I haven't blogged in almost 3 years! And during this time I did irreparable damage to my blog when I deleted my picasa.com account, and all the images on my blogsite got deleted! As I scroll down I realize that there are many images that I would never be able to reload on my blog, and without which those blog entries would be incomplete. That's sad. But that's okay!
What has happened to me?
It is interesting how infrequent I have been at blogging!
Only 5 blog entries last year! And this is the first entry for this year - we are close to the end of the third month. I am busy is not the reason for not writing. In one of my blog entries last year, I had described myself as "dead within". I believe that state is still continue. Otherwise, I would have definitely written a blog on 17th November.
Only 5 blog entries last year! And this is the first entry for this year - we are close to the end of the third month. I am busy is not the reason for not writing. In one of my blog entries last year, I had described myself as "dead within". I believe that state is still continue. Otherwise, I would have definitely written a blog on 17th November.
Still number 1 on gooogle!
Search for "Chicago Snaps" on google images brings up my blogsite even now with the the top two images being from my post on June 27, 2010. Interestingly, it does not show the original Chicago photos posted on April 12, 2012.
An Old Flame Never Dies!
I returned from Ahmedabad yesterday, leaving Poornima and Vedika at Poornima's parents' house. Little did I realize that this was a good time rekindle an old affair! An affair was the last thing on my mind. But all "affairs" of our youth have a uncanny ability to resurface when we grow older!
I believe that I drive well. I have driven more than 40,000 miles in last 5 years. My Nissan Altima has clocked more than 1,20,000 miles on it! When I bought it 4 years and 11 months ago, it has just crossed 79,000 miles. The car has served me well. It runs as good as the day I bought it. It has never broken down on me ever. Only time I remember being stranded was when I left the lights switched on, when I parked for the day, which caused the battery to be drained. Other than that, with regular maintenance, and the car has served me well. Next week when I go back to the US, I will turn it on after a gap of 6 weeks! That'll be its test, which I am sure it will pass. I trust my Nissan Altima. It's as dependable as a car can be. I respect it. Respect, it deserves!
It is always a pleasure for me to drive in India! Am I kidding? No, not at all! It's always a pleasure for me to drive my golden Getz! I did a lot of research before buying my first car, and I am glad that I bought a Getz six years ago. It's smooth and comfortable ride adds to the luxury of its spacious interiors. I am surprised how well Hyundai engineers have designed the car. My hatchback Getz has more leg room in the front and the back, than my Altima, which is a sedan! When you drive a Getz, the best part of it, you realize, is its magical gearbox. The smooth changing of gears, and the quick pick up on that account, makes one realize why manual transmission cars are sold at a premium in US. I would surely pay more for my Nissan Altima, if it had a manual transmission like my Getz!
Unlike my Altima, the Getz is lightly used. It has run over 28,000 kms in 6 years. However, it's super well-maintained. Baba takes really good care of my car. Probably, much better than if it were his car. So it's always a joy to drive my Getz, when I come to India. This time we took it to Pune. I touched 140 kmph on Mumbai-Pune expressway, and I am sure no one would have realized it had I not told them. So smooth is the ride, even at that speed! Just put it in 5th gear, and let it go ...... vroooooom! All you wish it had a cruise control. It runs so well, all you need to check is your temptation. Keep that under check, and you are fine. I like my Getz. Whether on an expressway or in a city, Getz is the best friend I got!
Whenever I come to India, I am eager to drive my Getz. In my last visit I drove it home from airport. This time, I was more pragmatic, and waited for a day before setting my hands on the steering wheel. But since the day I drove it last month, I have been driving regularly. I have probably driven close to 3,000 kms in a few weeks. I drove my Getz so much, that I totally forgot I had a bike.
With just about 3 days left before I go back to US, I rode my bike in the town for the first time today. What a fool I was! I had to ride few hundred meters, and I was floored! Oh! What a joy! What a fool I had been! I ignored my bike for so many days. The power of the engine. The cool breeze flowing against my face. The ease with which I overtook cars and auto-rikshaws, that were stuck in traffic. All the pleasure of riding my bike was back with vengeance. My bike brought me back sweet old memories. I remembered how I zoomed at the speed of 110 kms per hour on Eastern Express highway almost every single day to office. I was overcome with awe. It was like falling in love all over again! Oh! my TVS Fiero! My sweetheart! I respect my Altima, I fancy my Getz, but I just love my Fiero!
My bike just completed her 10th anniversary, but it is as exhilarating to ride it as it was 10 years ago. I have not been married long enough to invalidate Congress minister Saiprakash Jaiswal's comments that an old wife loses her charm, but I can say for sure that an old flame never loses her charm! I just had to ride my TVS Fiero to prove that!
I believe that I drive well. I have driven more than 40,000 miles in last 5 years. My Nissan Altima has clocked more than 1,20,000 miles on it! When I bought it 4 years and 11 months ago, it has just crossed 79,000 miles. The car has served me well. It runs as good as the day I bought it. It has never broken down on me ever. Only time I remember being stranded was when I left the lights switched on, when I parked for the day, which caused the battery to be drained. Other than that, with regular maintenance, and the car has served me well. Next week when I go back to the US, I will turn it on after a gap of 6 weeks! That'll be its test, which I am sure it will pass. I trust my Nissan Altima. It's as dependable as a car can be. I respect it. Respect, it deserves!
It is always a pleasure for me to drive in India! Am I kidding? No, not at all! It's always a pleasure for me to drive my golden Getz! I did a lot of research before buying my first car, and I am glad that I bought a Getz six years ago. It's smooth and comfortable ride adds to the luxury of its spacious interiors. I am surprised how well Hyundai engineers have designed the car. My hatchback Getz has more leg room in the front and the back, than my Altima, which is a sedan! When you drive a Getz, the best part of it, you realize, is its magical gearbox. The smooth changing of gears, and the quick pick up on that account, makes one realize why manual transmission cars are sold at a premium in US. I would surely pay more for my Nissan Altima, if it had a manual transmission like my Getz!
Unlike my Altima, the Getz is lightly used. It has run over 28,000 kms in 6 years. However, it's super well-maintained. Baba takes really good care of my car. Probably, much better than if it were his car. So it's always a joy to drive my Getz, when I come to India. This time we took it to Pune. I touched 140 kmph on Mumbai-Pune expressway, and I am sure no one would have realized it had I not told them. So smooth is the ride, even at that speed! Just put it in 5th gear, and let it go ...... vroooooom! All you wish it had a cruise control. It runs so well, all you need to check is your temptation. Keep that under check, and you are fine. I like my Getz. Whether on an expressway or in a city, Getz is the best friend I got!
Whenever I come to India, I am eager to drive my Getz. In my last visit I drove it home from airport. This time, I was more pragmatic, and waited for a day before setting my hands on the steering wheel. But since the day I drove it last month, I have been driving regularly. I have probably driven close to 3,000 kms in a few weeks. I drove my Getz so much, that I totally forgot I had a bike.
With just about 3 days left before I go back to US, I rode my bike in the town for the first time today. What a fool I was! I had to ride few hundred meters, and I was floored! Oh! What a joy! What a fool I had been! I ignored my bike for so many days. The power of the engine. The cool breeze flowing against my face. The ease with which I overtook cars and auto-rikshaws, that were stuck in traffic. All the pleasure of riding my bike was back with vengeance. My bike brought me back sweet old memories. I remembered how I zoomed at the speed of 110 kms per hour on Eastern Express highway almost every single day to office. I was overcome with awe. It was like falling in love all over again! Oh! my TVS Fiero! My sweetheart! I respect my Altima, I fancy my Getz, but I just love my Fiero!
My bike just completed her 10th anniversary, but it is as exhilarating to ride it as it was 10 years ago. I have not been married long enough to invalidate Congress minister Saiprakash Jaiswal's comments that an old wife loses her charm, but I can say for sure that an old flame never loses her charm! I just had to ride my TVS Fiero to prove that!
Quote for the Day
I am reminded of the words from Hindi poem:
दुःख मे तुझे पुकारू
सुख मे तुझे न भूलू ।
Vedika Speak
When William Wordsworth wrote "The Child is father of the Man", did he mean that a child teaches us so much, as if the child were our father. That is one interpretation of this famous quote. But it is probably not the correct interpretation.
Anyway, when you spend a lot of time with a child, even a toddler, you realize everyday that you learn so much from the child that you are filled with awe and wonder! So it is with Vedika and me. She teaches me so much every day that sometimes I wonder who is the parent, and who is the child!
Of the many things that Vedika teaches me everyday, one is her language. When people inquire about Vedika, I say that she is 20 months old and learning to speak. I pretend that I am teaching her language. The reality is that she is teaching me her language. She puts me to test every other moment, and rewards me with a smile or a heartfelt laughter when I get it right!
If you were to talk to her, here is some of her language that you might need to know.
- बाळ = वेदिका
- बिदीदी = वेदिका
- पुनना = पूर्णिमा
- जेपकाश = जयप्रकाश
- शिता = शीतल
- अंका = Uncle
- बिदी = बेदाणे
- अक्का = आक्रोड
- मम् मम् = खाणं
- पापा = पाणी
- पूआ = पोळी
- डुसा पूआ = डोसा
- तुपु = तूप
- दुदु = दुध
- शाका = साखर
- भाता = भात
- दाई = दही
- बिक्की = बिस्कीट
- चा = चहा
- जुसु = juice
- बी = bread
- आंडा = अंडं
- केआ = केळं
- आक् किम = ice cream
- इड्डी = ईडली
- शिरयाल = cereal (corn flakes)
- बादान = पिस्ता / बदाम
- माका = मका
- मिनि = मेंढी
- डाची = duck
- घुआ = घोडा
- काट्ठी = rocking horse / hindi song लकडी की काठी, काठी पे घोडा
- बाक्की = बकरी
- माशा = मासा
- कुकुक = कोमाडा / कोमडी
- पिज्जी = pig
- शाशा = ससा
- Q = alphabets
- घस्सी = घसरगुंडी
- झुका = झोपाळा
- पू = फोन
- पीपीप = गाडी
- गाई = गाडी
- गादी = घडी
- पापी = पप्पी
- बटा = butter / butt paste (diaper rash cream) / मला butt paste लाव
- डाप्पी = diaper
- अब्बा = hair band
- ईआ = Poem book - Old Mc Donald had a farm ee-aa-ee-aa-o
- पात्ता = पत्र
- वाया = पंखा
- तोया = stroller
- फुटा = photo album
- वाकूम = vacuum cleaner
- ऊआ = ओलं
- साबा = साबण
- ढेकी = ढेकर
- शापिन = shopping
- काट = (shopping) cart
- सान्ना = sandals
- पांगुन = पाघरूण
- जिं = jeans
- पाई = pant / पायजमा
- शौक = socks
- टिपो = टोपी
- बाए = बाहेर
- जुजु = झोप
- घी = घे
- बशी = (तू) बस / (मी) बसले
- दिदि = दे
- दी = दे
- दिस्सी = दिसली / दिसला
- chin = (diaper) change (कर)
- कान्ना = मला खांद्यावर घेऊन झोपव
- उत्तु = मला खाली उताराव
- नु नु = no, no.
- दाका = धक्का
- पक्की = पकडा
- बदुन = बंद
- धुआ = धुवायला
- हत्ता = हात / मला हाताला गुदगुल्या कर
- पाया = पाय / मला पायाला गुदगुल्या कर
- काखे = काख
- दाता = दात / tooth brush
- नाका = नाक
- मान्नी = मांडी
- बेबीम् = बेंबी
Boredom was seldom so boring
And the sad thing is that it isn't even killing me. May be I am already dead ... within.
Labels:
Mood
You Never Subscribed. Click Here to Unsubscribe
I get mail emails from many newsletters that have a link that says "Click here to unsubscribe". That's a good way to let people opt out out mailers that they no longer wish to read. However, what irritates me is that I get these emails from mailing lists that I have never subscribed to, or I don't remember subscribing to. When I get such an email I am in two minds whether I should unsubscribe or mark it as spam. Till now, I have resisted marking such emails as spam, but I am sure some day my limits of tolerance will be crossed, and I will start marking all such emails as spam.
Another Sad Day
May 13, 2004 was one of the saddest days of my life. Yesterday was another, and more so. What happened was not unexpected. Everybody was preparing for it for last 3 days, or longer. Me too. Yet when I heard the news that Bal Thackeray was no more it hit me hard. It is interesting how my grief grew slowly but surely over next day a half. Probably my first reaction was, "Well it was coming". And then when I thought about it, I was moved to tears. Some months back I had commented that I felt as if I am dead within.So it was surprising that there should be tears in my eyes. I was surprised that this heart that I thought had died had the capacity to feel so much pain. On call with Chandragupta and Baba, I shared my grief. That was Saturday morning (US Central Time). Then I went about doing my things with my heart heavy with grief. In the evening I went to Hindu temple at Madrid, Iowa, for Diwali celebrations. Briefly the grief was forgotten. When I came back at night, grief took hold of me again.
The next morning was no different. I woke up not very upbeat, and as the day went on the thought of life without Bal Thackeray was slowly sinking in. In the evening I thought I should see videos of what's happening in Mumbai. I went to youtube and searched for videos of Bal Thackeray's funeral.
At the back of my mind was the thought that my life will never be the same again. As a teenager in Mumbai in eighties and nineties, Bal Thackeray was a towering influence on my psyche. No day passed when I did not hear something from or something about Bal Thackeray. I remember his speech in Ghatkopar just after Ayodhy episode. I remember his reaction to the movie Bombay. "There is nothing to be apologetic about (Shiv Sena's participation in Mumbai riots)", he had said. He was the only politician in India to oppose the Mandal commission. He was also the only politician who publicly took credit for Ayodhya. His historic protection of Hindus in post-Ayodhya riots kept Hindus of Mumbai alive. When asked by reporters that he scares certain people, Bal Thackeray said emphatically, "Of course they (those who are anti-national, and anti-Hindu) HAVE to be scared of us"! Beyond all these, there probably are more reasons why I adored Bal Thackeray. I know, emotionally my life wll never be the same again.
Maharashtra has produced three really, really great leaders in the 20th centuary - Lokmanya Tilak, Veer Savarkar and Bal Thackrey. The last of those left us for heavenly abode last week. May his soul rest in peace!
Labels:
Bal Thackeray,
Hinduism,
Politics
Our struggles
Sometimes when you hope that your battles would end, you realize that it is just a beginning. When you think that you are too tired to fight anymore, you realize that there is still a long struggle ahead of you. You wonder how you are going to face the future. "How am to face tomorrow? Whence will get the strength to fight"? And yet you go through it all the same, without resigning, without giving up what you believe in. Years later when you look back and ponder what you benefited from your struggles, you realize that what you were fighting for was not as valuable as the self-belief you gained from your struggles.
Labels:
Self-belief,
Struggles
From Less News to No News
In October last year, Google News introduced an option to show more or less news from particular news sources. It didn't take me long to make good use of it, and I wrote about it here - Less News from Times of India. Despite that I still came across some links from ToI on my Google News page. Today, I found that Google has introduced an improved feature, which I hope eliminates news sources from bogus news sources. I quickly updated my preferences to:
Labels:
Anti-National,
Journalism,
Junk,
Times of India
Some games just lift your mood!
I can't say this was my best game on Chess.com. However it was definitely one of the most pleasing wins I have had since I started playing on Chess.com three months ago. It was Sicilian Najdorf (which reminds me of Pradeep Paranjape), and I was playing white against C Arindam from India. Here's how it went:
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Be2 Be7 8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O Nbd7 10. f4 b5 11. Rae1 Qc7 12. Kh1 Bb7 13. Bf3 Rfe8
14. e5
When I get computer analysis of the game tomorrow, I will know whether this was a correct move. Although not sure of the merit of the move, I took the risk with it. And the game continued -
14. ... dxe5 15. fxe5 Bxf3 16. Nxf3 Nd5 17. Nxd5 exd5 18. Qxd5 Bxg5 19. Nxg5 Nxe5
I had not analyzed the position till here, when I played 14. e5. However, we had reached this position, and it allowed me to play an exchange sac with
20. Rxe5
He accepted the sacrifice.
20. ... Qxe5
That quickly brought the matter to close with -
21. Qxf7+ Kh8 22. Qh5
(22. ... h6 23. Nf7+ followed by Nxe5)
1 - 0
Cute little victory! :-)
Labels:
Chess,
Sicilian Opening
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