My Trip to the WWE Monday Night RAW!!!!!

It was one of the things on my to-do list before I die. Yes, WWE (was WWF when I was a Kid) has always been a interesting entertainment for me and my brother from our childhood. As kids we always enjoyed watching it on TV and always wondered would it be possible for us to see this sport in real arena??

Well that day finally arrived on 9th dec when me and my brother went to the live WWE event in American Airline Center, Dallas. And I can just say it was awesome. Seeing all those superstars whom we used to watch on TV was just amazing.

The atmosphere was electrifying... So much crowd. The arena was packed. John Cena and the DX were the favorites. It was totally a different experience to see those guys in live. Though it is know that everything a fake and scripted but it was amazing to see people jumping from the top ropes, breaking tables, getting stunners.. It was just so awesome. Only thing I missed was the presence of Undertaker.

So now I can strike off "Watch WWE" from my to do list. :)...

UNT Home Coming!!!

Last weekend I went to a collage football game. UNT vs FAU. It was a home coming game. Never knew that the homecoming games are so much fun. There was a small size fair near the ground. There were games, food... and above all free t-shirts. (Well free t-shirts are like hot cakes.. ;)). Though I don't go to school at UNT but my brother goes to UNT and I was supporting his school's football team on their home coming.

This was the first football game I went to watch. The crowd was great. Though the game started at 7:00 pm, the celebrations began way before, at about 2:00 pm. There was a cool parade of cheerleaders, army trucks, vintage cars, scouts, veterans, cheerleaders, cheerleaders, cheerleaders ..... ;). It was a nice parade. Me along with my brother and his friends followed the parade to the fair grounds.

This is where the fun stated. The whole place was filled with people. Then there were fun games, food, people painting their faces. There were grills all over the place in the parking lots. It was like a celebration. I don't know what they were celebrating.. :) ... Well I too became a part of it. Spray painted my hair green, had a tattoo on my hand.. and went to the game.

For long time I wanted to go to a football game. Actually wanted to go to cowboys game but never got a chance. So finally went to a college football game. The kickoff was at 7:00 pm. The stadium was almost fully packed. So much noise. People shouting. I too shouted alot .... (After the game I had a sour throat..) .. Anyway the home team lost the game but I watched till half time only. Though I watched only half the game but still it was fun.

I had so much fun by just watching a school game. Now I am imagining watching a pro game... It will be a hell of an experience. Though I didn't had any knowledge of football before I came to US, now I love the sport. Though it hasn't reached the place in my heart that cricket holds, it is still one of the top 5 sports I like. Hopefully I will see cowboy's game this season.

♪♪ Engineering Rocks ♪♪

So after the school days then comes the engineering days.... well one more fun filled episode in ones life... Four years of engineering.... What wonderful days... Even though school days are the best... engineering days too constitute in the fun filled days of life... Once you are out of there.... The reality kicks in... Well I believe most of my friends are engineers and guess they will agree with most of the stuff in this post....

So well lets see .... The 25 common things in any engineering collage...

• 1. The lecturers don't teach. The students don't study. The only guy who benefits is the one who owns the 'dhaba' next to the college.. (S S S Hostel Dhaba).
• 2. Deadlines are made to be extended... (Always).
• 3. Promises are made to be broken... (Most of the times).
• 4. Guys always think the chicks in other department are more beautiful...(Kya pottiya hai rey CSE mein).
• 5. The nerds are the most pampered ones... (During mid-terms).
• 6. The lab assistants are the most respected ones.... (During the lab exams).
• 7. There is always a lecturer in the college who can't speak proper 'English'... ("Are you understand?").
• 8. There is always a lecturer who throws your lab report outside the window... ("Is that a transistor?").
• 9. The principal is the person most abused and insulted... (Of course behind his back).
• 10. Dropping subjects is the 'coolest' thing... (Really??).
• 11. Night-outs and one-day batting are the important tools to ace the exams.
• 12. Whereas the most important tool.... is the 'chit' in which the words can be understood only by the person who wrote them.
• 13. The freshers are the most sought after.... be it in the canteen, the 'free' periods or for completing the records, assignments.
• 14. The second-years are the ones with the 'I am the don-of-the-college' attitude.
• 15. The third years are the ones with the 'so-many-backlogs' feeling.
• 16. The fourth years have no connection with the college whatsoever... All they want is '1st-class' tag attached to their memo.
• 17. There is always a dumb fresher who asks a 2nd year where the canteen was, and even dumber one who follows that senior to canteen.
• 18. Practicals are mostly for 60-90 minutes in which a considerable amount of lab equipment is destroyed and finally the readings are copied from others.
• 19. The common dialogues after an exam are "70% of the paper was out of syllabus".. or "It was the worst set of paper I got".
• 20. There is always one girl in the collage who writes her cell number instead of the 10 digit hall ticket number.
• 21. Assignments are solved by a few and then... (Well you know what happens).
• 22. There is always 'Critical Calculation' after the exam to see if you can score 28 out of 80.. (The cut off).
  
• 23. The first three years are spent in cursing the college,the people there,the system.
• 24. The common feeling after completing engineering is....... "Thank God. Survived Engineering".
• 25. But on the farewell day, people tend to feel nostalgic about the pure unadulterated fun they have had for 4 years. Now the very system they disliked, the very canteen they cursed, the time that they spent there, the birthday bums they suffered.. all these seem like heaven.

To me personally, engineering was a fun filled 4 year holiday.. Though it had its ups and downs I had lots n lots of fun... Though the college was awful, but the memories that I look back to, the friends I made there and the degree that I obtained... will be cherished by me... always !!!! "Engineering Rocks" !!!

I dedicate this post to all my engineering buddies... Especially to 1999-2003 batch of SSIET.

Happy B'day Chinni (Rahul) !!!!

Dear Chinni,
Its your birthday today and I wish you a very Happy Birthday.. May all your dreams come true. Thought I missed a lot of your birthdays there were a few which I remember the sweetest being your 1st. Even though with time we became busy with our lives and may not be spending a lot of time together, I know we will be there for each other in the time of need... I am very grateful to have a brother like you.

May you enjoy this day to its fullest and and many more happiness that will come your way... Thanks for being a kido brother that you are...


There are three hundred and sixty-four days in a year when you get all kind of un-birthday presents.. And only one day for birthday presents... So here's a special present from me to you... Hope this is the best present you ever got on your birthday ;).. Have a wonderful time and may you celebrate lots more birthdays like this.


Here's you Birthday Present.. Have a blast !!! Once again wish you a very Happy Birthday!!!!

Gone are the Days !!!!!

I think the school days are the most memorable days that we have in our childhood... The days we miss the most... When I look back to my school days which I spent mostly in Tinsukia (Assam) and Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) I always miss those days.. It always makes me think....

Gone are the days.....

...When the school reopened after summer, and we settled in our new places in the ...new classroom.

...When we look for the best desks and benches in the class which is nearer to the ...exit door.

...When we queued up in book depot, and got our new books and notebooks with ...Ashwariya's picture on the cover.

...When we wanted no Mondays and every Saturday holiday not just 2nd, yet ...managed to be in the line daily for the morning assembly.

...When we learnt writing on slates, with pencils, progressed to fountain pens and ...ball pens.

...When we began drawing with crayons, colour pencils and moved on to sketch ...pens.

...When we started calculating first with our fingers, then tables and then with ...Clarke's tables and advanced to calculators, scientific calculators and computers.

...When we chased one another in the corridors in intervals, and returned to the ...classrooms drenched in sweat, yet wanted a longer reccess.

...When we had lunch in classrooms, corridors, playgrounds, under the trees.

...When we awaited P.T. period more eagerly than the monsoons.

...When we played cricket with long-books as bats, and socks rolled into balls.

...When we simply played "book cricket" in the history period..

...When we fought but had no conspiracies, competed but had seldom jealousy.

...When we listened to live cricket commentary in the last bench.

...When we rushed as soon as the bell rang to "Conquer" window seats in the school ...bus.

...When we had one-month long preparations for sports day, and the annual school ...day.

...When we spent almost the whole year of Xth an XIIth writing revision tests.

...When we studied just to pass.

With so much fun in them, so many friends, so much experience , all this and more... I still feel that... gone are the days, but not the memories, which will be Lingering in our hearts forever.

I think most of you have the same opinion..

25 Random Things About Me!!!!

25 random things about me.. Well these are the 25 random things that most of u guys don't know about me. Well this is the latest trend going on the facebook right now. So I decided to bend the rules a little bit and instead of posting in facebook I am posting it in my blog. In facebook you have to tag 5 friends and they have to write 25 random things about them. But in my blog I am tagging everyone who is reading my blog.. :) .. So go ahead and if you have a blog post 25 random things about yourself and leave me the link in the comment section.. ;) ... If you don't have a blog.. don't worry.. post the 25 things in the comment section of my blog.... ;) .....

So here we go....

1. My middle name is Kalyan. Though it was my first name, which my parents gave me, my grandmother named me Gokul. And my parents kept both the names.. Hence Gokul Kalyan Potluri.

2. The first day while learning how to drive I drove my Dad's car over the divider to the other side of the road.

3. I once drew a picture of a dinosaurs, named it "Our History Teacher", and stuck it to our Principal's saree but never got caught.

4. I can speak 5 different languages fluently and can understand 2 other languages.

5. The oldest memory I have is the one when my uncle slapped me for trying to light a cigarette from his pack.. I was 3.

6. I love trains. Real and toys. Always wanted to have a toy train setup at home.

7. I once accidentally set my maternal grandmother's house on fire.... I was 4.

8. I love to travel. I have been to 26 states in the United States and to places where I never thought I would.

9. I have a photographic memory. I don't easily forget anything.

10. The first time I went to a dentist when I was 8, I cried so loud when the dentist brought the syringe near my mouth, that 2 other kids who where next in line started crying and left. I also left without my tooth taken out.

11. I once broke my brother's chin while I was pushing him on a swing and the swing broke.

12. I am crazy about Angelina Jolie & Megan Fox.

13. I always wonder what was I in my past life, if there is one?

14. Pyramids have always amazed me. Want to go to Egypt atleast once before I die.

15. I am a Numismatist.

16. The first movie I ever saw in a theater was "Sholay". I was so scared when Gabbar cuts off Thakur's hands.

17. I never came across another Gokul till now in person.

18. I once held a loaded machine gun of an Indian Army Jawan when I was in school that was in an army base.

19. I love thrill rides.. The best being the ones I rode on the top of Stratosphere in Vegas and at the edge of the Royal Gorge in Colorado Springs.

20. I am Thanatophobic of a Heart Attack.

21. I am very careless when it comes to eating healthy and being fit.

22. I got 2nd prize in a healthy baby contest and I still have the car they gave me as the prize.

23. I have a hobby of collecting shot glasses. Its weird because I don't drink.

24. I want to get a tattoo but probably will never get one.

25. Lastly, I am a perfect Gemini.


So I bet these are some of the random things that people don't know about me ;)... So as now you read mine... you are now tagged.. so go ahead and post your 25 random things ....

Best Things in Life!!!!

Life is so short but yet there are so many cool good things that are there in life.. I thought of making a list of all the good things.. But the list seemed too big and never ending.. So with life so short and so many good things, I thought to take the time to live it... Life changes on day to day basis... And sometimes it comes at you fast.. :).. So I decided to make a shorter list and name it "Best Things in Life".Well experiences may vary but I guess lot of people will agree with me on this list.

So here's the list.....(Top 10)

• 1. Falling in Love.. (Hell of an experience..)..
• 2. To wake up and realize that you can sleep for another hour (But ended up sleeping for another 3)..
• 3. Smile at yourself and realize that people around you are looking at you.. (Oops..)..
• 4. To find money in the jacket you wore last winter... ( I bet everyone agrees)..
• 5. A phone call at the middle of the night.. (Of course depends on who calls..)..
• 6. Meet an old friend and see that they didn't change... (Some do change)..
• 7. Waiting to hear from someone special.... (Always one eye on the phone)..
• 8. Wake up everyday and see the sun rise... (Ok.. don't judge me..)..
• 9. A SMS that read "My sweetest memory - Our meeting."..(.....)..
• 10.Last but not the least... Spend time with someone who makes you forget time.. (why can't there be another 5 or 6 hours in a day)..

So this is my list for the best things in life... and of course they are free.... What are yours??

Happy Independence Day

Hi frnds..
Today is the 63nd Independence day of India. And celebrating it away from home sucks.. Been like 5 years since I was in India the last time it was August the 15th. There is no flag hosting here in US in the way it is in India... Missing India on this wonderful day!!!!!!

I still remember the days when I was in school and we had to go to school though it was a national holiday. We had to dress in white. Stand in line.. Either the chief guest or the principal will host the flag... We sang Jana Gana Mana... which is the National Anthem and then some programs.. and finally couple of sweets. It was such fun.

Though its not the same here but people celebrating this day in US try to bring back that home-like feeling. I have been in Dallas for 5 years and the Indian community in and around Dallas celebrate this day on the weekend. Its termed "Anand Bazaar Mela". It is always a pleasure to see the crowd in a mela style. But every year some thing came up and I wasn't able to go to see the Anand Bazaar. Hope fully will go this year.

Whether I am there or not... The day brings joy and happiness in me.... Wish you all a Happy Independence day !!!!! Jai Hind!!!!!

Happy Friendship Day !!!

The first Sunday of August is officially celebrated as the friendship day all over the world. And that day is today.. I wish all my friends Happy Friendship Day.. Thanks you all who know me, yet love me.. :) Enjoy the day guys... HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY...

A nice pictorial representation of why its important to have friends...

New World !!!!

Everyone on this planet needs a friend. Not only humans but all life forms on earth needs someone to be there for them when they need them. To share their happiness.. to share their sorrow... to be there for them.... We come across so many people in our life and we choose plenty people to be our friends... But we trust just a handful to be with us in our joy and pain... And just a couple who know everything about us.

We always want to pick friends with caution.... But sometimes end up picking the wrong type. But as its said... We never know whats in store for us. Either its good or bad. Sometimes the best of the kind are always next to us but we always look for them in the wrong place. But sometimes we pick someone who change everything around us.

I always wondered why we make so many friends... Well I figured out one thing with so many friends in my life that we keep so many friends only because if one is lost there is always someone else. I have been in so many places till now and I really have a big circle of friends. While moving from one place to another (I moved all over India when I was a kid), I lost many friends. But the new places always brought me new ones...

In those days when there was no Internet and we had to relay on postal service, we used to write letters a couple of times to friends... but slowly everything stops. And we are more involved in the new life. But now with Internet around... and emails... and instant delivery... its much easy to communicate with friends.. Not only communicate with present friends but finding the old ones whom we might have met long ago.. For me orkut was the savior. I found so many old friends whom I remembered but had no touch.

Out of all the friends, someone represents a different world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born, which changes our life..

Some Just Don't Worth It !!!!

I read a blog post somewhere and I do remember a couple of lines on a blog. I quote "Don't pay attention to people who don't pay attention to you. Don't give importance to those who don't give importance to you." I guess thats true sometimes, but all I can say is humans are sentimental fools. Sentiments run so high in humans that sometimes they do things for others embarrasing themselves.

Anyway one thing I learnt from people around me is that we shouldn't do things for people who don't know the importance of favor or have no gratitude for what you have done for them. For example, if someone helped me pack and ship my stuff because I am leaving town the next day, its a minimum courtesy on my part to tell them before leaving the next day. If I think its not necessary to tell them then I don't deserve their help.

One more thing that I learnt watching people around me is that never do things for people if they don't ask for it. Some people don't worth it. The more you do for them the more you become cheap to them. And by the time you realize it, you have already become a laughing stock. The more you do for them they just keep using you. And the most ridiculous is when they tell you that they never asked for it. And you just did it because you wanted to do.

So I think caring about people is well and good. But some just don't worth it. We just have to look out for the unworthy type before its too late. Or one day after 3 years you get screwed.

P.S. : The views of the author are mostly by observing others and not personal. :P

2012 - What's inside the Box?

December 21st, 2012..... The day set for the earth to expire as some say it, while some call it the doomsday, some call it time of transformation, etc., etc. But the real question is what really is going to happen on that day. Will earth see the 22nd of December, 2012? Or is it just a hoax and everything will be funny the next day just like Y2K?

So what going to happen?? There are many theories, The Mayan calender will end. The planet X will collide with earth, then there is the theory of pole reversal, and so on. I don't know what to believe. Well can wait 3 years and then know for sure. But why is this so focused on? Is it just a coincidence and 2012 is just a random number?

So whats to do? Just sit and wait for the day to come? Or do we have to prepare ourselves for the upcoming event? Here is the list of possible things that can happen in 2012 that I found in some 2012 websites....

HUMAN	FROM SPACE	FROM EARTH
Flu Pendamic	Nearby Supernova	Global Warming
Nuclear War/WW-3	Gamma Ray Burst	Ice Age
Nuclear Accident	Planet X Collision	Magnetic Pole Shift
Rise of the Machines	Solar System Falls Apart	Supervolcano
Religious Apocalypse	Cosmic Rays	Crustal Pole Shift

And there is also the possibility of nothing happening and we get up on 22nd Dec and just forget the whole thing. But if something is going to happen wouldn't we be already seeing signs? And if so how will be the signs appear? Will it rain fire? Will the water turn red? I am so confused.... And thinking of it just makes me to dig more.

Found a lot about it but this little piece of information from one site almost made me believe that its going to happen. Check what different cultures believe will happen in 2012.

• Hopi : End of Fourth World and beginning of the Fifth.
• Mayans : Call it the 'end days'.
• Maoris : Merging of the physical & spiritual worlds.
• Zulu : Whole world will be turned upside down.
• Hindus : Kali Yuga (end time of man).
  
• Incas : Age of Meeting Ourselves Again.
• Aztec : A time of transformation. Creation of new race.
• Dogon : Say that the spaceship of the visitors will return.
• Pueblo : Acknowledge it'll be the emergence into the Fifth World.
• Cherokee : Calendar ends exactly at 2012 as Mayan calendar.
• Tibetan : Prophesies left by Buddha about the Golden Age.
• Egypt : Present time cycle ends in year 2012 AD.
  

Don't know if the day will bring an end to earth or not but all I know is that life will go on like this. People who believe will keep believing and people who think this is non-sense will make fun. But I think I will just go on with my life as it takes me till the day and if nothing happens you guys can read my post on 22nd Dec, 2012.

Fireworks at UNT Stadium!!!

The fireworks video shot by my brother and group and edited by Raghav. Didn't knew my camera can record such nicely.. :)

4th of July fireworks!!!!

Well the 4th of July is the Independence day of USA. Its not about how the day begins.. its about how the day ends here.. well its holiday for sure.. called long weekend.. Then there are some events here and there.. people take a picnic basket and go out along with family and friends.. but the main attraction of the whole evening is the fireworks show.

The show is organized by the city hall or may be a university in the town. Well I was at the University of North Texas, Denton this 4th of July and was able to witness the fireworks. Well it started at around 9:30 and ended like for about 25 minutes. The UNT has a football stadium and the even took place in the stadium. By the time we went some music programs were going on.. After reaching there we found seats at the top of the arena. The lights went off... The whole stadium went dark.. And the show started.

I have to say for a small town like Denton it was a pretty nice show. The fireworks were awesome. This is my first firework show in 5 years. Never got a chance to see any 4th of July show before. It was nice to see so much crowd enjoying the Independence day watching the fireworks in the sky. Miss the Diwali days in India though. Its a totally different experience to watch the fireworks and to actually light up with our own hands.. Here everything is automated.

Anyway Happy Independence Day to USA.

Little Johnny Wants to Settle Down!!!

Little Johnny and Little Lisa are only 10 years old, but they know that they are in love. One day they decide that they want to get married, so Johnny goes to Lisa's father to ask for his blessing.

Johnny : Mr. Jones, me and Lisa are in love and I want to ask you for your blessing.
Mr. Jones : Well Johnny, you're only 10. Where will you two live?
Johnny : In Lisa's room.
Mr. Jones : Why in Lisa's room? Why not yours?
Johnny : It's bigger than mine and we can both fit there nicely.
Mr. Jones : Okay then how will you live? You're not old enough to get a job.
Johnny : Hmmmm...
Mr. Jones : How will you afford food and rent?
Johnny : With our allowance. Lisa gets 5 bucks a week and I get 10 bucks a week. That's about 60 bucks a month, and that should do us just fine.

By this time Mr. Jones is realizing that Johnny has put much thought into this. So, he thinks for a moment trying to come up with something that Johnny won't have an answer to.

Mr. Jones : Johnny, it seems like you've got everything all figured out.
Johnny : Yes I did.
Mr. Jones : I just have one more question for you.
Johnny : What is it?
Mr. Jones: What will you do if the two of you should kids of your own?
Johnny (shrugging his shoulders) : We've been lucky so far.

Mr. Jones faints.

The King of Pop, MJ.

King of Pop, Michael Jackson is no more. He died of Cardiac Arrest on 25th June, 2009. He was 50. The whole music world is in shock and so am I. Though he was surrounded by lot of controversies, he is a legend. The King of Pop.

I still remember when he toured India and his album History came out. I asked my dad to buy me the cassette and my father said.. "What is there in it? He's just shouting and we can' even understand what he's singing." It was 120 Rs. in those days (Well was in India then and 120 was a lot of money in those days). And of course there was no Internet for free download... :).... Anyhow I ended borrowing the cassette from my friend and listening to it.. and it was just awesome.

His performance at the MTV awards in 1996 was the best I ever saw and I can't comment on his moonwalk. Even words are too less for the act. He is one of his kind. The Legend. The world will miss the great pop singer and his moon walk. I dedicate this post to the greatest Pop singer of all times. MJ may your soul rest in peace. The world will miss you.

Here is the video of his album History teaser....

Srikar's 1st B'day

Today is Srikar's first birthday. We decorated the house with ribbons and balloons. Srikar cut the cake in the evening and we all wished him best wishes on his B'day. We didn't celebrate it in a grand way because he recently had surgery and we don't want him to feel stressed. To know Srikar better check his blog here.

Many Many Happy Returns of the day Srikar. Happy Birthday. Wish you all the happiness in the world.

My Phone, iPhone (OS 3.0)

Well well well.. The long awaited iPhone OS 3.0 is out.. I had to try for a long time installing it on my iPhone.. but it was giving me the same error again and again.. "Servers are unavialabe. try again later.. blah blah blah... " So tried again and again.. but didn't work.. So some how my internet got disconnected.. and suddenly I saw on my laptop it was installing... So by some network trick.. my iPhone got upgraded..

So the trick is .. if while updating ur iPhone to OS 3.0 it says that servers are not avilabe just disconnect your internet connection.... it works... but remember you have to disconnect your internet only after you click update in ur iTunes.. Once you do this.. your iPhone is all ready with the new OS 3.0..

So whats so good about this OS 3.0.... The best feature is ofcourse the copy and paste option which was missing all this time.. The other one is the voice recording.. now that is also a cool feature that is added to the iPhone.. The new address book is good... the call history is different.. you can now see the dialed called and received calls in a different way.. better than before.. hmm.. what else? oh ya.. another cool feature.. you can now shuffel while playing your songs just by shaking your iPhone.. cool ain't it..

So over all the new OS 3.0 is good.. But anyway my contract is getting over in another 2 - 3 months.. I am eyeing the new iPhone 3gS.... hopefuly I will buy that one...

My Social Networks and Blogs

With so many social networks around I remember the first time I opened an account in Orkut. I always felt its waste of time for creating so many accounts in so many different networks like myspace, facebook, Hi5, etc..., etc.... I still get requests from my friends to join these networks but never felt like joining these networks. I feel its too much effort to open so many accounts in every network.. My friends say facebook is good.. and so is myspace.. but I never had interest in them.. only orkut is the social network which I use... here's my profile link from orkut.. Click Here.

Now regarding blogs.. when I first came to know about blogs... I thought as I don't have a lot of writing skills.. why bother... but opened an account any how.... well comes along with your gmail account so whats the harm.. first few days... full posting in the blog.. then in the middle... total stop.. then again I don't know what happened... seeing some blogs online.. I really felt I write much better... thus this blog... which is more frequent now a days..

Recently I also stated another blog.. its called "My Photo Blog." Well its not exactly my photos.. :) but it will also contain the pictures of places I have been too.. ... ;)..... its just a fun blog.. with more funny pictures I find online.. or pictures that come to me in emails.. Click Here... Viewer Discretion is Advised.. lol :P

So one day I was watching news and on Larry King saw that Aston Kutcher crossed a million followers on twitter..I was amazed.. WTF is twitter?? So went to twitter website... tried to figure out what twitter is.. 140 characters is too less I thought.... and finally I have a twitter account too.. To follow me just Click Here... Twittering if fun.. just login when you want and just type whats going on.. its just that simple.. Although I have just 10 followers right now, Hopefully I will have a million followers one day... lol....

My B'day Gifts !!!!

So B'day is over and its time to share with you guys what I got on my b'day... Well first of all I want to thank my brother who bought me a lovely cake. Thanks bro. Then I want to thank my cousin and sister-in-law and nephew (Srikar) who also bought me another lovely cake.. and my nephew gave me a lovely card with his hand prints and foot prints on it. Thanks Srikar..

I would like to thank all the friends of my brother and his roommates who attended the party. I thank all my friends and family members who wished me.. on phone, on orkut, on my blog, in YM and in person... Thank you all for wishing me on my b'day.. means alot to me...

So now lets open the gifts.. what did I get on my b'day..

Well as I told my brother gave me a wonderful cake, a gift card and a 1000 bucks.. thanks bro.. my cousin and sister-in-law gave me two shirts.. thanks annaya and vodina.. and the best one came from my nephew.. a nice card that says.. "to my favorite UNCLE"... with his cute little hand prints and leg prints on it. thanks Srikar...

Well you people don't have to feel bad.. you guys can still send me gifts... I accept belated gifts too.... :)... Just kidding.. Wishing a person on their b'day is as good as getting them a gift. B'day is one of the happiest day in one's life and being a part of it is the nice gift you can give them.. Just wanted to show you guys the cute card my nephew gave me... Hence this post... And he is just 11 months old.

Happy B'day to me !!!

So another year over... I got a year older... And what have I achieved... hmmm... well I won't say nothing but not up to the mark.... Anyway hope this year brings happiness to me.... (I thought that last year too but didn't work out the way I wanted)...

So was at my brother's place for this b'day... He is still at school.. So was thinking about my b'day when I was at Arlington. Remembered those days with cake on the face, coke on the hair, buttermilk, milk, sauce, mustard paste, eggs, tomatoes, oh my god.. oh forgot the main thing.. After everything thrown into the swimming pool... Well that was all not there this time... Just a little cake to my cheeks this time.... :)

Well my brother is a rich guy.. So he gave me a 1000 bucks for my B'day and also a Old Navy gift card. Thanks bro.... So I cut a nice chocolate cake, which is my favorite... and his room mates and a couple of his frnds from other rooms came... All were cracking jokes.. Was feeling good.. Was just like the times when I was in school..

I was just thinking where was I for the last five b'days....
2008 - Was in Plano, Tx.. My brother came to my place..
2007 - Was in California. Didn't cut a cake this year.. Don't know why..
2006 - Was at school... BT-218... Miss those days...
2005 - Was at Tirupathi, India.. Lucky me..
2004 - Well no clue.. forgot where I was...

5 resolutions I want to take from this b'day..
1. Get a Job... (Too long on bench..)
2. Buy a car.. (Ferrari.. anybody buying??)
3. Reduce weight.. (But how??)
4. Think more about my life than others..
5. Get married before 30.. hehehehe.. :)

I don't know how many of above I can accomplish.. Lets see.... ;)

In the end I wish myself a very very Happy Birthday!!!

Lack of Knowledge!!!

Hi,
Lot of misunderstandings arise due to lack of proper knowledge and lack of communication. The other person tend to tell something and we understand something else if we are not sure what the person is talking about and vise-versa. If we are telling something to someone and they have no idea about what we are telling it may be confusing and may lead to misunderstanding. I came across a very very funny story and wanted to share.. Have fun...

In the days when you couldn't count on a public toilet facility, an English woman was planning a trip to Africa. She was registered to stay in a small guest house owned by the local schoolmaster. She was concerned as to whether the guest house contained a WC. In England, a bathroom is commonly called a WC which stands for "Water Closet". She wrote to the schoolmaster inquiring of the facilities about the WC.

The school master, not fluent in English, asked the local priest if he knew the meaning of WC. Together they pondered possible meanings of the letters and concluded that the lady wanted to know if there was a "Wayside Chapel" near the house . . . a bathroom never entered their minds.

So the schoolmaster wrote the following reply:

Dear Madam,
I take great pleasure in informing you that the WC is located 9 miles from the house. It is located in the middle of a grove of pine trees, surrounded by lovely grounds. It is capable of holding 229 people and is open on Sundays and Thursdays. As there are many people expected in the summer months, I suggest you arrive early. There is, however, plenty of standing room. This is an unfortunate situation especially if you are in the habit of going regularly.

It may be of some interest to you that my daughter was married in the WC as it was there that she met her husband. It was a wonderful event. There were 10 people in every seat. It was wonderful to see the expressions on their faces. We can take photos in different angle. My wife, sadly, has been ill and unable to go recently. It has been almost a year since she went last, which pains her greatly.

You will be pleased to know that many people bring their lunch and make a day of it. Others prefer to wait till the last minute and arrive just in time. I would recommend your ladyship plan to go on a Thursday as there is an organ accompaniment. The acoustics are excellent and even the most delicate sounds can be heard everywhere.

The newest addition is a bell which rings every time a person enters. We are holding a bazaar to provide plush seats for all since many feel it is long needed. I look forward to escorting you there myself and seating you in a place where you can be seen by all.

With deepest regards,
The Schoolmaster.

The Woman fainted reading the reply........and she never visited Africa.

So if the English Woman had written clearly what a WC means the schoolmaster had replied in a different way and if the schoolmaster had a knowledge of what WC means there would been a proper reply and we would not been laughing so badly as we are right now... :P

Proper Grammar.

One day in grammar the teacher was teaching how to write sentences in proper grammar. She wrote a sentence on the backboard : "I ain't had no fun in months."

Teacher : I ain't had no fun in months. Now how could I correct this?
Lisa : I don't had fun in months.
Teacher : No that's not correct. Johnny you tell. How could I correct this?
Johnny : Get yourself a new boyfriend.

Teacher Fainted. Little Johnny did it again.

Anger Ruin Lives!!!

Anger ruin lives.... Anger is like a hot rock that we intend to throw on others. But in the end, the only person it burns is us. The action undertaken in anger and the harsh words spoken in anger leaves scars long after the emotion has subsided. Of course anger is never without a reason, but seldom with a good one. Sometimes we do things or say harsh things in anger which hurts both the giver (of course later) and the receiver. We say a lot of things in anger which we don't mean but sometimes they leave a scar on the other person. And by the time we realize its too late.

Here is a short story I came across on how anger is a bad thing and how it effects to the person around us.

There were 2 friends, call them X and Y. X had a very bad temper and will say whatever came to mind when angry to Y. So one day Y gave X a bag of nails and told X that X should hammer a nail in the fence whenever angry. First day X hammered like 30 nails into the fence. Over a few weeks X managed to control anger and the no. of nails into the fence gradually decreased. And a day came when X didn't had to hammer a single nail in the fence.

So X told Y "I'm able to control my anger". Now Y suggested X to pull out one nail each day X didn't loose temper. The days passes by and finally one day X told Y all the nails are gone. Y showed the fence to X and said, " You have done well my friend but look at the holes in the fence. It can never be the same. When you say things in anger they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there."

X realized how Y felt all the time whenever X lost temper and said harsh things to Y. X said "I hope you can forgive me for all the scars I left in you." Y smiled and replied "I guess I can." And after that day X never lost temper on Y again.

Well that was the end of the story with a happy ending but I don't know how many times that happens.. :). Well the point is if you are angry on someone try to pacify your anger. Don't say harsh things to the person. Even if you don't mean it, it leaves a scar just like the holes in the fence and by the time we realize its too late. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.

Well I have to admit there were times when I lost my temper too.. but I hope I haven't left any holes. And if I have please forgive me.

Why on hell did I stop drinking soda?

No idea why I suddenly on 01/01/2009 decided that I will not drink soda for a year. Well before that I used to drink so much soda. I told myself "No Soda". My motto "No Soda". Whenever I saw soda "No Soda".

Well the thing is I was gaining weight. So decided to cut down on calories (Well guys who know me very well, try not to laugh). So the new year resolution was "No Soda, No Potatoes". Well yes, no potatoes either but that lasted only for may be a week. (Big fan of fries). If given a chance I would have taken the place of Morgan Spurlock in Super Size Me. :)

Anyhow that thing aside so I decided not to drink soda. Said to myself, "Let's be strong Gokul. We can do it." Lot of my friends encouraged and made fun of me. Some said good for you. Some said well we will see how long you can stand. Some said I bet u can't pull it off. One even said as I recall, "Who on Earth stops drinking soda, you should go to Hell."

Well last night its over. So after 5 months and 18 days I finally drank a Pepsi last night and need to tell you guys, it was like "WOW". Really when we don't taste something we like for a while and have it after a long time its just awesome. I was thinking, "Why on hell did I stop drinking soda?" Anyhow I wasn't going to drink soda for another 6 and half months but I was sick for a couple of days and my sister-in-law suggested I should have a soda that will give me some relief. She even brought sparking soda for me. But I thought I better have a Pepsi.

Well the point is when we miss something in life that we love a lot and we get it back its always very special. The pain and suffering we go through in the process simply worth it. Mark my word.

Weird, Sad, Bad.

Well I was thinking what to write in the post. Nothing much to write so I decided to share some of the things I came across in news in the last few days that felt weird, made me feel bad and above all sad.

Here are the top 3.

1. Man throws a 3 month baby from moving car on the interstate killing the baby. What kind of monster can do that? This happened in Tampa, Florida. Check the link here.

2. Teacher kills a 10 year girl hitting her with a duster to her head. Well punishing kids is a common thing in Indian schools but shouldn't there be a limit to it. This happened in West Bengal, India. Check the link here.

3. Son kills father for not voting for the party he voted for. Well what can I say? Killing father for a vote, I wonder what kind of crazy people(fans) are there. This happened in Andhra Pradesh, India. Check the link here.

There are lot more news like these which makes me think why do people do what they do? Just felt like sharing some little facts.

Litlte Johnny

Hi.. Sure laughter is the best medicine. And for that reason I am introducing to you little Johnny. He is a 3rd grader just like our South Park kids.. but of course better than them (No offense intended to South Park Fans :P) . Little Johnny will appear once in a while to make you laugh with his day to day life at home and school. So have fun.

Well Johnny is a very very naughty boy. All the things he say are purely his own. I am not responsible for his bad behavior.

Here's his first one

One day at school Teacher was telling the class the story of Mahabharata. The chapter was about the birth of Krishna.

Teacher: The Voices from the heaven told Kansa that child of his sister will kill him. Kansa locked his sister and her husband in the dungeon.

Little Johnny raised his hand from the last bench. Well little Johnny was well known for his dirty mind. But the teacher thought what can he possiblly have in his twisted mind.

Teacher: Yes, what is it Johnny?
Johnny: So Kansa knew before hand that his nephew will kill him.
Teacher: Yes he did.
Johnny: Then why on hell did he put his sister and her husband in the same cell?

The teacher fainted.

My First Baseball Game

So this trip to Baltimore has been a little productive for me. I have been on my first train ride, first cab ride and last night first baseball game. I went to a baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees last night here in Baltimore and that too for free.

Well we are staying at this place in Baltimore called the Children's House. They had some tickets and offered us and we went. It was under lights and it was awesome. The game was almost a sellout. So much crowd. People shouting, drinking, cheering, booing, all kinds of people. Well we got almost the perfect seats. Nice view to the ground. I wish I was watching Cricket for a view like that.

Although there was a baseball ballpark very near to where I went to school in Arlington, but never really got a chance to go and see a Texas Rangers game. Always thought can go some other time. But somehow we never had time to go or something. I guess if something is near to our place we just keep it aside or later (Well my roommates always thought I never came along anywhere with them which of course is not true).

Anyhow, so went to the game last night. Had a lot of fun. Took some nice snaps. Cheered with the home crowd (Well now I am having a sore throat, hadn't have shouted that much). It was fun then and pain now :).

So now next game to go is to an American Football Game. Hopefully I will in this year. And hopefully Dallas Cowboys.

Hospitals, Depressing Place on Earth!!!

The last few weeks have been very hard on our family. As you guys know my nephew, Srikar is at John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for the last four weeks I too am here at the hospital with him and his parents. The atmosphere of the hospital, as all of u know is some what dull. There is always something going on. Siren of ambulances going on, people moving around in beds, wheel chairs, its very scary.

One such experience is this post. After Srikar's surgery he was moved into the ICU. Well it was not just an ICU it was the Pediatric ICU. Yes, only kids. The first time I walked through the doors of the PICU a chill ran through my spine. There were rooms to the right of the walkway. Srikar was in the last room. I had to cross all the rooms. All the doors were open. Seeing kids like that I can't tell u guys how I felt. It was a horrible sight. Kids like newly born were all hooked up with God knows what. Wires, tubes, IVs, somethings that I don't even know. I walked slowly to Srikar's bed. He too was hooked up with lot of wires and tubes.. We counted. There were 10. A second wave of chill hit my spine.

Well people say that graveyards, cemeteries, funerals are the depressing places. Well I feel hospitals are. I rate hospitals as the most depressing and disturbing places on earth. Seeing small kids with all those things hooked up to their tiny bodies just seemed wrong. At this small age? What did they do? The other day a Dr. who came to see Srikar said,"Hospitals are not good places." Well even doctors feel it. I don't think any other place is as depressing as a hospital's PICU. That too when you have to go visit someone in there. I wish I don't have to go to a place like this ever again. May God keep everyone healthy and away from hospitals.

The White House !!

Couple of days ago I went to Washington D.C. with my cousin. We had some time so we decided to go and see the place where the world's most "powerful man" lives... Yes the "White House". There were a lot of people taking pictures of the White House. We were standing there taking pictures and suddenly we heard some slogans. In the park on the other side of the sidewalk I saw some people wearing the prisoner's clothes, the orange ones and faces covered with black masks.

Seeing all this was like a new experience to me. People actually protesting that too infront of the White House. The place started getting busy and crowded. SWAT teams came into place. Police cars, Secret Service Vehicles, everything was like I am in a movie. The people protesting which was about closing of the Guantanamo Bay started moving towards the White House. The stood right outside the wall and the SWAT people started moving other people away from the sidewalk.

I was also on the same side of the sidewalk when a SWAT person shouted, "This sidewalk is closed. Move to the other side." I was thinking," Oops !! This is going to be fun."

Everyone except the people who were protesting started moving to the other side. In all this there was this guy holding a board that read "Indict Bush Now". Now only the people in the orange suits were on the other side. Now from no where a bus came into the scene. Its all happening right there, like in a movie. Now there was an announcement. "This sidewalk is closed. Anyone on the sidewalk will be arrested." No one moved. They started arresting people. Putting handcuffs, removing their masks, taking pictures, all happening right there.. and I was taking pictures.

Oh.. what a day.. saw the White House, the action, the suspense and the drama. Of course, no Obama.

All we can do is take Pictures!!!!

I recently got a chance to go to the Museum of National History in Washington D.C. I got to admit its very nice and a very beautiful place. There are lot of wonders there. Some things that we can't see anywhere else. 

But when I came across the Hope Diamond it was a whole different feeling. Sign below it read "Hope Diamond, 45.52 carats, India" I felt like why here?? why not its in India? I felt all the goodies from India are kept across the world and all we can do is go visit and take pictures. 

Same is the case with Kohinoor diamond in London. And so is the Shah Jahan's Peacock Throne also in London. Well true is the fact that these things were brought from the countries which were ruled by other nations but truly they belong to the county of their origin. 

The Hope Diamond is the Center piece attraction in the Gems collection in the Museum. Its the most famous piece of the entire collection. Actually myth runs that it was stolen from the eye of an idol of Indian Goddess "Sita".  

The room was crowed with a lot of people. All around the glass case trying to take a picture of the Hope Diamond. Seeing the precious diamond in the glass case in the center of the hall surrounded with people trying to get a glimpse of it all I was thinking, "All I can do is takes pictures and go home."

The Rubik's Cube Guy!!

We come across lots of people while we are travelling. Some are ok, some bore us and some entertain us. Well something like that happened to me on the way to DC from Dallas.

Everyone knows about Rubik's cube. Its a puzzle cube which has 6 colors and we have to arrange all the colors by twisting and turning the cube. The biggest I ever saw was a 3 x 3 x 3 cube. Now they have 7 x 7 x 7. Well I didn't knew that.

So I was sitting in my seat and an Asian guy may be from China or Japan came and sat next to me. I was solving sudoku from the book in the aircraft. This guy opened his bag and took out a big cube. I was thinking " Is that a Rubik's cube? hmm.... Let me count how many colors... OMG 7. Do they make that". He started solving it. I stopped my sudoku, kept the book away (It looked stupid in front of the cube).

35 minutes passed and I can see its almost done. 45 minutes its over. He kept the cube down on my side of the tray and drank his tomato juice and said to me "Can you scramble it for me?" I said "Wait let me take a picture first". I took a picture and then scrambled the cube. Then I said " How does it look? Do you think you can compete it before we reach DC?" He replied "Let's see. Its pretty messed up though".

30 minutes later I can see the colors arranging in the pattern. 50 minutes he finished it again. Man I was amazed. In a flight of two and half hours he finished it twice. I said "You are quick." He replied "I screwed in the middle otherwise it would have been over long back". I asked " So I think you can finish the 3 x 3 x 3 cube in like what 5 minutes." He replied "Actually 2 minutes." I am like oops that was a dumb question on my part.

So I took a picture of the guy with the cube. I thought well that was a good entertaining flight for me. Hopefully I will come across people like him I future flight where there will be a free show of skill and talent.