The Big Blue

    6:00 p.m.

    The Maldives

    The sunlight shimmered on the bright blue waters of the Maldives. It was early evening, about 6:00. The locals from the town nearby called this hour,  “The Time of Colors.” It was rightly named as it looked like there were a thousand pieces of gold on the ocean surface and that someone painted the sky in a beautiful array of colors. Orange, red, pink, it couldn’t get any better than this.

    “Alright divers, are you ready?” asked Captain Phillips. My dad works for National Geographic as an oceanographer. He’s supposed to take pictures and record different and new species of marine life. He’s kind of like an explorer but under the sea. I was lucky enough to be invited to go on a dive here in the gulf. We were supposed to do he usually does, but I was hoping to find a new species.

“I’m ready alright. Are you ready?” I asked my dad.

He chuckled. “Yep, I’m locked and loaded. You ready for your first dive in the open sea?”

“I have been waiting a long time for this moment.” I exclaimed.

    After several months of diving school, I was very excited. This would be my first wild dive. My dad and I put on our breathers and goggles and positioned ourselves on the edge of the boat.

“3,....2,.....1, you are cleared for the dive.” said Captain Phillips.

    I let myself fall into the water and I cannot explain what I saw next. It was like a whole ‘nother world down under. Except that this world had so many vibrant colors and life. Schools of tropical fish swam by me and dozens of manta rays glided across the waters. Marine life has always amazed me but this was something else. My dad was taking pictures of several bright orange and red coral. I decided to explore a bit. I went through arches of rock and sand. Turtles swam nearby me looking for food. I could see parrotfish, clownfish, angelfish, and so much more. I even saw a lionfish which looks really cool with its spines but I knew not to touch it as it’s poisonous.

    Then, I saw it. The one thing I was hoping to avoid. A whitetip reef shark coming towards my direction. I froze and my eyes opened wide in horror. I knew that this species of shark did not attack humans. They were even used to divers. However, I was still terrified. Anybody would be. I knew the key. Do not provoke it, and you’ll be fine. I just stayed very still and waited for the shark to pass. Luckily, it didn’t even notice me and was just looking for smaller fish.

    I let out a big phew. That was close. I turned around and swam towards my dad. I decided to tell him once we got on the boat. The coral reef that he was looking at was a nice sea green. I paused and looked very closely. I realized that two very rare fish were in one coral reef at the same time! That was amazing. I motioned towards him to quickly note them and take their pictures. I couldn’t believe it! It was a red long nose hawkfish and a black striped and spotted oriental sweetlip. I was overjoyed as I helped find two very rare fish. My dad gave me a thumbs up. We both checked our oxygen tank levels and realized we were running low. I gestured to go back up and he nodded. Once we got back on the boat, my dad gave me a pat on the back and was beaming.

    “Great job! You actually found two rare endangered species. I tagged both of them so Nat Geo will keep a track.” he said

“Thanks a lot. I also encountered a shark but made sure to let it be.”

“You did? Wow, that’s amazing and you knew what to do. I’m proud of you son.”

Captain Phillips then came out of the cabin. “Well kid, how was it?”

“I will never forget this beauty of a place. It was exhilarating.” I said smiling.

“Ah, it’s a wonder.” the captain said as he started the motor.

As we were going back to the island we were staying at, I felt the setting sun on my face. I knew that diving will always be close to my heart.

The Chase

 10:30 a.m., June 6th, 1944

English Channel

D-Day

It was terrifying. I could hear the rounds being fired one after another all around me. The glass cockpit of my Hurricane protected me from the intense, chilly winds of the English Channel but couldn’t defend against the sound of the loud machine guns of the opposing Messerschmitt fighters. I was racking my brain. How can I, Lieutenant Robert McRogan of the Royal Air Force of Great Britain, be afraid? I’m part of the ruling air force in the world! But it truly was scary. 

At any moment, bullets could be going straight through your plane and you would be diving towards the dark blue waters in an instant. Everybody was hoping for the best. This was the day where we would save Europe. We, the Allies, were pushing back the Germans out of France. I could make out the landscape of the Normandy beaches where our boys along with the Americans were storming the German turrets and defenses. I knew that I had to help them. 

As part of the No. 122 “Eagle” Squadron, we had to defend the British and American armies on the ground from incoming German fighters. Without any protection, Operation Overlord as it was called would go to waste. Beep, beep, beep! The one sound I dreaded had finally rung. It was the aircraft detector and I looked behind me. Sure enough, it was a German Messerschmitt fighter chasing after me. I took a deep breath, zipped my bomber jacket, put on my air mask, and dove down. 

I was the best pilot in my squadron. I had 10 recorded kills which I was proud of. Apparently, I was one of the best in all of England which I was amazed as I didn’t feel special. As I dove down with my heart still pounding, I waited until I heard the elevation alert screaming as it was urging me to increase altitude. I decided to pull up as quickly as I could until I was at a decent 10,000 feet. I frantically looked behind, checking if the German aircraft was still pursuing me. My heart started accelerating again once I saw the dark green wing. He’s good. I thought. I needed some expert maneuvers to outmatch this one.

10:45 a.m., June 6th, 1944

English Channel

Maneuver after maneuver ensued. I did a yaw spin, my opponent did a barrel roll. I unleashed a torrent of bullets, he sent a barrage of rockets. But not one weapon would hit each other’s plane. I knew that he also was trying his best to defeat me. But I would not go down without a fight. Just a few weeks back, I had created my own tactic. I called it the “Diving Eagle” and practiced it for hours on end in the free time that I had. I had never used it on the battlefield but I knew that I needed to use it now. I hoped that it wouldn’t fail, but in the air, you never know what could happen. I closed my eyes for a quick second, and dove straight up. As usual, the fighter followed me. But, I shifted the joystick and in a split second I was right behind him. I pressed the trigger as hard as I could and finally, the plane and its pilot dove down.

Rest in peace pilot. I thought to myself. He seemed like a good one and I did respect him. But sadly, he was the enemy. I looked around me and it seemed like my squadron was done with finishing off the opposition. Then, the radio rang.

*Kzzccchh* “Eagle Squadron, our boys on the beach are having a real tough time getting the turrets down. We need you to go to Omaha Beach and support the bombing planes so that the Army can cross the sandbar. Over.”

“Roger that Commander. We’re on our way. Over.” I said.

It was time to go to the center of it all. The beaches.

3, 100, 1700

 Trying to find a pattern between these numbers? Well let me tell you, when you find out what they stand for, you'll be shocked. This winter break, my family and I took a expected 5 day long trip to Los Angeles. We did lots of fun things there such as meet my cousin Siddhanth, go to Disneyland, the LA Museum of Natural History (the biggest in the west coast), The Malibu Hindu Temple, Universal Studios, and more. I had lots of fun. 

Sunday

The day we were supposed to leave which was Sunday, we went to the LA Museum of Natural History. There were many cool exhibits and artifacts in there such as dioramas of African and North American mammals and even skeletons of dinosaurs. We couldn't view the whole museum as it was very large but after we had our fill, we were heading towards the parking lot when my dad got a text message. The message was from Allegiant airlines and it said that our flight was cancelled! We were kind of expecting this since many flights across America were being cancelled due to insufficient crews, the new Omicron COVID variant, and severe snow in Washington. We panicked but calmly decided to eat lunch and then drive to Palm Springs Int. Airport where our flight was supposed to take off from. For lunch, we ate sandwiches from a well known Californian chain called Togo's sandwiches. My mom used to love eating from this shop and the sandwiches were pretty good. After that, we started our drive towards Palm Springs. It took 2 hours to reach the airport. Once we reached there, it was around 5 and it was dark. We had to return our rental car so we did that and then reached the airport. We spent another 2 hours there trying to book a flight the next day and asking the attendants at the booking desks for flight opportunities. Sadly, all the flights for Monday were fully booked. Because of the scarce options, we decided to stay that night at Motel 6 and decide what to do from there. We got a new rental car and drove to the motel. For the next 2 hours, we scoured Expedia, Kayak, Delta, and other airline/travel websites for flights. Not only were they not available, but they were also not coming to the Palm Springs Airport. We looked at many airports from my former house at San Jose to Burbank to San Diego. One airport was available though. Harry Reid Int. Airport at Las Vegas. There were no flights for Monday or Tuesday so we booked an Allegiant flight for Wednesday morning. Also, Las Vegas was only 4 hours away compared to the 7 hours to San Jose. Las Vegas was also where my aunt on my dad's side lived. We could stay at her house until Wednesday and then take the flight back home. My dad then called my aunt and she was overjoyed that we were staying with her. With this good plan in mind, we had a good night's sleep.

Monday

My parents and I got up early so that we could reach Las Vegas fast. We had to return our rental car since we only booked it for one night. But we had another ready. Once we got in the car, we zoomed away from LA. We had to cross the Yucca Valley and Mojave Desert which is between Southeastern California and Southwestern Nevada. The area was so dry and there was barely anybody around. The clouds' shadows created mirages that made it seem like there was water in the distance. It was pretty mind-boggling but cool. I was pretty tired from waking up so early so I took a quick power nap. After 2 and a half hours or so, I woke up to the bright lights of a sign. I looked at it and it said "Wild Bill's Casino and Amusement Park". From this one sign, I knew that we were in Las Vegas. After dropping off our third rental car (we had one before the flight cancellation) at Harry Reid Int. Airport, we called my aunt to let her know that we had arrived. She said that she was here to pick us up and we met her. My dad was super happy to meet her since he hadn't seen her in quite some time. On the drive to my aunt's house, I could see an excellent skyline of The Las Vegas Strip which is a famous road that has a lot of casinos and shops. The rest of the night my family and I just talked and we called many of my relatives. My uncle and cousin were on a skiing trip while my other cousin was doing her medical work in Chicago. I was happy that we were almost going to go home.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, we didn't do much. My aunt helps work at the ISCKON temple in Las Vegas. What is ISCKON? Well it is a Hinduism organization that stands for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Followers of ISCKON worship and celebrate Krishna and Radha. We went to the Las Vegas ISCKON temple and had some very good food there. After that, we all just went home and relaxed. My parents and aunt watched a movie while I watched the new Disney movie Encanto. The movie was really good. For dinner, we just had chaat and bhel puri.

Wednesday

Finally! The day had come where we were going home! Everyone got up early so that we could catch the flight even though it was only at 11:00. As we packed all our bags and were eating our breakfast, my dad got another message. It told us that our flight had been cancelled. Oh no! All of us were super disappointed and angry. Why did our flight have to be cancelled!? As we were searching frantically for flights again, we found one! We quickly looked at the flight details and decided that it was perfect. It was a Delta flight that had one stop at Oakland. We didn't want a stop but we took what was available. It was a 2 hour layover and then from there we would reach Bellingham Int. Airport where we originally left from. We quickly booked the flight and were happy. For the rest of the day, we didn't do much. We just relaxed again and watched movies. In the evening, we got Mediterranean falafel bowls and for desert we got a really cool Japanese/Korean ice cream and cookie.

Thursday

We got up early again and luckily our flight wasn't cancelled. After my aunt dropped us at the airport we said our goodbyes and thanked her for letting us stay at the house. We got through security and then reached our gate. For lunch we bought taco bowls. But as we finished them, we noticed that our flight was delayed by 2 hours! We didn't want to come back very late so we changed our flight once again and then at 2:00, boarded it. After 1 and a half hours, we reached Oakland! Step 1 out of 3 was complete. What were the other two? The other two were board the flight to Bellingham, and then from there complete the 2 hour drive back home to Sammamish. We had a 1 hour layover so we bought Subway for dinner and hungrily ate it. Finally, after what seemed like a long time, we boarded the Bellingham-bound flight and took off! After 2 hours and 20 minutes, we reached the airport! I was overjoyed to be back in Washington. Step 2 out of 3 was complete. My uncle had come to pick us up and he also brought some shovels to get the snow and ice off our car. The whole airport and parking lot was covered in snow and it took 20 minutes to get the snow off our car. Once that was done, my mom and dad hopped in our car and I drove with my uncle since I wanted to talk to him. After telling my uncle all about our trip, I was pretty sleepy so I slept for most of the ride. I eventually woke up right before we reached our community, Timberline. I was amazed since the whole place was covered in lots of snow; more than the previous years. When we reached home, fireworks and celebration music played in my head since we finally reached home! Step 3 out of 3 was complete. The house was cold but after letting the heater on for a couple of minutes, the place warmed up. I slept very soundly after coming back home.

Phew! That was quite an adventure. The mysterious numbers stand for 3 cancelled flights, 100+ hours spent overdue in our trip, and 1700 miles travelled in total. I enjoyed writing about my winter break trip and I'll see you in the next post. See ya!

                                                                                  Sincerely,

                                                                                      Adi

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everybody! I am look forward to the new 2022 year and am happy that there are many chances and opportunities for good things in this year. I believe that this will be a great year and I'm looking forward to spending this year with my friends and family and you readers via my blog. Have a great year and I will see you in the next post!

                                                                          Sincerely,

                                                                               Adi      

Summer of 2021 Recap

 Hi everyone!

It has been an entire year since I wrote which I am sad about. However, the good news is that I am planning to start writing again! This past summer I had quite a journey. From vacations to Mount. Rainier to a major appendix surgery, I am excited to write about it.

Let's start in June. I got my second vaccine on the 12th and I was super happy about it. I could finally not worry about COVID and possibly meet my friends after 1 and a half years!

Then, school let out on the 17th! Summer break was finally here and I was ready for a fun-filled break. I did some hikes including a 15 miler which was lots of fun. In the month of June, nothing exciting really happened. I played with my friends outside and played videogames with them. I practiced geometry since I would be doing the subject in 8th grade. Just what a usual kid would do in their summer break. Then on July 3rd, my family and I went on a road trip to Mount. Rainier. We spent 3 days in Rainier and it was awesome. We went to the mountain and even went to the peak of Crystal Mountain. We had to take a gondola and the scary thing was that sometimes the car would rock back and forth! However, the ride was really nice and when we reached the peak, the view was worth it. Overall, the trip to Rainier was really refreshing and I got some good pictures there of the famous mountain and the wildlife.

After we came back from Rainier, I was back to my summer routine. Then, on July 16th, my mom, dad, and I went on a day trip to Whidbey Island. We had a blast. We went to a WWII sea fort off the coast of the island called Fort Casey and it was huge! I even saw some cannons. We also went to a historic lighthouse that has been on the island since the early 1900s and ate some really awesome tacos.

Then on July 22nd, I had to go to the hospital. It started with a mild stomach ache in the morning that was hurting a little bit. My mom thought it was gas and so did I. However, as the day progressed, a light lunch and no strenuous exercise didn't help the pain decrease. It worsened. I was writhing in pain and asked my mom to call the doctor. She was worried and called the Overlake Emergency Care and 30 minutes later, my dad took me there. When I was admitted into a room. I waited patiently for the doctor while my stomach pain was worsening. It was very cold in the room and I was only wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops. Finally, the doctor came. He told me to do some odd things such as jumping twice and then did normal doctor things such as check my heart rate. He said he would be back in 15 minutes and I groaned. Another wait!? This was outrageous. After what seemed like an eternity, the doctor came back in and told my dad and I that the results weren't clear and that I would have to take an ultrasound. This meant that they would scan my stomach to see if everything was okay there. I went to the ultrasound room and what I experienced was pain like never before.

The ultrasound operator told me to lie down and my dad sat in the seat next to my bed. When I was ready, the doctor forcefully pushed the camera into my stomach for the next 30 minutes. My eyes opened wide and I almost screamed but I had to withstand it. I could see my dad's eyes worrying a lot. When will this stop? I wondered. Finally, the operator said, "You're done buddy. We'll have your results in 1 hour." I grumbled a small "Thanks." My dad had to help me get up because my body was in total shock of the pain. When we were back in our room, I wanted to lie down and take a nap. So one of the nurses gave me a pillow and blanket which I was grateful for since it was really cold. When my dad woke me up, I could see the doctor. "Your son has appendicitis." he said. I was so worried. Was it a major disease? Would I be stuck with it for my whole life? 

The doctor then said, "You should immediately go to Seattle Children's Hospital so they can treat him." 

"Immediately?" my dad asked. "Is it very urgent?" 

"Yes." the doctor said. "If we prolong this, his appendix could rupture."

The appendix used to be a useful organ when us Homo sapiens sapiens (normal humans) were before our evolution and were primates. This pinky-sized organ helped remove bacteria from foods such as raw meat and vegetables but now, we have clean food and our digestive systems are more advanced and better in protecting us. So, the appendix is now a useless organ. Many people get their appendix removed due to appendicitis so it is common. The appendix can easily get inflamed which is what happened to mine. However, if it ruptures, then it will be harder to remove since the liquids inside will spread to other organs. Even though appendicitis was common, I was still scared to go to the hospital. I wondered what would happen to me. When my dad and I reached home, my uncle Sameer had come to my house. He was also worried as well as my grandmother who was praying hard for me to get well. My dad told my mom that we had to go to the hospital immediately. My mom got into the car, and we zoomed off to Seattle. When we got there, it sure was packed. It was 6 p.m. There were many kids who needed medical attention like me. We checked in at the counter, and they said they'll notify us when our spot was ready. My stomach was in extreme pain and I was literally writhing on the chair. I kept on moving to calm my body down but it wasn't working. About 30 minutes in, I had to do a general checkup where the nurse took my blood pressure and asked me a few questions. Then, later on, one of the doctors came up to us and asked us for our insurance so that the hospital expenses were covered. You wouldn't believe it, but we stayed in the reception place for 3 hours! It was so cold that my mom, dad, and I were huddled on a sofa with blankets. I was also very, very hungry and thirsty. I couldn't eat anything because then the surgery would be hard to do with food and liquids in my system. The last time I ate something was at 11 in the morning and that too it was rasam chadam (translation from Tamil: rasam rice) which was very light. The last time I drank something was at 12 p.m. I couldn't bare the pain, hunger, and thirst and kept on telling my mom. She consoled me even though she couldn't do anything. Then, finally at 9:00, a nurse came to us and told us that our room was ready.

I was overjoyed! Finally, I could lie down and my pain would go away. There was a TV so I could be entertained and chairs around me where my parents could sit. As for the pain, the anesthetist along with 2 nurses came at about 9:20 and they put an IV in me where anesthesia flowed into my veins and it would dull my pain. I was very tired. The pain exhausted me so much and I was so hungry and thirsty. But all the nurses said "Sorry buddy but if you eat or drink something, then the surgery will be hard." I told them that it was okay and bared it for more time. Hours passed by until it was 11 o'clock. Several doctors had come to my room: new doctors that explained how the surgery would be like and the anesthetist who kept checking every 20-30 minutes if I needed more anesthesia. At 11 o'clock, the ultra sound doctor at the hospital told me that the other doctors wanted a new ultra sound. I groaned. Not again! I thought. But the ultra sound wasn't as bad as it was at the urgent care. My stomach didn't hurt as much and it lasted for much shorter time - 10 minutes. Also, Aladdin was playing in the TVs near me so I would be distracted. After I got back to my room and was waiting with my parents, the doctors said that it was indeed appendicitis and that I would need a surgery. I became a little happier. At least the doctors now know what the problem is. I thought. Then, to prepare me for the surgery, I had to change into a hospital gown. It was freezing and I wasn't wearing anything except for the gown. Then, they told me to empty my bladder so that the surgery would be easy. I had to have a wheelchair since I couldn't walk at all. Once I got back, I could see a basket full of tasty goodies from delicious, crispy sandwiches to refreshing tropical juices. My mouth watered. The nurse just came to check on me and said "I'm sorry. I know you're really hungry and thirsty but you can't eat or drink otherwise the surgery will be complicated." Once again, I said "It's okay." But to stop my temptations, my mom put a blanket over the basket and covered it.

Then, the time came for the surgery. A nurse came and helped me into a wheelchair. The 4 of us then took an elevator and went to the operation room.  I thanked the nurse since he helped me a lot. Two of the surgeons then came up to me and said "Hey buddy! We will finish this as soon as possible and you will be back to normal! We're just preparing the room. Do you have any questions?" I did have two questions. "Will it hurt?" I asked and "How long will it take?". They replied with satisfying answers. For the first question, they replied "Not at all. You will be asleep while we do it so you won't feel anything." Then, for the second question they said "It will probably take 30 minutes to an hour so not that long." Then, they asked me some questions to calm me down like "What do you like to do for fun?" and "What's your favorite videogame?". I was grateful for nice doctors like them. Then, I entered the room. My mom and dad had to go to a separate waiting room. I was sad to see them go but knew that they would be praying and waiting for me. So would my grandma and uncle back home. The surgeons helped me up on the operating table and I lied down. The lead surgeon then said "Okay buddy. You'll start going to sleep in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6..." and then my vision went black.

It was 2 hours later and I was in the recovery room. I could hear the faded voices of two nurses and my mom and dad. I saw them but they were very blurry. I could also taste something that seemed like a cherry. I looked down and it was a cherry popsicle. Where am I? I thought. Is the surgery done? I could hear one of the nurses asking me questions and myself responding but didn't know what I was saying. Then my vision went black again. The next time I woke up was in the car. I could see the car's clock say 3:49 and heard my parents talking. They were trying to exit the hospital complex since the major highways were closed at this time and we had to get back home. Then, I fell asleep again.

I could feel myself getting up and out of the car and up the stairs. I didn't know how I was doing it but I somehow got onto my bed and slept like a log. The next morning, I gathered up the strength to brush my teeth and even go downstairs. My parents, grandma, and uncle who had stayed the night all congratulated me and complimented on how brave and strong I was. The last month of my summer break was still fun even after my major surgery. My uncle came almost every day to check on how I was doing and I watched the Olympics which were really fun. My family and I got new recliner sofas which were much more comfortable than our last ones. We also did something fun everyday like watch a movie or play carrom board. I had a great summer even with my surgery and I am happy to let you all know that I have recovered greatly. I hope to see you all soon in the next post. Bye!

The Mystery of the Sphinx's Nose

 Hi everyone!

Today's topic is a mystery. It's about the famous statue in Egypt, the Sphinx and where its nose went! 

What you think you know about the Sphinx might not be true. The Sphinx is a statue of a lion with a head of a pharaoh (possibly pharaoh Khufu or his son Khafre). A pharaoh was an ancient Egyptian king. They were believed to be a reincarnation of the Egyptian Sun god, Ra. The huge sandstone statue is located near the capital of Egypt, Cairo. The locals believe that the Sphinx looks over the city and the Nile River, protecting it.

For centuries, people have wondered what happened to the Sphinx' nose! I have two theories about where it went and what happened to it. 

The first theory is that robbers stole the nose. Why? Well, some people believe that the Sphinx has magical powers and it uses that to protect Cairo and the Nile River. Because of that, robbers probably wanted to take a piece of the Sphinx for themselves. The Sphinx used to have colorful paints and lots of gold jewelry on it. The robbers might have also damaged the Sphinx's nose while they were stealing its jewelry.  

The previous theory might have been true but this next one I am going to talk about will make more sense. This second theory is that sand and other debris might have eroded the Sphinx's nose. Erosion is a major villain in the damage of monuments and statues. Sandstorms are very common in Egypt and centuries of them probably would have taken the Sphinx's nose off.

Well, that wraps up this week's post! Please comment in the comment section on which theory you believe the most. Thanks guys and I'll catch you later!

                          

                                                                                      Bye!

                                                                                      Adi

India Independence Day and a Special Piano Song!

Hi everyone!

Last week was a special week for India. Why? Well, India's independence day was last Saturday, August 15th. It was the country's 73rd anniversary of freedom from British rule. If you do the math, India's independence was in the year 1947. 

The British Empire ruled India from 1757. This means that India was under the rule of Britain for almost 200 years! The British entered India as traders but soon established it's rule over the country. 

                                          

As time passed, the British started to misuse its power by ill-treating people and levying high taxes. This caused the Indian citizens to revolt and rebel the British and their harsh policies. Early freedom fighters like Rani of Jhansi, Tipu Sultan, and Mangal Pandey fought the British for the freedom of their kingdoms. Freedom fighters such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawharhal Nehru spearheaded the Indian Independence Movement for the entire country's independence. There were many other leaders such as Subhash Chandra Bose. Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Bhagat Singh who participated in the movement. Eventually, after all its struggle and strife, India got its independence.

                                   

As part of this year's independence celebration, I got an opportunity to play the Indian National Anthem (Jana Gana Mana) on the keyboard for a senior citizen group of our community who are also part of the IAWW (Indian Association of Western Washington). You can watch it here:

I hope you guys have a great rest of your day and weekend ahead. Happy India Independence Day!

Bye,

Adi