Shyam's Blog

News channels in India (for that matter, all news channels around the globe) are always filled with hot waves. I recently got a chance to view some of Indian channels after a long time and found that news time is full of talking from news studio to someone outside over video phone. One over hyped controversy now is about a actress talking something about dress code of women linking that with a holy book. Oh man! What a fight 3-4 people do on that news channel linked over video phone! That too, on the top corner, it will be mentioned "LIVE". One expert tells the news reader sitting in studio, "You don't understand the situation. You haven't read the holy book and you have no right to question. One should respect and follow the holy book". On the other side was one fashion designer who made things hotter, "I don't see anything wrong in what they want to wear. It is individual's perspective and we have to respect it. We cannot force every to strict

New place to visit real soon - Toronto. Might drive from BOS which will take around 10 hours.

A thorough discussion on the concept of vegetarianism comes into picture whenever I dine with someone who isn't and who doesn't know the concept of it. Even though people know the reason, they ask it once more to hear from a different mouth. The whole concept of being a veggie is so simple that for one who is following it, there is no need to worry. For an outsider, it seems as though we are missing half the food in the world. I have seen many in the West who are vegetarian because of various reasons. I read that, Pythagoras was a vegetarian. One article even explains, Jesus ate no meat. With all the strings attached to being a veggie, it is a never ending discussion to emphasize it. One thing I don't understand about people who eat meat is, some say, "I don't eat meat on Saturday" or similar reason. Saturday is just an another day of the week. If they follow on that day, let them do it for rest of the week, else, they need not. Pretty controversial ahhh! Main

One need not be a cake maker to appreciate a cake. Similarly, one need not be a musician to love it. If at all two cake makers sit and discuss about the difference in the tastes of two cakes, then, they will go into all the inner details (the process, ingredients, etc). Same is with music. If two musicians want to compare two songs, they can talk in musical terms. Basically, the idea is, whether it is music or cake, it has to be so simple that anybody should be able to appreciate the taste even without knowing the ingredients :). The above is one of the ideas in the book I am reading which is about Music and Science. This book talks about how brain-music-science are inter-related. Name of the book???? Will reveal later :).

This place is such a hopeless one when it comes to medical treatment that it seems as though you will see God (almost there in heaven) when you visit a hospital. Having experienced that once, I didn't want to be there. Still, I wanted immediate doctor's consultation. The system is so laborious that the illness might be gone by the time we find the right doctor. Without an insurance linked to that Hospital or doctor, the patient is nothing but a non-entity. I did my homework to find out the Hospital connected to my insurance and called them for an appointment. ME: Hi, I am ..., I want to consult the doctor today. When can I get an appointment? from that side of the phone came this answer... "hmmm, let me see. The latest appointment I can give is for December". What the ???????????? This is the medical facility in the place I live! All these insurance concepts and cost of going to a medical school has made medical treatment a big fuss. I have heard lots of instances tha

One of my friends recently asked me, "It has been a while since you came to the US. What do feel about this place - then and now?" My answer erupted as slow as possible - "Yeah. It has been a while since I started living here. I am not a super power to change the whole US. US has not changed me in my basic thoughts. So, I don't feel any change".

It is a sunny Sunday morning here and with a cup of tea in hand, better would have been to have a local 50-page newspaper in hand and settling at one place for the next couple of hours. Instead, here I am, writing my blog with my tea. There is always a feeling that some things in life remain evergreen. Even though generations change, technology advances, the concepts of those evergreen things remain the same. What are these 'evergreens' I am talking about? The first example is newspaper - A real hard copy of newspaper in hand. Though Internet and television give exhaustive information, newspaper is a newspaper. I am sure, it will go on for ever. Second example is going to a movie theatre - Again, technology, pay-per-view, video rentals, home theatres have come into picture, nothing can defeat the effects of a real theatre. How can one get the atmosphere of 'going with a friend, standing in the line to buy tickets, munching a snack around, getting into the theatre with a big

"nanna haadu nannadu, nanna raaga nannadu, ...." After many years, I got a chance to watch this movie, Suprabhata, today. Interestingly, the above song says what I am doing now. I am doing what I wish to do - taking a small break before my next assignment starts. This also gives me time to see places and get ready for my new project. Having 3 projects in hand and taking time to decide which one to choose will take time :). Hence, a break like this is always necessary. Now, you have a break and watch the song below.

Roads of White Mountains - Fall 2006 Curve sign at White Mountains Zig Zag road at White Mountains

Lake and Houses - White Mountains Fall foliage Uprooted tree with mushroom A colorful trail

Cape Cod is famous as a tourist attraction for its scenic resorts, beaches and golf courses. Also, it is one of the favorite places for weddings in New England. Here are some of the Sunset pictures of the Cape. Sunset near East End Grill 'Sky under Fire' during Sunset at Cape Cod A majestic Swan at Cape Cod

Fall Colors of New England (Oct 2006) Picture #1 Fall Colors of New England (Oct 2006) Picture #2

'kaash mein woh kiya hota', 'kaash mere yeh woh hota..'. When my mom gave me intection with that thick needle, I said to myself, "I will surely take revenge on all these doctors. I too will become one one day and when I give injection, the patient should die of pain". This was thought when I was a kid and hated injections. ha ha ha. It was really scary to see that boiling water and doctor taking syringe and needle out of that; concetrating deeply on the dosage and then going for that unsympathetic prick. All this drama for simple fever ;). Lots of things have come along my way which was always an option. Just seeing that Engine driver, my brother used to dream of becoming one and drive it from Bangalore to Kadur in that Mahalakshmi Express. I too dreamt of becoming a bus driver in the Ghat sections of Malnad. Both of our dreams did not end there! Surely we became Engineers, but Software type. ha ha. The above one was mere freaky thing to think which kids usual

"Turkish Bath" was one the best Jazz pieces I have sung for. This is a very catchy piece with good rhythm and nice improvisation. Prof. Goodmundson invited me to add extra music to their original piece to put something different in the show. It was my honour to be part of this show what was witnessed by 600+ packed auditorium. Here is the video recording of this. Though the recording looks and sounds poor, I like this because, it surely projects the ambience that was there inside when I was performing this live.

How important is making decisions? That too, making a right one. There are many instances in life which are 'decision making' or 'turning points'. But, I often think about - "is making a decision enough in life?" My answer is NO. In one's life, how many decisions are made in the category of 'most vital'? At the time of making them, do we have a complete overview of future? Also, what is the amount of time spent in making those decisions? Overall, few days/weeks? Ok, put it, few months. But, there is that whole rest of life which one has to spend in order to capitalise on such decisions. There are lot more challenges one has to face even after making best of the best decisions. My idea is, we have to be sharp and prudent in choosing something we want. At the same time, have to be ready to cope with future, face it and solve it. Never look back and feel, 'I made a wrong decision' - no harping.