There was a time when I watched television no matter what was aired .... and my parents kept asking me to switch it off ... not because they objected me seeing what was aired, but because I saw it too much. These days the parents have to really be careful and screen the programs very carefully, before allowing the kids to watch television. (especially if they are of old school of thoughts like me)
Not getting into the debate of what is reasonable television time or what should kids be allowed to watch, let me recollect what I watched as a kid and now. (who knows I may forget the programs I watch now as they are not so etched into my memory as the ones I watched growing up)
During my school days: (pre-teen)
* Nukkad - Monday
* Buniyaad (tuesday / saturday)
* Khandaan (I did not follow this one keenly - wednesday)
* Satyajit Ray presents (thursday)
* Yeh jo hai Zindagi (friday)
* Quiz time (Siddartha Basu / Kavitha) (sunday)
* Giant Robert (thursday)
* Munnota (sunday)
* Sutta Mutta (sunday / monday)
* World of sport(sunday)
* Vikram aur Betaal (sunday)
* Dada Dadi ki kahaniyaan (sunday)
* Kachchi Dhoop (sunday)
* He-Man (sunday)
* Hum panchi ek daal ke (sunday)
* Chitrahaar (wednesday)
* Show Theme (saturday)
* DD's comedy show (saturday)
* Subah (wednesay)
* Trishna (sunday ??? - more like Pride and Prejudice)
* Chunauti (saturday)
* UGC programs
* Namma Nammalli
Some programs during my teens
* Neev (sunday)
* Indradhanush (sunday)
* Sanskrit news (sunday)
* Ramayan (sunday)
* Mahabharat (sunday)
* Chikka Chikki (sunday)
* Nirmaleya Saakshi (tuesday ???)
* Kashish (wednesday)
* Flop show
* Alpha Plus (quiz program)
* Sword of Tipu Sultan (what a master piece of music this one had when during the titles)
* Jungle Book
* Swabhimaan
All the above programs were televised on Doordarshan
Some of the programs I watched on cable TV were
* Sa re ga ma (TVS - Sonu Nigam)
* Close up Antakshari (occasionally)
* Henna (only couple of episodes)
* Saaya (only couple of episodes)
* Saans (Neena Gupta serial)
And what do I watch now ... actually nothing really is very interesting, but I watch
* Survivor series (people can be so manipulative ... really !!)
* ...
As can be seen, my interest with TV drastically reduced with time.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Some things money can't buy ...
And one of them is "Mother's love" towards her kids. Whether it is me trying to do my best for my kids or my mother taking the best care for me for the past 4 months or my grandma asking if my mother was doing ok amidst her own grief when grandpa passed away.
So I have been pampered lot for the past 4+ months since my mother came to our house. That was May 11th 2008 ... she arrived around 1:00 pm. That was just few days before my second daughter was expected. According to earlier plans our second daughter was expected on 13th May ... but plans changed and so the little one arrived 20th May. Amma took over the kitchen responsibilities from 12th May itself. She made various dishes like Bisi Bele Bhath, Veg Pulao, Halbai, Obbattu, Dahi vada etc before the little one arrived. My first daughter bonded with her from the first day of arrival and stuck with her the entire day ... save for the time her dad was home. For the first 2 months, I hardly went out of the house, expect for doctor visits. Started going out only from last week of July after visiting the temple.
Since August though it has been very busy weekends and I have not had amma's precious company for most weekends. Aug 16th my sister performed Sathyanarayana Pooja, Aug 23rd was Gokulashtami at sister's place, Aug 30th we went on vacation to southern california, Sep 6th was Ganesha Mangalarthi at sister's place, Sep 11 - 14th was planned baby shower (which had to be cancelled). So its been very long since amma has spent the weekend in our house :(
Yesterday after dinner at a nice chat place, we dropped her off at sister's place. Sister is expecting baby next month and amma is there to lend her emotional and physical support.
Even after a stranous stay at our place, she is all excited and geared by for helping sister. "Mother's love is truly GODLY"
So I have been pampered lot for the past 4+ months since my mother came to our house. That was May 11th 2008 ... she arrived around 1:00 pm. That was just few days before my second daughter was expected. According to earlier plans our second daughter was expected on 13th May ... but plans changed and so the little one arrived 20th May. Amma took over the kitchen responsibilities from 12th May itself. She made various dishes like Bisi Bele Bhath, Veg Pulao, Halbai, Obbattu, Dahi vada etc before the little one arrived. My first daughter bonded with her from the first day of arrival and stuck with her the entire day ... save for the time her dad was home. For the first 2 months, I hardly went out of the house, expect for doctor visits. Started going out only from last week of July after visiting the temple.
Since August though it has been very busy weekends and I have not had amma's precious company for most weekends. Aug 16th my sister performed Sathyanarayana Pooja, Aug 23rd was Gokulashtami at sister's place, Aug 30th we went on vacation to southern california, Sep 6th was Ganesha Mangalarthi at sister's place, Sep 11 - 14th was planned baby shower (which had to be cancelled). So its been very long since amma has spent the weekend in our house :(
Yesterday after dinner at a nice chat place, we dropped her off at sister's place. Sister is expecting baby next month and amma is there to lend her emotional and physical support.
Even after a stranous stay at our place, she is all excited and geared by for helping sister. "Mother's love is truly GODLY"
Friday, September 26, 2008
time flying
Its already 15 days since ajja (grandpa) passed away and I am still not completely convinced its true.
Its so hard to accept these facts when you are miles away.
The reality will hit hard when the next time
* I face ajji (grandma)
* I will see empty ajja's house
* I will NOT see ajja at the gate of his house (the house we spent many many summer vacations) waiting for us
* I will NOT see ajja when everyone else including my dad, uncles and cousins will be watching a cricket match.
* I will NOT give those raisin packets to anyone
* I will NOT hear him call out my name ever so fondly asking me to "Make enough Money and come back home".
Ajja, No matter where I live,
everytime I see raisin packets, I will think of you.
For every penny saved, I will remember you
For every cricket match watched your comments and presence will be missed
everytime I narrate a story to my daughter, you will be my inspiration
You were truly the best ajja !!!
Its so hard to accept these facts when you are miles away.
The reality will hit hard when the next time
* I face ajji (grandma)
* I will see empty ajja's house
* I will NOT see ajja at the gate of his house (the house we spent many many summer vacations) waiting for us
* I will NOT see ajja when everyone else including my dad, uncles and cousins will be watching a cricket match.
* I will NOT give those raisin packets to anyone
* I will NOT hear him call out my name ever so fondly asking me to "Make enough Money and come back home".
Ajja, No matter where I live,
everytime I see raisin packets, I will think of you.
For every penny saved, I will remember you
For every cricket match watched your comments and presence will be missed
everytime I narrate a story to my daughter, you will be my inspiration
You were truly the best ajja !!!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Sep 11 - Fateful day
Sep 12 was going to be a very special day ... amma and I had been planning for this day for almost 3 months now. We had reviewed, re-reviewed and reviewed some more the Hindu calendar ("Panchanga") before narrowing this day. This day was chosen for my sister's first baby shower. So excited was my mother about this event, that she enthusiastically volunteered to cook for the expected 80 odd guests. Sheer pleasure of cooking for my sister's baby and to save sister / BIL some bucks was her reasoning for volunteering.
We had made several lists ... one for the menu, one for grocery, one for fruits, one for items to be carried to the rental hall, one for items to be carried from my house to sister's place, guests list, decorative items list, gifts list (gifts she has brought from India to my sister and her baby).
Everything seem to go as expected ... we bought the grocery / veggies on wednesday. Thursday, sep 11th, amma got up early, finished her daily chores by 9:00am. I grated / cut the veggies with the food processor. By 12:00 noon, Carrot Halwa, Mysore Pak (sweet), Hunase gojju (for Puliyogare) was ready. We soon packed stuff and shifted them to the car. The plan was to go to sister's place and complete the rest stuff there.... afterall she wanted to be part of all the excitement.
And so we reached sister's place around 1:30pm. After initial chat, and some rest we got to business again. Now all three (mom, sister and me) were packing the return gift bags. The "Puri Unde" for the event was ordered from India. We packed Puri Unde,(sweet) Blouse piece, Silver item (again from India), "Hurgalu" (spiced lentils). We were almost done with our packing ... perhaps there were 3-4 more packets to be done when the phone rang. I picked the phone ... caller id said "Out of Area" ... my sister asked me to ignore it dismissing it as a junk call. Something told me it wasn't a junk call ... but I kept quiet. Within a minute or so my mobile rang.
It was from my hubby .... he asked "Aren't you home?" I got rather irritated ... afterall I had told him, I was coming to sister's place ... how could he forget that? He continued "Got a call from India ... your ajja (grandpa) is sick" he said. My heart sank ... I looked at the clock ... it showed 4:20pm (which is 4:50am India time). My heart sank even more .... no one would call from India at such odd hours if it is not a serious problem. I shared the news with amma and sister. We immediately called daddy's cell phone. Daddy mentioned that my ajja's (amma's dad) health condition was serious and that he had been admitted to Apollo hospital. I refused to believe what I was listening to. Daddy handed over the phone to one of my uncles. Uncle V said "Ajja's condition is deteriorating by the second. He is counting is last few breadths". Now tears were flowing uncontrolably. We talked to my other uncle M, who was so shaken by the sudden turn of events around him. After talking to him for few minutes, we disconnected the call. Now amma, sister and me were in a state of extreme shock. Only 4 days back had we spoken to ajja and ajji. They were just healthy then. Just then the phone rang. Cousin S had called and she mentioned that ajja had passed away.
All of us were just going mad .... we didn't know what to do. My sister who is 8 months pregnant now sank on the sofa and started crying so badly that I really didn't know what I should be doing. We tried to calm her, forced her to take a couple of deep breaths, drink some water.(her BP seem to raise). The entire evening was spent on phone calls to friends and family. For the first time in many years, I felt helpless. I was reminded of the distance separating India and US every second. My mother who had spent all her life staying in the same city as my grandparents felt miserable not being there by grandpa's bedside at this time.
Without much debate, we cancelled the next day's baby shower.
The day which started on such a high note ended at a very very dull note.
Miss you ajja .... words just cannot express how I feel at this time.
We had made several lists ... one for the menu, one for grocery, one for fruits, one for items to be carried to the rental hall, one for items to be carried from my house to sister's place, guests list, decorative items list, gifts list (gifts she has brought from India to my sister and her baby).
Everything seem to go as expected ... we bought the grocery / veggies on wednesday. Thursday, sep 11th, amma got up early, finished her daily chores by 9:00am. I grated / cut the veggies with the food processor. By 12:00 noon, Carrot Halwa, Mysore Pak (sweet), Hunase gojju (for Puliyogare) was ready. We soon packed stuff and shifted them to the car. The plan was to go to sister's place and complete the rest stuff there.... afterall she wanted to be part of all the excitement.
And so we reached sister's place around 1:30pm. After initial chat, and some rest we got to business again. Now all three (mom, sister and me) were packing the return gift bags. The "Puri Unde" for the event was ordered from India. We packed Puri Unde,(sweet) Blouse piece, Silver item (again from India), "Hurgalu" (spiced lentils). We were almost done with our packing ... perhaps there were 3-4 more packets to be done when the phone rang. I picked the phone ... caller id said "Out of Area" ... my sister asked me to ignore it dismissing it as a junk call. Something told me it wasn't a junk call ... but I kept quiet. Within a minute or so my mobile rang.
It was from my hubby .... he asked "Aren't you home?" I got rather irritated ... afterall I had told him, I was coming to sister's place ... how could he forget that? He continued "Got a call from India ... your ajja (grandpa) is sick" he said. My heart sank ... I looked at the clock ... it showed 4:20pm (which is 4:50am India time). My heart sank even more .... no one would call from India at such odd hours if it is not a serious problem. I shared the news with amma and sister. We immediately called daddy's cell phone. Daddy mentioned that my ajja's (amma's dad) health condition was serious and that he had been admitted to Apollo hospital. I refused to believe what I was listening to. Daddy handed over the phone to one of my uncles. Uncle V said "Ajja's condition is deteriorating by the second. He is counting is last few breadths". Now tears were flowing uncontrolably. We talked to my other uncle M, who was so shaken by the sudden turn of events around him. After talking to him for few minutes, we disconnected the call. Now amma, sister and me were in a state of extreme shock. Only 4 days back had we spoken to ajja and ajji. They were just healthy then. Just then the phone rang. Cousin S had called and she mentioned that ajja had passed away.
All of us were just going mad .... we didn't know what to do. My sister who is 8 months pregnant now sank on the sofa and started crying so badly that I really didn't know what I should be doing. We tried to calm her, forced her to take a couple of deep breaths, drink some water.(her BP seem to raise). The entire evening was spent on phone calls to friends and family. For the first time in many years, I felt helpless. I was reminded of the distance separating India and US every second. My mother who had spent all her life staying in the same city as my grandparents felt miserable not being there by grandpa's bedside at this time.
Without much debate, we cancelled the next day's baby shower.
The day which started on such a high note ended at a very very dull note.
Miss you ajja .... words just cannot express how I feel at this time.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Ganesha Chaturthi
This year Ganesha Chaturthi was celebrated with so much enthusiam. This inspite of us coming back from our vacation to Los Angeles and San Diego just the previous day. Thanks to my mother, everything was so well done ... it didn't seem like we had just arrived from our summer vacation.
The reason for this post, to detail out the menu
Gowri Habba:
* Saaru
* Anna
* Bisi Bele Bhath
* Raitha
* Carrot Palya
* Mosaranna
* Bele Obbattu
Ganesha Habba
* Gasa Gase Payasa
* Saaru
* Beans Palya
* Karida Kadubu
* Kola Katte
* Chatni
* Hagala Kayi Gojju
* Mosaranna
Our house Charpu : Ganesha Mangalarthi was on 5th 2008
* Chikki
* Cocoa Benne Biscuit
* Huliyavalakki
* Fruit Salad served at home for guests
* Mixture (Karida Avalakki)
* Banana
* Orange
Sister's house Charpu:
* Chakkali
* Huliyavalakki
* Shalya Anna
* Ribbon Pakoda
* Gasa Gase payasa (served at home for the guests)
* Rave Laddu
* Banana
* Orange
Thank you Amma ... I knew you were totally exhausted at the end of the week ... but your efforts are truly appreciated.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Divine Concert
Last Sunday Sep 7th 2008, I had the lucky opportunity of attending the divine concert of Violin Maestro Duo Mysore Nagaraj and Dr. Mysore Manjunath. The vidwans entertained the crowd with kritis after kritis. Both their individual styles was unique... Vidwan Nagaraj's music was extremely melodious while Dr. Manjunath's music was filled with calculated swaras.
The concert started off with Varna in Natakuranji. This was followed by kritis in Shanmukhapriya, ShankaraBharana, Raagamaalika, Suddha Dhanyasi to name a few and the concert concluded with Tillana in Hamsanandi. While all the kritis were simply superb, the Raagamaalika was just out of this world. I was so spellbound that it just brought tears of joy in me. All in all it was an out of the world experience for me.
It had been almost 8 years since I attended a live concert. I must say sunday's experience was totally humbling.
The concert started off with Varna in Natakuranji. This was followed by kritis in Shanmukhapriya, ShankaraBharana, Raagamaalika, Suddha Dhanyasi to name a few and the concert concluded with Tillana in Hamsanandi. While all the kritis were simply superb, the Raagamaalika was just out of this world. I was so spellbound that it just brought tears of joy in me. All in all it was an out of the world experience for me.
It had been almost 8 years since I attended a live concert. I must say sunday's experience was totally humbling.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Federer Lost - Wimbeldon 98
Watched Wimbeldon after a long long time. What a match it was ... used to be a great fan of Tennis ... it is amazing that last Tennis match I watched was some 4 yrs back.
Anyway, yesterday's match was treat to Tennis lovers. A great game of determination between world current best players - Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Once Nadal won the first two sets 6-4, 6-4 I almost thought the Championship would end in 3 sets. I was to be proved wrong. Federer won the next 2 sets 7-6,7-6 ( in the fourth set he fought back championship points couple of times in the tie break). Nadal won the fifth set in great style 9-7. This ended 5 year straight winning record for Federer.
Though my loyalties are still with Steffi and Sampras, it was great fun to watch a great match. I hope to I start following the game religiously ...lets see.
Anyway, yesterday's match was treat to Tennis lovers. A great game of determination between world current best players - Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Once Nadal won the first two sets 6-4, 6-4 I almost thought the Championship would end in 3 sets. I was to be proved wrong. Federer won the next 2 sets 7-6,7-6 ( in the fourth set he fought back championship points couple of times in the tie break). Nadal won the fifth set in great style 9-7. This ended 5 year straight winning record for Federer.
Though my loyalties are still with Steffi and Sampras, it was great fun to watch a great match. I hope to I start following the game religiously ...lets see.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Father's Day
I had done a post on my true hero,my dad few months back. Here is the link.
I still maintain that my dad is a wonderful person and great source of inspiration to me. Happy Father's day Daddy !!
All the while I thought my dad is the greatest, little did I know that I had been living with another great father for sometime now. I am refering to my dear husband here. He has proved time and again to be an excellent father. My kids adore their adore to the core. He never runs out of patience involving our kids. I wish I could write about everything he does for our kids ... but time being a constraint, let me just say "Happy Father's day !!"
I still maintain that my dad is a wonderful person and great source of inspiration to me. Happy Father's day Daddy !!
All the while I thought my dad is the greatest, little did I know that I had been living with another great father for sometime now. I am refering to my dear husband here. He has proved time and again to be an excellent father. My kids adore their adore to the core. He never runs out of patience involving our kids. I wish I could write about everything he does for our kids ... but time being a constraint, let me just say "Happy Father's day !!"
Monday, September 24, 2007
Congratulations India !
India beat Pakistan to lift the first 20 overs limited Cricket world cup !
What a proud moment for the Indian Cricket team !
Congratulations India for a well deserved victory.
Infact the last few matches that India played have been some of the best cricketing victories.
It all started with the match against England, followed by a fantastic win against South Africa (completely eliminating them from the world cup) and then the much talked about victory over Australia.
India truly deserved to lift the world cup! Congratulations Team India !
Chak De India !!
What a proud moment for the Indian Cricket team !
Congratulations India for a well deserved victory.
Infact the last few matches that India played have been some of the best cricketing victories.
It all started with the match against England, followed by a fantastic win against South Africa (completely eliminating them from the world cup) and then the much talked about victory over Australia.
India truly deserved to lift the world cup! Congratulations Team India !
Chak De India !!
Monday, August 13, 2007
Chak De India
Last evening, hubby and I went out to the theatre to watch this movie after almost 4 years. Thanks to my family who offered to take care of my little one.
We both thoroughly enjoyed the movie … there were no surprises … the story was predictable all the way. But what made it interesting was its execution ... err… I mean the narration, crisp editing and excellent acting.
There was no mandatory song / dance routine … the songs played in the background and were quite enjoyable and added to the mood.
The storyline is very simple … its about a disgraced hockey player guiding the Indian women’s hockey team from ground zero to World championship. I knew that SRK played a disgraced hockey player … I knew he would lead the women’s hockey team to victory … what made the movie interesting was the journey taken along.
The so called “Non actresses” did not come across as actresses at all … err … I mean, they came across as relatable likable characters and never once I realized they were acting. Well, that should say quite some thing about their performance. And SRK … well, this was the second movie, in which I saw an actor in him !! Wow … what a performance… Even without being a remote fan of SRK, I could not help but appreciate his performance in this movie. Its appropriate to his age (he should stop running behind heroines mouthing silly dialogues) …. He takes up a risk with this role, clearly not going with his image and delivers a punched performance. I couldn’t imagine a better actor for this role.
For anyone, liking pure family entertainment, with no frills … I would recommend this movie any day! It just doesn’t hurt if you are a sports enthusiast … more so, if you have loved “Hockey” !!!
We both thoroughly enjoyed the movie … there were no surprises … the story was predictable all the way. But what made it interesting was its execution ... err… I mean the narration, crisp editing and excellent acting.
There was no mandatory song / dance routine … the songs played in the background and were quite enjoyable and added to the mood.
The storyline is very simple … its about a disgraced hockey player guiding the Indian women’s hockey team from ground zero to World championship. I knew that SRK played a disgraced hockey player … I knew he would lead the women’s hockey team to victory … what made the movie interesting was the journey taken along.
The so called “Non actresses” did not come across as actresses at all … err … I mean, they came across as relatable likable characters and never once I realized they were acting. Well, that should say quite some thing about their performance. And SRK … well, this was the second movie, in which I saw an actor in him !! Wow … what a performance… Even without being a remote fan of SRK, I could not help but appreciate his performance in this movie. Its appropriate to his age (he should stop running behind heroines mouthing silly dialogues) …. He takes up a risk with this role, clearly not going with his image and delivers a punched performance. I couldn’t imagine a better actor for this role.
For anyone, liking pure family entertainment, with no frills … I would recommend this movie any day! It just doesn’t hurt if you are a sports enthusiast … more so, if you have loved “Hockey” !!!
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Office rambling - 1
As much as I have been reading other people’s blogs, I am not writing as much.
The reason being the mental block … perhaps my creativity on what I should blog is gone for a toss amidst all the work pressure.
There are countless occasions when I have read someone’s blog and said I could write my take on this in my blog .. but that rarely has happened.
This saddens me … I need to write … and I know I am a happier person when I write … just that I am not prioritizing blogging !
Today my work began on a high note … there was this long pending task, which was not taken up by anyone until I volunteered to steer it.
This happened about 15 days back. I spent about 2-3 days just analyzing the information gathered thus far and wondered how such a critical module had taken a backseat.
To my luck, I was able to get time and commitment from the required folks to move ahead on this piece and we achieved quite some progress over the last week.
Coming back to my high spirits this morning … the client, higher management within my company have sent out appreciation emails on the tasks accomplished last week.
It sure feels good to be appreciated !!
The reason being the mental block … perhaps my creativity on what I should blog is gone for a toss amidst all the work pressure.
There are countless occasions when I have read someone’s blog and said I could write my take on this in my blog .. but that rarely has happened.
This saddens me … I need to write … and I know I am a happier person when I write … just that I am not prioritizing blogging !
Today my work began on a high note … there was this long pending task, which was not taken up by anyone until I volunteered to steer it.
This happened about 15 days back. I spent about 2-3 days just analyzing the information gathered thus far and wondered how such a critical module had taken a backseat.
To my luck, I was able to get time and commitment from the required folks to move ahead on this piece and we achieved quite some progress over the last week.
Coming back to my high spirits this morning … the client, higher management within my company have sent out appreciation emails on the tasks accomplished last week.
It sure feels good to be appreciated !!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Treasure hunt
My daughter's 3 rd birthday party was a huge success.
One of the games played with the kids (and of course parents) was treasure hunt.
Below were the clues for the hidden treasures:
CLUE 1:
Follow this clue to kids favourite space
Where the kids go higher and higher in this place
Go to this place to see the "Bling"
Come on .. its right here under the ________
CLUE 2:
There is no need to frown
The next clue is under a place you sit down
Track it down, but there is no Label
Thats' right, the treasure is in under the __________
CLUE 3:
You're almost there! Don't admit defeat!
Now, make your way to the street!
This clue is sure a ticket
Spill out the sand, inside the ________
CLUE 4:
All right ! Way to go and oh Boy !
Now this clue is one of kids favourite toy !
Don't run to hard, coz you may fall
The treasure is near the soccer ________
CLUE 5:
To find this clue you must look hard around !
Only then will the treasure be found !
Try harder... you see nothing comes for free
Green grass and its me, close to the _________
CLUE 6:
Observe around for the party theme
That way your thoughts will stream
Yes! You will fine me, come on go
Behind the seven colors of the ___________
As you may have guessed, it was a themed party ... can you guess the theme ?
The kids and their parents sure had loads of fun !
One of the games played with the kids (and of course parents) was treasure hunt.
Below were the clues for the hidden treasures:
CLUE 1:
Follow this clue to kids favourite space
Where the kids go higher and higher in this place
Go to this place to see the "Bling"
Come on .. its right here under the ________
CLUE 2:
There is no need to frown
The next clue is under a place you sit down
Track it down, but there is no Label
Thats' right, the treasure is in under the __________
CLUE 3:
You're almost there! Don't admit defeat!
Now, make your way to the street!
This clue is sure a ticket
Spill out the sand, inside the ________
CLUE 4:
All right ! Way to go and oh Boy !
Now this clue is one of kids favourite toy !
Don't run to hard, coz you may fall
The treasure is near the soccer ________
CLUE 5:
To find this clue you must look hard around !
Only then will the treasure be found !
Try harder... you see nothing comes for free
Green grass and its me, close to the _________
CLUE 6:
Observe around for the party theme
That way your thoughts will stream
Yes! You will fine me, come on go
Behind the seven colors of the ___________
As you may have guessed, it was a themed party ... can you guess the theme ?
The kids and their parents sure had loads of fun !
Thursday, June 14, 2007
My true Hero
A little girl hurt her thumb, when she hit against the wall. Her mom ran to her, consoled her and tried to divert her attention to various other things around the house. There was no sore , or blood on the thumb. The girl held her thumb upright the whole day and in the evening her dad came. The magic rub of the thumb by her dad, followed with affectionate words seem to make a differnce. The pain on the thumb was soon forgotten. (wonder if there was any pain at all in the first place)
The little girl soon started school. She did quite well academically. She was enrolled in a school where the first langauage was Hindi. Her parents felt that Hindi Prachar sabha exams would help her with the new language. Her dad donned the role of a hindi teacher. The language was new to him as well ... but he never once showed his nervousness to the little girl. Before the girl turned 7, she had passed her "Maadhyama exmas" ... thanks to her dad. She was now comfortable enough to have a good conversation in Hindi. Along with her curriculum, the school encouraged all their kids to participate in Co-curricular activities. While the mom took the role of Arts / Music / drawing teacher, her dad took it upon himself to encourage his daughter to participate in Essay writing /monoacting / recitation / debate etc. Whether a prize was won or not, their encouragement did not stop. Of course, they tried to encourage the girl in sports as well ... but the girl did not show much on interest in that area. Soon, the girl graduated to Middle school. Her dad helped out in every possible way in her science projects and debate competitions. He was careful in his involvement ... he never once spoon fed. He always encouraged the girl to think out of the box. High school and college saw the girl take regular mathematics and physics lessons from her dad. She now discussed most subjects under the sun be it cricket matches or politics or a problem in Integratiom, or soaring petrol rates and its implication to common man ... she discussed everything with her dad. Soon she earned her Bachelors degree and found a good job in a different city. Her dad accompanied her first day to the office. After ensuring that his daughter's needs in the new city was met, the dad returned back to his hometown.
Then one fine day, the girl got married ... just a couple of days after the wedding, the girl had to locate to a different country to join her husband. The dad gave his most precious possession , his daughter away to this gentleman, her husband with a heavy heart. The girl started living in a differnt country ... her interactions with her dad / mom was not as much as it once used to be. But she always involved them in her world... though remotely. That girl is none other than me and today, I have a little daughter and am enjoying a whole new experience that life has to offer.
But dad, I cannot say enough things about you ...
I may not have been the best daughter one could have, but you still were there for me, when I needed you.
I may not have fulfilled your dreams by becoming an IAS officer, but you have never once complained about my choice of profession.
I may not have done a lot more things that you I could do for you ... but you never once expected anything from me.
Thank you daddy ... thank you for everything. You are truly a gem of a person .... I may have never said this to you ... but "You are my true Hero" ... my most admired person in whole entire world.
HAPPY FATHER"S DAY !
The little girl soon started school. She did quite well academically. She was enrolled in a school where the first langauage was Hindi. Her parents felt that Hindi Prachar sabha exams would help her with the new language. Her dad donned the role of a hindi teacher. The language was new to him as well ... but he never once showed his nervousness to the little girl. Before the girl turned 7, she had passed her "Maadhyama exmas" ... thanks to her dad. She was now comfortable enough to have a good conversation in Hindi. Along with her curriculum, the school encouraged all their kids to participate in Co-curricular activities. While the mom took the role of Arts / Music / drawing teacher, her dad took it upon himself to encourage his daughter to participate in Essay writing /monoacting / recitation / debate etc. Whether a prize was won or not, their encouragement did not stop. Of course, they tried to encourage the girl in sports as well ... but the girl did not show much on interest in that area. Soon, the girl graduated to Middle school. Her dad helped out in every possible way in her science projects and debate competitions. He was careful in his involvement ... he never once spoon fed. He always encouraged the girl to think out of the box. High school and college saw the girl take regular mathematics and physics lessons from her dad. She now discussed most subjects under the sun be it cricket matches or politics or a problem in Integratiom, or soaring petrol rates and its implication to common man ... she discussed everything with her dad. Soon she earned her Bachelors degree and found a good job in a different city. Her dad accompanied her first day to the office. After ensuring that his daughter's needs in the new city was met, the dad returned back to his hometown.
Then one fine day, the girl got married ... just a couple of days after the wedding, the girl had to locate to a different country to join her husband. The dad gave his most precious possession , his daughter away to this gentleman, her husband with a heavy heart. The girl started living in a differnt country ... her interactions with her dad / mom was not as much as it once used to be. But she always involved them in her world... though remotely. That girl is none other than me and today, I have a little daughter and am enjoying a whole new experience that life has to offer.
But dad, I cannot say enough things about you ...
I may not have been the best daughter one could have, but you still were there for me, when I needed you.
I may not have fulfilled your dreams by becoming an IAS officer, but you have never once complained about my choice of profession.
I may not have done a lot more things that you I could do for you ... but you never once expected anything from me.
Thank you daddy ... thank you for everything. You are truly a gem of a person .... I may have never said this to you ... but "You are my true Hero" ... my most admired person in whole entire world.
HAPPY FATHER"S DAY !
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Downtown - Muni ride
Downtown offers a unique experience everytime you visit it. So far, I have never been let down ...
I was returning from office yesterday. The Muni station that I board is not one of the popular stations. Its an underground station and not many people board there. Muni arrived within couple of mins of me reaching the station. I paid for the ticket in the first car and looked around. There was a young noisy crowd in the first car. After a hectic day at work, I didn't want to be admist a noisy crowd ... so moved to the last car. I was pleasantly surprised to see my colleague from work in the same car. The next station approached and few interesting people boarded the muni. I keenly observed these people, while trying to have a conversation with my colleague. One of the person from the "Interesting crowd" ... with tattoo all over his arms, pulled something from his pocket ... it appeared like tobacco (or was it drugs ???) ... he rubbed it with his hands and started sniffing it. I could sense he was not satisfied just sniffing it. I have never seen anyone doing drugs in front of me ... so I counted this as my opportunity. Just then my colleague asked me something about my work experience .... I mumbled something and looked at this tattooed person ... alas. ... he was gone ... I had lost my opportunity :(
While I was observing this guy, I had not failed to notice another drunk guy moving from one end of the train. Then there was a huge huge guy (who occupied double seats) having some talk about a ballpark game with another equally enthusiastic / huge guy. In the mad rush, another well built lady weirdly dressed stood beside me enjoying music on her ipod (I cannot begin to describe her dressing sense)
I was returning from office yesterday. The Muni station that I board is not one of the popular stations. Its an underground station and not many people board there. Muni arrived within couple of mins of me reaching the station. I paid for the ticket in the first car and looked around. There was a young noisy crowd in the first car. After a hectic day at work, I didn't want to be admist a noisy crowd ... so moved to the last car. I was pleasantly surprised to see my colleague from work in the same car. The next station approached and few interesting people boarded the muni. I keenly observed these people, while trying to have a conversation with my colleague. One of the person from the "Interesting crowd" ... with tattoo all over his arms, pulled something from his pocket ... it appeared like tobacco (or was it drugs ???) ... he rubbed it with his hands and started sniffing it. I could sense he was not satisfied just sniffing it. I have never seen anyone doing drugs in front of me ... so I counted this as my opportunity. Just then my colleague asked me something about my work experience .... I mumbled something and looked at this tattooed person ... alas. ... he was gone ... I had lost my opportunity :(
While I was observing this guy, I had not failed to notice another drunk guy moving from one end of the train. Then there was a huge huge guy (who occupied double seats) having some talk about a ballpark game with another equally enthusiastic / huge guy. In the mad rush, another well built lady weirdly dressed stood beside me enjoying music on her ipod (I cannot begin to describe her dressing sense)
As I observed these people ... I almost missed my station. Thankfully I had my colleague to remind me ... so that didn't happen.
Downtown muni rides sure is eventful most days :)
Friday, June 08, 2007
New project - 1st week
The new project is very interesting ... its a re-engineering project. I get to learn a new Business and a new technology. Well the business and technology are old by themselves... new to me.
In that sense its an exciting project. But couple of cribs:
12hrs of my day is gone in meetings ... yes, got that right. My ear hurts and my head stops functioning after a while. And my worst problem, my home phone battery does not last as long and I am forced to use personal cell minutes ... boo boo ....
The people on-board the project have been working in the team for the past 6-8 months ... but not much progress has been made. Most of the knowledge these folks have obtained is not documented. There is no time for Knowledge transfer session given the strict timelines drawn.
OK ... let me stop here ... there are many more positives and negatives about the project though. Its just been one week and I can already come up with a list ... amazing uh ? Thanks to my parents, a lot of things gets done at home. The only thing I do in my free time is run around my little daughter and have fun with her.
How would I manage if my parents were not here with me at this time ?? I cannot begin to imagine the situation ....
In that sense its an exciting project. But couple of cribs:
12hrs of my day is gone in meetings ... yes, got that right. My ear hurts and my head stops functioning after a while. And my worst problem, my home phone battery does not last as long and I am forced to use personal cell minutes ... boo boo ....
The people on-board the project have been working in the team for the past 6-8 months ... but not much progress has been made. Most of the knowledge these folks have obtained is not documented. There is no time for Knowledge transfer session given the strict timelines drawn.
OK ... let me stop here ... there are many more positives and negatives about the project though. Its just been one week and I can already come up with a list ... amazing uh ? Thanks to my parents, a lot of things gets done at home. The only thing I do in my free time is run around my little daughter and have fun with her.
How would I manage if my parents were not here with me at this time ?? I cannot begin to imagine the situation ....
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
First day at work - new learnings
I began working on my new assignment from this monday. I had a good sleep sunday night ... surprisingly did not have any jitters starting on the new project. Got addressed at the right time and headed to the Caltrain station to catch the 7:13am train. The parking fee has been hiked since the last time I was there ... anyways, got my ticket and boarded the train. The ticket validator at the station was not functioning, so, as soon as I boarded and had found a comfortable seating ... I began to look for the Conductor. You see, being cited for ticket violation is no fun :(
Anyways, once I got my ticket endorsed my the conductor, I caught up on more sleep. The train ride to the downtown was more or less uneventful. I hopped on the Muni from the caltrain depot. Now, I wasn't sure which station I had to get off. Well, I had a vague idea of the downtown, but wasn't sure. With my best guess, I got off at the station which seemed closest to my office building. It was a subway station and I got back to the streets. The looked across the street and noted the office building number was close to my destination address. OK.. not a bad choice of station to get off I appreciated and continued walking in the direction of my office building. After walking a couple of blocks I realised I had missed my office building and so headed back in the direction I started off. I located a tall building from a distance and since I was going to the 22nd floor, I decided that the tall building was more than likely going to be my office and yep I was right. To my luck, the person who would escort me inside the building (secured building you see) was right behind me. Though we had not met before, somehow we recognised each other and he helped me get to my floor. He brought me a huge package which contained my laptop ... and all he had to say was he will be busy in meeting for the next 3 hrs. Great ... so what was I going to do now ??? I braved the odds and assembled the ever confusing parts of the laptop ... within about 20 - 25 mins, I was all set and connected to the office network successfully. I was all set for the day's work.
The entire day just went by in meetings and discussion ... soon it was time to leave.
I confidentantly headed to the muni station ... the trains were coming at regular intervals and I hopped to the muni within minutes. The muni headed through the tunnel and within a few secs the outside sunlight hit the muni (the sun sets at around 8:30pm these days) Something seemed wrong ... didn't the muni spend more time in subway in my morning ride?? Oh well ... everything was clear in mins ... in my anxiety I had jumped on to the muni heading the opposite direction. The next station never seem to show up ... how much more was I going away from my destination I wondered .... thankfully the next stop finally was made. I got off immediately only to be greeted by muni trains from all directions. (it was 5 roads junction) Welcome to downtown chaos I thought !!! There was no specific station there and the muni 's from all these directions had their own stations ... hmm well ... where would "MY" muni come ... I didn't know. I asked a lady in her 20's (looked educated to me) and she willingly spotted the right train for me and asked me to jump onto it. I thanked my stars for sending the train before I'd encounter one of those homeless vagabonds.
But there was another worry inside me... the Caltrain timings. I had barely 25mins on hand to make it to the train. With every inch closer to the Caltrain station, it appeared I had hopes to make it to the train. The last signal before the Caltrain station ensured there was a nail biting finish to this entire episode. The muni station is just across the Caltrain station. So I put on my best atheletic run from the muni station to the Caltrain station to make it to the train ... I almost felt a tear drop when the train left the platform right in front of my eyes ... anyone who travels by public transportation understands this feeling. It is a pathetic state of mind.
Before I could curse myself for choosing the wrong Muni, I noted that there was another Caltrain leaving in the next 10mins to my station ... and whats more it was a BABY BULLET with limited stops. This one would reach my destination sooner than the missed train. What more could I ask for, I gleed. "Ooper wala jab bhi deta hai to chappar phad ke deta hai"
Anyways, once I got my ticket endorsed my the conductor, I caught up on more sleep. The train ride to the downtown was more or less uneventful. I hopped on the Muni from the caltrain depot. Now, I wasn't sure which station I had to get off. Well, I had a vague idea of the downtown, but wasn't sure. With my best guess, I got off at the station which seemed closest to my office building. It was a subway station and I got back to the streets. The looked across the street and noted the office building number was close to my destination address. OK.. not a bad choice of station to get off I appreciated and continued walking in the direction of my office building. After walking a couple of blocks I realised I had missed my office building and so headed back in the direction I started off. I located a tall building from a distance and since I was going to the 22nd floor, I decided that the tall building was more than likely going to be my office and yep I was right. To my luck, the person who would escort me inside the building (secured building you see) was right behind me. Though we had not met before, somehow we recognised each other and he helped me get to my floor. He brought me a huge package which contained my laptop ... and all he had to say was he will be busy in meeting for the next 3 hrs. Great ... so what was I going to do now ??? I braved the odds and assembled the ever confusing parts of the laptop ... within about 20 - 25 mins, I was all set and connected to the office network successfully. I was all set for the day's work.
The entire day just went by in meetings and discussion ... soon it was time to leave.
I confidentantly headed to the muni station ... the trains were coming at regular intervals and I hopped to the muni within minutes. The muni headed through the tunnel and within a few secs the outside sunlight hit the muni (the sun sets at around 8:30pm these days) Something seemed wrong ... didn't the muni spend more time in subway in my morning ride?? Oh well ... everything was clear in mins ... in my anxiety I had jumped on to the muni heading the opposite direction. The next station never seem to show up ... how much more was I going away from my destination I wondered .... thankfully the next stop finally was made. I got off immediately only to be greeted by muni trains from all directions. (it was 5 roads junction) Welcome to downtown chaos I thought !!! There was no specific station there and the muni 's from all these directions had their own stations ... hmm well ... where would "MY" muni come ... I didn't know. I asked a lady in her 20's (looked educated to me) and she willingly spotted the right train for me and asked me to jump onto it. I thanked my stars for sending the train before I'd encounter one of those homeless vagabonds.
But there was another worry inside me... the Caltrain timings. I had barely 25mins on hand to make it to the train. With every inch closer to the Caltrain station, it appeared I had hopes to make it to the train. The last signal before the Caltrain station ensured there was a nail biting finish to this entire episode. The muni station is just across the Caltrain station. So I put on my best atheletic run from the muni station to the Caltrain station to make it to the train ... I almost felt a tear drop when the train left the platform right in front of my eyes ... anyone who travels by public transportation understands this feeling. It is a pathetic state of mind.
Before I could curse myself for choosing the wrong Muni, I noted that there was another Caltrain leaving in the next 10mins to my station ... and whats more it was a BABY BULLET with limited stops. This one would reach my destination sooner than the missed train. What more could I ask for, I gleed. "Ooper wala jab bhi deta hai to chappar phad ke deta hai"
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Beginning of a new chapter
Friday was my last day at work ... no I didn't quit my job. I am moving to a different project.
My last day was very relaxing in the office (as expected). I went around thanking everyone for their co-operation during my stay in the project. note: I only went and thanked those from whom I had truly benefitted. My colleagues surprised me with a lunch out. We went to a nice Chinese Restaurant.
I have to write about my almost embarassing incident at the restaurant. Being a vegetarian, I had very limited choice in that particular place. I ordered for Seczhwan Eggplant (pardon my spelling) and steamed rice. Now, we were a group of 5 and I was the only vegetarian. Anyways, the soup was served ... it had a decent taste. I was looking forward to my order. The waitress served a huge platter of eggplant and rice. The food was inviting and I digged into it greedily. As soon as I put the food into my mouth I realised it was super super hot and I could see fumes from my mouth. If I was at home, I would have just cleared my mouth immediately. Here I was, in the company of office colleagues, I managed to control my tears ... held my napkin close to my mouth and gasped a few breaths. Thankfully everyone was busy discussing about this new application at work. For the next 300secs, I did not dare to touch the food.
After lunch, I offered to buy them all coffee. We chatted our way back to desk discussing about my next work location, technology I'd be working etc. The next 2 hours, I just sat there staring at the monitor trying hard to stop myself from drowsing. This is when I realised, it hard when you have loads of work to do ... but it is harder when you have no work to do.
As soon as the clock ticked 3:00pm, I got up and handed over my laptop, my badge and other office supplies. Bid my final good bye to my manager and walked out of the office building recollecting my experiences in the project. The drive home was uneventful.
I now look forward to my new project ... hoping to learn new things and enjoy my experience at my new work place.
My last day was very relaxing in the office (as expected). I went around thanking everyone for their co-operation during my stay in the project. note: I only went and thanked those from whom I had truly benefitted. My colleagues surprised me with a lunch out. We went to a nice Chinese Restaurant.
I have to write about my almost embarassing incident at the restaurant. Being a vegetarian, I had very limited choice in that particular place. I ordered for Seczhwan Eggplant (pardon my spelling) and steamed rice. Now, we were a group of 5 and I was the only vegetarian. Anyways, the soup was served ... it had a decent taste. I was looking forward to my order. The waitress served a huge platter of eggplant and rice. The food was inviting and I digged into it greedily. As soon as I put the food into my mouth I realised it was super super hot and I could see fumes from my mouth. If I was at home, I would have just cleared my mouth immediately. Here I was, in the company of office colleagues, I managed to control my tears ... held my napkin close to my mouth and gasped a few breaths. Thankfully everyone was busy discussing about this new application at work. For the next 300secs, I did not dare to touch the food.
After lunch, I offered to buy them all coffee. We chatted our way back to desk discussing about my next work location, technology I'd be working etc. The next 2 hours, I just sat there staring at the monitor trying hard to stop myself from drowsing. This is when I realised, it hard when you have loads of work to do ... but it is harder when you have no work to do.
As soon as the clock ticked 3:00pm, I got up and handed over my laptop, my badge and other office supplies. Bid my final good bye to my manager and walked out of the office building recollecting my experiences in the project. The drive home was uneventful.
I now look forward to my new project ... hoping to learn new things and enjoy my experience at my new work place.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Met Yamaraj* .. well almost ... and didn't even realise ....
This incident happened about 2 weeks back. Like I have mentioned in my previous post, I have never had respite from long commute to work. I have been so much used to it now that it feels part of my lifestyle.
Anyways, I was returning home after an eventful day at work. Little did I know that bigger events were in store for me. It was only 5 mins since I had driven from the office parking lot ... I had just entered the freeway. The traffic was moving at a nice speed and I was glad. Suddenly I heard a honk.** I looked at my speedometer ... it reflected 70mph and was satisfied. The posted speed limit is 65mph and the traffic was more or less going at 70mph speed. I ignored the honk and thought it was for a fellow driver. Just then I noticed a huge truck approaching me in the next lane. The truck driver had a horrified look and pointed his hands at something. I could make out that we was trying to convey some message to me. I just couldn't understand and had a quizzed look on my face. I then noticed that the car following the truck was that of a Cop. Oh ! I concluded, the truck driver was trying to alert me of the approaching cop so I could drive at the posted speed !!! What a gentleman ... I thought.
But the next moment, I said " Hey, but no body in the US does that ... why would anyone alert you of the cop especially being followed by one ????" .. All these thoughts came to mind in less than 5 secs. Something didn't seem right ... I realised that I was loosing the control of my car. I was in the left most lane ***. So I cut lanes and had almost made it to the right most lane and my car started wobbling crazily. Thankfully the pullover (emergency parking) was right beside me and I pulled over. I parked my car and causiously came out. To my horror, the left rear wheel had been torn to pieces. The truck driver's indication now made perfect sense to me.
I knew I had to call AAA ~. I had never dealt with them before and so wanted to consult my husband about the steps involved. So I hoped into the car. As luck would have it, my cell phone lay dead there ... and I hadn't carried the charger. I cursed myself and spotted the next exit in about a miles' distance. The last thing to happen in this situation was for me to forget my purse. Thankfully I had carried it along. (yes, there are times when I have forgotten my purse as well ... thankfully I have gotten well)
Anyways, I locked my car and started walking towards the exit ...not knowing where it would lead me to.Just when I had walked some 30 yards, a biker stopped and asked if he could take a look. He was a typical American male ... tall well built man, clean shaven, in his early 50's (perhaps) He was not riding a Harley Davidson ... a BMW bike ... I noted the memorised the number plate and accepted his offer. He took a look at the torn tyre and asked if I carried a spare tyre. I think I have one I mumbled not so confidently. He said, "Well, I can change it for you, if you like" he offered. With not much choice, I agreed. He also lent me his cell phone, in case I wanted to call anyone. I appreciated his kind gesture and tried to reach my husband. As expected he did not receive my call. (he doesn't answer calls from unrecognised numbers) I could hear the rush in my blood, when he didn't pick up the phone. While the good samaritan was replacing my tire... another fella in a sports car stopped. He was another 20 something male with tattoes, bandana ... the typical rock star look. He offered help, when the older guy politely refused. With not many handy tools, the older gentleman somehow managed to replace my tyre. He cautioned me to drive slowly and not make sharp turns. He pointed to the replaced tyre and said "This is almost like a toy tyre ...don't take your chances. Drive carefully... not beyond 40mph". I thanked him for his help .. he drove away on his bike with a smile.
I shared my experience with my husband and family later that evening. They were all thankful I had managed to reach home safe. One of my colleagues at work remarked "You are so little ... anything could have happened to you, You were driving at a good speed ... bikers are all not always nice ... you just got lucky !!"
Only then did it dawn on me that I was indeed lucky ... I had almost met Yamaraj .. what if my car just went completely out of control and I could never pull over ... what if another car speeding from behind just hit me when I was chaging lanes ... the consequences could have been fatal. I thanked my stars !
My little dictionary for the uninitiated:
* : Yamaraj: God of death
**: Honking is not common in the US ... one honks only when a fellow driver makes a mistake.
*** : Left most is the fastest lane
~ : American Automobile Association. When insured, they provide road side assistance for any problem with the automobile
Anyways, I was returning home after an eventful day at work. Little did I know that bigger events were in store for me. It was only 5 mins since I had driven from the office parking lot ... I had just entered the freeway. The traffic was moving at a nice speed and I was glad. Suddenly I heard a honk.** I looked at my speedometer ... it reflected 70mph and was satisfied. The posted speed limit is 65mph and the traffic was more or less going at 70mph speed. I ignored the honk and thought it was for a fellow driver. Just then I noticed a huge truck approaching me in the next lane. The truck driver had a horrified look and pointed his hands at something. I could make out that we was trying to convey some message to me. I just couldn't understand and had a quizzed look on my face. I then noticed that the car following the truck was that of a Cop. Oh ! I concluded, the truck driver was trying to alert me of the approaching cop so I could drive at the posted speed !!! What a gentleman ... I thought.
But the next moment, I said " Hey, but no body in the US does that ... why would anyone alert you of the cop especially being followed by one ????" .. All these thoughts came to mind in less than 5 secs. Something didn't seem right ... I realised that I was loosing the control of my car. I was in the left most lane ***. So I cut lanes and had almost made it to the right most lane and my car started wobbling crazily. Thankfully the pullover (emergency parking) was right beside me and I pulled over. I parked my car and causiously came out. To my horror, the left rear wheel had been torn to pieces. The truck driver's indication now made perfect sense to me.
I knew I had to call AAA ~. I had never dealt with them before and so wanted to consult my husband about the steps involved. So I hoped into the car. As luck would have it, my cell phone lay dead there ... and I hadn't carried the charger. I cursed myself and spotted the next exit in about a miles' distance. The last thing to happen in this situation was for me to forget my purse. Thankfully I had carried it along. (yes, there are times when I have forgotten my purse as well ... thankfully I have gotten well)
Anyways, I locked my car and started walking towards the exit ...not knowing where it would lead me to.Just when I had walked some 30 yards, a biker stopped and asked if he could take a look. He was a typical American male ... tall well built man, clean shaven, in his early 50's (perhaps) He was not riding a Harley Davidson ... a BMW bike ... I noted the memorised the number plate and accepted his offer. He took a look at the torn tyre and asked if I carried a spare tyre. I think I have one I mumbled not so confidently. He said, "Well, I can change it for you, if you like" he offered. With not much choice, I agreed. He also lent me his cell phone, in case I wanted to call anyone. I appreciated his kind gesture and tried to reach my husband. As expected he did not receive my call. (he doesn't answer calls from unrecognised numbers) I could hear the rush in my blood, when he didn't pick up the phone. While the good samaritan was replacing my tire... another fella in a sports car stopped. He was another 20 something male with tattoes, bandana ... the typical rock star look. He offered help, when the older guy politely refused. With not many handy tools, the older gentleman somehow managed to replace my tyre. He cautioned me to drive slowly and not make sharp turns. He pointed to the replaced tyre and said "This is almost like a toy tyre ...don't take your chances. Drive carefully... not beyond 40mph". I thanked him for his help .. he drove away on his bike with a smile.
I shared my experience with my husband and family later that evening. They were all thankful I had managed to reach home safe. One of my colleagues at work remarked "You are so little ... anything could have happened to you, You were driving at a good speed ... bikers are all not always nice ... you just got lucky !!"
Only then did it dawn on me that I was indeed lucky ... I had almost met Yamaraj .. what if my car just went completely out of control and I could never pull over ... what if another car speeding from behind just hit me when I was chaging lanes ... the consequences could have been fatal. I thanked my stars !
My little dictionary for the uninitiated:
* : Yamaraj: God of death
**: Honking is not common in the US ... one honks only when a fellow driver makes a mistake.
*** : Left most is the fastest lane
~ : American Automobile Association. When insured, they provide road side assistance for any problem with the automobile
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Friday, December 22, 2006
Shah Rukh Khan
Last evening, we introduced a new cartoon to my little one - "Jungle Book". I am glad she liked Ballu and is willing to see the video. Just a few months back, it Barney and only Barney. It was getting increasingly boring (for us ... she didn't mind) . We tried to introduce her to Angelina, Bob the builder, Wiggles ... with little luck. Dora was accepted without much effort and so were Thomas and his friends. Barney still occupied the Uno spot.
During my last visit to the library, I spotted "Lion King" and was reminded of my good old school days. We taken to the movie "Lion King" one of those days... the entire theatre was booked for just our school kids and we had thoroughly enjoyed our day out. I just wanted to see the movie again and brought copy the DVD. When the movie was played the first time, my little one watched it with keen interest and insisted on hearing the story from us. Soon, she mastered the story and especially fascinated by "Hakuna Matada" song.
Last week, we borrowed the jungle book video from the library. She seemed to like the movie when we played it the first time. The next day, when it was her TV time, she came to me and said, I want to see "Shah rukh Khan" ... I could not believe my ears ... How does she know about SRK , I looked puzzled ... only after a couple of more requests from her to see "Shah rukh Khan" video did I realise, she meant "Sher Khan" and her talented accent of saying the same "Shyer Khan" had sounded "Shah Rukh Khan" to my ears. With a little smile, I obliged and she blissfully watched the movie :)))
During my last visit to the library, I spotted "Lion King" and was reminded of my good old school days. We taken to the movie "Lion King" one of those days... the entire theatre was booked for just our school kids and we had thoroughly enjoyed our day out. I just wanted to see the movie again and brought copy the DVD. When the movie was played the first time, my little one watched it with keen interest and insisted on hearing the story from us. Soon, she mastered the story and especially fascinated by "Hakuna Matada" song.
Last week, we borrowed the jungle book video from the library. She seemed to like the movie when we played it the first time. The next day, when it was her TV time, she came to me and said, I want to see "Shah rukh Khan" ... I could not believe my ears ... How does she know about SRK , I looked puzzled ... only after a couple of more requests from her to see "Shah rukh Khan" video did I realise, she meant "Sher Khan" and her talented accent of saying the same "Shyer Khan" had sounded "Shah Rukh Khan" to my ears. With a little smile, I obliged and she blissfully watched the movie :)))
Monday, November 27, 2006
Doom ... sorry Dhoom!
Watched this one of a kind movie over the long week only because my sister wanted company. This was just a "Materpiece" that it forced me to write the review ... note I haven't blogged in almost a month now.
Disclaimers:
1. The movie has no story ... so if you are disappointed by the end of my review that you did not get to read the story ... sorry, don't blame me...
2. Logic is to be forgotten when watching the movie. Most of the scenes defy logic.
3. If you are Abhishek fan ... you will be disappointed. This is an out and out Hritik movie ... I can merely state Abhishek's role as extended guest appearance.
The movie begins with Hritik's look alike ... err... sorry, a queen travelling by train with a precious crown "Somewhere in the desert of Namibia ..." In the movie, the queen comes to make sure her crown is intact and orders the security guards to close down the window in the chamber where the crown is guarded... her statement "If I can see the skies ... so can someone from the skies see the crown". No sooner does she complete this sentence, we see, a person jumping from the skies and landing perfectly on the moving train.... this person is none other than Hritik. (going by the applause he got when we landed on the train ... he sure has ardent fans, who refuse to think logically). Anyways, Hritik dresses like the queen (not difficult ... remember, I told you queen is Hritik look alike) and steals the crown. Hritik is the most "Clever and Cool" thief ! (Bipasha's words in the movie).
The next scene has some mandatory fights, which are supposed to be introductory scenes for Uday and Abhishek, who play cops. Then there is a scene where Bipasha is practicing shooting ... she is supposedly Abhishek's friend from college and now his colleague.
When these guys dance to their college tune, Hritik prepares for the next robbery and well executes it.... then there is another ... and yet another ... may be not ... I never paid attention ... was busy looking at the kid who was muching pop corns.
Ash is introduced much later in the movie ... but she wastes no time in irritating the audience with her dialogue delivery. A lot has been written about Ash's looks / clothes (???) ... to me, she has definitely tonned her self, but her make up is hideous. Lame song / music scenes follow.
The movie shifts from Mumbai to Brazil where Abhishek swears to catch Hritik. After some more lame songs ... Abhishek finally manages to chase Hritik promising an end. In one of the chase scenes, Hritik falls of a cliff and opens a parachute (must say he is a well prepared theif). Abhishek who has been chasing him looks down the cliff and just jumps ... but wait, he has no parachute (not a prepared cop I should say) ... he manages to hang on to Hritik's parachute in mid-air and both land safely.... phew ... !!!!
After 2.5 hrs of such unrelated / illogical scenes the movie finally ends.
Must know:
* Dhoom was a complete timepass ... I think the idea of giving sufficient scene coverage for all actors, weighed heavily on Di-2. The director forgot to pay attention to the story.
* Except Abhishek, all the other main actors wear very little.
* Hritik's performance is just an extension of Krishh.
* Abhishek's make up is pathetic .... perhaps he was shooting for Umrao Jaan and Di-2 simultaneously, my sister reminded. He would have just changed clothes and continued with the make up :)
* Bipasha looks great ... but not sure why she featured in the movie. The movie could easily do away with her.
* Uday was a comic relief in dhoom ... here he fails to evoke any laughter.* Rimi sen has a guest appearance ... what a relief !
* Ash has never been an actor...
* Music is average.
* Nice photography !
Watch the movie at your own risk !!!
Disclaimers:
1. The movie has no story ... so if you are disappointed by the end of my review that you did not get to read the story ... sorry, don't blame me...
2. Logic is to be forgotten when watching the movie. Most of the scenes defy logic.
3. If you are Abhishek fan ... you will be disappointed. This is an out and out Hritik movie ... I can merely state Abhishek's role as extended guest appearance.
The movie begins with Hritik's look alike ... err... sorry, a queen travelling by train with a precious crown "Somewhere in the desert of Namibia ..." In the movie, the queen comes to make sure her crown is intact and orders the security guards to close down the window in the chamber where the crown is guarded... her statement "If I can see the skies ... so can someone from the skies see the crown". No sooner does she complete this sentence, we see, a person jumping from the skies and landing perfectly on the moving train.... this person is none other than Hritik. (going by the applause he got when we landed on the train ... he sure has ardent fans, who refuse to think logically). Anyways, Hritik dresses like the queen (not difficult ... remember, I told you queen is Hritik look alike) and steals the crown. Hritik is the most "Clever and Cool" thief ! (Bipasha's words in the movie).
The next scene has some mandatory fights, which are supposed to be introductory scenes for Uday and Abhishek, who play cops. Then there is a scene where Bipasha is practicing shooting ... she is supposedly Abhishek's friend from college and now his colleague.
When these guys dance to their college tune, Hritik prepares for the next robbery and well executes it.... then there is another ... and yet another ... may be not ... I never paid attention ... was busy looking at the kid who was muching pop corns.
Ash is introduced much later in the movie ... but she wastes no time in irritating the audience with her dialogue delivery. A lot has been written about Ash's looks / clothes (???) ... to me, she has definitely tonned her self, but her make up is hideous. Lame song / music scenes follow.
The movie shifts from Mumbai to Brazil where Abhishek swears to catch Hritik. After some more lame songs ... Abhishek finally manages to chase Hritik promising an end. In one of the chase scenes, Hritik falls of a cliff and opens a parachute (must say he is a well prepared theif). Abhishek who has been chasing him looks down the cliff and just jumps ... but wait, he has no parachute (not a prepared cop I should say) ... he manages to hang on to Hritik's parachute in mid-air and both land safely.... phew ... !!!!
After 2.5 hrs of such unrelated / illogical scenes the movie finally ends.
Must know:
* Dhoom was a complete timepass ... I think the idea of giving sufficient scene coverage for all actors, weighed heavily on Di-2. The director forgot to pay attention to the story.
* Except Abhishek, all the other main actors wear very little.
* Hritik's performance is just an extension of Krishh.
* Abhishek's make up is pathetic .... perhaps he was shooting for Umrao Jaan and Di-2 simultaneously, my sister reminded. He would have just changed clothes and continued with the make up :)
* Bipasha looks great ... but not sure why she featured in the movie. The movie could easily do away with her.
* Uday was a comic relief in dhoom ... here he fails to evoke any laughter.* Rimi sen has a guest appearance ... what a relief !
* Ash has never been an actor...
* Music is average.
* Nice photography !
Watch the movie at your own risk !!!
Monday, October 30, 2006
Trick Or Treat
If some kid were to ask me "Trick or Treat?" just a few years ago, the kid would probably stumble upon my answer. Now I know when this is asked. My first year of stay in the US included some interesting events... Halloween was one of them. I was invited to an interesting Halloween party in the office. It was a lunch party. I had little or no clue on I should expect at the party. It was one of the first parties I attended at work and I neatly dressed myself in one of my best formals. As anyone would guess, I looked very different from the rest of the "Veteran" crowd present at the party. Thankfully I had company in another friend "B" and we decided we would stick with each other the entire party. I remember twisting my eye brows on seeing spider webs at the cornet of the table as I entered the party hall ... I had whispered to myself " How untidy !!!" Now when I think back, I must confess it was one of the best arranged "Theme Parties" that I have attended.
My first Halloween experience at home was rather disappointing. My husband had informed that the kids in the neighborhood would come by for candies. So I neatly arranged our living room and spread a variety of candies and cookies on trays. I was eagerly waiting for the kids to show up .. but that was not to be... I was disappointed that evening I must confess. I later learnt that a pumpkin at the door ensured that the kids would stop by ... The kids took no pumpkins by the door as a sign for no candies. Of course, there were exceptions to this rule as well :)
I have never ever dressed myself for Halloween and I sometimes fail to understand why people dress up in scary attires. But this year, there is a Halloween party at my daughter's school and the teachers want all the toddlers to dress up for Halloween and participate in the potluck lunch. My brain started comtemplating various costumes for my little one from the day I learnt about the party. One thing I was sure was that my daughter would not wear any scary costume. Also, I didn't want to buy the costume.After a little thought / discussion we decided on the butterfly costume.
So this saturday evening was spent in designing / shopping and putting together the "Butterfly costume". I could have very well bought some costume ... but I knew of the emmense satisfaction that comes with making a costume from scratch at home. My husband helped in giving it some final touches as well. I must admit, it has turned out to be a unique costume and I seem to like it.
I now only hope that my toddler daughter does not play spoil sport and not wear it ... I would be disappointed then :(
I have been tuning her of the wonderful colors on the wings of the butterfly and how good she looks with the wings ... hopefully she is keep them on tomorrow for the Halloween party :)
My first Halloween experience at home was rather disappointing. My husband had informed that the kids in the neighborhood would come by for candies. So I neatly arranged our living room and spread a variety of candies and cookies on trays. I was eagerly waiting for the kids to show up .. but that was not to be... I was disappointed that evening I must confess. I later learnt that a pumpkin at the door ensured that the kids would stop by ... The kids took no pumpkins by the door as a sign for no candies. Of course, there were exceptions to this rule as well :)
I have never ever dressed myself for Halloween and I sometimes fail to understand why people dress up in scary attires. But this year, there is a Halloween party at my daughter's school and the teachers want all the toddlers to dress up for Halloween and participate in the potluck lunch. My brain started comtemplating various costumes for my little one from the day I learnt about the party. One thing I was sure was that my daughter would not wear any scary costume. Also, I didn't want to buy the costume.After a little thought / discussion we decided on the butterfly costume.
So this saturday evening was spent in designing / shopping and putting together the "Butterfly costume". I could have very well bought some costume ... but I knew of the emmense satisfaction that comes with making a costume from scratch at home. My husband helped in giving it some final touches as well. I must admit, it has turned out to be a unique costume and I seem to like it.
I now only hope that my toddler daughter does not play spoil sport and not wear it ... I would be disappointed then :(
I have been tuning her of the wonderful colors on the wings of the butterfly and how good she looks with the wings ... hopefully she is keep them on tomorrow for the Halloween party :)
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Rain Rain go away, Come again another day
Its just the first week of Oct and its already started raining here and is getting colder by the day ! It had been raining all the way till the last week of April and some showers in May and rain is already here :( Summer felt way too short ! Had so many plans for this summer and now looks like I almost have to wait another 6-7 months ! My plans for this summer included
- Atleast a couple of visits to the beach ... walking by the cold waves (because its Pacific ocean ... I am not crazy about the cold water, but I am used it now) in the hot sun. This followed by a light snack / lunch (never forget food anywhere I go.... do I ???) and may be beach volleyball or cricket or just sea shell hunting or making sand castle.
- Visit the farmer's market at Half moon bay and taste their heavenly strawberrys and fresh peas.
- A get-together with friends and family at a local park where the kids could get busy with slides and swings while the adults could play a game of Antakshari / Dum Cherrads or Bingo.
- A visit to the local zoo
- A visit to the water park (I am still not sure about this one, because I do not enjoy a lot of the rides here and the entry fee is way too expensive not to be used)
- Couple of visits to the temple and if possible prepare some "Prasad" for the devotees.
- Long drives
- Ice cream at Ghiradelli square ( need not necessarily be summer ... but it featured in my "To do this summer" list. )
No I did not prepare a list, but in my mind I wanted to do all these things and more. Only a few of these were accomplished and now I have to wait for the next summer :(
Don't get me wrong... I don't detest the rains .... I enjoy them and am already preparing my list for the days ahead ... of course in my mind ! There are quite a few interesting things I prefer doing during the rains like
- Cozing up with a warm blanket / comforter on my rocking chair and looking outside the patio door and listening to the rain and smelling it. (I just love that smell)
- Watching an old comedy on TV with complete Bose stereo effect. If the movie happens to be "Makkala Sainya" (kannada movie) or "Andaaz Apna Apna " or "Chashme Baddoor" .. that would be almost perfect.
- Listening to some soothing Carnatic classical music while rocking on the chair ... simply divine !
- Then of course, muching on churmuri or hot spicy pakodas ... yum yum !!! (especially if someone prepared it for me)
I am sure there are many more things I could come up with for the rainy days ... its been just 2 days since it has started raining and I already have somethings planned out ! The only problem is most of these things end up just being planned ... there is something or the other that comes up and I end up not accomplishing most ! As you would notice most of my planing involves me doing "Nothing" and unfortunately with a toddler around in the house, doing nothing is almost close to "Impossible".
But as my husband keeps reminding me even Impossible says I m possible.... I would like to plan out my activities for the rainy days !
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Trike a Thon
This friday was a special day for me. It was the first event I attended in school as a PARENT ! I have participated in numerous events in school as a student ... so this was kinda a special to me. There was a fund raising event called "Trike-A-Thon" at school. I vaguely remember something similar that I had participated when I was in 3rd or 4th grade as part of "Girl Guide".
A trike a thon is an event where in the kids are to tri-cycle or bi-cycle certain laps. This is a fund raising event and the kids are expected to collect the money. The amount thus collected is donated to a Cancer research center. I think its a noble idea to donate money to cancer research, but wonder how a 2 year old can raise money ???
Anyways, since I wanted my daughter to participate in the event, we donated some amount. The day before the event, we had to leave the tricycle at the school so that the teachers could decorate it. They also wanted to rehearse the event.
On the day of the event, after constant reminding from us my daughter was ready for the event. As we approached the school ground, to her surprise, instead of finding just her classmates, she found the entire school students peddling to glory. She was intimidated by the crowd to say the least. Her class teacher handed me her driver's license card (kinda cute, I thought), and I put on her helmet and encouraged her to peddle her tricycle. But all in vain ... she was not to move. She felt lost in the crowd. After a few minutes of looking around she started spotting her classmates at one corner of the playground. That put her to ease. I could see the sudden rise in her excitement and all she now wanted to do was peddle with her classmates. It was turn for her class to peddle around the ground and my little was all set by then. She looked adorable with the helmet and a little license hanging around her neck.
I tried to capture the event in all possible angles with my camera :) It was definitely lots of fun for me. Soon it was time to come back to classroom and all the little ones soon formed a train as per the class teacher's instruction. Soon, I waved bye to my little one and got back home.
A trike a thon is an event where in the kids are to tri-cycle or bi-cycle certain laps. This is a fund raising event and the kids are expected to collect the money. The amount thus collected is donated to a Cancer research center. I think its a noble idea to donate money to cancer research, but wonder how a 2 year old can raise money ???
Anyways, since I wanted my daughter to participate in the event, we donated some amount. The day before the event, we had to leave the tricycle at the school so that the teachers could decorate it. They also wanted to rehearse the event.
On the day of the event, after constant reminding from us my daughter was ready for the event. As we approached the school ground, to her surprise, instead of finding just her classmates, she found the entire school students peddling to glory. She was intimidated by the crowd to say the least. Her class teacher handed me her driver's license card (kinda cute, I thought), and I put on her helmet and encouraged her to peddle her tricycle. But all in vain ... she was not to move. She felt lost in the crowd. After a few minutes of looking around she started spotting her classmates at one corner of the playground. That put her to ease. I could see the sudden rise in her excitement and all she now wanted to do was peddle with her classmates. It was turn for her class to peddle around the ground and my little was all set by then. She looked adorable with the helmet and a little license hanging around her neck.
I tried to capture the event in all possible angles with my camera :) It was definitely lots of fun for me. Soon it was time to come back to classroom and all the little ones soon formed a train as per the class teacher's instruction. Soon, I waved bye to my little one and got back home.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Unrelated blabberings
- One of my good friends and collegemate moved to the bay area on a long term assignment. She visited us last weekend and I met her husband for the first time. We chatted for a while and recollected some our silly moments in the college. One thing we both haven't forgotten is our regularity in postponing the internals during Engineering days. There was perhaps not a single internal test which we didn't postpone .... still makes me wonder how we managed to achieve that feat !!!
- Daughter of another good friend of mine turned one over the weekend. I still remember the planning for her surprise baby shower we hosted last year ! Time sure flies so fast !
- We finally decided we needed to take a break from work (the last few months have been especially stressful for my husband). We have finally booked our vacation tickets in December ! I have something exciting to look forward to !
- Not making a habit to blog regularly makes to forget blogging altogether ! Hence decided to write ... even if it were unrelated events !
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Dumb
I was expecting a call from my personal banker this morning. She had left a message for me that she would call me at a certain time today. So I knew, it was her when my phone rang. I thought she was quite punctual and admired her time keeping. I answered the phone with a low tone, saying "Hello"... she kept repeating "Hello, Hello..." and then hung on me after a few seconds. My low tone was so low, that she hadn't heard me .... I was dumb (pun intended). You see I have a sore throat so bad that I am hardly able to talk audibly. Its been so bad that I am using internal messaging to send across my comments / inputs for the office meetings that I am dialing into.
My daughter has learnt to reply back in the low tone (almost like whispering) as well. I don't want to think she is teasing me ... I will assume she is being patient with me. But I miss my voice when:
My daughter has learnt to reply back in the low tone (almost like whispering) as well. I don't want to think she is teasing me ... I will assume she is being patient with me. But I miss my voice when:
- I read Dora books to my daughter. This morning the first thing she wanted to do as soon as she woke up was watch Dora on TV. Since we would not oblige on that demand, she settled for reading. My husband was too sleepy to read a book and so I gave in to her request. I must admit, I almost fell asleep reading the book in the most inaudible voice.
- Attending office conferences
- Talking to my sister over the phone.
- Humming a few songs in my free time.
- Answering my daughter's never ending questions of curiosity.
- Discussing the day spent with my husband.
- etc etc
I have taken some medicine... but it hasn't proved too helpful. I miss my voice ... I hope I am able to talk / sing / chat / discuss / shout soon .....
Friday, September 08, 2006
Had a bad day .... what bad day ???
Kink Kink ..... The alarm rang at exactly 5:15am this morning. I promptly put it off to catch the last few minutes of sleep. (There is something satisfactory about getting the last minutes of sleep after the alarm has gone) I woke up at around 5:30am ... had double thoughts, if I had to work from home or drive to work. There is an important meeting to attend said one part of my mind followed by well, you can always call into the meeting remotely said the other part.... but you have already packed your lunch, laptop etc and are all set to go to office came another thought ... oh well, can always eat the same for lunch when working from home as well said the other.... all in all, I was too confused to decide eitherways ... the bed looked so comforting, yet I told myself, its friday and I could take a longer sleep tonight. So, half asleep I got out of bed and got ready to work by 6:15am. Prepared Dhokla for tea and breakfast (never compromise on food you see... especially when Dhokla is my daughter's favourite, I had to prepare it .... alas I could not see her enjoy her breakfast). Stepped out of house at 6:15am ... still wasn't sure I needed to drive to office.
It was still dark and I drove listening to the music on STAR 101.3 on FM radio. The song by Daniel Powter, "Had a bad day ,You’re taking one down You sing a sad song just to turn it around " seemed very situational. My day had just started, and you ask already had a bad day ? Oh well, I just felt bad for having missed on sleep ... I was not very sad or anything.
I was driving through the curves of the freeway. I had climbed up a hill and as the curve turned downhill, an orange landscape greeted me. The entire surrounding was covered by the tender rays of the rising sun an the whole place was just "ORANGE". It was an amazing experience ... I no longer felt sleepy, sad ... I was in the best of my spirits and I felt like singing "Ruk Jana Nahin... " The beautiful setting just made my day. Reached office at 7:30am and am all set to tackle the day.
Hopefully I will not be singing the Daniel Powter song when I drive back home :) Of well if I do, I will just remember the rising sun experience and my mood will brighten for sure.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Home improvement
Last weekend was 3 days long weekend on account of Labor day. We initially thought of driving to a resort less than 100miles away ... but lack of proper sleep and a hectic week before ensured we did not venture out. We decided to stay home and complete some of the pending home improvement tasks.
It all started with us buying a good bed frame for a guest bed and re-organising the furniture in the guest room. The entire exercise robbed us of our saturday day time. As we were sipping our evening tea, R my spouse suggested we plant some garden vegetables in our patio. I wasn't sure we could maintain the plants and was not very keen about it. But I saw the enthusiam in him and just wanted to support. We headed out to OSH. I was surprised to see the variety of plants available there. After some discussion, we decided to have one flowering bed, a tomato plant, and bought seeds for eggplant, beans, peas, bell pepper, cilantro and Dhil. That also required us to buy the same number of pots. What surprised me the most was the price of the soil .... its so expensive. Never did it once occur to me that we would be paying so much for a good quality soil. It took us a while to figure out the right soil. R could not wait to get started on the gardening project.
He put on his gardening gloves, cleaned the patio and mixed up the different soil we had bought and started his planting. He started with the flower beds. It was almost dinner time by then, so it was decided that the project would be continued the next day. The next day, sunday, saw us rising early from bed and even the morning tea was the last thing on our mind ... we headed straight to the patio. There were some more pots needed and realised that we were short of the soil as well. Also, we needed to buy a stand to place all the pots. We marched towards Home Depot and soon found all the items and the project continued. By around lunch time sunday, the gardening project was complete.
Our kitchen door looks straight into the patio. It feels so good to see the pots neatly arranged there. Everytime I look outside, it brightens my spirit... I never thought I would get attached to them so fast... but I have. I can't wait for the seeds to germinate and grow into lovely plants and fill our otherwise empty patio with fragrance of fresh flowers and a lovely view of garden vegetables.
It all started with us buying a good bed frame for a guest bed and re-organising the furniture in the guest room. The entire exercise robbed us of our saturday day time. As we were sipping our evening tea, R my spouse suggested we plant some garden vegetables in our patio. I wasn't sure we could maintain the plants and was not very keen about it. But I saw the enthusiam in him and just wanted to support. We headed out to OSH. I was surprised to see the variety of plants available there. After some discussion, we decided to have one flowering bed, a tomato plant, and bought seeds for eggplant, beans, peas, bell pepper, cilantro and Dhil. That also required us to buy the same number of pots. What surprised me the most was the price of the soil .... its so expensive. Never did it once occur to me that we would be paying so much for a good quality soil. It took us a while to figure out the right soil. R could not wait to get started on the gardening project.
He put on his gardening gloves, cleaned the patio and mixed up the different soil we had bought and started his planting. He started with the flower beds. It was almost dinner time by then, so it was decided that the project would be continued the next day. The next day, sunday, saw us rising early from bed and even the morning tea was the last thing on our mind ... we headed straight to the patio. There were some more pots needed and realised that we were short of the soil as well. Also, we needed to buy a stand to place all the pots. We marched towards Home Depot and soon found all the items and the project continued. By around lunch time sunday, the gardening project was complete.
Our kitchen door looks straight into the patio. It feels so good to see the pots neatly arranged there. Everytime I look outside, it brightens my spirit... I never thought I would get attached to them so fast... but I have. I can't wait for the seeds to germinate and grow into lovely plants and fill our otherwise empty patio with fragrance of fresh flowers and a lovely view of garden vegetables.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Gowri- Ganesha habba
The Ganesha-Gowri habba at house was celebrated with much enthusiam and love this year. It was actually fun and it felt (after a long time) very close to the celebrations we had back home in India. I sure missed my parents and their way of celebrations, but sure, tried to make it as close to tradition and fun as possible.
The preparation for the festival ran almost week long. If I were to account for the planning part then it must have been 2 weeks prep work. it was decided that Gowri habba (festival) lunch would be at my place and the Ganesha habba lunch at my sisters'. But there was one hitch though, both of us were keen to have a Ganapathy mangalarathy (customary to invite friends in the evening and share prasad / gooddies) as is the tradition in Karnataka at our places. We both had separate set of invitees as well. So it was decided that after lunch at my sister's place we would rush back home and get ready for the evening gathering of friends and family.
Deciding on the food list for the mangalarathy and not trying to duplicate the items at both my sister's and my place was tasking and fun :) Finally it was decided that I'd make Mango rice, Mosaranna (curd rice / Bakala bhath), Usli (seasoned garbanzo beans), Benne bisuit(baked creamy cookie) and jelebi was to be bought from the stores.
I wanted to make this festival real special for my daughter as well, as she had shown real liking towards the traditional pooja. I wanted to take advantage of her keen interest and pass on some of the traditions my parents had passed on to me. We started the Gowri pooja at around 8:40am (our plan was to start at 8:00am but thanks to my sister, we got delayed). After the pooja, we had a delicious breakfast of Sorekayi Idli / Chutney. Then the men left for some last minute shopping for the next day after helping us with some lunch prep work. Cooking did not feel exhausting at all. (Perhaps because I was done with most of the veggie chopping and stuff the previous night). We had a scrumptious lunch and loads of fun discussing about our festival experiences back home.
The Ganesha pooja was a smooth sail as well. We performed the pooja on time and headed to my sister's place for lunch. The evening was fun with a lot of people visiting us. My daughter was more than excited to share her toys with her friends and play with them. It was amazing to see her come down the stairs every time one of her friends came by and lead them to her room upstairs. The only sad part was that I had prepared all the food items in excess. There was so much left at the end of the day.
All in all, it was an amazing experience and I thoroughly re-lived some of my moments in India.
ps: Its been a week since the festival and I have been lazy to blog these days ... but wanted to vent out all my excitement before it was gone :)
Friday, August 25, 2006
Ganesha Chaturthi
Have not been able to blog for sometime now ...
Just want to wish everyone
HAPPY GOWRI - GANESHA CHATURTHI !!
Just want to wish everyone
HAPPY GOWRI - GANESHA CHATURTHI !!
Monday, August 14, 2006
Happy Independance Day
India celebrates her 59th Independance day and here is wishing every Indian a very Happy Independance day.
August 15th always occupied special place for me. I remember even now, the Independance day celebrations at school. When I was in primary school, I commanded the pledge "India is my country and all Indians are my brothers and sisters .... every day and it meant even more on the Independance day. Then there would be an inter school gathering where chosen few from each school would display their marching ability. Dignitaries from the colony we stayed in were invited as chief guests ... there would be sweet distribution followed by sports day activities. (for me sweet distribution was the culmination of the event. I never really took part in sports)
Middle school days involved me leading a pack of students in patriotic song rendition. There would also be some cultural dance... oh yes, I was a part of the school band (flute was my instrument of choice) and hence got to wear lovely band dress and a cap :) I simply loved the outfit and thought I looked "smart" in it.
My participation in high school involved in me giving either the welcome speech or a small speech reminding everyone of the sacrifices made for Independance by our fellow countrymen. I was also a part of the school orchestra and we sang lovely patriotic songs. Then again, there was attendance (no attendance in primary and middle school) followed by sweet distribution. Usually it was followed by sports day ... again of which I was never a part of :(
I remember attending Independance day in Engineering college only twice. The tricolor Indian flag was hoisted by the principal, followed by the National Anthem. What surprised me most was the mere 30-40 crowd. It was disappointing...
Anyways, there has and will always be a spirit in my heart riding high on the Independance day and I will continue to feel proud for being an INDIAN !!!
Before I conclude, I'd like to recollect some of the patriotic songs I have learnt:
August 15th always occupied special place for me. I remember even now, the Independance day celebrations at school. When I was in primary school, I commanded the pledge "India is my country and all Indians are my brothers and sisters .... every day and it meant even more on the Independance day. Then there would be an inter school gathering where chosen few from each school would display their marching ability. Dignitaries from the colony we stayed in were invited as chief guests ... there would be sweet distribution followed by sports day activities. (for me sweet distribution was the culmination of the event. I never really took part in sports)
Middle school days involved me leading a pack of students in patriotic song rendition. There would also be some cultural dance... oh yes, I was a part of the school band (flute was my instrument of choice) and hence got to wear lovely band dress and a cap :) I simply loved the outfit and thought I looked "smart" in it.
My participation in high school involved in me giving either the welcome speech or a small speech reminding everyone of the sacrifices made for Independance by our fellow countrymen. I was also a part of the school orchestra and we sang lovely patriotic songs. Then again, there was attendance (no attendance in primary and middle school) followed by sweet distribution. Usually it was followed by sports day ... again of which I was never a part of :(
I remember attending Independance day in Engineering college only twice. The tricolor Indian flag was hoisted by the principal, followed by the National Anthem. What surprised me most was the mere 30-40 crowd. It was disappointing...
Anyways, there has and will always be a spirit in my heart riding high on the Independance day and I will continue to feel proud for being an INDIAN !!!
Before I conclude, I'd like to recollect some of the patriotic songs I have learnt:
- Saare jahan se achcha (my all time favourite)
- Hind Desh ke Nivasi
- Jai Jan Bharat, janamana abhimata
- Aakash ganga
- Ye mere watan ke logon
- Sara haddina bahu doorada varegu
- Vishwa vinuthana vidhya chetana
many many more.......
Saturday, August 05, 2006
100,000 !
What does the title represent ... can you guess ??? Its not the number of posts on my blog... it isn't lottery amount I won (I wish !!) ... its certainly not my age ... (I know that was a bad one).... well thats the number of miles we have driven our first car !!!
Yep ... last friday our car crossed the 100,000 milestone and yours truly was driving it when the feat was achieved. Of the 100,000 miles, I can certainly claim atleast 50% contribution if not more. My distance to work has certainly been responsible for this amazing achievement. Anyways, our car which my husband fondly calls "Darling", has been a very loyal and great companion. It has been a wonderful ride (pun intended) so far and I have lots of memories like my first drive in the car at 12:30am on the day of landing in the US, our trip to LA, our ride back home from the hospital on the birth of my daughter ... and many many more.
I am certain there are many more in the making !
Yep ... last friday our car crossed the 100,000 milestone and yours truly was driving it when the feat was achieved. Of the 100,000 miles, I can certainly claim atleast 50% contribution if not more. My distance to work has certainly been responsible for this amazing achievement. Anyways, our car which my husband fondly calls "Darling", has been a very loyal and great companion. It has been a wonderful ride (pun intended) so far and I have lots of memories like my first drive in the car at 12:30am on the day of landing in the US, our trip to LA, our ride back home from the hospital on the birth of my daughter ... and many many more.
I am certain there are many more in the making !
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Peddle, Peddle, Peddle
When I think about my most priciest materialistic possession, my BSA SLR features in the top 5. For the uninitiated, BSA SLR is a brand of bicycles in India.
I learnt cycling during the summer vacation after class 4. We were in Chennai (then called Madras) visiting, my mom's uncle. We were atleast 4 cousins and were undeterred to give up cycling, before we mastered the art. The initial balancing part was slightly hard and the fact that my feet did not touch the ground, when I wanted to bring the cycle to a halt, only made my task a little more harder. Even an occasional scratch on the knee did not bother me. Before I realised, I had learnt to balance and peddle on my own ... but the brakes were still a small concern.
My parents saw my enthusiam and decided to buy me a bicycle. I already knew that I wanted a BSA SLR. That was the "HAPPENING" brand for girls cycles. When we went to the cycle shop, we gave a slight thought if we had to go with the gray color or the marroon ... but all of us were easily convinced that it had to be marroon. My dad offered to peddle it from the cycle shop to the house, but we decided against it soon. Customary pooja was performed and I was rearing to take it for a ride. Thus began my long association with my BSA SLR.
I showcased my peddling talent to my parents the following weekend to get their nod on riding it to the school. My parents did notice my "not so great", braking ability. But had to concede to my request finally. I was just in the 5th std, when I began cycling to school.... and continued doing it till my first year of engineering. I was not very particular on getting a moped / scooter etc even during my engineering ... but my parents felt, I deserved one and bought me a scooty. (thats again very close to me). Anyways, coming back to my cycling days, the initial days saw me enthusiastically going to the grocery store, music/ dance classes, offering "doubles" to cousins and friends all the time. I participated in a lot of extra cirricular activities during my student days ... be it an inter school debate, story telling, singing, science exhihibition etc etc, I cycled my way to the location, participated and rode back home. Mysore not being a very big city, only helped that, I could peddle my way to / from any place within the city.
Now why did I suddenly write about my bicycle ... well last weekend, we were trying to teach my 2year old cycling and she was not very keen on learning. So, we decided that may be if one of her parents set her an example by peddling along with her, she would learn faster ... I volunteered to peddle. Soon, I discovered that my passion for bicycles was intact ... my little one was more than happy to just watch her enthusiactic mother peddle her way in the park :)
I guess some passions stick with you for lifetime !!!
I learnt cycling during the summer vacation after class 4. We were in Chennai (then called Madras) visiting, my mom's uncle. We were atleast 4 cousins and were undeterred to give up cycling, before we mastered the art. The initial balancing part was slightly hard and the fact that my feet did not touch the ground, when I wanted to bring the cycle to a halt, only made my task a little more harder. Even an occasional scratch on the knee did not bother me. Before I realised, I had learnt to balance and peddle on my own ... but the brakes were still a small concern.
My parents saw my enthusiam and decided to buy me a bicycle. I already knew that I wanted a BSA SLR. That was the "HAPPENING" brand for girls cycles. When we went to the cycle shop, we gave a slight thought if we had to go with the gray color or the marroon ... but all of us were easily convinced that it had to be marroon. My dad offered to peddle it from the cycle shop to the house, but we decided against it soon. Customary pooja was performed and I was rearing to take it for a ride. Thus began my long association with my BSA SLR.
I showcased my peddling talent to my parents the following weekend to get their nod on riding it to the school. My parents did notice my "not so great", braking ability. But had to concede to my request finally. I was just in the 5th std, when I began cycling to school.... and continued doing it till my first year of engineering. I was not very particular on getting a moped / scooter etc even during my engineering ... but my parents felt, I deserved one and bought me a scooty. (thats again very close to me). Anyways, coming back to my cycling days, the initial days saw me enthusiastically going to the grocery store, music/ dance classes, offering "doubles" to cousins and friends all the time. I participated in a lot of extra cirricular activities during my student days ... be it an inter school debate, story telling, singing, science exhihibition etc etc, I cycled my way to the location, participated and rode back home. Mysore not being a very big city, only helped that, I could peddle my way to / from any place within the city.
Now why did I suddenly write about my bicycle ... well last weekend, we were trying to teach my 2year old cycling and she was not very keen on learning. So, we decided that may be if one of her parents set her an example by peddling along with her, she would learn faster ... I volunteered to peddle. Soon, I discovered that my passion for bicycles was intact ... my little one was more than happy to just watch her enthusiactic mother peddle her way in the park :)
I guess some passions stick with you for lifetime !!!
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Miraculous escape
I got up as usual this morning and got ready to head to the office. The second time tea excercise (since the milk split the first time) and awake child delayed my heading out. I reasoned with my little one that I will be back in the evening to pick her up from school and gently patted her back and smoothened her hair. She was satisfied soon but wanted to bid goodbye from the garage. She gave me a warm hug and friendly smile and said bye. I drove the usual route to work ... the traffic was moving at regular freeway speed. Just as I merged from one freeway to another and had driven a mile, I saw a black car hit another car (I don't even remember the other car color now). This was the first time I witnessed an accident and it was just 2 cars ahead of me. I was in the left most lane (3rd lane) of a 3 lanes freeway. The accident had occured in between the first and the second lane. The traffic in the first too lanes immediately came to a halt. I noticed that the cars in my lane were still moving so I just moved on. I could hardly think ... I was too confused and I was still seeing as the events were unfolding. The impact of the accident was so bad that it left the black car spinning and within fraction of second, the black car headed towards the 3rd lane. It must just a hairline of a distance by which I missed and the the black car ended up hitting the car behind me ... there was a loud thud. I was completely shaken. My mind stopped thinking. I looked at my rear mirror and noticed that all 3 lanes were now blocked and mine was the last car to move ahead of the accident scene. The next thing that occured to me was to call 911. I was concerned about the safety of the drivers involved in the accident. But I had never ever called 911 and was apprehensive about it. But I boosted my courage and dialed 911. A heard a "Hello" and I started reporting "I just witnessed an accident on freeway ..." only after a slight pause did I realise, it was an automated recording that was playing on the other end. I was too shocked to even feel stupid. Soon a real person picked the phone on the other end.
Here is what our conversation sounded:
She: Hello California Highway Patrol
Me: M'am, I just escaped an accident on freeway XYZ
She: Which direction
Me: (trying to think hard ... I was shocked to recollect which direction I was headed) : North bound
She: Where ?
Me: Near ABC... Exit PQR
She: Tell me the details
Me: I just escaped the accident and I am concerned about the drivers involved
She: If you don't give me details, we can't dispatch our crew.
Me: I just told you the exit ... I have no more details.
She: What colour were the cars involved?
Me: I am not sure. Pls send someone though
She: OK. Thanks for calling
I am not sure, if it was OK or not for me to call 911... but in any case I did. It took me a few minutes to get back my composure. The traffic updates kept me glued to the radio set the rest of the drive to work. I only hope everyone is safe.
Here is what our conversation sounded:
She: Hello California Highway Patrol
Me: M'am, I just escaped an accident on freeway XYZ
She: Which direction
Me: (trying to think hard ... I was shocked to recollect which direction I was headed) : North bound
She: Where ?
Me: Near ABC... Exit PQR
She: Tell me the details
Me: I just escaped the accident and I am concerned about the drivers involved
She: If you don't give me details, we can't dispatch our crew.
Me: I just told you the exit ... I have no more details.
She: What colour were the cars involved?
Me: I am not sure. Pls send someone though
She: OK. Thanks for calling
I am not sure, if it was OK or not for me to call 911... but in any case I did. It took me a few minutes to get back my composure. The traffic updates kept me glued to the radio set the rest of the drive to work. I only hope everyone is safe.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Hot hot weather
Have you heard of many take pride in the Bay area weather ? When there are discussions around the high cost of living in the bay area, it invariably concludes in the fact that, we pay the huge price for the near perfect weather. The past week has made me think, re-think and then think again, if this is what we call a near perfect weather. Its been scorching hot ... near the 90's and upto 100. For one, we just had one fan, which has been rarely used and no AC. Sitting on a comfortable sofa is uncomfortable in this weather ... imagine standing in front of the stove and cooking for a huge gathering.... its been pathetic. Unable to hear my grumble about the weather my husband has bought a powerful fan which has been more than used over the weekend. The interesting part is that, reasonably priced Air conditioners are out of stock in most stores. Various tricks of escaping the heat like, going on long drives (remember, Car has AC :)), window shopping , eating out, dip in the pool has definitely helped. Last night was slightly cool though. As I drove to work this morning, I heard that the weather would continue to be hot for a couple of days more ... I just hope, the evenings are cooler atleast. (you see, when you are in office, you don't realise the heat)
2nd year - Outdoor Birthday Party
Last weekend, we celebrated my daughter's 2nd year birthday. It did not take a lot of debating for me and my husband to decide on the venue. We had long decided that we would host and outdoor party for our daughter. As most parents know, the child's first year birthday party is for the parent's satisfaction / happiness ... then on, it will be decided based on child's interest. We knew that our daughter would love an outdoor party but what we didn't know was that a beautiful, well landscaped kid's park was in close vicinity to our house. We had seen the soccer ground everytime we drove by the park.. what we didn't know was that a quite little play area was tucked inside as well. That was until little over 2 months ago. We were so glad to have found a play area with swings / slides, sand box etc in such close quarters ... ever since we have tried to take her to the park atleast 3 times a week. It has been her favourite play area since. So, it was not a surprise that we decided to host her birthday in the park. Now there are so many things to do when you decide to host a party .... prepare a guest list, send invites to the guest, decide on the time, food, goodie bags, cake, balloons etc. The problem was we decided to host the party a little too late (we weren't sure we could host one because of prior commitments) ... we just had 6 days to plan, decide and execute. Narrowing the guest list is always tricky ... so was it in this case. After much deliberation, we decided to invite our daughter's day care pals and some of our close friends / relatives. I took the initiative and invited our guests ... thankfully, most of them did not have prior commitments and readily agreed to come. Not wanting to take a chance, I also called up the county park dept and ensure that "Our chosen Venue" was a public park and did not need any reservations. We decided to gift the kids with pail / showel / seeve kit which toddlers love during the summer. My sister volunteered to make cookie and toffee bags ... some puzzles, candies and lollypop and ... lo ... the goddie bags were ready. We ordered a Strawberry Dora cake ... dora being one of my daughter's admired characters. We were to have a snack party. The weather these days has been so hot that the menu had to include loads of fruits and liquids. My sister, BIL, hubby and me ... all of us pitched in prepared the food ourselves. We could have ordered the food to save on the efforts ... but I insisted on cooking, as I really wanted to do something for my little one and it meant a lot to me. The party day arrived ... we franticly worked to get all things right and arrived at the park just on time. The guests started coming slowly. My daughter's excitement on seeing her friends was worth a million dollars. She individually welcomed all her friends ... led them to the play area and ensure they were comfortable. Its surprising how the kids learn to be good hosts :) There were quite a few kids and all of them were busy in their own world ... and for a change, parents were happy to just watch them from a distance and have a good time among themselves. Not one kid wanted parents' involvement ... all of them were just too busy in their world to disturb their parents. Soon they were hungry ... it was just a perfect time to cut the cake. The dora cake turned out to be a perfect choice ... most kids loved Dora and of course the cake. (one thing I am sure is Dora and Barney have huge fan following among my daughter's friends). The kids and adults enjoyed the food alike. It was again play time for the kids. The evening had gotten a lot cooler by now and I decided to conduct an interesting game for the kids. The winnders were beaming with pride when they got their prizes !! Soon it was time to depart for most of the guests. The goodie bags were distributed to the kids ... and they were only too happy to open its contents. The first thing that caught their attention was the lollypop. As the kids reluctantly went back home with their parents licking the lollypops, one thing we knew was that the birthday party was a success and any future party that we would host for the kids would be in parks :)
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Lawyer Fee - whats right ?
Once,a law teacher came across a student who was willing to learn but couldnt pay the fees...the student struck a deal saying he will pay his fees as soon as he wins his first case in the court of law..the lawyer agreed and proceeded with the course...after the course was over,the lawyer demanded his fees.but the student kept postponing it.the lawyer got fed up and filed a case against him.each of them decided to fight the case on their own.the lawyer thought if he wins the case,then the student has to pay him his dues.but even if he loses the student would have to pay him becos he had won his first case!!!!the student thought if he wins the case he need not pay the lawyer... and even if he loses the case he need not pay becos he hadnt won his first case!!!!!Whats your say ??
ps: This is not my original thought / puzzle... its picked from internet. But I found it interesting enough to discuss
ps: This is not my original thought / puzzle... its picked from internet. But I found it interesting enough to discuss
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Email ka kamaal
I had written a few days about my job and that I had to commute 120miles everyday to work. I am losing atleast 3 hrs in driving. Naturally I was not very happy about this. I decided to talk it out with my managers ... but they did not pay any attention to my pleas. So of sheer frustration, I wrote an email to the company CEO. I had little hope that he / she would read it, let alone take any action. I just wanted to get my frustration out .... email was the only means I could think of at the time.
I was thrilled to see a response to my mail from the CEO of my company .... I didn't know what to say. The CEO had forwarded my mail to a senior person in the company and it trickled down to my direct manager in a matter of 3 days. Now my manager along with the HR was wanting to discuss my concern and address it. I explained to them that the work location was too far to commute for me and that I would prefer working from a nearer location. After a bit of discussion, we concluded that the manager would work out a plan for me to work from home for 2 days and commute 3 days to work. I am quite satisfied with this arrangement. (its been just 2 days since ... so I am not complaining :)
Anyways, the whole idea of writing this blog was to express my elevated respect to my company CEO. Thank you Sir / Madam for understanding and addressing my concern.
I was thrilled to see a response to my mail from the CEO of my company .... I didn't know what to say. The CEO had forwarded my mail to a senior person in the company and it trickled down to my direct manager in a matter of 3 days. Now my manager along with the HR was wanting to discuss my concern and address it. I explained to them that the work location was too far to commute for me and that I would prefer working from a nearer location. After a bit of discussion, we concluded that the manager would work out a plan for me to work from home for 2 days and commute 3 days to work. I am quite satisfied with this arrangement. (its been just 2 days since ... so I am not complaining :)
Anyways, the whole idea of writing this blog was to express my elevated respect to my company CEO. Thank you Sir / Madam for understanding and addressing my concern.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Almost an insurance claim
I have this unique habit of praying before and after I do a lot of activities. For Eg: Up from bed, Driving, Writing exams, starting my day at work etc etc. Calling weird .... well I don't mind. Praying gives me some mental peace and confidence before I begin my activity and it takes just a few seconds ... of couse, I have to thank god for everything, so the end prayer :)
Anyways, today as usual, after reaching the office parking lot, I parked the car at a convinient spot and started thanking god for the safe trip I had made. When I opened my eyes, my car was not in the spot I had parked. I was puzzled .... I didn't know where I was. The next fraction of my second, my brain asked me to look at the rear mirror. I looked and applied the brakes ... I was almost about to hit the car parked behind mine in the parking lot. It was a very narrow escape. I then realised that, I had not applied the hand break and instead of putting the car in the parking gear, I had put in Reverse gear. (for those uninitiated, the gears are in this order: Parking, Reverse, Neutral, D4,3,2,1) Thankfully I had turned the engine off and so the car was moving very slowly.
I thanked my stars and of course God .... I was this close to getting my insurance money increased ... touch wood, it didn't happen :)
Anyways, today as usual, after reaching the office parking lot, I parked the car at a convinient spot and started thanking god for the safe trip I had made. When I opened my eyes, my car was not in the spot I had parked. I was puzzled .... I didn't know where I was. The next fraction of my second, my brain asked me to look at the rear mirror. I looked and applied the brakes ... I was almost about to hit the car parked behind mine in the parking lot. It was a very narrow escape. I then realised that, I had not applied the hand break and instead of putting the car in the parking gear, I had put in Reverse gear. (for those uninitiated, the gears are in this order: Parking, Reverse, Neutral, D4,3,2,1) Thankfully I had turned the engine off and so the car was moving very slowly.
I thanked my stars and of course God .... I was this close to getting my insurance money increased ... touch wood, it didn't happen :)
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Riddles - Mind ticklers
Here are some riddles I heard on the radio on my way to work. I found them amusing. ... hope you do too.
- I am heavy forward and not backward.
- What is better than the best, worse than the worst, the poor have it and the rich need it. And if you eat it, you will die
- If 2 is company, 3 is crowd, what is 4 and 5 ?
Keep thinking ... :)
Monday, June 19, 2006
Happy Father's Day
Last friday, during my long drive to office, I was listening to this radio station where people were calling in to share the best advise they ever got from their dad. Some of them very hilarious while others were sensitive and cute. One particular advise that I really liked was "If you want to do stupid things, be prepared to be strong" ... isn't that a cool advise. As expected, I drove down my memory lane, reminding myself of all the cool advises I got from my dad and all the precious time spent with him. In our house, mom has been a more strict parent than dad ... but then dad always supported mom when she tried to dicipline us. Those were rare occanions where dad actually had to raise his voice to straighten me. He would say he stored a "Buddhi Kolu" in the attic and that he would not hesitate to use it if required ... those magic words would somehow work and all the tantrums would be given up. Dad also took keen interest in ensuring that I recited my "Bayi Paatha" every day. The bayi paatha included rhythmic recital of 12 months (Hindu calendar and English calendar), 7 days of week(Kannada and English), Lunar days (Padya, Bedige, Tadige etc), 60 samvatsaras and the constellation and stars in Kannada (Ashwini, Bharani... etc and Mesha, Vrishabha, Mithuna etc). This would be followed by a quiz of math tables. Dad would ask 16 * 8 and I had to come up with the answer immediately ... even a slight delay would not be acceptable and I'd have to write the tables backwards from 2 to 20 that day. This backward writing of tables stayed with me through my engineering days. Whenever I got a slate and chalk (rather "balapa") , I would write down the tables. (yes, I used slate and chalk through out my student days .... it was my kinder garden slate and I refused to give it up ) Dad also was very innovative in generating interest in Maths. Atleast 6 hours a week was reserved for maths and it was not just textual. Even today, if I solve a problem / puzzle I owe to my dad. He introduced me to simple puzzles, problems very early and sharpen my ability. I must add that my grandpa who stayed with us, contributed quite a bit in this as well. Being a teacher himself, he knew the type to questions to be posed for a certain age group. As I grew older, I followed my dad / grandpa and would come up with tricky problems for my sister/ cousins. Dad always said that he could never get over the fact that he had scored 97 in maths in 10th and wanted me to complete the century. I am really glad I achieved it ... I can never forgot that day when the 10th results were out .. dad's face was beaming with pride. Through out my student life, I have participated in numerous competitions.... be it mono acting, singing, poem recitation, debate, elocution, story telling etc, Dad had a big role in this again. Initially dad wrote the script for most of the competitions (obviously not singing ... that was amma's department). Dad also introduced me to voice modulation. Being a good dramatist himself, he knew the importance of voice modulation. Slowly, I was asked to come up with a basic structure and dad would contribute to it. Now, my cousins ask me to help them in their competitions ... and I owe this to daddy. Another thing I am proud about my daddy is his memory. Last year, he visited us here in the US and was putting my daughter to bed. I was shocked to see him use his primary school poems as a lullaby for the little one. (for those of you who know, these poems, he remembers, Dharani Mandala Madhyadolage, Tunga teerada balagadeyalli, some quotes from Someshwara shataka etc) I have had many many more amazing learning experiences with dad and to put down all of it in a single blog is beyond my ability. All I want to say is "Thank You Daddy. Hope you had a wonderful father's day !"
Monday, June 12, 2006
Am I weird ??
One of my fellow bloggers (Anu) tagged me to write 5 wierd things about myself. As I read through her blog, I said, well, I should be able to list some things about myself as well. But wait, introspection is more difficult than it is. After much thinking here is what I can come up with.
* My friends and family find me weird that I do not like to watch any movie at the cinema hall. I just can't ... I like watching movies mind you and try to catch up on atleast 2 a month. But I am not for watching it on big screen. My idea of watching movie is very different. I like to watch movie while I discuss something interesting with my parents / husband. I like to watch movie, while I am blogging, emailing, ironing etc etc. You get the idea right ... I simply hate to waste 3 hours doing nothing but just watching movie.
* True friends hold a very special place in my heart. But I hate to make a conscious attempt to keep in touch with them. Most my friends know that they can count on me when they need me ... but I am not good at reaching them via phone / email on a regular basis. People who know me little find it weird that I call myself a good friend, but have not communicated with "my friend" for sometime.
* People think I was a book worm during my school days ... well, I wouldn't call myself one, but yes, I like to get immersed in an interesting trignometric equation or a Logical gates problem and solve it. I like reading Tinkle, Chandamama, Sudha (Kannada magazines) or Amar Chitra Katha or Panchatantra. But I can never complete reading a novel. I've tried several times, but have never been able to successfully complete one. (until recently.... I completed R.K.Narayan's Talkative Man)
* I was a quitest of the quiet kinda of a person before marriage. I would simply say a hello to guests at home and politely excuse myself from them. Of course my discussion with people dear to me would go on for hours ( Cricket with my Chikappa, Tennis with my friends "D" and "P", Local Politics with my ajja etc) Strangely after marriage, I have become quite loquacious... weird, I didn't realise when this change happened !!
* I have been thinking for atleast 4 hours now and I know there must be atleast 1 more weird thing about me ... but I can't tell ... hmm... thats weird ... isn't it??
Monday, June 05, 2006
First day at new work
Today was my first day at my new work place. As I had written in my earlier post, I have always had long commutes to work. This office was no different either. In fact, it beat the race by more 30miles ... yep.... my current commute back and forth is approximately 130miles. Phew ! It tires me even to think of the distance and it is still the first day :(
I could hardly sleep last night except the wee hours of the morning. Of course it was the time I set the alarm and was supposed to wake up. I convinced myself to catch up the few more minutes of the divine sleep pleasure and finally woke up 15 minutes later than decided. I got ready on time and left home by 6:45am. I was warned by a few experienced commuters that my drive time to work would be atleast 90mins. I had already spoken to the team of my early work schedule, so that nobody would give me weird looks when I started early from work. I was hoping to reach office by around 8:15am. I was told that my manager would be at work by 8:00am. I gave 15mins window, in case he did not show up on time. His presence was critical since, I had to be signed in to get into the building. You see my badge was not processed yet.
So my surprise, I found the drive not very bad .... touch wood. I reached office 8:00am. Not a bad start at all .... I said to myself. I called up my manager on his cell, only to hear a harsh voice (sounding as though he had just gotten up from bed) answering the phone. To my luck, another colleague of mine was at work and he helped me get into the building. I had no clue how to access the office parking space and so I parked the car in front of Wells Fargo bank. There was clearly a note that read "Parking for Wells Fargo Customers Only". But I didn't have a choice, since the place was new to me. I had no clue about the area and the Wells Fargo bank was right across my office. I feared, I would get lost, if I looked for other parking spaces and went ahead, parked my car there.
After the usual introduction and some project overview, I politely reminded my colleague that my car was parked in Wells Fargo Bank parking space and that it was not the best option. He gave me instructions on the office parking spaces and also showed me direction using google maps. I thanked him and went to my car. The driving direction given to me were fairly simple so I did not find the need to write the same. I was to make a right turn from Wells Fargo and would hit the desired road. Within .2miles of the road, I would find the office parking lot on my right. My present office is in the downtown and as with most downtowns I have seen, there are too many one way roads. Its very confusing and I have always hated driving in the downtown.
I drove my car out of the Wells Fargo parking lot and promptly made a right turn. I went straight for less than .1miles when I hit the signal. It was red and I patiently waited. I saw that that the car from the perpendicular road was making a left turn and was coming in the same road as mine.... oh wait ... it was coming almost in the same lane as mine. What a bad driver ... doesn't know to make a neat left turn, I thought. A few secs later another driver did the same mistake. Now I lost my cool and just looked at the surprised driver. Soon, our signal light turned green and since I had not located the road I was supposed to go to, I made a left and started going straight. At this time, I also cribbed about my colleague who had given me wrong directions. I drove atleast a mile and still was not able to locate the road I was looking for. I decided to make a U turn. On my way back, I easily found the road I had missed. Not just that ... I also discovered why the drivers were making a wide left turn. It was because I was in their lane !!!! Yes.... for some reason, I had got confused and had driven in the wrong lane .... my Indian driving skills shadowed my American driving knowledge and I convinietly made a free left turn !!! It could have been disatrous ... thankfully there was no cop or large vehicles approaching... if not I am not sure what would have happened. The expression on my face had to seen to be believed ... I had turned pale .... I couldn't believe myself and for a second could not think.
I got a convinient parking space in the office lot and the rest of the day went by smoothly. But my driving disastor haunted all day long !
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Kaale Ghane Baalon ka raaz
One of the first complaints you hear from people who travel to the US from India is about their hair fall problem. So far, I haven't met anyone who has said they have not faced this problem. Its gotten so worse for me that I pity myself when I don't see my lustrous hair that I had back home in India.
My mom took extra effort to take care of my hair. When I worked in Bangalore for sometime, my aunt took the same care too. My mom ensured I washed my hair with any one of the following:
My mom took extra effort to take care of my hair. When I worked in Bangalore for sometime, my aunt took the same care too. My mom ensured I washed my hair with any one of the following:
- Hibiscus leaves paste
- Mehendi
- Castor Oil / Sikakai
- Methi soaked and ground as a fine paste
Shampoo was taboo .... I don't ever remember using shampoo in India. It felt so refreshing so get a hot oil head massage and then wash it with "Hande water". I really miss that now. These days all the above are unknown territory to me ... all I know is Shampoo. The result is quite evident ... a thin strand of lack lustre hair :(
Sorry mom .... your efforts are wasted !
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