Weighs a healthy 8.1 lbs :P
Aaah, zeee wait is finally over...
Waiting to be opened...
Halfway out....
Voila!
awwwwwwwww..........
likey! :)
Monday, August 28, 2006
My baby's arrived!!
Was delivered via UPS today at 1:14pm...
Weighs a healthy 8.1 lbs :P
Aaah, zeee wait is finally over...
Waiting to be opened...
Halfway out....
Voila!
awwwwwwwww..........
likey! :)
Weighs a healthy 8.1 lbs :P
Aaah, zeee wait is finally over...
Waiting to be opened...
Halfway out....
Voila!
awwwwwwwww..........
likey! :)
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
This is how close....
...I came to taking a picture of the Pentagon.
Yeaah Yeaah Yeaah..that's right..I managed to take a pic of the freaaaakin Pentagon Metro Station board!! I mean..it was crazy..there were signs and pictures almost every 10m to make even the most retarded person get it - NO PHOTOGRAPHY. What are they so freakin scared of that they don't even allow you to take pictures in the subway station! I walked around almost the entire perimeter of the Pentagon only to see more signs and hidden cameras everywhere!
Seeing all this security...made me (insanely?) even more determined to take a picture of the US Defence HeadQuarters.
And..nothing comes in the way of stan_da_man when he sets his mind on something.
Gulp..well almost...
You see...stupid-dumb-call-me-anything-you-want yours truly decided to go over to the entrance and try taking a photo...so I walked quietly to a good spot in front of the parking lot where I could get a good shot..I looked cautiously in all directions..didn't see anyone..guards especially...and ever-so-spy-like took out my cam.
And then...OUT OF NOWHERE...
A police car turned right into the parking lot! I hadn't seen better (or maybe worse, from my perspective) timing in my life.
Out of the corner of your eye, you glimpse the examiner turn and see you taking a chit from your neighbour during the final year University Exams. (Hasn't happened to me!)
You bunk a boring class and you try and sneak back after the class gets over. So you hide in the bushes nearby, waiting for the sir to leave the building. He gets out of the building, starts walking past, but SOMEHOW sees you hiding there and tells you to come out. (Has friggin happened to me!)
You're playing BZFlag with your project-mate during office hours when you're supposed to be working and then see a bad reflection - the relection of your PM on your monitor. He's standing right behind you. (No comments!)
Anyway, what I wanna say is...
Its one of those moments in life when you know you're done for. Khatham..Kallas...Finissssss.
I couln't hide my digicam...my gut-feeling was that the police officer had already seen me. Sure enough, the car took a U-turn and came straight back at me.
The police officer got out of the car, walked towards me and politely said, "Sir, I'd like to see your camera." Now that's another thing I've noticed here, the police are very very polite. I think even if they cornered Osama bin Laden, they would say, "Please Sir, please come this way..we just want to ask you a few questions. Its for your own security sir!"
I didn't know what to do, but suddenly decided to play dumb tourist. Smiling brightly, I said, "Oh you mean I'm not supposed to take pictures here?"...Even a blind person could not have missed all the signs, and both me and the officer knew it. "No Sir, you can take pictures of other places in DC like the White House, but not of the Pentagon sir. Now please show me the pictures you have taken sir. You will have to delete them or else I'll be forced to take your camera sir." I told him I hadn't taken any and proved it by showing him the pics in my cam. "See? Nothing!" "Ok ThankYou Sir, I was just jokin about taking the camera..but you should'nt take any pics here sir." Hmmmm...I don't know why I said the next statement, but I suddenly blurted out, "If I can't take any pics of the Pentagon, can I take one standing with you?" What the heck! "No sir!" he said, bursting out laughing, "you can't take pics of me either!".."Ohh alright then" I said smiling stupidly and he got back into his car saying, "Have a nice day sir". "You too!", I shouted back.
Yeahh..so that's how I got atleast this pic in the station after the incident. And you won't believe it, I got caught again! This time it was a lady guard, but luckily, she didn't ask me show her my cam, so I still have the pic! Yeaaah!
*****
PS: I deleted my "When Terror Strikes" post cos atleast 6 different people over here in the US told me to, citing reasons from bad humour to a FBI arrest! Well, I deleted it finally cos I was worried if it would hurt someone's feelings. If someone did get hurt, my apologies! :)
Yeaah Yeaah Yeaah..that's right..I managed to take a pic of the freaaaakin Pentagon Metro Station board!! I mean..it was crazy..there were signs and pictures almost every 10m to make even the most retarded person get it - NO PHOTOGRAPHY. What are they so freakin scared of that they don't even allow you to take pictures in the subway station! I walked around almost the entire perimeter of the Pentagon only to see more signs and hidden cameras everywhere!
Seeing all this security...made me (insanely?) even more determined to take a picture of the US Defence HeadQuarters.
And..nothing comes in the way of stan_da_man when he sets his mind on something.
Gulp..well almost...
You see...stupid-dumb-call-me-anything-you-want yours truly decided to go over to the entrance and try taking a photo...so I walked quietly to a good spot in front of the parking lot where I could get a good shot..I looked cautiously in all directions..didn't see anyone..guards especially...and ever-so-spy-like took out my cam.
And then...OUT OF NOWHERE...
A police car turned right into the parking lot! I hadn't seen better (or maybe worse, from my perspective) timing in my life.
Out of the corner of your eye, you glimpse the examiner turn and see you taking a chit from your neighbour during the final year University Exams. (Hasn't happened to me!)
You bunk a boring class and you try and sneak back after the class gets over. So you hide in the bushes nearby, waiting for the sir to leave the building. He gets out of the building, starts walking past, but SOMEHOW sees you hiding there and tells you to come out. (Has friggin happened to me!)
You're playing BZFlag with your project-mate during office hours when you're supposed to be working and then see a bad reflection - the relection of your PM on your monitor. He's standing right behind you. (No comments!)
Anyway, what I wanna say is...
Its one of those moments in life when you know you're done for. Khatham..Kallas...Finissssss.
I couln't hide my digicam...my gut-feeling was that the police officer had already seen me. Sure enough, the car took a U-turn and came straight back at me.
The police officer got out of the car, walked towards me and politely said, "Sir, I'd like to see your camera." Now that's another thing I've noticed here, the police are very very polite. I think even if they cornered Osama bin Laden, they would say, "Please Sir, please come this way..we just want to ask you a few questions. Its for your own security sir!"
I didn't know what to do, but suddenly decided to play dumb tourist. Smiling brightly, I said, "Oh you mean I'm not supposed to take pictures here?"...Even a blind person could not have missed all the signs, and both me and the officer knew it. "No Sir, you can take pictures of other places in DC like the White House, but not of the Pentagon sir. Now please show me the pictures you have taken sir. You will have to delete them or else I'll be forced to take your camera sir." I told him I hadn't taken any and proved it by showing him the pics in my cam. "See? Nothing!" "Ok ThankYou Sir, I was just jokin about taking the camera..but you should'nt take any pics here sir." Hmmmm...I don't know why I said the next statement, but I suddenly blurted out, "If I can't take any pics of the Pentagon, can I take one standing with you?" What the heck! "No sir!" he said, bursting out laughing, "you can't take pics of me either!".."Ohh alright then" I said smiling stupidly and he got back into his car saying, "Have a nice day sir". "You too!", I shouted back.
Yeahh..so that's how I got atleast this pic in the station after the incident. And you won't believe it, I got caught again! This time it was a lady guard, but luckily, she didn't ask me show her my cam, so I still have the pic! Yeaaah!
*****
PS: I deleted my "When Terror Strikes" post cos atleast 6 different people over here in the US told me to, citing reasons from bad humour to a FBI arrest! Well, I deleted it finally cos I was worried if it would hurt someone's feelings. If someone did get hurt, my apologies! :)
Monday, August 21, 2006
In My Cubicle
Haha...this is outrageous...check it out - "In My Cubicle", a take-off from James Blunt's You're Beautiful song. And it especially relates to people who live their lives sitting in a cubicle...That means almost ALL OF YOU MY FRIENDS!!
Thanks Ravi! :P
Thanks Ravi! :P
Sunday, August 20, 2006
We are on top!
Wooohoooo!!!!
ManUtd beat Fulham 5-1 in the season opener at OT (with a record attendance of 75k+) and are now top of the league..I know the season has just begun, but there's no better way to start!!!
That's all I wanted to rant about now.
Nope wait - One more thing.
I just want to state that I love the technology we have today and I love ManUtd fans too!!
Reading live text-commentary instead of watchin a match is pretty depressing actually..That's why I was so happy when I got to see all the videos of the goals within just 5 hours of the final whistle! Posted by some true ManUtd fan! Awesome I say!
See all the goals right here.
Aloha mates!
ManUtd beat Fulham 5-1 in the season opener at OT (with a record attendance of 75k+) and are now top of the league..I know the season has just begun, but there's no better way to start!!!
That's all I wanted to rant about now.
Nope wait - One more thing.
I just want to state that I love the technology we have today and I love ManUtd fans too!!
Reading live text-commentary instead of watchin a match is pretty depressing actually..That's why I was so happy when I got to see all the videos of the goals within just 5 hours of the final whistle! Posted by some true ManUtd fan! Awesome I say!
See all the goals right here.
Aloha mates!
Sunday, August 13, 2006
My first Tag...n I'm not lovin it!
Grrrrrrrr.......I got tagged by pangu boy sometime in the last 24 hours, and I'm forcing myself to pen some answers down. 50 Questions. Why bother wasting time, let me get my hands dirty right now!
1. Were you named after anyone?
Yeah. But I've sometimes wondered if my parents actually named me after some arbit "Stanley" but got the spelling wrong. But, no worries, I've even questioned them about this, and it didn't happen that way! Thank God!
2. Do you wish on stars?
Very frequently.....I've done it like 2 times in the last 22 years.
3. When did you last cry?
Seriously speaking, its been sucha long time. I don't exactly remember the last time, but I'm guessing its been atleast 7-8 years. Not kiddin. Cos of this, I've even had a bet with one my dearest friends who'd said she would make me cry, but she hasn't succeeded. Yet. Is something wrong with me?
4. Do you like your handwriting?
YES, I humbly state. It has earned me a lot of not-at-all deserved marks many times. ;) How else did I get my B.Tech!!
5. What is your favourite meat?
Turkey has become a favourite in the last 3 weeks. Yum Yum! poor Bird!
6. What is your most embarrassing CD on your shelf?
I don't keep my CDs on my shelf..pooh..feel like kicking myself for that answer..
7. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you?
Good question. Hmmm... I would, but it would depend more on WHAT type of a person I was. But more or less, I guess I would.
8. Are you a daredevil ?
I wasn't until a few years back...but looking back at the last 3 years and especially at the last few months, yeaaaah I'm turning into one.
9. How do you release anger?
Sit quietly and have a battlefield take place in my mind. Or just listen to heavy music or Eminem.
10. Where is your second home?
E-103, Adarsh Hill Apts, Kumaraswamy Layout, Bangalore. I'm missin it right now!!! :(
11. Do you trust others easily?
Yes I do. I like trusting people. Sadly, sometimes I do it too easily.
12. What was your favourite toy(s) as a child?
The ATARI my Uncle gifted me on my 8th birthday. I would buy one today also, if I could. Say what, I'm gonna try atleast damnit! eBAY here I come!
13. What class in school/college do you think is totally useless?
Social Studies and Civics. Waaaait, Civics was part of Social Studies right? Ummm...I never paid attention you see! :p useless alright!!!
14. Do you use sarcasm a lot?
A LOT. Sometimes I kick myself for using it too much. And at the most un-appropriate times.
15. Have you ever been in a mosh pit?
Nooooooo...Ragam '05 came close, but not close to what it should be like!
16. What do you look for in a girl?
Gosh...I could start a blog on that. But keeping it down to 3 points - character, looks and humour.
17. Would you bungee jump?
I wanna!!! When will I get the chance!!??
18. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?
No...they're exactly the right amount of loose :P
19.What is your favourite ice cream?
That....watsitsname...choco-combo thing I once ate at baskin robbins. I can't remember cos it was very late, but it was gorgeous and I umm...was in a very very "good" mood. Maybe that's the actual reason!
20. What are your favourite colours?
blue,black,grey and red (my ManUtd jersey) sometimes.
21. What are your least favourite things?
Bad people. Can't stand them. Now bad is too vague a word for this I know, but that's another topic altogether. Maybe dishonest/egoistical/greedy will do for now.
22. How many people do you have a crush on right now?
Maybe one..or two. I'm not very sure. Sorry! :)
23. Who do you miss most right now?
Wow...well, let's just say I miss a LOT of people right now. Family and Friends. And I'm missing some people much more than I thought I would! ;)
24. What are you listening to right now?
(God save me) Some kannada song my room-mate has put on...
25. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be?
I don't want to be a crayon. HMPH. I wanna be a faber-castle colour pencil. My childhood love.
26. What is the weather like right now?
Hmmmmm.The weather in my hotel room or outside? It's cool and "GoForANightWalk!!"-like outside; smoky, steamy and humid inside. (Don't get any ideas please. I just burnt a burger)
27. Last person you talked to on the phone?
Tony. (my friend out here.He was scared dat cos I hadnt reached home till 9pm since 10am, and dat i'd got lost in DC as well...lol)
28. The "first" thing you notice about the opposite sex?
Do I notice them at all? :p Well, the eyes I guess.
29. Do you like the person who sent you this?
Yea Yea I do like him. I'm kinda enjoying this now, so I'm liking you even more dumbo!!
30. How are you today?
Pretty good...good..I'm feelin nice...good good...(Conan O'Brien style) hahahahahaa!!
31. Favourite non alcoholic drink?
Hmmm...Lipton Brisk and Gatorade. Just AWESOME!
32. Favourite alcoholic drink?
Gimme a B! Gimme an E! Gimme an E! Gimme an R! watahaveegot? ahahahaha. I don't drink anything else (alcoholic), so that's the one and its gonna be the only one. Am I treating it like my wife?? :P
33. Natural hair colour?
Black.
34. Eye colour?
Dark brown v/s Black. (I'm a Mutant you see, my X-name is Octomystique)
35. Wear contacts?
Nope, maybe I should.
36. Siblings?
Yup.. two. Both elder - that makes me da youngest!! :)
37. Favourite month?
Dec15th - Jan15th is a month too, and that's my fav time of the year.
38.Favourite food?
Gosh...so many things to name! Well, right now, its the "Meat-lovers" Pizza.
39. Favourite day of the year?
Dec 25th. Nothing can beat X'Mas!!
40. Have you ever been too shy to ask someone out?
Yup! and I'm ashamed! No more shyness!!
41. Scary movies or happy endings?
Happy endings!! Maybe an anti-climax too which makes you feel happy but sad cos the happiness was at the cost of something else. (The ticket price for example?) :p
42. Summer or winter?
Both. Summer for the Sun. Winter for X'Mas!
43. Holi or Diwali?
Diwali..the sweets especially!
44. Do you like your name?
Love it. Will not change it to Stanley!! No No!!
45. What book/magazine are you reading?
Right now? The World is Flat. I've never finished it, but I think I should after this.
46. What's on your mouse pad?
Stopped using mousepads 5 years ago! They are meant for mice! (pun intended)
47. What did you watch on TV last night?
Some arbit movie on SHOwtime.
48. Favourite Smell ?
The smell of fresh roses at dawn...bwahahahha!!! actually Grilled Sausage!! Aaaaahh..feeling hungry!!!
49. Have you ever regretted breaking up with someone?
Regretted? Never...actually, I've never broken up with anyone, so this question is not Valid! next!
50. Most tiresome thing you’ve ever experienced/done?
Answering some 50 questions cos my friend tagged me!? Naaaa....I guess it would be the night I helped in moving furniture for a friend who was shifting houses. The whole process took 6 hours : 1am-7am. And Boy! the aches didnt end for a whole month!
Yaaahooooooooooo!!! I finished it!!! Hahahahaaa...I deserve a gold medal!!..and I've decided not to tag anyone too! No wait...maybe I should make one and tag pangu back!! hahaaa! awesome!
1. Were you named after anyone?
Yeah. But I've sometimes wondered if my parents actually named me after some arbit "Stanley" but got the spelling wrong. But, no worries, I've even questioned them about this, and it didn't happen that way! Thank God!
2. Do you wish on stars?
Very frequently.....I've done it like 2 times in the last 22 years.
3. When did you last cry?
Seriously speaking, its been sucha long time. I don't exactly remember the last time, but I'm guessing its been atleast 7-8 years. Not kiddin. Cos of this, I've even had a bet with one my dearest friends who'd said she would make me cry, but she hasn't succeeded. Yet. Is something wrong with me?
4. Do you like your handwriting?
YES, I humbly state. It has earned me a lot of not-at-all deserved marks many times. ;) How else did I get my B.Tech!!
5. What is your favourite meat?
Turkey has become a favourite in the last 3 weeks. Yum Yum! poor Bird!
6. What is your most embarrassing CD on your shelf?
I don't keep my CDs on my shelf..pooh..feel like kicking myself for that answer..
7. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you?
Good question. Hmmm... I would, but it would depend more on WHAT type of a person I was. But more or less, I guess I would.
8. Are you a daredevil ?
I wasn't until a few years back...but looking back at the last 3 years and especially at the last few months, yeaaaah I'm turning into one.
9. How do you release anger?
Sit quietly and have a battlefield take place in my mind. Or just listen to heavy music or Eminem.
10. Where is your second home?
E-103, Adarsh Hill Apts, Kumaraswamy Layout, Bangalore. I'm missin it right now!!! :(
11. Do you trust others easily?
Yes I do. I like trusting people. Sadly, sometimes I do it too easily.
12. What was your favourite toy(s) as a child?
The ATARI my Uncle gifted me on my 8th birthday. I would buy one today also, if I could. Say what, I'm gonna try atleast damnit! eBAY here I come!
13. What class in school/college do you think is totally useless?
Social Studies and Civics. Waaaait, Civics was part of Social Studies right? Ummm...I never paid attention you see! :p useless alright!!!
14. Do you use sarcasm a lot?
A LOT. Sometimes I kick myself for using it too much. And at the most un-appropriate times.
15. Have you ever been in a mosh pit?
Nooooooo...Ragam '05 came close, but not close to what it should be like!
16. What do you look for in a girl?
Gosh...I could start a blog on that. But keeping it down to 3 points - character, looks and humour.
17. Would you bungee jump?
I wanna!!! When will I get the chance!!??
18. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?
No...they're exactly the right amount of loose :P
19.What is your favourite ice cream?
That....watsitsname...choco-combo thing I once ate at baskin robbins. I can't remember cos it was very late, but it was gorgeous and I umm...was in a very very "good" mood. Maybe that's the actual reason!
20. What are your favourite colours?
blue,black,grey and red (my ManUtd jersey) sometimes.
21. What are your least favourite things?
Bad people. Can't stand them. Now bad is too vague a word for this I know, but that's another topic altogether. Maybe dishonest/egoistical/greedy will do for now.
22. How many people do you have a crush on right now?
Maybe one..or two. I'm not very sure. Sorry! :)
23. Who do you miss most right now?
Wow...well, let's just say I miss a LOT of people right now. Family and Friends. And I'm missing some people much more than I thought I would! ;)
24. What are you listening to right now?
(God save me) Some kannada song my room-mate has put on...
25. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be?
I don't want to be a crayon. HMPH. I wanna be a faber-castle colour pencil. My childhood love.
26. What is the weather like right now?
Hmmmmm.The weather in my hotel room or outside? It's cool and "GoForANightWalk!!"-like outside; smoky, steamy and humid inside. (Don't get any ideas please. I just burnt a burger)
27. Last person you talked to on the phone?
Tony. (my friend out here.He was scared dat cos I hadnt reached home till 9pm since 10am, and dat i'd got lost in DC as well...lol)
28. The "first" thing you notice about the opposite sex?
Do I notice them at all? :p Well, the eyes I guess.
29. Do you like the person who sent you this?
Yea Yea I do like him. I'm kinda enjoying this now, so I'm liking you even more dumbo!!
30. How are you today?
Pretty good...good..I'm feelin nice...good good...(Conan O'Brien style) hahahahahaa!!
31. Favourite non alcoholic drink?
Hmmm...Lipton Brisk and Gatorade. Just AWESOME!
32. Favourite alcoholic drink?
Gimme a B! Gimme an E! Gimme an E! Gimme an R! watahaveegot? ahahahaha. I don't drink anything else (alcoholic), so that's the one and its gonna be the only one. Am I treating it like my wife?? :P
33. Natural hair colour?
Black.
34. Eye colour?
Dark brown v/s Black. (I'm a Mutant you see, my X-name is Octomystique)
35. Wear contacts?
Nope, maybe I should.
36. Siblings?
Yup.. two. Both elder - that makes me da youngest!! :)
37. Favourite month?
Dec15th - Jan15th is a month too, and that's my fav time of the year.
38.Favourite food?
Gosh...so many things to name! Well, right now, its the "Meat-lovers" Pizza.
39. Favourite day of the year?
Dec 25th. Nothing can beat X'Mas!!
40. Have you ever been too shy to ask someone out?
Yup! and I'm ashamed! No more shyness!!
41. Scary movies or happy endings?
Happy endings!! Maybe an anti-climax too which makes you feel happy but sad cos the happiness was at the cost of something else. (The ticket price for example?) :p
42. Summer or winter?
Both. Summer for the Sun. Winter for X'Mas!
43. Holi or Diwali?
Diwali..the sweets especially!
44. Do you like your name?
Love it. Will not change it to Stanley!! No No!!
45. What book/magazine are you reading?
Right now? The World is Flat. I've never finished it, but I think I should after this.
46. What's on your mouse pad?
Stopped using mousepads 5 years ago! They are meant for mice! (pun intended)
47. What did you watch on TV last night?
Some arbit movie on SHOwtime.
48. Favourite Smell ?
The smell of fresh roses at dawn...bwahahahha!!! actually Grilled Sausage!! Aaaaahh..feeling hungry!!!
49. Have you ever regretted breaking up with someone?
Regretted? Never...actually, I've never broken up with anyone, so this question is not Valid! next!
50. Most tiresome thing you’ve ever experienced/done?
Answering some 50 questions cos my friend tagged me!? Naaaa....I guess it would be the night I helped in moving furniture for a friend who was shifting houses. The whole process took 6 hours : 1am-7am. And Boy! the aches didnt end for a whole month!
Yaaahooooooooooo!!! I finished it!!! Hahahahaaa...I deserve a gold medal!!..and I've decided not to tag anyone too! No wait...maybe I should make one and tag pangu back!! hahaaa! awesome!
Mmmmm.....I'm lovin it!
Well...the smell atleast.
Cos I'm not sure if I can get a taste of it here in the USA.
Of what???????
FOOTBALL - THE EPL.
The Community Shield just got over and Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-1, Crouch heading home the winner. This is (surprisingly) what the (usually bitter) Jose had to say post-match, "They are a very difficult team to beat. When you play them you can win, lose or draw."
DUUHHHH????? As if anything else was possible in football !!!
What an @$$!!
But this is why I love it...the whole feel and excitement of a Season start....aaaaaahhh...and it bugs me to no-end cos I can't get to watch it here!! Grrrr....makes me wish I was at home or in B'lore stuck to the television, watching John Dykes and Co. disussing about my favourite sport, league and team.
*SNIFF*
Cos I'm not sure if I can get a taste of it here in the USA.
Of what???????
FOOTBALL - THE EPL.
The Community Shield just got over and Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-1, Crouch heading home the winner. This is (surprisingly) what the (usually bitter) Jose had to say post-match, "They are a very difficult team to beat. When you play them you can win, lose or draw."
DUUHHHH????? As if anything else was possible in football !!!
What an @$$!!
But this is why I love it...the whole feel and excitement of a Season start....aaaaaahhh...and it bugs me to no-end cos I can't get to watch it here!! Grrrr....makes me wish I was at home or in B'lore stuck to the television, watching John Dykes and Co. disussing about my favourite sport, league and team.
*SNIFF*
Sunday, August 06, 2006
The Baltimore National Aquarium
Last weekend, we decided to "put" a short Road Trip again...a very very short Road Trip to be precise..a visit to the Baltimore National Aquarium which is just a lil more than a hour's drive from our place. We'd heard quite a bit about it from people here, and boy! we weren't disappointed. We reached the place at around 11am, but could get an entry ticket for only 1:45pm. Entrees are allowed inside in batches, and there were a LOT of people too (probably cos it was a weekend). But we used the free time to do some local sightseeing...a visit to the ESPN SportZone in Baltimore was the first place on my list, cos a no-go to a place like that for a sports freak like me would be like a Muslim pilgrim going for the Hajj to Mecca and skipping the Masjid al-Haram. (Now where did that come from!) ummmm....kinda atleast..Old Trafford would be more appropriate. (*Hi-fives all my fellow ManUtd men*) The SportZone is a pretty cool place though, and contains a bar/restaurant/arcade center and had an awesome SportsCenter Store too. Alas, a bit too pricey for my liking. We spent the rest our time visiting local shops and trying out the local pier cuisine.
Well, our entry time came at last and we experienced a totally different world once we were in. I can't bring myself to explain every aspect of it, but in short, the place is HUGE. By the end of it all, I was so tired that I felt like a fish who'd injured its fins cos it had swam too much. We were treated to all kinds of aquatic species, (atleast our eyes were treated - not our stomachs) sting rays, sharks, small fish, big fish, medium fish,pretty fish, ugly fish, cute fish,NEMO...haha!That was sooo funny...I saw atleast 10 kids excitedly telling their parents "Look! There's Nemo!" when they saw a clownfish. Only two parents were good enough to respond "Oh look! there's Dory too!" Tch..Tch..Sad. (I'm not doing a survey on parent-child interaction over here by the way). We watched a film show by Animal Planet...visited the Australia Wild Extremes section, visited Frog World, Coral Reef, Tropical Rainforest etc. Saw turtles, sea-horses, octupuses, eels, and other weird species galore. The Sharks were very impressive too, but looked dull and bored. Seeing fresh meat through glass partitions for long durations can make you that way I guess.
Well, the BEST section of the Aquarium is the Dolphin Show. This is a 30-min special show that takes place only like 4 times a day. We had to get special tickets for it too. I've liked Dolphins ever since I was a lil kid and now I love them. Such cute and intelligent creatures! We were treated to so many tricks from them including 10-foot leaps, doing circus-like hoop jumps, swimming on their backs balancing toys on their bellies, heavy-duty doses of water splashing on the people who were sittin in the front 3-4 rows. The 6 female trainers were amazing too. Ahem...I mean...they showed the right commands, fed the dolphins with little fish after they had done their tricks, and so on..see!
I Want A Dolphin As A Pet!!!!!!! (even better if a trainer comes free with it)
Umm...I'd better stop now.
//On the personal front...Life's going on ok..work takes up all the time during the weekdays...but then weekends come too! Watched 'Pirates' and 'Miami Vice' last weekend, and I thought both were pretty poor. Watched 'Omkara' yesterday..had to travel to the next state (Virginia) to get a hindi-flick screening theatre! But really liked the movie...Saif was awesome.
yup that's pretty much it!
Here are a few visuals of the Baltimore trip.
In front of the Zone
Sting Ray!
Beautiful scene in the Tropical Rainforest World
Spotted Nemo?..or Dory?
A diver feeding the fish
Whatcha lookin at?
Small in size, Large in number
Aaawwwwww!
The Dolphin Show
*Dolphin Leap*
Well, our entry time came at last and we experienced a totally different world once we were in. I can't bring myself to explain every aspect of it, but in short, the place is HUGE. By the end of it all, I was so tired that I felt like a fish who'd injured its fins cos it had swam too much. We were treated to all kinds of aquatic species, (atleast our eyes were treated - not our stomachs) sting rays, sharks, small fish, big fish, medium fish,pretty fish, ugly fish, cute fish,NEMO...haha!That was sooo funny...I saw atleast 10 kids excitedly telling their parents "Look! There's Nemo!" when they saw a clownfish. Only two parents were good enough to respond "Oh look! there's Dory too!" Tch..Tch..Sad. (I'm not doing a survey on parent-child interaction over here by the way). We watched a film show by Animal Planet...visited the Australia Wild Extremes section, visited Frog World, Coral Reef, Tropical Rainforest etc. Saw turtles, sea-horses, octupuses, eels, and other weird species galore. The Sharks were very impressive too, but looked dull and bored. Seeing fresh meat through glass partitions for long durations can make you that way I guess.
Well, the BEST section of the Aquarium is the Dolphin Show. This is a 30-min special show that takes place only like 4 times a day. We had to get special tickets for it too. I've liked Dolphins ever since I was a lil kid and now I love them. Such cute and intelligent creatures! We were treated to so many tricks from them including 10-foot leaps, doing circus-like hoop jumps, swimming on their backs balancing toys on their bellies, heavy-duty doses of water splashing on the people who were sittin in the front 3-4 rows. The 6 female trainers were amazing too. Ahem...I mean...they showed the right commands, fed the dolphins with little fish after they had done their tricks, and so on..see!
I Want A Dolphin As A Pet!!!!!!! (even better if a trainer comes free with it)
Umm...I'd better stop now.
//On the personal front...Life's going on ok..work takes up all the time during the weekdays...but then weekends come too! Watched 'Pirates' and 'Miami Vice' last weekend, and I thought both were pretty poor. Watched 'Omkara' yesterday..had to travel to the next state (Virginia) to get a hindi-flick screening theatre! But really liked the movie...Saif was awesome.
yup that's pretty much it!
Here are a few visuals of the Baltimore trip.
In front of the Zone
Sting Ray!
Beautiful scene in the Tropical Rainforest World
Spotted Nemo?..or Dory?
A diver feeding the fish
Whatcha lookin at?
Small in size, Large in number
Aaawwwwww!
The Dolphin Show
*Dolphin Leap*
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
The day I met Tom...
Tom Who?
Tom as in Tom Cruise? NO.
Tom as in Tom Bombadil? NO.
Tom as in Thomas L Friedman? YES!!!
Well, I got the opportunity last week actually. He's a close friend of Dan Simpkins, the CEO of HillCrest Labs - the client we are working for. Dan had invited him over for a one-hour talk with us. I was under the impression he was kinda free or something, so he was doing his friend a favour. It was only when he arrived that I gotta know that he had landed just four hours earlier from Damascus, Syria! phew! Talk about on-the-go! And I don't think I know anyone who could stand up and speak to 60 odd people with such supreme clarity of thought after sucha long journey!! Amazing...
Ok..let me back up a bit, for people who are still like "Tom who?"...Here's a lil bit of biography:
He's a New York Times Columnist, "Foreign Affairs" columnist more precisely. He's world-renowned for his views and articles. He's a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner too. No simple fellow this. Not at all. Check out his website.
I could barely contain my excitement that Wednesday morning of 26th July. You see, I'd only met one other celebrity personally before, and that was Jagathy, mallu comedian actor, at my friend Sohan's house around 14 years back. I don't remember much, except that he was drinking whisky or something. He seemed very serious, asked me a few questions and my "ever-the-clown" impression of him vapourized instantly. Oh yeah, I've met Captain Raju (another mallu actor) too a couple of times, but that's because he's a family friend of sorts. Nice guy.
Well, you could say they don't come in the same league of Mr.Tom, and hence my excitement. He arrived right on time, and looked pretty funny in his light coloured t-shirt and khaki shorts. Not what I had expected. After a brief intro by Dan, he got into his act rightaway. And my, we were all held spellbound for the next sixty minutes or so. He started off on his new book, 'The World is Flat', which was actually released last year, but a new updated and expanded version is out now. He touched upon points like from where he got his idea of the book - in Nandan Nilekani's conference room at Infosys, Bangalore.
Yeaah...i know all my Infy friends are now suddenly very interested...hehe..aren't you guys? Anywayz, its not news for people who have read the book. But this might be - Nilekani was talking to him about globalization, the growth and advancement in technology today, by which countries like ours and China were becoming dominant. He said "Tom, the playing field is being leveled, (this second half has been left out in the book) and you Americans are not ready." This phrase kept playing in Tom's mind and he hit upon the line "The World is Flat". You see, his visit to India at that time made him very disturbed. He realised he had been sleeping, i.e. he had not kept track of the world of technology cos he had been totally focused on political issues post 9/11. Before that he had been writing on political and globalization issues (The Lexus and Olive forces in his words). But the Sept of 2001 changed all that. He decided to fully dedicate himself to the Lexus Tree and flew to the Middle East. Oh yeaah, he did come back just once cos he thought he should do two articles on a small start-up company..the company's name? GOOGLE.
He spoke to us about the current turmoil in the Middle-East, and said he was very worried with what has happening. He recounted incidents of his Syria trip and said he felt that things were taking a turn for the worse. He spoke about how the US were funding both sides of the war, by not taking a stand in the fuel price climb. We had an open QnA session with him. When one guy workin here openly asked him if he felt the Bush administration were any good (haha) cos they didn't seem able to cope with any major issue, he said he accepted the fact but he would still stick with the present government cos they still had 2.5 years to go...and he would do his best to make them listen and do better. His latest buzzword is "GREEN", and he's going all out on issues like Global Warming, energy effiency, the rising fuel prices, and such. He spoke about his well-publicized spat with General Motors. Man! The guy is hilarious I tell you! Sarcasm aplenty, which makes it all the more better.
He told us how he has almost stopped using the internet..cos he was gettin dragged into all types of wars..ranging from official stuff like the GM dogfight issue to arguing with some school kid who was angrily complaining on his MySpace that his teacher had told him to read some dumb book called 'The World is Flat' and he didn't wanna!!
And the icing on the cake, we got our personal 'The World is Flat' copies (that were gifted to us by Dan and his wife) autographed by him. All in all, a very memorable experience....unforgettable.
Thanks Tom!
Tom as in Tom Cruise? NO.
Tom as in Tom Bombadil? NO.
Tom as in Thomas L Friedman? YES!!!
Well, I got the opportunity last week actually. He's a close friend of Dan Simpkins, the CEO of HillCrest Labs - the client we are working for. Dan had invited him over for a one-hour talk with us. I was under the impression he was kinda free or something, so he was doing his friend a favour. It was only when he arrived that I gotta know that he had landed just four hours earlier from Damascus, Syria! phew! Talk about on-the-go! And I don't think I know anyone who could stand up and speak to 60 odd people with such supreme clarity of thought after sucha long journey!! Amazing...
Ok..let me back up a bit, for people who are still like "Tom who?"...Here's a lil bit of biography:
He's a New York Times Columnist, "Foreign Affairs" columnist more precisely. He's world-renowned for his views and articles. He's a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner too. No simple fellow this. Not at all. Check out his website.
I could barely contain my excitement that Wednesday morning of 26th July. You see, I'd only met one other celebrity personally before, and that was Jagathy, mallu comedian actor, at my friend Sohan's house around 14 years back. I don't remember much, except that he was drinking whisky or something. He seemed very serious, asked me a few questions and my "ever-the-clown" impression of him vapourized instantly. Oh yeah, I've met Captain Raju (another mallu actor) too a couple of times, but that's because he's a family friend of sorts. Nice guy.
Well, you could say they don't come in the same league of Mr.Tom, and hence my excitement. He arrived right on time, and looked pretty funny in his light coloured t-shirt and khaki shorts. Not what I had expected. After a brief intro by Dan, he got into his act rightaway. And my, we were all held spellbound for the next sixty minutes or so. He started off on his new book, 'The World is Flat', which was actually released last year, but a new updated and expanded version is out now. He touched upon points like from where he got his idea of the book - in Nandan Nilekani's conference room at Infosys, Bangalore.
Yeaah...i know all my Infy friends are now suddenly very interested...hehe..aren't you guys? Anywayz, its not news for people who have read the book. But this might be - Nilekani was talking to him about globalization, the growth and advancement in technology today, by which countries like ours and China were becoming dominant. He said "Tom, the playing field is being leveled, (this second half has been left out in the book) and you Americans are not ready." This phrase kept playing in Tom's mind and he hit upon the line "The World is Flat". You see, his visit to India at that time made him very disturbed. He realised he had been sleeping, i.e. he had not kept track of the world of technology cos he had been totally focused on political issues post 9/11. Before that he had been writing on political and globalization issues (The Lexus and Olive forces in his words). But the Sept of 2001 changed all that. He decided to fully dedicate himself to the Lexus Tree and flew to the Middle East. Oh yeaah, he did come back just once cos he thought he should do two articles on a small start-up company..the company's name? GOOGLE.
He spoke to us about the current turmoil in the Middle-East, and said he was very worried with what has happening. He recounted incidents of his Syria trip and said he felt that things were taking a turn for the worse. He spoke about how the US were funding both sides of the war, by not taking a stand in the fuel price climb. We had an open QnA session with him. When one guy workin here openly asked him if he felt the Bush administration were any good (haha) cos they didn't seem able to cope with any major issue, he said he accepted the fact but he would still stick with the present government cos they still had 2.5 years to go...and he would do his best to make them listen and do better. His latest buzzword is "GREEN", and he's going all out on issues like Global Warming, energy effiency, the rising fuel prices, and such. He spoke about his well-publicized spat with General Motors. Man! The guy is hilarious I tell you! Sarcasm aplenty, which makes it all the more better.
He told us how he has almost stopped using the internet..cos he was gettin dragged into all types of wars..ranging from official stuff like the GM dogfight issue to arguing with some school kid who was angrily complaining on his MySpace that his teacher had told him to read some dumb book called 'The World is Flat' and he didn't wanna!!
And the icing on the cake, we got our personal 'The World is Flat' copies (that were gifted to us by Dan and his wife) autographed by him. All in all, a very memorable experience....unforgettable.
Thanks Tom!
Sunday, July 30, 2006
NYC Trip: Part V - Life in the Fast Lane
Nothing much more to write about, except that we reached our hotel only past 4am on both nights and crashed. Saw a lot of the New York nightlife in those two nights that we spent out. Was surprised to see our Desi 'seedhi-saadhi ladkies' doing a lot of not-so-innocent stuff too. Haha..not kiddin. India is truly globalized my friends. Rejoice! :)
Anywayz, we left New York around evening the next day and headed back to Rockville.
When you leave New York, you ain't goin' nowhere' -- Sammy Davis Jr
True.
We'd spent more than 12 hours driving during the trip. It was a brilliant experience zipping at 100mph and more on the interstate highways. With all the windows open and the wind rushing through at a force that is almost hurting. Truly exhilarating I say! Therefore, I just thought I'd end this NYC Trip series by posting some pics that were taken in motion, while travelling in our car mostly.
NYC was truly an experience. And I felt sad leaving honestly. It's the same feeling you get when you leave a place you were always a part of. But that's funny too, cos I was hardly there for two whole days.
'One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years' -- Thomas Wolfe
Guess I can't be blamed right? :)
A wet and busy Times Square
Night lights - blurred and psychedelic
The Tunneling effect
OMG!What an accident!(Not really, go figure!)
Parting scenes
PS: Credit to 'the_trainee', from whom the idea for naming these NYC posts came. If you haven't figured it out yet, try some 'pink champagne on ice' ;)
Anywayz, we left New York around evening the next day and headed back to Rockville.
When you leave New York, you ain't goin' nowhere' -- Sammy Davis Jr
True.
We'd spent more than 12 hours driving during the trip. It was a brilliant experience zipping at 100mph and more on the interstate highways. With all the windows open and the wind rushing through at a force that is almost hurting. Truly exhilarating I say! Therefore, I just thought I'd end this NYC Trip series by posting some pics that were taken in motion, while travelling in our car mostly.
NYC was truly an experience. And I felt sad leaving honestly. It's the same feeling you get when you leave a place you were always a part of. But that's funny too, cos I was hardly there for two whole days.
'One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years' -- Thomas Wolfe
Guess I can't be blamed right? :)
A wet and busy Times Square
Night lights - blurred and psychedelic
The Tunneling effect
OMG!What an accident!(Not really, go figure!)
Parting scenes
PS: Credit to 'the_trainee', from whom the idea for naming these NYC posts came. If you haven't figured it out yet, try some 'pink champagne on ice' ;)
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
NYC Trip: Part IV - The Girl from Yesterday
"On my first day in New York a guy asked me if I knew where Central Park was. When I told him I didn't he said, 'Do you mind if I mug you here?" -- Paul Merton
*Excerpt from NYC Trip:Part-I*
You do not fool around in subways, else you'll seriously regret it. (As luck you have it, I would find out exactly why later that day)
Well, after all the sightseeing was done, we decided to take a break, go back to the hotel and then come back at night. After all, it was a Saturday night. And if you ain't gonna party in the Big Apple, its better to head home. Anywayz, we had all been out for more than 10 hours and done quite a bit of walkin too. Well, how we had to get back was not sure to us, but we did know our hotel address, so we decided to try the dark subway metro again. We asked a guy who told us it wasn't possible to get direct train, that we may need to change at atleast 2-3 trains. We headed down into the 42nd st station...we decided to ask someone and get the right one. Usually, the subways are very deserted and not nice places to be at for a long time. Got some weird people too, and a very good potential location for theft, mugging etc.
We had stood there for like 10 min (the trains are pretty frequent) when I saw a train arriving..I was at that time taking a video of some guy playing the violin in hope for a few cents.
A very sad, depressing and eeiry tune too.
Just the setting needed for a twist.
Thinking that my team-mates were behind me (actually not thinking at all) I stepped into it, without turning around. The doors are automatic and close after approx. 15 seconds. I looked back after getting in, and saw to my horror that they were still howering over some vague map we had got on the way. They looked up, saw me. I looked back at them with a sense of shock creeping in. They had the "What the F*&% do you think you're doing??" look on their faces...I rushed towards the doors...and...
zzzzzzzzppphhhhhhhhh...
The doors shut full force on my face.
The train started moving...away...away..away from the only people I knew within 400 miles of that spot. My PM ran towards the door, but these trains do accelerate pretty fast. As the train started speeding away, I saw him showing desperate direction signs. You see, I consider myself pretty good in Dumb Charades. Ambadi and Jimmy (my college DumbC team-mates) will give excellent testimony to that (won't you dear buddies??? :p ) But there was no way in Hell (read NYC) that I could figure out what my PM was saying in those 3 seconds. Would have been a national college-level record if I did.
And then silence....
We were in a tunnel and I came back to reality.
I looked around, at the strange unfamiliar faces of even stranger, unfamiliar people around me. The bogey was pretty deserted, hardly 5-6 people. I felt my heartbeat rate increase. I forced myself to shut out the rising panic and focus at the pros and cons of the situation.
pros : hmmm...lets see...I knew my hotel name and address. The Grant, 94th st, Manhattan. Not even sure about this too. ummm...nuthin more...
cons : I had no idea how to reach my hotel. I had no idea where this train was going. I hardly had a few dollars left in my pocket, cos I'd spent quite a bit that day and the rest of my cash was in my bag, safe (and useless) in my hotel. I had my new citibank card though. Problem was, I had never used it before. I didn't remember the PIN. As luck would hav it I had left the sheet having the PIN at my hotel. In RockVille. I had no phone, I didn't know my hotel number. My team-mates didn't have phones either. There was not a single way to contact them. I was in a crazy busy city, famous for its dark side and I was lost.
Well, you could say the odds were heavily stacked in my favour. *smirk* I asked an old man sitting beside me about the train's route, but he just kept on nodding his head. He didn't understand a word I presume. Or he was just plain deaf.
I think I started sweating. Ten minutes went by.This train was a limited stop one maybe cos it hadn't stopped yet.Five minutes later it did. No one got out. No one got in either. I did'nt get out too. I looked outside, didn't see any people and I didn't wanna totally freak out in some isolated subway station.
I waited for the next station and got out. I could either find my way back to 42 st. and hope my team was waiting patiently for me. What I didn't know at that time was that my PM had almost passed out due to tension. He'd already started imagining his superiors enquiring about what had happened to me, and put the blame on him. hahaa..every developer's dream - his boss hearing the music. Well, atleast this time, I didn't want that to happen.
Well, I decided to find my way back to the hotel. Somehow. It was the most logical thing to do. Looking at the walls, all the destination station names I saw did'nt make sense to me. The Bronx, Chambers st., Lincoln. DEAD END.
And then my luck changed. Night became Day. Hell became Heaven.
I looked up and saw a female standing some 20m away, holding a luggage bag, waiting for a train. So I walked upto her. She was blonde. American maybe. Beautiful without doubt. And she seemed to be around my age too. She was a bit shocked when I said Hi. A stanger approaching you on a dark subway station ain't very pleasing. I couldn't blame her for being paranoid.
"I moved to New York City for my health. I'm paranoid and it was the only place where my fears were justified." -- Anita Weiss
Well, as nicely as I could, and trying not to sound desperate, I asked her which train I could take to reach 94 st. She was said there wasn't any direct train but Train C was going to 168 st so maybe I could get down somewhere near 94th. I said thanks and almost walked off. But then I stopped myself and decided to tell her my about my plight- that it was my first day in New York City, I had got separated from my friends and that was I kinda lost. She was so shocked and whispered "Ohhhhh-My-Goddddd". And then she said "Hey, say what, I'm waitin for Train C too cos I'm headed the same way, why don't you come along with me?"
"alliiiyaaaaa cheyyyyyy...."
PEACE.
Well, we sat together on Train C, talking to each other - on stuff like India...New York..the places I'd visited...why I'd come to the US....etc. Her name is L* (sorry guys) and she's from Los Angeles. She had come to NYC to visit her friends. She told me came here often cos she loved the city.Well...she was very friendly and sweet and we kept on chatting, and after about 40min...we reached 96 st. and got down there. I felt kinda surprised that she was headed the same way, but what I didnt know was that her house was just 2 blocks away from my hotel! She took a route so that we could reach her place first. We kept on walking, past Central Park and 95th street, chatting on topics ranging from DC to our personal Saturday night plans, until we reached her doorstep 10 minutes later.
//the rest of this post has been edited and will be sent, by request, to the very curious.
Naaa..jus kiddin...we said our goodbyes right there and parted. I came back to my hotel...and my team-mates reached 20 minutes later, very surprised to see me sitting there smiling and looking very happy.
I don't know why, but looking back now...
Perhaps getting seperated from my friends was the best thing that happened to me in New York.
*Excerpt from NYC Trip:Part-I*
You do not fool around in subways, else you'll seriously regret it. (As luck you have it, I would find out exactly why later that day)
Well, after all the sightseeing was done, we decided to take a break, go back to the hotel and then come back at night. After all, it was a Saturday night. And if you ain't gonna party in the Big Apple, its better to head home. Anywayz, we had all been out for more than 10 hours and done quite a bit of walkin too. Well, how we had to get back was not sure to us, but we did know our hotel address, so we decided to try the dark subway metro again. We asked a guy who told us it wasn't possible to get direct train, that we may need to change at atleast 2-3 trains. We headed down into the 42nd st station...we decided to ask someone and get the right one. Usually, the subways are very deserted and not nice places to be at for a long time. Got some weird people too, and a very good potential location for theft, mugging etc.
We had stood there for like 10 min (the trains are pretty frequent) when I saw a train arriving..I was at that time taking a video of some guy playing the violin in hope for a few cents.
A very sad, depressing and eeiry tune too.
Just the setting needed for a twist.
Thinking that my team-mates were behind me (actually not thinking at all) I stepped into it, without turning around. The doors are automatic and close after approx. 15 seconds. I looked back after getting in, and saw to my horror that they were still howering over some vague map we had got on the way. They looked up, saw me. I looked back at them with a sense of shock creeping in. They had the "What the F*&% do you think you're doing??" look on their faces...I rushed towards the doors...and...
zzzzzzzzppphhhhhhhhh...
The doors shut full force on my face.
The train started moving...away...away..away from the only people I knew within 400 miles of that spot. My PM ran towards the door, but these trains do accelerate pretty fast. As the train started speeding away, I saw him showing desperate direction signs. You see, I consider myself pretty good in Dumb Charades. Ambadi and Jimmy (my college DumbC team-mates) will give excellent testimony to that (won't you dear buddies??? :p ) But there was no way in Hell (read NYC) that I could figure out what my PM was saying in those 3 seconds. Would have been a national college-level record if I did.
And then silence....
We were in a tunnel and I came back to reality.
I looked around, at the strange unfamiliar faces of even stranger, unfamiliar people around me. The bogey was pretty deserted, hardly 5-6 people. I felt my heartbeat rate increase. I forced myself to shut out the rising panic and focus at the pros and cons of the situation.
pros : hmmm...lets see...I knew my hotel name and address. The Grant, 94th st, Manhattan. Not even sure about this too. ummm...nuthin more...
cons : I had no idea how to reach my hotel. I had no idea where this train was going. I hardly had a few dollars left in my pocket, cos I'd spent quite a bit that day and the rest of my cash was in my bag, safe (and useless) in my hotel. I had my new citibank card though. Problem was, I had never used it before. I didn't remember the PIN. As luck would hav it I had left the sheet having the PIN at my hotel. In RockVille. I had no phone, I didn't know my hotel number. My team-mates didn't have phones either. There was not a single way to contact them. I was in a crazy busy city, famous for its dark side and I was lost.
Well, you could say the odds were heavily stacked in my favour. *smirk* I asked an old man sitting beside me about the train's route, but he just kept on nodding his head. He didn't understand a word I presume. Or he was just plain deaf.
I think I started sweating. Ten minutes went by.This train was a limited stop one maybe cos it hadn't stopped yet.Five minutes later it did. No one got out. No one got in either. I did'nt get out too. I looked outside, didn't see any people and I didn't wanna totally freak out in some isolated subway station.
I waited for the next station and got out. I could either find my way back to 42 st. and hope my team was waiting patiently for me. What I didn't know at that time was that my PM had almost passed out due to tension. He'd already started imagining his superiors enquiring about what had happened to me, and put the blame on him. hahaa..every developer's dream - his boss hearing the music. Well, atleast this time, I didn't want that to happen.
Well, I decided to find my way back to the hotel. Somehow. It was the most logical thing to do. Looking at the walls, all the destination station names I saw did'nt make sense to me. The Bronx, Chambers st., Lincoln. DEAD END.
And then my luck changed. Night became Day. Hell became Heaven.
I looked up and saw a female standing some 20m away, holding a luggage bag, waiting for a train. So I walked upto her. She was blonde. American maybe. Beautiful without doubt. And she seemed to be around my age too. She was a bit shocked when I said Hi. A stanger approaching you on a dark subway station ain't very pleasing. I couldn't blame her for being paranoid.
"I moved to New York City for my health. I'm paranoid and it was the only place where my fears were justified." -- Anita Weiss
Well, as nicely as I could, and trying not to sound desperate, I asked her which train I could take to reach 94 st. She was said there wasn't any direct train but Train C was going to 168 st so maybe I could get down somewhere near 94th. I said thanks and almost walked off. But then I stopped myself and decided to tell her my about my plight- that it was my first day in New York City, I had got separated from my friends and that was I kinda lost. She was so shocked and whispered "Ohhhhh-My-Goddddd". And then she said "Hey, say what, I'm waitin for Train C too cos I'm headed the same way, why don't you come along with me?"
"alliiiyaaaaa cheyyyyyy...."
PEACE.
Well, we sat together on Train C, talking to each other - on stuff like India...New York..the places I'd visited...why I'd come to the US....etc. Her name is L* (sorry guys) and she's from Los Angeles. She had come to NYC to visit her friends. She told me came here often cos she loved the city.Well...she was very friendly and sweet and we kept on chatting, and after about 40min...we reached 96 st. and got down there. I felt kinda surprised that she was headed the same way, but what I didnt know was that her house was just 2 blocks away from my hotel! She took a route so that we could reach her place first. We kept on walking, past Central Park and 95th street, chatting on topics ranging from DC to our personal Saturday night plans, until we reached her doorstep 10 minutes later.
//the rest of this post has been edited and will be sent, by request, to the very curious.
Naaa..jus kiddin...we said our goodbyes right there and parted. I came back to my hotel...and my team-mates reached 20 minutes later, very surprised to see me sitting there smiling and looking very happy.
I don't know why, but looking back now...
Perhaps getting seperated from my friends was the best thing that happened to me in New York.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
NYC Trip: Part III - Love will keep us Alive
I did not mention a certain place yesterday because I wanted to dedicate a whole post to it.
The IX/XI Story.
Ground Zero.
Its just a few blocks from South Ferry. So we walked past Wall Street and reached the spot,following sign boards that gave us directions to the site. The whole construction site has been secured. But there were many tourists and locals at the place.
Well, what i witnessed there can't be described in words.What I felt either.
You feel a deep rage welling up inside you at the horrible act of terrorism and the people who did it. Standing there, looking at that huge empty space where the Twin Towers once stood, you also feel a sense of amazement of how something so huge came crashing down. You kinda re-live that moment, perhaps using bits of video that you once saw over and over again on the television. Your brain brings it all back to life. The only difference is, you're right there admist it. You see hell breaking loose all around you. You see smoke rushing at you and feel the ash in your mouth and lungs. I'm not kidding. I unknowingly shuddered twice or thrice.
There was an old black man who was explaining to a group of tourists the stuff he saw that through his eyes. I stood there listening to the horror story for 10 minutes and then walked off, not wanting to hear more. There were people standing there and crying, perhaps for their loved ones who perished that fateful day. There were messages scrawled everywhere.
There were official 9/11 Timeline charts put up, showing how the events took place that day. There were large boards put up, showing ' Sept 11th 2001 Martyrs, giving thousands of names of people who were victims of hate. It's a quiet and silent site. The Police do not allow any commercial tourist activity around that place. We spent almost an hour day, just walking, looking, and hardly speaking.
When did Hate become so powerful? Is there any way to put an end to all this? Here is a poem, written by an NYPD police officer, that was written in chalk on a board....
The Road to Heaven
While travelling along,it's never too late.
Take the road that leads to love
Not the one to hate.
Hate is what took these buildings down
With love is how we'll remember those
no longer around.
Take the right road and you will see
how much sweeter life will be.
The road may be uphill and
strewn with stones.
So get rid of the weight
and lighten the load.
At the summit there is
a beautiful view,
All of God's peace open to you.
Here are a few pics. God Bless.
The poem
pic taken through the steel fence
The WTC cross..it was found among the rubble
A choir singing hymns
The IX/XI Story.
Ground Zero.
Its just a few blocks from South Ferry. So we walked past Wall Street and reached the spot,following sign boards that gave us directions to the site. The whole construction site has been secured. But there were many tourists and locals at the place.
Well, what i witnessed there can't be described in words.What I felt either.
You feel a deep rage welling up inside you at the horrible act of terrorism and the people who did it. Standing there, looking at that huge empty space where the Twin Towers once stood, you also feel a sense of amazement of how something so huge came crashing down. You kinda re-live that moment, perhaps using bits of video that you once saw over and over again on the television. Your brain brings it all back to life. The only difference is, you're right there admist it. You see hell breaking loose all around you. You see smoke rushing at you and feel the ash in your mouth and lungs. I'm not kidding. I unknowingly shuddered twice or thrice.
There was an old black man who was explaining to a group of tourists the stuff he saw that through his eyes. I stood there listening to the horror story for 10 minutes and then walked off, not wanting to hear more. There were people standing there and crying, perhaps for their loved ones who perished that fateful day. There were messages scrawled everywhere.
There were official 9/11 Timeline charts put up, showing how the events took place that day. There were large boards put up, showing ' Sept 11th 2001 Martyrs, giving thousands of names of people who were victims of hate. It's a quiet and silent site. The Police do not allow any commercial tourist activity around that place. We spent almost an hour day, just walking, looking, and hardly speaking.
When did Hate become so powerful? Is there any way to put an end to all this? Here is a poem, written by an NYPD police officer, that was written in chalk on a board....
The Road to Heaven
While travelling along,it's never too late.
Take the road that leads to love
Not the one to hate.
Hate is what took these buildings down
With love is how we'll remember those
no longer around.
Take the right road and you will see
how much sweeter life will be.
The road may be uphill and
strewn with stones.
So get rid of the weight
and lighten the load.
At the summit there is
a beautiful view,
All of God's peace open to you.
Here are a few pics. God Bless.
The poem
pic taken through the steel fence
The WTC cross..it was found among the rubble
A choir singing hymns
Monday, July 24, 2006
NYC Trip: Part II - ln the City
If you haven't read Part-1, go here. Or just scroll down.
So where were we?
Well....after getting back onshore after going to the Statue of Liberty...we decided to walk and go sightseeing. In fact, that's the best option in New York if you don't wanna use the metro. It isn't easy at first to understand the city's complex road planning. We were almost cursing it the night we arrived cos we were totally lost and could'nt locate our hotel.There are hajjar streets and Avs intersecting each other...so many one-ways... its easy to go mad. However,by the end of our trip, I was left amazed at actually how much planning has gone in. The roads are actually very logical and everything fits in beautifully. Its funny really..when you look at the city, you feel things are totally out of control,the city is so packed and crowded and everyone is in a rush, and you feel its only a matter of time before the whole place collapses. It doesn't however.
New York has always been going to hell but somehow it never gets there' -- Robert Persig
Well, we spent time at Battery Park, walked to the NYSE Stock exchange...where there were like 200 tourists clicking pictures around the famous Bull. Walked further down Wall Street...the World Financial Center etc. New York City's architecture is very unique...its a mix of neo-classical style buildings and ultra-modern skyscrapers. Ranging from elegant brownstone houses and apartments to giants like the Empire State.There is architecture of such breath-taking variety, you can spent a day just looking at the buildings. Made me start thinking about Howard Roark. Seriously. (*Hi-fives Polo*) Ok..after roaming about Lower Manhattan, we went to the Empire State. However, we did'nt go to the observatory on top, cos we were told that due to extreme foggy conditions, visibility was very poor, 1/2 a mile max, and not worth the 16$ ticket. Did a little bit of shopping after that...and we literally got thrown out a shop cos the guy didn't like it when we asked if the discount was genuine. He just put down the digicam he was showing us and slowly said..."Do not make me curse you. You can leave now." As we were walking out, he shouted right in my ear,"Get the F*** out of my shop!" Our first experience of the famous blunt rudeness.
'This is New York and there's no law against being annoying' -- William Kunstler
Well, that's all for now...more tomorrow.
Here are a few pics...
The Manhattan skyline - need i say more?
Liberty Island - view from the ferry
The statue and me mouth-wide-open
Me,Mitesh,Shan and the NYSE Bull
Empire State - broke my back for dis pic!
Architecture - US Customs House
The old with the new
So where were we?
Well....after getting back onshore after going to the Statue of Liberty...we decided to walk and go sightseeing. In fact, that's the best option in New York if you don't wanna use the metro. It isn't easy at first to understand the city's complex road planning. We were almost cursing it the night we arrived cos we were totally lost and could'nt locate our hotel.There are hajjar streets and Avs intersecting each other...so many one-ways... its easy to go mad. However,by the end of our trip, I was left amazed at actually how much planning has gone in. The roads are actually very logical and everything fits in beautifully. Its funny really..when you look at the city, you feel things are totally out of control,the city is so packed and crowded and everyone is in a rush, and you feel its only a matter of time before the whole place collapses. It doesn't however.
New York has always been going to hell but somehow it never gets there' -- Robert Persig
Well, we spent time at Battery Park, walked to the NYSE Stock exchange...where there were like 200 tourists clicking pictures around the famous Bull. Walked further down Wall Street...the World Financial Center etc. New York City's architecture is very unique...its a mix of neo-classical style buildings and ultra-modern skyscrapers. Ranging from elegant brownstone houses and apartments to giants like the Empire State.There is architecture of such breath-taking variety, you can spent a day just looking at the buildings. Made me start thinking about Howard Roark. Seriously. (*Hi-fives Polo*) Ok..after roaming about Lower Manhattan, we went to the Empire State. However, we did'nt go to the observatory on top, cos we were told that due to extreme foggy conditions, visibility was very poor, 1/2 a mile max, and not worth the 16$ ticket. Did a little bit of shopping after that...and we literally got thrown out a shop cos the guy didn't like it when we asked if the discount was genuine. He just put down the digicam he was showing us and slowly said..."Do not make me curse you. You can leave now." As we were walking out, he shouted right in my ear,"Get the F*** out of my shop!" Our first experience of the famous blunt rudeness.
'This is New York and there's no law against being annoying' -- William Kunstler
Well, that's all for now...more tomorrow.
Here are a few pics...
The Manhattan skyline - need i say more?
Liberty Island - view from the ferry
The statue and me mouth-wide-open
Me,Mitesh,Shan and the NYSE Bull
Empire State - broke my back for dis pic!
Architecture - US Customs House
The old with the new
NYC Trip: Part I - My New York Minute
'It is ridiculous to set a detective story in New York City. New York City is itself a detective story.' -- Agatha Christie
/* Room 201, The Grant Hotel, W 94th st, Manhattan */
What a day. Our weekend trip to New York City is underway! We left
DC at around 6:00pm. Our mode of transport - Road - in our rented
Chevy Impala. 7 hours later and 231 wrong turns later, we reached our destination. The Big Apple. The City that never sleeps. Oh,yeah its true. Need proof? We reached Broadway street at around 1:00am, and got stuck in a traffic jam for 30min. Not kiddin! This place is buzzin.
Checked into our hotel at around 1:00am, threw our luggage in and headed staright out. Went and grabbed some dinner at Subway, and then went city roamin! Oh yeah, we don't waste any time! Woh-ho. The City is famous for no simple reason. I guess I still haven't recovered enough from the initial effect the view of the Manhattan skyline had on me. Ahhh, I can't put it into words. Its like watchin an artifical sky of stars. Of different colours and sizes. Only thing is that the sky is not above but right there in front of you. Made by the hands of men and magnificient beyond anything I've seen so far. Ooohh...too much i say! Gotta try n take some sesski snaps. Ok, enuff of babbling, its past 3:30am - time to sleep, Got a long day tomorrow.
/* Present day - 2 days later* /
Ohkkaaayy....that was the start. I'd planned to do a day-to-day write-up but I didn't get time after that initial paragraph. Now I'm back now in Rockville after the NYC Trip. Very very tired. I've slept a total of 10 hours in the last 3 days. How could I? It was my NEW YORK MINUTE time. I've got a lot to rant about...here goes -
First of all, the NEW YORK MINUTE.
[SOURCE - WIKIPEDIA]
A New York minute is a very short period of time, sometimes significantly shorter than sixty seconds, and sometimes a form of hyperbole for "perhaps faster than you would believe is possible". The term refers to the common perception that New York City is very
busy, with much happening at all hours of the day, and people often in a hurry and likely to be impatient. It is a joke, especially in New York City, to define a New York minute as the amount of time between the light in front of you turning green and the taxicab behind you honking, and to suggest this may actually be half a second or so, or a negative quantity of time.
There may be an ironic link to use the term in an alternate way, suggesting "as a New Yorker, I can't spare 60 seconds to tell them what they deserve, so I'm packing the same abuse into a shorter time, and being proportionately more intensive in my abuse." It could also be a reference to the famed rudeness of native New Yorkers.
If I could summarise our trip in 2 words - It would be FAST and ABUSE. Everything happens too fast. People don't waste 2 secs in using the F-word. I "saw" a lot of FAST and "heard" a lot of ABUSE. BUT I LOVED IT ALL. I guess that's what makes New York City so
special. You just can't get enough of it.
"When its 100 degrees in New York, it's 72 in Los Angeles. When its 30 degrees in New York, in Los Angeles it's still 72. However, there are 6 million interesting people in New York, and 72 in Los Angeles." -- Neil Simon
The first we did the next morning afer we reached was grab breakfast and head out into the city for sightseeing. Another thing NYC is notorious for, is its parking. Having a car and trying to park it is a major P.I.T.A!!!
A car is useless in New York, essential everywhere else. The same with good manners.' -- Mignon McLaughlin
So we decided to take the Metro. The first thing that struck me walking into a subway was....Max Payne. Seriously. It looked exactly the same as it was in the game. It's dark and scary. You do not fool around in subways, else you'll seriously regret it. (As luck you have
it, I would find out exactly why later that day) Anywayz...From there we decided to go straight to the southern tip - South Ferry and go to the Statue of Liberty. 1 hour and 11.5$ later, we were on our way to Liberty island. The Mahattan skyline takes you breath away as you
move away from the city. Your breath is taken away again when you near the Statue. We spent approx. 2 hours in Liberty Island, just taking it all in. The place was packed with tourists, and it felt like mini-India too...so many of us! After that, we were ferried to Ellis Island and then back to the city...It was late afternoon...but our day in the Big Apple was just getting started...
On my way. Sweet desert rose..whose shadow bears the secret promise..
Midnight Jam at Times Square
Aaaaahhh..my PM's tryin to push me over!
South Ferry Junction
One fake Statue of Liberty and a super fake American
More Later........
/* Room 201, The Grant Hotel, W 94th st, Manhattan */
What a day. Our weekend trip to New York City is underway! We left
DC at around 6:00pm. Our mode of transport - Road - in our rented
Chevy Impala. 7 hours later and 231 wrong turns later, we reached our destination. The Big Apple. The City that never sleeps. Oh,yeah its true. Need proof? We reached Broadway street at around 1:00am, and got stuck in a traffic jam for 30min. Not kiddin! This place is buzzin.
Checked into our hotel at around 1:00am, threw our luggage in and headed staright out. Went and grabbed some dinner at Subway, and then went city roamin! Oh yeah, we don't waste any time! Woh-ho. The City is famous for no simple reason. I guess I still haven't recovered enough from the initial effect the view of the Manhattan skyline had on me. Ahhh, I can't put it into words. Its like watchin an artifical sky of stars. Of different colours and sizes. Only thing is that the sky is not above but right there in front of you. Made by the hands of men and magnificient beyond anything I've seen so far. Ooohh...too much i say! Gotta try n take some sesski snaps. Ok, enuff of babbling, its past 3:30am - time to sleep, Got a long day tomorrow.
/* Present day - 2 days later* /
Ohkkaaayy....that was the start. I'd planned to do a day-to-day write-up but I didn't get time after that initial paragraph. Now I'm back now in Rockville after the NYC Trip. Very very tired. I've slept a total of 10 hours in the last 3 days. How could I? It was my NEW YORK MINUTE time. I've got a lot to rant about...here goes -
First of all, the NEW YORK MINUTE.
[SOURCE - WIKIPEDIA]
A New York minute is a very short period of time, sometimes significantly shorter than sixty seconds, and sometimes a form of hyperbole for "perhaps faster than you would believe is possible". The term refers to the common perception that New York City is very
busy, with much happening at all hours of the day, and people often in a hurry and likely to be impatient. It is a joke, especially in New York City, to define a New York minute as the amount of time between the light in front of you turning green and the taxicab behind you honking, and to suggest this may actually be half a second or so, or a negative quantity of time.
There may be an ironic link to use the term in an alternate way, suggesting "as a New Yorker, I can't spare 60 seconds to tell them what they deserve, so I'm packing the same abuse into a shorter time, and being proportionately more intensive in my abuse." It could also be a reference to the famed rudeness of native New Yorkers.
If I could summarise our trip in 2 words - It would be FAST and ABUSE. Everything happens too fast. People don't waste 2 secs in using the F-word. I "saw" a lot of FAST and "heard" a lot of ABUSE. BUT I LOVED IT ALL. I guess that's what makes New York City so
special. You just can't get enough of it.
"When its 100 degrees in New York, it's 72 in Los Angeles. When its 30 degrees in New York, in Los Angeles it's still 72. However, there are 6 million interesting people in New York, and 72 in Los Angeles." -- Neil Simon
The first we did the next morning afer we reached was grab breakfast and head out into the city for sightseeing. Another thing NYC is notorious for, is its parking. Having a car and trying to park it is a major P.I.T.A!!!
A car is useless in New York, essential everywhere else. The same with good manners.' -- Mignon McLaughlin
So we decided to take the Metro. The first thing that struck me walking into a subway was....Max Payne. Seriously. It looked exactly the same as it was in the game. It's dark and scary. You do not fool around in subways, else you'll seriously regret it. (As luck you have
it, I would find out exactly why later that day) Anywayz...From there we decided to go straight to the southern tip - South Ferry and go to the Statue of Liberty. 1 hour and 11.5$ later, we were on our way to Liberty island. The Mahattan skyline takes you breath away as you
move away from the city. Your breath is taken away again when you near the Statue. We spent approx. 2 hours in Liberty Island, just taking it all in. The place was packed with tourists, and it felt like mini-India too...so many of us! After that, we were ferried to Ellis Island and then back to the city...It was late afternoon...but our day in the Big Apple was just getting started...
On my way. Sweet desert rose..whose shadow bears the secret promise..
Midnight Jam at Times Square
Aaaaahhh..my PM's tryin to push me over!
South Ferry Junction
One fake Statue of Liberty and a super fake American
More Later........
Thursday, July 20, 2006
How many....
/*beware - extreme Mallu chalu humour*/
kilometres from Washington DC to Miami Beach?
Laletan: ha!ha!ha! I am the answer...I am the answer...Kilometres and kilometres in these days of degenerating decency of Washington DC to Miyami beach when diplomacy and n supercity become interchangeable from complicated America to America!!
Well, even after years of hearing this answer...it still hasn't satisfied me. The question has been lying somewhere in my brain all these years...what is the actual distance??? What is it??
And now...finally...after 10+ years...at 3am, sitting in my hotel room watchin tv and sippin on stone cold's fav drink....I've found it!!!
With a little bit of help from Google ofcourse.
The exact distance from Washington DC to Miami beach is 1604 miles.
Which when multiplied by 1.6093 gives 2581.3172 kms!!!
Aaaahhhh....peace!
And I know I've provided the answer for many of you folks also, no thanks necessary! :)
/*extreme non-sense too*/
/*My sincere apologies*/
kilometres from Washington DC to Miami Beach?
Laletan: ha!ha!ha! I am the answer...I am the answer...Kilometres and kilometres in these days of degenerating decency of Washington DC to Miyami beach when diplomacy and n supercity become interchangeable from complicated America to America!!
Well, even after years of hearing this answer...it still hasn't satisfied me. The question has been lying somewhere in my brain all these years...what is the actual distance??? What is it??
And now...finally...after 10+ years...at 3am, sitting in my hotel room watchin tv and sippin on stone cold's fav drink....I've found it!!!
With a little bit of help from Google ofcourse.
The exact distance from Washington DC to Miami beach is 1604 miles.
Which when multiplied by 1.6093 gives 2581.3172 kms!!!
Aaaahhhh....peace!
And I know I've provided the answer for many of you folks also, no thanks necessary! :)
/*extreme non-sense too*/
/*My sincere apologies*/
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
faaheeratugoh? (Damnit!)
Well..work has begun. The office is good and the people are very friendly.
Had an introductory session to all the employees yesterday and a mock "raggin" session. Was fun though! Today was the 2nd day at office...its just 5 mins from where we live and a morning walk can do wonders i say! Some of my second impressions and first observations are...
* The news channels are crazzy! The only things I get to watch on them are - Terrorist attack rumour..Saddam Trial...MJ Trial... some arbit Murder Case Verdict...even more arbit Serial Killer case verdict...do people have a real appetite for these things or are they just being over-fed with gore and violence?
* You gotta have thankyou and welcome at the tip your tongue always. You're gonna hear it more times in an hour than you do in a day in India.
* You do not say zero. You say "oh".
* You do not say sms. You say text.
* You not use water. At all. At all. You drink soda instead. You use paper instead.
* Do not get confused if you see 768 different types of sweeteners. Its ok, use any.
* Light switches are operated upside down. upside means ON and downside means OFF.
* Please press the "cross" signal and wait for the "walk-signal" before crossing. You can get run over anytime.
* There's too much parking space available everywhere. Cos all the parking lots are meant to be empty always.
* Its ok if the Sun sets at 9pm. Its not the end of the world.
* UTC,GMT,DST,TZ- Very important in more ways than one. Learn them well. (self-reminder)
and finally....
* Do not get scared when you hear the sweet female behind the counter at BurgerKing say "faaheeraatugoh" after taking your order. Do not get hysterical when you say pardon and she repeats it a dozen times but you still don't get it. It translates "for here or to go" - which just means that she's askin you if you wanna eat it right here or parcel it. Dumbo!
Ok, thats all for now. It's 3am here...time to try and get some shut-eye. Here are some more pics before that.
A walk to remember - naa,not really - just the morning walk to office.
With the gang at Burger King. That's Mitesh's Pontiac btw.
Buurrrp! This is what happens when your appetite for clicking away reaches enormous proportions.
Near the Town Center...nice view - in more ways than one! :)
Looks like its outta UT/Quake aint it! Sesski :))
Had an introductory session to all the employees yesterday and a mock "raggin" session. Was fun though! Today was the 2nd day at office...its just 5 mins from where we live and a morning walk can do wonders i say! Some of my second impressions and first observations are...
* The news channels are crazzy! The only things I get to watch on them are - Terrorist attack rumour..Saddam Trial...MJ Trial... some arbit Murder Case Verdict...even more arbit Serial Killer case verdict...do people have a real appetite for these things or are they just being over-fed with gore and violence?
* You gotta have thankyou and welcome at the tip your tongue always. You're gonna hear it more times in an hour than you do in a day in India.
* You do not say zero. You say "oh".
* You do not say sms. You say text.
* You not use water. At all. At all. You drink soda instead. You use paper instead.
* Do not get confused if you see 768 different types of sweeteners. Its ok, use any.
* Light switches are operated upside down. upside means ON and downside means OFF.
* Please press the "cross" signal and wait for the "walk-signal" before crossing. You can get run over anytime.
* There's too much parking space available everywhere. Cos all the parking lots are meant to be empty always.
* Its ok if the Sun sets at 9pm. Its not the end of the world.
* UTC,GMT,DST,TZ- Very important in more ways than one. Learn them well. (self-reminder)
and finally....
* Do not get scared when you hear the sweet female behind the counter at BurgerKing say "faaheeraatugoh" after taking your order. Do not get hysterical when you say pardon and she repeats it a dozen times but you still don't get it. It translates "for here or to go" - which just means that she's askin you if you wanna eat it right here or parcel it. Dumbo!
Ok, thats all for now. It's 3am here...time to try and get some shut-eye. Here are some more pics before that.
A walk to remember - naa,not really - just the morning walk to office.
With the gang at Burger King. That's Mitesh's Pontiac btw.
Buurrrp! This is what happens when your appetite for clicking away reaches enormous proportions.
Near the Town Center...nice view - in more ways than one! :)
Looks like its outta UT/Quake aint it! Sesski :))
Monday, July 10, 2006
Pictorama..
crasssshhhhhhh...na,juz kiddin - just another plane on the busy runway.
Over Mumbai - cold and wet after the drench.
viva France! looks sparsely populated from up here.
Yours truly n Shanmugam - thank God i had company!
Immigration at Newark - phew! had to stand in that long queue for 30min, after the 20 hr flight!
Hotel room:view1,my home sweet home!
Hotel room: view2, yea we've got a 6ft kitchen!
Over Mumbai - cold and wet after the drench.
viva France! looks sparsely populated from up here.
Yours truly n Shanmugam - thank God i had company!
Immigration at Newark - phew! had to stand in that long queue for 30min, after the 20 hr flight!
Hotel room:view1,my home sweet home!
Hotel room: view2, yea we've got a 6ft kitchen!
The day the Sun never set
/* Paris Charles de Gaulle Intl. Airport - onboard AI-191 seat74K/*
Ohhkaayyy...
Hi all, me right now sitting in the location given above, while our plane is being cleaned, refueled, and reloaded at the Paris Intl Airport.Local Time: 1:00pm, IST: 4:30pm.
Ok..here's the update so far:
My flight AI-261 BLR-BOM was delayed by an hour yesterday.
We finally started off at 0445. God! i was so tired, had spent the entire day packing and getting ready for the trip, that I didn't even get 40 winks the whole time! I slept off almost as soon as I got on the plane. Didn't even realise we had taken off and landed! Seriously! Anywayz, reached Shivaji airport at around 7am. Got into our Newark-bound flight almost rightaway. Well, the journey has been pretty eventful. Saw 4 movies onboard, which means I haven't even started reading the Ken Follet book I picked up from the B'lore airport.I've been pretty busy with my cam too - will post them soon!
From here we'll be off to Newark, which means another 10 hours or so onboard. Aahhh,my legs are already paining!
There are times in life when you feel humbled and overawed by nature. You then think about the universe, God, creation etc. Moments such as watching a peaceful and clean night sky, a sunset on the beach, etc. Well, a window-seat on a flight makes u kinda feel the same way too. The clouds below you and the shadow they cast on the vast terrain underneath..phew..mindblowing! France looks pretty much like a green and brown jigsaw puzzle from above. Makes me wonder if they divided land for cultivation or otherwise to make it look great from the air! Tehran and Istanbul were totally brown. Hungary had colours ranging from very light to dark green. Actually, the whole damn view is Google Earth alike. Duh! Should be, its the same Earth after all. I think the low oxygen is getting to me! :)
Well,lemme see, there's approx. 7 more hours left for the WC Finals. Damn! I feel like wishing luck to the French cleaning crew who are onboard right now. Go Zizou! After Amelie Mauresmo's Wimby victory yesterday, it'll be a double-celebration spree for zeee French..aahh..zaa gooda timeza fora zem! The Wi-Fi networks i can access right now is Orange France and HubTelecom. Well, 48-50 Mbps is shown but the signal strength is so damn feeble I can't connect! Grr!
/* Dulles Intl. Airport - Newark */
Phew...seems like a different world. Its 7:20pm local time, and the Sun is so high, it seems like 3 or 4, IST. The Wi-Fi LAN costs 8$ (damnit!), so I'm still only typing...lets see when I can post. My flight to DC has been delayed. Well, first impressions of the US of A: People seem friendly and everything looks spick n span. Supreme order everywhere. I can see Indians around, especially behind the counters at the Coffee/Snack Bars. Well, I haven't set foot outside an airport yet, so my impressions are likely to totally change though.
The day the Sun never set. I haven't seen 'NIGHT' for more than 24 hours now. Since we've been travelling back in time (pun in vain), the Sun has been our loyal companion ever since we reached Mumbai. Also, I've only slept for like 6 hours in the last two days I think! Well, actually no, cos of the time-difference, I'm still stuck on July 9th! :)
/* Room-105, HomeStead Studio Suites Hotel, Rockville, Maryland */
Local time: 3:30am. My head is spinning, my body is aching, but I cant sleep. Jetlag...my bio-clock gone bonkers, I don't know. But I have to reach office tomorrow at 9am. God help me! Reached Washington DC at 11:30pm. Reached the hotel after midnight. My hotel room is awesome. More importantly - I have a 58Mbps wi-fi connection! jai! I'm very happy I've reached here in one piece. It's been a long, long day, perhaps the most eventful of my life. Lots to say, but my brain has stopped functioning. I have to stop now...will blog later tomorrow. Cya!
PS: I came to know only a few hours back that Italy had won. The pilot had announced it was 1-1 in regular time and that France had eventually won (much to the joy of the many french passengers onboard) but later apologised saying it was wrong info. God! I hate to think of the utter despair those french passengers went through on hearing the correct news.
Ohhkaayyy...
Hi all, me right now sitting in the location given above, while our plane is being cleaned, refueled, and reloaded at the Paris Intl Airport.Local Time: 1:00pm, IST: 4:30pm.
Ok..here's the update so far:
My flight AI-261 BLR-BOM was delayed by an hour yesterday.
We finally started off at 0445. God! i was so tired, had spent the entire day packing and getting ready for the trip, that I didn't even get 40 winks the whole time! I slept off almost as soon as I got on the plane. Didn't even realise we had taken off and landed! Seriously! Anywayz, reached Shivaji airport at around 7am. Got into our Newark-bound flight almost rightaway. Well, the journey has been pretty eventful. Saw 4 movies onboard, which means I haven't even started reading the Ken Follet book I picked up from the B'lore airport.I've been pretty busy with my cam too - will post them soon!
From here we'll be off to Newark, which means another 10 hours or so onboard. Aahhh,my legs are already paining!
There are times in life when you feel humbled and overawed by nature. You then think about the universe, God, creation etc. Moments such as watching a peaceful and clean night sky, a sunset on the beach, etc. Well, a window-seat on a flight makes u kinda feel the same way too. The clouds below you and the shadow they cast on the vast terrain underneath..phew..mindblowing! France looks pretty much like a green and brown jigsaw puzzle from above. Makes me wonder if they divided land for cultivation or otherwise to make it look great from the air! Tehran and Istanbul were totally brown. Hungary had colours ranging from very light to dark green. Actually, the whole damn view is Google Earth alike. Duh! Should be, its the same Earth after all. I think the low oxygen is getting to me! :)
Well,lemme see, there's approx. 7 more hours left for the WC Finals. Damn! I feel like wishing luck to the French cleaning crew who are onboard right now. Go Zizou! After Amelie Mauresmo's Wimby victory yesterday, it'll be a double-celebration spree for zeee French..aahh..zaa gooda timeza fora zem! The Wi-Fi networks i can access right now is Orange France and HubTelecom. Well, 48-50 Mbps is shown but the signal strength is so damn feeble I can't connect! Grr!
/* Dulles Intl. Airport - Newark */
Phew...seems like a different world. Its 7:20pm local time, and the Sun is so high, it seems like 3 or 4, IST. The Wi-Fi LAN costs 8$ (damnit!), so I'm still only typing...lets see when I can post. My flight to DC has been delayed. Well, first impressions of the US of A: People seem friendly and everything looks spick n span. Supreme order everywhere. I can see Indians around, especially behind the counters at the Coffee/Snack Bars. Well, I haven't set foot outside an airport yet, so my impressions are likely to totally change though.
The day the Sun never set. I haven't seen 'NIGHT' for more than 24 hours now. Since we've been travelling back in time (pun in vain), the Sun has been our loyal companion ever since we reached Mumbai. Also, I've only slept for like 6 hours in the last two days I think! Well, actually no, cos of the time-difference, I'm still stuck on July 9th! :)
/* Room-105, HomeStead Studio Suites Hotel, Rockville, Maryland */
Local time: 3:30am. My head is spinning, my body is aching, but I cant sleep. Jetlag...my bio-clock gone bonkers, I don't know. But I have to reach office tomorrow at 9am. God help me! Reached Washington DC at 11:30pm. Reached the hotel after midnight. My hotel room is awesome. More importantly - I have a 58Mbps wi-fi connection! jai! I'm very happy I've reached here in one piece. It's been a long, long day, perhaps the most eventful of my life. Lots to say, but my brain has stopped functioning. I have to stop now...will blog later tomorrow. Cya!
PS: I came to know only a few hours back that Italy had won. The pilot had announced it was 1-1 in regular time and that France had eventually won (much to the joy of the many french passengers onboard) but later apologised saying it was wrong info. God! I hate to think of the utter despair those french passengers went through on hearing the correct news.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Change is inevitable I know...but sometimes pretty fast too!
Whoa...
It's been 2 weeks since my last post....
Now let's see...what all has changed around me and in my life...... A LOT.
Hmmm..for starters..
England is out of the World Cup!!! (boo hoo! I rushed home to tvm via a rickety AirDeccan flight only to see them crash out.)
Brazil is out too!! (Yeaaah!!!! Atlast those overhyped samba boys have been given a dose of reality.)
Argentina is out!! (I feel sorry for them. Germany, who is also out, somehow managed the upset. Credit to them.)
Portugal is out!! (Double YEAH!!! Serves them right!)
So now its an Italy-France final.
Italy: I started respecting them during the Australia match. They're playing very well, and combining brilliantly as a team.
France: What a comeback story! and Zizou is signing off his career in style..if they manage to win it, he'll be surely beheld as one of the Gods of all time..if he isn't already that is.
Well..on the personal front, there's a lot to say too.
I'm into a new project - for HillCrest Labs, who are based out of Rockville, Maryland. Getting selected for the project was tough; I had to scrape through a written test, followed by lengthy HR and Tech interviews. Got through (luckily) somehow, and 5 of us have been selected.
I was in Delhi last Friday for my visa interview. Got through that. It was sursprisingly pretty easy, and went something like this:
Me (speakin): Good Mornin Ma'am.
Interviewer (Strict-lookin lady) : Gooooood Moaarnin!
She starts lookin through my docs, but has difficulty in getting the bar-code read.
Me(thinkin) : Damn! All over before it started!
She: Okaaaayyy..how many months in MindTree?
Me(thinkin): phew..atlast its underway..the tension is tooo much i say!
Me(speakin): 10 months Ma'am.
She: And before that?
Me(speakin): First Job Ma'am.
She: Why are you going to the US?
Me(speakin): Requirements Analysis..blah blah.
Me(thinkin): Oooohh pleeeezzz...no more questions regarding the project...don't make life tough!
She: Do you have any family in the US?
Me(speakin): No Ma'am.
She(givin me a doubtful look): Hmmm...where did you do your schooling?
Me(thinkin): Damn...do i have to say my college's name?
Me(speakin): Marian College of Engineering Ma'am.
She(givin me a sharp look): You don't have anyone in the US?
Me(thinkin): Ohhh i told ya already! But i do have like 20+ cousins..relatives...
Me(speakin): No Ma'am. (n giving my best smile)
She: Where is your family then?
Me(speakin): Trivandrum, Kerala.
She: Ok, thank you Staney, we will send your visa-stamped passport to you by courier.
Me(thinkin):Whhaaaa!!!! Over so soon!!! I'm I dreamin?? Did she say it was over!!!??? No way!!!
Me(speakin): ThankYou Ma'am!
Aaahhh...phew...it got over within 3 min! And then the whole day was spent sightseeing...Lotus Temple, Qutub Minar, Rashtrapati Bhavan, India Gate, Humayun's tomb etc. Aroused my interest in Mughal history by leaps! and Delhi is seriously preparing well for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. What roads! What order and discipline! Bangalore take a hint! Reached back via KingFisher.(Yippeee!!!! Now that is sakkath hot magaa!)
Well, I'm leaving for Washington DC this Saturday night. (Which means i'll miss the WC finals most probably, unless there's a delay somewhere and i catch the match at some Airport.)
Will be there for 3-6 months. Hmmm...seems my hotel's name is Sleep Inn Shady Grove.
Hehe..i can already forsee some very mysterious things in store! Can't wait!
I'll be blogging every part of my trip right here...so keep checkin in regularly folks!
Adios! Take Care!
It's been 2 weeks since my last post....
Now let's see...what all has changed around me and in my life...... A LOT.
Hmmm..for starters..
England is out of the World Cup!!! (boo hoo! I rushed home to tvm via a rickety AirDeccan flight only to see them crash out.)
Brazil is out too!! (Yeaaah!!!! Atlast those overhyped samba boys have been given a dose of reality.)
Argentina is out!! (I feel sorry for them. Germany, who is also out, somehow managed the upset. Credit to them.)
Portugal is out!! (Double YEAH!!! Serves them right!)
So now its an Italy-France final.
Italy: I started respecting them during the Australia match. They're playing very well, and combining brilliantly as a team.
France: What a comeback story! and Zizou is signing off his career in style..if they manage to win it, he'll be surely beheld as one of the Gods of all time..if he isn't already that is.
Well..on the personal front, there's a lot to say too.
I'm into a new project - for HillCrest Labs, who are based out of Rockville, Maryland. Getting selected for the project was tough; I had to scrape through a written test, followed by lengthy HR and Tech interviews. Got through (luckily) somehow, and 5 of us have been selected.
I was in Delhi last Friday for my visa interview. Got through that. It was sursprisingly pretty easy, and went something like this:
Me (speakin): Good Mornin Ma'am.
Interviewer (Strict-lookin lady) : Gooooood Moaarnin!
She starts lookin through my docs, but has difficulty in getting the bar-code read.
Me(thinkin) : Damn! All over before it started!
She: Okaaaayyy..how many months in MindTree?
Me(thinkin): phew..atlast its underway..the tension is tooo much i say!
Me(speakin): 10 months Ma'am.
She: And before that?
Me(speakin): First Job Ma'am.
She: Why are you going to the US?
Me(speakin): Requirements Analysis..blah blah.
Me(thinkin): Oooohh pleeeezzz...no more questions regarding the project...don't make life tough!
She: Do you have any family in the US?
Me(speakin): No Ma'am.
She(givin me a doubtful look): Hmmm...where did you do your schooling?
Me(thinkin): Damn...do i have to say my college's name?
Me(speakin): Marian College of Engineering Ma'am.
She(givin me a sharp look): You don't have anyone in the US?
Me(thinkin): Ohhh i told ya already! But i do have like 20+ cousins..relatives...
Me(speakin): No Ma'am. (n giving my best smile)
She: Where is your family then?
Me(speakin): Trivandrum, Kerala.
She: Ok, thank you Staney, we will send your visa-stamped passport to you by courier.
Me(thinkin):Whhaaaa!!!! Over so soon!!! I'm I dreamin?? Did she say it was over!!!??? No way!!!
Me(speakin): ThankYou Ma'am!
Aaahhh...phew...it got over within 3 min! And then the whole day was spent sightseeing...Lotus Temple, Qutub Minar, Rashtrapati Bhavan, India Gate, Humayun's tomb etc. Aroused my interest in Mughal history by leaps! and Delhi is seriously preparing well for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. What roads! What order and discipline! Bangalore take a hint! Reached back via KingFisher.(Yippeee!!!! Now that is sakkath hot magaa!)
Well, I'm leaving for Washington DC this Saturday night. (Which means i'll miss the WC finals most probably, unless there's a delay somewhere and i catch the match at some Airport.)
Will be there for 3-6 months. Hmmm...seems my hotel's name is Sleep Inn Shady Grove.
Hehe..i can already forsee some very mysterious things in store! Can't wait!
I'll be blogging every part of my trip right here...so keep checkin in regularly folks!
Adios! Take Care!
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
The England Tale...
The team I'm rooting for this World Cup.
The players I watch every week and love.
The coach I hate.
It's either euphoria or despair whenever a team you support plays. This WC, even though England have won two matches and drawn one, it's been more despair than euphoria. Why? Ohhh my, I can go on and on and on. I'll try to make it short.
If I could fit it in one line, I would say - "Why the hell didn't the FA kick Swen out after the last World Cup?" You should learn from your mistakes soon, else you're bound to fail again. And that's what I fear will happen again this year. The problem is, just like the FA, it seems Swen doesn't want to learn from his mistakes. And he's repeating them over and over again.
Mistake #1 - Team selection
He chose 4 strikers. Out of which one was still injured, one was recovering, one was a baby totally new to even club-football, and one was a guy called Crotch...oops..sorry...Crouch- The basketball player who (sadly for us) found his calling in football. Now, one of them, Owen, has badly injured his knee and is almost surely out of the WorldCup. So, we've got Rooney, who obviously isn't upto peak form yet, Crouch, who....ahh..nevermind, and Walcott, who is not even being given a chance to show his potential.
End result: 1 n 1/2 strikers, hardly enough ammo to win the Cup.
Why didn't he select Jermain Defoe or Darren Bent? beats me....
Mistake #2 - Team formation
A 4-4-2 works for me. Owen and Rooney upfront would have been ideal..unfortunately we saw that for only 4 minutes..and then Owen got injured.
A 4-1-4-1 is not going to help them win the Cup. It's only calling for trouble. The Swedes took full advantage of that.
But whatever the formation, It isn't going to help if he repeats Mistake #3.
Mistake #3 - Team strategy
Defensive Defensive Defensive. Why??
This England squad has the potential to play beautiful and dominating football. Instead, what do you get? A tentative and wary approach, that encourages opponents to play and score against them. First step: Cut the long-ball approach please. It totally takes out people like Stevie-G and Lamps out of the game. Swen's Long-ball approach is the reason why Crouch is there in Germany. This team..these players can play excellent flowing football. Ground passes, first-touches, intelligent through-balls, these are the few of the wonderful things we want to see. And the first rule, never sit back and defend on a 1-0 lead. Taking out Owen and bringing on the other Owen (Hargreaves) in the first match against Paraguay almost cost them the match. Against the Swedes too, substituting their main attacking player - Rooney, midway during the 2nd half. Why O Why?
If it were upto me, what would I do? I would bring Lennon and Downing into the game as much as possible. Play Walcott and Rooney upfront. Or play Joe Cole on the left upfront. Push Becks to rightback whenever Lennon comes in. Those long balls can be supplied from there too. The problem is that Becks keeps disappearing during matches and only comes into light when a set-piece is taken. Against the Swedes, England hardly had a build-up through the right flank. It was all Joe Cole on the left. Give Rooney as much as roaming freedom as possible. Stevie-G and Lamps in a semi-circle arc behind Rooney. And I would let them play fast and attacking football.
Looking forward, I think England has just enough to eke out a victory against Ecuador.
But looking even more further, it gets scary.
England will play the winners of the Portugal - Holland (or maybe Argentina) in the quarters.
Looking at Holland's present form, I think it'll be an Eng-Por match.
They better improve if they want to reach the semis.
Else sadly, it'll be early curtains for England.
Well, if this dark cloud were to have a silver lining, it would be the fact that it would be mean curtains for Swen as well. But as much as I hate him, I would rather have that happen after the final.
The players I watch every week and love.
The coach I hate.
It's either euphoria or despair whenever a team you support plays. This WC, even though England have won two matches and drawn one, it's been more despair than euphoria. Why? Ohhh my, I can go on and on and on. I'll try to make it short.
If I could fit it in one line, I would say - "Why the hell didn't the FA kick Swen out after the last World Cup?" You should learn from your mistakes soon, else you're bound to fail again. And that's what I fear will happen again this year. The problem is, just like the FA, it seems Swen doesn't want to learn from his mistakes. And he's repeating them over and over again.
Mistake #1 - Team selection
He chose 4 strikers. Out of which one was still injured, one was recovering, one was a baby totally new to even club-football, and one was a guy called Crotch...oops..sorry...Crouch- The basketball player who (sadly for us) found his calling in football. Now, one of them, Owen, has badly injured his knee and is almost surely out of the WorldCup. So, we've got Rooney, who obviously isn't upto peak form yet, Crouch, who....ahh..nevermind, and Walcott, who is not even being given a chance to show his potential.
End result: 1 n 1/2 strikers, hardly enough ammo to win the Cup.
Why didn't he select Jermain Defoe or Darren Bent? beats me....
Mistake #2 - Team formation
A 4-4-2 works for me. Owen and Rooney upfront would have been ideal..unfortunately we saw that for only 4 minutes..and then Owen got injured.
A 4-1-4-1 is not going to help them win the Cup. It's only calling for trouble. The Swedes took full advantage of that.
But whatever the formation, It isn't going to help if he repeats Mistake #3.
Mistake #3 - Team strategy
Defensive Defensive Defensive. Why??
This England squad has the potential to play beautiful and dominating football. Instead, what do you get? A tentative and wary approach, that encourages opponents to play and score against them. First step: Cut the long-ball approach please. It totally takes out people like Stevie-G and Lamps out of the game. Swen's Long-ball approach is the reason why Crouch is there in Germany. This team..these players can play excellent flowing football. Ground passes, first-touches, intelligent through-balls, these are the few of the wonderful things we want to see. And the first rule, never sit back and defend on a 1-0 lead. Taking out Owen and bringing on the other Owen (Hargreaves) in the first match against Paraguay almost cost them the match. Against the Swedes too, substituting their main attacking player - Rooney, midway during the 2nd half. Why O Why?
If it were upto me, what would I do? I would bring Lennon and Downing into the game as much as possible. Play Walcott and Rooney upfront. Or play Joe Cole on the left upfront. Push Becks to rightback whenever Lennon comes in. Those long balls can be supplied from there too. The problem is that Becks keeps disappearing during matches and only comes into light when a set-piece is taken. Against the Swedes, England hardly had a build-up through the right flank. It was all Joe Cole on the left. Give Rooney as much as roaming freedom as possible. Stevie-G and Lamps in a semi-circle arc behind Rooney. And I would let them play fast and attacking football.
Looking forward, I think England has just enough to eke out a victory against Ecuador.
But looking even more further, it gets scary.
England will play the winners of the Portugal - Holland (or maybe Argentina) in the quarters.
Looking at Holland's present form, I think it'll be an Eng-Por match.
They better improve if they want to reach the semis.
Else sadly, it'll be early curtains for England.
Well, if this dark cloud were to have a silver lining, it would be the fact that it would be mean curtains for Swen as well. But as much as I hate him, I would rather have that happen after the final.
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