A Quick Note...

I graduated - finally - again - done!!

Got my first paycheck!!! woo hoo - see me haunting the malls

Going to launch my first product this month

Moved into my new place

Finally managed to find the time to post all this!!

Hit ya Miss

I read this article today on the Times of India.

WASHINGTON: An Indian graduate student in the US who posted inflammatory messages on an internet bulletin board has been arrested and charged with threatening to kill President Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, Vice-president Dick Cheney and top Republican leaders.

Vikram Buddhi, a Purdue University graduate student, allegedly posted the detailed and threatening messages on a Yahoo finance board. A concerned citizen contacted the Secret Service office to report the offensive messages, leading to an investigation and the subsequent arrest, according to the local Post-Tribune newspaper of Gary, Indiana, which first reported the story on Tuesday.

But Buddhi's attorney John Martin contended that his client's actions should be covered by the First Amendment (pertaining to free speech) since he would have never actually carried out his threats. He hoped Buddhi would be released from jail following his detention hearing on Wedneday so he can return to studying. ''What was allegedly said certainly is derogatory and may be inflammatory,'' Martin said in a phone interview. ''But it was just chatter on the web and not a serious threat.''

In the various posted messages, Buddhi is said to have urged readers to bomb the United States and rape American and British women and mutilate them, according to court documents cited by the paper. Other messages called for the killing of all Republicans. Martin said Buddhi had posted ''two to four'' messages in December last year.

He was subsequently questioned by authorities and let go with a warning. However, the authorities returned on Easter weekend with charges under 18 US Code 871 that deals with threats to the US President and his successors to the Presidency. Conviction under the charges invites a fine and a prison sentence of not more than five years.

Needless to say that I was shocked. While reading the article, I had a niggling sensation at the back of my head. I'd heard the name before. I vaguly recall him - he had been my TA for a math class taken in college. I remember the guy - a rather soft spoken, mild mannered person. This was definitly a shocker!

Aah - Its amazing what a few passionate opinions verbalized in some form makes one famous - or in this case - infamous!

Good Luck Vikram - I hope you come out of this one unscathed...

Farewell Song

The time has come
To bid adieu
We burnt the midnight oil
Gossiped late into the night
The missed busses
Fights for the bathroom
The cooking frenzies
Birthday bashes
Shopping trips
Laptop movies

We came to a house
Made it a home
We came as strangers
Bonded like sisters
The ladies of Villa 54

I thought I'd lost this one, a late post...nevertheless....

C'est moi

You Are a Coy Flirt

You may not seem like you're flirting, but you know exactly what you're doing. You draw people in, very calculatingly, without them even knowing. Subtle and understated, you know how to best leverage your sex appeal. A sexy enigma, you easily become an object of obsession.

Watch Out World!!

Ok, finally the tension, worry and sleepless nights are over - for now! Finally got the job I wanted!

Yepps people, I am very soon to be a junior buyer for the cosmetics division in a local company here in Dubai. Sounds interesting huh? I thought so too!

So apparently I am to be involved in conceptualizing new products, and bringing them to market and shop floor. Should be a wonderful experience for a newbee in the retailing scene. Needless to say I'm excited!

So ladies, if you ever run out of cosmetics - you know who to call!

And for the gentlemen....the company also sells lingerie....*wink* *wink*

Need a Job

Aftermath

They say that the idle mind’s a devil’s workshop. In that case, the devil’s been cashing in on his frequent flier miles to visit me. We’ve become good friends – the Devil & I. Not that I’ve had a lot of time to burn this past week. More like I’ve managed to spend a lot of “quality” time with the most important person in my life...Myself.

Interesting what a lot of time alone with oneself can do for you.

With placements around the corner, we’re being prepped up with gyan sessions and mock interviews. I was going through the FAQ list for interviewers, and was trying to answer some of the questions. This one struck me…

Q. What has been one of the most difficult times in your life? And how did you handle it?

First of all…I hate these situational questions. Not that I can’t talk, but for some reason the right situation never pops into the mind when needed.

Anyway, on my way home this evening, I started thinking about the question. This 'situation' struck me. I won’t call it a difficult time...it was more like a soul crunching time. It happened last semester…when we got to Dubai. Two weeks into our arrival, we were asked to go for the mandatory HIV test. Ironically enough, in this country; every foreigner who applies for residential visa has to go through it. Any person who is HIV positive is deported immediately.

Although it was mentioned to us in passing before admissions, I let it go – not giving it much thought. Before I knew it, I was in Dubai – and walking into the clinic for my test.
I’m not much of a religious person, but at that moment - I prayed.

No, I’ve not been a promiscuous sex kitten. But I’ve done other things like played with children suffering from AIDS, donated blood, shared a razor, and other mundane things that did not mean much at the time, but came back to hit me like a slap on the face.

Most of us live in a world where AIDS is just a word. It does not haunt our lives. I had a friend in the US, who once told me she was raped and had to go for an HIV test. She said those were the longest 3 weeks of her life. I sympathized, but never really comprehended what she had gone through.

But walking into the clinic that afternoon; every incident crashed before my eyes. I called my mom and confessed my fears. And with a deep breath; I walked in – to my Judgment Day.

And still…

*Whirr* *Whirr* …the Devil continues spinning his web on me…

PS: My brush with AIDS was very small yet traumatic. There are billions of people suffering. Please extend your support to them.