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My notes on life.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
Summer 2012 - Part 2
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Glad that my faith lies in a God who has always been faithful. When I connect the dots that is what I see!!
A good feeling it is knowing where you stand in the scheme of things laid out by your Creator, no fear, your validation comes from Him and does not have to originate anywhere else. Discovering the power of prayer & the need to pray for the needs of other's.
Making small progress on the baby blanket. But trying to keep at it although its very tempting to switch to something else!
Making some strides in achieving work-life balance too. Keeping my health goals in sight.
Glad that my faith lies in a God who has always been faithful. When I connect the dots that is what I see!!
A good feeling it is knowing where you stand in the scheme of things laid out by your Creator, no fear, your validation comes from Him and does not have to originate anywhere else. Discovering the power of prayer & the need to pray for the needs of other's.
Making small progress on the baby blanket. But trying to keep at it although its very tempting to switch to something else!
Making some strides in achieving work-life balance too. Keeping my health goals in sight.
Summer 2012 - Part 1
This summer has been declared as the time to roll up my sleeves!
And to do the following 1) Live at peace knowing that God is in control 2) Learn to trust God in ALL things 3) Take action on health 4) Be there for my family i.e. be a 100% there when I am supposed to be there 5) Be generous with encouragement.
I have been trying to become active again - a slow start since April - but my health goal is to take preventive action and to not add any more medications to my regimen until next summer at the minimum and for the next 10 years at the maximum. A wide range but trying to be as real as possible here!
Have been enjoying some good podcasts & videocasts & have been toying with the idea of creating my own one of these days so lets see!
Looking forward to a lot of fun times this summer - will keep ya'll posted. Have been trying out some good recipes, working on a couple of knitting projects, cleaning & organizing stuff at home & trying to stay on top of email!
Actually read a good book called The World We Found by Thrity Umrigar. Watched a sad & lovely movie called A Song for Martin. Heard some good news that a dear friend's daughter was accepted to a very prestigious medical school in India.
Enjoying - really - as I am learning a lot - on our current church series on the Book of Lamentations.
It is a blessing to have my parents spend summer here with us. Looking forward to my cousin visiting us with his family.
More to come....
And to do the following 1) Live at peace knowing that God is in control 2) Learn to trust God in ALL things 3) Take action on health 4) Be there for my family i.e. be a 100% there when I am supposed to be there 5) Be generous with encouragement.
I have been trying to become active again - a slow start since April - but my health goal is to take preventive action and to not add any more medications to my regimen until next summer at the minimum and for the next 10 years at the maximum. A wide range but trying to be as real as possible here!
Have been enjoying some good podcasts & videocasts & have been toying with the idea of creating my own one of these days so lets see!
Looking forward to a lot of fun times this summer - will keep ya'll posted. Have been trying out some good recipes, working on a couple of knitting projects, cleaning & organizing stuff at home & trying to stay on top of email!
Actually read a good book called The World We Found by Thrity Umrigar. Watched a sad & lovely movie called A Song for Martin. Heard some good news that a dear friend's daughter was accepted to a very prestigious medical school in India.
Enjoying - really - as I am learning a lot - on our current church series on the Book of Lamentations.
It is a blessing to have my parents spend summer here with us. Looking forward to my cousin visiting us with his family.
More to come....
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Spring Break 2012
From March 31st through April 8th we were on vacation, 4 of us & Sunita my sister who joined us at Newark from Toronto. We headed to Phoenix first and next day onto Sedona Arizona. The red rocks at Sedona are awesome. Nice, artsy town to hangout. Whole compounds of artistic habitats, shops, places to eat etc. Great tours through the red rock mountains, lots of pride in the history and traditions! Saw a lovely cathedral built in the mountains – next to a Madonna & child & 2 sisters rock formations that were built by this daughter of a rich pharmaceutical family as a memorial to her parents whose vast wealth made it possible for her to live her life as an artist in different parts of the USA. It was a peaceful sanctuary with a raw rock power that you have to see to experience what I mean.
We drove from Sedona to Flagstaff through winding roads at high elevations – it was a hard drive for Pramod as he has a real problem with vertigo. Due to that he pulled over to let 4 or 5 cars him by & a few miles later it was literally 4 or 5 cars ahead of us that a huge dry tree fell off a mountain side and crash into pieces across the 2 lanes! Thankfully nobody was hurt but people had to get out of their cars and help clear the debris before anybody could pass. All of us in the car believed it was God protecting us!!
The hills/mountains all along the way in Arizona & Nevada are not as spectacular as the Rockies or the ones in the Northwest. Very dry & arid or then some with pine trees which did look much better. Nevertheless mountains everywhere are awe-inspiring!!
Next day it was onward to the Grand Canyon. Pramod & I had been here 16 years ago – Thanksgiving 1996 – things had changed so much around the Canyon. Well laid out roads, buses carrying tourists to the various spots, hardly any unprotected edges anymore. This was a little bit of a visible relief for Pramod & his vertigo! Rutha surprisingly was also very nervous looking down at the Canyon & Rohun who fretted for months about whether he will fall off the edge & if his Mom & Dad will walk ahead & behind him in order to protect him – had this surge of courage and fearlessly posed as close to every edge as he possibly could!!
The Grand Canyon was just the same in its beauty & majesty!!! I was filled with the same feeling I had 16 years ago - a fall to my knees to worship the Creator of this magnificent beauty and knowing that the same Creator made me too (the latter in all humility!).
Then onto Las Vegas Nevada – Circus Circus was our resting place in the glitzy town. This time we didn’t hit a single slot machine and did not miss it at all. Rohun’s eyes lit up when he saw them though – he thought it was a large video games arcade. This place also had an adventure land with plenty of games for little suckers and big ones too. The uncooperating claw that refused to clutch a 50 cent made in china stuffed toy to some made in china ipods in tantalizing colors to the baskets & basketballs that would be a challenge for Michael Jordan too!! Still we saw kids carrying stuffed toys larger than themselves & wondered at what cost!!
Outside Circus City there were many attractions – anybody who wanted to could get transported to Italy, Venice, Greece, Rome, Paris, NYC – rides, replicas, glamour, pizzaz, all of it & more! While we did worry about having to answer curious questions on some adult images we were spared in the careful choices we made through research done by Pramod & Sunita to pick better experiences. The water fountain show at Bellagio, the ride up the Eiffel Tower, Madame Tussaud’s wax museum & the Mac King Comedy Show were great! The wax museum had Rohun pose everywhere in crazy poses that made him look like one of statues – sans the glamour or fame! The coolest thing was people could wander about the exhibits & pose for pictures without worrying about knocking them over or touching them – no security watching your every move & not letting you touch anything from a foot away! Lots of famous people from show business to sports to historic characters & also the President – Obama & Bush Jr. It was funny to watch Georgie all by himself while Barak had a spotlight & an employee taking pictures with a spotlight using her camera (with an opportunity to buy) and your own camera too!
The Comedy Show was great – very funny, kid-friendly & the Dave comedian patiently waiting through a long line of spectators at the end of the show wanting his autograph on his book, magic kit, and family photo – all smiles and good humor! We also would have loved to watch David Copperfield but the shows were all sold out. Also the lion show by Seigfried & his partner is no more.
We ate at a wide variety of places – good restaurants, fast food joints, 1 buffet experience! The flora & fauna of this part of the country was also varied – cacti, silver pine, juniper, elk, common raven, and the majestic condor (had a citing at the Grand Canyon) etc. The people living and visiting here also offered some rich insights. Families, lonely souls, young & old. Huge bodies at slot machines and at buffets with plates loaded with the unhealthiest foods you can imagine. Grand Canyon had different crowds lots of visitors from all over Europe – especially the North – young & old all Americans – clearly proud to visit a natural wonder! Houses around these states are also varied – mostly small & poor-looking with a few mega mansions – but none of the affluence of the Northeast! A rich Romanian doctor’s vacation home in Sedona right in front of the cathedral mentioned above was the most opulent I saw! It is a National Park area so the guy must be very influential to have a home on it or it must be right outside it!
We had a last extra day of the vacation and at Rutha’s request decided to go back to the Grand Canyon and spend it there! This was a great & relaxing time – away from the usual daily hustle & bustle, work, cleaning, cooking, schools etc. – a great time to connect with the family, reliving old memories & new ones, laughter & a little bit of pain (had a burn accident with a curling iron – the price of beauty)!
We all made a vacation charter when we started – no whining & complaining (all whining limited to 10 minutes per day), no negative talk, build each other up & have a lot of fun!! One personal moment for me to remember – considering the holy week & a reflection of Jesus’ miraculous sacrifice that allows me direct access to the deliverance He made possible for all who believe – was a decision to not junk my body with food that it does not need. It’s an act of willpower, an artifact of my character built over years of conditioned thinking that my Savior has the power to deliver me from.
We drove from Sedona to Flagstaff through winding roads at high elevations – it was a hard drive for Pramod as he has a real problem with vertigo. Due to that he pulled over to let 4 or 5 cars him by & a few miles later it was literally 4 or 5 cars ahead of us that a huge dry tree fell off a mountain side and crash into pieces across the 2 lanes! Thankfully nobody was hurt but people had to get out of their cars and help clear the debris before anybody could pass. All of us in the car believed it was God protecting us!!
The hills/mountains all along the way in Arizona & Nevada are not as spectacular as the Rockies or the ones in the Northwest. Very dry & arid or then some with pine trees which did look much better. Nevertheless mountains everywhere are awe-inspiring!!
Next day it was onward to the Grand Canyon. Pramod & I had been here 16 years ago – Thanksgiving 1996 – things had changed so much around the Canyon. Well laid out roads, buses carrying tourists to the various spots, hardly any unprotected edges anymore. This was a little bit of a visible relief for Pramod & his vertigo! Rutha surprisingly was also very nervous looking down at the Canyon & Rohun who fretted for months about whether he will fall off the edge & if his Mom & Dad will walk ahead & behind him in order to protect him – had this surge of courage and fearlessly posed as close to every edge as he possibly could!!
The Grand Canyon was just the same in its beauty & majesty!!! I was filled with the same feeling I had 16 years ago - a fall to my knees to worship the Creator of this magnificent beauty and knowing that the same Creator made me too (the latter in all humility!).
Then onto Las Vegas Nevada – Circus Circus was our resting place in the glitzy town. This time we didn’t hit a single slot machine and did not miss it at all. Rohun’s eyes lit up when he saw them though – he thought it was a large video games arcade. This place also had an adventure land with plenty of games for little suckers and big ones too. The uncooperating claw that refused to clutch a 50 cent made in china stuffed toy to some made in china ipods in tantalizing colors to the baskets & basketballs that would be a challenge for Michael Jordan too!! Still we saw kids carrying stuffed toys larger than themselves & wondered at what cost!!
Outside Circus City there were many attractions – anybody who wanted to could get transported to Italy, Venice, Greece, Rome, Paris, NYC – rides, replicas, glamour, pizzaz, all of it & more! While we did worry about having to answer curious questions on some adult images we were spared in the careful choices we made through research done by Pramod & Sunita to pick better experiences. The water fountain show at Bellagio, the ride up the Eiffel Tower, Madame Tussaud’s wax museum & the Mac King Comedy Show were great! The wax museum had Rohun pose everywhere in crazy poses that made him look like one of statues – sans the glamour or fame! The coolest thing was people could wander about the exhibits & pose for pictures without worrying about knocking them over or touching them – no security watching your every move & not letting you touch anything from a foot away! Lots of famous people from show business to sports to historic characters & also the President – Obama & Bush Jr. It was funny to watch Georgie all by himself while Barak had a spotlight & an employee taking pictures with a spotlight using her camera (with an opportunity to buy) and your own camera too!
The Comedy Show was great – very funny, kid-friendly & the Dave comedian patiently waiting through a long line of spectators at the end of the show wanting his autograph on his book, magic kit, and family photo – all smiles and good humor! We also would have loved to watch David Copperfield but the shows were all sold out. Also the lion show by Seigfried & his partner is no more.
We ate at a wide variety of places – good restaurants, fast food joints, 1 buffet experience! The flora & fauna of this part of the country was also varied – cacti, silver pine, juniper, elk, common raven, and the majestic condor (had a citing at the Grand Canyon) etc. The people living and visiting here also offered some rich insights. Families, lonely souls, young & old. Huge bodies at slot machines and at buffets with plates loaded with the unhealthiest foods you can imagine. Grand Canyon had different crowds lots of visitors from all over Europe – especially the North – young & old all Americans – clearly proud to visit a natural wonder! Houses around these states are also varied – mostly small & poor-looking with a few mega mansions – but none of the affluence of the Northeast! A rich Romanian doctor’s vacation home in Sedona right in front of the cathedral mentioned above was the most opulent I saw! It is a National Park area so the guy must be very influential to have a home on it or it must be right outside it!
We had a last extra day of the vacation and at Rutha’s request decided to go back to the Grand Canyon and spend it there! This was a great & relaxing time – away from the usual daily hustle & bustle, work, cleaning, cooking, schools etc. – a great time to connect with the family, reliving old memories & new ones, laughter & a little bit of pain (had a burn accident with a curling iron – the price of beauty)!
We all made a vacation charter when we started – no whining & complaining (all whining limited to 10 minutes per day), no negative talk, build each other up & have a lot of fun!! One personal moment for me to remember – considering the holy week & a reflection of Jesus’ miraculous sacrifice that allows me direct access to the deliverance He made possible for all who believe – was a decision to not junk my body with food that it does not need. It’s an act of willpower, an artifact of my character built over years of conditioned thinking that my Savior has the power to deliver me from.
Monday, January 2, 2012
The Year that was…. 2011
2011 was marked with many happy memories! Rutha’s team made it all the way to the World Finals of Odyssey of the Mind. On the way they competed at the Liberty Regionals, then State Finals, and then the World. Their 8 minute problem was titled “Le Tour Guide” and the team of 7 took an Amelia Bedelia tour through the Egypt, Venice and then to Duct Tape World – a fictional place. At the Finals they placed #21 among 65 teams and 9th for the Spontaneous Problem Solving Session. It was a veritable fest of creativity at the University of Maryland with an important highlight of “pin-trading”. This was like a global marketplace of young ones, with a great stomach for risk, exchanging beautiful pins that represented their state or country. I had a hard time letting them part with some of the pins – so at the end of it I just watched from afar.
Both the kids played chess at tournaments and did fairly well. Rutha seems to lose interest while Rohun’s interest is still on the rise.
My Mother’s greatest achievement this year was getting her US citizenship. This is a huge milestone for her that required her to learn about US history – 100 questions/answers to memorize on US laws, government, & history – and be able to confidently hold a conversation in English. Anybody who knows my Mom – a soft-spoken timid person – will understand what a daunting task this was for her. We are immensely proud of her!!
The summer began with a bang! Kids & mother were dropped off at Toronto & the next weekend P & I went to Penn State. It was a great weekend – I returned after years, met friends I had not seen in at least a decade – it was all very nostalgic! The meet was inspired by friends who had relocated to India & were visiting with their daughters. We all were pleasantly surprised how “young & relaxed” they looked compared to the rest of us .
I went to Miami Beach for a conference in July before going to India. Kids left for India in mid-July along with Pramod. Mummy left a week before them. I reached there on Aug 6th direct to Poona – the most convenient flight ever! I was in my living room 40 minutes after the plane hit the runway! We had a wonderful time in Poona meeting family & friends. The sad note was that our dear Uncle was not around. It is always hard going back to India and missing dear ones since there just is no closure . I did Panchkarma which was basically good ole oil massages & steam baths. The massage did get too intense & by the 3rd day I had some black & blue spots! We went for a day trip to Mavalshrushti – my cousin Vijay made it memorable with his jokes and comedy routines. Old memories were revived on several occasions at get-togethers with cousins, aunts & uncles. As I was explaining to a friend here my India trips are like condensing family meets of an average American over 2 years – at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Super Bowls etc – into a little over 2 weeks.
Although it was hard to leave the parents they had a lot to keep them busy – a wonderful trip with friends to Israel, Jordan & Egypt, house-painting & renovations, Sunita’s visit at Christmas time.
We sold 1725 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies – my last year as Cookie Manager for the troop. Rutha became a cadet this year – she loves it! Rohun joined Cub Scouts & has been enjoying soccer. Both take swim lessons, Ro does tennis & piano & Ru does violin, flute & choir. Rutha is now 3/4th of an inch short from 5 feet & 5 inches at 12 years! Rohun is 4 feet & 6 inches at 7 years. Ro was saddened by a comment from his classmate who called him a giant. He is my unique son – keeps us so entertained with his fast comebacks!
I also trained to take over the Kitchen at a very successful fund-raiser that the school has every year at its Craft Fair. I introduced Indian food donated by a local restaurant – alums of the school – and it was a big hit! The craft fair is mostly visited by non-Asians & people were concerned about rocking the boat but all was well! This year 2012 I take on this challenge with my neighbor again!
I finished a good number of knitting projects – including keeping the ongoing tradition of knitting preemie Christmas hats for babies at the Princeton NICU. Rohun enjoys the trip to the nursery! I had a great time trying out new recipes. Following suggestions from my ravelry friends we also made a sugar-almond-coconut oil body scrub as home-made gifts, chocolate ganache balls & blocks to make your own hot chocolate in nicely wrapped mugs. We baked sugar, lemon, white chocolate cherry, rote & butter ball cookies and Sangeeta’s signature fruit cake at Christmas! I was not in the best of health in December so we did not have our traditional Christmas party with 40+ friends and family. Instead it was a small affair on Christmas Day with friends from MD, Abu Dhabi, a dear friend about to relocate to the West Coast and family – P’s cousins. We all had a great weekend – lots of laughter, great conversations, saw a lot of songs from old & new Indian movies – just an awesome time!! Was able to keep the focus of Christmas where it rightfully belongs for my kids – focusing on God, relationships with friends, family and the needy.
At work this was a difficult year – layoffs were announced at the end of the 1st quarter and executed at the start of the 4th quarter. Saw a lot of good friends & colleagues affected. Was very thankful for my job but have learnt to keep things in perspective at all times. It has resulted in a realignment of priorities and an urge for implementing significant changes in lifestyle.
As a family we have been so blessed in 2011 year with favor in every part of our lives, rich meaningful relationships, good health, opportunities, peace, contentment and growth! We look forward to everything that 2012 brings on knowing that God is in control!
Both the kids played chess at tournaments and did fairly well. Rutha seems to lose interest while Rohun’s interest is still on the rise.
My Mother’s greatest achievement this year was getting her US citizenship. This is a huge milestone for her that required her to learn about US history – 100 questions/answers to memorize on US laws, government, & history – and be able to confidently hold a conversation in English. Anybody who knows my Mom – a soft-spoken timid person – will understand what a daunting task this was for her. We are immensely proud of her!!
The summer began with a bang! Kids & mother were dropped off at Toronto & the next weekend P & I went to Penn State. It was a great weekend – I returned after years, met friends I had not seen in at least a decade – it was all very nostalgic! The meet was inspired by friends who had relocated to India & were visiting with their daughters. We all were pleasantly surprised how “young & relaxed” they looked compared to the rest of us .
I went to Miami Beach for a conference in July before going to India. Kids left for India in mid-July along with Pramod. Mummy left a week before them. I reached there on Aug 6th direct to Poona – the most convenient flight ever! I was in my living room 40 minutes after the plane hit the runway! We had a wonderful time in Poona meeting family & friends. The sad note was that our dear Uncle was not around. It is always hard going back to India and missing dear ones since there just is no closure . I did Panchkarma which was basically good ole oil massages & steam baths. The massage did get too intense & by the 3rd day I had some black & blue spots! We went for a day trip to Mavalshrushti – my cousin Vijay made it memorable with his jokes and comedy routines. Old memories were revived on several occasions at get-togethers with cousins, aunts & uncles. As I was explaining to a friend here my India trips are like condensing family meets of an average American over 2 years – at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Super Bowls etc – into a little over 2 weeks.
Although it was hard to leave the parents they had a lot to keep them busy – a wonderful trip with friends to Israel, Jordan & Egypt, house-painting & renovations, Sunita’s visit at Christmas time.
We sold 1725 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies – my last year as Cookie Manager for the troop. Rutha became a cadet this year – she loves it! Rohun joined Cub Scouts & has been enjoying soccer. Both take swim lessons, Ro does tennis & piano & Ru does violin, flute & choir. Rutha is now 3/4th of an inch short from 5 feet & 5 inches at 12 years! Rohun is 4 feet & 6 inches at 7 years. Ro was saddened by a comment from his classmate who called him a giant. He is my unique son – keeps us so entertained with his fast comebacks!
I also trained to take over the Kitchen at a very successful fund-raiser that the school has every year at its Craft Fair. I introduced Indian food donated by a local restaurant – alums of the school – and it was a big hit! The craft fair is mostly visited by non-Asians & people were concerned about rocking the boat but all was well! This year 2012 I take on this challenge with my neighbor again!
I finished a good number of knitting projects – including keeping the ongoing tradition of knitting preemie Christmas hats for babies at the Princeton NICU. Rohun enjoys the trip to the nursery! I had a great time trying out new recipes. Following suggestions from my ravelry friends we also made a sugar-almond-coconut oil body scrub as home-made gifts, chocolate ganache balls & blocks to make your own hot chocolate in nicely wrapped mugs. We baked sugar, lemon, white chocolate cherry, rote & butter ball cookies and Sangeeta’s signature fruit cake at Christmas! I was not in the best of health in December so we did not have our traditional Christmas party with 40+ friends and family. Instead it was a small affair on Christmas Day with friends from MD, Abu Dhabi, a dear friend about to relocate to the West Coast and family – P’s cousins. We all had a great weekend – lots of laughter, great conversations, saw a lot of songs from old & new Indian movies – just an awesome time!! Was able to keep the focus of Christmas where it rightfully belongs for my kids – focusing on God, relationships with friends, family and the needy.
At work this was a difficult year – layoffs were announced at the end of the 1st quarter and executed at the start of the 4th quarter. Saw a lot of good friends & colleagues affected. Was very thankful for my job but have learnt to keep things in perspective at all times. It has resulted in a realignment of priorities and an urge for implementing significant changes in lifestyle.
As a family we have been so blessed in 2011 year with favor in every part of our lives, rich meaningful relationships, good health, opportunities, peace, contentment and growth! We look forward to everything that 2012 brings on knowing that God is in control!
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