Retrospection 2008

These days I dont get time to blog much.Once in a blue moon chek whats going on with the other blogs.Maybe becoz I have been a good gal for the past 2 months.Inspite of no pranks :-P.Been trying to be my cool self as usual.I guess maybe I dont find a reason to vent out feelings on the blog,I aint writing much.

Well,as far as things go,been keeping myself busy with quite a good lot of stuff and I have loads to update.


1.I won a 16GB IPOD touch free on dealspl.us.That was the most amazing thing which happened to me.I know you guyz dont believe me but it was for real.Its really cool to have a gadget and winning it for free was the luckier part i guess.

2.I have learnt to make my time more productive in 2008 other than the usual stuff,learning new recipes,travelling( watching more of tv channel),joining new clubs,watch more intelligent movies,made new friends,met quite a lot of interesting and remarkable ppl.

3.Travel has been fun and I am waiting for my trip to Sincity for Valentines Day weekend in Feb 2009.I am more than glad since I have cousins in Vegas and can hangout with them.I still am addicted to watching travel shows every weekend with Toto.

4.Its so bad in Boston during winter and I totally hate the cold weather.I wish I knew iceskating or skiing to the least.Well,I could still go snowtubing just for fun.

5.I got to work more on my blog and do some updates and modifications more frequently.

The Perfect Vacation !!

Looks like everybody is back to blogging with the twenty tag questions.Keerthi tagged me and I was glad I did it after a peaceful vacation.

Our trip this time was for 4 days with Toto taking off from work for 2days.It was nice.We left Friday early morning to Newhampshire. First stop was the Hobo rail road,which we have been waiting to do since long time.It was the most boring train ride I have ever been.The only thing I liked was the Hersheys Sandwich Icecream on the train.Then we went thru kancamagus highway in the White mountains.With our new gadget the NIKON D80,we shot few pics. After lunch we went to Franconia Notch Park.We enjoyed the fall colors.The leaves were in the yellowish stage. It was almost evening by the time we started to Maine.I was looking forward to see Maine since I didnt explore much on our Penebscot river rafting trip.We booked the Seacroft Inn at Barharbor,Maine.I would recommend this to anybody who wants to visit Barharbor and Acadia.We stayed at this beautiful inn which was owned by a cute couple.Her name is Bunny too and she makes delicious muffins.

We relaxed the night and woke up late next morning.Saturday.First stop was Acadia National Park.Drove through Park Loop Road and reached Cadillac Mountain, which at 1,530 feet is the highest point on the U.S. Atlantic coast.Lunch was at a Thai place.Siam Orchid,the owners name is Hatsana.Steamy food in the cold weather.Yummy !!After lunch,we roamed around Bar Harbor and bought some sovenirs.

Next morning,Sunny went around early morning before the sun even rose to shoot the first rays of sun touching US. Crazzy !! Woke up late around and by the time we got ready it was 10.00 a.m.Had a hearty breakfast and we went to rent scooters.That was the best part.I had the red scooter and Toto had the yellow one.The max speed on it was 25.They were similar to the bajaj sunnys we drove in India.We covered Sieur de Monts Spring Area, Bubble Pond.It was awesome scenic around there.Will post a pic.The lake where we stood had two mountains which were shaped like a bubble and so the name Bubble Pond was given to it.We hiked the way to Bubble Pond and were quite tired by the time we returned. Headed towards the Bass Harbor Light House. Posed for few pics.Later that night we went to Geddys for dinner.BTW,Maine is famous for Lobster and the Moose.Finally,I had Lobster in my noodles.We had a few Margaritas and we sat on the bench on the main street.

The trip was over almost and we had to return the next day.We started back home saying goodbye to Maine.We stopped at Pemaquid Point,Bristol on the return trip.On the whole,we had a great trip,good food and rejuvenated ourselves with all the oxygen from the mountains.

Tag Twenty

Keerthi tagged me on this.

RULE #1 People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs and replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.
RULE #2 Tag 6 people to do this quiz and those who are tagged cannot refuse. These people must state who they were tagged by and cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by continue this game by sending it to other people.

1. If your lover betrayed you, what will your reaction be?

Toto wouldnt dare,I would kick his ass !!Later I would get depressed.Have a few drinks and do loads of shopping.(I remember I slapped a guy so hard that he would remember all thru his life.)

2. If you can have a dream come true, what would it be?

Become a princess.

3. Whose butt would you like to kick?

No one on my mind right now.

4. Why do you blog?

To keep my crazy mind occupied and vent out my feelings.

5. Will you fall in love with your best friend?

Toto was my best friend,my guide ,my love and hubby.

6. Which is more blessed: loving someone or being loved by someone?

I dont mind both as long as its mutual!!

7. How long do you intend to wait for someone you love?

I am a very impatient person,but I waited for 2 long yrs for Tots.

8. If you could root for one social cause, what would it be?

Illiteracy !!

9. What takes you down the fastest?

Stress

10. What resurrects you the fastest?

Tequila !! (kidding) A warm hug from toto.

11. What’s your strength?

My mom and toto.I would give anything to these two special ppl.

12. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?

Keerthi tagged me.Keerthi has a nice sense of humour and I love reading her blogs.She is like the girl next door who writes her regular day to day stuff in a simple manner rather than others who write hifi words frm GRE barrons or thesarus..Way to go girly !!

13. Would you rather be single and rich or married and poor?

Each of us its own cons and pros.But I would love to be a Rich happily married.

14. What’s the purpose of such Tags?

To know the other persons inner thoughts.

15. Would you give all in a relationship?

Not all !! I need some space at times.

16. Would you forgive and forget someone no matter how horrible a thing he has done?

Nope !! Forgive is divine but I would rather be the devil !!

17. Do you prefer being single or in a relationship?

No way !! I love relationships!!

18. How would you see yourself in ten years time?

In ten yrs,I would be in a good job.Start a business maybe.

19. What’s your fear?

Fear of losing my loved ones !!

20. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

Have cuppa hot coffee,check emails,make breakfast for toto.

I am tagging Siri and Deepu.Anybody else interested can pick it up.

I am a Microblogger

For all my fellow bloggers,microbloggers,wanted to post this wonderful finding,Funny one though!!.Take a look at the link too.

http://www.labnol.org/internet/blogging/the-life-of-a-professional-blogger/3061/

The Guitarist

Another boring day ahead.

Hearing good reviews and after going thru Vaibhavs post on Rockon and Desicritics felt that I should watch the movie.So last week we got the movie and I watched.BTW, Toto doesnt watch chick flicks or any slow movies and especially Hindi. Overall I would rate the movie a 4/5.It was good one.Most of all I liked Arjun Rampals and Purabs potrayal as the friends.Well my current blog isnt abt the movie though.It reminded me of one character which I havent mentioned in any of my blogs.

I share a very personal attachment with the character I mentioned since its my younger brother.Lets call him Smiley. Smiley is younger than me by an yr.He is a very different person and we have very contrasting characters and personality. When we were kids he would be very bubbly,chubby and I remember once when I wanted to carry him,I dropped him on the floor and he was shocked for a few mins.My Mom came and spanked me badly. He was very,not just very,..very very naughty as a kid and would do all the mischevious things and me being the elder one would get the beatings.Summer holidays my mom would be totally exhausted becoz of his mischief. By the end of the day,something or the other would be broken in the house.he would open up all the toys and machines and we labelled him mechanic. We went to the same school and same tutions mostly and almost every school and tution master would complain to me abt him.I remember he would rarely do homework during summer holidays.All through the day play and by the end of the day my mom would cajole me saying to do his work also.

So when he was in his 6th std, my dad enrolled him in guitar classes,and bought him a guitar. He would attend classical music to get a better understanding.Till tenth he spent his summer mostly with music.Now Smiley had a group of friends called Pili,Abhi, Pilis brother-the drummer. These 4 would gang up and enjoy their experiments with music.I remember he would ask me to sing for some songs like Bryan Adams" Pls forgive me" or "Dho dil mil rahe hai" from Pardes. So this group of 4 would go on with their music and antics.Due to his affinity to music,he purchased an electric guitar.Later they got busy with their jobs and each of them are busy in their own paths of lives.Smiley is stil in touch with his childhood friends and he keeps meeting them now and then.

In his adolescent stage,Smiley became the calm guy and introvert.After finishing his bachelors and a MBA from Andhrauniversity,he currently has a posh job in HSBC,Vizag.Other than that he still continues his passion for music as always.He sings on stage and you would definitely see a rocker in him.Well,Rockon movie reminded me of Smiley.Recently he was the winner of the group which won the "Battle of the Bands" Contest held at HSBC,Vizag.Smiley is currently working on a music video which I will upload very soon once he sends it to me.

And the song from RockOn,playing on my blogspot dedicated to him and his friends and all the folks who have the passion for music.

Gloucester / Rockport trip

My blog is becoming more of a travelogue so I totally understand that my fellow bloggers and readers feel that way. But I cant help it. Well to start with I had a rather tiresome weekend with lot of things going on.

Saturday it rained cats and dogs. We didnt do anything much other than eat, sleep, watch a movie 21 and play cards.

Sunday morning,the sun came out. We were bored and planned to do some experiments with the new camera. Our destinations for the week were Gloucester and Rockport.

We drove to Gloucester where the first stop was at Fisherman Wives Memorial. "The Perfect Storm" movie is one famous movie where Gloucester is quoted. We walked towards Stage Fort Park and shot a few pics and then walked back to downtown Gloucester. There was this kids car racing going on, Fish Fox derby. The kids modeled their own cars of course with the help of family ,guardians and raced. Then we had lunch at a Chinese place and headed towards EasternPoint Lighthouse. Its closed for public but we can have a good view of it from the breakwaters next to it. We couldn't stay there long due to parking issues.

Then we decided we go to Rockport. So we headed to Halibut State Park where we walked to the quarry and then to the sea shore. I Played with the waves for a while. There were these two girls sitting nearby trying to draw inspiration from the waves and compose music in the serene atmosphere. Then we drove to Bearskin neck. Bearskin Neck is a small neck of land that juts out of the town center into Rockport Harbor. It was a small town with a shopping area with narrow lanes where we could walk. We spotted some desi shops too. Incase somebody visits Rockport do check out the "Floating lotus" shop. We sat on the rocks and sighted sailboats. Was glad I clicked "Motif 1 - most famously painted fish shack". Toto says its much better than the one he saw on flickr. A pat on my back. :-P.

Winter is fast approaching and Toto wants to explore as much as he can!!

Blog Award :-)

Swathi had awarded me the Brilliante Weblog Award.

Thanks Swathi !!

http://passionofswathi.blogspot.com/2008/08/my-blogs-new-look-and-my-first-ever.html

I am delighted,excited,escastic for getting this award.I am so honored.Special thanks to my Hubs Toto and also Apple for encouraging and motivating me to enter the world of blogging.

My mom and my loving cousins Hanky,Shanky,Siri,Deepu who have been there always,constantly urging me to write more and more interesting topics. Luv ya all !!

Special thanks to my fella bloggers,who have taken their valuable time to drop in comments as always.

Brilliant Weblog is a prize given to sites and blogs that are smart and brilliant both in their content and their design. The purpose of the prize is to promote as many blogs as possible in the blogsphere. Here are the rules to follow:
When you recieve the prize you must write a post showing it, together with the name of who has given it to you, and link them back.
Choose a minimum of 7 blogs (or even more) that you find brilliant in their content or design. Show their names and links and leave them a comment informing they were prized with ‘Brilliant Weblog’.
Show a picture of those who awarded you and those you give the prize (optional).

TITBITS ..Seattle trip

Apart frm regular orkutting,browsing, and surfing the internet,watching funny youtube videos the only other thing I am doing is watching movies and Olympics.

Hated the flight frm Boston to Seattle.Had to spend a whole day in the flight. I slept through the entire flight except for the change in SFO.Seattle trip has been wonderful so far.I been exploring some places. Bus travel is good and comfortable. Visited Snoquamie Water Falls,Space Needle,Pike Market,..Played games in the Arcade near the Space needle.Went on the ferris wheel.No big things except meeting old friends,having lunchs,dinners.Tried Cuban food.Lot of time so watched movies like Ugly aur Pagli( Hindi),Parugu ( Telugu movie),Nims Island,Fools gold.

Not a big sportsfan. Olympics were good.Some amazing sportsmen and women.India won its first individual gold in Olmypics.we can also chek him on http://abhinavbindra.blogspot.com/. Congratulations to him and making India proud too.Michael Phelps is Phenomenal. goofy gait, big ears, crooked grin, loves mom, a regular kid who has arrived at an extraordinary time. 8 gold medals.Nadal won his Olympics gold. Cheers to him !!

Well,I am waiting to go home.Missing my TOTO.He has enjoyed clicking pics at the August Moon Festival in Chinatown,Boston and the Independence Day too.

I hate to be like :-( ,I want to be like :-))))

There has been a gap in my blogging.

I never know the reason why..After lot of contemplating..thinking..thoughts rising..mind diverting..I finally realised its all part and parcel of life which I have to start accepting.

I wouldnt want to be like this ever..I hate it when I am low,feeling low,making others around me feel it :-((

Lot of things have happened from June28th after our rafting trip. July4th we headed to Capecod for a twoday trip.We went on the boat to Marthas.The Steamship Authority is the only service that transports cars, and during the summer, reservations are an absolute must.

http://www.islandferry.com/ssa/

We Roamed around on the island.There were small moped/scooters in Marthas. We went to Edgartown in the local bus. Saw the lighthouse.Independence Day Parade. We were back to cape by sunset.Toto shot some beautiful pics with his Sony SLR camera.We booked a hotel at Buzzards Bay.Orbitz sucks big time.When we checked online,we thought it was decent hotel,but once we checked in,we were given another hotel, and told it too belonged to them.The room smelt of smoke. We had no other way but to stay.:-(. Evening we walked around Hyannis.I would recommend Hyannis for anyone who wants to visit Capecod. After a sulking night by Toto for the hotel room ,the next day we drove to Plymouth.We made reservations for parasailing.Our Parasailing was cancelled due to bad weather.We rented bicycles and rode to the Woods Hole.It was raining. We went to Hyannis and bought Capecod tees.Used Books in a book store. Some Music DVDs. Some Capecod Souvenirs.

Sorry for the late post my fellow bloggers..wil make it a point to not be lazyyy !!

World through Nikon D80

Adventures on the Penebscot river

As promised earlier, here is a quick note on our rafting trip.

It took me a lot of time to recover from my raftass and bodypains, so couldnt post earlier.

Friday evening 7.00 p.m, June 27th , after work all of us boarded the van and we headed off towards Millinocket, Maine. The drive itself was fun. We had music , played some silly games on the way. We stopped for pizza at dinnertime. Midway we saw a guy who was driving crazy, changing lanes and swerving all over the road. We were wondering whats wrong with him and finally figured that he was High. We thought he would crash onto someone, luckily after a few miles, we saw that a cop had stopped him. Next stop what Tim Hortons. It was midnight by then. We were almost close to Millinocket. Toto was driving and I was the navigator. We were driving through fog on a very lonely road, listening to the conversations behind. Everyone were discussing abt rafting experiences and all of a sudden Toto slammed the brakes! There is a Moose right in front of us charging towards the vehicle. Its eyes were gleaming in the lights. Toto somehow managed to avert a head-on collision. There was a thudding sound when the moose grazed the side of our van but luckily nothing happened. We reached the hotel and all of us slept soon as we had to wake up next morning and be at the rafting area by 7.30 a.m.

Morning we all had breakfast at Dunkin Donuts and headed to the Hidden Campgrounds. We all changed into wet suits. After a lecture by our guide Kim on safety tips, they took us to the McKay Station where we would start our rafting. We hit the white water with some good directions from Kim. A raft ahead of us already turned topsy turvy and the two people in there were in the water. We hit the first rapids..All ahead !! and we crossed it. We were lucky i guess.I am not sure if i can remember the name of the rapids we hit but somehow I found them from their website.Here u go on the list.

Level of Difficulty: Class V / Advanced
"Here the river is its most turbulent, dropping over 70 feet per mile through a narrow, granite walled canyon into the Exterminator and Staircase rapids, both advanced Class V. The excitement continues as you travel another 14 miles through a series of steep drops and calmer stretches under the shadow of Mount Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak (5,267′). Next you'll raft the Cribworks, a Class V boulder-choked, serpentine rapid. Downriver, you'll continue through chutes and dramatic drops which are intermingled with peaceful stretches of calm water. You'll also cascade wildly over a riverwide waterfall.''

This is what I could gather abt the rapids on the Penebscot river. We had a hearty lunch, grilled food, sandwiches at noon and again did some more rafting. There were some waterfalls where we could slide down.( at our own risk). Later we covered some more rapids. The wind was bad and there was a slight drizzle and we just had to paddle hard. We reached the end point by 5 p.m. By the time we reached the base camp, took some showers and changed it was 7 p.m.

On our way back home, we were stopped at a Immigration roadblock (since Maine is close to Canadian border they do these checks I guess). The officer asked about the status of the driver who was a GC holder and warned us that everyone needed to carry their GC's / passports(for non-GC's) or pay a fine of $150 !! Luckily we were let go with just a warning.

A hot soup was what we needed after a day long rafting trip. So the next stop was Panera bread. Had some soup and bread. I was asleep in the return trip so I didn't have much idea what was going on, apart frm reaching home midnight. zzzzzzzz........

For pictures,you could chek us on the link ( No clear images) but would really give any adventure thirsty people a real feel.
http://proriverrunners.smugmug.com/gallery/5295922_Dd8bU#322973048_4Aj29

Off to Maine

We are going on a 6 hr drive to Maine Friday evening.

To do what??
We are rafting Penobscot river in Maine. One of our friends S has put in lot of effort for this trip and finally 8 of us have decided to go ahead and do it.

We wil reach Maine friday night.Do some gupshup. Saturday morning we head for rafting.
I am quite excited but on the other hand have lot of jitters inside me,becoz of my real bad experiences with water.The first time I remember when I was in Sea Cadets Corps,Vizag.I was in my 9th grade.One of the seniors insisted on taking us for a sailing trip.I didnt know swimming at that time. 4 of us set in the sailing boat .The start was good but in a few minutes there was a heavy wind and the boat overturned all 4 of us.The bad part was I wasnt wearing a life jacket.I was in neck deep,swallowed few gulps. Lost my shoes.Panicked!! Fear of losing my life !!Luckily I tried swimming to the shore.Here comes the worst part.There were some rocks on the seabed.Not plain.Sharp.Pointed.Rocky,Jagged,I think they were sea shells.They pierced into my feet.My toes,feet were completely hurt.I didnt know how I managed to go home.Without shoes!! Once home I was in bedrest for a week.

Hopefully this time I enjoy my rafting experience.Here is my list I and Toto packed for rafting.
Speedo Waverunner shoes
Polyester Pants/Tights

Sunscreen

Extra pair of Shorts/pants

Waterproof cameras

Travel Kit,GPS.

Let me know incase I missed something fellow bloggers.

Kill your Screensavers

Source :

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/forecastearth/49/you-don-t-still-use-a-screen-saver-do-you.html

I'm happy that at this stage in my career I often find myself writing articles about energy-efficient ways to use computers, peripherals, gadgets, and consumer electronics. It makes me feel so, you know, virtuous.
Whenever I crank out a list of helpful hints, one of the first items I include is this obvious but often overlooked gem of advice: Kill your stupid screen saver. In the good old days of tube monitors, screen savers such as those unforgettable flying toasters were invented to prevent burn-in, a permanent shadow branded into the phosphors of your monitor by a static image of, say, a spreadsheet that you left on your screen all weekend.
Well, flat-screen LCD monitors don't burn in, so if you still have flying toasters or an endlessly looping slide show of your adorable niece and nephew, you're behind the times. When you're not sitting in front of your monitor it should be off off off.
It warmed my heart to read at Green Daily that Telstra, the biggest phone company in Australia, has removed all the corporate screen savers from the 36,000 computers in its offices. What will happen? The change will cut tons of CO2, which they claim will be the equivalent of taking 140 cars off the road for a year. Good on ya, mate. Follow Telstra's example. Let your flying toasters crash and burn.

The Expansionist Meme

Reema tagged me on this.

Please thoughtfully consider the following, and choose one item for each of the categories below. (Be sure to describe your reasons for choosing)

One religious work from a non-familiar tradition you’ll read:
Quran. I am curious to know why everything abt it is so controversial.


One music video–that you like–from your “least likely to listen to’ genre:
Songs from Morning Raaga.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvmyPqXsAk4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0NIWMFE0EQ&feature=related
I am not a big fan of classical music,but I liked these songs.

A book from a genre you almost never read, that you have read, or you will read (promise!):
Computer related books!! I dont even know the names.So it wil take some time to promise :-)

Somewhere you’d never thought to go on holiday/vacation, and why it might be fun to go there?South America- Due to my addiction to Watch travel channel especially Samantha Brown and Anthony Bourdain-No Reservations)

A specific food you’ve never tried, but will because of this meme, honest!:
I have never tried Lobster,but will try.

A sport or game you really hate, or haven’t tried yet, but are willing to give one more go:
I haven't tried mud football,But I would love to try just for the fun:-)

A style of dance you probably won’t try (we won’t make you promise on this one):
Bharatnatyam,Kuchipudi,Kathakali-I cant be so expressive with eyes.

A career job you don’t feel you’re suited for, and why:
Programmer-I am not so good at logical thinking

An item that’s “thinking out of the box’ for this meme that hadn’t been included:
What is it that you will dare to wear which you have never worn before?
(This question has been suggested by Nita to the people she tagged)
Wear a bikini like a Victoria Secret Model :-)

It’s there’s one thing in life you wanted to do, and will do because of this meme, what will it be?"Will do"? Is it a promise?
Visit South America.Yep.

Will tag Swathi, Naren, Vaibhav, Pinky and Shivani.

I am, What I am

I am: Very friendly,outgoing person.

I think: Outside the Bun.

I know: Toto more than anyone.

I want: to be a great human being.

I have: a good heart.

I wish: I get a job.

I hate: hypocrisy, control freaks.

I miss: my mom,saathvi,my family,cousins/friends in India.

I fear:losing Toto.

I feel: energetic

I hear: Music.

I smell: like Johnsons Baby Powder ( Toto says so)

I crave: spicy Indian food,my moms cooking

I search: google

I wonder:How I would be as a person after 30 yrs.

I regret: not being able to study more.

I love: toto and my family

I ache: for my mom.

I care: for ppl who care abt me.

I am not:what people think I really am.

I believe: in destiny.

I dance: like a maniac.

I sing:classical music,anything which has a catchy tune

I cry:during depression/feeling insecure

I don’t always: trust people.

I fight: when ppl disrespect my marriage/Toto.

I write: simple,short and sweet.

I win: if i put some effort and hardwork.

I lose: when I am disinterested.

I never: lie,bluff,cheat.

I always: love babies.

I confuse: 20 and 60 ,in telugu (is it aravai or iravai)

I listen: to my heart.

I can usually be found:in front of my laptop.

I am scared: of stress,tensions.

I need: a puppy.

I am happy about:Myself and Toto

Anybody Interested can take up this tag.

Go Green

Whenever we had a party at home, Toto and me had this bad habit of using too much of disposable paper plates and throwing them in the trash .Save the Planet .

But how many of us do try to implement them in regular life??One of my dear friend, S gave us the idea of recycling and told us how our future generation can benefit from it. For all my readers, I thought this would be a really gud thought to share.

5 steps to start going green

1. Bag It
Today: When you go out shopping, bring your own reusable bags. This preserves resources by cutting down on the huge number of paper and plastic bags that are discarded after a single trip.
Tomorrow: Combine your routine shopping trips with other errands, which will save you time and fuel.

2. Save on Electricity
There are many ways to trim those electric bills. Wash your laundry in cold water instead of hot, line dry your linens, and use a toaster oven for small heating needs instead of a bigger electric stove. Open windows to let the light in, turn off unneeded lights and appliances, and unplug unused electronics to counter the 'energy vampire' effect.

3. Save on Gas
Every gallon of gasoline you burn produces 19 pounds of carbon dioxide, so it pays to conserve (in more ways than one). Your car will work more efficiently if you obey the speed limit and avoid rapid, unnecessary acceleration. Keep your tires properly inflated and get regular tune-ups. Forget warming up under most conditions.

4. Shop a Farmer
Today: Shop at your local farmers' market. This will help support farmers in your area, so they won't be forced to sell off their land for development, and it will decrease your food miles, meaning less fuel will be used to provide your daily meals. Your food will be delicious and better for you.
Tomorrow: Eat as much local and seasonal food as you reasonably can. Your meals will be fresher, and will require much less fuel to transport, store and refrigerate.

5. Water Smarts
Today: Drink water from the tap, instead of buying single-use bottled water, which requires much more energy to produce, store and transport. Barely 20% of those plastic bottles end up getting recycled, and most are made out of petroleum. Use filters if you are concerned about your local water supply.
Tomorrow: Buy a reusable bottle to take with you on the go, so you can always refill it from a tap and avoid buying bottled water. Stainless steel is a good choice, because you don't have to worry about the potentially toxic chemicals that can leach out of many plastics over time.

This is just the beginning !!

Totos Birthday Weekend

I was pretty much caught up last week cleaning the house,vacuuming.

Saturday morning was bright and sunny.It was perfect.Temperatures hit a 90 . As soon as Toto hit the gym,I blew the balloons for the evening.I already got him a Cars balloon and he was kind of excited :-) .Toto is basically a very shy person.

We lazed around afternoon and started cooking after lunch. Made the veggie cutlets and plantain bajjis for 10-12 ppl.Got the cake around 5 p.m.Made the salad /raita and the veg pulao,chole and gobi fry.Menu included ButterBeans curry from our friend Apple, Falafel frm B,dhokla frm Mrs.P ,and spring rolls frm S,chutneys,a bottle of champagne. Cocktails too. A food mela!!. We Played Newly wed game. It was fun.Chek out toto's car cake :-).He was thrilled of having a car cake ( which usually kids do get for their bdays).Party went on till 1 a.m with the little ones watching Tarzan and some dozing off. It was a cool party on the whole.

Sunday Morning,I couldnt open my eyes till 10 a.m. Toto was supposed to go for cricket with the guyz,but it was too late.We decided to go to the beach,possibly Gloucester,but we decided on taking a shorter trip.We headed off to Quincy to check on the Haymarket too.It wasnt open yet.Temperature was high. It was so hot. We walked along the Quincy Market place. Had refreshing lemonade.

There was a sale at the Yankee candle Store.We purchased few scented candles and Beach Signs Double Hanging Wax Potpourri Warmer and the beach gal in the tub for Mrs.Pappu. Pics attached.The Gud news is Mrs.Pappu is having a baby gal.I will be flying to Seattle on Aug 6th to visit them.

We walked towards the Backbay,watched the boats,cruises,the jellyfish .We tried doing some experimental photo shoot. Few kids played music.Street entertainers attracting the crowd despite the hot sun.A cop pulled over a taxi for passing a signal. Celtics fans put on their blazing green tees.There were Kids hanging out near the fountains.Laughing and playing.We were totally dehydrated and came home by 6 p.m.

We Watched Sarkar Raj online.A gud RGV comeback,better than his recent ones. Dont expect much if you thinking of watching at the theater. Mixture of twists and tales.

Totally a gud weekend.

Swathis tag

1) LAST MOVIE U SAW IN A THEATRE?
Iron Man

2) WHAT BOOK ARE U READING??
Executive power- Vince Flynn

3) FAVOURITE BOARD GAME?
Scrabble

4) FAVOURITE MAGAZINE?
Womens era ,Tinkle Comics

5) FAVOURITE SMELLS?
First smell of the mud when it rains, boot polish :-)

6)FAVOURITE SOUNDS?
Suncatchers with wind chimes,ofcourse babys laugh.

7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD?
Guilty Conscious,

8) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN U WAKE?
I want coffeeeeee

9) FAVOURITE FASTFOOD PLACE?
Hotbreads

10) FUTURE CHILDS NAME?
If its a gal,RiaIf its a boy Aryan.

11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT---'IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I'D'
travel,educate myself more,a Malibu home ,fast driving cars for Toto.

12) DO U DRIVE FAST?
Nope

13)DO U SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?
yes, with Toto

14)STORMS--COOL OR SCARY?
Scary

15)WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?
I never owned my own car.

16) FAVOURITE DRINK?
Long Island Iced Tea, Malibu Breeze.

17)FINISH THIS STATEMENT-IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD.
Only time !! I need a job and some money ppl.

18)DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI?
Nope.

19)IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOUR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE?
I have burgundy on my hair now.Any other color I wud try PINK (its my fav)

20)NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS U HAVE LIVED IN?
Chennai, Vizag, Greenville (Southcarolina), Boston

21) FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Basketball,Tennis,Cricket at times.

22)ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
She is sweet :-)

23)WHATS UNDER YOUR BED?
Carpeted floor.

24)WOULD U LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN??
Yes

25)MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL?
I am flexible.I can wake up early or sleep late.

26)OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP?
Sunny side

27) FAVOURITE PLACE TO RELAX?
Home on the couch if its indoors,Outdoors I would love Capecod.

28)FAVOURITE PIE?
Pineapple flavored pastry cake

29)FAVOURITE ICECREAM FLAVOUR?
Vanilla

30)OF ALL THE PEOPLE U HAVE TAGGED, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST.
I wouldnt want to waste their time,but if anyone wants to try,they sure can. Enjoy the tag and know urself more.

I have been tagged

Tagged by Swathi

The rules:
Pick up the nearest book.
Open to page 123.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post the next three sentences.
Tag five people, and acknowledge the person who tagged you

this is the nearest book I could find..."New Jersey travel Guide 2008"
Sea Isle City.
Sports and Recreation .
Star Fish Party Boat, 42nd Place and the Bay 609-263-3800. Nature and Sunset cruises, private charters.

Five People I tagged Apple, Pinky, Madhu ,Naren .
Thats it,no fifth person :-((

For all Veggie Lovers :-)

Check out these amazing veggie cutlets with mashed potatos.carrots and peas.Mix with All Purpose Flour (maida) and coat it with bread flour.

Its a treat for all veggie lovers. Anybody needs the recipe.Let me know.

Maine Pyar Kiya

Whenever Toto would ask me who is my fav hero,I would say Salman Khan and he would be gritting his teeth and say chee,that guy,blah,blah but when I checked the morning rediff news and saw he had his own blog. Was Quite Happy!!. The media was already hyping it up. Why make a big deal of it??

I couldnt stop myself from writing this post after reading his blog http://duskadum.blogspot.com/2008/06/day-8-10-ka-dum.html. Well, he is doing his TV Show Dus Ka Dum. I am not a big fan of him, but I remember he was the first hero on whom I had a crush on.That was when "Maine Pyar Kiya" was released.I was in my fifth grade,and I had fallen for this guy who was on screen with his cute looks and that soft silky hair.:-) ,he was strikingly handsome, though he is bald now.But I think he was with Somy Ali those days,later on followed by Sangeetha Bijilani, Aishwarya Rai and now Katrina Kaif .I remember all my cousins putting of posters of him in their rooms,I would envy them. He was always in trouble either with the ladies or the baddies.Inspite of that,he did give us hits like Saajan,Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Khamoshi,Hum Dil de Chuke Sanam, Phir Milenge.Notably!! He was voted 7th best-looking man in the World and the best looking man in India by People magazine in 2004.

I was looking for pics of him when he was younger and Toto says" U r cheating on ur Husband".LOL .Blog on Sallu!!Keep going!!

Kramer and Coffee

Being a typical desi,I have developed this habit of having an early morning coffee.I can't imagine a single day without coffee. Its like a ritual.Even if I were in a deepest slumber, I can mix my bru coffee and put it in the microwave for 2 mins with large teaspoons of sugar.

I have never had the habit of drinking coffee when I was a kid, but I do remember the refreshing smell of coffee in my grannys place during the summer holidays in chennai or the famous South indian Filter Coffee or Kaapi at the Saravana Bhavan in Ranganathan Street. My mom was against me having coffee, saying it had caffeine and I might get Addicted. Indeed I am!!!.I used to like the wonderful Nescafe ad.

Once in America, I was introduced to the different tastes and flavors of Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks but my first love is still Bru!

Here are some fun facts regd Coffee.
Coffee was first known in Europe as Arabian wine.
It takes 42 coffee beans to make an espresso.
The aromas of coffee develop at the 10th minute of roasting.
A coffee tree has a lifespan of about 50 years.
Coffee grows in more than 50 countries and is the second largest export in the world after oil (in dollar value).
Revolutions were planned in coffee houses, namely the French and American Revolutions.
Some of the world's most powerful business, including Lloyds of London and the New York Stock Exchange, started life as coffee houses.
Turkish bridegrooms were once required to make a promise during their wedding ceremonies to always provide their new wives with coffee. If they failed to do so, it was grounds for divorce! (Ouch!)The Italians drink their espresso with sugar, the Germans and Swiss - with equal parts of hot chocolate, the Mexicans - with cinnamon, the Belgians - with chocolate. Moroccans drink their coffee with peppercorns, the Ethiopians - with a pinch of salt. Coffee drinkers in the Middle East usually add cardamom and spices. Whipped cream is the favourite amongst Austrians. The Egyptians are extremely fond of pure and strong coffee. They seldom add sugar to it, nor milk nor cream. They serve unsweeteened coffee to mourners and sweetened coffee at weddings. The Italians are the unrivaled World Masters of Espresso.

Last but not the least, to have coffee you need a coffee table, check out Kramer's episode on coffee table book on coffee tables.

Enjoy ur coffee and Have a great Weekend !!

My Memorial Day Weekend

Our weekend started Friday afternoon itself. DH Toto came home around 12.00 P.M Sharp and we set off by 1.00 p.m on the ride. As usual traffic was at the peak.BTW,I forgot to mention the fact that Toto was riding with 3 women in the car. Me,The GPS(lady voice) and the Radar Detector(lady' voice).Our GPS was updating the traffic msgs and we were constantly getting updates..One side the detector was beeping continously.It was havoc in the car..Totally Noisy.

By the way we were planning to go to Owing Mills,Baltimore,Maryland to catch up with C and S,our friends from Greenville who recently moved to Baltimore.C and S have a 4 month old baby,Aarnav( Thats a cute name,It meant the Ocean).Luckily we reached Owing Mills by 9.00 P.M and gave them a surprise.Baby A was awake.We had dinner and played poker with them.

Next day morning,we woke up fresh.Had Semiya-Upma for breakfast.We drove towards Washington DC.Our first stop was at the Jefferson Memorial.We walked by the East Potomac Park and took some shots at the Memorial.From here we could see a birdsview of the National World WarII Memorial.Then we drove past Lincoln Memorial and headed towards Virginia to have a lunch.Lunch was great,Excellent South Indian Cuisine at Minerva.Then we drove back to DC .Went to Capitol Hill and White House. Missed Arlington Cemetery.Clicked Pics.We went to the childrens garden beside Capitol Holl and took pics of baby A with the flowers.Baby A likes flowers becoz they are colorful. After visiting, we went to C's friends place in Ashburn,VA.We watched the game at his place and spent some time with them.They had a lovely apt.It was so clean/neat. Perfect!!I wish my apartment was as orderly as theirs.We returned latenight at 12.

Sunday Morning,everybody was awake and dressed by 12.00 P.M. I know its late,but we had a hearty breakfast.S made Poori with the awesome chicken curry.Baby A wore his new dress which his new aunty and uncle got him from Boston.We planned to go to the beach.So we checked on Ocean City,MD or Atlantic City.We saw that Atlantic city was near,but later we realised the consequences.Traffic jam.It showed us 2 and half hrs,but we reached late.Toto and me liked Atlantic City,NJ " Always Turned On". We parked at Tropicana and walked across the boardwalk.Toto and C went to play the cardgames.After a while they returned,losing some money as always.Me and S tried our hand playing slots.Came back home,Tired.

Monday Morning,all our energy levels have gone down by then.We planned to relax at home.S and me cooked spicy sea food and the guyz played BlackJack for a while.We had lunch and then we got baby A ready.We took a train to downtown Baltimore.It was similar like Boston BackBay but they had some nice malls near the Harborplace.We strolled down along the harbor.Since it was memorial day weekend,the place was crowded.We returned home early and watched the Celtics vs Pistons game.Pistons won.

Tuesday morning we started driving back home.We stopped at NJ for lunch.On the whole,we had a gud weekend, apart from driving and getting caught in heavy rain and traffic.Once we were home,We just dumped our luggage and watched sci-fi "The Andromeda Strain". Toto had to go to work wednesday morning finally.

Got loads of laundry to do. Waiting for this weekend to go to Chak De Boston.

The Games we Play

I was reading the news today and found an article " the most popular game of all time"

Surprisingly it was Solitaire.The article stated that Solitaire is the most popular, addictive, and time-consuming video game ever created by man. And it hasn't really made any money. In fact, studies show workers playing Solitaire on the clock actually waste money by being unproductive.

Is it true??Kind of makes all this console war stuff seem kind of silly, doesn't it?First instinct,I felt like opening Solitaire on my laptop.:-)

I am not much of a sports/games person.As a kid,we didnt have a sports session at school and at home I would play tennis with my younger brother,which included fighting in the middle as to who would serve the ball etc.That too we were supposed to play it only during a holiday/holidays ,due to my fathers strict policy.Then when i was with Toto,we would spend lot of time online and play Pool /Word Game on Yahoo games:-).After coming to umrikaa,we would go bowling occassionally,mini-golf or airhockey with friends. Apple-bee too introduced us to couple of indoor games like taboo,pictionary,foos-ball. But After we purchased the Nintendo Wii, we did tennis for a while,bowling in the "Wii Sports" package. Wii Play included Billiards ,pingpong ,fishing ,shooting ,airhockey. In Winter,Toto went ahead and purchased "Need for Speed" .Obviously its the car racing game.He got bored for a while and his new game is Poker.Since its summer,I guess we could go outdoors play cricket or ball.

BTW,Dont start playing Solitaire now :-).It will cost your jobs.

...and they lived happily ever after.

Summer of 2002.

There was a boy who we wil mention as Toto. He was working in a Software Firm in Vizag. He had just finished his Bachelors and was away from his hometown Rjy. Now the girl was from vizag, a happy go lucky, bubbly, fun-loving gal, lets name her as Dolly. She wasn't from the posh side of the society, but she had her own world. She had been thru lot of hardships and she was trying to get a job, just out of college. She luckily got thru the interview in the same company as Toto and she joined the firm.

May,2002-They worked in the same office, but in different departments. The gal being brought up in vizag had a couple of friends like Pappu, Addy, SA and SC who worked along with Toto. It was a small group, gud friends who had learnt lot with time, shared their joys and sorrows. Now Toto mentions to Pappu, I like this girl Dolly. Dolly tells Pappu, if Toto has such intentions, I wudnt like to talk and Dolly discontinued talking to Toto. Then came Toto's B'Day in June 2002. Pappu convinced Dolly that she shud talk to Toto, since it was his B'day. Dolly gives in and start talking with him, thus began their friendship. By the way Dolly is elder than Toto.

April,2004-As time passed, their friendship blossomed. They would go for long drives, sit on the beach, eat the local food at the beach. They understood each other well though each had their own share of problems. They shared so much in common. Pappu moved on to a different company but they were all in touch always. In April,2004 Toto moved to US of A. It was a gud start. Dolly cried so much becoz Toto was leaving her as he was always the guide, mentor and would support Dolly emotionally and morally throught her struggles. Though physically apart, they emailed each other regularly, talked on phone daily. Dolly worked for the US office, so she had a VOIP phone at her desk on which she cud talk endlessly to Toto.

Dec,2004-Strange events took place in Dolly's life.Dec 26th,2004-Tsunami Struck.

Jan 2005- As luck would have it Dolly travelled to US on a B1 visa thru her job which was her first trip to the outside world, across the seas. She stayed in Detroit and while Toto was in SC. February came and Dolly & Toto planned to meet. Toto booked her tickets and she met him for the first time after almost an yr at Greenville, Spartanburg International Airport,SC. They were so happy and Feb 12th 2005, Toto proposed and Dolly agreed to marry him. They had champagne, a teddy bear, red roses. It was the most beautiful part of her life. So romantic,Isnt it??

Feb13th,2005-Dolly was back in Detroit, The war of the worlds had just begun. Totos parents came to know about this and there was a big flow of emotions all over. Phones started ringing..Emotional blackmails. Toto decided to stay low for a while with everything going wrong.He wanted to let them know in a proper way.

April 2005- Dolly was back in India, She was torn away from toto. They kept in touch regularly while Dolly moved onto a new company.

July29th,2006-The big thing happened! Toto had been trying to convince his parents about Dolly, but parents are parents. They wouldnt agree to his wish. Finally, Dolly and Toto got married in Annavaram temple with blessings from Dollys parents and relatives.

August 2006-They started living in SC. They have had their own share of problems like every couple, Ups and Downs..

July29th.2007-1st Marriage Anniversary in Boston,MA: They had moved to Boston and they realised that after passing through all the tough times in life, they could live together for the rest of the life. Even though many people have been against the marriage, and love and happiness, this is a clear msg for all of them.

Dolly has stopped worrying abt all of them and she is way over it.

P.S: She loves Toto very much. He is the only thing in the world she would ever care about. Love u Toto. Always and Forever.

BTW Mr and Mrs.Pappu are having a baby and we guys are still in touch.We have been gud friends. We wil be visiting them in Seattle soon. SA has got married and he lives in Hawaii. He lives with his wife and son. Addy got married very recently and he is currently in AZ.

Iron e-Man

DH Toto is a gadget crazy person. Back at home in India he would modify his bike into the latest crazy fashion and the same continues in The US of A too. So the saga continues with new mods to his BMW and he totally loves it.

From past one week, he wanted to watch Iron Man so we finally decided to watch it after dinner on a weekday. We arrived at the theatre a few mins before the show and to our surprise, the whole theatre was empty! However, ppl started flowing in just before the screening started, failing our hopes to enjoy a king style viewing.

"Iron-Man"As usual the movie is abt the hero becoming a superhero and how he avenges his captivitors and destroys the bad people. But the interesting part is how he realises that Weapons technology can be a bad impact on the world and how it destroys innocent people. So the Big Question is " Is technology good or bad?"I have been reading several examples on it, like the invention of fire or the use of a knife. We arent controlled by computers or robots yet, so thats fine as long as we use it in a good way. Humans have been waging wars, inventing atomic bombs, missiles and nuclear warfare and not the least biological warfare too but how much in this is for Good? (I am not a scientist but movies taught me some of these terminology). I had the opportunity to watch even "Charlie Wilsons War" over the weekend which was an interesting movie to watch with good casting. Eventually the movie shows that while military victory can be had but there are other consequences and prices to that fight that are ignored to everyone's sorrow. There was a closing statement at the end of the movie which really caught my eye. "These things happened. They were glorious and they changed the world... and then we f***** up the endgame."...

The bottomline is that technology is neither good or bad..its the ppl who use it or control it to be blamed. I guess this post is ironic because I'm using a computer, but that's my opinion. Let me know yours.

Travels 2008

After a day at the Arnold Arboretum yesterday, me and DH Sunny were discussing abt the places we've visited so far this year. Wanted to jot these down in here.

Feb 18,2008-I was back from my India trip and I had flu for several weeks. During my trip to India I did some traveling to Surat, Anand other than Hyd, Vizag and Chennai.

March 16,2008-For my Bday cousins Hanky Shanky flew in frm Vegas to Boston.We went to Snowtubing in Nashoba Valley (where we made a snowman ;-) and then a 3 day trip to the big Apple NYC. My feet turned to rubber by the end of the trip but we really had a gud time even though it was winter. I think we would never forget our trip to Statue of Liberty in the cold weather.

March 29.2008-We went for a drive to White Mountains, NH as well as Loon Mountain.

April 29,2008- Spring was setting in. Blithewold Mansion for the Daffodils and Cliffwalk at RhodeIsland.

May10th,2008- Visited Arnold Arboretum, Franklin, MA. It was Mothers Day and the weather was awesome. Some locals performed belly dancing and a mexican dance show at this park. Lilacs were in full blossom at the park, so posed for some really great pics.

Summer is in. Me and Toto wil be exploring more places soon. I am excited. :-)

U Rock Mom!!

Its Mothers Day, so i decided to write a posting dedicated to my lovely mom.

I was brought up in vizag and being the eldest and only daughter, I always shared a special attachment with my mom. She was born in a family of 5 brothers as a only daughter. I think she was pretty much pampered by my grandfather. Though she was born in Burma or Rangoon as she calls, she grew up in Chennai. Married at an age of 18 yrs, she took on a new responsibility of being the eldest daughter-in-law too. I remember my childhood days when my mom used to get me a lunch box in my kindergarten. She would teach us in the evenings and spank us when we would fight too. During our schooling period, she would learn type writing or go to the Montessori School and do the pre-teacher course. Finally she landed up teaching in the local school too. She has become one of my bestfriends through my adolescent stage and I was able to accept things with her support. She was a very strong woman who was able to withstand thru all the struggles in life and raised her kids into wonderful human beings. Last but not the least, she is a great cook.

We are proud of u Ma and we luv u and Miss u.

I would love to dedicate this post to all the special moms in the world, to-be moms too :-). A special Bday wish to Baby NS, have a Rockin Bday Gal. Ur mommy is really proud of u.

Biryaniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii :-))

My Favorite food has always been biryani since my childhood.I have never learnt to cook until I got married.Once I got married and came to Umrikkaa,cooking became one of my favorite hobbies.My Husband Toto is a wonderful cook and after a couple of burnt food,cuts and bruises I learnt to cook pretty good.Maybe thats what happens if we marry a guy who knows how to cook,the advantage being we will have a critic at home.Today I made my own recipe of Chicken Dum Biryani and Chicken Curry .Here are a few pics of mouthwatering biryani I made.

Its been Ages..

I have been pretty lazy lately and havent found a gud reason to write anything :-)
Kind of human nature I guess.I have been busy reading blogs of others though like AppleBee,NC and Boo Boos Mamma and wonder where do they get such wonderful topics to write about.Everyday i sit in front of the laptop and I am like,Ohh do u think this is a gud topic to write or Is this really something important which I could put it?

Over the weekend we had Apples Bday which ofcourse was hosted by our perfect hosts Mr and Mrs.C and a group of friends.My dearest husband S and me made our onion pakodas.We had the whole afternoon to ourself,which S spent waiting for his bimmer lights.He was so enthusiastic like a kid the whole time,he would walk the stairs up and down to see if the mailman had dropped the box in the leasing center.:-) I felt he was kind of crazy.Maybe he thought the same abt me too.I was watching U,Me Aur Hum with lots of emotionsand wiping up some of the tears with the throw.He cud sense it prolly,so he wud nudge me in the middle seeing if i was alright :-).Will write more abt his antics in my later blogs.

Well,we had a great evening,with late night pubbing and we returned home late around 3.Sunday started as usual,with us waking up late and a bad hangover.Dearest husband S was already there fixing his carlights downstairs.When I asked him if he could help me cook,he was like I need to fix them.It was a cold day,inspite of which he spent 3 hrs in the parking lot fixing them.In mid he wud call me up and ask me to drop his tools.After lunch,we spent the rest of the afternoon lazing around,discussing about what happened to the neighbouring apts which caught fire last week,we need to get a Fireproof Safe.Evening,We went to the "HotBreads" Place nearby.I had my Panipuri and S had his chicken panini.Later we came home and watched another boring movie.Both of us had terrible headache and we tried to sleep early.I kept myself awake for a while and wished Apple a Happy Bday.She and P were awake for my Bday sang the Happy Bday Song at midnight on phone.I have to recriprocate it..Right??:-)

Lately I am spending more time on reading some articles from Indusladies.com.
There were some excellent stories which I liked particularly.

Its Party time :-)

I haven't had time lately to write much but I am so excited this weekend for 2 reasons.

Firstly,I get to be the Bday gal and second one two of my cousins are coming down frm Sincity.What makes them both special is they are one of my favs and Sunny hopefully is gonna have some terrible time :-))) managing us.