tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58168332024-03-15T04:11:50.195-04:00Reflections...<i>Random thoughts, emotional outpourings and soul-searching expositions on the world or as Douglas Adams puts it - analyzing deeper, existential problems of trying to function as a coherent consciousness in an epistemologically ambiguous physical universe </i>:-)RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.comBlogger438125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-31384280605138144412014-11-27T02:11:00.001-05:002014-11-27T02:15:41.295-05:00r2idreams -- Return to India, a book for and by NRIs.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/r2i-dreams-Here-Parth-Pandya/dp/1500705802/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410243244&sr=1-1&keywords=r2i+dreams" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTfcaLafErWH773fqD8QQQlB3izU1Ly4erp3kQ7GoBWlT3kY0XVFv7mEI8S4qHkE6IrGlEJy4JPVIptaW66RqiNlFqQ-uUjKlN-Fa9cLJMLKK51iGrwdx7S-hAYyWtf5VEu_ySvw/s1600/10337720_872778359401335_7419161572117709173_n.jpg" height="320" width="207" /></a></div>
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After moving to the bay area, I haven't thought much about moving back to India. I think I exhausted my thoughts and churning at least for a little while by putting them in print. My mom is here for a few months. It could be her constant chatter about small details of her Indian life and adjustments to her American life that has made me forget my own ruminations about an old life in India.<br />
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But, today I read a post about what an Indian blogger who wrote about her take on Thanksgiving and how immigrants have adopted the celebration and given it their own flavor. The post made me think of how we had celebrated Thanksgiving this year: we had combined my little one's birthday and our house warming ceremony with a Thanksgiving meal. After the house warming puja and hymns, we cut her birthday cake and then, we went around the table saying thanks and gave the celebration our own unique definition.<br />
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As Indian immigrants in the US, I think our journeys follow similar paths. We are FOBs initially (fresh off the boat) and wide-eyed students staring at the strangeness and grandeur of this country. We transition to being new hires in Tech companies (usually) learning the ropes of working in the US and the mechanics of a 9-5 work-life in the US. We marry, buy a house, find a partner and settle down with kids here. And then begin the arduous task of teaching them "Indian culture", insisting on arcane bits of Indian folk takes and legends, snippets from the Ramayana and Mahabharatha that we suddenly deign necessary knowledge for our Indian-American kids. And around then, we start wondering about India, our aging parents back in India and a little voice chimes in,<br />
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"What if we returned back to India?"<br />
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r2idreams, my book, is about that voice. It is a conversation with that voice, a deep diving on the topic of the immigrant's obsession with his native land. This book is a story of three Indian immigrants in the US, our little victories and trials in this country and our paths to finding our homes and our selves, whether that is in the US or in India. We attack the subject from various angles, compare and contrast our lives here and back in India and try our best to attack this emotional subject with as much logic as we can muster. In the end it is a decision of the heart.<br />
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Join the conversation at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/r2idreams">www.facebook.com/r2idreams</a><br />
<br /></div>RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-13899657698524806632013-07-05T19:13:00.003-04:002013-07-05T19:13:36.834-04:00Living in the Bay Are -- 2 (On cliches and more)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I don't really have any earth shaking observations about life here except that the cliches we hear about the bay area are mostly true!<br />
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Buying house here is crazy! A million is not sufficient to buy a simple 3 Bedroom/2 Bath house in a good school district in Santa Clara county (Palo Alto, Los Altos, Mountain View). This translates to a house that is about 200k - 300k in Alpharetta or even lower in Lexington. A recent townhome with a bedroom and a bath on each of the 3 levels sold for 1.275 million in cash. Stop and think about that for a second. IN CASH! So yeah, the cliche about housing in the bay area is true.<br />
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The house care/nanny situation also is pretty terrible. We had a baby sitter who was great in Lexington for $7/hr -- a high school student who made Rads toe the line but while doing fun stuff with her. Here, for $14/hr, you might get a baby sitter/house keeper who will last a full two months if you are really lucky.<br />
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Everyone talks about how finding a Carnatic music teacher or a dance teacher here would be simple given the desi population here. Well, that's one cliche that's not true. I have seen 3 teachers already and each did not work out for various reasons. I also thought none of them matched the quality/price of the teacher Radhika had in Alpharetta. The search continues.<br />
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The tech scene here is really that awesome. Perks are excellent and sometimes, you really wake wondering if it is all a dream.<br />
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The weather is great but I'll wait till winter to confirm that :)<br />
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More people time. Be it family, friends that live here locally or visit the bay area, there is never a dearth of hanging out with folks. The loneliness that I experienced in Alpharetta does not exist here.<br />
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Definitely more things to do. There are so many days when I have googled and found nothing to do with kids on a given day without driving an hour out in both Lex and Alpharetta. That is definitely not the case here. Plenty of child friendly outdoor and indoor things to do and I don't have to drive to SFO to find them!<br />
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I feel like there is much less down time in the bay area but can't place my finger on whether the perception is due to a lack of sleep, 2 kids or something else. Stay tuned for life in the bay area updates!<br />
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RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-19643988462901577322013-04-27T19:26:00.000-04:002013-04-27T19:31:10.716-04:00Living in the Bay Area -- 1.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We lived for more than a decade in Lexington, KY and we lived for a little more than a year in Alpharetta, GA. Compared to the pace of living in the suburbs in these cities, living in the Bay Area is like switching gait from a leisurely stroll to a 100-metre sprint. I don't know if the change in pace is also because we are trying to juggle everything with 2 kids instead of 1. Perhaps, a little bit but I think the reason k & I feel kind of knocked out of breath here is just a reaction to moving to Silicon Valley.<br />
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The Bay Area is everything I had imagined it to be. Pleasant (weather wise; I was losing it in the East Coast -- I self-diagnosed myself with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder">SAD</a> years back), exciting (career wise -- oh boy!), familiar (it just feels better knowing friends and family are nearby; we might not hang out every weekend but the knowledge is sufficient to make a place feel like home) and fun (Places to eat, things to do!)...but, it is also more restless, less friendlier and kind of relentless. Let me explain.<br />
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Restless because everyone seems to be in a rush. Sort of like:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2H54INkW6zs" width="640"></iframe><br />
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The context doesn't apply but you know what I mean :p<br />
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Friendliness: This sort of relates to everyone feeling rushed. It rubs on everyone they interact with and it feels like I live in a web of constantly buzzing busy bees that have little time to...smell the flowers and take a break. A typical family has the mom and dad working full day picking up their kids after work and then all they seem to have time for is a rushed, distracted evening and night routine. Play outside -- check, dinner -- check, bath -- check, story-time -- check, off you go to bed! Everyone is a little bit on the edge all the time, talk a little bit faster and the next->next->next loop wears you out at the end of the day. k and I have tried our best to maintain the fabled work-life balance. We shall see how long we last with our outdated philosophies here on the west coast! But, I digress. I miss the southern courtesy and the drawl and the relaxed pace of life. For the first time since I migrated to the US, I have switched back to speaking fast (the way I used to when I had just come to the US and my students -- I taught Math as a teaching assistant -- asked me to slow down!)<br />
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Relentless: k says I don't always have to try to make things more efficient and carry out process or self improvements all the time. But, am afraid that is part of who I am :/ I love my dose of books and movies but I question everything I do in my 'free time'. Typically, if it is not parenting/work/writing, I question it and see if I really need to be doing it. I take this to great extremes -- I try to delegate every other routine matter in the house to a software (preferably) or to someone who would gladly get paid to do it (House keeping, laundry, cleaning, dishes). But, I digress again (then again, what's the point of a personal blog if you can't ramble on?). Here, more than anywhere else I have lived, I get the feeling that I have to constantly improve myself and strive to be better at what I am already good at in order to succeed (at work) and keep pace with all the other smart folks around me.<br />
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But, there is no denying it. It is an exciting time to live in Silicon Valley and am afraid I wouldn't be able to leave even if I wished to at some point in the future.<br />
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RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-74466136951908664572012-12-13T12:28:00.002-05:002012-12-13T14:55:43.734-05:00Breaking out of the bubble (for moms).<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So, I survived the first 6 weeks and survived a major abdominal surgery. You don't normally equate a c-section with major surgery but after <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0767916077/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00">reading up</a> about it, I am convinced it is. Compared to the nightmare that was my first (non-surgery) delivery recovery, this one seems better but I guess if things had gone wrong with the surgery, it could have gone terribly wrong.<br />
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The bubble thing. The first six weeks after r~ was born, I was in a haze. I continued to be in a haze even three months after she was born. I just didn't feel quite right (which later I discovered was my thyroid levels acting up). But thyroid levels being off or not, the first six weeks after delivery, you live in a bubble. In my case, I kept hanging on tight to different mementos, places, things at different times during those six weeks. The first thing I held on to as a security object for a few days was this pair of socks -- they gave it to me at the hospital just before the surgery...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqRvgHzy0jqFJYylNJ5Vr96FOtdeSoW1KW_evjcyGvmkYC5_ARU8soIrCD5SEu35XrRmoYh2hR8Y76QEcL7RfixBCr6xhZktVSRom2v8R2c1x02diw7h-nV3rdscCvFREAd5hRw/s1600/photo-4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqRvgHzy0jqFJYylNJ5Vr96FOtdeSoW1KW_evjcyGvmkYC5_ARU8soIrCD5SEu35XrRmoYh2hR8Y76QEcL7RfixBCr6xhZktVSRom2v8R2c1x02diw7h-nV3rdscCvFREAd5hRw/s320/photo-4.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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The five days in the hospital this time were mainly about little milestones, little victories for me. Last time, it was quite the bollywood drama -- I asked to go home after third degree tears, hemorrhage and the doctor said he would stamp an AMA (against medical advice) on my forms if I did that! 3 days of labor, attempt to birth at home etc etc. Long story that. This time, everything was planned and felt a bit unreal. k actually had a real hospital bag ready (last time, after my last bit of strength with home birthing and labor had drained off, I picked up a kroger bag, stuffed a few nighties in it and insisted we rush to the hospital with that). This time around, we had taken a real hospital tour, pre-registered, all that good stuff.<br />
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After a 'regular' delivery, delivering a baby by c-section was...different. I almost missed laboring (or perhaps that was my hormonal imbalance speaking to me). I missed the challenge of kicking labor in its *-- and knowing that I have the strength to push the baby out. I have read that labor pains is one of the worst forms of pain that a human being can endure. So, coming out of it alive seemed like winning something. I was thrilled to see baby m~ and wondered in a drug-induced haze if I should make another one of these wonderful little things <i>but</i> I hadn't pushed the baby out. I felt a little tugging and there she was! The post 'delivery' part of this pregnancy though was as miraculous as the first time :)<br />
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That's the surgery part of it. Then came the 5 day period where I had to kick a different *-- i,e surgery recovery :p I decided to stop and make a little mental note every time I crossed a milestone -- getting up to walk (12 hours after surgery), getting off the epidural, using the rest room for the first time, walking out of the hospital room for the first time, everything was a struggle and a small win. After 5 days, I almost felt scared to leave the hospital like I was leaving a safe bubble to go to the outside world. I guess the hospital room and nurses had become my second security blanket. I held on to little things like the warm water and apple juice k would give me in the hospital room -- each was a source of comfort that it was going to be ok.<br />
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At home, I looked forward to the huge scoops of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarified_butter">nei</a> that I know my mom would have had ready for me. I remembered the taste from my last time and somehow even that helped me recover -- the familiar tastes and smells of home, and settle down to a more normal routine at home. I shed a few tears for not being able to spend enough time with dear big sister r~. Our lives used to revolve around her constantly and now I wasn't able to shower her with the amount of attention I was accustomed to giving her. And the fact that she was so excited about her lil' sister and had not a jealous bone in her body only made me feel sadder somehow. I am back to doing activities and crafts with her (and sitting on the floor!) and am glad for that...it's always the small things that catch you unprepared.<br />
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What's the big deal, you ask? Everyone has or knows someone who has gone through a c-section (or a regular delivery for that matter). True, that. But, I thought I'd write a little about what it feels like to actually go through it and emerge out into the sunlight. I am still seeing through tinted glasses, still standing with one leg somewhat inside the bubble but I know I will step out eventually like I did last time.<br />
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Here's to all the moms who make the journey! It's not an easy one :)</div>
RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-27213904106370413792012-11-27T17:54:00.001-05:002012-11-27T18:21:25.948-05:00Status update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Currently reading: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Baby-Whisperer-Connect-Communicate/dp/0345479092">Secrets of the baby whisperer</a> by Tracy Hogg<br />
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Currently doing: Art projects with r~, finally settled on <a href="http://pinterest.com/ramyasethu/"><img src="http://passets-lt.pinterest.com/images/about/buttons/pinterest-button.png" width="80" height="28" alt="Follow Me on Pinterest" /></a> as my display case instead of <a href="https://twitter.com/iam_that_mom#">twitter</a>.<br />
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Currently watching: <a href="http://www.nbc.com/parenthood/">Parenthood</a>, <a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/how_i_met_your_mother/">How I met your mother</a> and <a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/big_bang_theory/">Big Bang Theory</a>.<br />
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Currently experiencing: Fatigue, joy...<br />
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Currently: drowning in social media: what do I update? Facebook/linkedIn/multiple twitter accounts, personal blog/professional blog/pinterest???<br />
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<br /></div>RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-54498448066656476092012-11-13T22:15:00.000-05:002012-11-13T22:18:35.258-05:00A new life.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I guess giving birth is like being reborn. I am trying to recall what I used to write about here. Whoever said having two kids is not too different from having one either has only one kid or is delusional with lack of sleep. Say hi everyone to baby m~!<br />
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As it was with r~, measuring time with little milestones -- first time I could walk after surgery, first time she smiled (gas or no gas), first time I wore something nice after the delivery, first time k and I watched a TV show after delivery...every little thing is a milestone, a small celebration that we survived and are bravely marching along :)<br />
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Weird what thoughts float through our heads those first few moments, minutes, days after the baby is born -- when I heard her cry the first time and saw her for the first time, I thought, 'Gosh! I could do this again. Maybe we should have another kid!'<br />
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Didn't realize I would spend so much time worrying if I am giving r~ enough attention. I assumed most of my energy would be spent taking care of baby m~. Boy! Was I wrong! Half the time, I am screaming at r~ (who is a big girl now, all of 4 years old) to not touch m~'s hands because she hasn't sanitized her hands yet and has a runny nose and is just back from school (which we all know is there to spread germs and education). The other half of the time, I am tiring myself physically doing crafts with her to make up for all the time am not spending with her and to make up for my guilt for the earlier screaming session. The first few days after I was home, my baby blues (tears) were mostly about r~...didn't expect that.<br />
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Thank God for supportive husbands.<br />
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And supportive moms.<br />
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I am so happy I sent chocolate covered berries and a sweet card to the hospital staff. I love thank you cards and birthday cards and miss you cards...you get the picture. No wonder I love thanksgiving speaking of which, this card r~ made at school was touching:<br />
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After all the drama of home birthing, 3 day labor, ER visit and blood loss last time with my delivery, this time was almost a non-event. Felt unreal to not go through labor and give birth. I missed laboring -- something empowering about beating it and coming out of it alive (and now I have officially lost it, I guess).</div>
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Addicted to <a href="http://www.nbc.com/parenthood/">Parenthood</a>.<br />
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1 year of no TV and still counting.<br />
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r~ is mischievous to a point where we get complaints from her school teachers about her naughtiness. Always embarrassing to get lectured about your kid; thought we were done with being lectured when I graduated from college.<br />
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Is anyone still reading this blog? Hellooo?<br />
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---:)---</div>
RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-24732883183812557372012-08-23T11:16:00.000-04:002012-08-23T11:16:09.454-04:00Bay area pics<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVQsWZaIAAab1H9ZwRNpKcyuL8xzmv-ml9VwzMVJY8L6QnUHwjCUMZMo_74HOI1lNrRim7RDm1fvEL76QOHt7ndHIbXI1TdI3CLcVrpmDdTjeMb5NhQ7K-e2bSvCPa0hruvZiaA/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVQsWZaIAAab1H9ZwRNpKcyuL8xzmv-ml9VwzMVJY8L6QnUHwjCUMZMo_74HOI1lNrRim7RDm1fvEL76QOHt7ndHIbXI1TdI3CLcVrpmDdTjeMb5NhQ7K-e2bSvCPa0hruvZiaA/s640/photo.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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r~ and I loved the mountain range that gave us company as we all drove around in the bay area. r~, my little artist replicated it here: she added an airplane and our house sort of on top of the mountains :-)<br />
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RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-62555566429735547562012-08-16T22:28:00.000-04:002012-08-16T22:28:10.084-04:00Truism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-88515547730302820812012-05-27T21:21:00.003-04:002012-05-27T23:17:35.807-04:00On moving and settling down.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So, we moved to Alpharetta almost 9 months back. We have gone through excitement, boredom, denial, almost-feels-like-home, jeez-we-have-no-friends...and many more phases representing a range from emotions from the totally anticipated to the entirely unexpected. I thought I should note down how I feel now and revisit after a period of time to see if anything has changed.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #c27ba0;">The first 3 months: were about saying good bye, nostalgia, remnant excitement from arangetram and from quitting IBM and moving on to a better job, adrenalin mixed with exhaustion from the move and the staying in a motel and the move again to an apartment.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #c27ba0;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #c27ba0;">The biggie was getting r~ settled into a preschool. I was definitely more apprehensive about that than my first day of work. The initial months were about figuring out where to get food (What is a Publix?!), where are the Indian grocery stores (we get chat here, paav bhaji with Tamil movie songs playing in the background!), beauty parlor (right next to HotBreads, now renamed Cake World) where I don't go any longer -- that's a long story, where to get clothes (there is a carousel in the mall and cup cakes and a train!) -- this we had to figure out as soon as we realized r's school required uniforms (was I back in Chennai?) Around this time, I met my friend from Bits, Pilani, A~ who filled in the gaps for me. An Indian co-worker of mine gave me the inside info about restaurants in the area and such. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #c27ba0;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #c27ba0;">During this time, we went to Atlanta almost every weekend and tried to get a feel for the city (if we weren't in Atlanta, we were in Lex!) We didn't have any friends to speak of, so might as well get to know the city, right? We were regulars at the Children's museum (rocks!), Chatpati and related Indian restaurants in the area. We checked out the puppetry center for arts, an art studio for kids, a farm with animals to pet + a bonus art class...</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #c27ba0;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #c27ba0;">r~ celebrated her first birthday in school (with Simba)!</span><br />
<span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #c27ba0;">There was not much time to think. The moving was done but the momentum didn't slow down...yet.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #c27ba0;"><br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLPl0W5ChZMQ3nxrMChoZAyZt-1J0clLag-zdVRQB_YoeE12wtWmguD2ywc-XHtztFXAeGlrlgL1v1Um1sFQ7nCn5P0W8p-_N7T59U9s3DYdGRjekrQn0DI6-O1dwVXUVX22Kfw/s1600/IMG_0116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLPl0W5ChZMQ3nxrMChoZAyZt-1J0clLag-zdVRQB_YoeE12wtWmguD2ywc-XHtztFXAeGlrlgL1v1Um1sFQ7nCn5P0W8p-_N7T59U9s3DYdGRjekrQn0DI6-O1dwVXUVX22Kfw/s640/IMG_0116.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My artist at Purple Hippo Art Studio</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinz9gOATc2waC2FmnQRieQvIpgAYBnJtTdvIDUyOpEKo16tYF_TqhHtRLmMW3a2sa-mSdjThWcQjmLD3t0wkAhJe0CzbV4NuRGAKpBw5Ps9hvREC5xV4D6shD79eNUw9WGp1AxMQ/s1600/IMG_2218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinz9gOATc2waC2FmnQRieQvIpgAYBnJtTdvIDUyOpEKo16tYF_TqhHtRLmMW3a2sa-mSdjThWcQjmLD3t0wkAhJe0CzbV4NuRGAKpBw5Ps9hvREC5xV4D6shD79eNUw9WGp1AxMQ/s640/IMG_2218.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simba and Nala chilling out at our apartment!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #c27ba0;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #c27ba0;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6fa8dc;">The next 3 months: r~ was well-settled in school and I, at work. k was all set with his home office. Our trips to Atlanta had slowed down and we had info about all the essential services we needed. We continued exploring, went on a wild animal safari...</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #6fa8dc;">That's when it usually begins right? The urge to change things just when everything seemed to touch a semblance of sanity. We started discovering small annoyances with the apartment -- the dish washer coughed up black gook every now and then (the apartment service folks rocked though), we were lucky to get a ground-floor apartment with an attached garage but there was hardly any sunlight in the living room -- and I thought I was running away from </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder">minor-SAD-symptoms</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #6fa8dc;"> in Lex. The reduction in living space didn't make much of a difference (surprisingly) and I loved the single-level layout but I felt the need to decorate the apartment so it was more home-like. We had friends visiting us from Lex and that was fun but we missed 'hanging out' -- something that k and I had an insatiable appetite for, in Lex. I got to know my office colleagues better and A~ better, attended a bunch of school birthday parties with r~ (where I, like my daughter, did not manage to make any new friends). I got to know the pani-puri aunty well ( we were there almost twice a week). </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6fa8dc;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6fa8dc;">r~ decided to join a paatu class -- my little girl was taking her own decisions! Another friend from Bits, also A~, told me about a bal vikas class that r~ might enjoy. So, we took r~ to Atlanta every Sunday for the class. She refused to stay alone in class which meant managing her for 2-3 hours without hopefully too many embarrassing moments. By the time, we ate and came back, it was 4-5 hours taken from our Sundays -- which was a nice way to spend Sundays since there wasn't much else to do anyways except house hunting! Around this time, I decided we had to buy a house and so the rest of the weekends and a considerable part of our work lunch time was spent looking at ranch houses. We needed a single level home, close to work and close to school, at least 3 BR and in reasonable condition. Turns out, that was not easy to find because not many people built ranch houses nowadays! Finally, we did find one soon after we decided to take a break from house hunting :)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw06bxLDVdLuTtXsUAxevM1z8k2fvgqAYYKS62NIqHPPXdbGuFKjtQBBe5eI5oZYN3QE0Oxd8lPwOusACw37hzJHwkWZP1KOZF1yHgbIClzIBjF9nljILxJQlco5TQQi48pA3VKg/s1600/IMG_2616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw06bxLDVdLuTtXsUAxevM1z8k2fvgqAYYKS62NIqHPPXdbGuFKjtQBBe5eI5oZYN3QE0Oxd8lPwOusACw37hzJHwkWZP1KOZF1yHgbIClzIBjF9nljILxJQlco5TQQi48pA3VKg/s640/IMG_2616.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild Animal Safari</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #6fa8dc;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6fa8dc;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;">And that brings us to now: we moved yet again, celebrated the new year and my birthday. I was at home, at work -- you know what I mean. r~ was at home at school. k~, well, he is at home, at work, anyways :) We talked a bit about r2i and m2b (move to bay area :p) but decided we needed against it for the next few years. I liked my work and r~ liked her school. The place was definitely more happening and had access to a lot of fun things to do, the weather was better...so what's the catch, you ask? Friends, of course. Making friends, when you are no longer studying somewhere, it turns out, is hard. We met people we could hang out with but that's different from hanging out with close friends...</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;">k's parents are here to visit us and that always helps w.r.t home sickness (where is home anyway? India, Lex, here?) We finally joined the local library and I felt like I could breathe a little bit easier -- felt like a missing puzzle piece fell in place. We went to a neat build your own car class at Home Depot..met a few more people, who could potentially become friends, and felt better. k, though, misses friends at Lex, the swing in our backyard, the sand box he built for r~...</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;">We went without TV for 8 months and hardly noticed the difference, we bought a TV and then returned it, bought another and returned it and are now TV less again and surprisingly still not missing it but I think this time, we will buy a TV and not return it.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;">r~ made some almost-real friends, I saw her initiate and ask questions to her teacher (by herself! Huge deal...for me), today she asked me if she could go to school (either she likes school or k and I have become boring versions of ourselves here!)...</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;">And we are back to spending inordinate amounts of time about trivial enhancements to the house -- which means, we are almost home...</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Time will tell.</span><br />
<span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6APuOhzdWS4u8CD0UCdptl7L7QKLOCIS-dns2JRzDU4G2x0S0OoiMLQ926KGjGLch4wiG4mtWpwnRgn_BKMFb3n4wTt5HCJmRbnn58KuOBt_a7paZXZvJSFJJNZ3E5FkS-RbsMQ/s1600/IMG_0296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6APuOhzdWS4u8CD0UCdptl7L7QKLOCIS-dns2JRzDU4G2x0S0OoiMLQ926KGjGLch4wiG4mtWpwnRgn_BKMFb3n4wTt5HCJmRbnn58KuOBt_a7paZXZvJSFJJNZ3E5FkS-RbsMQ/s640/IMG_0296.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">@Home Depot -- that week's show & tell for school!</td></tr>
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<br /></div>RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-62559337613053584492012-04-16T13:16:00.000-04:002012-04-16T15:03:11.191-04:00Mushy mushy.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sometimes, r~ gets really mushy and all cuddly with me and I wanted to record some of the things she said before she quickly became an eye-rolling teenager saying, "Mom, pleaaase!"<br />
<br />
* Amma, I will always stay with you (அம்மா, நான் எப்போவும் உன்னோட இருப்பேன்!)<br />
<br />
* Amma, I won't go to space because it is verrrry far. If I go, I will take you (This, when I asked her if she will write letters to me from space :)<br />
<br />
* Amma, how beautiful you are (<blush> அம்மா, நீ எவ்வளவு அழகா இருக்க! </blush>)<br />
<br />
And equally note-worthy non-mushy moments:<br />
<br />
* (While throwing a piece of paper up) 'Now the earth will go around and this paper will go to India' -- after I had explained why it was day in India while being night in the US and vice versa.<br />
<br />
* (One day, I got really mad at her and said I am going to send her off to a different appa and amma) -- 'அப்புறம், அவா எச்சை plate ல என்ன சாப்பிட சொல்லுவாளா? -- Of all the concerns, she is worried, they will ask her to eat in a dirty (echal) plate!<br />
<br />
* (When I told her the beginning of 'The immortals of Meluha') Amma, I like Shiva umaachi a lot, I like him as much as 'I love you' -- she did not mean, she liked Him as much as me, she meant, she liked him as much as the emotion represented by: 'Iloveyou' :p (எனக்கு Iloveyou அளவு பிடிக்கும்!)<br />
<br />
* Amma, don't order this for me in Amazon. I want to go to a store and buy it -- understanding the difference between online and offline :)<br />
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* (Appreciating Daadi's saree, she says in Gujarathi -- in all politeness) 'Daadi, your dress is very beautiful. Can you please order this for me from India?'<br />
<br />
An aside: I think k and I will deeply miss Simba when r~ gets past the lovey stage. Simba is like a second kid for us now, "Radhu are you ready to go? Where is Simba?" is something we ask without thinking :-)<br />
<br />
I kinda get now why my mom kept the dolls that L~ and I used to play with, for so many years :)<br />
<br />
:-)<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmoBwrijc3PuV8Lecn9VfqSJAqdMYihjcTAKNAJoC_Im9-r4h30rGh_Pwpp32s_O-guXDuTA4glJiIs66oRPu13LvgWCnyUNL-R-3se2uTZKD8sRF30368z2o87SRgYarY6qYxQ/s1600/IMG_1173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmoBwrijc3PuV8Lecn9VfqSJAqdMYihjcTAKNAJoC_Im9-r4h30rGh_Pwpp32s_O-guXDuTA4glJiIs66oRPu13LvgWCnyUNL-R-3se2uTZKD8sRF30368z2o87SRgYarY6qYxQ/s640/IMG_1173.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even a part of her hugs :)</td></tr>
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<br /></div>RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-2424763832825606202012-04-13T14:50:00.000-04:002012-04-13T14:50:27.967-04:00Happy Tamil New Year's Day!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg63R-aVfE8AV7HxoZwIujsL0IQN6wJM-gKT_tXuHaTTL52yXhoLTM3mtcTNljy8Av7lP_j6a8oSdeb5laSjkc_7nJ7Nq63uAMZ81FEozK61TjT3DIEbR8_lgQ6hkY7rOcrgRqPPQ/s1600/photo+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg63R-aVfE8AV7HxoZwIujsL0IQN6wJM-gKT_tXuHaTTL52yXhoLTM3mtcTNljy8Av7lP_j6a8oSdeb5laSjkc_7nJ7Nq63uAMZ81FEozK61TjT3DIEbR8_lgQ6hkY7rOcrgRqPPQ/s400/photo+%25281%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
இனிய புத்தாண்டு நல் வாழ்த்துக்கள்!</div>RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-70919131961674677722012-03-16T20:27:00.007-04:002012-03-16T20:55:59.106-04:00When I was 16...<object id="vp1E4nwB" width="854" height="474" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"><param name="movie" value="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&e=1331945469&f=E4nwBBzBzwzHqHv4M1oOUg&d=31&m=b&r=360p&volume=100&start_res=360p&i=m&options="></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed id="vp1E4nwB" src="http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&e=1331945469&f=E4nwBBzBzwzHqHv4M1oOUg&d=31&m=b&r=360p&volume=100&start_res=360p&i=m&options=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="854" height="474"></embed></object><p>(Created with animoto)</p><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I happened to read some of my old autographs (is this concept extinct now among friends that part...because there is no real parting now?) and was amused by what dominated our lives when we were 16 -- thoughts and words and relationships that had seemed important then...<br />
<br />
A few excerpts:<br />
<br />
So, "I" start my autograph book with a quote: "<i>To meet, to befriend and then to part is always tough for the human heart"</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
A quote on the second page: <i>"If we meet again, we shall smile, else this parting was well made"</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
So heavy and dramatic?<br />
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From my friends: almost all of them start with <i>"Dear Mosa" -- </i>my pet name in Bits...<br />
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<i>"Wherever you go, whatever you be, please keep in touch with me"</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>"I will always remember along other things, you knw, your kottals and of course, the way you eat sam in IC"</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
That hasn't changed much, k tells me I eat samosas in a ridiculous fashion even now!<br />
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<i>"There are many more things I wanted to say but I cannot put them down on paper..."</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>"What do I write in your autograph? It is a very painful task for me to write your autograph because it means parting..."</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>"Though circumstances are going to separate us, I am sure that our friendship will hold us together..."</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>"Marry some body who loves you as much as...then...when you narrate your college stories to your grandchildren, don't forget to mention me" -- </i>No, I don't know who that someone was...really.<br />
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<i>"And nobody can match you in telling long stories about the kadalai of the day!"</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
A lot of them wishing me good luck with my university applications. That seems to have occupied a big chunk of our thoughts. A lot of advice about not worrying -- hmm.<br />
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I remember crying for days together, walking aimlessly in a red-eyed daze after leaving Bits. Who are these people now and if I meet them, will I recognize the person in them that wrote these words?<br />
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I really don't know. Perhaps, we can pick up where we left off...that's what good friends are supposed to do, right?<br />
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Arranging the library is always a soul searching process for me one way or another. The photos or the words get me every time.<br />
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</div>RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-8625395048687455822012-02-20T00:01:00.000-05:002012-02-20T00:01:18.240-05:00Me-time.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">So the days when r~ decides to skip her nap and go to sleep early (weekends), it's like we earned ourselves a few hours in which to relax and do nothing. Time to myself. Read a book, eat ice-cream, watch a movie, do nothing. But, usually these two me-time hours turn out to be more stressful for me than not having them because all the time I spend doing something in those 2 hours, I constantly tell myself, it's my precious me-time and I better make the best use of it! And then, I think of all the other things I can be doing in these hours and that list of course is endless eventually making me more stressed than if I just went to bed and slept with r~.<br />
<br />
As soon as I hear her little snores, my thought process is something like this:<br />
<br />
Check time. 8.15. Good. Lots of time to do stuff.<br />
What first?<br />
3 books am in the middle of...haven't blogged in ages...that JavaScript article that I have been meaning to listen to...oh! New episode of BigBangTheory...clean house...<br />
Feel a bit rushed. I reach out to my computer without having decided what to do.<br />
Land on fb and twitter.<br />
9.45?! How did this happen?<br />
Hurriedly reach out to book and flip pages without focusing.<br />
15 minutes later, remember something to buy from Amazon.<br />
Back on the computer.<br />
Blog done.<br />
11.30? Have to sleep early, work tomorrow.<br />
Recheck twitter account. Also linkedIn and pinterest.<br />
12.00 -- thinking I will be so annoyed tomorrow with less sleep.<br />
Stress about books not read and remaining blogs left undone.<br />
House same mess as found 2 hours earlier.<br />
<br />
Next time, I can do without these 2 hours. And come to think of it, without the internet!<br />
<br />
Got to do yoga. One more item to add to my me-time list. Great.<br />
<br />
</div>RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-32726467890384476102012-02-01T22:21:00.002-05:002012-02-01T22:50:21.240-05:00iStress<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The iPad is becoming a frequent point of contention in our household and the cause of considerable amount of stress for me. I'll start with the smallest point (person) and then go on to the bigger (older) ones. No, I am not going to say I have conflicts with r~ about how long she can be on the iPad. Thankfully that day is not here yet. She is a pretty good kid that way and hardly ever demands to play on the iPad but she has recently gotten into this routine of face-timing when it's night in America.<br />
<br />
It's a long story. She doesn't like the dark much and asked why the sun had to set and why it was not bright and somehow we landed on the topic of it being daytime in India while it's night in the US and she got fascinated by this concept. So, when it is night here, she would say, Oh, it's dark here which means thatha paati will be awake, so let's facetime with them. And soon, it became a routine for her. Oh, it's night here, let's facetime to the extent that she would refuse to talk to her grandparents on the phone. "No, only facetime!".<br />
<br />
It's quite interesting watching her interact with her thatha paati on the iPad. Although she has spent considerable time with her grandparents face to face, now her routine is to chat using the iPad and so, she doesn't treat it any differently from face to face. She'll usually demand for facetime and then proceed to do her normal activities as if her thatha paati were right in the room with her. It's not "different" for her to interact with her grandparents this way. Today, she said, "Let's take thatha on a walk into the night!" and I asked her how and she said, "Joiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, like this" and she showed me how we would carry the iPad with us into the night which means that thatha is coming with her for a walk into the night :)<br />
<br />
Anyway, coming back to the contention points, the second is k (of course). Every morning, I get up a little earlier than k and r~ so that I can get her lunch box ready while they catch up on some more zzzs. And after screaming out their names 22 times and opening the curtains and playing loud music, k will sleep walk his way into the kitchen, look around for his glasses and/or coffee and then sit down with his...iPad while I fume in the kitchen, calling out a constant stream of instructions that usually lightly bounce off his ears and fall onto the carpet. And when I questioned the necessity to make the iPad an essential body part this early in the morning, he said, well, isn't that what our dads did? They sat with the newspaper -- that's the only difference! This actually made me laugh...the other day, I was drawing with r~ and I found a picture that reminded me of what he said. So, I drew it out on a piece of paper and gifted it to him as a reminder of how thoughtfully he had held up to his side of the argument:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVHei6UfmlX2oCe3lZQyv7gEHH1tQtv9aYinHnEoZ3AzY-2fGNdnD0YXAJNSrywZYjWOO4jCRkThlfFHEgf7qScGqeYx43BPDIvmspu0Ikden-06C6L-Pi-sdOhCXlMSZ40K1Cg/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVHei6UfmlX2oCe3lZQyv7gEHH1tQtv9aYinHnEoZ3AzY-2fGNdnD0YXAJNSrywZYjWOO4jCRkThlfFHEgf7qScGqeYx43BPDIvmspu0Ikden-06C6L-Pi-sdOhCXlMSZ40K1Cg/s640/photo.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />
It came out pretty well I thought. He asked if I thought that's where he was heading at the top (notice the baldness), I hadn't thought of that :p<br />
<br />
So, the third point which is most likely to cause some heart condition in me has to do with my parents and the iPad. Usually a facetime (chat) session on the iPad goes like this:<br />
<br />
Me: "Amma, can you come on facetime, r~ wants to chat..."<br />
<br />
Amma: "Now???"<br />
<br />
Me: "Yes."<br />
<br />
Amma: "But, can't I just talk to r~ on the phone?"<br />
<br />
Me: "No." (With r~ screaming into my ears all along, <span style="font-size: large;">"</span><span style="font-size: large;">Facetime, facetime, thatha, paati, facetime!!!"</span>)<br />
<br />
Amma: "The iPad is in the bureau..."<br />
<br />
Me: (With slightly elevated pulse rates) "Why?" -- This is like the point in BBT where the Leonard warns someone not to ask Sheldon Why.<br />
<br />
Amma: "Because it is expensive and lot of people come in here. It will get stolen. I can't find the bureau keys..."<br />
<br />
Appa: "Amma is looking for the bureau keys to get the iPad out. What is r~ doing? Oh...I hear her. What is she saying? Hellooooo...helllooooooo paaaappa..."<br />
<br />
Me: "She won't come on phone pa..." (Thaaaaaaaaaaaathaa, paaaaaaaati...wheeeeeeee -- now she is just screaming just because it is fun)<br />
<br />
Amma: (Somewhat breathlessly) "I took it out..."<br />
<br />
Me: "Ok, can you come on facetime?"<br />
<br />
Amma: "It's not working"<br />
<br />
Me: (Enter gritting teeth stage) "W h a t do you mean, it's not working?"<br />
<br />
Amma: "It shows a red broken battery and won't even start"<br />
<br />
Me: (Coming close to matching r's decibel level) <span style="font-size: large;">"Why is it not charged?"</span><br />
<br />
Amma: "I can't leave it charging forever. The iPad will heat up...also if it is left outside..." (repeats the whole reason about burglars targeting iPad2's in India)<br />
<br />
Me: "Put it on charge now"<br />
<br />
Amma: "I did. It's still showing a broken battery."<br />
<br />
Me: "Aaarg"<br />
<br />
After sometime, I have calmed down, had some cold water, managed to give r~ some fingerpaint which she is using as floor paint but at least she is quiet now. I call India again.<br />
<br />
Me: "Ok, iPad charged?"<br />
<br />
Amma: "Yes. It doesn't work."<br />
<br />
Me: "???"<br />
<br />
Amma: (Patiently expands on her terse statement) "Nothing works"<br />
<br />
Me: "@#@##$%"<br />
<br />
Amma: (Excitedly) "Shall I come on the laptop? It will only take 2 minutes?"<br />
<br />
Me: "No, we bought the iPad for a reason....what doesn't work?"<br />
<br />
So you can see how it goes. Thankfully, that time L~ was home and he deduced that the internet connection was down and so fixed it (which in India, you do by restarting the modem. Five times a day.)<br />
<br />
I haven't even touched upon me remote debugging from here and teaching my dad how to increase volume on the iPad or the time they lost the charger and spent more than the iPad cost to replace it -- need a part 2 to this post :p<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-71684404191060628072012-01-14T18:19:00.002-05:002012-01-14T18:22:01.363-05:00A for Awkward...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">So there are quite a few things you can learn from kiddo birthday parties. One of them is how to deal with new situations and new people -- you can always run to the center and shout really loud. Everyone enjoys that and if you think about it, it is fun to do that. Only, you can't really do that if you are an adult even though it breaks the ice and acts as a tension release mechanism. Or you can start jumping. That could be fun too. You can just go hopping from one new person to another or just hop to a beat in your head by yourself. Again, not an option for me. The third easy option is to partially hide your face behind your mom or dad and peek at the new folks standing in a comfortably close circle at a distance. Practical difficulties with this third option for me.<br />
Another option (my favorite) is to start dancing, as demonstrated below. A long shot but this one's worth a try.<br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglOtf6tLZsrQy0cgOyWdVExPhjHy4TNKzeCn99IpM_FAzbC-F3II3bldDiSYuAYRs8WVdk3ubLV6LpUZBJ_v7YYafx49U0WlvKQdhbB21D3J2p9KhlQYp4GTvgWF7YnOMc1lkdNg/s1600/IMG_3058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglOtf6tLZsrQy0cgOyWdVExPhjHy4TNKzeCn99IpM_FAzbC-F3II3bldDiSYuAYRs8WVdk3ubLV6LpUZBJ_v7YYafx49U0WlvKQdhbB21D3J2p9KhlQYp4GTvgWF7YnOMc1lkdNg/s640/IMG_3058.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Anyway with all my fun options taken away, I get to deal with new people and situations the adult way i.e. by being awkward. The initial meeting is never awkward especially when you meet people in a new place through your kid's activities -- school, birthday parties and so on because that is when you just head randomly to a person or a set of people and introduce yourself as so and so's mom. Or you could stand in the middle of the room and just smile at everyone and some kind soul will usually head towards you and ask if you are so and so's mom.<br />
<br />
But, what happens after that? When you meet all these people again at a similar gathering, what then? You have run out of "I am so and so's mom. You are so and so's mom?" stage. So now the onus is on you to say something interesting and meaningful while wondering if you can recognize your kid amongst the 20 other little ones running and jumping everywhere around you. Yes, I could always make small conversation and talk about the weather or something but I don't do small talk well. I know logically, that's how one ought to begin to build relationships. You can't talk philosophy and books and passions to a random person before they know you as more than so and so's mom...I can see how that would go.<br />
<br />
<i>"Hey, you are r's mom right?"</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>"Yes but I'd rather discuss the latest book you read or I read or we could talk what you are really passionate about...what are your thoughts on r2i, bharatanatyam, organic food...oh...you have to go? Right now? Ok."</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
The other issue is when we try to interact as adults while managing kids, we fall into what I call the-half-attention syndrome. This gets better as the kids get older but still...it's like half our brain is focusing on the conversation with the adult while the other half is wondering why your 3 year old is licking that germ-infested bouncy contraption and giving you that look that says, "I dare you to react to this in this public gathering". The nice thing about the half-attention-syndrome with friends is you both know each other well enough to carry out a meaningful conversation with half finished sentences...<br />
<br />
"Hey, did you read 'The help'? The movie didn't really...<span style="font-size: large;">stop chewing on that thing!</span> (that thing = a USB drive)...do justice to the...<span style="font-size: large;">right now or no cake for you ever...</span>but that other movie was a good adaptation, you know which one...<span style="font-size: large;">no, not my iphone</span>...we should go to that new organic cafe...<span style="font-size: large;">no, no lollypop because it has chemicals</span>...how's your brother's marriage coming along...<span style="font-size: large;">yes, even if it's pink, it's bad, kannu...no! don't throw it there!</span>..."<br />
<br />
Yup. Can't do that with new folks. I notice with new folks, it is a more contained half-attention-syndrome.<br />
<br />
"Yes, we should definitely meet to set up a...excuse me, I need to..." pointing to your red faced bawling kid because another kid would not share the ball while 3 other balls are lying unnoticed on the floor.<br />
<br />
But, I like to believe I am getting better at this plus if your spouse accompanies you to these get-togethers (thank you, k), you can actually get past the weather talk, which I did with a few folks here.<br />
<br />
I am still awkward. I still tend to chatter to fill up voids but I am getting better at 'awkward'. I still would prefer a "Tu meri chamak chalo" routine instead...<br />
<br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div></div>RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-33099231384229021902011-12-10T18:54:00.002-05:002011-12-10T22:01:44.691-05:00The way I am.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">So in my family, we have this term "AKS". I am not really sure who came up with the acronym but it stands for "Aala kandaa samudram" and it denotes the trait in some people that makes them dance to the tunes of someone. The someone can be someone we met by chance or a visitor or a relative dropping by for the evening. If you are an AKS, in a few minutes, you would act as if your world only comprised of this new person and their every wish is your command. <br />
<br />
In Bits slang (actually, it is a pretty common slang), we had a "sort of an" equivalent -- Kadalai. A senior once explained the difference between talking and kadalai. If you cut classes for your "talk", it's kadalai. If you forgot to say hi to your friend walking past you, it's kadalai. If you just skipped dinner at Meera bhavan for the talk, it's kadalai. Or if you came running back to the bhavan to make it just in time for the 11 PM curfew or stood there begging the watchman to let you in without signing, yup, definitely kadalai! Anyway, AKS is sort of kadalai but platonic in nature. <br />
<br />
An extension to being an AKS is being someone who wants people around all the time and I firmly belong to this extended circle. Sometimes, I think I should return back to India to see if I feel more comfortable just hearing people around me...but that's another story.<br />
<br />
Once k (unfairly, if you ask me) blamed me for making him overly people-wanting just like me. He doesn't get why there are certain things that I just won't do alone (and I tell him, (wo)man is a social being, the last I checked -- not just virtually social!) like eating alone. <br />
<br />
Now that we are on the topic of eating, it demands its own paragraph! The standard rule in our house is that dinner is a family affair. Everyone needs to be at the dining table, books and tech-toys put away, the idea being that dinner-time is a congenial, healthy together time where we eat leisurely in peace and share some food and laughter. In reality, it turns out to be a time when k or I make up ludicrous stories to keep r~ from pouring the sambhar on herself or warning her for the 98th time that she or Simba will get timeout if she insists on washing her face with apple juice but you get the point. <br />
<br />
Going back to the eating alone bit. I don't think men are made to eat alone. Eating is what I call a together activity like going to a coffee shop or cooking. In the case of cooking, I make an exception -- I either cook while on the phone or like cooking with k. He doesn't think that's a great idea. He likes having the kitchen completely to himself when he cooks (like a King (who cooks) or a Chef)! <br />
<br />
(Reminds me of how girls always go to the rest room together while I haven't heard a man ask another if he wants to use the rest room -- k especially doesn't get this.)<br />
<br />
I don't like watching movies alone. I don't even know why that is because you are focusing on the screen not on the other person but that's the way its wired in my brain. <br />
<br />
I don't like walking into a new place (work is fine but if its to socialize then it's not) alone.<br />
<br />
I don't like staying home or staying anywhere else alone with baby. It's ok if the other adult is just staring at the ipad or reading a book, it matters. Coming to books, that's probably one of the few things I don't mind doing alone.<br />
<br />
Basically the "together" list gets pretty long and sometimes I wonder if its the AKS in me that wants to share the activity with someone else or if there are other women out there who are like me. I don't think its growing up in India that's the reason for this umm...trait because k is perfectly fine doing his thing in his space, alone (with his ipad). It's not one of those psychological single child etc thing either because I grew up with l~ and my parents spent a lot of (if not all) their time focusing on their kids...I guess its just the way I am :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35IkwUzkk8A-sRNacgh_FiMBMRD_hwAOyazR9ISCm5bokvm21dI51DnpCdmJsj7XO03GDZ9jq52bDbqxmKNFTkVjNzeci_dVx9XBWHkVZ8CZEMPj-0xJFBmrvd9s-2964FyKQmA/s1600/pepper.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35IkwUzkk8A-sRNacgh_FiMBMRD_hwAOyazR9ISCm5bokvm21dI51DnpCdmJsj7XO03GDZ9jq52bDbqxmKNFTkVjNzeci_dVx9XBWHkVZ8CZEMPj-0xJFBmrvd9s-2964FyKQmA/s640/pepper.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
</div>RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-80003199609734535652011-11-23T10:58:00.001-05:002011-11-23T11:03:24.800-05:00Exploring Atlanta...Wild Animal Safari<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last weekend we went to the Wild Animal Safari in PineMountain, GA. There is a nice walk through where you get to see the Siberian tigers, baboons, hyenas (some of them below) and then the fun part of the trip -- the striped bus that takes you through the Safari where you get to see the wild animals up, close and personal and feel them (for those that dare to do that) through the windows! The giraffe with its long neck craning inside the window to grab the whole bag of treats was probably the highlight of the trip!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhun94bNRHy5swghmvXwcRzJROJox7IlN5CDMZdUKcXWY2YOtmCf61krgutanusOpgy18UXJU6a1ZAFjgAuxBMrx_72yFkmOeIGNucA4SsGA0EHHiWtjjQRXLm33xuwDN5XXya7dQ/s1600/IMG_2591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhun94bNRHy5swghmvXwcRzJROJox7IlN5CDMZdUKcXWY2YOtmCf61krgutanusOpgy18UXJU6a1ZAFjgAuxBMrx_72yFkmOeIGNucA4SsGA0EHHiWtjjQRXLm33xuwDN5XXya7dQ/s1600/IMG_2591.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Siberian Tiger...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhQHQ5uEMUlb88GmpAYea1fV_YLrR9zH_9C336XmKU7q0Iz3Wvn-xTTdmiiKG3-rC6mK6xtqvLP5AN-_PpUMd09g4i3StWTcUJ0sARIzxce87U0ZFKHL3T6OrEMBEyjlDu4Q8Cw/s1600/IMG_2604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhQHQ5uEMUlb88GmpAYea1fV_YLrR9zH_9C336XmKU7q0Iz3Wvn-xTTdmiiKG3-rC6mK6xtqvLP5AN-_PpUMd09g4i3StWTcUJ0sARIzxce87U0ZFKHL3T6OrEMBEyjlDu4Q8Cw/s1600/IMG_2604.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Llama llama, red pyjama!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSXUQlLQpAmKQMA5b5WPGp9V8AkUMD5sLAOJf3EOyMIrFBaCVs9D-gokZQPSTYMTSWmq86pcL-vsxpA_XFaGvpSGYPCybdM0TRz-UfO2h3trT4Aa0Ot8G_z19-73pDAv5DhqR7MQ/s1600/IMG_2616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSXUQlLQpAmKQMA5b5WPGp9V8AkUMD5sLAOJf3EOyMIrFBaCVs9D-gokZQPSTYMTSWmq86pcL-vsxpA_XFaGvpSGYPCybdM0TRz-UfO2h3trT4Aa0Ot8G_z19-73pDAv5DhqR7MQ/s1600/IMG_2616.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giraffe and k's hand!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdyEhXt6wVESVrxrbynODLxPbPa0Quav2agRrPDj32zv8ue88aZ87RPbCRag4yfyvELAWAbjXlQQp6Z-PWpiIIxoIFc8NUsg40BjuCntrnjCteuoPShDXgqvonCLooFmYLOuYQw/s1600/IMG_2634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdyEhXt6wVESVrxrbynODLxPbPa0Quav2agRrPDj32zv8ue88aZ87RPbCRag4yfyvELAWAbjXlQQp6Z-PWpiIIxoIFc8NUsg40BjuCntrnjCteuoPShDXgqvonCLooFmYLOuYQw/s1600/IMG_2634.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rudolf!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJdke5ZoHJSd-V85Ndl5qaCX9JTDXPgtMjlkX39FWJXvejh84Plgf4L2ONNxC8wNb4Z_JwnSj-TMNM0F4PA4CFjumQDOWplCmMYan55yzn0KLNEZgCL5m3V4r9liCfFCuuvEQAQ/s1600/IMG_2639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJdke5ZoHJSd-V85Ndl5qaCX9JTDXPgtMjlkX39FWJXvejh84Plgf4L2ONNxC8wNb4Z_JwnSj-TMNM0F4PA4CFjumQDOWplCmMYan55yzn0KLNEZgCL5m3V4r9liCfFCuuvEQAQ/s1600/IMG_2639.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">k's favorite -- a 5500 pound rhino!</td></tr>
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<br /></div>RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com01300 Oak Grove Rd, Pine Mountain, GA 31822, USA32.9047518 -84.923378632.9030853 -84.9258461 32.9064183 -84.920911100000012tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-9573694109895224682011-11-22T12:01:00.001-05:002011-11-23T11:12:54.634-05:00Like!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="000000" flashvars="config=http://ishare.rediff.com/embed_config.php?id=5534527%26player%3Dplayer_embed_dm_27052011.swf&plugins=http://ishare.rediff.com/images/embed_plugin_30052011.swf&autostart=false" height="320" src="http://ishare.rediff.com/images/player_embed_dm_27052011.swf" width="470"></embed></div>RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-23120141197630667512011-11-17T14:50:00.001-05:002011-11-17T15:21:39.558-05:00About women & proving themselves.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When I initially joined IBM, I would tell k, "We have to reach on time in the morning and that means 9 AM sharp" and k, well you know, he likes to linger and blink and tune out and drink coffee s-l-o-w-l-y and basically do anything in his capacity to not acknowledge that the sun has risen and yes the day has indeed begun! So, after realizing where I was with the time requirements and where k was (we drove to work together), I compromised and said, "Ok, 9.10 and not a minute later than that. We gotta be at work by 9.10!" He sort of agreed because I guess he just didn't have the energy for a full-fledged fight early in the morning!<br />
<br />
I never got how k could be so casual about OUR NEW JOB AT IBM! I mean, we have to PROVE OURSELVES right? My mind would scream and his mind would give me one of those, "Have you gone mental ?" looks!<br />
<br />
And thankfully after a while, he started working from home and I didn't have to negotiate our morning leaving time again. Now that I am again a new employee, I have all the same rules that I applied when I was new at IBM. I have to reach on time, I can only leave after 5 (4.45 may be ok if I don't have much to do that particular day), I can't take too many sick days (Yup, just told my body not to fall sick) and so on. And k still doesn't get that -- the whole "proving myself" bit. A few weeks back v~ and d~ had come to Alpharetta and v~ was talking about something similar at her new workplace and k goes, "What is it with you TamBram girls and proving yourselves at work?!"<br />
<br />
And a few days back, I told him about this new girl who had joined our work place who said the same thing pretty much word to word and she was not even from India. And this time, it made me wonder too -- is it a girl thing? The strong need to prove herself at work because...because what? Just the fact that she has been hired (after multiple challenging interviews) is not good enough an indicator to people that she is good at what she does? Or is the default assumption that she will be taking more time off because of kids/family etc since traditionally she has come to do that? Maybe the 'pat in the back' for working hard is more important to us for some reason. Come to think of it. We do thrive on words of praise, don't we?<br />
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Gotta go now. Have some "proving myself" business to take care of!</div>RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-47621967085799470632011-11-07T22:43:00.005-05:002011-11-08T10:34:15.663-05:00GATS Diwali 2011<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">If you asked me what my ideal <i>tiffin </i>would be, I'd say it is 'Chai and Samosa'. It doesn't matter if we are in Atlanta sitting at the sad little fast food place near the Children's museum or if we are sitting at home lazing on a weekend evening, I always want Chai and Samosa. I suspect this has something to do with my cafeteria visits in Bits (we always put it on our tab and the bespectacled old man there would extend an aging ruled notebook where we would scribble our names yet again because we didn't carry cash in, which was almost all the times we went there :p)<br />
<br />
And what does this have to do with the <a href="http://www.gatamilsangam.org/">Greater Atlanta Tamil Sangam</a>? They served Chai and Samosa! And that, for me, is really reason enough to declare that I enjoyed the programme! Their lunch was decent and the programmes initially were luke warm. There was a huge crowd and they had to get extra seats in to seat everyone. Just after I had texted S~ saying the programmes were just ok, someone named Vijay came on stage to announce a dance show and after that we were pretty much glued to our seats (save the Samosa, Chai break). The take on the old MGR songs reminded me of what we did for the <a href="http://sweb.uky.edu/StudentOrgs/LTCA/">Lexington Tamil Cultural Association</a>...some patterns never grow old. The super singer final was also well organized, the MC was funny and lively and the contestants sang well (I initially thought the MC was joking about how you can't really tell the younger contestants are American born because they sing without an accent but he was absolutely right, they sang as the song should be sung -- neat!) We stayed for almost 5 hours (and I had told k we would probably hang out there for an hour or so) and surprisingly r~ enjoyed the show too (which is saying something -- 3 yr old, 5 hours in an auditorium, know what I mean?)<br />
<br />
I am glad I set aside my Saturday to go see the programme! I mean with samosa and hot masala chai served in the evening, you can't really go wrong, can you? :)</div>RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-43969574874927976712011-11-01T16:12:00.006-04:002011-11-04T08:57:02.937-04:00Just...thoughts.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Once in a while, I scramble to organize my thoughts into a meaningful post and those times, I just find it easier to write down a list of random thoughts and questions from my head because then, they have had their moment of 'notice' and then they can exit gracefully or stay behind for more conversation. So, here goes:<br />
<br />
அ I am always caught by surprise by people who don't tend to be as inclusive as I am. I am using the term 'inclusive' very loosely here to mean including all kinds of people (no, not talking about racial bias here). If I were arranging a get-together at home and an acquaintance showed even a little bit of interest, I would have already handed out the invitation to her -- to me, the more the merrier is true in most cases. But, a lot of people, I am learning, tend to be cautious inviting people into their groups. I don't know if it has to do with insecurity or a basic lack of interest in reaching out to new people or just plain laziness. Perhaps there are other reasons -- I don't know because I can't read their minds. All I see is the wall.<br />
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ஆ And continuing the same thought, I can't think highly of people who don't have the courtesy to respond to my time with theirs. If I send you an email (nope, not talking about a forwarded joke sent to a group of 80 people), I expect you to show me the courtesy of a response. If you can't spend the few minutes it takes to respond to my email, phone call or invitation (nope, not talking about edge cases and personal crises here), then I don't really have time to be your friend.<br />
<br />
இ If you notice people carefully, you can at least get the gist of what's going on in their heads, sometimes :p The other day, I was at r~'s school talking to her teacher. She smiled and talked and smiled and talked for about 15 minutes and it was almost time for us (the parents) to leave when I mentioned I had a few questions to ask. And then I watched the smile slowly recede from the corners of her face to somewhere midway and it stood there frozen. She didn't really have time for questions, it said. And she says, "Yes, sure" and I try to speak through the disconnect staring me at my face. Has that ever happened to you?<br />
<br />
ஈ I feel like doing a million things at once. Even as I am doing a few of the million things, I think of a few more things to do to make sure it says an even million.<br />
<br />
உI cut my hair shorter thinking it will be lesser work and maintenance. It's more. Now, I get to spend 5 minutes straightening the fuzzy ball of hair that surrounds my face, no gravity to pull it down (always wondering if I will end up like Joe from Little Women). And before you know it, I'll be one of those women spending 15 minutes every morning wearing makeup. Ha! Caught you -- that never happening!<br />
<br />
ஊ I read a beautiful book yesterday --<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Help-Deluxe-Kathryn-Stockett/dp/0399157913/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320176452&sr=8-1"> The help</a> by Kathryn Stockett Glad to have read a book that made me cry. How can you be glad at something that makes you cry?<br />
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எ Earlier, I missed India. Now, I miss India and my friends in Lex. Does that mean I miss India less since some of my 'missing' quota is taken up by Lex? I don't really miss anything else about Lex and I would really miss the food and the events in Atlanta if I were to move back, does that mean I should subtract some from my overall 'missing' quota? Can there be a quota for 'missing'? Does it become 0? Ever?<br />
<br />
ஏ There was this girl I know who teased me with this boy I know and then married that boy. Is that weird? I have always thought that was a weird thing to do. Maybe all the teasing made her realize she would rather be the teasee than the teaser.<br />
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ஐ And talking about that girl reminds me of how I cannot be comfortable in the presence of some people. Usually these are the people k terms, 'street-smart'. But, he claims he is 'street-smart'. Either he isn't or my tolerance has improved. I doubt it's the latter. Sometimes, I think 'street-smart' has 'cunning' and 'suspicious' for siblings.<br />
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ஒ And being suspicious of people's intentions all the time makes me exhausted. I have always taken people's statements as true and well-intentioned. Double guessing their intentions is not something I like to do. I am told I need to do that to be 'street-smart'. Yeah, I think I'll just stay naive. Thank you.<br />
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ஓ What happened to good comedy in Tamil movies? You know, like the Kadhai scene in Kadhalikka Neramillai or 'Rasam vechaa porum' by Nagesh in Galaata Kalyanam?<br />
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ஔ If you work in India, can you have garam chai at 4 PM and a samosa or two?<br />
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ஃ Ok, I need that garam chai now. Heading home. Have a good day, dear reader!<br />
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</div>RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-59688872388740507922011-10-27T13:29:00.003-04:002011-10-27T14:47:14.194-04:00Deepavali 2011<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Children's museum in Atlanta has become one of our favorite hang outs. r~ treats the place like her second home. Last weekend, v~, d~ & baby d~ had come to visit us and we took them to the children's museum, the kids had a blast. Every time I would ask them, "Ready for some playdough?" Two excited voices would reply, "Yes!", "Ready for the water table?" "Yes! Yes!", "Ready for painting?" "Yessss!" :)<br />
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After they left, I realized how much I missed the company of friends. K seemed to have missed people too for he talked non-stop initially and interrupted me several times to share anecdotes with them. Feel that bitter-sweet taste in my mouth now -- that I have good friends and had a good time last weekend but can't meet them again unless I drive 5.5 hours.<br />
<br />
Yesterday, we went to the <a href="http://atlanta.baps.org/index.html">Swaminarayan Mandir</a> here to celebrate what was left of Deepavali (Sitting at my desk watching the Facebook timeline fade with messages of Happy Deepavali is not my idea of "celebrating" Deepavali). When we parked there, I was...awestruck. Pretty much. I saw lanterns floating into the sky just like in Tangled. We got out of the van and just stood and watched for sometime as the red lit lanterns floated slowly into the sky...and in the background, the white marble temple changed colors. The water in front of the temple reflected the flickering lamps decorating the steps of the temple and the lanterns floating about. And on either sides of the water area and in front of the temple were a sea of people waiting for the fireworks and aarti to begin. The lively music and fireworks made my day feel almost like Deepavali.<br />
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We ate Indian food (also amidst a sea of people) in a tent after standing in a long snaking line. We sat on the grass and ate because every available single spot on the table and the chairs were taken up by desis or food! r~ had a blast.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/x3pUnkc_wUU?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br />
<i>(No, I didn't record this video...no smart phone yet, Siri still being shipped!)</i><br />
<br />
That's life for now...exploring the place because we left the people in a different place...</div>RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-23481886028374504812011-10-10T09:24:00.003-04:002011-10-10T09:24:41.031-04:00Blue<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Gloom and doom lately -- First the news about Steve Jobs and now Jagjit Singh. Even the weather seems on the duller side.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8rwsuXHA7RA" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
Wishing for peace and good news...</div>
RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-17924151856980014402011-09-28T11:11:00.000-04:002011-09-28T11:11:22.751-04:00On architecting...life<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am a planner. I plan parties, get-togethers, gifts and just about everything and put in a lot of energy and time into it. I like doing that. I liked planning and preparing for the arangetram, the job change, the city change...the life change. But sometimes, I feel like I should take a break and just experience life the way it is. Without the looking ahead and the constant churning to shape the future course of events.<br />
<br />
K often points out that even before he has completed a chore, I am on to the next one, planning what needs to be completed next. And he is right. I am uncomfortable being complacent. I understand complacency is different from being at peace and I can do the latter without bringing in stagnation in my life. But, I find it hard to draw a line between the two. Sometimes, I have to consciously tell myself to enjoy this moment, this point in space that I am at, that I seemingly architected but probably had more to do with powers higher than me and words difficult to comprehend like destiny and the universe. But, I like to think I had something to do with it because it makes me feel a little bit more secure in this world of uncertainties. <br />
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I have no idea what tomorrow will bring but I can pretend to choreograph a part of it to my liking because well, that is all I can do. If that pretense of control leaves my hand, then I am vulnerable and I don't necessarily want that realization dawning bright and clear on me -- as long as it's somewhere in the back of my mind, that's fine and I can continue to plan and architect my life. In little ways that are important to me. Now, if only I can add the taking-a-few-minutes-to-smell-the-flowers bit...</div>
RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5816833.post-85483855574725308702011-09-19T16:45:00.003-04:002011-09-19T16:48:04.215-04:00Exploring Atlanta -- Puppets!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I should probably title this post, "Exploring Alpharetta" but I know there is much more scope if we catch the train to Atlanta :) Yesterday, we went to a puppet show, "The Ugly Duckling" at <a href="http://www.puppet.org/">The Center for Puppetry Arts</a> in Atlanta. I wondered if r would have the patience to sit through the show and was surprised that she did. To my relief, even before we entered the theater, I found a lot of parents with squirming toddlers and knew I had reached the right place. The show was bright and loud (in a nice way) and they had a really nice stage setting with musical instruments built into the stage itself. The puppetry form was "Overt puppetry" where we can actually see the puppeteers manipulating the puppets. The lighting and sound systems in the theater are pretty sophisticated due to which they could pull off a stunt where the puppeteer blew a firefly (like light) from her hand and they filled up the entire ceiling (tiny lights that were supposed to be fireflies) -- that was magical for the kids (and to some of us)!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFtcv3aIB_U-hqHCuC9Ar_dfDzR5wQ8fvh0FFSvnk-qmFtQrSBqTeOFGk5Jq1AsV0jINj1kq4KWGn3WCqCQoTBHIdRLfFb023MATMCH4KHvAxQJe3pi8rCvU9rT2zVYr836Y9GA/s1600/duckling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFtcv3aIB_U-hqHCuC9Ar_dfDzR5wQ8fvh0FFSvnk-qmFtQrSBqTeOFGk5Jq1AsV0jINj1kq4KWGn3WCqCQoTBHIdRLfFb023MATMCH4KHvAxQJe3pi8rCvU9rT2zVYr836Y9GA/s320/duckling.jpg" width="309" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The puppet we made</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The last time, we took the train to Atlanta (Marta) to the Children's museum and as a result couldn't really pick a restaurant of our choice to eat, which made <i>some </i>of us (yes, that would be me) cranky (I had to eat cold veggie burger in Atlanta. I mean, come on! I am in Atltanta, I should be able to find a desi snack place with hot snacks)! And so this time, we were planned. After the puppet show, we ate alu sandwiches with hot sauce which k had meticulously packed and I even packed coconut water in case I got tired (you can never tell with my thyroid gland)! Then we went to Chattahoochee national park by the river and walked about 1/4th of the trail (just a few minutes actually) before I started feeling tired. So, we just sat by the river sand and let Rads play with simba and her ugly duckling (The puppetry center had a small workshop where we could make ugly duckling puppets with the kids -- an awesome idea! r loved it!) puppet.<br />
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Glad I can actually go to a show and actually take r with me -- low stress deal! If you are in Atlanta, drop me a line and let me know what kid-friendly places you like or even better, if you are in Alpharetta, just drop by home :p</div>
RShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11472333363851646195noreply@blogger.com2