RIP, Jerry Sternin

Jerry Sternin left us last week. He was my friend, teacher, mentor, father, advisor, guidance counselor, match-maker, and most of all, a good human being. My time at Tufts would have been a lot different without Jerry and his sense of humour. Heavens, I might have taken life seriously! 

In the following weeks, months and years, there will emerge a plethora of stories about how "jerry was amazing to do this" and "Only a good soul like Jerry would have done that", and more. It's already emerging: http://discussionleader.hbsp.com/hbreditors/2008/12/jerry_sternin_an_appreciation.html All the brilliant facets of this diamond named Jerry will show themselves gradually, as was his style! On a related note, it makes me wonder that if the good people leave early, then this world is going to go to the dogs pretty soon.

I read the following at his memorial service:

Jaatasyahi Dhruvo Mrityuhu Dhruvam Janma Mritasya Cha
Tasmad Apariharyerthe Natwam Shochitum Arhasi

It's from Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita, Verse 27. 

It translates into: 

For one who has taken his birth, death is certain; and for one who is dead, birth is certain. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament.

We are awaiting your next incarnation, Jerry! 

Jerry, however, would have liked to have Lex to read this out aloud: 

“Life is not a journey to the grave with intentions of arriving safely in a pretty well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming ... WOW! What a ride!”

Now, that's more like his style! :)

Walking the path...

A relationship is all about sharing the path of life, easing each other's burden by sharing the "load" of your stories. 

I had to put this down before i forgot ;)

After all, one does not share gems like these all the time, or do I?

Then how are you this evening... Mrs. Darcy?... :)

...Are you completely, and perfectly, and incandescently happy? 

;)

Google just sent a "Googly" our way...

... and we need "Mail Goggles" to see it coming! It's not even April Fool's Day.

Obama or McCain - What is the World Opinion?

The economist conducted a worldwide poll, designed to match the system of the US Electoral College, to assess world opinion on the candidates for the President of the United States.

These are their results. There cannot be a better contrast with the opinion polls in the country. My question on November 4th: WWAD? What Would America Do?

In your honour...

Passion makes the old medicine new:

Passion lops off the bough of weariness.

Passion is the elixir that renews:

how can there be weariness

when passion is present?

Oh, don't sigh heavily from fatigue:

seek passion, seek passion, seek passion!

                                            

                                               - Rumi

My Chrome...

...is losing its shine. Too many crashes, too many interrupted sessions :(

I am going back to Firefox. Au Revoir, Chrome-osome!

A word of caution...

...is the message of this multimedia presentation from the people at Wired. It's a gallery of "retired drugs", or drugs gone bad, or simply, "did you make enough money of these medicines to salve your shredded soul?"

Disclaimer: I would add that I am not as cynical about new drug development as I come across in this post. Hey, I'm a doc, I welcome better therapeutic options over not-effective-but-it's-the-best-we-have medicines. But these examples warn against the let's-go-ahead-because-these-are-nameless-fears attitude that appears to only be driven by greed and the bottomline. Last's principle of biomedical ethics - beneficence ("doing good"), non-malfeasance (avoidance of harm), autonomy (integrity) and Justice/Equity (most to whom who needs it the most)  - do not figure in this equation.

Ah, rant ends. Back to our normal programming...

"Who let the dogs out?"

I came across this interesting blog post by Juan Carlos Lopez, the editor of Nature Medicine. 

Check out the front and back cover of the latest Nature issue, in a PDF format. 

If you don't see it as soon as you open it, zoom out to 50% and flip the page 90 degrees counter-clockwise. Do you see it? Sorry, y'all, those who do not have access to Acrobat Professional, and therefore, cannot flip pages. But despair not, I have just the solution for you - Do as I did:

1)  Stand facing the computer monitor, lining up with an imaginary line 3 inches from its right side.

2) Raise your left leg sideways till it's parallel to the floor. 

3) Bend sideways at the waist (to the right) till your "held-straight" upper body is parallel to the floor. This pose should fit you like a "T". hahaha

4) Try to keep your eyes open through the pain of cramping muscles.

Now do you see it?

The Story of the Red Icing

The story began at the last Icing Age, many eons ago. When vacating the premises, residents of an apartment in Brookline left behind a tube of Red Icing. Last week, the second Icing Age began, with the discovery of the discarded tube by our roommate Bettina. Subsequent carbon dating, and name analysis revealed that one of our ancient ancestors by the name of Betty Crocker had created this concoction. During the course of the week, Bettina decided to bake a cake for her labmates and it was suggested by a worldly soul (ahem ahem) that she use the historically important icing because, "after all, it's only sugar and some chemicals, how can it possible go bad". Other roommates opposed the stand taken by this worldly soul (ahem ahem), and eventually the idea of using the icing was discarded by the wayside. *sniff sniff*

This week was Bettina's farewell dinner, and this worldly soul (ahem ahem) decided to surprise her with a cake and sunflowers. The cake was a Trader Joe's Rasberry and Lemon cake. Trying to prove a point re: the use of icing, he used the icing to print "Auf Wiedersehen Bettina" (Goodbye, Bettina) on the top of the cake's plastic case. This way it would not put off those-among-us-who-shall-not-be-named who objected to this historic piece of Icing Age memorablia. It looked like this:

Puzzle for the Day: Unscramble "Auf Wiedersehen Bettina" from this jumble

And this breakdown pic dispalys the worldly soul (ahem ahem) 's ingenuity:

How does this story end? No one ate the icing, including worldly soul (ahem ahem)

This narrative is brought to you by the Society for the Study of the Icing Age - An Era of Sugar and Bright Colours

Genes, the ones you wear, inside...

.... i'm hoping some of my work can be a "cog" in the big picture wheel when we "gear" up to upgrade to "Personalized Medicine" from your run-of-the-mill average Joe medicine. And I have to hand it to the Prez Bush for pushing and passing  the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008  Well, it's a small step and i'm hoping to ride the wave when this storm comes ashore :)

We need more laws like this, all over the world, as the capacity for abuse is vast!

My Chrome is shinier than yours...

I am now testing out this Chrome thingy to see what the fuss is all about. Significantly faster browser load time, page load time, flash load times, even when I run it on my office computer through theVPN on my ancient home computer (as I'm doing now). Given that I am a fanatical user of the Windows Task Manager (i just like ending processes!), the browser task manager felt like a cool trick. As was the pull out tab to a new window idea. I didn't take long to move to Mozilla from IE, when Firefox was noticably better. Only Time will shine the light on this Chrome :) 

It took them 105 years to think of this?...

... and i was there this weekend, to see and hear (They have an "Engine Room" where sound clips of HD engines created through its history can be heard... some idling, some revving up... all 100% adrenaline, Amazing!).
G, my housemate of old, got hitched to D in Milwaukee this weekend - the land of cheese, beer, bratwurst and Liberace! We stayed at the Hilton Milwaukee River, on the banks of ... you guessed it.. the Milwaukee river, and our room overlooked the flowing green waters... yes, green!... Milwaukee is only 90 miles north of Chicago, but we decided to stay in WI for this trip. S and I had an afternoon to kill outside the wedding festivities, and we headed to the HD Museum for some V Twin cam fun! Both S & I did not take our cameras, but S got some good shots on his phone camera, especially one of me sitting on a HD moped (yes, moped... and that is a priceless shot!).
The wedding went well and both bride and the groom are doing well :)
Back to work we go...
Oh, and i'm buying this sometime... embedded below:

And this takes me back many many years...

...

When in China...

... do as Google does?

Check out this useful map of Medal winners in the 2008 Olympics...

Bris without the K

I was one of the non-invitee in A&S's son's brit milah this morning (it is a tradition to not "officially" invite guests to the Bris, so as to not risk offending the prophet Elijah who, I am told, is present at every Bris). There were prayers, speeches, explanations, the actual bris, and food. In the middle of the morning, I l'chaim-ed the mom and dad, the elder sister and the newborn, and all of their family with Laphroaig and Sherry! :) Needless to say, the day is going verrry slooowly :)

Crime and Punishment - the Boston Franchise...

...much more from the Boston boonies...

---Initial parts of this post were composed three weeks ago. Adjust chronological descriptions accordingly!---

Health, or the lack thereof
My last week was spent in bed, the days punctuated by bouts of high fever, shivering and cough, and the nights filled with more coughing! As a rule, I am loath to take anything more than supportive therapy, because most of these nagging illnesses are viral and subside by themselves; unless they are of bacterial origin, and I know that I will not be able to function at more than a sorta-vegetative state without antibiotics. well, I was at that point and it took three different antibiotics and 10 days to subdue this relatively "simple" upper respiratory tract infection. No more rales and rhonchi, S!
I wonder how others in this country would fare? my limited observations (friends as patients, mainly!) has led me to believe that there is an over dependence on the medical system when you have insurance, and an under utilization when you do not. I want to be out there in the field, providing free health care, using my god-given knowledge and skills (as they mentioned in med school - "god only knows how he finished medical school" :) ) . But I am unable to do as I please, for a variety of reasons - economic, residency, immigration. "Patience, patients, patience", I tell myself! :) Massachusetts has a mandatory health insurance requirements for all its residents, but the expected increases in health care coverage among those whom the plan was intended for - the low income group - has been minor. Still, it's early days yet!

Who let the dogs in?
Someone broke into our apartment this week. Nothing that was stolen was irreplaceable, but it made me seriously think of a guard dog, heck any dog! I also had a unique experience of watching a poor man's CSI detective at work (a.k.a real life detective) - charcoal fingerprint kit, underfunded, understaffed, and no, the DNA analysis is not available at the touch of a button. Detective MM, was polite, courteous, and full of suggestions on making the house and electronics (which items were stolen) safe. Quite a contrast to the traditional stereotype of a Boston Police Officer, but then, we live in Brookline (the Genteel Suburb), and the Brookline PD is known for its politeness!

Fame?
In recent news, my quote was featured in the Boston magazine article on a Cambridge churches tour. One of my friends, L, asked me to join her on a "Cambridge Churches as Agents of Change" tour, and I got asked for my opinion of the tour. Me being me, I had to sound deep and knowledgeable, and all-knowing, and ended up sounding pretty pretentious in the article. That will teach me!

Heading down to NYC this weekend, to catch up with the Maitra and Lo (behold! - sorry, could not resist)! Given my string of luck (My numerology number is 4), I probably risk getting mugged, or be a part of a finding-a-bag-full-of-money-and-then-get-chased-by-the-FBI-and-the-Mafia adventure!
Bring it on!

Jerry turns 70

I have come to the conclusion that I am a closet superhero, so closeted that it hasn't even dawned on me that I can leap tall buildings in one bound ("it's called an elevator, dumbass!")!! To put it simply, i have a superhero inside of me, struggling to come out. My roommates, looking at my ever increasing "size", have affectionately titled the superhero, "The Incredible Bulk".
One of my good friends and mentors, Jerry (one half of the Monique and Jerry fame) turned 70 over the weekend. Monique planned and organized a whole bunch of surprises for him, all cloaked within the seemingly simple dinner that was held to celebrate the occasion. Friends flew in from Amman (Jordan), drove in from Philly, took the train from Brookline, etc; friends from his childhood days, his Peace Corps days, his Save the Children days, and also his current PD days came together under one roof to celebrate 'The Jerry'. Songs were sung, Jerry Jeopardy was organized, poems (full of jerry-esque bad puns) were composed and recited, Jerry stories were recounted, and Sam and Bob canoed into the lake and floated 70 candles in his honour. Bob, Monique and I put together a "Life of Jerry Sternin" movie, based on photographs from all stages of his life, childhood to present. We called it "Ghost of Jerry Past, Jerry Present, and Jerry Future..." And I squeezed all this in during Lo's visit (a lovely weekend which will be told through partly through the 600 pictures she took during her Northeast trip...Hmmm...) And also sneaked in some some data analysis. My point exactly. Superhero. Bulk.

As seen on a T short in NOLA

"Make levees, Not War"

Upcoming attraction...

...a bomb of a time in the French Quarter
...What Would Dee Do...
1) ...if faced with an Alligator?
2) ...when listening to Ellis Marsalis?
3) ...on Bourbon street, with a hurricane in hand?
4) ...when propositioned?

read all about it...soon!

Natalie Merchant

Symphony Hall reverberated with the sound of Natalie Merchant last Wednesday. Wow! It sounded like they were meant to be together. The sentiment is echoed

And what a Saturday - Roslindale to Somerville to Cambridge to Somerville to Brookline to Concord to Roslindale to Brookline to Concord and finally, back to Roslindale. It involved a dog, lifting furniture, a house, scrumptious pasta a new desktop and good friends.

And I'm now in the lab on a Sunday, attempting to work through the night. I've never pipetted through the night, so if they find my hand in rigor mortis, it will not have been in vain. If I make a breakthrough, shall I run through the streets sans vestments, loudly proclaiming Eurek-ous discovery, or shall I allow myself a 13-hour nap session? Decisions, Decisions!

May fair

The conversation got around to Thomas Stearns Eliot ( a.k.a T S Eliot), and it was agreed that we had to read his poetry, at least to proclaim, "I might die on my way home, but I can now say that I have read T S Eliot".
Anywhoo, from his Four Quartets - Dry Salvages

"It seems, as one becomes older,
That the past has another pattern, and ceases to be a mere sequence—
Or even development: the latter a partial fallacy
Encouraged by superficial notions of evolution,
Which becomes, in the popular mind, a means of disowning the past."

My only comment:

"Dude's kicking Darwin in the 'nads!"

Dicuss.

Other May update:
I spent the last weekend with Jim and Louise in VT. There was much canoeing (a.k.a sitting in the canoe while Hope and Jim paddled!), wood stacking (sprained wrist and all), shrub planting (Hope, the Ag Extension expert, and me, the health extension expert combined to do a fairly good job - things go all right if no one listens to me), brunch by the brook, and of course, Jana Gana Mana on the piano (a visit to Jim without the Indian national anthem being played on the piano is like a visit that never happened at all!). It took me 6 hours to get there, what with a connecting bus not turning up, and the replacement bus dying on us after only 20 minutes! the weekend was well worth the pain. Good times.

Krish, I owe you a call. wait for it... :)

Woohoo, new roommates time. We have one position locked in, another which seems likely to be settled in two weeks. If you want to hang with the coolest, you know whom to call.

so,i think i broke my wrist...

Glory Road tells the story of Don Haskins who led Texas Western University to the NCAA national basketball championship in 1966 (college basketball is really popular out here). the uniqueness of the feat was not only that he turned an unknown team into a national champion, and that he took on Adolf Rupp, arguably the best college coach in history, but he did all this with the first all-black starting line-up (there was no looking back after that!).
where was i? right, well, in the movie, the coach tells the players not to "showboat" but play disciplined defensive basketball. And they do not start winning until the players start to play their game (a.k.a showboating). proof that showboating works. i decided to prove the hypothesis by applying it another sport. like bicycle riding. so on my way home from a lovely afternoon bike ride with J and S, i selected a parking lot between Pearl Street and 9 West, identified the section of the raised sidewalk (pavement, if you will) that looked amenable to accepting me, and my bike, when i jumped up onto it from the road, and off i went..
pumping hard, i raced to the sidewalk... at this point i have to take issue with manufacturers of all terrain bikes.. they ought to write out a disclaimer that rusty bicyclists ought not to showboat with these on Brookline sidewalks... i hit the sidewalk and was hoping that my earlier momentum (mass X velocity - i have a ton of that!) should take me over the top, what with me on a mountain bike and all!
well,what do they say about the irresistible force meeting an immovable object? i'm pretty irresistable, but in this meeting, the immovable sidewalk won. i was brought up short rather rapidly, the back of the bike lifted up and were it not for my infinite body weight, it might have turned over. that has its uses after all. anyways, my first thought was a radial styloid fracture, but i have now downgraded myself to a tendon tear... pipetting will be a b**ch tomorrow.
*sigh* "That's another fine mess I've got me into!"

Update: X ray showed no fracture or dislocation. I now have a wrist splint, and I "embrace" this handicap. hahaha...
I have also been advised to stay away from showboating.

what's happening in Boston?

Has anyone caught the 'Beatles' movie, "Across the Universe"? Chetan's endless replay of Strawberry fields and other random Beatles (henceforth called "B") songs - not to mention his B quizzing - seems to have gained root somewhere in me, because i loved the movie. okay, it was somewhat formulaic, but hey, it's all about the B. How about the B trivia ingrained in the movie - the rooftop concert, the characters named after B songs, "She Came in through the Bathroom Window", the green apple from the Apple Records logo; All of this speaks of true fandom, or as I came to realize when I was present in the Crowded House, Chetan's obsession. On par with Jethro Tull, but that is a post for another day.
On the work front, i am keeping busy. Talk at a lab meeting turned to Harvard, and Irv, who is a HMS graduate from way back in the day, mused aloud, "You can always tell a Harvard man, but you can't tell him anything" :). Word.
Last week was Adi's 6th birthday. A "Mad Scientist" performance was the highlight of the party - i missed most of it, so i cannot verify the popularity of said Mad Scientist performance, but if cotton candy making was any indication, it was a hit!
On a similar celebratory note, appy birdy day, alo.
On the culinary front, I have been active. Of course, one does not by Vee's yardstick, measure performance or quality, as sadly lacking, i will be. But I can say that I carried a whole meal from appetizers (masala dosa with coconut chutney) to entrees (peas pulav, chole, aloo paratha) to desserts (semiya payasam), all in one evening, for my whole lab. I have rediscovered my alter ego, Super Cooker, and I bring him out when there's is trouble in food land.
What else's hanging in Brookline village? the roommate situation is a bit ambiguous right now, and a flux capacitor is required to fill in room vacancies. if you or someone you know wants have a great time in Boston with wonderful roommates, you know who to call.
Spring is in the air, my bike is out of storage... off to Fenway I bike...

Haiii Kuuuuu

in sorrow we live
a joy that is a friend
makes it worthwhile

It's been a trying few weeks, on many fronts. A one line update - I am now officially a postdoctoral fellow at the nutrition and neurocognition lab at the HNRCA (home to previous rat experiences!). i carry a burden of responsibility that i have created for myself. My mentor Irv is all about stream of consciousness, and inquisitive learning, and i seem to be failing at that. I haven't lived up to my expectations on some fronts, but I am lucky to be surrounded by like-minded people, who have been supportive and encouraging in spite of my stumbling and mumbling efforts ("ya, you are hard on yourself, ya?" - Marge Gundersen). But in the timeless words of Gloria Gaynor, "I Will Survive".
enough about me; what's happening in your neck of the woods?

"I'm re-entering the blogsphere; Please don't fire that precision missile at me...."

Thanks to Gube for an easy re-entry into the blog planet!

Read on:

Ask these questions aloud, set your iPod on shuffle, and record the answers + any comments.

Will I get far in life?
Song: Absolutely Everybody
Artist: Vanessa Amorosi
Comment: So, is it: "Absolutely, Everybody will help me" or "Absolutely Everybody will be trampled by my ascent to greatness"? :)

How do my friends see me?
Song: Making Love out of Nothing at all
Artist: Air Supply
Comment: *sigh* If only it were true

Where will I get married?
Song: Leaving on a Jet Plane
Artist: Chantal Kreviazuk
Comment: Would that be before (Fore, "Runway" Bridegroom!) or after?

What is my best friend's theme song?
Song: Have I Told you Lately
Artist: Rod Stewart
Comment: Only if I sing seconds :)

What is the story of my life?
Song: Break on Through (to the Other Side)
Artist: The Doors
Comment: After breaking on through, why do i get lost again?

What is/was high school like?
Song: When the Smoke is Going Down
Artist: Scorpions
Comment: hangin' with cool pals, jammin' after 3.30 PM in the classroom, sports, some amount of study

How can I get ahead in life?
Song: Fortunate Son
Artist: Creedence Clearwater Revival
Comment: If I was born with a silver spoon...

What is the best thing about me?
Song: Lightning Crashes
Artist: Live
Comment: I am an organ donor

How is today going to be?
Song: Antartica
Artist: Corinne Allal
Comment: It is freezing here, snow on the ground!

What is in store for this weekend?
Song: Bring Me Back to Life
Artist: Evanesence
Comment: A matinee, hanging out with good friends, data analysis... ah, the ideal mix

What song describes my parents?
Song: Something Stupid
Artist: Nicole Kidman and Robbie Willliams
Comment: I think Stupid refers to the son :)

...my grandparents?
Song: Breathe
Artist: Faith Hill
Comment: When they saw me, did they stop... breathing?

How is my life going?
Song: Violin Concerto 1
Artist: Bela Bartok
Comment: A mix of strings, piano, and Magyar folk

What song will they play at my funeral?
Song: Ironic
Artist: Alanis Morisette
Comment: Truly so!

How does the world see me?
Song: Pieces of Me
Artist: Ashley Simpson
Comment: Only pieces, not the whole me...

Will I have a happy life?
Song: The Fish Cheer & I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag
Artist: Country Joe McDonald
Comment: It looks like I will die in Vietnam

What do my friends really think of me?
Song: You Had Bad Day
Artist: Daniel Powter
Comment: Sometimes...

Do people secretly lust after me?
Song: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking for...
Artist: U2
Comment: Still looking...

How can I make myself happy?
Song: The Temptation of Adam
Artist: Josh Ritter
Comment: Apples?

What should I do with my life?
Song: Zombie
Artist: Cranberries
Comment: Die and then come back to life?

Will I ever have children?
Song: I had a Dream
Artist: John B Sebastian
Comment: okay.

What is some good advice?
Song: Piano Sonata No. 11 (Rondo Alla Turca)
Artist: W A Mozart
Comment: What is ole Wolfgang trying to say? I should march to Turkey

What is my signature dancing song?
Song: She's Got the Look
Artist: Roxette
Comment: yeah, right

What do I think my current theme song is?
Song: Strong Enough
Artist: Dixie Chicks
Comment: Uh?

What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
Song: Nights on White Satin
Artist: Moody Blues
Comment: Refer previous questions!

What do I really want from life?
Song: Only When I sleep
Artist: The Corrs
Comment: If only someone understood me...

What should I do to help others?
Song: Shine on you Crazy Diamond
Artist: Pink Floyd
Comment: Get your Shine on!

What should I do to help myself?
Song: Take my Breath Away
Artist: Berlin
Comment: Why is it all about breathing, dying, living

What should I do to succeed in life?
Song: My Sacrifice
Artist: Creed
Comment: There we go again with sacrificing, which could possibly mean death

What is my one most important goal in life?
Song: The Show Must Go On
Artist: Pink Floyd
Comment: you got that right, maan!

What do I get the most pleasure from?
Song: Brain Damage
Artist: Pink Floyd
Comment: Hahahahahaha... as some others may retort, if only you had a brain that could be damaged...