One more time

One more down.

Another conference, another poster, another listening to the experts, the wanna-bes, the farts, the losers and the suck-ups talk. Once in a while you get the real deal. Other times, you walk away with four smash hit ideas that leave you on a high, of which one might make it to fruition.

I really want to be on the other side of that dais. Isn't it time for that already?

And I need newer people to hang out with at these things rather than the same chaps from the old company. There are some that I like that will not talk about work or the lab. Sadly, they were not there this time. It was usual company bitching. Heck! I quit remember? I really don't want to hear this. But it's my own fault. I gotta stop the whole identification of myself as the ex-lab member who quit. Ugh.

Got to see the beach though. I love oceans. I love mountains too which made it hard to pick and choose a future city to dwell until I saw Vancouver.

The first time I went to a conference, I was a young green idealistic 24 year old at Utah State. The mormon profs kept to themselves for three days, always eating together and tucked in bed by 8 at night. One, who incidentally was my fav, discovered I was a liberal. 'You would have voted for the other guy!' said he. Later, on the ride home, he tried to get me quit smoking and pick up running. Much later, when I did, I wrote an email to him implying his words had stayed with me. He didnt reply back.

Anyway, whomever I talked to (profs of other univs) at that conference was usually half drunk to reply or would direct me to their Chinese colleague (am not kidding) who either didn't talk much or didn't talk English much.

I returned to campus thinking what the heck the whole point was in sitting for three days, listening to ten speakers a day and stare at thirty posters in each field and coming away with ninety questions.

There isnt any. The best tip anyone can give you is to pick and choose.

Now a days, I just sit and listen and take what comes my way. And wait for my turn to be on the other side.

The familiarity

We hear things that the other says that we know deep down are true, but it just makes a difference since the other said it.

We star in each other's dreams. Almost on a daily basis. Both poignant cameos and also protracted story lines with continued presence. And it feels good.

And now..

Everything
reminds me
of
you.

When you can't win them all..

So far, I've done pretty OK with all of HG's family, her relatives and her friends. I love her naturally which I guess shows and as a consequence am given the nod of approval mostly without any fuss. The only guy that refuses to acknowledge my existence is her apartment security guard.

Seriously.

This balding grumpy looking chap's world has shaken by my arrival. Forget speaking to me, he doesn't look at me, and talks only to her. Even when it's just the three of us are in the lift together going up. I wanted to start a conversation with a gentle 'Aap kaise ho?' but the cat had come and taken off with my tongue and put a big marble in my throat. What resulted was a guttural sound. At which he waggled his eyebrows in his my general direction and continued his conversation with HG.

Oh well.

When the smoke had cleared

and the dust was still..
She was standing there and speaking my name.

I guarantee she looked like an angel
I couldn't think of what I should say.

But when Adam saw Eve in the garden
I believe he felt the self same way.

Here's to a week with you.

And I wanted to stamp on the iPhone

Constable has an iPhone. He calls it 'the voice of god' cuz any conversation that we have is ultimately wikied or googled up and settled right then and there. And with the iPhone he's got a zillion apps. The latest one is this restaurant suggestion thingy that rolls a dice (or two) and randomly pops up with a suggestion for restaurant or bar in town.

(The look) Dude you're not serious are you? It's raining and we're under a tree rolling dice for a bar?

Oh come on, it'll be fun.

Sigh. How about this? You know that thing about tossing a coin? You don't really need to wait for the coin to land. When the coin is up in the air, you automatically make a wish for heads or tails. And that's the thing that you want.

( to deaf ears ) This thing just showed up zagreb. Ugh. Trying again.

2 mins later. More wetter (read soaked) than two minutes before.

Why is it showing me a restaurant in Indianapolis!

And I wanted to stamp on the iPhone.

PS - We ended up going to the Alley Bar which of course has the world's greatest spicy peanuts that you can crack AND DROP ON THE FLOOR! Seriously. The whole floor is all crunchy peanut skins. And it feels so good to purposefully litter.

South Koreans are Zen people

Ykas got into the PhD program here, and so we were having this conversation where I mentioned it to him that now that he's going to be here longer, he can really go after that biology girl who's also in the PhD program. He replies - Oh I don't know man. She's pretty serious about that Boston guy.

Our South Korean officemate, looked up from his code and said this with a very wise expression on his face.

'You know - there's a saying in South Korea. Just because there's a goalie doesn't mean you can't score'

In which I get my apartment back

Goodbye roomie.

Not that you did anything that made it to the list. Except for having an annoying girlfriend who's a self-declared-in-fb Shiv Senaite, and who thinks everyone south of Bombay is alike and speak South Indian. And maybe an overdose of spice in whatever you cooked and made me taste. Also, you were a bit random at times with unnecessary topics of conversation. But you were largely, in the general scheme of things, on the whole, in all entirety, and for the most part - quite OK. You did save me some bucks which helped in taking HG around.

But I like my apartment - a bit too selfishly to be shared with non family, you see?

Zeppelin shall play on the stereos on Saturday mornings once more. And Tamil songs twice on Sunday.

Now if only the perpetual roommate can get here quickly.