tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94501892024-03-07T18:12:21.487-05:00Life as I know itIrfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-75436448359793136042007-03-06T21:08:00.000-05:002007-03-22T02:25:41.658-04:00Life and Coffee<span style="color:#996633;">As I was trying to think of something funny to write about coffee/tea and the types of emotions that go along with it, I remembered coming across a story which is inspiring as well as thought provoking. Though I wanted to write the post involving India somehow, I didnt want to ruin the story. Enjoy!!<br /></span><br /><blockquote>A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.<br /><br />Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups--porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.<br /><br />When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.<br /><br />Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life; and the type of cup we have does not define nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us."<br /><br />Enjoy your coffee! “The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything."<br /><br />Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.</blockquote><br /><span style="color:#996633;">Now only if we try to look beyond the superficial things. The body that we carry is nothing but a shell and what matters is whats inside of us. The type of coffee we are inside and not the cups makes us who we are.</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#009900;">I do have to confess though that I do like the idea of collecting coffee cups :-)</span>Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-69871282386521124122007-01-25T19:56:00.000-05:002007-01-25T09:26:34.392-05:00Filled with I'sI came across this tag in a blog and I thought I would also include this in mine just to write about something and discover myself along the way with this tiny experiment.<br /><br />Here we go:<br /><br /><span style="color:green;">I am thinking...</span><span style="color:#663300;">of what I should write and what I will be discovering about myself from this experiment.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:green;">I said...</span><span style="color:#663300;">that I will do this and that but sometimes I don’t get around to doing it….sorry!</span><br /><br /><span style="color:green;">I want...</span><span style="color:#663300;">to have mom’s cooking while sitting with dad and sis at the dinner table. Plus someone helping my mom instead of me ;-)<br /></span><br /><span style="color:green;">I wish...</span><span style="color:#663300;">I can fly….literally and figuratively fly.</span><br /><br /><span style="color:green;">I miss...</span><span style="color:#663300;">family in NYC...have been out of NY since May.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:green;">I hear...</span><span style="color:#663300;">just complaints all the time whenever I go to Chennai. But thank God not from kids.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:green;">I wonder...</span><span style="color:#663300;">what it would be like to just sit, relax and wonder.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:green;">I regret...</span><span style="color:#663300;">not falling in love earlier. Its a great feeling to be in love…..but if I had fallen in love earlier...how would I have found the love of my life now. :-)</span><br /><br /><span style="color:green;">I am...</span><span style="color:#663300;">what I am.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:green;">I dance...</span><span style="color:#663300;">Not!!</span><br /><br /><span style="color:green;">I sing...</span><span style="color:#663300;">when I am alone and when I am comfortable with others.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:green;">I cry...</span><span style="color:#663300;">very rarely.</span><br /><br /><span style="color:green;">I am not...</span><span style="color:#663300;">perfect.</span><br /><br /><span style="color:green;">I write...</span><span style="color:#663300;">about things that only I can understand, you can only make some sense out of it.</span><br /><br /><span style="color:green;">I confuse...</span><span style="color:#663300;">myself sometimes.</span><br /><br /><span style="color:green;">I need...</span><span style="color:#663300;">to be comforted just like everyone else even though I don’t show it on the outside.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:green;">I should...</span><span style="color:#663300;">spend more money on myself.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:green;">I finish...</span><span style="color:#663300;">things at the last minute, just to put on more pressure on myself. See I finished this post an hour after I started.<br /></span><br />I enjoyed doing this, maybe you should also give it a try. It might clear things up a bit.Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-76613342645059621232007-01-09T15:30:00.000-05:002007-01-10T16:04:39.110-05:00The Indi-listThere is a certain list going around in the blogsphere called Z-list that <a href="http://moblogsmoproblems.blogspot.com/2007/01/z-list-continues-to-spread.html#links">The Viral Garden: The 'Z-List' continues to spread</a> introduced by Mack Collier. It lists the blogs that have been neglected for whatever reasons, but are very good to read. <br /><br />Then an indian blogger named Reshma started a similar list but solely focusing solely on <a href="http://reshmaanand.blogspot.com/2007/01/indi-list-lets-get-rolling.html#links">Indian blogs</a>.<br /><br />She says<br /><blockquote>I have started the list with a few blogs which you will find at the end of my post, I have restricted myself to Indian blogs / bloggers. All you need to do is :<br /><br />1. Copy and paste the list of blogs into your new post,<br />2. Add to that list any additional blogs that you think need more air time. You can add as few or as many (good) blogs as you like<br />3. If blogs you wanted to add are already on the list / you can't think of any, that is fine too. just be a kind soul and repost the list you find :)<br />4. Add these instructions in your post so the next blogger does the same thing.<br /><br />The cumulative effect of the list growing from post - to - post will lead to your discovering new blogs that you hadn't seen before and some of those good blogs will get the link love they deserve.<br /><br />The honour rule: is the you don't add your own blog to the list. If someone thinks you should be on the list, you will !<br /><br />Help us keep track of the list.<br />Just so that we know where and how the list is growing, if you use tags please include the tag indi-list in your post or send in a mail with your post link.<br /><br />We hope the list lives and grows for a long time to come and will attempt to maintain a list of blogs on the indi-list at Blogchaat.</blockquote><br /><br />And with that the indi-list is born<br /><br /><a href="http://anuradhaganapathy.blogspot.com/">Engage Energize Evolve</a><br /><a href="http://www.shuchikasahay.blogspot.com/">On borrowed Time</a><br /><a href="http://witnwisdumb.blogspot.com/">Witandwisdumb</a><br /><a href="http://urban-j.blogspot.com/">Urban Junkie</a><br /><a href="http://siriwithasmile.blogspot.com/">DiagonallyParked in a parallel universe</a><br /><br /><font color="Brown">And now my addition to the list:</font><br /><br /><a href="http://sayesha.blogspot.com/">Sayesha's world</a><br /><a href="http://smilesnsmiles.blogspot.com/">A Mirror with a Smiling Life! ! !</a><br /><a href="http://www.withinandwithout.com/">Within / Without</a><br /><a href="http://chennai.metblogs.com/">Metroblogging Chennai</a><br /><a href="http://bangalore.metblogs.com/">Metroblogging Bangalore</a><br /><a href="http://kusumrohra.blogspot.com/">Something about Everything</a><br /><a href="http://anjihad.blogspot.com/">Angee's World</a><br /><a href="http://doesthisthat.blogspot.com/">Dilettante</a><br /><a href="http://archana.blogspot.com/">A rupee for my thoughts!</a><br /><br />Feel free to copy to your blog and add to the list some of your favorites that you want the world to know :-)Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-75084145261767723832007-01-07T13:19:00.000-05:002007-01-10T01:54:54.166-05:00DilbertismsA New Year and most of us are back from vacations and drudging back to our work. Thinking that it will be the same as last year, hmm well don’t worry; Dilbert is here to save us with some advice for this year and beyond.<br /><br />I saw this on a <a href="http://smilesnsmiles.blogspot.com/2007/01/dilbert-speaks.html">fellow blogger's </a>website, plus I have read this numerous times via email-fwds. Still I thought I will post it as well and maybe look back on it from time to time. :-)<br /><br />Here are the Dilbertisms:<br /><br />1. I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow is not looking good either.<br /><blockquote><font color="brown">Wish we can at times live like this, not caring about what other people think and just live for ourselves. No need to please anyone.</font></blockquote><br />2. Tell me what you need, and I'll tell you how to get along without it.<br /><blockquote><font color="brown">Ah this one is very good, there is nothing as an absolute need. Things can be replaced so learn to live with the adjustments in life.</font></blockquote><br />3. Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.<br /><blockquote><font color="brown">Think of this for a minute. The person next to your cubicle, dont you think he/she also has ideas on why you just sit there and not talk to them....weirdo.</font></blockquote><br />4. Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.<br /><blockquote><font color="brown">Exactly!</font></blockquote><br />5. A pat on the back is only a few inches from a kick in the butt.<br /><blockquote><font color="brown">HAHA now this is something that many top managers do best. Just do your job with the utmost pride and dont worry about the pat on the backs...who knows the manager might miss and just kick the butt.</font></blockquote><br />6. The more crap you put up with, the more crap you are going to get.<br /><blockquote><font color="brown">Don’t think that just because you are patient and able to handle it, it is not affecting you. It is affecting you!!…All the crap that you deal with day in and day out, put a stop to it. Let people know that it is not tolerable.</font></blockquote><br />7. When you don't know what to do, walk fast and look worried.<br /><blockquote><font color="brown">Hmmm…ok I have done this, it works :-). However do try to know what you are doing. It helps to get yourself some time by walking fast and looking worried, but use that time to read/learn up on things.</font></blockquote><br />8. Following the rules will not get the job done.<br /><blockquote><font color="brown">As another saying goes… “Rules are meant to be broken” take heed of it and do what you must to get the job done.</font></blockquote><br />9. There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.<br /><blockquote><font color="brown">This is a funny one but how many of us feel that it describes them. Working in a pressure filled situation will bring out the best in us as well as the worst. Try to balance it, it is indeed a fine line.</font></blockquote><br />10. Life is a waste of time; time is a waste of life, so get wasted all of the time and have the time of your life.<br /><blockquote><font color="brown">Life is not all about work work work, try to have fun as well. Remember all work and no play makes jack a dull boy.</font></blockquote>Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-78109719606545239822006-12-06T22:30:00.000-05:002006-12-05T23:53:27.389-05:00Seven Gifts to the world - New York CityThe gifts of New York City to the world are many, picking seven is a tough task but the people at metro blog have come up with their list of seven things. Agree with it or not, it is certain that these are the things that any New Yorker would atleast appreciate.<br /><br />No 7:<br />New York has always been an ideal location for movie settings.NYC is the home of so many famous movie scenes. When you factor in the many scenes from Ghostbusters, Goodfellas, and other well-known classics, NY's role becomes that much more respectable.<br /><br />New York gives the world a prime location for film and movies! Now lately even for bollywood .<br /><a href="http://nyc.metblogs.com/archives/2006/11/new_yorks_gifts.phtml">Movie Settings</a><br /><br />No 6, I know you agree...you better or else:<br />New York way of Attitude, with a capital Type A. Visitors may find us pushy, loud, rude, and opinionated, but we have to be in order to survive this rat-infested race. How else to get yourself onto an already packed subway, or grab that last cab during a shift change, or get some decent service around here. "I'm walkin' here!" Dustin Hoffman's character shouts in Midnight Cowboy as he almost gets run over, something I want to holler about every other day.<br /><br />But you know it's nothing personal. When you actually stop to talk to one of us, we're pretty friendly and cool, especially when you need directions, or a recommendation for a restaurant.... Where else can you find folks who'll jostle you out of the way one minute, and the next argue with others about how you can get from the Upper West Side to the Lower East Side in the fewest number of subway changes?<br /><a href="http://nyc.metblogs.com/archives/2006/11/new_yorks_gifts_2.phtml">Attitude with capital A</a><br /><br />Now for No 5:<br />If you've only been to New York as a tourist, you may have a narrow view of music and theater here. Our town is famous for Broadway musicals and Lincoln Center extravaganzas, but most performances don't involve $100 tickets, elaborate sets, or dancers in cat costumes. In summer, music and theater are everywhere - from al fresco string quartets, to Shakespeare in the Park, to major outdoor concerts. And the list goes on...<br /><a href="http://nyc.metblogs.com/archives/2006/11/new_yorks_gifts_4.phtml">Music and Theatre galore</a><br /><br />No 4 on the list is:<br />Racial Diversity, a diverse place to live. There are more opportunities for people who aren't white here. That says a lot about a country filled with immigrants.<br /><a href="http://nyc.metblogs.com/archives/2006/11/new_yorks_gifts_3.phtml">Racial Diversity</a><br /><br />On to No 3:<br />BIG, I am referring to the architecture and infrastructure that separates NYC from every other US mega-city and makes it the most easily traversed and interesting destinations in the world. Everything is big: subways, water supply, transportation, bridges...these were all experiments that NYC did and other cities learnt from it.<br /><a href="http://nyc.metblogs.com/archives/2006/11/new_yorks_gifts_5.phtml">Infrastructures</a><br /><br />The No 2 on the list:<br />Courage. Not everybody appreciates this, but our courage and our defiance in the face of danger are a true contribution to America and the world.<br />Every day, our thoughts turn at least once to the gaping hole at Ground Zero. But our courage shows the world how to live when things happen to which you have no control over. <br /><a href="http://nyc.metblogs.com/archives/2006/12/new_yorks_gift.phtml">Courage</a><br /><br />And the No 1:<br />Our fantastic cuisine, unequivocally our #1 Gift To The World. One of the great things about New York City is cuisine as varied and far reaching as its residents themselves. New York City is home to so many restaurants that it seems you could eat at a different place for every meal of the day for the rest of your life and never go to the same place twice.<br /><a href="http://nyc.metblogs.com/archives/2006/12/new_yorks_gifts_1.phtml">Fooood...yummmy</a>Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-60964251934313231992006-12-05T16:16:00.000-05:002006-12-05T22:54:35.796-05:00Seven Gifts to the world - ChennaiFor the past few days... the Metro Blog's around the globe have been dedicated to have 7 things about their city which represent gifts to the world. One gift a day for 7 days, this is a list of the two cities that I know of and love. Chennai and New York city.<br />Let me start with Chennai...<br /><br />No 7 on the list is:<br />We're talking of Madras Cotton, or the Bleeding Madras. Cotton cloth was one of the main reason, the East India company chose to settle down in Madras, and build its factory here. For, here in a sandy tract of land, was "Cloathe, the cheaper by 20p". This part of the land was always associated with cotton, apparently.<br /><a href="http://chennai.metblogs.com/archives/2006/11/chennais_1st_gifts_to_the_worl.phtml">Madras Cotton</a><br /><br />No 6 is:<br />I'd say a laid-back attitude. Chennai is a calm, cultured place where raw aggression is barely seen on the surface. Ever since madras was assembled as a loose collection of neighbouring villages in the seventeenth century, the Madras of old, has been a quiet, warm hostess, offering freely of her wealth while holding on to her tranquil lifestyle. Elihu Yale was one of the first to return from India with a fortune and consequently to be accused of sharp practice.<br /><br />So it is, Ladies and Gentlemen, wealth made on these shores found their way into building one of the world's most famous universities. Yale University<br /><a href="http://chennai.metblogs.com/archives/2006/12/post_13.phtml">Wealth made from Chennai</a><br /><br />On to No 5:<br />Speech, they said once, was possibly the swiftest form of communication. Although the chances that an Indian cook, when causally mentioning "milagu-thanneer" to his British superior, anticipating that his weird sounding concoction would take cooks of the world by storm - is probably a fate he/she didn't even contemplate.<br /><br />If that ain't a potpourri of cultures, what else is?<br /><a href="http://chennai.metblogs.com/archives/2006/12/chennais_gift_to_the_world_3_t.phtml">Potpourri of cultures</a><br /><br />No 4 on the list:<br />Indo-Saracenic architecture is described as a style of architecture used by British architects in the late 19th century in India. It drew elements from traditional Hindu and Islamic architecture, and combined it with the Gothic revival style favored in Victorian England.<br /><br />Some of the many other Indo Saracenic buildings in Chennai include: the Madras University Senate House; the High Court (and another picture here); the Government Museum; the General Post Office; Egmore Station; Central Station<br /><a href="http://chennai.metblogs.com/archives/2006/12/chennais_gifts_to_the_world_in.phtml">Indo-Saracenic Architecture</a><br /><br />No 3 is none other than:<br />A.R. Rahman... need I say anything else. Music!<br /><a href="http://chennai.metblogs.com/archives/2006/12/chennais_gift_to_the_world_arr.phtml">A.R. Rahman</a><br /><br />on to No 2:<br />"I maintain that no organization can lead man to spirituality.<br />If an organization be created for this purpose, it becomes a crutch, a weakness, a bondage, and must cripple the individual, and prevent him from growing, from establishing his uniqueness, which lies in the discovery for himself of that absolute, unconditioned Truth.<br />So that is another reason why I have decided, as I happen to be the Head of the Order, to dissolve it"<br />That was Jiddu Krishnamurti, disbanding the Order of the Star of the East, the Order that was specifically formed to declare him as the Maitreya Buddha, the World Teacher.<br /><a href="http://chennai.metblogs.com/archives/2006/12/chennais_gifts_to_the_world_6.phtml">Maitreya Buddha - World Teacher</a><br /><br />And the No 1 thing that is chennai's gift to the world:<br />The beaches of Chennai, right from the isolated ones Kovalam, to the crowded Marina and Beasant Nagar, are an integral part of the city. Any visitor to the city has to visit the beach as a part of every trip, someone who does not live in Chennai will find it hard to understand the why every chennaiite loves the beach, its not spectacular, its definitely not picturesque, and its dirty, but the beaches despite their drawbacks do have an aura, just sitting in the sand, under the stars, with not a single soul in sight (yes this is possible in the isolated beaches along ECR, late at night), and listening to the waves. Walking on the beach, late at night is absolute bliss.<br /><a href="http://chennai.metblogs.com/archives/2006/12/chennais_gift_to_the_world_7_i.phtml">Chennai Beach</a><br /><br />There you have it, 7 things that are a real gift to chennai. I am sure you have other things that you can think of, you can write about them in comments.<br /><br />Next up is New York City.Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-1146807943838941752006-11-22T13:36:00.000-05:002006-11-22T05:16:22.310-05:00Life's Greatest LessonsSuccess is more than making money<br /><br />Life is hard....and not always fair<br /><br />Life is also fun...and incredibly funny<br /><br />We live by choice, not by chance<br /><br />Attitude is a choice - the most important one you will ever make<br /><br />Habits are the key to all success<br /><br />Being thankful is a habit - the best one you will ever have<br /><br />Good people build their lives on a foundation of respect<br /><br />Honesty is still the best policy<br /><br />Kind words costs little but acomplish much<br /><br />Real motivation comes from within<br /><br />Goals are dreams with deadlines<br /><br />There's no substitute for hard work<br /><br />You have to give up something to get something<br /><br />Successful people dont find time - they make time<br /><br />No one else can raise your self-esteem<br /><br />The body needs nutrition and exercise - so do the mind and spirit<br /><br />It's ok to fail - everyone else has<br /><br />Life is simpler when we know what's essential<br /><br /> and<br /><br />Essential # 1, is being a good personIrfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-57171036705937682532006-11-17T10:30:00.000-05:002006-11-17T10:45:13.201-05:00Oops sorry - excuse me!Imagine…people jostling for space, yelling, cursing under their breaths, giving each other the nasty eye glare and all this within a span of few minutes. These are the few minutes one goes through every time one boards a crowded bus in India.<br /><br />These same people who yell and curse at each other turn all respectful once something happens by accident. It involves in somehow being able to kick them or accidentally let their foot touch us. This simple act will banish whatever thoughts they had of you...well at least for 3 seconds. During these three seconds, you will find that we Indians will make a quick gesture of apology and actually will touch you with our right hand and then moving the hand to the chest and to the eyes like you are some sort of God.<br />Isn’t it a wonderful when someone does that to you, well at least it is for me. You feel good, you feel like you are being given respect. In New York I am used to hearing “excuse – me”, “pardon me” or just plain old “f*** off” while being bumped by someone. This is such a wonderful change but it does make me wonder what silly things can arise from this.<br /><br />As I was discussing this topic with a co-worker of mine, he brought up a story which was pretty funny and I imagine many of us who have evil thoughts (yes you)<yes> can agree and might enjoy doing this. One guy was adamant on doing this gesture while he was in school and lo and behold, he usually and purposefully got kicked by the school kids or the kids would let his foot touch them. That would set off something really funny where the school kids would run off and the chase would begin :-) This guy had the habit of doing the gesture not just once but three times, so that made matters even worse even if he caught up to them, after he completed once, the evil kid would run off again.<br /><br />We Indians give respect to paper as well, if we happen to step on it by accident, we will bend down and touch the paper and do the whole gesture thing again. Though it is religious because paper (knowledge) is considered to be a form of Hindu God; even a Muslim, Christian would be doing the same because of customs and not due to religion. Living in New York for a long time, I had lost touch with all these things, small things that actually brings in discipline in an individual.<br /><br />From now on I will try to give respect to the person who I accidentally bumped into and chase him down if they try to run away from me. So if you happen to be near me, please don’t run away as I am not trying to touch you to get a feel or anything. I am just trying to be nice and respectful Indian ish - styleee.Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-1162990901065374282006-11-08T07:34:00.000-05:002006-11-17T10:52:11.760-05:00Ye jo desh hai mera - this country of mine (India)<div>So this is my first post in 6 months...just so you know the last post that I did was in New York and right now this post is being written from Bangalore, India.<br /><br />Its already been 6 months in India, so many experiences and many more stories that I can share. I will slowly think all of them through and eventually write them down. Most are funny, the way I saw things in India and some insightful even.<br /><br />To start off this blog again,<br /><br />I seriously thought to myself... heck we cant have that many relatives, but alas we do and its not ending at all. People get married and new relationships are formed and more aunties and uncles are included.<br /><br />Even the 1st month had not passed by in India, I had attended marriages of two of my cousins. Just being there at their wedding was like a trip back memory lane. Hoards of people with each blink of an eye passing and conveying their hi's and hello's to me at a dizzying pace.<br /><br />Who are these people I wondered - are they all my relatives, where am I??? I dont belong here at all. I dont know these people.<br /><br />During the same month, I had visited lots of people and along with visiting each and every relatives house comes the oh so symbolic tea drinking ceremony. If we don’t drink atleast tea in one’s house, they get upset and feel that I have somehow insulted them.<br /><br />Dont get me wrong I dont mind drinking tea, infact I love tea/coffee but uggh I began to loose the love for tea/coffee because of the way it was prepared; that heavy milky concoction ladled with lots of sugar. Not all was lost though, I finally had to step forward and tell them exactly how to make tea or coffee especially for me :-). I know what you are thinking, oh yes the american going there and demanding stuff to be done for him. It was not that way at all, i just didnt want to lose my love for tea/coffee.<br /><br />Speaking of tea and coffee, that is for another post which I have in mind about my love for coffee/tea. Just thinking of having a hot cup on a cold breezy evening with clouds hanging over like a bedspread over the soft skies feels soo warm and comforting. hmmm..<br /><br />Now where was I, yes relatives lots of them…not all of them are as annoying as I first had in my mind while coming from NY. Some are quite nice in their own merry ways. Though they were nice, dealing and getting used to all of them and their personalities was quite a challenge. I feel now that since I have been here for 6 months, I have adjusted pretty well. Got along with them, finally be able to feel them as part of my family and see myself as one of them.<br /><br />I think being born in India does this to you, the fragrance and the soul of India seeps inside your blood and though you lose touch with it while you are in some other country, it still lingers and waits for the right opportune time to reveal itself. Hmm am I making sense or am I just copying the thoughts that came when I was watching the movie Swades. I believe I am currently living that movie.<br /><br /><br /><p><span style="color:blue;">Yeh jo des hai tera</span><span style="color:green;"> this country of yours</span><br /><span style="color:blue;">swades hai tera</span><span style="color:green;"> is your motherland</span><br /><span style="color:blue;">tujhe hai pukara</span><span style="color:green;"> and is calling out to you</span><br /><span style="color:blue;">yeh woh bandhan hai</span><span style="color:green;"> this is a bond</span><br /><span style="color:blue;">jo kabhi toot nahin sakta</span><span style="color:green;"> which can never break</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:blue;">Mitti ki hai jo khushbhoo tu kaise bhoolayega </span><span style="color:green;">how can you forget the scent of your earth</span><br /><span style="color:blue;">tu chaahe kahin jaaye<span style="color:green;"> you can go anywhere</span><br /><span style="color:blue;">tu laut ke aayega</span><span style="color:green;"> but you'll always come back</span><br /><span style="color:blue;">nayi nayi raahon mein dabbi dabbi aahon mein</span><span style="color:green;"> in new paths, in every sigh</span><br /><span style="color:blue;">khoye khoye dil se tere</span><span style="color:green;"> to your lost heart</span><br /><span style="color:blue;">koi yeh kahega</span><span style="color:green;"> someone will say</span></span><br /><span style="color:black;"><br />Nice song isn’t it. If you want to hear it.. you can click on this link. <a href="http://www.raaga.com/channels/hindi/movie/H000739.html" target="_blank">Swades songs</a></span></p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/4813/1153/1600/653190/swades.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/4813/1153/320/259953/swades.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p>This is like me stuck in the middle when I go from bangalore to chennai in a local bus :-)</p></div>Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-1146808916272325912006-05-05T01:51:00.000-04:002006-05-05T02:01:56.286-04:00A start of a journeyThere comes a time in everyone's life when things change and a point where either you can go for it or hide behind it and miss that chance. I am taking that chance and going for it. <br /><br />I am leaving all the things that I know and going to a place of the unknown, a place that I have not been for years but a place where I grew up. I hear of the changes, the westernization of India, the loss of culture. How will I deal with the fact that the place and people that I remember have changed. <br /><br />I take it as a challenge, a chance to get experience. To realize myself and find out who I am. This IS the real world and I can either play along or cry and call foul. I choose to play and play I will do till I will succeed. <br /><br />So I am off to Madras ( Chennai ) with a new job in hand and leaving family behind. I will miss them the most, along with friends who surround me with a comfort zone that keeps me intact through the rough and tough times. They will still be there in spirit and in thoughts and of course constant calls back and forth.Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-1139982842287680162006-02-14T23:50:00.000-05:002006-02-15T00:54:02.350-05:00Happy Day After V-DayV-day, unlike the famous D-day, is not about war but about love. Is it really about love...does love needs to be really delegated for one day?<br /><br />Do we need to take a day just for celebrating love....shouldnt it be everday. Some might say that it might not be a bad idea to remind people that there is something called love and that we should celebrate it. I agree with that but what makes is not so "lovely" day is how even a day of love has turned into a marketing ploy. Hallmark, Godiva, and of course Flower shops.<br /><br />I am all for public affections.. but I dont want anyone to tell me that I should do this and that. Dont tell when I am watching tv...oh for your valentine, get this... I dont want to. I want to think on my own and get something that really matters. And that doesnt have to be bunch of chocolates.<br /> <br />A scene at a nearby Duane Reade the day before V-day might explain some meaning or should we say lack of, for this day. Guys standing in line with a flower in one hand and a pre-filled card in the other just waiting for their turn to buy, let the day do its thing and get it over with. What a meaningful, inspiring, loving, caring scene. Some might not even have read what the card - which they will be giving to the love of their life - says. It is just a routine. You have to do this...why? oh its V-day.<br /><br />Instead of doing it all in one day...why not spread the love throughout the year. If you are so inclined for a day to be V day.. let it be every week, every month. I dont want to wait for it once a year.. that too much pressure, we have birthdays and anniversaries to worry about. :-)Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-1136935356841193502006-01-10T18:21:00.000-05:002006-01-10T18:22:36.910-05:00Friends....worth their weight in gold.I am 25, over the last 20 years, I have had all types of "friends." The first 5 years dont count. The people that were there those 5 years will be there throught my life.. mom, dad and sis. <br /><br />So the last 20 years I have made friends with different types of people. Some are worth keeping for a few decades, others a few seconds. Some are superficial, others are just super. Some keep lending, while others keep borrowing. Some call to say hi and others only when I am needed. <br /><br />Many of these so-called friends weren´t real friends after all. Indeed, the word "friend" is one of the most misused words in the dictionary. It is so easy to be called a friend. Many people take advantage of it, group gathering and people being introduced and voila....you have yourself a "friend." Do they even know me well enough to know my email address.<br /><br />They take the liberty of calling you "buddy" or "pal" or "dude." They start asking you personal questions, such as what you think of Anna Kournikova and isn´t she the best thing to happen to tennis since the invention of the ball? lol. How dare a stranger ask such personal questions.<br /><br />Truth is, a good friendship takes years to develop. You have to invest your energy, your time and yes money into it as well. Through all this you eventually get something special, someone that you can relate to in a level beyond words. A friendship that will give you more job than playing the latest game on XBox or a Playstation. At least in the long run.<br /><br />If there´s one thing I´ve learned about friendships, it´s this: It´s better to have one good pal than a thousand lousy pals. Good friends are worth their weight in gold.<br /><br />Okay "friends" lets see the gold or cash will do just as well. ;-)Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-1130910249308972892005-11-02T00:41:00.000-05:002005-12-29T15:13:26.700-05:007 types of people<p>I heard this from an elderly man who was giving a speech, the way he had explaied...I cannot replicate. I can only give you a gist of what was said and things that I am able to recall. Hopefully the message he was trying to pass, I can pass it on to you. </p><p>He was talking about the seven types of people who will have the hand of God protecting them from the intense heat that will engulf us during the last days. May we strive to be atleast one of the seven so that we can get his blessings and protection as well. </p><p>One who is a just ruler...a good head of government, a good leader, a good head of household : provider</p><p>One who takes advantage of his/her Youth to give himself to God</p><p>One who yearns to go back to masjid - place of prayer once he finishes one</p><p>One who gives and gives without concern to all the worldly things</p><p>One who loves someone for the sake of God</p><p>One who doesnt give into temptations of evil</p><p>One who realizes how much he or she is lucky to have these everyday things in life..his body, eyes, flowers, sun, moon, friends, family and everything else around. </p>Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-1126758923930417882005-07-28T00:19:00.000-04:002005-10-26T14:11:54.430-04:00India...here they comeAfter 7 years, Mom and sis have gone back to India accompanied by Dad. Leaving me all alone here. Here....NYC, where night thrives on single people . It needs people like me who dont have anywhere to go after hours. That might seem like a good thing right now but believe me before they come back I will be missing them like anything.<br /><br />I am a people person and I need people with me all the time even if it seems that I am shy and mysterious and by myself most of the time.Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-1113780914129679432005-04-10T19:17:00.000-04:002005-09-15T00:19:23.506-04:00Reload and RebootI have been so busy lately at home. So much is going on in the personal side of life, that I have somehow ignored the online part. Though I am still online and read up on things, havent had the chance to sit and write this blog.<br /><br />So what has been taking up my time, small things at home. Ikea shopping, assembling the stuff that we got from there. I like ikea.. (they look soo similar), and we have almost transformed our living room into somewhat of a modern place with the installations of some new furniture for our TV. The thing that sometimes bothers me is that, this stuff that we get from Ikea, they only come with the exact things that are needed to make the stuff. Not one more or one less, if you somehow loose a nail or a screw... well you are screwed.. haha. but jokes aside, they should atleast give a few extra just in case. Do they expect everyone to be perfect?Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-1110253943182956202005-03-07T22:51:00.000-05:002005-03-09T11:46:44.056-05:00RealitesWe all talk about doing new things, new adventures to take on, new boundries to visit, leap a tall building, run faster than a speeding bullet..... Are they all just talk?<br /><br />We love dreaming of such things, a grand plan in the making. Only some of us carry out that plan and achieve something, others are quite satisfied of where they are. <br /><br />So what if I cant leap a tall building, I can take the stairs to reach the same place. If that's a little slow, well we have elavators for that. Right? Its the reality of the situation, a situation that we are in during our lives that inspires us and pushes us to do new things. Where do we get these inspirations from??<br /><br />How come we keep recreating the same realities for ourselves, we know that we have so many options available for us, but we keep coming back to the same shell of our lives, just in different colors. We have so much potential but never fully understand and characterize it. We are so conditioned to our daily lives, so conditioned that the way we create our lives that we buy the idea that we have no options at all.<br /><br />We do have options, we need to break out of our molds, disconnect outselves from the matrix, look beyond the yellow brick road for answers.Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-1109017765047782682005-02-21T14:47:00.000-05:002005-02-21T15:29:25.050-05:00Journey of vanityI was in the train coming back home from work on friday, and there was a lady who started doing her makeup from 5th avenue.. and she kept on putting it, on with one box and the next, some small patch here and a touch there. Then another small box with many different colors and mirrors galore, the boxes were coming out of her bag like rabbits being pulled out of the hat. <br />So many different color boxes and they were literally being plucked out by their ears from inside that small bag. The half of the train box which could see this magic show was amazed. Some were drifting their eyes back and forth from the words on their books to the slight curve of this lady. A show was being preformed and no one on the train had a ticket to see but was willing to sneak a peak here and there. <br />While there was another lady sitting right beside where the show was taking place, with no makeup on and she looked tired from her work. She was catching a blinks of sleep here and there while the train labored passed the stations dropping off and picking up people along the way. <br />Two contrasting people, right beside each other, one coming back from work and one might be just starting the day. The queens bound number 7 train, an array of people with an rainbow of personality. <br />End of journey.. flushing main street station. The show was over, everyone rushed to the exits. No one cared for an encore presentation, the star of the show was left behind, still finishing up her makeup. The lady next to her who was on her way to the exit looked back and smiled, and knew that even without all that makeup, her life is more satisfying and that made her beautiful.Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-1109014449912366982005-02-21T14:13:00.000-05:002006-11-17T10:47:00.257-05:00Shopping SpreePresidents day weekend, and all we can think of is shopping. Well shopping was on our minds for a while now, not for us, but for the apartment. We have to replace the old style cabinets, the small old TV and Sofas, fridge, all kinds of stuff.<br /><br />So off we went to look for some stuff, just look. Stuff we looked at were really expensive, but very enticing. went to sears, circuit city, macys, target.. then finally pc richards.<br /><br />Ordered a flat screen plasma tv. This one: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00024YOH4/ref=pd_rhf_p_1/104-5628849-2169549?v=glance&s=electronics&amp;amp;n=507846&no" target="_blank">Samsung SP-P4251 42" EDTV Plasma Television</a><br />looks good no?<br /><br />We didnt want to spent that much on it.. but it seemed like it was worth it at the time when we were looking at the TV with admiration and just like.. oh wondering... hmm how would it look like in our living room. :-) so with much consideration, we gave into the ID in all of us and took that TV.<br /><br />That was my long weekend.<br />And oh, I have to start thinking of future, start thinking of all my responsibilities.Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-1107752849844696702005-02-06T23:46:00.000-05:002005-02-07T00:08:39.033-05:00Time passes by fast - as life continuesMonday was good,
<br />Tuesday was fine,
<br />Wednesday was Not that bad,
<br />Thursday was fun - especially lunch with Rumana,
<br />Friday was longer than usual,
<br />Saturday was no basketball,
<br />Sunday was superbowl......
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<br />Pats won the Superbowl again, wanted eagles to win it, just becuz I didnt want to see New England (Boston) win the Superbowl as well as the World Series in baseball.
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<br />Been trying to go to gym every week...atleast twice a week, since I dont have much to do anyway after work.
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<br />As you can see random thoughts are filled in my head today. The weekend is ending but I feel like I need some rest from this daily grind thats almost becoming a habit. I need to find something to do other than everyday work and coming back home and just the same routine.
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<br />Maybe I need to start doing something regarding my work, start a training, do something new.
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<br />Lets see what next weekend brings.
<br />Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-1107145564305161352005-01-30T21:16:00.000-05:002005-01-30T23:26:04.306-05:00Card Anyone?<strong>Green Card</strong> that is....well finally Mom, Dad and Sis will be getting theirs. :-) I, on the other will have to wait a while before I can get mine. Its the cost of being older than 21 years of age when dad applied for it. So now its all up to me to get mine, it will take some time, time is what I have not much of these days.
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<br />Seems just like two days ago that I sat down to write the last entry of the blog, and its been whole 7 days. Atleast this writing is making me think back and realize the time that have been spent in those 7 days. Usually when someone asks, "What did you do this week or weekend?" I will say, "oh not much just did nothing." This writing is actually changing that, it makes me put down thoughts
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<br />So now with this card, its time to take a much needed vacation for mom and dad. I think vacation aside, its time to go back to india and visit relatives, visit memories, visit graves. I think now mom can start shopping for the trip, getting things for the people back home. We have to buy things for almost everyone we know....everything we get from here is actually made back in India or China, but they still love that we bring it from here.
<br />Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-1106537300997964682005-01-23T22:28:00.000-05:002005-01-23T22:44:15.276-05:00Snow storm NYCThe first snow storm of NYC.
<br />It has kept me hibernated inside the apartment for two straight days, no basketball, no going out, nothing. Just practically confined to my room.
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<br />So I took out my camera and thought I will take some pics of people who are braver than me to actually get outside in the snow.
<br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/26/2757/640/snownyc.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ffffff 4px solid; BORDER-TOP: #ffffff 4px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #ffffff 4px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ffffff 4px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/26/2757/400/snownyc.jpg" border="0" /></a>
<br />Snow storm NYC <a href="http://www.hello.com/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="Posted by Hello" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif" align="absMiddle" border="0" /></a>
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<br />How come we get used to snow so much that we sometimes loose the beauty of it.
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<br />Nature can be beautiful, nature can be cruel as well. The affects of Tsunami is still being calculated, lives are being changed day by day. Hope you guys are doing something yourself. Some financial help, a prayer at night. Anything.
<br />Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-1106535560971696682005-01-23T21:58:00.000-05:002005-01-23T22:00:41.640-05:00EidIts been two whole weeks since I have gotten a chance to write something. I have a chance tonight before this weekend comes to an end as well. The time just goes too fast, I cant believe we are almost the end of January. I wish I can hold on to the smallest moments forever, sometimes I do by taking pictures but its not like we can have a camera everywhere we go and have it with us when we are doing every single thing.
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<br />This friday was Eid, Eid-ul-Adha to be exact.
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<br /><blockquote><p>Eid-ul-Adha (the Festival of Sacrifice) is celebrated throughout the Muslim world as a commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim's (PBUH) willingness to sacrifice his son for Allah. Allah rewarded his willinging by sending in a ram(goat) to be sacrificied instead.</p></blockquote>
<br />For the first time in 10 years, the time that we have been here in the US, we sent money back home(India) to give a goat as a sacrifice. This goat will be distributed to the poor and needy first, relatives second and then shared with family members.
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<br />I miss being back in India during these festive times. It would have been a big occasion and celebration. Here it was more subdued, went to masjid to pray in the morning, went to work. Went to work, how is that for a day of celebration. :-) But all in all, we are happy with how things are going, so we have to be thankful.
<br />Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-1105327561077518022005-01-09T20:09:00.000-05:002005-01-11T10:48:45.803-05:00ChangesIt has been a week in to the new year, and nothing much has changed.
<br />So much will change.
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<br />Someone close to me will be getting married in December. :-) YaY
<br />I will eventually know what i will doing and where i will be going before the middle of the year.
<br />Contract with my current employer will be over and I will either be looking for an extension or trying to get away from the place totally.
<br />I cant believe its been almost 3 years since I started doing internship at this place. 2 years of internship and 1 year as a consultant.
<br />Yas (sis) will be turning the page on her teen years and will be moving on to Twenty...wow.
<br />I am sure many other important things that I am not able to think right now.
<br />Sometimes the changes occur and if you dont anticipate it, they just blend it and you dont even notice them happening.
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<br />Coming back to the topic of this post, changes....as for this weekend, the change was pretty much in the cell phone plans of dad and sis. mom became a newcomer to the cell phone market. Now it seems that even though she didnt pick her own phone, she probably has the best one out of them all. So now all of us have a cell phone, hmm....and they have the family plan. Not just that... they are going to be getting their green cards soon. They they they, hmm and I am all alone. Haha.. but we still have dinner together, mom's cooking is oh so nice(mother's love has no comparison), dad's thoughts, advices and view of the world, sis's ohhhh everything.... so that makes up for it all. :-)
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<br />Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-1104639884486496512005-01-01T23:14:00.000-05:002005-01-01T23:25:55.180-05:00A New YearA welcoming of a new year is much needed. Hopefully it wil be a happy one. A safe one perhaps is a better way to put it.
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<br />For the past few years, the eve has been spent at the comfort of home with mom dad and sis. This year was no different, except the home was in someone's else place. A subdued new year was much needed, a time to pray and hope. Time to look back at things that had been happening in the world. Time to look back at things that happened withing myself, surrounding, people I affect.
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<br />I wont bore you with the detals of the changes, but in the coming entries i will be sure to go back myself and think through things. There is a lot one can learn by revisiting decisions made, choices that were picked, arguments that were necessary (uncessary perhaps) , people we loved, fell out of love. Some things we carry on, some leave behind.
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<br />Wishing you guys a Happy New Year.
<br />Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9450189.post-1104108027048281012004-12-26T20:46:00.000-05:002006-11-22T05:17:07.568-05:00Apocalypse visits Chennai<p>A day after people all over the world celebrated christmas, a destructive natural occurence took place. A tsunami that was the result of a massive earthquake ripped through many countries in South East Asia, inluding my home state of Tamil Nadu. In Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu and where I was born and lived for the first 14 years of my life, was a place filled with shell shocked people.<br /><br />I read the tragic news online here in NYC just a few hours ago. It showed pictures of the beach (Marina Beach) that I often used to visit, filled with destruction. If you can imagine 20 feet ocean waves rummaging through the city, a sight thats so beautiful to behold but suddenly a deep realization creeps in about how destructive that beautiful nature can be at times. </p><p>People's life destroyed, lives altered forever.<br /><br />I can only pray for the safety of my relatives down there. </p>Irfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01957907430362397039noreply@blogger.com0