Highlights of our backyard

With the official onset of spring, though, the days are yet to become warmer here in the Bay Area, the gardening and planting season has arrived. Since moving from an apartment to a house last year, one of the major attractions and benefits have been in having a nice front lawn and a spacious back yard. While we enthusiastically went and brought several flowers and plants at the beginning of spring last year and enjoyed the blooms, some of them didn't survive the winter months, though the roses and some others did.

This year, K and I made our visit to the local nursery and other garden stores and made some additions to our backyard. The first one being the "plantain/vaazhai tree." Known to survive best under tropical climatic conditions and having had bananas, vaazha poo, etc. from trees in our house in India, this was an automatic entry into our backyard.

The "pink jasmine" aka "jaathi malli" is another favorite that we planted last year, but has started blosomming this spring, the fragrance of this lures us into the backyard more often.

Everybody who has been in the Bay Area is familiar with the citrus trees such as lemon, oranges, madarins etc. which are a common feature in most houses on their front and back yards. Last year, K planted an orange tree, which is yet to show signs of fruit, but, we have a neighbor's tree full of ripe lemons (the size rivels in comparison to the oranges), that have branches sagging with lemons on our backyard. Our neighbors are a bunch of bachelor white guys who are better known as the "scooter boys", since they have a mini auto shop in their house, have no qualms in us sharing the fruits of their lemon tree. Its indeed convenient to go into the backyard and pluck a lemon out of the tree to use it for rasam and other types of cooking. We also share the fruits with friends when they visit our place, they leave with a carry bag full of lemons.

Tomatoes, both Roma and early girl varities thrive well during the spring and we've just planted some this year. Tulip bulbs are also a new addition this year. though, we've only planted a couple of them.

Spring is truly a great time to invest in gardening and enjoy the fruits of labor......

Evening Hours by Ella C. Forbes

The dusk has little gateways

That lead to pleasant homes

Enveloped in the soft light

Before the darkness comes.

Each home is in a garden

Alight with vivid blooms,

And there are fragrant posies

In all the restful rooms.

They are so cool and quiet,

After the hectic day,

After the crowded hours

That rush us on our way.

They are the little havens

Where we may turn to sit

And rest us in a leisure

The day could not permit.

April Fools Day

The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year.

Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed.- Mark Twain

As most of us know, April 1st is also known as All Fools Day and is a day to beware and watch out for pranks and silly tricks that will make a fool out of you. While growing up and during early school days, we used to play tricks on teachers and amonst ourselves as well. Sometimes, you would end up going to school thinking that your best friend wouldn't be the one to play a prank on you, while precisely that is what would happen.

It has been a long time since I fell for an April fool prank, not that I have a lot of people whom I expect will pull one upon me. But, a small thing happened to me when I walked into my office this morning. As usual, the first thing I did was to turn on my computer and after logging in, I started using my mouse. I noticed that it didn't do anything! After shaking it left and right, it still wouldn't move. Assuming that something had gone wrong with my mouse, I called our office courier/tech assistant guy (a college grad named Daniel who is more than 6 feet tall and has a huge frame and is a popular kid around the office) to do the first line of troubleshooting. When Daniel came over and took a look at my mouse, he flipped it over and there was a small post-it note covering the ball on the bottom with "April Fool Dear HR!" written on it.

Since, I do HR for my department, this was someone's idea of playing an innocent April fool's prank on me- you should have seen the look on my face, as Daniel pointed out. He said that I wasn't the only one, but there were "chosen folks" who were lucky to get their mouses messed up with this morning.

Anyways, Have a Fun April Fools'd Day....watch out for any pranks that your kids or colleagues may throw your way.

APRIL FOOL SMILE:-))

Q: Why are people so tired on April 1st?

A: Because they just finished a 31-day March :-)

Wisdom Tooth Extraction- Pain or Relief?

The last week has been a painful period for me, starting with last Sunday when I noticed swelling, redness and pain around my lower right wisdom tooth (known as tooth 32). I was able to get an emergency appointment with an out-of-network dentist who took one look at my last molar and put me on a cycle of antibiotics and pain killers with a advice to go see my own dentist at the earliest so that I could be referred to an oral surgeon (who is the one who does wisdom tooth extractions) and have the tooth removed to avoid future infections.

After a visit to the dentist who was my assigned one under my insurance plan, I met an oral surgeon on Wednesday. By this time, my teeth were x-rayed under several images at the dentists. I've heard that wisdom tooth extractions are normal procedures done in this country and especially in a person's teen years, when the tooth are unable to come out and its easier to remove. Several folks at work told me that they had all 4 of their wisdom teeth removed when they were in high school or in college. This did nothing to assuage my fears that I was no more in my teens and of course the procedure was going to be more painful.

The oral surgeon who saw me advised me to have both my lower teeth out at one shot, since there was a chance that the same swelling etc. may occur on teeth 17, the left side molar and it would be wise to have both removed at the same time. There were 2 options given to me along with a detailed explanation of what my insurance would cover versus what wasn't going to be covered.

The first option was to go in for a general anesthesia, where I would be completely under during the procedure and would feel no pain at all during the extraction. Unfortunately, the insurance would not pay for this and this is the most expensive method. The second option was to take a local anesthetic to numb the gums and jaw and feel some little pain and have the tooth extracted, the insurance would cover for this.

My tolerance to pain is usually very minimal and never having been to a dentist more than for a few clean-ups in India, I decided to go with the first option of being under general anesthesia and having the tooth out. The oral surgeon's office gave me a 4 page hand-out for before and after surgery instructions.

The date for the extraction was set for Friday morning. Several online source readings, u-tube videos etc. had made me quite nervous and valium was given to calm me down. K had taken the day off to drive me and bring me back home from the surgery, since I wouldn't be able to drive back after the anesthesia.

After the procedure, I was so groggy and could hardly walk to the car (was brought in a wheel chair) and came home with gums stuffed with gauze pads that needed changing every 30 minutes or so since the bleeding continued for 24-48 hours. K was diligent about following the post-operative instructions and kept the ice pack on and off for the next 8-12 hours. My eating was restricted to jello, apple juice and yogurt for the weekend. On Sunday, I was able to eat mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese.

The last couple of days have been a gradual improvement with respect to my being able to eat normal food, but, my jaw movements are restricted and it still hurts when I talk. It feels like there are hollows on either side of my jaw and now its time for the heat packs to go on. I've stayed home for the past couple of days, relaxing, watching TV, catching up on sleep and reading and also doing some cooking and baking, things I enjoy doing.

Am planning to end the extended time off, by returning to work tomorrow, have to go see the oral surgeon tomorrow for a post surgery check up, hopefully, it all went well.

To all those who've had your wisdom tooth removed, Kudos for getting one painful experience over with in life. For those ones, who haven't had to have them extracted, stay lucky.

Happy Smiles!!!

Damon- Our puppy for 4 days

A lot of activity has happened since my last blog in January. K and I went to India for a 10 day trip to attend his brother's wedding, that was one hectic, packed trip. This was our second trip to India within the last 5 months and I am really done with my India travels for a while now.

I've wanted to have a dog, specifically a sheltie, since being around Codi (he is my aunt's sheltie in Boston). K and I have never had pets in our families while growing up in India. The distant memories of a dog as a family pet in India are the variety of stray dogs and the few selected ones named Jimmy, Mani, Rosy, Ju-Ju, Lily etc. that were always kept chained in the front of the house and barked their heads off. Codi was my first exposure to a pet in this country and he brings a lot of joy to the family and is a pleasure to be with, which is how we settled on getting a sheltie.

I've been in touch with several breeders from the Shetland Club of Northern California and K and I attended a sheltie agility and obedience show in February. One of the breeders whom I've been in contact with, had brought her 4 month old sable and white male named Damon for us to see. This was Damon's first big outing and he was in his crate, all cuddled up and cosy.

She let him out for us to get acquainted with him. Our first reaction was that he was so cute and adorable. He was initially shy and afraid didn't come to us right away, but did after a while and spent a good 10 minutes smelling me and K. Afterwards, the breeder had to go for her show and she put him back in his crate and we fixed an appointment to go over to her place the following week to see Damon again.

My first sneeze followed be several huffs and puffs occured during this day, right after we went to the dog show. I attributed that to some instant allergic reaction to the smells, dander and environment of several dogs and returned home to find that the sneezing had led to watery eyes etc. and a claritin allergy pill took care of it for the rest of the evening and night.

The following week we visited th breeder and got to spend some more with Damon in her house and again my sneezing perked up once we were in her place and I told K that this was due to several dogs etc. in her house and that once we brought Damon home it should all be fine. We planned to bring him home on a Friday night and spent Thursday shopping for his crate, bedding, toys etc. It was an exciting time to prepare for the new arrival to our home. On Friday night, we brought him home in our car. Once, we let him out of the crate and out of the car, we found out that he was car sick (he had thrown up during our ride home) and it took him a while to come inside our house.

K and I had scattered papers all over the place in order to avoid any accidents in our new carpet. After coming inside and running around and sniffing his new surroundings, he peed in the newspaper in our living room. We spent the next couple of days of the weekend training him to go potty outside and creating a routine for him. It was a lot of work, but the enjoyable part was when he would stand up on his paws when either K or me sat on a chair and rub his head against us to be petted, it was incredible to see how much of love he wanted and we cherished every moment with him.

During this time, my allergies perked up and on the third day I got myself tested for dog allergy and had a positive reaction to the allergy test they performed on me. This was my first visit to an Allergy and Aasthma clinic and my respect for them grew, seeing the multiple categories of allergy causes that they had to test on people.

As this was happening, we took Damon for his first vet appointment and got him his rabies shot, he was such a well behaved sheltie and the vet praised him for his good behavior. We learnt to praise him for his good deeds by changing our tones..."Good Boy"...etc. with lots of fervor and also learnt to say a big "No.." when he attempted to lift his feet to go potty inside the house. It was such a learning experience.

On day four, since my allergies came out to be positive, we had to make a hard decision of giving him back to our breeder, since the longer we kept him, not only were my allergies getting worse but it was going to be extremely hard for him and us to part.

While, my love for shelties has not diminished, I only wish that I had the chance to keep Damon forever with us.

"Best of all, Shelties have empathy, while many breeds do not. They feel with you. You can tell your wildest dreams and deepest fears to a Sheltie, and he will understand--not in detail, of course--but he will understand that you are self-absorbed, or that you are afraid".

- From Clan Duncan shelties

The Perfect Sheltie

There's no such thing as the perfect dog

People will say to you

And when it comes to Shelties -

Boy, is that ever true!

Some are too big and some too small

Some hardly have any hair at all

Some are too bold and some too shy

Some have a short tail or a big round eye

Crooked legs and splayed out toes

Prick ears and hound ears and odd coloured nose -

The perfect Sheltie just can't be made

But here's one thing that's really great:

To be perfect in their owners' eyes

Shelties only need one part

And every Sheltie I ever met

Had that loving Sheltie heart.

By Simone Ross, (dross@barint.on.ca), From http://dogpatch.org

Happy Pongal

Wishing all bloggers A Very Happy Pongal, two working days in the US. Well, we have our own ways of celebrating Pongal- not to mention recording some of the Sun TV special programs.

Sirappu Puthu Padal and Sirapu Thiraikannoattam on Tuesday
Interview w/ Danush & Nayanthara and Interview w/ Vivek on Wednesday

Watching those and eating hot ven pongal with gotsu and sweet pongal are our plans and waiting to see what new releases show up in our local Bay area theatres.

Enjoy this year's Pongal!

Happy New Year 2008

Pieces of Time by Joanna Fuchs

New years come and new years go,
Pieces of time all in a row.
As we live our life, each second and minute,
We know we’re privileged to have you in it.
Our appreciation never ends
For our greatest blessings: our family and friends.

Happy New Year!

The Namesake- A Touch of Sentiments

I recently watched the movie "The Namesake" on DVD that was directed by Mira Nair, though the movie had come out earlier this year. I had already read the book written by Jhumpa Lahiri, but seeing the movie made the experience lot more realistic for me. It was one of those movies that had me crying my heart out and poor K had to stop at one point and we watched the remaining portion on the next day. The movie still remains fresh at mind and in heart that prompted me to write a blog.

Perhaps there have been other movies that showcase cross-cultural issues and American versus other cultural issues and differences like Bend it like Beckam, East versus East etc., but what makes Namesake stand out, is the beautiful way in which Mira Nair portrays the true personalities of each of the characters that make you forget that it is a movie after all.

The story revolves around first-generation Indian American Gogul Ganguli and his Bengali family, parents Ashoke and Ashima, specifically and the struggles that they each meet out to come to terms with the American culture. Kal Penn as Gogul Ganguli and Tabu as Ashima live and breathe the images of their respective characters and really touch your hearts with their stellar performances.

The story line and incidents that happen right from the start of Ashima's marriage to Ashoke and her entry to the American land till the end when she decides to live her life part in Calcutta and the US complete a full life for the film. The movie has a message for everyone- be it the Indian arranged marriage couple or the Indian American children born in this country. It portrays Ashima as a strong woman of substance who has come a long way since she married Ashoke. It also depicts the hardships faced by Gogul and his sister, more so, by Gogul, in trying to fit in. The women in his life- both Maxine and the Begali wife Moushmi teach him valuable lessons that shape his thought processes and make him understand himself more.

A few scenes that really stood out for me were when Ashima tries to call her son on his birthday and he his out with his girl friend Maxine's family, when she later tells him to make him up Maxine (though she doesn't approve of her) and some more.

This movie is a great learning cultural tool for many Indian Americans who go through the sturuggles of raising their children in this country. As for the non Indian poulation, it gives them a good insight into the arranged marriage system and how love, trust and commitment follow through. It also provides a good overview of the emotions and feelings that Gogul-like Indians undrego growing up in this country.

It is a rather slow movie, especially in the earlier parts, but The Namesake will speak to anyone who has felt themselves pulled in different directions by their own heart and emotions.

A must see for all!

Happy Deepavali...A trip down memory lane

It is those memories of celebrating a Deepavali back in India that makes it so special for many of us who aren't back home for this festive occasion.- Happy Deepavali...

Several of us have different memories when we talk about Deepavali back in our homes in India. For me, it brings back first the smell and taste of the sweets and savories (bakshanam)

that could be tasted as they are bring made by mothers and grand mothers, unlike other festivals like Krishna Jayanthi etc. where you would have to wait for the Gods (naivediyam)

before you can have a go at the goodies. I still remember the times when my mom would make kara boondhi a few days before Deepavali which would be the official lauch of the preparations.

Not to forget, the "Deepavali marundu or lehiyam" that would be the first thing to fall plop into my palm after an oil bath. The elders would refer to it as a good digestive and eating that before delving into the sweets and savories for the rest of the day would keep you up and running.

Moving on to more than just goodies for the stomach, Deepavali brings lots of crackers, and recently, heard from India that there are tons of new varieties of crackers, sparklers, flower pots etc. that have been added to the existing traditional ones.

Special television programs throughout the day in all the satellite channels and new movies being released on that day all contribute to the festive atmosphere of the day. New clothes, colorful versions of several designs and jewels along with a visit to relatives, grandparents places for blessings and sweet exchanges are all the other things that complete my memory of a complete Deepavali celebration.

As for this year, planning to record some of the Sun Tv programs to watch (esp. the star pattimadram) and watch it sometime later. For K and I, it is just another routine work day and a trip down memory lane of earlier Deepavali's.

Wishing all bloggers A Very Happy & Prosperous Deepavali...............................................

JK Rowling's spills secrets on her characters

As one of the millions of Harry Potter fans worldwide, I have to do a blog on JKR's latest revealetions on some of her characters. Rowling was present at New York City's Carnegie Hall on Saturday night at an event that boasted of thousands of Harry Potter fans who had come across the country for the hot event. These lucky children won a sweepstakes created by Rowlings publisher and they then flew to New York from all over the place. The event was hosted by MSNBC news anchor Keith Olbermann who paved the way for Rowling to occupy the center stage.

Answering to a question posed by someone in the crowds, Rowling spilled the beans on the kindly old headmaster of Hogwarts, by saying that Dumbledore was gay. That statements explains a lot from her series, especially, it affirms the connection between Dumbledore and Grindelward, his younger days companion who took an interest in the Dark Arts. Albus Dumbledore's character is probably the most loved and discussed, next to Harry, in all of Harry Potter's fan groups. Though, initial books probably made readers question the loyalty and relationship between Professor McGonagal and Dumbledore, Rowling clarifies that in her latter books.

Hope the upcoming Harry Potter movies, would make sure that the authenticity of his character remains without messing up the storyline.

Further, Rowling went on to answer a few other questions such as Neville's love life, Molly Weasley's killing of Bellatrix and so no. The whole evening came to an end by 8.30 pm when Rowling stood up to sign the stacks of books piled up for the children who had come.

Wish I could go to one such event and get caught up in the magical moments................

Saraswathi Puja and Vijayadasami- end of Navarathri

Happy Friday!

Since I didn't get to do a post on the golu this year, thought that I would do a write up on the end of the navarathri festival, which is marked by the Sarawasthi puja on the ninth day (navami) followed by Vijayadasami on the tenth day. Because, these days fall on a weekend, it becomes a little easier, atleast for working folks like us in the US, to do some sort of a mini puja at home.

A trip down the memory lane- Back in India, Saraswathi puja was an important day to reckon with. It was on this only day that our parents never insisted us to study/read and we were made to keep all our books, musical instruments before the Goddess and puja would be performed. This was done as a form of respect to the Goddess of knowledge Saraswathi who would be the one to bless our educational pursuits. In commercial places, this day would be referred to as Ayudha puja and all the machinery, equipment used in any form of shop, industry etc. would be cleaned and decorated with flowers, sandalwood paste etc. After a brief puja, sweets, rice flakes (arisi pori) with jaggery would be distributed to all. Even vehicles and automobiles would be decorated and worshiphed since they brought livelihood for several folks.

On the tenth day of Vijayadasami, the day that the Goddess has attained victory by slaying the demon, is considered auspicious and siginifies good over evil. This is the day when new ventures, be it in business, education, music, dance etc. is begun, since it signifies prosperity throughout the coming year.

Well, thus comes the end to the navarathi season. Hope everybody has a good weekend.

Back to Blogging

Hello! Hola! Bonjour! Ciao! Aloha! Namaste! Vanakkam..........

Yes, I am back to blogging after a leave of absence of six months. Given that my last blog was in April when we moved into our new home, I didn't think that I would come back to blogging for several reasons, top one being that I simply had lost the enthu and motivation to blog somewhere along the line. Further, I didn't think that me not blogging would make a difference to the huge blogger community, honestly, it doesn't, but when a few friends kept asking me as to why I haven't blogged and that I should start blogging again, I thought, well, maybe its time to make a come back.

A lot has happened in the last six months, don't want to indulge into great details about each and every thing. The highlights would be K and I completed 3 years of matrimony in June, we visited London and nearby cities like Stratford, Oxford enroute to India in July. We celebrated my dad's 60th birthday function in India and attended my brother-in-law's engagement around the same time in August. Came back to US and spent the last week in keeping golu and inviting friends.

While, those have been the happenings in my personal life, other things that whizzed by were Thalaivar's Sivaji making history in tamil cinema, the Indian stock market's growth (given that it was down today), the Google and Apple stocks still holding strong, the I-Phone frenzy and more.

Well, with the comeback comes a new look to this blog......will be back soon.

Home..Sweet Home

The last couple of months have probably been the busiest time in my life, given that my blogging has consistently decreased to "a blog once a month". But, that doesn't prevent me from spending my lunch hour reading some of the other blogs to keep up on the happenings.

Early this year, after a lot of pressurizing from my end, my husband and I decided to embark on the "Bay Area Housing Express" to make our journey through the tedious process of buying a home. As first-time passengers in this express, our requirements for reaching the destination of "Buying a Home in Silicon Valley" were different. K's need was simple- "You buy a house, pay for it to live in it and don't expect anything more." My desire was a little more ambitious- Given that the housing prices in the valley are much much higher than anywhere else in the country and don't seem to drop lower; and logic sans the already inflated housing prices versus steady salary growth, not knowing how unpredictable the future here is going to be, still, the tinge of hope that maybe, the home price may go up slightly and there is still room for a small profit to be made.

But, anyways, the entire process of home buying was an educative and eye-opening experience. Initially, our knowledge base on the topic was limited to conversations with some friends who have been experts in this area, buying and selling their 2nd and 3rd homes. Nevertheless, the process seemed scary. You know there's a lot of paperwork involved, and a lot of vocabulary that might sound alien. It was like doing school work, the evenings, K and I spent reading the material our agent had given us and learning the meaning of terms like Adjustable Rate Mortgage(ARM), Amortization, Annual Percentage Rate(APR), Closing costs, Contingency, Delinquent, etc. The easy part was spending the weekend afternoons going for open houses and then after a while, you realize that the more you see, the more you get confused. Not only that, you know that the ones that are in a reasonable condition are the ones that will be sold in a jiffy with mutiple offers and the fixer-upper types also had their bidders.

While several friends of us kept telling us that the prices have gone down now, the scenario during mutiple offers brought a jolt of unexpected happenings. While nation-wide home prices have declined, the valley still seems to be going steady, not great, but flat. When a house has multiple offers, it just seems that people are frantic enough to escalate the value of the home and make sure that the price is highly inflated, atleast 15-25K more than the listing price.

Anyways, to cut a long story short, we finally found a house that we liked and more importantly got. The hard part comes afterwards, gettting the home loan approved, locking it down at a good interest rate and closing escrow.

Once all those processes are completed and you get the keys to the home, you can finally call yours, one may think that you can breathe easier. The moving in, followed by seeing the huge mortgage amount go every month from your paycheck, makes you wonder, if you made the right decision.

But, seeing that you can slam nails into your walls, hang how many ever pictures you want, paint them and decorate them as per your wish and basically having the freedom to do anything, makes you smile and say, "Maybe, this wasn't such a bad idea, after all."

More on the home series to follow..................................................................

Bachelors- 'Singled Out' in South India (100th post)

Recently watched Mozhi on big screen with some friends, although Jo's acting etc. are all talked about, I thoroughly enjoyed the scenes between the Telegu actor Brahmanandam who plays the house owner and his clashes with Prakash Raj, seemed like a fresh breath of comedy amidst the other present day stereo types. This episode in the movie along with a recent conversation with one of my single friends in India gave me some content for a blog.

A good high-school friend of mine who works for a BPO in Chennai was telling me about his state of affairs as a "bachelor" guy in the city and how hard it is for him to make a right impression with folks considering his single status. When I asked him to elaborate more, he was only too happy to express his displeasure about the way bachelors are treated in and around the city. Given that several youngsters come from different parts to live and work in Chennai's booming IT corridor and companies, inspite of their education and good behavior, the society has little regard for these folks.

As an example, he mentioned how his house owner looks down upon him and a few other roomates of his with suspicion given the fact that they are bachelors. It was so hard to even convince him to rent us this apartment for 3 working bachelors. Out of curiosity, when he asked his owner why he was against bachelors, the man responded with a knowing grin, "I was a bachelor once. I know what you guys do!" My friend was saying he may have hinted about drinking, making noise, partying etc. but the truth is we hardly make much noise and do any partying in the house. We work on day and night shifts alternatively and come home to relax, watch some tv and get some sleep. We don't cook regularly and are often out of people's ways and feel that we are way better compared to several other family tenants.

He didn't stop his out-pour there, but went on to say how the neighbours view the bachelors. A few years back when he was living with his parents, they would fondly tell their small kids about "Anna" and wave to him. Nowadays, when me or my friends walk into the apartment complex, the folks rush in with their kids and close the door, just because I smile and say hi to them. The same neighbours, especially the married women, later, knock on our doors with a request to teach their child Math or Science or help out with a school project that is due on the next day.

He was also telling me how several of his colleagues who are CA's or sofware professionals have been denied home loans by financial institutions, owing to their unmarried status.

Lastly, my dad was telling me about a distant relative of his who had left Tiruchi to work in a good job in Chennai. Looks like he was in need of a gas connection, which, after my dad's narration, I realized is not the easiest to obtain in Chennai. The boy had to have a ration card in order to get his gas connection, for which, he had to be married or needed to take days off from work to go back to Tiruchi and cancel his name on the ration card there. The boy commented to my dad that he had a passport, voter's ID Card, a driver's license, a PAN card and income tax receipts, but none of this could be useful in helping him obtain a gas connection.

Looking at all this, seems like being a bachelor is not such a great idea and all fun as it appears to be. I guess the city definitely needs to be more open and polite to the tons of youngsters who are bachelors and are there to make a living.

Thought for the day:

Try to focus, not on the annoying things your neighbours do, but on the things they do right.

Back to Blogging.....

It has been a while since I blogged, especially the meaningful blogging, except the Thanksgiving and New Year wishes posts. No specific reason, except for a sudden dip or lack of motivation on topics to write about and work catching up and some other stuff to take care of at the domestic front, there has been no will to blog. Although, I have been reading the other blogs on and off when time permits. Hopefully, I will start blogging regularly from now on....

Thought for the day:

When someone asks you how you are, don't emphasize how busy you are. You're an interesting person with many qualities besides busyness.

Happy New Year & Resolutions

Wishing all bloggers A Very Happy and Prosperous 2007! Thanks for all your wishes and hope the new year brings in more blogger friends and sharing.

Back to work today- the first working day in 2007 and I'm sure that some of you may have made resolutions to start off the year. Making New Year Resolutions is no less than a tradition in modern times and though they are easy to make or think of, its quite difficult and virtually impossible for everyone to keep up their resolutions till the year end. A few suggestions on keeping up those resolutions and achieve them by the year ending.

* Its a good idea to recall last year's resolution and see if it has been successfully achieved. If not, make that the primary resolution for this year and promise yourself to keep it this year.

* Also, making a lot of resolutions and not following them is easier, so try and stick to 1-3 resolutions, small ones that you are sure can be achievable.

* Keep reminding yourself of your resolution daily, by writing it and sticking it in your office or at home and reward yourself when you have work towards your goal.

Well, one of my resolutions this year is to try and pray to God for a few minutes daily either in the morning or evening. Feels like this habit of mine needs some strengthening in the new year.

Would be interesting to hear some other resolutions for this year.............

Happy Tuesday!

The Joy of Giving, Exchanging Goodwill and the Holiday Season

Its been almost a month since my last Thanksgiving blog and it appears as though my blogging happens only during the holiday time and not earlier, simply because, life has been more busy and I haven't been in the mood to blog.

Well, its that time of the year when wreaths made from artificial mistletoe, carols about holly, ivy and reindeer, bright-colored stockings are all hung up as decorations- all these have become an integral part of Christmas and holiday celebrations at work and outside. Yes, I am referring to my work place, a totally white dominated office where the spirit of giving and the holiday season have started to cheer the atmosphere around me.

I am not a Christian and neither have I yet started celebrating Christmas at home bu putting up a tree etc., but I definitely enjoy exchanging goodwill with friends and colleagues during this time of the year.

Being in a University, we are closed for the next week starting 12/23-1/2 and these last few days in the office have been good. First of all, work is slow at this time of the year and it is great time to catch up on organizing and cleaning the office and making plans for the new year. Secondly, attending other department XMas parties, lunches at nice restaurants with a group of colleagues followed by "white-elephant" gift exchange games make it seem so realistic. I haven't felt the same during Diwali time here in the US, not that the Sun TV programs and temple visits make me only feel more nostalgic. But, the nice thing about the holiday season and approach of XMas is that I don't feel left out. I too go shopping to buy gifts for friends and colleagues who shower their holiday spirit on me by giving me home made baked goodies, stockings filled with candies and a lot more other XMas gifts.

I am learning a lot about reciprocating gifts this year. "Gifting is an art" and I think it should be done with a lot of elan and class. Wrapping and packaging of the gits with the most innovative of holiday paper and bags make so much of a difference and is thoroughly appreciated.

Last, but not the least, the joy of giving is not only exchanging gifts at work, but also practicing some charity during this time of the year. This year, I participated in a Holiday Toy Drive for homeless kids and managed to collect some toys from work that I passed on to the Urban Ministry department who organize the toy drive. I find lots of colleagues and friends (sadly, not Indians) who contribute a portion of their income to the Red Cross or do something to help the less fortunate folks.

An older colleague of mine who has no living family members says that the joy of giving is deep and rewarding and works wonders on a person's psyche. She says that when distraught with tension and worry, a little help to somebody in need can be a great stress buster and an anti-depressant.

With all the sales happening in stores around us, being caught up with our hectic lifestyles, passions and interests, we never pause to reflect on the misery of those in dire need. Well, not to go on to the point of sounding monotonous, it is a good idea to start thinking about doing something small for a person in need during this holiday season.

Merry Christmas to those celebrating and Happy Holidays for the others. More frequent blogging to follow.....

Happy Thanksgiving..........

Its that time of the year when the US festivals and holidays start coming and filling our houses and lives with the spirit of the season. The Thanksgiving Day and long weekend is one such occasion when its time for family and friends to get together in someone's place, cook a fancy meal, need not necessarily be a turkey meal and enjoy good food and great company. In 2004, K and I made a trip to Boston to spend the holiday with my aunt's family where they celebrate thanksgiving in a traditional way cooking a vegetarian version- we had mashed potatoes, veggie stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy, a dish made out of butternut squash and pineapples and of course pumpkin pie. A picture of the dinner has been attached.

In 2005, I tried my hand at making all those dishes that I had learnt from my aunt on K and invited another recently wed couple friends of ours and hopefully they enjoyed the meal.

This year, dear aunt, uncle and cousin are arriving tonight to spend the holiday with us, can't wait to try out some new dishes this year.

Other things that I am looking forward to this year- Black Friday Deals and shopping on Friday the day after thanksgiving, a trip to SFO to watch the Ghirardelli or Union Sqaure Xmas Tree lighting on the same day and maybe some other visits to nearby places in and around Bay Area during the weekend.

To all those travelling and spending time with family and friends and for those who plan to stay home and relax during the holidays, wish you A Happy Thanksgiving Holiday!!!

More blogging to continue from Monday.....

A Glimpse into Mani's "Guru"

Mani Rathnam is one of those few Indian directors who has carved a niche for himself and his style of movies. Madras Talkies is his home production and everyone knows about all the trademark movies that have come under his direction and remain as hallmarks of good cinema. With his sophisticated style of film taking and his eye for the best and most suited star cast coomplimented by the best in music AR. Rahman (this time, it is indeed worth spending every penny and minute watching Mani's films.

I am both excited and am eagerly awaiting the release of his next venture "Guru" from Bollywood. During my browsing time, I manage to catch up on all the tit bits from the websites on the movie. Almost everything about Guru is grandiose and builds high expectations.

Beginning with a heavy star cast that includes Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Mithun Chakravarthy, Madhavan and Vidya Balan, well, if this isn't the only reason to watch the movie. With Mani's expert direction, I am positive that each actor would have performed to the best of their abilities. The second best thing about Guru is its music-AR Rahman has been roped in to do some stunning background score. Gulzar's lyrics have been sung by ARR, Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan, Hariharan, Shreya Ghoshal, Madhushree and Bappi Lahiri.

Finally, the story of Guru- It is rumored to be based on the life of the Ambani family. The Ambani family is known to be one of the richest conglomerates in the world. The movie is based on the transition of a simple villager to a rising businessman and entrepreneur who grows to become the largest private company in India. Abhishek Bachchan is said to have played the part of Dhirubai and Aishwarya as Kokilaben. Of course, Madhavan, Vidya Balan and Mithun also have strong supporting characters to play. Inspite of being known to do some controversial movies like Nayagan, Bombay where Mani Rathnam has had to face obstacles, in this movie too, he had to walk a tight rope in not copying the verbatim lifestyle of the Ambani's, since the family doesn't want any controversial scenes that would slander their family reputation. So, a private screening of the movie to the Ambani family would probably be expected before its December release.

Abhishek Bachchan's performance both as the youngster and the older Ambani must indeed be a visual treat for his fans and of course the chemistry between him and Aishwarya (his soon to be wife) must only add more of the magical element to the movie. A few articles comparing Ambani to Velu Naicker in Mani's Nayagan about 20 years ago have also been coming out claiming that this would be Nayagan Part II. Since, the movie has been shot in Mani's favorite city Mumbai, but a lot of shotting was also done in and around Chennai, the song sequences have been shot again in Mani's favorite location- Thirumalai Naicker Mahal in Madurai (the place where Kannalane song from Bombay was shot.

The Music of Guru was released in a star studded event in Mumbai last week (pictures are at India Glitz events gallery under Hindi section), but the CDs become available only on Nov 18th.

A short Trailer of the movie at India Glitz and several short music bits are available for viewing at behindwoods.com as well.

Guru seems to be amazingly promising and comes with a lot of expectations from the 60 minute promo trailer ...Villager Visionary..Winner with ARR's background score and minimal dialogues. Just counting the days till its release this December.

A Man's Rules

Just came across this on the internet and thought it would be interesting to share-

If you ask most men, they would say that the rules are made by their women in their lives etc. For fun, If a man were to make his rules-

Rule 1 Anything I said six or eight months ago is inadmissible in an arguement. All comments become null and vid after 7 days.

Rule 2 If I say something that can be interpreted in two ways, and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, I meant the other way.

Rule 3 It is in neither your best interest nor mine to make me take those stupid Cosmo quizzes together.

Rule 4 You can either ask me to do something or tell me how you want it done- not both.

Rule 5 Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials or time-outs.

Rule 6 Christopher Columbus didn't need directions and neither do I.

Rule 7 When I'm turning the wheel and the car is nosing onto the ramp, you saying, "This is our exit" is not necessary.

Source: Internet


Happy Friday!

Thaali aka Mangalsutra- No strings attached?

Have been wanting to write about this topic for a while now, but haven't had the time to do so. In today's modern world, a married woman makes a conscious choice to wear or not wear her thaali or mangalsutra. What does this imply?

For those who aren't familiar with the Hindu tradition of marriage, a thaali (as known in South India) or a mangalsutra (as known in North India) is tied by the groom around the neck of the bride on the day of their wedding signifying their union. The thaali is considered auspicious and is believed to protect the marriage and life of the husbands and was never usually removed in the bride's lifetime, unless her spouse died.

But like all traditions and customs, today this trend is also changing. Although, it is tied at the wedding, the younger generation women of today are choosing whether to wear it all times, or not.

For many women living outside India, the thaali is worn on and off. Some reasons for this are that- First of all, the fear that something may happen to their spouses if the woman takes off her thaali is overcome by the voice of reason and logic.

Secondly, the new era of women are confident that a mere symbolism of the thaali is not an expression of their commitment in the marriage. Most of them feel that loving your spouse and staying married doesn't come with a piece of chain around your neck.

Thirdly, the practical difficulty in wearing the thaali is that it does not blend in with western clothes or go well with party jewellery, silver jewellery, black metal etc. Earlier, the thaali was a traditional thick rope, followed by the thick gold chain and each community has their version for the pendant. Slowly, the gold rope was replaced by the "karugamani" which is made of small gold and black beads and then nowadays women have a "micro thaali" done which is fashionable, much sammer in size and weighs lesser.

Also, during work outs at the gym and other activities such as swimming etc., the thaali is uncomfortable. Not to forget mentioning that some women are allergic to the gold and even have marks on their necks.

But, many women still like to wear it at special occasions and sometimes even on a regular basis and when asked by colleagues at work are proud to explain that it is the equivalent of a wedding ring and symbolizes that a woman is married.

Life is much easier for the women abroad when you don't have a mother-in-law hovering around in the background to express shock and disbelief or a mother to express her concern when you aren't wearing the thaali.

But, for the married women in India, well, I do know some of them who work in MNCs who don't wear a thaali daily to work. But, for the others, it is a constant battle and struggle when the traditional society that is steepled in orthodoxy, culture and values fails to listen to the modern day women's perspective. Also, when the women living in US visit India, they are inclined to wear the thaali more as a way to keep the family members from reacting. Of course, there are still stronger women who hold on to their decision and boldly say that it is a matter of individual choice.

Lastly,how does the husband react to all this? Some of them who are raised in an orthodox background don't approve of their wives not willing to uphold the tradition of being married to them, while others are a lot more open to their spouses making the decision. But, secretly, most men do seem to care about whether their wives want to wear a "thaali" or not, its just that the circumstances in today's lifestyle are such that he has to make his wife have the final word on that!

Happy Friday!