Good Weekend - Journal Square/Harry Potter 8 & Super 8

The week didn't start as nicely with the news of Hand Surgery. This weekend was supposed to be celebration weekend for my 1 year completion in NYC. It was celebrated by me finding a new place in Journal Square, Jersey city to move out of NYC. Ironic.. huh?? I think it's fine. I have kinda finalized on this place which very close to PATH Station, 5-10 min walk south/south-west of it. Let's try Jersey & see how it works out.

Then went for Harry Potter 8 last night, quite an ordeal. We had thankfully tickets in advance & went an hour early but still were way back in line & had to sit on side row. It's because we watched it in IMAX 3D which is $19, so expensive. Sometimes it seems like this whole IMAX & specially 3D is just a scam to mint more money from people. And AMC gave such cheapo glassed which sucked & I was very unhappy. The movie is alright, 6/10. I expected better. I think it's the worst movie in the series. Specially the second half which is so ungrand & unconvincing. They are trying to be funny & cheesy & it just didn't seem to work. Expect poor Snape who did make few 'people' cry. The ordinary & silly way Voldemort died was pathetic. Not the finale I expected.... But still, it's kinda funny to see Harry & friends grow old like this. It's like our kid who were small & young in front of us & now grown up. Goodbye Harry Potter & friends...... I also saw Super 8. You have to see 2 movies to recover the expensive cost of movies I guess. It's a nice (8/10) sci-fi/horror movie, right between E.T.  & Cloverfield. Also watched Tees Maar Khan (4/10) on Netflix and Incredible Hulk (7/10) & Pirates of Carribean 3 (7/10) on T.V.

So... who do you think will be next Harry Potter? Any opinions/suggestion about Journal Square & Jersey City?? I have the hand surgery coming this week, let's see what do I have to report. Until then.... Thanks, Goodbye & Good Luck!!

I am a New Yorker... 1 year in NYC!!

I have spent ONE YEAR in NYC. Big Deal? I guess. It was exactly an year ago when I came here to live. When I came here first time more than 4 yrs ago, I used to say I have a love & hate relationship with NYC. Now I have to say that I have a love-hate-love relationship with NYC. More like a real New Yorker, huh? I don't know. I did get cheated a while ago, that's not a good sign. But isn't that part of experiencing real NYC? (Probably more of getting fooled & not being a smart New Yorker). It's been quite a journey, living in THE CITY, in REAL CITY i.e. Manhattan. 3 blocks from Times Square. 15-20 mins walk from Central Park. 10 mins walk from Bryant Park. (these are all walking times of New Yorker, not regular walk. New Yorker walk, a lot), Next to Western Piers. Working at WALL STREET. Dream life, huh? Dunno... It did used to feel special walking through Times Sq to get home everyday. Now it feels maddening. FUNKING TOURISTS!! I do say that. It could take half hour to just cross Times Sq. They walk so slow, i.e. not walk. Take pictures, ask you to take pictures, expect you to not come in there pictures... GRRRRRRR (like I never did that myself). And I still walk from there everyday, sometimes still feel cool, special. I never thought this will happen. Not while growing up all over in India - Gujarat/Bengal/Delhi and playing around never worrying what to become, what to do in future. USA was not in the dreams, surely not NYC. And now here I am, 1 year in NYC. I tell people: If you can survive in NYC for an year & still like it, you are a New Yorker. Immigrants who moved here in recent future agree & like it. People who grew up here, H(ate) it. But yeah... I am a NEW YORKER!!

I need hand surgery... MCP Joint RCL tear & subluxation

of my right thumb injury from last weekend. I have a grade III tear which mostly can't be successfully fixed by casting/immobilization, so requires surgery to fix. How do I know all that? Cuz I am smart & awesome. And also because I went to Hand Orthopedist at Beth Israel in NYC today. He did a review, some X-Rays (no MRI) and said that surgery is best solution to ensure (although doctors never 'guarantee' a fix from surgery, it just mostly works) full recovery/fix where they'll do an incision at the RCL joint of MCP, put the dislocated joint together properly and sew/fix the broken ligament, then put a pin in there to stabilize it, immobilize it with a cast. Then they take off the pin in 10 days & keep hand in cast for another 3-4 weeks. After that they take off the cast & put a splint/brace on & I start occupational therapy/rehabilitation to gain strength back. And after all this, I am back in motion. If I don't do surgery, it might heal by itself with the splint/cast/brace (at least it looks cool) they have put me in. But it might heal crooked or with bump. I might not get full range of motion or have pain or even future arthritis. All "might" happen (or I might get totally fixed!!), kinda SUCKS!! Doctor's suggestion is surgery & I am not very excited about it. But 2-3 months of pain for lifetime of no problems (guaranteed?) isn't that bad. I am still thinking of getting a second review... Any suggestions/comments??

The week & weekend was spent mostly relaxing & taking it easy, still working though. Got outta bed after 4(pm) on Saturday and 2 pm on Sunday. Sometimes its just god top lay in bed to feel that it's really a day-off, I felt good. Went to Sheep Meadow in Central park for sun-bathing; I love central park & I am even a member & do donations to them. It's so big & confusing though sometimes, need to explore more. Also went to Bryant Park which is small & cool & nice. That's it. Will keep posted of new updates, until then.... Good Luck to me, & U!!

Hurt Again... I injured/broke my thumb

First, Happy Independence Day & 4th July!!... Second, it totally sucks. Not 4th July, my injured/broke thumb. Total Bummer... How? We went for White water rafting to Harpers Ferry West Virginia. As per RiverRiders, the place we went to, 'White Water Tubing' is there most popular & exciting sport. They put you in a tube in the river & you flow down through the rapids. No protective gear like helmet, gloves etc or paddles; you just have to use your hands. They do give you a life jacket thankfuly so non-swimmers like me & you cna put there life in danger (just kidding!!). It's lotta fun actually. Very different form rafting & very independent too. If you are not with big team or wanna try something new, tubing is kinda cool. They had this luxury tube with cup-holder & bottom too, so its liek mini raft of yours. You could pick flat-water tubing but the adventurer in me wont do anything less than  AWESOME, which in this case meant White Water Tubing. It went well, I had a good time.

EXCEPT... There was a big rapid/mini fall & I got stuck by the flow in there. I did think it'll be more adventurous so I went for it. It was kinda cool but the tube flipped over & I fell out. I hit my right thumb on a rock & it was injured. Not bent or anything but swollen & hurt, really HURT. But I continued the sport with some help from "awesome people". Went to historic town of Harpers Ferry & had nice Dinner there. AND then drove all the way back to Virginia too. The next morning was not good. Thumb was hurting & swollen & I thought I had a fracture. I ran to Urgent Care and they did an X-Ray saying there is no fracture but just some subluxation at MCP Joint i.e. the second joint of right thumb may be little dislocated. Suggested to see Hand Orthopedic. Gave  me a sad looking finger splint to put on thumb.

Anyways... also watched the July 4th Fireworks in DC, awesome but too short, just 15 mins?? And also watched Transformers 3 (6/10), Kinda nice. All in all, still had a nice weekend!! What about you????

Funny National Flags Made Using Food

Funny national flags made using food

View more presentations from Rahul Tiwari

Happy Birthday Maa...

Thanks for everything you have done for me. There is nothing I could ever do to payback or even get close to what you have done for me. With your love, care,  guidance, support, teachings and everything else; you have made me the person I am and I am really glad to be what I am today (which is awesome) & what I will be tomorrow (which would be awesomer). I really wish that you get your visa and be able to visit me here in US so I can spend some time with you, my dearest mom. I miss you.. I love you... Happy B'day Maa!!

Attack The Block... (Happy Father's Day Daddy!!)

I watched my third pre-screening in New York after Bang Bang Club & Beastly, on this Wednesday. This is a British movie from the producers of Hot Fuzz & Shaun of the Dead with Nick Frost & bunch of new/unknown actors.  The story is about a bunch of teenage kids who are like a small local gang of hoodlums in southern London. They are mugging this nurse who apparently lives in there building, when something falls from sky. Turns out its an ugly looking monkeyish alien, with no super powers or anything. So they kill it, cuz it scratched the leader of the group Moses. They are celebrating the kill when it turns out there are many more aliens dropping from sky into the city. These don't have any super power either but they are Bear+Wolf kinda strong things with no sight but smell only & great strength. The story us what happens next cuz they are trying to kill Moses. It's a well done movie which is funny & scary at places. I hear its getting great reviews. Performances are very good & music is great too. I would give it 7/10.

The weather has been weird as usual. Rainy or coldish or Hot. I still have some sorta cold that's why. This weekend is going to be exciting & fun though. I am going to Philadelphia for a conference. Excited!! Also, we re-applied for my mother's visa. Hopefully this time it will be alright. I bought a nice navy jacket at Macys, love them. Great customer service & great stuff too. I bought it for $145 on Tuesday but they had a special one day sale today line they have 10 times a year; I went gain & they gave me $15 back as it was marked down for sale today. Awesome!! BTW, did netflix android app, take off HTC EVO from there supporting devices? Sucks..... Anyways, rest is all cool, hope you are doing great too. Tell me, wassup?? Thanks for visiting, see U again soon. Same place & anytime u want.... Hast--La-Vista!!

Tony Awards.. I can't believe I haven't seen Broadway yet!!

Even when I have been visiting NYC for4 years & been living here since almost one year; and I am supposed to be an artist, a theater performer & appreciator myself & all that, but still. I have been visiting stand-up comedy shows & even some plays but not a single Broadway or even off-Broadway show yet. What a SHAME.... I realized this after watching a wonderful performance of 65th Tony Awards last night. Presented by Neil Patrick Harrison who opened the show with a "comic" and edgy number "arguing that Broadway, with its con artists, Mormons and nuns this season, is 'not just for gays anymore.'" (is it??). No Comments... There was a show/stand off (click here to see) between him & Hugh Jackman (3 times Tony Host & Emmy winner for one his hostings) which was pretty cool too. & Lots of performances from different Brodway shows which were nice. The one with Daniel Radcliffe (yup, the Harry Potter.. he sings & dances) for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying  was pretty cool too. I really wanna see The Book of Mormon (Romney) as well which won the Best Musical Award. My other favorites are The Lion King & War Horse & many others too (any suggestions?). I did want to see Spiderman too, but with all the recent reviews & jokes, I am not sure if it's worth risking my life. In addition to the CBS television broadcast, the ceremony was simulcast live to Times Square and included the Tony Awards Red Carpet and the complete Tony Awards show, including the Creative Arts Awards. I was there for while in beginning but decided to go back & watch from home cuz of weather, time concerns & my sickness...

On that note, I have been little sick (feeling between 50-80%) since Saturday & going out in weekend for Belmont Stakes and not enough rest (maybe) and the weird weather (for sure) of hot & cold & rain & thunder-storms etc was not very helpful either. I did go to gym both Friday & today and did some weight training, as doctor has said that my shoulder is better & I can go back to doing some weights. What else?... Why don't you guys tell me something?? I still need to go back & update my vacation blogs. I've been so lazy/lousy after coming back form vacation. I guess it's not that easy to turn off vacation mode & get back to normal, especially after such an awesome vacation like mine. Anyways, Hope I feel better & so do you. Thanks for visiting/reading/commenting (more will be appreciated :), until next time - B-Bye!!

I enjoyed Stakes... Belmont Stakes

Today was the day of Belmont Stakes 2011 & I really enjoyed it. No wonder people are crazy about horse racing (not as much though I hear). We ended up betting $64 & won $48, which is not bad considering first $10 was practice/trial & another $20 got screwed because of all the top horses 'Animal Kingdom, Nehro, Mucho Macho Man, Shackleford & Master of Hounds' (look at the names, they sound like Fantasy Super Heroes or something??) were not competent enough to even make it to any of the top 3 slots (called 'show' in horse racing). The winner was Ruler on Ice (apparently he has a Wikipedia page for him, I should've checked that & that would've told me that he's better than the other 3 horses). It was a rainy day (yep, yet again... rainy & COLD after a heat wave all week) & apparently most of these horses suck at raining in mud which I should've been told earlier, they should put this on the ticket, 'Horses suck when it rains & its muddy' (like I would've done something different then). This whole horsey thing started after watching Secretariat & now I am watching horse racing & betting money. Phew!! 

Anyways, the day ended with a nice Indian dinner at Sagar Restaurant in Jamaica, Queens, NY. Oops, actually the day ended with Apollo13 the movie on Netflix. It's a nice movie (7/10) with good performances & nice visuals etc. I was at NASA just few days ago so it feels even nicer. so BTW, the day started (i.e. previous night, after midnight) by watching The Missing Lynx which was nice too (6/10). Good to see foreign (Spain) animated movies, very different & innocent & childish humor & feel good movie. That's it for this one, keep visiting/reading/commenting. Until next time... Good bye & Take care!!

Black Eyed Peas & Friends Concert in Central Park, New York - Got canceled :)

& I still had a agood time. How? Well... It's a long story. There was this Black Eyed Peas & Friends (Taylor Swift, LL Cool J, Debbie Harry (of Blondie), Carol King, Natasha Bedingfield and more appearing) concert from Red Robin Hood Foundation in Central Park New York today. I won four tickets as part for a contest with lucky draw (you make "donations", but don't pay for the ticket). I sold 2 tickets to this retired FDNY guy. He took half an hour inquiring & ensuring I & ticket are genuine before buying, although I was cool because of my experience last time. Being inquisitive is not wrong & he seemed like a good guy. I sold him two tickets for $70 (he payed me $60 & said will pay $10 after the concert when we meet, or when he gets in). I was hapy cuz he seemed good guy & he is retd FDNY guy Greg which I respect. People were selling these tix for $100+. I sold another ticket to this guy for $50 who came at 2 am in night to buy this ticket, driving half an hour from outside the city. People are crazy for such stuff, aren't they. Anyways, I reach for concert at 5.30 pm (leaving early form work.. earlier than usual) and gates haven't opened which were supposed to be open at 3 pm. It was rescheduled to 4.00 pm first because of heat& then 7.30 pm because of thunderstorm. It started thundering & raining actually. I met Greg & his friends & was hanging out with them. Seeing the rain, they rescheduled it again to 8.30 pm. We were in some restaurant at Upper West Side so we were having nice time. At 8, guess what? They canceled the concert. And because no one officially paid for the ticket (it was all donation), they don't even have to reschedule I guess. Sucks for people who were hanging in rain from 12 pm & came from far places. I hung out with Greg & his friends all over Upper West Side & had a good time still.

Rest been okay. Really HOT in NYC now. We humans have a tendency to complain... Cold & Hot & Rain & this & that... whatever we can complain about. Everything else is okay here. Just feel bored/tired/weird after coming back from Vacation. Vacation was so much fun. Anyways, it happens. So, until Next time... good Bye, Take Care & Jai Ho!!

Savannah, GA to Charleston, SC to Washington DC : End of Florida Vacation

Arrived at Charleston, South Carolina last night with a stop at Savannah, Georgia for dinner. After a day at Charleston, drove from Charleston with a stop at Cracker Barrel in Rocky Mountain, North Carolina, arriving at 2.30 am to Washington DC. More details to come soon...

Daytona Beach is really COOL... Ocean View with Balcony & Drive on the Beach!!

Arrived Daytona Beach last night & spent wonderful time here. More to come soon...

Orlando - NASA Kennedy Space Center & Sea World Orlando

Was at NASA Kennedy Space Center yesterday & at Sea World Orlando today. More details to come soon...

AlliGator-Land: Everglades National Park & City (to Orlando)

Spent all day yesterday at Everglades National Park & City and then drove to Orlando. More details to come soon...

Florida Keys (Islamorada) to Naples, Florida

Started the day yesterday by driving to Florida Keys & then drove to Naples Pier fro beautiful sunset. More details to come soon...

FLORIDA Vacation begins... New York to MIAMI Beach

Landed in Miami yesterday & its been REAL FUN, more details to follow...

BTW, this happened during stay:
http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/122820534.html

My mother's VISA application got rejected at USA Embassy in New Delhi

I really can't believe it. Seriously? Why?? Please just tell me WHY??? The guy in charge said why didn't she apply with my dad. Really? My dad got visa almost 2 years ago, when he visited me. Now we were planning for both my parents to visit me. So now we are applying for my mom's visa. What's wrong with it?? I live in USA legally, pay huge taxes & everything and I am inviting my parents to visit me. I am paying all the fee, covering all there expenses which I provided proof for & am taking care of everything. What's your problem in giving visa to an almost 50 year old lady who's son lives in USA & she wants to visit him for 2-3 months??

Anyways, seems like I am complaining a lot these days. Is late say just raising awareness by raising my voice against injustice. I am not sure what will we do next, need to figure it out. I'll keep you posted at this same space..... So, any comments or suggestions??

Century 21 is horrible, really sucks... No End of World / Shackleford wins Preakness / Bloodworth

I liked Century 21, everyone knows that. I promoted them a lot & have referred so many customers there & all that. I have appreciated them in my blogs too. I said that they don't have the best service but great product selection, nice prices & stuff like that. But I have to say today that they are horrible. WHY? Well, one of the worst Customer Service ever I have encountered. There Store Manager Steven F. (I am not saying 'F' word, I just don't remember full last name) is the worst Store Manager kinda guy I have ever met, just completely inadequate, incompetent & HORRIBLE.... WHY? We bought some clothing there last weekend & the cashier forgot to take off the alarm lock thingy they have on the clothes. Even the security didn't notice it when we got out (even when it did buzz). Of course the clothing was not usable and we were very-very disappointed. I went back to store last Friday and went to Customer Service on 3rd floor. I waited in line for a while & when I reached the representative she said that she can't help me & will have to call the Store Manager. She called him on Walkie-Talkie & he was somehow already pissed. He comes & first thing he tells me that it's my fault I couldn't use the stuff because I could have gone to any store & could have had it taken off. Really? I am supposed to know that? Or if I was traveling, am i supposed to be traveling with the receipts do I can take it to other stores? He was very rude & inconsiderate through out this conversion. & I am really pissed by now. He tells me all they can do is refund me my money & take it back or take the lock off. You know: C21 has a policy that if the cashier forgets to give the receipt, they give you $10 coupon. If the cashier forgets to ring an item & you come back with original receipt, they give you the item for free plus $30 gift card. Why would someone come back if its not ringed & it wont be on receipt, right? BUT ANYWAYS, they have nothing for this case. can't do just anything. The manager was SO RUDE & ready to do nothing what so ever. Can you believe that. What a horrible service & horrible store manager. I am planning on complaining further to corporate office etc & see what do they do.....

BTW, wasn't it supposed to be End of World yesterday? Ohh, the true one is 2012.... No idea why & how people believe in this kinda stuff. This guy was shooting a documentary in downtown about End of World & they interviewed me in it. There view was that this one is fake but 2012 is REAL. I should write a separate post about this some time, but it's ridiculous. This MTA employee spent all his savings to promote this, another woman spent kids college fund & left her job and all other stuff. Seriously?? I spent my evening shopping at TJ Max & Marshalls and watched Preakness Stakes. My prediction of Shackleford winning came out to be true. Went home & enjoyed Bloodworth from On Demand. I'll give it 7/10, it's interesting tale of E.F. Bloodworth who abandons his wife & kids for a life on road. Val Kimer is good & Hillary Duff was okay as well. The story line is not very clear but its inteersting & music is nice too. So that was my EOW day.

Weather's been rainy & cold lately which kinda sucks. Today I was in New Jersey & had to take NJ Transit for 2nd time. Not bad at all, just takes an hour or so. Maybe I should/would move to New Jersey. I went to Rasoi Restaurant in Edison & had lunch buffet. I was BAD after long time.. ate rice, naan, fried food, sweets etc. Couldn't resist. How often do I go to NJ anyways. It was good food. I did workout really hard yesterday though & my abs still hurt. Will try a controlled diet for now.

Enough for now, more will come when I am on vacation maybe or we'll see. Thanks for visiting, reading & commenting. Until next time... Take Care, Have fun, keep visiting/reading/commenting. JAI HO!!

Fish bone stuck in throat/ almost choked2death/ Bug in Salad

Lot happened in last 24 hours, a LOT...

• Had a fish bone stuck in my throat: Hmmm, wonder how it happened? Wanna know the TRUTH?? I killed this dinosaur last night & I was ofcourse eating him (or her, don't wanna be sexist.. & it's tough to tell), who probably had a fresh-water fish with bones for meal. And I was little careless or excited feeding on this Dino, & ended up getting the bone stuck in my throat. Or I could LIE, that all this happened in a Bangladeshi food place in Jackson Heights, Queens, NYC. I tried many things to take care of it. Immediately after the meal, the guy at that place suggested me to swallow some un-chewed rice & banana which I tried. Didn't do much I guess. I slept at home but was feeling weird all morning today. Then I had a protein bar & salad for lunch (bug in Salad story below) & that didn't work (was it supposed to?). Was getting little painful & all my online research seemed to refer me to Doctor. Later in evening I tried swallowing banana again (the choke2death story below) which seemed to do something. Then I tried eating crackers & water of boiled olives. Crackers & bread etc is supposed to knock the bone down (I have heard people spitting it too) & olive water, olive oil & vinegar etc is supposed to make it dissolve. Back at home I tried eating muesli & dried wheat bread followed by sipping vinegar & olive oil too. I guess I tried everything by now and it does seems better. We'll find out more in time but hope its OKAY!!
• Almost choked to death swallowing a banana: Wonder how this happened? TRUTH: It's an annual tradition in India to try swallowing half a banana to please the "Banana God" and he blesses you with super powers (I guess swallowing super powers?... no-no Banana Powers). LIE: Just trying to take care of the fish bone stuck in throat. Half a banana without chewing, feels weird in throat when stuck there. & Gagging & Choking SUCKS. I felt I'll die. And my whole life flashed in front of my eye (as it's supposed to). I (kinda) fell down on floor & was able to throw up the banana (good to stick your tongue out, i guess). Took me a while to grasp my breath. Good News: No one saw ME!! Bad News: No one saw ME!!... It would be a ridiculously funny way to die though: Died while swallowing a banana & choked on it. REALLY?
• Found a bug in my Salad from FRESCO On the GO: TRUTH about how this happened? The Super villains of the earth/universe (who's that after Osama's Death?) found out that I am the Super Hero, the biggest threat to them. So they planted this biological weapon to defeat me; in my salad. I eat it & lose all my powers & they could capture me & do all bad things villains  do to Super Heroes (laugh like maniacs & reveal all there secret plans etc). And the bug did try that, it transformed into this huge Monster BUG & I had to fight it with all my super powers & 'defeat' it. LIE: Just an accident or ignorant mistake by Fresco. Natalie, the manager said it culd be because they use pure organic vegetables with no pesticides (& yes pests) and may not been washed properly. She refunded my money and said she'll buy me a lunch next week. Not good but what to say. I have had worse things happen to me in last 24 hours.... so it's ALLITE

So, that's it & that's all for now. Weather's been rainy, lil chilly which isn't most awesome. I have been very-very busy with work, business & all the other stuff going on. I did manage to watch Resident Evil - Afterlife, it's usual action etc & not too bad, I'll say 6/10.  Looking forward for nice weekend and upcoming AWESOME vacation (starting next weekend) to FLORIDA: Miami>Keys>Everglades>Orlando etc... Feel free to put any suggestions or comments you may have. Thanks for visiting & reading, until next time - take care, have fun, be happy... & JAI HO!!!

I just gave $25 to a roadside fraud... or person in need??

Hmmm, dunno. I was walking out from work and this Indian Hindi speaking guy Sunil supposedly from Delhi tells me that he is visiting from Boston & got pick-pocketed losing his cellphone & wallet. Of course I though he was a fraud but still somehow & somewhy I gave him $25. I told him Taft if he's lying, I probably will never help a person in real need. He said he'll call me & return my money. I doubt... why?? He had good American accent when he said be just came here 4 months ago. Says he lived in London & New Zealand. Didn't have anybody's no# on him but could call phone & credit card company to cancle. Didn't need ride to bus station, had a cop looking out for him. Seems total fraud. I dunno why I did it, but just did. Guess I am not true New Yorker yet. Should have taken his pic atleast or a collateral, no?? Anyways, just an experiment I guess. We'll find out by tonight. Or an interesting story/blog to share. Lemme know what you think...

Burlington Coat Factory SUCKS... more than The Last Airbender!!

Why? I bought winter booots there for $49.99 but I had to return them cuz they were not comfortable. I go back to return & they (rudely)  tell me that it's marked down by $10.01 now, it's for $39.98. So if I don't have the reciept I can only get store credit for $39.99. I didnt have the reciept so I took it & bought a brown leather shoe for $39.99. Turns out this shoe was not comfortable as well. BTW, I am not talking about my bad choice of shoes or bad quality of shoes at BCF. The problem is when I went to return it. The girls at counter were not only rude again but the girl tells me that these shoes are marked down by $10 again. SO now I'll get $29.99. I tried to go with reciept this time but it turned out I had return reciept & not the correct one. They tried (tofake like last time) to find it with credit card I used & said they can't. This time I said I'll get the reciept. I go back home & bring teh reciept next day and they give me $39.99. However, I check the same shoe on the rack, it's still $39.999. They lied to me about it being marked down. What the Funk.... REALLY???

Anyways.. the weekend was nice. Shopping as you just heard. Shopping for my upcoming Florida/Miami/Orlando Vacation. But fun shopping was at Century 21 as usual. I just love C21. Not best service but GOOD STUFF & not horrible service. The weather's been not horrible but rainy & still kinda cold. I dunno what to say about that. It's just weird. Like the movie I watched this weekend, The LAst Airbender. I like M. Night Shyamalan & think people are usually hard on him. I usually liked her work. Even the movie Water Lady. But this one.... ummmmm... not so much.... or not at all!! I'll have to give it 4/10. I mean the visuals were good & the concept ain't bad (its kinda popular with many). But horrible direction & acting. Movie is just weird the way it moves around. No character development, no sense & just WEIRD. Anyways, need to do more shopping & prepping for vacation. Thanks for reading, keep visiting & commenting.... JAI HO!!

I am on DIETING... & watched THOR, RIO, King's Speech

You can tell that I am not on diet against movies (but maybe I am on diet of movies). The dieting is against Calories, Carbs & Sugar. I have been on 4 week diet since starting of this month where I am trying to not consume (i.e. eat.. consume sounds like I am a machine... or a FAT guy... which I am not.. totally... not that there's anything wrong with it.. or maybe there is... stop talking!!)

• NO White Flour & White Rice. So only wheat/brown bread & brown rice.
• NO Sugar/Sweet. Basically no desserts, chocolates, sweets or sweetened dishes/drinks. Only fruits & honey maybe (& maybe sugar-free stuff??).
• Less FAT consumption, which I already try. But no Deep Fried stuff or EXTRA Cheese etc.
• NO ALCOHOL (doesn't applies to me, of course!!)

Had a nice weekend in DC. The weather was mostly nice too, surprisingly (except Friday was kinda cold). Got my teeth deep cleaned (finally). Love the new clean look & I hope I can maintain it. I failed to watch Madmax as well on Netflix cuz streaming sucked on Boltbus (on my trip to DC), otherwise internet was fine. Also went shopping at Leesburg Outlet Mall & bought 2 new pair of shoes, one Bostonian & one Dr Scholls. They both seem very comfy & nice, we'll find out. BTW, here's the movie report:

• THOR is nice movie. Good special effects, nice action, decent plot & fun movie. Chris (this guy has some abs on him & good bod.... eww) looks good as Thor, Natalie is sweet as usual & it seems interesting prep-work for The Avengers. I do think Iron Man was a better movie than this, but it goes well along lines of HULK etc. - 7/10
• RIO is FUN. It's a nice fun family movie & very well done. George Lopez, Craig Robinson, Jamie Fox & Tracy Morgan are really good in their character's voices. - 7/10
• King's Speech has great performances which is awesome. Story line is ofcourse kinda expected but it's still fun to watch the movie. Inspiring (maybe) & pleasure to watch movie. (Basically more B/S about ROYALS, if you hadn't had enough dose yet) - 8/10

So... that was my weekend. Hope you had fun as well. Keep visiting/reading & checking/commenting. Refer your friends & family & everyone else to read. Make it POPULAR, more POPULAR.... & have a wonderful time in great weather (I hope you have great weather)... until next time JAI HO!!!

Happy Mother's Day to the best mom in the world, 'my mom'... & all the moms!!!

Today is Mother's day & I want to take this opportunity to thank my mom & all the other wonderful mothers in this world. My mother is definitely the best woman I know of. She is loving, kind, compassionate, understanding, forgiving, very patient (you definitely need a lot of that with me) and one of the most wonderful person I know of. Whatever good or worth I am today or whatever more I'll be tomorrow, she has a huge & important contribution to all of that. Thanks a lot MAA.... & very-very Happy Mothers Day!!!!!

Obama: Osama Bin Laden's DEAD

Obama declared the BIG NEWS: Osama Bin Laden's DEAD!! People all over USA were celebrating, gathered near WHite house, WTC Center & Times Square. And considering I live blocks away from Times Square I thought it would be a shame if I don't show up, so I did. However, I was scared to walk up there as a "brown guy". I thought, I have been learning spanish so I could pull off the Espanol!! Anyways, I went & came back safe, so it wasn't that bad for sure, right? It was alright actually. Looked really GRAND on TV, as most of the things do, specially when they are on FOX NEWS. That's all FOX news was showing and making sure they don't mention Obama's name or give him any credit. NY1 was there too. In reality there were lemurly (i.e. barely) 20 people there, on the south end of Times Square. Cabs/Cars were honking, some waving American Flag. It was still cool. Celebrating the win of USA over Al Qaeda & terrorism. Thanks to President Obama, his team & the soldiers who pulled this off & made it happen. BTW, lots of news/questions/speculations going around since & will be going around for quite a while....

• Is Osama REALLY Dead? I don't know... Obama declared the news so I'll assume its true, right?
• Pakistan was hiding & supporting him? NO COMMENTS. I mean, he was found hiding there next to the big Military Training camp or something. Been living there for YEARS. What do you think...
• Is Al Qaeda & Terrorism finished now? Dunno, I don't think so. But it's a BIG step & great win. It will become Al-Qaedead soon & so will terrorism. AMEN!!
• Are we in danger of retaliation from this? Hope NOT. I have seen heightened security & stuff and I understand the concerns. I am too. But hopefully everything  will be alright... AMEN!!!!

Weather was alright over weekend but lil chilly AGAIN on sunday night. SUCKS... I am on a 4 week diet starting yesterday, will share more later/soon. Until then... Happy reading.. Thanks... & JAI HO!!

Happy Anniversary MnD... from Bryant Park NYC

Happy Anniversary to MnD (the short form I use for my Mom & Dad). Today is their marriage anniversary, a lots of great wishes & love for my most awesome Mom & Dad... I am sitting at Bryant Park in nice cool weather; it's still kinda chilly but nice. The weather has been nice today and most of the week has been good. Its May starting & it's still kinda chilly, which is really weird. But what can we do. Bryant Park is cool, I like it. It has Wi-Fi, has seats, fountain & I hear they have shows & performances here as well. I heard a a lot about Bryant Park but never came here. I must've crossed it put I always thought it as "some park" cuz it's kinda small. From what I had heard, I expected it to be huge & big like Central Park. But it's not, which is good I guess. I had a nice week I guess. Not lot of activity like last weekend but nice..... Keep coming back and feel free to comment & surely check your reaction below. Thanks, take care & JAI HO!!

If you are Smart & Persistent Customer, Good Customer Service may make up for bad shopping experiences...

LONG heading I guess. But this is true, dunno if it's cool though. You shouldn't HAVE to be Smart & Persistent customer to get good service. But I had to. Remember (don't? then read it)my last blog below where I shared tons of bad online shopping experiences. Have sent emails for other issues which are currently on & will try to get whatever solution I can. Sometimes you just gotta act & be persistent on getting right service which is your right. This should give you some hope that if you DO ACT, you can get what you deserve. Here's what I already did...

• Emailed & then called Amazon. Good customer service they got. Just explained what happened & they gave me $7 credit to my order. COOL..
• Called backjoy 2nd time & made them not only refund my money with shipping but give me free upgrade to their highest model (memory foam) with expedited shipping. NICE.

Haven't talked about other stuff in a while I guess (You ppl must've been missing, NO??). The weather is finally getting WARMER, now in April end. Still is rainy/cold sometimes but kinda okay. Been very busy at work (as you can see)... Continuing the Chiropractor & Acupuncture which has been helpful but not as much as I would have liked. & suffering from hurt shoulder (again!!) so off GYM for 3 weeks. Will try to update more over the weekend.... Until then Good Bye & JAI-JAI HO!!!
P.S. Congratulations to Will & Kate on there wedding today (that's all I got for Royal Wedding)

Online Shopping & Service SUCKS??

I am MAD right now, at F-AMAZON. I am an Amazon Prime member & been looking for a Back Pack. I found this nice looking High Sierra Access backpack & chose the one color to buy. Different color somehow had different prices. I decided that i'll order it in evening cuz didnt wanna do it at work. I go home in the evening & the price was bumped up by $7. What the FUNK? Just in few hours, in the same day, the price of particular model i selected got bumped up. All other models/colors are priced SAME. WTF... Online shopping sometimes really SUCK because of this (apart from all other reason - u cant see the stuff in real, no guarantee of quality, sometime, shipping issues etc). I am SO MAD. Like ometimes same happens for flights/hotels & whatever. I have read that sometimes these guys bump up prices jsut for the customer who was looking for it & all that. I kinda like AMAZON but this was bad. Sending them an email complaing about this to see what they can do. I have had other sucky experiences as well.

• Like I recently ordered BACKJOY from backjoy.com, a seat pad to help you lower back etc. It never came to me. Those guys put wrong address on the order even when I gave them right address. WHen I asked for my money back, they tell me they can only return the price but not shipping. WTF?? After long argument, they said they'll put a request. Because of my persistence, I was able to make it alright but will share more about it later.
• I had also ordered Seating-Solution from Amazon, which is a seat cushion. Had great reviews & was nice in beginning. But started getting compressed & doesn't seems as useful now for long use. Also ordered battery for my phone & they guy never sent it to me. They did return my money but I didnt get what I needed in time.
• Reminds me of eBay incident. I bought this watch & accessory set from eBay few years ago & the seller never SHIPPED my item. No response to email or whatever & just disappeared. eBay later disabled her account but WTF?? I lost my money & didn't get anything. Recently bought a head/ear phone too which seems to be broken in few weeks. They didnt send me what I asked for, changed (upgraded) the order & now this. eBay is really SHADY sometimes.
• There is this site I recently found called 1saleaday.com, I really liked it in beginning because of nice looking deals. But the first order of a watch which never showed up was really disappointing. Got few other small things like cuff-links, card-holders etc which are all very poor quality or not really good. I thought it would be my DEALS2BUY.COM (which I like) but...

There is so much I can write now if I think. I also have complains from so many places.... American Airlines is really sucky as I shared my experience I guess (did I?). Had a tussle with Hotels.com, still in progress on that. Can't remember it all & don't wanna fill this whole blog with RANTS & RAVES, but ONLINE SHOPPING sometimes really SUCKS!!

Luray Caverns & Shenandoah National Park

I was at Luray Cavern yesterday. I had never been to a big cave system so this was nice. It's very commercialized with stairs & flooring & lights & everything, but I think it's good (& probably needed). Natural cave system might be SCARY. I already do enough scary things in my life, don't need to add more at this stage I guess. It's filled with speleothems (columns, mud flows, stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, mirrored pools, etc). Cool stuff, huh?? They even have one of the biggest organs in the world which actually plays by hitting on those formations. They have an audio tour there which is FUN (the kids one is even more FUN). Takes around an hour & they have set path to walk around with information from audio tour & rangers available to ask any questions. They also have a very cool but small/squeezed Old Car Museum there with cars from 1800s & 1900s (probably older carriages etc too). It's all & all a nice place.

Also went to Shenandoah National Park for the first time ever (surprising, considering I have been int his area for 4 years). They had free entry because of something which was cool. Drove on Skyline Drive & did hiking on Hawksbill Trail. The north face of Hawksbill Peak is a 2,500-foot (760 m) drop into Timber Hollow, which is the largest elevation change in the park. As per the chart this was supposed to be 2+ hours hike but got to the top in 20 mins straight (AWESOME!!). Like manged to finish Grand Canyon hike in great time too (don't exactly remember though). The whole day was fun cuz it didn't rain as it was supposed to & the weather was nice & I had great time in great company with lots of FUN..... Give it a shot if/when you get a chance & lemme know what you think.

Family song from EK RISHTA... & Fun song from KHAKEE

Jai Mata Di, Let's Rock... Chiropractor/Acupuncture :)

Jai Mata Di, Let's Rock... well, if you are wondering what's this, this is what Himesh Reshamiya used to say as his famous quote on Zee Saregama show; & I like it!! It's last day of Navratri today & y'day was my last fast for this one. Today was supposed to be my Tuesday fast but I'll skip on it for this time, too much fasting going on. Also I had one full week (or more) of all Vegetarian/Vegan diet. Not American Vegetarian where not only eggs & stuff is ok but Fish is considered Veg too (when did fish start growing on trees? may be in US they do, I havent seen it). Didn't go to temple yet but maybe tonight or this weekend. There is only one Hindu temple in Manhattan.

Yesterday I had my first ever Acupuncture session. It was not scary/bad. I guess I have a phobia of needles (as kid, for getting shots, I used to cry even before the needle got in) like most of us. But Acu needles are hair thin & at most feel like a mosquito bite. The Acupuncture Specialist was talking abt Chi & something and how 10 session will do lot of good for me. We'll see... I have been trying Chiropractor (which is ok too) for my back & now got referred to Acu. Maybe I'll write  a detailed blog about all of this. So thanks for reading this... Jai Mata Di, Lets Rock!!

A.A.M.W.

A.A.M.W. - Another Awesome Movie Weekend (after last one)!! That should tell you that I saw movies (more than one) over the weekend. All on Awesome NETFLIX. Here's the list:

• Hot Tub Time Machine: 7/10 - It's a nice fun silly movie. Like Hangover but more crude. Had some shitty humor in beginning but got lil subtle by mid. Good performances & interesting concept I have to say. More fun if 80s was your 'coming off the age' period (not me!!), or otherwise too. Rob Corddry is funny (funny looking, too) and others did well too. Everyone may not be able to connect that well though, & also kinda a stoner movie so not for everyones genre.
• Raajneeti: 8.5/10 - Awesome... It's Indian Mahabharat in modern times Politics world with a hint/touch of The Godfather. I liked it more than Godfather in some ways. Godfather is just an awesome movie, I might give it 10/10. But this movie did very well on some scales. Like taking no sides & making all characters with a mix of all shades. Performances are good, not awesome. Ranbir is good but not awesome, he had scope to do much more. I think Abhishek was better in Sarkar. But the story line, camera work, screenplay & direction is great. Lot of credit goes to Prakash Jha, the director of this movie. I really liked this review of the movie. Maybe should give 9? Maybe write  a separate full blog about this...
• 127 Hours: 7/10 - One of the biggest problem is that you know the plot. You know he's gonna get stuck & then cut his hand to get out. It's all about when & how? But the good thing is, its a true story. James Franco is very good, I like him. Danny Boyle has done great job with his direction. Camera Work is really nice. All & all an interesting movie to watch, but nothing too awesome or mind-blowing about it.

The weather was finally lil warmer over the weekend. Not warm/fun enough for Spring I have to say. Was mostly home except lil shopping/exchange. I had 3-6 months old Trouser pants from Macys & Boots from Burlington Coat factory. I just bought them out of shopping impulse (spent lot of time & chosing & deciding) but found the shoes really tight fitting & trousers too expensive later. I went w/o receipt so they cant track dates. Burlington gave me store credit for $10 less, as the new price on bot was $10 less. However Macys could trace the purchase by scanning the pants and they gave me full refund on my credit card, WOW - I like MACYS. So that was the weekend, hope you had a good time too. Keep visiting, reading, commenting (no one does any more) & enjoying.... JAI HO!!

Happy Navratri-1 2011... Fasting is Good!!

Jai Mata Di.... Let's ROCK. I wish Happy Navratri every year, here's the one from last year & from year before that. So, just wanna say one thing, FYI: Navratri is twice a year... One is Vasant/Chaitra Navratri (around March/April) & other is Sharad Navratri (around October/November). Seems like most of the Indians in US (specially Gujratis) think its only once a year in Winter with Garba & stuff. So I'l be doing my fasting for 1st & last day, which means Fruit & vegetables only diet, same as I do every Tuesday. Navratri-1 2011 started yesterday with my 1st day of fasting and I have my Tuesday fast today, 2 days in a row. And restricted diet for rest of the days. Fasting is good, read this article from New York Times which says that too. So... lets all fast together, get healthier & live life better. JAI MATA DI!!!


One small update I forgot to mention. I went to get my fruit Salad at the Cart on Wall Street but I forgot to take my wallet. I talk to this guy every time I see him, say Hi & stuff. As I didn't have my wallet, he was totally cool & said I can pay next time. Just mentioning here, that how small things like making contacts/relationships & being nice to people can pay in any/many ways & is good....

India won the ICC Cricket World Cup 2012.... & cricket explained!!

Yes, India totally did it. After defeating Pakistan in last match, India defeated Sri Lanka in an awesome match played at Vankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India. I am very-very happy. last time they won was 1983, I wasn't even born then. They really had to wait a along time to win it again... considering Cricket is like the National Sport of India; which it actually is not, the official national sport is Hockey or Field Hockey as american's say it. But India really won & its AWESOME.

You know what, let me take this opportunity to explain cricket here. FYI: Baseball is something like Cricket. In Cricket, there are 2 teams with 11 players each. Both the teams get to Play 50 overs. One over has 6 balls, which means the bowler throes the ball to batsman 6 times in one over. The toss between two Captains decides which team selects to bat or bowl first & the other team does the other. The batting team sends 2 batsman on field to face the bowler. The bowling team does fielding as well, with one bowler bowling and rest 10 fielding i.e. trying to catch/stop the bowl. The batsman run between the two wickets & every one complete run gives one RUN/point. If the ball is hit directly outside field boundary, its 6 runs & if it drags to boundary its 4 runs. If the ball hits the wickets (the tree stumps behind batsman), he's considered OUT & replaced by next batsman. Even if the ball is caught directly after the batsman hits, its a catch & the batsman gets out. There are lost of other details but forget about it for now. Once the first batting team is done playing either 50 overs or until their 10 batsman last (last batman can't play alone), they have a score fro the other team to chase. The 2nd team tries to make that score in 50 overs & within its 11 players (10 batsman to get out). 1st team tries to get them all out before they can make score or not let them make that score in 50 overs. The team with more score at the end wins. SIMPLE!!!

Yesterday was April Fool's Day. I celebrated this day as a smart person doing smart thing. Might have started as a fool actually; someone knows what I am saying.... LOL. So again -> CONGRATULATIONS to all my fellow Indians or Indian Tea supporters for this awesome win, we made it happen. We did it.. Thanks & have FUN..... WE ROCK!!!!!

April Fool... Some funny Practical Pranks!!

So, today's Fool's Day. Read my last blog from 2009 here, pretty interesting actually (like all my awesome blogs). Anyways, enjoy this:

Toilet Trouble

Put a piece of bubblewrap under the toilet seat so when your victim sits, they are surprised by a loud POP!

You Spilled What

Find an old bottle of nail polish that you don't want anymore. Unscrew the cap and set it sideways on a piece of waxed paper, letting the contents flow out into a puddle. When it dries completely, peel it off of the paper. Now you can put it anywhere and trick someone into thinking there is spilled nail polish. Works best on something your victim cherishes or on one of their important documents!

Forgetful

Tape magnets to the bottom of an empty coffee cup, and attach it to the top of your car. Laugh at all the people who frantically try to get your attention as you drive by.

Two Black Eyes

Put a dark substance around the eyepiece of a pair of binoculars (we recommend dark eye-shadow instead of the black shoe polish used in the classic prank of yesteryear). Hand them to your victim and point out something for them to look at in the distance. Then laugh at the dark circles around their eyes.

Trip and Slip

Wait until your victim is in the kitchen. Come in and start filling a bucket with water (tell them you're washing the car or something). Only instead of actually filling the bucket, just pretend. Lift the bucket with both hands, acting like it's heavy and filled with water. Take a couple of steps in the victim's direction and suddenly "trip" and aim the bucket right toward them. They'll duck thinking they're getting splashed!

Do the Splits

Find a scrap of cloth. Place a dollar on the floor and stay nearby. When the victim comes by and bends down to pick up the dollar, rip the cloth loudly. Most people will reach back to see if they ripped their pants. One of the original classic April Fool's pranks of all time!

HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY!!!!

India won against Pakistan in ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Semi-Final

So big news is that India won against Pakistan in ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Semi-Final. Big deal?? Totally!! A cricket match of India & Pakistan is a BIG deal always. And this is Cricket World Cup. Pakistan's PM was invited & watching the game being played in Mohali in India (to see his team lose). Pakistan's Home Minister Mr Malik threatened his players saying "it'll really suck for them if they fix the match or lose" (or something like that, not sure). And they lost.... Bad for them, I don't know what's he gonna do. Or what Pakistani cricket fans will do (throw rotten eggs & tomatoes, they really do it). But you see... one team had to lose. That's how most of the games work. 2 people or 2 parties play & one loses, one wins. Pakistan has never defeated India in World Cup anyways. They just could not again, history repeated itself (right? that's what you say). I am no Cricket Expert to make comments or judgements that 'why this happened' (liek many so called experts or even on the street/train/office/coffee-shop cricket fans are doing). I am just happy India won. My lunch guy was not though. I sometimes pickup lunch from this wonderful cart on Wall Street, great food. It's run by this Pakistani guy... & he didnt seem excited/happy at all. I mean ofcourse he wont be, but he was visibly upset. Sauce overflowing in my platter, not looking good & what-not. He did try to congratulate me (like I made it happen). Even I was congratulating all my friends & family.. why do we do that?? Anyways... Good that India won. India deserves it & so does Sachin. It's gonna happen this time, we will win World Cup!!!

BTW, for all you americans & non-cricket followers, who are saying WHAT IS CRICKET???? I'll write another blog to explain cricket . In the meantime you can click here & read this if it helps. SO, until next time... Good Bye, Good Luck... TEAM INDIA ROCKS, LETS DO IT!!!

BUSY Week & MOVIEs Weekend... Seriously!!

I really had a busy week all last week, very busy, Seriously. You are always busy when you are in New York anyways. Just being in NYC & being a New Yorker makes a BUSY person. That's how I feel -> BUSY, Seriously!! I have been going to gym, not that regularly though. I decided I wanna go to gym in mornings now, but man (& woman too) winter/cold sucks. It's end of March & it's still in 30s (Fahrenheit). Seriously?? That's how/why I start believing in Global Warming (it does sounds more like Global Cooling/Colding though). I am not a morning person, no surprises there. But I am even less of a morning person in cold weather, that I have just identified. So waiting for warmer weather, seriously!!

Weekend was all about movies. I watched 7 movies, I totally did... Seriously!! Here's the list:

1. Invictus - via Netflix Blu Ray through my PS3 (BR is AWESOME & so is PS3!!) | 8/10
2. The Descent Part 2 - via Netflix Instant Play through my PS3 (Netflix is AWESOME & so is PS3!!) | 5/10
3. Airplane II - via Netflix | 4.5/10
4. The Fighter - via On Demand HD on Time Warner Cable | 7.5/10 (On Demand HD is not that awesome, its alright)
5. Limitless - in Theater at AMC | 7/10
6. Battle LA - in Theater at AMC | 6/10
7. Gone Baby Gone - Netflix BR | 8/10

 I am watching lots of movies through Netflix, Seriously!! It's people like me who do not make money for Netflix but so many others do. I rent 2-3 movies a week on Blu-Ray (which is awesome!!) & then watch stuff on Instant Watch too. You can say I am wasting lot of time, maybe. I am trying to control it as well, seriously. But it's fun, lot of fun. What else could I do in this COLD weekend of March end... Seriously??? Anyways... That's it for now. Hoping to have a nice warmer weekend. Thanks for reading, commenting (if you do) & keep coming back... SERIOUSLY!!

Really HAPPY HOLI in USA

So for beginners, here's link to my last two blogs on/for Holi...

Happy Holi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
बुरा ना मानो होली है... HAPPY HOLI!!!!

So now you know what I am talking about.. This holi was different. The most Holi I have ever celebrated in USA. I mean I actually celebrated holi. I played with colors, had Indian food & sweets, had fun with some of my friends & loved ones (ofcourse my parents & sister & friends from India were not there, which is really sad & it sucks... but this is the best it could get). This was not a Desi Party with one Punjabi song (mostly, Mundia tu bach ke rai) playing after every 10 songs & half the ppl doing what they do best; get drunk & dance, or something like that (dunno if you can call it dance mostly).... This was real HOLI celebrations at ISKCON DC. Yes, this was a very decent & nice version of holi, with old people & kids as well with youngsters & adults. But it was Nice, I am Happy. So Happy Holi to me, my parents & sister, my loved ones & everyone!!

(more details might come if I feel like it, or else.... :)

Comedy Central Roast of Donald TRUMP... by Rahul~RT

Last Night was Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump on Comedy Central TV Channel (if you thought it was on some other TV channel, or Comedy Central was a country) where Mr Donald Trump, the Enterpuner & Businessman (if you thought it was some Donald Duck thing or some Card player) was ROASTED (which means made fun of by so called "comedians"). They had Whitney Cummings, Lisa Lampanelli, Jeff Ross, Marlee Matlin, Gilbert Gottfried, Anthony Jeselnik, Larry King, Snoop Dogg, and Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino as roasters & Seth MacFarlane as Roast Master. So, let's see:

• Whitney Cummings only gets to get into this, because some people do want eye candy, even when watching comedy, cuz they dont get comedy, but are there to show that they are smart enough to get it. And Whitney is as much Eye Candy as you can get in comedy world, sorry... She does have a fun-ny name though!! She was good though, I do like her presentation too & she's target of some NICE jokes.
• Lisa.. well she is ideal for a comedian. Fat, ugly, foul mouthed & occasionally funny. And she's racist, to white people.. what more do you really want?? She's nice though... queen of mean!!
• Jeff Ross is one of those few people who get there food & clothes & shelter off of these roasts. I mean we all need to do some charity.. right? He's good on roasts, should watch more of his work, if he does any..
• Marlee Martin is some actress who played deaf role convincingly enough to win an Oscar sometime. She was convincingly retarded even last night, that's good I guess.
• Gilbert is WEIRD... not just his voice but he himself. I can barely hear/understand what he's saying so it's tough to tell if he's not-funny or really-sucks.
• Anthony who? So now they have fresh meat on the roasts just to add more eye candy... for G*Y audience?? Ok.... well, he was kinda funny, so I might accept just on that level.
• Larry King was there, surprisingly... if you don't know, he's alive it seems. And he moves, he talks, & he talks lot of s*%t. He was alright i guess. Never been a BIG fan, but OK
• Snoop Dogg the DOGG is my dawg... I like him. I mean a guy who cant spell even his own name, puts 2 Gs in Dog & can't talk straight YANGLISHHH, can still be all loaded with gold & be rich as a B*&%H. The Brother is FUNNAY!!
• "Situation" is that there was someone called 'Situation' there who really caused a *Situation*. I am not gonna talk much about him, bcoz they already wasted there & our time by putting him on the show & letting him speak. I can't make it any worse. He was amusing to be made fun of & I think that's why they got him there, but they let him speak... REALLY??
• Seth Mcfarlane is great. He just is, w/e... All the great work he has done. He's really good in Family Guy, quite funny voice-over. I really enjoyed his work in Austin Powers movies & even Scooby Doo. & I just love Robot Chicken. Hey... wait, this is not the same guy... OOPS. I thought he just got old, & I have mostly heard his voice or seen him with lotta makeup. I dont know. Whoever that guy Mcfarlane was, was allite I "guess".... U like it, don't you!!
• Mr Donald J. Trump as we know him, the guy who's knows as TRUMP because he plays his own trumpet about himself a LOT. He ofcourse has a good (or very bad) hair guy cuz he makes it appear real (-ly fake). A self made Multi-Billionaire who created millions off of the billions he got from his rich father. I hear he might run for president, well wait for United States of TRUMPERICA where the President would be living in no where but in the TRUMP House in Washington DC, or it might move to NYC, or Vegas. And no wonder, if the whole country gets "FIRED" by him in his game of National Apprentice. He was a good sport I would say, & wish him Good Luck.... Being an ugly (but filthy rich) guy he is, & with a hot wife/cute daughter like that, he needs a lot of it!!

So... that was my ROAST of "Comedy Central Roast of Donald TRUMP". Feel free to comment & I hope you liked it.. & if you didn't, you can go FUNK yourself. This is your RoastMaster Rahul~RT signing off - Sayonara/Dasvidaniya!!

I also want to mention how much I & all of us missed Greg Giraldo, the great Roaster of all times & a wonderful comedian. May his soul rest in peace (if he had one) & may God (if he believed in one) give him & his family lot of blessings!!

Happy π Day

How? Today is 3.14 (2011), right? Yep, it's celebrated as π Day or PI Day... For you non mathematical folks who only know PI/π as PIE, the dessert, the pizza, basically FOOD; should know that PI or "π" (sometimes written pi) is a mathematical constant whose value is the ratio of any Euclidean plane circle's circumference to its diameter; this is the same value as the ratio of a circle's area to the square of its radius. It is approximately equal to 3.14159265 in decimal notation. Many formulae from mathematics, science, and engineering involve π, which makes it one of the most important mathematical constants. Well, guess we all like the other PIE better (atleast most of u). And if you don't, I am surprised you are reading my blog... so, Thanks!!

Anyways, I had a nice weekend yet again (surprise!!!... no, thanks). Watched Rango & Adjustment Bureau (you know how both). Bought 2 shoes at Payless with BOGO offer (Buy one get one half price). I guess they always have BOGO, maybe it starts every Tuesday & ends Monday... First time I bought exact same shoe I already had, this State Street Union Sport Oxford shoe I bought in Boston with Dad 1.5 yrs ago. Also got a pair of nice sneekers for Gym, first time bought brand new shoes just for gym use (What's happening to me?????).... Tried both of them today, one for work & other for gym (ofcourse) & felt okay. I guess it always takes time to break into your new shoes. I do need new leather shoes too (more shoes, what the FUNK). Why are formal leather shoes always uncomfortable for long walking/use? (c'mon... that's why they make/sell separate walking shoes!!).

Had good food this weekend. 2 places & both were good. Tribecafe (Asian Fusion) ofcourse much better, located in East Village or something like that, nice food & good sake. Jackson Diner is $10.95 buffet next to Patel Brothers (which is just AWESOME, I did lot of shopping there again). BTW, there is some shooting going on @ Times Square again, for some movie called New Year's Eve. They were shooting for Ball Drop @ Times Square tonight. Something's gonna happen @ my street tomorrow too in Hell's Kitchen. No idea what but saw the signs... That's NEW YORK CITY!!! However the weather's been cold since Sunday, which sucks. Hope it gets better very soon.... But until next time, Good Bye & Good Luck & Happy π Day!!!

Rango & Adjustment Bureau...

Rango is a movie about an isolated, disillusioned & crazy chameleon who falls in midst of a desert town struggling with water shortage, crime, politics & everything else (recession??). Now the chameleon is quite an actor/dreamer & becomes the heroic Sheriff of the town. When all the remaining water of the town gets stolen from the town bank, he sets on a spree to find the water & the thief unravelling unexpected (really??) secrets which ends up in water flowing all over the town (wastage-wastage). Inspite of the fact that the movie has strong political agenda & message, it's more like a light fun movie. Animation is nice, its funny & boring & exciting & scary (for kids) & all that in pieces. I'll give it 6/10.

Adjustment Bureau is a movie about how Chairman's (god?) agents (angels?) are always following us humans to make sure that we stick the plan chairman has created for us. We do not have free will since 1960; cuz from 1910-50 when we did, we human did lot of mess like depression, world-war, holocaust & all that. So Chairman has his agents with caps/hats/turban/bandana (w/e, head coverage is imp basically) follow us & do any adjustments as required to make sure we stick to plan. So.... watch the movie to find out what happens in this exact movie. But it's kinda nice & fun... I like Matt Damon & Emily Blunt & Terrence & Mckey & others are nice too. I like the quick doors all over Manhattan/NYC to access the whole city, I definitely would like to know & do that. I did want to know who the Chairman is, obvious guess would be Morgan Freeman (if we agree he's black) or Sean Connery (if he has to be white) or Amitabh Bachchan (if it could be Indian, real Indian). I'll give it 7/10.

Maximum India @ Kennedy Center DC: Ismat Apa Ke Naam with Naseerudin & Ratna Pathak Shah

I had a nice weekend & things have been good. Yesterday was my second day at Kennedy Center after last night of fun & frolic (click here to read) with Kailsh Kher, Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan & Hariharan. Today was Naseeruddin Shah's presentation of Ismat Apa Ke Naam by Ismat Chugtai, presented by Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah & Heeba Shah. Three stories narrated by three of them. Pretty good & nice, enjoyed it a lot!!

But I wanna talk about something else here. Atending a stage performance... a play, a symphony, an opera, a concert.... why peopel are so inconsiderate, so stupid? & why are kids even allowed at such things.... why i say that?? In the Kailash Kher concert, people came with kids. It was free show & was kinda crowded. everyone was standing and few parents had there kids on their shoulder... why? People behind them couldn't see the stage (including me). Were those kids even intesrested in something like that? mostly not... but all the people who were couldn't enjoy the performance. Forget about just the kids, many elders were also PITA. It was crowded and peopel wanted to sit, but some peopel just didn't wanna. Which is okay, but then move out of the way of th epeople who want to sit. Go with majority & be supportive in such scenarios... no?? Some people just don't understand & like to be PITA (to make it clear, this was a white American guy in Kailash Kher free concert). In the opera (which was AWESOME) & the play, there were kids talking during performance. One girl was crackling her pack of M&Ms. Even an adult was crackling his chips bag, What the Funk..... Anyways, think about it. Until next time, Good Bye!!

Maximum India @ Kennedy Center DC: Kailasha with Kailash Kher.. Symphony with Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan, Hariharan

Maximum India festival is going on @ Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Today was Kailash Kher performing with Kailasha. It was awesome, lot of energy & fun. He didn't do Allah ke bande though, but what do you want in a free show. Next was symphony by Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan, Hariharan & American conductor Esschenbach & oprah singer Kelly O Conner. That was very awesome. I'll put some pics & more coming soon.....

You can see the video to Kailsh Kher's performance here:
http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/videos/?id=M4508

Beastly, the 2011 movie

I watched Beastly today in a special preview at AMC Lowes Village in East Village (after Bang Bang Club last week). Vanessa Hudgens was there for the preview, she's kinda cute, I guess. Kinda talented too, but need to grow up.. as an actor & performer. It's a movie based on book Beastly which is based on the classic fairytale Beauty & the Beast. I'll give it 5/10 (or maybe 6, cuz I watched it for free).

So, spoiler alert: Kyle (Alex Pettyfer) is a young, good-looking (really?) abnoxious high school boy who's son of a famous Newsman. Lindy (Vanessa) is a sweet girl at same school, kinda likes him but doesn't (like alll girls). Kendra (Mary-Kate, she suits the role of a crazy goth chick.... our sweet Mitchell, what has she become) is some sorta witch. So, Kendra gets insulted by Kyle & curses him to become all tattooed, scratched, metaled & cool looking (better looking than earlier for sure, except those boils on face). He has to get 'I love you' from true love in 1 year to get back to his original boring look, or this cool look will be permanent. So he goes & hides in other side of city (& mind you, none of this is actual New York City.. movie was shot in Montreal), in a coool apartment with his servant lady & a blind teacher (Neil Patrick Harris, who's kinda cool & fun in the movie). Then he manages to get Lindy to stay at his place with him and she thinks of him as a "good friend" while he's falling in love working hard to make Green Hoouse & stuff (basically to get ILU to get free of curse). Doesent happen untill end... I'll leave rest for you to guess as a surprise (if there's anything left to guess...).

NYC is getting cold, kinda sucks. Last night was SOOOOOOOOO COLD. So was today, weekedn was nice for a change but COLD again. When will this change?? Anything else...... mmmmm NOPE. Allite then, Thanks for reading & visiting. Keep coming back... until then, Take Care!!

24 hrs of no-water fasting... OM NAMAH SHIVAAY, HAPPY MAHASHIVRATRI!!

Today is Maha Shivratri, celebration of lord Shiva. I am on a no-water fast for all day. Sounds crazy?? I like it, I always did. I was on my fruit & vegetable only fast yesterday too. That's every Tuesday. I think fasting is good. It's cleansing your body & purifying your system. Considering how much crap we put, system totally needs cleaning, right?? It's also about self discipline & control, which I really like (I am very disciplined & controlled?? LOL).

I went to the only temple in Manhattan - RamaKrishna Temple at 96 Av B. They had all night celebrations with puja & lot of other stuff. They also had a nice Bharathanatyam dance presentation. & then meditation too. That's when I just left. No food & water for more than 24 hrs is getting on to me. So leading now. Happy Shivratri, fasting & just be happy.... Jai Ho!!