As the famous saying goes, “ A picture is worth a thousand words” (~Chinese Proverb) … I thot it is time I include some pictures .. they may not be in best pixels or great in details but they do capture the essentials
The Balloon Man
Sunday, October 31, 2010
My travel encounters in India (Part 3)
My travel encounters in India (Part 2)
Continuing the previous post…
One of the things which has not changed at all is the traffic/driving style… for now I can comment only abt Hyd but I am guessing it hasn't pretty much changed anywhere else in India…There are bikes and autos and buses running everywhere… My first auto ride, I was more about the auto than the driver himself…I was trying to cross the road and tried to follow rules a lil bit but realised soon enuf that I had to take charge and not be afraid … there was a time when I was an expert driving thru such traffic but not I am not so sure as of now .. may b once i start driving my scooty/kinetic, i might feel more in control …
A weird thing which I noticed about myself is that I am converting the prices of various things back to Dollar to see how much it would cost me in US and whether it is worth buying it here and lugging it back … I am not sure why I am doing this ..the reason this is significant change to me is bcoz one things which we tended to often when we move newly to US is convert every dollar to rupee to see how expensive it is .. it is considered not good and we are recommended to lose this habit ASAP .. for some reason, I lost it soon enuf and also advised everyone the same .. But now I am not sure what I am doing by this reverse converting .. Hav I become a lil too much American and lil less Indian .. I jus hope I find the perfect balance between the two !
On the same not of being somewhere between Indian and American, I seem to have lost the art of bargaining .. The reason I call it art is coz u need to practice it to make it perfect and should also have a knack for it ... I gen go shopping with my mom ... Every shop I visit, i pick and choose what I want ... My mom's approval comes in the form of the "Indian headnod" (refer Outsourced TV show for more details) ...When the times comes for the bill, as soon as the shopkeeper starts telling me the price, I neatly point him to my mom and say "talk to her, she is the one paying the bill" and thus starts the show of bargaining, where they each haggle until both parties are satisfied !!
One of the things which has not changed at all is the traffic/driving style… for now I can comment only abt Hyd but I am guessing it hasn't pretty much changed anywhere else in India…There are bikes and autos and buses running everywhere… My first auto ride, I was more about the auto than the driver himself…I was trying to cross the road and tried to follow rules a lil bit but realised soon enuf that I had to take charge and not be afraid … there was a time when I was an expert driving thru such traffic but not I am not so sure as of now .. may b once i start driving my scooty/kinetic, i might feel more in control …
A weird thing which I noticed about myself is that I am converting the prices of various things back to Dollar to see how much it would cost me in US and whether it is worth buying it here and lugging it back … I am not sure why I am doing this ..the reason this is significant change to me is bcoz one things which we tended to often when we move newly to US is convert every dollar to rupee to see how expensive it is .. it is considered not good and we are recommended to lose this habit ASAP .. for some reason, I lost it soon enuf and also advised everyone the same .. But now I am not sure what I am doing by this reverse converting .. Hav I become a lil too much American and lil less Indian .. I jus hope I find the perfect balance between the two !
On the same not of being somewhere between Indian and American, I seem to have lost the art of bargaining .. The reason I call it art is coz u need to practice it to make it perfect and should also have a knack for it ... I gen go shopping with my mom ... Every shop I visit, i pick and choose what I want ... My mom's approval comes in the form of the "Indian headnod" (refer Outsourced TV show for more details) ...When the times comes for the bill, as soon as the shopkeeper starts telling me the price, I neatly point him to my mom and say "talk to her, she is the one paying the bill" and thus starts the show of bargaining, where they each haggle until both parties are satisfied !!
Friday, October 29, 2010
My travel encounters in India (Part 1 of the series :D )
Every trip to home (India) is an adventure in itself.. beginning with a big shopping list and even bigger shopping bill ... trying to find the best deals and venturing out to buy things that never made it to ur shopping list in the first place .... trying to fit this enormous shopping into 2 suitcases 50lbs each (23 kgs each for the folks living in the rest of the world outside US :D) .... a 40 hr journey full of anticipation and excitement, crappy leg space and feels-super-long layovers... BUT then again, this is all totally worth it ... to see the happy faces of your loved ones waiting for you at the airport arrival lounge !
Now that I have given an elaborate intro which is totally not wat I wanted to focus on, lemme finally get to the point which is to write my observations about anything and everything ...TIME to begin
1. A minimum of 1" inch heel sandals is a common place for any girl...I wonder how they are able to walk on the uneven road surfaces + run around to catch buses/trains ... Personally, I am not able to wear them on a daily basis even when the roads are good
2. Usage of the new Rupee symbol - I really liked the new rupee symbol ... But I find it really weird when I find it in place of the very familiar "Rs." .. .It would take a lil time to get used to but it is a nice change and I am proud that India now has its currency symbol
3. The good old habit of reading newspaper (I mean the non-virtual one) in the morning .... I remember the days when everyone in my family would wait for the morning paper and fight for being first one to read their fav sections (esp on sundays)... I missed that while living in the US where we are so much into the internet and reading news as such.... It was wonderful to hold the paper in my hands lying down on the easy chair, listen to the lil sounds while turning the pages and making a mess of the pages by mixing the page numbers by the time i finished reading them.. plus luckily there was no fight today morning coz there were 2 papers, and with my sis still slping and dad out of town .. it was jus mom and I (and yes, I got up at 5.45 am, a thing which is usually unknown to me - courtesy jet lag) reading a paper each and then being very amiable when the time came for exchange :D
More observations to follow as and when I find time to write about them between my shopping sprees and eating home cooked food and also the not-so-healthy street chaat !
Now that I have given an elaborate intro which is totally not wat I wanted to focus on, lemme finally get to the point which is to write my observations about anything and everything ...TIME to begin
1. A minimum of 1" inch heel sandals is a common place for any girl...I wonder how they are able to walk on the uneven road surfaces + run around to catch buses/trains ... Personally, I am not able to wear them on a daily basis even when the roads are good
2. Usage of the new Rupee symbol - I really liked the new rupee symbol ... But I find it really weird when I find it in place of the very familiar "Rs." .. .It would take a lil time to get used to but it is a nice change and I am proud that India now has its currency symbol
3. The good old habit of reading newspaper (I mean the non-virtual one) in the morning .... I remember the days when everyone in my family would wait for the morning paper and fight for being first one to read their fav sections (esp on sundays)... I missed that while living in the US where we are so much into the internet and reading news as such.... It was wonderful to hold the paper in my hands lying down on the easy chair, listen to the lil sounds while turning the pages and making a mess of the pages by mixing the page numbers by the time i finished reading them.. plus luckily there was no fight today morning coz there were 2 papers, and with my sis still slping and dad out of town .. it was jus mom and I (and yes, I got up at 5.45 am, a thing which is usually unknown to me - courtesy jet lag) reading a paper each and then being very amiable when the time came for exchange :D
More observations to follow as and when I find time to write about them between my shopping sprees and eating home cooked food and also the not-so-healthy street chaat !
Friday, October 1, 2010
Who are the top 3 ?
"In fashion, one day you are in and the next day you are out" ~ Heidi Klum
You would recognize this famous quote if you are Project Runway follower. I have following this show since Season 4. The show is one of those reality shows which interesting coz of its fashion creations, what the judges think and the little drama here and there ! Some designs are brilliant and some others are out of this world ( I mean literally).. Not to forget Tim Gunn and his most of the time brilliant inputs !! Anyways coming to the point, I though I would try predicting who would be the top 3 contestants in this season .. So without any more wait, here I go
1. Mondo - He is very bold and colorful in his designs ...Reminds me of "Fierce" Crisitan from Season 4 in a way .... Has won 3 challenges straight in a row (as of the last episode) and the judges love him.. He has got a great editorial eye .. he jus need to keep doing the good work ..
2. Gretchen - She has got a good sense of style (very classic and fashion forward) and play with more neutral palette (Well most of the time) .. Jus the opposite of Mondo .. Again she has won 2 challenges, and been in the bottom once (a team challenge which she kinda was the leader for). But I still think she is strong contender
Now the 3rd spot is usually a competition between 2 more people just before the Fashion Week .. I am not able to decide now itself as I would definitely have to see their final collection .. Usually they bring out their best and worst work in this collection ... anyways my choice of the remaining 2 contenders are
3. April - She has a very dark styling .. .most of her dresses are in black, has a strong edge to it and is very good when she stays true to herself... her only setback is tat she doesn't have enough experience but that again has not mattered as seen in previous seasons
4. Andy -He has a got strong design sense with a lot of Asian influence .. .He is very good in styling and has created some unique dresses ... His biggest weakness is tat he can sometime get too lost in his design and is easily affected by emotions .. He might need to keep his emotions in check to succeed
Now I just have to wait and watch how my predictions turn out to be.
You would recognize this famous quote if you are Project Runway follower. I have following this show since Season 4. The show is one of those reality shows which interesting coz of its fashion creations, what the judges think and the little drama here and there ! Some designs are brilliant and some others are out of this world ( I mean literally).. Not to forget Tim Gunn and his most of the time brilliant inputs !! Anyways coming to the point, I though I would try predicting who would be the top 3 contestants in this season .. So without any more wait, here I go
1. Mondo - He is very bold and colorful in his designs ...Reminds me of "Fierce" Crisitan from Season 4 in a way .... Has won 3 challenges straight in a row (as of the last episode) and the judges love him.. He has got a great editorial eye .. he jus need to keep doing the good work ..
2. Gretchen - She has got a good sense of style (very classic and fashion forward) and play with more neutral palette (Well most of the time) .. Jus the opposite of Mondo .. Again she has won 2 challenges, and been in the bottom once (a team challenge which she kinda was the leader for). But I still think she is strong contender
Now the 3rd spot is usually a competition between 2 more people just before the Fashion Week .. I am not able to decide now itself as I would definitely have to see their final collection .. Usually they bring out their best and worst work in this collection ... anyways my choice of the remaining 2 contenders are
3. April - She has a very dark styling .. .most of her dresses are in black, has a strong edge to it and is very good when she stays true to herself... her only setback is tat she doesn't have enough experience but that again has not mattered as seen in previous seasons
4. Andy -He has a got strong design sense with a lot of Asian influence .. .He is very good in styling and has created some unique dresses ... His biggest weakness is tat he can sometime get too lost in his design and is easily affected by emotions .. He might need to keep his emotions in check to succeed
Now I just have to wait and watch how my predictions turn out to be.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Jus another post !
Now that I have graduated, I seem to have lot of time in my hands but still feel there is not enough hours in a day... Even though I have a bunch of things I need to finish up before I am off to India, such as writing 2 papers, apply for grad skl among other things, I seem to be focusing more on the my cooking and watching TV .... U already know I love cooking even it is jus to cook something to fill up the bellies of myself and others .. One of the projects I have been assigned (which I came to know recently) is that I have to cook all the recipes from this 1000 page cookbook which M gifted me, the timeline being my lifetime :D ... *Thinking ... every gift comes with a price....Ironically I havnt even cooked a single dish from that book yet !! and may b wil not start until the next yr .. My other timepass is catching up on all the Fall shows old and new .. I wud b definitely missing the season ending of all of them but I will hav a gala time catching up when I come back from India ... I am experimenting wit all the new season premiers and see which ones do I like.. One of my suggestions is Nikita ... hots babes, action fights, wat more can one ask ;) ...One more thing I shud b doing is reading my novels .... I loved reading and sepnt a decent time everyday reading .. but I suddenly seem to hav lost the urge to read ! It is like having a reader's block ...I am trying to find the right genre which would pique my interest .... Now there r a lot of things I would like to do in the next yr and I am hoping I am able to do it :)
Friday, August 13, 2010
Summer movies’ reviews – Update !
This post is continuation of my post on review of movies I watched this summer. If you have not read my previous post, you can find it in this link. I had mentioned that I would watch following movies:
Twilight – if you are die hard Twilight fan, then this is a MUST watch ( now I dnt even have to say that). I thot this movie was pretty good summary of the book… when i say summary, i need to stress that again .. The book was one of the longest/biggest of the series and when they made it into a movie, they kinda jus showed you a glance of each chapter of the book..Still I think you could watch it once! On a positive note, Jacob was HOT… with all his six pack and stuff ! On a negative (for me personally), I felt that the fight scene in the end which is so described in detail in the book could have been longer in the movie. I was somehow looking forward to it. (***1/2)
The Last Airbender – Went for this movie without much expectations and thus was not really disappointed like many others …the movie was aesthetically well taken and I liked .. may b coz I had not watched the cartoon before (Heard it is much much better). I would not mind watching the sequels but it is not one those movies which is going to be my top fav list. Caution: if u loved the cartoon series, u wud hate the movie .. so dnt bother. (**1/2)
Despicable Me – Went for this movie as it was an animation … Knew it would be cute from its trailer .. Didnt expect it to super cute and fun. Definitely a good watch and fun entertainer .. One of the good releases of this summer (****)
Inception – DEFINITELY a must watch … by the time i wrote this post or u read this post, u wud have def watched it, not jus once, may b even twice… If you havn’t yet tho, then do it ASAP! brilliant storyline with direction and screenplay worth mentioning. Caprio did a good job too … It was like living within dream ! Enuf said already (*****)
Eat Pray Love – You must of read or heard about the bestseller book of the same name .. I have not read the book yet but I am thinking it is a pretty good adaption of the book… .I think the movie is a pretty decent one, at times boring or too long. Loved the way they showed Italy (esp the food) or depicted Bali with its scenic beauty – Wanted to go to eat in Italy and have a vacation in Bali right away … The only thing I didnt love about the movie the way they showed India… I think there was much more potential to truly represent India but then again I am biased coz I know about India much more than I know about Italy or Bali. Julia Roberts rocks … So if u r a big fan of her work, then definitely go watch this movie. If you prefer books to movie, I would probably suggest reading it. (***)
Yet to watch Predators, Knight and Day, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice & Salt. Blame it on my thesis! Will definitely watch at least a couple of the above if not all.
So until then, enjoy the rest of ur Summer :)
- Twilight – Eclipse
- The Last Airbender
- Despicable Me
- Predators
- Knight and Day
- Inception
- The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
- Salt
- Eat Pray Love
Twilight – if you are die hard Twilight fan, then this is a MUST watch ( now I dnt even have to say that). I thot this movie was pretty good summary of the book… when i say summary, i need to stress that again .. The book was one of the longest/biggest of the series and when they made it into a movie, they kinda jus showed you a glance of each chapter of the book..Still I think you could watch it once! On a positive note, Jacob was HOT… with all his six pack and stuff ! On a negative (for me personally), I felt that the fight scene in the end which is so described in detail in the book could have been longer in the movie. I was somehow looking forward to it. (***1/2)
The Last Airbender – Went for this movie without much expectations and thus was not really disappointed like many others …the movie was aesthetically well taken and I liked .. may b coz I had not watched the cartoon before (Heard it is much much better). I would not mind watching the sequels but it is not one those movies which is going to be my top fav list. Caution: if u loved the cartoon series, u wud hate the movie .. so dnt bother. (**1/2)
Despicable Me – Went for this movie as it was an animation … Knew it would be cute from its trailer .. Didnt expect it to super cute and fun. Definitely a good watch and fun entertainer .. One of the good releases of this summer (****)
Inception – DEFINITELY a must watch … by the time i wrote this post or u read this post, u wud have def watched it, not jus once, may b even twice… If you havn’t yet tho, then do it ASAP! brilliant storyline with direction and screenplay worth mentioning. Caprio did a good job too … It was like living within dream ! Enuf said already (*****)
Eat Pray Love – You must of read or heard about the bestseller book of the same name .. I have not read the book yet but I am thinking it is a pretty good adaption of the book… .I think the movie is a pretty decent one, at times boring or too long. Loved the way they showed Italy (esp the food) or depicted Bali with its scenic beauty – Wanted to go to eat in Italy and have a vacation in Bali right away … The only thing I didnt love about the movie the way they showed India… I think there was much more potential to truly represent India but then again I am biased coz I know about India much more than I know about Italy or Bali. Julia Roberts rocks … So if u r a big fan of her work, then definitely go watch this movie. If you prefer books to movie, I would probably suggest reading it. (***)
Yet to watch Predators, Knight and Day, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice & Salt. Blame it on my thesis! Will definitely watch at least a couple of the above if not all.
So until then, enjoy the rest of ur Summer :)
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Beete Lamhe!
Ever wondered why suddenly memories of the past
come flooding back to you one random day, causing
you to frantically look into the tiniest details of those
memories in your head … you start looking for
pictures, videos, movies or books anything tat is
representative of those memories .. you try very hard
to imagine how you felt then and then try to recreate
those moments in your present life …One thing leads
to the other .. you start remembering your school life
and the pranks you played on unsuspected victims,
annual days and sport days, finding out lil details
about your crush(es) …getting excited about your
freedom during summer holidays, climbing tress
without getting caught or playing games for really
long hours till you mom threaten you with beating if
you don’t come “immediately”, preps for boards minus
the TV … you think that is that is best time of your
life when you suddenly are into college, with more
freedom and a new set of friends, ragging by seniors
in your first year followed by you ragging ur juniors
the very next year, your own gang of friends, the
dhabas and movies and beaches you visited with
them … the long bike/car rides speeding above limit,
remember those days when you would cram for your
exams and have late night teas to keep urself awake
so that you can “pass” the exam, about the times when
you would have long conversations with your hostel
friends about random things in life and of course the
gossips going on in the college … you remember the
long walks in your campus or umpteen visits to the
canteen, running at the last min to enter your hostel
before the curfew, mass bunking classes jus coz you
are bored or want to watch a movie as a gang,
getting ODs for college culturals and tech fests,
song dedications and proposals and rejections, bday
bump and bday treats, huge mess bills and even
bigger canteen bills, sneaking out to meet your bf/gf...
prepaid sim with unlimited SMSes… regular visits to
archies and CCDs to enjoy the AC, a lil bit of tension
of getting “placed” or GRE/CAT prep ….and off you go
to start another phase of your life offering a new
path…
All this while you see a sea of faces, some of which you
prominently remember, while others are faded
memory, best friends, arch enemies, juniors, seniors
and super seniors… names bounce of your head and
make you wonder where are they and what are they
doing now ...they are others you are in touch with…
you wish for gathering with all the different people
from you past .. wish some one would take initiative
from their busy life to organize something where you
can relive your past… there are ppl with whom you
never spoke before but are now best friends with …
laughing about all the missed years of friendship ….
then they are others who were your best friends but
now you don’t even have any idea what they are up
to…sometimes you wish you had been more active and
stayed in touch and other times you wonder wat
exactly happened to cause this drift …
aahhh .. these memories … bring both a smile and tear
on your face…makes you wonder about the different
paths you might have taken and the results of those
paths…And then you realize that you even don’t
know the future of the path you have taken now…this
realization makes you hope that the
relationships which you have now last forever and
grow stronger by the hour … makes you hope that the
you forge new bonds and also repair some of the old
ones …. makes you hope tat you remember all these
moments in the future as vividly as they are now!!!
come flooding back to you one random day, causing
you to frantically look into the tiniest details of those
memories in your head … you start looking for
pictures, videos, movies or books anything tat is
representative of those memories .. you try very hard
to imagine how you felt then and then try to recreate
those moments in your present life …One thing leads
to the other .. you start remembering your school life
and the pranks you played on unsuspected victims,
annual days and sport days, finding out lil details
about your crush(es) …getting excited about your
freedom during summer holidays, climbing tress
without getting caught or playing games for really
long hours till you mom threaten you with beating if
you don’t come “immediately”, preps for boards minus
the TV … you think that is that is best time of your
life when you suddenly are into college, with more
freedom and a new set of friends, ragging by seniors
in your first year followed by you ragging ur juniors
the very next year, your own gang of friends, the
dhabas and movies and beaches you visited with
them … the long bike/car rides speeding above limit,
remember those days when you would cram for your
exams and have late night teas to keep urself awake
so that you can “pass” the exam, about the times when
you would have long conversations with your hostel
friends about random things in life and of course the
gossips going on in the college … you remember the
long walks in your campus or umpteen visits to the
canteen, running at the last min to enter your hostel
before the curfew, mass bunking classes jus coz you
are bored or want to watch a movie as a gang,
getting ODs for college culturals and tech fests,
song dedications and proposals and rejections, bday
bump and bday treats, huge mess bills and even
bigger canteen bills, sneaking out to meet your bf/gf...
prepaid sim with unlimited SMSes… regular visits to
archies and CCDs to enjoy the AC, a lil bit of tension
of getting “placed” or GRE/CAT prep ….and off you go
to start another phase of your life offering a new
path…
All this while you see a sea of faces, some of which you
prominently remember, while others are faded
memory, best friends, arch enemies, juniors, seniors
and super seniors… names bounce of your head and
make you wonder where are they and what are they
doing now ...they are others you are in touch with…
you wish for gathering with all the different people
from you past .. wish some one would take initiative
from their busy life to organize something where you
can relive your past… there are ppl with whom you
never spoke before but are now best friends with …
laughing about all the missed years of friendship ….
then they are others who were your best friends but
now you don’t even have any idea what they are up
to…sometimes you wish you had been more active and
stayed in touch and other times you wonder wat
exactly happened to cause this drift …
aahhh .. these memories … bring both a smile and tear
on your face…makes you wonder about the different
paths you might have taken and the results of those
paths…And then you realize that you even don’t
know the future of the path you have taken now…this
realization makes you hope that the
relationships which you have now last forever and
grow stronger by the hour … makes you hope that the
you forge new bonds and also repair some of the old
ones …. makes you hope tat you remember all these
moments in the future as vividly as they are now!!!
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