Shantaram is my favorite book!! I mean, like favorite among everything that I have ever read… The one prominent reason I loved it, was how appreciative the author was about India… His love for Bombay started from the moment he inhales the polluted air of the city… Instead of being the overbearing high-strung foreigner who cannot relate to anything Indian, he falls in love with the town. And trust me, you will fall in love with city too (and a Mumbaikar will look at his town with renewed love).
The recent attacks on the Taj, Leopold and Colaba made me want to go back to the book. Gregory Roberts found his friends, love at these popular joints. To be reading about it in his rich words, made you want to pack your bags and head there!!! The city and its landmarks were all I thought of for 3 whole months….
To see these monuments bruised and battered makes me angry beyond words!! The basic principle we were taught at school, at home, by our religion, by our culture, is not to hate!!! From Ahimsa taught by Buddha to Gandhigiri taught by Munna, we have been told to only love love love, and never hate!!!
All the anger we are expressing in the wake of these attacks is just hatred I feel… Hatred towards the politicians who gave the details of NSG operations on Live-TV… Hatred towards the media for airing it (commonsense you brainiacs!!!)… Hatred towards politicians for India being so soft on terrorism… Hatred of every militant organization that exists… Hatred because we lost our best policemen in the attacks…. Hatred of ourselves, because we are feeling helpless, while glued to internet and television… Hatred at everyone because we cannot elect leaders who can LEAD the country… Hatred of the general society which only thinks of celebrities and movies till something drastic happens… Hatred of ourselves: we went shopping just because it was Black Friday and every store had discounts, while our country burned…..
WE NEED ANSWERS!! Everyone does!! But from whom?? The same politicians who have never taken a step, in fear that their vote-bank will be affected?? (The same politicians who we voted for BTW!!!) Or from ourselves?? Who cannot do anything other than condole and codemn these attacks?? Does anyone at all think about the nation’s security till tragedy strikes again?? And why does patriotism come pouring forth when we are under attack??
What we need to be instilled patriotism… This means, to put an end to regionalism and look at India as INDIA… Indian ideal of pluralism: ethnic, cultural and religious identities can all exist under the umbrella of an Indian identity and everyone needs to remember that!!!
Like Tharoor says “"If America is a melting pot, then to me India is a thali -- a collection of sumptuous dishes in different bowls. Each may not mix with the next, but they combine on your palate to produce a satisfying repast."
We need to come together… for our country!!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
A prayer!!
ithnii shakti hamein de na daataa
mankaa vishvaas kamazor ho naa
ham chalein nek raaste pe hamase
bhuulakar bhii koI bhuul ho naa......
har taraf zulm hai bebasii hai
sahamaa-sahamaasaa har aadamii hai
paap kaa bojh baDhataa hii jaaye
jaane kaise ye dharatii thamii hai
bojh mamataa kaa tU ye uThaa le
terii rachanaa ka ye ant ho naa......
ham chale.........
duur aGYaan ke ho andhere
tU hamein GYaan kii raushanii de
har buraaii se bachake rahe.n ham
jitanii bhii de, bhalii zindagii de
bair ho naa kisIkaa kisiise
bhaavanaa man mein badale kii ho naa.......
ham chale.......
ham na sochein hamein kyaa milaa hai
ham ye sochein kiyaa kyaa hai arpaN
phuul khushiyoin ke baaTein sabhii ko
sabakaa jiivan hii ban jaaye madhuban
apanii karuNaa ko jab tU bahaa de
karade paavan har ik man kaa konaa.........
ham chale........
ham andhere mein haiin raushanii de,
kho naa de khud ko hii dushmanii se,
ham sazaa paaye apane kiye kii,
maut bhii ho to sah le khushii se,
kal jo guzaraa hai phirase naa guzare,
aanevaalaa vo kal aisaa ho naa........
ham chale nek raaste pe hamase,
bhulakar bhii koI bhuul ho naa........
ithnii shakti hame.n de naa daataa,
mankaa vishvaas kamazor ho naa........
(movie:Ankush)
mankaa vishvaas kamazor ho naa
ham chalein nek raaste pe hamase
bhuulakar bhii koI bhuul ho naa......
har taraf zulm hai bebasii hai
sahamaa-sahamaasaa har aadamii hai
paap kaa bojh baDhataa hii jaaye
jaane kaise ye dharatii thamii hai
bojh mamataa kaa tU ye uThaa le
terii rachanaa ka ye ant ho naa......
ham chale.........
duur aGYaan ke ho andhere
tU hamein GYaan kii raushanii de
har buraaii se bachake rahe.n ham
jitanii bhii de, bhalii zindagii de
bair ho naa kisIkaa kisiise
bhaavanaa man mein badale kii ho naa.......
ham chale.......
ham na sochein hamein kyaa milaa hai
ham ye sochein kiyaa kyaa hai arpaN
phuul khushiyoin ke baaTein sabhii ko
sabakaa jiivan hii ban jaaye madhuban
apanii karuNaa ko jab tU bahaa de
karade paavan har ik man kaa konaa.........
ham chale........
ham andhere mein haiin raushanii de,
kho naa de khud ko hii dushmanii se,
ham sazaa paaye apane kiye kii,
maut bhii ho to sah le khushii se,
kal jo guzaraa hai phirase naa guzare,
aanevaalaa vo kal aisaa ho naa........
ham chale nek raaste pe hamase,
bhulakar bhii koI bhuul ho naa........
ithnii shakti hame.n de naa daataa,
mankaa vishvaas kamazor ho naa........
(movie:Ankush)
Takin out my frustration!!! 1 blog at a time!!
Stupid morons!!! Stop talking about Bombay’s resilience!!! We all know the greatness of Bombay (sorry to everyone who prefers Mumbai)…!!!
It is a city like no other: always bustling with life, the city of movies and money, the city which attracts people by the thousands, a city with perhaps the most unique flavor in India!! I went there as a 10-yr old and it had the buzz that Bangalore has now!!! (needless to say, fell in love with it!)
Being the most sought after city, is making it a sift target for everyone who wants to disrupt peace in India… and the recent attack is one of many in the recent decade!! Every episode ended with a “Bombay will be resilient bla bla bla!”
Oh come on!! Think people, why are we taking this amazing capability of the city as a cover-up for the inefficiencies of our police, politicians and administration???
Just because we can get back on our feet in record-time does not mean we cannot take action against people who are out to terrorize our motherland!! It is high time the idiots who are ruling our country take some drastic measures (I know the common thinking is to annihilate a neighboring country of ours, and I did not mean that by drastic measures)…
Please please!! I am begging everyone who has the power to do something right for the country, to do so!!
WE NEED TO STOP TAKING SHIT and the sooner we do, the better!!!
It is a city like no other: always bustling with life, the city of movies and money, the city which attracts people by the thousands, a city with perhaps the most unique flavor in India!! I went there as a 10-yr old and it had the buzz that Bangalore has now!!! (needless to say, fell in love with it!)
Being the most sought after city, is making it a sift target for everyone who wants to disrupt peace in India… and the recent attack is one of many in the recent decade!! Every episode ended with a “Bombay will be resilient bla bla bla!”
Oh come on!! Think people, why are we taking this amazing capability of the city as a cover-up for the inefficiencies of our police, politicians and administration???
Just because we can get back on our feet in record-time does not mean we cannot take action against people who are out to terrorize our motherland!! It is high time the idiots who are ruling our country take some drastic measures (I know the common thinking is to annihilate a neighboring country of ours, and I did not mean that by drastic measures)…
Please please!! I am begging everyone who has the power to do something right for the country, to do so!!
WE NEED TO STOP TAKING SHIT and the sooner we do, the better!!!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Clumsy coz I'm fallin in love.....
The first and the most important preparation before coming to America is to have learnt cooking!!! It does not matter if you don’t know cell biology or math (see, already half American, I stopped sayin maths!!!) or Matlab, you got to, have to, certainly need to know to freakin COOK!!! It does not matter whether it is Italian, south Indian, north Indian, French, Chinese or anything else that u know.. but u just gotta know…
I did not “learn” coz a) Chennai chicks always know how to cook well; b) genetically, I must be a great cook (anyone who has had mom and dad’s cookin will vouch for this); c) whats google for?? Do a search, find the recipe, cook, eat, clean!!; d) arre, will get RA/TA and earn.. so might as well blow money on food.. e) eat complex carbs everday? Noways… will buy oats or some other healthy stuff and lose some weight!!!
Let me see how many of those still hold true!! A is partly true… b,c,d fall under the category of “arch, what the hell were u thinking?” e is “u kiddin me rite? How can u eat such bland stuff, even to lose weight?”
By the way, I had the chance to cook “vangibath” on the first day of stayin at new house… now to list what ALL were wrong with the simplest preparation of rice!! We did not have brinjals, I had no clue about the proportionality of curry powder, I always add very little salt, I kinda mixed the order in which things are to be added…. But it tasted OK!!
But can I survive on my own cooking for 2 yrs?? I doubt it… but will I improve?? Hope so!!! Else, I am following the easiest way to survive my own cookin… boil pasta and veggies, season it with oregano and salt… And, there is food… : ) tasty, healthy, non-fussy, easy to cook, eat, clean!!!
Many of you must have heard abt the accidental buzzin of the smoke alarm when we were cookin roti.. oof, man!! After a month of eatin only rice n pasta (feels like forever actually), we FINALLY super FINALLY got some atta… and I got all-hyper and prepared the dough for rotis… wanted to eat paratha really bad… but all we had for paratha was cheese!!! No no.. not happenin, tat I eat cheese paratha…. So we mixed some random veggies (all our curries have broccoli coz its always there in the fridge!!!) and voila, had a fancy curry… curry all done, we truned our attention to the dough to roll out chapathis… I still cant do that part properly, which resulted in weird shaped rotis till my roomie sugs took control… I ONLY had to put it flat on a tawa and cook it…
Easy rite??? Apparently not!!! D’oh!! The roti was giving out smoke (the brainiacs that we are, we forgot to switch on the exhaust) and after 2 min, an ear piercing-kuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii sound started… I left the roti to cook (further till it charred) and all of us ran to the smoke detector and tried to switch if off… when tat failed, tried to reset it.. failed again (wonder how phoebe reset it in friends!!!).. finally yanked the thing off.. and put it back after 5 min… (know its not recommended, but what to do… dint want a fire engine outside our apt!!!)
Things are lookin up now.. thanks to MTR (and the fact tat they give instructions), the curry tastes better and I am on the fast-track towards better-cooking…. and lovin it!!!
I did not “learn” coz a) Chennai chicks always know how to cook well; b) genetically, I must be a great cook (anyone who has had mom and dad’s cookin will vouch for this); c) whats google for?? Do a search, find the recipe, cook, eat, clean!!; d) arre, will get RA/TA and earn.. so might as well blow money on food.. e) eat complex carbs everday? Noways… will buy oats or some other healthy stuff and lose some weight!!!
Let me see how many of those still hold true!! A is partly true… b,c,d fall under the category of “arch, what the hell were u thinking?” e is “u kiddin me rite? How can u eat such bland stuff, even to lose weight?”
By the way, I had the chance to cook “vangibath” on the first day of stayin at new house… now to list what ALL were wrong with the simplest preparation of rice!! We did not have brinjals, I had no clue about the proportionality of curry powder, I always add very little salt, I kinda mixed the order in which things are to be added…. But it tasted OK!!
But can I survive on my own cooking for 2 yrs?? I doubt it… but will I improve?? Hope so!!! Else, I am following the easiest way to survive my own cookin… boil pasta and veggies, season it with oregano and salt… And, there is food… : ) tasty, healthy, non-fussy, easy to cook, eat, clean!!!
Many of you must have heard abt the accidental buzzin of the smoke alarm when we were cookin roti.. oof, man!! After a month of eatin only rice n pasta (feels like forever actually), we FINALLY super FINALLY got some atta… and I got all-hyper and prepared the dough for rotis… wanted to eat paratha really bad… but all we had for paratha was cheese!!! No no.. not happenin, tat I eat cheese paratha…. So we mixed some random veggies (all our curries have broccoli coz its always there in the fridge!!!) and voila, had a fancy curry… curry all done, we truned our attention to the dough to roll out chapathis… I still cant do that part properly, which resulted in weird shaped rotis till my roomie sugs took control… I ONLY had to put it flat on a tawa and cook it…
Easy rite??? Apparently not!!! D’oh!! The roti was giving out smoke (the brainiacs that we are, we forgot to switch on the exhaust) and after 2 min, an ear piercing-kuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii sound started… I left the roti to cook (further till it charred) and all of us ran to the smoke detector and tried to switch if off… when tat failed, tried to reset it.. failed again (wonder how phoebe reset it in friends!!!).. finally yanked the thing off.. and put it back after 5 min… (know its not recommended, but what to do… dint want a fire engine outside our apt!!!)
Things are lookin up now.. thanks to MTR (and the fact tat they give instructions), the curry tastes better and I am on the fast-track towards better-cooking…. and lovin it!!!
oh India, where art thou???
It does not REALLY serve the purpose if I wrote the 3rd part of my blog a whole month after arriving here, does it?? But, you gotta do what you gotta do… So, here goes….
Wow… Wondering where to start!!!! First things first… The lanes run opposite to what we have back home!!! Oh yeah?? You think that’s small ha?? Nope… Its not I say, its NOT!!!! Its so confusing that I don’t even want a car till I get used to it (did not mention bike coz of same reason!!) I still look the wrong way while crossing the roads!!!
Crossing the roads!! Sigh… another depressing thing abt America… they have signals every 100 meters I suppose… which basically means, more stopping before crossing (guess what, these people are actually serious about following the “red=stop; amber=get ready and green=go” system here!!!) I don’t remember the last time I followed it while riding my scooty…… ;)
My scooty is being given away!!! My first loooooooooooooooove!!! Oooow!! Wait a min…. considering scooty was also my only love, is it time for luv!!!! Hmmmmm…. I wish I had time for it…. All busy with assignments already!!! Its only our 2nd week… show some concern plz people!!! Don’t I need time to get acclimatized with the funda of studying like I have my board exams every quarter….!!!
Another thing, 1 dollar ACTUALLY has value here… its like the American equivalent of 40 INR!!! Look, I cant say 48 cuz it pains me to see dollar rate increasing… hope it stops.. hope hope hope…. Ow, btw…. Photocopying (not Xerox-ing) costs 5 cents a page…. Which roughly translates to 5 INR a page…… oh man.. jus imagine tat.. I would never have passed BE if photocopy rates were so high in india…
Arre.. there is a red wriggly line under India in previous sentence…. I know tats India and not india… but Microsoft defaults “microsoft” to become “Microsoft” and “america” to “America” in word… why not india I ask???? Oi u Microsoft people…. Count the number of Indians in your company and show some respect to the best bunch of programmers you ever got.. and one more thing.. Microsoft might be American.. but English is Brit….!!! So, the default of English should be U.K. and not U.S.!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wait a min.. wasn’t the blog supposed to be about how I adjusted???? Hmmm.. I am happily settled into a routine here… no issues whatsoever!! Yay!! Dunno how it happened but it did…. And I aint complainin….
Missing India (set it to autocorrect) a lot from time to time… but I know exactly wat are the expectations from me…. So it’s a focused approach now… towards MS… and then head home… home is where the heart is.. and my head, heart, soul is all in India!!! :D
Wow… Wondering where to start!!!! First things first… The lanes run opposite to what we have back home!!! Oh yeah?? You think that’s small ha?? Nope… Its not I say, its NOT!!!! Its so confusing that I don’t even want a car till I get used to it (did not mention bike coz of same reason!!) I still look the wrong way while crossing the roads!!!
Crossing the roads!! Sigh… another depressing thing abt America… they have signals every 100 meters I suppose… which basically means, more stopping before crossing (guess what, these people are actually serious about following the “red=stop; amber=get ready and green=go” system here!!!) I don’t remember the last time I followed it while riding my scooty…… ;)
My scooty is being given away!!! My first loooooooooooooooove!!! Oooow!! Wait a min…. considering scooty was also my only love, is it time for luv!!!! Hmmmmm…. I wish I had time for it…. All busy with assignments already!!! Its only our 2nd week… show some concern plz people!!! Don’t I need time to get acclimatized with the funda of studying like I have my board exams every quarter….!!!
Another thing, 1 dollar ACTUALLY has value here… its like the American equivalent of 40 INR!!! Look, I cant say 48 cuz it pains me to see dollar rate increasing… hope it stops.. hope hope hope…. Ow, btw…. Photocopying (not Xerox-ing) costs 5 cents a page…. Which roughly translates to 5 INR a page…… oh man.. jus imagine tat.. I would never have passed BE if photocopy rates were so high in india…
Arre.. there is a red wriggly line under India in previous sentence…. I know tats India and not india… but Microsoft defaults “microsoft” to become “Microsoft” and “america” to “America” in word… why not india I ask???? Oi u Microsoft people…. Count the number of Indians in your company and show some respect to the best bunch of programmers you ever got.. and one more thing.. Microsoft might be American.. but English is Brit….!!! So, the default of English should be U.K. and not U.S.!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wait a min.. wasn’t the blog supposed to be about how I adjusted???? Hmmm.. I am happily settled into a routine here… no issues whatsoever!! Yay!! Dunno how it happened but it did…. And I aint complainin….
Missing India (set it to autocorrect) a lot from time to time… but I know exactly wat are the expectations from me…. So it’s a focused approach now… towards MS… and then head home… home is where the heart is.. and my head, heart, soul is all in India!!! :D
Saturday, October 4, 2008
blore london philly
British airways is AWESOME!!! The only word that I could think of (and if u know me, the most used word too)… fantastic service.. esp the food.. or the brit accent in dunno.. maybe it’s the accent that was makin me all happy happy..
Felt a tinge of guilt, sadness when the flight actually took off.. the feeling that I am ACTUALLY leavin India was a little overwhelming.. an I sobbed a bit.. then the sleep took over… much against what people warned me (don’t sleep in the flight, or u wud be so jet-lagged)… but before tat I tried my best to watch movies (bad choice of movies for the BIG airline that it boasts of!!).. found only one good movie that I wanted to watch: kung fu panda.. but slept after 10 min of it.. all the excitement of meeting everyone had still not died down, but the lack of sleep thru the night was way too much!!!
The times that I was awake, all I thought of were the friends I left in blore... maybe 2 yrs is a very short time, but I dunno how I will be able to stay close to all the friends from school, college and office (gosh!! I still miss them!!!)… I still speak to soooooooo many of them, but dunno how long this wud last (will try my best, pakka pakka!!!)… I was already thinking what to mail most of them after I found a comp with internet!!! It was kinda creepy... but all I thought abt was tat…
London’s heathrow took my breath away… it is such a huge place!! And the London philly flight was a better one compared to blore London!!!! Stupid brit people giving preferences to Americans… one thing tat I noticed was that the air hostesses were not YOUNG!!! Nothin like the anorexic chicks who come in the airhostess academies ads in India… but, they are so courteous and helpful… wow!!! The flight was nearly empty and this old grandpa was there (wearing suit n all, lookin like touching 80) and this airhostess was with him... and they chatted till the flight landed in philly.. was the only “owwwwwwwww” moment coz I slept thru it..
Immigration was a cakewalk… the police guy who signed my visa doc was from kolkata (Calcutta for ppd).. he smiled n said “I don’t look like tat?”.. I smiled n said “nope!!!”… Thank goodness he still signed n said “u be safe in philly, miss!!”
Felt a tinge of guilt, sadness when the flight actually took off.. the feeling that I am ACTUALLY leavin India was a little overwhelming.. an I sobbed a bit.. then the sleep took over… much against what people warned me (don’t sleep in the flight, or u wud be so jet-lagged)… but before tat I tried my best to watch movies (bad choice of movies for the BIG airline that it boasts of!!).. found only one good movie that I wanted to watch: kung fu panda.. but slept after 10 min of it.. all the excitement of meeting everyone had still not died down, but the lack of sleep thru the night was way too much!!!
The times that I was awake, all I thought of were the friends I left in blore... maybe 2 yrs is a very short time, but I dunno how I will be able to stay close to all the friends from school, college and office (gosh!! I still miss them!!!)… I still speak to soooooooo many of them, but dunno how long this wud last (will try my best, pakka pakka!!!)… I was already thinking what to mail most of them after I found a comp with internet!!! It was kinda creepy... but all I thought abt was tat…
London’s heathrow took my breath away… it is such a huge place!! And the London philly flight was a better one compared to blore London!!!! Stupid brit people giving preferences to Americans… one thing tat I noticed was that the air hostesses were not YOUNG!!! Nothin like the anorexic chicks who come in the airhostess academies ads in India… but, they are so courteous and helpful… wow!!! The flight was nearly empty and this old grandpa was there (wearing suit n all, lookin like touching 80) and this airhostess was with him... and they chatted till the flight landed in philly.. was the only “owwwwwwwww” moment coz I slept thru it..
Immigration was a cakewalk… the police guy who signed my visa doc was from kolkata (Calcutta for ppd).. he smiled n said “I don’t look like tat?”.. I smiled n said “nope!!!”… Thank goodness he still signed n said “u be safe in philly, miss!!”
lettin go of blore....
Blog was on holiday for a loooooooooooooong time, partly cuz I was lazy and partly cuz writing anything abt leavin India etc etc made me (and still makes me) very home-sick…!!!
This is a 3-part blog (to compensate for all the dayz missed!!!) and will have the 3-4 dayz between leaving
Wait wait… back to square one!!! Leaving namma Bengaluru!!
Sept 10 started like any other
My aunt must have been so excited that she called almost every hour to check how I was doing…. My little sisters who could personally meet me called and challenged me to lose weight (btw, the workload here looks so hectic; I might come back a size 0!!!!!) Rajeev sent the sweetest msg after reaching home… Ll miss you too bro!! Girish, Shashi, Shubha, I owe you one big-time for teachin mom google-talk and I miss all the masti that I had with u….!!!
Lots of people from office wished me and I was soooooooooo happy that they called…. I did meet 3 of them!! And if I had not met Shamanth, Manoj and Sagar, I would probably reach here more homesick…. Just one year of work (and 40 dayz of unemployment) and its unbelievable how close I am to you guys!!! Missing you guys so bad!! You are great friends!!
Seema and ppd!!! Miss you 2 too… I know it got emotional towards the end and all, and that’s only cuz I will miss your company so much!! There were so many friends and classmates who wished that I felt so overwhelmed every 2-3 hrs…!! It was so tough to fight back the tears when everyone wished you luck so many times!!!
Nothing about my parents and bro here, cuz I would want that to be with me and me alone!!!! J
Friday, October 3, 2008
Blog resumes flight from Chilly Philly
its been 25 days since i reached philadelphia.. and frankyl, everyone and everything has been very kind to me (except the weather, which sometimes acts freaky!!! i dont understand how i can freeze at 2 in the afternoon)it such a nice city.. haven't explored it at all actually, but i wud love to do tat sometime (when i got some money to blow and the dollar rate is fallin).. the little bit tat i did travel (read, travel to walmart cuz we needed a microwave), i saw an oldish philly..there are these huge skyscrapers on one side.. and old vintage buildings on the other.. and the fascinating thing for me is that they have their existence almost like a symbiotic relation (eeks.. tats my med sci class influence.. love tat prof's class.. he teaches with so much enthu tat i jus sit n smile away)..oops.. back to philly.. hmm.. i stay on the side which is relatively quiet (yes, relatively).. there is a HUGE HUGE hospital at the corner of our lane and there are always people and ambulances in the area (creepy considering how much i hate hospitals!!)
guess what!! this place has so many indians tat am wonderin where all the americans went!!! there have 2-3 indian stores every street.. which sells marie biscuits for 1 dollar!!! imagine payin 45 bucks (or is it 47) for tat!!! and maggi is unbelievably expensive.. oof.. not missin it much cuz its so unhealthy. :)speakin to healthy, i gotta walk 10-15 min to class.. :D maybe i have lost some weight (added thanks to our combined culinary skills which makes reiterates the fact that "we eat to live"!!!).. aicho.. there i go again.. so, might have lost some weight (wow!!!!) but not for long.. i love my peanut butter spread and mozarella cheese.. not to foget the yummy chocolate flavoured cereal..and.. the cheese spread.. and all the carbs in the rice!!! oh o.. i can see where this is goin.. already hungry..
but nope... lemme focus on the blog now.. :D did i mention ( to some i did) that i started to hit the gym.. yup, jus started.. and ended the same day.. FIVE WHOLE FREAKY MINS SWEATIN ON TAT STUPID CYCLE N IT SAYS 10 CALS BURNT!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!so obviously i stopped proper gym stuff!!! but played badminton one day!! the next morn was the WORST ever.. and the next day was well.. PAINFUL!!! hurts to think abt it.. ;)
missing blore.. blore wud be so warm rite now compared to chilly philly.. but also miss all the food.. mmm mmm.. oh btw, with all the cookin, cleanin that i am doin now.. can assure people one thing for sure.. ms or ms.. phd or no phd.. will come back ready to be a housewife!! will keep the house squeaky clean.. :D (mom, are u listening??)
guess what!! this place has so many indians tat am wonderin where all the americans went!!! there have 2-3 indian stores every street.. which sells marie biscuits for 1 dollar!!! imagine payin 45 bucks (or is it 47) for tat!!! and maggi is unbelievably expensive.. oof.. not missin it much cuz its so unhealthy. :)speakin to healthy, i gotta walk 10-15 min to class.. :D maybe i have lost some weight (added thanks to our combined culinary skills which makes reiterates the fact that "we eat to live"!!!).. aicho.. there i go again.. so, might have lost some weight (wow!!!!) but not for long.. i love my peanut butter spread and mozarella cheese.. not to foget the yummy chocolate flavoured cereal..and.. the cheese spread.. and all the carbs in the rice!!! oh o.. i can see where this is goin.. already hungry..
but nope... lemme focus on the blog now.. :D did i mention ( to some i did) that i started to hit the gym.. yup, jus started.. and ended the same day.. FIVE WHOLE FREAKY MINS SWEATIN ON TAT STUPID CYCLE N IT SAYS 10 CALS BURNT!!! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!so obviously i stopped proper gym stuff!!! but played badminton one day!! the next morn was the WORST ever.. and the next day was well.. PAINFUL!!! hurts to think abt it.. ;)
missing blore.. blore wud be so warm rite now compared to chilly philly.. but also miss all the food.. mmm mmm.. oh btw, with all the cookin, cleanin that i am doin now.. can assure people one thing for sure.. ms or ms.. phd or no phd.. will come back ready to be a housewife!! will keep the house squeaky clean.. :D (mom, are u listening??)
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
5 things I’ll miss most…
3 days into blogging and I’ve already missed a day!! D’oh!! But no regrets at all, Seema and I had a fun-time shopping, getting drenched, eating pasta n pizza, chatting long hours about everything that came to our minds…
With 2 weeks away from September 10th, I wanted to make a list of top-5 things I would miss the most about my life here… I am staying clear of dialogues such as “I’ll miss my family so much”, “I will miss having lunch with friends on a weekend”, “Oh, I cannot attend anyone’s wedding for a long time”, “what will I do without my weekly dose of street-food” etc… cuz those would be just staying the OBVIOUS!!!
So what follows is the list of material-possessions that I will miss most… I really won’t put it in any particular order cuz everything is so dear to me….!!
CELLPHONE: Who knew I would stick to one phone for 4 yrs!!! I have my little 2300 when conductors in the buses I travel carry N-series…!! Not that I am embarrassed or anything, but frankly, I never had the temptation to buy a new phone…!! Partly because of the memories associated with the phone... When I exchanged my 2100 for 2300 with cousin, it was primarily cuz I wanted the radio… The radio no longer works, the keypad is flat, the screen blurred… but it doesn’t matter!!! This was the medium through which I made quite a number of friends, learnt which “topic is which page in what textbook” during exams, flirted, fought, lent a helping hand, sought help!!! L will miss it so much!!!
TVS SCOOTY: I wonder if my Scooty had a mind of its own, how long it would tolerate me!!! I bloated from since I got this vehicle, I never wiped it till Ayudh Puja every year, I never gave it for servicing on time, I sometimes tested the limits of its braking and acceleration…!!! But, this is my FIRST LOVE!!! The freedom that comes with having your vehicle is unparalleled and being my very first ride, I would always keep it with me… But that is not rally possible, so I am giving mom the job of giving it away to someone…!!!
BOOKS: I think I remember the exact date I went back to being a bookworm!! December 20, 2007, Bhavya and I went to Strand book festival. Fuelled by her enthusiasm, I blew a decent 1500 bucks on original books (forget originals, till then I dint even buy road-side books!!!) Having spent so much, I had no other option but to read them all and as time passed, there was a renewed interest in books. I agreed that I had a very India-centric reading habit but that was what I have enjoyed so far…!! Looking forward to newer books to read in Philly, but sadly leaving my old books behind…
SONGS: This is from my work at Cerner, 8-plus GB of some of my favourite songs….!! It was with a heavy heart that I deleted my songs folder when I left Cerner in July. English, Hindi, Kannada and some Tamil songs were my constant companions while I worked. I don’t even know how I got hooked to the habit of working with music, cuz till Cerner happened, I could never have music playing when I had to do any kind of work….!!
TAI-PEI: For all those who don’t know what this is, its my huge stuffed doggie…!!! And he is too big for my suitcase, and shall miss him…!! Uh-waah!!!!
Ooow!!! Things would be so different post September-10, without these 5 in my life….!!
With 2 weeks away from September 10th, I wanted to make a list of top-5 things I would miss the most about my life here… I am staying clear of dialogues such as “I’ll miss my family so much”, “I will miss having lunch with friends on a weekend”, “Oh, I cannot attend anyone’s wedding for a long time”, “what will I do without my weekly dose of street-food” etc… cuz those would be just staying the OBVIOUS!!!
So what follows is the list of material-possessions that I will miss most… I really won’t put it in any particular order cuz everything is so dear to me….!!
CELLPHONE: Who knew I would stick to one phone for 4 yrs!!! I have my little 2300 when conductors in the buses I travel carry N-series…!! Not that I am embarrassed or anything, but frankly, I never had the temptation to buy a new phone…!! Partly because of the memories associated with the phone... When I exchanged my 2100 for 2300 with cousin, it was primarily cuz I wanted the radio… The radio no longer works, the keypad is flat, the screen blurred… but it doesn’t matter!!! This was the medium through which I made quite a number of friends, learnt which “topic is which page in what textbook” during exams, flirted, fought, lent a helping hand, sought help!!! L will miss it so much!!!
TVS SCOOTY: I wonder if my Scooty had a mind of its own, how long it would tolerate me!!! I bloated from since I got this vehicle, I never wiped it till Ayudh Puja every year, I never gave it for servicing on time, I sometimes tested the limits of its braking and acceleration…!!! But, this is my FIRST LOVE!!! The freedom that comes with having your vehicle is unparalleled and being my very first ride, I would always keep it with me… But that is not rally possible, so I am giving mom the job of giving it away to someone…!!!
BOOKS: I think I remember the exact date I went back to being a bookworm!! December 20, 2007, Bhavya and I went to Strand book festival. Fuelled by her enthusiasm, I blew a decent 1500 bucks on original books (forget originals, till then I dint even buy road-side books!!!) Having spent so much, I had no other option but to read them all and as time passed, there was a renewed interest in books. I agreed that I had a very India-centric reading habit but that was what I have enjoyed so far…!! Looking forward to newer books to read in Philly, but sadly leaving my old books behind…
SONGS: This is from my work at Cerner, 8-plus GB of some of my favourite songs….!! It was with a heavy heart that I deleted my songs folder when I left Cerner in July. English, Hindi, Kannada and some Tamil songs were my constant companions while I worked. I don’t even know how I got hooked to the habit of working with music, cuz till Cerner happened, I could never have music playing when I had to do any kind of work….!!
TAI-PEI: For all those who don’t know what this is, its my huge stuffed doggie…!!! And he is too big for my suitcase, and shall miss him…!! Uh-waah!!!!
Ooow!!! Things would be so different post September-10, without these 5 in my life….!!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Footpaths in namma Bengalooru is for street-vendors!!!
The other day, I had to go to Avenue road (Gosh, I hate that place from the bottom of my heart and wished/hoped/prayed that I would never have to step into the road ever again). As usual, I got my tiny scooty out and set out with mom to Subas store, the place where I could find any academic book that I want…!!!
It was a different matter that the dude at the stop stared blankly at the sheet of paper having the book name. But what irritated me most and somehow always gets to me here is the absolute lack of some civic sense among people…!!!
The vendors have their wares on display all along the footpath, these ranges from had-made wooden toys from Channpatna to cheap plastic imitations from China. Oh, loved this thing I read on MTV (I read the Tickr everyday and THAT is how jobless I am!!!)…. So what if China won 51 gold at Beijing, the medals are still “Made in China”!!!
Oops… there I digress again!!! Haan, so, the footpaths are all taken by these guys who are selling their stuff… And this Chinese stuff is sooooooooo inexpensive, that each fella has atleast 5 of them eager to buy his goods…!! As a result of this, the footpath looks horrendously crowded….!!! And so what does the rest of the bunch do?? They parade down the streets like it is a ramp and they are supermodels…!!! Needles to say, they are oblivious to the incessant honking of the numerous two-wheelers that fight desperately for space in a road laid out for their riding… And of course, add to that some 10-15 men pulling huge carts and what you see is a mess….!!! A mess that would make headlines if featured on a Discovery channel show (esp if it is hosted by a foreigner with a skewed outlook of India)…
My point is how long to allow this to happen??? Thankfully, someone has taken notice… I watched news the other day and a small group of youngsters have taken the initiative to educate people here to use the footpath instead of the roads…!! Kudos to them!!! High time we re-learnt some things taught in kindergarten!! Like... Always walk on the footpath…. (could probably add “Red=stop; amber=get ready; green=go” to the list)!!!!
It was a different matter that the dude at the stop stared blankly at the sheet of paper having the book name. But what irritated me most and somehow always gets to me here is the absolute lack of some civic sense among people…!!!
The vendors have their wares on display all along the footpath, these ranges from had-made wooden toys from Channpatna to cheap plastic imitations from China. Oh, loved this thing I read on MTV (I read the Tickr everyday and THAT is how jobless I am!!!)…. So what if China won 51 gold at Beijing, the medals are still “Made in China”!!!
Oops… there I digress again!!! Haan, so, the footpaths are all taken by these guys who are selling their stuff… And this Chinese stuff is sooooooooo inexpensive, that each fella has atleast 5 of them eager to buy his goods…!! As a result of this, the footpath looks horrendously crowded….!!! And so what does the rest of the bunch do?? They parade down the streets like it is a ramp and they are supermodels…!!! Needles to say, they are oblivious to the incessant honking of the numerous two-wheelers that fight desperately for space in a road laid out for their riding… And of course, add to that some 10-15 men pulling huge carts and what you see is a mess….!!! A mess that would make headlines if featured on a Discovery channel show (esp if it is hosted by a foreigner with a skewed outlook of India)…
My point is how long to allow this to happen??? Thankfully, someone has taken notice… I watched news the other day and a small group of youngsters have taken the initiative to educate people here to use the footpath instead of the roads…!! Kudos to them!!! High time we re-learnt some things taught in kindergarten!! Like... Always walk on the footpath…. (could probably add “Red=stop; amber=get ready; green=go” to the list)!!!!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Riot or Laugh-Riot??????
I became a member of this great networking site called Shelfari this year. It is basically a forum for members to write reviews about books, read about what others have written etc…
And like any networking site, this one has got communities too…!! I joined a 50-books-a-year challenge on the site… almost the end of August and I’ve read just 28… i don’t think I’ll EVER read another 22 in 4 months!!! L
But then again, this challenge had so many positives that I am not complaining one tiny bit… I have explored books like never before in my life… And I’m not speaking the best-sellers (although most of what I read did figure in best seller lists!!!) such as Harry Potter (haven’t read a single book, will eventually read it), the Lord of the Rings (ditto as Harry Potter) and so many others….. (my list of regretful “have-not-read-these” include A thousand splendid suns, every second counts, the Calcutta chromosome, motorcycle diaries, memoirs of a Geisha)
Oh, have to mention that I have been reading Shashi Tharoor books a lot…!! Latest is “Riot”, a gripping story about communal violence in a small town and how it affects everyone… This book does not give a scene-by-scene picture of how/why/when riots occur, but focuses more on the emotional battles that the people fight during such a crisis…
I was wondering if ever this book was “Bollywoodized” (don’t know if that is a word, please let me know if there is a better word), who would be acting in it!!! I fervently hope Farah Khan and Karan Johar are not into books….!! Imagine Johar Sir doing… ummm… lets see… well… A matter of honour perhaps!!! The movie simply has to star Shah Rukh Khan (even if Adam is in his mid-20s) as the main protagonist and Kajol as Heidi (it does not matter if their romance is subtle in the book, but for Johar how the 2 fall in love would span generations of family feuds, rain-dance, cliché dialogues)… Lawrence would be played by their “good-friend” Arjun Rampal… Because Adam goes to Switzerland in the book, a liberal dose of romantic-songs would be added to “capture the beauty of Swiss Alps”!!! The heroine CANNOT die (and hence, this movie is only “inspired from A matter of Honour”) and our hero fights 10-15 villains in the climax (care would be taken of ripping his shirt just a wee bit to showcase the 6 pack!!!) And Voila!!! 3.5 hrs later, we can walk free from the theatre……..!!! Free to go back to our mundane lives till the next Johar movie comes along!!! :)
Hey!!! I deviated sooooooooooo much!!! So I was speaking of books… I aint no critic… But Riot is an awesome book… Read it!!!!!!
And like any networking site, this one has got communities too…!! I joined a 50-books-a-year challenge on the site… almost the end of August and I’ve read just 28… i don’t think I’ll EVER read another 22 in 4 months!!! L
But then again, this challenge had so many positives that I am not complaining one tiny bit… I have explored books like never before in my life… And I’m not speaking the best-sellers (although most of what I read did figure in best seller lists!!!) such as Harry Potter (haven’t read a single book, will eventually read it), the Lord of the Rings (ditto as Harry Potter) and so many others….. (my list of regretful “have-not-read-these” include A thousand splendid suns, every second counts, the Calcutta chromosome, motorcycle diaries, memoirs of a Geisha)
Oh, have to mention that I have been reading Shashi Tharoor books a lot…!! Latest is “Riot”, a gripping story about communal violence in a small town and how it affects everyone… This book does not give a scene-by-scene picture of how/why/when riots occur, but focuses more on the emotional battles that the people fight during such a crisis…
I was wondering if ever this book was “Bollywoodized” (don’t know if that is a word, please let me know if there is a better word), who would be acting in it!!! I fervently hope Farah Khan and Karan Johar are not into books….!! Imagine Johar Sir doing… ummm… lets see… well… A matter of honour perhaps!!! The movie simply has to star Shah Rukh Khan (even if Adam is in his mid-20s) as the main protagonist and Kajol as Heidi (it does not matter if their romance is subtle in the book, but for Johar how the 2 fall in love would span generations of family feuds, rain-dance, cliché dialogues)… Lawrence would be played by their “good-friend” Arjun Rampal… Because Adam goes to Switzerland in the book, a liberal dose of romantic-songs would be added to “capture the beauty of Swiss Alps”!!! The heroine CANNOT die (and hence, this movie is only “inspired from A matter of Honour”) and our hero fights 10-15 villains in the climax (care would be taken of ripping his shirt just a wee bit to showcase the 6 pack!!!) And Voila!!! 3.5 hrs later, we can walk free from the theatre……..!!! Free to go back to our mundane lives till the next Johar movie comes along!!! :)
Hey!!! I deviated sooooooooooo much!!! So I was speaking of books… I aint no critic… But Riot is an awesome book… Read it!!!!!!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Archangel.. Not Quite..
Finally, I am 20 days away from leaving the safety of my home to start a new-phase of my life in Philadelphia…!! But a situation that would probably make anyone little apprehensive has made me ecstatic... I have NEVER lived away from home and this whole new experience is already giving me goose-bumps...
I am pretty sure I would miss the comforts of my home, but that has done little to curb my enthusisiam for my MS degree. I know that it is not the studies aspect that has excited me, but rather the opportunity that this has given for other activities (getting a boyfriend is one too, well, maybe not!!!!)
None to tell me what to do, how to behave and how to dress etc... What that basically translates to, is that I can live my life the way I want to!! I am not a rebel yet (oh God!! Why not) but that does not mean I am a conformist either!!
I have begun to realize that this will probably be the best opportunity to find the true ME!! Not the goody-two-shoes that everyone wants you to be or the punk-rock star that is every mother’s nightmare… I feel I am dangling somewhere in-between, desperately trying to look serious during a puja while I have “Have a nice day” running in my head… Oops, just in case anyone has ALREADY got offended, I am a spiritual person!! Just not the type to showcase it to the whole world..!!
Yup, so I was mentioning about trying to find the true me… beneath all the layers that has accumulated over the years!!! Guess I have somewhat started the transition of breakin out of the mould that society-parents-peers have created... e.g. Mom is complaining about how shorts my tees are becoming... Bro complains of my spending habits… My cousin complains about how “fussy she is when shopping”!!
And that is why (everyone PS:) Archangel.. not quite!!!
I am pretty sure I would miss the comforts of my home, but that has done little to curb my enthusisiam for my MS degree. I know that it is not the studies aspect that has excited me, but rather the opportunity that this has given for other activities (getting a boyfriend is one too, well, maybe not!!!!)
None to tell me what to do, how to behave and how to dress etc... What that basically translates to, is that I can live my life the way I want to!! I am not a rebel yet (oh God!! Why not) but that does not mean I am a conformist either!!
I have begun to realize that this will probably be the best opportunity to find the true ME!! Not the goody-two-shoes that everyone wants you to be or the punk-rock star that is every mother’s nightmare… I feel I am dangling somewhere in-between, desperately trying to look serious during a puja while I have “Have a nice day” running in my head… Oops, just in case anyone has ALREADY got offended, I am a spiritual person!! Just not the type to showcase it to the whole world..!!
Yup, so I was mentioning about trying to find the true me… beneath all the layers that has accumulated over the years!!! Guess I have somewhat started the transition of breakin out of the mould that society-parents-peers have created... e.g. Mom is complaining about how shorts my tees are becoming... Bro complains of my spending habits… My cousin complains about how “fussy she is when shopping”!!
And that is why (everyone PS:) Archangel.. not quite!!!
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