Political...?

There are some things that something is designed for. If that thing is put to use in anything that is beyond the design, then, that thing would not serve its purpose.

Well... for example, telephone was designed to be an instrument that enables communication. But, when the same telephone is being used like a measures of one's popularity (like, the more the calls I get, the more popular I am!)... that leads to trouble.

Well.. take the other example, which is kinda the point here - the procreational organs in the body have been designed (fine-tuned over millions of years) for a specific function and purpose. And there are other parts (like the arse and the hole!) that are designed for waste management. Now, if these two things get mixed up, they (do not) lead to issues! (pun intended). They, basically, do not serve the purpose they were designed for!!

This is in no way saying how this is supposed to be.. or that I am not in support of gay movement... or that I am a republican supporter... or that I am a prude - people who know me would vouch for it! I think One (or Many) cannot dictate how someone else got to be behaving/doing. And certainly not about one's personal choices - as long as the person does not inflict pain, loss, misery on another - they should be allowed to live free and die hard!!

-----------------------------
Bernard Shaw must've been a gay!

He said "Some look at things that are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were and ask why not?" !!!!

Unn Sirippinil....

Beautiful song... I wanna watch this movie tomorrow...!! (Pachai Kili Muthucharam)
Andrea looks cute..


Un Sirippinil Un Sirippinil

un sirippinil un sirippinil
en manadhin paadhiyum poaga
un imaigalin kan imaigalin
min paarvaiyil meedhiyum thaeya

hmm indru naetru endru illai
yaen indha nilai
hmm unnai kanda naalirundhae
naan seyyum pizhai

un sirippinil un sirippinil
en manadhin paadhiyum poaga
un imaigalin kan imaigalin
min paarvaiyil meedhiyum thaeya

unakkul irukkum mayakkam
andha uyarathu nilavai azhaikkum
idhazhin vilimbu thulirkkum
en iravinai paniyinil nanaikkum
edhirinil naan erigira naan
udhirndhidum mazhaicharam neeyae
oru murai alla mudhal murai alla
dhinam dhinam ennai soozhum thee

un sirippinil un sirippinil
en manadhin paadhiyum poaga
un imaigalin kan imaigalin
min paarvaiyil meedhiyum thaeya

mudhal naal paartha vanappu
thuli kuraiyavum illai unakku
urakkam vizhiipil kanavaai
unai kaanbadhae vazhakkam enakku
aruginilae varugaiyilae
thudippadhai niruthudhu nenjam
mudhal mudhal indru nigazgiradhendru
nadippadhu konjam vanjamae

un sirippinil un sirippinil
en manadhin paadhiyum poaga

un imaigalin kan imaigalin
min paarvaiyil meedhiyum thaeya

hmm indru naetru endru illai
yaen indha nilai
aha hmm unnai kanda naalirundhae
naan seyyum pizhai


But I think Kamalini looked hotter in Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu..

Black or White?

Lotsa thoughts floating around
but no time to pen
newfangled stimulants abound
that it is beyond my ken

color lies in the perception
but it is never seen (for what it is)
'cos grey is a misconception
white or black more one way (than the other) in its gene!!

Some fun stuff!

Aatha, naan 'settle' aayittaen!!

Wheeef!! I am finally getting settled here... In 24 hrs, my status in this country has changed from a hitchhiker to a networked resident!!

I got to know my Social Security Number yesterday (I had to visit the SSA office to know it in person; the card is in the mail!). Next, I went to the Department of Motor Vehicles (popularly known as the DMV) and armed with my SSN number, I could apply for a California State Driver License. They gave me some tests, notably the written test in which I had to score more than 83.33% to 'pass'. I aced the test scoring 94.44% and they gave me a temporary driver license that allows me to drive a car on my own here. I still have to appear for a driving test next week to get my driver license though.

Anyway, now that that was done.. I went and hired a car and also moved into my own accomodation today. And then, I had to spend another couple of hours to get my post-paid mobile connection from Verizon. (Man, how much of a fuss these mobile companies make... they need an SSN... a good credit history (which needs that I own some credit cards and may be, some loans and to be paying them off on time for some months)... security deposit, in lieu of bad or non-existent credit history... and so on....)

After all that, I can finally claim I am settling down here...

Still to come are the credit cards, bank checking accounts, ....

Harleys in Vegas and another Video

Kinda taking a break from all the travel... Nowhere this weekend..
---------------------------------------------------------------


Here is a video I shot of the Harleys in Vegas... I had to cut it due to upload restrictions, still you get to hear it loud!



---------------------------------------------------------------

This video is sad yet stunning at the same time... It shows an LTTE woman ona suicide mission detonating a bra bomb...

Warming up...

Its funny how things are different here...

For example, nobody knows what a 'fortnight' is... They only know 'biweekly'!!

People don't hire a car here... they 'rent' it. But the rich ones hire a chauffer!!

Nobody 'talks to you after sometime'... they would 'talk in a bit' or just 'later'!!

At the other end, they are a pain in the f*cking ass... They have not given me my social security number yet.. And so, I cannot get my DL... And hence, no renting a car.... Thats a bummer!!!

BTW, that's not a 'driving license'... its a 'driver license'!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thank you guys for being my ardent fans ;-)
---------------------------------

Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a traditional North American holiday to give thanks for the things that one has at the conclusion of the harvest season. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and on the second Monday of October in Canada.
---------------------------------

I am at Irvine today and tomorrow. And, in San Diego for the weekend... visiting some of my friends here.
---------------------------------

TV shows.. talk shows... its a totally different animal here...

People literally going at each other, pulling each other's hairs, rolling on the floor hitting one another... that seems to be order of the day in these talk shows... typically, its about a couple and one of them cheating... and then the third person turns up.. some heated discussions follow... or I should say, some heated volleys are hit (you can never hear one full sentence... it will be filled with censoring sounds)... And then Kaboom!!

There is a dating reality show called “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila”... The speciality of this show is that it features 16 straight men and 16 lesbians. The competitors vie for bisexual internet sensation Tila Tequila, a 25-year-old entertainer it seems. I guess it runs mainly on the shock-value!! It is again filled with fights and fisticuffs.

And on another serious note, this guy Hugh Hefner should retire from public life... He looks pathetic in front of the blond bimbettes...

Here you go, Vegas!

As I said, here are the pics from Vegas!


The place we stayed


The slot machines!


Can you guess?


This is where the sports betting go on... And what you see on the screens are the American football games and horse races that you are gambling on!!



The Eiffel restaurant


Which limo is this?

And more here!!

Newport & Artesia!

One of the best aspects of California is the weather and the beaches around. Here are some pics from the Newport beach and Artesia (Little India)












Jumping with joy on eating the Indian lunch at Sri Krishna Sweets "Tirupati Bheema's" ;-)

More pics here..

And here..

Other (incl. Vegas) pics coming soon!

TV ??

TV shows here are quite good.. I don't need to watch a movie for sometime.. I mean, I don't need to rent or download a movie for sometime...

There's one called 'Law and Order'... and some more with names I don't know yet.. Well, I keep flipping channels as usual :-)

And then there are other ones... Like the 'Play girls next door'.. its a reality show with Hugh Hefner and his play girls... These blondes are a li'l obnoxious... But man, this old guy is having all the fun!!

There are ones in the format of 'who wants to be a millionaire' (our Kaun Banega Crorepati)... its called 'are you smarter than a fifth grader?' ... And if you lose, you have to declare yourself (on camera) to be NOT smarter than a fifth grader... I heard something abt another 'are you smarter than a second grader' today.. let me check that out!

--------------
Oh.. I found out.. one of them is called the 'Nip/Tuck'..

Read the storyline and see for yourself..
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361217/plotsummary

Vegaland!

Vegas Rocks!! Man, there is so much here that I need another couple of visits before I can say I've explored this place well!!

I spent my time doing what Americans love doing (since I'd gone with my Amru friends/colleagues).... boozing, gambling and watching American football.... I wandered off by myself sometimes leaving them to their betting and football matches... Man, words are not enough to describe the experience.. I need to upload some pics soon ;-)

It is a marketing extravaganza, no doubt, enticing and addictive... Otherwise, why would hundreds of thousands of people fly-in every week, shed their money and fly back? I had seen tens of limos in NY... But here it is easily in the hundreds, may be thousands... Ever seen a Hummer limo? You can find that and much more (Ford Expedition limo, anyone?)!!

We were staying in this hotel called the Monte Carlo... Its a huge one with so many casinos, food courts, and stuff... There are atleast 10-15 such big hotels. (I'm not looking at the small ones at all) And some 5 more are being built...

I think the casino table hosts have some remote control... Anyways, I made some money and lost more money on the Roulette... did not play blackjack... that would be for the next time... got to learn fully before that...

Enroute.. we passed through Edwards Air Force Base... thats where the Columbia and other space shuttles land, it seems... Its in the Mojave (pronounced, Mohave) desert... Just around the place there is this aeroplane junkyard too, where we could find old and discarded jet fighters and passenger planes...

We passed adjacent to the death valley (supposed to be the lowest and hottest place in the US) and this place named Zzyzx (wonder why they named such!!)

We also saw Area 51 (or the UFO center). Area 51 is actually a part of the Nevada Test and Training Range and is owned by the United States Department of Defense and the United States Air Force.

Area 51 contains an airfield whose primary purpose is believed to be the operation and analysis of enemy aircraft and weapons systems, and secret development and testing of new military aircraft. Many of blackbird and stealth flights have been created here and the entire area is 'highly classified'. Until a couple of decades ago, nobody knew about this place. It did not appear in any of the maps and the US govt. did not acknowledge the existence. It required the highest govt. clearance to access even the details related to this base.

Area 51 is the frequent subject of UFO conspiracy theories. Its secretive nature and undoubted connection to classified aircraft research, together with reports of unusual phenomena, have led to the popularity of Area 51 and it being a focus of modern UFO and conspiracy theory. It was believed that this was a storage, examination, and reverse engineering center of crashed alien spacecraft!!

So much for one visit... more later!!!

BlackJack

Its that time of the year to undertake pilgrimages and I am going on one tomorrow... Well.. I told you already!!!

Anyways, so here I am getting ready... I need to know some stuff, right? I am learning the rules and tricks of BlackJack... After all, that is supposed to be the only game that involves some skill in a casino... The odds are 7 to 3 in my favor, or is it?!

I would update the pilgrim's progress when I get back... bloggin' from Vegas would be so geeky and wasteful ;-)

Life @ Calabasas..

.. is groovy baby!!!

I don't have my camera, otherwise I would have posted some pics already... I am loving this setting... mountain ranges around (some burnt from the recent forest fires)... beaches (Malibu!) nearby... Hollywood round the corner..... And Vegas not too far away!!!

I saw this guy.... Michael Clarke Duncan (of 'The Green Mile', 'The Whole Nine Yards', 'Scorpion King', 'Sin City'.... fame) last weekend... He was just behind us in the Whole Foods market!!

Mez going to Vegas this weekend!!!!!!!

Singapura!

Blogging from Singapura.. I got a visa on entry here and I'm going to be seeing some parts of this beautiful city before I catch my connecting flight to LA.

This place looks good... free broad roads, nice cars, great ambience, and better still neither as desolate as Austin nor as populated as New York.

more later!
----------------------------------

My friend picked me up at the airport (poor thing, she had to get up early on a Saturday... but then I told her she would not get to host a VIP like me often!) After catching up on the intervening months and some rest at her place (and some bloggin'... that's where I wrote the above), we left for the Boat Quay. There were the national triathlon championships and dragon boat races that day. We had lunch overlooking the races and then proceeded to the Orchard road. It is the MG road/Champs Elysee of Singapore... Had a brief window at Takashimaya plaza before we caught the metro to get back to Changi - the airport.

Short yet extremely sweet stop!!

Does Modi have balls?

The Tehelka expose on the Gujarat riots of 2002 and how they had been masterminded by the various (so called) Hindu fanatics post Godhra, has proved what a lot of humans in their right frame of mind have long suspected - That the riots of 2002 are not actually riots but cold strategic mass murder.
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main35.asp?filename=Ne031107Conspirators.asp

You would understand why I say '(so called) Hindu fanatics'.. B'cos these guys are just people who have gone nuts and use religion to cover up their madness. They are not doing it for the Hinduism 'cos Hinduism never stood for murder of innocent people.. Hinduism (and that is true for any religion) has never and shall never advocate cutting off one's own balls.

What happened in Godhra was a calculated instigation, most likely with the roots across the border. And then, these fools just fell into the trap.

The burning of the Hindu activists on the train was gruesome. But these jokers, including Modi, did not have the balls to acknowledge that their intelligence had failed. The political and police machinery did not have the courage to accept their responsibility for the massacre of innocent men, women and children. Instead, these bu**ers instigated the others who call themselves the Ball-less Rang Dal & Vasectomized Humanoids Personified and tried to push the blame on the hapless Muslims living in the state.

Such ball-less bu**ery needs to be stopped immediately and the perpetrators of the false revenge brought to the books. Surprisingly, not many media have come out in cry against the injustice after the Tehelka expose.

I suppose it is time for us, the bloggers and the new age media, to contribute our mite in restoring justice and making sure we defeat these ball-less imbeciles.

To quote Dina
"My request to everyone who is blogging this, or writing letters online, or even putting up content around this on Flickr or Youtube or Social Networks, or any other place that permits tagging, is to please use common tags:

Technorati tags: gujaratriots2002, prosecutetheguilty, narendramodigovernment, manmohansingh, lkadvani, humanrights, takeaction
Del.icio.us tags: gujaratriots2002 narendramodigovernment prosecutetheguilty humanrights

These tags will ensure that our collective voice rises up and is heard strongly. Smart mobbing, but we need to keep it going on a sustained basis."

Dina Mehta's blog. http://dinamehta.com/blog/2007/10/27/gujarat-2002-tehelka-expose-what-can-we-do-as-citizens/


A press statement has been released by Citizen for Peace requesting all citizens to:

1. Write to the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister demanding that they take immediate steps to prosecute the culprits of the carnage.
2. Write to all national political parties in India asking how and why the constitutional crisis, of a dysfunctional judicial system in Gujarat, is allowed to persist and urging them to address this grave threat to the idea of India with utmost urgency.
3. Write to the BJP, impressing on them that this is their chance to dissociate themselves from those responsible for these crimes, and to help this country make a new beginning towards justice for all.

Text of letters by Citizen for Peace are available here: these posts on our website.

I would say that the best punishment for these BBs (ball-less bu**ers) would be to put them into life-long rigorous imprisonment and get their daughters married off to forgiving Muslims.

The count is 5..

Only by late evening today, I started to feel that I'm undertaking a trip... That is when I started packing my first suitcase.... But even then, the mood is 'just for a few months' type...

Its like 'I'd spend a few mths (maybe a few years) and then I'd be back - after all, what would I do in that place filled with strangers' and 'let me take some things that would make my stay easier - stuff I cant buy there and stuff I wont need to buy there' and 'I'm still an Indian earning an Indian salary (well, not from next month!)' and ...... Anyways, I had been to the US on two short trips earlier(3-4 weeks each) and I guess 'been there.. done that'!!

But then, at the same time, I am preparing for a long haul... saying good bye to people I know but not well enough to come back and say hi again... saying good bye to people I know well enough and wondering if I would get to meet them again... saying good bye to my own people and still wondering if I would get to meet them again... and so on...

Getting send-offs from friends... one who arranged an inpromptu (thats what she would want me believe ;-) party/get-together [thats so very sweet of her; and she would want me believe she is so by birth!!]... another who was the guest of honor and initiated my shopping binge.... parties with cousins [one at the Windsor Manor with Champagne and all... that should be a separate post!]

So, here I am with 5 days to go and unsure if I would come back... "To Bangalore and all the lovely folks I shared this place with!"
-------------------------------------

"To you sweetie and D apple of ma eye!"
-------------------------------------

One big task done... finalized on the suitor to my Ford Fiesta.. He seems a nice guy and I think he would treat her well.. "To you my darling and to all the rides we have shared!"
-------------------------------------

First suitcase... man... it seemed so empty, but it is already quite heavy... need to check the weight tomorrow...i'm filling the case with all kitchen related stuff... a small cooker.. utensils.. some oil... sambar masala... rasam masala... custom-made masala/powders... ready to cook stuff... And I still need to decide what more to add based on the no. of kgs left...

Any tips??

Shopping of a different kind

I'm getting busy shopping.... But before I get to do the shopping for stuff I need to carry along... I am doing a different kind of shopping... actually, searching for a shared accomodation....

With the internet and with Craigslist, its much easier these days without having to be there physically... So, I hope to short-list some 4-5 good places before I even land there... And then, the same day I can finalize my place of stay... High hopes? let me see....

One more thing I want to do is to find the suitor for my beautiful lovely Ford Fiesta 1.6 ZXi.... Before leaving this place, I would say 'En kannayae un kitta oppadaikkaraen... indha kanngalil ini aanandha kanneer dhaan varanum' [nevermind!!]

Dumble....

It seems.. Dumbledore is gay....
What the hell do I care, any which way??!!

Here you go!

Once upon a time there was a small settlement by name Calabasas. Indians, explorers, squatters, and bandits are all part of Calabasas history. The Chumash Indians led a peaceful life amidst the rolling hills, making their homes in canyons where streams and springs ensured a plentiful supply of wildlife. The Indians living closer to the ocean foraged into the area for acorns, berries and small game.

Settlements of Chumash Indians named the area Calabasas, a word perhaps descended from the Indian word for "where the wild geese fly." Others think Calabasas comes from the Spanish word for pumpkin or wild gourd.

Then came the spaniards and the explorers... Along came some bandits... blah blah blah....

Today, Calabasas is still a small-time city with just about 23000 people. Los Angeles is situated 1hr away (by road) from here.

But, now that Bhaskar is going to be there, this place is going to be world famous!!