PAA... Amitabh to Auro

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Black Friday... Cyber Monday

So.... my Indian readers (& some others) might be wondering what is Black Friday?? My Indian friends might relate it as bad day with bad memories of Black Friday of Bombay Bombing. Black Friday is the American big sale day. It has huge discounts because of Christmas shopping start & on that day people just crazy. I bought a WD 500 gb Passport drive for just $69 & some other stuff. I have this problem with shopping, I can't resist huge discounts. I mean how can you say no to 50-90% discount. An item which is usually priced at 50 & being sold for 5-10 dollars, how won't you buy it, even if you need it or not. I buy it... I have so much stuff I have bought which I never use. The next awesome day is Cyber Monday where similar kind of craziness starts for tech stuff. And then the craziness lasts till Christmas or even New Year at times. Honestly, you don't need a special day for best deals, if you keep an eye then you can find great deals round the year. Like I bought this awesome Acer laptop for just $350 last month. Deals2buy is my place which I check almost everyday, they have some great deals on there. Well friends, Happy Shopping.... and send me some gifts maybe, if you find some great discounts/deals!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING/HOLIDAYS!!!

If you guys are wondering what I did this Thanksgiving... I didn't do anything. Except the fact that I had to work, but I didn't; I worked next day though. My best Thanksgiving meal was in LA I would say; & then I went to Las Vegas too. It was 2 years back & it was really fun, I spent more than $3000 in 3 days, YEAH!!! I guess Vegas is always festive & fun, round the year. And really, you do not need a day to be thankful or to celebrate. Everyday with friends & family could be Thanksgiving. But it's good to take an opportunity to thank the people whom you should. Me... I am honestly not feeling thankful to anyone at the the moment right now, except YOU who is reading this. So some fun facts & trivia about Thanksgiving for you...

1. The first Thanksgiving celebration in 1621 lasted for three days, it included not only food, but also games. Furthermore, the Pilgrims gave thanks for the bountiful harvest with the Wampanoag Indians.
2. Pulling the "wishbone" is an ageless tradition at Thanksgiving (and Christmas). Two people pull the turkey's breastbone apart, only the person who has the larger piece of bone is allowed to make a wish.
3. A full-grown turkey has over 3,000 feathers.
4. Firkee is the Native American name for this tasty bird. Firkee sounds a bit like turkey.
5. When a Tom turkey [male turkey] gobbles, it can be heard from as far away as a mile. In fact, only the Tom turkeys gobble, female turkeys make a clucking or clicking sound.
6. Puritans from the Mayflower used to drink beer. This was probably weak 'boy's beer' and safer to drink than transporting water on a ship.
7. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada.
8. Benjamin Franklin, proposed that the turkey should become the official bird of the United States. Turkeys now look jealously at the protected rights given to the Bald Eagle when they won the Official USA Bird status.
9. 87% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving according to the National Turkey Federation. During a year the average American eats 17 pounds of turkey, that's the weight of a decent sized bird.
10. Sorry to burst the bubble, but the Pilgrims on the first thanksgiving ate deer and not turkey.

T ... Turkeys, table-spreads, being together
H ... Happiness and homes to protect us from all weather
A ... Aunts and uncles, a reunion in Fall
N ... Nieces and nephews, family members all
K ... Kind-hearted kin coming over for dinner
S ... Surely you'll have fun, but you won't get thinner
G... Gourds and pumpkins, mouths open wide
I ... Indians and Pilgrims we remember with pride
V ... Very special times-there could even be snow
I ... Imagine what it was like at Plymouth long ago
N... Never forget how the settlers led the way
G... Giving thanks and blessing this special day

My meeting with Amrtya Sen...

So I finally met Amartya Sen today. Who Amartya Sen??? C'mon.... well I do not know all the nobel prize winners of this world (neither do I care much); but Amartya!! He's the only alive Indian Nobel prize winner (I know that we don't care about Nobel Prize much since some President won it for doing nothing but just trying!!) & also is Bharat Ratna. He's also father of Nandna Sen (she's really pretty, sweet &...), if you care!! The meeting was short & sweet; he's a very busy guy ofcourse. I went with my dad for the meeting at his office in Harvard University. He asked me about my career & life and talked nicely about all other stuff. You know, he loves mangoes, that's one secret I found out!! Honestly, I don't care about seeing celebrities much (seriously I don't, I guess.. unless I get to see them!!). I never run behind them to get an autograph or get a photograph taken. I mean what good does a autograph do or what memory is a mere photo (unless you get to sell them & make good money... can you imagine, people are dumb enough to pay for that!!). I would always like to meet such great people though, where I can spend some time with them & talk to them & learn from them & appreciate & admire them (yeah, like thats all they have been waiting for... my appreciation & admiration!!). This was one such meeting & I really enjoyed it. Great wishes from all of us, for all you have done... Thanks Amartya!!

Photos of EARTH by Sunita Williams???

Check out this SlideShare Presentation of mine, I am not sure if its true or what but people seem to care a alot & have had tons of comments & arguments. I like the pics on there though...

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HAPPY DIWALI!!!

Hey friends, wish you a heartiest Happy Diwali!! Another Diwlai in US is like no Diwali atall; inspite of US President wishing Diwali (Below is a message from Nobel Prize winner US President Barrack Obama). Diwali is a real celebration in India, there is so much that happens here. That's why it was always the first pick when we had to write essay in school on something, or Holi .Not much thinking but just writing the obvious stuff, added with whatever we have crammed up (Just start with Diwali is festival of lights or Holi is the festival of colours.). Diwali was the day to really celebrate; celebrate with new clothes (3 times a year your parents had to buy you new clothes, Diwali, Holi & Happy B'day!!), shopping, gifts, lights, crackers (I was always anti-cracker, not because I was scared but I was environment conscious... I guess!!!) and ofcourse tons of sweets. It was always a wait to see what the other person has brought you as gift; mostly sweets & snacks, but alway fun to get free gifts (remember.. that uncle gave such cheap sweet as gift, the other one brought such nice thing, lolzzz). Lots of cleaning was supposed to be done before Diwali which used to go on till last day. And then decorate it with all those fancy lights (now all cheap chinese lights, if they work they are best or your luck with chinese), shiny paper designers & all that crazy awesome stuff. Mom used to start preparing the best sweets (rasgullas & yummy gujhiya) & there was sleepless nights of such work for one night of fun & party. Ahhh... all that happens here is fake desi parties at most (like the one I went to @ Mantra in Boston, it was terrible without any real Indian music, sweets & the true spirit of Diwali). Well, all I can say is... Shubh Deepawali!!!

Happy B'day Dear Daddy!!

I wrote this poem for My Dad's B'day...

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Obama got Nobel Prize.... Really?? Seriously??

So... the news is that Mr Barrack Hussein Obama got the Nobel Prize for Peace (or watever). I mean... really?? seriously?? You know, I was kinda excited & happy when he became the President of USA, the 1st non-white (or African American) to be US President. Why was I happy?? I seriously have no idea. I mean... how does it affects me? I am not an American (not yet, lol!!), I am not of African descent, I am not even related to him in any way (except that I am non-white too or I would like to be a President too someday, that would be coooool!!). I had even added him on my myspace page, even before he became president. Even when I had no right to vote in USA, I was promoting him. I think we all have that humane side to us, the side of guilty conscious which makes us do many things we don't understand. I mean... it's always exciting to see an underdog go & win; to see a poor making money in a game show; or see a handicapped person dancing or competing in sports. I know... none of this is related to Obama because he was actually never unfortunate or anything I guess. But something different (or as they call it, historical) was happening & we were witness to that. & many of us appreciated it & liked it & enjoyed it!!

So finally he became president... & what has he done? 1st thing, how long has he been president? (wait, let me check wikipedia... yeah, less than 9 months). What could he do in such short time? Nothing significant I think. Well, I think he hasn't done anything significant anyways. Or maybe I missed something? Did he bring a lawful publicly elected government in Iraq or Afghanistan? Did he catch Obama & eliminated Terrorism? Did he resolve the international economic crisis & recession? Or did he discover life on another planet in universe? Whatever he did... I didn't hear any of it. Except lots of criticism on Daily Show & Colbert Report (yeah, that's where all my news comes from!!). But he has been awarded Nobel price for Peace (is it seriously PEACE or is it PIECE or PEES maybe). I am happy too... why?? Hmmm, it means that you really do not have to do much to get a nobel prize (which eventually increase my chances of winning a nobel prize so much!! Or else, the value of nobel prize would be so diminished that I wouldn't care about wining one!!).

However, I still do not hate Obama or anything. He's a fine guy who's done a good job to become what he has become and is (hopefully) working hard to do more good things & a great job. It's not easy being US president. You either end up caught weird relationships with your female staff or you end up bombing & invading other countries. He's still doing okay, isn't he? Ohh.. it hasn't been long enough to tell. Well, the Nobel committee thinks that he has done good enough to win a Nobel. Are you even listening?? But yeah, I do not hate Obama & wish him Good Luck. I really hope that he lives up to people's expectations & even crosses them and does a great job.

Anyways... I have not been writing for a LONG time (I know you were waiting, as always...lol!!). There is a lot to catch up & I'll try to put up old entries of my New York trip, visiting Ha Comedy Club and story of getting a Canadian visitor visa. Thanks for visiting and keep reading & enjoying (and commenting, c'mon people!!). This is RAHUL saying, Good Bye & Good Luck!!

Trip to Marlborough/Westborough... Hopkinton State Park

So, it was my first trip outside the city since I came here and it was to Marlborough (& it's not where Marlboro cigarettes are made or not even remotely connected). Why was I there? There was a summer party/picnic from my work there at Hopkinton State Park. Remember those amazing picnics we used to have with family/friends as kids; all the fun & excitement of food, play & fun. can't do that now I guess!! So, I went a day in advance to be ready for the event. I took the commuter rail to go there from South Station (Boston) & reached Westborough station on Friday. Commuter rails are pretty cool, they are double storied and I traveled on the top floor to get the experience (reminded me of the double-decker bus we used to have in New Delhi when i was a kid, they are not there any more. It was like a bus on top of the bus, without a driver!!). You can buy the ticket at the station or you can even buy inside the train when the TT comes (without any fine... but make sure you buy it & don't think of going WT i.e without ticket plz). The ride was nice & the view outside the train was fine too. I reached my destination in evening & stayed with my friend for the night.

Saturday was the 1st day of Navratri so after waking up in morning I thought of going to temple. There's a temple nearby in Ashland called Laxmi Temple. It is a south Indian Temple (yeah, south Indian temples are different from North Indian Temples. They had a temporary made up Durga for navratri!!). So, I went to the temple... It's quite large in a nice place & it was good. Then I went to the park. As usual, weather was fooling & faking it. Yeah, here in US it's normal... It's so damn sunny outside but you step out & its chilly cold. Same was the scene there, it was very windy & chilly outside (& inspite of facing it so many times, I got fooled again & I was wearing just a T-shirt & left my jacket at home. it always happens here). Luckily it was better later in noon with sun kicking the heat up. It's a huge park with fake beach (it's normal in US to make fake beaches in these lovely parks. I could understand in Kansas which was thousands miles away from real beach but why here??), lovely greenery & nice grounds. Friends & people (well, everyone is not a friend) showed up in some time & they started with a game of cricket (now you get a bunch of Indian guys in a ground even in US, all they want to do is play cricket). We tried to get some American folks too to play with us (why am I saying we, I never played. I don't play cricket, or any outdoor game much for the fact!!) & taught them cricket & how similar or different it is from baseball. Suddenly they decided to quit cricket as its not fun & play soccer (yes dear, in US the football is what is played with hand & also known as American Football. & what the world calls football is known as soccer only). After some gaming the time came for food & the grills were on. The food was good & there was lots of stuff to eat, I had samosa burger (just stuff samosa inside a bun, easy-breezy. make sure you use lots of ketchup or sauce too!!) for 1st time which was actually nice. Then time came to play some team game with everyone & they decided to play rumal-dupatta (you don't know rumal-dupatta, c'mon!!) and my team won (& I did play this time & I played well!!). We also did kayaking in the lake there & I did pretty well there too. Kayaking is fun, but it needs skill too & it's real full upper-body workout. Overall it was a nice day of fun at the park... meeting new people, hanging out, eating good food & having lots of fun.

Then we drove back home & rested. In the night we went to dunkin donuts for dinner... I asked for there special toffee donut they had on display but turns out they didn't have it. Then I took a low fat blueberry muffin (I am really into low/no fat/sugar food these days. however the muffin was coated with sugar!!) & the guy offered free donut with that. I like this thing about American service industry, they always try to make sure that customers are happy & will do anything needed for that. You can't do that in India, can you?? We know how to take advantage of everything, I know people taking advantage of the return policies here (would get into more details some other time but many of you know what I mean). The mufin was actually nice & donut was okay too, then I went off to bed for the day. That's all I got for today, I know that Cambridge Carnival blog is till pending & would be coming soon. Until then guys & galz & friendz & foes... bye, take care & Jai Ho!!!

I had SITUATIONS... Bathroom Overflow vs Metro Jam

Yeah... I had two situations within less than 24 hrs!! And by situation I mean BAD incidents, or atleast not good ones. Yesterday my bathroom sink got blocked somehow (none of my fault really, i seriously did nothing... NOTHING!!) & also the knob to control water inlet was not working, so water kept flowing & then overflowing. The bathroom was filled with water & I was just not able to do anything, I mean what are we supposed to do in such situations but to panic... So i just panicked. The first thought at such moments is, why me?? & why now?? (imagine what people affected with real floods or calamities think.... but at this hour this is the bigest calamity for you). I just threw some towels on the door to block the water from entering the room. (How smart is that?? or stupid?? Definitely smart if I did it) .And in bathroom floor, they didnt have a water-hole to let the water out. I mean, it's a bathroom so it could happen anytime, right!! The good thing of living in hotel is I called the housekeeping to take care of it, what would I have done if I was in an apartment or something to alone take care of it. I am glad I could get this housekeeping guy to help me, he came with his magic machine & cleaned the blockage (I was like.. yeah, if I had this then this would never have happened). Water was all spilled & even had wet some of the carpet (that's the bad part in this situation here in US, all's carpeted, in India it's just flor so that's ll you can wet except people sleeping on floor or babies playing on floor or...). Next day they put some blowers/dryers to dry it & it's fine now. But it was terrible yesterday & i was so pissed/scared/ or something like that......
And today... I came back from work & got ready to go to Isckcon Temple (yep, I am religious & spiritual guy & it has nothing to do with wednesady prasaadam i.e. free food!!). As usual I was planing to take the "T" (metro train is called T in Boston, what kinda stupid name is that). I went to the Kendal/MIT Metro station to take the Red Line towards downtown & there was a train standing there since last 10 mins & not moving. The whole metro is stopped & shutdown!! Thers was this guy cursing metro & US too, dunno why... & another guy was pissed that this guy was cursing US (well, many people in world do that, get used to it). It turns out that there was some incident at the South Station and all the trains have stopped. They asked us to move out & said a shuttle would come to take us, we waited 15-20 mins outside but nothing. How frustrating it is when you have made all your plans to be somewhere using the public transport and it suddenly jams, or a late flight/train... what to do? who to blame? At those hours, the poor employees or representative of the train/flight/bus who are somehow stuck there too, have to suffer the questions, anger & curses of public; even when it's not there fault. Anyways, I decided to come back home because it was very cold outside (yeah, it's already getting damn cold in Boston). So home sweet home was the rescue & I wrote this blog. One more blog has to come about my last sunday trip to Cambridge Carnival. Until then, bye & take care!!!