Adieu 2010...

We are almost ready to bid farewell to this year, thoughts of yesterdays and dreams for tomorrows dwelling inside, tides of emotions flipping me back and forth and taking me for the tour of year throughout…..

Year starts with hope, smile, challenge and fear; so many phases passed through with mixed experience.

My elder one started his pre-school with Montessori, a school that has a unique culture of mingling among kids, teachers and parents as a family!

Adi's first field trip with his class..

Practically now we started real conversation with my elder son, surprisingly sometimes he stunned us with his impromptu response and logical points!

Mid of the year brought us enormous joy with the new addition of our family and we blessed with son. Time flies as the winter snow was spreading over the backyard and holidays were passing by!

We hop through all the seasons of year along with different phases of life…..

This year also brings few of my old friends closer,we reconnected again and at the same time made some wonderful friends,they helped us to optimistically look forward for some future endeavors. 

Technologically, we entered in the world of ‘Touch’ , that  improves computing utility and the effect is overwhelmingly phenomenal .

Here we are again ready to embrace the new year ahead with a mission, a career to enlighten, hope to achieve our dreams, bring smiles to family, fun with friends and enjoy the simple bliss of life !!

HAPPY 2011 everyone!!

Saluting the revolutionary spirits...

Some souls are born to be innovative and famous, no matter what works as catalyst for them, they show the world a new direction, an openness of knowledge and simple use of human skills which reaches out to everyone for their day to day life. They are the true Entrepreneurs; they lead the mass towards new revolutions of thoughts.

Yes this time I am saluting none other than the youngest Billionaire, 26 years old, Harvard dropout ‘Mark Zuckerberg’, who co-founded the social networking site Facebook with classmates Dustin Moskovitz, Eduardo Saverin, and Chris Hughes, in the year 2004.

He just followed an inner exquisite urge, a means to connect people for sharing the photo identity, called the Photo Address book, later his friends started calling this Facebook!

His simple idea to reach people, share information and knowledge-base creates a history of this decade. The impact of this site is so powerful even most of the grand parents are having a facebook account now a days and they are very happily enjoying their networking, starting from their grand children to their childhood friends. This site works as the connector for generation-to generation.

I am also thankful to this site as I got connected back to so many of my old school friends and with all the people who are willing to socialize and get associated through this so beautifully irrespective of their geographical distance.

Sometime these kind of ideas can change lives and on the same time creating milestone/inspiration for others to do something revolutionary. It’s so encouraging that we wish to have a child, friend, sister or brother who can change the world in his way and show a approach for rest, to follow his footsteps…..

Heartiest Congratulations to the Zuckerberg’s family and all those parents out there who are supporting their children’s dreams, ideas, efforts to do something similar to this besides the general/usual guidance…

All I wish to encourage such efforts and help the young entrepreneurs in making……. !!!

Happy Holidays.......

Wow…it’s fall again!  the atmosphere turns so colorful even when the leaves tend to fall and heap of foliage can be seen around. The queuing of trees stage the most amazing sight in shades of red and yellow.

As many of us can relate this season from movies like DDLJ, KKKG.….. where we get an urge to experience and live those dreamy moments.The beauty of fall can thrill us most if we just inhale the surroundings.Why one gets sentimental so quickly…may be we are born to sense the beauty of Nature. Shades of nature swings our emotions spontaneously 

It’s really magical, strolling through the trail holding hands with your little one’s and your partner aside! Few moments of happiness while walking, could be worth spending time than anything. Enjoying the Sun playing hide and seek with clouds or enjoying the trails when sun approaching to the west! How beautiful as it sounds…..

During holidays sitting by the fireplace relaxing with kids around seems to be the preeminent time ever. Watching movies while popcorn in hand, is adding the ambience quite well.The smells of fresh baking cookies are the best delight.

Wondering when we had these priceless moments last time. Life gets so busy with other things that we forget to enjoy these simple bliss.
Happy Holidays everyone !!!

Diwali-The festival of Lights…!!

Where the nights are sparkling like diamonds with numerous light-studs illuminated, firecrackers buzzing the atmosphere with joy, everywhere brightness prevails and elated faces are greeting each other-----It’s ‘Diwali’ celebration, celebrated over the length and breadth back in India.

We worship the divine Goddess Lakshmi to achieve the blessings of wealth and prosperity, the victory of good over evil and light over darkness. We never miss the opportunity to wish friends and family the Health, Wealth and Prosperity in this occasion and spreading the essence of joy and Happiness. 

I am missing all the fun and joy we used to have when celebrating Diwali with fire crackers, going to see the decorations around the city and those mouth watering sweets. I miss to witness the winter smell coming in the late nights paw and in the beautiful dawn’s mist at Kali Pujo on Diwali night. As the little chilled breeze slowly knocked the door and the nature is getting ready to welcome winter….

Here from the miles away I am getting ready to light up my house with diyas to celebrate the festival of lights all over.

May this festival ignite all peace, joy and Happiness in eternity and beyond.

Have a Wonderful & Jubilant Diwali everybody!!

Halloween time...

Halloween is round the corner….Neighborhoods are getting dressed like an traditional Horror Movie set, Ghosts, Jack O lanterns, Witches, Spiders, black/white cats, Pumpkin faces are artistically adorned and easily be seen everywhere!!

Few Years back, when we started celebrating Halloween, it was not more than an opportunity to have a Costume party, prank, sharing scary ghost stories and giving candy to the young kids who come for Trick or treating…

                                             with family

                                             and friends....

Till this year, when my little one asked me, mom-- why we celebrate ghosts…I started digging, why we celebrate this ghost party so zestfully…

History says, Its Celtic festival of Samhain (end of summer), in Old Irish, celebrates the end of the "lighter half" of the year and beginning of the "darker half", or regarded as the "Celtic New Year”. Where they (Celts) dressed in scary costumes and masks, so that ghosts wouldn’t be able to recognize them as they left home to look for food. They also make offerings to the gods and the ancestors. They believe the entire evil and bad thing should go away and happiness should prevail everywhere. It was actually first celebrated in northern France, Ireland and the UK by the Celts. In the 1930s, trick-or-treating was becoming popular in the United States.

Now I can more relate to the festival and excited to celebrate with fun and spirits. It’s been a great way since it helped eliminating the fear in kids for ghosts or any unseen black shadows/spirits. They are rather more excited to dress up in scary or funny costumes and eagerly looking forward to go for Trick or Treating in the neighborhood. 

All I wish in this Halloween is to have peace in lives, world and The Recession (evil) should go away, more business should come and Economy should get better so that we all can have our job secured and families to be happy ever. We all should get more reasons like Halloween, to celebrate with family and friends with joy and happiness throughout the year. Happy Halloween!!!

My Cuppa black coffee!!

Amazingly energetic brewed drink always makes me get going for the day or revive me from the exhausted spinning circle of the day. Now when most of my nights are occupied with little kiddos care, in the morning one black coffee gives me the super duper instant boost!
Whenever I enter my office and pass through my aisle, the browning color and the intense smell of Coffee makes me feel good and brings smile on my face. I always mumble to myself ….man I am so much in love with you and your smell.

These remind me, my first encounter with Coffee. Of course that was Nescafe…
One fine morning I woke up seeing my dad and mom enjoying their coffee and asked us (me and my brother) whether we like to taste once….with lots of creamy milk and sugar.Surprisingly, we thought we are now grown up enough to have caffeine, other than milk and protein shake! Wow that was a great treat for us…
Eventually I inclined to the taste of coffee and fell in love with it and its smell.Especially in my Hostel days I used to have a coffee maker to enjoy my kind of filter coffee. Still remembering my apartment’s balcony in Bangalore where I had spent few coolest moments enjoying my coffee while it was raining outside. The pleasant breeze makes my cup of coffee more enjoyable than anything.
The late night FM (non-stop) songs kind of creating perfect ambiance for relaxing.

In India, where Tea is more popular and common drink than coffee, I found both Tea and coffee are perfect drink to make your sense up and running but it should be made with passion and should be enjoyed every sip of it while relaxing.
Now a days my favorite coffee is Latte with whip cream from Starbucks, still the smell of coffee is what I really cherish and look forward to have it at times…..
I would love to have a break for coffee/tea with a bit of free moments and want to enjoy every sip while it lasts!

From the twilight of memories…………

While the whole atmosphere buzzing with Mahalaya’s slok, all new albums for “Pujo Sankhas” are out and easily be heard here and there…Durga Pujo is round the corner !!

We never missed to tune into All India Radio, for the broadcasts of poet Birendra Krishna Bhadra’s recitation Mahishashura Mardini. Let me wish you all.. 'Shuvo Mahalaya'

As we grown up in Northern part of India, every year we used to go Kolkata to celebrate Durga Puja.  Kolkata is THE place to be in during puja.I can still recollect those incidents of Puja days;

Among those stories, there is one with Chaltar Achar, That day we all cousins were passing through one isolated place, suddenly the elder most amongst us said, hey guys please hide your precious stuff if you have any because this area is not safe! And my little bro, immediately hide his portion of Chaltar achar into his pocket as that was the most precious thing he was carrying at that moment…..hahaha!

Pujor food includes, aloor dum, dhokar dalna, kasha mangsho,luchi, Mishti doi.Indulging in endless amounts of street foods like Vegetable chop, Mutton Roll, Egg roll and lot more mouth watering stuff.

Each day (5 days) of Puja, we used to wear new dresses for morning/evening and in-between. Pandal hopping was not less than an adventure that time.Week long party on the city’s streets and everywhere different communities welcome with “ Sarbojaniin Durga Pujo- Apanader uposthiti ekanta habai kamma” slogan.

Still can hear in heart those beautiful songs like… Amar pujor phool bhalobaha hoye galo .., Nai ba ghumale priyo rajani ekhono baki…,  Tumi ashbe bolei….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOsPd_vyGX4&feature=related

May be these scenarios are no where close to puja these dayz…but

These are the typical memories I reminisce during this time of the year………!!!

When you Smile at me...

It's like the beginning of all things, hope, a dream of possibilities...

Feeling is quite recent...

Mom of two, even before I realized they became the inevitable part of my life. Though it’s not easy to hold such responsibility at some point yet fulfilling!

Before its get too inured to, let me live these very moments for a while. 

Year2006, my older one "Adi" came to my world smiling, bringing enormous joy and abundant happiness that I could ever imagine,

  

This year2010, my younger one "Avi" , came with sweetly-pitched coos and the bundle of Joy made all of us a complete family to be framed for the journey of life.

Sometime me wondering what an ecstatic moment I am passing through which will become treasure for future ever…..

Puja @ UTSAV 2009