My eyes are heavy with sleep after a filling lunch.
Junk food has been a "no-no" for lunch for sometime. Today i started it again - pasta dipped in hot salsa with yoghurt consituted my lunch. Oh you wondering how pasta qualifies as junk...any meal that doesn't constitute roti/rice is defined "junk" at home :(.

Forcing myself to stay awake, i tune on the TV. My fingers inadvertently press the combination "24" to play the channel "TLC- Life unscripted". When i started viewing this channel 2 weeks back , i was a big critic, now i just love it. All programs shown are essentially true stories of common people. To name a few are "a dating story", "a baby story", " a wedding story". The one i like the most is the "the makeover story". What i like most is that its so natural, no inhibitions. I guess "life unscripted" says it all.

My mood swings have been very high today. After reading a story in today's tabloid i cried. It was about a 12 year old kid who died in a freak accident during one of his ice-hockey practice sessions. I guess each one of us who is alive and hasn't lost their dear ones is lucky to be so.
Everything happens for a reason. There is no coincidence.

Day's work: Design review

Sheer coincidence. Today's Wall Street Journal has an article titled "Managing your career". It talks about how college students make job-hunting tougher with weak resumes. I also got my statistics wrong in my earlier post. The article states that employers scan a resume in about 15 seconds. Now thats FAST. So beware when you write a 2 page resume next!

A face in an ad in today's "USA today" caught my eyes.
This is what i think everytime i see these faces :
AH - Devil
Pol Pot - Gruesome
OBL - Dangerous for mankind
SH - Merciless Dictator
Now imagine a face whose forehead is that of Pol Pot, eyes those of SH, mush of AH and beard of OBL. Result : Evil staring right in your face leashing out a reign of terror. Check out the video.

Art of writing resumes

It doesn't come easily to everyone. Scanning through 15 resumes in different styles, formats over 3 hours, i realised how tiring it is. Hunting for information you are hungry for in a pile of junk is a pain. I didn't believe what i read a few days back - employers scan about 10 resumes in 10 mins i.e. a whooping rate of 1 per minute. Now i have a better understanding of how to articulate an eye catching resume.

Todays' timepass :Peanuts contd..

You don't get a second chance to make a first impression.Ensured the first conversation went on well. Am on a uphill ride :)

Am glad the weekend is over. I had never imagined that one e-mail could spark off a chain of actions - people all over trying to get in touch with me over the weekend. Am all charged up for whats in store - these are trying times but got to prove my worth! Life is all about choices and I have made a choice.

Weekend Highs:
1. Glass painting experience was good, freaked out with all the dashing colors. Stained, colorful, jewellery box luminisces beauttifully in light.
2. A visit to the art galleries in Natick Mall Saturday evening was memorable. I have laid my eyes on "Tree on the fence" painting - going to buy that one before i leave :)
3. Roaring Harley Davidsons, Yamahas and Hondas on the road. It was fun to watch about 15 bikes driven by 20-something guys and gals making their rounds through the day. By evening it looked like a live F-1 race. These are the first signs of spring setting in.

Weekend Lows: Spent most of the weekend all by myself. Until i have walked a mile in his moccassins, i may not understand how it feels to work 7 days a week and 14 hours a day for 2 months at a stretch.

Today's timepass: Clearing my head and putting my thoughts on paper.

This weekend is going to be fabulous. Got this feeling since i woke up this morning to an announcement by Vivek - "Hey good news..you have a got a reply for your mail from the Chief Operating Officer". Half awake half asleep, I couldn't believe as he read out the mail for me. I hope things will change for better very soon. Two days ago, i wrote about intense emotions. I realise sometimes a frustrated state of mind can do what a calm mind cannot - the sarcasm in my mail spoke the truths however blunt it was - he acknowledged it and answered with honesty.

Vivek says :
Wife is screaming and i'm smiling
Heater is roaring and i'm still smiling

Aeroplane above and cars on the road
But i hear no sound

Am enjoying my music
Thanks to my BOSE headphones

Todays' timepass: Glass painting.

Hotels and Motels - class wide apart.
The above sentence says it all and we are living through it. Feeling the difference every moment. It all starts with the difference in the first letter of those words and goes a long way! Staying at a motel now and i can see the "Sheraton" across the road - standing magnificently in style clad in brown english-styled roofs.
Moteliers are ignorant of customer satisfaction and hoteliers swear by it. Strange situations that life puts one through and there is no escpaing from them.

Todays' timepass :The day is almost over "car-gazing" - my new passion.

Prospects
Hopes
Communication
Expectations
Dreams
Inspiration
Action
Rejection
Frustration


This is a chain reaction. Intense emotions shroud the thinking process. Frustration makes me helpless. I don't know how to come over it! Do u know how to?

Its exactly a week since i started posting my blogs. Thats a job well done!
Criticism doesn't come easily to me - be it a friend, acquaintance, relative. I believe in these words --
"Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you.
The degree of negative impact increases with the closeness to that person. But i've started working on it by using the two ears GOD has given.
Negative emotions dampen the spirits. But i want to live this day to the fullest - do things i love to do. And am gonna start with cartoooning :)

Changed my room last night. Standing by the window, I have a beautiful view of the BOSE mountain. Am so tempted to peek out all the time that am scared my neck would be disoriented to the east permanently!
Completed the Perry Mason novel too. I like the way Erle Stanley Gardner writes. Its simple and the courtroom scenes are what i enjoy the most. There's a strange twist to all his stories that keeps the reader wondering why hadn't he disclosed it earlier!

Today's timepass: Sherlock Holmes: The complete novels and Stories Volume 1

Check out Google today. The icon for "Earth day" is really cool.

Its bliss to be alive.
Albert Einstein said "A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy."
I say "A couch, a laptop, a phone and a glass of orange juice; what else do i need to be happy."
How i wish everything comes to a standstill now. It's a perfect life. No confusions, no decisions to make, no appointments to keep, no expectations to live upto, no bills to be paid, no to-do list. Its a small wonderful world. Don't want to let go of this moment and keep reality at bay.

I was out on my own yesterday and feel really happy about it. Shopping for all the goodies and trying out different cuisines - its fun all the way! Hadn't you pushed me into doing it, i would never have experienced it. "Don't follow me two steps behind, Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and just be my friend."

Liked these words: ( i have always been the doubt and you have been my faith)


"Doubt sees the obstacles
faith sees the way.
Doubt sees the darkest night
Faith sees the day.
Doubt dreads to take a step
Faith soars on high.
Doubt questions 'who believes?'
Faith answers, 'I.'"


What am i thinking today? Does the Laci Peterson case require so much of publicity? Why does media thrive on such painful news to maintain the hype? Its adding agony to misery! Its as though you have run out of news..now that the Iraq war is almost over the focus has shifted to the Peterson's. What do u think?


Today's timepass: Complete the Perry Mason novel "The case of the fenced-in woman"

Good Morning world!
The sunny days are gone. Its back to cloudy gloomy weather..romantic nevertheless, especially when you are on a holiday :).
What a nice way to get up on such a morning and have what is described as "Black as the devil, hot as hell, pure as an angel and sweet as love"...wondering what it is? Well that is a "cup of coffee".

Am seeing a lot of movies these days. "Shrek" was a good one. It was good to see the ogre win the love of the princess in the end. Its a nice blend of old fairy tales cast in the new age....phrases such as "24/7" gave it a modern touch.

Today's timepass: sleep sleep and sleep

What's so special today?

Vivek's birthday - its a nice way to start the week. All bad things come to an end...and so did they for us. Now its turn for the good to happen and only good! I'm so happy that i finally made it here for this big day of the year. Had shopped for gifts for him a month back anticipating i would have to leave as soon as the visa came in. Hopes soared and crashed as days passed by ..I can still hear those words "Your application is still with the consulate ..its being processed". I tracked the status promptly at 10:00 and 16:00 hours everyday. I had lost hopes as always. But as always his faith carried us through and am here. Ironically he made it for my birthday despite all the odds. This being our first birthdays together..its a moment to cherish for!


Patriots' Day - I have always been amazed at peoples' ability to give everyday of the year a name - Father's day, Mother's Day, Business Administrative assistants Day! I remember one of my friends calling these days as fabricated days to boost businesses. How true! I wonder if some really to-be honoured and celebrated days would lose their value because of co-memorating trivial occassions!

However i can see the significance of Patriots day here in Boston. Today is the Boston Marathon - 20233 men and women, one goal - Hopkinton ---Boston (26.2 miles). The enthusiasm to come from all over and run this great distance is worth mentioning! The passion to do something like this requires a lot of energy from within.


The weekend was great. The BOSE showroom at Jordans's was stunning - can't describe it. All i know is that those speakers are a must-have! Had my first experience of the cold wave that night - numb fingers, dried lips and red feet in a 10 min exposure. Lesson - never venture out in sandals on a cold night :) Learnt it the hard way.

Today's Timepass: UML

Its been exactly a week since i reached Framingham.
How i feel? Gazing out of the window, i feel good. The tall, slender withered brown trees here impress me. Nature in its natural form is intact, thats what i love about this place. Humans haven't messed around much with the vegetation.
Apart from that, there's nothing great about this place. Everything is so systematic - racing cars following lane rules. People who have lived in bangalore will know what i mean when i say this. Sometimes one gets so used to the mess that anything in order sounds weird.

A quote that impressed me : Trusting people has got nothing to do with people. Its all about how much you trust your ownself.

Unlike yesterday, today took off to a good start. Its farewell to cold weather of past 2 days.

Happy about - The small gesture by Chinese uncle - Bill Tung made
me feel this world has loads of genuinely good people. If you are wondering what he did - he got me 3 newspapers and milk!

Thinking about - Pensive mood today. When my leave for 2 months got sanctioned, i was very elated. Thought this the most wonderful break i would ever get - out on a VACATION to an international destination. I have been sitting in this hotel room with books, laptop and tv for company.7 days - no bugs to fix, no enhancements to deliver and no one to report to. It feels strange and it hasn't sunk in that am out of World Book. No work to do, me not very happy :(
If i feel this way after working for 4 years and can't stand a 7 day break, i wonder how people feel when they retire at 56 with nothing to do.


Cheer up me! think of the wonderful things happening now - like catching up with old friends whom i haven't spoken to in 2 years. Crashing in and
out of bed when i feel like. It may sound funny but i never knew how to read a comic when i was young...i couldn't figure out if the boxes were to be traversed horizontally/vertically. Now am enjoying reading them :)

Today's Timepass: Bunch of local newspapers ranging from Boston Today to Wall Street Journal filled with Easter ads."Peanuts" contd....

This is my first post. I've been wanting to create my own blog for a long time now.
Now that i'm on leave for 2 months, it seemed a nice time to start.

Today's Timepass: Reading "Peanuts" i picked up from Barnes and Noble last night.