Celebration !

Birthdays are always special occasions. And they become even more special when you celebrate them outside your home country. You meet some people just before arriving to a new place and get mixed up so easily that you never feel like staying with some strangers. That's the magic of friendship , I must say. My room mates celebrated my 25th birthday with such an enthusiasm that I almost forgot I am doing it away from home. Last time it was like a very quite kind of thing, with some of my best friends and yesterday it was with my new mates here in US.

Early in the morning ( FYI it was 10 in the morning, but that's still too early for me ! if you don't think it's true, ask each of my room mate how do we get ourselves going for algorithm's classes ) I got a call from Aai , so my day started with the best wishes of the loveliest person in my life. You know, we generally don't appreciate these phones and internet , maybe because they are overused and commonplace things now, but when someone calls you from thousands of miles, I still get a great feeling while talking to them. So after a long gtalk conversion of 1 hour ( I must write a testimonial for Google now ) and followed by a call from Aaba, I lazily started getting ready for routine.

After some greeting calls , at night we had a small get together with friends around and had fun ! Here is how I looked,

pardon me for the close up smile, but can't help, - with tooth wide open is my style ( people suggested to take bath and wear new clothes but didn't agree since I don't want to loose the original and non formal touch ... aah ! you are right, that was just a sincere attempt to hide my old lazy habits ) and I know, I am having a really bad haircut, but if you see - 12 $ is much worth considering than the time frame for which you look really messy ( due to the hair cut ), the catch here is people think of you as a person who is so busy in his assignments and projects that he doesn't care to take a look at mirror . I really look terrific without my glasses, you know when I saw this picture, I felt proud of my decision of wearing the glasses all the time, otherwise people here get frightened easily and could call 911 anytime they see me around :-D

comments , suggestions on new hair cut, on new resolutions ...
anyone ?

A budding coffee maker ...

Until I got the on campus job, there was nothing that I could do except studying. And looking at my past record of being such a great student (:-D) , it was very difficult to pass time. Also, I was thinking of those who spend their precious time in reading my blog, you see - I am consistently searching for something presentable. Fortunately I got a job in on campus coffee shops called Gourmet Beans and Jazzman's Cafe. From the beginning I was open for all kind of on campus jobs including serving in dining halls to monitoring / assisting in public computer laboratory. And as it is I am not having money to spend (after working for two years, you should not ask your parents for money - is my thinking), the job was like a golden opportunity for me, and fortunately I grabbed it, and you people got a new topic to read!

So as it went, I was given a form which I was supposed to fill and then wait for the SSN to arrive, SSN here carries a lot of importance just like the ration card / driving license / PUC (in case you are nabbed by a mama ) in India. I was on the payroll after around 3 days of my application. On my first day, I met a guy called Steve - my manager to discuss my schedule. Steve happens to be a strict professional but an approachable person also. The first day at cafe house was kind of hectic for a new recruit like me. But people here are very generous and kind, my colleague Dorothy (DoT ! her pen name - the exclamation mark is a part of her name, FYI) and few other helped me a lot. There are these 10-15 different types of drinks and remembering how to prepare each is not a easy task for a beginner. I now know the life of a drink maker and cashier, when you work for a software company you feel like you are the only one who is highly stressed, but after seeing people working in dining halls and coffee shops, believe me - It's nothing different! In fact, a software developer's job should be considered less hectic than this, I must say. My roommates are working in few dining halls and I could see how exhausted they look when they come back home after work.

Anyways, forget the stress. Being a drink maker is a good thing for me, I can now make almost all coffee drinks that you people can see in CCD's and Barista's. Every good thing comes with its own counterpart, you can't see pretty chicks while making drinks - that's really bad :( I am trying to achieve both objectives though - I am thinking of devising a new work plan (remember Ford's assembly line principle?), where everyone gets ample time to check out the crowd :-). Cashier's job here is really easy, even a kid who has one working finger and some basic ability to count things and remember the names of beverages can survive. The counting machines are really sophisticated; with touch screen monitors, you just have to select drinks and charge by cards or cash.

Most important thing and a per month account for that sake -
Deductions -
House Rent - $275 + Grocery - $80 since I eat a lot + some more expenses which are rare in my case.
Earnings -
7 $ per hour - 16 hours per week - 64 hours per month = $448
Looks like I am saving some amount Uncle Sam …

Update - Recently I learned that there is going to be a tax deduction :-( which will be reimbursed in the next year.