R-Rated

Wish you all a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Hope the new year brings you all that you hoped and prayed for. Stay safe and have fun!!

Whatever I said last week about snowfalls, please do me a big favor and throw that "good feeling" out of the window. I guess I jinxed it as Mother Nature was not happy today (She still isn't done) and everyone is feeling her wrath. A weekend in snowy, wintry Chicago will change the perception as to how you look at the upcoming season. So strong was the blizzard this weekend that the New York Giants football team was stranded in Kansas City and they were not even scheduled to play the KC Chiefs. They were to play the Minnesota Vikings at the Mall of America Field (previously the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome) in downtown Minneapolis. A terrible snowstorm did not even allow travel near the state of Minnesota and the old stadium could not withstand the pounding. Here is how the stadium would look on a good day. And here is the stadium today. The city got pounded with snow and unfortunately the storm dragged its feet all the way to Chicago and the rest of Illinois. Sitting in

It snowed this weekend for the first time. Enough said, this is going to be a white Christmas and a long winter to look forward to. With every snowfall comes great complaints about short days and never-ending nights. Depressing to say the least. However, with all those years living in snow-clad regions it is about time we embrace and appreciate the beauty of all things white. Christmas and snowfalls bring about the colors from all the cities across the country with decorations lasting a few weeks to months into the new year. Winter wonderlands come up at communities inviting suburban folks to have a few smiles and gawk at the decorations. Heavy snowfalls are no reason to stay indoors. In fact, they are to be enjoyed outside by building a snowman and having snowball fights with close friends (and enemies if you can find them and entice them for a fight). Snowfalls are to be enjoyed on mountains where ice-tubing and ice-skating are as eagerly looked forward to as a sizzling summer aftern

Thanksgiving weekend, Kirti off to India, what else but get the hell out of town. That I did, in real quick fashion by snapping off a cheap deal to get to New York/New Jersey to meet Sam and Such. What if I had to travel from Illinois to Wisconsin and then fly to New York and get to New Jersey to meet these two, it was worth every mile driven, every mile flown, every dollar spent at the toll-booth and every bit as relaxing as I had expected the trip to be. Talk about much ado about nothing, the airport X-ray scanners and full body pat downs, that is: NOTHING. No one seemed to be bothered and no one raised a ruckus about it at Milwaukee or in NY. Spent the best part of Thursday walking in the cold rain on the streets of Manhattan figuring out our next hot-spot to cover and for a few brain-cramp moments we mistook Bryant Park to be the unmistakable Rockefeller Center, wild enough to think that just because there was an ice rink and people were having a great time that this was it. Even w

Being in touch with family and friends is always a must-do for all of us NRIs. I am not much of a talker but I do call my family twice a week for about 6-10 minutes of updates from both ends. Same goes with Kirti and her folks and her calls last for about 10-14 minutes. What I don't understand is some of our friends have their customary/mandatory calls every weekend and some calls last at least an hour and some even more. My first question every time to Kirti is "What is there to talk to parents for more than an hour?" Both of us are literally at loss for words every single time. Just for the heck of it, I have tried talking to my parents but almost always close to the 7 minute mark, I am done. I have nothing to talk about and surprisingly enough, my parents have no tidbits or in Kirti's terms, no more masala khabar . Even if there is a marriage or an occasion in the family, we just don't go beyond the threshold. Raise your hand and drop a line if you are like one

Back after a refreshing trip to Sin City for the Labor Day Weekend, we immediately got back to the preparations for Ganesh Chaturthi. Traveling to the desert and back to Chi-town literally had us in a tizzy for the rest of the week. I haven't felt jet-lagged in my 5-6 trips to and from India but this 3 hour Red-eye from McCarran to O'hare was just tiring. Reaching Chicago at 5:30 in the morning and then picking up the Boss from the hotel at 8:30 and then staying at work till 5:30 was exhausting, so exhausting that we both dozed off at 8:30 every night for the rest of the week. Back in Vegas, a lot had changed (obviously) since 2002. We stayed at one of the older hotels (Riviera) and it showed. Nicer hotels like the Aria, Cosmopolitan, Wynn & Encore had altered the Vegas landscape. Still the kings of the Vegas Strip are The Bellagio, Caesar's Palace and The Venetian and throw in a mixture of the Mandalay Bay, New York New York, Luxor and MGM Grand. Lots of free shows and

Isn't that the first thought that comes to mind when you are approached by a Quixtar representative or with someone with a "business proposition"? In my 8 years in the US, I have had 6 such moments when I wanted to strangle the person luring me into the world of quick money and fake dreams. First time I had my brush with these folks was in Akron where in the name of a harmless presentation, I and a few of my newbie friends were called to a senior's house. On reaching there, we had a nicely dressed guy literally "setting up his shop" with a white board and a massive dream to sell. Like a storybook, he starts talking about how the McDonald's franchise got where it is today. An hour later, with the hardsell still going strong, the whole group collectively decided on an emphatic NO. Few weeks later with a good "bad experience" about this business proposition, I had another brush with this nonsense. Unfortunately, I was cornered and I ended up with

This past week a very close friend of ours passed away. It was very hard to see her go but her health was deteriorating rapidly and age had finally caught up to her. She lived a full life, traveling to places which otherwise would not be possible without extra effort from our end as well. I have known her since 2004, since my Akron days. Even before Kirti became a full-time part of my life, she was with me guiding me through the initial phase of my career. Found her at a place not far from where me and Kirti called home for about a year. Feel kinda sad that the end had to be this quick considering her heart had stopped while Kirti was with her on her way from work. Initially, we thought that her kidneys had failed and that she needed kidney transplant. But a trip to a doctor made our worst fears come true. Her heart was no longer what we had expected it to be. Strong, reliable and coming through at all times even under deadly pressures. The doctor recommended us to a specialist where i

I am sick of the NBA free agency with the US media hell bent on covering LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and the likes and their tonnes and tonnes of analysis of where these guys should be and would be and shouldn't be and wouldn't be. Nauseating. I have a high running fever; World Cup fever that is. Once in 4 years, the excitement of the world's biggest tournament is just hyped for all the right reasons. Surely it is bigger than the Summer Olympics. South Africa has planned and executed the tournament quite brilliantly, ala the Chinese during the Beijing Olympics. India has got to learn a lot about planning and organization from these nations. Come October, the Commonwealth Games should be a good measuring stick. Back to the World Cup, even the office was hooked onto the Uruguay-Ghana game. Considering there is a colleague from Ghana in our team, that heightened the importance of the knock-out game even more. So much that my boss asked me to update her in case there was any resu

Inhales a deep breath.... Since the last exciting incident in my life (the fire, of course), life has taken a turn for normalcy to return back. With the hectic work schedules playing a major role in my life, getting the 3-day Memorial Day break was a great blessing. Met with 2 of my favorite people and had a blast in Sandusky, Ohio. With camping, laser tag, bowling, Put-In-Bay, water-rides, cycling, endless barbecues, camp fires and recalling good ol' times of the past years in Minnesota, the 2+ days couldn't have gone any better. Had a terrific time in Put-In-Bay. Anywhere we went, we had great weather and a great party atmosphere. Extremely relaxing and a super time off from the mundane life we all lead. And truth be told, my occasional beer drinking took me out of my comfort zone this time around. I did have Sameer to fall back on, just in case . Alas, honeymoons don't last forever. On the way back to Chitown, we were greeted by the most horrific rainfall we have ever ex

This is the longest that I have gone without posting anything. Been busy the last month with work and everything else. Watch this space for more. Something will be up soon.

We finally moved to our own apartment by mid-April. Everything should be hunky-dory right. Well, partly. Great trail behind the house, with a huge lake and a beautiful setting. Just picture perfect. Had a major incident last week. As you might have guessed from the title, we had a fire break out in our home. Blame it on the garlic bread or the fact that we had a container with a plastic lid in the broiler. In fact, it had nothing to do with the garlic bread. Thick black smoke blowing all over the cooking range and a contained flame had me and Kirti running for cover. To make matters worse, the smoke detector in the apartment didn't go off. Rather it was the alarms in the hallway that signaled the fire brigade to pay a visit. Did call 911 for the first time and the response time was great. Couple of cops showed up with a fire extinguisher and quieted the fire. Fire personnel made sure that we won't be using the existing cooking range anymore. Just that we have been eating out si

What is it with me and the Koreans, I mean Samsung, LG and then Hyundai. Loved the Samsung 19" monitor, 50-50 on the LG Chocolate and the EnV Touch cell phone & finally the Sonata. 'Nuff said. Became the happy owner of a 2009 Sonata last night. Got a good deal and couldn't resist. After all, the research did come in handy. But again, with strict instructions from wifey, "Maharani" is only allowed out when "Rani" is not available for use. (Maharani = Sonata, Rani = Corolla). The Sonata is actually bigger than I thought it would be. Quite a comfortable ride and per the manufacturer, great on great mileage (like I would buy one without a decent return on a gallon of gas). I am also pleased with the 5-star safety rating and the 6-standard airbags and of course, the looks. Soon enough, by the looks of it and the general trend that I am following, I am going to be in with the Koreans and out with the Japanese. There was a time in 2006, I was sure I was go

Tax season is upon us and the due date for filing is quickly knocking on the doorsteps. Thankfully, got ours done this week and got a good tax consultant to help us out with it. Every year I think, we can get this done on our own and then reality strikes when I know someone can bail me out better. Same story this year as well. Past years' consultants never recommended opening an IRA or a 401(k) account, but this year, our consultant insisted we open one for atoning for past years' lost money :) More than ever, I am relieved that we finally got our house that both of us liked, its close to work and that rent is affordable. The 'hunt' was very frustrating and ironically we ended up in a locality where we had already checked out quite a few apartments. A dangerous situation occurred last night. For all the right reasons, the temperature in Chicago was 80 degrees, the house started heating up and we ended up sweating all evening. So after dinner we start watching a movie an

Watched the Filmfare Awards for 2009 last night. Was so disappointed that I wanted to let it out in this post. Past years' awards used to be long and never ending but the excitement and the performances were something the whole family used to look forward to. Javed Jaffrey used to be tremendously funny and confident as a host. Missed him doing his usual routine. In the recent years, the performances were 'taped' prior to the awards at YRF studios and then shown 'live' to the audience. 2003's Kal Ho Na Ho set the trend for homosexual jokes between Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) and Saif Ali Khan (SAK) and that further spilled onto insulting the film industry folks with their sometimes witty and sometimes crass humor. SAK and SRK indeed put up a slightly watchable performance and their take on Shiv Sena was brief but funny. Karan Johar, who seems to be everywhere, doesn't seem tired to host these shows but fails to give a good movie everytime. I don't understand af

We are exactly where we were 2 weeks ago. That is, no house yet. Got the DL, paycheck etc. All good there but severely lagging behind on the most important thing. Watched the Oscars last night and no surprises that The Hurt Locker swept all the major awards that it was nominated for. Saw the movie while I was in India, thought good movie, no big whupp!! Avatar was a major disappointment but at least it made a gazillion dollars. Madam Sidhya turned 4 this past weekend and the birthday party awaits next week. With the antics that she is up to now, God knows what's in store during the party on the 14th. A major search is underway for a nice car as the Corolla is on its final legs. For those who know me, know that I was hooked on to a Hyundai Sonata then, am hooked on to it now too. Sooner or later, a Sonata is going to be standing on the driveway. Work becomes heavier and the schedules tighter than ever before. Lots of responsibilities handed over and as usual with anything, Failure i

Got the (work) engine restarted last week and the 4 work days just breezed past me. Looking at long work hours for the next few months. Absolutely want this to happen after months of futility in India. House hunting going on at a very slow pace. Nothing affordable and convenient at the same time available to zero in on. Taking things lightly as moving out is not an issue currently. Got the first glimpse of falling snow on Saturday and surprisingly, it felt good inside. Missed this environment a lot while on the sabbatical in India. Now that I am back for long, the cold winter is also a pleasant sight. Short one for today. Will be back to my monster-blogs sooner than later. Cheers!!

Exactly 7 months have passed since I reached India with a mind full of uncertainties, anger and a sense of desperation to get back to the US; just any part of the US would do. As luck would have it, I made it back to Chicago this past weekend for a long-term assignment with a client of ours. Lots of people would say I am darn *lucky* to make it back to the US to be with my wife, not realizing the heartbreak I have experienced in those 7 months that I have been away from her, *unlucky* to have my visa denied when things seemed hunky-dory. I would gladly trade away my 3 trips to Bombay and 1 month in Europe to being in the US continuously without a break in between. But, at the same time, I am sort of clear in my head now, with my standing in my company and the exposure that I have received since being at the nerve center of the organization, Bangalore. Equally importantly, being in Bangalore has given me the opportunity to look at the way my company operates and this India experience ha

Made a quickie to Chennai over the weekend for some 'official' work. Details about this official work to follow in the upcoming blog. The last time I was in Tamil Nadu, it was way back in 1996 and on a trip to Chennai and Madurai with parents in tow. Just wrote Class X exams (then) and (the whole family) wanted a breather. No vivid memories of the city from back then but where I was put up during this trip certainly left a good impression on yours truly. Auto's still trying to rip customers not accustomed to bargaining or not from the city or state at all. Thanks to the advice of a colleague, my wallet wasn't (that) lighter after the hefty extortion, I mean, the hefty charge to go from Koyambedu to Royapettah. The cruelest and mindboggling part is that ALL autos are equipped with electronic meters. Fair game right, wrong. One colleague who had been to TN many a times, recalled that while Jayalalitha was the CM, every auto had to use the meter, but as power changed hands

The initial part of this blog is in reference to the horrendous outpour of affection shown by our former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda towards the Karnataka CM B S Yeddyurappa (BSY) calling him a Bloody Bastard and a Kannada version of an SOB (Son of a Bitch, for all those unfamiliar). While it is too graphic and frankly, too funny, I believe the actual term used was Bosudi Maga . While this news has been more than a week old, I couldn't resist writing about this. Karnataka politics is already in deep shit thanks to the Reddy faction ganging up against BSY and his cohorts, this chapter darkens the mood further. My initial memories of H D Deve Gowda from the early 90s is that of a silent politician who rarely spoke (and who probably rarely acted upon). I distinctly remember a Doordarshan footage of the PM and his entire family boarding the equivalent of the Air Force One for a vacation in Africa. I guess public opinion was pretty high of him then allowing him such kind of liberties

Back from a very good trip to Aamchi Mumbai for Christmas and New Year. The journey to Bombay was anything but. The Hell-Ride A regular 19 hour bus ride compounded to 24 hours and that too in an ST bus. Last minute ticket booking did not help the cause one bit. Left Bangalore on December 24 via Majestic for a 4PM start through Karnataka and Maharashtra. While I was booking the ticket, I knew that I would not be travelling via the comfortable Volvo but little did I know that the 'downgrade' would be this nasty. A little while past 3:45PM, after an uneasiness to locate the bus to Bombay, I stumbled upon an old lady to ask whether the bus had arrived. To my heartbreak, she pointed to the bus behind me and said, "Yeh raha Mumbai ka bus". An old ST bus crammed with people and luggages. I get to my seat, the very last row of the bus, which unfortunately seated 6 well-built men, including me (and when I say well-built, one was a Yokozuna, you can imagine the thrill-ride I ha