DAYS PASS BY

Atlast

2011-11-28T00:35:00.001-08:00

I am so glad this happened. Finally, against all odds, after seeing hundreds of houses, changing areas multiple times, putting in more than a dozen offers we got a house. Haven't closed yet, but we got everything else done :). It has been an expensive ordeal and there is a lot of work to be done to this house before moving in, but I will not complain. I am as happy as it can get. The best gift I can give my family :).
At-last, we have a home.

I feel empowered

2011-10-27T23:41:00.000-07:00

A good smartphone goes a long way. I bot iPhone 4S and there is not a single second I have regretted buying it. Much better than my windows phone 7 and palm pre.

Now I can have a log of all my physical activities - be it cycling, treadmill, lifting weights etc using RunKeeper.
I can go to any shop, scan the barcode and look for deals in my immediate vicinity using RedLaser.
I can listen to music in Caltrain with Spotify and Pandora w/o downloading a single song.
I can immediately blog using blogger for iPhone.
I can play dozens of games which were not available in the other stupid smart-phones I had AND
saving the best for last.
I can use Siri :)

Movies

2011-10-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

We have been watching a lot of movies lately on Netflix over the weekend nights. Since we like to stay awake till 3, we have watched tons over the past few months. When it comes to English, two movies that I was impressed by - Blind Faith and Lifted. One is a courtroom drama and the other one is inspiring.
We also watched Chillar Party. It is the funniest Hindi movie I have seen lately - not that I have seen many Hindi movies, but it will be on the top of my list. The movie proves that you don't need big issues, or a big star cast to make a nice one. Simple and sweet can cut it too.

Looking forward to my in-laws coming for six months. Excited about our first movie in a theater after 2 years.

Shame on me

2011-09-15T23:28:00.000-07:00

Would be a shame not to blog for two successive months. So here I go. Blogging is kinda getting old fashioned, but I still love it.
Lots of things going on. Have started learning the guitar again after a gap of few months. It's frustrating because even after so many days of learning, I still cannot play a song :)). Went to LA for Anya's birthday. Disneyland was nice (for Anya only). I wouldn't recommend it for adults. The highlight of the trip was our time in the Treasure Island beach. We celebrated Anya's birthday there, cut a red velvet cake, played frisbee, watched the sunset, had a drink and had our best friends with us. Perfect evening it was!!!!

We are still in the house hunt. Were under contract just last week, but it just didn't work out. URGHHH!. How many more months? Lost a couple of grand in inspections and appraisal fees only to not buy it. Damn it!!

Yosemite and Vegas

2011-07-14T23:05:00.000-07:00

Had a blast over the 4th of July weekend. Had perfect friends, perfect company, perfect place and surprisingly some beautiful pictures from my SLR. Yosemite was really beautiful during that weekend and we could see a lot of waterfalls.

Had gone to Vegas and stayed for a couple of days this week. It was an official trip. I will never forget the upgrade to a Prima suite in the Venetian. http://www.venetian.com/Las-Vegas-Accommodations/Las-Vegas-Suites/Prima-Suite/. Never had such a good place to stay during an official trip. If only it wasn't Southwest, but a business class in United, I would have been happier. Greedy me!!

Mumbai blasts

2011-07-14T22:10:00.000-07:00

If I had the right to, I would condemn the Mumbai blasts.

By far, I have always stayed away from discussing social and political issues related to India on Facebook, twitter, blogs or other social networks. Not because I lack the knowledge, aptitude or intent to do so. But mostly because I am a utilitarian. I do not believe my comments, without any actions or rationality will do any greater good. While I do not employ these utilitarian values for everything I undertake, I definitely feel a responsibility to do so for issues that concern everyone.

Hence I am disturbed by my friends and acquaintances posting irrational and irresponsible comments without any proper basis. I am OK with people posting updates and feeds about the latest events related to the blasts. But beyond that - they must stop. Using Facebook/Twitter to express resentment or dissent and solicit equally infuriating comments is one of the major drawbacks of such mass and accessible networks - because of the viral potential of such emotions amongst easily influential people.

I am from Bombay and I understand how most of who commented are also native to that city. What disturbs me though is that those very people left their city and settled thousands of miles away to follow their dreams, goals, ambitions and lead a better life. Nomadic and situational patriotism bothers me. I am sure none of them are activists. None of them have ever engaged in any form of selfless goodwill or charity. The ease with which they talk about such huge issues is the same ease with which they forget and move on with their lives.

I understand there has to be freedom of speech - without activism. I understand there needs to be utilitarianism that does not need to be applied to every situation. But I also know that there needs to be humility and self-righteousness in all your actions.

How an economy grows and why it crashes

2011-06-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

I think this is truly the best book I have ever read.

The story starts with an island where there are 3 people living with an economic productivity of 3 fishes per day (1 each). Gradually productivity increases when one of them figures out how to catch more fish (2 per day) through a fish net. Thus, he makes capital in the form of savings, because each of them only consumes one fish per day. This gives him a capacity to give loans and also invest time in other productive areas. Through more inventions (larger nets, etc), the island economy grows and some can save enough fish to shift their line of work from manufacturing to services. Immigrants come in, increasing the demand for manufactured goods and services. The book subtly talks about how government policies, that favor certain kinds of loans, disturb the cause and effect of the loaning process which doesn't help the economy grow and invest money in areas which are in demand. It also talks about the fact that reduction in prices is not necessarily bad for the community. These are roughly the first three chapters. The island grows more and more to form a government and it is hilarious how they describe fishflation (read inflation) AND hyper-inflation. It also refers to the printing of currency as the worst thing ever happening to the economy and the fact that dollar is able to hold its value (inspite of trade and government deficits), because it is a form of currency in international trade.

I highly recommend this book. It leaves you with a better understanding of the economic principles.

India trip and more

2011-05-23T21:59:00.000-07:00

I don't think I have had a better vacation in India. And I am not sure what was so different this time. Was it because of Anya and her first visit to India, OR was it because we had expected that Anya will fall sick in India, but she didn't. Maybe because we were exposed to a very luxurious setting. Or could be because it after a long gap of around 3.5 years that we were visiting India. Somehow this time around I enjoyed the traffic (though we had a driver), enjoyed visiting hot and dusty places like Matheran, enjoyed the humidity in Bombay, had a lot of appetite for mutton biryani, hyderabadi fish curry and sweets AND did not find most of the things out of buying power. I am sure the fun, frolic and "family" moments I had together - both in Bombay and Hyderabad will hold strong in my memories - so much as to seriously have us consider moving back for good.

My green card dates are just a couple of days away from being current. Really looking forward to it. That will definitely give us more options if we want to move back. Have been reading quite a few books. Interventions from Noam Chomsky, Undercover Economist by Tim Harford (have to read this one again), Dhirubhaism and Against All Odds (both by AG Krishmaurthy) and the current one which is a stunner. How an economy grows and why it crashes - a very sincere, unconventional way of explaining economics to the common man. If anyone wants to understand the importance of capital, savings, and how it inherently gets leveraged to increase productive capacities, this is the book. Always been a great fan of understanding "grass root" economics and this is IT!. Highly recommended. Will definitely write more about this once I finish it.

India!!

2011-03-15T22:38:00.000-07:00

Finally - after 3.5 years we will be going to India.

Got our tickets last week. Got Anya's visa done. Sumera's passport is in the renewal process. It's gonna be fun. We are just going to relax in bombay and hyderabad and do NOTHING!!!! We are just gonna spend time with our family and relatives. I am so looking forward to it. 3.5 years is a long time. It will be real hot in bombay, so we are hoping Anya does alright.

Had my 31st birthday in the beginning of this month. Gosh that number sounds huge. I cannot relate myself to that age. HAHAHAHA.

First blog in mobilegarage

2011-01-31T11:03:00.001-08:00

http://www.mobilegarageblog.com/2011/01/take-your-app-to-the-next-level.html

Now that's what I am talking about.

Tennis

2011-01-30T11:15:00.000-08:00

After a long time I started playing tennis again. Found a tennis partner who I can rally with (this part is so important). We played in san francisco on friday and it just felt great. The weather, the view and some good rallying. I figured I haven't lost my touch - hehehehe.

Resumed gym again and trying to be physically active. I can certainly help losing quite a few pounds, but with the hectic weekdays along-with commuting, it has been difficult. Had a nice official trip to New Orleans. Hung out with our sales guys and built up the much needed rapport.

One thing I will never forget is that our company did a parade from the Hilton to one of the biggest clubs in NO where we had the closing party. It was impressive how the roads were blocked especially for our parade - with the cops on their motorbikes - and a few people watching us 500 or so employees walking and enjoying.

Vacation after a long time

2010-12-29T18:33:00.000-08:00

We have been to day trips quite a few times after Anya was born, but this was our first vacation where we stayed overnight. We went to Russian river with Ashu/Swati/Riya. Booked a vacation home, relaxed, ate, drank, played games and had fun. It was genuinely a refreshing experience.

Visited Santa Rosa, Windsor, Guerneville and ofcourse Duncan Mills where we stayed in a beautiful vacation home. Check out the views from the sun room cum patio and a picture of our vacation home

Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T19:07:00.000-08:00

It came and went away. With Anya around, things are just moving too fast. Arun and Gomi visited us Wednesday, Thursday, Vishal, Tanu and Shlok visited us Friday evening, and our holidays were spent entertaining, having lunch/dinner in restaurants and taking care of Anya. I enjoyed spending time with old friends. Felt good!!

Mom is leaving Dec 2nd, and after around 16 months, Sumera and I will be alone taking care of Anya. It is gonna be tough. We'll see how it goes.

Death penalty on trial

2010-10-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

After a long time I read a non-fiction. A book by Bill Curtis called "Death Penalty on Trial". It starts with reasons and justifications on governor George Ryan's decision to abolish capital punishment from the state of Illinois. It delves into two cases - the Ray Krone case and Thomas Kimbell case. The judgement on both those cases led to a death penalty. Bill Curtis has definitely exposed the fallacies of a judiciary system that according to him is not capable of making decisions with certainty - and hence must never be allowed to impart capital punishment.

A very nice and short book. Highly recommended.

Learning

2010-08-12T19:20:00.000-07:00

Though I still haven't started the endeavors I planned to, due to which I switched jobs, I do like the exposure and experience I am getting over here.

On one end, I have been exposed to dealing with traditional outsourcing and I have realized the difficulties that come with managing it. On the other end, I am happy to drive a new mobile product internally which involves negotiations, planning, presentations etc. Work is good, but I am very much looking forward to the reason I switched. Hopefully things work out :)

We are making some progress in our house-hunt. Have put in 3 offers and 2 counters without any luck :), but I would still term it as progress. Couple of months and we will likely be owners. Personal life rocks with Anya, wifey, mom and awesome home-made bengali fish everyday.

6 miles a day - keeps the doctor away

2010-07-13T21:54:00.000-07:00

For a month almost I was riding my bike for 6 miles to and fro for my office. But some idiot stole my bike over this weekend. Now I walk, only until I buy a new one. Walking in the city is awesome though. I just love the city atmosphere and the umph it carries alongwith it.

Working in the city has definitely re-invigorated me. Else it was just the boring routine of taking your car to work, doing the same job you've been doing for so many years and coming back. Now everyday is kinda different and even though it takes me around 2 hours to commute, I feel fresh. WHAT A CHANGE. AWESOME!!!!!!!

House hunting

2010-06-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

House hunting is a big deal. We have been doing it seriously for the past month now. Even put in an offer for one of the houses, but the seller was demanding much more in the counter. The things I have learnt from this gig till now :-

Narrow down your requirements. This is the most important phase, and you can only do this once you have started looking at some open houses. Some things might be important and some things might be unrealistic, so do your best to be practically demanding.
Do not go by the cosmetic looks of the house. They can be flipped. Though you have to be comfortable with the degree of upgrades you are doing. If it is just changing the kitchen cabinets or counter-tops, it is huge money, less effort. However if there are roof and structural changes, you better keep away. Bottom-line, DON'T LOOK AT A VERY OLD HOUSE.
Evaluate the fair market value of the house. You might have to pay a premium if you really like one, but that premium must only be paid if you are going to stay in that house for quite some time. Seller agents might fake the number of offers, so use your judgement.

A new beginning follows the end

2010-05-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

It was inevitable. I still remember the first day when I went to Glu for the interview. Dressed in a suit contrary to the interviewers who wore hooded sweat shirts and jeans. Oh well! That was then. 51/2 years later, I am ready to end this long, fruitful and fun-filled journey.
January 10 2005 - May 17th 2010. I could not have asked for anything more out of Glu. Couldn't have grown faster career-wise, couldn't have had more fun and couldn't have had better colleagues and friends. Good things are coming to an end, and I am hoping for better things. I am joining Blackboard, a much bigger company. Working in the city is going to be a whole new experience. Really looking to this new undertaking.

Balance

2010-05-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

They say it is good to have a balance in everything you do. Makes you well-rounded. That was not the case with me when I started reading books (which wasn't very long ago). I was an avid reader of non-fiction books. But 'Namesake' changed that.
I did attempt reading 'God of Small Things' before but it was a lil out of my league. Namesake was more for me. I could associate with it so much being an immigrant parent and being a Bengali. The name change was just a snapshot of the challenges faced by the children of immigrant parents and juggling between the two cultures. A nice light bedtime read.

CX-9 Grand Touring AWD

2010-04-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

Fully equipped too.

Has DVD navigation system w bluetooth capability.
Bose surround sound 5.1 with 11 speakers.
Rear entertainment system
Blind Spot Monitoring System
Back up camera
Auto Dimming Mirrors
Heated seats with memory
Power open/close rear hatch
Leather seats with nice trims
20" alloy wheels
Xenon headlights

Couldn't ask for more in our new SUV. Why did we get it? HAHAH. We attributed the reason to Anya's safety. But I think it was long due that we buy an extravagant SUV. This one surely is :)

Busy busy

2010-04-13T23:31:00.000-07:00

I have been really busy this year. With work and Anya. Time is just flying by and I somehow have a feeling that it is only going to get busier. Weekends are left to do chores. I am really looking forward (already!!!) to my next India trip (hopefully december). Haven't been wanting a break this bad. 6 more months to wait :(

What a decade!

2010-03-06T13:35:00.000-08:00

I turned 30 on March 1st. And in retrospect I realized it was the most important and busy decade of my life (infact most people's life). This decade is where I reaped benefits of what happened in the past and this is the decade which was crucial in shaping my future (be it career, personal life, financial stability, etc)

Finished under-graduation.
Came to US.
Finished graduation.
Started earning.
Chose my life partner and got married.
Had kids. :)

Major milestones. From here on, it is hopefully smooth and stable. Amen!!

Eat your view

2010-01-04T13:42:00.000-08:00

Read Omnivore's Dilemma over the break. Not to mention that my break is still going on until the 10th of January. It is one fantastic read. In the top 100 all time non-fiction list. Michael Pollan tries to answer the question of what we should eat.

He starts with corn and it's omnipotence in the industrialized food system. He mentions CAFOs and its big role in making meat cheap and available to common man. He doesn't spare the government of its policies to encourage growth of subsidized corn and make fast food prevalent.
If you want to find out the food chain and its dependencies right from farmers growing corn OR grass (in case of organic foods), animals eating it, droppings turning into manure, animals being killed for meat and humans being at the far end of the food chain finally consuming the meat, this is your book.

'Eat your view', is a line in this book that caught my attention. After some thought I realized how true it is. It signifies how your decisions and choices - be it buying from a fast food joint or from whole foods or from a local farmers market or hunting for your meat - determines what part of the food chain (industrial, organic, pure organic) you are encouraging and contributing. In the end you are eating your view.

Break time

2009-12-20T12:03:00.000-08:00

Can't wait for the holidays to begin! I am thinking of taking off till the 11th, but let's see. Things I am going to do during the holidays

Take my mom out to SF. All she has done after she came here is try different cuisines and a small trip to Big Sur. Now since Anya has started to adjust to the outside world, taking mom around is certainly top most on the agenda.
Resume gym. Have stopped working out for about 3 months now. BAAADDD!!
NOT think about work at all. NOT going to open my mails for one.
Read some books if I find time. This is a new hobby of mine which I regret not having earlier.

Read Freakonomics. Except the rationale for the abortion laws causing a decrease in crime during the 1990s, I am not sure if any other argument was as convincing. Or it might be the other hidden sides were just too obvious to me. For instance information (over the internet) has taken down prices for all services/commodities, school teachers cheating because of a conflict of interest w.r.t standardized testing etc. I would rate it a 5 out of 10 :)

Blink

2009-11-28T22:12:00.000-08:00

I liked Outliers so much that I had to read Malcolm Gladwell's other book - Blink. The book is about intuitions, hunches or our unconscious self, how they help us in making better decisions - better than a more thoughtful process and how the mind can adapt and develop these hunches through experience and learning.
An interesting book, not as good as Outliers though. He makes his argument in the first couple of chapters, reiterates the point through different stories (as in Outliers), but the stories are not as interesting. One of the chapters that talks about how different facial expressions could be analyzed to figure out individuals actual emotions is just a bit too detailed and long. It wasn't that bad though and I would still love to read his best-seller "The Tipping Point".

Beijing Part 2 & Outliers

2009-11-24T21:55:00.000-08:00

This was my second trip to Beijing. Stayed at J.W. Marriott. It was neat. Never stayed in such a high end room before. The one feature I loved - TV right above the bath tub. Lot of amenities too!! Sure enjoyed the stay. Came back only for the better though. Have 9 days off from work. Took the Monday and Tuesday off along with the extended long weekend the company mandated for Thanksgiving. Finally loads of time to spend with Anya. :)

Read a book called Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. It is a must read. Highly recommended. He starts by explaining how Roseta, Pennsylvania has low rates of heart related problems amongst its population. He also explains why major league players for NHL in Canada have more players born in the first quarter of the year. He then goes on to illustrate how Bill Joy (co-founder of Sun) and Bill Gates were successful because of several intangible factors in addition to their hard-work and determination. It talks about how a combination of ethnicity, the demographics and failure of white-shoe law firms to accept takeover litigation made successful lawyers out of some Jewish immigrants including Joseph Flom. It also tries to explain why Asians are good at Math (however that was not as convincing as the other outliers). He also convincingly explains why Korean airlines had more crashes before the 1990s. A really awesome book.

The Soul of a New Machine

2009-11-01T21:54:00.001-08:00

This book was nice. The title does sound geeky, but believe me, it's far from that. Its an account of Data General building their first 32-bit mini-computer during their hay days. A really engrossing book that briefly touches the politics involved in higher ups, emphasizes the grueling hours put in by the hardware engineers, talks about the thrills and trauma of being a manager with unrealistic deadlines, the satisfaction and enthusiasm of getting the job done, and a sense of void in the engineers after the exhilarating journey ended.
The book won a Pulitzer Prize. One thing/term I learned from the book. "Mushroom theory of management".

Anya's blog

2009-10-15T19:29:00.000-07:00

Anya is in her sixth week. Its already been an exciting journey so far. She used to cry a lot during her initial two weeks. She is starting to settle down now. Her mom and her grand moms are taking very good care of her. Lucky girl!!!
I am trying to do my part. Maintaining a blog that captures her growth, and keeps her grandfather, aunts and uncles tuned in. http://sumera-ankur-anya.blogspot.com/. It is fun maintaining that blog.
Enjoying fatherhood. Smooth and bumpy ride. :). Never know whats gonna happen next.

Welcome Baby Anya

2009-09-08T23:03:00.000-07:00

It is inexplicable. The feeling when you become a father. A few days ago I was anxious, apprehensive and scared. Now I am proud, confident, responsible, happy and eager. Proud to be a father to 'Anya Pal'. Confident of taking care of the baby and assuming more responsibilities. Responsible because a small little life is so dependent on Sumera and I . Happy because I just love her. Eager to hold her every freaking time.
Sumera and I had a daughter on 5th September at 5:45 pm. She was 8.7 pounds and 20.5 in. Labor was of course not a pleasant experience, but it wasn't bad either. All we do, talk and care about right now is Anya. Life does change a lot. But believe me, it is for the better :).

Beijing

2009-07-08T01:49:00.000-07:00

Huge city, with an awesome night life. Heavy traffic during peak hours, but otherwise the roads are smooth and the freeways are not that bad. Surprisingly a lot of foreigners, and as expected a lot of people walking on the roads. I stayed in this beautiful city for a month and I can go back for sure. The food and high-end restaurants are the best part. Had a lot of meat. A LOT!! Roast duck was my favorite. Never had it before. The skin of the roasted duck is a delicacy you MUST have. Had sea otters. They were alright. Had some beef stomach which was good.

Went to the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Summer Palace. Great Wall is truly amazing. We did walk a lot on it. Some of the slopes are very steep and you gotta hold the side rails to keep going. Easily the best thing I saw in China. We also went to Quin Dao (that is where the Chinese beer Tsing Tao is made). It is a nice city with ocean views and some beaches. Not as modern or developed as Beijing ofcourse, so I am guessing it was a more authentic experience of China.

I am so glad I had this opportunity. It is really great to have these experiences with different cultures, food and people. Even though language was a barrier I did everything that I wanted to. So no complaints.

Crater Lake debacle

2009-05-26T19:07:00.001-07:00

What a turn of events!! We had a wonderful plan of going to Crater Lake this memorial day weekend. Sumera got sick, and spent a day in the hospital :(. We had to dump the plans. The rest of the group did make the trip. Well, what you gonna do. Eventually its all fine and she is in good health.
So the long weekend was either in the hospital or taking it easy at home. Can't complain though. Had fun watching movies :)
Here's five more songs from my top 25

How Toyota Became #1

2009-05-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

This book kept me engrossed. A must read for everyone. It talks about how toyota started from manufacturing looms to making fuel-efficient cars. David Magee dissects the whole Toyota Production System (TPS) which has some basic principles. Some I could grasp are

strive for continuous improvement
the five whys with which you uncover the source of the problem
go to the source to problem and see it for yourself
stop everything until you fix the problem
think long term
learn from failures

The book indicates that the principles are heavily influenced from a book written by Samuel Smiles called "Self Help". That should be a good one as well. Everyone knows the principles, but this book exemplifies how Toyota implements them. Truly one of the best books I've read.

Golden Gate Park

2009-04-26T21:41:00.000-07:00

Our frequency of trips to SF have increased. Guess we have started liking it. Anyways. I refuse to believe the fact that I never went to the coolest place in the city until last weekend. Golden Gate Park is a must-see. The ambiance is just too good. A lot of stuff goes on, and if you prefer quiet places there's tons in that park. We peddled in stow lake, saw the Japanese garden and hiked a bit around the park.

Went to Dosa yesterday in the city (the fillmore one). It is one of the most high end Indian restaurants I have been to in US. Food was OK, but Kal got some awesome wines. Even though I pretended to be indifferent, they were amongst the best wines I have had. We had a very good time and was very different from the general hangouts I do with my friends from the company. Also it was the first time I ever spent so much time in a restaurant. Reached there at 6:20ish and left at around 9:30ish and I couldn't figure how time went by. FUN FUN!!

Now for five more out of my list of top 25

Enjoyyyyy!!!

Warriors vs. Spurs

2009-04-14T22:30:00.000-07:00

This was my second live NBA game. The first one was an epic last year that Warriors played to get to the playoffs. This time it was the stupidest game of the whole season. Warriors were thrashed on Monday and the game was a disaster. Duncan and Parker were taken out after the first half. What a shame. Anyways, the seats this time were closer than the first time, and better as well. We did not wait for the game to finish (couldn't see more of the game. HAHAHA).

GO WARRIORS. WEEEEEEE BELIEVEEEEEEE. Hope they have a better season next time. I hate Spurs more since they thrashed the Warriors this bad.

Harding Park Golf Course

2009-03-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

I had been there before to watch a PGA tour. This time I went to play. It was some experience. We did the whole gig. 18 holes, riding around in golf carts, in a very presumptuous mode, analyzing the wind movement before teeing, comprehending the breaks during putting, all in vain. I got a 124 in a course which was 72 par. LOL. Pretty decent for a first timer though.

Highlights of the whole experience
- When Meghneel found out that the golf kit he bought the previous day was for left handers.
- When we started smoking "Cuban" cigars (as per my super-boss they were Cuban and were Romeo Y Juliet, the brand banned in US.)
- Rishi and I won as a team by 2 shots.

Golf is tiring though and even though we had plans till night, we just gave up and went home.

Now for 5 more songs from my top 25

Enjoy!!!

Gun Control on Trial

2009-03-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

Should the government have restrictions on owning guns? Are guns a privilege or are they above federal regulations and a constitutional right of a person? A coin has two sides to it and this book definitely tries to get a hold of the other side in which people are pro-gun and believe it as a tool for self defense. The author states the second amendment and tries to justify a ban on gun control regulations or policies by using that as a base. There are numbers that suggests that gun control does not reduce hate crimes. Canada has a lot of gun proliferation and the crime rate there is next to nothing compared to the States. A very interesting book and a must read if you are ready to be influenced by arguments.

Works is as good as it gets. For the first time, I am enjoying something to do with work. It involves working long hours sometimes, but is definitely worth the effort. Mom is gonna come here mid-July and eagerly waiting for that. I was watching some countdown on TV which inspired me to make a list of my top 25 songs.

I shall start by mentioning 5 (in no specific order). Do listen to these if you haven't already.

This definitely doesn't have my no 1. So tune in later.

Como estas

2009-01-17T11:19:00.000-08:00

Holidays are over, but I have no regrets. One of the best vacations I have had. A perfect mix of masti and relaxing. Masti started with us going to Long Beach to meet Gomi, Arun, Vivek and Sowmia. We spent the new years eve in a desi party in LA. The DJs were playing hip-hop and pop until half an hour before midnight when he started with desi music. Ofcourse it was fun once he started playing desi. Played a lot of UNO and other card games. Went to Huntington beach to play football and volleyball one day. Overall it was a fun fun trip to spend time with old friends.

We(me and Sumera) left for a 7 day cruise to Mexico from long beach on the 4th. I was astonished by the things you can do on a cruise ship. Live music all over, dance clubs, jazz bars, theatres for showtime, nice nooks to relax, open decks to bask in the sun, mini golf, volleyball, basketball, casino, 24 hour food, exquisite dinner service. The ships' got it all. It is a mini fun city. You would not feel that you are cruising for 2.5 days to get to the farthest port - Puerto Vallarta. After spending a day there we left for Mazatlan. Mazatlan was much smaller than our first port and Cabo San Lucas which was our last one. I liked Cabo the most since the beaches there were beautiful.

I had mentioned in one of my trip blogs that everyone should go to Hawaii atleast once. I would like to add that everyone should go to a cruise atleast once. So in case you are cheap go for a cruise to Hawaii. HAHAHAHA.

Holiday season

2008-12-23T17:37:00.000-08:00

Never had this long a break and not go to India. My holidays cum forced vacation started 20th and ends 4th. But guess what!! I am taking a vacation from 4th - 11th. Sumera has to kind of work until the 31st so I am just chilling and relaxing at home. Boy it feels great.

Past few weeks have been busy. Company christmas party was OK. Didn't like the venue much. Took off early since we had to go to Folsom to Viveks'. We have been meeting quite frequently. Went to Vegas with them during thanksgiving. Stayed at the MGM for the first time. My advise, never have an agenda when you go to Vegas. AND NO GRAND CANYON and HOOVER DAM. Without these futile (Patel) trips, Vegas is FUN. We hung out in the lounges and visited different casinos. Didn't gamble unfortunately. But the trip was RELAXING!!!!

Watched Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (courtesy Sowmya) and maeen. That movie was as bad as Krazzy 4. Maybe a tad bit better than that. The only consolation - it was AMC and not NAZ 8. Anyways!! Stocks are down, work is better than before, and can't wait for LA on 31st and the cruise trip to Mexico from the 4th.

Slumdog Millionaire

2008-11-23T11:58:00.001-08:00

Watched this movie last week before going to Kals for a wine and cheese party. One of the best movies I have seen. It shows the banal life of under-privileged in Bombay and how a guy from the slums goes on to win "Who wants to be a millionaire" because of his experiences in life. Each question takes him back to his past. Very realistic.
Kals wine and cheese party was fun. Stayed there till 3 when he officially called it off since we were so drunk. LOL. That was funny. After that we went to Grubstake and I had a nice omlette with bacon and lots of cheese. YUMMY.
ew role. It is definitely fun.
Went to Kalpana's place yesterday for lunch. They have a huge place. Very impressive house. Food was good as well. After that some of us went for "Dostana". Funny movie with some nice sense of humor.

Churrascaria, Caipirinha and Corcavado

2008-10-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

Host to one of the new seven wonders to the world, where everyone speaks Portuguese. Soccer is their passion and Samba gets them moving. Yes !!!Brazil, is all this and called a third world country, but certainly doesn't look like one.

I went to Sao Paulo for a month. . A huge city and statistically the 19th richest city in the world. First thing I noticed is that it is difficult to get by if you do not know Portuguese. Needed a lot of help from my colleagues to get around, but in the end I have to say it all worked out. Agua sem gas means water without gas, Obrigado means thank you, Frango means chicken, Picanha is the best past of beef you can ever have, Bom dia is good morning, camarao is shrimp, cafe com leite means coffee with milk, haceebo means receipt (need to know this on a business trip), eu nao se Portuguese means I don't know Portuguese. These were enough to get me around the city and to know what I am eating.

Food is the best part. Brazilian steak houses are called Churrascaria. I have to admit that in Brazil I have had some of the best food ever. Picanha is certainly a hit in Brazil. Wednesdays is feijoada day in most retaurants in Sao Paulo. This dish is traditionally served with rice and it's awesome. Strogonoff is another beef gravy I liked a lot. I also had shrimp risotto many times and it mysteriously kept getting better and better. Even the Morrocan and Mexican cuisines I had were so much better. Part of the reason might be that no food there is bland. They do not care about calories and healthy food. They care about TASTY food and you can get that everywhere in Brazil. For vegetarians this country is a big NO NO. Caipirinha is a very popular drink made of either cachac'a or vodka. Brahmas and Bohemias are the best beer brands.

Ofcourse if you go to Brazil and you do not go to Rio you have wasted your time. It is one of the most beautiful cities I have visited. Corcavado (Christ the Redeemer) and Sugarloaf (forgot the Portuguese name) both give a terrific view of the city. And no wonder Ipanema and Copacabana are the best beaches in the world. Me and my boss stayed in Sheraton with a nice beach view. I also had my most expensive dinner ever - 280 reals which makes your pocket lighter by 90$. Well I wouldn't say it was worth it, but heck its Rio. Who cares!!

Akbar Sami is the MAN

2008-09-07T20:45:00.000-07:00

Had a company picnic today at Angel Island. It is a very nice place. The only bad thing was that the section that was reserved for us was shady with a lot of cold breeze. But we had fun playing volleyball. It is a good place to do your bbq and relax in the sun.

Went to Illusions yesterday for a desi party. DJ Akbar Sami was there and hell yea!!! It was fun funk funky. Other DJs were good too, but when he came in and started with the new 'Bachna e Haseeno' track, the dance floor went KRAZZZZZY. It was nearly 4-6 months since we danced to Desi tunes. I also loved the last 10 mins when they started that typical Ganpati music. Reminiscent of my roadside dances!!!!!

Read 'Gandhi and India' by Gianni Sofri. A small and decent book about India's struggle for independence and Gandhi's views and actions in the struggle. There are some serious mistakes in this book though, especially when it mentions India's independence day to be 14th Aug and Gandhi's assassination in the year 1939.

I did not know much about my physical limitations until after some runs on the treadmill when I suffered from shin splits and a little stress on the knees. Finally my colleague told me that it might be because of my low quality reebok DMX. I did some research online and went to the mall this weekend. Asked every shoe store what the best running shoes were. I even asked some customers (one guy was a marathon runner) who were looking for running shoes. And guess what!! It was unanimous. Every one recommended asics and EVERYONE strictly said NO to Nike. Nikes' they said are overrated, ineffective and sell because of the brand. Good I did some research or else I would have bought Nike Shox. I bought the Asics 1130 recommended by that marathon runner. I ran today with those on and it felt AWESOME!!!

War talk

2008-08-10T12:45:00.000-07:00

A short book by Arundhati Roy, it touches widespread political issues. From the powerlessness of villagers and activists of Narmada Bachao Andolan where hunger strikes and following Ahimsa did not ring a lot of bells in the Government, to the mighty US, its foreign policy and its irreversible involvement in toppling other governments and its after effects - she has struck the right chord. She also gives instances of the prominent leaders of the world, emanating their non-secular OR 'our way is the only right way' beliefs. Lastly she talks about how information and media are distorted and are run in interests of a few influential people. This book exhibits her vivid perception of where the human race is headed and the causes that might ultimately destroy us.

I also read a book "God is not great". Its one of the most radical books I have come across. For agnostics it might be the Bible. For believers, I would recommend they stay away from it. Nevertheless it does have true accounts of how religion is the cause of almost all the fatal conflicts. I did not read the whole book though, cause after the first half dozen chapters his (Christopher Hitchens) message and point of view is reiterative.

Icon

2008-07-17T01:57:00.000-07:00

I've got a new hobby. Reading was never my forte until this past few weeks. I owe this to my father-in-law who got a really nice book called American Beliefs. This book has introduced me to the wilderness of book reading and I am glad it happened. This blog also marks my third year anniversary in blogging. I still remember my first blog where i was so apprehensive about me ever pursuing this kind of activity. But here I am.
This blog is gonna be about this book I have been reading. Its called "Icon". Its the story of Steve Jobs. I gotta say that if you are a big fan of Steve Jobs, you should stay away from this book. It potrays a very childish, astute and perfidious Jobs who wrongfully took credit for "big" products, was relentless in taking center stage at all opportunities, conspired to oust people who were given charge against his favor, and was unreliable under all circumstances. The book writes about his bitter encounters with Jeff Raskin, with his buddy and peer Steve Woznaik, one time Apple CEO John Sculley, and the investor Mike Markkula.
Jobs got the taste of his own recipe when he was ousted from Apple and replaced by John Sculley. This is when he ventured into new companies like Next, which never made big, but was bought by Apple, and Pixar, which every Tom in every country would know about. It was during this period that Steve learned from his mistakes and graduated into being a commendable person, though he is still a hard ass. The Pixar story is really interesting and talks about John Lasseter as the whole and sole of Pixar, with Steve being a sidekick, even though Ed Catamul, Alvin Ray and he were co-founders.
It also writes about how Gil Amelio, the successor to John Sculley and Spindler, had done a good job in reviving Apple. Right when Apple announced its first good quarter after a series of dismal earnings, he was ousted and the job went to Jobs. Gil left the company with plenty of cash flow, the right projects given a headstart, futile projects canned. The book mentions that Jobs reaped the benefits sowed by 'Gil'.
Well I would say partially. I have to give credit to this guy though for IPod and the Apple Music Store. Very well thought and well planned products/services. Against all odds both have accounted for almost more than half of Apple's revenues. His continuos innovation in creating a new line of IPods and then introducing the IPhone is just mind-blowing. He gives more emphasis to 'design' than anyone else.
He is truly an ICON.

American Beliefs

2008-06-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

If you are ever curious as to what makes America unique and different from other nations this is the book. It not only speaks about the forces that have shaped the culture in America, but also compares it to other cultures of the New World namely Spanish America, Canada and Brazil. It tells how some policies of England were different for the original thirteen colonies of America, which enculturated sovereign beliefs in the people of America and brought about the American revolution. It talks at length about how the diverse pool of immigrants worked towards self-reliance and strongly believed in improvement. It is the capability of these immigrants to desire improvement and imagine a wide array of opportunities that brought them all the way from the Atlantic ocean to America and made them laborious and understand the value of labor. Unlike other colonies, all kinds of immigrants were welcome to American colonies. It's this surge of population that enabled America to expand at a rate which was unprecedented. Ofcourse they were helped by their geographic conditions, but that does not undermine the collective organized effort of the people towards building a supreme nation.

It satisfactorily answered my questions as to what made America a great nation, with people from all races living in peaceful unison. It is a country that believes in hard work, labor and determination, believes in personal development and works towards the progress of a nation. It answered my question of why there are cultural differences between America and Europe, even though most of the immigrants were Europeans. And it also answered my question as to why the American people are so receptive, friendly and have a positive attitude.

p.s - This is my first (almost!!) completely read book. Have started dozens but never completed any.

In-laws IN town

2008-06-07T10:51:00.000-07:00

NBA season is almost over and I am rooting for none other than the Lakers. I predicted a Pistons-Lakers showdown before the season started, but damn KG and Pierce. Lost freaking 10 bucks on a bet.

In-laws are in town. Home-cooked biryani, khichadi, methi mutton, and keema have been the highlights. YUMMMYYYYY. I can start a business out of it, especially in the bay area. First weekend was a Napa trip. It was their first exposure to American culture and they loved it. We did some wine tasting in V-Sattui, hung out in their small garden to stuff ourselves with their sandwich and left within a couple of hours. Did some shopping in Napa outlets. Next weekend was SFO. It was my four hundred thousand three hundred and twenty fifth trip to GG and Fishermans wharf. Can't complain though, after the clam chowder I had at the wharf.

Long weekend was awesome with universal studios and sea world on our itinerary. I was impressed by the shows in Sea World. Pets Rule, Shamu and Dolphin adventure were unforgettable. The way they have trained the dolphins is surprising. The amount of fish they have to feed the dolphins after every act does justify the price of the tickets to this theme park. Universal Studios was mediocre, especially if I compare it to the one in Orlando. That one is huge and the shows/rides are much better, not to mention Island of Adventure which is missing from LA.

Did cherry picking last week. Its a totally different experience. Stuffed myself with a lot of cherries. I am sure its the cheapest activity anyone can do in and around the bay area. Went to Big Sur and Gilroy today. It was a nice day for a drive on PCH.

Office move

2008-03-26T22:31:00.000-07:00

Our office has moved to a new location and BELIEVE ME!!!It is awesome. The rec room has a new electronic heads-up poker table. Ofcourse things from the old office which includes the consoles (xbox 360, wii, ps2), foosball,ping pong and the arcade section. Cubes are much bigger, and I have a window facing cube. The only thing I hate about the new office is that it is much more conducive to work because of higher cube walls. Well! Good for the company. The NBA season has motivated me to playing basketball (HORSE) with Adam,during lunch. I do suck at the game but that means I have a lot to learn.
Invited my colleagues for lunch one weekend. There were 14 of them, including spouses. It was hard work for me. Had to do the dishes over and over while Sumera was cooking. The food was delicious though and I ate the leftovers all day. People got a lot of wine - all of us were TRYING to be wine connoisseurs. We also played mafia which is a fun game when played with a large group.
Went to the driving range last weekend. Kal (my boss) taught us how to hit that ball with the wedge, and frankly it was a good learning exercise. Resumed playing racquetball, after my racquetball buddy (Arvind) came back from his vacation. CHEERS!!!

Lake Tahoe

2008-02-20T20:52:00.000-08:00

I surely wanted to do this for so long. Going to Lake Tahoe was the first thing on my TO DO list since I moved to the bay area. And I finally did it on a nice sunny day, when you need not have a 4WD or snow chains. This was a week before the Presidents Day weekend when it wasn't snowing and it was a nice 45 degrees. We did skiing at the Sierra At Tahoe resort. Had to take the beginners lesson again, firstly because I barely remembered my lessons from skiing at the Eldora Mountain resort, and more so because it was the first time for Sumera. We went through the beginners slope for the first couple of hours, but then since that quad-lift was so overcrowded, we tried the dual-lift for the sugar-n-spice trail. And Hesus, I fell a zillion times in that trail since I could not control my speed and direction. The slope was darn steep. Anyways!! We ski'ed for a good 5-6 hours including a lunch break, and took off to see the splendid lake tahoe. We visited the south shore, and the view was magnificent. Very serene and peaceful.
This long weekend was a nice one too. Went to Dsu's (Santosh's) Saturday after playing mini-golf with them. Just chilled watching Ratatouille, and feeding ourselves cheesy pizzas. The next day we, along-with some other guys went to Half Moon Bay. It was cold at the beach, but we were kinda OK since we started playing football (american that is). We hung out for a couple of hours after which we went bowling.
I also watched a tennis exhibition match (prelude to the SAP Open) with Mohit, Gaurang and Sumit in HP Pavilion on Monday. It was Pete Sampras vs Tommy Haas. Was an average match (why did I expect so much from an exhibition match). Pete though, still has some shots in his repertoire. The experience was definitely reminiscent of the nail-biting matches we (the very same group), watched in Palm Springs, CA for the Pacific Life Open.

Trip to india

2008-01-11T08:07:00.000-08:00

what a way to recharge your batteries!!! This trip to India was my best one for several reasons. 47 days with my family was satisfying compared to the other trips I have had. And the best part is that I did not overbook myself to make short trips to other parts of India. I did enjoy Rajus' wedding and caught up with old friends like Veena, Kunal, Vinay and Raju himself. Since Sumera had never seen Bombay, I showed her around and we had a lot of fun together. Went to Hyderabad and had a great time with her family. Saw Charminar and Lad Bazaar during this visit. Lad bazaar is one of the oldest shopping centers in the city filled with bangle shops. I was amazed at the zillions of people lingering in those streets. It is as crowded as a local train in Bombay. Came back and went to Goa with my mom, wife, didi, jiju and mishtu. A week filled with visits to beach-side restaurants, touring Old Goa and relaxing on the beach. Our hotel was right opposite Miramar beach and I really liked the location. Quality time spent with my family. Did para-sailing for the first time and all I can say is that it was FUNNNN. Much better than a jet ski.
I also caught up with my school friends at a re-union of our 1995 MMHS batch. Went through old times remembering funny incidents. All are doing good in the their respective fields. Branch managers, securities analysts, project managers, sales managers, child psychiatrists, software engineers (BUT OFCOURSE) and there are some who own companies.

Green Card Fever

2007-10-30T21:37:00.000-07:00

So finally got my EAD and am through with the fingerprinting process. From now on its HOPEFULLY just a matter of time (some YEARS) towards permanent residency. Meanwhile am getting ready for my India trip. This time it's a long one. Nov 17th - Jan 2nd. A month and a half sounds fun. Doesn't it? Planning a Goa trip, Jaipur trip, Hyderabad trip and possibly Delhi...'Bryan Adams' in Greek Theater was fantastic. It is going into my list of BEST concerts ever. Racquetball is coming along nice. A very nice way to burn calories, stay fit and avoid the treadmills and ellipticals. A small company party at the penthouse of Fairmont hotel in the city was in the ZONE. Nice city view, classy setting, karaoke and awesome Italian food!!

From German to Japanese

2007-09-30T17:33:00.001-07:00

GERMAN TO JAPANESE. It's inevitable. High maintenance, low mileage, and tired of putting on PLUS instead of the regular!!!

Stuff

2007-08-15T19:08:00.001-07:00

- Went to Vegas during July 4th weekend. Played poker tournaments and blackjack. Went to Rio's to watch the WSOP tournament, but instead was engulfed in the gaming expo where we got a lot of POKER goodies. Also did a day trip to Grand Canyon. I particularly don't like the canyon much and am still not convinced of it's fame.

- Was an audience to the Indian Ocean concert. Very different!! Very original!! A really down-to-earth group of talented people that play some great music. The tabla guy has a really good voice and the chap who plays the drums is very innovative.

- Have been playing in a softball league. Its a fun game. Rules are a little different from baseball. Our team (G-Crew) is not that good right now, but I am sure its moving in the right direction.

- It was my first time to a driving range. I did do some research on how to perfect a golf swing and all that, but believe me!!! It is difficult when you get out there. I hit a couple of good drives but none worth any accolades. THIS GAME IS TOUGH!!!

- Star-gazing. Its an interesting thing if you have never done it. It might be more interesting if you are cognizant of the constellations and different stars and what not. But hey I could identify the moon (LOL). Seeing the moon up close through that telescope!! Whoaa! I wish I could take a picture of that. Also saw jupiter and its four large moons.

Market Fever

2007-07-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

Call me naive, but it is difficult to comprehend how the market reacts to earnings. Take for instance this stock in my portfolio, NutriSystems Inc (NTRI). A provider of nutritional portion controlled meal program, it reported a 69% increase in second quarter profits. Yea!! 69%. Many may argue that for a small company with a market cap of around 2 billion, 69% is good but not particularly impressive. But for one, it easily beat the analyst estimates. Let me put some figures in place to corroborate the immature market sentiment. S&P 500 posted average profit gains of about 4% in the first quarter this year. Russell 2000, a small cap index, shows an EPS growth of 15.21 over 5 years. NTRI has a EPS growth rate of 81% over a year. It's target price by most analysts is around 80. With all this said, during market hours the stock fell 6%. But disaster struck when the earnings were announced, and the stocks fell 15% in after-hours trading.

Another instance. Merill Lynch (MER). It delivered another strong quarter amidst sub-prime concerns and what not. It's still falling and guess what. It's P/E is significantly smaller than its EPS. I have seen P/E's of financial companies average at 10 or some, but none are lower than it's EPS.

Let us see what Apple earnings has in store tomorrow!!!!

The Apple Cult

2007-07-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered what made iPod really successful? Despite the sucky iTunes, the cumbersome procedure of downloading songs from the PC to an iPod, the Herculean task of organizing your music by artist, genre and what not!! What makes it so different from gadgets like Zen, Zune and millions of other MP3 players? Why don't their products need marketing? I attribute all the answers to THE APPLE CULT. Yes!! Worse than a fraternity but better than a KKK.

So who makes it to this cult? The die-hard blindfolded followers of Apple right from Mac to iPod to iPhone. These people stand in line since 1 in the morning to get their products on the first day. These are the guys who create or fall for the hype Then there are what I call the corporate paparazzi who write about these products, some of whom are techie reviewers, and some, analysts with vested interests. The techie reviewers are genuine but an integral part of creating the hype. On the other hand, analysts are bogus, astute and discerning individuals who tend to boost the stock performance. It all sounds good but this kinda paparazzi follows every product. Don't they? Well yes, but in case of Apple, it is the number of these kinda people that join the party. This number is huge because of our very own "Steve Jobs". Read here to get a better idea of how this frenzy is created. In a nutshell it illustrates how Mr Jobs manipulates the media to make them believe that the device is a breathtaking, next generation, full feature gadget meant to be the best in that segment.

Finally comes another genre of people who just ride the flow. These are wannabes seeking some kinda status symbol. They fall in the bottom of the hierarchy with respect to originality. Even though the cult does not constitute a very large percentage, they make noise. I have friends who love Apple because they love the product. Not because of the hoopla. These kind are a significant number. But the noise by cult is much more overwhelming.

Well it is after realizing the exuberance of this cult that I re-bought, yea re-bought AAPL stocks. I have tremendous faith in these guys and I desperately hope it pays off.

Lawful Permanent Resident (Green Card)

2007-06-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

Green card dates went current (http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_3258.html) . What that means is that anyone who has the first stage (PERM/Labor) approved can file for I485 (Adjustment of Status) , the final hurdle to being a LPR (Lawful Permanent Resident). This news has certainly caused a lot of hoopla amongst my colleagues and friends. With all sorts of questions arising I though of creating this FAQ of the most common questions for people who are curious.

1) Can I file for I-140 and I-485 together?
Ans. Yes. Both can be filed concurrently.

2) What are the consequences of filing I-485?
Ans. For singles it is a major issue. The crux is that if you file for I-485 and your GC gets approved before you get married your wife cannot enter USA on any dependent VISA. This means she has to go through the family immigration process which takes about 4-5 years. So what can you do? You can file the I-485 and postpone your call for fingerprinting by 2-3 months. This is only for people who intend to get married within 4-5 months from filing the I-485 (essentially it buys them some time). Now for people who do not intend to get married for quite some time, the elite few should not apply for their I-485 to be safe. To gain some you have to lose some.

3) Who benefits the most from filing the I-485?
Ans. The spouse who is on a dependent visa (H4,etc) since they can also file for a EAD card alongwith the I-485 which would give them the right to work. Individuals who are desperate to switch jobs and this whole GC process is what was keeping them glu'd to the company. And individuals who are eager to start their own business and could not find a legal sponsor.

4) Do I lose my LPR status if I go back to India for good?
And. Depends. People say you have to visit atleast once every year to maintain your GC status. There are some who say you have to stay in the US for atleast six months every year. All of them are wrong!! You have to be convincing of your intent to establish permanent residency in USA. So even if you go back to India for good, but keep a bank account, file taxes every year, earn some property in USA, and have strong family ties here, you can actually maintain your GC status throughout your life.

Resources:- http://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/
http://murthy.com/
http://travel.state.gov/visa/
http://immigration.about.com/

A Major Milestone

2007-06-05T23:06:00.000-07:00

They say the first year's the toughest!! Not that I would disagree :). So how did we celebrate our first marriage anniversary?? Expensive gifts and romantic dinners are commonplace. We decided to do something different. Something most of us have never done before. A mud-bath in the mineral waters of Calistoga, followed by a jacuzzi, blanket wrap and a massage. Calistoga is a small town 25 miles north of Napa, well known for its hot springs, mineral water and geysers. It is also home to the volcanic mud bath which is said to relax muscles and improve circulation. I had been there once but never knew that the city had so much to offer. After the mud bath cum spa, we had lunch at a nice deli joint.
Time flies. First year was quick and exciting. Adventurous and engulfing. And well when your wife does all the cooking, its AMAZING . I hope the second year is no different!!

Spring time

2007-04-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

Spring is back and it feels good. Blogging aint the ideal thing to do in this joyful weather, but its long due. Has been the usual except a few things. Went to a sufi rock concert (thats what they called it). It was basically a performance from Salman Ahmad (the lead singer from the Pakistani band Junoon). In a small packed auditorium of around 150 people, he pleased us all with his guitar and vocals. Samir Chatterjee accompanied him with the tabla, and they were a lethal duo. They responded to the encore twice and all-in-all it was an entertaining evening.

I also went to the Warriors game in Oakland at the Oracle Arena. I went for the game that was supposed to be crucial for them. If the warriors were to win this game (and the Clippers were to lose theirs against Suns) they would have made it to the playoffs that very day. Playoffs after 13 years. Adam (my colleague) a big warriors fan was really excited and is a hard core Warriors fan. Me, Mohit, Eric and Vineet were indifferent. We just wanted to watch a nice game. We tailgated near the bart bridge and were off to the arena after having a FEW beers. The experience was good. The game was a one sided affair with warriors leading over the mavs by about 15 points all the way till the end. We had upper deck seats, but after the first half we found ourselves a way into the second row of seats right next to the court. I saw Nowitzki, Dampier, Terry and Harris within a foots distance when they were leaving the courts.

Yesterday me, Sumera and Ricky took off to the city to enjoy the pleasant weather here. We planned on doing the 49 mile scenic drive of the city where it takes you through 49 points of interest in the city. We started from City Hall, and tried following the indicators to this whole 49 mile route. I couldn't see any such indicators on Van Ness (the street where City Hall is located). The next thing we reach is Fishermans Wharf, which was at the end of this route. It was ridiculous. Finally we saw the indicators from there, but by now had no intentions of continuing. We chilled at the pier, stuffed ourselves at Naan N' Curry and left. We (us and dsu,santosh, kris and suneel) then planned on having a BBQ at my place. Did bbq for 30 minutes when we were kicked out of there (it was 10:45 pm). Played poker at my place and that was it.

Age matters!!!

2007-03-07T23:50:00.000-08:00

This was not ages ago! I never hesitated or frowned to leak my age out. But after my 27th birthday, damn!!! It feels bad. These are of course afterthoughts. On that day I was exuberant as ever. Cut a cake at 12, went to work, had dinner with friends, and got an IPod from my wife and bro-in-law. Nothing fancy!!
Monty visited my place in Feb and we had a gala time. Sumera, Santosh, Shashi and I along-with him really got it going. Old memories revived. We went to Big Sur, sat down outdoors at an ocean view restaurant, got our beers and fries, and chatted for a couple of hours. The five of us went go-karting the next day. My scores (for every visit) are posted right here . It does suggest bad performance throughout, but I really have an excuse. How about I try to have fun and in the process try to skid the gokarts while taking turns which slows me down. More so, a couple of times I have faced sever penalties, either because of crashing on the fence OR due to rash driving. Look at the Yokohoma Race of May 20th. First 5 laps are pretty good times, infact the 3rd lap time is the best of all in that lap. And now look at the 6th lap. That is where I was penalized. SUCKSSSS!!
Have been playing a lot of pool lately. Getting better at it. I am in that phase now where I think of the next shot and try to place the ball. Not that impressive but yea. Am getting there.

Hawaii - Paradise on earth

2007-01-13T11:45:00.000-08:00

DAY ONE -

Sumera and I reached the island of Maui at around 4 in the evening of Dec 24th . The moment I reached there I felt like taking my clothes off and basking in the sun. It was HOT. We grabbed our rental car, did the hotel check-in and took off to feed us starving selves (yaaaaa). The sun had set by the time we could do anything, courtesy ATA for delaying our morning flight by 4 hours. So we started planning our activities. Figured 25th would be the perfect day for the Hana drive. Smart yaaaaa. Christmas day, people spending time with their families, and us smart souls cruising through the otherwise jammed roads. KUDOS. We booked the bike ride to Haleakala crater for 26th. After perusing through loads of fliers it was time to lay it off.

** yaaaaa is some kinda Hawaiian lingo. Original Hawaiians add it at the end of almost every sentence.

DAY TWO (On The Road to Heavenly Hana) -

We took off for Hana. The road to Hana offers some most spectacular scenery the island has to offer. Our first stop was the Ho'okipa beack park. Very similar to the 17-mile drive in California, but can't compare Hawaii to California can I? After this, the challenge of Hana Highway begins. 30 miles of narrow winding roads, through the mountains with magnificent ocean views, and frequent segments confined to one car at a time. Our next stop was the Haipuaena Falls. The falls (a mile hike) were not that majestic, but the serenity and aura embossed in the surroundings on the way to those falls was one of a kind. Enjoyed some nice Hawaiian juice before we took off for the Garden of Eden arboretum (our next stop). This is where the regions botany is preserved in full glory. A bird's eye view of Puohokamoa falls was a perfect addition to the blessed greenery. After this we moved on, experiencing the resplendent and exquisite views, exploring my skills in photography and having a good time. We reached Hana Bay and rested ourselves at the beach. Enjoyed some refreshments at a nice beach view restaurant and we were on our way back.
My best shots of the day -

DAY THREE (Maui's sleeping volcano) -

Panoramic views, nature in the raw, and the bike ride down the Haleakala National Park leaves you breathless. But to be a part of this scintillating experience, you have to wake up at 3 in the morning. Think its not worth it? Think again. We reached the pick-up spot at 3:45 am and were driven to the 10,023 foot summit at around 5 in the morning. Slowly it was dawn and we were all waiting for the eternal sunshine. And finally we could see the sun on the far away horizon. I would never forget the view. That is the only time I wished I had a better camera to capture those moments. Anyways after several attempts with my S1 IS, I finally gave up and enjoyed the romantic setup. Soon after, we were driven to the entry point of the national park from where we started our bike ride. It seemed easy, but the curvy steep slopes with narrow roads made it engrossing. On our way we encountered huge agricultural fields spread across the vast mountains and splendid views of Maui's north shore. We took about 3 hours to come down, where we had our breakfast and the famous Kona coffee at a nice joint in Paia town.

DAY FOUR (Molokini crater : An exotic snorkel destination) -

If you like adventures, this is a must do. Snorkeling at the Molokini crater is overwhelming. I once did snorkeling in Key Biscane, Florida (yea i missed Key West), but if I compare it to the one I did in Hawaii I would be a FOOL. Molokini is a crescent moon shaped islet located less than three miles from Maui's southern coast. It is one of the premier dive spots engulfed by three islands namely Molokai, Lanai and Maui. The crescent shape acts as a barrier for strong currents and waves and facilitates arguably the best corals and fish species. The average depth is around 350 feet and the visibility - right down to the surface. Me and Sumera had to do it with life jackets and boogie boards since we don't swim. Another addendum to the trip - Food and beverages on the house, but ofcourse alcohol is only served after the snorkeling session. This excursion was the highlight of our trip just because I had never seen such beauty underwater. On our way back we halted at a spot where turtles were abundant. They were big, but after what I saw underwater near Molokini nothing amused me. We hit a nice secluded beach midway near the Ma'alaea harbor and basked in the sun till we were tired.

DAY FIVE (Spa and Luau) -

The ambience in Hawaii is so retro. A perfect environment to attain euphoria, get into a state of bliss and relax in the wilderness of tranquility. Spa was the perfect option. The soothing music alleviated the mind, and the massage unbolted our bodies. That hour of serenity was just reinvigorating. It was worth every dime. We would have taken another session, but we had to go to the Luau in the Royal Lahaina resort. Luau is a Hawaiian feast that features CRAZY food, Hawaiian music and hula. Whats CRAZY? Poi, Poke, Lomi-lomi, Kalua Pig, and what not. I could eat the ones mentioned except the what nots. Luau was a nice way to get an insight into the Hawaiian culture. It was this day when I found out that the Hawaiian alphabet uses 12 and only 12 Roman letters (a,e,i,o,u,h,k,l,m,n,p,w), and that the original Hawaiians were Polynesians (a grouping of islands scattered over central and southern Pacific ocean). Interesting yaaaaa?

DAY SIX (Surfing and whale watching) -

Surfing ain't easy!!! I thought we could do it without the lessons. My bad. So we rented surf boards and the whole attire and started trying the damn thing inside the wavy waters. We tried and tried and tried. Eventually we used the surf boards for just lying down at the mercy of the beaming waters. And damnn wasn't it fun. Just chilling in behest of the ocean and enjoying people falling down from the surf boards. Anyways!! So we were at the beach for a while until we took off for our whale watching excursion. Starting in October, humpback whales migrate to the western shores of Maui. This makes it the most popular activity for tourists. Our trip started at 4 in the evening. It turned out to be a sunset cocktail cruise as well because we sailed for almost 3 hours. We had some luck, but none were close enough as depicted in the pamphlets. Satisfying though. Some beer, whales, and your soulmate along with the sunset in midst of the ocean aint bad. It was relaxing after all the activities we had done for the past 4 days.

DAY SEVEN (Shopping and horseback riding) -

This was the day when we had to gather some mementos and gifts. So we went to a craft fair. A huge market place two minutes from our hotel in Kahului. We got some artifacts, t-shirts and sarongs for my lady. Maen I hate this part. I always struggle after 30 minutes of shopping. Sumera went crazy shopping, and I had to bear it for two hours. Too much to be married!! Her contentedness (finally) got us out of there. We had some time just before our next activity, so we got ourselves some coffee at Napili two minutes from the Ironwood ranch where the horses were waiting for us. It was time, right about that time. Horseback riding is as simple as it gets (ofcourse only when they are well-trained). They allocate horses according to the expertize you have. I forgot the breed I rode, but my stallion was named TIGER WOODS. The dude wasn't fed I guess. He would always waver from the trail to get his share of food. The trail views were awesome and the ride entertaining.

DAY EIGHT (Mahalo Hawa-eee) -

Mahalo means thank you. Undoubtedly the best trip I ever had, came to an end. New Year's eve wasn't enough to induce much exuberance into our system 1 - because we were leaving the paradise on earth and 2- the thought itself was so tiring. We reached Oakland at around 11ish. Reached home quarter to twelve. Wished each other a new year and went to bed.

TROPHY

2006-12-17T19:06:00.000-08:00

Finally received my trophy in the all hands meeting. Everyone was surprised at how big it was. Some were so enticed that they announced another trophy for the POKER tournament being held (by invitation only) amongst the top 10 players. I am really waiting for a foosball and ping-pong tournament as well.
There was a company party yesterday at the Kohls Mansion in Burlingame. Nice setup. Would be nice to own a place like this!! This time they especially requested a cocktail attire. Had to buy a freaking suit for the party.
Last weekend we went to this shooting range at South San Francisco. Dean, a colleague and friend of mine works there during the weekends. It was fun shooting all kinds of guns. A Springfield .45 ACP, H&K .40 S&amp;amp;W, Glock 9mm, and Ruger MKIII .22LR. The 40 & 45 caliber had a healthy recoil. Each of us had 150 rounds of the Ruger, but we went for the upgrades midway to try new ones.
Off to Hawaii next week. Really looking forward to the trip. Will definitely blog about it. Till then ALOHA!!!

Clemson buddies

2006-12-03T18:22:00.000-08:00

So this time it was the Rockies. 2 days at a nice cottage with my buddies, skiing at the eldora resort, bbq and fireplace in the evening, driving into the wilderness of the rockies and then pubbing in denver were the highlights.
Was it fun? Auuuufcourse!!! (our style of saying ofcourse). Did I wish we had more days for the trip? Yesssss!!!! Did we screw the rental car and the hotel rooms????Why even ask!!!!Did we manage over a 100 pcitures? Ummm hmmmm!!Did Dsouza still pretend to be a corporate? Yes he did. Did Bonda still think he is no less dashing than our hollywood actors? Yesss!! Is Korade the only sane guy in our group? No question about that...Is Bulli still docile and obliging? Hell no!!He has turned into a fox :). Patil and Kokate were missing from the last trip though .
But well. It was a tradition in making. Henceforth thanksgiving is going to be the get-together time.

6-1,6-1

2006-11-11T16:30:00.000-08:00

2 aces, roughly 6 double faults and 10% volleys. That was the stats on my finals this Thursday in my undefeated streak in the company's tennis tournament.

LEAGUE MATCHES -

Maggie - 6-3, 6-3

Dmitre - 6-1, 6-0

Matz - Walkover

Justin - 6-3, 6-0

Venkat - 6-2,6-2

QUARTERS

Alex - 2-6, 6-2,6-0

SEMIS

Joseph - 6-2,7-6

FINALS

Sourabh - 6-1,6-1

-------------------

Poker tourney

2006-10-12T17:17:00.000-07:00

Bluffing doesn't work all the time. People undermining you in this game actually helps. Slow playing your cards? Think about it twice! Always bet atleast three times the pot size if you want to steal the pot from weaker players. Your odds increase if you raise, instead of calling, since it could force an opponent to fold. If you are the dealer you have position above the opponents and if you are under the gun it can either work for you or BADLY against you. AND always play the player and not your cards, if you know the player well. These are the mediocre and commonplace tricks I used to play the poker tourney yesterday and I won. Its amazing how discipline matters in poker and how patience until the right time is critical. This is the second time I have won with two tables and a group of 14 (we normally split if there are more than 10 people). I am amongst the very few guys who are positive in winnings and average more than 1 point per tourney (1st place - 5 points, 2nd place - 3 points, 3rd place - 2points).

2006-09-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

RAJNIKAAANTH

This video invoked the curious mind of one of my colleagues of American origin. He wanted to know where the guy is from. :). HILARIOUS.
P.S - He was the one who found this video on youtube

Moments

2006-08-14T19:54:00.000-07:00

Somethings are unanticipated.

A DOUBLE .
An innocuos grip, a squishy release (the baby ball) and a lumbering roll can never get you a strike. Can it? She managed to get a couple!! I would have labelled it as unintentional, but its not just a fluke after two more spares, is it? Sumera, who could not manage 70 in the many times that she has bowled, scored her best with 138. Quite deservingly she was second to me out of the 7 of us, the other 5 (ashu,swati,srinu,santosh and shashi) not quite amateurish at bowling. Her consistency kinda bothered me. I would hardly like anyone else to have the bragging rights (not my WIFE especially :p ).

LOSE SOME TO GAIN SOME.
It was inevitable, compelling and absolutely vital. Straining my muscles for the first time in a gymnasium was a whole new experience. It is tough when you are really out of shape. People find it hard to believe that I have never exercised until now, when I am in my later 20's. I never realized I had to, until the latest sports activities caused me fatigue. I burnt a petty 100 calories in an hour with some demanding effort. IT IS TOUGH, but I hope to continue and do it more frequently.

WANNABE AGASSI.
The event has far less players than an ATP tournament. The quality of play is better unspoken. But the exuberance is overwhelming. It is not easy to gather 24 people and ask for a two hour commitment to a sport they are inept at. Maggie rated herself a 4.0 according to the national tennis rating system. She is top rated alongwith Justin Kubak. My first match was with her, and I knew it was going to be tough. What do you expect from a guy who is out of shape and hasn't held a racket since 3 years? It was a surprise to both of us that I could consistently hit the ball to the other end of the court. Two games into the match and I started volleying and this triggered her downfall. I won 6-3, 6-3. I still have 3 games to play and hope to top my league.

HIGHWAY TO HELL.
Being 25 miles away from work and driving 5 days a week in the miserable traffic conditions in the bay area requires patience. But what makes it clumsier is the inadequate state of 101. Rough roads hamper the serenity of what I call sleep driving in the mornings. My car is already worse than a garbage bin with all the coke tins and calistoga bottles lying everwhere. The last thing I need is some mechanical fault, courtesy of the jerks and strains shoved by the roads. All this might end soon. 101 is being re-surfaced. The stretch I use is half-done. There are still some gruesome patches but I can avoid them.

BENEFITS OF BEING MARRIED.
A daily lunch in some of the nook-iest or otherwise better restaurants in San Mateo has been commonplace for around 20 months. I think I have covered around 80% of edible restaurants in downtown San Mateo and Foster city. It was a hard practice to interrupt, but it happened a few days ago. My lunch that day was nutritious, exquisite and HOME-MADE. Quite good huh?

A Half Century

2006-07-30T21:38:00.000-07:00

I could have never foreseen blogging as one of the things I could do. But here I am, doing it for the fiftieth time. A lot happened this weekend. Sumera and I finally decided on the sofa and love seat. We figured out that buying a new one is better than allowing someone to dump their filthy unwanted piece of crap on us. Quite an overstatement! We bought new ones simply because our friend (Srinu) knew about this warehouse where you get furniture in dirt cheap prices. The same furniture in a showroom would cost you double. We also got a bed. So its bye bye to sleeping bags and that menial way of living. We also found some paintings from a moving sale. BOY there are a zillion ads in craigslist for garage / yard /moving sale in the bay area.
We met Srinu, Ashutosh and his wife Swati, and Suppini this weekend. We went bowling, PF Changs, and then to Srinus place where we assembled his foosball table. It took him, ashutosh, me, and our beers, around 2 hrs to fix it. And then we played till 2:30 in the morning.
Albertsons had a blowout sale going on for a month. But since today was the last day, this weekend was 70% off the inventory. We took advantage of this opportunity and got a couple of californian wines. One of them is a blend of sauvignon and shiraz. Din't open it yet. Waiting for the right moment.

From single to married

2006-06-25T01:09:00.000-07:00

So the inevitable finally happened, and I am glad it did. Getting married to Sumera is a whole new chapter. So what changed? No junk food for sure. The 11 - 8 job is now 9-5. Downside. You have to get up early. Upside - Never felt better getting up this early in the morning.
The marriage ceremonies/functions were a smooth sailing except the reception in Bombay. The actual court marriage was the awkward part. You have to stand in line for you own wedding. Fill up some forms and then they call your name after an hour or two. We were fortunate enough to be called out within an hr. So we go into a cabin and this lady looks at us, gives us some forms to sign. then gives us a small piece of paper which has something written on it. I had to read it out loud. It said 'I Ankur Pal, take thee Sumera Patan as my lawfully wedded wife.' Nice styleeee. And it ends. Short and sweet. The reception that day was in Hotel Sea Princess, a hotel in Juhu. We spent the most on this reception only to see rains pouring down heavily that evening. Thank god the reception was in their indoor banquet hall, but not many could make it. What a waste of food and money it was.
Have to say that the trip to India was busy. Landed in Bombay, flew to Hyderabad after 5 days, back to Bombay within 2 days, then back to Hyderabad within 4 days, and then back to Bombay for 3 days. Marriage functions were the agenda for the first two trips, and the last two were meant to spend time with the families. But hey! Lunch/dinner invitations, people visiting, shopping for yourself and others, hardly gives you any time to spend with your family. Overall had a good time, more so because I did not have to deal with my jinxed PASSPORT.

Howard screws it up

2006-06-19T21:02:00.000-07:00

Last night's game was a bummer for Mavs. They had a significant lead for the 1st two quarters. Heats came back. Wade started getting his jump shots. The game stretched to OT. Picture this. Just 9 seconds left in the game. Mavs lead by 1.Heats call time out. Ball goes to Wade. He runs all the way to the red line from their half of the court and manages to get a defensive foul on Nowitzki. 2 seconds on the clock when all this happened. Wade gets in the first free throw. And jeez...Only Josh Howard knows what occured to him that he called the last time out Mavs had. Poor coach Johnson was so infuriated. After all the confusion between the coach and referees for waiving the time out, the referee decides tat Mavs are out of time outs. So its upto Wade now. That guy shoots and the ball goes in the basket. 2 seconds is too less for anyone to make it to the other end, even Harris, the fastest guy in Mavs.
Too bad a seasoned guy like Howard did this blunder. Heats are now 3-2. Two games in Dallas could make it difficult, but hey. With Wade in this form. Who knows?

Fast Food

2006-05-03T22:48:00.000-07:00

Am eating a lot of shit nowadays. BK, Wendys, In-n-Out, Taco Bell and McDooonalddds. Nope. Not to save money. But because of the poker shit on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I really come home late at around 9:30. All good retaurants nearby are closed by that time (what more can you expect if you live in Sunnyvale). I realize that since Gomi (my previous roommate) went to India, I ve never had home made food. Too unhealthy isn't it? Two meals a day, both in restaurants (and lately fast food joints), and the food draped with oil, sometimes cooked in unhygienic conditions. Thank god this all is gonna change just a month from now. Home-made food...yummmy.

Satire

2006-05-02T23:23:00.000-07:00

One should love animals.
- They are so tasty.

Love thy neighbor.
- But don't get caught.

Behind every successful man, there is a woman.
- And behind every unsuccessful man, there are two.

Every man should marry.
- After all, happiness is not the only thing in life.

Money is not everything.
- There's Mastercard & Visa.

--------------------------------------------------------

USA is catching up in cricket and trying to have its own team (even though it might contain people of Indian origin). India is now trying to catch up with baseball. Watch how. Also watch this funny photo booth. Courtesy Bobby

Being in an interview

2006-04-27T22:45:00.000-07:00

How does it feel to be in an interview? The heart pounding hard in anticipation of another brainstorming query. Would I be able to answer it? What does the interviewer think of me? Does he think I am good enough? What should I do to impress him more? Well..well..well..This is only when you are being interviewed. Its so much fun to be at the other end of this process. Being an interviewer. Today I laid my first hands on this exhilarating task. The guy was from Michigan, Ann Arbor.

This process is not that easy as it seems. Evaluating a person based on an interview is tough. Answers might be known before-hand due to intensive preparations. I asked some uncanny and unconventional questions. I tried to make the process much friendlier, smoother, open to ideas and basically easy. His problem solving skills really impressed me, although his knowledge about the gaming project he mentioned was shallow. Overall I did not grill him too much. I think I would have, if i was better prepared. I was just informed 40 mins before the interview that I was supposed to take it. Anyways. A nice experience. Why not? You are the BOSS.

I went ice skating during work hours today. It was just me and Russ. This place is 10 mins from our office. There was some lunch time special so it was dirt cheap. I kept clinging to the wall while skating for the first 10-15 minutes. After that I got the hang of it. Best part. Did not fall once. This is just my second time on ice. Will definitely try to get better at it. Won the poker tourney after a long time yesterday. It increased my credibility as a better player. I am a regular winner in limit-poker, but tourneys have been really bleak for me. Finally I beat Thomas yesterday to get the prize money. Niceeeeeee

Road trip

2006-04-24T23:39:00.000-07:00

This was my first road trip. a forced one rather due to circumstances. sumera had to move out of boise since she got a job here in san jose. so we had to bring some of her remaining stuff and the car. the road trip was through four states. we started moving west from IDAHO till we reached OREGON. We kept moving west for some more time and then moved southwest to reach NEVADA. We touched California after passing Reno. It was supposed to be a 12 hr 17 min drive. But we zipped our way past oregon and nevada with constant speeds of 85-100. The freeways that went through oregon and especially nevada were so empty that I could see everything a mile ahead. And once you can see where the cops are, you can make sure that they do not catch you speeding. Anyways we stopped at some places we liked. I hate driving, but this road trip was goooddddd.

Met Vivek yesterday). He has been here in Folsom for the past two months. We met at Srinu's place and then did the regular bowling and mini-golf shit. Then he and Sowmya had to leave. Me and Sumera had to go to Walmart for some last minute shopping for her India trip. I was looking through the DVD stock in Walmart when this Indian guy comes besides me and looks at me and says Hiiiii. Right when he made this move I could make out that he is one of those wannabe millionaires who visits walmart to get hold of some scapegoats for some dumb scheme of theirs. I just said hi and moved out of there and went to the XBox section. But the f***** could not hold back his urge to get another chump. He came besides me again and started his conversation with guess what....Areee youuuu from Stanfaooord. He started asking me all sorts of questions and then asked for my business card. I told him I dont have it. He then removed his set of business cards, gave me one, and then told me to write my number on one. I wrote a phone number. God knows whose. 857-------some shit. These guys get on my nerves. Anyways.

Came back, packed her bags, and left to drop sumera off at the airport. She is a getting a good break for a month and half in India. I am off to India on 19th for my wedding. DAMN the indian constraints where you can't live together without gettin married. Anyways. This weekend was one of the most hectic weekends I have had. And before I sign off. I got my much awaited salaray hike. But it SUCKSSSSS big time. Not even half of wat I expected.

Guitar Hero

2006-04-17T23:14:00.000-07:00

Mike's farewell party on Friday was all about booze and this console music game called Guitar Hero. In my view it is a silly game for wannabe guitarists. But then hey. There are hardcore fans of this game. It ain't that costly too. Just 100 bucks could get you the single player stuff. The worst part of this game is that you have no other option but a singleton consisting of around 20-25 soundtracks including the likes of Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and AC/DC. Having some more options (probably more music genres in different CDs) would be better. I somehow liked the Chinese drum game better. In this you have a mini drum that is connected to the console. You start the game. There are red and blue circles coming off the right end of the screen, and when it reaches the stationary circle at the left you have to beat the drum. Not as easy as it sounds. The circles travel at a pace determined by your difficulty level. Moreover if a red circle comes up you have to beat the center of the drum and if a blue cricle comes up you beat the corner of the drum at a certain angle.

Talking about games. I bought Fight Night Round 3 recently for my XBox. I swear I would trade the game for 15 bucks. I was so excited about the game, but then after playing it..........What kills the excitement is the response time of the punches and jabs. The SUPER KO swings (special punches) take around 2 seconds, which is really slow for a boxing game. Also got a complimentary "Marc Ecko Getting Up" for my XBox from the company. It is exciting, but am dying of shame to announce that I still can't pass the third level. It's similar to GTA, though GTA is much much better. My next game could be Football Madden.

CHUCK de fatte

2006-04-12T22:19:00.000-07:00

Another desi hub. The neighborhood is called Little India and is situated in Vancouver, Canada. But unlike one of those Gujju dominated areas, this one is for Punjabis. "Roopam Fashions" and "Sadhna Saree" are the kind of stores you would find here. More Indianized than the bay area huh.

Future of Glu

2006-04-11T20:54:00.000-07:00

EA bought Jamdat for $684 million a few months ago consolidating my belief that the mobile industry has a lot more potential for growth. It might have been a good deal for EA, which is now the number one publisher and developer of mobile entertainment in USA and Europe, but there was a lot of speculation about the move. EA, being a powerhouse of entertaining games, could jump into the mobile market by themselves. Why did they need Jamdat as an accessory to do that? My guess is that EA must have figured out that this particular industry is far from being similar to the console gaming indsutry.
One positive aspect of the deal is that it got a ready-to-use mobile infrastructure, and most importantly avoided the resources needed to devise new processes from developing to porting games. But what does this deal mean to the flock of small companies striving in the market. What about the fate of Glu Mobile? EA has exposed its huge repository of console games to the mobile market. This could be a negative influence for the companies that are barely surviving. But for companies in a not-so-bad shape like Glu Mobile, this could mean enhancing the quality of their games. Just getting better would not be enough because of the mechanics of this industry. A potential customer (in this industry carriers are customers) would rely more on brand and why not if its EA supplemented by the fact that Jamdat was already numero uno in terms of revenue in US. Moreover EA is not restricted by cash flow. It could streamline a minor chunk of it into R&D for burgeoning prospects like mobile 3D. These things cumulatively could significantly hinder the prospects of other companies in the market. The deal has separated the best from the extant by a large margin.
This might result in a trend of M&A's (mergers and acquisitions) in the mobile industry so as to consolidate their position in the industry. Glu Mobile recently announced that they bought IFone, a UK based publishing house. Roughly around this time last year, Glu had bought Macrospace another developer and publisher in UK. But the stimulating factors for both acquisitons were different. Before the Macrospace takeover, Glu did not have a significant presence in Europe. Macrospace would augment Glu's existence in the European market. Furthermore, Macrospace would also add value in terms of its spectrum of games and engineering force. IFone is a totally different story. It is bought not to intensify Glu's presence in Europe. It is bought to get hold of the promising Atari licenses that it holds. Getting access to these licenses might prove pathbreaking for the company. But with all M&A's come the cost of integration. Though it might have been hard in case of Macrospace, IFone is more of a publisher which outsources its development. Moreover being geographically closer to Macrospace which is Glu UK now, the integration process would be much smoother in my view. The future of Glu depends largely on enhancing the quality, better marketing and distribution, and stategic alliances.

Disclaimer- This blog is a casual analysis of Glu and the mobile market in general. Some statements might be erroneus, untrue or analytically incorrect. The facts stated are true to the best of my knowledge.

To learn more about Glu Mobile go to www.glu.com

Fcuk yiu fried rice

2006-03-31T00:05:00.000-08:00

Today me, Lingzhi Zhang, Simon Chan, Ronald Yong and Maggie (dunno her last name) went to South San Franisco after work to play badminton. Roughly around 8 courts, the only people I could see were Chinese. The hall was so over-filled that we had to wait around an hour for our turn. We also met this self obsessed cocky US Olympic coach who was so tooting his own horn tat we all felt like kicking his ass then and there. He was this 'I AM THE BEST' kinda bad ass. Ronald, our Director of Engineering actually started talking over the phone while this coach was talkin abt his students being the best and claimed some of them to be world NO 1. This guy was hittin on Maggie (our finance expert), and it was so uncalled for. After playing for some time, we went to this authentic CHINESE retaurant in South SF. I tried a lot of wierd stuff. Some porridge with a hint of prawns in it, chinese chicken wings, and fuk yiu fried rice. HAHA. Thats what its called.

Fat Wallet

2006-03-29T22:23:00.000-08:00

I generally keep my wallet on my office desk. James was the first one to realize the huge fat wallet lying there. Mike actually took a picture of it and put it in his elite collection. But after all the fun we had about my wallet and the number of credit cards I had, I realized that its time I clean up my wallet.

Lost in the poker tourney again. Getting better though, but my luck pisses me off. Jacob today had a Q,K off suite. I had a pair of K's. I went all in pre-flop, and he called. He gets a straight out of his pocket cards. How bad is that. I had a 90.14% chances of winning pre-flop and he had 8.7%. Even after the flop (4,J,A) I had a 78.99% chance of winning. But well the turn (10) messed it up. And all my cautious playing went down the drain.

Ref- http://www.cardplayer.com/poker_odds/texas_holdem/index.php .A nice site to calculate poker odds

Times are changing

2006-03-26T22:57:00.000-08:00

Today I watched Inside Man. And the most titillating moment of the movie--it opens with Chaiyya Chaiyya. YES. The hit song from Dil Se makes a very significant presence in the Hollywood blockbuster. Moreover!. The movie also ends with a remixed version of the same song. It was wierd watching people listening to the Indian soundtrack and being clueless as to what the song meant or more so, what language it was in. It wouldn't be too overwhelming to see Hollywood movies having 2-3 songs in the near past. Not Hindi songs ofcourse.
We also went to Mission Peak today. I always wanted to go here and finally I did. I really like these kind of treks. Flushing meadows-- no thick forests--no tall trees. But its a really tiring considering the fact that the uphill climb does not flatten at any time. Things go worse downhill since it puts a lot more pressure on the foot for a good 1 hr. But alls worth for the scenic view. http://community.webshots.com/album/548948328hYTqpC

Aziza

2006-03-19T00:06:00.000-08:00

Another team dinner. Another day when we toot our own horn. Just that it was not any other restaurant in the city. Moroccan cusine sounded interesting from the day we were planning this event. And the place definitely exceeded our expectations. It has a five course tasting menu. The only drawbacks are that its not filling and its a lil too much for your pockets. But definitely worth going with a date.
Scored in poker this week. Was last in the standings before that, but duuuh; I played only 5 times this year. People, especially from our team are getting so addicted that we've started playing ring games on Fridays from 6-7. BIG TIME BLOOD SUCKING GAMBLERS. I am still +ve so life is good.

For Alcoholics

2006-03-11T23:26:00.000-08:00

A medical doctor was invited as a guest speaker to address a group of alcoholics.He wanted to make a demonstration that would be powerful enough to make people realize that alcohol was injurious to health.He had 2 containers,one pure distilled water and one with pure alcohol. He put an earthworm into the distilled water and it swam beautifully and came up to the top. He then put another earthworm into the alcohol and it disintegrated in front of everyone's eyes.he wanted to prove that this was what alcohol did to the insides of our body.He asked the group what the moral of the story was and one person from behind said,"If you drink alcohol you won't have worms in your stomach."Was that the message?Ofcourse not.

On my Birthday..

2006-03-02T22:57:00.000-08:00

Its 1st midnight. I go to sleep after attending some calls. Wake up, go to office. I find a courier in my name. Tisha Monty's girlfriend actually told me that I would have to hold a package for her till she comes to California on the 2nd week of March. As soon as I recieve it, I get a call from Tisha. She tells me that the package contains my gift. Surprised was I, for sure. My colleagues wish me after I am done with my gift and we head for our customary restaurant for such events - MACARONI GRILL. Ordered the House Chianti. Had three glasses of it. Everybody is so nice to you when its your birthday! Had a nice time. They even got the waiters and waitresses to sing the birthday song in Italian. And the complimentary cake made things extravagant. I worked for some time after going back. Well, since it was a Wednesday, it was POKER time. Played well, until I made some foolish moves and missed the bubble by one. Till then it was around 9:30. We try to get some food in Sunnyvale, but the only Indian place ready to accept our TOGO order is Lovely's. Yea! Vegetarian on my birthday. Tasted good though. We decide to booze at my place instead of going to the local bar. GREY GOOSE and beers. The noise levels keep increasing until a security guy asked us to KEEP IT DOWN. Neighbors!!!!The noise goes down for a while but Mr Meghneel then comes into his act of playing a retarded drunkard. Things could have gone worse but thanfully the neighbors refrained from complaining again. I see the clock and I notice that my brithday is OVER. Nice one!!

Birthday Resolutions - NONE. I don't believe in em'.

Day with BONDA

2006-02-28T21:54:00.000-08:00

Now who wants to hear the same crap from me? GG Bridge once again..Jeeezzzzz! Either I suck, or GG sucks, or my friends - all of who wanna c that HISTORIC bridge, supposedly an engineering marvel. Sumera was here for the weekend too. She had an interview here with Alterra. BONDA had an interview with PayPal. And I was the designated driver. Picked up Sumera from the SJC airport, dropped her off at my place, and then took off to pick up BONDA. Then from SJC to SFO airport due to Mr BONDA's much expected foolishness of messing it all up. We had to pick up his bags from SFO airport. He actually checked his carry bag since he thought that shaving kits are not allowed in the airplane. RETARDED. LOL. He is gonna thrash me if he reads this.
Anyways. Thankfully after Bonda left, me and Sumera went to Mystery Spot. Now I dont know if it was only me, but I dint find any mystery to be solved. The place is good for people who like to make something out of nothing.

CRAZY or RISKY?

2006-02-20T15:32:00.000-08:00

Whats the craziest thing you have ever done? Drive on the opposite lane alongside another car when its pitch dark on Hwy 1. Turn off all the lights of your car in the middle of the road on Hwy 1 and hoping that cars approaching are surprised. Or spend half an hour in the breezing cold in some Vista point along Hwy 1 and looking at the stars clinging to the blackest of sky. Even more giving a retarded ghostly look to the cars passing by the vista points. All of this during our drive back from Bigsur at around 8 in the evening. Monty, his girl friend Tisha, and me did the craziest things we could imagine at that time. They were here for the long weekend. And for one more time I had to see the GG bridge. We spent the whole Saturday in SFO. Paul Van Dyke was in the city in 1015. Wish the club was not that over-crowded. There were more people to hear to his trance than the whole of Sunnyvale. But it was awesome. Loved it.

INDIA AHA!

2006-01-29T19:59:00.000-08:00

2 years ago I lost it. Then I found it back after a month. This time I had to make a new one if I was to get my H1B. I have finally got rid of my jinxed passport. Well it still clings to my new passport but it aint valid now. Two India trips - zillion trips to the passport office - frustrating encounters with the senseless, stubborn and condescending officers - and above all pleading in front of the GHAATI police officers for FIR and police clearance. It really shows you the next-to-hell state of this country.
But then when I remember the fun I had in India it all goes off. Delhi was fun. Four days of continuous drinking, a good new year eve party, going to meerut and meeting my grandmom and ranga mama, meeting muna mama & family for three consecutive days.I couldn't have asked for more from this trip. After coming back I had my visa interview when I came to know about the damaged passport. I wanted to bash that officer since the lamination was a bit off and it wasnt a serious issue. But got busy with the passport application procedure then onwards. Meanwhile visited hyderabad to resolve the pending issues about my marriage. Finallllllyyyyyyy. Everything is in place and we are getting married with the consent of our parents. It was a tough time but all of us got through it.
After coming back I got involved in the passport process again. Amidst all this Joy (one of my cousins from Delhi) came to Bombay. He wanted to see the city and spend some time with us. He stayed with us for four days and we did wander a lot. Then came Rahul (my cousins husband) and I went with him to new bombay for a day to give him some company. On my final day I realized that I did not spend much time with my friends at the colony. Took them for dinner. Also met the elderly at the dinner organized on the evening of 26th.
The trip was hectic and filled with fun. Furthermore I am so excited about my marriage now. Really feel relieved that everythingz in place. Passport screwed me but bad experices are bound to happen in ones life. Whatever it is. I can now become a passport agent when I go back to India.

Idle

2005-12-23T17:28:00.000-08:00

Nothing to do. At work right now. Waiting to see off Gomi at the airport. Bloggin during my spare time!! Just four days to go for my India trip. Have to finish off packing and moving till then. This time I am a bit more organized. Though I have to suffer losses worth 325 bucks for the late notice to the ruthless apartment guys. They don't yield a bit when it comes to fines and things like that. They know how to suck every penny out of the tenants. God! I wish I had a gun.
Anyways. Cheers to everyone. MERRY CHRISTMAS and a very HAPPY NEW YEAR. I shall take a short break from blogging as well.

Wasted!!

2005-12-17T20:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my company's annual party at the Pacific Athletic Club in Redwood City. Booze on the house. Was pretty bored until it was dinner time. We went to this banquet hall with some music in there. And furthermore nice people on our table. Simon, Me, Rodney and his g.f, Venkat, Hari, Evan and his g.f, and this person I got introduced to yesteraday. I think his name was Dan. Evan's g.f was fun. She kept on embarassing Venkat the whole time. They were the first ones to hit the dance floor. Everyone including me followed. But then I had to get off the party since I had to go to SFO for Gomi's farewell party. Since I was kinda wasted, I told them to pick me up from my office. We then went to El-Rio's. Desi, Mexican and Middle-eastern music. Had some more booze there. Was absolute fun. Then went to have some food in the city and came back at around 4 in the morning. So yea. It was a fun day.

More POKER.

2005-12-14T23:48:00.000-08:00

Surprising. I won this time. So now I have 5 points in 2 games and around 38 bucks in my pocket. Bob was really pissed at how I actually made it there. I took him out with a unsuited 3 and 4 going all in, against his pair of 5's. LOL. That was the luckiest ever three of a kind I could get with 2 more 4's, one on the RIVER. Howzzatt. He was so pissed that he literally threw the coins when I won the next hand too, while all of us were laughing at his reactions. I rode my luck. Mebbe have to be careful the next time. Its really exciting and am getting the hang of it now.

Freezing Boise

2005-12-13T22:14:00.000-08:00

Was in Boise this weekend. Took a Friday off. I made up for the work I missed though. Boise was chillin cold. There was ice all over. I am not used to this kinda weather now. Really dint do much this time except for some major shopping for India. Just 13 more days to go. Reaching India on 28th morning. Leaving for Delhi the same night. From Delhi to Meerut, back to Delhi and from there to Indore on the way back to Bombay. Have my visa interview on the 10th. After that will take off for Hyderabad. So in all I would spend only around 4-5 days in Bombay. I wonder why I agreed to the plans. But on second thoughts I think I would enjoy more. Really gonna be a hectic India trip.

Cheers to POKER

2005-12-07T22:44:00.000-08:00

Got my first hands on Poker today. Bob was really excited on teaching me and Meghneel how to play Poker. He spent a good hour on the basic rules and some tricks and tips. Every Wednesday in my company is the POKER day, and the sooner the better. Bob wanted us to join in. Just pay 5 bucks. The first three get some money out of the pool. Pretty neat huh.
So nine of us start playing. The first to go was Dan. Then Lingzhi. And the list went on. Surprisingly the newbies (me and Meghneel) were amongst the last four left. So we all were one step away from the BUBBLE. Unfortuantely for Meghneel it was 'near but yet so far'. Me, Thomas and Nick are the only ones on the table now. But then Thomas was already in a bad state with too little chips. We just threw him away. So it was now upto me and Nick. I think Nick played smart and bullied me a lot. My ignorance and frustration ended up in my loss and Nick won. Damnnn. But it was a good first day at poker. Well, how much did I make of it. LOL...13 dollars and 50 cents. Not a whole lot huh. But then it wasn't about the money. It was fun. I the loves the pokers (in javed jafferi style from salaam namaste). Cheers to Poker.

The grand Grand Canyon and Vegas trip

2005-11-28T19:40:00.000-08:00

People: Vipul, Dsouza, Patil, Shanbhag, Korade, Kokate and myself.

Places: Vegas strip, Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam.

When: Nov 24th Morning - Nov 28th Morning

Experience:

- Vegas strip was beautiful. Bellagio and its water fountain show, rides on top of Stratosphere, going on top of the mini Eiffel tower, and pyramid casino were the highlights. Surprising as it may seem to others, I just spent five bucks in the slot machine. No gambling.

- Grand Canyon was maginificient. Layers of rocks spread over a vast and mammoth area in an orderly way makes the canyon look heavenly. There has been a lot of speculation as to why the canyon looks the way it looks now. Most heard of all is the course of the Colorado river. We took a helicopter ride of the canyon on Sunday. And its only then that I realized what I had missed. Viewing the whole canyon from top provoked me to explore the enormity of this seventh natural wonder of the world. I was envisaging myself in those undiscovered corners, away from the routine, unpretentious, just taking it easy. It should be worthy hiking the GC from south to north rim.

- Hoover dam is supposedly one of the greatest engineering examples America have produced. Needless to say it is not as attractive as Vegas and GC. I did not find anything extraordinary in the dam except that it was BIG.

My favorite moments in chronological order:

- Chilling at the pub in a casino (dont remember the name). We all had a good time.
- Hanging out in the country bar in Williams. I love those kind of rustic bars. And to have your best buddies with you in such an ambience feels great.
- The helicopter ride of GC. A truly awesome experience that urges you to believe in the beauty of nature.

Eagles.

2005-11-22T21:21:00.000-08:00

This weekend was hectic again. Went to Sacramento on Saturday for the Eagles concert. I never knew they did some heavy rocking too. Really enjoyed the show. The ones I loved the most - Desperado, Love will keep us alive, and Tequila Sunrise. We also visited Old Sacramento before the concert. It reminded me of Helen,Georgia; though they are quite different in their own way. Old Sacramento has a hippie culture. There you can get a lot of Indian stuff - things you cannot find even in the desi hubs Sunnyvale and Fremont. We even barged into a shop that had some peppy indian classical music going on. We asked the owner about the singer and he gave us the whole history of Kiran Ahluwalia. Nice small city.
Sunday was for delicacies. Had a lot of chaat - from pani puri to dahi papdi chat and what not. Though our intentions of driving to Fremont was just having chaat, lage haathon we watched "Shaadi NO 1". Another third grade movie in my list of watched movies. Took a day off on Monday. Was home almost the whole day.
Looking forward to my trip to Vegas and GC with my buddies. I am sure it would be another memorable trip.

Bachelors Party

2005-11-18T23:35:00.000-08:00

One more dinner in SFO. But this time it was at the company's expense. Had some nice food and wine in Andalus. We then decided to give Vikas a bachelors party. So we went to Cats Club and had great fun. Unlike the previous clubs I had been to in SFO, this one had a much better crowd. After that we went to some OTHER kind of club. Vikas enjoyed a lot and that was the whole point. We came back at around 3:30 and believe me. It was a pain going to office today. Did not do much work. Even slept at the office couch for hours. I dont think I will ever go to the city on Thursday again.

Gary Kasparov

2005-11-16T19:52:00.000-08:00

It aint a wax figure from Madame Tussauds. Gary Kasparov, the Chess GURU himself, visited our company today. It was a surprise for our team and many others. The whole team went upstairs to catch a glimpse. He looks a lot different in real life. Kal managed to speak to him and bring him downstairs for a brief photo session. Very unfortunate for those who missed it. He is a very down-to-earth guy without a pinch of attitude. A game of chess with him would have made the encounter even better.

Vertical Limit

2005-11-13T20:16:00.000-08:00

Went to Mount Tamalpais on Saturday. We drove upto the peak and then started our trek from there. We just chose our own path since the Visitors Center was closed. So we started to go down and down and down. Even after an hour we just kept going downhill. It was already 3 pm and we started regretting our decision to choose a random and long trail. Around 3:30 pm we reached the fire roads. I had a picture of the map in my digicam and since the downhill was so steep we were curious as to how many feet we were from the peak. We found out that we dipped down by 1100 ft. We were scared since we had to make it to the top within 2 hours or it would be dark. No torch, no sleeping bags, the breeze cold enuf. We all knew that we were gonna have a tough climb. We kept on going on the fire roads when we discovered that the other trail we passed a few minutes back is a quick route to the top. So we went back some distance and started that 'Wheeler trail'. This trail was short but very steep. We managed a good 400 ft in this roundabout half mile trail. Toughest of all trails I have done so far. Took four breaks to get past it. We were back on the fire roads again and kept walking for another hour or so to reach the peak. We were tired but satisfied.
As usual had dinner in SFO and then went to Venkats house. Watched a Mexican movie. Gonna watch this years Ashes highlights that I got from him. Later.

Day off

2005-11-11T13:05:00.000-08:00

Today our team has a day off. Our manager thinks we have worked too hard to earn it. True for my case :p. Had great fun yesterday. Dinner in Great India, SFO. Me, Venkat and Anand just kept on laughing from the moment we left in Anand's car for SFO. Pulling each other's legs, and even worse were the PJ's. I realized that I never had this kind of fun for long. You don't get the same type of friends everywhere, do you? But finally some of this type. I think Kuldeep just lost it at the end seeing us laughing like hyenas. He tried to pay off the check to save more embarrassment. HAHAHAHA. Weekends plans. Friday nite its going to be badminton, Saturday - Mount Tamalpais and Sunday - Cricket.

Sharpen your axe.

2005-11-07T21:28:00.000-08:00

This is a story I read somewhere.

'John,a woodcuttter,worked for a company for 5 years but never got a raise.The company hired Bill and within a year he got a raise.This caused resentment in John and he went to his boss to talk about it.The boss said,"You are still cutting the same number of trees you were cutting 5 years ago.We are a result-oriented company and we would be happy to give you a raise if your productivity goes up."John went back,started hitting harder and putting in longer hours but he still wasn't able to cut more trees.He went back to his boss and told him his dilemma.The boss told John to talk to Bill."Maybe there is something Bill knows that you and I don't."John asked Bill how he managed to cut more trees.Bill answered,"After every tree I cut,I take a break for 2 minutes and sharpen my axe.When was the last time you sharpened your axe?"This question hit home like a bullet and John got his answer.'

When did you sharpen you axe?

Tired...

2005-11-06T19:27:00.000-08:00

This weekend was tiring. Saturday we went to Point Reyes, around 20 miles north of SFO. Our motive was to have a pleasant trek amidst the shade of the forest trees and a scenic ocean view. It was supposed to be a 8 mile round trip trail. The first half was cool and nice as we expected. We reached a nook and chilled there for around an hour enjoying the sun and ocean. I dont know what hit me but I suddenly came up with an idea that we should not take the same trail going back. So we took a while to figure out a new trail that would be plausible. We took off after some discussions. After about 20 mins in this new trail we hit a point where everything was uphill. 5..10...20..40.for almost 45 mins it was just UPHILL. and then when we reached another intersection, we found out that we were either 6-7 more miles to touch the trail we started from, or we had a short cut through some real thick forests to touch that trail. We were so exhausted, that we just went for the shorter one even though it was very dense. It was about a mile and a half and this time we were hoping that the starting point should be just a mile from the intersection that we would reach. But to our surprise it was 3.5 more miles to go. We were so exhausted and it was almost dark. We couldnt even increase our pace. We just strolled and managed to get past the trail. Was a relief.
After that we then had dinner in SFO. Prawns masala dosa. How does that sound? I thought it would be as tasty as the ones in Dosa Diner in Bombay, but it wasnt even close. We then went to Kuldeep's place. Watched two pre-recorded stand up comedys. George Carlin and some British Iranian guy. Today was even more tiring. Cricket in the morning and then drove to Fremont to watch 'Garam Masala'. Even watched the India vs SL match till late night. So am thinking of having one of those passive weekends again next week.

Passive weekends

2005-10-23T20:19:00.000-07:00

Starting to love these nothing-doing weekends. Just a lil bit of cricket saturday morning, XBox, and a handful of movies. Bot tickets for the Eagles concert on Nov 18th in Sacramento.
Got introduced to some John Denver songs through our local television network. I am a big fan of his now. Annies Song is the most romantic song I ve ever heard. I usually dont care about the lyrics, but this song has a lot of meanin to it. Surely worth dedicating to your sweetheart.

It was long due.

2005-10-16T17:16:00.000-07:00

I finally managed to perform at par with my capabiities in batting. 'Man of the Match' in the game today. Scored 25+ (1 four). Was delighted as it was long awaited. Had a really strenuous weekend. Went to this urban hike on Saturday with the Stanford hiking group. It started from Fort Mason in SFO. From there it was a walk along the bay. Beautiful homes and a lot of urban crowd. One side you could feel the city hustle-bustle. Other side was the calm bay. And in front of us was a very scenic view of the Golden Gate bridge. We walked for around a mile and half, after which we reached the GG bridge. Walked through the whole bridge to reach Vista point where we took a lunch break. The lunch break was for those who got theirs unlike me and Kuldeep. So we starved. We then started a nice trail from the hills opposite Visa point. It was really awesome. Nice weather. Got a whole view of the city, bridge, and angel island from top. The other side was a glimpse of the pacific ocean and vast acres of green land. We hiked through for around 4 miles after which we reached the end of the trail. But that was not it. We then had to walk the roads to reach Sausolito downtown. So we walked past these alluring and cosy houses by the mountains. I really would love to have one of that kind. Anyways. The hike finally came to an end after 8 miles. We then took the ferry from Sausolito to Frisco.
Got this Tiger Woods PGA Golf 2k5 for my XBox. It is a really cool game. Better than the NBA and Major League Baseball, since I am so bored playing those. The game is pretty tough too. Tried desperately to get some Cricket for my XBox, but unfortunately its UNAVAILABLE.

17-mile drive and DANDIYA

2005-10-11T23:28:00.000-07:00

Had a busy weekend. Went to this 17-mile drive that a lot of people talk about and is a major tourist attraction. I think I expected too much out of it. If you have been to Bigsur and covered the 2-3 hour stretch of PCH from there, this wouldnt thrill you. The trees though, were unusual and looked like creepers having a long trunk. There is a mammoth golf course throughout the drive, with some holes right next to the ocean. Playing golf would have been a nice experience. Spent around 3-4 hours. Came back and had to get ready for DANDIYA. We were just about to leave when we discovered that all the tickets were sold out. I was so pissed, but still wanted to give it a shot. So we went there and put our names in the waiting list. After a lot of confusion and hoopla, we got the tickets. This thing was fun. A packed desi crowd, good company and good songs. The bare foot got me blisters. :(

American Express Golf Championship

2005-10-04T22:01:00.000-07:00

Work was fun today. I reached at around 9:30. Me and Vikas (my colleague) had to address some questions from the UK guys through a yahoo chat conference. It went on for a hour and half and boom. We left for the Harding Park Golf Course in Daly City near San Francisco. Practise rounds today and tomorrow and the real tournament starts from the 6th. The practise round tickets itself were 75 healthy bucks(we got it for free ofcourse). Saw a number of players but could recognize only two. Michael Campbell - the guy who won the US Open this year. And our very own Indian dude from Fiji, Vijay Singh. We heard that Tiger Woods had already finished practising. DAMNNN! Anyways. Hung around for a couple of hours and then came back to work.
The whole company is going for 'In Her Shoes' this friday. Well we are going just because we would get some time to hang out and ofcourse the free coupon worth 10 bucks..haha...pretty cheap...isnt it?