Box of chocolates

New Year's Eve, '09

2009-01-02T19:53:00.001-05:00

Its New Year's Eve. Peach Drop and fireworks were part of menu for the event. Had good time with friends and family in sub-freezing temperatures. Warm wishes to everyone and have a very happy and prosperous '09.

'09 Toyota Corolla

2008-11-30T23:30:00.000-05:00

And I finally buy a car. A new '09 Toyota Corolla as a gift for Madhu.

Victim: Mumbai again

2008-11-26T23:35:00.000-05:00

It has been a crazy Thanksgiving weekend. Its been raining bullets in Mumbai. Emotions running high. I hardly slept catching on every minute of carnage and raising several questions on how to secure India.

Several questions were raised by everyone. I was particularly moved by a 7 year old child who said "I want to live and grow up in my country without fear. I don't intend to abandon it. I want to live in a free India where we dont have to repeatedly take terror strikes and yet get up and go back to normal life as if nothing happened. I need some efforts and proof that my country is secured." I hope India will combat these questions positively and collectively and will come up with a great security solution.

Road travails

2008-11-21T00:28:00.000-05:00

I had been on the road for most part of my trip to India. I realized one thing. People say Shining India. People say Glorious India. People say Hail India. But if I may say I would say 'Be a little less pompous India'. For first time in my life, within a short span of time I traveled this much on the rural roads in India. And to call them roads is an exaggeration. They are pieces of land on which the vehicle travels. I could not believe the state of affairs of these roads. The journey from Hyderabad to Mantralayam took us 7 hours to travel 250kms(156 miles). And half the time I was in the air due to pot holes. And from Mantralayam to Srisailam, it took us 12 hours for 270kms(170 miles). And the road, terrible again. My back was hurting by the time I reached Hyderbad. And then I travelled to Shirdi. This time I went through rural areas of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra. All the states had horrible roads. To say the least, I had agonizing experience travelling on Indian Rural roads. Without drastic infrastructure changes, I really doubt that I will be travelling on roads again in India. Alternatively, railways are so much comfort. And I would take it going forward for all my travellings in India.

Unique Struggle

2008-11-15T00:05:00.004-05:00

It is interesting how everyone has to struggle. Some people struggle for success. Some people struggle to fight poverty. Some struggle to fight terrorism. And very little like me struggle to return back to a Life - which is a exact replica of itself but a year ago. I had to struggle to get back whatever I already had. How unfair that sounds. Whatever it is, I am glad I am back to the life I wanted.

Hyd. Downgraded

2008-11-10T23:50:00.000-05:00

Everytime I went to Hyderabad. I was happy to see its growth. I was proud of the growing city. But this time, for the first time, I would hate to say but the truth is I was disapointed at the degradation of the city. The roads which were considered as one of the best in India, were full of potholes. The traffic went from bad to worse. Pollution was no different. Inflation has reached new highs and Hyderabad is not in the affordable city list anymore. As a whole I felt city went down. Don't know whom to blame or what to do to get city back on its track.

Back in US

2008-11-02T23:09:00.002-05:00

OMG!! I cannot believe it. Success finally. We are back in Atlanta, GA. Thanks GOD.

Mission India

2008-10-09T16:54:00.001-04:00

Off to India on an important personal mission. Success of it, or not, will shape my immediate future. Need all the luck. Praying the almighty for success.

Commute

2008-10-06T07:35:00.002-04:00

Commuting has become such a pain in the ass these days for me.

- Today, I missed my flight by 5 mins and now here I am waiting for 5 hrs for my next flight.
- The other day, I was stuck in the flight due to an unscheduled 2 hours stop in Nashville due to closure of one of the runways in Atlanta and the flight lacked fuel to circle in the skies.
- This one time, I was wedged for an hour in the flight waiting for take off. Apparently, the traffic was pretty bad.
- Another time, I was part of this list of helpless enraging passengers who were held up for more than an hour in the flight due to technical snag and had to return back from runway.
The stories are endless and the hassles unending.

There were times when I used to look forward to travel. It was fun. Consulting career made me over do it and here I'm dreading the aspect of traveling. The efforts to arrive at least an hour before the flight boarding time, the long security lines, the lay overs between the flights and the actual flight journey have become such a nuisance. The preparations for the commute, the packings and the unpackings, the eating out every single meal of the day and the related health issues make me wonder how long I can continue doing this...

Country side

2008-10-01T19:45:00.004-04:00

These days I'm commuting every week to a tiny little remote country side. As always, commute is tough. There is at least a couple of hours of layover time each way between the flights and then a ride of an hour from airport to destination. This place is in middle of nowhere and amidst corn fields. As they say here, we watch the corn pop. I am not exaggerating when I say, there is no mobile signal in the village and I need to travel out of the village to get it. And don't even bother thinking about restaurants to eat or hotels to stay. The country side is called St. Joe, Indiana . The nearest decent town is Fort Wayne, Indiana, where I stay, eat and fly into.

The bright side is the scenic country side with acres and acres of farming land. Sometimes, I find myself driving on the local county roads alone. Sometimes, I find myself driving on gravel roads. Sometimes, I find myself observing the smoke on the water. Sometimes, I find myself looking curiously at the local amish people and their ancient living ways. Sometimes, I find the horses & sheeps grazing and deers hoping in the corn fields. Sometimes, I find the big red barns. Sometimes, I find huge trailer/mobile home communities. Sometimes, I wonder what I am doing here. Sometimes..

Clay Court

2008-09-20T17:23:00.012-04:00

Tell you what. Game on Clay court is so different from the one on Hard court.

This morning, I had my first clay court experience here at Sandy Springs Tennis Center. All this time, I had access only to hard courts and hence I started out in the same fashion. I soon realized that is not how one can play on clay.
a. The major difference, I think is pace of the game. The game on clay court is slower than hard court. And since it is slower, the game is mostly from baseline. Because if one runs to the net on clay court, it gives more time to the opponent to hit a passing shot or a lob. So if one is a serve and volley player, they better serve it hard the first time.
b. Clay courts provide value for the drop shot. Since the ball grips the surface, the drop shot is really a drop shot on clay unlike on hard court.
c. And Clay courts provide more spin and hence people with spin skills rather than power game have better chance on the clay courts.

On the whole, it was a fascinating experience to play on clay. I enjoyed it.

Simple and great

2008-09-19T21:22:00.007-04:00

Lately no other song has impressed me so much as this old melodious song from "Piya ka ghar". Great song. Great movie. Great art. I highly recommend this movie (especially for newly weds).

The lyrics of the song goes like this...

"यह जीवन है, इस जीवन का, येही है, येही है, येही है रंग रूप, थोड़े घम हैं, थोड़े खुशियाँ, येही है, येही है, येही है छाव धुप, यह जीवन है..."

Aah..cant wait to describe about it. This soulful song just makes me feel refreshed. Hats off to all the people involved in creation of this gentle and touching song. The rendition by Kishore Kumar is unbelievable. The simplicity and the ease with which he has sung this song is unbelievable. No wonder he is a legend. Its like nectar for the ears.

And talk about modern songs opening a song with guitar. Hear to this one. Laxmikanth Pyarelal has done it in 1972 itself. He used guitar beautifully to provide a soothing touch to this song.

And the heart and soul of the song, the lyrics. So meaningful and so touching. I never thought about life the way it is is described. Unimaginable. Especially the 1st part. Thanks Anand Bhakshi ji for letting me know of another way of interpreting life.

"यह न सोचो इस में अपनी हार है के जीत है, उसे अपनालो जोह भी जीवन की रीत है...."

And last but not the least. The director - Basu chatterjee. What can I say about him. Great director. See this movie to believe it. True example of how movies can be Simple and yet so touching. No unnecessary complications.

All these People created a true work of Art. No tribute, no words can truly describe them. We are fortunate to have access to their work.

Thank you all.

Roger Reins

2008-09-08T22:04:00.004-04:00

It has been a dramatic year for Roger. A Semi-Final loss in Australian Open, two Finals disappointments in French and Wimbledon and an emphatic win in US open. He has seen it all. The agony of loosing No.1 spot for the first time in more than 4 years, the disappointments of finals and the ecstasy of wins in Olympics and US Open.

This probably is the most crucial year for him. Just when people wrote him down, just when he was made to look human, just when vulnerability was creeping in, just when the aura of invincibility was diminishing, he has risen to the occasion and in some emphatic fashion. The assertive win at US Open finals suggests Roger has not lost it and he will continue to fight. We are here to cheer you..
Go Roger Go.

San Fran Trip

2008-09-01T23:11:00.001-04:00

West coast is always adventurous, unbelievable and fascinating. This time, it was no different. My friend Ajay played a wonderful host and Amit, Hemanth & Guru completed the group. We did camping in the mountains of Yosemite (camping is always adventurous & fun), visited Mystery Spot (Unbelievable - cannot stand straight here, everybody are at an inclination), visited Yosemite National Park (pristine lakes & huge, big mountains were fascinating), Visited San Fran Downtown, Golden Gate, Muir Woods & Stinson Beach (These were all exciting & amazing). All these places in itself were wonderful and all put together provided a premium package with memorable moments. It was a great trip and I recommend visiting all these places at least once.

Touchdown at SFO

2008-08-28T18:30:00.001-04:00

Its been a while since I visited San Francisco. When my flight started from Dallas, I did not expect anything out of ordinary. But that was not to be. I would rate SFO airport as one of the best airports I have seen. SFO airport is located in a picturesque location with mountains on one side and runways adjoining Pacific Ocean backwaters on the other. Peeping out of window, one gets to view mostly the mountains in-flight. But as San Fran approaches, water appears and the flight starts to descend making it look as if its on its way into the waters. The excitement is phenomenal. The run way is right next to ocean backwaters and that heightens the beauty of SFO airport. All this makes the landing experience awesome. In one word the entry to San Francisco was Wow.

New dawn awaits

2008-08-26T17:15:00.005-04:00

Today Chiranjeevi launched his new party 'Praja Rajyam'. It brings in new hope for many people in Andhra Pradesh. Now is the right time to enter politics with less than an year left for the elections. So far all his moves have been right. So far he is untouched by dirty politics. So far he has unblemished past. So far his intentions are honest. So far he has not been politician.

If Chiranjeevi wins, it will be good for Andhra Pradesh since he is fresh and brimming with exuberance for social service. And most importantly, he is not yet influenced by politicians and their corrupt ideas. If he loses this time, he has to wait for next 5 years and by then he will be a seasoned politician. Whatever it is, time will show us the results. For now lets wish for a New dawn which will make Andhra Pradesh & India prosperous.

Chiranjeevi - Welcome to the Politics.

Interesting Realization

2008-08-24T23:15:00.000-04:00

I have realized there are 3 groups of people.

People who talk the walk and walk the talk.
People who do not talk the walk but walk the untold talk.
People who talk the walk and do not walk the talk.

I am not here to debate or judge which is the best approach. But, today I truly met a person from Group 2. Now, I know what kind of telling effect people of group 2 have on friends & acquaintances. Its one of my close friends. I am extremely happy for this friend. This friend has achieved something only most dream of. Hats off.

But this friend never informed me what he/she was upto, especially considering the magnitude of the acheivement. This left me with the question "Am I really friend of this friend"? I dont know if it is good to not tell anyone and go on and do the job. I dont know if it is good to tell to close friends and then do the job. But one thing I have realized.

People are different and interpret friendship differently. So just appreciate who ever they are and still be friends.

Alamo

2008-08-17T23:25:00.009-04:00

This was my first shot at American..oops..Texan history I must say. I now understand why people in Texas are first Texans and then Americans. Texans take a lot of pride in their state. The 'Lone Star' state have their own flag and they hoist it along with American flag on all occasions. Heres my take on the history of Texas and America.

When Christopher Columbus founded USA, many Spanish voyagers set forth their expedition towards the West. Mexico was found and the land occupied. They set forth missionary services and converted the native people to Christianity. Some missionaries were sent to the north of Mexico (Texas). These missionaries built a church for the education of local Native Americans. (After its abandonment as a mission, the church was used as a fortress in the 19th century and was the scene of several military actions, including most notably the 1836 Battle of the Alamo) As time went by, the Mexicans along with Texans started their struggle for independence against Spanish forces and they achieved the same in 1821. Mexico promised a Federal constitution during the entire Independence struggle but it formed Centralized Govt. and controlled the entire Mexico from Mexico city. Texans could not get the state as they were hoping. Agitated, they started their rebellion against Mexico for a free Texas State. In Feb 1836, Mexican army led by Santa Anna battled hard and killed around 200 Texans to acquire the Alamo. This enraged Texans even further and army led by Sam Houston encountered the Santa Anna army and pushed the Mexicans back. They acquired their independence from Mexico on April 21st, 1836. Soon after they were merged into USA in 1845. USA then also acquired Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada & California through power & money.

Thus Texas was an Independent state first and then part of USA. This tradition continued and hence even today, people in Texas are first Texans and then Americans.

3 Year US Anniversary

2008-08-16T22:50:00.001-04:00

This day 3 years ago I left India to arrive in US. So many things have changed in life since then. Some of them were good. But others I do not know. Only time will tell.

61st Indian Independence Day

2008-08-15T11:29:00.009-04:00

Sare jag mein kahi nahi hain doosara Hindustaan, doosara Hindustaan. ( There is no other place in the world like India )

It began as any other day. Got up early and got ready to go to office. On the way to office, Radio Salaam Namaste (104.9FM) was playing 61st Indian Independence day special programs. I felt nostalgic. Of the past days when we used to hoist the flag in School & Colony. Of the patriotic songs playing so proudly on the streets. It was great feeling and each year it was a great day. I miss it.

As part of this special program, this song from Pardes was played. It was just another patriotic song when I was in India. I could not comprehend the complete essence of it. 3 years outside India made me realize the true meaning.

"I am proud of my culture" - This was just a cliche to me. Not anymore. The classical dances (Bharatanatyam, Kupchipudi, Kathak etc), the classical music (Carnatic, Hindustani etc) the Raagas (Bhairav, Bhupali etc) are some of the purest forms of Indian Culture. The epics, the vedas, the religions, the festivals, the ghazals, the languages, the history, the food, the lifestyles everything is so diverse and unprecedented to anything else. It has to be experienced to believe it.

Cheers to rich cultural heritage and unprecedented diversity of India. And Happy 61st Indian Independence day.

Home away from home

2008-08-11T23:24:00.001-04:00

Continuing with my Dallas experiences, I believe Dallas is right up there with the select group of US cities that provide Indian lifestyle.

People playing cricket with gay abandon in the open grounds vis-a-vis India, senior citizens taking evening strolls in the sarees & lungis, families chitchatting during evening strolls are some of the common scenes.
And we dont even need to talk about food. Tons of grocery stores. Lots of restaurant options.
And entertainment - a dedicated desi FM channel (Salaam Namaste 104.9) tells it all.
And Weather - probably the closest to Indian weather. It gets hot in summer and stays relatively warm for winter compared to other US cities.

Dallas as a city is a perfect example of how people leave their home for greener pastures and yet try to create home environment. For many Indians it is home away from home.

4 pounds in 3 weeks

2008-08-07T23:11:00.002-04:00

Shocking...I could not believe it. I had gained 4 pounds in 3 weeks.

Courtesy Dallas's innumerable Indian/Pakistani(Desi) Restaurants. One can find variety of desi food such as South Indian, North Indian, Pakistani, Chaat to name a few. Over the past 3 weeks I had eaten every desi dish I craved for over a couple of months. I had the Masala dosas, the pesarttus, the pongals, the pooris, the naans, the stuffed paranthas, the palak paneers, the mutter paneers, the veg. kurma's, the biryanis, the rasmalais, the kulfis etc. With the kind of stationary lifestyles we IT guys lead, this is certainly unhealthy. I urgently need to curb my over indulgence in Indian food and hit the gym more often. Hoping to get the running shoes out.

Road, Rail & Air

2008-07-28T22:33:00.005-04:00

Here I am back in Dallas for another week of work. This week began on an interesting note. Early on Monday morning I decided to take on a mini adventure. Instead of a taxi cab, I decided to commute in Marta bus (from residence to nearest train station), in Marta train (from the station to the airport), in flight (from Atlanta to Dallas) and in rental car (from DFW to office). In the process, I commuted in all the ways possible. Road, Rail & Air.

I touched many aspects of life during my travel. I met the Rich in flight, the Poor in Marta bus and the average Middle class in Marta Train. I started to drool on different aspects of life. How only the poor and the middle class use bus, how the rich/middle class avoid it to use cars even for small commutes, how the poor feel deprived to travel in the bus, how the poor struggle in life even in America, how the buses connectivity could be improved for better accessibility, how the buses do not charge the ticket if one travels through a train and gets onto the bus, how the rising fuel prices may force middle class people to use more of public transports, how big cities provide more options than small ones and how everything and everyone blend into the society so seamlessly. And most importantly, the more I got into the intricacies of routine life of an American, the more I realized the same it is everywhere in the world even if it is United States of America. That some have to struggle to make their ends meet while some others get lucky. These were some of the myriad thoughts that went through my mind.

On the whole, I think I made a good decision to take on a li'l commuting adventure. It was rewarding. Thanks Consulting for providing me with such opportunities to explore and expand my horizons.

Home nomore

2008-07-25T23:14:00.008-04:00

Back home in Atlanta. Earlier, 'going back home' was a great feeling. Used to soo look forward to it. Now its not same anymore. It feels world has become so lonely. No one to look forward to meet. No one to go home to. No one looking forward to see me. Its like no point going home. Its like not home anymore.

'Tum bin, kya hai, jeena, kya hai jeena, tum bin kyaa hai jeena.
Tum bin jiya jaaye kaise, kaise jiya jaaye tum bin,
sadiyoon se lambi hai raaten, sadiyoon se lambe hue din,
aaja laut kar tum, yeh dil keh raha hai
aaja laut kar tum, yeh dil keh raha hai'

Taste buds

2008-07-23T23:14:00.006-04:00

One more day goes by. Came back from a desi restaurant, Tandoori Grill, here in Dallas. Had good Indian food. I wonder how we crave for what we are used to from our childhood. Eventhough I live so far away from India, I still cant live without Indian food atleast once a week. The first thing I do when I am in a new place, google for an Indian restaurant. If none found, I look for Thai or Chinese or Mexican. I feel, in the order specified, these are the closest to Indian food.

Taste buds, what all they make us do...

Lock the doors

2008-07-22T23:26:00.011-04:00

Another long tiring day. Just reached hotel and got into the room and shut it closed. Forgot to lock it. Got into shower. The next thing I hear is some noise in my living room. I am wondering who could it be and how could they enter the room. Felt a little scared and in the spur of the moment, I get out of the shower midway. As soon I open the door I see this guy right infront of my bathroom door. Here I was completely soaked, dripping in water, partially covered with towel and having soap all over my body in front of this guy. And whats more, he is a senior colleague from my office. What the ****

Now here is how he got the keys to my room. He forgets his keys & room no. Goes to front desk asks for keys to his room. They wrongly inform my room no. as his and give keys to my room. Poor guy, he is totally unaware of what he is getting into. :)

Now we know how the hotels work...

Moral: Please lock the doors.

Happy B'day my li'l sis

2008-07-20T23:16:00.000-04:00

May God bless you with health, wealth and happiness through out your life. You had a tough year and I hope you continue to fight through difficult times and achieve your dreams, ambitions and successes. Good Luck. This special line to you on your b'day.

"Your life is a gift from the Creator. Your gift back to the Creator is what you do with your life."
- Billy Mills

A bolt from the blue

2008-07-19T11:21:00.014-04:00

Woke up to a bad news. My paternal uncle expired. May his soul rest in peace and may God give strength to his loved and dear ones to withstand these evil times. He is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son. My heart goes to my aunt's situation. She was a housewife and she took care of him and he took care of her throughout their lives. Now what...

Death - A horrible mystery but inevitable.
Wondering how scary it is to wake up and realize that your life partner is not available anymore forever to lend support. Uff..(sighing heavily) so difficult to even imagine. Life shattering & traumatic, to say the least. 'Till death will do us apart'. This vow striking me like a thunder today. Never realized the significance of this vow more.

Once again, I sincerely pray God to give my aunt courage and strength to survive these awful times.

P.S.: 'About Schmidt' briefly touches the above aspects of life.

Back to living

2008-07-18T23:33:00.000-04:00

After 45 days of confinement, loneliness and tough times, I had certain amount of peace and comfort today. Thanks to K & Y chaithanya's, I had a great time. From Mexican food to snooker bar to serene lake view, I thoroughly enjoyed my evening. Im glad I am getting back to life.

Life gone awry

2008-07-10T22:57:00.001-04:00

"Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans."

This can't be anymore truer. When Madhu left US for a well deserved vacation to India, little did she realize that this vacation would be a bad idea. It meant she was stranded in India unable to travel back to US. It meant forced separation for us. It meant annoying times. To sum it up, it was a vacation that went completely awry.

And little did I know that I would not be able to officially work in US. It meant unexpected hardships. It meant canceled India trip. It meant no financial independence. It meant spending freeze even for daily necessaries. It meant loneliness. It meant agony. It meant frustration and much more.

Moral: Always be prepared to face life's challenges.

First Page from Consultants Diary

2006-09-11T22:36:00.002-04:00

As I reach the hotel room at the end of my first day of Consulting Career, I ruminate on my day's experience.

4.00AM: Alarm rings but I fail to wake up. Oops. It is just the beginning. Thankfully, my Girlfriend calls and wakes me up. I take a quick shower and a quick shave and move on.

5.00AM: I take the taxi to the airport. Long security check queues at Nashville Airport. Today is 09/11. Not an ideal way to begin a new assignment.

6.20AM: Before I realize Im flying to Chicago for my new assignment. This is my first true consulting project.

8.00AM: Touch down at Chicago - O'Hare airport. I take the rental car and drive down to office. Its raining cats and dogs and I am new to the city. Traffic is bad. I am glad I did my homework well. Maps (Courtesy: Mapquest) help me out to reach my office.

10.00AM: I am in office and I realize that I have been already awake for 6 hours and it is still only 10AM. I have already done so much in the day. This has not happened much in my life till date. I meet new people and I have new experiences and the day goes by.

12.00Noon: Go out for lunch with new colleagues ( an American, a Jamaican and an English) in a local Italian restaurant.

1.00PM: Back to work and feeling very sleepy I control my sleep and start my work again...

8.30PM: Finally, I am done with my work for the first day.

9.00PM: Take a Footlong Veggie Sub ToGo from SubWay for dinner.

10.00PM: Check-In into my Hotel room, finish the Sub and now ready to Crash.

It has been a very long and tiring first day at work but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I dont know if that will be the case going forward. Lets hope so :).