Cruisin' III: First Day at Sea

For some strange reason, I didn't sleep as soundly as I am wont, and found myself wide awake just after 7. This was a fortunate bout of insomnia on my part, since it meant I could witness my first sunrise over the open ocean.

And what a spectacle it was. Rosy-fingered dawn, indeed, couched on a bed of Carolina blue.

But, during the fifteen minutes in which I stood rapt on our balcony with my camera frequently held to my face, the sunrise soon turned into something spectacular:

Regretfully, sunrise never was so splendid for the remainder of our cruise. I will certainly treasure those solitary minutes with the sun for years to come.

After everyone had risen we breakfasted on a deck up high and set our exploring again. Dad, Sachi, and I found ourselves at the prow of the ship where we luxuriated in the sun and took some pictures.

It was very much a "Titanic" setting, and I'm sure many a passenger has found themselves compelled to shout (laughably) immortal words to the indifferent waves below. After enjoying the prow, I headed upstairs to see how high I could climb. Sachi and Dad went swimming while Saket sat in the sun to read. I'm rather at odds with the concept of swimming on a ship at sea, but I suppose it is an easy way to entertain a large number of passengers and keep them in close vicinity to virtually 24/7 bars.

We spent the rest of the day engaged in various activities, from watching some dodgeball tournaments to rock climbing and catching a variety show or two. Dinner that night was a swanky affair and we all got dressed up. There was free champage on the Promenade and it was nice to see everyone dressed so elegantly.

After dinner we attended a song-and-dance show that was quite good and then headed back to the stateroom to change. Some more wandering (and maybe some drinking too) and then we called it a night. We were set to arrive in Cozumel in the morning. We also found this as a present when we returned.
How sweet.

Cruisin' II: The Journey Begins

After unloading our gear, we headed up to Deck 11 (of fourteen decks) for lunch at the all-you-can-eat buffet style dining room. The cruise ship had many dining options from casual cafes to swanky sit-down restaurants featuring fare from all over the world.

After lunch we spent some time playing mini-golf,

and enjoying the view.

In compliance with federal (and no doubt international regulations), we had to assemble on the deck in full emergency regalia (i.e. a bright orange life vest properly worn) at 4:30 to go over emergency procedures. Unfortunately, due to either the crowd or the poor PA system, we hardly heard a thing the announcer said, so we just stood around and tried to stay comfortable in the hot sun.

Finally, the drill being over, we dropped our jackets at the stateroom and headed out for more exploration. The ship was rather large and there was much to see. We began by heading to the main deck, the Royal Promenade.

It looked almost exactly like a shopping mall, which makes sense since this is the place the cruise line wanted you to spend the most money. The deck was lined with shops, two cafes (well, one was free the other you had to pay for the coffee and ice cream), two bars, access to the casino below, and ended with our dining room, the Swan Lake Room. Dinner was pleasant, as we had two nice waiters attending us. The fare was pretty good with aesthetic presentation.

We shared a bottle of wine every night; something of an extravagance for our family.

After dinner, we split ways to either to relax and unpack in the stateroom or check our some karaoke. Instead of just relying on a computer for music, this night of karaoke featured a live band accompanying the singers. Ended up being an enjoyable show with some folks really strutting their stuff. Nearly the whole room (including us) joined in for "Hey Jude" sung by a couple in their later years. After karaoke I caught a little bit of the welcoming parade while Saket and saw us finally leave the shore on an upper deck (we were supposed to set sail at 5 but didn't leave until 11). That's about it for day 1!

Cruisin': Drive to Florida and Boarding the Ship

As you might know, my family loves to travel. Finding time to go places has become a bit challenging in the last couple of years since Saket and I have both moved out of the house and our schedules no longer align as often and as long as they once did. A cruise to some warm destination has been in the plans for many years now, and trip to the Caribbean even longer (an almost sure trip in 1998 was abandoned because I broke my wrist two weeks before we were to leave). This winter the stars (and planets, and comets, and other heavenly bodies) finally aligned and on Dec 14, after Saket and I flew back to NC from Chicago and Palo Alto, respectively, we began our drive to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

The drive was easy and uneventful for me since, for once, I was exempt from driving duty. In order to save some money, and since I would seldom be using any of the family vehicles, we decided to take me off our auto insurance. As a result, I could still legally drive but would no longer be insured in case of a collision or other mishap. To be on the safe side, Dad thought it best that I stay away from the wheel. Hey, no complaints...I got to sleep and relax instead :).

As the temperature steadily increased and the flora changed from pine to palm, we found ourselves staying the night in St. Lucie, just a short ways from Ft. Lauderdale. Seeing all the Christmas decorations made me wonder what Floridians feel about the holiday. The near-universal portrayal of snow and sleighs must be a little disappointing for children used to temperatures in the 70s F and surfboards instead at that time of year. But since Santa isn't exactly part of the Christian tradition, I suppose there is nothing heretical about a well-tanned Santa in shades.

Our cruise-line-of-choice was Royal Caribbean. Rather, Sachi and my parents did all of the preparation for this trip, and for that I am profoundly grateful. Last quarter was rather trying for me and it was nice to able to embark on a vacation knowing everything was already well-planned out. Our ship was the Navigator of the Seas and it was a sight to behold. Boarding took some time because there were so many people, but by about 2 o'clock we were aboard and headed to our stateroom. The space was certainly smaller than your average hotel room, but well supplied and certainly adequate to our needs. We didn't plan on spending too much time in them after all.....

Obamamania

As many of you no doubt know, I am an avid supporter of now President-elect Barack Obama. Compared to friends like Saket and Mike (Lee), I was a little late in joining the Obamatrain simply because I did not know enough about then-candidate Obama at the end of 2007. It didn't take me long to become a fan and devoted supporter. I admire Barack Obama not only for his uplifting rhetoric, but his clear talent and vim for gathering the best minds together to tackle issue, and not surrounding himself with a coterie of yes-men and sycophants who lack both backbone and the will to approach matters objectively and intelligently (read George W. Bush). The star of the United States of America, my country and one of the finest nations on this great Earth, has lost much of its luster in the past decade, not just the last eight years. Compared to Bush, Clinton was a saint, but he left the White House smelling of scandal and shame that was later overpowered by the cloying odor of deeper and danker iniquities.

Enough of ranting at and criticizing the past. Every informed citizen of America knows how badly we need change in this country, and not just at the highest levels of government. I thought I'd draw up some lighter reasons why I like Barack Obama:

1. We live on the same street in Chicago (three blocks apart).
2. He likes to play Scrabble (my favorite game) and Texas Hold'Em poker.
3. He likes college basketball and placed the Tar Heels favorably in his bracket in the last tourney.
4. He is a family man who clearly cares deeply about his wife and daughters.
5. He likes to dance (and is pretty good at it)
6. He remains cool and unflustered even when under great pressure.
7. He worked at the University of Chicago (where I am a student).
8. He can take care of himself.

Enough with the adulation for now. Let's see if he can fulfill even a quarter of the promise's he and his campaign have made. I wish you all the best, (soon to be) President Barack Hussein Obama.

Other new summery/fall things

1. I got a bike! It's a Gary Fisher hybrid (between road and mountain bike) that goes easy over curbs and is easy on the eyes in a slick black and silver combination. I need to find a better helmet (the one I've got, free, makes me look silly) and a better lock (a little coil ain't good enough for HP).
2. I got (now president-elect) Barack Obama gear that I proudly wore during the Grant Park rally and which I proudly drink out of everyday.
3. I spent many hours reading about political news surrounding the conventions and all the election hoopla. A memorable moment from the Republican convention: the moderator (or whatever you call the speaker) asks if there are any other nominations besides John McCain, one man screams "Ron Paul!" and is quickly ignored as the moderator declares "with no other nominations..." Kinda  sad that a party so hellbent on protecting our freedoms should blithely ignore one of the fundamental ones. The man was clearly audible and yet not heard. How sad.
4. My laptop died and has since been replaced by a Lenovo SL400 Thinkpad. My old T40 may still be saved since the motherboard is apparently fried. After over five years of nearly unfailing service (only had to replace the fan and DVD drive once each), I will miss the machine that has traveled far with me and taken me places too numerous to count. Why so sentimental about a machine? Why do people weep when their cars finally die out on them?
5. Saket got me a really sweet new Nano!! It's a beautiful blue color and best of all, it comes with an inscription that only my brother would think of: "for Sapana, my favorite bear of all." ::tear::
6. B&J went on a semi-cross-country 10-day (and well-earned) vacation during which I successfully managed to keep all their plants (and myself) alive and not completely trash the apartment. Yay me! Funny too how my TV viewing increased dramatically during those days. As enthralling as the "boob tube" may be, it can never replace genuine company.
   
7. I saw WALL-E with Kevin and enjoyed the movie (though the fact that we saw the flick shortly before he had to leave for Champaign to attend his grandfather's funeral, may he rest in peace, did dampen my spirits more than a bit). Pixar continues to amaze me with the creativity and heart they put into their movies. I have seen them all except Cars which was the first to not excite my interest and, perhaps non-coincidentally, is also their worst-reviewed movie to date.
8. The Dark Knight was awesome. I only wished they had filmed some true IMAX shots of Batman swooping down over Gotham City. Alas.
9. I still can't believe I went skydiving.
10. I still can't believe my DAD went skydiving.
11. Nate came to visit! Totally awesome (something I really needed after my prelim experience), especially since the poor guy was sick most of the time, yet he was such a trooper. Hats off to anyone who can put up with my jabbering nonstop for an entire weekend. With a fever too. Oh, and we went to the temple by Obama's "mansion" for a brief yet interesting visit. The woman who let us in to another woman: "Can you show them around before service? Or maybe throw them out?" All this while we were standing there. Awkward! The temple is quite beautiful though and has an interesting history, much of which I've unfortunately forgotten. Oh well, as good an excuse as any to get past the security blockade in front of Obama's house!
    
12. Anything else? Only if I think of it.
    

Summer in the City

All right, so it's been quiet some time since I last updated this. Needless to say, I've been pretty tied up, but that's no excuse for not blogging, since blogging is what all the cool people are doing these days.

First I'll catch up on what's been going on since my family left Chicago back in June...in order of most recent to most...non-recent:

1) I completed my laboratory rotation with Dr. Ken Onel who I've discussed in an earlier post. The man is just awesome. I'll discuss my new lab mates in detail later, but just know they're a fun bunch and I look forward to working with them as long as they're in the lab.

2) I wrote and presented my prelim not just once, but twice since I wasn't exactly brilliant the first time. The second time went only a bit better, but rest assured I'm still in the program and will be just fine. It's nice to know i have such a supportive network of friends and colleagues to make sure I succeed. And it's really nice to know that I have an amazing advisor and supportive classmates who've always got my back.

3) I've discovered some new music (shocking, I know...I do listen to artists other than Sarah McLachlan). They're from different genres but some pretty neat stuff. Ken and I were talking about international music (I may have been discussing a Bollywood film) and he mentioned an artist named M.I.A. She was born in Sri Lanka but raised in the UK and has produced her albums from several different countries. I find it a little difficult to describe her music succinctly since it's definitely cross-genre material. It's rap/hip-hop based, with a dance infusion and hints of Bollywood drama and sounds. Anyway, you should check out her latest album "Kala." Another group I discovered through Pandora Radio (the "music genome project"; really a neat site that streams songs based on artists or genres you like. For example, I've created a "Sarah McLachlan" channel and so songs by Sarah and artists like her are streamed through there) is called Bond. I haven't looked much into them, but they're apparently a group of women who do classical music but in a rather funky modern way. A standout is "Shine" which has some Hindi lyrics (awesome). I like some modern classical-sounding stuff like E.S. Posthumous and Mythos, and these ladies fit in pretty well. The last new cool artist comes from the west side of Chi-town and his name is Lupe Fiasco. Saket attended a neat outdoor concert in SF to see Radiohead and got to hear this guy as well. A song of his, "Go Go Gadget Flow" made an impression on Saket by the craziness (and geekiness) of the lyrics and the energy with which Lupe and his band performed the song. So Saket sent me a YouTube link of his song and, impressed with his lyricism and sound, I downloaded his latest album off Ruckus. For someone who's not a big fan of rap, I was very impressed. Not only are the beats wicked, but most importantly the lyrics are so thoughtful and relevant it's hard not to like what you're listening to. How many rappers do you know can sing about AIDS in a way that's both tragic and beautiful (Streets On Fire) and also about child soldiers (Little Weapon)? Now this guy is definitely worth listening to.

4) I got to meet up with my aunt and cousins from India!! How cool is that? I found out just after my folks and sister left that my cousin Shweta, who's currently in her senior year at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (go Blue!). Finally, a chance to meet more family! As you may know, about 99% of our family lives in India still. The other 1% can be found in Canada (cousins of my mom and their families) and Houston (a niece of my dad's). We've only had a handful of chances to meet that 99% (and I've been lucky enough to see more of the folks in Canada than Saket or Sachi) due to the length and timing of the school year, my dad's work schedule, and the sheer expense and time committment it takes to make a family trip to India. Thankfully, now that we're no longer in traditional school binds, we can take trips more frequently. Nonetheless, our last trip as a family was nearly four years ago. But I digress.

You shouldn't need a special occasion to meet family, but we found a good one in any case. Shweta was working as an intern for Walgreens in Chicago for the summer and Archana Masi (aunt) and Shruti (Shweta's younger sister) were visiting her from India. The last time I remember talking to them was back in 2004 when Shweta was seriously considering coming to the US for college. I have to say I'm happy she decided to come, regardless of whether she'll consider settling here or moving back to India when she's got her degree in engineering/environmental studies. Since they were in Chicago (living in Evanston), and I am in Chicago, we decided to meet downtown at the Taste of Chicago. The Taste is a popular summer food festival featuring hundreds of local restaurants and eateries who give out "tastes" or small portions along with full servings of their iconic items. As you can imagine, there were lots of places serving deep dish pizza, hot dogs, and cheesecake, but a lot of ethnic food as well from Indian to Ethiopian and beyond. Despite a sky threatening rain, we enjoyed ourselves at the Taste eating tasty things (see what I did there?) and catching up on life since December 2004. I got to see them a couple more times before Masi and Shruti headed back to India when we saw The Dark Knight together at the IMAX theater at Navy Pier and when I came up to Evanston for pizza night at Kevin's place. I can't wait to see them again in India the next time we go (though who knows when that will be...)

Those are the main points of summer. Additional details in the next post.

Rest of Family Visit II: 19 Jun- 21 Jun

19 Jun: Thursday and it's time to visit more of the city. Dad had a meeting with a colleague for work so while he was at that, Sachi, Mom and I headed to the Sears Tower. Originally built by Sears Roebuck and Co. in 1973, the Sears Tower is one of the tallest buildings in the world (110 stories for 1450 feet, 1725 if you count the antennas) and home to the offices of dozens of companies (no longer Sears though, they moved to the suburbs). It offers one of the finest views of Chicago from the top although some areas, like my Hyde Park, are nothing more than a blur even on good days. It is possible to see Indiana nearly everyday and even Michigan on the clearest days. We spent some time taking lots of pictures, then headed down to meet up with Dad at lunch. We ate at a Potbelly's in the Loop and then caught a bus south to the Museum of Science and Industry in Hyde Park (maybe a dozen blocks from my university). The MSI complex was constructed as a temporary structure for the 1893 World's Fair, part of Chicago's famous "White City." Rain and the elements threatened to disintegrate the city until locals decided the buildings were worth maintaining and thus refurbished the structure into the museum it houses today. The classical Greek style of the columns and facade make the MSI a valued addition to Chicago's long history of architectural treasures.

The Museum was quite crowded since it was celebrating its 25th anniversary and thus decided not to charge an admission price. We spent a couple hours admiring the chicks, checking out some DNA exhibits, meandering through some naval and space history, and leaving rather abruptly given the fact that we were a little fatigued and Dad was getting a headache from the crowd and noise. It took quite a bit of time to catch a bus that would take us downtown but finally caught one back to the hotel. After resting and freshening up, it was time for dinner. We visited the "Star of Siam" just off State Street and it proved to be a delightful little Thai restaurant. I was especially impressed with the cushions in the middle of the room. It looked as though the diners were seated with legs crossed on level with the table (as though on the floor), but in fact they were sitting as normal; it was just that the cushions had table-shaped square holes cut through them to the floor, creating a hollow space for legs. I guess it would help to see the place, so come visit me sometime and I'll show you.

After dinner we stopped at Kevin's favorite used bookstore that happened to be right next door, and then caught a cab for Buckingham Fountain (it's more fun to see this fountain at night). A light and music show is put on so of course we stayed for that and I took many pictures. After a pleasant evening by the fountain, we caught a cab back to the hotel for some rest.

20 Jun: It's Friday and we're going skydiving! It's also Dad's birthday! What a day for adventure! We headed out early due west for Hinckley, IL, a tiny town with a big love of flying. Our destination was the Chicagoland Skydiving Center where Sachi, Dad, and I had booked a day with destiny. The weather started nice but as we waited for our class to begin and our instructors to arrive (at my insistence we had arrived ludicrously early, but to good effect as you'll see later), the sky turned gray and before we knew it rain was falling. Uh oh! Finally, our team arrived and just in time too the sky cleared. We watched a video with the other divers and were shown briefly how to properly deploy the chute and jump (Sachi got to demonstrate some moves for us). Operating the chute was optional; if we didn't our tandem instructor would do so.

In what seemed like no time, we were suiting up for our jump. All three of us elected to have a videographer/cameraman accompany our jump to record our freefall for posterity. As a result, we were quite a crowd bundling into the little airplane (3 of us, our 3 instructors, 3 videographers, 2 pilots, and 2 other divers from CSC). The ride up didn't take too long, and we chatted with our fellow divers as best we could over the roar of the engine and wind. Although I appeared calm and excited on the outside, I was secretly fighting nerves within. I trusted my instructor and the equipment, but you just never know...

All of a sudden, we were at about 14,000 fight. Since I was first to board, I was last to jump and got to watch as Sachi first and then Dad were escorted out of the plane and into thin air. Shuffling awkwardly with Eddie, my instructor, I found myself poised on the brink of the aircraft. My videographer (I only remember his first name started with a J, so I'll call him J) was already hanging off the plane, and before I could think to have second thoughts, Eddie was counting down and rock forward, rock back, and OUT!!

The next minute is largely a blur, but I remember the sudden rush of cold air, the roar of the wind, my mouth turning dry in an instant, and sheer exhiliration. As J expertly manuvered around us, I smiled and posed the best I could. He distracted me from any fears that may have arisen and as a result I mostly looked ahead and around instead of down. Eddie was fun too and he pulled some delightful poses. The fall was both fast and slow and in my last moments of freefall, I remember J spinning around like a top and my downward velocity reversed in an instant as the chute opened above us. The air became calmer immediately, and after the second chute opened and we glided a bit, Eddie said I could remove my goggles and just relax. I still had my contacts in, of course, so taking off goggles at 6,000 feet made me a little nervous, but the air was still so it was fine. We drifted for a few minutes admiring the view of the Illinois countryside (Chicago alas was too far away). I landed in a bit of a heap and after freeing myself from Eddie, triumphantly walked back to the hangar. Although I was last out, I managed to barely beat Dad and Sachi. No fair!

After getting our DVDs and paying, we headed back to the city. The whole adventure took about 6 hours (driving to and from, waiting, and diving) so we were hungry by the time we got back into town. The rain that had passed us had passed into Chicago so navigating the streets was a little harrowing, but we managed to find India House, a fabulous Indian restaurant that Bonnie and I had gone to with her friends to celebrate her birthday last October. The food was wonderful and after we said it was Dad's birthday, our waiter brought out a delicious dessert of kulfi (Indian ice cream), light cake, and orange slices.

After dinner we drove back to my apartment where we chatted with B&J a bit before I packed up things to send home and we got ready for bed.

21 Jun: This morning we ate brunch at the Mellow Mushroom (not the pizza place in Raleigh) along 53rd street. It's an old-timey breakfast place that serves omelets, waffles, pancakes, etc. After the hearty meal, it was straight back to the apartment for some final packing, directions, and then goodbye. Such a delightful visit filled with memories I shall treasure for years to come. I didn't do much the rest of day except check in with the family occasionally to make sure they were doing fine. Next trip...December!