Cuteness to the rescue...

Can we get a giggle and a jaw drop here please?

Saturday brunch is a heavenly tradition: therapeutic and fun. It's when girls gather around to discuss the happenings and men from the night before. It's also when you can talk about crucial issues like "How many black shoes should you have? Where do you buy them? Nine West or Aldo? " etc. And of course the food is very useful to get over a hangover. That's exactly what happened today ...minus the hangover (apparently screwdrivers don't cause a hangover...excellent!).

Venue: L'Orange Bleue, SoHo.

Enter waiter. Dude was either really high on life or had smoked a little somthing. From Senegal...though he could pass for a Jamaican. He was a total trip. Questionable service....but really entertaining and of coure really cute....so he still got a fat tip from us girls. ;-) Some classic comments....

Un...

Me: "So what exactly is a mimosa?"
Him: Wink, Smile, "Champagne with orange juice", wink
Me: "Umm no..I'll settle for coffee"
Him: "Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo"

I apparently commited the biggest sacrilege on the planet.
Deux...

Me: "No coffee's fine"
Him: "Plain coffee? Get the mimosa!"
Me: "No....ok..get me a cafe latte....but no mimosa. Am still in the process of waking up."
Him: "Comon...I was out till 5 this morning"
Me: "Well, I was out till 4....so...just the coffee please."
Him: "I'll make it myself". Did a happy jig....showed me his 5 fingers to emphasize that he was up till 5 and danced away.

How high was he exactly?
Troi..

Damina: "Should I get Omelette A or Omelette B?"
Him: "Get the burger!"
Dev: "Do we get toast with the omelette?"
Him: Head shake, "French fries!!"
Our reaction: "Uhhhh! Ok!!"

So basically, his cuteness and entertaining presence saved his ass. Made up for the not up to par service. Food was excellent...and the much publicized french fries were awesome. Good music...and very cute restaurant. It was all orange and blue. Even the water jugs!! :-)

Good times...
-Amrita

P.S: 51-55 to Arizona (vs Washington). 2nd half. Fingers crossed!

You only live once...

That was the main theme of the movie "Elizabethtown" imho. Other take aways...."Sadness is surrender", "you are no substitute for anyone". Reminded me of another movie: "Garden State". Very similar. Protagonist faces tough challenges at work. At the same time, a parent passes away in a remote part of the country. During the journey of meeting estranged family and dealing with the parent's death, he meets a mysterious girl who makes life good again. ..and of course they live happily after. Well me being me....I loved the movie. I even shed a tear...

Even in the book I'm reading right now ..."Everyone worth knowing" by Lauren Weisberger, suddenly the protagonist is the midst of a fairy tale romance about 3/4ths through the book.

Are such romances plausible? I think they are... but that's just me. My friends laugh...but shucks...you gotta believe in something....and that's mine. Well one of the hundreds of "happy beliefs" that I have ...oh well....

Songs of the day...courtesy Ito "rawwkkss" Okashi:-
- "You only live once" by The Strokes
- "Heart in a cage" by The Strokes
- "Razorblade" by The Strokes
- "The Truth" by India Arie
- "Get it together" by India Arie
- "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield

I actually had this detailed post written out about my Big Apple morning. But I judged against posting it for fear of banality. But I will say this...that my feet are connected to my iPod somehow. They were crying this morning....but the moment i switched it on...I could almost feel them breathing a sigh of relief. Weirdness! I sometimes think that I live in a separate world... ;)

Toodles,
- M.e.

P.S: Orlando Bloom...as gorgeous as ever. ;-) Smiti (my best friend from high school) would beg to differ....but it's ok. Great Leos should not agree on everything. Except for the fact of each other's greatness. :P ;-) Cheers bitch...

P.P.S: GO WILDCATS!! Bear down AZ!!

March Madness is here! Bear Down Arizona!

MARCH MADNESS IS HERE!!!
Bear Down Wildcats!!!!

NCAA season is drawing to a close and The Wildcats have been struggling this year. They are seeded 4 at the PAC 10. Fortunately one above Stanford....those annoying creatures!! Lute Olson's Cats can still create a victory...after all...we're used to dramatic finishes.......but....if they make the Sweet Sixteen bracket....*fingers crossed* This thought has been given more fire since Arizona's VICTORY against Stanford last week...making it 3 straight wins. Well ASU was a no brainer....duh..the Sun Devils are no match for us. A wise man once said: "A true Wildcat will never let his/her child become a Sun Devil"...at a commencement ceremony. The applause and cheering lasted a good 15 minutes.

This year, the Wildcats had their task cut out as they had to make up for the loss of ex-seniors Channing Frye and Saliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim Stoudamire. Time for Hassan Adams and Ivan Radenovic to step up.

Salim: 3-pointer dunker from across the bloody court. Very moody. But Oh.So.Good.

Channing: He redefined "Tall". Now plays for the Knicks. Ha!

Hassan: God of Rebounds. He dances around the hoops....in mid-air. Fascinating creature. He's likely to receive the All American honorable mentions.

Ivan: And I thought Channing redefined "Tall". I remember cranking up my neck to look at his face once. Excellent team player.

And of course holding these gems together is the allmighty Lute Olson. I remember during the Midnight Madness in 2004 (season kickoff celebration at Arizona), all of us in the stadium broke out in a low guttaral chant of "Luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute". He is the best coach Az has ever had. I rememebr meeting him at McKale center once and freezing in awe.

There are two more matches to go before the conference ends and the March Madness games begin. But as far as I'm concerned AZ has already won an important victory by defeating Stanford (which is still mourning the loss of Josh Childress..haha!...suckers) Anything to wipe the memory of the 2004 PAC-10 buzzer beater defeat against them at home court. I cant forget that day. K and I were watching the game at home....3.4 seconds to go. We were on a one point lead (79-78). Me and K were almost ready to celebrate a sweet victory. Suddenly one of the Stanford guys (I forget which)....attempts a 3 pointer from center court. And it goes in! Holy Fuck. We were shocked out of our brains. We were mouthing " I cant believe that just happend" for a good 2 hours afterwards. But all's well that ends well. We've answered back beautifully to Stanford subsequently.

Alrite...GOOD LUCK MY WILDCATS!!! Bear Down!!

-Amrita "ROOAAAARRRR" Rajagopal

P.S: I know i'm in Columbia now....but old loyalties dont die.
P.P.S: Ivy League sucks for basketball anyway.

Current mood: Racking my brain...

Disclaimer: Pop music haters stay away.

...it's coming to me....almost there...
UGH!
...The chorus rythms for "Drop me in the middle" by Natasha Bedingfield....sound like a tune i've heard before....way back...when I was in school.
...Jeeez....it's annoying to be able to hear a song but not know what it is....

And yeah...grading 40 Perl assignments and 60 Java assignments over the period of 2 days is not helping the thought process.

-Amrita

A prayer...

Cancer: The word sends a shiver down my spine.

Wikipedia states that "In the USA and other developed countries, cancer is presently responsible for about 25% of all deaths. On a yearly basis, 0.5% of the population is diagnosed with cancer."

I lost my grandmother to this disease a decade ago. My middle-namesake. Valli. A fiery spirit. Multilingual. Intellecutal. Brilliant. Her wisdom was beyond boundaries. She had something new and wise to share with us kids everyday. I miss her...though I can barely remember her voice now.

And now the same disease is afflicting so many people around me. My best friend's dad (who's the sweetest person ever), a friend, another friend's grandad, some more friends....

So I send out a prayer....
And positivity....
And I hope for a miracle for some....

ॐ भूर्भुवस्वः ।

तत् सवितुर्वरेण्यं ।

भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि ।

धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात् ॥

Love, life, faith and hope....
-Amrita

What's playing?

"Mora Saiyan" by Fuzon

Recommended by a friend. Excellent song!!! Been playing on repeat mode for a few weeks now.

Fuzon is a Pakistani band who've produced some excellent sufi/classical tunes. They have followed up the late Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's musical trend, aided on by fellow musicians like "Strings". Anyway...check out the lyrics..really pretty. Though the one thing I dont like about the song is that the beginning music...for the first 25-30 seconds is a copy of Ace of Base's "Angel Eyes". Considering that's from the early 90's...not many people would complain. I was a huge fan of Ace of Base through school...which is why I probably recognized the tune. But the rest of the song is a classical joy. Very bluesy too.

"saawan beeto jaye pe harwa
mann mera ghabraye

ayso gaye pardes piya tum
chaain humai nahi aaye

mora saaiyan moh sey bole na
mai laakh jatan kar haari
laakh jatan kar haar rahi

mora saaiyan moh sey bole na

tu jo nahi to aise piya hum
jaise soona aanganaa

nain tehaari rah neeharey
nain-nan ko tarsao na

mora saaiyan moh sey bole na
mai laakh jatan kar haari
laakh jatan kar haar rahi

mora saaiyan moh sey bole na

pyar tumhai kitna karte hain
tum ye samajh nahi pao gay

jab hum na honge to peharwa
bolo kya tab aao gay

mora saaiyan moh sey bole na
mai laakh jatan kar haari
laakh jatan kar haar rahi
mora saaiyan moh sey bole na
mai laakh jatan kar haari
laakh jatan kar haar rahi"

Incredible !ndia

Pointed out by the folks at Sepia Mutiny! Pretty cool video if I do so say so myself ....

The lengths we go for N.Y. Dosas!!

Frigid NYC. One little Dosa stand. 300 students. Barnard University campus.

It's 30-something degrees Farenheit outside with the wind-chill factor dropping it further, so it feels like 20 degrees. Students are huddled together in a line outside the dosa stand waiting for their turns to taste their own little share of heaven (topped with sambhar and coconut chutney).

This is my first time experiencing the immense pleasure of eating a Thiru Kumar original dosa. I have read about it and am very excited. The problem of course is that dosas take time to be made. So when the initial enthusiasm of meeting friends dies down, the background bhangra music starts sounding like noise, and my fingers and toes start burning....I ask myself...why am I doing this?

A dosa (though only my second favorite compared to idlis) is a divine blessing for us poor desis in firang land who have been bred on them through childhood. So a dosa is no longer just food...it's a Dosa...with a capital D....a boon, a thing of joy...it's my little share of heaven. So even though my body is hating me, I stand in line for 65 minutes and 40 odd seconds, with my friends and the music giving me comfort.

So now I'm face to face with the man himself. He is asking me how spicy I want my dosas. My default answer has always been Medium cos I cant handle the Hot spice level. My excuse: I'm hot enough ;-) So I say 'Medium'. Anyway, Thiru Kumar invites me to share the warmth of his grill thingy and spins out two dosas expertly like it's the most natural task in the world. Up close he is really an adorable little guy and his moustache is impressive!! He is now talking to me about how I should come down to the Village where he usuallly works everyday. So I nod, take his card, thank him for the dosa and scurry in.

While my fingers and toes are waking up, I admire Thiru Kumar's work of art. Cos that's what it is. A dosa as thin as paper and as round as ..well..the moon. Golden in color ...with the potatoes stuffed in the middle. That's the prize that I'm working towards....the reward.

After waiting a few torturous minutes for my friends to arrive...yes...i can be well mannered when I want to be...:P.....we all dig in. Not a word is uttered as we're all immersed deep in such a basic kind of joy.

So does it make sense to wait for 65 minutes and 40 odd seconds in the frigid weather to experience something that lasts about 2 minutes and 30 odd seconds?

My answer: HELL YEAH Machaaan!!!

:-)

Song of the day: "Kaasu Mele Kaasu Vandu" ...I dont remember the movie name...but it's got Kamal Haasan and Prabhu Deva.

All my love,
-Amrita

Here's a piccy to tide you over...

Delhi State Emporiums

I found this really cool store called Tibet over the weekend at the UWS. 80th and BWay. It was amazing! Crafts from Nepal and the region. I felt like I was back at the Delhi State Emporiums.

Almost every Indian state has an emporium in Delhi ...near Cannaught Place. Each state emporium show cases the handicrafts of the state. So it's a fantastic way to explore each state. At various times during the year, they have fairs and cultural performances in the emporiums. These are always fun....cos they're so unique.

Oh...there are also bangle makers outside the Rajasthan emporium!! They're very talented. They melt the bangle clay and mould one right there and then proceed to decorate it. It's fascinating.

Delhi also has other emporium style shopping places which make it a very good option for tourists. They dont have to visit every state...they can get everything they want in Delhi! ha! Other places I love: The Central Cottage Emporium, Dilli Haat, Khaadi Gramodyog.

So anyway, Tibet is a cool store. I picked up some stuff.....so a couple of my friends are gonna be receiving packages in the mail... :-)

Songs for the day: I'm back to U2 for a bit...."a woman needs a man...like a fish needs a bicycle"

Ciao...
-Amrita

:-)

NING!

Quick hit..

This is a very very very cool site. http://www.ning.com/

Tagging has taken on ginormous proportions now...

Alrite...back to work...

Unisex?!!

So we all know about the wonder of Unisex bathrooms (restrooms for the USians)...especially the generation that watched Ally McBeal!!! Well, it can be a weird/funny idea to have unisex bathrooms at a danceclub. Seriously!!

I went to this dance club called Duvet on Friday night and they had a unisex bathroom. So as you walk in with a drunken stupor, you see both guys and girls around you...so you can't really do the girly stuff except in the privacy of the stalls. But then, that was weird too. The whole place was covered in mirrors...including the stall doors. And.......here's the best part......the stall doors were made of one way mirrors. So from outside, you are just looking at a mirror. But from inside....you can look at everything outside. This can TOTALLY mess with your head when you're buzzed.....believe me!! Jeeeyaazus. So you're in there...and you see people (guys and girls) actually looking in...not really...but that's exactly how it appears. That was scary. And hilarious too. hehehehe.....this guy walks up to the mirror outside my stall and started pasting his hair down..then tucked his shirt in...adjusted his jeans...checked out his butt etc. Oh God....!! I could not stop laughing. ;-)

So anyway...that was a strange experience. On the other hand...Duvet is a good club....plenty of dancing room. And they have sprawling beds which I'm sure can be put to good use. But the DJ needed to balance his act...first he was all techno/disco...then all hip-hop. But the cool thing was that he played some old (2001-03) hip-hop which I totally enjoyed. Hmm...what else? Free vodka for ze ladiez! ;)

Songs for the night: Anything by Led Zeppelin (especially Darlene), Dire Straits and Simon & Garfunkel

Last Nite, He Said....

Last nite he said
Oh baby I feel so down
When you turn me off
When I feel left out
So I, I turned round
Oh baby don't care no more
I know this for sure
I'm walking out that door

I love this song by The Strokes (And I know I bent the lyrics...for good reason). I have been listening to some of their songs recently....they're ok. But I think I shouldn't have seen the video for 'Juicebox'. That just left a sick feeling in my stomach (Ito, please dont hurt me!).

Moving on...other things on my mind....

(I'm suffering from writer's block right now....so this post is all over the place)

Frigid weather in NYC. After 50s over the week....this is a little much to handle. All the snow's gone surprisingly. Melted really fast considering we had 27 inches of it. ha!

Still no news on Rohan's mystery girl.... :( Spread the word people.

Franz Ferdinand tickets sold out in the presale!!! Fuck...need to try eBay now. Cos I REALLLLLLYYYY want to see them live. April 12th and 13th are the show dates....so if any of you tri-state area peeps wanna join me....lemme know.

Need to plan a trek for March...probably Adirondaks...

Nine West happened again! I have sinned...but I couldn't help it...those shoes were simply crying to be bought! ;-)

Quite a few of my friends have been visiting India of late...some of them are back. Hearing their tales has been so cool...especially if they visited Delhi :-)

Songs of the day

• "Another Game" by A Sheep At The Wheel
• "More or Less" by A Sheep At The Wheel
• "Hung up" by Madonna
• "Volcano" by Damien Rice
• "I changed my mind" by Keyshia Cole
• "Last Nite" by The Strokes
• Oh and..."Rest In Peace" by Extreme (thanks CK for the nth time...)
  

Please help us find this girl...

Ronniekins has found the love of his life!!! (again...yawn) Please help us identify this mysterious woman of his wet dreams. She was spotted cheering India on during the one day cricket match against Pakistan on 13th Feb 2006.

Girl to the left of the security guy.
Picture: Courtesy BBC.co.uk.

Since seeing her photograph, Rohan's life has changed...he can't think of anything except finding her....

Help our distressed friend!!

Our sincerest gratitude....

~Rohan's friends from around the world.

Bits and Pieces

• I dont get what the big deal about Arctic Monkeys is? Yet...
  
• Franz Ferdinand has announced tour dates...and they are playing in New York!! You know what this means dont you? ;-)
• Ummm.....
  
• This is Disturbing!!!
• I made some kick ass palak paneer (read: spinach with cottage cheese) last night.
• If I see one more pink teddy bear or heart on the streets today, I'll lose it.
• Jazz dance in not fun any more...
• Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights is waaaaaaaayyyyy better than Dirty Dancing.
• I used up three pairs of socks since yesterday cos of wading through the slush on the streets...YUCK!

Love,
Amrita

Let it SNOW!!!!

NYC turned into Winter Wonderland overnight...making up for a humbug winter...
27 inches of snow...

I was thrilled to bitS!!!! I woke up to a beautiful view of my fire exit and the streets below...COVERED in snow. It was still coming down hard. I was dying to get out of the house though. So when it stopped snowing around 4 pm...I grabbed my camera and ran out to Riverside Park with Pranay. We had such a ball. It was beautiful beyond belief. There were throngs of people outside...sledding...skiing..!!....generally frolicking. No traffic on Riverside Drive ...which was such a rare sight.

I made snow angels in the snow...I cant explain how glorious it was to fall back into a beautiful, unspoilt bed of snow......the snow was a perfect cushion...and then you move your hands and legs to make the angel....hahaha. Pranay thought I'd gone mad...then he tried it himself and couldnt stop...haha! :) We had some snow fights when Ashish showed up....he also tried the snow angels...overall...it was awesome fun to plow through knee high snow. The Park was COVERED!!!! Any and all hills were turned into sledding slopes....kids and adults were using make shift sleds even to have a go. We wished we had something to sled on...

Of course tomorrow is gonna be a (mess)^2. Slushy and dirty NYC streets are not exactly appealing...but oh well..the fun in the snow today will make up for it me thinks.

Happiness....Oh...and some pictures!!!


Song of the day: "Midnight Express" by Extreme, "Qatra Qatra" from Family OST, the Rang De Basanti OST

Ciao,
Your freezing Coolness

Coming of age...

Grade school...the song and dance performances....the costumes...the teachers (Maggi ma'm who taught us music...Brother Emmanuel..who used to give us treats...)...the classrooms...the brightly colored desks....a Convent education...Montfort School...the best time ever.

Secondary School...three years in hell charading like heaven....Tamil school....culture shock...I did not fit in.....turned into an introverted study bee....lost touch with music and fun...

High School....enter Delhi Public School - R.K.Puram.....deer caught in headlights....but eventually my shell broke....started to have a little fun....dealt with the pressures of entering college...left behind a sea of memories.

Leaving home....built a new life.....found myself...this time leaving Tucson with a gigantic ocean of memories. I was the center of my life...i was the sun...i was in control....

Coming of age...threw myself out there....resilience tested....friendships tested....sanity tested...this is New York City. Grow up....now! How, when I'm still running to stand still?

So many years down the road....I hear my secondary school and high school friends are getting married.....and it hits me!! Married...already? Are you kidding? Then I realize....we're all a group of "Adults" ...ranging from 23-25. Maybe it is that time in your life when you settle down....maybe you dont fight anymore...

....but maybe it's not that time for me yet. I still have some fights to win....milestones to cross....parties to rock....

Maybe I still need to "grow up".

-Ams

P.S.: Anything by Jack Johnson is GOLD today....

What a haul!!!...

Gorillaz and Madonna on stage togezer!! Zis is awesome....I's has ze video on repeat mode...

*starstruck*

Congratulations to "my boys" U2 for a 5 out of 5!! :-) I loved Edge's new tshirt...and Adam's lovely red jacket. Oh....word of advice to Grammy producers...you NEVER cut off Larry!! Oh man...you're in for "two words" now!! My brother freaked out that I knew Edge's guitar tech....when I recognized Dallas crouching on the stage corner during the NEw Orleans tribute. LOL!!

Regrets.....I would have loved to see Keane win Best New Artist.

Song of the day: "Hung Up" by Madonna, "Feel Good Inc" by Gorillaz, "Beautiful Day" by U2, "Sound Check" by Gorillaz.

The Grammys are upon us...

My list of winners (from the nominations available) are as follows:

Record of the year: "Feel Good Inc" by Gorillaz
Album of the year: "How to dismantle an atomic bomb" by U2
Song of the year: "Sometimes you cant make it on your own" by U2
Best new artist: Keane
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance: "It's Like That" by Mariah Carey
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" by Jack Johnson
Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal: "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers
Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance: "All these things that I've done" by The Killers
Best Rock Song: "City of Blinding Lights" by U2
Best Rock Album: "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb" by U2
Best Alternative Music Album: "Funeral" by The Arcade Fire
Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: "1 Thing" by Amerie
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance: "So What The Fuss" by Stevie Wonder

Let's hope the Grammys dont suck this time around....I cant watch the show as I have Kathak class...and no TV ...even though I can technically crash my bro's apt.

Happy Birthday to the prettiest little girl i know...and one of my greatest friends...aBee! :P :) (he's gonna kill me).

And a Happy Birthday to the coolest ninja and my soul sister...Ali-kat! :P :)

Ah well....cough syrup making me sleeeeeeeeepy ...zzzz.....so will go.

-Amri

Need some sleep!

The coughing wont stop...so I cant really sleep....zombied......ugh! This sucks a little bit. The doc cudnt figure anything out except that I should buy a humidifier for my room....which I finally did. My nostrils are happy. ha!

BOOYAH Boston!!

Boston was superb fun! Met so many friends....it was excellent!! Ships frm high school, Tapan from Arizona, Seema n Sameer frm Boston, Keshav frm Delhi....and Ships' friends (Anila, Charlene). Partied away two nights there. Word of advice...do NOT drink Patent Pending alcohol! We had shots of this thing called After Shock.....baaaaad idea! But soooo goood!! I have no idea how I stumbled onto the Greyhound back home on Sunday morning. But ah well....much fun was had. Here are some pics.

Eavesdropping

So I also finished reading Digital Fortress. Good book. The ideas are great....and Dan Brown really messes with your mind...and the thrill is almost too much handle. The book goes into a lot of the citizen privacy issues....it was interesting to compare that to Bush's universal phone tap. Necessary evil? Or mass intrusion? I haven't been able to make up my mind about thsi yet. But I'm leaning towards the necessary evil part.

Semester heats up...

And here we go again with homeworks, tests and projects....should be interesting. Grammys this Wednesday....

Songs of the day

- "Be without you" by Mary J Blige
- "Strike" by Nikki Flores
- "Check on it" by Beyonce
- "Freek!" by George Michael
- "Feel Good Inc" by Gorillaz...for the 50 millionth time ;)
....yeah...i'm in the dancing mode.

But I havent forgotten rock/alternative...dont worry...
- "Cash Machine" by Hard-Fi
- "Haiti" by The Arcade Fire
- "Believe me Natalie" by The Killers
- "40'" by Franz Ferdinand

And i'm out...
-Your Coolness

cough...wheeze...ugh!

So I'm supposed to leave town later today...and I've fallen really sick....

Not good!

I hope this gets better soon.....Cant even get sleep.....

Hmm....must continue reading Digital Fortress ;) I walked around Manhattan this evening for a couple of hours...enjoying my new iPod...and also the weather. I landed up at Borders at Columbus Circle and just couldn't resist buying Dan Brown's Digital Fortress. I almost also bought Deception Point! ....but decided to pace myself. Hmm...maybe it's the book that's causing the insomnia....or the fact that I was trying to go to sleep astonishingly early in order to wake up early.

Ah well....must try to sleep!

Good night!
-Amrita

...a tear...

"Bulla, ki jaana maen kaun
Na maen bheth mazhab da paaya
Na maen aadam havva jaaya
Na maen apna naam dharaaya "

In other words:

Bulla I know not who I am…
Nor did I create the difference of faith
Nor did I create Adam and Eve
Nor did I name myself

There are some songs which bring me to the verge of tears....this is one of them. By Rabbi Shergill. "Bulle Ke Jaana" ...Punjabi never sounded as sweet. Why the tears? My heart gets filled with a longing for home....for India...and so much more....which I cant possibly articulate right now.....the damn will burst.

Yes, it's a Happy "emotional" February post.

Two happy things: Got my iPod Nano this morning....it's a sexy little thing, As of yesterday...I'm officially debt-free.....feels awesome....now I can justify future trips and concerts!!!

~Ammu Rajagopal

Things I'm freaking excited about!!

I was thinking about that last night...and this is what I drew up...

- Boston trip this coming weekend! Going to celebrate Ships' bday...and meet some other friends.
- Possible ski trip in Feb (if there is any snow!!)
- A hike/camping trip in March
- Unforgettable Fire St. Paddy's Day show in March
- Coldplay concert in March
- Sibling turning older in April...LOL!!!!! this is gonna be priceless. From April 24 till Aug 6...Andy will be 3 yrs older than me...instead of 2....Ahh!! Good times! ;-)
- Graduation in May!!!! :D This will hopefully be accompanied by parental visit :) :) :)

There is something which is getting me blue...so this list is to counterract that...

Cheerio :)
-Ams

Leprosy eliminated in India

This makes me very happy and proud: NDTV article

Quick Hit...

First...Music review..

1. The Beta Band's album "Heroes to Zeroes": Pink Floyd meets Beatles....I never thought that was possible. Also a strong feel of The Flaming Lips. Really fresh and peppy. Listen to them.

2. Jamiroquai's album "Dynamite". This guy continues to amaze me. Really simple tunes....but the flow within each of them...will keep you dancing. Good trance. Must listen.

3. Jack Johnson's new single "Upside Down". I love this guy. His tunes are always so earthy. This single is for the movie "Curious George".....cute and catchy. But too much radio play will kill it....as is done with most songs unfortunately. Savor it.

resurrected: Adnan Sami and Lucky Ali....must go back to my blogs from 2003 to figure out what I thought of them then. Maybe later.

Now....Movie reviews...

"Match Point": Great ending. Jonathan Rhys Myers needs to work on his acting though.
"Rang De Basanti": 1st half rocked. 2nd half was luke warm. good movie though. Being a not-Amir Khan-fan.....i still enjoyed it. (*sob* they showed so much of Delhi that I wanted to cry of happiness and longing)
"Sideways": Ok. Made me smile now and then....but gets kinda boring....too much hoopla me thinks.

To Pod or not to Pod?

The Answer: To Pod.

Yes. I bit. iPod Nano on it's way. Jeeyaaazus....

(@aBeee...dont die...it was bound to happen eventually!!)

This is Art...

"This is a t-shirt.
This is art.

Art isn't always something you hang on a wall,
or see in a museum,
or as part of a publicly funded installation in front of a municipal building.

Sometimes it's a t-shirt.
Sometimes you are the gallery.

This is art.
Wear it. "

(found on the tag of my Express tshirt)

GO ASATW !!!!!

Good luck to A Sheep At The Wheel for BATTLE OF THE BANDS 2006.
All the best guys.......CK...rock the house baby!! rooting for you.....

Song of the day: "Fade" by ASATW ...cos they rock!

More later....must go and educate the future breed of geeeeeks... ;)

Happy Friday! :)

57 years

Happy Republic Day my fellow Indians... :-) ...57 years!!! I miss the cold winter mornings in Delhi when dad n mom would take me and bhai over to see the parade. We used to get treated to Dairy Milk chocolates for waking up early (those were simply the best!) :D The chairs at the parade would be wet due to the mist and fog....hahaha! India Gate and Rashtrapathi Bhavan stood proudly over the crowds....impressing upon them the sacrifices of their fellow countrymen...and the success of having created a democratic republic. My dad's chest would puff out with pride when he would see the army bettallions march by. He always loved the Rajputana Rifles. ...armymen with heavy mustaches...strictly disciplined....marching in sync. You cant help but feel over awed!!!

On another note....You know what the best thing about having an elder brother is??....besides the fact than mine's one my best friends? He buys you what you cant afford for yourself (among other things!!)... :-) :-) :-) You rock Andy... :x

Book that i'm reading right now: "A River Sutra" by Dipa Mehta

Songs of the day: "Rang de Basanti" from the OST, "Have a drink on me" by AC|DC, the album 'Mutations' by Beck

Confessions on A Dance Floor

....Good album. It has a subtle 80's nostalgia to it. Madonna's voice is delicate and powerful at the same time. Definitely made me feel like dancing. I could picturize afros, bellbottoms, roller skates and disco lights in my head!! The album has a fresh feel to it and is a lot of fun to listen to. "Hung Up" is the star attraction of course. "Isaac" is very new....got an Arabic feel to it. Madonna's costumes are shocking...keeping with her spirit. Must buy this album!!

Other music that's got me hooked recently:
-Sean Paul's "Temperature"...I've really started appreciating his songs now. The beats really rock the boat.
-Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" - Did you know she was English? I had nooo idea! You cant detect the accent when she sings.
-Destiny's Child's "Check up on me" - I didnt like the song when I first heard it. But the adorable Pink Panther bg music and hearing it repeatedly in clubs did it for me I think. I'm hooked.

Movies that i'm looking forward to:
-King Kong (yes, I still havent seen it!)
-Da Vinci Code
-MI - III
-Pink Panther
-Ice Age - II
-Water
-Rang De Basanti (releases this Friday!!!! I dont really like Amir Khan....but I still want to see the movie)

Weather wise....apprehensive winter in NYC. It's been very warm for winter standards. Last January it was always below 20's. Now the temps are always above 30. Global warming ya think? It's worrisome. Especially cos i'm watching out for the snowstorm...which could be round the corner.

Hmm...Wed-dance-day tomorrow!!! :) Jazz in the morng....and Kathak in the evening.... :) :) :)

An amazing weekend!

Thursday through Sunday.....friends....music...food..drinks...much more music....and lots more dancing.....had an awesome time!!

Turntablist Guitar...

Thursday night was the Andre LaFosse guitar performance at The Monkey. Sheetal and I enjoyed the show a lot...but took turns zoning out...lol. Andrea's style was unique to say the least. He used an electric guitar and a sound board. This is how I understood his style:- he started by mixing sounds and then let the sound board repeat it...he added on tunes and melodies and with every stage it was as if the sound board learnt it and repeated it! (I'm not sure if that's making sense). At the end, he'd created a fantastic rythmic composition. One thing I really was impressed by was how he 'caught' notes and improvised on them... It was a spectacle. Small, intimate show....twas good. Followed by dinner at Saravanaas! Yummmy!(except for 3 obnoxious desis sitting next to us, talking abt their sex lives for all to hear! pbfftt...)

The Party begins!

The debauchery began Friday night with a grand zootopian dinner at Tony DiNapoli's. We had Clint for dessert! :P hehehehe. We created such a ruckus when he showed up as a surprise....I'm sure glasses shattered...15 or so ppl....ages ranging from 24 to 50...jumping up and down and screaming...what a scene!!! We headed over to The Saloon for the Unforgettable Fire concert. They were awesome as always. My friends also agreed. Mick is an awesome guitarist...i'm always overawed during the shows....

After the show, Clint was dying for Kati Rolls....so Clint, Noreen, Becca, Trish and I headed over to the Village...lots of memories from May....missed Niv! Then came time to get some beauty sleep. So we headed home. Sharon and Noreen were sleeping over at my "box" anyways. And I didnt want Clint to head back to Long Island at 3 in the morning, so we all squeezed into my box. Oh what a sight it was!!! lol

Sweeeet Saturday

Saturday morning dawned early for the box crew as we were all cramped due to lack of space.... :( sorry guys!! After a delicious breakfast at Tom's Restaurant (The Sienfeld restaurant - Clint was thrilled about this!), Sharon headed home and Noreen and Clint went back to LI. We'd made plans to hang out in the evening. Meanwhile, I caught some sleep and then as it was such a beautiful day....decided to hang out at Central Park with the Upper East side crew. So Steph, Erika, Becca and Trish...and me!....roamed around The Park. We took pictures of San Remo (Bono'a apt bldg), The Dakota and Strawberry Fields! It was nice to finally see the Lennon memorial. :)

We bid adieu to Steph and headed over to Noreen's place in LI....after a scrumptuous meal of pizza, beer and Smirnoff Ice, we headed over to Mulcahy's to meet Mike and have a few more drinks. The innocent plan turned into some serious mischief as shots after shots were downed....lots of dancing...obsessing over Clint's butt....etc. *ahem* Clint's wife should not be reading this blog. lol! a Billy Joel cover band was playing at Mulcahy's...so that was very cool too.

I was very sad to sat goodbye to my buddies....but we parted with a promise to meet again really soon...so all's good! :)

Super Sunday!

Spent the day with K-Man & Co. Had an awesome time! We went to the "Flamenco Festival" which was mind blowing. The Flamenco is such a beautiful dance! And the guitarists were exceptionally talented as well....especially Dennis Koster. Totally impressed !!!

Then Krish introduced us to a pastry shop in my hood...which I was unaware of ! ha! After indulging ourselves in dessert... (pre-dinner!)....we headed over to mid-town...where we *almost* had drinks at Banc cafe. After two failed attempts at ordering a drink there...I'm sure we have been blacklisted! haha. And then....I had Momos after forever....yay!! Overall, it was a perfect Sunday! :-)

And so...

So yeah...the weekend showcased lots of food....drinks...music...and the best part: my friends.

There were a gazillion pics taken of course. See them here!!!!

Creativity and Cash

Hats off to Alex Tew! This guy has put some serious thought into milking the internet...and very creatively at that. So the idea is that he sells a pixel on his site for $1 and the goal is to sell 1,000,000 pixels. The funds from this go towards his college studies etc. Though the idea seemed ridiculous to me at first....it is actually an ingenious advertising opportunity. And believe it or not...he's actually sold 1,000,000 pixels!!! The last 1000 pixels were sold on eBay...thus skyrocketing the value of each pixel more. 1 brilliant idea, 4 months, more than 1 million USD! Awesome! That too at 21 years of age!

http://www.milliondollarhomepage.com/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4585026.stm

On another note...Keane's "Somewhere only we know" just came on the telly...ahh...nostalgia hits!! Keane opened all the October U2 shows in NYC...and they were SOOO good. Good times. We need Time Turners man....*sigh*

Purged

Yesterday's rant helped clear my mind. I just got really wild due to the whole situation. I would have probably killed someone if I hadnt met K and Andy on Monday night. That helped me calm down....and was of course a lot of fun!! :-)

On to more fun things. Despite it's vices, NYC is a great city....mainly cos its so rich in arts ....which is one of the 3 things keeping me here.

The New York Guitar Festival is going on right now...and I want to attend almost every concert. But I cant afford that. I definitely do want to see the following artists:
Andre LaFosse - Jan 19th - his style is called 'turntablist guitar'. I'm just fascinated by the term itself. I will definitely be checking this one out.
Dominic Frasca - Jan 20th - he won the Guitar Player Magazine's Guitar Hero contest. 6 and 10 string electro/acoustic guitar. I really wish I could see this show. Dominic is such a nice guy! But I've promised a dozen zootopians that i'll meet them at the Unforgettable Fire show the same night!! So....I'll have to pass this time. Hope to catch one of his shows soon.
"Flamenco in the City" - Jan 22 - Dennis Koster's flamenco soul performance. But expensive for me...25$ ....little much...well...I might just go anyways.

And of course...Si*Se on 26th....it's a musical month!! :-) And I'm loving that...

Harassment

This is going to be a graphic rant. You have been warned!!

Fresh off the boat from the west coast and chicago. Happy, cheerful and optimistic...I step out on the streets of NYC. I had forgotten about the harassment doled out by the 'dudes' who roam the streets. It hit me like a ton of bricks the moment I stepped out of my dorm. Two guys in an SUV parked at a STOP sign called out to me and started making sexual noises. I was about to cross the street but changed my mind and walked the other way. One of them called out "Where can I find a woman like you?"...I'll tell you where...you sick son of a bitch!!!

I can handle these situations when I face them....but it's the aftermath which is such a killer. I felt violated. The subways are another trap. These dudes come sit next to you...or for the sake of chivalry...they find an excuse to make you sit next to them. The eyes....that's what's really scary...they bulge out as if they just spotted a prey. And you can almost see the drool. I no longer sit in subways.

I was on my way to watch a movie with a friend...by the time I met him...I was in a foul mood. Why does it affect me? Cos I feel unsafe and dirty.

I had told Maddy about these stories...but she couldn't believe it. Till she saw it for hersef when she came here. Do these guys think it'll entice any woman with an ounce of self respect if they made grunting noises in her direction? That if they stand in her way and call her 'a sweetheart', she'll be floored and not kick them in their balls?

Why must i feel dirty for absolutely no reason? Why must I think twice before dressing up or down? Why? It's not fair!! I used to wonder why eve-teasing was such a big deal when I was a kid in India. Till I faced it here in NYC......it is a big deal. It shakes your core.

The easiest way for me to deal with this ....has been to ignore all advances. And of course using the excuses that I am either: married...or have a boyfriend studying in NYU. Ha! These stories have evolved over the past one year.

Anyway, rant over. For now.

Munich

Brilliant movie! Spielberg is amazing! Eric Bana is gorgeous! I would say more about this movie...but i'm not up to it right now...

Guess who's back?

Yup....back in NYC. You know you're back when you hear people curse each other at the speed of thought. More later....must unpack...

BOOOOOOTSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YES YES YES YES FREAKIN YES!!!

Nine West, Black, Square cut front

Actual price: 110$
Purchased price: 37$

How cool is that? I'd been dreaming of these since 3 months....and I finally have them....muchos gracias to Maddy for buying these for me!!

*sigh* I could have gone to sleep in them last night....

Si*Se

I recently discovered that Si*Se is an NYC band..!! Their new single 'More Shine' is awesome. Genre: trance/urban/fusion. They're performing on 26th...I need some peeps to go with. It's gonna be a musical month in NYC....with the New York Guitar Festival too!!! Yess! Me happy.

Song(s) resurrected yesterday

'More Shine' by Si*Se, 'Take it on the run' by REO Speedwagon, 'Independent Love Song' by Scarlet, 'It feels so good' by Sonique

this and that...

Cool post of the day: The Golden Ratio

A fantastic picture of the Orion Nebula. The Hubble rocks!

Even Flickr.com has an API now!! God...I cant keep up!

Awesome Songs from yesterday: 'Sing' by Travis, 'Satellite' by Dave Matthews, 'Wonderwall' by Oasis

Interesting new dessert: Warm Belgian waffle topped with a scoop of icecream and garnished with maple syrup...heaven! Something like gulab jamuns and icecream.

New heart-breaker: Gael Bernal of 'Motorcycle Diaries' and ' Y Tu Mama Tambien' fame.

Weather report: awesome...sunny and windy day in Chi-town (or like aBee says: the Village of Schaumburg)

Song(s) of the day: 'Low' by Coldplay

O & O
-Amrita

The Constant Gardener

Amazing Movie. Go watch! It reminded me of 'Hotel Rwanda' a little bit.

Few more good ones: 'Maine Gandhi ko nahin maara', 'Syriana', 'Red Eye'

Song of the day: 'Last night' by The Strokes

Lights will guide you home

Vacation time is over. I'm still not back home ..... staying over at Maddy's place in Chi-town for a few days...chilling. But also working on a project for school. What can I say? I throw my foot on the axe sometimes! It's ok...I'm enjoying it. (yeah right...)

The weekend was funnnn. Ate good food, had kickass drinks and SHOPPED! Ate the best south Indian food EVER at the Aurora Balaji temple yesterday. Just HAD to pass on the information to the two K's in my life....both of whom would have died and gone to heaven. I think our motivations for going to the temple are skewed! :P I *think* we drove around downtown Chicago and lakeshore on Saturday night....but I was a little too happy (read: drunk) to remember exactly. I blame it on the 'Capriosca' we had at the Cuban restaurant....La Guardia. I had Chille Rilleno for dinner....it was fantastic!

Another very very good drink that I made up this weekend...try this at home....it's a martini...shake it or stir it...enjoy it...

1.5 oz Vodka
0.5 oz Triple Sec
2 oz Lime Juice
1 oz Raspberry Juice/Liquor

How was that? Excellent right!? Ok, once more...

2 oz Vodka
1 oz Triple Sec

Drink.

:-P

Now coming to shopping....something is wrong with me. I have never been one to shop a designer stores...cos I find them ridiculously expensive. But this vacation...I've found surprising good deals....beat this: Guess, GAP, BCBG MAXAZRIA...and of course my loyal New York & Company. I blew about 150 bucks....which is not criminal. Andy doesnt know it....but i'm gonna pull the little sister card on him for this.... hahaha! Evil pleasure.

Been listening to X & Y by Coldplay....on first listen I didnt like any song except 'Speed of Sound'. But a second listen got me fixated on 'Fix you'. Powerul lyrics. Here's a snippet...

When you try your best but you don’t succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can’t sleep
Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can’t replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And I'm out...for now....

The remaining days: A New Year

The last 5 days in LA were beautiful....

"God is a DJ....

...Life is a dancefloor
Love is the rythm
You are the music..."

I returned to DJing after a 2 year hiatus and it felt fantastic. I have always wanted to get into it professionally.... In Tucson, I created quite a few compilations and mixes...and there were only 3 people who I gave copies of these to. My LA buddies were among them....

So I DJed the road trips and to see my tracklists and CDs was exhilirating. Why? Dont ask..DJing does that to me....

I think I will return to it soon....

Malibu Canyon Road

Went to the Venkateswara temple in Malibu on 31st Jan. That was the day the deluge began in LA. We almost didnt make it to the temple. The Malibu Canyon Road that goes to the temple is narrow and curvy and it would have been crazy in the rain. But just as we were turning back, the rain let up and we decided to brave it. I am so glad we did. The views of the Malibu valley were breathtaking. Misty and green mountains beyond which stood the swollen ocean waters. The temple was very peaceful. They'd expanded since my earlier visit there.

We also went by Will Smith's house...hahah! how did we know it was his? Well, in Hollywood, you can buy maps with celebrity homes marked...lol!

Happy New Year

A new year. 2005 was a blur. 2006 is exciting and new.

Goodbye LaLaLand!!

I could almost not tear myself away. But keeping myself busy on the last day by cooking up a delicious south indian spread helped. Menu: Rava dosai, Masala, Sambaar, Vadai, Chatni (Kickass). It was awesome!

I am already missing my buds....but I'm glad we spent quality time together after so long. :)

Day 6,7,8: Life is good…

28th-30th December

Remington Steele reborn!

Over the course of these days, we relaxed, saw a dozen movies, and visited a few places like Hollywood and the Getty Center. An exciting find at the video store was the Remington Steele DVD. We just HAD to watch it, cos me and one my friends were big time fans of the serial when it used to air on the telly in the late 80s and early 90s. Even my mum loves it. For those who don’t know of it…Remington Steele was a detective serial starring Pierce Brosnan as Remington Steele and Stephanie Zimbalist as his associate Laura Holt. It ran about four seasons I think. Pierce Brosnan was drop dead gorgeous in those episodes… ;)



The Getty Center visit

The Getty Center sits on a hilltop in the Santa Monica Mountains. It was designed by architect Richard Meier and the buildings take your breath away. The Getty Center presents the Getty's collection of Western art from the Middle Ages to the present against a backdrop of dramatic architecture, tranquil gardens, and breathtaking views. The Getty gardens were beautiful….am sure my mom would totally enjoy it. Amongst the museum exhibits, I really enjoyed the manuscript of the Book of Hours. It was a haven for enthusiasts of photography…like moi! :)

Day 5: California Love...

27th December, Tuesday

Highway to Heaven

Sunny new day in California. We were refreshed after getting some rest the previous night. Drove down the Pacific Coastal Highway to Santa Barbara. Memories came flooding back from my first trip on the PCH with Maddy Pai. I *LOVE* this highway cos it’s got cliffs on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. Malibu is another beautiful “town” along this highway. Pepperdine University is located on the intersection of the Malibu Canyon Rd and PCH…with sweeping views of the ocean and the coastline. How those kids get any work done is beyond me. I would love to sign up for some courses there though! Ha!

Of sunsets and beaches…

Picturesque beaches, old fashioned pier with quaint shops, a façade lined by tall palms with a backdrop of misty mountains….that was Santa Barbara. After spending a very exciting evening at the pier, we explored downtown Santa Barbara. A really cool way to get around here was to use tricycles and golf carts, which were available for rent. Since we are of the ‘walk when you can’ philosophy, that’s exactly what we did. Ate at an Indian restaurant, grabbed some coffee, shopped a little…basically had a good time. Watched ‘My Wife’s Murder’ when we got back home and tucked in to the warmth of our beds.

Where did the sun go?

So I spent the night crossing over to the mid-west...yes yes...in Chicago now. From 70 to 30 degrees in 3.75 hrs. From a sunny LaLaLand morning yesterday...to a snowy Chi-town morning today.....it boggles the mind!

Got some awesomely amazing (??) news yesterday which made me believe again :D

But....USC lost yesterday.... :( Pasadena was buzzing when I went by before the Rose Bowl began....now it's probably gloomy. I saw a ton of dejected USC fans at the airport last night...it wasnt pretty.

On another note...a friend of mine is now a crazy U2 fan...and I'm so very happy about that... :)

Song of the day: "We want prenup!!" Go figure.

More vacation blogging to continue...
-Amrita

Day 4: Choooo Choooo

December 26th, Monday

California Love

Another glorious California day…dum dum ta dum! You know life is good…and all you want to do is sing and dance…and run in the cold breeze till the feeling of freedom is bursting out of your skin….

All Aboard! The Rads Train….

So Radish (or Rads, or Radhika) is a big train/plane freak. Her trademark dialogue… “Ey…TRAIN!!” ….and this is EVERYtime she sees a train. The dialogue goes all screechy and ultrasonic when the said train has a steam engine. Don’t ask…I hang out with weirdos…but I love them :).

Well this particular day, we went to Griffith Park just to look around and scope out some hikes to do over the weekend. The whole ‘park’ had been wired with Christmas lights…so it was very pretty even in the day. The park is ginormous with golf courses, courts, camp grounds etc. And then out of nowhere, we saw the Travel Town Museum….showcasing….you guessed it…Trains. And of course Rads went all screechy cos she saw steam engines…lol! And the icing on the cake…was a tiny train ride around the park. This was super exciting even for the rest of us. So we of course went for it and I think the four of us combined were the noisiest and giggliest of all people on the train. The kids were queiet…and am not sure if that was cos of us..ha!

Then came time to say goodbye to Rads….and we headed back home to lounge away our exhaustion from the weekend. Saw Parineeta….good movie! Saif Ali Khan rocks!

Day 3: The Ocean and Me

December 25th, Sunday

Merry Christmas :-)

“Misty mountain hop”

Sunday morning dawned misty and beautiful. We decided to spend the day in Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades. Ah joy! As I set eyes on the beautiful Pacific Ocean again…. it was rising to welcome me back…. pure bliss. Do I sound narcissistic? (That’s a tough word to spell btw). Just kidding…was just trying to express the joy of being reunited with the ocean. I just love the way the blue waters melt into the horizon. I couldn’t wait to soak my feet in the cool water. But first, we went to visit Lake Shrine (Self Realization Fellowship) and attended Christmas service there. Lake Shrine is one of my favorite places in USA. Not only is it beautiful and picturesque…but there is an overwhelming sense of peace when you step foot on the grounds or the lake. We spent some time on the lake and visiting the Gandhi samadhi. One of the couple of places in the world to actually house his ashes.

More friends…

Next stop: LAX International to pick up Rags. He was making a day’s stopover in LA on his way to India. So we welcomed him with some leftover black forest cake and banana chips which he happily devoured. Ha!

Santa Monica! Santa Monica!

We headed to Santa Monica pier…took in the sights and sounds, parked our car, and set out to search for food, which turned out to be a hard task as everything was closed for Christmas. Our savior was (surprise, surprise)…an Indian restaurant. Here, the waiter kept asking weird questions out of the blue like: “How many bottles of wine?”… duh! But the food was good and well needed. Then it was time for the beach!! Yay!! :-) We played around and had fun in the freezing water….but it just felt soooo gooood to be back in the Pacific waters! Ahhhhh!! We roamed around the pier a little more…ate Churros! I love those!

As the sun set, we walked over to the 3rd st promenade in search of some entertainment of the artsy kind. The Santa Monica promenade is usually abuzz with street performers and shoppers…so it’s always nice and festive. This time around there was even Christmas decoration to add to the festivities. We ran into a guitarist specializing in gypsy music…so you can imagine just how happy I was!! Gypsy music!! Awesome. His name was Estas and he was really really really good. (And did I mention…very cute? ;-) he he) We enjoyed his performance a lot…a very interesting note…he used Indian agarbattis around his ‘stage’. When I asked him about that he said he loved the fragrance. I thought he was doing some ritual ….heh!

“All I wanna do is have some fun…”

Just when you thought the day was over…we thought of more stuff to do. Ha! Cruised down Santa Monica Boulevard…and headed to the very posh Beverly Hills and Bell Air areas. After ogling at some of the mansions and gasping at the spectacle of Rodeo Drive…we headed back to LAX to drop off Rags. (Bye!)

Some more people …and some sleep....

This was probably the most packed day of the vacation…and we had an absolute BLAST! Also went over to Hollywood to meet up with Sumit who now works with Yahoo. It was good to see him again. Then homeward bound to some well deserved sleep. Tooodlooo! :-)

Trickbaby

Interrupting the regular vacation blog....I bring you...

TRICKBABY!!

I first heard their music a couple of yrs ago..."Nine parts of desire"....the song haunted me for a long time before getting lost in my U2 induced euphoria. Now it's back...when I heard it on the OST for Bluffmaster! ! Excellent fusion for those of you who like that kinda music. Saira Hussain's voice is smooooth but haunting....(for lack of a better term).

Another really good song by them...is...Neela...

so check em out....

back to vacation bloggin....

Peace!
~Amrita

Day 2: Food, Birthdays and Reunions

December 24, Saturday

Woke up to a cellphone call at 7-fucking-40 in the morning...Rads called saying she'd landed from Phoenix.....I groaned and croaked that we'd be there to pick her up. So did that...

By now, we were wide awake like flowers....so we went out on a long-ish drive and I took in the sights and sounds of downtown Burbank. LOVED it....early morning...sunny....with a light mist in the air...aahhh....this is what life is. Beautiful houses in the hillside....

Then Rads treated us to coffee at Starbucks....yum yum!! Got home...woke up the remaining sleeping beauties....and watched Madagascar!! Hilarious movie. We also needed to cook for big double birthday party later that night. So baked a deliciously awesome Black Forest Cake (slurp...it's gone!) ....along with aloo paranthas (droooling now). Met Tron after 2 years....poor thing was teased and terrorized into a corner...lone boy amongst all girls...ha!

The Cake!!

I was still getting over the exhaustion from the last month at school....so this day went by in a happy haze....coupled with a ton of food....Purrrfect! :D

Day 1: Return to innocence...

December 23, Friday: After eons of waiting for the day...it finally arrived! Off to winter break...

"The Airport Episode"

I was extremely sleep deprived by the time I reached the airport (freakishly early) for my 6:20 am flight. After waiting and more waiting...at 5:30, the flight was tagged "Delayed till 4 pm"....I was going to sit down and bawl cos I could hardly stay conscious at this pt of time. No weather issues...so WTF was going on?? Finally they announced that it was flight trouble and we would take off at 9:30.....time went on...and we took off at 11 am....and by this time I was dead to the world and passed out in my chair due to exhaustion.

"Back home..."

Sometime during the flight i woke up and looked out of the window to see the unmistakable sight of Arizona national forests below. My heart was beating...I wanted to jump out of my seat and be there...I was Back Home! :) :) :) Also passed over Meteor Crater...that was cooool!

"LA LA Land!"

Landed in LAX, met my buds, experienced highway traffic jams...but I was just too happy to be back on my turf to bother...and plus...my hip-hop CD was a HIT!! For lunch, for the first time in my life...I had pizza with eggplant on it...it was surprisingly delicious!!! :) We were happy giggly girls and loving every second of it! The west coast was such a refreshing change from the east...what the heck was I doing there?? Happy ppl everywhere...ready with smiles...even at the grocery stores...*sigh* happiness....:)

Sleepy Time..

Finally...sweeeet sleep!!! zzzzzzzzzzzzz

all it takes is a hug

...to make you feel loved, cherished, happy...

That's how I am at least...I got lots of hugs last night when I met my friends...so I went home a happy girl :-) It's the best form of showing affection in my opinion....it says a lot through just a simple action. To me ...it unties all the knots in my chest ...and takes away all my insecurities or worries..
It's like saying..."Come here, let me squeeze the pain out of you"...LOVE it...
If someone holds back while giving me a hug...or does a 'quickie'...I dont think i'd ever be able to connect to him/her.

ah anyway....LOTS of walking yesterday...Walked from 109th st to 56th to meet peeps for dinner...and walked BACK! ha! I justified all the food at least... :)

I'm almost done with Santa duties...giving gifts makes me so happy...especially when the other person's not at all expecting it :)

Song of the day: "In God's country" by U2. Dont care for the chorus much....but Edge's guitarr riffs in the beginning are to die for....and I love the 'Desert...' lyrics... :) Can I say Repeat mode? ;)

Alrite...got a ton of stuff to tie up today...then off for Winter Break baby! :)

:x
-Ammu

NYC Gridlocked..

6 am this morning...walking home from school...usually deserted at this time. What a sight to behold...ppl dressed in suits...vehicles everywhere. Cabs all over the place...as if attracted by the smell of their prey....I chuckle...go home, shower, get dressed and step out again. Another sight you never see on the Upper West side of Manhattan...total and complete gridlock. Cars moving inch by inch...in the upper west side!!!!! I cant imagine what downtown and midtown must be like. This is a very selfish move by the TWU...and I completely agree with Mayor Bloomberg. Below is his statement...which I totally stand by

stay safe New Yorkers...it's gonna be crazy...but let's work together as one...
-Amrita

From nyc.gov:
---begin excerpt----
" STATEMENT FROM MAYOR BLOOMBERG ON ILLEGAL WORK STOPPAGE BY THE TWU

"Tonight, Roger Toussaint and the TWU have taken the illegal and morally reprehensible action of ordering a citywide strike of our mass transit system.

"The contingency plan that we outlined last week will go into effect and be implemented for Tuesday morning's rush hour. Among other measures, HOV lanes have been designated; Police checkpoints are being established and a new fare structure for taxis is in effect. The entire contingency plan can be viewed on www.nyc.gov.

"At this hour, City Corporation Counsel Michael Cardozo is joining the MTA in requesting an emergency hearing in front of Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Theodore Jones. We will seek to show that the TWU is in contempt of the court's earlier injunction and ask the court to impose severe fines on the union and its members.

"I hope Judge Jones will grant this motion as quickly as possible. The union must understand there are real and significant consequences to their actions.

"For their own selfish reasons, the TWU has decided that their demands are more important than the law, the City and the people they serve. This is not only an affront to the concept of public service; it is a cowardly attempt by Roger Toussaint and the TWU to bring the City to its knees to create leverage for their own bargaining position. We cannot give the TWU the satisfaction of causing the havoc they desperately seek to create.

"Going forward, we will need to be patient, considerate and resilient. We can't let inconveniences, as massive as they are, stop our economy, shut down our schools, or jeopardize public safety.

"It will no doubt be a difficult time for people of this City and the region as a whole. But New Yorkers have made a habit of pulling through tough times and showing doubters what we're made of. These traits will be put to the test as long as this strike lasts.

"Rush hour will begin in few hours. I will join fellow New Yorkers going to work by walking across the Brooklyn Bridge to lower Manhattan. Let's show our determination by walking, cycling or carpooling, to get to work and school.

"We will show that New York City works even when our buses and subways don't. I have no doubt that, by working together, we can and will get through this.

"Thank you and have a good night."
---end excerpt----

My dear friend's engagement...

*snifF* Niv is engaged!! to be married to my other friend Jeff! :) :) :D :D :)

I couldn't possibly be happier about this....

Nivi...my dearest friend from the Zoo ...the first Zootop i met and she's a terrific person....
Jeff...my boom cha buddy... ;)...

Oh man, this is just too good!! :)

Congratulations guys...love you both!

-Amrita :)

very nervous....

oh God...

and this too shall pass...

gotta keep the faith...

Read an interesting tribute to Lennon article in The Rolling Stones today...had never been a big fan of him. But the article made me curious....and I started listening to some of his post Beatles songs...they're nice. I had never been a Beatles fan....maybe i'll give that a hear sometime soon.

found the boot for 21st nov's u2 show....freaking yes!!! helps relive the sheer Euphoria...i still need to write a review....but i think it'll take too much frm me emotionally...so i will till winter break...

single digit countdown has begun baby!!!!!

love and cheer,
amrita

and then you reach breaking point

...how much of life's curveballs can you take before you break?

I'm almost there....

just to remove the sting...

...of the previous post. hello there! :)

Listening to Cafe Del Mar right now...got truckloads of work of course....must get back to it....less than 12 days to go baby!!! :)

oh btw...gave in to temptation and bought some songs on iTunes...it's not per my 'save all money for iPod' campaign...ha! But its ok...I also need music to put on my future iPod....right? right? right? :P :)

Some of the iPod slogans are *AWESOME*.
"I think, therefore I Pod"
"I Pood"
"Apple of my I"
"iCame, iSaw, iPod"
"iPod, uPod, wePod"
"iPod therefore iAm"

Song of the day: 'Gasolina' by Daddy Yankee

-Amrita

Of love and lost friendship....

My heart bleeds..

"Mohabbat palkon pe kitne haseen khawaab sajaati hai..
Phoolon se mehakte khawaab..
Sitaron se jagmagaate khawaab..
Shabnam se baraste khawaab..
Phir kabhi yun bhi hota hai ki palko ki daaliyon se Khawaabon ke saare parinde ud jaate hain..aur aankhein veeran si reh jaati hain"
--Javed Akhtar

It's been so long but there is still a void in my life...it's bittersweet...the way things are right now is for the best...but noone can fill that void...at least not yet...

jTb dOst
~Amrita

And once more...

...just to keep me going through this insane few weeks...



Lots of good songs been playing since yesterday. Arcade Fire is of course awesome. Been switching back to some of the Raaga tunes as well. Re-visited OSTs for Lakeer, Hum Tum, Salaam Namaste, Dhoom, Dus etc....fun stuff

Song of the day: 'Baby can I hold you' by Tracy Chapman. I remember loving the cover version of this song by Boyzone...and their video. ha! Those were the days...in high school....fanatics over boy bands...though none of us want to admit it! I dont care...music is music right? :) Every video used to be adored and memorized ...same with lyrics....hahaha!

Alrite, back to work! Happy...umm...what day is it?...
~Amrita

It's an early Christmas!

so I passed out early last night and woke up at 4 am to read that my friend, XK or Christian....was on stage with U2 at the Boston show on 5th.

FUCKING AWESOME MOFO!!! Christian 'Santa' Kelty!!! You m ake me proud...love you babe! And you have got to let me touch your hand now that you shook Edge's hand...

This has made my week!!

A song for the moment:

"Cause it's a bitter sweet symphony, this life
Try to make ends meet
You're a slave to the money
Then you die
I'll take you down the only
Road I've ever been down
You know the one that takes you to
The places where all the veins meet, yeah

No change
I can change
I can change
I can change
But I'm here in my mold
I am here in my mold
But I'm a million different people
From one day to the next
I can?t change my mold
No, no, no, no, no

Well I never pray
But tonight I?m on my knees, yeah
I need to hear some sounds that
Recognize the pain in me, yeah
I let the melody shine
Let it cleanse my mind
I feel free now
But the airways are clean
And there?s nobody singing to me now

No change
I can change
I can change
I can change
But I'm here in my mold
I am here in my mold
And I'm a million different people
From one day to the next
I can't change my mold
No, no, no, no, no
I can't change
I can't change

Cause it's a bitter sweet symphony, this life
Try to make ends meet
Try to find some money
Then you die
I?ll take you down the only
Road I've ever been down
You know the one that takes you to
The places where all the veins meet, yeah

You know I can change
I can change
I can change
I can change
But I'm here in my mold
I am here in my mold
And I'm a million different people
From one day to the next
I can't change my mold
No, no, no, no, no

I can?t change my mold
No, no, no, no, no
I can't change
Can't change my body
No, no, no

I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down
I'll take you down the only road 'Ive ever been down
Been down
Ever been down
Ever been down
Ever been down
Ever been down
Have you ever been down?
Have you ever been down?"

~Amrita

Lots to say....

Happy thoughts:
-Radhika Murthy of "ultrasonic giggle" fame...got her H-1 visa!! You have no idea how much trouble this saves my ears! Congratulations Rads! :)
-Christian Kelty is the shiznit! love the guy.....hey XK..."Remember the time..at the U2 concert....?" Hugs to you :x
-Met Shipra after a long long time. It felt like yesterday since I'd talked to her.....good times....discussed our love lives in detail...fun fun! :)
-Only 18 days to winter break.

Not-so-happy thoughts:
-Nose bleeding this Saturday..very scary experience.
-Another 18 days to winter break

On to other things....DVD review for "The Song remains the Same". Fan-fucking-tastic. It shows a Led Zeppelin concert in New York along with little skits performed by the band themselves. Jimmy Page is a sight to behold and his eccentricity and creativity ....just wow! The part where he plays the guitar with a violin stick is jaw-dropping. Bonzooooo!! The Moby Dick version i heard on this DVD is the craziest so far...pure genius. John was his usual smiling happy self...really good at the keyboards imho. But buddy...what's with the crazy baubles on your shirt? Now coming to Robert Plant...Wear better pants....or buy some underwear man!! Oh Gawd! You're so good at the rock....but no need to show off your jewels in such a manner...That was a huge sore point for me about this DVD. But other than that...KICK-ASS!!!

And this just in..Sharon got on stage at tonight's U2 show in Boston...yay for her.....but soo jealous!! :P

Its Monday!! :-S

Ciao,
Amrita

LOL!!!

This totally rocked my world....

World Aids Day!

News Map

My project...let me know what you think..
http://tokyo.clic.cs.columbia.edu:6125/NewsMap/

MUSE ROCKS!!!

Thanks CK for the mp3s!

I will eventually start my music review website sometime next year. That should be oodles of fun considering I spend 60% of my time in and around music.

~Amrita

Pick your cause this Christmas

Why not invest in a charity or work for a cause instead of buying yet another sweater which you probably wont wear a couple of months down the road?

So,pick your cause and make a difference...even if it's only 5$

Here are a few:
-Music Rising: http://www.grammy.com/musicares/musicrising
-UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org/
-World Vision: Sponsor a Child

ONE
-Amrita

flickr....

...i've gone Pro at Flickr...so lots of sets now...yay!

yeah...i lead an exciting life.

Widget Heaven!

http://www.konfabulator.com/

It f-ing rocks!

Ta Da!

dheem dheem tana na...

Russell Peters is hilarious. Period.
Saw another show of his last night...it was fan-fucking-tastic!! Lauged till I had tears in my eyes...check it out here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5659732569004317671

Ali coming tonight :) Niv tomorrow!! :) Wish CK was coming too.. :( Does anyone have the beam gun from Star Trek? :P The party will be incomplete without him....but we'll keep calling him so he has no escape... :D

Hmm...still got a pile of work left....but made some excellent progress yesterday...whew! Alrite...off with me to meetings and more....

take care...peace out!

Song of the day: 'O hum dum suniyo re' from Saathiya OST

KISS...

Keep it simple stupid....

...the logic for all Comp Sci problems apparently....

This and That

So lots of things to report from this weekend...

First of all (no ordering here....:P)...4 days to go for Harry Potter GOF!!!!!!

Then.....4 days till Ali and Niv get here!!!!!! Lois gets here in 5 days...and XK in 6 days!! ....AND....U2 in 7 days....WOW!! :)

Ok, on to other things...Had dinner with Bhai tonight. We discussed this and that...but most interestingly we talked about the kind of guys i would be interested in. Simple....smart, intelligent, must like (preferably love) music, also dancing, adventure, travelling, hiking....must love me...etc... Not too much to ask is it? ;)

Microsoft College Puzzle Challenge was on Saturday...we had 12 hours to solve 21 puzzles and one Meta puzzle. My team got 7 right...and we were a heartbeat away from solving 4 more. The puzzles were really hard!!! But we had a ball doing them.....my nemesis was "Elementary, my dear Watson". Here you had to solve a Griddler (black and red) to get a shape...which oddly enough looked like a Chemistry Periodic table. ha! So you take the red elements in order to get: LiONeSiPCaGaYInTeDyErW!!!!!!!!!!! WTF ?? So after a LOT of brain racking...finally solved it: ...."Negate Y In Silica Powdyer"...so the result is "Silica Powder"...Ha! :P :) There were other interesting ones....but i dont have the energy to detail them here....

Hmmm.....sad news also...but I dont want to discuss it here...Sending healing vibes to my friend though.

Peace!
-Amrita

AJAX rocks!!

From Wiki: "Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, or Ajax, is a web development technique for creating interactive web applications. The biggest advantage of using Ajax technologies is that data can be manipulated without having to render the entire page again in the web browser. This allows web applications to respond more quickly to many types of user interaction and to avoid repeatedly sending unchanged information across the network.

Traditional web applications essentially submit forms, completed by a user, to a web server. The web server responds by sending a new web page back. Because the server must submit a new page each time, applications run more slowly and awkwardly than their native counterparts.

Ajax applications, on the other hand, can send requests to the web server to retrieve only the data that is needed, usually using SOAP or some other XML-based web services dialect. On the client, JavaScript processes the web server response. The result is a more responsive interface, since the amount of data interchanged between the web browser and web server is vastly reduced. Web server processing time is also saved, since much of it is done on the client."

:-D I'm a happy person today cos of Ajax....solved a major design issue for me. Really clever technology. I would go on about it more, but it's already detailed above! :-P

~Amrita

Bear Mountain hike

Saturday, 5th Nov 2005: Went to Bear Mountain (upstate NY) for a hike with a group of about 20 people...knew some of them. It was great!! :) Did a 6 mile loop starting from Base camp, all the way up to the summit of Bear Mountain and back down. Saw beautiful fall colors and discovered a hidden waterfall. Also hiked along the Appalachian for a couple of miles. ...this was actually quite funny. The Appalachian trail went by the highway for a bit and we were walking in a one foot wide pavement with cars zooming up and down from the summit and also a sheer drop on the other side. ha! The wide range of colors made every mile worth it. This hike was a bit different from the other ones i've been on...more rocky paths mainly. So our pace was very slow. The paths were blanketed in leaves and in some places that made it dangerous as well.

Anyway, it was great to get away from the concrete jungles and breathe fresh air....

The Gypsy in me...

Love The Gypsy Kings...Recently started listening to them...really happy music! :) Happy makes me think...I've always been on the hippy side. A friend of mine once told me...that i'm too hippy to be an engineer. He was like.."look at ur hair...look at ur clothes and bags"...and he's true...i am very hippy in my garb and attitude. (but i am still a bonafide engineer :P) My hair is usually all over the place...and lots at that! My clothes have something Indian about them....so prints/colors/embroidery...etc. And bags...ahh...i have a collection of bags from India...all vibrant and detailed with embroidery or sequins....so...definitely very hippy. (not hip maybe...but who cares?) Anyway, I digress....gypsy kings is definitely my kind of music...all happy and dancy...(if that's a word).

Posting from Swissotel...grinning like a cheshire cat ....nice room...i have my own desk...and I get to sit around in a dressing robe looking all important... :P But here's a thought...why dont hotel rooms automatically provide toothpaste??? what gives?

Artist of the day: The Gypsy Kings

Things to do for blog: Review of Zakir show from 28th Oct, Report of weekend hike!!

Haircuts: 1 (yay! I feel younger!)

10 days to go for Freakshow!!! ahhhhh :D :D

_ME_

Oye! Chuk de phatte!

it has become a favorite yahoo audible...hehehe.

...a lot of Rock loving folk think it's absurd (or borderline insane) that I love hip-hop and pop. What can I say? I just love music in general. But I also looooove dancing...it's my favorite thing to do...period! I love Carnatic classical ..it's my absolute favorite form of music. Then comes Rock (classic, new ...whatever)...then fusion music...hindi, international...whichever. then the rest like hip-hop, pop...etc. I think the only genre of music that I dont have patience for is country...I like a couple of songs...but most of them irritate me cos to me they sound like commercials....not meant to offend anyone. There are great and talented country musicians out there....

hmm..in other news...Went to this restaurant called Devi last night with bhai and some friends. Good food...but not good portions. hehe. Loved the lanterns there...very very artsy and bright. Also visited Flute again after a long time...my very first bar visit in NYC was Flute...:) Love the place..

Anyway, on that note...ITS FRIDAY!!!! :) Trek tomorrow...mountain air at last! besides that....still buried with work. Back to it...

Song of the day: 'Gold Digger' by Kanye West and Jamie Foxx

Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath

Yes yes, it's definitely time for some good old Sabbath.... :)

With about 3 hours of sleep in me...and none to look forward to for another 16 hours at least.....I really NEEED Ozzy to shout "All aboard" at me....or..."I am Iron Man"...hehe. Another song I'd like to hear right now is "Fear of the dark" by Iron Maiden.

Yup, school's funnnn....who needs to sleep eh? Back to cutting edge research that'll cost me my back and sanity.....

HAPPY DIWALI!!

Here's to a brand new year ahead :) Wishing everyone good health above all things....and prosperity.

I miss India a lot at this time of the year...and my parents of course. I have to go get ready for school now...need to figure something new to wear. But for, I leave you with these pictures: -

Blogger didnt want to upload anymore...sorry...

but Happy Diwali!! :D :D :D :D