PSEUDOFREUD

2010-01-29T14:28:00.000-06:00

Getting into the groove and loving it!

Ever since I started working for my new employer here in Sheffield, today I really felt like i'm getting into the groove of work, and needless to say I am loving it. Definitely there are differences- geographical, meteorological and otherwise that cannot be matched to my previous location (LA, California) but I always feel once you get involved in work there are no bounds and no limits! I always say and think, life's been good and guess always will....touch wood.. Did I ever mention that I am into a relationship? Oh well yes, I am for those whom this might be news. I started knowing her since June last year and this winter (Dec 2009) decided to take the plunge. As I always used to say to my friends when they decided to get married 'Another one bites the dust'. She is the most amazing person on earth and I feel really lucky to have a life partner as understanding and loving as her. I always say what have I done to deserve her. Definitely nothing in this life, so it has to be something in the previous life. This is the first time in my life that I can call her as mine and feel confident about that with no second thoughts. I guess we both understand the importance, responsibility and committment involved in going into a relationship and we are both happy about that. Though...sometimes I do think she is very extremely caring and loving...much more than what I am or what I deserve...
On the job front, I had to take a few advanced courses related to work thro' out the last 2 weeks, and its been good. now its up to me to sit down and regurgitate the information that I ingested over the 2 weeks, got to do that, or its gonna pass away out of me as excreta!
I still have to make friends and a so called 'social circle' in Sheffield other than work friends. Really dunno when thats gonna happen, but I am not too worried about it.
I think I am starting to like Sheffield....lets see how it goes :) more later...as time passes.

2009-11-27T14:34:00.000-06:00

A Passing Thought!

Cajun seasoning bought here in the UK is so much more intense and flavorful as compared to the one that I used to get back in California. Same company, McCormick but this ones really amazing. Its just not my imagination cos I think Im an expert atleast in cajun seasoning :)

2009-11-26T15:45:00.000-06:00

Moving to United Kingdom (Part 2)

Thursday ~~November 26th~~ 26th November 2009, It is Thanksgiving Day today, my first one in the United Kingdom. Of course there is nothing such as Thanksgiving day here, so I did feel a bit that I should have stayed back and spent some time with my sister before joining here. A couple of weeks would not have made that big a difference, isn't it? But anyways, prepared some great blackened salmon for dinner. The salmon is definitely fresh and better that what I used to get in California. So blackened Salmon and Chianti. Very nice combination, anyone should try that out, won't be dissappointed :). By the way, I am enjoying my work. My boss is very supportive and always eager to teach me many things. So are the others! Now it just depends completely on myself and my initiative. On the miscellaneous side, I still have to get a cell phone. Thinking of getting an I-Phone, mostly will. Also need to join the gym since I really need to work out as my job is a desk job. Rest best...more later...

2009-11-21T17:30:00.000-06:00

Moving to United Kingdom (Part 1)

So I have finally moved to the United Kingdom. I came here on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009. Reached the city of Sheffield at around 4.00pm. My flight from Los Angeles to London Heathrow was smooth. The immigration at London took a while as there was a big line. Vaun Newton was right there in the passenger lounge and I was glad to see him. Since I did not have anything to declare I breezed thorugh the green channel. The city of Sheffield is very much like a University town. With 2 big schools, the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University, it reminds me a lot like Austin, where I did my Ph.D from. I live in the City Center, which is similar to what one may call it as downtown. My flat (term for apartment in UK) is in a high rise building on the 13th floor. Its a real delight to stay in such a nice area at an economical rent. The floks with whom I have signed up for the job are also nice. Today is my third day in Sheffield and I ahve realized that there are a lot of amazing places to eat around here. Right from african, carrebean, persian, mediterrean, japanese, chinese, thai, and ofcourse Indian cuisine, all of these places within a walking diatance from where I stay. My apartment is a cozy place with one wall of the living room and the bedroom of full glass from the floor to the ceiling. Its a nice view of the full city of sheffield from the window. The American way of greeting people is either 'Hi' or How are you doing?....in UK or perhaps in Sheffield, people greet by asking " Are you alright?"
In terms of logistics, it is very muchlike the US. Opening a bank account, getting a Vinage phone connection and doing groceries without a car were a peice of cake. One wierd thing here is that calls to customer service phones are not free and are heavily charged if the calls are made thro a different line other than the customer service company. That is, if I call a cable company customer service number using my vonage account then Im paying almost 1GBP for 5 minutes of talk time. So how is one supposed to call a customer service number? Calling customer service and getting help here is an expensive affair. But if I call Vonage customer service using my Vonage phone, then it is free. Hence I call it wierd.

So far so good and I expect all this to get even better :) Keeping my fingers crossed.

2009-09-27T16:59:00.000-06:00

I was in Sheffield from Sept 20- Sept 27 and now in London from Sept 27 to Sept 29. Being on a site visit, I wanted to see how Sheffield was as a city. I liked Sheffield. It is a small and very simple city. It is very economical and apartment rents are in the range of 300- 500 GBP for 1-1 and 2-1 apartments. It is a very live city and I wouldnt mind moving there. Considering that you have a decent pay to support yourself, I think I may enjoy the quality of life in Sheffield. Today I went around London, met up with a friend from the old MSc. days. He is doing his post doc at Imperial College, one of the best colleges in the world. London is amazingly like Mumbai or the old Bombay. Just that it is much cleaner and systematic than Bombay. Still the same old footpaths with the tiles and the drainage holes and lids. There are no houses or bungalows in London and it is full of luxury apartments. It is really sad that Bombay which was like London once upon a time, is not anymore in the name of patriotism and independence. Only if we could have maintained what the British left for us....We walked around the area called Hyde Park and the area around Lords Cricket ground. The apartments around that area are just amazing....simply fascinating. Of course if you wanna buy any of those apatments, they wouldnt cost you less than 5-10 million pounds. Rents for such apartments range from anywhere between 350- 500 GBP per week. Some apartments are located in such a way that you get the view of Lords Cricket ground from your balcony. The weather in London is pleasant at the moment and it is a sheer joy to walk around the streets. I did take some pictures and will post them soon in a couple of days. Tomorrow I hope to take a city tour of London, after I am done with the Canada transit visa thing. That is the only part of my UK trip that sucks big time. Air Canada is just awful. I have to take a transit visa just cos my plane lands in Canada for 2 hours and I change airplanes in the same terminal. While doing this, I have to collect my baggage, and recheck it in. This just sucks big time. I would not recommend Air Canada to anybody.
Anyways, I plan to take the city tour tomorrow and then meet up with Jaideep and his wife for dinner. Tuesday I hopefully depart the Land of the Queen to go back to my routine life in the USA. These 10 days have been an amazing experience. Worth remembering my whole life. Life is good I say, as long as one thinks positively about it. Life is beautiful!!!

2009-09-17T22:37:00.000-06:00

Thinking away....

Life has been god to me. With caring hands like that of my family, professor, and friends...I feel I am set as always to take a major decision coming around the corner. Saturday, I embark to visit the land of the queen. Will be there for 10 days on official work. Hopefully will get a chance to do some local sight seeing. More updates about the experience when I reach there. Looking forward to it :)

2009-09-04T23:38:00.000-06:00

Finally Grand Canyon North Rim

Last Friday, as I was working in my lab, the topic came up about my long awaited trip to the Grand Canyon Nroth Rim. I decided to call the lodge at the North Rim and they mentioned that they had one cabin available for resevations for Saturday night. I went ahead and reserved the cabin. Then planned on taking my Jetta 96 to the North rim, something I realized was a mistake later on. I asked 2 colleagues in my lab and they agreed to accompany. So satudray morning at 5am we were on our way to the North Rim. As we reached Vegas, when I stopped to fill in gas, my car broke down, apparantely the drive shaft broke down. So I got my Jetta96 towed to a VW dealer, and then rented a car to proceed on the trip. This was the only upset in the trip and after reaching the North rim, I thought to myself it was definitely worth the trouble. I had always wanted to go to the North rim. It is just absolutely fabulous. We stayed there until Sunday afternoon and then started our journey bac. Overall a very nice experience. The Grand Canyon lodge is neatly organized and you can actually enjoy yur eveing with a drink or two in the verandah type arrangement overlooking the canyon. That was the best part..Here are some pics:

2009-07-17T22:11:00.000-06:00

May 26th 2009

This is the day when my parents got married exactly 40 years ago, and this is the day when my mom left all of us forever. Is this just a coincidence, or is it that my mom and my dad met each other in heaven?

2009-07-17T21:54:00.000-06:00

Turning Points!

How do you describe turning points in life? Does your life actually take a turn and do you realize it is turning, or you realize after you have made the turn? Looking back, I have thought about 2 turning points in my life- deciding to go ahead with my MSc. and then deciding to come to the US to do my Ph.D. But both the times, I never realized that these were the turning points in my life, cos they both happened either suddenly or gradually for me to actually know it. I am at a similar juncture in my life right now and do realize that I am taking a major decision. But on the inside I really don't feel that it is a major decision. I can feel it that it is 'just' happening and I am going along as life flows. I think of my decision positively, and it has its own shares of negative consequences, but I am really not bothered about it. Sometimes I feel I am in a confused state of mind but I know what I am doing. I always have had this notion of thinking about the worse of consequences, so what ever life churns out it always feels better. My decision is a professional one, and may have consequences on a personal ground. Am I putting all eggs in one basket? Where do you draw the line between professional and personal thinking- when do you base your decisions based on logic and materialistic thinking and when based on your inner voice. Well lets see....one thing is for sure, everthing that happens...happens for the best. The key to diplomacy is keep the conversation going.

2009-07-11T09:06:00.000-06:00

Posting Again!

Sometimes I feel computers and programming are like human bodies. When ever there is a malfunction in the human body, it has a tendency to repair itself. I use bloggar to help me post on my blog. Bloggar is free and helps organize posts and facilitates embedding of links and pictures. Yeah...I know nowadays there are a lot of fancy templates that are ready made and you don't have to enter into the HTML coding thing to design a template. But I like to do that...anyways not digressing, my bloggar would not post my new posts saying that there was an error in authentication. Though I was logged in to my blog account, it still gave me that error. So I stopped posting, meaning I used to write posts by that date (I only wrote one in all these days :P). So today I just tried to post that old Ralitsa post, and behold...it posted just right. I did not do anything, and the problem rectified by itself. Thus I think my bloggar or my blogspot repaired itself. Heh heh...anyways, will be posting more from now on :)

2009-07-11T08:40:00.000-06:00

Beauty. Elegance and Grace!

This should have been posted a long time ago, when North Korea test fired a missile under the pretext of launching a satellite. While browsing today evening I went on to the New York Times website. The headlines read North Korea test fired a missile under the pretext of launching a satellite. I immediately switched on to CNN and it was there in discussion. The news reader Ralitsa Vassileva caught my eye. I had never seen her before on CNN, obviously cos I have never been home when International CNN is broadcast. But what I liked was the articulate way in which she spoke and her expressions while covering the news. Every morning I get to see the horrible Heidi Collins who looks like nothing but a dumb bimbo yelling in the name of covering news. Ralitsa Vassileva was a pleasant change to the art of news coverage! Here is her profile as given on CNN:

2009-03-09T08:25:00.000-06:00

Mergers and Acquistions!

Soon after Pfizer took over Wyeth ($65 billion) and Roche's desperate attempts to own Genentech, Merck takes over Schering Plough ($41.1 billion).
Read more

2009-03-01T22:41:00.000-06:00

The Art of Pink Floyd!

Anybody who is a fan of Pink Floyd will always be fascinated by the art that the music group had on its album covers. If you take a look at most of their album covers, and think about it a bit you will realize that these albums were released in the 70's 80's and early 90's (Division Bell) but the art was way ahead of its time. Here is a collage of the various album covers from Pink Floyd that I found on the web and following that is an article that I read a few days about an interview with Storm Thorgerson who was the man behind the art, the artist behind Pink Floyd's album covers.

Pink Floyd’s album cover artist reveals lighter side of the moonby Brendan Montague and Maurice Chittenden (http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article3779870.ece)THE creator of Pink Floyd’s album art since the 1960s has revealed the comic scenes behind some of the band’s most famous album covers and opened up his portfolio of designs that were never used.Storm Thorgerson disclosed that he originally favoured a different design for Dark Side of the Moon, released in 1973. It showed a figure similar to Silver Surfer, the Marvel cartoon character, sipping a cup of tea while riding a mighty wave.However, the band members took just three seconds to choose a prism and rainbow of light for their most famous album. Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Rick Wright made a unanimous decision in front of a gallery of seven rough images pinned to the wall of London’s Abbey Road studios.The album went on to sell more than 30m copies worldwide over 35 years.A prototype for the 1977 album Animals, which featured a 32-ft high inflatable pig flying over Battersea power station, was originally intended to feature a young boy walking into his parents’ bedroom to discover them having sex.Shooting the album cover for 1987’s A Momentary Lapse of Reason involved dragging 700 hospital beds onto a beach in Devon. Rain interrupted the shoot and they had to repeat the exercise two weeks later.“It wasn’t one lapse of reason, it was two,” said Thorgerson, 63, whose retrospective is at the Oxo gallery in London in July.The cover for 1994’s The Division Bell was the most ambitious, featuring two Easter Island-style statues. An alternative included a magical junk floating above an estuary.

2009-02-27T23:50:00.000-06:00

Swimming Revelation!

So I went to my swimming practice at LA Fitness today. My instructor had taught me to float and paddle my legs in the water. But each time I used to paddle, my legs used to be below the water surface and so due to that I did not move smoothly thro the water. The right way is to paddle your legs just at the surface to make a splashing noise. By this action, you move smoothly and fast thro' the water. All this is greatly dependent on your centre of gravity when floating in water. My legs used to be submerged because I was not able to locate my centre of gravity during floating. MY instructor always said try to work with the water, don't work against it....and without knowing my centre of gravity and paddling my legs, I was working against the water. So today as I was paddling and paddling and paddling suddenly I realized my centre of gravity and how to maintain it while in water. Everything just fell in place....and I started moving smoothly as a fish! IT was a great revelation for me! I was absolutely thrilled to put in minimum effort and move the maximum distance in water. I could cover more distance in one breath, as I still don't know how to breathe while swimming. So now to make this paddling action as reflex and then start moving my hands and learn the breathing technique. That shouldn't be tough I guess!! I'm enjoying every bit of my swimming and practice... :-)

2009-02-25T00:36:00.000-06:00

Just got an email from Yahoo! saying that Yahoo Briefcase will be closing on March 30th 2009. Does that mean that Yahoo! is going bankrupt too?

2009-02-25T00:13:00.000-06:00

And I thought such things happened only in India...and in 2004 such a thing also happened in IRAN too....and now here in the U.S of A!!

Bikini dancer recovering slowly from fiery attack in Tarzana.

2009-02-22T23:07:00.000-06:00

THE OSCARS!!

Some points that I observed during the Oscars:

Apart from Slumdog's not-so-surprising sweep, the choice of Sean Penn for the Best Actor, Kate Winslet for the Best Actress the following are a few observations of my own:

The stage design and set up was excellent!

Beyonce has put on a lot of weight, but her voice is still awesome.

Heath Ledger in the Best Supporting Role is just perfect.

Diane Lane still looks stunning!

Anne Hathaway and Penelope Cruz looked really cute and elegant.

At one point I felt there was no difference between the Oscars and Filmfare Awards! :D

On a side note, A.R. Rehman after winning the original song score Oscar, hurried out with the mic....probably to have the free mic for himself.

The best speech after receiving an Oscar was by the winner of the Best foreign film, Japnese guy...Awesome speech...he was 'Beri Beri Happy'.

Angelina Jolie and Mellissa Leo were wearing similar earrings! But Meryll Streep's earrings were really beautiful and so were Nicole Kidman's! I didn't like Kate Winslet's though...

2009-02-19T08:29:00.000-06:00

HOW IRONIC!!

A driver in a convertible Rolls Royce passes a Santa Monica Boulevard clothing store offering 30% to 70% off. The recession has landed in Beverly Hills as many stores around the ritzy Rodeo Drive retail neighborhood have hung out signs offering savings of up to 80% and there are many vacant spaces for lease.

I find this picture ironic cos my first impression was that the Rolls Royce was parked out there in front of the shop. So with that frame of mind, I just said to myself, a person who drives a Rolls Royce, and shops at a store like that, which is now offering a 70% discount on goods, would I be able to even think of affording such a bargain?!? Do words and concepts like economic recession even exist in the dictionary of people who are used to driving not a standard Rolls Royce, but a convertible one!

Courtsey- The LA Times

2009-02-17T21:11:00.000-06:00

Swimming and LA Fitness

I have lately been enjoying my evenings. Firstly took up a yearly multi-club LA Fitness membership. My new work place has an agreement with LA Fitness and all employees get this plan for a discounted rate. So initially before joining LA Fitness, I used to work out at the fitness centre in my complex. It was jsut OK to keep yourself fit. But I guess people here are not so keen on being fit and invariably I used to be the only one working out there most of the time. Working out by yourself requires a lot of motivation and determination. So actually I was getting tired of doing this by myself and so I had started running on the road. On an average 4.6 miles every alternate day in the week. And now that I have joined LA Fitness, it feels good to work out in the middle of many people. Since LA Fitness has a swimming pool, and like most Indians I did not learn swimming in my days when I should have learnt. So joined this 'how to learn swimming class. It is every Monday from 7.30 to 8.00pm. Initially when I enrolled for this, I was quite embarassed cos there were only small kids who came there to learn. Even the enrollment form was designed with kids in mind. But was relieved that I am not the only one to learn swimming at this age. So we are two of us and one instructor, which is kind of nice. So I learnt to float on my back and head down on my chest. Next monday we will be taught to move our legs. So far so good. There is a lot of fun if you know how to swim! I am looking forward to it :)

2009-02-16T20:59:00.000-06:00

Changed the car oil myself yesterday. I am particular about using the Mobil synthetic High Mileage oil for my Jetta GLS 96 as it has been keeping the engine in good condition. Yesterday after draining the used oil I noticed that there was a large amount of sludge at the bottom of the tub in which I collected the used oil. Hmm....this is actually not good news cos it is telling me that the wear and tear of the engine has increased. I also use Lucas Engine Oil Stabilizer 1/2 Quart to 3-4quarts of engine oil. It has helped keep the engine smooth and stop any pesky oil leaks. Also today I had the biggest starting problem for my car. I almost thouhgt that the battery had died and I would need to jumpstart my car today. But in the end it started. My Jetta is also leaking coolant and I have to top it every 10 days or so. But for the last 1 week the coolant level has remained constant. Lets see how it goes. The starting problem today might have been due to the inefficient mixing of the engine oil and the Lucas oil and due to the cold temperatures here, the lucas might have ~~solidified~~ thickened, hence the starting problems.

2009-02-14T23:40:00.000-06:00

A Toast to 5 Years Today!!

So today is February 14th....Valentine's Day! I did my normal chores for the day i.e. wishing a few friends Happy V-day!! heh heh. I clearly remember as far as Valentine's Day goes, I have never felt any attraction towards the day and all I see year after year is the card paper and all other environmentally hazardous material made 'Hearts' keep on getting bigger and bigger in the Hallmark stores. Ok so let me not digress...as I was saying as far as I remember I have not changed much since the past 5 years. I say so cos, I clearly remember exactly 5 years ago, on this day I was sitting in the University of Texas' Perry Castaneda Library trying to set up this very HTML design of my blog. Too bad I don't have that coool Pink Floyd graphic template of my blog. Sometimes I think it was very nice. So today my blog actually completed 5 years. On Feb 16th my posts will complete 5 years as my first post here was on Feb 16th.
I am right now single and enjoying my Pinot Grigio. Also listening to Kishori Amonkar...she sings really amazing. I have been wanting to write these drafts of recommendation letters so I can give them to my professors for recommending me, but my rate of writing a complete letter has been 1 letter per week. I know it is just a matter of flow of words, but the damn words just refuse to flow. Oh well...thats ok. One fine day when the time is right, I think I shall do 2-3 letters in one sitting.
Yesterday was a nice day. Its been almost a month since I left my first job (Jan 14th) and so yesterday met up with my colleagues DD, M and a bunch of others over a drink. It was good to catch up with people. Also met with DD's boyfriend. Kinda felt like a sissy to me....guess DD has him in her fist I guess...or maybe he is just desperate for her and she is taking full advantage of the situation. Anyways that was my first impression and I may be wrong and also it doesn't concern me. Also heard M saying 'Fuck' for the first time. I guess people need to release their pressure from work in some way or the other...oh well stuff happens you know.
I feel really fortunate to have left my first job and still have a smooth transition to another one without a break in these times of economic recession. Last week on Thursday there were major layoffs at my previous workplace. Almost 25% of the R&D workforce was eliminated. I am not sure I had been at my 1st job, would I have been terminated. I personally think no, cos the projects that I had been working on, they did not touch any of people and all those who were laid off had much higher salaries than me. All directors and associate directors were kicked out.
I must say that this wine is worth a mention...Bella Sera Pinot Grigio from Italy. I found it in the grocery store in a pack of 4 small bottles...perfect for me cos I cannot finish a complete bottle of white wine by myself. So this is a very nice thing. Some of the smaller things in life that I find extreme joy in :-) Ciao!! More later.

2009-02-03T21:52:00.000-06:00

This friend of mine is settled in Dubai. I was chatting with her last weekend and she said she is still in Mumbai, she had been there in December for a visit. I asked her what wrong and she said she has had a bad start for the year. One fine day she had severe back pain so unbearable, that she passed out on the way to the hospital. The doctors did a series of tests to diagnose what was wrong and all tests turned out ok. Then they went in for an Xray of the chest and shockingly found out that she is suffering from lung cancer. The cancer has affected the lower portion of her lungs and then spread to the vertebra. Hence the back pain. This was a great shock to me too...no doubt it has shattered her. I looked up on the net and it says that people who recover from lung cancer have a 14% chance of survival after recovery. The doctors are hopeful for her as her over all health is excellent. She will be undergoing 6 chemo therapy sessions, one of which she has already had it. I need to check on the information again about the survival % chance. Life is really unpredictable and you never know what is around the corner waiting for you.

2009-01-23T11:43:00.000-06:00

So I have finally changed jobs. My official start date at the new work place is from Monday Jan 26, 2009. I think it is a good day considering that it is the Indian Republic Day. Although I have already started working unofficially, doing some literature survey and misc. stuff which would help me to get used to the daily routine. As it is a University atmosphere, the overall state of things is good. The labs are really impressive and colleagues are helpful or appear to be helpful. So far so good without any hurdles. My new professor is also very nice. The commute to work is around 30 minutes where in approx 17 minutes (7 miles) for taking the back roads to avoid the awful Freeway 91 traffic and then another 10 minutes (14 miles) on another empty freeway to reach my destination. Thanks to my earlier job, I reach here by around 8.15-8.30am. Coincidently, taking the back roads allows me to pass my ex-employer. Good news about my renumeration at the new place, fringe benefits are in addition to my pay which I earlier thought was otherwise. Also my new job allows me to get a free membership to LA Fitness, something that I am looking forward to.
I really don't miss my earlier job, considering the kind of jerk that the organization has been....mind you its the organization. My colleagues were the best and I miss them dearly. As always I think with many organizations, I have reached a conclusion that the HR are nothing but a bunch of scum bags. They are just like or even worse than the Mumbai Muncipal Corporation a.k.a good for nothing people who are just desperate to show the importance of their existence.

2009-01-16T22:37:00.000-06:00

I have lately been running! Almost every alternate evening 4.6 miles to be precise. My jogging path is on 2 small hills to and fro. I have been doing this stretch since the last 2 months i guess and initially it was very exhausting mainly due to the hills, but now its really refreshing. I have always had a thing for running. I just love running. Once those endorphins kick in afer the first 5 mins of jogging, ohh...man....I feel like I can almost go on forever. With the music from my I-Pod (usually its either Deep Forest or Pink Floyd instrumental by the London Symphonic Orchestra) the runs are usually heavenly. They do tire me a lot, but I think thats essential considering the sedentary work lifestyle that I have been having. So the bottom line is that I LOVE RUNNING, I ALWAYS HAVE AND ALWAYS WILL. OTher sports that i love are racketball, squash, and soccer and ofcouse cricket. :D

2009-01-05T20:29:00.000-06:00

December 08 to 09...

Life has been a up and down roller-coaster this past year. I graduated, in Dec 07 and started working in Feb 08. A lot of changes are taking place and I ahve learnt a lot in my 1 year of industry experience. This one year has also taught me to be more adaptable and be receptive to unforeseen circumstances and situations. As they say every input has to equal output, or energy can neither be created or dstroyed and that the total energy in the universe is a constant, or every action has an equal and opposite reaction, I wonder all these changes in the past year goo or bad....how does one handle it and what kind of a toll does it take on the human body and human mind or our everyday life? I really wonder how...

2008-09-08T08:49:00.000-06:00

A Passing Thought!

Paradise is just another state of mind! Just like the 'Matrix', it just exist in the mind but in reality you can still feel it, taste it and experience it.

2008-08-22T22:16:00.000-06:00

Passing Thought

I think I need to find a life partner. Of course this life partner is not going to fall from the sky into my lap!!!! So I need to take some initiative :-) But I think I should find someone. I remember my graduate advisor telling me "Remember, lonliness is worse than hell!! I don't think it is worse than hell....but I do feel I should take an initiativeto find someone!!! Oh welll lets do it! How about the traditional Indian Arranged marriage??? Statistics has proved that arranged marriages do last longer than other types. be it due to compromise or desperation to find a soulmate :P!! Ok now the next step...aranged marriage so be it...Mommy..can you find a girl for me :P..... LOL

2008-08-22T22:08:00.000-06:00

Daaamn!!!

I thought I would post regulary...at least continuously for a week!! Daamn..this work life...for this pathetic company. Is all corporate life like this?!? I think I am doing 25% R&D and 75 % documentaion! Wait...not even 25%....I would say 5%!! Ahhh thats better. BTW this is not me...but Absolut speaking :-)

2008-08-13T19:57:00.000-06:00

Spanish Olympic basketball team land in trouble for offensive picture

The Spanish Olympic Basketball team has landed itself into trouble by posing for the above picture (making slant eyes) quite some time ago before the Olympics started. Such a gesture is considered racially offensive in the United States according to the American-Chinese Association (Read here) I am not sure how much more is this matter going to blow up, but incidents like these can always be looked in different ways. For eg: the Hook-Em-Horns sign (curl your thumb, middle and ring finger as if into a fist and jot out your index and little finger) is a sport encouragement gesture for the Texas Long Horns Football team where as this gesture is considered extremely offensive in Italy!!! Anyways lets see where this situation goes.

2008-08-12T22:48:00.000-06:00

Olympics and NBC

I have been trying to follow the Olympics when ever I can. But I have been a bit frustrated. Initially I was sad because during the opening ceremony, I did not get to see the ceremony live, even after subscribing to 400 channels. Then I was glad to find that the Olympics were aired on various channels at different times and so O thought that I would get to see everybody compete in different games. But until now I have just seen American teams 95% of the times competing with other countries and the games I have seen until now are only softball, basket ball, beach volleyball, tennis, gymnastics etc etc. Onnly once did i get to see rowing and then hand ball both in which non american teams competed. So where is cycling, all the track and field events etc etc. NBC sucks big time.

2008-08-11T20:25:00.000-06:00

INDIA WIINS A GOLD AT BEIJING 2008

Abhinav Bindra won the first individual gold medal for India in the 10m air rifle category. It is the first ever gold medal for India since the Olympics started in 1896 and the fifth medal in Olympic history. Congratulations to Abhinav Bindra and India!! :-) Read more here

2008-08-10T16:09:00.000-06:00

TOP 250 Movies (http://www.imdb.com/chart/top)

I am not sure how the voting was done for this list. But going through the top 100 I am happy to say that I have not seen only 23 movies. Yaay!!! :)

2008-08-10T15:45:00.000-06:00

Movies..Movies...Movies

I clearly remember, since November 2006 to Feb 2008 I can exactly count the number of movies I saw in a movie theatre. Definitely NMT 5 and these are, Nov 06: The Last King of Scotland, then saw The Inside Man, then The Da Vinci Code, and then Ice Age 2.

I have started watching movies again:

The Dark Knight: Excellent movie..many say it is too long. But I liked it, didn't feel a moment that the movie was stretched. Maybe cos I am also watching hindi movies lately and my threshold has gone up. Another positive thing about the movie, it had 2 of my all time favorite 3 actors: Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine; the third favorite is Jack Nicholson. Batman's gadgets and FX are cool! Batmans cape, his Batmobile and the Bat-bike were the coolest!!! Overall a must see, it is money well spent!!

Journey To The Centre of the Earth: Didn't know it was a 3D movie. Would have put my contacts on before going :P But anyways the 3D glasses that the theatre provided, were big enough and it was good to know that they designed them keeping in mind people who wear spectacles (wow, haven't used the word 'spectacles' for quite sometime...seems like an ancient word now :-)
The 3D effects are good. The movie is a good one time watch. Try to take the matinee show (before 6pm) and I would say it is money OK spent. It is of course a movie to see with your brains aside. Do not try to put logic in the movie, just go with the flow, you will enjoy it especially the journey to and from the centre of the earth.

Pineapple Express: This is a different action-comedy movie. You may like it or may not. Seth Rogen and James Franco make up a good team. The last part of the movie does feel stretched and I just got up and left not waiting to see the ending 10-15 minutes I guess. But the humor and the acting is good. The movie is about Dale Denton (Seth) who works as a guy who delivers supeonas to people. If he is not doing that, he is smoking weed all the time. He buys his weed from Saul (James) and one fine day Saul sells him a new type of weed called Pineapple Express. Dale while smoking Pineapple outside a house, witnesses a murder by a corrupt cop and her drug lord accomplice. Dale throws the Pineapple Express cigratte butt there and flees and the cop and the drug lord are hit on his heels. The movie is all about Dale and Saul trying to get away and save themselves from getting killed by the corrupt cop and the drug lord. Saul has to join Dale since he is the only one who is selling Pineapple Express in that city.
Overall a free flowing movie which I said you may like or you may not. See it by your own choice.

Swing Vote: I think Swing Vote is next best to The Dark Knight or even better since they both belong to different categories. Swing Vote is about how the U.S Presindential race boils down to one single vote of Bud (Costner) which will decide who will become the next U.S president. Bud's daughter is Molly (Madeline Carroll) who is really intelligent and witty with her head right on her shoulders. Costner and Carroll make up an excellent Father-Daughter team.

I am glad that my first four movies of this summer have been good and not a let down. This also prompted me to go in for the Regals Reward card since I will now be watching quite some movies!! That reminds me I haven't seen a real good horror movie since The Grudge. Hmm I hope a good horror flick comes by soon.

2008-08-10T14:35:00.000-06:00

Hello Again!!

So its been exactly six months since I came to this crappy town, and the only driving point for me to stay here is my job and the money. I call this town crappy cos its small and I am not grumbling about it, cos I knew what I was getting myself into. Being used to a unversity town like Austin, and the amount of time spent there (7 years of my graduate life) I knew I was going to have a tough time getting used to this place. Not that Im a social freak and an extrovert, but even then I made a nice circle of friends in Austin and being kind of a loner, knew how to find things to do where you dont need a group of friends. 10 things that I miss about Austin:

1. The University of Texas at Austin & friends!!!
2. All the University activities: live musical performances- Classical and non classical.
3. ICMCA The Indian Classical Music Circle of Austin
4. Art exhibitions- not that I understand much about art, but the calmness that prevails in an art exhibition venue is comparable to something like in a place of worship.
5. And talking about places of worship: the Ganpati temple in a place near Austin called Temple, Texas. Its one of the best temples that I have seen around- again here its not the structure that IM talking about but the atmosphere inside the temple, the calmness, and the serenity of the place.
6. I MISS MY APARTMENT!! My wonderful cozy 1-1 with a simple futon and the ultra cozy Papasaan chair. I pay more than double the rent here for my apartment but its still not even half cozy than my Austin apartment.
7. I miss all the great and economical eating places of Austin.
8. Talking about eating places, reminds me of drinking places: and that I miss TRUDY's and their Mexican Martini and margaritas.
9. The Austin Public Library and its DVD collection of independent movies.
10.The Texas heat and the rains and thunderstorms.

Maybe some time in the future...I shall post 10 things that I like about this place :-)

2008-01-05T10:14:00.000-06:00

Simply Beautiful....

"Commit all your crimes when Sachin is batting, they will go unnoticed because even the Lord is watching."

So read one of the banners when Sachin was on the way to one of his glorious moments. Here is an article on cricinfo.com describing Sachin batting on SCG (coined as Sachin's Cricket Ground). I think I don't need to say anything more, the article is well written, it is just a pleasure reading it.

Thanks to Dhaval for forwarding the article.

2008-01-04T01:59:00.000-06:00

OLD TURKEY BUZZARD!!!

The scene: Me driving my VW at 15mph desperately trying to find a parking spot in a lonely campus bylane. I see a battered raccoon lying splattered in blood in front of me, a fresh kill by a car probably a few minutes ahead of me. As I approach the kill to pass over it, when I am probably 25-40 feet away, swooping comes down this huge bird of prey- Old Turkey Buzzard and starts feasting on the dead animal. Check here for more info. I watch in awe.... as it rips apart the guts of the dead one. As I approach the bird, it sees me and gently goes walking (not even hopping) to the side of the road and after I have passed, comes back to resume its feast. Not a sign of fear for humans. An awesome sight and an awesome feeling, especially when I have seen this bird so so many times in the movie "Mackenna's Gold." The movie actually starts with the camera focussed on the eye of the turkey buzzard sitting on a rock in an Arizona desert. Then follows the famous track by Jose Feliciano called 'Old Turkey Buzzard'. Click this video to see the eye of the turkey buzzard and a conversation between a desert traveller and the turkey buzzard.

Check this video if you are interested in the opening music of Mackenna's Gold...it is a really catchy tune.

2008-01-03T07:40:00.000-06:00

Passing Thought...

On a positive note towards the recent changes going on iin my life..

"The rung of a ladder was never meant to rest upon, but only to hold a ~~man's~~ man's or woman's foot long enough to enable him/her to put the other somewhat higher."- Thomas Henry Huxley, Life and Letters of Thomas Huxley

As they all say.....everything that happens, happens for the best!! :)

2007-12-28T13:37:00.000-06:00

Finally...

So finally today I gave up my soul to the devil! I accepted a job offer which I feel is good for me experience wise and monetarily combined. Hope the devil is not too bad :D At the devil's mercy, soon.. LOL

2007-12-21T21:02:00.000-06:00

Hello Hello!!

I think I'm gonna be back and start posting regularly again. Life has been good and the big news is that I have graduated. So basically I am Dr. Pseudofreud now. Having completed my Ph.D, I really feel good and stress free. So hopefully will start posting my whims, fantasies, and crucial observationbs of life again :D
I guess I have lost most of my blog followers (not that I had many) but the main factor that prevented my from posting was that my hard disk gave up sometime during my dissertation writing. Fortunately I had a constant back up of everything important on my laptop, but surely lost all my bookmarks and thus my fellow blogger contacts. So lets see....I think I will start posting again for sure. Look forward to more comments and a new blogroll soon :D

2007-02-25T12:10:00.002-06:00

Check out this cool Coca-Cola ad!

2007-02-19T10:31:00.000-06:00

COMEDY IN TRAGEDY!
I did edit the image in view of national interest and my own patriotic sentiments!

2007-02-13T12:12:00.000-06:00

This post is dedicated to a great and inquisitive personality who was born on Feb 12, 198 years ago!

2007-01-24T19:03:00.000-06:00

Life finds a way!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070124/ap_on_sc/britain_virgin_birth

This article tells you how a female Komodo dragon gave birth to its young ones with any input from the male species! Reminds me of a dialogue from Jurassic Park-II where, the T-Rex that escapes in Part I gives birth by parthenogenesis.

2006-10-26T07:51:00.000-06:00

Update on the African WIldCam

Well these guys are really creative! After the amazing wild cam that scans Pete's Pond 24/7 and gives amazing views of animals coming to the pond for a drink, now they have installed a high-res camera on a supposedly small boat that floats in Pete's Pond. Probably the boat is motorized and can be maneuvered (I guess, more information to come in). But just imagine a lion drinking water, and the camera right into his/her face....thats gonna be an awesome sight! Awaiting for more exciting moments.

2006-10-25T00:25:00.000-06:00

A Passing Thought!!

Why do some people (especially couples, those with round faces and small eyes) run to catch the University shuttle, as if its the Noah's Ark!?!

Poor Noah at the steering wheel ;-)

2006-10-04T18:09:00.000-06:00

More from Pete's Pond!

The Malachite Kingfisher!

Elephants!

More Lions!

2006-10-03T13:14:00.000-06:00

Lioness Sighted again!

2006-10-03T12:59:00.000-06:00

No Tamil Please! We are Indians!!

Read this.

I don't know how one should react to this. Is it just a question of ignorance or just being over cautious. But I bet there must be many Middle Eastern folks speaking in Arabic at the boarding gates just before getting into the aircraft. Do they all get questioned? Naah I dont think so...I guess its just ignorance and paranoia on behalf of the airline official, who took an objection to the Tamilian. :-)

You know what, I think I am gonna speak in Marathi on the phone next time just before boarding and discuss some religious issues between Hindus and Muslims :-)))

2006-09-22T11:48:00.000-06:00

You Are An INTJ

The Scientist

You have a head for ideas - and you are good at improving systems.
Logical and strategic, you prefer for everything in your life to be organized.
You tend to be a bit skeptical. You're both critical of yourself and of others.
Independent and stubborn, you tend to only befriend those who are a lot like you.

You would make an excellent scientist, engineer, or programmer.

What's Your Personality Type?

2006-09-22T00:47:00.000-06:00

Annoyed!

I just opened an account on You Tube and was surprised and annoyed to see that my username has already be taken by somebody! Now why would anyone take up my username? I have everything else in my username, then why would someone want to just have a 'Pseudofreud' You Tube account, without the corresponding email? Come on people, be a little more creative and have username accounts with corresponding emails!

2006-09-22T00:39:00.000-06:00

Male Pied Kingfisher!

2006-09-22T00:26:00.000-06:00

Lioness Sighted!

An update to my previous post on Pete's Pond from Botswana, Africa. So today I finally saw a lioness come over to Pete's Pond for a drink! The other day I also saw a leopard, but that was at night-Botswana time, and the camera there relays in B&W at night. So it wasn't that clear. But today just at the break of dawn, the lioness came in majestically for a drink. I was able to record the short movie which you can see at the 'You Tube' link posted below!

2006-09-08T10:37:00.000-06:00

Its ON!!!

Finally the African Wild Cam is up and running! Here is the link to enjoy the wildlife of Africa.....LIVE.....24/7 until December.

National Geographic's WILDCAM AFRICA

To read more about the WildCam Click Here!

2006-08-21T14:26:00.000-06:00

WHO LIKES TO PARTY?

WE LIKE TO PARTY!!!!!

Read on:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060821/ap_on_re_us/party_schools

2006-08-20T22:14:00.000-06:00

After Allah made the shitty sea waters of the Arabian sea 'SWEET'.......now it is the turn of the Hindu God idols to show their might, by drinking milk!!! Holy Cow....I really don't understand what's been going on.

Read More...

Remember those commercials to promote milk and dairy products that used to come up on TV in the 90's I think....this is one new idea for that :-)

2006-08-20T22:02:00.000-06:00

The Passing of a Great Maestro!

Ustad Bismillah Khan passes away... All good things come to an end.

2006-08-20T10:29:00.000-06:00

Sweet water at sea!!

HOW IN THE HELL CAN ANYONE EVEN THINK OF DRINKING THAT WATER??? I wouldn't even want to put my feet in there....just look at the picture above, look at the so called beach, and look at the color of water in that container. YUKKKK YUKKKKKK YUKKKKKK!!! I have travelled through that zone by train for atleast 5 years regularly-twice-everyday, yes everyday... and I still travel by train when ever I am visiting Mumbai and the smells that you get by just passing through that area are unbearable, leave aside going in that water, collecting it in a jar and drinking it...AAAAARRRRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!! Yuk...Yuk....Yukkkkk.
They say its the doing of Allah.....I hope at least taking that into consideration, people will stop shitting along that beach and try to make it a cleaner place. Heh heh anyways, what am I thinking...cleaner???? I think I am deranged! That place will never get clean at all.

One last time...AAAARRRGGGGHHHHHHHHH......YUUUUUUUKKKKKKKK!!!!

2006-08-15T17:36:00.000-06:00

Pete's Pond begins August 21st! Yaaaayyyyy!!!!

A similar time, last year early September, I tumbled upon the Africa Wildcam while browsing through the NG website. The Africa wildcam, a live feed from Pete's Pond, located in the Mashatu game reserve is just absolutely fabulous. I can't describe it here, you have to see it to enjoy it.

SAME TIME LAST YEAR!

2006-08-07T19:08:00.000-06:00

Madonna does it again!

When in Rome do what Madonna does! :-) This is going to be a big uproar! All the priests are shouting about it. Madonna crucified herself on the cross during a concert in Rome, just next to the Vatican. All the bishops and priests from Rome to the USA are shouting blasphemy, but the audience who went to the concert are still too coool about it.
Read more.

2006-07-30T22:52:00.000-06:00

PULSE by PINK FLOYD

This is one of the best DVD that I will ever have in my collection. Two weeks back as I was just looking around in Frys electronics, I heard this dvd in their Polk audio demo room. This audio room is one of the best ones around, and I just sat in there and saw the complete Disc 2 of this album. Today I bought the album and I'm watching Disc 1 on my HT/projection system and it is just pure bliss! It is just tooo goood!!

PS: Coincidently the concert took place on the day I turned 22 :-)

2006-06-29T22:53:00.000-06:00

A Comedy of Errors!

So I have started working out at the gym lately!! Its a desperate attempt to put on some weight. 130 lbs for a almost 6 footer is definitely underweight.....so I have decided if not fat, atleast the muscles would contribute to my weight gain...and so I have been working out....regularly for an hour. Ok...so I was on the treadmill the other day...infact yesterday itself. And before I got onto it, I just glanced to my side to see who my fellow weight shedders/gainers were!! So I saw a girl (probably an ABCD) a couple of treadmills away. She was wearing a blue top. I started my jog and 10 minutes later, the same girl passed from front of me to the exit of the gym. A minute later, she came in wearing an orange t-shirt! I said to myself, WOW this is someone really allergic to her own sweat or really really stinking!! Then again the same girl but with the blue top passed in front of me, and I said to myself, how can one change tops on a treadmill!! Aaeee!! And then to my amazement, it wasn't one girl, but they were twins, so real-exact-identical twins!! I just smiled at myself....cos that was all I could do!!! Life is just amazing sometimes :-)

2006-06-22T12:03:00.000-06:00

Nothing like cooking! and when its shrimp, its even better...

I have known one thing in life, after having to cook for myself-by myself, there is nothing as stress relieving or something that would buck you up as the process of cooking! When ever I am feeling a bit down or feel like im gonna fall sick this is what i do or this is what i did wednesday evening. A friend called up and said would drop by just for a while. I was so much feeling like I was gonna fall sick with flu or something, I was just about to make up some excuse when it just popped out of my mouth "Why don't you come over for dinner, I'll call the other guys too....anyways Im preparing shrimp so just drop by for dinner." The thought of preparing shrimp curry itself brightened me up. So right away I put on some Pink Floyd (Division Bell....my favorite album ever)....prepared myself a nice shot of vodka & orange soda and had one of the best hours of my day! The whole process really bucked me up. And the shrimp really turned out well....as I prepared it a bit more spicy that usual. Next time I prepare it, shall put up a picture of it.

2006-06-15T18:22:00.000-06:00

So I'm on Orkut. Its a nice place to be in touch with friends and make new ones!

2006-06-08T12:32:00.000-06:00

Dialogue of the Day!

"Main yeh dekh raha tha ki kahi waqt ki deemakh ne tumhare baajuo ko khokla to nahi kar diya!!"

(Translated as:I wanted to see whether time as a termite has not eaten away the muscles in your biceps!!)

I think this was my first movie in the theatre and my parents said that I slept thro' most of it. What indian movie is this? Think hard its really easy...if you have seen this one!

2006-06-01T13:31:00.000-06:00

I believe there is a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble and finally allows us to die with pride, even though sometimes we have to be steady and give up the things we want the most, even our dreams!

Don't know why, but I really like this movie a lot! :-)

2006-05-31T11:36:00.000-06:00

It's not Fanaah.....It should be called.....FART!!!

So I saw the movie FART...ooops.....sorry....Fanaah last weekend. It was first day....third show!! And I tell you, right from the moment when Aamir-I look so old- but still I want to act like I am 21...FART-Khan made his entry into the movie by jumping from the roof of the bus, I held my head in despair. I kept on convincing myself that I have just had a haircut, so that I don't pull my hair out! I wished I had carried my school backpack with me, cos it always has a bottle of aspirin in it. Anyways, I know hindi movies will never improve, but I was surprised when such a FART...movie came out of Yash Chopra's chest. Aamir's entry to the movie is just pathetic. The songs seemed to be ok but I would attribute that to the good acoustics and the sound system of the theatre. Kajol even after a comeback looks good and acts well enough to create a niche for herself where she doesn't potray herself as a 19 year old but at the same time doesn't look as old as she is! But that and only positive point of the movie is not enough to lift it up. And then the biggest FART of the movie...Aamir says to Kajol..."Tumhare agle 12 ghante, tumhari zindagi ke sabse haseen 12 ghante hoge"...FART....I literally roared out a big laugh....cos that meant he was going to get her laid!!! Junta sitting next to me stared at me in disgust, thinking what values I had & stuff...and when that really happened in the movie everybody was quiet and I was still laughing. (I was still holding my head in despair though)

Each time there was any mushy or emotional scene in the movie, there used to be this music and someone singing "Yaah Moullah". This happened so many times, in the end I was confused whether the name of the movie is Fanaah or Yah Moullah?? Yah Moullah would have been a better name, it would have probably saved me from seeing it....(First day...third show....FART...)

Then came this hot chase on snow mobiles in the Himalayan mountains....it was shot good and I thought ...OK the movie is getting better! But that was a very immature thought cos then Aamir gets injured and knocks on a house for help and presto....who opens the door?!? Kajol.....Ohh My God....I asked....What have I done so sinful on this earth that YOU have to put me thro' this torture!?!
So anyways....after that the movie just kept on going down and down....!!

On a second note...if you ever get a chance to see this movie :The Girl in the Café (2005) please do watch it. It is really really good!

2006-05-24T13:09:00.000-06:00

O Draconian Devil...Oh, Lame Saint!

Saw The Da Vinci Code last weekend. I feel its a good movie considering the reviews that it is getting. Of course, the book is better than the movie and it might confuse some people who have not read the book or have not seen the numerous documentaries on the actual truth about the holy grail on the History Channel, Discovery Channel or National Geographic! But overall the movie is fast paced inspite of not havng any MI-3 type action. Audrey Tautou presents herself very well as Sophie. Didn't know that it was her as Amelie in the movie 'Amelie', another very good movie, if anybody has not seen it. Tom Hanks though looking much older now, as I have memories of Hanks in Forest Gump and Appolo 13, acts to his age. Overall a good movie, though the movie cuts a lot of detail that is mentioned in the book.

2006-05-16T19:45:00.000-06:00

Philosophically....Freud!

Many a times I have thought, felt and experienced. Each time when something is wrong and instigating (concerning yourself or someone else), such a combination of events can be very harmful for ourselves, the basic human tendency being to immediately react to the situation, many a times with rage, displeasure or in some way or the other just to vent ourselves out. But if controlled at that instant and given a thought with a cool head, provided that you are right and you believe in yourself, the basic rule of nature "What goes Around, Comes Around" unfolds in front of you. Many a times I have seen this, and sometimes I feel its just not required for us to react, cos whether we react or not, whatever that is gonna happen (Go around, Come around thing) will happen and we by reacting and showing our displeasure, are just hurting ourselves or creating more stress for ourselves.

I hope I'm making some sense.. :-)

Current Music : Malaika :: Angelique Kidjo :: Logozo

2006-05-15T11:46:00.000-06:00

Unique Visitor!

My blog had a unique visitor on Sunday from Saint Kitts And Nevis. Didn't know until then that there were islands by that name! Thanks for visiting! :-)

2006-05-15T11:31:00.000-06:00

Logozo by Angelique Kidjo

I usually go to the Austin Public Library to pick out some movies for the weekend, and so I did on Thursday. There was quite a crowd at the DVD stacks and so waited at the audio cd stacks until people phased out. While browsing through some cd's I came across this album 'Logozo' by Angelique Kidjo. I have been an Angelique Kidjo fan ever since I heard her in P&V's car way back probably in 2001. Basically, Angelique Kidjo is an African singer, and hails from the land of Benin. As with every Kidjo's album, all the songs from Logozo are amazing with catchy African beats. One song from the album sung in Swahili, called Malaika is just amazing. The track really brings out the sweetness in Angelique's voice, with minimum music and beats. You can get a 30 second preview of the song here. Though I don't understand Beninese or Swahili, the music itself is pretty catchy and sweet. Basically Angelique is really really cool! This is one of her albums that I have got an instant liking to...

Current Music : Batonga :: Angelique Kidjo :: Logozo

2006-05-12T15:15:00.000-06:00

MI-III

Saw Mission Impossible-III yesterday. It is a good movie and really really fast paced. Worth putting your money into! It seems to be a totally hi-tech movie, so people who don't like hi-tech gizmos or need an explaination for what it is supposed to do (like how the old man explains in 007 movies) should think twice before investing the time and money. So overall the movie is good except for 2 really silly moments: First one is during a hot car chase, Ethan (Cruise) and his mates are in a car chase, and Ethan wants to make an emergency call.....he tries to make the call but his cell loses the signal..Huh!! I just can't imagine, the complete movie is so hi tech and still the cell phones keep on dropping their calls or loose signal!! Gives service providers another good creative idea for advertising! That was really hilarious. And the second most masala part in the movie is right in the end....I won't say it, or it will take away your one nice laugh!! But the movie is really good....I enjoyed it :-)

Current Music : Learning to Fly :: Pink Floyd :: Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd Disc 2

2006-04-30T18:18:00.000-06:00

Ok... Here's a good one on Ghalib!!

Ghalib Ek din Bewafa premika ke ghar ke bahar SUSU karte hue pakade gaye to Premika ne pucha yeh kyou?
Galib ne jawab diya - PYAR ME IS KADAR GHAYAL HUE KI AANSUO NE BHI APNA RASTA BADAL DIYA!!! :-)

2006-04-06T22:55:00.000-06:00

A Rare Sight after a Long Time!

As I was walking my way to school from the bus stop, I saw this huge bunch of small kids (~50 kids) sitting along the side walk. They were probably waitng for a bus to pick them up or something, but the full bunch was just enjoying themselves as any kid would do, chattering along with each other, clapping hands and what not. Its very unusual here in the US to see such a big bunch of kids playing together and for me this was indeed a very pleasant sight which brought a big smile on my face.

2006-04-04T23:35:00.000-06:00

Conversation overheard!!

With all due respects to the natives of the southern parts of our diverse Motherland, but I found this conversation quite amusing and brought an innocent smile on my face :-)

Person 1: So whaaat is yaar name, you said?

Person 2: Narsimhan Raviprabhakaran, Saar.

Person 1: So did you say you are in the computer? If you are in the computer, then you should get emails and notices from us.

Person 2: No Saar, I yum not getting yaany emails or noteecees.

Person 1: Ok, but thanks for the donations. Can you spell your name for me?

Person 2: Yun Ye aar Yuus I Yum Yuh Ye Yun

Person 1: Thank you. Now I have put you again in the computer so you should get all emails from us.

2006-04-04T12:17:00.000-06:00

Sunset at Galveston Beach, Feb. 25th, 2006: 7:39pm

I also have a slightly darker version of this picture, really dunno which is better...please let me know your views.

2006-03-28T21:41:00.000-06:00

After a break.... Just like that...

Why was I on a hiatus? I dunno..... I think I was busy with both work and play :-) In these days I shifted from regular glasses to contact lenses. Its been good shifting to contacts. The greatest advantage being the greater field of vision that you get, when you look thro' the corner of your eye. Using glasses, this area was always a blur, and it used to be very uncomfortable while changing lanes while driving on the freeway. Now its sooo cool!
Other than that, helped two of my friends to set up their home theatre systems. And one of the houses was so acoustically good, even I was amazed by the setting and the effect that it gave. Watched quite some desi movies...but the only one I remember and feel like really really cursing is 'Anjaane' starring Manisha Koirala. Ohh man that movie was so crap...total crap. Its a trashy remake of 'The Others'. Can't think of anything much to write now....but hopefully will try to be regular with my postings. :-) By the way today the weather was so good, it rained cats and dogs all morning, and I woke up at 11.30am and got out of bed at 12.45pm. WOW what a day to sleep over.....just toooo gooooood!!!

2006-02-19T15:28:00.000-06:00

Paris Hilton to act as Mother Teresa in an Upcoming Movie!! Heh Hehh!!

READ MORE

2006-01-24T12:11:00.000-06:00

They are COOL!!.........This is COOLER!!!........BUT THEY ARE THE COOOOOLEST of all !!!

Dear P&V,

Thank You Very Very Much!!! :-) That was indeed one of the biggest surprises ever!

~Pf :-)

2006-01-17T11:47:00.000-06:00

You should read this, its just HILARIOUS!!......Even I wanna have someone like that.... just to chat along...should be fun I guess!

Man's mouthy parrot reveals girlfriend's affair

2006-01-17T11:42:00.000-06:00

FOR THOSE WHO THOUGHT AFTER SEEING MY EPITAH.....

No I'm not non-existent or dead....just was dormant for a while....enjoying time with family :-)

And now I 'm back!!

2005-12-16T16:41:00.000-06:00

What Will My Epitaph Say?

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

2005-12-12T13:18:00.000-06:00

OLD TEXAN SAYING....

If you don't like this weather, wait for 15 minutes! :-)

2005-12-07T14:10:00.000-06:00

School closed today due to inclement weather!......Yaaay!!!

Due to today's forecast of icy rain and sleet, the University has been closed and all classes cancelled until tomorrow 10.00am. That is soooo cooool! I had a 2 hour review session which stands cancelled. I am so happy!! Such unexpected breaks are so much welcome :-)

UPDATE: I had to make up for the missed review session on Monday and hold a couple of more extra office hours! :-(
I guess what goes round.....comes around!!

2005-12-05T12:37:00.000-06:00

By The Way........

I took her upto a 115 yesterday, and she touched that mark without any effort to my surprise. I am pretty confident that she can reach higher too, but I don't wanna push her to the limit. My pretty VW Jetta GLS......she's just amazing. Ohh yes, BTW....I'm not talking about the milage! :-)

2005-12-04T16:15:00.000-06:00

What's So Good about Parineeta??

Saw Parineeta yesterday! And please somebody tell me why is the movie supposed to be so good? Well I guess the acting is ok! Saif is the usual and Sanjay Dutt is a total misfit for the character given to him. I think he should stick to his Bhai-giri roles only. The other girl opposite Saif (forgot her name) is totally pathetic!! Now about the COA (center of attaraction) of the movie, Vidya Balan. That lady cannot cry and cannot act out emotional roles. She is totally pathetic, in the sense, that I think Abhishek Bachchan acts out sentimental roles better than Ms Balan. Also Vidya Balan looks so big in age in front of Saif. She seemed to me of the age where she might have had several kids. She definitely looks much much elder to Saif. I am blurting out so much becos I really had great expectations about the movie and it was a total nose diving experience. There is nothing great about the story either, its so dumb, that when she tells Saif that she hadn't been to Moulin Rouge with Sanjay Dutt, its reason enough for the extreme rise and fall of Saif's anger and reason enough to have sex with her. That too when there is another marriage cremony going on in the house and Vidya Balan is portrayed as somone so important in the house, that she is needed at some place every minute. Aaaarrrrrgghhhhhhh!!! Hindi movies will never improve.
Ohh yes and not to forget, the pathetic, idiotic drama of breaking the wall between the two houses!! Why why why do directors have to really totally mess up things in the end, as if the steady crappiness building up in the movie was not enough and the director felt, a final bomb of crap combined with 'Silly-ness' and 'Dumb-ness' would really wind up the story well and bring it to an 'Amazing' climax.....Onceee again...AAAAARRRRRRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!
Aha...I really feel better now...

Current Music : Brick In The Wall:: Pink Floyd :: The Wall: Disc 1

2005-11-30T12:23:00.000-06:00

From CityLights/NeonNights -bold what you think is true for you and pass it on!

i have a cell phone
i have friends that (WHO!!!!) use me.
i am an only child
i love dangly earrings. (on my girlfriend...of course)
i love cold weather.
i'm obsessed with the computer.
i have shot a gun before.
i can't live without music.
i have no tolerance of ignorant people.
i have ridden on a motorcycle before.
i'll be in this town forever.
i've been to 5 other countries.
i get annoyed easily.
i eventually want kids.
i have neat handwriting.
i have more than a few horrible memories.
i am addicted to chocolate.
i am an atheist.
i love airplane rides.
i hate people who are fake.
i can be mean when i want to.
my parents care about my grades.
one of my best friends is a girl.
i have way too many wallets.
i'm obsessed with lip gloss ( no just chapstick).
i am easy to talk to.
i would never eat raw fish.
i cry easily.
i hate when people are late.
i procrastinate.
i love winter.
i have too many clothes for my closet/dresser.
i love to sleep.
i wish i were smarter.
i'm afraid of flying.
i hate drama.
i bite my nails.
i have been on an 8 hour drive.
i never fight with my parents.
i love the beach.
i have never had the chicken pox.
i have gone out in public in my pajamas.
i can't control my emotions.
i have a best friend.
i have moved more than once.
i truly love my friends.
i have braces.
i have never broken a bone.
i hate my computer.
i love girls that (WHO!!!) play the drums.
i state the obvious.
i'm a happy person.
i love to dance.
i love to sing.
i love cleaning my room.
i tend to get jealous very easily.
i love cute underwear.
i love night better than day.
i don't like to study for tests.
i have been on the phone for over 5 hours.
i am too forgiving.
i have horrible sense of direction.
i miss elementary school.
i'm a daddy's boy/daughter
i love the color pink.
i love to sew.
my eye color changes.
i should see a therapist.
i played on a girls sports team.
i become stressed easily.
i hate/detest liars.
i love the smell of rain.
i love my family.
i hate needles.
i am a perfectionist.
i always wanted to learn to play the drums.
i hate the feeling of failure.
i have friends in other countries.
i know how to cook.
i can be quite selfish.
at times, i still act like a little kid.
i have food allergies.
i love to read.
i wish i were more motivated for school.
i love getting stuff in the mail.
i have problems with letting go of old feelings.
i hate being alone.
i love summer.
i love the weekends.
i love black eyeliner.
i think Iâ€™m a looker.
i type with one hand.
i live in a one story house.
i wear make-up.
i have never rode on an underground subway.
i can't swim.
i have bad memories.
i have been to church and go to the temple.
i sing in the shower.
i hate cheerleaders.
i usually get what i want.
i have been on stage before.
i love roller coasters.
no one knows the full story of my life. There is no story!
i am close to my parents.
i don't have a curfew.

2005-11-29T14:29:00.000-06:00

Passing Thought!

The world of drug discovery is so amazing! Wonder what would the quality of our lives be, if we were not able to understand the functioning of our own selves.

2005-11-28T09:14:00.000-06:00

Funny heh heh!!

My blog got crawled into this search string: Someone searched for "Sunder chics" in Google (Sunder meaning beautiful in most Indian languages) and I had these two words in two different posts. Sunder was in the phrase "Sasta-Sunder-Tikau" and chics was in the post on How to control the spread of bird flu? :-) Also somehow the search in Google shows up as titled "Notify Blogger of Objectionable Content." Hehh heh thats funny, someone in search of "Sunder Chics" gets this search result "Notify Blogger of Objectionalble content" and clicks on it with great expectations, only to find pictures of my nose pickings in the recent posts! :-) Ohhhh, how much do I love Google!!

2005-11-27T17:25:00.000-06:00

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

2005-11-27T13:08:00.000-06:00

Gross but Surprising!!

I am sure there might be many people who have found bigger and wierder things coming out of their nose. Here's mine: How can a hair so ~~big~~ long (more gross) come out of my nose! And the surprising thing is I didn't even know that it was in there for a while, as the attached accessories indicate. Also it didn't tickle nor did it give me a sneezing sensation. It just dropped out as my nose turned dry!! :-)
For those with a weaker threshold CLICK HERE (less gross).

Current Music : Lady with the Spinning Head(DanceMix) :: U2 :: Best of 1990-2000

2005-11-26T02:21:00.000-06:00

Fishy Fishy!

I have noticed lately that I have a certain craving for sea food. Being from Mumbai, I have grown up eating fish. Recently it had been quite a while that I prepared some fish at home (~1 month) or had any at a restaurant. But anyways, even if I had it at any restaurant, it would never be something that I cook at home as it does not have the traditional Aaji's masala! (Granny's masala). So today was a lucky day as the grocery store had received a recent fresh stock of frozen sea food (yeah thats the most fresh you can get, which is probably a day after the fish is caught and frozen) and I could see how the shrimp was glistening under the ordinary light. Went in for the large gulf shrimp($ 3.69/lb) and large Jumbo shrimp ($5.99/lb) and Bass. Yes, the rates were dirt cheap. Invited a couple of friends over for dinner. Recipe being quite simple without any complexities, prepared the shrimp curry, pukka Marathi Ishtyle and fried the Bass. Thus rice, shrimp curry and fried Bass. What an excellent dinner with a glass of sweet and soft wine added to it.

2005-11-24T17:48:00.000-06:00

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!

2005-11-22T09:49:00.000-06:00

TAKE THE "WHAT FAMOUS LEADER ARE YOU??" TEST

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

2005-11-21T16:36:00.000-06:00

TAGGED by *CLEAR* *SMOKE*

Seven things that I plan to do:

1.Visit the Himalayas, Ladakh, some of the Pacific Islands, Galapagos Islands, New Zealand and the Amazon Jungle.
2. Have a pet falcon and name it Pasha. Or if I have a dog, might name it Khudabaksh or Pasha.
3. Get done with my studies ASAP
4. Learn to enjoy jogging in cold weather!
5. Learn to make scrambled eggs like my mom does!
6. Learn a musical instrument.
7. Have the best music collection that I can.

Seven things that I can do:

1. Do good presentations.
2. Play racquet ball
3. Spend endless hours in an electronic store.
4. Snap at someone in a very very mean way when they ask for it.
5. Drive endlessly
6. Trouble shoot!
7. Live concert recordings

Seven things that I can't do:

1. Network with people professionally.
2. Sing.
3. Read or write poetry
4. Stand suckers and a**e lickers
5. Gossip
6. Resist chocolate and pastries
7. Start my day without a cup of fresh coffee or STRONG tea!

Seven things I say most often:

1. Wassup?
2. What's Up, Mate? (with a Scottish accent)
3. Chal na! :( (Indian for C'mon please, lets go!)
4. Hey..
5. -Name-Bhai (Name-bro..)
6.Hmmmm....Kay Challay? (What's going on? in my mother tongue-Marathi)
7. Hook 'Em Horns!! (Slogan of the UT-Longhorns) To be done with a closed fist and propping your thumb, index finger and little finger stretched out!)

~~Seven~~ Six people I want to tag!

Parag

Illusion Perdues

Pseudorandomness

Pure Drivel

aNYa

MelangeS

2005-11-18T11:27:00.000-06:00

G.OBS!!

A friend comes over for coffee for the first time. I give her the creamer, sugar and a spoon. She prepares coffee and we hang out and chit-chat for a while. Next day morning when I go to get my coffee, I find that the creamer and the sugar are back in their right place in the cabinet and the spoon is washed clean and back into the cradle. Hmm impressive..... Such reflexes are not common. I myself am like that, and get a bit annoyed when things are not put back into their place after being used. Most of my friends are not used to putting things back into their place after being used. I like this new friend of mine! :-)

BTW 'G.OBS' stands for General Observations!! :-)

Current Music : Head over Feet :: Alanis Morissette :: Alanis Unplugged

2005-11-16T13:29:00.000-06:00

DUSK AT GULF PORT, MISSISSIPPI, August 2005.

2005-11-16T00:14:00.000-06:00

The Week Gone By....

By the way....I'm back from a conference in Nashville, TN. I left for TN on the 6th and and was back in Austin on the 10th. I had 2 poster presentations which went well. The lectures bored me to death except for a select few which I really found interesting. Every alternate night (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday) was spent in the bar attached to the hotel (The Grand Opryland Hotel) and this was really nice with some real good live music. Also when hungry late at night,and when all the hotel restaurants were closed, realized that 'Waffle House is a 24hr place, and the stuff you get there is pretty good! So Waffle house is now on the top on the breakfast list. Basically its 'Sasta-Sunder-Tikau' :-) Overall it was a nice and exhaustive week. Loved it :-)

Then Sunday I was driving south on Mopac, and the weather was just right! Partly couldy an partly sunny. As I went further south came across the exit for Highway 71 West, leading to Llano, Texas which is an old, small town with population of roughly 3000. The drive to Llano as I had read about it was sceninc and so just went on to take the 71 West exit and went on for 75miles before I reached Llano. The drive lived upto its description and thus thoroughly enjoyed it. I just love these random decisions that I take and feel good even more when they work out as expected or even better.

2005-11-14T09:07:00.000-06:00

HOW IGNORANT.....HOW DUMB!!

Just saw a Sierra Mist ad on TV right now. It has several office guys talking to each other and one of them seems to steal a friends Sierra Mist bottle. These people have post-its stuck to their foreheads with names of historical people written on them. One of the names is Gandhi, but it is wrongly spelled as 'Ghandi'. I am not sure about the script for the ad, but if its really a mistake then I think its really bad on the part of the ad agency who created it! When people make an ad, why can't they do a bit of research about it?

2005-11-03T12:26:00.000-06:00

"WHAT THE HELL??!!" I said to myself.....

Woke up today morning at around 6.45am....yeah nowadays I really wake up this early and watch the news and have my coffee for the next one hour or so....! So...I was saying..I woke up and prepared get my coffee. Took my UT mug, and instead of opening the refrigerator for milk, I opened my pantry and grabbed the bottle of Stolichnaya standing in there...and was just about to open it when I realized what I was doing and said to myself...."WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING!!!" This has happened for the first time ever ever...and no Im not an alcoholic or a drunk or that I need a shot of vodka everyday...well once or twice or thrice a week is Ok....but this was something that surprised me. Not that I am going to do anything about it but found this a bit.....should I say ~~wierd~~ weird(see what im saying) or strange! :-)

2005-11-02T15:31:00.000-06:00

Mallika Sarabhai Concert Pictures:

Those who read about my previous post on Mallika Sarabhai's Concert that took place in Austin a couple of weeks back, here are some pictures of the same concert. The picutres are shot by Amitava Sarkar, who loves to do concert photography as a hobby. The links to the pictures are here:

Click Here for the Classical Part of the Concert

Click Here for the Contemporary Part of the Concert

And this is Arundhati Singha.... The complete Darpana group is very talented, but personally I think Arundhati was one of the best among the troupe!! The fluency of body movement and the facial expressions were too coool!!

Special thanks to Amitava Sarkar for taking such excellent pictures!