"Life is all about the choices we make"
So said a very smart person. ( I don't know who, but have heard it from a smart person for sure!)
I am proud to be raised in a family where women are taught that they are no less ( maybe better!) than any man,and well educated and equipped to take on the world!
Little did I know,growing up, that these "choice" making powers would come haunt my thoughts so much! It's always "damned if u do, and damned if u don't!"
If you buy a house, then you are opening yourself to liabilities,more stress,etc. If you don't, then you are not thinking enough about the future,wasting money on rent,especially if you live in a high rent area like we do,and are not on the road to early retirement.
If you live in a place like NYC or the silicon valley, then you are paying through every orifice for rent, taxes,living costs,etc. If you decide to move to a cheaper city, then you feel that you will miss out on all the stuff that the big-city lifestyle has to offer.
If you work for a big company, you miss out on the learning opportunity that a start-up has to offer,if you go work for a startup, then you miss out on the fact that in a big company, you have more resources and experienced people who will have the time to sit down and help you learn and grow!
If you have kids in your early 20's, then you are not career-minded enough,and you have not enjoyed your life enough to have kids and take on more responsibility. If you wait till you reach the big 3-0, then you risk all kinds of problems for yourself and the kids.
Once the thought of kids come into the picture, if you decide to stay home when the baby is small, then you are not super-woman enough, you don't have the capacity to balance everything life has to offer. If you go to work, you are hard-nosed and always put yourself before your kids.
Since I am one of those lucky Indians who come from HUGE families with aunts,uncles,cousins,and (cousins' children too) galore,and also have a variety of friends,I am exposed to people of all ages and ideologies. This only makes me more confused!
What is it with us???? What choices are right and what are wrong???
On the other hand, if I figured this out, then Maybe, I can write that Best Seller and retire, eh?
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Only the brave bare!
Only those that are brave would talk about experiences that display their stupidity,right? So,in my particularly brave mood,here goes!
I took class on "The 7 habits of highly effective people" a couple of years ago. For 3 days, a group of about 10 of us were imparted precious words of wisdom on how to live life more efficiently. I left feeling mighty puffed and totally empowered to take on the world!
The next day,a bunch of us decided to go to a salad and soup buffet place for lunch. We car pooled,and I drove us all. Eager to implement my newly gained wisdom,I decided that I did not need my purse,would be easier to pig out at the buffet without having to guard my purse!So I took out just my credit card and tucked it in my pocket. I locked the car and plonked my purse in the trunk of the car.
Mid-way through my meal,I realized that I had put the car keys into the purse that was oh-so-efficiently locked in the trunk!
After my colleagues recovered from their laughing fit,one of them called his friend who came and drove us back to work,luckily I had a spare key at my desk,so I could come back to the lunch place and drive back to work!
Well,that was a lesson on being efficient that I will not forget!
I took class on "The 7 habits of highly effective people" a couple of years ago. For 3 days, a group of about 10 of us were imparted precious words of wisdom on how to live life more efficiently. I left feeling mighty puffed and totally empowered to take on the world!
The next day,a bunch of us decided to go to a salad and soup buffet place for lunch. We car pooled,and I drove us all. Eager to implement my newly gained wisdom,I decided that I did not need my purse,would be easier to pig out at the buffet without having to guard my purse!So I took out just my credit card and tucked it in my pocket. I locked the car and plonked my purse in the trunk of the car.
Mid-way through my meal,I realized that I had put the car keys into the purse that was oh-so-efficiently locked in the trunk!
After my colleagues recovered from their laughing fit,one of them called his friend who came and drove us back to work,luckily I had a spare key at my desk,so I could come back to the lunch place and drive back to work!
Well,that was a lesson on being efficient that I will not forget!
Here I go again!
So I read a bazillion blogs,comment on a few,but did not share my blog! When I started to think about this,I felt that since mine may not be the most amazing one,and so many people out there were such veteran bloggers with huge a fan following,I was hesitant to share it with the whole wide world(www!). But,here is an experiment,I will keep my other blog private for now and open this up. If it works well,great,otherwise,I tried!
Friday, April 3, 2009
A serious WTF moment!
The garage door was broken,the door would get stuck and the motor would start screeching grrrrr when the door was half way up. So,we called the home warranty company and the guy came over to take a look at it. There was no stress about who works from home/takes a break from work to stay home to be around when the repairman came,i was conveniently at home anyhow!
He came over,"diagnosed" the issue,came over to pick up the check. I asked him what the problem was,and he said " its a problem with the switch,must be too geeky for you". I was so mad,and said that had a masters in EE, and know what a damn switch was!I insisted be explain the problem,or I ain't giving him a dime!I was seriously pissed,maybe last week,I would have let it go,but really? Was one silly 25 year old motor-switch logic too complex for me? I need to get a job soon!
He came over,"diagnosed" the issue,came over to pick up the check. I asked him what the problem was,and he said " its a problem with the switch,must be too geeky for you". I was so mad,and said that had a masters in EE, and know what a damn switch was!I insisted be explain the problem,or I ain't giving him a dime!I was seriously pissed,maybe last week,I would have let it go,but really? Was one silly 25 year old motor-switch logic too complex for me? I need to get a job soon!
We need to talk!
Oh-oh! That never means a good thing,does it? A few days ago,my manager came by my office and said that to me,walking me to a conference room. My stomach sank as I walked along. I knew what was coming,the scene had been terrible at work the past few weeks,but still when someone came to get ME,it hit me hard. It was like preparing to jump into a ice-cold pool,you mentally prepare yourself,but still, that moment water hits skin,that chill down the spine cannot be avoided!
I got back to my office,packed,and left. I came down to the car,sobbing,and called N,my buddy. Luckily,she was home,and asked me to go spend some time with her and collect myself before taking the next steps. The outplacement service folks were on campus,I met them for some insightful info. That day was spent in a state of shock!
Anyhow,I think writing down what I do each day is going to help me keep track of what I do with my time,lest weeks go by and I wonder how time flew away!
As they say,today is the first day in a new journey of my life!
:)
V
I got back to my office,packed,and left. I came down to the car,sobbing,and called N,my buddy. Luckily,she was home,and asked me to go spend some time with her and collect myself before taking the next steps. The outplacement service folks were on campus,I met them for some insightful info. That day was spent in a state of shock!
Anyhow,I think writing down what I do each day is going to help me keep track of what I do with my time,lest weeks go by and I wonder how time flew away!
As they say,today is the first day in a new journey of my life!
:)
V
Friday, October 10, 2008
Of conflicts and confusing thoughts!
"Life is all about the choices we make"
So said a very smart person. ( I don't know who, but have heard it from a smart person for sure!)
So, there, I was a girl of the 2st century, so I went decided to be "someone" before I became a "mrs.someone". I went on to finish my engineering, and get a masters, and at that point, it looked like getting a nice job in the US, and that too, Silicon valley, would be IT!
hmm.. Little did I know,growing up, that these "choice" making powers would come haunt my thoughts so much! It's always "damned if u do, and damned if u don't!"
If you buy a house, then you are opening yourself to liabilities,more stress,etc. If you don't, then you are not thinking enough about the future,wasting money on rent,especially if you live in a high rent area like we do,and are not on the road to early retirement.
If you live in a place like NYC or the silicon valley, then you are paying through every orifice for rent, taxes,living costs,etc. If you decide to move to a cheaper city, then you feel that you will miss out on all the stuff that the big-city lifestyle has to offer.
If you work for a big company, you miss out on the learning opportunity that a start-up has to offer,if you go work for a startup, then you miss out on the fact that in a big company, you have more resources and experienced people who will have the time to sit down and help you learn and grow!
If you have kids in your early 20's, then you are not career-minded enough,and you have not enjoyed your life enough to have kids and take on more responsibility. If you wait till you reach the big 3-0, then you risk all kinds of problems for yourself and the kids.
Once the thought of kids come into the picture, if you decide to stay home when the baby is small, then you are not super-woman enough, you don't have the capacity to balance everything life has to offer. If you go to work, you are hard-nosed and always put yourself before your kids.
Since I am one of those lucky Indians who come from HUGE families with aunts,uncles,cousins,and (cousins' children too) galore,and also have a variety of friends,I am exposed to people of all ages and ideologies.
Increasingly, I find that each person wished they were in someone else's shoes, while their own looks very uncomfortable!!
What is it with us???? What choices are right and what are wrong???
On the other hand, if I figured this out, then Maybe, I can write that Best Seller and retire, eh?
So said a very smart person. ( I don't know who, but have heard it from a smart person for sure!)
So, there, I was a girl of the 2st century, so I went decided to be "someone" before I became a "mrs.someone". I went on to finish my engineering, and get a masters, and at that point, it looked like getting a nice job in the US, and that too, Silicon valley, would be IT!
hmm.. Little did I know,growing up, that these "choice" making powers would come haunt my thoughts so much! It's always "damned if u do, and damned if u don't!"
If you buy a house, then you are opening yourself to liabilities,more stress,etc. If you don't, then you are not thinking enough about the future,wasting money on rent,especially if you live in a high rent area like we do,and are not on the road to early retirement.
If you live in a place like NYC or the silicon valley, then you are paying through every orifice for rent, taxes,living costs,etc. If you decide to move to a cheaper city, then you feel that you will miss out on all the stuff that the big-city lifestyle has to offer.
If you work for a big company, you miss out on the learning opportunity that a start-up has to offer,if you go work for a startup, then you miss out on the fact that in a big company, you have more resources and experienced people who will have the time to sit down and help you learn and grow!
If you have kids in your early 20's, then you are not career-minded enough,and you have not enjoyed your life enough to have kids and take on more responsibility. If you wait till you reach the big 3-0, then you risk all kinds of problems for yourself and the kids.
Once the thought of kids come into the picture, if you decide to stay home when the baby is small, then you are not super-woman enough, you don't have the capacity to balance everything life has to offer. If you go to work, you are hard-nosed and always put yourself before your kids.
Since I am one of those lucky Indians who come from HUGE families with aunts,uncles,cousins,and (cousins' children too) galore,and also have a variety of friends,I am exposed to people of all ages and ideologies.
Increasingly, I find that each person wished they were in someone else's shoes, while their own looks very uncomfortable!!
What is it with us???? What choices are right and what are wrong???
On the other hand, if I figured this out, then Maybe, I can write that Best Seller and retire, eh?
Monday, September 22, 2008
Weekend Getaway!
Me:"let's go somewhere,away from home, I need a break!"
S: "Sure, plan something!"
Wanting to go closer to nature, we picked the grand canyons and majestic sequoia trees - the King's Canyon and Sequoia National park.
We left Friday night, stayed in Fresno for a night,since this was an hour away from the park, and reached King's Canyon early Saturday morning. Our first stop was the Grant Grove Village.In Grant Grove Village, three miles (5km) east from the Big Stump park entrance on Highway 180. In the conifer zone; elevation 6500 feet (1980m). It hosts the General Grant's tree, the third largest tree in the world. There was also a fallen tree which had a hole cut out through it's trunk, and it was great fun as we walked through it!
After spending some time walking amidst the towering redwood trees, we were off to the Cedar Grove area. The drive from the Grant grove village to the Cedar Grove was a twisty-turny-windy one,with spectacular views and amazing hikes all along the way. One hike of particular interest was the Roaring Falls hike,which took us on a shaded,paved road to a short water fall, nestled amongst rocks!
Our first stop at Cedar Grove was the Zumwalt Meadow hike. It is an easy 2-3 mile hike with pretty flowing rivers,sprawling meadows bursting with colored grass ( maybe fall?) nestled at the foothills of tall towering marble mountain peaks with their blue-grey designed walls offers a picture-postcard like appeal.
On the drive back to the Grant grove area,we stopped at the Grizzly falls, it falls from almost a height of a 3
story building..
One of the best stops of this trip was the Boyden Caves. It is a live,growing,limestone cave. The various limestone formations were accented well with colored lighting( and the wires were well hidden as well!),besides the usual stalactites,stalagmites and drapery like formations, there were some forms which,with some imagination, resembled food like layered cakes,pancakes with butter dripping,layered lasagna,and such!!!
After spending a few hours caving,we drove south to Montecito Lodge,our stop for the night. Nestled in the middle of the Sequoia forest,besides a small private lake, the resort is surrounded by the grandeur of Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Great Western Divide,and also located almost midway between the Kings canyon and Sequoia parks, it seemed like a very convenient location to enjoy both parks.
As soon as we peeked into our cabin,my reaction was " Wow! Look at that lovely lake and the mountains! This is so beautiful" S's reaction " yeah honey,but where 's the TV??" Gasp! that place did not have a TV! Yah!!!
Since this resort includes meals as part of their cabins rentals,we were greeted to a hot buffet dinner,which besides the usual salads and soup,also had a yummy veggie lasagna as a hot entree.. And ofcourse,with only our nutrition in mind, the dessert station had dark chocolate covered strawberries,the most fluffy white cake with dripping icing,and a jelly!!!
The dining hall was huge with 2 fireplaces,comfortable couches all around,a well-stocked bookshelf,a game closet with crossword puzzles,scrabble, and other board games. There was also a TV with some kids' movies playing to that the parents could kick back and relax while the kids dozed off in front of the TV.. S was secretly hoping that he could scare away the kids so he could watch some football!!
The next day, a hearty breakfast of pancakes,scrambled eggs,toast and coffee hit the right spot as we drove to explore the Sequoia National Park(SNP) area.Due to a forest fire, we were unable to explore the tulomne meadows area :( Well,next time? anyone?:)
Our first stop at SNP was the Giant Tree area. This hosts the General Sherman's tree, supposed to be the world's largest tree,volume-wise. This area boasted of some truly massive,giant sequoia trees, the combination of weather and soil conditions makes it perfect to support the growth of the redwoon trees in California. We did the lovely congress trail loop, a 3-4 mile loop which took us to the heart of the sequoia groves!! The fresh air,cool,mistly chill that redwoods always seem to emit,and the solitude of the place with the summer crowds all gone, made it a very fun hike indeed!!
FUN FACT: Many of these redwood trees are a few thousand years old!! Nothing like being amidst these trees when you're feeling either old or fat or both!
Totally refreshed by this hike, we went to conquer the Moro rock hike,which took 400 steps and ft elevation,rewarding us with a panoramic view of the high Sierra and canyons.
After a few more small hikes,we decided to head back home,the drive along Central California took us through of fruit orchards and farms, we stopped at one of the many farmer's stands to buy some produce back home. One interesting thing we saw was a oni-lic!( Onion + garlic),which was an onion looking thing with a pod of garlic grown along side!
Its amazing how all it takes to love "home" is to just be away from it for a few days,isnt it?
More travel tales to follow!!
Till, then - Hasta La Vista!
FUN FACT: Redwoods are very resilient to forest fires because of high water content in their trunk!
S: "Sure, plan something!"
Wanting to go closer to nature, we picked the grand canyons and majestic sequoia trees - the King's Canyon and Sequoia National park.
We left Friday night, stayed in Fresno for a night,since this was an hour away from the park, and reached King's Canyon early Saturday morning. Our first stop was the Grant Grove Village.In Grant Grove Village, three miles (5km) east from the Big Stump park entrance on Highway 180. In the conifer zone; elevation 6500 feet (1980m). It hosts the General Grant's tree, the third largest tree in the world. There was also a fallen tree which had a hole cut out through it's trunk, and it was great fun as we walked through it!
After spending some time walking amidst the towering redwood trees, we were off to the Cedar Grove area. The drive from the Grant grove village to the Cedar Grove was a twisty-turny-windy one,with spectacular views and amazing hikes all along the way. One hike of particular interest was the Roaring Falls hike,which took us on a shaded,paved road to a short water fall, nestled amongst rocks!
Our first stop at Cedar Grove was the Zumwalt Meadow hike. It is an easy 2-3 mile hike with pretty flowing rivers,sprawling meadows bursting with colored grass ( maybe fall?) nestled at the foothills of tall towering marble mountain peaks with their blue-grey designed walls offers a picture-postcard like appeal.
On the drive back to the Grant grove area,we stopped at the Grizzly falls, it falls from almost a height of a 3
story building..One of the best stops of this trip was the Boyden Caves. It is a live,growing,limestone cave. The various limestone formations were accented well with colored lighting( and the wires were well hidden as well!),besides the usual stalactites,stalagmites and drapery like formations, there were some forms which,with some imagination, resembled food like layered cakes,pancakes with butter dripping,layered lasagna,and such!!!
After spending a few hours caving,we drove south to Montecito Lodge,our stop for the night. Nestled in the middle of the Sequoia forest,besides a small private lake, the resort is surrounded by the grandeur of Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Great Western Divide,and also located almost midway between the Kings canyon and Sequoia parks, it seemed like a very convenient location to enjoy both parks.
As soon as we peeked into our cabin,my reaction was " Wow! Look at that lovely lake and the mountains! This is so beautiful" S's reaction " yeah honey,but where 's the TV??" Gasp! that place did not have a TV! Yah!!!
Since this resort includes meals as part of their cabins rentals,we were greeted to a hot buffet dinner,which besides the usual salads and soup,also had a yummy veggie lasagna as a hot entree.. And ofcourse,with only our nutrition in mind, the dessert station had dark chocolate covered strawberries,the most fluffy white cake with dripping icing,and a jelly!!!
The dining hall was huge with 2 fireplaces,comfortable couches all around,a well-stocked bookshelf,a game closet with crossword puzzles,scrabble, and other board games. There was also a TV with some kids' movies playing to that the parents could kick back and relax while the kids dozed off in front of the TV.. S was secretly hoping that he could scare away the kids so he could watch some football!!
The next day, a hearty breakfast of pancakes,scrambled eggs,toast and coffee hit the right spot as we drove to explore the Sequoia National Park(SNP) area.Due to a forest fire, we were unable to explore the tulomne meadows area :( Well,next time? anyone?:)
Our first stop at SNP was the Giant Tree area. This hosts the General Sherman's tree, supposed to be the world's largest tree,volume-wise. This area boasted of some truly massive,giant sequoia trees, the combination of weather and soil conditions makes it perfect to support the growth of the redwoon trees in California. We did the lovely congress trail loop, a 3-4 mile loop which took us to the heart of the sequoia groves!! The fresh air,cool,mistly chill that redwoods always seem to emit,and the solitude of the place with the summer crowds all gone, made it a very fun hike indeed!!
FUN FACT: Many of these redwood trees are a few thousand years old!! Nothing like being amidst these trees when you're feeling either old or fat or both!
Totally refreshed by this hike, we went to conquer the Moro rock hike,which took 400 steps and ft elevation,rewarding us with a panoramic view of the high Sierra and canyons.
After a few more small hikes,we decided to head back home,the drive along Central California took us through of fruit orchards and farms, we stopped at one of the many farmer's stands to buy some produce back home. One interesting thing we saw was a oni-lic!( Onion + garlic),which was an onion looking thing with a pod of garlic grown along side!
Its amazing how all it takes to love "home" is to just be away from it for a few days,isnt it?
More travel tales to follow!!
Till, then - Hasta La Vista!
FUN FACT: Redwoods are very resilient to forest fires because of high water content in their trunk!
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