Kids' Room

I usually refrain myself from reading books that my daughter does. The Hunger Games Series is probably an exception. We watched the Hunger Games and I could not resist my self from reading "Catching Fire" to know that happens next. Waiting a year for book #2 to be made into a movie did not appeal me as I suffer from exhibiting really low thresholds of patience. Gripping is an understatement to describe Hunger Games. I was pleasantly surprised to find the book written using simplistic language avoiding fancy schamcy words and sentences. No wonder it's such a popular book amongst school going kids and adults alike.

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Play Dress Up And Garba

A lanky girl in tees and skinny jeans or shorts in the Summer biking around the neighborhood or throwing in a few hoops in the back yard, playing the piano particularly the Christmas songs at this time of the year so she can be ready for the holiday season or reading a book too fast ignoring my words of wisdom to read slowly absorbing every word and appreciating sentences best describes my daughter. If she is not doing any of the above she is probably definitely listening to Taylor Swift songs. She needs a lot of convincing to dress up girly-girl. Not that she is a tom boy, but simply does not take the time to dress up fancy.

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Fall Festival At Work And Middle School

Elementary school is a good time to try out various activities for the kids to get an idea of the their interests and to identify inherent talents. By Middle or High school the kid could still surprise you with a hidden talent or an interest they never showed when they were in elementary. Riya is still into spelling, singing, piano and her latest fascination is with sports and politics. Governor Romney did a wrong move by pulling in Big Bird into the political debate. My kids are so against him they remind me everyday that he could very well pull the plug out of NPR, one of my favorite radio stations. Riya made it into the school's Tennis team but sustaining the team needs a lot of practice. She is also looking at basket ball for the upcoming season. It's a little overwhelming for us but she seems to be enjoying the whole thing and efficiently managing her time.

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Golu 2012

With every generation the celebrations gets tweaked; at times due to geographic locations and at times simply to keep the tradition practical with the current times. Evites in lieu of personal invites and weekend celebrations instead of daily offerings. The living room is now home to the golu steps. The steps made out of tables with varying heights and shelving from our closet/store room.
It takes a lot of practice to get the symmetry right for the kolams (aka designs). I get mine from doodling kolams, especially the ones where the design is more free flowing. The above maa-kolam is made with a semi-watery paste made out of rice flour mixed with a little all purpose flour.

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Latest Obsession

 I am obsessed with Instagram. Most pictures I take on my phone are saved via instagram. The 70's or the early 80's look is so nostalgic. May be they remind me of life when time went by slow and being busy and always on the run was not the motto for most. Pictured above is my daughter's locker. Magnetic flowers, mirrors, pencil holders and wall paper for the locker completed hers. The outside could have been fancier, but we struck to our last year's design. Polka dot wall paper cut to a strip, weaved through the cabinet door and struck in place by the magnetic flower. Many I noticed decorate the outside with ribbons ... may be next year.

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Nashville TN

Nashville TN is a haven for music lovers, especially those who prefer country or southern rock and roll. CDs of upcoming artists are played in eateries and live music performed any time any day of the year. I am not a big country music fan, so was not too keen on visiting any of the bars. We kept our promise to the kids and took them to the Country Music Hall of Fame. If I have not said this before, Nashville happened to be on our way to the Smoky Mountains and we have an ardent Country music fan in our family.

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NY Deli & Central Station Market

Wondering if some of the desi ways are rubbing off on NY shops. I was surprised to hear a couple of bagel shops do not accept credit cards on purchases less than 5 dollars. That's usually the norm followed by Indian stores. Other than that, nothing much came between me and my NYC bagel.
A trip to NYC is not complete in Summer with out indulging in the the local fruits. If you are looking for great produce at rock bottom prices, Chinese markets or vendors is your answer. Due to lack of time, I stuck to the market in the Central Station. The market is also a great place to pick some spices and freshly baked goods. 

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AZUSA, Midtown NY

What you do for a living no longer seems a person question in the US of A. You would be amazed by how many perfect strangers have asked me that question and how many are more than willing to proclaim their own. It's almost like what you do for a living is a critical part of your identity. But apart from that, I seem to totally enjoy random conversations irrespective of whether I am included in one or if I am simply overhearing by virtue of sitting right next to them in the bar area. On business trips, I prefer to sit in the bar area rather than opt for a table, unless it's outdoors and the  weather is great. 

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Screme, NY

I am a little picky about the mango flavor as in ice cream, sorbet or juice. Very few seem to get it right. Screme is one of them. They are located at stone throw away distance from Central Station, NYC. I loved their pine apple and mango sorbets.
But their best happens to be chocolate. They have chocolate in all shapes and forms ... ice cream, chocolate croissants,hot chocolates and you name it, they have it. Their secret is Valrhona Chocolates.

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Soup Nazi

I wonder if this soup place was the inspiration for Seinfeld for one of his episodes on "Soup Nazi" or may be not. Especially the words in red letters does remind me of "No Soup", the famous words of the soup vendor to Elaine, a character from Seinfeld. Al's Famous Soup place is close to my workplace in NY and is usually packed for lunch. Good soup!!!

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