21 September
2024
19 September
2024
The man has fallen in love with lemonades
17 September
2024
Guess who else took a coast to coast flight to meet my nephew!!
16 September
2024
Returning the favor
All those years when my parents were alive, I used to show up in Kolkata airport to visit them quarterly. Unfailingly, these two (my nephews) would be waiting outside the airport to receive me and then accompany me to their granddad’s house.
Years later, I now get to return the favor as the younger of the two comes over to the USA to start his undergraduation in UC Riverside. We took the coast to coast flight yesterday and are now waiting eagerly at Los Angeles airport for Rishu to show up!
That handwritten board was Sharmila’s idea.
By the way, they eventually outgrew their shorts and used to show up in their long pants. I have not returned that favor yet 🙂 🙂
16 September
2024
A chance call brought us together
Remember how I had talked about a very meaningful conversation I had with Uttara on her birthday a couple of weeks back? I know Uttara, of course, as the wife of my dear friend Kushal from my middle school days.
Turns out, circa 2004, when I had gone to visit Kushal in his house in Mumbai, I had missed her. She was traveling out of the country. But I did meet their daughter Shreya. I also remember meeting Uttara’s dad that time.
Now, normally, Uttara is busy when I call her in the evenings. So, we switch to Whatsapp messages later. This time though, she picked it up. While talking to her, I found out that Shreya was starting her PhD in a couple of weeks. In University of California, Irvine!! Which is about an hour from University of California, Riverside where my nephew is going to join.
So, instead of going to the airport directly to pick up my nephew today, we first made a detour to UCI. Picked up Shreya and went for lunch by the waterside. It was a short meeting but a memorable one. Sharmila summed it best when we dropped her back in her college and headed towards the airport – “She is so well put together!”
Really a very mature, well balanced young adult!
15 September
2024
Not that I need an extra reason to travel…
… but this quote from Mark Twain helps…
“Travel is fatal to prejuidce, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” (Mark Twain)
So, here’s to getting rid of some more of my prejudices…
11 September
2024
Clear view of Manhattan and Brooklyn
4 September
2024
Ballgame after a long time
The last time I went to a ballgame was in 2014 I believe when the inlaws were visiting and either Natasha or Nikita were playing in the choir for the national anthem before the game. It was more of a social event with office colleagues than really watching the game. But then again, the Braves went up 4-1 in the very first inning and it was kind of done at that point.
25 August
2024
A gift and a conundrum
One of the gifts my best friend from school days – Avijit – who lives in Perth and flew all the way to meet us in Sydney showered me with is this boomerang. If you have a passing knowledge of art by the Aboriginals, you will recognize that in the dot patterns.
While feeling a deep sense of gratitude towards my friend from middle school, I am struck with a conundrum… How do I throw away the old one? 🙂 🙂
14 August
2024
Delta laid out the red carpet for Sharmila today
We landed from our American Airlines flight from Sydney to Los Angeles after nearly 15 hours. However, Global Entry and some efficient luggage handling meant within about 5 minutes we were out of the airport. One last leg remained – and that was with Delta.
Delta surely made it memorable for Sharmila today. First, as we relaxed in the sofas of their Delta One area with the cappuccinos they made for us, they took the passports and our suitcases from us and took care of all the formalities without we having to do anything. Finally, when we had finished our coffee, there was a special security belt right behind where it was the two of us and three TSA agents.
After a shower and made to order egg breakfast, they put us in a Porsche and drove us straight to our plane. An elevator ride and an entry thru a secured staff door later, we were in the plane before anybody had started boarding. In fact, we were not even carrying our boarding passes with us!
That was totally royal treatment. Reminded me of how some of the Asian airlines roll out the red carpet for frequent flyers.
Nice way to finish off a really memorable trip.
