My Travels, Travails, and Thoughts

So the other day...

2009-10-27T03:05:00.000+05:30

I was walking from the building where my cubicle is to the gym - a very nice one within the campus - and I saw this guy walk towards me and as I was wondering why he looked familiar we exchanged "hi"-s. Then I realized that's the CEO of the org that I work for. That was kind of nice to see a CEO walk around unassumingly in normal attire and without a dozen cronies surrounding him. At least I know now the boss doesn't act like the stereotype which the entertainment industry likes to conveniently blame for all the evil in the world.

Or maybe that's just the difference in culture between Silicon Valley and Wall Street.

Also thank the-probably-nonexistent god for Italians and Mexicans, for without them I would have to eat food I hate when I am in the US.

Tsingtao

2009-10-20T06:13:00.000+05:30

How many people celebrate their birthdays in Chinatown in San Francisco - with Chinese food and beer. Or by visiting the Golden Gate bridge. I don't know but you can start the count with me.

But then you guys probably are here for the beer. No I can't eat with chopsticks it's just a pose OK?

Now is this cabin thingie for sale? Near the water, just a few minutes from the city, relatives/religion peddlers wont bother you much. What's not to recommend it as a residence for the man or woman of the 2000s?

And at around 1AM returning from that place that I am not going to talk about.

PS: In SF parking is always a bitch.

Arrest me already

2009-10-14T04:29:00.002+05:30

OK like you know I launder money you know like when I leave like a few coins and like bills in my pockets like you know when I am dropping like clothes into the washing machine.

We had a work training about money laundering and terrorist financing today. Now I know better ways to launder money which I am sure was the intention of the course. So if you:
1. Are a drug dealer
2. Buy high-end items like vintage automobiles from high-risk countries like Ukraine
3. Traffic humans
4. Sell guns to Iranian "charities"

Let me know and I should be able to give you a few pointers.

The pacific ocean can kiss my

2009-10-06T00:51:00.003+05:30

...foot. The Pacific Ocean kissed my feet. What a cold kiss it was too!

Who is he? I have to agree with him.

...but others believe that the beach is strictly for the birds.

All I wanted to do was stand and watch.

but nature can be cruel

as much as it can be beautiful

But then maybe I should try to not sexually assault sharks?

What? Who has a perverted mind?

Got a light?

2009-10-01T05:45:00.000+05:30

So on Friday my friends here said "let's go to San Francisco for the weekend". Sounds like fun. Except on Saturday the ****s slept till noon. Sunday? Rinse. Repeat. Totally fed up Sunday night I took the local train to San Jose downtown and back. Just that. Nothing else. Walked around a bit but everything looked empty already. On the way back I was waiting for the train. When this woman dressed with a red flower in her hair and red floral prints also sat down nearby. She looked - maybe I am a narrow-minded sexist who expect women to dress in such and such pre-defined ways - err...umm gaudy.

Then she asked me "Do you have a lighter?" I didn't - that's what non-smoker's are for to not have lighters when asked - the older guy on the other side of her didn't have one. Then the guy started walking around and possibly trying to look for a chance to talk to her. Not a chance she was loudly talking nay announcing about her weekend to someone on he mobile. After a while the guy takes advantage of the pause in the phone-verstaion.
He: Do you have a cigarette?
She: You don't have a lighter but want a cigarette!!!

Tough luck mister. Or maybe he really wanted a cigarette.

That explains my Facebook status message.

Next post should I talk about San Jose or the dream featuring my Russian love interest?

Sweet Jesus!

2009-09-30T06:55:00.002+05:30

When ever I do an ego-search on Google I tend to use my name. Today I searched for SJ and guess what? The first link that comes up is for Society of Jesus. Now how do I become more popular than those guys?

In Nepal I would be a dhoti

2009-09-11T23:16:00.000+05:30

Which one are you?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs

What Would SJ Blog

2009-09-09T02:05:00.000+05:30

... if he was still the blogger he used to be not so long ago.

Seriously there was a time when I would write endlessly about every single thing I saw when I am traveling outside the country. Now I am more like meeh!. Is it just that blogging has become less attractive and lost it's charm? Could it be something more? Like I am a lot less enthusiastic about life these days?

Maybe it's just that I didn't do a THING this long weekend that could be considered special?

A week?!?!

2009-08-29T04:54:00.001+05:30

Can't believe a week has gone by already! Got a laptop, mobile (send me your number I'll call you) and apartment and am settling in. Hope something gets done this weekend - that involves me.

Psst: I wonder if the USA's television channels stage murders so that they can talk about them for hours on end. or maybe they are just trying to prove even if the libertarians take over death will still be a certainty.

Welcome to California

2009-08-25T11:10:00.000+05:30

Yeah you guys are welcome to come see me in CA anytime. Might help the economy of "my" state you know *wink*

Had an eventless flight and reached San Jose via Dubai and San Francisco. No jet lag too! Got to work today so have a mobile phone and laptop now. Lots to talk about but am off to bed now. More posting later.

The Third Coming of SJ

2009-08-17T14:40:00.000+05:30

Rejoice Americans! It looks like I might be there in the USA next week or so on a three month business trip barring any last minute hitches. I'll be in the San Jose area. So if any of y'all will be in or around the coordinates
37.30417°N 121.87278°W and are willing to take the risk of basking in my exalted glory let me know. I might deign to meet you in person.

The Hangover

2009-08-15T22:56:00.004+05:30

The Hangover is a great movie to watch when you are (more than) a bit drunk yourself. I of course speak from experienshhhh.

Time Travel: A Very Brief Philosophical Explanation

2009-08-08T23:33:00.000+05:30

You see an old photo of yours maybe just a couple of years old. Maybe a couple of decades. You look at it and can't help feel how much better life was then. Maybe you were healthier, Maybe you were with good friends. Maybe you actually had a life back then. Maybe you were just happier. Then you again think but that wasn't how you felt then you know you weren't happy then.

Now you wish you could travel back in time and tell your earlier self. Be happy it only gets worse from here.

The Golden Ganesh Episode 16

2009-08-02T13:01:00.006+05:30

And with that ladies and gentlemen (and the rough people too) we reach the finale of the The Golden Ganesh. To who listened to it and liked it. THANKS. To those who didn't thanks for your patience while this blog was taken over by TGG.

If I ever win an Oscar for this... "I would like to thank the director X-Dell for all the effort he put into creating the idea, the screen play, the background effects, the splicing and dicing of all the actors' audio files. Thanks to all the cast and others who helped in the creation of TGG. It was great hearing all your voices and getting to know your acting abilities. Of course thanks to the fans who listened on here or at one of the other blogs. I had fun (and I don't care if you did or not.)"

Pssst... if you are hosting The GG Widget on your site or blog there's a problem, a bug, a defect in it. The link to episode 16 doesn't work. You can either manually edit the widget with the correct link for the final episode or delete it add it anew from http://sxjthefirst.blogspot.com/2009/07/valuehttpflickr.html.

The Golden Ganesh Episode 16
Listen:

Download:
http://www.divshare.com/download/7644576-a26
Cast:
Ricardo Lori (Detective)
Lauren (Dee von Zelle)
John B. (Detective Bob Toricello)
Jeannie-Girl (Lynn)
K9 (Felicity & Homeless Woman)
Foam (Diane)
Holy Cannoli (Jenny)
Rayke (Franklin & Sgt. MacBrian)
SJ (Criminologist/Futon Cop)
Boneman (Judge Ewing, the Mounted Cop & Smythe’s Answering Machine)
Crushed by Ingsoc (Lt. Fisher and the Angry Driver)
Pjazzypar (the Captain, the Caterer, the Hostess, Felicity’s old Professor, & FBI Agent)
Malcolm (Essex County Deputy)
Pamela Ringgold (Machine Dialer & Rude Cop)
Yinyang (FBI Demolitions Expert & Lynn’s Old Friend)
Foam Jr. (the Music Student)
Mr. Foam (Homeless Man 2)
X. Dell (Mr. Johnson & Homeless Man 1).

Special guest stars: Ravi Khanna as Indra, Paul Weaver as Mountie Smythe, and Amy Insley as Col. Smith.

Written and produced by X-Dell.

Directed by Committee.

Dedications and Special Thanks to Monique Caddy, David Caddy, and the rest of our friends at Middle Ditch.

Music by Da Palm & Nurykabe

Additional sound effects by c97059890 of the Free Sound Project (www.freesound.org)

The Golden Ganesh by X. Dell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

The Golden Ganesh Episode 15

2009-07-31T13:44:00.005+05:30

The Golden Ganesh Episode 15

Listen:

Download:

http://www.divshare.com/download/7744197-7eb

Cast:

Ricardo (The Detective)
Amy Insley (Col. Michelle Smith/Sacred Mother)
JohnB (Detective Bob Toricello)
Foam (Diane)
Boneman (Judge Ewing)
Yinyang (FBI Agent/Demolitions Expert/”All Clear”)
X. Dell (Mr. Johnson)
Holy Cannoli (Jenny)
Pinetop Swamp (Announcer)

Music by Melophon & Da Palm

Additional sound effects by www.soundjay.com, and by batchku, addbicycle, Koops, Jhalkompwdr, lgarret, ngtv27, Freqman, freesound, scarbelly 25, Runey, acclivity, sagetyrtle, and Shades of the Free Sound Project (www.freesound.org)

The Golden Ganesh by X. Dell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

The Golden Ganesh Episode 14

2009-07-29T11:55:00.000+05:30

The Golden Ganesh Episode 14

Listen:

Download:

http://www.divshare.com/download/7744195-f64

Cast:

Ricardo (The Detective)

Lauren (Dee von Zelle)

JeannieGrrrl (Lynn/Wendy)

K9 (Felicity/Eileen)

Pamela Ringgold (Rude Cop)

SJ (Criminologist/Futon Cop)

Malcolm (Deputy Sheriff)

Pjazzypar (FBI Special Agent)

Pinetop Swamp (Announcer)

Music by Da Palm

Additional sound effects by www.soundjay.com, and by Han 1, NGTV 27, Herbert Boland, Freq Man, Anton, Splutta and LG of the Free Sound Project (www.freesound.org).

The Golden Ganesh by X. Dell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

The Golden Ganesh Episode 13

2009-07-28T10:29:00.000+05:30

The Golden Ganesh Episode 13

Listen:

Download:
http://www.divshare.com/download/7643128-430

Cast:
Ricardo (The Detective)
Lauren (Dee von Zelle)
Rayke (Franklin)
JeannieGrrrl (Lynn)
K9 (Felicity)
Crushed by Ingsoc (Irate Driver)
Pinetop Swamp (Announcer)

Music by Fireproof Babies, mInImAl ArT, Johnny SockHead & Da Palm

Additional sound effects by www.soundjay.com, and by hopflog, Runey, ReWired, lilliangorini, jackstrebor, dobroide, audible_edge, Franaudio, smidoid, Leady, Corsica S., and Freqman of the Free Sound Project (www.freesound.org).

The Golden Ganesh by X. Dell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

The flying car.

2009-07-28T10:17:00.002+05:30

Here's to traffic jams stretching all the way till the stratosphere!

The Golden Ganesh Episode 12

2009-07-25T18:43:00.000+05:30

The Golden Ganesh Episode 12

Listen:

Download:

http://www.divshare.com/download/7629443-24e

Cast:
Ricardo (The Detective)
Rayke (Sgt. MacBrian)
Foam (Diane)
JohnB (Detective Bob Toricello)
Paul Weaver (Mountie Smythe)
Foam Jr. (Music Student)\
Pinetop Swamp (Announcer)

Music by Pitx & Da Palm

Additional sound effects by spluta, Malonso, and Corsica S. of the Free Sound Project (www.freesound.org)

The Golden Ganesh by X. Dell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

The Golden Ganesh Episode 11

2009-07-23T18:02:00.004+05:30

The Golden Ganesh Episode 11
Listen:

Download:
http://www.divshare.com/download/7624145-36e

Cast:

Ricardo (The Detective)

Rayke (Sgt. MacBrian)

Foam (Diane)

JeannieGrrrl (Lynn)

Lauren (Dee von Zelle)

Pjazzypar (The Captain)

Crushed by Ingsoc (Lt. Pete Fisher)

Pinetop Swamp (Announcer)

Music by the jpfmnand & Da Palm

Additional sound effects by www.soundjay.com and by Guitarz1970, Brotherprovisional, samplecat, stijn, Erdie, AniCator, and Koops of the Free Sound Project (www.freesound.org).

The Golden Ganesh by X. Dell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

The Golden Ganesh Episode 10

2009-07-21T10:51:00.003+05:30

The Golden Ganesh Episode 10

Listen:

Download

Cast:

Ricardo (The Detective)

Lauren (Dee von Zelle)

Pjazzypar (Hostess)

Pinetop Swamp (Announcer)

Music by jpfmband, Oprachina, & Da Palm

Additional sound effects by dobroide, Malonso, Handfan, morgant, .and addbicycle of the Free Sound Project (www.freesound.org).

The Golden Ganesh by X. Dell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

The Golden Ganesh Episode 9

2009-07-19T13:00:00.006+05:30

The Golden Ganesh Episode 9
Listen

Download:

http://www.divshare.com/download/7797563-d47

Cast:

Ricardo (The Detective)

Lauren (Dee von Zelle)

Pinetop Swamp (Announcer)

Music by Da Palm

The Golden Ganesh by X. Dell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

The Golden Ganesh Episode 8

2009-07-17T13:42:00.001+05:30

The Golden Ganesh Episode 8

Listen:

Download.

Cast:

Ricardo (The Detective)

SJ (Young Criminologist/Futon Cop)

Foam (Diane)

JohnB (Detective Bob Toricello)

Pinetop Swamp (Annnouncer)

Music by Pitx & Da Palm

Additional sound effects by Edwin P. Manchester, Freqman, Robinhood 76, Malonso, sagetyrtle, Oberon81, and spluta of the Free Sound Project (www.freesound.org)

The Golden Ganesh by X. Dell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

Not A Golden Ganesh Episode

2009-07-16T11:48:00.000+05:30

Well before people assume this is a Golden Ganesh blog (though you can always click on the sidebar widget to get to it and be appreciated for it my me) let say something important.

What's common between Jennifer Lopez , Aishwarya Rai, Shia LeBeouf and Ryan Reynolds?

Rest your perverted minds all that is common is that I predicted their raise to fame when they were still lesser mortals. J-Lo I saw first in the snake movie - where the horror was natural and unscripted and not in the ways they intended it to be - Anaconda. She did look good in the movie when at least in these parts she was an unknown.

Aishwarya Rai is even more interesting. She popped up in a Pepsi advert for a second and a half with one line "Got another Pepsi?" leaning sexily against a wall. Most of the guys at that time were more focused on the other girl who had screen time in the same ad. Who even remembers he name now? Anyway she went on to become a celebrity so famous in India you have live in a dungeon to avoid news about her. She did appear in quite a few movies and I mean appear acted would be an exaggeration.

One of the grossest of gross out Hollywood comedies Harry and Kumar Go to White Castle had Ryan Reynolds as a pervy surgical assistant for a 2 minute scene. Somehow I noticed him and later looked up his name on IMDB... well now he is a star (if you haven't heard of him you are getting old).

Shia LeBeouf is bit of an strecth because before I saw any of his films I saw on Time magazine in a two page article devoted to him. Technically he was already famous but still how many such here-now-gone-tomorrow stars do we have.

What am I trying to say with this post is: meeeh!

The Golden Ganesh Episode 7

2009-07-15T17:27:00.001+05:30

Listen

Download

Cast:
Ricardo (The Detective)
K9 (Felicity)
JeannieGrrrl (Lynn)
Boneman (Mounted Cop)
Pinetop Swamp (Announcer)

Music by Nurykabe & Da Palm

Additional sound effects by gyzhor, Freqman, Herbert Boland, ReWired, and themfish of the Free Sound Project (www.freesound.org).

The Golden Ganesh by X. Dell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.