First Snow.......

Today Jan 18th I actually felt snow...as in real life :)
All this while in movies where you could just imagine how it is to snow.
The experience was different if you could say exhilarating ....
While coming to US it would have been in one of my wishlists....

Though with no sign in Nov or Dec, when H and Y were saying abt how it would be lovely to have white x'mas......I thought it would be one of the things I would not be destined to see much less feel it....

Of course there have been many false alarms and that kinda had me feeling that obviously i would not be able to see it.

It all started yesterday..By the looks of it, it was gloomy and looked like it would rain terribly...
But the had put a lot of salt in the parking lot...
Thats when Y mentioned that they do that when ever there is an impending snow forecast..I was like let it atleast snow...else all this is just false preparation...
But the temp was dipping and we were on our way back from lunch...when wisps of snow was falling...

I thought it was raindroplets falling as they were few and far between and b4 touching the car glass it would be water...

So i thought that it was just some raindrops
Thats when they said.."Looks like Tina will be able to see some snow"
I was like they call this water snow...
It was so tiny that it looked more like dandruff( for the want of a better word)

With pictures of what snow looked like in my science class text books i was surely on the verge of disappointment when Y mentioned that internally snow flake did look like that ..

But it looked gloomy and it really did look like there would be a thundershower...

One we got back to the office and into our cubes, it was as good as being locked somewhere..

Thats when I saw ppl gathering near the windows...it looked like heavy rainfall but it was actually snowing those tiny wisps.

Thought of going downstairs in the open to see or rather feel the snow..but we had a meeting..

The conference room is at the edge of the floor where except for the entrance all other sides are glass windowed.. So as the meeting progressed it was good to see snow falling with snow almost as big as hailstones....it was nice though it did melt by the time it reached the ground.

For quite some time all of us were looking at the snow...

By the time the meeting was over the snow was over and the ground looked more like it had rained....

On my way back it did not snow at all and that was the last forecast for the day.. I was like ohh no ...

Today I almost overslept..(i did actually) and groggily when I got up and saw outside it was white...Just like in Home Alone :D.. Cars were covered and evergreens also.. I was wide awake before convincing myself that it was after all now a dream. On my way to work slowly treading the ground...as you could have a good slippery fall on the snow esp when my sport shoes did not have any grip :(

It was sunny and all the white snow though just a cm layer... It was amazing view and for once in my life I regretted that I do not have a camera...Phone camera is real blurred.

Neways hunted up the internet for equivalent pictures so that you could also see what I saw.. Hopefully I could fill you in with real pictures.

As I was walking the snow layer used to crumble. It was at the station that temptation got better of me. Removed by hand from the glove and touched snow.. It just crumbled n it was cold you know. But it was so nice and flaky... And so guys n gals First Snow is here ....

I am not disappointed though I still have to stand while the snow is falling just like in movies :D

Felt like sharing the feeling with all of you esp since ppl I called up to tell were not around... :D

So now i guess it is one of the wishlist items which has been checked (as in a tick mark)..........

Here to more items to be ticked ............

Cheers,

Tina :)

Singles getting extinct .????

This is a post I have been thinking of writing....wht prompted me to write it....

Lets see...

Two of my very good friends got married on Saturday...Me being here missed all the fun.
Most of my friends on orkut are putting up double photos meaning couple waale...

Most of my batchmates guys including hav got married or commited...(commited mane booked :) ) Of course there is another set who are putting kids photos...

Fortunately my school friends and some of my college friends are remaining in the same boat as me :)

In Office all are married else fianced....

what happened to the singles movement....I wonder?

Its nice to knw ur friends status is changing if not VISA status, nice to see the snaps whether it is them alone or with spouse or with kids....
But somewhere wistfully you look and feel where are ppl like us.

Among the gang the rush of knowing a close friend getting married is amazing and best still is attending the wedding. Given the different regional friends its nice to attend different types of wedding.

Greater is the amazement when you know of some of your friends with kids.. It is a very pleasing and fun feeling to knw that a key to the next generation is in their hands....
( Of course that does move you to Bhai jee and Behen jee or Uncle-Aunty Level.)

Though I guess i wrote this feelingly because of my inability to attend the weddings...But i think it is nice to get or rather give some reassurance to my still single friends..

Bhaiiyon - Beheno our tribe is not extinct yet :D

Neways still on a lookout kii ab kiska number next aayega...

Rgds.................

rAnDOm tHoUGhts

So many times it happens that you have so many ideas in ur head but nothing to jot down.......
and when you stare at the blank computer page....nothing absolutely nothing comes to your mind.....
I started like that just to try to remember the thoughts that accumulate..........at random...and so many views I have but maybe cannot express.....

I subscribe to the pravsj forwards...sometimes the messages which come are really good and especially the quotes.....The quotes in themselves are pretty motivational but some times the pictures are pretty bleak.....though the quote makes up for that too.......
I had subscribe to those messages to ensure that i am in regular supply of good quotes so that i could forward to my friend circle morning moring as a good morning wish....just like some of my friends religiously send the Good morning mails...its nice to go morning morning and receive the morning mails...it's a different thing that my morning here happens pretty late......as compared to indian mornings.....
so by the time i decide to send a good morning mail its almost the next day there ....

Neways...i am slowly slowly getting used to being alone though cannot associate that with loneliness.....have to find a way to find solace in it.....
first I used to avoid staying alone coz thats the time when you terribly miss everything that matter most....
but now slowly slowly inch by inch trying or rather learning to deal with it......
Of couse having internet helps coz browsing sites themselves causes a lot of timepass though you might not say productive time pass...
you can also ensure it is productive....by searching for deals....

when i came to US..one of the first things i learnt from collegues and roomies was that if u get good deals online you save quite a lot,..... so each of them ensured that they saw deals online in various sites first and publicise it...most of them had a daily morning good morning routine.....of seeing all the possible sites for deals....

I thought it was a trend here so me to joined the band wagon for some days....but had no patience to wait and search for some thing which I would not buy thinking that there would be a good deal next.... thankfully its not become a habit now :)

Old World Charm.........

As I was browsing rediff came across this article..... http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2006/oct/13sd1.htm

But instead of thinking abt the Diwali factor...(article was for How Bollywood celebrates the festival of lights) I went on a different track.....

This picture reminded me of how Waqt (one of my favourites movies) is so different from the movies that come up today .... Looking back at this picture reminded me of how chivalrous men were and how different were the get up of females then....

The bouiffed hair do and the stitched on to you clothes....Yet it was an era ...be it in regional cinema...bollywood or hollywood...

where actors charmed people by their graces.....and most of whom had an aura about them..irrespective of whatever the tabloids said.... there youthful Shashi Kapoor...a yahoo Shammi Kapoor... a charismatic Dharmendra and a wonderful Sunil Dutt......boyish Joy Mukherjee

Of course there were stalwarts like Balraj Sahni, Pran, Prithviraj and of course Dileep Kumar.

Who can forget the doll like Saira, the Sadhana in white, coiffed Asha Parekh,smiling Vyajayantimala, doe eyed Sharmila, the trendsetter Nargis or the effervescent Madhubala....

They had a grace which could be rivaled by very few.....

The different part about these movies were that most of them are not watchable with the current mindset...for these you have to go to the nostlagic mindset :)

All the movies had real good songs..hummable even now...and mostly with social messages which did not seem like a bitter pill to swallow....else it was the typical "Alls Right with the world" ending inspite of all the trials and tribulations the protagonist had to suffer through out the movie... And yes some fabulous scenaries prior to Yash Chopra discovering Switzerland ..........

So long those were the days of some real good different movies.......the magic of which can rarely be recreated now.....

Happy ganesh chaturthi in US

From: Tina
Date: Aug 27, 2006 11:15 PM
Subject: Happy ganesh chaturthi in US

Today was Ganesh chaturthi ...........
I never thought i would miss the loud playing of music which used to irritate me.....
Not that 'Mein nikala gaddi leke' from Gadar was ever my favourite .....but i could not tolerate it more after hearing it played continuosly by all the Ganesh mandals of our place at various tempo in my last year of Engg....

The next year I spent the ganesh chaturthi in chennai where i guess vinayaka chaturthi is not of that much fervour as in pune - mumbai ......or maharashtra...
We hardly noticed it.....except for the fact that few of our friends had managed to go home for ganpati ...... and bought back sweets and lovely modaks ...
The ones in the shape of pedes with saffron ( milk sweet meat...) of chitale bandhu or the steamed riceflour modaks with cocunut and jaggery filling ......wow heaven in chennai....
but we did get glimpses of ganesh chaturthi albeit limited one with us able to go home earlier as the beach was one of immersion grounds....
only difference being speakers blaring 'apadi pode' instead of hindi songs.....

The next one in hyd was ok....in the sense that there was trademark rain and trademark friends going home and getting modaks......But we were in midst of a lot of wrk that time so just had glimpses although really near ones ....
Saw different pandals on the way back frm office while in bus....
Our building had kept one so there was pooja and last day there was a group prasad dinner tooo
Ghar ka type khana having it seated on ground in leaf plate.....
So did not miss pune -mumbai type ka ganesh chaturthi
infact felt a relief that it was not too noisy.....

Not that i am an ardent fan of festivals...but that it is such a part and parcel of life that it gelled into the routine so much that i did not notice it much and had got used to it
....That was earlier....now i know that how much i or rather everybody considers it a part and parcel of life that we don't notice it unless you miss tht routine some how...

This year Ganpati in US was different to the point that nothing happened ..If it wasn't for the fact that i already knew it I would not have noticed it....

Although climate wise it was exactly typical pune rain which made going out as cumbersome as possible....
Was planning of going to a place called Flushing near New York.....where it seems there are lots of temples....
Unfortunately could not make it as it was raining too much in the morning....and mainly no company....

So just like i did on independance day and raksha bandhan....to get the feel of the festival
played the online song compilation at raaga..... :)
Aarti thiii toh atleast laga toh kiii ganesh pooja kahi toh ho rahee hai

The place I stay had a huge indian presence...so was able to see lots of couples and families in traditional indian gear as in Saree and sherwani types.....
Esp families who went to temple and came back.....

The only high point being missing modaks........ nebody remotely able to get modaks please hav one for my sake :)

Of course had got a lovely SMS in the morning ....so just like back home I forwarded it to one and all.within US and back home india jayega kii nahi no guarantee.....
Only after forwarding did I realise that even to receive a sms here it is charged....
So all those who got my message bechare charge padd gaya hoga ......

Neways for all those back home ...don't take Ganpati for granted and njoiii the elephant headed god for a fortnight more....Hav a blast....and lots of sweets tooo....

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi.......

Warm regards,
Tina.