Trip to New York

exams over. tensions over. holidays are here. what should be done? 3 bored people hit upon the idea of visiting New York for a day. Here's how it went
Wednesday 22nd Dec 8:00am: In the Chinatown Bus to New York
9:00am:Over the Delaware river bridge
9:30am: New York kab aayega?
9:45am: Almost there
10:05am: Chinatown,Manhattan
11:00am: Ground Zero
11:30am: Lunch time
12:00pm: Hatching a Plot
1:30pm: Tip of Manhattan
2:00pm: Statue comes to Life
2:30pm: Mile and a half to Empire State Building
3:30pm: Empire State Building
3:35pm: up up and above
5:00pm:86th Floor Observatory
5:30pm: Shimmering New York
6:30pm: Back to Earth
7:00pm: Times Square
7:15pm: Rockefeller Center, Biggest Christmas Tree in USA
7:30: Rushed back to catch the chinatown Bus back to philadelphia at 8:00pm. just managed to get into the bus before it left. was a fantastic trip. Would love to go there again.

winter is here!! view today morning 

view from my house in fair weather 

Exams Over, Fun Begins

Hurray!! Finally the exams are over.Fun time begins. Happy Holidays!!!. Its already three months into USA and I am done with one quarter, three courses, physics TA, quit physics TA, started working for a prof, working on the Indian Newsletter and much much more,whew!!. Its been an activity filled three months. Christmas is here and so is the cold winter. well now there is a break for two weeks before the next quarter begins in January. Have lined up a plethora of activities for the winter break. lets see how it goes. I have yet to witness my first snow shower. Too thrilled about it!so I am back with a bang.happy holidays!!!

Final Week

The most dreaded time in the life of a grad student is here! Finals Week!
6th : Project submission
9th : last quiz
13th : Exam no 1
14th : Exam no 2
16th : Exam no 3
17th : recovery from the shock;)
18th : relief
19th : relaxed:)

well before I get any more shocks I get back to studying!!

twilight 

Fire Alarm

This happened in the first week I came to USA. It was my first test. Cooking!! My roommates were ravenous and none of them was in a mood to cook anything. I felt all eyes boring into me. Thats it.I had been trying to avoid cooking for too long. I had to take the plunge.To keep things simple I announced I am going to cook daal chawaal.
rice done, wow!!, looks fine. now second thing daal. I wasnt prepared for the events to follow. 3 hungry roommates and a rookie chef maketh a 'recipe for disaster'. I heated oil in the pan and then started making tadka(seasoning) for the daal. In the middle of all this there was a phone for me and I forgot everything about the oil in the pan. "ooooo!,ooooo,ooooo!" there was loud siren and all of us froze, I dropped the phone and rushed to the kitchen to see the oil in fumes, the fire alarm couldnt take it anymore. It was all helter-skelter. First two roommates trying to make the fire-alarm stop squealing and then all of us at it. Finally it stopped and everything was back to normal. whew!!.After much dissuasion from my roommates Finally I managed to make some food without the fire-alarm going off again. I had my lesson, no more distractions while cooking. Is cooking a tough job? Well I have come a long way since that day in cooking and now I have the guts to cook for an entire hungry army:).

clouds rushing past 

Philadelphia downtown from my living room 

Adventure on Thanksgiving Eve!!

25th November 2004. Thanksgiving eve!!. What a beautiful day to wake up on. The weather was perfect to go out and enjoy. This was at 10:00am. Who knew that it would all change suddenly. I had breakfast and went for a shower. I dressed up and just had a casual glance outside and the weather was in its element. Damn! Suddenly it had become overcast and the clouds were just waiting to pour. I was hoping it would not rain till I reached school. So I got ready to face the inclement weather. The moment I stepped out of my building, as if on cue, it started pouring. Today was not a good day for me. I said "come what may I am going to school today".
Here begins the adventure. It was pouring cats and dogs. I crossed the interstate I-76. No soul except me and the cars whizzing past. I continued walking, braving the cold gusts of winds and kept walking till I reached the Schukyll river bridge. Whoosh!! There goes my cap. Flying!!.Luckily it didn't go into the river. I had a moment of hesitation,'To go to school or to head back', but then it dawned upon me I was already halfway to school and I could see the department building. I picked up the cap and continued walking. In fact half flying half walking due to the strong winds. Somehow I crossed the bridge and my destination was nearing. The rains were trying their best to prevent me from reaching school, but I pressed on. My destination was nearing. Finally I reached my department building. Whew. I made it. And at that precise moment it stopped raining. I could almost hear the weather laughing at me. The journey which normally takes 15 mins, took me half an hour. But I had reached my final frontier. In my lab it was all warm and nice. But I was dreading my return journey. Well that may be another adventure.

Diwali sans the fireworks

11th November 2004. Laxmi pujan today. Its gonna be an awesome day back in India. Lots of lights, sweets, family and more importantly the sound of loud crackers.Gosh! I am gonna miss diwali this time. No sweets, no relatives, no gifts no crackers :(. But kya kare majburi hain. I have taken the decision to come and study in USA, so all the other things back home in India shouldnt matter now. SO people back home in india enjoy the festival and have lots of fun.Wish you all a very Happy Diwali. enjoy

Pressure Cooker

Whew!! midterms over. what a relief. I now know what it means to be in a pressure cooker. the entire last week I was drowned in work and studies, though less of the later. The first midterm was terrible, almost like a wake up call "Welcome to America!!".oh man that was really a rude shock. everything was smooth till then. Well now I have been baptised by fire. Come what may. I'll take it by its horns. midterm ho ya ho final. You really have to be on your toes. one day lost is really difficult to make up for later. Kal kare so aaj, aaj kare so abhi:). often repeated wise saying. well have to do a lot of stuff now. so I better do it now : )

Weekends!!

How to spend weekends!

Before the term starts

1. Sleep till 12:00pm
2. Call up friends and family and chat for hours
3. Clean up the house
4. Do laundry
5. Watch HBO movies
6. Cook nice food
7. Chill out
8. Watch Hindi DVD's
9. Play cricket with roommates with a makeshift bat
10. Chat and mail
12. Write blocs
13. Sleep again in the afternoon
14. Hang out with buddies in the evening
15. Listen to music
16. click pictures of Philly

After the term starts

1. Do all the above
2. Study
3. Work in the lab.
4. Go to college
as midterms come closer most of the things in the first list have to be skipped : (. When will this term end?. Long time go. So back to research and studies.

first pay check

Here it comes. my first pay check in dollars! cool aint it! thats my ultimate dream, earn lotsa dollars and become rich. Well these are the first few hundreds which will go on and become a few millions : ). It sure feels nice to hear the rustle of a few crisp greenbacks. let me go and have a nice meal in a long time. enjoy

unpredictable weather

drat!!! its raining,again!!. damn this weather. These weather ppl in USA.Dont they ever get their predictions wrong. unlike in India. They predict. I'll quote in hindi " garaj ke saath cheete padenge!". Warning!! fishermen are warned not to venture out in the sea. stormy weather". when you get up in the morning you have nice sunny weather and a perfect day for picnic ; ). In philadelphia the weather changes so dramatically and that too within a day. Mornings are nice and sunny and when you get ready to go back home its chilly, raining and windy. Then you remember that you forgot your windcheater. damn this unpredictable weather. now the first thing I check before i leave for school is the weather channel and prepare accordingly. unpredictable it maybe but thats what life is all about. face the challenges. be ready to change. because thats the only thing which is permanent. well time to leave. before that let me check the weather.

AntiThesis

A Prof. at the School of BioMedical Engineering, Drexel University said this

"University of Pennsylvania is smaller than Drexel"......lol....lol.....ROFTL

UPenn an ivy league university is compared to Drexel University....lol..lol

ok on more serious thoughts Drexel ECE program research is considered superior to UPenn : ).....kuch toh achha hain Drexel ke baare main : )

Tutoring

I was very happy when I got a second job to make up full 20 hours of on-campus job. Today was the first day of my tutoring. A student had scheduled an appointment with me at 3:00pm for an understanding of some concepts from electromagnetics. Well I reached at 2:00pm after lunch at the learning center waiting for my student. I was using my free time to check mails and there walks in a student to get some help. As I was the only tutor around I had to volunteer to help him out and it turned out he wanted some help in calculus. I was like "Oh my god!!".First day. I didnt want to mess up and I had calculus in my high school.....6 long years past....It was as bad as it could get....the students name was Bill...chinese and he too was talking calculus after 6 long year...he had 4 problems to be solved. I sat with him for one hour and solved each and every problem and I was astonished when I saw that I had solved all the problems...the student was so happy and I gave him some more tips so that calculus is simpler for him....I guess I could tutor any subject I had in my undergraduate and its not so bad.....the best thing is the expression of the students when they understand the topics.....so back to tutoring again....I have another appointment scheduled for Electric Circuits!!!!......I again start with

Free Lunch

I was always had the opinion that there is no such thing as a "free lunch".....and thats what they teach in corporate management training sessions. But I guess I would have to change my opinion especially after I came to USA and joined Drexel University...I have been having a free lunch every alternate day......either a pizza or a pretzel, sometimes cakes, sometimes cookies but there has been a free luch atleast twice a week since college started....and I believe there will be many more free lunches like the one i had yesterday...it was a party for all the TA's of the Physics Department.....so if u r a student and u r in Drexel University then u can expect "free lunches" at the start of the Fall term.....but now I am off for a "paid lunch"...

Freshers Party!!!

What a night!! Great atmosphere, great dance, great music, cool DJ....awesome pizzas and a fantastic crowd....you might be wondering what am I talking about Fresher's Party organised by Pragathi Indian Student Association at Drexel University, Philadelphia. We had an absolute blast.....the show was well organised and there was also a micmicry show by a talented alumni.....best of all entry, food and drinks were free for the freshers.....ekdum vassool party boss...slept at 3:00am and now I am in college trying to make out head and tail of a thesis on which my research is dependent....chalo...enjoy

First Day in College

Whew what a day.....first day of grad school....i feel as if I worked for an entire week....aadat nahi hain na kaam karne ki...especially after an year's sabbatical from college...sala aish ki zindagi thi yaar Tata Motors main...no padhai, no tension, no deadlines, no assignments and now all of a sudden all this has come back and its overwhelming.......TA classes in the morning, meetings, courses in the evening.......thats a lot of things to do......well I did mange to have a bite for lunch and caught up with some sleep before the lecture started.....never in my life I knew what my schedule would be for the next day and now I have my schedule fixed for the next three months....chalo according to my schedule it says sleep now....thats what I am gonna do and be ready to face tomorrow : )

Blogging Blackhole

Do you sometimes feel that you are not able to say what you what to say? Do you feel sometimes that you have a lot of things to say but you end up saying nothing? Do you sometimes feel that nothing is coming out of the mind how much ever you try? well I guess I am in that situation.....for a long time I have not been able to write much on my blog.....it seems as if my brain has switched off the writing part......my blog posts have turned into a story telling chore......the thoughts are not coming out of the black hole....all my words are being sucked in by a black hole called brain...I guess its because of my workload and now I have lots stuff to worry about and keep me occupied...now I have to clear all the clutter in my mind and start afresh...till then please bear with my boring posts as this one : )

begging!!---an art

After coming to USA one thing I noticed is that there are hardly any beggars unlike India......which is a very good thing...not that there are no beggars....I had an experience with an american beggar while going home one evening.I was crossing a bridge over Schukyll river and came to the other side...I saw an old decently dressed man coming towards me....i was a bit apprehensive and I didnt want anything to happen to me.....he came toward me, he stopped and asked "Dou have any spare change?"..I was surprised by the question and I said no and started walking away from there as fast as I could...I really didnt have any change on me then...I reached home and told my room-mates about my experience and they said he was a beggar and he was askin for some chutta.....I just looked at them in dismay and realised that it was a sophisticated beggar...unlike in India torn clothes, lame or blind and screaming "Allah ke naam se dede..baba!"......and now instead of sayig chutta nahin hain aage badho I have to "say sorry mate no change".....lol

Orientation

24th September is the date, Drexel University, Philadelphia is the place and the event is International Graduate students Students orientation...all are excited for the event to begin...breakfst at 9:00 consists of coffee, juice, cake and cookies...its 9;30 break fast over and people r anxious for the event to begin...we expected it to begin on time...but as in india it began way behind schedule and started at 10:30...what began as a gr8 expectation was slowly turning into a boring excercise...the best part was the quizes held after every presentation because i won a big drexel coffee mug.....after that people were really hungry and were longing for lunch, but that was not to be as lunch consisted of pasta, sauce, salad and desert(cookies).....public pak chuka tha....and most of them left after lunch.....the crowd consisted majorly of indians, chinese some italians and some hispanic americans.......we all sighed a collective sigh of relief once it got over...no more orientations for me...aur saaha nahi jata : ).......

Indian stores

One of the good things in Philadelphia for Indians is the Indian Stores...though the name is "Indian and Pakistani spices"...its like a proper sahakar bhandar in mumbai and smells the same..once u enter the store u feel like u r in india....u get parle G biscuits and frozen chapatis all in one place....its a real convenience for students especially boys....u can even rent DVDs of all new bollywood movies even before people back in india can see it...cool isnt it?...and u can have samosas, ragada pattice and butter chicken.....its a boon for indian students : )and Indians in general

Hoagie

What is an hoagie?.....the person who gets it right will get an hoagie from me as treat

TA!!

TA..yeh TA TA kya hain....oh no no i am not speaking about Tata....TA is teaching assistantship..
whew finally I got an on campus job which'll pay me around $1000 per month and also help me in getting some experience....how i was dreading the prospect of working in a cafeteria and book store!!.....well there is nothing bad in working there..only thing is u actually need to work hard there and the pay is just about enough to cover the living expenses......well I start with my new american job on 20th sep...so long then....more later

changes!! changes!! changes!!

the only thing permanent in life is change!!....whoever has said this must be surely one wise guy
but y am i saying this?...well the biggest change in my life happened on 5th Sep 2004..thats when I stepped in the US of A....
the very first thing I noticed was the clealiness all over.....change no 1

the airport is so huge and there were hardly any people over there...change no 2

the people are so friendly...some times its too much though...change no 3

everything is ulta as compared to india...left hand drive...change no 4

but the most significant change is that there are hardly any people to be seen roaming about..change no 5

well there are many more things which are much different than India...but all said and done India is the best

"Mera Bharat Mahan"

one week in USA!!

12th Sep 2004!!...whew...one week in the USA already....so far so good, its been a smooth transition to life in USA.....

I have spent $60 in one week...sob sob Rs.3000/- in a week...maybe not much for ppl earning in dollars : )....

well I passed one trial by the fire...cooking!!!....my first shot at cooking was a sweet success....alu flower and daal chawaal....none of us roomies had to go hungry that day : ).....

I already must have lost a few kilos by walking almost for 30-45 mins daily : )...though its a good excercise

spoke to my friends who have been here from last year...and made lotsa new friends....

ragged by my senior roomates : )...though its been only leg pulling : )

got my bank account...my university ID card....went to an Indian restaurant for dinner...travelled in cabs and had a very philadelphian food called haogie : )....

all this in one week...dekhte hain aage hota hain kya....more later

signing off

9 and a half hours behind!!

I am getting up 9 and a half hours later
I am having breakfast 9 and a half hours later
I am bathing 9 and a half hours later
I am going to college 9 and a half hours later
I am having lunch 9 and a half hours later
I am having snacks 9 and a half hours later
I am having dinner 9 and a hald hours later
I am sleeping 9 and a half hours later
well u may wonder y am i late for everything....and why 9 and a half hours....let me tell u...thats because I have just arrived in USA from India which is 9 and a half hours ahead : )...and it will take time getting used to doin things 9 and a half hours later ; )

In USA

I finally reached Philadelphia, USA. After a long wait I achieved my dreeam....whew...let me catch my breath. As soon as I settle down i'll be back to active blogging....till then enjoy take care
ciao...adios

Mumbaikar!!

u know the person u r talking to is a mumbaikar if he tells u how much time will it take to reach a particular place instead of telling u how far it is when u ask him how far is 'x' place

cheers

Tata Motors Ltd.

U come to know that a person was working in Tata Motors if he tells u that he has been waiting for his accumulated PF to be credited to his account for over 4 months after quitting : (......
u may wonder who that person is.....

"YOURS TRULY"

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

What r u looking at?....its me on the left sitting in Cafe Coffee Day, Delhi along with Arun Kamath(coffee demon) and drinking fukat coffee courtesy Tata Motors Ltd. 

thats me standing on asia's largest equilateral triangle situated in Jantar Mantar at Delhi 

Gmail invite!!

I got a free gmail invite...i got a free gmail invite..finally i too have a Gmail account : )
courtesy nupur..thankx...u all may wonder what's so gr8....then here is what is gr8
ppl r ready to beg steal borrow and buy gmail accounts : )....let me savour the moment
for some more time ; )

The Effects of E-mail

Read and enjoy. The far reaching effect of E-mail ; )

Height of Isolation:Two persons sitting side by side using emails to communicate with each other
Height of Cowardice:Two persons fighting through emails.
Height of Helplessness: Receiving no e-mails for a week
Height of Frustration: The e-mail server being down
Height of Carelessness: Writing a love mail and doing a send all
Height of Achivement:A person sending email to a girl wanting to become friends and getting a reply.
Height of Timepass: person sending E-mail to himself
Height of Expectation: Sending Indian cricket team an e-mail, wishing them to win a match.
Height of Repitition: Forwarding an email to someone and receiving the same email forwarded back to you by some one in the receiving chain.
Height of Browsing: You are swimming in the water pond and shout "F1 F1 F1" instead of shouting "HELP" when you are unable to swim.

enjoy!!

Last Few days in Mumbai

Today!! 25th August 2004.just 11 days to go for D-day. U may wonder what's there on 5th September. I leave for the US of A on this very day. I was wondering what all i'll miss.....these r the 10 things i'll miss the most

1. Mom's food : (
2. My computer : )
3. My friends : (
4. The ubiqitous red BEST bus
5. masala dosa,pavbhaji, butter chicken...yummy
6. 98.3 radio mirchi
7. VASHI
8. mumbai rains : )
9. Hanging out of a local train ; )
10. last but not the least home sweet home : (

kuch pane keliye kuch khona padta hain. well thats life. The only thing which is permanent is "change"

Courses!!!

Yipee I have been accepted to pursue PhD at Drexel University!!!....well this excitement was shortlived especially after I heard the courses I have to take to pursue PhD....misaal ke taur pe

Quantum Mechanics
Statistical Mechanics
Colloidal Physics
Microfabrication Technology
Material Characterisation

Now i know its not a childs play to pursue PhD...i feel like i'll be workin under einstien ; )......well the books look awesome till you open them to read the matter : (.....lets c how I do in these courses...aakhon dekha haal aane wale blogs main...keep watchin : )

Addiction!!

Speaking of addiction I have noticed that I have been addicted to a lot of things unknowingly

Addiction to Sleep: dragging myself out of bed at 10:00 am and again sleeping 3 hours in the afternoon ;)

Addiction to Tea: drinking 3-4 cups daily and forgetting that I already have had my quota ; )

Addiction to Computers: forgetting food, drink and family and leaving the chair only if there is a power failure : )

Addiction to Phone: curtailing phone calls only if the bill crosses all limits including daddy's threshold : )

Addiction to TV: channel surfing till u come back to the same channel and then continue again : (

Addiction to Blogging: posting more than 3 posts in one single day and then commenting on other people's blogs : )

Addiction to Chatting: chattin to a person for over 2 hours when the person stays in the same town and I have already spoken to him/her for more than 2 hours on phone ; )

Addiction to Movies: watching Dil Chahta hain 8 times

there are many more things to which I have been addicted....no no I am not talking about drugs ; )...thankfully I have been addicted only to things not frowned upon

Sameer...hawa ka jhoka!!!

Sameer....hawa ka jhoka...well this dialog from Hum Dil De Chuke sanam has made the name famous or should i say infamous ; ).....well the name sameer literally means Vayu Dev or the wind god according to Hindu mythology

Sameer, the name has become so common....When I was in VJTI civil there were four people with the same name in our class...it was so difficult to call sameer..every time someone used to call sameer the other three would respond ; )

Sameer, sam, sammy, sammo,sami these r the many versions that I have been addressed with. Though it is also spelt as samir. There have been many instances where sameer has been confused with zameer and I was asked whether I am a Muslim :-)....such a simple name also causes confusions in spelling...the most comon misspelling being sammer; )

Well before I start sounding too obsessed with my name...i better curtail this post here :-)

signing off

Sameer

Main Aisa Kyun hoon!!!

One of my idiosyncrasies is day dreaming. its the best thing to do. u dont have to make time for it and u dont require anything to indulge in it. All it requires is you and a fertile mind.

One thing I have been contemplating is "Main aisa kyun hoon, main aisa kyun hoon"
why has god made me this way, why has he sent me in this form and why has he sent me in this era.there my fertile mind has started germinating "Main aisa kyun hoon, main aisa kyun hoon"

why has he given me such a gr8 family, why has he given me such wonderful friends, why is that I have everything I need, why "Main aisa kyun hoon, main aisa kyun hoon"

what was I in my last life, what will I be in my next life, will I be able to justify my existence when I die, "Main aisa kyun hoon, main aisa kyun hoon"

why did I do engineering, why did I work in Tata Motors Limited, and why is it that I am going abroad for higher studies, "Main aisa kyun hoon, main aisa kyun hoon"

well the rest of my life will be spent in analyzing this riddle "Main Aisa Kyun hoon".

sameer!!!.....sameer!!!...uhh...yeah...sameer!!!....oh that's my mum calling me...i better go

Me(in white shirt) and fellow Drexelites at arvind's b'day 

Sore Throat!!

Yet again in my 22 years of my existence I am down with sore throat. I guess this is God's way of keeping my mouth shut for a few days. My sister says that I talk a lot and never allow anybody else to talk and hence I frequently get sore throat ; )......Its like the law of averages...I yap away to glory and then suddenly my throat gives up and shuts itself : )

Its so wierd to lose your voice. you suddenly end up speechless. When I get up in the morning it takes almost 2 hours and a bucketful of hot water to get my voice box in some order. Its so funny that when you cant talk there is someone or the other who keeps on calling up and wants to ask you something.

It does have its advantages but the disadvantages far outweigh them. You cant talk normally, you cant ask for anything and you cant eat most of the foodstuff. only thing you can do is croak away to glory. I know that we all love our voices, but this feeling is more acute when one is down with sore throat. How I long to get my normal voice back!!

cant help it I have to live with it. so long then, till I get my voice back

VJTI

Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute.naah!!.Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute...whatever..a rose by any other name smells as good. Thats VJTI for you; .a 125 year old prestigious college, rechristened to the later name in 1997 .Why am i writing about VJTI, well thats where 4 prime years of my youth passed while pursuing BE Electrical and I made some of my very best friends over here: )

I have had many memorable moments in VJTI. I still remember the time spent in the qualdrangle was the most productive ; ) followed by the canteen ; )...Electrical class was the envy of all other branches. we hardly had any lectures, if we had we didnt attend and in the end the sem topper would almost always be a trical student : )

The most hilarious moment was described by rohini, the scene: most dreaded machines viva by Prof. Mahale. I wont let out who the victim was. Prof asked a question to the suspect...he answered some vague manner...the Prof asked from where did u give this answer....the dumb response was, its there in the prescribed book...lol...lol

One more gr8 thing of my class was tht we went to a trek at the end of almost every semester. Lonavala, Dukes nose, Matheran, Dukes nose again, NaneGhat: by far the best trek....

Ghosh I am goin to miss those four long years which just went by in a flash : ) what say gang, Nisarga, Rohini, Sumedha, Smitha, Saurabh, Ashish, Minal, Pranav, Animesh, Venugopal, Jatin, Nitin, Tushar, Sameer, Sandy, Andy, Yogesh...I dedicate this post to all of u : )..enjoy

Tounge Twister

Kalghatgi!!.....uhh..ohh.....how does one pronounce this....Triceratops or onomotopoeia would be easier to pronounce isnt it?
he he well this is the same dilema everyone faces when I tell them my surnameThey would have wished they hadn't asked in the first place
I have had many instances where people are completely flummoxed because of my surnameThe various attempts result in kal..what, kalghati, kalghatti, kalighati, kalighata and many more....
The best (or should i say the worst) experience i had was when I had to book my Air ticket. I called up the travel agent and introduced myself. Then came the most difficult part...well u guessed it right my surname. After n attempts at pronouncing my surname  spelled it out to her and her response for verification was
Kangaroo, Alpha, London, Giraffe, Horse, Alpha, Tiger, Giraffe, Ice : )...whew finally she got it right....
well I dont know how many spelling games will I have to play to get my surname right ; )What does KALGHATGI mean...well its the name of an obscure village in northern karnataka near Dharwad. never been there in my life and I dont think I ever will go there. This is where my ancestors hail from...he he...so it will have to continue however difficult it may seem.....KALGHATGI...whoever gets it right in the first shot will get a prize ; )

 

I love Mumbai

10 reasons for which I love Mumbai

1. "The rains". its absolutely gorgeous in the monsoon. Though I wouldnt venture out. take a cup of hot tea and just soak in the experience

2. The "local trains": its just amazing to ride in one of them ( not in the peak hour though). They are the arteries of mumbai snaking from one end to another.

3. The Ubiquitous  red "BEST bus". Its sheer fun to ride one especially in the front seat on the top storey of a double decker bus

4. "The sea". Its so soothing to just look at the sea. Especially at marine drive where you can drink in the atmosphere or at chowpatty where one can enjoy a plate of bhel whiffing the salty sea breeze

5. "Udipi restaurants". one can savour cheap and healthy south indian dishes. these joints are spread everywhere, almost one every corner

6. "Vada pav". no where in the world would you get this tasty and spicy sanck. It is enjoyed by young and old, students and professionals. housewives and grandmothers, rich and poor

7. "cutting chai" from the tapari (small shop). its gr8 to catch some gossip over a glass of tea.

8. The funny names of places andheri, chinchpokali, borivili, goregaon, churchgate, bhau cha dhakka (ferry wharf)

9. The quaint irani joints where they serve you brun maska pav and chicken sandwich. I loved the one near my college

10. Last but not the least the people of mumbai. come rain or shine people are always on the move and I believe they are really helpful unlike other cities in India.

well i could go on.....these are the 10 reasons why i really like Mumbai...aamchi mumbai

Mumbai Dictionary

Read and Enjoy

Deodorant: A substitute for daily bath

Positive Thinking: Offering a seat to a beautiful girl in a bus

Hair Dye: A temporary solution for a permanent problem

Monsoon: A season to enjoy with garam chai and pakoras

Yoga: The art of turning and twisting the body

 

Visa Experience

The day arrived sooner than expected, yes 6th July 2004. I was yearning for this day to come as early as possible. Well what’s so great with this date, I had my US visa interview on this day. I had done everything possible; prepared all documents, got all my finances in proper order, gave a mock interview, read many visa experiences, though only good ones and then left everything to the almighty. jo hoga dekha jayega.
At 7:30 left my house, outside the visa application center at 8:45, entered the lounge. Well I saw that there were not many students and heaved a sigh of relief, had some stimulating coffee and sandwich. Now I was wide awake. something snapped.” hell today is my visa interview in another 30 mins, kya hoga, will I get the visa, hope it’s allover within no time”, I hear a voice "excuse me!” I snap back...it’s another student tapping on my shoulder.” Have u come for the student visa interview?"....well I was thinking....actually no, "I just came to get a feel of the things here"....."Why would any sane person come to the lounge if he doesn’t have to give his visa interview” back to reality..."yeah I have my visa interview at 9:30, when is yours?", he replies "same time"...we indulge in some small talk and then the call comes to get into the bus for the 9:30 interview...I pray silently...."bole sau nihal...sat sri akal"....and get into the bus
Outside the consulate at 9:30am...queues on both side of the entrance. I was wondering how many ppl go to USA.....we r ushered in at 9:45...security check ho gaya...stand in queue to get the yellow envelop...then another to get the token....10:00 am...well at this time I had to attend nature's call...gave my folder to the other student and rushed in....akashwani!!..."token no bla, token no bla, token no bla and token no 518 come and stand in front of counter no 4"....I am inside....oops...my token no is 518....bhago...sala phursat se khade hone ko bhi nahin diya...taking all precautions I rushed out and I find my self last in the line in front of counter 4....this is it, in another 5 mins I’ll be facing the officer...he seems a cool guy, smiling and middle aged....and the first person a girl is rejected. Oh my god!!. Oh god let me get the visa!!....finally I am in front of the visa officer

Me: gave him a big smile and said good morning
He: good morning how r u today?
Me: fine sir (meri toh phat rahi thi!!)...how do u do?
He: I am fine...its going on u can see!!
he: tell me ur plan of study
Me: I am doing my PhD in blah blah with blah as my specialization
He: blah what?...what is blah?
Me: blah is a field in which blah blah blah
He: ok? How r u going to support urself?
Me: blah blah and prof is going to fund me from next yr
He: ok...I am giving u the visa. Here is Ur i-20..Keep it carefully. Have a gr8 time in USA
Me: thank you sir. Have a gr8 day

What a relief. I can’t believe it. I have the visa...I rush out from there and get into the bus...whew. It was not such a big deal though....finally I am coming to the USA

Well but it’s a gr8 experience, especially after u get the visa!!. I was not so thrilled even when I got the highest paying job on campus in TELCO last year...this was something out of the world...lets see if USA stays up to its reputation...bye bye India

The First Admit

(no no I was not admitted to any hospital; )) It was 2nd December 2003...9:30 pm...me sitting in front of my PC after a long time...had just returned from Pune and was posted to Mumbai...checkin mails and chattin

ding!!my mailbox says,u have mail!!well nothing surprising,thats what I was sitting for.anticipating some mails.I opened my mailbox and just sat gawking at the dumb screen.The subject read Syracuse Admission notification.With trembling hands and a racing heart(I could hear my own heartbeats)....I opened the mail.Damn this yahoo mail take such a long time to open:-(.I am still waiting for it to open.Finally it opens and I read the first word Congratulations!and the following sentence..you have been accepted to pursue the MS program at Syracuse University.I am literally jumping all around the house and shouting I got it! I got it!(This is what archimedes must have felt when he ran about saying Eureka! Eureka!).I am sure my mom and sis were thinking that I was out of my mind; )

I give them the good news and believe me they too start jumping around ; )...i had never seen my mom so happy(ok maybe when i was born she must have been more happy ; ) ). I just couldnt believe my eyes. It took about 5 mins to register that I had actually got an admit, that elusive admit. It was the culmination of all the efforts that I had put while preparing the application and sending it as early as possible

I got 4 more admits later but I will always cherish my first admit!!!

wise thinking!!

read and enjoy.

Advaniism:You have two cows. You dont milk them. You worship them.

Chandrababuism:You have two cows in Vijayawada. You hook them to internet
and
milk them from Hyderabad.

Jayalalithaism:You have two cows. You teach them to cry,
"Ammmmaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..."
and fall at your feet.

Lalooism: You have two cows. You buy Rs. 900 Crores worth of cattle feed
for them.

Rajnikantism: You have two cows. You throw them into air and catch their
milk in your mouth.

Rajivism: You have two cows. You paint them both to get colourful milk.

Vajpayeeism: You have two cows. You distribute the milk among your partners
and you eat cattle-feed.

Veerappanism: You have two cows. You take over a reserved forest to feed
them.

Azharism: You have only one cow. You take money from bookies to maintain
it.

the grand winner
A Japanese Corporation: You have two cows. You redesign and re-engineer
them so that they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce
twenty times more milk. You then create a clever cow cartoon image called
Cowkimon and market them worldwide

he he....

Rains!!

Its that season when the sky seems heavy,
Its that season when the seas are wavy.

its that season when the peacock starts dancing,
its that season when the cuckoo starts singing.

yes its the monsoon magic....the rains are here again
I absolutely love the mumbai rains. People staying in mumbai only can experience what i am describing...

Its so lovely to get up in the morning with a cup of hot steaming tea in your hand and enjoy the heavy rains lashing outside....

When i was a kid i used to wait for heavy rains,because mumbai invariably gets flooded after any heavy shower, so that school gets closed and i could enjoy the rains...

I rememeber one incident, i was in some kg class, the previuos night it had rained very heavily and the school was closed. my mom and dad told me that today is a holiday and i started crying becos i couldnt go to school. my dad hoisted me on his shoulders and waded through knee deep water and took me to school to show me that it was really closed..then i stopped crying ; )

u just have to be in mumbai to experience it....there is no other....

well i end it up with a rhyme..its in marathi

ye re ye re pausa!
tula deto paisa!!
paisa zhala khota!
paus aala motha!!
here starts the rain..i am off..bbye

enjoy : )

types of women

here is a good read. I read it on www.fe2be.com. liked it so i posted it on the blog.
no hard feelings.its just meant to bring a smile on your faces

HARD-DISK Woman
She remembers everything, FOREVER.

RAM Woman
She forgets about you, the moment you turn her off.

WINDOWS Woman
Everyone knows that she can't do a thing right,
but no one can live without her.

EXCEL Woman
They say she can do a lot of things but you
mostly use her for your four basic needs.

SCREENSAVER Woman
She is good for nothing but at least she is fun!

INTERNET Woman
Difficult to access.

SERVER Woman
Always busy when you need her.

MULTIMEDIA Woman
She makes horrible things look beautiful.

CD-ROM Woman
She is always faster and faster.

E-MAIL Woman
Every ten things she says, eight are nonsense.

VIRUS Woman :)
Also known as "WIFE"; when you are not expecting her, she comes, installs herself and uses all your resources. If you try to uninstall her you will lose something, if you don't try to uninstall her you will lose everything...

enjoy : )

huge inboxes

well there seems to be a deluge of e-mail providers that have come up with large inboxes..first there was a news that google is going to come out with 1GB inboxes soon and it started with invitational e-mail accounts...it was soon followed by yahoo(100 MB)...now rediffmail has converted all active accounts to operational 1GB accounts.....hotmail not to be left behind is going to offer 250 MB inboxes...I wonder from where r they goin to offer so much space..precious memory...and that too free.not that i am too worried. I wonder how am i going to utilize this space. I have e-mail ids with all providers. If someone can please come out with ideas to use this much space just send out some comments ; )....what started out as exchange of text e-mails has now become the war of MB's and GB's...long live the internet...i guess this is the age of huge inboxes ; )

Me in front of the TAJ MAHAL 

jokes

hello ppl check these out

ek aadmi ki bivi kho gayi,
wo ram ke mandir gaya,
ram bole pas ke hanuman mandir jao,
meri bhi unhi ne dhundi thi : )

2nd one

do sardar ped pe bethkar gaa rahe the.
achanak ek sardar ulta latak ka gaane laga,
dusre ne pucha ulta kyon latka hai,
sardar bola oye side B!!

dont blame me...i got these sms from some one

enjoy : )

Lakshya!!

There I was lying on the bed...at 1:30 am in the morning in one of the rare instances when sleep had abandoned me...staring at the ceiling and feeling the cool monsoon air coming in from the open window.....thinking in the moments of emptiness...what I am doing?....where am I heading to?....what is my goal?...what is my aim....the word is Lakshya....exactly Lakshya!!!
I was wondering when man comes to life he does not have any lakshya.As and when he grows older he sets out to achieve various goals.There is no single Lakshya. Infact throughout our Life we achieve some goals and some goals remain unfulfilled. At different stages in life we have diferrent goals....different ambitions...

when i was a baby my only Lakshya was to get my mother's complete attention!!!
when i grew older my only Lakshya was to drink bournvita, go to school and study ; )
when i was in 10th my only Lakshya was to get good marks and get into a good college!!!
when i understood what is love my only Lakshya was to get the attention of my crush ; )
when I was in 12th my only Lakshya was to score high and get into a good engineering college!!!
when i got into engineering my only Lakshya was to score 40% minimum to clear the sem ; )
when i was in final year my only Lakshya was to get a First Class on my Degree Certificate!!!
when I was applying my only Lakshya was to get into a US university and get funding : )
my only Lakshya now is to get the damn F1 VISA and come over to the US of A!!!

haan yehin rasta hai mera, maine ab jaana hai!!
haan yehin sapna hai mera, maine pehchana hai!!
mujhe ab yeh dikhana hai,
roke mujhko aandhiyaan, kya zameen aur aasmaan
paoonga jo lakshya hai mera
Lakshya kooooooo.......har haal mein pana hai!!!

(for the uninitiated this is a modification of the original song in Lakshya......sorry for copyright voilations; ) )

well i think i am beginning to doze off ; )
my only Lakshya now is to complete my sleep...have to get up tomorrow morning ; )

zzzz....Lakshya!!!...zzzz.....exactly Lakshya!!!!....zzzzzzzzzz

thats me in the black 

"Kumbhakaran"--hope u ppl know this Ramayana character

The other day I was travelling in the good ol' BEST bus and I suddenly got up with a jolt after sleeping yet another time in a moving vehicle and remembered that I had to get down. I just managed to alight at my stop...there have been many instances where i have gone ahead of my stop(thats another story!!)...
We had a lesson in marathi in 10th "Nidradevi chi aaradhana"...(which in english means Invoking the blessings of Sleep Goddess).In this the author had the inborn ability of dozing off when it was time for studies!!...I think god has given me this strange ability of dozing off anywhere in the world..though this is sometimes beneficial in case of a boring lecture ; )...you name any place; buses, cars, trains, "autorickshaws", planes,airports, classrooms, theatres(unless the movie is very interesting!!)...I do manage to catch 40 winks.....
The shortest journey in which I managed to sleep was in a rick from my house to the station, my friend had to literally wake me up(dunno know what I was doin the last night..must have been sleeping ; ) )
Another instance I was found on the floor(instead of my bed!!)sound asleep by my mom...I was in such a deep slumber that I failed to notice that I had landed on the floor.I remember many more episodes and hilarious incidences related to my sleep..maybe another time...but the Goddess of Sleep "Nidradevi" must be surely happy with me and she has blessed me with instant sleep"kahin bhi kabhi bhi"....I better go and complete my sleep now : )

in front of the Red Fort 

At the Jantar Mantar in Delhi 

This is me relaxing at the guest house in Delhi