Who am I?

I am currently a post-graduate engineering student at the University of Auckland, Auckland New Zealand. I am originally from New Delhi, India. Some facts:

1. Alumnus of Mira Model School, New Delhi, India. 10 years of fun!!
2. After that did 2 years of schooling at Hansraj Model School, New Delhi. 2 years of confusion!!
3. Moved to Auckland, New Zealand in 1998 and have been here since. 2 years of utter disgust followed by 2 years of getting acquainted followed by 1.5 years of starting liking it!!
4. Did my BE from Manukau Institute of Technology, Auckland. 4.5 years of rewarding studies and also I can say that I did my engineering from MIT ;)
5. Now slogging at the University of Auckland for a PhD!! Also teaching at MIT (see above).

News just in: Just married my love of 6 years, Arpita earlier this year. She was the only good thing that happened to me during my 2 year stint at Hansraj. Just love her too much!! She waited for me for 5 years while I was away from India, I love her for loving me so much.

I have a few friends that I really like but most are back in India. Love my family too!

Another news: My old car (1986 Mitsu Eterna) died on the motorway on 15th August, 2003. I was travelling at 100 kmph and suddenly the motor ceased!! I was with my wife and sis. My wife (is a classical singer) had a solo performance in an hour (as 15 August is India's Independence day)!! We didn't have our cellphones!! In short, we were screwed!! We pushed the car to a bay and waited for someone to stop for us. Suddenly, a nice guy from the subcontinent gave us a lift all the way to the place where we were headed. And guess what! He was a Pakistani. Moral: That India-Pak relations are bad among only the politicians, not common people like us.

Anyway, bought a new 2nd hand car ;). 1995 Nissan Presea, everything I wanted, including a CD Player!! Man, this is like heaven for me, my older car had a crap radio, leave alone a CD player.

My interests

1. Cricket: This has to be at the top of my list. Although I haven't played for a long while, but I sometimes take the bat out of storage and practise various strokes without a ball!!
2. Suddenly have developed an interest in travelling, seems to have rubbed off from my wife who loves, eats, sleeps, drinks travelling.
3. Reading: One of those guys who can't go to the toilet without a book!! If I forget, I usually pass my time reading the instructions at the back of my toilet cleaner. Read the novel ROOTS, its my most favourite (may be because I haven't read any other)
4. Used to collect stamps, until that fateful day when I wasn't home in India and someone (still trying to find out who) sold my stamp album to the KABARIWALA.
5. Love to listen to hindi oldies and ghazals. Love to sing to, however its a passion that no one likes to encourage me in.
6. Eating: love to cook mughlai, awadhi, hyderabadi, UP, bengali, (you name it) cuisines. Love to eat them, one of those people who cook for themselves rather than for others. This explains my extra kilos!!
7. Sleeping: Given a chance (hasn't happened since the day I got married) I can sleep for more than 16 hours at a stretch and I am not joking.