Enticing City - New York

Before coming to united states, I had got in touch with one of my seniors of my undergrad college, Soumya. She was telling me that it was hard for people who knew New York city to leave it and go to another city. I didn't really believe that. After all how much different can they be? Having spent close to 2 months in the city during internship, I sometimes wonder whether any city can be like New York city?

My conversations with some other people.
Ashok : Hey ashwin, how is life?
Me: cool, how is hanover, and how is dartmouth ?
Ashok: Dartmouth seems to be good, but you know something intresting... hanover has 6 traffic lights.
Me: What!!??

Me: MA, baddi maga. How is life in VT?
MA: Life is cool.
Me: I bet it will be when you have a complete tuition waiver and a lot of stipend.
MA: Yeah man...Living expenses are dirt cheap here. I am paying like 200 bucks for a single room appt.
MA: But to get to the closest airport which can take you to a closest big airport is atleast 3 hrs from here and there is no train facility and you have to have a car or rent a car.
Me: Hmm...
MA: Its a village here man. California was so cool.


Talking about development in Mississippi with my uncle's friend.
Me : Hello uncle, what's new tylerton?
Uncle's friend : One traffic light in the past 10 years!!


Talk about New York city!! The above cases weren't the right competition. Vinod says Houston is pretty awesome.

People have told me that Chicago is pretty cool. Hmm.
Talking about Awesome cities- Montreal!! (rings any bell)? Las Vegas for all the gamblers and partygoers.

Like in India, even in US there is a big gap between developed and underdeveloped states. It is even reflected in people's attitude they say. Extremely conservative and orthodox groups are in places like Utah, Idaho where as people in major cities are extremely liberal and open minded.

I guess, personally more than the city, the people you are interacting with should have an awesome attitude. That was one thing excellent about my manager in Citigroup. I was lucky that way. My friends some of them however weren't so lucky. My manager never cared, when I came , when I left, as long as I did my duty. He was straight forward. I didn't have to guess anything. That takes away a lot of burden. I had some of the most interesting conversations in 2 months at Citigroup with him. There were many more reasons why I would call him a really good manager.

I wasn't that lucky when it came to my landlord though. Ended up fighting with him. This landlord never valued what he talked. Showed erratic behavior. At times he would act as if he was really concerned about us, infact he was just an opportunist. I never felt like respecting him and never did. He said " You don't give me respect, give me respect", I felt uncontrollable urge to burst into laughter. A man who demands respect!!

Good Corn

There was a farmer who grew award-winning corn.Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won a blue ribbon.One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors."How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?" the reporter asked."Why sir," said the farmer, "didn't you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn."He is very much aware of the correctness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbor's corn also improves.So it is in other dimensions. Those who choose to be at peace must help their neighbors to be at peace. Those who choose to live well must help others to live well, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others to find happiness, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all.The lesson for each of us is this: if we are to grow good corn, we must help our neighbors grow good corn.

"Each man takes care that his neighbor shall not cheat him. But a day comes when he begins to care that he does not cheat his neighbor. Then all goes well. He has changed his market-cart into a chariot of the sun." -Ralph Waldo Emerson.

“Man is now able to soar into outer space and reach up to the moon; but he is not moral enough to live at peace with his neighbor!”Sri Sathya Sai Baba (Indian Spiritual leader, b.1929)

Some of my favorites

"When a thief sees a saint, all he sees are his pockets."

When we are dead, seek not our tomb in the earth, but find it in the hearts of men.

Rabindranath Tagore's Poem - "Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high".

The principal(Sir M.D Nanjunda) of my school used to tell us.. "You may be the smartest person in the world, You could fool everybody except one person, that is yourself ". I must mention that this principal recieved the "Best Teacher award for 2006" from President of India, Abdul Kalam.

Some other quotes

If your God is going to drown the world; if your God is going to bring a flood to purposefully kill people, then why don't you pick a different God?

Never take life too seriously. Nobody get out of it alive anyways.

His ignorance is encyclopedic. - Funny isn't it?

The power of accurate observation is frequently called cynicism by those who don't have it. -hmmmph??

Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. - Edison

"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good."

One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important.

You can pretend to be serious; you can't pretend to be witty.

"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog."

Rabbi and the Doubter

"There was once a rabbi who was revered by the people as a man of God. Not a day went by when a crowd of people was not standing at his door seeking advice or healing or the holy man’s blessing. And each time the rabbi spoke, the people would hang on his every word, accepting everything he said as the truth.There was, however, in the audience a fellow who frequently questioned the master. He would question the Rabbi’s word or his opinions often doubting the truth of the Rabbi’s word. The disciples who hung on his every word as the truth were embarrassed for this questioning fellow.One day this doubter took ill and died. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief. Outwardly they looked appropriately solemn but in their hearts they were glad for no longer would the master’s inspiring talks be questioned or doubted.So the people were surprised to see the master plunged in genuine grief at the funeral. When asked by a disciple later if he was mourning over the eternal fate of the dead man, he said, “No, no. Why should I mourn over our friend who is now in heaven? It was for myself I was grieving. That man was the only friend I had. Here I am surrounded by people who revere me and always nod “yes” to my every word.. He was the only one who challenged me. I fear that with him gone, I shall stop growing.”

Egypt- Sheikh:Dr. Sur-Yan-Ar-Yan- A and his Begum

My parents have gone to Egypt. My sister is in med school studing hard (hardly?). My cousin who is Dubai was telling my dad that there maynot be much entertainment now in Egypt as it is the time of Ramzan and that most people would be fasting. I told my dad that there may not be much to worry because he is going to see art and not "people dancing".

My dad retorts saying "what about belly dancing?". I told him, that he is better off visiting egypt now because women would be in good shape because of fasting... and I am sure he would have fun watching them jiggle their bellies. We both had a hearty laugh.