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…