I am Victim Too !!

I can never Thank Bill Watterson enough for creating a master piece like Calvin,
any time, any day, in any mood 'A Smile' is gauranted :)
Pick Me, Pick Us -

yours truly C and H :) , :D

Damaging Effects of IT Boom !

Dream ...

I LOVE TO DREAM. Irrespective of Day or Night.
Why?
Because it motivates me. It's like breathing. I feel alive. I feel hopeful. I feel possible. It's makes me feel inspired..

But just dreaming is not important, I have to share it too, :) An absolute necessity again.
For me its crucial. I can't live without it. I feel suffocated.

Be it a dream on my latest crush or job, or goals.
So, I dream both emotionally and socially..

"One fine day.... bla bla bla ... will happen"

AND the "bla bla bla" really contains a lot, a lot of things..most of it I think I know and have figured it out :). Thankfully.

Bakwaasing and Dreaming are a very essential part of me. I can't live without either!! :(
I bond with people fast if they resonate my dreams and (or) bakwaas. If you resonante both then you are a permanent object in my life. You are stuck with me, like feviquick! No way out. But its absolutley essential to you resonate atleast ONE of them...

So talking about dream..it definitely is a more significant bonding agent than Bakwaas, :)
It is absolutely important for me to be able to share them or have some one resonante them.

I am very fortunate, that I have had friends with whom I not only share these dreams but also build on them or dream together. A more appropriate term would we 'We Dream together" :)

So, in nutshell just sharing dreams is not important,
Dreaming together IS essential...
Right now I have 2 - 3 people and with each of them or I am dreaming something together :)

It's like Dream Out Sourced :)

Someday all those outsourced dreams will be fullfilled :) And I believe it will be blissful if all the sharing, resonating, building, and eventually seeing those dreams together converges to ONE source :)

Waaaaaaaaooooooooooooo, even the thought of it makes me feel blissfull..

*| *

smiling blissfully... just wanted to thank god for giving me such people.. love u for this...
muuuuuuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaa

Frustrated Factory Owner :)

An interesting article that I just connected to...

What is your legacy?

Written by Jon McIntosh

An open letter to the Baby Boomer generation. From: Generation Y To: Baby-boomers Subject: What is your legacy? What is your legacy, baby-boomer? If you are reading this email, you are one of the most privileged human beings on the planet – you are endowed with great talent, opportunity and power. It is said that with great privilege comes great responsibility. Are you leaving the world in a better state than you found it? In Generation Y, an increasing number of talented young graduates are engaging with this question at the outset of their careers. Is this youthful idealism or is something more substantial afoot? The fundamental change is that, graduating even twenty years ago, the options were starker: Charity or business. You choose – the two do not mix. In the past the model was one epitomised by Ford, Carnegie, Rockefeller and now Gates and Buffett: Get rich first and give it away later. This of course means perpetuating a model you may not be totally happy with only to spend all your earned resources at the end of your life trying to fix the problems caused by the system in which you became rich. Is there another way? The Social Enterprise community is expanding rapidly, resembling open-source software in its collaborative nature. In the UK alone, where there is a Cabinet position ‘Minister for the Third Sector,’ it is estimated that there are 55,000 social enterprises. There are conferences on Social Enterprise all over the world from Boston to Beijing and Business Schools and Universities are engaging with the social context of business. Personalities such as Muhammad Yunus and Al Gore demonstrate the power of the individual to create social change. Three major foundations, Ashoka, Schwab and Skoll now give considerable support to social entrepreneurs worldwide. The internet has been a catalyst, with success stories such as www.kiva.org, a microfinance website that anticipates lending over $1billion over the next seven years to entrepreneurs in the developing world. A new breed of ‘philanthropreneurs’ such as Jeff Skoll and Pierre Omidyar from Ebay demonstrate that the ‘success’ of an investment depends greatly upon what type of return you are expecting. To take an example, if you had invested $1,000 in Microsoft 30 years ago (its IPO was in March 1986) your shares would now be worth around $400,000. But – what if thirty years ago you had put $1,000 into a small economics project conducted by Muhammed Yunus in Bangladesh (who went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his success in microfinance with The Grameen Bank)? The value of this investment is simply measureless now: In Bangladesh alone, 80% of poor people have been reached with microcredit, poverty has been reduced from 73% in 1974 to 40% in 2005. Worldwide, microcredit has been replicated on a massive scale, with varied success and with its critics it must be said, but there are certainly thousands of success stories. Which was the more ‘profitable’ investment? The legal framework in which we work, is changing too. In the UK, the ‘Community Interest Company’ (CIC) was realised in 2004 and there are now over a thousand CICs. Meanwhile in the U.S., a similar legal structure, known as the ‘L3C,’ an amendment to the ‘Limited Liability Company’ is presently going through the legislature in Vermont and North Carolina. These new structures allow social enterprises to identify themselves as having a social goal as their primary objective, whilst not forgetting the need for profit. A moniker such as ‘CIC’ or ‘L3C’ identifies socially forward-thinking organisations for Foundations and eventually venture capitalists to invest in. It is hoped that this will release significant capital presently ‘tied-up’ in Foundations on the understanding that there would be a return on their investment both in dollar and social terms. In the U.S. alone it is estimated that Foundations hold over $550 billion in assets. Social enterprise is not a solution. It is an identifier. It enables people to define themselves as having priorities around ‘we’ the society as well as ‘me’ the individual. Any organisation that wants to attract the best and brightest from Generation Y needs to engage seriously in this balancing act. The great challenges of our times; climate change, peak oil, extreme poverty…, WILL NOT be solved with the capitalist model functioning as it is. New, Generation Y, additions to the workforce understand this fact. Legislation is of course imperative – history tells us that public awareness and willingness are not enough on their own. But the marriage of business and social objectives in the social enterprise movement gives politicians a new constituency to draw upon when they come to build laws. It also gives the public – you and I, who might feel disillusioned with the system – an opportunity to take control ourselves. The success and expansion of social enterprise tells the corporate world that there is another way. A third way. ‘CSR’ was the first step on this road. The world is in our hands. Let us create a legacy to be proud of. Jon McIntosh, an entrepreneur from the UK and graduate of Cambridge University, is presently studying social enterprise as a Sauvé Scholar at McGill University in Montreal. He recently formed ‘The Reach Foundation,’ an education non-profit to work alongside his business, Reach Cambridge Ltd, which runs summer schools in Cambridge.

Post Doc or Job ?

My head has been cracking over this question over past months..

If I don't do a job now I will never get a chance to do it again...
But if I don't do a post-doc may be I will never be able to influence the Environment/Ecology sector in India..

On the same note I can always come back to I post doc if I want but not to a job..
And a Job might not necessarily translate to giving up on Environment Sector.

If, I choose job I know am going to work towards entrepreneurship in the field of Environment and Sustainable Development.

If, I choose a post doc I know am marching towards working on Policy Issues in the same field...

So, what do I want ?

Well right now, I just need a break, get over the PhD stress and then take a decisive call..
So, won't a job provide me the same?

But then while am doing so, I am loosing out on interesting, challenging, fascinating Post Doc positions.

I for sure know, I don't want to be a professor in Theoretical Ecology and be a publishing company. I am not interested. It does not fascinate me. I enjoy writing though, may be I should move towards popular or active pro-environment writing. That should be fun.

But can I do or will I do that better with a Job or Post Doc?

I think am bitten by the bug of working for or on something that will directly benefit people. That's my first and foremost requirement for a job satisfaction.
2nd comes ability to travel and last but not the least stable affordable salary.

I enjoy reading, thinking, analysis and writing. Something like I do here on the blog.
I don't like analysis data anymore though and checking for patterns.
I like to read more written stuff and present my thoughts and opinions on it ..

How opinionated can that be, or such a job might be !

I think I will totally love a job like that :)
So, I either come up with an Entrepreneurship Attitude or Find myself a job that pays for giving opinions :)

So, back to my splitting question - Post Doc or Job?

I think I should not be very choosy given the financial situation worldwide.
And I should keep applying to whatever I like, until I have something in hand..

Priority is getting financially secured as early as possible ..

Politics and Us

How many time have you said or heard 'I am not interested in politics'?

I don't know about others but this was a statement I believed and practiced whole heatedly right from school. I was not interested in new or any general awareness program until my master's !!
As a result I never used to read the news paper. My only assimilation and collection of current affairs used to be from forced news listen at 9am on DD-1 because of dad's or grandpa habit of following the news in TV or radio .. .

It was only when I started working in NE and started traveling there on my own, I started to take some initiative to know what was happening in the am planning to visit next. Entirely selfish motive. But that's how I started. Prior to this my news paper used to open and close in the last sports/cartoon/entertainment page only !!

Rape, Fraud and Murder used to be the headline always irrespective of which ever news paper you pick from anywhere on any day!!

Things haven't changed much even today. But I have changed. Today, politics is the only thing that is influencing me more directly in my personal and professional life than it has ever done. And this change happened only because of my stay in US and close encounter with US politics (national and international).

I became more aware of how international and national issue of a country are related. How it influences other countries, more so with respect to my field - Environment and Ecology.

And politics IS a very important dimension of this whole connection.
Why am I ranting about this now ?

Well, because finally with Barak Obama's presidency, US has taken a serious stand on issues of Climate Change, which the Bush and previous govt. have been ignoring. Ecologists have been telling the world about the dark picture's humans have been painting for years! No body heard them or listened to them. Today with the failing economy and reclining resources the Kyoto protocol, Global Warming, Sustainable Development and Environmental Issues takes a new stand inlight of the US declaration of the Climate Envoy.

The more I see Obama, taking his steps towards regain the US economy, I see a target becoming more and more clear infront of me. And its all related to how we are influened and connected to politics.

It does not matter, if you believe or follow politics or not! We all are effected by it, more directly than we actually think...

There is more to this story, but for now I will stop.

I am crushed !!

Tomorrow is Sunday in the west and Monday in the east, and I will get to communicate with the crushed :), :D, :))

Yah, am crushed, and I am shamefully basking in its glory too :))

Who am I?

It's not difficult to find love,
But its not easy to keep it
It's not difficult to find trust,
But its not easy to live up to it.
It's not difficult to find compassion,
But its not easy to notice it.
It's not difficult to find simplicity,
But its not easy to live by it.

It's not difficult to find honesty,
But its not easy to accept it.
It's not difficult to find kindness,
But its not easy to purchase it.
It's not difficult to find affection,
But its not easy to not snub it.

It's not difficult to break someone's hurt,
But its not easy to restore it.
It's not difficult to bid Good Bye,
But it's not easy to let go of it.
It's not difficult to walk a mile,
But it's not easy to always smile.
It's not difficult to tell a lie,
But it's not easy to die with a lie.

It's not difficult to find me,
But it's not easy to reach me.
It's not difficult to see me,
But its not easy to touch me.
It's not difficult to give up on me,
But it's not easy to live without me.

Guess who am I?
I am time. I am faith. I am peace. I am love. I am you.

A miserable attempt to Cartoonism !!!

I think me and mom look scary ... brother has come out pretty well.. i think it's easy to make caricature of serious faces than teethy faces..too many lines !! :) what say?

Distraction Log !!

I have a high potential to get distracted.. but somehow since 20th Jan am more in focus..

When distracted I go online, chat, read the blogs, ... and all of these things act as a fuel to my distraction .. so I had to look for a remedy and this is what I did -

I went a read the news, global crisis, economic crisis and GOT reminded if I don't get off the distraction NO JOB for me :) . It's helping me regain my guilt and am working better rather than going to the fuels !!

Another interesting thing happened. I was talking to TinTin [Tan Tan's Wife, :)] and we happened to share and discuss our admiration and love for 'Obama'. Tin Tin made a very significant point.

If Obama, can find time for gym, wife, kids, work, nation and the world THEN we have NO Business or stand to tell 'I don't have time'. Post this discussion we decided to keep tab on each others time and work. A daily update on what I did, I finished with regard to my famous PhD, and what did she finish with her's :)

And it just worked GREAT. And its working well till now :), And It will :). Unlike most who would ask 'how's your work going?" When u tell them the truth they make comments like "you are lying" !!!!!

Give me a break Kido (i have heard this many times in past) and grow up from Sch(f)oolish Unhealthy Competition !!!

Anyway so, to the Man, who inspires Me, who has inspired us in this difficult and challenging time :)

Cheer's

Today, 20th Jan 2009 - I believe, I can, I will

I don't know why but Obama's speeches always reminds me or reconnects me to Swami Vivekananda's Lecture in Chicago in 1849 "Sister's and Brother's of America ..."

I find the same courage, conviction, strength, honesty, passion, anger and hope to set aside, reaffirm, meet and conquer the challenges... "ALL ARE EQUAL, ALL ARE FREE, ALL CAN PURSUE THEIR HAPPINESS"

MTV's Be The Change: Live From The Inaugural -

President Barack Obama's Inaugural Speech Promises 'New Way Forward'
On the steps of the nation's Capitol, just a short distance from where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, using the same bible Abraham Lincoln did for his inauguration, with the country in dire conditions similar to when FDR took office, Barack Obama was official sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America on in Tuesday afternoon (January 20).

His Entire speech

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land -- a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the fainthearted -- for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again, these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act -- not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions -- who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them -- that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works -- whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account -- to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day -- because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control -- and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: Know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort -- even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West: Know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment -- a moment that will define a generation -- it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends -- hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence -- the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed -- why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations. God bless you and may God bless the United States of America.

The Best part of the trip..

Our Trip to Sea World

Happy Horizon's

These are few of my fav. things ...

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When am sad...

I simply remeber few of my favourite things...
Then I don't feel so baaaadddddddd....
(Sound of Music)

Highlights of Day 2 at LA, CA (LA remains safe, I leave tomorrow for SD); Day 3 of the trip

i) My first tatoo (No, not original but I think I will get a original one someday soon)
ii) My first real caricature :)
iii) Jhamura giri :)
iv) My Green frog
v) My everlasting Jeans
vi) Shootout ..(if nothing is available I am happy taking pictures of my happy feet) :)
vii) My fav. shoe :)

I am shocked..................

Dear tanu

There is a bad news, Firoz's wife Mehrun expired on 11 January 09 at 1045am. Please write to him if you get time.

Bibhuti

******

I don't know what to say. Am shocked. Firoz is my friend (herpetologist) from Assam. His wife was detected of cancer the day he won the Best Wildlife Warden of the year in 2007. I had met her early last year during my field trip in N.E. She had undergone chemotherapy and was doing fine. I am shocked I don't know what to say. He is such a nice person. I don't know why such terrible things happen to good people....!!! :((

I don't know what to say even if I all him :(( God, please give Firoz the strength to live through this and peace to Meherun's soul. The first shock of the year.. :( and don't know what to say !!!

LA in Danger

We just reached LA...after 48hr of separation from internet, blogs and emails..

I don't know what's the compulsion with wanting to check email when I know I have no important business deal or deadline to make/mate or crushes to chat :) !!

May be its just addiction of checking emails every hr, specially when am in US. I did want to check my email last night for a short while but forgot in presence of Vegas lights and babes :), :D.

Anyway highlights till now of my first self driven road trip in the US -

1. We left pretty much on time, just 1hr late at 8am
2. I counted 25 truck I overtook while driving on I-15 south from SLC to Vegas, but soon I lost count. I also gradually lost the suction that I feel every time I pass by those 'MEGA TRUCKS' :)
3. Inspite of my all efforts to sleep and not having to drive into Vegas, my brother woke me up and made me drive into Vegas !! It was scary. I freaked out and my hands were sweating!! God, save his children, he is a persistent teacher, who cannot be dodged!
4. Mom won $5.00 at the Sahara Casino :)
5. The V-Ultimate show was awesome, these Vegas shows are just awesome. One has to watch them to believe them. Just awesome. But I was wondering if those guys were gay, but what strength in their wrist. We were not allowed to take picture or record the show, but I was just left open mouth. :O!!! - This is among the good things in Vegas.
6. Food at Sahara sucked! The dinner buffet was horrible, no Bakwaas! Don't eat there ever !!
7. Mom was scandalized by the waitress roaming around in the casino for their short, skimpy, sesky atire :o) " Zor ka zhatka zor se laga and baar baar" :)
8. The good things - Food at Gandhi was awesome :). EVERYBODY must eat there when in Vegas. Lunch buffet, $9.50 paisa wasoool food. We hogged :)
9. Mom's gopal also saw Vegas shows, Vegas Babes, and Vegas Casino's :)
10. Saw lots of new car - Old Cadilac, Old BMW, Old Buck. Must say there is a style and attitude in these Old cars :) Or 'Old is gold' :)
11. I DROVE FOR THE FIRST TIME AND SUPER THRILLED THAT I MADE IT to LA without tickets, without hitting anybody or being hit either. As usual my brother made me drive into LA !! I made it but I missed the correct exit, and had to listen to the freaking GPS to recalculate and re-navigate. I am not sure but am wondering if I deaf in one ear as I can't hear what the GPS tells when its on the blue tooth headset on my left ear !! :(
12. Last but not the least, driving on highway is easier than inside a new city as I cannot read the street names unless am right infront of it. I got honked twice as I stopped in middle of the road in green light, which I have a hard time in noticing.

I think LA is in danger with me roaming around with a bad eye sight, partially color blind, left deaf ear and persistent brother who has taken a vow to make me a driver in US !!!

That's all for now... more in pics..

E.N.J.O.Y
(to my visitors here)

Today is 'Missing Day'

Yah am missing all these people today and the time we spent :) - A Happy Missing Day

I also realized why I enjoy taking pictures. I don't know if its just me, but I travel through time and memories every time I see old pictures. I re-visit those moments and emotions again and it helps me to reconnect past, present and future. It leaves me with a very peaceful, happy and soothing feeling and I feel happy about the bygone days :). And hence I call today as 'A Happy Missing Day' :)

Shonar Kella

Yup, I happen to talk to someone about Old Bong movies and we ended up watching it today.. it reminded me of my school days, summer holidays, happy irresponsible days, days of living in dreamland :) ....

Dialogues that used to be in my finger tips those days at school -

1. Etttaaa Ammmaaaaaaar :)
2. Ekta Prashno Korbo? Hain Karoon. Utt ki khaye? Kata Jhar.Kata beceh na Kata sudhu?
3. Apana chati? 32, Komor?32 - Moshaii apni ki suuorr naki :))
4. Tiktiki :)
5. Areekta Proshno Korbo? karun. Aapni ki Goyenda?
6. Amra ki Dacoits er pecho jachii ?
7. Apni Hindi chaliyee jete paren :)) he he !!

loved it ... mazzaa agaya :) will watch the other ones too now :)

Surprise Surprise - Part -II

Yup, time for surprise for MOM :)

Part -I was ME :) on 6th Oct 2008 at Chicago, IL when they arrived here :)
Part -II is written and directed by my brother who is coming tomorrow evening and MOM still have no clue about it :)

I have been acting weird on purpose just to irritate her, so that she enjoys the surprise to the the fullest, :)

We have been planning on Dosa and other stuff for weeks and I was able to successfully postpone my eating plans saying that am busy :) he he :)). She was irritated to the point of saying "if you don't want to eat why did u ask me to make the bater" :)

I replied only time shall reply :) Now am buzy :) let me work, I can't go back to work if I eat Dosa :) . I can't wait to see the expression on her face followed by our road trip to LA from Saturday via Vegas :). Every time I visited Vegas, I wished my mom was there. The day has finally come. Wishes that are going to be full filled in next few days -

1. Mom's reaction to Vegas life.
2. Mom's reaction to 'tukun's' knock on the door :)
3. Mom's reaction to my driving on US-Highway :) (this one am bit scared about too, but I think I will manage)
4. Mom's footsteps in California :). Only after she came here I came to know about her desire to visit California sometime. Apparently grandpa wanted one his children to come to US and study. But somehow those days such dreams were really impossible. It definately was for my mom's family. But next week all those desires are going to be full filled - Mom's and Grandpa's :) Thanks a lot GOD for giving us this oppurtunity to be able to take mom to California :) THANKS A LOT. Love you.
5. Visit to Bryce - Its my homeland :) I think in US. I have been there 6 times already and this will be my 7th, the one before the last. I think this time we will just drive by Bryce as its going to be cold to be outside and mom has knee problems. But I will be able to show the sunrise/sunset at Bryce Canyon. I will visit BRYCE once more after this trip. And that will be my last visit to Bryce :)


For now so many wishes being granted is more than enough. I shall rest in peace for next few months :). I don't know if mom has a clue or not but few days she was asking me about Bhai's visit. And I lied blatantly :) saying I don't think he has time :). She definitely was a bit upset but all shall be forgiven tomorrow after 5pm.

THANK YOU GOD

Year of Goodness..

2008 just passed by and I had to do my analysis and retrospect..Overall it was a year of goodness. Goodness does not technically mean that everything that happened or did not happen gave me happiness but at the end it was all good. At the end of the day this year was 'the year of right' for me. I was able to judge, see, understand everything just the way they are. To me this was the biggest achievement of my life. All these years if I have struggled with anything is 'Unwarranted Expectations'. Leading to uncalled brainless uncanny foolish emotions. But this year it was different. And am very happy and peaceful.

I met lot of new people. None of them failed my expectations. I gained new friends. I had no trouble in identifying or disconnecting from "Friendly Bogart's" either :). I got re-connected to a friend I value the most, my pride and I love them the most. I am very fortunate to have such people in my life. If their is absolute love then I must say this is what it is. God bless them and me for letting us have each other in our lives. OSO, 'Happys Endings' was true. All that ends well is what really matters and god have saved me from not transforming into an 'Emotional Junk Yard' :). Every thing around me lead me to the other and am happy, 'Happy Singh'.

2009, is going to be year of struggle. It has already started with a bend in the road to graduation. I have absolutely no idea how this year is going to go, all I know is I have to keep myself in focus, finish the Phd and get a job. I just hope and pray that I do not run out of gasoline, hope and faith for this last leg of the flight to freedom.

Thanks to all the souls who keep praying for me and have lead me where I am. Hopefully they continue praying as I climb the last summit of 'Jills Mountain' :)

"Jack and Jill
Went of the Hill
To fetch a pail of water
Jack Fell down
And Broke is crown..
...
.....
........
But Jill did not come
running after :)
She had to complete her 'PhD' yaar :) !!"

The Jack and Jill part of my life :)