I am not alone :)

Running errands and talking on the phone,
I am pleasantly reminded that I am not alone.
Little tiny hands, a precious rounded knee
pushing and twisting that no one can see.
Oh sweet child kicking up your heels,
it is our little secret that only I can feel.
I look forward to your birth,
when I can kiss your skin,
but for now I will just smile,
As I feel you play within.

Author: Unknown.

The above poem touches me very deeply.

I haven't announced it on my blog here, so here goes - I am in my 25th week of pregnancy. Hubby and I are expecting our first baby in 1st week of August. We are excited, thrilled, and feel very blessed.

My pregnancy is changing me as a person in so many different ways. Everything happening within me is just amazing and fascinating. I feel extremely blessed to be able to experience such a beautiful thing in life.

Stay happy! Stay healthy!

Weekend getaway to

In the last 10 ye

Questions I've been pondering over.....

Last week was a very introspective week for me. I watched very little telly, did not talk to people on the phone, did not go out for any activities other than work, and spent a lot of time by myself.

Here are some of the thoughts on my mind....

- New beginnings - they are exciting and refreshing. You look forward to them so much. But then there's anxiety too, of how you will do. I was/am nervous about beginning a new phase of my life soon. My mind tells me to focus and be positive. And enjoy the journey to the fullest, without worrying about the end result :).

- Shopping for unnecessary stuff - I have a few things that I am planning to buy in the next 2-3 months. Some of of them are necessary things for the house and others are personal needs. The question on my mind is - Do we really need all the stuff we buy? Isn't marketing these days so clever that we look at a product at the store or see the ad on TV and we want to buy that product? Don't we always buy more than what we really need? Do we think about how it gets to us, how much are we polluting the environment as a result? My mind tells me to always pause and ask myself before buying anything - "Do I really need this"? Can I do without it or is there any other alternative? I think just by doing this small exercise, we will slowly be able to control our impulsive buys and help the environment (maybe not the economy as much ;)).

- Barefoot philosophy - I recently read a blog post on barefoot philosophy. Have you tried walking barefoot on the grass, or at the beach on the sand? Walking at the beach barefoot is one of the things I enjoy the MOST. But there's more to it than just the fun. It makes you feel free, it makes you live in the moment, it makes you enjoy the simple pleasures in every day life that go unnoticed. The blog author also mentions that having a blog itself is one aspect of following this philosophy. You are opening a part of yourself to the virtual world, and putting yourself in a vulnerable position. Try this philosophy in different aspects of your life, and see how positively it can affect you.

- What is your last thought before you go to bed every night? And what is your first thought when you wake up every morning? - Recently, I have changed my routine. And I have been seeing really positive results. I think about one happy moment that touched me during the day before I go to sleep. Doing this simple exercise relaxes me, calms me down, and brings a lot of peace. It also takes away the worries and stress of the day, and helps me remember the positive. When I wake up, I open the blinds to let the sun in, soak the rays for a couple mins, and then say a small prayer. Sometimes I meditate, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I read a book before starting to get ready for the day. Spending these few mins in the sun, and starting the day with positive energy makes a huge difference during the day.

- True friends vs acquaintances - I have greatly reduced socializing with people just for the sake of it. I don't invite anyone and everyone at home, neither do I visit people that I am not close with. I rather have few friends who I am most compatible with, who I can relate with, who I respect, who help me grow as a person everyday and also find something interesting in me that helps them grow to continue the relation. There is still work for me to do in this area, and slowly I will get there. As I grow older, I find that only meaningful conversations and relationships make me happy. I don't like being part of huge crowds these days. I feel blessed to have family and friends who I connect with deeply, and although I would always be open to new friendships, I am content with the circle around me at the moment.

I am sure you folks in the blog world will find these thoughts interesting. Feel free to share your views and opinions with me if you wish :)

Chikoo in California....

Announcement - Chikoo Fruit is now available in California :)!!!!

Today is the day when I first ate a fresh chikoo fruit in the US.

A few days ago, my friend P who loves chikoo's as much as I do told me that he found them at the local Indian grocery store and brought them home. Along many other fruits available in India but not in the US(alphonso mangoes, custard apple, etc), this is one I miss a lot. 

Since P and I don't live in the same town, I was waiting for the day when I could go to his place and get them myself. Last weekend we visited him and I asked my hubby and sister to check the Indian store for this fruit. P had gone a day earlier to the store and told me they didn't have any, so I did not have high hopes of getting them.

Much to my delight, my folks found the fruit and brought it home. They told me it is not ripe and will take a few days before I could eat it. It was hard for me to resist, and I kept checking them everyday to see if they ripened. Finally today morning, I thought one of them was edible now, so I washed it thoroughly, cleaned it with a paper napkin, and took it with me to work. 

I took the first bite while driving in my car to work - and it was DELISH!!!!! Very nostalgic....it instantly reminded me of all my India trips during Dec-Jan when I get back home, and I devour this fruit the day I land. My parents would have bought all my favorite things for me, including chikoo, and my real "food" vacation would start :). 

It's almost lunch time yet and I am dreaming of eating it again after lunch....will click a picture and post it here as well!!!!!

If you live away from home, which fruit do you miss the most?

Words that touch my heart....

During a recent conversation with dad, he told me: "You should laugh for at least one hour a day, so apart from all the jokes I share with you, you should find humor in everyday life."

He also said, "This will be easier from May when I am there with you...." :).

These are very simple words, an everyday conversation, something that most parents would say to their kids all the time. But they have so much care and love in them...and they make me very very happy :).

Thank you Dad for thinking about my happiness always, and for always always being there for me.

Looking forward to retirement?

I met my ex-boss today in the parking lot at work, and spent about 5 mins talking to him while we were both rushing for a meeting. It was his last one at Intel. He had come to sign his retirement papers that day.

So the conversation went something like this:

Bob: Shachi, how are you?
Me: I am doing good Bob, how about you?

Bob: Oh things are going well....I have been on leave, came today to finally sign my retirement papers.

Me: Wow....so you're finally retiring, huh?

Bob: Yep - it's time to move on to do different things in life.

Me: What are your plans, Bob?

Bob: Oh, I want to travel to South America and the Caribbean, spend some time in the mountains (Bob lives in a huge house in a forest by a lake, and used to commute 3 hours daily to come to work), finish building my out-house (his second house in the backyard), and think about an alternate career. (Bob is single and has no family....he has some distant relatives on the south-east coast of US, but he hardly visits them).

Me: That sounds fascinating, and a lot of fun. Much better than working at Intel, Bob :)

Bob: Yeah , yeah. How about you? What are you working on these days?

Me: I am working with XX and YY on so-so-so.....can't wait to take my sabbatical end of this year....need a break after 10 yrs at Intel.

Bob:  Oh you should take it ASAP.....I've taken 4 during my career at Intel and each was much-needed.

Me: Yeah.

Bob: Okay, Shachi...Good Luck with all your stuff and hope we cross paths again!

Me: Good to see you Bob! Congratulations on your retirement and have fun!

Bob: Bye, Shachi. Take care!

Me: Bye.

After the conversation, I spent an hour thinking what I would do during my retirement. Definitely travel, just like Bob....and much much more.

Sigh - that day is far far away :)

2000 to 2009.....

Today, January 15, marks my decade in the US.

Days like these always make me reflect and ponder.....and wonder how time flies by!

I want to write about my experiences  in the last 10 years....but I am still working on that post.

However, I did want to post something today, so that I would remember this day.

So here's a picture of mine from each of the last 10 years.....I've gained weight and I've lost some, I've changed hairstyles, I've tried out weird fashion styles, but overall, I've become much more mature and comfortable with my own self as time went by.

2000 - I arrived at SFO on Jan 15, 2000. School started right away, and I slowly began adjusting to the new country. I did not miss home for the first few weeks, as I was used to staying away from my parents in India. But when my grandma passed away in Feb, I felt awful and miserable. I spent my summer in Boston this year, with my cousin.  I completed most of my MS coursework at school, and also got a job at Intel. I went to Yosemite for the first time, and hiked Vernal+Nevada falls on the mist trail. This picture was taken at NASA, Houston in December 2000. It was my first visit to Houston to visit my family there.  The first year in US was sure very eventful. The sweatshirt I am wearing was one of the 3 that dad bought me before coming to US :)

2001 - I started working at Intel as an intern in January 2001. I also went back home (to India) for the first time after coming here. I graduated from CSU, Sacramento with my MS in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. A very memorable year. Here is my graduation picture :)

2002 - I started working at Intel as a full time engineer. I made new friends at work, and went on a lot of trips with them. I got my own room+bathroom at my new apartment....and enjoyed reading until late in the night everyday. This picture here was taken at a studio....my first set of portraits taken professionally.

2003 - I started off this year with a trip back home. Celebrated Uttarayan in Ahmedabad for the first time after moving to US. The rest of the year was usual stuff....more work and more travel. I tried hang gliding and whitewater rafting for the first time. I had gained a lot of weight in 2002, so I joined a local gym (24 hour fitness) here. I also started playing tennis and racquetball, and loved them both. I lost all the weight I gained after few months of regular exercise, few sessions with an excellent fitness coach, and watching my diet. The picture here was taken in September...the outfit is from Banana Republic gifted by one of my friends. The second picture is me hang gliding over the Smokies in North Carolina.

2004 - This was the year of relationships. Lots of ups and downs happened in this area, and professionally also, I went through a lot of stress. I got my first promotion in April, and immediately decided to move jobs. I was extremely lucky, and found a position within Intel without applying for one (with a strong recommendation), and before joining the new position, I went to India again. This time, I took my family on a trip to Singapore, Malaysia and Goa. It was their first overseas trip, and was very memorable. It was also the first time I went back home in summer, and I enjoyed mangoes to my heart's content. You can see all the sugar and fat on my cheeks in this picture below, which was taken at the sky lobby on Petronas Twin Towers, Malaysia :). This was also the year of bangs...in terms of hairstyle :).

2005 - This was the year I bonded the most with my aunt, Jayshree aunty who used to live in Sacramento. We spent so much time together....her and uncle were like my parents here in US. This was the only year where I lived by myself in a 1-bedroom apartment all year long. I loved watching movies on my 17-inch widescreen laptop almost every other night, comfortably reclined on my bed with the laptop placed on a stack of pillows in front of me :). My parents came to the US for the first time to visit me. I loved taking them around California during their 5-week short visit. Towards the end of the year, I moved to Folsom with one of the best roommates I've ever had (Swapna), and around Christmas of 2005 was also the first time Sameer and I communicated :). I don't have my parents' US trip album on my computer right now, so here's a picture of me outside my aunt's house with my friend Hiren's new car.

2006 - This was the year I met Sameer for the first time in March. After spending a weekend in California (our first date was a day in SF), I met him couple more times and then went to India in summer to meet his parents. Things went well and we committed to each other, and our wedding date was decided. I spent most of my India trip with wedding planning and shopping. During this year, I also met a couple people who are now very close friends. I  made a lot of new friends this year, and also enjoyed lots n lots of outdoor activities with them. I hiked Half Dome in Yosemite with my friend Hiren. Here's a picture of Sameer n I taken at Twin Peaks, SF.

2007 - The year I went from being single to married :). The wedding in India (Jan'07) is one of the most memorable events of my life. The honeymoon in Mauritius was also amazing. Sameer moved to CA soon after our wedding, in March of 2007. We moved into our first apartment as a couple in June. I felt the first year of my married life a lot more challenging and relatively less fun :). It has only gotten better though. This was also the year my sister Dharam came to US to do her MS. Here's a wedding picture of ours, and a picture of mine on the catamaran in Mauritius.

2008 - We forgot Intel all these years, but things were going smooth on the professional front. I got my second promotion at Intel in 2008. I was delighted. We also invited my in-laws and parents to US for a visit. They both stayed for few weeks with us. Sameer's contract ended in Sacramento area and he found a job in LA for few months. It was back to single life for both of us, with him commuting a lot of weekends so that we could spend time together. We went to Hawaii to celebrate our first anniversary, and had an amazing time out there. Towards the end of the year, we all left for India for another trip filled with memorable events. Here's a picture of me in Maui, Hawaii.

2009 - The last year of my decade in US. It started off with a bang...we were in India and enjoyed our post-wedding ceremonies at my in-laws hometown, as well as my sister's engagement function. We got back and Sameer found a job back in Sacramento area. We decided to buy a home and moved into our first home here in the US in May 2009. We hosted a wonderful house-warming for our friends and family. I biked the entire American River Trail from Folsom to Old Sacramento for the first time. This year was light on travel, but we found time to engage in new activities close to home. Here's a picture of Sameer n I at my sister's engagement function.

Phew! That was a long post. I enjoyed my trip down the memory lane. There is much more to cherish and share. There were happy times, and tough times. It was like a roller coaster ride, and I have enjoyed every bit of it.

Hope you enjoy the pictures and few of my memories!