Sunday, July 26, 2009

10 days in Boston...

So I haven't written for quite long & many of you must have been waiting (or my be happy that I am shut up!!). I have been in Boston for 10 days & it has been good & bad. I have been in pain ofcourse because of my back injury & have visited doctors @ MGH twice. They tell me I have no fractures & I'll get better, but will take some time to heal totally. The Percocet I got last time was weird though, made me sicker so I am off it & on to strong dose of Ibuprofen & Cyclobenzaprine. Then medicines keep me dizzy/drowsy but the pain is improving. I hate medicines & I really hope I get fine soon.
I am staying in http://www.marriott.com/BOSCM here which are really nice, way better than those Extended Stays of Virginia or Kansas. They have large LCD TV with cable, full fledged kitchen with all amenities & utilities, attached bathroom, full furnisihing & everything, No need to worry about housekeeping, cleaning or even paying bills. Also they have daily nice American breakfast (bread, scrambled eggs, juice, oatmeal, bagels, donuts etc) & evening snacks (brownies, Doritos, salad, cookies, soda etc) too. I am liking it!! The hotel is close to Kendall Metro station of MBTA which we use for daily commuting to office & usual traveling. We don't get to rent cars here because we don't need it because of metro & parking is very expensive everywhere in Boston. And yeah, Boston is damn expensive man. The cigarettes cost here $10 a pack (& that doesn't says I smoke, i might have just found out)!!
So, on monday I went to my new WMC office (Wellington) dressed in full business formals. I bought 2 business suits before coming here just for this, one dark blue & other dark gray. I was wearing a tie for 1st time after school & it feels weird. I really don't understand who came up with this idea of wearing a long flat ropey clothe in neck which has to be tied in a particular fashion only. I haven't been able to learn to tie a tie still, my dad used to do it for me when I was in school & he did it again for me. He has tied the 3 ties I have got & I am wearing just those; not sure how will I manage once they are untied. Haven't worn a tie & business suit ever in my professional career of 4-5 years but they do look good. The office is okay too & I am getting adjusted...
I was feeling better this weekend so did some things. I went to a club called Middlesex near hotel in Cambridge area, it wasn't too good. Had to wait almost an hour to get in as I went around 12 & it was damn crowded & boring. Ofcourse I couldn't dance or drink as I am on medication (& that doesn't means I drink or I would have drunk if I was not on medication). Then today I went to Revere Beach too. It's not far & you could just take metro to get there. The beach kinda stinks but I like the sound of water & ocean. There were a lot of people there too & nice sand caricatures etc.
Anyways, its too much for today i guess. Please read out my previous 2 blogs about my travel to Boston from Delhi & the visit to Emergency Room in Boston. I would sign off for now & will try to come back soon. Till then... keep reading, commenting & enjoying. This is RAHUL saying Good Bye & Good Luck... JAI HO!!!!!

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Emergency Room @ MGH... 1st thing I see in Boston!!!!

On 15th the day when I had to travel to India that night, I slipped down the wet stairs at my home. It started drizzling in the morning just to make me slip I guess, it stopped after that. I really hurt my back & was so scared that what may have happened. I took some medication & still decided to travel & managed to do so. But the pain was terrible!! I couldn't even rest in hotel or sit or stand, just nothing. I really couldn't take it anymore so decided to see the doctor.
Turns out the only option I had was to visit the Emergency Room @ Massachusetts General Hospital here. I went there & the doctors were good. American Emergency Room aren't that scary or ugly, actually the people didn't really seem much in emergency care need, but who knows. I got X-ray done & turns out there were no fractures which is great. But I got a shot & Percocet medication for pain. The pain is still bad & I ma not sure how will it turn out. But I have visited one of America's best hospital & doctors so hopefully I should be fine. Good Luck to me!!!!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Kal aa raha hai... Main jaa raha hun!!

That means "Tomorrow is coming, I am going" and that's right (I know the title was very cliche). I have my flight to Boston on July 16th at 12.40 am (i.e. Wednesday late midnight) by Air France (with a 7 hrs layover at Paris). I have heard they don't give you a transit visa there or let you go out of the Paris Airport (that's going to really boring unless I find some good company, i guess you know what I mean.. lol). At Singapore Airport, you can actually get a transit visa there itself if your layover is more than 4 hours; they even have bus tours there (which I couldnt use in my visit because I was there at night). Lets see how Air France & Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport is (Why do they have to give such weird & non-memorable names for these International Airports? Just the City Name is not good enough??)... Preparations are full on, tons of shopping including clothes (I even bought formal suits as they are mandatory I have been told. & I dont know how to 'tie a tie') & groceries (i know cooking so I am supposed to buy full kitchen ration) for the foreign trip. Its really an ordeal to pack & on top of that, this shopping for/before packing. Trust me I am no good at packing (my reasons will ocnvince you & peopel who know me have seen how pathetic I am), on the other hand my Dad is an expert (I think because of Defence Services, they make you move & pack a lot!!); so he still takes care of all my packing when I am going outside India. At other places the pain is mine, but I have always got great help from my friends till now (but I still paid almost $200 while coming back to Inda because of my extra luggage)... Thanks Dad & Friends too!!
I am lil excited & lil tensed too, leaving home is never so easy. My parents, my sis, my friends & a lot of my people are here and they are already concerned for me & missing me (specallly my mom, I know she just loves me & get sreally upset over this). But you have to move as life moves, and world has anyways become a small place now. Daily chatting including voice & video (I use both skype & yahoo), occasional visits and it all seems just one place (my mom who didnt even used to touch computer has become an internet & chatting expert, even better than my dad & sis at times!!). Ofcourse the company of your people around you is special on special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, festivals etc & I do miss that too (remember I spent my 25th b'day alone). But a different experience for something better I would say. I am hoping things turn out just great & amazing, please hope & pray the same for me. Amen & Thanks a lot everyone... Goodbye India!!!!

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

I am finally going...

I am going to Boston, USA next week for my new project assignment. I have heard it's a nice but expensive place. I'll be leaving very soon and gone for who knows how long. Am I excited & thrilled?? yes!! Am I sad & disappointed?? not really!! I have been waiting for this & trying quite hard for this from a long time. Things do not always turn the way you want or follow exactly your wishes. But that should never stop you from pursuing your dreams & goals. Things are not going to be easy even further, they never are. But as long & as hard it takes to achieve something, it makes you realize the true value & importance of it.

So I finally achieved this, that's what my friends said & I said... "itni shiddat se tumhein paani ki maine koshish ki hai, har lamhe ne mujhe tumse milaane ki saazish ki hai... agar kisi cheez ko poore dil se chaho, to saari kaaynaath tumke ussey milaane ki koshish mein lag jaati hai. Hamari filmoki tarah hamari assal jindagime bhi end tak sab thik ho jataHappys Endings”.Aur agar end tak sab thik na ho to wo the end nahi hai dosto...". (I have tried so hard to get you, that every moment has conspired for me to find you. If you ask for something straight from your heart and you truly mean it & try for it, then the whole universe will drive you towards it & help you to achieve it. Like our movies, things turn fine by the end in our lives as well. And if things don't turn okay, then it's not 'the end'...)
(The movie... is still not over my friend!!) Picture, Abhi Baaki Hai Mere Dost...

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

3 mistakes of my life...

So... what am I talking about? Chetan Bhagat's book '3 mistakes of my life', which I read recently or "3 mistakes of my life". I am not sure, but for a start i'll talk of the book. I LIKED IT... now you might think that I like anything (I had enough praise for Inscrutable Americans, remember?), but it's not true. Actually I hardly like anything except myself, it really has to be good or even more for me to like it; this book was a good read though. As I said in my previous blog "the events which are news for many can change life of the people who are part of it"; a nice story of 3 friends whose life's go through several turmoils as per the event around them (9/11 attacks, Gujrat earthquakes, Godhra riots etc). I feel he has done a good job with of creativity and language of the story, like a bollywood masala movie.

As for me, I don't remember how many mistakes I have done... guess I haven't done any. Or at least I don't consider them mistakes. Those were decisions taken on those moments or driven by moments; I accept them and I am fine with it. I am what I am because of what I have been through and the decisions I have taken. Ummmm, they might be considered as mistakes if I am too analytical but I don't regret any of my actions yet. We are supposed to learn from our mistakes, but do we?? But all of us do mistakes; they make our life interesting. Most of the people keep repeating form mistakes without any learning.... and the ones who do are considered different & special!! Have you done any mistakes... or I should say would you like to share any?? Or your views about mistakes. Till then... keep reading, commenting & enjoying. This is RAHUL saying Good Bye & Good Luck... JAI HO!!!!!