Been a year and a half since my last post and for a reason too. Change has been good so far, I love my bundle of joy.
Apple store genius employees must be the snortiest guys to ever work in any place. They dont seem to even know the concept of customer service.
I was in the apple store yesterday and when I asked one of them for help, the first answer I get is, I need to register with some guy at the door to even talk to someone in there. The employee acted as if she was doing me a big favor by even telling me that. Ok I give you that the store was full and almost everyone was acting busy, but that doesnt make them forget the first rule of customer service. Be polite.
The experience is so bad I am never going to go back to that place ever again. BTW, with all the crap iphone4 is getting now and the way they are handling the PR and the issue, looks like the fruit stayed out for too long and now its going rotten.
To reiterate Jon, App-holes.
Tags: Rant
Reading is good. Esp when it comes to you in the form of a very cool gadget thats easy to use and good in looks. Yes, we bought a new Kindle from Amazon. This is a generation 2 Kindle with a sleek look and cool features.
We have been debating to buy an ereader for a while now and in the research that ensued, Kindle was the clear victor. We looked at Barnes&Noble Nook and Sony e-reader but they were no match for Kindle. Not atleast in their current versions. iPad is a whole lot more than just a reader and we dont want all of that.
Happy reading hon.
I was doing a routine check of all the stuff on orugallu.net and was amused at the way the site tags were showing. Checkout the tags in the image below.
Introspection love, Mayabazar pacific, northwest savitri and superman suprise xbox. Aint this fun 
It was supposed to be just one of those adventurous and fun filled outing trips for all of us. And boy it was adventurous! We had made extensive planning for this for about 2 months now. We were prepared for the entire trip but for the actual events that transpired.
The trip started as planned. We had booked a 25-seater coach for the trip. The original plan was to rent out an RV but then with 22 people signing up for the trip, RV wasn’t an option anymore. Lucky for us there weren’t as many children in the group which meant more fun time for the adults. This was a weeklong trip into the rural part of the state. We got a wooden lodge reserved for us for the entire week. This lodge could accommodate 35 guests, so we were glad that we could stay together in the same place. We would also do a lot of camping and outdoorsy activities. The planning was perfect and the execution was also perfect. So far.
One of my friends was driving the bus, we figured it was more fun to drive it ourselves than get a driver. It wasn’t a long bus, probably a little bigger than a van. We loaded all our supplies that will last us for 10 days just in case. We had extra fuel just in case and out we go.
The trip was fun. Driving the bus through the rural roads was the experience we wanted. In our excitement none of us was actually paying attention to the weather which had changed drastically in the last couple of days. It was pouring cats and dogs upstream and the water levels have gone up from bad to worse. Most of the levees were ready to give up and here we were oblivious to all of this coming our way. The rain started coming down on us starting with a drizzle and went to a full fledged storm. We could hardly see the roads now and there was water everywhere. We still knew where we were, thankfully, but that wasnt really helping. Finally one of our friends suggests that we were near a village where he knew some folks (old family friends) who moved there recently. At this point there wasnt anything that we could do so the options were either drop by unannounced at their place or turn around and try to find a decent spot to stay. The popular vote was to head back and we turned around. As we started moving back, we saw that one of the bridges was now overflowing with water and our bus cannot stand the flow the water anymore. This leaves us no choice but to drop by this place now.
It was early evening by the time we reached their place and the rain had subsided a bit turning back into a medium drizzle from the downpour. This place was probably the most creepiest of the places we seen so far. It was hardly a village like my friend put it. It was more like 2 houses on an island connected with just 2 bridges fully overflowing with water in the middle of nowhere. Our bus cannot cross the bridge because of the water, so we had to take an old wooden bridge to get onto the island. We packed all our necessities for the night and started walking towards this house.
The two houses on the island were close to each other divided by green fields full of rice paddy. As the rain died down, we could smell the evening scent of fresh crop drenched in rain and ready for harvest. We were hopeful that this might actually turn out to be something exciting in itself. And we were right on the exciting part.
I always get excited whenever a new gadget comes to the market and most often end up buying it. This is the list of my fav 5 gadgets that I own.
| Samsung HDTV | This was my bday gift 3 years back and has been the #1 fav since then. |
| XBOX Elite | Xbox is the best gaming console in the market – dont really care what others say and Elite is the best in the line. |
| Nikon D80 | I started taking a liking to photography recently and that bumped this up to the #3 spot. I plan to upgrade this soon, but until then I dont see a reason why this should lose its position  |
| iphone | Doesn’t need a reason to be up here |
| PSP 3000 series | Portability rules. |
The ones that did not make the top 5 but are my favorites are
| PS3 (not slim) | I never watch my movies on a regular player anymore. Waiting for Sony to release its 3D firmware upgrade to this so I can watch 3D movies right at home. |
| HTC Pure | The best out there running Windows Mobile 6.5. Bit of an antique after the recent announcement about windows 7 phone series. |
| Creative NOMAD JukeBox Zen Xtra | I have had this for almost 6 years now and I still hear music on this player only at work. Never had a problem, never stopped working. Now please dont give up on me any time soon either. |
There are those who have doubted, who have forgotten. But it is our duty to remember – Dragon Age: Origins.
This is from an upcoming game on XBOX – Dragon Age: Origins. The background score in the trailer is really good and succeeds in generating the tempo needed for the trailer to make its impact and leave a mark. Check out the game details here http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/d/dragonageorigins/.
Halo 3 – ODST and Drake Uncharted 2- Among thieves are two of the most anticipated games of this year and are expected to give a boost to the slumping game sales.
Halo 3 -ODST, although sounds more like an update to Halo 3, is infact much more than just another map pack. Its a new story that introduces a new hero and new locales for action. The reviews have been very good so far for this release. I will hold off on my comments until I get my hands on this which should be very soon. Check out this game details and trailers on xbox.com at http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/h/halo3odst/. For an ign.com review check out this video on youtube.
Drake Uncharted – 2 has been the much awaited game for PS3 this year and with the recent price cuts couldn’t come at a much better time. Or was the price cut timed for this game release and holidays, food for another post maybe. I have been a huge fan of the first game and from the promos and videos posted on reviews and youtube, already like the game a lot. Check out this game review by ign.com on youtube.
So yesterday was Narsi’s birthday. We already indulged in premature birthday celebrations in Vegas last weekend. It was F-U-N! But that was not to be; I was secretly scheming to pull a fast one on the dude.
I was running out of ideas.. I could barely think of something cool in the days leading up to his birthday. A few friends called up and were excited to know what I was planning. I told them.. well we did that Vegas trip thingy.. and I think I am done. I even baked a surprise cardamom-date cake. The fact was.. I had nothing.. nada.. zilch to do on his birthday.
Then I read somewhere (I think in the photog hobby group forum) about balloon rides. I was still iffy about the idea. You see, I was toying with 2 ideas – the balloon ride Vs 9 course dinner with some awesome wine pairing @ Herbfarm. Seeing the plummeting reputation of Herbfarm, I decided against it. However, things changed the morning of the big day. I called up this company that offered hot air balloon rides and enquired if they have anything for the night. They did! And I checked the weather too.. it was bright, deep blue! Yay!! So this is it. I made the reservation and hung up. I was told to be at this winery near home by 5pm.
This is where my uber planning skills shine. I persuaded the hubby to get out of work by 3pm. I picked him up from work and drove home. There is a river trail by our place and we always wanted to run on this piece of the trail that we haven’t been to before. I also told him I wanted to play frisbee. I quickly got a bag and snuck his hat, scarf (I was told it might get cold in the balloon) and topped it with the frisbee. So far so good. I got him to wear nice and light clothes, comfortable shoes (because I wanted to take photos and he should look good, of course) We set out.
I headed out and drove towards the park.. instead of stopping at the entrance, I continued driving…to the winery. Narsi got a little suspicious at this point.. he was like, “What’s going on?” I told him that since he liked red wine so much I arranged a winery tour and a tasting event. He was over the top by now.. and was grinning left, right and center 
. I parked the car in the winery (we were 15 mins early) I was looking around to construct the next phase of the surprise. I saw an estate up the hill and told him that we need to hike up. The darling that he is, started diligently walking upthe hill. I was constantly turning back and checking the parking lot to see if the balloon guys arrived. Not yet.
I was beginning to run out of trail now. We reached the estate on top of the hill, you see. A lady came out and seeing a lost look on my face she asked if we needed help. Narsi walked up to her and was about to ask something which is when I interrupted and said we are fine. She went inside. And I remember right about now I started ROFLMAOing!! It was cutely hilarious. I checked the parking lot one more time and like a sweet sight to sore eyes, I spotted the balloon guys pull into the parking lot. I told Narsi that the real surprise awaits us at the parking lot and walked back.
This is what he saw. He was confused, shocked and speechless. He thought it was a gigantic picnic basket. Yep, that’s my boy. Huge foodie.
The balloon guys team is comprised of 3 persons. One of them is the pilot and the other two are like ground control. Jim (GC guy#1) came up to us and presented a waiver. That’s when it dawned upon Narsi what this really was and he was S-H-O-C-K-E-D ! For like 10 mins he had a bewildered expression.
Usually, the team transports us to a “take off location”. But the weather and take-off conditions looked good to take off right from the parking lot. We walked up to a clearing and the paraphernalia were placed on the ground. A couple of volunteers (including Narsi) helped Bill, the pilot, getting the balloon up.
Filling air
Big …bigger.. bigggerrrr
Heating the air
He started the torch and there you go… a hot air balloon. Bill briefed us about the various safety measures (there 3 couples going on the ride last night) and we got in to the basket one by one.
Up ! Up !
Taking off..
Well what do you know.. this thing works. We started going up up up and up!! It was an exhilarating experience. Now let me tell about Narsi.. he gets excited about playing a free app. Like a silly app or some silly game can get him all jumpy and excited. And he is in this hot air balloon and he has like a smile. Just a smile. Oh, well! I think he was still digesting the fact that he is suspended mid-air. (and oh, he is still grinning)
We went up .. like a few thousand feet. We caught the most beautiful view of the Cascades, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Baker and the Puget Sound. We were drifting above a very affluent neighborhood (judging by the swimming pools, and the lavish tennis courts in each of the homes). After admiring the lavish homes, we drifted along to the beautiful Snohomish river. After sinking in more sights of the blue skies we were ready to devour the beautiful sunset.
Fellow balloon-riders:
Mt. Rainier with a golden blush.
And we finally landed! It was a fantastic experience!!! And the dude was still grinning!!!
To the person who makes my life worthwhile – Happpy Birthday, babe!!!!!!!!!
and there you go… A guide to surprising your loved one with a hot air balloon ride.
Tags: birthday, love, pacific northwest, surprise
It was the longest night of my life or at least in the life I know and remembered. I could hardly sleep. It was the first time I am spending my night in the open. It felt like I was camping minus all the excitement and fun.
As the day broke, I woke up and fixed up myself a bit. I was thinking all night and was determined to solve this puzzle that has taken my life hostage. My phone was almost dead and was surviving on the last bit of battery life. I was just getting ready to go over the phone numbers that I had called the day before when my phone rang.
Surprisingly this was the first time my phone has rung since yesterday morning. Well, not much of a surprise given that I was in a dead zone almost all day and the entire night. Taking a walk into the open seems to have given me the luck I badly needed. I could recognize the name of the caller and answered the phone immediately. My joy knew no bounds when it was in fact one of my oldest friends calling me. Apparently everybody was worried that I hadn’t come home in the night. I was blabbering on the phone in excitement and wasn’t making any conversation. He understood that I was in some kind of trouble and offered to come get me. I asked him for specific directions on where to wait for him and got there as soon as he hung up the phone.
The fact that I hadn’t eaten in a full day doesn’t seem to bother me anymore. I wanted to meet someone I knew and he was going to show up anytime now. I was checking my watch and could see the seconds hand making its way round the dial. It was like the time did not want to move forward. In about 25 minutes my friend shows up in his car. I never knew he had a car. His looks were different too. He had grey beard and balding hair. But I knew who he was. He was surprised to see my state. He started off with his long questions but I wasn’t ready to answer. My only words were Take Me Home.
We took off immediately and in about 15 minutes reached the part of town that I didn’t even know existed. There were huge mansions everywhere. He drove me into a driveway and stopped the car. I got down and was waiting for him to lead me into the house. I wasn’t ready for any more surprises. As soon as the car stopped a group of guys came out of the house most of whom I knew as my best buds. They were asking me the same set of questions on where I was the day before. I was hesitating to walk in not knowing what was in store for me when one of them says ‘Your wife was worried all night.’
Wife? But I wasn’t even married the day before. This came as a shock to me but I was already used to getting these now. I slowly started walking towards the door when I see a familiar figure run out to me. I knew who she was. Whatever I have gone through in the last 24 hours no longer bothered me. It was her. It was her.
She never looked that beautiful before. She hugged me tight and tears started rolling down her cheeks. We went inside and as I looked around only one thing kept ringing in my mind. She was my wife. We got married. Everything in the house looked familiar yet new to me. There were a lot of folks there and everybody had the same questions. As I finally gathered my senses, I told them what had happened. None would believe me. Some were even taking this as some pathetic excuse for some mistake I have done. After a while, they gave me my earful and finally left.
When everybody was gone, she walks up to me and asks me what really happened. I told her that was the truth. I don’t remember the last 5 years of my life. I only remember waiting near the campanile bell for her and that was the last thing I know. She smiled when I asked her what had happened in the last 5 years and answered me ‘Everything that you wanted happened’.
I did propose to her that day, we got married an year later, I got a good job in a decent company and make a good living, bought a home and it was exactly 5 years since I proposed for a better life with her. Life’s good and exactly where I always wanted it to be.
Its been a while since all this has happened and I have come to accept the my life although I still don’t remember the 5 years. With a life so good, I had no complaints although there are times when I wish I knew what made me forget everything and reset my memory to that particular day in my life.
