Yipppeeeeeee!!!!!

Yippppeeeeeeeee!!!!! I am sooooooooooo veryyyyyy excitedddddddddd!!!!! Just 2 more days !!! Tomorrow's my last working day and I have Saturday to spend with V and then I will be gone for 5 weeks!!!!!!! The last few weeks have been hectic.....shopping has been a tiresome continuous process, work's been trying too as I had to complete assignments and wrap up. However, this week has been okay.... with the MTA strike on, most of my colleagues could not make it to work and neither could my manager. So things are quite cool with everyone in the holiday spirit!

A week before, we had organised an International Lunch at work. People were to bring food representing their country. Since most of my colleagues are from different parts of the world, the variety of food we had that day was awesome! I got to taste many new superb dishes and even learnt a few new country names. To add more fun to the event, we had a "Fear Factor" section where food that is common to a certain country but might not be too appealing to one's eyes or mind were included. People got stuffs like Octopus, Chicken Feet and some really yucky looking stuffs. We even had a prize (bottle of stomach medicine) for the one who tried most of the fear factor food :-)

Well guys, thats the update for now. Thank you all for checking in regularly even though I was not responding to your comments. Not sure when I will post again but will try from home anyway. I am flying on 25th eve from JFK airport and land in New Delhi on 26th night. My parents are already in Delhi waiting for my arrival. The next morning we have our flight to Bagdogra airport and then another 3hrs drive and I will be home! Yeah..its a long journey but after Delhi I'd be with my parents so it wont be bad at all. As always, on the way from Bagdogra airport to Gangtok, I shall be stopping to gorge on a plate load of Momos!!! Slurrrpppp!

So, wish you all HAPPY HOLIDAYS and a very HAPPY & PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!
Hope you all have a blast!!

Watsup?

Well well well...time just flies doesnt it? And as the technologies of the world keep improving, seems like so is Time's method of travelling. Time seems to be travelling faster and faster. Can you believe its already December?!!! Where did the rest of the months go? I have been so caught up with 'non blog' stuffs that I even missed my Blog Birthday! No need to mention how utterly wonderful the past year has been...getting to know and make friends with you wonderful guys. It has been a great blog year and I hope it will continue to be...

Now the time for my update.
Well, since my plans to go home was fixed, I have been keeping busy with shopping for friends, family and relatives. This is indeed a big chore. Nowadays you get everything in India and its becoming extremely difficult to decide what to get for whom. I have been making rounds of stores and malls, buying gifts ...reflecting over them once I bring them home and then going back to the stores to return and get something else.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I went to Pittsburgh. When I arrived there, it was freaking cold and was snowing. It was like a reminder of how the winter is actually gonna be. 9 of my friends drove from Columbus, so by Thursday morning, we were a happy group of 11 crammed in V's one bedroom appt.That day we decided to go to a temple. Pittsburgh is famous for the Balaji temple there. After their long drive, my friends were famished with hunger. The choice of temple to visit was greatly favored by the kind of food we would get there. Eventually when we did set off in the cold, we somehow ended up deciding on a Krishna temple in Wisconsin. The brochure also showed this lovely picture of something they call Palace of Gold which also helped in making us decide to go there. Some wise guy in our group said its just 20 miles away and we set off! We drove on and on and on and finally we reached the place almost 2 hrs later!!!! It was coldd and we were hungry! The Palace of Gold was pretty impressive. It is basically a beautiful monument set up as a shrine to one of the gurus ISKCON. After a guuided tour of the palace where the guide informed us of how the palace was made with marbles from 17 countries and other stuffs. We then proceeded on to the temple....the temple too was lovely. Then came the part we were most interested at....FOOD!! We went to the cafeteria and had the yummiest thali of poori, sabji, rice and dal with samosa and tea.

The next day was Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday and during this day stores offer huge discounts and they open up early in the morning. We had decided to go to the stores when they open at 5am, but then came to know one of them would open at 12am itself. So it just happened that we were shopping from 12am till 8am!! Though standing in the checkout queues for hours was tiring, but overall it was fun.

The rest of the weekend went by quickly and soon it was time to return. Only 20 more days for me to leave for India. As much as I am excited to be back with my family, I am feeling sad at the same time to be away from V for an entire month.

Update

Few of you might be wondering, but my life has NOT been hectic. Its just that I am not getting a chance to blog and fool around. However, certains things HAS been happening which I would like to share with you all.

V got a new job in a new city. He has now moved to Pittsburgh, PA. So no more trips to Indiana for me. I'll miss the small town Columbus. It had become a home for me in the US. Every time I went back there, I used to have the nice warm feeling that you get when you return home after a long vacation. I will miss that.

So, my next trip will be to Pittsburgh. V's got an appt with a fireplace and I cant wait to warm my feet there. Since V had to give up his official laptop, I gave mine to him. He was in a new place all alone, he needs it more than I. So I made this huge sacrifice. Hence, dear friends, I was unable to blog for so long. Blogging from office was out of question (though I m posting this post from work :D). Plus at home I wasn't comfortable using my landlady's computer.

The next big tragedy that completely cut me off from the rest of the world was that I left my cell phone in Columbus. The weekend of 3rd Nov I was in Columbus since it was a long weekend for me (Eid). It was a good time to go since I could attend the Diwali celbrations there and also it was V's last day in the old co. Gradually my contact with my very first co. is diminishing. I still have a few of my old friends working there, but I am sure it wont be long before they too find somewhere else to go.
That Sunday an ex-manager of ours took me and V out for dinner to a fondue restaurant, The Melting Pot, in Indianapolis. This was my first ever experience in fondue and I loved it. The food was awesome, but mostly it was the 'cooking' part that was fun! The chocolate fondue that we had for dessert was too good. Yummmmm...... I was so intoxicated by the yummy chocolate that I forgot my cell phone there. Realised it only when the affect started to wear off as we approached Columbus which is a good 1 hr away. I had no option but to return to New York the next morning with no cell phone.

The absence of my laptop and more importantly my cell phone left me feeling almost handicapped. Thank God my landlady has an unlimited long distance calls phone plan, so I could call V whenever I wanted. Else I would have gone mad! Now half the ordeal is over since I received my phone yesterday. The nice people at the restaurant sent it to me without charging a cent!

The next big news is that I am going to India!!! Yes!!!! After a long 2 years, 7 months and 20 days I would be meeting my parents! I am sooo excited. My tickets are already booked. Shall be leaving on the 25th Dec and will be gone for a good long 5 weeks. Since the day my plan got fixed, I have been day dreaming about my trip. Have been shopping like crazy and I just cant wait for these days to pass :-)

Well, thats all for now. Thanks everyone for your messages. I know I have been terrible in responding but I will try to blog more often from work ;-)

Its a Hap Hap Happy Birthday!

Happpyyyyyyyyy Birthdayyyyyyyyy

Ricky!!!!

Many Happy Returns of the Day!!
May all your weirdest wishes be fulfilled and the wildest dreams come true!!

Ricky, we all know you always come up with the best birthday surprise posts for everyone. Infact, had there been a Best Birthday Post category in the Blogerratti, I am sure you would won hands down. How can I ever forget the special and lovely post you wrote on my birthday. Well, for me, its a task impossible to write something that comes even close to yours...

So, just wanted to wish you on your day. You have been the most wonderful friend one can have. Thanks for always being there for me, not only to patiently listen to my inane blabbering and bearing my PJs, but also to always give a listen whenever I am low...for cheering me up and giving me suggestions when I needed them the most. And of course, how can I forget the numerous surprises you have thrown in from time to time to show you care. I sure consider myself very lucky to have you as a friend. You are a gem of a person and I am sure there will be many who will fully agree with me.

Okay...now enough of compliments for the year :P Since its your day, I will let you bask in these compliments. Hope you have the most awesome birthday ever!! By the way....if you are wondering whats in the box....its a surprise :P Keep guessing, you will come to know soon enough!

Alright then....get going and enjoy your day!

Proud to be...

I cant help but feel proud about this news :-)

Paune barah baje - whats going on?

Hey guys...I know its been a long time since I have been active in blogsville. Nothing much happening...just that dont feel like writing anything. Thought I'd update you all on whats going on at my end.

Blog-wise

Not writing or commenting. But have been reading your posts.

TV-wise

Have been following KKusum, Jassi and Yeh Meri Life Hai...and sometimes even CID Special Bereau. Also been following Fame Gurukul pretty regularly. More than interest, its lack of having anything else to do or watch that drives me to watch the episodes every day.

Have been watching lots of Sienfeld and Food Network too.

I guess, what tops the list however is me watching Anandam. Anandam is a Tamil soap on Sun TV. Though I dont understand a word, I follow it everyday since thats my landlady's fav show and falls right during dinner time. She is so into it that she makes sure I follow whats happening in the show! LOL. Her aim is to make me learn Tamil so that it'll be easier for me to follow Malyalam. :-P

Lovelife-wise

Last weekend V was here. The weekend was too short and within no time he was on his flight back to Columbus.

Food-wise

Have discovered this lovely Thai place that delivers food to my office for lunch. During the heavy downpour of last week, we took solace to this place and had scrumptious Thai food. I love their

During V's visit I took him to the Indian street here in NJ. After years we got to eat Dhabeli. I dont know whether staying away for so long has made me forget the real taste or whether they really did make the dhabeli good...but we sure did enjoy it a lot. Also had paan after a long time...twice... followed by Ravalgon's Pan Pasand.

Movie-wise

Since my move to NJ, my movie count had reduced drastically. Lack of time and more importantly lack of company lead to it. Plus my landlord doesnt have HBO. Anyway, I saw Wallace and Gromit - Curse of the Were-Rabbit last weekend with V. I have always loved Wallace and Gromit so enjoyed the movie a lot.

Song-wise

Have been listening to a lottttt of Tu Jahan from Salaam Namaste. Infact thats my current top song. I loveee the music and the words and the way it has been sung. Also, have been listening to Green Day's American Idiot album. Fav song in that album is Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Work-wise

C'mon ...u seriously want to know about my work? ... I didnt think so either..so am giving this a pass :-) But yes..to gain a few symphaties from you, let me share my commute woes. Last week was terrible...either the buses were on adjusted schedule due to some holiday or other (which meant adjustment from our side which is not good, right?), or they were delayed due to the bad weather or they broke down! Not once did I reach my work on time. And to add to it, twice I had to stand on my way home...for the entire 1.5hrs of bus drive! Sigh!

So, I hope I have covered all. Dunno when will I write next...but I am sure it will be soon enough. No one can stay away for long, isnt it?

Happy Dashain!!

My dear friends,

My warmest wishes on this auspicious occasion of Vijaya Dashami.
May you prosper and lead a very happy and successful life!
May the blessings of Goddess Durga always be with you and your dear ones.

Happy Dashain !!!

Love,
Colors.

Oktoberfest..with a difference

This weekend Columbus, Indiana organized their years old tradition of celebrating Oktoberfest aka The Ethnic Expo. In this residents of Columbus belonging to various countries put up stalls to exhibit the food and culture of their country. Its a fun event extending for two days where people from surrounding counties visit Columbus. We used to enjoy it since not only do we get to eat good home made Indian food and food from other countries, but also get to see so many people. Staying in a small town like Columbus, you tend to miss the crowd and enjoy when there are more than 10 people within 4 feet radius of you.

Among all the food stalls put up, the Indian one is the most popular with people actually queueing up to buy the food and is also the stall whose supply gets over the fastest. The recipe and menu is decided by the Indian Asso and work distributed to various volunteers. Stuffs like poori and dosa is made right there on the spot while other food items are made at the volunteers' homes. This time, it seems due to the huge rise of the Indian population in Columbus, most of the desi food was consumed by the desi public themselves leaving very little for the rest of the crowd!

Apart from food stalls, they have stalls that sell curios from different countries. The Indian stall sell Indian clothes and bags and jewelries apart from other stuffs. They even have a 'henna tattoo' thingie. Cultural events are also organised. Normally the host country puts up variety shows but I believe this year other countries participated too. One of my friend with other females put up a dance on 'Dholi Taro' song...and it seems to have been quite a hit!

In last years Ethnic Expo, an interesting thing happened. On Saturday night, after everything got over, people were packing up the stalls. Our Indian people, fun that they are, had put on desi music and guys were generally dancing to the music while packing. Pretty soon some more joined in and the music got louder and the people started spreading out to the road outside the stall. Passers by stopped to look and soon everyone joined in. We had a party going on! The teens specially enjoyed our songs and learnt few of our desi thumka moves. We had a blast. This went on for about 2 hrs and once it got over, they were asking us CDs of our music.

It seems this end-of-session desi party is now going to be a part of the tradition. V told me this year too they did the same thing. Nice way to make desi presence felt..wat say?

Mystery Solved!

So the mystery has been solved. The CIO (Chief Investigating Officer) of blogs-ville Mr Ricky Singh has after all performed his duty...and that too, very well. After spending long hours...yes...didn't u notice he has been kinda absent from the blog world last few days? No? He has been seen everywhere? Oh well, that's Ricky for you...he seems to have more than 24hrs a day in his hand, isn't it? Anyway....where was I? Ah yes....so, after spending long hours for the sole purpose to quench the curiosity of the masses and to uncover the truth of The Case of The Missing PM, Ricky has come up with this report. But, being a true blogger at heart, his report reflects the writer that he is deep within. Here is his 55 report

Everyone was in conference room. Mannu approached Kofi Annan and asked, "May I go to the toilet, Sir?"
So, off he went...la la. Came back, no one was in the room! He saw Bush running towards the photo lounge. He realised..."Oh Shit, it's picture time". He ran but alas!! It had already flashed...

There maybe some who might not believe this report to be true. To prove it, we have confirmed reports as to why Mr. Bush was running towards the photo lounge. He too, like our PM, had to go. (Maybe it was something they served for breakfast that morning?) Only, Mr Bush's timing was just right and he managed to get back just in time for the photo session. Here, take a read:
The Rush

Where is he?

This picture was taken during the recent 60th United Nations General Assembly, the 2005 World Summit held in the United Nations Head Quarters, New York. This was the biggest ever meeting of world leaders in all times bringing together more than 170 Heads of State and Government. Our PM, Dr. Manmohan Singh attended as the representative of India, but he seems to be missing from the picture. Can you find him? Where was he? Is he the one who took the picture?

Seven Things

First of all..as most of you know, the nomination of the first ever Bloggerratti (Anz or Saba)is out. Surprisingly, I have been nominated for the Best Travelogue category. Yipppeee!!! :-)

I was tagged by Rakesh first....and then again by Divya....here goes...

Seven Things you want to do before you die:

1. Marry V and live happily ever after

2. Go on a world tour

3. Go on a cruise trip

4. Do hand-gliding, sight seeing tour on a coptor, hot air balloon ride, jet ski, ski

5. Sky-dive, river raft, kayak and paraglide - again

6. Learn to swim

7. Learn everything about my rituals and customs

Seven Things you can do:

1. Sleep for more than 12 hrs at a stretch

2. Pat my head and rub my tummy simultaneously

3. Bug people with my PJs

4. Listen

5. Blabber a lot when I am sleepy

6. Watch crappy movies till the end

7. Ride the scariest of roller coaster rides

Seven Things you say most:

1. V

2. Hmmm

3. Whatever

4. haan kya?

5. I am so bored

6. Am i smart or am i smart?

7. Shucks!

Seven Things you can't do:

1. Reach the highest shelf of my kitchen closet without the help of a step ladder or chair

2. Own a snake - or for that matter any reptile - as a pet

3. Make my two elbows join, behind my back

4. Raise only one eyebrow

5. Wiggle my ears

6. Write fiction

7. Not be in touch with V for more than 4 hours at a stretch (except while sleeping)

Seven Things that attract you to the opposite sex:

1. Eyes

2. Smile

3. Hair style

4. Sense of humour

5. Ability to involve me in an intelligent conversation

6. Fashion sense

7. Drives a dashing sports car ;-)

Seven Celebrity crushes:

1. Wentworth Miller (The guy in the new series Prison Break. He also appears in Mariah carey's video We belong together)

2. Johny Depp

3. Brad Pitt

4. Ashton Kutcher

5. Mark Feehily (of Westlife)

6. Tom Cruise

7. Keanu Reeves

8. Richard Gere

9. Jude Law

(ok, i went a bit over board with this. Couldnt help it!)

Seven People you want to tag:

1. Ricky

2. Wise Donkey

3. Moonie

4. RS

5. Nupur

6. Anks

7. Nitty

Tagged!

Last week I was bombarded with tags...OK not bombarded, but two in a week is pretty much too! :P Though Rakesh tagged me first and I ought to do his first, but I have been getting too much pressure to do Nupur's tag. So Rakesh, pls don't mind. Next post will be your tag for sure!

Well, Nupur's tag put me in a fix. As per her I had to come up with a story and that too just 55 words long! That sounded tough and for me it was tough! To come up with a story was something I thought I wouldn't be able to do..and guess what, I couldn't! So I am back to what I can do...i.e. relate bits and pieces of my life. So here goes...the following is a true incident:

Lying on the grass under a tree, I had almost dozed off when I felt something smooth slide across my legs. Looking around I panicked to see four-five snakes around me! Far away I saw V walking towards me...I screamed to warn him, but...found myself on my bed. It was just a dream.

I had the above nightmare just yesterday! Argh! I hate snakes...always have had nightmares about them!

Now, I nominate the following to continue the tradition

Ricky (he has been bugging me like forever to tag him) His 55

Rakesh (buhahaha...sweet revenge)

Gaya Her 55

Silky Moon (noticed she hasnt been tagged yet! How can that be?) Her 55s

Anyone else who hasn't been tagged yet!

US Open 2005

After having watched the US Formula 1 Grand Prix race live thrice already, I seem to have been hooked on live events. So few months ago when my dear friend Rashmi proposed watching the US Open Tennis Championship live, me and V immediately agreed. We agreed on watching the women's final coz that was on a Saturday leaving Sunday free for travel plans back home. So, other friends were asked and tickets were booked and all necessary arrangements were made. Little did I know that time that I would actually be in New York and acting as 'host' to my friends.

Come Saturday morning, and V along with 2 more friends arrived at my 'home' in New Jersey after a night long 12 hrs drive. My dear friend and landlady had already prepared food for them in spite of her hectic schedule to pick up her husband getting discharged from the hospital the same morning and having to drop her son to his classes.

V and my friends enjoyed a hearty South Indian luncheon after which we left for the hotel for them to freshen up. While the guys were getting ready, I watched the men's semi-finals between Agassi and Ginepri on TV. This was my crash course to tennis. Yes, I have never watched a single match completely and didnt exactly know how the points were given. We soon left and by then Rashmi and her hubby too were on their way to the stadium where we were all supposed to meet.

Meeting Rash again after a few months times felt great. We were worried that the Ashe Stadium being so huge, we wouldn't have a good view of the court and hence the game. As we entered, we got the US Open 2005 caps as freebie :-). Initially we felt the crowd turnout wasn't great and thought Maria Sharapova not being in the finals as the reason for it. But soon the court filled up pretty well.

Being a novice in the game, I wouldn't be able to say much about it. As the inauguration function was going on, I was more interested in spotting a celebrity through the bino. I was rewarded and saw Donald Trump sitting right opposite to us! V also showed me John McEnroe which he told me is one the greatest players ever. See, how awful my GK is about tennis! The view was great and watching the entire match live was pretty cool. The match started and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It went on well and soon I was getting really involved in it. However, at that point Mary Pierce's play started declining and it was soon obvious who the winner is gonna be. Sadly the game continued for just 2 sets and got over in almost an hour!

It was touching to see how Kim Clijsters, as soon as she beat Mary Pierce, ran up through the crowd to hug her family members. That was so sweet. The funny incident happened during the boring speech given by the CEO of JP Morgan Chase during the prize giving ceremony. I guess the man has attended too many company merger functions or something like that, coz in his speech he referred to the two finalists as "two wonderful firms". He realised his mistake and immediately corrected it. But by then it was too late and the crowd started booing him! LOL!

So overall, it was a fun event. Something to add to my 'Been there, Done that' list. Of course getting to meet V again added whole lotta flavor to it. Now I need to do something about 'Watch a live Rock show' in my to-do list.

Colors of the Mountains - Part 3

UPDATE: Photos of Day 3 has been added. Please click on the pic below to see more!

On Monday morning, after breakfast we started towards the Rocky Mountain National Park. The national park is supposed to showcase the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains. It is also known for various wild animals spotting. First stop was Estes Park which is small valley town lying next to a beautiful lake and surrounded by the majestic mountains. On the way, we saw cute and fluffy version of llamas. Later we came to know these animals are call Alpacas and are cross between llamas and sheep. Though we didnt get to take pics of the animals, I downloaded one from the internet just so to give you an idea.

We decided to take two trails, one to the Bear Lake and other that goes all the way around, the Trail Ridge Road. We first headed towards the Bear Lake. About 1/2 hr before the Bear lake is the Sprague Lake. We stopped there planning to take horse ride to the Bear Lake. But we came to know we had to handle the huge horses ourselves! The guide would be at the lead but we wont be attached to the guide! That made me back off though V and another friend still wanted to go ahead. In the end we chucked off the idea and instead drove to the Bear lake. Oh the lake was soo beautiful! We spent some time there enjoying the nature and cliking numerous pictures.

We then drove back to Estes Park for lunch. As we were strolling through the town, we saw another Nepali restaurant, Nepal's Restaurant. Due to the previous day's experience, I was sceptical about going there, but my friends insisted. Once again we ordered chicken momos apart from other indian dishes. The guy, probably the owner's son, was pretty cute. When I spoke to him in Nepali, he started grinning from ear to ear :P. The momos were awesome, just the kinds we get back home - juicy and hot. Even the tomato chutney had til in it. The rest of the dishes were also equally yummy. We all stuffed ourselves to the full. The guy kept hovering around our table looking at me and giving me a huge smile. He even put on Nepali music. Of course, my friends immediately pounced on me and started teasing me. V joined in with them too!

After food I chatted with the guy generally asking him how long they had been there and so on. Later his father also spoke to me, asking me all kinds of questions like where I am from, if I am studying or working etc. Finally he asked me if I am single! LOL! That was enough to get my friends really started. They were pretty sure the next thing the old man is gonna do was ask me if I would like to marry his son!

As we were all too stuffed to start on the 2nd trail which was more than 2 hrs of driving, we decided to go to the top of a small mountian on a cable car and come back refreshed. This ride too was good which gave us a breath taking view of the valley town. On returning from the ride, we moved on to the 2nd part of the trail. If I had thought the drive from Denver to Estes Park was beautiful, then this drive was simply out of the way - the winding road, the looming mountains so close by, the chilly wind... On the way we even managed to spot some elks...not once, but twice! We were so excited and felt ourselves to be very lucky.

Reaching an elevation of over 12,000 feet above sea level, Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous highway in the US. All through the trail, there are many points where you can step out of the car and enjoy panaromic views of the different parts of the mountain range and various glaciers. By the time we completed the trail, it had become dark and we were all dead tired. We had to drive back to Denver as I had to catch my flight back. It was 11 pm when we reached the hotel. I got ready in a hurry and they dropped me at the airport. My flight was at 12.40am and I reached New York at 8.30am tuesday morning....straight to work!

So thats was the end of another wonderful trip. Hope you all liked the travelogue and the pictures. Will upload the pictures of the Day 3 tomorrow.

The Bear Lake
Originally uploaded by Pukuli Colors.

Colors of the Mountains - Part 2

I woke up to a bright and sunny Sunday morning. Previous night itself we had decided on the bathroom schedule, so there was no tussle in the morning. By 8:00 am we were off to Pike's Peak. As the name suggests, it is a mountain peak, and is at 14,110 feet above the sea level. They had cute little red trains to take you to the top. The train ride was nice and breezy, but I had started having a slight headache so couldn't enjoy as much. The slope was steep and at some points the gradient was 25%. Dunno if we are supposed to be excited about it, but the enthusiasm with which the guide announced it, I thought might as well mention it here. The ride could have been better if we had a guide with more clearer voice. We had an old man and his voice over the mike was so dull, we could hardly make out what he was saying. Have heard the ride is supposed to be pretty interesting and fun.

As we approached the peak, the view became more and more spectacular. When we started the train journey, there was greenery all around...but as we moved up the vegetation became sparse and suddenly, it was dry and rocky. The Tundra Region had started! The view from the top was breath taking, the mountains, the small lake below, the alpine trees, the clouds...all these on one hand, and dry, arid rocky background on the other. They offered a stark contrast which gave a stunning visual effect. We even managed to view some long horned mountain goats.

After Pike's Peak, we went to the Cliff Dwellings. This is the ancient dwellings of native Indians. Again a lovely view. It was interesting to go through their stuffs in the museum and learn how they used to live, build their houses etc. The fun part was the Indian dance. Two native Indians in their dresses performed some of their ancient native dances on their native beats. One guy did this amazing dance with five hoops. It was kind of a juggling cum dance with fast moves. We even clicked pictures with the dancers :-)

After that we moved on the town of Boulder. Its a small college town north of Denver. By the time we reached, it was early evening. After freshening up, we went to explore the downtown. Nice surprises awaited us. The downtown was a cute little place with the road paved with red bricks which gave it a nice village look. It was beautifully decorated with water fountains and flower gardens. Soon we noticed a crowd collected in the centre. On approaching the crowd, we saw a street performer. He was doing some balance act which was pretty cool. Once his show was done, another started. Now this was awesome. A couple performed the New Zealand's Maori fire dance. The acts they performed were gasp inducing and spell binding. There were a few other more street performances which were equally entertaining.

As we were strolling through the streets, we came across The Himalaya Restaurant. It was a Nepali restaurant!! My first! I was so excited. Actually Boulder has a very heavy Nepali and Buddhism influence. They even have a monastery, which unfortunately we didn't have time to explore. The town is dotted with shops with Buddhist theme. There was even a shop named Cat-Man-Do!

We went to have dinner in the restaurant. They had decorated with various pics and stuffs from Nepal. Even the girl serving us was wearing our traditional Chaubandi Cholo and Sari. Like I had expected their menu had mostly Indian food (well, that's what we eat normally) with a few Nepali dishes. My fav Momos were also listed. I excitedly ordered Chicken Momos with tamatar chutney. I also ordered Alu ko Achar. But when the food arrived, it was such a big dissappointment. They got Spinach Momo instead. I mean spinach momo? What the heck is that? I didn't like it one bit but few of my frens trying momos for the first time liked it. Even the Alu ko Achar was nothing like what we make at home. When I pointed out the mistake he got chicken momos too, but by then we had almost finished our dinner so that didnt taste as great either. After the dinner, we strolled around the downtown a bit and then headed back to the hotel.

Coming up next...Rocky Mountain National Park and Marriage Proposal? In the mean while, do click below and check out the pics. Your comments would be highly appreciated!

The Train
Originally uploaded by Pukuli Colors.

Colors of the Mountains - Part 1

My trip unofficially started with me waking up to my cell phone's beep early Saturday morning at 4am, courtesy Ricky. After snoozing for a while, I got ready and called for the cab to go to the bus stop. Apart from the initial anxiety of missing the bus, the entire journey went through pretty well. I even watched Madagascar on the plane. On reaching Denver, I came to know four friends had already reached while three were yet to arrive. We ate and waited and once they arrived had to wait a bit more for their missing baggage and the car rental.

By the time we moved on it was afternoon. We tumbled into two SUVs and finally our vacation officially started! Colorado is a beautiful state. Though most of the part is barren, at least that's how it looked from the airplane, it is also the home to the world's longest mountain range, The Rocky Mountains. The places we visited were amazingly beautiful and spectacular. The mountains surrounding the valleys, the cool climate, the winding roads..they all reminded me of my home so much. They were so many things that were comparable to Sikkim. Of course, The Himalayas look more stunning and majestic than The Rocky Mountains anytime. But on the other hand, the vastness of the area....miles and miles of open space with mountains stretching till far away in the horizon, cannot be found in the cramped space of Sikkim, Nepal and the surrounding areas.

Our first stop was Colorado Springs. Colorado Springs is a beautiful town a little bit south of Denver, about 2 hours away. As the name suggests, it is filled with natural hot springs all over. Unfortunately for us, we couldn't see a single one as those that were easily accessible were within resorts (and hence expensive) and those that were inexpensive were not that easily accessible.

So, we went to another tourist attraction, The Garden of the Gods park. This is a natural park formed by red sandstone rocks. The huge towering rocks against the backdrop of bright blue sky and green mountains is indeed breath taking and spectacular. Some of these rocks were named as per their formation. Like Kissing Camels which looked like two camels kissing. Then there were the Siamese Twins and the Balanced Rock. My words wouldn't do justice to the beauty of the place, so please go ahead and check out the pictures that i have uploaded.

We were lucky to catch a marriage party there. The entire gang in their tuxedos and gowns looked so pretty and so much in contrast to the surrounding. We also caught glimpse of quite a few rock climbers.

We then moved on to The Cave of the Winds (yup! same name as in the Niagara). As the name suggest this is basically cave formations in the mountainous region. Since half of us had already had enough of caves, we decided to wait in the lobby which again had a spectacular view of the mountains, while the rest went ahead into the caves. For people going in the caves for the first time, it is a nice experience. You get to see another amazing aspect of nature and can check out from the smallest to the tallest stalactites and stalagmites formations. However, I have been to similar caves twice already and two visits are really more than enough...you tend to get bored.:-)

At the end of the day, the Cave of the Winds people put up some laser beam show. After indulging in so much of natural beauty all day long, the hi-tech show was not as appealing. We decided to call it a day and moved on to the hotel to rest the night. Each of us were so tired coz of the long day, everyone fell asleep almost immediately, blissfully unaware of each others snoring (guys basically) :-)

Garden of Gods
Originally uploaded by Pukuli Colors.

Coming up next, Pike's Peak, Native Indian Dance and Nepali Food!!

Colors of a lovely weekend

I had a fantabulous weekend. Having V come over for the weekend was simply awesome. We had a great time just going around the city. I got to show him my workplace, my daily route to work and places I normally visit. We ate great food in lovely restaurants and cafes and we even ate at this Amish marketplace where I normally have my lunch. It was oh! such a romantic weekend...just the two of us, hand in hand, with no cares of the world, whatsoever. Except for one small glitch when we lost our digicam right on the very first day. That did set off our mood a bit, but it couldn't last long in the joy and sweetness that we felt on being together.

We also wanted to watch The Phantom of the Opera, but due to lack of planning and research, we kept it for Sunday evening only to know they have no shows on Sunday. Tsk! Well, there's always the next time. We also did loads of shopping. Even though its his birthday, I was the one who got most of the stuffs....ok ok...all of the stuffs except one :D

Yes, its my dear V's birthday today. And not only am I not with him, but I didn't even get to write a nice post for him :(

Happy Birthday to my darling V

Today is also the birthday of my kid cousin whose name incidentally, also starts with v. All these years, I have been missing V's birthday to attend my cousin's birthday party. This time I got to attend neither. Oh well! Happy Birthday to my cute, naughty cousin v :-)

Well folks, my life's going pretty busy at work. My landlord and family returned from their month long India trip today, so I am pretty sure this week I wont be able to do much of blogging. Coming weekend being a long one, me and my friends have planned a trip to Colorado. I will be flying from here and my friends from Indy and we are all gonna meet at Denver.

Hope you all have a great week ahead and a wonderful weekend!

UPDATE: I had forgotten about these pics I had taken with my cell phone. We had gone to the Toys R Us store at Times Square and I was quite amazed to see these structures made entirely by Lego blocks! Thought I would share with you too.

Statue of Liberty

King Kong

Raksha Bandhan memoirs

Rakhi is fast approaching. I got one for my brother through an internet shopping site. Hopefully this time it will reach him on time. As I was browsing through the different selections the various sites had to offer...I found myself remembering those 'good old days' back in my childhood days. I have always tried to get nice ones for my brother. But once, just to bug him, I had got this huge rakhi made with pink sponge flower and decorated with shiny golden, pink and green paper. If that wasn't bad enough it had this plactic moulded 'Mere Pyare Bhaiya' pasted on the top. Haha...it was fun to see my bro's face when I got out the rakhi.

Rakhi is not actually a Nepali custom. Its something we adopted from Indian culture. We have our own Bhai Tika which is celebrated during the Diwali season. On Rakhi day we have something called Quati Punhi. We cook something called Quati and as it falls on full moon day, hence the name. Quati is kind of soup/dal made by mixing 9 different types of pulses. I dont know the significance of the day but they say we have to have that nine times during the day. I love Quati ...so I never minded the nine times rule. To think its been like ages since I had Quati last! :-(

I also remember how when I was in 5th std there was this craze to tie rakhi to each and every guy in the class. I also remember me and my friends had swiped a few extra rakhis from the dukan wala bhaiya! We had some outing from school that day and I had managed tie rakhi to almost all the guys in my class except for one guy. I had searched for him everywhere but was unable to get hold of him. Years later when my friends told me, did I realise that he actually used to like me and was therefore hiding from me!! LOL!

Wishing all the brothers and sisters a very Happy and Lovely Raksha Bandhan :-) Missing you, my dear brother!

Independence Day

On Saturday the Indian community in Columbus, IN had organized a small function to celebrate the India Independence Day. They held drawing competition for kids. I went and attended the function with the prospect of getting to eat samosas. The turnout of people and kids were more than expected so me and V had to rush to a store to get extra gifts for the kids and also get additional chips and soda. The function ended with snacks and drinks. I was lucky to get the last samosa left!

On 15th Aug, though we didnt have any ID parade, a few of us still managed to attend a parade. This parade was organised by the people of Columbus in the honour and to celebrate the winnings of Tony Stewart. Tony Stewart is the current Nasscar champion and his hometown is Columbus. Thousands of Tony fans and friends lined up the streets of the tiny downtown. Almost everyone was wearing his team color orange. Thats the beauty of having a celebrity from a small town like this. The people are so genuinely happy and proud. Felt nice to be a part of this function.

Who doesnt like surprises?

Nothing can beat the pure joy of having a surprise long weekend! Wat say?

We are moving our offices to another building tomorrow and apparantly the new place is not yet ready...so we have been instructed not to come to work on Monday! Yippeeee!! So guys, I have booked flight tickets to Indianapolis. How can I let such an opportunity pass by?! :P I am leaving Fri eve and returning Tue morning and going straight to work. Please pray for me that I dont face any problem in the trip, like before!

I have started walking to from the bus stop to my office. It takes me about 25-30 mins..so that adds up to almost 1 hr of walking everyday! I feel so good about myself. The walk is crowded but interesting. I get to catch a glimpse of J Lo every morning and say hi to Samuel Jackson every evening as I pass through Madamme Tussaud's. Since I have to walk so much, I use two pairs of shoes. Flat comfortable ones for walking, and once I reach office, I change to my normal high heeled shoes. Colors ke shoes, ek dikhane ke liye aur ek chalne ke liye. :-)

Wish you all Happy India Independence Day!

Happy Friendship's Day!!!

Dear Friends,


Wish you all a very
Happy Friendship's Day


Love,
Colors

My flight woes

I hate flying to or from NY/NJ. On each and every of my numerous trips, I have had to face some or the other problem. I have started feeling its kinda jinxed for me.

Last Friday afternoon, on the spur of the moment, I booked a ticket for Indianapolis. I was missing V so much..couldn't not be with him that weekend. I had walked out of the house in the morning as usual, expecting to be back in the evening not so much looking forward to a dull weekend. But by the end of the day I found myself going towards the La Guardia airport. So far so good. As I approached the guy checking the boarding pass and the id in the security check, I was feeling good and excited. The guy was a desi...he took one look at me and pointed me towards the 'special shorter queue'. I though wow..what did I do to deserve this, thinking that I had been selected for an express queue. Bah! In my dreams! When I came closer, I realized it was a special screening queue. I had to undergo a body search! Aaargh! I was seething mad at that guy to have chosen me to undergo the procedure. How can a desi do this to a fellow desi? I mean do I look like a terrorist or what? I understand this is their duty...but why always me??? This was not the first time I had been 'hand picked' for this 'special treatment'. Infact I have lost count. Luckily I had plenty of time in my hand..so I didnt have to worry about missing the flight.

Other thing that normally happens to me (again why me??!!) is that almost every flight I have taken to/from NY/NJ gets delayed. But this didnt happen and I was nicely settled in the aircraft with my cell phone obediently switched off. And then guess what....the captain's voice crackles through the speakers announcing that we havent yet been cleared for takeoff and we will have to wait at least 45 mins more!!! Once again proving that NJ/NY airports have something against me.

I finally reached Indy where V and a couple of frens had come to pick me up. The weekend was good and went by too quickly. The next thing I knew I was on my way back to the Indy airport on Sunday afternoon. I was kinda worried about the return journey as I was landing at La Guardia at 830pm and the best way for me to get back to NJ was take a bus from Port Authority at NY. Already a couple of my friends had scared me on traveling alone in that area in the night. But of course..I shouldnt have worried...coz do things really go as planned when its NY airports involved?? I went through the security check..and guess again...I was selected for the special screening! I guess I should now take it as a normal thing and not get bothered about it. When I reached my gate I realized my flight was 1.5hrs late. Of course...how could I have even thought this would be smooth?

I got my flight changed to NJ one. Although the NJ flight timing was almost the same as the delayed flight, atleast it was in NJ saving me the trip from NY. Also, I knew the way around NJ airport more than the city which made me feel a bit more comfortable. However since I had changed my flight, it was with another airline and I had to undergo security check again. Yes you got it...once again I had to go through the special check. The lady there told me that its the airlines who select and they mark it on the ticket itself. No wonder I had to go through it my entire trip!

By then I was in a terrible state. As if I wasnt feeling bad enough to have to leave V, I had to go through all this. I had even started regretting why the heck did I move..why couldnt I just be with V and let him support me :P. Also, I was worried about how will I reach home...I didnt want to bother anyone to come pick me from the station (I was taking train from the airport) in the middle of the night..plus I wasnt sure taking a cab was a good option.

To make matters worse the 2nd flight too got delayed. I felt like doing something..bash those airlines people..strangle them..something! But I was helpless and had to (in)patiently wait for the plane to take off. Finally after an hour's delay we took off. On landing it was 11:30pm. I approached the lady at the airline counter and asked some arrangement to be made as since the flight got delayed, I missed my ride back home. She was nice and sorry and she told me to check the customer service. I went there only to find empty counters staring back at me. I noticed one lady walking out of the area. I quickly caught up with her and asked her if she was from the customer service. She rudely replied yes but couldnt I see they were closed? I simply walked out of her..I wanted to give her my mindful, but I had no time to waste, plus I knew my words would not make any difference to her. I went to the train station and took the train back home. My landowner came to pick me up from the station and finally I was safe back home.

I have told V, henceforth he will be the one to travel. I am so tired of dealing with these stuffs every time. Plus I hate traveling alone... as if I haven't had enough of my company while commuting to work everyday.

Colors of my life - now

So friends, its been a while since I updated my blog. Life has been moving in the fast lane leaving me with just enough time in the evening to come home, relax a bit and go off to sleep. Though hectic, I am still having a good time. Being new in the city, I do feel lonely and miss V a lot. One good thing is that I have known the family I stay with and they are nice and friendly and my time passes by much better than it would have had I been all alone.

I am now quite used to the routine of my commute. I take the bus to NYC in the morning, walk till the subway, ride in the subway and finally walk till my office. This routine takes me almost 2 hrs. I trace my steps back on the retun trip. So 4 hrs in all and by the time I reach back home it would be 12 hrs since I left it in the morning. I catch up with my sleep during the morning trip. In the evening, initially I had just sat in the bus and observed the people surrounding me. Every time I used to find something interesting to put up in the blog but never got a chance to 'pen' them down. So, now I have started reading. I am now enjoying 'Life of Pi'.

I have now come to recognise quite a few of the 'regulars' in my bus. The desi uncle whom I had met when I went for my interview and he had given me some valuable information and tips on the bus route and how to get around the city. His stop is the same as mine and he never fails to exchange and few words and give me some advice or the other :-). And there are others like the chinki girl who always wears a skirt and balances her sunglasses on her head like a hairband, the desi girl with loud voice when she speaks on the phone, the black woman with loud lipstick color and strong perfume, the white girl with yellow purse, the desi guy who carries a huge knapsack, the black woman with thin short hair who uses gel which makes her look almost bald - but it looks good on her... and there are many more. Almost the same people take the return bus as I do. We are almost like a family...except that no one speaks to each other :-P

I also get a chance to observe people when I work my way to and from the subway platform. The corridors are always spotted with some musicians here and there. Some of them are really good while some are...well, bad! There's this guy who plays the keyboard quite nicely ..he plays the same tune every day and I noticed he checks out all the girls passing by. Then there's this short man who plays the accordian and he does a good job too. These two are the regular ones I see. Then I have seen this poor old woman who just stands close to the wall and 'plays' the harmonica. No tune comes out of it she just blows in and out of the instrument at the same place. The other day a woman was singing this 'heart wrenching' version of Whitney Houston's 'I will always love you'. People come up with all kinds of ideas to pull the crowd. Its either the entire family band playing and singing, or someone street dancing or such. On Friday I saw this guy playing the keyboard...and to make it look more interesting he had got 4-5 dolls playing different musical intruments and moving their hips in a mechanical motion. That was his band.

Workwise things are going great! They have enough work for me to keep occupied for the 8 hrs and not too much to make me sweat it out. In my last job I had hardly enough work so I used to get bored. Thats one of the reason I was able to update my blog so regularly :-).

I will try to post more regularly henceforth. If I am in the blogsville, I normally update myself by reading your posts. If you dont happen to see my comment, please dont mind. Its not that I wasnt there, its just that I couldnt comment or that I will come visiting soon!

Photos

Hey Nupur...aap ke demand par...I did dig up my archives and found some Times Square pics. These were taken during the Thanksgiving weekend of 2003. The pictures are not great but were the only 'ok to be published' ones I could find. Will try getting better ones soon.

Trying out new Colors!

Hey Guys...before I put up my long weekend trip post, I have to let all of you in this good news!

I got a job at this awesome place today!! Yippeee!! The job is located in the heart of New York City! (Princess, are you listening?). Currently I am staying in New Jersey, so that means a minimum 1.5hrs commute one way everyday. But who's complaining when I am just a few blocks away from Times Square?!

All this happened pretty suddenly. On Wednesday afternoon, I got this call for this position. They wanted someone immediately..and the interview was scheduled for today 10:00am. So had to rush rush and book a flight ticket for Thursday. The flight was bad...as it always happen when I travel to-from Newark airport, this time too the flight got delayed. Going for the interview today was quite an adventure for me, knowing so very little about the city.

Sigh...I am so excited about this, but missing V soooo much!

All these changes has made me miss Paheli :-(. I had booked 19 tickets for the show today..and now all my friends are going, except me!

Bright and colourful

This is kinda follow-up to Saba's smiley post. I came across a lot of 'smile makers' this week.

The most exciting of all was a surprise email from a long lost friend. This friend registered in Batchmates.com and found me and sent me an email. It was such a wonderful surprise, so good to hear from her after this long (we were together till 10th std) and to catch up on each others lives. We have just exchanged a couple of emails and we still have loads to catch up on. Most surprising was to know she has been married since last 2 yrs and is now an expectant mother!! I am certainly getting older :(

I had given up on Batchmates.com long time back as no one wrote to me in all these years that I registered, nor did anyone respond to me. But my friend's email made me log-in and I found that another friend had registered a year ago. I sent her an email without much hope of receiving any reply...and lo! the very next day her email was nicely sitting in my inbox. Wat more can one ask than to be reunited to two long lost friends in such a short gap?

Well, my joys didnt end here. Another happy note was Michelin declaring that they are going to re-imburse the ticket money to all the spectators of the USGP 2005 :D. First, unexpected friends and next unexpected money! I love surprises!!!

Google has launched their new satellite mapping tool, Google Earth. I downloaded their free version and have been doing a lot of exploring since then. I am so amazed at the technology and the information they have. You can even view side view of the earth's terrain. I could see buildings in Chicago to Mount Everest and Mount Kanchenjunga. Do try it out..its awesome! I love Google!!!

Our plans for the long weekend has finally been finalised. As usual, there were people who wanted to join in and opt out..The count was finally fixed and yesternight we sat down armed with our laptops hunting high and low for car deals and hotel deals. After about 4-5hrs we finally booked the cars and the rooms. Fourteen and two 1/4th people are going to Mackinac Island, Michigan and places around it. Leaving on Friday eve...gonna be a night long drive. I love road trips!!!

Hope you all have a great weekend. See you all on Tuesday! I love long weekends!!!!!!

Book Tag

Its been a long long time since I have read books on a regular basis. I have always had this guilty feeling that I no longer read much. But the taggie thingie going on motivated me so much that I actually went to the library to get the books I have been wanting to read for a long time, 'The Da Vinci Code' and 'Life of Pi'. Unfortunately, all the copies of both the books were out. Hopefully I get them soon. If not, because of this book tag going around so much, I have come across many titles which has been added to my 'to read' list. Isn't this an awesome activity?

Total Number of Books I Own -
Four. Three of which I had brought with me from India and one is actually V's. Of course, back home in India, I have innumerable books which I collected since childhood. Books I received as prizes in school and as gifts. I don't remember buying any book in particular. I never had the need as we own a book shop. So, I always got to read many many books without the need to buy. Whichever book that I felt need to be in my collection, I simply 'took' it.

The Last Book I Bought -
Stranger Stories by Satyajit Ray and Modern Indian Short Stories. Both of these I had bought for the flight from India. I love reading short stories, be it the ones we had in our school syllabi, ones by O' Henry, Jeffrey Archer, W. Somerset Maugham or just a collection of stories by various authors. I love the twists in the Jeffrey Archer and S Maugham stories. Probably one of the reason why I enjoy reading stories written by my blog friends so much.

The Last Book I Read -
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. Well, this book needs no introduction. I found the research done and the pace of the book amazing and unputdownable. I enjoyed Deception Point too. After reading these, I am so looking forward to read The Da Vinci Code. I am going the reverse way - people normally read DVC first, then Angels and Demons and then Deception Point. My path was exactly reverse! :-)

Five Books That Mean a Lot to Me -
As most of us feel, five is a very small number to list all the books the we love. I read only fiction, so as such I have no 'life changing' book that I am very close to. Books that mean a lot to me are the ones I grew up with. As with most of us, it started with Enid Blyton's books. The first books I remember to have read (apart from school books, nursery rhymes other 'learning' books) are the Noddy series. How I used to pester my dad to take me to our shop so that I could get the next 2 Noddy books (I was allowesd to take only 2 at a time).

From Enid Blyton's kiddo books I transitioned to more 'mature' Hardy Boys, The Three Investigators and then Nancy Drew. From then I moved on to Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie and her dear Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot series and the Perry Mason series.

About then I also started reading classics like Dickens, Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy etc. Its been so long ago that I read all these classics, I sometimes think of reading them all over again. During the early stages of reading classics, I remember being touched by the story of The Little Princess. I was so excited when, after a few years, I got to see a movie based on that story.

A few books that my dad suggested me to read were Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, To Sir With Love, Farewell to Arms and To Kill A Mocking Bird. I dont think I need to mention how beautiful each of these are.

The next set of books that I love are plays by Shakespeare. Of them all, I have read three in quite detail - The Merchant of Venice, Julius Ceasar and Twelfth Night or What You Will. I had these in my school curriculum from 8th till 12th std. Julius Ceasar was the toughest of all. But, having these books in my syllabus helped me get interested in reading his other works. Of course, I read the translated version of the rest of his plays. I didnt have the patience to read them in Shakespearen language!

I was planning to write about the books I love in five categories (Five is the number here, remember?), but even five categories are not enough. In this last category, I would like to mention the comics I love. Starting with Tinkle, Amar Chitra Katha to Archies and my favourites till date The Adventures of Tintin and The Adventures of Asterix and Obelix. I also remember reading a few Photo Romance in my early teens :-). And how can I forget my favourite magazine of all times Target!

Five Books I Want to read (This is a section that Anks introduced which I feel is quite apt!) -
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
Life of Pi by Yann Martel (Thanks to Ricky for reminding me of this book)
Lajja by Tasalima Nasarina (Thanks to Anks)
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (Thanks to Moonie)
Shame by Salman Rushdie

Tag Five people -
Well, this is an open invitation to all book lovers who haven't participated yet. People with no blog are welcome to post their tag as a comment to this post.

The US Formula 1 Grand Prix

As many of you know, this weekend was for the USGP to be held in Indianapolis. Due to unavoidable circumstances we were unable to go for the qualifying race in Saturday. But later while checking websites for updates, me and V came to know about the controversy brewing up. It seems that during the practice session on Friday, two cars had accidents due to their tyres bursting. Michelin investigated the reason for the tyres bursting and declared the current tyres being used to be unsafe for the Indy pit. They planned to fly in another batch of tyres for all their teams. However, they couldn't get fresh tyres for the qualifying race on Saturday and hence the 7 teams using Michelin tyres used the unsafe ones for the qualifying race. Michelin wanted them to use the 'new' tyres for the finals, but according to F1 rules, they have to use the same tyres for both the qualifying and the final race.

So, when we went to Indy on Sunday morning, it was still unsure how things are going to be. If the association agreed to bend the rules and allow them to use the new tyres, the race would go on. Else, we were worried the entire race might get cancelled. We were 9 of us, with 6 seeing the race for the first time. My friend Rashmi and her husband had come all the way from Virginia just to see the race. Everyone was excited and we were armed with a Ferarri flag, Ferarri tees and caps and and Indian flag to cheer the Ferrari team and our own Kartikeyan. There was lots of excitement and the familiar Speedway that I knew so well (my office is just opposite the racetrack) looked completely different...lively and colorful with hundreds and thousands of people from all over the wall. I later read that there were an estimated 120,000 fans.

We had very good seats where we could see the longest part of a lap. From where we sat, we could see the first 5 turns where the cars slow down and max action happens. The race started with all the 20 cars lined up. After the necessary formalities, the cars took off for a practice round to heat up the tyres. Seeing the cars, we were relieved that atleast they did come up with some kind of solution to the issue. But our relief was short lived...for except for the 6 cars running on Bridgestone tyres, rest all the cars went in back to their pit stop. They had all withdrew from the race and now only 6 cars were participating!!!

After the fans got over the initial confusion, they started getting frustrated and people started booing and throwing bottles and beer cans on the track. Many non-Ferarri supporters got up and left in disgust. We stayed on... of course each and everyone present were disappointed and upset. But looking at the brighter side, we were happy that Ferrari got a sure shot win and Kartikeyan got his best chance ever to increase his rank position. Practically, there were two parts in the race...one between Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello and the other one between the remaining 4. The race was between one of the best team (Ferarri) and 2 of the worst teams (Jordan and Minardi). Within no time both the Ferarri cars zoomed off leaving the remaining 4 cars far behind. Kartikeyan did pretty ok as he managed to get to the 4th position from 5th. I was hoping (wicked that I am) that something should happen to the 2 cars in front of Kartikeyan so that he can come 3rd, coz soon there was no chance of him to overtake his teammate Monteiro to get into the 3rd position. The highlight of the race was when Schumi took his second pit stop and when got out of his pit stop, Barrichelo was right in front of him and Schumi managed to nudge him out of the way and get back into 1st position. Barrichello was forced to get out of the track into the grass to avoid a collision. I am sure he must be having a huge grudge for Schumi for that!

Well, the race ended and no one was surprised with the results. It was a subdued Shcumi, an irate Barrichello and an overly happy and grinning Monteiro who went up the podium to take the victory stand! Many people were demanding a refund of their tickets and I read later on that the Indy Speedway are contemplating on the refund. Overall, though it was the oddest race ever, with frens around it was a good fun. Not as exciting as expected...but in a way we are all glad to have been a part of the F1 history!

Breaking grounds

Recently while surfing through the channels on TV, I stopped short when I saw Rahul Khanna smiling back at me! They were showing 'Bollywood/Hollywood' on the Sundance Channel. It was a delightful surprise to see an Indian movie on a regular movie channel here. I was doubly delighted coz I hadn't seen this movie earlier. Found the movie to be quite nice and funny. The next day once again I was surfing and this time I saw Rahul Khanna on a different getup. They were now showing 'Earth'. And today, it was 'The Guru' playing on the USA channel!!!

Its really pleasing to see Indian movie breaking grounds into the American homes. I wonder how long will it be before I get to see SRK!!

My turn now

By now I guess everyone who have been tagged have done this. Nupur started it and it spread like wild fire. Here I am with my replies...

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
My real name
Pukuli
Maiya

THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:
Colors
Colourful Life
CL

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
Eyes
Hair
Hands

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT:
Height
Feet

My ability to hold on to all the fat and calorie intake

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:
My Nepali Background
Me being Indian
Me being from Sikkim

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
Losing loved ones
All creepy crawly creatures, prominently snakes
Being late for exams (I still get nightmares)

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
V
Brush my teeth
Eye Liner

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:
T-shirt
Jeans
Eye Makeup

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:
Already have what I want touch-wood*...don't want any more :-)

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE (in no particular order):
I love scary roller coaster rides
I love being in water
I enjoy water parks

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT OPPOSITE SEX THAT APPEAL YOU:
Voice
Smile
Eyes

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:
Go Home and meet my family and relatives
Go Home and meet my friends
Go Home and eat mom's food

THREE CAREERS YOU ARE CONSIDERING:
Happy with my current career, but no harm in contemplating what I could have been instead
Graphic Designer in major animation company

Architect
Interior Designer

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:
Europe
Australia
South East Asia
(Sigh! That still doesn't cover all the places I wanna visit!)

THREE KIDS NAME YOU LIKE:
Don't know. Will think of them when the right time comes :-)

THREE THINGS YOU WANT BEFORE YOU DIE:
Marry V and live happily ever after
Sky Dive again
Travel the whole world

THREE PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO TAKE THIS QUIZ NOW:
I guess everyone's done this by now..Hey Rhicha and Anks..you still haven't. Now its your turn! Also, anyone else who haven't been tagged yet, need to do it now. No excuse!!