Searching the search ;)

I came across this bit while surfing Slashdot, and decided that i had to share this.

Apparently, "Yahoo" has become the #1 query on Google! also, a lot of people seem to be searching for the term "Google" on Yahoo.

Now, you may ask, whats the point.....hold on, i am still SEARCHing for it ;).

So, what may sound so funny when you read this, isn't actually that funny. plz. read the post on the link for more details, while i just summarize by saying that a lot of people are using search boxes rather than address boxes to surf the net.....many of them probably not aware on how to go otherwise, may be because one or the other web page is their home page and so on. its an interesting observation, and well, something that i personally won't make fun of. There are plenty of people (like some of our elderly folks, e.g.) who may not understand the nitty-gritties and do what just works for them (as many people point out in the discussion linked above). Interesting to me is the fact that what people just do on their computers shows up as a funny statistics for these rival search engines :).

and these kind of interesting links are cropping up! This one is really worth a click, just try! The name suggests to me that it promises the best of both seARCH rivals!

and yes, i am throwing in some nostalgia here :)).

lets start from the beginning.....when people would use (and many still do) Lycos, HotBot, AltaVista, MSN with almost equally; when Yahoo used to be powered by Google (am i right, i sort of recall that) and there used to be a google.stanford.edu web-page :).

or when we used Netscape Navigator (and that its sort of a forefather to Firefox :).

Aha, and how i can forget about using Telnet for email, which via Pine was my only way of emailing long ago :). yes, those official email addresses.....before i discovered, um well, Hotmail, Yahoo mail, Gmail and many more :).

and well, there used to be this 'Broken Pipe Error" while surfing the net ;). and then"Connection to host lost" message after logging out from the email.

How was that for some nostalgia :)).

Bas ek cup chai.....

Last night, i so felt like having a cup of tea.....late in the night, when i was so tired, i longed for that cup of warm and soothing elixir.....

i did get up and make myself a cup of hot masala chai. and as i was sipping on my chai, a few thoughts were brewing in my mind.....oh! i was nostalgic again.....

What is it in this cup to make me so nostalgic-besides milk, tea, sugar and the spices.....what is that magic ingredient.....

That magic, that warmth comes not only from this wonderful mix having reached the boiling point, but all that goes along with it.....

A lot happens over a cup of tea.....tired minds try to find excuses to unwind-all in the name of "bas ek cup chai".....its not chai that one craves for, its what comes with a cup of chai thats most comforting.....if you are alone, you mull over things, giving yourself enough space. The chit-chat, the sharing of thoughts, when you have chai with friends.

The countless cups of chai that i had with my friends late in the night.....dicussing the projects, the work, the movies, music festivals and a lot else.....the chai in that canteen may not have been the best, but the comfort it brought, definitely was.....we all used to share our thoughts over that cup of chai, in that canteen which everyone knew as the Tea-Board.....ironically so named, because there was another cafe' in the campus run by the Coffee-Board, which people simply referred to as the Coffee-Board!

The chai that i shared with Ms. Moon, even though sometimes it was just Dunkin-Donuts' vanilla chai.....or the plain chai at home, as Ms. Moon hates elaichis in her chai.....the thoughts mattered most.....the thoughts that secretly brewed along to make the chai a magic chai.....

The tea-party with Arshi, which was special in everyway, because it gave us time to talk and share books, thoughts and indulge in plain movie gossip sometimes :).

The chai with Ms. Doll, when we both sat silent and just sipped on.....for friends understand without words, what goes through each others mind.

The countless cups of chai at our favorite Indian corner or Starbucks, which MD and i shared.....discussing the latest news and work.....and which we both miss a lot, now that she's in a different continent.....

The chai that Golden Girl and i enjoy during our weekend brunches, watching her four year old daughter play.....and sometimes during the week, the hot chai/coffee brew that we buy from the vending machine.....just because we are lazy to walk a bit, and get "better" tea/coffee.....it doesn't matter. we just sit in our favorite corner, and the chai just tastes as good.

its that something extra in this cup, that makes me nostalgic.....

its that something extra in this cup, which adds a flavor that lasts a lifetime.....

Hope you are enjoying your cup of chai.....

For all the fans ;)

So, Sendhil Ramamurthy made an appearance on Jay Leno's show tonight :).

Jay starts off by sort of chanting Sendhil's name multiple times-kinda' showing off that he got it right :)). And then the "Hero" shows up (WOW!!), looking his confident best.....you just notice a hint of desi shyness, so boyish :)). And Jay gloats again that he got Sendhil's name right, "So, i got your name right, its a tricky one-i practised all night". Sendhil sweetly says, "Oh, you did a great job.....even better than me". (sure honey, considering how you say Mohinder Surresh) :)). Just kidding, Sendhil proves himself to be an absolute sweetheart.

Jay obviously has some desi-related questions for Hero.

He starts off by asking Sendhil about where he comes from. He tells us that he was born in Chicago and three years later the family moved to San Antonio, Texas. Jay asks him about his parents and Sendhil proudly tells that they are from Bangalore, India (cheers from some audience, making Jay and Sendhil chuckle)!!.

And then Sendhil shares in response to Jay's question about representing desis in mainstream roles on TV (i guess its his favorite question for desis-recall his interview with Parminder Nagra) how it was to be shooting in a small desi-owned motel in Monrovia (CA), where desis cheered him big time. Go India-so said Sendhil :)).

Though i have issues with this role being that mainstream, he still portrays a cabbie! May be mainstream means sufficient screen time .....

And Jay also brings up the sticky topic of choosing a seemingly non-conventional profession (from desi view-point). Sendhil confesses that coming from a family of doctors, it was a bit tricky to initially share his career-choice with his parents, but they are his big time supporters now. He himself has trained as a pre-med at Tufts where he had to enroll for an arts course to graduate, which made him turn to acting big time.

He also mentions that while he trained in dramatic arts in London, he adapted a British accent all through to get around smoothely :). Now we know where Mohinder's style comes from :)).

Yes, the guy doesn't do a convincing job of doing desi accent in Heros, yes he says Mohinder Surresh they way he does. But having seen him on this show tonight, he sounds very honest about what he's doing and is clearly proud of representing desis on small screen. (or is he just a good actor-hope he wasn't acting here).....Some girls call him Mr. Hot n' Sweet-dunno' about the hot factor-but he's definitely sweeeeeeet-really adorable.

Wish you much luck brother :).

Friends-2.....

For every Dhoom, there's a Dhoom-2. So, here's the sequel to my post :).

I am all about friends, who mean a lot to me.....and i don't mean people who casually (mis)use the word friend/friendship. i mean the ones, who truly care.....

And i am so happy that one of my friends Ms. Love recently became a Mom the second time :). So she's do betiyon ki Mata ji now :).

and then y'day Golden girl and i had lots of fun-she's truly Golden-heart of gold, really!

Best of all, i got in touch with some old frinds recently in the true spirit of X'mas season.....after a long time.....they are colleagues turned wonderful friends.....

Ms. Happiness, who loving responded to my first email to her in two years within 2 hrs. after writing.....i had missed so much in between.....in her words "Musical, feels so good to hear from you.....i first opened my eyes big to see, if it was truly you.....and now that i am sure its you, i have a big smile on my face, really"..... Ms. Happiness, who's name reflects her personality and what she does for others around.....and who would treat me with generous helpings of home made bread and hummus. it was quite a reunion.....we both caught up on lots of things.....and are hoping to keep in touch.

Ms. E, who shares my love for ear-rings (like Henry Blofeld), replied with the same chirpiness as always.....she of the crisp Boston accent and famous temper (the latter by her own admission) :)). Ms. E, who shared work woes and love for the city of Boston.....Ms. E, who remarked that i didn't say "like" five times in every sentence-so i still very much belong ;). We shared coffee and lots of gossip :)). We met after a long time, and it was fun.

and meeting Doll was wonderful.....chatting through the night.....lots of things that we never said before.....

and missing Ms. Moon.....


and having that bit of fun with MD before she left for Europe.....in a city that we both love.....

and then.....

Kudi guaach gayi.....(literal: the girl got lost).

Many days back, i had asked, "When will there be the next tea-party".....and my hopes were re-kindled.....i picked up the phone and called.....after almost two and a half years.....the same voice mail greeted me.....i wondered if she would call back.....

The next day, while i was shopping at Macy's with MD, that familiar voice said to me on my phone, "Hello ji, ki haal chaal. Main taan sochiya si ki kudi pata nahin kithe guaach gayi e (and i wondered if this girl was lost).....". It was Arshi.....The same voice, the same questions like, "Tumhare baal abhi bhi utne hi lambe aur khoobsurat hain" (is your hair still as long and lusturous)".....in those five minutes, while we were still thinking of what to ask each other, secretly we had found answers to all our questions.....She promised to meet up the next day.....

Pic: Prudential-Fond memories for Arshi and me

and i know, i am still waiting.....

and i know its enough that i heard her voice again.....

we didn't meet up, she didn't call me back and answer my multiple voice-messages.....

but she didn't need to.....

so, when are we having the next tea-party.....

Now, thats quite a mocktail :)

Hmm, my friend, Ms. Wisdom e-mailed me this clip a cpl. of days back :). It goes by the title "12 days of Christmas for a brown".



Quite a hilarious mocktail it is: you can find all the typical masala here. It kinda' also serves as your guide to desi stereotypes ;).

Enjoy :)).

Teach me more ;)

It is often said "Child is the father of the man"....., i don't know about that, but kids certainly can teach us the science of politics :)).

You can actually compile a book titled "How to get your job done" by taking tips from these tiny ones :).

Atleast, i think you can ;). And i have proof.

Few days back, while in Boston, we all went to the Boston Commons when it was snowing. Ms. Doll, her hubby dear and her four and a half years old boy (who's my hero) were with me :). It was snowing a bit, but really not too cold. After we got out of the T-stop, my hero looked around and then we all went around enjoying the snowy day, watching the making of ice-sculptures and taking pictures. After about an hour or so, my hero complained that he was really feeling cold, "Mom, i'm freezing". and Doll was worried, wondering why? because he had three layers on and it wasn't really windy.....the kid shouted again, "Mom, its so cold here".....and then, after a few moments of silence, he shared this gem in the softest and sweetest possible voice with a naughty glint in his eyes, "and so, we can go to the cafe' (pointing at Starbucks)-it would be nice and warm inside. You, Dad and Maasi ji can have coffee and i'll get some cake".....Doll and me really burst out laughing-for my hero loves Madeleines and that was what he was eyeing outside the T-stop :)).

Shampoo ho to aisa :)

Ah, here's an incredibly atrocious shampoo ad that i found on youtube :).



Have fun :)).

Charles, Charlie Card and more :)

More Boston stories, about the city and the folks.....

It is just amazing to go back to a city you are familiar with. There hasn't been much change, the same places and people-the same familiar and comforting surroundings. I even recognized the lovely girls, who worked at the Longwood area Starbucks and CVS :).

Pics : Park Street , X'mas Tree at Boston Commons and the State House

The first noticeable change was that my all time favorite Lindt's store has moved from Longwood Medical Area-so i had to go to Cardullo's at Harvard Square, which has Lindt's and lot more :).

And yes, finally MBTA has said bye-bye to the token system and introduced the cutesy Charlie Cards (drumroll please, and do view this link-must see)!! The system came into being not so long ago and hopefully would do quite well. There are some teething problems: for one, it sometimes takes a lot of patience to recharge-the vending machines may not read your credit card well. But overall, i like the concept and design and have saved a Charlie Card as a suvenir :). Pic: The Park Street T-stop
And the wonderful outing with MD (who was taking a brief vacation in Boston before flying to Europe. See, that was another great reason to be in Boston) at the Harvard Square: eating at Tanjore, watching a movie (The Good German) at AMC Loews and then walking upto Memorial Drive to stop by (and take pictures, ofcourse) at Charles, the gorgeous Charles.....
And we had fun, walking around.....enjoying the Boston skyline.....



Now, i am not going to review this movie! and
would rather sum it up saying that it was high on style (great cinematography) and low on substance. Geroge Clooney, who i am a huge fan of, didn't do much except parading in uniform like attire!

Also, one evening it finally snowed.....just a day before i was leaving.....Ms. Doll smiled and we decided to go out to Boston Commons to see the ice-sculptures :). Snow.....the first snow is always beautiful.....

and now is the time to share some desiyana, Boston style :).

First, the restaurants: I only ate out thrice:once at Tanjore, another time at Indian Entree' in the Corner Mall food court in Downtown Crossing and then at Indian Chilli Cambridgeside Galleria. I must say, i was pretty disappointed with both the food courts, more so with the Indian Chilli-the hostess is really rude. She doesn't really care if there's a customer waiting or not! and food at both places was also just OK. The Indian Chilli stall used to be Alladin's at some point-the food and service were a shade better then.

Tanjore was OK, had decent service-the sambar and chutney were too sour though. But atleast, MD and i could sit and chat for long-thats what made it worth it.

So, the conclusion is that MOST (not all) desi food court stall are not worth it-i really wish they would be, though.....

and i really missed not being able to go to Gourmet India in the Coolidge Corner (Brookline Booksmith, a wonderful bookstore is located there-and yes, i didn't amange to got there). Decent food and the simplicity would make me go for it :). and they apparently have food-court stall in several malls in Greater Boston area.


and also, i missed the Bombay Cinema.....at Allston, on Comm. Ave.-they stopped playing movies long ago.....


Hmm, and then i had this interesting incident in the T :).

There was this strange guy in the train, who i noticed was looking at me. I tried to ignore him. and then minutes later he was saying something not so audible. I thought may be he's asking somebody about a stop or so. He said the same (similar sounding) thing a cpl. more time, and then i realized he was asking me something! I still didn't get what he was trying to say, given that he was talking really too soft.

and thats when he asked in a more audible voice "Are you of Indian nationality"- and i said "yes". and he smiled and then went on to say "You look like an Indian" :). Hmm, i wondered, what would he ask next! and then he asked this gem of a question, "Are you also into hotel business, because most Indian who i know are into hotel business" :)). I really tried hard to control my laughter!! and finally managed to put a stern look on and firmly said, "No". By this time, other people, especially women around, were on an alert mode, as they wondered if this guy was crazy! He continued, "So, what do you do?". When i briefly informed him about my profession, he was, like "Wow" and went on to say "Oh, yes! many Indians are doctors and scientists. BTW, are you into psychiatry" :)). The woman next to me gave this a guy a dirty look and next thing we both noticed was that it was time for us to get down :)).

So much for desi related fun :). Will chirp more on friends and folks i met there, soon.

Pics: Downtown Crossing, Inside the Prudential Center Mall and near the Boston Commons

My lil' vacation :)

I had been having dreams.....vivid, rich dreams.....crazy dreams.....

I poured out nostalgia all over this blog, and held some close to my heart.

I longed to sit outside that Starbucks, on the benches.....in my dreams, i saw cob-webs in the elevator that i used to take to go upto my office.....

and much contemplations later, i decided i had to be there.....

and thus my trip to Boston.....

every city has a distinct smell.....a distinct flavor, a distinct style.....that brings those who love the city back into her lap.....

and i got a chance to feel it all.....

the Longwood Medical Area, the food-court where Ms. Moon and i used to share our thoughts, where Ms. Doll (who played my host this time) and i chatted over coffee and even that CVS, where sometimes we would just walk in, to de-stress.....

The smell of Green Line T.....the familiar sights of Brookline and Coolidge Corner.....

I had never been away.....

and through that week, i lived in the same apartment where i used to live before.....the same apartment where i played a host to Doll, when she just came in from India and now she was playing my host.....the same apartment, where Moon lived before us both.....the same apartment, where Arshi and i lived together.....the same apartment where Doll lives now.....

I had come home, my second home.....

i dusted those cob-webs indeed.....writing to some friends after ages and seeing the sparkle in their eyes, when i met them.....and i have lots to share on that.

Happy New Year :)

Here's wishing you all a very happy and joyous new year.

and a belated Merry X'mas :).

I am just back from a lil' trip to Boston, more on that soon.

Once more, hello and warm wishes to everyone.