Shilpa Verma – Page 2

IPC Essay Competition.

A summer contest was designed to serve only one purpose: Let the kids write. It doesn’t matter how strong ones vocabulary is, the goal was to just write and express your thoughts in words. Yes there were topics given to bring some structure and prizes to serve as the incentive. I applaud the two kids who made the commitment and kept it too. To keep a promise made to self is key to success.

The two submissions were for category 3, and interestingly they chose the same prompt: The world through my eyes. Since this is a public blog, I have kept the names hidden ( not sure of how their parents feel about their names on the internet) but the rest is a copy and paste as they had sent it to me.

They have very different writing styles, and yet a common theme emerges, the kids want a world where there is less chaos and more harmony. They want us to leave them a planet that is still liveable so they can enjoy it with their children. I guess there is a message in these esssays for us adults too. Like the native americans say: “We have borrowed this planet from our children.”

While I will be mailing them their reward; $50/- Amazon gift certificates each. There is no bigger reward for these kids but to hear from the readers. Please do take a moment to pause and give your opinion in the comments below.

I hope next year there will be more participants.

Read on and let us work towards their vision of a better planet.

Submission 1

Grade: 6^th

Essay prompt: The World through my eyes

Boxing

The sport boxing in my opinion is dangerous! The sport is very harmful to humans and can damage their body. Boxing, a sport where 2 people fight and try to knock each other out. Is allowed in some countries. I will talk about the reasons why boxing is a bad sport, and should not be allowed.

Fans can make an argument that the sport will encourage fitness, and gives a chance for people to make money. But there is no doubt that boxing allows physical contact, while encouraging it to their viewers. Kids may see this sport on T.V and start boxing with their friends not knowing the dangers of this sport. Critics believe that boxing is unacceptably dangerous and should be banned. I also agree with these critics.

Boxing allows crazy blows to someone’s body while fans cheer every time their favorite hits the other. The game allows blows to the head which can cause a concussion or worse. The game encourages the players to knock the other player down. This game is very physical and should not be allowed.

Professional boxing encourages violence and the concept of becoming rich and famous through physical aggression. I feel there are better ways to become rich & famous minus the violence. This is why in my opinion boxing should be banned.

Submission 2

Finished 6th, Entering 7th (12years)

Category 3

The world through my eyes

The World Through My Eyes

To bloggingtale@gmail.com,

Hello, my name is Jerry Joe, and I am from the year 2135. You may not believe me at all, but I have created a virtual time machine that can send text, emails, or anything requiring the Internet to a future or past time. I have sent you this email because I need to warn you about the devastating tragedies that are happening in my time. We neadrathoids (the next evolution of humans) are having an intense war to decide which group (the tech, muscle, and brain team) gets to live in the small amount of land left that has been depleted from global warming. Many innocent civilians are suffering from chemical mutation, lack of nutritious food, mutated animal attacks, and the icy cold water that is creeping upon us with new and terrifying creatures living in it’s treacherous and petrifying waters. The reason I am sending this information to this email at this time is because I recalled from my childhood memories about how many people were interested in entering and paying attention to this event, so if I could win this then I could get people’s attention and show them what to do and what not to do to keep planet Earth a good, safe place.

This world has become such a piece of rubbish in 2135 because of these inventions that we have made that destroys the world but gives us great comfort. For example, cars give us transportation to places quickly, but has a byproduct of producing carbon monoxide. Trees usually breath chemicals like carbon monoxide, but trees are deducing in population because humans are using it for paper. There is a saying I made, “God creates nature, nature creates us, we destroy nature, nature tries to kill us,” Why do you think that all these natural disasters have been happening lately? This is because our smoke-pollution machines that keep us in luxury are slowly destroying the earth and all it’s resources. This will eventually lead to the end of us, which we can still stop. What I would like to happen is when you or anyone is going somewhere ride a bike or walk. So the world becomes less polluted. Also never waste anything like food, water, and electricity. The extra water that drips from the faucet or the spoon of food left on your plate some people would die to get.

Another reason everyone is dying in my time is because, in 2080, people stop caring about each other, which started the war against the three groups. This war was nuclear, which caused all the atrocious gases from going in the atmosphere starting the mutations of animals, neadrathoids, and the killing of neadrathoids. So, to stop the war from starting I need you to go out of your way to keep helping people. Whenever you help someone, you have to tell them not to say thank you, but keep helping people, and whenever you help someone tell them the same thing.

The last and final way you can help me get my world back to normal is to keep working. In my world people are very uneducated and live of the technology that your are using know. This is because people think education isn’t important and doesn’t get you anywhere in life. This horrible concept started when I was just six, the same year that you are in now. America and several other countries were dropping in test scores, and more people were becoming homeless. I need all the kids, even adults, to keep learning. It doesn’t matter when or where, but always keep learning. This will help you have an abundance of general knowledge always keeping you at your peak.

All of the people that read this essay please follow the regulations I have stated, because it will greatly benefit the future. If you do help my world, the neadrathoids will flourish and thrive, eating healthy food, having as much land as they could dream of having, and best of all everyone would finally work like a well-oiled machine once again. For the kids that are reading this email, you may not want to do this for me, but at least do it for you. Most of you will be living this disaster when you grow up, so if you want to live a happy life, please follow my suggestions.

O Mother Mine.

Hello, Namastey, Hola:

Hope you are having a wonderful summer and making the best of it. The blog returns this week and just in time of August 15th – India’s Independence Day. Having just returned from India, thought it would be apt to start the blog with this tribute. Yes I am biased, love the poet, but the poem is also very apt for India. It was written in 1993, when India was going through brain drain and today it is role reversal. The poet’s vision coming true. Enjoy.

Happy Independence Day India.

Oh, Mother Mine

– Avinash Verma.

Oh, Mother mine,

Land of Ancient skies

I remember the days of your gayfull abundance

When you danced with joy in the company of your sons

Oh, how pretty you looked, magnificent decked in gold

Your silken robes fluttered to caress your skin

And beautiful diamonds shone from every place.

Oh, Mother mine,

Now those days are gone

Armies from far away foreign lands

Hearing the tales of your beauty and wealth

Came to plunder your precious wealth

But Mother mine; your heart was pure gold

You gave away your treasures galore

Some came and left, some came and stayed

But you welcomed them all with open arms

Some ridiculed your ways; some loved you dear

But you treated them all with your endless love.

But Mother mine, now you lay in gross neglect,

Your robes are tarnished, your diamonds gone

Your health is foul; your skin is dead

Your sons have abandoned you, for they have seen newer lands

Every day millions leave your shore

In search of lands far galore

The ones, who stay, build houses on your grave

They have forgotten the things you said of love, of honesty and of honor and all.

The land that gave birth to civilization, is today forgotten by all

Oh, Mother they have removed your name from the halls of fame

No longer to travelers flock to your shore

I know you long for your sons in foreign lands

They come to visit you, but only for a while

You rush to embrace them with tears in your eyes, but they turn away

I guess they have seen better lands,

You are too foul for them Mother, you hold no charm

They say you are too old, now, its time to move on

But Mother mine, as now I sit in tears by your side, I realize

Since when has a mother been bad for her child

Is she not but a reflection of her child

This world is strange Mother; I sit here in a daze

As your children blame you for their woes and despair

Oh, Mother mine, cry but do not despair

The lone live child at the end of the warfare, gave birth to a new nation

In the midst of despair there was hope

Thy tears are not wasted; there are some who love you still

You will again see glory days; you will again be alive

The world that mocks you now, will revere you then

Your ways will be understood, your sons will return home

Your love is supreme; it will win everyone again

When we play again, in gayfull abundance,

That day my Mother: I long to see.

– Avinash Verma (1993)

The Carnival of Friendships.

I am behind in posting the blog. Sorry! Thank you to all who check in with me every Thursday and remind me to keep going.

Last two months have been amazing and very busy. Amazing because a husband-wife team at school decided to become the chairs for the school carnival and asked if I wanted to join the team. They had just one condition, it had to be the best carnival the school and the community had ever seen. Their enthusiasm was infectious and I joined the team.

We then found five new members for different tasks and together the team created the vision: A carnival that celebrates the community we live in. Our theme: Hawaiian. Come on, its CA, and California does not think beyond Hawaii and Mexico 🙂

Long story short, it was “THE EVENT” of the year. The most amazing carnival the school had seen. After 1000+ visitors and 6 hours of fun and laughter, we took a sigh of relief and thanked our stars secretly for it ran like a well oiled machine.

Personally to me, few things popped out besides the success of the carnival.

First, it is true; leadership can make or break a team. This was a voluntary event and effort. There were no performance appraisals and paychecks attached, yet for the team leadership to hold hands and find solutions was the extra step that walked us to success.

Second, friendships can spring in the most unknown circumstances. I met some new parents in a high stress environment. We all had our targets. Mine was to be the “on-call ATM machine.” Every time an activity got added, we needed more cash 🙂 And thankfully some one up there was watching out for me, cash flowed in. The tickets team had the target of selling 800 tickets at the minimum. We found two pretty girls 🙂 who not only sold the tickets but did it so efficiently that not a dime was lost. An event such as this cannot run with 8 pairs of hands, we needed at the minimum hundred pairs of hands to make this happen. In comes our volunteer manager, a new parent to school, she did not know too many parents and yet she made it happen with sheer persistence and dedication. In addition to this we had team members effortlessly managing the heavy equipments, concessions and more.

Through all this I know I made some good memories and found some good friends. I hope they feel the same way 🙂

Last but not the least, realized that community is an amazing thing. When tapped the right way, it comes together to support and makes the impossible, possible.

That is exactly what this carnival was. When we started the journey, we said to ourselves, we will be lucky if we can sell 500 tickets, we will be lucky if we can find 1 corporate sponsor, we will be lucky if we can find 10 vendors to come host booths. Well, we sold 1000+ tickets, found 3 corporate sponsors and 20 vendors.

The community belief and support motivated us to do more and take it to the best level possible.

Dedicating this blog in honor of the amazing people I have met in the last two months.

Oh, if you think I am bragging.. you know what they say, “if you’ve done it, it ain’t braggin.”

Be the “Aloha” you wish to be!

The C word!

I am not talking about the 174th episode of House or the words our kids are forbidden to say. I am talking about the new C word.. a word that I have been hearing very often for the past year now. It is what the doctors call the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in our body. Abnormal cells, what are they anyway and quite honestly I don’t care.

I am just tired of the C word occurring in the lives of people I know. It’s been an ongoing process for the past year now.. every two months I find out. Good, honest people. People who pay their bills, say their prayers, work hard, love hard and laugh out loud so often and yet they have to deal with C word called Cancer. I just don’t get it.

This blogpost is dedicated to all those who are fighting this disease, with two people I know in particular. A cousin and a friend. More than reading this, I want you to keep them and their families in your prayers and I am hoping that with the collective global prayers, the gods of the world will be forced to wave their magic wands and make this disease go away.

If you are wondering, Yes I do believe Santa Claus.

To them who are fighting, all I want to say is:

You are rare and unique

You inspire me daily

You make me laugh with your funny posts and messages

You are full of energy and radiate positivity like no other I know.

I have no doubt that you will conquer this with your sheer drive

I know for a fact that you will thrive.

It is a fight I know, but you are strong and your energy is limitless. Cancer cannot touch your soul, it cannot cripple the love around you, it cannot change the friendships you have built and it cannot take away your courage and strength.

ALWAYS REMEMBER You are going to Live to Win!

A Summer Contest.

Today’s blog is a summer essay contest.

Calling all kids ages 5-12 who love to day dream or think out of the box. You DO NOT need to be an A+ writer to write this eassay. This blog really does not care about how strong your vocabulary is. The only requirement is stick to the theme and have the correct grammar and spellings.

Before we go further, I do want to clarify that I am not doing this to encourage my kid to write more. In the world of volunteering, I am often faced with the situation where folks think, the effort is so my kids can benefit. It is quite the contrary. If anything, my kids get the tail end of it all. My younger one is too young to write an essay, she might draw. The older one is doing relatively well in writing and he may not be in the top 2% of his age, but is definitely in the top 10% and we are happy to see him thrive. So this is not for my kids alone. In fact I am not even sure if they will participate. If they do, I promise their entries will be judged by others and not myself.

Why I am I doing this? The idea came to me last nite as I was chopping cabbage for the salad. Funny how and when ideas creep in. But I fell in love with the thought, ran it by my trusted partner and here I am posting it online.

The idea took shape last nite, but I think it has been brewing in my head for 7 years now.. ever since I started volunteering in school. The more I volunteered, the more I realized of the lack of enriching programs for kids who are not exactly what the academic world calls A+ students. All clubs, all contests are geared towards kids who can read, write and add well. What about those who have brilliant ideas, but don’t have the best writing skills or can’t add fast enough? Don’t get me wrong, I do understand the need for parents wanting their kids to succeed and do as well as the neighbors child and if possible, do better, but in all this, I see a whole population of kids being left out.

So, this is my two cents to provide an opportunity to kids of all shapes and talents. If you know of a child who has some amazing ideas, creativity but is shy to express it, then encourage them to send in an entry. The contest is also open to all A+ students too.

The judging is for creativity and out of the box thinking. There are no points for high vocabulary words 🙂

CONTEST GUIDELINES:

1) A child can participate irrespective of how good or not good their writing grades are.

2) Age limit 5-12. If he/she is 12+ but not 13 yet.. that’s okay too 🙂 If he/she is just finishing up 6th grade and entering 7th.. they can post in the Category 3.

3) No high vocabularly words necessary. I don’t think people should be penalized because they didn’t memorize the english dictionary in their schooling years. But yes correct grammar and spelling is needed because in today’s world it is as easy as doing a grammar and spell check.

4) The essay can be handwritten or typed. If handwritten, please email a clear legible scanned pdf copy.

No poems. I wish I could.. but unfortunately elementary kids are not trained to read or write poems and there are few who have a natural talent. It would so be unfair to others.

ESSAY PROMPTS: Please note these are PROMPTS and NOT TOPICS. The child can title their essay as they please. Choose ONE prompt.

Submit all entries to: bloggingtale@gmail.com

When submitting an entry, In addition to your name, a contact email, please state the grade and essay prompt in the top right corner.

I) The world through my eyes.

II) If I could change two things in the elementary school, they would be…

( Try not to think about technology, books, libraries, PE etc.. think out of the box. If you had the opportunity to re-design the way schools are, the way teaching is done .. what would you do?)

III) Technology, parents and me.

JUDGING CRITERIA: The ideas can be fictional. If they are.. try to lead the reader towards understanding how this day can be a reality soon.

For instance, if you dream of a world where people live for 200 years, it may not be a reality today, but it is definitely possible. If you dream of a world where people will go back to being monkey’s.. that is a little too fictional. But a world where a catastrophic element can wipe of out the entire human species, and the earth regenerates itself – that is possible.

Out of the Box thinking : 80%

Grammar/Spelling : 20%

JUDGES: Total three. They might be HS students or adults. Will post names once I have approval from them.

PRIZES: 3 prizes $100/- value. One prize each for the three categories below.

Category 1: K – 1st

Category 2: 2nd – 3rd

Category 3: 4th – 6th.

DEADLINE for Submission: July 31st, 2014.

Results Announced on: Sept 1st, 2014.

Feel free to pass this on to any student you know and would like to participate. There are no geographic boundaries. So if you have a nephew in India, that is perfectly fine too. Technology has reduced barriers, and the prizes will be sent across too 🙂

Looking forward to reading all the amazing ideas the younger generation has.

25 and counting joys of Motherhood.

As Mother’s day approaches, and I hear the repeated question, any plans for Mother’s day? I decide to pen down a few myths that were shattered and few realities that were learnt in this journey called “Motherhood.”

1. The phrase “sleeping like a baby” does not mean sleeping peacefully. It means waking up every few minutes.

2. When a baby cries, yes by all means look at the check list the doctor gave you; feed, burp, change diaper.

Baby still crying: Rock him, take him for a walk in the stroller.

But baby still crying: Call the doctor and go down the check list. Baby continues to cry. Doctor says “its okay sometimes they have to release the energy.” You are thinking, seriously, he’s been crying for a while now. And then the light bulb turns on and you hold the baby close to you and lie down on the bed. Magically the little one stops crying and you both sleep.

For your baby: YOU KNOW BEST. Listen to the maternal instincts. It is nature’s gift to every new mom.

I salute this mom who listened to her heart and not the doctor: A mother’s touch defies Science

3. “Colic” is a word that pediatricians do not like. Why? Because they don’t know why it happens, or how to stop it. Hang in there.. it takes any where from 10-12 weeks, and the colic switch will turn off. Until then .. just hang in there 🙂 Just as an FYI, white noises work like magic for colic babies.

4. Some where around 3 months, your baby will give you that look. The look that only you will understand, it will be the confirmation that “yes I recognize you Mom.” Cherish that look for it will warm your heart for years to come.

Think like a baby:
Spilled milk is definitely worth a cry

5. Every time you are on the phone either a bowl of cereal or a cup of milk will fall on the floor.

6. The baby is a toddler now.. all problems solved for its an independent age. But wait, there’s potty training. If you have a boy, look before you go for boys cannot aim. So stock up on wipes, cleaners and gloves. You will be cleaning a lot. If you have a daughter, stock up on scented hand soap and lotion.

7. Yippee… No more diaper bags. You go shopping for a pretty purse, only to realize it does not hold the mini first aid kit, the sippy cup, the small snack, your wallet etc. So Instead of finding a purse that works like a bag – Find a bag that works like a purse.

8. Band aids: yes the jumbo packs are a cost saver.. but they are plain old boring band-aids. Character bandaids make the tears go away faster. Invest in them.

9. Everytime crayons, Playdoh, bubbles go on sale. Stock up.

10. Empty boxes make the best toys. Stop waisting money on those fancy electronics 🙂

Wow, the baby is now in KINDER. YIPPEEE….

11. I am so lucky, my kid loves doing homework and is so excited about school… and this changes to “can I just sleep for 5 more minutes. what’s the big deal about getting tardy, it is just a piece of paper,” in one month.

The excitement of going to school and being a big kid wears off as soon as the reality of being big hits them 🙂

12. Lamaze: you didn’t remember it when you were delivering, but now you are an expert. Use those techniques during homework time, every time you are scrambling to get to school on time and basically through out the day 🙂

13: Take selfies with your child. You will be reminded of the down hill trend; but 10 years from now, you will be amazed at how good you looked.

The baby is evolving into an mini adult:

14. “Mom, I am a big kid now, I can do this now.” And then when they really need to do it on their own, it’s a memory lapse and the skills magically disappear.

15. Conversation with a miniature adult is more about listening than talking. I am learning this the hard way. His doctor recently asked me. Does he like sharing with you? I said, well sometimes, when he is that mood.. Brilliant answer right ;). The doctor was brilliant too.. he said, well try to find him in that mood . Jokes apart.. these little adults need a hearing ear. Just keep listening..

16a. For moms with sons; sprains and fractures are a moment of pride. They will be big babies in your arms, but outside it is all about “Dude, I heard the bone crack.”

Don’t return the crutches, the sling or the splint. Hold on to them, you will need them again.

16b. For moms with daughters; yes the world wants the pinks to be replaced by blues and browns, but if your daughter loves pink and Barbie, it is okay. Take pride in the fact that your daughter is celebrating her femininity. Nurture this trait and soon you will have a daughter who can twirl a skirt and shoot hoops with equal ease.

17. The older they get the lesser they care about going to “tourist” spots with their parents. It’s then about discovering the world. Humans are natural wanderers. Let them satisfy the thirst to discover. Take them to places they haven’t seen. Let them see how the world moves without Wifi or how people live with bare minimum. It is these experiences that will help them thrive as adults.

18. Pick your battles. You will win very few. Pick only those that you know you are going to win.

19. When something can go wrong, it will. So even though they are older and almost adults, You are still the MOM, so plan and fill in the gaps when you need to. Murphys’s Law.. one of the few things I heard in school that actually hold true.

20. Yes, your child will think you are over-protective or even embarrassing. It’s hard but try not to care. They will come back.

21. Always, always remember to checkin with your girlfriends. If you have a squabble pick up the phone and say sorry.

22. There will be blah days and the head-spinning days. There will be days when they will forget to ask if you had dinner or not. No matter what, try hard to not go the self-pity route, you are only hurting yourself. The world will keep moving.

23. You can listen to your doctor, your mother, your mother-in-law, the other perfect moms, but at the end do what you think is best. You will become a mother only by being one.

24. There is no such thing as a perfect mother, so stop being so hard on yourself.

25. On Mother’s day your friends will Face book pictures of the amazing breakfast their kids made for them and pampered them. Don’t judge your happiness by theirs.

If your kids woke up and asked you to make breakfast, did not remember till later in the afternoon that it was Mother’s day and then asked you what was for lunch. Smile! It is a luxury to have breakfast in bed, but it is a blessing to be able to get up and make breakfast for these beings that you have nurtured with love and care. Chances are they like your cooking better than anyone, and so never bothered to learn either 🙂 Soon, they will fly away to find their own nests. Until then pamper them. It is these warm and caring moments that they will come back too.

Mother’s day is not just one day. It happens every day a mother packs lunch for her kids. It happens every day a mother hugs her child. It happens every day a mother makes the wrong go right.

Mother’s day is 365 days of the year. It just so happens that we choose to celebrate it once a year.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

The Big Little Man.

His head was round and stature short. His shoulders were broad and he walked with his head held high. His moustache reminded me of Charlie Chaplin and his calm made me happy. I called him Papaji, and the world called him Dr. G.R Sachdev. He was my Nanaji (maternal grandfather.)

Born 96 years ago, he was illness free and strong as a mule with an unshakeable belief in all things good. Life threw him quite a few twists and turns and yet he never uttered a foul word. A few weeks ago he moved on to a world where the angels and his wife of 60 years reside. He was and will always continue to be an inspiration of an honest simple life, well lived. Most kids are lucky if they can bond with one or two of their grandparents. I have been blessed to have actually lived with all four of my grandparents during childhood. I spent my tweenage with both sets of my paternal and maternal grandparents. Papaji taught me how to live life in a positive way.

As an 11 year old I remember waking up to his saintly chants at 5.30am and covering my head with as many pillows as I could. I remember the walks and feeding the ducks. I asked him, “why do you feed them every day?” He said, “some of them are my ancestors,” and I remember looking at him quizzically.

Papaji was a man of little words. He didn’t say much but what he said was always meaningful. Today as he continues his journey into another world, leaving us behind to think and ponder about all he taught. I realized that most of my life beliefs came from his quotes. He was an ardent admirer of Saint Kabir and his verses.

Every time I said something wrong as a tween, he would recite:

“Aisee Vani Boliye, Mun Ka Aapa Khoye

Apna Tan Sheetal Kare, Auran Ko Sukh Hoye”

Translation: Speak such words, sans ego’s ploy

Body remains composed, giving the listener joy

While reciting he didn’t necessarily look at me or talk to me. He would many a times be a totally different room and pretend to be talking to himself. Always staying away from confrontations, he believed in the simple fact, that when one believes in God, it all eventually falls into place.

Born almost a century ago, he may have been little in stature, but he had a very big heart and was progressive in his thinking. While his generation prayed for sons, he took pride in his three daughters and two sons. He believed in education and gave good quality education to all his five children thus allowing them to thrive as independent adults.

Age and Father time don’t stop for anyone. We can be as young at heart as we desire, but there comes a time when this machinery starts clucking and clanking. He has been with us for so long, I never thought he would go away. And partially that’s his fault, he always said, I have an agreement with God, “I want to complete my century before I go.” And we would smile and say not only century, beyond that because you need to see your great – grandkids get married too; and he would then throw his hands up, rub his bald head and laugh loudly.

Sending him off has been very hard. Maybe because he was the last of the grandparents to go. Every time a grandparent goes away, so does a stream of unbiased blessings. Yes, it is selfish, but I miss those blessings.

For some little girls, it is their dad who tastes the first dish they cook but for me it was my Papaji. I had made bharta and roti. Bharta was not even close to being good and roti was not circular and yet he ate it and gave me a prize too 🙂 I like to think that’s why every time he came over he looked forward to what I was cooking. Any time he came to stay with me, he wanted Gobi ka Parantha and Diet Coke. Yes, he loved Diet Coke. If we would leave him unsupervised, he would gulp down the 2 liter in minutes 🙂

He was a stickler for time and schedule and believed:

“Waqt bahut balwan hota hain…Pal mein Shehanshah, pal mein rank”

Translation: Time is very powerful. One minute you are the king, the next a servant.”

I learnt how to respect time at a very young age from him and to date do not appreciate those who keep others waiting.

“Funny how we listen when they are gone.”

With every new memory comes a fresh tear. Today as hard as it is, I am bidding him farewell. He will always be alive to me.

His life and its journey through it re-affirms my belief in the circle of life. He lived his prime years in India, spent his senior years around the globe with his children and in his final phase, life magically whisked him across the seven seas to India. He passed away in the same place where once he bid farewell to his beloved wife. With that his life completed its full circle.

Papaji, you were and are beyond all of us; continue to be the fiercely independent honest big little man that you are.

Here’s another one of your favorites:

“Maati kahe kumhaar se, Tu kyun rondhe moye….

Ik din aisa aayega, Main rondhungi toyeee….

“Translation: “Soil says to potter, why do you crush me. One day will come, when i will crush you ”

This Gobi Parantha is for you Papaji. Have fun and continue to celebrate .. the sounds of Sukhmani and the brilliance of St. Kabir couplets will now liven up the heavens too. And, oh.. say Hi to Naniji for all of us. We love you.

Picto Blog _ Point Arena Lighthouse, Mendocino County, CA

Once again, we decided to stay away from the crowds and go to a lesser known destination and enjoyed our spring break.

Mendocino County, CA is not unknown. It is famous for its quaint artsy downtown and fabulous eateries… but we skipped it all to go to the Point Arena Lighthouse, CA

Approximately a 4 hour drive further north from the bay area, the light house marks the end of continental USA. You can use the GPS blindly only to end up on the treacherous Mountain View Road or read up the maps and take 101 followed by either 1 or 128.

US 1, is windy but so is 128. The advantage of US 1, its much more travelled and it’s more alive. If you decide to take 128, please do not take the Mountain view road, take 128 and then take US 1 to Point Arena Lighthouse. Plan so you are at your destination during day light hours.

You’re probably wondering why not take the route to the hotel first and then the lighthouse, well, because that’s a little known secret of this place. The lighthouse has cabins right next to it. The cabins are not inexpensive, but they are well worth the price and the experience is unlike any other.

I hope you enjoy this trip.

As we wound our way via 128

Once you take US 1 after 128, you will come across this random stop light. Please don’t break the law.
It looks kind of crazy to have a stop light when there is no traffic, but this is a one way road for now. We stood here for 2 minutes 🙂

The view as we entered the restricted light house area.

And then we were blown away by this.

The Point Arena Light House standing tall and proud.

I stood for a very long time at this intersection, just staring at the ocean. It was mesmerizing and very calming.

Complimentary Wine 🙂 Happens only in CA.

I stood here for a very long time mesmerize and at peace.

Birds of the same feather flock together.

They crashed against the rocks only to come back stronger.

As I stood staring at these ways, I realized the importance of “respect” for the ocean.

The kids did not miss Wifi, all they had was this one kite, but it was enough.

The Cypress behind the cabins.

As the sun sets on day 1

… we realize how much there is to be thankful for.

.. And the sun rises to give birth to another beautiful day.

Day 2 starts with a tour of the Lighthouse. Yes, we climbed the 145 steps and spotted a whale.
The excitement was too much to capture on the camera. But we saw the spout and the guide confirmed it for us 🙂
He also mentioned that the light house is located on the Pacific Plate and the St. Andreas fault is only 5 miles away.

Below that white surf, is an underwater mountain. We were told, until they knew better, ships have crashed into it.

We then head to Glass Beach, Fort Bragg, CA.
The white is not sand, its tiny pieces of polished sea glass.
If you go, make sure you go to the left side of the beach and climb down into the little cove.

Humans leaving their sad mark.

Another breathtaking view _ this the right side of the glass beck, much more kid friendly.

Wonder what their thoughts are?

Just enjoy the view.

One of the many caves and tunnels water winds its way through in Glass Beach.

After Glass Beach, Next Stop is the Botanical Gardens. Sorry, I don’t remember the names. Just enjoy these beauties.

As we drove back, there was this rustic grocery store OR you can do what we did, go to Safeway in Fort Bragg, CA 🙂

The Market is open.

Guiding the lost soul for decades

The wind was really blowing by now.

The sun sets on another gorgeous day.

Day 3: We decided to head back on US 1 debating where to stop for lunch. As the passengers continued to argue, the driver turned into this random place on US 1.

It’s an RV park? But we need lunch…

And then we see this .. quaint little place.. MoMo’s Galley.

For a family that is constantly debating between vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, this place was god send and the food was heavenly. Absolutely fresh food cooked from scratch. Yes, we actually spoke to the chef Mo as he whipped up the most amazing Chicken Satay, Pad Thai and Ginger Chicken. A definite stop next time we travel this road.
Like them on FB at: MOMO’s Galley on 2001 Hwy 1, Bodega Bay, CA

… And so ended a short but amazing vacation.

Hope you enjoyed this trip with me.. until next time. Keep traveling, even if it is virtual 🙂

Woman, Are you Real?

“I love to read your blog, I don’t always get to, but what I do I am always amazed at your spirit ,and your way of making us all,Feel like Alice looking through the looking glass of life! Keep up the great work!”

This is one of the sweetest comments a follower posted on my blog. Thank you for visiting and taking the time to write. Looking glass it is! We all including myself have a looking glass that helps brings things into perspective and then we look away to accept the reality as it is. I honestly don’t blame anyone who does so, life is challenging and if all of us can just be, that itself is an achievement to begin with.

Coming back to today. This blog post has been in the making for decades now. It took this share on FB to bring it to reality. I’ll let u read this first.

So what do you think? Who are you?

I don’t think my house is always clean and I never have enough patience, enough smiles or enough kind words on a daily basis for everyone I cross path with; and yet I am a WOMAN in every sense of the word.

Who is a real woman? Is she the perfectly dressed lady you cross paths with every morning when you drop of your child at school, or is she the amazing multi-tasker who manages her work and home like clock work and still has time for her kids or is she the one who says “I can’t do it all. I need time for myself,” and so she hires help to take care of the routine stuff.

I think they all are the real woman. If they choose to believe otherwise, that’s their decision, but they are amazing women in my world.

We are trained to think of beauty and perfection in a certain way. Some blame it on mythology, some on world pageants and I blame it on no one. It’s a perspective, there is no right or wrong about it.

Today as the world leans in, the pinks move into the shirt aisle and the Lego’s are now pink and purple too, I look through my looking glass and see myself years ago. I maybe an odd one out here, but I love buying dolls for little girls. What’s wrong with that? I loved dolls as a little girl, I loved flaunting my adolescent beautiful long hair and enjoyed just being a girl, and yet today I can use a drill machine with equal ease.

Don’t get me wrong here, I am all for girls being taught science and taking leadership roles but like every thing else today the word “feminism” is going through a shift too. Feminism is often considered a synonym to misandrists, today it’s not.

Feminism to me is simply celebrating being a woman, and she can do that as she flies a plane, builds a deck using power tools or simply by choosing to be pretty.

When the post above, says that you must be a man because no woman in the real world does all of the above. I disagree. A real woman does not need to do all that.

A real woman:

Is honest
Cries her heart out every so often
Screams if she needs to
Understands the power of silence
Knows her worth. She will let others get away with only so much 🙂
Is confident in her steps
Wears sweat pants, does not wear make up and is comfortable in her own skin
Sometimes takes her own sweet time to find her objectives and goals in life
May not have all the answers and is not afraid to ask for help
Has one AWESOME girl friend
Needs to vent out, and hey sometimes even just b**** about life.
And yes, when she meets a real man, she is not afraid to spend her life with him. She will make his dreams her own and push him to achieve them even if it is at the cost of her dreams
But if she doesn’t meet one, she is confident to take those steps alone and make her own dreams come true.

It’s not about the hair, the house or how elegant her dress is.

It’s about her; and to her it’s about being real and hers.

Beyond Culture.

One of the biggest challenges in modern times is keeping the family values and traditions moving forward and appreciated. In some ways a sustainable development of its unique culture and heritage.

As kids get wiser and smarter, we as parents are often faced with the question, what is our culture? While this question is more visible in immigrant families, I believe it holds true for natives too.

The kid is learning about ancient civilizations now, and India is the last one they will study. Am I looking forward to it. Of course I am, its a legitimate opportunity for me to gloat about all that India has offered to the world from the zero to the science of Ayurveda to the modern Fin. I am however dreading the question, What is Indian culture? Most Indian parents start off by saying its about how the family sticks together and they prove this by restating the fact that Indians pay for the college, marriage, honeymoon, and if they can the first house too. And by doing so, most of us immigrant parents fulfill our moral duty of being Indian and taking care of our kids.

Is that really what Indian Culture is? Do any of us really know how to answer that question? I know I don’t. Culture is yet another word that is often defined individually.

Last Thursday, I missed the blogpost as I was busy being a mom and getting some kids ready for their performance at the school cultural show. It’s an annual event of brilliant performances, good food and friendships. It’s a happy fun evening for all. On the face it looks simple, get a few kids, make them perform, order food, plan the seating and voila you have a cultural show, but like most beautiful moments in life, there are many small moments that go into making this gala event possible and for the school it was many volunteers and hours that made it happen.

The International Samosa

For a few moments, I took the time to go outside and have a bite. As I sat eating, I saw the longest line at the Samosa counter, and then I counted, out of the fifteen people standing in line, only 3 were Indian. I kept looking and mumbled to myself; “Samosa is International.”

This trivial realization was the inspiration behind this blogpost.

The two hour school cultural show silently brought forward elements beyond the singing and dancing. The school talent show for the kids and by the kids can teach us adults a lesson or two. I saw kids cheering for their class mates. They did not care if their act was selected or not. They were just happy to see their friends perform so well. They are creating a new culture. A culture that will adopt the best of the world they live in. It is interesting how we as selfless little beings grow up to be adults that snear before cheer.

Culture to the talent show and students was about the music and dance. For the parents it was about the variety of food and bringing out their beautiful ethnic clothes. The community on the other hand saw the sense of belonging. It was about crossing the geographical boundaries to truly adapt and adopt the world we live in.

The eastern world claims to have a culture deep seated in spirituality and traditions and thus making it more stable and honorable. The USA just like its counter eastern countries is an amalgamation of different cultures and traditions. Just as India was invaded by many, the natives in the USA did not have it easy either. They were invaded too.

The key difference between the eastern and western world is beyond culture. It is patience and humility that differentiates the cultures and like humans, it is about the age factor 🙂

As we grow old, we learn to be more patient. We understand the value of humility and empathy. The younger generation is often blamed for being selfish, arrogant and yet brilliant for they have the power to define the future. The same is true for countries. As a country matures, it learns patience. It learns to understand the world and choose its friends wisely. The youthful nature of USA is reflected in its capability to adapt and accept any culture. Its continued inventive and creative thinking to improve the world we live in demonstrates its brilliance.

Today, as I wrap up the moments from the cultural show, I hope the “sense of belonging” to the school continues not only for the students but for the parents too.

Culture today is about accepting, being humble and sharing ideas, vision and resources towards the common goal of bringing out the best in our world.