Ten things i admire about my Ten Year old

As my older one is turning 10 today i wanted to put down my thoughts about what a wonderful journey it has been to have him in our lives and celebrate him. I hope he continues to add to this list.

1.Innocence - We live in a world where 'Innocence' is losing it's charm, kids seem to be growing up on a fast track now, but i cherish every moment of your innocence and still remember how you believed yogurt was just another kind of ice cream, just because your mom and dad said so :-). Sorry about that buddy, but we were just first time parents who freaked out about every cold you had.

2.You are the strongest kid i know - As parents and especially first time parents it used to kill us to see you falling sick from time to time as kid's your age do, but seeing you never complaining was like a blessing for us and we will always remember what a strong kid you are. Thanks for teaching us that tomorrow is always better.

3.Your love for sports - As a mom and for someone who loves sports, you have no idea how thrilled i was to see you enjoy and do well in sports. I believe sports has a lot to offer to kids and teaches a lot of valuable life lessons like discipline, working with a team and getting back up by shaking off the losses and moving on, i hope you continue to enjoy playing sports throughout your life.

4.Your love for reading - I will always cherish our trips to the library and how you would finish up a dozen books in a week's time like it is nobody's business. I read somewhere that boys are usually not much into reading so it's a treat for us to see you enjoy books and i hope this is a habit that sticks with you.

5.Your flexible attitude - There are many times we promised you things which we couldn't deliver, taking you to a park for a game of tennis, going to a restaurant and so on, but you have been very flexible and never made it a big deal and we love you for that.

6.Your love for school - I don't remember enjoying myself and looking forward to school as much as you do, so it's an absolute thrill to see and hear you do well and be happy at School. I probably have to thank the teachers and your friends for that.

7. Learning to forgive and moving on - I have seen you get yourself out of a bad mood much quicker than anyone else. Thanks for teaching us to learn to forgive and to move on!

8.Being sensitive to other's - I think being sensitive is one of your biggest asset's, though it may not seem that way now. Seeing you feeling bad for your sister (more than herself) when she gets a bad hair cut is just one of the many things i will always cherish about you.

9.Love for food - I know this is a strange one but food is more important than any of us will every give credit to and i think your love for food and new tastes will enrich your outlook in life.

10.Love for family - At the end of the day all that matters is having a loving family and you are one of the main pillars of our's, can't thank you enough for the love you have showered on us and for making us a loving family! Thanks for pushing me towards having more family time, i thank you with all my heart for everything my dear one!

Wish you a very Happy B'day Rohan!!!

P.S: I am also writing about 10 things i see you can work on but don't worry i won't publish it :-)

Love,
Anila,Ravi,Samhi.

Dear 'Man',

To Whom It may Concern

I write to you as a fellow human being, as a woman, who was born on the earth and has to share the space with you, breathe the same air as you, ride the same buses as you.

Who Am I and why am I writing to You?

A Woman is someone who brings you into this world, feeds you when you cannot fend for yourself or even when you can, cares for you when you are sick and when you are not, teaches you about the world with whatever resources she has, sticks by you through thick and thin, loves you, reprimands you when she sees you going down the wrong path, sacrifices some of her wishes so you can have a better life, prays for your happiness and cries with you when you are in sorrow. She is also an individual like you, who has dreams, hopes and wishes to become someone or achieve something. She toils like you day and night, burns the midnight candle when she has to, takes the same exams and classes as you and goes to the same interviews as you do. She takes the same busy buses, rides through the crazy roads as you do and toils all day at work like you. Despite all this, may i ask why you consider her as the weaker sex?  Despite all the above, when you see a woman all you can see is a sexual object? An object than you can abuse physically, verbally and emotionally? An object that is so disgusting and weak that you with your physical dominance can treat as a piece of trash and throw away?

I am still trying to understand this, so bear with me. What makes you think that you are superior? Is there anything that you can do that a woman cannot? Maybe yes, a woman can never behave as barbarically as you can towards a fellow being. Maybe a woman can never get out on the street and abuse you every day as you go on with your day-to-day activities. But you know what, this abuse has been going on for decades but has it stopped women from coming out and doing what they want to do? Has it stopped millions of girls from dreaming, hoping and aspiring to become someone ? No, it hasn't, except for those poor women whose lives were cut short due to your heinous crimes. That's the spirit of a woman! I can assure you that if ever the tables were turned and you were on the receiving end of abuse you wouldn't be taking this as well as we are. I can guarantee you that as a woman.

As a woman i speak for many when i say this, We do not need special rules, we do not need quotas, just treat us as equals! Treat us as equals at home, at work, on the streets,treat us the way you would like to be treated, Is that too much to ask? This might be news for you but you need us as much as we need you, nothing more nothing less.

Thank You,
Woman

Yoga for body and mind

Hello Everyone,

It's been ages since i posted something on the blog, life got in the way i guess or may be i have just been lazy. Hope you all are doing great! I wanted to share some great Yoga videos with you that i find are invaluable. I'm sure pretty much everyone knows the benefits of Yoga by now, there are several forms and brands of Yoga in the market. I started doing Yoga by attending sessions of YogaBharti and i always felt that it was the best Yoga experience i ever had. When i couldn't attend the sessions anymore, i tried finding some videos, but none of the crunch videos appealed to me. I think the best benefit of Yoga is attained when it is combined with breathing techniques and helps you to relax and exercise at the same time.

I was thrilled to come across Esther Ekhart's videos in Youtube. She is amazing and has uploaded tons of videos to YouTube. She is my online 'Yogaguru' :-). Check out all her videos on her YouTube channel. I hope these videos help you all as much as they help me.

Keep smiling...

Mendocino - A Northern Californian beauty

If you are one of those who enjoy the silent sound of waves crashing at the shore and unending canvas of greenery, u should definitely visit Mendocino. I was lucky enough to visit this place twice, one as recent as last week and first one was around 9 years ago. I was surprised to see that nothing has changed in the 9 years, beaches are still less crowded, mountains still spiraling with tall Redwood tress! I guess Mendocino's remote location works for it's benefit. It is around 188 miles north of San Francisco and it is quite a drive. If you do not mind driving that far, i can assure you that you are in for a treat. Beautiful mountains, beaches and unending trails on the sea coast will be welcoming you.

We stayed at Koa Kampgrounds which is located next to the Manchester State Beach. Some useful tips for the lucky folks who get to go there soon :-)

1) Dont' forget to check out Point Arena Light house at

45300 Light House Rd

Mendocino, CA 95460

2) Glass Beach in FortBragg

3) For best view of Mendocino - Exit the village heading South, go over the bridge, turn West at your first right. Proceed South, look for signs on Oceanside of Brewery Gulch Drive

4) Frankie's Pizza & Cream is good for bites.

44951 Ukiah St

Mendocino, CA 95460

(707) 937-2436

Some photos for your viewing pleasure:

If

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara - Movie Review

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara or ZNMD is a buddy flick that strikes a chord with everyone. The story revolves around three buddies played by Hirthik, Abhay and Farhan who go on a road trip to Spain to celebrate a bachelor party for Abhay. I was impressed with Zoya Akhtar's portrayal of the three characters who couldn't be more different from each other. Thankfully there is less focus on hairstyles and costumes and more on the personality of each character. The beautiful backdrop of Spain adds to the storyline but does not overshadow the plot. Songs are also situational and soothing. Abhay provides comic relief and Hrithik and Katrina are easy on the eyes and do justice to their roles. BTW is it just me or has Hrithik started to look and act like Bradley Cooper at lot? Not that i'm complaining:). The person who steals the show is Farhan Akhtar. He proved that he has a very good comic timing and carries the role of a closet poet with ease and without going overboard.

If i had to pick a few negatives i would say that they could have done a better job with Katrina's character. There was not enough effort to lay down a background of her past in the movie and her character appears a little surreal to me. Another drawback i see is with the dubbing/voice recording of Farhan Akhtar. He has a very husky voice and sometimes his dialogues appeared mumbled and unclear. I saw the movie at AMC which had a very good sound quality and it still wasn't good enough. Considering he had some of the best lines in the movie i wish they did something to correct that.

Other than the above two small undoings i thoroughly enjoyed ZNMD. It is easy to pass it off as Farhan's movie but it is actually Zoya Akhtar's project and she needs a pat on her back for making a clean entertainer. Javed Akhtar's poetry was enjoyable too.

My Rating: 4.5/5, What is yours?

Ben Carson:Gifted Hands

The dilemma i had of posting about this book was whether i would do justice to explain the greatness of this man and his life in a few words. I decided to go ahead with it as i want everyone i know to read this book in their lifetime. If i would make a list of 'Books you should read before you die', this would be in the top 5.

This book begins with Ben (fondly called as Bennie by his mom) describing his childhood days and the role his mom Sofia played in his life. Sofia Carson who despite having only a 3rd grade education at that time had a strong will and determination to raise her kids into confident and successful individuals. She refused to let several financial and personal setbacks deter her resolve and she always made her children believe in themselves. Dr. Carson quotes his mom several times in the book at different stages of his life.

Ben Carson went on to study medicine at Yale and still works at John Hopkins hospital. There are several facets to this great man who continues to inspire and motivate people. At the end of the book he talks about his dream to set up a fund for talented youth and he is fulfilling his dream through Carson Scholars fund.
Whatever he has achieved and if you read this book you will know that it is a lot, is through his hard work and his strong belief in human values and God. His Mantra 'Think Big' describes him completely. If you do get a chance do read his book and give it as a gift to your kids. You wont' regret it and they might thank you in the future for this!

Japan's toughest crisis

If you ever thought you would hear EarthQuake, a Tsunami and a Nuclear catastrophe all in the same sentence, you would be called an absolute Pessimist... one who would see and expect the worst of all situations. That's exactly what a country of 127.3 million people woke up to on Friday, Mar 11th. First to strike was an 8.9 magnitude Earthquake that rocked the landscape of Japan, followed by a Tsunami that left an estimated 10,000 people dead and several missing. Just as the news of this mass destruction was being absorbed, the fear of blasts and explosions at Japan's nuclear plant were raised. Japan did continue to have a couple of blasts at the explosion and people around the area are being transported to safer areas.

The next step is for the hundreds and thousands of public workers to put their personal tragedies behind them and get to work and help those in dire need of food and shelter. International support has already started pouring in and the funds need to be streamlined to the right areas.

What does the future look like for the third largest economy in the world? It will take some time to get the complete picture of economic impact dealt to Japan by the triple blow of Earthquake, Tsunami and nuclear blast shutdown and once that is clear it will take several months for international communities to have the confidence to invest in Japan. Several economists predict a downfall for sometime but then expect the reconstruction work to pick up the economy rapidly and help stabilize this nation.

The heart wrenching pictures of 2004 Tsunami are still fresh in my mind and the destruction of the latest one is expected to be far more worse. There are several ways you can help Japan overcome this crisis..let us all do our best.