Mastercard moment...

3 round-trip tickets from Bombay to DC - $3000
Cup of Caffe Latte during anxious wait at airport - $2.53
Prospect of sharing small one bedroom apartment with 3 other adults - slightly unnerving
Plastic cloth rack for all their clothes - $25
Mom's food for lunch and dinner - priceless!

A Midsummer Night's Dream

I soar through the air holding the reins of an invisible flying horse…I fly high, I glide, I nosedive, I land with a soft thud on wet grass…I am excited, I am exhilarated, I am scared, I am blissful.

I am in the penthouse of the most exotic hotel imaginable. The penthouse is made of glass. Everything in it is made of glass. The room is so bright I have to squint my eyes. The view outside is of a Mediterranean beach resort. I see the white sand. The sea is various shades of blue. The water glistens silver as it reflects the sun. I see two giraffes and a white African elephant running towards the sea…in slow motion. I am with my best friend. He pushes a button on his remote and the penthouse rotates. It starts slow and gives me a 360 degree view of the beach resort and the ocean. It then picks up speed. The penthouse slides down the skyscraper like a rotating elevator. I can see the floors as we pass them by. The floors go by but we are still descending…into the ocean. I expect to see coral reefs with exotic fish. All I see are giant goldfish is underwater fish tanks. I guess no dream is perfect.

What could have caused such a dream? What was the last thing I did before going to sleep? Drove at 90 mph on an empty freeway listening to Yanni’s ‘Keys to Imagination’

Truth and fiction

I finally found my fictional equivalent. Jean Valjean is someone I can identify with completely. I can identify with someone whose primary virtue is his conscience that compels him along the path of the truth and the right. I can identify with someone who has personal ambitions but also dedicates his life to his loved ones. I can identify with someone who lives a lie so he can be true to himself.

I am now anonymous and yet have completely revealed myself. I am Jean Valjean.