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- Student at University of Southern CaliforniaResearch | Greater Los Angeles Area, USSummary
I am a fourth-year Undergraduate student at the University of Southern California, pursuing my Bachelor's of Arts in Neuroscience.
I love to give back to communities as well as engage and help form them. I hope to join the education sector, using my science skills and knowledge to help improve the system, especially in relation to mental health and learning disorders.
Experience- Sept 2012 - PresentReading Mentor / USC Joint Educational Project
I mentor a bilingual third grade student every week for two hours in reading. The teacher and I determine how she is progressing in her reading and decide on appropriate reading materials accordingly.
- Sept 2012 - Jan 2013Social Media and Product Development Intern / ProDev Series-Project SuitUp
Founded in 2012, ProDev Series-Project SuitUp contributes to the professional development of high school students and young adults. We aim to provide our students with a complement to their academic successes by educating them on professional etiquette, and help them prepare for their professional lives. Students attend workshops and seminars that cover a variety of topics, from Networking to Public Speaking, and collaborate with professionals and other students. We host a variety of community events and invite guest speakers to share their experiences and serve as mentors for our students. We thank our partners, Dress for Success and Revolution Prep that provide our students with additional resources catered to both professional and academic development.
- May 2011 - Sept 2012Research Student / Harvard Medical School @ Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
I worked in the Neurology laboratory of Volney Sheen, studying Periventricular Heterotopia, a neuronal migration disorder. We particularly focused on the relationship between the BIG2 and FLNA genes. Using a embryonic mouse model, electroporation, and cryostat sectioning, we built a workable theory for the molecular mechanism of these two proteins' interaction. (2011)
This year, I have helped Dr. Sheen and Dr. Alcy Torres at Children's Hospital Boston to compile and create clinical case reports of their most groundbreaking cases. I am continuously submitting these reports for publishing after careful editing and consultation with these doctors.
- Sept 2010 - May 2012DESI Project (Defining and Enriching South Asian Issues) Coordinator / USC Asian Pacific American Student Services
DESI stands for Defining and Enriching South Asian Issues. I planned and executed events that engage the South Asian perspective on campus in order to educate about various social issues to enact change.
- Sept 2008 - Sept 2009MetroWest Blogger / The Medical Foundation: 84 Project
I wrote an article every week, chronicling my life as a non-smoking teenager growing up in Massachusetts. These blogs outlined a healthy teenage lifestyle and were about a range of topics from the Oscars, to life's philosophy, to how I spent my Mother's Day. They were part of an initiative to promote healthy decision making in Massachusetts' teenagers especially related to smoking.
Education-
2009 - 2013University of Southern CaliforniaBA in Neuroscience
Activities: Drishti Indian Classical Dance Team, Hindu Student Organization, Asian Pacific American Student Assembly, Student Coalition for Asian Pacific Empowerment, South Asians for Justice Los Angeles, DISHOOM!: Desis Instigating Social and Historical Outreach and Opportunities en Masse!, South Asian Rural Student Aid, Indian Fine Arts @ USC, National Residence Hall Honorary -
2006 - 2010Burlington High School, Burlington, MAHigh School Diploma
Activities: BHS Amnesty International, Co-Founder/President
Additional Information-
Honors:Institute on Neuroscience Scholar, 2009
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Interests:Neuroscience, Social Issues and Social Change, Leadership and Social Development, Education
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Posts
- Nov 24, 12An ode to home, real November, and the friends who don't need to know everything to know what I want and need:
I miss it. I miss being more than these polite souls, who say hello in public, and are like sisters in shadows.
I miss being in the cold air, crisp, with my voice puffing out laughs with the last of my breath in the freezing winter's night, running like our youth, our time together, out like a match.
I miss the house I had lived in for fifteen "carefree" years, unaware of its fleeting glory, it's ineffable beauty of simplicity.
I want nothing more than one more night on your moth-eaten, lumpy, comfy old sofa. With old movies and new, echoes of our childhood and our future playing alongside the soundtracks.
I need one more silly spontaneous dessert date, if only to reaffirm that you will never waver, and will always be there. Even if you change your clothes, or your style, you'll be my homes.
I wish for one day more: to make a change. To take a chance. To show the ghosts of my past that fear only holds you back.
I miss those sunny days, early in the season, full of possibility. Sweaty with determination: this summer would be one to remember.
I long for one last jaunt in the city: new friends and old. The city that I have simultaneously always known yet still discover anew every year.
I demand clarity: this quality that my life here lacks. My future is as foggy as the bay, that I am not entirely sure I want to adopt.
I require a roof, some food, some purpose. Actually, just the purpose. I can be hungry and homeless so long as I am fulfilled! But can I? The constant doubts of the lengths I will go astonish even me.
No, I require stability. Independence. And a little side order of purpose. Happy?Sigh. Happy Diwali! Though this post was all grumpsicles, I am actually quite happy about the holiday. Seeing my family in the Bay (& I mean, pretty much the WHOLE family) totally will tide me over until Christmas, but that doesn't stop me missing my homegirls & New England.
Adieu! -Maithreyi
NaNoWriMo: 1700? Ideas, not words :/Late night Dominos: iii - Nov 09, 12Some of my updates on life, thoughts about the election, and all the neverending connections I keep making that exhaust, exhilarate, and motivate me:So, I haven't blogged since 9/11, not because of a shortage of topics to blog about, but more because I was ill-equipped to deal with my life, and was thrust into multiple situations and confrontations and leadership scenarios that I had hardly anticipated. Within the months of September and October, I reframed and redefined my priorities in life as well as for this year, and my current involvement reflects those shifts.Here's a quick list of the things I have done in September & October:
- recruited 8 new dancers for USC Drishti
- practiced every week until near the end of October for different performances
- performed at APASA Nightmarket
- done henna design work for 7 people
- worked faithfully for a social venture that I am really excited to be a part of
- networked with every guest lecturer in my NASA/Mars Exploration class
- given a guest-lecture as part of a South Asian American High School Youth Leadership Seminar
- volunteered at the South Asian Network 22nd Gala
- phonebanked for Prop 30 in California
- voted in the presidential election (in Massachusetts via absentee ballot)
- canvassed in Artesia for Project DesiVote!
- helped run API Undocumented Scholarship Fundraiser: Power and Love
- supported my friends in their endeavors
- had fun with my DC Crew in Los Angeles on multiple occasions
- made multiple new friends in many new friend circles; gotten ten times closer with some people I am blessed to have in my life
- gotten multiple professional and personal critiques that I am taking in stride; life is about improvement and moving forward, not looking back.
- was an ironic hipster for Halloween
- volunteered at Weemes Elementary for seven consecutive weeks to read with Jasmin
- went to multiple graduate school, fellowship, and job information sessions
- talked to multiple advisors and mentors and people I look up to regarding my career path: consensus? I'm gonna be okay.
All throughout these months though, I just keep on feeling blessed. I feel like I am pushing myself to my limits mentally and physically, but at the end of the day, I matter to my community. I feel like that feeling is new in some ways: I am not so sure I would have felt that integral last year. And in some ways, I still feel insignificant, and like the whole world would be better off without me. But I am learning to accept that I cannot matter to everyone, and that the people who matter to me should be the only ones I truly care about--but I also need to still make that push for community, and being a voice for the voiceless. It's a tough balance.October was really hard on me: academically, personally, professionally. In some ways, I feel like November hit the reset button for me. In the wise words of All Time Low, maybe it's not my weekend, but this is definitely going to be my year. I feel like hitting everything with a big heavy slab of positivity is something I need to be mindful of.Through meeting politically radical and leftist people, instead of the typical "screw the world" attitude, I instead have this Hero Complex. I have this need to fix things that cannot be quenched. Oh this system is in trouble? I'LL FIX IT. Oh, the nation is in shambles? I have your policy plan right here! I know I have this uncontainable energy, but I desperately need something to funnel it into, whether that be science education reform or special education reform or just overall education policy shifts. I need to focus in on SOMETHING or else, I am very much in danger of not achieving much of anything.But then, when I start to narrow my scope in life, I have this moment where I realize that I am twenty-years-old. Anyone I have met or admired was still in school at the age of 20. Or doing stupid things at the age of 20. Or still growing up, or figuring out their wants, needs, priorities at the age of 20. I have an edge on them in that I am done with my academic requirements, as such, but just because I will have graduated does not mean that I will be magically transformed into a self-realized 22-year-old. I am twenty, like it or not-- and I need to grow up on my own terms.So I am finally becoming open-minded about this whole job thing. I realize that the skills I need come from multiple disciplines, and I could very well work in any sector, if I wished. I love media: realizing that now, I feel so dismayed I didn't just go for broadcast journalism whilst I had the chance. I love the idea of teaching, and every week I fall more in love with children and especially young kids with bright futures. I feel like the world is at my fingertips, so much possibility, that the pressure of that crushes me. Thank god for my family, friends, and mentors. These people keep me grounded. Let me know that I will not be without aid throughout this, and also make sure that I do not grind myself too hard throughout this stressful ordeal.And so, while the elections turned out somewhat positively, with all sorts of women taking up power, and the first Hindu-American WOMAN in office anywhere, I offer this video: Barack Obama thanking his organizers. Such a full circle moment for him, and such a moving thing for me to watch. I can identify with 25-year-old idealistic Barack, and I think that being able to not only talk with but also feel connected to one's leader is so important in good governance. I am proud that he is my president regardless of some of his policies because I know that his path there was hard won. Having read "Dreams From My Father" last December, I know his history, and he had been just as lost, if not more lost than me at twenty-years-old. Hearing those narratives humbles me. Obama's right in this video: we are better, but we are better because we can follow his lead. We can follow the lead of other young entrepreneurs, other young movers and shakers. This world is all about solidarity, if you know where to look.And with that, I bid you adieu! Til the morrow.xoxo,MaithreyiNaNoWriMo: 1600 ish?late night dominos: iii :( - Oct 03, 12
I say this yearly now, but my heart can't take it. Every year people honor the victims and heroes of NYC, and while I agree wholeheartedly with that sentiment, it ignores an aching sore in the American hear-- what about Balbir Singh Sodhi, an elderly Sikh-American racially targeted the next days after 9/11? What about the thousands of hate crimes and racially charged incidents all over the United States, United Kingdom, and the world over? What about the communalism and divisiveness that has only grown more pointed since 9/11?
Last year was the 10th anniversary. One decade. The mayor Antonio Villaraigosa came to USC to make a speech. There were initiatives made, promises whispered, the resounding response seemed like it had a reasonable chance for success. One year later, and we have already grown complacent. We have barely integrated our new charges into those established initiatives. We have barely brought up this national tragedy, relegating it to a generic Facebook post or Twitter update. To millions of Sikh, Hindu, and Muslim Americans, it's their well being and life on the line. Do not forget. Do not forget how much you hated them, assumed of them, attributed to "their people". Their people are your people.
It is remarkable that this community feeds of tragedy. Oak Creek, however mutinous and scary, was a call to action and arms. A reminder that we are not yet safe, but the power to be lies with us.
All my love to the victims of all these tragedies, hate crimes, racial slurs, and general ill-feeling.
For more information: http://saalt.org/
Xoxo,
Maithreyi
Update: 11pm PST
So today, I went downtown, phoneless (it had died at my office). I had my iPad so I knew I could text anyone with an apple product or facebook account, so I thought I'd be fine. It's down the street, I said to myself.
So very wrong.
I made my way down the Expo, board in hand for the short ride down Wilshire.
Then MY WORLD GOT ROCKED. In the very worst way.
I was walking and boarding towards an onslaught on police cars and helicopters. Every red flag in my brain said not to keep walking, but I also knew I had no means to call for help. I finally got to my destination, one block from the scene of the gunfire. Shaking, crying, pounding the door down until someone answered. Thankfully, Nate from APALC did! I regrouped and joined the timely discussion hosted by API-Equality LA at their general coalition meeting about ELEVEN years & 9/11.
Here's an article detailing the incident: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/09/multiple-shots-fired-at-end-of-police-pursuit-authorities-say.html
If this isnt a wake-up call, I don't know what is.
Xoxo, love to DTLA! I'll be back for you tomorrow!
Maithreyi - Sep 10, 12I have decided to post my blogs about my family vacation to Florida from 8/15 to 8/20.
Here's the fifth one, August 18th: Our day at the Lakeridge Winery!
(These are directly transcribed from my written diary on my iPad.)
"We're went to Lakeridge Winery for their annual Grapestomp to listen to local music, and STOMP some grapes! We took some pictures, stomped some grapes (my mother and I tried employing bharatanatyam skills to no avail.) Then Aditya and I drank homemade Godiva dark chocolate raspberry chocolixers with relish fries on the side. Surprisingly good! We then ate a picnic lunch of Indian food my mother packed from our full kitchen in our suite amidst ants and giant dragonflies. I got my face painted solely for the opportunity to enter the bouncy castle with little children. :) Then we ate more chocolate and drank shots of limoncello, waiting for the tour to begin. Doug our tour guide was hilarious. We all drank a few more samples, and I bought some presents for the 21-year-old roommate. Then we went to Downtown Disney :)"
Xoxo,
Maithreyi - Oct 09, 12Arrived in LA :) #nofilterFirst day back, roomz wanted to match haha :)Some light reading on cultural identities and developing world. :)First cooked meal :) waffled pita!!Me and Nathaniel :)) yay! HahaNASA JPL. :) so inspirational! Yes, 16th grade still has field trips!Dance practice with Lex :)First USC friend :)Moving cups so we can go on to more important WATERMELON EATING :)Busless dtla walk & random VMA sighting!Angel's flight :)Rode it and was instantly taken back to last year and discovering Los Angeles.Doin work. Little Tokyo. Demitasse. Kyoto after dark.Thank you, USC and Los Angeles. Been lovin being home again :)Xoxo,Maithreyi
- Sep 01, 12I have decided to post my blogs about my family vacation to Florida from 8/15 to 8/20.
Here's the second one, August 17th: our day at NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral!
(These are directly transcribed from my written diary on my iPad.)
At this NASA Center, we first took a lot of pictures, then we checked out the Early Space Exploration exhibit, waiting for the lunch with the astronaut Charlie Walker. He presented about "food in space"while we ate fried ravioli, salad, TANG, and apple pie. Then, I asked a question during the Q&A. We proceeded to take pictures with Charlie Walker and then watched the old IMAX movie about the International Space Center. We continued to check out some of the NASA art before the shuttle and simulator. (I went, the 3 wimps didn't!) Then I went to the Space Store to wait for the Charlie Walker signing, buying some reasonably priced souvenirs for me and Adi. I went to the Hubble 3D at a later showing than my family, and had a nice chat with my lovely roommate while waiting in line. Hubble 3D was awe-inspiring! I snuck some pictures :) Then after a quick picture with the Space Shuttle Inspiration we returned on the road to Orlando.
NASA is so inspirational because they are a program that never gets the funding they need, always is on the cutting edge of the world/universe, and are doing the inspirational work of still always finding somewhere else to wander--always discovering new lands, new times. I would love to be involved with them some time in the future, and through my TO class I get an exposure I would not otherwise!
Here are some pictures from that trip:xoxo,maithreyi - Aug 30, 12I have decided to post my blogs about my family vacation to Florida from 8/15 to 8/20.
Here's the second one, August 16th: our day at Universal Islands of Adventure! (These are directly transcribed from my written diary on my iPad.)
After eating at Mythos, we went to Seussland and reveled in the reckless childishness of the carousel and the Dumbo equivalent One Fish, Two Fish ride! Then came the "Cat in the Hat"! It was a turning stoner's paradise complete with rhyming narration. Even so, my brother Aditya and I bought matching Thing 1 & 2 accessories, like a real family.
Then we went to Marvel @ Marvel comics and chill on our way to Toon Town, where we got mom's phone charged as Adi and I sat for a caricature.It started thunderstorming then, so I charged my phone, sitting like a homeless person in order to go to the "scary" 3D Spiderman ride. It was such a great ride with a balance of emotions. They strap you into a moving car that has 3D images all around you. Very interesting.Then the family went to Jurassic Park, and Appa and I went on the raft ride together and got soaked! We sat next to a former Sumo wrestler who caused the belt to not fasten and had my father worried the entire time. It was a nearly vertical drop. I'm happy to be alive! Then we went to Discovery Center just before returning to WWHOP so Appa could try Hog's Head Ale (and I could have another round of butterbeer). We had some Chakli fun with a drunk Appa, then I went back on the Hippogriff ride twice: once by myself and once with my mother.Just as the park became bathed in a yellow glow, eating a chocolate frog, staring at fake snow--it's amazing where stories come alive. For me, Harry Potter never felt more real than in that spirit of activity and energy whilst entering the park and taking it in. It's almost electric.Then the ones that opened the park at 8:45 am decided to leave at 8:52pm! Such a great day.xoxo,Maithreyi - Aug 25, 12So, first there was Aurora. A small mountain town in the middle of Colorado. 12 people dead. The killer apprehended and under trial. A Phd student in Neuroscience who secured a National Institutes of Health grant-- a very prestigious opportunity. A lonely man, distraught about being alone in an isolating environment, heralded by the media as a " poor boy who lost his way". There is much more to this story than simply a boy who lost his way back to sanity and reality. The truth of the matter is that we track all Arab-Americans and South Asians in this country due to a xenophobic fear, but we cease to regulate those who seem harmless: i.e. white males. Our inability to seek them out as a threat, married with their penchant for feeling privilege and ownership over public spaces causes an epidemic of sad white male trigger-happy enemies. In Aurora, his personal become most political. The theatrics of his modes operandi only further isolated this incident. People began to think: well, the movie theater may not be safe, but my public gardens and squares, my religious temples, my home-- those are. Then came Oak Creek.In Oak Creek, Wisconsin, on a blazing summer afternoon, 7 Sikhs were shot and killed by a US veteran soldier who mistook them for Al Quaeda type Arabs. Sikh Americans have been part of the fabric of this country since its birth--they tilled the earth of the south and married with Mexican Americans due to their abilities to pass. They were the first South Asians on the continent. The Sikh faith is very peaceful and built upon peace and oneness with God. They express that through songs called kirtan and on their Sunday service, like every day at a Sikh gurdwara, one is fed, cared for, and prayed alongside. These older Sikh Americans were the leaders of this gurdwara. Even in their last moments, they were committed to serving their fellow men. When the police finally came on the scene, Sikhs made cha (herbed and spiced tea) for them to ease the stress of the situation. These misunderstandings have become second nature for these Sikh Americans. Many stopped wearing their traditional sardar pagh (turban) for fear, convenience, and just simply trying to keep a low-profile in a post-9/11 America.After Oak Creek, the fallout was imminent. Muslim Americans' masjids (mosques or houses of worship) were ransacked, graffitied or set on fire. Sikh-Americans were yet again made to defend themselves. The South Asian community all across the US had to band together for fear of what would and could happen next. We are still conducting action, but going into this eleventh year post-9/11, it'd be nice to not be going it alone. Yes, the Japanese Americans show solidarity, but for once I'd love seeing Chinese Americans rallying with us to end these hate crimes and prejudice. I'd love seeing all parts of the Asian American experience support us South Asians because sometimes we really feel like the "forever alone" meme--not American yet not accepted entirely amongst the Asian American political framework either.This shooting stayed pretty quiet in the press, and I have a few theories as to why. Our dear Paul Ryan, economist guru, is actually the representative of the Oak Creek district. And he also is the sole person to receive a 0% rating by the Human Rights Watch for his positions on nearly all LGBT issues (he is of the ridiculous opinion that gay couples not only cannot marry, but also cannot parent children. He wants any children currently adopted with gay parents to be reintroduced to the foster care system.) He also, for whatever reason, voted NO on the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. And remind me, WHAT happened in his district? 7 people. Dead. He's keeping that as quiet as possible so that he can woo America on his economy-saving scheme. Smart plan because if word got out, it's absolutely over for Romney/Ryan. No matter how broke we Americans are, we kind of prefer to get married, have children, retain our civil liberties, and not be murdered on our way to visit God on Sunday.Then, yesterday, the unthinkable happened. Chaos, confusion, and utter massacre at the Empire State Building in New York City. 2 people shot by a disgruntled employee who just decided that it is permissible to shoot people with a pistol. 9 people shot in collateral damage by police trying to get a handle on this situation. I haven't read much about this one yet, but rest assured I will be more than able to as this is getting astronomical coverage. This brings up the question of gun control: for or against? I say no assault weapons, but pistols and hand guns are alright after a very thorough vetting of the buyer by the government. If the person does not have good reason to need a weapon, they should not be given the privilege of one. It should be like the scary Customs officers at the airport who can take your foreign fruit away (goodbye, custard apples! You were yummy on the plane and will be missed) if you do not declare it. Those Customs people scare me to death with their questions and distrustful gaze. Gun-owners should undergo such careful scrutiny as well.As for candidates positions, I'm sure the republican ticket neeeeeeeds the National Rifle Association, and thus needs to be lenient. However, the most surprising name to be lax on gun control is Mr. Barack Hussein Obama himself. He has the most chill gun control laws that enabled all three suspects and serial killers to get a hold of these weapons. And that one fact could have killed him except for the current debate regarding abortion and the women's right to choose legislation. Todd Akin's stupidity may have saved Obama/Biden for the interim but are we simply going to wait to act because there's an election going on? Is it going to take another Aurora, Columbine, or Oak Creek to shake up and wake up our politicians to serve their COUNTRY rather than themselves? I understand that moderates call all the shots, and they like their 2nd amendment, but sitting idle doesn't win you votes. Do SOMETHING! Otherwise your mutual enemies, that dislike all of us, and this American institution we call democracy and civil society will wreck havoc and it will be too late.Xoxo,Maithreyi
- Aug 25, 12I've decided to post my blogs about my family vacation to Florida from 8/15 to 8/20.
Here's the second one, August 16th: our day at Universal Islands of Adventure!
(These are directly transcribed from my written diary on my iPad.)
Pre-Universal
" I woke up super early due to my brother's snoring: that boy can SNORE! But I can't go back to sleep because I feel like I am in those retro Disney World commercials where the two kids can't fall asleep and giggle all night in excitement because today is IT! The day I finally see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!
I never thought my family would ever go on this trip, but here we are! I am so excited to try pumpkin juice and butterbeer, buy Hogwarts presents for my loved ones and myself, and just taking in the atmosphere of being in Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, even in the midst of Florida humidity.
I'm almost unrecognizably different and grown up since the seventh Harry Potter book release and even the final movie that came out last year. The series still teaches me new things today, though. I did a full re-read this summer and can totally relate to the trio setting out on their journey without that extra year of school. (Though, in Hermione-like fashion, I'll have numerous degrees before I'm through!) I love the sheer simplicity of catergorization that "sorting" into Hogwarts' houses and that accompanying question via Dumbledore: do we sort too soon? Do we pass judgement without due process? Especially for someone like me who's quick to judge, file, sort, and generally have my mind made up on my first meeting of someone, it's a question that enables me to take a time out to re-evaluate.
Lessons aside, some of my best childhood memories involve roadtrips with Harry Potter either being narrated by Jim Dale or being read frantically fast and much preferred over the scenic view of Niagara Falls (for the 50 billionth time, mind you). Book launches and midnight showings colored my childhood and made me forever enamored of Jo Rowling and the magnificient world of her creation. Today is like a visit into my past as well as culmination of 13 years worth of ardent fangirl-ing. "
Post-Universal
"So since I wrote last, I ran to the will call window to get our tickets. The machine didn't work and I got them from the window as my father staked out a newly awaiting turnstile. It was 7:00am. We waited almost 2 hours, chatting with the staff, neighbors in line, and basking in the glory of just knowing we were going to be the 1st family going in for the general admission. When it was getting close to opening, Babwah from Trinidad, a staff member, introduced us to Gaby from Antigua who invited us to formally open the park for the day! Not only did we end up getting in the part earlier than the other general admission waiters, but we got to relax, take pictures, get professional ones for free, and special commemorative badges to wear all day long. A dream come true! Then I got to make a speech to open the park and then I sprinted to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. With a quick detour through Seussland, we got our special entrance pictures, went to Ollivander's, taking an obscene amount of pictures and laughing lots the whole way.
After our journey through Ollivander's and "Dervish and Banges" (gift shop), we waited in the longest queue known to man for the flagship ride of the Harry Potter Island of Adventure: The Forbidden Journey. We locked our belongings in the dungeons, waited some more in Sprout's greenhouses, and then we entered the castle and saw talking portraits and the entrance to Dumbledore's office. We spot Dumbledore and the trio as hologram life-like forms that talk to the riders as they prepare for the "journey". The actual ride was equal parts terrifying, fun, and immersive. It was incredibly detailed and true to the world. My mother and father, and even brother were NOT big fans! After the ride, I frolicked over to Hagrid's Hut to go on the Flight of the Hippogriff rollercoaster. After bidding adieu to Buckbeak, the rollercoaster was a breeze, and seemed to be made to entertain small children. After that, I met up the family for a round of butterbeers and pumpkin juice. I love the fizzy butterbeer and fully intend on making some sometime soon. After meandering through Hogsmeade shops we left Wizarding World and headed to the Lost Continent.
We ate at Mythos which is Steven Jayson's restaurant within Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. Steven Jayson most notably worked with Michelle Obama on her "Let's Move!" campaign.
The food and ambience were EXCELLENT. Most highly recommended. I ordered the Pastabilities, and had the best tasting, most fresh vegetables and sauce I have ever tasted. Dessert was chocolate flour-less cake with candied banana and caramel sauce. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience, and anyone going to the park, MUST eat here."
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What did we do after lunch?
Find out in my next post! :)
xoxo,
Maithreyi
P.S.- All my love to NYC. I cannot believe what's happening to this country. Expect a post regarding gun control and the three incidents soon. - Aug 22, 12I've decided to post my blogs about my family vacation to Florida from 8/15 to 8/20.
Here's the first one: August 15th, our day in St. Augustine!
(These are directly transcribed from my written diary on my iPad.)
"We arrived in Florida at 3 am this morning, and slept til 9, had coffee by the pool, went swimming, showered, ate pav bhaji, then got ready to head to St. Augustine!"
"St Augustine is the cutest, most picturesque little historic city. I definitely have a new city to love! We went to the Castillo de San Marcos, the oldest fort in the United States, had a ranger-led history lesson, and then ate a fantastic lunch at Acapulco Authentic Mexican Restaurant.
We then got ice cream from Fudge Buckets & Hyppos. I had a popsicle from Hyppos made with fresh cantaloupe and black pepper: spicy, delicious, and nutritious! We bought groceries since we are staying in a suite, and then bought umbrellas because Florida decided to monsoon on us. We waited out the heavy deluge in a nearby Burger King and headed back on the road, only to find that we were going directly into the heart of the storm. Resigned, we hid out at a gas station, carefully planning a storm free trip back to Orlando. We got back on the road, seeing many rainbows as well as thunder strikes on our left, while the sun glistened as it set on our right. All in all, it was a really great summer day."
More trip blogs soon!
xoxo,
Maithreyi - Aug 08, 12When trying to figure out what to write about next, I thought about the current state of the world. I thought about how one can feel so happy yet so unhappy all at the same time. I thought about the neverending flux of time, and how in any moment, a person can be dying while another is being born. One person going through utter agony while the other shines in triumph. I thought about how my family could enjoy a meal and a road trip to Maine, while the 24 hour news cycle was bringing the nation live coverage of the unfolding massacre in Wisconsin. This dichotomy along with the continual broadcast of the 30th Olympic Games in London made me think about how little I appreciated this meme and how much this above graphic says about humanity.Though these exact words do not exist in English, these experiences are universal. That bond the world over is seen day in and day out in the Olympics. Not only is the majority of the world competing in some form, but in that friendly competition, we see the humanity, ability, and sportsmanship that drive us as a species. How even when one's dreams of being the best in the world, one can still be happy for the winner. When American gymnast Gabby Douglas, who has won the All-Around in Women's Gymnastics, falls off the balance beam in individual event finals, everyone in the stands experiences that "pena ajena" with her. Or when poor Jordyn Wieber had her dreams of medaling in the All-Around dashed when she failed to qualify.I think it's a testament to our humanity that we don't simply delegate a word each to these experiences in the English language. I feel like there's a intuitive understanding between two people when they are talking about missed chances, butterflies/bubbly feelings when in absolute love, or spiritual loneliness. The camaraderie that is built when one goes, "You know that feeling when ...?" And the other person can respond emphatically, "YES." Grasping for mutual accession, and finding reassurance that one is not alone. Everyone I have met is familiar with all these experiences in a way that suggests a common thread. Seeing that so viscerally displayed through the victories and defeats and hard-won journeys in the Olympics is a great reminder that we are not merely members of a country, but of a world, and of what we can accomplish through the pressures of competition and cooperation.That type of reminder is just the antidote to the vile and divisive acts by Wade Michael Page in that Sikh Gurudwara in Wisconsin. Though he tried to take down a community, instead he called a sleeping community to arms. Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus, and members of any or no faith group have banded together since this incident, creating vigils, planning campaigns. Page's acts are just the latest in a long series of hate crimes committed against all people of Arab and South Asian descent post 9/11. Not too long after the shooting, however, arson took place in a Missouri masjid (Islamic house of prayer). These acts once would have split up a community, causing us to point fingers and lash out blame. Instead, solidarity is taking the place of spite and community the place of communal behavior. Slowly people are starting to understand how little ground we covered in the last 10 years, and how vital it is to start understanding all our fellow men and women.As for me, that though I love walking in the woods alone, basking in the "waldeinsamkeit", I am glad I live in a world where if I try hard enough to explain that, another human being will almost instantly understand, and become an ally. Just like that, every truest feeling can be appreciated: every faith, every feeling. Though the entirety of the meaning will not be conveyed, if your fellow man is truly listening, that spark in them will alight and a foe can become a friend.All my love to those in Wisconsin and Joplin.xoxo,MaithreyiFor more information about the Sikh Gurudwara: Angry Asian Man: Sikh Solidarity EditionFor ways you can help: The SAALT Spot
- Aug 08, 12Where would you like to end up in a few years time?
Funnily enough, when thinking up places to attend grad school or what programs to apply to for my coming years, geography was one of my main criteria. Though by nature I am very homely, (cooking, cleaning, and reading a book snuggled on a couch are by FAR my favorite pastimes), I have a restlessness that yearns to find spaces that are want for repair, looking for a kind soul. My love of the cold exteriors of the forgotten shop fronts in Downtown Los Angeles, alongside the newly bustling faux-posh neighborhood of Little Tokyo or the seedier Toy District that looks beaten up, but is just a community that prefers to conduct business a little looser, a little less constricted by the confines of what we call society, stem from this restlessness. I long to find a home in what others may deem lost. So I thought this would be a good moment to define the top 6 places (in no particular order) I would love to live and the (naive) reasoning that brought me to my decisions.
I have always loved the idea of living in Edinburgh, Scotland. For me, England and Scotland have a mystical historical quality to them. They are equally the home of the Lochness Monster, the Knights of King Arthur, and Jack the Ripper as well as Princess Diana, JK Rowling, and Tony Blair, and black English Breakfast tea without milk. The mixing of the old between the new is not entirely foreign having lived in the Boston area for most of my life, nor is it foreign seeing as India has the oldest living culture on the planet, but the certain class and matter-of-fact attitude the Scottish have about this draws me to them. They are simultaneously proud of their brogues and rolling hills and castle towers as they are of being home to the first self-made billionaire author. They are openminded, intelligent, and are not fearful of diversity. There are many South Asians living in Scotland, and they even have an annual festival called the Glasgow Mela, filling the streets with South Asian food, dancing, and culture. Scotland would be a definite must visit for me, and possibly a decent place to live if I can handle being away from the glorious USA.
There are many places I have been in my short life, but I think that the one that tops my list of places I never dreamt of living in (until recently) was New York City. I scoffed when people spoke of its gloriousness, singing its praises in that song by Jay-Z, or ever made an illusion to "An Affair to Remember", "Sleepless in Seattle", or even one of my favorite movies "You've Got Mail" that included a sentiment about this darn city. I'd suggest, "Go to Boston! It's much cleaner, and you get a healthy dose of skyscraper," or, "Why not Philadelphia? Much more history, much less traffic." Now I have to eat my words. Though I've seen the obligatory Broadway musical ("Mamma Mia!"), visited Times Square on numerous occasions, traced fictional relations on Ellis Island, taken many a photo with the Statue of Liberty, and even walked the Observation Deck of the Twin Towers a full two years before 2001, (I was 7, and had no idea the magnitude of the moment, asking my mother for some ice cream and why the building was so important.), I just did not like it. It felt so much more cold. The people felt distant, and even cruel. The presence of all the sidestreet vendors nauseated me, as did the mixing noxious odors of cigarettes, caffeine, and piss. Though since those trips as a young one, I have returned to the glorious Empire State of Mind many a time, that first impression died hard. Only on this last road trip with my family, where we spent a full six hours in NYC, did I truly fall for this megalopolis.
With my family by my side, I walked through Central Park, understanding why so many people the world over fall in love over and over with this city. Why in "You've Got Mail", Joe Fox tells Kathleen that it'd be a shame to miss New York in the Spring, and she says, "Don't you live New York in the fall?" and why missing New York in any season is a heartbreak. Going to Henri Bendels and Louis Vouitton, and oogling at things that I would never dream of buying, and then buying something I never would have dreamt would be mine. Finding an ice cream shop that not only serves ice cream, but serves it within a donut sandwich, complete with jimmies on top. Seeing that in the heart of New York City, there isn't the cold exteriors of corporations, but a castle (seriously! Look in Central Park!) filled with children and whimsical imaginations. In New York, if you play your cards right, you feel charged with possibility. I can fully see myself living amongst that crowd, happily riding a stinky subway car if it meant that I could experience that supercharged glow for even a day more in the concrete jungle where dreams are made of.
Another of my top 5 is a vacation spot for most, but I would not mind living here when I am old and grey and am no longer needed in the company of (most) people. I went here on a family vacation a few years ago, and I was thoroughly ticked off because it was such a remote location. I did not realize that its loneliness wrapped up 90% of its beauty. This, my friends, is Grand Teton National Park, and to a lesser extent Yellowstone National Park as well in Wyoming. I love the solace and meditative silence that emanates from the trees here. They are all so old, and feel like they carry the wisdom of the Native Americans, and a world before us. I love how the wilderness reigns supreme, and everything is left to weather and ruin. I was struck by the starkness of the decor of every place I went here: no televisions, nothing that is extraneous or inessential. They leave you to be one with nature, one with the stars, the vastness of both our world and earth as well as the entire expanse of the universe, force you to reflect, give thanks, and recharge. The bare bones of it all drew me close like a friendly hug, and I never wanted to let it go. From the huckleberry pies, to the pizzas made by the most warmhearted family that side of the country, it all felt so safe and like home. I want nothing more than live there for a short while, a year or three or five, through the harsh winters so I can truly appreciate the beauty of it all.
Two more cities I would love to return to that are tied in their affection are Philadelphia and Chicago. Both are considered large cities, though have very distinct and differing vibes. Chicago is much more fresh and has that avant garde je ne sais quoi quality. The skyscrapers are daunting, the water all around is haunting, and Navy Pier is like an ode to the fleeting nature of childhood, jutting out into Lake Michigan. The scene in Chicago is decidedly younger than New York City, attracting a crowd of young professionals growing this minipolis into a megalopolis with small businesses, start ups, entrepreneurial ventures, and chutzpah. Philadelphia, on the other hand, is much more historically rich--the capital of the colonies and the city that built Benjamin Franklin, much like how Los Angeles helped to build me. I love that in Philadelphia, one can visit so many historical sites like the Signing Room of the Declaration of Independence, and the Liberty Bell, but at the same time, some world changing research and the history of our age is being made in UPenn as well as the eager youngsters who are beckoned to this burgeoning beacon, in search of something smaller, yet classier than the facades of New York, New Jersey, and Chicago. I would not mind living and growing in either of these cities because each speaks to me--the richness of the blend between the new and old in Pennsylvania as well as the call to create one's one story from nothing established in Illinois.
The last city on my list is very impractical, but I loved it so much that it must make this list. The last of the lovely places I would fancy inhabiting is Montreal, Quebec. I do not speak French. That je na sais quoi up there? I looked it up because I love the saying. That said, Montreal is a pristine beauty. It reminds me that though all our US cities are 200 years old, we love trying to hide their flaws and their history behind walls of renovations while the Quebec denizens of Montreal allow the beauty to show through all the flaws of the architecture. I love St. Joseph's Oratory, and how it resembles and references European styles and the Basilica du Sacre Couer in Paris. The cobblestone streets seem impractically quaint, and the horses, though malodorous, add to the charm of this timeless city. Stepping here feels both like stepping back in time, and forward-- the intelligence and the reverence of these people make you feel rejuvenated, as do the flowers in their Botanical Jardins. And its proximity is like all the benefits of Europe at a fraction of the cost and heartache.
Finally, I would love to live in Boston, but that is a give-in. No matter where I live for a few years here or there, I know that I will end up back here, at home. This space, New England, has raised me, and helped me to become the woman I am. Without my hikes with my family, and the neighborhood strolls, without Harvard Square, and eating lunch by the Charles, I don't know if I could ever be the same. The city, throughout my years, has revealed more of itself to me, and I am happy to let it teach me all its secrets.
Where would you live, if you had the chance?
Respond in the comments!
xoxo,
Maithreyi
- Aug 01, 12"In the end it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years."~ Abraham Lincoln
I am now twenty years old. It is so hard for me to believe that fact. In many ways, I feel like age is such a gradual thing. My friends and I seldom act our age, but if "acting your age" means you suddenly lose your sense of humor and become super-serious, I don't think I will ever act my age. I enjoy Disney too much. I enjoy walking around malls with my face covered in cake, laughing into blissful oblivion. I enjoy singing along to Justin Bieber in empty malls, waiting until the last possible minute to walk out, huddling into my friends as we brave the scarily vacant parking lot together. I enjoy ripping open fortune cookies to read what some Chinese factory believes is my good fortune while eating the crispy cookie without a pause.
For me, twenty always felt like the end of the road in many ways. When I even first contemplated going to USC, I immediately was enamored of the idea that I would be graduating at the age of twenty. It felt so pure and thrilling--the idea of being so young, but yet ready to take on the world. Now that I am twenty, though, it feels as though it all passed by too fast. Many of my friends told me that upon turning twenty, they felt this unfulfilled feeling or this feeling of inadequacy. The "I'm twenty and I have nary an accomplishment to my name." feeling. Instead of that feeling, I experienced this feeling of possibility. I feel like this year, everything is possible. I feel like every summer I spent studying, or the endless hours of research on the plethora of topics, or the hours I have spent on my community programming, or every sleepless night I lay awake dreaming of the life I hope to achieve one day are all culminating into this one year. I feel like I am at the finish line of a race, and I can almost feel the gold medal around my neck--this anticipation, but also the desire to finish that race strong.
I think that twenty is about achieving that balance. I have always been a jack of all trades, master of none, idealist type of girl, but finally that urge in me will be fulfilled! I am finally going to be able to marry the two loves of my professional life: neuroscience and the field of education/policy. All my experiences in those seemingly unrelated fields have finally gotten the opportunity to shine and I am so liberated. The idea that my interest or thirst for science, my masochism, is purely self-driven is also strangely liberating. Once I know I am not doing it for anyone else but me, my effort goes up a hundred-fold. This was especially true for physics. I thought I was rubbish at physics, and I was at first because I was scared into thinking I may apply to medical school and that I may need top grades, and those fears got under my skin and affected my performance. My real strength and alacrity come from a base of self-satisfaction and self-fulfillment--not an exterior motivator like a daunting career path. Once I found those neuroscience/education combination programs, my effort in physics tripled and I ended the class with an A+ examination, something I never ever imagined I would have achieved. Because now I am motivated by my true desire to learn these subjects, and there is no other pretense, I feel like fall semester is going to go very smoothly. My new worries (and I always have some worries!) are that my applications are going to hold me back, and that I may not be fully qualified to do what I know I wish to do. But hopefully by working hard this summer on those applications will help me see that I can do what I dream.
But for now, I can sit back and relax because I know I have a family that loves me and friends that care. My trip to Panera with my brother showed me that sometimes making someone else's day is better than just reveling in your own birthday glory. Amma's watermelon cake was the best: she truly cares about me and wants to help me be a better person no matter what form that help takes. Appa didn't even bat an eye at buying me a present at Bendel's in NYC! He would give me the world if he could, and just knowing that makes my heart swell. My friends, like most Desi girls, wouldn't let me pay the bill for my meal, showered me with presents when the most important thing was that I got to spend time with them, and like true friends, frosted my face with white cream icing in the middle of a mall food court! It's incredible that our friendships have lasted through so many years. Most of these girls I met when I was fourteen or fifteen in high school--that's a good five years of friendship right there. Karishma and Neha, in some way, I feel like have always been present. They are my go-tos and my fall-backs. I know that Karishma's always there to support and have my back, and I know that Neha's there for me to ask advice or share a quick giggle. I have known both since I was 8 and 5 respectively-- more than half my life. Though we only became close through middle school and high school, they permeate my memories and just their presence makes me feel instantly at home.
I am beyond excited for what this year holds in store. Hopefully I will post more here so that you can follow along as it goes!
Newly twenty,
Maithreyi
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