Company visit and more

Despite some last minute cancellations/backout by 5-6 people, 8 of us went over and visited Redwood Systems in Fremont on Friday. There were folks from Anderson and Haas. We met their marketing folks and saw a demo of their product and later went to lunch with the company execs. Had extensive interaction with the Director of Product Marketing, who turned out to be a Haas alum. Business cards were exchanged and promises made to keep in touch. :) I hope to organize more of these events in the new year.

I applied and got selected for the Easton Technology Leadership Program at UCLA. This program will run concurrently with my MBA (it will supplement the MBA) and is designed specifically for people with engineering backgrounds. Did I mention that this is super exciting for me... Next quarter looks tough with Managerial economics and Financial Accounting. :(

We wrapped up the year with a book club meeting on Friday. We recapped what we got out of it during the year and looking forward what to expect. :) KT paid us a surprise visit and we ended the year on a high note.

weekend

Finally, got around to enjoying a full weekend, something I used to take for granted for so many years. No classes this weekend....but the "work" never stops. :) Gym class for Shruti on friday evening, played wii saturday morning with the kids. Then took wifey shopping (actually dropped her off at the store) and the kids to swimming class and lunch. By afternoon, I was supposed to be tired but was not. Instead, I had this new found appreciation for what my wife goes through every Saturday when I am goofing off in classes at LA. :) Later in the evening, dropped the kids off to a "camp" where they played and made ginger bread house while Ruchi and I caught a movie (after a lonnnnnng time). We saw "Did you hear about the Morgans?". The movie was ok and I sorta liked it while Ruchi found it below average. Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker didn't look as impressive as we thought they would look. We capped off the night with an excellent diner at Olive Garden... an excellent Carbernet Beringer, Ministreone soup, pasta and the works. Best of all, excellent service and I expressed my appreciation with a generous tip. :)

Talking about looks and age and what not, we are reminded time and again of our own mortality in more ways than one. This weekend, one of our neighbors passed away. She was living by herself (after her husband died about an year ago) and was probably in her 60s. We woke up in the morning and saw cop cars outside her house and later found out that she had passed away. Really sad... she was a nice and gentle lady. The police haven't concluded the reason for her death but most likely she died due to respiratory issues (she had medical issues). Her immediate family lives less than a mile away but she was all alone when the end came. In her memory, we did not light up our x-mas lights all weekend. We hope her soul is in peace.

Called DM/YY and another neighbor over for tea last evening. While DM and YY left after a couple of hours, we had an entertaining evening with the other neighbors and family. Later in the night Nalin went over for a sleepover at his cousin's house. He called today and begged to stay another night. :) Last I heard, Divs and Nalin were making Brownies... :) We have already bought a x-mas gift for Shruti and trying to figure out what to buy for Nalin. We were thinking of a racing car game (wii) for him but people are saying that these games can be very addictive...so will think some more about what to do.

End of Q1

The dreaded Saturday 12/12 came... On the way over, I just sat by myself. I was tense. Some of the guys were discussing stuff for the finals and I just tuned them out. We reached LA and it was pouring like anything. Several thoughts flashed through my mind... what if my laptop is ruined due to the moisture? or the "allowed" cheat sheets for the stats exam... what if they get messed up? On top of that the rental lady (yes it was my turn to rent the car) kept insisting that "Why are you declining the accident coverage? do you know the area so well? Look, it is raining really hard and you want have any protecting in case something happens...". I was getting a little irritated by her persistence and really wanted to shove the contract papers down her throat but outwardly I had this calm, composed smiling face... what did she know? :)

Reached school, ate a little (wasn't hungry)... went to the exam room. The prof started the exam (stats)... After about 20 mins he left the room and came back 10 mins later and states "There's some good news for you guys!!! Instead of 3 hours, you get 3 1/2 hours. But not sure if that will do you any good" :) No, I did not feel like shoving the question paper down his throat since I was doing well at that time... but he is one humorous guy. :) Anyway, exams (both) went well. Flew back to SJC in the evening (there was lot of turbulence on the way and my friends canceled their drinks... it felt like we were in a roller coaster). quite scary.

Rest of the weekend was really great. Looking forward to some relaxing time over the next few weeks. Party planned for this friday at a friends "bachelor" pad (wife/kid in India). :) Enjoying my break from school for now till the madness starts all over again in January.

Let it Snow, let it Snow, let it Snow.....

Just yesterday as I was about to leave for work in the morning, I saw white stuff on the mountains near our house... lots of it. Yes, it was snow... and so nearby. It snowed over night (I am not really a weather person i.e. I don't usually monitor what the weather is going to be) ... so it was a pleasant surprise. Today in the morning it was frost outside in the morning. I felt sad for my plants in the backyard. :( The whole week, it is supposed to rain on and off.

The cold weather as usual brings its own share of joys - sniffle, cough .... aaachoooooo!! Shruti was the first one to fall sick. Today I was WFH to give her time to get better and looks like in true holiday spirit, she shared her bug with me. in the finallllllllllllllssss week!!! Holy *&)*) I am dead meat.

Company visit

I am organizing a company visit for my Anderson class fellows to a local fremont-based startup. Already in touch with their VP of Marketing. It should be a good learning experience talking to them (hopefully the CEO as well).

For this week's case study, we are reading a Berkeley case about Cisco Systems. :) I almost expect the prof to "pick" on the cisco dudes in the the class and seek our views/comments about this article and cisco in particular. :)

Speaker lined up for the next bay area e-labs meeting. He actually launched a company and ran it for 4 years or so. Should be enlightening.

Still trying to figure out where to go for the December vacation. SA flights are soooo expensive. :(

time flies...

Two more weeks and the first quarter will be over. I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand I can't wait to see (and experience) what the next quarter courses will bring and on the other I am having so much fun that I am sad the quarter is coming to an end (the way time is flying, I will be done with the degree before I realize it). Even now, when people find out that I am pursuing my MBA from UCLA, their jaw drops and the first question that comes out of their mouth is "How do you manage the distance? do you drive?" and then I tell them how I love SWA. :) But seriously, need to cut down on the yummy but fatty food they provide for breakfast and afternoon snack.

Sometime back, I applied and got elected as the Director for two of my B-School clubs - NetImpact (netimpact.org) and Entrepreneur Association. Both are close to my heart. I am increasingly interested in clean tech (solar/wind/water etc) and smartgrid. Entrepreneurship has always been my dream. As Director I am supposed to arrange DoJs (Days on the Job) and D48 (Dinner for eights) for my fellow FEMBA with Bay Area companies and top level execs. D48 is an exclusive event where 8 MBA students have a private dinner with the chosen exec. I have also started a series of e-lab meetings here in the bay area where FEMBAs come together and brainstorm on startup ideas. In addition, we have started networking with the Haas MBA students as well. So, things are going well... need to step it up a gear or two.

A few weeks back I attended a conference on SmartGrid organized by Berkeley and Stanford MBA students. It was a pretty impressive conference and apart from the keynote speaker (Senior Director from PG&E), there were policy, VC and technology panels (not to mention networking opportunity). Cisco had a presence there in the form of a sorry looking Director. :( but Cisco was mentioned multiple times by various folks in a positive light.

Finally bought the Wii. After a long time of resisting the urge, we finally bought it. We didn't want to buy it because we wanted that the physical exercise should not be confined to a room :) but then decided what the heck... exercise should be fun too. The kids are really happy with the decision and Nalin has beaten both of us in boxing (wonder what is going on in his little head) :) For x-mas we may get him a car racing game or something for the Wii.

and so life goes on...

Start of a journey...

Now that the real action has started, I will be down in LA every Saturday (flying there in the morning and flying back in the evening). The flight in itself is not bad at all. You talk to a couple of people, eat the peanuts and sip the coke...and you are there. So far, the whole thing has been a pretty amazing experience... living upto the 100 grand price tag. I have met some really cool people, everyone if motivated and the energy is contagious. I come back all pumped up. Last saturday I joined the EA and NI groups. Hopefully, some fruitful interactions will happen that will shape my future years.
Life at home is getting more and more interesting day by day... once the in-laws leave, it will most likely force us to get more creative with our schedules and time management. Nalin is having a good time with his soccer league - need to work out a couple of issues there. Both kids having fun with their swimming. Need to look into adding a lap pool in the backyard - atleast scope out the cost. :) that would be way cool if it materializes.

breezing by!!!

Life seems to be breezing by... It seems july 18th was just a week back and then Aug 8th was only a couple of days ago. Both events were really awesome and I am looking forward to September 1st - that's when the real fun begins. Lots of good stuff to read in the meantime.

On the new car front - we chose what we wanted and ready to go to the dealer but tragedy struck!! We could not find the Title for the Jeep. Looked and looked and looked some more but nowhere to be found. So, the car purchase is off for hopefully no more than a week or ten days. Next day went to DMV office early in the morning to apply for a duplicate title and felt like we had landed in some third world country. The office was filled to capacity, the computers were down and general mayhem was there. People trying to be one up on others by (trying) to get into the appointments only line without having a appointment and what not. Fortunately, soon the computers were up and when our turn came we were told flat out that it will take 30-45 days to get the title. Looking at our disappointed faces, the lady at the counter said, realistically we might get it in 7-10 days. Now the wait begins... what I don't get is that the title information is stored in DMV database and we were at a DMV office...so why couldn't they issue a duplicate title right then and there or even if they wanted to do some due diligence (being a govt. office after all) why couldn't the local office issue it within a day or so? This is supposedly a fully computerized department but in reality operating at the speed of a bullock cart. :(

So, we are carpooling these days for the last 2-3 weeks. I am getting quite used to it now and liking it but all good things must come to an end soon. sigh!!

Book club initiative is up and kicking again at work. We have a twiki page and membership is up. Last week I gave a presentation on how to give effective presentations. :) I know - kinda convulated. :)

driving test.

I don't remember whether I mentioned that earlier I helped my state meet its budget shortfall by getting a ticket close to work. Not only did I end up paying close to 500 bucks, I also had to go through an online driving school course to avoid the points on my record. oh gosh!!! The course is a pain no matter how mych you prepare yourself mentally. They give you several months to finish it and guess when did I finish mine? yep, 1 day before the deadline. Dude, am I glad to be done with it??

Today in my area, as I was driving to pick up my dad and in-laws from someone's house, I found out that the cops were doing a surprise DUI check for everyone on the street. This is the first time in 17 years (that I have been here) that I saw this one being done. Of course I passed...but I did see quite a few cars pulled up to the side ...I didn't realize that DUI is so rampant here. :(

Old Jalopy is giving trouble. A couple of days ago, all the coolant drained out while driving. Took her to the mechanic today and he suspected the house...did a quick fix for free and we were on our way. By the evening, all the coolant was gone again. Went to the rock star again and he claims that the water pump has gone bad (300+ bucks). Just a few months ago, for the same problem he had changed the radiator (another 300+ bucks). Its hard to tell if this stud has any clue what he is talking about but if I take ol' Jalopy to the dealer, she is going to burn a hole in my pocket. Suddenly, the govt's offer of 4500 bucks for the vehicle sounds attractive but not sure what would be the replacement...not another SUV I hope but thats what ruchi likes to drive. :( In addition a new one is going to cost a lot more.... yep, we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. We are licked for sure this time around. :(

whew!! that was tough...

I will keep this a bit sparse since personal information involved in this. Nalin has allergies (environmental) and as a result enlarged adenoids. Also enlarged tonsils etc. Got a couple of sleep studies down and the docs recommendation was to get the tonsils and adenoids removed. A very tough decision for us as parents but we decided to go for it keeping his best interests in mind. Didn't tell him anything till the evening before the surgery (didn't want to scare him). When I broke the news to him, I did that gently and borrowed a phrase from his doc (golf balls in his throat... need to get them removed). The next day we were at the hospital bright and early and the 1 hr 30 mins were really tense and nerve wracking for us. To cut a long story short, the poor guy suffered through extreme pain for the next several days (tears flowing down his cheeks) but is doing ok now. I thought he would hate us for putting him through so much but even in pain he would tell me that I "am" hsi best friend in the world. :)

Some unfortunate events at work where people had to be let go...can't go into details here since this is a public forum. but again, very painful.

Finally July 18th arrived and I flew with a bunch of friends to the much awaited event. It was a rousing success and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The next one is on August 8th and I am tempted to go...will await more details before deciding but the real action begins in September beginning.

Taking the kids and in-laws to a baseball game this wednesday. A first for everyone :) It's during the day so hopefully it will be fun. :)

catching up

It's been a long long time since I last blogged...or so it seems. Life is breezing by (I guess if I add "at a fast pace", that would be an oxymoron). :)

Nalin's school is over. So we organized a few playdates with some of his class fellows. The first one was at Fowler creek park and the kids had fun which prompted the mommies to set up a second date at Boggini park. That day was jam packed for us (birthday party in the morning, race across town for swimming classes, come home and prepare our dish for the play date potluck, rush to the park). So, we (the parents) were pretty tired by the time we reached the park. The kids were full of energy and started playing while the parents got into socializing etc. Food/snack were good but the hit was the ice cold water I took with me... it was a very wamr day and everyone appreciated the cold water. As things cooled down, the weather became very pleasant and we chatted away into dusk. At that moment I felt quite happy. This was similar to the childhood I had in the sense that the kids were playing around unrestricted without being told "don't do this or don't do that....". I always feel we as parents are always sitting on their heads monitoring and telling them what to do and what not to do... so this was a welcome break....and safe. So good time all around... the next weekend (last weekend) was 4th of july...so no date.

Fourth of july weekend we went camping - nearby county part (about 25-30 min driving) on Mount Hamilton Road. There were 4 familes with 8 kids in our group. Quite relaxing... we had several hiking trips, trip to the Observatory, camp fires, s'mores and what not. On one of our hiking trails (just me, ruchi, shruti and Nalin) we saw a coyote at relatively close quarters. This was our first camping trip with kids (before kids, Ruchi and I used to go camping quite often... Sequoia, crater lake etc etc). We spent two nights there and as usual woke up early enough to see a spectacular sunrise. We made tea and food on charcoals.... :) very nice experience for everyone in the family. We feel emboldened to try more camping adventures with the kids next time around. :)

We were back on sunday morning, quickly unloaded the cars, took showers and went to the gurudwara for langar. They were offering chilled rooh-afza milk and vanilla ice-creams in addition to the regular langar (dal, matar paneer, raita, carrot-peats roti, burfi, salad ). A very sumptuous meal. Came home and slept for a good three hours.

Start of the week now and legs ache... :)

memorial day weekend - 2009

A long weekend after a seemingly long time. It was fun yet tiring. My in-laws are visiting us these days. Saturday, we had a b'thday party (yes again) at the little gym. This time we invited his friends from his school and our friends who couldn't be accomodated in the first round. One of our friends drove about 2 1/2 hours just for the party...It felt nice. ;) The kids had a blast at the party and everyone was really happy. For return gifts,we gave kites and candies to all kids. One of our friends went to the beach the very next day and had fun flying the kites. :)

Sunday, it was our turn to return the favor. Nalin and myself, we went to a b'thday party of one of his school friends and later in the evening we went to dinner at my brother's place.

Monday we went cherry picking to brentwood... it was like a mela there... so many people out for cherry picking. The trees were loaded and Mr. Lopez and co. were doing extremely brisk business selling cherries at 2 bucks a pound. We ourselves bought about 15 pounds. On our way back, we stopped by the livermore temple and spent a good hour or so there...relaxing. The big laddu (you can buy it for 3 bucks a pop and don't even need to offer to the dieties...its already been offered before-hand and blessed) :) was really yummy.

Overall, a fun but tiring weekend.

... and that makes it 6!!!

Nalin became 6 years old on May 11th. May 11th being a monday, we threw a grand party at our house on May 10th. My in-laws came in from India on May 8th. My dad also joined us for the happy occasion. The weather was perfect that day for fun in the backyard. We had an estimated 35+ people for the party. The food was all home made and delicious. The cake was Thomas theme. On the whole (other than the property damage by some overactive kids), it was great fun.

Time is fleeting by so fast... my boy is already 6. I wish I could stop time and preserve his innocence and cuteness.

Needless to say, all his birthday gifts are still stacked in a corner - unopened ofcourse. He is not interested in opening any of them and Shruti has made no attempt to take over some of his gifts either. From our side, we gave him (and Shruti) a pair of skates and a baseball set for Nalin.

We have planned another birthday party for him next week for all other friends and his school friends. He is really waiting for that one. :)

favorite song

I have often wondered what's my favorite song...one that I would hum/sing again and again...one that I would never get tired off? Recently I started using the IPhone app "Shazam". The way this app works is that if a song is playing somewhere (radio/tv/....), just hold up your iphone and within seconds this app will tell you the song name, artist, album etc etc. Surprisingly, while driving to and from work, in the last 2 weeks or so, I have a collection of 80+ english songs that I like.... and I know there are many more I like. One day I will just buy all these in bulk from itunes. ;)

Coming to Hindi songs, while the newer songs are very catchy and get you in the mood to get up and hit the dance floor, but one tends to get bored of them after a while. not so for the older hindi songs. While I don't know which one of the olies is my favorite but here are a few that I like.

Anupama

Jeene ki raah

Anokhi Ada

Gambler

Anand

Hum Dono

Guide

Roti Kapada Makaan

Saccha jhoota

Prem Pujari

Gambler

Jeevan Mrityu

Manzil
or
Manzil

Aarzoo

Dulhan wahi jo piya man bhaye

There are more but then I don't want to bore my audience too much ... ;) but in passing, a few ghazals (some are not original singer)

Kal chaudhavi ki raat thi

Hungama - The best

Us mor se shuru kare

Hum to hae pardes mein

spring break

I will be working from home all of next week. Why? you ask... well, Nalin has the week off, Ruchi starts a new job and there is a lot of work and pressure at my work... kapish? So, I will be taking car of the kiddo, cooking, cleaning and working at the same time. sounds like fun, doesn't it??? 8-(

We got this basketball hoop set for our backyard and finally with the weather improving, I and Nalin practised hoops for the first time (for him). I am proud to say, he beat me 11-7 (wink wink) but it was amazing to see the joy on his face everytime he would make the hoop. Dadu was as usualu dozing in the backyard and Nalin would run wake him up excitedly everytime he would make a basket. Man, I felt sorry for dad... but it was all great fun.

For lunch, we all went to Pasta Pomodoro and sat outside... the weather was just beautiful... very relaxing. and as all good things need to come to an end, I guess that was the highlight of the day... if you catch my drift. :(

Got some flowers from the nursery to plant at the house.... will do so tomorrow morning.

work load is really high these days and expected to increase in the days to come. April 24th is a key day for me. I need to prepare well for the day. Had to go on an important business lunch this week but due to the wfh this week, will have to postpone till next week.

Anticipation

How's this for a teaser? I can't tell you what it is right now (maybe later) but this is a really exciting time for me and I am eagerly waiting for fall of this year. It has the potential to be a significantly life changing period for me and my family and I can hardly wait. ok enough said... back to the daily grind for now.

Life has been pretty hectic - a bit more than usual recently. I could use a vacation - a big long one but then given the economic times, that would be fraught with danger.

We have been thinking seriously about Nalin's health. He has enlarged tonsils, adenoids etc. The docs think that they could be because he suffers from chronic allergies. So, we got a sleep study done on him. As luck would have it, thatnight Nalin was going through a bad cold/cough spell. His sleep study results are not encouraging at all but I wonder how much of those results were influenced by his cold/cough and his inability to get a proper night sleep. Anyways, we are planning to take a second opinion and eventually will need to decide whether to take him through surgery or not. Its not a decision I look forward to but it is an important one. fingers crossed for now.

Kids at home are watching so much of thomas on TV that it is kind of scary. All engines have a number associated with them. The situation is such that my little one looks at a number somewhere (say 5) and calls out that's James. James, ofcourse is a train engine with number 5 on it. So no more tv for them during week days and esp. no more thomas.

Weather has started warming up ... and our evening outside walks are beginning.

A simple thought

I have often wondered what is the origin of a thought. Where do they come from and where do they go? Once a thought originates, it can lead to certain emotions or vice versa. For example I am happy today (emotions), and this can lead to thoughts in my mind (specific or random). Conversely, I am thinking about my kids or a recent vacation (thoughts) and this can lead me to be happy or worried or tense (emotions). So, emotions and thoughts are interlinked. Now, together, thoughts and emotions are linked to the brain. Why?? Well, a thought/ emotion can force the brain to generate signals in the body that result in the body taking certain actions. For example, I get a thought that it is a nice warm day and the golden gate would be a sight to see. I feel anticipation or curiosity or some sort of emotion. The combination forces the brain to send a signal to the body, that ok lets go visit SFO today. The body takes ACTION and I go see the golden gate.

Do you see how powerful thoughts are? A simple thought can cause us to start doing things. Similarly, an action can lead to thoughts. For example, I am driving my car (action) and a thought strikes me that maybe next time I should take the train. or, I go for a walk (action) and a thought comes to my mind that "this is fun and I should do it more often". Therefore, Actions can lead to thoughts as well.

So, it follows from above, that thoughts, emotions and actions are all inter-linked. But the question still remains, where do thoughts originate from? Who is causing them to come in our mind or making them leave? Why do we remember some thoughts even after a long time and why do we not remember other thoughts no matter how hard we try? What causes thoughts/actions/events to become a memory, permanently imbedded in our brain while others are lost, which we cannot recall even after a few hours or days. For example, I recall events from my childhood even now but If someone were to ask me what I had for lunch last monday, I would not be able to tell them.

This is something to ponder on - thoughts. This will eventually lead us to discuss another important aspect of self realization - thoughtless state of mind!!! Till then, think about thoughts once in a while.

Human nature

I have often wondered why, given a particular situation, two people in the same situation react differently? Let's take the example of workplace - you would find all sort of people there. People who are overly aggressive, people who are a little aggressive, people who jump to a conclusion at the drop of a hat, people who couldn't care less about anything, confident people, scared people, indifferent people and so on. So, what makes people behave differently? Could it be their genetic code? or could it be the environment in which they were raised? could be that people are afraid of something? Taking an example 2 people could be afraid of being found to be technically incompetent yet one could go on the defensive and keep a low profile while the other could be aggressive and try to remove the deficiency. A third person could also be aggressive and pretend to know the subject and so on.

I feel, the bottom line is that all of us are insecure w.r.t something or the other be to work, finances, relationships etc etc. There is a scared little buddy sitting within each of us. Depending on this buddy's feelings, we act in one way or another.

Finally, I think all of us need to learn to face our fears. If you are afraid of swimming, get into the pool (not at the deepend though) :) If you are afraid to speak up, take a deep breath and do speak up. If you are afraid that people might mock you for technical incompetence, then take steps to rectify the same but in no situation should one remain fearful of what others might think or do. Face your fears and challenges and move forward. Lastly, the road to success does not include stepping on other people's toes... be collabrative rather than confrontationist. you will go far...

BTW, this was just a general post, before people start jumping to conclusions. :)

churn @ work

Over the past 6-8 months, there has been quite a bit of churning going on at work... people I have worked with ever since I joined this company, have been leaving the team and joining a different one. The current team or whatever is left of it is being transitioned to a different platform. The work we had been doing so far is being sent over to the team in India. Last week, I came to know that my ex-boss and current 2nd line mgr is also bailing out on us and headed over to the other team. It was a pretty sad and depressing day last thursday when we came to know about the "news" even though most of us were speculating for several months that this was bound to happen sooner or later. anyways, I guess life has to go on... everyone for himself/herself....

Watched Pink Panther 2 (Aishwarya Rai, Steve martin) last week and must say that I was disappointed by Aish's performance. She looked quite plump and uncomfortable in the movie. She has done much much better in bollywood movies...

Its been raining here for the past few days... much needed rains. :)

The decay of India...

I know the title sounds very depressing and some people might even take an offense to it. Others would get defensive or angry or maybe both. But I hope after going through this post, you will sadly, shake your head in agreement. This topic has been bothering me for many years now and I feel suffocated and helpless.

India is a great country with a rich cultural history and a secular and tolerant society. But, over the past several decades, esp. the last decade we have really fallen to such depths that sometimes I am ashamed to call myself an Indian.

1) Terrorism in Punjab - During the 1980s, thousands and thousands of innocent people were butchered in the name of Khalistan - the land of the pure. So, what was the intention? To form the land of the pure on a foundation mixed with the blood of the innocents. What barbarians!!! And then when Indira Gandhi died, people (if they can be called that) took out their anger on innocent sikhs all over the country - brutally raped and/or killed. Men, women, kids, young and old - no one was spared and the culprits roam around freely even today. Justice delayed (in this case never delivered) is justice denied.

2) Terrorism in Kashmir - Late 1980s till date, thousands and thousands of innocents have been butchered in the name of freedom (by militants and security forces). freedom from what, doggone it? Kashmiri people are the most pampered people in the country - special laws, special rights, money is being pumped in and they harbor the most anti-India feelings compared to any other region in the country. The govt. sucks. Imagine the separatist Hurriyat leaders are given z-category security and they don't lose a single opportunity to curse India. They want to join Pakistan which does not even care for its own people. Again, the common man has suffered and suffered a lot in J&K (not to forget the pandits) and they continue to suffer.

3) Terrorism in Assam - ULFA will kill people simply because they are Hindi speaking. Student movement participated in violence and strikes and spilled innocent blood until they were bought over by giving them power of governance and now the ULFA won't lose a chance to spill innocent blood. Kidnappings and murder are commonplace.

I could go on and on... not a single state is spared from the menace of regional terrorism. Now let's consider state sponsored terrorism.

1) Gujarat - The (dis)honorable CM of Gujarat and his goons butchered thousands and thousands of innocent Muslims in post godhra riots. Has he no shame? How can he even look in the mirror each day. He is, in my opinion, no less than a modern day Ravana. If India had the balls, they would have put him to trial for genocide and the courts would have given him the death penalty ... why? under his leadership, not only were criminals and butchers allowed a free rein, rather they were encouraged to go and kill innocent people. He talks of development and I call him a mass murderer. Yet, people forget and want to see him to be the PM of India.

2) BJP/Congress - supposedly the 2 national parties that provide a viable alternative to each other. Both are full of corrupt, spineless goondas who will murder and rape the Indian democracy for their own personal benefit. Corruption, nepotism, crime - these are the hallmarks of our two national parties.

3) Regional parties and leaders - People praise Lalu Prasad Yadav. Have they forgotten what he has done in bihar - the most backward state in the Indian Union. Failed in 4th standard, he (mis)governed Bihar for years and years and when the self-induced-coma-inflicted-judicial system of India finally caught up with him on corruption charges, he nominates his equally illiterate wife as the CM and moves to Delhi to be the Union minister. Is this justice? To be fair - why single him out? The country's political landscape is filled with equally capable goondas -like Mulayam Singh, Arjun Singh, Mayawati, Dewe Gowda, the commies and so on. Indian politics is like a magnet that attracts all the bad elements of the Indian society and makes them the rulers of the country.

Next come the various Senas...

1) Shiv sena - what characteristics of Lord Shiva do they posses? Gangsters and criminals, extortionist and murderers - this is what Shiv sena is composed of. Same is true for its cousins, VHP, Bajarang Dal, Ram Sena, MNS and so on.

2) Ranvir sena, the naxals are not to be left behind. There are private armies of the landlords and there are armies of the peasants - out to kill each other.

Look at our moral fabric:

1) Corruption has seeped into our very souls. It used to be the netas and then the govt babus. Not to be left behind, the cops and the business men joined them. Then the judiciary and the educationist, followed by the media and the NGOs; the missionaries and the moral police. Bribes to get admissions, jobs, contracts and even justice.

2) MNS hates north Indians... they even chopped the fingers of a few people who went to give an exam for govt service. Ram sena beat up girls for going to pubs. Multiple organizations are against celebrating valentine day. more and more, with each passing day, these goons are taking over the society and the cops watch silently - difficult to tell whether they are callous, careless, incompetent or all of them.

3) Muslim militant groups - they will kill and bomb any place they can... int he name of religion. Which religion says that people need to be killed.

My basic question is - who gave these stupid organizations the authority to kill, torture, extort, bully and hold the Indian people to ransom? Who are they to force us to comply? We, the people support them in some shape or form - openly or discreetly. So, shame on all of us!!!

And finally to sign off on this post - 2 recent incidents from last week that have disturbed me no ends.

1) A man beats the crap out of his wife in full public view, in front of her parents... why? She was wearing jeans. No one came forward to stop this animal. Have we no balls?

2) In UP (Etawah), some people charge a 6 year old girl (I repeat 6 year old girl) with stealing Rs 200 and hand her over to the police. The cops in full public view, in front of a video camera (I have seen the video with my eyes) beat this 6 year old poor girl mercilessly - pull her hair and ears, left her up in the air holding her ears; The poor girl cries out in pain and agony but the cops keep on beating her.

I must stop now because I can take no more. The people who see these injustices, who tolerate them or who encourage them - these spineless people... sheesh!!! These people of India disgust me. We have no moral standards - we have fallen to such depths that to call ourselves as humans would be a big cruel joke.

I am,
A totally disappointed man.

general stuff

finally the project I have been working on for the last 2 years (work) is coming to an end and I am moving on to the next one. excited?? nah!!! It's just work... my company reports quarterly results in a few days... wondering how it will go and whether they will announce any layoffs...

Today was one hectic day. I am down with a cold...I guess got it from Shruti or any of the millions of other people who are roaming around sick in this cold season. Nalin started Tennis lessons today. Its fun to see how the instructor makes these lessons fun for the kids. When we reached the tennis courts for his class, he was clingy and not willing to go join the other kids... 5 minutes later, he was having so much fun that he didn't even care if I was there anymore... In the evening Shruti had her soccer class.... Nalin and I decided to tag along. While Ruchi and Shruti played soccer, I helped Nalin ride his bike (no training wheels). He is coming along great and should be biking without the training wheels in a few days. He did fall once because he was going too fast and I was not holding him.... but no crying. :)

The house in front of ours is sold (short sale). guess what... another desi family (7th on our street). Ruchi is all excited... can't wait to walk over and welcome them to the neighborhood. Since it was a short sale, it affected the everyone's house values on the street negatively.

Finally, found some more funnies.... enjoy!!!

http://pointblank2006.blogspot.com/

some funnies...

I just realized that I haven't had a funnies post for quiet some time now...so here goes. Enjoy...

IDIOT SIGHTING:
We had to have the garage door repaired. The Sears repairman told us that one of our problems was that we did not have a 'large' enough motor on the opener. I thought for a minute, and said that we had the largest one Sears made at that time, a 1/2 horsepower. He shook his head and said, 'Lady, you need a 1/4 horsepower.' I responded that 1/2 was larger than 1/4. He said, 'NO, it's not.' Four is larger than two..'

We haven't used Sears repair since.

IDIOT SIGHTING:

My daughter and I went through the McDonald's take-out window and I gave the clerk a $5 bill. Our total was $4.25, so I also handed her a quarter. She said, 'you gave me too much money.' I said, 'Yes I know, but this way you can just give me a dollar bill back.' She sighed and went to get the manager who asked me to repeat my request. I did so, and he handed me back the quarter, and said 'We're sorry but they could not do that kind of thing.' The clerk then proceeded to give me back $1 and 75 cents in change..

Do not confuse the clerks at McD's.

IDIOT SIGHTING :
I live in a semi rural area. We recently had a new neighbor call the local township administrative office to request the removal of the DEER CROSSING sign on our ro ad. The reason: 'Too many deer are being hit by cars out here! I don't think this is a good place for them to be crossing anymore.'


IDIOT SIGHTING IN FOOD SERVICE :
My daughter went to a local Taco Bell and ordered a taco. She asked the person behind the counter for 'minimal lettuce.' He said he was sorry, but they only had ice burg lettuce.
From Kansas City



IDIOT SIGHTING:
I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee asked, 'Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?' To which I replied, 'If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?' He smiled knowingly and nodded,
'That's why we ask.'

Happened in Birmingham , Ala.




IDIOT SIGHTING :
The stoplight on the corner buzzes when it's safe to cross the street. I was crossing with an intellectually challenged coworker of mine. She asked if I knew what the buzzer was for. I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red. Appalled, she responded, 'What on earth are b lind people doing driving?!'

She was a probation officer in Wichita , KS


IDIOT SIGHTING :
At a good-bye luncheon for an old and dear coworker. She was leaving the company due to 'downsizing.' Our manager commented cheerfully, 'This is fun We should do this more often.' Not another word was spoken. We all just looked at each other with that deer-in-the-headlights stare.

This was a lunch at Texas Instruments.


IDIOT SIGHTING :
I work with an individual who plugged her power strip back into itself and for the sake of her life, couldn't understand why her system would not turn on.

A deputy with the Dallas County Sheriffs office.



IDIOT SIGHTING

When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up our car, we were told the keys had been locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driver side door. As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked. 'Hey,' I announced to the technician, 'its open!' His reply, 'I know. I already got that side.'

This was at the Ford dealership in Canton, MS

Ok, now for a really funny one that is sure to alienate one section of my reading audience while at the same time invoking tears in the other section...

A woman awakes during the night to find that her husband was not in their bed.

She puts on her dressing gown and goes downstairs to look for him.

She finds him sitting at the kitchen table with a hot cup of coffee in
front of him. He appears to be in deep thought, just staring at the
wall.

She watches as he wipes a tear from his eye and takes a sip of his coffee.

'What's the matter, dear?' she whispers as she steps into the room,
'Why are you down here at this time of night?'

The husband looks up from his coffee, 'I am just remembering when we
first met 20 years ago and started dating. You were only 16. Do you
remember back then?' he says solemnly.

The wife is touched to tears thinking that her husband is so caring,
so sensitive.

'Yes, I do' she replies.

The husband pauses. The words were not coming easily.

'Do you remember when your father caught us in the back seat of my car?'

'Yes, I remember!' said the wife, lowering herself into a chair beside him.

The husband continues. 'Do you remember when he shoved the shotgun in
my face and said, 'Either you marry my daughter, or I will send you to
jail for 20 years?'

'I remember that too' she replies softly.

He wipes another tear from his cheek and says...

'I would have been released today.'

starting early...

My son is just 5 1/2 years old. Yesterday, when Ruchi went to pick him up from school, a girl from his class (Alicia) came over and handed a paper over to my wife. She had drawn a house on the paper and a heart next to it. On the other side, it said: :To Nalin, From Alicia". Now that is so funny...

1) My 5 year old's first love letter... :)
2) The girl handed it over to my wife... ?? (skip the "hide my love" step)

Now fast forward the scene to later in the evening when I am sitting with my son and he is doing his homework. I gently asked him about the paper and he says...

"You know dad... I don't play with the boys in my class anymore. I have 2 girlfriends.. Alicia and Riya. I play with them only". I was shocked but closed my mouth before it hit the floor...and asked "Do the other boys in your class play with the girls" and he replied "No, they don't like the girls. Only I like to play with the girls". and as if all this was not enough, he continued ... "You know, when Alicia was leaving for home, she turned around and said bye to me..". Now you can picture the "Dil waale Dulhanyiya le jayege" music in the background... At this point, my wife brought me a glass of water. :)

I guess, public school or private school, its all the same. The kids are maturing too soon, too fast.

movie marathon

I guess we have been on a movie watching marathon last couple of weeks. Sunday, we watched Ghajani... Well, I had been warned previously that there is a lot of violence in the movie so I was kinda prepared...but I must admit that I was really turned off by the violence that the movie has. Aamir khan has acted well and so have Asin and Jia Khan. For Jia, I guess this is a big step forward after that horrendous role in Nishabd. Overall, what a contrast - Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi vs Ghajani. Both were good in their own rights. Rab Ne was pure entertainment and fun. Anushka Sharma definitely impressed. Ghajani was a really intense movie but watching it once is more than enough. I guess I liked Rab ne more.

I guess the gods (atleast the rain god) heard my plea in my previous post. Today was the last sunny day...starting tomorrow, it is expected to rain every day through the weekend.

Lastly, I got a traffic ticket today...stupid, stupid, stupid!!!! Ruchi came over for lunch to my company and we headed over to the ranch. On the way back, she gave me the keys to drive and her Jeep was out of gas....so I turned towards the gas station... Stopped at the traffic light, yielded to oncoming cars and turned left... Immediately we heard the cop siren and nervously I looked in the rear view... a motorcycle cop was on my ass with lights and siren blazing... I took a deep breath...

Cop: Hi!!
Me: Hello, How are you?
Cop: Do you know why I stopped you? you just jumped a red light.
Me: (sinking feeling) Oh god... Sorry. I thought it was an unprotected left turn....I didn't realize...
Cop: Please give me your License, Registration and Insurance...
I did what he asked ...At this point I was 100% sure that I was getting a ticket... so I just took a deep breath and smiled.
...later...
Cop: Thank you sir for being co-operative (as if I had any other choice) and drive safely.
Ruchi: We will be careful next time...
Me: I couldn't help burst out laughing at Ruchi's comment.... :)

So I fill gas in the jeep and as I get in....
Ruchi: look at that car... the guy just took a U turn...I guess he is smart...not like us to get a ticket for left turn(the guy had taken a U turn about 50 feet before the traffic light...illegal of course)

Right then we saw the same traffic cop pulling up that guy and giving him a ticket... :)

I guess this cop must be one of the top performers given the speed with which he was handing out tickets....

Anyways, most likely I am down $300 or so + traffic school... DANG!!!!!

kichdi post

I'm back after about a week... We are enjoying some unusually warm weather in the middle of winter. Heck, no one's complaining about the temperature hovering in the 70s... but we sure could use some rain.

Work is the same old same old....there is quite a bit of change happening with lot of focus on moving work to India. Lot of pressure to finish up current deliverables as soon as possible.

Last night R and I went to watch Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi in the theatre. The kids were asleep at home with Dadu. I liked the movie - good 3 hour clean, fun entertainment. I guess R found is average. After the movie, decided to take up the theatre on their offer of "Fresh Mitha paan". Big mistake.... the guy got them out of the fridge and the paans were all dry... horrible. Never again I promised myself.

Today was sunny again. While R took S to a birthday party, I took off the training wheels from N's cycle and took him cycling. I guess a few more days of practice like this and he will be biking around by himself without the wheels.

We got the windows changed in our house and the drapes fixed. OMG, the house looks so nice now... we should have got this done long time back.

Kids watching Thomas DVD on Tv, Dadu watching Chandni Chowk to China on the computer, Yours truely sitting on the computer totally bored while R is enjoying a later afternoon/evening siesta. So long for now...

sick new year

Its been a crazy couple of weeks. Christmas day Shruti got the viral fever which lasted about a week. Then New years day Nalin got the viral. He is still recovering. All this while Ruch and I were fighting off the germs. Last night I got the virus or so it seems... lots of body ache and shivering, in the morning I had some fever too. So, played it safe and working from home today. It appears that Shruti might be ready for round 2 ... she was sniffling today in the morning on her way to the day care. :( Not a good start to the new year. The weather is horrible right now... cold, foggy.... everyone at work is coughing, sick etc.

Hoping that warmer weather returns soon and we feel better.

new year eve celebration and beyond

2008 was drawing to a close and we wanted to send it off in style. So 4 families got together (including us) and we went to the party at Bombay Garden. We reached there around 8ish.. our friends were already there and so were a lot of other people. Right away everyone attacked the appetizers while the kids hit the dance floor (the staff put lots of baloons on the dance floor which attracted the kids like flies to honey). I and Nalin did a few twists on the dance floor to some cool bollywood numbers. Around 9 or so, they opened up the floor to everyone...Beer, wine, champagne (all on the house) flowed like water... The DJ belted out one hit after another and soon the mood was so upbeat and the atmosphere electric that the dance floor was full with bache, budhe and naojawaan.... gyrating to the songs. No one was self-conscious. Shruti was a bit overwhelmed by the crowd and wouldn't get down from mom's godi...Around 10:30 or so, tired and exhaused, we headed back to our tables for dinner. By 11:00 or so everyone was back at the floor... It was quite a party. :) At midnight we all had a champagne toast. Nalin and RP wouldn't stop dancing. Finally we forced them to leave at 1 am, spent the night at a friend's house and headed home the next morning (around noon).

Since then, 2009 has been one lazy year... haven't gone out yet, been sitting around, lazing away. Watched "Oye lucky, lucky oye" today... what a faltu ki movie but i guess it was ok for time pass.We were going to watch another movie tonight but Ruch went to sleep... well, I guess we will watch 2 movies tomorrow.