Happy Holidays

Wish I was in Nashville…

"Some come for glitter, some for gold

Some get their rhinestone Cadillacs and drive 'em home

I don't want money, I don't need fame

Don't need neon shining all around my name

I need you darlin and the way you loved me

On the streets of Nashville”…

Many light years back, I used to listen to Claudia Church and others (Don Williams’ Wish I was in Nashville) singing their hearts out for Nashville and had always wondered: what is it about Nashville that makes a prosaic into a dreamer? Finally, I got a chance to explore Nashville during Thanksgiving Holidays.

Now that I am home, I am back to my normal mundane self and write about the exciting stuff I did while on vacation (Did I just say Exciting??#$) We went to Nashville, Tennessee for four days of incredible thanksgiving holidays. How do I define the overall trip? - It was definitely filled with fun stuff but also had few moments of disappointment, mainly because of bad weather. What did I gain from the trip? - Hmm...Days of relaxed time, advanced knowledge of historical caves and yeah, sweet, melodious southern accent. (You must listen to SG's new accent, priceless!!!)

You must be thinking, why on earth would somebody go to Nashville for four days? Are we done with visiting all the famous touristy spots in America? Nah, we aren’t. As late-planners we both are, me and AD were still in the so-called 'vacation-planning mode' when PC invited us for his wedding party at Nashville. So, having nothing better to do, we agreed and so did few other friends. Tickets were bought and enthusiastic plans were made including mundane things like booking cars and who is going to pick whom from airport and forever contentious decision of how many luggages to carry between me and AD! LOL!!

After much contemplation, I have decided to write about this significant NG group trip, hopefully making it a part of indelible memories for each of us…

The Beginning…

We reached Nashville on Nov 22nd; the sky was bright, grass was green and it was warmer than MN, a welcome change! After having a sumptuous lunch at AA’s place, we headed for PC's Uncle's place in Murfreesboro. Dumbfounded and stunned by their affluence, I asked few stupid questions, “Oh, so many cars! Are there lot of guests here today”? “No, these are my Uncle's cars!!!”, replied PC. Smart-mouthed, isn't it?

Other than few episodes of dozing off, we had a good time playing TT and Pool at Uncle's 'Game-room'. One interesting fact of our NG group: the members are inflicted with Photomania: Obsession to get their mugshots clicked (it’s a new concoction by yours trulyJ). While SG and VA have advanced degree of this much sought-after symptom, AD is a tiny step behind. Believe me, we have hundreds of photos of every little, insignificant stuff we do on our group trip. By now, you must have guessed...yeah, we have at least 20 photos of just the game room! J

After reaching the hotel and making umpteenth plans for the next day trip to Mammoth Caves, we were ready to retire for the day. With all the excitement reserved in my heart, I called on to my flying horses…zzzz...

Coming tomorrow: Exploring Mammoth caves!

Happy Diwali!

This almost never happens...

Something I wasn't expecting has happened. In absolute contrast to everything else I have ever set out to spin (or, you know...anything else in my life at all). No surprises...no happy accidents…no "well, that's just as good as what I had planned". Everything had worked exactly the way I intended it to. But today is a happy extraordinary surprise! (I'm typing quickly, as I expect to be hit by lightning in the immediate future).

Today morning when I woke up, it felt like any other day; did I wake up bright and raring to go...nah, that’s a chimerical situation! Waking up is never fun for me. Anyway, when I woke up, other than my stuffed nose and a sore throat, everything was the same: I woke up from the right side of the bed…my hair was a hairy mess…and AD had left for office.

Everyday, before going to school, I check our mail box for mails. Usually, all we get is junk(some coupons, few grocery offers, and few mails from credit card companies trying to give us better deals).Today, while casually surfing through the bundle, I found one white envelope addressed to me. Without anticipating anything, AD opened the envelope and Lo and Behold! There it was: all bright and shiny: MY EAD…my work permit…my ticket to freedom, my life changer…my future!! Ironic that it was not accompanied by any rock band or sent by an Oracle with a small message from God! It was a small, shiny card (with nothing attractive on it other than my pic!) sent by US immigration dept. that held the power to change my life…

How do I feel? Exhilarated, thrilled ecstatic! The feeling of joy is just indescribable; what a rush, what a buzz, I just felt so alive…Here begins another phase of my life in United States. Now I can work and fulfill my American dreams…I am still grinning from ear to ear about it all, a huge well done and thank you to all my guiding angels…

Cheers to Freedom and a happy future!!!

Minnesota State Fair

This was the second year we went for the Minnesota State Fair. I was surprised to see that everything was at the same place as last year. As a result of that, we moved around reminiscing the last year’s fun-filled day (“oh, it was there last year”, “do you remember it was at that place then”, so on and so forth); it was kind of Déjà vu for us. The entire experience was like being Jason Bourne and getting back my memory in bits and pieces!! LOL!

What does State Fair mean to me? Well, it’s a place to discover life, indulge in sinful food and have loads of innocent fun!! And that’s what we did on the 27th, i.e. the fifth day of the fair.

The Highlights of the Day

Despite objections communicated through words and gestures, we started the day from the Birth Center. Other than the giant pigs and their piglets, cute yellow chicken, normal pregnant cows, what we saw this year was: a sheep giving birth to two calves. Oh, I had imagined beforehand that it would be really gross and it was so; we saw the whole birth process holding our breaths and having an ‘ew’ expression on our faces.

AD was very reluctant to go for the water ride next (as he is, for any ride!). But since majority of the junta wanted to go for it, he had to give in. We had good fun during the ride; the only let-down was that after the ride, we were drenched wet and had to roam around in heavy clothes for the rest of the night.

A major attraction of the fair is the Haunted House. It is so disgustingly scary that after last year’s experience, I had few sleepless nights. This year, it was AA’s turn to lose sleep. She went in smiling and came out wide-eyed with terror-stricken face.

The State Fair has also been a place to give in to sinful indulgence. We tried variety of food stuff: Fresh French Fries Bucket, Fried Cheese curd, soggy, chewy Chicken Falafel, and off course, Pizzas. I convinced myself that sometimes, it is all right to derive pleasures from stomach…Isn’t a life without festival is a long road without an inn? After that, it was time to please and soothe our senses with Music!

I clapped my hands together in glee when I saw that the day’s performance was Country Music. The band was Leinie Lodge Bandshell with Greg Brown as the singer. I had earlier read on the website that they have been coming to the State Fair since last eleven year! That’s something, isn’t it? We took our seats and listened to melodious songs and sagas about China, ‘blue car in mountains’, and a narrative on probability of occurrence of weird potatoes in fairs. While I was happily listening to the songs: AD was shifting in his seat and sighing deeply, AA was being wished by her friends on her mobile phone (it was her first wedding anniversary) and AM was yawning and feigning sleep. All right, that was clue enough for me; time to go and move ahead in life!

By this time, we had seen myriad people carrying colossal toys of all colors and varieties and were excited enough to move towards the game section.

I believe there is a play of psychology behind these games: you see the jazz, the colorful crowd, the scintillating lights, the gargantuan prize toys and it spellbinds you. You stop thinking that their is some trick involved or the odds of winning the game is very low, (after all, we all consider ourselves epitome of perfection!) and you start playing every other childish games: ‘Ring the bottle’, ‘Make the fallen bottle stand with the help of ring’, gun the bottles , break the bottles, and so on so forth. As a result of that, you part with your precious money and at the end of it; the outcome is zilch, zero, nada!! That’s what happened to us on that day, when we tried to show off our so-called prodigious skills. Nevertheless, we had loads of fun and laughs while trying to win and that’s what matters! Right?

It was 11:00 PM by then and time to go. We were spent and tired but satisfied with our day. While trying to come out of the tricky fair gate, I heard somebody say:

You gotta love the State Fair! The best entertainment's always free!

I concurred.

In the Throes of Procrastination

I had one whole week to complete my take-home Economics paper; I kept postponing it and finally completed it on the last day. Another instance: I had to book tickets to Detroit; saw a really good deal on the air-tickets, thought, “I have enough time to book it, will do it in a few days”, the tickets were gone the next day. I had to return the library books it was due in three days, as usual, waited and had to pay some fine! This is not the first time I have done something like this. You give me any task to do; I would wait till the last minute to do it. I wonder: why am I like this? Why do I have to postpone it to the last minute? I could give you myriad instances where I have been lax and suffered. Yeah, I believe I am in the throes of procrastination.

What is it?

I looked into dictionary for the meaning of Procrastination: Procrastination comes from the Latin “pro,” meaning “forward, forth, or in favor of,” and “crastinus,” meaning “of tomorrow”. Thus, it means to put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness; to postpone or delay needlessly. I am surprised to note that it’s out of carelessness. I have always thought I am careful!!

Wikipedia gives another meaning to procrastination: Procrastination is a type of avoidance behaviour which is characterised by deferment of actions or tasks to a later time. It is often cited by psychologists as a mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with starting or completing any task or decision. Wow! Another surprise: there are psychological causes for procrastination mentioned: Anxiety, low-sense of self-worth…???? I am shocked.

And there are physiological causes too: low activity of the prefrontal cortex! It sure sounds like some kind of complex phenomenon. According to the information, I suffer mainly from academic procrastination, where I do not want to meet deadlines for submissions. Furthermore, mine is a relaxed type procrastination wherein, I avoid doing some tasks by directing energy into another tasks! So, basically, I am not lethargic, I just like to do things at the last minute!

Well..after educating myself with the definition and causes of the so-called procrastination, I believe I can relax, there is no urgency…things will happen in their own time…I have all the time in this world!!

The Night When the Lights Went Out...

It was 2:30 am in night. We were in a deep slumber, our room was cool enough, and the Wal-mart fan was making its sufficient noise (yeah, I am a victim of white noise…Cant sleep without it!). All of a sudden, everything turned pitch dark and quiet…the fan stopped making its beautiful noise, I couldn’t even hear my humming fridge! Obviously, I woke up because I can’t sleep without my white noise. Then came the Lightening and roaring thunderstorm…I thought,” This is not my white noise, it is all black and blue and angry but it aint white!”

By now you must have realized what actually happened: the lights went out that night in Eden Prairie: building by building, block by block, neighbourhood by neighbourhood. Am I normal? Why am I writing a blog because lights went out? Common, it’s a daily event back in India, where half of our population stays without any light! Well, I am writing about that night because that was the first time I experienced ‘light-out’ in United States. Enough of a reason, right? And the weird part was: I was thrilled! Instead of feeling irritated because of lost sleep, I was feeling at home. I got up and roamed around my house in dark, trying to locate every corner of my home and was exhilarated when I found all! I stood next to window and experienced the black darkness outside for sometime. I experienced a kind of sadistic pleasure in knowing that even a country like US can have such unforeseen problems. The Blackout lasted only for an hour or so but was enough to make me feel at home...

So, that was about my short virtual feeling trip to India, courtesy light-out in Eden Prairie :-)

Happy Independence Day!

"At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new…India discovers herself again."
- Jawaharlal Nehru(on Indian Independence Day, 1947)

Today is India’s 60th independent year, Happy Independence Day to all fellow Desis!

Well, I was thinking what it means to me- Does it make any difference? And I was pleasantly surprised to note that I have become more patriotic than ever before. It’s not because it’s the 60th year; but the reason is my current so-called NRI status…

Yeah, I will have to admit that I had become indifferent to India’s struggle or progress during the last few years. After the high school days, the only times I was reminded of the ‘country’ per say was: when we had to stand for the national anthem before a movie started in a Mumbai multiplex.

Things have undergone a complete alteration after coming to United States last year. Now, India, its progress and its events are in our minds almost 24 hours a day. I believe it is so because of our broadened perspectives. And how have we changed?

• I had never checked rediff.com for news when I was in India, now that’s a daily routine. I am keeping track of what is happening in India everyday through various websites. It makes me feel closer to my country.


• We even know what is happening to Bollywood and its celebrities. When Shahrukh Khan says something odd about Amitabh Bacchan, I am well-informed about that. And oh yeah, I followed Ash-Abhishek wedding to the ‘A’, so much so that I feel I have attended it!
  I never used to watch every Hindi movie released when I was in India; here, that has become a weekly ritual.


• Back in India during Ulka days, I was so engrossed in my work life that I had no time to stand and stare…Now I am a volunteer for Non-profit Indian organization and am trying to make a difference to some lives in India.


• Whenever India or Indians achieve something, we are the first one to rejoice. It makes me feel really proud of our country. And there is a hope that one day, when we return back to India, it would be a much better place to live…


• I know more about various rituals, festivals of India and the reasons for the celebrations now. I read Geeta to know more about Hindu religion. The high school lessons in history and geography were a blur when I came here. So, I also read various books to understand our country, its history and its struggle in depth.
  

Let’s celebrate freedom; let’s rejoice the birth of the new nation and a new beginning!

Is it Bright Forever?

While reading a book, I came across few lines which were so meaningful and true...I thought of preserving them...

When someone you love disappears, its like the light goes dim, and you are in the shadows. You try to do what people tell you: put one foot in front of the other; keep looking up; give yourself over to the seconds and minutes and hours. But always there’s that glimmer of light-that way of living you once knew-sort of faded and smoky like the crescent moon on a winter’s night when the air was full of ice and clouds, but still there, hanging just over your head. You think its not too far. You think of any moment you can reach out and grab it.

But the night will soon be over;
In the bright, the bright forever,
We shall wake, to weep no more....

The Storm that hit on Friday

We love walking in the woods...to breathe in the fresh air, to experience the tranquility amidst the green tall trees, to walk the winding trails and to be just happy and content. But yesterday, when we went to Starring Lake Trail, we were in for an unpleasant shock.

I knew there had been a storm the day before, the lightening and thunderstorm had woken me up numerous times during the night before. Also, Saturday evening had a thunderstorm warning in Hennepin County and it rained cats and dogs in the evening. But I had never imagined that the damage was so devastating.













There were numerous trees uprooted, fallen and blocking the trail at various points. Because of the hindrance, we were forced to take detours, duck under fallen trees or walk on unpaved trails…

After the 2.5 miles walk, I had a medley of feelings going inside me. On one hand, it was distressing to look at the destruction caused by Mother Nature. However, on the other hand, I was happy to see fellow walkers doing their daily jog/walk/bike in spite of the obstructions on the way; their enthusiasm made my day!

I know the trail would be cleared soon and I would be able to have my pleasure walk again…Till then, happy dodging, ducking and running around!!

My New Blog on Beauty

I dont want to make my daily blog into a beauty blog...therefore, I have a new blog on beauty now: http://beautynstyle.blogspot.com/. Here, I would write about anything I find useful about beauty!

Beauty begins...

Passport to Beauty: a journey to Europe

I have always wondered about what women do for beauty in other countries...Do they apply the same home-made mask or is there any other concoction? Is there any special treatment done by Japanese women( they have really soft skin!). So, when I found this book, my joy knew no bounds! Finally, I had found a book which lists beauty secrets and tips from around the world!!

What I would do here is list beauty tips country-wise! This week, I begin with the beauty pantry and a journey to European countries: Belgium, England, France, Germany to name a few.

A Make-up Remover: French beauties treat their skin as delicately as a porcelain vase. So, to remove their eye-makeup, they use Almond Oil!

Fresh Eyes: Cucumber are a great source for reducing eye puffiness. Just slice a few and lay them on closed eyelids for a few minutes. A german alternative: Use Chamomile tea bags for the same effect! Just steep teh tea bags in hot water for a few minutes ,and let them cool. Put each bag over your eyes, and relax for a few minutes. Take them off, and voila! your puffiness is gone!

I like it! More tips tomorrow...



Beauty begins...

Second Week at the Beauty Camp

Sometimes, life becomes so hectic that you have to shift your priorities. I had so many presentations and exams during the last two weeks that I couldn’t find time to blog! Now that my exams are over and I have a rest time of more than two weeks, I am back to blogging and I am continuing the beauty camp thingy…

Well…the second week According to Dr. Loretta is all about knowing the ingredients in our various cream and learning purpose of various ingredients. I would list the important ingredient which she has given in her book, the tricks to read labels and some tips of their usage. Here you go…

Tricks of the Label-Reading Trade

Trick #1: As a rule of thumb, if an ingredient is one of the last five in the list of the product label, then you won’t be getting enough of the ingredient to make a difference in your skin. The exceptions are Retinoids; they will always be less than 1%, and always appear last on the list.

Trick #2: Learn to know the common preservatives in skin-care products. ( by law, skin-care products must contain preservatives) Among the common preservatives in skin-care products:
--Caprylyl Glycol
--Citric Acid
--Diazolidinyl Urea
--DMDM hydantoin
--Parabens
--Pentylene Glycol
--Sorbic Acid

Trick #3: The internet is a valuable resource for tracking down information on uses and effectiveness of a particular ingredient.

Trick #4: For shopping trips and explorations, you may want to buy: Milady’s Skin Care and Cosmetic Ingredients Dictionary, by Natalie Michalun. Noth are available in paperback and handy.

Favorite Ingredients:

The ingredients which have an asterisk(*) before a particular name is a must-have thing. You may want to include it in your daily regimen.

Algae Peptides:
(Brand name: Apt; INCI name: water, Butylene glycol, ahnfeltia, concinna extract)

Peptides in skin-care are quite a rage. It can penetrate the epidermis to reach the skin layer. IT helps in rapid, visible changes- tightening and appearance of firming.

Aloe Vera: it is effective in soothing and reducing inflammation, healing wounds; it exfoliates the skin, and acts as a natural calming agent.

*Alpha Hydroxy acid: is the chemical description of a group of ingredients that includes glycolic, lactic and malic acid. Glycolic acid is a very popular anti-aging ingredient. It acts as an exfoliant, gives a glow to skin.
*Antioxidants: It also prevents aging and skin cancer as a result of sun exposure, pollution or smoking.
Bentonite: Also known as American white clay, it can absorb oil and tighten skin.
Benzoyl Peroxide: Tried and tested acne treatment
Camphor: tightening ingredient and is wonderful for short-term use.
Chamomile: this flower imparts a calming effect
*Glycerin
Hyaluronic Acid: its an effective moisturizing agent without any potential for irritation.
*Hydroquinone: is a chemical that prevents skin cells from making new pigment. It’s a very effective bleaching agent- the best in any fade preparation – and works well on age spots, brown dots. IT also works well on under-eye circles.
Papaya: dissolves dead cells from skin’s surface
Peptides: for tighter, firmer skin
Retinoids: are vitamin A derivatives that act as antioxidant, antipigment, and exfoliant agents.

Hmmph…that was a long list! I think I am done with this book now. It’s more of an ingredient and their advantages than anything else…Now that we know the basic ingredients found in our face creams, let’s move on!

Tomorrow, I would write tips from another book on beauty and I am finding it much more interesting and useful than this one…

Till then…

Birthday Blues...

For me, Birthdays are fun-time…distractions…, celebrations…and are always followed by blues…!

After celebrating my b’day for almost four days (yeah, the balloons, the streamers, the cakes, parties & the gifts are still in vogue!), I think its time for shedding off the b’day blues today…Its time to let go…and wait for another year…oh, I think I can survive…I can celebrate AD’s b’day in the meantime and be thrilled about it…yeah, I can…

The first day at beauty camp

The first day activity in the so-called beauty camp would be:

----Taking our pictures in various poses- laughing, listening, talking, and smiling. The point is to capture your face at the best angle. You don’t need to show them to anyone. It would be required to compare with your picture after the last day at beauty camp you see.

In Dr. Loretta’s own words,

“When a patient focuses on an almost invisible detail- a few thin lines above her lips, pores that seem too large, a chicken pox scar from childhood- then I know she is examining herself with a high-powered magnifying mirror. She isn’t seeing her whole face anymore.”


----Second activity is to analyze the photo and try to find our best face features and also some uninvited elements on our faces. By uninvited elements, I mean anything you want to get rid of – blackheads, freckles, wrinkles, fine lines, redness, flaking, scales, dark circles…etc.

And the most important activity: Facial exercises!

• The smiling exercise: this is terrific for firming your jawline, minimizing lip lines and lifting the corners of the mouth. Begin by pressing your lips tightly together to form a wide closemouthed smile. Then slowly part your lips into a broad grin. Open your mouth wider-and wider still. Hold for 4 minutes! (Now that would be a task!)

• The meat-chewing exercise: Extend your neck upward to tilt your head back as far as it goes comfortably. The muscle that you feel stretched is called platysma. Keeping your head tilted back, open and close your mouth until you feel a pull on your neck.
  
  Other things to learn and do this week:


• Get 30 minutes more sleep each night.


• Use 400-thread count, all cotton pillowcases- most of us sleep with our faces scrunched against our pillows. Basically, the pillowcase is our mask for that 8-hour of sleep. Therefore, the surface should be fine enough and soft enough not to cause any irritation!
  Wash your pillowcases, towels in all free clear laundry detergent to avoid any kind of irritation.

The first day at the camp ends! Basically, it was nothing but preparation for the days ahead. Tomorrow, I would write about various ingredients in our face cream and significance of each of them.

On beauty and my apprehensions...

The other day, I was looking at myself in the mirror, preening, observing and feeling smug-“oh, now that I have started drinking lots of water, my skin feels hydrated…yeah, the under eye dark circles look better now…hmmm…but why do my face still looks dry? Is it the weather? Or is it the sun? Oh not again! Now that I am looking carefully, I think I still have dark circles…sigh…and these brown spots, yuck! They are so ungainly! Why is my face not glowing? That last Neutrogena cream I used promised so! What do I do about them???? …..and the self-criticism goes on and on…It always starts with feeling good about myself but stealthily takes an abrupt turn towards the road to apprehension…

So after this experience, I decided to deal with this apprehension once and for all. I searched the web for tips on ‘healthy skin’…I went to the EP library and picked up two so-called bestselling books on healthy skin. Since I was so driven to get rid of this problem, I read both the books in a day’s time!! Am I not wonderful? ;)

Having read those books, I felt empowered to tackle the ever-increasing problem of us women. So, I have decided to put down the important tips or technical details given in those books for everyone to read. Instead of putting it in my book blog, I am putting it here because it is more like my experience!

The first book I read was: 6 weeks to sensational skin: Dr. Loretta’s Beauty Camp Handbook for your freshest face by Dr. Loretta Ciraldo, M.D.

I picked this book because I thought who would know better about skin than a lady dermatologist? So, here it is! The best thing about this book is: it’s divided into chapter talking about days in beauty camp. The main things which it covers are:
· How to read product labels to spot the best and worst ingredients
· The Survival Basics- five steps to keep your skin problem-free
· How to choose the most flattering hairstyle and makeup
· Two facial exercises that really work to reduce lines and wrinkles
· How 30 minutes of extra sleep at night- on the right kind of pillow case – can dramatically improve your skin

So I would deal with these topics one by one everyday starting from tomorrow.

Beauty begins....

Am I enjoying the Summer? You bet!

It was like flying in the air...fragrant breeze was caressing my face...I could smell the green grass around me...the beautiful sunset was mesmerizing...if there is a heaven, I swear I was experiencing it...Naah, its not a dream; it was how I felt today while riding my bike!

Yeah, after much planning, budgeting, strategizing & procrastinations, we finally bought our bikes today! Mine is a beautiful magenta-colored mountain bike while AD's bike is a red-colored glacier mountain bike. To give the new members a warm welcome, we rode them to our neighborhood Round Lake and believe me, the experience was out-of-the-world!

I am losing my sleep over my excitement for the next ride tomorrow! I feel like a girl again...I was reminiscing the high school days when I used to ride my 'Lady Bird' bike practically everywhere...aah those carefree days...

So, whats the difference between the bike ride in US & India ? Well...in India, my ride used to be a strategy to survive the all-directional traffic, overcrowded roads and oh yeah, fighting the pollution! But in MN, I experienced bliss by riding amidst greenery, beautiful lake, serenity and no pollution! And the best part is: I don't have to go to the so-called 'hill station' to experience it; the lake is five minutes from my home! Another difference: In India while biking, we ring the bell to warn people; but here, I have to announce using my 'politest' voice: 'on your left'! Funny,eh?

That's what I love about America, it has made possible for me to do all those activities which is unthinkable in India now: biking, boating, canoeing to name a few...I love reliving these carefree days...For me, its a welcome respite from that stressful worklife in India...

Yeah, I am breathing again...!

My obsession with Law and Order

I have a confession to make…Yeah, I m one of them who watches re-runs of Law & Order and never gets tired of it… who waits for marathon or mini-marathons of L&O and watches it devotionally…who finds a sumliminal joy in watching the same type of criminal and murder cases !

I love all series of L&O: CI, SVU or the main ones…I love Olivia Benson of SVU and am sure she is actually a good person…because I like her so much , I have found out about her real life and what does she do. I was disappointed to find that she is not a real cop! Nevertheless, she is kinda my role model: brave, good- hearted, beautiful…what else do I want! :-)

I love Bobby Goren and his eccentric way of solving Criminal Investigation cases. I like Munch, McCoy, Eames, Van Buren and everyone associated with L&O! I know; I am sounding like one of those teenagers with OCD…yeah whatever..

Why do I love L&O so much? I believe its because of the mystery, the adventure of solving a case which doesn’t always have a happy ending…or may be because it tell me the reality of life- life is not always a bed of roses…or because there are people weirder than me in this world and I am lucky to not be like them…I don’t know ..whatever the reasons are, I wont stop watching it and hope that it is aired forever! ;)

Live Earth 07/07/07

Our Saturday was spent by watching Live Earth Concert. Earlier, When I began watching it, my intention was to just enjoy the awesome singers; I love Jon Bon Jovi, Police, Akon, Keith Urban and John Mayor and all others. .But as time passed by, listening to the facts and knowing how global warming is affecting us and going to affect future generations, I took the pledge to go green! In my blog, I have taken the facts about the event, link to the participating bands and other tools. Further, I was wondering why the Live Concert was not organized in India. This made me question what India is doing for going green. Thus, I have also collected facts on how India is going about recycling and other steps to go green.

Some facts about the Live Earth concert

Live Earth was a 24-hour, 7-continent concert series which took place on 7/7/07 that brought together more than 100 music artists and 2 billion people to trigger a global movement to solve the climate crisis. Live Earth reached this worldwide audience through an unprecedented global media architecture covering all media platforms - TV, radio, Internet and wireless channels.

Live Earth marks the beginning of a multi-year campaign led by the Alliance for Climate Protection, The Climate Group and other international organizations to drive individuals, corporations and governments to take action to solve global warming. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore is the Chair of the Alliance and Partner of Live Earth. Live Earth was founded by Kevin Wall, the Worldwide Executive Producer of Live 8, an event that brought together one of the largest audiences in history to combat poverty. Wall formed a partnership with Al Gore and the Alliance for Climate Protection to ensure that Live Earth inspires behavioral changes long after 7/7/07.

Live Earth staged official concerts at Giants Stadium in New York; Wembley Stadium in London; Aussie Stadium in Sydney; Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro; the Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg; Makuhari Messe in Tokyo; the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai; and HSH Nordbank Arena in Hamburg.

To see the Live Earth Concerts, click here.

To listen to the main campaign song, click on the videos on the right.

Why did we learn Cursive Writing?

Whatever you learn in your lifetime would be useful one day…is it true? Well… at least not for cursive writing in US.

I remember initial school days when we had to practice for endless sessions of cursive writing…how we used the four-lined notebooks for the painful sessions…how the r’s had to join the s’s in words to form elegant words….how we were graded based on the neatness and ‘cursiveness’ of the words and how we used to be excited/disheartened by it!

So in my entire career as of now, I had been proud of my handwriting and cursive writing skills…it is so easier and faster to write in, there is no need to constantly pick up the pencil and put it down again…

Unfortunately, all that learning seems to be gone in vain! Now in my school writings in US, I have to try and use ‘printing’ or ‘block ‘style writing. In this style of writing, the letters of a word are unconnected, and in "print-writing", which is a cross between cursive and printing, some unconnected letters and some connected letters are used. Why can’t I use cursive anymore??? Because Cursive writing is now denounced as out-of-date and obsolete!! Other technical reason cited: Cursive can't be used to fill in forms, and confuses OCR software, including the machines used to sort mail!!

So nowadays, my effort is going in unlearning the cursive writing skills and practising the block writing…childhood days are back again….aaahhh…!

My daily ordeal on Bus number. 5

Everyday for going to my school, I travel by two buses. The first bus is synonymous to heaven: cushioned push-back seats and lovely bus mates to travel with. The second bus (yeah, bus no.5!) is the one which makes me uncomfortable and in a melancholic mood every time I travel…It takes me from downtown to my school in 10 minutes, but believe me, those ten minutes always seem like eons away..

I was thinking today why this bus makes me so depressed??? May be because of the kind of people who travel with me on that bus. ..or may be the air, the feel of it....or may be the uncomfortable thought process it forces me into…Who travels by Bus Number 5???? Well..it’s a heterogeneous mixture of all races; but they all have one thing is common…they all belong to the socially-deprived class of US of A….Somehow, being in the same place as them is taxing..

When I board the bus, I always feel the air has somehow changed. It acquires a strange, obnoxious smell of its own….I try to match the smell to something familiar …To my olfactory senses, it comes as a strange amalgamation of sweat, frustration, poverty, depression, anger and off course, the noisome smell you can associate with no cleansing act.

Today after submerging myself into that odour, I gingerly found a seat for me. I stopped chewing my gum…I am afraid that one day, I am going to catch some lethal virus in the process!! …I switched off my Ipod, put it inside my backpack (in case, somebody tries to snatch it from me..)…But there is no escape from the inevitable thoughts that clandestinely enter my mind.…

While I sit waiting for my stop anxiously, ambiguous thoughts intrigued me…. it is for real? Are these people inhabitants of mighty all- powerful The United States of America? I see a lady wearing torn jeans (for a change, not for fashion!).. men wearing soiled, smelly clothes…young girls wearing cheap excess makeup…Whatever happened to the common notion of America being an all-rich country…???!!! Common, I am not ready to face poverty in US!!!

The senile lady sitting next to me interrupted my thoughts; she started talking about her old boyfriend who died after suffering from AIDS!! Oh, this is not happening to me….I never imagined I would travel by such bus sitting next to a lady blabbering unconsciously about the incurable disease!! I couldn’t utter a single appropriate word …the air became suffocating…and thankfully, my stop came and I got down hurriedly …Relief sweeps my face and I breathe again…Today’s ordeal is done with!

New Series to begin: Parallelism

I am in US for more than 1 year now . I have observed numerous similarities and differences in both Indian and American culture, thinking, beliefs etc...So, before I myself forget/ignore these subtleties, I am going to write about it..mainly to give it a form...And I would name the series: "Parallelism"!!

हिंदी हमारी भाषा है!!!!

आज मैं बहुत खुश हूँ! बडे दिनों बाद आज मैं हिंदी में कुछ लिखने कि कोशिश कर रही हूँ, thanks to blogspot!! अब मैंने सोच लिया है कि अपनी हिंदी को अच्छा रखने के लिए मैं हिंदी ब्लोग शुरू करूंगी!! यिप्पी! :)

जय हिंद!!

Eyes Wide Open...

Being born of traditional, orthodox Brahmin parents, I have been exposed to myriad rituals, superstition in my lifetime: “don’t cross the road when a black cat crosses it…burning red chilies ward off evil eyes…don’t spill salt…and so on. However, neither did I believe in it nor was a part of it ever. Always recalling my science teacher’s words about questioning and rationalizing before believing in anything, I used to scoff at any ritual performed by my naïve mom. I always felt that its just us desis who follow all kinds of complex rituals for no reason. I always made effort to change my parents so that they stop believing in these silly rituals and become 'modern'. Considering me a rebel child, they never mind my mockery and ignored my objections.

After coming to US of A, I was exposed to different cultures from all across the world: American, Italian and Mexican...To my utter dismay, I found out that all these cultures have their own set of superstitions and beliefs. And believe me, they are equally ridiculous as India's: “throw salt over your shoulder every time you use salt; just for good luck…!”

It’s not that I was not expecting these so-called cultural superstitions. I have always ran away from such beliefs and mocked them. And today also, I do not believe in them. But after meeting people from different culture, I have realized that it’s these superstitions/rituals which make a major part of a culture. I had learnt this in B-school but as its said: seeing is believing! So, after seeing all kinds of rituals, I am in acceptance mode now.

Thus, now my mom would be relieved to meet me next time…I have decided that I am not going to make fun of her beliefs. I would let her perform her rituals and let her be happy..!!! :-)

My Idiosyncracies....

Consider it as an account of my inexplicable, everchanging cravings...

For 7 long years, I have lived in old hostel rooms or as a paying guest..or have shared a box-kinda apartment with 3 other roomies..And all these years I felt claustrophobic..There was someone always encroaching on my space and privacy...sometimes it would be the so-called aunty in PG, throwing mean glances to warn me " STAY OFF THIS AREA...TRESSPASSERS WOULD BE PROSECUTED".... or at other times it would be a noisy roomie, wallowing in her luxuries in 'our' room with 'her' friends!!! So, my ultimate craving at that time used to be of a little space just for me...

When we shifted to our 2 BHK apt. here in Minneapolis, I was literally thrilled..I was relieved to finally have a grand place to call my own..I made plans of utilizing all the available space I have..a reading corner for me...a music space..blah..blah..and I did that initially. But to my utter dismay, that thrill waned one day..I no longer found my - "2 bedroom, 1 huge living room, one big kithen, 1 dining area- spacious!!!

So...is it my idiosyncracy... or human nature to always crave for bigger dreams....may be it is..may be not..( who cares!) the victim is my poor hubby..:) who is pestered now to move into our own house....where we would have our own backyard..own pool...blah blah.. and the list goes on ......

The Sound of Music...or reality??

Its snowing right now..the view from my window looks serene, beautiful...I am spellbounded, lost in the beauty of the view...I feel at peace with myself...but all of a sudden, I hear a sound of loud scraping ...its the manager of the apartment building, trying to clean the parking lot of all the accumulated snow...The sound acts as an alarm, bringing me back to reality...the amount of work I have to complete...my school assignments, laundry, packing for Chicago trip..I sigh..I curse the cacophonous sound...and resume my tasks...then I wonder, the sound so ugly to me would be an anodyne to people who have to park in the open...they would be assured that their parking spot is getting cleaned of snow..what a relief for them!!

So much for getting into other's shoes..lifting my spirits again....the sound of scraping..no! the sound of music.....

Testing

Just to check...