Welcome the Holiday Season

When you live in Phoenix, snow or even temperatures below freezing is hardly a common experience. In fact in the city where 360 days are sunny, sometimes having a day with temperature in 40s is the most awaited day. And that days reminds me that it is indeed the holiday season. But this year with recession and job loss and hard times I was not in great spirits to look forward to holiday season.

But this Saturday, we just decided to accompany few friends who had already left for Sedona and take a drive to northern Arizona and forget about the routine issues. The drive through Sedona is always beautiful and I enjoy just being there. However, even thought we wanted to stop at Sedona, we missed the exit and ended up going further north towards Flagstaff and suddenly where the directions said Flagstaff 6 miles, we realized that we had drove a little too far than what we wanted. But we were in for a wonderful surprise. When we decided to turn around and drive south, suddenly out of nowhere it started snowing! Snowflakes falling from the sky. I have seen snow after it snowed on roads but I don't think I actually saw snowflakes in last four years (first time in Galtinburg). The sudden snow made me so happy that we ended up bringing out friends from Sedona to Flagstaff.

I stood near a gas station just enjoying snow on my face. It was beautiful. There were Christmas lights in the gas station and Christmas songs on the stereo. Suddenly, the economy and the recession and all those negative thoughts flew out of window and I realized "It is indeed the holiday season". Sometimes in the midst of all the problems, I received an unexpected gift of snow. My holiday season started then and there. I don't need any gifts when I have the SNOW just 3 hours away :)

Movie Marathon

For some holiday season means lot of shopping and meeting family. For me it means end of school work, relaxing time to watch as many movies as I can. So taking advantage of this holiday season I am making most of it by watching new and old movies and having a really good time. So here are few ones I enjoyed recently.
New Moon - Unfortunately, the movie was not as good as I thought it would be. Interestingly, I liked Twilight better than the book. The New Moon movie followed the book but somehow it was too slow and at times boring. First of all, the book has lot of emotions that are not easy to portray on screen. The whole relationship between Jacob and Bella is amazingly written but movie doesn't do justice to that part. Secondly, Robert Pattison sucks as Edward. I thought the same way when I saw Twilight but in New Moon he sucks even more. Especially after all the "hot" werewolves, he looks pale and as if he would die if the wolf even looks at him. Somehow he doesn't look Edward. He doesn't have the charm, maturity and classiness the character calls for. The surprise item in the package is not Taylor Lautner but it's Dakota Fanning. Man, that girl can act. She is there for few minutes but it's hard not to notice her cold Jane. Especially her smile sends chills through your spines. I really liked the whole Volturi sequence. The mysterious Volturi make justice to the notion of the Highest Authority in the Vampire clan. Lastly, Jacon. Taylor Lautner does a great job and looks extremely amazing. He looks the Wolf he is supposed to look. Young but mature, sometimes childlike and sometimes possessive. Bravo, boy! Overall the movie failed to impress me. I am not sure if I would recommend the movie not worth the money you spend on it. But if you get it online, it might be "not too horrible" watch.
Harry Potter Series - It's my love, period. I enjoyed reading the books and watching movies over and over. I still have to watch the Half Blood Prince. So I decided to rerun all five before arriving at six. Believe me it is worth the time and efforts.
Journey to the Center of the Earth - This is the new one. If you are a Jules Verne fan, you will enjoy this one. I have seen the movie by the same name made for television. It was much longer than the 2008 flick. But 2008 with Brandon Fraser is definitely entertaining. However, the movie also was made for 3-D and I am sure it must one hell of an experience to watch in 3-D. Unfortunately I watched it on DVD. But nonetheless, movie is fast paced and entertaining. I would highly recommend it everyone who loves Jules Verne and enjoys the crazy ideas like parallel world in the earth's center.

These are just few ones. Of course there are vampire movies and other fantasy fictions. I am definitely enjoying the holidays.

Dressed to...

These days I am interning with a very famous policy organization in the valley. Given the day to day need to be in the public eye, I need to dress professionally. Of course nothing too conservative as hardly any one can afford to wear a suit in Phoenix when it's still 100F out there. But nonetheless I need to wear formal attire which is best described as business casual. I am not exactly a suit girl but I do enjoy wearing those nice skirts and jackets at times. Apparently, I do have decent sense of dressing as these day I get complements from colleagues. Among all these complements I remember an incident in DC.

When I was interning in DC, my supervisor was flexible and did not require a very conservative attire at work. In DC, every one is well dressed. Many in suits, many in uniforms. Even while travelling in Metro, it' easy to see well dressed people. I was not exactly among them. I used to wear dress pants and a shirt but no pointy shoes as they would kill my feet. No make up or anything. Just get up, dress and then take metro was a normal routine.

But one day I decided to dress up a little. Instead of a ponytail, I kept my hair down, wore earrings, light make up and nice shoes. That day when I got off the train walked towards the office building, couple of people actually wished me "Good Morning" and a gentleman held the door for me(he was carrying coffee and yet he did)and smiled. I was surprised as it was my yet another day to work and this experience was definitely out of ordinary for me. Guess, it was the little make over. Well, what you wear has something to say about you. Of course, it did not happen every day as I immediately stopped wearing make up. Sleep was so much more enticing. But it was an interesting episode.

I think that's why they say "Dress for the position you want". I hope I am sending the right signals :)

Obama urges students to work hard, stay in school

This was the speech that some idiots thought will turn into Socialists or whatever that means. But I think it was one of the best speeches to inspire students to take charge of their lives and be what they want to be. It does not matter who tells you to study and work hard. It is important to work hard to be someone who brings change. President did bring a change in this country by working hard. Let's all just work hard and achieve want to achieve. Yes We Can and We Will!

Go Mercury!

Last Saturday was my friend B's birthday and for the birthday celebration we went for WNBA game Phoenix, Mercury Vs. Indiana, Fever. I have been following basketball for more than two years now but it was my first WNBA game. And it was just fantastic. The game itself was fast paced and very professional. But what I loved about the game was being in the stadium with all those cheering female fans. From 5 to 75, all age groups were present and equally vocal about the game. They were die hard fans of Mercury and perhaps much better than SUNS fans. They were cheering and shouting and dancing and enjoying themselves like anything.

I though the Mercury Hip Hop Squad was way much better than SUNS dancers. The overall experience was much more friendly and warm and informal than the one at SUNS game. Of course I love SUNS but the people who come for the games are big, rich guys who don't really like the camaraderie with the school kids like me. But at the Mercury this thing was completely opposite. There was long time Mercury supporters who were equally welcoming to the neophytes like me.

I loved the game though we lost. But the spirit was alive throghout. Any time I see women in sports I feel powerful myself :) Girl thing, I guess. I told V that from next year we are going to support Mercury as hard as we support SUNS. Go Mercury!

Twilight

I just finished up reading Twilight. I was very curious about it as it has become a big book sensation. I am very proud of myself to finish it up in two days while working full time :)So here are some thoughts. The book is not bad but of course it's more directed towards teenagers. I did not like it that much. First of all I knew it was about a vampire and a human who fall in love. So that surprise was taken away. Secondly, it was too mushy mushy for a vampire story. I like my Vampires bloody and scary. I love Vampire stories and even own some of the classic vampire movies. I am huge fan of Bram Stroker's Dracula. I have read the book, listened to the audio book and have seen the movie couple of times. It's a legendary story with serious tone.
But Twilight is not bad at all. May be I will finish reading all the four books of the saga. May be they will get scary and bloody, the way I love my Vampires :P
But as of now, I think its worth trying. I am ready to watch movie. So I will get back with the movie review soon.

Confessions of a Wokaholic

When you enjoy being busy all the time, it sucks when you don't have much to do some days. I am a self proclaimed workaholic. I enjoy the day when it's filled with reading, writing, home working , learning new softwares. As soon as one of these elements is missing, I go crazy. Some people get kicks from alcohol , I get kicks from working on at least 3 projects at the same time. I believe that when I get paid for working for 8 hours I need to have work for at least 10 hours. There is nothing being "Morally High" about it, it's just simple addiction to be busy ,creatively.
That's why I enjoy when school is is in session. Full time class load and research work keeps me quite occupied for the six months. I found that I am most productive when I am drowning in work. I not only perform well at professional life but I am happy and healthy in personal life. I find time to write blogs, read new novels, call family and friends, watch X files re-runs and try new cuisines. But all this kind of comes to a halt during vacation. Of course I enjoy vacations when they are about a week long. But there after I need to rush back to work.

I think this flows in blood. My father completed his law degree and another masters while working full time as an officer of the law. I have seen him coming home late and then studying for all those degrees. It always made me worship being productive and busy. I have many friends in school, who work full time and go to school full time and manage children at school. Kudos to them. It's lot of work but hey, they enjoy all this work.

Conclusion, give me more work :)

Tired of Summer!

Phoenix summer is definitely hot, burning and tiring. Of course I don't like to admit it to my friends up north as they enjoy nice weather and great summer clothes. I do wear summer clothes but when there is heat warning, it's better to cover yourself up to avoid sun burns. Summer is an extremely lazy time to start anything new.Since the day we came back from Home, I have been trying to get onto on exercise routine. It worked for first two weeks but then I just became lazy and tired and gave up all the exercise. These days I come home from work and just lie on sofa and watch "The X files" back to back.

Most of my evenings are spent sleeping for two hours and then getting up realizing that it's already night. I have even stopped cooking regular dinner. Not that I enjoy cooking every day but eating out at this time is also boring. Even at 830 pm the temperature is about 100F. And of course lunch is outside most of the time. But I hate walking at noon when its burning out there.

Work is good and I like to write but as the day passes by, I start dozing off and they close the Starbucks in Downtown Campus at 3pm!!!! It's maddening especially when I am trying to get work done. So I don't work efficiently. In all I am ready to be done with Summer. The fall in Phoenix is beautiful. I love it. As for me, I need to stop cribbing and get back to work and try to hope for a good week end. Well, that's the only thing keeps me going these days :)

The King of Pop has Exited the Stage!

MJ is dead! Someone told me at work and I thought he was joking. I was just looking forward to MJ's comeback in UK and even planned to go for a show when he performs in United States. But now it's going to be watching his videos on Youtube again and again. I still can't believe that he is no more. For fans like me and million more he was and the only King of Pop. My first experience to Western Music at the age of 8 was to listen to Thriller and then watching the Video of Thriller. I was so exited about the song that I tried to copy the moves (which was a very poor effort). My Father was a huge Jackson fan and along with Indian Classical, MJ's music was an integral part of my childhood.

Sometime in high school I read about his childhood and life and how he became a true Superstar. I was completely moved by his story and wanted to visit Neverland Ranch sometime in my life. Who knows if that's possible now!

Music has tremendous power to change people. As someone told to CNN MJ's music gave him a reason to be happy even with an empty stomach. I am sure there are thousands of stories like this people would like to share.

His music, lyrics, dance and performance was so magnificent that even if you are not a big fan of being in a crowd you would love to be a part of his crowd. I don't know a single person who has not listed to Thriller at least 100 times in his life. That's what we call Legacy. Even after watching many more pop stars, listening really good pop music and dancing to the tune of new hits; Jackson is the only person who makes me dance anytime and every time I listen to him.

Last year I was at a conference and we had a dance night. Some of us were enjoying being on the floor but not everyone was a part of it. But as soon as the DJ put on Thriller every single one from the room jumped to the dance floor. What else can I say about the magic of Jackson.

Jackson's life has been a tragedy. Numerous health issues, drub abuse and court cases. He has a very unhappy childhood. Someone said "He sacrificed his childhood to give us ours". How true!

Even if Michael is no longer with us, his creation will last forever. The music and the magic continues...Rest in Peace, Michael Jackson!

This can happen to ME

Long-Borrowed Library Book Will Be Hard to Forget Now

Billu Barber

These days I run away from Hindi movies. Most of them are frivolous love sagas and the ostentatious display of love makes me neasus.But yesterday I watched Billu Barber and it was a relief from all the song and drama sequence. It's a simple story about a village barber and his childhood friend, now a Bollywood superstar. Of course there is song and dance sequence but as one of the characters if Bollywood actor, the sequence does not sound too irritating. If you know story of Krisha ani Sudama then you will find similarities in Billu's story. I love Irfan Khan. I think he is one of the most talented actors bollywood has seen recently. SRK is as usual charming. But the best part of the movie is dialogue. If you know typical Indian village then many of the scenes make more sense. There was as usual controversy about the name of the movie. Apparently, Barbers were offended by the name Billu Barber and so the word barber is omitted from the title song. What's wrong with people? But of course omitting barber does not affect the film anyways. Many of my friends did not like the movie. But I think it is quite entertaining. If you enjoy simplicity , Billu Barber is a must watch.

Hercule Poirot Marathon

I am a self proclaimed mystery lover. After being tired of reading and working all day in a non fiction world, I need my quota of fun and fiction. Mystery is the best medicine to treat all my daily frustrations. And speaking of mystery who can forget the Belgian, Hercule Poirot. Agatha Christie created this peculiar detective that still captures mind of many mystery lovers. Of course he is a horizon away from Sherlock Holmes. Poirot's fairly odd personality and his methodical way of detection is simply entertaining. And David Suchet has portrayed this great detective with amazing grace as if he is Hercule Poirot. Poirot's attention to cleanliness, careful dressing style and the great mustache has kept me under spell all these years. I recently came across many Poirot episodes on You Tube. If you enjoy the mystery as much I do, I will encourage you to dive into You Tube. Since it's Spring break I am running episode marathons and just enjoying being surrounded by old British characters. It's been a while since I got hooked onto something. There are many more episodes to enjoy and so let me just go back to my marathon.

Barack Obama

History will be made tomorrow as Barack Obama will be sworn in as the President of the United States of America. I find this more especially historic, as it is being celebrated after Martin Luther King Jr.' s birthday. The whole country is in different spirit. After being questioned and ridiculed by both opponents and party supporters, the man finally takes on the seat. I came across this interesting piece today. Just wanted to share with all.

Obama Sees His Race As Opportunity

Contacts

Finally, I started wearing my contact lenses everyday. I just got them done when I was in India during summer. I have been using glasses since 11th grade and never thought about contacts then. My greatest fear was putting something ,foreign in my eye. My family has a history of weak eye sight and I am extremely scared when it comes to anything to do with vision. My sister has been using contacts for a long time now and she is younger to me. I never , kind of got the courage to put them in. This time back home, I realized that contacts will help me putting my power constant. My work and play revolve around reading. So it is impossible not read. But according to my Ophthalmologist, reading is making my power change a little bit. So I decided to be brave and made the contacts. It worked fine at home. After coming back, I put them away safely. But never dared to use them frequently. Last week I had an encouraging conversation with a favorite professor who uses contacts constantly and finds no difficulty in reading or working on computer. This encouraged me to wear them all the time and guess what it's not that difficult. In fact it's easy without glasses on my nose and best part is I get to use fancy goggles which I never could wear. Thank you professor, for one more great gift!!

Bush and His Personality!

Analysis: Bush's personality shapes his legacy .

I came across the above article today. May be the man is not all that bad as we think he is!