Year Two.

It's been ages since I've posted. I could attribute it to having a crazy fun life with me partying every weekend and waking up on the side of the street. I wish. I haven't been in a very "blogging" mood. Heck, i crossed 2 years of living in the US and didn't even post what I thought would be a yearly mandatory "This-Is-What-Happened-This Year" post. There's been a lot of change though. A period of transition. A time to reflect and take decisions for the better.

Year 2 in the US went along pretty well. It was definitely a better year than the first. I knew what I was doing. I knew why I was here. I'm still unable to fathom the fact that it's been two years and I have finished my masters. The fact that I still haven't graduated is just a mere technicality.

Year 2 made me a more determined person. Knowing that something had to be achieved for both personal and professional reasons. And that it would have had a profound effect on, not just me, but others too. Guidance from everyone was really helpful. November/ December were stressed out. Project Work going nowhere; Finals (well, just final in the end) to study for. Plans for the annual Pitt trip. In the end it all worked out. Maybe the grade that mattered wasn't what I expected, but it was enough to see things out. Pitt was wonderful as usual. Got in some major beer pong battles. I still have sweet dreams about Meera Pedhi's Lamb in Almond Sauce. Back to the big, bad city. In all the snow.

The city's worst snowstorm in ages. An unbelievable weekend with unbelievable friends. The best new year's eve party I have ever been too. Kati rolls at 2:30 am are never a good idea.

2011 started out amazingly for me. I looked to it like there was no turning back. It was my year. The feeling of euphoria was indescribable. Staying at 430 Euclid alone because everyone else had traveled somewhere. The Three-Stooges-Karoake-Birthday party. And the morning after. The best birthday in a long time. Thank you to Pushkar, Amith and Don for coming over on the 10th and keeping me company as my birthday dawned. It was just the best. Watching the sun rise. And the morning after. A trip up to Boston to see the little guys. Back to the city awaiting a reunion of sorts of the 6 roommates. Every time someone returned, a mini-celebration. Research work continued. Better progress. Supposedly. Pushkar's birthday. And the morning after. Seeing the Steelers beat the lousy Jets to reach the Superbowl.

January 2011 could have been my most favorite month since I landed in the USA. But there's more to come.

Soon.

Atu

The Random Picture - Broken Down

As the picture is small, all readers are requested to open it in a new tab for viewing. This makes it easier as you will be able to actually see the numbers being referenced below. Sorry for the inconvenience.

1. The Tyrannosaurus Rex exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History. Something that has intrigued me since Jurassic Park.

2. One of many pitchers drunk at the bar while watching the USA play Ghana in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Round-of-16 knockout game.

3. Brooklyn Bridge at night. The day when we had to suffice with Plan B.

4. The Simpsons' rendition of the Beatles at Abbey Road.

5. The white board at RH515R. Would not have known what to do without it.

6. JFK Airport. Taken from the train with a poor resolution camera.

7. The flag I used when I was assistant referee at my niece's football(soccer) game.

8. Fish hanging from the ceiling. At the American Museum of Natural History.

9. Business Hours at a cafe in the Colorado Mountains. It's always nice to walk into a restaurant that has a joke as business hours.

10. Rockaway Beach in Queens, NY. Took a swim in the Atlantic Ocean. Two down and Two to go.

11. The stacks of M&M's at M&M World, Times Square, NYC. The multitude of colors is staggering.

12. The intersection between West 4th Street and West 12th Street. NYC streets can be confusing.

13. Frying bacon at Club 184. To be used in the burger which will feature later.

14. Weird structures at the Corning Museum of Glass. AviItosis described them to be the Stairway to Heaven.

15. Empire State Building. Nothing more needs to be said.

16. The vertical of the Superman: Ride of Steel at Darien Lake Six Flags. One of the best roller coasters I've ever been on.

17. A cheeseburger at Nick Tahoe, Rochester, NY. True diner grub.

18. At the Andy Warhol museum in Pittsburgh, PA. It's too bad photography is banned at the real exhibits.

19. A shot of my laptop keyboard. My attempt at being artistic with a Point 'n' Shoot.

20. The Liverpool Football Club poster that hangs in my room. You'll Never Walk Alone.

21. The Christmas tree at Metrotech Center. Just outside school.

22. A lineup of desserts at Pasticceria Bruno, NYC. Still, the best desserts I've ever had.

23. Macaroni with cut-up hot dogs. Dinner staple during the Summer of 2010.

24. Random shot testing my camera. The corner of my room.

25. My Birthday Cake from 2011. Thanks to Don, Pushkar, Amith and Danny.

26. NYC streets by night. Driving back from Hoboken after helping Sid move.

27. Random street light in Chinatown, NYC.

28. Not exactly sure what this is a picture of. I think it's the Despicable Me trailer before a Laker game at The Forum.

29. All out of Sake at California Rollin', Rochester, NY.

30. Baseball on Kanishka's Wii at home. The excitement was crazy, while it lasted.

31. The second best burger ever eaten. This is what the bacon from picture 13 went into.

32. On the porch of 430 Euclid Avenue on a cold snowy night.

33. The Atomic Clock at Union Square, NYC. I used to wonder what all those numbers depicted. Now, I know.

34. Grand Central Station, NYC. Never taken a train from here, but eaten in the food court twice.

35. The best wallpaper ever. Springfield Punx. Everyone you can think of is in here.

36. Beer Pong at the Ramakrishna's in Pittsburgh, PA. That's the way my family rolls.

37. A Siamese Fighter Fish eating a smaller fish at a Pet store in NJ.

38. Just another Saturday afternoon at the Club. After shot-gunning with Sid, Phil, Elbert and Scarlett.

Atu

Random Notions of the Nonsensical - III

Do certain events happen as a consequence of something that has already happened ? Like the Domino effect. One thing happens that sets in motion a series of related events. Or are all events unrelated. Things happen by chance. It's interesting to think that the domino effect has a role to play. Maybe what happens after will be for the good. Or maybe it could be the worst thing a person can imagine will happen to them. On the other hand, if there is no such "real" thing as the domino effect, all events and happenings are unrelated, chance and coincidence takes the front row.

This is what got me thinking about this -

For sometime, maybe since the start of the new year, a certain meteorological event has occurred when another (what we like to call) unlikely event has also occurred. A person, let's call him/her Mac is believed to trigger the said meteorological event whenever he/she does something (what we like to call) unusual. Had the meteorological event happened once or on a couple of occasions, it is probably by chance or just some random coincidence. But what has been noticed by the aforementioned we that whenever Mac does this one particular thing, the meteorological event occurs like clockwork. It is really perplexing. We have been forced to believe that the connection between the two is something more that a mere coincidence.

Proponents of ancient Vedic spiritual and other mystical teachings insist on the view that there is absolutely no coincidence in the world. Maybe that's true. Maybe this person called Mac has an effect on the weather when he/she does something in particular. Maybe there are others out there who control far greater things rather than just the weather, when they do certain tasks. Maybe they are waiting for a particular time to reveal themselves. That would explain why Mac does something most of the time. Maybe we should be afraid.

Or maybe we should get a life.