R-Rated

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.