The World & Me

Filling up Facebook Updates Page :)

2011-01-10T03:26:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone,

All those people who are constantly bombarded by facebook showing updates I made, I'm sorry.
All those people who go to their facebook and see the whole news feed page filled up by me, I'm sorry.

I'm really sorry folks, please accept my humble apology.

I'm in the phase of taking baby steps back to facebook, social networking and my netlife as I call it.

Stay warm this winter.

Oh and new year resolutions almost done :).

Taking Baby Steps

2011-01-03T22:02:00.002-05:00

As I said in my last post, I'm taking this week to plan for this year. I have also been reminded that not only should I plan for this year but also form a broader vision for at least the next 5 years.

The 5 year plan vision initially was hazy, but is now becoming clear. It helps to put in small amounts of energy in it everyday rather a big burst of energy for 2 days and then recovering from that energy loss for 1 week. That takes me to my first resolution:

Sustainable Energy levels - at least till I can maintain my Mach 3 speed, I will be flying at lesser than Mach 1.

More later....

Happy New Year !!!

2011-01-02T08:51:00.003-05:00

New year is about new beginnings and I'm trying to make some too. One I had already made in the middle of this year - Marriage :).

Currently, on a break from everything and enjoying marital life. Learning process is on, just about a different subject. Anyways back to the topic....

A new year has begun yesterday and with it I have also decided to make new beginnings....

Would like to see myself more on the blogosphere.
Would like to see myself more in touch with the techie world (and I mean not just programming).
Would like to see myself pursuing my other interests.
Would like to see myself as a much fitter person.
Would like to see myself living a lifestyle I had always dreamt of since I have the resources for it (the active lifestyle, I had always thought of).

Now, can we call them new year resolutions, I don't think so. I would think of them as categories and sub-categories. New Year resolutions, as I understand, are like goals and they should be SMART (Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Timely). I believe, the 5 points above would help me make my new year resolutions. Haven't yet made them.

I'll be using the first week of January to assess last year and make my resolution. To keep myself on track, also planning to make a road map and a rough planner, so as to track the year and evaluate my progress thorought the year.

So, wish me luck as I wish all of you luck with forming your new year resolutions.

Wish all of you and your families a very happy and prosperous new year :) :)

Haleem Zindabad!!!

2010-09-07T08:32:00.002-04:00

This just in on cnn ibn....Haleem is about to become a state asset of Andhra Pradesh.

For those who don't know what it is, its a Ramzaan month special mutton delicacy, think of it as a mutton upma if you will with wheat and spices along with mutton. The dish has become so popular that it has now broken its seasonal bounds.

Traditionally, Haleem was found in Hyderabad only during Ramzaan. Since, its popularity has grown exponentially and reached foreign shores, a lot of places offer Haleem round the year now. So, next time you are in Hyderabad be sure to get your box of Haleem and enjoy the heavenly preparation :).

Back from Vacation with a changed name

2010-08-20T00:04:00.005-04:00

As I was getting ready to write this post I didn't remember when was the last time I wrote on cyberspace blogspace. This is maybe because of the chain of events took place after that. I always catch up with the latest on Bhai's Blog but haven't gotten a chance to write on my own. So, here I start again.

My last post was on my perspective on article I read in the paper which said that young Indian men think defense life lacks a sort of glamour. And I know what my last post said because before I started writing, I clicked on the View Blog link. Recieved interesting comments on it. The article was written in October, 2009. I haven't written anything after that because I got busy, lame excuse...you say. I say not this time.

I am genuinely late this time because from October to January, I was busy wrapping up end of year work and life stuff, meticulously putting all pieces together that made sense and discarding the worn out of pieces......because a new year was round the corner. And then with the new year came ground breaking news and lots of happiness.

In the new year, parents introduced us, and soon we decided to get married and now 8 months since I met him....I'm about 3 months married to my Prince Charming. And this is why I was busy and away from cyberspace. Now, as we settle into a normal routine (that's what he calls it, I call it married life), I'm back.

The 10 month vacation away from internet was very rejuvinating. Did stuff, met new people, made new friends, drove in Delhi, learning to manage staff, learning to be a wife and a student of life and GATE coaching. Lets see how I fair.

Hope life and world has treated all of you well.

Glamourous Life in the Indian Defense Forces

2009-10-12T21:58:00.005-04:00

Disclaimer: As an ex-IAF officer's daughter, I'm bound to be biased about this subject. I've actively tried to keep the bias at bay. Please feel free to leave me a comment, if you find my post preachy in any manner.

I don't claim to be a gyan guru, but I would just like to explore what a glamourous life is made up of and understand how it contrasts with the defense life. I agree that just like any other profession, the Defense profession has some pitfalls and a big factor of work place hazard. If one overcomes these situations, there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow - a life of valour, pride and all round personal & professional development. The other day, I read an article in Times of India that a lot of young Indians don't want to apply to the Indian Defense Forces as they don't find it as glamourous as an IT career.

With friends in the IT industry and I working in the financial industry, one thing I can definitely vouch for is that my father's life when he was serving in the IAF was of much higher quality than what I have. Whenever, he talks about the early phase of his career, I start contrasting it to mine, and I always think that I wish I had that luxury. I don't know about the people who took the survey or people in general, but personally I've always felt that life in the forces is of much higher quality which to me is the glamour quotient of the Indian Defense Forces.

When one talks about a glamourous life, especially middle class Indians like me and you, we would say that the celebrities and the likes of Shoba De and Vijaya Mallaya live a glamourous life. The fact is that we can also live a glamours life, we can also get to do horse riding, flying a micro-light, para sailing, taking out time to play a sport without worrying about a client deliverable and visit exotic locales. What I've just stated are things you would find on the recruitment page in the perks sections of the IAF, Indian Army or Indian Navy career website. As an insider, I can tell you that's all true. Just like the HR and Corporate leadership tell us that you have to show the enthusiasm and we'll make way for you, the same is true for the forces too. Coming back to glamourous life, I would list the following as characteristics for saying that though I'm a middle class Indian, I live a glamourous life:

Quality of life - A good balance of work and co-curricular activities.
Family Time - Getting to spend time with family and not working most of the waking hours of the day.
Conducive Environ - for personal and professional development for self and family.
Perks

Here, I would like to take a moment and remember the dialogue from the movie Vijeta, where Om Puri explains to Shashi Kapoor's son that Indian Defense Forces can also be viewed as a career option and not just with a patriotic fervour. Aren't the points listed above what we want from our careers? I don't know about you guys out there, I definitely dream of such a profession. Some place, where we are able to pursue our other interests, in addition to our professional demands. Money is important, but not at the cost of health and eating up family time. Though, there is also a second side of the coin.

When one enters the academy, the occupational hazard aspect starts and it only grows as you get commissioned and stationed at various stations. This occupational hazard includes anything from physical injury to death. As stated in the Heroes, another hindi movie that recently came out - that death is the death of martyr and its for pride and honour.

Honour to me is most important in life, and the defense life ensures that. The patriotism is inherent. You have to be a die-hard fan of India to survive the training and the profession there after.

All in all, to me a glamourous life is one which gives us the freedom to not only pursue our career but also pursue our interests and hobbies and a life of honour & pride. I would like to end by borrowing a part of Rabindranath Tagore's poetry that the training and career in defense force prepares you for a life "where the mind is without fear and the head held high."

Jai Hind.

My long hiatus

2009-09-21T13:38:00.002-04:00

Not too many people read my blog, but I'm always thankful to those who do. I get good pointers on improving my work. And I know all of you have reminded me many a times that its been long since I wrote anything.

Well, to all of you and those who are reading for the first time, I would like to say that I was on a long hiatus from one my loves...writing. I was cleaning my room the other day and I realised how long its been since I started writing.

Now, I'm no big poet or author, but yes coming from family that has always encouraged fine arts for both female and male children I picked up finer arts quiet early with the exception of painting and drawing. Dancing, writing and sports - 3 of the most important things for our family and me personally. Sadly, I've kept away from all those three for the longest time. No excuses, this time.

I'm done rationalising and agreeing that because of circumstances I kept away from them. No, that's not true...its all my karma and my choices. I'm happy, I made those "wrong choices", so that I could learn early what wrong choices result in. And my long hiatus taught me the following lessons:

Complacency doesn't help.
Dreams will materialise if dreamt from the heart.
You love someone. Then, no matter how much you fight or even wage a war with them - love conquers all.
Listen to everyone's advice, but make your own priorities and follow them with full faith and heart.
Never lose faith in the almighty. Religion does have the power to be a candle flame in the darkest hour.
Always listen to your heart - it never lies or manipulates.
Apologise immediately after the realisation that a mistake was committed.
Don't let stress get the better of you, it doesn't help at all.
Work isn't life, its a part of it.
Things happen, sometimes good, sometimes bad. Learn from the not so good experiences and enjoy the happy moments while they last.
Love is eternal and most soothing and biggest motivator. I'll save this one for another day.

All I can say, that I'm back after my long hiatus much wiser and ever more strong willed to fulfill my dreams. Its funny, just the other day, someone told me that I'm sentimental fool because I don't quantify everything that I don't give a number to everything.

He was quiet older to me, so I didn't want to argue with them. Moreover, he was just an acquaitence. Had he been family, I wouldn't have thought twice about stating my opinion. Coming back to the point - I have never quantified things for myself. This is because, I don't want to live life with parameters. God has given us all enough natural resources to lead a good healthy lifestyle, we only need to open our eyes and realise it.

Anyways, main point, I'm back on blogospher. I might be not as frequent on chats, orkut, facebook; but I promise to be regular here.

Half Wing earned

2009-04-29T23:04:00.002-04:00

No, I'm not a pilot; but our SX4 isn't less than the Sukhoi 30 MKI. And today was my solo flight.

At 0430 hrs I rolled out our Sx4 to go to the nearby Lingampally station to pick up mom and nanima who were coming from Pune. I taxied on the drive way. Reached the main road, put in one of the CDs Rohan had burnt and took off. I soared high on the speed lane and landed at the station in time. The return flight was slower with windows down and music playing and gupshup.

As I reversed and parked the car in the assigned parking space, I was told that I passed the exam with flying colours and have earned my half wing. The successful completion of the final exam will fetch me the full wing and the final exam is to drive in the bheed bhaad of Hyderabad to display ability in handling the traffic.

For now, I'm extremely happy and excited that I've passed the critical half way mark.

And keeping our IAF tradition alive. Successful complete of solo flight - Party tonight, Everyone's invited!!!

My Quarter Century Bash

2009-04-26T14:38:00.003-04:00

What does one do for their b'day? As the run rises, we wake up flanked with b'day kisses and hugs by our parents constantly being reminded by mom for getting ready quickly to go to the temple. Then, when we reach school, college or office, everyone lines up to wish us and expects sweets in return :). Then, in the evening we either have a huge party or go out for a quiet dinner and at the end of the day, we expect a B'day gift :D. To sum it up in one sentence, we celebrate our b'day in one day and its the day that is lined up with a lot of activities. Ever celebrated your b'day over 9 days, sounds like fun doesn't it?

Well, ladies and gentlemen I did and it was AWSOME.

Keeping the tradition on for doing something different every year for my b'day, I celebrated my b'day this year over 9 days by getting reacquainted with India.

Took one week off from work and went to see my folks at Ranchi, Patna and Delhi. Charted out my travel plans in a way that I get to experience all kinds of modes of transport. And boy!!, it was good fun.

Each sector of travel was educational and different from the other sector. It felt nice to be among people and still act as an outsider observing everyone and how people were interacting with each other. My sociology and anthropology classes came to my rescue. I was able to visualize many of the concepts I studied in these classes.

Kolkata Airport was the dirtiest of the lot and gave me the same feeling I get when I get off at the Chennai Railway station. The airport had flies and open garbage cans. I was quiet surprised to see that an airport can be in this shape also. Ranchi was a welcome break after this experience.

Ranchi is home. It was so good to be there, completely disconnected electronically except my cellphone. It just felt so nice to do nothing and take a break and Pratima fed us well. The Ranchi air completely cleared my head. And whatever was left was gone after I went to Kali Mandir and then Pahadi Mandir. Then, I packed my bags and was off to Patna for a couple of days.

Baby phua & phuphaji and Neetu Phua & Kishore completely pampered me - awsome garisht food, chocolates, jalebis. I felt like I was 12 years old again. After getting pampered, having a nice evening tet-e-tet with baby phua on marriage, I was off to New Delhi ( Rajdhani, as Capt Akbar from Lakshya would call it, I'm sort of very fond of the movie).

New Delhi was quiet an experience. I learnt the importance of checklists and being doubly careful of my belongings, as I almost lost my identity at the New Delhi station. Many thanks to Afreen for keeping my bag safe with her and taking the troubles of finding my phone number and informing me. I briefly spoke to her on the train, but she was such a God sent. After that initial hiccup, the ride was smooth like butter. Met up with Chotu phua, phuphaji, Mikki, Tinku Bhaiya and Annu after such a long time. Then, Abhay papa organised a lunch party for us, where I met Choti Ma, Chomps, Chutchut mama, mami and Ayonija. Ayonija was slightly confused to see me in Delhi, after all she is only 3 yrs old. Once she realised that I was the same Neha Didi, we were inseparable friends again. Had tons of fun with Tinku bhaiya and Annu as well. I didn't know that they were also like me and Sport, playing throw-ball of words all the time. I got to spend about a day and a half in Delhi, but I was able to gather up a lot of memories :D :D. On 18th April, it was time for me to head back to Hyderabad - my karm bhoomi.

I had one long train ride to Hyderabad where the bogey attendant and pantry guys were extra helpful to me and I sometimes grew suspicious of their generosity. I believe it was all in good spirit of taking care of me as I was traveling alone, but being fully responsible.

Turning 25 is a big deal, not just for men but for women too. Mom was right, the switch finally flips. I feel much more responsible and focus seems to be much much more clear than about a year ago. Thus, taking the trip to finally find myself was very important and fruitful.

Just as we all like a cherry on top of a sundae, the cherry on my B'day Bash Sundae was the Emotional Intelligence class I took after coming back.

So have you had this much fun on your b'day lately?

Life is a river and Career Plans Volatile

2009-03-17T12:19:00.004-04:00

Mom always taught us that our life should be like a flowing river if we want to be successful. What I want to add to it is that Career Plans also follow the same course, atleast that's what my perception is. I once wrote in my Book Club assignment we can learn a lot by observing the nature.

The mountains, rivers, gorges, canyons, forest all tell us one thing sure - change happens. And ones who survive are the ones who survive the change ie, adapt to it. Taking the example of a river. A river, in its course, encounters numerous boulders, crevices and rocks, but it finds a way around it every time. However, if the river isn't able to find a way it forms a lake or a pond where the water is stagnant. And staganant water is the breeding ground for germs and bacteria. Drawing a comparison one's life should also be like a flowing river so it keeps flowing and moving. When we become stagnant, we start to rot. Career plans, in my mind, follow the same course of action.

As kids in a playgroup we all aspired to become ice-cream wala, pop-corn wala, balloon wala and hawa mithai (read cotton candy) wala. Then, we reached Primary and Secondary school and we were fascinated by each profession and our career goals changed every time we learnt about a new profession - Defense, Medicine, Engineering, Law, Public Service etc. We reached 10th standard and now we had to narrow down on the stream we were interested in - arts, commerce or science. We all say that it is this choice that determines which way we are headed because this is the point of no return. This choice is governed by a vague idea of what we want to study in college. Once we reach college we are asked to decide what we want to do and set it in stone. This is where I disagree, I believe just as our career plans are getting shaped by each new information we recieve in school and college; we should be able to continue with this practice even after we join the workforce. We should be able to make changes like going from being a software engineer to Defense Officer or Bureaucrat. In my mind, we shouldn't really keep a secret ambition always a secret, rather we should try our best to take a shot at it as soon as possible so that we don't regret it later. Speaking of which here is a piece written on Regret, by my good friend Deep.

2 out of 3 & Sachin is back

2009-03-09T21:36:00.006-04:00

What a match!! Yes, I'm talking about the 3rd ODI played between India and New Zealand. An absolute treat for the eyes. Over 600 runs scored with maximum number of sixes in a cricket match ever and Sachin coming close to breaking his own record for runs made in ODI by a player.

Sachin, I'm sure, has shut up his critics and news stories that were suggesting its time he should focus on other aspects of the game. One thing all these so called critics need to understand is that as far as us Indians are concerned Cricket is the religion and Sachin is the GOD. Just because he hasn't forayed into T-20 full flegedly or got out on a low score in a match or two, one can't rule him out of cricket. There is still a lot of Test Cricket and ODI left in him. He showed his true calibre and reminded everyone why the opposition can never take India easily if Sachin is batting.

With Sehwag and Gambhir out cheaply, Sachin seem to easily slip into his usual role of seeing India through. His batting was a treat to watch, 6's, 4's in every direction. I was slightly tensed as Saching headed towards his century and he was also taking precautions. Once, he crossed his century, boy he came all out for next 50 runs. Watching him raise his bat after his 150 was quiet over-whelming. I think Sachin played his ususal game because he didn't have to worry about the players on the other end. He knew that he could pace his innings and doesn't need to get runs in a hurry.

Yuvraj and Sachin put up quiet a show and made sure that Kiwis start to miss Daniel Vettori. Later, Dhoni and Sachin consolidated the innings. Unfortunately, Sachin had to leave the field when his score reached 163 because he pulled a muscle in his stomach. Kiwis couldn't heave a sigh of relief because Raina in his short and crisp innings reminded the black caps that Indian batting line up isn't over. India's batting reminded me of the Old South African team and how I used to dread watching those matches till the last wicket partnership and well we do have the opener from that team as our coach. As the match unfolded, Kiwis seem to get dis-heartened more. However, the batsmen were able to salvage back the pride for the black caps.

McCullum and Ryder came all out. They didn't seem to have given up on the match. The Indian fielding was quiet lax with 2 dropped catches, dear Mahi leading the way for this one. It seemed as though they were missing Sachin's pepping them up all the time. I know I missed him during the fielding and the balling. And then, I believe a little pixie sprayed some magic dust over our dear "Men in Blue & Orange" and we struck gold.

Just as a house of cards falls even if you move one card, the black cap line up seem to fall apart as soon as the first wicket went down. And we thought that the match is over. Then, came Mills and Southee and Dhoni looked as he has never looked before - worried that an easy win was slipping out of India's reach. As far as I was concerned, there was only one culprit for this botch - up: Munaf Patel.

Definitely felt like killing Munaf Patel after every ball he bowled. What a mess - 6's raining in his overs. And then if that wasn't enough, major insult - Munaf removed from the over just after 2 balls in his over because both of them were waist high no balls. Yusuf was brought in to finish that over and salvage our pride back.

India proved that they are a well gelled team now and Yusuf and Zaheer took revenge of their fellow bowler brother. Zaheer took a brilliant catch of Mills of Yusuf's last ball when he was finishing up Munaf's left over balls. Zaheer's agression was phenomenal when he completed Mills catch, it was like hey umpire now you can't do anything Mills is out. Praveen Kumar came for his next over and finished the game by taking a caught and bowled of the last batsmen.

In conclusion, I would like to borrow the reaction of Deep and say that the match was WOW. I know I couldn't have asked for a better weekend hungama and excitement after a few busy weeks at work.

Kudos to England - An objective opinion

2008-11-23T21:41:00.003-05:00

Yes, India won yesterday. In my opinion though, they didn't win fair and square and England should be praised for their guts. Two players require special mention - Owais Shah and Ishant Sharma, in this closely contested match. After all, the winning margin was mere 20 runs. I'm not a traitor, merely offering an objective opinion free of bias of favourite team.

Yes everyone, India won the rain affected one day match at Bangalore with a small margin of 20 runs. I have a different opinion though, in my mind the match was won by the English lions.

The English team was good in all departments of the game and India wasn't except for the blazing start by Sehwag and Gambhir. At this point, you might say that Sachin opened the innings. Sadly he failed to fire and was bowled out by a brilliant delivery of Stuart Broad fairly early in the match at a personal score of just 11 runs. The rain couldn't seem to deter the English determination, but seem to have affected the Indian spirits a little.

The Indian bowling attack wasn't as sharp as the English bowling attack. The English bowlers looked like lions out on a prowl to get their prey where as the Indian bowlers tried to be flashy since they had the runs on the scoreboard. The target for England was the main reason for me being pro-England yesterday.

I think it was unfair to set a target of 198 runs in 22 overs for England when India made 166 runs in their alloted 22 overs. This is why I feel that India didn't win the match fair and sqaure.

It doesn't make sense that India and England both get to play 22 overs, first team makes 166 runs and the second team has to make 198 runs to win the match. All kudos to the England team for putting up a heroic fight, special mention for Owais Shah.

Shah caused major damage in the Indian bowling morale. Dhoni, for the first time looked quiet tensed to me. Due to Shah's powerful batting, a once impossible target of 198 runs in 22 overs suddenly looked possible. As if Indian players finely came to their senses and started paying attention on the field because they realised that they can't relax till the match is over. The performance that the Indian team had yesterday couldn't have been fruitful if they were defending 166. The only Indian player I would like to mention is Ishant Sharma.

After getting his much needed hair-cut, Ishant seem to be concentrating more on the game. He was good with the ball and while fielding too. The first English wicket that came for India was caught by Ishant Sharma with a brilliant right diving catch. I don't want to mention Sehwag, Gambhir or Yuvraj because it is their job to bat the way they did. Special mentions should be for those who aren't expected to perform they way they did. Thus, special mention for England for playing a match winning innings under the cloud of the inflated target.

The main point of my appreciation for English team is their spirit. Not even for split second did it appear that they had given up on the thought of winning this fourth one day match. If Shah would have stayed on, the English score card would've read differently and India would be trailing the series 3-1. All kudos to England for their brilliant performance and India need to pull up their socks. This doesn't imply that India isn't my favourite team or I'm a traitor of any kind, not supporting the national team.

I'm merely offering an objective opinion, free from the bias of which is my favourite team. I will still cheer and support the Indian team whenever and wherever they play. One also should applaud and appreciate the opponent's spirit, after all we might just learn something from them. We might learn how we could have won the World Cup final against Australia. It is only when we appreciate and respect the opponent strengths, we become great warriors and we need to become just that if we are to become One Day Team No.1.

So how do you tell an Indian guy about manners

2008-07-28T20:30:00.003-04:00

One of the most difficult things is communication and especially if a girl has to tell the guy that he isn't minding his manners. Time and again I've been told that my criteria is too stringent or too childish, but I say that these are general etiquettes one follows even when with friends or at least they should, You decide. Telling someone about manners is awkward and especially if its a guy because then you have to be careful that they don't perceive as an attack on their ego.

Trust me, I know, I learnt it the hard way. The only guys who would listen to me tell them about their manners are my brothers. Most of my male friends feel I'm offending them. The only thing is that I can't help it because I can't stand bad manners and so I'm treading forward on my journey of expressing my displeasure at bad manners. I'm very surprised to see how ill-mannered guys are becoming now a days.

Simple things like punctuality, table manners, not screaming on the top of your lungs and blowing everyone's head off for no reason are fast becoming rarity. Even the language usage is becoming more and more rude and ill-mannered. All this is going un-noticed because they are being hidden under the veil of increasing buddy feelings towards each other. Being buddies doesn't imply talking like rowdies. Our parents had buddies too and they didn't talk to them like their mouths needed to be rinsed with soap first.So, please guys, I don't appreciate bad language.
And if you think I'm being childish, stay away from me because you are going to get that lecture.

And the most important thing which I just thought of while writing this post - "Just because I mind my manners with you, don't get the misconception that you have a special place in my life. You don't. "

So, friends if you are under that misconception take it out of your brains right now, because its not going to do you any good. I mind my manners with everyone because I believe in good manners. Special place is for someone who already minds his manners and doesn't have to be told about it by me and be rest assured, if I haven't appreciated your manners till now or have given you a lecture.....You aren't the Knight in Shining Armour for me.

Atlanta Rocks

2008-07-03T10:11:00.007-04:00

Rock Climbing, trekking and Wii - the 3 reasons why Atlanta is the most rocking place for me.

Bhaiya took us rock climbing yesterday and we (Bhai and Me) absolutely loved it. The place was called Atlanta Rocks and experience ws absolutely rocking :) - cheeky, I know.

Wii (advised by mom, I converted the name into a link - for everyone who doesn't know what Wii is)is the second reason for Atlanta rocking so much. Loving it completely and totally hooked to it.

Trekking is coming up next :).

Money unifies siblings

2008-06-27T21:06:00.007-04:00

Don't be misguided by the headlines, its a neat journalism trick to attract your attention towards my post. Yes people, yet again I'm talking about two of the closest siblings of subcontinent cricket - India and Pakistan and something I noticed while catching up with the highlights of the Asia Cup match played yesterday.

Firstly, the match was an absolute batsmen's game, both sides batted beautifully and fielded shabbily. At times, I felt both teams hadn't gotten over their match with the minnows and were tired during fielding. Special commendation to the bowler's for not being tardy while bowling. Though, India was better on the day with a little bit of help from luck; we all know "Luck favours the brave" and our MIB were brave today. Sehwag back in form and Raina priming at the right time. Dhoni, Yuvi and Sharma left only to do the formalities. Dhoni was impressive with hitting the winning runs as a sixer. Highlights were a lot of fun to watch because I just felt like there were only 6's and 4's hit in the game. So, now that I've recapped the game; I must return to the main point of my post. I noticed something very peculiar while watching the highlights - at the National Stadium in Karachi, the venue of the match, most of the sponsorship boards belonged to Indian companies.

As I watched Pakistani and Indian batsmen hit the bowlers around the park, I noticed that most of the sponsorship boards belonged to Indian companies. It made me realise that economic ties are quiet penetrated, whatever the political climate may be, and in a way is one of the unifying bonds for us siblings - India and Pakistan (the other factors being - music, hindi movies and theatre). I was reminded of the scene from the Sunny Deol movie Gadar, where Sunny is reminded of the ongoing trade relations between the two countries post independence and partition. As I was reminiscing about the movie, I was brought back to the present by a superb six hit by Sehwag. Looking at those sponsorship boards, I was re-assured that some day, the attempts by the forces outside the family will be defeated forever and both us siblings will live and prosper in peace. For that is what both of us want and need, if we are to prosper.

Also - my second blog - Drishtikon. All credit to Bhai for coining the name. See, if you like it.

Murgi par hamla top (Canon) se

2008-06-25T19:33:00.010-04:00

Yes, ladies and gentlemen our dearest MIB (Men In Blue) crushed Hong Kong with a 256 run victory. I remember the days when 256 was a competitive target, but in modern day cricket with the likes of Tendulkar, Dhoni, Yuvraj any target below 300 doesn't seem un-achievable. I'm happier because India has defeated Hong Kong by a much bigger margin than Pakistan did just the other day. Cricket isn't my favourite sport, but just like all my fellow Indians its pretty much a religion for me. I believe in "A picture is worth 1000 words" and thus, I suppose the pictures above speak for themselves.

Yet again, Hong Kong lost its match and this time the demons it faced was India - being an Indian, I shouldn't be calling my own team demons, but while writing I like to be objective just like the forefathers of modern Indian journalism. Anyways, not digressing, today one of the weakest teams of the sub-continent (Hong Kong) lost to the current strongest team in the subcontinent (India). Though, I was impressed as they were able to hold fort till 118. India won by 256 runs, it used be a good total a little while back and then Tendulkar, Dhoni, Yuvraj, Jayasurya and Kaluwitharana happened and the game changed forever.

Just before the explosive Sri Lankan invasion into modern cricket 256 was considered a good total. And, then the explosive invasion of playing big shots before the 15 overs finish happened and the game was never the same. Started by Jayasurya and Kaluwitharana, the trend reached Indian shores through Sachin and later the mantle passed onto to Sehwag, Gambhir, Yuvraj and Dhoni. And I must these gentlemen have made the forefathers of this discovery very proud. The tradition was also passed onto our sub-continent sibling Pakistan and we had the emergence of Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi as dangerous Pakistani batsmen who should be dismissed early in the game, if the opposition wants to be in the vicinity of victory. And since we can all rememember, the cricketing world has always compared us siblings with each other. The audience is also part of this world.

Thus, as a member of the audience group I can't abstain from indulging into comparison. This time I'm happy and I hope it also serves as a morale booster for our players. We have defeated Hong Kong, the same team Pakistan defeated a few days back by a far greater margin than Pakistan. I don't know about team, but it surely peps up my morale and confidence in the strength of our team. They are good players individually, but even better as a team. India is, in my opinion, the strongest contender for the Asia Cup. I'm not saying this because I'm an Indian, but basing my opinion on the current trends and statistics of the current team compositions for the Asia Cup. India has the most successful track record right now. The only thing they need to be careful about is complacency. Our dearest MIB have a tendency to get complacent when on a song. I hope they have learned to hold their rhythm and continue to be in sync. You must think cricket is my favourite sport, after all I write so passionately about it. Well, my friends, you are mistaken.

Cricket isn't my favourite sport - its my religion, just like all my fellow Indians. My favourite sports are Tennis and Football (or US calls it "Soccer") - with more love towards Tennis. I love tennis the most, so much that I would fore go a cricket match for a tennis match. Don't be mistaken, I'm a passionate about cricket just as I am to follow Hinduism. I don't know worship the cricketers, though I always wish them the best and hope that my favourites Mohd Kaif and Irfan Pathan become the permanent members of the team. And yes, Sachin is a demigod for me when it comes to cricket - always always always a pleasure and treat to watch him.

What's the big Deal?

2008-06-17T16:39:00.002-04:00

Yes, I want to ask this question in the context of homosexuality. What's the big deal with homosexuality? This question started troubling my mind long time back and watching the news about a whole gathering of Same Sex Marriage in California all day long yesterday and today...I've decided to put my thoughts into writing.

I ask again..What's the big deal? Why was it so hyped? Why can't we look at them as normal people who aren't attracted to an opposite sex? Why do we have to treat them differently?

There are also human beings like us, (male & female) with all physical characteristics similar to us. Yes, there is classification based on sexual orientation. This classification shouldn't mean that they are treated as abnormal or different. Its human tendency to classify so as to be able to understand and relate objects to each other. Classification shouldn't translate into different behaviour towards different groups of people. Another time, I feel the need to ask this question is at "Gay Pride Parade".

Again, what's the big deal? Why don't we have a "Heterosexual Pride Parade" also? Why do they have to turned into these different set of people, just like Native Indians of US are forced to live in reservations. The same is applicable to all people classified under LGBT. Why are they marginalised? Why do people not treat them eqaully as a heterosexual? Why are they thought of as diseased?

Why can't we have a society where all types of people interact and live peacefully with each other without feeling any kind of hate or ill-feeling towards other people just because they aren't the same as them? Whatever happened to nurturing diversity and "Variety is spice of life"?

With diversity and variety come different ideas and ways of thinking about the same topic, thus helping the society to grow as a whole.

It is, thus, my humble request that if we want to grow as a society we must stop the use of reservation in every form. Reservation only impairs the growth of human beings and society.

Update Blog - Done!!

2008-06-14T18:58:00.004-04:00

Is blogging or as I call it "Updating Blog", a job. This question has been bothering me, so much because of the repeated inquiry about the currentness of my blog from my friends. Yeah I said that I feel like writing on my blog about certain things, it doesn't imply - right away. Though, I think, my friends are now finally successful in their endeavor because I'm actually writing on my blog. Kudos to all of you. But, I'm not going to let you guys have the pleasure to get your names on the credit role - JTB :-) :-).

I know some of you, might tell me, "Oh you have so much ego that we can't say anything to you." Well, if you think that, you are completely mistaken and hopefully none of you would think that way. And even if you do, please feel free to feel anyway you want - I don't care. People who know me well enough are the ones I don't feel like saying anything to and I know that they will understand what I want to say. If you are super-confused with everything written in the paragraph, don't exercise your brain too much because its obviously not meant for you.

So, I'm still on the circuit but not as frequent as other guys. I've been busy with other things but I'm alive and still kicking and playing in this world.

And if anyone feels I've been insensitive in this post towards them - feel free to say and write your thoughts. But, I'm not apologetic for anything on this post.

Apna Asmaan or TZP...you decide?

2008-02-17T17:24:00.004-05:00

Before Taare Zameen Par (TZP - for us abbreviation crazy people), there was Apna Asmaan. Made on the subject of Learning Disability and the inability of Indian parents to handle it, as we're driven by measuring success by numbers (marks in the exam or paycheck). The movie also had various sub-themes which were equally relevant and necessary to be highlighted. The only sad part is that I don't think it did as well as TZP. Surely it didn't make 85 crore in 8 weeks. I thought Apna Asmaan was much better than TZP.

Directed by Kaushik Roy and a strong ensemble cast boasting of the best names in small budget movie genre - Irfaan Khan, Shobhana (remember Mitr), Anupam Kher and Rajat Kapoor in lead roles. The movie Apna Asmaan, in my opinion, towers over TZP. All the actors were so natural that I never felt like I was sitting and watching a movie, it felt so real. If Darsheel stole your heart away by his portrayal of Ishaan Awasthi then Dhruv Piyush Panjnani will make you love him, hate him and empathize with him, in less than 2 hours through his Buddhi Raj Kumar/ Aryabhatt. The director and editor need a huge pat on their back for being so proficient at story telling.

The movie takes us through the life of Buddhi (played by Dhruv) - a young teenage boy with slow learning skills and a flair for sketching and drawing. His parents (Irfaan and Shobhana) being typical Indian parents want him to succeed in arithmetic so that he can make something of himself. More importantly, Shobhana (the mom) - who was gold medalist in Math in college, wants to live her father's wish for her to become a great mathematician through her son, who is least interested in Math. The relationship between the husband and wife has also become slightly strained because of their son's condition with both of them trying their best to get the son "cured" of his condition - something that is not possible - as explained by Rajat Kapoor (Buddhi's neuro doctor). Life seems to be a constant struggle for everyone till Irfaan and Shobhana chance upon Anupam Kher (a miracle doctor with a miracle drug) claiming to completely cure brain damages and turning the person into a superhuman in terms of intelligence. At first, the parents are hesitant about subjecting their son to the drug. But, one night, after a heated discussion between Irfaan Khan and Shobhana; Irfaan decides to administer the drug to Buddhi himself. At first, they panic as there are some adverse reaction of the drug on Buddhi. Then, suddenly, Buddhi wakes up and starts talking like a normal human being. The only side-effect of the drug is a type of amnesia where the person doesn't recognize faces and so Buddhi doesn't recognize his family. The parents don't seem to be too alarmed by it because now their son is a normal person with exceptional mathematical skills. Soon, his mathematical genius makes him a celebrity. All this while another part of his brain stops functioning and he treats his loved ones like he doesn't know them and that they are after his money. His parents also realize that Anupam Kher was involved in drug racketing and drug administered to Buddhi is very lethal for him; thus they decide to get back their son by administering him the antidote. And they get back their non mathematically inclined son back.

The catch-line of the movie is "How far will you go to make a genius?". Very very relevant in today's India of so called "Reality Shows" with kids performing and often times acting like adults - all the natak that the directors think boost TRPs. I'm reminded of a scene from the movie "Amadeus", where a father tells his son that he doesn't believe in taking him around like a show monkey, like Mozart's father does to Mozart.

Children, genius or not, need to be protected from being treated like show monkeys. It takes away their childhood from them, it did for Mozart. And if you think by talking about Mozart I'm talking history, then go and talk to any child actor and they will tell you what I mean. I remember long long ago I had read a fictional story written on the subject of child actors and the only thing I remember now, and probably will remember for rest of my life, is how the child would long to go and out play with her friends, but her mother wouldn't let her because she was an actress and she couldn't afford getting hurt while playing.

Apna Asmaan isn't about child actors, but it highlights the same issue - Making your kid into a show monkey and put him/her in front of an audience and expect them to be always at certain behaviour. Leave the kids alone, let them be kids. This was the thought lingering in my head at the end of the movie. And I repeat myself again, by saying the it was much much better than TZP.

The one thing that Apna Asmaan didn't pay attention to and TZP did was their packaging. But, I wouldn't hold it against them, as they probably didn't have a production powerhouse like Amir Khan's to back their movie. The promotions for the movie reflected its budget. I hope it did well in its genre - the small budget movie.

It had some of the finest and natural performances by some really superb actors.....I'm slowly becoming an Irfaan and Rajat Kapoor fan now. They are so good at their craft - acting in the movies. I wish them all the best and all those of you who haven't seen the movie, please rent the DVD or VHS and watch it right away. Its a must watch for everyone - especially parents.

Too much to say...too lazy to say it

2008-02-15T19:46:00.003-05:00

Ever got a feeling that you are out of touch from yourself. It is an out of body experience of the painful sorts, enlightening - just like the other one, but this one is painful too. I don't know what's happening....I find myself suddenly writing about the painful angles of life. This was an unfamiliar territory for me till about 4 years ago.

When I came to US (the land of dream and opportunity) and in addition to the fulfillment of dreams and securing opportunity, I also got my share of trials and tribulations. I don't know whether I was successful or not, but I do know that 4 years down the lane, I'm not the same naive girl I was.

It is true that only once you step outside the safer confines of your home, do you realize the protection family provides (physically and emotionally). With that also comes independence of thought and behaviour and a chance to learn to make your own choices and face the result of it all by yourself.

Then we mature into adults and become confident in making our own choices and forming our opinions. A certain by product is generated in the intermediate steps of this process, which isn't desirable at all, but can't be avoided and that is - ill temper.

As far as I know we all experience it, I did too. A new found independence gave me a sense of freedom which was difficult to handle in the beginning. I think it was more of a defense mechanism developed to protect the freedom lest someone tries to take it away from me. And what do you do if you see your loved one act like that? - I have always wondered.

I think the answer is that you remember why you love them and that they are after all humans. The rest I think I have to ask my mom because she has seen me act my worst with her, but she didn't stop loving me. I know you might say because she is my mom....but let me tell you....she can make you feel loved or unloved. She is very objective about her likes & dislikes, rules and principles. I always tell her that I've been her problem child and she says I just have too much energy and yes she does agree that I don't have tendency to settle down in one thing......as soon as something gets comfortable for me I want a change.

My answer is that I have a short attention span and also I can't sustain high energy levels for too long and I don't think anyone can. But I have improved my stamina in terms of paying attention....if only I could also improve my physical stamina. I keep starting and stopping my exercise schedule. There is no lack of motivation, its got to do with my vacation from self.

I realise that I have come a full circle in this discussion....thus, coming back to what I said in the beginning - Vacation from self. Not very pleasing, but necessary, teaches you a lot about yourself, the world outside your perspective. And let me tell you, if you think you can avoid this phase, think again.

Life is like a wave, it goes up and comes down all the time.....but the out of body experience is fine just one time because a wave in the negative region of the graph doesn't need to go to minus infinity all the time.....minus 20 would just be fine.

Back to Blogosphere

2008-02-05T19:14:00.000-05:00

Yes, ladies and gentlemen and web crawlers I'm back and active on the blogging circuit.

It was a long break (well deserved, I don't think so). But, now I'm back and here to stay. December was my last post and in the blogging world, as we all know, its light years ago. My absence was because of multiple reasons - Poor time management, laziness, job hunting, apt hunting and self hunting. The last reason is slightly wierd, but most special.

It was one of my down cycles that had kept me away from one of my favourite activities..blogging. Its a popular belief that life is can be best explained as following the wave theory. This means that life takes you up the roller coaster and down it and doesn't really give a whole lot of time to catch a breath properly. I guess, that is the thrill. It also is painful, I've almost been to the borders and back of one of most painful state of mind a person can get into. That story, is for another post though. Here I want to talk about some other reasons which were off-springs of this root cause.

My lack of interest in myself led to poor time management and laziness slowly started setting in. And before, I knew it I was late in doing anything and everything. Went on for quiet sometime until I was finally jolted out of it by my guardian angel (you know who you are). And what a 440 volt jolt it was.....definitely brought me back to conscious and enjoying life, like before.

I do realise that my life is quiet mundane and simple by many standards of enjoying life.....but you know what I'm having fun and I'm happy and nobody can tell me that I need to do a whole lot of other things to enjoy life. Enjoying life, by definition, is very very personal for the individual as it is defined by them. Its not an absolute state and I'm loving my state of mind right now and my life just the way it is.

I would definitely like to sharpen my skills and blow away the dust settled on my brain and knowledge.....but since its been such a long time, I guess it will take sometime. Another shock treatment might not be a good idea, but definitely something less drastic than that is the need of the hour.

And then, I had three important tasks. First of the first thing a student does when they are in their final year college.....job hunting. Making sure my monetary independence is taken care off was quiet a task. I had my shares of hope and despair in the process. And my guardian angel stood by me rock solid all through it and kept boosting my morale. And then my happiness knew no bounds when I landed the job at Deloitte, the dream company for us consultants type. The day when I got the news will definitely go down in my autobiography as one of high points of my life, especially after 12th and VTU.

After my appointment, I was faced with the daunting task of finding accomodation, as I had shifted out of my older place. It was a slight struggle and whole lot of money spending, but I was able to get my current residence without toiling as much as I did for the job.

Last but not the least, after I took care of my monetary needs and security and basic needs, it was time to give some time to myself. Talk to me, the me, who I had lost somewhere through the 3 years of corporate boot camp. I set out in search of her and slowly I'm discovering pieces of her. As I gather the pieces and put them together; all I can say to my two angles , my twin pillars of strength is that: "I will be back. The Neha, you knew, will be back soon. With some nuances still intact. Hey, no one's perfect. But, that is part of being me and love it or hate it, its gonna be there.......kyunki:

"Hum to bhai jaise hain, waise rahenge. Ab koi khush ho ya ho khafa, hum nahi badlenge apnee adaa. Samjhe na samjhe koi hum yahee kahenge."

Pink Power

2007-12-02T00:44:00.000-05:00

Pink Vigilante is a story I found on the BBC site a few days under the news from South East Asia section.

It was quiet interesting to see women organise themselves in a group to voice against the system. I think they are a courageous group of women who have dared to stand tall in a male dominated world.

It was interesting to see that all these women are from rural India, where male domination is its highest in the society. Don't mistake them for a male bashing group as they fight for all causes.

The Gulabi Gang (as they call themselves) isn't just about raising a voice against domestic violence, they also are fighting against poverty, illiteracy and catesim (to name a few). And it is because of this that men are also joining the gang. It seems that they do follow something I had heard in the movie Tirangaa (if you haven't watched it, watch it: its a nice one) "Pehle mulakat, phir baat, phir jaroorat pade to laat".

Just a parting thought for my dear ones in volunteering and NGOs, the group's view on NGO and government funding brought out the other side of the coin and that was interesting.

Bihar not so backward after all

2007-07-09T20:04:00.001-04:00

Backward Bihar leading India, is an the article that was published by BBC.

At first a little difficult to digest, but it seems that one of the most backward states in India is actually setting examples which other states are following too. Read on and see for yourself that Bihar isn't as backward as its projected to be.

The only thing I want to say is that I would like Indian media to be the first ones to report and write feature pieces on India. I think people in India would still like to hear and see " the real news" before knowing how the Indian movie industry is doing and all the gossip and glossy news and if Mr. Sanjay Dutt got implicated or acquitted in the case or if Bipasha Basu experienced a little bit of stage fright while presenting the New 7 Wonders of the world.

Thanks to Ajju papa for sending in this article.

In Pursuit of Happyness

2007-07-08T06:32:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of watching a great movie of our time, the Will Smith starer In Pursuit of Happyness. Yes, there is a type O in the name; but it is deliberate. Watch the movie and you'll know why. I was surprised (pleasantly, of course) to see Will Smith act the way he did in the movie.

Will Smith is an immensely talented actor, but I've never seen him play a role as intense as in the movie. I've always had an image of the MIB, Independence Day, I-Robot and the likes, for him in my mind. To me such a role is played the best by Denzel Washington; but Will Smith had proved me wrong. He played the character to the T. While I was watching the movie, I couldn't think of any other actor playing the part and that to me is powerful acting. It seemed like the role was in fact written for him. Though, the biggest surprise to me in the movie was actually his son.

Smith Jr., following in his father's footsteps, played his part superbly. It seemed like he was playing his part effortlessly. It could've been a little easier for him because "daddy" was with him; but his acting still deserves a commendation. I think he was brilliant when it came to portraying the tantrums and unconditional love of a child for his parents. As everyone knows, children also have a lot ego and don't want to make a fool of themselves in front of a crowd of grown ups. Keeping this in mind, it was interesting to see Smith Jr. portray the nuances of a kid flawlessly, effortlessly without holding back at all. The movie was brilliant, but there were certain scenes in the movie, which moved me the most.

Even the most brilliant movies, has some scenes which deserve a special mention. And this was also the case in "In Pursuit of Happyness".

Firstly, the scene where Will Smith tells his son that since he had limited basketball skills, the son will also have limited basketball skills. And in an instant the son just throws the ball away. And then as they get ready to leave the court, Will Smith says "Don't let anybody tell you, you can't do something. Not even me." The punch with which he says the dialog not only inspires you to achieve your dreams, but also sets a stage for the story when Will Smith decides to go full throttle towards his internship at the brokerage firm.

Secondly, the scene where Will Smith's son asked him if Smith's wife left them because of the child. That scene to me is one of the best scenes in the movie, as it depicted the internal conflict a child goes through if parents are separated. I think the scene was played out flawlessly by the two actors.

It was refreshing to see a movie where you couldn't really pick out any mistakes. There isn't a dull moment in the movie. Each scene is put in because it should be there, the director doesn't waste any time at all. A brilliant movie as this doesn't come out every Friday, so my recommendation is to watch it and enjoy the depiction the power of human will.

It does make you feel powerful at the end the movie for just the fact that you are a human being. If you haven't already caught it at the theaters, then rent the DVD and watch it. No one should miss this one!!

Quieter or Noisy Bazaars...You Decide?

2007-05-26T13:45:00.001-04:00

We all heard about the attack on Reliance store in Ranchi. And as I was pondering over it and trying to understand the dynamics of the situation, I got another interesting article from Bhai.

The article he sent me was a news story done by BBC on changing role of supermarkets in India. I thought these two articles neatly tied into each other, and answered some of the questions I was thinking about when I heard about the danga in Ranchi.

The story by BBC does get into some of the pros and cons of the new system that seems to be coming up in most cities in India, the concept of selling fresh fruits and vegetables at supermarkets and more and more people preferring to shop there in contrast to heading for the local sabzee mandi for buying the vegetables and fruits for the day or week.

The article stated that people seem to prefer to go to supermarkets which house a variety of items, so that it can serve as a one stop shop for all needs of the people. Personally, I'm still a little skeptical of the concept of buying vegetables from a supermarket.

I've been living in the US for 3 years and only I know how much I miss going to a sabzee mandee to buy fresh veggies and fruits. The veggies at the supermarket can never compete with the subzee mandee veggies in terms of freshness. The only reason I can think of people not wanting to go to sabzee mandee is because they might feel its unhygenic as all veggies are out in the open and especially in India where there is a lost of dust flying in the air.

The article also talks about how some consumers feel that they can go to the supermarket with their whole family and all the family members will find something to suit their interest. From personal experience, I can say that going to the subzee mandee with my father every Sunday was quiet a fun and educational activity to do.

Some of aspiring executives learn so many principles of communication and business management in well polished, heavy ivory or oak door B-Schools. In my opinion, that learning will only be complete when you put that into practice and one such place are these subzee mandees. First hand you get to practice your communication and business skills. Interaction between customer and clients, the art of striking a bargain ( a very useful skill in business, helps in landing client accounts) are all part of the theory taught in B-Schools, but I have already learned them by just accompying my father every sunday to the subzee mandee. And it was fun too, half a day out of the home. I think our generation is becoming lazy in the name of modernization and development.

The number of Walmarts and supermarkets and extinction of subzee mandees shouldn't be considered signs of development. "The Indian retail industry" - as the articles denotes it, is chaotic and provides employment to a lot of people who don't have the necessary educational skills to work even as an employee at the supermarkets which seem to be taking away from them.

The other side of the coin though is - Are these retail outlets really taking away business from subzee mandee vendors?

Surely, the article talks about the life of one such vendor, who is seemingly losing business and is now faced with dilemma of fighting on in the industry or returning to his village. But, is that because of retail outlets or competition between vegetable vendors from the unorganized retail industry (the others like him; who've also migrated to the city, in pursuit of a better future).

The only flaw to this theory is that the story by BBC talks about the situation of vegetable vendors in cities. The story doesn't present the picture about them in the towns and villages.

This makes me wonder more and more - What is the real picture? Is this the case only with the cities section of the Indian Retail Industry?Does every city dweller now leaning towards purchasing veggies and fruits from the supermarkets?

Being from Bangalore, I can assure people that certainly not everyone is headed to a supermarket every Sunday when they want to buy vegetables for the week. There is more crowd in HAL market to buy fruits and vegetables than there are people doing the same in all the supermarkets in the city. I think there are some more questions that need to be answered before we deliver the final verdict on this issue.

Living Alone or Living Independently

2007-05-16T13:02:00.000-04:00

A very good friend of mine said to me, "So, now you've finally realized that you have to live your alone." And I said to myself, "Did he mean alone or independent?"

And it got me thinking even more - Is that how we view our lives now. Since most of us end up living our college years or working years away from our parents, does it mean we're living alone or independently.

In my opinion, we're living independently; deciding what do for ourselves on our own, defining our own rules and limits. That in no way implies that we're away from our parents or family, as the emotional ties are always there. And that is the force of living for all of us - our families. Especially, in our Indian culture where parents and the whole "extended family" is our support system; I can never think of a person as living alone.

Living alone to me implies when you aren't accountable for your actions to anybody, when no one than you faces the implications of our actions. And if you do find yourself in such a situation, yes you are living alone. But, not for too long; as no one in this world can claim that they have spent all their lives living alone. This is because humans by nature prosper in a community. Remember the first social studies lesson "Man is a social animal."

So, my friends, think about it. Are you living alone or independent? And if you are living independent, better think 4 times before you do something because it definitely affect someone other than you too. And if you discover you are living alone, don't be depressed; look around and soon you will move towards the living independent group.

My mommy...Bestest

2007-05-13T19:28:00.000-04:00

Yes, ladies and gentlemen - "My mommy is the bestest and any of you who want to contradict that can come and talk to me." Isn't that what all of us believe, but the main question is how many times do we actually tell our moms that? Well, if you haven't said it already to her, I suggest the following:

Step1: If you are within driving distance of your mom - you go to her with a bunch of her favourite flowers.

Step2: When she opens the door, give her a big hug and a kiss on her cheek and the flowers.

Step3: Take her out on a date. Yes guys and girls!!!...you can always take your mom out on a date.

Ma, I know I'm not in the same city as you......so all I can say is - I Love You to death - always have and always will. I know I've been your naughty one.....but today I'm where I'm all because of your sheer hard-work and discipline. I hope that some day in the future when I'm in your shoes I can be as proud of my kids as you are of yours and give them the same love, discipline and sanskaar that you have given us.

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

Bihar rickshaw puller angel for sick : IBNLIVE Videos

2007-05-06T08:22:00.000-04:00

Bihar rickshaw puller angel for sick : IBNLIVE Videos

As stated in the news story, one would see such gestures coming from people who are well off. But, I guess angels come in all shapes and sizes. This guys is truely amazing. Spending Rs 50 from his daily earnings on medicines for the patients is something out of the ordinary. He is in all contexts of the word a "Hero".

And this is why I call movies stars actors and actresses and not heros and heroines. True but, that their portrayal of certain characters does inspire people to do something in life.

But, that's what they are paid to do: act. And its by virtue of cinema being a medium of mass communication that people get influnced by the characters.

My flow of thoughts

2007-02-09T20:44:00.000-05:00

Summer is long over, so I think I should change my latest post.

I haven't written my blog in a long long time. All I can say is I'm guilty as charged, I have no points in my defense. As some of my well-wishers would say that this is probably the first time I'm pleading guilty to a charge set against me, as I always have some argument to defend my action. This is the reason some of people belonging to my closest cirlce of trust have also suggested that I take up law as a profession because I'm good at presenting arguments in a logical structure and pursuading people that my perspective is correct. Ok, check check check....this post isn't about which profession so I will not write anymore about this topic.

The main topic of this post is my trip home. Finally after two and a half years of rigorous education schedule which can drain a person both physically and mentally (though not as much as some of my friend's experience [they know who they are]), I'm finally heading home for a month long vacation. Some of my friends ask me as to why I'm so excited because my parents visit me often here......and I tell them that for me home isn't just my parents.......its everyone from my dadima to my chahchus and chachis and bhaiyas and sis(es)......to the feeling of being at home and having an identity and the sense of belongingness. No matter, how much one adapts to this place I'm at......this can never be home for me.

Home for me is and has always been INDIA.....our motherland, our country, our pride and our love. Even today I stand and salute our dearest Tiranga wherever I see it......be it perched on the top of a hotel in busy street near Central Park in New York City or my office cube in subarban Malvern, PA or my computer screen while watching the RD parade.

One more thing I've noticed for myself is an instant feeling of home-sickness whenever I see the tiranga.........it reminds of all those independence day programmes we performed and the RD parades we watched on tv.

I haven't been as lucky as some of my pals to watch the RD parade as it happens on Rajpath.......but the memories of promptly getting ready and setting up the breakfast near the television on 26th Jan before the start of RD parade is very fresh in my mind. This year luckily....thanks to my brother, who in his true angelic tradition, provided us a link where we could watch the RD parade. Thanks to him and the government of INDIA, I was able to watch the whole parade.

The parade was a littled sobered down, but that was only because most of the troops are engaged in keeping our borders safe from the intruders trying to come into our country and spread problems. All in all the parade was great. And yes, I agree with a certain someone who told me that the Para SF batallion was the most impressive contingent. The flypast by Sukhois was superb and completely flawless. They are indeed the most impressive birds IAF owns.

I lost the point of my conversion again. And at this point I changed the title to this article to what you see right now. The reason for this phenomena is that I'm writing after such a long time that I have too much to say.

The problem is that as my second internship comes to a close, my time of going home comes even closer. This, on one side gives me a great feeling of heading home to meet everyone and catch up with everyone but on the other side can quiet overwhelming as I have to get the necessary paperwork complete before I leave for home. And this is when the reality of being an adult hits me.

And I realise that its time to wake up and smell the coffee and embrace myself for a life full of checkpoints of making decision. The realisation that any choice we make can significantly alter the course of our life is frightening and powerful at the same time. But, we must realise that we aren't in control of our lives, but only the choices we make. We must choose wisely as these choices we determine our destiny. Nothing is set in stone. As they say in Hinduism that your karma defines your destiny. Also I believe in saying "Be careful what you wish for". I would like to add to that what my mom always taught, in her tradition of being a history teacher, "One must never forget the past. Because it is the mistakes of the past that we must learn from in order to march towards a better future."

I think I've let my thoughts run a crazy course for this session. And I think its a good place for me to pause. To be continued...........

Homesick, I am

2006-07-30T10:49:00.001-04:00

If someone said to me that I didn't know the difference between reality and fantasy land, I would've accepted it. But not now. I'm not as naive as I was 2 years ago.

2 years ago, I started living on my own because I tranferred from New Horizon College of Engineering to Drexel University, in search for greener pastures to satiate my hunger for a better education.

It was then I started living on my own. And I realised why ma was so overbearingly protective over us and why she has become a little cynical over the years. Coming out of the protective confines of the 4 walls of my home was easy. But, living like that for 2 years hasn't been easy at all. It has been a constant struggle.

Simple things like 3 staright meals, which were a commodity have now become a luxury. Especially in US where house-maids are luxury, I had to learn to ration my time between full time classes, part-time work, cooking, cleaning and laundry (even before a big exam) because you can't concentrate on your studies on any empty stomach...right.

The transition also took its toll on me emotionally. No longer could I expect to come home after a rough day at school or work and dump it all on ma. No more fights for eating the biggest guavava or the biggest piece of cake. No more endless discussions and arguments with papa on country, family and world matters (those used to drive ma crazy). No more going to HAL market to buy veggies and fruits with papa. I miss all of it a lot.

I'm writing this piece in the ascending order of what I miss the most. So, the thing I miss the most is coming up:

For the people who know me well.....it isn't a big brain exercise, for the ones who don't the answer is: India, my motherland, my homeland.

A desi through and through, I got a big cultutre shock when I got here. It wasn't that I hadn't been to US before, but to live here was another thing. And I realised it first hand. It was through these experieces that I grew a better understanding and appreciation of our culture. I also relaised that things we take for grnated back home is actually a luxury here.

I miss everything about INDIA, the feeling of being a first rate citizen. The ability to walk fearlessly with your head held high. The small streets, the amrood wala and the aam wala, pani-puri, chaat, badam milk. The sense of being an integral part of a bigger entity, the feeling of having a say in the matter of national affairs. I miss all that very much.

A good friend of mine who I was discussing this article, asked me why have you written about it today?....And I realised that I haven't stated my inspiration for this piece and wouldn't be right not to give a reference to my inspiration. My inspiration for this article is the conversation I had today with a really good friend of mine....he knows who he is and for the rest he can be called Lt. X. Lt. X and me had very insteresting conversation about my Indianess and my understanding of reality and fantasy and my love for my country. Nothing more needs to disclosed from the conversation because these are baseline concepts that propelled me to write this piece today.

-A homesick Indian

2006-07-30T10:49:00.000-04:00

A cool summer look

Akshay's Scoop

2006-07-30T10:40:00.000-04:00

In a country where the first prime minister after independence was called Chacha Nehru because of his fondness for children, its heart-rendering to see children being treated like this....and now over to my dear brother Akshay for the Detail News Akshay's great scoops :-).

I finally did it!!!!!

2006-07-14T10:49:00.000-04:00

Yes, I finally motivated myself to go to the gym.

Yesterday was my first class. I have joined the Bally's @ center city. Its kind of expensive, but for two months I guess its fine. After that I can go to the my university gym and carry on from there.

Credit also goes to my dear freind Rohini, who is visiting me from Florida. She joined the gym first, and then seeing how happy she was....I could finally push myself to come out of hibernation of almost 2 years.

Yes, its been 2 yrs since I worked out at a gym. Since, the time I came from India I had been struggling to fit into the country, region, people and coursework. There were also some other issues (which don't need any mention) which were keeping me busy.

But, now it was like my fairy Godmother waived her magic wand and all the issues disappeared. I only work 2 days a week and my courseload is balanced, so I can find time to do things for myself. I've finally learnt to tackle the loneliness and stopped feeling bad.

Now, back to good things in life. Yesterday was my first workout session. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was like I was back home in the gym doing my thing. And just like the first time I had started going to the gym, today morning when I woke up, my whole body was sore. But, I felt really great.

And, I guess that is the thing with going to the gym. Keeps you in shape and the endorphins keep you happy!!!!

And as Reese Witherspoon said in the movie Legally Blonde "Happy people don't kill their husbands." I would say Happy people stay happy and strive to keep everyone around them also happy.

It is really the City of Angels

2006-07-09T23:08:00.001-04:00

Yes yes.....I'm talking about LA aka The City of Angels.......quiet literally for me....in more ways than one.....the main reason will be elaborated upon my later articles....but the one reason is also pretty important one.

Not a lot of people know that mamma and papa had gifted me a digital camera for my 22nd b'day. This is the second digital camera I own because the first one got spoilt during the Thanksgiving Vacation last year.

And an even lesser known fact is that the second camera had also gotten spoilt. The lens was stuck and so the upon switching off the camera the lens wouldn't move and thus the zoom also didn't work. I started keeping the camera in my mp3 player's bag so that it doesn' spoil further.....but today when I asked my friend to click a pic of me. She did so and returned the camera to me. Habitually, I moved the dial to switch off the camera and guess what happened....the lens retracted and closed.

I couldn't believe it so to reassure myself that I wasn't dreaming I opened and closed the camera thrice. I also tried the zoom button and that also worked. I don't have any idea how my camera was fixed or who or what fixed it. Its times like these the presence of higher being is strengthened. I thought long and hard and couldn't explain how my camera had magically gotten repaired. It was almost like and Angel waved her/his magic wand over it and it got fixed in a jiffy. Looks like LA has more than Angels for me. Whatever, the case its always been the case that all my problems seem to simplify or get solved whenever I see bhai. He is definitely My Angel.

The main reason why LA is also the City of Angels is 3-4 part story which follow this post pretty soon. So, stay tuned.....to read more interpretations of My World!!!!

Back from Holiday (Part I)

2006-07-07T12:14:00.000-04:00

Disclaimer: The following post is really long. I've described, in quiet detail, the events leading upto my trip to LA and also the fun I had there. So read at your own risk.

Before Leaving
The week we got off for; not only marked the Independence Day for US but also marked the day of my liberation.

There was a slight hiccup to the program, which people related to the incident are already aware of, so I don't intend to mention it again. And those of you who don't know have to die out of curiousty....I might sound cynical.....but can't help it. Somethings are best not displayed in public.

As the sun rose on friday June 30th, I woke up and realised that I hadn't even packed for my 4 day holiday in LA. It didn't take me long to pack my bags for my holiday. I had two classes on friday and I had already taken off from work. So, I finished both of my classes and came back home. I completed a final check of my bags and books I had to keep to finish my assignments that were due right after the holidays. I was excited to go visit Bhai. I hadn't seen him since Thanksgiving last November. Some people thought it wasn't a very long time. But counted in Neha Years it was a lot. And I also wanted to go see his university and hang out with him becasue the last time we went there we weren't there for long and hadn't been with him for more than 1 day when all 3 of us went to Universal Studios. Anyways getting back to the topic, I left home in time to catch the train for Airport. I caught my train and reached the Airport in time.

At the Airport
Since I didn't have any check-in luggage I just used the self check-in kiosk to check myself in. My "original flight-plan" (you'll know pretty soon why I name it so) was to reach LA through Orlando. After the security check when I reached the gate, I noticed that the flight to Orlando was late by 1 hr and 30 miins. This simply implied that I would miss my connecting flight to LA from Orlando. I went to the Customer Services desk and informed the clerk of my problem. The clerk took a look at my ticket and transferred me on a direct flight of US Airways to LA. I took the new boarding card and reached the gate for the newly assigned flight. I realised that I had a lot of time, so I called bhai and informed him of my change of plans. Also called nanima and papa (in that order), since both of them wanted to talk to me before I left for LA.

After I finished all my calls, I figured I still had time on my hands. I was feeling really hungry because I hadn't had lunch. So, I took out the littis and bharta I had packed for the flight and started dipping the litti in the bharta and eating them. This american girl sitting opposite to me was looking at my dabba with eyes wide open. She couldn't figure out what I was eating and why I was eating it like that. I think twice or thrice I caught her stare, but she continued staring. People who know me, know that I don't get threatned by such actions. So, I went on comfortably eating my littis despite her stares.

As I finished my lunch, the clerk at the desk next to the entrance to the gate announced the boarding for the flight. Since I was Zone 6, I had to wait a little more (a couple of mins). When my Zone was announced, I got in line and presented my boarding pass to clerk. The clerk tore the small detachable stub on the right side of the boarding pass and gave me the stub and kept the bigger part of my boarding pass. This is where a grave mistake happened which cost me a little while returning to Philadelphia from LA (you'll come to know).

Back to June 30th, I boarded my flight and thankfully the overhead compartment had place for my suitcase. So, here I was all set to fly from the "City of Brotherly Love" to the "City of Angels" literally so for me, as described in the paragraphs below. Here I was taking a non-stop cross country flight. I hadn't taken such a long flight since I visted papa in San Diego and co-incidentally I had travelled US Airways at that time also.

In the Flight
The flight took off 20 minutes late from Philadelphia. Once we were in the air, the reality hit me that I was going to be in the flight for 5 hrs and some mins, which is actually a very long time. But, the next second I realised that only because of this I had packed my Competitive Intelligence book in my bag and not my suitcase which was safely secured in the overhead compartment.

I took out my book and started reading. The book, I must say is pretty interesting. I didn't realise when the time passed and I reached the sixth chapter. After the 6th chapter, I decided it was time for a break. I had also taken a few short breaks during my reading to glance at the moving scenes of the in-flight movie "Anapolis". My neighbour (I still follow the british spellings)was watching "Glory Road" on his Powerbook(Apple Inc). So, I was trying to watch two movies at the same time; but later decided to watch Glory Road as I wasn't watching Annapolis from the beginning anyways.

I didn't regret my decision....Glory Road was a really nice movie. Its times like these that my dream of having a study full of books, movies and music gets re-enforced. I hope one day I can realize this dream.

And no, I'm not going to share my dream on this virtual space.So, after the movie I took a short nap and woke up just in time for the descent into the LA airport.

After Reaching LA

The descent was very beautiful, a city surrounded by mountains. After the aircraft came to a halt,we got off the aircraft and started making our way towards the bagaage claim and the exit. As I stepped outside the plane, I called my dear bro to let him know that I have arrived. He then asked me to wait outside the airport exit, so we can get out the airport quickly. I waited for sometime and he then he appeared.

I had a really warm and nice ride to his place from the airport. The best part was the view from the highway to the city. Especially, at a certain point when you are high above the city, you can see all the hustle bustle guarded by the mountains. Its so nice, its like the mountains are watching over LA to keep all the unwanted away from its people, just like our brave friends guarding the borders of our motherland, the young and valient knights of the Indian Armed Forces.

My 22nd B'day

2006-04-06T17:24:00.000-04:00

This post was long overdue.....and seriously the only reason I can come up with is that I was lazy to write it down....and well "A picture is worth thousand words"...so I thought I can substitute with that. But, then today I decided to increase the word count of the post, by writing something down....so here I go.

I had the best b'day a young woman(though people still like to believe that I'm a kid) could ask for: family, closest friends and lots of home-made, bakery and restaurent prepared goodies for the foodie in me.

Most people, celebrate their b'day for a day...but my b'day celebrations spanned over a month and that auspicious month was March.....and since my b'day falls in the end of March, I get a whole month to celebrate my b'day.

As March started, I was beaming with happiness and joy as this was my "b'day month"...I have always believed that it doesn't matter if anyone remembers or forgets that is its ur b'day, but you shouldn't...we should be happy just because its the most impt day of our life...its the day we stepped into this world and came alive. And I think that's reason enough for being excited for the whole month, if not a life-time.

Anyways, back to the description: My b'day celebrations started in the beginning of march.....with me getting a whole lot of appreciation for my work. I think it was really kind of them to appreciate my work...I was just doing my duty...nothing extra-ordinary. Since March was the last month of my internship I was trying to wrap up things before the next person took over and continue what I was doing.

Next, thing was my mom visiting me for a whole week. I think that's the best b'day gift a desi far removed from India, home and family could ask for. I was really excited and I felt like I was back home with my family (sniff, sniff: I miss India tons, I have learned the relevance of India in my life only after I came here...and now all I can think abt is the day I will go back for good...and I have a feeling that it will be only 2-3 years from now). So, I was still working when ma came here...but unlike the last time...I had gotten a pair of keys made for her...so she didn't have any problems in commuting in the city.She saw Philli by the day herself and then I showed her Philli by the night when I came back from the office everyday...She had also planned a b'day party for me on the day she was leaving...it was just family: me, mom, mausiji, mausaji, smriti and sunanda...ajju papa and all weren't able to make it...this reminded of my other most memorable b'day in appu ghar when papa was posted in delhi...that was also a big family bash....which I think is one of my most memorable b'days...and the pic below has my b'day cake, me, mom and sitti baua(smriti).

Cake Me, Mom and Sitti Baua

After my b'day...I was a little over-whelmed when I went to drop ma off @ the airport...felt like I was again getting distanced from India...so after I dropped her off....came back home and started gearing up for the last week of office...hadn't realised that those would become the most enjoyable 5 days of my office life....everyday gave me more reasons to smile and want to stay longer at Siemens...My b'day was the best...my first wishing call came promptly @ 12:30 in the night and caller was my cute, huggable and stud kid "George"...and the reply I gave him when he wished me was "arre yaar raat ke saare barah baj rahe hain"...I still laugh @ myself for that...and in the morning mamma and papa had called me and surprisingly bade papa and badi mummy had called me all the way from India...but I wasn't able to take their call as I was in a meeting...then when I went to the office sagar, nithin all my office friends wished me. Candee,my best friend, called me to wished me and made a program for the weekend to take me out on my b'day...Sumit called to wish me in the office...and when I was leaving the office at 6:00 pm ...I was thinking wow, I had a great b'day and now that the day is over I want more...and my wish was duly granted...8:30 in the night my dear roomate, Akshita, calls me and says I'm standing outside, please let me in...I was pleasently surprised that she was back from her spring break and then she said the nicest thing "I couldn't have missed my room-mate's b'day."...and as is God said to himself...let me give her one more gift for her b'day...george called and asked me what I was doing for my b'day...I said,"Nothing, its a weekday."...and he said "Ok, we're coming over"...and George, Sagar and Anushka came over for my b'day party...and to top it I had cake in my fridge "Black Forest" and 4 of us were sitting and chatting till pretty late in the night...and when they left I said to myself "I'm the happiest 22 yr old in the world, I have a loving and caring family and bunch of friends who care abt me so much...what more can a young woman ask for?"...and then as if God said to himself...I can answer that...me,candee,sumit and asma hung out at Mad for Mex in the weekend...Candee's plan was to get me drunk...but she wasn't successful...but on their insistance and out of curiosity I tried a Margarita and didn't like it at all...I said to them "I still don't get how you guys can like this stuff."...Guess I'm still a kid...Don't like alcoholic drinks...and now I have given up sodas...just sticking to my fav water,lassi, milk-shakes,slushies and ocassionally coffee...In retrospective all I can say is that it was the best B'day I ever had in my 22 yrs of life...and I thank everyone for making it so special for me.

Brand India

2006-02-18T09:05:00.000-05:00

This was an interesting read.Made-in-India brand gets stronger.The article implies that we have not only competed but excelled in over-hauling and modernizing our manufacturing sector and now are ahead of the leader, China. Also, very proud to see that this was because of the growth of skill based manufacturing, implying that we aren't also facing a WalMart tide of sweat-shop labour.

Septa Strike......Boon in Disguise

2005-11-04T13:20:00.000-05:00

SEPTA (South Eastern Pennysylvania Transportation Authority), in common man's words the Philadelphia and surrounding regions' public transporation system, is experiencing a massive strike by employees protesting against the lack of benefits being paid to them. The bus that I used to take from the Paoli train station is not running, but the train is. So, that had presented me with the problem of getting to the office.
With Abizer's carpool full and strike date approaching fast I was considering working from home until this situation was resolved. But, there was another problem my office laptop doesn't have a wireless card and my manager couldn't get one for me as it was against company policy. I was confused as to what to do.
And, then like a ray of light tearing away the darkness, Sagar told me that he found someone to carpool and there is place for one more person in the car besides Sagar, George and the mysterious massiah, later to be known as Dan. In a flash, I asked Sagar for the guy's email address and mailed him immediately. Dan also replied promptly giving me all the details about the carpool. The idea of paying $40.00/month for getting a ride from Philli to Malvern was a boon for me, in more than one way.
Of course, the cut down in spending over commute to the office was the primary factor for me opting for the carpool. The added advantage was that I could sleep not just 5 mins, but a whole 30 mins extra every morning. Also, the fear of not being able to catch the train on time was eliminated, which helped me reduce my morning tensions to zero, because train was my only source of stress in the morning.
This also helped me get-away from the path of crash-dieting that I was heading towards. Now, I even got time to eat a hearty breakfast and take a nice shower before leaving for work. I found that my cheerful and joyful mood came back to me. I was no more grumpy or hungry when I reached the office.
I never take knaps in the car on my way to work, coz I'm able to get enough sleep in the morning which I didn't when I commuting by the train. Carpooling has become a boon for me in more than one way. I have regained my happy and smiling face.

1 month over at work

2005-10-27T13:42:00.000-04:00

I just finished 1 month at my internship. Its a whole new world when one starts living on their own even when in college. And then its completely different when ur working and living on your own.
I haven't been as lucky as my other friends who have a nice group of people to hang out with after work. In my friend circle at work, I'm the only one who is working till 6 pm everyday and reach home at 7:30 pm, after a good hour and fifteen minutes of travelling by bus and train. After this I'm very tired. I reach home and all I want to do is fall on my bed. I don't even want dinner. Sadly, I realise that I'm heading towards the problem I always thought I couldn't get and that is crash-dieting. I sometimes skip breakfast or move to it to a later time, cause I slept an extra 5 mins. I always wanted to be an adult, live on my own, take my own decisions. But, what I didn't know is that I was heading towards a point where my life would be governed by the seconds and minutes, where 5 mins would make the difference of catching or missing the train to work. I mean I don't understand, what kind of life is this, where one can't take time out for onself and even get an extra 5 mins on sleep. I knew work would be a whole new world. But I don't like this part of it.

Writing after a long time!!!

2005-10-14T08:56:00.000-04:00

hey, I know I haven't written in a while...and I can't even make an excuse of I was busy with stuff. I guess I need to read my book on time-management again......can someone help me please with getting rid of my habit of being lazy. Ok, after my confession now its time to get down to business.
I started my internship at Siemens. I'm very happy and enjoying my job. The first few days of work were a little hectic and a little confusing, but now I'm nicely settled in and understand what's going on. I have made some good friends and I enjoy my lunch time and email chatting with them. The orientation on the first day was very laid back and fun. I got to meet some really nice people. The most interesting thing is that the bus we take from the train station has a majority population of Siemens employees. Its fun to see so many people from the same company taking the same bus....the other companies in the area hardly have 2-3 employees coming in the bus. Most of the people who take the bus are also from the Philadelphia city, which is also interesting to see.
The most exciting thing is that my dearest mamma is coming to US on monday.....she is coming to where papa is and that is Chicago. But, I'm happy that she will be atleast in the same country as me.
:-)

The forgotten spy

2005-08-26T15:49:00.000-04:00

This is the story ofThe forgotten spy of the Indian National Army founded by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. This is the first time I'm reading about a female spy. I felt proud, sad, happy and patriotic all the at the same time. It was amazing to read. Read on and Leave ur comments.

Pregnant woman burnt to death- The Times of India

2005-08-19T18:36:00.000-04:00

Pregnant woman burnt to death- The Times of India Guys this is a serious blow to our progress. We should do something about this. Its really heartening to see that in our country which is developing by leaps and bounds, we should be working to eradicate these evils of the society.

Mysore is one up on Bangalore- The Times of India

2005-08-16T20:43:00.000-04:00

Hey techies looks likeMysore is one up on Bangalore. I was happy but also surprised on this achievement of the royal city.
Living in Bangalore for 8 years I have always known Mysore to the city of kings and to have a laid back and slow life.
3 cheers for the royal city....hip hip hurray!!!

Happy Independence Day

2005-08-15T11:27:00.000-04:00

This is the link to PM's I-day speech. I missed being home and watching it live on tv. I'm used to watching the Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations live. Our Indian association also had a small ceremony, simple and sweet as it is supposed to be, unfortunately I wasn't able to go. But it really made me very happy to see our flag flying high as it always does.

2005-08-11T19:53:00.000-04:00

Friends Forever!!!

A Great Man

2005-08-09T17:34:00.000-04:00

I came around this article onAdi Godrej: Middle class billionaire on rediff. It is a refreshing change to see some people haven't taken their success to their head and are firmly standing on the ground. I think this is the secret of his success. It is also close to my heart, as it is about an Indian tycoon with Indian middle class values which is very difficult to find.

2005-07-19T17:36:00.000-04:00

Rohan & Me in Chicago

Hectic Schedule

2005-07-19T17:29:00.000-04:00

hey there.....the rest of this week is very hectic...so I'm blogging today. not much has happened except I have tons of work on my head. one of profs decided to move the bring forward the due date on one of our assignments and since our group was to present it.....we're all in a dizzy right now.....I just wish the presentation goes on well. I'll probably be pulling an all-nighter today coz I have to finish assignments and study for the mid-terms.

The Heat is On

2005-07-03T10:33:00.000-04:00

Yup guys and girls.....the summer has started full swing here at Philadelphia. With the temperatures going up to 80F in a humid weather and in an apt which doesn't even have a fan.....there is no stone left unturn in becoming tandoori gosht. I am now in my fourth term here at Drexel University.

our state of affairs is like the village from the movie Lagaan,waiting for the rains. But I am waiting for a better temperature. The weather here reminds me of the week I spent in Mumbai.

The stay was great and I enjoyed being there. But the weather was just so different.....all sultry and salty. But Mumbai was very different from Chennai.

Everyone spoke hindi in Mumbai, but chennai is all about Tamil. Even if the auto-driver knows Hindi, he would want you to speak in Tamil otherwise demand exhorbent fare. But still Chennai is a metro. I am happy that Bangalore isn't a metro, otherwise it would become worse than it is.

Anyways getting back to my city as present, the former capital of United States.... Philadelphia. I got to a see a lot of the city in this term. Me and my room-mate and friend Akshita have been going out into the city together and having fun. The other we went to see Bewitched...cute movie it is. And the best thing is that we walked to the theatre and 11 o'clock in the night we walked back home too.

Another great news is that I got my co-op at Siemens. That's the biggest news of the week. Other than that everythign else has been going on pretty fine and I have been having fun.

Overview till now

2005-06-24T22:45:00.000-04:00

Sorry, I haven't been able to post about myself recently. I was lazy...I am sure. Reasons like I was a little more busy than usual are stupid and thus, shouldn't be presented.

I finished spring term, but not with a GPA I would've liked. I want to gain my position back and pass with a 4.0. and I know I can do it, if I just put in a little more effort than usual. Look at my mentor, bhai.....he's like working all the time and has fun. I guess I have to just get off the couch and get into action, like I was. One of my friends here told me that I'm so quiet and silent.....I guess I haven't still been able to recover from my experience at New Horizon College of Engg. But, this has to stop right now, at this very second.

I will owe in front of bhagwaanji and papa-mamma ka photo kee I will be what I dreamt of myself to be in 10th std. This vacation at the beach attitude ends right here, right now.

Summer term has started and I have been missing my MWF classes like crazy because of off-campus interviews. But, luckily I was able to meet up my profs and explain the whole situation to them. Prof. here are really understanding. they like the fact, that you came up to them and explained your absence. it speaks of one's character. they appreciate sincerety and genuineness very much. it also gives them a signal that you are serious about the class and the subject.

my co-op interviews have been going well. dressing up in formals and going for interviews is an experience on its own. I have been travelling to all parts of the suburbs of philadelphia. I have been seeing so much of philadelphia. the other day I went for my interview at Siemens....it was a really good ride. that side of philli seemed to be more west windsor suburb like mausiji, but also the brick houses reminded of my old english houses. the stations our train crossed....oh my God were the old fashion english stations. it was a great ride. then today I went towards the Warminster side, which is a completely different side of philli. it has more middle class housing. it has been a great experience to see such contrasting sides of the same city. I am having fun even in this hot summer.

the term has finally got off to a start. the only bad thing was that I didn't get a book I ordered and the other order was cancelled and so I had to buy those books from the bookstore. but, I have decided that after the end of this term, I will sell some of my books. the problem is that I decide this as the term starts and then towards the end of the term I change my mind. I think I am just not cut out to selling my books...I have never done it. and I don't think I will. the thing is that I have never been to taught to sell books, but give them away. I mean I couldn't sell my books in India for half price like others. Probably I'll also go keep the books as free books.

that reminds me that I was thinking of an idea. the profs should be requested to think about the amount of money the students have to spend to buy the books. we should make a network and the syllabus should be made available to all students for all courses at all times. also we should make a network of students where the students can exchnage books for free or for a cheaper price. it is similar to the khandaan system bhai had at IIT. its a good way of keeping the amount of money spent on textbooks low and also helps students.

with that note I would just like to say that looking forward to summer term and co-op. and will be regular on my blog.

Is this going to work

2005-05-03T13:50:00.000-04:00

Supreme Court's new ruling is very interesting. I don't know how its going to work, but its nice to see that something is being done about this problem other the Dowry Prohibition Act

Recap!!

2005-04-27T07:22:00.000-04:00

sorry, I haven't been able to post something new for quiet some time on my blog. I kind of got caught in this term. I have some heavy duty subjects. but I am enjoying all of them. my work load has also been increased this term to 15 hrs per week. I am also looking into spreading my wings. so as to speak about joining clubs and get involved into activities. I just hope its not too late.

I finally got some free time today morning as my 9o'clock class is cancelled for today. Prof. Lippincott is going for a jury duty. He is a nice guy and my philosphy prof. I enjoy his class. he is really expressive. When I had signed up for the course, I had just signed up because I needed some course for my humanities elective, but now I am happy that I took Philosphy. It will also help me prepare for other two philosphy required courses we are to take for for our major.

I haven't been able to really make friends who I would hang around with outside class.....but I really don't have much time after class. still trying, lets see how things happen. candee is back and I am a lot of fun. yesterday we spent a whole day together and caught up on a lot of things. it was really nice. I felt good after a long time.

but I am looking forward to end of the term coz my dear bro is coming from India to see chicago and will also come to philli. then me and him are flying back together to Chicago. hoping to see Chicago by day and nite, if papa agrees. crossing my fingers over it!!!

Ooree baba, ei ke bhelo Dada

2005-04-12T13:27:00.000-04:00

Loos like dada ke gale mein bada kaantaatak gaya. what should he do.

Got My First Pay Check!!!

2005-04-08T17:27:00.000-04:00

Yes, guys. I have finally recieved my first pay check. I am so happy and excited. after sweating out and back breaking work at our college cafe (15 hours a week), getting the pay check is such a nice feeling. I am so overwhelmed with joy, that I can't write properly. This has also taught me the value of each dollar or unit of currency wherever one is working. I have now realised how hard papa and mamma have to work for us to have such a lavish life. though ma would argue that papa works harder than her, but I think both of them work hardest for their fields of work. The first three months of work were cool because it was just 10 hours a week. but after classes started this term I got 15 hours of work....I was excited that I wud earn more money. but what I didn't realise, that it meant more work and more of standing and lifting heavy items....everyday after work I have sore feet and sometimes sore back.....but next day morning it cool, so I go to work and come back home evening all tired and crash on the bed. But I am completely enjoying the work.....and so I don't want to quit.

We the People

2005-04-08T17:22:00.000-04:00

Prepared by the students of University of Kansas. Depicts the theme of We the People and India I know. Felt close to home while watching this. For all desis around the world, must see.

Will the Women do what men cudn't

2005-04-07T18:19:00.000-04:00

For those of u wondering, I am talking with regard to the Women's Cricket Worl Cup final.India defeated New Zealand to reserve a place in the finals. and looks like its going to be a replay of the Men's World Cup. Yes, the Indians will be facing Australia....its deja vou. but I wish and hope that it is where the similarity shud stop. Lets all cheer and wish that this time around India achieve what they want to....a win against Australia.

So Go India Go India Go!!!!!wooooo hooooo!!!

E-Prasad

2005-04-05T21:45:00.000-04:00

Looks like I can get the prasad from Badrinath Mandir even if I am not able to go. This is a novel idea and good for me, as it is pretty clear to me that I am not going to be able to pay homage at mandir near future.

Hooray!!! We Won We Won

2005-04-05T10:30:00.000-04:00

We have done it again. For all those wondering what this outburst is about...India has won the Second ODI. Absolutely big fan of cricket. I would've loved to watch the match. 356 wow!!!....now that's a score....but for a such big total I would've thought India would win with an even more comprehensive.....and thus a round of applause for the Pak fight back 58 runs isn't a big margin..... I am sure if Afridi would have gone all out, Pakistan might have have even won.

A usual Tendulkar seem to have not performed with the bat or the bowl....any explanations for his suddern downturn.....I am a hard core Tendulkar fan.....but I also believe that he has to be consistent in all the games....not make a big score in one and then do nothing in the other.....or is it just that all bowlers across the globe have studied all his shots is a greater detail and he has to invent newer shots with each ball.

Waiting for all comments on this one

Rare Bird to be tracked

2005-04-04T17:26:00.000-04:00

Just found that this beautiful bird was thought be extinct , but was rediscovered a few years ago. Found deep in the woods, its totally cut off from the modern world. I just hope this study doesn't lead to poaching and other problems related to our urban life

Dada's Confession

2005-04-03T16:54:00.000-04:00

In his usual styleSourav Dada was a pressure cooker during the match. As the article states, he was relieved when India won.He is such a nervous wreck....is he scared of the happenings during the World Cup. May be we shud try this on our political leaders and see if for a change they perform in the interest of the nation.

Good news for our players

2005-04-03T16:49:00.000-04:00

Thank God, Sri Lanka tour has been cancelled This is a welcome news I think not just by the players but also us, we do not want our players falling sick and getting cramps

Pope is no more

2005-04-02T20:43:00.000-05:00

I just recieved a breaking news flash from my mom back home thatPope is no more

I didn't follow the news about him much, but I know he was a great religious leader. He was loved and respected by all roman catholics all over the world. I extend my deepest condolscences to all our christian friends all over the world.

2005-04-02T08:54:00.000-05:00

Maha Shivratri Pooja

2005-04-02T08:52:00.000-05:00

My 21st B'day

2005-04-01T19:17:00.000-05:00

B'day, the very word is associated with party, fun and frolic. But, for every person and age-group the definition of this word is different. I experienced a new meaning of b'day on my 21st b'day which was on Mar 30. It was the first time I woke up without ma singing "Happy B'day" to me. It was a really different feeling. It was the first time my mom, dad, rohan (my bro) wished me on phone. It was then I felt that I've come a long way and times have changed.

I was so happy on my b'day full of excitement and joy, but not something I would share with people. I was experiencing this inner joy on b'day, like I was having a hug b'day bash inside of me. everyone wished me, from my dearest room-mate Akshita to my work friends, my Best Friend Candy and even my India friends

There were two high points of the day. The first one being God's present to me, which was bringing my B'lore college friends online. It was so cool. We chatted for like an hour and at end before saying our goodbyes they sang "Happy B'day" to me 5 times.....coz they kept goofing up. I was almost in tears, it felt so nice. I felt like an adult hosting a b'day party for my friends.

The second high point of the day was me and my best friend going to dinner. I had decided of going to this Vietnamese Restaurent, but I kind of messed up the directions, so we walked 6 blocks in a circle and then finally I decided to go this Mexican joint I hadn't gone to. Its called Quidoba......the food is really good and the quantity huge. we ordered Burritos and had a quiet dinner, just the two of us.

It was a very different b'day party compared the ones I used have in India. Back home, I would invite all my friends for lunch, and they would look forward to it, coz they loved my mom's cooking and we used to have lots if fun too. This was when I realised that now I am an adult and that on your b'day its an absolute joy with being able to be with the people who matter most on your life. I really missed my family and friends. But, I had fun 2.

I am finally here!!!!

2005-03-31T19:02:00.000-05:00

well guys I have done it....I am finally here. I had launched my blog yesterday.....but dearest bhai thought I didn't give it the right name, so I removed that blog and now setup a new one. so as I said in my previous blog, the whole credit for this goes to bhai.....my friend, inspiration, mentor and idol....and for those of u wondering.....the name is Animesh Pathak.....he is really cool....always on top of his game and technologically sound...there is hardly anything he doesn't know. I hope I can be regular and post stuff.

abt the blog....its simply as the title suggests....my experiences and views on the happenings of the world.