Like headlines on a newspaper, the text on a snack pack caught my attention.
Trickery and deception happen everywhere, it seems! Thanks to Pistachios for reporting the story of 'Chili Con Lemon'!
DeeDee moments
On our drive to school this morning, as my daughter and I were talking, somehow the topic of 'crying wolf' came up. I found myself narrating to her the anecdote behind it - how the shepherd boy cried wolf and fooled the villagers who rushed to his rescue; and how finally when the wolf really attacked him, no one came to help him....
Me : "So, what do you understand from this?"
DD : " That he should not have shouted 'wolf wolf' so many times, the wolf heard him and came to bite him; If he had not called out, the wolf would not have come."
I had one of those comic book moments with a crazy spiral and a bunch of yellow stars drawn over my head!
Me : "So, what do you understand from this?"
DD : " That he should not have shouted 'wolf wolf' so many times, the wolf heard him and came to bite him; If he had not called out, the wolf would not have come."
I had one of those comic book moments with a crazy spiral and a bunch of yellow stars drawn over my head!
to-wel or not to .........
It's our first winter in our new home i.e. the 50 yr old house that we have newly made our home. It's brrrrrr..... cold and everything gets cold by evening- the couch, the countertops, the carpet. The tile kitchen floor has converted my mom to someone who wears indoor footwear, which she had resisted all along. Amidst all this, my dad's biggest concern is over towels. Yep! bath towels that don't feel dry and crisp but are damp and cold to the touch bother him to no end. So he's taken it upon himself to put them out to dry on the clothesline in our backyard. As soon as my mother saw the backyard in this house, she exclaimed with relief, 'Ah, I can now hang my sarees out to dry and don't have to worry about detangling the twisted knotted heap that they become in the dryer'. So we had a clothesline tied for my mother to use. But I didn't realize it'd get used this much, that too by my dad. He's confounded over how towels that are machine washed and dried, that come out hot and fresh and then get folded and put away get cold and somewhat limp. He constantly fusses over their semi-dry state, and hangs them out to dry in nature. Every couple of hours he moves them over on the line to accommodate the shifting sunlight. Yes this is winter in glorious California and we do get some sunny days. But the sun is just there, the wind is so chilly, there's hardly any warmth even in direct sunlight. So, after a few hours outside, the towels come back feeling pretty chilly and that irks my dad again. Between his morning and late afternoon walks, between the times he spends with some friends he's made here, going up to the community centre or saying his prayers, he can mostly be seen fussing over his towels.
Many times when we are looking for my dad to join us for lunch,and he is not to be seen, My mother jokes' He must have gone in search of Surya Bhagavan( Sun God)' or ' I saw him last near the fence moving the towels to the far end, by now he must be in the neighbor's yard '. I laugh very hard imagining my neighbor's amazement if he ever caught my dad in his backyard or picturing my dad enthusiastically hanging clothes on a line right next to a puzzled Mr.Golden Sun - as if from a colorful page out of a children's story book. Thank God for the earth's rotation, he gets to sleep while he loans the sun to the remaining half of the globe. If those towels ever came to life, they'd give him a hug for all the fussing and pampering.
In the beginning this obsession with drying towels annoyed me. Later I started finding it very funny. But in a month from now when my parents will travel back home, that empty clothesline will make me very sad, I'll miss you dad - But I'll be glad to realize you , your towels and the Sun God will all be together.
Many times when we are looking for my dad to join us for lunch,and he is not to be seen, My mother jokes' He must have gone in search of Surya Bhagavan( Sun God)' or ' I saw him last near the fence moving the towels to the far end, by now he must be in the neighbor's yard '. I laugh very hard imagining my neighbor's amazement if he ever caught my dad in his backyard or picturing my dad enthusiastically hanging clothes on a line right next to a puzzled Mr.Golden Sun - as if from a colorful page out of a children's story book. Thank God for the earth's rotation, he gets to sleep while he loans the sun to the remaining half of the globe. If those towels ever came to life, they'd give him a hug for all the fussing and pampering.
Nothing in particular-isms
Facebook's autocomplete feature on proper nouns is horrendous, especially on non-western names. I don't know whether it's the mobile app that's acting up. A relative of mine, a few years younger than I, sent me a message to get in touch. I responded to her asking her to call me by my first name rather than a respectful 'akka' ( big sister). After a couple of days when I read her reply I was kind of surprised why she still stuck to calling me akka. And then when my eyes proceeded down to my original message, I was befuddled to read ' Please, why akka, you can call me Sukarno' ! WTH! Just after I had typed the first two letters of my name, the FB angels decided to take over and do their thing! I winced in pain imagining what she might have thought of me after reading this!!!!!
This happened a few months ago. DD exclaimed enthusiastically as I took out her lunch box from her lunch bag, " Amma, I can read my name on my lunch box !" .
I went " Really ?", she responded " yeah, see- P-Y-R-E-X ". Sitting right above those letters is a label spelling out the name we so lovingly gave her!
May be I am the one who's late to this party, but did you know what a Qwerty is? I stumbled upon 'Qwerty keyboard' when I was reading the features list of a mobile phone. Qwerty is the design of a standard keyboard of a typewriter or computer as we are all used to. It comes from the first six letters from left to right on the top row : Q,W,E,R,T,Y!
This happened a few months ago. DD exclaimed enthusiastically as I took out her lunch box from her lunch bag, " Amma, I can read my name on my lunch box !" .
I went " Really ?", she responded " yeah, see- P-Y-R-E-X ". Sitting right above those letters is a label spelling out the name we so lovingly gave her!
May be I am the one who's late to this party, but did you know what a Qwerty is? I stumbled upon 'Qwerty keyboard' when I was reading the features list of a mobile phone. Qwerty is the design of a standard keyboard of a typewriter or computer as we are all used to. It comes from the first six letters from left to right on the top row : Q,W,E,R,T,Y!
The co-incidence story
*** looks long but will take a max of 5 mins to read in entirety ***
Yesterday, as I sat down to fold 3 loads of laundry, I turned on the TV. DD, DH and parents left for a day at an amusement park and I had just put my son down for a nap. Browsing through the channels I found the Jim Carrey starrer 'Bruce Almighty' dubbed in tamil on sun TV. I normally never watch such stuff, but yesterday I was very tickled to catch Jim Carrey shout 'Kadavule', 'Poda loose paiyya' , Jennifer aniston go ' Enna aachu ungalukku?', Morgan Freeman playing God say 'Pinne kaanaam' ( see you later in malayalam) - I figured the original version must have had him say 'Hasta la vista or Ciao'.
In this film the character of Jim Carrey, Bruce is disgruntled, unhappy and blames God for his lacklustre career, for painstakingly having to eke his way out without immediate success and for the quick growth of his clever coworkers. Finally God decides he's had it with this man's complaints and decides to contact him through his pager. Bruce's pager beeps with the number 555 0123. What struck me was the co-incidence with something that happened many years ago - for a second I relived the same 'chill down the spine' feeling.
It was during my II P.U. public exams; The warning bell had just sounded at 12:15 pm to remind us that we had only 15 minutes left of our 3 hr exam, to turn in our mathematics exam answer sheets. I always stay writing till the very end of my every exam - I am very wordy in my answers, never had success with precis writing and I also cannot write very fast . Also my nervousness always made me check and recheck my answers and I could never walk away cool and confident, turning the answer sheet in before time. This time was no different. Just after the warning bell, as is customary, our invigilator told us to tie in all our answer sheets, check our registration numbers were entered right and be ready to hand them over. I did the needful and kept reviewing my answers as one by one most folks turned in their answer sheets and exited. The final bell went off at 12:30 and the examiner said in a clear but strict voice - " Keep your answer sheets on your desk and leave the room" as she collated the ones on her table in the front of the room. I stood up but still kept my head buried in my answer papers. The examiner said a bit agitated to me, " Did you not hear me, your time's up, leave the room". It struck me as a bit too rude (even though I realize now that the mistake was mine), I packed up my geometry box with my compass, protractor, scale, pens etc., clamped my question paper to my clip board ( which we referred to as exam pad) and walked out. At that point only my very good friend and I were present there and we started to discuss the paper animatedly right outside the open doors of the exam hall, as the examiner went from desk to desk collecting answer sheets. After about 5 minutes, the examiner turned toward us and asked me " who was sitting in front of you?", I replied " No one ma'am". She asked " Then whose number is 555 123?", I replied " Mine, ma'am" with growing anxiety in both our voices. She shot "Where is your answer sheet?". Panicked I quickly checked my exam pad- I lifted the question paper to find my entire answer sheet sitting clamped beneath it. The examiner went " How can you be so careless?" as she took the pile from me. She told me that since I was in front of her very eyes the whole time and she believed it was a dangerously foolish inadvertent mistake, she accepted my answer papers a full ten minutes after the time limit. A little hurried and a little miffed I had forgotten to leave my answer sheets on the desk before leaving.
Had I walked with it down the corridor, down those flights of stairs, down the long drive way to the bus stop discussing with my friend, there would have been no way she would have accepted my papers. I would've made a nice newspaper column of someone who studied for an exam, solved trigonometry and calculus problems, drew geometry figures and crunched logarithmic tables for 3 hours and brought her neatly stacked answer papers home with her to a wonderful 'failed' result. I'd have lost a year, turned into a psychological wreck - God knows what! I faltered at the top of a steep cliff and managed to fall on the safer side. All three of us present there - myself, my friend and that examiner were shaken at the enormity of what might have happened. Never before had my buddy and I ever stayed back right in front of the hall talking about our paper.
Almost 20 years later, I experienced the same stoppage of breath, lump in my throat, knot in my stomach for a few seconds as I travelled with no speed limits down memory lane. After I regained my breath I couldn't help but think how diametrically opposite this was to the examination scene in the movie 3 Idiots - in which an unco-
operative examiner refuses to take the answer sheets from 3 students who request for a few minutes extra time since they started the exam late due to an emergency. The students then trick the examiner and mix up their papers with the rest of the lot on the examiner's desk and run away.
The number 555 123 is something I can never forget. Whether the Almighty did anything for Bruce or not, he surely saved me from becoming a Bruise Alrighty! :-)
Yesterday, as I sat down to fold 3 loads of laundry, I turned on the TV. DD, DH and parents left for a day at an amusement park and I had just put my son down for a nap. Browsing through the channels I found the Jim Carrey starrer 'Bruce Almighty' dubbed in tamil on sun TV. I normally never watch such stuff, but yesterday I was very tickled to catch Jim Carrey shout 'Kadavule', 'Poda loose paiyya' , Jennifer aniston go ' Enna aachu ungalukku?', Morgan Freeman playing God say 'Pinne kaanaam' ( see you later in malayalam) - I figured the original version must have had him say 'Hasta la vista or Ciao'.
In this film the character of Jim Carrey, Bruce is disgruntled, unhappy and blames God for his lacklustre career, for painstakingly having to eke his way out without immediate success and for the quick growth of his clever coworkers. Finally God decides he's had it with this man's complaints and decides to contact him through his pager. Bruce's pager beeps with the number 555 0123. What struck me was the co-incidence with something that happened many years ago - for a second I relived the same 'chill down the spine' feeling.
It was during my II P.U. public exams; The warning bell had just sounded at 12:15 pm to remind us that we had only 15 minutes left of our 3 hr exam, to turn in our mathematics exam answer sheets. I always stay writing till the very end of my every exam - I am very wordy in my answers, never had success with precis writing and I also cannot write very fast . Also my nervousness always made me check and recheck my answers and I could never walk away cool and confident, turning the answer sheet in before time. This time was no different. Just after the warning bell, as is customary, our invigilator told us to tie in all our answer sheets, check our registration numbers were entered right and be ready to hand them over. I did the needful and kept reviewing my answers as one by one most folks turned in their answer sheets and exited. The final bell went off at 12:30 and the examiner said in a clear but strict voice - " Keep your answer sheets on your desk and leave the room" as she collated the ones on her table in the front of the room. I stood up but still kept my head buried in my answer papers. The examiner said a bit agitated to me, " Did you not hear me, your time's up, leave the room". It struck me as a bit too rude (even though I realize now that the mistake was mine), I packed up my geometry box with my compass, protractor, scale, pens etc., clamped my question paper to my clip board ( which we referred to as exam pad) and walked out. At that point only my very good friend and I were present there and we started to discuss the paper animatedly right outside the open doors of the exam hall, as the examiner went from desk to desk collecting answer sheets. After about 5 minutes, the examiner turned toward us and asked me " who was sitting in front of you?", I replied " No one ma'am". She asked " Then whose number is 555 123?", I replied " Mine, ma'am" with growing anxiety in both our voices. She shot "Where is your answer sheet?". Panicked I quickly checked my exam pad- I lifted the question paper to find my entire answer sheet sitting clamped beneath it. The examiner went " How can you be so careless?" as she took the pile from me. She told me that since I was in front of her very eyes the whole time and she believed it was a dangerously foolish inadvertent mistake, she accepted my answer papers a full ten minutes after the time limit. A little hurried and a little miffed I had forgotten to leave my answer sheets on the desk before leaving.
Had I walked with it down the corridor, down those flights of stairs, down the long drive way to the bus stop discussing with my friend, there would have been no way she would have accepted my papers. I would've made a nice newspaper column of someone who studied for an exam, solved trigonometry and calculus problems, drew geometry figures and crunched logarithmic tables for 3 hours and brought her neatly stacked answer papers home with her to a wonderful 'failed' result. I'd have lost a year, turned into a psychological wreck - God knows what! I faltered at the top of a steep cliff and managed to fall on the safer side. All three of us present there - myself, my friend and that examiner were shaken at the enormity of what might have happened. Never before had my buddy and I ever stayed back right in front of the hall talking about our paper.
Almost 20 years later, I experienced the same stoppage of breath, lump in my throat, knot in my stomach for a few seconds as I travelled with no speed limits down memory lane. After I regained my breath I couldn't help but think how diametrically opposite this was to the examination scene in the movie 3 Idiots - in which an unco-
operative examiner refuses to take the answer sheets from 3 students who request for a few minutes extra time since they started the exam late due to an emergency. The students then trick the examiner and mix up their papers with the rest of the lot on the examiner's desk and run away.
The number 555 123 is something I can never forget. Whether the Almighty did anything for Bruce or not, he surely saved me from becoming a Bruise Alrighty! :-)
Mother-in-law!
* Patience , perseverance and placidity are her virtues - I am in awe of her ability to remain cool, collected and unruffled in the face of many a turbulence
* Meticulous is her middle name, just watching her get set up for a pooja is a joy.
* The final word in making lip-smacking snacks and savories ; And positively thrilled to see them vanishing
* An iron clad willpower and determination - can make 100 plus obattus in one go, absolutely nobody's pleas to stop has ever worked.
* Impeccable memory - her hard disk never crashes!!!! Remembers every little thing;
if the devil is in the details, that devil is well in her grasp!
* 'R'esourceful - A little spare time in the afternoon and you can find her turning balls of cotton into wicks for oil lamps, making different spicy powders or poring over the panchanga ( almanac) to prepare for the upcoming festivals and special days
* Incorrigible reader - you can find her reading at 7 pm, 4 am or 2 pm -smiles when I catch her feverishly reading away her novels and short stories, and jokingly ask her if she's prepared well and confident about the next day's exam
* ardent fan of cricket matches
* passionate gardener
* Never been to college or had a career but more broad minded and accomodating than many a professional woman
A truly special woman - you are one of the many strking influences in my life -
Happy birthday, athagaru!
* Meticulous is her middle name, just watching her get set up for a pooja is a joy.
* The final word in making lip-smacking snacks and savories ; And positively thrilled to see them vanishing
* An iron clad willpower and determination - can make 100 plus obattus in one go, absolutely nobody's pleas to stop has ever worked.
* Impeccable memory - her hard disk never crashes!!!! Remembers every little thing;
if the devil is in the details, that devil is well in her grasp!
* 'R'esourceful - A little spare time in the afternoon and you can find her turning balls of cotton into wicks for oil lamps, making different spicy powders or poring over the panchanga ( almanac) to prepare for the upcoming festivals and special days
* Incorrigible reader - you can find her reading at 7 pm, 4 am or 2 pm -smiles when I catch her feverishly reading away her novels and short stories, and jokingly ask her if she's prepared well and confident about the next day's exam
* ardent fan of cricket matches
* passionate gardener
* Never been to college or had a career but more broad minded and accomodating than many a professional woman
A truly special woman - you are one of the many strking influences in my life -
Happy birthday, athagaru!
Do actions really speak louder than words?
Sometimes I wonder.
True, words become robbed of their meaning and gravity when not complemented by deed. But aren't words in and of themselves extremely potent ?
Don't words soothe, encourage, motivate, mock, ridicule, singe, sear,scald, uplift, strengthen, enthuse, disparage, taunt, prick, elevate us to the pinnacle of joy or beat us down to a dark abyss? Show love, kindness and warmth or convey bitter resentment, condescension and hatred? Without raising a finger or moving an inch one human can deeply affect another by the choice of a string of words. As much as the right words can transform lives for the better, negative words can unleash havoc.
If the pen is mightier than the sword, what about the spoken word that comes with multiple facets like voice, volume, diction, tone and so on ? Factor in body language, facial expressions and the magnitude of what hits you is undeniable.
Choose your words carefully. All things considered, the stimuli we receive and the responses we give out in our immediate environment, all our relationships, our goals, our feelings, our thoughts and dreams, our passions, our insecurities and fears are inextricably entwined with the words that we hear, read and the words that constantly run through our hearts and minds!
True, words become robbed of their meaning and gravity when not complemented by deed. But aren't words in and of themselves extremely potent ?
Don't words soothe, encourage, motivate, mock, ridicule, singe, sear,scald, uplift, strengthen, enthuse, disparage, taunt, prick, elevate us to the pinnacle of joy or beat us down to a dark abyss? Show love, kindness and warmth or convey bitter resentment, condescension and hatred? Without raising a finger or moving an inch one human can deeply affect another by the choice of a string of words. As much as the right words can transform lives for the better, negative words can unleash havoc.
If the pen is mightier than the sword, what about the spoken word that comes with multiple facets like voice, volume, diction, tone and so on ? Factor in body language, facial expressions and the magnitude of what hits you is undeniable.
Choose your words carefully. All things considered, the stimuli we receive and the responses we give out in our immediate environment, all our relationships, our goals, our feelings, our thoughts and dreams, our passions, our insecurities and fears are inextricably entwined with the words that we hear, read and the words that constantly run through our hearts and minds!
Father's Day fun!
Happy father's day to all!
Hope everyone got to spend some good time with their kids/dads/husbands/brothers/friends - a special dad on this special day.
At my daughter's preschool the parents were invited to father's day party last week. The teachers came up with a very fun and original idea. Previously they had asked each child by turn what their dad did at work and put the responses down verbatim in their respective father's day personalised greeting cards. These cards were all taped to a wall in a straight line. They were numbered serially below each card. Parents were asked to take a look at all the cards and pick the number of the card they thought was their child's response. The children's replies ranged from a terse 'No comment' to some really humorous views on their dad's employment. Finally the teacher took each card and read the contents, after which the dads raised their hands to claim that number. Some were right, some weren't. Take a look.
Nothing in particular-isms
Wow! Feels good to be back after a long haitus.
I don't really have anything compelling enough to say, so I'll share a few random things that popped in my head and things I read from here and there in the past few days.
* Take care of the body that houses you. But don't obsess about waist size, every strand of grey hair or every pimple. Your body will eventually get old, sick and die - and that is, if you're lucky! I am sure nobody wants a quicker or more dramatic exit.
* Life is a beautiful journey. Enjoy every step of it , in beautiful shoes you love - if possible!
In news I read this week :
1) 'In the hands of New York's celebrated chef, Mumbai-born Floyd Cardoz, the unpretentious upma shot into international culinary limelight on Wednesday. Asked to prepare an item based on food memories, (or dishes that inspired them in their lives), in the final of the much-watched Top Chef Masters contest in Los Angeles, Cardoz whipped up an upma of semolina and mushroom to beat two other favorites and win the top prize of $ 100,000.'
I make a mean upma with green beans, carrots, potatoes - all finely chopped, with peas, green chillies , curry leaves and cilantro, a spoon of freshly grated coconut, ginger slivers and a small dollop of ghee - a far cry from the plain vanilla upma that brings out groans and grimaces; I am willing to accept just 50% of the above prize amount, as it's not my original creation. Sigh!
2) A Meerut resident married a girl, only to discover the next morning that she was forced into the marriage, and has already secretly married (in a temple) the man she is in love with. Originally this girl's older sister was the one who was supposed to be the bride. She eloped with her lover just before the wedding, and the parents of the bride drugged this girl and got her married after convincing the groom's party to accept the younger sister in place of the older one. Upon learning how the girl was forced into this marriage, the righteous man immediately shared this with his parents, had the girl tie a rakhi on his wrist making himself her brother. The parents of the boy also gladly accepted her as their daughter and now the girl's new family is all set to get her formally married to her lover, much against the wishes of her birth family.
This news has enough masala to cause your head to spin uncontrollably and give you vertigo than any 360 deg loopy dangerous rides of any amusement park in the world. Life imitates Bollywood imitates life.......
I don't really have anything compelling enough to say, so I'll share a few random things that popped in my head and things I read from here and there in the past few days.
* Take care of the body that houses you. But don't obsess about waist size, every strand of grey hair or every pimple. Your body will eventually get old, sick and die - and that is, if you're lucky! I am sure nobody wants a quicker or more dramatic exit.
* Life is a beautiful journey. Enjoy every step of it , in beautiful shoes you love - if possible!
In news I read this week :
1) 'In the hands of New York's celebrated chef, Mumbai-born Floyd Cardoz, the unpretentious upma shot into international culinary limelight on Wednesday. Asked to prepare an item based on food memories, (or dishes that inspired them in their lives), in the final of the much-watched Top Chef Masters contest in Los Angeles, Cardoz whipped up an upma of semolina and mushroom to beat two other favorites and win the top prize of $ 100,000.'
I make a mean upma with green beans, carrots, potatoes - all finely chopped, with peas, green chillies , curry leaves and cilantro, a spoon of freshly grated coconut, ginger slivers and a small dollop of ghee - a far cry from the plain vanilla upma that brings out groans and grimaces; I am willing to accept just 50% of the above prize amount, as it's not my original creation. Sigh!
2) A Meerut resident married a girl, only to discover the next morning that she was forced into the marriage, and has already secretly married (in a temple) the man she is in love with. Originally this girl's older sister was the one who was supposed to be the bride. She eloped with her lover just before the wedding, and the parents of the bride drugged this girl and got her married after convincing the groom's party to accept the younger sister in place of the older one. Upon learning how the girl was forced into this marriage, the righteous man immediately shared this with his parents, had the girl tie a rakhi on his wrist making himself her brother. The parents of the boy also gladly accepted her as their daughter and now the girl's new family is all set to get her formally married to her lover, much against the wishes of her birth family.
This news has enough masala to cause your head to spin uncontrollably and give you vertigo than any 360 deg loopy dangerous rides of any amusement park in the world. Life imitates Bollywood imitates life.......
What a weekend!
I had read somewhere - 'As you age you regret the things you didn't do more than the things you did ', the wisdom in those words is ringing truer with every passing year.
Last weekend I travelled with my daughter to a mini reunion with my undergrad friends and had a fantastic time. A month ago I came to know that my friend in Atlanta was going to be visiting Dallas, where three other friends live. I wished for a moment that I could go too, but then realized it would'nt be possible being in the seventh month of my pregnancy and travelling with a three and half year old. I spoke to my husband that night and he wasn't for it at all - no surprises there. Also we figured he was going to be travelling at that time, for work, and wouldn't be available if something went wrong. I reigned in my excitement and decided to err on the safer side.
About two days before 'the' weekend, I again brought this up with my husband over the phone. He again told me all the good reasons he had outlined before for why I shouldn't do it. He ended the conversation with , "Please don't make me worry about you when I am away, I already have enough on my plate with work related stuff". I agreed about 10%-heartedly. After I hung up I started looking for tickets, still unsure and debating with myself, but with a gargantuan urge to make it happen. An inner voice kept saying - Now or never! If I can't do this with one child, how much easier is it going to be with two kids? Life is only going to get more hectic and more complicated going forward for the next two decades. And even if I did find the time and could pull this off, how could I be sure my friends will be available and have favorable life situations etc.etc.? In the midst of all these thoughts my bid was accepted and I was viewing the electronic copy of our tickets.
I will not lie that I felt completely comfortable and confident about this. A part of me reminded me that if something went wrong, my whole family would be distraught, my husband would fry me every night for dinner. But why would it, it's a three and a half hour flight, my friends would take very good care of me and I will be very careful. I called Mr.husband to inform him this, then grinning ear to ear called my friend to let her know I was coming.
I had a fabulous time from the minute I landed - a marathon of sumptuous food, endless laughter, chit chat, remembering old times, catching up on all these years - it just couldn't have been better. The kids had a very good time with each other, was hard to believe that after all these years we were actually meeting and our children were playing with one another. I have never travelled just to meet friends in my eight or so years in this country - I am so happy this happened. My friends, their very kind and friendly spouses and the lovely kids made this an unforgettable weekend. I am very grateful for the experience.
Last weekend I travelled with my daughter to a mini reunion with my undergrad friends and had a fantastic time. A month ago I came to know that my friend in Atlanta was going to be visiting Dallas, where three other friends live. I wished for a moment that I could go too, but then realized it would'nt be possible being in the seventh month of my pregnancy and travelling with a three and half year old. I spoke to my husband that night and he wasn't for it at all - no surprises there. Also we figured he was going to be travelling at that time, for work, and wouldn't be available if something went wrong. I reigned in my excitement and decided to err on the safer side.
About two days before 'the' weekend, I again brought this up with my husband over the phone. He again told me all the good reasons he had outlined before for why I shouldn't do it. He ended the conversation with , "Please don't make me worry about you when I am away, I already have enough on my plate with work related stuff". I agreed about 10%-heartedly. After I hung up I started looking for tickets, still unsure and debating with myself, but with a gargantuan urge to make it happen. An inner voice kept saying - Now or never! If I can't do this with one child, how much easier is it going to be with two kids? Life is only going to get more hectic and more complicated going forward for the next two decades. And even if I did find the time and could pull this off, how could I be sure my friends will be available and have favorable life situations etc.etc.? In the midst of all these thoughts my bid was accepted and I was viewing the electronic copy of our tickets.
I will not lie that I felt completely comfortable and confident about this. A part of me reminded me that if something went wrong, my whole family would be distraught, my husband would fry me every night for dinner. But why would it, it's a three and a half hour flight, my friends would take very good care of me and I will be very careful. I called Mr.husband to inform him this, then grinning ear to ear called my friend to let her know I was coming.
I had a fabulous time from the minute I landed - a marathon of sumptuous food, endless laughter, chit chat, remembering old times, catching up on all these years - it just couldn't have been better. The kids had a very good time with each other, was hard to believe that after all these years we were actually meeting and our children were playing with one another. I have never travelled just to meet friends in my eight or so years in this country - I am so happy this happened. My friends, their very kind and friendly spouses and the lovely kids made this an unforgettable weekend. I am very grateful for the experience.
Have you seen this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql-N3F1FhW4
Makes parenting and the minivan way of life seem cool :-)
Makes parenting and the minivan way of life seem cool :-)
Have challenges in life!
Once again, found this gem while cleaning up my bursting-at-the-seams inbox.
****************************************************************************
The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever. The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring in the fish. If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were not fresh.
The Japanese did not like the taste. To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen and they did not like frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price. So fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull! ! , but alive.
Unfortunately,the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish. So how did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem? How do they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan?
If you were consulting the fish industry, what would you recommend?
As soon as you reach your goals, such as finding a wonderful mate, starting a successful company, paying off your debts or whatever, you might lose your passion. You don't need to work so hard so you relax.You experience the same problem as lottery winners who waste their money, wealthy heirs who never grow up and bored homemakers who get addicted to prescription drugs.
Like the Japanese fish problem, the best solution is simple. It was observed by L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1950's. "Man thrives, oddly enough, only in the presence of a challenging environment."- L. Ron Hubbard The Benefits of a Challenge:
The more intelligent, persistent and competent you are, the more you enjoy a good problem. If your challenges are the correct size, and if you are steadily conquering those challenges, you are happy. You think of your challenges and get energized. You are excited to try new solutions. You have fun. You are alive!
How Japanese Fish Stay Fresh:
To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state.The
fish are challenged.
Recommendations:
Instead of avoiding challenges, jump into them. Beat the heck out of them. Enjoy the game. If your challenges are too large or too numerous, do not give up. Failing makes you tired. Instead, reorganize. Find more determination, more knowledge, more help.
If you have met your goals, set some bigger goals. Once you meet your personal or family needs, move onto goals for your group,the society, even mankind. Don't create success and lie in it. You have resources, skills and abilities to make a difference."
So, put a shark in your tank and see how far you can really go!
****************************************************************************
The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever. The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring in the fish. If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were not fresh.
The Japanese did not like the taste. To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen and they did not like frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price. So fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull! ! , but alive.
Unfortunately,the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish. So how did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem? How do they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan?
If you were consulting the fish industry, what would you recommend?
As soon as you reach your goals, such as finding a wonderful mate, starting a successful company, paying off your debts or whatever, you might lose your passion. You don't need to work so hard so you relax.You experience the same problem as lottery winners who waste their money, wealthy heirs who never grow up and bored homemakers who get addicted to prescription drugs.
Like the Japanese fish problem, the best solution is simple. It was observed by L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1950's. "Man thrives, oddly enough, only in the presence of a challenging environment."- L. Ron Hubbard The Benefits of a Challenge:
The more intelligent, persistent and competent you are, the more you enjoy a good problem. If your challenges are the correct size, and if you are steadily conquering those challenges, you are happy. You think of your challenges and get energized. You are excited to try new solutions. You have fun. You are alive!
How Japanese Fish Stay Fresh:
To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state.The
fish are challenged.
Recommendations:
Instead of avoiding challenges, jump into them. Beat the heck out of them. Enjoy the game. If your challenges are too large or too numerous, do not give up. Failing makes you tired. Instead, reorganize. Find more determination, more knowledge, more help.
If you have met your goals, set some bigger goals. Once you meet your personal or family needs, move onto goals for your group,the society, even mankind. Don't create success and lie in it. You have resources, skills and abilities to make a difference."
So, put a shark in your tank and see how far you can really go!
What's the good word?
Just when you think your woes with diapers and spit-ups have come to an end, a different set of challenges set in. I recently walked into a friend's house with my daughter for a play date with her child and another kid. Just as we were exchanging pleasantries, my friend exclaimed to my daughter enthusiastically, "So, we are going to have a great time, yeah?" ; My daughter goes " Where's the hooker, where's the hooker?" . I am zapped, my friend is puzzled and we were trying to make sense of what she was telling. I ask her gently what she wants, my daughter replies " I want to hang my coat , where's the hooker?". She is used to coat hooks that all the children use in her day care to hang their coats. They're at a height appropriate for toddlers so they can hang on and take off their coats without any assistance. For a split second she made me wonder what kind of party I had brought her to!
Last week on our way home in the evening, I had to quickly stop for fuel. I drove to a gas station in a strip mall with some small shops, a taqueria and such. It was not particularly an unsafe part of town. After getting gas, at the insistence of my child we went into the attached convenience store for some candy. I was standing in line to pay for the candy, when I heard DD say, " Ma, I see a pirate, he's a pirate". With an uneasy knot in my stomach, I turned to see a dishevelled homeless man - a dirty green jacket, wiry overgrown hair and beard, a big bulging sack, a black patch on one eye and a scowl on his face. He was just a simple, harmless man, but due to my own insecurities, even without my child to invite trouble, I'd have quickly exited the place. But now with this siren from DD, I was very tense. I tried to ignore her, shush her and then strongly attempted to divert her attention to the candy. I had no idea how he might react. Luckily for us, he just smiled and told another store employee by the coffee machine, 'she thinks I- ma pirate!'. For no apparent reason my heart was beating fast and my grip on DD's hand tightened. I paid for the candy and rushed out from there before my daughter could have attempted to schmooze any further!
Last week on our way home in the evening, I had to quickly stop for fuel. I drove to a gas station in a strip mall with some small shops, a taqueria and such. It was not particularly an unsafe part of town. After getting gas, at the insistence of my child we went into the attached convenience store for some candy. I was standing in line to pay for the candy, when I heard DD say, " Ma, I see a pirate, he's a pirate". With an uneasy knot in my stomach, I turned to see a dishevelled homeless man - a dirty green jacket, wiry overgrown hair and beard, a big bulging sack, a black patch on one eye and a scowl on his face. He was just a simple, harmless man, but due to my own insecurities, even without my child to invite trouble, I'd have quickly exited the place. But now with this siren from DD, I was very tense. I tried to ignore her, shush her and then strongly attempted to divert her attention to the candy. I had no idea how he might react. Luckily for us, he just smiled and told another store employee by the coffee machine, 'she thinks I- ma pirate!'. For no apparent reason my heart was beating fast and my grip on DD's hand tightened. I paid for the candy and rushed out from there before my daughter could have attempted to schmooze any further!
Preggers cannot be choosers
Getting pregnant is like going on a roller coaster ride. The time window for deciding whether 'to be or not to be' is limited. Once you have taken your seat, belted up and the carriages start chugging along , no matter what runs through your mind, you have no choice but to endure the churn in your stomach, go through the mad curves, the painfully slow ascent and the dramatic drop ; a sick-weird expression on your face captured by a sadistically placed camera, in the bargain!
When I was being wheeled in for my C section, I had an overwhelmingly strong urge to quit, to run away, escape the impending! For two minutes I foolishly regretted what I had gotten myself into. The anticipation for the baby had transformed into fear and an unusual feeling of discomfort. Had it been any other scenario, qutting at the last minute - no matter how embarrassing, how self-defeating - is still possible. In this case, no!
But thankfully, just like a roller coaster ride, it was all over in a few minutes. And the reward in my hands at the end of the ordeal was priceless!
When I was being wheeled in for my C section, I had an overwhelmingly strong urge to quit, to run away, escape the impending! For two minutes I foolishly regretted what I had gotten myself into. The anticipation for the baby had transformed into fear and an unusual feeling of discomfort. Had it been any other scenario, qutting at the last minute - no matter how embarrassing, how self-defeating - is still possible. In this case, no!
But thankfully, just like a roller coaster ride, it was all over in a few minutes. And the reward in my hands at the end of the ordeal was priceless!
The Way I Am
How many times do you catch yourself saying or thinking " that's just the way I am"? What wonderful oppotunities and experiences do you avoid because you tell yourself they're not for you?
The way you are is precisely the way you choose to be. Though you are special and unique, you are not set in stone. You're meant to be flexible and adaptable, curious, adventurous and resourceful. "Just the way I am" is too often just a convenient excuse. Sure, you are free to choose how you wish to live, but make no mistake - it is a choice. The way you are is based largely on the way you choose to be.
Take a look at the things you've chosen, and the things you've avoided. Take a look at the limitations you've placed on yourself. Haven't you lived with that burden long enough? Start today to expand your own self concept.
You can do it, you can be it, you can have it, you can create it - when you make the choice to do so. Don't sink into the comfortable excuse of " just the way Iam". Go out and grow. Go out and build. Go out and create greatness. Go out and make a fascinating, fulfilling life for yourself. There's no one better suited for the job than you. Rather than settling for just the way you are, get in touch with all that you can be.
___________________________________________________________
This came to me in an email. Don't know the source, but a printed copy of this hangs on my cubicle wall. It is a very inspiring piece, hope it spurs you to get up and go for that dream you have, so far, curbed yourself from chasing!
The way you are is precisely the way you choose to be. Though you are special and unique, you are not set in stone. You're meant to be flexible and adaptable, curious, adventurous and resourceful. "Just the way I am" is too often just a convenient excuse. Sure, you are free to choose how you wish to live, but make no mistake - it is a choice. The way you are is based largely on the way you choose to be.
Take a look at the things you've chosen, and the things you've avoided. Take a look at the limitations you've placed on yourself. Haven't you lived with that burden long enough? Start today to expand your own self concept.
You can do it, you can be it, you can have it, you can create it - when you make the choice to do so. Don't sink into the comfortable excuse of " just the way Iam". Go out and grow. Go out and build. Go out and create greatness. Go out and make a fascinating, fulfilling life for yourself. There's no one better suited for the job than you. Rather than settling for just the way you are, get in touch with all that you can be.
___________________________________________________________
This came to me in an email. Don't know the source, but a printed copy of this hangs on my cubicle wall. It is a very inspiring piece, hope it spurs you to get up and go for that dream you have, so far, curbed yourself from chasing!
Why fear when I am 'hear'
I am not too religious. But once in a while I do send up my prayers to Mr.Almighty!
But I am convinced they're getting garbled along the way. The staff handling all his incoming mail is busy searching only for keywords.
I prayed :
God, in this journey of life, we all have our baggage to carry. Sometimes, I think I am saddled with too many problems. I know with your love, I can handle everything that comes my way. Give me eagle's wings, so I'll never tire. A pastry would be nice, but give me at least a muffin from time to time.
I received :
saddle bags
love handles
bat wings and
muffin top
Amen!
But I am convinced they're getting garbled along the way. The staff handling all his incoming mail is busy searching only for keywords.
I prayed :
God, in this journey of life, we all have our baggage to carry. Sometimes, I think I am saddled with too many problems. I know with your love, I can handle everything that comes my way. Give me eagle's wings, so I'll never tire. A pastry would be nice, but give me at least a muffin from time to time.
I received :
saddle bags
love handles
bat wings and
muffin top
Amen!
Healthy TIPS
Found this on the side of a brown paper grocery bag from Whole foods.
SALAD IS THE MAIN DISH
BUY A BLENDER
STRETCH
FRUIT IS A DESSERT
STOCK UP ON HEALTHY OPTIONS
DRINK WATER
LEARN TO COOK
MAKE EVERY BITE COUNT
MORE COLOR , MORE NUTRIENTS
EAT MORE KALE
YOU CAN'T BEAT BEETS
TRY NEW RECIPES
FRESH IS BEST
PACK A HEALTHY LUNCH
YOU SAY CRUNCHY GRANOLA LIKE IT'S A BAD THING
WHEN IN DOUBT, EAT A SPROUT
LOVE WHAT YOU EAT
SALAD IS THE MAIN DISH
BUY A BLENDER
STRETCH
FRUIT IS A DESSERT
STOCK UP ON HEALTHY OPTIONS
DRINK WATER
LEARN TO COOK
MAKE EVERY BITE COUNT
MORE COLOR , MORE NUTRIENTS
EAT MORE KALE
YOU CAN'T BEAT BEETS
TRY NEW RECIPES
FRESH IS BEST
PACK A HEALTHY LUNCH
YOU SAY CRUNCHY GRANOLA LIKE IT'S A BAD THING
WHEN IN DOUBT, EAT A SPROUT
LOVE WHAT YOU EAT
You are the Dancing queen..err... king!
While all of us grapple with issues of housing, job market, health care , stock prices etc, here's the man on the hot seat himself - Obama channeling a Lord Nataraja!
Happy new year!
Wish you all a very happy and joyous new year!
So, let me ask the most commonly asked two questions after this greeting :
'What did you do for new year's?' and 'Any new year resolutions?'
For the first time since I was a very small child, I guess, this time I fell asleep (with my daughter) and wasn't awake at 00:00 hrs to celebrate the birth of the new year.
And I didn't make any new year resolutions. In the past 2 days the only thought gripping me was that the holidays were getting over and an enormous snowball of unending weekdays and blink-and-you-miss-it weekends would begin to roll uncontrollably, gaining momentum and trampling everything in its path until the first long weekend of the year - which is Memorial day in the last weekend of May. Sigh! We don't get the MLK or President's day that some fortunate souls do. The days and hours leading up to this monday were painful. This morning, we woke up , got ready and got to our respective places, albeit with a heavy heart - and it has been okay.
New-ness is still in the air. I see flyers for new gym classes and training sessions.
Ideas keep popping in my head from the usual - control clutter, be punctual, develop a new hobby, keep in touch better to some more interesting ones. I am just not committing to any this time. Wonder why!
But to all of you who have made your bold resolutions and are following through - I admire your spirit and I wish you success! Have a fun filled, exciting and happy 2011!
As of the end of 2010, this blog turned the 50 mile marker. With no real central theme to follow, it's amazing how much we've talked about. But isn't that how real life conversations happen - a really good chit-chat is hardly planned and pre-determined. Thank you, please continue to drop by.
So, let me ask the most commonly asked two questions after this greeting :
'What did you do for new year's?' and 'Any new year resolutions?'
For the first time since I was a very small child, I guess, this time I fell asleep (with my daughter) and wasn't awake at 00:00 hrs to celebrate the birth of the new year.
And I didn't make any new year resolutions. In the past 2 days the only thought gripping me was that the holidays were getting over and an enormous snowball of unending weekdays and blink-and-you-miss-it weekends would begin to roll uncontrollably, gaining momentum and trampling everything in its path until the first long weekend of the year - which is Memorial day in the last weekend of May. Sigh! We don't get the MLK or President's day that some fortunate souls do. The days and hours leading up to this monday were painful. This morning, we woke up , got ready and got to our respective places, albeit with a heavy heart - and it has been okay.
New-ness is still in the air. I see flyers for new gym classes and training sessions.
Ideas keep popping in my head from the usual - control clutter, be punctual, develop a new hobby, keep in touch better to some more interesting ones. I am just not committing to any this time. Wonder why!
But to all of you who have made your bold resolutions and are following through - I admire your spirit and I wish you success! Have a fun filled, exciting and happy 2011!
As of the end of 2010, this blog turned the 50 mile marker. With no real central theme to follow, it's amazing how much we've talked about. But isn't that how real life conversations happen - a really good chit-chat is hardly planned and pre-determined. Thank you, please continue to drop by.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)