Life in india-Sequel

Now I have come to realize that terrorism is here to stay..Folks are encouraged to take out "terror insurance" in India and I believe that is becoming popular..All my comments from the previous post still hold true..No clear mandate on how to handle terrorist attack situations or to gather intelligence and thwart them before they happen..What is missing is the sharing of information across all law enforcement agencies and with public..
A case file in Tamilnadu against an offender is not known to the cops in Mumbai..unless they have a special investigative force to go to Chennai and get the information..This is BS***.In a country which has the best IT minds I am saddened to see that we don't use the same technology that we have imparted to others all over the world.
We do need empathetic leaders(read Manmohan Singh) but we also need hardened rightist to lay down the law and follow it all costs.
This is just the beginning of a new era in Indian culture..the bomb culture..it is here to stay..we have to live with it..but we should not ignore this like poverty,AIDS,politicians,Scandals..but we need to fight it.

Life in India

Terrorist attacks, security lapses, economic downturn, Droughts and floods..Indians can pick one of these as their choice when eking out a living and trying to support their family.These are some hard choices people have to make everyday.Actually these are not optional you have to choose one (or more if you are lucky)!!
That's why the farmers of Yavatmal in Maharashtra, chose to end their lives gracefully.Now in a bid as to not offend the Laws of the constitution and the indian state , who has bestowed the rights to decent living(?!??), they appealed to the President to grant permission to do so.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/23_farmers_seek_Prez_permission_to_end_lives
/rssarticleshow/3491699.cms

What is happening is a total lack of leadership.I mean there are NO leaders at all.No mandate on national security,no comprehensive policy on Natural Disaster Recovery for Citizens, no absolute rules on Taxation and poverty eradication.Nada..Nothing..Zilch..Zero.

In-laws

When I mentioned to my colleagues that my in-laws were going to spend the summer(a mere 3 months) with us..most of my lunch-table-diversity-club went..OMG..You poor thang!!Hmm..that was not a reaction you get when you talk about elders(be it in-laws or parents).Well the thing is..Americans are much more conscious about independence and freedom than credit card debt and savings.
We in India accept this as social norm and families are close knit with 3 generations living under one roof.Of course we do have the newer generation living across India on their own..but this might be due to better opportunities and not mandated by a dislike for family traditions.
Anyways we had a great time and the kids enjoyed the grandparents company.I think for the next generation a good dose of living with extended family is a lesson in sharing and connecting and living for more than just themselves.That's why we want to let the kids have their summer in India next year and hope they come back with much more than they left here with.

Yearly Goals

Unlike others I make up my goal for the year ,around April..Why?After spending 6 months in the cold I am ready to go waste some money and also that's the time my company passes me some Bonus moolah(woo hoo).This year my goal was to setup a true 5.1 channel Home theater.
Now speakers and receivers can cost from the low thousands to the upper tens of thousands.Obviously if budget and room size were not a limit(and If I were not married or had kids) this would have been an easier task..easier because there are literally 200+ speaker makers to choose from.And the worst part is you have to listen to the exact speakers IN your home before you can buy them!!!
What started as a goal has become an obsession,but at least I can fulfill my goal this year.AND I DID..This is awesome..Movies sounds like we are in a theater..Music is very satisfying(and I listen to a lot of those) from Alan Jackson to
Yuvan shankar Raja..
So what is my goal for next year..Save up..America is going belly up..and cash is King..We have cut down on all holiday shopping and birthday gifts(except for the kids)...Invest the savings for better times ,hopefully in 2 years..

Sahana..

I love to startup and shut down my laptop..Cause these are 2 moments I can stare at the picture of Sahana-Vinay on my desktop..it is great feeling..I would've just dropped Sahana of at the daycare 10 mins ago..but still their lit-up faces makes my day..

In the evening just the thought of seeing the both of them is precious..Albeit after spending 2 hours trying to avoid clashes between them,feeding(or atleast trying),giving a bath,bedtime story,preparing for next day,getting vinay ready for school the next morn..Ahhh..I wait to go to the office..Only to stare at my desktop and forget all those chores!!

Back to college

I had enrolled in Online course through my company for a Masters degree..

2 semesters have passed..Got a few B's(and one A)..learning something new is always fun and this is no different..only this time it is all through the web..listen to lectures online,get together in virtual rooms with colleagues to discuss projects,open-book exams(hence the B..illaina!!)..Enna no new people to "meet"..you can only judge someone by ones discussions...There is no presumptions about physicality,race,color,appearance and so on..it is just a voice..

Sometimes it is just 2 boring..but when you can relate to what you learn at work thats when I retain some of it atleast. Looking forward to the summer classes and hope in the end of the course I can use what I learned..unlike the Bachelors..

Good Night

gary

Doctors and skiers

                 Nope ..they dont have anything in common. Just that we have run to Sahana's doctor in the last 6 months more than we did for Vinay till now!! Ear infections,cold,allergies,ear infections.. the cycle repeats.We have been there so often that the doctor quipped that we missed 1 week during New Years..I had to remind him he was on vacation and we saw someone else.

Nags and Vinay took to skiing during christmas and they loved it.Me..I tried Snowboarding and OMG.. it is much easier than skiing. The thing is you don't have to control 2 hands(with 2 poles) and 2 feet(with 2 skis) to follow 1 mind. And you are not staring head first into the eye-popping slope,you are looking sideways.. which means you can no not-look if u don't want to.

I have had enough of being cooped up inside and this was a good break.

Heres Nags.