Pen & Ink..

BBM Wildfire

2013-10-29T20:52:00.001-04:00

Recently Blackberry released its famous Blackberry Messenger (BBM) to the Android and iPhone market. It was reported that the app was downloaded ten million times in the first 24 hours of its release. My inbox and Facebook wall soon saw a spike in BBM PIN related messages from family and friends. Sure, it is a fad just like other things that see popularity on social media (yes BitStrips, I am looking at you).

The messenger apps bring people and communities closer to each other. Of course people needed another way to get in touch with each other because other apps like Viber, Whatsapp, Facebook messenger etc are really not enough..

Yoga - 99% practice 1% knowledge

2011-10-01T17:51:00.000-04:00

Last year, right before getting married, I dealt with the stress of planning my fantastic big day and not being able to fit in my fabulous Indian wedding dress. A collegue suggested that to handle my stress better I must try yoga. I had thought about practicing or at least starting to practice yoga before and may be this little nudge is all I needed to try it out.

My first experience with yoga (and hot yoga at that)was extraordinary. While the practice made me feel better, the chanting relaxed my mind and body. I enjoyed my first experience with yoga so much that I got completely hooked. I immediately joined the Hot Yoga Revolution in Garfield, since that was closest to home. It has been a few months since and my admiration, liking (read love) and flexibility with yoga has only increased since. I tried Vinyasa, Hatha and Kundalini style and must say that I have enjoyed and adopted Vinyasa style the most. As I progressed with my practice, it got me very interested in the benefits of yoga.

I have been reading much more about it and can give a personal testament that most of the facts you read about the benefits of yoga are true. It not only strengthens your body, helps you lose weight, help with aligning your posture, but also is great with relaxing your mind and body. The deep breathing, chanting and the stretches are all part of a complete relaxation package.

For those wanting to try it, I highly recommend trying it once. You may need to try a few different styles to determine which one you like. But once you do, enjoy its benefits.

“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who has said it,

not even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason

and your own common sense.”

~ Buddha Cheers!

Time flies...

2011-04-18T22:37:00.001-04:00

To pick up where I left off...

So, in September, I joined Pottery classes which pretty much stretched till mid November. It was a simple clay pottery with not-so-simple mechanics of how it works. And in October, the month of Halloween, I enjoyed the hayride at the Headless Horseman.

Then a trip to India, a family wedding and before I knew it, the year was over.

The new year is filled with new promises, surprises and much more.. The first quarter of the new year is coming to an end, along with the tax season, and the brutal winter. And when the spring is just round the corner.. I wonder, whats the hurry twenty-eleven? Slow down!!

"Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day."
~William Shakespeare

Target Shooting

2010-08-31T21:52:00.000-04:00

I am a peace lover. I believe that one day, people will realize that war is not a solution to anything and there will be peace in the world. There will be balanced economy and every basic need (not want) of the people will be met. I also believe that if each human being give away one meal a day there will be enough food for everyone in the world. Its the want of the human being that leads to struggle and war. The want of the man to acquire supreme power over others - other people, country, or the world.

This is not about needs and wants of the man. This is also not about war. It is, however, about the new thing I did for the month of August. As much as I felt the need to justify my new activity in the beginning of this post, I have to agree, I fully enjoyed it. I went to a shooting range to try out target shooting.

I do not exactly recall where I got the idea from, however, it matured while in conversations with a dear friend at work. Her husband is a member of a shooting range in South Jersey and one thing led to another and we decided we will go when three of us are available. It took us almost 2 months to mature the plans and it was totally worth the wait.

Alright, so we got there early Sunday morning before it starts getting crowded. Truth be told, I was not very nervous at first. The filling up the forms etc took a couple minutes. And then we started the training. My friends husband is a very patient man and a good teacher. I started to get nervous when he began explaining me the parts of the gun and showed me the bullets. When I held the gun in my hands, I was scared. The noise of the bullets fired from the guns of other people in the range is loud and scary. I jumped at almost all shots fired (even my own).

In the end, I did just fine. I brought the target sheet home as a keepsake. It was a thrilling experience. If I want to do it again? Well, time will tell.

“The fascination of shooting as a sport depends almost wholly on whether you are at the right or wrong end of the gun.”

- P. G. Wodehouse

Adios!

A New Game (The Seventh!)

2010-07-30T00:04:00.001-04:00

“Virtue, dear friend, needs no defense, The surest guard is innocence: None knew, till guilt created fear, What darts or poisoned arrows were”

- Horace

In the beginning of this month, it felt like I was standing in a wind tunnel with all the moments of my life quickly passing by me. Sometimes, while we are busy with catching what life throws in our way, there is always a need to find time to do something new.

One of the advantages of working at such a cool place is that there are certain things we can do during the lunch hour. Playing darts being one of them. So for the first time in my life, I actually played the darts.

I admit in the beginning my throws were all over the place. After a few tips from some collegues, and a few more rounds of practice, it got better. Someone made a passing remark that playing dart is a good way of letting out anger (if you are angry, that is), and I concur.

Other than that, I also made an attempt to cooking Indian-chinese food. It is a version of chinese food cooked in Indian spices and curry. Truth be told, it wasnt that bad, however, I am sure it could be done a lot better.

And with that, another month comes to an end and I am looking forward to hopefully doing something more fun next month.

Adios!

The Loss Of A Pet!

2010-07-19T23:48:00.001-04:00

My pet fish - Mishu died last week. I had him for 10 months. He was bright red in color, with shining big crown . I had someone to take care of and to feed, someone to come home to and most importantly he was my companion.

While I was away for a week for work, I had asked someone to take care of him. Obviously and unfortunately, Mishu was not well taken care of. Apparently, Betta fishes need a lot more care than people think they do. They are not low maintenance fishes who just need to be fed once a day. I realized he was sick the moment I got him back. He was pale and white and weak, as if he had not eaten for days. I found out he had no appetite and immediately Googled the signs of sickness in Betta fishes and the remedies. I got the medicene from the Petco and kept my fingers crossed for my Mishu to get better.

Being so desparate to save him, I made sure there was medicene in his bowl at all times. Two weeks of medicene and he still wasnt eating. He showed no signs of improvement and that was worrying me. Until one day, I came home from work to find him still and floating in the bowl. I said a silent prayer that he is sleeping. Thinking he may need fresh water, I changed the water in the bowl.. still no movement. When I put him in the bowl back again, he did not move, not even a flicker. I was not sure he was actually dead, so I looked up for some signs. He had passed on.

I didn't realize all this while I was so attached to him. He was indeed my companion. I enjoyed sitting by his bowl and watching him circle around while I narrated my entire day to him. Somewhere deep down I thought he was listening and that we had a connection. I watched him play with his food, pushing it with his mouth and then gulp it in. I assumed he enjoyed that time with me too.

When I buried him that night, it was hard to believe he was gone. It made me sad (also because I miss him), I am only hoping he is in a much better place now.

Rest in peace, Mishu!

“I do not mind having imaginary conversations with animals who are part of my life. The comfort of talking to one at a time of personal distress is so soothing because one has the ease of knowing that one’s secrets will not be repeated to anyone. Yet there are those who are horrified that an animal can be a more reliable part of one’s world than that of the human world.”
- Derek Tangye

A Walk To Remember..(The Sixth)!

2010-06-30T22:46:00.024-04:00

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

- John Muir

June was a busy month. I spent a lot of time at work while still managed to continue my swim lessons. Life was busy and life was good.There was also some work related travel. Yeah, it sounds like a ridiculous attempt on making an excuse for not picking a hobby or doing something new for the month of June. I have to admit (and this is not an excuse), I was dealing with so much stuff in this month, that I didn't even think about it.

Well, even then, the only new thing I did was to visit Liberty State Park. It was a hot, humid Sunday afternoon and I went for a stroll. People were doing bar-be-ques, drinking beer, hanging out in their tents. Kids were playing. Whereas I, was getting baked in the sun. I think I made it sound like it was a real torture. Truth be told, this was exactly what I needed. A stroll to clear my head.

Liberty State Park is located on the New York Harbor. It is closer to Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty. The entire skyline of the New York City is visible and it looks astounding (I only wish I hadn't forgotten my camera at home). It is also one of the best places to see the July 4th fireworks.

As long as we have summer in NJ/NY, I do plan to go there again sometime to enjoy a nice walk again, breathe the fresh air and (may be) click some pictures.

Adios!

The Fifth - A Race..!

2010-05-31T18:53:00.001-04:00

"Finishing races is important, but racing is more important."
- Dale Earnhardt

I have been training to run in the races for a while. The good thing is that during the spring and the summer time there are plenty of those events organized in New Jersey / New York area. The website Active.com gives a good idea where each of these is happening and when so that you can train and plan ahead.

The Spring Lake 5 is my first 5 mile run. In fact, its my first run after junior school. However, I have been training and it has been a good ride so far. Spring lake 5, as the name suggests happens in Spring Lake, NJ.

The race happened on May 29th, the Memorial Day weekend. The race starts at 8:30 in the morning and people usually get there about an hour ago to get ready. I had an hour drive so to get there at 7:30 AM, I had to start even an hour earlier. It was a cloudy morning and as I drove south, the rain started to pour. A friend from work cancelled her plans of running the race and I felt like crawling back in bed too.

Spring Lake is a nice little town. The drive in the morning was not so bad. I had to do it. The race started on time. There were about over 7500 people running the race. There were water booths after every mile. The local people stand by the sidewalk to cheer for the runners.

The first two miles went by easy. The distance between second and third mile was the hardest. I have to admit, it wasnt as easy as I thought. I walked for a minute every mile I ran. During the mile between third and fourth, I heard a man behind me, telling his son - "....dont give up now, we are almost there". Those words rang in my head as I covered that mile. I think I almost chanted those words too.

The last mile has its own adrenaline rush. When you see the timer, you gather every energy left in you to cross the finish line. I crossed the line in 55:53.25 minutes. I could have done better.

After the race, there is water, food, fruits etc for the participants. Sometimes I think about the team of volunteers, sponsors and managers who make this event a huge success. Seems like a selfless act.

This was no doubtedly a great race and best of all, it didn't rain. It only drizzled for 60 seconds.

Happy Racing!

The Fourth (and the most eventful)!

2010-04-30T21:50:00.018-04:00

“There are no mistakes. The events we bring upon ourselves, no matter how unpleasant, are necessary in order to learn what we need to learn; whatever steps we take, they're necessary to reach the places we've chosen to go.”
- Richard Bach

April, the month of spring, spring rains, hot and humid weather, fresh leaves and flowers and also the month of my birthday. April, also the month that turned out to be the most eventful and crazy.

To enjoy the upcoming summer, I decided to learn swimming. Yes, I am 20+ years old and still do not know how to swim. There is no good reason for why not. So I joined the club in the beginning of the month just to learn swimming. The fees is 3 times the membership fees from my old gym, nevertheless, I signed up for swimming for the next 10 weeks.

Some good ol' friends organized an amazing birthday party. It was totally unexpected and a lot of fun..

Also, this month, I met with a really bad accident that damaged my car. Fortunately, I only pulled a shoulder muscle. The same good friends came to my rescue while I struggled with the shock and pain of the accident. My car, however, will go for repair and fixing. Meanwhile, I rented a car for a couple week and eventually bought another one.

Phew! That was one busy month. So far, swimming is going great, I am much more closer to my friends than I earlier was, finally came to know more about what to do when you get into an accident and how to deal with insurance companies. Not to mention, how to deal with the sales guy at the car dealerships who are just trying to get to your money.

This was certainly one of the most eventful month..

So long!

The Third!

2010-03-01T17:02:00.007-05:00

“A photograph is a secret about a secret.

The more it tells you the less you know.”

- Diane Arbus

Photography is a form of art. It is also a science of the correct use of light, equipment and angles. I am always fascinated by the way photographers (including a few of my close friends) bring out the best in a picture.

Every time I saw a breathtaking view or just a plain simple sunset or a full moon night, I thought to myself, this should be captured forever. I would think of these on the days without sun or sunset, or dark mysterious nights. Of course, none were clicked or remembered. Blame it on the lack of skill, equipment or will. There is no excuse.

In discussion with a dear friend and colleague over dinner one night, I mentioned how I look at people's photography blogs and think of starting my own.

So here it is, the new thing for the month of march, my new blog - http://ishutterspeed.blogspot.com

Also, an attempt to capture snow flakes from the snow storm early last week:

Please feel free to post your comments or feedback.

Au revoir!

The Second!

2010-02-22T21:05:00.007-05:00

"Work like you don't need the money,
love like your heart has never been broken,
and dance like no one is watching."
-Aurora Greenway

The month of February - the month of purification and valentine's day. Also, the month when I decided to learn Salsa dancing.

When a colleague of mine invited me to participate in an open house in the studio she learns dance in, I was more than exhilarated. That was a very good experience, a fun time.

When I visited another dance school in New York City, I was wondering how it would turn out. The trial class in the small classroom, large group of students, a decent teacher and a very short duration, my experience was a little less comfortable. I was there to learn and by any means I was going to. The steps are simple, the technique is easy. It is just the matter of giving it a try and remembering the steps. And if you are at ease with your dance partner, well, then you are golden.

As for me, I would still need some adjusting. Sure enough, I will be there again at the studio, giving it another shot.... And with that, I started the new thing to try in February.

Adios!

The First!

2010-01-19T22:14:00.006-05:00

The New Year is still fresh and young and so is my enthusiasm of doing something new each month. Ofcourse, January brings new hope and light.

Those who are close to me know that it has been over three years that I am deciding on - getting a tattoo. I spent a major chunk of time each summer for the last three years on St Mark's place in East Village, Manhattan, looking and choosing the tattoo designs. I have seen people bleeding and crying while getting inked. I have met various artists to discuss my concept(s), size, placement, colors, fee charges et al. Being an unsure mind I have also changed my choices several times.

It started with me wanting a tattoo of the Goddess Durga. The tattoo artist told me it was not possible in the size I wanted. It needed to be too detailed and the small size wouldn't do justice. Then I turned towards Lord Ganesha. However, the thought of God on my body wasn't settling in.

I searched in vain for something I could connect with. Many times during the last three years I thought about what I could commit to and getting a tattoo would be a big binding.

Then, as if the clouds cleared themselves and I found the symbol of peace and freedom. After thinking about it for a couple months a concept was formulated and I was ready to take the big step.

And the result:

"What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it."
- Alexander Graham Bell

Niente è impossibile

New Year's Resolution!

2010-01-01T21:04:00.001-05:00

He who breaks a resolution is a weakling;

He who makes one is a fool.
~F.M. Knowles

Every year, on New Year's Eve, amongst the partying and greeting, I silently ask myself how the year went. I quietly say my prayers for a peaceful, prosperous and adventurous year ahead.

Just like most people, I am used to breaking my New Year's Resolutions within the first month. So, this year, I have a plan. To do something new every month, I am making a list for each month. Every month will bring an opportunity to do something new, something I haven't done before, something I want to do and others that would come my way, both professionally and personally.

So, now its time to wait and watch as I go and follow that list and I promise to keep it posting.

Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Cheers!

Thank You For Saying Thank You!

2009-11-25T21:21:00.002-05:00

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."
~William Arthur Ward

Thanksgiving is celebrated in United States of America on the fourth Thursday of November annually since 1863.

There are many things people are or may be thankful for. So, I tried to list 20 things I am thankful for. After only 11, I started to wonder, hopefully digging in my heart for more. I could not find anymore. Its not that the things I did not list are the things I am not thankful for. Sometimes, somethings are better kept closer to heart - family, friends et al.

Apart from the significance of the day, one thing that keeps me thinking, why do we have one day of the year to be thankful for? Why couldn't we be thankful everyday? I could at least find one reason to be thankful for each day.

Nevertheless, the feast, the company, the craziness of shopping, cleaning, cooking and baking and the cleaning afterwords has some special importance. The gathering of the friends and family and the feeling of being thankful, even if experienced once a year, is out of the world.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Trick or Treat?

2009-11-01T16:59:00.008-05:00

One need not be a chamber to be haunted;

One need not be a house;
The brain has corridors surpassing
Material place.
- Emily Dickinson

The New York City Halloween parade is listed as of the "100 Things to Do Before You Die: Travel Events You Just Can't Miss".

I definitely did not have it on my list as one of the things I would want to do before I die. However, after much persuasion from friends, I decided to be a part of it or if not, at least be a spectator. It is said, that the Halloween parade in the New York City is one of most crowded event, with over 50,000 costumed participants and over 2 million spectators (not including those on television). I was wondering if the streets of New York could consume that many number of people at the same time.

To my surprise, there were more people than I thought. This was my fourth Halloween in this country and third in New York City and first in the parade. This was the first time I dressed up as "something" and went out to get scared or scare people.

The theme for the 2009 Halloween parade was "Terra Incognita". The craziness and the chaos is beyond words. I used to think that Halloween is not as important a festival, and I am amazed to learn that the people spend so much effort, time and money to show up as something that would probably make them stand out or look scary or cute.

Unfortunately, the fun had just begun when it started to pour. I would have felt a lot less cold, wet and gross and would have had much more fun, if it was not raining.

Halloween is not just about haunted houses, ghost tours and trick or treat. This was a great experience, and I hope I would be able to dress up as something different next year and participate in the parade.

Although, this was not in my list of 100 things to do, may be I can add it and cross it out...

Adios!

You are what you eat!

2009-03-19T22:13:00.007-04:00

"No man in the world has more courage than the man who can stop after eating one peanut." ~Channing Pollock

I remember, once someone told me, "You should never go grocery shopping when you are hungry." It is true, indeed.

After work, I decided to get some basic stuff from the super-market near my apartment. Of course, made a huge mistake. That is the time when its too early to have dinner and to late to grab a snack.

So, everywhere I looked, I could only see the "wrong" food. The chips and the dips, the chocolate cake, the Snicker minis, the frozen pizza and the ice-creams. All the stuff that I told myself that I'd not buy after losing considerable weight. Sometimes, it takes a little negotiation with myself, if I need to include any of those fatty acids to my grocery list. So I bargained. If I can buy a bag for chips to munch on, then I would need to keep away from that packet of Snicker minis. If I buy the frozen pizza for days I do not want to cook, I would have to leave the ice-cream box out of my cart. Phew! I did not buy any of that stuff.

Alright, lets face it, sometimes I do get cravings, who doesn't? Cravings to eat fried food, or sweets, or chocolate cakes, Snickers, or the regular cheese slice of pizza. Honestly, it is very hard to fight those cravings, however, more often than not, I succeed.

A couple of weeks ago, while having a very busy day at work, and in order to please myself, I bought a big bar of Snickers. Another huge mistake. I have to admit, I just could not control myself from buying one. The truth is, it is still in the jar on my desk at work. I decided, I would think about eating it on a similar day, when I would not be able to control my cravings again, and then look for an excuse to bail myself out.

On that yummy thought,
Goodbye!

Axis: Bold as Love

2009-02-03T22:45:00.004-05:00

'Gadgets & Gizmos' is a store with a selection of gift items, gadgets, games, gizmos, electronic gifts et al. Some items in that store are very funny. Even the sales girl in the store laughs funny. I visit that store just to look around atleast once when I am in the mall.

I was disturbingly surprised to see a very different tin tote. That box had a depiction of all forms of Vishnu with a super imposed image of three African men.I couldn't help but wonder, why would someone use an image like that and that too for an ugly tote box? So as always, all it takes is a little Google.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience was a British / American band. This image on the tin tote was the artwork of the album Axis: Bold as Love. The objective was to show the American "Indian" heritage of Jimi Hendrix. Instead, it turned out to be a the super imposed image of the band members on 'Viraat Purushan-Vishnuroopam' (the religious poster with all forms of Vishnu).

Well, I learned a lesson, to find the truth behind things that might appear meaningless, but have some character to it.

With that thought, "Wait until tomorrow"!!

A new year is born!

2009-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

As the new year comes knocking, I look back and weigh what the passing year brought with it. The year 2008 was full of surprises, uncertainties and unexpected twists and turns.

I have to admit, the decisions I made and the path I took is rarely taken by people. I haven't seen a lot of people quitting jobs in the middle of collapsing economies. I had no idea how and where I will land up. Before I made any decisions in the later part of 2007, I made plans A, B and C. The surprising part of this is, I never got a chance to use any of those plans. Things changed and as if by magic, everything started falling into place.

I have mentioned in few of my earlier posts, and this is something I totally believe in, no matter how many plans you make, the master planner, God almighty, have something else in mind for you. I guess something similar happened with me.

Life took off like a roller coaster. The twisted turns and the ups and downs passing by at an unbelievable speed. The very few end of the year holidays gave time to slow down and look back and think of the ride I had along the year.

There were a few achievements of the year though, most of those things whose importance you realize when you are deprived of them:

Importance of the few core things in life - family, friendships, love and health.
A good job which takes care of the bills.
Decrease in the intake of coffee.
Good Indian food (specially when you don't get it).
Sound night sleep ( I could never imagine I needed certain specific mindset, certain specific surroundings to get good sleep, until I got it)
A regular at the gym. (Adding regular exercise to the routine makes a lot of difference)

"Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us." - Hal Borland

On that (happy) note, not making any new year's resolutions this year either, here's wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous new year.

Cheers!

If it ain't caffeinated, it ain't coffee!

2008-12-09T20:48:00.015-05:00

"Over second and third cups flow matters of high finance, high state, common gossip and low comedy. [Coffee] is a social binder, a warmer of tongues, a soberer of minds, a stimulant of wit, a foiler of sleep if you want it so. From roadside mugs to the classic demi-tasse, it is the perfect democrat." ~ Anonymous

Coffee is the unofficial fuel for human body. My day does not start without an extra-large hot cup of coffee. Yes, that statement officially makes me an addict. So much so is my addiction that I feel lazy and tired if I don't get that first coffee cup in the morning.

According to a recent survey:

Among coffee drinkers the average consumption in the United States is 3.1 cups of coffee per day.
Over 50% of Americans over 18 years of age drink coffee every day. This represents over 150 million daily drinkers. 30 million American adults drink specialty coffee beverages daily; which include a mocha, latte, espresso, café mocha, cappuccino, frozen/iced coffee beverages, etc.
Specialty coffee sales are increasing by 20% per year and account for nearly 8% of the 18 billion dollar U.S. coffee market.

When I look back, and think of the time, when my coffee used to be 'light and sweet'. As part of calories cut down, I started drinking 'less milk and less sugar' and then slowly I came down to 'dark, milk with one sugar'. The change was not just in the style of my coffee, but also in the quantity, which needless to say grew with time.

So there started a quest to see how I can progress in my daily coffee reduction:

Day 1: Realization: One day, almost by magic, I realized it was time to make this addiction, a little less addictive. Various research have proved that some heavy caffeine users grow irritable, get headaches, or feel lethargic when they can't get that one cup of coffee or other caffeinated drink. As soon as I realized my consumption of coffee, I knew something needs to be done.

Day 2: Reduction: I got only a large cup (20 oz) of coffee in the morning as opposed to a daily extra large cup (24 oz) and did not even finish it. Day 3 was going to be a hard one with no coffee at all. I was excited to see how this 'No Coffee Day' goes.
Day 3. Restriction - No Coffee Day: The plan was simple. All I needed to do was stay away from coffee. Morning was the toughest phase. Obviously, people were walking around the office with their coffee cups in hand and I had none. I was finding it very hard to resist the temptation to run down to the Dunkin Donuts next door. I went into the office kitchen to get some water. Someone had kept the fresh coffee for brewing. I thought, about 100 times to leave the idea of No Coffee Day and drink that one sip of coffee. I drank water instead. Although, I did enjoy taking a long sniff of the brewing coffee. The morning passed very lazy. I was found yawning most of the times. I started getting headaches and it was hard to concentrate on work. After a long morning, it was time for lunch. Post lunch, I got deep into work and forgot about the coffee for a while. I thought it will be a lot easier to sleep at night. Why I did not sleep well that night, is another story (thanks to the crappy apartment I was living in at the time). At the end of the day, I was proud of myself for not drinking coffee.
So the conclusion of the experiment (at least for myself) was, I can run / walk / crawl slowly if I don't fuel myself with the regular dosage of coffee. It is hard, but not impossible. Day 4 on wards, I have reduced my daily intake of coffee. It has been four days since and I do not see a problem. All it takes is a very strong determination and will power.

Cheers!

Lessons Learnt!

2008-10-09T09:52:00.001-04:00

There are times in everyones life when people look back and think about how they have grown or not grown with time. A year has passed after I made some changes in my life. A long awaited new job, a new career, a new direction to life is always special. Isn't it?

Having said that, I waited one whole year for things to get better, for life to change in a new positive direction. Now, when I look back and think about the decisions made, jobs changed, I think, if I go back in time at the same crossroads, I would still choose the same path. I would still make the same decisions and stand by them.

This past one year, gave me time for self realization of how capable I am of making decisions, standing up for them and realizing my mistakes and learning from them.

Now as I walk ahead with a new job that I like, and a much more stable career direction, I cant help but think about the things that worked and things that didn't, people who were good and helpful and those who weren't. It is rightly said, that every minute of a person's life is a learning experience. There are people in the world who fall, learn, work hard, grow and meet their goals. There are other people in the same world who fall, get disappointed, stop working hard, grow out and forget their goals. Well, that was just a comparison between the kind of people we see in our lives. I can say that I am more of a former kind than latter.

Here are a few things I learnt in the past one year:

Make your own decisions without getting influenced by your emotions and take time in thinking them through.
If you haven't followed point 1, stand by your decisions regardless.
Always think highly of yourself, even when no one does. If you don't believe in yourself, who will?
Don't let anyone convince you something you don't believe in.
Be patient. (I am that kind of person who would tell God, " O God! Please give me patience and I want it right now!! ").
Things always work out. You will always figure out what you have to do and the rest of the details.
Make plans. Plan A, B, C and D are always good to make. Don't be surprised if they don't work. Things never always go as planned and there is nothing like a full proof planning.
If things make you miserable, believe in the one above you. He has the master plan which will work for you, in your favor. And, by the "one above you" I don't mean, your boss, or the one who lives on the floor above you, I mean the highest power and the master planner, God.
Wake up in the morning, with a smile on your face. That always helps in keeping you motivated.
And in the end, if its not alright, it is not the end.

I am not a philosopher or a guru. These are not the principles or commandments I follow. These are my lessons learnt personally and professionally.

Think. Act. Learn. Grow. Believe.

Enjoy!

Wet Paint!

2008-09-15T00:50:00.001-04:00

" Take your brush and gently dip it,
Be careful not to drip it,
Wet paint . Wet paint."

One warm Sunday afternoon, a bunch of friends decided to do something fun, something to make the weekend more interesting and exciting.

When we were kids and we didn't have anything to do, we used to play antakshari.

Baithe, baithe, kya karein? Karna hai kuch kaam...
Shuru karo antakshari, leke prabhu ka naam!

(We are sitting around, and want something to do...
Let us play antakshari, having praised the Lord!)

This is my version:

We are sitting around, and want something to do...
Let us paint the deck, having praised the Lord!

Yeah, you read it right, we decided to paint the deck of their house. The color as decided, semi-transparent chocolate brown, a couple of brushes and a bunch of newspapers, that all was required.

We started with cleaning the deck with a brush and then slowly applying paint strokes, in the direction of the wood. We all took charge, of each corner of the deck. In the beginning, it seemed like a tedious job to do. Reminded me of how easy it is in India to find a laborer to do such jobs, mow the lawn, paint the house, fix window panes, clean the backyard and fix small things. As easy and inexpensive it is to find someone to do it, in India, I have to say, similarly easy it is to find the right equipment, at the right place and at the right time in United States.

When I was little, the children of my story books used to help their parents by doing some jobs like this, paint the fence, mow the lawn, plant trees etc. I used to think, it would be so much fun to have to do it.

So, here we were, with our brushes in hand, and color in our buckets. One by one, as we started painting the wooden bars of the deck, and complimented each other with the good job each was doing. Before we knew it, we spent 5 hours non-stop doing the job, and we had finished painting, the inside and the outside railings of the deck. Needless to say, at the end, my arms, hands, legs and back were hard to move.

I have to admit, I had a great time. It is not easy to paint the deck without getting some color on yourself, take my word for it. Thankfully, it was a water wash paint, easy to remove.

This got me into thinking, when was the last time I did something fun like this? Something to take myself away from all the worries and stress of the normal routine life and indulge into something I have never done before? This was indeed a fun thing to do. Reminded me of the funny Wet Paint song. You can view it here on youtube.com.

What fun activity did you do this weekend?

Ciao!!

A Wednesday!

2008-09-10T00:15:00.006-04:00

"They asked us on Friday, repeated on Tuesday...I am just replying back on A Wednesday."

I happened to watch this movie online while having dinner. I had no idea about the movie and the story line. Usually when I watch a movie, I check the reviews online or atleast the plot so that I know what to expect. This was one of those times, when I decided to stick to the movie, without looking at the reviews. I have to admit, this movie was unexpectedly amazing piece of work.

For all those who haven't seen the movie yet, I wont reveal the plot. All I can say is, its worth a watch. This movie is a work a brilliance. A Wednesday is a movie based on the repeated terrorist attacks made in different parts of India time and time.

Nareesudin Shah and Anupam Kher are brilliant actors and they proved their expertise yet again. The pace of the movie and the plots were outstanding. The anti-climax and the climax were picture perfect and storyline kept me captivated with the pace and the thrills of the movie. The story, plots and sequences were not deviated by any songs or item numbers, which also maintained the focus of the movie.

This, I believe, is the most thought provoking movie made in the recent times. Its a must watch.

Jai Hind!!

How do you make a new start?

2008-08-11T10:20:00.000-04:00

There are many new starts in our life. A fresh start of a new school, new college, new job or a new gym.

I have been working out at my current gym for the past few months. I have to say, when I don't go to the gym, I feel lazy. Its amazing how it has become an integral part of my life.

Its funny how we prepare ourselves for the gym. Everytime, I quit going to the gym and / or joined a new one, I treated myself with a new pair of sneakers, or a new gym attire. I feel it makes me feel motivated to have new clothes or shoes, and make a fresh start.

Recently, I saw a woman in my gym, totally confused. She was reading instructions on every fitness equipment before using it. I was not surprised to see her new shoes, and new clothes. Yes, she was new to the gym. I could relate to that feeling.

I recently bought a new iPhone 3G. It is amazing. Of course, I didn't have to prepare for it, except for some extra bucks. The iPhone is cool. My old cellphone was the free phone that came with the contract of my service. With iPhone, there is no firefox and there is no flash player. There are a few other pros and cons though.

Very recently, I started working on a new project. It is a small website for a small scale company. That was another new start and as a web designer, there were basic preparations for setting up the development machine, and other to and fro discussions about the websites look and feel.

For the life of a programmer / developer, a new technology is also a fresh start. Learning the tricks of the trade, and the other tools related with it, is part of it.

I believe, everyday brings us an opportunity to do something new. To make a new start of something. New gym, job, project, technology or phone. It is mixed with excitement and apprehension at the same time.

Have a happy fresh start!

Adios!

Vacation in Florida!

2008-07-10T10:00:00.002-04:00

There are times in life of every person, when a vacation is much needed. That was a motivating factor, enough to draw me towards mine. Florida - Orlando & Miami, a perfect vacation hot-spot was my destination for a little less than five days.

I have been to Universal Studios, Orlando before. My friends had not. I remember I had a really good fun last time, so obviously, I did not mind going there again. Let me just say, that it was even more fun this time, than it was last time. So, we ended up spending two full days in Orlando, only at Universal Studios. I can bet it is so huge, that it is hard to cover all of Orlando in two days.

We began with the rides in "The Islands of Adventure". We started with "Doctor Doom's Fear Fall". It is a very simple ride. It takes you 150 ft above the ground and brings you back. Honestly, after doing all those rides in Six Flags, specially Kingda Ka (read here), this was a piece of cake. Some of the rides were definitely winners.

The Incredible Hulk Coaster: This was a regular roller coaster with twists and turns and loops. It was another piece of cake.

Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls: This was a water ride. You sit on a log and as you pass through the water path with twists and turns and finally fall from the Ripsaw falls while the water splashes on you, it is hard to stay dry.

Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges: We have all enjoyed the cartoon - Popeye, the sailor man as we were kids. This was a fun water ride. You sit on the raft and fasten your seat belts. With this churning and splashing ride you never know from where the water will fall on you as you try to stay dry. Take my words, you can never stay dry on this ride.

Jurassic Park River Adventure: This is another water ride. This time the raft is in the middle of the Jurassic Park while the raptors are loose. The 85 foot tall fall to save us from the jaws led to the darkness, and a splash of water. This was fun.

This was, pretty much, it at the Island of Adventure. We had only one day in our plan to cover - the Universal Studio. Believe me, it is hard. There is so much to see, and so little time. Also, there are queues of people at every ride and without the 'express pass', its a total waste of time.

After all the water rides, we slipped into our dry clothes and head on to The Universal Studios. One big disadvantage is, also, the miles of walking we had to do. From one park to the parking, parking to the park again and back to parking and then parking to the another park. Phew!!

The Shrek 4-D: This was a very simple ride. It is the kind of ride, where the 4-D effects make you feel that you are actually in the movie.

The Simpson's Ride: This is a new ride, released this summer. It is one of the best simulator rides, which brings you right at Krustyland. This was one of my favorites and I actually took this ride twice.

Revenge of the Mummy: I really liked the Mummy movies. And I am waiting for the third one. This happened to be a very interesting experience to the world of mummy. This is one of the best roller coaster which takes you into the darkness.

There were some other interesting rides too, based on some of the movies, Twister, Jaws, ET, Men In Black, Terminator. And there were some really good shows, The Horror Show, Disaster, Beetlejuice's Graveyard Revue.

There was so much to see in so little time. However, we tried to see as much as possible. There was no time for the Sea World (which, I have seen earlier) and Disney World.

The following 2 days were for Miami. Except for a lot of driving that we had to do, it was fun. The weather played a bit of spoiled sport with a some showers and thunderstorm here and there. We camped at Mizner Place which was 38.4 miles away from South Beach.

There is a difference in the beaches of New York and Florida. This time of the month, the water on the beaches of New York is still cold, while the water in Florida is warm.

Those who love to party, South Beach is "the" place for you. As you walk along the Ocean Drive you can see all the beautiful restaurants and all the beautiful people hanging around there. Mango's became one of my favorites. The place is as happening as it can be and the food was awesome.

By the time it was Saturday, I started missing New York. I couldn't wait to be back. Over all, it was a very relaxing and rejuvenating vacation.

Have fun!

Ciao.

New York State of Mind..!

2008-06-17T23:24:00.000-04:00

It started with the fall of 2006, when I came from Pennsylvania to New York for the first time, and I was in awe with the city, the streets, the skyline, the statue of liberty, the high rises, the yellow cabs and the time square, so much so, that I fell in love with New York.

Ever since I moved to New Jersey, I enjoyed the city, the eateries, the times square, and in general the streets, almost every weekend. I would go with the friends or alone, take a walk, sit in the central park and enjoy it.

There was a time in my life, when I used to watch the city on the TV shows - Friends, Seinfeld, Sex and the city and on various other movies. The personal experience of being in the city and with the city is no where close to what you see on TV.

The NYC is dirty with garbage on the streets, over crowded streets, people pushing each other while walking, cab drivers cutting each other at the edge, the subways are stinking and ridiculously dirty, however, when I am walking down the streets, all alone I am still at peace. Its the city that never sleeps. I have been there very early morning, early morning, late night, very late night and I can still see people everywhere. I have often given myself a lone time, on the streets of this city.

Thats the thing about New York City, you can be lonely when you want to and you can be not lonely when you want to.

I think thats what it is, like Billy Joel sang "New York State of Mind".

Au Revoir!