Back after a long time with varied updates

Ok, ok, I know it is nearly 50 days since I last blogged. I didnt realise it at all, thought it was maybe a month or so. I have been wanting to write a blog atleast from the last 10 days, but there were so many topics I wanted to write on - that I somehow did not get the much required 30 mins of spare time to think clearly on what I wanted to write immediately.

The last one month has been real busy with buying a car and the required work for it ( registration, insurance, etc).. come to think of it, it didn't take so much of my time, maybe around a week's effort. I have also been spending a lot of time in the kitchen learning the basics of cooking from my dear wife ( and enjoying the lessons learnt) and cleaning...:) and of course the usual work at office kept me busy, But, there are so many topics to write now, I thought let me list them down, so that I can write on them one by one in different blogs later on.
San Diego trip. ( The thanksgiving long weekend trip + Anniversary celebration trip in Nov end)
One year in our apartment.
Our new IBM laptop Z61 - review.
Different websites offering digital photo prints and their review after ordering prints.
Thai restaurant - BlueMango review.
Addiction to Orkut (website) and its help in tracking some old friends.
Mediterrian food review - House of falafel restaurant.
Visit to Indian restaurants - Sitara, Saravana Bhavan, mayuri.
Change in our eating habits in the last one year.
Cooking - my experiments in the kitchen.
Visit to TJ Maxx, Ross, Aaron brothers stores and my thoughts on these stores.
Used car buying tips - and car buying process.
Thoughts on latest movies watched - Guru, Don and Dhoom2.

This looks like a real long list of stuff to write about. I don't know when I will write about all of these, but will surely write about them gradually over this month.

NRI parents blame India when it is their fault

Saw this in the news yesterday.

http://ia.rediff.com/news/2006/dec/20george.htm?q=tp&file=.htm

It is hard to digest that the parents forgot to take the required documents (visa) with them and trying to blame "India" for that. The person on the counter was doing his job and as per rule "he did what was the law" and he is being blamed.

We point fingers at India when Indians do not follow rules and we point fingers at India when they do follow rules. Won't we check our passports many times after we start planning for a trip to USA and how can you expect to enter USA when you do not have any documents on you. Same applies here.

If Paris officials did not check the documents , that does not mean what they did was right. And if that family was not leaving the French airport, I don't think it will even matter to French authorities that whether all documents are perfect.

Any US official would have done the same and if any of us did not have the required visa to enter, we would be deported and no one would have said anything. Why can't we stop blaming India for our mistakes.

The parents are telling their son, that even if we forgot the papers, Indian Immigration authorities should have let us go. What proof did they have that the kids are their own. I am sure, if somebody tries to smuggle kids using this technique then we will surely blame the authorities, why did they let the kids enter India without all the documents. I feel sorry that the kids had to suffer but it way parents fault not India's.

This is the parents side of the story, which may not be 100% true. In general going on a foreign travel without travel document is a big mistake. Deportation is a general procedure in any country in such situations.

In terms of why they weren't given an additional amount of time, this is possibly related to the next available flight back to Paris. Its very likely that had they not been deported when they were, the authorities would have had to find some place to put them up in for the night (assuming the next available Air France flight to Paris was in 24 hours). Since they were not allowed into the country, this would have had to be in the airport or a jail cell connected to the airport, neither of which are very attractive options. This probably drove part of the decision to send them back when they did.

Way to go - immigration officials. You folks did the right thing.

Magnets on our fridge's freezer door

Since the time we started traveling, we wanted to get some momento from each place we visited as a token of remembrance. We kind of felt - magnets will be a good choice as they are available at all the places and easy to display them at home.
Here is a look at how our house's fridge (freezer) door is studded with magnets collected from our trips all over the USA.

Looking at the photo, to the extreme left are magnets from Niagara falls, Las vegas, disneyland and Ski resort at Tahoe Lake. Then the 2nd column on the left, has magnets related to Washington DC ( has all the presidents of US), then Disneyland, Yosemite falls and Lake tahoe. The 3rd column on the left has Pentagon, San Diego Sea world, Santa Cruz.

The 4th column from the left and more of in the center has Yosemite National Park, Napa Valley wine bottle, San Diego Zoo and the Red wood forest. The next row has a dolphin, Arizona (road runner bird), Crater Lake, San Diego Safari park and Oregon caves. One more magnet row to the right has a "las vegas" style beer mug, shots of Las Vegas at day and night.

Enjoy the view.

One year in US - still going strong

It has been a year since I landed here in USA. I came here last Oct 10th (2005).
Time really flies fast.When I came, I was told it will be for 3 -6 months. Then, the project kept getting renewed every 3 months and now after four quarters, I have finished a year and still going strong.

If I look back over the past 1 year, I am happy that we have covered lots of the "Must See" places out here in US. Here is the complete list of places we have seen in the past 1 year.

Dec 25 (2005) - Monterey Bay.

All below dates are in 2006.

Jan 15 - Golden Gate bridge, parts of SFO.
Jan 29 - Santa Cruz beach, Mystery Spot, Felton Roaring camp of Redwood forest.
Feb 18 - Stanford University - shopping center.
Feb 19 - Livermore temple
Mar 19 - HalfMoon bay beach
Apr 2,3,4 - Mexico Trip with Phoenix, Arizona.
May 14 - SFO trip
May 27 - Universal studios, Hollywood.
May 28 - San Diego Sea World.
July 1, 2, 3, 4 - East Coast trip covering New York, new jersey, Niagara falls, Philadelphia, Maryland, Baltimore. Washinton DC
July 22 - Yosemite National Park
Aug 5 - Gilroy Shopping Mall
Aug 6 - Napa Valley Wines
Aug 18, 19, 20 - Disneyland
Sept 1, 2, 3, 4 Las Vegas, Hoover Dam
Sept 16, 17, 18 - Lassen Vocanic Park, Mount Shastha, Shastha dam, Oregon caves, Crater lake National Park, Redwood Forest, Avenue of Giants, Drive-thru redwood tree.
Oct 7, 8 - Lake Tahoe
Oct 15, - San Jose downtown - Tech Museum, I Max theatre.

Of course, each one of these trips are memorable and require a separate blog entry with all the finer details, but that is another time...

Gone are the days - School memories

Gone are the days!!!

When the school reopened in June,
And we settled in our new desks and benches!
When we queued up in book depot,
And got our new books and notes!

When we wanted two Sundays and no Mondays,
Yet managed to line up daily for the morning prayers.

We learnt writing with slates and pencils,
And progressed to fountain pens and ball pens and then micro tips!

When we began drawing with crayons
And evolved to color pencils and finally sketch pens!

When we started calculating first with tables
And then with Clarke's tables and advanced to calculators and computers!

When we chased one another in the corridors in Intervals,
And returned to the classrooms drenched in sweat!

When we had lunch in classrooms, corridors,
Playgrounds, under the trees and even in cycle sheds!

When all the colors in the world,
Decorated the campus on the Second Saturdays!

When a single P.T. period in the week's Time Table,
Was awaited more eagerly than the monsoons!

When cricket was played with writing pads as bats,
And Neckties and socks rolled into balls!

When few played "kabaddi" and "Kho-Kho" in scorching sun,
While others simply played "book cricket" in the confines of classroom!

Of fights but no conspiracies, Of Competitions but seldom jealousy!

When we used to watch Live Cricket telecast,
In the opposite house in Intervals and Lunch breaks!

When few rushed at 5:00 to "Conquer" window seats in our School bus!
While few others had "Big Fun", "peppermint" and "kulfi" at 5 o Clock!

Gone are the days of Sports Day, and the annual School Day ,
And the one-month long preparations for them.

Gone are the days Of the stressful Quarterly, Half Yearly And Annual Exams,
And the most enjoyed holidays after them!

Gone are the days Of tenth and twelfth standards,
When we spent almost the whole year writing revision tests!

We learnt, We enjoyed, We played, We won,
We lost, We laughed, We cried, We fought, We thought.

With so much fun in them, so many friends,So much experience, all this and more!

Gone are the days

When we used to talk for hours with our friends!
Now we don't have time to say a 'Hi'!

Gone are the days

When we sat to chat with Friends on grounds!
Now we chat in chat rooms.....!

Gone are the days

Where we studied just to pass!
Now we study to save our job!

Gone are the days

Where we had no money in our pockets and still fun filled on our hearts!!
Now we have the atm as well as credit card but with an empty heart!!

Gone are the days

Where we shouted on the road!
Now we don't shout even at home

Gone are the days

Where we got lectures from all!
Now we give lectures to all... like the one being done now....!!

Gone are the days

But not the memories, which will be Lingering in our hearts for ever and ever and ever and ever and ever .....

Al-Gebra instead of Al -Qaeda ?

A public school teacher was arrested today at John F Kennedy International Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, set square, a slide rule and a calculator.

At a morning press conference, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-gebra movement. He did not identify the man, who has been charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of MATH instruction.

"Al-gebra is a problem for us," Gonzales said. "They desire solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in search of absolute values. They use secret code names like 'x' and 'y' and refer to themselves as 'unknowns', but we have determined they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country. As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, 'There are 3 sides to every triangle'."

When asked to comment on the arrest, President Bush said, "If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, He would have given us more fingers and toes."

White House aides told reporters they could not recall a more intelligent or profound statement by the President.

Mastercard Ad !

This is related to the last week trip we had here to North California and Oregon.

1419 miles of drive, 77 hours of hectic travel, 610$ money spent,

A photo of us with the car through the famous Redwood forest drive thru tree - PRICELESS

Of course, rest of the places seen - Oregon caves, Crater lake, Lassen Volcanic park, Redwood forest - were all priceless. I will write a separate detailed blog on that trip later this week.

Desi joke - No foreigners

There is this new desi joke going around in our apartment complex. I thought I will share out here.
Our apartment complex is almost desi complex due to the fact that this apartment complex (address) lies in a good school district (Cupertino). Invariably, all Indians for the sake of good schools, stay in this apartment complex, even though they have been here in the US for a long time. The fact that APPLE (Ipod and MAC) office is close by is another factor.
Out of the 240 apartments here, atleast 200 are occupied by Indians, few chinese and very few americans.
Recently, an American was searching for a particular "Mr Smith" who is suppose to stay in the apartment complex. He was a little lost and he needed to check in which block that person lived. He knocked on one of the doors and to his tough luck, an Indian desi's parent (60+ year old) man opened the door.

American : " Do you know in which building Mr. Smith leaves?"
Indian parent (after a long pause) : "There are NO foreigners in this apartment complex"
American : Confused look on his face mumbled a thanks and walked away muttering #@$%$#@$%$

SHIRTS from around the world !!

Recently went to this neighbourhood shopping place to buy some shirts and t-shirts. It was the first time I was shopping for clothes after landing here in US. Since it was more than 8 months, thought it was time to buy some clothes and also as Ganesha festival was nearing.

We went to local "Kohl's" shopping mall. I bought 2 shirts and 4 t-shirts. the emphasis was more on getting the correct size shirts as the sizes here are usually XL,XXL, XXXL. It is difficult to get S, M sizes for me. I Managed to get some good looking and quality shirts.

I did not look much into them when I bought. When I wore the first of these shirts, while removing the tag, I noticed the label, "Made in Bangladesh". I became curious and looked at all the 6 shirts I had bought and guess what,each of them were made in a different country and none were made in USA.Truely global... :-)
For the curious, here are the 6 countries.

Bangladesh, India, Taiwan, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, (Central American countries).

Here is a photo with the Indian t-shirt on - at Crater Lake.