studying

I suppose I can say that I am actually leaning towards becoming a student. Reason being the fact that I have been in the library for past 4 hours. :) Yup!! studying!!!

I am exuberated by this fact. Somehow, I had this fear that I was never going to recuperate my studying habbit. I am slowly getting there....

Weekend was short. Saturday, I had to attend this luncheon with one of my professors . The whole day was practically gone. We had some friends over at our place in the evening. The Yadavs, Thakalis, Hitesh dai, Ishwar dai and Manit dai. It was a fun evening.

Sunday- Got up, had a quick breakfast and have been in the library since then. I think it is time to take a break now.

oh!! I forgot-- We went to see "Munna Bhai" with Sagar dai and Jasmeen. The movie was not as funny as the first one but it definetly is worth seeing it. Pras was just laughing and laughing and laughing....

Last thursday we were were walking over the bridge near the Harvard University. It was a full moon night. There was a huge boom box on the floor. Everyone was dancing. It looked so sureal yet so beautiful. Imagine, you are just walking on a road and see people dancing.We were both totally confused. I asked one passerby and he said, "It is the last TANGO night of the year." Wow! dancing in the moon light-- who could resist. I quickly swirled with Prasanna. It was short and sweet :)

Classes

School is rolling. Got back at 11:00 last night. We had our “Corporate Finance” class along with the other MBA students. The class was huge. Contrary to what we had been having for previous days, the class last night was almost 35 students. Business Analyst, Accountant and what not. I had that eerie feeling :) I guess I have to be poised to do any thing.

I have my first MBA presentation next week. We also have this simulation with the MBA students over the weekends.. next weekend I think.

I guess the blog days for me are over. Yesterday all day I was running around the campus doing registration for the classes and buying books. Simply running up and down the hill. It was chaotic and tiring. I do not have class today, but lot needs to be done.

I guess in order to have the sun rise, or a great era, one has to go through the muck first.

By the way- this is my first blog from the University!

CANADAAAAA

Labour day weekend was GREAT!!! superb to be EXACT!! we made a road trip.. another one :) to canada. Quebec city, montreal and ottawa. Amongst the three cities, I was absolutely in love with the Quebec city. Becuase everyone was speaking FRENCH, it was some what hard to figure out whether we were actually in FRance or CAnada. Quebec city is BEAUTIFUL!!

Sadly, the effect of Ernesto could also be felt in Canada. To our dismany, the second day was kinda ruined by the rain.. Arghhhhhh. Despite the rain, we still managed to enjoyyy the beauty of Oh! canada :) Montreal and Ottawa were really a dead town. If the place is really beautiful but no one around, it just does not give the best of impression. That is exactly what I thought of both ottawa and montreal.

What else.. My MBA has started. I guess the long silence explains everything.
nope!! I have not gone throught the excruciating pain as of yet, but trust me, I shortly will. I got back home at 11:00 tonight. Today was my frist official class day. I am officially a student again!!! :)

what can I say-- I love being back to school!

Back in Boston

I am back in BOSTON. The workshop in New Hampshire was just GREAT. Hotel was GREAT!! we had the luxury of staying at the very beautiful Mount Wahsington hotel. There were students from 12 different nationalities. This really reminded me of my high school where we had students from 54 different nationalities. This is where I found out about a country called Djibouti :) The workshop was quite hectic. We had to get up at 6:00. After getting the habbit of waking up late, this was quite an adventure.

We also managed to take the COG railway and climbed to the summit of Mount WASHINGTON!!

I also had the GREAT pleasure of Moderating Anuradha koirala. She is a lady with a fire. She really should be everyone's role model. Her stories are so encouraging and filled with power. I am so happy that I got to meet with her.

My school officially strats from Sep 5th, however, we have little workshop from this week.
I have the Accounting review session in a bit and If I don't go in next 15 minutes I will miss my bus.

CIAO!!

Orientation

It's been while since I have come to this site.

This one is going to be a quick update.

Laptop is still fixed not fixed yet. This time I think it is gone for real. I am sad.

Anuradha koirala will be in town tonight. I am excited about the talk.

I had the International Student orientation today. I met one girl from Nepal.. well not literally but her parents are from Darjeeling. I was happy to meet with her.

I am off the New Hamphsire tomorrow for the Workshop for three days. It will be fun.

Teej is this saturday!! For everyone who is fasting for their husband or to find a good husband have a happyy Teej and GOOD LUCK!!

Laptop

My computer went Bizzare-- so no blog until it is fixed.

It was perfectly fine. All I did was a quick update and it a matter of second it went completely out!

I am very annoyed! The computer is not even 2 years old. Argggghh

What can I say-- Such are the vagaries of life. Pras must be smiling reading at this. :)

Weekend was good!

Pras is back from his hectic Travel. It was Shailendra dai's b'day on Saturday so we had the great honour of enjoying the B'day cake at the Yadav residence. Thanks to Shailendra dai our bike is all fixed now!!

Really looking forward to riding it again!!!

I am going to miss my laptop :(

Desert

Another torrid morning!

My neck is hot and my mouth parched. I have been drinking water, yet, I feel very dry.

Just as I thought the summer was almost over, everything comes back again.

I am walking endlessly. I look tired, rugged and ugly. I cannot go any further. There is not a sign of a single soul. I try to scream but I cannot utter a thing. I can feel someone gagging me. Desert is all I see everywhere. I yearn for water. Slowly, I can feel my legs becoming numb. I am certain that I will not be able to count on this for long. It hurts. I have blisters everywhere.

Where am I going? Why am I alone? Since I could not find anyone to come with me, I had decided to come alone. I regretted my mistake at once. Here, I was lonely in a complete isolation and not a single soul to fetch me water. The sky however looked very clear. I wished it would rain. I have a shawl around my head. Am I in Egypt? I don’t know where I am. I see no sign of a Pyramid or a camel.

I see someone. A shadow! The person beckoned me reluctantly. I try to follow him. He disappears.

Again, I am all alone.

Desert is what lies in front of me. Suddenly, I feel like Santiago, the boy in the book
“ Alchemist,” in search of my own true destiny. I hear a roar in the sky. It is a thunderstorm. I feel myself completely drenched. It feels like heaven.

I smile.

The Alarm rings.It is time for me to get up.

Crazy dream isn't it?

freind

I just took a walk outside, just to experience the intense heat. The sweat made me believe that my body is still alive.

I am having a good time with my friend Sujata (that explains why no blog for past two days)chatting and reminiscing our old highschool days. We were in St Marys for 9 years. Prep till 8th grade. University starts next week and I have loads of stuff to do prior to that. Yesterday, we took a stroll around the downtown and it was really nice. we had lot to catch up since it had been almost 10 years. Both of us had been in two different roads. It was really nice hearing her stories about her recent trip to South Africa, Sri lanka and Singapore. We Had a long walk enjoying the enchanting and beautiful evening. We even managed to go to the Krishna mandir and attended the arati. It was a very blissful night :)

Remember the book that was on my list—“The kite runner.” My friend is reading it. She says it is very nice. I am jealous. I really want to read it. She also suggested a book called “Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found” by Suketu Mehta. So many books that I want to read and so less time.. arghhhh…I wish I had more time. Even though I have not been to Bombay, I somehow feel that I can relate to the city. Really don’t know why though.

I hope that my love for the books will only grow stronger in the days ahead, though everybody is writing a book these days. The famous people of every walk of life - including the politicians - hire the writers to tell their stories to the world, if they do not themselves have the skills, to write them.

Another interesting read would be “ Forget Kathmandu."

Tuesday

“Dolpa is remote. It is rugged. And it is a radiant beauty in its setting of Himalayan glory,” says one of the travel magazines about this beautiful place back home. I have traveled the world but I have to sadly admit that I have not traveled very much outside Kathmandu. I would like to go to Mustang, Illam, Dolpa etc. Beauties lie within our country itself and there we are wandering around in search of true beauties. What an ironic it is?

Weather wise - really pleasant outside. I am indeed very glad that the whole chaotic heat wave is gone. Pras left for LA today. He is coming back on Saturday. I just got back from the Gym. Since I have the car, I decided not to run. Being bit lazy I guess.

I am meeting my friend from St Mary’s tomorrow. I have not seen her for almost a decade now. She will be joining the Fletcher School of Diplomacy at Tufts. I am very much looking forward to meeting with her. I am happy she will be in Boston.

What else is new—Oh, I read in the newspaper that –“ The contemporary human life is said to be a healthier - if not necessarily a happier - one, than before.” Good news I suppose!

As I have nothing to say I guess I will end with an Adieu :)

Attitude

YOUR ATTITUDE CAN DO WONDERS.

Have the right attitude and you will go very FAR!!

Enjoy reading this with a cup of hottt cappachino :)

Father: I want you to marry a girl of my choice
Son: "I will choose my own bride!"
Father: "But the girl is Bill Gates's daughter."
Son: "Well, in that case...ok"

Next, Father approaches Bill Gates.
Father: "I have a husband for your daughter."
Bill Gates: "But my daughter is too young to marry!
"Father: "But this young man is a vice-president of the World Bank."
Bill Gates: "Ah, in that case...ok"

Finally, Father goes to see the president of the World Bank.
Father: "I have a young man to be recommended as a vice-president."
President: "But I already have more vice- presidents than I need!
"Father: "But this young man is Bill Gates's son-in-law."
President: "Ah, in that case...ok"

This is how business is done!!

Moral: Even If you have nothing, You can get Anything. But your attitudeshould be positive

Weekend

Today is going to be a rather short one. A brief summary of my Weekend. My stomach hurts.. Yup! it’s the most torturous monthly thingie. Life without monthly periods has always been one of the few things women look forward. For me, the first two days are unbearable. Lack of energy, sleep and appetite and above all the most delinquent PMS thingy. Oh! how I wish we did not have to go through this every month.

Anyways, weekend was short and sweet. Pras is all better now. We went to the SEBS BBQ on Saturday. It was fun, bit chilly then what we had expected. It was a nice re-union. Meeting old high school friends is always a fun. Later that night, we also went to see the jeetendra dai and Brenda’s new house in Fitzburg. It is soo beautiful. Really a dream house for anyone.

Oh! before I forget, a brief synopsis from the movie KANK- kabhi Alvida Na Kahena. I was very excited, however, it was not as Great as we had expected. To tell you the truth, it was bit disappointing and quite long. This movie combines to a sad, over-long tale of broken relationships which I was not very happy with. It started at 9:15 and we got home at 1:00 in the morning. You do the calculation! (It goes on and on and on….) This could have been a short and sweet movie, but I guess, Mr. Johar, decided to do the little of his twist and turn. Nevertheless, I was very impressed with the father and son’s acting. Both Amitabh and Abhishek bachan’s acting were superb. I was very much a fan of Abhishek’s character. His role has been portrayed very nicely- A very loving and patient husband.

Right now, I am watching the movie CAPOTE. Movie about Mr. Truman Capote and his book, "The Cold blood," the book that made him the most famous writer in America. Interesting movie I must say! It Requires lot of concentration though! For person like me with so little attention, it was quite a test!

Carpe Diem

What does Carpe Diem mean?

Carpe diem is a Latin phrase literally meaning "pluck the day" but usually translated as "seize the day". It is often adopted or at least quoted as a personal motto. My personal motto :) The term is also used in as an expression of goodwill. One interpretation of the phrase might be as an existential cautionary term, much like "eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die." Every day opportunities await us and we must decide whether to take the chance or play it safe. Therefore, I encourage you to take the risks, for nothing is gained without them.

Pras is not feeling well today. He woke up early in the morning .. around 5:00 I think and endured two rounds of coughing. Now the coughing is all gone. It is all about headache now. Been sleeping all day with Tylenols. I checked with him a while ago, he says he is feeling better. Nope, no fever- just headache. I really hope he feels better by tomorrow. Tonight, we are planning to go see the new movie “Kabhi Alvida na kahena.” Tomorrow is the BBQ for all the SEBS students.

news

So pretty clearly the biggest news of the day is that -a terrorist plot to blow up planes in mid-flight from the UK to the US has been uncovered. I was very puzzled when I watched the news this morning.

Thanks heaven, this was Foiled.

The most obvious effect to most people who are flying soon will be that there is now no hand luggage allowed on planes - you can take tickets, passports and wallets aboard in a transparent plastic bag. No laptops are allowed on the plane. No gaming devices. No iPods. With news about the foiled terror plot in Britain still unfolding, it’s still a little early to jump to conclusions. But apparently the people who have been arrested so far were young, British citizens of Asian decent—Pakistani to be exact.

American Airlines, Continental and the US Airways- were their core target. These are the airlines we frequently travel. It still gives me eerie feeling thinking about this incidence.

My sister is flying back to London next week and Prasanna is flying to CA on Tuesday. It will be quite chaotic at the airport. No labtops, no music, no handbags.... wow!

Scorpio

“The sun/moon aspect will fade into insignificance, thanks to the glowing influences of your ruling planet. Basically you’ll be completely magnetic and compelling today, so if there were any emotional hiccups yesterday then today you’ll have the presence of mind to put them right again”

I am a Scorpio and this is what my horoscope said for today. Do I believe in them? Not at all!!

There is always the counter-argument to horoscopes: They are way too vague, tell you nothing that will help predict your specific life circumstances.But, then there are those who believe that having a horoscope can actually make you think about what you are doing during the day. There are those who believe that 'knowing things' does not mean knowing what life will bring, but it means being given a clue, and therefore a hint of how you can react to future situations if they do come up.

Horoscopes are based on the alignment of stars, but even great astrologists admit that this is not a specific science. But then what is astrology good for? Obviously if you get caught up in it too much, you will eradicate your ability to exercise free will. If you do not believe in horoscopes, perhaps there is nothing wrong.

I guess this gives us a chance to seek out the events that are mentioned in the horoscope reading and to gauge our own reactions to them. If we are able to see our own reactions and behaviors more clearly, this introspection is the first step in detecting our faults and correcting them. Horoscopes cannot tell you the events of your future, but maybe they give you the confidence you need to face the day's events with an 'upper hand'.

This is how I see it… oh! well..

Today is “Janaya purnima” back home. We just had Kwati (the nine beans soup) for dinner. The bean came all the way from Kathamandu a year ago. It tasted great!

snippets

I am just sitting in front of the TV and flipping channels. I am not looking for anything in particular; I am simply fumbling with the remote and gazing whatever appears on the so- called television. I think I have found something interesting. It is on PBS--a guy is reading a poem out of a book. I am focusing hard.. but I have failed to understand the poem?

I guess Poetry could be anything. ABSOLUTELY anything!!

Poetry to me is no longer about finding words that rhyme. Poetry could be anything I wanted it to be. It could be fragmented, unbalanced, violent, romantic, ...it could be absolutely anything! By far, Robert Frost is my favourite poet. Some of my friends hate his poetry a lot.Very very surprising. But, I honestly don't really mind it. It isn't about rhyming words, or balanced meters anymore. The moon isn't always the face of a lover...it can just as easily be an eerie backdrop for a barren yew tree.

If a person can read my poetry, like it and not understand what it means, then it makes me happy for I have succeeded in doing what I set out to do- expressing something momentary or fleeting in as expressive and natural a styIe I can find for myself and in the bargain if others do not comprehend it, but like the way it sounds...then yes, I suppose I have been successful in 'finding my voice'...or something to that effect.

Today was a good day. I had a coffee with my friend Prerna at LA Burdick @ Harvard Square. Really nice and funky place to hang out. I’ve also discovered that under normal circumstances, caffeine gives me a pleasant buzz, makes me chatty. Yup! Both Coke and Coffee. Then I bumped into Atul and also got a chance to meet with his mum. What a co-incidence. I really wanted to get the tyre of my bike fixed today. However, only after walking in the scorching sun and dragging the bike breathlessly for almost 15 minutes, I came to realize that the place was closed. Bummer!

Which one do you pick?

I still quite vividly remember my TOK (Theory of Knowledge) class back in the high school days, 11th grade to be exact. A vase with a rose was put on the table in front of our classroom and everyone was told to make a drawing of it. Upon completing the task, to our surprises, none of our drawing matched. Even though there was only one rose, somehow our drawing looked completely different. Different perspective I suppose. We were then introduced to a word that was complete new to me. It was called “Aesthetic Art.” We all left the classroom feeling like an ARTIST. We all are artists are we not?

What is Art? Artist? Intellectuals?

Some people prefer the artist to the intellectual because the artist relies heavily on sensory satisfaction whereas the intellectual rests upon the cushion of reason and logic. There is therefore a clear –cut division between the two. But, if you ask me, keeping the two apart is really not as simple a division as it may seem.

Intellect equals detachment. Without detachment, it is impossible to comment on the most serious affairs, objectively. But, art cannot afford to be detached. In order to create one has to explore deep into the deepest recesses of the human heart and soul. Because to create is to unravel the mysterious, define the ephemeral and elevate it to the ethereal. And to achieve this, one cannot possibly afford to rely simply on the power of the intellect. It is the senses that seek the pleasure and it is from the senses and takes its many forms.

But, an artist, I believe, is not merely someone who dabbles with colours and sculptures.They are also the master of their own destiny. Any person, (yup!! that includes you too) who creates and generates creativity in others, is an artist. And while it is true that sensuality is, I think, the most important to an artist, as he/she has to be closely liked with the mundane world of rationale and reason. Because creation stems from the senses and our senses do not feel in a state of vacuum. So, there has to be a balance of both art and intellect in creativity. Afterall, without the intellect, art cannot find a footing and without creativity, how can the intellect thrive?

And so, today I can be not only an artist of ideas originating outside of myself, but indeed an artist of thoughts originating from a deeper consciousness. Feels oddly peaceful. :)

Well, I suppose I have not made as much sense as I intended, but you’re intelligent, aren’t you? You can understand what I mean, can’t you?

Weekend was great!!! The dinner at Thakali residence was great! Thank you Sagar dai and Jasmeen. Sunday, we managed to watch “ The taming of the Shrew” at the Boston Commons. It was simply AMAZING. We had managed to watch “ Much Ado about Nothing” two years back. The Acting was superb. For about 2 hours, we really felt like we were in Italy! I was bit bothered by the cool breeze. Had, I known, I would have been prepared with my jacket. Agghhh.. the Boston weather.. But nonetheless it was a GREAT night!

A Novel Protest for Nepal

Article published in Nepalnews.com (A novel protest for Nepal)

What do we want?
Human Right!

When do we want it?
Now!

Along with 1500 amnesty participants, mainly high school and college students from all over the Northeastern United States, I proudly marched along East 91st street in Manhattan, New York City chanting the slogans of Human Rights. I was participating in the Amnesty International’s “Get on the Bus” program. This was the 11th year that Amnesty International had hosted GOTB program. Previous demonstrations focused on Free Tibet, Justice for Bhopal, Disappearances in Chechnya, Help Nigeria etc. As before, the main goal of “Get on the Bus” program was to raise awareness and educate people on various human right violations in societies around the world.

Carrying the banner with the slogan “Justice and Peace”, we started our demonstration at the Sudanese mission protesting against genocide in Darfur. It has been 3 years since the conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan started. The Darfur conflict has led to some of the worst human rights abuses imaginable, including systematic and wide-scale murder, rape, abduction and displacement. Despite international condemnation and the presence of African Union troops, the situation has gotten no better; instead, it has only gotten worse. Nevertheless, we screamed demanding that the Sudanese government provide protection for civilians in Darfur.

After this, we walked over to the Ethiopian Consulate to protest against political oppression and the jailing of prisoners of Conscience in that African nation. As international concerns on the human rights in Ethiopia have escalated, Amnesty International has called for the immediate release of opposition leaders, human rights defenders and journalists facing trail on charges of “violent conspiracy” and “high treason”. We were exuberated when we saw a group of Ethiopian diplomats gazing at us from their office window. We had successfully humiliated them. A gush of energy swept us and we screamed even more. Our voices were powerful. The scene was rejuvenating.

Next, we marched towards the Guatemalan consulate where our main agenda was “Femicide”. Over the past five years, more than 2000 Guatemalan women and girls have been brutally murdered. Victims have had their throats cut, have been beaten, shot or stabbed to death. Their bodies showed signs of rape, torture, mutilation or dismemberment. Here, our mission was to point out the failures of the Guatemalan authorities to adequately investigate the murders and demand that they bring the killers to justice.

GOTB educated us, the participants, as well as the passersbys in New York City on Human Rights. Some honked in approval while some peeked out of doorways squinting to read our banners. Feeling mildly exhausted with sore feet and throats, we ended our journey at the Chinese Consulate. We demonstrated against Internet censorship in China. Amnesty report of January 2004 shows that there was a dramatic rise in the number of people detained or sentenced for Internet-related offences. Our protest was against U.S. corporations, mainly, Yahoo, Cisco Systems and Microsoft for collaborating with the Chinese Government to track and persecute Chinese citizens for exercising their freedom of speech on the Internet.

Participating in the demonstration made me reflect on the current political turmoil in Nepal. Luckily, a label of either “Genocide” or “Femicide” has not been given to Nepal like in Sudan and Guatemala. But atrocious events and Human Rights violations have happened in Nepal. Innocent civilians have been brutally killed. Shocking pictures of Human Right violations in Nepal have loomed the front pages of newspapers around the globe transfixing the media. Sadly, the poor are ignored by the government and remain mired in illiteracy, ethic and caste discrimination while political parties and leaders bicker and maneuver for power. There is an urgent need to bring permanent peace and stability in Nepal. No one wants to see her become a helpless unstable state and a haven for terrorism and violence that has spread across other parts of South Asia.

In the face of such complexity, Amnesty International must help Nepal in a unique way. Let me state the matter precisely: Normally when something changes in the physical world we hope to see the new replace the old. However, in Nepal, the trend has been as the old saying- “Old wine in a new bottle.” The biggest scam in the country- but by no way means the only- is the “corruption.” The rules and the regulations of the country change but the corrupt leaders remain the same. Sadly, perpetrators of massacre walk freely and never get persecuted due to corrupt policies of the government. Nepal is bitterly engraved in the hand of the corrupted leaders. What is the point of imposing rules if they are blatantly flouted? A lot of complications need to be worked out in Nepal, however, unless and until the corrupt leaders are put behind bars, there will not be an end to the vicious cycle of violence and injustice. This is the crux of the problem. The longer this is delayed, the more lives will be lost. Needless to say, there is importance for an international pressure on Nepal. Amnesty should not only protest for Human rights, but also pressure the state to jail the perpetrators. More broadly, this maladroit intervention will not only gain international attention but also humiliate our corrupt leaders. Amnesty in Nepal and in the United States should hold a demonstration similar to GOTB to put pressure on the Nepali government. Ironically, this could be one of the creative solutions to hasten victory and punish the bad guys.

I hope for the end of the downward spiral in Nepal. As the current situation indicates, there remains plenty the country has to do in order to gain stability. Today we are in the midst of a great struggle between the forces of terror and the forces of freedom. Peace is the key to prosperity and stability, a future that our corrupt leaders have put in jeopardy. The obvious and not so obvious potential opportunities in Nepal are enormous. Still, we are a nation of skeptics. Amid the uncertainty, I have hope for a climate of unity for all Nepalese and a triumphant journey from darkness to light. Hope, after all, is what keeps us going.

Can one protest change the world?

When you are with amazingly vibrant group of people filled with skills and energy, you can't think of anything but hope. I realize that this is the beauty of democracy. These are the people who can make the world a better place.In retrospect, GOTB was a great way to meet people interested in changing the world, and I am proud to say I was one of them.

Golf

Is there a positive correlation between fabulous weather and good vibes? Take today for example, a beautiful sunny day accompanied by that occasional cool breeze...Well all day, I've been feeling like I have been elevated. Now that I run outside, it has been even more FUN!!

The sun is now setting into a cool evening and I look forward to that walk when the moon shines. If it is the weather, then maybe I am better off moving to a place where only spring and summer exist ? I should say where only SPRING exists. I am not too fond of HOT day like yesterday though!

But then again, I LOVE winter as well. MR D always says that I really have not experienced the real winter like he has in the upstate NY. Regardless of what he says, I like winter and will always do. Mainly the SNOWFALL=) It is true that you cannot run outside and do lot of outdoor activities, but still it is Beautiful!

Snowfall is beautiful, especially when fresh, and the changing colors of leaves is absolutely inspiring and for me they are a direct reflection on life. The cycle of birth and death and rebirth...and how we change in course of all this. I'll try to remember to jot down my feelings the next time it gets cold, which believe me, in just a matter of months.

How was my day today? Another exciting chapter, I would say! We are very much relieved by the fact that we are not moving. We did make a point to look at couple of apartment but nothing appealing as the current one. For past couple of days, or I should say, week, I really was extremely busy with the Apartment hunting procedure. Now, it is all over!!

I just got back from the BBQ. It was organized by Prasanna’s office. It was a mixture of BBQ and GOLF.Pras had a chance to hit some GOLF!! They were playing nine holes. (Apparently, the game does not get done until the ball gets under the ninth hole. Interesting!! ) He sounded very THRILLED and excited!! ( I mean very very thrilled) Some times I wonder, what does not excite my husband. ( I hope he smiles when he reads this). He is filled with ENERGY and is excited all the time.... well most of the time. His excitement excites me. He showed me around the Golf course which was huggeeeeee. He made me walk for almost 1 mile :) After the short tour, I also got excited about the whole GOLF thing. Is the word excitement contagious?

Anyways, we had played Golf couple of years back at the Driving Range in Lexington. AND I think it is time for us to make a trip to that place once again =)

Developed nation

Saw this and loved it! A fantastic use of google maps, this site allows you to actually see the building. Isn’t the technology so amazing!! I was really thrilled to see my high school (Seisen)and my parents home in the map. The Kathmandu map was not as clear as the Japan one. I guess Japan must have the good sky navigator-- ?!

Every time I hear the term 'developed nation' the one thing I can't help thinking about is the criteria that defines development. Isn't it conceited and pompous to declare oneself as developed or progressed and the other as not? Is advancement in science the only way by which we can judge a country's 'progress'?

Does that mean that those close to nature are such uncouths that they have no rules, and no principles whatsoever? At least they live in harmony with their environment. What has technical advancement brought other than destruction and disruption in the ecological balance!—Good example—The ongoing battle in the middle east.

I do not want to write long today- THE HOT WEATHER IS unbearable. I have had the AC on all day and yet, I am still perspiring. The power went out at Prasanna’s office. I wonder how they are surviving with out the AC. Today is supposed to be the hottest day in summer.

I am enjoying reading Interpreter of Maladies. It is a collection of short stories. Somehow, this book reminded me of “ Arresting god in kathmandu” by Samrat upadhyaya.

My school will be opening in couple of weeks now. It is time for me to focus on my Finance book. In this hot weather, rather than sitting in a pool and soaking up the sun, I am buried with my book and the calculator calculating the NPV and IRR value of a BANK.

music gadget

I counted – There were about 15 people all together at the Harvard Square. I do not think I missed anyone. How could I? Those things are so obvious. White headphones clinging outside their t.shirts. Any guesses?? :) What can that be none other than the famous IPOD!!

These supposedly intelligent people cannot bear to strut around campus without some kind of electronic noise generator stuck in their ear. If they're not bellowing inane platitudes into a mobile phone, they're listening to inane music on an iPod. I have no idea what deep thoughts these people are trying to suppress from their heads, but judging by their vacant expressions I would be surprised if it was worth the effort.

iPod culture seems to have flooded everywhere in the United States and I don’t deny on this. Almost everybody seems to be holding different colors of iPods walking around on campus/bus/schools. This is the trend; this is the culture, which, apparently, are blind; being meaningless to comment on whether the group phenomenon be good or bad; being pointless to draw black or white definitions on an abstract cultural phenomenon.

I personally don't have an iPod and am not planning to get one. Simply because I don't like it, though it could allow me to, store huge files plus data, and listen to music, but that doesn't mean I have to discriminate people owning one. As I said, this is the trend; this is the culture for the time being, so who to blame; who to judge.

I shamelessy have to confess that I returned the book, The world is flat without even completing it. I just could not do it. I plan to go back and check out again. In the mean time, I have started my focus on the second one.. Lahiri's. Apartment hunting is making us go CRAZYY!!!!

Weekend ramble

Weekend is almost over. The weekend was all about apt hunting. I buried myself practically all day yesterday sitting in front of the computer looking for an Apt. Nope….. no luck so far. Even though moving into a new apartment is always a fresh start, however, I have to admit that it is a hassle! I am exhausted. I cannot imagine what will happen in a month time. We will be (hopefully!!) moving into a new apartment. Packing/unpacking stuff and on top of that my college will be starting. What an adventure!

Weekend was good. My cousin was at our place for dinner. She is from Florida and currently a law student at Boston College. Her grand mum is my granddad’s older sister. The last time I had met here was in Mississippi and I was in 11th grade then… almost 7 years ago.

I also had a chance to watch the movie “Billy Elliot.” I had always wanted to watch this movie and somehow or other the timing had not been right. Finally, almost after 5 years, I got to watch it yesterday.

It is a story of BILLY, the skinny but scrappy 11-year-old son of a callus, sometimes anguished mineworker.Dad sends him off to boxing lessons every day after school, but the sport doesn't seem to be Billy's forte. He slowly starts to fall in love with BALLET! Beautifully observed and surprisingly free of mawkish sentiment, Billy Elliot is a heartwarming coming-of-age tale that speaks straight from the heart, juxtaposing Billy's battle of wills with his prejudiced father, with the community's struggles against the larger forces of the outside world. The setting of the movie is in England--A blue-collar English community, struggling under the conservative, anti-labor regime of Margaret Thatcher.

The movie is very cute. I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you like this one, you should definitely consider- Save the last dance, Center Stage and Step up- (yet to watch it!) For some reason, I have a passion for ballet and love watching it!

I have started reading “Intrepretor of Maladies”. I was estatic to find out that the setting of this book was also in Boston. I have halted “ the world is flat” for a while now. I know I need to finish it by tomorrow..but I still have like 800 pages left.

I was once asked- -

Do you blog with a purpose? I mean really…do you have a mission or are you just there to journal your daily life. I suspect that I, like many others, have no purpose behind my blog. I blog for me more than for others. This means the blog is a fairly eclectic mix of the banal and the more interesting ideas. :) Enjoy!!

Thursday

So I tilted my head back in the couch and rested my eyes. The scorching sun was unbearable. I am tired. I decided to run this afternoon. My body was feeling bit lethargic… So I ran to the gym in the afternoon 4:00 to be exact. I don't know whether or not that hour of the day would be labeled as Afternoon but oh well. I am happy that my stamina is building up gradually. I ran for 20 min in the treadmill and I did not stop:) I also ran on the way back from the gym.

The swirl of a wind outside my window is so comforting. And sometimes I wonder who controls all the light in the world and why everything is so dim and reddened like the pavement under the streetlight outside my window. The colour does not carry any of the negative connotations of darkness, however, it is JUST there, an irrepressible part of the world that clings and divides and spreads until it covers everything. Even the most beautiful parts of the day. Darkness is knowledge. Light is pleasure. They can never be wholly compatible. interesting isn't it ?!!!

Isn’t it funny how life is so wonderful one second and horrifying ugly the next! Actually, I take it back.It is not funny at all. Cycles- it is all about cycles. Ups and downs. If people would let go of their expectation, I think we would all be lot happier.

This one is just going to be a snippet! I have been jumping from one topic to another for no particular reason. Just been writing whatever popped in my head! This is the beauty of democracy I suppose.

The book reading is going on fine. I am really looking forward to reading “Interpreter of Maladies.” And no, I have no clue what it is about =)

THURSDAY--Back in my college days I used to get very excited about THURSDAYs!! mainly for television reason. I loved watching Freinds, ER, Will and Grace. I seriously cannot even remember the last time I saw ER!!! It has been agesss.. I miss watching APPRENTICE.

One more exciting news: Tomorrow, I am meeting my cousin Debbie after almost 7 years. I saw her last when I was in 11th grade.I am excited!

The world is Flat! or is it?

I have always enjoyed running on the treadmill with my music on. However, for past few days, I have become fond of running in the evening. I just came back from running. Such a pleasant night it is! You know what would be even more wonderful…. running late at night… When there is less of a noise. No roaring of a car or a horn… just silence.. Complete silence. Around 11ish would be perfect! Now don’t get me wrong. People do run at this odd hour. I usually run at 8:00. Weather wise, it is perfect!!

I am in the midst of reading the Thomas Friedman’s book. It is very very interesting and I am thoroughly enjoying it. It was quite interesting how upon reading the book I found about things that othewise I would have never noticed. The fascinating thing to me was when I read- how even the drive thru McDonalds do outsourcing. You will be thinking you are speaking with someone in the other corner of the room. However, the real truth is that, the person might be some miles in a call center. No! not in India, but in a call center which could be possibly 900 miles away!! Amazing isn’t it?

The world is flat—Thanks to the term called Globalization!!

In the book,Thomas Friedman also talks about Amartya Sen,the economist and the Nobel prize winner. I really like the way how he emphasized that the Berlin wall was “ Like a frog that is born in a well and stays in a well and lives its entire life in the well.” He writes that "the well" was how the world was like for many people in the planet for many years. After the fall of the wall; like the frog who was suddenly able to interact with the frogs from other well, people could do the same.

Another thing that really fascinated me was how you could have a personal assistant outsourced from India. You are in a dilemma about this presentation you have to do in front of your Boss and you have no time for it. If you have your assistant—let’s say in India, what that person would do is—research on the topic and have your power point ready when you get up the next morning!! So, Voila!! It is all there. Now all you need to do is just present it. WOW!! Does this not sound so simple!!

I am not done with the book yet. Truthfully speaking, I am not even half way there. This weather gets you really distracted. But I have been very impressed with what I have learnt and read so far.

This is how Mr. Friedman, the NY columnist describes the term Globalization.

"This is Globalization 3.0. In Globalization 1.0, which began around 1492, the world went from size large to size medium. In Globalization 2.0, the era that introduced us to multinational companies, it went from size medium to size small. And then around 2000 came Globalization 3.0, in which the world went from being small to tiny. There's a difference between being able to make long distance phone calls cheaper on the Internet and walking around Riyadh with a PDA where you can have all of Google in your pocket. It's a difference in degree that's so enormous it becomes a difference in kind."

This is a good book to read! i.e… If you have the craving to understand the world in 21st century!!

More reading

Just got back from Running. Really nice evening outside.

There is not much to say except that-- this one of my good ideas of self-expression will probably fade out in a month i.e once I go to school. Even though my inner monologue will be telling me to write things, I will not be able to do so because of time constraint. And eventually when I do write, it will be all changed …..the words would not be the same.Maybe it will just be a boredom, apathy.. etc.. (Hopefully not!!)

Well what do you know….. you might see the gradual change in couple of days. :)

I went to the library and got 3 books.

Intrepretor of Maladies- Jhumpa Lahiri
The world is flat – Thomas Friedman
From Third world to first- Lee kuan Yew

The latter two are very thick books. Since I could not find Friedman’s book in the regular shelve, I had to get it from the “Speed-Read” section. This means I have to finish it ASAP.

Ok back to Reading ....... night...

Ghulam Ali

Well, it was a lovely weekend. A musical one, I must say. Saturday was bit gloomy and muggy, but we were quite enchanted by the Magoes we got from the hay market. It is the mango season back home and knowing that you actually have the privilege of doing exact same things here excites us.

We had a great dinner at the Bistas residence =) the combination of lasagna, salad and desert was absolutely Delicious!!!! Thank you for the great night! After dinner, along with pradeep dai, we headed to the concert, something that we had been looking forward to for a while…

The Ghulam Ali concert!

I enjoy gazals; I have always been a fan of Jagit Singh. I have listened to Ghulam Ali’s song, but I primarily remember him being the favourite of my dad and uncles. Honestly speaking, I was excited but not as much as I had with the Jagit’s concert.

It all changed when I saw Ghulam Ali sitting on the platform. Everything looked surreal. He was humbly seated with his shawl wrapped around. The ambience was cozy. Even though he was quite difficult to hum along with, for the way in which he goes off on his own raagas and aalaaps after every second line, he was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! His voice was mesmerizing, and his stage manners exquisitely cultured, even when he is playing to the audience. I feel quite lucky that within a short span of one year, I was fortunate to witness two of the powefull Ghulam Ustads, Jagit Singh and Ghulam Ali

He astonished all the audiences by singing the medley of Nepali songs. “Kina kina timro tasbir,” “ k cha ra dina,” “ Gazaluti,”- all the songs written by our late king Mahendra.He had a whole collection of songs, Yeh dil yeh paagal dil mera, kyun bujh gaya, aawaargi" and "Hungama hain ". Then of course, his famous "act", for lack of a better word, with "lehar" - in "Dil mein ik lehar se uthi hai abhi”. What more could I ask for in one evening?

After the show we also managed to have a quick talk with him. He was happy to meet with his Nepali fans! Prasanna also managed to take his autograph along with some pictures.

The evening was a fun filled one!

Though I must admit that I had imagined a little different setting, nonetheless, it was brilliant and I love it.

I am done with “ The Namesake.” It's a warm book. One of the best I've ever read. A truly enduring classic story. A lot I could relate to.

Reading

The book is Great. It is almost over. I should be done in next hour or two.

Not only has Jhumpa Lahiri come to terms with her own hyphenated identity as an Indian-American, she has embraced the condition she shares with so many. The immigration experience, something she calls a “frequently humiliating process,” is explored in detail in this book.

I am a fan of hers now. “Interpreter of Maladies” is another popular one from her. Hopefully, I will find it in the library. The next one in my list is the “World is Flat.” I have made a quick skim of the book at the Harvard Coop but I still am eagerly waiting to read it.

“The Kite Runner” - Khaled Hosseini is another one in my list. Hopefully I will be able to read it all before the school starts.

It is hot outside. You can go on and on for hours and hours but still nothing in this hot and humid weather. Motion is excessive. Stillness, tightening and knotting. My feet hurt. Been out of shape AGAIN! Two days of running and my whole body hurts.

And I am happy…

Weekend is here. We are excited about Ghulam Ali tomorrow.

Planning to watch a movie called Kolya- it is a winner of the “ Best Foreign Film.”

The namesake

The book is Finally here :)

Ashima and Ashoke Ganguli are recent immigrants to Boston from India in 1968 when they give birth to their first child, a son. Their son ends up with the pet name of Gogul, when his "supposed name" never arrives from India. Gogul despises his name and grows up as American as he can while his parents cling to their Bengali past while living what appears to be a typical American suburban lifestyle.

This book is about your IDENTITY! Identity of an Immigrant.

I have been practically glued to this book. It is half done. Maybe one more day and it will be done! It really is very interesting. What makes it even more exciting is the fact that the setting is in Boston. I can totally relate to all the places... it is like watching a movie in my mind! :)

Other than that..I went running with Pras this evening. I ran all the way to the gym and back and couple of minutes in the treadmill. I am tired.

lady Di

How would it feel to constantly get hawked down by the Paparazzi?

What is the limit? How far is too far? Sadly, no one can put a question to it. However, as a human being, I think we all have the ability to make a rational decision. OR can we not?

It is ok to follow the celebrities clothing style, the food they eat, and the perfume they wear. However, it is quite extreme to put celebrities sex tape on the Internet and make money out of it. Yes, we enjoy reading about them in the magazines but they are human beings after all and they seek for PRIVACY like we do.

Paparazzi.. Paparazzii....

I was very saddened to read that the Italian magazine Chi recently published ghoulish photos of a nearly dead Princess Di immediately after the accident that took her life. AND it happens again,to the most photographed lady in the world who is no longer with us but the paparazzi has not stopped to haunt her. Who will draw the line of LIMIT? Sadly,even the royal family cannot do anything.

“World exclusive - the last photo" was its headline.

People are appalled and there is every reason for them to be Angry.

I was watching the news at CBS and one papparazzi bluntly replied, “ People needs to see what happened to her”. NO! We do not. It has been almost 9 years since her death and we need not to be reminded with the horrific pictures. No one wants to be reminded of this worst nightmare. It is despicable to fleece her image in death.

Publishing the picture shows a lack of compassion and is utterly tasteless. This beloved woman and her family should be shown the respect and dignity that she emulated throughout her short life.

Seriously whoever published the picture, who most likely has his own family have no thought for the feelings of what Diana’s family is going through, first and foremost Diana’s two boys.I cannot even imagine what the princes must be going through. Reading the news, the editor sounds like a cold and heartless being, who only has eyes for headlines and sales. I hope he deserves for this wrong doing!!!

It really is ironic to state that the Princess who always tried to protect herself and her kids from media is still haunted by the media, even after so many years of her death. Princess Diana has been gone now for quite some time.Her death will always remain mystery to most, but her memory lives on and, in most recent photos, not in a way she would to be remembered.

As for me I prefer to remember her as she is in this photo...completely elegant...the embodiment of a true princess!

Let her rest in peace!

Rural Education and Development

Weekend was great.

It was filled – just filled with brim. Friday was good with the movie. Saturday, as usual was little more relaxing. Sunday we had Shailesh dai, Reema and Atul over for dinner. It was nice and pleasant evening.

Oh! What a hot day today.

It’s been another very warm and sunny day, and apparently there is more to come. Tomorrow promises the same I think……. or there is a rain I heard. I wish I were in the pool soaking up the sun!

Today was good day. A usual Monday, I suppose.

Got woken up early in the morning by the annoying sound of the construction. Seriously, is it not illegal to start the construction as early as 6 in the morning? This thing has really ruined our body cycle.

This afternoon, I went to attend the Nepal-US Indigenous People’s Forum at Harvard University. The talk was about READ (Rural Education and Development). Mr. Sharad Babu Shrestha gave the talk about his experience as a Senior Program Officer with USC Canada and as Project Manager and Deputy Program Officer for Save the Children.

To empower communities by increasing literacy and access to education through the creation, advancement and leveraging of a replicable library-based model for sustainable economic development is the mission of the organization Mr. Shrestha emphasised. The main goal of this organization is Building literacy and communities through libraries.

It all started when Dr. Antonia Neubauer (president of READ) at the end of her trek asked the porter what she could do for him for being such a wonderful guide. The porter, Domi lama humbly requester Dr. Neubauer to build a library in his village and there! She did it.

The READ so far has successfully opened 40 libraries all over the Himalayan kingdom ranging from Panchthar in the east to Darchula in the west and Parsa and Rautahat in far north and south. I was very happy to see the determination of Mr. Shrestha and I am very glad that I got to meet a person like him who has been persistently trying to help our country.

It is heartbreaking to see the news of Middle East. The bluntness and candor, which characterized the war cries of neoconservatives, this weekend was quite striking. Will there be a W. W III? Why can’t there be peace?

I still remember talking with Stephanie, my high school friend from Lebanon and asking whether her families were safe in Beirut. This was almost 12 years ago, back in the high school days. Every one has gone in thier own path. However, the fight is still going on. Meanwhile, the war rages on, the world holds its breath, and the casualties mount.

Golmal

GOLMAAL- we went to see this movie yesterday and we were both very very fond of it. :) You will laugh your heads off till the veryyy end! That is a promise.

The weather is quite gloomy. The tyre of my bike is out. So no biking for me for a while. There is a construction going on near our house and the sound is just so anoyinggg.....

Nothing is planned as of yet. We will take the day as it comes. Have a beautiful weekend!
Library called : Jhumpa Lahiri's book is here :) I am excited.

My article

Here is a news, not a new one of course, but definitely worth sharing. I just found that that my article was also published in a South Asian media journal. As you can see, I am very ecstatic. Otherwise, I would not be writing twice a day. Thank you Mr. D!

It is the third article. Enjoy!! (Article)

Have a GREATT weekend!! It is going to be a little bit wierd without the W.cup, but I will be following the CARPE DIEM rule :)

ME

I am me. I am not setting up to be like any person else. I may admire the symbols, the philosophy, the viewpoints of other persons, but with all due respect, I do not aspire to be like anyone else. How can I? I am me!

Nooo, I take it back....... I am ME but I aspire to become like someone else. The people that we meet throughout the course of our lives mold and shape who we become. Some of those people have such a profound effect on our journey that we honor them by calling them a role model. I follow my role model and I want to become like that someone sepcial. I am me.. but molded by someone else. I need to change, toughen up and be more productive.I admire those who have a dream and never quit, regardless of how many failures they get. Someday, I want to become like my role model. The role model that I have always admired!

I take my artisitc licence to write words of whatever leaves in my mind. :)

I BELEIVE THAT: If you can not be happy in no-thing….you can not be happy with any-thing.

One more thing I thought about, it deals with vision. Not normal vision but special vision. I am speaking of the underrated art of seeing out of the corner of your eye. You can see things you never saw before, things you would never see normally. There is always that reflection there in the corner of oblivion that somehow reaches you in time to let you notice or warn you of anything at all. Bordering on premonition, you can see things you were not meant to, be granted that one instant of warning before the lightning strikes... its magical, really... so use it while you can, don’t take sight for granted but dont always use it for obvious purposes, trust me.

I have been listening a lot of RAVI SHANKER lately!

Asato ma sat gamaya
Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya
Mrityor ma amritam gamaya
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti

From the false, lead me to the truth
From darkness, lead me to light
From death, lead me to immortality
Om, Peace, Peace, Peace.

Blog

Have been getting many e-mails =) saying that I should seriously consider “Writing”. To be honest, I have never really been a writer until very recently. When I first saw the whole blog thing, I was just so excited. I really enjoyed reading Paresh dai’s blog and he was the one who gave me the idea of starting my own one and Prasanna has always been very encouraging. :)

I'm not sure what this journal is now. A compulsion, I suppose. This has been a way to keep my memories from fading.Well, when you make a concerted effort to write every day in a blog, then it will have to,by nature, turn to something more personal. Hopefully it will allow you to see what it is like to live life as a student.I am interested in investigating questions of the mind and in my mind. Additionally, it gives me some accountability — which is always good.

Thursday night—nearly bedtime.

So, bleary eyed and not quite fully awake. I just took off my contact lens and writing wearing my glasses. I usually don’t take my lens till I go to bed. Today is different. Truth is, I think my eyes are just too knackered and needs a rest. Having an apt near Mass Ave is havoc. Blaring noises and disruptive horns is what we get. I feel bad for Prasanna who gets woken up early in the morning and comes home all exhausted. Poor thing! I am glad tomorrow is Friday.

I think today is just going to be a snippets. As a rule, I don't make serious posts. It's my genuine belief that almost nothing is sacred and immune from humour, even of the blackest kind.

That being said, I will start with my topic.

Failure----- It is really hard to stand again when you have fallen badly. It's even harder when you're constantly reminded that you fell. It's like a bad dream that won't go away. Only it's worse because you know it's not a dream but a brutal reality that you're facing every hour. I hear the second-hand ticking on the clock, the passing of time that cannot be retrieved no matter the cajoling or bribery. Time is the essence of honesty-because it runs you over whether you adhere to its rules or not. It's hard, but it's not impossible.

I still remember what Laxmi Mittal had said about making goals. He said, “ not to make high goals but change your goals as you move along. This way, even if you fail, you will not get disappointed. But like a wise person once sad, “Nothing lasts forever-not even bad times”.

I went to the library to get "Shaliamar the Clown" from Mr. Rushidie only to find out that it was checked out. Agghhh.. I then went on to look for “The namesake”, by Jhumpa lahiri. Nope, no luck in this one as well. Bit disappointed, I came home with “Satanic Verse”- by Salman Rushidie and 3 movies.

-The Accused
-Lost in translation
-Motorcycle diaries - Finally after 3 attempt!

Promise, I will keep you updated.

Pras got the ticket for Ghulam Ali :) I am estatic. It is my first time.

Good night

the night

There is a distant light in the sky. It comes and goes fighting with the breaking waves for superiority. There is almost inaudible rasp of razor palm leaves rubbing in the air. A single chime sounds. The light is turned off in the room. I am sitting by the window.People laugh and walk, across the road. The cool breeze gently swipes my face. Best of all is the Moon. It is almost full, like a porcelain figure. Perfect white. Everything is bathed into the orangish colour from the street light I suppose. The whole sky is splotchy but clear, although even in the clear around the moon, the light betrays the thin layer of haze. I know of nothing relentless than the sound of silence. Faint whiff of the rain in the air. There was a great thunder in the afternoon.I stare at the moon. It shines even brighter through the patch of truly clear sky.

I just want to sit on the floor and color this beauty. The night looks impeccable.

(My husband took the liberty of taking the beautiful picture of Boston. One was taken after the July 4th fireworks. )

Foray into Writing

I was very ecstatic to see my article “ The good will for Nepal in Europe,” get published in the Nepalnews.com. This is my FIRST article ever to get posted in this website!!I have been getting so many emails from different people regarding their opinion on the article. What can I say, I was very happy to have that day of fame. This credit really goes to daddy, my father- in law for his constant encouragement and of course, Mr. Pras for all his help and lastly, the Internet. This indomitable medium has really connected my article with people from all over the world!

The article is about my experience as a Nepali in Europe, which I then compared to my experience in Tokyo and Mississippi. To me, it seemed as if Europeans were more aware of Nepal then the Americans were. This is solely based on my experience. I have been getting emails from the readers expressing their different views. Honestly speaking, Mississippi took me by absolute surprise. Coming from an International school where I had friends of Ghana, Djibouti, and Sweden to a place where many had no clue about the existence of countries other than the United States was indeed a shock to me. Moving from Kathmandu to Tokyo was not a surprise to me as moving from Tokyo to Mississippi was. This transition had not been easy for me both emotionally and practically. Now, I can only look back and smile.So again! this article is my experience and please feel free to Disagree :)

Yesterday evening was very eventful evening. The “MaHa” show was very exuberant and funny. “Sharada” was my favorite one. I laughed so much and still hurts! I had seen them in Baltimore in 2000 I believe. This was the first live show I had ever seen. The Help Nepal team did a wonderful job. Kudos to all the team, especially Shailesh Dai and Muna Aunty for the job well done. My thulo daddy got here last night. He will be going back to MS today. This is another of his very very brief stay but it is always nice to spend some time with him.

Oh and the weather has been amazing for past couple of days, especially during the evening I must admit.

And Ah! No scorching sun outside…

(Article) Enjoy!!!

Sayonara World cup

What a fantastic and dramatic final to end a great World Cup. It was a great game, a classic that will go down in soccer history, in my opinion. This world cup lacked the precitability that's scourged other world cups. The finale took a strange twist when the sentimental darling, veteran and the French captain lost his composure and aggressively head- butted an Italian player

What happened to Ziddane.. Zizouuuuu… ??

It started off being his defining moment, but the reasons changed after the headbutt. He had scored an audacious penalty. All was going well until the extra time and then the red mist descended. The officials seemed to miss the incident but the Italian players remonstrated loudly and Argentine referee ended Zidane's career nine minutes prematurely with a straight red card.

As described in this Sports Illustrated article about the final match, “the beautiful game turned vicious, even venomous on Sunday.” I mean what was on Zizou’s mind to make him flip out like that toward the end of such an important match? What did Italy’s Marco Matterazzi say to Zinédine Zidane to make him so angry?

Here, one of the greatest players in the history of the game pulls out the bonehead play of the tournement in the 110th minute. The champion who in front of two billion people, was putting the final touches on one of the most extraordinary sadas in soccer's history.Can’t imagine that a player of his caliber would let something that was said to get to him and then do something stupid on the last game of his career in the finals of the World Cup. He could definitely have been the next Beckenbauer or Pele......….. but at least he got ghe GOLDEN Ball Award.

Zidane is fallible. Zidane is a mere mortal. If he wasn't fallible, he wouldn't be human - he'd be God. Alas, no man is God. It was a storybook setting, but his dream ended in a nightmare. The parting image for Zizouuu will forever be him, the viliant knight rearing back in anger, lowering his bald head into the chest of the Italian defender.

WOW!! I could only sit and wait for the inevitable.

The enduring image of the World Cup for me was when Rooney got the Red card. It was one of a tensed game I had watched so far. Aside from the poor performances of various established stars there were very few surprises. World cup debutants like Ghana and Ukraine put up a fairly impressive performance that got them to the second round and quarter-final stage respectively, while England was knocked out again at the quarter finals via the dreaded penalty

And such was the 2006 World Cup....Congrats to all the team =)
Watching the game with the fans from both the team in the middle of Boston city Hall was indeed a phenomenal experience. Initially not knowing about this event we had headed to our usual place, of course, the Phoenix landing. The place did not look as crowded as we had expected. Upon starting the pre-show started, the ESPN showed the glimpse of the hall and without even having any second thought; we headed to the city hall.The place was CROWDED and we were very thrilled and Excited!!!

Prasanna had always wanted to buy the jersey. He wanted to get the Brazil one, they lost, then he thought of Germany, they were out, then finally Italy…. Both Pras and sano babu, my brother in law from DC bought he ITALIAN jersey. Somehow, Prasanna during the half time started doubting whether he should have actually bought the “les Bleus.” Well the extra time…. proved him all wrong! With a little Italian flag on his face along with the t-shirt chanting ITALLIIAAAA , he could not been any more loyal fan.

Congtratulation to the AZZURIIII =)

My weekend indeed was indeed a CARPE DIEM weekend! It was really nice with sano babu. We also had a chance to watch our wedding video, which was soooo nice and beautiful. All that just seems like yesterday.

What a Great month it had been.I am sad that the World cup is finished. My dad had predicted brazil,holland, france and italy to be on the final rounds. Well it was partially correct. Now that the Wcup is finished, back to regular life for me;this means back to the Economic and Statistic world!

Mr Mittal

According to the Forbes magazine, the three richest men in the world are:

1. Bill Gates
2. Warren Buffet
3. Laxmi Mittal

I had the honor of watching the interview of Bill and Warren at Charlie Rose last week. Yesterday I got the chance to watch the interview of the “Mittals.”

I still remember that day, when I was watching the “ Top 10 elegant weddings of the world” at E! and then the name “ Mittal” was ranked number one. I really wondered who this Indian guy was. After doing some research, I was impressed with Mr. Laxmi Mittal's background.

Mittal steel is king of steel market today. It possess a peculiar knowledge of converting non- performing public business and factory into highly profitable steel producing entities. He is famous for his personal spending and is now reported to be the biggest steel tycoon of the world a very much old world business; but his lifestyle from the most expensive home in London to the flamboyant daughters wedding in France ( At the palace of Versaille!) and his India visits are all pretty free flowing- globally. Mittal will now run the Arcelor, Luxembourg European steel champion. When I was in London with my husband in December, my friend Priya also drove us around his house neighbouring Kengiston palace, princess Dianna’s residence and the Nepalese embassy. :)

The interview was just so nice and encouraging. Laxmi Mittal was- very humble and down to earth desapite being one of the richest in the world. Mr. Mittal grew up in Rajastan, India in modest circumstances and simply decided to take up the export end of the family steel business. It was very interesting to find out that he had spent 14 years in Indonesia and that where he “ smelt the success.”

The interviewer asked Mr. Mittal what the word “Money” meant for him?

The interviewer asks - What is money to you?
a- number
b- security
c- power

He humbly replies:

“It is the satisfaction of doing something different and doing it unique. I think this is important than money. There are lots of successful leaders in the world who never earn money. In business there are lot of successful CEOs. They may not be a billionare but they are still successful and I highly respect them. It is not that money makes you successful but it is success that makes you happy.”

The Key word here is that SUCCESS MAKES YOU HAPPY!!

I truly agree with the suggestions he gave to the new generations. He said that there is so much knowledge available today instantly (thanks to the internet!). Knowledge is the key. If you have ambition, if you are focused, if you are committed and if you persevere, then you can do it!

On topic regarding " GOALS," he said-

" I do not set high goals. I set goals as I move along. This way you do not get disappointed if you do not succeed. You always take one step forward and then gain the confident and then move along. Then again, you change you goal. This gives you satisfaction and pleasure.”-Wow!

What can I say! I was just mesmerized by the whole interview. Listening to these sucessful leaders just inspires you and gives you a push! That is why an old edge say,

“Give me 10 knowledgeable people and I will conquer the world." :)

subliminal advertising

After pondering for a while, I came to the conclusion that it was now time for me to write about something else other than the world cup. So as a marketing major, I decided to converse on this topic.

Subliminal Advertising

What is subliminal advertising?

-If you attended the July 4th fireworks and saw the “Hood” balloon floating on the sky. I don’t know about you, but I depict that as a subliminal advert.

-In the Donald Trump show, right after the candidate is fired he steps inside a cab waiting with the “Yahoo Job”sign on the cab.

- The Famous one- subliminal messages being flashed in theaters telling people to drink soda and eat popcorn.

-Another interesting one is the research done by Wilson Bryan Key, a professor at the University of Western Ontario. Key found that the ice cubes in the Johnny Walker Scotch ads had images of screaming faces, skulls, and other horrific images. These types of images were in dreams experienced by alcoholics. After seeing these ads in Key's presentations, alcoholics who hadn't drunk for years suddenly had an urge to have a drink. :)

I will now take the example of my experience on the July 4th. As I sat down to see the Fireworks at the Charles River Esplanade, when I looked up in the sky one of the things that first struck me as wide-eyed eagerly waiting person was the floating HOOD balloon. The balloon was still floating peacefully even after the fire works had started. I am estimating that there were few million people that night and now the question is who will not remember this brand? Hood definitely was not doing any explicit advertising. The balloon was just floating peacefully and yet it managed to capture our attention and successfully might have also transformed other milk buying customers to the HOOD buyers!

One reason the subliminal advertisement is a dangerous conduit for innocent people like us is without knowingly it would have successfully brainwashed us .Now imagine, I am at a store and having trouble picking the right milk. You guessed it right… HOOD will be it :)

Also while watching the World cup, I have noticed the advert for “AVAYA” quite a lot. This no doubt is another form of subliminal advertisement. Subliminal advertising is a technique of exposing consumers to product pictures, brand names, or other marketing stimuli without the consumers having conscious awareness. Once exposed to a subliminal marketing stimulus, the consumer is believed to decode the information and act upon it without being able to acknowledge a communication stimulus. Thus, it is believed that one can influence behavior by surreptitiously appealing to the subconscious mind with words and images. If this were true, then advertisers could manipulate consumer behavior by hiding subliminal messages in their ads.

The advertising industry, a prominent and powerful industry, engages in deceptive subliminal advertising which most us are unaware of. By bypassing our unconscious mind using this techniques, advertisers tap into the vulnerabilities surrounding our unconscious mind, manipulating and controlling us in many ways. (If not then why all of a sudden I would start buying the HOOD product) Half of their dominating influence can be attributed to their use of subliminal advertising. Using the latest computer technology, they have unparalleled resources to manipulate each image to target a specific weakness in us. Subliminal messages gain their potential power from the fact that they may be able to circumvent the critical functions of the conscious mind, and it has often been argued that subliminal suggestions are therefore potentially more powerful than ordinary suggestions.

There have been lot of positive and negative connotations on “subliminal” form of advertising and I am not going to any more detail. I am sure most of know about the picture of the girl by Sigmund Freud :)

I guess, the bottom line here is that: People should be aware of the way hidden messages can be used in advertising. This way they will not be manipulated by the sneaky advertisements that may be out there, because, although there have been many studies conducted, the question still remains unanswered, "Do subliminal messages exist in advertising or do they not?"

Do subliminal messages violate the code of advertising? Will this change the way advertising is regulated? How could we detect subliminal messages inserted into creatives? ----This is for you guys to answer!

BUT PEOPLE out there….. Be aware of this MALICIOUS scheme.

And NO, I am still not over the fact that Portugal lost………………

JULY 4th

Yet another exciting and a disappointing game!

This, I thought, would be an easy win for the Germans. ( Holland was out. Argentina was out. But I had, against my better judgment and every instinct in my body, adopted Germany as my new team and sadly they are gone!) They were on home territory, at the top of their game, and Italy hadn't really impressed anybody.

Italy has never won a penalty shoot-out in the world cup, while Germany has never lost one. Naturally, the Germans were quite prepared to ride out the game and go to a shoot-out in front of their home crowd. With just a minute and a half remaining, it looked like penalties were a certainty. However,Italy stunned World Cup host nation Germany: Grosso slammed in a beautiful goal that sailed past Lehmann, followed around a minute after by an equally elegant one by Piero. The German side became visibly deflated after the first goal and lost its composure, which partly led to Piero's 2-0 goals.Arghhhhh!!

What happened to Ballack? He didn't have quite the sparkle he had showed against
Argentina.

I was amongst the many disappointment fans in the Bar. Am betting on Italy - Portugal final. Hope Deco can counter Zidane.

So much for the game …

JULY 4th weekend. Just like the wind, the big JULY 4th weekend is gone ! It indeed was quite a memorable one for us.

Now, America is officially - 230 years old.

Sitting and listening to Steven Tyler and Joe Perry perform with the Boston Pops at the bandshell on the Charles River Esplanade could not have been better. This year, we got a perfect spot. Both Prasanna and I, we sat with the crowd right in front of the river bank where we got a perfect, I mean..PERTECT (trust me, I cannot be more clearer) VIEW of the BEAUTIFUL fireworks.

Firecrackers, bottle rockets, bigger stuff….
Crackling, booming, screeching

The crowd was amazing. People everywhere. Somewhere in the crowd I spotted two Japanese with their Kimonos on. I was happy. It reminded me of the “HANABI” back in Tokyo. During summer time, around this time to be exact, they have something called HANABI/fire works in Tokyo as well. To tell you the truth, I really am not aware of its significance. I am thinking just for Fun. This takes place usually over the weekend and everyone wears their kimono. It is sort of a bonding time with the family with BBQ and picnic.

Somehow my experience in the crowd made me recollect my old memories back in my days in Japan.

Hope everybody else had a nice July 4th.

On the contrary note, I am reading the article at WSJ titled “ Fans say ESPN’s world cup Derseves Penalty”- I am completely nodding at this. It is really annoying getting disrupted by the overuse of graphics and cut-away shots. Who cares about the “ father-son duo players in the world cup”? The commentators are trying to show us how much they know but they do not realize the fact that all they are doing is showing how much they DO NOT KNOW!