this saturday

I wil lbe here :)
http://www.leavenworth.org/06%20ice%20fest%20schedule.html

candle making and creative wisdom

Yesterday spent the day making gel wax candles at bama's place .. it was so fun and so much nice.. we have clicked the pics someday i will have it here (wishful thinking)
on the way back i stopped at redmond library ..there are two things that i like - the gym and the library - US provides library cards and you can take upto 100 (basically unlimited) number of books ..and there is non ending collection of books there ..
i got 6 books among which there were collections of o henry short stories for my night reading and also pg wodehouse collection (which incidentally anshu don't like)... also got lots of philosophy and psychology books and for a change they turned out to be good ..
one of the books that i started (its a small one) is crazy wisdom- its on philosophy that is centered around the following zen thinking:
"If you do not understand, things won't change
and if you do understand things won't change"
Basically the funda is to be chillaxed in life ..that and similar such interesting quotes on it and the book is centered around them.it takes inspirations from kabir to gautama buddha to charlie chaplin and evolves in its philosophy - this is my lunch time book and have just read 19 pages.will post more stuff on it as we go along.
yesterday I felt i have finally started belonging to the city bcoz i got lots of calls from pple in seattle just catching up and finding out about me :) ..caught up with vaidehi and sid (who is back in US and has offered me his nokia charger) and talked for long with saubhy and mom... felt good :).

should have gone for this car

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lexus-LS-LS-400-LS400-BILL-GATES-OWNED-FULLY-DOCUMENTED-1990-MICROSOFT-25pix_W0QQitemZ4600815037QQcategoryZ14240QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

yest..

well i finally went to gym and took my shower there..damn those construction workers they havent yet finished their work and it has already been 10 days since they started..for the first time in my gymming history i sweated while gymming..met Petr and his pretty wife miho there...
then again shopped a lot ..got some shrimps too and lots of salad dressings(garlic caeser) and all the stuffs to make the salad..i wonder however how much i will use it though... but those damn avacados were very expensive so i better use them...
met mary yesterday..had invited her for dinner.. we chatted till like 12 at night and it was nice :).. nothing can beat a nice 1:1 conversation with someone around your age, with similar issues and with similar background and ofcourse so real and informal....

a great game - the correct link now

http://www.nationstates.net/
where you get to form your own country and you face real issues one everyday like "shld abortion bbe legal" with people from various sections of the society coming with the various view... you decide the govt the policies etc...the game is just fantabulous.

holiday diary

Dec 30 - went pub hopping in downtown seattle(while my parents were visiting shirdi) - man this is real US

Dec 31 - went to a party..had made and taken kheer for it (it was not too diff than gyan vaishnavi's divine kheer i ate in iitk)... slept once at 11.30 pm and then many a times from 1 -2 on their sofa..finally at 3.30 in my apartment

1 Jan - was so much better- went berseck shopping in the morn...bought some gifts and activewear.. talked to vids for a long time ...talked to saurabh too and listened to him boasting about his long jogs :)! went to gym - jogged < mile , had a nice relaxing steam and jacuzzi ...came back, spent the eve reading a novel - Innocence - and looking out of my glass wall, listening to good jazz music, sipping tea and munching cereals..total absolute bliss....

2 Jan -8 in the am i hear some earth shattering noises- i come out of my bedroom into the hall see three huge men waving at me ....one of them (a russian from accent) says " Good morning miss we are renovating your apartment"..gosh how cud i forget..its going on since 1 week...so here i am today on a holiday - made(while listening to them complaining about their boss) and packed my lunch and came to office...caught up with pathak after a long time..it was nice ... well i invited one of my seniors for dinner at my apartment so will leave at 3, goto gym and then to safeway- buy some stuff and then to my apartment..hope the workers will be gone by then ...

other news - i have taken to champagnes and white wines ... havent taken bath today....

tickets to india from seattle

Sites:
---------
makemytrip.com
priceline.com
Justfares.com, ask for Safi
http://msindians
http://msindians/selector.asp?Category=Travel
http://www.seattleindians.com

Agents:
-----------
- Travel Experts.Amol (425) 368 2462

- Royal Air Travel (909) 396-5500
Divakaran

- Just Fares (206) 223-3600 x 107
Neeraj

- Nova Travels 1-800-646-6682
Sudha, (503) 697-4460 Fax: (503) 697-4475

- Travelnet (206)652-2500
Seema, Fousia,


- All Places Travel (425) 643-8680
Katheryn Young (in Cross Roads--Bellevue)


Tips:
--------
Look for travel agents which will be local to Seattle area. 2/3 months in advance is more than enough. Also if you happen to visit any desi video/grocery stores, pick a newspaper called IndiaWest or IndiaAbroad which has plenty of travel agents offering great deals. You don’t really have to book from a local agent. It can be anyone. Its just that local folks are convenient to reach. If you are spending more than 1250.00 including taxes/fees I wouldn’t call it a good deal.