...more snow...DOT better DOT your i's

so it did end up being a nuisance...well I think more because Seattle is just not ready for so much snow and the weatherman forcasting rain rather than snow. A 15 min commute ended up taking 2 hours with cars pointing at all angles, a number of accidents and stranded vehicles along the way. Many neighborhoods lost power (or still don't have any), icy gridlocks, more accidents, school and office closures.

hey at least the seahawks beat the packers in their first ever snowed in home game...not too shabby! For most the commute back was a nightmare though, an unlucky chap was stuck in traffic for 14 hours before he got back home in Portland.

Now we're getting ready for another one to hit us tonight followed by icy rain (even worse)...

...hopefully DOT has DOTted their i's this time...

Snowing in Seattle

Look out through the window...it's snowing! It's quite nice when it's snowing, especially when it snows like it does in Seattle - never a nuisance but just that dash of white to brighten up the day...

Hok hangama, amar gaan ache bhai

Searching eagerly for prayer halls debut album
while listening to the soothing sounds of yaatri and
not much kolorob in super ornob's new album
thank god souls still sings soulfully!
Leave underground under the ground komol bhai
even though you're the guitar god.
overlistening to fuad's great mixed collections
shono habib you do great, keep it real
Nothing cryptic about danob you guys...kudos kudos
is elita featuring more in the star these days?
worried that james has completely gone bollywood.
where does tahsan get his hair done?
kingkortorbobimured that bangla has unfused from it's jazzy lalon sounds,
although still in love with you all.
shumon and aurthohin ain't so meaningless, i tell you
shocked by the black accident,
saddened to see mobin bhai go.
love runs blind for AB no matter what anybody says
miles was talented too but amar feedback ta koi re bhai?
remembering rockstrata every morning
haven't fazed out warfaze too.

c0mpletely enchanted by the sudden realization - THANK GOD for bangla music and thank you, all you musicians who are keeping it sane for the rest of us!

Thanksgiving with something new in the table

Ah the great American tradition of Thanksgiving - promise of a quality time with family and friends, good laughs around a well decorated dinner table, wines glasses clinking. But thanksgiving is left undefined without the turkey - roasted, baked, lemoned, bbqed, cajun, even deep fried, the turkey HAS to be there! and if you're bored of the traditional method of preparation, you can always go for...

...the Turducken!!!

It's turkey stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a chicken layered with dressing. So if u dare to serve it this thanksgiving, here's a few choice recipe.

Happy thanksgiving all, and bon appetit...

The White Dress

I was lost when I walked into the room,
Something told me that I needed to explore.
I thought one day I’ll turn back and cry
for a phantom past lying behind that door.

The quest in disguise of haunting dreams,
Anxious and obsessed with what’s not to be.
A white dress with a speck of red
cries out and fades away not meant to be free.

Speak out loud my friend inside of me
“Think of me” he said, “Look into the mirror”
“Do you even know that you are lost?”
And the walls slowly start to secure.

I see the dress lying in one corner of the room
No wrinkles, no sign of being worn.
I see the dress again, but on the floor,
Soiled and stained on every turn.

What I see now is what’s not true,
But yet I think I know what I thought.
Lost in the middle of sudden enchantments,
Forgetting the far away land of my heart.

Here I am sitting outside in the coffee shop,
When my friend again starts to whisper,
“But why do you sound so different?” I asked
After all these years I can’t seem to remember.

Listening to your inner self, do you really know?
Maybe it’s what you want to hear, maybe all allure.
He can be as jaded and as confused.
The dress is only a dress and nothing more.

The Big Buddha!!!

Saturday October 28: I was left completely enchanted at the very first sight of the Big Buddha (Tian Tan Buddha), not only for it's astronomical appearance, but also because of the surroundings. It's not like your usual tourist attraction. And although it can viewed from far away, it is hidden between the mountains, and that's what appealed to me the most.

The Buddha is 34 meters high and weighs 250 tons. This, South East Asia's tallest outdoor bronze seated Buddha, can even be seen as far away as Macau on a clear day and is located in the Lantau Island, located at the mouth of the Pearl River and a very short distance from the airport. Visitors have to climb 268 steps in order to reach the Buddha.

Or you can just take a fascinating ride in a cable car - the Ngong Ping 360, to travel about 3.5 miles in about 25 mins to Ngong Ping village, a classic tourist inlet leading to the foot of the Buddha - Po Lin Monastery. The ride is a treat by itself, with great views of the pearl river, the entire island and the airport.

If you're stopping by in Hong Kong, even a stop in the airport and have a few hours to spare, definitely don't miss out on this majestic yet serene experience of the Big Buddha.

bus 15c, watermelon juice & IFC mall

Friday October 27: little did we suspect what surprising adventure awaited as we got back from the peak. with intentions of going towards star ferry pier, we got in line for bus 15c and...

...and a open roof double decker approached the stop! THAT'S 15C!! the ride to the pier was like a laser & light show with the bus zig zagging through the colorfully litted buildings at the heart of it all and dropped us off in the pier.

we didn't have too much time left before we we're going to meet up with my cousin Joy bhai for dinner. so we just loitered around in the pier and set our plans for the next evening, bargaining prices with other ferry tour operators and making a trip to the mall in the IFC 2 building.

...oh and i almost forgot...we also found this fruit juice stand in the pier that made oh so fresh juice and you know me...had to go for two glasses of the watermelon juice....ahhhhhh!

...the peak.

Friday October 27: high above hong kong island on the 'back of the dragon', the victoria peak provides the most magnificent views of the harbor and the city. We got down in the heart of the island, appropriately named central and started walking towards the garden road, passing the hong kong bank, hsbc and bank of china buildings to get to the peak tram station. the tram took about seven minutes, going up 1223 ft along side the steep hill as the view started to change. most in the tram were trying to capture the experience to keep forever in a tiny magical box...commonly called a camcorder.

the peak tower waiting in the end was dazzling in the fading light of the soon to be setting sun with numerous shops indulging tourists from near and far, the Madame Tussauds wax museum and a range of outstanding restaurants for ones dining pleasure.

...and very soon we were standing on top of the hong kong skyline!!! and the view down below was breathtaking! signs from the kowloon side, the bay was sparkling with colorful sails and each building was taller than the next, and to think...we were down there a couple minutes before.

hong "convenient" kong

Friday October 27: you know the first thing i liked about hk? the fact that i could buy a pre-paid sim with minutes cheaper than the cheapest phone card, pop it in my cell and BAM...i was connected. getting around was as easy...get a three day Octopus unlimited MTR pass for HK$330 that includes two trips on Airport Express or HK$220 with one Airport Express and enough legs for KCR (another public transport service for buses and light trains)...don't forget to get a $50 refund when you return the card. maps are easy to figure out - just follow the red, green, blue or yellow line. street maps are just as easy. markets and stores are everywhere - whether you want a new camcorder (which we did) or aspirin in the middle of the night (did that too) .

...if hong kong had to choose a middle name..."convenient" would be a great pick!

memoirs of a blog

since i wasn't really blogging three weeks ago when we were passing through hong kong and because i've failed to figure out how to turn back time...i thought i'll blog my trip a little late - better late than never.

So watch out...soon comes some blabber about a very vibrant Asian city, where not only east meets west but also where the line in between seem to disappear and you can't help but marvel at the peak and the parks, the skyline and the sampans...

zuned!

so there's a new kid in the block now...and it ain't afraid to stir things up! the Zune is not very impressive at first sight, especially after owning and LOVING my ipod for sometime now...i didn't think the zune's a match. it's bigger, "looks like a brick" (as Mark puts it) and no kool touch pad. But the awesome thing about the zune is it's wi-fied!!! So share things up with other zunes, xbox, home entertainment without getting wired...hmmmm...

...and i hate getting wired! i'd rather be zuned!!!