Postings By Bee

hibernation

2008-08-15T22:41:00.001-04:00

this blog n blogger r on hibernation ..zzzzzzzzz...........

to do to do to do

2008-03-19T23:17:00.002-04:00

stuff i can do in the time i write a blog

Play with Baby
read other blogs
SLEEP
Look around for deals
Speak to friends
etcetera

now.... let me decide what to pick......

india and back

2008-02-14T23:53:00.002-05:00

wow what a time it was.. first time for baby in India and back!

4 weddings, an engagement cum shaadi sangeet party, four cities in four different states... all the pampering ...all the attention! wow i m loving it and am sure she does too!

Maza aa gaya...

Bee-ism: Travel broadens the mind, in my case, the waistline too!

happy valentine's day!

2008-02-14T23:52:00.000-05:00

to all my readers and non readers....i wish a happy valentine's day!

SHAMU SHAMU

2007-11-30T01:09:00.000-05:00

We went to florida on the thanksgiving weekend, yep baby n all gear included....and visited sea world...

Ess is totally awed by SHAMU! we r all fans of shamu now, baby included!

i have a funny thought in my mind.... WHAT IF, just like the movie ''the truman show'', if this whole Shamu thing is make-believe?

Bee-ism: Believe or make-believe, same difference..

california

2007-11-16T02:40:00.000-05:00

its sunny out here in san francisco... the thought of going back to cold weather..i m already getting the shivers..

especially its baby's first winter n lets see how it goes....

meanwhile, v r enjoying the luxury of time in SFO..the mother daughter team... :-)

bee-ism: stop dreaming... wake up... hmm..

hobby hubby

2007-10-27T20:14:00.000-04:00

Ess is into a major overdrive for his new hobby of woodcarving...that leaves me and baby with each other for company on weekends, and of course, the television, n phone for perpetual company....

well the brighter side is it gives me lots of opportunties for spending all my time with baby, who anyway expects 24 by 7 service !

as i go from sleepless nights into a little little better sleep nights, there is another silver lining to the cloud , i m getting quality time with my baby....

bee-ism: the world is so so different from a child's eyes... wish i could be a child again!!

aah

2007-10-06T10:35:00.001-04:00

what is this life if full of care

v hv no time to stand n stare

etc etc

bliss

2007-09-23T10:38:00.000-04:00

Ess sleepin, baby sleepin, out on patio with a cup of hot masala chai... ah, sheer bliss!

ganesha at our home

2007-09-18T23:16:00.001-04:00

Ess' creativity is evident here... baby's bib is Balganesh's carpet! :-)

also balganesh is made out of turmeric powder!

Ganpati bappa morya!

laloo

2007-09-02T13:29:00.000-04:00

i suddenly find laloo v cute! for getting converted, i just watched the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007 on zee.. amazing concept n good fun n good idea to mix politics with music.. thoda hat ke!

bee-ism: thoda hat ke always works... in show biz..

She is here!

2007-08-05T10:19:00.000-04:00

and can be seen on ...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4037353939256479361

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-185547922529141819

century!

2007-07-06T12:05:00.000-04:00

A century !
100 posts!

do i write so much? does anyone even read it? doesnt matter...its gonna be out there somewhere in cyberspace....maybe when i want to reflect on my life, i can use this for contemplating.....

hmm writing all this i guess also means that i hv so much time on my hands!

or perhaps thats the state right now, but who knows what the future holds....

Bee-ism: As the wise folks say, past or future doesnt matter, i wanna remember that the present is my gift and therefore treasure it!

4th july

2007-07-04T15:34:00.000-04:00

the D-date is here, fireworks all around the nation...

lets see whether our baby decides to come n celebrate the independence day fun or is content some more inside!

A R Rehman Rocks

2007-06-18T15:46:00.000-04:00

Made it to A R Rehman show amidst major speculation by friends! they couldnt imagine how we could risk labor in case it happens while the show is on...

risk takers as we are, we anyways decided to go ahead instead of missing the once in three years opportunity for some fantastic music!

hope the baby turns out to be rocking too!

bee-ism: Fun is a relative term.... and so is the concept of enjoyment!

shop shop

2007-06-12T11:55:00.000-04:00

am so happpppy that lots of stuff of baby has arrived.... after hours of research and shopping.... i m hoping baby uses and enjoys each of the things we have bought for her....

countdown

2007-05-21T15:07:00.000-04:00

well another 5 or 6 weeks for baby to arrive....

seems like ages! am so eager to meet her!

i dont know whether i will or will not blog once my little one arrives..i have heard horror stories of 2 minute baths and 3 minute lunches in life after baby....

So just relaxing my independent life as of now!

Bee-ism: giving birth seems like a rebirth...

one year ago.

2007-05-15T15:31:00.000-04:00

can't believe that a year has passed that mom passed away...the memory is still fresh as if it was yday...

i miss you mom n wherever u r, happy mothers day..

lazing around

2007-05-06T16:05:00.000-04:00

sometimes, all one wants to do is just laze around....

of course this includes essential activities like eating, sleeping, browsing through some book, listening to some music...

but i love this phase of life and feel v lucky to be able to do just that...

as we await the tiny new arrival in our lives soon, i am savoring every moment of my possibly last few weeks of lazing around in life!!

Bee-ism: if you got the time to stand and spare, count your blessings!

I got April-fooled!

2007-04-12T13:38:00.000-04:00

I got April fooled by Google..... obviously they played it on gullible folks like me....

Click this link to checkout their joke:

http://mail.google.com/mail/help/paper/index.html

Bee-ism: Lesson learnt - Seeing is NOT necessarily believing, especially on April 1st!

boo-hoo

2007-03-29T16:50:00.000-04:00

Sore eyes...

sore throat..

someone up there is surely sore with me...

Bee-ism: when the going gets sore, patients shld have patience!

break

2007-03-02T21:14:00.001-05:00

phir milenge, break ke baad!

love is in the air

2007-02-15T19:03:00.000-05:00

Surprising Ess with a heart shaped balloon and some flower decorations at home: Priceless ...

Bee-ism: love is in the air... valentine's day is just an excuse to express it!

Brrrr........

2007-02-05T10:05:00.000-05:00

As winter sets its fury, and the outside ''feels like'' temperature drops to minus 22 Deg C i.e. abt minus 6 Deg F, I am off to make another cup of tea, and of course turn on the heat!

Oh when will spring come when i dont have to bother with weather forecast before stepping out....

Hate getting locked up at home like this.....

Bee-ism: Is it God, or is it just the helplessness of science to nature such that we cannot, for all the scientific advances in the world , modify the weather?

things i wanna do in the next one month

2007-01-24T13:18:00.000-05:00

play in the snow
watch 'Guru'
arrange a surprise candlelight dinner for Ess (Maybe on valentine's day??) On second thots, it cld be any day!
go on a babymoon
revamp the basement into something more bright n perky
NOT find out if baby-to-come is a he or a she
ensure that i follow more than 50% of the preggy diet chart
sleep , read, sleep, read .....
be able to feel some 'movement' inside,hopefully it shld happen soon...
Pray everyday without fail
finish off a museum assignment

Well, i hope it will all happen!

Bee-ism:

Qs: What do u do when the neighbor plays a movie with the sound effects of an IMax theatre? Ans: Put on some CD of your own and listen to it through a headset! See....no one wins!

happy pongal and all that

2007-01-17T19:43:00.000-05:00

happy sankranti, happy pongal....

life has its ups and downs, but i guess what perhaps truly tests us are the downs...
and i guess we can come up win if we dont let circumstances overcome us... a few wrong events ain't no reason for stopping to amaze at the wonder of the baby to come!

So let the good times roll!

cheers!

No Bee-isms! life is full of busy-isms right now!

Yamaha X'mas

2007-01-02T15:04:00.000-05:00

Here's the cool new addition to our apartment as a kinda Xmas gift ....

check it out here...

Bee-ism: If music be the food of love, perhaps instrumental music is like a starter?

happy holidays n happy new year...

2006-12-29T18:25:00.000-05:00

happy holidays n new year!

Home improvement week

2006-12-13T13:45:00.000-05:00

Ess has been into Home Improvement week from last weekend, hopefully it will make our home well, improved with better lighting, better storage, better utilities / gadgets and so on!

Bee-ism: Sometimes, a time with nothing on the to-do list is the best time a couple can have!

December Potluck: Trying something new

2006-12-05T20:08:00.000-05:00

Check out what I'm gonna make for tomorrow's potluck lunch here

If it tastest even half as tasty as what a friend of mine had made, mumbai mein, I guess I will award myself something!! ;-)

Bee-ism: If we live everyday just to savor and relish that day alone, then entire weeks and months start to get better somehow!

Amazing

2006-12-03T08:38:00.000-05:00

The miracle of creation is so amazing...

Absolutely wondrous to see a tiny one inch long baby's heart beating! i guess nothing in the world compares to the sight of this....

Bee-ism: Am Speechless

Happy holidayz

2006-11-27T15:02:00.000-05:00

With Thanksgiving weekend barely over , and TV channels proclaiming '4 days to go to 25 days of Christmas' , its the time for one and all to have:

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Why Dubai Int'l Airport and Emirates Airlines Rocks

2006-11-19T08:13:00.000-05:00

Qs: which are the worlds best airports?
To know the answer: Click on this link World Airport Awards

Dubai International Airports features as the ninth best for 2006, and the best in the world for the category 'Best Duty Free Shopping'.

Not having visited the remaining top 8 in the list so far, I was v v impressed with almost everything at the Dubai Int'l Airport.

Some of the things that caught my fancy:

A quiet lounge where one can well, quietly, lounge about or catch 40 winks.
Really v impressive Duty free, where you can buy almost anything that you fancy, even exotic stuff, stuff latest in technology , etc. Ess' bought a cool show-offy gadget, you can see it here.
Loos in Indian style, fully stainless steel ones, and where thankfully, if the automatic flush does not work, you have a manual option too.
The angrezi loos are cooler than in most places of US/Europe/India too, because they feature plastic seat covers that renew themselves with every flush, so its always hygienic.
Prayer rooms - for men and women
Very personalized service. Let me give an example here: Two women who had way too much shopped realized they were about to miss their flight and were running about finding their gate. The efficient staff quickly notices them and comes there with those mobile vehicles and transports them to their gate quickly.
The transport vehicles are there almost all over the airport, where not just preggy or old people can use it , but everyone and anyone who does not want to walk over the 'walk-er or walking escalator, or whever-that one may call it', or even for those who feel plain lazy to reach anywhere!
It has separate smoking lounges, so rest of the folks are saved!
Amazing variety of food and drinks at the airport
Very quick formalities in and out

And to top it all, the airlines that we travelled in, Emirates, is one of the very best. Most of you would think that it cannot be as good as say British Airways or Air France or any other that you prefer. But we loved it so much, we even wanna travel it if we don't wanna fly via Dubai! Its that good! While we are on airlines, check out this link : World Airline Awards, where it has been voted as the best for in-flight entertainment. But yes, I am also v impressed with the fact that they served Jain meal on sectors which did not touch India at all, had ''Attar (Scent'') along with moisturiser for all to use, had one of the most friendly and smiling staff, and best of all, it had so much space to feel comfy even in Economy class... As for inflight entertainment, one can say, play games with another traveller, speak on phone with someone on another seat, send email to anyone in the world, get latest bbc news while on the flight, and watch fundoo flicks in Hindi/Tamil/Malayalam/Tagalog/etc etc whatever languages you know! Or listen to soothing music likemeditation music, or ghazals or whatever suits your fancy.. I watched something that I wanted to from a long time, 'Da Vinci Code'. In every way, the journey was a WOW!

Bee-ism: Expect nothing, and you may get the world!

winter cometh

2006-11-15T10:02:00.000-05:00

so while fall is moving out, Mr Winter is making its presence felt... at least here in NJ

But don't know what friendship it has with rains , Oh now I know why they say 'Rain rain go away' here, whereas back home the rain is welcomed like an occassional guest...

So on the occassional day while the sun shines, lemme go make hay !

Bee-ism: Seasons come and go, but deep down in our souls, we remain the same..

Back!

2006-11-13T21:02:00.000-05:00

Am back from a hectic 3 week trip to homeland and sheikhland (dubai)...
more to follow later, after i recover from jetlag!

yeh jo des hai mera

2006-10-18T23:38:00.000-04:00

swades hai mera...

as i listen to this fav song of mine....well, i m packin' up for a wedding in the family...

hope to meet all folks near and dear, and smell and feel bharatdesh.... i wish it rains so i can get that beautiful smell that comes whenever it rains after a gap of time!

Well, is this a blog hibernation? well, yes, maybe no... who knows..... but definitely it won't be on top of my things to do ...cause its already brimming with hajaar activities!

May the Goddess of wealth shower her blessings on all of you and may Lord Ganesha give all of us the strength to always make the right decisions, in the general good of our loved ones!

bee-ism: a smell can transport you to another world, like a dream...

melting pot

2006-10-17T11:33:00.000-04:00

The new apartment feels like a melting pot of different cultures.....

why there was even a cat at our sit-out yesterday....!

Bee-ism: Friendship requires investment of time, yes it does... No investment, no returns...

blogworthiness

2006-10-10T12:59:00.000-04:00

i wish there was a blogworthiness index, cause like i have a million topics to blog about in my mind, but my pen (Ah, nopes, the keypad) is not willing to support even one of them right now!

Bee-ism: If we could only count by measuring, how about God's infinite (and mostly One-sided) love?

My 2 cents about Orkut communities

2006-10-04T17:24:00.000-04:00

Social networking is what they call it..this phenomenon of Orkutting...

Well, thats what it is... I would have never known ( A fact that anyway does not do any good, or bad for that matter), is that an ex-colleague of mine is my cousin's school-friend! Or I would have never known what XYZ who was a fresher at my previous office has like 120 friends, or that my little cousin who I thought is the shy types has 220 friends!! Beats me, what the heck, I am not that popular that means.. I need more count...like as in Headcount as they say in the s/w industry..

So we try to search for old friends/colleagues/college friends/school pals/train friends (If u r from Bombay), Area friends/anyone and everyone... Koi to kabhi ko milega types... I think thats what they call the Orkut-addiction and some folks are glad to be part of it!

Well, to each his own. I went there to be in touch with mainly Cousins of India.. unfortunately, there is no such category in ''you are on Orkut for'' .. The Categories are only ''Friends/activity partners/Dating/Business Networking''. Well, so one has to be diplomatic and chooose 'cause you never know who might be seeing your profile....

and I HATE the scrapbook funda, even though I do scrap sometimes in other folks scrapbooks.. I find it too impersonal. Why not write a message instead, through Orkut itself? I wish they come up with some tool where you could moderate messages on ur scrapbook. Anyone who is not on your friends' list can also write a scrap.. So in conclusion, the whole scrapbook can be a crapbook isn't it ?

Well, just like email and SMS, I guess Orkut is another one of those in-things that we will all get used to in a few years perhaps.

Someone who was ignorant (and therefore blissful) about Orkut asked me: Whats the full form of ORKUT?

Any answers?

Bee-ism: The world is surely shrinking, but aren't we creating more barriers by creating more 'communities' ?

Project ''Move''

2006-10-04T10:58:00.000-04:00

So finallly we have moved into a new apartment...

Am sharing here some truths about moving that I discovered only recently:

You NEVER know how much stuff you have until you move. Packing is a project by itself
Moving things requires BIG STRONG people to move it. Never think you can manage it yourself. If it was not for my 6.11'' cousin, we would still be 'moving' ..
Never estimate a person's strength from the size. My uncle's brother, who is of average height and build, together with the above mentioned cousin, could lift, with lots of effort of course, the 250 pounds heavy TV.. ufff..and we had thought we might need to call in at least 3 or 4 friends or something...
Rental trucks (UHauls) give better deals between Sunday to Thursday, so its wiser to move in those days in case you have a choice and more stuff to move.
Moving into a first floor apartment is easier than moving out of a second floor apartment.
At least couple of things are gonna break in the whole moving process, so there is really no use crying over it.... think of it as 'shagun' ...aur kya...
Telephone /cable guys work at their own times... everyone here goes by appointment, so book your appointment early if you want the services to be up early...
Same goes for the electricity guys too! And all these folks work ONLY Monday to Friday, so in case you are moving over the weekend, you make sure you have at least electricity the Friday before, so that you don't have to fumble around in the darkness in the new apartment.. As it is one has to jump over the things all over the place for the first few days..
Keeping the kitchen 'closed' is a good idea for 4 or 5 days so one can ensure a smoother move...
Cleaning the old apartment is a subproject of the 'Moving' project and needs its own Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle.
Last but not the least, the next big project is on hand before you even know it, and that's the ''Project : Unpacking'' !!

chikungunya

2006-09-28T21:33:00.000-04:00

Chikungunya seems to be the relatively new 'hot' disease around.... Everyone knows someone who has it, at least in bharatdesh.....koi toh hoga...

Time to say again, yeh macchar bhi aadmi ko... whatever...

Read all about this new threat from mosquitos, (yeah its for real), on wikipedia here

Come to think of it, I sometimes get these wierd ideas that when the folks who make n sell products like Bayer Baygon spray/tortoise/odomos might in their spare time be given roles to increase the mosquitoes in the country? I hope this is only a figment of my imagination and not the truth, the whole truth or even the partial truth...

Why am I talking about this non-veg sounding disease anyways? Well, someone in our family's got it, and well, your eyes only open up to something when you face it real bad, as they say - Seeing IS believing..

Insects do rule over a certain part of the world, even in this day and age of hi-tech advances in the pharma world... Hygiene and prevention may sometimes not be enough.

The day when India becomes a hypochondriac is the day when it would truly be on the path to liberation from the so-called third world diseases... Yeah we need to be paranoid about it, go to extreme measures...

Bee-ism: The pen is mightier than the sword, but is the keyboard mightier than the pen?

pray for Anna

2006-09-27T07:18:00.000-04:00

Anna has been sick yesterday, i pray that she get well reallly soon... and as expected, she does the most unbelievable and gentlest things...
She baked a cake for the doctor whom she has to visit ! And since it was too big, she has shared half of it with us! Wow... I wish I was a doctor with patients like these!

Wishes to my angel

2006-09-26T18:03:00.000-04:00

25 Sep - a date that i will never forget....
Wishes to my angel , rest in peace whereever u are!

Banned Books Week

2006-09-26T17:58:00.000-04:00

WOW - Yes, thats what our local library is celebrating - Banned books week 2006
The message on the library's site reads:
"Come into the library the week of September 23-30 to see our display of banned books! "

Moving

2006-09-19T13:57:00.000-04:00

Me and Ess have decided to move into a new apartment, with somewhat larger space (since we get a basement), a sit-out, an extra half-bath, extra closets, etc... Made so many friends around here, hope that all will be in touch even after we move...

I gotta PACK from this week onwards..seems like a Big project.. And am sure that unpacking will be the next big project after that!

Hope that things go smooth and that we will be able to save some energy n time to organise a housewarming thereafter sometime!

Potluck: Meaning and Origin

2006-09-19T13:08:00.000-04:00

While i organise a potluck lunch party to welcome fall, let's see what wikipedia has to say about it:

POTLUCK: A potluck is a dinner party in which guests bring dishes to share

Some history on potluck: The word potluck is often erroneously said to originate from the Native American term potlatch.
The word potluck dates from the sixteenth century, and the earliest written citation is 1592 - in England. ("That that pure sanguine complexion of yours may never be famisht with pot lucke", Thomas Nashe, see the Oxford English Dictionary for full reference). It is a portmanteau word formed from pot and luck.
Source: "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potluck"

So then, hope to have fun! The theme this time is: NO Desi food!

And do send in your experiences with potluck, if any!

whats your personality?

2006-09-12T16:32:00.000-04:00

For cool things to add to a blog, there's this link:
www.blogthings.com that I got from a friend's blog.

Well, so I took the ''personality test'' and here's what's the outcome for me:

You Are An ENTP

The Visionary
You are charming, outgoing, friendly. You make a good first impression.You possess good negotiating skills and can convince anyone of anything.Happy to be the center of attention, you love to tell stories and show off.You're very clever, but not disciplined enough to do well in structured environments.You would make a great entrpreneur, marketing executive, or actor.

Check it out at:

http://www.blogthings.com/whatsyourpersonalitytypequiz/

lunch with friends

2006-09-12T16:07:00.000-04:00

Been visiting friends houses in da apartment itself, to have a kind of pot luck so that I dont have to eat alone when Ess is not around :-)

Tuesday wonly, why isnt it the weekend yet..........

Desi weekend

2006-09-11T10:59:00.000-04:00

Friday evening: Himesh Reshammiya show ... Ess loved listening to Alisha chinai... The comedy by Ravi raj was great... we enjoyed listening to Himani too, as well as danced to Himesh's songs ...

Saturday attended a desi baccha birthday party....

Had aunt n uncle over from PA so had lots of home made food rest of the time...

Movies: Saw OMKAARA (Based on Shakespeare's Othello) and Golmaal....Golmaal was an absolute fun comedy, loved watching it...

Ess at Boston

2006-09-07T15:07:00.000-04:00

2nd Day without Ess, cause he goes off almost every week to Boston to meet his clients....

time to meet up with friends in the apartment, speak up with relatives, surf the net, clean up the home...

Bee-ism: Absence makes the heart grow fonder, hope its not any more longer!

BBQ party

2006-09-07T15:02:00.000-04:00

For the first time, me and Ess visited a desi BBQ party... Now one could wonder what a vegeterian like me could even think of having at a BBQ party....

well, the surprise was: Lots of stuff, there was Grilled Corn on the cob, Grilled cutlets for burgers, Paneer n vegetables on a skewer (onions, green bell peppers tomatoes, even pineapple!), and of course a fruit plate and chips plate on the side... The backup for babies was Idlis which was a superhit too!

Hmm, we hope that by next summer, we can have our very own Barbeque party too!

Bee-ism: Dream on, Live on...

babysitting with two cute babies

2006-09-07T14:56:00.000-04:00

well, one day last week as well as this tuesday, it seems that certain babysitters overstayed their labor day weekends...and well...that put me into the spot of babysitting 2 babies , kids of Ess' friend...

But these were so cute, so adorable and also they were so independent, so well mannered...it was so impressive and a v v easy job!

And here's the beautiful flowers that they gave me when they had come over to my place some other day for Lunch.. Ess made Alphabet pasta for the kids and biryani for the big kids! :-)

I took them over to a neighbor who has a 2 year old and a roomful of toys..their question to me was: Where is her sister? when i replied that she does not have a sister, the next question was, WHY she doesnt have a sister!!

Its like a rule as if everybody should have a sister! How nice!

Bee-ism: The world is different if u view it from a child's eyes...

Onam celebration

2006-09-07T14:52:00.000-04:00

Ess' friend invited us over for an Onam Lunch... the Lunch was the yummiest veg mallu stuff that u can get, plus we got to be with their two cute daughters.....and also make some flower arrangements at their place... I taught the kids how to light the lamp! And my, they were so delighted ....

here r some pics...

Dedicated to Ashwini

2006-09-07T10:06:00.000-04:00

Ashwini...My friend from school who had a very innocent smile and a jump in her step....

I heard recently from someone that she Ashwini is no more...it pains me to hear that...Her words still ring in my ears ''if i had a phone at home, i would call you everyday to tell you good morning and good night! "

the sweetest thing ever told to me...A poem that she had written in my ''slam book'' when we were saying our farewells after 10th grade...

''Life is a journey, taken on a train,
with a pair of travellers, on every window pane,
I may sit beside you, all the journey through,
Or I may sit elsewhere, never knowing you.

But since fate has cast me to be by your side,
Let us be pleasant travellers, it is so short a ride...."

Ashwini may ur soul rest in peace...

Ganesha

2006-09-06T19:22:00.000-04:00

Ess has put up a Ganesh Pandal at our home, made a Ganesha out of turmeric... we are gonna immerse it over the weekend.....

I forgot to put prasad on all the days...Please please ganesha forgive me...

Here's a pic, glory be to the Vighnaharta and Sukhkarta, lord Sri Ganesha:

Hard Rock Cafe New York

2006-09-06T19:17:00.000-04:00

Visiting the Hard Rock Cafe at NY was really a great experience, never saw such blastin interiors, such innovative stuff there! Uff...

Here r a couple of pics.. rest..u gotta be there n check it out!

1st Anniv

2006-09-06T19:10:00.000-04:00

So we are now officially no more newly wed... Ess and Me have finished one full year of marital bliss.....

We decided to view Lady Liberty from a 'copter, and feel ''on top of the world'' !!

Here're some pics.. Some from the 'copter, one of the beautiful n soft cake that our thoughtful neighbour Anna baked for us, and one of the Italian restaurant that we finally had dinner in! A day to remember!!

Chicago

2006-09-06T19:03:00.000-04:00

A week at Chicago, without Ess though :-(
Snapshots here from temples of Chicago, Chicago downtown, Himesh's concert at UIC pavilion...

Boston

2006-09-06T18:55:00.000-04:00

A midweek trip to Boston with Ess....

Some cows at famous public spots, some views from the evening cruise..and some snapshots of the Boston Public Library....

Ess loves Boston because of its multiple water activities and the relative ease of reaching it... Also its T line, the subway + Tram line that runs through the city...connects all places that u'd like to visit....

All in all, a great three day trip.....

pennsylvania

2006-09-06T18:49:00.000-04:00

Hersheys chocolate factory....

Then at Aunt's home...there's cocoa, the pet..

A weekend well spent with aunt uncle cousins, visit to temple, visit to chocolate factory... actionpacked! :-)

travellin

2006-08-24T16:36:00.000-04:00

am travelin , so more travelogues to come...not so soon yet....when i reach home perhaps...

cheers till then..

back to us of a

2006-07-24T10:59:00.000-04:00

so am back from homeland..after a long break since mom passed away.. its been a difficult time...

back now in US of A to Ess, to my new home, to where i belong now...

in homeland

2006-06-10T11:34:00.000-04:00

been in india more than a month now...

losing mom feels like part of me has gone away forever... just can't stop missing her..

hope to be back to US /Ess by mid-July...

guess blogging will hv to be on hold for more time....

life

2006-05-29T13:32:00.000-04:00

life gets stranger n more unpredictable by the day

On Hold

2006-05-02T12:36:00.000-04:00

This Blog is on hold right now....indefinitely....

merganser at a park

2006-04-26T10:56:00.000-04:00

this is at a park nearer to home... goosander or merganser... Ess' fav bird!

vegas of the east

2006-04-26T10:54:00.000-04:00

been there...done that...won that...
atlantic city...
vegas of the east!

What aamchi Mumbai desperately needs

2006-04-05T22:00:00.000-04:00

What Mumbai desperately needs as a solution to the public transport overcrowding:

The underground a.k.a. The subway a.k.a The metro...

Kaash....

NYC even has helicopter rides to the airport... New Jersey is connected to NYC by ferry too!

Have you noticed the one big difference between cabs of NYC and Mumbai: The NYC ones have the driver protected by ''bullet-proof glass barrier"..

Bee-ism: When the going gets tough, the tough take to air/water and private transportation...Phew!

Driving coaching

2006-04-03T09:51:00.000-04:00

done 3 hours of coaching so far behind the wheel..

oops flunked the online test today.... hope to do better next week....

need lots of luck n easy questions!

Beautiful anna

2006-03-31T10:05:00.000-05:00

Anna is so beautiful....

She is about 80 years old... Always smiling...Always saying ''so beautiful'' for everything... for the neighbourhood, for the folks staying in it, for everything in the house, for the food..

Me and Ess invited her for dinner once..and heard that word again and again... She is like that. Full of eyes that see only beauty.

She is also very fond of walking. Goes out of her house at least 5 times, on pretexts like throwing out garbage, laundry, shopping, walk, etc. Guess that keeps her occupied. The only time when she was not seen for her walks is when it snowed like crazy last month (See Anna's house in the pic in 2 feet of snow).

Though she is alone, her enthusiasm is never down. She does miss her husband who died 4 years ago, her folks in Germany.. She hates New york, because she worked there for 30 years when she could work, and didn't like the noisy and busy city..

Got to learn a lot from Anna... Especially how to look at only the beauty in everything. Rest doesn't matter...

My Angel

2006-03-22T12:09:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of my Angel.....

In NYC

2006-03-22T07:44:00.000-05:00

Am with one of my Aunt at NYC for a few days, its so much like, well Mumbai. The skyline from the window reminds me of Nariman point, as well as the traffic noise. Only now I can appreciate how much more quieter NJ is!

Hope to do some walkarounds by myself later in the day.. and check out all the buzz...

'I Love NY' slogan is all around... Lemme also try n discover that...

a ''normal'' life

2006-03-16T15:17:00.000-05:00

Last few days have gone in trying to be 'normal' again... its tough to face any loss, but with Ess being around, it seems like the future is so bright and whats to worry?

feels good to be back to be able to blog, type, eat, walk, smile, n all other mundane stuff..

A cousin of mine told me something that i will never forget: Lucky r those souls who go away from this world without even being born!

God perhaps takes away angels whom he loves...

Bee-ism: if i hv to count my life by friends not years, i guess i m quite young right now... not bad tho. Quality matters, not quantity alone...

long time

2006-03-14T14:15:00.000-05:00

been a long time since i hv been online...

life is strange...

it takes an understanding partner to make everything so easy...

weight n watch

2006-03-01T09:43:00.000-05:00

Am hoping that we have some weighscale at home sometime soon...So I can know exactly how I am doin'!

Am missing those funny machines that used to be there at most of the railway platforms in Mumbai, where one could insert a rupee coin and find out the weight! Way back, I remember I was taking a kid neighbour of mine on a joy ride in the train..He was about 4 years old but insisted on buying ticket for himself.. So I made him stand on one of these weighing machines and when the weight ticket came out, he was satisfied throughout the journey that he had a ticket for himself!

I had joined a gym in the neighbourhood along with Ess, but 'parental' pressure has made me quit it, since they are not quite sure whether its right for me at this time and want me to hold on to such activities and rather do only exercises like walking!

Bee-ism: Go take a walk.. literally!

MahaShivratri

2006-02-27T12:10:00.000-05:00

Well.. So Sunday was MahaShivratri. The festival devoted to Lord Shiva (pic above, with Parvati and Lord Ganesh, and Nandi the bull) where millions of devotees the world over conduct poojas or chant ''Dwadashjyotirling'' or something on those lines... The name itself talks about ''ratri'' í.e. night. MahaShivratri is an occasion for a lot of folks to be up all night and drink.. Or for some folks, eat ''faraal'' items. For the uninitiated, you can find lots of ''faraal'' recipes on tarladalal.com...

Anyways, I am on a doc prescribed diet so cannot follow all the high calorie ''fast'' stuff, or should be say, ''feast stuff''...

We didn't celebrate it in either of the two ways. Ess made a lovely south indian khana at home, becos we had invited a friend over. The menu was Tomato Rasam, Parupurundai Kuzhambu (We had to look up the net for this recipe, and found it ultimately on , where else, but tarladalal.com), Sabudana Kheer, Cabbage in Tam style, and of course, Steamed Rice..

All in all, twas a day well spent.. with Shiva in our hearts..

Bee-ism: Its the thought that counts, hopefully ..

Chini Chinese khana

2006-02-22T17:18:00.000-05:00

Me and Ess happened to accidentally visit Chinatown, the chini place right in New york City... Hungry as we were, we spotted a joint with the board ''House of Vegeterian''...

If this was apna desh, I mean this would have been no surprise, but right in the midst of Chinatown in New york City, this seemed like an odd proposition... We went in to confirm if it was indeed what its name suggested, and entered into a small establishment that seemed to have waitresses tired of smiling only becos they would have worked too hard...

Anyways, we lost no time in ordering ''Brown rice with vegetables in curry sauce'', ''Spring rolls'', ''Steamed dumplings'' and ''Friend dumplings''. Back home, whatever Chinese we eat either at upmarket Chini joints like Mainland China, or in suburban joints, is all 'desi Chinese'. But this was Chini Chinese....

And to my surprise, we were more than satisfied with all the items.. Of course I kind of desified it by adding sweet n sour sauce and hot sauce at the same time.. But what the heck, it still made one tasty lunch! The biggest surprise was that the bill came to wonly 18 bucks for all these 4 items put together.. So value joint too for veggie folks like me ..

They also confirmed that they don't add MSG, the stuff that most desi Chinese cooks add to give it some kinda flavor I guess... I am so glad to have hit upon this place.. Where most food joints out here do not understand the palate or variety that can be had for vegeterian customers...

Glory be to Chini Chinese. Its waiting to be discovered!

Bee-ism: Chini Chinese Hello-hi, desi Chinese bye-bye...

Visit to ISKCON NY

2006-02-21T10:21:00.000-05:00

Visited ISKCON in Brooklyn, it was very beautiful to attend the kirtan, and have the prasad too! Unfortunately, did not remember to carry the digicam... The Kirtan there was almost like being on a dance floor.. Loud music, folks around dancing, singing, clapping...

We hope to go some time later and capture the lovely images of Radha-govind there...

Here's their official link :

http://www.radhagovinda.net/

Bee-ism: Our body is a temple because 'Aham brahmasmi' (God resides within us).. Still its enchanting to once in a while visit some prayer places and feel the power of group prayer..

The ultimate Love

2006-02-17T12:59:00.000-05:00

Diet challenge

2006-02-16T11:43:00.000-05:00

Gotta be strong... its not like it could be the most difficult challenge in the world or something.. just the realization that a good diet and exercise r v v important right now... and its not as easy to follow as it sounds.

Here is doc's prescribed diet - DAILY (Way more than what I normally would have had):

4 servings of fruits
4 servings of vegetables
12 slices or bread / roti or rice equivalent
4 glasses or milk or equivalent milk products (Curds/lassi/cheese etc)
Eggs or Lentils (Dals)

well..so am trying... hoping that i can follow at least more than 50 % of what is prescribed. And hope that the multi-vitamin I am having is magical for the rest 50% !

Bee-ism: Apple a day used to keep the doctor away... now its prunes...

Happy We-day

2006-02-14T17:09:00.000-05:00

just some thoughts

2006-02-08T11:09:00.000-05:00

trust.. miracle... creation... God.. faith.... life....

small yet amazingly powerful words...

pic of the day

2006-02-05T09:43:00.000-05:00

Across time zones

2006-01-31T13:48:00.000-05:00

I've missed calling my two v good Aquarian friends back home for wishing on their birthdays, not because I didn't want to, its the time zones to be blamed..

When I remember that I should call, its somewhere in the middle of the day, and it would be too odd to call them up and wake them up from slumber. By the time I am done for the day and sleepy, the day would be over for them! So , to precisely call the person somewhere during the birthday (in GMT + 5.30 timezone), there are only two options for calling from US:

a) call on the night before the birthday, so that means, that it will be like early morning on the big bday for friends,
OR b) Wake up early to wish dear friend.

Option a) is very good, but actually requires one to remember the birthday in advance.. For folks like me, when I see the date on laptop while adjusting the speaker volume, on the right hand corner below, thats when I remember that I gotta call... However, to make it in time, MAYBE I should push my laptop date to a day ahead... That may solve the problem temporarily, with the advantage that I can say that I am ''living ahead of my times'' quite literally.

Option b) is not really implementable for the simple fact that it requires lot of effort to get up early, something like say 4-5 alarms with snooze options. Given that me and Ess both hate the sound of a morning alarm, even if it tries to wake us up with melodious bird chirps (Chee-chee-chee, chee-chee-chee), this option seems far less practical than option a).

So for now, the winner is, Option a), hands down. But wait a minute, what if I mess up the date while checking weather.com, or what if I start making my payments like one day ahead of the date required... Nah, option a) is out too.

I hope that friends across time zones will be able to appreciate that its not like I didn't want to wish, its just that - I was living one day behind your times..

Bee-ism: Its the thought that counts, but then, who does all the counting?

pic of the day

2006-01-31T13:45:00.000-05:00

getting senti about desh-bhakti

2006-01-26T10:19:00.000-05:00

happy repuplic day .. so easy to say when back home, and so much nostalgic when away from homeland...

anyways , the least that I've done is dedicate some 'swades' songs on http://www.desi-radio.com/

bee-ism: Wave a tricolor if u can today, doesn't matter if its made-in-china!

thought of the day

2006-01-24T19:03:00.000-05:00

Paradigm shift

2006-01-20T12:16:00.000-05:00

Well its true that in the US of A, kuch bhi ho sakta hai... but still what I found surprising here while shopping the other day, is, not some funny invention mind you, but something even funnier: Haldiram's cookies!!

Now back home, the word Haldiram's brings to our minds all kinds of namkeens, savories, sweet n spicy mixtures, and of course desi sweets. But Haldiram's cookies? It was like being told MacDonald's will serve McPav Bhaji! Or Taco Bell selling Dosas!

To add variety to the sack, they have put flavors like almonds, chocolate chip, cashew, and well - here comes the true Haldiram's again - two totally desi flavors - JEERA and AJWAIN !! Having been a great Haldiram's fan from ages, I am usually too tempted to try out all the new stuff they bring out. So these last two ones - the desi flavors - have a full thumbs up from Bee and Ess. Yes folks, go for it , and avoid all the firangi flavors of the cookies.

Bee-ism: With or without the drink, food and love make a good cocktail ..

Easter egg (Minesweeper)

2006-01-18T17:28:00.000-05:00

Check out this link of an easter egg , try it out on your desktop....It works!

http://www.lifehacker.com/software/friday-fun/xp-secrets-and-easter-eggs-148323.php

Easter Eggs (Definition) - A hidden message or feature in an application.

Check the link below for XP secrets you most probably don't know:

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/SupportCD/XPSecrets.html

Definition of friends

2006-01-18T08:40:00.000-05:00

attitude

2006-01-18T08:38:00.000-05:00

doors of happiness

2006-01-18T08:36:00.000-05:00

Fav Sites

2006-01-17T22:03:00.000-05:00

Here's a list of some of my fav sites, will keep editing the list as I find great ones:

http://www.jenee.net/blog.html
http://www.dccomics.com/mad/ (Mad Magazine)
http://www.jammag.com (India's closest answer to Mad Magazine)
http://www.lazybone.co.uk (Truly unique stuff - whether u wanna buy or not, check out their products)
www.shopathometv.com > Shop a store HGTV > I want that (Some hilarious and downright whacky stuff , this happens only in America types]
http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/
http://www.wikipedia.org/

Bloggy links:

http://youthcurry.blogspot.com/
http://jpostcards.blogspot.com/ (For reminding me of home sweet home)
http://sidin.blogspot.com

Movie time

2006-01-16T19:20:00.000-05:00

So its been one long weekend and been seeing one desi movie each for all the three days..

Hanuman (Animated) is the best of the lot, with a very cute baby hanuman.

Also watched the long time ago released 'Ramji london-wale', it was actually a pleasant surprise to see a feel good Hindi movie after so long!

The third which would surely put anyone's patience to test is the Vivek Oberoi starrer 'Kyon, Ho gaya Na'; firstly because of the tooo long duration and secondly, because one is left confused till the end what exactly does the hero want! But then, Bollywood is like that. At least this one didn't have unnecessary violence and stuff. The music was the only saving grace of this one..

So then, its three days gone away like three hours.. Again a big wait for Ess till Friday :-(

Bee-ism: Nothing is more important than happiness, and the chance to share it with the one u love

One day long ago

2006-01-13T19:52:00.000-05:00

One day in a radio studio

2006-01-13T19:31:00.000-05:00

So there's a totally different experience I've had, this country never fails to surprise me!

So I visited this desi Radio station's office, and guess what, there seemed to be a total of 2.5 people running the show! (2 full time and one part-time)

Also did auditioning for a radio ad, and came out right in the 2.5th time (first time - pronounciation needed to be changed + I was too soft spoken, second time - I went half way and corrected myself again, so the next one was a good take then). I think not bad considering that it was my first time in a radio studio!

Next: learnt to edit radio ads and do stuff like mix music, boost voice, etc. Interesting stuff actually. Lo and behold, I got to practice on my own voice, and had the broadcast-worthy ad ready!

Also learnt during the day how to edit playlists and keep them going even when no-one is present at the radio station. Basically the station's on 24 by 7, and is broadcast from NY, and heard even on Worldspace in countries like Kenya it seems.

So far so good.. So, the understanding was: if I like this stuff, I would have to continue this way as long as I wanted. Only one catch though, why had to leave this , it was way too far from the Bee N Ess-den, took like 3 hours to reach and similar time back! Phew! Mumbai was better , there used to be lesser commute!

To add to this, there was this guy who was a broadcaster for one particular regional show, and who also runs his own TV channel it seems. He asked if I wanted to act in his channel! Never thought of that ..Funny..

Hmm..so I am back to enjoying the break then, and am convinced that one day, given the resources, me n Ess can confidently run a niche radio station! Maybe Ess will be the DJ then or rather, RJ .......

As someone said - if music be the food of love, play on..

pic of the day

2006-01-13T19:29:00.000-05:00

hello world

2006-01-12T13:17:00.000-05:00

Fasting

2006-01-12T12:58:00.000-05:00

While debating with Ess about the benefits of fasting, I have done my own little search on the topic.. Here is some info worth my two-pence:

Definition of fasting:

Fasting is voluntarily not eating food for varying lengths of time. Fasting is used as a medical therapy for many conditions. It is also a spiritual practice in many religions.

Longetivity: Apparently, long lived cultures like Tarahumara Indians of Mexico and Abkhazian of Russian lived on low calorie diet and fasted 1-2 days out of the week and lived to be on average 100-110 years old!

Reverence for food: “There is nothing routine about eating after a fast. Each meal is a celebration. After fasting, you tend to be very conscious about what you are eating, and why. Fasting heightens your awareness, as well as your appreciation for food. By fasting, we learn to eat with reverence. " (Anon)

Efficiency: In Plato's words, "I fast for greater physical and mental efficiency".

Medicinal benefits: Benjamin Franklin - "The best of all medicines are rest and fasting"

Paracelsus, another great healer in the Western tradition, wrote 500 years ago that "fasting is the greatest remedy, the physician within."

More gyan on fasting:

The ancient Greeks fasted for health and longevity, and were known for their robust physical health. Galen, Paracelsus and Hippocrates, who are recognized as the founding fathers of Western medicine, prescribed and practiced fasting for all serious ailments. Pythagoras required his students to fast for 40 days to purify body and mind prior to receiving his highest teachings. Plato and Aristotle, whose thought forms the very warp and woof of Western philosophy, fasted regularly to enhance physical health and stimulate mental powers.

Besides these benefits, there are spiritual benefits too as guidelined in most religions.

One school of thought is that fasting is not starvation, but rather the body's burning of stored energy. Starvation occurs when the body no longer has any stored energy and begins using essential tissues such as organs for an energy source.

One sure thing is : Plenty of water should be taken by fasters since dehydration can occur.

Types: There are lots of fasts : water fasts, juice fasts, power fasts, and even believe it or not, an air-fast, the most stringent it seems. Hmm... so any of these should be done only after an ok from the doctor and under supervision from a guide experienced in conducting these kinds of fasts..

Pic of the day

2006-01-12T10:13:00.000-05:00