Grown up!??

I had an amazing childhood.. My parents were very supportive and always provided me and my brother the best of everything.

Coming from such a background, I directly didn’t have any major responsibilities to be taken care off.. All of the household tasks were done by my mom and the alfresco things my dad contributed to.. Me and my brother were primarily focused on studying well and were content with ourselves..

After we attained our teenage, me and my brother would help my mom in her daily chores and buy things from nearby super markets. We started taking care of our rooms and kept it clean occasionally 😉

Once I got married and traveled to US, things drastically changed. We were only two of us and I had major responsibilities of taking care of house, cleaning things, cooking food and studying some times in between. I was juggling with so many tasks. I really missed my lifestyle in India and felt very tired multi tasking.. My husband would help me sometimes and I’m very fortunate for that but I didn’t want him to get involved daily ‘cos he would already had a long day working at office.

Initial days of US, I would just laze around reading  some books and neglect the house cleaning ‘cos I was so accustomed to my old lifestyle..

As days passed, I started learning new things daily and got to know how to manage things and still keep everything organized..

Now I do all my chores and work on time and still spend some free time reading or browsing.. And I even have the responsibility of paying all the bills on time so that no due dates come up 😜

The way my lifestyle got transformed from India to US had a major contribution of our living in a distant country and having our own responsibilities.. I consider it as a very good opportunity to discover our capabilities and explore ourselves and thus gain experience.

I guess experience is nothing, but the way we handle situations in which we may or may not learn from them. Learning from mistakes only will give us the wisdom and that’s what our elders teach us..

I feel growing up is a process and one cannot become a grown up in a day ! I feel our every day experiences amalgamate our own attitude and way of life.. !!!!

Cheers to all, for learning & discovering daily themselves and others..!

Reading..

Reading a book makes me forget everything and transform me to a new universe. I was very lucky to get this habit during my childhood. I loved to read Comics and this interest developed into reading habit.

 

A room without books is like a body without a soul..

I still remember whenever I used to go to my cousin’s home they used to have a pile of Chacha-Chaudary comics and the colorful illustrations sprung-up my interest and I would dive into that universe. Then I started reading Tinkle , Champak, Billu and other comics. They really fascinated me and I tell you its really the best way to gain interest in reading any book.

Pik: Chacha-Chaudary comics by Pran

Pik: Tinkle

I practically read everything like the matter on billboards, number plates, advertisements etc and that really helped in increasing my vocabulary and reading capability. Once I was in my mid-teens I just couldn’t put down a novel, I used to binge on many books and complete them in record time.. 😉

Everyone will have their own style to read a book and I just love to lay on a sofa, cover myself up and and absorb into the book..

I remember my recent visit to a bookstore/library and I was appalled by some members who despite being surrounded by books hung their heads into their mobile devices and didn’t relish the feeling of reading a physical book. Alas! Technology is replacing the physical books to e-books and the classic musty smell of a book may be in reminiscence and our future generations may not experience it at all..!

I feel reading anything be it novels, magazines etc is a good way to spend someone’s time. I just love to read while traveling. Be it in airplanes, trains , buses , cars etc but I just can’t travel without a book in hand. Now a days we come across so many accessories for a book like book-light, bookmarks which are fanciful and even increases the interest to read the book.

Once we develop this habit it really plays an important role in shaping up the behavior and vocabulary of any individual. Happy reading folks..!! 🙂

Travel Diaries..

My recent trip to Los Angeles made me realize how much I enjoy traveling…

I could meet many wonderful people and mainly I could discover the local culture of L.A by traveling through the local trains and using Lyft. The drivers were very interactive and explained about the lifestyle and the city culture..

It’s completely a magical world with lot of glitz and glamour.. Celebrities,movies and entertainment industry…

Though the city was widespread in multiple directions, it was in an orderly manner.. Traffic wasn’t congested and they followed the rules strictly unlike New York which is also a metropolitan.. Accessibility throughout the city was amazing..

 Pik: Aerial view of the city at night..

Coming to food options , there were mostly Mexican varieties but I couldn’t resist eating Indian cuisine, so tried very little of Mexican.. Indian restaurants were in every nook and corner and I relished all the dishes..

L.A is a very diverse city with multiple cultures and people, still everyone has their own space and fit in very easily.. The celebrities live in a very ultra posh area called ‘The Beverlyhills’ all the high end shops and funky cars are seen in this area.

Pik: RollsRoyce parked on Beverlyhills /Rodeo Drive

Hollywood is a place where aspiring youth come for movie or tv opportunities and strive for their livelihood..
Downtown L.A has most of the business and corporate offices.

WeHo(West Hollywood), NoHo (North Hollywood) , Sunset strip all these areas are in the close vicinity of Hollywood and people of all walks of life live here. WeHo is famous for its LGBT community..

There are hills on one side and then there is the awesome Pacific Ocean on the other end of the city. That really amazed me, both landscapes in one place..!

Pik: Santa Monica beach during sunset

And then there are such amazing theaters and theme parks in Burbank like The Universal Studios, The Disneyland Park, Walt Disney studios etc which provide entertainment for a weekend getaway and a major tourist attraction.

Pik: Universal Studios Neon Sign

The 4 days I spent in L.A made me fall in love with the city.. The weather  was amazingly awesome with cool breeze during nights and minimalistic hot in the mornings.. It’s a complete contrast to the weather of Minnesota 🙂
This trip was a surprise from my husband for my birthday and it was even more special ‘cos of my cousin’s visit. He organized a surprise cake and we celebrated  in a park in Downtown L.A.. I got so many gifts and wishes from folks from India too…!!

I’ll forever cherish this special birthday and this trip and look forward to visit it again .. 🙂
 Pik: Our Green friends..! 😊

 

Birthday…

I am ecstatic about birthdays… 🙂 The month of February brings bliss to me.. Its my birthday month..!! 😀

Since my childhood I have been very eager to celebrate my birthdays…! I was so much fired up to have a birthday party and celebrate with everyone.. I”ll be completing 24 this year and am super excited for many more adventures and surprises of life..!

During my childhood, my parents would invite relatives and family and there would be a splendor celebration to mark the occasion of my birthday with delicious goodies. Every year my birthday cakes were of various models like those of Mickey mouse, Doll cake etc. Me and my brother would buy new clothes and he would get thrilled for all the cake and delicacies.. He loves me even more on that day !! 😉

The feeling to wear new clothes and distribute chocolates in the school with one of the best friends is something I can never explain in words, there used to be cat-fights among my friends to accompany me for the chocolate distribution 😉 There is an aura and so much of happiness on that day I feel like a STAR 😀

Birthdays after marriage are getting more special ‘cos of the day it coincides with.. VALENTINE’S DAY..! 😛

I look forward to celebrate this special day each and every year and feel the amazing person I”m..!! I just lovveeeee birthdays….. I reminiscent all the wonderful memories associated with my birthday and keep having fun..!!

And this Sunday is my birthday.. Do wish me 😉

 

Superstitions & Science..!

In India, we have many superstitions which are followed from centuries. I think that superstitions are those beliefs which are passed on from one generation to another without verifying the true reason behind them.

Let me discuss some of the superstitious beliefs and possible scientific reasons for them..

• Don’t wash your hair on a certain day: 
  • We are told not to wash hair on specific days, maybe the reason behind it would be to conserve water. Water was not readily available at homes in olden days and they had to carry the pots from so many miles to take a bath so maybe it was a rest day and bonus reason Water conservation 🙂

 

• Don’t cut nails after sunset:   
  • In ancient days, electricity wasn’t available and they had mud lamps i.e diyas and they wouldn’t produce as much light as of a fluorescent lamp. Since nail clippers are very sharp objects, they could harm and hence this superstition came up.

 

• Swallow Tulsi (Holy Basil) leaves, never chew:  
  • It is widely believed that Tulsi is a form of Goddess Lakshmi and hence not to chew the leaf. But, the scientific reason is it has arsenic in it and it causes discoloration of teeth hence it should not be chewed.

 

• Do not sleep with your head facing the North:
  • We hear that sleeping North means, inviting death but we don’t know the reason for it. Our ancestors actually knew about the relation between Earth’s magnetic field and human body’s field. They probably made this rule of sleeping with your head in the South because of the harmful effects related to blood pressure and other diseases that asymmetry with the Earth’s magnetic field would create. Hence now we know..!

 

• Don’t go near a Peepal (Sacred Fig) tree at night:

  

  • We hear lots of stories of ghosts and Peepal trees and so not to venture near Peepal trees at night. But, our ancestors probably knew about photosynthesis and the effects of inhaling carbon dioxide in the night. Later stories were woven to discourage people to go near Peepal trees at night making it a superstition.

   

• Bathe after attending a funeral ceremony:
  • Dead bodies have bacteria and other micro-organisms which can cause infections to living beings and hence our ancestors would have created a set of rituals to be performed after the disposal of the body to prevent the deadly diseases.

 

• Saying to sit down immediately after someone sneezes:
  • Sneeze can travel at about 100 miles per hour, so with such high speeds their is a chance of heart missing a beat. So the reason to sit down immediately after a sneeze is to relax the body and then proceed but, it had got down to a superstition saying sneezing while stepping out causes bad luck which indeed isn’t true..

 

My analogy for a superstition into existence: Some unexpected incident or accident would had taken place in olden days with our forefathers. These incidents are then associated with a normal incident which happened concurrently with that accident. Then these normal incidents are then marked as superstitions by the people which do not take time and effort to seek the correct and feasible reason behind the unexpected “bad” incidents or accidents. Thus marking them as a superstition.

We are getting to know that many superstitions are actually science based facts , but they were advertised in a wrong way and people believed without understanding the purpose. I think its time to think about its reason at least once before following blindly…!

 

View from My Window..

Living in Downtown Minneapolis is a huge advantage as I can delight the hustle and bustle of the city.

Right after the Snowfall.. 

 

As I gaze through my window, I see the Skyline of downtown and the various historical skyscrapers. There is a famous “FOSHAY TOWER” which was the tallest building with the height of the structure to 607 feet (185 m) and 32 floors in 1929 but it is surpassed by “IDS CENTER” now as the tallest building of the state with its height of 792 feet (241.4 m)and 57 story. There are so many skyscrapers like the Capella Tower, TCF Bank building, WellsFargo center, Lumber Exchange building which is one of the oldest fire-proof building in the country. Most of the downtown buildings have Skyway System i.e heated paths that are interlinked to various buildings which makes accessibility easy and avoid the cold.

Fog covered Night

Since its peak winter now, the roads and the rooftops are covered with thick blankets of snow.. Though this winter is not harsh, its really amazing how people adapt to such extreme climate and live life smoothly. I appreciate the way this city is built and developed  despite of weather conditions ranging from -1 to -35 deg Celsius during winters. Winter clothes like boots, jackets, scarves, cap and gloves are the basic requirements for venturing outside. Due to heavy snow the roads are generally slippery  but the cleaning operations take place instantly , hence it will be safe to drive and walk along the footpath too.

There are various activities like snowboarding, skiing, snow-tubing, skating etc available during winters and its fun to explore them..

The city is completely white and covered with heaps of snow and its a very beautiful view to enjoy from inside the house. Once outside, you have to fight with the wind,cold breeze to keep yourself warm. I love to stay indoors,watch the snowfall, drink hot chocolate and take lots of pictures during the peak winter.

This is a panoramic view from my window and we can see the roads super clean and the snow covered rooftops. Its a beautiful and a peaceful city and I”m glad I live in Minneapolis..

 

Organic vs Non-Organic Produce

Given people’s growing awareness of health and the environment, public interest is increasingly focusing on the problem of the quality of foods.Considerable attention is being paid to organic farming.There’s a lot of hype on Organic and Non-Organic foods in the market these days.

Organic crops are grown in a natural way without using any synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, although certain approved pesticides may be used. In general, organic foods are also not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or synthetic food additives. They have the natural texture, taste, size of the crops. The farmers use Crop-rotation method, green manure, compost for the raising of new and healthy crops.

Here’s a picture of Organic produce:

Since there are no synthetic pesticides used in organic food crops it takes its natural time to grow and the food produced will have the original flavor. The time taken and labour involved to produce such crops are comparatively higher than non-organic foods hence we see a relatively high price for these products.

Any farmer or food manufacturer who labels and sells a product as organic must be USDA certified as meeting these standards.The labels for any produce are as follows:

100% Organic – Made entirely from organic materials.

Organic – At least 95% organic materials, with remaining ingredients that are approved by USDA.

Made With Organic Ingredients – At least 70% organic ingredients and can display 3 organic ingredients on the label. Cannot use the organic seal.

Non-Organic – If less than 70% organic ingredients, cannot be labeled as organic or use the USDA organic seal.

Conventional or Non-Organic crops are produced by applying chemical fertilizers to promote plant growth, spray insecticides to reduce pests and disease, use chemical herbicides to manage weeds.

There’s a cheat sheet called the “Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15” which helps in guiding which foods to buy Organic vs to buy conventional.

Studies does not confirm yet that organic foods taste better than non-organic foods but the way these foods are cultivated plays a major role in the environment.

 

Many countries have already adopted the Organic farming and accomplished in producing amazing food products without the help of synthetic pesticides. Lets take an active part in this organic food revolution which in turn helps Earth to be better, cleaner and greener!!

Festivals

India is a land of festivals. Every month has its unique festivities.. Regardless of the caste / religion people celebrate festivals very happily. 

Hindus celebrate Diwali, Dussehra with lot of enthusiasm and fun. Other festivals include Rakhi, Ganesh chaturthi, Sankranthi, Krishna astami, Holi , Ugadi, etc.. Every region has their own custom to celebrate the festivals.Muslims have their important festivals like Bakrid, Id- ul- Fitr etc.. Christians too celebrate Thanksgiving , Christmas, Good Friday etc.. 

Every festival  has its own story for its celebration. For example, Krishna Astami is celebrated marking the birthday of lord Krishna.. Diwali is celebrated to welcome the winter and similarly Sankranthi symbolizes Harvest season.. Ugadi as the New year..
The main reason these festivals are celebrated are to bring the family closer , have food together and take part in the celebrations. Adults and kids enjoy festivities alike.. Everyone will be eager to wear new clothes, eat good food and meet / greet one another..

In this ultra modern world, everyone needs to take time for their families and friends and at least spend sometime together.. So these festivals are playing an important role in bringing people together.. !! Happy festivals everyone..

Fear..

Imagine you are locked in a room with your greatest Fear.. What would you do? How could you sustain it?

As far as I am concerned, I freak out seeing huge tall statues.. If at all I am at a place where all such tall statues are accumulated then, I can consider that is the greatest fear for me of all the time..

I recollect my faintest memories of the fear I experienced seeing a huge Lord Shiva statue during a family trip to Bangalore. I think that was when I could make out that I had this ‘phobia of tall objects’!! I actually googled about it and got to know that I am not alone.. 😉 Its called as MEGALOPHOBIA!!

My dad assured me that it was fine and come forward to see the statue but then I couldn’t move a bit, I became tense, anxious and fearful , then he had to come out with me instead of going near to the statue..

Here’s a picture of the statue..

Many such experiences happened where I could not travel forward because of Megalophobia.. If at all I am supposed to go to a new city/place I google about that beforehand so that I can avoid my encounter with the huge statues..

Dinosaurs are in the list too which scare the hell out of me.. Though if they are just skeletons or dummies I imagine that they will be alive the moment I see them and gobble me up..!  I remember my visit to Chicago museum where the world’s first full structured dinosaur skeleton was assembled. I had to visit that dinosaur as it was in the alley. I had jitters!! But still I instilled courage and tried to manage taking a picture standing near its tail..

The dinosaur’s picture..

In recent times when I visited Madam Tussauds museum in NewYork, the entrance of the museum had a huge KING-KONG and in order to enter the museum you should pass through the monstrous Gorilla.. It frightened me out but since I had the determination to visit the museum, I again overcame the fear and managed to enter. I just had a glance and moved on..!

KingKong picture…

It may take some more years and lot more courage for me to overcome this Megalophobia and hopefully I will be less fearful thereafter…..!!

Teacher’s Pet

I am eternally grateful for my teachers in shaping me to become what I am today.

My first teacher is my mom.. she’s the greatest person on the Earth and I love her forever.

During my initial days of school, my nursery to 5th class teachers Ms.Rebecca, Ms.Shobha, Ms. Amala, Ms.Godha, Ms.Anandini, Ms.Radhika, Ms.Bharathi played a very important role in shaping up my mind and influenced me a lot. The fact that I still remember their names itself signifies how much respect I have towards them.. 🙂

I was always a teacher’s pet.. I would study well and get good marks in all the subjects and feel happy about it. Primary and secondary school level education imprints on our brain and we get to shape up our thoughts during this time.

I came across many teachers in various stages of my life and I could learn many things from them. My English teachers were always my favorite because of the love I have for the subject and they would make it even more interesting.. Ms.Lily in my 10th class was very proficient in English and would always inspire me in learning many things.. I found language subjects interesting and would always give my full attention to those teachers so that I could learn more..During my Engineering days too, I had many valuable teachers who taught me effectively and made the course go smoothly.

I strive to learn daily , gain knowledge and apply it when the situation arises. I thank my teachers once again and cherish them.