I haven't quite figured out what I want to put on this page yet, but I know that I want to share a little bit about me and my goofiness beyond the work.

For now, here are some small-talk starters in case you run into me and want to talk about any of these topics:

I won't easily be able to answer "where are you from?"
I am ethnically Indian (with ancestors from both sides of the modern day India-Pakistan border), was raised in Oman and still call it home, studied in Qatar and Pennsylvania, grew in Silicon Valley, and have settled in beautiful Sacramento, California. My extended family lives primarily in India, parents live in Oman, and my brother's family lives in Jersey City, New Jersey.

I am vegan
*insert joke here about how you know someone is vegan, because they tell you* See, this one is hard not to share, because cruelty to animals and meat consumption of the world is at the back of every vegan's mind all the time. Maybe it is because the world doesn't have many food options for us. I am very much an animal lover, even though that doesn't translate to wanting pets. I made the switch from being a meat eater to a vegeterian at the age of 10, and then to being a vegan at the age of 25. That said, I occasionally socially eat dairy, because I'm human, have cravings, and often can't find a vegan option at an affordable price.

My music tastes depend on my mood.
At different times of my life, I have loved Adnan Sami, Shakira, RD Burman, Junoon, Celine Dion, and so on. So you can clearly tell how unclear my actual preferences are.

I am unsavvy when it comes to gadgets and gizmos.
My phone, laptop, mouse, etc. are pretty beat up and old and basic. I find it exhausting to keep up with the latest in gadgets and gizmos.

I love VICE.
I have a mild-obsession with the work of the journalists of the news media organization VICE (but not necessarily the culture of their organization). I become weak in the knees when I think of their work. I also really appreciate the news media outlet NewsLaundry.

I am getting picky about the problems I want to be involved with.
I no longer care to work on problems that don't have significant scientific and social complexity and uncertainty about them. Combine that with my disinterest in working on thing which contributes to the inequalities of resources around the world, and you get very limited options.