The great American pass time: Home Improvement!

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Old Table from Yard sale: $5
Paints and supplies: $33
Joy of painting: Priceless!

4 Years with Public Transport

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INTRODUCTION

Its liberating, its cheap, it is convenient when it is good, then why is it not popular in US? I finally got a driver's license and ended my 4 year relationship with public transport. The feel of swinging onto the train or hopping into the bus and swiping the "pass" makes me feel part of a system, a city, a place. I am one with the veins of the city.
Evidently though more people enjoy driving from one parking lot to another parking lot instead of going from one place to another.

Chapter 1

PITTSBURG

City Profile: Mostly bus service. Many schools offer free passes to all students- the bus can be a good place to catch upon college gossip/news- even faster than facebook. Indispensable for city's international student population. Relevance to the tax paying population is questionable.

Most fun memory: Going to "Giant Eagle" with room-mates by bus #501 and devouring half the groceries on the bus stop itself.

Worst moment: I was trying to get home after pulling yet another all nighter at 7:00 in the morning in January. Walked out without looking at the bus schedule (fatal error). Missed the bus by a whisker and walked all the way home through 1 foot of snow.

Favourite Activity onboard: Admiring the many beautiful homes and churches, looking out for interesting places and shops to visit.

Secondary jobs:Offers good opportunities to the city's pan handlers.

Chapter 2

NEW YORK

City Profile: Bus, Subway lines, Commuter Rail and the Ferry. Each of these represent different kinds of new yorkers. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I dont know the "Bus" type. They are obscure beings who choose to be stuck in traffic instead of zipping around in the subway. The subway is staple and the alphabets names of the train lines (A,C, M, V...) could be part of your identity- "I am an M train girl" or "Are you a 4,5?". The commuter rail brings in people who like the city only during the daytime and on weekdays. For the rest of the time they retreat into their suburban mansions in New Jersey or Long Island. The staten island ferry, the only ferry I have ridden in and out of the ciy is the definition of charm. It is huge and glides over the water for a silky smooth 20 minute ride to sleepy staten island. Would have loved to buy a sandwich on the weekday for lunch and the just ride the ferry to and back. On board the ferry you are treated to a soft warm blanket of sea breeze, unobstructed sky (a rare thing for new yorkers) and a promise that the madness of the city, stays in the city.

Most Fun Memory: I was at the Fulton St. stop of the A,C line after a long day, waiting to get home. Three floors below the street the station platform is abuzz with drum beats and a haunting tune being played on the saxophone. My train came and went, I waited till they finished playing. The music still lingers in my head and I crave for it.

Worst Moment: Falling asleep and missing my stop!

Favorite Activity onboard: "Profiling"- guilty as charged- I did it. I would focus my attention on a random person on board and try to guess where they would get off, based on what they were doing, how they looked, what they were carrying...

There was a homeless person who lived in the 34th street "PATH" station that my husband and I used to keep a tab on. Never saw the face of this person who lay curled up covered in the blanket surrounded by stuff. My husband suspected he/she was a secret agent.

Also the train is a good place to check out the latest fashion and stuff in stores!- "Oh that's a nice scarf she is wearing, wonder where she got it from?"

Secondary Jobs: There are so many that I probably cannot list them here- souvenirs sold off the platforms, budding musicians, artists, con-artists...

Chapter 3

Atlanta

City Profile: Bus and train. Atlanta being another yet another example of urban sprawl in American cities, buses are the city's best bet. MARTA changed over to the feeder system once the train lines came into operation and it said the the ridership has been on a steady decline ever since (DETERMINANTS OF MARTA RIDERSHIP: HOW GAS PRICES, INCOME, AND RACE AFFECT PUBLIC TRANSIT USE IN ATLANTA:Julia Caroline Thayne) . This report here is an interesting read and I would agree to all that it has to say having used the system, both bus and train, for 1 1/2 years. Its as in-efficient as can be. The bus routes are ridiculously long and winding feeding into a train system that has limited reach! My office is 2 miles from my apartment and it took me 40 minutes to go one way by either train or bus. I could walk the distance in 30 minutes! Even while we lived downtown we had limited access to the city. This lead us (my husband and I) into trying the Zipcar- a car sharing service - and we loved it! It was like we had the keys to the world. Super convenient and it was quite economical till we could buy a car.

Fun Memory: Though it was not fun riding MARTA, I did enjoy the chitter, twitter of other passengers in southern accent ya'll. The bus drivers are quite friendly and would ask if I skipped a day at work!

Favorite Activity onboard: Cooking up stories in my head.... to be continued.

Kites!!

WORD-O-LOGY

Some jems from the good OLD ROORKEE days..

FOKI:
- adjective
1. something of the highest quality, the bestestest
2. out of the ordinary.. well... and foki
e.g. You know... like this was... like... the every other word in every sentence. Its a foki word man!

FOKIYAAP:
- noun
1. Some form of embellishment that makes something foki
2. content in submission that adds no new information

OKS
- noun
1. mental, emotional capability to stand up to competition, the professor or girlfriend

KHOLU
- noun
1. class topper for the year
2. the scapegoat

BAKAR
- noun
1. High intensity exchange of unconnected incidents and gossip between two or more roorkites

BAKAR SANKTRANTI
- noun
1. bakar session lasting more than 24 hours (location and participants remain constant)

LP
- noun
1. privileged permission for females to stay out doors after sunset

GP
- noun
1. ingenious technique of generating 25 sheets from 1

FOLLOWING CONTRIBUTED BY SHRUTI

Tut (pronounced: T-you-t): The assignments in every subject that we took, and the dedicated afti (afternoon) class for solving these..where we invariably slept.

bhasad: crowd, and generally the crowd of commoners

Ganda (noun): used to refer to the unique class of jokes and wisecracks that comes naturally to roorkee junta. Generally the jokes originate for "lateral thinking" but end up in absurdia. The sense of humour to appreciate such jokes is acquired and makes us stand apart :)

Senti Scene: any situation that a person lands himdelf/herself in which brings him/her to the brink of an emotional outrage. Most Roorkee students have experienced this especially during test series and thesis defence. A sure shot recipe to a senti scene is by sleeping eight hours straight when you have a defence presentation in 24 hours and more than half of the work pending ;)

Leaving New York

Leaving New York certainly deserves a post.
SomeTHINGS I will certainly miss....

1. The subway tops the list for me. Finding the train jam packed with people when returning home at 4 am makes the weekend feel limitless.
2. Street/Subway music. iPODS are junk once you get feel the beat of the energy of these enthusiastic gritty new york street musicians. The music always brings a bounce to my walk.
3. Food carts. Where else can you grab a freshly made smoothie when rushing to work, completely on the run.
4. The city has my favorite "Made in India" manhole covers.
5. Its safe. I have never felt stalked or lost no matter what the time is.

Waiting for winter.

Are you SERIOUS!!

On a dreary rainy lonely weekend I found comfort on my couch covered with a shawl, a warm cup of steaming tea in my hand... in May. For a moment I did not want it to bright and sunny. There have been days in the last few weeks that have given the assurance that summer is around the corner. The wait for summer began months ago, but I realize that there is a cozy and comforting side of winter that could be missed. Just something to keep in mind on a hot restless summer afternoon.

Living in New York

Living in New York

New York, New York

I wake up feeling uncomfortably hot. I pull the sheets away as I curse myself yet again for forgetting to close the blinds at night. I twist the blinds shut, cutting out the morning sun and the $3000 a month view to Manhattan. I get back into bed for 5 more minutes of sleep. 20 minutes later I wake and scramble towards the bathroom. 40 minutes later I am out of the door and on the street. The walk to the station is quite pleasant. People are having breakfast on the side walk seating of restaurants, waiting for buses and swarms of them emerging from trains. I head towards mine.

As I wait for my train to World Trade center (WTC), I walk along the platform to get on the coach that is going to be the closest to the exit of the world trade center station. Ofcourse I am not the only one who thought of this and soon a large crowd gathers around me at the end on the platform as the train arrives. This particular coach again is the most crowded. Everyone waits for people to get off and a few people on the train are thoughtful enough to get off just to clear the way even if it is'nt their stop. The mad rush to get in begins now. I am on the edge and I have to make the critical decision of getting on or waiting for the next one. I look at the watch and decide to hang on. With my face pressed against the window pane I look wide eyed at the confused help less person left behind on the platform who had only gotten off to make way for other people getting off. Hmm...I am sure this was the last time he did that.

The the WTC station we all pour out the train like a fluid flowing upwards towards the exit and soon flood all the escalators. There are six of them at WTC about three floors high. That's New Yorks six lane highway for you.

On the street more people join in as we collectively negotiate our way around newspaper vendors, lingering tourists and traffic controllers. The tourists I would say are the most annoying. Can they not just stay in their comfy hotel rooms till the morning rush our is over. Why do they have to be out on the street taking pictures of random buildings and them selves at 8:45 in the morning? Imagine them them strolling around clicking pictures on a six lane highway during the morning rush on your way to work!! And what's worse is they make me feel jealous. Here I am trudging to work with my laptop, and these guys are waiting on a bench for the store to open.

The hours in office are much more peaceful, tucked into my cubicle 27 floors away from the madness of the city. Lunch time is the time to hit the ground reality of the city again and go hunting. I see a falafal cart wonder how much patience people have to get into a queue that already has 25 people in it.The tourist are now armed with shopping bags.

As I step out the office at the end of the day I take a long breath of fresh air in and think about the endless possibilities for the evening; movies, some exotic cuisine or a ride in hot air balloon. I call up my room mate who happens to be just around the corner and we happily rush to the subway station. I see a lady sitting by the sidewalk surrounded by shopping bags and kids.

tagged by neetu the great

8 things I am passionate abt:
1. India(my first love)
2 .My Family and friends [special mention: the latest addition to my family ;) ]
3. Food (including cooking)
4. My work(may sound boring, but I really am)
5. Green living(chemical free living)
6. Eating fresh/healthy
7. Travelling
8. Wearing Sari ooh this was hard.
Whats the next one Neetu??
8 things I want to do before I die:
1. Have a vegetable garden of my own
2. Plant a 100 trees (that would be my legacy)
3. Travel India (ladakh, kerela, live in the lake palace in Udaipur, see Taj Mahal, khajuraho, ajanta caves)
4. Learn Maithili (speaking)
5. Live in India again
6. Watch a cricket match live (I am not so passionate about it anymore but this was my childhood resolution and so I'd like to keep it)
7. Write a book
8. Start a school or support one.
8 things I love abt my friends:
1. They make me laugh till my cheeks hurt.
2. They are all so COOL!!
3. They are really smart people with unique perspectives, passionate and kicking!!
4. They are always there.
5. They are not scared of sharing their mind
6. I am always on a high when I am with them (kyon doston??)
7. With them I can reveal my ganda power
8. I can be myself with them-- confused and silly
8 Things I say often:
1. Kuch nahi ho sakta is desh ka.
2. Awesome/Gajab
3. Tension nai lene ka
4. Yaar TV pe kabhi kuch dhang ka kyon nahi aata hai?
5. Please let me know...(Polite RFI)
6. Kyonki?? saas bhi kabhi....
7. "I am sorry. I forgot" (this should have been the first on the list but I guess I forgot)
8. kaun hai be(knock on the door)

what is common between srinagar and new york?

I recently saw a documentary prepared by the New York Metropolitan water Alliance on the New York waterfront. NOW, when we hear the two words "New York" images of tall buildings huddled together on an island is what most people would think about. The water just frames the picture and as the movie clearly brought out, the water front, the interface with the water, is actually not a a part of this great sea port city!! The city has turned its back to the water.

Now to Srinagar(Kashmir, India), the "venice of the east" known for its royal housboats and quaint shikaras and the wareways, its veins. But the water now is polluted and the another city has turned its back to the water. As the road transpoart developed, people cared less and less about the water and allowed growing volume of sewage to enter the water stream. The ghats and other forms of daily connection died.

The New York City is water is also untouchable and its connections to the water- dead.

So what?

Yes so what if there is no connection ? People stop caring. This public amenity that belongs to everybody suddenly belongs no body. So Srinagar's world famous waterways have become the city's open gutters. Some of temples still have steps going down to these polluted waters. In New York people wake up in the their "bedroom with a view" which overlooks the river onto apartments buildings on the other side onto other "bedrooms with a view". Barges still run bring in construction material or transporting garbage. There are water taxis and water ways but can you dare to dive in? NO. Each year over flow from the six local sewage treatment plants over flow into the rivers during a down pour. The two water bodies across the continents end up with the same fate !!

MADE IN INDIA manholes covers in New York

I saw the first one on church street right in front of the world trade center and since then I seem to find them everywhere. "MADE IN INDIA -- NYC SEWER" thats what they read and they make me wonder why did this manhole lid had to be brough over from the other end of the earth? Another thing that I would like to know is when were they put in place? Where is the seed and where are the orgins of this global supply chain that has a fingerprint on everything today.

LOVE

I was writing about my "ideal match" in my orkut profile today... Silly stuff on a sunday morning and here is what I wrote- "People dont fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle". Its true they dont. The world of love is crazy. They say opposites attract; but can they love?
Well back to the original question; whats your ideal match?? I may have a certain image of MY ideal match, you know...tall , dark, handsome; rich, super rich; somebody with a good sense of humour etc etc. but what is the possibility that such a person has a person like me as a "pefect match" in his mind.
OR do we really think all that much when falling in love?? Its a fall, rather a trip and you loose your balance for a while. and once you start walking along with this person you try and match your pace. He might may have to slow down a little. you might have to catch up. And there you go, you are walking together.
And then there are people who are just not your type. You can sift through them quite easily. Its the close matches that could be worrysome. Its diffcult to see the gaps between the pieces with such a person but they are large enough that they cannot be filled with love.

Where is global warming taking us

Ok there is a little homework for this one. Two movies to be seen--" Inconvenient Truths" by Al Gore and " The Great Global Warming Swindle".

These present two contrasting views of the same issue, GLOBAL WARMING, trying two explain the phenomenon and the expected patterns of the world climate in the near future.

I cant say who is pushing which agenda, but what we can say for sure is that "global warming fear" is pushing the sustainability agenda. Reminds me of what a teacher had said when a certain tragedy struck our department " It takes a tragedy(in this case fear) for people to come together to take action". Sustainability is all about good common sense,higher efficiency and human health. If global warming is the way to it, so be it. It would be wonderful if we knew the true picture. Reward or fear should not be the drivers to self preservation!!

Dis"illusion"ment

I enjoy poring over optical illusions. It is fun to unravel their mystery and still be able feel the "illusion". The "illusion" can over-ride any facts provided. Its just the way the mind sees it and there is no way of controlling the mind at times. It( the mind) just sees what is wants to.

Like tihis picture: The grey bar is the same shade through out. No matter how many times I tell mind that it is so, I still see the gradation. Now just hide the background with your palms and you will see for yourself that is a solid grey bar!

How about illusions in real life and for that that matter dis"illusion"ment? Are there similar things that our mind presents to us how it would like to see them? So is there something like dis"illusion"ment. Can we really look beyond our own mind?

Wikipedia has the following definition for the word:

'''Disillusionment''' refers to a [[feeling]] that arises from the discovery that something is not what it was anticipated to be. Often, disillusionment is much more severe and traumatic than common [[disappointment]], especially when a [[belief]] central to one's identity is shown to be false" Woah!!

Dont you think most of the time when we feel disillusioned we come face to face with a reality that we were already aware of? Its just there is no more running away from it. So is it really disillusionment? Is the covering up of the background to see that it is indeed a grey bar, dis" illusion"ment? Isnt all this a game of words?

I think so.

Memory Matters

I read a quote somewhere and as usual I dont remeber the exact words. Its something to the effect that people look down upon a bad judgement but dont seem to mind a bad memory. Well it was put in a much better way, but what I intend to say here is that in general intelligence is weighed over memory. It may be noted that this applies to humans only and we are not talking about computers here.

So why is intelligence weighed over memory? I think, just like intelligence, a great memory is also something we are not born with. Its take effort to build a fast and relaible memory just as is does to acquire any skill and for that matter intelligence. Its another faculty that we possess that must be sharpened and developed.

A couple of days back I was discussing answers to those 'typical' interview quiestions with a friend and we came upon an extremely difficult one- what are your weaknesses? Now this is a delicate one and must be answers thoughtfully. Forgetfullness of names of people and books, we though is a safe anwer. Why is that?

I feel it is very important to remember things and details. It can help identify things that are linked, it helps connect with people and can save lot of time and effort.

The mind is an automatic filter which seives through the tons of information that this world throws at us every second, but it is important to regulate this apperture through which we take in the world. Its is to be ensure that we are not skipping to much and conciously absorb information.

The power of a writer

"A few thousand words from Rachel Carson and the world took a new direction". The few thousand words are known as 'Silent Springs' and I got to know about this book through a course I am taking this semester.
Rachel Carson in her book, writes about how the indiscrimate use of DDT after the WWII in several countries was effecting the ecological balance and how this chemical was slowly poisoning the food chain. DDT till then was 'concidered' to be a wonder chemical which could solve all problems and bring about the 'green revolution' wherever it was used. Several people had conducted and published research on the negetive impacts of over-use and the caution that should be taken while using DDT, but not untill this book was published that people actually began to question something that had till date been promoted as a medicine with no side-effects.

The whole idea that a book got the people to take notice and raise their voice against the negligence of the governement, resulting in national level policy changes in USA is not unique.
What I really found to be amazing is that the author, who was a biologist and environmentalist, decided to deal with the issue by writing a book about it. She could forsee the power of a book in invoking masses to action.

My Neice

Every now and then I pretend to cry and she turns to me and asks with genuine interest " What's wrong?". I say that I am feeling sad :( She smiles to cheer me up and asks "again?" . Its the sweetest smile in the world wth two huge dimples on the cheeks and then she rushes to give me a hug.

I am sure if were really sad, that hug would make me feel just as cheerful.

Children are real charmers. Their innocence inspires simplicity of thought; their simplicity, out-of-the box thinking; their questions, deeper understanding. It can be a transforming experience to have them around.

The Church and the History of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh had been a vital part of the great steel belt of US, being rich in coal. Most of the old buildings bear the testimony of the resulting high levels of pollution in the city. Even this church at Negley. You can cleary see the black deposition on it wall. Seeing the marks pollution on these old buildings, it is understandable why the Kauffmann's were desperate for a retreat out in the woods, and wanted the house to truely connect with nature
1. Falling Waters
2. Cathedral of Learning: University of Pittsburgh

Church at Negley

This church is on my way to school and its beauty brightens up my day, everyday. I just love the wrought iron work on the wooden door.

Beautiful Leaves

Beautiful sky..