So yet again we prove to ourselves what a bunch of hypocrites our country is really filled with; The SC actually went ahead and banned screening any adult films on TV, additionally any movies with smoking scenes cannot be screened as well. I dont think the day is very far when we are a second China in ourselves, where there isnt any democracy, instead the governement tells us what to watch, listen, eat, whom to worship and of course what to wear. There is no denying we have been making steady progress towards this anyways, couples holding hands on the street are arrested, women who wear minis or shorts are looked down on, what else is left.
I see no reason why we should pride ourselves in being the world's largest democracy, instead we should be declared the World's Largest Hypocricy!!! At the end of the day that's what we are!!
Of course the PM doesnt seem to be doing anything about any of this, sure he has done a good job so far, but is it good enough?? Only time will tell......
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Monday, August 29, 2005
A close shave.......
A rather eventful weekend came to an end this Monday morning; drinking and pub hopping from the Cooper Hewitt to the Village Lantern until 5 in the morning, despite a flu attack, a rather sober Saturday since it followed my hyper friday night partying binge and then Sunday was my first close shave in my car.......
The backdrop was the ramp leading onto the Queensboro bridge from Astoria into Manhattan. The ramp is a snaky little thing with a concrete road, narrow lanes and tight turns. After the slight drizzle, driving on it was nothing short of skating on ice. Before I knew it, the car had spun 180 degrees and was facing oncoming traffic. Luckily, the traffic was light and not too close. Strangely, people saw I had skid, but honked as though I had done it on purpose. My girlfriend and I were a little shaken, but we collected our thoughts and of course a broken headlight, only to find out it wasn't mine, probably belonged to some poor soul who might have fallen victim to the treachery of the same venue, and then made our way into the city and shopped as though nothing happened!
In hindsight, I guess my gaming skills with Need for Speed definitely helped as I think I controlled the skid pretty well :) However, the whole thing feels surreal, and I guess its just one of those things that absolutely has to happen at least once to someone who drives a car!
No bones broken, car isn't damaged too bad, had a fabulous night out...so, all's well, that ends well!
The backdrop was the ramp leading onto the Queensboro bridge from Astoria into Manhattan. The ramp is a snaky little thing with a concrete road, narrow lanes and tight turns. After the slight drizzle, driving on it was nothing short of skating on ice. Before I knew it, the car had spun 180 degrees and was facing oncoming traffic. Luckily, the traffic was light and not too close. Strangely, people saw I had skid, but honked as though I had done it on purpose. My girlfriend and I were a little shaken, but we collected our thoughts and of course a broken headlight, only to find out it wasn't mine, probably belonged to some poor soul who might have fallen victim to the treachery of the same venue, and then made our way into the city and shopped as though nothing happened!
In hindsight, I guess my gaming skills with Need for Speed definitely helped as I think I controlled the skid pretty well :) However, the whole thing feels surreal, and I guess its just one of those things that absolutely has to happen at least once to someone who drives a car!
No bones broken, car isn't damaged too bad, had a fabulous night out...so, all's well, that ends well!
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
False Glory....
"Desis are rocking on globocorps' boards"
Quite a glorious headline, but somehow, I was unmoved by it. Offlate, the Times has carried several articles about how well Indians are doing abroad, often glorifying them to the extent where it seems as though these people were actually heroes of sorts. Don't get me wrong, I think achievements by these individuals are commendable, but how does piggy-backing on their success help our country in any way??? Agreed, these people may serve as great mentors, but then unless our country eliminates problems which exist at the grassroot, glorifying ourselves as a developing nation based on an individual's success just seems lame.
I see this as a growing trend, where we seem to take the success of an NRI and attribute that to signs of a country on its way to becoming a super-power. We couldn't be more wrong. These people are who they are today not because they come from India, but because they worked hard and they worked hard in a place where they felt their success would be rewarded. Instead of basking in someone else's glory, its high time we try to see why people like them were more successful elsehwere and not their own country.
India has a lot of potential, we seem to have the highest number of educated people, but despite that, the people on the top are ones who are in complete contrast to this statistic. Most politicians are uneducated and most certainly have a criminal record. For a nation to grow it is imperative to have someone on top who is not only sympathetic to his people but is also foresighted, creative and has a thirst for a holistic success, not his individual upliftment. Sadly, most politicians today work more for themselves than their people, and unless this changes, all we can do is falsely glorify ourselves as a nation.
I really hope our country can see what's really happening and make ammends before its too late.
Quite a glorious headline, but somehow, I was unmoved by it. Offlate, the Times has carried several articles about how well Indians are doing abroad, often glorifying them to the extent where it seems as though these people were actually heroes of sorts. Don't get me wrong, I think achievements by these individuals are commendable, but how does piggy-backing on their success help our country in any way??? Agreed, these people may serve as great mentors, but then unless our country eliminates problems which exist at the grassroot, glorifying ourselves as a developing nation based on an individual's success just seems lame.
I see this as a growing trend, where we seem to take the success of an NRI and attribute that to signs of a country on its way to becoming a super-power. We couldn't be more wrong. These people are who they are today not because they come from India, but because they worked hard and they worked hard in a place where they felt their success would be rewarded. Instead of basking in someone else's glory, its high time we try to see why people like them were more successful elsehwere and not their own country.
India has a lot of potential, we seem to have the highest number of educated people, but despite that, the people on the top are ones who are in complete contrast to this statistic. Most politicians are uneducated and most certainly have a criminal record. For a nation to grow it is imperative to have someone on top who is not only sympathetic to his people but is also foresighted, creative and has a thirst for a holistic success, not his individual upliftment. Sadly, most politicians today work more for themselves than their people, and unless this changes, all we can do is falsely glorify ourselves as a nation.
I really hope our country can see what's really happening and make ammends before its too late.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Mangal Pandey - The Rising! Half patriotism, full Bollywood!
At 50 crores, this movie stands tall as the most expensive movie of the year, I even read somewhere that its the most expensive movie ever made in Bollywood. Apart from the finance shim-sham, the movie definitely focusses on the first martyr of the independence struggle, which was then to ensue for another 90 years before India was to gain her painful independence at the cost of losing Pakistan.
The movie definitely invokes an underlying passion and feeling of patriotism amongst its viewers, especially if you are overseas and away from home. This was very obvious amongst a theatre crowd that did not hesitate to give a standing ovation at the end of the film. Some were teary eyed, some were fired up and some were actually unmoved, but overall the movie was received well amongst the audience.
Personally, I was very moved by certain scenes and especially the end of the film. I left with all kinds of thoughts in my mind, not just about how hard it had been for us to gain freedom, but I felt I had gained a lesson in life. How often, when we throw trash on the streets, or in so many other scenarios, do we say, "What difference does it make, its just one wrapper!"......etc. etc.........Well, after this movie, I learnt, that's all it takes, One person! This is a very valuable lesson that the film teaches you, never get discouraged because you are singled out, or are in a minority, if you want to make a change, you can do it single handedly.
Mangal Pandey shows us how it’s done, and more than anything else, this is the lesson and value I will take away from this film.
Of course, other than the depth of the film, superficially, it is a bollywood flick designed to reach the masses; personally I don’t think it does a great job at that. The film definitely has its flaws as I found the music to be abrupt in certain parts and Amisha's character to be completely useless. She added no value to the film on the whole; I guess she was there purely for the "masala" factor of an English officer falling in love with an Indian woman.
At the end of the day, I got my $10 worth, and a valuable lesson, so I am nothing short of being a "Happy Camper!"
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Interesting Article in the TImes
So, the headline read "Are we going to see just cartoons on TV?", and that was all I needed, I was elated to see someone finally saying something about the current state of affairs as far as the I&B Ministry is concerned.
The information & Broadcast Ministry, as Pritish Nandy says, has truly overstayed its welcome and requirement, I couldn't agree more with what he has to say. Censorship is no longer a beneficiary act, but more of an ego boosting mechanism for the bored politicians who have nothing better to do than deciding what I should watch on TV.... MY TV! The TV I paid for, the cable service I paid for! How sincere is this censorship anyways, and are we really considered that immature a nation who cannot decide what's best for our own family? Its one thing to suggest what may be better, but to actually go to the length of implementing the opinion of an ignorant few on a whole nation is nothing else but plain old naziism. Hitler would be nothing short of proud of how close to dictatorship our so called democracy actually runs.
The recent events in Bombay, which involved the death of more than a 1000 people because of the rains, was nothing less than ghastly and shocking. The fact that a "World City" such as Bombay should be mortal to mere rainfall, speaks volumes for the leaks and holes in our so called infrastructure. Not only was there a complete absence of concern and responsiblity on behalf of the government after these events, but now they are ensuring that all this sham of being a responsible government is never exposed to the people through news and media. In addition to this, its pitiful that as a nation and as a public we never seem to be raising our voice against any of these atrocities. We may have rid ourselves of the British, but we never managed to shed our subdued shell which compels us to just take things as they come. Remember, even freedom was possible only because a handful felt that whatever was happening wasn't right. Most were content with whatever came their way.
The problem seems to lie in our lack of foresight and the ability to prioritize. In the big picture we as a nation always seem to ignore whatever may be harder to accomplish, and always choose whatever may be easier....this is exactly how our government operates as well. And this, they seem to have accomplished with tremendous success, because of the sheer indifference that the people have towards the government. We are just too used to fending for ourselves in crisis, and the goverment is just too happy to let us do just that.
In the face of the rain crisis, the government that didnt lift a finger to help its people, a week later decides what is suitable and not suitable for us to see on TV....who the hell do they think they are???
It just seems as though, every step forward is followed by two steps backward for us. When the Naraimha Rao government made those changes which revolutionized trade and insustry, one could not help but ask how long all this "change" will last, well it all seems to be coming to a slow down......God help us!
The information & Broadcast Ministry, as Pritish Nandy says, has truly overstayed its welcome and requirement, I couldn't agree more with what he has to say. Censorship is no longer a beneficiary act, but more of an ego boosting mechanism for the bored politicians who have nothing better to do than deciding what I should watch on TV.... MY TV! The TV I paid for, the cable service I paid for! How sincere is this censorship anyways, and are we really considered that immature a nation who cannot decide what's best for our own family? Its one thing to suggest what may be better, but to actually go to the length of implementing the opinion of an ignorant few on a whole nation is nothing else but plain old naziism. Hitler would be nothing short of proud of how close to dictatorship our so called democracy actually runs.
The recent events in Bombay, which involved the death of more than a 1000 people because of the rains, was nothing less than ghastly and shocking. The fact that a "World City" such as Bombay should be mortal to mere rainfall, speaks volumes for the leaks and holes in our so called infrastructure. Not only was there a complete absence of concern and responsiblity on behalf of the government after these events, but now they are ensuring that all this sham of being a responsible government is never exposed to the people through news and media. In addition to this, its pitiful that as a nation and as a public we never seem to be raising our voice against any of these atrocities. We may have rid ourselves of the British, but we never managed to shed our subdued shell which compels us to just take things as they come. Remember, even freedom was possible only because a handful felt that whatever was happening wasn't right. Most were content with whatever came their way.
The problem seems to lie in our lack of foresight and the ability to prioritize. In the big picture we as a nation always seem to ignore whatever may be harder to accomplish, and always choose whatever may be easier....this is exactly how our government operates as well. And this, they seem to have accomplished with tremendous success, because of the sheer indifference that the people have towards the government. We are just too used to fending for ourselves in crisis, and the goverment is just too happy to let us do just that.
In the face of the rain crisis, the government that didnt lift a finger to help its people, a week later decides what is suitable and not suitable for us to see on TV....who the hell do they think they are???
It just seems as though, every step forward is followed by two steps backward for us. When the Naraimha Rao government made those changes which revolutionized trade and insustry, one could not help but ask how long all this "change" will last, well it all seems to be coming to a slow down......God help us!
Friday, August 05, 2005
Raise your voices Mumbai!
Its heartening to have read what the people of Mumbai endured while nature was its worst. Each and every person had stories to tell of how they battled the odds with no help whatsoever from the people who are supposedly minding the State. Even now after all that has happened, rest assured, the whole political system will forget about this in a month or two and life will go on as though nothing happened. But who is really responsible for rendering this government so useless, irresponsible and insensitive? Its us, the people of Mumbai. Why are we not raising our voices, dont we willingly give away a chunk of our hard earned money to the welfare of our state and our city? Where is all this welfare then??
Until we raise our voices, these politicians will sit in their cushy chairs being minimalistic in their so called welfare ventures for the city. Day after day I keep my eyes peeled for news of any ground breaking developments that the states will announce in order to alleviate the pain and suffering the people have gone through, I keep hoping that they will do soemthing to make sure the people have to never go through something like this again, but tragedy followed by negligence has just become too commonplace. Its as though the politicians know that the dust WILL settle and they can get away with anything and sadly this is the truth.
Ever heard of the Asashi Kaikyo bridge in Japan? Its the world's longest suspension bridge, but no, it wasnt built for this reason, the government of Japan built this bridge for all the right reasons. A boat carrying school children to the mainland sank killing all children on board. Saddened by this calamity and moved by the outrage of the people the government decided to take on this almost impossible task just to make sure something like this never happened again. Can our politicians learn nothing from this?? Let alone a bridge, why cant we at least have some urban planning to ensure that the city doesnt get bitten in situations like this? These are all the reasons why a state needs educated and intelligent people to administer it. But we are a land so drenched in the waters of bureaucracy, that all the wrong people are always up there. People who dont give a damn, but are there only for the power and money.
I love Mumbai, as much as I hate it for how despite having all the education and knowledge we are still third world. And this will not change unless we the people make a concious effort to bring the right people to office and make sure they do their jobs. If not, not even God can't save us.
Until we raise our voices, these politicians will sit in their cushy chairs being minimalistic in their so called welfare ventures for the city. Day after day I keep my eyes peeled for news of any ground breaking developments that the states will announce in order to alleviate the pain and suffering the people have gone through, I keep hoping that they will do soemthing to make sure the people have to never go through something like this again, but tragedy followed by negligence has just become too commonplace. Its as though the politicians know that the dust WILL settle and they can get away with anything and sadly this is the truth.
Ever heard of the Asashi Kaikyo bridge in Japan? Its the world's longest suspension bridge, but no, it wasnt built for this reason, the government of Japan built this bridge for all the right reasons. A boat carrying school children to the mainland sank killing all children on board. Saddened by this calamity and moved by the outrage of the people the government decided to take on this almost impossible task just to make sure something like this never happened again. Can our politicians learn nothing from this?? Let alone a bridge, why cant we at least have some urban planning to ensure that the city doesnt get bitten in situations like this? These are all the reasons why a state needs educated and intelligent people to administer it. But we are a land so drenched in the waters of bureaucracy, that all the wrong people are always up there. People who dont give a damn, but are there only for the power and money.
I love Mumbai, as much as I hate it for how despite having all the education and knowledge we are still third world. And this will not change unless we the people make a concious effort to bring the right people to office and make sure they do their jobs. If not, not even God can't save us.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Is Mumbai still a third world city!
Living in NYC for the past three years, after spending the previous 25 years in Mumbai, I have come to believe I know almost everything there is to being urbane. Mumbai runs through my veins and I feel deeply connected to the city even though I am so far away, but its times like these that invoke feelings which are all too overwhelming, and it becomes almost impossible to not shed a tear even while you sit at work and read the news about what is happening in Mumbai.
So we were faced with a natural calamity, but what ever happened to Disaster Management and Recovery?? This question has never been more pronounced than how much it is today in my head, especially after hearing the news that someone I knew, actually perished in the rains! Before today, I never even considered this a possibility in Mumbai. With all the talks of how the Sensex has seen record highs and the way India is on the right track to becoming a superpower, it is an event like this that actually presents itself as a reality check. Thousands of people, one of them being my father were stranded on the streets of Mumbai for 12 hours or more, battling the rains and trying to survive without food and water, and no one out there to help them, but each other. Where were all the officials, the policemen who are otherwise omnipresent to collect their bribe when they see you running a light? To me, it seems as though the average Mumbaikar has learnt to live on his own, without any expectations of the government going out of its way to help him in a situation like this, a government that runs because of his tax money, a government which is present only because he chose them to help him, but chooses to stay away and do nothing when he needs them the most.
Crores and crores of rupees are spent on roads and sewage systems, but year after year it’s the same story, roads covered with potholes only paralleled by the craters on the moon and sewage flowing out from the clogged gutters. Every monsoon Mumbai turns into the biggest toilet in India.....and no one cares. Where is all the tax money going??? I dont care if the politicians pocket what we pay but give us something in return, but someone who is plain greedy certainly does not deserve any kind of office in the state.
These past three days have been plain trauma for the Mumbaikar, all I have read about is how people have died and how everyone out there is battling it out, but not one article about any efforts made by the police or any other rescue officials to help these people. I mean, it just doesn’t make sense!!!!!!! How could there be no one, why didn’t the navy come in and have any kind of air rescue in areas that were worst inflicted?? Where are the politicians who are otherwise rallying around the city, why did these people not even make any statements or give us updates on rescue efforts (if any) that were underway to help these people??
These rains have truly shown us how third world we are, and how the average Indian is deluded by the farce of his country being on the way to becoming a superpower. Of all the places, I would have expected a more sophisticated disaster warning and management system in Mumbai, which is after all the hub for pretty much everything.
Sitting this far, I feel helpless, but I feel it is about time the people started realising how weak the city really is and how much needs to be done, if ever Mumbai is to truly become a world city. Rising Sensex points, GDP and trade alone does not symbolize development, true development lies in the heart of every citizen in the country and every citizen of Mumbai, who will do whatever it takes to make this city and the country the best. Sadly, we are all just too caught up to see where we are heading. So invloved with our own personal lives that we fail to see the big picture. Its true, the Mumbaikar has a spirit like no other, but why does it take events like this to bring it out, why not be this person everyday and truly make a difference?
I salute Mumbai for the city she is, but I will not hesitate to condemn the actions of the people who run the city. The city has become their playground, and as Mumbaikars, it is up to each and every person living in this city to ensure that this doesn’t happen. It is about time; Mumbai came out of the 20th century and truly entered the 21st century. And no, glitzy clubs and high budget glamour doesn’t cut it, its sophistication at the grass root level which will truly make a difference. I love you Mumbai, and I hope the souls of all those who lost their lives rest in peace. But we need to do something, raise a voice and make sure something like this NEVER happens again.
So we were faced with a natural calamity, but what ever happened to Disaster Management and Recovery?? This question has never been more pronounced than how much it is today in my head, especially after hearing the news that someone I knew, actually perished in the rains! Before today, I never even considered this a possibility in Mumbai. With all the talks of how the Sensex has seen record highs and the way India is on the right track to becoming a superpower, it is an event like this that actually presents itself as a reality check. Thousands of people, one of them being my father were stranded on the streets of Mumbai for 12 hours or more, battling the rains and trying to survive without food and water, and no one out there to help them, but each other. Where were all the officials, the policemen who are otherwise omnipresent to collect their bribe when they see you running a light? To me, it seems as though the average Mumbaikar has learnt to live on his own, without any expectations of the government going out of its way to help him in a situation like this, a government that runs because of his tax money, a government which is present only because he chose them to help him, but chooses to stay away and do nothing when he needs them the most.
Crores and crores of rupees are spent on roads and sewage systems, but year after year it’s the same story, roads covered with potholes only paralleled by the craters on the moon and sewage flowing out from the clogged gutters. Every monsoon Mumbai turns into the biggest toilet in India.....and no one cares. Where is all the tax money going??? I dont care if the politicians pocket what we pay but give us something in return, but someone who is plain greedy certainly does not deserve any kind of office in the state.
These past three days have been plain trauma for the Mumbaikar, all I have read about is how people have died and how everyone out there is battling it out, but not one article about any efforts made by the police or any other rescue officials to help these people. I mean, it just doesn’t make sense!!!!!!! How could there be no one, why didn’t the navy come in and have any kind of air rescue in areas that were worst inflicted?? Where are the politicians who are otherwise rallying around the city, why did these people not even make any statements or give us updates on rescue efforts (if any) that were underway to help these people??
These rains have truly shown us how third world we are, and how the average Indian is deluded by the farce of his country being on the way to becoming a superpower. Of all the places, I would have expected a more sophisticated disaster warning and management system in Mumbai, which is after all the hub for pretty much everything.
Sitting this far, I feel helpless, but I feel it is about time the people started realising how weak the city really is and how much needs to be done, if ever Mumbai is to truly become a world city. Rising Sensex points, GDP and trade alone does not symbolize development, true development lies in the heart of every citizen in the country and every citizen of Mumbai, who will do whatever it takes to make this city and the country the best. Sadly, we are all just too caught up to see where we are heading. So invloved with our own personal lives that we fail to see the big picture. Its true, the Mumbaikar has a spirit like no other, but why does it take events like this to bring it out, why not be this person everyday and truly make a difference?
I salute Mumbai for the city she is, but I will not hesitate to condemn the actions of the people who run the city. The city has become their playground, and as Mumbaikars, it is up to each and every person living in this city to ensure that this doesn’t happen. It is about time; Mumbai came out of the 20th century and truly entered the 21st century. And no, glitzy clubs and high budget glamour doesn’t cut it, its sophistication at the grass root level which will truly make a difference. I love you Mumbai, and I hope the souls of all those who lost their lives rest in peace. But we need to do something, raise a voice and make sure something like this NEVER happens again.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Sitting in traffic....
So, as usual I have my blogging pangs, which seem to surface every couple of months or so.
Not because I have something important to say, or there are people sitting there relying on the information I give out, but it's more like this paranoia of being left out that drives me to do this. I have always been the kind of a guy who does things because I think this is something I must do, I dont waste too much time evaluating the practicality or viability of actions, if its being done, and I am not doing it, I have to do it!
I realised something this weekend, there is so much you can get done in your head when you are sitting in a traffic jam...no, no, no......not if you are a passenger, you have got to be the driver! You see, its strange but true, but the driver always has his own space in a car full of people. The driver has his own private universe, where none of the passengers are allowed, in fact they can't actually get in 'cause they arent drivers......I know, this may sound crazy, but offlate I have experienced this, and now when I think about it, I feel this isn't just limited to a driver-passenger scenario. the concept of maintaining seclusion amidst a crowd or even an audience is no more alien to me, in fact I feel all you have to do in order to build this universe around you, is do something everyone else isnt doing. Its controversial, I agree, some may argue that this would in fact attract attention, but somehow I feel the human psyche is to always keep a distance from anything that isnt orthodox. This may not apply to everyone, but its widespread enough to qualify as generic in my opinion.
My 2 cents for now, just a little cosmic spit from the depths of my ambiguous mind!
Not because I have something important to say, or there are people sitting there relying on the information I give out, but it's more like this paranoia of being left out that drives me to do this. I have always been the kind of a guy who does things because I think this is something I must do, I dont waste too much time evaluating the practicality or viability of actions, if its being done, and I am not doing it, I have to do it!
I realised something this weekend, there is so much you can get done in your head when you are sitting in a traffic jam...no, no, no......not if you are a passenger, you have got to be the driver! You see, its strange but true, but the driver always has his own space in a car full of people. The driver has his own private universe, where none of the passengers are allowed, in fact they can't actually get in 'cause they arent drivers......I know, this may sound crazy, but offlate I have experienced this, and now when I think about it, I feel this isn't just limited to a driver-passenger scenario. the concept of maintaining seclusion amidst a crowd or even an audience is no more alien to me, in fact I feel all you have to do in order to build this universe around you, is do something everyone else isnt doing. Its controversial, I agree, some may argue that this would in fact attract attention, but somehow I feel the human psyche is to always keep a distance from anything that isnt orthodox. This may not apply to everyone, but its widespread enough to qualify as generic in my opinion.
My 2 cents for now, just a little cosmic spit from the depths of my ambiguous mind!
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Baida Curry Italiano!
Well, that's what I decided to call it, for what started out as a simple curry became something more exaggerated and turned into a dish which could more appropriately be categorized into what's fashionably called "Fusion Cuisine".The idea was to whip up something quick for dinner, and what better than eggs, but then I really wanted to eat something nice and spicy, so I decided to make baida curry. The dish is very simple, except the sundried tomatoes, basil and oregano would be the spices that put the "Italiano" in the name. Apart from the fact that the dish tasted surprisingly good (especially with basmati rice), it also turned out to be quite a looker! So, without any further adieu, I proudly present Baida Curry Italiano!
Feel free to contact me for recipies :)
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Been a while (Deja Vu....)
Yes just like what I said a few months ago, it's been a while! Life's been inadvertently crazy, and there hasn't been much I could do to control it, felt good in a way though, to be just swept away in the breeze of whatever is to come. Life's been good the past few months, and I finally graduated in Dec. 2004. Strangely, it didn't feel like a great accomplishment. Nevertheless, I gave myself a pat on the back, I did spend a lot of money for this! The real battle has just begun, I am out in the wild looking for employment. At times I am like a man eater on the prowl, and sometimes I just feel like Homer Simpson....lazy....and waiting for something to fall in my lap!
Anyways, Cristo was in town a couple of weeks back, although I am a "geek" I do incline towards art at times, and this was something I just didn't want to miss (I am told this is how I feel, by my girlfriend!), so we went to Central Park and walked all those miles through endless gates with orange curtains. I must say I haven't seen so many orange pieces of cloth in my whole life! The installation cost was $25 million and when I saw this, all I could think was "Damn, Bal thackeray is missing the campaign of his life!!". Jokes apart, it was a nice day for a walk, and I did manage to get some nice pictures, so I thought about sharing one of them with you. Hope you guys like it! (I really don't know who I am talking to here, coz I am sure as hell no one reads this space anymore:) )
Cristo's Gates (Central Park, NY)
Anyways, Cristo was in town a couple of weeks back, although I am a "geek" I do incline towards art at times, and this was something I just didn't want to miss (I am told this is how I feel, by my girlfriend!), so we went to Central Park and walked all those miles through endless gates with orange curtains. I must say I haven't seen so many orange pieces of cloth in my whole life! The installation cost was $25 million and when I saw this, all I could think was "Damn, Bal thackeray is missing the campaign of his life!!". Jokes apart, it was a nice day for a walk, and I did manage to get some nice pictures, so I thought about sharing one of them with you. Hope you guys like it! (I really don't know who I am talking to here, coz I am sure as hell no one reads this space anymore:) )
Cristo's Gates (Central Park, NY)
Thursday, September 16, 2004
Been a while hasn't it!
Just been busy as hell, and lazy when I did get the time, the last couple of months have been crazy, seems like this monkey won't just let go off my back!! Hehe...it's strange, I know no one's looking, and I know no one needs me to explain, but I still am doing it...inherent quality??? I definitely suppose so. In the last month or so I definitely have been explaining a lot to myslef about the ups and downs in my life, so much so, I think I've another bad habit to shake off now!
Well, life really does seem like a walk on the tight rope now, and all I can do is hope to get my act together before I fall off. So many things to do and so less time...I find myself saying this more often than ever. I hate this stage of my life, sometimes I wish I cud skip a few steps ahead and just get to the good part...but on second thoughts...if I skipped this stage of my life.... I probably won't have any good parts to skip ahead to! Is life complicated, or do I just do that to myself????
Couple of good things have happened though, for one, I have fallen in love with my nephew, I miss him like crazy now that I am away from him, and just cant wait to see him again. AND...I have fallen in love again! but this time with my almost ex girlfriend :) Yeah we were having issues, but it all worked out for the better (mostly coz she is just the best girlfriend ever!).
Another thing I am happy about is my trip to India. It turned out to be pretty eventful. There was a surprise surgery for Mom that sprang up, and then there were endless hours at my dad's office, helping him setup his newest BPO operation (seems more like an obsession these days with striving businessmen!). Well, all for the better though, mom is recovering slowly but surely and should be here sometime towards the end of Oct. likewise for dad...so good times seem to be just around the corner, coz as soon as they come I fly to CA and get to see my darling nephew again :)
Well, life really does seem like a walk on the tight rope now, and all I can do is hope to get my act together before I fall off. So many things to do and so less time...I find myself saying this more often than ever. I hate this stage of my life, sometimes I wish I cud skip a few steps ahead and just get to the good part...but on second thoughts...if I skipped this stage of my life.... I probably won't have any good parts to skip ahead to! Is life complicated, or do I just do that to myself????
Couple of good things have happened though, for one, I have fallen in love with my nephew, I miss him like crazy now that I am away from him, and just cant wait to see him again. AND...I have fallen in love again! but this time with my almost ex girlfriend :) Yeah we were having issues, but it all worked out for the better (mostly coz she is just the best girlfriend ever!).
Another thing I am happy about is my trip to India. It turned out to be pretty eventful. There was a surprise surgery for Mom that sprang up, and then there were endless hours at my dad's office, helping him setup his newest BPO operation (seems more like an obsession these days with striving businessmen!). Well, all for the better though, mom is recovering slowly but surely and should be here sometime towards the end of Oct. likewise for dad...so good times seem to be just around the corner, coz as soon as they come I fly to CA and get to see my darling nephew again :)
Monday, August 02, 2004
A vacation it was to be....
Or so I thought! When I finally set out for my 5 week vacation in mumbai, little did I know that the path was going to be treacherous and filled with dragons and goblins!! After boarding my plane in JFK, the flight didnt take off for almost one hour after the departure time, reason: A lady with her new born baby was on her way and was stuck in traffic, so 200 odd people were made to wait for her!!! Anyways, once we finally took off, it only then dawned upon me that my connecting flight from Paris was only 45mins after this flight landed. Almost immediately I knew that missing my flight was inevitable, however a Sindhi lady who was sitting behind me assured me that they would wait as there are many passengers who would be boarding that plane. With that matter laid to rest I proceeded to enjoy the rest of my flight to Paris.
Come morning, as we landed in Paris, I looked at my watch and it seemed like touch n go, but I really thought it was going to be Ok as I was accompanied by almost a dozen other desis. But it wasnt meant to be....upon reachin the terminal we found out that the flight had in fact taken off and Air France couldnt make the other 200 passengers wait for another 10mins for a handful of Indians (talk abt racism!) So after much anguish we were finally told that we wud be put up in a hotel, and the lady at the terminal was kind enough to make a transit visa with all our names on it. Only trouble we all had to be together at all times! I dont think anyone cared, neither did I. Having found a friend in the crowd I set out with him for a little sight seeing, and I saw the Eiffel tower. Never thought it would be with a complete stranger by my side :). The hotel was decent, but the food was horrible, but it was just one night so what the heck! Anyways, thinking that I am to meet up with the rest of the crowd at 7am next morning I head to my room, only to find an over anxious member from the gujju family who decided at the spur of the moment that we all should leave at 6, I agreed! The following morning however we made the mistake of leaving for the airport without one of the family's (once again on persuasion of the over anxious gujju). End result: nightmare at CDG!! Immigration officers take us to the side and refuse to let us thru until everyone whose names are on the visa is present, several attempts to contact the estranged family were futile...and then the unthinkable....that woman with her kids had somehow gone thru immigration without a visa and was actualy at the gate before all of us!!!! So after duly ntifying the authorities we were allowed to go thru!! I couldnt wait for the flight to take off, and when I finally reached mumbai I could only wish that things hadnt been so messed up. The silver lining to all this was that I got the chance to fly with an Indian model (who was very sick...she had a cold) so things werent all that bad!!!
So I finally am in mumbai after much anguish and dragon slaying...just hope its smooth sailing from here on!!!
Friday, July 16, 2004
The worst one month ever!!!
It was exactly a month ago when I thought to myself that it would be really nice if I could manage a trip back to good ol' Mumbai before I started getting my hands dirty with the daunting task of job hunting after graduating from my Masters, little did I know that the path was going to be so treacherous and filled with surprises (yep, just like a good old story book!). It was since the beginning of July that slowly but surely my life seemed to self destruct. Things started going wrong as though fate had some elaborate plans to drown me in the quicksands of misfortune.
One fine morning I awoke to the ghastly and rude shock of becoming a victim of identity theft. My credit card number had been stolen, and of course the thief already had procured his spoils before he finally discovered that the card had been maxed out when he tried to fill gas in his car(details courtesy of Citibank who had no idea about what was happening until I alerted them to it, so much for ID protection!). So with my card becoming disfunct I now had to purely rely on my cash resources (which I didnt have much of now that I had to buy my ticket to India with cash and no credit). Shaken but not stirred I put this episode behind me and continued to live life as though all was fine, and then came the fateful day when one of my dad's client sends me a chq as per my dad's instructions (since I had asked my dad for money). Delighted with my new found wealth I deposit the check only to find out after 4 days that both me and my dad had been had.....the check was a counterfeit!!! Citibank promptly shut down my account and refunded the rest of my balance to me (all of $28). Now I was thoroughly shattered and upto my neck in frustration....everything seemed to be falling apart, I gave up all hope and sat there a dejected man. My only shimmer of happiness was that I would be going back home on the 13th of July....or so I thought! July 8th, I receive a call from my girlfriend who wants my passport number as she is filling out our change of address forms (I recently moved to a new place), I look for my passport and cant find it, panic stricken I continue to look but its no use...the house is turned upside down but there is no trace of my passport. I knew this was it, my life was coming to an end. with all hopes lost I went to bed as a defeated man, and within my head I was thinking about my lost trip to India, a possible decline for a new Visa to come back to USA and all sorts of things, and there was no hope....I could have died (but instead I just yawned and went to bed...no use staying up, right???). Come morning my girlfriend frantically tries to wake me up....she had found the passport...there was no better news that I could have heard that day. Soon enough I also had refund checks from school which put some money on my pockets....so after one month of anguish things finally started to fall in place.....but this is one experience I would never want to relive...this was by far the worst month ever in my life!!!
One fine morning I awoke to the ghastly and rude shock of becoming a victim of identity theft. My credit card number had been stolen, and of course the thief already had procured his spoils before he finally discovered that the card had been maxed out when he tried to fill gas in his car(details courtesy of Citibank who had no idea about what was happening until I alerted them to it, so much for ID protection!). So with my card becoming disfunct I now had to purely rely on my cash resources (which I didnt have much of now that I had to buy my ticket to India with cash and no credit). Shaken but not stirred I put this episode behind me and continued to live life as though all was fine, and then came the fateful day when one of my dad's client sends me a chq as per my dad's instructions (since I had asked my dad for money). Delighted with my new found wealth I deposit the check only to find out after 4 days that both me and my dad had been had.....the check was a counterfeit!!! Citibank promptly shut down my account and refunded the rest of my balance to me (all of $28). Now I was thoroughly shattered and upto my neck in frustration....everything seemed to be falling apart, I gave up all hope and sat there a dejected man. My only shimmer of happiness was that I would be going back home on the 13th of July....or so I thought! July 8th, I receive a call from my girlfriend who wants my passport number as she is filling out our change of address forms (I recently moved to a new place), I look for my passport and cant find it, panic stricken I continue to look but its no use...the house is turned upside down but there is no trace of my passport. I knew this was it, my life was coming to an end. with all hopes lost I went to bed as a defeated man, and within my head I was thinking about my lost trip to India, a possible decline for a new Visa to come back to USA and all sorts of things, and there was no hope....I could have died (but instead I just yawned and went to bed...no use staying up, right???). Come morning my girlfriend frantically tries to wake me up....she had found the passport...there was no better news that I could have heard that day. Soon enough I also had refund checks from school which put some money on my pockets....so after one month of anguish things finally started to fall in place.....but this is one experience I would never want to relive...this was by far the worst month ever in my life!!!
Friday, June 25, 2004
Prepping for home...
Its exactly 1 fortnight plus another 5 days before I leave to go back home for a long awaited vacation (so to speak!), and amongst all the feverish excitement of getting back to fairground, there is this cacophony of countless thoughts in my head over which I seem to have no control whatsoever! These are thoughts about things I have to do, things I want to do, things I must do and the list just goes on!!!
It seems as though going back home from the US is almost a ritual, governed by protocols which have become norm due to repeated fulfillment by everyone who goes back home!! There are the long shopping lists, feverish last minute shopping for gifts and last but not least maybe the selection of attire so that you look like your coming back from here (or maybe that's just me!)
I just hope I can get everything done before I leave, especially my 2 projects which I have been working on for almost 3 months now!!!
It seems as though going back home from the US is almost a ritual, governed by protocols which have become norm due to repeated fulfillment by everyone who goes back home!! There are the long shopping lists, feverish last minute shopping for gifts and last but not least maybe the selection of attire so that you look like your coming back from here (or maybe that's just me!)
I just hope I can get everything done before I leave, especially my 2 projects which I have been working on for almost 3 months now!!!
Sometimes I can just go nuts!!
Its exactly 1 fortnight plus another 5 days before I leave to go back home for a long awaited vacation (so to speak!), and amongst all the feverish excitement of getting back to fairground, there is this cacophony of countless thoughts in my head over which I seem to have no control whatsoever! These are thoughts about things I have to do, things I want to do, things I must do and the list just goes on!!!
It seems as though going back home from the US is almost a ritual, governed by protocols which have become norm due to repeated fulfillment by everyone who goes back home!! There are the long shopping lists, feverish last minute shopping for gifts and last but not least maybe the selection of attire so that you look like your comeing back from here (or maybe that's just me!)
I just hope I can get everything done before I leave, especially my 2 projects which I have been working on for almost 3 months now!!!
It seems as though going back home from the US is almost a ritual, governed by protocols which have become norm due to repeated fulfillment by everyone who goes back home!! There are the long shopping lists, feverish last minute shopping for gifts and last but not least maybe the selection of attire so that you look like your comeing back from here (or maybe that's just me!)
I just hope I can get everything done before I leave, especially my 2 projects which I have been working on for almost 3 months now!!!
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
What does it take.....?
Its exactly 1.45 am, and I have a zillion questions in my head right now starting with "What does it take.....??"
Would be hard to enumerate all of them, but here is one which seems to be perched on the edge of my forebrain "What does it take to go to bed knowing you should probably not go to sleep right now?". This would be a thought for every person on this planet who knows he/she is trying to grab 40 winks even though something is left unaccomplished!
Whilst my 4 odd years of engineering this question seemed to linger every 4 months in my head when I was preparing for exams and uncountable KTs. Today I have it in my head again.
P.S. This is my first BLOG ever, thought I would give it a shot :), hence the title!
Would be hard to enumerate all of them, but here is one which seems to be perched on the edge of my forebrain "What does it take to go to bed knowing you should probably not go to sleep right now?". This would be a thought for every person on this planet who knows he/she is trying to grab 40 winks even though something is left unaccomplished!
Whilst my 4 odd years of engineering this question seemed to linger every 4 months in my head when I was preparing for exams and uncountable KTs. Today I have it in my head again.
P.S. This is my first BLOG ever, thought I would give it a shot :), hence the title!
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