My Everything

Today is the day I marry the most beautiful woman in the world.

The loneliness of nights alone

The search for strength to carry on

My every hope had seemed to die

My eyes had no more tears to cry

Like the sunshine from up above

You surrounded me with your endless love

All the things I couldn't see

Are now so clear to me

You are my everything

Nothing your love won't bring

My life is yours alone

The only love I've ever known

Your spirit pulls me through

When nothing else will do

Every night I pray

On bended knee

That you will always be

My everything.

Now all my hopes and all my dreams 

are suddenly reality 

you've opened up my heart to feel 

a kind of love that's truly real 

a guiding light that'll never fade 

there's not a thing in life that I would ever trade 

for the love you give it won't let go 

I hope you'll always know 

You are my everything.

There's Magic In The Air

The beautiful Swarovski crystal topped tree at Toronto's Eaton Center mall, complete with a "fake" snowfall show in the evenings.

I think Christmas is as much about shopping and gifts as it is about family.  Those who disagree should visit any mall during the pre-Christmas season.

These days when everyone has everything they want, it is becoming increasingly difficult to give them gifts.  Compounding the difficulties are people's tastes for brands; a Philips MP3 player will not be appreciated by someone who only wants Apple's iPod.  Those who want Android, do not want an iPhone.

So, what do you give to someone who has everything he/she wants?

A Ghostly Sight at 3:00am

I had a wake up call at 3:00am on early Tuesday morning.  I got out of my warm bed and stepped outside in the freezing weather.  Why, you ask?  For a chance to see a total lunar eclipse (i.e. Moon falls in Earth's shadow) on the same day as the winter solstice (i.e. when Sun is farthest away from Earth).

I read somewhere that the two events are happening together after a few hundred years and will not happen again for another few hundred years.

So how was it?  Beautiful!  I had never seen a "coppery" moon.  Earlier in the night the moon was bright white, and during the eclipse it was totally orange... a ghostly sight indeed.  I didn't take any pictures.  The beauty of some things just cannot be captured in a camera no matter how hard one tries.

I just captured the sight with my eyes and let it sink in me.

It was beautiful.  This is what life is all about.

Serengeti Migration - A Daily Phenomenon?

Who says one needs to go to Africa to see the Serengeti migration?  Every city has its very own migration that occurs twice daily.  In the morning I’m a witness to, and indeed a part of, the thousands of people who spill out from the train and subway stations and rush to their offices in one of the tall office buildings.  Herds of people make their way to their offices in the morning and then back to the train and subway stations in the evening - it's like the Circular Migration of the Serengeti that we see on the Discovery Channel.

Replace the wildbeests of the Serengeti plains with people and you will wonder why such a phenomenon is called “one of the ten natural travel wonders of the world”.  Are people not natural?  Is going to the office not “natural”?  Such a migration has become a staple of the developed world where everyone has a herd mentality.

The entire phenomenon is quite amusing if you think about it.  Men in dark suits holding their briefcases and Blackberry's rushing to their offices; high-heeled women in shirts, skirts, trousers and heavy make-up who walk alongside their male counterparts; the occasional person in a t-shirt, jeans and sneakers who seems out of place… it’s quite an elaborate, yet amusing show to watch.

Normally, I don’t even notice the people as I’m “going-with-the-flow”.  However, there is no better way to physically “experience” going-against-the-flow than to head to the train station in the morning when the throngs are heading out of it.  I can feel the crowd’s resistance, and it gives me some degree of satisfaction knowing that I'm going against the crowd.  This feeling, I think, is a prerequisite to accomplishing something meaningful.

I did this in September 2008 when I quit my permanent full-time job to see the world and have some truly amazing experiences.  It was the best decision of my life, as it eventually led to me meeting my soon-to-be-wife.

So, as you sit in your little cubicle drinking office coffee and wondering if you should execute that idea that you have been thinking about for quite some time, then ask yourself if you want to be a part of the "Circular Migration" for the rest of your life - and just do it!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! [Picture taken in Tshoka village, West Sikkim, India]

My Words of Wisdom

I saw a terrible accident a few days ago on the highway.  There was smoke coming out of the car and someone was trapped inside it.  It wasn't clear whether that person was dead or alive.  "Jaws of Life" were being used by the fire fighters to cut through the metal doors and get the person out.

That made me think how short and unpredictable life is.  Anything can happen and without warning.  We are here today and gone tomorrow.  We waste so much time and energy being angry, upset and unhappy.  In the end, it's just not worth it.  We have to learn to be forgiving towards others, and more importantly, ourselves.  Don't put your ego ahead of everything.  It's okay to make mistakes.

Sometimes we just need to sit back and think about what is really important to us?  Too often we are running behind the wrong things (like money or something similar).

One never knows whether we will have a tomorrow or not.  So don't waste your Today on negative things.  We should do whatever that is in our hands; for everything else, just hope for the best.

Learn to give.
Learn to forgive.
Learn to love.
Learn to be happy.

This is to everybody:

If I've upset you - I'm sorry.
If I've wronged you - Please forgive me.

Observations from GO Train Commuting: A Satire

I wrote a post on my observations from Myanmar/Burma after traveling all over the country.  I thought I will do something similar for Canada seeing as I live here.  However, I'm limiting myself to what I've observed while commuting to work.  I take the "GO Train" to downtown Toronto everyday to go to the office.  It's a 20 minute ride.  Here's what I have observed 90% of the commuters are doing in the train:

(1)  Checking and replying to e-mails on their BlackBerry.  The invention of BlackBerry is probably the best thing that has happened for the corporate world.  They give their employees a BlackBerry and ensure that they can never fully get away from the office.  Interestingly, having a BlackBerry has become sort of a corporate status symbol - you're a nobody until somebody gives you a BlackBerry.

(2)  Reading.  Most of the men wearing Armani suits are reading the upper-class 'Globe and Mail' newspaper.  They are normally reading the Business section catching up on the latest mergers and acquisitions, takeovers, earnings reports and other World Markets' news.  Most other readers stick to the free newspaper having many career related and "get-away-to-the-Caribbean" articles.  The remaining few readers use the commute time to escape to an imaginary world (i.e. reading a novel).

(3)  Sleeping.  Most people who are not doing any of the above are catching up on their sleep.  Some are probably dreaming about winning the Lotto 649 lottery and escaping from the daily grind and rat race, while others are probably too tired to even dream about escaping.

---
So what am I doing?  Starin' out the window like a kid. :)

Sometimes I have a smile on my face and people may wonder why.  That's probably because I'm thinking of the time when I was in a train in Burma that used to "jump" so much that people literally bounced on their hard wooden seats.  Or maybe I'm thinking of the time when I was in a local train in India and it was so crowded that there wasn't even enough space to stand straight.

Sometimes I'm just sleeping peacefully...

PS: My observation sucks.  The above is elementary my dear Watson!

I Will Never Forget... [Moments from 2009]

The time I spent and the people I met at Hemalkasa and Anandwan during the tail-end of my 4-month India trip.

Spending time with Siya, and then Neev after he was born in April.

Planning and executing my longest solo backpacking trip to Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), Laos and Vietnam.

Seeing the magnificent Shwedagon Pagoda for the first time in Rangoon, Burma.

Eating delicious dosa in an Indian restaurant in Rangoon.

The hospitality shown by a street-side vendor in Rangoon while I had a late night dinner.

A twelve hour back-braking train journey in 3rd class from Rangoon to Thazi in Burma.

Riding on the roof of a share-taxi (jeep) while on the way to Nuang-U in Burma.

Trekking in Burma with an amazing group of people.

Cycling to see the UNESCO World Heritage Temples of Bagan in Burma.

The sights and scenery seen during a 10-hour boat tour of the Inle lake in Shan state, Burma.

Sippin' on chai in one of Burma's many tea shops.

Feeling a bit nervous when we were all made to get off the bus in the middle of the night (~2:00AM) by Burmese government officials for passport checking while on the way to Rangoon from Inle lake.

Feeling lost on a bus from Rangoon to Kyaiktiyo where nobody spoke English and all the signs and numbers were in Burmese.

The truck journey up the mountain from Kinpun to the Golden Rock.

Staying in a hotel in Kinpun (Burma) that turned out to be the most filthy ever!

Seeing the "Golden Rock" - a truly magical place.

Watching a Hindi movie, Baazi, inside a freezing movie theatre in Rangoon - the a/c was going on full blast and it felt like there was a winter storm inside! The temperature outside was 30'+C.

Reading the Ramayana along the Mekong river in Luang Prabang, Laos, while sippin' on a cup of ice coffee.

Chatting with three Laotian monks for almost two hours in one of Vientian's oldest monasteries while it rained outside.

Cycling in Luang Prabang, Laos, and seeing one of the most beautiful waterfalls I've seen: Kuang Si falls.

The picturesque Muong Khoa village in Northern Laos.

The three day bus journey to cross into Northern Vietnam from Laos with many roadblocks/breakdowns and change of buses on the way.

Climbing alone the highest peak of Vietnam, Mt. Fansipan (Phan-xi-păng), in 12 hours in a continuous heavy downpour with the most beautiful waterfalls all around.

Having the most delicious margarita pizza in the town of Sapa the day after climbing Mt Fansipan (Phan-xi-păng).

The hospitality shown by a Vietnamese family in whose hotel I stayed at in Sapa, Vietnam.  The girl in red/white lent me her brother's jacket without which I would've frozen to death on my trek up Mr. Fansipan.

Sharing a train cabin with two lady boys during an overnight journey from Lao Cai to Hanoi in Vietnam.

Watching some really awesome movies at home while searching for a job.

Landing my first contract as a Market Risk Management Business Consultant with one of Canada's largest banks.

And finally, Dusshera 2009... :)