What I see!!

Camping in beautiful Big Sur!

2011-09-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

Stay tuned for the text and meanwhile enjoy the pics :)

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2011-09-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

Dear God,

Thank you for giving me a very sturdy skull. Yesterday, a 3 years old boy jumped on it but I still survived. Thank you!

Sincerely,
Disha

2011-09-10T22:58:00.000-07:00

Only a child can bring out an artist in a non-artist or a cook in a non-cook dad.

And only a child can make his parents sing "Happy B'day dear Ganpati bappa" on ganesh chaturthi along with tooti-footi traditional aarti they know. But hey, It is the intention that only matters and this was accompanied with lots of giggles and joy so I am sure Ganapati Bappa must have enjoyed it too!

And, I am going to be a daadi soon. It seems, My 3 years old boy has twins in his tummy. Penguin and Marling. Penguin is a boy and Marling is a girl. There is a tent too in his tummy where they play hide and seek in the day and where twins sleep in the night? See yourself!

New company is good and looks like I am going to stay. I like people and work but as expected amount of work is lets say double than I was expected to do in my previous company! I t means there are going to be less-er and less-er posts for next few months but I will peep in time to time. Until I see you next,

Stay Fun!
Disha

2011-08-26T11:41:00.000-07:00

Day 5 (Last day): He is not accepting it but the truth is Daddy dearest is too envious of all the fun we Ma-Beta are having and hence decided to work from home today. Everytime I ask him to WFH he makes all bahanas, You guys don't let me work and all that..So, this time we didn't bother to ask, Hehe! Now, if we let him work or not, that only time will tell..but yeah, no plans to go out today!

Disclaimer: Shreyas hasn't exhibit any talent for Music & Dance, but his Mamma thinks he is no less than Kishore Kumar :|

Much Love,
Disha

2011-08-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

Day 4: What more a 3 years old can love than getting his hands dirty? Right, nothing!
So this morning, I filled some plastic containers with soil and gave Shreyas some sprouts to sow. I sat back(not actually. It took lot of self-control to keep my voice calm) and watched him ~~making mess~~ having fun.

And this was his first hands-on lesson on "Reduce, Recycle, Reuse".

Well, I hope, he doesn't turn out like me. My Manager had given me a very beautiful plant as welcome gift, I killed it in 15 days :|

Stay Hopeful!
Disha

2011-08-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

Day 3 we spent in Happy Hollow park & zoo . I grew up in a place where goats, cows, pigs roam happily on the streets. I used to go in school in a horse cart. But here, it is a different ecosystem. Animals are not seen in the city and ooh, I don't want my son to think that animals exist only in books and to my horror animal do talk. So, We try to take him to zoo often.
HHPZ has a petting barn. Shreyu loved brushing goats, sheep and pony. I showed him goat's poop and made him count too , hehe!
Brave girl that I am(not) fed pony with my hand but the touch of its tongue on my hand was yikeeeees. So I just kept myself to click pictures with phone and let Shreyu have fun.
Its amazing that how kids can find fun in anything and everything.
1..2..3 JUMP.
And again!
Playing in a sand pit. Sun was blazing but it seems it was only bothering me, My little one was cool.
They seem to have a zoo but it was a let down. When I dismissed HHPZ thinking its a flop-show and decided to head home, we discovered the park and it became one paisa-vasool trip.

This was most fun but once. Shreyu was stuck and I had to keep aside my dignity, climb all the way up, cross the bridge and rescue him. Why set aside my dignity? Ahem, I was wearing knee length denim skirt :\

Soda is a luxury. Everytime we are out and thirsty, his dad will only buy some healthy boring fruit juice. But today he was with Mamma and did I tell you, Mamma is Kooooool!

After one amazing day-out, here my chota. tanned, tired, happy and Sleepy.

tata. Till I come back with updates on Day 4,

Stay fun!
Disha

2011-08-23T16:27:00.000-07:00

Day 2: We decided to pay homage to Mecca.
Yep, Our Mecca is our city Library. We both love books and can spend hours and hours in this 'holy' place.
Shreyas looking for....
A Thomas book. Aur kya :\
Library also has a very attractive play area for kids. Every time I visit this, I go home with a tinge of sadness. Shreyas is enjoying these facilities but what about millions of kids in my country? I really wish, Jan lokpal bill comes and put a full stop on corruption. And yes, I was here to show my support. But this deserves another post so I will hold my thoughts for now.

Every two minutes, my chota was offering broccoli flavored to Bacon flavored chai to me. And when I started getting hunger pangs and wanted to go home, he got a play mate. I was constantly pampered with Broccoli chai and now with cake sandwich for next one hour. Sweet kids!
Finally going home. Behind him was his puffing and panting Mamma, carrying books and bag in one hand and getting pic from other.
All in all a great day and yeah, I got 'The namesake' by Jhumpa Lahiri for myself.
My munna is napping from past two hour and should really get up by now. So Let me cuddle him kiss him and wake him up. See you tomorrow.

Much love,
Disha

2011-08-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

Mamma your toes are like turkey's, hohoho!...Bye Baba have fun in office, don't cry...Finish your food Nani no wasting, okay... you look very cute in this dress, Mamma...I have a baby girl in my tummy(!)...Ms.Andy wore black nail-paint today *blush*... This xyz is very yummy, make it at home Mamma.....and it goes on.

There is a slight difference though. All this happens in Hindi, this 3 years old American speaks shudh UPwaali hindi at home. And well I don't remember how and if life existed before birth of my chatter box!

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Yippeeeeeee, Party to celebrate Shreyu's day care chutti for a week and his Mamma's break between jobs. I have only one agenda this week: To be away from electronic gadgets as much as possible (except blogging hehe!) and catch up with life. To that chota added, play and eat junk all day. O yeah baby, its a party!! As I am penning this, I am also munching a blueberry muffin and eying on that half-full nankhatai dabba...slurp!

Today once again, my drilling m/c was out and this time our bedroom walls were shaking with fear. Last time when I had held my weapon, living room was transformed into this.

Reading corner: This little guy never really played with stuffed animals so I stacked all his soft toys in a corner. He likes that big dog and calls him 'Dungy'. Well, I have no intentions of getting him a pet, so Mister be happy with your Dungy!
Book rack is an old ikea TV stand, we didn't give/throw because of our sheer laziness. The mattress is Shreyu's old crib mattress that he never really slept on and at that time was costlier than our mattress. This country surely knows, how to rip off new parents!

Yep, Our bed is his playground. Despite of my countless efforts, our bedsheet never remains crease free. But who cares, I am not very 'prim and proper', anyways ;)
My fascination with Buddha and Buddhism is still continuing. Tomorrow, I am planning to get few small bamboo plants to keep him company. Book you see is, "First and last Freedom by J. Krishnamurti".
And this is how we spent first day of our break. Will come again tomorrow with updates on the day. Till then,

Stay cool!
-Disha

2011-08-07T02:17:00.000-07:00

Me(while feeding him khichadi in dinner): What do you want in lunch-box tomorrow?

Shreyu: Khichadi.

Me: Munna..I will make some thing fresh in the morning. Tell me.

Shreyu: umm....SAMOSA!!

That was some serious over estimation of Mamma's abilities :|

Stay fun!
Disha

@ 3 years & 2 months of Shreyas

Love story - Part 2

2011-08-05T11:59:00.000-07:00

Part 1 .

Okay I will let you guess who our boy & girl are. But to assist you in the process, I will give you some background.

Disclaimer: I don't find any sadistic pleasure in uttering "I QUIT". I did it too many times in six-n-half years of my software career still I DO like to believe, I am committed to my work (if not company).

See, I want to be there to see my kid(s) growing up. Even if it means, I (may) have to miss out on some luxuries in life.I am fortunate to have a husband who thinks the same way. So much so, he sometimes wishes same for himself. But, We ordinary mortals need some money for roti-kapada-makan and we don't hail from Tata-Bata khandaan, so that is not possible (here I am really finding some sadistic pleasure..henheh). And what luxuries? I never fancied living in a big house filled with expensive furniture & big backyard or owning multiple properties (and loosing sleep over paying mortgages). A three bedroom spacious airy apartment filled with sunlight & laughter of people, surrounded by lush green walk way and maybe a community gym & swimming pool, that's all I want.
I used to be a very girly girl once but now living with two boys for what seems an eternity, all my girly qualities are slowly and effortlessly vanishing. Shopping/movies/TV are increasingly becoming waste of time. Jewellery/expansive clothes/ shoes are fastly loosing importance. I love cooking for my family, so fancy dinners are also becoming optional (I need it once a week though).
Only thing, I am NOT ready to compromise is, my time. I want to have time for my family, friends & myself. Evenings, I prefer to fight/share/ride shreyu's scooter with him, playing frisbee with friends, taking long walks with husband, call and bug my parents & sister everyday. In short, I am not really going to miss out on "luxuries" if I don't continue to slog, actually it is other way round. And I know, even if we hit a jackpot and become millionaire tomorrow, our lifestyle is not going to change much.
But, to make matter complicated, I need to have a job. I cannot be stay-at-home-mom for a long time because I tend to get obsessed with shreyu. From stairs to blasts, global warming to kitchen knives every thing in this world starts looking like a threat to my baby. I could never kill an ant before I became Mom, but now when I read about child abuse I think I can go to any limit, if needed. You got the drift. Not to loose my mind completely, I have to be away from shreyas and trust other people to take care of piece of my heart atleast for few hours.
Company COOL is very good, but with humongous commute and non-work-from-home policy, I am spending 12 hours outside. I can also see, after I started job Shreyu's behavior changing. From a very sweet & witty toddler, he is becoming fussy and cranky. Currently most of the evenings, I am frustrated and tired, with no energy to even talk. Everyday, more collective tears were flowing that I would have liked. I don't know, what I want in life, but I definitely do not want to spend my life this way. So the 'love affair' with company COOL ended. How long it went, don't ask. I am bit ashamed to answer that.
See, I am not afraid of work and I am very hard working, I will finish the deadlines even if I am dying (nautanki?) but what I want is flexibility to manage my time. When I talked to company HOT about my dilemma, they graciously agreed to let me work 2 day/week from home and transferred my H1-B. So I will join them soon and with a hope that this 'affair' will last little longer. Amen!

If you really read all the crap written above, you must have guessed this was story of me & company cool. (with added masala like girl is very pretty and all ;)).

Well, till I sort out all the mess I created and come back,

Stay cool!
Disha

PS: Can totally imagine Husband's raised eyebrows about the number of 'I' used and all the preaching done in this post. Well, He is not a blogger and doesn't understand our "needs". This is what (semi)Anonymous blogs are for. Hai na doston? :)

Love story - part 1

2011-08-04T16:35:00.001-07:00

His calm voice was magnetic. Tall dark with sharp features and well proportioned body, Boy was definitely handsome! If not drop dead gorgeous, she was very pretty. Chirpy and bubbly, this Girl was full of life!
One random day, they met..or should I say bumped into each other? And, If we go past their lovely faces, they were poles apart from each other. Considering this, they should fall in love, right? All our lovey-dovey bollywood stories teach, "Opposite attracts" and all. My psychology lessons didn't seem to agree but to make our story spicy, lets stick to "Opposite attracts". Okay?
So, they met and it was a love at first sight. Now, is there any thing like "love at first sight"? If you are a teenager, you are likely to jump and yell "YES YES, it happened to me!". But, if you are little older you know, Love is not when you fall for a pretty face you saw once with neatly combed hair and nice smell. Love is what, when you fall for same not-so-pretty face with disheveled hair and bad breath after nightlong sleep, every single morning (atleast most).
Coming back to story, Our boy & girl did fall for each other. But soon they realized their story can never end with "Happily ever after" . Because, they are not in love. So without making much fuss or tears, they parted from each other. I wish I could add some masala here, but honestly there was none. May be, they will live "Happily ever after". Who know? But not with each other, that I am sure!

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Now considering, big nautanki I am, there has to be a climax, right? But, I am running out of time & energy so till I come back with next part,

Stay Cool!
Disha

2011-07-30T17:54:00.000-07:00

...And thats why, there is no dearth of laughter in my little apartment!

One has (vulgar) dance moves, good enough to give takkar to any Bollywood item-girl and another has dance moves good enough to...err...well, he has no dance moves. And together, they can make me laugh any-time and every-time!

The Duo, when little bit saner!

And why Shreyu appears in every video with bare minimum clothes? See, how-much ever we love to squeeze, kiss and bite his very edible body, We buy him clothes once in a while. Actually, he prefers to roam half-nanga at home and I love it too. Him not me, you silly!

Much love,
-Disha

2011-07-29T12:27:00.000-07:00

Beware...Rants ahead!

Bollywood Actors: What is the matter with (some of) our middle-aged Bollywood "super-stars"? Guys, no matter how much you try to look HOT, what unmistakably sticks out is: YOUR INFLATED EGO!

Public display of excessive affection on social-networking sites: When you are in love, It shows! There is no need to shout about it from roof-top or (excessive) exchange of love-notes with your sweetheart on facebook. It annoys some very uncool people like me.

Me: After spending twelve hours in office plus commute, and another twelve in managing home plus kitchen plus husband plus kid and grrrr..some sleep, guess what I am missing most these days? Being pregnant again!
Thankfully, Husband is little less insane and little more practical.

To Kids reality shows on TV: It really angers me to watch a six years old wearing skimpy clothes and heavily made-up face swinging on "sheela ki jawani" in a television dance competition or an 8 yrs old cracking jokes not at all appropriate for her age on another comedy reality show.
I am not moral policing. But Parents, let kids be kids...Please!

2011-07-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

Inception: Too fast and complicated for my slow and simple brain.

And this was my attempt to write a movie review. I know, I sucked...Thank you!

2011-07-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

When Daddy coolest is in-charge of bathing, dressing and sending his son to school:

You come home and find out, your precious monkey was grinning & roaming whole day in daycare looking like errr...

Much Love!
Disha

2011-07-09T21:57:00.000-07:00

Shreyas: 1.2.3...13.14.15.17.18.19.20

Me: Why you always forget 16?

Shreyas: Oh Mamma, 16 is very boring. I don't like it!

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Dear sweet 16, don't feel offended. I love you and if I (ever) become Mom of a girl, I assure you she will love you too!

Here is my jigar ka tukada. The way he is growing, he may already be (sweet) sixteen in next blink of my eyes.

Much Love!
-Disha

@3 years & 2 months of shreyas

2011-07-07T09:24:00.000-07:00

I loooovvvvve long hair & white clothes(love with all extra Os & Vs)...But only on others. And when I revealed this little secret to my hairdresser, she got bit carried away.

Now, I am almost ganji!

*sigh*

Love your locks..kyounki, kal ho na ho!
Disha

Short & Sweet!

2011-07-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

Specially for you, Snehal :)

Knowing him I can only wish he doesn't recite it back, when I force him to finish his food to become 'big & strong' :\

Love!
-Disha

@3 years & 2 months of Shreyas

2011-06-24T09:23:00.000-07:00

You must have concluded by now that I am a "crazy Mamma". In last 3 years, I must have taken some 3956821 pictures of Shreyas. And after getting this cool phone with awesome recorder, I must have taken some 8796 videos in last 6 months. ( I refuse to call my 'iphone' an 'iPhone'. Actually it annoys me to no end when "hypnotized and possessed by iPhone" people do that. Hello?? It might be coolest phone around but it is still JUST a phone. A very RANTful post on it, some other day!)
Back to this one, "hypnotized and possessed by Shreyas", I cannot stop recording him even in his 'poo-poo' time (paparazzi, huh?). Actually 'poo-poo' time conversations are super hilarious. Want preview? Here is my 3 years old, giving gyan on, why we should eat food :)

Stay Happy & don't miss any chance to laugh-out-loud!
-Disha

ps: As usual, Mommy rights & copy rights for video!

2011-06-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

Sometime last year, we became vegetarians. Now, being vegetarian is very satisfying, but there are some practical issues involved. I mean, it is very easy to miss required protein in plant-based diet. Our physician told, if our body doesn't get required protein, it craves for more carbohydrates (one reason behind bulging bellies, weight issues and still no energy!). Once I was aware of this fact, I started paying lot of attention to what I am cooking. Good news is, if one wants to explore, there are too many options available to incorporate protein in Indian cuisine. Like, chickpea flour (besan), peanuts, pulses, Kidney beans are some good sources.

These days, I am learning/reading a lot about food and nutrition. And though, it is an on-going task for me, I have some 'tips & tricks' to share.

To start with, here is sample of Shreyas's lunch box :

1. 10-15 boiled and salted chickpeas(chole). Tip: Cook (pre-soaked) chickpeas in salted water and refrigerate them in an air-tight container. They are good for 7-10 days. A healthy & tasty protein snack.
2. Any kids-friendly veggie. He likes broccoli, cucumbers, green peas so, I give one of these.
3. 2-3 cubes of paneer (cottage-cheese). Again, great source of protein, calcium and fat. Tip: Always, have it in your refrigerator!
4. Some raisins & nuts, just for fun.
5. A piece of fruit.
6. Some carbohydrates (Idly/pasta/sandwich) etc.

I know, what you are thinking. It is too much for a 3 year old. See, I am learning..and atleast he likes it. So what, if he finishes his 'lunch'-box only by Dinner ;)
......Will come back later with some recipes. Till then,

Stay Healthy!
-Disha

2011-06-12T15:18:00.000-07:00

From my Social Psychology class:

"According to research, absence does not make the heart grow fonder, familiarity doesn't breed contempt, and opposites don't really attract."

Interesting, isn't?
-Disha

Aha! The beauties...

2011-06-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

Last month, we visited Florida and some of the most memorable time we spent in: Butterfly conservatory,Key west. It is a small, beautiful glass enclosed park with tropical setting and where you walk among hundreds and hundreds of butterflies and birds. One of the butterfly sat on my chest and I guess took my heart away ;)

Pictures of some of the lovelies, I managed to capture through my lenses. They keep moving..May be thats how they maintain their beauty!
Do you know, butterfly tastes through her feet?

Some species are sensitive to ultraviolet spectrum. I am wondering, is sky blue for a butterfly too?

Whole experience was magical to me. I had never seen so many butterflies in my life.

Pretty cool, huh?

And no post is really complete without a mention of my 'S&S', so here are the boys learning all about the butterflies :)
I know of two more butterfly parks. One in San Francisco, California & other in Bangalore, India. I am going, are you coming?

Stay Beautiful!
-Disha

2011-06-03T10:02:00.000-07:00

My psychology teacher always deduct my marks for grammatical mistakes. I cannot argue, because:

* My excuse of being an Engineer and not Linguist didn't really work.
* When it comes to usage of any language, I SUCK!
* I really like her.

So all you beautiful people, I have a plea. I am totally fine if you don't leave any comment. Most of the time I also don't, when I visit any blog. But, if you ever spot any grammatical blunder....do drop a note :)

2011-06-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

Preassumption & Prejudice, if I could kick these two words out from my dictionary.Because every-time when I come face-to-face with reality, all I am left with is...guilt!

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Anyways, I don't want to finish this post on a negative note. So, here is picture of someone who has captivated my heart, these days :)

He balanced the negativity. Right?

Stay peaceful!
Disha

2011-05-30T15:35:00.000-07:00

Me (to husband): How come, ALL the Dinosaurs are wiped out ?

Shreyu (pitched in) : I know..I Know. A BIG snake came and ate them all! *gasp*

****************************************************************************
On a different note, our family seems to have preserved lots of 'ancestral' traits :P

Stay Cool & don't miss any chance to laugh out loud!
-Disha

@ 3 years & 3 weeks of Shreyas

2011-05-27T15:39:00.000-07:00

In last one week, I was TOLD by:

Ukrainian park-mate,
Colombian co-passenger,
Indian friend,
Vietnamese restaurant owner,
Chinese stranger

That it is time to start thinking about another baby!

Hmm..so it means it DOESN'T happen only in India. Or may be side effect of 'globalization'? ;)
-Disha

Wings of Paradise!

2011-05-26T16:34:00.000-07:00

Love,
Disha

Pic taken at butterfly conservatory, key west FL

2011-05-25T10:20:00.000-07:00

I had picked up habit of reading while I was pregnant. Result: Now I have a BIG storyteller at home. He can make a story with any object and at any time. And if you exclude the 'story' part (Three years olds have wildest of imaginations), listening to him is quite hilarious. My words could never do justice to what I wish to convey, so I did let my recorder do the job!

Thomas, Gorden & Edward are characters from Thomas the tank Engine series.

I get to listen 20 times a day that "Shreyas is very big!":

My baby is growing too fast. I am missing his baby-ness already!
-Disha

@3 years & 2 weeks of Shreyas

Moment so perfect!

2011-05-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

Sea breeze was flowing through her hair and caressing her face. Sun was about to set and sky was looking one lovely panorama of colors, as if giving it a pious farewell. Sound of waves mixed with roar of seagulls and laughter of people was making the scene enchanting. She was sitting there, besotted. "Majestic yet calm, supreme still impartial only Sun can look as peaceful when dying as it was while beginning", she thought.
The moment was so profound, it immersed her completely into itself and left her feeling peaceful. She silently thanked Lord Almighty for everything she has and closed her eyes.

2011-05-04T18:28:00.000-07:00

From toothbrush, toothpaste, books, bag, clothes and toys (basically everything a 3 years old can need), he only wants 'Thomas'. We would have been bankrupt by now, if no rechargeable batteries were invented.

We are planning to open 'Thomas & friends' museum at our place. Do visit!
-Disha
@2 years & 11 months of Shreyas

2011-04-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

I didn't give updates on Shreyas, for some time. So, if you were wondering, how 'my Little Sunshine' is, read on. Beware, it is going to be a long post. Mommy-rights(and Copy-rights) reserved for pictures and videos!

I often ask my husband, "How did you manage to induce so many of your genes in so small time-window that you had? ". I better not write his answer (:P), but what i mean is, I carried Shreyas for 9 months, but he is replica of his Dad. He talks like Dad, he walks like Dad.He laughs like Dad,he dresses like Dad and so on..

See your self:

He is a happy child, who loves to talk and laugh. Also, very independent by nature and doesn't like to be treated as a baby. He never cries at school, never wants to hold Mamma's hand in public. One day when i went to pick him up, i lifted him and planted a kiss. His face flushed with embarrassment and he almost yelled, "Mamma, Shreyu is not a baby!". I never tried that again in public :|
Well, when we are at home, It is totally a different story. Sometimes, i have to threaten him with a time-out for excessive hugging and kissing Mamma!
He is independent to the extent that he wants to do everything by himself. He finishes his milk only because then on that day, he gets to clean himself, after 'Poo-poo' :|.

On first day of school (22nd Feb 2011):

Generally sweet,mild-mannered but sometimes little 'bullheaded'. He gets upset only when, there is change in routine without prior notice. Like, If i make a right-turn when street-light is red (its free right-turn here. But he is too young to understand), I get a long lecture on my driving skills. Or, he doesn't mind showing his displeasure, if i forgot to put my shoes in shoe-rack or if i forgot to wash my hands after coming from park or if i didn't exercise or.. Who is Mamma here?
I really hope, that where-ever she is, if already born (my future daughter-in-law), is little more flexible and giving little less hard time to her Mommy.

A nature lover and has a remarkable appetite for mountain climbing. He loves in the midst of nature and generally the youngest climber around.

He is good in arts. He loves to draw and paint . Few months back, he made Mamma's portrait and believe me, i look EXACTLY like this..

Yesterday, i took him to donate his old tricycle and clothes that he outgrew to under-privileged children. And i was really proud, that he could give his much-loved things so easily. Baby, please never change!
There is no greater pleasure for me than watching you grow :)

@2 years and 11 months of Shreyas

2011-04-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

Have you heard "Khuda meharban to gadha pehalwaan" ?(Non-hindi knowing friends, click the link for meaning of hindi proverb:)) But have you ever though, in situation like this how will be gadhi's state of mind?
Now, i am not exactly Gadhi gadhi okay, i worked really hard for this. But i am in a situation where i have to make a choice between two job offers. This is more like 'Thinking aloud' kind of post but you are welcome to read and to tell your pick:(note: blogger acts weird sometimes :|,please scroll down a page to read rest of the post.)

DETAILS	COMPANY COOL	COMPANY HOT
TECHNOLOGIES	Cool	Hot
SALARY	Cool	Hot
COMMUTE	Bad(40 miles each side).Will take train	Bad(20 miles each side). Will drive
STRESS	No	Lot(Work+long drive)
SECURITY	Yes	No
GROWTH	No	Lot
WORK-LIFE BALANCE	Bad(long commute) but manageable	Worse(Lot of work + Stressful commute) but i may learn to manage
2 YRS FROM NOW	Cool dudette who 'may' have additional psychology degree in hand. See, i have already decided how will i spend my 2.5 hours in train	Though not bald, woman 'may' be looking older than her age. A lot better engineer though.
MY PERCEPTION ABOUT COMPANY	A big name with series of successful consumer products. People are geeky veterans.With my 7 years of software experience,i will be considered as a newbie.People work at their own pace.I really liked the team though.Not very clear about my role and i will have to make sure that my skills don't get 'rusty'	An emerging startup with potential to generate lot of momentum.My intuition says, in few years it will be a huge hit. People are young,smart,workaholic.Lot of energy,action in the air.Team is good, my role is absolutely clear.Salary is very good!	.

To Explain my situation better:

1. I am extremely satisfied with my family life and i want to disrupt the equation as little as possible. Following few months will bring lot of change in current routine. We husband-wife will understand, but should not expect lot of co-operation from our 3 years old.

2. It is extremely difficult to get a Full-time job in US when you are on dependent visa(H4) and didn't work from last 2 years. I am very fortunate to be in this position and cannot take it for granted. And for first time, i am very serious about my career!

3. I am too honest to say "yes" to both the companies, waste their money on my visa processing and not end up joining.

I used to be a very impulsive person and sometimes i regret for few hasty decisions i made in past. This time, i want to take my time and let my head and heart be in sync before i come to a decision.

Anyways, whats your pick?
-Disha

2011-02-23T11:07:00.000-08:00

Long Long ago, I and sis used to go to school in a tanga (horse carriage) . One Spring evening, Mom came back from office, to find her living room full with......hungry looking kids. A surprise Birthday party was going on. Birthday party for me and surprise for my Mommy. Her girls had cordially invited all their tanga-mates with their siblings for the party. They just forgot two things, to inform Mom and to take care of food.
So there she was, tired after a busy day at work and now with an immediate task of feeding twenty little tummies.But, Moms are magicians too, so after the party everyone left with belly-full and a broad smile :) (What happened to both of us..don't ask.)

Yesterday, i turned another year older but how much wiser..well, we will see :)

Break ke baad!

2011-02-07T10:50:00.000-08:00

...you bash facebook at every chance for luring innocent people into world of deception and pretense. More, you feel pity for young(er) generation who is either lost playing farmville or busy giving minute-by-minute on their lives..ARGH!!!!
Well, you are everyday caught browsing facebook by dear husband and you sweetly defend, "It is just for some refreshment darling, i am not hooked." ;)

2010-09-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

Try this: Next time, you go for grocery shopping, remember to carry your own recyclable shopping bag. I honestly don't know how much it will help to save Mother earth, but it will make you feel better about yourself, that is guaranteed.

2010-08-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

...And i am suffering from a strange forget-face-remember-only-name syndrome. On several occasions, i could recall a person (whom i had met previously and had become 'almost-friends') only after the person told me his/her/kid's name. And once i got the name, memories of each and every part of conversation came rushing to me.
Either, my brain-eye coordination is playing pranks or this is just a post-thirty phenomenon. *sigh*

*****************************************************************************

I don't particularly like to leave things in between..but when you have to, you just have to! I couldn't appreciate 'The Enchantress of Florence' by Salman Rushdie a bit. May be, as a reader i am not evolved enough to appreciate his work. Whatever!

******************************************************************************
Some thing to balance negativity of above post...

Smile!
Disha

Illusion

2010-07-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

2010-07-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

Every Monday evening, when Daddy comes back home, Shreyas holds his finger and takes him straight, to show what he made in school that day. Dad reflects the enthusiasm and listens patiently to everything that his 2 years old has to tell.
Only if i could express innocence of the whole scene with my limited vocabulary or could capture pride in Daddy's eyes and delight in son's with my lenses! I just stand there silently, watch them 'discuss', love & hug and i try to seize the moment in my memory forever.
Some things in life are priceless!

@ 2 years and 2 months of shreyas.

Where my words are seized..

2010-06-30T15:44:00.000-07:00

..by my camera :)

Be back!
-Disha

2010-06-25T11:13:00.000-07:00

Me: Eeee, tu kaun hai? (in my mushy-mushy Mommy voice)

Shreyas: "Mamma ki aankhon ka tara, Baba ki aankhon ka tara, Shreyas ki aankhon ka tara" in a single breath.

And his dad thinks, I TALK A LOT :\

@2 years and 1 month of Shreyas.

2010-06-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

Spring radiance to quiescence that surrounds,
When Morning sun-rays embrace the ground!

2010-06-17T12:29:00.000-07:00

Me: Baby, what are you doing with my moisturizer?

Shreyas(very seriously): Shaving!

Me: :\

Stay Cool!
-Disha

Bit of spring in summer!!

2010-06-08T14:43:00.000-07:00

Pessimist in Disha says: Whats the point in posting pics now? You are too late, Its over :\

AND

Optimist in Disha says: It was super pretty and super fun. Lets see the pics once again :) ..

Hmm..by the time i resolve the differences of these two, you enjoy a bit of spring in the summer!

Can you smell the fragrance?
-Disha

2010-06-01T15:03:00.000-07:00

Baby, when will you stop taking fancy to every manhole you see? I am having nightmares that you fell in one, i jumped in, took you out and now both of us are fully drenched with shit.
OR.....when will i just stop being obsessed with you :)

Added later: Relevant picture.

2010-05-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

This evening like every evening, he looks into her eyes and gives it to her, "You again forgot to drink water".

This evening like every evening, she smiles sheepishly, takes the glass and gulps it down thinking, One of those million small things, that makes a life truly beautiful!

2010-05-21T14:00:00.000-07:00

Lesson # 15439: Think twice, before taking your toddler to common laundry area.

So, i was going to our apartment complex's laundry room and my 2 yrs old tagged along.I didn't mind, even a 100 ft walk is quite entertaining with him. He is at the stage, where silliest things amuses him the most, specially jumping up-and-down on a gutter( Thankfully covered) which is on the way to laundry room. I was asking him questions about the surroundings and he was excitedly telling me whatever he was seeing.
And we reached. (we have common Laundry room with multiple W/D for all the residents. Once in a while, people forget their small clothes in washer/dryer.In that case, next user removes the clothes and keeps in common area.) I was busy transferring clothes from washer to a drier when i heard Shreyu shouting "CHADDI, CHADDI CHADDI..." and pointing to common area. To add to the ~~embarrassment~~ fun, there were some Indians inside, smiling silently, and who knew pretty well, what a "CHADDI" means :\

Kids!!!!!!!!!!

The Lady!!

2010-05-16T19:11:00.000-07:00

Just two years ago....

2010-05-09T22:05:00.000-07:00

....I was lying on a hospital bed and scribbling this on a tissue paper:

I woke up today to see,

Sun was glowing yellow,
and sky was bright blue.
Clouds were busy dancing
and there was a rainbow too !!

I saw the rose and it blushed,
A tall tree bowed to me.
Wind was charmingly breezy,
she showered petals on me!!

I asked a little squirrel,
but she giggled and ran away.
I was there thinking,
what is so special Today?

Seeing me standing clueless,
a little bird whispered to me,
You know what, its a Mother's day,
And you will be a Mom Today!!

:) I couldn't ask for a better gift than becoming a Mother on a Mother's day. THANK-YOU GOD, THANK-YOU Shreyas and THANK-YOU S~ for such a perfect timing :D. And since then..this day became special. Very-special!

To my dearest Mom and Mom-in-law, all fellow Moms and soon-to-be-moms : A very happy mother's day!!!
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On a different note, My tw0-years-in-two-days old's current favorite activity is: to throw every visible thing in the TOILET and giggle! It reminds me, A friend's GTalk status once said, " If there were no schools, asylums would have been full with mothers." :|

Stay cool and don't miss any chance to laugh-out-loud!
-Disha

For your aching tummy....

2010-04-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

Life of a child is - TOUGH!

Shreyas was whining one evening and we "so-called doting parents" dismissed it as 'frequently shown trailer of upcoming terrible-two movie'. But it turned out, he was having some tummy discomfort!

I mixed a pinch of asafoetida (hing) in a tea-spoon of cold milk and rubbed it on his tummy. He felt better pretty soon and slept within few minutes.

Sometimes i wonder, how much I have taken these home remedies for granted. If any of us is unwell, I call up my Mom/Mom-in-law, they will tell to make use of some spice or herb (which is readily available in kitchen). I use it, feel better and then it slips out of my mind.
But now i am thinking, how much research and hard-work, our ancestors must have done to come up with these handy medicines. Out of billions of things, why only asafoetida for aching tummy? We can atleast appreciate their brilliance and make use of the gift (and document it too) . No??

Before i end my post....

To our fore-fathers and fore-mothers, U ROCK!

Love,
-Disha

2010-04-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

Father may want to disown me, if he sees my car. I grew up in a town which was practically covered with dust, but if there was one thing remained pristine...its my dad's car. Now i live in a city, where only visible evidence of dust must be ___. Yeah, you guessed it right .Why? How? Why? Thats what i am unable to figure out.Sigh!
I will definitely get my car a car-wash before summer of 2011. U asked 2011,Ohh..Thats when Mom-dad are planning to visit na ;)

Stay ~~Cool~~ Clean!
Disha

2010-04-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

A big caring hug and phone-calls from one and nonstop baby-talks and wet kisses from other.
Still snuggling in blanket in my night-clothes, with a wonderful book in one hand and piping hot ginger tea in other..
Ahhaaaaha, i am so enjoying my Sardi & bukhaar.

Aaaaaaanchoo!
-disha

PS: Reading 'sons of fortune'. Mills and Boon is just not my thing :)

2010-03-31T18:38:00.000-07:00

She: I still can't believe it. You wasted all your life reading 'Ayn Rand', 'Jefferey Archer', 'Paulo Coelho' and likes but never even once read...

Me: You see, i have read entire Harry Potter series too.Atleast thrice!

she: *Hardly listening* All of my friends think, you are the coolest. GrandMa, what will they say?

Me: *eyes twinkling* Well, thank you!But, you can tell them, I have read Lord of the.....

She: *still not listening* Here is your first copy. Read it and you will know, what you missed for all these years.
And my little princess walked away leaving me flabbergasted.

******Afternoon-mare ended*********

Thats why i never take nap in the afternoon :\

Well, I am still pretty disturbed by the dream so excuse me, but i am finishing the post now. I need to go and grab a copy of Mills and Boon.
And Shhhhhh....promise me, you are never going to let my granddaughter know, i read it first, when i was..ahem...thirty :D

2010-03-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

..............and life begins!

2010-03-16T13:57:00.000-07:00

Every year, we get away with excuses like, "we couldn't find the danda" or "I don't have new saree" but never once we gave it a try. Truth is, we both are not very religious and this day doesn't hold any importance for us..

But this year is different. We have my parents-in-laws with us and this day means a lot to them ..So for their precious smiles, we came up with our VERY OWN FIRST GUDHI.
It is rather hilariously resting on my camera tripod stand and has a bright blue plastic glass crown . But hey..its the effort that counts :)

Wish you a very happy Gudhi padwa*. May this year gives you many opportunities to bring smile on faces of your loved ones and may your own smile never leaves you.

Happy new year!
Disha

P.S: Gudhi Padwa is new year's day for Maharashtrian.

2010-03-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

Me: (little irately) Are you a human or a monkey?

Shreyu: ( very innocently) No more monkey!

Me: (suppressing my laughter) Okay, then who are you?

Shreyu: crocodile !

(@ 22 months of shreyas)
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And it took a strong virus attack on my laptop, issue with camera (My 'bitiya' is sick BhooooBhoooBhooo) and a nudge from a friend to realize, how much i love colors..Anyways, Dawn of reality broke and i made this:

Well, this is not my original work but it is an adaptation of some great French artist.I bought the kit from Micheals and painted per their instructions. But when i was painting, i was indeed in a bliss :)
On a side note, shreyu spilt my color-tray on his head and had bright yellow 'highlights' for 2 full days. And when anybody asked about it, was rather proudly telling 'Panting'.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And here is a budding artist with his 'original' work in the background!!

Stay Cool!!
-Disha

2010-03-10T21:18:00.001-08:00

And a new twist! Whenever someone switches on T.V, my 'mini Hitler' starts "T.V band, T.V band, T.V band" and cries on top of his voice. Though, his Dada-dadi are having a tough time, i am secretly enjoying the fact. Don't raise your eyebrows, See i am saved from ~~suffering~~ watching runs and re-runs of these daily Soap-operas.
My 21 months old 'nautanki' knows worth of these depressing T.V serials, I don't know when my so very intelligent parents-in-laws will understand. *sigh*

Anyways...let me enjoy the peace till this quirkiness lasts. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Good night and sleep tight!
Disha

The Nest!

2010-03-10T13:16:00.000-08:00

She felt the pain deep inside. Merciless wind was blowing remnants of the nest in every direction..
She was there, when two birds were enthusiastically collecting twigs and building their home. She witnessed the happiness, when female bird laid the eggs. She felt the joy, when little birdies were learning to be on their own.

Why o why, wind had to be so hard on their 'home'?She closed the window as she couldn't bear the sight.

Inside the room, her husband and her kids were sleeping peacefully. She adjusted their blanket and smiled. No wind can be strong enough...and not all nests are weak! .

*fiction*

Beating the blues!!

2010-03-09T18:32:00.000-08:00

My son, my camera and www.blogger.com .. These are my stress-busters. What are yours?

(Okay husband too..but i could no-way relate him with the pic so skipped ;))

2010-03-06T09:07:00.000-08:00

In this mechanical world, all we need is to slowdown, and marvel at the miracles. Atleast sometimes!!

2010-03-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

Me: Shreyu, are you my daughter or son?

Shreyu: Moon!

Me: :0 *abhi se PJ*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shreyu: Mamma, Booch Booch *replace 'ch' with 'k' *

Mamma: Okay baby, Lets read Mickey Mouse and Pluto * with super excitement*

But then...... Dad makes an entry!

Shreyu: *Runs away with the book without, looking back at Mamma*

Mamma: :0 *with envious glance at the most animated version of book reading *
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shreyu: Mamma, Nain...Nain...Nain *jumping up and down*

Mamma: *thinking, what kind of Mamma she is..She doesn't understand half the things her baby says*

Shreyu: *Holds her hand and take her to Window so that she can see the rain*

Mamma: *smiling and thinking, if only She had half of the innocence he has...*

*All this at 21st month of shreyas*
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Every night, when i sleep in tight embrace of this father-son duo, i cannot help but think, how lucky i am! See, i have two men in my life, who love me the most..What else a woman can ask for :D ..
When you think, life cannot get better, it just does!

Sleep tight and good night!
-Disha

2010-03-03T13:43:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, we let mist of prejudice envelope our thoughts so much, that we fail to see otherwise clear picture right in front of our eyes!

I LOVE......

2010-03-03T11:04:00.000-08:00

I love, Mist in the breeze and Blossoming buds,
I love, Dew on the leaves and song of the birds,

I love, Sun of the dawn and Dusk in the sky,
I love, Green in the lawn and Birds flying high,

I love, Surf in the sea and Colors of the rainbow,
I love, Tall embracing trees and Fresh white snow,

I love, Fragrance of flower and Clouds in the sky,
I love, Serenity of a river and Stars twinkling in joy,

I love, Glow of the sun and Calm of the moon,
I love, Rain in the summer and Bright winter noon,

I love, Rays of sunlight, making my days bright,
I love, strolling with "him", in a pleasing Moonlight,

I love, Dancing in the rain and Whistle of the train,
I love, Playing with my son and Building castles in sand,

I love, my role of a friend, sister, daughter, Mom and Wife,
I love, to thank god for giving this wonderful life!

-Disha

Happy b'day kiddo!

2010-02-23T14:23:00.000-08:00

Well Well, i am back...because i want to introduce you someone very special to me. You know about my son Shreyas, but you don't know that i have a daughter too . (Kyoun chauk gaye na!)
And to tell you the truth, If Shreyas is my heartbeat, she is my eyes. I won't exaggerate if i say, she plays significant role in making me 'me'.
We are not only close friends, we share our birthdays as well. Yesterday, She turned one and i turned...well, thats not important. I must tell you, my daughter is capable of performing magic. Yes, she makes pretty things look prettier. Don't believe me ? See yourself.....

Finally me, from eyes of my 'bitiya' :)

See I told ya, I only click, she brings the magic!!

Good night and sleep tight!
-Disha

2010-02-08T23:15:00.000-08:00

Two thumbs up to Wal-Mart, to stop giving out plastic bags.
I am not a big Wal-Mart fan but this move is plain awesome. Most of the local junta shops in Wal-Mart and if they stopped distributing plastic bags, it will help reducing plastic-pollution by an extent. GOOD JOB GUYS!!!!!!!

More from WWW:
"Wal-Mart is one of the largest dispensers of disposable plastic bags worldwide, handing out an estimated 27 billion in 2007. The company has set a goal to reduce plastic shopping bag waste in the U.S. by 25 percent by the end of 2013. Its plastic bag reduction goal for its international operations by the end of 2013 is 50 percent, and its overall combined goal is a 33 percent reduction."

Courtsey - plasticsnews.com

2009-12-08T12:24:00.000-08:00

Incident #1:

I was dazzled, when he slid his potty all the way from toilet to living room(where i was), said 'chichi-chichi', pulled down his diaper half-way and tried to relieve himself in his potty-chair.

Incident #2:

I was proud, when I was working in kitchen and felt something brushing my feet. I looked down to see him trying to thrust my slippers in my feet.

Incident #3

I was impressed, when he showed me 'blue' fish, 'blue' box, 'red' fish, 'red' sweater and many other blue-red things correctly.

O Boy! My boy is growing :)

All this happened @ 18 months and third week of Shreyas.

2009-11-30T21:40:00.000-08:00

And Shreyu is back in his gaon where there are no bhubhus on the streets and no Eeeeees* in the rooms. How Boring!
Well there are also no Nana-nani, Kaka-Mausi, Dada-tai whom he and me, both are missing badly. And i never thought, I will have to cope up with two jet-lags. Whenever i drool at the sight of the bed and decide to hibernate my system, chota villan (Not me..his dearest mausi gave him the name) wakes up or wants his Mamma, so even after a week, i am still sleep deprived and looking haunted.

Eeeeeeee* - We are yet to solve the mystery, why he calls Fan an Eeeeeeeee.

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One for Mausi, One for Shreyu and two for Kaka. Since, Kaka didn't get to come, he got two!!!!

Some gifts are priceless :) ..
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And Shreyu's Dada-dadi are here with us. Yey!!!
They are my parents-in-laws from last 6 yrs but for me they were more like didi's in-laws, because i never got to spend much time with them. During my trip, so many times by mistake i called them Kaka-kaku instead of Aai-Baba. Oops :\
I hope, it will change in next 6 months. No..I will change it :)

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Murphy's law: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."

Last month was confusing... very very confusing or may be eventful. On one hand, shreyu was getting to know so many relations, a month full of fun, love, laughter, affection and on the other hand, series of unfavorable events were happening.
Two days before, S~ was supposed to board the plane, out of the blue Venture capitalists decided to shut down the company he works for. Now, my job was, not to panic, keep my cool and convince all relatives( i went India to attend family gathering) that he canceled the trip because of excessive work. After one strenuous week, a software giant acquired their start-up company and he also had few job-offers in hand, we breathed a sigh of relief.
But pretty next week, my endless wait for decision of H1-B extn petition also ended because dusht USCIS decided to deny it. We were not prepared for this blow. I was working in this country from last two-and-half years and had a job in hand but it was still denied. So some more tension and some more tears.
Two weeks later, I went for H4 visa interview and as if it was not enough, i was not given H4 visa immediately. Reason, they are upgrading their system, and they were not able to verify S~ H1-B petition. So much more tension and many more tears :\
Anyways, a week later, things fell in place and i came back..
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Well, enough of rona-dhona, I am bursting to show you something :D

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Now you know my ram-kahani, i am going to be phokat for quite some time. So plan is: blog more and hog on friend's blog much more.
Dostlog, be ready! :)

2009-11-13T04:54:00.000-08:00

C:\Users\Disha>ping www.dishazworld.blogspot.com

Pinging blogspot.l.google.com [209.85.231.191] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 209.85.231.191: bytes=32 time=106ms TTL=53
Reply from 209.85.231.191: bytes=32 time=94ms TTL=53
Reply from 209.85.231.191: bytes=32 time=89ms TTL=53
Reply from 209.85.231.191: bytes=32 time=107ms TTL=53

Ping statistics for 209.85.231.191:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 89ms, Maximum = 107ms, Average = 99ms

HOORAAH! Still alive :)

quick quick post!

2009-10-11T14:11:00.000-07:00

To Dostlog, who are wondering what happened to Disha and Shreyu - We reached India safe and sound. Most favorable thing in whole journey was, No matter how hard he tries, a 16 months old cannot get off from a flying plane...Gheeeeeeez!

So these days, i am having gala time at sis's place and is busy singing nursery rhymes with my little princess Aditi(niece), giving dumb answers to smart questions of my brilliant nephew Pranav (ok tell tell, which animal has trunk like elephant and is now extinct???), endless gossips with dearest sister and taking lots and lots of pictures. Basically making up for lost 2 years.
But best of all is to see these kids bond, to see them playing together, laughing together and even fighting together :) . Both Aditi & Pranav are busy teaching Shreyu all cool-cool things like turn around, jump up high, blink your eyes and many more...(More posts on Bacchaz are coming up)

Also these days this five years old wife (and Mom of one) is behaving like a newly-wed bride who waits for her husband's call all day and when call comes, blushes, locks herself in a room and talk those sweet nothings. Ufffffff *rolling my own eyes on me*.
See, we are not much romantic types....but people change, you know :D.
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Coming 22nd is our 5th Marriage anniversary and i don't really think i will be able to login before that. So ending my post with a very very old pic of 'us'. Time flies...Hai na S~ :)

2009-09-26T23:03:00.000-07:00

Sweetest Shruti presented me the Honest Scrap award and tagged me with the Honest tag.

It says..“This award is bestowed upon a fellow blogger whose blog’s content or design is, in the giver’s opinion, brilliant.”

“When accepting this auspicious award, you must write a post bragging about it, including the name of the misguided soul who thinks you deserve such acclaim, and link back to the said person so everyone knows she/he is real. Choose a minimum of seven (7) blogs that you find brilliant in content or design. Or improvise by including bloggers who have no idea who you are because you don’t have seven friends. Show the seven random victims’ names and links and leave a harassing comment informing them that they were prized with Honest Weblog. Well, there’s no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon. List at least ten (10) honest things about yourself. Then pass it on!”

A biiiig thank you and here i go :D

1. I thank heaven, i am not a Chinese. Now don't raise your eyebrows, i have no issues with Chinese people. Infact i get along with them really well.
Thing is, i am an awful cook when it comes to Chinese cooking . Even S~ doesn't want to eat :\ (My husband doesn't have taste buds. He loves everything i make.) But i love their food so much, i try it at least once in a month. Everytime i make, it results in a disaster( will tell you someday my kung-pao chicken story *sob sob*), i go in kopbhavan for a day and then everything becomes normal.
But just think what would i have done if i were a Chinese ?

2. I am a big fan of Harry potter books. (when i say big, i mean biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig). I had made my chota sa record by finishing Book-7 in less than 24 hrs. *ahem*
Also, My heart broke when i learnt that Albus Dumbledore is gay. Vaise, i am very fond of Sirius Black, Ron and Weasley-twins as well :D

3. When it is about food, i am thet Ganwaar. I mean, i don't have much affinity for Chocolates, cakes or ice-creams, but i can do anything for a garmagaram bhutta (corn), hara chana or a piece of ganna(sugarcane).

4. In real world, i am trapped in this super-sweet image(which i badly want to come out of. Thats why this blog was born. HAHAHAHA *evil grin*). See, i am not at all sweet-weet, it is just that I am a poor judge. I find it difficult to say a bad-thing bad on somebody's face(or his/her back unless the person i am talking to is very-very close to me) and it is very hard for me to say No.

5. I have no control on my emotions. I laugh like a maniac when i find something amusing and i need (almost) no reason to shed some tears. In other words, i am a drama queen.

6. Languages are not my friends. I know English, Hindi and Marathi, i suck in all three :\ .

7. We two (real) sisters are married to two (real) brothers...:)

8. I like writing poems but i have no interest in poetry. I hardly read poems written by someone else. I know, i am weird..

9. I never carry my cell-phone when i am with S~ (and never forget when i am without S~). I have gotten infinite scoldings because of this annoying habit..lekin hum thodi sudharenge ;) .

10. I believe, i am very lucky!

OK doston, ho gaya :) ..Now i tag all you beautiful ppl, who are reading this...
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I love Marathi food and relish Marathi kadhi very very much but since i have had this little piece from heaven , my loyalties have been temporarily err..shifted.
Do try it out. I am sure, you will love it!

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And i am going Home, Monday night.........yep keeping fingers crossed :) .
Bangalore, Indore and Gwalior will see me and Shreyu for next few weeks :)

Well...well, this time also i am planning to fly alone with Shreyu. So if there is any Veer-Maata pratiyogita going on..do nominate my name :)

Ha! Just realized that i am about to finish my post and haven't mentioned Shreyu much. But i am really sleepy now so, Here is pic of my lal & his Veer Maata (few months old pic but see there is a reason why i prefer to be behind the camera :\ )

2009-09-15T15:44:00.000-07:00

Me : Shreyu, what is this? (pointing to 'A')

Shreyu : Aaaaaaaa

Me : Good job! How about this ? (Pointing to 'B')

Shreyu : Beeeeeeeeeee

Me : Ok, this one? (pointing to 'C')

Shreyu : Moooooooooo *with super confidence*

Me : No baby it is not a Moon it is C.

Shreyu: No! MooMooMooMooMooMooMoo *jumping up and down*

Hmm..To gaddi abhi Moo pe atak gayi hai!

No problem son, i will wait till you are ready for 'C' :)

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On 9/11 i got a call from a number which gave me goose bumps. A person in a thick-voice asked me about any emergency i was in and if everything all right? When i told him, everything is fine, he got bit irritated and told not to call the number unnecessarily.

Well, Earlier Shreyu was playing with my phone and i guess, he had accidentally dialed 911 (on 9/11) :P.

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My two yogis this morning :D

Faith

2009-09-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

2009-09-10T17:46:00.000-07:00

Why Disha doesn't blog that often?

O well! She has a little monkey, who wants to play soccer with anything and everything spherical, practices high-jumps and long-jumps all day and according to his Mom, must be Tarzan in previous birth. He also doesn't share mommy's taste so when not busy in figuring how a faucet works, loves to redecorate entire apartment!
Oh but did i tell you, she loves being his Mommy?

Well, no wonder, Disha is still struggling to reach her pre-pregnancy weight. She is 5 pounds lesser than earlier . *ahem* :D

It took 'only' 1 hr to clean the mess which was caused few seconds after this picture was taken. My kid was too fast for me...or maybe i am getting older!

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And i am done with Shreyu's bedroom. Total money spend - $10. The kind of banjara lifestyle we are living, i didn't want to spend too much on it.
His eyes sparkled when he saw it first and now he wants to show it to everyone who comes to visit so i am assuming, he likes it :) .

Bachpan Box

2009-08-28T14:56:00.000-07:00

Caution: Long post Ahead.

I find it very hard to throw away any of Shreyu's old stuff. It might be because i am highly (senti)mental or it has to do with the fact that i am a Mom!
But heap of his 'no-more-used' stuff is growing like anything. I realized it is high time to work on his 'bachpan box'. And when i started working on it, it was like i started swimming in pool of memories.
Our hospital tags, and our first pic together. Mom caught the moment, when we were happily gazing our few hours old baby. I was checking his eyes, ears, toes. How relieved i was when he passed his hearing-test. I know, almost everyone in the world can hear but when you create something as complicated as another human, you want to make sure that you did a good job!
We came home on Day 5. Here is little Shreyu, and the clothes he wore for home coming.
I remember, On day 2, Me and S~ were going to nursery to bring Shreyu for his feed. A nurse was coming in our direction with a baby. I told S~ this is our baby and S~ said no, he is not. I maaroed dialog " ek Maa apne bachhe ko pehachanti hai". Well, baby was err.. not ours. Okay, in my defense, i was just a day old Mom :\ .

My 4 months old holding and 'reading' Goodnight Moon. This is his first book and still a favorite one. He wants me/S~ to read it to him every night.
Also is the little sweater, my Mom knitted for him. It was unusually cold one day. So Nani dearest made this sweater for his little grandson just in few hours.
Shreyu wore it for longest of time, but it doesn't fit him any more. But it is precious, so now an integral part of bachpan box :).

Shreyu was 4.5 months by now. A happy baby, making three adults dance on his little finger.
Well, Mom had to leave for India very soon so we decided to have Shreyu's mundan in front of her. Our (mine and S~) favorite passtime in those days was to play tabla on Shreyu's taklu till get his grandma's scoldings :D.
Also pic of his "first haircut certificate". The black thingy you see on bottom left is chunk of his actual hair!
Time for big day, first birthday! Here is the cute little dhoti-kurta he wore that day. Alas it doesn't fit him anymore.
Pics of b'day boy with his Mom, dad and balloon.
Shreyu's party was a hit. We had pasted some of his pics on white sheets and asked guests to write a b'day message for him. They came up with real hilarious stuff. Thank you friends for making his b'day special :)

Here is my chota, holding pen and sketching for very first time.Tellme, how can i throw away this piece of paper :)

Now, i am thinking, this was a good idea. Now, i will have many many stories to tell my half-dozen grand children about their father.
And if i get along with my bahu well, may be one day i will handover this baksa to her. Who knows :) ..

Shreyu's first toothbrush, first chappal, first b'day cards, first rattles and first rakhis (his sweetest sisters sent those from across seven seas).

The post is getting longer and longer so may be i should close the bachpan box for now and open it again in few months :)

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My S & S, this morning. When i asked S~, what was he doing? He chuckled, "Why do i need weights for triceps, when we have 22 pounds baby at home". Boys!!!!!!!

2009-08-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

"If you love her so much, why did you marry me?", She shrieked.

Puzzled, but he fought back nevertheless, "Com' on you always knew about her. It is not i lied to you".

"Haan, lekin maine socha mera pyar tumhe badal dega. Par tum to patthar nikale"

"Bahut hindi serials dekh rahi ho aajkal, hain?" He tried to tickle but after realizing that it only hardened her expressions, almost pleaded, "Let me spend this afternoon with her and i will take you to your favorite restaurant for dinner.please?"

After thinking for few moments 'abla Naari' walked away, stopped only to throw all the gaalis she knew. What else she could do, when she heard him saying: "You can watch us if you want." ?

*True story. Story of a Husband, a wife and A BALL*

*sob sob*
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If i were Mrs. Weasely, i would have conjured entire traditional Marathi meal out of thin air by flick of my wand. Alas i am not. So with best of my efforts, this is all i made for dearest Ganpati Bappa.

green chatni was bit bland and daal had some extra salt (hey, you are not supposed to taste the food before you offer it to god :)) . But it is the effort that counts. Hai na?

Mangal murti Morya!
Pudlya varshi laukkar ya!!

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to all of you!!

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Lesson learnt: Never give too many sweets/Modaks to your tiny-tot or else be prepared to deal with a crazy monkey for rest of the day :|

8 ka dum!

2009-08-19T22:22:00.000-07:00

Ya...Alla, First i don't switch on my laptop for flat 8 days, when i was totally BDN (busy doing nothing) and now suddenly having an urge to write in middle of the night, when i have to get up early in the morning :|

BlueMist tagged me on eight ka set, so here it is..well well, this is also my first tag so, a big Hip Hip Horraaaaah!!!!

8 TV Shows I Love to Watch:

* Friends
* Fraiser
* Sex and the city
* Seinfield
* Project Runway
* Sarabhai vs sarabhai
* Law and Order
* The 70s show

8 Favorite Places to Eat:

* Ghar ka khana.
* Shalimar pakistani restaurant, CA
* P.F Cheng Chinese Bistro, CA
* Chipotle Mexican grill, CA
* Amber Indian restaurant, CA
* chatwaala, sarafa bazaar hometown, India
* Saheb sing sultan, Bangalore India
* Cool joint, Bangalore India

8 Things That Happened Yesterday:

* Tried to take Harry Potter ishtyle pics of Shreyu. But had to drop the idea very soon. Alas, he was more interested in eating the broom than sitting on it :|
* Watched "Sach ka Samana" and made S~ to answer all my ..ahem..questions.
* Cleaned Toilets.
* Called couple of friends to tell abut tain-tain-phiss of India trip plan. *sob*
* Took Shreyu to Library.
* Made Kung-pao Chicken.
* Read a book.
* Played, laughed, danced, Sang with Shreyu :)

8 Things I Look Forward To:

* Finish this tag, cuddle my baby and go to sleep.
* Early morning Yoga/exercises with S~. (Okay lying. some time alone with S~ :D)
* Some solitude.
* Next India trip (which may now happen in December.)
* Long due haircut and facial.
* A good book.
* Enjoy my break...Totally.
* Doing all Mommy and wifey stuff and make 'my boys' happy :).

8 Things I Love About Winter:

* Hot Soups and hot tea/coffees.
* Festivals, holidays and weddings.
* Snow falls (though it doesn't snow here in California :\)
* Food. somehow it tastes better in winter.
* Beautiful Sweaters and coats.
* Foggy mornings.
* India/vacation trips.
* Most importantly, Less waxing sessions :D

8 Things I’m Passionate About :

* Parenting.
* Photography
* Reading
* kids ( in general)
* work
* cooking
* cleanliness
* Humanity

8 Words or Phrases I Use Often:

* Shreyu.
* No..No..NoNONONONONO!!.
* Baba (To S~. Yep, we call each other Mamma-Baba. How romantic :|)
* Aai ga
* Well
* Absolutely
* Sun na.
* Okay

8 Things I Have Learned From My Past:

* Tag is not exactly an easy thing to do :\
* Kuch to log kahenge, logon ka kaam hai kehana.
* Empty mind is devil's workshop.
* Things are not always black and white..
* Shit happens!
* Breaks are good. Better if they are short.
* It feels good to surprise your loved-ones, by making their special days really special.
* Accept yourself the way you are. No one is perfect.

8 Places I Would Love to Go or See or Visit:

* Northeast India
* Leh
* S. Africa
* Egypt
* Colorado
* Hawaii
* KanyaKumari
* Caribbean

8 Things I Currently Need or Want:
* H1-B extension which is expiring shortly.
* Some more shoes and some more clothes.I am a woman afterall :)
* Few good books to read.
* continue blogging till i die.
* A girl child (After 2-3 years) :)
* Trip to India :(

That was tough. well, If you would like to know more about yourself (and haven't taken this tag already) i tag you :)

2009-08-11T23:10:00.000-07:00

Ah, i so envy people who can type with all ten fingers. Envi-er when they type with all ten fingers and don't feel any need to glance their keyboard or even screen...Not even once.Garrrr!!
Okay, i am pretty mad. Thank you H1N1 virus. Because of you i had to cancel my India trip :\
Why do we need these bacterias and virus, by the way? S~ says, they must be thinking same about humans. well, i am in no mood to care about what a virus thinks. So back to my question, Why we need these bacterias and viruses? Why?Why?Why?

P.S: Guys, please don't give me scientific reasons. I was a science student, i know :|
P.P.S: Yep! Above post is not making any sense :\
P.P.P.S: My mind doesn't work, when i am mad. On a second thought, it anyway doesn't ;\
P.P.P.P.S: I should stop now.

Ta-ta!

Totally random!

2009-08-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

Uff, why am i exaggerating by saying 'totally random' . Random is anyway total, right?

Vaise, nothing is more entertaining than playing hide-n-seek with a one year old. Specially, when you are pretending to 'seek' your precious little one, who is hiding behind the couch or a door or under dinning table and giggling uncontrollably :)

And I am flying to home' (alone) very soon with my little tornado of energy. It means, 36 hrs of exclusive ma-beta time or 36 hrs of absolute craziness or 36 hours with 129600 opportunities to grow up as a Mom :\. I am little skeptical abt the 'going & coming part' but anxiety vanishes when i hear enthusiastic voices of my folks. Shreyu is lucky to have both set of grand-parents, uncles & aunts and a team of cousins, who all are eagerly waiting for him now.
On a second thought, i will manage it alright. I am going home, OMG I AM GOING HOME. YEY!!!

Also we are kinda settled into new home. After personalizing one another apartment, i am now expert in drilling holes. If you ever face issues with using drilling m/c, no worries..pick up your phone and give me a call!

A sneak-peek into living room and its occupants :)
Still working on bedrooms. Pictures, when i am done!

And my 2 yrs 1 month of tenure in Microsoft is coming to an end. Working here was a good experience. I got to work with some very smart people and with never-die attitude. I hope, they have rubbed some of it in me too. I also made a friend..that 'friends for life' kind :)

Okay, I can't live without camera. Infact, not many days go without me taking any pic. I tried to resist posting any pic on this blog, but no more. So from now on, this blog will see lots and lots of picture, along with my jabber :)

To start with, here is picture of 'my boys' S & S:

(pic courtsey- PicturePeople)

And here is my Munna in first year of his life :)

Chalo See ya!. Need to wrap up things in office. .

2009-07-29T15:31:00.000-07:00

I believe in god but don't seek him in religion,
And why should i, when my god exists in me?

I trust, happiness is nothing but peace of my mind,
And why should i ally it with money?

I treasure my life and live it to my best,
And why shouldn't i, when it is reflection of me?

I love my family and fond of my friends,
And why shouldn't i, when a heart beats in me?

I believe, i am sole responsible for all my actions,
And why shouldn't i, when i am born free?

~Disha

2009-07-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

Eyes half-shut and scared as hell, She was muttering to herself, " Why i have to do this. I am so scared of heights. I know, no one has ever died of this but what if..what if i am the first one. What if tomorrow is my last day on earth? Mom says if you don't, you will never know how beautiful this world is. But i am already happy. I feel so cozy ,so safe here. God O God, please don't let sun rise tomorrow..." . Don't know when her eyes closed and she fell asleep.

Apparently God didn't listen to her, sun rose at usual time. Infact minutes earlier than usual. She woke up by its blazing rays. After an angry glance at it, she looked around and saw her Mom patiently waiting in a corner. She has no choice now. So she looked at her Mom's assuring face for a minute, closed her eyes and jumped from top of the building.

**************
Soon, her wings stretched magically and instead of falling, she was floating. Cool breeze was embracing her as she was moving forward. She opened her eyes, to be mesmerized by the beauty she had never imagined. She was oblivious of her wide grin. Finally she had overcome her fear for flying. It was seeming so natural. "So how was it?", a voice interrupted her thoughts. She turned her head to see her mom flying beside her.

"Luv you Ma". Said the baby bird, before she dived again.

*complete fiction*

The Rain!

2009-07-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

To embrace the rain, She leaned out of the window and stretched her arms wide open. She felt the drizzle on her bare arms and gentle wind caressing her face. Sound of rain was in rhythm with her heartbeats and trees were swaying only to please her. Probably, fragrance of earth was making her dreamy.To immerse herself completely in the scene, She leaned some more and closed her eyes.

A strike of lightening took her 18 years back. Growing in a small town of Orissa, she was only daughter of her hardworking yet poor parents. Behind their 1 bedroom house was a rail-track. Everyday at 5.30 p.m, a train passes through it. She loved the train. As soon as she heard the whistle, she used to run out and waved, until train was out of her sight. It was part of her routine.

It was month of September and it rained for three continuous days. Local holiday was declared in their town. Rain had stopped, but roads were still clogged with water. She was playing with her friends in the backyard, which was now resembling a pond. They were jumping up and down, splashing water on each other.

She heard the whistle. Ah, it is 5.30 already. How could she forget the train. She ran towards the track, train was slowly approaching. Other children ran after her. Wanting to reach there first, she started running very fast. She was almost there. She looked behind to see her friends and lost her balance. Next second, she was lying on the track!

* pause *

she abruptly opened her eyes. Her face was drenched, tears were rolling down her cheeks, her arms were still hanging from window.

She shook her head and turned back to see the room. Floor was covered with red, yellow and green paper. children were busy making pretty boats. When 12 years old Priya came and wiped her tears, a smile ran through her face. These children have become her life now. Her only dream is to fill these young lives with colors of happiness. In the corner, 5 years old Rehan was trying to make a boat by himself. She smiled and sped her wheel chair towards him.

She is a craft teacher in "ASHA", a school working for betterment of mentally-challenged children.

*Complete fiction!*

2009-07-08T10:40:00.000-07:00

So we are moving this weekend. Once again!

I stayed first 22 yrs of my life in same city, same mahulla, infact same house. Then finished my education and had to leave (unfortunately there are no software companies in my gaon.) So spent 2 yrs in another city, another house (sis's place).

Then got married to S~ and life with him is....on wheels.In a nutshell, We are moving fifth time in five years of our marriage. Our friends jokingly call us packers and movers :\

Earlier, it was tough. I was not accustomed of such dynamic lifestyle. By the time i got feel of home, got attached to the place, it was time to pack our bags. Over a period i realized, these walls, roofs, windows don't make my home. My home is where my S & S are !

Well, moving is kinda exciting too. Every year, we have new neighbors to bug, new locale to explore, new interior to decorate, new building to..well, call home.

Ah, how much i am hoping to have a longer stay in this one!

2009-07-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

Every setting sun determines to bring a new dawn,
A new day, a new light!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Every falling leaf smiles in a hope of a new spring,
A new beginning, a new life!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Success brings happiness and failure makes us strong,
Dawn is truly valued when it follows the dark!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It is better to fail in an attempt to make our own destiny,
than never try to rise in fear of a fall!

~me

of chuchus and zuzus

2009-07-03T15:04:00.001-07:00

Earlier when we were just two, we never bothered going on a hike, and now after becoming parents we never miss any chance!

So It was beautiful day and we were out on a short hike. Shreyu was elated to see very many chuchus and zuzus. For my 13 months old, anything flying in air is a chuchu and anything running on a ground is a zuzu! I was delighted to see his joy, till i observed his source of pleasure closely.

Zuzus were actually numerous newborn baby-squirrels learning to be on their own, and chuchus were many circling vultures, preying on them. My heart started sinking, when i realized the situation. S~ being practical one, reminded me of food-chain and vultures are doing this for food not for fun, but it didn't really help. It was unfair on squirrels' parts. Those newbies were too young to understand danger and couldn't protect themselves.

Actually, there was something, i didn't notice. It is summer here, grass and shrubs are turning into hay, blending with color of these babies and giving them ample protection. On the other hand, there is abundant food for vultures, just have to look harder. Thus they also won't die of hunger. By the next spring, when grass will be green again, squirrels will be grown enough to protect themselves, but will be easier to spot by vultures. Win-win for both, once again!

Needless to say, i was at peace by now. What a flawless design! I bowed my head to lord almighty and happily continued with my hike (and showing shreyu more chuchus and zuzus).

2009-06-30T10:39:00.001-07:00

Is she a complex riddle,
or a sweet mystery?

Unfolds herself every second,
to leave behind her traces,
Or tangle strands even more
and shows her various faces!

Plays little pranks,
and hides like a child,
Then wipe the tears,
with her magical smile!

In Wind, In Cloud, In Bird,
In River, In Tree, In Bud,
In Love, In Smile, In Tear,
She chuckles everywhere!

She is an enigma,
and her name is Life!!!

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Wrote this poem few months ago and is close to my heart.

2009-06-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

Q: Give one example of irony.

A: When people working in company Big-M 'google' things out. BING...BING!!!!!!!!

p.s: BING is name of Microsoft's search engine.

2009-06-26T11:35:00.000-07:00

Kids, it is 'MY' not 'Ma' or 'Mah'.. It is annoying, when you write "Mah" or "fy9" or "Dis" or...ahhh endless list.
Is it really irritating or i am getting old(er)? :\

2009-06-24T16:09:00.000-07:00

So i parked my car in apartment campus and started walking towards my building, to be greeted by a witty sight. There was a Caucasian boy, 6-7 years of age, dragging his bicycle. Trailing to his bicycle was a huge bag, around twice of his size.

I couldn't help smiling. There was no (other) way, for the boy to carry that huge bag. This is what they called lateral thinking ? :)

Welcome ji welcome!!

2009-06-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

Arz kiya hai..........

Naya blog, nayi shuruwaat!
Fir socha, ki likhenge kya janaab?
Ab jo bhi hai,
vaise, khoob jamega rang jab baithenge teen yaar,
Aap, hum aur ye nanha sa baby blog!