I got a job and am very happy about it. The job search road has been very, very long. I am very grateful that my employers are sponsoring me for my H1 visa. I remember sitting with Sindhu in Febuary having palpitations about whether I would get a job or not. My daily mantra to her was "I need a job! I need a job!" Now that she has started looking herself she said that that was going to be her daily mantra to me. :) SO now that our roles have switched i sit with her and say "Don't worry! You will get a job."
I have had so much support along the way from all my friends. Rajesh and Avinash who were very calm throughout their own job search process would tell me, "DOn't worry! Eventually you will find someone who needs your skills and they will hire you." Ranjan who very seriously told me "You will get a job. Be patient!" Lara, who decided come hell or high water I was not going to leave, and so she would search the classifieds for me every day.My parents and my sister and Hanae who were always willing to listen to my anecdotes from various interviews.
The one which amused my dad the most was my answer to the question "What your superviser say about you?" I was stumped for a minute. I wasn't expecting that question. I looked at this woman and said "She would say that I was good." I stopped with that. My mind was completely blank and I just couldn't elaborate. I got into my car and suddenly all sorts of adjectives popped into my head. I could have said "She would say that I wasresponsible, hardworking, skilled" but noooooo..... I insisted on saying "I am good!!" Trust me!!
The of course my aunt in NY who has decided that she is my parentis locis, my surrogate parent. She called to give me the following advice:
1. You must be at work early.
2. Smile at everyone.
3. Be on your best behavior for the first couple of months.
4. A fulltime job with benefits and sponsorship is better than a parttime job you really want to do without benefits. (Really!! No kidding!!)
After living jeans for the last three years I am finally splurging on myself and buying preppy clothes. I finally found trousers in America that I feel good wearing. Long live Gap!! WHen i get my paycheck- Banana Republic here I come! That should make Maryam happy!!

Girls can become doormats in relationships. I prefer to use the term "welcome mat". In ebonics it would be the booty call girl. The one who basically gives the message of "Come in! Come in! You can wipe your feet on me. Tread all over me and then walk out." Lovely!! I don't why we do this to ourselves. It doesn't matter how old the girl is- whether she is in her teens or in adulthood- there will always be a point in her life where she played the doormat.
My cousin read my blog the other day and reacted saying, "You're quite a feminist aren't you?" I am not a fullblown feminist where I would start yelling at a guy for being chivalrous but I am all for girl power. This means that I do think that girls should be strong, independent, spirited, should have an opinion and should be able to go on living even when the guy she loves walks out on her. Basically she should respect herself. She should know how to maintain her bank balance.
My friend Sheenam's dad died in a horrific car accident when she was 12 years old. At the time of her father's death her mother had no idea as to how to do anything except cook and look after the kids. She did not know what their company did and how to run it. She did not know how many bank accounts there were, how much money there was in the bank....nothing. She didn't have to learn all these either because her husband's brother (who was also her sister's husband) would have taken over the business, would have made sure that they had everything they wanted. They also lived as a joint family. But this wasn't good enough for Sheenu's mom. She taught herself everything. She went to work, learnt how to run the business, made sure the kids were educated. She made sure that Sheenu went to college and that she did what she wanted to do before she got married. She learnt how to live again through all the pain and she is happy. This is girlpower...... And as my friend Shona says "More power to her!"

Today is Hari P's birthday. As usual we brought it in Akron style- at midnight. Hari did not want it to be a huge affair because he did not want to experience the usual cake and everything-else- but- the -kitchen- sink festivities. Unfortunately for him it became a cake and beer affair.
After much "persuasion" the boys finally managed to get him out of the house. And then Satish gave me a can of beer to put on him. I was so happy about this I just couldn't wait to dump it on him. For some reason some of the boys had let Hari go and when I started spraying the beer on him he managed to break free, pour the rest of the beer on me and several others and then hid in Shireesh's room. There were ten people outside trying to coax him out saying, "COme out Hari P!! It's your birthday! Don't be a spoiltsport." Hari P's defense was, "I don't do this to anyone. You wait till your birthdays come. Shireesh someone is coming into your room!"
Hari P was very grateful that Hemant wasn't there to "help". All I can say is that by spraying the beer I atleast saved him from a good butt- kicking session.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARI P!!! :)

I detest filling out online job applications. I have been trying to fill out one for University Hospitals and Health Systems for two weeks now. They have a problem with one of the links so you can't complete the application. I believe in persevering so I try everyday. Now the enthusiasm is dying. I've decided to stop.
I think I am in the wrong profession. I should have been a nurse. Nurses are in high demand all over the States. Not only do they get good salaries they also get a $5000 signing bonus. Of course, I would be following the career path of most Malayalis- the women- who do become nurses. However, to complete this stereotype I should have been in some country in the Gulf. The most popular one is Dubai. :)

I smoked a hookah for the first time my entire life!!Joy!! Strawberry and apple flavored tobacco. The apple one was better. I was so excited I told my dad who immediately asked if there was pot in it.

Every woman should know:

• How to fall in love without losing herself.
• How to quit a job, break up with a lover and confront a friend without ruining the friendship.
• When to try harder and when to walk away.
• How to have a good time at a party she'd never choose to attend.
• How to ask for what she wants in a way that makes it most likely that she will get it.
• That she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips or the nature of her parents.
• What she would and wouldn't do for love.
• How to live alone, even if she doesn't like it.
• Whom she can trust, whom she can't and why she shouldn't take it personally.
• Where to go be it her best friend's kitchen table or a charming inn in the woods to soothe her soul.
• What she can and can't accomplish in a day, a month or a year.
• Why they say life begins at thirty- although personally, I would say life begins at 25 because till then you are still a young pup and you really don't know what you want. However it is safe to say that some people never know what they want no matter what their age.

As I Mature :
I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is stalk
them and hope they panic and give in.
I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people are just
assholes.
I've learned that it takes years to build up trust, and it only takes suspicion, not proof, to destroy it.
I've learned that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you'd better have a big willy or huge boobs.
I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to others - they are more screwed up than you think.
I've learned that you can keep vomiting long after you think you're finished.
I've learned that we are responsible for what we do, unless we are celebrities.
I've learned that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades, and there had better be a lot of money to take its place!
I've learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon and all the less important ones just never go away.