Astrovelo

Negotiating traffic on the roads of Mumbai, while at the wheel has become more difficult compared to what I remember from my last trip in 2000. Maybe, because I have been away from all the crazy traffic of New Jersey and New York, and I have forgotten how to drive. A few observations made during 1000+ kms that I drove in 4 weeks.

• The number of cars on the roads must have increased by at least 100%
• The number of rickshaws must have tripled. All the rickshaw drivers are basically BAD drivers. They have no regard for traffic rules. I doubt if they even know that any traffic rules exist. They are a pest and there should be a hunting season when people are allowed to shoot at rickshaws that don't obey rules.
• The lane markings on the roads have no meaning. They are there just to provide employment for people who make them.
• Dividers in the middle of the road are not to be taken seriously. At a traffic light, if you are going to make a right turn, it is OK if you go on the other side of the divider.
• Although the road signs suggest you to be in the the rightmost lane if you are planning to make a right turn, it is OK if you start a second or a third lane for turning.
• The passing lane is actually for people who drive the slowest. If you want to pass you should stay to far left. (actually, this is true in US too)
• On a big divided highway with 3 lanes going in each direction, if you want to go to a place on the other side of the road, you should not concern yourself with going ahead and making a U-turn to get to your destination. You should cross over whenever you want as you get to the desired location, drive on the wrong side of the road and get there.
• If you stop or slow down to let someone make a turn in front of you, people look at you as if you are mad.
• All these bad things that I saw this time in Mumbai have been a norm in other parts of the country for a long long time. One could easily see the effect of people moving into Mumbai from all over India and bringing a little bit of their habits and their 'own' traffic rules along with them.
• In Jaipur, I was amazed at the dynamic nature of traffic. There is no left side or right side of the road. Vehicles going in one direction just take up all available space on the road. Depending on the volume of traffic going in each direction, the width and number of lanes going in each direction changes.

But, it is not all bad. The condition of roads is generally better everywhere. All the flyovers in Mumbai have significantly improved traffic conditions. On the afternoon of 31st Dec., I could go from Thane to Fort in less than 45 minutes which was unheard of a few years ago. Even after the monsoon season, all the highways were in very good shape. Mumbai-Goa highway was excellent and so was Delhi-Agra and Jaipur-Delhi highway.

Mumbai-Pune expressway is just like a dream come true. It takes only two and half hours to make this trip that used to take anywhere from 4 to 12 hours a few years ago. I could drive comfortably at 65-70 mph (not kmph). People actually follow lanes. There are no interruptions. Beautifully landscaped road with entrance and exit ramps all the way through. It feels like driving on I-80 somewhere in Iowa or Nebraska. I am sad to say that ‘Khandala ghat’ is no more. The beautiful scenery is still there, but, the road condition has changed dramatically. All the traffic congestion with trucks climbing at less than 5kmph due to the steepness of the road is only a memory from the past. The whole journey on the expressway is worth every paisa of Rs. 100 that they charge in tolls.

During our trip to India, Ashwini acquired a lot of Indian clothes. Some were brought by relatives to wear during her kaka’s wedding, some were bought by us for the wedding and some because they just looked good. She can’t wear any of them now. We’ll have to wait till May or June to use them. I think they are big enough to fit them at that time. Here are a few pictures showing few of those outfits.

IT is such a beautiful night tonight. Very clear and stars are shining brightly even with almost a full moon. But, the clear sky comes with a big pricetag of cold temperatures. I can’t even think about stepping outside right now with temp. below 0F (-15C).

If you check out the US government’s guidelines about traveling to India, you would think that it is a germ infested, diseased country and you shouldn’t travel there unless it is absolutely necessary. I spent 6 weeks in India in perfect health without any additional vaccination or medication. All through the trip I enjoyed all the roadside food (mostly vadapav, bhel-puri, pani-puri, paav-bhaaji and tea) that I could get.

Now, 3 days after returning to “clean and disease-free” USofA, I am starting to get a bad cold.

The food in India was excellent. I got back into a habit of eating a big breakfast along with a big lunch and bigger dinner. All the sweets were very tempting and I easily gave in to all temptations without much resistance. Five days in Hyderabad were the best. I was eating idli, vada and dosa for breakfast everyday just to start off the day. After my brother’s wedding and travelling around with friends and all the food at the conference, I was pretty sure that I must have put on 15-20 lbs during those 5 weeks. But, to my surprise, my weight is exactly the same as it was before we left for the trip. I am getting suspicious about the scale at home. I should go somewhere else and check the weight again.

Thankfully, V and Ashwini were in good health too. Hoping that this will continue on our future trips too.

White House Cuts Hubble Servicing Mission from 2006 Budget Request

Bush Wants $80B More for Iraq, Afghan Wars

Cut $1 billion for something useful and spend $80 billion on something unnecessary.

Yup! Yessiree! That is the way to do it.

via canyoncat

Left 85F weather in Mumbai on Sunday and arrived in frigid Detroit at 13F with a foot of snow on ground. Thankfully, my neighbor’s kids had cleaned our driveway and I didn’t have to pull 6 bags through all that snow.

We didn’t want to leave India after this long break and come back, but, finally arriving at our home was very comforting even with all the snow and cold around. During the 6 weeks, Ashwini had forgotten many of her books and toys and was looking at them as if for the first time.

Ashwini was a model child on the airplane. She slept for more than half the duration of flight even while other kids were screaming their lungs out. Other time was spent in drawing and generally socialising with other passangers around her. We were glad to have bought a seat for her. That gave her enough room to lie down with her head in my lap.

It is hard to get back to work after all the fun. Am trying to remember where I left things off before leaving. I was so completely out of it that I had forgotten my password for work PC. Had to call helpdesk to get a new one assigned.

Here is a photo taken on the day of my brother’s wedding (one of the reasons for our India trip) last month.

• If you are choking on an ice cube, don't panic. Simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat.
• Avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet seat by simply using the sink.
• A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep when you hit the snooze button.
• If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives, then you will be afraid to cough.
• Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

Check out the zoomquilt at the following link…

The Evil Tree

Quite amazing!!!

Thanks, premkudva.

I’ll be leaving for India this Sunday. If you wish to receive a postcard from India or a holiday card from me please fill out the following poll.

We are planning to use this photo for our 2004 holiday card.

• Ashwini is getting very good at running around everywhere. I used to able to catch up to her by walking, but, I have to run to catch her these days.
• Her stubbornness is increasing exponentially. She has trained her crying voice very well by practising it a lot. She knows how to use it effectively and get things done her way.
• Ashwini is developing quite a personality now. She is not a baby anymore.
• Brushing her teeth and putting lotion on her are the hardest activities. Sometimes making her eat food is quite challenging.
• She is learning new words by the minute. Also picking up phrases from her parents and daycare teachers. Keeps using 'Oh, man' (me), 'I know' (mom) and 'Oh gosh' (teacher). She knows when to use them too.
• Ashwini's talking has reached the next stage. She can say small sentences now like 'Ashwini bumped her head', 'I want apple juice', 'wind blowing my kesh', etc. I don't think we have much time before the 'WHY' questions start.
• She used to complete lines from her rhymes by saying the last word with us, but now she can sing whole lines. She knows the whole alphabet song and can sing it with little help from us.
• Ashwini makes us read her books over and over and over. That helps her to remember the story, I guess. She tells whole stories while going to bed. Not in whole sentences, but with enough words and correct sequence of events.
• Her problem with opposites is getting better. She still gets confused with what is cold and what is hot.
• She hasn't made any fuss about getting left at the daycare in a long time. I think she likes being there with other kids and is happy to see us leave.
• Ashwini has been sleeping well for the last few weeks. About 3-4 weeks ago, we let her cry for about 40 minutes when she woke up in the middle of the night and she has been very good since then. Even if she wakes up, she goes back to sleep in a minute or two. I am surprised that it took her only one instance to realise that her parents aren't going to show up if she cried.
• These days Ashwini can hold a book in her hand while in the car and can entertain herself.
• We are looking forward to our India trip next week. Her potty-training is being postponed till after we come back.

This photo just illustrates how Ashwini makes us let her do anything she wants. Her tantrums are very successful. A small piece of bread wasn’t enough for her. She wanted to hold the whole thing and put it in her mouth.

In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice; in practice, there is.

I won’t be eating any Japanese food for the next 6-7 weeks during my India trip. My last Plate of Sushi/Sashimi was most excellent. Very tender and flavourful pieces of yellow-fin tuna and Salmon; thinly sliced whitefish and Octopus that wasn’t as chewy as usual. It was worth remembering for a long time. But, I’ll be so bombarded with great homemade, roadside and restaurant Indian food that I won’t even be thinking of any other food. Leaving for India on Sunday, Dec 12th. Hoping to bite into my first vada-paav on the afternoon/evening of Tuesday, Dec. 14th. Yuuuummmmm!

Ever tried taking two or three or ten photos and stitched them together to make a panoramic view? Here is
an extreme panoramic photo taken at Delft University by a company called TNO.

modern consumer cameras can easily take a picture with 5 million pixels. ... This one is with 2.5 billion pixels - that's 500 times more pixels. If this photo were printed, it would measure 6.67 m by 2.67 m (300 dpi).

Follow-up to my earlier post about Thanksgiving…

Ashwini was very happy to welcome all our guests…. until they started to take over her playroom.

Here is a fine example of a person fit for death penalty or at least sterilization so she can’t make more children and hurt them. I don’t care if she hurts herself.

Mother confesses to severing baby’s arms

PLANO, Texas - With a calm and dispassionate voice and a hymn playing in the background, Dena Schlosser confessed to the unthinkable, telling a 911 operator she’d cut off the arms of her baby girl.

The woman was sitting in her living room covered with blood when police arrived Monday. Her nearly 11-month-old daughter lay fatally injured in a crib in a bedroom of the family’s apartment in Plano. The child died shortly afterward at a nearby hospital.

What is with Texas and these religious and severely depressed dumbasses? Wasn’t Andrea Yates, who killed 4 or 5 of her own children, form Texas too? Wonder which is the cause and which is the effect? Does being deeply religious minded make them psychotic or do psychologically disturbed individuals become very religious to find some solace in their miserable lives?

I would most definitely kill anyone (even if it is me) who tries to hurt my little daughter. I can’t imagine how someone could do this act. If God told me to do it like he did in the Andrea Yates' case, I’ll flip him a finger and ask him to f**k off.

It was lovely to have a white Thanksgiving this year. We had our first significant snowfall on Wednesday and the snow stuck around for a couple of days.

It was a nice Thanksgiving as usual. A lot of our friends were able to join us for the feast. We had 12 adults and 8 children. It felt like the house was full after a long time. We spent most of Wednesday and Thursday morning cooking. All the guests showed up around noon on Thursday. Due to Ashwini’s nut allergies, it was a nut-free event. Here is the menu…

Appetizers:

• Chex mix
• Brandied apples and goat cheese
• Brie with fig jam on crackers
• Spiced apple cider

Main course:

• Green bean casserole
• Broccoli and rice casserole
• Cranberry delight
• Acorn squash stuffed with wild rice, raisins and cranberries
• Creamy mashed potatoes with chives and gravy
• Pasta salad
• Broccoli and cheese salad

Desserts:

• Death by chocolate
• Yellow cake with fruits
• New York style cheesecake

Making a real cheesecake was new this year and I was very apprehensive about how it will turn out. It was like a cholesterol bomb with 2 and half pounds of cream cheese and 7 eggs. It was just heavenly. So creamy and soft and silky. Yummm. The only problem is that because it is so big, we can’t make it for just ourselves. I won’t be able to make it unless we have a big gathering. That means I’ll have to wait till Thanksgiving next year.

Unfortunately, I didn’t designate someone to be the photographer, so, we don’t have many good photos. I don’t think I have a photo of the desserts. sob

Ashwini was very excited to have so many kids around. But, at the same time it was really nerve-racking for her as she had to share all her toys and books with them.

Overall, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We got to see a lot of our old friends and share a good meal with them. Hopefully, we’ll do this more often in the coming year.

Date created: 2003-09-02 11:02:49 Date updated: 2004-11-22 20:24:20, 9 hours ago Journal entries: 322 Comments: Posted: 918 - Received: 1,645

I can’t believe that I have been active on LievJournal for more than a year. Usually, I start to lose interest in things as their newness wears off. But, I still like to post and comment on LJ after all this time and all these posts/comments.

First photo taken through my telescope using the Nikon D70. It is not great. I still need to play with aligning all the optical elements properly to get a crisp clear image. Hopefully, I’ll get some time to play with it when we have clear skies.