Monday, April 10, 2006

First personal post

I moved to Jersey City this weekend. That was one of the reasons for the break in blogging. This almost feels like I am back in India. I am staying at this dingy place in the basement with three garbage bins right in front of the door and even found a Manickchand packet on the sidewalk. I had khasta kachori chatfor snack in the evening. Also for dinner at 12:30 in the night we had gone to a place called Baba Hut that had wooden benches and arrangement was just like those Amrutulyas where hostelites have tea in Pune. I was watching Aaj Tak which was playing a show called Subah at 9:35 a.m. India time with about half an hour devoted to fashion news. Seems like Aaj Tak audiences like to watch anorexic models while having breakfast, probably to feel guilty and not overeat. What a benevolent gesture on part of Aaj Tak. But all of the above were not responsible for making me feel like I was back in India. It was because I spent last night in darkness when while attaching a new bulb the fuse blew. First time since my coming to US I experienced what was an everyday occurrence in Pune.


Another thing that made me feel absolutely at home was last night at 12:50 a.m. when I my room mate overheard my call asked me whether today was my ‘Happy Birthday.’ I smiled as I was reminded of friends asking “when is your Happy Birthday’ when they wanted to know my birth date. So Jersey City gave me a nice birthday gift by inspiring reminiscences that made the dark boring night so pleasant with warm memories from India.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Many happy returns of the day, Chetan. Hope you will have many more such happy experiences in future and also hope that you will have time to blog more often and throw light on obscure but important issues.

Anonymous said...

First of all, a very "Happy Birthday!".

Jeez man, I am feeling all guilty here, and I think this is all my fault completely - I have been supremely lazy and should have given you a call in all of the three weekends I've been back :(. Can't explain it - its been like "Chetan's here only....he's not going anywhere" and that has simply led me to procrastinate. Shit, I feel stupid that I could at least met up with ya before going....

Whats your latest number - please do mail me back... and we can talk in detail about ur whereabouts!!

Cheers

Suyog

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday dude.

Jersey city eh? My logo submission for the new new jersey motto was: Eyyyyyy...JERS-E! I can smell youse!

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday, Chetan!

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Chetan, and I'd say more personal posts please, at least once in a while.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday, Chetan!

I didn't know you were a Puneite in an earlier life. Maraathi Manoos Zaaga Ho!

btw, Thanks for your wonderful comments on metamorf!

Anonymous said...

Chetan, belated 'happy birthday' wishes! :)

Anonymous said...

Everyone: Thanks so much for your warm wishes.

Anonymous said...

Sheeesh!!!!! I am really late. But anyways....... Wish you a very warm and happy birthday! I won't say belated because as it is in Maharashtra we are fond of celebrating 'wadhata wadhdivas':) (that's a nice euphmism for covering up for memory loss)
BTW, do keep writing more such personal posts.

Anonymous said...

Belated happy b'day, Chetan! Keep hanging in there. All the best!

Anonymous said...

Belated birthday wishes.

Anonymous said...

happy birthday to a great blogger who has stripped several "great" bloggers. You are an aries...the bull!!!

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday! (Belated)

Anonymous said...

Thanks Manasi, Naveen, Gaurav, Dubious, Artful dodger and Ashutosh. Currently no internet connection at home. So blogging will have to wait till Monday.

Anonymous said...

A belated hapy birthday to you!

And I hope your move to Jersey city has been accompanied by the acquisition of a new job :)

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday...and so DC loses a blogger. As Ravikiran asks: New job?

Anonymous said...

Dont know where my last comment went----but belated happy birthday.

Anonymous said...

Ravikiran and Greatbong: Though the move is not currently accompanied by a job, I do hope to find one till the end of May. Thanks for your wishes.

Anonymous said...

Happy budday Chetan da. My birthday gift to you is to beat your longest-comment record:

here, here or here.

Ciao.

Anonymous said...

Adreesh: What makes you think I will be gracious and all and accept this as a 'gift.' I am not Gavaskar to say that I will be happy when Tendulkar breaks my record! ;)

Just Kidding. Good effort. It must have taken a lot of time and energy to write that. Seems like you have been around in the blogosphere for quite some time. Do you plan to blog at your blog or is it only for this comment?

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday. Best wishes.

Anonymous said...

Belated birthday wishes, Chetan; and thanks for putting up the link to my blog here.

Anonymous said...

onthu phonthu hola bola?

Anonymous said...

ROTFL!

Man! I seem to be doing a great job predicting the anon who wants to be me. This is actually satisfying :)

Anonymous said...

प्रिय चेतन,

वाढधिवसाच्या शुभेच्छा. माझ्या अनुदिनीचा (ब्लॉगचा) दुवा येथे दिल्याबद्दल मनःपूर्वक आभारी आहे. आपल्या नविन लेखांची वाट पाहतोय.

क.लो.अ.