Lives of Others for yours to copy

I was born a slobbering blabbering idiot, and then I learnt to observe others and picked up on their good manners, which made me who I am today.

My long lost friend Arun taught me to always unlock the passenger side door of your own car first when you have company.

My late aunt Hashi khala taught me how to pay sincere compliments to others, (she used to insist that I look like Tom Hanks, but even if I didn't see the resemblance, I would be flattered nevertheless).

My good old friend Paul M keep his trousers creaseless by hanging them on collapsible wooden hangers from the legs. I bought similar hangers after watching him.

My brother-in-law, Ehsan bhai is the most meticulous packer. He taught me how to use boxes as luggage.

My sister, Urmi is the best photo archiver. She diligently captions every single photo and keeps them in separate albums. After forgetting many details, I now try to put captions of date, time, people and place on my digital archive.

My college buddy, Mostafiz, is the most generous tipper. I follow his lessons in tipping waitstuff in restaurants.

I made friends with two flower shop owners from Missouri, Rodney Dillon and Dan Hill back in 1999. Dan showed me how to pack trousers in a suitcase so that they retain shape during traveling.

Jyo, my college buddy, has the best music taste. I learned to listen to Jazz and African music from her collection.

Sunil Malapati, my good friend from Chicago, has the best taste in movies. Following his advice, I started going to the Music Box for the obscure movies, and it changed my life.

Sean O'Neill, my college buddy holds the door open for his friends all the time. I picked up the habit by observing him.