My personal blog

Ten signs that you are ready to take the plunge

2008-01-26T15:39:00.000-08:00

Ten signs that you are ready to say 'I do'

The default home page on your browser reads Shaadi.com

Majority of conversations with friends/family allude to the topic of marriage

Friends start planning India trips and return as "committed" and such events don't go unnoticed by your parents.

Distant relatives start taking personal interest in your life and recommendations start gushing to your parents.

You spend most of your time thinking about proposals rather than putting it to creative use.

You start thinking that life is too boring to live alone.

Your parents(usually starts that way)/ You (signs of desperation) put up an online profile at one of the gazillion matrimonial sites leaving no stone unturned to glorify your life.

You start hitting the gym on a regular basis to justify your claimed "athletic" body type.

Your friends who are anti-marriage proponents start providing some much needed relationship advice.

Your idea of an ideal vacation starts and ends at beach resorts and you start fantasizing every beautiful girl to be your potential match.

Disclaimer: The ideas or opinions expressed in this post are purely driven by real life experiences. Any resemblance to any person alive is purely a matter of coincidence. Please read and/or get influenced at your own risk

The balance and grace of ice skating

2006-11-26T09:23:00.000-08:00

Everyone awaits a long weekend and plans go off for the next one no sooner than one ends .. So what was I planning this Thanksgiving weekend ? Well, it wasnt such a difficult choice this time around .. As luck would have it, three close buddies were making plans of visiting Seattle. I did get a chance to spend time with each of them although the weather was chilly and breezy.
Yesterday evening while strolling through the lit up Seattle centre, we stumbled upon an ice rink and thought it would be fun to do some ice skating. Madam M was gung ho about it and she left no stone unturned to tempt us into it. My initial impression after looking a this modest size rink was that this is going to be a child's play .. well after all there were young kids performing it with effortless ease. Little did I imagine that skating would turn out to be such a daunting task. So I set off all messed up about the correct size for the skates. I tried 11"" and 12"" sizes but nothing seemed to fit the description M seemed to hold. So I boldly entered the rink, holding on to the edges with nervous movements. After all there aint no fun in breaking bones here !! An explicit warning to "skate at your own risk" further corroborated this fact ... I looked around and the grace and ease with which everyone was doing it astounded me ... I found it difficult to move around without holding onto a support. So I did manage a couple of rounds around the rink after some rather discomforting moments. It took its toll on me as we had already done enough of walking around. I realised that I was embarassing myself out there but still decided to carry on. M seemed to gain confidence with every move until the moment of truth arrived and the next thing she woke up too was that she had a heavy fall on her b***. poor thing !! but she continued after that minor hicccup .. G was rather content on circumspect moves and he seemed to do the balancing act rather well ...
Well for me all I can say is that it was not my cup of tea. I have done skiing before and thought that was difficult enough but now I hold an entirely different opinion. I am glad I did not break any bones and came out unscathed ..

Born in the USA

2006-09-20T23:08:00.000-07:00

After collecting some demographic data regarding children of parents of Indian origin born in the United States, I have nothing but admiration of the fast growth that they manifest through their growing up phase. If I compare and contrast, my childhood with contemporary kids, I feel there is such a wide chasm in the depth of thoughts and actions that they exhibit. Of course, being here you get exposed to a plethora of activities at a rather raw age .. In a developing country like India, cities are the only places with educational institutions of repute. Although things are a lot different now, than what my parents witnessed we are still a long way away from achieving the standards over here. The burning issue is the lack of infrastructure and the narrow outlook of populace.
Small children who have grown up in this cosmopolitan culture, have no fear in their minds in speaking their minds and in more ways than one, they seem to be logical and correct. How on earth can such a small brain talk so big ?? I cant help myself asking that question. Be it my not-so-long-ago visit to Bitu's place in Bay Area. Rajeev, who is at least a 20 years younger than me, signifies an epitome of this belief. He demonstrated such a spectrum of knowledge about absolutely anything under the sun. I was left gaping in awe with his maturity for a child of his age. I must mention an incident of note that touched me deeply. I was escorting Rajeev and his sister Apurva to school but little did I imagine what Rajeev was upto. After reaching the gates, Rajeev urged me to accompany him to his classroom. Rather innocently, I stepped inside the room and was watching the proceedings when Rajeev stood up and started a warm introduction of his unsuspecting visitor. I was so touched by this gesture. This kid had absolutely no inhibitions about whom he was talking about and he did it in the most graceful manner possible. On my walk back home, I was still pondering on what happened. I was so shy when I was young .. I would hardly speak up in a gathering .. felt so protected .. and in sharp contrast, Rajeev was the complete opposite. Recently, I met Rhea (Nikki's daughter) and the same goes with her too .. These omniscient beings are never shy of an advice and speaking out their minds on serious issues. They have a certain way of thinking and they believe in it... there never seems to be any dilemma in their minds .. Leaves me pondering .. We as adults lead such a complicated life .. sometimes its nice to observe these kids and see how simple life can really be !!

Innovation

2006-09-20T23:02:00.000-07:00

Slashdot: "Tired of paying for new batteries all the time? Tired of searching for the charger for your rechargeable batteries? Worry not, because these new AA batteries will recharge direct from your USB port! This is such a cool idea, that I cant believe that no one has done it before."

If this takes off, it will be a classic case of innovation that matters !!!

First week at Amazon.com

2006-08-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

As I wind up an exciting first week some first impressions about the earth's most customer centric company. Ok, so we have a distinct technology intiative here at Amazon and dont like to be viewed as just an online retailer ... Amazon focusses a lot on self-learning and the wealth of intranet resources bears testimony to that. One thing that I really liked was a neat collection of how-to guides for new hires. The 4 hour long orientation too got off to an unusual start with a trivia about company facts .. We were smartly told that there are coveted prizes for grabs but we knew that it was all in good spirits .. All the teams ended up being winners .. as if that wasnt planned ..

I was received very warmly by my rather young manager .. he treated me to a lunch in PacMed cafe after which we set off for US1 (my office location) .. I got introduced to a whole bunch of young software professionals from the various teams working under Fulfillment Center Systems team .. I was all set with a laptop and a Linux dev desktop at my disposal .. I started perusing the vast amount of online materials that were available for me to get started .. few things that did not meet my expectations ... employee discounts suck bigtime !! why so? If you read our company policy it clearly underlines the fact that frugality is one of our core competencies .. I understand that from a customer perspective but it is rather difficult to digest from an employee perspective .. so I convinced myself not to be disappointed if there was no free food on offer .. We do enjoy free caffeine though .. well it works to increase the productivity of employees after all .. so that they can make us work for long hours .. At Amazon, we believe in raising the bar and hence there is a lot of emphasis on hiring quality resources .. Amazon invests a lot in hiring initiatives and in interviewing candidates .. Conveniently located in the beautiful
Seattle downtown, Amazon does seem to be an exciting place to launch one's career .. there is a lot to learn and gain from the expertise of principal engineers over here .. I realised that I have already spent a lot of hours in the office than usual .. This is just a precursor of things to come .. as I have fully understood that software development is not just about coding .. it involves an SDE to participate write from inception to providing production support.. phew .. only if things could get any easier ..

The beginning or the end

2006-08-11T21:41:00.000-07:00

The week gone by was an eventful one in more ways than one. The ensuing war in South lebanon between the Hezbollah and Israeli Defense Forces sees no end in sight and casualties on both sides of the border continue to mount. Sometimes if you think rationally one feels why should there be war in the first place .. Isnt human life too precious to be sacrificed in an insane battle for supremacy ; as if the potential threat posed by natural calamities were non-existent. Unfortunately each mortal doesnt think the same way ... Today there is a threat of suicide terrorists (Jehadis) .. these radical Islamists can sacrifice their lives in the name of religion .. Intelligence forces still have no traces of hunting down Osama Bin Laden... he continues to evade all the intelligence and who knows is plotting the next big attack on his enemies ..

The alleged plot to blow up 10 airplanes mid-air between US and UK was thwarted recently due to some timely action. Apparently, liquid explosives carried in on-board luggage was suspected to be the next weapon of sky terror. One wonders if air travel is still a safe way to commute as unseemingly inocuous objects can assume potentially dangerous proportions...

The world is no longer a safe place to live .. I fail to understand where all this is leading to .. Isnt our generation ever going to feel secured ? As technology improves, so does the threat to society .. There are so many yet undiscovered training camps in Pakistan that are operating secretly ...
Ominous signs of another world war breaking out is not too difficult to perceive .. yet we all continue to survive amidst our insecure existence ..

The end of an enjoyable vacation

2006-08-05T21:12:00.000-07:00

As I look back on my not so distant past, I wonder whether these times would come back to me again ... In more ways than one this has been a good summer ... I finished my defense way earlier than I planned and that meant I had enough free time on my hands to truly explore this vast country. I met some friends on the east coast and en route to Seattle which was kinda nice ... I arrived in Seattle on 17th July, three weeks before my starting date at Amazon.com .. In hindsight it looks like it was neatly planned as it provided me enough opportunities to explore the neighbourhood ... If you visit a new city, first thing one must do is pick up a walking map and start roaming to get a sense of the spread of the city which is exactly what I decided ... To accompany me was a very supportive father who I must say made things simpler ... We did some serious apartment hunting together although I made him run around a lot for his age. I feel I know this place really well now ... I am glad that I took an apartment with a view although I had to pay a price for it !!! Living in downtown has a charm of its own. I have been living in peaceful co-existence far away from the hustle and bustle that city life has to offer which was perfect for say a student like me. Now I feel that I should experience urban living and that prompted me to shake off my monetary fears and made me decide on a relatively bold option .

Courtesy corporate housing offered through Amazon.com, I got to reside in an awesome location. "A room with a view"... it truly could not have been better than what I had. In a way, it made me fixated on this idea of how important a view was to my blissful existence. I was willing to pay a price for it and left no stone unturned in checking out every possible view on offer.

As for some lighter moments, we (dad included) did take a harbor cruise on Elliot Bay and Puget Sound along with my "I-m-still-so-young" aunt, Reshma. The Seattle skyline looked spectacular from a distance. The beauty about a place like Seattle is the vast amount of water bodies it is surrounded by. It really makes for a picturesque drive and I would highly recommend taking a route from downtown Seattle to Bellevue/Redmond for a driver's delight on a warm afternoon. On a clear sunny afternoon, the view of Mt. Rainier breaking the limits of the horizon is indeed unparalleled.

After having had so much fun under the sun, it is time I realise my purpose in life and retire to the mundane 9 to 5 job. I am certainly excited to join Amazon but just cant get myself ready for the first day. From a certain perspective, I feel this time off has done me a world of good .. It has set me up for my challenges ahead in the right frame of mind.

I realise the deficiency of pictures in my posts and it is time to ramp up the collection as they say .. "A picture is worth a thousand words !!!"

Sunny Seattle on a pleasant summer afternoon

Views of Mt Rainier in background

As good as it gets

2006-06-15T15:06:00.000-07:00

The past month has been a hectic one for me but I am not complaining at all. I achieved what I thought was initially impossible but as it turns out it could not have been better. I shot two birds with the same arrow ... Firstly I achieved excellent results out of my co-op assignment and secondly I managed to defend my algorithm as part of my M.S project requirements. Even more satisfying was the fact that my H1-B visa application was selected in a lottery.

My car (Civic 96) has been at the receiving end of my wanderlust. I have put significant miles on my car this summer due to my travel plans. I suddenly feel there is so much happening around me these days ... I love the outdoors ... I recently did some white water rafting in the Adirondacks on the Hudson river. To tackle the rapids was wholesum fun. It never occured to me that there is so much more to New York than merely Niagara Falls and New York city. After having driven 900 something miles in two days, I retired to the blissful comfort of my bed. I have a week or so left on the east coast before I fly out to Seattle.

As I wind up the words of our rafting guide keep ringing " Life is good .. How do we do it? This is how we do it". Our guide was an inspirational character. He had been taming the rapids for over 25 years and he made us feel every bit comfortable on the trip. He was greeting all his peers with infectious enthusiasm chanting out his favorite lines. It made me ponder how one can turn a relatively mundane task into a thrilling activity. For him, this trip must've been a piece of cake yet he lead us through it as though it were his first. He had a perfect vision of the incumbent dangers and ensured our smooth passage without any hassles. To add to his excitement was his witty sense of humor which kept us occupied when the waters had calmed down. It is the attitude that one has in life that determines whether or not one enjoys what he/she is doing. We all at some stage in our lives have cribbed about our monotonous work schedules. I might be comparing apples and oranges over here .. as the software industry demands are radically different from say a rafting guide duty. If you are in love with nature, there is no better job in this world than being a rafter.

Here is a testimony to the fun we had on the waters of the hudson river

A phenomenon called "ORKUT"

2006-05-11T17:45:00.000-07:00

You must be living in exile if you have not heard of this phenomenon called "orkut" .. Ok now that was surely an exaggeration .. But seriously, I cannot help admiring the magnitude and proportions a simple idea that when implemented properly can attain. Orkut is designed to be an online community of friends .. a place in the virtual world where you can meet real friends .. some forgotten .. some long lost in their own private lives .. some who you talk to almost every other day over the phone ... just that now you wanted to talk to them through a different medium of communication .. aka orkut ...

I have been recently hooked onto this bandwagon after I got back from my India trip .. I started relatively modestly not knowing whom I could add on to my list but I take great pride in announcing that now this "figure of merit" has reached a century .... I have found some of my friends whom I probably would never have found otherwise .. Isnt it amazing? Now one may ask why the heck would you even care to see what is going on in their lives ... After all, not everything heard or said is true .. There could be fake or clone profiles .. who knows whether you are whom I think you are ... Give it a deep thought ..

I look at it more as a medium for expression of opinions .. to and for the people who make a difference in your lives albeit in the most miniscule manner .. It is a great way of keeping in touch with friends and making new ones ..

Believe it or not .. every familiar face in Binghamton now eats,sleeps and breathes orkut.. Its as if their day starts and ends with it .. Now one may ask why so ? You wouldnt have to scratch your head to get an answer to this question .. popularity .. In fact, one can monitor the daily activities of most orkut lovers by reading the scraps chronologically in ascending order of time .. Now this is stretching it too far .. but seriously I cant help imagining how true it is .. After all, why would you want to disclose publicly about what has been happening in your otherwise ordinary daily routine .. Nevertheless, it is interesting to be a part of this crazy community that never sleeps ..

For good or bad, orkut continues to rise in the popularity charts ... and uniting lives of millions of users all over the world .. Indeed as it is rightly said, " The world is a small place to live in " ...

Decisions: Aar ya paar ??

2006-04-24T15:43:00.000-07:00

I am a satisfied soul these days .. thanks to Amazon.com !!! I did have conflicts in my mind as I had quite a few good potential opportunities lined up but I decided to avoid this exercise .. Onsite interviews do take a toll on your energies and I think it is in the best interests of oneself to be satisfied with what he/she gets. I got what I wanted in my first attempt and I asked myself a simple question. If I were to get an offer elsewhere, would I really go for it? The answer was a distinct "no" and that is what led to me to accept the offer at Amazon.com. Moving away from all this euphoria that I experienced, I want to touch upon the decision making ability one has to inculcate to move ahead in life. Life is all about prudent decision making .. At each step you have to decide your next course of action and only a sound decision lends stability and direction to your thoughts and your ultimate future.

I have somehow felt that I have never really planned my career. I just did what I felt was right at that stage without any consideration for my long term goals.. In the process, I did decide about my career path though .. As experience has taught me, decision making is the key to make progress ... I have been in a dilemma ever so often between two equally good choices and this I feel is an aspect I need to improve upon. I have known a few close friends who have been poor at decision making but fortunately that has not affected their lives thus far .. Sometimes, things happen to you and you just move forward with it .. A lot of close friends and relatives have asked me what is it that I really want to do ?? and I in a rather lame fashion have given them the cliche response .. "To be successful" ... What are the parameters of success and how to get there is a big abstraction for me as of now.. but I hope that I lead a satisfied life in the future.. That would be my definition of success.. Most people would equate success with monetary belongings and that is completely unjustified as far as I am concerned. Success is a state of mind where in you feel contented with what you are doing .. I firmly believe in this .. To be successful one has to make the right decisions at every juncture as that governs your course of action ... I vehemently and vociferously vouch for decisions to be boolean .. a "yes" or a "no" .. A "maybe" or "maybe not" kind of decision is a tricky one to live with .. I have been in such situations before and learnt a lesson or two .. Anyway, the whole point of this writing was to emphasize the importance of decision making and its impact on one's future .. So folks always think before you act ..

Being Cyrus -- an offbeat theme

2006-04-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

So, I finally decided to sit down and experience a different genre of cinema .. I never thought it would turn out the way it did. I am referring to the recently released movie "Being Cyrus" ... I kinda knew that this would be an unconventional movie given the promos that I had seen before.
BEING CYRUS explores a bizzare tale of two harassed siblings who have been raised in foster homes ever since childhood. They seemed to live in a world oblivious to happiness .. and never knew that there existed such a world outside of where they lived... I think this movie would appeal to those who have an appetite for "hatke" cinema .. It boasts of an ensemble cast (Naseer, Dimple, Saif, Boman Irani all impress with fine performances .. Though the film tells a story of a dysfunctional Parsi family it tends to get abstract as well as intellectual at times.. For a first timer, director Homi Adajania definitely deserves kudos .. he has handled portions of the film with dexterity .. As the plot unfolds it reveals the morbid and unanticipated sides of many .. There is definitely an element of surprise and the execution is handled immaculately .. I would not like to delve into the details of the story here as that would spoil the fun in watching it .. I would say this movie is unconventionally dark and reveals facets of human nature that are not normally manifested .. Definitely a one time dekko !!

My trip to Seattle

2006-04-15T04:54:00.000-07:00

Chicago O'Hare airport: I flew in this cute jet from Newburgh, NY

Satisfaction at last

2006-04-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

I have seldom felt so satisfied. You know what .. I feel elated today ... Reason .. The recruiter at Amazon called me up and made me an offer. Lord .. I thank you for everything .. This interview process saps your energies .. trust me .. I have been lucky to an extent to have had two internships with IBM. Both of them have been truly fantastic experiences ... but till date I do not have an offer from them. To an extent, I will attribute my success to my manager, Tom , he has always been there for me trying to get me on board.

Back to Amazon ...

I use Amazon.com almost every other day. So, I thought it would be nice to have an opportunity to work at a company that provides services to millions of users all over the world. This is the place to cause an impact and feel it as well .. This is Amazon .. So, I sent in an application somewhere back in mid-November. I was on my way home as usual in OCC bus when I saw my cell phone ringing with a private number. I was curious and as I would normally, answered the phone. A voice from the other end turned out to be an Amazon.com recruiter. It was nice surprise to hear from them in really quick time. Now, I was not in a position to appear for a technical interview as I had never given one till date. I was apprehensive but I had to make a start. On the other hand, I wanted to leave an impression on the interviewer as well.. So it was dicey scheduling the phone screen.

The way it works over here in the US .. is generally you have 2-3 phone screens with the company you are applying to and if they are interested you get an all expenses paid onsite invitation. Nice, isnt it? So, if I remember correctly, I nervously appeared for my first ever phone interview for a full time position with Amazon. I was interviewing with Fulfillment Management Systems team and I spoke to an SDE (an Indian .. by chance). He did ask me some interesting questions about data structures and algorithms. I thought i did rather well on the interview and was confident of hearing from them in about a week ... Rather, this wait turned out to be a long one as I was contacted after almost a month and a half (thanks to the holiday season ) and to my helplessness I was visiting India during that time.

When I got back to the US, I went ahead with the second phone screen. This one was on similar lines and I was not as confident about it as the first one. I did hear from them but this took a month long as well. I was getting frustated to say the least as I wanted to have an offer as early as possible. Although other interviews kept me busy, I always wanted Amazon to be my first choice and so it happened .. I was invited to Seattle after some careful planning of dates.

I departed from Newburgh and flew to Seattle. First impressions of Seattle ... stays green for most part of the year, gets depressing ( I was told) .. cloudy in general but believe it or not I dont mind such weather. The air stays fresh and you get to avoid scorching heat .. Why complain ? I took a cab from Sea-Tac airport to Grand Hyatt, right in the heart of downtown. I was impressed with the arrangements as it was my first time.

So, I stay put in my cosy room for most part of the evening. I had a royal dinner too .. probably the most expensive till date .. trust me .. on Amazon's expenses .. I was keen on meeting my buddies who work for Microsoft over there but unfortunately could not see them until Monday due to some unforeseen problems .. Sunday was all about preparing and making sure I was confident about the interview. I really did not know how to go about it but I forced myself into going over some stuff I should I have known rather well. I do not how much it mattered at the end but I believe I made good use of my time considering I was doing a co-op as well during that period.

Monday dawned and after a good night's sleep I woke up afresh. I am kinda particular about a few things and I always kick myself when I push things until the last minute. So as usual I was late checking out of the hotel and hurriedly made my way to Starbucks (shouldnt be a surprise .. there is one at every nook and corner) ... I sipped in a Hot Mocha along with a Butter Croissant. My first interview was scheduled at 10.00 AM again with FMS. I got onto a yellow cab and made it to Union Station 1 at around 9.30 AM. I was supposed to submit some paperwork before I could move on with the interview process. I did that duly before starting my trip to Seattle .. I pat myself on the back for doing so as it was the first time, I did something in advance. Anyway, the interviews got underway earlier than usual at 9.45 AM.

My first interviewer was Gabriel Deal. What's the big deal, I may ask now? Well trust me .. his questions were .. I started off very confidently but was stumped on the next one. I did a good recovery job and came up with a convincing solution at the end. My next one was with Nicholas, again an SDE. I think I did this one really well and was pleased at my performance at the halfway mark. We set out for a lunch interview with my hiring manager, Irina Somin , a rather young manager i must say .. I grabbed a Thai chicken sandwich and made a perfect mess of it answering questions amidst all of it. We returned to the interview room after this refreshing lunch session. Someone (Jason) was already waiting in the room for me. I was kinda nervous as I had done well until then and wanted to make sure I finish on a high note. I did exceedingly well halfway through this one. I messed up some hashtable optimization questions which he posed and was losing my confidence. I made a recovery towards the end with a coding solution that seemed to have put his doubts to rest for the time being. Time ran out though and I was more than happy to see his back. My last one was with Dustin, HR recruiter. A handsome, enterprising fellow he was and he briefed me about the history and geography of Seattle. We went over some common concerns and he escorted me to the exit to end the day of interviews.
He told me he would get back to me sometime later that week .. but given Amazon's promptness I highly suspected that although I did make it clear to him about my experiences with them.

Towards late afternoon, I met Nilesh who was here on Infosys duties. He took some time out and we headed to see the Space Needle, the only significant monument of interest over here. Ashish joined in too and it was fun to spend some time with my MIT buddies. After a nice dinner, I made my way to the airport for my return.

Trust me the return was painful .. I left wondering whether I would make it back here again .. (although I have an interview with Microsoft soon) .. but I wanted Amazon .. I really did ... I was kicking myself for kinda screwing up one question with Jason. I told myself to put that behind me and look forward to a whole month of onsite interviews I had lined up. I could hardly sleep on the RED EYE and I got off the flight in the wee hours of morn at Newark Liberty Airport. I got a rental car from Avis and drove down to work after I got a bit fresh from my epic journey.
I slept through most part of the day and I did miss the call from the HR recruiter. Today, he called me again after an uneasy morning. He broke the news that my interviews were wonderful and Amazon wanted me to join their family. I was thrilled.. my joy knew no bounds .. At last, I was satisfied. I am eager to tell this piece of news to my folks back home but they must be fast asleep now .. I will catch them first thing in the morning when they wake up .. Thanks for answering my prayers .. (yes I did go to the temple religiously since the past one month )... I couldnt be happier !!!

Ok .. so I did speak to my folks and my sister was ecstatic ... more than me i guess .. made me realise what it means to be the only son in the family .. I owe a lot to my parents .. especially my mom .. and I would like to dedicate every little success that I've got to her in particular .. although she still gives me big sermons which I do not enjoy frankly .. she does care a lot for me .. my dad on the other hand gives out some obvious suggestions and thinks he has shown me the shortcut to be successful .. mind it .. he has achieved everything in life and I will consider myself lucky if I even reach the halfway mark .. All in all, I hope I have instilled a little bit of happiness in my family members who mean everything to me.

Letter writing

2006-03-18T19:50:00.000-08:00

The other day I just sat down to pen my thoughts for a special friend on paper. It was her birthday and I thought I should write a letter to her to make her feel different. I was all excited about this prospect as it had been ages since I last wrote to anyone. Our contemporary lives have got so used to electronic media that I feel the beauty of writing letters is long lost.

So, I pulled out my writing pad and started scribbling. I was in distinct discomfort arranging my thoughts into meaningful sentences. It took me at least ten iterations before I could come up with half a page worth of satisfaction. I am glad I eventually posted it to her but it just made me wonder whether we lost the charm of doing relatively simple mundane tasks such as writing letters.

Life's good: Thank God its friday !!!

2006-03-10T18:50:00.000-08:00

What is it about Fridays ?? It is just another day of the week, aint it ? Ask a software professional though and you will know what I mean. "Whats the plan for the weekend ?" is a common utterance on a Friday. Feels music to my ears when someone says that. I for sure know whats coming up !! I had some depressing weekends thanks to the weather gods. Last weekend though was different as I made my way to meet my school time buddy, Ketan. He is married now and I am happy that he found his partner. Not everyone is lucky in love .. as experience tells.

So, I woke up today morning all gung-ho about FRIDAY !!! There was a slight drizzle in the early hours of the morn and I could feel a breath of fresh air as I started walking towards my car. I hooked my iPOD into the car stereo and started listening to some romantic tunes from Dil To Pagal Hai ... It made me feel at ease .. I was chanting loudly as the music made my adrenaline pump. Driving to work in my own car is something I am really satisfied about and cherish. It sets me up in the right frame of mind for the day's work. I wonder how long I would feel good about it .. after all there comes a time when things that you enjoyed till then seem boring. I think it has got to do a lot with your state of mind. Today was perfect !!!

I have found a new office mate and he keeps me entertained. He is a chinese guy (jun) and I find this species of humans rather innocent and nice to be with although at times one struggles to understand them and vice versa. I was earlier put up in Aisle 16 where I was all alone in my office. Now, I am back to Aisle 17, a place I feel I belong .. hope so .. My mentor , Adil , has been keeping busy of late attending some workshops and for once I did not feel his absence. Adil holds a significant mention. He is one of nicest guys I have met. Whenever I am in doubt, I always approach him and I know for sure that he will have an advice ready. I admire him to the highest degree as a human being.

As is the custom, our team set out at the stroke of noon for customary lunch at Mezzulano's.. the pizza place. After a rather unsatisfying lunch, I hung around till the evening to finish some unfinished work. I was expecting some friends to come over tonight and decided to bake a cake for this occassion. Of late, I really fancy baking cakes. I attribute this behavior to one of my good pals, Dhiraj. His enthusiasm was rather infectious and has got me into a habit of baking cakes ..

The weekend weather looks alright. In the company of some good friends, I look forward to spending a good weekend. I have an important week coming up and need to gear myself up for it. It's nice to have some fun in between .. what say ?

The Homecoming - India visit Dec 05

2005-12-27T21:31:00.000-08:00

"There is no place like home " and I could not agree more. I was excited at the prospect of visiting my hometown in Pune this December. It is always a special feeling to be amidst your near and dear ones especially after being away from them for a reasonable length of time. You realise what it means to be a part of the family when you spend some time away from home. I was certainly feeling homesick and was eagerly looking forward to get back to where my heart is.

The countdown had begun but time was passing by rather quickly thanks to some enterprising activities at our residence. "Shop till you drop" and I was definitely living upto it. We rented a car (Mercury Grand Marquis) one way to JFK International Airport from Binghamton. We had four large suitcases with us and doubts started creeping into my mind regarding how they could be accomodated in the trunk. Dheeraj, Raja, Krishnan, Musa helped our cause and we somehow managed to fit everything in the car. Renu and Aishvarya had some difficulty sitting behind but it was just a matter of time. The weather prediction was gloomy with rain and fog to thwart our progress. Conditions did get a little tricky but we smoothly made our way to JFK by 2 pm. Our flight (Swiss Intl LX 154) was scheduled to depart at 6.30 pm. I had to rush to return the car at Avis after offloading the luggage. The rental car return was rather far from the departure terminal but the ride back in the airtrain more than made up for it. It was an amazing experience to watch airplanes at close quarters via the airtrain. We started the baggage check-in procedure at around 3 pm. Things were moving on and within 30 minutes we were done with the routine.

I was peckish. I was surviving on Glucose buiscuits since morning and wanted to have a substantial lunch to help my cause. I relished having a meal (General TSO Chicken, Sweet & Sour Chicken with Fried rice) to satisfy my hunger.

After calling up a few close friends I decided to bid goodbye to United States of America. Our flight took off at 6.30 pm sharp. I made myself comfortable on the seat and anxiously awaited the next move. As the flight soared high over the Atlantic, I was getting irresistably impatient to see my folks. I knew it was not going to be a long wait after all. On board I listened to some melodious tunes from Salaam Namaste and Dus. I sat through a painstaking movie experience with Dukes of Hazzard and a rather crass comedy "40-year old virgin" .. I have this thing of not getting enough sleep while travelling but I did not mind it ... We were served pasta for lunch. After exactly 8 hours we touched down at Zurich International airport. It proved to be a dampener as I could hardly see anything due to snow conditions. We had a transit time of 2 hours for the next flight from Zurich to Mumbai.

I leave this one incomplete for the moment .. More later ..

Lights, camera, action -- Its showtime

2005-12-21T06:11:00.000-08:00

Recently, a new wave is sweeping across the corridors of 259 Main Street. We are celebrating a week long "film festival" ... As crazy as it might sound, it is that much more fun to be a part of it. This idea dawned upon a few enterprising individuals who rented a projector from the Audio/Visual communications department in school. It was a novel concept and one that will find support in any mortal who wants to have some fun. There is no dearth of "josh" in the residents over here and it seems like everyone is bent on having a gala time after a hectic semester.

Cooking has taken on new dimensions. Yesterday, a Bengali couple served up some mouth watering fish curry. I am really gonna miss out on the fun and frolic as I would be visiting India in a short while from now. This is the only time when folks get together and try and make the most of it. Once the semester commences it is very difficult to have such a gathering except on birthdays. I have been lucky to escape the shock treatment metted out on birthdays. Birthdays are "memorable" in the true sense of the word as they an leave everlasting pain in the butt that reminds you of how special your birthday was. I frankly do not support this practice and refrain from it as much as I possibly can. It is a whole lot of thrill for others who cant help enjoying the suffering at the cost of the victim ...

Each day heralds a new beginning and I wonder if ever there can be a boring moment amidst the merriment. I hope this trend continues for the future so that no one misses their near and dear ones badly.
It can get really lonely and depressing over here if you do not have good company around you. I am glad that the fervor manifested by new blood is exemplary and can go a long way in demonstrating how one can enjoy without indulging in gossip or idle talk which has unfortunately become a part and parcel of the life of desis out here.

Devil Amol

2005-12-18T07:59:00.000-08:00

I have been noticing of late that I have become quite irritable. I have been nitpicking over petty things. I think I need to chill down and take it easy.

My friend made her way to Chicago safely after a few hiccups. Now that she is busy, I cant seem to get enough of her. So whenever we do get a chance to talk, I keep talking about what needed to be done to meet my expectations rather than the conventional stuff. This attitude of mine is getting increasingly evil and I need to get my act together real quick. This happens with me ever so often. I always feel that when I can be available for my friends 24*7 why can't they reciprocate likewise.

To beat the frustation, I decided to spend the day talking to all my other friends. It was nice to catch up with a few folks. Towards the fag end of the day my housemates decided to have some booze. We spent the night talking some crap and watching VVS swish his blade with panache. Cricket is in the blood of every desi and I am no exception.

The focus of this post was on the irritating nature being manifested by me of late. I need to work upon that and make sure I maintain harmony and peace of mind.

It's snowtime

2005-12-16T06:55:00.000-08:00

I am back in one piece ... I am grateful to the almighty for giving me the strength to endure my most challenging drive of the season. I hope I am not giving an impression that I was participating in a race track event but trust me it was a harrowing experience to say the least. So the story goes ....

Date: 12/15/05. Time: 8.00 AM. I was rushing to the bus stop to catch the earliest possible bus to my friend's house. A heavy overnight snowfall didnt make it any easier for me to make it any
faster to the bus-stop. I left my house at 7.50 AM since the scheduled time of the bus was at 8.00 AM but to add to my miseries, I could not make it in time to get on board. So, with a heavy heart and a rather comprisingly coy attitude, I decided to walk it up to her house. I had promised her, I would be there first thing in the morning after a rather unnecessary argument overnight.

So I started walking the glorious path with my indefatigable spirit to live up to my words. I am sure she didnt have the slightest idea what that effort meant but I was bent on my promise. Earlier, the plan was to drop her off to a local bus station but I was in for a big surprise. I made it to her place by 8.15 AM. She was still busy deciding what stuff to pack in and what to leave behind. I love it when girls have that confusion interspersed with despair .. it is a happy situation for a keen observer like me .. i m being too mean here but I decided to offer a helping hand to make her feel better. She was her usual self .. lost, confused, desperate, unsure etc... and then she let the cat out of the bag ..

It was brought to my notice that I had to drop her off to JFK International Airport in New York. I was completely taken aback by her decision and for a moment my mind went blank. I had a meeting scheduled for that afternoon and I did not know what needed to be done about that. I feel she should have asked me once before deciding but sometimes it is understood amongst friends. I knew her nature too well and I suspect the rationale behind her decision.

So we were off to Enterprise to pick up the car. The feeling hadnt quite sunk in and there were more surprises to come. I would not like to state any more episodes that transpired that morning as I know she would take offence to those issues. The morning had been one helluva experience but it had some sweet moments in between.

We packed our breakfast from IHOP .. I appreciate this gesture of her's since she made sure that we indeed got there inspite of the limited time we had. After stuffing a delicious Chicken Fajita omlette (my mouth still waters when I think about it) ... we moved on. I decided to drive since the weather was unfavorable. So we were on our way to JFK :)

Surprisingly, we managed to get there well ahead of time. It took us some time to beat the traffic at George Washington Bridge but it wasnt as bad as it can possibly get. We touched JFK at around 5.15 pm. It had already got dark and I knew I had a lonely drive back home.

What awaited me was a complete shocker !!! I got stuck in a major traffic snarl on I-80 W. The traffic was moving at a snail's pace ... Driving conditions were appalling and visibility was next to nothing. In such a stop-and-go scenario, my knee started to give me more problems leave alone the stiff back that I had been putting up a brave front with. It took me nearly 2 hours to get through that traffic but it kept getting worse. The defrost was screwed up and I was running low on gas .. I kept praying in between to comfort myself. Monster trailers buzzing past my modestly sized car made it difficult to maintain stability.

Things got so worse that at one point in time, when I decided to change lanes I was automatically routed with minimal steering movement. It all sounds funny now when I look back at it but I was in a miserable state. Besides driving the car, I had to navigate single handedly .. which I was not quite used to .. It always helps to have someone besides who can navigate and I really missed one then. I entered Pennsylvania and was greeted was pitch darkness. Driving on 380 North was unimaginable in that kind of adverse weather. The accumulating ice on the windshield made visibility extremely poor and I had to swing sideways at times to get an idea of where I was. It was absolutely crazy and I felt like a weirdo doing that stunt.

I was destined to get home as I had to return the car the next morning. Inspite of being physically challenged due to my back and knee pain , I did not give up and decided to weather the storm. The sight of the vehicles off the road lying under piles of snow was indeed scary. I reached Crossings Mall and decided to fill up some gas .. I found a Mobil gas station but it was defunct. I kicked myself for having taken the exit but I knew I needed some gas immediately. It was blistering when I got out of the car to fill gas and it was difficult to stand out even for 10 seconds. Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to keep moving forward .. I found another one and got a much deserved break from driving. I spoke to a few friends who comforted me and wished me luck in the remainder of my expedition.

I quickly got my act together . I was still a good 75 miles from Binghamton but I wanted to make sure I get past this patch on 380 N ... I do not remember what gave me the strength but somehow I made to Scranton and got onto 81 N. I felt I had done something as spectacular as conquering Mt. Everest ... I pulled over at a rest area after Scranton and took some time out to reflect on what I had been through ... Eventually, I was a tired man when I got back home. Binghamton had turned into a mountain of snow and with a few tricks I managed to park the car safely. It took me freaking 7 hours to drive as against 3.5 hours in normal conditions but I was glad I made it safe and sound.

I was not worried about myself but I was getting increasingly anxious as I have not heard back from her. I just pray to God that she is safe and I hear back from her as soon as possible.

I got up today morning and returned the car ... I could not help convincing the Enterprise rep who dropped me home, how difficult it was yesterday night. I decided to write all this down as it was one of the most memorable adventures in my life span...

Exam woes

2005-11-11T07:37:00.000-08:00

I seem to have lost my earlier posts .. So, I am making a new beginning ... The craze for blogging has really caught on and I am more than happy to join the bandwagon .. My friends have always told me that I write really well .. I think its high time I exercise this facet of my personality.

Nothing much to write home about at this juncture. I am focussed on a forthcoming midterm examination in Operating Systems course. I did not "set Thames on fire" with my performance in the first midterm and I really want to ensure that I redeem myself and deliver the goods.

Reading research papers was kinda getting irksome so I decided to task switch to blogging. Seems like an "operating systems" hangover to me ..

The day started on a usual note. Have been listening to Avril Lavigne since morning .. quite a neat compilation i must say ..I am home alone and have so much to do ... I have decided to spend less time talking on my cell phone now since I realised that is eating too much of my time..

The countdown continues .. I am going home in another 43 days from now .. cant wait to meet my kith and kin ..