Meet Ms Bagwati

If you do not understand the context of "Bag-wati", you should see the movie "zindagi na milegi dobara", a delightfully entertaining movie. My husband has been calling my Burberry as "bagwati" ever since. The best part however is the bag has been getting a little more respect from the kids - like not rubbing off food stains or other sticky stuff from their fingers on to my bag.

I started my new job this week and loving it so far. Its a bit of a drive but the good part is that its all against the traffic.

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Swami Narayan Temple, Toronto

The heat waves have been merciless in Dallas. Today is the 18th day in succession with temperatures over 100F. Our only source of outdoor entertainment are movie marathons, swimming after 8PM and walking shopping in the mall. I am still reminiscing the days of 70s and 80s in Canada.

On our last day of stay in Toronto, we ate a sumptuous south Indian meal at Saravana Bhavan and my cousin took us for a quick visit to this temple. A perfect place to pray or meditate. The inside walls and pillars are made out of intricately carved marble. Too bad, they did not let us take any pictures inside.

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Central Island, Toronto

With six kids on the trip, Central Island in Toronto was a perfect destination for a day trip. We took a ferry from the mainland and a beautiful view of Toronto unfolds as you head towards the island. There are different activities for younger kids like carousal, mini-amusement park, bike rentals or simply running around the park.

We rented a couple of these bikes and rode around the park racing each other. The kids enjoyed the ferris wheel and galloped around pretending to be horses. They had fun and kept us entertained.

I am a sucker for old fashioned light houses.The Gibraltar Light House built in 1808 has its own charm and is supposedly the oldest surviving lighthouses on the Great Lakes.

We met a couple of my cousins and their families including my lovely nieces and my aunt who recently turned 75. Its amazing how sharp her memory is. She could recall who attended whose wedding. The above picture was taken from my nieces' apartment in Toronto.

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Leaving Behind ...

"Moving on" could very well be my middle name. I hardly look back ...but certain reactions to my recent announcement made me think otherwise. For those of you not aware of, I am changing jobs, moving from one bank to another.

I leave behind -

An exceptional team that I put together. I am proud some started their careers with me and theirs grew with mine. A lady whom I admire at work once told me - "In order to be successful at work, it is essential to surround yourself with the right kind of people". I believe its true outside of work too.

A wonderful boss who gave me all the freedom under the sun to make decisions and run the team 'my style'. Even though I imitate his style of management quite a bit; intentionally.

All my amazing mentors. One thought me how to be firm and assertive. Another taught me to treat everybody as - humans first, employees second. The third and my favorite mentor has such an amazing sense of humor that it takes people a few minutes to realize that he/she has delivered a bad news. I laugh easily but, 'humor' is not my strength. What I learned from him/her is to take it easy when the going gets tough/stressful.

A zero to 3-mile commute.

An established reputation. I start from ground zero on my next job.

It was a great 4 1/2 years and I hope to keep in touch with those I need to via LinkedIn and Facebook.

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Ile d'Orleans, Quebec

My brothers' families joined us on our trip to Canada. In total we were 6 adults and 6 kids touring Canada. If you were in the vicinity and saw a loud and crazy group, it was probably us. One night, me and my two sister-in-laws took off for a girls night with the dads(aka my husband and two brothers) watching the kids. Don't worry about them, they had way too many nights out. The lady who worked at the Bed and Breakfast we stayed in, suggested a real nice area for us to hang out and we bar-hopped all night.

We followed her suggestion one more time and headed to a local hang out spot. Its a small island off of the city called Ile d'Orleans. Most of the local produce comes from this island like berries, breads, beets, wine and maple syrups. As you drive along, you will see churches, farms, garden shops, and beautiful houses preserved from a time from the past. A few of the  families who live here can be traced back to the 1600s.

Can you imagine working here in this nursery (as in where they sell plants) on a gentle hill overlooking St Lawrence river? May be its time to re-think my retirement plans !!!

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Old Quebec City

The next destination on our trip was Quebec City. If you have a couple of days to spend and looking for a city in Canada, I recommend Quebec City over any other. The old city has a plethora of cafes, boutiques and is pedestrian friendly with ample public transportation.

The above two pictures are from the Old City aka Vieux Quebec. The city will amaze you with its architecture ranging from French to British and everything in between.

Vieux Quebec is probably the only one in N.America above Mexico still surrounded by a wall; in a way preserving the past for the future generations. The history buffs in our family were fascinated by the wall and the story behind it.

If you are looking for some affordable art, don't forget to stop by the alley where you get to meet the local artists, who are more than willing to talk to you about their art and techniques.

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Montreal City, Canada

Montreal City is a chef's haven with amazing places to eat. My personal favorite is the Old town with cobblestone road. We walked up and down the street visiting pastry shops and sharing desserts. You will not regret checking the weather in June as one day its cold and windy. The very next day there is a 30 degree spike in temperature.

Mont Royal is a small hill and there is a park around it like you would find in any city. I would  recommend taking the steps, if not for the view from the summit, the work out is worth your time :-).

Next we went to the Notre Dame. I am neither an architect nor a historian. So I will refrain myself from a compare and contrast of the Notre Dame in Paris and Montreal City. However in plain layman terms, I loved the exterior of the one in Paris. I found the interior of Montreal's Notre Dame intricate and ornate.

Notre Dame Basilica, Montreal

For goodies, I brought home some maple syrup and maple green tea.

Google "things to do in Montreal City" and you might find a thing or two that interests you. But nothing too extensive. This place is not for those whose idea of a vacation is "sight seeing".

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