Abhi-isms

Turns out, we do forget. When your child does or says something that seems memorable, the general tendency is believe that you will never forget it. Ironically enough, we were reminded of this while indulging in a newly popular pastime at home - watching old home videos of Arjun and Abhishek. I collect stories and both Arjun and Abhi have been a rich source of them.  Unfortunately, many of Arjun's stories are either lost to the mists of memory or involve potty training (or lack thereof) and the risk of future embarrassment is too high. Abhi, on the other hand, has a bit of a knack for smart comebacks and I want to record some of them before they fade. I

1: Abhi and Arjun were playing Wii football with Suraj.  Abhi and Suraj were on the same team with Suraj being the Quarter Back and Abhi being the Running Back. They were struggling on offense and Abhi kept insisting on a particular play.  Suraj finally gave in and selected that play only to have it fail miserably. He turned to Abhi and complained, "See what you made me do! I knew that play wouldn't work!!" If he was expecting a "My Bad" from Abhi, he was sadly mistaken. Abhi responded, "It's your fault. Which QB listens to the running back?"

2: We were in the midst of the morning rush and as happens sometimes, Abhi was still eating his breakfast (Cheerios) while getting ready to wear his shoes. He was wearing a blue shorts and had a pair of tan socks on.  In a bid to needle him a bit, Malini goes, "Abhi, you picked the wrong socks, they don't match your shorts." Without missing a beat, Abhi came back with, "Yes, but they match my Cheerios!"

3: This is not a comeback, but still quite amusing. The boys and I were watching Game 5 of the St Louis - Philly baseball playoffs and the STL pitcher, Chris Carpenter was pitching an absolutely amazing game. The Philly offense is full of stars, but he had completely shut them down. As we watched him strikeout one more Philly batter, Abhi exclaimed, "Carpenter is on heat!!" I did a double take: "On heat? What's that??" Abhi repeated, "He is on heat!" Then it dawned on me - you know the expression for somebody playing really well - "He is on fire?"  Well, this was Abhi's take on that.

4: Abhi is all about winning and he can get quite upset when he loses (at anything). Until he figured out how to play the NFL game on the XBox, he would give up his turn to Arjun and prefer to enjoy a vicarious victory rather than a direct loss. We were watching some NBA playoff game and he kept asking me which team I was supporting. I replied that I didn't really care, but which team was he supporting? He responded, "I don't know." Me: "Why don't you know?" With impeccable logic, he replied: "I don't know who is going to win. So, I don't know which team to support."

Steve Jobs Passes Away

When ESPN posts the obituary of somebody with no connection to pro sports on their home page, you know it must be somebody unique.  Such is clearly the case with Steve Jobs who passed away earlier today. Almost everybody has reacted with some degree of sadness upon hearing this news and I am no different. Are we collectively mourning the loss of an exceptional talent or is it that the products of his work touched each of us so personally? It is no secret that I have tried hard to pick faults with the legion of i* products that were the second coming of Apple, but it was with a full measure of recognition of the genius behind them.  There will be those who will dismiss his impact as being on mostly superficial considerations - after all, what he did was drive the creation of beautiful objects that were ultimately satisfying a craving and not a need.  However, at least for today I will submit that the real joy that the millions of users of Apple products got from their devices counts for a lot.  So many go through this temporary existence without leaving any measurable impact and then along comes a Steve Jobs - he left the world just the little bit better than he found it. 

More on the India Trip

Barely a week remains of our India trip and I can claim only one blog entry so far. An occupational hazard of being an intermittent blogger is that I am constantly filtering all encounters and observations through the "how do I blog this" filter, but rarely do those things actually make it into a blog. Waiting to write a coherent entry is a big hurdle, so I am going to stick to a few quick hits now.

The end of week 1 of our trip saw us heading to Kerala. Much rain and slush were promised, but we mostly encountered dry skies and 95% humidity. The mosquitoes could easily mistaken for little birds and the rolling power cuts in the night (to work around an explosion in a major power station) made for enjoyable sleep. To nobody's surprise, Arjun's hands, legs, and face were decorated with various insect bite reactions by the end of day 1. Abhi also joined him this time. Despite all the inconveniences, we achieved the main purpose of the trip - meeting almost every one of our relatives (after a gap of 7 years).

Kerala has not changed much - local politics are still a strong force (when we were there, my nephew's school was closed for 2 days because students were protesting the disciplining that some kid got) and there is no industry to speak of. There are pockets of wealth (mostly from NRIs), real estate in Cochin/Ernakulam is still booming (there are so many high rises there, that it almost has a real skyline) - although there are plenty of reports of shoddy construction - but overall, life has not changed much for most folks. If you want a driver to negotiate tight spaces, hire one from Kerala - the towns there have some of the narrowest streets I have ever seen. One prominent change I noticed in Alleppey was the large number of house boats moored along the back waters. Apparently tourism is a big industry now.

Returning to Bangalore after 5 days in Kerala was a relief - if only to get away from the heat, humidity, and mosquitoes. But life in Bangalore is no picnic. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say it is quite brutal. Nobody I met - irrespective of their walk of life - seemed to ever have a relaxed moment and most people were constantly juggling at least five different things. Two aspects dominate the conversation here - traffic and real estate. The Metro was supposed to open this year, but is still a ways away.  Construction for the metro and elevated expressways are all over the city.

There is a stunning amount of money in Bangalore, but the disparities are starker than ever before. On one hand, there are people who are driving Italian sports cars and shopping for $100,000 Mont Blanc wrist watches and on the other hand are the millions who are eating out of dumpsters. Real estate costs in the heart of Bangalore easily rival Manhattan or downtown Tokyo.  Getting to your premium apartment is another matter altogether.

As a very interested, but essentially outside observer, I am constantly wondering where all this is heading? Perhaps this is how the Wild West felt like - India today (& I am largely extrapolating from Bangalore) is almost a lawless frontier tumbling at breakneck pace towards the uncertain future. It is clear that the leadership will not come from the politicians - it is a wonder they have any time to govern at all. The so-called leaders in Karnataka, Kerala, and the Center are all embroiled in some controversy or the other and spend most of their time protecting their power bases. I doubt the situation is much better in other states.

Upward mobility is a big driving force and education is still seen as the way out. The number of private institutions have exploded, but there is limited enforcement of standards.  The fight to rise to the top is even more intense and a big controversy today is the lax scoring done by the CBSE folks. Just a couple years ago, the number of students scoring 95% or greater was less that 200, now they number in the thousands. Things have gotten to such a head that a big name school in Delhi set their cut-off at 100% - yes, if don't have 100% score in your finals, don't bother applying there.

Indian sports has hit the big time - several of the "stars" from the recent Commonwealth and Asian games have tested positive for PE drugs. Almost everyday, a new name comes out. I am sure it is no coincidence that many of those athletes have coaches from the former eastern bloc.

One gets daily reminders of the uneven pace of development (I hesitate to call it progress). I went to a well known book store and picked out several books.  The checkout lady prepared the bill by hand, laboriously writing the complete title and ISBN - for whatever reason, they didn't just scan the bar codes that were on the price tags. When it was finally done, I handed her my credit card (since I was out of cash), but she couldn't charge it since their machine was down due to a power cut. She suggested I pop over to the ATM across the street, but that was closed as well - probably because of the same power cut. I had to leave the store without my books.

There may be a shortage of land, but the construction of new temples, churches, and mosques continues apace. It is perhaps the most cynical of land grabs anywhere.

India is a heady place today - the energy is almost palpable. Consumerism is rampant and the youth has long shrugged off the diffidence of prior generations in spending freely and generally flaunting it. There is way too much attention paid to Bollywood stars, cricketers, and corrupt politicians, but there is also much intelligent discourse. If you stop to think about it, there are literally a million different problems that will leave you paralyzed - but then, if you do stop to think, there will be a million others who will use that opportunity to rush past you. 

First Week Vignettes

"Traffic in Bombay is real bad, but the drivers there are...how do i put this...ah yes, more civilized." This was the verdict rendered about Bangalore traffic by a recent transplant. I couldn't have put it better myself. To complain about Bangalore traffic is almost de rigueur, but it is not just the sheer volume of traffic that gets on your nerves - it is the utter disregard for fellow drivers that most drivers display and the near chaotic state that results is what really gets you.

We arrived in Bangalore on Monday on vacation and the same afternoon, I borrowed my sister's car and started driving around. Most locals I meet shake their head in disbelief when they hear this. I'll admit that a certain amount of foolish bravado is required to actually get somewhere, but what I am mostly stressed out about is losing my way - most of Bangalore roads are a big mystery to me.

The weather has been very pleasant so far - no rain, low humidity and mostly cool days. Certainly warm by San Diego standards (especially these days), but nothing compared to what most other places are going through.

Listening to the local FM station has been my diversion while driving around. The DJs talk mostly in English, but then throw in the occasional word or phrase in Kannada. And some times, some Hindi as well. They affect a very distinctive, if non-grammatical style, frequently using lines such as,"You can win couple tickets" and they must be ex-JAM champions - they can talk non-stop seemingly without the need to take a breath.

Ads for weekend MBA and other courses are all over the radio - many of them are from foreign schools, including some rather dodgy sounding ones - Ever hear of the "International School of Los Angeles?"

Arjun had a visit from the tooth fairy and three generations of Nairs went for a haircut - shop is directly across from parents' house. I also got a shave - thought it would be a minor luxury to have somebody else take care of that chore, but having the guy wield the old school single-blade razor was more nerve-wracking than relaxing. Cost: Rs 40 (~90 cents) for the haircut and shave.

Marketing

Visited the 'Mantri Mall' billed as the the biggest mall in Southeast Asia - it is a pretty impressive affair, complete with high end designer stores, a dine-in Taco Bell, and a batting cage. Risked the Pani Puri, but it was for nought - even Surati in SD is better. Almost bought a Karoke set - there were multiple choices - including additional chips for the Magicsing. But that will have to wait for another day.

Overhead at the same mall:
Customer: "Yeh Kahaan ka hai?" (Where is this from?)
Shopkeeper: "Kya matlab?" (What do you mean?)
Customer: "Is it made in India? Not made in China, right?"

Discovered a new author - Rohinton Mistry. Strictly speaking, he was not totally unknown - one of his books is part of my "waiting to be read" collection in SD - but, I bought his short story collection ("Tales from Firozsha Baag") and even though I am not typically a short story fan, I was taken by his writing right away.

Drove out almost 30 km from our house to check out a housing development. Places that one used to encounter on an overnight trip out of Bangalore are now considered part of Bangalore.

The whole family - 16 of us - gathered for a dinner at "Three Quarters Chinese," nominally to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Later wished we had gone to RR.

We were over at Malini's parents house and the boys were playing with Malini's brother's kids who are recent transplants from St Louis. The neighbor's kid was also there and Arjun was wielding a broom like a bat. Ah, cricket, I think. But no, it was a full fledged game of baseball and the local kid was fully into it. Cricket, baseball - he could care less about the name. Kids are the same all over. 

No Place To Hide For Lance Armstrong

In this blog I had mused about the lack of any strong links between Lance Armstrong and doping, although I must admit that it had always been too good to be true. And with the interview with Lance's old teammate and one-time close friend, Tyler Hamilton on tonight's 60 Minutes, there cannot be any more doubts about it - Lance Armstrong doped his way to 7 Tour de France titles and one more sporting legend and indeed certifiable hero in the manner he came back from his fight with cancer lies exposed as a mere charlatan. Does this negate his achievements? Not really - almost every top rider in the Tour was doping and in fact every rider save one, who was second or third in all seven of Armstrong's victories has at some point tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. So doping in pro cycling was almost required if you wanted to keep up. However, it is especially painful to find Lance Armstrong in the same category - we always held him to a higher standard and with all his work raising money for cancer victims he was even an inspirational figure to so many. This fall from grace will be one of the hardest in the sports world.

And it may not end there - next in line could well be Tiger Woods - his personal reputation is already in tatters, but the average sports fan will forgive almost any personal failing as long as the sporting greatness is not in question. But now the talk is getting stronger of Tiger's possible steroid use and his many detractors are going to keep digging.

I have always wondered - what causes a particular drug or approach (say, blood doping) to be banned, but not others - say, a new energy drink or the shark skin suit for swimmers? Ultimately, it does not matter - for the very appeal of sports is how black and white it is - there is a line and you either crossed it or not - there is no "I just grazed it" or "I saw the other guy do the same thing," whether it is the sideline in a football game or the list of banned drugs and practices. And now it has caught up with Lance Armstrong, and another sliver of innocence has been lost.

An Expert In Remembering

OK, try to memorize this list: "Picked Garlic, Cottage Cheese, Peat Smoked Salmon, Six bottles of white wine, Three pairs of cotton socks, Three Hula-hoops, Snorkel, Dry Ice machine, Email to Sophia, Skin toned cat suit, DVD of Paul Newman's Somebody Up There Likes Me, Elk Sausages, Directors Chair, Rope and Harness, Barometer."

Done? Good, we'll get back to it in a moment. First, a bit more about its source: Its from the new book, "Moonwalking With Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything," by Joshua Foer. The book really has nothing to do with either moonwalking or Einstein, but is instead about developing a good memory. There is some discussion of technique, but it is more of a socialogical study of how the value of a good memory has changed through human history.  For this discussion the author uses the context of the US Memory Championships- which he first discovers as a journalist and then as a (very successful) contestant. This is in similar vein to Stephen Fatsis' journey into the world of competitive Scrabble in "Word Freak."

Entertaining though is the description of the competition, the training, and many of the main characters, I think the book has a couple of more important points to make. The first is about the value of a good memory and actually placing significant emphasis on developing one. For most of history, a good memory was one of the most valued skills that a person could have. Then came all the ways of making "external" memories: paper, printing, and now of course, the Internet. Over the last century or so, most progressive thinkers in Western education have rubbished the value of remembering things/facts, while emphasizing creative thought and comprehension. But, are the two really incompatible? The author makes a strong case for re-emphasizing memorization as part of regular schooling- in his telling, memory and intellect are really two sides of the same coin.  I am already looking for the 'Kumon' of memorization - I suppose some would argue that the Indian education system would fit the bill nicely!

The second point is about the benefit of "Deliberate Practice." This will be familiar to those who have read "Talent Is Overrated" by Geoffrey Colvin, whose central thesis is the same thing. In both cases, the authors are quoting the research results of Dr. Anders Ericsson of Florida State University who has explored this in multiple research studies. He (like many others in his field) has not found any evidence of "raw talent" and the best indicator of success/excellence is what he has called, Deliberate Practice. It is the notion that while practice may make perfect, not just any practice will - you have to focus on specific skills to practice and then do them over and over, almost ad nauseum.  Once again, this has great significance to how we approach education and schooling. The Kumon approach to math and reading are perfect examples of this approach.

The author covers a rather wide and diverse territory - maybe a bit too scattershot to be a truly gripping book. His description of memory techniques were all new to me - specifically, the use of "memory palaces."  The insight here is that the human brain has an amazing memory for images and more specifically for recalling what was in a particular place, as long as you remember the place itself. More importantly, the author tries hard to make the point that very few (if any at all) are "born" with a great memory - it is a skill that can be developed with hard work and with the right techniques. There is no such thing as a "photographic memory."

This brings us back to the rather eclectic list that I started this blog off with: Memorizing that list is an exercise that the author has the reader do and I dutifully followed his instructions.  That was more than three weeks ago and when I started to type this blog, I was able to reproduce it exactly from my memory.

Gender Issues

Malini and Arjun were planning his 8th birthday party when Arjun suddenly observed, "Amma, time is going by so fast!" Coming from Arjun, this was not an entirely surprising comment - he tends to be somewhat preternaturally inclined towards such thoughts. Not wanting to miss out on a teachable moment, Malini quickly followed up with, "Yes Arjun, soon both of you will be all grown up and have to deal with all kinds of responsibilities."  Abhi - who just turned 5 and is an expert on all matters - chimed in, "And you will have to go to work like Acha." And then without missing a beat he continued, "Unless you are a girl - then you can sit at home and relax."

Fast forward to the weekend and we are having bagels for breakfast - I was doing the toasting and serving and Malini (ever hopeful) comments to the boys, "Acha is going to take care of all the food this weekend."  Arjun had no comment, but Abhi was having none of it: "What, we are going to have omelet for dinner? That's all Acha knows to make!"

I tried explaining that before he was born Malini used to work in an office just like me and that I used to cook regularly while in school, but I could see that my audience was highly skeptical. He knew what our respective roles were and that was that.