The other half is filled with chirpy desi girls, in Disney princess themed, decorated cubicles.
To win, you have to be a man.
the ugly truth
One half of the world is filled with tiny little sorority girly, in petite jeans, with loud giggles, shiny hair and permanently active Facebook and IM clients.
lunch
Aug 2009 to May 2011
Go down to the Union. Get yourself a nice Burrito/Sub/something.
Go back to your empty office.
Fire up a nice podcast.
Peace.
June 2011 to Present
Scramble around, look for a new group to go out and have lunch with.
Pile into one car.
Go to a new place everyday.
Order the wrong thing (cause the script on the menu is tooooo small for you to see clearly)
Make a lot of polite conversation.
Come back feeling full and late- to a crowded workspace, stressing about saying/doing/eating the wrong thing.
Blog about it.
Peace?
Go down to the Union. Get yourself a nice Burrito/Sub/something.
Go back to your empty office.
Fire up a nice podcast.
Peace.
June 2011 to Present
Scramble around, look for a new group to go out and have lunch with.
Pile into one car.
Go to a new place everyday.
Order the wrong thing (cause the script on the menu is tooooo small for you to see clearly)
Make a lot of polite conversation.
Come back feeling full and late- to a crowded workspace, stressing about saying/doing/eating the wrong thing.
Blog about it.
Peace?
choices
20th January: this city of that?
10th June: this house or that?
13 th June: this boy or that?20th June: This roommate or that?
22nd June: this Business Unit or that?
27th June: Authentic chinese noodle for lunch or that?
a life of passion
some people aren't afraid of uncertainty.
they give up their stable jobs, as engineers and go off into the unknown to become publicists, entrepreneurs and musicians.
Trusting their talent to keep them away from poverty.
I sometimes wonder if they have ever felt the feeling. The feeling of wanting what they cannot have. The feeling of poverty.
That's all it comes down to in the end really.
Are u afraid of being poor?
Yes. Very.
YEAH we do !
Artwork from the construction site.Dedicated to PHAT people everywhere....
Cheers my brothers and sisters !
:D
last look at the bulletin board
Fall 2009, Graduate Assistant days, What pain this picture taking used to be.
Glad I'm not going to be around to see them take it down.
Location: Level 1, Lally, RPI
Next?
My last class. Today. Done. I had no one to say that to. Sad. Wired.
Last class ever? Probably.
Night at the Opera
If you saw 'Phantom of the Opera' on Broadway in New York City and put up pics of it on Facebook, titled "Night at the Opera", you are pretty stupid...
the difference
Lately I've been bothered by the fact that 'people' do not seem to know the difference between the words "marriage" and "wedding"...
If this is you, I'm sorry ! ;)
"Please attend my marriage"....grrr !
The wedding is the ceremony. The marriage is the life the couple leads afterwards.
The cost of living
It was a little cold. A little wet. A little quiet. The Air.
But what else was left to say?
Anything is possible in human nature after all.. Love. Madness. Hope. Infinite joy.
Of the four things that are possible in human nature, Infinite Joy sounds the saddest.
... Courtesy Rahel....
pangs
10.35 am. I'm proctoring a two and a half hour midterm.
I am so hungry right now!
BC just walked out saying he cant do the quiz right now because his grandfather died on Monday. He probably just made that up.
JS has been smirking frequently. I'm relieved, given that I promised him it wasn't going to be too hard, yesterday at the office hours.
AB on the other hand seems to be struggling as usual. I have no faith in that one.
AZ is sitting with TK. Seems like they're really good friends these days.
KP is alone in the back and looks worried. Typical Indian Grad Student.
Holly Golightly: Cat! Cat! Oh, Cat... ohh...
Its my parents' 28th wedding anniversary... and they're going to Breakfast at Tiffany's, which is actually the name of a restaurant !!
Trust my mom to come up with something cheesy like that ...
love, love, LOVE it ....!
Trust my mom to come up with something cheesy like that ...
love, love, LOVE it ....!
house training a dog
I was going to write a long nasty blog post about how difficult it is to teach a certain someone how to not push me to my limit and compare it to potty training a full grown dog... but well umm no!
i'm onto you !
alright who s the wise guy who came by my office ten minutes ago n pushed a bag of skittles under my door, and in the process nearly put me in cardiac arrest ?
AT, AK, SR... i know it was one of u...
and FYI, I hate skittles...next time it better be MnM's...
hiya panda!
trying to make plans to go see AS in Texas for some girl time..fingers crossed .. i m so psyched but have to go on a diet and buy some makeup be4 ending up there.. we cant have Kung-fu Panda(me) standing next to some Gisele Bundchen type(her) as her next FB profile picture !
Feb11.2011
I really am the poster child for "women who love boys who love boys"
u kno what i m talking about !
Feb07.2011
Washington DC. The westfield marriott at 7 pm
host at the wellington's diner and pub : would you prefer a table or a seat at the bar ?
me: a table
host: how about that corner?
(...boring one hour playing with my phone, texting, and forcing dinner down...)
Washington DC. The westfield marriott at 9 pm, room number 144.
I'm back in my $ 300 a night room, with its silk drapes and Egyptian cotton sheets.
(....Yes I am showing off...)
Feb05.2011
Moments.. one of those days i hope to remember for ever... "dumb and dumber", u guys made me feel so brave...
frozen toes, karma taxis, henry to the rescue, "the hood", the Audrey Hepburn doubts, THE amazing Standard, the 2.40 show, the mugshots, mohan and the double thomas, the hot lava, and the slippery slope.
Feb04.2011
lab folks and the union, free pizza, mexican food, a wine bistro , downtown schenectady, a shady conversation, and rescuing a friend with lal duphattas...
felt like such a grown up today..
Feb3.2011
I watched 127 hours after an entire day of being alone in my room !...talk about a nasty awakening !
love love LOVE-ed it !
"You know, I've been thinking. Everything is... just comes together. It's me. I chose this. I chose all this. This rock... this rock has been waiting for me my entire life. It's entire life, ever since it was a bit of meteorite a million, billion years ago. In space. It's been waiting, to come here. Right, right here. I've been moving towards it my entire life. The minute I was born, every breath that I've taken, every action has been leading me to this crack on the out surface."
on happiness...
Clarissa Vaughn: I remember one morning getting up at dawn, there was such a sense of possibility. You know, that feeling? And I remember thinking to myself: So, this is the beginning of happiness. This is where it starts. And of course there will always be more. It never occurred to me it wasn't the beginning. It was happiness. It was the moment. Right then.
life lesson
people always surprise u.
build ur walls strong and high , when the weather is good, because its only a matter of time before they show u who they really are, and u ll be sorry !
complications
we lived with it. each of us lived with a separate awareness, of the same thing; that between the four of us, we may have loved a man to death ..
i really need a win right now too
best thing anyone's ever said to me:
"I made you sound super-interesting
all enigmatic
and conflicted and flawed and whatnots"
Thank u .. best thing anyone s ever said about me, to me . You made my day !
updates from Pittsburgh
Wednesday
ORA->File->Open Meta Network->Select All->Union All meta networks -> sum
Time it should take = 10 secs (two ticks)
Time it takes ppl here = half hour
seriously?!
Thursday
Oracle VM Virtual Box ... what would i do without you !
Friday
I went to the three rivers art festival today. I got to see art exhibits from all over the country, and then finished the evening with chicken on a stick and an outdoor concert (Justin Townes Earle). Yiran and I took the Holiday Inn shuttle which saved us a lot of stress !...
Saturday
PCANS and CONSTRUCT theory. I am so sleepy!.. I should pay attention.
Letter 1 from CMU
I reached safe and sound ! .. after waiting around for a couple of hrs
at the baggage carousal, i got my checked in bags.. phew!... Took a
cab from there to ****** House where I had to check in. The cabbie, a
friendly dude from Trinidad, told me all about the city (& his life)
in his typical sing-song Trinidad accent.
The place is so freakin beautiful.. set on a hill with CMU at the top
of the hill,, and U of Pitts and two other universities as you go on
down the valley. There's a main street, brimming with students. All of
this is a little away from main steam Pitt in a place called Oakland.
The actual city of Pittsburgh is lights, glass, and sky scrapers...
So, main street oakland has all these clubs n eateries n
quintessential indian restaurants & indian ppl, and used book stores
and bars and people standing arnd wearing fabulous clothes (the
beautiful ppl) and museums, and theaters n modern art stores n street
musicians and libraries...
SO anyway I checked in and moved to ********* house. All the rooms are
connected via the bathrooms...
Creepy thing.. the bathroom doors dont have locks !
The view from the dorm room window is that of a forest...(PS I hate
forests .. they creep the shit outta me)... the trees of the forest
are so close u can touch it by merely extending ur hand out the
window.. at night u can hear crickets and all the other crawly forest
insects !
The dorm is deserted... I think i m the only one in the building... I
had weird flashes of a serial killer in a trench coats with a hook
keep me awake half the nite... People should be checking in today ..
"fingers crossed" .. classes start monday...
I didnt have internet yest... apparently the workshop has to start for
them to give us accounts...
at the baggage carousal, i got my checked in bags.. phew!... Took a
cab from there to ****** House where I had to check in. The cabbie, a
friendly dude from Trinidad, told me all about the city (& his life)
in his typical sing-song Trinidad accent.
The place is so freakin beautiful.. set on a hill with CMU at the top
of the hill,, and U of Pitts and two other universities as you go on
down the valley. There's a main street, brimming with students. All of
this is a little away from main steam Pitt in a place called Oakland.
The actual city of Pittsburgh is lights, glass, and sky scrapers...
So, main street oakland has all these clubs n eateries n
quintessential indian restaurants & indian ppl, and used book stores
and bars and people standing arnd wearing fabulous clothes (the
beautiful ppl) and museums, and theaters n modern art stores n street
musicians and libraries...
SO anyway I checked in and moved to ********* house. All the rooms are
connected via the bathrooms...
Creepy thing.. the bathroom doors dont have locks !
The view from the dorm room window is that of a forest...(PS I hate
forests .. they creep the shit outta me)... the trees of the forest
are so close u can touch it by merely extending ur hand out the
window.. at night u can hear crickets and all the other crawly forest
insects !
The dorm is deserted... I think i m the only one in the building... I
had weird flashes of a serial killer in a trench coats with a hook
keep me awake half the nite... People should be checking in today ..
"fingers crossed" .. classes start monday...
I didnt have internet yest... apparently the workshop has to start for
them to give us accounts...
Last night, I got in late so I didnt get a chance to investigate, which left me eating Vending machine goodies for dinner...
the main street is quite a walk from the dorm
This morning, I managed to walk down the hill and find a starbucks and sign in to
the network.. thank god
Should get less lonely from tomorrow.. havent met anyone, worth
writing home about, yet.. just some women at a symposium (on post
racial america ..which was a tad bit racist :o), I wandered into for
lack of anything better to do..
This morning, I managed to walk down the hill and find a starbucks and sign in to
the network.. thank god
Should get less lonely from tomorrow.. havent met anyone, worth
writing home about, yet.. just some women at a symposium (on post
racial america ..which was a tad bit racist :o), I wandered into for
lack of anything better to do..
will keep you guys posted
a lot can happen in 12 months
In 5 months I'm going to be 23 years old. 23 ! What have I done ? what have i achieved? I havent lived or done anything exciting. I have no idea what I'm doing with my life. and I see no clear possible way to change that. The one thing I wanted from life is to live with no regrets, and lately all i have is a whole bunch of regrets. whats the wildest thing I ve ever done? sat around getting bored when other people got drunk ... or is it maybe walking home alone from the library after midnite... or maybe driving above the speed limit at 7 30 am through the village streets in india... i ve done nothing. i ve seen nothing. A lot can happen in 12 months. Last May I was so sure I was heading to bigger and better things in life. and now I realize I may never be...
secrets
so many secrets .. so many secrets that are not mine to tell. Writing around them has become impossible.
Strike three
I've been an absolute "bitch" to everyone around me these days. Its surprising people still put up with it. Blame it on stress, blame it on the weather, blame on just being a scorpion- but it all just doesnt feel right. So I did the right thing today and I apologised to atleast some of the people. Maybe I need to make a list too (refer-"My name is Earl")
Note to self: Think think think ... and shut up !
Note to self: Think think think ... and shut up !
Playlist 32-A
"Aplogize" - One republic
"what it is" - Mark Knopfler
"Losing my religion" R.E.M
"the way i are" - Timbaland & Keri Hilson
"Just breath" - Pearl Jam
"i say a little prayer" - Aretha Franklin
"telephone" - LadyGaga & Beyonce
"Unwritten" - natasha bedingfield
"Maybe I'm amazed" - Jem
"Big Casino" - Jimmy Eat World
"Set fire to the third bar"- Snow Patrol
"Crushed" - daughtry
"Jail house rock" - Elvis ! ;)
"Here with me" - Dido
"Dont phunk with me heart" - Black eyed peas
"high and dry" - radiohead
"Lithum" - Nirvana
"Khyber Pass" - Ministry
"I believe in you" - Lion King !!
and THAT is her story
Hmm.. My sister s moving to Colorado.. finally .. after whining about it, n praying for it and being miserable over it, they are finally getting to live their dream. Congratulations you two, I hope you remain so nauseatingly attached for eternity! I say that with all the love in the world and I'm really happy for u guys :)
I've been reading "Say you are one of them" over the weekend. Its good. Not too addictive because I'm not the biggest fan of short stories, but the first person narration and the broken English has definitely grown on me.
Today I saw pictures of the adopted grand daughter and their (blood?) grand daughter together. Strange, they look like sisters. They have the same eyes. How odd. I'm definitely still pro-adoption . People out there, if you must have children, please adopt them- why do you insist in making more when there are so many out there, who actually need homes.
Adopt a girl-child today !
After that long talk with MM, a couple of weekends ago, I was definitely overwhelmed. There are so many aspects of adoption that I had'nt thought about. There are so many untold heart breaking stories. Like MM was telling me about her colleague JS. JS adopted a lil girl in the Fall 5 yrs ago. The then 5 yr old is now 10 yrs old. She was born to a single mother and an unknown father. Her mother, after dumping the child on her sister, disappeared and was never heard of, or seen again. The aunt, for the love of her sister or for the fear of her conscience, apparently tried pretty hard to support her for the first five yrs. But having two children of her own, and no ring on her finger or man by her side, decided that she couldnt do it anymore. If calling foster care, and giving her niece up to the system wasnt enough, she also gave out a fake address and disappeared without a trace, just weeks after she sent the child away- not caring, not worrying or bothering about what would become of her. Luckily, she was adopted into a loving home, to capable parents. In the subsequent five yrs, she grew to love her new home, the people in it and finally felt wanted and like she belonged for the first time in her life. But apparently though she loves her new parents, refers to them as mom and dad, cant imagine a life without their love and their care, --- still cries her self to sleep all through the season of Fall. Every time the leaves begin to turn orange she remembers, she remembers that this was the season she was given away, unwanted. She has been attending therapy sessions, but she has been involved in multiple acts of violence on the play ground due to unreasonable and uncontrolled anger- unimaginable anger at the world and possibly towards her self. Hopefully JS, and all the love they shower on her will one day be enough, to help her get over it all. Her name is Tatianna and THAT is her story !
we gotta lot of living to do !
It seemed like everyone on the Blog-sphere is out doing something really cool and writing about it and I had absolutely zip, zilch, nada, nothing !. I was just about to give up, and write about my somewhat eventful winter break, when something so much better came along. Winter break, of nearly a month saw me having my first Christmas day brunch at Erna's, driving my first car in the US (thank u subaru-man), a solitary but fun new yrs eve at mark's (again thanks to Erna), getting my first semester grades, Pirates of the carribean with MC, cake chicken and gossip with VVK, my first trip to chicago (i looked down from the Sears tower and hoped to see the city lights, but i ended up seeing so much more), my first trip to my sister s house, a dinner at a mongolian restaurant, buffalo wild wings and a football game, my first amerian flu (as uncool as the indian flu) . I had a pretty good time.
Towards the end SM and I saw AA thro her qualifiers and I'm pretty sure she s going to make us proud when the results come out. To celebrate her effort, we decided to go to NYC and see a broadway show, a life long dream ! After a lot of hesitation and cancellation and re-adjustment, we took the mega-bus to NYC, early Saturday morning.
Arriving at the city, hungry and cold was not ideal, but heading to the nearest Starbucks, fixed all the problems ! Having a couple of hours before the show, we walked over to the Empire State building , and went all the way to the 102 nd floor. We clowned around, took a million pictures, checked the view from every angle and felt the heat of the Sun after a few long winter months. Soon it was time for lunch and we had Indian food no less. I wont go into the details of the cauliflower manchurian and the like, to spare your mouth the water ;)...
Finally it was time for the 2.30 show. It was at the "majestic theater", just off Broadway. As we arrived at the theater, A line began to form but quickly dissolved and we were inside. I could'nt believe my eyes. It was just like the sets of a 1950's movie - The heavy paneling, the plush carpet, the winding staircases, the dim lights, the fabulously classy audience, the chandeliers, the buzz of the crowd, the subtle smell of liquor and tobacco. It was just perfect. Our tickets in the Front Mezzanine, took us two flights up, to a location that was to one side, overlooking the stage. I have to say we were slightly disappointed we didnt spend 20$ more and get tickets in the Orchestra section where we could have been more on par with the stage level. We joked around a bit, about how the actors' wouldnt be able to hide their bald spots from us thanks to our convenient angle. We soon got pretty fascinated with the rather ornate carving on the ceiling and the walls and got comfortable in the snug leg-room less chairs and started feeling pretty lucky ! I've attached a picture of the ceiling. Pictures werent allowed during the actual show so, I dont have any of that. Its just as well cause u pretty much had to be there to understand what it was like. The seats filled up and the show started on time. I was blown away. The story line was amazing. It was about a young girl - "Christine" , who becomes the lead at an opera house which was "haunted" by a phantom. The phantom was actually a disfigured musical genius who was in love with the heroine, and her voice. Having trained Christine in his secret hideaway by night, he revels in her success and the pleasure it gives him to listen to her. Innocent Christine, believing that the phantom was actually "the angel of music" sent by her dead father, continues to protect him. He soon starts to write exclusive masterpieces for the team to perform and he dictates that Christine is to always be cast as the lead. The phantom (who actually cut a rather dashing figure in his tuxedo and mask) lived in the sewers under the opera house and keeps the management in check with letters of promised violence if his wishes are not carried out. When the management and teh actors, try to revolt, disaster in the form of a violent murder in the middle of the show and a crashing chandelier mark the seriousness of the Phantom's intentions. Christine loses her admiration for the musical genius, and her respect and awe are replaced by fear. Christine and her young lover, the incredibely chivalrous rich handsome gentleman, Raoul, want to leave the terrifying situation behind. Raoul plans to set up a trap and to capture the phantom. Christine paralysed half by fear of the phantom, and the will to not wrong him cooperates with the plan only for the love of Roul and for her freedom and his safety.
The horror interlaced with love and tragedy had me in tears pretty soon. I was trully blown away in the very end, when the plan to capture the phantom is foiled and results instead in the Phantom capturing Christine and disappearing to his hideout. He tries to coerce Christine to marry him and live with him forever, after revealing his terrifying marred face. Raoul eventually arrives to rescue his lady love, but he is duly captured. The phantom plays on Christine's love for Raoul, and agrees to free Raoul, and spare his life if and only if Christine agrees to marry him. Torn, Christine for the love of her dashing hero Raoul, agrees with the phantom and begs him to let Raoul go. She even goes as far to tell the Phantom that he is indeed the one that she loves and seals their deal with a kiss. And then in that final kiss, the man within the Phantom awakens, and because he trully loves Christine, releases her and Raoul, and lets them go free.
Towards the end SM and I saw AA thro her qualifiers and I'm pretty sure she s going to make us proud when the results come out. To celebrate her effort, we decided to go to NYC and see a broadway show, a life long dream ! After a lot of hesitation and cancellation and re-adjustment, we took the mega-bus to NYC, early Saturday morning.
Arriving at the city, hungry and cold was not ideal, but heading to the nearest Starbucks, fixed all the problems ! Having a couple of hours before the show, we walked over to the Empire State building , and went all the way to the 102 nd floor. We clowned around, took a million pictures, checked the view from every angle and felt the heat of the Sun after a few long winter months. Soon it was time for lunch and we had Indian food no less. I wont go into the details of the cauliflower manchurian and the like, to spare your mouth the water ;)...
Finally it was time for the 2.30 show. It was at the "majestic theater", just off Broadway. As we arrived at the theater, A line began to form but quickly dissolved and we were inside. I could'nt believe my eyes. It was just like the sets of a 1950's movie - The heavy paneling, the plush carpet, the winding staircases, the dim lights, the fabulously classy audience, the chandeliers, the buzz of the crowd, the subtle smell of liquor and tobacco. It was just perfect. Our tickets in the Front Mezzanine, took us two flights up, to a location that was to one side, overlooking the stage. I have to say we were slightly disappointed we didnt spend 20$ more and get tickets in the Orchestra section where we could have been more on par with the stage level. We joked around a bit, about how the actors' wouldnt be able to hide their bald spots from us thanks to our convenient angle. We soon got pretty fascinated with the rather ornate carving on the ceiling and the walls and got comfortable in the snug leg-room less chairs and started feeling pretty lucky ! I've attached a picture of the ceiling. Pictures werent allowed during the actual show so, I dont have any of that. Its just as well cause u pretty much had to be there to understand what it was like. The seats filled up and the show started on time. I was blown away. The story line was amazing. It was about a young girl - "Christine" , who becomes the lead at an opera house which was "haunted" by a phantom. The phantom was actually a disfigured musical genius who was in love with the heroine, and her voice. Having trained Christine in his secret hideaway by night, he revels in her success and the pleasure it gives him to listen to her. Innocent Christine, believing that the phantom was actually "the angel of music" sent by her dead father, continues to protect him. He soon starts to write exclusive masterpieces for the team to perform and he dictates that Christine is to always be cast as the lead. The phantom (who actually cut a rather dashing figure in his tuxedo and mask) lived in the sewers under the opera house and keeps the management in check with letters of promised violence if his wishes are not carried out. When the management and teh actors, try to revolt, disaster in the form of a violent murder in the middle of the show and a crashing chandelier mark the seriousness of the Phantom's intentions. Christine loses her admiration for the musical genius, and her respect and awe are replaced by fear. Christine and her young lover, the incredibely chivalrous rich handsome gentleman, Raoul, want to leave the terrifying situation behind. Raoul plans to set up a trap and to capture the phantom. Christine paralysed half by fear of the phantom, and the will to not wrong him cooperates with the plan only for the love of Roul and for her freedom and his safety.
The horror interlaced with love and tragedy had me in tears pretty soon. I was trully blown away in the very end, when the plan to capture the phantom is foiled and results instead in the Phantom capturing Christine and disappearing to his hideout. He tries to coerce Christine to marry him and live with him forever, after revealing his terrifying marred face. Raoul eventually arrives to rescue his lady love, but he is duly captured. The phantom plays on Christine's love for Raoul, and agrees to free Raoul, and spare his life if and only if Christine agrees to marry him. Torn, Christine for the love of her dashing hero Raoul, agrees with the phantom and begs him to let Raoul go. She even goes as far to tell the Phantom that he is indeed the one that she loves and seals their deal with a kiss. And then in that final kiss, the man within the Phantom awakens, and because he trully loves Christine, releases her and Raoul, and lets them go free.
The entire play was set in music, with each dialogue a lyric in a song. The eerie, haunting quality of the music was something I have never heard before. The cast did an excellent job, with not a line, tune or costume out of place. The trio, Christine, Raoul and the Phantom, were world class and I cannot even begin to describe how amazingly they played their parts. There is a reason that this play is the longest running in Broadway history, and I will be shocked if I see anything better in my entire lifetime.
When we got out, all three of us were a bit dazed ! I totally understood what JayZ and Alicia Keys were talking about in the their song about NY city- "Empire state of mind" which goes "These streets will make you feel brand new, the lights will inspire you". What a surreal, out of body experience.
Having about an hour n a half to kill, before our bus left, we turned down the idea of shopping in Macy's and getting our palms read at the local psychic, in favor for eating street food, listening to street music, and getting our portraits drawn by street artists. Just as we were feeing content, inspired and all set for a another new semester, two women leaving an adjoining Broadway house, sped past us singing "We gotta a lot of living to do... ", and it struck home, cause thats exactly what each of us were thinking at that time :) ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXDonUxBxig -this is a clip from the Phantom of the opera "movie". Its not the same but I hope you enjoy it.
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