A Cappella

Penn Masala - the world's first Hindi a cappella group formed by students, at the University of Pennsylvania (as described by Wikipedia)

If you have not heard of them - check them out. Below is a Youtube link to one of their runaway hits. To give you an idea of their cross-boundary music, I was told about them by a friend in North Carolina - who is American as American gets - and does not speak a word of Hindi. She had heard a track by Penn Masala on an internet radio station and immediately put it on her ipod. A few weeks ago, she had played it for me and asked to translate for her.

Anyway that is the first I heard of them. Fast-forward 2 weeks and I have all 3 of their CDs + will be seeing them in concert on April 5th in Philly. Cant wait!

Here is the video. A track called "Aankhon Mein Tu"

US-Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill of 2007

cloture - The only procedure by which the Senate can vote to place a time limit on consideration of a bill or other matter, and thereby overcome a filibuster. Under the cloture rule (Rule XXII), the Senate may limit consideration of a pending matter to 30 additional hours, but only by vote of three-fifths of the full Senate, normally 60 votes.

filibuster - Informal term for any attempt to block or delay Senate action on a bill or other matter by debating it at length, by offering numerous procedural motions, or by any other delaying or obstructive actions.

So the Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) Bill has been debated in Senate for the longest time and finally thrown out on Thursday, June 7, 2007, by means of a cloture (45 votes).

George W. plans to bring it up again on Tuesday June 12, 2007 and if he gets 60 senators to vote against cloture, the bill will pass. Otherwise the Senate will continue to concentrate on the Energy Bill.

But the madness is far from over. Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colorado), one of the chief architects of the Bill says it will show up again in July 2007.

I personally think some form of CIR will be passed this year. It has become a case of putting enough lipstick on the pig and getting it through.

The only provisions of the Bill which would make me show support for it would be the Lieberman Amendment and the Cantwell-Cornyn Amendment. Unfortunately the former was not voted on in Senate which leaves only the Cantwell-Cornyn Amendment to hang my hopes on. Chances are slim this amendment will even be considered.

Anyway, following this Bill over the past few weeks has kindled a new found interest in politics within me. I find it to be a an extremely complex subject which would take me years to full understand.....thus the challenge and hence the interest...

Back to the CIR Bill: Lets wait and see what happens……

Houston/Dallas trip, Jan 20 - 27, 2007

When visiting Dallas, definitely try out Piranha Sushi. Excellent place, casual atmosphere, great, artistically presented food. Reservation is recommended if you do not wish to stand in line, during lunch/dinner rush hours.

And seeing our old friends again was a trip in itself. Young R came thru with her magical cooking and beautiful home. The first floor bathroom was really worth all the work that our friends had put into it (inside joke)....

Also found out about Buddha Bar music during this trip. There are over 10 albums out there by the Buddha Bar DJ - each unique. I have my first set of 2 on order.

The Alchemist - Book Review

Just finshed reading Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist" on my flight back from Houston, TX.

The last fiction I read was back in 1990, yep during the Gulf War. It was something written by Robert Ludlum... Which would tell you I dont spend time reading any fiction. But this one was presented to me by a good friend so it had to be read......

It was a good, relaxing 3 hour read - a story that follows a young shepherd, looking for his "treasure". It has a good message and makes you think about life in general.

So if you have some time to pass, this book gets my recommendation.

01/01/2007: Stop, Plan, Execute.

Goals for the new year:

- Focus on Health. Eat healthy and workout consistently. I have developed a plan for myself that I plan to follow throughout the year. I will do a first review of how this is working out in April 2007. At that time I will disclose the details and any associated measurable progress.

- Try out a new (to me) way to make money doing something I enjoy. Or learn a new skill that is in high international demand today.

- Increase net worth by $50,000

- Rebuild my motorcycle (Yamaha XV650) to ride able condition.

2006 Reflections.

Here is a recap of some of the most significant events as they occurred in my life, during the past 12 months:

- Completed my Masters Degree (Engineering w/ focus on Alternative Energy)

- Got accepted to Business School at Johns Hopkins University

- Increased net worth by $30k (includes individual stock trading, money market returns, employers 401k match…etc)

- Labor Certification Application (part of US Immigration) got approved.

- I-140, Petition for Immigrant Worker (part of US Immigration) got approved.

- Gained experience with 2 investment vehicles, which were completely new to me. These included Apartment Rentals and a Seed-stage start-up technology venture.

I am excited about what 2007 has to offer. I think it will be another fun ride!

The Martini

Its been a great Christmas weekend. Figured I would write a few lines on my newest drink of choice - the Martini.

The Classic is always a hit: chilled Absolut vodka in a cocktail glass which was rinsed with dry Vermouth. An olive or two as garnish and it makes for a great drink.

Here are some variations of the Martini I consumed this weekend and must say that I was impressed with.

The Sour Apple Martini:
1 part Absolut Vodka
1/4 part Sour Apple Pucker Schnapps
1/4 part Cointreau
1/2 part fresh lemon juice

The Lemon Drop Martini:
1 part Absolut Citron vodka
1 tsp sugar
1/4 lemon cut in wedges
(shake all ingredients in an ice filled shaker)


The Apple Martini:
1 part Absolut Vodka
1 part Sour Apple Pucker Schnapps
1 part Apple Juice
garnish with slice of green apple