Oh, the joys of being a mother.....

Son is learning to make sentences in Hindi.
Word -"komal". Instant reply, "Meri maa bahuth komal hein"
:-)

p.s.
Swaram - thanks for checking on me
Nancy - another trip? i am still paying for the one i took. get up and go to office, get back and sleep....you get the drift? it is your tag that prompted me out of inertia :-) thanks.

Remembering You

You came home from hostel one weekend and got to know that you are getting engaged the week after..
You had seen him once, and none in his family...
You obeyed your father, no questions asked, came into a house ruled by a strong matriarch..
You were so innocent, you believed everyone and everything...
You went through so much, but was never without a smile on your face..
Your hope was in your kids and when one left, you could never get over it...
You, who hadn't seen the world wished for your little ones to conquer it...
You, who had never graduated, insisted that your precious ones turn professionals...
You welcomed their friends, boys and girls alike, in a town known for being conservative...
You didn't stand in the way of the elder one when she wanted to settle first, and got the younger one married off, in a family where it was sacrilege..
You were the one everyone turned to, for everything..
You, the helpless,turned strong when crushed...
You knew what each one of us wanted to say without us uttering a word...
You, who took care of everyone, forgot to take care of yourself...
You left us alone and went off just like that...
You will remain in our hearts for ever....

(Dedicated to all daughters who have their mothers with them - love them all you can, pamper them to the core and be with them whenever you can, while you can. I am thankful that I could before it was too late)

p.s - Entered this for blogadda's mother's day contest. Thanks Uma for letting me know about this.

Sun n Surf

Dear J, I am so thankful that you forcefully put me on that 5.30 Pacific Surf Liner to San Diego instead of the 8.30 one. The breathtaking view of the rays of the setting sun on the sea is one that I am not going to forget in a long ,long time



At some places, you are so close to the sea that you feel you can touch it if you could just put your hands out..

There is a military base close by, choppers and fighter planes are a regular sight..

M&A took me to this beautiful place by the beach named Torrey Pine Trail. There are small trails throughout the hills and each one takes you to different views.

This is where you turn up from the main road to teh trails. You can see downtown San Diego in the distance

One of the trails take you here. The intricate carving like hillsides are the result of millions of years of erosion by wind and water..

Another trail takes you here...

And yet another one here...

Not happy at being disturbed from his siesta by the sun....

Stairway to heaven...

Hills have bloomed after the recent rains....

The cliffs are ideal for this, you can see a lot of them...

You can spend hours and hours here and still feel you haven't had enough

That's Life!!!

V pirouettes around everyones' desk singing,
"I am gonna paaarttyy everyday, I'm gonna dannnnciiing everyday, I'm gonna plaaaayyyy with my grandkids everyday.....I'm going vacaaaationinnng every month....."

G who was on the seat next to me on a train to San Diego, "I have to complete my homework"

Me,"What???!!!"

G,"I am learning moviemaking and editing and I go or Spanish classes every Friday. Haven't done my homework for tomorrow."
And he shows me a picture of a beautiful Carribean lady on his phone camera and says proudly,"That's my movie teacher"

V is 55 and retiring next month
G is 78 and retired from his family business 5 years back

That's life with a capital L if you ask me :-)

That Moment in Life

When did he reach a point that he couldn't take it anymore?
What made him think things will never turn for the better?
Did he feel things will be alright for his loved ones after?
When did that darkest moment happen?
How did he reach there?
Wasn't there anything or anyone that could have helped him?
What made him think no one, not even God could make things change?
Was it always in him, or is it life that turned him over?
When did he stop thinking of others and only of him?
Was it on the spur of the moment or long planned?
Why didn't anyone see it coming?
When did he stop laughing and start brooding?
Did he really believe this is the end?
When and where are we going to get all the answers?

(Got to know last night that someone close to us, one who had the most awesome sense of humor, someone who used to enjoy life to the brim, tried to get away from everyone and everything two days back. I am in shock)

More.....

Another view of the bridge..

A very brave one - right under the bridge....

Alcatraz from golden gate..

Just can't get over that ocean...

They protest and block roads here too..

and this is what they want...

all set ... in case something happens.....

sharing a light moment meanwhile...

watching from above too...

p.s. will be back with more interesting ones in a few days....

Half a day is all it took

The flight to San Francisco was early in the morning. For a few minutes I thought we were going to land on the water. The landing ground is so close to the bay, we see land just as the plane touches ground. Had just half a day to go around , so the next thing after checking in was to book me in for a city tour.

And half a day was all it took to fall in love....

Anywhere in the city you are never too far from the sea..

some of the streets are really steep, there is one which is so steep, there is no uphill traffic

Old and new ....the victorian houses built in the late 18oo's , the city in the back ground...

the city..

The (in)famous Alcatraz. It is not too far from the wharf commonly known as Fisherman's Wharf. Looking at it we feel the prisoners could easily swim across. It seems the temperature of the sea water is sub zero and the undercurrents are so strong that the swimmers will be pulled out to the open ocean

The Golden Gate Bridge....

you can see a number these out in the bay..

view down from the bridge

The Pacific Ocean.....

each side you look, the ocean takes a different colour, you just do not know where to look

the remnants of a bath hotel built early last century. sea water filled in the baths during high tides

a walk by the beach....

enjoying their evening in the sun in ice cold water. it seems the surfers here need to wear some sort of body suit to keep them so as not to freeze

we took a turn and I stopped breathing....well,almost.....

to be continued.....

My boss dropped a bomb and I am not complaining :-)

9 PM yesterday :

Boss - "Bindu, please come to my room immediately"

Bindu (to herself) - "Now what did I do?"

Boss - "S can't travel. His father is ill. Can you?"

Bindu (almost falling from the chair) - "You mean, this Saturday?"

Boss - "Yes, you know what the plans are"

Bindu (stammering) - "That is just four days, husband, kids, current projects..."

Boss - "Think it over and let me know, but would be good if you can"

10 minutes later...

Hubby - "Just say yes ,don't worry about anything, I'll manage home front"

(now you know why I clung on to him and wouldn't let go till said yes;-) )

So friends, I am off to Disneyland this Saturday ;-)

Round the clock

Our new client is in San Francisco

We are in India and we work nights

Their morning is our midnight

We need to get trained in one of their applications

The trainer is in Australia

A time which would be convenient for the three of us??!!

Happy Women's Day, btw :-)

Mission In Life

The name 'Covey' meant this was not just another training session

The trainer was Irish, been in India for seven years and doesn't want to go back. He started very mildly, talking about how trust is core to everything in our life - personal, official, just about everything. And then, a bomshell, "Tell me friends, what is your mission in life?"

Pin drop silence..

"Have you ever thought what is it that is most important in your life? What is it that you are so passionate about that you would never get tired doing it?"

Uncomfortable shifting of gazes, drumming of pens and pencils on the table....

"Well I'll tell you when you are going to think about it. When your doctor says you have six months to live!"

A few gasps!

"Now I will tell you how to find your mission. Think of what is core to you, what your values are, what is that you want to live by and for and as you ask yourself these questions, you will find some answers and more questions. At the end of it all, you will find the answer that you are looking for"

So my friends, while I am searching for my mission in life, you can wish me a happy birthday ;-)