"The wind blows hard and the sun sets fast in the desert." Its 2.23 am here in Palmdale, California... a place where the Mojave desert starts and stretches out endlessly. Why I am still up at this hour is a mystery... but this happens every Friday night as an unwritten rule, whether I am out getting drunk or at "home" staring alternately at my laptop and the TV. Sleep sits on my eyelids and makes them heavy... I try not to blink... what if I fall asleep? There is nothing to miss, nothing to look forward to tonight... but what if I miss something? Questions float around my head... not even in my head... unanswered and untouched... but definitely heard. I may not remember I wrote this in the morning... but I guess I'll see you on the dark side of the moon someday. Goodnight my friend, the lunatic in my head...

And we are back! I know it has been a while since my last blog, but because the last blog was so intense and deep that I thought I'd rather give my "fans" (the two or three of you who do read my "blog") some time to recover. Jokes apart, blogging is serious business... not because it indulges your literary and creative senses, but only because you need to get off your lazy butt and take time off from chatting and "orkutting" to "pen" down your thoughts. But here I am, giving it another shot!

So what have I been up to since December 2006? A little bit of this and a lot of that. In February, I moved from the Seattle area to the Los Angeles area because of work. When I say move, I packed out of Seattle in 2 hours with two suitcases and arrived at Palmdale, California to work on some projects here. That's right, I can pack my life up in two hours and in two suitcases and MOVE! Doesn't that explain the name of my blog? "Nomadic Pondian". In March, I went to Mexico for a couple of days to get my visa stamped. Was a good two days where I roamed the streets of Nogales, drank cheap Corona, bought a "Mexican" hat, rode a donkey and relaxed. April and May were horrendous months in terms of work where I found myself staying up late every night looking at and working on millions of dollars that belong to someone else who could not manage them effectively. The super consultant that I am, I came close to getting stuff together for that client.

I bought a spanking new Nikon D80 for my dad and while it was here with me, I spent some time practicing photography, something that I really am into. Some pictures that I took while i was in the US and some from India have been uploaded to http://flickr.com/photos/verekar. Make sure you check them out and leave some comments to encourage me. (At this moment, donations are being accepted into the "Buy AV a new camera" fund;))

May was eagerly looked forward to because of the impending vacation in India. I spent almost a month in India with family and friends and rejuvenated my mind, body and soul to the fullest. That I had to come back, and the thought itself took away my rejuvenation, is a completely different story. My visit to India was both fun and bizarre at the same time. Another blog would do it more justice!

For now, I am back in the Antelope Valley, with infrequent trips to Cleveland. Over the last couple of months there has been a lot of soul searching. What I want from life, what I aspire to be, and the ground realities of being a grown up man with responsibilities is an on-going conflict that is very new to me. I know one thing for sure... Big things will pop soon ;) See you soon!

P.S. I have tied up with Google to display some advertisements on my blog that you may find interesting. Keep clicking on the banner right on top of this page and one right at the bottom. If they agree to my demands, I may let them add some more banners here and there...:p leave me a comment to tell me how I can twist Google's arm better!

I rarely watch movies... let me rephrase... I rarely watch good movies, because they are rarely made. I like a variety of films, comedy being my favourite. The last good one I watched was "Borat". It is unbelievably stupid and hilarious. It deserves another blog. But this one is about a movie I watched over the Christmas weekend, a very wierd weekend to say the least. "The Pursuit of HappYness" is one of those movies that make you think, make you cry, make you laugh, stick with you, and make you salute the human spirit and the power of the individual. I absolutely loved the movie for it portrayed the kind of man I would like to be. Someone who thinks that no matter how low you are, no matter how much in the depths of dispair your life is, it is up to you to set it right. Like the real Mr. Gardner (Chris Gardner, whose life inspired this movie) says, "The cavalry isn't coming", and as an old saying (by which I try to live) goes "If it is to be, it is up to me."




The pursuit of happyness made me cry. Not only because it is the story of a smart man who was down in the dumps and then rose to riches, and protected his son against all odds. This movie made me cry because the father in this movie taught his kid the same values that my father taught me, and I, someday will teach my kids. Be strong, be who you are, and if you get into shit, get yourself out of it. But no matter what, I'll always be there... will always be your Daddy.

Another movie that revolves around the same ideals and that has stuck with me through the years is "Life is Beautiful". Roberto Benigni's timeless classic about the holocaust created a lasting impression on me not only because it was a well made movie, but because it showcased the relationship between a father and son. A relationship that is so complex that it deserves another post (and another time). Guido Orefice (played by Roberto Benigni) uses his vivid imagination to shield his son from the grim realities of a Nazi concentration camp. He tells his son that its all a big game, the winner of which will get a tank as the prize... I can't write about the whole movie here, but go watch it. Its amazing. What's more amazing is as I grow up, I see how my parents have been so much like Guido. The sacrifices they made and continue to make are phenomenal. As I grow older, I realize the magnitude of the little things my parents gave up so I could have what I wanted. Life is a big game... and what I am today, and what I will be tomorrow, is the tank that I've won. Get it? No? Watch the movies I mentioned above :)

Graduation day would normally mark the culmination of 2 years of rigorous study that leads to a specific degree. I should have been elated, jumping up and down, throwing my cap in the air... just like in commercials. But I wasn't... Graduation to me was definitely a milestone. Yes, its true that I came to this country to be an "MBA", and today I have a piece of paper that says I am one... but I am so far away from truly being a master of business!

The last two and half years have been very eventful. In many ways, life started when I came here with a few borrowed dollars and my self-belief. Since then, its been a rollercoaster of a ride that has made me a better person.

Anyway, it feels good to wear the cap and gown and partake in the fanfare... people are proud of me... my family and friends. They say I came here and I did it. And I did... but at what cost? I don't think it's a big deal.... it would have been if you were here.... how I wish you were here!

Today started as usual... I had to get to work at 9 a.m. Alarm goes off at 7.30 am and the guy who usually turns off the alarm, resets it to 8 am and goes back to sleep did it again. My alarm clock, aka my cell phone has this unique feature (:p) called snooze, which lets me sleep 5 minutes longer every time it goes off and i press a button. Unfortunately, the "5 minutes" keep adding up till it becomes an hour... So as usual, i got out of bed at 8.30 am, kicking and cursing.. at myself, since I can't get myself to sleep before 3 am. Very bad habit...

It is a cold day today. It's raining "Cats and Dogs"... well atleast by Cleveland standards. Being a Goan, I have really seen what it's like when it really rains cats and dogs! This rain is nothing compared to back home. But Cleveland has its own version and assortment of bad weather that it can randomly throw at you. It was raining pitter patter, the temperature was 8 degrees Celcius around 49 degrees fahrenheit), but the wind made it feel like it was 2 degrees Celcius. Believe me, it sucks... and its gona suck even worse when the real winter starts. I no longer have the fascination for snow and cold weather that I had before I came here. It didn't take me long to realize that it's no fun having your toes, ears and nose frozen.

The Chinese are doing great at business. India and China are the next big superpowers. China is this , China is that... This is what every professor in business school says in every lecture. I don't doubt these statements. But i feel the Chinese have found ingeneous ways to bug Indians. On a day like today, a cold, hungry, sleepy me goes to the corner Chinese restaurant that I frequent for its take away spicy chicken fried rice (with egg) for only $3.50. After waiting for 10 minutes, my parcel is ready, I pay and get out of the restaurant into the cold, eager to get home and sink my teeth into delicious, hot, spicy, chicken fried rice! I get home, I open the box, and i am still looking for the chicken. Chinese bastards gave me veggie fried rice with egg! Anyway, it was delicious nevertheless. :)

Well that's what I've done so far today! Have to get out again for class later in the evening. It's Bhaskar's birthday today... call him!

If you are wondering what "Pondian" is, I don't blame you. Only a few know what a Pondian is, and fewer can be Pondians.

Ponda, is the not so fabled town in much fabled and glamorous Goa. "Ponda" translated literally in Konkani means ditch (fond). That's because Ponda town is essentially a low lying area between some beautiful hills and plateaus.

"Pondian" is a word coined by Mr. Nimeesh Suseelan sometime in the year 1999. I hate to digress, but can't resist mentioning that Nimeesh came to Ponda from Dubai for "higher education"... but I am sure he'll agree that he got a lot more! He became a Pondian himself! (His story deserves a separate blog... so later.)

So what, or who really is a Pondian? A Pondian could be someone like me, growing up in Ponda, going to school there, making friends there, doing a lot of things for the first time in life there... and hating Ponda from the core of his or her heart. Why? Of course because Ponda doesn't have hip fast food joints, no good movie theatre, no beach, no "tomats". Sure, when you are 15 and 16 years old, these things matter!

A Pondian could be someone like Nymzy... born somewhere in space and brought up in Dubai. Like most desi Dubaiyyas, he had to come to India to go to college. So his uncle from Usgao (another town that deserves another blog!) suggests that he come to Ponda. Nymzy from Dubai, going to GOA! Land of beaches, sun, sand and beer... couldn't get better.Unfortunately for him, he landed in Ponda. Needless to say, Nymzy was a Ponda hater like none other. But then, at the end of three years, proudly crowned himself a Pondian.

It's said that you really know the value of something when you don't have it anymore. It couldn't be more true. Being as far away from Ponda that I am today, i realize that its my home town, my swades... where I had the best childhood, made the best friends, gained knowledge... and made myself what I am today... a proud Pondian in Cleveland.

Here I am, making another feeble attempt at blogging, this inspired by the kind words of encouragement offered my Mr. Priyank Thatte (www.priyank.com).

I'm really having trouble deciding what to put down here. Some people write nonsense in their blogs... but me, I expect a too much of myself.... can't write nonsense.

SO here I am again.... another wannabe blogger, signing out!