States of America in their quest to reconcile their sordid past... but he is no god or demi-god for that matter. He's just a guy. And he's going to do what all the guys before him did. Protect the interests of his country in a world where there are winners and losers. That means that if it makes economic/political/military sense, he will support a murderous regime. That means he will gladly do trade with one communist regime while doing his best to starve another. It means that he will always see one group of middle easterners as legitimate and the other as corrupt and one that encourages terrorism. This isn't going to change. Obama may be a half-black President. But he's not nuts.

Or maybe I have underestimated the Nobel committee. Perhaps they are much smarter than I give them credit for. Perhaps they have hanged the carcass of the dead albatross around Captain Obama's neck while he navigates the rough waters of the world. Perhaps they have pigeon-holed him into not doing anything too nasty by giving him the peace prize. Because after all, the expectation of the world now is for him to live up to the award he already been given. This is a bit orthodox if you ask me, but it might just work. Give someone an award and maybe, just maybe, you can force them into acting for the collective good of the world.

At any rate, interesting times are ahead.

Realisations made while driving around town

One of the things I missed terribly while I was out of Vancouver was the lacking in my life of interesting events that I actually enjoy. Not the type where someone tries to break into the house... I mean pleasant things. I've done some interesting things in the spur of the moment... and on Sunday, my friend and I decided to drive all the way across town to get a burger. Not an ordinary burger mind you, this is one good burger. Except I didn't get one. Because I had already eaten. Anyway, to Vera's we went.

As is usual with most of my friends, we talk about a few staples. I think most guys talk pretty much about the same things. Women. Cars. Sports (if we can agree on what). Money maybe. We somehow ended up on the topic of women. We pulled into a petrol station and there in the next pump was this absolutely gorgeous woman filling petrol in her car and then wiping her windows down. There was something incredibly attractive about that. It helped that she was indeed very good looking and she had a very nice car (a Honda Prelude custom painted in purple with some really nice rims). She seemed to be a Broncos fan too for some reason... at least that's what the team in Denver is called I think. How do I know? She was wearing a Broncos sweatshirt. I looked over and my friend was not quite paying attention to the filling of gas, he was staring at her like I was while pretending to fiddle around with the fuel tank lid.

I wanted to honk the horn and tell her that she's welcome to wipe his car too since she seemed to enjoy wiping hers. But I didn't. Nor did I step out of the car and go say hi. Why? I mean realistically, what is the worst thing that could happen? She would probably leave and think I was some kind of pervert. No harm done, the chances are, I will never see her again anyway. But that got me thinking... what does a guy have to do to meet a girl? I've been to plenty of bars since I turned 18. I think I've talked to a handful of women. None of them were very interesting. And apart from the couple of women who took a fancy to me (and that always makes me wonder what trick she has up her sleeve...), I would not say I have had good times meeting women at bars. Not that I am looking to meet some bar wench... but that's where a lot of people here seem to go to meet others. The chances of meeting a sane and sober woman in a bar and having a conversation I consider normal are non-existent. Or at least as close to non-existent as I can tell from the past 10 or so years.

Where else? Work perhaps? I work in the software industry and in a little satellite office where meeting people who wear shoes is a relief... so the chances of me meeting a woman at work are also non-existent. And again, I am not sure meeting someone at work is a good thing... what with both your careers having the chance of going down the drain depending on corporate policies and what not. And unfortunately, the women in this field tend to be, in the words of a friend, third-world ugly.

Where else? The bus? That has never worked for me. Either I am trying to sleep on the bus or I am trying to read on the bus. And while I am surrounded by many women on the bus, I don't think I have ever talked to them in the 10 or so years I have taken the 99 B-line to UBC. I think you can easily come off as creepy or strange or whatever if you approach someone on the bus like that. One of my friends did ask a girl out on a date on the bus once... something about her eating carrots and him asking her to share. Somehow, that sounds very cheesy to me but it worked for him. Damn carrots.

So, where else is one to meet these elusive women? I've talked to plenty of them at stores and stuff. You know the smiling girls at the coffee shop or the store selling crap you don't need or at the local restaurant that only hires women of a certain body type. But they are just trying to do their best to make a sale or get a better tip or whatever. They are not interested in me or the fact that I can write backward or upside down at about the same speed as I can regularly. Or about what I do or what I want to do in life or why I think we should try and spend time researching micro-turbines as a way to generate energy using residential graywater...

I'm fresh out of ideas on where to meet them. I've had some success going anywhere where they exist with the two dogs... dogs are, as they say, chick magnets. But then, they are really interested in the dogs and not me. Most of the time, I stop and think and say, yeah, if I say or do something, it will come off as creepy. Now, I am not out to get a pound of flesh from society for making it this way... plenty of people meet plenty of other people, its just I don't know how and I don't know where to do it. If I listen to my family, their idea of solving this problem is to outsource it... literally. Lets send for a wife in India. Like you're shopping for a pair of shoes. If she has X education, she gets a check. If she's has this colour skin tone and her family is of this caste then we get a few more checks and what not. But that doesn't work for me. Chances are, some poor woman will end up being miserable here and make me miserable... all for some misguided chance at a 'better' life in Amrika that some lunatic in her family convinced her of. You know, the America where the ground is paved with gold and where we wipe our bottoms with rolls of Benjamins (and yes, many people I have met back home can't seem to fathom that there is a Canada that is different than America... which saddens me both for them and for Canada). All this is aside from the fact that people tend to treat you as a commodity... education, looks, skin tone, voice, height, weight, family connections... all have a value associated with it. Your aim is to maximise the value while staying within the confines of conch shells and ancient ways that somehow predict your future through the time you were born and the phase of the moon and which hind leg the family dog lifted up to pee the first time you saw it and what not. This isn't to say that women out there are nuts or gold diggers or anything... I have met just as many nice women out there as I can think of elsewhere... its just that I am still in the same situation... you approach them and god knows what kind of shit breaks loose.

So, here's my plea (maybe that sounds desperate... and it isn't desperation here) to the fairer sex: do us guys a favour and approach us once in a while. If you're interested in getting to know us, by George, do something about it. Because most of us won't find that creepy. Sure, I will still think you are secretly out to knock me unconscious somehow and tear out a kidney and make a run for it... but that's just a healthy imagination (and not paranoia :) ) at work. A lot of people seem to argue about equality and what not... things that were a product of the last century. I want to see that in action now. Come hit on me as it were. Ask me out on a date. I'll pick up the bill sometimes, you can do it some other times. Heck, I'll even drive.

Failing that... I guess I will have to just grow old alone. And you wouldn't want that now, would you? I'd be a burden on the healthcare system for god's sakes! It is in your interest, nay, it is your duty to make sure I don't end up old and alone. Or not. Thanks for reading.

What do you do when what you want is not achievable?

I've been trying to set myself realistic goals for where I want to be in life and trying hard to achieve them for a while now. Bear with me, I am no granola crunching hippie or some kind of new age practitioner or something... I am just a fat guy trying to not be so fat as it were. But what if you're goals are simply unachievable? I mean, what happens if you're goal is a worthy one and your work towards it admirable... but the chance of you achieving it nigh on impossible?

This week, His Holiness the Dalai Lama came to UBC and Vancouver for a conference on peace. While I am not one of those people who looks to Eastern philosophy for spiritual guidance (what with me being from the East and all), I genuinely do admire this man and his take on life. Regardless of what the official Chinese government and some others may call him, he is something of a spiritual being... someone a lot of people seem to be mesmerised by. He is no wolf in sheep's clothing as the bureaucrats in Beijing portray him to be, but he sure is something else. So nice that a whole load of kids took trains and buses and cars to go out to GM Place I think to hear him (and others) talk about peace.

He has articulated his dream of going back to Tibet for years now. But what are his chances? I mean, it is a lofty dream, it is definitely a worthy one, but realistically, what are the chances that he will ever set foot in Tibet again? In one word, none. Some revolutions will never come. Will he ever give up on the dream though? Not likely. Has his life been in vain? I don't know any more.

Sometimes, dreams are just dreams. Nice things you would like to have. Sometimes, you convince yourself they are worth your while and you pursue it pig-headedly even though you know in your mind that you are swimming against the tide and don't have a hope in hell of achieving them. And yet you pursue it like it was the only thing that mattered. Such is the human spirit. I wonder what happens to all those who spent their lifetimes into achieving their goals and ultimately failed. Do they die as unhappy souls only to be re-born into a world with a whole new purpose? Perhaps we are going into the supernatural here... but it does make me wonder.

At any rate, chase those dreams I say. Because they are what makes life worth living.

First day of classes

Tuesday, September 8, 1998. It was a somewhat sunny day. And it was the first day of classes at the University of British Columbia. It seems like such a long time ago now... but I recall back to those days fondly. From somewhere out there, came a naïve little person who spent 5 years of his life being moulded and influenced by that place, its ways and teachings only to end up working there... making this my 11th year on Campus (minus the year and a bit between graduating and working there and the 2 and a few years of which I spent in DC). I am still naïve, but I would like to think that I am a little less so.

A good friend and teacher once told me that after all these years of being immersed in something, he realised that he knew so little. I guess the difference for him is that he acknowledges and understands the scope of what he doesn't know. Someday I hope to be more enlightened. Every day is a journey towards that goal I suppose. Wish me luck. And the best of luck to the students who started (or are continuing) their academic lives at UBC. You're truly lucky.

Its the what's up edition

I haven't been blogging as much as I would like now that I am back in Vancouver. Why? I've been busy doing other things. Like climbing mountains and swimming laps and working. Being home is great. Working from here is a bit of a different story though. But there's no point writing about that. Because not much will change.

Anyway, what have I been up to? I've been lazy of late in terms of apartment hunting. I haven't done much travelling. I haven't really lost a lot of weight. But I am happy. And that wasn't the case before. I am perfectly happy enjoying what is left of summer. I have to say, I have come to a few realisations. First, being happy is important. Far more important than earning more money. Second, I missed sushi. Third, friends are awesome. And fourth, having a car is not a bad thing. I can live without it for sure, but having it makes things happen faster.

Its also something else to have dogs once more. I grew up in a house full of all sorts of animals. We used to have dogs, rabbits, birds, fish, a sea gull, a wild boar named Al and I am sure other things I have since forgotten. When we moved to Canada, all that went away. I spent 13 years without a dog. Now that I have 2 adorable (if neurotic) mutts in my life, I don't think I will ever live without them. Dogs are amazing.

I have almost finished reading the book, the last lecture by Randy Pausch. I don't know what to think of it. He has some inspiring words but at times, I feel like he's got an unnecessary chip on his shoulder. But then again, he's a dying man, what does he care... he's just trying to get his message out there. I watched the lecture online on youtube and am impressed by his ability to be so positive while he counts down his time on earth. Finality is scary sometimes.

Anyway, its almost time for the 10 O'clock news and I am excited to watch the National at 10 pm on CBC like I used to...

Approaching milestones and dealing with them

Over the weekend, I had to go spend time with 15 friends to celebrate the 29th birthday of a friend. We're sort of at that age where we are going to cross that invisible threshold that marks 3 decades on god's green earth. Somewhere between the lamb and the tiramisu, we kept coming back to trying to figure out a way to make our mark on the big 3-0. Since this also happens to be the time where some of us are settling down to a married life (I missed one wedding this summer already and am hopefully not too late for at least one next year; and one friend took out his phone and showed around the 3 month old baby's pictures), I get the feeling we are in sore need of some validation for our almost 3 decade reign here.

A lot of the conversation hung around going to Vegas or Mexico for the next stag, but I am convinced that there is more to it than a stag. I have a list of things I have wanted to do in life and some day I hope to do them. I am going to list them here in the hopes that if I see them, I will try and work towards them. So here's my list:

• Run a marathon
• Run the 2010 Vancouver Sun Run and beat my previous time (~55 minutes in 2004)
  
• Learn to ride a motor cycle
• Become a certified diver
  
• Do the West Coast Trail
• Try Surfing
• Train for a triathlon
• Do more hiking
• Learn to ski
• Travel
• Go fishing
• Buy my first place
  

This list is by no means a complete one and isn't ordered in any particular order. I would like to start accomplishing some of these soon enough, but some will take longer (like the West Coast Trail or the motor cycle one). As you can tell, most of these have to do with being in better shape. That is an unstated implicit goal for me as well. I was probably the fittest I ever was the year I started working for my current employer (way back in 2004!). I did miss out on the a lot of the running and hiking and it is time to pick that up again.

What are your goals? Have you met them?

Coming Home

I made it. I really made it. I have started the next phase of my life. Looking back at almost 3 years ago, I was on the right side of the 20s, busting out of my cocoon and exploring the wide world out there. And I loved it. And then I realised what I had done. I had left behind everything that mattered to me. I am coming home to my beloved city. For those who follow my blog, you know that I do ramble on and on about Vancouver. But I am home now. And I am secure enough to know that where ever I may end up in life and whatever I may do, I will always have two homes: Vancouver (and Canada in general) and India, where I was born and lived for the first half of my life.

As I sit here, just past my 13th year living in North America, I realise that I have almost spent half my life here. Between Vancouver and DC, the last 13 years have had its fair share of ups and downs, opportunities gained and dreams crushed. As I look back at why I came here, I am more certain that the choices that were made for me have moulded me into the person I am. I have met some wonderful people, made life long friends with a select few and will be forever thankful for all the experiences I have endured.

Canada gave me a home. Not because I didn't have one or because I was fleeing persecution or anything. I was an economic immigrant. My parents believed there were greener pastures out here. I cannot gauge their success for it is only theirs to pass judgement on, but I can say that while there are days when I still wonder why we all packed up those suitcases and left our home for this cold and sometimes dreary place, I am always reminded of what we have achieved as a family and what I have accomplished as a human being. It may not be much, but to me it is everything. It defines who I am and more importantly, it is the foundation on which I will have to build myself. To grow, one needs a firm foundation. And between the two countries that are 12994 kilometres apart, I have got the best foundation I could ever hope for.

I come home to Canada, after spending 3 New Years and Christmases and birthdays away from my family. I come home a dozen or so kilograms heavier. I come home knowing that some of the most influential people in my life live in DC. I come home knowing that they will always be there when I IM them, ready with advice, genuine support and all round friendship. I appreciate that. I come home a little older and a lot more grown up than when I left. And I am at peace with that. My 3 year old adventure in DC is coming to a close and I have had the best outcome possible: I keep my job, I keep my sanity, I keep my friends (even if they are 3800 Km and 3 hours apart). I leave knowing that some people really are more than just random friends; they are people who will pitch in and adopt you for a couple of weeks at a time because you are in a bind and will make your time there the most pleasant in memory, they are people that I will some day see again, and be able to return the favour.

I come home humbled by life. When I left, I barely knew what life was, though I thought I did. I thought it meant going to work every day, excelling at it and earning money and then going out and spending it all on things that I can scarcely remember. I come back knowing that there are far more important things out there, from human relationships to broadening one's horizons, from facing challenges to succeeding (and failing) at them. I come back knowing that I can take care of myself, that I can live by myself and that I can actually do that well. I also come back knowing what is important to me. My life is important. My health is important. My family and friends and dogs are important. Most importantly, my sanity and happiness are important.

I know that over the course of my life I will find reasons to complain about all sorts of things. I think that is human nature (and I hope that it is not unique to me). I hope that when I go down that road of doom and gloom again (whether for legitimate reasons or not) that I will recall all the good that came of my time in DC and of how important home is for me. In Vancouver, I have found that perfect home. A good friend once told me home is where your family is. And she's right. Except family in this case is a bit larger than the ones you are related to by blood. The family ties she meant are the ties one has to the community, to the city and to the ideas that make Canada what they are. It is a place where an immigrant can come and retain his immigrant culture. It is a place where immigrants of different ethnicities can hang out with each other in perfect harmony. It is a place where the true beauty of nature can be seen, enjoyed and mourned (for it is not perfect).

Every time I fly into Vancouver, I look out of the window and try and pick out as many things as I can. From the building where my friend used to live, to the IKEA in Richmond, this is my home now. This is my family. This is my tribe and my community. This is the best place on earth (well, its a tie with India :) ). It is our home and native land. With a Sovereign and a Westminster style of democracy and with abundant socialist leanings, this is my home. This is my home because it works for me. This is my home because it makes me happy. This is also the home where I will pay more for almost everything compared to DC. But I think I will gladly pay that price differential. Because I don't think I can put a price on my happiness.

I am just excited to be home. To take a stroll down memory lane and to make new memories. To meet old friends and make new ones, to see old landmarks and experience new ones, to conquer the next mountain that is out there and to beat my time up the Grouse Grind. This is home.

The moral of the story here is, follow your dreams and never forget what you have. Because sometimes, just sometimes, you will find out that what you have and gave up is more important than anything else you may find. Tread softly, but leave footprints and never forget the journey I suppose. I love life.

On Birthdays, life changes and decisions

I have not been blogging for a while. I need to get back on the blogging wagon once more. A lot has happened since I went to New York and came back. I celebrated a birthday. I was in Texas for 2 weeks on work. I made some big decisions relating to my life. Canada and the United States both celebrated their birthdays.

So here it is. I'm officially 28. That's scary. When I was a kid I always wondered what it would be like to be an adult. Well, here I am, adult enough, yet I am not sure I have an answer for that question. I know what it means to be an adult in some ways... you are responsible for all sorts of things: rent, food, laundry, you have to work for a living, your friends get married... but surely, there is more to being a grown up than all that. I somehow feel cheated, its like there is this list of awesome things adults do, but I am not aware of them or have not encountered them. Maybe getting drunk is what being an adult is all about, who knows. Still, there is one tangible benefit to being an adult and that is having the ability to drive a vehicle.

Anyway, this last little while, various circumstances have precipitated themselves and I have made some big decisions in life. I have decided that I have had enough of this adventure in America and I am going to move back home to Vancouver. When I think back to the time I decided to move to DC (and you can go back and check my blog from 2006), I had a lot of expectations. I am not sure I met them all, but I have gone as far as I can go here. I need to be home with my family and friends. The good news as far as that goes, I get to keep my job (or so says my manager and his manager), I will have a roof over my head as soon as I get home, I'll be able to start the next stage of my life.

Of course, this brings about a lot of work before I leave. I need to pack and ship my stuff back. I started on some of that by getting estimates... and its EXPENSIVE! I can't believe how expensive it is to ship my possessions across the continent and cross a border! I also have to pay someone to come pack the bigger things (because I don't know how one packs a glass top table properly). I went through the process of rationalising what to do... do I ditch everything here and buy everything back home and take the financial hit? But then who is going to buy a used bed? And what would I get for my TV? It didn't make sense to sell all these things for a fraction of the price I spent and the go home. One the other hand though, I will have saved some cash. What if I rented a truck and drove across the country? I considered that... but then again, I will need someone to help me with that.

What else? I was in Austin for two weeks. I spent time there eating LOTS and LOTS of good Texas BBQ, learning lots of good things about our product and how far we can push them and generally working 16 hours or so every day (even the weekends). I got to hang out with a couple of awesome co-workers for parts of the stint, including one awesome evening stumbling from bar to bar on 6th Street while admiring and cursing the heat at the same time. It was well after midnight and it was still a balmy 35 degrees! I don't know if there are any vegetarians in Texas, but if there are, I give them credit. I would have succumbed to all the awesome goodness of brisket, ribs, sausage and steak by the first week! I'd also like to say that I got to work with an exceptional team of people at Dell. I am a big fan of those guys.

I went to the Canadian embassy on Wednesday to celebrate Canada Day. I met some nice Canadians including the guy who let me into the venue despite me not having an RSVP. The official volunteer fellow was being a hard ass by not letting me in... but this guy, he sounded Canadian enough and let me in when the official looking fellow wasn't looking. Thank you, whoever you are. I consumed some food and stood in a beer line for Unibroue paid for by people like my mother (Canadian tax payers). I dont drink beer, I just stood in line so someone else could get another one without standing in line again. I also met a charming lady from Vancouver of all places, who is a student at UBC and is doing a stint as an intern at the embassy in DC! It was nice to hang out with Canadians. I missed out on the singing of the national anthem and getting a chance to chat with Ambassador Wilson, but I had to get back to work and attend meetings with my manager.

I also watched the American Independence Day celebrations on TV with the concert and fireworks on the National Mall. It looked like a lot of fun. I would have loved to go see it in person, but somehow I didn't feel like going by myself. You see, most of the people I associate with here are Canadians and... they're all back in Canada! Oh well. Normally, I would say there is always next year, but I know that is not the case. I remember Independence and Republic Day celebrations back home in India; they were a huge deal. I guess when you are a young country like the modern Republic is, you take your freedom seriously. We used to parade around in our uniforms and watch the raising of the flag and what not as part of school activities. Nothing that formal seems to exist out here and I think it would be too far out of place or deemed overly nationalistic or something akin to that here... but I have to say, it was fun as a kid. I always enjoyed watching the big parade in New Delhi where various military hardware made it across Rajpath. Someday, I will go see that live. That and the Beating of the Retreat 3 days later.

Anyway, Happy Birthday to my dear Dominion and to the United States. Its time for bed.