This almost sounds like alien territory to me; revisiting it after a gorge that is around 8 months apart.
I had practically given up on blogging for the better part of 2008, and it is certain checkpoints like your birthday, that remind you that there is a life beyond the role of bread earning that needs to be exercised.
Reading is another of those long lost passions that I need to reignite in 2009. I'm already planning a dash to the Mountain View Public Library this weekend, to catch up on all the reading that has eluded my eyes since time immemorial. The last thing I remember devouring upon was the 'Godfather', which I enjoyed thoroughly. And then I took to reading the 'Last Don', but lost initiative along the way...
Celebrating birthdays in a place different from your home country has its own ramifications, and I wonder at technical aspects like when should I celebrate it? Should it be as per my current time zone or should I align it with India? Still haven't figured out the answer. I got around it, though, by making myself believe that its on both days, thus having a 36 hour window to rejoice...
We had planned to watch CC2C at the movies a while ago, when we last caught its enticing trailer while watching Singh is King. We were eagerly waiting thru mid January and were tuned to the theatres around that screen Bollywood films; lo behold, when the reviews came out, I was quite disappointed to see that it was a bomber at the BO. Well, that didn't mean we were going to give it a miss, especially in the era of streaming video delights, which friendly desis are eager to help their fellow Indians with. What a spirit of fraternity this movie sharing business is; doesn't it deserve some gallantry award, since the guyz have the cheek to brave the (C) word, in the land where 'sue' is a mighty weapon !!
So ultimately, CC2C or what I abbreviate as C22C or 2C2C or 22C was watched in the cosy confines of our apartment home, and we patted ourselves for being judicious and waiting for some public reviews. Its February and its raining here again; just waiting for President's day to catch up more sleep on the long weekend..ehhhh
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Friday, May 16, 2008
A laid-back Friday
Its one of those rare days @work, when the pace of life can match the pace of work. There are just a few things to take care of, and people are chilled out in general. What a surprise that this is happening in one of the most warm days seen by me in Nor Cal so far..Gave me the faint hint of being someplace closer to home in Pune, with a classic tropical climate, the winds confined to the Occidental coastline of the Pacific, and not trying to venture into the hinterlands of the Peninsula and South bay.
Today's a laid back Friday, and the scorching heat today means our office admin guyz have been thoughtful enough to order ice-cream and popsicles in the afternoon rather than the trite Beer, which can quench the thirst of certain souls but leaves tee-totallers with a bitter taste ..
In fact, it was the first time in more that six months last week that my entire team went to the HQ building to participate in the Friday evening bash. I was happy to move outside the confines of my solitary existence in office to a more social hangout. There was tons of food, mainly of the non-veg type that Americans devor and revel upon, with a bit of salad and veg rolls to satiate the palates of the green people...
Last weekend we went for a Marathi classical songs concert organized by the local Maharashtra Mandal, and it wasn't disappointing. Devki Pandit rendered a variety of beautiful compositions starting off with Raag Madhumati and culminating it with the traditional Bhairavi.
It was a good blend or cocktail, if you may, with classical, semi-classical, thumri, natya-geet, bhav-geet and bhakti -sangeet. Though I am not a big fan of hers, the mood and spirit of the occasion in the setting of the Jain temple @Milpitas was rejuvinating enough.
This weekend is going to busy for us, since we need to shop around and do other planning activities for the impending trip to the North East. We are really excited about this trip to NY and Niagara and guess the season is perfect for this excursion planned....
Today's a laid back Friday, and the scorching heat today means our office admin guyz have been thoughtful enough to order ice-cream and popsicles in the afternoon rather than the trite Beer, which can quench the thirst of certain souls but leaves tee-totallers with a bitter taste ..
In fact, it was the first time in more that six months last week that my entire team went to the HQ building to participate in the Friday evening bash. I was happy to move outside the confines of my solitary existence in office to a more social hangout. There was tons of food, mainly of the non-veg type that Americans devor and revel upon, with a bit of salad and veg rolls to satiate the palates of the green people...
Last weekend we went for a Marathi classical songs concert organized by the local Maharashtra Mandal, and it wasn't disappointing. Devki Pandit rendered a variety of beautiful compositions starting off with Raag Madhumati and culminating it with the traditional Bhairavi.
It was a good blend or cocktail, if you may, with classical, semi-classical, thumri, natya-geet, bhav-geet and bhakti -sangeet. Though I am not a big fan of hers, the mood and spirit of the occasion in the setting of the Jain temple @Milpitas was rejuvinating enough.
This weekend is going to busy for us, since we need to shop around and do other planning activities for the impending trip to the North East. We are really excited about this trip to NY and Niagara and guess the season is perfect for this excursion planned....
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Finally some time
At last there is some time at hand. I thought I was away from action for a couple of months, it so turns out I haven't posted since Dec..well that's pathetic..anyways..
To say that Jan-march has been quite hectic would be an understatement. Still we did a lot of cool things along the way..
We saw the nature's majesty in the form of Lake Tahoe, and did treks to Muir woods. SFO city as usual is a treat to visit, and we actually got great pictures of the Golden gate on multiple occasions. I always thought the city is taking time to accept us into its fold and finally it has...
Visitors from india has been another highlight, and the biggest advantage has been getting lots of home-made goodies on the opposite side of the globe..Hurray !!
Daylight savings happening last week and suddenly the day seems bigger. Its a treat to get back home in broad daylight and still enjoy the sunshine for an hour later. Also encourages us to get back on the fitness track and enjoy the spring weather. Barren trees have started showing sings of life again, and beautiful white and pink flowers are covering the tree tops..Birds are chirping and its Spring in Cali...
To say that Jan-march has been quite hectic would be an understatement. Still we did a lot of cool things along the way..
We saw the nature's majesty in the form of Lake Tahoe, and did treks to Muir woods. SFO city as usual is a treat to visit, and we actually got great pictures of the Golden gate on multiple occasions. I always thought the city is taking time to accept us into its fold and finally it has...
Visitors from india has been another highlight, and the biggest advantage has been getting lots of home-made goodies on the opposite side of the globe..Hurray !!
Daylight savings happening last week and suddenly the day seems bigger. Its a treat to get back home in broad daylight and still enjoy the sunshine for an hour later. Also encourages us to get back on the fitness track and enjoy the spring weather. Barren trees have started showing sings of life again, and beautiful white and pink flowers are covering the tree tops..Birds are chirping and its Spring in Cali...
Friday, December 07, 2007
Pacifica
Its been almost 2 months since we moved to the Pacific coast of the Americas, and looking back, it sounds like a wise decision. Good weather, lots of places to see and lots of friends and ppl you know..
Its taken a while, and now I am getting into the groove on the workfront too. It wasn't a simple start by any standards. Its a new company,new place, new colleagues and a new environment. On top of it, I was squeezed between buying essentials for our apartment, and work. To top it, my brainy had started to get a bit rusty for no apparent reason.
There was another contrast which I had to juggle with, and that was the difference in the working style I was used to, in India and on the East Coast vs. the one here in Cali. Now that I have realized what nuts and bolts need to be fixed, the jig saw puzzle is gradually finding its way out...
Though it will take some more time to get firmly rooted and have my juggernaut rolling..
Last month was great on the excursion front. Rahul, Aditi, Vaidehi and I had a great day in San Francisco, the cute city.The weather was chill and at its foggy best...The golden gate park and the golden gate bridge were real treats for us. We also had our first rendezvous with the waters of the Pacific Ocean, and it was biting cold to say the least...Its almost winter here, and the beaches of Cali are know to treat people coldy, they say..hehehehe
The Golden Gate bridge was truly marvelous, but we could just catch a glimpse of it, due to the extremely foggy conditions..Good reason for us to catch it later in the summer.
Thanksgiving weekend was an even bigger outing for us, with the Kakades and Deodhars setting off to Southern California on our maiden sojourn. it was an action packed trip for 4 days, starting with the riches of beverly Hills, Rodeo drive, thru the scintillating Hollywood and LA city, and leading us to Universal studios. The next day was in the sunny town of San Diego, just off the Mexican border, where we got a more than fair share of oceanic fauna, amongst sea lions, manatees, whales and dolphins, not to forget the flamingos...
On our way back we took route 1, going thru Sa Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara, and I had a nice adventurous 3 hours of driving in pitch dark along the winding state road besides the Pacific. What a shame we could not enjoy those moments of exuberance felt during a game of roadrash by the Pacific drive...There's always a next time, ain't it ?
Its taken a while, and now I am getting into the groove on the workfront too. It wasn't a simple start by any standards. Its a new company,new place, new colleagues and a new environment. On top of it, I was squeezed between buying essentials for our apartment, and work. To top it, my brainy had started to get a bit rusty for no apparent reason.
There was another contrast which I had to juggle with, and that was the difference in the working style I was used to, in India and on the East Coast vs. the one here in Cali. Now that I have realized what nuts and bolts need to be fixed, the jig saw puzzle is gradually finding its way out...
Though it will take some more time to get firmly rooted and have my juggernaut rolling..
Last month was great on the excursion front. Rahul, Aditi, Vaidehi and I had a great day in San Francisco, the cute city.The weather was chill and at its foggy best...The golden gate park and the golden gate bridge were real treats for us. We also had our first rendezvous with the waters of the Pacific Ocean, and it was biting cold to say the least...Its almost winter here, and the beaches of Cali are know to treat people coldy, they say..hehehehe
The Golden Gate bridge was truly marvelous, but we could just catch a glimpse of it, due to the extremely foggy conditions..Good reason for us to catch it later in the summer.
Thanksgiving weekend was an even bigger outing for us, with the Kakades and Deodhars setting off to Southern California on our maiden sojourn. it was an action packed trip for 4 days, starting with the riches of beverly Hills, Rodeo drive, thru the scintillating Hollywood and LA city, and leading us to Universal studios. The next day was in the sunny town of San Diego, just off the Mexican border, where we got a more than fair share of oceanic fauna, amongst sea lions, manatees, whales and dolphins, not to forget the flamingos...
On our way back we took route 1, going thru Sa Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara, and I had a nice adventurous 3 hours of driving in pitch dark along the winding state road besides the Pacific. What a shame we could not enjoy those moments of exuberance felt during a game of roadrash by the Pacific drive...There's always a next time, ain't it ?
Friday, October 26, 2007
My favorite season
The last quarter of the year more often than not tends to usher in good tidings for me.
Until last year, way back in India, it marked the onset of the festive season, with Navratri coming with a big bang, and Diwali crackers adding that icing on the cake....
The air gets so better, the scorching heat is gone, the monsoons have retired back to their abode in the oceans, and winter is round the corner. Its a trilogy of sorts; as a student there are more challenges to be faced in the form of mid-year exams, but once you are out of the clutches of this education system and onto a job, then things tend to get more relaxing on this front.
Its not just big festivals that leave an impression and give that feeling of gay to us, even the smaller and yet fun filled ones, for e.g Kojagiri Pournima today leave a distinct feeling of elation on my mind...The radiant, resplendent fully waxed moon shines its riches upon Mother Earth and we human mortals try to capture this parent-child romance in ounces of Milk and devour upon its crisp pure creamy taste ...Kojagiri makes me reminiscent of the nice dinners I had with my family in Pune on the terrace and more recently, the Sharad Pournima on the beaches of the Radisson Inn in Goa last year, with a bonfire and waves lashing incessantly onto the shores, with us folks merrying amidst all kinds of music and dance....
Even as I sit in my living room on the other side of the globe, the feeling of joy is pretty much the same..On the personal front too, I have begun this period of the year with lots of reasons to cheer for. The brand new job @Vmware, the brand new car-> Yes, the Honda Accord if you missed those sound bytes from me. I cant but help remember the commercial of Asian paints where Sunil babu gets a naya ghar, nayi gaadi, nayi mrs.. (well, my wife is nayi too, and I am still a naya husband) :-)
Being in the temperate part of the world has other side effects and advantages..I got my first exposure to this phenomenon called Fall (aka Autumn). ANd then there is a big gung-ho about how the leaves turn into rainbow colors and display the Fall colors to mankind... Its almost like a competition between states like Maine, MN, WI and NH as to where the carotenes and xanthophiles are most vivid and colorful....
We came down to the West not expecting any kind of Fall in Cali. But Palo Alto has had its fair share of Fall and its beautiful colors, and has been a treat to our eyes...
Overall, it feels good, being in the hub of Silicon valley, in the midst of the Googles and Yahoos and VMwares of the world..........Enjoy the season guyz..!!!!!!!!!!!
Until last year, way back in India, it marked the onset of the festive season, with Navratri coming with a big bang, and Diwali crackers adding that icing on the cake....
The air gets so better, the scorching heat is gone, the monsoons have retired back to their abode in the oceans, and winter is round the corner. Its a trilogy of sorts; as a student there are more challenges to be faced in the form of mid-year exams, but once you are out of the clutches of this education system and onto a job, then things tend to get more relaxing on this front.
Its not just big festivals that leave an impression and give that feeling of gay to us, even the smaller and yet fun filled ones, for e.g Kojagiri Pournima today leave a distinct feeling of elation on my mind...The radiant, resplendent fully waxed moon shines its riches upon Mother Earth and we human mortals try to capture this parent-child romance in ounces of Milk and devour upon its crisp pure creamy taste ...Kojagiri makes me reminiscent of the nice dinners I had with my family in Pune on the terrace and more recently, the Sharad Pournima on the beaches of the Radisson Inn in Goa last year, with a bonfire and waves lashing incessantly onto the shores, with us folks merrying amidst all kinds of music and dance....
Even as I sit in my living room on the other side of the globe, the feeling of joy is pretty much the same..On the personal front too, I have begun this period of the year with lots of reasons to cheer for. The brand new job @Vmware, the brand new car-> Yes, the Honda Accord if you missed those sound bytes from me. I cant but help remember the commercial of Asian paints where Sunil babu gets a naya ghar, nayi gaadi, nayi mrs.. (well, my wife is nayi too, and I am still a naya husband) :-)
Being in the temperate part of the world has other side effects and advantages..I got my first exposure to this phenomenon called Fall (aka Autumn). ANd then there is a big gung-ho about how the leaves turn into rainbow colors and display the Fall colors to mankind... Its almost like a competition between states like Maine, MN, WI and NH as to where the carotenes and xanthophiles are most vivid and colorful....
We came down to the West not expecting any kind of Fall in Cali. But Palo Alto has had its fair share of Fall and its beautiful colors, and has been a treat to our eyes...
Overall, it feels good, being in the hub of Silicon valley, in the midst of the Googles and Yahoos and VMwares of the world..........Enjoy the season guyz..!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
The new dawn...
The summer here is turning out to be better.
Vaidehi is in Atlanta now, and suddenly my mundane existence has sprung back to life.
The ghar ka khana is back and I am already feeling at home now.
Got some plans with Abhi for the labor day weekend, we might go around the city a bit, and probably further, time permitting.
Last weekend we spent a handful of hours in Atlanta downtown, and being here for almost 5 months, I hadnt ventured anywhere close to that part of town. Suddenly I explored the East-West Marta link for the first time, and also took a bus ride.. Underground Atlanta wa buzzing with activity and some pockets there reminded me of Tulshi-baug in Pune :-)
I had a few more exploits of interest in the last month, and some force in me has sailed me thru the objective I had in mind, cant spell it out here for fear of pre-maturely leaking out the news...but yes, life does promise to get even better in the next few months....
Haven't read any novels in quite some time, the last one being Five Point someone, and not Harry Potter, which is what people would expect to have read latest by default :-)
My culinary skills have been put to rest. Thankfully..Yeah, I was almost reaching a point where I wud rather succumb to burgers rather than spent a few hours daily in the kitchen besides the electric oven, trying to get tadkas and Indian cuisine cooked for my stomach.
Planning and will power are the keys to success, i have realized, and I hope to be more and more systematic to make this mortal existence one with lot of substance.
I Pray to thee Lord...
Vaidehi is in Atlanta now, and suddenly my mundane existence has sprung back to life.
The ghar ka khana is back and I am already feeling at home now.
Got some plans with Abhi for the labor day weekend, we might go around the city a bit, and probably further, time permitting.
Last weekend we spent a handful of hours in Atlanta downtown, and being here for almost 5 months, I hadnt ventured anywhere close to that part of town. Suddenly I explored the East-West Marta link for the first time, and also took a bus ride.. Underground Atlanta wa buzzing with activity and some pockets there reminded me of Tulshi-baug in Pune :-)
I had a few more exploits of interest in the last month, and some force in me has sailed me thru the objective I had in mind, cant spell it out here for fear of pre-maturely leaking out the news...but yes, life does promise to get even better in the next few months....
Haven't read any novels in quite some time, the last one being Five Point someone, and not Harry Potter, which is what people would expect to have read latest by default :-)
My culinary skills have been put to rest. Thankfully..Yeah, I was almost reaching a point where I wud rather succumb to burgers rather than spent a few hours daily in the kitchen besides the electric oven, trying to get tadkas and Indian cuisine cooked for my stomach.
Planning and will power are the keys to success, i have realized, and I hope to be more and more systematic to make this mortal existence one with lot of substance.
I Pray to thee Lord...
Saturday, August 04, 2007
I'm still here
Last month was a blog drought for me, without a single post. And its today that for lack of better alternatives, I find myself blogging again. Also once in a while I need to send KeepAlive(), so that people know my blog is still on :-)
July proved to be a routine mundane month, lacking the action of any sorts....
and now its August, getting warmer day by day in the Southern state of Georgia....
When I suddenly look back, its been 3.5 months out of India and still there are those moments, where I fail to come to terms that I won't be going home anytime soon....Luckily my wife would join me soon later this month and this is a big reason to cheer, since I hope it takes away half of my boredom.......
I have been planning some other things too in the meantime, and am hoping that by dint of my efforts and that element of luck, I should sail thru and successfully complete the project which I have set sail for.....
Today for the first time I went to the movies here, and watched the Bourne Ultimatum, and it was good to watch..Lot of action packed, a bit too fast to palette at times..but some kind of entertainment in general. I also came to terms with the buckets of popcorn that are gorged upon by fellows here. What a contrast compared to the small plastic tini-wini bits of popcorn we used to buy back home, from the market in Pimpri for like 2 bucks...(Rs..not $ hehehehe )
Exploring the US is going to be my next part of the agenda, and I hope to really see some good places and enjoy with Vaidehi when she's here...That would be really something to look forward to...
Let me end with an expression which I learnt from the Wonder Years which ran in the late 60s and early 70s...Have a neat summer !!!!
July proved to be a routine mundane month, lacking the action of any sorts....
and now its August, getting warmer day by day in the Southern state of Georgia....
When I suddenly look back, its been 3.5 months out of India and still there are those moments, where I fail to come to terms that I won't be going home anytime soon....Luckily my wife would join me soon later this month and this is a big reason to cheer, since I hope it takes away half of my boredom.......
I have been planning some other things too in the meantime, and am hoping that by dint of my efforts and that element of luck, I should sail thru and successfully complete the project which I have set sail for.....
Today for the first time I went to the movies here, and watched the Bourne Ultimatum, and it was good to watch..Lot of action packed, a bit too fast to palette at times..but some kind of entertainment in general. I also came to terms with the buckets of popcorn that are gorged upon by fellows here. What a contrast compared to the small plastic tini-wini bits of popcorn we used to buy back home, from the market in Pimpri for like 2 bucks...(Rs..not $ hehehehe )
Exploring the US is going to be my next part of the agenda, and I hope to really see some good places and enjoy with Vaidehi when she's here...That would be really something to look forward to...
Let me end with an expression which I learnt from the Wonder Years which ran in the late 60s and early 70s...Have a neat summer !!!!
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