Of Mail, Indianapolis, And Eugene Cernan...

Hmmm...

Long time no see..

Last week I wrote about Judy no? I had sent her an email and this is what she replied to me..

I am so happy you wrote. You know I've been thinking about you and was about to ask M for your email. You read my mind. 

I am truly honored and touched about what you wrote. Your sincerity, inquisitiveness and honesty are at the essence of true leadership. Leadership is not about the loud band leader who beckons everyone to follow. The real leaders have a deep understanding of others and seek to help others be the best they can be. 

I believe that we are all connected Pankaj It is interesting that somehow I touched upon an aspect that you have dwelled on, the speaking up. I think our meeting and interaction was meant to be. Speaking up, in my mind, is not just the act of speaking but the self-recognition of the worthiness of what lies within and the need for your knowing to be shared with others. You have a depth of understanding, insight and compassion, Pankaj, that I know can be of benefit to others. 

This a new and strange world to you! With time, you will know what is worth adapting to and what is not worth adapting to. In the midst, you will feel your values and certainty challenged. Yet it is in that very challenge that you will learn what matters most to you. 

I have been away from my family, especially my children for 5 long days (the longest since I've had children!), so this was a big change for me. I just returned home last night. Your email and your words are like gold to me, for it is knowing that I have benefited others, that it makes the travel and the being away from my children worth its while. So my thank you! 

Keep in touch. Know your gifts. And enjoy all that which is around you.

And I came back from Indianapolis. It was so expensive. I spent $330 for the hotel stay plus another $50 for the food plus another $200 for registration :( There was a career fair there. It is so difficult to sell yourself and especially for a loser like me who doesn't even know how to talk :( I was so depressed seeing the atmosphere there..thousands of MBAs from all over the US running all over the place to find a job. I met people from office - A, A and P. They had also come. I just wanted to run away from that place. I actually came out early the first day. I was like I have spent so much money, at least I should see the city. It is a beautiful city. I also made a good friend R. He is in second year at my college. He saw me standing in one corner when I was just looking at things there. He came up to me and said, "feeling depressed?" Then he told me that these fairs are not for introvert people like me and him. He also wanted to get out of there. And then we both went and explored the city. He told me so many things which I will write later but that was the only good part of the trip. Then we went to a pub and had locally brewed beer. I loved it. Usually I don't like beer but I had two glasses. All the while we were talking about life and our insecurities. Then after that I went to two churches as well. They were beautiful. 

The last pic is taken at Hooters. Interesting...

On Modern Family, I was so amazed by Phil. It brought tears in my eyes. He is such a great father and a great husband. Awesome he is... Here is what happens. He talks about Eugene Cernan who is called the coolest father ever.

Phil: “I want to be Eugene Cernan.”

Alex: “Who’s Eugene Cernan?”

Phil: “Apollo 17 astronaut. Last man on the moon. Coolest dad of all time. When he was leaving the moon, he reached down and wrote his daughter’s initials into the lunar surface. Since there’s no atmosphere…”

Alex: “They’ll be there forever. Wow, so every time she looks in the sky she’ll know there’s a message just for her.”

Phil: “Exactly. That’s why dads everywhere hate Eugene Cernan.

All through the episode he tried doing something that would be a great memory for him and Alex. In the end, he did this absolutely brilliant thing. He wrote the initials of Alex (AD) on the board of a restaurant that was named Moonbeam. Fantastic no? Fathers are great. As they say, fathers are closer to daughters and mothers are closer to sons. I still remember this quote from Desperate Housewives, it said: "the best fathers are those who make the women in their lives feel like good mothers." And I read this even more awesome story yesterday where a dad advised his young son about porn. So cool are fathers no? Read about him here (http://www.salon.com/2012/09/30/finding_your_kids_porn/). Who do you want as a kid? A boy? A girl? 

I know I should have written a better post..I had five things pending from last week but I don't feel like writing about them now :( Getting worried about some things..anyways...

Dialogue of the Day:

"They say the important thing in life isn’t the destination, it’s the journey. the challenges you face along the way; the unexpected twists and turns; the disappointments you overcome, but they’re wrong. it’s all about the destination."

 - Manny, Modern Family

"ये जो वक़्त है न यहाँ जो हम काट रहे है, ये बहुत अच्छा टाइम है...देखना आगे चल कर हम इसे याद करेंगे और हसेंगे.."

- Geet, Jab We Met