RIP my dear dear Camera!

This morning I found out that my camera is busted. I think something is wrong with the lens, I do not know what. I can see only blurred black through the viewfinder (and no the lens cap is not on). I am very disappointed at this development cause I was planning a photoshoot day on campus and outside for next weekend and now I can't take any. My dear camera has served me loyally for four years now. In the very first week I owned it, a waiter dropped sugar syrup on it and since then the flash developed a mind of its own. We dropped it from a twenty feet high ride in Disney Land (Dec 2005) and that did not break its spirit. Since then I have been extra careful with it to not drop it or abuse it in any way. But I guess its age and early abuse caught up with it finally. I had planned to buy an SLR before my India trip this year, but it was too expensive and now I will spend the rest of my trip with no pictures and that is very sad. RIP my dear Powershot. You have served me well and I am sorry I unintentionally abused you. You will remain in my heart, my memories and in the pictures you took forever. 

International Group and The Chocolate Factory

This morning my American friends invited me to brunch at The Chocolate Factory. They had become sick of toast and eggs for breakfast everyday and wanted some American Food for brunch today. The chocolate factory was promising because they had stuff such as crepes, pancakes and waffles in their menu. So, nine of us trooped into this cozy little place not too far from campus. The group was very international, Frederico and his wife Maria from Mexico, Alexandra and Morgan from France, John from Kenya (who studies in Geneva), and Cici (from Hawaii), Diana (from Virginia Beach) and Gary (I forgot to ask him) from the US. We had a blast ordering all kinds of fancy chocolatey drinks and food, which was served in fancy mugs and fancy plates with sauce garnished as if it was on Top Chef. My camera is busted (boo hoo), so I could not take it with me, but Cici took some good pictures and I will post them later. They even served one of our coffee drinks with a chocolate syrup smiley on top which we all thought was cute. I enjoyed the food and the conversations around the table. Of course as the single Indian in the group, my expertise on India was in demand and I had to show off, which I think I did quite successfully. :D To burn at least a few of the million calories we had consumed in less than two hours, I suggested we walk back to campus which we did. Good lazy start for a lazier sunday! 

Happy Birthday America

Here are the two wonderful cakes baked by Indian bakers for our Georgetown friends. I could not join the party due to reasons, but Cecilia took this wonderful picture. There was music, watermelon and this awesome cake all of which I missed. Count at the number of states the Indian bakers have given America!! I am not sure if Amerika is intentionally spelled wrong. Cecilia (the sweet thing) has saved me a piece of the cake which I will get to have sometime today!!

Happy Fourth of July America

Over two and a quarter centuries old, Happy Independence day America. This is the fourth year in a row that I am missing Fire works on this Federal holiday. This year at least there is small consolation in that I am meeting up with a few students from Georgetown University (who are here on exchange) to celebrate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. We hope to light some fireworks as well in the spirit of the holiday. 

Indiana Jones (Spoiler Alert)

At last!! Typical Indie movie. Loved Harrison Ford. Shia LeBeouf has come a long way since Even Stevens, and Karen Allen was a nice touch. I expected several more scenes with snakes, given Indie's obsession with the critter :D! The movie was a nice continuation of where Indie left off almost 2 decades ago! For fans like me it was much anticipated and did not disappoint. The special effects are great and keep up with newer technology while still maintaining the old school atmosphere of Indiana Jones. As usual, Indie is betrayed, put in some tough spots and gets out of them either through his cleverness or sheer luck. This time he has the help of young Shia. I was particularly looking out for the scene in the trailers where he falls into the windshield of the truck, and it was simply marvellous. The stunts were in keeping with Indie's style. The motorbike stunts were both amazing and funny at the same time. Ford is certainly older and I could not quite digest that fact that he married. Married and kids or not, I love Indie. Highly recommended. Take your teens with you and have a blast!! 

Chandni Chowk

Last week I was in Delhi on work, and took a day off to visit the famed Chandni Chowk. It is part of Old Delhi next to the Red Fort. My cousin was my guide and we had a wonderful time roaming the small streets and alleys while window shopping. Our first stop was Parathewali Galli, which means the street of Parathas (a kind of North Indian stuffed bread). Apparently at one point, this street was lined with shops selling freshly cooked Parathas. There were still a handful of these and one such shop was our first pit stop. We had about six different varieties of hot parathas (which included one with stuffed bananas) and resumed our window shopping. It is amazing how many small shops are crammed into such a small area. I am always amazed at the enterprise of these small entrepreneurs. Although we did not buy anything we had tons of street food to eat and spent a whole day browsing colourful merchandise while the shop keepers kept marketing their wares to us. I love business activity however small or big, and Chandni Chowk reinforced how much economic activity is taking place in India. The Delhi metro is quick, convenient and affordable. The metro runs underground mostly and the cars are all air conditioned and well maintained. Did I ever mention I love India!!!

Long road down memory lane

I spent the morning clearing out the attic at home with dad. By far, it has been one of the best days of my trip yet, even though it was 110 degrees outside and we had no power to use a fan or any other modern cooling conveniences. We had such a laugh digging up old dirt (quite literally). Well preserved among my effects were the millions of letters and cards I have received from friends since my 3rd grade or so. I had a fun couple of hours reading through some of them. They were all organized by person and in chronological order (courtesy the OCD tendencies of yours truly). Made me feel very good about those wonderful people who have enriched my life all these years. I seem to have stopped writing as eagerly sometime in 2001. That's when the snail mail stops and remains only between my dearest Manju and me. Enough history!! Enjoy some of my old pictures!!

This is a classic photo everyone has taken when they are between one and two. Do you see the resemblance?

I call this the Bengal Famine Family Photo! I even remember that the dress I am wearing was white with blue flowers, and the jacket was a light sky blue!! Sigh!! Pity you can't really see the colours...
Well! My make up was so good that even my mom failed to recognize me and wondered who the little boy was who was holding on to her dress. Yeah! I am the unsmiling boy! The cute girl is one of my oldest friends with who I started kindergarten and graduated high school. She is a doctor in London now. 
That's my dearest Manju, my best roomie and best friend ever! Yeah! We are lazing in the middle of the road on a summer morning. It was one of those beautiful sundays in Pondy and we had just come back from experiencing another beautiful sunrise at the beach!
This is my mom's family. She was about four when this photo was taken, and everyone in this picture lived in one big house with one kitchen at one time. My mom is the little boyish looking gal peeping out from the middle of the third row from below where there is a small gap between people towards the left.

A Wonderful Surprise

I surprised mom and dad with a visit home. They had no clue that I was going to be in India this summer, so when I landed at home bags in tow at 7:30 am local time Wednesday morning, they could not believe it. Took them a while to realize that it was I calling them from the front window. Its good to be home. More than anything else, its been very relaxing since I got here. They seem to mind the heat more than I. Its been an average of 105 Fahrenheit since I came here, but I am at home and love it. Mom's been making my favourite dishes and I have been the dutiful daughter and have eaten everything without wasting a single morsel. Every time I am home it makes me realise how much of every thing I am missing. I am back in my old gear of Indian dressing which is so much more comfortable than trousers and shirts. I am yet to visit old friends. For now all my time is for family. Friends will have to wait a bit longer to see me. The next two months are going to be so much fun and I am looking forward to spending the end of summer and beginning of the monsoon season here. 

Battlestar Disappointica!!!

The fourth and the final season of Battlestar Galactica, which I so eagerly waited far in spite of the writer's strike and other delays has been a big disappointment. The season premiere which I had high hopes for was a crushing disappointment, and since then only one half of one episode was even barely interesting. Forget being better than other episodes in other seasons, it does not even stand up on its own. If this was the first season on BSG I would not have continued watching it. So why do I continue watching it? I do not know, I guess I still have the hope that things will turn around for the better as the season progresses. In the meantime, I am not wasting my time eyes peeled to the telly Friday nights at 10. I do other stuff as well, which is kind of sad, cause I had freed up my friday night schedule completely so that nothing takes me away from my favourite Scifi show. Sigh! So much for all the build up and suspense and waiting!!! This is how exciting it is now!!

Here's how you spot a Cylon!!