Silsiley

Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer

2011-04-14T23:19:00.000-07:00

First of all, what a combination I must say!

It was a tough day, full day of work and then a two hour drive to Davis, CA to see this magical trio performing some of the loveliest compositions. Luckily we have a friend who now lives in Davis and recommended a pre-concert dinner place, that too one of my favorite cuisines :). Cafe Italia is one of those family owned, small town, almost 50 year old place,serving mainly Italian food. I ordered my favorite Baked Eggplant Parmesan and a Minestrone soup. It was nice, combined with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, it was almost a perfect meal for me.

Anyways, coming back to point, once we reached the concert hall, it was clear we were in for a treat. They played the likes of Babar and Out Of The Blue from The Melody Of Rhythm. Note that the title should have been Bahar instead of Babar apparently!

There were some magical moments and some dull as well, but they were short lived. We came back home at 1am, but it was totally worth it. Next time we will be looking forward for more of this trio in Bay Area.

Jake Shimabukuro - Live in Concert

2011-03-26T23:30:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know who Jake Shimabukuro is (don't worry I recently found out about him as well), here is what wikipedia says about him:

Jake Shimabukuro is a ukulele virtuoso known for his complex finger work.

When they mention "complex" they really really mean it. We decided to attend the concert and see how a solo ukulele concert sounds like!

He played a lot of tracks from his recent album "Peace Love Ukulele" including "143", "Boy Meets Girl", "Go For Broke" (awesome track by the way), "Trapped", "Five Dollars Unleaded" and believe it or not "Bohemian Rhapsody".

He also played a song that is called "Blue Roses Falling" and was the most amazing track I feel. He told am story behind each of the tracks he played and quite honestly I think he has a good voice as an RJ :)

Here is a picture from the concert (not that good considering it was from phone camera):

I have a couple of more concerts to go to next month including concerts of great musicians like Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain, Edgar Meyer and Amjad Ali Khan (with his sons Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan) and can't wait to attend and enjoy them :)

Euphoria Live in Concert

2010-11-20T22:43:00.000-08:00

With hits like "Dhoom Pichak Dhoom" and Mairi they don't need any introduction. The concert was packed and super energetic. Palash is a true rock star and he made sure everybody was jumping and dancing with him (yes, for all the three hours he was jumping and dancing!!!)

I must admit that although I didn't hear a lot of songs from them (only the ones that got really popular), but the way Palash sang the songs and kept the audience with him, it was really amazing. He also managed to squeeze in some Bollywood hits like "Dil Se", "Masti Ki Pathshala" and "Pichle Saat Dinon Mein" among others.

Overall it was a great show and I enjoyed a lot.

Indian Ocean - Live in Concert

2010-08-20T23:27:00.000-07:00

This band does not need any introduction and they have proved it once again today. According to Wikipedia (Indian Ocean):

Indian Ocean is a contemporary fusion music band from Delhi, India. Some music critics describe its music as "Indo-rock fusion with jazz-spiced rhythms that integrates shlokas, sufism, environmentalism, mythology and revolution".

I believe every word of it, they played some amazing music with incredible variety. First concert for me but considering they come to Bay Area almost every year now, there will be more opportunities for me to listen to them :)

Tumhi Ho Mehboob Mere - Aaina [1966] - Irene Parveen

2010-07-26T00:05:00.000-07:00

Tere Bina Soone Nayan Humare - Meri Surat Teri Aankhen

2010-03-13T23:26:00.000-08:00

Amazing Ad: Embrace Life - Always Wear Your Seat Belt

2010-03-12T21:49:00.000-08:00

Zakir Hussain's Masters of Percussion - Pure Bliss

2010-03-11T00:13:00.000-08:00

It was a long and tiring day at work but I was motivated. It was time to experience the magic again. After full day of work, and almost one and half hours of driving, I was in for a treat. Zakir was performing at Herbst Theater in San Francsico downtown.

http://www.sfjazz.org/concerts/2010/spring/artists/hussain.php

Artist Personnel:

Zakir Hussain: Tabla
Ganesh: Violin
Kumaresh: Violin
Sabir Khan: Sarangi (he could not make it due to Visa issues unfortunately)
Sridar Parthasarathy: Mridangam
Navin Sharma: Dholak
Taufiq Qureshi: Percussion

Featuring the Motilal Dhakis of Bengal
Gokul Chandra Das: Processional drums
Ranjan De: Processional drums
Sankar Das: Processional drums

I have been fortunate enough to attend many concerts by Zakir bhai, and he always brings so much new and different to each of his shows. This show was no different. Taufiq started out with an amazing piece by calling "breathing as a form of rhythm", and what a rhythm it was! He used sound of his breath along with a tambourine and creating rhythm, it was amazing.

Zakir bhai came in next and he created magic with his hands on tabla. It was a long and beautiful piece. Taufiq and Zakir played for a bit after the solo performances.

Gokul Chandra Das, Ranjan De and Sankar Das (from Motilal Dhakis of Bengal) came to the stage with big Dhols (similar to the ones you usually see in Indian weddings, processional drums) and they played folk music, it was good. People started thinking there may be one or two more pieces and the show will be over, but show just got started after almost an hour of amazing percussion magic.

Zakir and Taufiq were accompanied by Ganesh and Kumaresh (both on Violin) and Sridar Parthasarathy (on Mridangam). They played Raag Janaranjani and then Raag Kalyani. Zakir and Taufiq were playing along. Violin is one of those instruments that soothes the whole environment, and along with tabla and Mridangam it created such a momentum that audience was in awe of talent on the stage.

The last addition was Navin Sharma on Dholak, who also gave a nice solo performance. The show was ended with a long and beautiful jugalbandi and a combination taal.

It is time to sleep and relax now, the sound of Ustad's tabla will be ringing in my ears for sometime now :)

Hum aur Tum aur Yeh Sama ...

2010-03-06T00:58:00.001-08:00

Such a beautiful song, God bless you Rafi saab and Majrooh Sultanpuri!

Rattan Mohan Sharma and Shankar Mahadevan - Rajasthani Folk Song

2010-03-03T16:26:00.000-08:00

Vishwas - Le Chal Mere Jeevan Saathi

2010-02-20T18:35:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful song!

Ek Woh Din Bhi The

2010-02-10T22:58:00.000-08:00

One of my all-time favorites!

Lyrics: Gulzar

Music: Vishal Bhardwaj

Singer: Rekha (Vishal Bhardwaj's wife)

एक अकेला इस शहर में ...

2010-02-01T00:40:00.000-08:00

One of the most beautiful lyrics written. Thanks Gulzar saab for penning them!

कुछ साये कुछ परछाईयां
कुछ चाहत के सजदे

कुछ बहते बादलों पे रखी उम्मीदें
बरसती रहीं तरसती रहीं

चाँद आसमान में जड़े सुराख की तरह झांकता रहा
और रात किसी अंधे कुएं की तरह मूह खोले हांफ्ती रही

रास्ते पाँव तले से निकलते रहे
ना रुके न थामे, न रोका न पूछा
ज़िन्दगी किस तलाश में है

ज़िन्दगी थकने लगी है
और यह ज़िन्दगी का जुड़वाँ,
उसकी उंगली पकडे
शहर की नंगी सड़कों पर
अभी तक
कुछ बीन रहा है कुछ ढूँढ रहा है

- गुलज़ार

Nida Fazli

2009-12-13T17:17:00.000-08:00

'न जाने कौन से लम्हे की बद्दुआ है ये

करीब घर के रहूँ और घर न जाऊँ मैं।'

Pigeon Point Light Station

2009-11-29T22:12:00.000-08:00

Image: Copyright (c) 2009, Ashish Garg.

Perched on a cliff on the central California coast, 50 miles south of San Francisco, the 115-foot Pigeon Point Lighthouse, one of the tallest lighthouses in America, has been guiding mariners since 1872. Its five-wick lard oil lamp, and first-order Fresnel lens, comprised of 1,008 prisms, was first lit at sunset, November 15, 1872. The lens stands 16 feet tall, 6 feet in diameter, and weighs 8,000 pounds. It sits in a lantern room that had been constructed at the Lighthouse Service's general depot in New York before being shipped around the Horn. Although the original Fresnel lens is no longer in use, the lighthouse is still an active U.S. Coast Guard aid to navigation using a 24 inch Aero Beacon.

Reference: http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=533

The Engadget Show - Steve Ballmer

2009-10-24T00:17:00.000-07:00

Interesting interview from the CEO of MSFT!

Nandan Nilekani's Imagining India - The Idea of a Renewed Nation

2009-10-22T00:16:00.000-07:00

I am reading his book right now and he is amazing!

What's in your Flu Shot?

2009-10-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

Another article containing this video.

Interesting take!

Rodrigo y Gabriela - 11:11

2009-10-05T20:48:00.000-07:00

Amazing Guitar performance!

Gori Chalo Na Hans Ki Chaal (Mehmood & Shobha Khote)

2009-08-28T00:10:00.001-07:00

Incredible India

2009-08-27T23:17:00.001-07:00

Kitty Daisy and Lewis: Going Up The Country

2009-08-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

Micro Sculptor Willard Wigan

2009-08-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

Jidhar Dekhun Teri Tasveer Nazar Aati Hai

2009-07-25T01:23:00.000-07:00

Kishore Da, you are the best!

Indiatimes Travel Commercial: Very Funny

2009-07-15T19:58:00.000-07:00

Burger King: Shame on YOU!

2009-07-09T00:49:00.000-07:00

Washington-based Hindu American Foundation said Burger King is running a print advertisement in Spain that depicts an image of the goddess seated atop a meat sandwich and other foodstuff with the catch phrase, "A snack that's sacred," in Spanish.

Some companies are just crazy and stupid and do things you cannot imagine. Our dear corner burger chain aka BK is certainly one of them. I always wonder how can the advertising agency be so so so stupid and how can the management be so irresponsible?

Here is their apology:

"We are apologising because it wasn't our intent to offend anyone," Denise T Wilson, spokesman of Burger King said in an email when asked about the demand of the Hindu community that the company need to apologise for running an advertisement which its leaders said were offensive to their religion.

"Burger King Corporation (BKC) values and respects all of its guests as well as the communities we serve. This in-store advertisement was running to support only local promotion for three restaurants in Spain and was not intended to offend anyone," Wilson said.

Very irresponsible behavior indeed!

Shame on you guys.

Plastic Logic eBook Reader

2009-07-08T15:15:00.000-07:00

Big competitor to Amazon Kindle!

Attacks on Indian Students in Australia

2009-06-07T01:50:00.001-07:00

In last few days there has been a lot of talk about these attacks and you can of course read more here. Indian students had a rally in Sydney. It is still not very clear if all these attacks were racially motivated, but one thing is clear, there IS a pattern and if it is true, is a shame for a developed country. Considering Australia, like many other western and developed countries, requires a large number of people to come and work/study, this is only going to hurt their economy and the reputation as a safe and good environment to do so.

Racism is a termite and we must eliminate it in order to evolve. I hope situation will improve.

Woh Kaun Thi (1964) - Chhod Kar Tere Pyaar Ka Daaman

2009-06-01T22:23:00.000-07:00

Beautiful lyrics and beautifully sung. Enjoy!

Lyrics:

छोड़ कर तेरे प्यार का दामन ये बता दे के हम किधर जाए
हम को डर हैं के तेरी बाहों में, हम खुशी से ना आज मर जाए

मिल गए आज काफिले दिल के, हम खड़े हैं करीब मंजिल के
मस्कुराकर जो तुम ने देख लिया, मिट गए हस के सब गिले दिल के
कितनी प्यारी हैं ये हसीन घडीयाँ, इन से कह दो यही ठाहर जाए
हम को डर हैं के तेरी बाहों में, हम खुशी से ना आज मर जाए

तेरे कदमों पे जिन्दगी रख दूं, अपनी आँखों की रोशनी रख दूं
तू अगर खुश हो मैं तेरे दिल में, अपने दिल की हर इक खुशी रख दूं
मेरे हमदम मेरी खुशी ये है, तू नजर आये, हम जिधर जाए
छोड़ कर तेरे प्यार का दामन ये बता दे के हम किधर जाए

देख कर प्यार इन निगाहों में दीप से जल गए हैं राहों में
तुमसे मिलते न हम तो यह दुनिया, डूब जाती हमारी आहों में
अपनी आहों से आज यह कह दो अब न होठों पे उम्र भर आये
छोड़ कर तेरे प्यार का दामन ये बता दे के हम किधर जाए
हम को डर हैं के तेरी बाहों में, हम खुशी से ना आज मर जाए

James Taylor - Sweet Baby James (Live: BBC/1970)

2009-05-30T02:07:00.000-07:00

This Friday night was the last episode of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and remembered this song by James Taylor, which he was listening to when leaving Massachusetts in 1970's. What a wonderful song. Enjoy!

Quote from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

2009-05-18T23:39:00.001-07:00

I was watching the movie and there was this dialogue which impressed me:

Our lives are defined by opportunities. Even the ones we miss.

So true ...

Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman - Something Stupid

2009-05-18T19:45:00.000-07:00

"Something Stupid"

I know I stand in line
Until you think you have the time
To spend an evening with me
And if we go someplace to dance
I know that there's a chance
You won't be leaving with me

Then afterwards we drop into a quiet little place
And have a drink or two
And then I go and spoil it all
By saying something stupid
Like I love you

I can see it in your eyes
You still despise the same old lines
You heard the night before
And though it's just a line to you
For me it's true
And never seemed so right before

I practice every day to find some clever
lines to say
To make the meaning come true
But then I think I'll wait until the evening
gets late
And I'm alone with you

The time is right
Your perfume fills my head
The stars get red
And oh the night's so blue
And then I go and spoil it all
By saying something stupid
Like I love you
I love you...

Johnny Horton: Mean, Mean, Mean Son Of A Gun

2009-05-17T23:28:00.000-07:00

Enjoy!

Mountain View A la Carte and Art Festival 2009

2009-05-16T23:56:00.000-07:00

Beautiful weather and fantastic live music. Some really creative arts I must say.

Resham ki Dori - Sajan [1969]

2009-05-07T23:13:00.000-07:00

Beautiful lyrics and wonderfully picturized song. Enjoy!

Maestros in Concert Featuring Pandit Shivkumar Sharma & Zakir Hussain

2009-04-11T09:28:00.000-07:00

Date: Friday, April 10, 2009
Presenter: University of California-Santa Cruz
Venue: Rio Theatre, Santa Cruz, CA
Start Time: 7:30 PM

What can I say! I have been a great fan of Pandit Sharma as well as Ustad Zakir Hussain and had the privilege of listening to them perform multiple times (the last time was in Buffalo, NY circa 2005). These two people create three dimensional magic in air.

I bought a CD on the venue to make sure I get their autographs this time (yeah earlier I did meet them but never got autograph). The CD I bought was from Moment Records, which I is Zakir's own company.

So anyways, the bouncer was pretty rude to us and told us that the artists do not want to meet anybody and they want to leave right away. He tried discouraging us as much as he can, but boy did I learn from my past experiences or what! I knew persistence wins after all. We waited for them to come out from the side to get in the car (Rio is a very small theater and considering it is in the middle of downtown Santa Cruz, which is very small anyways, this was hardly a guesswork). We could see both of them getting in their individual cars (may be they were staying at different places etc.). The bouncer was still making sure we don't get to meet them (no idea what was his problem?), but I used the sign language from far to Pandit Sharma for autographs. I am not sure whether he felt it was cold outside or he as just really tired, he ignored us. Zakir was in a car behind Pandit Sharma's and he accepted the request. Not only did he smile (bingo!) but he actually got down of the car, gave us autographs and let us take pictures with him. What a gentleman and down to earth person!

Wah Ustad Wah :)

The bouncer was pissed at us but hey we got what we wanted ...

Here are few pictures of the CD:

Anwesha: A Truly Gifted Voice

2009-03-16T18:25:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine shared this video with me and I couldn't be happier listening to Anwesha's voice. She is truly gifted and I am so impressed. As we say in Hindi "uske kanth mein saraswati ka vaas hai" (Saraswati "the Goddess of Truth and Wisdom" lives in her throad). Wow, god bless you Anwesha, very refreshing voice indeed. Enjoy!!!

Outstanding Mimicry

2009-03-05T20:08:00.000-08:00

Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and Ustad Zakir Hussain - Live at Pune

2009-02-14T12:57:00.000-08:00

I love this a lot and was fortunate to be able to watch one of these shows a couple of year ago. Panditji is so amazing, so godly.

Beautiful poetry by Sara (Sa Re Ga Ma Pa)

2009-01-18T16:21:00.000-08:00

suna hai din ke use titliyan satati hain
suna hai raat ko jugnoo thehar ke dekhte hain

suna hai raat use chand takta rehta hai
sitare bame falak se utar ke dekhte hain

suna hai log use aankh bharke dekhte hain
soz ke shehar mein ek din thehar ke dekhte hain

Respect the National Anthem: Award winning Indian Commercial

2009-01-02T14:23:00.000-08:00

Shiva Mahamrityunjaya Mantra

2008-12-30T00:06:00.000-08:00

Rudeness in profession!

2008-11-26T11:37:00.000-08:00

I always find it hard to believe that you are so overwhelmed with work that you have to be rude to your customers, but of course some of the places I recetly experienced it is not as hard as I would imagine to be rude.

Neovision Eye Center (Mountain View): So I go for my annual eye exam and am prescribed a different set of glasses. I was told I should get the polycarbonate lenses because they are so *in* nowadays, lightweight and thin and what not. Ok, I say and pay that extra premium for them.

It takes them literally 2 weeks as they mentioned and I was given a call to come and pick them. I go after a couple of days to pick the glasses, and am told that they are not in the Mountain View office (where I visited the doctor and paid for my glasses) but at the Union City office, so the only options I have are either drive all the way to Union City or wait *few more days* for them to bring it to the Mountain View office and then again come and pick them. Of course I have to make sure I am there at a particular date and time so that the optician is going to be available (which I did for this visit anyways).

I come back and get my glasses and happy with them right! Wrong! With all the good things they told me about the polycarbonate lenses, they conveniently forgot to mention that these lenses require you to look straight and the side vision is not *yet* as good as the good old plastic lenses I had. So I ask what can be done, and they tell me they can put the plastic lenses because these lenses are not working for me. I ask them about refunding the premium I paid for the useless good for nothing polys and the lady very rudely tells me I cannot do anything about it. Its gone!

I wait for another 2 weeks and get the plastic lenses. Its been almost 5-6 weeks since my exam and this is the first time I can really try the new prescription on and I don't think they did a good job at that either. I am able to see better with my old lenses (which I am currently wearing) than the new ones.

So much for good service NeoVision. Shame on you guys for this treatment to your customers.

Mujhe Khabar Thi Wo Mera - Saadgi [2007]: Lata at her Best

2008-10-26T01:52:00.001-07:00

Wow wow wow, that's all I can say to this! I don't need to comment on the quality of singing by Lata Di but this one is par excellent. Enjoy!

Lyrics:

Mujhe khabar thi woh mera nahin paraya tha
Pa dhadkanon ne usi ko khuda banaya tha

Main khwab khwab jise dhooonhta phira barson
Wo ashq ashq meri aankh mein samaya tha

Tera kusur nahin jaan meri tanhai
ye rog maine hi khud jaan ko lagaya tha

Tamaam shehar mein ek woh hai ajnabee mujhse
Ke jisne geet mera shehar ko sunaya tha

Note: the video does not have the last stanza

Aasman Ke Paar Shayad - Rockford

2008-10-26T01:50:00.000-07:00

I really like this song a lot. Shankar Mahadevan sang it really well.

Aasman Ke Paar Shaayad Aur Koi Aasamaan Hogaa - 2
Baadalon Ke Parbaton Par Koi Baarish Ka Makaan Hoga
Main Hawa Ke Paron Pe Kahaan Ja Raha Hoon Kahaan
Kabhi Udata Hua, Kabhi Mudata Hua, Mera Raasta Chala
O Ho Ho Ho

Main Hawa Ke Paron Pe Kahaan Ja Raha Hoon Kahaan
Mere Paanv Ke Tale Ki Ye Zameen Chal Rahi Hai

Kaheen Dhoop Thandi Thandi Kaheen Chaanv Jal Rahi Hai
Is Zameen Ka Aur Koi Aasamaan Hoga
Hoga Aasamaan, Ho Aasamaan Hoga

Main Hawa Ke Paron Pe Kahaan Ja Raha Hoon Kahaan
(in Lambe Raaston Par Sab Tez Chalate Honge) - 2
Kaacpi Ke Pannon Jaise Yahaan Din Palatate Honge
Shaam Ko Bhi Subah Jaisa Kya Samaan Hoga
Hoga Kya Samaan, Kya Samaan Hoga

Main Hawa Ke Paron Pe Kahaan Ja Raha Hoon Kahaan
Aasamaan Ke Paar Shaayad Aur Koi Aasamaan Hoga
Aur Koi Aasamaan HogaBaadalon Ke Parbaton Par Koi Baarish Ka Makaan Hoga
Hoga

Ho Main Hawa Ke Paron Pe Kahaan Ja Raha Hoon Kahaan
Kabhi Udata Hua Kabhi Mudata Hua Mera Raasta Chala
O Ho Ho Ho
(main Hawa Ke Paron Pe Kahaan Ja Raha Hoon Kahaan) -3

Ekal Walk/Run 2008

2008-10-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

In general I am a very lazy person, unless I determine to do something about it :). I decided to do some running for a good cause and Ekal foundation is doing just that for many years. They organized Ekal Walk for oct 12, 2008 and it was a good opportunity to do some good for the cause as well for my own body.

Ehsaas Hai for Polio Plus: Hariprasad Chaurasia and Habib Khan

2008-10-11T22:59:00.000-07:00

When: Oct 11, 2008 at 6:00 pm (Saturday)
Where: DeAnza College, Cupertino, CA
Who: Pandit Habib Khan and Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia

I want to give a little background on this concert. This wasn't a usual concert, it was organized by the The Rotary Club of Cupertino for benefiting Polio Plus.

Pandit Habib Khan is a well known Sitar player. He lives and teaches in the San Francisco Bay Area and is the founder and artistic director of the Habib Khan Saraswati Temple and Gurukul, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the classical music of North India.

Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia is internationally renowned exponent of the Bansuri or bamboo flute. Currently he heads the World Music Department at the Rotterdam Music Conservatory.

I thoroughly enjoyed the performance by Pandit Habib Khan and Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. I bought couple of CDs from the venue to get signatures from both the artists, but Pandit Habib Khan already left after his performance (which was the first performance). Anyways, the organizers had a welcome reception for Pandit Chaurasia, which of course was "by invitation only", so we could not really go and meet the artists directly. But the good news is the reception was in a different hall little away from the concert hall, so the Pandit Chaurasia had to walk the route to get there (bingo!).

Surprisingly, when we were trying to get to the reception area we met Mr. Ram who owns Cupertino Bakery, who was part of the organizing committee as well as is an active member of the Rotary club. He told us we may not be able to get into the reception to meet Pandit Chaurasia but can come to his restaurant, where Pandit Chaurasia was supposed to have dinner later, and meet him. Anyways, while we were still speculating what to do, and me desperate to get the CDs signed, we saw Pandit Chaurasia walking alone (??? I was surprised too!) towards the reception area. People ran to meet him and get his autographs.

Somebody wanted to get his autograph on a Flute (an aspiring Flute player), but Pandit Chaurasia refused saying never do that. In India, we respect and pray the instrument we play (we do it for more than the playing instruments though :)). Anyways, I got my CD signed by him as well as got photograph with him.

Here are some pictures of the CDs I bought and got signed:

Note: Pandit Chaurasia signs along with drawing a flute :)

Polio Eradication:-

Here is a video of Rotary's efforts for Polio Eradication:

According to Wikipedia, "As of 2006, polio remains endemic in only four countries: Nigeria, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan". It is sad that even though India is developing so fast and our economy is booming, we are not able to eradicate Polio from our country. Here is the link for the India National Polio Plus Committee for more information on the current status of Polio in India.

Monterey Bay Picnic

2008-10-03T22:52:00.001-07:00

It was company picnic and I could use a break from work. I am happy I did, it was a very enjoyable trip. Whole day playing volleyball on the beach, taking walk, running around, eating good food and drinking like there is no tomorrow. But the most interesting thing was the biking trip. I never thought it would be so much fun ... I calculated and actually I did a 14 mile bike ride, which is pretty good. I don't event remember the last time I biked :). Anyways, the bike ride started from around Monterey State Beach and we went all the way till start of the famous 17 Mile Drive as you can see from the map.

Here is the trail I followed for the bike ride:

View Larger Map

Rent lenses for SLR cameras

2008-10-02T19:14:00.001-07:00

This is pretty interesting, till recently I didn't know that you can actually rent those expensive $$$$$ lenses for a trip or for a special occasion. But you can, here are some sites:

1. Rent Glass

2. Zip Lens

3. Borrow Lenses: Local for me and has a good selection of lenses.

4. Lens Pro To Go

5. Lens Rentals

6. Lens Lenders: Canadian store

7. Photo Lens Rental

8. Rent Camera Gear

9. Glass and Gear

10. Photo Lens Rental

11. Camera Lens Rentals

You can see a comparison of some of these stores here.

California State Route 1

2008-09-26T23:07:00.000-07:00

California State Route 1 also known as Highway 1 runs through the pacific coast of California. Living close to this beautiful place, I got the privilege of visiting this route many times. In a recent trip when the weather was really nice, sunny and clear skies, I saw some beautiful scenery, here are some of them ... enjoy!

Fall Flowers

2008-09-22T15:25:00.000-07:00

Some nice fall flowers ... Enjoy!

All By Myself

2008-09-17T21:13:00.000-07:00

Enjoy!!!

When I was young, I never needed anyone
And makin' love was just for fun
Those days are gone
Livin' alone, I think of all the friends I've known
But when I dial the telephone, nobody's home.

All by myself, don't wanna be
All by myself anymore
All by myself, don't wanna live
All by myself anymore.

Hard to be sure, sometimes I feel so insecure
And love so distant and obscure
Remains the cure.

All by myself, don't wanna be
All by myself anymore
All by myself, don't wanna live
All by myself anymore.

When I was young, I never needed anyone
And makin' love was just for fun
Those days are gone.

All by myself, don't wanna be
All by myself anymore
All by myself, don't wanna live
All by myself anymore.

All by myself, don't wanna be
All by myself anymore
All by myself, don't wanna live
All by myself anymore.

Kajligarh Fort, Indore

2008-08-27T10:57:00.001-07:00

Indore has so much to offer as the largest industrial capital of Madhya Pradesh to the business people. Indore also has the greatest connoisseurs of Art, Music and of course Food. Indore offers some historic significance mainly related to the Holkar dynasty of Ahilyabai Holkar fame. One of the lesser known historic places near Indore is Kajligarh Fort. It is located about 20 km outside Indore towards Khandwa on Khandwa road. Kajligarh fort is on a hill and is situated near a beautiful valley containing a small waterfall. It is best after rains because of the greenery followed by it.

Courtesy: http://www.outdoorindia.org

Courtesy: http://www.ahilyafort.com

I have been to this place many times long back when it was only an hour or so drive for me, and so I have built memories around it. It is a must go if you like old forts and have an appetite for valley covered hilltop areas like I do. Also, there is a Hanuman temple inside the fort, which you can go to. Kajligarh fort is small and most of it is actually drivable and pretty beautiful.

Saheb - Kya Khabar ...

2008-08-22T00:22:00.000-07:00

I used to listen to this song long time back and always liked it, more because of the Kishore da's voice and the emotions it predicts in the movie. Yesterday night when I was listening to desi-radio, somebody requested this song and I remembered how beautiful it is. Here it is ...

क्या ख़बर क्या पता, क्या खुशी है ग़म है क्या - २
ले के आंसू जो हँसी दे, ग़म के बदले जो खुशी दे
राज ये जाना उसीने, जिंदगी क्या हैं जिंदगी

क्या ख़बर क्या पता, क्या खुशी है, ग़म है क्या
अपने दिल का दर्द ये, उमर भर हसकर पिए
जीना उसका जीना हैं, जो औरों की खातिर जिए - २

काम ले जिन्दादिली से, यूँ ही खेले जिंदगी से
राज ये जाना उसीने, जिंदगी क्या हैं जिंदगी

क्या ख़बर क्या पता, क्या खुशी है, ग़म है क्या
ले के आंसू जो हँसी दे, ग़म के बदले जो खुशी दे
राज ये जाना उसीने, जिंदगी क्या हैं जिंदगी
क्या ख़बर क्या पता,क्या खुशी है, ग़म है क्या

Book Review: How Full is Your Bucket?

2008-08-20T00:27:00.001-07:00

I bought this book sometime back from Amazon and never got a chance to read it. It is New York Times #1 Bestseller and is very thin so I thought I will give it a try. It doesn't take much time to finish it. I would say I liked it overall but it could have been more descriptive with more examples and scenarios to learn. Authors draws attention to the learning from his grandfather and himself and mentions how using positive psychology in everyday interactions can dramatically change our lives!

A good read overall!

Here is the website for the book.

इच्छायें

2008-08-17T18:39:00.000-07:00

I was reading this article on a Hindi portal from Indore and really liked it. Here are some excerpts in case you are interested in a quick read.

स्वभावतः मनुष्य अपने जीवन में सुख-शांति और समृद्धि की कामना करता है। उसकी सर्वाधिक महत्वपूर्ण इच्छाओं में से एक है, धन और यश की इच्छा और उसे उपलब्ध करने के लिए वह प्रत्यन करता रहता है। साधारणतया मनुष्य के प्रत्येक कर्म के पीछे यही अंतःप्रेरणा होती।

अयोध्यासिंह उपाध्याय के अनुसार- 'जिससे होता ही रहे अन्य जनों को क्षोभ/ है आनंदित कर नहीं निंदित है वह लोभ।''अंतहीन समुद्र की लहरों की तरह इच्छाओं पर सवार मनुष्य जीवन सागर में भटकता रहता है, जो उसकी आंतरिक चेतना को छिन्न-भिन्न कर देता है। इसलिए कहते हैं- 'अनियंत्रित इच्छा मनुष्य को अच्छा नहीं बनने देती। सभी बुराइयों की जड़ यही इच्छा है।' महात्मा बुद्ध ने भी कहा था कि 'इच्छा से दुःख आता है, इच्छा से भय आता है। जो इच्छाओं से मुक्त है, वह न दुःख जानता है और न भय।''

Create an impression!

2008-08-16T19:28:00.001-07:00

I have been thinking about how people perceive any new person they meet and realized that its is very important to create an impression on others about you (hopefully good) than not creating one. The simple fact that people will create an impression about you if you don't create one about yourself makes it mandatory to provide them with something you like them to think about you.

So the bottom line is:

Create an impression or people will create one for you.

Jimi Henrix- Live at Woodstock '69

2008-08-16T05:10:00.001-07:00

स्वतंत्रता दिवस की बधाइयाँ ....

2008-08-15T19:34:00.000-07:00

वंदे मातरम

आज भारत का स्वतंत्रता दिवस है। आज ही के दिन इकसठ वर्ष पहले महान महात्मा गाँधी ने भारत को अंग्रेजों से आजादी दिलाई थी। यह दिन हमें भारत के महान स्वतत्रता सेनानियों के बलिदानों की याद दिलाता है। इन सेनानियों को मेरा शत शत नमन है। मुझे गर्व है की हम इस महान देश के नागरिक हैं।

मातृभूमि को शत शत नमन है।

Smile please!

2008-08-14T22:09:00.001-07:00

Another one, so beautiful and soothing. I just feel like keep listening to these all night ...

ज़िन्दगी में सदा मुस्कुराते रहो
फासले कम करो दिल मिलाते रहो

दर्द कैसा भी हो आँख नम ना करो
रात काली सही कोई ग़म ना करो
एक सितारा बनो जगमगाते रहो
ज़िन्दगी में सदा मुस्कुराते रहो ...

बांटना है अगर बाँट लो हर खुशी
ग़म न जाहिर करो तुम किसी पे कभी
दिल की गहरायी में ग़म छुपाते रहो
ज़िन्दगी में सदा मुस्कुराते रहो ...

अश्क अनमोल हैं खो ना देना कहीं
इनकी हर बूँद है मोतियों से हसीन
इनको हर आँख से तुम चुराते रहो
ज़िन्दगी में सदा मुस्कुराते रहो ...

- Jagjit Singh [Jazbaa (2008)]

मसीहा

2008-08-14T21:58:00.000-07:00

I keep listening to new Ghazals of Jaggu da, most of them I heard before but there are times when I hear something totally new and different. I am amazed at the variety of Ghazals he has sung, different moods, different situations, different themes and all of them composed and rendered differently based on taste and that is what I love about Jagjit Singh.

This is a very simple one with lot of meaning and above all soothing. So enjoy!

सारी दुनिया का जो मसीहा है
अपन ही घर में वो अकेला है

रेत के घर में कांच के रिश्ते
ज़िन्दगी भी अजब तमाशा है

अब कहीं कुछ नज़र नहीं आता
दूर तक यह धुआं धुआं क्या है

ज़िन्दगी रास्ता है काँटों का
होके जिसपे हमें गुज़रना है

मोम के जिस्म धूप की चादर
ऐसा मंजर भी ग़म ने देखा है

यह मुकद्दर का खेल है सारा
एक भिकारी है एक दाता है

- Jagjit Singh [Jazbaa (2008)]

ग़म मुझे हसरत मुझे ...

2008-08-14T14:14:00.000-07:00

I don't know how I missed this Ghazal from Jaggu da (Jagjit Singh). It is so beautifully written and more importantly so beautifully rendered by the Ghazak Maestro.

ग़म मुझे हसरत मुझे
वेह्शत मुझे सौदा मुझे
एक दिल देकर खुदा ने
दे दिया क्या क्या मुझे

ये नमाज़-ऐ-इश्क़ है कैसा अदब किसका अदब
अपने पाए नाज़ पर करने भी दो सजदा मुझे

देखते ही देखते दुनिया से मैं उठ जाऊंगा
देखती की देखती रह जायेगी दुनिया मुझे

- Jagjit Singh [Your Choice (1993)]

Las Vegas

2008-08-11T18:08:00.001-07:00

This city never fails to impress me! The more I see it the more I start liking it. It has so much to offer.

This trip was hectic as well as a lot of fun ... that's nothing new knowing how it goes in Vegas :)

Meeting some old friends and making some new. Getting to know more food places (and eating there), more shows and what not. We watched Jay Leno show which was a lot of fun. I did something which I haven't done in past Vegas trip ... guess what! I ate at three different Indian restaurants and not by choice unfortunately. I wanted to try stuff which is exclusive to Vegas, but had to eat Indian food as well. Fortunately two out of three restaurants were not bad at all.

I consider Wynn buffet as the best followed by Bellagio, Paris and the rest. Vegas buffets can be costly but are worth it, if not for the quantity then surely for the variety and most of the time for quality of the food. You will be hard pressed to find another city with grand buffets like Vegas.

Other fun part as always is the nightclubs in Vegas, which are always overcrowded and sometimes not that easy to get in. Once you are in, you won't regret the wait outside :)

As always, some pictures from the trip:

Bellagio

The Venetian

Wynn

Mirage

Rio

Quotes of Optimism

2008-08-02T00:04:00.000-07:00

I have been lately thinking about how to be optimist about everything in life. After all that is something which gives you motivation to go that extra mile when you are feeling helpless. I have always liked to be optimistic in the worst of the situations. Not that I am always proud of the fact that there are times when I stop worrying completely about a difficult situation, but it does help most of the times. I was interested in knowing what great thinkers said about optimism and found the following invaluable quotes:

1. “Having a positive mental attitude is asking how something can be done rather than saying it can't be done.”
- Bo Bennett

2. “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
- Winston Churchill

3. “Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in a while, so that we can see Life with a clearer view again.”
- Alex Tan

4. “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”
- Maria Robinson

5. “I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”
- Jimmy Dean

6. I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can't make it through one door, I'll go through another door - or I'll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present.
- Rabindranath Tagore

7. If you can imagine it you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it.
- William Arthur Ward

8. We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

9. No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.
- Helen Keller

10. The minute you start talking about what you're going to do if you lose, you have lost.
- George Shultz

Sonu Nigam Mimicry

2008-07-31T20:31:00.000-07:00

Awesome!!!

चाह नहीं ...

2008-07-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

चाह नहीं मै सुरबाला के
गहनों में गूंथा जाऊं
चाह नहीं प्रेमी माला में
बंध प्यारी को ललचाऊं

चाह नहीं सम्राटों के
शव पर हे हरी डाला जाऊं
चाह नहीं देवों के सर पर
चढूं भाग्य पर इतराऊँ

मुझे तोड़ लेना बनमाली
उस पथ पर तुम देना फेंक
मातृभूमि पर शीष चढाने
जिस पथ जाएँ वीर अनेक

- माखनलाल चतूर्वेदी

I used to read this poem long long ago and really liked it. I remembered it today and figured it was so powerful that I should put it here.

Happy Independence Day America!

2008-07-05T18:58:00.000-07:00

I always liked fireworks, not only because of the lights but the colors it imparts and the heights it achieves!

So we decided to take a long drive (yes in this economy as well, its been a while I went for one) to Marine County (north of SFO), where the fireworks are supposed to be good. It looks like GPS does not always help and with this stupid piece of electronics we did get lost. Being hungry and away from anything close to proper civilization it was scary thought that we were away from SFO at least hour and half and the route was not very pleasant to drive after dark (mountains and lonely routes are not the best bets for safer driving). So anyways, we found this nice Italian restaurant in the middle of nowhere, called Olema Farmhouse and Deli. I know it sounds weird for an Italian restaurant but trust me they claim to use the finest quality ingredients to make pasta sauces; they buy tomatoes for Marinara; fresh basil, garlic and extra virgin olive oil for the freshly made Pesto sauce and this is evident in the taste of dishes as well as the prices they charge for each of them :)

Anyways, the lady at the deli told us that we got the wrong location for the fireworks and need to drive half hour to get to the Marine County fairgrounds. So after dinner we barely had enough time and I was definitely very full and sleepy after the nice pasta. But anyways, we had to go see fireworks after so much driving, so we started. By the time we reached and tried to find a good parking spot fireworks already started. We decided to do a smart thing and took the car to a nearby McDonalds parking lot and watched the fireworks from there. It was not that bad afterall.

Here is the total route we took that day, which was really beautiful to drive on:

And here are some pictures from that scenic route:

Narajgi ...

2008-06-19T22:32:00.000-07:00

I posted this few months back and think it is becoming one of my favorite Ghazals from Jaggu da. While listening to it again right I recalled this sher, which is so beautiful and I can relate to:

Duniya na jeet pao to haro na khud ko tum
Thodi bahut to jehan mein narajgi rahe

This is truly fantastic and inspiring for me.

The Post American World by Farid Zakaria

2008-05-19T18:18:00.000-07:00

The Post American World is a book by Farid Zakaria, which can be found at amazon. Bay Area NPR news had a talk with them few days back and it would be interesting to read this book. In the meanwhile here are excerpts from the book from newsweek.

Interestingly Farid describes how other countries are leading in some areas and why America can still be leading the world in long run.

Sona (2006): Sufi Music

2008-04-30T00:18:00.000-07:00

Link to the review: IndiaGlitz

Badla na apne aap ko ...

2008-04-16T19:06:00.000-07:00

Badla na apne aap ko jo the wahi rahe
Milte rahe sabhi se magar ajnabi rahe

It is so beautiful, especially these lines:

Apni tarah sabhi ko kisi ki talaash thi
Hum jiske bhi kareeb rahe door hi rahe

What has happened to people, why don't we see more of this kind of wonderful poetry !!!

I wish I could write something so beautiful. Well, may be sometime ...

If you write poems or shers and would like to share, please let me know.

Interesting Quote

2008-04-16T11:35:00.000-07:00

"If you can't have the best, make the best of what you have"

Very nicely said indeed!!!

Whosoever wrote it made my day.

Why Indians Lost The World Cup

2008-04-12T00:12:00.001-07:00

How true!

Chalega ya Nahin Chalega?

2008-04-11T23:55:00.000-07:00

Man, the quality of Indian ads is just incredible. Soooo creative!!!

Well done.

"Change" was never soooooo funny!

2008-04-11T23:48:00.000-07:00

Dhara Dhara Shudh Dara: Cooking Oil Advertisement from India

2008-04-11T23:29:00.000-07:00

One of my most favorite ads while I was growing up.

Thanks to whosoever put it on YouTube :)

Hum to yun apni zindagi se mile, Ajnabi jaise ajnabi se mile

2008-04-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

One of the most beautiful lyrics written in sometime. I heard this Ghazals so many times (same is the case with most of Jaggu Da's Ghazals) that it became a second nature. I am not sure who wrote the lyrics for this Ghazal (I did try finding it on Google but to no avail, if you know that please let me know, I would appreciate that), but he has done a marvelous job at capturing the moment.

Another fantastic sher from the Ghazal goes like this:

Phool hi phool humne mange the
Daag hi daag zindagi se mile

Not only Jagjit has a velvet voice, but he knows how to render the words with the appropriate emotion. Being a Jagjit Singh fan for over a decade, I realized that his Ghazals have a long lasting effect.

You can hear this Ghazal here.

My Professional Photo Gallery

2008-03-29T00:30:00.000-07:00

I decided to share "the best of the photographs" taken by me to the world!!!

To give you a little bit details about the gallery: this will focus on my journey through 4 of the 7 continents of the world and though I am not proud of all the pictures I have taken, there are some which came out well and nothing will give me more joy to share them with the world and get their opinion and praise on them. As usual, you are welcome to download them from the site when I post them and use them as you like.

I am working on the gallery and will post a link to the blog once I am done.

Part 2: Should you always go back to your roots?

2008-03-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

First of all I apologize for writing the second part after such a long time. It has been a busy year for me so far and looks like it will be busy for a while. I just thought I will update this series before I forget what I initially planned on writing. So here it goes:

I have seen examples where people who arrive in US for the first time decide on staying here indefinitely within few days on landing here. Not that there is something wrong in decided to stay in this country forever, but such a quick decision, especially when this is your first time to a new country, should be condemned. One of my close friend recently told me that just because some people had a good childhood does not mean everybody had one while they were in their home country. So the freedom and the opportunity here in United States makes perfect sense in long term and helps them not remember bad days from past. I sort of agreed on that and feel that probably I will never be able to understand that emotion not being in the same situation.

Another example is of the people who have been in US for many years and have settled down with family and kids and would like to go back. Few years back one of my friend's sister went back with her kid and husband and they are happy back in India. Today, it is a fantastic time to go back to India with the current improvements in the infrastructure and and economy. The growth for India is going to go strong at least for a foreseeable future. We are creating more job opportunities for our people and my last visit to India confirms that we are also working on customer priorities and services, which was always a weak part of Indian culture.

There are also people who are settled here; would like to go back but still have a lot of questions to answer; whther they will be able to find a nice job in India, whether the pay scale be good enough for good quality of life. Believe it or not, some of them even have valid concerns about the drastic change in Indian culture and values in recent 10 years and if they will "fit" well there or not. Personally and Professionally.

The forth class of people are those who are so confused as to what to do? Whether to go back and settle down, or wait few more years and then go back. My theory is the more you wait, the more difficult it becomes to go back and settle. You become used to this culture, you grow old, you become too comfortable with your current situation and of course money is always a big factor. These people are perfect example of EE class (read part 1 for details).

"Dazed and Confused" like the song of that title from my favorite band Led Zeppelin says.

The last part (III) in this series will bring more wisdom to the thoughts of EE and demonstrate the complexity involved in the matter. Hopefully I won't take as much time to write that up.

Stay tuned ...

Art of Living Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: Bollywood Style

2008-03-22T23:11:00.000-07:00

Introduction to Art of Living

2008-03-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

Art of Living is a foundation dedicated to enhancing your Physical, Mental and Emotional well-being. It was founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, more popularly called as Guruji. According to Wikipedia, it is a non-denominational, educational and humanitarian non-profit organization. The Art of Living Foundation (AOLF) has its international headquarters in Bangalore, India at Veda Vignan Manahvidyapeeth or VVM campus (usually referred to as the Bangalore Ashram)and has regional centers in more than 140 countries.

So one of my friend suggested I *must* attend their course so I decided to try it out. It was nice change from my daily routine and all the stress which a person can expect to go through in the Bay Area. We did some small physical exercises to relax ourselves, some yoga asanas and some breathing exercises. I realized how much your breathing can relate to your emotions and your physical being. The instructor was a nice guy and helped us understand the relation better. He encouraged us to join the complete course (Part 1), which is basically for 5-6 days and you learn a lot of breathing exercises to control your emotions, relieve stress and make yourself happier. One of the most advanced techniques of breathing called Sudarshan Kriya is what is taught in that course. Surprisingly a little research on this technique (including wikipedia) shows that this technique has been under controversies and has been criticized by many. I still feel it may be an interesting thing to learn. Sometimes these techniques may or may not work for you based on your interest level, your focus and of course your stress level.

Next tuesday (03/22/2008) I plan on going for Stress, Breath and You. I will update once I learn more.

Here is a video to inspire rest of you:

Indore: IT Investment Promotion Video

2008-03-09T00:55:00.000-08:00

Book Review: How to Pick Stocks Like Warren Buffett ***

2008-03-05T23:51:00.000-08:00

Very interesting book indeed. I read it like there is no tomorrow. Page by page, lot of the information was common sense (which is not always common by the way) and lot of information was new to me and made me realize how patience and good analysis can turn your small contribution to a big chunk.

For anybody looking to start investments (the sooner you do the better it is), this can be a good start. The link to amazon as usual is here.

Australian Open 2008: Are you kidding me?

2008-01-27T03:08:00.001-08:00

That seems to be the theme of this year's Aussie Open, some incredible tennis has been played and some unbelievable records have been broken. Rafael Nadal was broken by unseeded player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga; the great Roger Federer was beaten by my favorite Novak Djokovic.

The finals was the most amazing match one can expect to see. Novak Djokovic beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, getting his first grand slam title and making all of us happy. It was unfortunate that the crowd was not supportive of Novak and some Frenchmen were even harrasing Novak's family member. But luckily he came out strong and beat Tsonga. Did I mention it was a fantastic match!!! :)

Tennis Fever: Aussi Aussi Aussi, Oi Oi Oi

2008-01-23T01:44:00.000-08:00

Man, is this really high season. Australian Open 2008 is showing so many colors. The match between Roger Federer and Janko Tipsarevic was unbelievable ... four and half hours of match with both the players so calm and cool, playing the best in them, really enjoyable. Tipsy really showed that Federer may not be unbeatable sooner than we think.

The other significant game was between David Ferrer and my new favorite player Novak Djokovic (since US Open 2007, not for the mimicry, although it was funny). Anyways, so this match was spectacular, Novak has shown so much cool that I truly believe he may be able to beat Federer in the semis. He looked strong all the time and beat David in straight sets. Some of his shots were fabulous.

The one I am currently watching is between James Blake and Roger Federer. Blake is trying to improve but he has to play with Federer more with variety than with force. I am going to sleep now. Blake is 2 sets down and chances of him getting back and win Federer are slim. All the best to him.

Ref: Aussi Aussi Aussi, Oi Oi Oi

Top 5 today

2008-01-02T18:56:00.000-08:00

Here ya go:

1. O mere dil ke chain, chain aaye mere dil ko dua kijiye [Kishore Kumar]
2. Kisi baat par main kisi se khafa hoon, main zinda hoon par zindagi se khafa hoon [Kishore Kumar]
3. Tum pukar lo tumhara intezar hai [Hemant Kumar]
4. Teri duniya mein jeene se to behtar hai ki mar jayen [Hemant Kumar]
5. Yeh nayan dare dare, ye jaam bhare bhare [Hemant Kumar]

Ek taraf uska ghar ek taraf maikada

2007-12-31T16:15:00.000-08:00

I started listening to Pankaj Udhas when I was about 7-8 years old. That time I was only able to enjoy the music and the way he sang it, but later on it was the lyrics which got me. One of my favorites has been:

Aye Gham-e-Zindagi kuch to de mashwara
Ek taraf uska ghar ek taraf maikada

I liked the music earlier, but now I understand and like the lyrics as well. This has to be one of the best Ghazals related to Sharab (Wine).

You can hear it here

Napa Valley and SFO

2007-12-30T23:46:00.000-08:00

Napa Valley:

It was cold in the silicon valley and we decided to head to Napa Valley to enjoy some nice wines the region has to offer. What a day it was, nice and sunny not cold at all. We did our homework and went to couple of Welcome Centers in the valley and got some coupons for "free" wine tastings. It does take about half hour or more in each winery so if you plan on tasting wines from a lot of wineries, you should reach there early (around 10 am at least) and plan on being there till 5 pm or so, thats when these tastings close. Also, if you intent to do a tour, which we didn't in the interest of time, you should plan on couple of hours based on the waiting.

Luckily for us not only it was a beautiful day, it was somehow a very less crowded day as well. More because we reached there early and tried couple of really good wines before lunch. I compiled a list of wineries and wines which we visited and my review of each of them. Here is the list.

The Wineries (in the order of visit):

1. Andretti Winery

A really good winery with really good wine. I specially liked the attitude of the people who serve you. They were really nice and helpful in letting us taste and enjoy the wine.

+ Good Cab (or Cabernet Sauvignon) as it is called

- none

Overall: A must visit if you are new to the Valley.

2. Cosentino

+ Really nice Chardonnay

- Average other wines

Overall: I wouldn't mind going there again, but not necessarily a favorite.

3. Diamond Oaks

+ Small and nice location.

- Almost all the wines had a steel cask taste which is a turn down.

Overall: OK overall and can be skipped unless your aim is to cover each and every winery in the valley.

4. Robert Mondavi

+ Big winery, nice gardens at the back and some sculpture stuff which I liked

- None of the wines lived up to Mandavi's reputation, read overall rating.

Overall: What a bummer, big winery, bad to mediocre wines, bad attitude of the servers (may be due to the huge crowd) and what else ... may be more ... I would def. skip it the next time.

5. St. Clement

+ Cabernet was the best of the lot, although it was not as good as Andretti.

- Most of the wines were not great

Overall: One of the best locations in the valley. Very nicely decorated, gives a feeling of those old mountain homes and nice view of the valley.

6. V. Sattui

+ Very good Muscat and Gamay Rouge at a good price

- Lot of crowd, you may end of with a bad server with wrong attitude.

Overall: Little bit more crowded than I would like. You really have to wait a while before you can be served. Some of the wines are good and cheap, so more affordable if you are interested in stocking up.

Some good links for the information about Napa Valley wineries:

http://www.napavalley.org/

http://www.napavintners.com/

Here are some of the pictures from our trip (Credit: Ram's Nikon D40):

Andretti Winery

Robert Mondavi Winery

St. Clement Winery

SFO:

After we left Napa Valley, there was a sudden change in plan, or lets say I wanted to go to "the City" for dinner. Well I always had issues with people calling SFO "the City". Coming from NY, I always thought there is only one *City* in the world: NYC, but what do I know. Bay area people like calling SFO "the City".

Anyways, so we hit the Ghirardelli Square for the second time within a week, had ice-cream Sunday and headed for a place to find dinner ... well yes, dessert comes first for some people. It was a short trip, but I always liked going to city. It has kind of life to it and makes it worthwhile.

Part 1: Should you always go back to your roots?

2007-12-13T15:16:00.000-08:00

Like the title says "Should you always go back to your roots?"

I have lived in the US enough to identify my priorities in life or may be not! Who knows or who cares as some might say. It is an important choice and certainly a difficult one. Before we go into the higher level discussions on what to do, let me discuss the details on what I mean here.

I consider there are three types of cultures in this world: traditional, modern and everything else. Now we understand traditional and we live in modern culture (at least in USA). Everything else is the most important culture of all I must tell you. Because this is what decides who you are and what you are going to do with your life. If you don't belong to everything else, you are missing a lot in life. Everything else (called EE from here on), is what bridges the gap between traditional and modern, the gap between past and future. It is what makes present and what belongs to future.

Now you have a generation which belongs to traditional culture and there is a much faster generation which tries to be modern. I say pretend because I do not want to call it modern unless it has backward compatibility (as it is called in the IT industry). A culture which only belongs to future and has no connection with past is not culture, it is a race with no destination.

With enough said about the modern culture lets get back to the traditional and everything else. In an ideal world the gap between the traditional and everything else should narrow down or completely vanish very quickly to avoid any complications in adapting the change. Most of the time, this does not happen that quickly though.

In the next part of this article, I am going to talk about some real-world scenarios and how they relate to the culture change. In the third and last part of the article I will describe some real stories involving real people, which will clarify a lot of things and hopefully will put my point in perspective. I seriously hope this article will help some of you and help me in understanding this complicated web of culture and family values.

Another photo published :)

2007-12-10T13:19:00.000-08:00

Well, I am not particularly very proud of this photo, but it is a good photo I must say, especially with the type of camera I had.

So to cut the story short, this is the guide you will see a picture being published which was taken by me in las Vegas few months back:

Schmap's Guide to Las Vegas

And here is the photograph:

Japanese Steakhouse inside Hilton

Man from Poland and Woman from Ivan

2007-11-18T22:15:00.000-08:00

Life is strange sometimes and Journey can be stranger. On my latest trip to India after a very long time, I had experienced something strange and something very surprising (pleasant as well). In the first flight from India, I met a gentleman who was from Poland but now works in Germany for one of my favorite car company (three letter ... well if you have to think!!!). This was his first time to India and he spent almost two months in Nashik, where his wife is going to stay longer to teach French to the kids there. He knew a lot about India and seems to have some friends in Nashik. I was impressed with all the information he gave me and it was good to see more people visiting India and getting to see this great country up close and personal. When I first arrived in USA, the stories I heard about India from people who do not know India much not surprised me, but sometimes shocked me. Some people still thought we use elephants to go to school, we still don't have any high tech stuff in our country, all of us are poor and what not. Well, that has not only changed but changed for good. We have proved to the world that with around 300 million (which is roughly the total population of United States) people under the age of 25, we are the largest work force in the world. We not only represent our country with our culture and diversity, but also represent it with one of the brightest engineers and tech icons last century has seen and this century is going to witness.

On my connecting flight to SFO, I met this lady from Ivan, who now lives in Bay area. She has been teaching Yoga for many years now and knew about Indian culture (well, in the right perspective though). We talked about a lot of things including the marriage culture in India, astrology and human nature in general.

It was a good experience talking to these two wonderful people. I have been an avid traveler for quite sometime now and always found that you can learn so much about other cultures as well as your own talking to people during your journey. of course it also makes your journey a little less boring ... I meant the flight not the overall journey of course ;)

Jeff Han's Multitouch Media Wall Takes Teamwork to the Future

2007-10-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

Jeff Han's Multitouch Media Wall: Hands-on

Teri Yaad Aayi, Tu Jo Na Aayi

2007-10-09T22:37:00.000-07:00

When: Indian Idol 3 Final
Composer: Leslie Lewis

I liked it but have no way to get it. Will wait for it to release.

Aerosmith - Rag Doll

2007-10-02T21:12:00.000-07:00

Success

2007-09-24T13:47:00.001-07:00

Success is to be measured
not so much by the position
that one has reached in life
as by the obstacles
which he has overcome.

- Booker T. Washington (1865-1915)

Savate: French Martial Art

2007-09-23T23:24:00.000-07:00

I was watching this program called "Human Weapon" on History channel and liked the art of Savate. It is so amazing what we can do with our body as a weapon. Apparently some of the techniques shown in the program were used by Bruce Lee.

Here is a video from youtube:

Joe Walsh - Life's Been Good to Me So Far

2007-09-11T00:57:00.000-07:00

No explanation needed :)

Rodrigo and Gabriella - Mexican Acoustic Guitar

2007-09-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

Fantastic music ... a must listen.

youtube has more clips.

Apple releases iPod Touch today

2007-09-05T18:29:00.000-07:00

iPod Touch vs. iPhone (now $200 cheaper: $399 only)

iPod Touch looks impressive for the similar pricing I may be more interested in an iPhone ... especially that it is much cheaper now :)

Chak De India! (Go India)

2007-08-31T23:50:00.000-07:00

Somehow sports movies have done well in India in the past. A recent example was Lagaan, which had a chunk of storyline based on the game of Cricket and Chak De India which is purely based on the condition of Indian Women's Hockey team and how a single person makes it win the World Cup. It is not a story about how hockey should be played or how it should be won, it is more about what it means to be deterministic, what teamwork is all about and what one can learn in life with their defeats more than their successes. By the way the story of the film is based on the life of former Indian Hockey Goalkeeper and coach of the women's Indian Hockey team, Mir Ranjan Negi.

Although I would have personally liked the treatment to the subject a little less dramatic, but hey I am not complaining. This is a Bollywood flick and it always deserves a little bit more drama than usual :)

The wikipedia page for more information is here

So enjoy!!!