Brown Motion

English is indeed a strange language.  Readers are forgiven for thinking I was about to narrate a rather sordid tale describing our predicament and the last ditch efforts we might have undertaken to escape it.  Far from it.  I mean far from it is the real tale.. That of our weekend spent relaxing at a resort in the hills of Santa Cruz last weekend.  Named by Spaniards as the Heavenly Cross (hence Santa Cruz) it is a 250 year old establishment that came to be as the preachers rode up from Mexico into California spreading the word of the lord. Today while tourism is a mainstay it also houses one of the UC campuses and remains a easy weekend trip from the bustle of Silicon Valley to relax by the waters and stroll the many boardwalks or beaches. Bougainvillea accent an archway The Pacific is at the horizon The Venetian - colorful motel by the sea Nice wharf with a view of the town and the ocean Street Art Santa Cruz Breakwater Li...

Since the origins and geographic location of the epic tales are always a matter of debate I decided to rewrite some of the story lines to craft a newer version of the mythological events.  This time instead of the action happening in the northern plains of Bharat they happen on the prairies of America. Circa before Jesus makes an appearance. Basic plot - Various polygamous families are settling in what will later be known as Utah.  Some are proclaiming themselves as kings while others are meekly accepting their fate and working for below minimum wage for these tyrants.  Aspirational kings are spreading their turf and annexing areas and renaming them for their own names.  Kans promptly calls his territory Kansas.  He further decrees that the any new land found beyond Kansas will also be his property and be called ArKansas. Meanwhile some of his children wander off into the dark night and start their own cults further downriver.  His sister meantime al...

Or I should title it 'Anatomy In' Hindi... These hair growth of yours...refers to a romantic chit chat betwixt the involved parties and in no way should be construed as a complaint of the hirsute You cannot clap with one hand - unless of course you already have the Claps - refers to a wiseass comment about the need for two parties to be complicit in wrong doing It is a question of the empty stomach - not a doctor patient chat but rather one involving a warlord's mistreatment of the destitute It is a question of the sinful stomach - not a sermon but again like the point above Being pummeled under the feet - not a Swedish massage but rather manhandling of various characters, usually by a villains decree Rinse mouth and hands - not a medical advice but a random elder advising a visiting guest before proceeding to dine etc..

Once again I was confused.   I know its not the last time.  Here comes some affluent targeted article about the best places to drop money that is burning a hole in your pocket.  It would appear that it has very little to do with the food and everything to do with being seen hanging for an hour at these places amidst others that have more money than you to dispense. Of the most recent survey (choking on water as I type) of 50 best in the USA there is one random place from San Francisco, ranked in the mid 20s  run by an erstwhile South Indian who worked his way through the Taj kitchens to be head chef here.  The cuisine it appears is some kind of Indian and French fusion.  Now granted there is a lot of science and art coming together to make some of these amazing dishes but the BEST moniker seems to be misplaced somewhere. The big deal in this business is a Michelin rating.  His place has two for 2016.  I mean to me that is also somewhat mystif...

That was the A-bomb journey. During times of peace and prosperity the human mind can be contemplative.  In times of war it is an entirely different story.  Looking back in history 70 years ago, humankind did a most horrific act.  It dropped a WGD - weapon of generational destruction on our own kind. America developed a nuclear weapon in Los Alamos, NM and dropped it on Japanese civilians in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.  One cannot imagine the turmoil that faced Truman, the American president that made the call at the time.  One cannot imagine the wrath faced by those that survived this devastation.  One can only reflect. This past year we took our daughter to the origin and the culmination point of these two events in history to see first hand what the human mind is capable of.  While the science of fission and harvesting an amazing energy source could have limitless potential it also was responsible for a scale of destruction never before seen ...

We love to eat out.  What with global cuisine at our doorstep and a general need to conserve time to do meaningless things like writing blogs and taking walks. So with a hankering for Udupi food we ventured to our usual desi adda (Indian food joint) in the neighborhood.  With restaurant names that evoke the lords worshipped by natives of Southern India it is unlikely for an American wanting to explore Indian cuisine to identify with but I suspect the desi diaspora volumes still provide a sound economic base to function. The physical facility is quite interesting too. It used to be an Italian restaurant with a stucco finish and long hallways intersecting each other at right angles with large glass pane windows to look in at what other people are eating.  It is now remodeled sparingly as an establishment to serve south Indian food. The name plate has just been installed taking away the plastic sheet signage that was a placeholder.  The moment you  wade throu...

Meitetsu Rail Company- transport from Chubu airport (which is where our plane landed) in Central Japan to Nagoya Mayan?  Incan?  Neither - just a Japanese Drain Cover in Nagoya Bridge too far?  Scene from the Shinkansen's window - one thing the Swiss and Japanese train operators are diligent about - clean Window Panes - so people can see how clean their country is Largest clock - Yokohama Harbor - Minato Mirai district More drains Tsukiji Fish Market - the largest wholesale fish operation on the planet - slated to relocate to make way for Tokyo 2020 Olympics - sounds fishy Fresh off the boat - to a table nearby  Shibuya crossing in Tokyo - spot to people watch Cherry Blossom - early April - Japan Sayonara, Sayonara A restaurant in Kamakura near Tokyo Rickshaw waiting for a bride getting ready at a salon Customer Agents at a Gift Shop in a local shrine Odawara castle approach Moat and Blossoms O...

Sure it does.  Having enough to fund your nutrition and well being in general through the point that you are neither able to consume anything nutrituous and are not going to be (well or otherwise) is a good concept. Now what this money might look like or made up of is a question of public perception and debate.  Paper or plastic, with or without a face or a crown, its worth or face value and so on. When it comes to face value - America is at present debating the introduction of a black woman's to replace a white man's.  Face that is.  Or a suitable graphic representation.  The latter was a president of this republic some decades ago while the replacement is an anti slavery fighter. Personally I am not sure whether currency is an ideal vehicle to communicate history lessons.  After all it gets dirty, stolen, used for everything from buying milk to weapons and eventually destroyed.  We have books and other media to teach our civilization of t...

For every unappealing event or person one must look for the sliver of silver.  Or so the saying goes.  It is the same with American politics in its present state and the presence of an unusual superego (the ego part is a must to be in any limelight for anyone) in the form of the Donald. With the airwaves awash in negativity about all that he says and does it is also IMHO exposing a chink in the media's armor.  That of unbiased reporting.  Some journalists have gone as far as to say that this time is an exception. But in fact that is not so.  I have been observing the American media more closely than any other given I have the desire to be "informed" and it provides one point of view that shapes my own opinion.  It seems that depending on the vested interests of the broadcaster the news or talk shows tends to conform to a predetermined ideology or designed to merely confuse the viewer or reader to the point of feeling irrelevant. Take the word media f...

Had side splitting laughs for a few late hours on a recent visit to Hollywood. Specifically to a run down looking brick building with cigarette smoke hanging on like grim death on the outside.  Even Jesus - or some homeless dude that looked like his eminence made an appearance and was I think looking to score free weed. The place is The Comedy Store on Sunset and was started a few decades ago by a dude from Detroit.  Many a famous comic like Chris Rock, Jim Carey and director(s) I admire like Judd Apatow have made their way through here to Hollywood success. In fact the night I went with some friends I made at a local conference (on some boring topic), Judd presented his act - that of his daughter reaching 18 and essentially freeing Judd from parental obligations of her well being. Most comics were new faces (at least to me but I am told by veteran TV watching and joke club visiting members that they are in fact on their way to being famous) and did a splendid job of be...

When you visit a place you see and smell and touch things that gives you a first hand look into how a place operates.  So it was with Japan. We spent about 9 days and visited around 15 places or cities.  We traveled almost exclusively by train(s) except when we used our own two feet or took a bus because it was the wise thing to do. So here are some observations from yours truly - It is by and large a clean place.  I mean really pristine where there is less of humanity and where there is a ton (e.g. Tokyo downtown) it is swept up clean.  People like most civilized societies do not throw trash out at random except receptacles designed for said purpose.  There are not many trash cans come to think of it except at railway stations and outside 7-11 convenience stores which are ubiquitous. Very little homelessness or pan handlers (even less than San Francisco and the latter is a rich city by any measure). Not too many gun toting police were visible unlike i...

Concluded an amazing trip into 'The Land of the Rising Sun'.  So named as its original name Nippon would suggest, the Chinese described it as such in their ancient texts going back 2,000 years where the sun rose before it did in China. The world's third largest economy by GDP it is an aging populace that is causing some anxiety in terms of how Japan might grow.  Their ministers are trying everything from increasing taxation to negative interest rates but impact seems to be minimal.  Unlike other countries in Europe we saw very little building going on - sort of consistent with no additional demand on the system.  Japan is also a monoculture in that it seems to have very little by way of migrant populations and is an island in its true sense. Perhaps this singularity makes them amenable to follow consistent processes, and be regimented and disciplined in all walks of life. Konichiwa is a standard greeting for many Japanese - and is in close approximation to 'Hi, ...