Adieu.....

All my bags are packed, am ready to go !

Am bidding goodbye to my home of 150 days today. The feelings are mixed. Staybridge Suite 206 has been my pad and I will miss every moment of my comfort living here. At the same time, the excitement of moving to my own apartment gives me a ‘high’. I have most of the essentials already set and have some more shopping to do.

“When one thing ends, something else begins….” And this is so apt at this very moment.

Here’s to a new home in the new year….. Cheers !!!

A friend in need is a friend indeed.

When I landed in DFW on 13 Aug 2009, little did I know that I would find a friend for life.

With each passing year as I grew up, I began to believe that it was increasingly difficult to find true friends. My belief was that the new acquaintances that I made would remain as acquaintances.

My 4 month stint in Irving proved my whole belief wrong. My first dinner in Irving began with a drive in a black Volkswagen to Carino’s. Its 4 months since…. whether it’s a hair-cut at Sports Clips, grocery shopping at Walmart / Kroger’s, late nite movie shows, trips to Austin – Houston & Oklahoma, pick up and drops to the airport every time I travelled out of DFW, a couple of dozen home-made dinners, or my visit to the Shiridi Sai Baba Mandir on my birthday, its been the same black Volkswagen that has been my ‘vahan’.

I write this blog to respect the thought and deeds of a friend who has always been there for me in this new country. A friend who has never shrugged his shoulders to help me in many ways, without my asking for help or support.

Its truly rare to find such a genuine friend. As Douglas Pagels says, “A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be”. I will strive to be a genuine friend to the owner of the black Volkswagen.

Friendship isn’t a big thing, anyways – it’s a million little things. Am happy to have people around me who can fill my life with million little things J.

Counting my blessings.....

It’s that day of the year and am back here. I am contemplating on changing the name of my blog to ‘The Birthday Blog’, considering this being the only time I actually return :D

“It’s a nice feeling when someone thinks about you, but it feels much better when you know that someone can never forget your birthday”

Dec 5, 2009 has been a birthday with a lot of difference and excitement. Am still away from home, family and friends. Yet, being in Irving made a lot of difference. My friends here organized a midnite cake cutting and out came the awesome gift – a super smart long-coat, right for my winter travels J.

It definitely is the longest birthday I have celebrated till date. My birthday started at 1230 pm Central time on 4^th December, when friends from India called to wish me at midnite, Indian time. Its 1000 am here on the 5^th, and I have the whole day ahead making it a 36 hour birthday. Wow, I am doubly blessed J

The day has been filled with phone calls, text messages and most importantly Facebook posts with a lot of good wishes piling on ‘my wall’. A deep sense of happiness and content has been working on my facial muscles and that perpetual smile prevails thru the day.

MM, Patti, Funny, Rumzz – If you are reading this, here is a big thank you for making my day.

Gundu – For being my Birthday Bud and making that first call to wish me

And to all of you who remembered me today – its these small things that make life worth living. As I end this, I being to count my blessings again……..

(lyrics of ‘Count your blessings’ came to my mind)

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?

Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?

Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,

And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,

Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;

Count your many blessings—wealth can never buy

Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,

Do not be discouraged, God is over all;

Count your many blessings, angels will attend,

Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Zzzz...ing out of home

Am out of Bangalore for the long weekend :) Drove out to Ooty to beat the heat.

A pleasant drive, good music to keep us company, Bacardi breezers quenching our thirst, laughter & teasing friends and to top it all a weather you could kill for.

It looked like the whole of South India was in Ooty. The town was filled with cars and the narrow roads with zillions of people. All hotels were sold out. We managed to find a nice cottage for both the nites.

The rooms were cosy but I kept telling myself that i am not going to sleep very well. I was missing my own room and most importantly the comfort of my bed. Spent two full nites tossing & turning, draining my Ipod's battery. The TV was not of any help.

This happens everytime I leave home on a trip. It normally takes one sleepless nite for me to get over the uncomfortable phase. Cos on the second nite I am sleep deprived and doze off without much effort. This time around I return to Bangalore as a Zombie :) Hope to catch up on the lost sleep while driving back.

Not to worry. Am not on the wheel ;)

The Valentine's Surprise !

Am not the "Valentine" kind of person. But I do admit living up to the "expectation of the day" for many years !

Feb 14, 2009 was different. There were no expectations and I had no regrets.

Little did I know that my dear friends would thrill me at the dawn of Feb 17 with a surprise gift :) It was the same watch that I laid my eyes on a week back, when I was out window shopping. The very wrist watch which I classified as "classy" yet "too expensive"!!! My consolation for not purchasing it was, "I have an expensive taste".

Well, this time around I got to taste my dream.... and believe me, it was Yummy ! Truly yummy !!!

Have you ever wondered....

You wake up feeling low on energy, low on spirits.... generally feeling low about life ! But all of this happens without a reason !!! No matter how much you ponder over, the reason remains a mystery.

That is exactly how I felt when I woke up today and started to get to work. I did not enjoy my drive to work nor the nice music from my favorite CD. Was irritated with the security guard at work who wanted to do his job of checking the car's boot and my backpack for "stealth weapons". Reaching my desk, I got online and my friend pinged to say 'Hi' and wanted to know how I was doing. I guess my replies did not portray my usual self and she promptly asked me if everything was OK. I told her that I was down and out and did not know why.

It is then I realized that even subtle responses over an instant message can convey my mood like an X-ray. I decided to change my frame of mind and try not to find reasons for my unhappiness. Instead, I chose to hunt for reasons that would make me happy at work. I have a long day at work staring in front of me, and did not want to walk around exposing my "unknown unhappiness". My team is very quick in scanning my every action :-)

Am almost thru with my day and things dint seem so bad afterall. But somewhere in the corner of my mind the thought still lingers..... "But why?"

Slumdog Millionaire @ The Oscars !

A lot of bouquets & brickbats around "Slumdog". I wanted to see what the fuss was about. I read 'Q&A' by Vikas Swarup around 2 years back and enjoyed reading the book. It definitely had a bollywood touch to it and I recommended the book to friends as a fun read.

Booked tickets for the nite show of Slumdog on Feb 1, 2009 @ Lido Fame Cinemas. I was hoping to watch a decent replication of 'Q&A' but was disappointed from the very beginning. The movie did not have anything to keep my attention on the screen. My mind kept wandering and comparing the few stories that were adapted from the book. It made me wonder how this movie made it to the Oscars.

Talking about ARR's music, I think he has composed some classy tunes in zillion other movies and his music for 'Slumdog' can be easily forgotten. Being a die-hard fan of ARR, it makes me sad to see him getting nominated for such mediocre work.

In my mind, the comments made about showcasing Mumbai badly are totally baseless. I think we must accept reality I see no wrong in what was shown of Mumbai. However, I would agree with most critics and especially ace director Priyadarshan who has lashed Slumdog as a mediocre, trashy version of erstwhile bollywood movies.

I feel no sense of pride in 'Slumdog' making it to the Oscars. Well, thats my personal opinion and if you are reading this, its well within your rights to disagree ;)

Here is a small list of my favorite movies that could have represented India for the 'most prestigious award'
- Thanmatra (Malayalam, featuring Mohanlal)
- Anbe Sivam (Tamil, featuring Kamal Hassan)
- Taare Zameen Par (Hindi, featuring Aamir Khan)
- Shwass (Marathi, did get nominated but did not win)