HAPPY NEW YEAR

SLOW DANCE.. A Poem .. For New Year Resolutions..

Slow Dance
by
David L. Weatherford

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round
Or listened to the rain slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last

Do you run through each day on the fly
When you ask "How are you?" do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores running through your head?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow
And in your haste, not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
'Cause you never had time to call and say "Hi"?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away...

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

LIGHTEN UP!

Hello everyone,
Lets face it. Life does sometimes become drab and nothing perks life up than a dash of humor.

Cross accents, how you doins' from strangers, the overt American friendliness, no trash thrown around does take time getting used to.

I remember how my Indian roommate would try very hard to teach me the correct pronunciation of Cool (Kewl). He would go. "Sharad, stress on the o, say it slow, say it fast, get it right". He did try hard. Maybe not as hard as Kishore Kumar in Padosan, teaching Shorrrrrrrrr. Arre baba Shor. Did I get it? No. But when I look back, his serious efforts to teach me to pronounce the "correct" way was funny at the very least.

And please don't think you are facing life's music alone. When an international student moves to an alien culture, it’s a ready-mix of fauxpas waiting to happen. And if that is not enough, Anurag mathur's classic "The Inscrutable Americans" ensures that an international students experience are remembered for posterity.

Consider these lines from the book.

As I am picking up bags he is looking directly at me and saying "Watch your ass". Now, brother, this is wonderful. How he is knowing we are purchasing donkey? I think they are knowing everything about everybody who is coming to America.

Or

They are rolling down a screen and showing a film but I am not listening because air hostess ladies are selling head phones for 2 dollars which is Rs.60 and in our beloved Jajau townwe can sit in balcony seats in
Regal Talkies for only Rs.3. I am asking lady if they are giving student discount but she is too busy. I am also asking her for more Coca-Cola but she is looking like she is weeping and walking away. I think perhaps
she is not understanding proper English.
It’s a must have in your book collection. Of course you can borrow it from the library or buy it used or have a peek online at http://download-bookz.blogspot.com/.

While some Americans have criticized it for killing the language, it does tickle the funny bone.

Have you had any recent experiences that could count as "funny"? Maybe not when it happened but in hindsight. A visit to the supermarket, a misunderstood accent, throwing trash, jaywalking or maybe at the airport. Do write in and let’s vote for the most humorous one.

More later..

My promised quote

"Smartness runs in my family. When I went to school I was so smart my teacher was in my class for five years." George Burns

CALLING HOME

Hello everyone,

My last entry requested information on telecalling experiences. Since our blog is not indexed yet, I will continue from where I left and you can join in once we are live. So here are some  tele-alternatives.

1. VOIP: Besides skype (incase you haven't tried, download from http://www.skype.com/ and voila you can free calls to skype users anywhere and cheap calls to regular phones), another interesting one that I found is http://www.mydigitallife.info/2008/07/04/free-international-calls-from-pc-to-phone-with-google-talk-and-talkster-gtalk-to-voip/. Has anyone tried this, any good/bad/great experiences. Considering  both these options are free, the sound quality is excellent. Have you experienced it otherwise. Any tips. 
2. From Phones: I am told Airtel one happens to have the best rates (1 cent/min), giving about 600 minutes for about $10 (inclusive of monthly rentals). Although difficult to believve, I also hear there are some issues with customer service, call drops etc but the voice clarity is top of the line. Any interaction
3. Calling Cards: Obviously there are many providers but callingcards.com seems to have excellent options.

 Are their any other services, besides the above, that you have experienced and would heartily recommend as well as comment on the alternative mentioned above.

More later