I was in Disney Land the day before yesterday and here is the shot with the clock for the time!
Date: July 22, 2008
Location: Anaheim, CA
Titled: DisneylandAnd the drive back home.
Date: July 23, 2008
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Titled: Drive
July 24, 2008
July 22, 2008
Project Snapshot #72
I was waiting at a signal coming out of market place at Ming Avenue when I took this..
Date: July 21, 2008
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Titled: Marketplace
July 20, 2008
Project Snapshot #66, #67, #68, #69, #70 and #71
Ok. I slagged again. But here are past few days of Project Snapshot.
The first one is from a road side where I stopped to take the shot. I was lost on my way back. Note the gate in the side-view mirror.
And next day I went through the same route to explore further. Here is what I found.
The first one is from a road side where I stopped to take the shot. I was lost on my way back. Note the gate in the side-view mirror.
Date: July 15, 2008
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Titled: LostAnd next day I went through the same route to explore further. Here is what I found.
Date: July 16, 2008
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Titled: Gate
Ok. I was in gym the next day (yep. I joined one here. I am in Yoga classes) so couldn't take the shot on time. Here is the shot after I came out. The sun was already setting. Here is the shot.
Ok. I was in gym the next day (yep. I joined one here. I am in Yoga classes) so couldn't take the shot on time. Here is the shot after I came out. The sun was already setting. Here is the shot.
Date: July 17, 2008
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Titled: SunsetNext day was the day off for me. So I was reading The Chronicles of Narnia when the alarm went off. So I just took picture of first thing I saw which happened to be my laptop abandoned in one corner.
Date: July 18, 2008
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Titled: ShadowNext day, Saturday, I was outside in my back yard when alarm went off. The curious thing is that one of my fence board was broken. I don't know how it happened and I need to report it to my property manager but I am not sure I want to do it. You see now I can see the fountain from my back yard. Well, I will decide about that later. For now, here is the project snapshot..
Date: July 19, 2008
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Titled: BrokenAnd finally today, I was cooking. So here is the shot from the kitchen...
Date: July 20, 2008
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Titled: TapJuly 19, 2008
Gay Marriage Killed the Dinosaurs
Don't ask me how I landed there, but one fine day last week I found myself at facebook-group called "Gay Marriage Killed the Dinosaurs". I died of laughter. Honestly. Among the postings at the group-site(which included a lot of cartoons from all over the net. They have deleted them now, for some reason.), I loved the top ten reasons for Gay Marriage to be illegal and they are:
01) Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.
02) Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.
03) Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.
04) Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.
05) Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Britney Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.
06) Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.
07) Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.
08) Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.
09) Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.
10) Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.
Luckily, I did download few photos uploaded at the site before they deleted them. Just a few that I couldn't resist. I don't have proper attribution to give here but I still can't resist putting them here...
And what does Sanctity of marriage mean, you may ask?
And then there are some very reasonable arguments given...
And then obviously, someone always knows that its against God's will. But honestly, looking at this list , I wonder how many of us can escape it (I actually make it to the top of this list: Jesus Rejecter :) ). God is too demanding, I say.
This one is my favorite though...Couldn't stop laughing for 5 whole minutes. Thankfully I was at home and could laugh out loud while staring at my computer screen. :D
Don't ask me to take a stand on Gay-marriages. I am befuddled by these compelling arguments. And above all, it killed Dinosaurs! As the group intro says and I quote:
Now we can't let that happen, can we?
01) Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.
02) Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.
03) Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.
04) Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.
05) Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Britney Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.
06) Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.
07) Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.
08) Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.
09) Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.
10) Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.
Luckily, I did download few photos uploaded at the site before they deleted them. Just a few that I couldn't resist. I don't have proper attribution to give here but I still can't resist putting them here...
And what does Sanctity of marriage mean, you may ask?
And then there are some very reasonable arguments given...
And then obviously, someone always knows that its against God's will. But honestly, looking at this list , I wonder how many of us can escape it (I actually make it to the top of this list: Jesus Rejecter :) ). God is too demanding, I say.
This one is my favorite though...Couldn't stop laughing for 5 whole minutes. Thankfully I was at home and could laugh out loud while staring at my computer screen. :D
Don't ask me to take a stand on Gay-marriages. I am befuddled by these compelling arguments. And above all, it killed Dinosaurs! As the group intro says and I quote:
If we let liberal activist judges in Massachusetts and California set the course, the blood will run in rivers. Mixed with molten lava.
Now we can't let that happen, can we?
July 16, 2008
I love US
US terrosim watch list contains ONE MILLION names. Honestly, one million names! I wonder if CIA and FBI combined with local police force have enough resources and man power to keep so many people under watch? And how much money are they wasting on that? I mean I understand the importance of having a watch list but one million names is ridiculous. As it turns out, anyone who criticizes US is on the watch list.
Oh yeah, BTW, in case someone from watch team is reading this post: I love US. I have no problems with them attacking anyone they like or rather dislike. They have legal right over all the petroleum reserves in the world. Public transportation is for the rest of the world (= Europe, Australia). The third world countires (= Asia, Africa and South America) should travel in bullock carts. How dare they think that they should have any sort of transportations? If they use petrol, it will cause global warming. All hail to almighty, all-powerful, omnipresent BIG BROTHER.
Oh yeah, BTW, in case someone from watch team is reading this post: I love US. I have no problems with them attacking anyone they like or rather dislike. They have legal right over all the petroleum reserves in the world. Public transportation is for the rest of the world (= Europe, Australia). The third world countires (= Asia, Africa and South America) should travel in bullock carts. How dare they think that they should have any sort of transportations? If they use petrol, it will cause global warming. All hail to almighty, all-powerful, omnipresent BIG BROTHER.
July 14, 2008
Flash flood
As I posted earlier, I drove through Sequoia National Forest yesterday. I was driving through Kern River canyon when I noticed how black the river was. Since I know nothing about the river, I assumed that its natural state. But as it turned out that for past two days it had rained in the mountains, resulting in flash flood in the area and hence the mud in the river. Here are few shots of Kern showing the blackness of the river due to the mud by your very own correspondent here at Bakersfield. :)
Project Snapshot #65
I was pulling out of the driveway of my mentor (I car pool with her..remember I hate driving) today when alarm went off. Since my car was in sun the whole day, it was an oven inside my car so I took the shot and put on the ac...I just couldn't care more..
Date: July 14, 2008
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Titled: Driveway
Fun Vs. Exercise
Ok, I have had it. Why do people assume that only reason I love Karate is because its a good workout? The outlook of people is so ridiculous. If you play a sport, thats because its a good workout? Whatever happened to the fun part? Remember that was the reason we used to love to play when we were kids and it didn't matter how the weather was as long as we were allowed to play? For some of us, its still the reason to play. Not the workout.
Everytime and I mean EACH AND EVERY TIME, I describe the fun of going for Karate class, the response I get: 'Oh that sounds like fun but I will still stick to my treadmills for my workout.' How can you ever compare a machine to an art like Karate? HOW? And its not that I am trying to recruit them for Karate class or something. I am simply answering their and I quote "THEIR" question: 'How come you are interested in Karate?'
And honestly, I hate working out in gym. I tried but its simply so boring. The reasons like healthy life, lossing weight or looking good don't motivate me. Yeah ok, I would like them but not enough to workout. I just can't workout on the machines in the gym. On the other hand, I always look forward to my Karate classes. I will skip gym at slightest of excuse but I will make excuses to be in Karate class. And its just not Karate, if I have a partner, I would love to play Badminton (Honestly, I have been seriously considering to join the Badi team here but I know in heart of my hearts that I don't have enough stamina for two intense sports. I am not that good an athlete.) or any other sport. I actually ignore injuries, fever and things like that to be there for these things.
Well before I end the post, I confess that I don't enjoy running as much. The only reason I do that is because I have been told in the Karate class that its the best way to build up the calf muscles that I need for improving my stances. But still I don't enjoy it as much. I do know people who actually enjoy running and thats perfectly alright. But I just don't like the idea of exercising just for sake of it. I don't how anyone motivate him- /her-self to do that. With the busy schedule I have, that will be the first thing I will drop: anything thats not fun.
Come on people, life is fun. Enjoy it. Pick up a sport and have fun, don't torture yourself for sake of working out. Learn from the kids.
Everytime and I mean EACH AND EVERY TIME, I describe the fun of going for Karate class, the response I get: 'Oh that sounds like fun but I will still stick to my treadmills for my workout.' How can you ever compare a machine to an art like Karate? HOW? And its not that I am trying to recruit them for Karate class or something. I am simply answering their and I quote "THEIR" question: 'How come you are interested in Karate?'
And honestly, I hate working out in gym. I tried but its simply so boring. The reasons like healthy life, lossing weight or looking good don't motivate me. Yeah ok, I would like them but not enough to workout. I just can't workout on the machines in the gym. On the other hand, I always look forward to my Karate classes. I will skip gym at slightest of excuse but I will make excuses to be in Karate class. And its just not Karate, if I have a partner, I would love to play Badminton (Honestly, I have been seriously considering to join the Badi team here but I know in heart of my hearts that I don't have enough stamina for two intense sports. I am not that good an athlete.) or any other sport. I actually ignore injuries, fever and things like that to be there for these things.
Well before I end the post, I confess that I don't enjoy running as much. The only reason I do that is because I have been told in the Karate class that its the best way to build up the calf muscles that I need for improving my stances. But still I don't enjoy it as much. I do know people who actually enjoy running and thats perfectly alright. But I just don't like the idea of exercising just for sake of it. I don't how anyone motivate him- /her-self to do that. With the busy schedule I have, that will be the first thing I will drop: anything thats not fun.
Come on people, life is fun. Enjoy it. Pick up a sport and have fun, don't torture yourself for sake of working out. Learn from the kids.
July 13, 2008
No. This isn't Paradise...
..though its still beautiful.
This is Lake Isabella in Sequoia National Park in Sierra Nevada ranges. I went there for a short trip today. Absolutely beautiful sceneries...
Project Snapshot #61, #62, #63 and #64
And thats up to today. Hopefully I won't lag behind so much any time soon..
The first one is from parking lot at our apartment complex. I was taking out things when alarm went off.
Date: July 09, 2008
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Titled:Parking lotNext one is from the reception area...
Date: July 11, 2008
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Titled:ReceptionYes. we have ducks in our apartment complex. Its fun sitting out...
Date: July 12, 2008
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Titled: DucksFinally today. This is entrance of my apartment.
Date: July 13, 2008
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Titled:Stairs
Ten Project Snapshot Images...
..are posted here. I don't have patience to write details this time...
Date: July 02, 2008
Date: July 06, 2008
Date: June 27, 2008
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Titled:Vending Machine
Date: June 28, 2008
Location:Mountain View, CA
Titled: Sleeping
Date: June 29, 2008
Location:Mountain View, CA
Titled: Red
Date: June 30, 2008
Location: Tupman, CA
Titled: Desert
Date: July 02, 2008
Location:Tupman, CA
Titled: Trailers
Date: July 04, 2008
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Titled: Shadows
Date: July 05, 2008
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Titled: Fan
Date: July 06, 2008
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Titled: Sound of music
Date: July 07, 2008
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Titled: Market Place
Date: July 08, 2008
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Titled: Lamp-post
July 11, 2008
American Wake-up Call
Finally they are looking at hybrids and small cars. Someday they will realize the importance of a good public transport system too! At least I can dream of that now...
July 9, 2008
How hot is it?
If you don't know that: Yesterday I started with a glass full of ice from the club house (a trailer converted in a nice sitting place) and reached my office 2 minutes later. The ice filled glass was now half filled with water.
P.S.: 1. Ok I know, its as hot as its in India and I am not writing this to say that its hotter than India. I am writing this because when people talk about western countries, including US, they assume it will be a cold country like most of the European countries. Its not always true. Its really hot here. And also I need to justify putting AC in my car. I REALLY NEED IT.
2. I have downloaded the Project snapshot shots on my laptop. I will try to sort it out and post it by today. Thanks for you patience.
P.S.: 1. Ok I know, its as hot as its in India and I am not writing this to say that its hotter than India. I am writing this because when people talk about western countries, including US, they assume it will be a cold country like most of the European countries. Its not always true. Its really hot here. And also I need to justify putting AC in my car. I REALLY NEED IT.
2. I have downloaded the Project snapshot shots on my laptop. I will try to sort it out and post it by today. Thanks for you patience.
July 8, 2008
Hot Hot Hot...
Ok I know I have disappeared again. I am trying hard to get in the schedule here. You know, its not easy to change your schedule and start waking up at 4:30 in the morning, every day. I will get better with time, I suppose.
Anways, yesterday I was trying to find a post office near my home here and this caught my attention. This is a screen shot from Google Earth and all those blue dots there are swimming pools. Doesn't it seem to have more swimming pools than houses? The temperature at the moment is approximately 42 C here...but guess this gives a better picture of how hot it is here.
The picture below is just a zoomed out version of picture above. You can see its just not one area that I am talking about.
P.S.: I know, I haven't posted the Project Snapshot pictures for a long time. The problem is that I skipped a few days in between as at theat time I would be driving back from office and don't want to do anything silly (like taking picture while driving) and forgot about them later. Anyway, I will try to post the pictures I have by tomorrow.
Anways, yesterday I was trying to find a post office near my home here and this caught my attention. This is a screen shot from Google Earth and all those blue dots there are swimming pools. Doesn't it seem to have more swimming pools than houses? The temperature at the moment is approximately 42 C here...but guess this gives a better picture of how hot it is here.
The picture below is just a zoomed out version of picture above. You can see its just not one area that I am talking about.
P.S.: I know, I haven't posted the Project Snapshot pictures for a long time. The problem is that I skipped a few days in between as at theat time I would be driving back from office and don't want to do anything silly (like taking picture while driving) and forgot about them later. Anyway, I will try to post the pictures I have by tomorrow.
July 1, 2008
Yet Again...
I lost my wallet. I had to block all my cards, YET AGAIN. I had to call up all the companies to hold off their dues for a week..YET AGAIN. I am penniless..YET AGAIN (though thinking about it I am always penniless..I am a grad student). I hate my life...YET AGAIN..ok thats not true but yeah I am fed up with all this credit card nuisances. I am going on direct debits from now on. Enough with these credit cards...
P.S.: On second thoughts, I think I should get one of those wallets that I can wear around the neck. That will be my fashion statement!
P.S.: On second thoughts, I think I should get one of those wallets that I can wear around the neck. That will be my fashion statement!
I don't care...
Whenever someone tells me this, I roll my eyes and go 'Oh really?' They will tell me they don't care about so many things..they don't care how they look or how they dress up or what others think about them or life itself!! The worst part of this is that they actually believe they don't care about such things. Honestly. They can swear by it because they actually believe it.
Most of my friends do that. But seriously if you don't care about any one of those things I enlisted, you are seriously depressed and should seek some assistance. No seriously. Every single one of them matters..even the way you look. If you think you don't care about it and its not important, then you are fooling yourself. We all care about that and when we actually say such things, it implies that we are just being lazy to do anything about it and hence give such lame excuses. And if even now you insist that you don't care about any of those..either you are taking hypocrisy to next level. Good luck with that! Otherwise you are soon to commit suicide...Good luck with that too!
P.S.: I am not sure what triggered this series of thought but I found myself thinking about this while attending a really boring meeting today afternoon...the reason I didn't doze off in the meeting.
Most of my friends do that. But seriously if you don't care about any one of those things I enlisted, you are seriously depressed and should seek some assistance. No seriously. Every single one of them matters..even the way you look. If you think you don't care about it and its not important, then you are fooling yourself. We all care about that and when we actually say such things, it implies that we are just being lazy to do anything about it and hence give such lame excuses. And if even now you insist that you don't care about any of those..either you are taking hypocrisy to next level. Good luck with that! Otherwise you are soon to commit suicide...Good luck with that too!
P.S.: I am not sure what triggered this series of thought but I found myself thinking about this while attending a really boring meeting today afternoon...the reason I didn't doze off in the meeting.
June 28, 2008
System Crash...
Ok, I have officially crossed the boundary between exhaustion (which has been my usual state of existence for past six months). I entered the realm of being fatigued some time this week though realized just now.
I drove 5 hours last night to Bay area (my home) and already attended today's Karate class. I still have to go to bank, get something to eat, sort out few documents I need back there and then sleep. I don't think I will be able to write any post for next 2-3 days. I NEED to rest, so thats what I am going to do in any spare time I can afford. Until then Sayonara...
I drove 5 hours last night to Bay area (my home) and already attended today's Karate class. I still have to go to bank, get something to eat, sort out few documents I need back there and then sleep. I don't think I will be able to write any post for next 2-3 days. I NEED to rest, so thats what I am going to do in any spare time I can afford. Until then Sayonara...
June 26, 2008
Spoiled American..
...thats how I drove yesterday. Ok I need to start from the beginning and give you the whole picture.
I don't have an AC in my car as you don't need it in Bay Area. The summer lasts for a month or so there and its not too bad. Maximum temperatures would be in order of 35 C but those are the hottest days. Here, on the contrary, 35 C is one of the coolest day. Temperatures are usually between 35 C and 40 C (well thst what had been so far). People have been telling me that summer hasn't started yet. The worst is yet to come. Temperatures will rise above 40 C to upto 47 C. July and August are supposed to be the hottest months. So I figured, if I want to go back to Stanford alive, I would need an AC in my car. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, the public transport system here- not so good. My Londoner friend was complaining about public transport in Bay area...she should see this area. I have seen bus stops here but no buses so far. My guess is that they do have some sort of bus system here but frequency or connectivity isn't as good as in Bay area. Anyway, so the consequence is that I am getting my car AC fixed. Can't drive without it and have to drive on daily basis here. Its costing me a lot but then you have got to do what you have got to do.
I don't have an AC in my car as you don't need it in Bay Area. The summer lasts for a month or so there and its not too bad. Maximum temperatures would be in order of 35 C but those are the hottest days. Here, on the contrary, 35 C is one of the coolest day. Temperatures are usually between 35 C and 40 C (well thst what had been so far). People have been telling me that summer hasn't started yet. The worst is yet to come. Temperatures will rise above 40 C to upto 47 C. July and August are supposed to be the hottest months. So I figured, if I want to go back to Stanford alive, I would need an AC in my car. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, the public transport system here- not so good. My Londoner friend was complaining about public transport in Bay area...she should see this area. I have seen bus stops here but no buses so far. My guess is that they do have some sort of bus system here but frequency or connectivity isn't as good as in Bay area. Anyway, so the consequence is that I am getting my car AC fixed. Can't drive without it and have to drive on daily basis here. Its costing me a lot but then you have got to do what you have got to do.
Ok, now coming to the point of the post, finally. So yesterday morning I gave my car for repair (haven't got it back yet) and then I had to drive back to work so I rented a car. At Enterprise (Renting company) I asked for the smallest and cheapest car available. But they only had a Ford Escape available. Now as I have often reiteriated, I hate to drive. I never drove such a big thing in my life. To compliment it, I was in a new plcae where I don't know the routes yet. And the average speed limits on the roads here is 50 mph (~80 Kmph) while people usually drive at 60 mph (~96 Kmph). I was pretty nervous when I started driving but once my mind got used to dimensions of the car, it was pretty cool. I didn't feel any of those bumps on which my poor 93 Toyota Corolla starts performing gymnastic tricks. And later in evening when it actually cooled off, I thought about being a good person and switch off the AC and roll down the wiindows instead. That lasted 5 mins. Honestly yesterday I drove like a spoiled American whom I usually despise. I was driving a truck. I was the only passenger. I switched on the AC to the max and kept it so the entire time. I drove like that for approximately 60-70 miles. Guess I pampered myself yesterday... Hopefully I will get my car tomorrow and I will be back to being me again!
June 25, 2008
Project Snapshot #49 and #50: Golden Jubilee
Yay! Its been 50 shots since I started Project snapshot. Hopefully it will keep going for at least the whole year. Anyway, so last two shots are here.
Ok the first one is from my mentor's (for internship) colony. I am planning to car pool with her to office. Anyway, she told me that the directions to her home is very simple. You reach at this street which is the gate of this colony and then you take a right and then a left, right again and finally a left. And then she gave me the name of her street. See how simple R-L-R-L...thats it. Once you reach that colony area, cross the locked gate thats how the road looks. I am not sure whether this will be considered a right and then left or simply a bent in the road? Anyway, luckily she gave me her house number so I reached though I was 5 mins late.
Ok the first one is from my mentor's (for internship) colony. I am planning to car pool with her to office. Anyway, she told me that the directions to her home is very simple. You reach at this street which is the gate of this colony and then you take a right and then a left, right again and finally a left. And then she gave me the name of her street. See how simple R-L-R-L...thats it. Once you reach that colony area, cross the locked gate thats how the road looks. I am not sure whether this will be considered a right and then left or simply a bent in the road? Anyway, luckily she gave me her house number so I reached though I was 5 mins late.
Date: June 24, 2008
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Titled: Twists
And finally today's shot. This is my office desk with my office computer. Hopefully you can't read anything on the computer screen. Oil companies are very paranoid about their data secrecy. In any case, the window on the screen is a help tip for the software which hopefully doesn't violate any secrecy codes.
Anyway, so this is my new office. Its so clean. I wish my office in Stanford looked nearly half clean as this one. Though may be by end of the internship, this will be as cluttered.
Anyway, so this is my new office. Its so clean. I wish my office in Stanford looked nearly half clean as this one. Though may be by end of the internship, this will be as cluttered.
Date: June 25, 2008
Location: Tupman, CA
Titled:Office
Allowing God?
I have been meaning to write this post for a week now. Last week my room-mate, my sublet-room-mate and I were talking, you know, late night chit-chats. Somehow the conversation steered towards religion. And my room-mate, being as witty as she is, used the phrase "allowing more power to God" while describing the difference between detheist and agnostic person (basically detheist "allow" more power to God than agnostics do). Her brother is a Theosophy major. So she has an active interest in the subject.
Anyway the term allowing God more power got my thinking gear active. Isn't thats what all the religious beliefs or non-beliefs are about? How much power you will allow an imaginary figure, namely God, to have on you and your life? In case of an atheist it comes to allowing God to exist or not. Its ironic, isn't it? The believers say that its God who allow us to exist while in reality its us who allow God to exist. Its us who allow the amount of power He/She has even though the believers believe that He/She is the mightiest.
Oh, the beautiful ironies of life!
Anyway the term allowing God more power got my thinking gear active. Isn't thats what all the religious beliefs or non-beliefs are about? How much power you will allow an imaginary figure, namely God, to have on you and your life? In case of an atheist it comes to allowing God to exist or not. Its ironic, isn't it? The believers say that its God who allow us to exist while in reality its us who allow God to exist. Its us who allow the amount of power He/She has even though the believers believe that He/She is the mightiest.
Oh, the beautiful ironies of life!
June 24, 2008
Project Snapshot #48 and some more
Did I tell you that I am living in Rajasthan these days? Honestly, thats how it feels here. Same landscape, same temperatures, same dryness, same water problem, same perpendicular long roads with no houses for a long long time. And our office is right in the middle of NOWHERE. Just like our exploration camps in Rajasthan. Did I mention, I used to work for an oil company back in India? The asset I used to work for was Rajasthan so I did quite a few field trips in that area. And it feels like I am back there. This is a shot from last evening in the parking lot of the office. I had to move my car to a shady area so that I can go home after an hour after it had cooled off a bit.
Anyway, so I went a bit further and took this shot using the panaroma feature of my cell phone. It didn't come out very well as the sun was behind me and I couldn't see very well on the screen. Anyway here is the result. Now you tell me, doesn't this look like Rajasthan?
Date: June 23, 2008
Location: Tupman, CA
Titled: Parking
Anyway, so I went a bit further and took this shot using the panaroma feature of my cell phone. It didn't come out very well as the sun was behind me and I couldn't see very well on the screen. Anyway here is the result. Now you tell me, doesn't this look like Rajasthan?
Finally..Project Snapshots #43, #44, #45, #46 and #47
I got to uploading and posting the pictures. So here are the pictures...
The first one is actually first day of the conference. We went a little over time that day so I was sitting in the conference room when alarm went off. So here is the shot.
Next day I was walking out of the conference place (Quadrus Conference Center) when it started ringing. So here is the view from somewhere in the way from the conference hall and parking lot.
The next day my shopping spree started again but this time it was for essential I would need for the travel and new place. So I bought few sodas for the way and a cooler (and I am so glad I did. there was no way that I could have made it alive to Bakersfield without them. Saturday was the hottest day in the country which makes Southern California even worse.)
Next day, after reaching Bakersfield, I went shopping again. I needed some basic necessities like dish detergent, fabric detergent, few hangers, bath rug, shower curtain etc. In fact I have been shopping for past 5 days now. You don't realize importance of those small things till they go missing. Things like lamps (oh yeah, quite often they don't provide any lights in the living room or bedrooms. They are only responsible for florescent lights which they place in Kitchen and Bathroom. And its not like that they have wall mounted lamps where you can put your bulb in and start using. you have to buy the lamps and bulbs for each room.) or waste basket. Anyway, so thats what I have been buying for past few days. I keep forgetting something or the other (I did make list but somehow I keep forgetting it at home...EACH AND EVERY TIME!).
I haven't started rambling about my apartment yet, have I? Ok here it goes...I love it. I absolutely love it. Its a nice enclosed society with about 100-150 houses (I think). They have two pools and a fitness center and quite a few fountains/small ponds on the property. As I was walking towards my apartment, unloading things from my car, about 4-5 ducks lead the way. Combined with the calming sound of fountain, it seemed so perfect. I would just love to sit in the grass near one of those fountain and read something. I will get around to doing that one of these days. Meanwhile, enjoy the shot from just outside my apartment. I was walking towards my car to go for shopping (yet again). The sun is bright and hot but shade feels nice..
The first one is actually first day of the conference. We went a little over time that day so I was sitting in the conference room when alarm went off. So here is the shot.
Date: June 18, 2008
Location: Menlo Park, CA
Location: Menlo Park, CA
Titled: Presentation
Next day I was walking out of the conference place (Quadrus Conference Center) when it started ringing. So here is the view from somewhere in the way from the conference hall and parking lot.
Date: June 19, 2008
Location: Menlo Park, CA
Titled: Quadrus
Titled: Quadrus
The next day my shopping spree started again but this time it was for essential I would need for the travel and new place. So I bought few sodas for the way and a cooler (and I am so glad I did. there was no way that I could have made it alive to Bakersfield without them. Saturday was the hottest day in the country which makes Southern California even worse.)
Date: June 20, 2008
Location: Mountain View, CA
Titled: Shopping 1
Titled: Shopping 1
Next day, after reaching Bakersfield, I went shopping again. I needed some basic necessities like dish detergent, fabric detergent, few hangers, bath rug, shower curtain etc. In fact I have been shopping for past 5 days now. You don't realize importance of those small things till they go missing. Things like lamps (oh yeah, quite often they don't provide any lights in the living room or bedrooms. They are only responsible for florescent lights which they place in Kitchen and Bathroom. And its not like that they have wall mounted lamps where you can put your bulb in and start using. you have to buy the lamps and bulbs for each room.) or waste basket. Anyway, so thats what I have been buying for past few days. I keep forgetting something or the other (I did make list but somehow I keep forgetting it at home...EACH AND EVERY TIME!).
Date: June 21, 2008
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Titled: Shopping 2
I haven't started rambling about my apartment yet, have I? Ok here it goes...I love it. I absolutely love it. Its a nice enclosed society with about 100-150 houses (I think). They have two pools and a fitness center and quite a few fountains/small ponds on the property. As I was walking towards my apartment, unloading things from my car, about 4-5 ducks lead the way. Combined with the calming sound of fountain, it seemed so perfect. I would just love to sit in the grass near one of those fountain and read something. I will get around to doing that one of these days. Meanwhile, enjoy the shot from just outside my apartment. I was walking towards my car to go for shopping (yet again). The sun is bright and hot but shade feels nice..
Date: June 22, 2008
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Titled: New (Temporary) Home
Titled: New (Temporary) Home
June 21, 2008
Oxymoron...
Pleasant Valley State Prison
...Saw the board today morning on the way to Bakersfield. :)
Bakersfield...
...is extremely hot. And extremely dry. I started driving today morning at 4:30 AM after 2 hours of sleep. The 4.5 hours drive gave me a sun-burn. I actually have a sun burn for the second time in my life. I am an Indian for crying out loud. I shouldn't get SUN BURNS. I should have some biological advantages! And that too in morning hours! Its completely horrifying!
Anyway, the sun-rise was beautiful. I was driving through Pacheco Pass. I had to stop to take few pictures. Enjoy...
P.S.: I am very sleep deprived and tired at the moment. Will download and post the project snapshot pictures soon.
Anyway, the sun-rise was beautiful. I was driving through Pacheco Pass. I had to stop to take few pictures. Enjoy...
San Lius Reservoir, Pacheco Pass, CA
Sunrise , somewhere in Southern California
Sunrise , somewhere in Southern California
Sunrise , somewhere in Southern California
P.S.: I am very sleep deprived and tired at the moment. Will download and post the project snapshot pictures soon.
June 17, 2008
Life Lesson # 1: One mistake or three mistakes
If I was a "writer", I would have said 'Life is a classroom and everyone you meet is a teacher. You can learn something from everyone you meet.' and so on. But I am a blogger so I don't do such sophisticated stuff. So I would instead tell you what happened the other day. :)
The incident is from my Karate class. So I was preparing for my blue belt test and as I am simply overwhelmed with work these days, it was affecting my Karate practice too. I was way too distracted and was repeatedly making mistake. I got a time off for that too..but thats another story beyond the scope of this post (I have a technical presentation in two days, I am practicing to answer the tough questions ;) ). Anyway, so I was repeatedly making mistake and my problem is (I guess its a problem with quite a lot of people) that I get hung up on those mistakes and ruin the rest of the technique or kata I am working on. So the instructor approaches me and tell me to relax and tells me something very profound. Something I want to share with everyone I know.
He said that you can either make one mistake or you can make three mistakes. The choice is yours. I was obviously completely blank at this point so he started explaining: "If you are doing something, its very likely that you will make a mistake. Everyone does. Now its your choice whether you leave it at that or go on to make two more mistakes. The second mistake is regretting your mistake in middle of your work which actually draws attention of your tester/spectators to the mistake. And the third mistake is to keep thinking about that mistake and hence ruin the rest of the work which you could have used to overcome that mistake. So its your choice whether you make one mistake or you triple it."
Yesterday, I had my blue belt test and I aced it (my examiner said that) not because I didn't make any mistake but because I didn't get hung over that mistake. Its a very difficult thing to do. I am so proud of myself at the moment. I could achieve that control over myself. So as of last night, I am a Blue-Belt in Kenpo Karate. Voohoooooooo..........
The incident is from my Karate class. So I was preparing for my blue belt test and as I am simply overwhelmed with work these days, it was affecting my Karate practice too. I was way too distracted and was repeatedly making mistake. I got a time off for that too..but thats another story beyond the scope of this post (I have a technical presentation in two days, I am practicing to answer the tough questions ;) ). Anyway, so I was repeatedly making mistake and my problem is (I guess its a problem with quite a lot of people) that I get hung up on those mistakes and ruin the rest of the technique or kata I am working on. So the instructor approaches me and tell me to relax and tells me something very profound. Something I want to share with everyone I know.
He said that you can either make one mistake or you can make three mistakes. The choice is yours. I was obviously completely blank at this point so he started explaining: "If you are doing something, its very likely that you will make a mistake. Everyone does. Now its your choice whether you leave it at that or go on to make two more mistakes. The second mistake is regretting your mistake in middle of your work which actually draws attention of your tester/spectators to the mistake. And the third mistake is to keep thinking about that mistake and hence ruin the rest of the work which you could have used to overcome that mistake. So its your choice whether you make one mistake or you triple it."
Yesterday, I had my blue belt test and I aced it (my examiner said that) not because I didn't make any mistake but because I didn't get hung over that mistake. Its a very difficult thing to do. I am so proud of myself at the moment. I could achieve that control over myself. So as of last night, I am a Blue-Belt in Kenpo Karate. Voohoooooooo..........
June 16, 2008
Quick note
Ok. I am going crazy here. In past few days, I had to pack up everything I own, divide them in things I will take and things I will leave behind (packed in boxes) and things I need this week. The girl I am subletting the apartment will arrive today evening. I will be crashing on the couch for next few days. To add to it, I have my Karate blue belt test today and two presentation in two days. I haven't yet started making the presentation. There are still umpteen number of tasks I need to do.
My stress level is at its highest at the moment. I am extremely irritable and have started snapping at everyone. Thankfully, my friends are understanding and don't get offended. I don't know what I will do without them...
Anyway, the quick note is about a long complain that I don't change 'Think it Over..', 'I wonder..' and 'Musing Amusing...' section of my blog. I did it today. I can't say when I will do it again but it will be soon enough. So keep checking...
My stress level is at its highest at the moment. I am extremely irritable and have started snapping at everyone. Thankfully, my friends are understanding and don't get offended. I don't know what I will do without them...
Anyway, the quick note is about a long complain that I don't change 'Think it Over..', 'I wonder..' and 'Musing Amusing...' section of my blog. I did it today. I can't say when I will do it again but it will be soon enough. So keep checking...
Project Snapshot # 40, # 41, # 42
Ok I missed one day in between again. I was talking to a friend and couldn't afford to get distracted at that point in time. You know, at times, you just have to be there. No distractions allowed. So I let it go.. Anyway, here are rest of them...
The first one is my neighbors door..
Titled: Welcome
The second one is a parking lot. I was driving, yet again when the alarm went off. So I waited till I parked to take the shot.
Titled: Arrow
Lastly, a shot from the park in front of my house. Somebody actually dumped a tricycle in garbage bin..
Titled: Garbage
The first one is my neighbors door..
Date: June 12, 2008
Location: Mountain View, CA
The second one is a parking lot. I was driving, yet again when the alarm went off. So I waited till I parked to take the shot.
Date: June 13, 2008
Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Lastly, a shot from the park in front of my house. Somebody actually dumped a tricycle in garbage bin..
Date: June 15, 2008
Location: Mountain View, CA
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