Its been long, hectic and eventful season of my stay in United States but its fun living out here. Life in the city is been fun till now. First of all, New York is no different in spirit than the city I lived in for 18 year, Mumbai. It has same multinationality, multi-ethnic and multi dimensions to it as Mumbai has, so it is feeling at being at home away from home.
The Similarities
Besides the spirit and being the commercial capitals of their individual countries, New York is eventful city with lot of things happening around every know and then. People here know how to party and have a great time. Every occasion is a celebration of life and fun, be it a Halloween, be it Thanksgiving or for that matter Nigerian Republic Day. Mumbai too has the same spirit that New York brings out. Every event in Mumbai too is a big celebration.
Second thing is the cosmopolitian backgrounds that people come from. There is an aura of cultural mix in the atmosphere around which I am used to see in Mumbai.
Mumbai was always know for friendly people, being bold and coming together in tough times. New York also is witnesses to those category of people. You can be termed as a Mumbaikar or New Yorker on one simple basis that you have an ability to strike up a conversation with anyone sitting right besides you on any topic.
The commutation is another thing that reminds me of life in mumbai. The trains in Mumbai are lifeline of the city. If anything happens to the trains or buses, the city cripples on its feet. Same applies to New York city. Subways and buses form the main transportation backbone to millions commuting in the city.
The Differences
The major difference only that I percieve is in the language and the manners and ofcourse the cleanliness. New York has far better lifestyle and cleanliness than Mumbai would ever have. Another thing is the professionalism seen in the people of New York city is simply amazing.
New York exhibits a lot of art and creativity in the lifestyle, buildings, infrastructures, museums and gallaries. Take for example Halloween day,New York Village Halloween parade, its by far the most creative parade ever seen anywhere for the Halloween and the amount of people participating in this parade is mind blowing. Two thumbs up to the creativity of the New Yorkers.
Overall, its not really a cultural shock if you are coming from Indian city of Dreams to United States City of Dreams. Infact its more fun and at the same time more money and education here than it would be in living in Mumbai. I am starting not to miss Mumbai a lot off late. Perhaps thats my first step from being an Mumbaikar to New Yorker.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Friday, September 08, 2006
Touch Down Apt. - Settling down....
Hey all, well I am back this time with some good news....I have now found out an apt. in Jersey City. For the person who does not know to cook well and does not like american food Jersey City is the best place...you get everything indian you can think of from here...even the chai and thaplas...
The apt. is in good shape and the owner of the house also good. Apart from few starting hassles the shifting of our stuff into the new apt. went smooth. Rite now settling down into the new space which would hopefully be our home for 2 years. Getting into the american lifestyle was easy in the sense that we had our friends and family members here supporting us and giving us tips and info on various stuff out here. The basics dos and donts, the essentials and the manners. Not that we hadnt had any manners but in India nobody cared about it. Here they do..
The bonding between the 4 of us has improved since we have moved into the apt. Everyone has been doing there job and appearing mature. The main thing at the moment is everyone is supporting the other person and at the same time giving them space. At nights we hanged out on the streets of manhattan after the colleges hours for 2 days...today seemed to go very slow with no work to do and our assignments solved well before schedule...
Lets hope things dont go haywire for here and we stay together as we are staying now..signing off on good note see you next time with more pics of manhattan and me..
C'ya.
The apt. is in good shape and the owner of the house also good. Apart from few starting hassles the shifting of our stuff into the new apt. went smooth. Rite now settling down into the new space which would hopefully be our home for 2 years. Getting into the american lifestyle was easy in the sense that we had our friends and family members here supporting us and giving us tips and info on various stuff out here. The basics dos and donts, the essentials and the manners. Not that we hadnt had any manners but in India nobody cared about it. Here they do..
The bonding between the 4 of us has improved since we have moved into the apt. Everyone has been doing there job and appearing mature. The main thing at the moment is everyone is supporting the other person and at the same time giving them space. At nights we hanged out on the streets of manhattan after the colleges hours for 2 days...today seemed to go very slow with no work to do and our assignments solved well before schedule...
Lets hope things dont go haywire for here and we stay together as we are staying now..signing off on good note see you next time with more pics of manhattan and me..
C'ya.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Finding an apt. - Great Task ahead....
For last few days, I have been getting up early in morning...getting the newspaper and reading all the classifieds regarding rent of an apt. Most of the time, the apt. classifieds are old coz whenever I used to call up they would reply back saying it has already been rented.
The othe way that my friend told me was to go street by street and see for the FOR RENT signs and then call up them or go search sites like craigslist.com or sulekha.com. Initially the street by street seemed good idea but as we roamed about the streets of Harrisson, NJ I came to know that it wasnt really good idea....not at all infact..coz streets here are like to long and everything is divided into blocks. Very organised but very long and big streets pattern. So moved onto the internet side of things...we saw craigslist and sulekha for two days approx. but to our bad luck we did not find good apt. Apartments in harrisson are much more larger and much more cleaner than apt. in Jersey City. But the major advantage that Jersey City has for Indians is the indian market and journal square station.
After consulting with lot of friends, I came to know that one of my college time seniors had an apt. which had room for 4 more people. We went to see the apt. yesterday. Location wise is preety awesome place to stay. Although the apt. is little tacky, still its livable...
We gonna finalise the deal today and hopefully move into it by 1st of september. After this episode gets over I would shift my attention in getting a good on-campus job.
The othe way that my friend told me was to go street by street and see for the FOR RENT signs and then call up them or go search sites like craigslist.com or sulekha.com. Initially the street by street seemed good idea but as we roamed about the streets of Harrisson, NJ I came to know that it wasnt really good idea....not at all infact..coz streets here are like to long and everything is divided into blocks. Very organised but very long and big streets pattern. So moved onto the internet side of things...we saw craigslist and sulekha for two days approx. but to our bad luck we did not find good apt. Apartments in harrisson are much more larger and much more cleaner than apt. in Jersey City. But the major advantage that Jersey City has for Indians is the indian market and journal square station.
After consulting with lot of friends, I came to know that one of my college time seniors had an apt. which had room for 4 more people. We went to see the apt. yesterday. Location wise is preety awesome place to stay. Although the apt. is little tacky, still its livable...
We gonna finalise the deal today and hopefully move into it by 1st of september. After this episode gets over I would shift my attention in getting a good on-campus job.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Touch Down US of A
Well as most you must haven't know I have moved to US of A for my future studies. Its great time of my life and I am kinda enjoying the atmosphere and culture changes in US. Its a great place to live but little costly for a person staying in India. Our standard of living is lower but I can proudly say, there is nothing that can beat the Road side Indian food. I really miss eating Vada Pav on some road side stall for mere Rs. 4. Its hard to spend $1.50 = Rs. 65 for just one cold drink.
My trip to US was not as adventurous that I would have liked. To start off, my flight was 2 hours late from Mumbai itself. I had imaged to some sexy air hostess serving me fantastic food, snacks and wine. But to my utter discomfort the flight I got was AI 191[Air India]. I think the minimun qualifying age of Air hostess in Air India is above 30+. The hospitality is preety much Okay and the food is, at time, eatable. The main reason i choose Air India was I was allowed to carry almost 116kg worth of cargo on the plane. There was no such thing as entertainment. They had only few songs,that too only of Himesh Reshmaiyya, on the music side. The programmes contained only 100th old episode of some freaking english soap show. They kept Tom Dick and Harry in the second part of Journey.
My flight had stop at Charles De Gaulle Airport. I had heard great things about this airport and even read it in one of the Dan Brown's novel "Digital Fortess". But as life had it downside, I wasnt allowed to get down at the De Gaulle for security reason. I had to freaking sit for 1 and half hours in plane while it got ready for the journey over the atlantic.
Although there were downside but at the same time there were some upside of this flight too. This being my first flight to any International destination i was too excited to overcome all the downsides of flight. The view I had over the window was simply breathe taking.The view of alps when we flew over the Europe was awesome. I could clearly see the snow on mountain peaks, the valleys and the big roads winding down the mountains like a snake walk. The clear, blue and vibrant sky which I had never saw in smoke filled, noisy city like Mumbai, was something that I would cherish for a long time. The landing of Newark was preety awesome with houses lined in queue giving feel about how well planed the US cities are. The airport is one of its kinda. Simply awesome. Another upside was I got to see Amisha Patel in person. Well she looks more prettier in person than in few of her flop movies.
Right now, things are cool in here and weather is pleasant. I am on a hunt for an apt. which i can share with four of my colleagues. I am right now finding an apt. in Harrisson, NJ which is I must say a fantastic place to live. Very quite, very secure and very friendly. The houses are fantastic, spacious and very well maintained. I have seen some of the houses for rent which i really liked and will be deciding from one of them in a day or two.
I have also been to colllege in downtown Manhattan. My college ,NYIT, is one of the premier institutions out here and the Manhattan campus is located rite in heart of the Manhattan. We got central park right across the street if you know what I mean. Times Square is just blocks away.
People here are really helpfull and I find it difficult to match the formal conversation manners which lacks basically in India counterparts. The basic differences that I found in US as compared to India is that in US everything is huge, long and spacious. Other then that, I kinda find the same lifestyle of Mumbai as in NY. No wonder Mumbai is compared to New York all the time.
I will be blogging more of the experience of first few days in coming days. Do keep check TSATS for more fun, info and basic blah blah of the most Idiotic personality on Earth!
My trip to US was not as adventurous that I would have liked. To start off, my flight was 2 hours late from Mumbai itself. I had imaged to some sexy air hostess serving me fantastic food, snacks and wine. But to my utter discomfort the flight I got was AI 191[Air India]. I think the minimun qualifying age of Air hostess in Air India is above 30+. The hospitality is preety much Okay and the food is, at time, eatable. The main reason i choose Air India was I was allowed to carry almost 116kg worth of cargo on the plane. There was no such thing as entertainment. They had only few songs,that too only of Himesh Reshmaiyya, on the music side. The programmes contained only 100th old episode of some freaking english soap show. They kept Tom Dick and Harry in the second part of Journey.
My flight had stop at Charles De Gaulle Airport. I had heard great things about this airport and even read it in one of the Dan Brown's novel "Digital Fortess". But as life had it downside, I wasnt allowed to get down at the De Gaulle for security reason. I had to freaking sit for 1 and half hours in plane while it got ready for the journey over the atlantic.
Although there were downside but at the same time there were some upside of this flight too. This being my first flight to any International destination i was too excited to overcome all the downsides of flight. The view I had over the window was simply breathe taking.The view of alps when we flew over the Europe was awesome. I could clearly see the snow on mountain peaks, the valleys and the big roads winding down the mountains like a snake walk. The clear, blue and vibrant sky which I had never saw in smoke filled, noisy city like Mumbai, was something that I would cherish for a long time. The landing of Newark was preety awesome with houses lined in queue giving feel about how well planed the US cities are. The airport is one of its kinda. Simply awesome. Another upside was I got to see Amisha Patel in person. Well she looks more prettier in person than in few of her flop movies.
Right now, things are cool in here and weather is pleasant. I am on a hunt for an apt. which i can share with four of my colleagues. I am right now finding an apt. in Harrisson, NJ which is I must say a fantastic place to live. Very quite, very secure and very friendly. The houses are fantastic, spacious and very well maintained. I have seen some of the houses for rent which i really liked and will be deciding from one of them in a day or two.
I have also been to colllege in downtown Manhattan. My college ,NYIT, is one of the premier institutions out here and the Manhattan campus is located rite in heart of the Manhattan. We got central park right across the street if you know what I mean. Times Square is just blocks away.
People here are really helpfull and I find it difficult to match the formal conversation manners which lacks basically in India counterparts. The basic differences that I found in US as compared to India is that in US everything is huge, long and spacious. Other then that, I kinda find the same lifestyle of Mumbai as in NY. No wonder Mumbai is compared to New York all the time.
I will be blogging more of the experience of first few days in coming days. Do keep check TSATS for more fun, info and basic blah blah of the most Idiotic personality on Earth!
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
India, South Africa sign MoU
New Delhi, June 13 (PTI): Enhancing their strategic partnership, India and South Africa today signed an accord for developing capacity building projects in the fields of information technology, administration and education.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Minister of State for Personnel Suresh Pachouri, who is on a four-day visit to South Africa, and his counterpart Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi.
"The MoU provides the framework under which specific collaborative projects will be developed. Governance and administration, local goverment, education and information technology are among the priority areas which the agreement will focus on," an official spokesman said.
"Given the importance that both governments attach to building human capital, this MoU will be a vital reaffirmation of the strategic partnership between the two countries," he added.
Source: The Hindu
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Microsoft announces India launch plans for Xbox 360
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) Tuesday said it will launch its next-generation video-game console Xbox 360 in India by October, aiming to capitalize on rising incomes in one of the world's fastest growing economies.
The company expects the Xbox 360 to drive sales over its key rivals, Sony Corp. (SNE) and Nintendo Co. (7974.OK) in the growing Indian market, said Mitch Koch, corporate vice president of global retail sales and marketing at Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division.
"Our target is to sell 5 million to 5.5 million Xbox 360's (globally) by June," Koch told a news conference.
"By June 2007, we will have over 6 million users. By 2007, we should be in over 40 countries," he added.
Retail bookings for the Xbox 360, which was initially launched in North America, Europe and Japan in late 2005, will commence from June 9 in seven cities in India, said Koch. Deliveries of the product will start by October.
He said India is among eight additional countries where the Xbox 360 will be introduced this year.
Microsoft is aiming to tap the modest but growing number of gamers in India to sell the Xbox 360, said Koch.
"The gaming culture is not fully developed in India. So, there is an opportunity to build the market," said Koch. He didn't provide a sales target for the Xbox in India, but said the company will offer financing options and other incentives to attract customers.
The Xbox 360 core system plus a game title will be priced at INR19,990, while the Xbox 360 system has been priced at INR23,990.
Ravi Venkatesan, chairman of Microsoft India said the economic boom in India has led to higher disposable incomes among youth and an increase in consumption, which will help drive sales of the Xbox 360.
He said there are an estimated 1.6 million active gamers in India, leaving ample for growth.
Source: MarketWatch
Source: MarketWatch
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Da Losing Battle - Da Vinci Code Debate
This is too much for me to handle. The latest in trend of protesting come the BAN against screening of Da Vinci Code movie. The so called Christian Community writing letters to Information and Broadcasting ministry to stop screening Da Vinci Code in Indian theatres.
For as far as I know, after reading Da Vinci Code, I did not feel that it had any harm and anything close to being harmfull to christianity as a religion. Although, it terms Jesus being a married man and having bloodline to this date too. The book itself terms the events as work of Fiction then whats the problem with Indian Christian, the film is being screened across the US where their are 90% christians. From this I can jump to only one conclusion, some top authority in christian world just wants to show that they still should be considered a force to be accounted for and just want to get share of limelight.
According to me, this people are themselves betraying the basic principals of Chrisitianity. For christianity stands for tolerance, believes more in belief then imposing or protesting. It believes in coverting then banning. Thats the true meaning of Christian and its sons.
If the screening of Da Vinci Code goes accordingly and no ban is imposed, I would be surely one happy chap and still believe I live in secular country.
For as far as I know, after reading Da Vinci Code, I did not feel that it had any harm and anything close to being harmfull to christianity as a religion. Although, it terms Jesus being a married man and having bloodline to this date too. The book itself terms the events as work of Fiction then whats the problem with Indian Christian, the film is being screened across the US where their are 90% christians. From this I can jump to only one conclusion, some top authority in christian world just wants to show that they still should be considered a force to be accounted for and just want to get share of limelight.
According to me, this people are themselves betraying the basic principals of Chrisitianity. For christianity stands for tolerance, believes more in belief then imposing or protesting. It believes in coverting then banning. Thats the true meaning of Christian and its sons.
If the screening of Da Vinci Code goes accordingly and no ban is imposed, I would be surely one happy chap and still believe I live in secular country.
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