the souvenir on my butt!

The 6 inch gash on my butt from the hiking at Jessi's still hurts. If I sit awkwardly, walk or stretch, it stings. I somehow feel worse for the pair of jeans that I tattered due to the slip because they weren't mine..

[Listening to: Turn the Tides - 38th Parallel - Turn the Tides (2:49)]

slooooow!

Damn! I slept through the friggin' alarm again and woke up at 10.15. I showered and tottered to work to find out that Greg got to work late too. We spent all day working on a single glass sample. We were trying to find the temperature at which the precipitate melted. We however got really good density and Tg measurements. I stayed over late because I got to work late. I then went running with Jessi. We took my route but our pace was quicker than what I normally ran at. It normally took me 20 minutes to run in my circuit but with Jessi, we did it it 17 mins. I was out of breath by the time I was done. It's a good thing that I can keep running and pushing myself to go farther than I normally would. I played 3 player racquetball with Matt and Amanda. Both me and Matt played hard while Amanda didn't. I talked to Matt later and he told me that she didn't have fun playing. Maybe if I play with them again, I need to slow my pace down. I think the best way to play is 1-1 so that noone gets left out. I was out of most of my food, so me and Jessi did a grocery run straight after exercising. I replenished my supplies and got back and showered and ate. I am planning on finishing my meat mix before it goes bad. I had to throw away half of my loaf of bread because it had fungus. I talked to Sagnik for a while. And then Jessi came over to return my keys and we talked for a while. And then I talked to Doll for a couple of hours about life, love and everything in between. I went to bed at 2 again! I am functioning offa 6 hours of sleep during the week. But thats not going to stop me from talking on the phone with the people I care about. I can always catch up on sleep during the weekend.

[Listening to: Won't Go Away - Vertical Horizon - GO (3:52)]

A few pictures from my weekend with Jessi. It was one of the best weekends ever!

The making of a bale 

Me with the calf 

Jessi on her calf 

Jessi and Dustin with their horses 

Me with one of the horses 

contact with bhav finally!

I checked mail in the morning to find an email from Bhavya replying to the ecard I sent to her on her birthday. It had been a couple of weeks since I had talked to her. She seems to be awefully busy and having internet problems. So, for now email should suffice she can't come online and chat. This is good.

what a weekend!

I got up in the morning to Jessi calling me and telling me that she was headed down to the writing center to start her 150 hours of paid work. I got ready and was about to head down there when she called again and said that she couldn't take it anymore down there. And then asked me to come home with her out of the blue and asked me to get ready in 25 minutes..lol! I got ready in about half an hour and we were on our way. I carried a book and my camera to try out there and basic necessities.. This would be the second time that I was going to spend a weekend on a farm. She lives about an hour east of Cedar Rapids. We got there around 2 and I noticed that the house and the surrounding garden and lawn was almost like that of Kit's. They had a wooden front porch with a swing. I got to meet her whole family then. I had seen Luke, her older brother before at Coe. The last time I saw Dustin was at one of his cross country meets which Jessi took me to. We had Sheik kababs which was pronounced Sheesh Kebabs. It was really good. I enjoyed the wholesome home cooked meal of the kebabs, corn, potatoes and the dessert, strawberry pie. She showed me around the house and then around the farm. She showed me her cows and a calf. I tried taking a picture with the calf but the picture turned out fuzzy unfortunately. I saw how a bale was made for the first time. If people want to get tanned, they should farm because all the guys in the house were brown! Jessi is tanned, but she is pale in comparision to her brothers. I took a picture of the bale coming out of the tractor that made bales. I then went along with Jessi and her brothers and father to de-pole. It's removing poles from the ground so that the fence can be extended. We also had to remove barbed wire off the poles before we could get the poles off the ground. I got stratched from the long grass and weeds and from the barbed wire..hehe.. It was very interesting to say the least. They also rent lot of land around which is currently on ten-year. They have a cabin by a river and she took me there to show the recent beach due to the flooding from the river. I also met her horses and pet em' and took a few pictures with them. We went to a graduation party for dinner. And then from there, Jessi, me and Dustin went to one of Jessi's better friend's home. We watched American Wedding. That movie is HILARIOUS! I couldn't stop laughing throughout the movie and I have seen it several times. Doll called me when I was there but I hardly had any reception there so I couldn't talk to her. I had little reception in her hometown.
The next day, Jessi woke me up at 10 instead of 8 because all of them woke up late. They were "supposed" to go to church..hehe.. Her mom made strawberry pancakes which were wonderful! And then, her dad opened up all his father's day presents. And then for the father's day activities, we went cave watching. We hiked around in one of their rented lands. Pretty early in the hike, I slipped on the slope and tore the jeans I was wearing. I slipped about 4 feet and broke a tree that would have been useful on the climb up..oops.. My butt hurt after that, I think it cut my butt and I touched around to see if there was any blood. I think there was a bit but not a whole lot. I was ok. Hiking is thrilling because I don't want to slip, so with my heart in my mouth, I was extremely careful. I think I was slowing them down because I was paying a lot of attention to my foot and handholds. It was a fantastic experience like the one I had with andi and her family. This was just a level higher in thrill factor. Jessi's lil brother was watching out for me which was good becuase he was the one who broke my fall earlier. Her mom's an avid photographer, so she was taking pictures of us hiking. After that I got back and showered. And then headed over to her grandparent's house for dinner. I met her extended paternal family. She apparently is not too close with them. We shot hoops outside till the tacos arrived. And then we ate. I sat there and watched her family talk. It reminded me of my extended family back home. I don't know if they have ever been around an international student before or not because they kept looking at me. Especially one of the 16 year old cousins. I noticed that she kept looking at me but wouldn't come forward and talk..strange! The funniest part was that they thought I was Jessi's boyfriend. I don't know what would have given them that idea because Jessi told them I had a girlfriend. I just laughed when Jessi told me that. We head back to Coe around 8.30 and got back to my room at 9.15. I finally called Doll and talked to her for a bit. And then I went upstairs to talk to Matt, Amanda and Jill. It's fun talking to them about different things.

[Listening to: Not Of This Earth - Robbie Williams - Bridget Jones' Diary OST (4:41)]

a fun night out!

Friday was our most productive day yet. We made 3 glasses and ran Tg's and densities on them. We got really good results. The 3.0 turned out to be more crystal than glass but since we weren't sure we just ran a Tg because having any crystal would screw up a proper density run. We also made another 2.5 for a combined density and the Tg for the 0.2 to make Doc happy. So I had a relatively busy day at work and didn't really get to read my book a whole lot. I left at 4.30 because I got to work early. I went running for about 25 minutes on a longer route which had more uphill runs and it seems like i can run faster than what I thought because I ran farther than usual. And then I found Jon at the racquet center and played racquet ball with him. It felt nice to play again because it had been over 3 months since i'd played it last and I like this game. I did weights there as well because the fitness center closed early on friday. I got back and showered.
            I found a message on my phone from Jessi and called her back. She asked me if I wanted to eat out with her and I thought it was great idea. So, we decided to go to Olive Garden since I had never been there before and Jessi loves Olive Garden. I dressed up a bit because I was always in casual attire. I got there and saw that Jessi decided to dress up as well because she hasdn't made up for quite some time. She looked wonderful, but then she looks good anyway. It was really funny because we were both dressed to go out. She had to drop something off at American Eagle so we first went to the Mall. She was thinking about buying a swimsuit and we looked around for some. I laughed when I saw some poca dotted bikinis because that song for the yogurt came to mind with the poca dotted bikini. She picked up a diamond ring brochure from a shop on the way out because she was looking for a ring for her father. So right before we entered Olive Garden, she suggested jovially that we say we were engaged and try to scam a free cheese cake. It probably would have worked because she carried the diamond book in to browse. We got seated and the guy who served us got me some wine even without asking for my id..hehe.. and then we got soup and lots of breadsticks which were awesome. I got the fettuccinni with steak in it because it was apparently new on the menu and it was also one of the most expensive meal on the menu, i thought about it for a sec and then realized that I was earning and could spurlge a bit. It was great, although I couldn't finish it. It was a $20 meal which really isn't that bad. We talked a lot and I found out that she liked diamonds "Princess Cut" or square cut. She already knows what kind of ring she wants for her wedding..wow! We left and went back to her apartment to watch movies. I wish I had my camera so that I could have taken a picture of us dressed up since that really doesn't happen a lot..shucks! We first watched Kill Bill Vol.1 because she hadn't seen it yet. She liked the movie and we might go and see Vol. 2 sometime this week because I want to see the second one too. And then we watched Bowling for Columbine. Damn, I am not an American and that makes me feel really sad. It's regarding gun control. I want to see that movie with Andi sometime. After watching the movie, Jessi was nearly in tears and so we talked about that and then went on to other issues. We share a lot of the same viewpoints on issues because she is pretty liberal. The only thing that creeps her out is the cloning issue, which I admit is creepy when it comes to human cloning because I don't see anything good in the long run from it. Got back at 2! This was one of the most fun nights I've had and I got to know Jessi a lot better..life and love.. She has the hots for a guy in the army rangers. I hope he writes her soon..

[Listening to: Change Your Mind - Sister Hazel - Bedazzled Soundtrack (3:58)]

a lithium high?

I inhaled quite a bit of the airborne lithium borate particles because the powder is very light. And when I told Doc about that today, he said that lithium is actually good for the body and it is a food additive. Don't know if it helps in the energy level of the body or not because I wasn't tired after yesterday's run and workout.. maybe I need to sniff some more..hehe..just kidding. I am wearing a face mask while working with lithium precipitates now.. Time to go make my glass. Trying to see if the 3.0 lithium makes glass or not because Doc think 2.7 is the glass forming limit. I guess I have to wait and see..

This is an awesome picture with all but one of my cousins on my mom's side. This was taken at Udit's house, my cousin's new hubby. I had such a wonderful time in India:-)!! 

found the web site for the diamond stuff I was looking for

I was browsing to look for website that talked about the possible upheaval in the gem industry due to Apollo and Gemesis. I found the parent news article.
Wired News - The New Diamond Age

time @ speed of light

I got to work and started making the next glass. Chris gets there before me but forgets to switch on the furnaces. That means that I have to wait the extra 30 mins to put my sample in. The molten glass was like water and not a bit viscous and when I roller quenched it, I poured it all out. And because it fell in the same spot, I think it pushed the rollers apart by just that much and a huge chunk of crystal was formed. So, we didn't have a good yield for density but had enough for the DSC. So when Greg got in, I gave him the glass and he did the DSC runs. Today's values were pretty close to the literature ones. But the one we made yesterday, the 2.0's Tg was off by almost 20 degrees. It's a matter of slight concern but I think it also has to do with the glass making procedure and starting constituents. We don't have any carbon dioxide retention in the glass but the trade off at higher alkali content is the hygroscopic nature of the glass. Doc told us that the glass making range stops at 2.7, but we will try doing our 3.0 in air and if that doesnt work, then in the glove box under nitrogen. We also have to get a Tg for the 0.2 glass, apparently Doc thinks that results could be important. I guess we will see tomorrow when the precipitate is done. We were going to make a glass after lunch but I couldn't find any crucibles. Plus we had a talk at 3 that we were supposed to sit and listen to. So, we didn't make a glass in the afternoon. When Doc heard about that later, he was kinda pissed even though we explained the problem. And then he heard about the crucible situation and he blew his cap. We walked around and accounted for all the crucibles. So, we found 13 and Mario got out the 2 new ones. So now we have a cumalative of 15 crucibles worth $800 a pop. I am the crucible "guru" apparently and essentially am responsible for 15*800=$12,000 worth of pure platinum crucibles. I wish there was a way to tag them to keep track of them better. Doc will have a talk with everyone tomorrow about the right procedures involving the crucibles and hoarding. I also finished the first job of action as the Physics Club secretary which was the Annual Society of Physics Students Report for the Coe College chapter. As I was writing it up, I realize we do a shitload of stuff for a small school. Damn!
         I have to talk about something that Mario showed us during the presentation. There was diagram of electronic transitions and its common knowledge that photons have quantised energy and they jump from one energy level to another. But apparently they found something strange happening quantum mechanically where the photon ws going half way to the next energy level and then returning to its original energy state. Apparently this happens in the order of atto seconds (10^-18). This is incredibly minuscule amount of time but due to that, this phenomenon falls between the range of the Heisenberg Uncertainity Principle involving time and energy. This is just mind boggling because for that minute amount of time, the law of conservation of energy is violated. If this has actually been tested, then this strengthen's my belief in the Big Bang Theory because the only thing I was unable to understand was how the theory worked with the conservation of energy. I remember Doc telling me about the big bang theory, conservation of energy and the uncertainity principle all tied in somehow. Now it make more sense. I talked to Doc about the big bang theory because I was talking about it in my Science vs Religion paper for my honors composition.
         I got back and ran the same circuit I usually do in lesser time and I wasn't wiped the way I normally am at the end of the run. I did try to maintain the same speed through out the run. It makes me feel so good, my stamina is increasing I think or maybe I need to run faster. I also did a lot of weights. Slowly but surely my strength's also increasing. I feel awesome after the workout, albeit while showering I can't lift my hand too far over my shoulder because the arm is so sore..hehe..I talked to Kevin for a while because I haven't seen him for a few days. He is spending time with his girlfriend who is visiting him from Seattle. He is really happy, I am glad for him. They talk all the time and its nice to see so much of love in a couple. He also asked about Britta and how she was doing. He calls her a "baby girl". lol.. I laugh because I know better..hahaha.. She is now under our protection, like we are the mafia or something, you touch her and you die bitch. God, me and Kevin crack each other up. And we also talked about the same thing Komal brought up in April. It is a bit disconcerting... I wonder if I need to do things differently. Something to think about...
         I had a lot of energy after my workout even with my arms being sore. I wanted to play racquetball, so I might play with Matt, the guy next door or his girl friend if she wants to. I finished the left over indian food and watched TV. I chatted with some of my friends from India. They have another couple of weeks of summer break. Atleast I got to talk with my parents last night after telling 3 people to call my parents and tell them to call me..hehe..

[Listening to: Tea and Sympathy - Jars of Clay - Much Afraid (4:51)]

i miss my parents!

my parents kept sending me text messages to my cell phone and I replied but i don't think it reached them. I don't know why I can't text message outside the US with verizon. And they called me just after I left to pee. What luck! I text messaged two of my cousins so that they could tell my parents to try calling again. I don't know if yahoo messenger sent the messages through or not. I hope it did. Well, I guess I just have to wait and see. I think I will call verizon customer support and talk to them about the international text messaging.

[Listening to: Last Chance - JET - Get Born (1:52)]

looking for signs of buffness

I got to work early today and made a glass and ran tests by myself. I was very relaxed in the morning, I don't think I have been so relaxed in the morning before. I didn't get anymore sleep than usual, I went to bed around 1 and woke up at 7.30 pretty easily. Greg came in at 10.30..woke up after a 16 hour nap! thats quite a nap alright. We had the Wednesday lunch today which was indian cuisine. There was a lot of food and people here really like indian food because it has a lot of tasty veg options. I stuffed myself yet again. As I am writing now, I am not hungry the least bit.
         The talk along with the lunch was about Diamonds which was very interesting. Apparently a company called Apollo has a method that makes immaculate artificial diamonds upto 3.5 cts. This is amazing because it is indistingiushable from naturally occuring diamonds. It's also flawless. De Beer's is so threatened by this that one of their top executives threatened someone high up in Apollo with a bullet hole in the head. Smells like a revolution in the gem industry specially the $7 billion diamond industry. Looks like De Beers might lose big money and their shares might plummet.
         I spent most of the afternoon updating the report for the Society of Physics Students since I am the current Physics Club secretary. And then I spent the rest of the afternoon looking at grad schools which have nanotechnology research because thats been my intended field of speciality for a while. Lets see how that goes. I was looking at Vanderbilt, Duke, Brown, Purdue and Cornell so far. These are really tough colleges to get into. I have to do really well at school and the necessary examinations prior to applying. I think I am going to find literature on nanotech to read. I got back and Jessi called me telling me that she was going to Walmart and I could go and work out on my own. I ran on the inside track because it seemed like it could rain. I did 26 minutes straight and then double sets of all weights. I am tired now! I am blogging early because there is nothing on TV. I might watch one of the movies I have to kill time.
         I am taking a break from the Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie. I am kinda dissapointed in myself because I finished only 66 pages in the past week. I usually gobble books in a couple of days. This book is not pleasurable reading, it's something you would do for a literature class. As the title mentions, all the text in form of verses which makes it hard to read and there is a lot of allegory and hidden meaning to every single sentence. It's just too intense for me now. I might start that up at Japan or on the flight there. But I started The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason. It's hyped to be on the lines of the books by Dan Brown. It's good so far. I started that today during work and got through about 25 pages. I might just keep that for work because if I start reading now, I'll finish the book tonight.

[Listening to: Last Train Home - Lostprophets - Start Something (4:03)]

something different

I got to work at exactly 9 again instead of the planned 8. I seem to be snoozing from the time I hear the alarm to 8.40 precisely which is really strange. Doc was late by a few minutes so everything was cool. He was happy with the steady progress during the time he was away. I tried out the R=5 sodium borate which is almost 80% metal in the glass. But the higher speed roller quenching didn't do much good because I got more crystal than glass. So I am now done with the sodium family and we have moved on to lithium. We made our first glass today and got good results. During the time Greg was doing the glass, I was engaged in my visa application process. I got a letter from the consulate saying that I didn't have a financial statement. I faxed my W-2 but that wasn't legible. So I scanned and sent the email. They checked it and told me that I didn't earn enough money for them to be confident about my financial status in Japan. So Doc framed a letter with all the money specifics and I faxed that again. This time they told me that it was good enough so I went ahead and mailed it. MTV's Boiling Point cracks me up..
            I got back and just chilled and watched TV. I was waiting for Jessi to call so that we could go running and do weights. We ran for a mile, reduced to a walk and stretched and then ran another mile back. We ran for about 15 minutes which was shorter than I normally go. But I also did a sprint and weights after that. I got back, showered and ate a sandwich and finished my V8 smoothies. I talked to Britta for over an hour and a half. It was good to talk to her again, she tells me that her parents are driving her insane and she has been there only for 9 days! And then I told Matt to come over after his shower and we talked as well. And now, I am chatting with recently married cousin. She really misses her hubby who is at London for work.. I know what she is going through, been there.. I haven't talked to Andi for about a week. I miss her.

[Listening to: Mary - Sarah McLachlan - Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (3:55)]

She was my first American female friend at Coe. I got to know Jessi and roomies really well since first semester freshmen year. She's really cool and a special friend at Coe! 

I got mail!!

Well, I talked to Doll last night and the conversation ended around 1 PM. I needed her input on certain questions I had. It's been hard to get a hold of her because she talks to one of her friends around the time I try to call her. We talked about how to get around that as well. In the process of heading towards the restroom to brush and got to bed, I saw the next door open and people talking. So I popped in and introduced myself. There was a guy and two girls. I ended up talking to them till 2.30! I didn't even realize that it had gotten that late. I have never before met younger people so intelligent and well-informed about issues. One of the girls was very vocal and I talked to her more that the other two. But one of the reasons for that was that she wasn't really give them time to respond to my questions. But, I have a feeling I might get to know them more in the summer because I am usually free and like have people to talk to and hang out with. They are Carver scholar kids who will be doing research in the science departments. They have given one student per research faculty member. They have interesting times ahead.. I'll try to help them on the way if they need any help.
         Woke up to my alarm but didn't wake up till 8.40. Damn, I thought I could be in at work at 8 and make more glass. I got there and 9.15 and realized that there was a safety meeting at 10. So I couldn't start stuff until after that. Greg made a lot of solutions which should hopefully be done tomorrow. I then checked the tracking on my camera and found out that it had been delivered. Headed straight to the mailroom and got my package and deposited the cheque as well. I had been waiting for the cheque for about a week. I saw a hilarious hidden camera show on MTV where the show sets a time and whoever lasts that long gets $100. The funniest one was to see how long a girlfriend could last without lashing out when made jealous.. I laughed my guts out! I called verizon when I got to work and they answered my questions about the roaming minutes. And I also talked to the Japanese consulate and they need a financial statement and I will be faxing them my W2. Got back from work and went running. I did a different circuit which was 10 minutes uphill, 3 minutes downhill and 8 minutes flat terrain. I also sprinted about 50 metres at the end. Rob helped me do weights today evening. I had a longer weights session and I tried new exercises and stretches. I stretched a lot after running so I am not as sore as I normally am. I hung out with Jessi most of the evening. I just got back from watching 21 grams with her. That's one weird movie where they keep flashing back to the past and then going to the future and then to the present. It was pretty disorienting. There was a scene when someone was doing self multilation which made both me and Jessi gag. I ate some pasta salad with her that she got from home. I am going to run and do weights with her tomorrow evening.

[Listening to: Singing In my Sleep - Semisonic - Feeling Strangely Fine (4:30)]

This is Bhavya, my best friend from Hyderabad, India. She has seen me through some tough times.. 

A new addition to the crazy macher_jhol clan

We found out last week that my aunt/sis is going to have a kid next february. I am very excited about it because I might actually be the one of the first people from the family to see the baby since I live in the US. I will definitely visit her sometime after her baby comes. I talked to her today and she seems positively buoyant about being "preggy" as she calls it. She has already started looking and shopping for maternity clothes. Tubldi and Anil have interesting times ahead. And apparently, I will be helping with the diapers because she told me that I was going to do it. I talked to mum and dad and some people at Gurgaon today morning. I wish I could talk to them longer than a few minutes. I also want to talk to Robi. I finally chatted with Britta since she's been home. I might get to chat or call her tomorrow evening. And god knows where the hell bhavya is. She has summer vacations but she is unable to come online to chat. ****!

[Listening to: Not Enough - 3 Doors Down - The Better Life (8:05)]

This is Komal, a sister if I ever had one at Coe. I've been told that we look like two spoilt rich asian kids. That cracked me up! 

Two drop dead gorgeous babes. This is how my girl and Britta look when all snazzed up. And oh, this was at Voorhees before we headed over to homecoming 2003. 

That's Inga in her new car. I like the color..almost pinkish red. She is a wonderful person I got to know when she was a semester long exchange student from Landau, Germany at Coe. I was her diplomat. 

This is Kristin at Presidential Ball 2004. I danced one number with her that night. She looked really good and had a lot of fun. Happier times... 

overcharged!

I woke up in the morning and checked my account to find that I was overcharged by Genghis Grill. I immediately called my bank and found out that the restaurants add the extra charge but debit only the amount thats on the receipt. I was told that the superflous charge was normal..I deposited komal's cheque and replinished my account. My account's biggest nourishment is on it's way. I hope it gets to me soon because I have to pay off my dues...

[Listening to: Send It Up - Vertical Horizon - Everything You Want (3:41)]

a productive day

Another early day and for a change I woke up without the alarm promptly at 7.15. And then snoozed for another 10 minutes when I heard my phone vibrating. My parents called in the morning but before my brother got on the phone to talk to me, the call got disconnected. damn.. I got to work around 8.20 and got started on research. The day was pretty productive because we made 2 glasses and got density results using the other pyc. The reason the micropyc is not popular is due to the fact that its manual and not automatic like the ultrapyc. One thing good about the micropyc is that the time involved in the measurement is shorter by half. With Doc gone, everyone was relaxed. It was evident when half the researchers turned in late. I got out of work earlier than usual because I didn't have anything else to do at work. I got back. I was contemplating not running because it was absurdly humid outside. I also decided to carry my cd player on the run which turned out to be a bad decision because cd players skip like hell. So, I ran only for about 10 minutes and walked the rest of the way. I might buy a flash memory mp3 player for the exercising. I ate out with marty at Genghis Grill for dinner. It had been over 4 months since I've been there. I love that food! and their chocolate cake is soooo rich, yuMMMy! I just wish I had loaded the bowl up more. But it was good because I normally overeat there and this time I had the right amount I think.
         We then watched Day After Tomorrow and movie hopped to Chronicles of Riddick. They were 2 good action movies. I enjoyed both the movies. I wonder how plausible most of the science in Day after was but it was entertaining for sure. We thought Riddick was going to be horrible but were pleasantly surprised to see that it was fun. I will try to search online to see how much of the science in Day after is bunk. But the movie was really funny at times because it made several political snipes at the US administration which ranged from environmental non-policies to illegal immigration regarding Mexico to third world nations. I don't think many americans would appreciate the political direction of the movie but people who live in developing nations can relate to the movie. I still think the US not signing the Kyoto Protocol which deals with emissions of greenhouse gases is extremely negative. It clearly shows how much power the industries have behind the scenes in the policy making. This is particularly bad because US is the largest producer of greenhouse gases. The movie was sensationalist in nature but global warming will happen pretty soon at the rate we are going. There was a hint of the possible future which seems dark for mankind unless we do something about it.

[Listening to: Somewhere I Belong - Linkin Park - Meteora (3:33)]

fatigue!

My alarm didn't go off in the morning. A direct consequence of my fiddling around with it before falling asleep. I forgot to change PM to AM when I was done playing with it. But luckily, I slept early last night for a change and was awake by 8. It took my eyes 40 minutes to open up fully which was rather strange. It felt like there was a layer of something over my cornea which was preventing me from focussing. I felt much better after the shower though. I headed to work at 8.30 because Doc wanted to meet with us at 9. The meeting was another hour yet again with my day dreaming through some of it. I got reprimanded for not being there when Greg was putting the solution into the drying oven, that was funny because it sounded like Doc wanted me to babysit him through the whole process even the transportation of the solution to its day long resting place. I also asked Doc why he split $4200 42 ways because me and Ben will be there for a total of 27 days, which means the $4200 should be divided 27 ways. Anyway, he told me that the grant was made for 3 students going for 2 weeks each. I am good with the amount he is giving me although more is always good. ahh..the greediness comes out in the open.. I wanted to make more glass today but people were using the glove box and the pycs. So we just made more solutions today for precipitates. Today's weather was rather dreary and it was pouring most of the time. I got my Japan visa app stuff mailed today. I attended a talk giving an introduction to spectroscopy which was 80% a physics lecture which was hilarious because the speaker was a chemistry proffesor at coe and 20% of demonstration involving a blowtorch and UV tubelights. I left work at 4.30 because I was going shopping for a bit at 7. I had to exercise those 2 damn donuts i ate in the morning. I don't know why I had 2 because I normally have just 1. Ten minutes into the run I felt like stopping, the only thing that kept me going was the thought of burning off the calories. I ran the same circuit in the humid weather. I also did weights for 35 minutes. My muscles are sore and tight everywhere. I tried the stretches that Marty showed me. I think they did help a bit. But I still do the owws while sitting and standing and climbing stairs. Marty gave me a ride to target and bestbuy to shop. I bought microwave safe dinnerware. I wanted to buy Corelle but target doesn't carry corelle unfortunately. So instead of buying $30 dinnerware, I bought a $10 set. I followed the stereotype of students and went cheap. And god damn, rechargeable batteries are expensive. I bought 8 batteries for $27. I bought a compactflash reader at bestbuy and looked for an universal adapter to use in Japan. I have to find out what kind of plug i need before I can buy it. After getting back, I watched music videos on yahoo and I really seem to like Lostprophets. I might have to buy their cds.

[Listening to: Chap Stick, Chapped Lips And Things Like Chemistry - Relient K - X 2003 (disc 2) (3:10)]

This picture was taken by Pat Cook at Presidential Ball 2004. A bit too bright but good nonetheless. 

what a day!

I talked to Doll late last night after talking to sunny. It's really funny that Doll's older than me and I seem to be educating her in the ways of ahem...you know.. since I know some about it from varied credible sources..hehe.. Getting people out of their shell is loads of fun...hehe..:) She also knows about all facets of my life which no one else knows. And she talks to me about everything. It's so good to talk to someone without thinking because there is nothing to hide from her.
            Yeah..the late night caused my ears not to respond to my alarm. I think I slept through it again because I was supposed to be in at work at 8 and I woke up at 9! I got to work an hour and a half late. Doc wasnt pleased but softened when he heard that I had alarm issues. I also realized that Chris now has an independent project which means that he can't assist me anymore. I talked to Doc and got a new assistant. We had the Wednesday lunch today and we had food from Pancheros. I was expecting those large burritos but I was dissapointed to see make-your-own small burritos. However it was good food nonetheless. I dozed through the talk and was thinking about Andi..lol.. I really miss her already. They must be half way through to Yellow Stone. I made a lot of good glass today and saved nitrogen. But alas, a waste yet again because the pycnometer was acting temperamental. I kept trying for an hour to get it to work but it didnt give in. My glass had absorbed water so I couldn't save the sample. I have to do it all over again. This is beginning to get frustrating!
            But the thing that brightened my day up was when Doc told me how much of per diem he is going to give me. $100 a day for 13 days!!!! freaking hell, I can save so much of money, things don't get sweeter than that! And I also jogged for 25 minutes again and weights for 30 mins. My muscles are all tense but I feel good! I stretched but the muscles are still tight. I need to learn a few new stretches to go after my run. And I have been eating healthy too..Makes me feel happy all over:). Although evenings are still pretty boring here...

[Listening to: Ironic - Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill (3:49)]

sunny!

i talked to sunny for a while tonight. It was good to talk to her and catch up. She is going to visit me June 26! I am really excited to see her because I haven't seen her for about a year. Good times ahead!

[Listening to: Anthem - Blink 182 - Enema Of The State (3:36)]

my exercising regimen has begun!

My day began really early because I have to get to research at 8 in the morning. It gives us first dibs at the equipment which means we can make more glasses. Well, it works well if everything goes according to plan. Pycnometer was erratic today because it is very pressure sensitive and apparently someone had fiddled with the pressure gauge on the helium tank. So, we got bad results which in turn caused a higher density for the glass than the literature values. But thankfully Doc was happy with the results. We would have made another glass but Jon's sample jammed the rollers up and un-jamming them took the rest of the afternoon because the panels of the glove box had to be removed. They are a pain in the ass to reassemble. I also learned to use the Raman photospectrometer which was pretty cool. I have used it before at Iowa State. Both my meals were from the groceries I bought yesterday. I had roasted honey nut peanut butter and jelly and sandwich with a meat mix. And I had burritos for dinner with baby carrots and spicy ranch. I also ran for 25 minutes straight without stopping... I was so happy! Plus I lifted weights to end the exercise. Albeit I was dead tired but it felt good to start jogging again. I talked to Kevin for a while when I was at the fitness centre. But god was it humid and hot out today! And I have been chilling all evening. Chris came by to see if could buy some wine but I told him that I didn't want to risk getting caught so close to my 21st birthday. I think we will do the wine tomorrow. I talked to Andi for a short period of time but for the first time she didnt pay attention to me on the phone. It was really annoying even though I knew she had to pack. I wish she paid attention for even 5-10 minutes. But it's ok..she was busy and I got to talk to her mom and Carlo. I need to talk to Doll when she eventually gets off the phone. I need to talk to sunny about kristin. The Kristin issue is really bothering me and I need to talk to sunny which I am trying to do now.

[Listening to: It is You - Newsboys - (4:25)]

an ordinary day

It was tough to wake up at 9 today but the chat with Doll was interesting because I realized a lot of things about myself and my expectations. It's amazing how much I have adapted myself to function better here, my expectations keep getting modified. Day at research was ok.. We had a long meeting with Doc and we figured a game plan for the rest of the june since I will be gone in July. Hopefully we can stick to that and have a uneventful period at research where things get done systematically without bloopers. I got my fedex billing fixed because I was overcharged by about $110. I also got the cashier's cheque for the visa. And then I went grocery shopping. Jessi called me as I was almost done with shopping but she told me that there was a cheaper place to buy stuff. So I put back everything I bought at Hy-Vee and went shopping with her for a couple of hours. It was good to get out..My meals today cost $3 which is pretty amazing. I also talked to Andi for a long time and we talked about kids which was a stimulating conversation because I have never before discussed kids in that much of detail with anyone. All of us have that at the back of our mind, I think about it sometimes when I think about my future and the direction it is taking.. I still think our futures are uncertain because circumstances change our choices and our life is based on the choices we make.

[Listening to: Waldorf Worldwide - Good Charlotte - Good Charlotte (3:19)]

Technologically challenged..hehe

Making fun of the computer illiterates out there. Seems like most of
these customer situations are in India. Enjoy

http://www.rinkworks.com/stupid/cs_obvious.shtml

contact with my girl FINALLY!

After a weeklong period of no communication, I finally got to talk to her after leaving a couple of messages. She attended a lot of graduation parties today. She made me tell her about the thursday night at iowa city..hehe. I also told her about the stuff that went on during the rest of the week. One of her friends, Felix is visiting them and will be getting there tomorrow. They are going to YellowStone National Park on Wednesday. It seems like there will be a communication blackout when she leaves for the camping trip. Anyway, I hope she sends me postcards:). Going on trips with Andi's family is a lot of fun because the spring break trip was awesome! She has a fantastic 2 weeks ahead of her.

[Listening to: Fair - Ben Folds Five - Whatever And Ever Amen [UK] (5:57)]

I haven't talked to Andi for about a week since she went back home. It's been quite a while. I thought she was going to call me friday but I guess she got busy. She emailed me to tell me to call her tonight but I was out. Anyway, I think I might call her on sunday if she is around.

[Listening to: If I Could Be Like That - 3 Doors Down - (4:25)]

Harry Potter Mayhem!

I went to see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban tonight with Britta, Ben and Theresa. I think it was a sold out crowd because we had to wait forever to get into the theatre. They kept us out till 5 minutes before the scheduled time. And then when we got in, we had to sit through 6 previews! The movie was cool, although they did change a few details but it didnt seem that bad. It was over two hours long though. I wish Britta wasn't so grouchy and moody tonight. I always happen to be there when a girl is having a rough day, and all the anger and frustration comes out at me. Her swings compares to Komal's and I had to watch everything I said so as to not provoke her. It would have been so much better if she hadn't been so pissy. Anyway, I know girls are like that but I am still coming to terms with it. I was warned not to disturb her tomorrow. That was really odd because I wasn't going to wake her up or anything of that sort due to her lack of sleep the last few days..

[Listening to: Life For Rent - Dido - Life For Rent (3:41)]

Swing Manna

hehe..that may look like me and Andi are making out while dancing..but, that's just a swing lift..lol. It also is the best looking lift among all the photos I have. What can I say, it's perfect. 

finally no more caf food!

I can finally eat my own food whenever I please. I can start exercising and it's about time I did. Although this also means that I need to get groceries for food and all. I also slept in till noon. It felt soo good because i got more than 7 hours of sleep last night. I was also wondering what Britta was upto because I hadn't seen her since thursday evening and we finally made contact today. She came up to tell me about her adventures in the last 48 hours. She was on a sleep derived high..lol.. The Relay for Life was fun apparently.. and then we just talked for a long time.. I also seem to have a calming effect on her because she sobered down. She is hilarious when she is on a sleep deprived or caffeine high because she laughs at every thing. I am also jealous because her boss took her out to eat the last couple of days and she has been eating well while the other mortals here were stuck with cafeteria food.. It was also lonely eating by myself. The last couple of days were the first times that I actually ate by myself. While talking to Britta, she told me that I seemed like a jerk the first time we met, and she thought I was very possessive about Andi because I was paying a lot of attention to her. She realized later that I was quiet because I didn't know anyone in the group watching the movie apart from Andi. It's always interesting to hear what my friends thought of me the first time they met me...

[Listening to: Saathiya - A.R.Rahman - Saathiya (5:57)]

And another night of fun!

Some times at research when its all boys around, we have the strangest of conversations. Today was about porn. We just sat there for 20 minutes talking about it with Jesse, Marty, Jon, Chris and me there. We also talked about drugs at random. Never a dull day at physics alright. I was so lethargic today that I just wanted to get finished with work and leave. I got back to my room and lay on the bed watching tv, i realized that if I wasn't careful, I could fall asleep. I was so tempted to nap but I had to see Love Actually tonight before 8.30 and return it to Kristin. She is leaving tomorrow and I don't think I will see her before she leaves.. I could have seen Harry Potter with her and the group that was going but I told Britta that I wanted to see it with her. I also think the movie with Britta will be more fun although we might go with Jenna because she wants to see and will also give us a ride. It feels really odd that I haven't hung out with Britta for a couple of days because she was so busy. I sort of got used to us hanging out all the time. Although, I might get to see her more during the weekend before she leaves for home.
            I didn't want to nap because I was going swing dancing tonight at the Hilltop. When I got to Kiki's, I saw Kelly and was pleasantly surprised. She got her haircut and she looks very cute with the new hairdo. Both me and Rob told her she looked good in it. Kiki and Kelly were both dressed very well tonight. I also heard some talk about sticky boobs which I understood later in the night. We got there and saw that the four of us were the only ones there. It was a lot of fun with just the four of us because we got to dance with each other and try new moves. I learnt a few new moves from Kelly, she always has something new to show which is very cool! Although the moves I learnt caused a lot of contact with her boobs. That was a rather interesting experience because I tried it with Kiki and it was the same thing. A first for me was poking Kiki's fake breast or "sticky boobs". Rob, Kiki and me are in a picture where Rob and me are poking her chest. God, after that the girls started poking and feeling our chests like that one episode in Will and Grace. It was rather odd. Kelly accused me of dirty swinging, apparently I touched her butt during a move which I didn't realize. I sometimes move down too much; got to watch out for that with girls especially if I am not dating them. Kiki was also very excited when we did some of the best aerials ever because she has never gotten so much of elevation. It was a lot of fun!!
            I will be going to Scheel's with some of my physics friends to check some guns out. They want to show me how a gun feels since I have never really seen a gun in real life.. That should be a cultural experience.

[Listening to: Everybody - 12 Rods - Separation Anxieties (4:05)]

Fun at Iowa City!

I still can't believe that I went out to drink with Kevin and his friends from Knox College to Iowa City. I got to know one of his friends called Fay. This bunch of his friends were americanized, especially their mannerisms and diction. We first went to the Summit and then found out that their dance floor was closed. So, we then headed to One-eyed Jake's. That's the first time I have been there. It seems like a lot of people from Coe celebrate their 21st birthday there. We got in and started playing truth or dare while drinking. I had a few drinks including a mixed fruity tasting drink. Unfortunately, I don't remember what was in the drink. We had some pretty amazing dares including kissing some random girl. It's really funny that all the questions for the truth relate to sex, every single one like where was the kinkiest place you have done it to how many times they masturbated. I have been asked to come to Knox with Kevin in June. After a while we left and went to someone's house where they had beer and started playing games. I just wanted to come back and go to bed because I still had work that morning. I actually slept for about 45 minutes at the house and then we got back around 3.30 am. Morning was not fun because I didn't want to get out of bed. I dragged my ass out of bed and got to work by 10. It was a long day after that. I had no energy throughout the day!

[Listening to: Echo - Incubus - Morning View (3:34)]

This is a picture of my family with Doll's. It also has Manu, her brother at the back with me. My brother is next to Doll. 

and on a brighter note

I talked to Doll last night. I love talking to her because it makes me calm and helps me process my thoughts about stuff. She is an old childhood friend who is now studying in the US. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have her to talk to. I use more minutes to call her than to talk to anyone else which is rather interesting. She is also the only person I can think of who I can call without having to think about it twice. I don't have to worry about if it's ok to call her. I have some methods of destressing but talking to Doll happens to work like a charm as well and it's good because it doesn't involve my drive. And I also introduced her blogging last night, she even got her own account and has started blogging. I am helping her spruce her blog up with suggestions. Meanwhile I am still fooling around with my template to get it the way I want it.

[Listening to: Lifeboat - The Elms - Big Surprise (3:52)]

what a waste!

Here comes yet another research day of misfortunes. We did everything right and quicker. All we needed to do was to pack more glass into the canister, there was space but we didn't. One freaking thing we overlooked and all day's efforts are wasted. I talked to Doc and told him about the density results, and I got the expected answer of "do it again." Atleast now, we have a sense of direction for the project. I need to get as much done as possible before I leave for Japan. So I have to redo today's glass tomorrow and make more precipitates.

[Listening to: Hold on - Good Charlotte - the young and the hopeless (4:09)]

A bout of Loopiness

Cerulean2485: sweetie, should i do this response paper or not?
Cerulean2485: i think it might take me a while even though i've read it
Cerulean2485: and i need to study for a german quiz tomorrow
Cerulean2485: maybe i should study for the quiz and then see if i want to write the paper
Cerulean2485: hello?
Cerulean2485: are you there?
Cerulean2485: JOOOOOOYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cerulean2485: ok, well i'm going to study for my quiz and then see how it's going
Cerulean2485: because if i don't study for the quiz first my brain will probably be fried
Cerulean2485: and if my brain is fried when i study tonight, i'll have to get up even earlier tomorrow to study again and then i'll be even more fried
Cerulean2485: are you off with some girl somewhere?!
Cerulean2485: i sure hope not...
Cerulean2485: i don't want to have to check up on you!
Cerulean2485: :-)
Cerulean2485: just kidding
Cerulean2485: but seriously, where are you?
Cerulean2485: it's not like i'm going to call you from the library
Cerulean2485: i mean, i don't even have a phone here
Cerulean2485: if you're not in your room how do you expect me to get a hold of you?!
Cerulean2485: ...not that i want you to live in your room all the time...
Cerulean2485: i sure hope you're not standing at your computer reading this and not even responding!
Cerulean2485: i'll be pretty mad it that's the case
Cerulean2485: maybe i should come hunt you down
Cerulean2485: ...i would if i didn't need to study
Cerulean2485: but see, you're wasting my time... i could be in my room by now but no! i'm talking to you!
Cerulean2485: actually, i'm not talking to you because you're not writing me back!
Cerulean2485: if i find out you're with some other girl cheating on me now, i'll be mad!
Cerulean2485: don't worry, i don't really think you're cheating on me
Cerulean2485: i trust you
Cerulean2485: so i hope you make contact with me soon
Cerulean2485: until then, i'll be studying
Cerulean2485: if you would just stop distracting me now i'd have half the vocab memorized already
Cerulean2485: but noooo! you're eating up all my time!
Cerulean2485: stop being so selfish
Cerulean2485: i don't have time for this
Cerulean2485: now seriously, i'm leaving
Cerulean2485: just give me a sec
Cerulean2485: don't have too much fun with your secret lover!
Cerulean2485: because you know, eventually i'll find out about it
Cerulean2485: but when i'm gone over the summer you can embellish just don't get too excited just yet
Cerulean2485: you still have to hold out a couple more weeks
Cerulean2485: then you'll be free!
Cerulean2485: ...until august
Cerulean2485: well, now i'm really going
Cerulean2485: tchuss!
Cerulean2485: thanks for the advice about the paper/quiz
Cerulean2485: it was really helpful
Cerulean2485 signed off at 9:24:58 PM (April 22 2004).

Me in a BMW Z3! Vrooooom! 

bloopers!

Today was an interesting day at research. Chris and me worked our buts off to make a glass sample and decided to run both density and T_g measurements. It was a relatively safe decision as we thought that we could be more productive during the day. The bad part about these analyses is that the preparations for it take a lot of time and patience in the glove box as mobility is restricted due to the increased pressure due to nitrogen influx and the gloves are big and not for sensitive movements required for the prep. Since this process is taking so much of time, we are going through a tank of nitrogen per glass which is wasteful because they are expensive. Meanwhile people started eating at the Wednesday lunch( its a weekly lunch that the physics dept gets). The smell of hot dogs was making me salivate because I was very hungry. It took me 20 mins to make two freaking DSC pans..argh! And then we found that the glass in the pan overflowed and fused to the lid. It was a huge pain to remove the lid. And then Chris elbowed the machine off, that was really funny! But at the end of the day with all the stuff that went wrong, we got really good results. I also realize very few people will actually understand this entry. I had to write about it anyway.

[Listening to: Killing Me Too - Sister Hazel - Chasing Daylight (5:37)]

hehe...what can I say? 

can it get any slower?

As usual, I woke up to Something More by Switchfoot 15 minutes after the music alarm went off. It apparently is now a ritual to hear the alarm go off and then snooze for 15 minutes till I hear the Switchfoot's song. It's pretty weird. I got to work to discover a meeting in progress with Doc. He never told me about the meeting, but I am glad I got there before it finished. He is gone for the rest of the week to Washington. He gave Chris the next few days to study for the final. The problem there is that my method for making glass needs two people because things need to run simultaneously. So all I did all day was clean crucibles and make 2 solutions. Hopefully tomorrow I get more help and get actual glasses done for analysis.
            I actually also got mail today, my japan travel stuff arrived. Now, I am all ready except for the visa for which I will start the application process quick. Time for this trip is dawning upon me pretty soon. God, days sometimes individually pass by slowly sometime but time as a whole seems to be rocketing by. I can't believe that it's almost been a month since school closed! Last weekend just zipped by, makes me wish I had more time with Andi... I am trying to get someone to watch Day After Tomorrow with me..hopefully someone will... I know I will be seeing Harry Potter for sure because there are a lot of people who want to see it.
            As I was watching Summerland's premiere on WB, i noticed it was very similar to the movie Raising Helen. The plotline's the same as in both of them, the parents die and leave the children to the least expected person, a party-career woman. I guess I will follow the series unless it bores me. Might as well, since I have nothing better to do anyway.
            I am also trying to find something on the net which will help keep members of international club together after they leave Coe, especially the international students. So, i am scouting for free services that we can use.. the best one i have found so far is the Yahoo! Groups. Need to talk to Academic Computing and see if they have any suggestions..

[Listening to: Keep It Together - Guster - Keep It Together (3:43)]

Since the last time I have blogged last summer, I have a new circle of friends. One of my closest friends, Britta saw me through many highs and lows. She made time for me when I needed to get out for some air. I am thankful for her wonderful friendship. We have gotten to know each other very well. I make close friends, seldom as close as her though. It's really easy to talk to her. She is rather passionate about some things though, which leads to some pretty interesting discussions. She is someone I can go to if I need a girl's perspective on something apart from Andi or Sonal. At first sight, you may think she is innocent but beware, behind that posterier lies a wild thing..hehe.. May wouldn't have been the same if she wasnt around. It had been a long time since I've talked to someone late into the night when I would otherwise be in bed. Here is a picture of her and me on flunk day. lol.. 

for all the men out there

progress report: i thought i was getting better at understanding the mysterious ways of the opposite sex. boy was I wrong. They still manage to baffle my logical reasoning, and throw me curve balls! I don't know how much further I am in the analysis of the working of a woman's mind even after 5 years of knowing countless girls. But then every girl is different, adaptation is so freaking hard..I now understand all the frustration and confusion in all my male friends when it comes to girls. I feel so sorry for men... most of the time, our drives don't really help either. But i suppose that things are never easy, its all in the challenge and how you come out of it...

My girl

I really miss Andi.. This weekend with her was good. It also helped me gain an insight about me, I am just like any other normal guy. I have vices and needs, and my self control isn't as good I as I thought it was. It's a downer to think that I am no different from any other guy. I should be better than this. And I hate making her feel bad. But these few days with her have been sooo good, for all the time that we spent together walking around in downtown cedar rapids and iowa city. she is a really special girl, and I wouldn't forgive myself if I did anything stupid to mess this relationship up.

Groovin' to JET

I feel so alive after dancing like a looopy loony to " Are you gonna be my girl" by Jet...hehe.. That's a fixer upper for a downer. For some reason, dancing really cheers me up:)!

CONFUSION.....FRUSTRATION.......AAARRGHHHHHH!

Lord giveth and Lord taketh away.

So true...

Thats Andi and me at the International Club Banquet 2004. We are in all Indian gear. 

Hi sweetie!

This is my penultimate day in india... My bags are mostly packed, they seem like they might burst at the seams. I am actually thinking of buying a strolley here before I leave, I can distribute stuff a bit too plus it will be really useful for short trips I take so often at Coe.

Indiana should be fun especially you and your mum will be doing that thing you love. Shopping is fun I�d say until I realize that I might have spent a bit too much of money. I don�t know how I spent all the cash that my parents left with me. Anyhow, I have done some serious shopping, specially in clothing. And then some like music, books and movies. By the way, your saree set is now complete with the petticoat and the blouse ready. The blouse was done so quickly since I estimated your measurements to that of my cousin who just got married. You both have similar builds. We heard from her on her honeymoon to singapore and phuket, things were going fine until her handbag was stolen with her passport and cash and stuff. kinda sad, but they are trying not to get bogged down by this.

My parents are back at home and having a wonderful time there! They just won two round trips to Nairobi and two bottles of wine. This is the first time we have ever won anything which was luck-based! My luck hasn�t improved yet as I seem to have misplaced the film containing all the pictures I had taken at the wedding! Aarrgggghhhhh! Anyway, as a consolation I do have digital pictures that we had taken off my parent�s camera.

I�ll be leaving india with mixed emotions because I don�t know when I�ll be back here. But I feel like getting back to Coe and with you coz its been quite a while. One month here if I am not travelling is a bit excessive. I have been at home doing nothing for atleast a week if not more. I wish I had gone sight seeing here but my parents left pretty quick and my cousins have work or school, and I didn�t want to travel alone because its not fun that way. And I will be getting away from the crazy traffic here, it seriously causes heart palpatations! Cars and bikes miss each other by less than a feet as they swerve about in the traffic over taking left and right. We have 5 lane traffic in a 3 lane road! Jumping lights is a way of life here too. And the noise, horns blaring all the time, people swearing at each other, car stereos at max volume.. and to think I was used to this before I came to the US. US has really softened me up. I know how much you love adventure sports, this is a thrill ride all the way! But I am seriously going to miss being here for the upcoming stuff. There are a few weddings in the pipeline in our family which I don�t think I will be able to make. I am going to miss my friends at home all over again. I am really going to miss the family life here, I have gotten so used to it. The good home cooked meal, the fun sleeping arrangements.. sighhh!

I am really looking forward to seeing you again after so long. I am going to miss you all the way back. The double date should be fun, but when is it? And you will be hearing from me if about 48 hours I�d say or you can call me on my cell. I will be switching it on the moment I get into San Francisco.

Lots of kisses!

Joy

My precious,

Happy new year, gorgeous!

Snowboarding is a lot of fun, I wish I could do it sometime too. I maybe able to do it in spring break, I would have more motivation to do it if you came with me. Tyler wants me to visit colorado with him during spring break. I need to start thinking about that time from now. Did you follow up on your spring break plans? Do you think you can do this with me? And about the double date, its sounds pretty good. By the way, did you go sleighing?

I did call a few days back planning to talk to you and also verifying the budget for the saree..your mum told me $60 and that�s the range I got it in. I think you will like it, I like it, navy blue, pure silk and shiny. Cant wait to see you in it. Should look hot in it either way! I am going to try to get the blouse done here. I need some measurements for it though, if its not made in time, my aunt will mail it to me. I will get a ready made blouse and petticoat though. Another thing that can be done is that I can get a sample of a blouse of my cousin and it can be tailored there. What do you think of this? Email me back asap about this! I don�t know if I wil have time to buy your sister�s saree though, I am here only for another 2 days. I will try my best though. And about the cd to be sent to tina, I found out that its cheaper to send it from US than from india. Sending it by courier is about $50, not worth it for a $3 cd. Did you happen to hear from her? Or Inga?

I was in hyderabad from Dec 31 to Jan 6. My flight got in on time. I wish my new years was a bit more exciting. It was supposed to be but apparently plans fell through. I spent the rest of the evening with bhavya and her sister. Bowling seems to be a huge hanging out pass time here. She took me to her house. Geez, her parents can form quite an interrogating team. They kept asking me questions the 2 hours I was there! It was like I was in an interview. It was good though, I talked about my way of life at school and how it was so tough at start but easier gradually.. I spent jan 1 shopping with bhavya for clothes and music and stuff. I visited my old school on Saturday. Its changed a lot over the past few years. The principal was really happy to see me and so were my teachers. It was nice to be back there and see them all. And then in the evening I met up with my friends from school. Most of the friends werent in the city, I could see only 3 of them. Aditi, sushmita and satish havent changed at all, only gotten thinner. They loved the pictures I had from school! I had a lunch date with bhavya and her parents at their home. I have never been more stuffed in lunch! They forced me to over eat! And then, we basically sat down and talked. Something that the both of us hadnt done in a while because she was busy. My life has changed more than hers apparently in the last 3 months, primary reason being you. I spent the rest of the evening with another bunch of my friends who were the most excited to see me! They seems better than the last time I saw them, they are allowed to dress better too finally! Iwas sick of seeing them in the same styled attire everyday. They were constantly pulling my leg too! Im just too nice to retort back to girls, unfortunately! Lol..jus kidding.. the common theme of the response to my pictures were that I was having too much fun maybe. Plus, they were stunned to hear that I had a girl friend. Remember me telling you how people regarded me always as a big brother. And on the final day, I shopped for your sari for a couple of hours and met up wit my cousin who helped me shop. I also had to pick up a package for the indian girl who I met at the cultural show, remember? Her mom and I talked for a while. The mom doesn�t look like she is old enough to have a 18 year old daugher, ahh..the wonders of facials and face lifts..

And finally the last morning at hyderabad for I don�t know how long. My flight was supposed to depart at 8.25 in the morning, instead it was delayed by about 6 hours due to fog in New Delhi! I got back today tired, I think I gonna sleep for a while since I have been sleeping in hyderabad for just 8 hours while compared to my 12 hour sleep in delhi ever since I have been here! By the way, you can stop rolling your eyes! Lol.

Anyway, sorry about the short phone call, I was using my uncles� phone and it had about 3 mins of talk time left. It was good to hear you even if you were half asleep. I talked to your mom for a while the last time I called and heard she was sick again. I hope she feels better soon. I hope your cold has gone away by now, its been a couple of months already I think.

About me coming into chicago on the 11 Jan, my flight is American Airlines 886, reaching Chicago 8.26 PM. Im sorry its so late in the night.

Lots of kisses and I miss you lots.

joy

hey hot stuff!

Great job on your finals!! Im really happy that you got fantastic grades. I was sure you�d do well, we just don�t have that much of confidence on ourselves. Well, I don�t know my grades yet. I think a copy will be sent to my mailbox at school and one copy to home at nigeria. I really don�t know how I�ve done, I took my finals so quickly it could have gone either way. I expect a treat for the grades when I get back, jus kidding (hmm..maybe not..). Ready to tackle a new semester, eh?

My family left for home last night. It was good that there were no tears at this farewell for 6 months. Mum usually cries at these situations. I think she is getting used to the idea of her kids being away from home. Atleast my brother gone home for a month. He has a 2-month winter break from school. Next semester will be his last, hez a senior in high school. After the wedding, my father and brother have been working non stop to finish applications to american and canadian universities. Hez applied to some pretty good schools. I hope he has enough to get into them with substantial financial aid. Its been really foggy in Delhi ever since I�ve been here. My parent�s flight was delayed by about an hour, they were lucky, flights and trains are being cancelled due to the weather conditions. Im praying for fair weather when I travel.

After my parents left, I accompanied my cousin�s family to a wedding reception. There was a young couple of our age group dancing well, incorporating swing moves into slow rock music. It was fun to watch that. I really missed you when there were couples dancing hand in hand. And I had the first bit of alcohol at india ever last night at the reception, just a glass of red wine. It warmed me up in the cold weather. My cousin has vodka and lime cordial (I think its sort of a juice concentrate). I had a sip of that, its pretty good, sweet. And they had a couple of Russian Belle dancers perform at the reception. That�s extremely progressive for india, mind you.

Apart from that, I am going to my father� brother�s place again tomorrow. I just have to pack tonight. Some stuff in hyderabad has fallen through. Bhavya doesn�t have Jan 2 and 3 off and she can�t take them off too plus her car might not be ready to pick me up from the airport. Although, I have finally established contact with some of my school friends, so I should be seeing them at some point. Everyone here has a cell phone! Which is good for me because I can contact them by text messaging. I will be living with my uncle for the most part. I just heard that his business is doing really well. He just got a new car, office and apartment! I just have to buy something for my cousin brother before I get there.

Are you getting on at AIM at all nowadays? And oh, I definetly have to start working out to lose all the weight I�ve gained here! I think I might start running with you when I get there. It�s a good thing that I have pictures here. I see the photos atleast once in a couple of days, smile while doing that. By the way, my family and cousins think you are postively gorgeous! The cousin who just got married is very jealous apparently, she wants me to send her a dress like that you were wearing at homecoming. I don�t know how everyone here knows because I certainly didn�t tell them. I have been teased incessantly about you. And I just saw the pictures in which my female cousins were wearing the tops I sent them. They are looking fabulous in them! I remember them telling me that they liked them, at that time I thought they were just being nice, I realize now they actually did like them. They wear them at parties.

I can�t wait to get back and see you. I reaaaalllllyyyy miss you!

Tonnes of you know what!

Joy

PS: got another haircut. i look saner. cost: $0.80! lol!

Hi sweetie!

it was good to talk to you on christmas. im sorry i called so early (i can't apologize enough), i didnt want to miss you again like a few days back. it was good to hear that you finished most of your christmas shopping before christmas. its fun shopping with other people especially when you ask them for their input of whatever you are buying. i did go shopping with my cousin but didnt buy much before my parents told me that they would pay for my clothes shopping and thats what i had gone to do. so far, i have bought another one of my graphic tees and mum has bought a couple of short sleeve shirts. I also got a long sleeve shirts from my aunt as a gift. people here buy their nephews and nieces stuff when they go to their homes. just like i had to buy stuff for my cousins.

after i called you, i left immediately for my relative's place. the naming system here is a bit more complicated when it comes to family. people on my mom's and dad's side are called by different names. except me and my brother, no one else in the family is called by their real name. talking about real names, i dont know the real names of some of my cousins! its weird i know. we reached there and spontaeously decided to go watch a movie. we packed 6 people again into a small car to get there! when we reached the theatre, we found out that the movie that we had wanted to see was sold out. so we switched to another movie that we had heard was funny. i have never had a greater urge to leave the movie half way before. the movie was truly pathetic and lame, what a royal waste of time! worst part was that the theatre is the most expensive in the city. unfortunately that was the closest to us. atleast the dinner was good, had subway before the movie for $1! food here is soo cheap, its unbelievable! anyway, we got back home at 3 in the morning and had our proper dinner then.

the next day, woke up at noon as usual and lazed about most of the afternoon. we went handicrafts shopping in the evening and bought some stuff there. i bought a few things that i will be getting back to coe. i havent bought your saree and cds yet but i will be doign that very soon. i will try to get silk but if i dont, i'll get somethign that you will be comfortable in. my cousins told me of a different material that the girls here wear. i might get that. we need to go to a special shop since normal sarees would be too short for you. i told mum that you were a tall girl, a couple of inches taller than my tallest sister. tall by indian standards atleast..

my parents and brother leave for home tomorrow night (sunday). i will be here by myself for a couple of days before i leave for hyderabad. i wil be in hyderabad for about a week. Most of my time there is sorta planned and hope everything there goes well. I havent seen my friends in a long time and there are some friendships I hope I can repair. I don�t care either way though, its been too long to affect me anymore. I don�t know if I told you that I lost my best friend in 10th grade due to dumb petty stuff. Somehow I don�t think I�ll see her though. I will be doing significant shopping there since I have so much of time there. I am spending $250 on airfare instead of $40 on train fare because I couldn�t get a ticket! I should have asked my cousin to book my ticket along with hers, that was a mistake. Instead, she going to reach hyderabad in 30 hours and me in 1.5 hours! Family time there should be good too. Im looking forward to hyderabad if you havent figured that out yet.

Anyway, I think this has been a long enough email for you to read. I hope you had fun doing presents on christmas. I know I would have!

I can�t wait to see you again! Geez, I miss you so much, atleast thinking about you relaxes me.

Lots of flying kisses and real ones plus a tickle,

Joy

My precious,

Sounds like you are having a fabulous time there and thats wonderful! Isnt it uplifting to be around family? Parties are always fun especially if you know everyone in it. Atleast all your finals went off fine. i heard frm komal and she told me that you guys studied together, for humanities i presume.

i wanted to tell you before you left to pick my college mail up..i went to the dad's eldest brother's home with the family for a couple of days. i met my cousin who will be commissioned in the Indian armed forces in 6 months. he has been in a military school for the last 3 years. i heard about the rigors of that school..i wouldnt have survived that! he also told me a few things that he hasnt told his parents. apparently he has started smoking which is really sad and he has a girl friend now. his parents will kill him if they find out about either of the two and he knows it. funny the way things work around here. my cousin at home also had one for about 3 years and had to hide it from his parents becuase his parents wouldnyt approve. the funniest part is that the wedding i attended here, she didnt tell her parents that she had been dating this guy for about 2 years. they dropped a bombshell when they finally told them that they wanted to get engaged! guess what, my brother has a girlfriend too, and he hasnt told my parents yet!

and talking about good food, dont be shocked if you see me a bit plumper. i hope to god to recognize me at the airport (just kdding). i ate so much the last few days that i puked twice in the night because my stomach finally gave out. i have been eatin lesser since then because i dont want to puke again and dont wnat mum screaming at me again. its hard to resist all the home cooked food at home, i do try you know. but you know my fetish for sweet stuff, its as strng as your chocolate fetish, maybe not that strong.

i have also been making plans to go down to my hometown and visit some family and the friends i have back there. i will be flying to hyderabad on dec 31 and spending the evening with bhavya and her friends and possibly my cousin sis too. i stil have to figure out the sleeping arrangement for 31st. my main base should be my uncle's home but he lives quite far away from the main city. so my main plans are to spend a couple of days with bhavya and some friends, who ever has time and my relatives. i have a 15 year old cousin brother and 12 year old cousin sis i havent seen in a year and a half. I should do some part of the shopping there i think, need to start making a dent at the shopping list i have. it will be good since i have a lot of catching up to do there with everyone..

its late now so i need to go home and eat. more later. miss you!

lots of kisses and a poke,

joy

Hi sweetie!

it was really good to hear your voice today. im sorry i called so late, i miscalculated the time, you think i would get that right being a math major and all..(lol). its good to hear that your german went well. was your jury the italian song that you sang for me? try to send me a pic of the flowers that you got coz i havent seen it.. its nice to hear from the other nutty two,got the daddy one and britta message too. how are they doing?

i guess you should be packing for home. i think you will probably see this email at home. im really sorry that i havent mailed so far, things at home have been kinda hectic although it has slowed down now. i dont like the keyboard of the cyber cafe nearby and home's computer internet doesnt work straight.

anyway, the wedding went off really well. i was just disoriented because the sequence of the wedding stuff was inverted since it was fusion of the north indian and bengali wedding. i have a shit load of pictures that i will be getting back. most of them were from my parent's digital camera and i have a roll of my film too. there are a lot of pictures of me and my cousins too. i dont remember if i told you that most of the family cries at the end of the wedding when the bride goes away to her husband's place. all our mums and her dad cried as she went away. i felt sad too coz when i come back here, she wont be at home but somewhere else and i wont be able to see her as much. i hardly saw her this time too..

atleast i saw the rest of my cousins and i had a wonderful time. my cousin's brother is also in the same age group as me, so its interesting to see the college life of youth in India. We talked a lot and i turned into a confidant and secret keeper yet again! all us cousins went to watch intolerable cruelty with catherine zeta jones and george clooney. we travelled 6 packed in a car sized like a geo that can hold 4 people comfortably! and when we got out, it was pouring and we hadnt eaten yet. so we grabbed some food on the way and stopped at a shopping arcade that was closed and ate like homeless people do! it was quite an experience!

anyway, it seems like we will be going to my father's eldest brother's home for a couple of days and i think they have a better internet connection there, i hope to god!

i will go shopping soon and i will search for your 'saree'. i hope i can find a good one. and you still have to send me tina's address for the lagaan cd.

i hope your finals week went on well without much disturbance. I know its weird without the usual people in the room but i hope others kept you company went you needed it.

i think about you a lot and miss your touch. i hope you are having a good time. your emails cheer me up, keep em' coming! I'll try calling too.


Joy

Hi Bhav!

Its been a long time since we last chatted. My internet here in college has been kinda screwy with plenty of viruses and worms. The blaster virus really ticked us all off..and the problem hasnt still be completely rectified. So, my net keeps going up and down all the time. I have never been so cut off from the rest of the world till now. The only people that I had contact with were my parents, through the phone. Anyway, I tried calling you but the call never goes through!

School has started in full blast and this semester seems like it will kick ass. My easiest class is Topics of Scientific Inquiry where I am studying environmental chemistry, to be more specific toxicology of various chemicals in our surroundings. And then I have Calculus 3, where I am doing vector calculus currently..so far so good. Computer Sciennce 1 should be also interesting, learning how to program for the first time in pascal. And then finally the tougher of the physics courses, modern physics. So far, it seems like I should be able to handle this course but I dont know about later. And the course which will truly kick my ass is Mechanical Formulations where we study physics on a truly advanced math level with vector calculus and gradient stuff and matrices! I might actually drop this class but still sit in the classes to learn stuff. I just dont want to be tested on this stuff..Now thats acads..

And then comes everythign else. Now that I am this year's I-Club president, I have to do so much of plannign and stuff for all the events coming up. For example the canoe trip this weekend. Man, logistics is tough business! I hope this one goes without a hitch. And then the bigger one is the Minneapolis trip during Oct 11-13, should be plenty of fun..I am going to do some shopping there..saving up now for that! And so many wonderful people have come in this year. I am getting to know the korean, european and american freshmen really well and I am happy about that..I am not all that bored here anymore like last year and they dont have to go through all that I had to go through. I try to help them out as much as possible to make their stay here nice because the german girls leave in december.

I am still coming to India. I just havent been able to book my ticket yet. If I dont get the free ticket with my father's miles, then we have to pay $1500 atleast for a new ticket! If that happens I'd be so pissed off! And I am seriously considerig coming back to the US quickly if I dont get to see any friends in Hyd..I will come to Hyd surely, just dont know how long I'd want to stay because everyone will be busy even you..I know you will take some time off for me, and I am counting on that, by the way.

Anyway, I plan to get a cell phone sometime really soon to be more accessible to people. You can call me if you want to, I dont know how much it costs thats all. I would love to talk to you on the phone but I never get through.

Where are the rest of your pictures? I should have some brand new ones soon, and I'l put them up on the web when I find time.

I wish we could chat or do something, but I don't know when you will be free enough for that. Email me if you see me online. Atleast we still have this means of communications.

I really miss you and can't wait to see you in December.

Love

joy

A week of school and I am already so busy. There are so many things going on simultaneously, sometimes its maddening. For one, homework and reading from my five classes. and then, organizing stuff for the I-club. and i have made so many new friends. about friends, i seem to lose my really good ones after 6 months of knowing them. this really freaks me out. my first semester friendship that changed was komal, but i made new ones which helped me get over this. and then i got really close to mary and kristin. and now, mary's no longer at coe, and i can't figure out kristin now, i dont know why. she's my best friend here now and i cant seem to get time with her. i do know she is busy but i dun know...

the bunch of international students that came in seem like a interesting group. we have so many students this year, my i-club's full and that makes me happy. it also means new people to know, and i have to remember their names! i have already made some really good friends from this bunch. I got to know Clem and Inga pretty well in the time they have been here. and then there is this korean group that seems like a lot of fun. and then some americans who are interested in the i-club. i hang out with all of them at some point of the day. atleast it keeps my mind off depressing stuff. man, i miss mary a lot. and miho, rieko, namee and aqui. and bhav. havent heard from her in a loooong time. i wish i can resolve my issues with kristin soon, although i dont know what issues they are.

the college network being down, my communication with the rest of the world has been effectively cut off. no chatting, no emailing from my own computer. and i am too lazy to come to the lab everyday. these viruses have really ticked me off! but anyhow, i like being in my room in greene now, its cool and clean now that i set my stuff up. i like living with tyler, its bound to be a eventful year............