what a weekend !!!

Lets look at the brighter side...

1. I got a bonus day with Ma Papa
2. The sudden low that I was feeling yesterday was much less today... it was relatively easier seeing them off
3. I know for sure that most things that one asks for, would happen... I wanted to go for a long drive yesterday and it happened...
4. I finished one of the nicer books I know, in about 3 hours... for a 200 page thick book that is not a bad deal at all! (Read the paragraph below.... loved it)


5. I went to a new Indian Restaurant
6. My second opportunity to drive a new Ford Fusion. Don't confuse it with the Ford fusion in India. This one is a 2.5L 16V I4 175BHP engine... driving at speeds over 80mph is such a breeze!



and now time for the not so brighter side...

- The flight mom dad were to board to Delhi was overbooked and they had to stand at the gate for well over 2.5 hours before the staff gave them some vouchers for the night for a stay at the hotel and food. Though things worked out fine at the end, however this was an absolutely ridiculously handled episode.

- I was about to reach home, a distance of 80+ miles from the airport when mom called me and told me what happened, and I took a U turn to reach the airport again... They felt much better after I was there...

- I was stuck in a traffic jam on the freeway for over 90 minutes on my way back home today! uff !!! This long a jam on the freeway in the US, unbelievable... and what is more surprising is that this was because of two cars involved in an accident which was ridiculously irrelevent.


- It's very difficult to stop crying when you are in a empty house, and there is no one to even attempt to make you stop crying. (And no wise comments on this point please... I am feeling much better right now)

- Silence is not going to be easy to manage with for the next few days

the king is dead, long live the king

My dearest friend Burf writes...

"if i speak great words about MJ, i probably would not justify them because i didn't hear his music a lot. not that i listen to music a lot anyways but i never have compiled MJ's music/songs [in fact i never compiled music by artist's name].

having said that i would say that he had the most influence on me as a contemporary musician/singer. i was introduced to english music from his song video - black or white. and i absolutely loved a lot of his songs. i bought my first album by janel jackson and loved her song "if", which i personally think had a huge MJ influence. i was awed by his dance [and used to explain his steps in his videos to anyone i think don't comprehend the greatness in them] and although i don't really know if i could have made it to his show when he was to perform in delhi but ultimately didn't, i wouldn't have wanted to attend anyone else's concert more. i think he never deserved the kind of end he met. i believed he was framed in the cases and had wondered why are people so jealous and unhappy about his success.

when i last week read about his final strings of concerts in the UK, the selling out of all of his concerts, his numbers topping the charts - again, the whole gig worth $ 1 billion, i was excited, happy and relieved by the thought that finally he would again see sunshine that he so much deserved.

now that he is gone, i feel bad and sorry that i haven't seen him dance live on stage."
_______________________


The first time I heard him, I did not understand a word of what he was saying, and could not really figure out why he was such a craze !!! Sandeep, my friend, was a BIIIG fan !!!

This was when I was in VIIIth standard or maybe IXth...

Over the next few years, I heard him again and again and over and over again! The first song I remember falling in love with was, "Do you remember the time" and then Billie Jean, Bad, Dangerous, Thriller, Heal the world and so on !!! Did i miss, Black or White?

Even today the crispness in MJ's music is something that is uncomparable !!!

MJ was practically dead for the last so many years, but now that he is not physically present, the void would be felt more!!!

But the good part is that the music will live, and it will live for good!!!

Route Maps of the weekend trip in East Coast, USA!

These are not completely accurate because of the non-inclusion of the service stops, meal breaks etc, however still have a fair amount of accuracy as far as our route is concerned...

Day 1 - Part 1 : New York to Philadelphia


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Day 1 - Part 2 : Philadelphia to Washington DC


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Day 2 - Part 1 : DC to Hershey's Chocolate World


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Day 2 - Part 2 : Hershey's Chocolate World to Corning's museum of Glass


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Day 2 - Part 3 : Corning's Museum of Glass to Niagara State Park, Niagara


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Day 3 - Part 1 : Niagara to Finger Lakes, Geneva


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Day 3 - Part 2 : Finger Lakes, Geneva to Manhattan, New York


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And Finally the overall route


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And a short video from Niagara too... Enjoy !!!

bits and pieces of Amreeka with Ma Pa !

These are some of the many many photographs that were taken last weekend... The set that you see below have been taken from the camera I bought for ma-pa last year, Panasonic TZ5... I absolutely love this camera for the results it produces more often than not !!!

I am still waiting to get sometime to transfer the photographs I took with the canon... maybe next week... till then enjoy the pictures below and some associated text...


The trip started early morning on Thursday from Flushing, a not so small Chinatown of Flushing, New York. A shuttle took us to Manhattan china town in New York where the actual tour bus picked us up...


The first photograph below was taken in front of the White House, however before that we had been to Philadelphia, and a few more places in DC... now to the pictures...

One of the many pretty girls we saw :)

Was trying to take the picture of one of the memorials when pa took this picture...

Ma Pa near the Lincoln Memorial

The George Washington monument...

Pa calling it a day at the Holiday Inn hotel..

Pictures at the Corning Museum of Glass...

It kept raining for more of the time during the tour, the good part being that the rains always decided to stop when we were outside the bus!

The America falls...

Maid of the Mist boat tour at the Niagara Falls...

The Bhardwaj family with Tronto, Kanedda and Niagara falls in the background...

Ma pa with Tronto, Kanedda and Niagara Falls in the background...

Pa at the Finger Lakes, Geneva New York...

Incredible India advert on a cab in Flushing, New York...

The Raging Bull on the Broadway Street, New York...

I should not have to write what do you see here in this picture ! or do I have to?

Some pictures at the Intrepid Museum... loved the submarine and the aircraft carrier. And felt bad that India does not have anything like this on display...

Times Square, magical set of blocks !!! Really !!!

The other family that was with us on a day tour of New York. This family was also visiting their son from Hong Kong.

Views from the "Top of the Rock"! loved being out in the open on the 70th floor deck... what an experience... Sears tower observatory, even though on the 99th floor, seems more useless after this...

And the United Nations office... Some day I will return to this place, and NOT as a tourist!!!!

Our vehicle for the day tour... the Mercedes Limo Bus...

There is a lot that you did not see or read in this post, but I thought that there is so much to show and talk about from this trip, that its good to take is slow and easy :)

Hope you enjoyed like we did ! there is more coming shortly !!!

चाय गरम !!!

जै राम जी की !

सत श्री अकाल...

अस् सलाम वालेकुम...

नमस्कार

हेल्लो है जी

चाय की दुकान का शटर वापस खुल गया है !!! आशा है के आप सबने ऐश मारी होगी पिछले कुछ दिनों में !

(Chai ki Dukaan reopens! hope you had a nice time in the last few days)

मैं वापस आ गया हूँ!

घणी सारी फोटू खींच के! और घणे सारे सहर देख के !

(I am back ! after taking a lot of pictures and after being to a number of cities)


एक टैक्सी वाला ऐसा जो बोल्यो के मने सब पता है, सारे रास्ते भी ! और सही जगह पहुंचाने में आधो घंटो लगादियो !

और एक टैक्सी वाला ऐसा जो बोला के मैं इधर २० साल से हूँ और सुसरे को म्हारे होटल का नाम तक ना पता था ! और होटल भी ऐसा जो हवाई अड्डे के ठीक सामने था !

(met two cabbies, one who said he knows all the ways and took more than 30 minutes to figure out where we had to, and the other who claimed to be there for 20 years and did not know the name of the hotel which is bang across the airport)

घणी सारी हरियाली भी देखी!

घणा सारा पाणी भी देख्खा !

घणी सारी सड़कें भी देखी और

घणा सारा आकाश भी देख्खा

(Saw more green than in the last 4 days than the last 7 months, saw more water than the last couple of years, maybe more... saw more roads and saw a lot of sky)

थोड़ा सा इंतज़ार फरमाइए! कुछ हसीन लम्हे, तस्वीरों की जुबानी पेश किए जायेंगे !!!

फिर मिलेंगे

ज़रा चार पांच दिन दुकान बंद रहेगी !!!

आदाब
शब्बा खैर
सत श्री अकाल
नमस्ते
ओके
टाटा
बाय बाई

Men's Do's and Don'ts

This is about what to do and what not to do, when you are out shopping with your guy/gal!!!

Women, don't mind it please! My intention is not to offend :) but to just put a few things that I have noticed, together !

Men, learn ! and if not in a mood, enjoy pictures of some gorgeous women!

1. Don't expect to be consulted. Most women know what they want, and are not looking for consultation on how and what they "should" wear or when they should wear it

2. Don't be in a hurry. Your other option is, be in a hurry and screw up whatever time you managed to save because you now made the girl go away from something she loves to do

3. Don't look at other women trying to find clothes for themselves. Are you an idiot? You are here with someone, you have to look at what she is trying to buy irrespective of how many times she looks at the same rack



4. Don't hold her accountable for something she said 10 minutes ago while she is shopping. Opinions and views change, and when she is shopping, they change pretty quick ! You cannot hold her for some statement she made about some random dress or shirt or skirt 10 minutes ago. It might be "the" dress or shirt or skirt she wants to buy now, oh wait ! or maybe not! Anyway, you cannot hold her accountable for that sentence she said

5. Don't act as if you are the fashion guru. Keep your 2 cents for the time you are to pay the bill, and not for the time when she is shopping


6. Don't go away from the dressing room, when you were expected to stand there and wait up. What were you thinking when you walked away to see that shirt? Idiot! Who is she trying to look good for? YOU !! go back stand there and let the other women stare at you while you are standing in front of the dressing room, which happens to be next to the lingerie section for some reason that no one can tell


7. Don't change your answers when asked a question. If she asks you how is the dress, think before you speak. If it was picked up after some search and looked at for a second before she asked you the question, say it’s a nice dress. But if she asked the question immediately after she saw it, tell you have to see her in the dress before you can tell. In either situation, what you said does not matter. She will decide what she likes !

and when asked again about the same question, maintain your stand!

8. Don't suggest a store "instead" of the one you are in. Oh you already did? Idiot ! now you have to spend time here and an equal time there ! what were you thinking?



9. Don't trying to think too hard about what she is trying to do, or understand what she is up to. It’s impossible for men to understand the pace and number of thoughts that a woman's mind processes in those few minutes when she looks at a dress, or when she tries one, or when she is turning around in circles figuring out how she will look....

she thinks almost everything from how would she look with the dress, with the dress with those silver earrings, with the dress with those silver earrings and the diamond pendent, with the dress with that diamond pendent and without this shiny lace on the dress, with the dress and those black sandals, oh wait, she needs new sandals, ok back! with the dress and those black ! neah! those silver sandals! with the dress and those... wait! with those black sandals and the other dress that she saw on the rack! wait! let me get that too! no wait ! there was that white dress as well... white dress and diamond pendent !!!

the bottom line is, don't even try figuring out !!!


10. Don't forget to compliment her. THAT is the icing on the cake! So far you have been telling her that the dress/shirt/skirt etc etc was nice. Now is the time to tell her that she looks great in what she has bought. You stood by when she was going through some of the most critical times of her life (read deciding on what to buy) and now you should let her know that she has taken the right decisions



Some to-dos now during your shopping experience

1. Wear comfortable walking shoes. It can get painful if you are standing for long hours without walking around much

2. Carry a couple of cards and some extra cash. You don't want to leave the stuff someone spent hours in selecting, behind.

3. When helping her out with clothes, pick up a size smaller than what you think she fits in. Mostly what you think is wrong, and she will fit into one size small only!

4. Park somewhere closer to the exit. That way you will walk less when you are done shopping, or when the store closes

5. Enjoy the shopping experience. You are bound to be shopping for yourself the next weekend, once she is happy with what she has bought !


oh, I almost forgot... point number 11 of the not-to-dos


Don't get onto to cell phone conversations in the store... you are making a big mistake if you are talking on the phone when she is almost about to come out of the dressing room wearing that new shirt!

Its about the choice I make...

and not just at one time, but always !!!

I can either decide to sulk over something that I don't have or "can't" have, or decide to be happy about what I have....

I choose the latter for most part of my life these days and that makes me breathe easy !!! a lot easier than the times when I used to see the space around, instead of things that fill some of it !!!

For instance, I cannot buy the cars that I see on the roads here every day ! BUT, I have an option of renting them :) and in the last four weeks I enjoyed driving

Mazda 6

Chevrolet Impala

Ford Fusion

and this weekend, a huge Chrysler 300

I will write about my personal opinion about these cars sometime later (can't stay without driving a car and noticing a few things about it)

But the point is,

I choose what direction I turn my head it, I decide to turn in what is more satisfying !

Meanwhile, enjoy a view of 4 of the 9 awesome beauties that I own here in America !!!

Yea, I like miniature cars ! must have at least 20 of them back home in India !