tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302675462024-03-12T21:49:54.546-07:00My Alpine pathA blog describing my alpine path from collegegoer to professional to lots more in life!Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.comBlogger322125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-37227015194047101972012-11-16T22:24:00.000-08:002012-11-16T22:24:00.787-08:00Books and openings <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Friday nights - the best nights for a date with a horror/mystery movie/book. I have some interesting movies/books lined up and can't wait to devour them. Now to the next prompt:</div>
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Talk about the opening of your favorite book.</div>
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I had three answers pop in my head as soon as I read the prompt. Yeah, you guessed it right, I don't have one, but three most favorite books and a lot of close seconds! So, I did some pattern searching and found that most of my favorite books had lush natural scene descriptions as the opening for the books. Some of them were Ponniyin Selvan (all five books) , Anne of Green Gables (and other books in the series). Or they described something very ordinary in life in the first couple of pages (read Agatha Christie novels, Anuthama novels and more). Of these, I love the nature descriptions best because they encourage me to imagine right from the start and make me get into the book pretty quickly. Its harder with ordinary life descriptions since I start comparing it with the experiences I've had in life. </div>
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Talking about the opening of one book, my best choice would be Ponniyin Selvan - Kalki has done an amazing job of it and I literally experienced what the hero Vandhiya Thevan sitting atop his horse across the Veera Narayana Eri experienced. I read it 15 years back but the experience is still so fresh. I guess that is the mark of a great author! </div>
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Also, Anne of Green Gables' opening is worth a mention! I was able to imagine Green Gables and the White way of Delight and the Lake of Shining Waters without any issues at all - though not as impactful as Kalki's, this one was sweet in its own subtle way. Sadly, I haven't read any other author (including my favorite JK Rowling or Arthur Conan Doyle or Michael Crichton) that has had such a powerful impact. Even other books by the same authors haven't had this impact - Sivagamiyin Sabatham and Parthiban Kanavu were way more disappointing to me since I had a very threshold for Kalki and other Anne books never touched me as much as the first one did. Even though I like Naindha Ullam, I'd have loved it more if Anuthama had spoken about Sri Lanka and the beauty of those places before jumping into the dynamics around Mythreyi. But I'll take Anuthama any day even if it doesn't explain about the natural scenes as much I want. :)</div>
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What is your favorite book's opening? And any recommendations for books to read?</div>
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Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-24827998799117522182012-11-16T17:06:00.000-08:002012-11-16T17:06:00.703-08:00Library lock up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Doing two posts a day is getting to be interesting and fun. The weekend is already off to a good start - I have a list of things to do this weekend and am going to turn it into a game to see how much I can do :) Now onto the next prompt:<div>
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If you had to get locked in some place (book store, amusement park, etc) overnight alone, where would you choose to be locked in?</div>
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This one was super easy: the library or the book store. I can read to my heart's content, use the library's computers to be online (and connected to the outside world), use the vending machines if I get hungry, use the restrooms and the sofas/comfortable chairs if I need them, not be worried too much about any noise since the library is usually pretty quiet, etc etc. My basic needs of food, water, shelter and connectedness are met - so the library would be an awesome choice (btw, I have another free writing post idea: where is the best place to hide from zombies? keep thinking and I'll come back with answers soon!) Also, a well stocked five star hotel can be a close second choice but the movie 'The Shining' makes me think an empty hotel is actually weird. I think I would go for my home as the second best choice :) The library still trumps it since it has a lot of books to read and is a public space (which is one of the implicit conditions of this prompt, me thinks) and hits all my requirements perfectly.</div>
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I was super curious about the next prompt since the last two were somewhat challenging and I didn't have clear answers to them even though they were easy. This one being a no-brainer pushes it more towards the easy part :) </div>
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What would be your ideal place for an overnight stay?</div>
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Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-25461796531923799202012-11-15T22:56:00.000-08:002012-11-15T22:56:00.195-08:00Haunted Dreams<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I just realized that I had not only caught up to the prompt blogging but also would be crossing it today with the next prompt. Yay to that! :) I'll take it! Here is the next prompt:</div>
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Would you buy your dream house if the price was right BUT you also were told it was inhabited by ghosts?</div>
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This is an interesting question. My first thought was yes, I would buy it since I don't believe in ghosts (no one I know personally have seen ghosts). But on further thought, I would be living with my family in my dream house (otherwise, there is no point buying that dream house) and wouldn't want them to be harmed by anything, imagined ghosts or otherwise. So my answer would be: it depends. If it was a friendly/harmless ghost or a ghost that can be removed from that place (anyone watched Malayalam movies with lot of tantrik tricks to remove ghosts from someone or some place?), then I might risk it. But if was something with a sinister past, then ghost or no ghost, I'm not getting that place. I don't want to stay in a place that has a bad past - that is pure ill luck. I know loads of people don't mind it and I definitely wouldn't know if something bad happened in the house I live, say, a hundred years before. So I might already be living in one. But living in a place where you know someone was murdered or tortured enough to become a ghost is super icky and gross. </div>
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Also, call it watching too many bad tantra/mantra movies but I'm kind of wary of irritating anything not human (good or bad). I definitely don't know how people and non-people beings work with one another and don't wish to do anything that might put me or my loved ones in danger - guess its the better safe than sorry attitude. But I'd take that any day to risking it foolishly and losing it all. </div>
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What would you do?</div>
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PS: It was funny how one of my friends said he'll buy the house and rent it out - that way, he gets to keep the dream house and others get to deal with the bad ghosts. That is an interesting thought but I believe Karma too much to actually do something like that! </div>
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Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-71731114184235711542012-11-15T17:40:00.000-08:002012-11-15T17:40:00.918-08:00Jimmy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Busy day but loved it! :) Finally going to start coding soon!! No more of these meetings and discussions.. Here is the next prompt:</div>
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Tell us about your favorite pet.</div>
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My favorite pet is Jimmy (our dog). Even though I've never touched him nor played with him, he is super special to me. I love getting special treats from US for him and Jerry (my cousin's dog) and pampering him with food whenever I'm home. His white coat and loving eyes are really pretty. The way he ensures that he is the center of attention is very comical. And the way he gets jealous and bothered if my dad favors us, his daughters, is endearing. He even won over my mom's heart with his antics. But he is the laziest dog ever seen. Sadly, Jimmy is no longer with us - may his soul rest in peace! I still can't see a labrador without remembering him. Guess he is the only dog I call using 'he' or 'she'. All other dogs are 'it' to me. Though I was super afraid of him (and dogs in general), he made sure he never alarmed me - quite surprising for a dog! So, hugs to you Jimmy. Thanks a lot for understanding my fear and making sure I felt comfortable with you. May you have loads of fun in dog heaven! :) </div>
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What is your favorite pet? Leave in comments.</div>
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Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-15247727544962088942012-11-14T20:02:00.000-08:002012-11-14T20:02:00.866-08:00Meal time!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I'm trying to do two posts today - just to see if this idea would work and let me catch up to the 30 day post challenge. Here is the next prompt:</div>
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Tell us about the best meal you ever cooked.</div>
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Funny, I cook a lot of meals but there is never one meal that I'm especially proud of - simply because I haven't cooked that many meals that are very significant. Most have been meals for me and H, me and roomies, etc that was daily fare. But there are these dishes that you remember with superb clarity because you made them for someone special and their appreciation of it takes the simple dish to a new height. First, the Maggie that I did when in fourth grade - I still remember the happiness that came with it when my sister commented it was better than my mom's maggie (I suspect that the facts that she was starving and that the maggie was decently good made her declare so). Second, the first time I cooked pasta in US (I hadn't made a single good meal in US till then and the spicy hot pasta seemed too good to have been made by me). Third, the cookies that I made in Rain city (still remember the looks and comments from my friends appreciating it). Fourth, the egg curry that I made for my dad in India in a few minutes ( he super loved it and made sure to tell one and all that I was a whiz at cooking - which I'm not but I was super glad to have made something special for him in a matter of minutes) and finally, the full meals I cook with H ( those times are super fun irrespective of what we are cooking). The vadais and payasams I've made till date get special mentions in this list :) </div>
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Now I've gotten super hungry writing this post.. Off to dinner!</div>
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Do leave a comment about your best meal cooked!</div>
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Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-64145732792160743812012-11-14T17:03:00.000-08:002012-11-14T17:03:00.581-08:00Brave!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Today was way less work compared to the past two days - but then its the next day of Deepavali! Belated Diwali wishes, everyone! Btw, I did the math.. if I wanted to finish 30 posts and I'm already lagging behind, I might have to do two posts on a couple of days. Thinking if it is a good idea to do so. I'm pretty sure it would be fun since the topics are predecided - and it would mean I get to finish the prompt ones soon and then spend time writing the free writing ones later in November. Marching onto the next prompt:</div>
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What is the bravest thing you've ever done?</div>
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Not sure if not being too afraid of dogs is counted as bravery! On a more serious note, I've not encountered too many things in life that required extraordinary bravery - I've had a life that is very similar to thousands of Indians. I grew up with a happy childhood, good schools, college life, masters and now marriage! So, I'm not really sure if there is one thing that is really brave and out of ordinary. That said, I really don't fear animals (except dogs) or ghosts too much. This might be because I tend not to cross their path nor they mine. I also don't fear too much before doing something different - I'm up for a lot of challenges (read skydiving, rafting, ziplining, car racing, new food, adventures, hobbies, etc) but generally make sure I have a couple of back up plans if something gets screwed up. Guess that is brave of me since I see a lot of people don't experiment a lot with all that the world has to offer. This is the first prompt that had me stumped for some time. Hope I did justice to the prompt.</div>
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What has been the bravest thing you've ever done? Do share it in the comments. </div>
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Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-89247018742997040032012-11-13T22:10:00.000-08:002012-11-13T22:10:01.010-08:00Places to blog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Phew! Another tiring day - today was filled with A LOT OF meetings and discussions. I wish we'd just start coding already - and I can see my wish coming true soon! Now, onto the next prompt:<br />
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Where is your favorite place to blog?<br />
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In a cozy corner in a busy coffee place surrounded by friends and acquaintances all drinking coffee in companionable silence and working on their own stuff creating myriad things.... Ok! I so wish I can give that answer. But usually I'm either in the mood for writing when I wind down for the day or sit at the computer to do something else and end up writing blog posts. Rarely do I block time to write (even though I've heard most actual writers do it to get work done) and I guess that is why I really don't write detailed researched posts - I instead write what I think of at that moment (that reminds me! I have to write why I blog and what I like about blogging - great free writing topics :D ) and that suits me fine at this point. I digress...<br />
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Back to the place - it ends up being my couch or bed depending on the time of the day - I prefer writing in the bed because I can finish a post and go to sleep on a high note :)<br />
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How about you? Where do you prefer to blog from?</div>
Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-33324568940769684022012-11-12T17:05:00.000-08:002012-11-12T17:05:00.395-08:00What would you change?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Been a long day at work!! I met someone today who kind of has a lot in common with my future self - super excited to be talking to her :) Also, I plan to make it a 30 day post in NaBloPoMo challenge instead of doing only the prompts since I just read the whole damn thing where it says weekends are for free writing - but I'll do the free writing part later in the month (I know! I can't seem to break this habit of not reading anything completely - seems to follow from college exam days :P) Here is the next prompt:<br />
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If you could change one thing about your life right now, what would it be?<br />
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What else other than making sure H has lesser travel than now? :| Sigh! Sadly that is out of my control! I so wish he didn't have to do long trips so often - though logically I understand why he has to do them, I can't seem to get used to the idea that there is no one when I come back home ( and trust me, TV and movies and internet get really boring after sometime). I've always had someone or the other home when I come back from school, college or work - it was either parents or grandparents or roomies or H at home. And coming back to an empty place is kind of weird. Hats off to those who can do it day in and day out! My mom says I should keep myself occupied to not feel it too much - so I've decided to clean up some mystery boxes at home that we've not unpacked since we moved a couple of months back and to make sure to finish some of the art work (hello, paints and brushes and needles and threads) that I had started back in.... well, never mind, long time back. Now, off to the mystery boxes! <br />
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Do leave a comment about the one thing you would change in your life right now!<br />
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Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-70963291528308137672012-11-11T13:48:00.002-08:002012-11-11T13:48:36.164-08:00Ideal job<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I've been reading more blogs and posts during this NaBloPoMo month-long event. I found a couple of interesting blogs to follow and I'm super surprised and excited about the number and quality of blogs compared to six years ago when I started blogging. But I also see that a LOT of bloggers that I used to follow in the past six years have stopped writing (their blogs are dormant > 6 months) due to work, life, kids, any personal reason. Blog world needs some serious attention now. Now, on to the next prompt:</div>
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If you could have any job (and instantly have the training and qualifications to do it), which job would you want?</div>
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The job that I'm currently doing... hands down! Unlike lots of people that I know, I chose Electronics and Computer Engineering in particular after considering all the pros and cons of different careers. I might have become a corporate psychologist (I still dream about it at times!) but I know that I wouldn't really be happy unless I'm creating something and can't stand listening to people's problems all day since I have the bad habit of worrying for them. This would be detrimental to my life and stress me way too much that the fun of connecting with people would be gone. </div>
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I once read that people should really live their lives assuming that that is their last day - even though I don't follow it to the ideal state I want to, I pretty much won't change 90% of things in my day-day life. Sure, I would like it if I can have my parents and relatives close by, have more sun in the Rain city and work out more, but these are conscious choices I make and don't regret it. I try and make up for the first by spending a lot of time over phone or skype with them and try to enjoy as much sun as possible when it is out. As for the last one, I'm super lazy and am perfectly happy with it. Its my one thing I love cribbing about and not working on :P</div>
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Still what is life without some goals? If there was a position that I would love to see myself in, it would be as an entrepreneur/executive. Though both are very tempting and exciting and different from each other, I'm still not sure of the path I want to take and am perfectly happy not doing either. They are the icing on the cake and I'm more interested in the cake itself. So, I would like to lead a large company (mine!). If I can instantly have the training, qualifications and opportunities for it, then I would definitely take it. Now, can I have it, pretty please?</div>
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Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-14269641268576371722012-11-10T15:21:00.000-08:002012-11-10T15:21:21.552-08:00Couple compliments<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Things have been busy at work and home in Neverland. H left for work to Sun city - and won't be back for a month or more. Yeah! he'd be missing some of our firsts :( Boo! But then, this is part of what we signed up when we decided to get married... and ended up spending some seriously good time together all last week. So I've regressed on the one post a day challenge but it was worth it. Also work is getting busier - on a positive side, I won't miss him too much :P<br />
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Now that excuses are done with, here is the next one on the list:<br />
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Talk about the last compliment you received.<br />
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I don't exactly remember the last compliment I got (guess its the shoe lady at the mall who complimented me on my heels) but will write about the last one we received as a couple (I know! I'm all gloomy after H left - well, a girl can feel justifiably sad for a couple of hours! I'm just following tradition, you see!). It was from some random lady who saw H and me at the park and said we were perfect as a couple :) I was pleasantly surprised to hear it because we were just walking around the park and talking about the hundred and one things that were on our list ( I never run out of topics when talking to H! Guess I'm covered for entertainment at old age :P ) and hadn't noticed much anyone else at the park - and then there was this lady who was walking her two huge golden retrievers. She passed us twice and on the third time, remarked how perfect we looked together!! We've received this compliment at different times from different people, mostly strangers that come up to us to tell us we look good and happy together. Every time I hear it, it totally makes my day!! And glad that I live in a place where strangers take time to come and tell us so... I've not heard many incidents back home where total strangers compliment someone. Well, anything to make our days brighter :)<br />
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Now, if you excuse me, I'll go back to watching some chick flicks and eating takeout chinese and cleaning up a messy home and enjoying pseudo single life for a month or so. Gonna give the married self some rest and get back to friends, books, shopping, music and more! Here's to pseudo singledom!<br />
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Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-31375207378257400772012-11-06T22:18:00.001-08:002012-11-06T22:18:09.466-08:00Election results!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As I write this blog post, the election results are getting released with Romney leading the first few states and finally Obama winning to become the next President. I wish he takes the immigration and economic issues seriously enough that he gets to do something substantial this time around. Now on to today's prompt:<div>
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If you were President of the United States, what would be your first act in office?</div>
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To thank all supporters? :D On a more serious note, I think I would set up an act such that I remain President till I die (and probably set up such that my kids and grandkids remain Presidents if they wish to) :P On a more serious, serious note, I think I would make health insurance mandatory (effective asap) and doctor/lab/hospital fees more manageable/less ridiculous, make legal immigrants and people on work visa green card holders (so they can start businesses and buy more stuff thereby improving economy), give bigger tax cuts to companies that employ more veterans/are more environmentally safe/go the organic/local route, pull out military from other countries and bring them back home, ensure that teachers and postmen and clerks have a better salary so they can continue doing their jobs more effectively, ensure that the wealthiest 5% pay more in taxes (or atleast pay normal tax on all their incomes, regular and dividend) and use that money to pay back debt, impose high import tax and very less export tax so people start producing again in US and not rely on China/India/any other country, make sure owning real estate except for personal use is harder in US, not poke noses into whatever any other country does within itself.... Ok! Now I'm dreaming! I so wish Obama would do atleast a couple of these things in the next four years to come.</div>
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Looking forward to the next four years! </div>
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Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-6454306185305627002012-11-05T19:34:00.000-08:002012-11-05T19:34:13.544-08:00US Elections - Here they come!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After months of hearing about candidates dissing each other and telling why they are the better of the two for the job, everything comes to a rest tomorrow. While H can't wait for these commercials to be over and done with, I will kind of miss them since otherwise, I have neither the time nor the inclination to go and look up who the local officials are for my city and state. The prompt for today ties in neatly:<br />
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What are your thoughts about tomorrow's election in the United States?<br />
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Since I've seen far worse campaigning and more contestants than you can count in India, the US elections themselves seem more mild and genteel. Though I can't vote, I just wish that whoever comes into power realizes the responsibility that comes along with it and acts sensibly. Obama has been sensible in most cases, except that he did not capture the moment and get things done in some cases. I also wish the new President takes care of immigration issues (guess that's the only thing that I'm super interested in right now) and not keep pushing them as the predecessors have done. On a lighter note, I wonder how the TV, Radio stations would fill up all the open ad spots after today.... H would be happy though! No more candidate talks, no more political ads when watching series/movies.... And me, I'm happy in my own little world, no matter who wins tomorrow :)</div>
Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-13610635287960261332012-11-03T10:43:00.000-07:002012-11-03T10:43:18.014-07:00Second post in a second<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi again!! Now that I have re-started blogging, I can't wait to see what the next daily prompt is and get started on blogging. Oh yeah, even though the daily prompt is basically a list of questions, I'm wiling myself to not see what the next ones are just to keep the surprise going and to make my answers more spontaneous.... for, I've found that, every time I think a lot about a topic, I usually get into an argumentative mood (with myself, that is the worst part) and argue the pros and cons of the topic to death, get tired and just stop writing. I'm super determined that is not going to plague this exercise and hence the eagerness for the prompt :)<br />
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Here is day two's prompt:<br />
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If you could live anywhere, where would it be?<br />
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The second I read the question, I knew the answer (there, that explains my post title - may be the question was designed to keep it really simple). Hear my reason out: Going back in time, when I was thinking of moving Neverland from black city for work/internship, I listed all the criteria I wanted in a place I would be calling home for a long time. Some of them were:<br />
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<li>Not too many Indians but not too less Indians (black city has way less and bay area has way more - I wanted a happy medium)</li>
<li>Neither too hot nor too cold (even though I'm an Indian, I/my skin can't handle heat well - so a maximum of 80 F is all I can take - also, I have this innate fear of slipping on snow, so places that get snow more than five days a year are out of the list)</li>
<li>Not a large city but not a small town either (I can't handle the hustle and bustle of NY, I love visiting but I prefer a quieter place to actually live - also, I hate the concern that comes with a small community - I prefer being left to myself and my friends and not be worried about other things. Having a decent international airport close by for India trips is a definite plus)</li>
<li>Should be a place where I can get a job (being in engineering is kind of cool like that!)</li>
</ul>
<div>
A super short list - but you would be surprised how many places in US got eliminated as a result. I ended up with just two or three and chose the Rain city out of them all because it reminded me of Ooty and Munnar and Kodaikanal, my favorite destinations. It was cool even in summer yet never had too much snow, just enough to enjoy hot chocolate/book and not go to work for a couple a days. Then it cleared and things became gray and rainy again :D (and you thought bright and sunny?? ha ha! ). I don't mind the rain too much - I actually like it that the rain just pitter patters all the time, a constant sound that is oh-so-comforting! And the fact that I don't ever have to wash my car is icing on the cake!! We can do with some more sun but I've gotten this attitude that if it is sunny, it is a day not to be wasted indoor and is actually considered a holiday! And rainy days are more for work and not play (as a result, more gets done in winter here than in summer! H teases me, to no end, that he can predict when I'd come home from work based on the weather!).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Fast forward a couple of years and I'm still in love with this place - great friends, awesome work, lovely weather (H loved this summer here - he loved it that we can get out and not need sunscreen too much - and that the weather kind of stayed cool even at noon/late afternoon) and yeah, did I mention great friends? </div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Enough Indians to make you feel secure but not enough to make you feel as if you are in India - check! </li>
<li>The max temperature in summer is 80 F and the min temperature in winter is 40 F - so neither too hot nor too cold - check!</li>
<li>Rain city quiets down usually around 9 or 10 on week days and 11 or 12 on weekends but there are pockets that are all nighters if that is your style - check!</li>
<li>Loads of job opportunities - check!</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
And it is our honeymoon city! After wedding, we didn't have time for a specific honeymoon due to lack of vacation days, but with H being home all these months, we've been doing smaller and more honeymoons :D And I so don't think that he'd have been home if it was any other city. And we didn't have to stress about hitting the perfect score on honeymoons!! A win-win-win situation :)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, my friends, Rain city takes the over all prize! :) What is your favorite place to live in? And are you living there already? Share it out!!</div>
</div>
Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-76936730282016951732012-11-03T01:24:00.000-07:002012-11-03T01:24:00.442-07:00A Post A Day!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After a loooonnnngggg time staying away from blogging, I'm getting back to writing with the National Blog Post Month. Using the daily prompts as a tool against the ever crippling writer's block, I'm going to restart posting - I'll try and post one a day based on the prompts and see if I can fill in the weekends as well with my own prompt based posts. Lets see how this one goes!<br />
<br />
I'm already two days behind. But I'll still work through from the first because yeah, I try and do things from the first - including trying out items on a menu from the first to the last. Hopefully I'll catch up pretty soon and get into the schedule. Here is the first one:<br />
<br />
Tell us your favorite quotation and why?<br />
<br />
I'm not usually a quotation person but love some of the sayings that I found when I read books. Most of them are on the side in this blog. So instead, I'll write about a poem I like. Here is my all-time favorite poem:<br />
<br />
Then whisper, blossom, in thy sleep<br />
How I may upward climb<br />
The Alpine Path, so hard, so steep,<br />
That leads to heights sublime.<br />
<br />
How I may reach that far-off goal<br />
Of true and honored fame<br />
And write upon its shining scroll<br />
A woman's humble name.<br />
<br />
You guessed it right! This poem is the inspiration for my blog. I so hope I can follow my alpine path and have fun doing it :) So far, looks like its happening right and I can't wait to see how the rest of the path looks! And I dream on.... :)</div>
Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-3148665453337945472012-02-22T16:52:00.000-08:002012-02-22T16:52:24.134-08:00Snapshot of the week<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">It might be strange to do a snapshot right in the middle of the week. However, I've been so busy lately with a number of things going on that I felt I needed a reset. And what better way than to snapshot it and reset it (like the VM images)?<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Slept way less than I'm used to - leading to my body complaining on it. I swear not to do it anymore.</li>
<li>Started movie watching again - to be exact, after two months (time in India + time in Neverland after I got back).</li>
<li>Met up with almost all my friends here and had loads of fun in the past two weeks... definitely been a busy two weeks (and that explains the lack of sleep).</li>
<li>Missed talking to K... and I can't believe work-life has caught up with us already :(</li>
<li>Planning another trip to India in June (yeah, another one :))</li>
<li>Did something I thought I'd never do when I was in 10th grade - I lived in my car for straight 16 hours!! :O Now, if alone I lived there for 24 hours, that would get to 'thought I'd never do when I was in 3rd grade' status!</li>
<li>Became a florist for two hours just to find that is one of the harder jobs since it involves a lot of work that requires A LOT of patience. But now, I have a very special keepsake for life ;) </li>
<li>Loads of things to do - so much to do that I quit my to do list and caused life to go into a spin. Can you believe that I stopped using sensible to do lists when I most needed them? One more to add to airheadedness category. Now I've to purge to get life on to-do wheels again!</li>
</ul><div>Now that I've snapshotted the most important parts of life, its time to do a clean reset. Hope everyone is having a fun wednesday! :)</div></div>Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-66092824799938430072011-12-03T15:45:00.000-08:002011-12-03T15:45:59.375-08:00Stock taking for 2011<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Its been a long time since I came here though I've been reading on others' posts. So, touching base here and trying to do a snapshot of what is going through my mind:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I'm going to India (yay!! And yeah, a second time this year :) so, double yay!!)</li>
<li>I'm also going to tick off another country off my travel list this year (despite my poor traveling this year (no new places except a national park(glacier) and a city (chicago) so far, even though I traveled every single month), I finally get to finish with a bang!)</li>
<li>I'm planning a surprise - keeping fingers crossed that everything goes fine :) I'll update once things are complete.</li>
<li>One of my friends, M is off to his wedding. I'm so happy for him and wish I can attend his wedding. Another of my friends is engaged as well, a couple more married/engaged, this seems to be a season of marriages among close friends group.</li>
<li>Finally saw the finesse of balancing - Respecttttttt!!! I hope I can get to that state soon.</li>
<li>One of my friends lost his dad :( And another lost her mom :( :( This makes me feel that our parents are not invincible :( :( :( #PainsOfGrowingUp</li>
<li>Another couple of friends had/are having kids. Phew! So, I finally am getting into the akka to aunty transition (seri, seri, 25ku aprom akka sollanumnu expect panrathu konjam too much thaan!) #PainsOfGrowingUp</li>
<li>Purged three years worth of blog posts on google reader, as much mail as I can throw out in official and personal mail folders and as many tasks I can finish before I leave to India. Feels cathartic! I wish there was a way to take a snapshot of my mailbox and other stuff now and just diff the differences a year later so I can cleanup just one year's worth of trash.</li>
<li>Plan to get off the grid once I go home - one month of Internetless, emailless, fbless life - I'm sure it would be a big challenge given that I'm on the net every minute of my waking time, either through the phone or my ipad or one of my three computers. Would it be bliss or hell? I frankly don't know. Its a lot more easier to be out of net in India than here. Ok... maybe, I'll restrict it to half an hour a week. Lets see!</li>
<li>The above challenge is one other reason why I purged most stuff - I want to let everything pile on a clean plate instead of another older pile. I'm making sense, no? </li>
<li>Since I'm going netless, this is also going to double up as a resolution lookout post. <a href="http://myalpinepath.blogspot.com/2011/01/look-at-new-year.html">Here</a> is what I set out to do. " <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">This year would be more a capture-and-go year. So, no resolutions to keep, no to-do lists, no must-finish stuff and definitely no must-experience stuff! For my resolution minded friends, I do have two but they are a secret and do not carry the pressure of resolutions - I've worded them 'nice to do stuff' - they really are nice to do but I can comfortably live without doing them. Also, I have a few things that 'can be done' but again, I can live with not doing them. It would definitely be a big change from my planned life. I plan to leave all the planning to others and if any planning HAS to be done by me, I'm going to do it fly-by-the-pants style. Should be interesting to see how that pans out! " </span>It has definitely been an interesting year - I made a ton of new friends, learned more about balance, learned that I can live with some people and without some others, slowed down on traveling but enjoyed all what I can do, experienced new stuff but really didn't plan out for it, watched only movies that I was interested in (no more lists of movies to watch or books to read - it took some time to slow down but boy am I glad I slowed down!), did a couple of all nighters having fun, learned a few new things, did a fly-by-the-pants style trip to LA and more and more. Most important of all, I learned to let go of some things and learned that emotional roller coasters are definitely bad, for everyone involved. </li>
<li>That said, the next year has a couple of resolutions from me (yeah, I love the 'do as you go' style but that is not me all the time) - the main one would be to mix my resolutions with the 'do as you go' style. And this year, there are two types of resolutions - one for the whole year and another that changes periodically. As always, they are not to be shared until done. Watch out for 2012 posts to see how the next year shapes up.</li>
<li>In terms of this blog, this year barely scrapped through being the bottom in terms of numbers. However, as part of no-obligations year, I think this is good enough and I'll aim for 40 posts a year and call it good enough every year from now on. So, no worries on that one.</li>
<li>I attempted the veggie challenge a couple of times for a period of a month every time and it was a success. Thinking if I should try it for longer periods next year.</li>
<li>Some minor ones: Loved some of the movies that came out this year; didn't understand how 'why this kolaveri di?' became a world sensation; none of the songs that came out this year stick out; same as none of the books.</li>
<li>Time is a strange one - on one hand, this has been the most interesting year of my life, on another, this is the most cathartic, on another, this is a bubble year where nothing touched/stuck. I really don't know.</li>
<li>Life at Neverland has changed SO MUCH, that I barely recognize it from a year back. Even though I was a participant in it, a bird's eye view is stunning.Oh well, guess that is life!</li>
</ul><div>With all that dumped off my mind, I'm off for this year!</div><div>Have fun with your families and friends and see you in the new year!</div><div>Luv,</div><div>Alpine</div><div><br />
</div></div>Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-60421927243886907922011-08-18T20:00:00.000-07:002011-08-18T20:00:01.303-07:00Ad times!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Here are two ads that caught my attention recently. Both are super good - totally capturing the spirit in their own way! </div><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gkz2rHQZYPg" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ib3WSzJyqVQ" width="420"></iframe></div>Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-21227200408983084952011-08-13T21:36:00.000-07:002011-08-13T21:36:07.828-07:00The Global Debt Clock<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Here is an interesting <a href="http://www.economist.com/content/global_debt_clock">link on the global debt clock</a>. I've been checking this one for the past few days and the rising debt has been definitely concerning, if not downright scary!! </div>Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-3401846384535058872011-07-22T13:53:00.000-07:002011-07-22T13:53:52.315-07:00The story of a reed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">There was once a reed<br />
A small, wispish one<br />
That grew one summer<br />
In the light and breeze of love and life<br />
Fed by friendship and fun<br />
It grew day and night without a worry.<br />
<br />
Then came a harsh winter<br />
That chilled the reed to the bone<br />
Its growth stalled<br />
And it quivered against the winds<br />
But it still continued to grow<br />
In the hope of the next summer<br />
<br />
Next summer came<br />
But it was a cool one<br />
And the light was dimmed<br />
Starving the reed of its life<br />
The breezes stopped<br />
And the reed didn't know why<br />
<br />
The reed held on<br />
Despite cool summers and cold winters<br />
With minimal light and breeze<br />
Despite the surrounding weeds<br />
That competed for whatever light was left<br />
For now,<br />
It was no longer just that reed<br />
But a couple of weeds as well<br />
<br />
Then came a point<br />
Where the reed's life energy is no more enough<br />
To keep it going<br />
Despite the lack of light and breeze<br />
It drew from within its depths<br />
But it still wasn't enough.<br />
<br />
The death knell sounded<br />
In the form of a slip and trip<br />
Now the reed lays broken<br />
Despite the folklore that reeds never break.<br />
Amen!<br />
<br />
Some say the reed was never there to start<br />
Some say the reed was already gone<br />
Some say the reed is still present<br />
But I, the creator says<br />
The reed was there and it is gone now<br />
But I wish the reed was alive<br />
For it was fun with the reed,<br />
And the reed is no more.<br />
<br />
There might come another reed<br />
With the same soil and same seed<br />
It might even grow to a shoot<br />
And maybe even a giant tree<br />
But it is still another reed<br />
And never this particular one.<br />
<br />
I sadly mourn this one<br />
And pine for it at times<br />
But realize that whatever I plan,<br />
There is a Creator above me that plans as well.<br />
<br />
Here lies a reed,<br />
A fun one that added value to life.<br />
May it rest in peace,<br />
While we live with its remains in this world.<br />
<br />
I shudder to look at the empty space it created<br />
In the soil and the forest<br />
But not sure if anyone else will miss it<br />
For this was a teeny, tiny reed.<br />
<br />
As Nature's laws go,<br />
This empty space will be reclaimed<br />
And put to use for something else<br />
Not sure what will reclaim it<br />
Nor what it will become in future<br />
But somewhere in this space,<br />
Lies a reed's life story.</div>Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-9074877329775505002011-07-20T22:51:00.000-07:002011-07-20T22:51:40.510-07:00Advaitam<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">One of the best short films I've seen in Telugu. I can totally envision this friendship - I've seen an instance of it in real life. Different people, different settings but the same friendship. Hope you like it as well!<br />
<br />
</div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_KInTrr9Vhg" width="560"></iframe></div>Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-48023226526023367772011-07-15T21:35:00.000-07:002011-07-15T21:35:07.155-07:00Snapshot of a weekOk... this is a snap shot of two weeks (let me pen it down before I forget them all):<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Trip to Glacier was good. The scenery was amazing. And I ran into R there. Small world! :)</li>
<li>Saw triple fireworks for July 4th. That was a total new. Every July 4th is way different from the previous ones. This time, we were in neverland.</li>
<li>Attended a tamil drama in which two of my friends were acting. We got to sit at the first row (probably the first time I've ever done it) but that experience was fun. Also, the sets were amazing - they had put in a lot of effort into getting it right. Even the small details were handled right - as they say, the devil is in the details and they had nailed the devil right, for most parts.</li>
<li>Attended a dosa fest at a friend's place - man, first time I ate fish dosai :D</li>
<li>Had a horrible dream from which I woke up in cold sweat :( Even thinking of it now, I can't stop shivering. I've never had a dream where I cried so much. I wouldn't go into the details, but suffice it to say that I wish I had not dreamed it at all.</li>
<li>Met a school friend in a grocery shop and we spent an hour catching up :)</li>
<li>One of my cousins is moving to Canada soon - am both happy for them and sad that I'd missing them.</li>
<li>Porkodi and me did some egg shell dancing together! :D </li>
<li>Rest was all work, usual chaat with friends, lunch time and on and on.</li>
<li>These two weeks were a lot quieter but I managed to waste a LOT OF time yapping with people. As a result, my work has suffered a bit. </li>
<li>And I'm no closer to getting anything done :( All coz of my yapping around. </li>
<li>My movie watching and music has taken a nose dive as well. I managed to finish a couple of books though (which is way less than what is average). Yapping again!! :(</li>
<li>I missed watching Harry Potter at midnight this time :( </li>
</ul><div>I'm super tired of a few things/people. K says that they are as they are but that my image of them has gotten sharper and that is causing issues. I think I understand what K says but don't think that is the only thing to be blamed. I think their images have changed as well. We are good so far but I think we'll head butt soon - I hope to God that it doesn't happen. It is a bother and I don't want to cause much churn. Longer loops might help but that is problem avoidance and not problem solving. But I'm at a point where I can't solve the problem (they should change it) and the problem avoidance is all that I can do - so I do it gladly. But that takes a lot of effort and I'm so not used to putting in this much of effort into this sort of thing. And this is causing me to stress a lot :( I'm trying to push the stress on to work but I end up yapping to clear it out. Hmmm... so far not a very happy two weeks. Lets hope atleast the next week is more fun-filled and in general, happy.</div>Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-70376851089982202032011-07-12T19:54:00.000-07:002011-07-12T19:54:43.933-07:00History of English in ten minutesCame across this <a href="http://www.visualnews.com/2011/07/07/the-history-of-english-in-10-minutes/">youtube series</a> detailing the history of English in ten minutes. I wish someone did the same for Tamil as well :)Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-54314983272730325322011-07-06T21:37:00.000-07:002011-07-06T21:37:57.441-07:00Too much parenting?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;">I recently read an <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/07/how-to-land-your-kid-in-therapy/8555/1/">article</a> about parenting and its effects; sorry, too much of too good parenting and its after effects. One of the best articles I've read on this issue, it kind of pushed me to take a serious look at the differences in parenting when I was a kid (sigh! yeah, there was a 'was' in that sentence) and now (colleagues, friends, my landlady, etc who are parents). Living with a five year old every day gives you a clear view of where the parent stands vs where the kid stands. I should say that some of my cousins and my landlady actually do a good job of it (I don't think I can resist the kids' cuteness when they ask for some more chocolate milk or some more TV/internet time - I've started saying 'lets check with your mom!' when put in a sticky situation).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I don't think I had much choices when growing up - we had a rule of eating what was made that day (even though it was just idlis (we had it EVERY DAY for breakfast) or dosai) and not asking for something that my mom hadn't made. The only allowance was Maggi day, when my mom would relent to our constant badgering and make Maggi (she had this yummy way of making it with veggies and stuff - but I think my sis and I would have eaten it even if it was just Maggi - we were (and still are) that crazed about it) for dinner one night out of two weeks. Even that, my dad would frown upon saying its not healthy. My mom was serious about healthy stuff and Maggi would take a back seat for the next two weeks. We had to cajole her for hours to get it out again!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The same rule applied to Rasna (does anyone remember that ad where they showed a Rasna girl with 'I love you, Rasna'? She was every kid's dream), TV time (homework first and then TV - oliyum oliyum (a song telecast show) on friday nights + movie on sunday were big deal when I was in 4th or 5th; 6th-college - I had to finish the long list of chores/practices to do before TV and novels), story books (only if we did really well in class - a story book for every A grade. I'm sure most of us would've had mini libraries of cherished books that we exchanged with each other simply because we couldn't buy them at will - I have friends who became friends just so we can exchange books :P), play time (two hours max), movies/excursions/trips (one or two a year??), etc, etc. And pocket money was practically non-existent at home. We could get however much we needed but we had to justify our purchases (the hardest was explaining to my mom that I wanted to eat at the canteen every day just for the heck of it - my mom frowned upon it unless it was some special day, like the last day of school or something). We would get one or two rupees once or twice every few weeks and that day was treat day amongst friends. We'd share one samosa or two pepsis between five friends and yet the part samosa was all the more delicious than the ten samosas that I buy now. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But I still think my childhood was amazing simply because we knew what the rules were and knew what the limits were. Most importantly, it was because we knew our parents won't change the limits. We could cry and cry but once my mom made some dinner, there was no changing it just because I didn't want to eat it. I could either not eat it (allowed for one day) or eat it but request what I wanted 'nicely' for another day (even then, it was at the discretion of my parents to really decide if it was good enough to eat). I still remember hating wheat upma but being forced to eat simply because it was healthy. I think that made me appreciate all kinds of foods and stop being a picky eater. I still have some pet peeves of preferring noodles over rice, chicken over veggies, etc. But those were habits that I picked up in grad school and not when I was growing up. Even now, if push comes to a shove, I can eat anything (eg: bland food) and still not complain much.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now, I see most kids just getting all they want (or are my expectations too high?). Aakash sleeps every night after watching two hours of TV and gets a new toy every two weeks. He also gets to go to McDonalds (yeah, chicken nuggets are his favorite) every few days (otherwise he won't eat his dinner properly) and has a slew of Happy meal toys which he plays with for maybe half an hour and then throws them out. For his bday, the gifts he gets are in the range of $100 to $500 and he doesn't play with most of them anyways. His latest craze is Justin Bieber (can you imagine a five year old liking a pop star?? <rolling eyes="">) and thinks Superman is for 'kids' (don't ask me what he is!!). He has an iTouch already and demands that new games be downloaded every few days. He is the one who plays most games on my mobile (I stick to bubble burst most times) and thinks most games are boring. If things are boring even now, I don't know what will happen later in life. There is only so much entertainment and fun that the world can possibly provide.</rolling></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I only picked Aakash as an example because I see him day in and day out and have known him since he was three and a half years old. Almost every kid that I know is super smart and don't minding showing that they are (which is good some times but then puts us adults in a weird position where you cannot count them as adults (which they are not) but cannot treat them as kids (which they are)). So, you tend to treat them as younger friends whom you can appreciate and play with but really cannot tell them if they are doing something wrong - some days, I've itched to tell a kid that what he is doing is wrong or is not the right thing to do but have held my tongue simply because his parents let him do it. If they are fine with it, then I cannot possibly say anything against it right? But I remember when I was growing up, everyone had a free rein in telling me what was right and what was wrong. Not just my parents, but my aunts, uncles, grand parents, my parents' friends, neighborhood uncles and aunties, my mom's colleagues, sometimes even the maids and driver that worked for us would tell me something is right and something is wrong. Atleast with the maids and my driver, my parents would consider if the advice was really right but with everyone else, my parents decided that since they were adults, they knew better than the kid (ie me). And the adults around us didn't hesitate in correcting me or my siblings if we did some mischief.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Further, us older kids were expected to be 'role models' for the younger ones - whether my own sister or my younger cousins or even the young kid in the colony who played with us. If they were caught doing something wrong, then we had to take some rap as well for not 'keeping an eye' on them and making sure they didn't do anything wrong. Mischief was fine whereas other things (like petty fights, jealousies, etc) were frowned upon. We had to resolve them amongst ourselves. I don't remember much incidences where my parents stepped in in the kids' fights. I even remember resolving fights and issues amongst playmates simply because I couldn't go home and tell my mom that I didn't want to play any more with kid X whose parent Y was opposite our house. And we didn't have much choice because we couldn't do much without our playmates anyways.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Also, it is getting harder to wow kids nowadays. I had to rack my brain to gift something to Aakash for his bday that would wow him and still be useful and fun. He already had a number of toys, his other gifts were an iTouch, soccer shoes, motorbike, some high end toys, etc. Finally I had to settle for a group activity kit which he could do with his cousins and a new Wii game of his favorite Super Marios (that wowed him for exactly one week. Sigh!). Gone are the days where parents used to throw a simple bday party with cake and rasna and we were done. For Aakash's bday, my landlady booked a party room in Chucky Cheese, ordered pizza and drinks for all, had a special Super Mario cake and gave party gifts to every kid that came in. Its all well and good to do it sometime but gets harder to beat expectations every year. Aakash's fourth bday was similar with Sponge Bob cake - this year, he made it clear he didn't want anything less than a Super Marios or Bieber cake. Excuse me?? A cake is a cake, even a simple one should've given the same fun since we are all going to eat it anyways. And he forgot about that cake after a few days.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Don't get me wrong, I'm all for wowing kids and giving them the best experiences parents can give. But life is not just a string of happy moments. You cannot eat just sweets for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There should be a balance in everything and failures and rejections are part of the deal. So, get your kids exposed to a wide variety of experiences, both good and bad, and let them grow up as mature adults and not some protected ones in a bubble.If not, they would become adults without a deep sense of commitment to anything, not even to having fun. Life, then, would become a meaningless set of events - that is the worst thing a parent can give his or her child. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">PS: I do know that all this is theory and that since I'm not a parent, I can't really talk about the choices parents make when bringing up their kids. I'm all for the choices that parents make, since after all, its their kid. But, all I ask is, keep a balance and show your kids what real life is like. Once they know that failures are not a big deal and that success is never elusive, they'll learn to love and enjoy life more. Treat them with an iron hand in a velvet glove and your kid might thank you years later even if he screams for icecream every night now. For, you cannot protect them forever and its best that they fail in your arms than fail where you cannot hold them.</div></div>Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-75870410999038551692011-06-29T18:45:00.000-07:002011-06-29T18:45:04.891-07:00Snapshot of a week - update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">And, oh... forgot to add the following things:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Went to a Seattle Sounders game with M. Lot of firsts for that one - had a good time with M and other friends, my first live football game (it actually ended before I got bored - that is a plus!), 100th game for Sounders and good goals (two of them were super funny!), ride back to home in a bus late at night.</li>
<li>Installed a basketball hoop at office to play. Oh yeah, my company is that cool!</li>
<li>Organized two lunches and both went well. The company is getting more and more interesting.</li>
<li>Saw a bunch of movies - loved 180 though there is something missing, Ip Man series - loved it for the company I went with, some more tamil ones. Got to start serious movie watching soon. But we are in summer and I don't want to spend time watching movies... and what little indoor time I get, kindle takes my attention.</li>
<li>Finally, finally got my book moved to publishing (as in, real publishing - at the printers with the feel of ink on it). I can feel the printing happening on each word as I look at the script. Now I understand how writers all over feel. Though I'm one of the authors, I can't wait to see my chapter and book in print.</li>
</ul><div>Looks like this week has been good, overall... lets see what the next week brings - I've already got a trip, a few movies, a lunch, a few chat sessions and a few talks lined up. But this hope, this is what makes life fun - As Anne says, 'half the fun in something is in expecting it'. And, I'm going to expect things fully!</div></div>Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30267546.post-9994474026372085962011-06-29T17:59:00.000-07:002011-06-29T17:59:58.594-07:00Snapshot of a week<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Here is another snapshot of a week post:<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Amazing how meeting some people changes our lives or provides such a shock that we change our views a lot. Here are three people I met this week: one - a cancer patient - I'm stuck by her resolve to enjoy every minute of life and her love for life itself, two - someone in management - it was nice to see the differences in viewpoints between hard core technical people and people in management and three - someone whose actions I'm trying to figure out - I had thought I had seen all types of people possible (either real life or movies or books) but it was an eyeopener and a lesson in humility thrown in somewhere. </li>
<li>Caught up with a couple of friends from my grad school after a long time - a conference call is so good when you are down!</li>
<li>Met a few of my undergrad friends for dinner - I don't think any of us would've predicted we'd end up where we are eight years ago (no, not even five years ago when this blog was started!)</li>
<li>Throw in a few chat sessions at M with friends. I'm loving every minute of them :) Definitely one of the highlights in daily life :P</li>
<li>Crazy Saturday night - I think I'd become a UNO expert pretty soon - I managed to do the same mistake more than once at the same point. The second time was a deja vu! Despite J's efforts to educate me in games, its pretty dismal. Then G finished my game for me.</li>
<li>Sidenote: I won all the games in cards that night!! So, there!</li>
<li>Sunday afternoon - unexpected lunch and movie party... but I'm getting back to intern days. Spontaneous is the word!</li>
<li>Sunday evening - met some of my friends for snacks. It was good meeting everyone (other than for bdays and anniversaries). I do miss the Kinect dinners we used to do - now everyone is busy and have more commitments to keep up. People can't 'just' relax and waste time anymore :( And I'm scared of growing older for this same reason - at one point, life would become a list of commitments to fulfill and the fun part would get lost. Even if I keep my life fun, I can't expect everyone else to do the same - and what is the point in doing things if you can't do them with friends? I'm not sure I know the solution to this one but I hope we all know it before it's too late!</li>
<li>K is coming to Neverland after like an infinity!! That one news made my whole week :) I'm already planning a whole slew of things to do - a trip to Canada and Portland are in the cards! Lets see!</li>
<li>Was totally down for a day or so (think Tuesday). I need to get a handle on my temper. It's usually fine but I flew off the handle for sometime and don't feel happy about it at all.</li>
<li>Had a really nice chat with KG's parents - they know me from when I was a baby (literally!) and hearing from them was super good. That is also a reminder that my parents and their friends are not growing any younger.</li>
<li>Got to be part of my dad's bday party! Thanks to technology and P :) I was feeling super bad that I couldn't be there (hence the bad temper) and the next day, got to do this!! </li>
<li>Finally used my kindle to download a couple of books - Saturday afternoons are best spent lounging on a camp chair in the sun with a juice in one hand and a kindle with your favorite books in another. Lets see how long this bliss exists.</li>
<li>Heard that one of my cousins was moving to Canada soon! I'll so miss them!</li>
<li>Realized that a lot of my friends have stopped/reduced facebooking because they are all busy with work :O. I'm still among the remaining few that likes and comments and wishes and what not. As a result, my name pops up more times in more feeds (atleast, according to J, I produce more noise on facebook :P) and that has its own set of issues. OK, this also proves I'm pretty jobless!</li>
<li>Did a few late nights due to work - but life is pretty interesting.</li>
</ul><div>Apparently, this is all I can think of about the last seven days of my life. I'm wondering if I should reduce facebook time and instead do a snapshot of week every week (and note things down as and when they happen). Atleast it would be a fun read a few years later ( not to mention that my facebook would be a lot cleaner).</div><div>As always, all comments welcome :)</div></div>Alpine Pathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15028192649180303567noreply@blogger.com0