The Tattoo Experience

So I did it. After like 5-6 years of thinking / contemplating / talking to mom and getting over my last minute jitters, I finally got my Tattoo.

Some of my friends with whom I have discussed the idea, know how I wanted to get an "Om" tattoo. So I finally got it done this few days back.

A tattoo has always been of of those things which have intrigued me and some how we relate getting one to being bad ass. For me it was more of a taking a decision and being able to live with it for the rest of my life. Thus I had always planned on few pre-conditions before getting it. The first being obviously talking it out with mom, who surprisingly agreed after a bit of cajoling. Next on the list was getting to an long time achievement / desire, so I decided like a year or so back that I would get it once I get into my PhD. This confirmed a month or so back when I decided to continue for my PhD at UCSD. Lastly a tattoo being a permanent change on my body, I wanted to talk it out with my life partner if and when she came into my life before going under the needle, as somehow I wanted her to be equally cool with it. This fell in place when I talked about it with Atreyi like few months back and she totally agreed with my idea. Thus with the fulfillment of all of my 3 conditions, getting a tattoo was left just to my getting over the nerves and going for it.

Another person I am really thankful for my tattoo is Nick Busan. He is the lab manager for the undergrad labs I have been TA'ing for the last few quarters. He being an ardent tattoo enthusiast had promised to accompany me if and when I decided to get my tattoo.

So after some planning, we finally landed up at Avalon Tattoo 2 with Nick and Atreyi. After some google image hunting for the kind of "Om" I wanted, Chris (the guy who did my tattoo) finally printed out the tattoo stencil with the image I wanted etched on my back. Then started a 30 min ordeal. I had been warned before hand that tattooing would be painful, though the spot I had decided on my back would be comparatively less painful. It started with initially making the "Om" outline on my back, this was kinda painful and lasted like 15 mins or so. At the end I had an outline waiting to be filled. Chris changed his instruments and started the process of filling up the "Om", this was kinda more painful and made me clench my teeth once in a while. Atreyi was sitting there all the time taking pictures and videos once in a while and somehow holding her nerves. Nick continued standing in the lobby looking over all the time. Thus after a half hour painful ritual I was told by Chris that it was all done. I got up and checked the tattoo in the mirror. It sure was a really proud feeling, in spite of it being a bit bloody then. So after the bandaging and receiving the care instructions we came back home.

It been few days now, and it still feels good every time I look at it in the mirror. I have heard it from lot of people that tattoo's are kinda addictive and once you get inked you go for more and more, now that is something I have not felt till now, so lets see as time progresses and if I change my mind.

Magazine Critique

Yesterday I was talking to a friend of Atreyi about a Movie Review posted in a magazine of hers at school. Something which came to my mind a few days back.

What are the magazine critique's / Reviewers supposed to be like. I personally feel a magazine reviewer should be what the readers want ? Say if a magazine is trying to cater to a particular segment of the audience, their writers should also be similar to the readers in some way. Why would a magazine reader like to say read a review about a movie by a person who is totally different from them, how in the world would it even interest them ? I personally as a magazine reader would be even disgusted reading a review by a person totally different then me and think twice reading that magazine again.

My point is not against freedom of speech or that everyone has a right to their opinion. But I am thinking from a business / marketing point of view. If I was to be the editor of a magazine catering to a specific segment of people, I would surely get my writers from the same segment of people, coz at the end of the day for a magazine, getting more readers and making it more acceptable should be the most important thing, rather than trying to put their opinion forward, which should be more of a newspaper's job. In this age it is not "You should treat people the way you want to be treated", it should be more like "You should treat people the way they want to be treated"

Bbye 2009, Welcome 2010

So here sitting in the dying moments of 2009, instead of being in a wild party, with a glass of Vodka in my hand and dancing like crazy as anticipated, I am sitting by the PC at home in Ankleshwar blogging...
2009 was quite an eventfull year in my life, from almost finishing off my MS at UCSD, to coming twice to India (both times unplanned), to having some mile stones in life, to going through all this arranged marriage process in top gear, to meeting some real good people, to losing some real good ones. The year in the end went much better / grander than I expected it to. Looking back, I think I could have done somethings differently, may studied a bit harder and got some better grades at UCSD, to maybe having some more fun in the beginning of the year, but in the end like the Linkin Park song goes, It doesnt even matter.....
2010 should be one of the most important years of my life. This year hopefully should give that final direction to my career and thus my life, depending on where I get in for my PhD to the topic I do my PhD on, this year sure will be a turning point of my life, and personally I hope it turns out as well also.
I just heard some fireworks in the background, so its 2010 now. I had the countdown moment blogging...... So cheers to a better year for me and everyone around !!
Happy 2010 !!!!

Cruise

Well I wanted to write about this for like 2 months now, but somehow studies and work this quarter have been taking more time than I would like, so kinda go delayed.

I had the wonderful opportunity of taking the first cruise of my life with Mom and Dad this Summer. We went on the huge Super Star Virgo for a 2 and half day cruise from Singapore, it was one of the no-where cruise, so effectively we just went on a long journey in the ocean and came back to Singapore. We did go to the beautiful island of Palau Redang during the cruise.

Coming to the cruise, the first thing that actually hits you is the actual size of the ship, I have seen big ships before at Alang and so, but actually seeing one so close by and then entering it is something totally different. So after entering this Huge, White, Majestic Ship we were assigned our rooms.

One thing totally different in a cruise vacation is that it generally includes all the meals and also entertainment options in the package. So we had the whole ship with a plethora of activities from a swimming pool with water slides to a discotheque. And to add to them 6 meals a day !! Yes 6 meals, starting from morning / bed tea, breakfast, lunch, evening snack, dinner and midnight snack. So it was like eat, have fun, eat again and have fun again. And the cycle goes on till the time you actually finish off the cruise. Also not to be missed are the excursions, like ours to Palau Redang, from disembarking the ship in the middle of the ocean into transit boats to exploring a pristine beach with the whitest sand and the clearest water I have ever seen, the whole experience is more than awesome. Also something not to be missed on the cruise is watching the Sun set and the Sun rise, seeing the Sun set and rise on the horizon in the water is really beautiful.

Coming back after the Cruise experience, I would recommend it to everyone. Its one of the most luxurious options for a vacation, and totally worth the money they charge, considering the five star ambience along with the fabulous meals... Everyone needs to go on a Cruise once to actually fall in love with the experience. I have decided to go on a much longer cruise on the next available opportunity !!!

Process of Arranged Marriage

This post may sound a little bit odd, especially coming from me. I have been a firm believer of Love Marriage from as long as I can remember, somehow I always thought that I will go for love marriage, and so did almost everyone who knew me...
But then as luck would have it, and also the probablity of falling in love with a girl who would meet all my specifications as well as my parents was so minute, I am standing at a stage in life totally decided on going through all the nuances of an Arranged Marriage.
Now having seen the process for Didi, I had the idea how complicated and long the process of Arranged Marriage was. But now that the whole process is for me, I have further realised how emotionally exherting it can get sometimes.
Lets go through the basic process once, I am sure its quite similar with other Indians too.

1. Looking for prospective brides - Basic criteria: Good family, Education, Beautiful, Height & the most important Caste !!
2. Initial discussions between the parents by exchange of bio datas, photographs and for future plans.
3. Horoscope Matching - now I have been asked by so many of my friends about this, that do I actually believe in this. Well for me it is like I dont disbelieve it and I believe in it to a certain extent. Plus my parents totally believe in it, so I rather go with it. But the only disadvantage of it is that it narrows down the selection even further, so it is like if there are 10 leads, after the horoscope matching is done, we are left with just 1 or so lead...
4. So after all this formalities are done with, the next step is the actual meeting. Now this can get really funny sometimes, I have seen Girl's parents asking my Mom, what clothes do we prefer the girl to be dressed in when we go to see her ?? Gets really funny, and makes me really want to tell the parents that we are not coming for Shopping, but to get to know the girl. Of all the girls I have seen, they have always been at the girl's house. So we go to the girl's place all dressed up. Here after the usual water / tea / coffee / snacks, I actually get to talk to the girl alone. So then its anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours of a good conversation before I get back home. The initial conversation are generally about hobbies, education, future goals / plans & almost anything under the sun...
5. After coming back home, its a long discussion with my parents analysing the girl, her nature, her family and everything. And till date I have never gone further than that...

Now generally going by the traditional Arrange Marriage rules / customs, I am supposed to meet a girl, talk to her for some time and then immediately come with a decision - Yes / No. I totally dont believe that I can take a decison regarding the rest of my life so soon, and has been a pre condition with mom and dad all along that I would like to meet a girl few times, talk to her many times and then I will take my decision. In a way I feel this time and the interactions will give me an opportunity to actually get to know a girl better and also let me actually fall in love with her, and also make her fall in love with me before we both can decide to get engaged and then married !!
Sounds too complicated I know, but then good things in life are never easy and there are no shortkuts in life too. So enough for this blog, and till the time I get someone !!

Random

Yesterday got this great one liner - "I Think to Live, and I Live to Eat !!!"

I did find it funny....

Friends

It’s been quite few days since I posted something, and today while talking to SS, she gave me the idea for this blog, so I guess I will start this blog with her. This blog is about the wonderful group of friends I have. I love the whole bunch of them, even though some of them hate each other. So here goes a blog dedicated to all my Great Friends.

Shruti - Well one of my closest female friends. Know her since School days, been quite a lot years since then. Coincidentally I got closer with her once she left Gattu and went to Singapore. She has always been one of my greatest support systems, and have always felt good on talking to her, when I am in a bad mood. Now about this girl, she is one of the most Intelligent ppl around. Wonderful to have long conversations with and like me can talk about just anything under the Sun. This girl is amazing in everything she does, a perfectionist to the core. I have bet quite a lot of my money on her going to a really good B-School, and one day being the CEO / CFO of a really good big financial institute, also she is going to loan me the money for my Research Institute.

Aashish - Another of my best friends from school. Have shared some really good times with him, from solving Maths papers in 10th to eating Pani Puri at a Laari, it’s always fun being with him. Shares my passion of Cell phones, PCs and Games and they are always among the topics we talk on. Has become a Doctor, and should be a specialist one day, so at least I am gonna get free treatment from him.

Pushkar - He has been my chaadi dost, I know him from almost 20 years now. We had some totally amazing times in primary school, from fighting to bullying, we did it all.

Ankur - First of my friend who I believe is going to get a Nobel Prize. We know each other since school, and always were a trio, me, him and Ash. He is super Intelligent, and also a perfectionist, a killer combination. He excels in whatever he does, from his electronics stuff, to playing guitar, to composing poetry. This guy becomes epitome of what he does.

Abhishek - Tapuriah, another of my super intelligent friends. We spent two years together in Baroda, and had a whale of a time; studying, eating and getting fatter were our favourite pass time activities then. Wilson's classes were always more entertaining because of him. He too is going to become a Doctor, a Gynaecologist from what I last heard!!

Vivek - Another of Nobel Prize going to win friend. Again a great friend from Baroda, I had some really wonderful times with him, some of which included playing Recoil and eating out at Baroda. Is a wonderful person to be friends with.. He is the person I believe is going to cure Cancer one day !! Is doing his PhD in Germany these days, and I am sure he is going to do something great for the world some day.

Karan - Now he is one of my best friends from College - Nirma. He is totally into cars just like me, and talking to him is always fun, from arguing to fighting to being each other’s advisors we have done it all. Have fallen apart from the last few years, but I hope it’s just temporal and we get back to our old days some day. Had some wonderful times with him in Ahmedabad, from crashing out at his place, to going out at his farm house, it was all truck loads of fun. He also has been a great support system of mine when I went through one of the worst phases of my life.

Poonam - She has been among the best friends of mine in coll. Had some wonderful times with this intelligent girl in Ahmedabad.

Ragini - Now coming to my best friends from MnM, Ragini surely is on the top of the list. From what started as a normal friend ship, blossomed into a really good friendship as time passed by in MnM. She is a great conversationalist and had some good times talking to her on phone while in MnM. Is another of my friend who is on the Management side, and I believe she too is going to strike it big one day.

Hardik - Another of my great friends from MnM. Used to be my roommate in Nashik. Had some of the best times of my life with him. Is kinda lost with is life right now, but the day he finally clears up with what he wants, he is going to do it. Is a marwadi, and a foodie to the core like me.

Srinivas - Last of my best friends from MnM, again was one of my roomies. We had the best times in Nashik over a glass of Rum. At the end of the day in Nashik, we had one hell of a bottle collection from all the alcohol we had devoured. Is running a robotics company of his own these days, and is going to be a big name in Automation in India one day.

So those were some of my best friends, and I am really proud to have some of the most intelligent / amazing people in the world as my friends... Love you all !!