I am playing with templates...

I must say I am really challenged when it comes to art!!! :)

Happy birthday dear Aai....

I hope you have a great day!! I miss you a lot!!

Finally I got to see Shrek 2. Loved Puss in Boots. :) Very very sweet movie. Totally worth going to the theatre to see this. Although the music was much better in the first movie. Also Lord Farquaad was more funny than Prince Charming and Fairy GodMother. Donkey is awesome as expected.

I heard they are planning to make two more movies. I will surely watch both the movies.

Came across something very interesting...

India never invaded any country in her last 10000 years of history.
India invented the Number System. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.
The World's first university was established in Takshila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
Sanskrit is the mother of all the European languages. Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software, reported in Forbes magazine, July 1987.
Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans. Charaka, the father of medicine consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago. Today Ayurveda is fast regaining its rightful place in our civilization.
Although modern images of India often show poverty and lack of development, India was the richest country on earth until the time of British invasion in the early 17th Century.
The art of Navigation was born in the river Sindh 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH. The word navy is also derived from Sanskrit 'Nou'.
Bhaskaracharya calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart.; Time taken by earth to orbit the sun: (5th century)365.258756484 days.
The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century long before the European mathematicians.
Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India; Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11th Century;The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 10^6(10 to the power of 6) whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10^53(10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 BCE during the Vedic period. Even today, the largest used number is Tera 10^12(10 to the power of 12).
According to the Gemological Institute of America, up until 1896, India was the only source for diamonds to the world.
USA based IEEE has proved what has been a century-old suspicion in the world scientific community that the pioneer of Wireless communication was Prof. Jagdeesh Bose and not Marconi.
The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra.
According to Saka King Rudradaman I of 150 CE a beautiful lake called 'Sudarshana' was constructed on the hills of Raivataka during Chandragupta Maurya's time.
Chess (Shataranja or AshtaPada) was invented in India.
Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted complicated surgeries like cesareans, cataract, artificial limbs, fractures, urinary stones and even plastic surgery and brain surgery. Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India. Over 125 surgical equipment were used. Deep knowledge of anatomy, physiology, etiology, embryology,digestion, metabolism, genetics and immunity is also found in many texts.
When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization)
The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC

Quite amazing eh?

You fill up me senses like a night in a forest
Like the mountains in springtime, like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert, like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses come fill me again.

Come let me love you, let me give my life to you
Let me drown in your laughter, let me die in your arms
Let me lay down beside you, let me always be with you
Come let me love you, come love me again.

:) puts a smile on my face, every single time.

Heard a very interesting comment

'sometimes when I talk to cranky people, I am glad that I am not like that'. That is so true. I mean, it must be so hard to be grumpy and sour all day long.

Got my car serviced today, so got a ride in my co-worker, Danny's, Mercedes SLK 320. That is some car, although you feel like you are sitting at 3 inches from the road (you probably are :)). Its way too cool with the automatic roof sliding back in about 15 seconds. When I came to CA the first time, I totally flipped to see a metal hard top just glide into the trunk, much to Neeraj's amusement. He, anyways, thinks Fort Collins is a gaav (village).

But given a choice (yeah right:)), I will still prefer a four door sedan or even an SUV, small cars scare me...Neeraj almost bought a Mazda Miata when he got his first job. I am most thankful to people who discouraged him. Of course, then he went to the other extreme to buy a SUV...

Liars..

put me off completely. Sometime you know that you are right and the other person is lying..blatantly. But you cannot do anything, because the customer is always right. And there are others who are so sweet. Its really so nice to work with them. Then you automatically spend more time on them.

Vent out by shopping?? :D

Reality shows ....

Seem to go beyond imagination as time passes. Is there any theme that has not been tried? There is a show about restaurants. Gimme a break. They are so gross sometimes. Saw a trailer for Inferno, could not believe what I saw. They have to lie down in water which had dead body parts. Or atleast thats what I heard. I certainly hope I was wrong. Makes me shudder to even think of it.

PS. IPOD rocks

I am done with my finals..

and I have spent an idyllic day. No hurry to get tihngs done. Went to the mall to buy some clothes for Neeraj. Spent 3 hours in the mall for shopping for a guy. It can get quite tiring :). I never realize it when I am shopping for myself.

Went to Shoreline park today in Mountain View. Its a really nice place. When we went there the first time with aai, we did not know there was a lovely lake in the park and we came back thinking there is nothing in that place. And we also wondered why people praized that place. Today we found out. Its very green, fun place for a family outing. Reminded me of Saras bag. :) The fugewala was missing though. :))

Also went to Bayland's park and turned back halfway, thinking there is nothing there, maybe if we walked some more...

If I had all the time in the world (and money, of course :D), I would....

visit new countries..I want to go to Peru to see Machu Pichu, to Egypt to see the pyramids, so Mexico, it just seems so colorful and vibrant. I want to go to Europe - Go around the countryside, sip coffee at a streetside cafe, or see Greece. I want to go to Japan eat sushi (on seconds thoughts, I don't think they would have california roll, its the only one I simply love :)). I want to go on an African Safari. I want to go to Canada. You can't consider the "Maid of the mist" ride much of a Canada visit ;). I want to see Mount Rushmore, Badlands national park. I want to go to Sikkim, Mizoram, Assam..all the states there. I want to go to Calcutta...I want to see the world.

Places I actually have been to

Indonesia - Bali, Yogyakarta, Mount Bromo, Solo, Thousand Islands (Putri and Pelangi), Suryakarta. Oh I just love it there. Its a fabulous country with such happy smiling people. I associate summer vacation with Indonesia, cause usually, the day our exams got over, we would go there.

Singapore - Amazes me with the blend of high tech and culture living side-by-side at the same time. Even people from US are impressed with this country. I would love to stay and work there.

Jamaica - Reggae music, Beach, Jerk food, jolly people, Dunn's waterfall, blue mountain coffee, Rum and Cigars (Last two no relevance to me, but its an integral part of a visit there)

US - :) I am here and I have been here for 4 years now. Too much to write.

Next on agenda: Alaska in two weeks!

PS: IPOD mini delivered to apartment office...Gotta rush to pick it up :D

Why have I started blogging regularly all of a sudden

No specific reason. Just trying to see if I have the will-power to be regular at something if I want to. Reduce the adhoc way in which I do things in life. I tend to give up on things easily, so is there something that I can stick to?

My ipod has been shipped and it will be here on 17th. yippee.

To be praised....

Is always good thing. To be praised publicly, even better!! :) To be praised publicly but subtly, priceless!!

So, its okay to be soft and non-assertive. hehe. Its easier for me that way!
Not a very important thing for most, means a lot to me, because I have worked for it. So its nice to know that all is not in vain. Its not like people don't realize. So, its all good. Its something I wanted to do once. I did it :D

Keeping quiet....

is not always a bad thing, is it? I just got "gyan" (as Gayatri calls it) from a couple of people at work that I am too soft sometimes and that I have to be more assertive. Well, there is a sense of responsibility that sometimes makes you push harder. It can get stressful, but then I'd rather be stressed than have someone stressed because of me! Makes me seem like a saint, eh?? ;) But no, I have been told by numerous people that I have a caustic tongue when I am irked. So, I am trying to control that as well. At the cost of being over-worked.

So moral of the story, if you are too soft, it ain't good. If you are too harsh, that is totally not good. SO, what to do? :D

Lunch at Saravana Bhavan...

Yumm..its the best South Indian place in Bay Area. Of course, nothing beats Vaishali. Neeraj and I, like all other puneites, miss it so much.

My parents, after their wedding in Indore, had a reception for my dad's co-workers in Telco. They were so busy meeting people and being hosts, they did not get anything to eat by the time all the guests were gone. So they went to Vaishali and since then, we have always gone there atleast once in two weeks. The year that it was closed for renovation was so strange. Its a place you go to hang out, get a quick bite, catch up on old friends.

Everytime I go to India, or my dad went to India, we just HAD to go to Vaishali. Fortunately Neeraj and his family also love it as much as we do! So simple!

I wish they open a branch here. Although on second thoughts, I think I don't think they can bring the entire FC road :)

New look for the blogger..

Pretty cool.

Saw Main Hoon Na yesterday. Can't say I am too crazy about it. I went with very low expectations, so it was okay. The make-shift IMC6 theatre in San Jose is a joke. Blue carpets on the wall with multi-color lights and folding chairs for the excessive people in the theatre, not my cuppa tea. We were in line for about 40 minutes to get in, and yet sat in the third row from the front. I have no idea whats the deal with not having seat numbers. Very irritating.

Sushmita looks pretty cool, loved the look. The other girl is okay. The guy who plays Lucky looks extremely weird with the long hair, looks like anything but the school heart throb. Shahrukh is, as always, larger than life. The matrix and Mission Impossible spoofs are funny (assuming they are spoofs :)). The best part is the last song. Never get to see spot boys, make-up crew on the camera. I think the most loveable part of the movie. And what was Tabu doing in the blink-your-eyes-and-miss-me shot?? Anu's take was that she must have been shooting for Meenaxi some where near, and must have strayed away from the set in search of some action.

All in all, no comparison to Kuch Kuch Hota hain. Somehow the class is missing.

10 hours undisturbed sleep..

Can put a smile on my face! :) I simply love saturday mornings. There is no routine, schedule or hurry. Except on weekends when I work. But oh well, not this weekend!!

What is even better is catching an old episode of Beverly Hills 90210. I was majorly into it when I was in India. I used to think it was so cool to be a teenager in US. I used to love the clothes, the hair and wonder how it would be. Now as I watched them again after a good 8-9 years, I could not believe how my perceptive has changed drastically. For one, the serial seems cliched and almost silly at times :) I could not help but smile to see these actors who were well into their 20s play 17 year olds. It was fun to watch it and just that. No profound meaning of life in it. Though as a teenager, I certainly used to think there is so much more to it!

They are together...

Ross and Rachael. So I am happy, being the eternal romantic, I was hoping that that would be the end. I think I liked the episode, not too mushy, not too senti. Maybe a wee bit cold. Oh well. Maybe I was almost sure it would be weepy, that I was surprised it was not. :)

So I am finally done with all the course assignments and now with just the finals to go! I am seriously looking forward to not tuning out of work and into assembly language everyday. I just can't switch tracks easily. Mental inertia I suppose! :)

PS: Pizza hut's buffalo chicken pizza is quite nice, if you like the tangy buffalo chicken sauce to replace the regular tomato-basil sauce. Not something you can eat often, but surely satiates the craving for something tasty.

Last assignment of course done..

Yippe. I just have to make some cosmetic changes to it, but otherwise its done!! Now a final to go, and finally I am done. Now I can peacefully watch and enjoy Friends today. :) I am a self-confessed addict of Friends. Drive Neeraj nuts with all the marathon runs that I make him watch. Took a quiz on Friends, got a 11/12. :D Yes, I am guilty and I am proud of it.

I can't wait to see how they tie everything together. Its going to be challenging to please the expected. 40-60 million viewers today. Interesting observation today on the radio, that a reasonably large number of male viewers of Friends are victims of wives hogging the remote during that time. Interesting because, I know Neeraj watches it because I watch it.

Anyways, there rings the phone....

Stereotypes...

Its strange how we try to not conform to stereotypes and yet somehow, we just keep on doing it. I thought that the move to US for my Masters was breaking the conventions, yet, when I reached Fort Collins, I was surrounded by Indian girls who had just completed their BE. :)

I don't claim that thats even 0.001 % of the girls I know, just that its not an uncommon theme. Similarly, the number of DINKS (double income no kids :D) amazes me.

I think the life we have is like any other average couple in US, but when we have guests from India, its amusing to see how shocked they are to see Neeraj help me with cooking, or Rahul doing the dishes after Anu is done with the cooking. "aaj kaal chya muli expect their husbands to help them gharchya kamat" translated "girls these days expect their husbands to help them in the house" LOL. Isn't that amusing. What would they think if they saw Neeraj make expert polya while I made bhaji yesterday? Sacrilege!!

Weekend shift is the only time I blog...

I find myself with absolutely no time. I think I have received a smaller day than the others. :) I think I seem to not get time to just sit down and relax. Just a matter of time. 12th May is when my course gets over and then hopefully I will have more time.

Weather in bay area has been so chilly past few weeks. Don't feel like stepping out of the house after I come back from work. Its just nice to be at home. As much as I want to drive, it just can't drag myself out once I am home after work. Somehow as the course has become harder, work's getting hectic too. Been putting in almost 12 hours a day each day. Poor Neeraj has to put up to my weird hours and schedules.

Had a long chat with Sachin today after ages. Met Medha after a long time. And have Neeraj's friend visting Bay Area. Thats too much socializing for someone who spends most of her work time talking to people. People say these days I have become extermely quiet Imagine talking to people all day. You really don't want to talk much after that :).

My Birthday is fast approaching. I am reaching that age that I should start hiding my age :D. The only three months that Neeraj and I are of the same age. I look at all the blogs that are like "Happy 21st birthday" "Happy 18th birthday" and I think.."Happy 27th Birthday" just sounds OOOOOOOLLLLDDDD. :D. In my early twenties (long time ago), I used to think I will never hide my age ever. Now I think I might not go an proclaim it to the world ;)

Back to work..Hasta Manana till we meet again

I wish I was more regular...

Too many things happening and things to do! so just can't find to time to sign in and write.
Had a very intersting trip to India, attended my sister in law's wedding, got my visa stamped and fell sick !! I refuse to drink boiled water and much to my parents and doctor's chagrin. Oh well. its a price to pay. Could not go out to all our favorite places since I was sick and then the bird flu completely sealed the deal.

It felt nice to be in India when earning. I was able to spend on clothes, music, tv and not think much. Once in your lifetime, you should spend and not think..aah! the bliss. Met some of my newly wed friends, some getting married. Its like everyone I know is getting married, getting engaged or having kids. It was strange to meet school friends and talk about husbands, marriage, in-laws rather than boys, crushes, studies.

When you walk into places like Vaishali, earlier, my parents used to dread going there in the evenings with me, because of the number of people I would run into and time that was spent chatting with them. Now I feel like this alien, who looks at people who come there and thinks, "kids!". I find myself looking at some of the stuff these kids wear and cringe. I guess I am getting a bit older. And the cell phones drive me nuts. I am a person who hates carrying a cell phone. Its just another bother to carry and so most of the times, my phone is not charged or not with me. But in Vaishali, almost all college kids have cell phones, hanging off their necks, SMS.

Pollution was one more thing that really amazed me. And the traffic, I know I am getting more and more used to the organized traffic, but the traffic in Pune is insane. I was almost scared to cross the road. Its time to take some drastic action. Pune has developed so haphazardly that it just seems to explode with the number of people and vehicles.

Anyways, back to US. Got my driver's license. Love the freedom. More sooner than later

PS: congrats rohit!