I couldn’t finish Stephen King’s IT and had to return it to the library because I’d had it for quite some time. The book was a 1,000+-page saga; though interesting, I lost patience around page 250.
If you don’t like reading and don’t know anything about this book, it’s one of King’s finest works, and there are 2-part movie adaptations. If you haven’t watched it and love the horror genre, watch it. You won’t regret it.
Other than this, I mostly read books ranging from 200 to 300 pages, not by choice, but the kind of books I read are mostly of this length.
I’m currently reading another King classic, “The Mist,” and it’s very engaging. Another book I am reading in parallel is “Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty”.
Are you a “finish every book you start” person, or do you give yourself permission to quit?
What’s the best advice you’d give to someone younger than you?
My best advice to someone younger than me is to get out of a job mindset and become a risk-taker. Most of us are complacent and want an easy life where we go to the office, work defined hours, come home, and get paid. Instead of helping someone else make his dreams come true, we should work on our own dreams by building something of our own that can provide financial stability and a legacy for future generations.
Achieving this is tougher than it sounds, but it’s worth a try. If we don’t even try to build something of our own and depend on someone else for our paycheck, that paycheck can vanish anytime our company stops loving us.
Especially these days, with AI advancing, people are losing jobs here and there, and they have no backup plan. Not everyone can have that entrepreneurial mindset, but those who even consider it should try.
The biggest risk is not taking any risk – Mark Zuckerberg
If you are still in that boat of confusion and uncertainty, don’t think; commit to your dream. Even if you don’t achieve your goal, at least you won’t have the regret of not doing anything. Take any success story: successful people didn’t succeed overnight or in a single shot; they failed, got up, changed their strategy, tried again, learned, and through constant correction finally achieved what many couldn’t.
Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. – H. Jackson Brown Jr.
Success requires one key ingredient, and though it’s challenging, it’s essential: consistency. You might not have the right skill, the motivation, or the results, but doing the activity consistently can make your dreams possible.
I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times. – Bruce Lee
What’s one habit you’ve stayed consistent with, and how has it changed your life?
Harmit and I have taken so many trips together, and now Aayansh is part of this never-ending journey of exploration and admiration for the places we visit. We just finished our trip to Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas. What a trip, and how unconventional. It was not a typical national park; the whole downtown was a national park. In fact, we spent some time in the car figuring out where the national park begins.
Over the years, we have been to many places mostly through road trips. We love exploring natural places, so national parks automatically make the list. Our road trip to Los Angeles, California, was special and the longest for us because it created so many unique memories.
It was a 22-hour drive, and we crossed states like Colorado, Utah, and Nevada to reach LA; it was scenic. We can’t forget Las Vegas at night; it glittered like gold. We stayed in LA for a month at an Airbnb in the heart of the city. At first, I didn’t like the city because of the heavy crowds and insane traffic, but I soon developed a taste for it, mainly because of the long sunny days and varied weather.
California is so huge and diverse that it has lakes, mountains, ocean, desert, heavy snow, extreme heat , everything in it, perfect for nature lovers like us. My sisters also joined us for a week. That was a memorable family reunion.
Throughout that trip, we did lots of activities, visited many places and national parks, and not to mention the local cafes and Mexican restaurants (still remember Nacho Supreme, such a delicacy).
What we covered–
Zion National Park, Utah (Did some great hikes, mainly the water hike – The Narrows)
Yosemite National Park (A beautiful, famous national park in the USA known for its immense beauty, El Capitan, and landmarks)
Joshua Tree National Park ( beauty in the desert; Joshua trees are so unique they will surprise you with how beautiful a desert can be)
Hollywood walk of fame
TCL Chinese Theater (A historic, asian style famous theater; watched The Batman (2022); it was boring and very bad)
Hiked to the Hollywood sign
Visited Santa Monica and Venice Beach
Van Gogh exhibition
We had great fun on this trip; it was our longest and most memorable, without a doubt. As I write this, I am already mentally in LA, walking the streets and admiring Hollywood.
Which of these parks — Zion, Yosemite, or Joshua Tree — is on your family’s bucket list?
What’s one thing that would instantly improve your city?
I live in Omaha, Nebraska, and love this city. It’s not as wild as Atlanta, New Jersey, or Los Angeles; it’s calm, peaceful, and less chaotic. Traffic is decent; even if you are going to the airport, you can get there on time without much effort (sometimes I leave just 45 minutes before). It’s a great place to raise a family, and it’s quite cost-effective.
There is not much to see here, other than the famous Henry Doorly Zoo, and the city’s only USP is Warren Buffett, that millionaire investor, being born here and still living here. Every year, people from all over the world come to this small place to attend Berkshire’s annual meeting.
I love that this city is a peaceful place. The only thing that would improve it is more entertainment options for kids and families. I don’t want it to go wild like Branson, Missouri, which is like a fan world for kids, but it can definitely add some entertainment options.
If you’ve lived in or visited Omaha, what hidden gem would you add to this list?
It is Popeye from Popeye the Sailor. I remember getting ready for school and watching Popeye at 7AM daily before catching the bus. Not only kids, but our parents watched with us too. The famous spinach-powered man, his love interest Olive Oyl, with pencil-thin arms and legs, and the muscular, mean man Bluto were amazing.
I used to love those characters and used to wait for the right moment when Popeye would eat spinach and become a powerhouse, sending Bluto to the moon or some remote place with a punch. Hillarious.
You know what? The irony is that Popeyes, a fast-food restaurant, doesn’t offer vegetarian options and is famous for chicken. One is near my house, and it always reminds me of my favorite cartoon character.
What about you? Do you have a favorite cartoon character or show from your childhood that brings back fond memories? Share your thoughts and nostalgic moments in the comments below—I’d love to hear about the cartoons that shaped your early mornings and made you laugh!
