What a year 2011 was! As most of you may or may not know, I love learning. I think that’s one thing that will never stop.  This year I’ve learned a lot, more than probably any other year in the past five or so years.  There are moments or key moments that I remember that brought me here to 2012. The transition from a child to teenager is a key moment; high school is a key moment; college is a key moment; your first job is a key moment.

In 2011, a lot of things happened, both in my business and personal life.  Some may call them bad, some may call them learning experiences, some call them good, really depends on how you look at it. I like call them other things……we’ll leave it at that.  All joking aside, I’m really glad that everything happened. The current place I am in is where I want to be in, and I can truly say that I am happy. My family, the friends that know and supported me all the way, and my goals in my professional career, that are coming closer and closer to my dreams. I don’t have dreams of grandeur, but sometimes it’s good to day dream just a little.  I met plenty of people this year too, some are now very close friends who are more family now then friends – very easy to hang out with them and fall asleep on their couch.  However, there are a few people I wish that I think should have still stayed. My mom always says “people who need to be in your life, will be there, people who don’t will go.”

I believe that in most situations and ideally it makes sense. If you don’t get along or maybe there are some people that just have opposite goals or paths or even thoughts or maybe you just don’t like them….but sometimes you run into people that are similar in every way but still you have a choice between two things. The forked road every person brought into the world must face. A crossroad. Whichever path we choose, we lose something and gain something. But are there really only two paths to a forked road? Or are there infinite paths we should look for, paths that we should take. At some point those paths will meet again, and on that day we’ll once again be faced with the same decision.

So back to business! Can you believe it’s almost been give years since Asia Today first hit the streets of Arizona?!! I can’t. We’re approaching our 5 year anniversary this year, and plenty of changes are taking place. Asia Today is the only newspaper to hit outside the major metropolitan area. Our spider-reach through our internet marketing and Facebook marketing campaigns have brought us to mostly ever corner in the United States. We have over 1000+ page views a month with a facebook reach of 700+ on every post, every album, and every event we cover. That is just some small statistics to digest. I get really hesitant sometimes when I use the phrase “Asia Today is the only” or “we are the only,”, etc.  In the niche market of the South Asian community, we definitely have covered every corner that we can.  Thank you everyone for your support, dedication, and time. This truly is a newspaper that this community is helping and is involved in every way.  Continue to look out for more local coverage with the growing South Asian community in Arizona.

Raja Walia
Publisher, Asia Today
publisher@asiatodayaz.com

The End or The Beginning?

Do you have your new year’s resolution ready? I have mine, it’s going to be………..well sorry I can’t really say! It’s personal!  I like this time of year because a lot of change happens at the end of the year, or Q4 in business lingo. I know what most people say “well we shouldn’t wait until the end of the year”…. I think we should! It really gives us a chance to reflect. It’s hard to know what the wrong or right answer is or what we should have done or shouldn’t have. It takes time for us to realize that. That’s why I think that the time of change is really the end of the year. I always think about the year, the people I met. Some I still talk to, some just weren’t meant to be. Certain people I would have prefer to stay but looking at it now, I think it’s better that they didn’t. Nothing against anyone, but I think it’s always beneficial to surround yourself with people that help you move forward and fit with what you’re trying to do. Ideas / thoughts can be different but as long as we are all moving forward and improving not only ourselves but the people around us, that’s what we should be doing. Moving forward just like the year is.

It was a bad year, it was a good year…it doesn’t matter let’s make the next year even better! I am a little hesitant about 2012 though on a personal note…2012 is approaching and I can’t help to think about what’s going to happen next year. This year we lost many great visionaries and individuals who will surely be missed.  Who is next? Who will be the one to take their spot? What’s the next big invention that is going to make our life easier or maybe more difficult? If the Mayan calendar is correct and let’s say I am an avid believer, then after December 2012 we might not be here.  As rational as I am and as much belief as I have in all these “end of the world”, “doomsday” theories, the Mayan calendar for some reason doesn’t leave my head.  The Calendar is not a calendar as we know it today; it’s actually a prophetic table of events both a past and present.  Imagine if you will, something that has been around since 5^th century BC will no longer be around anymore.  The idea is of course “we’re all going to die”. I am not saying I believe it’s going to be the end of the world or anything, I think if the universe was going to pick a day to end, I would hope it wouldn’t be near Christmas. In fact I would hope that the end of the world comes right before Tax Season .  However, out of all the other crazy talk about Y2K and the other world ending events that I have ignored, I am very curious about what will happen on December 21st, 2012.

Thank you everyone for your support this year. I would like to say that this year was the year for our culture to shine in Arizona. There were so many events and so much involvement with the community that it definitely kept us busy.  Asia today is getting older and our reach is getting farther and farther every year. Congratulations to India Association for putting together the 10^th annual Discover India.  The event had an amazing turnout. The performances were amazing and the food was out of the world. Thank you to the vendors, the organizers, the volunteers and everyone that helped put together this event.  A lot of changes are coming to Asia Today in 2012, so be on the lookout! Happy New Year to Everyone, I know it’s early but my next note will be in 2012.

Raja Walia
Publisher, Asia Today
publisher@asiatodayaz.com

People: I have a lot to learn in this world.  In fact, I don’t think the fire or that thirst for knowledge will ever end in me. Knowledge to me is like a drug that I crave, the more I know, the more I question: Why does this work? How does this happen? Where is this place? Questions upon questions run through my mind. For my work, it is my job to ask question 8 (or more) hours a day.  For the last 8 years in the marketing industry, I’ve learned a lot about people and the way they think or in some cases “not think”. I’ve been told by many people that I “think differently and I still prefer that to “you’re weird”. Natural reaction is to ask “what makes me weird”…the response I usually get is “I don’t know, you just are”.  They call me weird.  A person recently told me a reason that stuck out in my mind, they said that the reason I am weird is because “it’s very easy to tell what you’re feeling”.  If you know me personally and I say personally, because the person I am when I am at work, like most people, are different.  I don’t handle personal relationships like I do a business partnership or a client for us consultants out there.  This “analysis” that led to me being weird stuck in my head.  “It’s very easy to tell what you’re feeling”. In this world, I find that a very funny thing to say, because it’s as if people want someone to be fake to them. One thing I was told when I was growing up about my culture from my mom and dad is that when “we do anything in this world, we do it with all our heart and soul”. If you study, then study as if that’s the last thing you will do, study with such ferocity that the teacher has to find ways to challenge you. If you have to fight, fight to defend and protect, and fight with such vigor that it should take one hit for the person to realize “maybe I should back away”. If you care or love someone, do it with all your heart so there isn’t a doubt left. There are many that can’t handle that level of honesty; it’s almost overwhelming. It’s something that, now, is such a foreign concept, it’s well…weird.  I’ve also heard this “how can you be so obvious about what you’re feeling?” It’s a simple answer really…..I don’t feel the need to lie to make myself appear or seem like something I’m not.  People who understand that I have known and will know for many years, people who don’t usually haven’t stuck around. SO! The biggest question of all, do I surround myself with people that think I’m weird, or people who think I am honest… www.facebook.com/asiatodayaz (leave your response on the wall titled “publisher note: “your response here”).

Diwali: Happy Diwali to all of Arizona! Out of the many holidays celebrated, my favorite has to be Diwali.  The history and the concept behind Diwali is something that is universal regardless of culture/religion/race etc.… Diwali has different meanings in different cultures; however, the basic idea is that good will triumph evil and light will prevail dark.  I think that this can be applied to many events in life.  No matter how dark the times, there is always a light that will out shine it. It may not come today, tomorrow, or even as soon as we would hope, but it will. The worst thing we can do in these times is to give into the darkness and let it consume us. It’s very easy to blow out a candle, but it takes time to make the wax the wick will sit on and to find fire in order for the candle to be used.  There are times in our lives were we all have asked “why me? What did I do?”  There isn’t a conspiracy or a plan someone has created for the sole purpose to make a life miserable. If someone has, I would love to meet them. It’s always been true that who I was, who I am, and who I will be is based on myself and myself alone.  I can choose whichever path and any direction I want, but no path is lit for me. There is no path that I will ever come across that has already been lit, the entire future is dark. Wherever I go whichever path I choose, I have to light the way for myself.  The celebration of light over dark and good over evil… Happy Diwali Everybody.

“It is in the darkness that one finds the light, so when we are in sorrow, the light is nearest of all to us – Meister Eckhart”

Raja Walia
Publisher, Asia Today
publisher@asiatodayaz.com