Category Archives: Love
A million expressions per minute
Unbelievable…..Hridyan changed moods faster than Hrishi could click….
A whole new form of love – Welcome Hridyan!
The last week was life changing, exciting, tiring and an emotional roller coaster. Finally, he’s here. I am happy to be sleeping with my 8-day old son, Hridyan (pronounced ri-the-yun, it’s a name we created and it’s closest to meaning “heart” or “the core”). Things will probably never be the same again for us. We are looking forward to a lifetime of new experiences. Here’s Hridyan saying hello to everyone 
And here’s the long version of the story of his coming into this world.
More “Cook”ing
I don’t what it is this year…perhaps my guy won, or maybe the winner is really hot or maybe I have nothing better to do ….I can’t stop reading about David Cook and his win over and over again. I might actually watch the whole finale again 
surf, sun and just hangin’ out
Staying in the Bay area was a great decision to for this Labor Day weekend. The weather was unbelievable (clear blue skys with temperature in mid-70s) and many friends were around as well. Most of all, we got a chance to pursue an activity which Hrishi and I have been sitting on for the last 2 years or so – surfing.
Since the time we moved to Pacifica, I have been fascinated by the multitudes of people who surf at the Pacifica State beach. Numerous time we have gone to the beach just to watch them in action. Rishi was not too thrilled about the activity earlier, but after our Pismo Beach boogie boarding experience, he was totally on board. So we enrolled for this 2-day class with Adventure Out. It consisted of two 3-hr lessons on Saturday and Sunday.
We got to the meeting spot after a coffee and favorite bran muffin breakfast. It was great to be at the start of an activity after a 5-min drive. (normally, any activity includes waking up early and driving for an hour or more.) There were three instructors. It would be unfair to call them anything but mabes (aka. man-babes) There were 14 students aged 14 to 35.
The first day was mostly about getting the right stance, understanding the surf and board terminology. Then we got to spend about 90 min in the “white water”. This is when the wave has already broken. We were trying to ‘pop-up’ on the board in the “white” for practice. More than the wave, what helped us was the push that the mabes were providing us, which left only the balancing part to us.
The second day’s instruction was about surf etiquettes, and how anti-social the good surfers could be. I am happy to know that Pacifica is a beginners beach and that most people there only sympathize with the fellow surfers. We were told how to read waves and “paddle” into “bowl” and “pivot” on the board. But man…it was hard. Paddling into the ocean just killed me. I was done after about an hour. It seems so easy on the television. I used to think that its like downhill skiing, and that one would magically be put back into the right spot for the next wave. Hrishi and I have been aching since. (and for anyone looking for recommendation about our mabes – I recommend them for this clinic. Everything was professional, the instruction was good, but this is one of those things others can teach you only so much)
Let me finish by a list of surprises..
- the water felt like a non-issue in the wet-suit. It was the last thing on my mind while trying to surf.
- surfing is “a lot of paddling, some waiting and little riding the wave”. (I need to build my upper body strength.)
- sea lions are not afraid of showing up in very crowded beaches. We swam with one which Hrishi spotted.
- it’ll take me years to feel the nirvana.
and some no-surprises
- I suck at this, but I’ll still give it 2-3 more chances. (just like skiing)
- it’s exhilarating. Your time in water consists of you and the ocean and nothing else. It’s good, but I need to feel comfortable being in the open ocean. Not learning swimming in my younger days will always hurt me, I think.
I would totally recommend this activity to anyone who likes some sun and a lot of fun, and is willing to work hard for it.
The end of a love story
and I don’t know why the end of so many love stories is tragic.
Remember my earlier post or other thousands of articles about Barbaro, the brilliant Kentucky Derby winner for 2006. Well…he’s no more. He was euthanized few weeks back, due to complication on all legs. Its an inspiring story of an animal who miraculously fought many complications for months, only I wished the climax was different. This news really really hurts.
I guess that is the reason I am never inclined to having my own pets. I respect people who always have some pets, and go through the loss of many loved ones in a lifetime. That’s brave. Maybe I’ll someday own a tortoise. Or anything else that can outlive me..
You know it when you see it..
This one was the most unlikely though. We had been invited to a Kentucky Derby Party. Both, Hrishi and I have no experience with animals or pets in the past, and neither with racing. So we had pretty mixed feelings about the party. The wine_during_the_day was probably why we accepted the invite
I briefly glanced at the ratings for the horses on the net . With minutes of search, my mind got set on Barbaro. He probably did not have the best odds of winning, but he had won his last 5-6 races, and I thought that’s more impressive than the other stats. We reached the party, and I placed the bet on Barbaro. And sure enough, he was the champ of the day. I got five times my bet.
What’s interesting about the race was not that he won, but how he won. It was record distance between the first and the second horse. Something about his attitude and the assuredness was very inspiring, almost heroic!
And like a true Bollywood movie, the melodrama continued . In the next race, he hurt his leg at the start, and had to pull out. It turned out to be very serious injury and the complications kept increasing. But he turned out to be a real life champ, and things are looking much better for him but that’s after 5 months of treatment. Its the same winner attitude which has probably kept him alive. Tens of horses with similar complications are euthanized regularly.
I check news of his condition almost every day. If it were really a movie, he’d be back on the tracks, racing, winning with vengeance. But alas, that’s not going to happen. Barbaro will probably spend the remaining life increasing his family (which might not be bad either).
I had never thought about horses before, much less follow one’s life so closely. I don’t know if I have converted, or this is a one time fling. I’ve enjoyed the rollercoaster and like millions of Barbaro fans wish him the best.
me, myself and music
I am really happy to finally tell you all why I called this blog rock’n'roli.
I love rock music. Have loved it for years, and there’s no signs of aging yet. Infact one of the reasons why I wanted to come to US was to be able to see all my favs playing live. Being in the Bay Area is terrific for such an aspiration. Being married to a hobbyist rocker makes it easier to keep the love alive..
So I got the opportunity to see Roger Waters play live this week. I feel blessed, since I never imagined I’ll get to see Pink Floyd (even if its a fraction of the band) live, ever!!! He played some old, some new stuff and all of Dark Side of the Moon. It was a great light and video show. The 3 hrs evaporated in the smoke which was everywhere. Its been three days, and I am still feel blissful about it.
There’s something about rock, when he says “comfortably numb’ I feel numb, but Vedder says “alive” you feel alive, when U2 says “still haven’t found what I am looking for”, I start doubting myself. Romeo and Juliet is my fav love song. U2′s concert felt like 3 hrs of meditation…I feel sad, sometimes, for not being able to watch Kurt Cobain or Morrison live, or not being a teenager in 1969.
No other music, no other cause, I guess, affects me the same way. I know its probably not a good thing to admit, but its the truth…for now..
