Do YOU Really Exist??

O Almighty,
I wonder and have always wondered.. DO YOU Actually Actually Exist! And I still have no answers.
There have been instances, where you have so strongly reinstated my belief in you that words will not do even minor justice. You listen to Prayers so I pray with all might and belief to handle issues which need your urgent attention.

What a Year!

Wow! What a year 2007 has been! It has given me plenty in terms of experience. A super year academics wise,,,got the university I desired, final year project went off super well,, good results of final year, research project seems exciting! yay! good going that front!
Emotionally , a roller-coaster year...in fact made me mature quite a bit. Thrill, Joy, Frustration, Dilemma, Loneliness, Anger, Disbelief..I saw it all this year.. Separation from close ones, times when your heart bleeds but you cant cry.. Times when you get stuck,, Head vs heart battle... gaining control of your mind, not yielding to temptations
Shallow relationships,.. mad bad REAL world... Strengthening of Character..
Phew...above may not make much sense...but you construct the phrases grammatically and it should!
I pray and I pray sincerely for a lucky 2008! (O Lady Luck plz dnt desert me !)

In USA ..finally

Well...some gyan I acquired these days (I'm a novice...it was my first intnl flight n first intnl trip...)
i wud like to share.....

1) Air India is not THAT terrible as ppl sound it is...i was impressed by the food...service may not exactly be super amazing..but it did not cause me any probs...

2) Chicago Airport is 20 times size of Mumbai airport..

3) The brands of cars here are different...Toyota camry, toyota sienna, Lexus, nissan, Ford, Honda civic were some of the names i learnt and saw in my first 2 days here...

4) Everything is reverse here...switches on/off.. left hand drive.. (consequentially left turn being longer)

5)In 2 days...I havent heard a single car honk..there is no system of horn...Traffic rules r super strict here....if u honk..it means driver in front of u doesnt drive...

6) People generally r pleasant..any store/office u go...u r greeted "Hi..How u doing?"

7)Chicago downtown is full of skyscrapers...I have heard people here comment it easily beats Manhattan too.. I too think it can beat anything in the world....Sears towers leads the pack with 110 storeys...baaki many building surround it..70-80 storeys is common there

8) Place where I live is very peaceful.. I can hear myself type (as if I am using a typewriter)
I dont know who the neighbours are. Never seen anyone come out..Just saw a kid cycling..

9) The tissue culture takes time to get adjusted..No, its not my research field...I'm talkinh abt the toilet culture..lol

10)Cabbage here is the size of a football..many kinds of fruits and vegetables are available here...

11) There is Diwan Avenue here..divided in 2 parts..half of it is Pakistan and other half is INDIA..
u get desi stuff here...stores r named patel brothers etc..felt good....u get indo pak food..clothing..everything here...inside the stores saw so many desis.......felt so much at home...

12) Its difficult to beat americans at basketball..tried it with my cousin...lost hands down..(i wasnt playing for the first time..have had coaching at ymca n played for some time b4..still..I've lost all pride now...


13)
Where r all the BABES?? friends whom i meet online keep asking abt chicks...but i havent seen any here .....last awesome looking gal i saw was at frankfurt airport...
I am not in luck here...hopefully things will imporve soon..

more laters...

Mumbai Rains

Everyone is crazy about the Mumbai Rains...
The media is super crazy about them..
Only half an hour of rain and TV news channels show waist- deep water everywhere. .
Some areas do indeed get water-logged faster than others and I happen to live in one such area...unfortunately..but I get real bugged at the mass hysteria that the news channels create..
I am dead sure that they show clips of previous years...
I wonder when the city would stop getting so paranoid..
When some junkie on the news shouts blaringly that all trains have stopped, floods everywhere, 5-6 feet water in people's homes (they do say that...with half an hour of rain)...it is natural for people to get scared..and rush for their homes..adding to the chaos..
Starting from June 1, all news channels will have their media van posted outside Milan subway..They wait more eagerly for the rains than the rural farmer or the peacocks or cuckoos (as some folklore goes..)
Everyone in the country knows where milan subway or kurla or Air india colony is..These have become landmarks of Mumbai.
Earlier, tourists used to enquire about Gateway of India or Rani Baug zoo, but now they are more keen to find out where Mithi river (or drain) is..

On a personal note, I love the rains as long it is within the measures that my area doesnt get water logged and I am not under house-arrest..
The weather gets real pleasant, and I like to see people getting drenched..especially girls..gives you a nice decently naughty pleasure and you go day-dreaming about when you will share your umbrella with someone special during the rains...For now, it remains a long unfulfilled wish only... ;)

Eight Random facts/things about Myself.

I got tagged by Deepika and was made to do this..
Hmmm..this is interesting exercise..

1) I have groomed myself to be a late-sleeper...You can't push me to bed before 1 am.. try it...
I get scolded for it everyday by my parents..with the level rising casual cajoling to threats of disconnecting the comp/TV...Still..I have managed to hold on..

2) I have a perennial sweet tooth..I can gobble up anything sweet...I have no likes and dislikes when it comes to sweet..anything sweet..it is so meant for me..Ahh..got reminded of my dentist..(Dentist treatment is worst form of torture..the doc will so gently ask you if it is hurting..n still keep on working and grinding your tooth..)

3) I'm a huge bollywood fan..and i boast of supreme level of GK in scenes bordering on risque...I like to get to the root of censored/edited stuff ;)
examples being movies like maya memsaab, utsav, chhoti si love story...(Don't hate me for this..this is not the eye of the pervert, just weird habit...)

4) Girls..Intelligent girls do fascinate me...not geeky, but I can immediately gauge the level of maturity..I dnt gel with girls who just giggle n giggle n behave childishly..Eyes have a special charm..therein lies the magic..
I enjoy lil harmless flirting here and there, but wouldnt enter into a commitment/relationship unless i m sure the girl is the right one/ perfectly compatible..

5) I end up making the silliest of mistakes/goof-ups in daily life, for which I want to bury myself there and then..Sometimes, common sense just goes blank..Eg..I get real nervous while driving on a crowded, bottlenecked road in between buses and trucks..I constantly pray for my safety..

6) On a religious level, I dont know if I'm a strong believer in God.. Knowing bio quite well and all the theories of origin etc...sometimes I question HIS existence...
but many times, certain experiences have led me to believe there is some ENERGY...have FAITH>.....

7) I'm a strange mix of a people's person and a reserved person.. I can''t live without friends ,who are a great support system, and sometimes I do feel like keeping to my own..giving myself my own space..
Having said that, I have a good network of wonderful friends, and I am really possessive about them..if someone needs my help.I can go to all ends to offer my assistance..

8) I have never had a drop of alcohol yet, despite coercion to atleast taste...I dont have a reason..just that I dont like to breach the trust my parents have on me...
knowing fully well the percentage of ethanol, neat/dilute needed to keep you sane..and other fundaa...people challenge me that I will be drinking lots in USA, but lets see how long I can hold on... ;)

Time is Slipping Away!!

Well, I am starting this blog on a ..... note ( dont know the exact word that wud fit in.....after reading it..fill in the suitable word yourself)
Well, now within two months of leaving ground, (country actually) and suddenly don't feel like going..
I do know that a rocking life awaits me,... ( beaches, scenic locations, parties.. new friends, SoCal blondes and a great research atmosphere)
But still, now suddenly I don't really feel excited about going..
I must admit that I havent really stayed away from my parents before, and leaving them does hurt. And no, I am not being a wuss, or a cry baby.. Its just that you observe carefully how their life revolves around you, and suddenly when the "apple of their eye" goes far away, how will they live//
I might get absorbed in the hectic life, making new friends and living new experiences, but for them ..the life would be same old one..and so drab..

Every place I visit, I ponder..will I be able to come back here again ever or soon enough?
Yes, I can feel the time slipping.
With many friends (whose jobs have already started) left Mumbai, I can slowly sense the loneliness..
Have I become Comfortably numb? The days were definitely brighter earlier..

Enough of brooding now..!

Shopping relieves me from some tension these days, but at the same time, it burns a hole in my pocket..(Dad's pocket actually)
I have been catching some good movies lately..like MEMENTO , ROCKY 1-4, ENEMY At the gates.. saw again the HEROES series, caught op with few very old episodes of friends...
And have been listening to lots and lots of music..all kinds of it...
And another thing that has invoked some passion in me is cooking...learning some household items...getting that roti the perfect round shape does give u a kick...try it!! (n no..i ain't showing off)

Well..this completes my first blog article...dunno if ever any1 is going to read this stuff..