Mera Bharat Mahan!!!

I was hanging out with a good African friend of mine last night and we were talking in general about similarities between our cultures. When I was in school at MSU, the African Students United(ASU)and the Indian Students Association(ISA) were two of the strongest student organizations(in terms of number of members) in the entire campus. However, towards the end of my school term, the ISA was not active at all due to a lot of issues,politics and all that blah!! On the contrary, the ASU was in full form and their "African Night" was a big hit! I was telling him about how a lot of us worked hard to make the ISA active and running and how we faced so many issues/politics from Board members. He just laughed and said "You guys may be active/inactive, but when it comes to cultural or sporting events, you guys always come on top!!" I was so surprised to hear him say that.. but when I thought about it, he was exactly right! The Banquet in 2008 was a big success even though the ISA was not even in place. The entire student group came out to cheer(even the docs were there!) and I realized that I even had fun working with people I loathed!! The strangest of relationships grew stronger while we worked on the dances!! I guess the point is that when it comes to cultural extravaganza, there's just no beating the Indians!! I just laughed and told my friend.. "You are soooo right" :)

This, that or BOTH?!?!?

Living so close to a mall is never a good thing! More so if you don't have room mates to watch movies with or if u work crazy hours and just want to go someplace to destress!! The Zona Rosa Mall close to ma home(1.5 miles to be exact!) is the place I chill at! This weekend I made up my mind to splurge on some goood perfume. I'm derilously in love with these two at the moment! Gonna be real tough to decide between the two! :) HELP!!

How do I manage to hurt people like this when I dont intend doing it at all?? I think thats my specialty area when it comes to relationships!! :-( I hate breakups!! I truly do!!! :-(

Saying bye to my home of 3 yrs!!

I was taking a walk with a good friend of mine last night and we were reminscing about our 3 years in Springfield as grad students!! All I can say is that I've had a fantastic time here - Springfield has taught me to lead a life on my own, got my first ever job, my first ever pay check. Being a grad student sucked in its own way but I've definitely had my share of fun here. I think Springfield has a certain charm that a lot of bigger cities may/may not have. I truly hate moving from here. I've done my share of being grumpy this week. I hate saying bye to the people I love....I went out for lunch/dinner with all my favorite people this week and each time I felt that pain of separation. Of course, the good thing is that I'm going to be only a few hours away from all these people - I hate to say this..but it feels like I'm leaving home all over again... I have the same feeling that I had when I left India three years ago... Same mixed emotions of excitement, apprehension, nervousness, new found freedom(coz I'm gonna be living all by myself!!), and a host of other emotions I cant even pen down!
Here's to "Springfield mania" - walks at the Jordan Valley Park, midnight curly fry snacks at Hardees on Elm St, Cashew Chicken at Dragon Inn, shopping @ the Battlefield Mall, Wal Mart trips to S.Campbell, living a grand life on the 17th floor in Sunvilla Towers, being a poor grad student, ISA meetings/fights/politics(!), dancing and partying it up at Icon(yup..thats where it started) and Zan, to our own dance parties, movies at the Hollywood Theatre, host families, long drives to Branson, Banquets and more dancing, after parties, sneaking into the pool after hours and getting away with it and burning the midnight oil as a grad student!!
Cheers to you Springfield --- Dang, I will miss this place :(

KC it is!

I am officially employed!! :P With Babies R Us in Kansas City, MO!! Which means I am moving to a new place soon!! I'm so excited!!! Imagine, I get to work in a fun place like Babies R Us and I get paid to do it!! Haha! I am having a really busy time hunting for apartments in KC. What would we do without google maps? Right? I am having fun checking out all the apartments close to my work place - Fortunately for me the store is situated in a posh residential area and there are a number of apartments close by.. The challenge is to choose one that is affordable, convenient and safe. Il keep you posted.... But I am ecstatic! Feels like all that waiting is paying off. Watch out KC....here I come!!!! :P

Happy 25th!!

Hi Appa and Amma,
Here's wishing you both a fantabulous "25th wedding anniversary"!! I know the entire family is getting together this weekend and I will miss being a part of it! My heart is there with you guys.. Have a drink from my side you two!! And yes, I hope you enjoy listening to my surprise message!

Love you two sooooo much!! And Congratulations on putting up with each other this long :)

And I'm hooked!!

Im in my "honeymoon period" right now and Im making the most of all the free time that I have.. Who knows, I may never get this again!! I have been reading "A Dog's Life" which is a story about a stray dog who tells us his story.. Its been pretty interesting so far.. I am able to relate to it more so because of Gunner... Anyway, last night I met a teenage girl who had come with her family for dinner and she was reading the"Twilight". Now, I've seen the movie a couple of times and I liked it.. a lot! I mean it was obvious why the movie created such hype especially among teenage girls considering what eye candy Robert Pattinson(Edward Cullen) was. I myself had a good time ogling him on screen :) I borrowed the book from her and I finished it in about 5 hours! I loved it! There was an overdose of romance in it. I loved the way Stephanie has brought out the chemistry between Edward and Bella. I mean theirs was the usual "love-hate" relationship complete with fights, arguments, physical attraction, mutual admiration, crush-turned-into-LOVE!! In short, it reminded me of a Bollywood movie, minus the song-and-dance sequence! I cannot wait to read the next books in the series.. And yes, I recommend you read the book.. :) On that note, I decided to put up my "Twilight" theme party pictures.