got back early hours of saturday morning from JFK airport - amazes me how there is traffic at all crazy times of the day on the staten island expressway.
some pics that i took with my mom in bombay - notice the backdrop as the apartment is undergoing major renovations and the walls look like crap
This is the best news of the year... Eagles win against Falcons 24-17 with AJ Feeley at quarterback. I think we all saw disappointment in the 5 game losing streak this year and the loss of McNabb, I for one was bitching to my buds about how badly they had played, and now to bounce back and be on top of the NFC east..this excerpt from their news article says it all:
"But 10 minutes after the game was over, the players and coaches and everybody was talking about what is ahead. Winning 10 games and bouncing back to win the division was nice. It was welcomed. But the real goal is out there. The real goal is not making the playoffs.
The real goal is winning the Super Bowl.
And the Eagles are alive.
... What did we learn on Sunday? Well, Feeley is a capable quarterback who has a nice touch on the deep ball. He got rid of the rust and blistered Atlanta's first-team defense.
... We learned that Baskett and Avant make plays when given the chance. We learned that Greg Lewis is going to catch passes and make first downs. We learned that Matt Schobel is suddenly a weapon in the red zone."
Saw the Saddam Hussain hanging on BBC News today and was really disturbed with the hurry in which they carried out the sentence. I don't think he was innocent of anything, but I feel he should have been tried for all his crimes, that way the execution would not have been a facade...
They hung you today a hurried decision a life snuffed out, no remorse the world thinks, a life gone, a better vision a country divided, yet we stay our course
I saw it go down, I saw your spirit find release the terror you unleashed is now gone people scarred thru generations, no peace, death spread around, but that evil lives on
We've found ourselves in a world with just war our new paradigm is more violence for evils of old our pretense for freedom, our soldiers lives all part of our hidden desires for that black gold
Not one to shy away from talking about bowel-movements, I must say that Entero-Quinol really seems to be doing the job for my stomach infection...keeping my fingers crossed (yet stacked up on toilet paper)
i'm doing this for the first time for forgive my writing style on being "reflective", but here's the year as I saw it come by me:
- Successful merger of two japanese companies, through the sweat blood and tears we managed to pull it off as a team - A happy 10 yrs together with my wife, what a fantastic journey this has been, I am truly blessed to have her in my life - The loss of $9M of potential client revenue due to being stiffed / undercut by another consulting company - My acceptance into Cornell for my executive MBA program and subsequent damage to my wallet from the fees - Our saab breaks down for the millionth time. We've stopped worrying about the inevitable - Padma's dads health takes a turn for the worse and through some good TLC bounces back somewhat - Quality time spent with my mom, padmas family in goa - Stomach flu as I sit here and type - End of my first semester in school. I have earned the "E" in my EMBA programme. - The win of $9m in client revenue (this is a super comeback for my team from the earlier loss)
Met nasser last night for a planned dinner. turns out that we had been trying to do this for the past few yrs with little luck, but, last night happened. Went to the ITC group of hotels by the Hyatt and sat at the Korean restaurant. Started with some lobster appetizers and was in the mood for some Kalbi/ Bulgogi so thats exactly what we got alongwith some mongolian mish-mash and fungus. Bellisimo!!! thats how good the food was. My stomach is still reeling from heavy food but it was so worth the gastronomic experience.
It all started after the little bash with Ashok, Narkar, Sudhir, Mellu, Adrian and Sue. My throat was a little itchy the next morning and so was my stomach. I wrote it off to too much alcohol (assuming 3 mugs of beer is too much) and lay down. Then the shivers, then the fever and the stomach infection. A day later and i'm still laid up in bed, feeling a little better but still under the weather. The Advils, multi-vitamins and immodium hasn't completely helped but i'm hoping to bounce back and enjoy my last few days in bombay....wish me a speedy recovery!
Went over to Padma's place and had a really really good time with her folks. Her mom / dad were super hospitable to mum and me (what with mums craziness and eccentricities) and we really felt welcome there. i cannot even begin to say how greatful i am for everything.
one thing i really wanted to write about is that i feel so connected to Dida. Shes this bubbly old woman who's led her life losing her husband at a very young age an then giving up all meats (not out of choice -- but for tradition). Her smile absolutely captivated me when I met her a couple of year ago, but this time around I had the opportunity to talk to her, laugh with her, eat the cloves that she kept giving me and finally put an arm around her. Shes 80+ something years old and I can say that I absolutely love her for who she is and the affections that she represents for me.
As i was sitting in the goa airport with her, she spoke to me in broken hindi about coming back to see her within the next yr while I tried to convince her to come visit padma and me in the USofA. I hope to see her before she sees me in India..I was very sad when she started to cry and tell me that shes going to be alone once Padma and I leave, i really treat her and think of her as my family and my own blood. Its been only a day and I miss her laughter terribly. Life sucks when you cannot be around those you care about
okay, this will get posted a little later than the actual write date, but, i thought that I would share some information as i go along on my trip back to india.
Firstly, I detest flying by United airlines..it makes me feel like James Bond. My flight from ORD-PHL was delayed on Dec 15 from 4 pm CST to 11 pm CST. Then the flight sat on the runway for 3 hrs and turned back to the terminal. The reason: Fog in philadelphia and that the flight crew was tired. Did anyone think about the weary passenger who had actually paid for this ordeal? Anyway, they rebooked me on the next days flight back to philly at 9.30 am. Now, note that I had a plane from JFK - Abu Dhabi to catch at 10 pm that same night. My flight from Chicago was sposed to arrive in Phila around 12.30 pm, giving me enough time to extend my apartment lease, pack, get a haircut, do some last minute shopping for mum and any final closeouts that required my attention, including paying of all out household bills (credit cards, utilities etc).
While holding my breath, i realized that the plane was (again) going to be 3 hrs late, so instead of arriving at 12.30 pm, i reached home at 3.30 pm, with very little time to get my shit together. Thank you United.
Run home with a one way rental from Avis, pick, pack and rush to the CVS pharmacy to pick up my prescription meds, go to Dons to attempt to get a haircut but alas, he has a long line and wont get to me until an hour later (which of course given my schedule means no haircut).
5.30 pm on Dec 16th: Grab my bags and rush ot the car, now im wearing jeans and a sweatshirt with sneakers. I've ditched my formal attire on the living room couch and I know wifey is gonna be mad at me for messing the house up in my hurry to leave town. That said, I do the run from Philly to JFK in record time (I'm sure the cops recorded my speed at around 95mph along the turnpike) and manage to (barely) make my flight to abu dhabi. Turns out I have middle seats for the 14 hr flight. *sigh*
I sit down to be surrounded by two individuals, one pakistani kid who grew up in nyc and the other a bangladeshi kid who grew up in Abu Dhabi. We actually made some super conversation and that really shortened the journey. The Pakistani kid and myself had a 6 hr layover in Abu Dhabi, so we managed to grab a beer together at the airport. He's a really good kid and can draw caricatures really well.I wish him luck and success in his future.
The next flight from Abu Dhabi to Bombay is uneventful, i end up in an exit row facing the flight attendants seat. She's a woman from Lebanon and we chat for a bit during those brief moments that they actually get to sit down. Turns out shes exhausted with her schedule as well and can't wait to get back to Beirut to see her mom / dad and family. I know that feeling.
7.30 AM IST: Bombay: Walk out of the Bombay airport with practically no luggage (because I only had a roll on bag and laptop bag). I have few hours to kill before heading on the Indian airlines flight at 1 pm to goa to see my wife and mom. Stop by Bandra(W) to see my best friends mom and have a quick breakfast with them. tried to call my sis-in-law for breakfast but shes not picking up her cell phone -- turns out later that she doesnt accept calls from "unknown" numbers...sheesh.
So i make it out to goa finally and mom / wife are waiting outside dabolim aiport. Wifes dad is kind enough to give me his family car to get around and that makes life so much easier getting around goa.
India, I'm back. I don't miss you very often, but when I come back I realize that you are the void that fulfils my life.
it turns out on impulse that I have decided to go to india. so now, im flying back from chicago to philly in the early hours of friday morning (returning from work), then have to pack my crap and leave for nyc for a bunch of meetings in teh afternoon. get this, i have to wear a suit to some of these meetings. well, thank god for a buddy called ryan. im gonna leave my clothes there, switch to jeans and a t (and a sweatshirt), catch a cab to JFK and then head down to abu-dhabi - bombay - goa :) its going to be 30+ hours of travel (and 20+ hrs in a plane) but getting to see my wife and mom is all going to be so worth it.
Merry christmas y'all, we'll see you in the next year....
Brian called me up yesterday with some season tickets on sale for the Eagles Giants game this sunday. Really good seats at $75 face value a pop. Etims coming down friday to hang in philly with Nilesh and probably Chin too..so once i'm done here, I head up to Giants stadium on sunday (18th) to watch Jeff Garcia try and bring the birds back. Gonna wear my McNabb No.5 Jersey tho, i know brian feels i'm gonna get me ass kicked in at the stadium ... we'll see.. I'm an Eagles fan, i'm not a pussy to not wear my teams colors......and yes these colors DO run (in case you put bleach on them)
Well, i'm almost done with Chicago and god knows I can't be happier. What with the single digit temperatures and icy cold winds (at 20 below), it was getting a little too "down-low" for my tropical ass.
My apartment woes just began last week with a call from my realtor. Turns out that the leasor/landlord now decided to sell the place because "he needs the money". My take is FUCK YES, but why not do it before you put it on the market as a rental, you stupid fucking time-wasting moron? That would allow us to focus on other locations and not stop searching when we thought we had found the one we liked.
Well I wish them luck, actually i dont. I hope they find a buyer who wastes their time like they did ours .. grrr!!!
Finally found a new apartment, I know my wife is gonna be thrilled because this was the one apartment that she really really liked. Now for the tough part of moving in as well as signing the lease tomorrow.
its the eve of thanksgiving and im sipping a smithwicks listening to some jazz...crummy weather outside but life demands that i go pick up some groceries :)
to all of you with your families and loved ones, have a super happy thanksgiving. to those (like myself) who are away from your families, a happy thanksgiving to you and those that you yearn to be with
I'm over the hill, on the other side Staring into the rays of the sun The night behind me, my fears they hide, A brand new day has begun.
Looking up to the sky and a new start on life Would this be my achilles heel To try and try again, not recognize failure But to stand up and go the road ahead
I regret that i havent spent more time With those that i love the best One of those i cared for is long gone And i need to work with the rest
I miss you with every beat in my pulse, I breathe your name in my sleep You are doing what needs you most, For that my dear, i cannot fault you deep
I am going to reset, and find my way home To you mother, sister and you my best friend We'll be together just like before, And my sadness will find its end
Got done with the Fin Acctg test, did quite well actually 26/30, better than the crap i score in the last one.
Ooh, also managed to pick up my first authentic Salvador Dali (pencil signed) Lithograph.. I'm really psyched and can't wait for it to be delivered. It's one of his less surrealistic pieces of art called "Jerusalem Bible", and its pretty. Not exactly expecting the "Persistence of memory" simply because i don't have that kind of money..
got home in the wee hours of the morning from Chicago. Flights delayed due to crummy weather on the east coast. I think i'm running on overdrive given that i've slept only 4 hrs today. Managed to catch up on my marketing reading (pricing/branding etc) and now am playing catch up on financial accounting. gotta admit i love the subject but each exam throws me into a tizzy :)
ah well, tomorrow is another day ... smoked a nice rocky patel 1990 vintage cigar sitting outside on the deck in the cold, reading...
am wondering if my life has more meaning than just this.. stress and more stress. lack of relaxed weekends. i do miss my partner (my wife) terribly, she's such a treat to have around, a great companion. well, gotta wait until xmas eve till she gets back (or i find my way to goa before that to see her).
am off to joes place in a few to grab dinner with him and study for the test tomm, i know he wants me to just crash over there and leave for class directly in the morning (very nice of him actually)..somehow i just want to sleep in my own bed for a change. i've travelled close to 20k miles in the past 3 weeks, i'm tired, i need a break from my career life (yeah i know i sound like a whiny biach...yeah i know)
Life has its own ups and downs and sometimes people are faced with the really hard decision to bond together or move on. To those that have decided to move on, you know you are making the right decision for yourselves, focus on that light at the end of the tunnel, its a long tunnel, but you will eventually get there...
Woke up with a heavy head, and all these thoughts swirling through it...for once in my life i couldn't understand why.. no emotions were attached besides saudade...and then it struck me, it was about the one painting that always has me thinking....
~ Persistence of memory - To the surrealistic maestro ~
The passage of time, seems like today is yesterday My memories fade, people i know have gone away Pictures, stills in the fabric that never rests Somehow i tend to remember the best
I'm holding hands with you, a compadre, a lover, maybe a friend? I cannot recall, how did it end? Separate ways? a fork in our lives Or was it just life being life, taking over our ties?
Children in a backyard, playing games together, Now adults with a motive, not wanting one another, Innocence so lost, and love in between If it could be undone, it never should have been
Looking forward, into a grey future, Trying to beat time, and mother nature, My body starts to fade, memories wane, Yet, some part of me wants to be that child again.
Evil bloodmire has been sitting on me all day today... go away evil bloodmire...
Alone! Once again by myself, in a room filled with things, my personal hell, no feelings, no touch,
Cauterized at the emotional level, I wonder about my normalcy I know I know that all is not well Will that be my fallacy?
My eyes empty, the whites turn dark, My heart is breaking out of my chest Evil, even if just for a lark In my craziness with a smile I will always find a nest
I scheme and devise, nothing goes through me I see them looking, waiting... For an opportunity to screw me over, i'm ahead, im smiling, you don't know it.
My wife has left town to help out her ailing father in Goa, India. Gosh, i felt so empty driving back from the airport after I said goodbye to her..shes gone for 30+ days approximately. I guess I realized how much i enjoy having her next to me..we're like partners in crime, buddies..and we find happiness in our companionship.
Awright my dear, here's to a safe trip, and to yr dads speedy recovery. ATBB
Someone asked me a really stupid question about their tax brackets yesterday. So for the record i thought i'd post the 2006 tax brackets (note that its tiered for each SEGMENT of income, so if you are in the 33% tax bracket, it doesnt mean that 33% applies to all of your income.. just to the monies that are in that segment)
Foley and Aaron Ryan studying Financial Accounting-- Circa Oct 2006 @ The Residence Inn Newark Delaware. Thanks for teaching us accounting Foley, really do appreciate it.
Finally found Paul Di'Anno singing the original Iron Maiden song running free. The song is what got me into Maiden back in 1983..man its been 24 yrs and I'm still evolving but musical tastes dont change...
Spoke online to an old friend from high school today - David. Turns out that hes a father now and has a bonny baby girl :) My how time flies, we're getting old, watching the next generation grow up already..
I'm at a point where I'm not very happy with my job (to say in the least). A series of events have culminated in me wondering if I really swim in a pool of sharks that are supposed to be my so called inner circle.
I took a step back to write down what I thought
Analyzing my options:
Immediate options: Complete my Exec MBA
Where Am I? - Senior Manager in a big 5 consulting firm - Work on client engagements focusing on technology integration and CRM
What do I want to do? - Run my own company, innovate a solution or a product
Am I Happy? - At my current job, NO! Im frustrated with the way things are going with my boss, he can get tunnel vision from time to time and i'm afraid at some point our relationship will mean nothing to me
Do I need a change of job? - Yes. I need to do something totally different. Even if it is for a little less money
Where do we go from here? - Investigate opportunities outside my current company - Look at starting my own company - Take a break for about 6 months and basically spend time with my mom
As part of my class at cornell, we had the fortune of being invited to the closing bell at the NYSE on Friday Sept 15 2006. Of course, I had to come off with the funny looking face
We had bought this sometime in June/July of 2006 and I had taken a picture. Forgot completely about it, but here it is.. funny a heck...
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Its raining outside and i couldn't help but talk about it. so much happens when it rains, people scurry for cover, cars splash water on the road, the leaves go pitter-patter with drops of water... life takes on a new beginning as the source of life re-invigorates the plants. The dark skies remind me of days gone by as a kid, enjoying the monsoons in india. Innocent, an innocence I hope to be back to someday.
~Rain~
Have you ever enjoyed a rainy day, skies overcast, wondering what it is to be outside and free at last
Have you ever sat by the window, and watched the drops fall not really seeing the story of what the raindrops have to tell?
Have you ever thought that nature is a friend of this rain that lifes whole circle, is around, find happiness in the pain.
my usual thoughts struck me, and i captured them uncut..
I can look at the mirror and see shades of myself i still dont recognize the man that person who is become me.
I sometimes wonder where it all changed perhaps materials in the way my means to an end hasn't lost it focus i need to realign each day.
step back, analyze, introspect and realize my interactions and relationships those that will survive, those with a sweet demise i need to be a better person today
Aug 05: Our third annua Mac BBQ. All of the families and growing kids. Was a lovely day outside and had fun. Arvind, don't be sooo competitive yaar, we all are here for fun (and to cheat and win the game)
Been trying to reconnect with a bunch of friends from college. If you went to COE Satara from 1991-1995, then you know who you are. Some pictures below:
Now that I've gotten into Cornell for my Exec MBA, class brings back some crazy memories of life left behind in India. All those days of yearning to be out in the world and doing my own thing, all those days of stress about studies..and most important of all... bonding and making lifelong friends.
Thought I'd post some pictures from my 2005 trip back to college (for the faint of heart, don't look):
A friend and colleague Mike was diagnosed with bladder cancer sometime last year. This was all too much deja-vu what with stuff that happened to my dad. Mike did undergo full chemotherapy and radiation treatment and was built a new bladder from his intestine.
I happened to be in Orlando right before my trip to the bahamas and had that opportunity to catch up with him. Physically he was a shadow of his healthy-self, mentally...well a much stronger man and more spiritual being. We ran in the sun until his energy was sapped and then broke for lunch. It was fun to see someone on his path to recovery albeit with a dose of caution. Mike had left the chemo-port that is plugged into his aorta in place, he didnt want to get ahead of the game until he got a full report back stating that his cancer was in remission.
That news came last week (an excerpt from his email):
"My 3 month check up --- full body scan --- completely clear!!I wanted to share this sweeeeeeeeeeeeeett news.
I have just one more thing to do.....get my chemo port removed next Friday!! YEA!!
You all have been a great source of encouragement and prayer that I want to write a bit and tell you what it's like now. I have some residual issues, some aches and pains, but hey, we all do! When I think about where I've been, I can't really complain right now.
It's was a life changing experience....forever changed. I've heard some people say that eventually people forget the details of a trial like that....at this time, I don't think that's possible....I feel I'll never forget. I don't even think I can begin to describe how it feels.
I've been blessed to have been healed and for this I am overwhelmingly thankful to God and the friends and family that helped get me through."
Welcome back to the recovery Mike, we really are happy and are pulling for you just as we did when the chips were down.
Im amazed at his fortitude, I hope someday when faced with a problem, I will be able to stand up to it like Mike did.
Seems like once again the city I love and grew up in has been hit with a series of bomb blasts. The body count stands at 147, but given that fact that it was 8 bombs on crowded commuter trains at rush hour..i'm sure its a lot more.
May god bless the souls of those who have died, may he provide solace to the families of those who have lost someone, and may he give strength in survival for those who have been injured.
I'm frustrated with this whole terrorist situation...why ARE they doing this? If its over kashmir, lets pick a battle there...we have special forces that will kick their ass out there. Stop attacking innocent people who are working stiffs trying to eke a living in an otherwise merciless and expensive city.
Whatever happens, i hope they find those responsible, and hang them without a trial. I feel for you Bombay, i really do. I know we will overcome scum like these and stand on our feet again.
Well it HAS been some time and a lot has been going on. Obviously done with my year end reviews at the company i work for (turned out OK -- nothing to cheer about). Went with my wife down to the bahamas and had a blast there, enjoyed all the conch they had to offer.
Other than that, been working out recently, and i feel pretty good about myself on that one. Not lost much weight, but at least the ole ticker is getting some exercise.
World cup is on, been trying to catch every match possible, shed a tear when germany lost to italy ....oh well life goes on
Discovered a link to a bunch of freeware stuff. All good stuff (I use a bunch of it already). Of course for those of you that don't already know, besides spyware, there's also rootkits. Check out some utils to detect and remove them.
6.42 am Saturday morning and my head feels like lead...i think its the extra spice I had in my food last night. Well, I knew right then that it was gonna hurt twice...I'm right now in the middle of round 2.
Don't know how many of you have been following the stock market lately,but, MSFT took a huge (11%) hit over the past day when it announced that it was going to miss its earnings. Well, I have some money invested in there, hope I can make back that 11%
The M&A engagement was a huge success. Had a couple of cocktails with the prez of the organization who was really happy with the way things went. I'm sure there's disgruntled employees who took the severance and are without a job rigth now, but...its the way things work. Companies have to stay profitable to stay afloat..and that sometimes means eliminating redundancies.
That being said, its time to kick back for a couple of weeks in mid-may. Wife thinks Miami beach perhaps.
Got a call today from the doc while she went over my xrays etc...turns out i have a problem with my spine and need an MRI + physiotherapy. gonna go in on apr 24th and have that conversation in person. lets hope for the best
Its 6.47 pm on a wednesday and I'm sitting here at work waiting for my wife to show up and pick me up. Im also looking at retirement planning with Quicken. Threw in a few imaginative numbers and realized that 50 is not a bad age to retire...gives me some life and movement to go see the world at that point. Its also hit me that I will be 50 in 2023, in exactly 17 yrs from now.
Just the fact that I'm not that far from 50 (yes, 17 yrs can go by pretty darn quickly as I realized from High School to a professional career in Management Consulting) has really gotten me thinking on my wish list of things to do before I go into the next world to see my dad.
Off the top of my head, here's some (and I'm sure this list will evolve once my wife and I work on it together):
Sponsor the education of one child in India. Not just high school, high school through college
Sponsor my neice (and godchild) for her education in the US. I know her mom (my sis) isnt doing all that well, but given that it doesnt look like we'll have our own kids, why not make someone elses life better
Continue to look after my mother so that she never has the need for outside help
Make a list of places I want to see (right now that would be Seychelles, Mauritius, Eastern Bloc, Rome, and yes Jerusalem ... the Roman Catholic part of me wants to see the so-called holy land that has been the cause of so much bloodshed)
Make a living will for my wife and dependents to ensure that they are taken care of (wow this makes me sound rich, but, whatever I have -- even if its furniture, im sure someone can benefit from it)
Become an organ donor (not just eyes, everything)
Pick a grave at the graveyard in Bombay that my dad is buried in...I want to be close to that old man...he still means the world to me
Take care of my wife and continue to provide her with the love, security and affections that I always have (I know this seems way down on my list, but its truly No 1)
More posts later as I start to build out this laundry list. Im sure I will start checking off a few things already :)
Today was Day-One of a merger integration effort that I have been working on for the past year. It was fun to interact with my clients and realize the dream that we had once envisioned some 365 days ago. The celebrations, held at the Marriott Parsippany were a good indicator of how well the companies cultures integrated as well as how the people were going to come together. More importantly (for me), it was a super opportunity to tell my team that they had done a great job and some much needed rest was on the horizon.
Don't ever forget the little people, they are instrumental in making today work and are the leaders of tomorrow. :)
Yes, it is March Madness for us. We're signing a lease on a new apartment today (we've decided to stop looking for homes and just keep renting until the market settles down a bit). So, lease today, pre-move next saturday, final move the saturday of the 25th...can't do the last week of march because the Merger Integration engagement I'm heading up goes live that day.
Pack, Pack, Pack, Lift, Drop, Unpack, re-arrange, sit down -- Thats the order for the next couple of weeks. More later.
Got this in an email from a friend. Before you think I'm going all "preacher" on you..read it. I just thought it was insightful as to things we take for granted.
Thank you, God!
FOR THE WIFE WHO SAYS IT'S HOT DOGS TONIGHT, BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME, AND NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE.
FOR THE HUSBAND WHO IS ON THE SOFA BEING A COUCH POTATO, BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS.
FOR THE TEENAGER WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES BECAUSE IT MEANS HE/SHE IS AT HOME, NOT ON THE STREETS.
FOR THE TAXES I PAY BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM EMPLOYED.
FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.
FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.
FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE
FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING, WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING, AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME.
FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT BECAUSE IT MEANS WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH..
FOR THE PARKING SPOT I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION.
FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM WARM.
FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH WHO SINGS OFF KEY BECAUSE IT MEANS I CAN HEAR.
FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.
FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES AT THE END OF THE DAY BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD.
FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE.
AND FINALLY, FOR TOO MUCH E-MAIL BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE FRIENDS WHO ARE THINKING OF ME.
An old and very dear friend of mine Amrut sent this to me, funny as heck.....
Engineering College : Place where you're punished for getting good HSC marks.
Senior : Guy who got ragged as junior and wanna get some payback... Fresher : Guy who has to ask where the canteen is... Really Dumb Fresher : Guy who asks a senior where the canteen is. Really Really Dumb fresher : Guy who follows the senior to the canteen. Ragging : The unfortunate fate of the previous idiot. Evasive action : Watch the juniors when any seniors come nearby. (No one runs faster than a fresher. NO ONE.) Lectures : Waste of time. Physical presence is a must...only meant for sleeping, completing assignments & general TP Tuitions : What you take when you don't waste enough time.... Professor : Person paid to put students to sleep. Vernacular Prof : Unusual variant of previous individual who comes packaged with his own brand of English ("Now you check me our journal." "You Out get from class." "Are you Understand, Beta?" ) Practicals : 60 to 90 minutes in which we watch the girls do our experiment, and usually destroy a considerable array of lab equipment. Hopeless Practical : The practical in which there are no girls in our group simply look blankly at each other, fiddle with the equipment, and finally copy the readings.(from the girls of course...).
The Truth about exams.... Irony : The guy who copied your entire paper passes and you flunk. Critical Calculation : Summing up the marks you attempted worth in the exam... Re-verification : A cruel joke. (results of which come after you give the KT exam).
An engineer's 10 engineering commandments of Life
1. Thou shall study only during the preparatory leave. 2. Thou shall never write thy assignments thyself. 3. Thou shall begin writing thy journals only on the morning of submission. 4. Thou shall treat all marks above 40 as bonus. 5. Thou shall have at least 70 per cent attendance in the canteen. 6. Thou shall pass GRACEfully. 7. Thou shall always be an OUTstanding student. 8. Thou shall give thy attendance without being present...PROXY is a MUST 9. If thou can't convince them , confuse them. 10. Thou shall start every sentence with a four-lettered word.
The Years of Engineering
F.E. Fond of Engineering S.E . Sick Of Engineering T.E. Tired of Engineering B.E. Balls to Engineering
Engineers Anthem:
Hum Honge All Clear, Honge All Clear, Honge All Clear Ek Din, OH-HO, Mann me hai vishwas, pura hai vishwas, hum honge all clear ek din
Top two Engineering Rumors:
'Did you hear the results are being put up today at 5:30pm' 'Did you hear the exams are postponed by two weeks, its been put up at VJTI'
The most dreaded acronym for Engineers: ATKT (After Trying Keep Trying)
The most important criteria while selecting an engineering college: Girl to Boy ratio (if more than 0 .025% then that college is engineers dream come true)
Engineers at work:
Assignments solved by one and then carrying out mass transfer operations throughout the class The most important machine for Engineers: Xerox Machine (Without which assignment completion wouldn't be possible) The most important table in an Engineer's House: The glass table (to carry out GT operations, during Night Duty.) The only queue an Engineer is familiar with: Submission Queue An Engineer's favourite watch: Bird Watch !
Common Engineering Dialogues after a paper: 'What is this yaar, more than 70% of the paper was out of the syllabus' 'This was the worst paper set in the entire engineering history' 'I am failing....I got screwed royally'
Feeling after Completing Engineering: Survived Engineering !!!!!!!!!!!
Ah, the first of the year, the day we make resolutions, the day we start a new leaf over...the day before the days we go back to ourselves from the day before today :) Happy new year all....Blessings and Joy to you and yours for the success and joy that your heart desires...!!!
Woke up and am all alone. Waiting for my wife to get back this evening from Thailand. Decided to listen to some old (??) 80's music. Did you ever experience this? Everytime you listen to a song from the past, it links you to a certain time and certain place with certain people? Right now listening to "Angel Eyes " by Wet Wet Wet, gosh its been forever since I heard: "....The saddest thing I've ever seen on my tv screen Was a dying man who died for his dream Toughest thing I've ever heard Was that new-born scream in this naked world...." ...". Wierd, all of a sudden i've discovered my time machine, i'm back in 1988, still in high school hanging out at Bandra playing soccer. Riding a bicycle, sipping golas at Juhu beach, and yes starting to discover girls. Ah how the heart flutters..dire straits and mark knopfler, its all coming back to me now.
That mixed up with going to Junior College and starting to discover the "ways of the world" have seriously led me to believe that I certainly have a chapter to contribute to "Mi Vida Loca"
Here's what I'm listening to right now:
Dire Straits - Money for nothing/twisting by the pool/My Parties Kool & The Gang - Fresh Erasure - Oh L'amour Wet Wet Wet - Love is all around/Sweet little mystery/Angel Eyes Morrissey - Suedehead Pet Shop Boys - Go West/Always on my mind/C'est a vida est/Rent/West End Girls/Domino dancing Bryan Adams - Straight from the heart/Do I have to say the words/Heaven New Order - World in Motion (I LOVE this song)
This world this life this language Serve nothing but to express the feelings of oneself and ones being in existance, in breath and words
These feelings, those memories, the days gone by one can look back and only repent either for those that could have been changed or those that could be relived somewhere
These relationships, those moments, those secrets shared,loved,remembered and unspoken of for what its been worth in this round of a lesson or truth learned. ~
Was out last night at the Grey Lodge in Philadelphia with a buddy. Had a couple of Troeg's Mad Elf beers. Was a nice experience. Came back and was quite heady with the alcohol content of the beers. Note to self: Never drink two pints of 11% beers.
Woke up this morn to wish the family a merry christmas and was pleasantly surprised to receive an email from my wife (who's in Thailand right now) for the same. Couldn't help but think of my dad..we used to wake up early and make tea / idlis (for those of you who know). Merry xmas pops, i know you're up there watching.
Don't ask me why, but as a kid i've always been a World War-II reader. It's just fascinating to see a war fought across so many continents, a war with so many casualties and yet today the world doesn't know any better.
Was on Banksys website and read the following excerpt from the Imperial War museum there...very very depressing...
An extract from the diary of Lieutenant Colonel Mervin Willett Gonin DSO who was among the first British soldiers to liberate Bergen-Belsen in 1945.
Camp
I can give no adequate description of the Horror Camp in which my men and myself were to spend the next month of our lives. It was just a barren wilderness, as bare as a chicken run. Corpses lay everywhere, some in huge piles, sometimes they lay singly or in pairs where they had fallen. It took a little time to get used to seeing men women and childen collapse as you walked by them and to restrain oneself from going to their assistance. One had to get used early to the idea that the individual just did not count. One knew that five hundred a day were dying and that five hundred a day were going on dying for weeks before anything we could do would have the slightest effect. It was, however, not easy to watch a child choking to death from diptheria when you knew a tracheotomy and nursing would save it, one saw women drowning in their own vomit because they were too weak to turn over, and men eating worms as they clutched a half loaf of bread purely because they had to eat worms to live and now could scarcely tell the difference. Piles of corpses, naked and obscene, with a woman too weak to stand proping herself against them as she cooked the food we had given her over an open fire; men and women crouching down just anywhere in the open relieving themselves of the dysentary which was scouring their bowels, a woman standing stark naked washing herself with some issue soap in water from a tank in which the remains of a child floated. It was shortly after the British Red Cross arrived, though it may have no connection, that a very large quantity of lipstick arrived. This was not at all what we men wanted, we were screaming for hundreds and thousands of other things and I don't know who asked for lipstick. I wish so much that I could discover who did it, it was the action of genius, sheer unadulterated brilliance. I believe nothing did more for these internees than the lipstick. Women lay in bed with no sheets and no nightie but with scarlet red lips, you saw them wandering about with nothing but a blanket over their shoulders, but with scarlet red lips. I saw a woman dead on the post mortem table and clutched in her hand was a piece of lipstick. At last someone had done something to make them individuals again, they were someone, no longer merely the number tatooed on the arm. At last they could take an interest in their appearance. That lipstick started to give them back their humanity
Got this email...the usual Nigerian scams now it seems have moved their bases to singapore..YAWN...or as Napolean Dynamite would say "IDIOT!!!"
MR.MARK D. ANDERSON AFC MERCHANT BANK # 17-01,BANGKOK BANK BUILDING, SINGAPORE 069546. Email:admark00@yahoo.com.sg Dear Sir, Compliments of the day! I got your contact on my private search for a reliable and trusted person to handle a transaction of this nature. I know that the contents of this mail might sound so strange, but I want to assure you that every word of it is true.I am Mr.Mark D.Anderson, credit officer of the AFC Merchant Bank.I have a concealed business suggestion for you.Before the plane crash of macedonian's president and his cabinet members on February 26, 2004 , our client Mile Krstevsk from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,macedonia and also business man made a numbered fixed deposit for 18 calendar months, with a value of Nine Million,Six Hundred Thousand United State Dollars only in my branch.
You can visit this website: http://antiwar.com/deliso/?articleid=2043
After his death it was also discovered that Mile Krstevsk did not declare any next of kin in his official papers including the paper work of his bank deposit. And he also confided in me the last time he was at my office that no one except me knew of his deposit in my bank.So, Nine Million,Six Hundred Thousand United State Dollars is still lying in my bank and no one will ever come forward to claim it.
What bothers me most is that according to the to the laws of my country at the expiration two years the funds will revert to the ownership of the Singapore Government if nobody applies to claim the funds.Against this backdrop, my suggestion to you is that I will like you as a foreigner to stand as the next of kin to Mile Krstevsk so that you will be able to receive his funds.
WHAT IS TO BE DONE: I want you to know that I have had everything planned out so that we shall come out successful.I have contacted an attorney that will prepare the necessary document that will back you up as the next of kin to Mile Krstevsk,all that is required from you at this stage is for you to provide me with your Full Names and Address so that the attorney can commence his job.After you have been made the next of kin,the attorney will also file in for claims on your behalf and secure the necessary approval and letter of probate in your favor for the move of the funds to an account that will be provided by you.There is no risk involved at all in the matter as we are going to adopt a legalized method and the attorney will prepare all the necessary documents.
Please endeavor to observe utmost discretion in all matters concerning this issue.Once the funds have been transferred to your nominated bank account we shall share in the ratio of 70% for me, 25% for you and 5% for any expenses incurred during the course of this operation.Should you be interested please send me your private phone and fax numbers for easy communication, you can write me via my private box thus(admark00@yahoo.com.sg) and i will provide you with more details of this operation.
Your earliest response to this letter will be appreciated. Kind Regards, Mr.Mark D.Anderson.
Been volunteering with my friends at The Enterprise Center that supports minority businesses and is located in West Philly. Had a harrowing drive from my client site in NJ down to Philly last evening and an equally challenging task of resolving an Exchange server problem. Thanks to Mike & Hector (you know who you are), its all done now. Came back to the apartment to watch the MNF game and fell asleep before the 2nd quarter even started...gonna check the scores in a bit
Uhm its been a rainy week and very boring outside. I did wish my wife Shubo Bijoya and her family too . was kinda happy that I did rememebr. Moments like this make me realize that I sometimes get caught up in life and need to do way way more for people that I love and care for from the bottom of my heart.
For some reason my dads been on my mind today. I saw the movie "Crash" and it made me think of human interactions. The way my father made me feel in life, someone capable, someone who was my rock of gibraltar. Of course my wife has taken that role as a companion, i miss my dad boatloads though. Right now, I'm riding thru this journey hoping to see him again.
Fast becoming my favorite band because of their unique music, read an birthday quote from one of their band members: Murdoc (Text from Gorillaz official website) Of course I think its pretty prolific except fro the "Hail Satan bleh part"
"Sooner or later we all discover that the big moments in life are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved. The real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory unannounced, stray dogs that amble in, sniff around a bit and simply never leave. Our lives are measured by these. You were born an original. Don't die a copy. There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval. So mine's a double and I'll see you all in hell suckers! Hail Satan. The Niccals."
Monday morning, 6am, we have decided to work from home today. The weekend was fun, ended up in NYC under the pretext of buying a Motorola Razr cheap in chinatown, ended up having some great soup dumplings followed by some double expressos in little Italy - What a crazy combination. Got some new(??) Ella Fitzgerald CDs and plan to work through listening to them today..also have Duke Ellington in the back of my mind this morning.
My wifes happy with her new gadget, the poor girl had been putting off buying a new phone for the longest time coz of our schedules. Glad I could help her make that happen.
Been catching up with an old friend in Bombay online, he seems to have complicated his life a bit...ditched the girl who was s'posd to marry (don't ask me, I don't get arranged marriage either!!!), for someone he thinks he cares about in Thailand. Well, I'm all for love and success, but, in this guys case, he falls in love with every pretty face he sees. Not that he's dumb or anything, but I guess he's genetically designed to be a sucker for a pretty face. That, leads him to a lot of crazy situations. Of course, he blames me as the catalyst, "Hey man, every time you visit Bombay, my love life gets turned upside down!", well, well! How on earth am I responsible for you thinking with the wrong head. Here's to you old buddy, here's to success in ending up with a girl who loves and cares for you as much as you do for her (??)
Our cricket BBQ from a couple of weeks ago went really well..pictures posted Cricket BBQ 2005. Guess which one is me!
Also, been very intrigued in graffiti art these days, (being a cartoonist myself), check out Artcrimes and Banksy's website..nice stuff.
