Don't Forget to LIVE

My husband sent this to me yesterday. It's a powerful message so I am sharing it with all of you.

Yesterday morning when I woke up, I checked my email on my iphone. After that, as usual, I logged in to facebook (via an iphone app) to check the status updates.

I was shocked to find this message from an ex-colleague:

"CP is in shock and in so much pain at the sudden death last night of my husband, M. I would normally not post this so broadly, but so many of you knew him and I am asking everyone to spread the word for me so that all the lives he touched can know of this tragedy. It seems utterly impossible that I go thru these days without the person who loved me unconditionally. Please pray for our family during this time."

And another such message from her today morning:

"Nearly 24 hours w/out my M, our daddy, our son, our brother our cousin, our nephew and our friend. Such tremendous outpouring of support today from all of our friends, neighbors and family. I honestly don't know how to get through the next minute, other than to breathe and love on our kids. We will be setting GA and CA funeral / burial plans. Thanks you for ALL your messages, support & tears. I love EACH of you."

I could not digest this news. Even though I did not know my colleague's husband personally, its such a tragedy. I am still upset and very sad that she has to deal with this loss. She has 3 kids, the youngest only a year old, and I cannot even imagine how difficult it is for her and the kids.

As I read this, all my fears came alive. I was dreading everything that could happen to me.

Life is so fragile. I just simply assume that so many things will never happen to me....and when I read this post, I realized its not true.

I was suddenly thankful of having spoken to my parents the previous night, and to my sister the previous evening. These are routine things that I do but they felt special to me yesterday morning. I had spent a good weekend with my husband visiting a close friend who was sick. I suddenly felt grateful for that. 

I am praying for my friend CP and her family. And I hope they find the strength to go through this pain. And I hope somehow, with a lot of LOVE and with the passing of TIME, that they can lead a somewhat normal life. 

For all of us, I have this quote to share:

"Live each day as if it were your last, and Learn each day as if you live will forever."

Be blessed!

A visit to the local farmers' market

Hubby and I went to the Sunday morning Farmers' market last weekend in downtown Sacramento and it was so much fun.

Farmers' markets are places where farmers offer agricultural produce they grow themselves for direct sale to the public. By eliminating the middleman's additional costs and multiple product handling, both the farmers and the consumers benefit. Each farmer is inspected and certified before he/she is allowed to sell at the market. Most of the produce is vine or tree ripened. All the produce sold is from local farms. 

I used to visit this market frequently when I was single, but after getting married, I never went even once (don't ask why). Couple weeks ago, my husband went to the market with our neighbours to check it out, and he loved it. 

So last Sunday, we both woke up early, took a couple cloth shopping bags and cash in our wallets to go shopping. 

The first feeling I got upon reaching there is being in India. I used to go with my mom every Sunday morning to the city for buying fruits and vegetables. It reminded me of that experience.

Most of the shoppers were Asian, and some of the farmers were Asian too. 

We walked through the entire market once to see whats available, carefully observing the quality of produce and its price at every vendor. And then we started shopping!

We thoroughly  enjoyed our grocery shopping, and we brought home organic produce at very low prices. We were amazed to find fruits like fresh apricots and lychees which are rarely seen in the department grocery stores in our area.

What we bought:

- Blackberries

- Red Seedless Grapes

- Fresh apricots

- Melon

- White + Yellow peaches

- Plums

- Fresh Corn

- Red Potatoes

- Red Onions

- Green Beans

- Green Bell Pepper

- Okra

- Gourd

- Cilantro

- Basil Leaves

I also bought a small bag of dried lavender petals from a farmer, which I am using as my car freshener...and my car smells heavenly. It cost me only $2, versus a regular car freshener that I buy from Walmart costs $5. 

I could find rare items like bee pollen, local honey (for people with pollen allergy), and locally made olive oil at the market.

I am making a resolution to frequent this place more often now!

Enjoy the pics!

"Have patience with the growers. Smile at them and appreciate them. If you do, you will find them smiling back and appreciating you in return. That is what certified farmers' markets are really about. Smiles and mutual appreciation. Families growing food for families. Californians supporting California.". - From here

Congratulations DR. PP :)

We all wait for Friday. And most Friday's are just the usual.

Yesterday was a special Friday for me. My dearest, nearest, closest friend P successfully defended his PhD dissertation (on Friday, July 10, 2009).

It's just a matter of few days before P receives his official degree; it's just a matter of few months before he "walks" at his graduation ceremony, but for all practical purposes, P is done with all his PhD work, and I can now proudly call him DOCTOR!!!!

Yesterday morning, I prayed for everything to go well for him, and even though I was buried in work, I was anxious to hear from him in the afternoon.

This sooper busy and always forgetful friend of mine can easily forget to let me know how it all went, and keep me waiting until the end of the day when I finally run out of patience and call him. I'm so glad he didn't do that yesterday.

When he called me in the afternoon, I was so relieved to hear that everything went well. He got all the signatures of the committee, and sometime next week, he will submit his final dissertation and then it will be all over. I could sense the HUGE sigh of relief, and the tremendous happiness in his voice, from 3000 miles away. I am so so proud of him!

I met P in Summer of 2006. We lived in the same town and worked for the same company for a few months, and we became friends. I taught him how to play racquetball, and he taught me how to play poker. Whatever we did together, it was always a blast. It was not until he went back to his university to complete his PhD that we actually became such close friends.

P is THE hardest working individual I have known in my entire life. I saw him working tirelessly on his PhD, day in and day out. There was not a single day when I saw him slacking. His research was his passion, and I could see that zeal and enthusiasm in him to give his best to his passion every single day.

There are numerous sacrifices - small and huge, that have been made to achieve this goal. Dear P, I am really proud of you for your achievement. YOU DID IT and YOU ROCKKKK!

Once P was done with this research work, he accepted a job back in California, and I could not have been happier. I vividly remember the day he moved to CA for good. I was at a Bryan Adams concert, and as soon as it was over, I went and met him. We spent the night at his new apartment...all of us slept on the new carpet, with the security alarm beeping every few seconds, P being bothered by it and covering it with furniture pads, etc etc.

P continued to amaze me with the dedication he showed for his new job. Within weeks, he had made a mark in his small company. On an average, my buddy works more than 12 hours a day, including weekends. He never complains. He simply enjoys it. Hats off to you bud!

P, you are a HUGE inspiration to me, every single day. I always get motivated to do so much more when I think about you. I am extremely lucky and blessed to have you in my life.

Now that this huge stress is gone from his life, I look forward to spending more time with my buddy and having a blast, as always :)

Congratulations DR. PP :)

PS: Can't wait to give a huge bear huggie to my doc....hope we meet sometime soon :)

PPS: The graduation card that I picked for P has very beautiful words, which I would like to share here:

For the Graduate

We are all on a journey toward

becoming a complete person.

Along the way, we reach milestones - 

chances to step aside and 

take account of how far we've come

and where we still need to go.

This is a very special time - 

a time full of potential,

of unexplored paths,

of undreamed dreams....

Your graduation is

in some ways an ending,

but in more ways,

this is only the beginning.

Congratulations!!!!

A 32 mile bike ride along the American River

C.A.L.I.F.O.R.N.I.A - Absolutely LURVE this place :)

When I was applying to colleges in US for doing my MS, I always hoped I would get into some college in CA. And I did....Thank God for that :)

Couple weekends ago, I went for a 30+ bike ride along the American River Bike Trail. This was something that I had wanted to do for a long time, having lived in this area for close to 10 years now.

This bike trail is arguably one of the most successful and beautifully paved bike paths in northern California. Also known as the Jedediah Smith National Recreation Trail, the American River Bike Path is nearly 100% separate from vehicle roads (a mile or two shares the road).

Until now, I had done portions of this trail but this time I completed the entire stretch from Old Folsom to Old Sacramento. Sooper FUN!

We started from home at 7.45am, and got to Karen's bakery in Old Folsom at 8am. I met with few colleagues from Intel who were all going to ride together with me, and then got ready with the bike and gear (helmet, sunscreen, etc). Here's me and my bike :)


We started the bike ride around 8.45am....and one of the first views was of Lake Natoma area. I could not resist stopping here for a picture of the view.



The weather was purr-fect for biking that day. I was feeling great as well.

We saw many animals (like a peahen n its babies) and birds along the way, and some late spring flowers blooming as well.

We passed by Nimbus Dam, which is fantastic, and then through so many parks - Sacramento Bar, Rossmoor Bar, Ancil Hoffman Park, Goethe Park, Fair Oaks/Watt Area - along the way.

We took a long break at my alma mater - Sac State (California State University, Sacramento). We took our bikes up on the Guy West Bridge (a pedestrian-only suspension bridge modeled after the famous Golden Gate Bridge in SFO), and enjoyed the view. I used to live on the other side of this bridge for 3 years while I was in school, and would walk this bridge several times a day to go to school. Felt so nostalgic!



By this time, we had covered a distance of about 20 miles, and my toosh was hurting really bad coz I was wearing regular shorts and not proper bike shorts with gel pads. I was really debating whether I should go further or take the train back home. But the idea of turning back did not feel good. So my friend Andy asked some fellow bikers on how the trail was until the end, and they encouraged us by saying that it was very easy and doable.

So I borrowed Andy's jacket and used it as my toosh-cushion and continued the ride.



From here until the finish, it was a breeze in terms of riding. Yes my butt did hurt, but other than that, everything was fine.

We passed by Discovery Park, which is spread across 300 acres, and where the American River meets the Sacramento River. There were lots and lots of people enjoying various activities in the park, which was a sight of delight!

We also saw a beach (which I never knew existed here) where folks were enjoying water activities and sun bathing.



At this point, we thought we had reached Old Town Sacramento, but it was nowhere in sight. I have been there several times before, but never via the bike trail, so we were kinda lost. We asked a guard about the directions and he said we had still 2 more miles to bike (phew!) before reaching Old Sac. So we pushed ourselves to get there, and met Joan (our bike trip lead) on the way. She had come looking for us (so nice of her :)).

We finally made it into Old Sacramento....and I felt soooooooooooooooo relieved!!!!

As you would imagine, I was starving by now. So I ordered a Farmers Market crepe with pesto, tomatoes, avocados and cheese - a classic Californian crepe....and enjoyed my meal outdoors on the patio with the bike parked on the side, while observing swarms of people strolling by and shopping around.

I could not resist buying a pound of salt water taffy from the candy store across the street before walking to the train station.

The 45-minute train ride back to Old Folsom was so relaxing....the ticket inspector came to check the tickets (which only happens once in a blue moon) - not once - but twice - the second time she didn't even ask for our ticket...just smiled and passed by :)

I would love to do this ride again with few more friends, and improve upon my time from my first attempt! Yes, I won't forget to buy a pair of good bike shorts before my next attempt :)

Here is a map of the trail in case you are interested:



My next trip this weekend is to the Channel Islands National Park in Southern California, where I am going to try sea kayaking for the very first time :)

I Love SUMMER and I Love CALIFORNIA!

Jungle Jim's International Market

I was visiting Cincinnati, Ohio a few weeks ago. My sister started her internship there with Proctor & Gamble so I had gone with her to help her settle down before she started work.

As is common with settling in any new place, we were running around shopping for things. A friend introduced us to this unique grocery store called "Jungle Jim's".

This place is a food lover's paradise. It has food and grocery available from all different parts of the world.

The store is huge. For first timers (like me), you definitely need a map for shopping around.

The first section we visited was the produce. I was amazed at the variety of fruits and vegetables available out there. I was seeing some fruits for the first time in my life :) And I found some Indian tropical fruits like lychee (which I bought) which are not readily available here in the US. We also saw all Indian vegetables and sugarcane available here.

Then we went to sections of grocery for each country. There was a rickshaw hanging up in the air (see pic below) in the Indian grocery section that caught one's eye right away. We spent more time in this section as we had stuff to buy, and I was amazed at all the stuff that was out there. You really don't need to go to an Indian store for your needs - nothing was missing.

Just like the Indian section, there were sections for all different countries like Spain, Italy, France, Greece, etc etc.

The store carries more than 40 varieties of rice and 78+ different olive oils. Almost all of the fine chocolates from different parts of the world are available here. I also found a variety of teas and coffees available.

The prices were also comparable to other stores in the area.



There was also one sooper cool section where they had little gadgets for day to day things - see the pictures below :)






Here is the link to the store in case you want to know more.

All in all, neat concept and a one stop shop for all your grocery needs :).

Do visit the store if you are in the area!!

Pictures from my backyard....

As most of you already know, I just moved into a new home which has a sooper cute backyard.

We are still unpacking boxes and settling in, but I've already started enjoying my backyard.

Here's is a picture of the first flower - a daffodil - in our backyard :)



And last nite, lightning lit up the sky in Sacramento area like fireworks. I have never experienced this kind of lightning in my entire life. It went on for more than 2 hours, and I was able to capture the image below :)



It was scary as well - 2 people were killed with the lightning and several homes lost power. So I was cautious but could not resist snapping a few pics :)

I am looking forward to planting roses and starting a small vegetable garden. I also want to plant a fruit tree - I've heard peaches and citrus (oranges, lemons) grow well in California.

This summer is going to be FUN!!!!

A fun quarterly event

My team at work had a quarterly team-building event today. Since the economy and hence our company is not doing too good, we decided to have a low cost quarterly.

What did we do?

We gathered at a park close to work, and played kickball and few other games.

We were about 18 people, and we decided to form the teams based on our birth dates. Odd number birthdays on one team, even birthdays on the other. Its a good way to do it - if you think about it - and we were able to form 2 teams of 9 people each :)

The weather was just sooper today - little cloudy, with pockets of sunshine and pleasant with a slight breeze.

Both the teams played a great game - the odd team won....and all of us got a great workout as well. Our group manager made a funny quote when he came to bat - "I don't have any skills, but I have guile :)".

We then moved on to play basketball, frisbie through the hula hoop, and then had BBQ lunch. The conversation at lunch was great - we talked about anything and everything EXCEPT work!!!!

Our last quarterly was planting trees at a middle school - and that was fun as well. We did it as part of a volunteering activity that our group had to do this year.

We typically spend a lot of money of quarterly team-builders. What struck me is that all of us had the MOST FUN at these last 2 events than the past events.

Sometimes it's not the amount of money you spend, but its the kind of activity you choose that makes a difference. There was so much interaction today amongst all of us, there was great team spirit...we were outdoors, and we got some exercise as well.

It was a great way to spend half a day with colleagues.

A big thanks to our admin for putting this together!!!! Looking forward to similar events in future.

I don't have pictures/videos yet, but I will post them as soon as I receive them from the team. Some of them will be hilarious and interesting :)