Vayu
My Last Day
I didnot expect that I will see this day so soon. I am still not sure if it is good or bad, but I think this resistance in the mind is the natural thing against any change. Anyway, as I had mentioned in my previous blog, there are lot of people who are going to miss me. Not that they are going to sit in their house and cry or tear up their hair in frustration of not seeing me..ha ha...but when they pass by the place where they used to see me, it is going to flash for a split second..."oh..that guy is not there!" I think in my own way I have touched each of their lives. I am not saying all this because of the simple pleasantaries that are passed in everyday life in America...but because I went a step ahead (without realizing) and actually gave each of them a real welcome everytime they meet me. I didnot realize this fact but oflate. Anyway good to know real America and bye bye......
I am comin on...so you better get some party started
Gonna miss you
For the past few days I have got used to so many people telling me that they are gonna miss me. Well, in a way I too would miss them. But it is better to have met and gone, than to have never met.
Friend or Foe, time will tell
Going to a convenience store and looking at the headlines of all major news papers in US has given me something to write about. Yesterday and today, most of the major news papers pictured pakistani army men fighting taliban (!!!????). Americans really believe pakistan to be an ally. I once had respect for american intelligence, now that it not that high. If only they look at their own records, then they would clearly understand the undeniable link between pakistan and terrorism. On the other hand, though I dont support all the actions of US , I am not going to give into anti-americanism. If any other country including India were to be in the shoes of US, how they would have played their role as a world leader? Disturbing thought, but puts things in a slightly different perspective. There is a lot the world has to learn and change. It is foolish to expect US to play the good samaritan role. Every country in my perspective is equally good and equally evil.
Friends
I was talking yesterday with Bonita. It was good to know that so many people are awaiting my arrival. I came to US without anything. I thought I got good friends back then, only to realize later that they hardly cared for me. But now after almost
2 1/2 years, I understand that I have earned the love and respect of many people. After everything is said and done, what is life when happiness cannot be shared.
Experience and Knowledge
Lot of people assume experience is directly proportional to knowledge. It is not so. The equation holds good only for those who choose to learn from their experiences. In most of the cases they simply refuse to consider this. People never acknowledge the fact that they can be wrong. And when confronted with the hard reality they become explosive. This refusal to accept the truth about our limitations is the binding force which impedes our growth. I was once like this. After going through tough and sometimes unbearably hard times, I have learnt to understand and accept this fact. This is not giving into weakness, but rather a strength. To know and acknowledge one's limitations can be a turning point in one's life. This understanding has made me look into every person I come across in life in both light and dark; to accept them, love them and sometimes hate them.
Back Home
Today I booked my tickets in AMTRAK to go home. I am starting here on 26th afternoon. I will be reaching St. Louis on 27th night 10.40pm. Nice to know that I will be back home in two weeks. Counting days......he he :-)
Scary
I was on my way back today around 10.00PM EST. This car suddenly slowed down by side and somebody sprayed something. I thought it was some drunken kids playing (which may be true) and didn't take it too seriously. Then again they came and sprayed. This time I was really irritated. But the then I cycled fast since my home was nearby. I had to stop at the traffic lights and guess what..they were waiting. Well, it is one thing to get me pissed off, but it is totally a different game to make me angry. I slowed down, they were laughing, noted down their licence plate number which (PX1.PY1). I stopped and took my cellphone and switched it on. The minute they saw the blue light glowing from the cell phone, they ran away. I was almost gonna call 911, but stopped. I went back cycling in the direction the car went to find if some cops are present. Unfortunately they were not, so had to go back home. Well, those guys thought I was some illiterate and poor mexican on the cycle and didnot expect me to react by trying to call cops. Well, they had their fun, but I had the last laugh.
Cell Phone
I got to talk to sprint and change my service. Most importantly my machine is really crappy. Seven of my friends had left messages and got none. By accident I asked bons about something else and she said she had left a message. Only then I understood my cell phone is not showing the message icon. Got to call them back.
SICK
I have a severe cold, headache, and fever. I am extremely tired. I hope this fever- cold combo leaves me as soon as possible. My working schedule of 10 hours after all this borders on insanity.
Hai Sam
Good to know you are reading all the junk that I wite. "Second class workers" blog was an casual observation about the general scenario and was not about your blog in specific. There are very few occations when you are logically incorrect and this is not one of them. Anyway we both are saying the same thing. Meet you in a few weeks.
Second class workers
Of the few occations I manage to read sam's blog, this BPO caught my attention. Yes, it is a sad truth that more than techonology development it is basically contract work that is being done. But I am unable to brush away this boom or whatever it is called in India as not very significant. But for this boom, scores of graduates would have been left with nothing better to do. Think about the other alternatives they would have had. Writing bank recruitments, railway recruitment, teacher recuirtment, civil service recruitment and few rare opportunities in the few of the India companies. So, I belive for an average middle class Indian this was and is definitely a boom and boon. But, it will be very unfortunate if we as a nation become satisfied with this. This IT boom has definitely drived the economy on a faster growth path. It is time we start producing something. Without manufacturing (be it software, hardware or automobiles) there can never be prosperity in any country
Myrna Lamb
This lady is an interesting character. She is a feminist and my best friend at store. She is a playwriter. She said she started writing plays at the age of 8. Comes under the "way above genius" category. I told her that I am leaving in about 3 weeks. Next day she came to me and said she is very distressed. Of all the conversations I had in that store, those few minutes that I speak with her makes most sense to me. Like the other day when she was talking about drugs, I told drugs erase the past and future and makes you live only in the present. To that she replied, "You are very right. Without past and future there is not context for the present". Well if i had told this to anyone else , at the best they might have said drugs are bad. But her reply indicated that she clearly understood the exact meaning of what I said. Felt very happy that day, simply because, I made a two line conversation which had some intellectual character in it. I have a book of her which I am planning to read after leaving jersey. By the way, she has promised me that if she wins the lottery she will fund my education (she is quite serious about this, got my address and phone number).
For those of who happen to read this, if you are curious....she is around 75 years old.
Thanks to bons
As it has been my practice for the past 2 1/2 years, I went to bons for the problems in India. The night I read my sister's email I was unable to sleep. To add salt I had to do a 28 1/2 hour shift in the 2 days (48hours). It nearly killed me. Then finally I called bons and told the whole story. It was only then I realized how true that your troubles get halved when you share them. I asked her to request her dad to talk to my sister which he promptly did. A big thanks to him for that. For the first time in about 4 months I slept for 12 hours continously considering the fact the I hardly sleep for 6 hours dailly.
Listen to me,
Dont give me solutions,
Dont judge me,
Dont tell me that I am right or wrong.
Just listen,
That is all I ask.
That's what bons did that night. Thanks for that.
