"Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans."

Well said by John Lennon. This thought struck me when I read the following,
“First I was dying to finish my high school and start college; And then I was dying to finish college and start working; Then I was dying to marry and have children; And then I was dying for my children to grow old enough so I could go back to work. But then I was dying to retire. And now I am dying. And suddenly I realized I forgot to live.” and it continues, “To make money we lose our health and then to restore our health we lose money. We live as if we are never going to die and we die as if we never lived.”

How true. Life is a journey, not a destination. Enjoy the people you meet, the beautiful scenery, the funny billboards, the flat tires and mechanical breakdowns along the way of a journey. We all gave our goals, whatever they may be. But most of our goals will be achieved many years from now. In the meantime, don’t wear blinders (like the ones horses use) and race through life.

- Don’t wait till you suffer a heart attack or stroke. Get yourself in shape today. Your body is the best thing you will ever own.
- Make friends and have fun wherever you go. You don’t really need a lot of money to have a good time. Relationships are as important as your career.
- Volunteer or make a charitable donation. You don’t have to be 60 to do either.
- Find out about God. You will not be able to search for Him lying on your death bed.

Who knows you might never reach your destination and the journey is all you might have.

There is always something to do in Minneapolis.

Only in the twin cities you have the ...

City Lakes – Bike around or canoe on them in the summer, walk or ski on them in the winter.

Grand Rounds Byway - 50 miles of trail that wind through golf courses, industrial districts, parks, lakes, forests, creeks, rivers, and down town Minneapolis.

Minnehaha falls – Frozen in the winter, full flow in spring, green in summer and a riot of colors in the fall.

Stone Arch bridge – Stroll on, hang out below or enjoy the quiet of the trails nearby.

Como Conservatory – Experience a tropical forest in a Minnesotan winter.

Fort Snelling State Park – A little bit of wilderness inside the city.

The Mississippi - Bike along the Mississippi from Fridley to St. Paul and view dramatic vistas from bluff tops and river flats.

Pedal Pub – Don't drink and drive, but drink and ride and make merry on the streets of Minneapolis.

NBA – Watch the Wolves taken to the cleaners only for $5 on Wednesday nights.

MLB – Catch the Twins hit em ouf of the park at the amazing Target Field in downtown.

Foshay Tower - Watch the sun go down on Minneapolis from the top of what was once the tallest building in the Midwest.

St. Paul Cathedral and Capitol – Tour the house of God and government in the capital city.

Summit Brewery - Get a quick lesson in beer brewing and sip free samples of Minnesota's most famous local beer.

Minneapolis Institute of Arts – Admire prehistoric, ancient, medieval and modern art under one roof for free.

Sculpture garden - Pose with one of Minneapolis' most famous landmarks, the Spoonbridge and the Cherry.

The Guthrie – Watch Shakespeare come to life and then hang out in the balcony overlooking the Mississippi.

Coffman Union – Catch a free movie on weekend nights.

Columbia Golf Course – Zoom down the icy slopes on your sled in the winter.

Winter Carnival – See the parades and gawk at the amazing ice sculptures. Minnesotan winters can be fun.

Renaissance Festival – Go back in time to see some neat costumes and hear some 'Ye olde English'.

State Fair – Eat deep fried …... . Fill the blank with anything.

I am sure there are many other adventures besides these, to be had in the Twin Cities. I will miss Minneapolis.

The job hunt saga

There comes a time in every student’s life when he has to become a hunter even if he is vegetarian. I become a job hunter as I approached the end of my MS degree. As a hunter you can go after the prey or wait for it to come to you. The latter (campus placements) doesn’t really happen often in the US. The other option, go after jobs out there.

Everyone talks about how important networking is in the job hunt. I think I do quite well on Facebook with an average of five likes and two comments for every post. But alas, Facebook doesn’t give you a pay check unless of course you work for Facebook. There are many ways of networking. Ask all you friends and acquaintances if they know anyone working in your field. Talk to profs about their industry connections. Go to job fairs. Attend seminars, workshops, etc. I have shaken so many hands that I think my right wrist needs reconstructive surgery. And I have collected so many business cards that I think I can play poker with them.

As far as applying for jobs goes, a good error free resume is a must have. For interviews it is useful to have a FAQ sheet. Those standard questions like tell me about yourself, where do you see yourself five years from now etc. I had trouble thinking of answer for the weakness question? The only weakness I have is that I have no weaknesses. And don’t forget thank you notes after the interview.

Over the months I had many leads but nothing concrete. Maybe I needed some cement. I think the two main issues for me were visa sponsorship and security clearance. And the best things about job applications? The interviews! You get to boast about yourself (the selling yourself part) and someone is actually listening! And the on site interviews are cool for meeting some really wonderful people besides the all expenses paid aspect of them. As a grad student, spending nights in posh hotel suites is never an option.

But the wait can be long, the wait can be tedious, the wait can be frustrating. All you need is faith in God and yourself. Trust in God that He has a plan for you. Confidence in yourself that you are great and some company will discover your greatness. Pray, talk to your friends, write a diary, sing out aloud, play sport, anything that helps stay sane. And try to have fun as you wait. It is going to be alright.

So I retire from my job hunting career and settle into the retired life of working at an awesome company!



Pic courtesy: http://cascadeclimbers.com, http://www.rightattitudes.com

I will bike until hell freezes over

Winter biking – why and how to keep those wheels turning when everything goes cold.

Minnesotan winters are typified by biting cold, howling wind and icy streets. Why and how does one bike in those conditions? I bike because it gives me at least a half hour in the outdoors everyday. It is great exercise. It is an adventure. It saves money. It gives flexibility with time and places you can go as compared to riding the bus. It helps me avoid those crowded buses, which by the way are prime spots for catching the flu. Sometimes it is an ego thing, the I-ride-my-bike-in-Minnesota-winters thing.

My favorite winter biking conditions are 30F temperatures with light snow and no wind. But you will probably get 2-3 days a year with such weather. This winter there were winds upto 30mph, temperatures of -20F and snow storms. So how to bike through the extreme weather conditions? Here we have a self proclaimed certified winter biker (me) to help you out.

Use an old mountain bike. Mountain bikes are more stable and have better traction that road bikes. I do not use studded winter tires because they are too expensive. I use the usual tires on lower than normal air pressure. I recommend an old bike because the sand and salt on the streets will wreck your bike unless you have the patience to clean it every night. Its also good to have lights because a fair bit of riding is done in the dark. Always check the weather before stepping out to decide on the layers you will need. Make sure to add a 10mph wind (your riding speed) to forecast conditions.

Before riding out, check the brakes to make sure the cables are not frozen stuck. Coming to winter riding itself, ice is the biggest threat. Ride in a low gear. Never use the front brake, especially when you suspect ice on the road. I don't have a front brake. Avoid braking at all on ice and keep the bike as straight as possible and stop peddling. Even if there is no ice, the snow can also be a little slippery. And that's the fun part. You can do all those skids shown on the videos. You can actually use controlled skids on turns because it is better to turn with a skid (where the rear wheel is steering) than bank sharply on the turn when you are moving fast. The aim is to always keep the front wheel straight, upright and rolling. Your rear wheel may slip and slide. It doesn't matter. If you are not confident of the skidding turn, skid before the turn on a straight stretch so that you are sufficiently slow before the turn. If you lose control, let go of the brakes and straighten the handle bars.

All in all, winter biking is an adventure. It is like dirt biking, with all the slush, slipping and sliding. Who says winters have to be boring? Gear up now and go make friends with the Minnesotan winter.

How to fake NRIness

So I was on a flight to India last week. It would be my first time back home since I came to the US more than a year back. I knew, or at least I thought, that everyone was waiting expectantly for my return. I imagined the crowds, the paparazzi, the flashbulbs, the screaming. Ok I may have gone a little too far, even for my standards. Anyways, as the flight taxied off the runway at JFK, I began to think on how I must make an American impression on the people I would meet during my stay. So here are my 10 ways to fake NRIness. It is the #1 bestseller in Goa.

1. The fake accent. It is the most obvious one and I need not elaborate further. Let’s just say that some people start working on it the moment they land in the US. Unfortunately it wasn’t the case with me.

2. Yo clothes. Again, very common and obvious. I am sorry this is sounding like a Times of India article where they state the obvious. But I would like to emphasize that an ‘I Love NYC’ t-shirt is a must.

3. An Apple product. Make sure you have an I-Pod, Pad, Phone in your hands, ears, mouth, etc.

4. Use American vocabulary like trunk for boot, elevator for lift, gas for petrol etc.

5. Exclaim on a regular basis ‘Is this how they do it in India?’

6. Use sunscreen before going out, even at night.

7. Talk about how similar India is to what is shown in the movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.

8. Keep emphasizing on how hot it is and how you are suffering from jet lag, even after a month.

9. Once in a while, make the mistake of giving dollar bills while making payments.

10. Distances should be in miles, weight in pounds, and temperature in Fahrenheit.
It is okay if you use pounds for distances also. As long as you sound exotic it should be fine.

Good luck to my US returned readers and fans. All hail the fake NRIs.