Memorial day weekend: Lassen-Mt.Shasta-Crater lake

The pictures come first

Our Van-

Lassen Volcanic Natl. Park-


Sulphur peaks



Sundial Bridge at Turtlebay


Tree house inside the Botanical garden at Sundial bridge-
Crater Lake,OR snow covered




Shasta Caverns


















We were 4 couples who rented a 12 seater passenger van, kudos to the guys for driving the huge vehicle through snow, hail and rain. It was a lot of fun with the girls taking the credit for all the variety food that was cooked and packed for this 3 day trip.

Day 1- Our first stop on Saturday morning was at Lassen Volcanic National park, which was for the most part closed due to the heavy covering of snow. We made a brief stop at the sulphur peaks, the geothermal area where a pungent odour of sulphur was emanating from the peaks. Took a lot of photos and boarded the van and headed out to Turtlebay and Sundial bridge spots on our way past Redding into Shasta.

The sundial bridge as its name, is an architectural bridge shaped like a "harp" musical insutment with strings attached. The walkway was beautiful and ended at the botanical gardens area. Highlights were several varieties of plants, flowers, a bamboo made treeh house, fountains etc. A very serene place which was one of the highlights of the trip for me.

Day 2- We drove from the Coldcreek Inn (where we were staying with more friends, Sundar's family and Balaji's family where also doing the trip) to Crater Lake, Oregon. We drove through Klamath National forest and Winema national forests and the scenary was spectacular along the 3 hour drive. Crater lake, as many would agree, is breathtaking in all its shape and beauty. The lake and surrounding area was snow covered and added a Christmas postcard quality to the visit. After a sumptous south indian meal (thanks to the girls), snow fights and several photo sessions followed suit.

Our late afternoon stop was at a small town Ashland in Oregon (again thanks to Sundar for sharing about this place). We spent sometime walking along one of the trails in Lythia Park (that has a river running along thw alking trail abd is full of greenery on either sides). We ate at the Deep Indian cuisine restaurant (hot north indian food) which was owned by Mr.Deep, a former Bay area restaurant guy. We drove back after a tiring, but, exciting day to our Shasta inn.

Day 3- After saying goodbyes to the Sundars and Balajis, we checked out and drove to the Bunny flat trailhead to have a glimpse of Mt.Shasta. A few pictures later, we were driving along the winding roads on our way to Shasta caverns. A boat ride followed by a 15 minute bus tour to the cavern entrance and a 1 hour tour of the caverns was time well spent. The lively tour guide Julie was a major attraction to the guys and showed us the caverns well. The interior of the caverns were filled with stalagmites and stalactites (conical shaped sturctures) and the cathdreal room was filled with them was the highlight of the tour. Due to lack of time, we had to miss visiting McArthur Burney falls and Shasta dam. After a lunch stop at Subway, we arrived back at Bay area on Monday evening.

A good trip with lots of driving (1100 miles approximately), nature attractions, great food and most importantly in the company of friends was a long weekend well spent.

I am Chatty and Nice....

Thanks to Sundar (http://sundar72.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html) and A-kay (http://madras2madurai.hopto.org/blog/)who've bestowed upon me the "I'm Nice" and "I'm Chatty" awards respectively.

Being Nice Award- This award is given to those that are just nice people , good blog friends and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration! Those that care about others that are there to lend support or those that are just a positive influence in our blogging world!" (quoted from Sundar). He gives me this award for always encouraging him to blog.

While I've had my own share of disappearances in the blog world that can only be attributed to laziness and lethargy, not to mention, occasional lack of quality topics to blog about. I've always felt the comments from fellow bloggers is a huge inspiration to continue blogging on a regular basis. While, that has been my pep-up factor to blog as often as possible, it has also made me visit the blogs of others and see the variety of topics that they have to share with the blog world.

I'm Chatty Award- This award is given to someone with whom a good cup of tea can be combined along with a good chat. I can't think of receiving this award from anyone more appropriate than A-Kay. While, we first started posting comments on each other's blogs, we felt the need to know more about the other person (there was a strong feeling that we shared a lot in common). What followed suit were a bunch of back and forth emails in 24-48 hrs between A-kay and me to discover more about each other. We found out that we live in the same city, our husbands share the same last name, we are both DINKS couple, South Indians etc. If this can't be attributed to chatty, I can't think what else would qualify.

I am so happy to receive both these awards from fellow blogger pals and would like to pass them to others in this virtual community whose blogs I think would qualify in these genres.

I'm Nice Award is being passed on to :

Na_an (http://ag-thinker.blogspot.com) -For always being nice, known this person since college. Also, welcome this new comer to the blog world and to blog more.

Aparna (http://aadha.blogspot.com)- For being one of my early blog readers when I first started blogging.

Laksh (http://www.lakshmusings.com/musings)- A blog space that fosters healthy group discussion topics.


I'm Chatty award is being passed on to:

Sachita (http://sachitaindia.blogspot.com)- For expressing profound ideas and being so chatty (another college pal)

Cham (http://spice-club.blogspot.com)- Another award to add to her kitty, thank you for being the first person to comment on my blog most of the times.

Sundar (http://www.sundar72.blogspot.com)- For being the chatter and conversationist he always is and will be.

Thank you bloggers...

Small Joys in Life

Everyone of us have small joys and happiness that we get out of life from time to time. There are also small wishes and things that happen to make your day seem more brighter and worth living for. Today was one such day for me. With the upcoming long Memorial day weekend, dear husband has taken a couple of additional vacation days off to stay home and relax. While, I am waking up to take the 7:30 am train and get to work, he gets to sleep in.

On an impulse, I invited him to drive up to my work place for lunch this afternoon. We've done lunch "dates" (to give it a special name) before on occasion when K has driven up to meet me for lunch. I took the shuttle to meet him at California Pizza Kitchen ASAP in the Shopping Center. It was a nice feeling to meet up for lunch, definitely a change from the routine eating at the desk habit for me and also felt different for us to meet up in the middle of a working day for a meal. Given, that the day is nice and sunny, only added to the happiness I felt.

Incidentally, at work (I work in an academic setting), our Diversity & Access Office and HR Services along with the different cultural groups was throwing a Multicultural Springfest 2008. This is an annual event celebrating the University's staff and its diversity. Some of the actively participating diverse groups are the African-American staff group, American Indian staff forum, Asian staff forum, Filipino-American community, Disability staff forum, La Raza staff association and the Queer University employees group etc. The springfest includes free music, entertainment, art displays, FREE FOOD, t-shirts and raffle prizes for all staff.

After lunch, we drove to the Multicultural springfest, had some dessert (pineapple upside down cake-yum), got some free t-shirts and mugs after which he dropped me back in the office.

What a nice way to break the routine office mode......now, back to work.

Have a great long weekend.

A Fightful Weekend- Mistakes Made and Lessons Learnt

This was one of those weekends where I ended up fighting with one of my good girl friends. What started out as a dull conversation, due to a misunderstanding, soon became an atomic blow-up and my behavior played a significant role in worsening the situation.

Little did I realize that an innocent phone conversation, that was supposed to make plans for a weekend outing would turn out to be so conflicting. While it has been a few years since I got so riled up and exhibited tendencies and behavior worthy of a kinder gardner, nevertheless, it made me feel that in some ways, I still haven't matured or learnt to behave wiser. When I see conflict with another person, instead of trying to avoid blowing it up or atleast withdrawing, forget even making peace, I charge ahead like a firm headed bull (so typical of my taurean nature) and say a lot of hurtful things about the person on the other end. And, I do all this with a raised voice filled with emotional tension and anger, which only adds more negative impact to the situation. What starts out as an angry outburst proceeds full blast into a blameful tirade, where I bring out all the past issues from several incidents, that probably, don't have relevance to the current issue at hand and what I have is a classic recipe for a snowball fight.

I have very less thought on the outcome of this, on what would happen to damage the relationship I have with the friend and other parties concerned. I am only concerned about getting my pent up complaints out, I think this is a good opportunity to pile up all I have against this person at one shot, without pausing to think even for a second, as to how shocked and hurtful the other person might be feeling because of this sudden outburst. Also, in this case, when the friend was dealing with family issues etc., it makes me feel so bad about myself. I couldn't have picked a wronger time to have this brawl with her.

In essence, here are all the things I didn't do during this fight and have never been able to do during conflict situations-

Didn't stay cool and talk calmly
Played the Blame Game
Got trapped into another fight

While, my friend handled the situation way more maturedly and took the first step in apologizing, she also pointed out my flaws in a manner that was way less hurtful than what I did to her and got me thinking more about my behavior. While we both have a long history and also share a common environment and will be seeing each other often, there is definitely a black mark hole that I've created in this friendship. I hope that I have it in me to things better for us, if not completely normal. While, its very much in my nature to not let bygones be bygones, I really wish that I am able to change that (for my own betterment) and put this episode behind us and move forwward. I am sure that furture conflicts between us will come up, but, I will try and make a conscious attempt to not bring up the old fight or the emotions I felt during it. I also hope to treat her with more sensitivity in the future and when conflicts come up, would rather take care of them right away, rather than letting them build into the kind of fights that can do real damage to the friendship.

Genuine Friendship
By Srimathi Raman

Genuine friends are hard to find.
Friends may not be of the same kind.
Wave lengths need to match.
They belong to life’s greenest patch.
Their nature may differ.
The thoughts will concur.
This ‘friendly’ bond is its own pride.
All other bonds’ envy.
Birth of friendship is not out of compulsion.
This is the specialty of this relation.
True feelings shared are beyond compare.
This makes a genuine friend so rare.
Transparency maintained is super-duper.
Gossips can never hamper.
This has no space for hear says.
Differences do happen; also sorted are these.
There is no place for mediator.
Need for mediation demands a preponderor.
This need reveals the fallacy.
The bond is affected by palsy.
Real friendship is very healthy.
This survives only with the ‘worthy’.
Rareness is the challenge to this relation.
Commonly found is cheap imitation.

To Grandmothers, Mothers and Mothers-in-law

With Mother's Day coming up on Sunday, what better time to pen my memories and experiences with the older female generation. As most know and would agree, mothers are an integral part of our lives, they've shaped us into who we are today and are still and will continue to strive for our best, no matter how ever old we grow. I still see my Ammamma (grandmother) play an active part in my mother's life and how attached the two of them are. A maternal instinct, mother country, mother nature etc. are all expressions that are used to attach the feminine attributes that a mother posseses with other things.

While everyone has individual experiences with their mother, my experiences with my mother are special to me. Being an only child, all my mother's dreams have always centered around me. I was raised by my mother's parents (grandparents) a lot, during my early years (which is quite common coming from India)and also until college etc. hence, I share a unqiue relationship with Thatha and Ammamma, as well. My mother was a working woman, who strived hard to balance the pressures of work and home life. She worked for almost 20 years in the insurance industry, was well respected and loved by her colleagues (fondly known as "BJ" at her office). During her career, she studied and passed several insurance exams to her credit. All this was while I was in school, she made sure I was well taken care of when she worked and never made me feel neglected. I would always find a hotpack full of food when I came home from school in the afternoons and of course, she would also wake up in the mornings and pack me a different lunch/snack for school. My mom took voluntary retirement (VRS) when I was in college to be with me, before I decided to apply for graduate school in the US after my undergrad. Those were some of the best times when I would find her at home with a hot tiffin after I came home from college.

There are many traits in my mom, that I haven't inherited, but admire whole-heartedly. I love her sense of humor (she can be funny at times), her smell (she always, always smells great), and the way she keeps her life busy and meaningful. She can get hooked to stock trading sometimes and pursues her passion. She is very religious and has the discipline to do pujas, say slokams etc. I love her studious nature, even now, if she sets her heart upon writing an exam, she will succeed. I wish that rubbed off more on me ):

Moving on to mothers-in-law, they come in all shapes and sizes and make interesting personalities to study. We have the good types and the not so good types, again it depends on our perspective as to how we view them. I can't help but like the mother-in-law "Marie" in my favorite Everybody loves Raymond and watch the sparks between her and the daughter-in-law Debra. While, my mother-in-law and I don't have sparks like that, we sure do have something nice and different.

To all grandmothers, mothers and mothers-in-law, let mother's day not be the only time when you are remembered and talked about and thank you all that you do.

Grandmothers are mothers who are grand
By:Turlough O'Carolan

Grandmothers are mothers who are grand,
Restoring the sense that our most precious things
Are those that do not change much over time.
No love of childhood is more sublime,
Demanding little, giving on demand,
More inclined than most to grant the wings
On which we fly off to enchanted lands.
Though grandmothers must serve as second mothers,
Helping out with young and restless hearts,
Each has all the patience wisdom brings,
Remembering our passions more than others,
Soothing us with old and well-honed arts.

Everything Mom
By: By Joanna Fuchs

How did you find the energy, Mom
To do all the things you did,
To be teacher, nurse and counselor
To me, when I was a kid.

How did you do it all, Mom,
Be a chauffeur, cook and friend,
Yet find time to be a playmate,
I just can’t comprehend.

I see now it was love, Mom
That made you come whenever I'd call,
Your inexhaustible love, Mom
And I thank you for it all.

Star Mother-In-Law
By: By Joanna Fuchs

Some mother-in-laws are possessive;
Their child they still want to own.
My mother-in-law’s love is like sunlight;
On both of us it shone.

Some mother-in-laws put you down;
They think you’re not good enough.
My mother-in-law shows approval,
Affection, and other good stuff.

Some mother-in-laws interfere;
They think that they know best.
My mother-in-law lets us be;
She’s better than the rest.

And so I just want to thank you
For being who you are;
As a mother-in-law, you’re a star!

Greens Restaurant- A Unique Panfare in SFO

We went to a vegan place called "Greens restaurant" located in the Fort Mason area in SFO for my birthday dinner last night. The restaurant itself is located in the barracks in the Fort Mason area and is a converted warehouse that boasts of lavish wood work and a subdued interior decor. Unfortunately, we didn't know before to reserve a table with a view of the Marina, though, I was prudent enough to call ahead during the day to make reservations for the night. If you do go, remember to make an advance reservation, since this is a popular place in the city.

The staff at Greens were very courteous and the crowd that came to the restaurant seemed so typical of San Francisco, an eclectic mix of several nationalities. The menu has some unique dishes, both under the appetizers and entrees. We had a dish called the Mesquite Grilled Brochettes - skewers of mushrooms, peppers, garnet yams, fennel, potatoes, cherry tomatoes and marinated tofu with charmoula and served on cherry-pistachio couscous. The couscous was like the tamil version of "javvuarisi" and tasted really good. We also had a thai red curry with cashew jasmine rice and mango mint chutney that was also delicious. The dishes had an organic fervor to them and one can taste the freshness of the ingredients and the delicately flavored spices.

We later learned that the chef Anne Somerville specifically designed the menu for vegan taste buds and a lot of the organic produce used in the cooking comes from a Green Gulch farms in the Marin headlands.

Lastly, the dishes seem a little too pricey $16-$25 for entrees and the portions are medium.

Greens was indeed a unique eating experience in the city and will be a nice dining venue for special occasions.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yes, that wonderful second day in May that comes once a year is here again. It is that day where you are greeted by each phone call or email or card telling you that you are a whole year older in just one day!

The day started off with K getting me something I've wanted for a while now, amidst other things...a basketball and a net/hoop (yet to come) to shoot baskets at home. Who says shooting baskets is restricted to teen-agers, ha ha! No surprises though, since I've learnt over the years to tell him what exactly it is I want for a present to make both of us happy. Watching the NBA in full-action at this time of the year, this definitely is something that will keep my spirits up.

At work, in my role as HR, as part of employee morale, I usually send out birthday cards for employee birthdays (signed by the entire department) and also hang up decorations,etc. in their office. This year, the group had gotten a card for me and everyone signed it and gave it to me.

I've picked a restaurant in San Francisco for dinner tonight, a vegan place in Fort Mason that was recommended by K's colleague. Looking forward to the evening and also to sample some of the unique dishes from their menu (will surely blog about the eating experience). Of course, a stop at Ghirardelli square for dessert will follow.

I will just say that with this birthday not only am I accepting turning a year older, but what I'm really celebrating is a year full of learning experiences both at home and at work, new acquaintances, continued old friendships, increased physical activity and eating and more frequent blogging - and all the wonderful contacts I've made through this little page.

Adorable Pete Wiggins

Pete Wiggins (his name jiggles his bubbly personality) is the 5 year old kid who features in the Kaiser Permanente commercial on TV. The ad. portrays Pete to be a middle aged guy and he rocks! Some of the things he says, like "I have made some bad decisions, hung out with the wrong crowd" etc. are hilarious. The ending of the ad. where he says "Things are looking up" with a pop, cracks you up!

Pete was invited on the Ellen Degeneres show and was truly adorable.

Enjoy this you-tube video...

Beaches- Here and There!

Marina Beach, Chennai

Miami, Florida

San Gregorio State Beach, California

Last weekend, the weather was glorious in the Bay Area, in other words, it was really warm and sunny on Saturday. We drove on 280 and then took 1 South to go to San Gregario State Beach towards the evening. It was a scenic and windy drive, but, gets you to the beach in about an hour's time. This is the first beach you come across when you enter 1 South. We were surprised to find that the beach parking lot was full and saw the crowd. When we've visited this beach about 3 years ago, it was so deserted. Nevertheless, it brought back a feeling of being in Marina beach, Chennai. Well, that feeling only lasted until we dipped out feet in the sea and it was so cold. After several ooos and aahs, you get used to the cold, but still, be it the Stinson Beach , Monteray or any other Bay Area beach, the water in the Pacific is always cold, even during the summer and this has been our sea experience in the west coast, till we visited Miami beach in Florida.

The water in the Miami beach and other parts of Florida like Keywest was not only a greenish blue tinge, but also plesantly warm. It was such a difference standing in the water and we hardly wanted to come out. Not only that, the color is definitely a pretty sight for the eyes.

Lastly, how can I not mention our Marina beach in Chennai. Though, not as fancy as a hang out spot for teenagers like Besant Nagar Elliot's beach, Marina is surely an all time favorite in terms of the water, sand, and all the other side attarctions.

Beaches here and beaches there......enjoy while the good weather lasts.

Day at the Beach by Sharon Froese

A day at the beach

What could be

More fun

Than playing in

The sand

The surf

The sun

Building castles

And rivers

And splashing

In the waves

There's no better

Way to spend

Hot summer days

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................