MEINE CORNER IN THE BLOG WORLD!

Rare Snow day! 01/10/2021

2021-01-13T05:29:00.003-08:00

After a grilling 2020, 2021 started out with a mixture of emotions - grim but hopeful, distant from family but long WhatsApp calls, rainy but looking forward to the sunshine in the coming days. A lot of R&R is how we started our New Years, thanks to the long weekend. We read, watched tv, cooked and slept a lot!

Once work started, it didn't even feel very different from the past few weeks. Unfortunately a few days into the first working week, there was chaos in the DC Capitol and many State Capitols. A riot started by an infuriating and possibly out-of-work men and women wanting to display their passionate support of an incapable President.

Back to feeling uncertain and grim about the future, we were surprised by Mother Nature providing us a rare snow fall day here in Austin, TX! It was simply amazing and a great 2nd Sunday of the year where we got 3.5-4 inches of snow ! The sights were remarkable during and after the snow fall. The entire city and neighbors were thrilled, kids running around the snow and adults making snow men on the street. I couldn't believe my eyes and my son kept telling me this feels like a dream. I'm glad he got to play in the snow both on the street and right in our backyard. Simply amazing how Mother Nature can heal us and provide so much joy in just a day!

A gentle and loving reminder from her to accept the reality, carry on with courage! Thank you Mother Nature.

Pics of our backyard!

2020 - a Year in review!

2020-12-30T07:09:00.006-08:00

To be fair, 2020 could have been documented much earlier in this year with more details fresh in my head as the year was passing by. But honestly, I am writing this piece to prove that even in one of the toughest and oddest year, there have been blessings - a lot more family time, time of looking inward, getting in touch with friends and growth indeed both individually and for my family.

The year kicked off with my MBA core classes at Baylor, since I had chosen the online program there was no worry about additional driving/commute time but it was certainly challenging to adjust to studying on top of juggling all the other aspects of life including work and dance classes as my side hustle. Once I made it through the first term (Jan - Feb), March was when the whole pandemic impact began in the USA.

Closer to mid-March, I was panicking about COVID-19 with the rest of the world and since we have family back in India we had already been kept abreast about new actions being taken by the Indian Government to control the spread of the virus. In the meantime, we learnt about Europe starting to get impacted and it was around this time the schools were shut and the social distancing rules were set here.

Once the Spring break was over, my husband was working from home, which is the first time ever in his life! School campuses were being shut along with most of the businesses closing doors - my son was overjoyed and I was overwhelmed. We had planned a trip to India at the beginning of April for a family event and were looking forward to a mini reunion with extended family as well. My maternal grandparents had enough kids to form a cricket team and therefore the descendants are today are about 3 dozen...(yea, wow indeed)! We started realizing that the trip may need to be cancelled. Due to my travel plan I had not signed up for Spring Term 2 at Baylor and dance classes were stopped; it allowed flexibility and a hope of survival.

March and April were probably most stressful time of the year with the shock of having to be an elementary teacher, setup some sane routine for 3 of us to function somewhat effectively from home while managing grocery and other home supplies issues as the society was still grasping with the news. Yes, toilet roll supplies were an issue but luckily we were pretty well stocked with the same. Our issues were getting milk delivered/picked up. We would keep a tab on developments in Europe and specially Italy since it was the highlighted warning of what our country will look like in a few months of the pandemic impact.

As far as kiddo's school was concerned, they did an excellent job of adjusting to virtual schooling, my son's kinder teacher was beyond amazing and weekly google slides and reading on tablet became a normal at home. We made sure to go on bike rides, take walks and make the best use of family time specially in the Spring weather and formed a daily health routine. Before, we knew it the last day of Kinder was here and it was time to kick off summer break without any summer camps planned...

In the meantime, I signed up for Summer terms at Baylor and was able to handle multiple classes , reduce my hours at work and maintained my sanity with evening walks/bike rides. I had some late nights and early mornings all worth it. By this time I had completed Strategic Communication, Managerial Accounting, Operations Management, Managing for Higher Performance classes. I was onto working on Marketing Analysis and Corporate Finance classes. Both Professors were good and I really enjoyed the Marketing analysis class, my first time truly enjoying Marketing.

My son in the meantime was adjusting to learning through Zoom - Taekwondo and Abacus were added to his classes. He continued Hindi language class on Zoom. He also picked up an interest in reading to himself we added a lot of new books to his collection. We also had spaced out playdate arrangements for him with his best friend through out Summer which was such a blessing. As a family we met with them a couple of times a month and we grew closer too. This gave us something to look forward to as well outside of work and exercise routines. I still hadn't gone back to the dance studio and I was spending most of my weekend on MBA work.

By mid August, my son was now starting 1st grade and we were so excited for him even if it was virtual learning. By now, the school has added a cloud based schooling site with a bunch of apps to keep the reading and math exercises going. Initially there were some adjustments but within a month my son adapted so well and we were amazed with his independence. Library pickups from school was a quick drive through and so was meeting the teacher too.

By now, we are used to wearing masks everywhere and always have spare ones in the car. We were experts at timing our curbside pickups from H-E-B and planning for Costco deliveries. As the stores adjusted to the new way of life, a lot of improvements came about in the ordering and delivery process. If anything Amazon purchases increased for us. My husband has started a routine badminton meetup, played tennis for the first time. We celebrated his last 30 something birthday as well!

When I was in Fall Term1 of Baylor MBA taking Communicating with Data and Economics, we could feel the family getting burnt out and the board games didn't really make up for it. Being indoors for long term, not able to go out or even explore parks drove us nuts. We decided it would be worth the risk to visit a beach now that Summer break was gone. There was Columbus day break in mid October and were targeting the same. The timing was perfect for me too since I would have a break in Baylor at the same time too. We narrowed down to South Padre Island and were super excited to find a reasonably priced condo.

The getaway was like a dream - we rented a minivan to fit us all, overpacked our suitcases, had boxes of food packed and stopped at a couple of great restaurants which had outdoor seating on our way to and back from the island. I have always wanted to visited South Padre and I think it was perfect given the circumstances. Our condo offered 2 pool areas and 1 of them was never packed. We were at a 2 minute walking distance from the beach and the crowd was minimal there too. Kids loved playing with the beach waves, I enjoyed collecting shells and listening to the sound of the beach felt like so nostalgic. I did ziplining for the first time and we parasailed on a lagoon area. The view of the island from parasailing made us realize how tiny the island was. We had dinner at a cafe by the beach and it was a perfect way to wrap up the trip. On our way back, Corpus Christi had an amazing Thai restaurant where we had lunch and kept us content until we returned to Austin. The following days of laundry and living in the trip memories were so worth it....Of course, we wanted to go back and re-do it!

On Thanksgiving weekend, we got a break from assignments which allowed me time to bake a chocolate cake and a pumpkin cheese roll. Both turned out better than my expectation and we were happy to gather with 2 families and share our space.

Late October to end of November felt like a blur because I rejoined teaching kids dance classes (via Zoom) and was working on Business Statistics class and it was a damn tough topic. I did my best and worked real hard for an A grade. All of this month has been spent in a lot of TV (Queen's Gambit, Emily in Paris, Mirzapur, Criminal Justice to name a few), extra sleep, more cooking, gathering and holiday movies. For the first time, I met with a Career Counselor to look inward at where my true interest lies and why I have a constant lack of fulfillment with my career. In the coming year, I'll be focused on career change, reading more books and working on self-worth.

I'll be soon back to the juggling of all activities in early January but I have also been doing some soul searching. Before that I wanted to pour down my thoughts and have this piece written to realize how much we have done as a family both together and individually.

Son -

a) Abacus: Completed grade 10; currently grade 9 student.
b) Taekwondo : Earned Senior white and Yellow belts!
c) Hindi : Continuing student and prepping for a play in Jan!
d) Badminton, Badminton: New sports he is learning the techniques for!

Husband -

a) Work: Learnt to work remotely, first time ever!

b) Exercise : Maintaining high discipline in both exercise regimen (running, gym).
c) Tennis : New sport that he is learning; Badminton: Got back to it and now part of a group.

d) Chef : Filter coffee is the latest hit, amazing quick recipes like lentil chaat and mint pulao!

Myself -

a) MBA: So proud to finally be working on it and forming a new network of like minded individuals

b) Career : Worked on new software implementations, excited about changing path, getting a counselor.

c) Dance: Glad to continue performing and teaching this year, virtually of course

d) Juggling: Being a full time mom, parttime work, parttime student, parttime teacher at home and for dance and a parttime friend. I have connected with a couple of besties from past times in my life and gathered a couple of new ones this year!

Wow ! what a year ! And as we wrap up we look forward to soon being vaccinated against the deadly COVID-19. May hope shine upon us as we continue to the unknown....

Incredible India - observations in 2012

2016-01-27T11:47:00.001-08:00

Here's a quick list of observations from a recent trip to Chennai and Kerala.

1) First time noticed more posters of Karthik Sivakumar than Surya. He was all over the place - posters on local trains, bus stops and hoardings. Definitely looks much better now.

2) Hubby and me did the 5-second testing on the roads; no, not the bacteria, it's the honking. You're guaranteed a honk in atleast every 5 seconds, if not sooner. And it really didn't matter which part of Chennai we were in.

3) More metro construction mess all over the city, many areas still without real roads-- enough to give you a feeling you're riding a horse.

4) No shortage of mini Ganapathy temples in every nook and corner.

5) More malls in the city, checked out the City center one by the beach, had a beach view for food court area which was pretty cool.

6) As seen since the early 2000s, people are still spending a lot on foreign gadgets, foreign-branded food and cosmetics. Not to mention, no change in craze for saree/cloth shopping.

7) Much more use of digital displays, especially train stations and inside the electrical trains.

8) Of course a lot more smartphone usage among public. First time, I saw a guy show his train reservation on his phone, cool, huh.

9) Saw some awesome golu displays as I was there during the season. Temples were packed.

10) Power outage peak all over Tamil Nadu. Many towns didn't have power for 14 hours in a day. Chennai has a 2-hour cut. Industries apparently taking a toll in this situation. Yes, this was really hard to digest.

11) Still most upper middle class people in Kerala are either just there on vacation or retired after returning from a foreign country. so I seemed to fit in easily, ofcourse in the first category for now! :-)

12) A lot of trash processing problem in Kerala, especially plastic. The good thing is they don't give out plastic covers in any shop. either you carry your cloth/paper bag or they offer you one for a price.

13) a Hoardings still boast woman wearing a kilo or more of gold jewelery that chokes and weighs down her neck and her hands filled with row of thick bangles that someone dare bring her in the form in a wrestling match! :-)

b - Other hoardings are all about female movie stars that are sporting richly ornamented sarees with perfectly airbrushed skin and hair!

14) Again the towns and villages are such a beauty, both in Kerala and Tamil nadu. The lined up coconut trees, palm trees, large paddy fields - just too lovely.

15) I just wished the people's mind would mature with time...

India in year 2015

2016-01-27T11:46:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I am amazed. How does India and the people that live there tend to be so left behind...rather seem to be okay with things that aren't okay?

I was in India during the Chennai floods that crippled the city , post the December 1 2015 rains. I was lucky to get a rescue boat and leave the apartment complex in Velachery the next day. I moved to Alwarpet as I had family there, apparently a posh area of the city where some shops were open and there wasn't crazy floods as Velachery. I was already planning on how to exit the city in a couple of days as per my itinerary, however I had to find a transportation as airports and train stations were shut down. I understand for most people leaving the city is not an option. The day after on the 3rd of December the rains stopped and we finally got the much needed sunshine which dried up the rain overtime. There was finally a cab that we could take to exit the city that day. Yes, I was lucky in spite of the situation and the whole incident was an experience of a lifetime.

However, the youngsters in the city seemed to have lack of anger on the situation. There were no phones that were working, neither landline and most cell phone towers were dead. Diesel was in major shortage. Well I am not even going to comment on internet for now. Contaminated water everywhere and the worst part is I see bunch of men walking up and down in that adulterated water as though they were at the beach. Big smiles on their face and of course who could miss that there were some even taking selfies. What got worse a few hours later is that there were some bursting crackers on the streets and this is even before the roads were dried up! All this was happening in a posh area of the metro city. This city which is supposed to be a hub for industries ranging from manufacturing to entertainment. Well of course where there were privileged people in the city, water was being pumped out on the day after the floods. I couldn't even begin to imagine how all the people that would have needed hospital or doctors during that week of the floods. The grocery stores were beginning to empty which was obviously because of the lack of supply and that led to unreasonable price increases in milk and produce. I understand that cities in any part of the world can be hit with a calamity for natural reasons, but the sheer lack of planning, communication from the state issuing a warning to those that maybe traveling in or out of the city, those that maybe living alone or with little kids and the sad part is only the rich seemed to be getting some attention soon after the floods.

You can't expect everyone to live in posh areas of the city just because a city is mis-managed. Again I am amazed just in Velachery alone how much garbage is on the streets, not in the bins, just on the streets. Those who ride the auto rickshaws have quite the attitude as well, it is like them doing us a favor by even riding on the street and not us hiring them for our temporary needs. Zero customer service, ridiculous pricing as they do not even use their meters and of course in the process it almost feels like we are lesser humans.

To add to all this, the expectation that women have to live and move around like its 1940s, is the best part. The lack of maturity and coming to grip that since IT has spread into people's life that has given women the freedom to work in large corporations, earn equally and/or higher than men and therefore they will be able afford what they would like to use is lacking. Apparently women are "modern" if they walk around in jeans or even "NRIs"(aka Indians who live in foreign countries) - seriously which century are they referring to ?!

How wonderful would it be if people admired women instead! The simple thought of she is successful, self-sufficient and therefore she has every right to be happy! What would it really take to give that 1 thought sometime and absorb that? You'll be able to respect her, see her as equal to you and let her live. And no, that doesn't mean she'll be your mother, sister, wife, daughter, niece or any such relation. Just her as a person in the same society as yours.

My dream for India is the true freedom and respect for women. As I said earlier in this post, I am amazed how minds of people have barely changed in the last 30 years....

On to the next chapter of life

2015-04-09T13:25:00.000-07:00

This post is a long time coming... I don't need to give any excuses though, I am a new mommy after all!

After all that baking, my munchkin arrived on 20th September 2013...yes very much on time baby! The first 5 days were extremely stressful as my precious one was under monitoring in NICU, which meant I didn't have the luck of holding him close to me in the first few hours and also a lot of separation due to us being in different rooms...it was certainly difficult. But as far as I recall I didn't cry at all since he was doing great and was perfectly healthy. He confused the doctors with his heart pattern in the first 2 hours of his life and then came back to normal on his own. I strongly believe he didn't take labor process well and certainly not the pushing part... poor little baby.

After we got clearance from all his tests (God is great!) ; we were allowed to take him home. It was a feeling beyond words, a realization of how lucky we all were as a family and with all the support and care we received up to his discharge. I must have thanked God so many times for his blessing. The ride home with him in his fresh car seat was surreal...a dream finally come true! We get to kickstart enjoying parenthood and he gets to come home and be with us, meaning no more NICU pod!! I was happy beyond words....we all were just silently enjoying the ride and hubby asking me every so often, if he was sleeping or looking or moving. He slept peacefully while I watched him with pride and gratitude.

Mom, Hubby and I were so excited that we had so many ideas for his first day home...pics, prayer, see if he likes his crib, finally unpack hospital bags, organize the room while he sleeps and so on. Really, a 5 day old hardly needed anything , other than being fed every so often...The first few days we had such a great time caring for him and hubby had almost a month off before going to work.

We enjoyed his newborn expressions - like drunk on milk, staring at us with amazement, the angelic face when sleeping, faces when we talked to him and most of the big grump when awake but not alert. we named him mr. serious, popeye (because he did the popeye thing a lot). The first few weeks were all about "did you burp him?", "pee/poo", "moro reflex", he was very good about his feeding time, very on the dot, exact 2-3 hour gaps for his re-fill. We were amazed! and I love how everything was an event! Like, the first time his cord fell, it smelled like an infection and we rushed him to the doctor, only for it to fall like 10 minutes later.

Little one hated the swaddle as early as a week old, he was pretty good about sleeping in his crib. He wanted a lot of carrying and so he made sure we were busy. I pulled out the brand new play gym in about 2 weeks (without dad's or grandma's support) and he supported their view by crying when in it.

Mom was around to help out until he was almost 4 months old. That was like God send help. crazily a full chest of clothes, towels, bibs, baby items all for himself in the first week!!

And his first bath was a BIG event... get the new tub, prep with wash cloth, check the water temperature with the water thermometer, have the best soap available...only to end up in his non-stop crying while in the tub and hating the bath! I must say 18 months later, even today he hates bath time!!

More to follow...(I just realized how much I miss writing!)

And 2013 is special cos...

2013-07-24T15:38:00.001-07:00

Kauai : Dec 2012

2012-12-26T21:39:00.000-08:00

Day 1
Relaxing flight onto Lihue, we kinda liked the Alaska Airlines overall with the service, seating and happy staff. Lihue airport is tiny, very simple, hardly any shops on exit and here's the best part - no crowd! We easily rented our car and were out and about in no time! On our way to the Hotel, we were happy to find a Pizza Hut for lunch, because we didn't know what to expect in the Hotel area and the location of our stay (which actually turned out great). Our Hotel was right by coconut grove off the highway , nestled between other resorts and hotels, had a market place in a 2 minute walking distance with a ton of local cafes, shops and restaurants lined by the highway with a view of the Sleeping giant mountain. It was pretty close from the airport. We expected a garden view per our booking, but luckily had a good view of the ocean by the patio.The first order after we checked in and unloaded our stuff in the room was to walk by the beach. Ah! it was so easy to unwind lying by the beach, listening to the waves and letting go of all the worries in the breeze. Btw, the coconut trees do add a ton of beauty to these coastal lines! It started to get chilly by 5pm, so we headed out to get some dinner. We wanted to find Meme Thai restaurant and in the process we realized GPS systems aren't always great. So don't rely too much on Google maps while on this island, the restaurant was so close to the Hotel, but it took us so off route! Luckily, we figured out the location on our own and the food was great! Totally worth the chase! Rented a DVD - 30 minutes or less which was the kind of no-brain comedy. Ended up sleeping early because of time difference.

Day 2
Beautiful morning, took a stroll by the beach and relaxed while it got warmer. Had a heavy breakfast at Kountry Kitchen which had a ton of rooster paintings on sale (I think it was a fund raiser). It was while we were parked outside the Kapaa downtown area, we started noticing brightly colored roosters hanging out near the beach and the park nearby. As we spent more time on the island, I thought these birds were not just adding beauty, but also made their presence totally felt with the crowing of course! Headed to visit the Waimea Canyon situated on the west of the island, beautiful view and serene surroundings. Noticed a lot of red dirt on the way and some great scenic spots. West seemed more flat and dry. On our way back from the canyon, we stopped at the salt pond beach, which had calm waters and awesome clear day to go with it. We had fun playing in the waters. Tried Shave ice at Jojo's in the Waimea downtown area and noticed a lot of shops selling "Red Dirt" t-shirts. And yes there were roosters in the Canyon park, by the beach and the downtown area. We wound up the day by getting some rice to go with the leftover Thai curry and tried out the spring rolls this time and watched a comedy movie named Due date, starring Robert Downey Jr. It was a very average comedy.

Day 3
Started out as a cloudy morning, but we still took a stroll by the beach, chilled out for about an hour by which time the sun was out. Had breakfast at Ono Family restaurant,I tried the tropical pancakes which had coconut shavings, macadamia nuts and bananas --yum!!! Headed to Poipu beach in the South of the island. It was super busy on a sunny morning. We managed to unwind and soak in the sun, later played by the beach and dried ourselves in the sun again. We stopped at the Poipu shopping village and got a yummy gelato. Also checked out the Koloa Downtown where we did some shopping. We returned back to Kapaa area to get massages at Ola Massage, it was just a great addition to the vacation. They used pure coconut oil for the whole session, making it soothing and rejuvenating for skin after all the sun exposure. For dinner we tried Kauai pasta, where the ravioli a and Eggplant Parmesan were both rich and yum! We ended the day watching Campaign starring Will Ferrel , pretty slapstick and good comedy on politicians but we were so sleepy, from the heavy food and massage...

Day 4
This was our adventure day, we had booked a Kayaking and snorkeling guided tour and both these activities were our first ever. We went back to Kountry Kitchen to have brunch and later headed to the North of the island to Hanalei bay to check in for our tour. It turned out that it was the most cloudy day on the island so far. In fact it started sprinkling towards the beginning of our tour. Our guide was pretty chilled out, gave us kayaking instructions and narrated Kauai legendary stories about the sleeping giant and the spouting horn. Kayaking was certainly a bit of work-out and a lot of fun for us, we ended up parking ourselves by the beach to snorkel in the shallow waters. God! it was so scary in the beginning, because I was super tense and not used to the equipment at all. But, I got a hang of it eventually and managed to relax while enjoying the underwater view. And definitely a big wow to the beauty of the corals, fishes underneath. Since I am not so courageous, I didn't go too far in, but those who did viewed some large fishes as well. I definitely want to snorkel again now that the trial round is done. DH did far better than me and therefore enjoyed it much more! We kayaked our way back at the end of the tour and in spite of the cloudy, rainy North Island, we totally had a ball ! Once we changed, we stopped at some very scenic spots before heading back East. Northern part definitely seemed very agriculture friendly and more wet. So we were able to take a walk around the Hotel at night as there was no rain in the area and slept like babies after the great day!

Day 5
Half a day before we left to the airport, we woke up early to check out a cafe named Java Kai in downtown Kapaa. Good coffees, great muffins and a colorful shop. Walked down the beach nearby and guess what; I found a swing by the beach! Wasn't that a fun way to end the trip?! In no time, we were flying back home again, reading books and discussing what the next destination should be! :-)

Onam wishes!

2012-08-29T19:24:00.000-07:00

Mom has been sending pics of her lovely flower decors in the past week, so here's a collage to share!

Hope you have a great Onam! I made some Semiya payasam....and along with is is a humble flower decor, with artificial petals.

Paper fun crafts!

2012-08-14T16:09:00.001-07:00

So I finally dragged my lazy ass to this card craft class that I have been wanting to go, but simply making excuses. It was well worth it and a nice way to end a working day.

We ended up making a gift card holder and a pretty birthday greeting card, both hand-made. Here are the pictures (will take better pics next time)...

But aren't they cool!! So inspired to make more fun stuff in the upcoming classes!

Blog award - my first ever!!

2012-07-22T00:24:00.000-07:00

I am guilty of not publishing this post earlier, I was awarded my first ever blog award in March 2012.

This cute heart locked was awarded by Urmi, Thanks very much! This is certainly encouraging! To keep this chain going, I have received the following rules :-

1. If you get the award, pass it on to 7 blogs
2. Put the picture of the award in your post
3. Don't pass this award back to me
4. Answer the questions below and post it on your blog.

1. What makes you feel great about yourself?
This is definitely not a question that I can make myself sound humble! hahaha... Well, let's see I think how I surprise myself at being able to learn and adapt quickly to people, situations and places would be the answer. Also, I am glad about the fact that I am not prejudiced before I hear and talk to a person, no matter what the topic and no matter what their culture and their background. I am known for my sense of humor also, which I think is always better than just being that pretty face that's so hard to resist! LOL! :-D

2. Who inspires you the most? And specifically, which qualities inspire you in each person? You can list as many as you like.
Mom and Dad for sure a big inspirations for me. The amount of growth they have had through time and how they manage happiness between ups and downs. They both are very giving by nature and are extremely simple in their lifestyle. That's highly admirable in today's world when people get carried away by the tiniest of achievements. Them being supportive and wonderful parents definitely gives a kick of wanting to be great parents to your own kids. Not to forget, all the grounded values they have passed on to me and my sister.
Further, a lot of people that I meet and sometimes read/watch about are great inspirations. Specially those people who make the best of life even if they aren't fully physically able and still fight every single day in their lives.
Finally, I think there is something to always learn from every individual you meet!

Now, I would like to pass this award on to the following 5 awesome bloggers (as I really don't read 7 blogs regularly) :-

1. Shri

2. The Budding Cook

3. Latha

4. RJ

5. Suju

Happy blogging!!

Interpreter of Maladies - review

2012-07-19T13:39:00.004-07:00

This collection written by Jhumpa Lahiri has 9 stories, most of them based on stories of immigrants living in the USA, mostly a picture set in 1970s or even early 1980s. As reviewed by a lot of publications, I agree that the author has the ability to put you in the situation. It was very easy to empathize, picture and feel close to the protagonists in these stories. This could be so because I am an immigrant myself, except that I wasn't so naive when I landed here.

I did see a dark side in more than a couple of stories, which wouldn't be my pick,because I love happy endings and I am extremely positive about life. Nevertheless, stories of similar backgrounds or endings won't be all that interesting, would it?

The way the book ends with Third and final continent is so warm. Having read Namesake earlier, I was familiar with her writing and even if you're not, I would recommend this book. For me it was a good break to read a story right after work every night.

On to East,West...

Ummm....painting after a long time!

2012-07-17T20:22:00.001-07:00

Here's a canvas painting that I did recently. It was so much fun with so many colors involved! I truly miss the arts and the crafts life!

Nature walks, Nature talks!!

2012-06-24T20:55:00.001-07:00

It's becoming very easy to lose yourself in the competitive world. At least, I feel so, with the everyday rat race and just barely making every day's chores, I find a big need to take a break just to remind myself what's really around me and what makes me me.

I am lucky to work in a campus that is very green. Taking afternoon walks has developed into a habit. In the beginning, the walks were all about admiring the garden, basking in the beauty of brightly colored flowers, butterflies, pretty little sparrows, mynahs and lovely palm trees. I have grown from just observing to drawing meanings from this big green patch.

The daisies and lilies that lie in a stretch where there are at least 300 of them, tell me that there is always beauty in unity. The multicolored flowers tell me that there is beauty in blending but not without the individual beauty in each of them. The butterflies that seem to be playfully moving from one end of the park to another, remind me that even though time maybe short, you should explore what is within your scope and do so with lot of fun and energy. While I can hear the birds perched on trees, it tells me that when one is strong and grounded, you certainly can make room for the needy. The soothing breeze amongst them adding life with every passing day and lastly, the great Sun, without it's light and heat, there would be no life here.

After these reflective thoughts, it's no wonder that we worship the God of Sun, Wind and Mother Nature herself. This direct connection with nature is a sort of meditation for me, one that brings peace to the soul and happiness. I pray this relationship continues....

As the Winnebago saying goes --"Holy Mother Earth, the trees and all nature, are witnesses of your thoughts and deeds. "

Colors of spring/summer

2012-04-28T19:27:00.001-07:00

Here are our newest addition to home -- a cayenne pepper plant, a lovely sun dragon pot and spicy red carnations! :-)

They make our patio pretty and bring so much happiness!!

The 1969 reunion!

2012-03-20T19:45:00.001-07:00

My dad is currently enjoying "retirement", he recently tells me that he is soon having a 1969 college reunion!

While just hearing that got me excited, the stories of how he found his college mates after 42 years was even more interesting. To begin with, he bumped into one of them and that kick started the whole process. They chatted about what they have been upto so far in life and if they were in touch with others. From there on, one thing led to another, he tells me. He met up with a few who never left town and stayed on for all these years. Today, they have managed to arrange a gathering of 25 classmates, all this without the involvement of Internet at all! Dad tells me that a couple of never touched a computer!

That just concludes that the Internet is overrated and its sad that even if we are equipped with more tools, no one has time for another. So meeting up
is pretty much a big deal in today's world. So proud of the 1969 batch!

One of the best weekends in my life!

2012-02-06T06:40:00.001-08:00

We always say/read that memories make life and how damn true did it turns out to be, specially with a lovely, warm weekend!

Now when I say warm, it's not the weather, it's the the joy and warmth of friendship.

One of my good friend's husband decided to host her out of state friends to their place for her birthday. He planned a huge list of surprises and we were one of it. Most of us plunged at the invitation and it turned out magical. I didn't know many of them, but we all connected well and had so much in common.

The surprise was actually pretty big for her to take and she still couldn't believe we all came. The day of birthday was spent well with a yummy brunch, stopping at a park to see an almost frozen lake, chilling at her place with conversations and an evening party that ended with karaoke. I think I never even wanted sleep with all the fun.

On the day of return, we had yummy South Indian food for lunch, chatted till the last minute of getting to the airport. In less than 48 hours, there were renewed bonds, new bonds and lasting memories to take home. On our flight back home I was smiling all the way, enough to prove to any stranger that I wasn't normal! ;-)

Alexander graham bell is still my hero!

2012-01-24T08:27:00.001-08:00

We are at a point where smart phones are the norm in the urban world. infact, if you didn't have one, you probably balanced it off with a smart tablet.

I use a smart phone as well. But after my big excitement of having a tool that would "connect" me all the time through emails, chat, texts, Social network, games and more, I am not as thrilled. So I did ponder and I realize it's mainly cos I don't use my phone for its basic use as much, I mean calls. I have also noticed that I receive much lesser calls. Lack of the real human touch is missing.

So I made more personal calls in the recent past and it felt good. I felt more close to the individual than writing an email or leaving a note on a social media site. The reason is because the conversations would actually develop and makes it more complete. Unlike a "how are things" on an email or text. Many friends agreed we should talk more, no matter how "busy" we agree life has turned out to be!

This may all sound so old fashioned and historic, but the joy from a phone call, to me, is just awesome! So I would rather have a quick phone call, than any other method of communication.

Even for business purpose, I would rather build a relation over a call rather than send emails. If I could meet, even better! I think instead of us running away into "busyness", we should continue to make an effort to connect more personally. Well, that's my 2 cents.

Nothing compares to a voice conversation....have you noticed that?

Sherlock Holmes 2

2012-01-22T10:37:00.001-08:00

I am a fan of both Sherlock Holmes' stories and Robert Downey Jr. I love the thrill of mystery solving and subtle mannerism of tackling dangerous situations. Yes, I enjoyed this movie, no doubt!!

Jude law was even better in part 2 as Mr. Watson. Robert as Sherlock is witty, clever and obsessed. Though it is a task to match a reader's imagination of Mr. Holmes, if you like the crazy ways of robert downey, you may enjoy; if not you may find the portrayal offensive. Jade Harris as Professor Moriarty does the evil part pretty well.

Overall I give it a 7.5/10! Do watch if you liked part 1!

Friday night, Jan 2012

2012-01-20T20:34:00.001-08:00

Applebees lunch (tomato basil soup ans ceaser salad) with girls from
work; Rains since 3pm; light day at work since year end close is finally done; crazy drive back home; felafel wrap for dinner and watching Australian grand slam 2012. :-)

Current favorites in tennis -- Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic

last 2 days in HI

2011-12-01T11:28:00.000-08:00

Day 4 in Maui :
Just 1 adventure on the agenda called Road to Hana. Hana is a town in east Maui and though Hana itself is pretty, the roads, bridges and sights that you experience is what makes the road to Hana a must do!
We did fill the tank for our car and pack some lunch and drinks with us as we were told it will be tough to find food and even gas on the way. After a good breakfast we were off to Hana highway. We made about 6 big stops, based on a guide.
1- twin falls : where the trail was adorned with tropical plantation and
We walked through a river stream to watch the falls.
2- 70' waterfall: I fail to remember the name, but at one of the bridges, we enjoyed the view and were trying to take in the peace and quiet!
3-Lava Tube right before the Wai'anapanapa State park (this was quite a sight, a volcano site where the lava had erupted about 960 years ago, walking inside the cave was quite an adventure) Amazingly, no bats or other such beings, just golden and silver spots on the cave which were bacteria!
4- Hamoa beach - Pretty strong winds, so the openness was not enjoyable, although the views from the beach are amazing! We didn't spend much time, since we wanted to start our ride back by 4pm.
6-Wailua waterfalls - there was a lovely sight of waterfalls, we made the stop based on fellow tourists parking by it's side. Also, had an amazing overlook of the pacific ocean and the west maui mountains.
5- seven sacred pools - At the Haleakala national park, the plunging pools that join into the ocean are quite a sight. As I mentioned earlier, the trade winds were very strong and so the access to the pool was closed. We walked all the way up to enjoy the view and ofcourse sound of the stream and pools were soothing.
6-Pipwai trail - this was a long 4 mile hike, so we couldn't spend that amount of time. We took a look at the bamboo and flora in the area. The rocks and pebbles in this area were prohibited from being touched as the archaeologists are studying the site.
7- scenic stops - As you drive up and back, the scenic sights of the rainforests with the sun piercing through its very very pretty. The drive reminded me mostly of a hill station drive back in Kodai, India. The lush green and pretty pink, red and orange flowers all standing pretty.It was definitely worth stopping by and enjoying all the overlooks!

Last day in Maui :-(

This was an easy, lazy day.we were scheduled for an afternoon flight.

So we took a walk at the Wailea beach, spent some time in the jacuzzi, just chilled by the pool taking in all the beauty of the view, fresh smell of flowers, listening close to the birds chirping!

Maui was a great trip overall, we both were refreshed and did I mention we got to see a rainbow every day? Their secondary name could be the rainbow state, though it says Aloha state on the license plates with a rainbow sign. It's amazing the tiny piece of land can offer you tropical forests, sandy beaches, lava rocks that adorn the ocean, calm breezes, strong winds, mists on the mountains, rains, extremely hot afternoons, chilly evenings, friendly people, good food, cleanliness and safe as well! I see now why Hawaii is so popular!
Finally, one of my dream destinations checked off on my list.....and I am ready to explore another Hawaiian island already!

5 days ago...

2011-12-01T10:35:00.000-08:00

Day 3 in Maui:
we had booked a submarine trip in the morning and a sunset dinner cruise that night!
For non- divers and the less daring group, the submarine ride a blessing and a real adventure. There's nothing like being the human tank that goes to visit the sea world. It did feel wonderful to visit 3 reefs, have the more nosey fishes swim right to our windows and stare at what's going on. Also having algae on the tank is a big attraction for them. We didn't have the pleasure of seeing a shark but a huge variety of fishes and eels is very exciting. The lovely ride to and fro the submarine gave us pretty views of the west Maui mountains and the sunlight was very generous.
We spent the afternoon in Lahaina district. It felt perfect to walk by the ocean, get lunch, try the maui mango gelato, a spa treatment and shop for souvenirs.
After that we were all set for our cruise. The most enjoyable part
of the cruise was the views, food and
drink . Sadly the ride was cold and the winds were too strong. Towards the end of our ride, it got better and we had great company to chat and thereby fun! That evening it rained in
lahaina, so we were relieved to be back in Wailea where it continued to be dry .

6 days back...

2011-12-01T10:33:00.000-08:00

Day 2 at Maui :
No big plans, it felt more like a trail/ hike day. There were a few suggestions and we picked Iao valley and Haleakala national park, both located at central Maui.

The Iao valley is one of the more famous ones as it had one of the bigger thriving taro plantations. The Ioa valley is very moist in comparison to south Maui, the presence of tropical forest add to the humidity and it's easy to see how the valley would support life with a river stream and various fruits and flowers that easily grow in the fertile soil. The Iao valley has a so called needle point, a hill which is more than 300feet in height and always has a mist on top. Apparently there's always mist up top through out the year. The walk in this valley was very easy and about lunch time, we headed to Haleakala national park.

The volcano national park is famous for the sunrise and sunset views from its 10,000 foot height. Also called the house of sun, the drive up isn't that easy. The curves are pretty sharp and there are hardly any boulders as we keep climbing. I decided the biking tour was not an option I would consider or recommend. About 7000 foot, we stopped at an overlook and trail. It was totally worth it. Breath taking view of sand craters on one side and the beautiful ocean and mountain on the other, just an amazing combination on one island! At the 10,000 it was obviously chilly and the views were even more broader, this time we could view the neighboring islands as well. The trails were fairly easy and the sunset view was amazing. Definitely worth the climb. Evening ended with a yum Vietnamese veg restaurant.

A week back (The Thanksgiving break)

2011-12-01T10:30:00.000-08:00

A dark early morning, raining and cold, off we were to the airport to our long awaited trip to Hawaii. The airport parking lots, shuttles, check in lines et al were packed as it were thanksgiving holidays. Luckily our flights were on time inspite of the busy season and In fact we landed earlier than scheduled at the Kahului (Maui) airport.
The airport was a pleasant surprise with the open ceilings that is rare to find. You walk right out to find the direct view of tropical skyline with warm temperature and cool breeze welcoming you. It was an exciting moment and perfect time to change to flip flops! We couldn't resist the hawaii shirts at the airport shops. Once we got our rental car, off we were to Wailea, about 17 miles which is located at South Maui.

At the Wailea Marriott, the resort was just so exotic with the multi flora , waterfalls and koi ponds, sound of the ocean and chirping birds - a lovely combination to relax. We had decided to stick to the resort that night to experience a luau. It was located at the gardens facing the beach. Just before sunset, there was a lei greeting, the open bar and arts and crafts. There was wood carving of the various tikis (tikis are idols of Gods that protect, bring luck, peace, prosperity, money, strength), a display of traditional extract of coconut milk, lei making, even the earthen oven display. Watching the sunset right at the ocean was just
too lovely. After sunset, the music began, mostly romantic Hawaiian songs and later the dance performances.the hula dances were a lot of fun to watch, with the women dressed in bright colors and their swaying of hips in the catchy music. There was stunt performance by men with fire- I am amazed how many cultures do these similar stunts. Between performances, the hostess would describe the mixed culture of Hawaii which reminded me of a poster at the airport that said we look different, but we smile in the same language. There encouraged any couple to dance just before winding the show, which was fun and sweet.
On our way back, we walked by the beach and we noticed that stars appeared lovely, probably town like life was doing the trick, it felt like we were at a planetarium.
Once back in the room, it was not tough to sleep after the flight, walk and change of time.

Lovely birthday treats!

2011-04-06T20:55:00.000-07:00

To begin with I was thinking I shouldn't celebrate this birthday much and all the coming ones. I think it was age was bothering me, though I didn't feel my age at all! But what the heck, I went ahead and did things I've been wanting to do on the day of!

So we headed to Cal Academy of Science in San Francisco (http://calacademy.org/). I've been dying to visit it and finally we made the trip. It was just amazing to spot so many different butterflies, birds, snakes, spiders and fishes! The moon jellies are always like wow-stuff and I had no idea that there are leafy sea dragons! The coral reefs were so pretty and the school of fishes both small and big all entertaining! Their planetarium show was pretty good and they had a global warming section. Overall, worth the trip.

We had Japanese tea at Japanese tea garden right opposite the Academy. This place isn't worth the visit price, but the cherry blossoms were just so awesome. The sight is so lovely. For dinner we went to California Pizza kitchen, a place thats always good and dessert was molten chocolate cake at Chilis! (both places we have not been to in more than 2 years).You can never go wrong with 1200 calories in 1 dessert! LOL!

The best part is the celebration wasn't over yet! Hubby got me the iPhone and that's the new baby I carry everywhere and of course takes a lot of my attention. Besides, all the calls, pings and messages on Facebook were all very sweet.

I got lunch treat from a couple of friends and last night my sweet friend, N, took me for golgappas at this Indian store and took me for a movie "Game". The movie starred Abhishek Bachchan (which is perfect for me), it wasn't a great movie, but hey, we had a great time cracking ourselves up!

The party isn't over yet...I booked a facial for myself and looking for some new hair cut I could get done!

Oh well, after all that pre-birthday thoughts, I guess I'll hopefully enjoy all coming birthdays as well. I am still a kid at heart and believe will always be! And yea, age is just a number, I don't even look my age !

Back and its already 2011!

2011-01-02T22:47:00.000-08:00

Past few months were very tight - trips to India and pressure to finish up with examinations by 2011 along with work! Result was a big sacrifice of social life, long days, bigger dark circles, swollen feet, mosquito bites; but ended up having a great time with family, my sister in law's wedding was the biggest ocassion & got to finally meet my niece and celebrate her 1st birthday! can't believe she's completed a year - i think it was just the other day that my sister had delievered her!

As we step into a new decade, I am trying to form my goals and objectives for the year....I have to say I'm pretty impressed with accomplishing 2010 goals!

- Attempted and passed all CPA exams!
- Back to yoga classes !
- Visited sister and parents - stayed a few days with them!
- Did my annual med check-ups
- drinking more water each day as well
The only thing I did not get to was taking some Spanish language classes. let's hope I get to that some day.

In 2011, I definitely want to get back to much more cooking, visit atleast 1 new city/state (Hawaii is still the dream) and hopefully have family come down here since we are making no travel plans to India this year.

Hoping health, peace and happiness for my family and friends in 2011, Good luck!