This will be my last blog...hang on before you start thinking that I will quit writing..I meant for the year 2009 :) As I rewind my memories of 2009, it was a year which most of us would like to forget for reasons ranging from the gloomy economy, high unemployment, soaring prices and regional troubles. 44th United States President Barack Obama's inauguration was the much awaited event grabbing more eyeballs on the internet and the television than any other event in recent history. Personally 2009 started off on a bad note for me when my employer Satyam Computer Services (which is now Mahindra Satyam) founder Ramalinga Raju's confession shocked the people and left the future of the company in doubt. Mahindra Satyam has recovered from that but the scars will surely take time to heal. Michael Jackson, the iconic pop star bid adieu to the world and we will surely miss him.

Although most of 2009 was very disappointing for me, it did end on a promising note. I could fulfill my long cherished dreams of working in the United States and the economy (its still early days) seems to show positive signs of recovery. I hope and wish as always that the spirit and strength with which we managed to cope with the worst crisis and learnt some useful lessons will endure as we look forward to ushering in the new year . I wish everyone a Happy New Year 2010

(Image courtesy: http://rlv.zcache.com/new_year_2010_holiday_postage_stamps-p172594239822487567anr4u_400.jpg)

Its Christmas time and what better place to celebrate than in the United States. Every house here is decorated with christmas wreaths (tied neatly with bright red ribbons), bells, rein deer + Santa Claus (most of them are made of decorative lights). It's like a festive atmosphere.

I am right now in Bowling Green, Kentucky (the birth place of the Sixteenth US President Abraham Lincoln). It's a quiet place much like rural India. I have come here to spend some time with my brother who is studying at the Western Kentucky University (WKU). Its cloudy for most part of the day however early mornings whenever there is sunlight its a blessed place. The house where I am living is closer to the university. I can hear the bells chime every hour and the honking sound of the train. Its cold out here. After initial hiccups I am getting accustomed to the weather. I took a bicycle ride in the sprawling WKU campus and it was quite awesome. The bicycle was pretty cool with shimano gears. However I didn't use the gears as I wanted to use my strength to power the bicycle rather than relying on the gears. It reminds me of my bicycle rides in India when I used to commute to the gym.


Yesterday while I was walking down to Walmart (one of the biggest retail chains in the United States and probably the world) which is nearly 3.2 miles from my place, I was hit by a car. Now in India people have to look carefully over their shoulder lest they become a statistic for road accidents. However here people are supposed to stop for the pedestrians at a safe distance. Now there was an intersection leading to the main road. It was almost dark and a car was waiting to get on to the main road. I began crossing the road to get to the other side and suddenly the car started hurtling towards me. I was taken completely by surprise and shrieked loudly.

My hands fell on the bonnet of the car as I leaned on it and by some quick thinking I pushed my legs back to protect against injury. The car dragged me a few metres and then stopped. There was a female driver behind the wheel and she put her hands up to indicate that she was sorry. I was shocked and stunned as I was definitely not expecting it. From then, on my return journey back home chastened by experience I am letting the vehicles go even if they stop for me. Did someone say once bitten twice shy :) It was my lucky day as I didn't even have medical insurance. Getting injured and treated in the hospital here can financially impair someone who doesn't have medical insurance. Now that's a current topic here as today the Health Insurance reform legislation (Obama's poll promise for universal health care) was passed with a majority and must clear a final hurdle which might be just a mere formality.

When I narrated this incident to my brother he chided me for putting myself at risk by walking down to Walmart. The fact is although there are pavements for pedestrians here, except for a minority (which is very rare) people here seldom walk. They just drive. No wonder then people passing in motor vehicles looked at me as if I was an alien from another planet :)

(Image courtesy: http://www.walmart.com, http://media.photobucket.com/image/merry%20christmas/mandyr5_photo/christmas.jpg?o=7,http://media.photobucket.com/image/merry%20christmas/donutz_photos/merryChristmas.jpg?o=6)

As I had mentioned in my blogs earlier, working in the United States was one of my long cherished dreams. On 10th December 2009 when I landed in Dallas, Texas my dreams finally came true. It's a small step as there are miles to go.
(Image courtesy: http://www.photos4travel.com/large/Statue_Of_Liberty.jpg)

26/11

26/11 is one incident last year which stunned the whole nation. The first anniversary of this incident just passed by. Like the rest of us I have similar doubts whether we people in India are any safer now. Will it be status quo as people seem resigned to their fate until the next terror attack or will there be a welcome change in the way our security agencies and the politicians work towards the security of the common man. So many questions and so few answers.

However as I watched the television programs marking the 26/11 anniversary, one thing was clear. There will be no dearth of brave heart officers who despite the shortage of ammunition, faulty equipment & lack of response from the control room took the terrorists head on and paid with their lives. Also credit to those people who were injured in the attack but still carry on despite losing a limb or being disabled. As for those who lost their lives one can only pray that may their soul rest in peace and their dependents (its really hard) to be courageous and be positive.

(Image courtesy: http://www.whoisabhi.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/26-11mumbai02.gif)

Enchanting Sikkim

Going on a vacation to the north-eastern states where I could see the snow capped mountains, mingle with the locals, visit the Indo-China border and the best part take a Yak ride was always one of my dreams.

I am glad that I could realize my dreams. Most of the credit goes to my sis who funded the trip and her colleagues. It was a 10 day trip to Sikkim. Now we had a itinerary as per which we would board the train on the 27th September from the Secunderabad railway station. Now blame it on me that I reached the station 5 minutes late. I was huffing and puffing along with my luggage. However all my efforts were in vain and my poor sis had to let go off the train due to me.

(Image courtesy: http://theora.com/images/Sikkim.jpg)

An Appeal

The recent floods have caused a lot of havoc and distress in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. I appeal to the readers to help the affected people by contributing to the flood relief fund. One of them has been set up by the Times of India. Also the ICICI bank has a provision for people to transfer funds. Whatever the amount through our actions we can atleast mitigate and lend a helping hand to the people in distress which will go a long way in rebuilding their lives.

Dr.Y.S.Rajashekar Reddy (1949 - 2009)

The news of the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Dr.Y.S.Rajashekar Reddy's chopper missing since yesterday sent shockwaves throughout the state. The worst fears of everyone came true when the wreckage of his chopper was spotted on a hill in Nallamala forests adjoining the Kurnool district.

The confirmation of his death today brings to an end the story of one who although was controversial has battled adversity all by himself. It's one of the strangest ironies of life that a man who bought his party back to power in the recently held 2009 elections against the worst predictions of his sceptics wasn't so lucky himself.

I am not a big fan of YSR but the way he came to power after the former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu was defeated in the elections after 10 years in power is a text book example of how politicians can win people's hearts. He travelled more than a 1000 kilometers by foot in the scorching sun meeting villagers and farmers. He even took a shower staying with the villagers. Cut back to 2009 his was a one man show and he proved all his critics wrong. He was the only man in the Congress which normally interferes in the decision making of the state units who told Sonia to just trust him which Sonia did. It was a calculated risk. If YSR would have lost, he would have been literally banished into oblivion. But the fact that Congress won a majority in the state assembly and returned a lion's chunk of parliament seats proved him right.

As a voter, Congress was never my favourite party as I hold it responsible for most of the problems. However giving the credit where it is due inspite of corruption charges against him, the phenomenal rise of his son Y.S Jaganmohan Reddy especially his business interests and the Satyam scam, YSR was a towering personality. The calm confidence exuded by him meant that the state was in secure hands. The experience gleaned from his padayatra (as mentioned above) helped him gauge the pulse of rural farmers. The NREGS (National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) which worked quite well in the state providing livelihood for atleast 100 days in a year and rural housing scheme for the poor were some of his creditable achievements. On the downside free power to farmers even when the state had a power deficit was not a sensible decision.

He wasn't in awe of even international leaders except Sonia. A case in point was when the former United States President George Bush visited the agricultural university in Hyderabad. Unlike many who fawn over foreign dignitaries he just sent one of his officials to represent the state.

Today is a sad day in the history of Andhra Pradesh. In all this, one should also not forget the people - pilot group captain S K Bhatia, co-pilot captain M S Reddy, special secretary P Subrahmanyam, chief security officer ASC Wesley who perished in the accident along with Dr.Y.S.Rajashekar Reddy. May their soul rest in peace.

(Image courtesy: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/techsatishtelugu_ysrajasekar+reddy.jpg)

Trees take years to grow.

Rain drops on the leaves, grass and the smell of the rain soaked earth. All these are part of the excitment that rains bring. Yesterday it didn't rain, it poured. Thankfully I was @ home but enjoyed the sounds of rain water flowing from the terrace.

Finally it seems that the monsoon which almost vanished this year has finally arrived. Today morning's news article about the rains which lashed the city almost sounded prophetic. On a personal note I am also happy for the farmers who were desperate for rains, it maybe late however they can salvage something out of it.

The other thing which I wanted to mention here is the news of film actor Shahrukh Khan's questioning at the Newark airport in U.S. Indian fans have been very critical of the treatment of their star. However as many have pointed maybe we should learn a thing or two from the authorities in the U.S. We have a VIP culture here. Ordinary passengers are frisked and someone like Robert Vadra is exempted from frisking (when even the three service chiefs are not exempted) just because he happens to be the husband of the daughter of India's most powerful women politician. No prizes for guessing who it is.

Even gods are not spared. Tirupathi famous for its richest donations after the Vatican gives the red carpet treatment for politicians, ministers, industrialists and filmstars. All these @ the expense of ordinary pilgrims.

I was frisked at the Heathrow airport in UK, I took off my shoes and was body searched just like other passengers. However I didn't mind it. After all the officials are doing their job and its for our own safety. For once, someone from the film industry had the courage to swim against the tide. As film actor Salman Khan rightly said that there has been no attacks in the US after 9/11. He too has faced similar treatment and as long as a minor section from one community continue to indulge in acts which threaten national security the other innocents will continue to suffer.

We need to pick a leaf from the US and get rid of our VIP culture. Western culture may have its drawbacks but there are also certain good things like rules which are the same for everyone whether its a senator, movie star or ex-presidents.

(Image courtesy: http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?aid=266757310)
(Image courtesy: http://www.bollywoodpicturesgallery.com/pictures/shahrukh08.htm)

Its the most yuckiest job. We all use it every morning when we discharge our waste. Yes I am taking about cleaning the toilet bowl which maybe Indian or the western commode.

I had my first brush with cleaning the loo when I was doing a part-time job in New Zealand. My supervisor who was a lady gave me the broom and the liquid to clean the men's toilet. She said she will take care of the women's toilet. Now I have never done this before. I just stared at her and told her frankly that I haven't done it before.

However my Supervisor insisted that I do it. Now I was at my wits end. I didn't want to disobey my supervisor as it was also a question of my job. I went to the men's toilet, thankfully there was only one western toilet. I started the cleaning job with a heavy heart thinking what I was doing in India and what am I doing here. Now the best part is that once I finished cleaning the loo I wasn't embarrassed anymore. In fact looking at the sparking toilet bowl there was a deep sense of satisfaction.

I have come a long way since then. Now even though I am back in India, every week I clean the toilet bowl myself. Its not an easy job alright however its a great leveler. Every time I do it I just can't stop admiring the sparkling toilet bowl :)

(Image Source: http://www.darkcreek.com/toilets)

All new borns look cute whether they belong to humans or animals. It makes me sometimes wonder as to why the same babies when they grow up more often than not don't look so cute.

Now at my place there is a female cat which gave birth to 3 kittens. The kittens are so pretty. The place is outside near our staircase. They cuddle one another, play mischievously and the best part is when they climb the stairs. You should see the look in their eyes which is full of innocence. The kittens have now started taking baby steps. Whenever we try to approach the kitten, their mom who is always around gives a worried look.

The not so good thing is the mess they leave around just like human babies :(

Ideally the month of June in India is the time when the monsoons should have begun. It's now July and so far we have received scanty rainfall and the same situation prevails all over India however its worse in Northern India.

I am a bit worried as scanty rainfall means less water flowing into the river(s) and conversely less water in the reservoirs/dams. The end result is less water flowing from the dams to the common people. So how will people survive without drinking water. The affluent ones can afford a water tanker however what about people in general. There is a report which states that in the future wars will be fought over water. Scenes of people sparring over water in a town in Madhya Pradesh even leading to the death of a person means that the reality is much closer at our door step than we think.

Our crops are dependent on rainfall and lesser rains would mean that the crop acreage would shrink. Lesser crops implies lesser food grains in the market creating a demand supply gap. Now that as we know leads to rise in the food prices. The food inflation is quite high in India unlike the western countries. I recently bought half kilo gram of Tur Dal (Pulses) from the nearby grocery store and the price of Rs.48 shocked me. Now Dal is one of the essential items for an average Indian. The price of Dal is just one of the symptoms of a larger malaise.

The problem is how do we get out of this vicious cycle. To begin with, we are too much dependent on rain. We don't have water conservation efforts replicated on a national scale. Instead of having a long term approach towards solving the water woes, our short-sighted approach sees us every year literally at the mercy of a good monsoon. One of the side effects of deficiency in monsoons is the shortage in power generation. Adding fuel to the fire of transmission and distribution (popularly known as T&D) losses in the power sector apart from pilferage of power is the free distribution of power to farmers. A truant monsoon can lead to lower generation of power from the hydel projects. At this pace, how do you jump start the economy towards a double digit growth. We say that India is a rising power however when even the basic needs are not met, our dreams will be just that... a mirage.

(Image Source: http://www.google.co.in/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mycen.com.my/sightings_pics/rain_clouds.jpg)

Yesterday was a sad day for me. Michael Jackson or more popularly know as MJ, the king of pop is no more. During my growing up years, my first exposure to western music was through MJ. His music videos, hit tracks like Beat It, Black and White, the dancing talent all made him a powerhouse of talent. I guess its the same with millions of his fans worldwide. He was a cult icon. Although, the last few years his career may have been overshadowed by his personal affairs he still was someone who was adored by his fans. Starting his career at the age of six years when most people are still grasping the nitty gritties of life he was someone special.

It also begs some questions. I sometimes wonder why do people who have such amazing talent have a meteoric rise and then their fall is equally steep. Michael, we will miss you :(


Today I watched the movie "New York" starring John Abraham (Sam aka Sameer Sheikh), Katrina Kaif (Maya), Neil Nitin Mukesh (Omar) and Irrfan Khan (Roshan).

The story is about 3 friends and how their friendship is torn apart afer the 9/11 attacks. Of course it has a romantic angle as well.

9/11 attacks was a tragic day in our history and the subsequent events made things worse especially for ethnic minorities. This theme forms the background for the movie. The revelation in the movie is Katrina Kaif. She does finally learn how to emote apart from looking drop dead gorgeous :) . Of course it's not completely a flawless performance. Some of such scenes are when Maya confesses her love to Sam. It looked very superficial. The scenes I liked were the ones involving Omar and Roshan. Their humour against the serious story line not only gives comic relief but also brings an intense chemistry between the characters. The scene which nearly brought me to tears was when Sam is in detention and undergoes torture right from being stripped naked in a caged prison to being peed on by the cops. It was just too chilling and horrifying.

The characters which stand out strongly are Roshan who is an FBI officer (played brilliantly by Irrfan Khan) and Omar who comes to the United States to pursue his studies. Cinematography is good and captures the whole essence of New York. Music by Pritam as usual is good fare. My favourite is the slow song "Tum Ne Jo Haan kahan main wo sunta rahan" apart from "Hain Junoon". Kabir Khan who had earlier directed Kabul Express does extract some good peformances from his lead actors. The movie seems a sincere effort. You can see it in the climax when despite the tragedy, there is a ray of hope. I don't want to play spoil sport by revealing too much :)

(Image Source: http://www.topnews.in/light/files/michael-jackson.jpg)
(Image Source: http://movie.webindia123.com/movie/asp/movie.asp?m_id=348&movie=New+York&display=wallpaper)

We see a lot of movies made on cops. In India especially Bollywood/Tollywood movies, the majority of them portray cops in a negative light, of course there are small exceptions.

We had an altercation with our neighbour and I visited the Police Station to lodge a complaint. It was the worst experience and I believe that one should have guts of steel to visit a police station in India. There were people sitting on the floor and then a senior cop comes out. He starts shouting at the people crouched on the floor and starts hitting them with his shoes. The Sub Inspector of Police whom I went to meet seemed to fly into a rage at the drop of a hat. In the span ranging from a few minutes to hours there were people dropping in with all sorts of horror stories. It seems it was too much for the SI and he was losing his cool.

This cop walks out and starts beating up a man with a bamboo stick right in front of everyone. I felt sick in my stomach. What else can I say except that it was a nauseating experience. I met this guy who had lost his passport and wanted the cops signature for getting his duplicate passport issued. He has been visiting the Police Station for the past 4 days and was supposed to travel to UK in a weeks time. I asked him about his experience dealing with the cops. He pointed at one of the constables and told me that he is the worst guy he has dealt with. This cop was asking him money for getting a duplicate passport issued. I felt sorry for the guy.

There was this lady who visited the Police Station to complain against her drunken husband who was subjecting her to physical and verbal abuse. The lady asked me whether it was okay to file charges against her husband. I told her that if she kept quiet, things are only going to get worse. She was apprehensive that her husband would be released after a few days in detention and then torture her even more.

She was from a poor family and the police it seems were not willing to register her complaint. She was sobbing along with her mother. I felt the pain of the lady.

Overall the impression which Indians have about Indians cops seems more or less correct. Reality bites and in India it bites hard.
(Image Source: http://media.photobucket.com/image/cops/TRAVi3SO_702/643_oh_no_its_the_cops-1.jpg?o=14)

The scorching summer sun has made life miserable with temperatures hovering around 40+ degrees especially in cities like Hyderabad. Coupled with power cuts it keeps getting worse. On the lighter side, I go to work daily but with the crazy summer going to office has become a compulsion coz that's where you can enjoy the comfort of an air conditioned environment without paying the attendant electricity bills :)

(Image source: http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/watchdog/blog/sun_main.jpg)
The election results were announced on 16th May and personally I am disappointed with the results. I am not sure where my vote went and literally puzzled at the voting trends of the people. I am not insulting their intelligence here but not sure whether they voted with their head or heart. The one saving grace is that the Left parties will no longer be a part of the government and remote controlling every decision of the government.

The world's largest electoral democracy as we know, went to the polls today. 1st phase polling was held today and I was more than enthusiastic casting my vote. The last time I cast my vote was in 1998 when we had a paper ballot system.

This time the excitement was all the more palpable as I was curious to know about the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). We may not be a perfect democracy looking at the way money and liquor has been used to woo the voters. However seeing the indelible mark on my finger I am proud of the fact that when we compare ourselves to our neighbours we are much better off atleast in having a say in electing our representatives.

The EVM is a simple machine which records our vote at the press of a button in a jiffy. People will miss the excitement of putting a stamp on the ballot paper but things change. Technology has played a large role in reducing wastage of time, efficient reuse of resources and faster declaration of results. The EVM is one such device which is also user friendly.

Holding such a mammoth election exercise is no small feat. The credit truly must go to the Election Commission of India which has a come a long way from being a silent spectator to becoming the people's watchdog.
(Image source: http://www.bel-india.com/BELWebsite/images/EVM.jpg)

Beleaguered, tainted, fraud-hit...these are some of the words which were used to describe Satyam (my employer). Satyam scam as Prannoy Roy of NDTV rightly put it was actually a Raju scam. Satyam is a great company. Truth they say has a ring to it. Nothing is farther from truth.

As an employee of the company I am relieved that we have finally found a new owner in Tech Mahindra. I admire Anand Mahindra (Chairman of the Mahindra group) for turning around the company when it was in the dumps a few years back. Launching the Scorpio was a calculated risk which not only restored the company's brand image but also made an impact on the export market.

Taking over of Satyam is just the beginning. The tough challenge lies ahead. There is one positive thing about the whole process. That even though Satyam fraud was a blot on India's corporate image, the redeeming feature has been that the government hasn't nationalized the company and allowed the market forces to dictate the agenda. It did supersede the board but that was quite understandable and the need of the hour.
(Image source:http://ceoworld.biz/ceo/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/satyam-logo.jpg)

I turned a year older yesterday. When I look back at the years gone by, it's been one hell of a roller coaster journey. Of course there have been moments of pain and moments of ecstasy.

I am not sure what's in store for this year however it will be my endeavour to achieve the best possible result. I celebrated my birthday by distributing toffees to my colleagues and then cutting a cake once I reached home. It was a double delight for me as I also received my Business Management Program certification although it was only of 2 months duration :)

How does one feel when their eyes feast on the lush green grass. For the past 2 days I worked hard to recreate a mini garden just in front of my house. I have this satisfaction that whatever I visualized has come true. It did burn a hole in my pocket but in the end it was worth it.

We engaged some labourers to to excavate the earth which was littered with concrete and replace it with freshly dug out red mud. The carpet grass was then laid on the mud and wow it's just looking awesome. There was some cute plants planted in between the grass. Our neighbours can just look and stare :)
(Image Source: http://www.chemistryland.com/CHM107Lab/Lab5/Soil/green_grass.jpg)

What's it about hair that makes people go nuts. Today when I was commuting by bus I saw a lady with scanty hair on her head. She was obviously losing hair very fast. Her forehead was bare and clearly visible. I wondered as to what was going through her mind when people were staring at her.


One of the worst nightmares which everyone has when it comes to their appearance is about their crowning glory. We all love people who have beautiful hair and empathize with those who don't. Katrina Kaif, Sushmitha Sen, Priyanka Chopra, Shahrukh Khan, Shilpa Shetty are some of the celebrities who come to mind when one thinks of beautiful hair. Hritik Roshan in one of his candid interviews has stated that his worst fear was of losing hear. Well we know why...here is a clue...Papa Rakesh Roshan :) So it's all in the genes did one say.

People fear the worst when they start losing hair. Even I am sometimes apprehensive about my hair but touchwood so far except for the slight hair loss near my temple there hasn't been any serious concern. Hang on...Bald is in too. Look at Vin Diesel. So people needn't despair :)
(Image Source: http://www.hairfinder.com/)

Over the past 4 weeks, I have been hitting the gym quite frequently. It's been more than a year since I left gymming. Ever since I have come back home, the growing sign of prosperity has been my paunch. Thanks to mom's pampering, I have gained a good amount of fat especially in the abdomen area.

I was alarmed when I looked at my paunch and decided to take action. It's been a lot of hardwork but the results have begun to show. My waistline has started to trim down and my stamina has increased. I also feel a bit lighter and energetic. There is a spring in my stride. Now my effort is to maintain the consistency so that I get a lean and mean body. My favorite is the cardio where I burn upto 240 calories and then the workout for the abs. The weight training part takes care of the muscles.
(Image source: http://www.hyatt.com/hyatt/pure/_flash/images/gym.jpg)

Yes we can...

Today it's history in the making. The United States of America will be getting its 44th president, the one with an unusual name Barack Hussein Obama and the first black president.

I am writing this even as I am glued to the television watching Obama's presidential inauguration.


Presidents come and go but they rarely influence the thinking of people outside America. This time around there is an excitement in the air and I can literally feel it. When Clinton became POTUS (President of the United States) he was very popular but his election was seen by many especially outside the U.S as just a change which ushered in a popular man at the helm .

(Image source: http://www.dmiblog.com/archives/barack_obama.jpg)

George Bush during his eight years tenure might not have made many friends but yes, there was no dearth of enemies :) As an Indian though, I feel that we may have lost a good friend in the white house but yes who knows about the future.

I have keenly followed Obama's journey from the time he won primaries of the democratic party to finally winning the party nomination. He may be inexperienced when compared to his peers but he showed that "Change is indeed possible". His slogan "Yes we can" and strong oratorical skills resonated across the american people and the world. The message of change saw many an experienced veteran like Hillary Clinton, John Mc Cain and other opponents who saw Obama as a novice bite the dust. The tide has turned and how.

What has particularly impressed me is that Obama charted a different path by taking into his cabinet those people who didn't have any good things to say about him particularly during the intense and bruising primaries. Hillary Clinton, his bitter critic and opponent is the Secretary of State designate. He has retained Robert Gates as the defence secretary. His other appointments has been equally impressive. His "Cabinet of Rivals" approach is refreshing. Sure there were questions asked as to what change does one bring by nominating same old faces in their cabinet. But then Obama also recognised the fact that people like Hillary can be an invaluable asset with their impressive credentials. His choice of Vice-President elect Biden for his foreign policy experience was spot on. Contrast that to Sarah Palin.

The only thing to watch out is once the excitement dies down, will Obama who has enormous expectations from the people live upto it? This is a question only time can tell. But for now we can only say that "Change has indeed come to America"

Stealing is a crime. What I did today, definitely can be termed stealing. I was looking for this vaccum catcher which one can stick on the glass. The first time I went to the supermarket looking for it, I couldn't purchase it as it didn't have a bar-code. Now I desperately needed it for the small teddy bear I had purchased.

Cut to today, I had made my mind to somehow steal the catcher. Except for a minor hiccup I did succeed. Even though it was a small damaged vaccum catcher, my conscience was wracked with guilt. As I tried to pocket it, I warily looked at the overhead cameras and then when I assumed I was safe headed towards the checkout counter. I could only take a deep breath after coming out of the super market. But it's definitely not a good idea. I still can't believe that I did such a thing but I realized that everyone does have an inner conscience, the one which we had read in our Moral Science text books at school.

The last week has been quite dramatic. My employer seems to be in trouble and it has come as a shock not only to me but also thousands of employees. These are challenging times and we are in the midst of a recesssion.

Well never expected such a thing to happen but it's always better to be prepared. Moving on to another topic. Slumdog Millionaire is one movie I am very eager to watch. I am hoping and praying that I get to watch it first day, first show.

Bye bye 2008 and welcome 2009. I am not sure what to look forward to in the New Year. However what I do wish is that our cities and the world should be relatively peaceful and safer. On the personal front, I do have a wishlist. Things which didn't happen last year I am hoping will work out this year :)