Tara went for her second real hike today. Thanks to a close friend who recommended us some kid friendly hikes, we enjoyed the Edgewood Park trail in Redwood City, last Sunday and the Zinfandel trail in Picchetti Open Space Reserve in Cupertino, today. I love hikes. Especially in Spring when the wild flowers begin to bloom and the air is crisp enough to cool off the sweat.

We had a wonderful time on the trail today. As Tara got tired, we had to keep up the momentum with the stories of Dinosaurs and the earth and Big Bang Theory and other random stuff. But she was such a super trooper. I gave her little knees and legs a good warm massage before she went to bed. My mommy heart was all mush mush watching her charge ahead on the trail, with little fear of heights and the rocky terrain. My little leader. May God bless her the strength and tenacity to always lead the way.

I was in NY last week. It is very hard for me to be in NY. It’s like that ex you never want to run into again. Haha not that I know how that really feels. But you get the point. Everything about NY annoys me. The only thing I like when I am there is walking on its crazy streets at night. Back in the day, a good date night was – a nice meal, in a new neighborhood, followed by a good walk. Agam and I enjoyed our hay days in NY, taking those walks 🙂 Actually a good walk still counts towards a good date. Just like the one we took today.

NY is just not my kind of city, anymore. It overwhelms me. It is cold – literally, and figuratively. It is also very monochromatic.

I don’t quite relate to the person I was when I lived in NY. I was very naive, and young. And even though I am still quite naive in some ways, I feel so much younger now than I did when I lived there. The city was always grinding me down with its pace, and pressure. And I was never able to “enjoy” it as much. I was a misfit. As an example, I liked subways because of the people I could meet there, but the people in those subways did not like other people. There were a lot of contradictions all around me. And I don’t do so well in such environments. It was always very confusing to me why people were rushing all the time? Why couldn’t they just slow down a little. NY and Mumbai evoke the same feeling in me – rush, chaos, and little value for the human connection. As opposed to sunny California that is – home, warm, laid back, and close knit.

While in NY I didn’t meet anyone outside of work. I did not even call my family or friends. There was no time at all. Work and work related activities consumed me from 7am EST to midnight and even later. Between jet lag, west coast meetings, and an overall hectic week, my plate was full. But the highlight of the week was the awesome time I spent with my team. It was rewarding, and gratifying. And also re-assuring.

In other news, I’ve finished Convenience Store Woman, by Sayaka Murata. I am glad I read it. It is a good topic to write about. But it left me wanting more. I expect more from a Japanese author. .

We are heading to Pacific Grove next weekend for a little break. It’s been a wild quarter, and we deserve some rest. I have some spring ramblings brewing on the back of the mind. Need to take some time to pen them down. May be they need a whiff of the ocean to materialize. I cannot wait to meet the waves 🙂