The next day I drove back to Orlando to visit the Universal Studios Theme Park. Aarti, Aniruddha & Aadit had left for Detroit, so I was left to spend the day by myself. After a bit a encouragement from Aarti I decided to venture out to Universal Studios on my own. Armed with a camera, I was hoping for another bright & sunny day. However, the weather had other plans and it rained pretty much the entire day after I got to Orlando.
Walked around getting soaked was really not much fun, but I did manage a few rides. The 'Revenge of the Mummy' ride was a disappointment, since the ride broke down just as it was my turn ... ! :( Oh well - guess I should count myself fortunate that I was not in the car that was stuck!
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Magical New Year
New Years' Day found us driving towards Orlando for my first visit to Disney's Magic Kingdom. After checking & rechecking maps and last minute instructions from Aniruddha, Aarti was all set to drive the huge rental mini-van all the way to Orlando. Since both of us were new to the area, I took my role as the navigator quite seriously. Fortunately, the road from Tampa to Orlando is well marked and Aarti was totally confident at the wheel. Aadit was all charged up to meet Mickey Mouse and all his friends too. As we neared Orlando, I could hardly sit still in my seat - and I could see an expression on Aarti's face that wondered if she would have to deal with two kids in Magic Kingdom!
My first glimpse of Magic Kingdom was the huge arch that welcomes you to Disneyworld. The parking lot to Magic Kingdom is simply huge. We parked in the Minnie Parking lot 40, about 1.5 miles from the entrance to Magic Kingdom. An open bus took us from the parking lot to the ticket center. A monorail brought us to the gates of the Magic Kingdom. It was amazing. It felt like I was transported into Fairyland. The quaint looking shops, the stone houses, and the entire setup felt straight out of a fairytale. As we walked down Main Street, there was a show in progress at Cinderella's castle. This show was called 'Believe in your dreams' and had most of the Disney characters in it. It was a well synchronized skit that was enjoyed not only by us, but also by 2 year old Aadit.
After the show, we walked to the Mad Tea Party ride. This ride consists of spinning tea cups that move. I am not too fond of spinning rides since they make me dizzy, but this ride had a controlling steering wheel - which let you control how fast you want your tea cup to spin. (I thought this was a really neat feature.)
After this ride, we went into a 3D show called Mickey's PhilharMagic orchestra. This was my first taste of the real 3D effects .... for example... when Donald fell into the water - the audience also felt droplets of water on them. Aadit loved all the musical instruments flying at him, and all the effects too.
Magic Kingdom has places marked Pinocchio's house, Toontown (where Mickey lives) and other setups from Disney stories. After waiting in a rather long line, we also met Winnie the Pooh & Tigger. Meeting Mickey was the highlight of my visit. To meet a character who I've known since I was about a year old - made me feel like I was child again.
We also saw the Disney day parade. This parade has floats with most of the Disney characters. I had always heard that the cast members at Disney(no, they are not called staff) go out of their way to make the experience memorable for the visitors. I had an opportunity to witness this first hand. During the parade, I was clicking pictures. One of the people I was clicking was a cast member dressed as Walt Disney riding a bicycle while drawing a cartoon. When he realized I was trying to get a picture - he came right by where I was standing - posed for a picture perfect photograph, and moved away only when I had acknowledged that I got the picture. It might have been a small gesture on his part, but it made me feel a part of the Disney magic.
After a lot more rides, it was time for the night parade - this has lit up floats and the procession dances with glowing lights and waers lit up costumes. As usual, Mickey gets pride of place in this parade and has his own float too. Everyone else shares their floats with other characters. The lights and music only add to the magic.
This feeling stayed with me throughout the visit - I did not feel like I was in a park for kids. Instead, it felt like I was a part of the magic, the enchantment and was sorry when it was time to head home for the night.
What better way than this to spend New Years' Day !!!
My first glimpse of Magic Kingdom was the huge arch that welcomes you to Disneyworld. The parking lot to Magic Kingdom is simply huge. We parked in the Minnie Parking lot 40, about 1.5 miles from the entrance to Magic Kingdom. An open bus took us from the parking lot to the ticket center. A monorail brought us to the gates of the Magic Kingdom. It was amazing. It felt like I was transported into Fairyland. The quaint looking shops, the stone houses, and the entire setup felt straight out of a fairytale. As we walked down Main Street, there was a show in progress at Cinderella's castle. This show was called 'Believe in your dreams' and had most of the Disney characters in it. It was a well synchronized skit that was enjoyed not only by us, but also by 2 year old Aadit.
After the show, we walked to the Mad Tea Party ride. This ride consists of spinning tea cups that move. I am not too fond of spinning rides since they make me dizzy, but this ride had a controlling steering wheel - which let you control how fast you want your tea cup to spin. (I thought this was a really neat feature.)
After this ride, we went into a 3D show called Mickey's PhilharMagic orchestra. This was my first taste of the real 3D effects .... for example... when Donald fell into the water - the audience also felt droplets of water on them. Aadit loved all the musical instruments flying at him, and all the effects too.Magic Kingdom has places marked Pinocchio's house, Toontown (where Mickey lives) and other setups from Disney stories. After waiting in a rather long line, we also met Winnie the Pooh & Tigger. Meeting Mickey was the highlight of my visit. To meet a character who I've known since I was about a year old - made me feel like I was child again.
We also saw the Disney day parade. This parade has floats with most of the Disney characters. I had always heard that the cast members at Disney(no, they are not called staff) go out of their way to make the experience memorable for the visitors. I had an opportunity to witness this first hand. During the parade, I was clicking pictures. One of the people I was clicking was a cast member dressed as Walt Disney riding a bicycle while drawing a cartoon. When he realized I was trying to get a picture - he came right by where I was standing - posed for a picture perfect photograph, and moved away only when I had acknowledged that I got the picture. It might have been a small gesture on his part, but it made me feel a part of the Disney magic.
After a lot more rides, it was time for the night parade - this has lit up floats and the procession dances with glowing lights and waers lit up costumes. As usual, Mickey gets pride of place in this parade and has his own float too. Everyone else shares their floats with other characters. The lights and music only add to the magic.
This feeling stayed with me throughout the visit - I did not feel like I was in a park for kids. Instead, it felt like I was a part of the magic, the enchantment and was sorry when it was time to head home for the night.
What better way than this to spend New Years' Day !!!
Monday, January 01, 2007
New Year Wishes ...
Something odd happened the other day. In the middle of all the metallic yammering that goes on, the phones, the faxes, the e-mails, the beeps and buzzes of modern office life, everything stopped. The power went off. My phone connection on the conference call went dead. The computer went blank. The entire office went silent.
Nobody did anything. Nobody yelled down the hall asking what's happening. Maybe it was my imagination, but I sensed everyone took a deep breath, savored the peace, and were happy not to be going at a breakneck pace for a few moments. Too soon, whatever caused this to happen reversed itself, the conference call was reconnected, and everything began whirring again.But just for a moment, it was an old-fashioned gift to everyone in the office.
If I had the power to give ten gifts to my friends and colleagues, what would I give?
Here are my wishes for all of us.
Ten Wishes ...
1. Quiet
Have you forgotten what it sounds like? Gotta get the morning news on radio or TV, mix up a milkshake, start the car, listen to the traffic report. I live in an urban area and I can hear sirens and dogs and cars whizzing by. When I walk by the lake, especially at night, sometimes I hear nothing. It's blessedly peaceful. It's refreshing. I wish you all moments like this.
2. Sleep
I, like many of us, feel thoroughly sleep deprived. Weekdays (or rather weeknights) are full of crazy offshore calls, being woken up inthe middle of the night to provide some data, early morning wake up calls that ask you to resolve some issue. If you have a production support beeper, it seems to go off just as you dropped off to sleep. Weekends pass in even more of a blur. Unending household activities make you wonder where the weekdays end and the weekends begin, only to have the week start all over again. For all my friends with lives as crazy as this, I wish you a peaceful night's sleep. May your beeper & phone remain silent - to allow you this basic necessity which is fast becoming a luxury.
3. The Ability to Listen
I'd say if you're in a co-ordinator/manager role, you talk too much. I talk too much. In my mind, I'm halfway through the thought I'm goingto express next before the other person has finished his or hers. We interrupt, we make our point, we congratulate ourselves on our witty stories and we move on. I know a colleague who, when you meet him, looks you in the eye and asks, "How are you?" Then he listens. He really listens. He's interested. You're thrown off at first, wondering what his angle is. Then you warm to it, knowing the rareness of his ability to listen and hear. You feel cared for.
4. Appreciation
Appreciation is a much-underrated quality that can get us through some rough waters. Not the long client appreciation mails that we are often asked to engineer, but the simple things. Please. Thank you. That was kind of you. I appreciate that. I appreciate you. When someone is doing everything they can to ruffle you, try seizing the higher ground; lay on some courtesy and see what happens. You will probably startle everyone. That's a good start. When others do something nice, it's so easy to let them know how much you appreciate the things they do for you, for the profession, and for the community. We need to let others know that their efforts have not gone unrewarded.
5. Perspective
As we get involved in projects or issues, it is easy to become myopic and have tunnel vision. Perspective is the ability to remove ourselves from the frame of reference we are in and see things as they reallyare. As an example, the work request I didn't give myself much chance of completing at the outset invariably becomes better as I go along,to the extent that, prior to the system test code drop, I just don't see how I there could be a defect. It is true that on some occasions this may be justified, but in many others it is not. We all need a reality check at some point, not only in our daily tasks, but in our lives in general.
6. A Sense of Humor
Caught in our daily routines, we often consider ourselves the center of the universe. Our work, our clients, and our thoughts make the world go around. When challenged, we become defensive. Are we really that serious? Is there not humor in all but the most serious aspects of life? We all need the ability to laugh, not only at situations, but at ourselves. When I think about it, I do some funny things, many ofwhich are not intentional. Hey, I'm a pretty funny person. Aren't you?
7. Integrity
Although we may have a good career and wonderful technical skills,when we come right down to it, our reputation is the most important thing we will ever have. I see this all the more in our day to day activities with friends and colleagues than anywhere else. Fame is fleeting, but integrity is enduring. It is our signature. To one's ownself be true; then you can't be false to anyone.
8. Good Friends
A few months ago, I met up with five of my classmates from school. Wehad been together all through 13 years of school. We had since moved to different places, pursuing our careers and families. We hadn't seen much of each other over the years. But as we chatted, the years just melted away, and it seemed like we were all in school together again. What a wonderful way to renew old friendships and to reminisce about some things that happened and some things that probably didn't. I am blessed to have such good friends. I wish you many such friendships.
9. A Winning Lottery Ticket
No–you all can't have one(I don't have one right now either!), but maybe one of you will be the fortunate one. If you were, I am sure you would do a lot more traveling, but would you give up working? I hope some of you would not, but that you would take time to smell the roses. Come to think of it, I wish we all could take the time to smell the roses. I wish you enough financial success to buy yourself the gift of time.
10. A Platter of Your Favorite Meal
Need I say more?
These gifts I wish for all of us. May the New Year bring us all health, happiness, and wisdom.
Nobody did anything. Nobody yelled down the hall asking what's happening. Maybe it was my imagination, but I sensed everyone took a deep breath, savored the peace, and were happy not to be going at a breakneck pace for a few moments. Too soon, whatever caused this to happen reversed itself, the conference call was reconnected, and everything began whirring again.But just for a moment, it was an old-fashioned gift to everyone in the office.
If I had the power to give ten gifts to my friends and colleagues, what would I give?
Here are my wishes for all of us.
Ten Wishes ...
1. Quiet
Have you forgotten what it sounds like? Gotta get the morning news on radio or TV, mix up a milkshake, start the car, listen to the traffic report. I live in an urban area and I can hear sirens and dogs and cars whizzing by. When I walk by the lake, especially at night, sometimes I hear nothing. It's blessedly peaceful. It's refreshing. I wish you all moments like this.
2. Sleep
I, like many of us, feel thoroughly sleep deprived. Weekdays (or rather weeknights) are full of crazy offshore calls, being woken up inthe middle of the night to provide some data, early morning wake up calls that ask you to resolve some issue. If you have a production support beeper, it seems to go off just as you dropped off to sleep. Weekends pass in even more of a blur. Unending household activities make you wonder where the weekdays end and the weekends begin, only to have the week start all over again. For all my friends with lives as crazy as this, I wish you a peaceful night's sleep. May your beeper & phone remain silent - to allow you this basic necessity which is fast becoming a luxury.
3. The Ability to Listen
I'd say if you're in a co-ordinator/manager role, you talk too much. I talk too much. In my mind, I'm halfway through the thought I'm goingto express next before the other person has finished his or hers. We interrupt, we make our point, we congratulate ourselves on our witty stories and we move on. I know a colleague who, when you meet him, looks you in the eye and asks, "How are you?" Then he listens. He really listens. He's interested. You're thrown off at first, wondering what his angle is. Then you warm to it, knowing the rareness of his ability to listen and hear. You feel cared for.
4. Appreciation
Appreciation is a much-underrated quality that can get us through some rough waters. Not the long client appreciation mails that we are often asked to engineer, but the simple things. Please. Thank you. That was kind of you. I appreciate that. I appreciate you. When someone is doing everything they can to ruffle you, try seizing the higher ground; lay on some courtesy and see what happens. You will probably startle everyone. That's a good start. When others do something nice, it's so easy to let them know how much you appreciate the things they do for you, for the profession, and for the community. We need to let others know that their efforts have not gone unrewarded.
5. Perspective
As we get involved in projects or issues, it is easy to become myopic and have tunnel vision. Perspective is the ability to remove ourselves from the frame of reference we are in and see things as they reallyare. As an example, the work request I didn't give myself much chance of completing at the outset invariably becomes better as I go along,to the extent that, prior to the system test code drop, I just don't see how I there could be a defect. It is true that on some occasions this may be justified, but in many others it is not. We all need a reality check at some point, not only in our daily tasks, but in our lives in general.
6. A Sense of Humor
Caught in our daily routines, we often consider ourselves the center of the universe. Our work, our clients, and our thoughts make the world go around. When challenged, we become defensive. Are we really that serious? Is there not humor in all but the most serious aspects of life? We all need the ability to laugh, not only at situations, but at ourselves. When I think about it, I do some funny things, many ofwhich are not intentional. Hey, I'm a pretty funny person. Aren't you?
7. Integrity
Although we may have a good career and wonderful technical skills,when we come right down to it, our reputation is the most important thing we will ever have. I see this all the more in our day to day activities with friends and colleagues than anywhere else. Fame is fleeting, but integrity is enduring. It is our signature. To one's ownself be true; then you can't be false to anyone.
8. Good Friends
A few months ago, I met up with five of my classmates from school. Wehad been together all through 13 years of school. We had since moved to different places, pursuing our careers and families. We hadn't seen much of each other over the years. But as we chatted, the years just melted away, and it seemed like we were all in school together again. What a wonderful way to renew old friendships and to reminisce about some things that happened and some things that probably didn't. I am blessed to have such good friends. I wish you many such friendships.
9. A Winning Lottery Ticket
No–you all can't have one(I don't have one right now either!), but maybe one of you will be the fortunate one. If you were, I am sure you would do a lot more traveling, but would you give up working? I hope some of you would not, but that you would take time to smell the roses. Come to think of it, I wish we all could take the time to smell the roses. I wish you enough financial success to buy yourself the gift of time.
10. A Platter of Your Favorite Meal
Need I say more?
These gifts I wish for all of us. May the New Year bring us all health, happiness, and wisdom.
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