"Life happens when you are busy making other plans."
-John Lennon
First off, I LOVE "New Soul" from the macbook commercial. Just love it.
Ok, moving along...
I'm back! Back to the world of blogging after a long, long, loooong break. I guess it all just got away from me. Life got crazy. Mostly good crazy, but also stressful crazy. Needless to say, blogging sort of left my mind for quite a while.
So, what's been going on? Too much to compile into one blog post. So keep checking back. I promise it won't be another 8 months until my next post!
For now, just know that the news business is not as glamorous as it looks. Those people you see on the 6 o'clock news every night...they definitely don't look that good in person ;) And don't always sound that good in person either. More at 11...
A lazy weekend...down by the river...
Disclaimer: I have come to be pretty horrible at this whole updating my blog thing. My sincere apologies for all you Amulya fans out there! I'm only half kidding ;)
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Change is a scary thing. It can be anything from fantastic to devastating or anything in between. Yet, no matter what it is, change is always scary. It forces us to shed the old routine and learn a new one. It opens our minds to tuck away our past perspective and adopt a new one. Sometimes it allows us to find new meaning.
We are creatures of habit. We get up every morning from the same side of the bed. We check our email, check our phones for missed calls, and contemplate what is for dinner everyday. We crawl into the same side of the bed each and every night. What happens when those habits are threatened? What happens when change takes over and our lives take on new shapes?
It's hard to deal with changes to our routine. We never truly know if the change is for the best, but we have to allow ourselves to believe that it is, if only to make the most out of the possibilities. Yet, the challenge that remains is being able to coalesce the new with the old. Sometimes we are forced to not only adapt for ourselves but also foster the change and ease transition for those around us.
Change is a constant in life and we all know it. It's not easy, but we must only remember that it is always, always for the better.
Yes, it has been a while. Yes, I am alive. And yes, I am lazy. Nevertheless, here I am...back to posting. So let's catch up with some of my current "happies".
1) 2 hour workouts and the great, yet sore, feeling that comes afterwards.
2) My guy. Took me a while to realize what a catch he really is...I'm lucky.
3) My sister and her guy coming to visit. It's been a while.
4) Upcoming trips to Northern Michigan (to see Sarah!! and drink Boston Coolers) and then to California.
5) 90 degree weather... and the keys to the pool.
6) El Camino Real: amazing Mexican fare and highly intoxicating margaritas. Seriously, we are basically talking straight up tequila.
7) Making new friends at the gym (of which I don't even belong).
8) Finding a new video gaming buddy, Trooper John. Who has also given me the gift of being able to speed and get away with it. :D
A little photo collection of my weekend with 3 of my favorite people...
Introducing...
Amulya R., M.B.A.
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And I'm back!! Forgive me father for it has been many days since my last post.
I had this long, earth shattering post all typed out and then the browser crashed. So sad for you all. ;)
So, I'm finally back on the blog circuit, posting my inner most thoughts for all of you. I'm sitting here in my home away from home, in India. Sweating it out in 100+ degree temps and loving it. My mom and I came here on a surprise visit to my family to celebrate some birthdays and anniversaries. They loved it, so all the heat and stress and money is so worth it. Even through all the family tension, drama, and whatnot it's all worth it. My family is not dysfunctional, it's just full of completely distinct characters...ones that don't always get along very well together. But are always good for some comic relief...just sitting and watching. Good times, good times.
I'll post more later. Just wanted to check back in and let you all know I'm still alive. And don't expect me to answer my phone if you call me...my roaming charges are $3/minute here...YIKES!
Well, still no luck so far on the big job. I'll just say that HR in general is a lazy bunch of individuals, pretty much wherever you go. So, we'll see about this job opp. As long as I've got a job by mid-summer I assume I won't go crazy. Although, I might get close.
So, I'm graduating in two weeks. Granted I still have to pass two final exams and two big projects/case reports, but if all goes well I will officially be a degreed MBA. I also recently earned a nomination to join the International Honor Society, but I'm too busy with group projects to go to the Induction ceremony. Go figure. After all is said and done, it's been a long road. I'm not quite to the end of it as yet, but it's fast approaching. Being in college teaches you more than just your trade or profession. More importantly, it teaches you about people. It opens your mind to so many things, good and bad. It's a struggle sometimes, but it's worth it, professionally and personally. Yet, it's still a long and sometimes frustrating road and I can't wait for the accomplishment to set in. If you want my graduation announcement send me your mailing address ;)
The world is a very scary, very unpredictable, very nonsensical place. And it's days like Monday that make you not only thankful for the people you have, but thankful for the time you have had as well. In a world with the possibility of what happened yesterday, every moment seems priceless. There aren't many words to explain this event, so I won't even try. It makes no sense, and I hope it never will.
I feel like I'm in some sort of purgatory right now. And no, not because at this moment I'm reluctantly watching American Idol. Sanjaya is just not good by the way. Is he for real?! I digress...
Yesterday, I met with the VP of a major national market research firm here in town. Seriously, the vice president. It was a huge deal. Not everyone gets the chance to sit down and chat about jobs with the corporate second in command. So, it went well, but of course he can't just offer me a job right on the spot. The current status is him sending my resume to HR with his comments and recommendation. That's all well and good, but it leaves me to my current state, which is of sheer anxiety. I feel like I'm stuck in a middle ground, waiting to either be pushed off into rejection or lifted up into total contentment. There is so much riding on this potential job, a position in which I can see myself thriving and growing and simply enjoying, and I can't imagine how I'll feel should it not go through. I can imagine, however, the grin on my face and spring in my step should it go through. So, I'm on shaky ground, so to speak, for the time being. I'm checking my email every 26 seconds and I'm running to the phone every time it rings hoping to hear an HR rep mispronounce my name on the other end. I don't think I will have ever been so happy to hear someone stutter through my name. ;)
Wish me luck...pray...say ten Hail Marys...rub a genie in a bottle! Or just cross your fingers for me!
Here's a topic:
I don't celebrate Easter, or even Christmas for that matter. So, I don't even pretend to know the true meaning and significance of the holidays. I am, however, quite perplexed as to what the Easter bunny and painting eggs has anything to do with the resurrection of Christ. Kids are often brought up to believe the Easter bunny is real. That, and he comes down the chimney just like Santa Claus?!?! What's that all about? I had a good discussion the other day with a friend, another non-Christian, where we contemplated the meaning of said Easter bunny and his/her place during the Easter holiday. I posed the thought that to most young people, the true significance and depth of a holiday like Easter, while not void of meaning, has no entertaining value. Only with some tangible means of celebration, i.e. sitting on the Easter bunny's lap or going on an egg hunt, can one make a connection and find gratifying meaning to the holiday. Eventually, the notion of that entity's existence fades away, and meaning of the holiday may or may not be found.
While I am not against the idea of the Easter bunny or festivities surrounding the holiday, I just don't quite get the concept. In the culture and religion in which I was raised, there are no conjured up representations of faith or spirituality that come anywhere close to Santa Claus or the Easter bunny. While I admit that the origins of Santa Claus and the Easter bunny are infact there, I suppose I just don't agree with how they have become tried and true representations of much deeper and meaningful spiritual occassions.
Discuss amongst yourselves...
If you ever want a glimpse into my life as a first generation Indian American, born to immigrant parents, then go see
The Namesake.
It's not a true story and while there are many differences in detail between the story and my life, it is still eerily telling of my life and my family. A lot of people I know will see the similarities and even see some differences, but I am convinced that this movie will shed light on where and how I stand in life, here in the United States. Not only my life but the lives of so many others born to immigrant parents. It's a great movie...one that had my eyes welling up with tears at times, and laughing out loud at others. So, if you've ever wondered what life looks like from my point of view, go see this movie. You'll enjoy it.
My latest TV obsessions, in no particular order…because I HAVE SENIORITIS! I find solace in television during this ulcer-inducing time in my life.
Scrubs - I do believe I could marry Zach Braff someday. 
The Black Donnellys - These Irish are hot. Scary, but hot.
What About Brian - Not the best show and they have issues, but I still kinda wish I was one of them.
The Office - No explanation needed.
LOST - What does it all mean?!?!?!
Ugly Betty - Beyond all the hype, it truly is a smart show.
Don't believe all the hype...boys are stupid!! It's all or nothing, never anything in between. Sometimes you just live and learn the hard way, time and time again. L
I have senioritis in the worst possible way. It's my last semester of MBA and while my classes are nowhere close to cake, I have absolutely no motivation to put forth an ounce of effort. It's like senior year of high school all over again. Yet, unlike the lazy days of high school, the challenge now lies in securing a future before these school days come to an end. Graduating, or the thought of graduating I should say (I have yet to pass my classes after all), is bittersweet. What would make it easier would be knowing I have somewhere to go after it all, being able to give it some value. Everything will work out, I'm sure, but sometimes the anxiety weighs heavy. I feel almost as if my life is on hold until that day comes...That day when I can say I have arrived, I have reached that goal that I set for myself years ago before all the lectures, seminars, exams, and professors. Hopefully that day comes sooner than later. I have a big meeting with the VP of a dream company in two weeks...wish me luck!C
So, I think, by no choice of my own, I am part of a slightly crazy and somewhat absurd love triangle. It's by no means a strap on a diaper and drive non-stop to Florida crazy and absurd love triangle, but it's raising eyebrows nonetheless. (If you don't quite get my diaper wearing quip then you are obviously not well versed in the latest ongoing at the mad scientist powerhouse that is NASA).
Well, the guy I am sort of seeing has a growing list of off balance female suitors knocking on his door. Or, in keeping up with the times, shall we say they are texting him day and night. He has apparently told them he is not interested, but they persist, as any off balance suitor would. Last night one of them waited and watched in her car, Magnum P.I. style, my "guy" and I as we talked outside our cars after class. As soon as we got in our cars and drove off, she followed while texting my guy about his time with me in the parking lot. Shall we say....creepy? It gets better...
She pulled out in front of me, I saw her, guessed she was stalking us, and brushed it off as her being nuts. She pulled ahead of me into the right turn lane, I drove forward in the left through lane and sped up. She, this slightly psychotic and apparently quite nosey UNLICENSED driver, proceeded to drive straight through into my lane and run me off the road. Apparently, it being a religious holiday for me that day, God spared me my life and decided Amulya shall beat the odds of being killed by a dangerously jealous woman behind the wheel. Thank God for small favors. And breathe...
Today's brief Hinduism 101 lecture: Ugadi, or New Year's Day for those who follow the lunar calendar of Southern India. So first off, Happy New Year to me!
Ugadi is not only the start of the new year, it's the start of Spring, new life, and new beginning. It's literal translation is "beginning of new age". The onset of Spring brings a new beginning to plants as they acquire new life, shoots, and leaves. Thus, the start of the year or New Years Day. Flowers and fruits begin to bud signifying growth and prosperity. Entrances of houses are decorated with fresh mango leaves. Different foods are eaten to signify contrast the contrast of life, a mixture of good and bad, joy and sorrow, success and disappointment. The new year brings acceptance of the good and bad as being for one's own good. Ugadi, much like the Roman calendar's New Year's day, inspires resolve to change our way of life and give up bad qualities.
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So, I haven't been a regular fixture in the blogging world for the past few weeks. Lots of stuff going on…ya know classes, busy work, food, free liquor, TV, all the important things in life. I figured I should at least get a post up here and fill you all in on my life as of late.
First off, I think I've successfully avoided the flu bug. Good news there. Apart from a lingering fever and daily headaches I have come out unscathed. I think I am making myself sick over the fact that I am so close to graduating. On the one hand I am so very eager to be done with the stresses of being a student (forever I hope) but on the other hand I'm a bit frightened for what lies ahead. My one fear is that I will have to wake up the day after I graduate and realize I have no where to be, nothing to do. I'd like to have it all figured out right now, but I don't.
If you haven't read The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri, read it. It's one of the best books I have ever read. And it's not only because many of the thoughts and premises of the book parallel my own life. Creatively written and rich in emotionally genuine detail, I think it's a book anyone could draw parallels from. Then, after you have read it, go see the movie. That is, if you are lucky enough to live near any of its limited releases. I am not so lucky, but I know it has to be great. The reviews are amazing and the director is even better. So, I can't wait to see this one. And if I haven't convinced you so far, just know that the lead is played by Kumar, of Harold and Kumar fame! J
And on a completely unrelated note, is it bad that I can drink 4 grown men under the table?! å
Amulya has a fever :(
Mother nature is teasing Amulya with sun shiny 70 degrees and snow in the coming days' forecast :) --> :(
Amulya did not fail her Corporate Finance exam :) Amulya was quite worried about this ;)
Amulya is loving that she got to drive with the sun roof open for the first time in 6 months :)
Amulya is scared she might have caught the flu :(
Graduation is less than two months away and Amulya thrives on that fact ;)
So, I was at the grocery store today - my home away from home. By the way, how cool is the international aisle at Meijer?? I'll answer for you: very. I digress.
I was at the grocery store today, stocking up on the essentials, when I found myself contemplating buying a new lottery ticket. From time to time I play a set of numbers I chose based upon family birthdays. Coincidentally, from time to time, those numbers lose. Today, I thought long and hard about playing those numbers again. I was all but standing right at the lotto counter when I told myself that dollar in my pocket could instead buy me a pretty amazing Jamocha shake sometime. So, I didn't get a ticket. I didn't play my numbers tonight. And for that reason, and that reason only, I didn't win $1,500 tonight. All but one of the birthday numbers matched up and I'm not throwing myself through a window right now only because that sixth number didn't match. But hey, at least I can have a Jamocha shake tomorrow...if not 1,500 of them :(
