A Twelve Year Milestone

It was August 23, 1994, when my Delta flight from Austria landed in JFK in New York. I was wearing a black pair of jeans with four or five $100 bills sewn into it by my mother. I was tired, homesick, and had a full bladder! As you can imagine, it was precisely 12 years ago when I used a urinal for the first time, thinking to myself, "these Americans don't care much about privacy, do they?"

It has been a great run, no urologic pun intended, and I owe a debt of gratitude to my parents and family for being a source of constant support and encouragement. I love you all.

The Windy City

This weekend, we attended the wedding ceremony for Elham and James in Chicago. A simple yet spiritual Baha'i ceremony was held at the Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette, followed by an outdoor reception in Richfield, Wisconsin. The parents of the bride were visibly missed amongst the audience. However, they sent their message of love and well wishes to the bride and the groom. We had a great time and wish this couple the best of the best for many years to come.

Augusta, Georgia, the New Gujurat!

Last week, Shahrzad and I attended the wedding ceremony of a very dear friend from medical school, Maulik. He married Manisha in her hometown of Augusta, GA. Augusta is located Southwest of South Carolina, and is a verdant spectacle of valleys and hills. In this little town in Georgia, we found ourselves in the midst of nearly 500 Indians all dressed in the traditional clothes, unhindered by the scorching sun and the humid air. It was as if a whole village had come to the parking lot of the hotel to receive Maulik, the groom. The ceremony and its rituals were also quite amazing with the ornate hallways carpeted with rose petals, the glittering crystal pillars, and the several statues of Ganesh, the god of prosperity and joy surrounded by candles. The Indian food was also very tasteful. We felt as if we were in India in a lot of ways (especially when it came to the hotel service!). We also managed to completely trash the bridal suite as payback to Maulik, who had masterminded our own bridal suite mess. Here are some pictures for your review.

The City of Lights: Las Vegas

In November of 2004, when visiting Haifa, Israel, during introductions, one of the pilgrims introduced herself and said that she was visiting from Las Vegas. This prompted our pilgrimage guide, Taraneh, to exclaim, "Great! You are visiting us from the City of Lights," or literally مدینه منوره. Along with the Saririans, we visited Las Vegas, only five hours away from Phoenix. En route to the city we passed by the Hoover Dam, one of the largest dams in the world that is built upon the Colorado River. In Vegas, we stayed at MGM Grand and visited Bellagio and the fantastic fountain show. The spectacular view of the city at nights, reminded me of why Taraneh called it the city of lights. Here are some pictures for your review:

Psychopsis papilio

This posting goes to all flower enthusiasts, especially my father, the agronomist. I was most impressed to read about different types of wild orchids recently in an article. Psychopsis papilio is a species known as the butterfly orchid. It stays in bloom for most of the year and thrives in cool and relatively dry environments. It comes in a breath-taking array of bold colors. Here is a picture you may find intriguing.