High School Part III : Interview for admission in Mission High School

We were called at 9:00 AM on Aug 24th for our interview session. I and Tanya got ready and reached school 10 to 15 minutes early. It’s important that you get to your appointment a little early especially at a new place so that you have some cushion of time in case you get a bit lost. This also helps the kids learn the importance of keeping time.

Once inside the office we again met with the Registrar. Her name is Mimas. She was very nice and accommodating. I remember speaking to her the last day of previous school year and she patiently helped me to understand the pros and cons of moving to Mission High school from Milpitas High School. She took our filled in papers and also helped us a bit to prepare for the interview. She led us to the office of Vice Principal. Her name is Diana Brumbaugh and she has been in this role for the last 2 years. She saw the 8th grade report card of Tanya and also her STAR test report. She said Tanya qualifies for the Honors class of all three subjects i.e. Maths, Science and English.

If anyone is interested to know what an Honors class means then it’s correct to say that Honors class in High School is GATE class equivalent of Elementary/Middle School. However, Honors and AP classes are entirely different. More about AP classes in later posts.

The Asstt. Principal also told us that 2 years of foreign language credit is required for the UC college system. Tanya though had taken Spanish 1 in middle school still opted for Spanish 1 in High school as she felt she didn’t learn well in her Middle school after the first three months. Guess the teacher couldn’t excite her enough to have interest in a new foreign language. This also shows how critical is good teacher for your children’s during their formative years. I also didn’t object much in Tanya selecting Spanish I over Spanish II as I am a firm believer of taking baby steps rather than just jump in for the heck of it unless you are brilliant or have God gifted talent. I have seen folks back in India who use to secure tons of marks in their school but when it comes to competition they almost never used to make it. So just learning for getting good marks is not my style. Do you have an opinion on this; send me your comments. She will take Spanish II in her Sophomore Year (Grade 10) and these two years will count as one of the requirement of the UC system.

Tanya chose Maths and Science Honors but I was of the opinion that she should pick Math and English Honors. I think she is still average in her science concepts and taking a regular science class will help in a gradual and effective learning.

The Asstt. Principal was nice to accommodate our request for a few more days to decide between Science and English Honors. I guess Tanya would be wise to decide Math and English Honors. That’s Dad’s instinct; no logic

High School Part II : Admission Requirement

This is part 2 of the 5 series write up that I thought I will write explaining the High School Admission Procedure. Since we all moved from Milpitas to Fremont in Aug 2009 we were considered new students in Mission High vs. regular students at Milpitas High. Being regular students have a slight advantage during the admission process as it is more regimented and school keeps you aware of the admission requirements and some of the procedures for regular students are completed while your child is in the middle school itself. However, being a new student in a new school district also is not a big deal provided you have ensured that all your documents is in order.

I filled up a couple of forms for Tanya on the first day the High school office opened on Aug 17th. The registrar later gave me a few more papers to fill in and bring it back along with my daughter for an appointment on Aug 24th with perhaps, the counselor. I guess this meeting might be to find out what subjects my daughter need to pick up or there is any scope for any honors classes. Frankly, I think the lesser Honors classes she takes the better it is as she will then gradually move to difficult subjects rather than jumping right in.

Here are the documents the high school asks in case you are coming from other school districts. You have to pick at the minimum one document from each set and submit to school with other regular forms

Current Picture ID
1. California’s Driver License
2. California State ID Card
3. Government ID Card
4. Valid Passport or consulate issued picture ID
5. Credecial para votar Mexicana (for Mexicans)
6. ID from home country
Current Original Document
1. Valid California Vehcile registration
2. Social Security Card
3. W-2 Form, state or federal tax returns files w/in the past 12 months
4. pay check issued by employer with both employer’s and employees name and address imprinted on pay check
Current Original Property Related Document
1. Property Tax bill or Close of Escrow statement
2. Rental or Lease agreement; name of landlord / landowner’s name, address and phone number must be printed on the documents
Current Bills
1. Utility bill / Cell phone bill
2. Car insurance bill
3. State agency mail, housing authority voucher
4. Official business mail (i.e. bank statement, health insurance document, credit card statement, etc)

In addition to the above documents you need to ensure that you also arrange for the child’s immunization records and their birth certificates (passport will do as well)

We Moved

We recently (on Aug 7th ) moved from our own house in Milpitas to a rental home in Fremont. This move was, courtesy, being able to send our elder daughter to supposedly one of the best schools in America, Mission San Jose High School.

I have read both good and bad reviews of Mission San Jose High School. The bad reviews are mostly centered around the fact that kids may not get a chance to do anything else but academics and hence misses out on developing an all round personality. The good reviews are mostly centered around how this school forces you to channelize your energies towards academics for you to be successful in your later years.

I am still not taking sides and will share my experience as we move along with our daughter in her High school journey. However, I really liked one feedback about the school that the school refuses to take mediocrity lying down. The school seems to push the students to work hard. It's high time that school system in US pushes the high school students, at the minimum, to compete in an increasingly flatter world given a very sedentary educational lifestyle till middle school years in US vs. cut throat pressure in many asian countries.

I am crossing my fingers and hope for the best for our move and a good high school experience ahead for my daughter.

Death Panel

When Sarah Palin recently coined this term “Death Panel” as a comment to the provisioning of the funding of doctor’s and other providers for end of life assistance in the Obama’s new health care reform plan;; her words resonated across the country.

While in true sense there is no Death Panel in the health care reform plan, however, I would be surprised if Sarah Palin would lose the opportunity on keeping the lead foot on this. There is a reason why “Death Panel” resonated from East to West and North to South in US. There are many amongst us who within us don’t support the idea of medical insurance for all. Consider for a moment; a hiker getting rescued from a treacherous part of a steep climb in an uninhabited mountain. Who pays the bill for the rescue? It is us, the tax payer. Why? Shouldn’t the hiker who took more risk should be made to pay for his / her rescue?

There is a similar feeling against the new Obama’s Health Care Reform Plan as well. People who have insurance may feel that people who don’t have insurance are getting their medical coverage at the cost of insured Americans. Why should the insured continue to pay for the uninsured persons? Capitalistic society as we have in US feel very strongly about why an uninsured person who goes to ER needs to be funded by the tax payers and that’s the genesis of the heated debate that we are seeing across the town hall meetings in the country.

But the problem is out of approx 48 million uninsured Americans there are many who actually had the health insurance but because of the economic conditions resulting in job losses etc lost their health benefits as well. The capitalist mind is not willing to pay for the people who they think have lost or not capable of getting the health insurance as their problems and not the problems of people who are keeping their benefits.

According to me there should be a simple solution. Health Insurance should be made affordable and accessible to everyone. Those who don’t opt for it should do at their own risk and be fully accountable for it. Even if they come to an ER almost dying, tough luck dude! You chose to opt out of the system. So for those who opts out of the system should wear a clean underwear and stash cash just in case they meet with accident

This system can not only protect the fibre of capitalism but it will also ensure the best of socialism (in offering the opportunity to everyone to take the health care benefits )to co-exist in a dignified manner Socialism can also co-exist in US.

Leadership Lessons From The Tour De France

The Tour de France that finished on July 26 in Paris was an epic three-week drama! Spain's Alberto Contador, riding for Team Astana, won the race. Next came Luxembourg's Andy Schleck, riding for Saxo Bank, followed by seven-time winner Lance Armstrong, who also rode for Team Astana.

I think hard-fought sporting competitions provide excellent lessons in leadership. The Tour de France gave us many teachable moments:

It Takes a Year to Win a Three-Week Race
Team Astana placed two riders in the top three. They won the team trial and the overall championship. This was team director Johan Bruyneel's ninth victory in the Tour de France. No other team director has come close. How does Bruyneel do it? Well, he recruits top riders, for sure. But more than that, he plans out the entire biking season--training and racing--at the beginning of the year. He communicates specific daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals to each of the team's nine riders. Bruyneel wins July's Tour de France in January.

You Must Be Willing to Suffer
The world's best bike riders are cardiovascular marvels. They are so gifted they could take a year off, fall out of bed and whip off 50 miles at a pace that would leave most club riders gasping. But to be a champion, a Tour rider has to work harder and be willing to suffer more pain than his competition. Lance Armstrong has won seven Tours because of his almost unique willingness to suffer. Did Lance's victory from cancer give him this edge? Probably. The equally gifted Greg LeMond, who won three Tours in the 1980s, ultimately found the suffering unbearable to sustain over years.

Science and Technology Matter
French cycling fans are upset! No French rider has won the Tour since Bernard Hinault in 1985. How can that be? In this fascinating New York Times story, writer Juliet Macur fingers technology. She writes:
"Bradley Wiggins, the Garmin-Slipstream rider who has ridden for French teams, said that the French were 'stuck in the past' regarding technology and nutrition. 'In terms of the aerodynamics and the equipment, their mentality is, well, you should just get on with it because Bernard Hinault won the Tour like that and you should be grateful,' he said. 'That's the kind of attitude they have. They are really behind in the scientific side of the sport.'"

Teamwork Will Prevail
Even as Team Astana put Contador and Armstrong on the podium and won the overall team victory, another team managed to dazzle fans around the world. That was the American team, Columbia HTC, whose sprinter, Englishman Mark Cavendish, won six stages. How did Cavendish do it? Teamwork. In every stage win, including the final Sunday dash along the Champs Elysees, Cavendish was paced by teammate George Hincapie, who would sprint to the lead with a kilometer to go and shield Cavendish from the wind. Then, with a few hundred meters to go, another teammate, Mark Renshaw ("the lead out man") would overtake the tiring Hincapie and let Cavendish ride in his slipstream. When Cavendish finally burst to the lead with scant meters to go, he was fresh. What I admired most about Cavendish was his lavish praise for Hincapie and Renshaw, the teammates who sacrificed themselves.

Keep Your Eye on the Long Game & Praise your Teammates effort
Contador won the Tour de France and proved himself the complete and superior rider over three weeks. But Contador also managed to alienate the other riders, including Armstrong, who is forming a new team (sans Contador) for next year's Tour. The best-ever team director, Bruyneel, is likely to follow Armstrong. In other words, Contador, certainly the most talented rider, may land in a less-than-ideal team situation next year. The 26-year-old Contador has yet to learn the long game and this may haunt his quest to equal Armstrong's seven Tour wins.

My 2nd Half Marathon (San Francisco) Race Report

As with my First half marathon in San Francisco on Feb 1st, I decided to run my 2nd half marathon also in San Francisco on July 26th. The worst part of running a marathon/half marathon is you have to get too early in the morning to make to the start line in time. However, once you reach the start line you tend to forget the pain of getting up so early.

I got up at 3:00 AM and then after getting ready quickly went to Shiva’s house where I picked up my bib and then went to San Francisco along with Rajesh, Rajeev and Murali in Rajesh’s car. Thank you Rajesh for driving us to SFO and saving a few bucks for us in the process. I intend to return this gesture the next time.

After some customary Potta Potty line, I started in Wave 6 at 6:18 AM along with Siva.

Mile 0-5 : It was a breeze. No trouble and lots of energy. I was running very comfortably and was clocking around less than 12 minutes pace as I decided to drop my pace a little bit to finish strong. I lost some time as well while trying to call up Simmi in India and tell her that I was running this half marathon. Because of my sweat, I kept on pressing the wrong numbers for Simmi on the iPhone. I think it costed me around 7-8 minutes of my final time. But I was not worried as I was not in the competition to finish fast

Mile 5-10 : This part of the race was mostly on Golden Gate bridge and I was so excited to run on this historic bridge. You cannot run on this bridge except for this day of the year. However, I later realized that running on this bridge is not at all easy as the shape of the bridge is convex. You keep running uphill till almost 2/3rd of the bridge and that is quite hard. The weather was at its best. There were a few drops of rain or may be I will say the wetness from the overhead fog that made running a little easier. But the organizers must cover some of the iron plates which got wet because of the fog and were extremely slippery when you need to run through them. They could have just covered them with a rubber sheet. Anyways, while coming back after the half mile on the bridge my right feet near the arch started acting up. Not sure what wrong did I do the last Thursday before this run for a 2 mile run on the treadmill in the gym. The feet started to hurt but I ignored and pressed to keep moving.

Mile 10-13.1 : Shortly after leaving the Golden Gate bridge, I saw the 10 mile marker. That gave me some relief that the end is not far but by then my right feet was really hurting. I don’t know but your feet swells after running some miles and may be you need to tie you laces a bit easy. However, this goes against the conventional wisdom of tying your laces hard near your arch and the shoe will take care of any expansion of the feet. Reaching Mile 11 was difficult because of the pain in the right feet and I was wondering that where did all my training go. I trained so well that I was absolutely convinced that I will end this race strong. Mile 10 onwards was also quite brutal in terms of rolling hills. The last 3 miles I saw many runners struggling because of the rolling hills including myself. By the time I finished the race I was exhausted and in some pain that I knew was not a muscular pain. This was anti-climax to my original thought of finishing the race strong. Still no one can take my effort in finishing the race and completing my 2nd half marathon on a difficult course. My final time was 2:41:37 though I am convinced that I could have done this in less than 2:30:00 except for fumbling with my call during mile 5 and the stupid pain in my right feet.

Honest Broker

I am deeply touched with US President Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo, Egypt today. It again reflected the intellectual prowess that Obama possess. This is what President Obama does very well. Take two points of view -- communities or groups of people who look at the world differently and then build a bridge. And build that bridge without doing any disservice or disrespect to either side and to either's world view.

He's done this with whites and blacks in America, with liberals and conservatives -- and now of course on a global scale he's doing with the world of Islam and broadly speaking the rest of the world. His willingness to understand and apply common sense in proposing approaches to solution for vexed issues often mixed with perceptions is remarkable to say the least. His uncanny ability to distinguish facts from perception has already made him one of the world’s greatest leader.

President Obama today clearly showed the distinction between Muslim fundamentalist/extremist vs. Muslim as a whole. For too long US has been using the word terrorist synonymous with Muslims. President Obama’s speech in Cairo was gracious but not fawning, blunt but not patronizing. His call for a new beginning in relations between America and Islamic nations based on mutual interest and mutual respect should soften animosity among Islamic leaders who felt either ignored or abused by the Bush administration. Obama’s position on Israeli settlements was a significant departure from past Presidents. The evenhandedness of his criticism offers the hope that he may become a truly honest broker for Mideast peace. I was especially happy to see his decision not to balance a visit to Saudi Arabia and Egypt with a stop in Tel Aviv as an honest approach to find a real solution to a real problem.

Such frankness by a US President respected in the Arab world could break down entrenched positions that have stood in the way of progress and more often than not feeds into the rhetoric of Islamic extremists.