I left part of my heart in...

Wow. Is about all I have to say. I left for Dubai last week for my cousin's wedding and just got back. Yes, Dubai. Yes, the place that everyone is like, "OMG! Dubai?!" Yes, Dubai. My family lived there LONG before the Burj, the Palm Island, and even before Tiger Woods became the paradigm of golfing. And as always, I LOVED it. LOVED it. It was so hard to come home (SF), because in a way, even though I never officially lived there, it has always been home to me. I bawled like a baby the night I left. My entire family had gathered at my uncle's place for the SatyaNarayan puja and to see them all sitting there, and me having to leave it, was heartbreaking.

This trip was so wonderful because:
-All 11 of the late Sumitra Rao's grandchildren were under one roof for the first time in about 20 years.
-The wedding was the pompest, poshest blast EVER! Backdrop of your wedding being the Burj AND fireworks, what?!
-Everything for everyone was catered to, down to the breakfast in the hotel
-And so many other things, I'm too tired to name. Pictures will go up soon.

Oh, Dubai. I left part of my heart there...

How I got engaged - Story and ring detail... and other updates

I kind of suck at this blogging thing. The problem is that I'm so damn busy....work, training for a marathon; getting engaged, etc... lots to think about.

So, marathon training is going well, you can read about it here. I'm really proud of myself though, didn't think I had the gusto to do it, but now, I love running. And so far, for the $100 sign-up fee, I have a personal trainer three times a week, and a lovely tour of San Francisco/Marin. I've ran down the Embarcadero; Beach Chalet, Lands End, Chrissy Fields, Blackies Pasture, out by Stinson Beach ... I've seen and experienced all areas in less than 2 months. Amazing.

Work is going well also. I just got moved to the Xbox account, which is quite fascinating, so that is very cool to work with. Also, I've begun to master most of what my agency likes in the media department so that is very cool when everyone trusts you to do everything. It also leads to being asked to do more stuff, but I guess that's a good thing in the long run. I always thought I wanted to do something to "better" society; i.e. - work in a school; be a doctor etc... but then I fell in love with advertising. And although I'm not doing an extraordinary thing, I believe that what I am doing, I'm attempting to be extraordinary at it, so that should be enough, right?

And lastly, engagement story and what the ring looks like:

I train on Saturday mornings for my marathon; so on this particular Saturday (Feb 23); I came home to UGS sitting on the couch watching television. I sat down with him, talked about plans for the day, decided to be lazy and not do anything and then said I was going to shower. He said, "no, don't go yet, just hang out on the sofa..." Okay. So, instead of showering, I said, "well, I'm hungry, I'll make breakfast, do you want anything." He said, "oh, we'll eat later, I'll make you breakfast, let's just hang out on the couch." Okay... and then as we are hanging out on the couch watching television (side note - we were watching my favorite television show "Girlfriends," and he wasn't complaining... SO should have figured something was up!) and he started saying some really nice things: "I love you" "Life is so great with you" etc. To my credit, I thought it was a bit weird, but figured he was having a moment so to just listen and not be all girly and be like, "WHY?! What's up? Why are you saying these things...?" And then, he all of a sudden got up off of the couch, on to the floor, kneeling in front of me. Still no bells ringing. So I look at him and say, "Dude, what are you doing? Where you going?" And he said, "I'm going no where, I'm right here..." and then all of a sudden, I see him on his knee and putting his hand in his pocket and then ... OH MY GOD! In my head: "Oh my god, this is like so happening RIGHT NOW!!!" And then he asked me to do him the honor of saying yes to being his wife (or something of the sort, everything from that moment till about 5 minutes later is a blur)... I said, "of course" hugged him, we both were smiling and then he left the room... to go get the two dozen roses and a bottle of champagne. Yes! And then he told me about the night he had planned: drinks at The Carnelian Room and then dinner at Le Colonial. And all this, in a limo! Amazing, amazing evening. Great food, excellent times.

The ring, it's pretty, you have to come see me to see the ring. :)

And that's the story. Nice, huh?

Woot-woot!

Is about all I can write to describe how I'm feeling right now. Yes kids, I'm engaged. And not only engaged, engaged to the most perfect person I know. I'm so, so, so happy. And happy is such a bad word, because it doesn't even relay the glow that is probably coming off of my face right now. I can't stop smiling, all sappy songs on the radio have meaning and I'm blinded everytime I look down at my finger. Wow. Wow. Wow. Yay!!!

Boo.

I hate today.

One Year

So I started this blog a year ago... today (date-wise, not day-wise - that always confused me...). And what? I moved to San Francisco, lost a loved one, kind of blogged here and there, then got really busy with weddings, work, family, etc. That doesn't really give me an excuse not for blogging, but really, I wasn't just feeling it. As I read back on my posts, the one thought that runs in my head is, "What the H was I blogging about?" Some posts are okay, some are helpful, and some are just dumb. I think dumb posts are okay, but I was getting more notches in the dumb belt then any other belt.

So, now what? I'm going to try this blogging thing again, and perhaps I'll be more honest. Honest in the sense of actually writing what I'm thinking about, instead of holding it in and not writing it, afraid of who is reading this. It's been a year, and a lot has happened. I'm in a better place, so I think I'll make another go at this. Here is to 2008!

Hmmm....

So Britney. I love her... she keeps me entertained and amused with all her mishaps. And while I root for her (barely) to come back and be that writhing force on the dance floor with snakes and body glitter... a part of me (a very small, very bitchy part) is almost giddy. Yes, giddy. Giddy that she danced on stage at the VMAs as a "fat pig" as some of the media outlets called her, giddy with the fact that she's having issues raising her kids, her divorce was not all hush hush and that surprise(!), she fights with her family. Openly. Now, as much all this makes her real, she's taken it to a fairly trashy level. I was still hoping, hoping that she'd come back. And the VMAs happened. For those of you that don't remember:



Yeah... wow... but you know, second chances ya'll... second chances. So I was hoping that the video for this song (that is doing surprisingly well) would rock it out. Like, "I'm a Slave For U..." remember that? It was hot:



So... here it is... the video for "Gimmie More":



OMG... yuck. Thoughts?

Memories

6 years ago today, at 8:42AM - I was a senior in college at IU. Sitting on my couch in my apartment, eating breakfast of lox and cream cheese on a bagel, watching Good Morning America, and contemplating whether I wanted to skip my 10:10AM Psychology class.

At 8:46A - there was an interruption to the program - a plane had just "run into" North Tower of the World Trade Center. The broadcasters at the time were wondering if it were an accident, issues with the plane navigation...

At 9:02A - everyone's fears were confirmed - this was no accident, a second plane hit the South Tower, with the cameras still rolling.

The rest of the day was a blur of news stories, friends coming over, parents calling, consipiracy theories and finger pointing as to who, what, and mainly, why?

Today, I woke up in a very different place and it struck me how much as changed since that day, 6 years ago. They way we think, feel, assume, and live, is all shaped by what happened that day; in that span of less than half an hour.

I will be using this day as one to reflect and remember. How about you?

Good news

Two VERY good news items for today (like a "yay!" Friday):

• I wrote a while back about my friend that is running in a very special marathon. She reached her goal of $5,000. Now she's upped the ante, continue to be generous and join the community, donate!
• Vinay, who has been profiled on numerous Web sites, blogs, and if you are from the Bay Area and reading this, you should have attended at least one of the drives in his honor, has news. He found a match. Yes, you read that right, a match.

I'm so happy for both of the individuals and what that means for the community. How we all had to get together, for two separate causes, and how far both causes have come is amazing.

It's a good day.

And something so cute...

Puppy Whistle - video powered by Metacafe

Harry Potter Friday

Harry Potter has taken over my Friday. I can't work... all I can do is think about how the book I pre-ordered is sitting in San Ramon (oh, believe me, I tracked that sucker) and it won't be delivered till TOMORROW!!! Grr...

So, I'm going to the Harry Potter party tonight at Border's near my apartment. I think. I'm a HUGE fan, but not really sure how well I will do that late at night, after a long week at work, and entirely too long of a month of weddings and other family events. I'll try though.

Things that have been happening to and around me because of Mr. Potter:

• My supervisor and I will talk about it, but only talk about how much we can't talk about it and how we don't want to know anything.
  
• I've been avoiding the NYTimes, WSJ.com, and any other Web sites that dared to put up reviews and articles that are GIVING AWAY THE ENDING... who does that?!


• My friend who will remain nameless (but his nickname rhymes with "Ash") sent me a supposedly leaked copy... I stupidly opened it and started looking around, then realized what it was and closed it immediately. I'm going to assume he was being eager when doing that, so all is forgiven and we are still speaking.

Ah, Harry... he has been with me as I grew up from a college drunkard to a working, suburbanite. It's been fun. Looking forward to this last adventure.

How excited are YOU?!

Harry Potter in India

Happy Birthday Ma!

Wishing the very best to my favorite lady in the whole world! Thank you, for being you.

Movie Review

I saw Transformers last night. Wow. That movie was fantastic. I read the NYTimes review yesterday and was a bit scared. I imagined this overly testosterone filled movie with robots, lots of crashing around and cliched lines from the characters. Instead, I saw a movie that was overly-testosterone filled, full of robots, crashing around, and tons of cliched lines. But it was fantastic!

Review for the boys:

2 hot girls - Megan Fox and this other chick that speaks with an accent. A hot blonde and a hot brunette, both in fairly tight clothing that breathe heavy at all the right times.

2 badasses in Josh Duhamel and Tyrese - army guys, guns, and no fear.

Robots, nice cars, lots of great explosions, damaged property, etc.

Lots of great lines for you boys to repeat from here on out.

Review for the girls:

The 2 hot girls - they are actually pretty cool and have good character in the movie. And the brunette is the lead girl. Yay, for brunettes.

The 2 badasses - oh wow. Army boys, handling big guns, muscles flexing, and one of them is a family man. Nice.

The cars are sexy, and the explosions are spectactular to watch.

And the lines, some of the best writing I have heard in an action movie yet.

And for both sexes - the breakout star, Shia Lebouf, he's fantastic. He's the underdog that you root for the entire movie.

Good stuff, go see it. Now.

Please help a fellow South Asian

Joining the bone marrow registry is not hard. I did it on a Saturday morning a few weeks ago, it took about 20 minute total - filling out paperwork, swabbing inside of my cheek, closing up the envelope, handing it in, getting back into my car and then going on with my day.

I post this to please urge you all to register. Someone from our community needs our help, and it is up to us to rally behind him and provide the support he needs.

In addition, once you register, be aware that you may be called upon to help. Although it sounds scary, it is the step that needs to be taken to save a life. Please read about donating bone marrow to alleviate any apprehension. It is not an easy process, but remember, those suffering from the disease are having a much worse time then a donor will ever have donating.

Find a registry in your area.

Any other information you will need is available here.

It is a privilege, not a choice, to be able to help another human being.

Friday thoughts.

The first half of my day was frenzied. I had about 3 projects to do, all due at noon, and not one deadline was budging. So I begrudgingly turned "off" the Internet (except for g-mail) and finished it all. Then at lunchtime I walked to my favorite Japanese take-out, chatted with my mom during our daily lunch call* and then came back to another project. Yay. Finished (1 hr). I gleefully then fired up my Internet to surf my usual pop culture gossip sites. Yes, I am an addict, reading about celebrities (or pseudo-celebutantes) and how they make asses of themselves. Today's big news is how Ms. Hilton is going back to jail. That's it. That's all. Nothing else. Awesome. Isn't Lindsay Lohan doing anything crazy in rehab? Britney hasn't shaved her head yet? What, she's just hanging out with the kids in Hawaii?! Boring...


*During my call with my mom, we got to talking about Mamama. It is difficult to hear my mom grieve. And it's difficult because I'm not grieving anymore. I am at peace with her (Mamama) being gone; and it only happened because I believe that she came to me one day. A bit strange but here's how: at a recent Bal-Vihar (Sunday school of sorts for Hindu kids) prayer session, we said a particular prayer which was the first prayer I ever learned, which Mamama taught me. She was in my thoughts ("oh, this is the prayer that Mamama taught me...") as I said the prayer and then it happened. The strongest feeling took over me and as I closed my eyes, she was there. The feeling was so strong that it shook me, I opened my eyes and started looking around and my eyes welled up. After about a minute, I went back to praying.

Since that time, I've been at peace with her being gone. No more random cries and or sad thoughts. In a strange way, I've been at peace regarding a lot of things that were nagging me. No explanation as to how or why, but it is.

30 days

I drank this past weekend. And a couple drinks at a wedding earlier this month... blah... I know, I know... it goes back on all things not drinking. BUT (yes, there always is a but); I do believe my drinking was controlled AND yesterday, at our softball game, I did not partake in the beer that was available. This whole exercise has evolved into more of being able to control the amount of alcohol in my life, and not just drink, to drink. I HAVE upgraded on the food that I'm eating (lots more fish, fruits and veggies) and upped my water intake. I'm doing well so far, we'll see how I do in the month of June.

To leave you all for this month of May, here is a sample of a bit of my life at my job working with Big Brother:



International Conference Calls

3BT

It's been a while since I posted a 3BT, I figure it's time for one:

1) My mom. I talk to her at least 3 times a day and each time is something to remember.
2) The amount of greenery I notice here in the city.
3) A very large ship pulling into the pier, I like big boats.

Gripes, promotions, and omens

Boo. - Imitation is apparently the greatest form of flattery. I find it annoying. Be yourself, I'm not that spectacular of a person, but I am me. Don't be me. Be you.

Yay! - Good luck to my friend. She's running in a marathon! Go Chai!

Omen? - I was walking to my office this morning from the BART station and got nailed in the head by a bird. It was flying low, and like swooped my head, but no "presents." I've heard that if a bird shits on you, then it's good luck, but never heard anything about a bird bumping into your head. I've been looking on the Internet for this and couldn't find anything. I asked my Ma, she recommended that I wash my hair this evening, but since it wasn't a crow, I don't have anything to worry about. It is times like this I wish Mamama was around. She'd know what it all meant. Any ideas?

Prohibition 2007 update

I've been on the alcohol fast for about 9 days and in those 9 days were the following:
1) Two work events
2) Visit home to see the Ma who is an intense wino
3) Birthday celebration

It was hard not to drink, not that I felt a biological desire towards it, but more so it was "the thing to do." I've constantly read about how much alcohol is a social lubrication, but I didn't understand it till I started my alcohol fast. Few things I've noticed:

1) If you say no to alcohol (beer, wine, etc.), it almost immediately is followed by, "Oh really? Why?" as if you had told someone you decided to stop breathing.
2) Not drinking also elicits one of two questions: "Are you pregnant?" and/or "Oh, so... did you have a problem...?" - NO and no.
3) Once you stop drinking, most social scenes are reminiscent of this time: think back to elementary school where all the cool girls have the new pair of leather boots and you're still wearing your snow boots from 2 years ago.
4) People usually only ask if an individual if they are driving after they've had about 3-4 and are clearly, happy ... hmmm.
5) And, if you aren't drinking, your friends/acquaintences/conversation members all feel the need to announce it to the new people entering your circle even if the present conversation was regarding something banal such as Bay area geography. "What is the name of the "Crooked Street?" "It is ... (new person entering conversation)... Hi! By the way, ______ is not drinking tonight... Lombard. The Real Worlders lived in a house on Lombard."

Another succesful week. Hope everyone is having a good one.

Stay strong and sing in the shower.

Happy Birthday!

I'm a sucker for birthdays and will celebrate them to no end. So... here's my birthday post to you.

Happy Birthday!

And yes, you can leave early today. :)

If not for health, then for vanity...

I've recently been inspired by a good friend.

The alcohol ingesting has reached its peak. To the point where clothes are starting to not fit and I am feeling sluggish and gross most of the time. This hasn't happened since college and I had made a promise to myself not to go back. And slowly, the isht creeped up on me.

So, my pledge - No more alcohol; work out at least 3 days a week and eat fish twice a week (the last two are health pledges, but work in my favor for vanity).

I didn't put an "end" date on the alcohol drought, I'm hoping that once I get into the groove it, it won't matter and I'll be back to my former self that would nurse a beer every 20 days and be happy; instead of downing 3-4 on a random Sunday evening with dinner.

As my friend did, I'll post updates on my progress.

So my fellow readers, who wants to join me?