I am back to reading "Mysteries". For last few weeks I have gathered good mystery books and am on a bookathelon (If there is such word). I am of course a truly mystery lover at heart. No wonder you will find Sherlock Holmes as my permanent companion. Of course Arthur Cannon Doyle and Agatha Christie are all time favorite and respected authors but I have also taken interest in some new age mystery writing by Preston-Child and Steve Berry. These are new favorites of mine, when it comes to mystery writing and reading it my eyes literally droop. However, I recently found that my favorite TV shows "Murder, She Wrote" and "Monk" are also available in book format. The creators of these shows have also helped develop several mystery plots in book form that are true to the shows. "Murder, She Wrote" is an excellent TV show that ran on CBS from 1984-1996 starring Angela Lansbury as the clever and adorable Jessica Fletcher. "Monk" starred Tony Shalhoub as obsessive, compulsory and exceptionally brilliant detective Adrian Monk. The reason I am particularly talking about these shows is, both have characters that are called by others in the show as modern day Sherlock Holmes and both shows have characters that are personable and delightful.

While these days there is no dearth of mystery shows and novels, these two shows and the subsequent novels based on the shows stand out for me for the "mystery" part of the script. The reason I enjoy Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot because they solve mystery. The importance is to the "Mystery" unlike many new shows and books those depend heavily on details of death and other gory stuff instead of the sheer genius of the detectives who investigate such crimes. The whole genre of mystery is about how the smart detective finds the culprit. I find that portrayed beautifully in both Murder She Wrote and Monk. We know there is a dead man but watching Jessica Fletcher and Adrian Monk delving into that mystery with their own way is simply a delight to watch and read, of course.

Another thing that brings these two shows together for me is, the main character. Jessica a simple English teacher living in small town main and Adrian a weird detective living in San Fransisco. Now, they have nothing in common. What they have common is their intelligence and their personality that I really enjoy watching and reading about. Of course, the ensemble of the other frequently occurring characters is also an enjoyable experience. Both the shows have dear characters who are equally important to the success of the shows.

I have finished watching all season of Monk and for Murder She Wrote I finished about seven seasons. Now, that I have found that these stories are available as novels, I am running to library almost every other day to borrow the next Jessica book or Monk book. With time to enjoy and weather to wrap myself in blanket, these wonderful stories provide great entertainment. I am finished reading two of Jessica's mysteries and two of Monk's mysteries. With too many to read, I better stop writing and start reading :-)

White Christmas

It's been almost 6.5 years since I came to US. However, contrary to popular belief in India, not all US states have snow or even flurries or even icy conditions during winter. First two years in Atlanta and then four years in Tempe, hardly exposed me to the beauty of snow in winter. Of course, in Atlanta it gets very cold and even windy and icy. But Tempe has wonderful winter with temperature in 50s and 60s and occasionally in 30s. But never snow. We used to go to Flagstaff to visit snow. It was beautiful and living in comfortable weather is definitely wonderful. But since we moved to Michigan in summer, I knew we had it coming. Oh yes, the White Christmas.

Actually we missed the first snow in Ann Arbor. We were in NYC at that time. During Thanksgiving weekend, A2 had its first snow. But NY and Boston were much warmer compared to A2. The temperature was in 40s. NY was windy, tunnel effect! But it was not terrible, as I thought I would find my first winter in North. While driving back from Boston, boy we saw tons of snow in PA. We had to stop for the night as it was too much snow and too dark. I was sweating and stressed while driving. The next day, when we passed 'State College', we got our first look into tons of snow. The vehicles were moving at 20 miles/hr. The other side of road was jammed as a truck was toppled and police cars and EMT almost stopped the traffic. We could hardly see about 10 feet ahead. Not exactly driving friendly weather, I would say. But we managed to reach home safely.

Next day, I had to get some stuff from office as I decided to work from home, I walked to the bus stop. And it was snowing. I ate some snow flakes :-) It was wonderful. Cold, yes but wonderful. I was all layered up in coats and mittens and shawl and had my big snow boots on. I had to walk 5 minutes from the bus stop to get to the office and then back to home but I did not die or anything. I really enjoyed it. I came home and turned up the heat and snuggled up in warm jacket. I just sat in window, watching snow covering up the houses, cars, roads and the creek. Everything was quiet and peaceful. The trees looked beautiful as if they had snow flowers on them. And I realized, "It's going to be first, real, White Christmas for me and V". I believe in enjoying every weather if you get a chance. Many of my friends expressed concerned about me managing the winter, as I am not exactly a winter person. And living in Arizona hasn't helped me either. But many of our new friends in Michigan told us to invest in good jackets and boots and layer up. That's what I have been doing whenever I go out. Thankfully, our landlady is kind and she hires a person to remove the snow from parking garage when it snows a lot. So V doesn't have to worry about breaking his arm cleaning the snow.

Snow is fun. People say that it's just the beginning and it will get worse. Worse than 9 F. May be, who knows. But I guess I am now used to the idea of cold weather. As of now I am enjoying it. How often do you get to see a frozen creek just in your backyard! The city is diligent in cleaning the snow. All you have to do is drive carefully. Since V drives about 5 miles one way and through the city it is not too bad, till now. And of course you can always work from home if there is weather emergency. The best part is hot coffee and soup any time you want. Winter is fun.

It has been my ritual since last 6 Christmases to watch "White Christmas" on every Christmas. And this year we will have a White Christmas outside and inside. Now that my friend is simply wonderful!

It is almost two months since we have officially started living in Ann Arbor. I have to say that we are very lucky to be living here. Ann Arbor, as we all know is known for the University of Michigan's main campus. UMICH is an inseparable and very important part of the city's economy and culture. With Medical school and hospital, UMICH definitely rules the roost. But other than the university, the city offers many wonderful things. While Michigan is definitely a rural state, Washtenaw county that harbors A2, is an urban county. With population of around 322,000 the county is fifth largest in the state. However, it is also a very diverse county. And A2 of course takes the cake when it comes to diversity and culture.

What I love about A2 is whenever you walk in downtown, you will hear people speaking in many international languages. People of all over the world can be easily spotted in this "cool" city. Of course, since UMICH is a big player it is not surprising to have an amalgamation of cultures in the city. There is always something to do here. There are car shows, farmers markets, holiday markets, Oktoberfest and so on and so forth. Since, the city is most definitely a liberal city, things such as environmentally friendly technology show is not uncommon. Then there is Sunday Artisan market, where local artists sell their art. And also, book shows and book tours in Borders are tons of literary events in the Ann Arbor District Library make sure that all the book-nuts are happy.

The university has an arboretum which we haven't paid a visit is known for beautiful Fall colors. Another fun part, which I had never experienced is the proximity of wild life. It's not uncommon to spot dears on the roads. The other day we were driving on one of the busy roads and I looked out and spotted few dears hanging out happily on the North campus. I was so excited that I almost hit the car next to me :-) Our landlady has mentioned that the dears do come in our backyard. Now, you can imagine how excited I am to see them.

The city has many many cuisines to offer and for someone who enjoys eating as well as cooking, local the grocery stores. There are many specialty stores that cater to specialty cooking needs such as Indian, Chinese and Middle Eastern. I haven't visited all of them, but since I have been dabbling in cooking I will be visiting them some day or the other. There are tons of places that are open to till 2 in the night where you can definitely grab a bite to eat and some good wine to enjoy. Mind you, we moved from Phoenix where we had to decide if we wanted to eat out at 6 pm if we wanted to make it before closing which was in many cases was 9 pm. So given that, having places open so late is a boon for us.

There are many bars and dance clubs for entertainment. Got to be, after all it is a school town. I told someone describing this wonderful city as a "small" city but also a "big" city. Small in the sense that it's a college town. Not too much crowded. Still manages to keep the Midwest charm. But at the same time it is big as it has many things to offer when it comes to jobs, entertainment and diversity. I have to say we are very lucky to move here. I like to see the birds and the squirrels on the tree when I am drinking my morning tea. I enjoy just being here. Many times after work I would just walk around in downtown doing nothing. The weather is perfect now, though a little cold for me. But still I love sitting in a coffee shop and reading and watching students running with their laptops and solving homework. God, I love it here. If some one visits us here, I would tell them let's just sit down and relax and may be walk in the park and then eat in that fantastic neighborhood restaurant. That's Ann Arbor. Alive and beautiful, charming and peaceful, cold and warm, small and big, modern yet simple just what it is , Ann Arbor!

ASU College of Public Programs had this great idea to photograph student with their ideas about changing the world. I loved all of them and one particular that said "by changing the (wo)man in the mirror!". Now, that perhaps is the best way to begin. Like my favorite songs from MJ, I try to change the woman in the mirror, one day at a time.

Man in the Mirror

I'm Gonna Make A Change,
For Once In My Life
It's Gonna Feel Real Good,
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right . . .

As I, Turn Up The Collar On My
Favourite Winter Coat
This Wind Is Blowin' My Mind
I See The Kids In The Street,
With Not Enough To Eat
Who Am I, To Be Blind?
Pretending Not To See
Their Needs
A Summer's Disregard,
A Broken Bottle Top
And A One Man's Soul
They Follow Each Other On
The Wind Ya' Know
'Cause They Got Nowhere
To Go
That's Why I Want You To
Know

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The
World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change
(Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change)
(Na Na Na, Na Na Na, Na Na,
Na Nah)

I've Been A Victim Of A Selfish
Kind Of Love
It's Time That I Realize
That There Are Some With No
Home, Not A Nickel To Loan
Could It Be Really Me,
Pretending That They're Not
Alone?

A Willow Deeply Scarred,
Somebody's Broken Heart
And A Washed-Out Dream
(Washed-Out Dream)
They Follow The Pattern Of
The Wind, Ya' See
Cause They Got No Place
To Be
That's Why I'm Starting With
Me
(Starting With Me!)

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
(Ooh!)
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
(Ooh!)
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The
World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make A Change
(Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make A Change)

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
(Ooh!)
I'm Asking Him To Change His
Ways
(Change His Ways-Ooh!)
And No Message Could've
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The
World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make That . . .
(Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make That . . .)
Change!

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror,
(Man In The Mirror-Oh
Yeah!)
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
(Better Change!)
No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
(If You Wanna Make The
World A Better Place)
(Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make The Change)
(You Gotta Get It Right, While
You Got The Time)
('Cause When You Close Your
Heart)
You Can't Close Your . . .Your
Mind!
(Then You Close Your . . .
Mind!)
That Man, That Man, That
Man, That Man
With That Man In The Mirror
(Man In The Mirror, Oh Yeah!)
That Man, That Man, That Man
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
(Better Change!)
You Know . . .That Man
No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The
World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make A Change
(Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make A Change)
Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!
Na Na Na, Na Na Na, Na Na,
Na Nah
(Oh Yeah!)
Gonna Feel Real Good Now!
Yeah Yeah! Yeah Yeah!
Yeah Yeah!
Na Na Na, Na Na Na, Na Na,
Na Nah
(Ooooh . . .)
Oh No, No No . . .
I'm Gonna Make A Change
It's Gonna Feel Real Good!
Come On!
(Change . . .)
Just Lift Yourself
You Know
You've Got To Stop It.
Yourself!
(Yeah!-Make That Change!)
I've Got To Make That Change,
Today!
Hoo!
(Man In The Mirror)
You Got To
You Got To Not Let Yourself . . .
Brother . . .
Hoo!
(Yeah!-Make That Change!)
You Know-I've Got To Get
That Man, That Man . . .
(Man In The Mirror)
You've Got To
You've Got To Move! Come
On! Come On!
You Got To . . .
Stand Up! Stand Up!
Stand Up!
(Yeah-Make That Change)
Stand Up And Lift
Yourself, Now!
(Man In The Mirror)
Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!
Aaow!
(Yeah-Make That Change)
Gonna Make That Change . . .
Come On!
(Man In The Mirror)
You Know It!
You Know It!
You Know It!
You Know . . .
(Change . . .)
Make That Change.

Finally, we have moved to Ann Arbor. It happened about three weeks ago and boy, was it a pain in the rear end. Thankfully, most of our stuff was in the storage and the guys from the storage delivered the stuff immediately after we moved in. Of course, we still had few suitcases and kitchen stuff that we carried with us. The move was definitely tiring but quite uneventful. Except, for the fact that on for the first night was had nothing to sleep on. But our landlady was kind enough to lend us a blanket. It felt like camping and made sense as the new home surrounded by lot of trees and a creek in the back yard. It took us almost a week to put everything in right place and clean and settle down. Since, I was home it did not become a horrible exerting job. I would put things I could and in the evening when V would return home, we would together move heavy stuff. After the big move in, we had friends over and started the "living" in new home.

The house is beautiful and has a lot of character. It is built in 1960s so it does have some of the old furniture and look that no longer exists. Wooden floors, gas for cooking (woo hoo!!), finished basement with another bedroom, lot of closets and storage, an amazing backyard with creek and tall trees. It was almost like a dream come true. Since, we had lived in apartments before we really wanted to live in a house, eventually buy one.

Things are now getting to routine. Hopefully this new home will bring lot of happiness and good luck to us. I welcome us to Home :-)

When you are born and brought in India, you would mostly probably end up speaking at least three languages. First and foremost is your native language (which is Marathi for me), second Hindi (the national language) and third English. Now, of course some people would just speak tow of the three and some know many more. In my case , I have been very fortunate to learn and enjoy Sanskrit.

I of course love languages and for me leaning more than one language has been a great source of enjoying the classic literary and contemporary works from those language. One of the best things we got from being a British colony is the language of Brits. Who knew that English would be such a powerful language that would end up being the business language of the world. Actually, I started learning English quite young but not until High school I explored the wonderful world of English literature. Thanks o a friend of mine! Since, I already was a reader plunging into English literature was not a difficult task for me. It initially took a while to go through a book but eventually it became much more fun. Now, I can proudly say that I can finish a book within a day!

I was talking to a friend of mine who is an avid reader, about how fortunate we are to be proficient in more than one language. Not only it comes handy for higher education and work but it also opens a gateway of knowledge and never ending fun. I am a huge supporter of being a polyglot. More the merrier. A language is a tool of understanding the culture it belongs to. It goes beyond communication or business. Language connects us to the people. So it is important to understand and read and enjoy your own native language first and then definitely as many as you wish. With the current trend of not exactly be able to understand one's native language, I wonder how much one can enjoy the other language. So the idea is enjoy reading and having fun with all the languages but don't miss your native language. Because, if you don't know who you are , you would never know who others are!

Finally found a place called Home

Since we moved to Michigan about three months ago, finding a permanent residence was on our agenda. We are currently living in the apartment provided by the company and it is provided only up to three months. So before August we have to move to another place. We have been looking around houses and apartments equally, to rent. But both of us had this notion of living in a house than in an apartment now. I guess we are just done with student residence. So we decided that we will only look for houses and townhouses and see if we find something to our taste. Now, taste is a little challenging issue. V wanted a backyard and front yard possibly and I wanted to have a big kitchen with gas (now they don't come that easily), and of course 2 bathrooms. So we had to agree upon a common list of must haves in rental home. Another big issue was the location. V works in Ann Arbor and we currently live about 20 miles from AA. Initially, we thought we want to live outside of AA to get the feel of small community and countryside. But soon we realized that, almost every day after V comes back from work we end up going to AA. In this area, the most vibrant and fun city is AA. There is always something to do. And of course, budgeting for fuel cost was another important consideration that kind of pushed us towards AA.

Still, we did look for houses in other cities. It was exhausting. I would be in AA for the whole day as we still have one working car. Then , during lunch or after work both of us would visit the prospective house. Then, again I would endlessly look up on craigslist for new listings. The location and the price eventually became so specific that I thought we would have to give up on the idea of renting a house.

But last week, V found this really cute house in AA. The house is built in 60s and has two sections for two different renters. It has gas (check), a small back yard (check), three bed rooms, two full bathrooms (check), lot of storage and a kitchen pantry (yahoo additional). So everything we wanted and more. The house has character and it just feels like home. We would be moving there soon. Let's hope the new home will bring many good memories and lot of fun for us and everyone who visits!

Exercising my way to glory!

These days I have fallen back to my routine of working out every day and it feels great. I have always been a sports person, since my school days. But after being in US for six years, my exercise routine has gone hay-wards. Sometimes, I would follow rigorous routine the other times it just falls apart. But now, since we moved to Michigan I have decided to take the opportunity of free time at hand get back right on track, where I belong (pun intended!)

These days, I get up way early than I used to. I have morning tea, send V to work and then read news for some time. Then, I do some warm up at home and then I go to gym which is conveniently located in the current apartment complex. In Tempe, my good friends P showed me basic routines one can follow in a gym. Another good friend of mine who had lost about 20 pounds gave me some more tips to help increase stamina, such as running aerobic routines on trade mill. Following, their advice I work out for about one and half hour everyday. It included running, cycling, light weights and of course 20 minutes of yoga. While machines and weights help to build muscle yoga helps to keep my body light. I have lost flexibility over time which I am on my way to regain in coming months. My stamina seems to be getting better. When I come back from exercise I feel rejuvenated and happy. I am not behind any kind of weight reduction or fat burning per se. What I want to is to be fit and be energetic throughout the day. The exercise routine has also helped me to improve my sleeping habits. No more 1 o' clock in the night moves or eating at midnight. I sleep early and rise early and feel relaxed and fresh all the time.

I also read lot of health magazines and try to incorporate some of the exercises they suggest and some of the food routines. Of course, there is lot to improve. But one thing for sure, this routine makes me less susceptible to frustrations and crazy thoughts. I think about how I can improve my health and V's through better cooking and diet. Surely, I feel good about myself. I hope this will continue as I plan to take zumba classes once we are settled in our new place.

Until the zumba, gym is a great way to keep my mind and body sound.

My New Shoes

Like any other girl, I have "a thing" for shoes. When in India, I used to think about buying many shoes but never had that many. But in last few years, since I had become the master of my own finances I have completely given to my vice of shoe-shopping. I would spend time online looking up gorgeous shoes and thinking about how would they look on my feet. I would recommend 6pm for finding great deals on shoes. I did buy some of my pairs from this website. I have found that it's cheaper to buy shoes online than in store. One can find similar brands or styles much cheaper online. 6pm has some of the fantastic deals on both men's and women's shoes. If you know your shoe size, then I would suggest you should visit this website and find some killer deals. All the shoes I bought from 6pm fit like a glove.

I have recently ordered a great new pair and can't wait to put them on. This particular pair is very similar to one of the fantastic pairs that Carrie had on during the episode "A Woman's right to shoes". Of course, Carrie's was Manolo Blahniks and I can hardly afford them any time soon. But the pair I bought is equally sleek and beautiful and way cheaper than Manolos. It will be my first pair with pointy heels that are about 3 inches high. As V said, I will be so high up that he would ask me about the weather :P

So the shoes will be home tomorrow and I can put them on and may be go for fancy dinner over the week end. Just can't wait to put them on and just be a little narcissist about beautiful feet in the beautiful shoes :-)

"Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy"

One of my all time favorite singers is John Denver. I love his songs. I have listened to his songs many times. One of his famous songs is "Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy". The song just makes my day bright as sunshine. While living in Tempe, sunshine was abundant so I never thought about this songs the way I thought today. Since we have moved to MI, the weather has been interesting. It rains one day and next day it would be clear skies. Today however, was one of the warmer days since we came here. We took the advantage of sunshine and decided to go out and just walk around in Ann Arbor downtown.

It was bright and warm. Lot of people were walking around, playing on UM lawn, reading or just sitting under the trees. We also took our lattes and sat under a tree. It was so beautiful. A little warm than I thought it would be, but very bright and just sunny! While sitting under the tree I just realized that I was happy sitting there, doing nothing and just enjoying the sunny day. At that moment I thought about Denver's song. Sunshine makes me happy too!

sunshine, on my shoulders - makes me happy
sunshine, in my eyes - can make me cry
sunshine, on the water - looks so lovely
sunshine, almost always - makes me high

if i had a day that i could give you
i'd give to you a day just like today
if i had a song that i could sing for you
i'd sing a song to make you feel this way

sunshine, on my shoulders - makes me happy
sunshine, in my eyes - can make me cry
sunshine, on the water - looks so lovely
sunshine, almost always - makes me high

if i had a tale that i could tell you
i'd tell a tale sure to make you smile
if i had a wish that i could wish for you
i'd make a wish for sunshine all the while

sunshine, on my shoulders - makes me happy
sunshine, in my eyes - can make me cry
sunshine, on the water - looks so lovely
sunshine, almost always - makes me high

sunshine almost al the times makes me high
sunshine, almost always

- John Denver

When I was in Junior College I had a wonderful English teacher. She opened the gates to the wonderful world of English literature for me. I used to wait to go to her class even when attending college was not much in fashion :) One day she was discussing the concept of "Solitude" in class. I still remember one of her thoughts that she put well in words "We are too much surrounded by people to be alone". At that time I thought it was some literary way of defining a difficult concept of Solitude. But as grew older and especially when came to US , I found how correct she was. Too many people around us to be alone.

While growing up, I do not remember my family was inundated with guests and relatives. We did have family functions and festivals where we got together with relatives and friends and enjoyed the time. But it was never the most important thing on the list. Personal space was always important and even though my parents did not say it directly,after entering college both me and my sister did have right to be alone. I like to be with people but at the same time I value my space immensely. I think that's why I got used to the American way pretty quickly. I like the fact that people do respect your space and boundaries and do not encroach upon your life.

I had few friends who would always have relatives hanging in their houses even though they had exams or their mom was sick. I used to think how come people do that! But I think in India personal space is not a much valued concept. We try to accommodate so many people in our lives that sometimes it's hard to be alone. Of course I am not anti-social or anything. But what I like is to have some alone time when I like to do my own things or sometimes nothing.

By being left alone also includes not asking probing questions about personal life. I just don't understand why do people want to know about your life so much! And not many of those people ask you about your hobbies, career interests or which movies do you enjoy! All they want to know about is your personal life. I have heard so many questions like, when are you getting married? What does your husband do? Where did you meet? When will you have children? How many kids you want? Why did you get married in US? OMG! Just stop. Give me a freaking break. Some of these questions are not to be asked by anyone except parents. Especially about kids! I just don't understand why do people have this immense urge to probe? I recently chatted with a school-mate after about 13 years and she asked me when am I going to have children? What crap!

I think in our society where we value all these relations (I am not sure if all of them are valuable at all), we need to understand or perhaps teach kids since the beginning that it is important to give space to others and have your own. Unless, one is alone one never thinks! Being surrounded by dear ones is great but being alone is necessary to think and analyze about one's life.

I definitely enjoy being alone and I hope others will too understand the importance of solitude.

Arizona! A New era of humiliating legislations

I love Bill Maher. Now you know of course I am a liberal who enjoys satirical political humor. Recently, while watching some of "Real Time with Bill Maher" footage on youtube I hear him say "We no longer have political left. In recent years Democrats have moved to center and Republicans have moved to mental institution" (I am not sure if these are the exact word but along the same lines). Recent health care legislation has proved this point to some extent but the recent outrageous legislations in Arizona have proved it to be exactly right. I love my friends in Arizona, but it is the legislature I can not stand. It looks that as soon as Janet Napolitano left for serving Federal government, the state has been completely taken over by complete morons. The recent legislations about buying weapons without permits was the beginning and the most recent about letting police officers checking the legal immigration is the epitome of humiliating, ridiculous legislation in the state's history. I read someone saying that "after not recognizing MLK day as a state holiday, this signing new immigration law is second black day in the state'e entire legislative history".

I completely agree with the issue of illegal immigration in Arizona. With border fencing in CA and NM, AZ has become the channel for illegal immigrants to walk through. No one is in denial of that. But as far as I know, immigration is the Federal issue. The recent legislation in AZ challenges the Federal authority saying that if Feds won't do it, we will. This is might a good calling for Feds to intervene and push a comprehensive immigration reform which is much needed. However, the point is not that. The point is is the police force eligible to understand the issue of immigration? The state is saying that the police will be trained to understand this issue. I have few points for them.
1. Isn't the police force already burdened with the duty of maintaining law and order and looking for extremely serious offenses such as robbery, homicides, sex crimes, property crimes?
2. Isn't there a department called Homeland Security and Border Safety who works on immigrations issues?
3. How is the training going to help the police to understand the immigration? First of all there are tons of documents and procedures that are involved in the immigration process. If someone is on work permit or student visa and is in process of obtaining new visa or extension or permanent residency, getting new documentation can take months. So if police catches someone who is in between in statuses, will they be able to comprehend the situation?
4. Another problem is the notion of "reasonable doubt". How do you define that? How does an illegal immigrant look? It means that the police is going to look for certain races and ethnicities even thought governor denies it. There are Caucasians who are not citizens and non Caucasians who are citizens and any one can easily understand who will be asked for papers.
5. This is going to increase mistrust of police department. For the safety of any city the harmonious relations between police force and residents is much needed. If one can not trust police then who can they trust?
6. Arizona has many vehicle thefts. Now, if someone keeps the immigrations documents in the car and it is stolen, will the police take the responsibility of getting new documentation to the person?
7. With the new gun law it is easy to get guns in this state now. So I am afraid there might be increase violence against police force.

All and all this is a completely ridiculous piece of legislations which I hope will not stand in the court. There will be lot of petitions and I really hope the constitutional test will prove the illegitimacy of this law. Hoe funny is that the Constitution is violated by the ones who always cite the holiness of it.

Given the current situation in the state I am very happy that I will be in blue state soon. Those of who don't understand the importance of being in a blue state just know this, in a blue state legislature not in an asylum!

Ode to Tempe!

What makes a house a home? The people who live in it make it a home. And same is true for a city I call my second home after Pune, my love, Tempe. It's a little hard to believe that this city where I moved only to be with V has become so close to my heart that I am all emotional of the the thought of moving to MI. In last four years, Tempe has become a home where I have met all the loved ones. What started as a convenience , soon became the most valued love affair with the hep city of Tempe.
I met the most amazing people, made most caring friends, went to most amazing graduate school and lived in the most amazing city.

The sun never sets in Tempe. Almost 320 days of beautiful bright sunlight make it the destination for those who enjoy being in the sun. With the youthful crowd of ASU students the city never stops being "young at heart". Tempe is a place where I found best of both worlds. All the perks on being in Phoenix metro area and still a close community feeling. The parks and the roads and the transportation just made it a place I somehow feel, I always knew.

I worked, I played and I made a life in this city. The mill avenue, Tempe Center for the Arts, my favorite place - Tempe public library and Tempe town lake are the jewels of this vibrant city. The food, the weather, the NBA games and partying with friends, it all comes to me when I think of the time I spent it Tempe.

Many of my friends who are not from Arizona look at the state as a desert full of cacti. But what they don't know is that in this desert the cacti bloom with beautiful flowers in Spring and in winter one can still walk around the lake with just a nice jacket on. Ohhh!! Tempe! I will miss you.

When I moved to Arizona, I never knew that the state will keep its mark on me! But it did. Sometimes one has to live it to know it. Grand Canyon is the wonder of the state but another wonder is the people who make this state. My friends and colleagues and the public servants who are an integral part of my experience in Tempe are another wonder of Arizona whom I will miss because they are my family.

I love this city and the life it offers. I know I will come over and visit and it doesn't matter how far I will be since I will read AZ Republic just to be in touch with my family :)

Being in Tempe has been fulfilling and amazing. Tempe, no way this is a "good-bye" but just a "thank you" for making my stay most memorable. I love you and will always think of you as my home in US!

Hans Christian Andersen!

Today is hand Christian Andersen's 205th birthday. For his fans it is surely a reason to celebrate. I don't remember at what age I was introduced to his works but I got so much mesmerized by the stories that I still can not get over them. Who can ever forget "Thumbelina", "Princess and the Pea", "Little Mermaid" and all those other captivating beautiful stories? When I first read his works I read the Marathi translations. As I grew up I read them in English. Unfortunately, I do not read Danish but it would be treat to learn the language just to read Andersen.

In winter 2009, when we drove up in California we visited a small Danish village "Solvang". On the central street they have Hans Christian Andersen's bust. I was so excited to see it that I almost shouted his name out :) Solvang has a very small museum that is dedicated to Andersen. It contains some of his famous works in original Danish print. Many of books are there those got published in different countries. It was a wonderful moment to be in that small place and read about his life and think about his work.

Andersen is alive forever, like all the other great creators are. I love him and I now own a big fat book that collects all his stories. Whenever I feel a little lonely or upset I just open any page of Andersen's story book and start reading. It makes me smile and enjoy every single moment of it. He has such a power over me and millions others who have been reading his books since they were toddlers!

I love you, Hans Christian Andersen and I am sure all of us will keep reading your books and enjoying knowing how Thumeblina finally married the prince!

Thank God!

Day before yesterday night, V was out playing his favorite game and I was at home reading. So I decided to watch the movie I had not watched but really wanted to "Bruce Almighty". It's never to late to catch a Jim Carry film. And of course I loved the movie. Everyone has done a great job and Morgan Freeman as God is very convincing. The man is born philosopher :) But what I enjoyed the most about the ,movie is the thought of answering the prayers. There are millions of people including me who ask God every day perhaps many times a day to fulfill certain wish they have. Give me a job, a house, a car, a promotion or help to get over the health problem and so on and so forth. Like in the movie, if God answers all the prayers then every one will win a lottery but every one will just receive $17. What's the point in winning a lottery then?

The movie made me think about all the things we ask God to do for us or get for us. How funny is that we think if we ask he is grant the wish as if he is "Make a wish foundation". Prayer is powerful and it is important that only after testing the will and integrity of the person praying it gets answered. I am so glad God did not grant each of my wish or else I would think I don't need one. I am glad that God makes it hard for us to achieve our goals or mission or whatever we wish in our lives or else no one would remain humble and understand and think about what he/she really wants in life. One of my teachers once said that, "it's good that God makes you wait to get anything in life and he does not answer all you wishes or else he will be working round the clock as if he was servant not God".

So I am happy that God makes it hard of us to reach the destination but I am more happy that he gives the strength to stay on the right path.

A pro - choice thought

The current debate in the health care reform about making provisions for "abortion" got me thinking about the issue of abortion. I had no idea in a progressive country like United States, a huge majority gives more importance to fetus who is yet to be born than to the life and choices of the woman who bears it for nine months and then perhaps for the rest of her life. I am definitely a pro choice person. I never remember having this conversation with anyone when I was in India. But after coming over to the US, I had this discussion with many of my friends. Quite surprisingly many of them think it's something "devilish" to go for an abortion. I know many girls who got pregnant because of failure of a contraceptive option. When some of them mentioned that, I asked them if they knew about morning after pill or getting rid of it before the medically possible time line and they looked at me as if I was committing a blasphemy. Well, many of these girls are smart and educated young women. But somehow when it comes to sex and abortion they wish to be traditional.
I of course all for individual liberty. But how can you have a child when you are not mentally and emotionally prepared for it? Being a parent is a wonderful thing and it brings huge responsibility "for life". So the decision should be taken with lot of thinking. Girls spend hours and even days to find a suitable outfit for wedding. Then why not use similar time to think about parenthood.
I strongly believe that whether to be parent or not is woman's right. Of course for a married woman it does include partner's choice too. But since it is the woman who is physically carrying the child, she should know what's out there when it comes to child birth and good child development. There has been evidence that unwanted pregnancy may not lead to healthy children, both mentally and physically. I am not suggesting that abortion is a good contraceptive measure. Of course not. But if there is no other option perhaps it is the last resort. Every woman knows whether she really is capable of having a child and it should be her decision to have an abortion or not. I believe that life is precious. Life of the children who are in foster care or just thrown on the streets is very much precious. Instead of giving births to these children who would end up in such facilities, if possible the option of abortion seems to be much more suitable. Only a healthy and happy mother can raise a healthy and happy child. So for me keeping the decision of abortion with the woman is the most sensible thing to do!

Language..No Barrier

Today, I had an interesting experience. It was the first time I went with my friend P to the gym. It was my first day so I was looking around and trying to figure out how to use treadmill. I was looking around when two ladies entered the room. Apparently, they were there for the first time as they were not sure exactly what to do and how to use the machines. So I tried to help. However, they were from Somalia and did not know English. But somehow through few words and many hand gestures, I was able to explain how to run on treadmill. So it worked and after our workouts we started chatting with them. At that time we found that they were from Somalia. They asked us where we came from. When P said we are from India, one of the women said she loves Bollywood movies and loves Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan and Amir Khan. We were extremely surprised. I had no idea that Bollywood movies were so famous in Somalia. She told us that , they dub movies in Somali language. How interesting is that! Out of nowhere we meet this girl from Somalia and have a great interaction with her without speaking English and she tells that she loves Indian movies. Guess, when it comes to communication, language need not be the barrier.

Julie and Julia!

I finished reading Julie and Julia. I have already seen the movie, twice and had to keep the hold on the book for almost 2 months before I got it. It took me 3 days to read the book page to page, literally! I loved, loved, loved it. The book is not only about how Julie Powell followed the recipes from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" by Julia Child, but also is about a thirty year old girl's attempt to change her life and find a meaning to her existence.

I particularly liked that aspect of "finding meaning". When you are approaching thirty and suddenly you find you are still struggling to get to the point where you feel "worth of something", it can be very hard. However, Julie took her frustrations and failures at everything new she tried and changed it into a new meaning of learning French cooking. She had to go through many many days and nights of exertion to complete her mission. Too many failures before she could complete her project to go through Julia's book. But with each failure she got back on the track to finish the goal and in the mean time she found herself back, with the help from Julia :)

I had no idea who Julia Child was until I saw the movie. Movie made me read the book and now I am borrowing Julia Child's biography right away. Julia too learned her life's mission at the age of 37. How wonderful the thought is. One doesn't have to be successful at the age of 25. In this crazy world, when everyone want you be rich and successful before 30, Julie and Julia show how one can find success at a later stage and it is OK to be successful at a later stage of your life.

Of course, I have decided to learn French cooking as soon as I can afford the classes. Being the enthusiastic cook I am, the book made me curious about the French cooking and perhaps about the cooking in general. Thanks Julie and Julia, you gave me a great comfort when I need it the most.