Canon EOS Rebel T2i...

Finally my love is in my hands... And it feels so nice to hold it. It is what I have been yearning for all my life.. :)



Please checkout my Photography Blog and comment...

First Macbook Air Experience...

I have been quietly using the new MacBook Air for the last 3 days. I haven’t written about it until now, because, frankly I have been in love with it that I didn't find time to write about it. Using it for 8–12 hours a day over the last few days, refreshing my memory on all the fancy shortcuts, and primarily playing around with LION. I can honestly say it is the best computer I have ever owned.

I am impressed by this model’s size and style, I couldn’t imagine it replacing my other laptops. I purchased the 13″ Air with 128GB flash storage, the 1.7GHz i5, and 4GBs of RAM, and this configuration seems already faster than my other laptops.

Here’s what I love about the Air:

It’s incredibly light and thin. It weighs less than 3 pounds and is only .68 inch thick. The battery lasts a long time. Apple says “up to 7 hours.” In my experience it is 6–8 hours, depending on what I am doing. I guess I no longer have to take an airline power cord, except for international flights. It is really fast. This surprised me. Though the processor is only rated at 1.7GHz, the Air feels much faster. This is probably due to the flash drive, which makes programs and files load faster.

It boots in less than 45 seconds. If the computer is completely off, from the time I press the on switch to the time I get the login screen is 15 seconds. After entering my password, everything is loaded and ready to go in another 30 seconds. The other thing I love is the backlit keyboard. This is really nice in low-light situations like an airplane at night.

If you are in the market for a new laptop, I recommend taking a look at the Air, especially if you have been considering a product from APPLE. If i can afford a Mac hereafter, I can’t imagine going back to a bigger machine. :)

Who am I?

This I wonder every time when friends/family ask me for guidance for their US admissions. I think I know quite well as to what one must expect from Universities in the US, their fee structures, opportunities to get funding, so on and so forth. I am glad to help out people, but by the end of day, I ask myself the question -- is my guidance correct, are they heading in the right direction based on what I suggest? Will get to know the answers to these questions soon. I also plan to start a blog on Admissions in US. Any suggestions or volunteers to help me out here? Any help there would be greatly appreciated.

Power of pictures...

I usually like to write about my adventures, but due to the lack of time... my San Juan trip will speak for itself via pictures...

https://picasaweb.google.com/106377474803750489730/LaborDay2011SanJuanIslands?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMOhkbSrgaLW3AE&feat=directlink

Enjoy :)

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Life continuum

Days have passed by since I last blogged... I should say months, but that makes me feel vulnerable that I didn't take care of my blog. Not that I have been super busy, but I rather was trying to establish a repertoire with the company in my first few months. Which now, I feel I have accomplished. I feel sorry for the many gtalk offliners, texts, FB wall posts, tweets and IM's that I have missed, but my dear friends, Abi was working towards achieving a goal which you all are part of. I hope am forgiven!

Now let's talk about me. I've had a promising start to my career, thankful to the company for providing the opportunity. Commitments in life are starting to weigh in, with my wishlist adding up. First bullet point - I am looking to buy a car(for those of you who don't know my personal crush -- I am wanting to buy an AUDI). I hope to slowly fulfill one at a time, and keep everyone posted.

Weekdays at work are convincingly longer, but the happiness from "being here, doing that" is priceless. Also, learning is an evolving process, so everyday is interesting.
Weekends for now have been shopping, cooking/baking(learning new things) and of course filing expenses ;) I wouldn't call that a routine life, coz every other week, I have done some interesting things..

Example: in the last 2 weeks, I have totally fallen in love with Kayaking. Will post a new blog about my experience in San Juan Island, but that's where I first did kayaking. And for a beginner to directly dive into sea-kayaking was an overwhelming experience. I didn't capsize, thanks to Andrew and his introductory lessons. Being on a two-person kayak, Anu and I did a fairly decent job of keeping up with our team of experienced kayakers. However, while kayaking back to the shore reverse currents in the sea didn't help. I realized even after gym, my arm strength is nil when compared to the strength of the sea ;) That's not an understatement. But given that experience, river-kayaking was way simpler and smooth. Partly because I also learnt not to waste a lot of energy by pushing the paddle, but smoothing my motion. If only kayaks were not this expensive, I would have obviously got one by EOD yesterday.. Well, for sure this is now added to my wishlist :)

Given all this fun and work, I have somehow lost my sleep for days, if not weeks. To add to it, I don't remember the last time I drank milk. Lack of morning coffee always has a negative impact on me, i tend to feel low and lazy, and it affects my sleep. So on this weekend, I am planning to stay home, eat properly, get my routine back by hitting the gym.

Gym has been my best pal forever.. I go there, I forget what/who exists around me. "It's MY TIME"...I get my workout with my share of music, feel energized! Must admit, kayaking on a day is equal to two days of workout at the gym. So I am not complaining much, but kayaking experience for now is done, I will hit the gym.. Soon, will update on skiing coz winter will be here :D YAY!!

I miss blogging which is an integral part of my life. Will be here quite often here after.

would miss my lil cousins...

There's a whole lot of new happenings around here and it's all so fast, I'm not sure I'll be ready!

Change #1: A big transition from being completely swamped with thesis work to sitting idle at home(pretending to rest). This was one hell of a week where I still couldn't come to terms with myself, after those sleepless nights.
Change #2: In a few weeks from all that drama, I will be moving out of the house that nourished me in the last 3 years, a family that I will miss forever in my life.
Change #3: Though I am moving to a place that is quite familiar to me now, I still feel like I will be a stranger there first up. Need to get settled in a house, start working, buy a car, and then start my daily routines...huh, no comments.

It all started with the realization that I am leaving this family. It made me funk for days. I don't want to say goodbye to this house and the little ones that grew up with me. There is an 8-year old who loves me, and a 2-year old who grew up with me since his day 1. I'm not ready to leave behind his tiny little hands, the cute little smile and hug I get every time he sees me, the bed where he snuggled with me to catch that extra minutes of sleep, after he wakes up from a nap and so on.

Leaving this house is forcing me to realize that he's growing up so fast and for the first time ever I'm noticing that my little baby isn't so much a little baby anymore. It's breaking my heart that so many days slipped right between my fingers and there is nothing I can do to ever get them back. How did that happen?

I've never been good with change. I constantly crave for it but when it finally happens I have the hardest time saying goodbye. Becoming someone who took care of him makes this ten times worse because practically everything you touch becomes a cherished memory. But that is how life is, and we all learn to live with it. I will miss them for sure, but it is time for me to move on..

Love you Nikhil & Nivedha...This one is for you :)

Scrubs...

Can't miss this show if you are in the US.. Yes, I am watching the complete show for a second time, not to mention I randomly pick episodes when I feel like...

My best time pass, given that I am bored...

Folks, Scrubs is awesome..Watch it !

Farewell to George Mason University

Every beginning has an end. And every end is a new beginning. It's a relentless cycle seen in every aspect of our lives. College graduation is no exception. A year starts; a year ends, only to give birth to another. That is how I felt for two and half years. As much as I anticipate the start of a new year, I know that fate says it will cease. The weeks pass and I engulf myself in all things related to college life: studying hard, working even harder, debating on every decision made. But, somewhere in the back of my mind, I know that as every week passes, the end draws near.

This past weekend and the weekends upcoming marks for most colleges a tradition simply known as—Graduation—a day set aside to honor those who got through college with hard work, some with luck, but everyone who will cherish every last minute of their college life. Bittersweet to say the least.

For two to three years(for some, it's been 6-7 years), everyone who wore the green robe(George Mason University) have put their heart and soul into trying hard to win this game called college life. They've logged hundreds of hours with the books, in front of the computers/laptops, and many sleepless nights in the couches. And let's not forget the time spent in class to fulfill academic requirements—the lectures, the exams, the labs, and the study groups. No, it hasn't been easy, but it has been worth every minute. They've tried their best to be the best, and have probably succeeded, some failed, but nevertheless everyone experienced college life and learned a lot through the years. They've laughed; they've cried; they've leaped; they've fallen down; they've felt the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

But now it's over.

It's like, when the whistle blows at the end of the fourth quarter, it'll be the last time they'll hear that sound on their home field. The last time they'll stand in the middle of thousands upon thousands of adoring fans. The last time they'll hear the band play the music that carried them through the years.

Sure, many of the grads will find a job and even earn large paychecks for doing what they love to do, or at least trying to, but deep inside their beings they know that it won't measure up to the fun they had in college. Because it is a professional world out there, and everyone has to grow up being who they will eventually be. Life never lets us be kids forever. What every one of us dreamed about since we started college - A happy job with paychecks giving us the freedom to do whatever we want to. The dream was in every way exactly how you imagined it to be.

On this graduation day, most of them will have their parents or friends on the sidelines to hug and smile and most assuredly take pictures, trying to freeze this moment in time. You can feel the warmth when they hug you, they are feeling the same emotion but somehow can't describe it. And when you look up into the stands, up at them as they watch in awe of such a spectacle, it is worth framing the seconds. To all those whose family couldn't make it on that day, I bet you, there were thousands of people cheering you, you were not alone. And especially there is always a close friend of yours, who would be there to cheer for you, make sure you are not alone, who, even as you promise you would be there for their graduation, knows the utter lie behind that commitment.

Finally, the whistle has blown, the game is over, it's time to go home. And as these players walk out through the tunnel one last time, another group is coming in for the first. So begins the cycle once again.

Thanks for the memories, George Mason University. IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT.
To all the graduates, good luck in whatever the future holds.

Mason Graduate 2011

One last hurdle to cross, but that is just a meter tall... Done with the defense and my thesis was approved this afternoon. Weeks of sleepless days n nights, tensed moments, craving for results, etc.., is all over. Now all I need to do is make the modifications to my thesis and submit it on Friday. When I think of it now, it was all worth it !!
For once felt like I deserved it , given the amount of effort i put on this. It was my baby and I took care of it rather well. I will cherish this moment forever, and would hope for many more challenges ahead, where i can prove myself. After all, life's journey never ends...

Mason Graduate 2011, the name says it all.... Thanks to all those kind hearts that supported me.. ♥ u all....

Thesis defense and Convocation pics will be uploaded soon.

I told you I cannot stay away from my blog!

Nights after posting that I would not blog till I finish my thesis, I have posted one and visited my blog quite a few times. Guess that is what my blog does to me. Well, I decided to write this conjointly with my thesis writing because after all I need a break from my work! Of course, I am refraining myself from friends and family, coz I get involved in some random talk which would eat up my time, but hey, who is gonna disturb me now apart from myself ;)

As I write this, many thoughts run into my mind -- this would be my 5th presentation in College, 8th in the US! Even after giving so many presentations, I still don't possess a formal suit. Makes me wonder why.. Not that I cannot afford it, but just that I never got a chance to wear one. For presentations in the University, we could always wear a jeans and shirt :) and even better - in Intel, one of the leading hardware companies in the world, my presentations never demanded me to be dressed formal. But this is a big moment in my life, I am presenting my work in the last 1 year or so, and they expect me to be dressed in a business-like suit. So will head to Macy's or JCP or the likes this week and look around for one. Will hopefully find one in my size. Ah, speaking of my size, is it thesis that made me lose weight or am i really losing weight coz of other reasons ??!??! Again, it is hard to find a suit for my size because, I am 'Size 2' and not many shops have suits for my size. GGGGrrrrr....:|

So, say I find a suit, you would wonder what next? 17th is my thesis defense and once the committee approves of it, which I hope they will (after grilling me of course), I would have to make any changes they suggest and submit before 5pm on Friday the 20th. And then PAaaaaRrrrrTttttttYyyyyy TIME :D

Oh yeah, I need to buy another dress... And guess what it is for !??!? My convocation on the 19th. After all, achievements deserve a little pat on the back.

Well, I will not celebrate as yet. Days of work ahead for me, and my sleepless nights are gonna continue for a week or so.. Will get back once I am done.

Mesmerised in her thoughts...

I might be old enough to face life, but every minute there's a big decision involved in life, I consult her. She is someone who taught me to take decisions in life, so she knows I would never be wrong, but the happiness she feels when I seek her advice, its worth it to see those few seconds of smile on her face.

However, when I was little, "I'm gonna tell your mom" was the scariest sentence ever. But that scare turned into joy every time, because I always got maximum love from the lady who could do nothing wrong for me. She had been tolerant to all my mistakes, kept all my secrets, inspired me to try, and when I failed she made me try again.

Proud to say, "That’s my Mom"... And MAA KASAM, I LOVE YOU :)

Loads of respect from your ever-loving daughter...

Almost after a year....

I just realized how much I missed my blog! Yeah, it's been almost a year, and I haven't signed off a single post -- Thanks to my work :(
With my thesis coming to an end this May, and me graduating, I hope i would have time in the future to concentrate on blogging!

Till then, Adios amigos.
Take care.