Words of motivation...

Sometimes in a new environment one needs to find things or writings to motivate you to start a meaningful journey in your new phase of life. You need all the inspiration to make the beginning meaningful and worthwhile. I was just scanning the Horoscope section ( Predictions by Peter Watson)  in an old edition of the Indian magazine "Bazaar Fashion" and I stumbled across some really wise and ever inspiring mottos.These mottos caught by attention and stood out in that page as if calling for my attention particularly at a time when I most needed it. The ones I really connected with are-

"Write kindnesses in stone but injuries in sand"

"Courtesy is the oil that lubricates the daily grind"

I am so glad to have come across these words. When you start out in a new world away from your home,it is the first lot of people who enter your lives then who make the most difference to your new journey as they leave behind deep impressions good or bad that connects you to the new place or alienates you from it. 

Bonsai-The Lives of certain Women(Beautiful yet stunted...)

The past week I have been watching numerous movies and documentaries on women from different cultures around the world. It was not that much of a surprise to discover that many women from different religions and countries share the same fate.  In certain regions, religions or cultures in the east as well as west where orthodox way of life is still prevalent in regard to women, some with emerging times may have risen to find some amount of independence and freedom to express themselves but that too is within limits.

Today women from many such places may have found an independent definition of living their lives or so it appears. In fact many such women it seems may be living their choices and dreams in life but actually those so called choices too are dictated by their families and those around them in their conservative society.

These women may be allowed to grow individually only to a certain extent by their society just so as to keep pace with modernity for the sake of appearances but in the end the decisions of their families prevail. Their dreams are still ruled by others.   Their families decide everything for them from the direction of their education to the choice of career  and from deciding their way of life to the choice of a suitable husband.

These women may be allowed to pursue careers but their ambitions are controlled by others with limited thoughts. They may be allowed to grow but only in moderation. These women remind me somewhat of " bonsai" trees that are not allowed to grow to their fullest potential and their roots are stunted.  As beautiful as their lives may appear like that of a bonsai, such restrictions curb their true identity and hinders their growth in the real sense.  Their world is shrunk in the miniature pots of age-old rigid beliefs surrounding women. These women may have finally found a voice but they still are not allowed to truly express their needs and wants. Their lives are expected to  still revolve solely around fulfilling the desires of others but themselves even in that so called independent journeys they may have been permitted to take.

Everybody has the right to live their choices and not those made by others. Everybody has a right to decide what they want in life as it is their journeys to travel and not that of others. As I say in living your choices does one truly live your life and find a path meant for you. That does not mean that one cannot live a life based on the decision of others but only if it is well within the boundaries of peace, contentment and joy. The day living the dreams of others does not provide contentment, that day life could be burdened with regrets and endless disappointment and pain. There are many modern and highly educated women from conservative backgrounds who may have found an independent path but are still lost in finding the true journey that they could actually live to enjoy.

" Beauty is not found in a place but in the memories you gather there...A beautiful place holds no value if it does not hold good memories for you. "

                                                                                                         -Simrit

A poet's introduction...

It is important to have a heart of a poet to understand the language of poetry. Poets find love in misery...Poets find inspiration in adversity...
Poets find hope in struggle and in weakness they find strength, resolve and determination to survive.
Poets translate the deeper meaning of life by drawing the essence of life through sensitivity and perception which not all can possess.
In happiness poets finds sadness and in sadness joy because they know that everything is not as it appears to be. Life is a fleeting moment for them and so they experience and cherish lives far more deeply than others.
A poet romances life and death in the deepest form. A poignant story of two poets stirred so many emotions in me tonight that I took to writing after so long.
From the time I have had a change of environment in my life, I have just not had the time to write much because of the new demands of life though poetic thoughts come to my mind all the time. But tonight is different ! After watching the tragically beautiful Turkish drama (The Butterfly's Dream as interpreted in English), emotions come live in me again. I feel that you can write anywhere if one wants to and one should never renounce deep expressions in life.
It is such great sensitivity towards life and others that makes you so appreciative of all that is around you. And poetry is a source of strength and can be relied upon to provide solace in facing some of life's battles. Such is the power of poetry ! Such is the miracle and power of deep expression and words.
Poetry is the dance between emotions and words where one always requires the other to complete the dance.

Kenzo Napa - Kaiseki Tasting Menu

Kenzo Napa

Last night I had the honor of being invited to Kenzo restaurant in Napa which has been introduced to the Wine country by Kenzo Estate winery founders. It was an evening to remember ! Their generous hospitality in addition to their truly traditional and fine Japanese cuisine contributed in making the evening very special. In all the ambience, delicious food and conversations with their wonderful Manager as well as experienced Chefs gave us a very pleasant and enriching dining experience. And also it deepened our knowledge of Kaiseki dining.The colour combination and taste of wines from the Kenzo Estate Winery beautifully complemented and matched the taste and artistic combination of the sushis from the Chef's selection.
 I loved the sushis prepared by the Chef and more so because I could use my hand to eat them which is allowed in Kaiseki dining. The Kagoshima Yellowfish marinated in vinegar was delightfully delicious when paired with egg omelet. The sushi course consisted of  Flounder, Hallibut, Stripped Jack, Toro ( fatty underbelly of Blufin Tuna), Needle fish and Negitoro maki ( Toro & Chive roll) as explained by their wonderful Manager James. The matcha ice cream with a drizzle of the right amount of condensed milk paired with green tea was the perfect ending to a uniquely wonderful dining.
The evening also ended  with yet another pleasant surprise of receiving autographs of the famous Chefs which is a great  honour and a tradition of fine restaurants in Japan. I shall always treasure the autographs of Chef Eiji Onoyama and Chef Atsushi Okawara on the rice paper Kaiseki Tasting Menu. 

Sacramento

Washington D.C

One does not need to give up one's identity and roots to adapt to a new culture or country. What is needed is to embrace the new with all that is in you and not without it as then in the true sense will that will mark a true journey in your life . A journey of growth begins not with over adapting but with adapting and yet retaining what you already have.
You don't have to give up yourself or lose yourself to embrace the new. You can accept the new environment with an open mind and yet treasure the old. Finding something new in your life does not mean giving up the old. Embrace the new but also retain the old !

This too shall pass ! Tomorrow is another day ! These are golden words for all who are going through phases of transition or phases of sadness in their lives. It is true that each moment is another moment...And nothing remains forever...

There is a season for everything. Time has seasons too...There is a season for happiness and there is a season for sadness. Time is constantly changing ! So however many roadblocks, problems and challenges you may face in your everyday lives at home or away from home they can be overcome in time through patience, belief and hope.  Nothing lasts forever.

 There will be lots of moments of sadness and difficulty in your lives but remain as determined as ever  and hopeful of embracing better moments in times to come. When you do not find answers to all that you are questioning or searching in life, life answers them for you through it's decisions in it's own time. In due course of time you will find the purpose of your life visible. Fate is stronger than your wants and dreams most times. And you just have no choice but to accept what comes your way ! Life has it's own wants from you and if you truly fulfill your destiny by accepting what is meant to be , you will find peace and happiness. But you would say to yourself that all this is easier said than done. Who says it would be easy !? But belief works miracles and your belief and determination to succeed in battling all the difficulties in your life may bring you much closer to your destination. What cannot  kill you will  not destroy you...

Cultural Interactions are a two way process where both sides have to participate or become involved in being culturally sensitive to each other to make it a pleasant interaction. I always believe that give what you expect ! Give and you will receive... If you want people to be sensitive to your beliefs, thoughts and way of life then you too must offer them the same sensitivity. I often find people too rigid in their approach in accepting others' cultural beliefs and yet they want others to readily accept what they want out of them without a doubt or question. That is a completely selfish and inconsiderate approach. We must meet each other half way if we want any interactions to be successful in life . 

A Child's Right to Expression

Communication, Acknowledgement as an individual and the Right to Expression are some of the words or phrases that come to my mind when I think of children in the school or home environment. We cannot curb their right to express themselves as their expression would be an insight into their way of thought which if negative can be transformed and channelised into something positive while there is still time.

 We lose out on really knowing the children around us if we do not encourage them to talk, interact or discuss. Silence or lack of communication can alienate children from us. We must try to understand their wants and dreams instead of forcing them to accept ours all the time. Also we should welcome differences in thoughts.

We can tactfully motivate them but not force them. We can give them options and alternatives but not choose for them. Children need to be accepted as individuals too. Children should have the freedom to think and question and good parenting would be to be as honest as possible with your children. Of course all this has to be encouraged within boundaries of course as they are still learning the ways of life and we cannot afford to have them lose track because of unlimited freedom. Nothing in excess is good.

 So freedom of expression and the right to being an individual must be given but within the right boundaries by guiding them in the right way in the right direction through examples and discussions. Allow them to form their own opinions even if at times it may clash with yours. For instance your child may relate better to a grandparent, relative or friend that you may not get along with and you should be able to accept that without reservations. To be a good role model and guide to your children, one has to first free oneself from all negativity and one has to refrain from being judgemental. Always be accessible and reachable to your child in every way every time specially emotionally. In this stressful modern environment children are faced with stress, questions and life changing decisions every day more than our times and we should be sensitive to all that they are going through. 

Interaction with other cultures- Embrace it !

Embrace other cultures wholeheartedly ! Welcome and accept other cultures without reservations. As I always say embrace others with their differences however challenging that may seem at times. In being rigid in your approach to various cultures, you may be robbing yourself the pleasure of absolutely wonderful experiences in store for you. In not developing an interest in other cultures is in a way denying yourself interesting interactions with many people near you at the grassroots level and limiting a lifetime possibility of exciting adventures in exploring far away places. With the introduction of different cuisines from all around the world around you and cultural events brought to your country from outside , you may think that you are already immersed in other cultures but you are not really experiencing cultures upclose and personal till you actually include other nationalities in your lives through personal or work interactions. So always have a place for people different than you in your life as according to me  "opposites attract" knowledge ! And more knowledge about a way of life of others is always very interesting !

 Before embarking on a long journey to distant places, one must remember to brighten and awaken one's passion for travelling and leaving behind your comfort zone to start with. Once on the "journey away from home or at home to meet new cultures",  do not forget to sharpen your cultural sensitivity and flexibility to open yourself to new discovery of customs, beliefs and ways of life different than yours. Be prepared to deal with cultural shock too however well prepared you may be in your knowledge about that culture. However well versed you may be with different ways of life in various cultures, you are always in for a surprise in dealing with people of other nationalities as new interactions between culturally different strangers can be quite complex sometimes. Last of all clear communication is important in any interaction specially concerning people with cultural differences and as long as genuine communications flow from the heart one can never go wrong even if one is not fluent in a foreign language.

"Through travel do you learn about yourself and discover what you are searching for to define your existence completely."

            - Simrit Kapila

Such is Life !

 Transition is just not a mere word but a way of life and process to grow as an individual. Through transition do you actually connect to your deeper self as you discover a new side to yourself that you thought never existed in that phase in how you adapt to change and accept things you cannot change. Life is but change...
Life changes everyday...Relationships and people change every day for better or worse. In each moment of our lives we are experiencing change. Life changes for good and bad and in that we find our journey of  happiness, disappointments, heartbreaks and peace.
Transition may involve breaking of hearts and pain but such experiences truly define you in the long run because of the way you react to those situations. But change is not bad all the time. A relationship for instance matures beautifully when it changes with time when subjected to different experiences, conditions and environment.
 Transition does not mean that something has to break or be destroyed every time as it can also mean enhancement of your life and birth of something wonderfully new ! Yet we are mostly intimidated by the concept of change as to many it means loss of something valuable or loss of someone precious in that time and that is very painful. And sadly we cannot resist change or transition however unexpectedly unpleasant it may be. But we also have to remember that pain and joy are two sides of the coin of transition and one gives way to the other in time. Transition is never easy but it still has to be accepted and lived...Such is life ! Asi es la vida ! 

Downtown San Francisco

Car tour of Downtown San Francisco on a rainy day

A new beginning with California

My affair with California has just begun...as of now too little to say and too much to hope for. There are lots of pages to be read to know the city well and lots of experiences to gather which hopefully would capture my heart endlessly. My first sweet heart would always be Chicago though but many a times the last matters more than the first. So I am hoping that the Bay Area would have that everlasting and meaningful effect on me and carve that permanent soft spot in my heart !
Life introduced me to San Francisco and the Bay Area a long while ago only to be interrupted by a long absence that fate planned for me only to return again after long years to start where I left off last time. So the story with the Bay Area resumed after a long gap. In the past, I did not have enough time to discover the place for all that it has to offer me. But now I hope that in time the beauty of the city and it's attractive culture as well as way of life would mesmerise me. It remains to be seen if it's magic would affect my life greatly too.
As I was saying to a friend, a new city and a new surrounding has so much to offer and a great cultural adventure is definitely in store for me I believe. But with new beginnings come great challenges as well which would have to be met with. Through it all, I rely on the strength within me to accept a new city with all that it is and with all that it comes. One has to accept a new city in every way possible to make one's moments the most memorable ones. I am told that I must give the Bay Area a fair chance and so I will ! I am yet exploring the places in the Bay Area to decide if this is the destination for me and where I would eventually like to settle but my heart asks if it would really be the Bay Area for me. The Bay Area has always been the most popular choice and the first choice of many.
The Bay Area is crowned with natural beauty and cultural diversity. The jewel in the crown is it's ability to warmly accept various cultures and religions which makes it all the more fascinating for all to give it a try and start their journey here in America or retire here in the end. It is a great place to raise a family as everyone keeps saying. I am often told that I would fall hopelessly in love with the place. Definitely I should hope so but my affair with the city had just begun...And as is the case in every new relationship, I take every step with caution even if I am enthralled by it's beauty. As I stood across a hill there looking at the clouds descend on the opposite hill and the skies embracing the pastel shades of the evening, I wondered what my relationship would be with this city in times to come. Would it be a deep one or just a fleeting interaction on my journey to another place ? Whatever it may be, I decided to really enjoy that moment that day sometime last week reflecting on all that I had seen of this place as of then.
I visited the all famous and historical University of Berkeley which was alive with so much positive energy, talent and excitement. It was absolutely marvellous to visit the Bay Street in Emeryville for shopping at this time of the season particularly. There is this gigantic Christmas tree already there adorned with glittering decorations as it seems to beckon people to hear beautiful hymns. I just loved this musical Christmas tree at Bay Street even though I had seen much more beautiful ones in Chicago's White Christmas. On many a sunny days, I enjoyed the quietness and peace of the Bay street lined up with fashionable stores and restaurants on both sides. The street hosts various fine restaurants of different types of cuisines. I fondly remember my visit to Walnut Creek too and I loved the atmosphere there and enjoyed window shopping there. Needless to be said that the Silicon Valley area is also a source of curiosity to many and I too went there. Again Fourth Street is another beautiful and fashionable place to visit. Downtown San Francisco was great too and the China town there. In the coming days Napa Valley is on my list as well as Monterey Bay.
I have visited many famous Mexican, Indian, Italian, Chinese and Japanese restaurants and would be talking about them. What I like about the Bay Area is that the emphasis is on using local and organic ingredients in cooking at homes and restaurants.
My cultural and sightseeing adventure has just started and more is yet to come ! As of now I am sharing my initial notes of this lifetime trip.

Picture Perfect !

A beautifully and artistically designed wall that was chosen as a background for a Christmas Tree...

On my recent visit to one of the famous buildings in downtown San Francisco, I couldn't help admiring the beautiful interiors that so matched the Christmas tree standing there. Some beautiful images like this capture your heart instantly and you want to sit there for a while to admire it as it makes you feel so good.

A picture of festivity in the lobby of an office building in downtown San Francisco by Simrit Kapila

Downtown San Francisco in the night

A game of Catch me if you can with Dreams

It is good to dream ! It is good to pursue your dream or ambition but not at the cost of losing yourself entirely and completey in your quest to attain or achieve it. The path to pursue your dreams may involve great forms of sacrifices but nothing is worth it if it means giving up living day to day. Each day is precious  ! And we must not forget that there could be no tomorrow and so every single day should be lived to it's fullest. The saying stands true that live each day as if it may be the last day in your life...Live your life as if there is no tomorrow. Do not let the future steal your present and all that you want now. Sometimes the price you pay for what you want in the future may take it's toll on your present way too much and may mean giving up all that makes you happy.
Dreams and Ambitions tend to play a game of "Catch me if you can" and in the want to win that game you may be endlessly staking everything in your life that you may lose in your life forever and never recover. Definitely pursue and go behind all that your hope to have with all that you have inside you but definitely not in a way that may involve leaving behind all that you already have in favour of all that you might have or not ! While it is true that dreams come true when you believe in them and work towards making them a reality, it also holds true that draw your boundaries somewhere and let your dreams find you too after that if so it is willed. Happiness is wanting all that you have instead of having all that you want...Sometimes you may be living your dream but you may not realise it now.