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.