January 2011
17 posts
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leading by example
I’ve written a bit about Nipun, but this guy is really something. The more I get a chance to indulge in some of the projects he’s set up – by reading more DailyGood newsletters, looking more thoroughly through the helpothers.org community, serving at Karma Kitchen, partaking in Wednesdays – the more I realize how amazing it is how he influences the people around him. All of the talks he gives, he...
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smile more
The guy to my right, Pancho, radiated with love. He chose to pass in the sharing circle, but I had heard of him well before Wednesday. I still don’t know him as well as I’d like to, but we’ll be working together at Karma Kitchen on Sunday J.
What I gained most simply from Pancho’s presence, however, is that it’s important to smile more. We get old and develop furrows in our brow because we work so...
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types of resolutions
Aumatma made the funny point of how everyone in the circle that shared their resolutions had these super meaningful goals – focusing more on the present moment, meditating more, searching for their personal source of negativity and eliminating it, being more conscious of x – so she broke that cycle saying she wanted to shed some pounds. Obviously a joke, but it made me aware of the different...
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why let your gifts get taken away?
First, the guy to my left, Somik, shared a story about his New Year’s Eve – spent at a hospice with a monk. He described two of the elderly men there who repeated the same phrases to him. One repeated asked him, “Are you Eli? Are you Eli?” The other reached out to him and just kept saying, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” He had done nothing to induce conversation with any of these people, and...
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lessons from wednesdays
The Wednesday night meditation circle at Nipun’s parents’ house works as such:
7pm – 8pm: sit anywhere any meditate silently
8pm – 9pm: sit in sharing circle, discuss passage of the week or any thoughts you might have
9pm – 10pm: vegetarian dinner served to everyone and enjoyed in silence
Anyone and everyone is welcome, and they’ve been doing this every Wednesday for 13 years. On average, 30 –...
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beneath the surface
There are some life lessons that are preached so regularly they are overdone. No one cares anymore and consequentially, they become one of those things everyone knows but nobody acts on. One of those lessons, for me personally, is that everyone has their own story. You never know where they’re coming from. You might not acknowledge that they’ve lived for as many days as they have, and there were a...
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gather
This has nothing to do with inspiration, but everything to do with one of the most phenomenal meals I’ve ever had.
I’ve been lucky enough to spend my working days having lunch with Sandeep, who’s been gracious enough to hook me up with some baller lunches (on the company, of course :P). On Tuesday, we went to Gather, which is, according to Sandeep, the best restaurant in the world. Setting the bar...
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pay it forward
The idea of paying it forward isn’t one that is at all unfamiliar to me. I’ve experimented with it here and there, but I’ve never been so intensely surrounded by it – Karma Kitchen, the people I was staying with, etc.. I always viewed anything good I did for anyone at all an act of paying it forward. I had never actually taken part in paying it forward with money though.
After a day at Karma...
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“There is a whole world working together on our behalf.”
– a poster at cafe gratitude
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community tables
I think one of the most distinct characteristics I’ve noted about some of the places I’ve been here is the community-focused vibe that’s created. There’s genuine purpose behind some of the restaurants and businesses here (and I know that isn’t exclusive to Berkeley), and that purpose is often fostered and maintained by the people that make those businesses possible.
The community tables at Karma...
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hippie business
Several times while here, people have asked me if I meditate. I don’t. I like to think I appreciate meditation, but I can’t even say that I do, considering I’ve only given it a shot 2-3 times since 2007. The first time I heard the question, I brushed it off as random hippie business that I would hear in California. I heard it again. Hippie business. I heard it again. Hippie business.
Later in the...
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karma kitchen
Almost like the KKK, except one letter short and…not like the KKK.
Within eight hours of my stepping foot in the state, I was on my way to the Karma Kitchen, an Indian restaurant turned service experiment every Sunday. It’s run by ten volunteers every week in the spirit of service where the previous week’s customers pay for the those of the present week. That said, the bill at the end of the meal...
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flooded with generosity
Upon landing at Oakland, I was already blessed with generosity, as a friend/mentor/inspiration of mine, Nipun, (and that’s by no means an exhaustive list) shot out some emails and had someone pick me up from the airport after midnight. I initially had plans of staying with a friend in San Francisco, but Aumatma – the selfless girl she is – offered another option: staying in Berkeley with a friend...
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journey2: goin, goin, back, back, to cali, cali
I can only say that because I was in LA in July 2009. That trip was certainly enjoyable and taught me a lot about California love (cue Tupac beat). That was lovely, but I definitely didn’t have the inspiration that India gave me to view travel from the perspective I do now (which is more from a cultural, how-is-it-to-actually-live-here angle).
That said, I came to Berkeley primarily to work with...
July 2010
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To the burst in new followers who caught wind of...
Flattered by your attention, but this blog will barely be updated after the end of July. It was used to document my travels in India while I was here. If I travel again during my winter/spring/summer breaks from university, I will continue to use this blog address, so you can keep me on your list if you so choose. If you want to peruse the journey that my last two months entailed, feel free.
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Value of wisdom
I told my friend that the mansion I was staying in was studded with rubies and diamonds (which wasn’t really THAT much of an exaggeration), and she responded, “Does it make you mad? Because I can see how it would make people feel that way - these jewel-encrusted homes.” And I couldn’t really say it did.
Something I’ve come to accept is that as much as one could...
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Comfort Zones
I’ve experienced some of the bottom and some of the absolute top of the wealth spectrum in India in these last two months. My first month was in a village, eating rice and lentils for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with occasional watermelon, mango, and other goodies. The first week of my second month was in a huge tourist center in the Himalayas, trekking with a cook who made me gourmet...
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Language Awkwardness
So I came to Mumbai yesterday night and my cousins speak English, so I’ve been speaking a lot of it lately, but I’ve mixed up my Hindi and English. My Hindi was miserable two months ago, and now my thoughts are in Hindi first, so speaking English, I find myself stumbling to find the right word. My English is getting worse. I’m sure it’ll get better when I’m back to...
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RIP DSC-W290
So my camera broke.
It’s been revived on numerous occasions, but it’s been unresponsive for about 5 days now, so I think I’m ready to declare that it’s done. Cause is unknown, but various pieces of evidence point to sand and dirt infiltration due to wind at the deserts in Jaisalmer. Thus, photos from a number of temples in Rajasthan, scenes in Udaipur, Jaipur and Mumbai...