Not feeling like writing much..I was listening to songs of RD from the 5 CD collection of RD’s best songs that I have( thanks to www.desitorrents.com)… with commentary by people who worked with him..its awesome…as ppl say..RD was 20 years ahead of his time…although he is more credited/criticized for the ‘western influence’ he brought to the indian music industry…I feel his talent in ‘hindustani classical’ music was as good or even better…and when Pancham (as RD was addressed by people who knew him and eventually by the world at large) Kishore(da) Kumar and Gulzar saab worked together; the output was sheer magic…here’s the lyrics of one of trio’s best work…and one of my all time favorites…the way Kishore lifts the song is true nirvana… Another thanx to you, GOD; for getting these three together and making my life so much better.. 🙂

Is Mod Se Jaate Hain
Kuch Sust Kadam Raste Kuchh Tez Qadam Raahen
Patthar Ki Haveli Ko Shishe Ke Gharaundon Men
Tinakon Ke Nasheman Tak Is Mod Se Jaate Hain

Aandhi Ki Tarah Udakar Ik Raah Guzarati Hai
Sharamaati Hui Koi Qadamon Se Utarati Hai
In Reshami Raahon Men Ik Raah To Vo Hogi
Tum Tak Jo Pahunchati Hai Is Mod Se Jaati Hai
Is Mod Se Jaate Hain

Ik Dur Se Aati Hai Paas Aake Palatati Hai
Ik Raah Akeli Si Rukati Hai Na Chalati Hai
Ye Sochake Baithi Hun Ik Raah To Vo Hogi
Tum Tak Jo Pahunchati Hai Is Mod Se Jaate Hain

Is Mod Se Jaate Hain
Kuchh Sust Qadam Raste Kuchh Tez Qadam Raahen
Patthar Ki Haveli Ko Shiishe Ke Gharondon Men
Tinakon Ke Nasheman Tak Is Mod Se Jaate Hain
Is Mod Se Jaate Hain

A good break between the semesters..

I had a good break between the semesters…The whole of last week was fun…I read two books…watched a few movies..and played volleyball twice..with indians, just to make my stand clear :-), before a couple of you start feeling jealous… ate good food and played teen patti over the whole weekend…it sure was fun…:-)

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But the break was like the silence before the storm…i have to finish two courses in six weeks…it was the third day today..and already one project is due next tuesday and a test next thursday…already three chapters have been covered in the subject of ” Network Security and Crypotography”..its been crazy….and just to make it more fun…I have to work in the Dining Services from 9 am to 1 in the afternoon…keep standing for 4 hours, doing all sorts of things in the kitchen…and then take classes from 4 to 8….i sure am gonna have a lot of fun in the next six weeks..:-(

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Finally, I read “The Da Vinci Code” over the break. I know that almost half the world has already read it, but I just hadn’t got a chance…but I’m finally glad that I read it. It might not be the legend of a book as can be inferred from its sales, but the author surely has researched a great great deal about symbology and christianity…it was cool to learn about things like the holy grail, the Knights of Templar etc etc.. The second book I read was “Jonathan Livingston Seagull”..finished it in an hour. But was amazed to see that the book is among the top 10 best sellers of all time…It speaks about a Seagull named Jonathan Livingston, who dares to venture in a different direction from his ‘flock’. A good lesson can be learned for your life…

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A friend had called me and my roomies for lunch on saturday…it was good to eat rotis after so many months….thanx to her :-)…we called her and a couple of other friends for lunch at our place..had made pav-bhaji…also watched Andaz Apna Apna..my all time favorite…

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Just got this text as an offline message…some word of wisdom…
“The clock of life is wound. And no man has the power To tell just when the hands will stop. At late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still.”

24 years on earth!!

I turned 24 this Saturday. Just the thought that I am possibly already ‘done’ with more than a quarter of my life frightens me. So many things are left to be done. So many things should have been done by now. All my plans and wishes. It’s always scary to think about all that stuff. But thinking about them once in a while is essential I guess. Gets me charged up atleast for a few days :-), before I become a lazy bum again. But there is also a good side to birhtdays. No, I’m not talking about gifts.

It’s these calls that I get from some people. Year after year. Without fail. The people who matter to me. More than anything. And it makes me feel secure that I have all the people that I need. Philosophy says that I shouldn’t make my life dependent on people. Life is going to be what I make of it. Others should not matter. And, as Shaan sings…

Tanha dil..tanha safar..

I’m trying to be like that. But more often than not, being the mere mortal that I am, I wish those people are always with me. I know things are going to change. People are going to change. But there are just a few things in life that i want to remain stagnant. Like a lake that has been at that very same place for centuries. And is still so good. I wish some things won’t change as much and as fast as they do. wishful thinking??

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I got all A’s this sem. Yippee!!!!

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A couple of weeks ago we had this barbecue party outside a friends place. Here are some pics.

PS:- I will post my bday pics soon.

Currently Listening to: Piya Bawari by Abhijit Pahonkar
Rating: * * * *

Waiting irritates me…and that too when you are waiting for a reply that decides whether you earn $700-800 a month, and more importantly, whether you will get a great opportunity to learn and do something at a professional level, the impatience levels soar high… I had an interview in the Institutinal Web Support Services department..I prepared for it over the weekend..PHP, JavaScript and XML…and was expecting an answer by yesterday noon…but didnt get one till six o’clock in the evening. And finally the response was negative:-(

Was expecting it to turn out to be good, coz the no. of applicants were less and more importantly, my interview had been good. Not too many technical questions asked. And I guess I handled them well. Guess the problem was with the skills that I put down on my resume. I hand’t put anything ‘extra’ on my resume, coz I feared the embarassment of not being able to answer about any technology that was on my resume…and I went for the ‘anti-Microsoft’ camp so to say…Apache web server instead of IIS, php instead of ASP.NET, Dreamweaver instead of Frontpage, Oracle instead of MS SQL, etc..but it turned out that these guys are looking to move everything to the Microsoft platform…well whatever, I missed the bus. So instead of earning 700-800 dollars doing intelligent work for 20 hours a week, I will need to do 40 hours a week of donkey work in the cafeteria or at any of the dorms to earn a lesser amount. They say, you win some….and you lose some…but I believe that it todays world, it’s a little different….”Only if you dont lose any…you will probably win one”…

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Have been playing volleyball a good bit these days, with American guys and girls..they usually play well and their height gives them the natural advantage…the good part is that we play in the sand pit, and thus I can dive around freely and be an acrobat..and the best part is that I get with skimpily dressed pretty girls… :-)..though that’s really not the reason why I like to play with Americans…really…

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I was (s)elected the Vice President of the Indian Students Association. So it’s gonna be some work over the next year. But I’m looking forward to it. Hope I can do something good.

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Something shitty is going on in the company where I used to work, before coming to the US..some people have been arbitarily fired, in the name of an Employee Referral Allowance Racket. And I have been hearing other stories not really worth mentioning becuase of their nature…and why I feel sorry for the guys fired is that they were fired right at the time when they were to be given their yearly bonuses..which can easily be around Rs. 40000-50000. You work your ass off the whole year..and then get fired for something that you didn’t do. Well, thats corporate culture, eh?? I really like that company, the owners have a great record and a resume to truly boast about, but over the years, I have started hating businesses where ‘morality’ recedes below the bottomline and money remains the only prerogative. And although, I know the following words are the ultimate truth, with which people at the upper echleons of corporates/government will totally agree, I hate them : Everybody is expendable

What??? U don’t drink??

A friend threw a b’day party yesterday…i don’t remember dancing this hard in the year or two..had a great time…and after all the girls left at around 1:30..we all guys again danced, the way guys dance, till 3 in the night. Then it was time for everyone to speak out about their present/past crushes and brushes:-)…was fun to hear everyone’s stories…how some tried there level best, how some didn’t have to try at all..and how some could never express themselves or dared to give it a try….all the confusions and confessions…

I almost instantly recalled my days, of sitting at a dhaba with my friends and talking, for the umpteenth time about a girl who never looked at any one of us :-)…all of us might be considered losers in that sense, but none of us ever had the desire to just have an affair or “ladki ghumaneka” so to speak…for all of us, it had to be/will be a once and for all story..i never remember hearing the flip side from any of my best friends..and same was the case with me. Yesterday, when it was my turn to speak, and I told ppl that the one girl, if there ever is one, that I go out with, would end up being my wife, I was branded/labelled/called Devdas/liar/lifeless. Not that it badly hurt me or something, but I really haven’t learnt or want to learn how to live the way they want to live their life….

When I said that I don’t drink, I was told that I shouldn’t be shy. This pisses me off. One of the goals in my life is not be to shy of any of my actions. Such allegations aren’t new though; it has happened before. Back in Louisiana when all my friends were drinking, a few girls came, and not seeing a beer can in my hand, actually told me that “it’s OK if you drink in front of us…it won’t give us a bad impression of you!!” Yeah, like all i want to do/have left to do in life is to impress you….I don’t know whats wrong with people…if you are good..its said that you are pretending…and if you are bad…well, thats the standard anway…

Ever heard the old quote: “Neki kar, dariya mein dal…”