The year that was - 2009

I look at my blog and I can't believe that I haven't written down any thoughts in the last 7 months :O



2009 has been a great year for me. So much more eventful than ever before. I came awake to the new year of 2009 with a sense of doom. The stock market had crashed a month prior and the job situation was bleak. I knew I was going to be graduating in a few months and I knew that I needed a job. With all the support of my friends, family and colleagues at my part time job, I threw myself into it.



And then I got incredibly lucky... two job interviews within days of each other. I jumped on a flight after several rounds of interviews on the phone, to Madison, WI. It was one of the most beautiful places I had seen in the US. The entire city was dusted with snow, two large lakes that were frozen over, a large capitol building, and a company that was unbelievable. I went through the motions of interviewing the entire day, hoping that I would land the job!

A few days later, one evening, at about 5:30 PM EST, I got the call I was waiting for. I was hired and they were going to process my visa on premium processing right away! A week later I graduated from The Ohio State University with a Master's Degree in Computer Science and Engineering. I planned my move from Columbus to Madison, said good bye to my friends and the place I had called home for two years and moved to a place where I knew not a single soul.



Surprisingly, I fit in very well with the company. There were plenty of new people in the same situation as myself and making friends seemed like a piece of cake. I had a nice house, a nice car and some very nice friends. Within a few weeks of moving to Madison, I got engaged to Jagan. It was the best feeling ever.

The official engagement was in June at my home in Coimbatore. Of course Jagan and I didn't go to it since we were both in the US and we both didn't have vacation. We had the difficult task of having to pick a date for our wedding. We thought of a monsoon wedding in June 2010. But as fate would have it, Jagan's contact was ending about that time, so we had to postpone it. That's when November came into the picture. Nov 1st was the date to be.

Time seemed to fly by after that. Shopping for wedding finery, designing our website and wedding invitations, connecting with friends I hadn't spoken to in so long, showing off my fiance to my best friends' ... Pri came to the US in August for her masters. I was so glad she was around to pick out my clothing! :)

I flew down to Albany to meet her during the Labor Day weekend. Shopping, hanging out and the US Open .. It was great! It was the first time in two years that I spent any length of time with my sister. I cherished each moment of it.



Suddenly it was October. It was time to start shopping for gifts to take back for the family. I was keeping my finger's crossed that all flights would go well. But sure enough. Murphy's law had to go into effect. My flight from Madison to Chicago was delayed by 1.5 hours. I barely made it to Chicago and I was sure my bags would be lost en route. Jagan made it on time. I met him in Chicago and from there we flew to Frankfurt. We only had 50 minutes in Frankfurt and we had to run for it. We made it and we were Chennai bound before we knew it. Coming home was wonderful. It had been more than a year at that point.

Everything was like a dream. I was the center of attention. Everything seemed to planned out. The only point of tension was my blouses for my sari's. It was three days of festivities ... Beautiful clothes, delicious food and wonderful family ... Pri and Pradeep left that night. It was incredibly emotional to see them go!



Jagan and I had a week left at home, which flew by in the blink of an eye! The return flight was no better. Delays and annoying travel restrictions that burst your bubble. Jagan and I went to our homes in Frankfurt. It broke my heart and the only consolation was that we would meet in a few weeks for Thanksgiving.

Over the next couple of months, we've traveled to see each other. There have been both good moments and bad ones. I learned that my best friend of 22 years was getting married in december. I was incredibly happy, but as circumstances would have it, neither of us could be at the other's wedding.



Jagan is in Denver this weekend. It's a blue moon night. Here I am .. on the couch, watching the ball drop at times square on CNN with Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin .. reflecting on the eventful year that has past and full of expectations for the year to come.

Goodbye 2009 .... Welcome 2010!

Madison Farmer's Market

The Madison Farmer's market is the best thing since sliced bread! I was stunned by the sights, sounds and smells that greeted me when I walked up to the Capitol Square. Tulips of every color in full bloom with the awe inspiring backdrop of the Capitol Building. Smells of herbs of every kind, hot grilling cheeses and freshly baked bread. I've never seen as many people in one place, as I did that morning. To top it off, it was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and there was not a single cloud in the sky. It was an amazing experience.

When things work out ...

I have been looking for a job for as long as I can remember! Ever since the first quarter, I've been job hunting. First, it was for internships and then later changed to career opportunities. It has been a long long process, at times even quite tiring. Edit the cover letter and the resume for every job that you apply to. Search every imaginable job board. Take care not to apply more than once to the same job even though it maybe on different job boards. Wow! There were so many details to remember and keep track of before applying for a single job.

Added to the tension of having to find a job, is the fact that you are graduating and need something concrete within three months! Visa issues are simply overwhelming and easily let your head go in an indefinite spin. When you have been looking for a job for as long as I have, the number of rejects that ultimately come your way is huge. Having to deal with a reject, keep that motivation up and continue to look takes up a lot of effort. I couldn't have done it if not for my family and my friends.

A strong support system is what got me through the worst of times. Now that I finally have an offer, I am so relieved. It is a dream come true for me to have a job right before I graduate. This is always how I have wanted it! I feel like a huge burden has been lifted off my shoulders and an overwhelming sense of exhaustion settle upon me. I have no words to explain just how happy I am. The icing on the cake would have been if my family could have been here to see me at my commencement. But hey, I do know that they are all rooting for me from wherever they are! This day signifies the start of a life that is different from one that I have known thus far ...

Spaghetti Warehouse

I went to this queer little place for dinner tonight and I thought it was worthy of a mention. It's called the Spaghetti Warehouse and it's in the downtown area of Downtown Columbus. Everything about this place is queer starting with its name. I had heard this name thrown about a couple of times and I've always been curious about it.

A friend and I decided to check it out to see what all the fuss was about. The location was queer. It was an old beat up warehouse that sat in between two railway tracks. The railway tracks weren't just on either side, but they warehouse was in a rut between them. It freaked me out a little and I was worried about the safety of the place.

We found a spot to park and in we go and immediately, I was assaulted but the most peculiar smell, one that is so weird that you wouldn't eat there if you were paid a million bucks. OK, now I'm just exaggerating! It wasn't that bad, but it did smell weird. We got a nice table at a corner, and in about ten minutes my nose was accustomed to the smell :D

We ordered their very famous 15-layer lasagna and a Chicken Parmagiana. They said it would be a few minutes and that in the mean time we should enjoy some freshly baked sourdough bread with Herb Butter! When they said freshly baked, they meant freshly baked! It was warm and as soft as cotton when it was brought to our table. The herb butter literally melted on the bread! Delicious! I knew then that our dinner was going to be amazing!

It was not more than 10 minutes and the waiter arrived with our entrees. One bite of the Lasagna and I died! Wow! It was fabulous. Rich tomato sauce, meaty chunks and crumbling cheese in between the most delicate pasta sheets. It was a work of art. The Chicken Parmagiana on the other hand wasn't quite as nice, but was really good. The Lasagna just outdid it.

The quantities were pretty large too! I have a doggy bag I can enjoy tomorrow. :D I loved this place and I would go back there any day. They also have a lot of queer stuff inside, plaques, weird looking machinery from god knows when, a confession box, a video game arcade, a fortune telling machine, and a whole load more. If you come to Columbus, its a place you must go to!

Disney on ICE

I really don;t know how time passes me by! I just realized that it has been a month since I blogged. Sheesh!

I went to watch Disney on Ice today at the Nationwide Arena. The ads on TV were so good, that I simply had to go! And believe you me, it was so worth it. The whole experience was truly magical and brought out the kid in me.

It was my first visit to Nationwide Arena and I was amazed by the stadium, the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The neon lights showcasing the products(ads of course) showed me the extent of consumerism in the US. When I thought about it, I realized that was the very reason I was at Nationwide to watch the show! Consumerism ...

I soon forgot this line of thought when we decided that we should get something to drink. A 18oz cup of coke cost a whopping $5.25. Someone on the next aisle spoke when he said, "$10 for a cube of sugar!", when he was talking about the cotton candy being sold. It was daylight robbery to say the least.

Despite all of that, when the show started, I was amazed. I was so excited when I saw Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Pluto. The Incredibles were there as well and all of these characters were woven into a really cute story about the Incredibles going to Disneyland to want to be a regular family for one day. But no, it doesn't work that way! Mickey and Minnie get kidnapped by Syndrome. The Incredibles try to free Mickey and Minnie from their Laser prisons, so the show can go on and Disneyland can become the World's Happiest Place again. It was so cute and despite the fact that it cost me a fortune, I am really glad that I went!



I did think and wish that I had gotten to see this 10-15 years ago, when we were still reading Disney stories. Its a must watch!

A New Era ...

Last week, the 44th president of the United States of America was sworn it. As I watched it on TV, I was touched by the magnitude of the whole event. A Black President! Wow .. I was watching history being made, and it even brought a few tears to my eyes.

You may wonder how or even why it affected me in any way. I didn't vote for Obama to become the 44th President, I didn't work in his campaign and neither did I follow every step of his campaign from the comfort of my own home. Despite all that, I felt a sense of pride that I could be there to watch history being made.

There was hope in the air that things would change after he took office. But like Obama himself said, he is no miracle worker and things are going to get a lot worse before they can get better! So hopefully it doesn't take very long for things to turn around.

The austere environment of the inauguration was tempered by Obama starting his oath pre-maturely and the Chief Justice messing up the words of the oath. There was a moment of lightness during the swearing in ceremony. Obama also retook his oath the next day for just in case.

The funny thing is .. When I was listening to Obama making his inaugural address, I had a Deja vu feeling! I felt like I was watching the movie "Independence Day". The tone and the intonations were exactly the same as those of Bull Pullman in the scene just before they launch a worldwide counter offensive against the aliens.

Good Luck President Obama!

Childhood Memories

Of late, I have been reminiscing about my childhood. My parents had sent some stuff for me from India through some friends who had come from India. How sweet right? The best part of the parcel was an envelope from from sister. It was a picture of the two of us that was taken close to 15 years ago. I was probably 9 and my sister was 7. It was the day of my sari ceremony and the two of us had to wake up at an insane hour of the morning. We look dead exhausted :D But thinking back brought a smile to my face. As Pri rightly said, "From ugly to gorgeous".

I had this insane urge to eat beetroot chutney today. I don't even remember the last time I ate beetroot chutney. lol. It was that long ago. So i bought myself beets and made the chutney and I swear it was the best thing I have eaten in forever! It was so good (Sigh!). When we were kids, the only vegetable that we used to love was beetroot. We loved the pink color and there was never enough of it. Mix it in sambhar, we got pink sambhar. Mix it in rasam, we got pink rasam. Mix it in curd rice, we got pink curd rice. The day mom made beetroot we made just about everything pink!

The good old days!