Clean House and Shop !

Catharsis is a Greek word meaning "purification", "purging", "cleansing" or "detoxification"...

I absolutely adore the "Whole Body Cleanse" System and indulge in a semi-annual detox with khichadi, lemon juice and honey and the whole body cleanse for a week...I feel refreshed, renewed and pun unintended "whole" again.

The organized me loves even better when I "spring clean"...throwing away things I didn't need that were not usable, donating or selling other stuff and generally cleaning house...I love the feeling of emptiness, organization and space that activity gives me

The one thing I haven't been able to do is mentally cleanse my mind of attachments. Over years, one of the banes of being a dedicated/committed product manager is to treat your products/services as your offsprings...it is very difficult to mentally dissect and detach onself from one's hard work, execution and creation...for me that is true Catharsis...cleaning shop...learning to move on. This new year brings for me an opportunity to engage in an exercise of complete catharsis and I am accepting it with open arms...it won't be easy or comfortable but I am definitely welcoming this new change and hope I can adapt, rejuvenate, renew and excel...after all one wise person said - the one thing that is constant in lfe is Change...

Hope Floats...

I was watching some mindless talkshow on the TV yesterday to keep my mind off things and Deepak Chopra was on the show saying - you hope when you are beyond the point of despair...I changed the channel and started watching Food Network...I just don't buy that...life is about a few things - Family, Happiness and a hope that when things go wrong, there is still hope and the chance that Life will rebalance and set things right...

The past 5 weeks have been a roller coaster ride - a constantly sick child prone to colds, coughs and most recently a tummy virus, a loved one having a major health setback and surgery, the constant uncertainity of external parameters...just when I thought things were settling down, fate threw me another curve ball with K2 falling sick and my mom and me catching the same virus...(yeah!merry christmas to you too...)...yet amongst all this there was hope still that things would get better.

And yes things did get better...after 2 days of feeling run-down...I slowly got my Qi back and life slowly seemed to seem straightened out again. We (Bapa, Ma, K1& K2) went out for a long walk on a chilly day today and really enjoyed the feeling of togetherness. We watched " 3 Idiots" yesterday and it was wonderful watching this "feel good" movie together. What struck me in the movie was something Aamir Khan said - We humans are scaredy cats...and eventually in the rat race really become afraid of everything...the heart really fears and expects the worst...take a deep breath...put your hand on your heart and say Aal izz Well !!! and you can cheat your heart into becoming more brave and really believing all is well...Life is slowly getting back on track...slowly and I keep my hand to my heart and say - Arrey Bhaiya! Aal izz Well.

P.S: Here is a picture from 15 days back from our drive from SFO to Irvine

What Dilbert taught me about Management?

Eight years back, I was sitting in my office all depressed about a business meeting where I was trying to stop our SVP from investing in packaging a feature as a product and failing miserably...I saw this wonderful Dilbert clip that made me smile and get out of the funk...

Aesop reports to the Pointy-haired Boss that the company's strategy is driven by a typo:

Aesop: I discovered a typo in the market forecast that is driving our company strategy.
Aesop: Where it says, "Everyone would want one," it should have said, "Avery Wong would want one.
Aesop: Worse yet, I called Mr. Wong and he said he was joking.

Pointy-haired Boss: What if we gave him free delivery

1. I learnt my first lesson in Management 101 from the above clip - Sometimes even when you know it is the wrong call...let go !!!


2. Tell me what you need, and I will tell you how to get along without it -- Life in Product Management has been about resource, budget and time constraints and I did realize that once you learnt how to do without, you figured out how to deliver a quality service/product under cost, ahead of time and on scant resources.


3. Humility - Dilbert put it succintly - Accept that somedays you are the pigeon and on others the statue...dust off the crap and remember tomorrow is a new day...


4. The more crap you put up with, the more crap you are going to get - So one of the key lessons I have learnt as a part of my career learning is not to put up with crap.


5. Be realistic about your skills and ambitions, it is so true that...A pat on the back is only a few centimeters from a kick in the ass.

Its true that I have grown with Dilbert...he has taken me through rough times in business and helped me find humor in every situation. I have learnt to laugh at my mistakes, grow and learn from them...What I have learnt from Dilbert is to be a -- Good Human Being with strong principles , humility and a whacky sense of humor!

Revisiting Life...

A dark stormy night,

Rain pouring, the stormy waters riled,

The winds incensed, the clouds seething

Nature setting up a jangling chord of dissonance.

Seeking for answers,

Finding a milion riddling questions,

I am drowning in uncertainity

Lost and not finding...

It seemed like the world was making peace,

A gentle breeze, the sea calm,

Like a Phoenix, igniting,healing and self-creating,

I revisit Life....

The past few weeks have been puzzling, introspective and extremely uncomfortable. Have I totally recovered...I don't think so. My voice for one is a "Lost Cause"...fighting a battle with Laryngitis and losing it...there were other decision making points...I think I have tried to approach every problem with a brave front and dignity...I guess the key to remember is I am not alone.

I have been attracted to the story of the Phoenix...Simurg (for Persians) and Garuda (for Hindus, Lord Vishnu's vehicle of choice)....a beautiful mythical bird with miraculous healing powers... a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet. Towards the end of its life journey, it sings a beautiful song, ignites and burns to ashes and from those very same ashes it is reborn...thus immortalizing it's existence...the concept is comforting.

Thanksgiving has been a quiet week...How has life been treating you?

A Dab of mustard Oil and a clove of Garlic

Have I ever told you how facinated I have been with alternative herbal health remedies - for the past two months given my little guy's bouts of illness from Viral fevers to colds to coughs to ear infections and allergies...I have seen a varied spectrum of germs....the pediatricians here mostly prescribe antibiotics of which I am very "anti"...so the researcher in me has been researching home remedies both Indian and American of doing 2 things this winter - (A) Build up immunity (B) Fight the flu

Let me start with the immunity builders first -
(A) Get your Omega 3 and Omega 6 -- I rely on my son's gummy bears (Flintstone)

(B) Rhinos Gummy Bear (Vitamin C, Zinc and Echnicea) --- you get these at Whole Foods

(C) Shatavari Kalp - A ayurvedic herb, that I mix into a cup of warm fatfree milk and drink on the mornings I am feeling run down

(D) A spoon of honey (whenever I feel like popping a candy into my mouth)

(E) Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (I buy raw pumpkin seeds from Whole Foods and dry roast them in the microwave)

(F) I just get into bed an hour early the nights I feel run down...curled up with my favorite cook book or listening to some soothing music

(G) A cup of herb tea (I love peppermint tea or chamomile tea with honey)

Some of my home remedies for the Flu -

(A) I drink hot cups of green tea with a splash of lemon and honey every 3-4 hours

(B) Plain clear chicken soup with fresh black pepper (the recipe is in one of my older blogs)

(C) I take Mustard oil - 1 table spoon, Crush one large pot of garlic and add black jeera (ajwain or Caraway Seeds) -- I boil for about a minute. I massage my son for 15 minutes with the warm oil. Let him soak it for another 15 minutes and give him a quick shower in Vicks Soothing Vaporub (Johnson Bath).

(D) I process 1 knob of fresh ginger with holy basil leaves (Fresh) and strain the juice. I add it to honey and take the syrup about 4-5 times a day

(E) My go-to-remedy - A strong cup of Indian Chai laced with lots of fresh ginger

One of my go-to-meals when I am ready for some home comfort is -- Khichadi ( I do vary the recipe -- I use Basmati Rice or sometimes Bhutanese Red Rice or Nutty Brown Rice, I roast the Moong Dal and I sometimes add in Carrots and Beans to give it the vegetables it needs to round it off as a complete meal)...

Here's to a healthful, restful and happy Winter for Y'All !!!

Hitting Ground Zero...

Yesterday, I was making my way to pick up K2 from his pre-school to get his H1N1 Vaccine, there was a slight dampness in the air from a drizzle, the skies were grey…yet, the ground had this wonderful freshly washed earthy scent (if I could bottle it I would!)…my mind was whirring by me…and I seemed to be moving on automatic. It hit me right there and then how close to Ground Zero I was. I think a lot of us spend most of our time keeping our lives compartmentalized, organized and functioning without realizing that it took very little to make it a bubbling seething cauldron of confusion, chaos and gratuitous emotions. A call from India 3 weeks back about a loved one’s health, a prolonged flu attack coupled with my son’s flu and ear infection, a whirlwind trip to the Far East that warped up my time clock and of course the incessant errands and constant mental chatter professionally plus my intense need to maintain some semblance of normalcy, all mingled together making my organized living, a living chaos. I went spinning in this roller coaster ride an unwilling party who didn’t really take back control and this week I said to myself – Enough Already! There shall be order from chaos (really I didn’t invent that term, the ancient Hebrews and Darwin had thought of it already). I am kicking back and trying to regroup on my way forward and honestly speaking the road ahead is as clear as mud.

Diwali came by in gloomy October, just as the sun lost a veritable battle of wills to the moon and we started having shorter days and longer nights…some days were spectacularly warm and we were able to take walks in the nearby trails…other days were so cold, we were stuck inside the house with a warm cup of herbal tea spiked with Orange Honey.K1 traveled to Europe for a week and when he got back I left for Asia for 4 days. I love being in Asia – the vibrancy, the constant movement, the heat, the people, the food and of course the shopping (And the bargaining) just make me feel in my element. I did take a small detour to the Temple of Ten Thousand Buddha’s, which was serene and picturesque, I prayed hard...ate wonderful dim sum and Cantonese renderings of the Chinese cuisine…work wise the trip was a success. I came back to non-stop action – from getting planning work done for work to getting my son ready for Halloween. K2 was a trooper – flawlessly executing on his master plan of getting the maximum candy loot – in a sing song voice saying – Hawwow Uncle/Aunty – TrickRTreat! I was amazed at the amount of candy he amassed.

I spent the weekend cooking up a storm from the pickings from the Farmer’s Market – Chinese Broccoli, fresh baby Pak Choi, Crisp Green Beans and Cucumbers, Arugula, Fiery Scotch Bonnet and Thai Red Chili Peppers. I also picked up Organic Brown Eggs (K2 loves EggnCheese now!!!), Asian Pears, Pomegranates, and Organic Apples. We ate this entire week at home which is very unusual but it felt good to be able to put healthy food on the table with minimal effort – A quick sauté of greens, a warm celery soup (with Carrots and Leek) and a grilled cheese, onion and tomato sandwich...20 minutes from Kitchen to plate (psst….the celery soup was a labor of weekend love which took 2 hrs to sauté, simmer and make…and then frozen but who is counting…). The next 2 weeks are crucial for me but I am sure I will emerge a stronger person emotionally and mentally…and if not – Hey! I lived and learnt!

How is your weekend treating you so far…?

P.S - The picture above is one of a street dimsum vendor in Mongkok who was shooing me away, telling me no pictures :-)

Of Paper Boats and Chocolate Cakes...

Have you had a week where all you wanted to do was crawl under the comforter and just sleep the week away...try this week for me...Monday saw K1 leaving for a trip to Europe, K2 was running a temperature and throwing up...a visit to the doctor and a prescription of antibiotics later, I decided to keep him home vs. send him in to pre-school...the rest of the day was spent entertaining the little one and keeping him hydrated...need I say the rest of the week was busy -- meetings, I lost my voice talking too much with a sore throat...Thursday saw me craving a respite and I wanted to bake a cake...I am not much of a baker but trying to bake a cake from scratch is therapeutic. My mother is old school, she really believes you need to bake a cake to perfect measurement and timing while I am a lazy baker...I throw things together and 90% of the time the end product is absolutely delicious...the other 10% of the time - talk to my dog!

I had half a bar of dark belgian chocolate ( this is 1/2 bar of a 1lb bar, so about 200 grams of pure 72% dark chocolate). I melted this first in a hot bath. I added in a pat of butter to the melted chocolate and whipped in about half a cup of all-purpose flour, then I added in some evaporated sugar (3 tbspoon), vanilla essence, Baking Powder, 3 Organic Brown Eggs and , 1 tspoon instant coffee, baking powder. Meanwhile I pre-heated the oven to 350 degrees F...Grease the cake pan and pour the mix in. I pretty much bake the cake till my nose tells me its done...no exact timing....the cake was dense and rich...not too sweet but delicious. I call this my "No-Recipe Chocolate Cake Recipe"...vs. a "No-Fail" Recipe...because honestly I don't know if I can recreate the recipe, everything was so spontaneous, random and unmeasured...

Tonight I made a paper boat for K2...my first one in 22 years. I actually had to look up the web to find a DIY instruction to make the boat, I had forgotten...he is excited and has finally fallen asleep with the paper boat in hand...it took me about 15 minutes to make the boat (yeah! don't call me artistic) but to see that smile on K2's face...PRICELESS

For the weekend I want to leave you with this poem by Emily Dickinson filled with pathos and yet a weird sense of hope

Adrift! A little boat adrift!

(I)Adrift! A little boat adrift!
And night is coming down!

Will no one guide the little boat

Unto the nearest town?

(II)

So Sailors say -- on yesterday --

Just as the dusk was brown

One little boat gave up its strife

And gurgled down and down.

(III)

So angels say -- on yesterday --

Just as the dawn was red

One little boat -- o'erspent with gales

Retrimmed its masts -- redecked its sails --

And shot -- exultant on!