Just My Way of Thinking

Changes continued..

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:20:00 +0000

While the monster truck crawled by me, my wipers swishing away the rain, I literally shivered as the Turn Pike curved. I waited for the truck to go past ASAP and I breathed a sigh of relief. I start so early in the morning, my heart was bent on curling back into the bed with B and Nithin when the alarm went off, but the thought of unseen challenges by hitting the road later made me jump up.

The good side of the enforced schedule is that everyone is up early. Nikhil works on his Kumon. They all get early to their places. Nithin seems to be doing well with the full time daycare - he occasionally puts requests to stay home every other day like he used to - but so far doing well at school. Touch wood.

Changes in life

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:39:00 +0000

Last Saturday, I dragged the whole family with me when I did my test drive on the Turn Pike to my new office. Monday seemed like the day we were all waiting for - as if a timer will go off on that day and I was not sure what could happen after that. I spent every minute thinking of how to prepare for the big changes in life. After the test drive to the office, we went to the Willow Grove Mall and had lunch at CheeseCake factory. It is Halloween day..and hey, we were hungry anyway! It was a good lunch and then we drove back home. I felt much better - I survived the test. I could at least imagine how Monday morning drive will be.

Sunday night, my sleep was disturbed, I was alert, woke up twice in the middle of the night, only to realize that it was too early to wake up. I am the kind of person who loves to sleep till 7.30 or 8 usually, but now I have to get up at 5.45 at least. I left home at 6.15 on Monday morning with B, N and N wishing me good luck and was at the new office really early. It is better to be early so I can have a smooth ride. The orientation went smoothly and I went home before it was dark. Now it gets pitch dark by 5PM here in Philadelphia. I DO NOT enjoy driving in the dark, especially in the roads in which I am not comfortable. Hence this leaving home early in the morning. I am a fan of flexible timings now!

To be continued..

Old countdown over..new starts

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:30:00 +0000

A BIG SORRY for being so silent. I got a couple of emails/comments from friends who care and were tired of this silence. Countdown to return back to US was over long time ago.

Back in US, I could see the market was getting better. I got two offers around the same time.
One close to home, in the same company where I worked for 5 years some time ago. Another one, far from home, but promising to give me some new kind of work experience and build more on the knowledge I gathered in the past two years. It was a tough decision. But I chose the far job over the close one. I will join the job this coming Monday.

When I went to interview in my old company, it was a great experience. It was like walking into one's own home. I could recognize almost every person that I saw there. In spite of that, I have made a decision to try out some new challenges. Biggest challenge for me is the 45 minutes drive in the Turn Pike one way every day. It is much more than what I have ever done. But I am hoping for some exciting times. New office, new colleagues, new places to eat lunch..I will be working close to two of my friends' offices. Work wise also, I will have a lot to learn.

Another major change in my life was that B's parents returned back to India a month ago. We miss them a lot. They were very much helpful in our day to day life. I am now playing the role of a house wife - planning about what to make for the next meal, grocery shopping, driving Nikhil to activities etc. But since I was at home, I enjoyed it all.

This week, Nithin was sick for past 3 days. He is on the mend now. I am hoping he recovers for the big change in our lives next week. He will have to go to day care all 5 days from the '3 days only' schedule. He does not like the idea much. I am worried my transition into the working mom role goes easy with the three men in my life!

Countdown starts

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:45:00 +0000

Not even a week left before we start back. Yesterday, was a forced lazy day on me by myself.

In the past 3 weeks, we had roamed a lot. So we felt exhausted and worried about our health. We had my schoolmate visit us, so we had done some roaming within Bangalore last weekend. Now was the time to relax and recover or else we might break down. I had to cancel a fun trip planned with relatives and we decided to breathe.
But that one day was so hard to be inside home. I am so much of an outdoor person that I find it so hard to stay indoors for one complete day. It is true that even in US, if I stay home all day, I have this itch to get out for a drive at least in the evening.

So Nikhil and me were back in action today after the complete rest yesterday. A morning at the games arcade in the mall near home, bit of shopping and the walk back home to rest the afternoon. Evening, I took him to watch Ice Age Part 3 in the theatre. By now we both are so familiar with the Forum Mall and its theatre. After the movie, we caught up with a friend at the food court and headed back home. Countdown begins!

Real taste of vacation in India

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:12:00 +0000

Listening to Appa talk about his favorite movies and songs
Playing 'Aradhana' songs and Hemant Kumar hits and enjoying them in the car
Listening to Kamal songs in car
Watching 'Avvai Shanmugi' in DVD at home and discovering new hidden jokes
Eating spicy Andhra meals in banana leaf
Recovering the collection of old photo albums and looking at young Appa and Amma, good old friends and listening to Nikhil scream at my old pictures with long plaited hair!
An impromptu visit to a movie theatre in the near by mall to catch the next available movie and a McD's nuggets meals for Nikhil
Waiting for my close friend from school days to reach Bangalore to meet me

This is going good, Thank God!

Half way through!

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:29:00 +0000

The first few days saw me and my family go to Coorg. It was fun - we visited Talakkaveri ( starting point of the river Kaveri), Abbey falls, a Tibetan village with the huge Golden Temple and Mysore Palace. Then few days of rest at home and we are now in Chennai.

Chennai is way more hotter than what I thought. AC rooms are in every home nowadays. So I take refuge there. Living around close relatives who shower love is a delightful experience. These folks have seen me from the time I was a baby. The college girls now here in this home are babies I have held in my hands. It is a long lasting relation I cherish with the bunch of joint families here.

On the flip side, to my surprise, the hot weather, traveling and eating different foods has made me feel exhausted. All the things I have craved to eat while I am US, seem to not entice me now. W hen my tummy aches. I feel safer eating curd rice! The 9 years of US life has made me addicted to cleanliness. I was never the one to be bothered about the dust or the dirt while I was in India. I was proud of being so adaptive and flexible also.I seem to have changed a lot, my tolerance towards dust/dirt/polluted air has come down. I used to laugh at people's cliched dialogues on pollution, traffic etc, but now I am the one feeling it. Hmmmm! 15 more days to go.

Nikhil is enjoying the time with kids here. I am glad!

Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:30:00 +0000

The flight was long, tiring but not too bumpy. Food was not great, except for the last breakfast which was Puris! At the London airport, the one thing I did that was exciting was get a change of 1 pound and use it in an internet kiosk to type an email to B and Appa. Getting on the internet made me feel homely in the vast airport. Felt like I am not that far away India and USA. Little moments of fun!

Nikhil was good. I was super thrilled when he ate the Puris with the spicy curries for breakfast in the plane. I forced him to sleep in the second flight for we fear a monster called JET LAG! Day 1 activities were planned to involve Nikhil and make him walk with us to some small shops etc to prevent him from falling asleep. After 3 hours, he could not control it anymore, he fell asleep in the car. Today is the first night - last time he could not sleep well for some days. Let us see how this one goes.
In the couple of phone conversations, Nithin and Nikhil exchanged 'miss you's and 'love you's. It is hard for them to be separated now, especially thar they have started playing/watching Star Wars, DS etc etc together. Hang in there, folks, I will keep posting my updates!

Shower time

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:12:00 +0000

A great breakthrough - Nithin agreed to try out the shower with his Chacha (short for Achacha, meaning big bro). And he liked it so much! Now taking a bath seems more fun than ever to him! Bye Bye, bucket! Welcome, shower! I can hear them talking to each other and it is fun to hear Nithin talk like a big boy!

Fast Forward

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:41:00 +0000

We all know the 'Rewind' button in our minds - that takes us into the past and helps relive the good moments of our lives. It looks like I have hit the fast Forward button. My mind is always in the trip that I am about to take on with my son. It is like I am re(?) living the future. I am daydreaming of each day in India. Shopping, preparing, packing is going on. Plans for small trips while in India are in the making via phone with my Appa. It is exciting, but at the same time, these thoughts make me nervous also.

Since I have got used to B's presence so much, I have become dependent on him for so many things. He takes care of minute details and I can rely on him that he will pack everything that is needed and fix all mechanical/hardware issues. Since he won't be with me, I am afraid where all I will have to act as B! I will have to do all his usual chores when we travel together. When Nikhil misses his Appa, I would not know what to do. I will have fun shopping and roaming around with Nikhil, but I cannot entertain him the way B can. Playing DS together, watching Star Wars is all beyond me. Since I won't have B to share the parenting role, I feel completely responsible for anything Nikhil will go through. I am worried about his health throughout the journey.

Let us see how it goes.

Decided

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 22:52:00 +0000

I have been contemplating a trip to India for the past few months. B insisted more on that because
it will give me a break from the dull job market and him from my daily reports of how bad the market is. It is just me and Nikhil who are going to my parents'. Mr.Nithin will be here with B and his parents. Hmm, mixed feelings about that prevail, but I am convinced Son 1 would be easier to manage by myself. I could ENJOY the trip a bit more hopefully as I am not running around to feed Mr.Nithin or trying to put him to sleep. I will miss hugging him and he will miss holding my ear while he sleeps. Since he apparently did not miss Mommy when Mom was away in LA for 3 days, it is assumed that he would be fine with dad and grand parents.

This would be the only chance in the near future for me to make a trip to India and utilize all the time the way I want. I am looking forward to spending some quality time with my Appa and Amma. It is time to replenish my stock of typical Indian items - food, clothes etc. that I get from there. I will come back rejuvenated and jump into the job market with double strength - me thinks!

That One Long Minute

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:58:00 +0000

The test was 4 hours long. The past two weeks have been so hectic and strenuous with preparing for the PMP certification exam. I had a red jute bag full of PMP books and I would set out to either Barnes and Nobles or the Penn State Great Valley campus. I had 'my' sofas in both the places. My little corners of study where I could open a book and forget about the rest of the world. I had put in my best with full support from all at home.

But the questions are so tricky with two answers that are really close. Every answer I clicked, I was trusting my instinct based on what I studied. After one pass through all questions and a second pass through the 'Mark for Review' ones, my thoughts centered around the what the outcome is going to be. I tried to shake those thoughts away telling myself the outcome is going to be based on what I do NOW. As there was only 1 minute, I thought - I have done all I could and I would really be broken if I don't make it! I prayed to God because that is all that I could do now. My heart was thumping so hard I could hear it distinctly as if it were on the table, next to the keyboard.

A survey screen about the testing center followed. I clicked through choices like 'Excellent' and 'Good' for the survey. The survey ended and I waited for the screen to refresh with the result of the exam.

The white blank screen refreshed and I could read the word 'Congratulations, you have passed the PMP examination'. My joy knew no bounds. It was the moment for which I worked hard. But I realize that the result could very easily have been the other way - had some questions been more tough, had I clicked a different choice for some answers. As I gathered the print out of the 'success' screen, I was truly happy. After the day I got laid off, this is the first day of achievement.

I called B and told him the result. He was thrilled. He told Nikhil who was in the car. And Nikhil said "Look, Amma, I told you anything can be DONE on my birthday". Yes, he turned 8 on the same day. The evening was spent in Olive Garden with family where we got the waiters sing a surprise birthday song for him and he truly was surprised and shy!

Exam Prep

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 23:04:00 +0000

My certification exam is getting nearer. Having the luxury of B's parents watching my kids, I sneak out for a place of quiet study. Different places different days. At home, distractions are more - kids, piles of laundry to be folded, chores here and there and the worst of all - my BED! So today morning, I set out with my book bag to Barnes and Nobles. These words came to me while I was sitting there. It is in Hindi, of course.

Barnes and Nobles का एक कोना

खिड़की के पासवाली एक कुर्सी में मैं

दूर Route 100 में जा रही है गाडियां

हाथ में किताब लिए बैठी हूँ मैं

हवा में उड़ रहा है कोई अंग्रेज़ी गाना

अजीब राहों से गुज़रती है ज़िन्दगी

कल क्या होगा ये किसने जाना?

Beginnings and Ends

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:59:00 +0000

The demise of a close relative in India left us thinking a lot about death. We all know it is a truth, it is bound to happen to all of us some day. Yet, when we see it happen, it is shocking and sad. We wonder how we spend our lives attached to the material things and how we fight or keep grudges against people. In the end, all that matters is how much we loved and how we lived. It saddens us to think that when we go again for a visit to India, we won't be able to meet this aunt as we usually do. Her smile and her radiant face will live in our memories always.

*****************************************************************

On a different note, Nikhil's school closed yesterday. He brought back all his belongings, composition notebooks and a picture of him and his teacher. Loads of paper has piled needing clean-up in his room. It is the beginning of summer vacation. It marks the end of his second grade and the beginning of his journey towards third grade. It made me emotional thinking how fast he is growing. Third grade is supposed to be more serious and a beginning of a new era in elementary education. I am eager to see how it will change our lives!

This brought back so many memories of my own school years. Summer vacation as the single daughter did not mean much excitement to me. But then, at that age, I did not know what excitement meant. I was satisfied with being home all the time, reading more 'Sujatha' books and any Tamil novels I get, watch TV and listen to radio. I did not have a social circle or play mates until I was at the end of Xth standard. Cycling to friends near home and chatting with them marked the beginning of the change in my life. Seeking friends and refusing to be a loner, I was so sure about how I want my life to be.

Towards the end of the vacation, somehow we would get the news that the new textbooks for the next class have arrived at the bookstore of our school. People would rush to the school, stand in line and grab the loads of books from the school bookstore before they run out of stock. The memory of this ritual is still fresh in my mind. The fragrance of the new text books, the promise they made and the thought of going back to school always brightened me up. That meant, getting back with friends and learning new things. I still remember, as soon as I arrive home with the new text books, I would open them up and start reading. Those were the days! Cotton Hill.G.H.S., Trivandrum meant the home for me. It brought out the best in me - academic as well as extracurricular activities.

OK, that was a trip down the memory lane. Catch you later!

CA - LA times

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:21:00 +0000

Day 2 : S, B and I went for boating in a beautiful lake near S's home. I was shivering in the beginning, but slowly eased into it. I also pedaled the boat - it is a big achievement for me considering how 'adventurous' I am. We discussed some interesting topics as we cruised in the water. After that we went for biking. That is the only sport (is it a sport?) that I enjoy. I went two rounds in the bike trail. It was a beautiful place and it was such a refreshing journey.

Afternoon, we three met K at Saravana Bhavan. Yummy South Indian food!

In a shopping complex, I see this girl who looks like M - from far away! We stopped the car and I followed this girl with a baby in her hand hoping that she should be M. She was inside PlayGym and I kind of took the risk and approached her! It was indeed M! It was a pleasant surprise to run into an old friend in a shopping complex like this.

That evening we gathered at V's place - had a nice dinner catered from Spice Hut. Yummy Appams and Idiappams!. We all played Dumb Charades. This game never fails to entertain any group! Boys Vs Girls - and girls won hands down! I am sure none of the boys will read this post , so I can claim whatever I want here!

Day 3 : Met my cousin Anna and family after 8 years. We chatted with them through home cooked meals by Akka. After the meal, B and I set out on our long drive to LA. Reached around 8.30. Had a quick meeting with the tired looking bride. B and I had a peaceful dinner at Olive Garden. The conversation with the handsome chef post-dinner was also interesting. He has finished his Bachelor's and is going to start Master's. He is also acting in some movies (LA's Hollywood influences!) . May be, some day he will become a movie star and we could say "Hey, I know this guy"!

Day 4: Wedding was in the evening. We ran some errands for the wedding. We went to church with bride and groom. The Cathedral style church atmosphere and their songs and wedding mood made me emotional. We had lunch with bride's relatives. It was little uncomfortable to begin with, but eventually through the evening, B and I were joking to her uncles and aunts. It was a nice experience meeting different people and chatting with them during the wedding and the reception. It was a beautiful location - a cliff facing the ocean and I again became emotional to see the wedding of our sisterly friend!

Day 5: B and I went to Redonda Beach, killed time in a local mall and boarded the flight.

Back home! It was nice to get back and hug N and N. Home is such a beautiful place and you long to get back there. Being away from home is a welcome change which makes you appreciate both - time away from home and HOME itself. It was a really enjoyable trip and a great change!

Clouds and Snow

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:32:00 +0000

Clouds - Love them when I am on the ground and they are up.
Not when my plane is cruising through them.

Snow - Love it when I am home.
Not when I am driving through it.

B and I flew yesterday to CA to attend a friend's wedding. I dislike the take off and landing part.
I envy those who are able to sleep off completely during the bumpy take off/landing times. But I managed to survive those times and reached bay area.

Kids are home with grandparents.It is a break from the routine life for some days. We will miss kids, but I have to be frank, I am also excited about meeting our classmates from Engg College. Yesterday felt like 2 days - half the part in flights and the rest like a totally new day in CA. We met our friend''s family who relocated from Pittsburgh - never thought we would be able to meet them up in their new home in the new place so soon.

Dinner was the get together of 4 families who were ex-classmates in College of Engineering, Trivandrum. We relived old times by teasing each other about college stories. We compared east and west coast work cultures and life styles. I was sort-of jet-lagged with the 3 hour time difference between east and west coast. It was a great day!

Breaking my Silence

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Tue, 26 May 2009 15:30:00 +0000

Once you take a break from anything, it becomes harder to get back to it. When I started job hunting, I had multiple windows open with different job sites and technical sites in my computer.
Taking time off that task seemed like a sin then. I cut myself off from browsing blogs and commenting. It looked like something would happen soon. But nothing major happened.

Time flew. I started working towards PMP Certification. I am still working for that. So whether or not something happens in the job front, I have something to focus on.

A major milestone was taking Nithin consistently to his new preschool. He goes part-time and the transition to the new place was not easy. He cried and protested in the mornings when he knew he had to go to school. It has gotten much better now. The first time, he spotted a classmate from the new school in a gathering, increased references of the teacher in his talks and now, the stories and names of his classmates - it was a tough journey, but we are getting there! Every time he cried, I told myself not to give up or give in to his tears. Kind of feels cruel, isn't it! But I believed firmly that if I give in (now that I have a choice of keeping him home if he cried too much!), it only becomes harder for him the next day. So far, I think he is making good progress with the adjustment.

He seems to be going through a radical change - all of a sudden he is becoming a social butterfly. Wonder what happened - but that is a welcome change. Non-stop chattering!All his dialogues amaze all of us.

Another grand milestone was B's post-graduation. Yay! I bet having a family with two kids and pursing a part time Masters was not easy. He DID it and I am proud of him. We went for the graduation ceremony last week and I edited a post about it in my mind, but never typed it.B's parents, kids, B and I went for a dinner right after the ceremony. It was a fun evening.

Now that I broke the silence, I think it will be easy for me to talk further. Thanks to all those who checked with me via emails or comments to see how I am doing. Promise to be more regular!

A Spinster's Day Out at Barnes and Nobles

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:27:00 +0000

I am not really a spinster, but it was nice to act like one. It was a day Nithin was supposed to be home and not go to school. Thanks to having grandparents at home, I could set out early morning to Barnes and Nobles. It was B's idea and his own dream to spend an entire day there browsing through books. Only that I got to do it.

With no kids to trouble me and husband at office (away from my trouble), it was a day where I could be myself and focus on reading technical books and prepare notes. I bought a coffee and climbed up the escalator to the technical section smiling to myself. Kappi okke vangichu..ini joli kittumo? It all entirely depends on how best I utilize my time there! I picked a book that interested me and made myself comfortable in the huge plush chair there. It was not crowded and I felt at home, muttering the words in the book and taking notes.

One of the incentives of this exercise was to have lunch from a nearby shop and return back to studies. At 11.30, the lady in the bookstore who helped me in the morning saw me and she asked 'You still here". I said :" Fear not, I will be back after lunch :-)" . I did not say the whole sentence, but just a part of it.

It was a bright sunny day. I walked to the Mexican fastfood near by and had a Sonoroan Quesadilla , once recommended to me by Laksh. I spoke with a friend on the phone and walked back to B&N. The rest of the afternoon was not as productive as the morning. I got distrubed by other people sitting in chairs next to me and the music on the air. Can't do much about it since I dont' own the shop, can I? But I managed to read something, so I enjoyed the stay at the shop overall. I finished my day by visiting two other shops, got some shirts for kids for good prices (am not a shopaholic and am very much behind in getting good deals, so this time I felt good doing it!). That was the day that was!

Slow, trying to be steady

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 02:40:00 +0000

Things are moving slow. A week would bring loads of hope, followed by another with nothing fruitful happening. A week would have me believe that changes are imminent and another would fly by without any major achievement.

Job hunting is a job by itself. Being jobless is not fun.Having worked so far continuously for all these years with only a 10 month gap in between with Son1 at home, I might have gotten used to being busy and occupied all the time. I would not say that being home, I am finding it hard to kill time. No, time files quickly! But what I miss is the feeling of having done something productive or useful for some one (a project, or a company!) . I miss interacting intellectually with my colleagues. I miss running the project, planning things for its execution and knocking off items from my tasks list.

Some people tell me to take a break. Somehow, I started looking for a job right away. In this market, it is hard to get something even if you tried hard because you are competing against so many other people who got laid off! A day off when I was working had a totally different meaning. I used to look forward to doing so many things on a day off. But I have not done any of those things since I lost my job. I was more prompt with visiting blogs, commenting there and posting my updates in mine when I was working. A 5 minute break from heavy workload meant a lot! I have not gone shopping for fun. I have not watched any movie on any weekday!

Things I did differently/newly are
- landed on a week day story telling session in library with Nithin - first time!
- walked with Nikhil while he bicycled on a sunny day
- took a walk another day with Nithin outside in our neighborhood.
- wore saree to church one day - for the first time to our church
- drove to couple of new routes by myself to meet recruiters, an interview
- gained confidence that I can go by train to Center City, Phille in needed.
- went to Thursday 9.30 workout lesson in gym thinking who will be there now and was surprised to see the hall full of women in the Pilates class!

Tomorrow is Nithin's first day in his preschool. He has to move out of our beloved babysitter's home for some reasons. From the cozy comfort zone of our babysitter, we have to move him to a school environment. It is exciting to think about the changes he will have, but it is worrying/scary to think about the transition phase and how he will face it. Big bro is advising him to 'just get used to it'! We are keeping our fingers crossed. So I am currently working on the project to transition him into new school environment. Obama (US. Labor ) is paying me for it ( I mean, unemployment comp!)

BTW, it was nice to meet Suman at UL's home yesterday. UL, Laksh and myself were meeting her the first time. It was really nice to get together - missed some others who are regulars (Shy, Anila and JS!). Catch you later!

A Good Friday

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:21:00 +0000

It was Good Friday. B and myself were in downtown, Philly to meet someone. Once the meeting was done, we came out of the building to be surrounded by those skyscrapers. It is a totally different world out there. It felt like we could spend days and days together walking around the downtown. Lots and lots of shops and restaurants. We entered into 'THE PITA PIT' - only because the name enticed me. We don't see these kinds of shops in the area where we live. They were churning out Falafels. I ordered a Pita Wrap and filled it with veggies. After that quick snack, we walked out. We grabbed some tea from a TEA SHOP. Not like the chayakkada back home, this was a fancy shop selling tea alone.

Back home, we took kids and grand parents and set out for another drive. I felt relieved at the thought of a weekend. A week full of job hunting efforts. A week which showed some positive signs of the job market. Nothing definite has happened, but this week sowed some seeds of hope.
It saw me enroll into a course in the PSU, just a first step, but when I got the StudentID, I felt I am doing something toward a GOAL. So I felt that I rightfully deserve some weekend fun. We all went to Devi Vegetarian restaurant. The buffet was decent and I found some nice options. I was glad all of us enjoyed the food. We picked up some Indian DVDs and spent the rest of the evening in front on the TV watching 'Sooryan' starring Jayaram.

A nice Friday.

Lasik update

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 21:33:00 +0000

My LASIK surgery went fine. B took the day of surgery off - it being the last day I will see the world with my current vision capacity! We went for a movie (I Love you man!), laughed a lot, had lunch and then reached the eye care center. After initial checkups, I posted my previous post and killed some time. Then I went into the laser suite. I was nervous, but went with the flow anyway. It took a maximum of 15 to 20 minutes. When I came out of the room, I was surprised - "I can see!" They asked me to go home and sleep - I obeyed that. Then I was told NOT TO RUB MY EYES and wear eye shields when I sleep.

I religiously followed the medicine eye drops schedule. The next day we went for the check up. While B was driving, I was looking at the outside world. I was now able to read all the sign boards without my glasses on. I put on my eye glasses and everything became blurry. This is truly magic!

I was extremely delighted with the results. It was TOTALLY PAINLESS! I had very little discomfort. Only discomfort was sleeping with eye shields on - always cautious not to rub my eyes. Recovery after surgery was quick too. 5 days later, one night, Nithin reminded me "Amma, drops!" and I said "medicine drops are DONE!". One week later, when they said - all seems to be well, now say bye to the eye shields, I was happy. Nithin wondered where the white glasses (shields) have gone!

I hope this is it - and I don't develop any complications over time. I will recommend that to anyone who has been contemplating it.

It was my passion - to get LASIK done and say bye to eyeglasses. I worried a bit inside my mind - "why create problems when all is well with my eyes, I can see well with the glasses". But I have been following the LASIK dream since 4 years at least now. Every time, I heard or met someone who got it done, it brought hope. It was a risk - now I can say, it was a risk worth taking! I have the satisfaction of getting what I wanted. Thanks to B and parents for standing by me with the decision! My kids were literally standing by me and watching me whenever I put the drops in and handed me a towel!

Yesterday, when I went to watch "Monsters Vs Aliens 3D", I could comfortably slip on the 3D glasses - which so far had to be tucked on top of my normal spects. I felt good!

Thanks and Pray More!

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:25:00 +0000

Thanks to all you blog-pals who have not met me face to face yet, but were with me sending emails and calling me over phone. It was nice to know that I have made so many friends who felt sad for my sudden lost of job and encouraged me to take a deep breath! Every email, every call put a smile to my face. When someone at work told me, they all remembered me and talked about me in the meeting, I was thrilled.

It has been a week already.

Some accomplishments for this week:

Filed for unemployment compensation. In Malayalam, we used to call it Thozhilillayma Vethanam. Used to be my elocution topic in school - how to overcome unemployment issues in Kerala/India! Now I have filed for it. I thank God for the green card I have. It helps when I am job hunting as well as will help me sustain financially. Anyone, who needs information about it, can contact me now!
Got a hair cut for Nithin and I felt great he cooperated after the initial 5 minutes of clinging to me.
I too got a hair cut and it was long pending due to work pressure.
I got in touch with friends whom I had not contacted for a long time.
I am now in the Vision Care center getting ready for my LASIK surgery. A bit nervous, but determined to go ahead. So friends, not sure how long my break will be, may be I will be back very soon. Pray for me!

Ek Pal Mein

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:51:00 +0000

...zindagi badal gaya! I can now understand what it means.

It was another Thursday morning. Some of you might have read this post of mine back in January.

This time my name was in THE LIST!
When we were told that our employment has been impacted due to financial reasons, I walked out and came back to my desk. Tears were coming on and off - silly, but it is not like you hear those words everyday. I was really busy at work and this came totally unexpected. When I packed my things and came to my car, I looked at the river side walking trail. I was waiting for summer to start walking there!

Called B and went to his office. We went for a quick lunch, joked and chatted about it. I came back home and focussed on kids that evening!

Nine

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:54:00 +0000

Nine years ago, it was on this day (March 16 - wanted to post this yesterday) that B and I became man and wife. We can't believe our marriage is 9 years old. It feels like 2 or 3, but the two boys stand proof of the age of the married life. The wedding was a goal we had to strive for. To get the consent and blessings of both sets of parents. To work out the logistics of ceremonies. To pick a date (we picked the 6th anniversary date of when we realized we were not just 'friends' any more). To arrange the reception hall and menu.To print out invitations. The whole day, right from morning, we both were nervous. It was a wedding and decision we both were mainly responsible for.

Nine years later, I am glad for everything I have. I cherish all the memories of togetherness.
For the moments, when we smiled and laughed together. For the innumerable times I said something and did not get a response back and I had to nag (see, I had no choice!). For the arguments which ended peacefully and those that left an unpleasant feeling! For the two bundles of joy! Here's to the nine years and many more years of togetherness. B, are you reading this?

Holi Aayi Re!

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 04:26:00 +0000

I know Holi, the festival of colours through Hindi movies only. I am reminded of 'Silsila' where Amitabh, Jaya and Rekha appear in the colorful song sequence. Chitrhaar on Holi time featured all kinds of Holi songs. I don't recall playing 'holi' because it was not celebrated where I grew up. So when we signed up to go to the Holi Party, conducted by a cultural organization in our area, I was not sure about it.

My inspiration to go was mainly that my son Nikhil was part of a group performance by kids from our community. I looked forward to it eagerly - as every other mom whose kid featured on the stage that day did. The choreographer, other moms and kids practiced and worked for this event since past 2 months. It was cute to watch the kids dance - when the dance was over, I felt relieved. I ran to hug Nikhil as he stepped off the stage - he seemed more worried about a new Frisbee that he got from there! Kids! Kids!

After the performances and lunch, we all came outside to the parking lot and it was HOLI time.
Nithin got scared looking at my face with colors on it, so I held him outside the color zone. B went around taking pictures and got color on him too. It was nice to see everyone in colors - all over their face, shirts and hair. When we left, all of us except Nithin looked colorful. For the first time, in my life, we all got to play HOLI!

Taco Bell experience

noreply@blogger.com (anamika) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:53:00 +0000

Taco Bell is probably one of the very few fast food places that an Indian vegetarian in US like me likes to go to. My favorite item (which is also my kids' favorite by now) is called Chalupa. The picture shows a beef version, I guess. Anyone familiar with Indian food can equate it with a Poori with some stuffings. It has been quite a savior to me during pregnant times when I was hungry all the time. My typical order (by now, B has it memorized too) is : X nacho cheese chalupas minus beef add beans.

So two days I ago, I stand in the counter after dropping Nikhil to karate across the road and Nithin with me. I recite this recorded order and they even accepted my payment. That is when the lady inside brought it to the cashier's attention that they are out of BEANS!

Cashier: "Sorry, ma'm, we are out of beans! Would you like to have something else instead in your chalupa?"

I was put in a spot - what was I supposed to put in my bean chalupa other than beans? Note than beef, chicken and even shrimps (once a server in a Japanese restaurant brought me shrimp saying it is not meat) don't qualify as vegetarian in my dictionary.

I said: "Ok, go ahead and make it with other ingredients without beans."

Cashier with a worried look: "Are you sure you don't want some chicken on it? How will you eat with just lettuce and cheese? It will be so plain."

Me: "I don't eat chicken. No meat. So go ahead and give it to me just like that."

Cashier was really sorry for me and apologetic for not having beans and (as we soon found out), spoons and forks also! I was smiling to hear that!

An old Tamil mimicry joke goes: "Poottu irukka?" asking the shop keeper for a poottu (lock) and indirectly nudging him to lock the shop and go home.

The rest of the time I spent was a positive experience though. The shopkeeper wanted to make up for their shortcomings - so I got a juice box for Nithin, who was just as happy with his chalupa as always (no beans, so what!).

Cashier: "Chocolate or Vanilla?"

Me: Hmm...Chocolate (wondering what is coming next and thinking of Nikhil's favorite flavor)

Cashier hands me a cholocate icecream.

Time to leave. And cashier says: "Ma'm, thanks for your patience. I have one more thing for you" and he handed me a hand written note for 2 Bean Chalupas FREE next time!

P.S. Nikhil enjoyed the icecream! One day, I will enjoy the bean chalupas soon! Three cheers to customer satisfcation!

P.P.S. Sorry gals/guys for the silence - I was busy with work, so will be for this whole month.