Samosas

Yesterday we got some 40 samosas and a mail was sent to the group to drop in and say hi to us and have samosas. Lots of people came and nothing was left. Lots of chit chat happened as people relished the samosas. It was different way of getting to know people.

The Grand Lunch

Sunday was the best till now in East coast. Gopa and myself were invited by Radhika to have left overs of what she cooked the previous dayas she did not like wasting food. Since both of us were longing for homemade food we agreed to go there. It was in some village called Malborough. When we reached home we were warmly greeted by Radhika (who had grown really really really fat) and her housemate Namy oops Namratha. We had nice food which was Morkovambu, Rasam, Curry, Rice, Curd, Payasam. I ate madly. It was really yummy =P~. Ideally I will not have praised Radhika's any efforts but let me be true once atleast ;-). Apart from the insults which she subjected me to, everything else was good.

Then we had nice chit chat for long time. Then we planned to either go to Malborough downtown or somewhere else. Ultimately we went to Hopkinton National Park and there was a nice waterbody there. It was good. We also went for conoeing. Gopa and Radhika were hell bent onoverturning the boat and getting thrill of my fear for water. After a hour of conoeing (most of the steering and rowing was done by Radhika) we came back.

Then we went to Boston and roamed around the Boylston and Newbury Streets. She was acting as our guide and showed us the Trinity Church and many other places. Had dinner at Kashmere, Indian Cuisine.

We roamed for quite sometime. By the time we started back it was 12.30a.m. After 6 attempts to come out of boston in 1 hourwe were successful to take the road back to home. Dropped her at home at 2.15 a.m and reach back our house around 2.45 a.m. I was dead asleep with my eyelids closing twice while driving. I hit the bed.

Radhika's observations (courtesy Radhika):
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a) Never knew Gopkumar and Lshangan were so camera shy - I must say thats a very feminine trait.
b) Gopkumar was given a lesson in crossing roads
c) We discovered Gopkumar's other side of personality
d) We learnt a lesson that we should never tell Shankar to cross the road on impulse. He will promptly do so without loooking left or right and give everyone a scare
e) We went looking for restrooms and bought something in every small place we went.
f) We circled the same roads for about 4-5 times before we discovered the road next to the divider.

Nice guy

I was turning right on the red signal with Zero speed. Suddenly Gopa shouted "Watch out". I pressed the brakes. I saw there was a guy in front of the car raising his hands and saying sorry. He had come out of nowhere, atleast I didnot see him. Regardless, pedestrians have right of way. He was too nice to say "sorry, my fault". There are nice people everywhere afterall.

The Speech

Saturday, hmm. I went to a colleague's house to listen to a speech my former Central Indian Law Minister "Subramanium Swamy" on a topic. I was happy to meet lots and lots of people there. Then in the evening, gopa and myself went around the Waltham downtown, had nice dinneraround 7.00, watched a park dance and stage show, talked to a american female in the park (actually she approached us and started talking to Gopa), watched "Pirates of the Carribean (Dead man's chest)" (I didnot like the movie) and cameback.

Friday Night

Yesterday I slept early and around 3 a.m again was woken up by the crumpling plastic sound. I looked towards the window. Suddenly I heard Payal (anklet) outside my window. I sat down on my bed and suddenly I saw a red light passing my window and a girl running past with the payal sound. I screamed and called Gopa. Gopa came running and when i narrated what happened, he told me I might have been dreaming. I jumped out of the bed sweating to find no one around.

Frightful Night

Yesterday night was very frightful. I woke up at 1.00 in the night to have dinner (maggie) prepared by gopa, thanks to the jet lag we were suffering from. At 3.00 a.m I was just about to sleep when I heard a noise of plastic paper crumpled in my room. I got a shock and jumped out of my bed. I wore my specs and looked around. Everything was normal. Just when I was going to sleep again same thing happened. Since the name or our apartment and road is "Bear Hill" it was there in the subconsious mind. I thought there is a Bear outside the window. I looked outside nothing. I slept ....

Thunderstorm

There was a thunderstorm warning in the t.v. Still me and gopa planned to go out. Within 5 minutes it was pouring heavily. Lightening, heavy downpour. With lots of trees around and overhead electrcity cables we decided bad decision and returned home.

What made it worse the stories which we heard from our collegues here that the weather can change in matter or minutes and you canbe stuck in 7 feet snow in highway or thunder storm or no electricity for a week or so. So we can back. The moment we reached backthe sky cleared. Now I want to have Indian food. I have been starving for the last 2 days without having anything.

Toyota Corolla (28th July, 2006)

Second day we took a cab and got dropped by a colleague.

Today we got a car. It is Toyota Corolla and the hertz guy came to pick us up and gave the car. The hertz is just a satellite place. I don't thinkthere are many car's there. I was more than happy to get some car with neverlost. But I am still disappointed with the car. It's no where comparable to my "5PET456". That was my "Hyundai Sonata v6" in SJ.

The first evening walk (27th July, 2006)

We walked a lot trying to find a car rental place. Luckily we found lots of Indian restraunts and ended up carrying huge amount of groceries home.We were dragging as we could not find a car rental and we were dead tired. I was asking way to people on the road and again Gopa was paranoid. He was saying "Don't ask, they might shoot you.". I was like "Come on. Nothing will happen".

Boston Tea Party :-) (26th July, 2006)

Hmm, my blogging has started again. It kind of reminds me of memories owing to poor memory which I have. Anyway this time it is East Coast,Boxborough is the destination. I was quite excited not only by the fact that I am going to a different place, but also because of the fact that the work is going to be challenging and exciting.

My flight was from Bangalore to Boston via Frankfurt. Flight was ok. Nothing interesting about the flight. Did not get a window seat till frankfurt.But the window seat till boston wasn't of any help either. The sun was shining on my side and I had to keep the shades down. And ofcourse I didnot want to sit with someone new as I can have a conversation.

One thing what I observed was the content showed on the flight. I didnot find it suitable for children. Even when I roamed around the shops in Frankfurt airport, I felt the same. Maybe that shows the huge difference between India and the west.

Anyway, that apart, out flight from frankfurt till boston was filled with kids of aged 16. 100 of them nearly, all wearing the similar t-shirt. They were coming back from a jewish camp in Isreal. Every year children from 11th grade go to Isreal for the 4 1/2 weeks camp. They kept the plane noisy and the flight crew had a tough time with them.

Once in Boston we hired a cab to Boxborough office where we had to pick the keys. I must say about Gopa because that is what I foundmore interesting. He was already becoming paranoid. He said no Indians seen. I was like come on. We have hardly spent 30 minutes here.Then we got the keys and went to Waltham in search of the house. After much searching we found the house. By this time the cab driver had made Gopa paranoid that the distance is too much. How can you commute so long each day? Gopawas uncontrollable and sad and kept saying let's move closer to office and there is no one here.

House was good. I liked it. Bigger than the SJ apartment and it had a cable modem and a set top box. Huge bathroom and hugggeeeee Cabinet. The parking lot is far away :-(.

Places visited in US after LA

I had been to Santa Cruz on Grey Hound and then biked there.

I went to Mystery Spot and broadwalk in Santa Cruz.

Went to Muir Woods.

Went for lots of movies, went to IMAX also.

Went to San Francisco.

Went to Alcatraz Prison and did pub hopping.

Peralata Adobe and Falcon House, San Jose.

I found myself not having time to visit many more places.

Life is not fair

It has never been fair to me. My stay in U.S is now getting over. I have to be catch a flight on Monday. I will miss the people and the friends whom I developed here. The most I will miss will be my car, my relationship with it is now more than 5200 kms.