Monaco

This is indeed one of my longest journals in the blog cause believe me I still am not done about our travel. The last time I stopped the journal, I was in Cannes. The beautiful French Riviera. Let the Journal begin…….

After strolling for about 45 minutes or so, we hopped into our car and headed towards Monte Carlo, the capital of Monaco.
Monaco, I have always been fascinating with this country primarily because of the royal family. I shamefully accept the fact that I love to and I still follow their life styles. Princess Carlonine, Stephanie, Andrea… I guess a way to entertain myself once in a while. Anyways, An independent sovereign state located between the foot of the Southern Alps and the Mediterranean, Monaco was simply BEAUTIFUL. We did not get to stroll around the city as the place was quite jammed by the racers from the “ 58th Grand Pix.”

Michael Schumacher could be seen on the big Screen TV hanged outside the Stadium… sadly, I did not get to really seem him in person. The interesting thing is that back in my high school days, I had a picture of Michael Schumacher in my room from the Grand Prix victory in Monaco. And Now, here I was.

Our drive was elegant. Ferraris and Lamborghini’s surrounded us. BMW and Mercedes just seemed like any day-to-day cars. It was one of the posh areas we had ever seen. The whole outlook of the city was extravagant. It seemed like Money grew in that City. Rich people everywhere….

Monaco was again! LOVE at fist sight like the other cities. We stopped to take the picture but then were quickly shooed away by the policemen. I had read in the lonely planet book that Monaco, being a small city had policemen in every 100 meters of the city. Policemen everywhere…

We very much enjoyed driving in Monaco. It was gorgeous. The houses were colossal. Wonder who lives inside those palaces? As we slowly entered the French border, the clock ticked 9:00 clock. Even though it was nice, the night still looked quite young. The sun had just bid farewell for that night. That was another thing that I really enjoyed driving in Europe. It would be 8’ o clock, but it actually felt like 5 with the sun shinning so brightly. Our destination for that night was to go to Turin and spend a night there.

Turin looked quite far away in our map……. Almost 300 km so we came to an agreement on making a stop once we entered a big city in Italy. At this point, we had been driving for almost 9 hours and was getting bit exhausted. Prasanna was tired.

The roads winds on. The car behind us never gets any closer. The steam is more a hologram than anything else. I grazed a puddle and the nose of the car was tugged to the right but released just as quickly. I keep both eyes and ear open for the night. The night.. that never seemed to end...

Soon we were in Italy. As it was quite dark, we could not tell much of a difference from France, other than the language and the sign of the road. The hills looked the same to us. Since it was Friday night, there were people everywhere. Young crowd to be exact. The restaurants looked opened. Yes!!! We can finally have a nice dinner we both thought. Since the town looked so lively, Prasanna decided to drive even more. I really wanted to end our journey for that day at 10:30 at the most. He kept on insisting on going to this place called “Savona.” I wanted to get a good rest that night and wanted to make an early start. After making a constant request Prasanna agreed to take the next exit.

Now our worst nightmare continues..… The first few hours were very painful.

I want to continue my journal.The excitement and adventurous part is yet to come. However, my throbbing stomachache is not letting me do that. It is really bad. I feel weak and exhausted. It’s the girls thing.. I have already had Tylenol, but the situation is not getting any better. I guess I just have to rest and drink.

On the side note, we went to see “ Da vinci Code” on Sunday. I really liked the movie and would have enjoyed even more, had I not had the stomach ache. Lots of people had told me not to have high expectation i.e if you have read the book. I have already read the book two times, but my excitement level did not change one bit.

Saturday, we went for dinner at Anju di’s place. She is one of my relatives.Along with her, and I also got chance to meet myother cousins whom I had never met. The food was great. We had a great time.

Europe..continued..

The Journal is not done yet.

We are still gallivanting around Europe.

Barcelona was wonderful.

I really enjoyed the Cathedrals and the building by GAUDI. I find his architecture absolutely fascinating.

We also made a point to go to Gaudi's other buildings and his Parc Guell to see more work of this visionary who even though had build these building around the turn of the century is still today ahead of his time. The more we traveled the more we liked. The architecture really does define a city. I depicted Barcelona on the whole as a small working community where everyone is considered important for what they bring to society. After our visit to Barcelona, we headed towards Marseille and Toulon, France. The very SOUTHERN tip of France. Our target was to make a stop at Perpignan, France which was sort of a mid point between, Toulon and Barcelona. We were both HUNGRY and were bit exhausted of driving. We made a stop. We really hoped the kitchen would not be closed. Sigh! GUESS what… No luck!!

We were in front of a lovely restaurant with a gigantic menu,nevertheless we could not make an order and was left with a wine and beer list on our hands. We were left to scratch our heads becoming exasperated by some idiosyncrasy of the city. The poor waiter again shrugged his shoulders and said dryly in his thick French accent, "The kitchen is closed.”

That night we were welcomed with the delicious French Lamb and wine made by our French friend,Jean Domini. He is a native of Toulon, and the next day, all three of us went for a wine tasting. We had a great time. Have we had more time, we would have definitely extended our stay in Toulon, cause the wine tasting with French was indeed a Great experience.

Saint Tropez, Nice and Cannes were our Next stop. The French Riviera on Côte d'Azur was the love at first sight. Right in front of us were the beaches, the blue sea and the elegant people…You could hear the OCEAN. The familiarity of this sound was immediately comforting. We parked, Grabed a sandwich and walked towards the beach.

As I walked to the edge of the cliffs and faced the sea, I felt the salted wind whipping up from the black void. I heard the surf below and though I saw nothing, I invigorated knowing that I was standing on the rim of the famous French Riviera.

We spend about 40 minutes enjoying the view and made a quick stop over at Nice and headed towards Cannes. I was ecstatic. For past 4 years, I have always followed the Cannes Festival. Back in the school days, I would wake up late night just to see the Festival de Cannes and here I was right in front of the RED Carpet. There were polices everywhere, news Reporters everywhere. The city itself is described as a "star" of the French Riviera, famous for the International Film Festival and the glitzy hotels, cars, beaches. TALKINAG about CARS!!! The roads were crowded with the exotic brand roaring like bullhorn naming from the Maseratic, Lamborghini to Ferrari. The picture above tells it all.. 3 ferraris in a row.. W-o-W

I was desperately looking around for Aishwarya Rai. Celebrities inside the Mercedes were sliding in and out from the Hotel. Roads were blocked everytime some one came to the Palme d'OR. Since, Aiswarya Rai was one of the jurys she surly must have been there. I really was hoping to see her, unfortuantely no luck. I just had to console myself with the advertisement board of LOREAL with Aishwarya Rai in it. But on the other note, we did see some Famous European Stars and I managed to wave at one of them who gleefully waived right back at me. YEAH!!

We also took a stroll along the Promenade des Anglais. In front of me was the same shockingly gorgeous scene I had viewed on my computer screen.

Oh How beautiful it was..

Passport to Europe

Feel tired.. Real shallow. Right down where the leg connects the hip. Just got back from the Gym. Had not been there of almost 2 weeks. I guess I have forgotten how to run. Sorry for the long silence. My classes are over and I was in Europe with Prasanna, my husband. It was a great mini vacation for us. Sort of excursion I would say.

We managed to go to Switzerland, Spain, Southern France, Monaco and Italy.

Our first stop was in Zurich. Zurich has a gorgeous modern airport. Surprisingly, I love airports — well, the good ones anyway. We had rented a car. A cute Mazda =) I would have preferred Nissan. (I have worked at Nissan therefore I am a loyal Nissan fan =). Since Mazda was a Japanese car, I cared less for Nissan. After Excitingly hopping in the blue car, we drove to Interlaken. Interlaken is considered the gateway to the Berner Oberland, a major part of the Swiss Alps. Driving in Swiss was simply beautiful. I became absolutely transfixed. Gazing out from my window, stretching farther then the eye could see were the Alps. I had no idea how immense in scope these mountains were. It looked like an ocean of mountain peaks and valleys.

The Alps, the Green meadows and the Great Lake… Really you can’t ask for more. After spending two nights in Geneva, we drove down the southern France. After almost driving for 8 hours we made a stop at “ Montpellier.” And Yes, we also managed to go to Nims, the supposedly “creator town” of the “DENIM” jeans.

They say that travel broadens the mind and challenges our preconceptions. Exploring Europe was GREAT!!! The vineries, the roads, the elegance.. the whole mixture is indescribable. Did we manage to get lost… Umm.. I would say here and there. But….what fun and adventure is it if we don’t?

One of the downfalls of our trip this time was the FOOD =) Apparently, the entire kitchen closes at 1:00. In Geneve, we had no luck with Fondue. Poor Prasanna, he really was very much looking forward to having the fondue. Every time, we made a stop for lunch, “ Sorry, Madame, the kitchen is closed” a lush and sensuous voice would say. Argghhh.....Our option was Baguette; we practically lived off the typical French cusine for dayyysss. Baguette, cheese and wine.

Barcelona was our next destination. The drive from Southern France to Barcelona over the Mediterranean sea was B-E-A-U tiful. The roads were bit curvy, but other than that the Drive was superb. We were both very excited to see Pradeep dai and Srijana. We were so excited that we got lost =) Pradeep dai had explicitly told us to follow this “ Ronda” thingie (the supposedly roundabout to enter inside Barcelona) and while trying to find that" RONDA De Dalt", we realized we had way passed the city of Barcelona. We had a make a one hour de-tour and yes, thanks to the nice Spanish people, we managed to find their lovely apartment and along with that also met an interesting fellow who seemed to know quite a lot about Nepal.

Weather wise-- We couldn’t have asked for a more brilliant day. Crisp and autumnal with a cloudless sky. Barcelona was beautiful. One feels different just being there. Walking the streets, you sense the heaviness of its long, influential history. Even the architecture, with its thick stonewalls, echoes the weight of its importance

And we also managed to go to the FCB Museum in Barcelona. Since Barcelona had just won the cup by beating Arsenal, YEAH!!!! it was a real treat for us to get to see the REAL trophy. I was excited!!!

I guess I should stop it here.. But not worry, I am not done. I still need to write about our most exciting trip to Flamingo dance,Cannes and Monaco and how I saw(not) Aishwarya Rai, the famous Indian Actress =)

Rainnnn

Apologies for the long silence. It’s good to be back.

Rain Rain.. go away....

It has been raining like anything for a past couple of days. Hot water in our apartment has been shut so that we do not take shower..All we have is COLDDD WATERRR

The landlord just came in and told us to flush the bathroom only for a minimal amount… well only if we really have to. Our neighbours downstairs are moving out of the apartment cause their apartment is totally flooded. At this point, I am glad we did not get the room in the basement.

The whole of Mass and New Hampshire is under the “ Flood Warning.” More of rain is yet to come. Weather channels shows rain for another couple of days. uugghhh..

Saw the movie “Sideways” and “Constant Gardener” over the weekend.Nice movie.. Both of them.. Sideways was fun.. all about wine drinking.. Swirl, smell and taste.

We did little bit of shopping over the weekend with mausi.. Saturday night, we had a dinner at Muna aunty's place and it was really nice. The food was excellent.. I can still taste the "Khashi ko kebab."

Today is Monday..Apprenctice day!! looking forward to watching it :)

WALK FOR HUNGER

Musing on summer can be a bit dangerous, especially when we're about ten degrees short of actually being there. Yup! It has been raining like anything..and I have learnt my lesson quite well.

What a day yesterday! Rain Rain… and more rain that was sucessful in drenching me from head to toe..

I am in the midst of writing papers and all… so been in a hybernation mode for a while. Days are rolling by and soon.. it will be Summer.

Let’s see what has been happening in my life.

Weekend was fun. Prasanna had his friend was at our place. They will be moving from Delaware. Another additional friend to join in the Budhanilkhanta group I suppose. Chalphal was very interesting. The title was: Republic vs. Monarch. Both the gentlemen, Pradeep dai and Nishcal did an excellent job. Kudos also goes to Atul for a superb presentation on Constituent Assembly. And last but not the least.. to Prasanna and Shailesh dai, for organizing the event.

Sunday, we decided to go for the Walkathon. THE WALK for HUNGER. We walked for about 7 miles. Started from Harvard Business School and ended at The Boston Commons. It was a great experience. For both Prasanna and I, it was a first time. We had a sticker on our jackets saying it was "1st time." There must have been around 20,00 people. Everyone looked happy.. Volunteer would applaud and cheer on every mile which was truly encouraging.The event was like 20 mile walk, however, we decided to join later on only walked for 7 miles. It was fun, marching and gulping lemonades and and to top it all off, the weather was just superb! At the end, we were all treated with an ice-cream.

Mausi, is here in Boston and we are having fun.

On the side note, I got accepted into the MBA program at Suffolk. :) It is called Global MBA with a focus in global aspects of Business. I am very excited.

Lord John Browne

Lord John Browne. I still cannot beleive the fact that I actually saw his speech. I had watched the interview of this great gentleman in the BBC, CNN, and Charlie Rose and today, I was watching him giving speech right in front my eye.

This afternoon, I decided to attend the MIT Sloan school of Management “Innovative Leader” series. The purpose of this series is to bring the most visible and successful global leaders to share their business experiences.

Lord John Browne of Madingley is the group CEO of the BP, British Petroleum. He is also a director of Intel and Goldman Sachs. He holds a degree from Cambridge, Oxford and Stanford and was voted “ Most Admired CEO” by Management Today.

The lecture was about the “ The Purpose of Business.”

What I really liked is when he said, “Business must be run at a profit, else it will die. But when anyone tries to run business solely for profit, then also the business must die for it no longer has a reason to exist.”

He also outlined the great oil-digging plan in :

-Turkey
-Azerbaijan
-Georgia

This plan had been going on for past 16 years and will so take place in the next two years. This also reminded me of the movie “ SYRIANA.”

Listening to his speech, I realized how one has to be patient in-terms of growing the business. You have to make a long term plan of not only immediate future but future of "next 10 –20" years.

Yup! Lot can happen, but we need to go one if you want to strive the best.

Business above all is about optimism. That’s the basis for investment. A belief that the future can be better than the past

I am sure he must be in his mid 70's but he still had that power and suavness is his voice that sucessfully conquered the attention of the entire audience, I being one of them.

In conclusion, despite the rainy weather, I am so glad that I went to attend this lecture series of such a great Leader!

Rwanda

I meant for this to go on the last post, but I conveniently forgot to write it. I saw the movie “ Hotel Rwanda” yesterday and was in the verge of crying. It is such a sad movie, but the reality has been depicted very thoroughly.

Since I was just in NY, protesting for "Genocide" in Darfur, watching this movie made me realize how imperative it was for the government to take action against such killings.



The movie is about the rival between the HUTU and the TUSIS group.

Ten years ago some of the worst atrocities in the history of mankind took place in the country of Rwanda and in an era of high-speed communication and round the clock news, the events went almost unnoticed by the rest of the world. In only three months, one million people were brutally murdered.

The protagonist of the movie is Don Cheadle. He plays as a house manger in a Hotel in Rwanda. When he sees that the world will not intervene in the massacre of Tutsi, he summons extraordinary courage to save the lives of over a thousand helpless refugees, by granting them shelter in the hotel he manages. With the rabid militia at the gates, he has only wits and words to keep the refugees alive another hour, another day…………

The most heartbreaking part was to see the little kids who had to be victim of the HUTUS militia. They wanted to wipe out the "second" generations Tutsis by killing the little kids. It is a must see movie to understand the world and the HUMAN RIGHTS!

Wyclef Jean sings for this movie and one of the prominent line is “ Why cannot AFRICA be united as United States and United Kingdom.”

This movie also brought down my attention to the current Maoist situation in Nepal. We might be not aware, but exactly same thing is happening in Nepal. People are being brutally murdered, Innocent people being looted, and children becoming orphans. This needs to stop. The Maoist have expressed dissatisfaction over the reinstatement of the King. Hopefully, the new parliament will help solve this on-going issue.

See this movie as a reminder not to be indifferent. “In a way, to be indifferent to that suffering is what makes the human being inhuman. Indifference, after all, is more dangerous than anger and hatred. Not to respond to their plight, not to relieve their solitude by offering them a spark of hope, is to exile them from human memory. And in denying their humanity, we betray our own.” - Nobel Peace Prize Winner Elie Wisel

Weather wise, it is beautiful in Boston = )

Amnesty International

The Semester is almost over…

Walking around campus this time of year is always a treat. There's a lot of stress, obviously, as finals come bearing down on everybody but a few annoying miscreants. But that's combined with an excitement to be done with the semester and an appreciation for the warmer weather =)

I have a big Accounting Paper waiting for me on my class tomorrow. As I have mentioned in my previous blog, I have been bit occupied with my school projects.

Here is my quick update on what has been the exciting news… These events need a special blog, but it is worth mentioning on this one as well.

I was in New York last Friday for THE AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL’s Human Rights demonstration. The main issues for this year was:

· Genocide in Darfur, Sudan
· Political Repression in Ethopia
· Femicide in Guatemala
· Corporate Complicity in Internet Censorship in China.

Our venue was:

· UN building
· Sudanese Consulate
· Ethiopian Consulate
· Guatemalan Embassy
· Chinese Embassy

It would have been fun to see President Hu’s reaction but I believe he was in DC with President Bush.

What a great day it was!!!!

This was my Second Demonstration for Amnesty. The first one was at Copley with the Amnesty for “ Child Labor” in Nepal.

This is all I am going to write for now, but I will be writing my experience in detail. It was indeed a lifetime experience for me.

Good news for Nepal. The King reinstated the dissolved Parliament and the people are celebrating the victory rallies. Hopefully everything will be stable now. However, with the Maoist demanding the unconditional constituent assembly election, we actually cannot be sure of anything.

- Try finding me in the picture above =)

So long for now!

Musical Weekend

This weekend has been A “ MUSICAL FIESTA” for me. Attending from two days of Music Conference and istening from the great ustads and Pundits has been an extravagant experience.

We ended our great weekends with the concert from “Jagit Singh.”

However much I would like to go in detail, I cannot at the moment because of my assignments. I am in midst of making a “Cash flow” analysis and I need to urgently get back to my work before I get drifted into the whole addictive internet surfing world.

Today is the PATRIOTS day and the BOSTON MARATHON. I just took a quick peep outside the window... people are gathered in the road and getting ready for the PARADE :)

I will be posting the details...promise!

I would also like to update the fact that the garden of blogging will be dry for a while. Must finish a MASSIVE assignment, along with attempting to write up.So, I may have random snippets up here, or various dazed thoughts; most likely not a whole lot for the next 3 weeks-1month.Just FYI...this garden is temporarily experiencing a drought.

weekend rundown

Ah. Well, it's been quite a week. I've had lots of good snippets of conversations about deep, and not-so-deep ;) things. I'll probably leave it at that…

I will give you a run-down of a few interesting events:

Friday was bit relaxing. Since it was Friday, I really had no mood to study; however to free myself from the so–called guilt situation, I did manage to study for a good 2 hours. In the evening we made a quick drive to the "Barnes and Nobel" and enjoyed the company of white chocolate mocha along with some lonely planet books.

Saturday was an OK day weather wise. Was fairly a gloomy day. However, we made an effort to go outside and enjoyed the not- so- lovely looking day. For few hours, we hid ourselves in the secluded area of The Tang Center at MIT and enjoyed the soothing view of Charles River.

Evening was a nice one. We had a small get together are Bhawesh dai and milu’s place. The food was excellent and it was nice meeting with everyone after a long time. I also feel proud on the fact that I drove all the way to SALEM :) back and forth

Sunday, we made a so-called brief stop at the mall.

MALL--- this is my depiction

The mall. A horrific place, to be sure. Full of unimaginable terrors and blood-curling sights, things that will drive even the best mankind has to offer to insanity. I'm being generous, of course, the reality is actually much much worse. At least to my mind. See, I, being shopophobic tend to be very goal-oriented when in a shopping center. Go in, get what you need, and go out. The long line and the crowd intimidate me. Efficiency is key. Stragglers will be shot. This is no place for mercy. Once in a while is fine with me, but if this becomes a regular routine… I cannot handle it.It is a torture

For whatever reasons, shoe shopping is one of the chief horrors in my life. The smell is so horrific. Then you have to do the whole process of finding the right size. You find the right color and choice, but then there is no size. Finally, you find the right size and the colour and then, of course, there's the whole business of trying them on. Etiquette has it that you can only try one on, so you wind up walking around like an idiot with two different shoes on trying to determine how well the new one fits.

In summary, I have to say, we bravely ventured onto the pavement of that notorious pedestrian Mecca, the Crazy wrantham Mall. =)

Called home on Saturday. Situation in Nepal is getting worse everyone was saying. No one knows what will happen next. Civilians are raged against the ongoing violence, curfews and the monarchy. This time the situation looks serious. Will Nepal become a republic nation? Hopefully, something good will happen soon. It is about time, the whole chaos needs a complete FULL stop… for good!

I was reading the article titled " Hats off to the pre-democracy activists," by Krishna poudyal. Very nicely written and very encouraging one.

They have a special two hours “Apprentice” tonight and I have to miss it cause I have a group study. I guess I cannot compromise since I have the class.. if it was something else there was no way I was going to miss it. Sigh! I wish..

Katie Couric

Contrary to what many of you may expect, I was actually somewhat glad to hear that Meredith Vieira was going to be replacing Katie Couric for the NBC’s “Todays” Show.
Wow, I was quite amazed by the amount of publicity the news got.

Yeah, yeah… Katie turned down the 20 million dollar deal for the new role at CBC, which was estimated to be about 15 million. It is sad that she is leaving the show after 15 years, but hey, calm down!! We can still see her at “60 minute” and the “CBS Evening News,” What's up with all these chaos?

Anyways, Let me reflect back to this week, which astonishingly passed by quite swiftly I must say.

Weather wise.. It was quite sunny today. I went to the gym and did the usual routine.. , ran for about 2 miles, did the elliptical machine for 25 min and did some weights. Did not feel like doing the Yoga. I did quite a bit of studying.. my head still hurts! Too much staring at the computer I suppose or too many crunching of numbers.

I am just flipping through channels right now. I am waiting for Seinfield… not really sure what channel it actually comes on at.

Hmm…. Whatelse...

A lot has been done and a lot has been said in this world that amazes normal people like you and me because of the audacity of the doer or sayer to do or say things that are just contrary to common good sense and courtesy and are extreme in their philosophy and intent.

If you live under the sincere conviction that people can only hurt you when you allow them to, you will suffer far less emotional injury in your lifetime. I guess I just confused myself.. I have no idea where this topic popped out from. It popped out like the can of worms and suddenly it entered my vein forcing my hand to type it.

Well You out there.. be careful with those DOERS AND SAYERS!!

My bike needs some air in the tyre. That is on the to-do list for the weekend. I see people biking down the bike trail. I cannot wait to do it myself…

Weekend.. Nothing special is planned as of yet.. Again! It is going to be a CARPE DIEM one..=)

Crazy weather..

What did I tell you about the weather? I had said anything, I mean absolutely anything could happen in BOSTON and it did. From the utmost 70s, it dropped to the low 30s today along with a rain and we are supposed to have an inch of snow tonight.

I do not know what the weather holds tomorrow. There are days when the sun hides. It is gone for so long, you are not sure you will see it again.

Global warming everyone says!

The weather moves around the globe, but humans move around their environments too. We will ebb and wane, and flow, and regress. Some days we will be moody, and some days muddy. Some humans are sunny ten days a week, some see snow as their daily forecast. But all humans will change one day or another. It’s worth it to give a 70%-chance-of-rain person a chance where for that one-day they become temperate and beautiful. =)

It is worth it to see that your sunny friend may hit a period of intense cloud cover and moisture city. We talk about the weather changing as a matter of social discourse. We feel our own weather in ways much deeper.

What does the weather vane in your own heart sa y?

On the side note.. Weekend was nice. The weather made it even nicer.

Dining at "Dali" was fun. =)

Dream

Passing the Dream

She sat on the bench, feeding the birds.
Just throwing crumbs, not saying a word.
I sat down with my beads and braids,
Proclaiming what a mess her generation had made.
I spoke of poverty, and the war in Vietnam.
What is the use of going on?
She replied softly:
"All my life, I have worked for change.
Today, I give you my dream.
You can make a difference, with the small things you do.
The future is entirely left to you.
If things go wrong and you feel down,
Open your eyes and look around.
Don’t look for someone to blame.
Search for an inspiration, to rise again.
The changes you make may not always be seen.
But perhaps you can give a child the chance to dream.
So get to work, and maybe find
A small solution to help humankind.
All my life, I have worked for change.
Today I give you my dream."
Today I decided to take a walk.
I passed a teen loudly playing his boom box.
He turned his music down low.
And we chatted for a minute or so.
He spoke of the homeless, and the streets filled with crime.
Couldn’t my generation have found the time
To ease some of this discord
By feeding the hungry, and housing the poor?
I replied softly:
"All my life, I have worked for change.
Today, I give you my dream.
I hope you make our world a better place.
But you must work diligently; just keep pace
With the changes and dreams of the generation to come.
But with a little luck, a small battle may be won.
Someday, we will merge. And in them you will be
The older generation looking back to see
How you have answered all these questions you ask.
Fixing tomorrow is now your task.
All my life, I have worked for change.
Today, I give you my dream."
Penny Caldwell

SPRING

I did not go to the gym today. Intolerable stomach cramp. Already have had 2 Tylenols and yet the cramp has not subsided. It surly is going to be one dreary day for me.
Rather than wasting my time sleeping, I decided to get up and make a fresh round of coffee and enjoy the morning routine of reading newspapers regardless of the pain.

I slip out of my pajamas,put on my rough looking jeans and quickly put on a cap to hide my rugged look and headed outside. The puddles ahead of me loomed large and soggy. With the remnants of a bad back, I attempted to step around them with as much agility as I could muster.

Why is there a puddle when it is such a sunny day? Maybe some inconsiderate person tried to wash their car and did not even manage to clean the mess. Usually, I use my front door to check my mails, however, since I had no exercise today, I decided to use the back door and this is what I had to deal with.

The puddle with just enough depth to force me to get my slippers wet, stared at me saying, “ I dare you to walk on top of me.” Why would I want to ruin my day walking on top of you, I thought, and quickly closed the door behind and walked back to my apartment and used the front door.

I was beginning to get exhausted. Exhausted of not doing anything. My stomach pain is not getting any better.

I got an email from my brother this morning. He had sent me a picture of “Sakura.” Cherry blossom. So, I guess SPRING has arrived. Looking at those pictures, I was reminiscing back my days in Japan. We used to live in a place called “ Sakura Shimanchi,” which means town of Sakura, and during this season the streets would be filled with Sakura. Over the weekends, all the roads would be blocked and there would be concerts, games and picnics. Really nice time of the year and I would just love riding my bikes enjoying the sakuras. It seems ages now.

The picture above is nearby my parent’s house in Tokyo.Across their apartment, they have a a long canal surrounded by sakura trees which is very popular for running, jogging, taking your dog to walk..all sort of doing relaxing thing. I used to run along this canal every night in summer with cool summer breeze. Three years back I was in DC around the spring time and it felt like Japan. Sakuras everywhere.

Well, spring is officially here. At least as official as weather gets around here. Sure, we could have six inches of snow tomorrow and nobody would bat an eye, but we'll just trust that won't happen. Knowing BOSTON, anything could JUST happen.

Let us speak no more of winter. And we also get to enter daylight savings time. That's always something. Beats setting the clocks back, anyway, though then you get an extra hour of sleep. And, of course, spring also means Easter. On the way back from my gym, I always notice one store with the decoration of bunny and Easter eggs. I don't know if its just coincidence that it happens during spring, but it's fitting regardless. So the whole thing is just cool. Well, warmer than it was. You get my meaning, I trust.

On the side note, Day light saving will start from Second Sunday of March, next year. That’s not Spring, it is WINTER , Thanks to the 2005 Energy Policy Act)

That said; let me end this blog as my throbbing pain is haunting me. A round of hot milk and hot shower will do me good.

Prasanna’s friend from school, Sagar dai and his wife are here from Delaware and they will be joining us for dinner along with Motu dai and Ishwar dai.

Have a great weekend!!

Beautiful day

Another beautiful day…

It is one of those days where you want to stay in the pool and happily soak up the sun.It looked sunny but as I was slowly walking home from the gym, I was bit disappointed when some clouds threw me into shadow.

Where did the SUN go??
Opening my eyes under my sunglasses, I stared straight up into the sky where the thunderheads were rolling in, one after another like celestial anvils. Storms mesmerize me.

Here is how the scenario looked like: Picture a stormy ocean in your head, now whitewash it: turn the deep blues to a transparent azure, the whitecaps to a brilliant white against the blue and the shadows beneath the wave crests from dark to charcoal grey. That is what the sky looked like, pockets of thunderheads with menacing gray centers.

These crazy weathers!!! they are like chameleon changing their pattern whenever they want. Really hard to trust them… and now look at this… all the thunderclouds are gone and it is sunnnnnyyyy again.

Dreams

A while back I started to get this déjà vu moments that would knock me off by my feet.Suddenly I would see something and it would bring back almost total but vague recognition of something I had felt there before. It’s really hard to explain. Dreams I had, I assume, would flood my mind, having dealt with that place. I would see the things I had seen before and feel the way I felt. It was more a flood of emotion than anything else. Welling up and overtaking me.

There is a time, I think, that this all stems from. In between sleeping and waking up there is a period where I hate dreaming such dreams and hate realizing they are slipping away. It is a terrible deep down sickness that makes my eyes squint and make me roll over and stuff my face in the pillow.Arghhh! There is so much physical distance in them; yet the difference in concept is uncanny.

It is bit ironic, if you look at the Nepali calendar, where they actually have the translation of your dream. Somehow it cannot be any more obtuse. Like really, if you see a bottle of a beer in your dream.. You will have a great source of income..

So much for the dream… What else…..

I’ve been going on a journey, a wild ride, a rush of emotions like a roller coaster, and now the wind is dying down.

Keeping up with WSJ somewhat seems impossible. Everyday, the newspaper feels more and more thicker. I guess it is good that Prasanna has an immense interest in reading this. Usually, he recommends me to read the article of his interest (which usually matches my interest as well) and then only would I take the initiative of reading it. Otherwise, it is just quick skimming...

For instance, I am currently reading an article titled “ Democracy isn’t Western,’ by Amartya Sen, a world renowned economist and a Nobel Prize winner in Economics. What I strongly agree with this is on the idea that the determinism of culture is increasingly used in contempory global discussions to generate pessissimism about the feasibility of a democratic state, or of a flourishing enonomy.

I would not have known about his article had it not been for Mr. D. Sometimes, there are so many articles and I have no patience to go through each one of them. My solution is to quickly read the headlines and my the time I need the editorial section, I am already tierd. But for the articles recommended my Prasanna, which are usually interesting ones, I usually make an effort to do the detailed reading.

I have a class today.. so I gotta go and prepare.

With that, I close my labtop and give you a hearty farewell… Adieu!

rest..

Just got back from the library after finishing the 3 hours of studying. My brain needs a rest.

I am sipping my first round of coffee for the day. I do not even remember the last time I had the coffee, the home made one. It really has been ages. Suddenly, I have become the fan of the “ boost.” Let me assure you the fact that I have not regretted making this change =) this was also one of my ways of escaping the mundane routine.

I feel surprisingly very relaxed today, considering the fact that I ran for almost 30 min and Must be the yoga I suppose. Yes, I finally did the honour of going to the class. Today was my first day, and I have the urge to fly.. fly….fly very high! It was very relaxing.

The music does it all.. some sort of chant... so soothing..

Let’s quickly recapitulate my weekend shall we…

Friday- Shailendra dai and Sanjay were at our place for dinner. We had a nice jazzy and candle light dinner.

Saturday- We had initially planned to finish couple of our errands, but to our dismay, the weather did not play his part. As it was not one of the pleasant Saturdays, rather than hastily getting up, we decided to have a relaxed morning. After having a quick breakfast.. Croissants and tea, we got ready to go to the "Tax session" hosted by the Net-Nep organizations. The session indeed was very beneficial for both of us being a newly married couple and the credit definitely goes to the excellent speaker Mr. Shambu karki.

Later that evening, we went to the Surprise party hosted for Anil dai and Neevs, (the to-be bride and groom) at Motu dai’s and Ishwar dai’s residence. The party was a blast. Meeting with Sebs and the Connecticut gang was fun =) one of the main highlights of the night of course was the beautiful songs sung by the great singers.. Motu dai and Prasanna. Om bikram bista’s song is still humming in my head… The party was great. Thanks to Sebi dijju.

Sunday was bit busy day..…. Lot of studying needed to be done.. Therefore, we were in the library till 11:00 at night… yeah.. it was a long day.

Just turned on the MTV.Spring break in on. It would take an eternity to recount the 'adventures' of Spring Break. I had come to Boston for my First spring break…

Wow.. it seems ages…

The weather is absoultely gorgeous outside. Must be in upper 40's. I want to Run.. everyone in running.I can smell SPRING and just thinking about this makes me SMILE. The next to do chores in my list is to repair my bike. the tyres are all flat... I am excited to ride my bikes again!!!

I have absolutely no idea how to end this blog. Everybody knows that the ending shouldn't be abrupt. Rather than boring you by dwelling into my redundancy or writing some banal thoughts, I suppose it would be very advisable for me to put a full stop to my blog at this minute.

Sayonara.

There.. it was not that bad… =)

MIT 50 K

“ Tere lie ham hain jiye, honton ko siye” - From Veer Zara

It was my first thought, this morning aside from the alarm clock, which is less a thought than a reaction, there was a song. It happens every now and then; I will wake up with a song resounding in my head that I have not heard in a while. But this was different cause; I had recently watched this movie. A powerful soothing song about love and destiny, the lust sin, and the mutual torture, which binds us together. It stuck with me this morning, forced by every step, measured by every breath, strikingly beautiful and foreboding.

This was the music that encapsulated my day… =)

What else…
The semi final round for the 50k was on Tuesday at the Stata Center, the most funkiest buildings at the MIT. The room was clustered with hundreds of eagerly waiting participants and somewhere in that crowd nervously stood our team, BOTICA.

There were 150 participants, and among that, 40 were going to be selected, so I guess the ratio was 1:5. To our dismay, our team was not selected. Jay, the chief developer of our team had really worked hard. In hindsight, we were probably a little optimistic with the revenue streams in our business plan. Nevertheless, everyone in the team still believes that the business and technology of our venture is viable. We'll see where this venture takes us.

This has definitely been a great experience for me. I got to meet or I should say, network with some wonderful people and one of our team members got the award for having been involved in the most number of projects.

The speaker for the event was a lady called Linda Rottenberg, a Harvard and a Yale graduate and who had successfully opened her own venture called “ Endeavor.” Such a strong lady who never capitulated despite the ghastly comments she got regarding her venture ideas. One thing that really struck me was when she said, “ Do not worry if people say your idea is CRAZY, you might need to only think back, if they do not say anything about your idea.” Fair enough!!

Her story about pursuing her dream was very encouraging. The most interesting one was where she practically went to wait infront of the men's bathroom to get hold of a person she wanted to meet. WOW!! I really admire her for taking her dream this far.

The event overall was very interesting. I found the atmosphere to be very casual and cordial.I am looking forward to going to the Final event. Two years back, Vinod Khosla, the venture capitalist at Silicon Valley's Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers was the guest speaker.

Aside from this let’s see what else is happening…

I got an A in my midterm paper for Accounting and yes I am thrilled. Accounting being one of my most disliked subjects, I was really ecstatic to get this grade. The weather is REALLY gloomy today. The forecast claims the temperature to be in upper 40s; however, it seems like in lower 30s. It is quite cold.

It is Friday night today. Yeahhh.

I just got back from the GYM. I was deprived of the energy today. I do not know why. I just could not RUN. I feel drained. Therefore, inorder to recuperate myself, I am sitting with a big cup of " BOOST." =)

Looking out of the window, the weather is making me go into a long blissful sleep.

Sweet Dreams

Yup, I have realized that I have been bit behind writing the blog.

It is about 1:00 in the morning. Prasanna is doing his office work and I decided to give him a company in this wee hour and supposedly write a blog as well.

We just had a dinner. Pad thai, masaman curry and some mike’s pastries for desert.

Nothing new has happened recently..

Let me recollect back…

My Thulo daddy was here in Boston. He came from Mississippi for a meeting for two days. I had not see him for almost two years and it was a wonderful to see him. I was very very excited. I was actually in MS with them for four longg years. Even though it was a very short time, we really had a great time. He will leave back for Mississippi tomorrow.

What else… I have become a very big fan of “ BOOST.” =) Actually, I have become very addictive and drink like two cups a day.

My blog may be representative of my train of thoughts… the thoughts which is not making an absolute sense. Streamlined forward in one dimension, but very fastly moving, clunky, and awkwardly belching .

Forgive the inability to articulate; although my writing is decent..I think

I guess you can blame it for the late hours.Speaking about hours, it is almost 2 now. 2 in the morning and Prasanna is still typing furiously. What is he typing I wonder...but I dare not disturb him. My battery in the labtop is running low and I really cannot be bothered to plug in the outlet.

I guess the only solution now it to bid farewell.

Good night.. sleep tight..

Relaxation

Happiness is …relaxing in preparation of impending relaxation.

Had a wonderful weekend. Also well invigorated this morning. I went to the gym and did brisk walk for 40 min and some weights. At this time, I can barely walk. I am assuming I am out of shape AGAIN!!!!

The last two days has been gorgeous. Bit cold but Thank GOD the Sun was out. the days has been BEAUTIFUL. I love being able to go outside without bundling up.. Coats, scarfs, gloves… Not that I have anything against these clothes, mind you, but still. It's a nuisance. Depite the outlook of the day, I nontheless try to dress very warmly. I have learned the lessons on my occasions.

Friday, I was successful in making my first Lasagne. =) Both Prasanna and Sanjay are my alibis. Really, it turned out quite good for the amateur level.

We decided to relax with a movie on Friday night.

Syriana.( Parking played extra favourbaly that night)

What a beautiful movie it was. George Clooney really deserved that Oscar.
The movie has succeded in depecting the role of “ Corruption.” How sometimes, even though you know it is wrong, you do not have any choice but to keep quiet and act like nothing has happened. Yup! It is difficult to do it this way, but that is how how society is molded. While watching this movie, you come across the situation like this in numerous occasions.

This is a definetly a must see movie. You will also get the clear picture of the role of the AMERICAN governmet abroad.

Saturday was very relaxing as well. Spur of the moment, we decided to drive down to Cape Cod, Plymouth to be EXACT. And I am very proud to say that I drove for 3 hours that day. I drove and drove and drove. The place was beautiful and yes, I did see the Stone with 1620 written on it.

That night, we had dinner with Shialendra dai. Initially, we wanted to eat at “ DALI,” the Spanish restaurant but the wait was for almost two hours. As it was so ludicrously improbable to control our hunger; we decided to go to “ Atascia, ” the Portuguese restaurant in Cambridge. Even though, the wait was for about 50 min, along with the GREAT company ( Mr. D and Shailendra dai, the two most gregarious guys =)) and the great ambience, it did not matter a whole lot and the FOOD was simply DELICIOUS.

Sunday was a laid back day. We both headed to the gym and latter in the day, we manged to do little bit of studying. We wanted to go to the St Patrick’s Day parade but really could not be bothered to.

It is cold Monday today. Really windy. I can hear the wind swooshing by my ear.

I just read an article in the Time magazine about the GOOGLE founders. Those guys are impressive. The owner of the $ 100 billion empire that is dominating the internet.. The most fascinating thing is how far they have reached in order to fulfill the needs of their employers. The most surprising thing for me was having a “Salon.” isn’t it.Their stock price has already soared to $475, from $85 and expected to reach $600 at the end of the year. WOW!

Who would have known two ordinary PhD guys from Stanford, now literally conquering the Internet world.

I guess it pays off to become a risk taker.

Is the life of non-riskiness; is the life of fear, sitting at home, and being oh so comfortable really worth a penny?

It's probably worth a lot more in terms of wealth, monetary wealth.

But can it hold a candle to ecstasy ??

On the side note, I am currently flipping through the pages of WSJ (I am tying my best to become an avid reader). “ The case against Vitamins” is the title. I am one of the gobblers of the “ Centrum.” And the motive behind is in a bid to ward off ill wealth.

Let see what this article has to say. I am excited to show this to my hubby who is always tells me to take the supplements =)

So long for now.

Rejuvenating thoughts.....

I was in an alternate reality for the past few days. I was journeying, walking along a road. And here I am now; miraculously resting until the next headwind or bog picks me up. The journey was fun! ...Superb I must say

Today is the last day of my medication. I am getting better. The flue is gone.. dry cough, still exists! I really do not feel the compunction to write, but I feel like I should write something for I have been in the hibernation mode for a while. =)

The exciting news first—

Yesterday, I met with Randal, the winner of the APPRENTICE show last season. He is the Rhodes Scholar and got his education from MIT, Oxford and what not. I had the 50k meeting(Yes, I am involved at the MIT 50k competition and hopefully our idea will get selected for the semi-final round) at the Marriot hotel in Kendal square and as we were wrapping up, this huge guy with a black over coat comes down the escelator.

He looks somewhat familiar. “ Isn’t that Randal from Apprentice,” I ecstatically told Jay, my fellow colleague who also happened to be the fan of the show?

Yesss...

We hurriedly walked towards Randal, shook his hand and had a brief talk.

My first question to him was “ Why did you not let Rebecca, (his competitor) to be the Apprentii as well”? Donald Trump had actually asked him if he would let Rebecca to be an apprentice as well.

“ I was clearly the winner and I did not want to share my gold medal with anyone but myself," Fair enough, I suppose!

Upon answering the question on how it was working at the Trump tower, he gleefully replied saying, " It's been a GREAT experience." I am sure..working with the Tycoon of NY must be an experience.

As we were talking with him,couple of other guys also came and shook his hand. There were people in the hotel who had no idea who he was. It looked funny. I only wished I had the camera and I was so excited that I completely forgot to take his autograph. Oh well... next time..

Lot has happened last week...... I was sick.. ugghhhhhh....

- Despite my sickness, Prasanna and I, we managed to go see the BASKETBALL game. Celtic VS Miami Heat and saw SHAQ!! Celtic lost by 3 point.. but the game was really exciting.. The whole ambiance was very thrilling. We saw couple of players from the Patriots.

- Daddy ( my father- in –law) was here. He was in Sweden and Finland for a talk and came to visit us in Boston. We had a GREATTTT time with him. Unfortunately, the trip was just too short.

- Over the weekend went to Connecticut l to meet with one of his teachers’ family. The weather was Great, the family was very hospitable and the trip was fun. We also had a chance to get a quick tour of the YALE University which was sooo beautiful.

- On Sunday, we went to New Hampshire to visit Bhola dai at “ Café Momo.” Sunday was unpleasantly gloomy, but the overall ride was fun filled one. In the evening, after doing quick shopping at Filenes, we had a dinner at Penang =)

- Daddy, also gave a talk at Chalphal on the topic of " Constitutionalism and Democracy in Nepal ". The turnout was very good. There were total of 20 people and the talk indeed was very interesting. For people who had no idea of what was going on in Nepal, this talk was very detail and helpful.

- Along with Daddy, I also got to attend the Talk show at the Harvard JFK school given by Shobha Gautam, one of the popular women activist in Nepal and friend of daddy. The talk was on the “ Women’s perspective on the Issues of Maoist.” Who would have known, I got to meet with Shobha ji, in Boston, of all the places.

- Since Daddy, studied in MIT and JFk, he has lot of friends here in Boston. We also got chance to meet and network with his friends and professors and hear their stories.. this was a very nice experience for us..

We also managed to the movie “ Veer Zeera.” The movie is long and Ok I suppose, but the songs are beautifullllllll.

It is really suffocating in the house literally and figuratively. I guess it is the heat. It is cold outside, but with the heat it is so dry and makes me fatigued with the antibiotic. Maybe this is my cue to stop the blog.

Weekend is here.. no plans.. If you recall—I believe in Carpe Diem Style. We have borrowed the movie “AMELIE” from the library. I have already seen it. I want Mr. D to see it. This is a very good French movie If you have not seen it. The actress of this movie is going to be playing with Tom Hanks in "Da Vinci Code."

What else-- Ah! it feels good to be back!

Beauty of getting flue

Sore throat
Running nose
Teary eyes
Throbbing headache

Bad ache everywhere
Lack of energy
No appetite

Tylenol, Vicks, Soup
Feeling Drowsy
Thermometer

Cough, Cough and Cough,
High Fever
Tissue everywhere..
Lethargic

Loving husband
Special care
Lots of attention
for one second it is painful
for the rest it's unearthly
ecstatical

Drink, Drink Drink he says..
I slowly feel better..
the temperature is dropping down
I think I will be allright..

Taj mahal

Winter Olympic finished today. I am watching the closing ceremony. Brilliant one I must say. It came and went just like the wind. I do not feel proud saying that I did not follow the game at all.

Saturday - It was snowing!!

Sunday- Sunny but it is 8 degree outside that is like negative 20 c Brrr!

I look outside.. Light glances off the glacial yard and drive in spots... never as a whole... and it still blind you. Fields that end up as expansive mirrors for the sun and the moon, glassed over by snow, ice, and frozen rain put through the deep freeze kiln at night.

I had a throbbing headache last night and the night before. I do not know what the real cause is.

Must be cold.

I feel bit better though. Both Prasanna and I, we had signed up for the free practice test at Harvard, sadly, I did not make it through. I just could not get up.

With my usual round of morning coffee, I flip through the pages of the Wall Street Journal. The picture of TAJ MAHAL beautifully stands in the Art section. It has been exactly one year since our visit to Taj Mahal last year. I still vividly remember how the guards had stopped us both when they found out our Nepalese passports. We had actually told them we were Indians and had humbly denied on having any sort of Identification with us.(while completly fogetting about the two passports in my hand bag). How scared I was when the entire situation got even worse, when they saw the Japanese visa in my passport.

" I knew they were not Indians"- screamed the lady guard.

I had already imagined us inside the Indian Jails. Now it seems all funny thinking how we were trying to pretend we were Indian from Darjeeling. Thankfully, this bahadur police dai came to our rescue and let us in side the Tajmahal in peace.

The sight was simple breathtaking! Every time we looked at Taj, it looked different. The colour of its white marble changed throughout the day, from the waxy yellow at dawn through to the pastel blue gray of a full moon.

I must admit I was little bit disappointed when I first saw “ Mona Lisa.” It was smaller than what I had imagined and looked bit lost in the midst of roaring crowds. However, this is not the case of Taj. It does not disappoint the first time, nor the third….. and I am assuming, not even in your 50th time.

Paresh dai, my inspirer of the blog world =) got here from Barcelona on Friday night for Pushpa, his sister's wedding. We had gone to pick him up at airport and were mesmerized by the energy he had and how excited he sounded about his MBA experience. He really succeeded in convincing both of us to visit Barcelona, which is definitely on our next visit list.

Weekend was a fun one. We went to Puspha’s wedding on Saturday. It was nice meeting with everyone after a long time. Both the bride and groom looked very beautiful. The ambience was great and the food was excellent. What a GREAT combination. Sunday was relaxing day. Along with Sanjay, we went to Sommerville to grab some fresh “Jeri.” However, "swari" was not as good as we had anticipated.. but I guess we have to be lucky, we actually got to eat them. After the quick nibble, we went for a long drive. Long drive around downtown. “Sade” was playing in the background and the drive was as smooth as her song.

My “flu” is in the remission for the time being. Won’t know till tomorrow. Thanks to the “tiger balm, Nyquil and the Vicks. I am having the second round of tea. Liquid is all I can think about. I also managed to finish the EXTRA large chicken soup at the “ Pho Pasteur.” My nose is mysteriously bruised. I suspect it is from the handkerchief… too much rubbing.

I think it is time to sleep. No time to give up,maybe it is a tool time. Hey, it is always a possibility =)

Have a great night!

Babi's visit to boston

Somber but content afternoon.

The road looks quite empty but I suspect it always is during this type of weather.

The aroma of the coffee beautifully captures the entire living room.

Once again. Back in my favourite sofa with a lukewarm cup of coffee and surrounded by my friendly, yet difficult accounting books.

Decided to take a quick break.. opened my laptop and thought about writing a blog.. the long over due one.

Hastily, I turn on the tv- soothing song pops on- the song makes me smile. The background is nice. Why would a song, which I have only heard for the first time brought smile in my face I wonder? Or perhaps, I am listening it all wrong and grasping a wrong interpretation.

However, feeling this music, my thoughts cleansed to the point where the mutinous one was very rare. As I listened to a particularly uplifting and yet subversively maddening song, I start to think…think and think. I have done lot of that lately. Nothing of any importance, mind you but nonetheless, my brain is doing its meager best to think! I would also like to acknowledge that I was not thinking about pretentious metaphors. Oh, the things, I could think. Or more aptly, things I could not think. I guess it depends on if you are a half full or a half empty type person.

My mind is like a train. Or, at least, when it is working, it is. It plows, chugs, chortles, whistles, and veers....but always manages to somehow stay on track. thank god ! :)

Anyways! Babi was here for the weekend. Babi is Prasanna’s grandmother. It was a short but very memorable and blissful stay and most of all! The weather was very nice. She came to Boston from Louisiana on Saturday evening. Sunday, we went for the scenic, or I should say OCEAN drive. Even though, the weather was bit chilly and windy, the sun made it a very “good” day. Monday was a “shopping day,” and we managed to hit almost all the possible stores. IKEA, Prudential, Galleria, Filenes, Target..to name a few.That evening, we had Prasanna’s delicious IRANIAN pilaf- The one is a MUST to have from his great lists of food =)Tuesday was a relaxing day. After the quick lunch, Babi and I, took and bus and the T, and then went to the downtown. Babi thought Boston's T was more bigger than the Tube in London. Very very true I thought! The weather was nice. Mediocre day I suppose. The sun was shinning and it was not as windy as rest of the weekend. We went to Filenes and Macys’s and did whole lot of shopping. It was a shopping fiesta. Shopping and more shopping. After the 4 day short stay in Boston, she left for LA on Wednesday.

Seeing her affection towards her grandson made me realize how much I missed my own grandmother. Didi, my grandmum from my dad side, passed away three years back. I really did not get to spend as much time as I wanted to. When we moved to Japan, we visited Nepal once every two years for the brief time of 2 months and that was it. How I wished I had more time to spend with them. All I have is her memories, which I will always cherish. I got to spend lot of time with my maternal grandmother “Ama.” My grandparents were in Mississippi during my junior and senior year of college and I got to spend lot of time with them then. I am very grateful for those days. I considered myself lucky to have gotten chance to spend with my grandparents in Nepal past summer. Being away from the loved once really made me realize not to take anything for granted.

In other news, I met with the associate director of Suffolk the other day. They have something called the “Global” MBA with a core concentration focused on International Business and that is my very interest. I have not decided on anything yet, but have let all my options open.

Uhhh—what else -Prerna, my friend came to visit me yesterday for our little “group” study. But I have to confess; it was more of a catching up time. She is a great cook and also taught me to make 3 delicious dishes. 1. Falafel 2. Lasagne and 3. Frankie. I am going to try the Falafal tonight.. hopefully it will go all well!

I got an email from Rakhi, the group leader from the MIT 50k. She wants to meet next Friday. Maybe, I might actually be involved in gathering some experiences out of this entrepreneurial competition. Hey, I always have room for more experiences!

and one more thing--- We watched " kabhi kabhi"-- what a beautiful movie it is. So simple yet, so Romantic and the songs and the dialogue.. can anyone beat this?

I cannot bear typing anymore. I apologize for the long silence… there was too much going on. Will try to be more consistent from now on.

Procrastinator

I should have my blogging rights revoked. I've gotten really bad at keeping up with writing.I am not trying to be kind to myself, but NO I am not trying to be a Procrastinator either. I could make excuses and say that I've been really busy. WEll, the truth is I have been bit busy.

But on the bright side, hey! I am back! I will be doing this more often, more than you what have anticipated. Well, yes. I do surf the Internet with an almost alarming frequency (but it still does not give me enough time to write the blog). And despite the sometimes eclectic nature of the pages I surf, I can plow through high volumes of information at a rather snail rate so this kind of takes most of my time. Well....not really.... Bare with me please.

I opted to get involved in Amnesty international. Yesterday was my first meeting. There was a brief overview on the issues of trials, temptation and tribulation. Really very intriguing one. I got to meet people from various different places. Indonesia, Belarus, China. …to name a few. They have this GOTB, (get on the bus) program coming up. This is the Amnesty’s largest demonstration on Human Rights issues, which will be held at Manhattan. Looks very interesting.. who knows, you might just see me on tv=)

There are some ideas jogging in my mind below. I have realized this usually happens when I stop writing the blog consecutively. I have so much to write and I do not know where to start.

Right now.. My mind is like a sponge----Big bulky sponge.

I listened to my Buddhist chant today. It’s no longer a sinister addition to my mornings, in fact quite the opposite. You know. It's a soothing introduction to the new day. It also seems to help me to remember my dreams more accurately. Sometimes when you are having a rough or I should say boring day, reminiscing your dream will take you into this whole new world.

February is such a boring month anyway with that bleakly winter - we need something to celebrate. So voila—there is the Valentines Day. It was nice. Nothing especial since we just had our anniversary. We had a plan of eating a good home cooked meal, but somehow, Prasanna got locked out, so we ended up having a dinner at John Harvard. This place has good ambience and we always enjoy it. It was a good dinner.

We just got back from the MIT’s 50 k competition’s meeting. It was interesting one. On the last meeting I had send my profile, and I was actually contacted by one of the teams. They project involves developing application for hurricanes aftermaths. It sounds really very fascinating. Let’s see what the future holds.They had the "team" dinner. "Bertuccis's" pizza and italian deserts was on the list. not bad..

I have been quiet addicted to coffee these days. I guess the caffeine is slowly loosing its power because I can slowly feel myself becoming drowsy. It is only 10:30 now. Have you ever found yourself totally immersed in something totally bizarre? The ironic thing is. I'm so blank right now. It's awesome. I'm not feeling anything....my brain has shut off for now.yet! I am happy.

Ahhh-- It is a good night, or it may be an illusion but I am happy. I am tierd but happy. Prasanna is busy enjoying his favourite tv shows "Seinfield." The windows are still open. The night is pitch black and it is clearly accentuating the beautiful moon. Cool breeze slowly slides in.How I love this beautiful scene.

Well invigorated this morning, I decided to do little bit of weights and I seriously believe that every inch of my body is completely soared. It hurts like anything. I have yet to face the real consequences tomorrow morning.

So this means, it means time for me to say good night.

winter

So, not having too much to talk about today, but wanting to keep current, I thought I'd expound momentarily on my weekend.

Well, what a morning. I got woken up couple of times and then I finally got out of bed.

Today is Monday. A day hated by many. And, as it turns out, rightfully so. For it has pagan roots and seriously ought to be thrown out.

I went to gym today. I resumed my daily routine. My kneecap is getting better. Usually I would brisk walk home after my workout session, however, today, I decided to take the bus to avoid the cold weather. I also had the study session at BU for my Accounting class and I feel great, GREAT that I finished the supposedly “difficult” case study.

Weekend--- We had the blizzard =)

Winter is a song and a season and something different. The true color of winter has finally decided to reveal its true face. The long awaited snowstorm finally arrived along with the silent wind with a wild ambassador that presented more awful than the shriek of a maskaline. It was quite powerful and was successful in bringing us with 1 foot of snow.

Mr D, finally got his beloved “Waffle maker,” yeah!!! And The Bistas, Pradeep dai and kamana were here for brunch. It really was torturous of us to make them walk in that blizzard with wind coming 40 mph however, we managed to have a good brunch. The waffle was quite a success indeed. =) We had a good time.That night, since it was a very snowy day, we decided to actually walk in the snow to get the minced meat for “momo.”

Walking in snow was fun—very fluffy.. everywhere so white…. So beautiful.

Momo was great!

Sunday was very relaxing.

Saturday- We were invited at the Yadavs along with Sishir dai’s family.. Food was Excellent.. I mean it was Superb! We always have fun at the YADAV residence
Very fun loving people and we love them.

Friday – We went to “ Ryles,” the Jazz club after dinner and enjoyed the Music. We completely got diluted in the soothing ambience and quickly forget how cold it was outside.

(Again, bare with me here.. I am jumping from one point to another with no particular reason! ) Like a Hob Nob in tea, my head appears to be unable to absorb detail at the moment. I had just called the customer service of the united Airlines, simply requesting them to add my 1000 miles, which I had earned but was not able to add because of "their"computer problem. For this simple issue, I was transferred to 3 different people and had a 45 min annoying argument. What a waste of my energy!! Sometimes, these types of call really infuriates me.

Shamefully I have to confront of not having read the “DA Vinci Code.” The book still seats neatly on our living room table with the beautiful picture of Mona Lisa smiling right back at me. I have not had time….. been bit busy. Really I have. Homework’s and all.

I am still desperately waiting to read, “The world is flat.” Let see how long I have to suffer.

I just had the chance to see the maoist leader, Prachadra’s Interview. It was good but still it is quite frightful how he said that the “king has to either exile or get executed.” I hope something good happens soon.

The Olympic is going on I suppose. Not the slightest idea of what is happening. Heard that Michelle Kwan decided to pull out from the Olympic. I feel sympathetic towards her for this. she had a dream of getting a "gold" medal this year and I guess, she can no longer fulfill it.

Babi is coming this Saturday and Daddy will come after that! Very very excited =) All tright then--- HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!! Have a good time with your loved ones :)

The Road not taken

It is Friday afternoon.. I walked towards to window and wonderfully gazed outside the heaven and saw nothing but lack of clouds so I stepped outside. The sun was shining but it was bitter cold outside. Must be around 20s. The weekend weather does not look that appealing.. Snow on Sunday.. Expect at least a foot of snow the weather reports says. It is cold.

I have not been to the gym for two days. My kneecap hurts. It is because of cold I presume. The pain was really throbbing yesterday but thanks to the “balm” I had, it helped a great deal. I will resume with my gym from tomorrow.

The IDEAS meeting at MIT was interesting. I found a group with my interest. Their project is concentrating on some rural development work in India. I think I will get involved.

Today is the Winter Olympic. It is taking place in Torrino. Italy. I was in Tokyo, 11th grade to be exact when the winder Olympic took place in Nagano. How thrilled we all were during our lunchtime to talk about Illa Kulik, the Russian Skater. I wonder if he is going to be there this time in Italy?

It is getting dark now. The figures of the trees silhouetted against the setting sun slowly disappear infront of my eyes. I can see the moon. It is cream ish colour at the moment. All is wonderful. The jazz music is soft and the late news is hidden somewhere behind my candle light and the mouths of the reporters utter no sounds to my tired ears and it is just tomorrow in her eyes, thats all.

People make too great of a variable in real life.There is no way to rationalize ..to predict or to gamble on people. Any minute event changes feelings, changes emotions.

Enjoy reading this poem. It is my favorite by Robert Frost.

The Road Not Taken

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Oops, I forgot to divulge my innate character. I will unambiguously assert my ambivalence!

Surprised are you ? =)

Rambling

I don't know how I do it, but I seem to be missing every other day for this week; even though I just made a promise that I would write "every day."

My account is that it is not me; it is that days are gulped down in the vortex of time.I have been observing and redefining what I want out of this blog.

Not a whole lot has been happened recently.

I have started reading “ Da Vinci Code.”

As I am writing this, I suddenly find myself staring at the big bulky door in front of me. By the way, I am at the Library. Doors are horribly ironic. Really they seem unappreciated don't they? Most people don't even notice them, and if they do, it is because they pose an obstacle to their destination.

Anyways, back to the book. As I have mentioned earlier in my blogs, that I have already read the book but I am re-reading it because I was in Louvre this past Christmas and now I can actually empathize with the places.

I have noticed 3 things while reading the first few chapters.

1- Eiffel tower is actually referred as a “She.” Well it was in the book, so I am assuming that is a she to the fellow Parisians
2-The main entrance of “ the Louvre,” La Pyramid was actually designed by a Chinese born American architect I.M.Pei
3-Mitterrand was referred to as a “Sphinx” for filling Paris with Egyptians obelisks, art, and artifacts.

This story is an exhilaratingly brainy thriller. The author Dan Brown, delivers a crackling, intricate mystery, complete with breathtaking escapes and several stunning surprises. The book is thick, very thick and I really wonder when will I be able to open the “CODE.” I am really looking forward to watch the movie this summer. Hopefully, with Tom Hanks in it, it will be a thrill to watch.

On the side note, what is the deal with that cartoon of Mohammad?

“Protests over Danish cartoons continued today in several countries, and four protesters were killed in Afghanistan” - NY times.

Bare with me today. This blog is basically going to be a rambling….rambling dictated by my inner monologue and unfortunately there are not any coherent patterns in my head.

I had a lunch with Prerna and her friends today. Prerna is a friend of mine from The Extension School and her dad is the CEO of this Lakhi Group Jewelry Company in India who has a branch in NY, Belgium and Africa. Being the daughter of the CEO is quite impressive. What do you say?

Along with my husband Prasanna, I have also decided to get involved in the MIT 50 K competition. It is the Entrepreneurship Competition. The whole point here is to meet or I should say network with the world-class entrepreneurs, investors’ business professionals and gain some experiences. I missed the first meeting yesterday, because I had my Accounting class. Today is going to be my first meeting. Hopefully, I will gain some insights.

Tragically, I should get going. I was enjoying writing down these rambling. But not to worry.. my rambling has a long way to go!

Time is on my side

The title of this post holds no significant meaning. Memories, yes. But nothing pertinent to what I am going to write. The picture- it is from kandinsky- one of my favourite artists.

I don’t know what to write today. I also seem to advertently have missed a day.

Oh. Well.

Any News? None really.

Weekend was good. My cousin was here. We went to see the movie “ Rang de Basanti.” Bad choice. The movie was getting really interesting and Aamir Khans’ acting was great however, the ending of the movie took a different twist and was bit disappointing.

Superbowl was fun— Steelers! Won—Even though I was do not understanding a whole lot. We had a great company.The Yadavs -Shailendra dai and Sanjay were here.

I would say it was a fairly overall balanced weekend.

And yes! I have finished “ The alchemist.”

The boy completes the last leg of his journey–dangerous and infused with discoveries of the most profound kind–to find that the treasure he was looking for was waiting for him in the place where he least expected

This story, timeless and entertaining, exotic yet simple, breaks down the journey we all take to find the most meaningful treasures in our lives into steps that are at once natural and magical. It depicts the faith, power and courage we all have within us to pursue the intricate path of a personal Legend, a path charted by the mysterious magnet of destiny but obscured by distractions. Lots and lots of Distractions!

With all these fears tucked neatly at the back of my mind I waded into my impending DREAM. Will I ever be able to fulfill I begin to wonder? Wonder again and AGAIN!Do I have the courage to go as far as the shepard did?

Life is frightening sometimes but theres no way around that. You cannot deny yourself the paralyzing and perplexing times that could ultimately define your life. Time will tell—I keep on telling myself. This is what has kept me going this far. It gives me hope to re-live. There has been numerous times where I just wanted to give up absolutely everything and then again, this dream comes back and gives me hope to keep on going.

Something interesting- Repeating criticisms and negative thought to oneself, even if it may seem like “making an improvement,” may actually result in a very focused fixation on your negative qualities.

" Da Vinci Code," is next on line. I have not the slightest idea when I will be starting. Soon I hope.

I think it is time for me to do some homework!

Weekend is here

Knowing the fact that I will not be writing for next two days (Did I mention tomorrow is the weekend and this week is the SUPERBOWL, so I am quite positive that I will not be writing), I decided to drop couple of lines today.

Rain, Rain and more Rain—that is the update of the weather outside. It is one of those bitter and gloomy days where you have absolute no mood to do anything at all. However, I did manage to do couple of things done. I went to the gym early morning and ran for about 45 min and I feel good and fresh! I am slowly recovering the out-of-shape phase.

Just made a round of FRESH coffee and about to write my quick blog for the day. Today is FRIDAY, it feels good knowing that weekend lies ahead of you. My cousin, Suravi is coming today and I am very excited. She is the same age as Priti, my sister actually 10 days younger to her. She is a freshman at Mount Holyoke and will be visiting us for the weekend. The last time I met her was at my other cousin’s wedding in Dallas.

Do not know Weekends hold. Always something exciting for sure. Carpe Diem! That is how I like to follow everyday! =) Carpe Diem? Confused? This line is from the movie,“ Dead Poet Society,” one of my favorite ones, the bottom line here is “ SEIZE THE DAY,” just take the day as it comes and make the best out of it. So that is how our weekend is going to be.

Quick Update on “ The Alchemist, ”- I have yet to finish the book. It will be done the next time I write her. That is a Promise!

As I was reading the book it made me question what is there about change, freedom and dreaming that gets quenched as we move through life? We both live in fear: fear of social isolation, or fear that an event will occur again. Being afraid to dream means giving up some of the juice of life. You gain security by losing vitality.

One thing that this book has taught me for sure is that it is worth to have a few falls along the way if you get to hike up to the tallest mountain in your dreams.

Oopss…I think it is time for me to pick Suravi up.

So long for today.

happy anniversary

And so, the voyage continues………….

I quickly take a peep outside. The day looks wonderful. Even though it's not a bright, sunny day yet, the first ray has popped over the side of the hill.

Today again, I am the master of my own destiny. I need not construct a scaffold of time scheduling to ensure that all of my major things get done. I am free like a bird and with a control of own destiny.

I leave the house at 8:30 and head to the gym. I run for 45 min and was impressed with my staggering result. I had burned 400 calories. Considering it was my second day, I was quite impressed with it. Cardio is my only focus this whole week. I feel happy and relaxed. However, my body hurts. It hurts like anything. I think I am still in a major Out-of-shape phase. Now, I am back in the apt is and reading “ The Alchemist,” which is now almost over. Yeah!!

"When you really want something, the universe always conspires in your favor."

This is one of my favorite quotes from the book and it is filled with encouragement.It really gives you vibe and self-confidence when you know the “ universe” conspires in your favor.It does not mean you do not have to fight for it, but just knowing that things can be done if you pursue it aggresively gives you a bit of a relief.I really have been glued to this book for the past couple of days. Here is the brief rundown. It is a story about a boy, a Shepard who yearns to travel. He has a dream about going to Egypt and finding the hidden treasures. He faces with numerous hindrances along the way, but he has the will and power to continue looking for his destiny. This book is basically about following your dream. "The Alchemist", is an exciting novel that bursts with optimism; it is the kind of novel that tells you that everything is possible as long as you really want it to happen. It tells us we should not avoid our destinies, and urges people to follow their dreams.

While reading that book, my eyes wander off to the two beautiful bouquets that lays beautifully on the top of the kitchen table. I had received these yesterday for our anniversary. It was a GREAT surprise for me. I was very estatic. One was from my parents and the other one from my husband, Mr. D.

The flowers are beautiful and its beautiful aroma has managed to capture the entire room. I looked at it and smiled back. It is one of those special moments that does that to you. Just brings a smile in your face for no particular reason. Here it goes again, another SMILE =) What a memorable day it was. We have blissfully completed the first years of our marriage and entered into the second year. We got to talk with our family members from Nepal and Japan and got sweet emails from all the loved once bringing smiles to our faces. Unfortunately, I had a class last night and after the class we went to “ Island Hopper,” the Asian restaurant for dinner. Luck favored us and we did not spend a whole lot looking for parking. Food was delicious and the ambiance was fabulous. =)

Can I ask for more? It had been a Very GOOD day for me.

A lovely day

Ah, what a difficult day to blog. Lot of things, GOOD things are happening today. Lot to write but so little time. I am afraid this one will have to be less elaborate, and much shorter than I had hoped. Well I can just cramp everything.. but NAH! It can wait one more day. No hurry. I want to jot down everything in my memory lane very descriptively because each of my events has it’s own significance.

Just the other day, I got a call from the library about “ The Alchemist.” I was very excited and got that book along with “ Da Vinci Code.” I have already read this book but wanted to re read it and connect to what I seen at the Louvre. I am almost done with the Alchemist….. will definitely will you up with the story.

I FINALLY joined the GYM and went for a short workout this morning. Since it was my first morning, I did not want to overdo it. I ran for 45 min and that felt good. I realized how much I had missed running.

Well some one just buzzed at the door and I just received a bouquet of flowers. WOW!!!! Who had sent me these flowers? Hey! Why not let this be a suspense. I will reveal it the next time. Promise.

Today is our Anniversary! Yup!! I have been with Mrs. Dhungel for a whole year now and look forward to spending “Golden Jubilee” with Mr. D.

I have a class today. So need to catch up a bit On the studying part.