Tales from the FIRST Robotics Competition

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Well, a little background doesn't hurt before I dive into my last weekend activity.

FIRST stands for 'For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology', an organization founded by Dean Kamen (more popularly known as the inventor of Segway, although he has got tons of other far more accomplished inventions/patents. But I wont go there..go figure on Google!). And the name says it all abt their mission.

Anyway, so FIRST conducts a robotics competition called FRC held annually that is designed to inspire high school students to pursue engineering in the future. So what more exciting than getting a bunch of kids to put together a robot as a team and then have a robo competition! So I recently volunteered to mentor one of the teams that will participate in FRC in Jan 2011. And if I got to mentor I got to put it together myself before bossing them around right? LOL. Just kidding, its a collaborative effort of course and I will hardly be required until the robots start spinning around themselves instead of getting out of a maze. Haha. But the sheer energy in these kids puts me to shame! I sometimes wonder where all that passion vaporizes once we become adults. The raw passion and excitement to learn stuff and do stuff. I miss that! (I wont digress here, don't worry:))

So I had to attend a mandatory bootcamp for mentors as a prerequisite. Although I will admit it was mostly a dull day (also too far away in Brooklyn and too early for a Saturday - gosh I cant stop whining, can I?). As I said, adults are boring, kids are fun!:) All of us poured through the manuals and tried to figure out wiring of the control system (mostly a National Instruments compact RIO controller) and doing a smoke test before the robots hit the road. You know, adults are just so STUCK UP! (incl. me) LOL. I am more excited abt the team training camps where I will be assigned and dedicated to one single team of kids. So let's see.

Btw, checkout the awesome material on programming robots by the lead mentor at NYC FIRST.

PS: I happened to attend in person, Dean Kamen's speech on his next invention/mission (and that is to make clean drinking water accessible to everyone in the world). I was so blown away. There was a ~15sec applause from a spellbound audience after he finished speaking. Among other things, he spoke abt a black box he built (that works on bio fuel) that takes dirty water and purifies it. No electricity, no batteries required. What a genius!

Just wondering..

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So like all days, I walk into my apartment (that manages to look like a dump by Friday of every week), take off my shoes (with laces on!) and open the fridge. I glimpse (which also happens to be the name of a search tool at my workplace). Umm, lets see...aha! Got a killer quickie junk food to gobble up. Frozen pizza gets tossed into the toaster oven. If ever my toaster oven comes alive, it will come after me with a spade. Then I make a cup of tea which turns instantly cold once its off the stove. WTF!!! And these are one of the days when I curse my sans-microwave-life.

Then I log on and wonder. Yes, its a pretty addictive habit to wonder. This has been by far the most exhaustive work week this year and yet I managed to complete The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Legendary! I mean, off late, I get bored and simply skim through the many books I read. But this one, oh boy, got me hooked. But, dare I warn you, the initial pages are painful. I almost gave up. Like who wants to listen to pages and pages of Swedish politics. Crazy. But, I sailed through.

Anyways, I picked up Essays of Warren Buffett (wonder why?!). I mean its probably a good book for investors or anyone interested in learning from the guru himself. I am by no means that person. lol. But...again the but...I was simply intrigued. And it didn't scare me like all the other business books do. I remember getting a author signed book that was one fat pile about the Great Depression. Hmmm, I didnt read a page yet. It's lying on my bookshelf, gathering..you heard it..DUST!

So since I am still wondering and there are no signs of my fingers willing to budge away from the computer keys..I will continue writing. Oh btw, there is this strategy game called Triple Town on Amazon Kindle (and if you are a game junkie and are right now smirking at me for getting gung-ho abt a little game on a kindle, eff off!).

Great, now I am drinking frozen tea. What the hell. And these winds blowing and howling outside my apartment window. Stark raving mad. Its time to resurrect all the heavy winter coats I believe. Fall is gone. No more prancing around in a shirt and a tee. And lazy that I am I wont even moisturize my hands. Which means dry dry skin days ahead...

I wonder if I should watch a movie now. Everyone back home is probably enjoying the festivities (Dusshera) and the FOOD and all the movies and special programs on TV. Sigh. Its as though, USA doesn't have a life. Doesn't it? I wonder if I ever feel nostalgic about US when I return to India. My head says "No way, you won't!"

I also happened to watch the new Bollywood movie promo - Break ke Baad since I happen to follow Deepika Padukone on twitter (what?! why???). And I think I am TIRED of all these movies trying to depict that this generation is SO COOL...that they will actually have tons of partners and wont even realize they are in love with their childhood friend (YAWN) have niche jobs (sorry, did you forget half of us happen to be IT engineers?) and then they will have break-up parties (What the hell Love Aaj Kal!) and now in this promo I am supposed to believe that a girl will get drunk in a cinema hall and her boyfriend will carry her home. So that's how you become cool. BULLSHIT. This is making me THROW UP!

Btw read this interesting piece on Norwegian traders hacking through a trading system and manipulating the markets. And now sentenced to prison. Wondering...(just wondering..), what the hell, isn't that what the e-traders do every damn day? Use algorithmic platforms and learn trading patterns and rewrite those algorithmic platforms? LOL. Ok I am just wondering, since all the data up on that link is arguably vague and with zillions of regulatory laws and restrictions, I will quit judging. And anyway, who the hell cares what I think. Do you?

Just wondering.

Aaaaaaaaaaargh!

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Yes, that's what happened to my seemingly peaceful start to a bright Sunday morning-afternoon. All I did was go to my building basement to collect my laundry and here's a sight that greets me.

I see a dude piling my clothes off the dryer.

I go stand beside and say:

"What are you doing?"

Dude: (Silent, continues to pile my clothes out)
Me (losing patience): "What the FUCK you think you are doing?"
Dude: "I need a dryer."
Me: "So you think its cool to pile my clothes on the floor like its garbage?"
Dude: "Maybe you should come in time to take your clothes out then."

(In my defense, I was only 5 mins late. But of course i wasn't going to explain myself to him.)

Me: "Maybe you can haul up your ass early morning to use the laundry room then. How abt that?"

I use profanity very sparingly in public until its exasperatingly intolerable to talk to someone as retarded as this one.

Me (continuing): "..so why don't you bounce this idea off to people here in this room (by now an old Indian couple was looking at me like they couldn't believe it..I give a shit anyway)...We all will line up here and stand with a timer and pull the clothes off the dryer as soon as it beeps. Jerks like you, totally make my day. Next time you drag someone's clothes, make sure it's not mine, because you don't want to mess with me."

By this time, the dude was looking at me like deer in headlights. He probably didn't expect a good looking girl like me (I am quite a looker even if its an old lavendar t-shirt and pajamas. Yes, lavendar is my color) mouth profanities at him without as much as a pause. With that I stormed out of the facility.

What a turn off! I hope the guy finds bed bugs in his apartment today, thousands of them. MORON.

Book review: Sh*t my dad says

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After a long time, a light and a refreshing read! This is a book that came together as a result of Justin's (author) hugely popular twitter feed. Also, for me it reminded me so much of my own dad.

Good things:
- Honest, real and witty
- There's nothing up there that you haven't heard. It's just a collection of Justin's dad's everyday ramblings and I am a sucker for anything humorous and real.
- I liked how it was organized into chapters with titles that made sense and resonated with the rest of the chapter (how many times did you read a book that had mindless sensational chapter titles?)
- Short read! Yes. Thats a huge for me. I am happy this author didn't find the need to make it a 500 page epic. That would have stole the thunder of this book.
- The book is now also a CBS TV show. FTW, I think.

Some of my fave quotes:

Father to son on yard work:
“What are you doing with that rake?…No, that is not raking…. What? Different styles of raking? No, there’s one style, and then there’s bullshit. Guess which one you're doing.”

Father on seeing his son's bloody nose:
“What happened? Did somebody punch you in the face?!…The what? The air is dry? Do me a favor and tell people you got punched in the face.”

Father to son on importance of watching evening news (ah! this is so much like what my dad would have told):
“Let’s finish talking in a bit, the news is on…. Well, if you have tuberculosis, it’s not going to get any worse in the next thirty minutes.”

(And this one's classic..)
Father to son on asking to have the candy passed to him during Schindler's List:
“What do you want—the candy? They’re throwing people in the f**king gas chamber, and you want a Skittles?”

Silent Saturday

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I successfully got A mad at me and then got mad at A. Its a mad mad Saturday you see. Hopefully we both get out of it. I haven't been the best of me for weeks (months in fact?) now. Sigh. Every time I promise to be good to him, I flake. Now I don't even believe me when I say the word "promise". Hmm. Sad state of affairs. I need an intervention of sorts. Who is ready to take this herculean of a task? Anybody? I hear my own echo. So I take it as a NO. Sigh.

And since I have got into this baking fetish (since my hit Tiramisu last week, haha! Wait...I did get a lot of compliments! So I am not blowing my own trumpet, if that's what you thought x-(. So ya, since I have got this little spark for baking now, I am deciding between chocolate fudge squares and lava cake. See how I picked two easiest baking recipes? LOL. Its still an ordeal, coz I am not stocked up on baking supplies. Plus, am NOT EVEN a dessert person. Sigh sigh sigh. But I gotta learn. And doing is learning. So anyway, I think if I get a set of ramekins from Target or Bed Bath and Beyond for a decent price, I might be up for a lava cake. You can't go wrong with it because if you cook it precisely, you get a lava cake (duh!) but if you overcook it, you get a brownie. Its a win-win, ha!

Oh btw, I saw this baking cookbook at NYPL and got totally sold out. Man o man! I was right there, leafing through it after a late lunch, not ready to go back to my desk whatsoever, but the darn clock wouldn't stop ticking. Big sigh! But I will let it pass for now. I want to see how long I continue with my baking adventures to warrant a massive book that is better off left on the shelves for a deserving person to pick up. I am such a noble soul (have I told you that before?;)). And if you knew me as much as A does, you will know my small excitements don't last long. That is because of the inherent laziness in me. But I hope I prove myself (and transitively A) wrong and
pursue this thing. I also, in fact, in a fit of a moment declared today morning that I will bake my own wedding cake. Very very wishful. What the heck was I thinking? Was I on an adrenaline drive? (The sort of things that shoot my adrenaline..sigh)

On other news, I got this link on funny source code comments from an old colleague. Super hilarious. Check it out here. Totally made my day. My favorite is "options.BatchSize = 300; //Madness? THIS IS SPARTA!". Hmm, maybe I will use this line one of these days. HAHA.

Also, I have been still toying with the idea of which Kindle cover to buy. A naked kindle in NY/NJ subways is too much of a risk :O But I cant decide if it should be this one or this one (with a built-in light). The cool thing abt the cover with the light is, it works off the Kindle battery which is so super cool since I don't have to stock up on batteries and also dont have to carry around a book light with me. Plus I hate to get up from the bed to switch off the darn lights in the night. But 60$??? Really? So maybe I would want to settle for the simple cover for 35$. Beats me how I can still not decide :(

PS: I am reading The boy who harnessed the wind. So far its all abt witchcraft and things. Not liking it x-( I hope it picks up to the main theme of the story sooooooooooon. Running out of patience here, as always.

Kindle my man..

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Imagine my joy when I found this link to P G Wodehouse collection in Kindle format. Oh of course, the news being I got my Kindle 3 delivered. So so happy:) Now I need to find a good kindle converter software to get all of my favorite books on my baby. Yay!

What if I could actually get on-the-shelf books at home into my Kindle? Wishful thinking. So long..

Just saw this..

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...video on howitshouldhaveended.com (ya you can read that without the spaces, so tells me an old forwarded email from a friend, ha!). Totally made my day (or night?). Ok you slackers, you can catch the video here:

Happy Vinayaka Chavithi!!!

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There is something magical about a festival day! I woke up with a rotten mood today (I slept in a rotten mood actually). A tried to cheer me up and talk me out of it, didn't work. I slept in until late noon (huge pile of work, chores and all of it running at the back of my mind). I somehow dragged myself out of the bed and thought "Ok, lets jus make some payasam. That's easy right?". And then the magic started.

With the cardamom, butter, raisins and milk flavoring not just the dessert but also my kitchen my spirits lifted. (Food's always been a big bait for me, lol). I got some fruits together, cleaned the place and began to pray. Fat tears rolled down my cheeks. Overcome by so many emotions. In a flash, I could see the most cherished festival days I spent back home. I cribbed abt getting early in the morning then. Taking a bath and stringing flowers together to make garlands. My dad would throw a bait (I always had to be bribed to do something) - if you clean up, hang all those garlands at all the house doors and clean the porch and all the photos of God at home, you will get the highest marks in that toughest exam. That sealed the deal for me.

Of course, I would keep prancing in and out of the kitchen waiting for the vadas (spicy donuts?) to get done :) I was never a dessert fan (thankfully! given my huge appetite, that would have spelled disaster). And the same straight answer from my mom: "If you eat it before God was served, you will not get those highest marks in that toughest exam". Wicked! x-(

So after the prayers and after God and the crows were served, it would be my turn. Oh but the crows..lol. That is another funny story. I would keep pieces of vada, payasam, chakra pongal and sambar and rice on a piece of an empty milk packet and keep it on the terrace waiting for some crow to come eat. Sometimes they wouldnt and that made me mad because I wasnt supposed to eat until they ate. Hmmm. So just because I was such a gullible idiot and I would believe anything (when good food or education was guaranteed), my dad assured me that if I screamed "Kaaaa Kaaaa" into the sky as loud as possible the crows would come eat the prasadam (Kaakaa means crows in Tamil). I am SO embarrassed even telling you guys this story. But honest to God, I did it. Just for some good food and great scores in exams. Wicked wicked dad. Hmmm.

But the rest of the afternoon that followed would be heaven. A big fat meal. A great movie on TV. Afternoon siesta before heading out to the temple in new clothes. Then playing cricket, taking a walk, sipping piping hot chai, watching people and gossiping...FUN! Thats what I call a festivity! And when at school, you get an extra day off, didn't have to study or do homework or anything (that was a big deal then right?!). Everything about a festival spelled HAPPINESS.

I miss those small pleasures SOOOOO much. Even thinking about those moments makes me happy. Happy Vinayaka Chavithi to all!! God bless you all:) Pullayar appa will make all your dreams and wishes come true.

Book review: The Pragmatic Programmer - From Journeyman to Master

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I heard a lot about this book. If you are like me, you just heard about it and never read it. Sigh. In fact, it's a mandatory read in many of the software firms. I finally did manage to read it though:) So instead of giving a detailed review (which you can find here) I will mention what I liked in this book.

- The book draws parallels between real life situations and programming problems. It delivers excellent analogies on the way. Its a fun read.

- The book is crisp and to the point. This book is not meant to be a reference, its a collection of different design techniques, refactoring and testing nuggets, common programming and project management problems and recommended solutions. This appeals to me because I don't lose my train of thought as I read through it. If I need a reference on a particular topic I will pick a book on that than sit on a 1000 page heavy book that often deviates from the theme.

- The book has some good exercises at the end of the chapter that made me "think". I get bored by just having to read through verbose and not think. I retain very little if that's the case.

- Also has good number of references to useful resources, books and web links.

- It is by no means "read it in one sitting and then forget it" kind of book. You will want to refer some parts again and incorporate some of the techniques in your everyday programming. The book sticks to its title - honestly pragmatic.

All in all a great book. Better late than never, so grab a copy and read:)

Relational DB vs No SQL fanbois

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"..I suggest you pipe your data to /dev/null. It will be very fast..". LOL.

Sushi for life!

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So it turns out its Fri evening and labor day weekend and I am sitting down in my apartment with Sushi and cold water. And its not even dinner time. Like I care.

Its crazy how I never liked Sushi before and now I am absolutely devoted to it! I refuse to eat takeout, but Sushi is a rare exception my friends. All of you who don't love Sushi, shame on you. Of course I am NOT kidding. You gotta try this. It just grows on you. Spicy Salmon rolls in Wasabi and Ginger melting in my mouth. Divine.

The first time I tasted Sushi with all its accompaniments, I had a near-death experience. Its what I like to call - "Death by Wasabi". As naive as I could be I imagined that greenish thing to be guacamole (LOL, I know!). So of course after a passing thought on why they would give sooo little of that greenish paste (I was pissed abt the quantity until I found out the reason later of course..), I picked a liberal amount of the wasabi and put it in my mouth. 1 sec, 2 secs....and then the near death experience - fumes blazing out of my 3 senses. I underestimated the Japanese horseradish. After all, we Indians take pride in our spices and think we know it all. That no one could ever invent anything more spicy than our peppers. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! Sorry to break it to you Indians, the Japs have caught up with us. LOL.

Anyway, so I thought I was this kickboxing champ or whatever (after 4 months at it) and walked straight into this Martial Arts class today. Result: sore kneecaps, aching arms and worse still..a deeply scarred ego. Tch tch. Little did I know the power punches and jabs and round house kicks are going to totally wipe me out. And going to the class on an empty stomach? BIG MISTAKE. I never even do that before a gym class on an average day! Conclusion: Martial Arts is THE MOST EFFECTIVE endurance training I have ever taken. Set in stone. Period. I come back to my desk only to be told I could leave as early as 4 pm as markets close early today. Oh the joys of a long weekend. Meanwhile I heard some desis murmur "potluck". It made my stomach churn. One more time someone even mentions that word, there will be blood. Damn it.

On happy thoughts, I have devoured half my sushi plate. *Grin*. And the rest half shall be duly eaten tomorrow by yours truly.

Btw, I am calling Amazon guys starting today, everyday, till they ship my Kindle 3. I am delirious with excitement and I am NOT even exaggerating.

Book Review: The Facebook Effect

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I have been reading The Facebook Effect for the last 2 days now and I am already tired of Kirkpatrick (author) repeating time and again that Zuck's (Mark Zuckerberg) intention was never to make money. OK, we get it, but does this have to be repeated like a ton of times!? It appears like Kirkpatrick is Facebook's fanboy.

Isn't describing Facebook as a tool to bring about "world peace" (how tacky?!) is stretching it a bit too far? Or may be I just lack the vision to see Facebook in that light? As I see it, Facebook's majority users are those who look to Facebook for FUN than anything serious. I love Facebook for making things around us more transparent but I am unable to concur it's larger role in society. (One million voices against FARC did put Facebook in that perspective but I have never heard since then of any other major movement. It's always Farmville or Mafia Wars on my news feed. Maybe I just need more serious friends on my network? haha.)

Despite some of these minor irritants, I have liked it so far (and that is probably why am continuing to read it). My only disappointment being I expected this book to be an objective view of Facebook than only painting the biased view. I wanted to know the mistakes, trials and tribulations and honest opinions of Facebook's foundation and growth as seen by both Facebook loyals and rivals. Isn't journalism all about that? Perhaps that would have made it more of an interesting read?

Ok, enough said. This book is definitely recommended despite my critique for the general perspective on startups, marketing/advertising and passion to build on your ideas. Like Kirkpatrick quotes the former Intel CEO - "Only the paranoid survive"

Things I learnt this week

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Do not worry. I wont make this a series or something. LOL.

But this is what I learnt this week. (This is more a journal entry than a blog..but then hey, this is MY blog :) I sometimes love the smell of narcissism)

- I can whip up satisfying tasty meals in under 20 mins (this includes prep time apart from cooking time and no this isn't your microwaveable ready to eat stuff!). I have only one thing to say to the guy who marries me - you are very lucky dude;)

- Testing on the toilet. LOL.

- This heaven of a fruit shake cart on the intersection of Water St. and Hanover. Dreadfully delicious smoothie combos I can die for. I actually got a berry mango and banana fruit smoothie that totally kept me in happy spirits for the rest of the afternoon. I am telling you, this stuff can change you as a person. Ok, I will stop now. The important takeaway is - Its THAT good.

- That I can rant SO much about people, but also I will be the first one to help them with anything. (You see the halo on my head right now?;))

- With great power comes great electricity bill. Amen.

- That each day I walk by this huge building guarded by cops and then realize after 2 months that its the Fed Reserve.

- Leader (telugu movie) is quite likable. I haven't seen it fully yet.

- That I still hate hate hate SODAS.

- Programming by contract

- I learnt to make Zapiekanka (Not rocket science, just a simple Polish street food)

Lots more but I dont think its worth the Sat afternoon time. YAWN.

Reading old mails and other boring stuff :)

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Oh yeah. Do any of you do that sort of thing? I don't. But my oh my..what a surprise. I did a random search for an old email and I see email threads running as long as 87 replies! Fun times! Miss that so so much. Wonder how it will be to sit and read emails when I am 70 yrs old. Ha!

There hasn't been so much of an update in my life. But I got my earphones today (cheap ones from buy.com) and I can tell you for a fact I don't find an effing difference between these and my old ipod earphones. LOL. So I resurrected my old ipod which had been lying cold and dusty and abandoned in an old box. And there's music in its life now. Yeah, I am such an angel. I know.

Also as much as I hate sitting through classes ALL DAY LONG, I took a moment today to appreciate all the new things I am getting to learn. Feels nice to appreciate for a change than curse. Haha. I should probably do this more often. Maybe it is time to go to that meditation class instead of dismissing those email reminders.

Btw, I got completely taken aback today morning when a colleague told me that I am probably one of the fastest walkers hes ever seen. Hmm ok, not to brag, but I thought I was taking my own sweet time today. You know smelling the flowers and the like. Haha. But now that I map my downtown Manhattan walking route on google maps, it looks like I do nearly a mile in 10 mins walk (not run). That's probably fast.

Hocus Focus

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These days (ok i confess, for a long time now..) I CANNOT focus. This is driving me up the wall. Like, REALLY! I just miss my pre-college days, right out of high school, when I was the epitome of everything that was focus. I was anal about making lists and revising and re-revising before an exam. I used to derive a kick out of watching a movie right before the supposedly most important entrance exam of my life (every damn exam was considered important then. LOL). I can't help but wonder when all that focus crap got wiped off me. Sigh sigh.

So now it gets so tough for me to even sit on my ass and concentrate on a small piece of problem I need to solve at work. The only thing that comes to my mind is "Maybe I will go grab that cup of espresso and then I will have the 'Aha!' moment". Needless to say, that sort of a caffeine trip ends up in more wastage of time and nothing remotely 'Aha!' seems to happen during the course of it. In the last 4 weeks of training, the only class I actually woken up to was the one I had yesterday on market making. And not because I learnt to do some genius yield curves but because the instructor actually told us the difference between Federal and State prison facilities in USA. (Ya tell me abt it. The things that seem to get my focus these days. Sigh:(

All said, life is STILL good. You know, when I see so many homeless people on the streets of New York city, I feel life's not all that unfair to me. Of course, the moment I get into a subway I am all about whining abt XYZ and the 'homeless thought' vanished off me in sub-second of time. HAHA. Such is the human mind. And if you read carefully, you can see how my train of though is not focussed right now. I started off on how I am unable to focus and ended up talking abt homeless guys and depressing subway commute! LOL.

Btw, if you happened to be in Manhattan or would want to someday and you heard about the Soup Nazi (I imagine everyone has watched Seinfeld atleast once), please don't just walk into the Soup Man place and order a soup. Because you will GO BROKE. A lobster soup costs 16$ here. No, I am not in a mood to kid you. I am not sure why still people flood this place. Even if the soup is SO heavenly I wouldn't pay so much for a soup. A soup is a soup. Period. Plus, if you are extremely hormonal like me, this is not the place for you specially since you have to abide by some "rules" here to order a soup. (Its not called Soup Nazi for no reason).

Oh whatever! My only time away from the Manhattan madness was at Niagara last week. I wasn't particularly excited abt the falls when I started on the trip. I thought waterfalls are after all waterfalls. But little did I think about how wrong I would be. It was WORTH the trip for those 15 mins of jaw-dropping sight. And if I wasn't too self-involved in clicking my pictures I might have enjoyed it more :D

And now I need to walk to Best Buy and analyze my bday gift. This is probably the only thing I love abt NYC. Staying at a stone's throw distance from anything and everything. LOL.

What NOT to do in New York City

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Since it is the summer season and the city is full of tourists, I thought I could contribute to some local wisdom to the city visitors. Here's my take:

- Please don't take the cabs. Subways anyone..Hello?? Subways are the cheapest, safest, quickest way through the city. Plus you get a lot of free entertainment, people gazing and subway performers:) And whoever didn't think of walking in NYC? One of the funnest things to do is exploring the city on feet.

- Please don't eat out of any food cart you find. Most of them are rip-offs. Ask the locals which cart offers the best. Like the halal cart off 57th and 6th. Yum!!

- Empire State Building...whyyyyyyy????? Gosh, please please skip this tourist rip off. Go to Rockefeller Center. If you haven't heard of Rockefeller, please google it right now and get onto the 'Top of the Rock' for the most splendid views of the city. Atleast you don't have the fences to cut off your view.

- Ok, what's with people heading to Magnolia for Cupcakes? That is by far the most hyped place and over the top prices for a teeny weeny cupcake. Blame it on the Sex and the City. DAMN. Check other pastry shops off Bleecker St. if you are a cupcake fan.

- Eat in Times Square. NO! AVOID! All the world's crappiest chains are at Times Square. And guess what - they are OVER EXPENSIVE. Savor the lights and energy of Times Sq instead and head else where for food.

- Best way to find your way around Central Park is no..NOT walking. Rent a bike on a Saturday morning and ride along..you will fall in love with Central Park, I can bet.

- I know everyone loves Starbucks (sigh). But the whole point of visiting a city is to TRY OUT a new cuisine, even if it is coffee. As I am not much of a coffee person, I wont be able to give you a horde of coffee places you can go to. But there is this charming little French cafe in Bushwick, Brooklyn. I found it after I lost my way after an apartment search on a biting cold afternoon. I even forgot its name. I just googled and its Athom Cafe. And their croissants are something to die for. PLEASE GO. Plus, if it means anything, I never really had a thing for croissants till I bumped into this place.

- A lot of places are Cash only. So...if you are like the old me, you need to carry couple of coins and notes. And the ATM's nearby will always have a line. This is NYC, what do you expect? lol. Plus, if you think all places have restrooms, umm think twice. haha. Even select Barnes & Nobles stores in NYC wont have restrooms. (Is that even legal? :O)

I would write more, but I am tired. It's a huge list. Sigh.

How to use aliens to solve your network problems

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My dad has this passion..to sue people. No he is not a lawyer. LOL.
I often tell him he should be in the Americas. He can do that sort of a thing here with more impact maybe?

So recently he completely switched off his mobile and started using my mom's.
I asked him what's up with that thing switched off? Knowing him I asked if he was trying to do some sort of cost cutting or if he was unhappy with the mobile network service? Alright it's Airtel. As if I have something to lose if I take their name. LOL. Anyway, what I least expected to learn was this:

Dad: I keep getting text messages from this website or service I am not subscribed to and each such message cuts down one rupee from my talktime.
Me: Whoa.
Dad: Ya I get these texts from some IleanaWorld or something
Me: LOL.
Dad: Things like Ileana is going to take a bath. Ileana wants to talk to you.
Me: Double LOL.
Me: Well..cant you just ask the Airtel guys to like block that?
Dad: I sorta liked it in the beginning.
Me: Why am I not surprised..
Dad: But it cuts my talktime balance and there are too many messages. If only it was a free service.
Me: Ya right. So did they block it?
Dad: I went twice to them. Its worser now. I get these messages on mom's mobile too.
Me: Uh oh.
Dad: I think its a virus..
Me: Sorry, what?
Dad: Virus, don't you think?
Me: Nice try. Tell that to someone else, not me. x-( You would have given your cellphone numbers on some crazy website. So you go and solve it now.
Dad: Sigh.

After couple of days..

Me: So whats up?
Dad: I am suing these guys..I have had it.
Me: What happened?
Dad: They are unable to block it.
Me: Really? :O
Dad: I went there and yelled at them..
Me: ..your style? "I will sue you and write to the local newspaper and take you to the consumer court" thing?
Dad: Ya, initially..
Me: What do you mean?
Dad: Well, I sort of went soft on them.
Me: (Oh my! Thats a first time). I dont believe that for a second! You would have gone ballistic..
Dad: I initially did. I said I am gona sue them all. And then I did the faux pas!
Me: ????
Dad: I said their service will die when aliens come down to earth.
Me: (By this time I got bored of his conversation and was chatting with A on the other end...jus when I heard the word aliens I jumped up). Did you say aliens???
Dad: (Eating a snack on the other end, in a muffled voice) Yes.
Me: LOL.
Dad: As a matter of fact, I said the day aliens come down they are gona destroy all of us. And they would take over. There would be no democracy, no sh*** mobile networks, nothing. They will take control. They didn't get it..
Me: Of course. LOL.
Dad: The customer service reps took a deep interest in this subject. One of them asked me: "aliens ante yovarandi?" (telugu for "who are aliens?")
Me: LOL
Dad: I said "They will be tiny. Green in color. And their blood would be brown in color with large ears and smarter brains"
Me: Was that necessary?
Dad: (Still eating..) I am surprised they didn't watch all those brilliant alien and space movies. Specially Spielberg's.
Me: Ya well, pride yourself. lol.
Dad: That blew up into a conversation abt aliens and unnecessary chatter. I lost my way thru it. But one of them got friendly with me and believed all I told abt aliens. She promised me she would block the damn ileana messages.
Me: Sure. So now you solve problems thru storytelling. Good for ya.
Dad: I guess I will talk Armageddon the next time..

Kalle F Blomkvist

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If you are like me, you would have laughed out loud at this piece I read in the New Yorker today by Nora Ephron (yep its her, the lady who made those all time fave rom coms...recently, Julie & Julia):
The Girl Who Fixed The Umlaut

Of course, I am assuming given the hype, you would have gone on a crusade to read Steig Larsson's Millennium Trilogy. Darn it, I always mix the i and e in his name :/

Of course I am not going to bid adieu without a not-so-funny-as-unusual conversation with a Doc today. (And no, its not the cast of Grey's Anatomy. In real life, docs don't look so mind-numbingly handsome)

Doc: So what do we have here?
Me: Cold
Doc: And?
Me: After the and, is for you to figure. (Smug smile)
Doc: (Unimpressed or maybe he didn't hear me?;)) I will need to take your vitals. But first, since when were you sick?
Me: Saturday
Doc: blah blah
Me: blah blah
Doc: Alright, lets look inside.
Me: What?????????
Doc: ..inside your nostrils and ears
Me: They do that?
Doc: How long has it been since you visited a doc?
Me: For common cold? Never.
Doc: I see. Lets look now..
(Pause)
Doc: Umm..
(The next question got my cheeks flushing out of embarrassment)
Doc: Do you ever clean your ears?
Me: (With a game face) Not as promptly as I brush my teeth. (Smile)
Doc: (Oblivious to the humor. Poor guy needs to learn to smile, I thought.) Looks like there is a ton of wax up there.
Me: (Wax. Is that the charming name they give it? I fought the urge to say "My dad said why clean when it will fall out of your ears, eventually). Is that bad?
Doc: I will give you some ear drops, should clear it out.
Me: (And there I thought he is going to give me medicine for the cold) What abt the cold?
Doc: (Slightly annoyed by the obviously untimely smart ass question) Ya that too. I will give you mucinex.
Me: (Nod my head excitedly like I knew what Mucinex was)
Doc: Also do you smoke, drink alcohol etc.?
Me: Smoke no. Alcohol 10%...comes with Nyquil.
Doc: (Smiles)

There you go. You just learnt to smile doc. Sweet.

I go back to my desk and my co-worker goes:
"Oh he gave you Mucinex? That works. Hell yeah."

Me: Ok..great.
Co-worker: Don't tell me you never heard of it?
Me: (Shrugs)
Co-worker: Oh you didn't?! Stop it. The famous commercial where the Mucus family settles down your system with all their luggage and they are splashing mucus like its wall paint?
Me: Haha, no.
Co-worker: I am the biggest baddest Mucus.
Me: LOL, will youtube it.

About Blank

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There is something incredibly therapeutic about writing.

As a kid, I enjoyed writing down even smallest of my muses, worries or joys in a book. As I grew, I also grew out of this habit. I wish now I had never grown out of it. Thanks to twitter, facebook and a million other distractions on the Internet.

Life has become phoniest ever. Log onto facebook and you see someone has got a car, or has a spouse or touts their new iphone. People call each other "hun" or go "awwww" over silliest of things. Not that any of it is my business. Just saying. (Hey its my blog remember?). All I am saying is people have lost the excitement in the simplest of joys and have a continuous need to advertise their concerns over the Internet. Why do I care if you are bored? Seriously, get an activity. And if you have so much time to spare, go out and do some good.

I am not sure what's even prompting me to write this note. I just feel like it tonight. I miss the charm of the 90's I guess (my favorite topic eh?). I miss all those silly things we used to love. That TV program or that cool "bicycle" the neighbor kid had or the love for collecting marbles (or WWF cards as the case may be:)). I miss being with elderly people and listening to their wisdom. I miss throwing a fit when mom made "healthy-but-not-appealing" meals. I miss taking those long walks in the morning without having to worry about the long day ahead. I miss that joy of getting lost in a book, imagining the characters come to life as I flipped through the pages. I miss climbing trees. I miss playing gully cricket for long hours with tennis balls and make shift bats. I miss sneaking in and out of the kitchen waiting for that favorite dish to get done. I miss wearing a b'day dress! B'days were so so special..

I miss those rainy days when I came back home to hot tea, snacks and the promise of a long cheerful talk with dad on the porch. I miss waiting for the Sunday newspaper and challenging myself to a crossword puzzle. I miss chasing the frogs from the backyard of my house to the dirty pond. I miss caressing those new born kittens (cats never seemed to stop reproducing. lol). I miss sleeping on the terrace on hot summer nights and counting the stars and singing songs till I fell asleep. I miss beating dad in chess, carroms, table tennis while he secretly gave in to only see me happy. I miss getting excited about watching a movie on the big screen. I miss sitting on the kitchen counter and cleaning and marinating meat.

I could go on forever. But since it is year 2010, I gotta stop.

Why is it..

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..that the moment we are happy abt something, we fear it will be jinxed by some horrible sad news?
..that when you don't have your dear ones around you miss them more?
..that you think God is targeting only you with troubles and you go 'Why God? Why me?'
..that there is no end to our wish list?
..that a word of appreciation or compliment gives you instant gratification as opposed to none?
..that I stopped doing work and started blogging this foolish post and you stopped doing what you were doing to read this post?;)

Unwanted egos

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As if you guys didn't have enough of my rant posts. Hmmm.

But seriously, the one thing that PISSES ME OFF (yes, in caps) is kids treating their parents like scumbags. I mean cmon, give me a freaking break. You don't have to move mountains for them. Just be HUMAN.

So I came across this old Indian lady accompanied by her daughter (assuming shes her daughter). She mistook a bread packet of mine to be hers and grabbed at it hard from the cashier's hands. Now you know how impatient and cranky these grocery store cashiers are. She just shot back a cold stare at the old lady. Ok, we all have our frustrations at work and all the drama that makes us go crazy. So I could comprehend her reaction. But the daughter here goes shooting around abuses at the lady for this one. I got so pissed off at this point that I was like Really? Next time get your own bread. Bitch.

I see SO many old Indian couples here in the US. Kids send them off to do the dirty laundry to grocery to dropping kids off at school. So really, is that why you morons bring your parents here? To do your chores?

In other news, (yes I am not done yet) what is with bloated egoistic IITians and Ivy League guys. I mean seriously give me a effing break. Are your egos a way to vent out the high tuition you paid at school? Save the attitude please. Good luck to your spouses though. I sympathize with them. The next time someone gives me shit, I have made up my mind to flaunt my credentials too..Some people just need a taste of their own medicine.

And please whoever the hell you are, treat your parents well. That's the least you can do in your already rotten lives.

Little things that make me happy

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So I cooked a bowl of oats over the stove top without burning any of the milk or the oats..how super achieving and satisfying is that..eh? LOL.

Or that whole grain bread I got off a sale for just 2$ got me to clap my hands and skirt up and down like a kid..haha.

Wait a sec. Just when you are about to go "here she goes talking abt food", I have some other little things to share..that aren't food. I signed up for a community service event that I badly want to get into. Of course, I wont tell you its centered around music, entertainment, ice cream and emcee-ing. Yay yay. Oh I just told you that now. What a showoff. Haha.

I also get to canoe in the Hudson this May for free!! If everything goes well that is..lol. Talk about counting the eggs before they hatch.

I also have that teeny-weeny marathon (or more like a race) to finish this June. And its but obvious that I haven't started training for it, as seriously. Sigh. No, actually strike that out of the list. Not happy about the training part. lol.

Btw me and a friend and friends of the friend and their friends (why do I get so exasperating!!) have embarked on what we would like to call a 50 book challenge. Not sure if that interests you. You might want to occasionally visit the blog to find titles that you never heard of?:) A bunch of us blog on what we are reading and whats up for future reading. A book club, sort of. Just makes it easy to look up recommended reads from each other's list.

So if you carefully read through my list (ya right!), you might have successfully analyzed by now that none of the above things have anything to do with my work life, relationships or any such thing. Ahem. That's what I call - Selfissssssssh!! And I am lovin' it.:)

I wanna be in the 90's

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This thought loomed large when I was dipping these sweet little things called Parle G biscuits into piping hot tea this afternoon. Oh damn I just lost the crunch I thought. Mental note to myself: Dip the biscuit for less than a sec than you can enjoy it with the crunch.

See now I am blabbing! Sigh..

So I sat down to do the old fashioned stuff today. Reading a fat book armed with tea and biscuits. Nice. I am at peace. Then my thoughts go back and forth on the 90's. Then I start cussing. (You know where this is going. Another bout of ranting...) Why did this Internet happen? Like for instance, online friends. Who would have thought of that in the 90's right? haha. Imagine a girl friend of mine in pig tails telling me...Hey met this totally awesome guy on Facebook. I cant imagine how badly that could have destroyed the 90's charm. Where we simply exchanged love letters (or messengered them in my case) as teens.

And what about those TV shows we would wait the entire week for. what was that detective thingy..Byomkesh Bakshi? Man, I was like addicted to it like people addicted to weed. If I didnt see it every Wed night (see, I even remember which weekday they used to play that thing!), I would go all upset. That would happen when the power would go out. Good old 90's. If the power went out during your favorite TV show time, you would swear and curse (Yes, I was into such things even in the 90's. Even kids like that stuff, all you parents..if you are reading my blog. haha).
But if the power went out when you are supposed to be doing homework, it gives you an excuse to play antakshari on the terrace with your siblings or friends or whoever you hanged out with. It didnt matter. It was antakshari time. Even among mosquito bites on a hot summer night on the terrace.

Just yesterday A was talking something about a cool business idea when I shoot at him out of the blue.

Me: Do you like a terrace?
A: Err..yes.
Me: Me too
A: (Not sure why I changed the topic. But he plays along. Good old A.) So you used to sleep on the terraces those days?
Me: Absolutely! We would pick up a bucket of water an hour before our sojourn and water the terrace.
After it cools down we would spread the sheets. Watch stars. Play antakshari.
A: Haha. Same here.
Me: (Going into 'rant' mode) But obviously stupid USA doesnt have that privilege. Hell, I dont even get a decent
ventilation in my apartment. I am all choking in this...
A: (Cuts me off. He sees where I am going with this. He has learnt the hard way. lol) Yeah yeah. But did you like the mosquito bites then?
Me: (Sigh! He just knows how to pull the plug. Doesnt he?) Yeah. Hmmm.
A: Haha. But it was so much fun.
Me: (springing back..) SO SO much!! (I clench my teeth with the delight of a kid who just got a free cookie)
A: And the hide and seek days??? Chor police?
Me: aaaah...blisss!!!
A: Now do you think we can install this on a Windows machine. VMware or virtual box? (Obviously continuining the conversation where we broke off.)
Me: Sigh...


Now you see what I mean? If we were still in the 90's we wouldnt have such a thing as Virtual Machines or installations or any such jazz. It would just be you, me and a hearty conversation or antakshari over tea. I need a time machine now..anyone?

PS: I am powerless when it comes to constant references to my ranting and being so overly judgemental about myself. But you should have understood by now that the blog always carries impressions of my self analysis. Although annoying, would you please be so much of a kind soul so as to ignore them for the purposes of your own sanity? Thank you :)

Truth be told..

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I don't really talk through the serious stuff on this blog. (You might have noticed that already). But when I see people ripping off a common man's money I simply got to spread the word against evil.

To cut the long story short, I attended one of the so-called free Rich Dad Poor Dad seminars. In the middle of a rain. Costing me a precious 3 hours and giving me a massive headache in the end. Now I wonder this: Why isn't common sense common? Every single person listening to the seminar bought the idea that one could make money by working for as less as 3 hours per week. REALLY?? Wow! Robert Kiyosaki, tell me if that worked for you. Now I leave for the people with common sense (which isn't as common I figured by now) to decide what's the answer to that. Plus, Mr. Kiyosaki and the mafia behind this whole Rich Dad academy, a message from the common man - We are living in a world powered by information sharing. Remember the power called GOOGLE? Yeah, that's right. We just look up for information there and believe in sharing it for free. We believe in making it viral. By free, we truly mean free. And not a free seminar where the speaker reminds you every 5 mins to sign up for the 500$ class that will teach me to become a millionaire. I wonder what Warren Buffett has to say about the 3 hour work week path to becoming a millionaire.

Few rants and few laughs..

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I somehow feel hype is a shortened version of hypocrisy, ha! Anyway, whats with all the raving about My Name is Khan. Shahrukh? So everyone wants to appreciate Karan Johar because of his sincere efforts. But of course on the other hand some aspiring new director trying to sincerely make a movie on a distinguished topic will be panned! Anyhow, the movie didn't touch a chord with me and I am just astonished at how people are loving the movie. The movie would have been way better if not for some over dramatic scenes (everybody gangs up at that Georgia place from nowhere...what was that? )

Anyway, you can see this post is becoming too much of a rant so I will stop here. Of course, I will agree I am biased. I cant take any more of Shahrukh on screen anymore. LOL. Whatever!

In other news, what's with people who don't smile or greet in the morning. Why God why? Didn't you teach them how to laugh? This is probably the millionth time I am ranting about them. It just ruins my day you know. The least you could do is acknowledge a greeting (instead of staring blankly in space. Ya, I have got that like so many times and no, am not like drop dead gorgeous or something.) Btw, I did my honorable contribution to humor moments today. (Yes God I need to balance out the morons who cant laugh to save their lives.) I was wearing this shiny new off-white coat...warm and cozy and as people stared hard at me I thought they envied me. But late did I notice some of them giggled, some others read out numbers...Oh ya, I had the prestigious price tag on! LOL. But being such a great sport that I am (I am in fact not, trust me..I get upset about the most trivial stuff. But today was one of my good moods..and their good fortune x-( ) I graciously took the tag off and said, "Can you believe it is just 50 bucks? Got it off a sale. But this one was probably the last one on the shelf. Try your luck!".

That didn't stop the muffled tones and chuckles but I atleast tried and didnt get upset. So proud of myself, haha.

Forrest Gumpiness

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That's what I call when I am in a mood to do something really really really weird.
Like the other day I ran to the 31st floor. Not by elevator silly, by stairs of course;) Now, I am not the best of the best in the stamina department. So this was more of a casual, "let me see" type of a thing. Anyway, so the weird thing is, it isn't weird anymore to me. I take the stairs now to the 31st! Not kidding :) Although the other day I ran all the way up to the 25th without pausing...today I couldn't dare repeat the feat. I drank a banana (actually two bananas) smoothie you see before I took the stairs..So I ran 10 floors up and then said to myself "FML. I will walk now like normal people do."

LOL. Ok, so this is a bit too much stairway talk :)
Btw, does anyone know do they REALLY penalize people for smoking in the stairways? I mean every floor exit has a ton of cigarette butts around. I am wondering how the smoke alarms don't go up. Hehe. I am definitely choking in the stairway. Also, when do these people smoke? I mean all I find are cigarette butts and no smokers.

Alright, so its getting hella boring now. I am thinking of taking up something creative. Something I haven't done before. Or even better, something I never even thought of doing before. So please vote in (I am unabashedly assuming I have this huge following who will vote on ideas). I have liked ice skating so far. But it is a pricy hobby. So also keep the budget in mind! (It feels like I am talking to an audience now)

Btw for people who have been wanting to drink spinach juice, do not fear. LOL. Mix it with apple sauce, it tastes great! (Now I sound like a cooking blog. Sigh. But hey, its a handy tip!)

So before I bid adieu, a joke/rumor/whatever you may want to call it...

(Tourist) female pointing at the conductor's booth asks a co-passenger on the subway: "Is that the restroom?"

Surya Namaskar at 3 pm

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LOL, such is the weather here. I wonder how it is for people dwelling in Canada or Antarctica or Iceland or wherever the heck it is cold. Thank God, I found something interesting to keep me going here - Ice Skating. I never really thought that I would go 5 hours skating on ice in subzero temperatures and ending up all SMILES! So obviously I am hooked.

Of course, things are going to become busy and chaotic in few days. Btw, kids have more fun than adults in a skating rink. True Story. Age does change a lot of things eh? They LOVE to fall, LOVE to dive and skid on their knees and LOVE to goof up on the ice...And we are awfully embarrassed about even letting go and try a new skating trick. Such is adult life! tch tch. Also I can tell where the Chinese get their hardworking spirit from. I noticed atleast about 4-5 Chinese parents getting hard on their kids. "Go back there and do 10 rounds. Don't come back unless you are VERY VERY tired". Another Chinese parent yells from outside the rink, "Leave the rail. Leave the rail!! What did dad say? Bend your damn knees and go to the center. No rails!"

Cut 'em some slack you Chinese dudes! x-(

Oh btw I have to mention this funny (but not so much funny as surprising) incident on the A line. A family of four got in at Brooklyn dressed up in old battered clothes. Like any other average and judgemental human being I assumed about their hygienic conditions. Anyway, so this little girl comes sits beside me and looks out the window. My face is propped up in my hands with that forlorn look (you know the kind when you are having a headache and general anxiety about random things). She then quickly takes out a tiny hand sanitizer and brushes her palms together and passes it on to the rest. I am all praises at this time, obviously. Then she picks up a cluttered piece of paper near her foot and opens it and asks her mom, "Mommy, should we just trash it or do you think someone needs it?". To which the lady says "Maya, lets trash it when we get down. Also you are finishing your homework after we get home."

PS: Who loves to do homework on a Saturday evening? Ugh! Thank god, the kid scorned at that. Otherwise, I was already feeling sick about bumping into an abnormally clean and disciplined family. LOL.

Ah, whatever. I need to catch the sun now before it sets. So long..

Thelma you know how I feel about Texas

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And ya, I feel a lot more respect for the Texas weather now! Because of the cold in the new place, that is killing me. Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!

Anyway, someone posted an interesting link on Facebook and I had to repost it here (you know, since its all relevant to what I am talking about):

Snuggies for geeks

Interesting snuggies, aint they? My fave is the plug-in bandana, haha.

Ok, now that we amused ourselves with that little link, life gets back to facing the ground reality. This cold is effing insane!! x-( At this point you might be slightly inclined to think that this is another of my bitch posts. Bitching about life, bitching about people. Man this chick is so jobless, you might want to think (or thinking right now)

So since I am so bothered about my public image (hehe), I shall refrain (from whining anymore). Another interesting thing that happened was to sit beside a guy with a loaded gun in the subway. He was all chilled about it. You know, like it was a toy gun or something. Or was it? Also, I got stuck between the doors of a subway coach and let me tell that wasn't interesting. No sir, it wasn't. I panicked and I almost whispered my last prayers, "God, I didn't want to hurt anyone. Forgive me!". Something of the sort. Until the passengers thought that they might want to take a break from all the reading (novels, kindles, newspapers..) and pull me from inside. Because pushing me was going to be tough. I was almost three quarters into the coach. At the end of it all, I was profusely thanking them and also secretly thanking God and getting nostalgic about parents. (I think this is the only time I ever got homesick. LOL.)

So apart from freak subway incidents and freakier weather conditions, I have nothing much to post today. (If you have read this far, I reckon you have nothing planned for this weekend?).

Also a side note (more to myself than you):
Never ever ever ever see a movie where is the plot is about a father searching for his daughter's murderer. First, The Lovely Bones and then The Edge of Darkness. So there goes my precious 20 bucks wasted (I am clearly not worried about the 4 hours of non-productivity here). But I thought I would warn my earth-mates about the impending dangers of watching these duds.

That was long for a note, phew! I think its time to get out of my bed:)

Of Mice and Manju

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Go ahead, ask me what follows me the most when I am in the city?
Mice!

They are everywhere, dammit! (There is one right now behind a makeshift closet in the apartment)

It amused me to see how others react to it though. Typically girls shriek and all that, like they show in the movies. While guys (and some gals) appear terror struck. So the other day, we stuffed on dinner from this food court in a mall. Quick fast food. Then there was this retarded movie we saw (The Lovely Bones. Don't waste your $$$ on it. You will see girls dancing in platforms over giant vinyl records in the "in-between world" after they are all murdered by this same guy. I can see you already get the idea..). So after the food and before the movie something happened. We watched mice spring up from the back of a kitchen. My friends were horrified. Needless to say I acted insensitive. But of course, I realize the gravity of it all. Noticing my indifference, A said, "Do you know all these kitchens are connected?". Till then, I thanked my stars that I didn't eat from this kitchen. But that means if one was infested, the whole food court was at risk. I panicked. Then A2 (Too many of my friends' names start with A) picked his Iphone and shot the entire "mice jumping around in merry" episode. Now this is going to get reported. Wait and watch.

This city needs a total rehaul. Hell yeah.

I just need an excuse to write

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and hence the foreword: "Nothing particularly useful will be found in this post"

So today wasn't the best of the days, apparently for no reason.
I was sleeping in. And whenever I sleep in, I think. Today, I tried thinking and assessing life's convoluted surprises. So during this unproductive activity I realized that thinking too hard makes me indecisive.

Lets take an example. Last afternoon, I actually spent a good half hour (I think it was more) at an organic tea aisle trying to decide which one to buy. So I made peace by picking up a pack of assorted tea bags instead. So there you go.

Anyway, the pain of losing someone close can drive you crazy. I figure the same is happening to me. Specially when the person used to be just a phone call away. I feel I am using it as an excuse to justify my lazy days now. It is annoying to keep beating up yourself for something that is not your fault. And yet, I do the same:(

Oh what the hell. I need to snap out of it. I will go tomorrow to the Fulton Street maybe. Never been there. Just random walking and exploring places/things is so therapeutic.

Also, one of my friends ate his first subway sandwich last week. And found it wasn't as bad as he always imagined it to be. Ha! I could live on those tuna sandwiches if I could, all my life:)

Whats with the Mumbai crowd?

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Ok, so here we go again. Getting loads of attitude from Mumbai based desis in USA. Specifically the East Coast (maybe because a whole bunch of them are here more than anywhere else). Before you start getting back at me, I am not generalizing here. Its just that a majority of them are starting to get to my nerves, off late. Like really! Or maybe they all decided to confront me in a window of 48 hours.

So here's this chick who is giving me this "Oh I love New York City. It is amazing, blah blah blah" scene.

All I asked after that was "So what do you like about NYC?"

She goes, "Oh you know...the city"

Me: "Yeah, what about it?"

She: "You know its amazing"

Me: [Starting to get a little impatient]

Me: [I decide to be a prick] Yeah yeah, like particularly what? All I know is the weather sucks for now. Maybe there are other things I am missing out on? So I wanna know about the fun part.

She: Well, you are a South Indian. You wouldn't know.

Me: [Totally totally uncalled for. But tried to keep it down.] Doesn't matter. We are all Indians. So we get it.

She: Where are you from?

Me: [Dude, I thought you already decided all of the southern states in India are called "South India"? So do you honestly care where I am from?] Andhra Pradesh.

She: ["Why did I even ask" expression]

Me: So well, you don't know why you love the city?

She: [Getting hold of my sarcasm she responds..] Chill. I will tell you.

Me: Yeah, maybe you can tell me then about this neighborhood in Brooklyn. Its close to Prospect Park between Flatbush and Bedford Ave. Any idea? [I gave out so much detail just to piss her off.]

She: [Clearly doesn't know] No.

Me: How about the Upper West Side? West of Broadway?

She: [Very very angry look] NO. Look up a map.

Me: Or Greenwich Village? I heard so much about the Magnolia Bakery. Worth a cupcake?

She: [Shrugs, pretending like she's not listening to me anymore]

Me: [Deciding to be a bitch to her] Well then, that concludes it. You have no clue of the city apart from the touristy places. No clue of any of the neighborhoods. You sit in Jersey City and think you know New York City. Seems like South Indians know more after all.

And I walked out on her.

PS: Felt guilty about being so bitchy later. Although I am glad I didn't succumb to the usual mocking of South Indians. Cant we just get along and help each other, you know, being in the Indian community and all? How hard can it be? This kind of attitude is exactly why Southies want to be with Southies and Northies want to stick to their own group. Just because a bunch of them have this superiority feeling about coming from a particular city? Bahh!

PPS: On a brighter note, I hit it off well with a Gujju girl who had no hangups and no attitude and didn't give a shit that I was a "South Indian". Very chilled and also gave me some real useful tips on stuff I needed. Or is it so because her best friend also happens to be a Hyderabadi?;) Haha, just kidding=)

The guy in the red shoes

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An entry from a girl's journal:

The first time I saw him, I wasn't besotted by him. No, in fact, I didn't even think about him for even a fraction of a second. I totally and conveniently forgot his existence. The same way you forget that billboard you pass on the way to your office, until one day someone rolls their eyes and says, "You mean you never noticed that giant fancy and attractive advertisement?" and you shrug and mentally note to catch it the next day.

So, anyway, he wore red shoes. That was probably the only memory of him. By then, I had become so much of a "mature" person. You know, the sort who vents at traffic violations by others, snorts at people wearing "new dress" on birthdays etc. You get the idea. (No, not OCD silly. Forget it, you guys are so juvenile. Grin.)

Until, the proverbial "he changed my life" happened. Well, to be honest, not a hell lot. But at least a bit, I would like to think.

So suddenly, I start taking delight in long walks, eating corn, sending and receiving lots of SMS's, watching tennis because he likes to watch tennis, staying away from non vegetarian dishes..etc. In short, I act normal. Which isn't bad, if you ask me.

Then I see some sexist movies and the truth dawns on me. WTF! He has been manipulating me the whole time!!! Omg, yes! He took my individuality away!

So, I get back to sneering at other people and branding everyone else but me as juvenile. The guy in the red shoes again fades back into history.

PS: What's up with movies like The Proposal, The Ugly Truth, New in Town etc. Why are they showing all highly successful career women as self obsessed freaks? Before you compare me with the protagonists, stop right there. I am hardly a successful career woman :)

Why a girl is a girl and a boy, a boy

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I have known many guys so far. They all share a common trait. They love bikes, cars, video games, sports, action or thriller flicks..you get the point. And girls are more of "serious" and "cute" nature..they are either into cooking, reading and writing, nature, flowers, soft toys and how can I forget shopping! And of all the guys (and girls) I have known, I was classified as the girl stereotype until of course college happened. More about that later.

And now here's my take. No matter the gender, we are what we are because of the environment we grow up in. Think of this as opportunities or circumstances, the good or the bad. I could take myself as an example.

When I was a little kid, my father got me a monster truck, a pretty looking girl doll and a miniature pink panther (cartoon character). Now, I was most excited about the truck. I played with it all day. Riding it on the sofa, playing with it in the mud, riding it over the small pebbles..you get the picture. I was in love with it. As for the doll, I disfigured it, tried to dye its hair (it had blond hair and I thought there was no such thing as "yellow" hair), tried shutting its eyes forcibly. Yes, I was a violent kid I suppose. LOL.

Anyway, my mom found it disturbing. She said trucks are no good. How about the Pink Panther, she would say. Hmm ok, I love the cartoon, I guess I could love this rubber doll too, I thought. So I befriended it as my second favorite, much to my mom's relief.

Now I also loved playing with the boys in my locality. I played marbles and cricket. We started betting on marbles game. Dad got hell pissed and mom got terrified for me. "Please send her to the girls school", she wailed. (And thank god, that didnt happen. I fail to understand what they do at every girls school, because most of the girls I met from a girls school were..lets say weird). I enjoyed crass jokes with guys on the benches. I loved English movies and watched all of them from my 5th grade. I basically wasn't a tomboy, not as yet, but I was loving it. I hated frocks, and I loved my jeans. I was always asked by my guy friends to pass around "love" letters to the other girls in my class. You know, I was the messenger girl, of sorts. LOL.

Enter junior college. This is when things turned over. I basically did only one thing. STUDY. This was totally driven by circumstances. My aim at that point of time was to go on the path to quickest money, of course, by the good means. So I had to crack that engineering college entrance. Not because I was asked to do so. But the situation demanded it. Now given a different situation, I would have probably opted journalism or writing.

Of course, that wasn't end of the long list of experiences to follow. At college, however, I slowly discovered I wasn't the most liked person on campus. All because I did not fit into the stereotypical girl image.

Like my close friend once gaped at me and said "Do you mean you never went to the temple even once so far?". To which I said, "Its quite an architectural marvel I heard". And so the close friend branded me "the girl who can never be a great housewife". I didn't dress up. Heck, I would'nt even change from my black t-shirt and jeans. But what most of them didn't know, was that I had only two pairs of jeans and a couple "college" t-shirts I would get on some events. So naturally, I was living on zero money and fend for my college fees. While guys, only talked about my facial hair at college. And girls, thought about how uncouth I was.

I don't blame the circumstances. They make you what you are. They made me a little too independent and a rebel. I sat up at nights writing or sometimes simply walked through remote places or watched movies at cinema halls by myself. I fought the local banks, pesky neighbors, cops, government officials while they bitched about "how much I should learn to be a girl instead". I didn't want to pray, dress up or fake loving to cook and be clean to people I meet. I am not that. I am best at what I am.

I know guys who love chick flicks. And girls who love guy jokes. Its OK to be a stereotype. Its NOT OK to become one.

Trash the stereotype. Just let people be and don't judge.

PS: And no, I am not sore at anyone:)

Full Stop

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My dear readers,

I won't be blogging anymore, atleast for a while.
Think of this as a sabbatical, but a really long one at that.
I am sure, I can't forget writing, because I love it too much to give up.
But for those, who really did love my blog, I am sorry to be doing this.

Thanks for reading.

-Manju

Volunteer blogger

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Yep, that's what I have been doing for some time now. Of course, I promise to continue here soon. I have at least two short stories in mind right now.:) Which I will blog soon.

But for now, something particularly I think all should read, specially technical men and women

http://ghcbloggers.blogspot.com/2009/10/welcome-by-grace-hopper-team-and.html

Enjoy!

Change of Work

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He was a hawker. A popular one. Every morning, he and his wife woke up early
to cook. Cook generous amounts of hot samosas, kachoris, rasgullas and vada pav.
And then he would carry them all in boxes that he expertly maneuvered using his arms
and legs that got stronger by carrying them everyday. Every noon, he would
dock at the same spot. Prepare some hot spicy chai, toast the pavs (breads) and mash some samosas to a chat just in time when the matinee show finished. That's when he attracted the most customers.

People hounded the 'tela' (stall) to buy the 1 rupee chai and a pair of mouth watering samosas
with tamarind chutney and yogurt garnish. "This is just like how my mom makes at home!", cried a little kid by the stall. Everyone loved his food. Everyone..except the other hawkers.

"Look at him. He looks so frail but look at how much business the bastard does!", ranted a hawker.
"I tried to offer food at my stall for a lower price for a long time, but people swear by him..", another roadside vendor sighed.

Every evening, when there was no more food to sell, he would pack it all up and go home carrying the empty boxes. Famished. Tired. But satisfied. He and his wife were hoping to shift to a home soon, one made of clay. The thachted hut they lived in was too hot to bear. It seemed as though they were set on fire.

One day as he went to his spot, he noticed there was more crowd. It seemed like a procession. Lot of people had gathered in, shouting slogans and carrying banners. He smiled to himself. "Good, I can probably sell everything sooner today", he thought rejoicing the idea.

As he settled down and boiled the tea leaves, he heard a gun shot fire in the air. By the time he looked behind, there was a stampede in progress. People pushing each other, some holding each other's throats..He realized the police had charged on them with 'lathi' and someone fired a gun.
He threw the boiling tea on the ground and swiftly hauled his stuff in boxes and ran into a nearby basement. He emerged out of it after several hours. Several people crying over limp and injured bodies on the ground. Medics and people rushing to help the hurt.

He went back home cursing and had a restless sleep. Restless over all the food that was not sold. The next day he set out as usual. He decided to reheat the food and serve. He could not afford to throw them all away!

As he approached the spot, he saw police around. Cordoning the area. One of them spewed paan on the ground and screamed at him "Don't stand here. Go home".

"Sahib, what is happening?", he asked. "There is a curfew the rest of the week. Go home.", said the cop.

He sighed and went back home. He kept cursing the rest of the week.

He went back determined the next week and found some laborers around digging the ground, where he set his stall everyday. He looked confused. He went upto them and asked one near to him, "What is this? What are you doing?" One of them said, "Didn't you know, the sarkar (government) has ordered to build a memorial here."

"What??", he yelled. "What..but how. Why?", he could hear his heart pound fast, faster..
He found out that some shops also would be razed to ground soon. One of the hawkers passing by saw him and spoke, "Arre bhai (Oh brother),we cannot come here anymore. Sarkar has plans for this place and they are moving all the hawkers from here. We are planning to do a dharna (protest rally). Would you come join us?"

He declined and went back home. His wife and him thought about what they should do and decided they have to change their work. Atleast for some time. The memorial was built in a week. He went back to his usual spot. Only now he painted himself silver and wore round rimmed glasses and dhoti with a stick in hand. Dressed like Gandhi. Standing right near the memorial entrance, rain or shine. Begging. It was business as usual.

Do you know Chow Chang Woo?

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Yes, so I get this strange call from Citi that goes:

"Sorry we are unable to talk to you right now. We know you are busy. Thank you for choosing Citi.
However you need to call 1-800-***-**** immediately. Blah blah"

Oh so you know I am busy, then why the heck you call me so many (odd) times!

So I decided I put an end to this goddamned call. And then they ask "Whom are we speaking to?"
I go "Manju Vijayakumar". And then the million $$ question "Do you know Chow Chang Woo?"

"Woo who?"

"Chow Chang Woo"

"No, I haven't heard that name. Not even in my dreams"

"(LOL) Sorry ma'm. The system dials your number everyday to reach Chow Chang Woo. But apparently it is a mistake. I will update the system."

Chow Chang Woo, where are you?

Ivy league vs The rest

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For a long time, me and A have been debating on this topic.
"Does being in Ivy League settle your life forever?"

The answer is Yes. And A agrees.

"Do I have less opportunities than an Ivy League graduate?"

The answer is No. But A won't agree to this.

We pondered on what are the reasons that people at an Ivy League get chosen over others - great reputation, strong alum, lots of resources at your dispose. And that's it? What about the basic 'intelligence'?

I personally know few people from the Ivy colleges, who aren't as "intelligent" as you think they should be. Period. And yet they make the best job offers. I cannot quote who they are and what they did, for me to reach this conclusion. But it is true and it is a fact.

Of the few places I have worked, I met some of the smartest and some of the dumbest. Both from Ivy. Coming back to the question, do they have more opportunities than you? They certainly get those opportunities faster and easier than others. Its simple, there alum is very very strong and they have a better reach. In the States, nothing works without references. If you know a few people who can get you to the top, that is all there is to it. You can "fake" your way to that initial job, without getting stressed out about it and without knowing what the job expectations are. You are Ivy right, you are in :)

It really wonders me how people get into such top institutes without the strong basics that are expected of them.

But like I told A, you can dig opportunities, if you want to.
You can climb the corporate ladder, if you want to. You can get to start a company, if you want to.

Ivy or not, it is your determination to push yourself and make your own way.

Who wants an Ivy League degree when you know you can achieve more by walking that extra mile..

PS: I totally think A is much more smarter than those douches from Ivy I met:)

Yesterday

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Got up early - long hot bath - prayed - cooked radish sambar - ate oatmeal with blueberries and ground flax seeds - checked mails - talked to dad - talked to A - went to haymarket - bargained with the rude vendors - got cheated with a moldy berry package - got half a dozen great oranges for 1$ - came down to MIT - called up D - went to Central Square - ate at Middle East restaurant - walked to Harvard Sq - sat down and chatted for sometime at the dorms - got mistook as Harvard students (secretly enjoyed for looking like 'Ivy League' students) - went to AMC - laughed out and howled the F word while watching Hangover - went to JP Licks and got a fresh peach ice cream over waffle cone - walked back to Harvard :p - reflected over life's truths (cheesy? no, nice:) - hopped back to the subway - went to Cambridge - traveled back to Symphony hall - did laundry - talked to A - slept :)

Rainy day blues..

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It has been raining outside so much here. sigh..
I am not a rain person, and that too if it is raining for so many days, then what's the point x-(
This reminds me of those cozy days at home in Hyderabad. Showers in Hyd are unpredictable..It jus turns humid and then there are rains. I really miss working at my old job (although I always complained about how routine it was) in Hyd. At times like these, I would just get out of my cube and eat a snack outside in the rains :) Friends and family made so much difference. Even rains seemed very welcoming to me in their presence. (Like I said, I really really hate rains.)

Rainy days were excuses to take the day off from work, relax at home, sit on the porch with hot tea and Marie biscuits and talk to dad about mundane stuff. Either bitch about how uncivilized our neighbors were (haha! so cool;)), or that evil politician who was involved in scams, or anti-Gandhi discussions or simply target mom and speak about how we enjoyed English movies on HBO more than her favorite Sun TV..LOL. At which point, she would just storm out on the pretext of buying groceries or cooking in the kitchen. She could never argue and she never will, specially when Dad and I become a combined force. Only to come back from the groceries with a wet umbrella and find us in our own rooms..she would come to me and ask "What happened? Another fight?" and I would say "Yeah, your goddamn husband thinks his opinion cannot be questioned. Go ask him what happened.". Which she would find out eventually and wont make sense out of why we got all personal and offensive about some XYZ politician and his XYZ reforms and how we each thought diversely about that subject.

Anways, coming back to the topic of Rains. :) It was a frequent joke among my friends, that if I took my bike out it would rain. LOL. It often happened that when I went out to catch a movie while friends waited on me at the theatre, it rained. Or if I simply wanted to eat "chaat", it rained. Or if I went to give my bike for servicing, it rained. Rains! So fond of me, and yet I am so NOT fond of rains..

Today, seems one such day, when I can see the rains and recollect all those experiences. I once drove so fast in the rain with A just to catch a movie..strong winds, heavy rains and I drove like crazy with my eyes almost shut!! It all sounds so incredible to me now. I just MISS all of it now. Most of the rainy day memories are still that, memories..I have never been able to relive them, since then..

How to be super productive?

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- Focus on one thing at a time
- Always plan ahead. It's ok, if your plan cannot be executed sometimes. At least you knew what you were going to work on.
- Stay away from the Internet for long periods of time (unless your profession demands that you stay online :))
- Feeling sleepy? Take a walk, exercise (take a flight of stairs, do some lunges at your desk!), wash your face or just talk to your co-worker/friend/family.
- Reward yourself once you get your work done, as planned. Celebrate!
- Learn to say NO (not always). Prioritizing is important.
- Appreciate what you achieved so far and don't stress yourself about something that could not be achieved. Stay consistent and you will be productive.
- Take someone's help. Don't be "stuck" for too long. Give help, take help.

A walk with a friend

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..is amazing!

I met this friend of mine today at Boston. She came down to see her bro and we thought, well, lets catch up.

We walked all the way to Charles River and then caught some ice cream at JP Licks. If you are ever at Boston or Cambridge and you are this ice cream person or just want to try an ice cream, you totally totally have to try this one out! Their menu is amazing! Of course, take a small portion. Be kind to your body:) I tried the coconut almond chip (I didn't know tender coconut strips go so well with ice cream!)
LOL.

Anyway, so she said how she finds me funny. I said "Hmm, why?"

And she goes...its your "delivery". I said "what?"

So well, I sort of discovered that I am funny and I crack people up.
LOL. Maybe so, because the things I told her about were sort of funny, if not hilarious.

Like she had bruises on her knew, toes and elbows. And here goes the conversation.

Adri: So I fell over this pavement sort of thing..
Me: Yeah I was wondering...what the heck you been doing?

Adri: Ya, see I have a mark here. Do you have any mark, like from birth Manju?
Me: Hmm, well ya. Not birth.

(And I point to two spots on my limbs)

Me: Funny story
Adri: LOL. Tell me.

Me: My dad had a moped sort of a thing, you know. Back in the 80's in India, pretty usual to see them on roads. They have open engines and wheels like the motor bikes.
I once kept ma hand on the engine to see how "heat" feels like.
Adri (cracked up by now): Whatttttttttt?

Me: Yeah, and my mom asks why did you do that when you know its hot. I said "But well I didn't know how much of hot is hot."

Adri: LOL

Me: And this one on my ankle..I kept my feet into the wheel when my dad was driving.
And then screamed because the skin was peeling off. The sort where you put a pencil in a sharpener...

Adri: Nooooooooooooo

Me: Yep. 'coz I wanted to know what it "feels" like putting your leg into a moving wheel. Felt hard.lol.

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Adri: Hey I called you last night and you picked up and spoke nothing..
Me: Ya I do that. When my phone rings in the night, while I am sleeping, I usually think its the alarm and switch it off.
Adri (totally cracked up on this) : LOL

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Adri: How many kids you wana have?
Me(instantly): 3
Adri: That was too quick. So you thought abt it?
Me: Yep.
Adri: What gender?
Me: 2 girls one guy
Adri: Guy older or younger
Me: Older
Adri: So first one is a guy?
Me: Yep

(I think anyone who would have heard us behind the lawns where we sat down, would have thought we were two young expecting mommies for sure.)

Adri: Girls huh...what will happen of them?
Me: What you mean?
Adri: I mean they wont be girl like...you are not the girl kind. So who is gona take care of them
Me: A
Adri: aah!
Me: Yep;)

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Adri: So there was this silly Asian girl who went to school with my bro.
Me: Ok.

Adri: And she like runs all the time...loves running
Me: hmm

Adri: And she runs at odd hours...She came down here (charles river walk) one night at 3 am to run and didnt return
Me: Wot!

Adri: So ya, my bro and friends worried and went down to search for her. They find her sleeping on a bench.
Me: Gosh, what a freak..

Adri: Listen up, she said she felt tired with all the running so found a spot on a bench and slept.
Me (Sarcastically): How cool is that :p
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Evening well spent. I wish I took pictures though, of us since I don't meet Adrienne so often. Damn, I should get an iphone! :)

The good, the bad and the ego..

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Yeah,that's right. Every time I fight with dad, I fight with A..(yeah, thats right only two people have been favorited so far for fights;)) a huge part of that fight is my big, bloated three letter evil companion called EGO.

Sample trails -

Me: Hey
Dad: Hello, how is everything

Me: Nice. For you?
Dad: I sprained my leg recently.

Me: Whaaaaaaaaaat?
Dad: Fell off a ladder.

Me: Great. Why not jump off a cliff?
Dad: (silence)

Me: No really, try that. Ladders are not enough for you anymore, are they?
Dad: So when are you coming here?

Me: So what now, are you your own doctor or have you even bothered to go find one?
Dad: It will be alright.

Me: Don't expect me or mom to take care of you
Dad: (silence)

Me: Nobody ever listens to me..

blah blah blah..FIGHT Manju FIGHT says my ego.

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A: Heyyy wassup?
Me: What? (Apparently, someone showed me their ego so I am showing mine to A. Dumb ego!)

A: I just ate dosa..hehe
Me: So?

A: Its your favorite na..
Me: OK

A: You know that guy XYZ is getting married to that girl we know..blah blah
Me: Yeah woteva.

A: Did you call home?
Me: Why?

A: To talk :p
Me: Nope

A: Hmm, so what are you doing?
Me: Why do you care?

blah blah blah...fight.

FIGHT Manju FIGHT!

PS:

My dear Ego,

Get the hell out of me, take a vacation. Get lost in the Atlantic while coming back.

Hate you,
Manju

Greetings..

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..are what we learn when we are kids and unlearn when we grow into adults.

(although, you can be assured that I am again getting into one of my "complaining" mode I really am itching to write this down)

How many people wake up in the morning and say "Good morning" to your roommates or whoever it is that you see first? I mean, whats wrong with the greeting? It doesn't cost you anything, does it? It is ridiculous how people don't smile back at you or are too darn involved in their tensions everyday.

Even something as small as not being able to place your room keys in the morning frustrates you and you storm out of the door in a bad mood. You go walking on the way and don't care to smile at people you meet on the way. Agreed, it really creeps people out if you smile too much (Smiling at strangers is too dangerous in this damned world, so don't try that.) But would you care to greet at least the people you know or have met before..?

I am no judge. I am victim to such things myself. Because honestly there are several trivial things that get me upset. I end up yelling at A and throwing mood tantrums at him and feel guilty later. It all boils down to these things.

- Let go of small things. They hurt you more if you don't let go

- Always always smile and greet people. It doesn't cost you much. And please don't stare at people who wish you, like they just stabbed you..return that smile for god's sakes!

- Try to be as honest as possible to people. Honesty and integrity are two things that make your character. We all lie, but we should not lie at least to those whom you care about.

- If you are in a bad mood, talk talk talk..talk to someone who understands you well. Carrying it over till end of the day is the worst thing you can do. It hurts you and everyone around :(

Do whatever, but don't forget that smile in your life. Keeps everyone happy:)

Reality TV

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Ok, what the heck has gone into MTV.

I remember the days when I used to come back from school and watch
MTV Most Wanted. There was something called "quality" to the shows they aired.
And now its all about bickering and swearing on national TV which they
call candidly as "Reality TV"

The most shocking thing - get a bunch of young (really young) teen girls
on a show they call "Teen Diva" and make them to bitch. And more shocking thing - wear revealing clothes for that age. They are kids for gods sakes. Leave the innocence for that age, alone..

Ughhhh!

Learning...

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...to speak and write Korean :)

There hasn't really been any motivation for this one. Just want to break the rut I am in. So today was the first class. We learnt the unintentionally funny vowels and consonants of the language. I turned up late for my first class and all (lost my way through the city :p)

The instructor was cool and patient though. We did a recitation exercise..
It is funny how a vowel which looks like the letter 'T' can change orientations and result in a totally different vowel. So the clever instructor got placards that she kept turning right, left, up and down with another consonant and voila.! a whole new Korean sound! Fun!

So now I can say..

an-nyeng-[h]a-se-yo? Manju im-ni-da. man-na-sow pang-gap-sim-ni-da

[Hello. I am Manju. Nice to meet you]

And I can actually write that in Korean by putting together the vowels and consonants :) Funner!

an-nyeng-[h]i ge-se-yo

[Goodbye]

Sticky Note

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Since January this year, I have been doing absolutely nothing that is remotely engaging, fruitful, exciting, practical, satisfying or fulfilling. It has been a tough and a slow year so far. Misfortunes galore.

But then I stop and think - "How did I manage all those XYZ problems in the past? That was surely tougher than this one I am facing right now" and that puts me at peace:)

Bureaucracy

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When I first came to United States, I came with a hope (like many other Indians) that things will be "easy" here. By things I mean, the routine stuff we all middle income families do in India. Apply for loans, pay bills, file tax returns and such other things that the infamously rich and powerful, so called politicians and high-level officials of India do not do.

Over the past two weeks, I had to go through the same kind of bureaucracy that is so often experienced in India. And before some Indian out there gets pseudo patriotic and wants to disagree here, all I can say is "Please shut your gob". We all know what a curse it is to be a comman man in India and the nightmares of getting things done.

Cutting it all short, I was shocked at the total indifference and callousness of people at my university with regards to my immigration paperwork. For the first time in the States, I felt like a loner and an alien. It is shocking to see, irrespective of boundaries or your nationality (no, I am not playing the racism card here), people just choose to be indifferent and have no empathy whatsoever. It is very disappointing to see this happen in USA. Having said that, I am not going to generalize this to all of the people who live here (immigrants included). I personally met some great individuals here who have been very kind to me. But I never once realized that I, of all the people, will be mistreated and manhandled by the system here.

I am fed up of bureaucracy at every place on earth now. Why are people indifferent when it comes to doing their job? Why cannot people empathise or even speak kind words during times of distress, even if they know they cannot help? Why are people given authority? Isn't the sole purpose of being in an authorized position, is to help people who come to you with hopes that they will be served?

Although, I cannot divulge the sensitive information attached to this whole topic of discussion I will some day share the incident, hopefully. I am not very sure if I want to stay in the States for the rest of my life. I am utterly disappointed and have lost the respect and trust that I had in the system here.