Once upon a time....

A Leap of Faith

I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.
E. B. White

Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well.
Josh Billings

Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love.
Albert Einstein

People who are sensible about love are incapable of it.
Douglas Yates
Unfortunately, I might fall in this category!

People change and forget to tell each other.
Lillian Hellman

A relationship, I think, is like a shark, you know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies. And I think what we got on our hands is a dead shark.
Woody Allen

The Neo-Vedanta website has links to some really good articles around spirituality. I have read most of their collection about Swami Vivekanand, and I am always inspired by people like him who can find a deeper meaning in life and have devoted themselves for the selfless service of other less fortunate beings.

It is amusing to see how one's beliefs change over the years - I, for one, went from being indifferent to an athiest, then becoming an agnostic, and now becoming a believer. Who knows what Truth is for sure? :)


"Whosoever comes to Me; through whatever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to Me"
- Bhagwad Gita

I definitely think that there is something terribly wrong with American food, and I have proof!!

While trying to google "Why should I get an MBA", I accidentally landed on the site "Why should I get married".. The result? See it for yourself -

Every man should get married some time; after all, happiness is
not the only thing in life!!
* Anonymous

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An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have; the older
she gets the more interested he is in her.
* Agatha Christie

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Bachelors should be heavily taxed. It is not fair that some men
should be happier than others.
* Oscar Wilde

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Don't marry for money; you can borrow it cheaper.
* Scottish Proverb

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I don't worry about terrorism. I was married for two years.
* Sam Kinison

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A psychiatrist is a person who will give you expensive answers
that your wife will give you for free.
* Anonymous

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Bachelors know more about women than married men; if they didn't,
they'd be married too.
* H. L. Mencken

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Marriage is a three ring circus:
* engagement ring ---wedding ring ---suffering

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When a newly married couple smiles, everyone knows why. When a
ten-year married couple smiles, everyone wonders why.

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Love is blind but marriage is an eye-opener.

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I take my wife everywhere, but she keeps finding her way back.

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I asked my wife, "Where do you want to go for our anniversary?"
She said, "Somewhere I have never been!"
I told her, "How about the kitchen?"

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We always hold hands. If I let go, she shops.

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My wife was in beauty saloon for two hours. That was only for the
estimate.

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She ran after the garbage truck, yelling, "Am I too late for the garbage?"
Following her down the street I yelled, "No, jump in!"

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Badd Teddy recently explained to me why he refuses to ever get
married. He says "the wedding rings look too much like miniature
handcuffs....."

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If your dog is barking at the back door and your wife is yelling
at the front door, who do you let in first?
The Dog of course...at least he'll shut up after you let him in!

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A couple came upon a wishing well. The husband leaned over, made a
wish and threw in a penny. The wife decided to make a wish, too. But she
leaned
over too much, fell into the well, and drowned. The husband was stunned
for a while but then smiled, "It really works!"

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Before marriage, a man yearns for the woman he loves. After
marriage, the "y" becomes silent.

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It's not true that married men live longer than single men. It
only seems longer.
* Anonymous

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"A man without a woman is like a fish without a bicycle."
* U2

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"Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the
street bald and still think they are beautiful."

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A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can
spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

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The most effective way to remember your wife's birthday is to
forget it once.

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When a man is single, he's incomplete. When he's married, he's
finished

I don't know how I lived without reading and making sarcastic comments for almost a month now! So here's what I came up while surfing the net at work!

Sarcasm-just another free service that I offer!

National Sarcasm Society-Like we need your support!

Why get high when there are other ways to achieve a smug sense of superiority?

No I won't go to hell! I've got a restraining order!

Some people are like slinkies-basically useless, but yet it's so amusing to watch them fall down a flight of stairs.

A good friend helps you up when you fall. A best friend laughs at you and trips you again.

Silence is golden, duct tape is silver!

Few women admit their age, and few men act theirs.

My knight in shining armour turned out to be a loser in aluminum foil.
When life gives you lemons, ask for a refund.

I know kung fu and 50 other dangerous words.

(Old one) Work fascinates me. I can sit and stare at it for hours.

If you like sarcasm as much as me, you would also enjoy reading: http://www.coolnsmart.com/sarcastic_quotes/

Put that smile back where it belongs!!

Till next time then, Vaarwel!! :)

The title: Did you notice?

I changed my blogpage! Now you can vote using the buttons below. Hopefully you'll all like this revived and colorful template that I picked!

Bah.. how do I always find an excuse to waste time?

I am driving at full throttle here - not talking about my car, but about life. Am I eating more than I can chew? I want someone to hold me back and tell me what I should do, but there is no one I know who has been in my shoes and who has escalated herself on the so-called success ladders. I gather tidbits of advise, suggestions, inspirations and reality checks from here and there, but in the end, my mind is my best guide and worst friend - we'll see what happens and how long I ride this high wave for....

How far in advance should I buy airplane tickets to India? Should I buy them asap or just a couple of months in advance? So say if I decide to go there in April, should I wait till December to book them or book them now?

Do you think the ticket prices will go down from today onwards as the price of oil decreases??

Help!! :)

P.S. Let me know if there are any special websites or agencies I should check with for quotes! Thanks =)

Just non-responsive, but alive. And I am thankful for that.

Within last two weeks, I have *almost* had my life taken away in four different incidences.


The first time it was when I was running to catch my train; a lady was in my path and I moved over to the yellow line that runs along the edge of the tracks. I must have sprinted on the yellow belt for ten seconds before coming back to the asphalt platform and in the split second in which I steered myself to a safer side, I saw the train pulling back behind me. I was baffled that I did not hear the train behind me any earlier and was shocked at what the consequence would have been had I not altered my course.

The other three incidences have been car related. People drive at full speeds at intersections within and while coming out of big parking lots. I had to hit my brakes as hard as I could - thrice within two days - to save myself from becoming the victim of such impatient drivers. Thank God for my brakes - Never again will I put off fixing inefficient brakes!

Anyway, I did want to end on a happy note since I am excited for Navratri even though it's technically over, because for me, it has just begun - Happy Navratras and Dushera to you all! Have a fabulous weekend :)

I have been able to read quite a few blogs again. Yayy! Back to work now :(

You always want what you don't have, and don't want what you can easily have. But then again, chasing the challenging goals is so much more fun, isn't it?

W-O-W.. and that's all I have to say
FOR NOW.

Summer Classes for Men at
THE ADULT LEARNING CENTRE

REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED
by Friday, August 27th 2008
NOTE: DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY AND DIFFICULTY LEVEL
OF THEIR CONTENTS, CLASS SIZES WILL BE LIMITED TO 8 PARTICIPANTS MAXIMUM

Class 1
How To Fill Up The Ice Cube Trays--Step by Step, with Slide Presentation.
Meets 4 weeks, Monday and Wednesday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM..

Class 2
The Toilet Paper Roll--Does It Change Itself?
Round Table Discussion.
Meets 2 weeks, Saturday 12:00 for 2 hours.

Class 3
Is It Possible To Urinate Using The Technique Of Lifting The Seat and Avoiding The Floor, Walls and Nearby Bathtub?--Group Practice.
Meets 4 weeks, Saturday 10:00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 4
Fundamental Differences Between The Laundry Hamper and The Floor--Pictures and Explanatory Graphics..
Meets Saturdays at 2:00 PM for 3 weeks.

Class 5
Dinner Dishes--Can They Levitate and Fly Into The Kitchen Sink?
Examples on Video.
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM

Class 6
Loss Of Identity--Losing The Remote To Your Significant Other.
Help Line Support and Support Groups.
Meets 4 Weeks, Friday and Sunday 7:00 PM

Class 7
Learning How To Find Things--Starting With Looking In The Right Places And Not Turning The House Upside Down While Screaming.
Open Forum
Monday at 8:00 PM, 2 hours.

Class 8
Health Watch--Bringing Her Flowers Is Not Harmful To Your Health
Graphics and Audio Tapes.
Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 9
Real Men Ask For Directions When Lost--Real Life Testimonials.
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM Location to be determined

Class 10
Is It Genetically Impossible To Sit Quietly While She Parallel Parks?
Driving Simulations.
4 weeks, Saturday's noon, 2 hours.

Class 11
Learning to Live--Basic Differences Between Mother and Wife.
Online Classes and role-playing
Tuesdays at 7:00 PM, location to be determined

Class 12
How to be the Ideal Shopping Companion
Relaxation Exercises, Meditation and Breathing Techniques.
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.

Class 13
How to Fight Cerebral Atrophy--Remembering Birthdays, Anniversaries and Other Important Dates and Calling When You're Going To Be Late.
Cerebral Shock Therapy Sessions and Full Lobotomies Offered.
Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 14
The Stove/Oven--What It Is and How It Is Used.
Live Demonstration.
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM, location to be determined.

You know the funniest thing that I have been spreading in my household? I have been talking and thinking in the same vernacular style as the characters of religious TV soaps like Ramayana and Mahabharat. Yesterday when my dad was a little upset, I told him in a coy, obedient voice, "Kshama kare pitashri, kintu itna uttejit hona hamari parampara ke virrudh hai| Mujhe khed hai ki main aapki vyakulta ka karan bani huyi hoon, parantu aap mujhe apni bhool samajhane ka ek avsar to dete ", and all his anger melts away as everyone bursts out laughing. It is downright hilarious to have everyone at home talking this way. Good thing our neighbors don't understand a word of what we say, otherwise they'd think we're either insane or ancient :P

I take forever to update my blog, don't I? Well, what can I do - there are just so many things I can learn and do at work as a newcomer that I never have time or the isolation to blog, and once I am home, I do not feel like even touching my computer again. On the flip side, I have been reading books, watching religious epics, spending more time with family, trying to become healthier and figure out what I want from this life (and yet I hated philosophy in college, GO FIGURE).. Hence, my apologies to all my blog friends who stop by frequently and are not entertained by the exact same content that they saw ten days ago. I am going to have to use the same old cliched excuse of not having time to blog, but if you'd prefer, leave me a comment (if you haven't already) and I will be sure to inform you as soon as my next post is up!

Photo Courtesy of NBC

When the game started with Rogers and DalHausser against Araujo and Magalhaes, it seemed like the Brazilians were killing the US players. Every smash serve by Dalhausser initially was either blocked before it had it a chance to cross over the net and peek into the Brazilians' court or returned with equally violent fervor. This made rookie Olympain Dalhausser so nervous that he drove a few shots outside the court boundaries. Rogers and his teammate were not nimble enough to return the vehement and well-placed shots of their opponents. BUMMER! I was too sleepy at that point to finish watching this one-sided game, and I predicted that US had lost this gold medal. But, and that is a big BUT, this morning's news were pleasantly surprising. The game must have taken a turn right as I went to bed and U.S. eventually beat Brazil 2-1 to grab the gold medal! That's a good enough reason to be excited all day, isn't it?


P.S. this is an extract of my text written for a discussion board. Figured I would copy-paste it here since I haven't written anything in a while.


Photo Courtesy of National Geographic

Maybe I need to do my part before I expect anything from anyone else. Expectation without perspiration is always a cause of grief. Dang it! Just remembered to pay off a bill that's going to charge me $100 in late fees - purrfect ughh!!!

The Audichya Brahmins have a number of ‘Gotras’. The ‘Gotras’ are Vatsa, Bhargava, Dalabhya, Dron, Maunas, Gangayan, Sankratrutya, Sankruit, Panlastya, Mandakya, Shaunak, Bhardwaj, Kaudinya, Artio,Krushnatri, Swetatri, Chandratri, Gautam, Kutsas, Anfiras, Vashishtha, Upmanu, Udvah-Audvah, Parashas, Laugashi, Kashyap, Shandilya, Gabhil, Pipplad, Udalak, Audalals, Garga, Kaushik, and Hirnyagarbha. There are more than sixty different ‘ataks’ (Surnames) among the Audichaya Brahmans. These atak names which are used as surnames are based on their profession and field of proficiency. The most common among them are Dave, Pandya, Thaker, Upadhhyaya, Trivedi, Jani , Pandit, Acharya, Raval, Joshi etc. Earlier there were only 16 Surnames but in course of time the number went upto 60. The Brahmans who studied and taught the Vedas to other Brahmans were known as Acharya. The Brahmans who study and teach the Vedas in different regions come to be known as Upadhyayas are also referred to as Ozas, Pundits, Pathaks and Pandas. The Brahmans serving Rajput Kings at the marriages of princes and princesses were call Purohits irrespective of their original surnames. Brahmans residing in Panchal Pradesh were called ‘Pancholi’ while those who were well versed in Astrology are known as Joshis. Thakar Brahmans were those who gave up their original vocation to manage their villages. The Brahmans who possessed the knowledge of all the four Vedas were known as Chaturvedis, those who possessing the knowledge of three Vedas become Trivedis or Tripathis and those familier only with two Vedas are called Dwivedi and Dave. The Brahmans doing clerical work were called Mehtas and those who were experts in making preparations of Yagna were called Yagnik. The Brahmans possessing knowledge of the Vedas were called Vyas. One can understand that the community self perception of its status is on a pride in occupying the biggest position in the varna hierarchy.