Where were you when...

Tonight, I am thinking about monumental moments that I've witnessed during my life thus far. Unfortunately, this means thinking about the negative things and the impact those events left. There are many moments to choose from, so I've narrowed it down to the ones in which I can clearly remember what I was doing and where I was.

Where were you when...

9/11 - I had just moved to Manhattan in August 2001 to start business school. That September morning, I was getting ready for my 10AM class when my brother came home from Grand Jury duty and announced that two planes had crashed into the WTC. I was temporarily living with him at 33rd Street and 5th Ave, and I could see the giant clouds of smoke by looking down 5th Ave.

Space Shuttle Challenger disaster - I was in 6th grade math class in 1986 when our teacher Mrs. Clarke told us. I grew up in Plymouth, MA and the NH teacher Christa McAuliffe was a hero in New England.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana marry- In the days before youtube video and Hulu replays, I woke up early that morning in July 1981 to watch the grand nuptials. For an American, I was really into the Royals.

Princess Diana dies- When Diana died in 1997, I was in Germany in the middle of a Euro-tour with my parents. A few days later, we arrived in Paris and saw for ourselves the hundreds of flower bouquets placed at the tunnel where her car crashed. Two days after that, we arrived in London and saw the thousands of bouquets in front of Buckingham Palace. It was incredible to be in London at the time. I remember Elton John's remake of Candle in the Wind being released while I was still in England.

Hurricane Katrina hits - I had just started my job at ESPN in NYC on August 8, 2005. Katrina hit at the end of the month. The video footage kept getting worse and worse.

San Francisco World Series earthquake - I was in high school in 1989 and watching the game on TV. I was an A's fan and it's hard to remember that they won the title after play resumed. It's funny, I said that's why I could never live in SF and then eight years later I moved there. I felt one earthquake in the four years that I lived there.

Michael Jackson dies - I was at home in NYC today playing with my son and read the breaking news on tmz.com. He was such a large part of my memory from my early years. I was a huge fan in the 4th grade, still a fan in middle school, and then disillusioned in the later high school years.

Postcard: Grand Canyon

My husband and I went to the Grand Canyon August 3, 2007. I was in Las Vegas for a Fantasy Football convention thanks to my job at ESPN. My husband joined me for the weekend and we signed up for an all day trip to the Grand Canyon South Rim via short flight and then bus with the tour group Viator. For us, this was the way to go as I can't imagine spending more than a day or two, but it was a perfect combo with Vegas. My college friend P., who is quite adventurous, had spent a week there and hiked to the bottom of the canyon. We're not as athletic and as outdoorsy as P., though. Hopefully, we'll make a family trip someday and try more of the hikes and view other sides of the canyon.

There's not much else to say and I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Why I Travel

It seems laughable to me to ask why I travel. However, many people find it unpleasant to travel outside the United States because of the hassles - passport and visa applications, or the jet lag, or the airport waits, or the terror alerts or the luggage required to tote the kids along (this last one I wholly understand). So, the question does require self-reflection. I have never known how to tackle the question "what are you passionate about," but travel does come the closest to an answer I could give.

One, I love to learn new things. In grade school, my favorite part of history class was the age of the Explorers - Columbus, Balboa, Cartier, de Soto, etc. I imagined myself to be an Explorer. New experiences and old histories combine to expand my knowledge of the world. You can't truly get a sense of the people of a country without meeting and conversing with them even if you are bargaining over souvenirs on the side of the road in South Africa. You can't truly understand a culture unless you become completely absorbed in the surroundings, such as sipping coffee on Les Ramblas in Barcelona.

Two, there is the adventure aspect. A travel experience is never the same twice as each locale offers a fresh look at another person's normal mode of life. For someone with my short attention span and quickly changing interests, traveling is the ideal way to keep me entertained. With the way I overload my itineraries, my mind never has a chance to rest. I traveled the long flights from Rio to Iguazu Falls to the Amazon on a 12-day itinerary because I didn't want to visit the country and not see everything that I could. I knocked off Iceland over a long weekend with a Golden Circle tour and a visit to the Blue Lagoon.

Three, I like to pick up the languages. I never took Spanish in high school but I take pleasure in being able to understand words here and there when I was when I was walking around Sevilla or dining in Buenos Aires. In Paris, I was thrown by the speed with which everyone spoke, but I was able to understand the majority of what was said thanks to my five years of studying French. Even more rewarding is when in Mumbai, I could make why way around because I know enough of my family language to ask native people for directions.

Four, I enjoy seeing the Art and Architecture that I've studied in textbooks in real life. Italy was not my ideal place because of the long lines and rude people, but I would never pass on the chance to see the paintings and sculptures I studied in European History class. Craning my neck to take in the Sistine Chapel, recognizing Botticelli's work at Uffizi, and racing through the Accademia Gallery to view David are among my favorite travel memories.

Five, I am obsessed with planning and details. When my college friend P. and I traveled through Spain, I printed scores of information off the Internet and meticulously cut out maps and site descriptions and created my own travel guidebooks with thorough comments about our schedule. I even ordered the sites in terms of importance and the most time effective manner of visiting. When I visited Australia, I had a day by day itinerary, with every detail about our hotels, dinner reservations, tours, and must see sites.

I cannot imagine a life without travel. I hope my son adopts this passion. I've decorated his nursery with safari animals, a globe, an aboriginal painting from Australia, a Moroccan rug, a map of the London tube, and a poster of the '98 World Cup in France. I know it's tough to travel with one's parents, but I hope to see the wonderment in his eyes as he discovers new things and gains a perspective on life.

25 Random Things for My Son to Know

There was a list circulating Facebook that asked the user to list 25 random things that would be interesting for others to know about him/her. I refused make such a public list in Facebook, yet here I am doing it for on my blog.

• I enjoy being a mother more than I ever imagined. I am so happy when my son laughs or sighs or kicks his legs. It makes my day when I come home from work and he catches sight of me and breaks into a huge smile.

• I love travel…any travel. I was as excited to visit the St. Louis Gateway Arch as I was to take a boat ride down the Amazon River.

• Parents should give their children the freedom of choice when it matters. My parents would've preferred I went to a different college, or that I traveled to less risky places than South Africa, or that I lived closer to home after college. I'm glad I don't need to expend energy resenting them for imposing their will.

• I will drop everything for my good friends.

• I comb the web for free stuff and bargains. My friend K. and I developed this habit when we worked together thirteen years ago at Greenwich Associates. You can call it one of my passions.

• I am politically correct. And I think people should stop making excuses for why they shouldn't have to be considerate of other people's feelings/race/culture/point of view.
  

• I am remarkably lazy. I'm not exaggerating.

• I expect people to upkeep their grammar and writing even if it is an email or text or blog or tweet.

• I was blase about wedding planning and did not think it was "the most important day of my life." If it had been, I would've been upset that I hadn't accomplished more before getting married.

• I do not subscribe to any particular religious belief, but I believe in being a good person, following your fate, and accepting the consequences of your actions.

• I am not an academic snob until you force me to be.

• I am annoyed by people who say they can't pronounce a "foreign" sounding name or word.

• I have an unbelievable memory, which is sometimes a curse. I will remember exactly what people say and I know when people contradict themselves.

• I live my life with empathy and without hypocrisy. When you want to open your mouth to tell someone how they've wronged you, think about how you've wronged them. Then, shut it.

• If you want to engage me in a fight, then remember that I have a good memory and that I will hold a grudge.

• My husband amazed me on our very first date. I called my college friend W. afterward and told him that I thought this guy was too smart for me.

• My father is still the smartest person I know.

• I am equal to my husband in intelligence, life experience, and our marriage. I hope my son seeks the same.

• I did not leave my heart in San Francisco, but it was one of my best life experiences to live there on my own for four years.

• My biggest regret is not studying abroad while in college.

• I hope my son learns from my mistakes and appreciates his Indian heritage sooner than I did. I am proud of my culture and my parents, but it took me a while to get here.

• I believe in Boston sports...and so will any child of mine!

• I don't like to drink alcohol. And I don't think I will ever again.

• I believe one of us is right and you're wrong.

• I am happy with myself, proud of my accomplishments, and confident of my self-worth. It took me a while to feel this way.

My Essentials for the Baby Registry

It's been a wonderful 4 and half months since my son entered this world. He is on the brink of crawling and has settled into a sleep/eat pattern although he's not sleeping through the night yet. It is a steep learning curve, but I've developed an instinct for my son's needs and wants and motherhood has become an adventure.

My b-school friend A., who is about to have a son herself, asked me to share my old registry list with her and asked what was useful and what was not so useful. Being an early bird type, I had created my registry about five months before my son was born using such guides as Baby Bargains and hundreds of online registry lists. I drove myself crazy reading at least 20 reviews of everything before deciding on brands and types. It is fun but overwhelming combing through the myriad products and gear that are available for babies today.

The baby industry is similar to the wedding industry, so don't believe the must have checklists out there. Knowing what I know now, many of my items were unnecessary. Below are the ones that have been the most essential for the first four months.

• Diapers, baby wipes and vaseline - It's hard to know beforehand what diapers will work for you as babies are particular. For newborn, I used Pampers Swaddlers because they were sensitive to the umbilical cord area, but now, I prefer eco-friendly diapers with less dyes and chemicals. Seventh Generation didn't fit that well but are 100% natural, so I continue to buy them. Huggies Pure & Natural fit well but aren't as natural as you'd think, but I consider them a good compromise. Seventh Generation baby wipes are chlorine and fragrance free and also thin, which I like. Vaseline is an awesome product overall! In fact, diaper rash cream is not necessary until you have a rash issue. The Baby Trend Diaper Champ was perhaps not needed but makes life easier.

• Diaper bag: Get yourself a chic diaper bag! You'll carry it everywhere and might as well look trendy. I had one from Kate Spade that didn't work well for me because it was hard to carry around the city. Then, I got a messenger bag from Skip Hop and a shoulder bag from Fleurville. Both very cute.
  
  
• Car seat, stroller, and Baby Bjorn: The Graco Snugride car seat is top rated and the SnugRider car seat frame stroller. This combo has been invaluable because as a city dweller, I take cabs to the Pediatrician or to activities and this stroller is light and simpler than my Bugaboo. That said, for navigating the sidewalks of New York City, the Bugaboo is fantastic - a smooth ride for baby. I bought mine gently used from craigslist.org. My son loves going outside in the Baby Bjorn because he can see more than when in the stroller.
  

• Nursing needs: For the nursing pillow, I got the Boppy at first, and then my b-school friend S. suggested the Breast Friend pillow, which I prefer because it is firmer and isn't always slipping. It is more of an effort to strap on this pillow, but is stays in place. The Boppy is good at night when I don't want to wake up to strap on the pillow. Both have their uses, so I'm glad I have both. Get a tube of Lansinoh lanolin for the soreness of the first few weeks of breastfeeding. Get a motorized breast pump - I used Ameda and got started early. I rented the hospital grade pump for the first month until I had a good supply of milk going. Also, have plenty of storage bags handy and start storing immediately.
  

• Bath time - I start the bath routine with an allover massage to stimulate digestion and growth. Use a plant based oil, such as sesame oil. The Eurobath is a good bathtub and I bought a floatie raft to fit inside, which has been even more useful for the early months when he's too small to sit up. California Baby Super Sensitive body wash and lotion are eco-friendly and free of fragrance.

• Sleep - SwaddleDesigns blankets are the best for serious swaddling. The Arm's Reach co-sleeper sits next to the bed and is good for the first few months of life, but you could also skip this and go straight to the crib. Two must have sleep related books - Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and The Happiest Baby on the Block. The Ikea crib is made of sustainable wood, highly rated on consumer reports, and cheap.

• Feeding - Dr Brown's BPA free bottles are safe and the Munchkin bottle brush set is great for cleaning them. We tried Enfamil formula a few times but have stuck to mostly breastmilk for the first four months (and hopefully six). We have a space saver high chair ready to go, as well as, sippy cups and straw cups and soft spoons. The Beaba Babycook is good for steaming/blending/reheating homemade food. The cookbook Feeding Baby: Everyday Recipes for Healthy Infants and Toddlers provides healthy recipes separated by appropriate age group and the cookbook The Baby Bistro Cookbook: Healthy, Delicious Cuisine for Babies, Toddlers, and You was recommended by my good friend J.
  
  
• Play - He doesn't play with many toys right now, but the Whoozit toy is his favorite. Graco Pack 'n' Play - he's in this every day either kicking his legs at the Whoozit or napping. He's learning to swing his arms more thanks to an activity mat.

• Other: Buy a rectal thermometer and grooming tools (hair and nails grow fast).

As for clothing and blankets, we took as many hospital outfits and hospital receiving blankets that we could. Stockpile whatever you can get from the hospital - formula, nasal aspirator, combs, pacifiers, outfits, blankets, crib pad.

No matter what you buy, you will be ready. You don't need the newest toy or most expensive stroller to give your baby your love and attention. Those are the essentials.

Postcard: New Zealand

Honeymoon Part II

While Tahiti provided the relaxing tropical vacation, New Zealand offered adventure and culture. My two goals were (1) to visit Maori country as I had enjoyed the movie Whale Rider when I had seen it in the summer of 2003 and (2) to drive through the South Island and see the landscape for which NZ is recognized.

We landed in Auckland but spent almost no time there, which is unfortunate because my family has good friends and extended family who live there and a few of them had even sent us wedding gifts. But, we had a busy itinerary and left early morning on a Great Sights motorcoach tour that took us from Auckland to the Waitomo Caves to Rotorua.

We drove through the Waikato region to the Waitomo Caves - subterranean limestone caverns that house Glow Worms. What was especially nice was when to test the acoustics of the cavern, our tour group sang "happy birthday" to my husband because it was his 35th birthday on this day. (My 34th birthday had passed on the flight from LA to Tahiti, which was not so exciting and very tiring. It did help us get better seats, though). We spent the evening in Rotorua, a town that smells like sulphur, i.e, rotten eggs. It was a horrible smell but after a few hours, you stop noticing. We walked along Lake Rotorua, but our big adventure was that night when we visited Tamaki Village, a recreated Maori village featuring tribal songs/dances and a banquet of foods cooked on hot rocks and earthen ovens.


Kia Ora (the Maori greeting meaning "be well")! Now, the experience was touristy, but we met real Maori people who helped upkeep the traditions of their ancestors as their livelihood. It reminded me of Plimoth Plantation. It was a cultural experience and I got a great photo of my husband with two Maori people while doing the tribal yell. The next day, we went to geothermal springs in Rotorua and took a sulphur mud bath. That stuff is good for something - it's great for your skin!

After this quick visit to the North Island, we flew to Christchurch to experience the beautiful landscapes of New Zealand. We rented a car and I left the driving on the other side of the road to my husband. Driving on the same side was tough enough in Spain.

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island and has a quaint albeit boring main Victoria Square, with the Chirstchurch Cathedral and pretty botanic gardens. We had a delicious dinner at Indochine, a fusion of Asian and NZ cuisine. For our day trip the next day, we were undecided over Hanmer Springs (spas and hot springs), Waipara Valley (vineyards), and Kaikoura (whale watching). We chose Kaikoura - a big mistake. The drive there was beautiful, but it was a terribly windy day and the waters were choppy. We had a tasty crayfish lunch at The Craypot before heading to the whale watch.

Despite the warnings of "severe seasickness conditions" and the weary looks on the faces of the just embarked passengers, we boarded the boat. The boat ride was miserable. Soon, a man behind us was getting sick, which made me feel ill. We saw a boat across the way getting tossed about the waves and we said, "those people are going to die." They must have said the same of us. However, the crew persevered (maybe because the company offered guarantee of seeing a whale or 100% money back). About an hour in, we saw the tail tip of a sperm whale for a few seconds and the crew called it a day immediately. I still remember clinging to the deck to keep from falling over and the churning inside my stomach. To their credit, the whale watch company refunded 80% of our money.




Thankfully, we made it to a vineyard on the way back; thus saving the day from being wasted. The friendly owner, Daniel Schuster, confused then guilted us into buying three bottles of wine, though.







On to better parts of the honeymoon... Early the next morning, we departed for Queenstown. The photo above is of Lake Tekapo, one of the most photographed sites in NZ. The water really is as turquoise blue as it appears. Gorgeous! We took several photos here and stopped for lunch at a very good Japanese restaurant before marching on to Queenstown.






We were exhausted from the 6 hour drive, but ready for the next morning's coach tour through the Southern Alps to the Milford Sound. We saw Silver Fern (the photo at the beginning of this blog) and mountainous landscape.







We arrived at the Milford Sound for a scenic cruise along the sound to the Tasman Sea while passing Mitre Peak. A final highlight to our vacation was the quick, small plane flight back to Queenstown. What a sight! Flying around New Zealand is amazing because of the views of the lush green landscapes and the glacier topped mountains.
On our last full day, we signed up for a LOTR tour. This was not all that exciting as the movie used scenery as a backdrop but added so much digital animation that one would never guess where many of the scenes took place. Still, we enjoyed more scenery.

That was the end of our honeymoon. Kia Ora!

Postcard: Bora Bora

Honeymoon Part I

I had dreamed of a Tahitian honeymoon , so when my husband and I were debating places to go, a stopover in Bora Bora was an absolute must on my list. My well-travelled friend C. had visited the islands twice with her family and she said Bora Bora was the most beautiful place she'd ever seen. She even said the neighboring islands, such as Moorea, did not even compare and that there was something extra special about Bora Bora. Following our wedding in March 2008, we left to discover this special something for ourselves.

We were not disappointed. We were exhausted from wedding planning and the family stresses of getting married. What we needed was a beautiful, tropical spot where we would not feel the need to do anything. And that's what we did (or didn't do, I guess). For 5 days and 4 nights, we lounged in our overwater bungalow, read several books, ate the foods that we had stopped eating during our pre-wedding diet, snorkeled, slept a lot, and soaked in the gorgeous scenery.

Of course, Bora Bora is also one of the most expensive places in the world. It's a good thing we did not want to do too many activities - a day of sailing cost $2K. A burger, fries and soda at lunch was about $40 per person. We stayed at the Pearl Beach Resort on Motu Tevairoa, which meant that it was a boat ride to go to the mainland of Bora Bora, but we had a beautiful view of the mountains. Highlights included dinner at the finest restaurant on the island - La Villa Mahana, drinks at Bloody Mary's, a 4WD jeep safari of the mainland, a traditional dance performance, and my husband buying me a Tahitian pearl as a memento.

If our honeymoon had ended here, I would've been more than satisfied, but luckily, we had 8 more days to go in New Zealand.

Chicken Curry for the Indian Mother's Soul

I enjoy cooking. I first dabbled in the kitchen my senior year at Brown when I went off meal plan along with my college roommate P. She and I mostly made some sort of stir fry or some sort of pasta dish EVERY day. Every so often we'd cook with our roommate M., who had far superior culinary skills and we'd learn a thing or two. I whip up her homemade cherry cobbler when I want to look like I know something about baking.

Once I graduated, I moved to Greenwich, CT and met my roommate A. who also loved to cook. She and I would spend countless wasted hours at work printing every recipe available on the web it seemed. Our first night in our apartment, we made lobster, which remains a traumatic experience to this day. I'll just say that our pots were not big enough for the lobsters and one of them struggled as we dropped him in. When we moved a year later, we went to the grocery store and bought the prepared lobster as our final meal in the apartment. Mmmm, lobster that someone else has prepared for you is the best.

That one bad episode aside, cooking is a great respite from work life. When I moved to San Francisco, I was on my own for the first time and got into the habit of cooking almost every night. I picked at least one new recipe a week to learn something and vary my diet. I loved it. Unfortunately, when I moved to NYC, I completely got out of the habit of cooking. Take out is so cheap and easy and the city offers so many fantastic restaurants that the time commitment of cooking and the expense of buying groceries just wasn't worth it.

But, now I am a mom and want to ensure that my family eats healthy so I'm back to cooking almost every night. Even while handling a 4-month old who requires constant attention and amusement, cooking is once again a relaxing and happy part of my day.

When I moved to San Francisco, my mom wrote out many of her Indian recipes for me (although I still had to call her every 10 minutes when I was following them for some reason). I have always meant to type up her chicken curry recipe, so I would have it forever, especially now that the original notebook page is yellowed from the turmeric and falling apart from the oil spills.

Chicken Curry or Biriyani

1. Cut the chicken (breast and legs) into small pieces. Wash the chicken with warm water 3 to 4 times and drain.
2. Grind ginger and garlic (2 tsp each). Add 1 tsp each of red hot pepper and turmeric powder and 3 tbls oil. Mix all these ingredients with salt to taste.
3. Add the chicken and mix well. Set aside.
4. Put a pan on the stove with medium heat. Add oil (about 1/4 cup) and heat. Put in whole black pepper (2 or 3), 2 to 3 cloves and small cinnamon stick. Let it heat for a while before adding chopped (1 whole) onion.
5. Add the spiced chicken pieces and stir and cook until the chicken is well done.
6. Add 2 diced potatoes and cook again. When potatoes are done, add the tomato sauce and cook again. Add 1 tsp garam masala and then turn turn off the heat.
7. Mix with the cooked rice if needed (for biriyani)