Snow, Tipping, Ghar Ghar ki Kahani
So many things to discuss so another hodgepodge post this shall be but hey, that’s what makes it so fun and exciting. 
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SNOW
————–
So New Hampshire was hit with a major snowstorm today. It started around mid afternoon and by tomorrow morning we are suppose to have 18 inches of snow! 
You should have seen me in action when we got out of the office. My project manager and I share a car so she got in the car and was warming it, while I was cleaning the outside of the car. The wind and snow was so hard and fast that my hands were as numb as icicles. But I was pumping away and cleaned the car and were on our way in 8 minutes (I think that’s pretty good 
).
Let’s hope for better weather by tomorrow.
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How much do you Tip?
————-
From my last post, you can see that my friend Beth was here for the weekend. We were @ an Italian restaurant in Portland, Maine on Friday night and our waitress was horrible! 
We ordered appetizers and she forgot to bring them. We had to ask her for it, and she brought them after our dinner. Now tell me, why would they call it an appetizer/starter if you are going to have it after the dinner???? 
Then she didn’t take our bill with my credit card. After waiting 10 minutes, another waiter saw our restlessness and took the bill and gave it to her. All in all when it was time to decide on the tip, Beth was persistent that we should give her the whole amount of the tip, where I said no, she should give only how much she deserves — so about half.
Even worse when I was checking my credit card bill on Sunday night, I noticed that the restaurant overcharged me. That made me feel even worse and made me not give that girl any tip. 
What do you think, should you tip the waiter/waitress even if they give you bad service? 
My answer is tip them dependent on how good of a service they give you. What’s your answer?
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Home Front
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Two potential suitors for my nanad (sister-in-law), Lakshmi. For a reminder, she has to get married before Neeraj and I can get married, so we keep a close eye on what’s going on with her. 
So Neeraj’s father has found two guys he likes for Lakshmi but here is the problem. 
The first guy is well settled in Jaipur and is a lecturer at a nearby engineering college. Problem there is that he has three elder unmarried sisters, and they have to get married before he does. 
That could take anywhere from six months (HIGHLY unlikely to two years 
).
Second guy has done his BE in computers, also from Jaipur, has met Lakshmi, and they both like each other. His family also really like Lakshmi and all is well. Problem is that he doesn’t have a job. Currently he was in Pune looking for a job and also went to give a Red Hat Linux Certification exam, which he passed with flying colors. Neeraj’s father told Neeraj that he should help this boy get a job, if he can, because they are in the same field (computers). Neeraj talked to the guy on the phone, and he was quite impressed, so we will see what happens there. So now it just depends on how long it will take this guy to get a job and only then will they get married.
Just when you think that something will go your way….. God takes it away from you, and makes you wait longer.
Alvida. Jai Mata Di.
…
March 8th, 2005 at 7:06 pm
wow…this storm sure has hit the east coast bad. I hope it calms down by tomorrow morning - though I just heard that it’s likely to stay in some areas for another 32 hrs:faint:Well…hope you stay in safe & warm.
As far as the tipping is concerned - I really like to tip waiters/waitresses generously - well, atleast 11-15% of my total bill. There are times when some waiters/waitresses act very snobbish -and they totally ruin your evening:irked:. I don’t think we should tip them then (well atleast not give them a good tip). But then there are times when they do something merely because they are having a bad day or something (afterall we all r human beings:neutral:). In that case, we should not penalize them by giving bad tip. But the big question is, how do you know whether their bad service is because they are not a good waiter/waitress or only because they r having a bad day:?:…:eyebrow:So I guess, you have to act as the situation demands:yes:. Also, I think in my cases, it depends on the kinda mood I am in. There have been times when I am in a good mood…and I am leisurely enjoying the evening - and I am least concerned about the kind of service I get. But then there are other times when I want everything to be perfect and if I get poor service from the waiter/waitress, I get really pissed off:grumpy:. I have in many instances not tipped well because of the poor service offered to me. Wo…I am just blathering….:rotfl:
Anyways, the bottom line is, after hearing your scenario, I think I would have said the same thing as you said to your friend. Now come on…getting appetizers after dinner was an extreme…the waiter should not have gotten away with that:no:.
March 8th, 2005 at 8:38 pm
Hmmmmmmm snow……would u believe i’ve never seen snow? I mean in real life :rotfl:(of course i’ve seen it on tv!!) Thats not to say that it doesnt snow in Australia, it does but just not in the state where i live. It would be cool to go skiing in it but of course knowing my luck i’d probably end up breaking both my legs or something!!! Snowball fights would be fun and of course everyone has to make a snowman atleast once in their life. Although while snow is fun i guess it can make life hard at times too.
Tipping waiters and waitresses is not a common practise in Australia. And i should know!! Its just something that doesnt happen here…….perhaps Aussies are to stingy (cheap)?
March 8th, 2005 at 9:11 pm
woww … the snow sounds quite bad … winter is beautiful but when the weather is bad, snow are thick, it is not beautiful anymore
You must clean the street, car, and everything …. hope the weather will get better 
I was not high demanding person … I didn’t care whether the waitress was good or not; that when I was young
My father always complains if the service is not good, I was wondering, why he always complains all the times ? 
I become a very very demanding person. I will be unhappy if the service in a good restaurant or hotel are not good. The people are not friendly enough and do their jobs well. I dunno why I become like this 
I guess it’s because I am living in a big and very demanding city.
I think I am really bad … but they are doing customer service jobs … their service and friendliness are everything. I agree with you Poonam 
But now I understand
About the tip … I will be more than happy to give big tip if the service is good. If the service is not good, sometimes I give the tip sometimes I don’t. It depends on how bad the service is. Few times, I asked them to call their manager, and complain directly to their manager
ohooo that’s interesting. Is it compulsary as well in India that the older sisters or brothers must get married before the younger sisters or brothers get married ? I just know it
Actually it’s kinda same with Chinese. However, that tradition is a bit flexible nowadays. hmmmm it’s a bit problem for you and Neeraj then 
That’s why you should keep watching Neeraj’s sister progress 
I think the second guy will be better because Laksmi likes him and the family too. About getting a job, he sounds that he is smart guy so I don’t think it’s hard for him to get the job. I will pray for you that he will get a job soon … so he can get married with Laksmi 
And you and Neeraj can get together soon 
I can’t wait for your wedding day 
March 9th, 2005 at 11:34 am
tipping depends both on the food and the service that i get, I tip a lot at roadside ‘dhabha’s’ coz they have real delicious food and a forever ready “chottu” running around with water/green chillis/onion rings/pickle/chutney etc. but I rarely tip at fancy restaurants unless I have had a very good experience at the meal. 2 bad u cant experience a dhabha in uncle’s sam’s country.
March 9th, 2005 at 11:46 am
You mentioned that the when you checked your credit card statement on Sunday, the resturant had overcharged you. This happens sometimes, but if you go check the bill now, it should have the amount you signed for. Resturants do that sometimes. But they have to send receipts, which have the original amount. So the credit card company adjusts it. This has happened to me a couple of times.
March 9th, 2005 at 1:23 pm
Tension nahi lene ka. Maalum kya. ;)
That guy will surely get a job soon. In India the market is booming. Plenty of jobs!!.
So you dont worry much. :) Me still waiting for treat, from you folks.
Marriage settle hogayi, phir bhi no treat!!.
Btw, what happened to this Manpreet’s blog any idea??.
March 9th, 2005 at 5:07 pm
Pareeka that makes 2 of us, not even a single snow flake has dropped on me…..hopefully it will sometime.
I agree with you Poonam, if some waiter/ess is rude to you or shows poor customer service, they should be paid less/nothing (depends how worse the situation is) but on the other hand if someone shows really good CS then they should be paid more than average.
Anat, please refrain from posting such comments, waise hi I am too hungry right now and “water/green chillis/onion rings/pickle/chutney” padke my mouth is watering. There are a lot of Indian resturants (especially in Bay Area) but they can never match Dhabbe’s food. Perhaps some Melaram will start a dhaba chain in US :D
March 9th, 2005 at 8:46 pm
Snow great
They were being forwarded as an e-card 
Do take some pics, as your previous snow pics were a HIT on my online album
Restaurant…
Ofcourse the tip must depend on the kind of service rendered.
Wish you and Neeraj, all the best and hope the things are sorted out soon
Really, what happened to Manpreet’s blog, maybe he is busy with work…. trying to earn for Poonam’s ticket to India
March 10th, 2005 at 6:20 am
Good thoughts on the tipping and not only did the waitress bring the appetizer late, but she didn’t take our bill, and then made a huge mistake on the bill. Found out later when I called the restaurant to ask them why they overcharged me, and the manager clearly said that the waitress made a mistake.
So I wanted to reduce my tip even more…but my friend Beth just didn’t see it my way or even your way. 
I told her that I am going to put it on the website and have the junta decide. 
Oh Pareeka, you should see snow atleast once..very beautiful..but then once is enough (atleast for me
). I have never been skiing myself, I really want to go snowmobiling..maybe one day. 
Snowball fights are great!! 
Yes, life is quite hard with snow..especially getting out of the house..and driving. 
Oh yes Mona, I hope that the weather gets better too. I ts still quite cold here but now that I am leaving to go home today, I hear that there is freezing rain there too!
I thought you would agree with me!
We have talked abt. restaurants before, and if anyone would agree it would be you. 
I am glad for that. 
Tipping should be based on the service.
As for the customs, if you have elder sisters, then the brother gets married after his sisters. If you have a younger sister about the same age as the brother, in the case of Neeraj and Lakshmi, then the younget sister gets married first. True that many people are not following this as strictly as before because many people are having love marriages, and many families are now modern. Neeraj’s family is quite conservative plus with inter-caste they want to make sure that Lakshmi has no problem in getting a great husband. Let’s hope everything works out soon.
True Anat…dhaba food is only in our Hindustan.
Actually Sasha after calling the credit card company and then the restaurant, the manager said that the waitress made the mistake.
But thanks for the info.
Let’s hope so Govind.
We get the good news about the guys and now we have to wait because there is a problem with them. 
It just doesn’t seem to work all out at the same time. The guy should def get a job, hopefully it will be sooner than later. 
Got an email from Manpreet. He was trying to upgrade to WP 1.5, and it didn’t work. Kuch gadbad kiya hoga.
And he is busy in his work. So hopefully he will be back soon!
Treat tab milegi jab shaadi par tum milogai aur Neeraj aur mere ko wish karogai.
We will take all bloggers out for a treat — whoever comes to our wedding. 
Good to see you agree Gaurav.
Dhaba food was making me hungry too…but I am going home today. 
Forwaded as an e-card Ankur????
Don’t I get compensation for that??? 
I might just sue you!!!! 
Waiting for my money!!!! 
No more pics for you.
I will have to put my signature or neerajpoonam.com on each picture now, just like you. 
Read above for Manpreet’s details.
March 10th, 2005 at 6:49 am
one- snow in OHIO is the worst snow ever ever ever…its been snowing hard continuously since mon now…and i hate cleaning my car every mning….
tip- No tip if the service is bad…absoultely not…agar dil hee khush nahee hua to tip kis baat kee aur kuch waiters hote bhee hain aise like they are doing a favor to us….i make it a point by setting them right and not tipping them for sure :-)
abt ur sil’s marriage-dont u think she shud have enough time for deciding her life partner and not rush thru it just because her bro is lined up…i mean its about her life right…
waise the second guy looks better than the first ….cos finding a job will be quicker than getting 3 sisters married:evil:
March 10th, 2005 at 6:50 am
acha ye manpreetey ke blog ko kya hua:?::?::?:
March 10th, 2005 at 7:46 am
Yaar.. kuch nahin hua meri blog ko…
Was trying to upgrade it to latest version of wordpress… and phew… purana bhi udh gaya aur naya bhi nahi chala… problem bhi nahin samajh aa rahi…
and, add to that, i’m not getting enough time to update my blog these days… busy with work, interviews, travelling.. etc etc..
anyways, will try to find time out.. and update it ;)
March 10th, 2005 at 10:28 am
You can’t sue me… as on the following link:
http://www.neerajpoonam.com/gallery/random2004/snow2
You did mention in my reply…
“From: Poonam (Fri Dec 10 15:57:11 2004)
This photo did come out quite nice. I am glad that you liked it. :) Yes, you can steal it but if I get credit for taking the photo.” :)
And on both the pics, words “Courtesy: NeerajPoonam.com” did appear
So I have enough evidence in my defence
Anyway, you are a very brave girl… who thinks about suing a Lawyer
In any case you will have to come to Delhi to sue me 
Manpreet:!: That means again your all posts are gone
Or did you make back-up of the posts 
I did post “Sawaal Jawaab” post on 7th but there was no one to ask question, so I had to remove it, anyway there is always next time
March 10th, 2005 at 11:15 am
About tips, I am also in favour of giving tips depending on the service. I remember Poonam, once when you were in India last time,we had a real chaos about giving a tip to a waitress in one of the restaurant. I was paying by credit card and the bill was like 489 or 491 Rs/- and I thought lets make that 500 Rs., though the service was really bad. I had to write down the tip’s amount as well, I wrote 11/- or something, and you asked me cut it and I was not changing because there was not enough space to recorrect it. But Poonu tum nahi maani, after all I had to make it to exact amount.
Priya about your comment on my sis’s marriage, I agree with your point that she should have enough time to decide her partner. That’s the only reason I never asked my father for doing some jaldbaazi just because I am lined up. I even don’t try to get the update from my father because woh aur bhi jaldbaazi karenge and it could be wrong for my sis. Well as for as my sis’s point of view is concerned, she is ready to marry. She has been doing a job for last 2 years.
Anyway very happy to see so many comments from all of you:smile:. Keeping writing like this ever forever!!!!
March 10th, 2005 at 4:15 pm
Gosh…nice to know that we escaped the snow storm here :-s.
Regarding the waitress..i agree with you! i wouldnt have tipped AT ALL!!
i am sure things will work out on the home front :). Keep the faith!!
March 11th, 2005 at 3:11 am
Regarding the tipping thing, I accept that we should tip only if the service is good.. I won’t accept the case that if the waiters mood is good or bad. Afterall we r going to a restaurant to have some good food and enjoy the day, not to get irritated by the waiter’s service, even if he is having a bad day right?
Abt ur sis-in-law’s marriage proposal, hmm with red hat cert in hand.. i guess it’d be easy to get a job for him in the current scenario… so, hopefully he’ll get it soon and u both will get the green signal
March 11th, 2005 at 5:56 am
Poonam … tusi chinta mat karo … ek to banda jaipur ka hai … doosra aapke jaipuri sasur ko 2-4 paronthe khila do … phir kya hai … chat mangni … pat byah
March 11th, 2005 at 7:03 am
Waise, Poonam you can do one thing, forward his resume to me.. I have lot of friends in various IT companies in India. Maybe, through employee referral, he can get a job much more easily!!
March 11th, 2005 at 7:12 pm
I like your thinking when it comes to tipping.
I totally agree. Good service, good tip. 
On Lakshmi, I agree with you Priya. Its her life and she should have the time to decide who she wants to marry, which she is. Neeraj’s parents have been looking for someone for her since Nov. 2004…and no one is forcing her, she knows its happening, and she wants it to happen, as she is ready to get married. Now that is family knows abt. us seriously, they have just been concentrating on looking for someone for her. Neeraj also says that regardless to if they would have known abt. us, they would still be looking for someone for her because now she is done with her studies and working. Compared to her other sisters, she is kind of late with her age and marriage. So Neeraj and I are not forcing anything upon her or the family, we are just watching closely on what is happening.
Hope to see your blog back up soon Manpreet.
Oh, I forgot for a second who I was talking to Ankur….a lawyer.
Anyway, I see that you have enough proof against me. 
Anyway, I am glad to see that you had written: Courtesy of NeerajPoonam.com 
I got my dues, i see. 
Yes, I am one brave girl.
Good to see your comment Neeru after such a long time.
We will not live anywhere where there is excess of anything…..maybe just water. 
You know that a Panditji on this trip told Mumma that I would settle in a city where there is a sea or ocean? 
So I think it will be a coastal city, but he didn’t mention anything about snow. 
Ha ha Neeru..i remember that! I think we were also with Chandni and Heena (my cousins), is that right?
Yes, I do remember and they were saying to just make it 500 Rs. Which restaurant was that? Must make that public as well. 
So no snow in Kansas this time Ashwin?
That’s good..:yes:
I am glad to see that you also agree.
I think my friend is on one side, and everyone else agrees with me. 
Thanks for the encouraging words.
I couldn’t have said it any better Prasad.
We are going for good service and in fact they are the ones that are providing the service. You would think it would be for their best interest to provide good service because otherwise they will not get $$ from us, and then we will tell others, and other people will not go to their restaurant. So yes, well put. 
I hope so too abt. Lakshmi.
Very nice of you Manpreet..but I do not have his resume. He had said that he will be coming back to Mumbai/Pune quite soon and @ that time he shall contact Neeraj. So we are waiting for that, so will let you know. How’s the scene for a banda to enter networking in Pune? Good?
March 12th, 2005 at 5:26 pm
the wind’s whispering again:
UPDATE
UPDATE
UPDATE
March 13th, 2005 at 2:11 am
Echoing Shradha!!. :)
Updates??.
March 13th, 2005 at 6:57 pm