From Aloha to Mahalo- A Trip to Maui, Hawaii

Aloha (Welcome)to Maui- During the long weekend for labor day, K and I made a quick vacation to Hawaii. Out of all the islands in Hawaii, we were highly recommended to go to Maui, because it offers the right blend of sea and land for all visitors. Narrowing it down to stay in West Maui, our pick was the Kaanapali region. Kaanapali extends over 500 acres lined with nearly three miles of white sand beaches. It also has a lot of sea resort hotels, golf courses and shopping centers. Route 30 is the only highway that takes you along the coast and we were fortunate to rent a convertible and just the drive along the coast from the airport to Kaanapali on Route 30 with the covertible top down was an unbeatable experience. What a way to begin our holiday!

Our stay at the Kaanapali Beach hotel was pleasant and relaxing. Like most other Maui hotels, ours had a private beach where snorkelling, deep-sea fishing and just swimming on the beach and lying out on the sand with a sun tan lotion were some of the activities.

Our agenda for the 5 days was packed-

Day 1- Arrived at Maui in the afternoon and drove to Kaanapali and settled into Kaanapali Beach Hotel and enjoyed the sea

Day 2- Maui Activities Orientation Breakfast and Parasailing

My first parasailing experience at 400 feet height was a totally scary experience. K and the rest of our boat folks witnessed my fear of water and heights and although I was so afraid of doing it, with a lot of support and literal hand clutching with K, I made it- the experience was an adventure for me.

Day 3- Road Trip to Hana

Hana highway is filled with around 720 sharp curves, hairpin bends and about 50 single lane bridges and a trip to Maui would not have been complete without doing the Hana drive. We played tourists on a luxury van since we had to go 180 miles of a most scenic route and would be gone for 12 hours. I had taken enough Dramamine to keep my motion sickness under control and managed to survive the day long trip. Although the road is in excellent condition, but by the time you are done with the trip you will feel that you are trained for the Monte Carlo Gran Prix, if only you could make these turns at quadruple speed.

But, all this is for the wonderful sights and photographs that we took at several stops our local tour guide made for us. My favorite spots were the Ke-anae peninsula, the black sand beach at Wai'anapanapa State Park. The lava tube down at the bottom gives you a beautiful view of the ocean waves.

The Hana coast gallery was an afternoon stop for doing local shopping. The waterfalls all along the route are really a nice sight for the eyes. We also made a stop at Kipahulu where we visited the Palapala Ho'omau Congregational Church and the burial spot of Charles Lindbergh. Since our guide cum driver was a really enthusiastic localite he took the narrow road off the highway to take us there.

After a long day we were back to our hotel in Kaanapali at around 7.30 pm almost twelve hours after our departure that morning. The trip to Hana was an exciting and awe inspiring experience.

Day 4- Haleakala Sunrise and Mountain Bike Ride down the Volcano

We were up the next day at 2 am to be picke dup by our van to go up the summit of Haleakala to watch the sun rise. A few photos of that are also posted. The temperature up there made our hands and face freeze and we were provided with leather jackets with hoods and hot chocolate to await the sunrise. The sun slowly started to come up around 4.30 am and was fully up by 6.30 am. We then made the 36 mile mountain bike ride down the the volcano to the sea of Maui, Hawaii. The tropical fauna and the fresh morning air along with a great bicycle ride experience was the highlight of our trip. We reached the land in about 3-4 hours and had a great breakfast at a small town.

The Luau at Night- The Royala Lahaina hotel hosts a traditional Hawaiian night of food and entertainment for all its Ohana (family). Even visitors are considered a part of this big ohana. The Imu ceremony of burying and cooking the pig, followed by drinks from the open bar with an all-you-can-eat buffet (that had quite a few vegetarian dishes to our surprise) was worth the money we paid for this event. Dinner was followed by the hula dance, a traditional dance retelling the stories of many Hawaiian legends followed by a fire knife dance in the end made the evening a remarkable one. Also, eating beside the ocean with a bunch of people and watching the sun set were an added bonus to the Luau.

Day 5- Drive back to Kahului Airport and took a flight to SFO.


West Maui's panoramic view along with its variety of vacation activities, sight seeing places etc. make this a memorable trip.

The HINDU in digital form

The HINDU, India's largest newspaper will now be available in digital form as of September 10, 2006 at this link-

http://epaper.thehindu.com

Niagara Falls- A Sight to Behold

Spent the last week vacationing in Boston, visiting my old school and taking my parents to see the Niagara Falls up in Buffalo, NY. The weather was glorious and we stayed at the Seneca Niagara Casino Hotel and spent 3 days there, just relaxing and taking walks along the falls and Niagara State Park. The US side of the falls, the horse-shoe shaped one paled in comparison to the size of the actual Niagara, seen from the Canadian side. All it takes for an entry into Canada, is a mere 20 minute walk along the Rainbow Bridge to go from the US side. Of course, you would need a valid visa to enter the US again, such as a green card etc. But, really enjoyed the grandeur of the Canadian portion of the falls and highly recommend it to all visitors, its definitely worth seeing than the US side of it.

Off to Mauii in Hawaii for another vacation with special K tomorrow.

Happy Long Weekend!!!

Leave of Absence Update

What with the usual office routine and working on a Compensation Management class outside work, was swamped with assignments and projects. Last class is tonight and can't wait for our final presentation to get over this evening. Have a trip to visit my parents and family in Boston and a mini trip planned to Niagara falls all of next week. Back to Bay Area for a brief time at work to catch up on stuff and them off to Mauii, Hawaii with special K for the Labor Day weekend.

Will blog the travel stuff as and when time permits.

A Man and his Mood Swings

Well.....I guess my motivation to blog, inspite of the decreasing number of comments comes from the fact that there are so many things I would like to write about, vent and rant and rave about. So, here goes some of my thoughts from an article that I read recently in Hindu.

Quite often we come across articles that talk about women's moodswings, tempers or even a group of men who comment about their inability to understand their wives moods etc. and rarely does a writer or columnist go about discussing a man's moodswings.

An article that i read recently made some nice reading material on how a man has his mood swings.

In reality, most women only have mood swings at predictable moments, even if some of them are for the worse. But, a man's mood swings are extremely unpredictable and can blow you off your feet in no time. So, how do many women who can hardly fathom the basis of such anger get to cope with their men is a question that all of us must ask.

Although there are several moods a man can go through, its basically the following three moods that he expresses while being in a relationship.

The first one, being the possessive streak. This one stirs up occasionally when you talk too much about another man or praise his deeds or make a comment on his appearance and can cause him to go either really quiet or just answer in one liners or monosyllables. This mood shows on his face and lasts for a while atleast and makes the woman jump into asking explanations and apologies. The best way to handle this type of mood swing as per the writer of the article is to first tell him the reason and then assure him that he's the one for you. If this doesn't work and he still acts immature, then be upfront with him about his childishness and even then if he doesn't act normal, ignore him for a while and he will run to you soon.

The second mood is the general "I hate everything all of a sudden". This mood happens out of the blue, especially if he doesn't get his own way either at work or if he is simply too bored of a routine in his life. When this pops up, its good to boost their ego slightly by doing things his way or performing his favorite activities etc. without overdoing it, since this may become an expectation in the long run.

The third and last mood is the "stubborn mule" mood where he will stick to his guns, no matter what and expect you to toe the line as per his demands. He would argue or have the final word stating that he is right and offer his reasons for being right come out of a logic. If this is reasonable, then the female folk out there can choose to listen or if his demands seem too unreasobale, then the best way is to walk away since you can do much better.

Anyways, thought this was an interesting analysis for sharing with the bloggers....

New Outsourcing Terminology

Was reading last month's TIME magazine, and was amused at some of the outsourcing terminology that was mentioned. India, which is currently at one of its peak periods with its offshore outsourcing business is now the talk of most work place conversations within the US.

Bangalored : It refers to India's high-tech hub, and it means your job has just moved to India without you.

As many of us are aware, India's IT giants such as Infosys, Wipro, TCS etc. are all tapping the outsourcing boom by hiring quick-coding, English speaking, low paying techies to do their back office tasks and programming stuff. But, Bangalore is busting at the seams, in terms of its heavy traffic, narrow roads, pollution and lack of more space to expand. Not only that, the turnaround time for Indian engineering colleges to produce highly skilled employees isn't fast enough to keep up with theglobal trend. Hence, US and other foreign counterparts have also started looking beyond India and China at Phillipines and Eastern European countries to outsource their work.

But, the Indian software market giants are not disgruntled at this. Infosys and the others have slowly started exploring outsourcing campuses in China and other parts of Asia and across the world. These companies would recruit talent from other global areas and provide six months training in India before these folks are employed outside India.

So, the next term evolving is:

<em>Globombed- This refers to someone whose job is outsourced to China, Romania or elsewhere via India.

Interesting information- Geography is soon becoming insignificant in terms of where jobs can go and how they are done in a cost effective and timely fashion.

Comments and thoughts?

An Interesting Picture

One of my friends sent this to me as a forward and I thought it would be good to share with the bloggers, let me know your comments-

Fireworks and Jazz Show at Stanford Lively Arts for July 4th

We celebrated the 4th of July this year a day ahead with a jazz band performance and firworks. Took my parents to the Preservation Hall Jazz Band performance at the Frost Amphitheatre in Stanford on the evening of Monday, July 3rd. This was the first time we were going for a jazz concert and my folks thoroughly enjoyed the event. In fact, my father was making comparisons to the classical music concert, its "thaniavarthanam" to the jazz band which had its own equivalent solos by its guitar, bass, drums and cello players. The group was an African American team of men over 55 years of age who had come from New Orleans to perform at the Stanford annual event. Afterwards, the beautiful fireworks show started and lasted for a short 15-20 minute duration with my parents staring open mouthed at this glamorous display of light and color patters. We managed to click a few snaps which turned out ok.

Spent the 4th at home enjoying a well cooked south indian lunch made by my mom.

A Grand Experience- Las Vegas & Grand Canyon

Last weekend was the final tour to Las Vegas and The Grand Canyon with my parents before they head out to the east coast next week. We managed to make the quickest 2 day trip to Vegas and GC. We took a 1 hour and 30 minute flight from San Jose to Vegas on Friday morning and checked into The Imperial Palace hotel on the casino strip area in Vegas. Afterwards, we walked to most of the nearby casions such as Cesar's Palace, Parisian, Aladin's place, Bellagio, The Mirage and the Flamingo. My parents who had already been exposed to the slot machine in Reno, tried their luck on the Vegas arena and won $5. But, we did lose a lot more than we had planned to play with.

Every time i visit Vegas, its a reveletion to me, the newness of the casinos, the interiors of the shopping malls and forum shops and the crazy crowd around you which makes you feel how far away from reality you are. Although i had warned my folks that the people in Vegas were a lot different from the cultured, quiet lot in the Silicon Valley, nevertheless, they were in for a shock. But, overall doing a Vegas trip once in a way, especially for those who come from another country shows them a very different side of US. Lastly, a piece of advice to all those planning a Vegas trip in June- the heat was indeed untolerable, going upto a 110, even if Chennaites are used to that sort of temperature, the blind direct heat of the desert in Vegas makes you think twice about travelling at this time of the year.

Our second day started with a day trip to the Grand Canyon in Arizona with stops at the Hoover dam, Kingman canyon and a few native Indian stores on the way. This was a tiring 5 hours up and down day trip to the GC from Vegas, but ended up being a worthwhile one. I loved the native indian jewellery, esp, the colored stones and sterling silver sets.

We spent about 2-3 hours at the South rim of the Grand Canyon and absolutely loved the beauty and color of the canyon. We walked for a while from the Mather point to the conservatory and rode the canyon shuttle bus to the canyon village shops and Bright Angel lodge.

Our bus tour to the Canyon was through a Chinese owned tour company that we've used for all the tours and trips to take my folks around and for a reasonable fee of $89 per person we were provided breakfast and lunch along with a great tour guide who knew the right places to stop.

A wonderful experience and a trip that i will remember for a long time inspite of the tedious journey.

Weekend Getaway- Lake Tahoe & Reno

Last weekend, we made a road trip to Lake Tahoe and Reno. On a sunny Saturday morning, we loaded our car with a bag full of food- idlis, tomato chutney, capsicum rice, potato curry, curd rice and snacks. Carnatic music CDs from India, ipod and the camera went in next and we started our 4 hour trip to Lake Tahoe. Since my parents were accompanying us and i wanted to horne my freeway driving skills, special K let me sit behind the steering wheel and took charge of the audio controls.

After a brief stop for a breakfast of idlis and hot coffee at Starbucks, we made it to Lake Tahoe at noon. This is my first trip to the lake and i was awed by the size of the lake, it seemed to stretch forever, as long as the eyes could see and was a shining blue. We played in the water for a while, ate lunch and drove to the local beaches.

Later around 3 pm, we drove to our hotel in Reno, checked in our bags and walked around the downtown area where the casinos are located. The streets outside had a cheap and poor appearance, though once one enters a casino, its all very different. Cigarette smoke, perfurmes, food odours etc. inside the casino make you aware that there are no windows inside. We played ths slot machine and won and lost some money, $20 investment for all 4 of us.

My mom was taboo to playing with any more hard earned $$$ and so we ended up going back to our lousy hotel room to eat rotis and sabji that we had brought from home. On Sunday morning, we drove back to the newly opened Southern Spice restaurant on El Camino Real in Mountain View for a father's day brunch and got home afterwards.

Recommendation- Visit Lake Tahoe during the summer for a nice day trip and probably spend a night there. Reno isn't worth a visit.

More about casinos on my next blog after my coming weekend trip to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.

Adjusting Time

A Consultant is a person who borrows your watch, tells you what time it is, pockets the watch, and sends you a bill for it.

Recently, a conversation at work on how each of us had our time set differently on our watches prompted me to blog on this.

In today's world of high-end luxury accessories, a wristwatch worn by almost everybody has become a vital sign of identity and fashion. Be it an old watch passed on through generations in the family or a luxury watch, every watch is totally unique. A watch is viewed not only as a basic essentiality but also considered to be a symbol of status or a personality identifier.

These days wearing a watch is not so much about telling the time anymore, since you have the time all around you, in the form of ipods, flashy mobile phones, in the car, on your computer and at work. Its all about expressing your self, depicting that you have arrived.

So, what is it in our watches that make us tick?

For those of us who have our watches adjusted to run faster- I am one of those folks who always has my watch, alarm clock, home clock adjusted 10-15 minutes ahead of the regular time. I guess this allows me the extra time to stop my alarm and sleep for a few more minutes and yet not be late for work. It also helps me feel that the day is moving faster, lunch time comes quickly and the time to go home is also there fast. All in all, it affords me to be lazy without costing a great deal. There is a widespread misconception that people who have their watches run faster are extremely active and fast paced, while the truth is the opposite.

For those of us who have our watches adjusted to run slower- I guess these are the folks who think that punctuality isn't their cup of tea. You perhaps feel that the entire notion of "time" is an evil plot to put shackles on a free spirit. So, what if i go a couple of minutes late for a team meeting, i could show them my watch and tell them that this is the time i have on my watch and so here i am, even if it means protecting myself. I guess these would be the folks who would like their day to drag by longer, so that they can have all the extra time possible.

Finally, for those folks who have their watches run on the regular, correct time- Well, you are the rigid ones who value your time as well as others time and lead an efficient life managing your tasks within a given time frame.

Would be interested to hear your thoughts on this kind of time keeping.......

Thoughts on First Year Anniversary on the Job

"If" by Rudyard Kipling

"If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired of waiting....
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And-which is more- you'll be a Man my Son."

06/06/06- It is not my wedding anniversary, but this date marks my first year of work in a full-time position. After grad school and internships, volunteer work etc., its indeed a nice feeling that i have completed a year in my current role. I was greeted by a bunch of flowers and a token of appreciation gift left on my desk by my boss when i opened the door to my office this morning.

Just thought that i could share and express some of my experiences in the past year.

For most part, i can say that my first year on the job has been a breeze. Being in HR and handling a team of 50 employees requires some skill and a lot of it can be attributed to the friendly and mentor kind of support that i have from my supervisor. Also, i have a majority of folks in my group who are nice and don't cause unnecessary problems, except for a few of them without whom my job would have been less challenging and interesting. Negotiation and conflict resolution skills cannot be acquired without those "troublemakers".

Also, there is an emotional piece that is tied up with working in a non-technical field. The pay scale for support staff in most organizations doesn't compare to what its technical folks earn. Just picture this scenario: You are offered a HR or Finance Analyst entry-mid level position with an organization. And let's assume that they offer you an annual base salary of $60,000. You are probably satisfied that you have you are off to a good start in your first position. And then your friend or roomate gets a job at the same company as an engineer and gets an offer for an annual salary of $70,000. What is your reaction? You are upset and start thinking negative thoughts. "He/She can't speak good English, has a terrible accent, can't write gramatically correct sentences, etc." Pause for a minute and tell yourself that an engineer doesn't need those skills that a HR or Finance person needs. But, times are changing and HR is being viewed more than just a corner for idle chit chat, it is looked upon as a strategic business partner to add value to the company.

I can hear my supervisor's words run through my mind as i type this- She keeps reminding me that life/career is a marathon and a good start can and will make a difference. Her exact words to me- "You must remember that you probably have to work for another 35 years. So, even if that is a sobering thought, why do you let what someone earns in 2006 bother you so? After all, when you hang up your shoes, it could be 2040. So, don't let the first few years of employment fox you, instead keep work hard and play hard."

Finally, my mom who used to be a working woman and I often have this arguement. She keeps telling me that as a woman one needs to decide whether they want a job or a career. "Having a job is to earn money and gain economic independence. Taking it up as a career is to pursue personal and professional goals." Ultimately, it all boils down to having a good work-life balance which we all need.

Going Away for the Long Weekend

We are off to LA and San Diego for the long weekend starting tomorrow.

For the first time, i am going to be travelling by a Chinese Tour Bus and not drive, so will come back and blog about the experience.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend and Travel Safe!!!

The Da Vinci Code- Movie versus Book

It was a rainy weekend for the Bay Area folks. Managed to convince and drag special K to watch The Da Vinci Code movie on Sunday, inspite of the critics giving it a C+ on yahoo movies. Like most folks, i was hooked onto Dan Brown's book a while ago and then went on to read other Dan Brown novels. Anyways, wanted to blog about my experience both in reading and in watching the movie.

Let me start with the movie.....Inspite of the not so good reviews that it received, it is at the top of the box office weekend releases making a $77 million just within the US. The most fascinating aspect of the movie even before its release, that has been tagged with the high-profile book is its overwhelming public interest and controversy. In fact, i believe that the extra security, press coverage, protests world over etc. all added the boost and expectancy to the movie. A huge chunk of the movie's success has to be attributed to the success of Dan Brown's work of fiction that has generated both the curiosity as well as the displeasure of Christianity followers world over.

What I liked about the book:
When i first started reading the book, my first one by Dan Brown, i was amazed by the fastness with which i turned pages to keep reading. The contents covering a wide range of topics such as the history of Christianity, the Holy Grail, Priory of Sion, the works and paintings of Da Vinci, sightseeings of the Louvre in Paris etc. woven perfectly into an interesting tale of fiction.

What i liked about the movie:
This is one of those movies that every individual who watches it is going to have their own opinion of. Basically, there would be two categories of audiences- those who have read the book and watch the movie, like myself and those who haven't read the book but watch the movie. Tom Hanks fits the role of Harvard symbiologist Robert Langdon only to a point and could have performed better. Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu has been picked for her French accent, but could still have emoted better in several scenes. The albino killer monk really matched Dan Brown's description and Teabing'c character were well transformed on the screen.

It has been a while since i read the book and when i watched the movie, the book kept coming to me. With the numerours twists, plots, codes to decipher, flashbacks etc. in the book along with the other Christian concepts, i always had to keep up with what i was reading and the movie made it complete and clearly more understandable for me.

Finally, from a neutral perspective as a non-Christian, i keep thinking about the controversial elements that this movie has kindled and upsetted people and drew my own conclusions. On a personal level, except for the core fact that Jesus, the son of God had an offspring with Mary Magdalene, i thought that the dialogues spoken by Tom Hanks portrayed Jesus as a mortal with diving powers or a divine soul born in a mortal universe. Of course, its extremely hard to believe and accept that Christ has left behind his bloodline, it does shatter/ question the belief system of the church that Christ was single, lived and died as a savior to protect his followers on earth. The portions of witchcraft and the periods where women were burnt alive, existance of the Priory of Sion and certain other factions of the book/movie have distressed and angered the Roman Catholic Church and its followers. But, amidst all the protests and negativity expressed by the religious groups world wide, it looks like the movie hasn't suffered a loss at the box office.

Would be interested in reading some of your thoughts on the movie, especially from those who watched it without reading the book.

Summer Release Movies to Watch

After a gap of not seeing any good movies being released, i am looking forward to some of the upcoming summer releases. In Tamil Nadu, after the election fever has subsided, and with the onset of the summer heat at its peak and schools moving towards their vacation time, Tollywood is gearing up for some good releases.

So, here goes my list....

Movie: The Da Vinci Code
Starring: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian Mckellen, Jean Reno and others
Directed by: Ron Howard
Expected Release Date: May 19th, 2006 worldwide

Good Reasons to watch: The book written by Dan Brown was a runaway success, inspite of the controversies.

Bet you didn't know: India puts "Hold" on The Da Vinci Code. Although, the national censor board has cleared the film, the government has temporarily held up the release of the movie after receiving complaints from Catholic groups. India is a democracy and is home to 18 million Roman Catholics amongst its Hindu and Muslim population. All this is owing to the fact that the book and movie's premise is that Jesus married his favorite disciple Mary Magdalene with whom he bore children.

Tamil Movies:

Movie: Pudhupettai
Starring: Dhanush, Sneha, Sonia Agarwal
Directed by: Selvaraghavan
Expected Release Date: May 19th, 2006

The Hype about this one: It is the come-back movie for the Dhanush-Selvaraghavan pair of brothers and portrays the tough character of a gangster played by Dhanush. After Dhanush's acting failed to make box-office hit in Balu Mahendra's Adhu Oru Kana Kaalam, this movie is said to make a difference to his career graph. Sneha's role of a sex worker/ prostitute is said to have been portrayed well.

Bet you didn't know: Dhanush is soon to become father!

Movie: GodFather
Starring: Ajith, Ajith, Asin
Directed by: KS Ravikumar
Expected Release Date: Early June 2 or 9

The Story: 3 Ajiths, one of them being a eunuch, form the cruz of the movie. Rumors have spread that the other character Ajith has shades of the Marlon Brando's role from the original English version. The trailer seems to have every bit of KSR's colorful and rich style.

Bet you didn't know: Ajith and KSR have personally invested money on the movie owing to its financial crisis from the producer's end.

Movie: Jillendru Oru Kadhal
Starring: Surya, Jothika, Bhoomika
Directed by: New comer Krishna (asst. director under Gowtham)
Expected Release Date: June 30th

Good Reasons to watch: The magic and chemistry between Jo and Surya who are soon to become a wedded pair.

Bet you didn't know: Asin walked out of the project as she felt that the second heroine role wouldn't fetch her fame and Bhoomika gladly accepted the spot.

Movie: Vettayadu Villayadu
Starring: Kamal, Jothika, Kamalini Mukherjee
Directed by: Gautham Menon
Expected Release Date: First week of June,probably June 2

Movie with tons of obstacles: After going through several barriers, starting with the suicide of Kaja Moideen, this movie has been in and out of courts and atlast seems to have been completed and ready to be released. A story of a 40 year old cop who works with NYPD, this would surely be a treat for Kamal fans.

Bollywood
Movie: Fanaa
Starring: Aamir Khan, Kajol, Rishi Kapoor
Directed by: Kunal Kohli, Yash Raj Banner
Expected Release Date: May 26th

Reasons to watch: It is the comeback movie for Kajol after child birth and she pairs with Aamir who happens to be a terrorist in Kashmir. Rishi Kapoor as Kajol's father and Tabu in an important role add weightage to the movie.

I am sure that each of you may have your own list of other tamil movies to add, but these are the top ones to watch out for!

Mother's Day Weekend

Happy Mother's Day to All Mom's!!!

Mothers are special to everybody and no matter how ever older you grow, you would still remain young in your mom's eyes. I have often tried to comprehend the difference in relationship between a mom and her son versus a mom and a daughter. Both son and daughter share a precious unique bond with their mothers that has evolved over time and continues to exist.

The concept of celebrating "Mother's Day" is western and is also spreading quickly to places like India etc. Its yet another occasion to have a sale in every store, have mother's day brunches, cards, gift baskets etc. I am not sure about mom's in this country, but many Indian mother's are extremely sacrificial and ask very less of their children. When i talk about buying a gift for my mom, who happens to be here with me this year on Mother's day, she says- Oh, i don't want anything. Just remain happy with your husband and live healthy. She reads the numerous sale advertisements that come on our daily paper and says, Why don't i get you something for Mother's Day, instead of you buying me a gift.

Well, most Indian mom's lead a very simple life. The memories and images that i carry of my mother are her waking up daily to make my morning cup of bournvita, making and packing lunch for me be it to school college or work, running around to attend to my dad's needs and get herself upto the office(she was a working mother). In the afternoons, when i was back from school, she would call to check on me if i had my food, started my homework etc. and in the evenings she would come back and make dinner and tuck me in. She has always taken extreme care of giving me a healthy diet, my vitamins and also in making sure i work out and lose weight. Her passion for cleaning my apartment in the US, organizing my kitchen, making podis and also reading up on career trends for my profession will always be cherishable.

I am sure every one of you would have a lot of memories of your mothers, make sure that you let her know that you value the things she does for you, even if she is in a faraway land, praying for you and learning to come online and type/chat with you.


Happy Mother's Day!!!