How well do you know me?

Don't worry, this is not another survey for a Marketing class. :D
Just some fun stuff if you really want to kill time.'All of the above' is an option too. You can reply with unlisted choices if you think they are viable enough. Enjoy !

A. What was my nickname(s) growing up?

1. Hitler
2. Lara
3. Captain
4. Mayataru

B. Where did I first meet SG in person?

1. At a house party
2. At a restaurant
3. In an airport
4. At the back of my yard

C. What did I want to become when I grew up?

1. An author
2. A doctor
3. A danseuse
4. Sherlock Holmes

D. Which movie made me want to become a nun?

1. The Sound of Music
2. Nun's Story
3. Black Narcissus
4. Come to the Stable

E. What is the longest crush I had on a guy

1. 6 years
2. 2 years
3. 5 months
4. 30 secs

F. What is my best feature ?

1. My eyes
2. My smile
3. My hair
4. Can't be listed publicly

G. What really grosses me out when someone does it in public ?

1. Farting
2. Picking nose
3. Scratching groin
4. Jacking off

H. Which places would I really love to visit?

1. Salzburg, Austria
2. Backwaters of Kerala
3. Monasteries in Ladakh
4. Wildlife parks in Montana

I. Which color clothes was I forbidden to buy anymore, with a threat from my mother to stop my wardbrobe allowance if I didn't comply?

1. Black
2. Blue
3. Pink
4. Green

J. What is one thing I wish to change about myself?

3 idiots

Booking the tickets online for the 6:30 pm show in the afternoon was a wise things to do 'cause by the time we( Rahul, Pu, Soma and I) reached Alewife to watch '3 Idiots' at Entertainment Cinemas, the tickets were sold out. The show started considerably late -incessant elbowing, maddening crowd, mismanagement of demand, a medium popcorn and a large soda later -around 7 pm. A pity that it was not playing in one of the AMCs.

Desi junta queuing up before the show

A satire of the Indian education system. 'Aal izz well' might as well become a buzzword with Hindi movie goers like 'Jadoo ki Jhappi' and 'Gandhigiri'.

I will leave it to the film critics to analyze the rest. My personal opinion - 3i is good, clean entertainment with few pretenses. 'Philosophy in colloquiality'. Have a dekho, it will be refreshing, even with its excesses.

My infinite wish list

I think I am alive because I have a wish list.

It is in the eyes

Mom often quoted,'Face is the index of character'. I have seen the world a little more too closely to believe in that anymore. The devil can appear with the sweetest, most shy smile, then charm you and rob you of all your happiness. And an angel might look the devil, but he will help you like a guiding star.

What do I look for then? 'The eyes, the windows to the soul.' Some eyes have sparks of eccentric genius in them, some look tired, some sparkle with the hope of a better tomorrow, and some are visionless, confused, lost in the roads of desultoriness.

The day I truly grow up will be the day I can be inert to everything around me, and filter in only happiness, no matter what. Spiritually, that would be day of my Salvation. What the Vedas conceptualized as Moksha, or the Buddhists called Nirvana - the ultimate liberation. That day, I guess I will have the calmest pair of eyes.

Reposted for Mona :)

The last day of school

I'm pretty emosanal today. Officially, it was my last day to school. Exactly two years, 3 months and 1 day ago on 2007, Sept 13, I  had attended my  650 class(first semester requirement), Organizational Analysis and Behavior.

After we practiced our final team presentations for our capstone course (final semester) 689,  Strategic  Management class today, my teammates AJ, Vlada, and Karan (right to left) posed for a picture.

Below, Professor Theodora Welch (Strategic  Management) and Angel, one of my classmates from a previous Services Marketing class.

Just when I was walking down the corridors of Wheatley for the last time, I heard Professor Novak's voice. I couldn't believe my luck. It all tied  back together -ending where it started. It seemed like yesterday when I had walked into a new country and a new life, for my MBA program. The then Director of the College of Management had introduced me to my 650 class Professor and Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, Prof Novak.

I waited patiently outside his classroom for about half an hour while he was giving feedback to a student of The Front End of Innovation class. It was worth it. He was almost as happy to see me as excited as I was to see him on my last day of school. He asked about my future plans which I readily shared. When you are happy, you want the world to know you are happy, and want them to be happy with you.

A graduate student probably expects some kind of salvation at the end of a rigorous coursework. My redemption is in the knowledge that in an odd sort of way -it all makes sense.

Second Life

As a requirement for my Internet Marketing course, we have to create avatars in Second Life. Yesterday, we had a virtual classroom meeting at the University Island. For the first time, one of my professors taught me how to fly. :D

The sailboats at Fox Point resembled my actual university campus, and was pretty neat and basic. Unfortunately, there weren't many people around except for the students.

I visited Copenhagen where the UN Climate Change Conference is taking place. I had a crazy critter dance there before and after class. My professor asked me to be careful, since there can be pretty weird stuff going around. I experienced peeps, unsolicited gifts from strangers and nudity, though I stayed away from adult content. The guy running around naked was probably still trying to figure out how to get clothes back on his avatar.

For a while, I lost my hair, and went bald. SG (whose avatar paid me a visit after class ) thought I looked cool bald headed. I thought of getting a Persis Khambatta style butterfly tattoo on my avatar's head but then realized it would be a bit too much.

I changed my polka dot pink dress to a black, more formal wear and had some fun teleporting. I'll be glad if you can mention some fun spots to visit in SL.

Trivia: Scion's had released a xB for the SL residents that they could drive around the 3D world. Share some SL fun facts if you find time.

Has anyone used Smarter Planet yet?

And oh, like most others, I am waiting for the release of James Cameron's 'Avatar' next week :)

No plan B. Period

The greatest contentment of my life was when my brother said to me: I am proud of you sis. You have taken all the right decisions in your life.

I am saying this to myself when I make the next BIG decision of my cosmologically insignificant life. If I can't be happy with my decision, I can't make others happy.

So here's to my quest for happiness, which gets defined by how I view it, and what elements I want to include in my happiness realm. There has never been a plan B. There won't be one this time.

Everyday I see a story

I was walking to some place, for something- don't remember when or why. But I remember what I saw on my way and I want to write it down. Sometimes, I see complete strangers on the road and I see snapshots of their lives. I like to imagine the whole story from mere snippets. I tell no one but today, I'd like to share.

The gracious old man always greeted me with a smile and I smiled back in acknowledgment. I didn't know what language he spoke, where he was from. It was the human connection that transcended all boundaries. I assumed he was living with his kids, 'cause I often saw his wife with an infant in a perambulator, but I never saw the baby's parents. One day, I saw the couple waiting outside the building. His wife seemed upset. I wondered what worried them. Didn't their kids treat them well? I wish I could help, but I knew I couldn't.

At the subway station, I saw a very pretty girl with the prettiest smile. She was looking at someone and smiling. But I guess he couldn't see it. He had a white cane and dark glasses. I wonder if he could feel it. Her happiness when she saw him.

At the airport, there are a thousand more fragments you can gather. There was a very angelic looking child who ran to greet his father. The father kissed the kid generously. I marveled at the pristine beauty of the child, then he turned his head and I saw the other half of his face, which was burned. For one unguarded moment, I felt repelled in horror. I think the father saw me then.

I could tell you some more stories, but I guess I have somewhere to go.