Foto Fridays - Week 15

Ok... this is a "Foto Fridays" post meant for last Friday but being drafted on a Wednesday.

Last 10 days have been a topsy-turvy ride. New assignment, new people, new location, new responsibilities.

There were a lot of activities which made me creep at snail's pace to post regular snaps for the monthly challenge. But October Photo-A-Day Challenge is a wrap ! :)

October Photo-A-Day Challenge

Day 20. 4 'o clock

Moving to a new city is not an easy job. And I have exceled at the job of packing and unpacking (if I may say so). This relocation will always remain memorable for LP and me as we had just over a day to pack up the entire house and send it for shipping. I think we did a good job. :)

Day 21. Calm

Driving away to a new city with new possibilities.

Day 22. In my town

In the new city, the restaurant I visited this day had a wall adorned with abstract art.

Day 23. The view from here

My new office has running escalators all through the day to help people to commute to the other floors. This is what it looks like from up here.

Day 24. Weather

The climate is changing. So its shorter colder days filled with gloomy rain or its' brighter beautiful days like below.

Day 25. People

These miniatures are hand-carved by an artist of ancient times and arranged for exhibit at the local arts museum.

Day 26. Listening to

Old classics on my iPhone.

Day 27. Morning

Today was a lovely day after all the rain we had yesterday and being my first weekend in the new city.

Day 28. Looking back

Painting has been a long lost hobby since childhood and I am trying to revive it back these days. Looking back I remember the different kinds of paints, oils and material I had as a child.

Day 29. Moon

The moon looked like it was posing for me today. Clear sky and a amateur background.

Day 30. Clothes

At the end of the day, this is how my recliner looks like. Strewn with clothes. Living out of suitcases is hard. :-(

Day 31. Whatever you please

View of a painting hung in the hotel room.

Foto Fridays - Week 14

This past week was quite eventful. But I will share more about it in another post. :)

And as always clicking pics on Instagram is my stress-buster time.

Take a look at the last week's themes and clicks.

October Photo-A-Day Challenge

Day 13. Landscape

I had posted earlier on my recent trip to Door County, Wisconsin.
You can find it here. Door County had many scenic locales to offer and here is one of my umpteen clicks.

Day 14. Makes you laugh - My friend's son - Adi

This chap always has me in splits each time I try to click a perfect snap of me and him. Although he wiggles like a worm in my arms, at the end of it all I get a beautiful snap.

Day 15. Dinner Time

I miss my mom's homemade south-indian delicacies. She makes them the best.

Until I reach her level, my culinary experiments will be tested by hubby (rather "on" my hubby) :-P Today's special - colacassia curry and potato fry.

Day 16. Something you wrote

We went to the local art museum earlier today. I came across few inspiring quotes in their gift shop. The best of the lot was this -

Day 17. Fruit

I am "not" a fruit person. I know I should work on this a tad bit more than ever considering how many benefits it would have on my health.

Day 18. Made you smile today

LP and I have been reminiscing more about our stay in US and the various ups and downs we faced till now. Each time we bring up a memory, we end up smiling. :)

Day 19. Letters

At the local departmental store, I am always on the look-out for small purchases which add a great value. One such purchase was this wall sticker which adorns our hall. It reads - "FAMILY - where life begins and love never ends."



If you wish to follow my snaps on Instagram, you can find me at @gomzy_nair. 

You can also find my pictures on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/momentsilike.

Foto Fridays - Week 13

The photo themes on Instagram were interesting this week. 

And I hope this post for Foto Fridays turns out interesting too... :)

October Photo-A-Day Challenge

Day 6. I'm thankful for ... 
For being able to to live this moment and appreciate these beautiful sights of nature. This shot was taken in Door County, Wisconsin from the trip last week.

Day 7. Light - This sunset shot is the view from my drawing room. 

Day 8. Angle
From where I was seated while watching this Indian movie on my new projector and speaker system. :)

Day 9. Red
Found many of such lights atop my head at this American Chinese restaurant after enjoying a movie with LP

Day 10. Emotion
I am all smiles when it comes to driving and listening to good music. 

Are you ?

Day 11. Something close-up
A picture of the coffee table book of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. while I read and admire it :)

Day 12. On the table
A yummy chocolate dessert from Cinnabon

If you wish to follow my snaps on Instagram, you can find me at @gomzy_nair. 

You can also find my pictures on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/momentsilike.

Do tell me if you like my snaps. :) 

Travel Diaries : Door County, Wisconsin (Part II)

After the Green Bay sightseeing ended at Saturday noon, we continued the remaining of the journey with LP behind the wheel. 

We reached Door County in 1.5 hours to view the "Pumpkin Patch" festival. With Halloween just around the corner, this festival mainly boasts of the different arrangements of pumpkins using creative themes. 

Our first photo stop, even before admiring the pumpkins, was the "The Village of Egg Harbor Marina" which docked countless yachts. A beach set perfectly on Lake Michigan - the chilly winds, the calm waters and swaying trees called for the ideal snaps.

On a perfect summer day, you could easily walk down the beach, sit on a reclining chair and enjoy reading your book with a cold drink. Or even better, go sailing on the lake.

Also saw this interesting dummy who sat fishing by the lake. ;-)

Hungry and cold, by this time, we stopped for popcorn and some hot corn sticks. Yum !

The place was filled with people and looked like a lively fair. There were rides for kids, candy stops, music, crowd, dancing, pubs... not to mention unique pumpkin patches. Two themes caught my attention - the "Angry Birds" theme (photo below) and "Different Flags" theme (which had each pumpkin painted as a different European country flag").

Next stop was Peninsula State Park located at Fish Creek, Door County. This magnanimous state park has lots of offer - camping grounds, biking trails, walking trails, a beach by Lake Michigan, parks for kids, an American amphitheater and most importantly - nature at its best. As we drove further and further into the park, our cell phone networks disappeared into oblivion. The 1 hour that we spent there, it felt as the perfect way to de-stress and lose connect with the rest of the world.

Proceeding to the end of evening, we quickly stopped at Eagle Tower - an observatory tower, built in 1914, which shows the entire Michigan shoreline. It was freezing cold at the top of this 75-foot tower, so we took some hasty snaps and descended.

Before starting back from the state park, we alighted once last time to click some more snaps.

The evening ended on a perfect note with some good Indian dinner at Bombay Sweets, Milwaukee. 

So, tell me, when was the last time you spent a day with nature and relaxed without your cell phone ? 

How does it feel to leave all technology for a day ? 

Travel Diaries : Green Bay, Wisconsin (Part I)

LP and I were planning this trip for quite some time but because our friends could not make it, we decided to put it off. However, last Friday, last minute plans were made. 

Mr. Anna visited us from Cincinnati, Ohio and that brought along enough excitement to explore the destination. 

Truly, it was a day filled with sightseeing and nature. Green Bay and Door County, famous sports and tourist spots, are located in Wisconsin. The major highlights, going on at this time of the year, is the National Football League games and the beautiful sights nature has to offer with autumn colors.

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Early Saturday, after a sumptuous Indian breakfast from home, we started for Green Bay. It's a 2-hour drive from Milwaukee. The journey up was so relaxing - thanks to lots of conversations between LP, Anna and our friend couple on telephone - Romeo & Juliet. Revived so many fun moments of the group... And when it comes to remembering our gang, I always digress .... ;-)

The onward drive had lots of breath-taking views to offer. The long and comfortable roads, clean blue skies, less vehicles on the move and hues of nature on either sides are a treat for the eyes ! Add to that, blaring loud music, 3 amateur singers with me steering the wheel - and you have a new definition for fun. :-)

As the name goes, Green Bay is home to the professional football team - Green Bay Packers. 

Our first stop was to visit LP's home - where he stayed since he relocated from Cincinnati 5 months ago. A serene view, the apartment is located amidst peace and quietness. I have visited the place couple of times before and the best thing I liked was the cozy atmosphere of a home.

After a quick coffee at Starbucks, our next stop was the famous stadium - Lambeau Field. The stadium and avenue are dedicated to 2 former players, later famous and long standing coaches - Curly Lambeau and Vince Lombardi. It's a fabulous structure and stands proof of the craziness fans must experience during football games. 

Vince Lombardi

Curly Lambeau

 A section of the interior is also dedicated to the previous championship victories and the sports merchandise. There are official stadium tours and you can see the guides who speak to their batches of visitors at length of their home team and it's achievements. 

I got to see children of ages 4-6 yrs touring the venue with the families wearing the iconic Green Bay Packers jerseys and T-shirts. A common sight even back home at India, it is amazing to see how kids are instilled to follow the great legends of the sport right from childhood.

Stay tuned to read Part-II of this post continuing with Door County, Wisconsin.

So, tell me, which sport do you follow ? And who is your favorite sports idol ? 

Foto Fridays Again

It's been quite a while since "Foto Fridays".

I have been taking a lot of pictures on my phone and though I am not posting it here, it's definitely going up on Instagram.

It feels like a whole new world at Instagram. There are plenty to things to say, share and show - all through a picture. You can also add some amazing effects to your picture to enhance the look and feel.

Currently, there is a monthly photo challenge for October hosted by Fat Mum Slim. Everyday has a specific theme and you need to post one picture that best describes the theme. You can find it here.

I have been participating in her monthly challenges since June 2012 and must admit, it's a lot of fun.

So, starting now, I am going this use this space to show you my Instagram pictures on a weekly basis.

Let me know what you think of them. :-)

October Photo-A-Day Challenge

Day 1. Where you stood
On weeknights I am usually standing in the kitchen making dinner.  

Day 2. Lunchtime

Today's lunch featured an Indian dish. Popularly called "Makki dee roti aur saag" - this is a specialty from Punjab. 



Day 3. This happened today
LP and I went for an evening stroll today. The street lights, the long walk and the chilly atmosphere called for a perfect relaxation.



Day 4. What you read 
Currently reading "Write your Heart Out" by Rebecca McClanahan. 



Day 5. Shadow
Being a modular type, my kitchen lets me be part of the drawing room conversations when guests come over :) Here you see the shadow of the walls cast into the drawing area.

Stepping out of my comfort zone...

I have been away. Feels like a really long time. I haven't been writing at all and there are no excuses. The last post I wrote was two and half months ago. 

• Did I just take a holiday break ?
• Did I run out off ideas on what to write about ? 
• Did I lose interest in my life which made me stop blogging, reading, connecting with friends ? 

The answer is no. When I retrospect and check how my time was spent in the last few months, all I can think of is just the amount of work I did.

Three months ago, life was all well. 

• Work was going good. 
• The client was happy with my performance. 
• I had the same routine of going to work, returning home, catching up with friends, outdoor sports, plan outings.
• In short, my lifestyle was the same as it was six months ago.

The most important thing missing was my LP. As mentioned in an earlier post, LP had to relocate to a new location - Green Bay, Wisconsin. I couldn't join him due to the current project I was part of then. 

But things looked positive after that as I got a new assignment in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The fork in the road came when I had to choose 1 of the available job role options - 

1. Keep doing what I was good at - Same old role as before.
2. Grab the opportunity and go for the challenge - New role, new responsibilities, career growth.

I went for the 2nd option. It did make me wonder if it was the right choice. But didn't have to worry about that because my life did take a swift and sharp turn after that. :) 

• With the new assignment came with a new job role meaning important and many more responsibilities.
• Home re-planning which meant search for hotel stays / decent apartments and what not. 
• Relocating to a new place which meant loads of packing, unpacking and setting up.

Moving has always been an emotional experience for me. It has never been any easy moving from 1 temporary place to another. A mere hotel room of 10 days itself causes a slight turbulence in me, let alone a home of a year. Suddenly, all the occasions, get-togethers, moments come flashing into your mind as memories and every corner of the home turns special. 

So the last few months have been a lot of relocation activities. And man, is it a lot of work !!! Luckily for me, this activity was staged over 2 months. Hence, physical stress was the least known when it came to packing. 

Work-wise too, I felt on the top of the world. My new office was situated in the heart of the Milwaukee city surrounded by plush buildings and landmarks. Things were just settling in.

But when it rains, it pours. In particular, the last month and a half has been the worst. Deadlines, new client expectations, never-ending conference calls and erratic working times took a toll on my health. My day used to start at 7 AM and finish at 1 AM the following day. 

Life has an unusual way to tell you that it is time to stop dying and start living. Week before my birthday, things turned better at work and there was never a welcoming change as this before. Finally I have the time to return to my books, my blog and what not.

Looking back, I wonder if stepping out my comfort zone was the best thing to do. There is a learning curve with every new venture and I personally believe this transition is very much needed before the required focus-shift. 

Today, I am relaxed. Pretty much like how I was few months ago. Now I can equally concentrate on work and home. 

What would have been your choice in my situation - "stepping out of your comfort zone" or "doing a routine job"?

Friday, the 13th

Are you superstitious? Do you fear the number 13? Was there any special incident / accident which you may have faced on a Friday, 13th?

To start with, let me tell you - I am a firm believer of superstitions. Born into an Iyer (South-Indian) household where traditions and principles rule the roost, superstitions are followed as an integral part. And I am proud of my beliefs. I feel thrilled & curious to investigate the reason for a superstition's existence.

But I don't go overboard. :)

There are people I know who are superstitious in every step they take. And yet others who laugh at others' beliefs. I believe everyone has a personal choice whether to follow rules or not, and we should respect that than ridicule it.

I wrote this post for my earlier blog 5 years ago. Today early morning, I went back to this post and enjoyed reading it. Totally a nostalgic moment... !

Pardon me my amateur writing ;) Read on...

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Does this date ring a bell in your mind? Well, if it doesn't then lets find out through a hint. Imagine that you get up today, all fresh and raring to go, ready to face any challenge, take on the world come what may......but unexpectedly, things fall out of place every time you thought - "Today's a wonderful day!!!".

Like for example, while you are about to the leave the house some one ends up sneezing behind your back, the moment you step out of the house, a black cat crosses your path, by the time you see the cat and admire its beauty, you have already walked under a construction ladder by mistake and most importantly you realise suddenly that, all through the earlier activities, your left eye hasnt stopped twitching even for a moment. :)

Your thought must have transited from "What a wonderful day!!" to "What a bad day!!". If not, then it must have definitely transited when you missed your bus to the office, and couldn't take the train because they got canceled as a result of the surprising heavy downpour today (Mind you, it has not been raining at all for the past 3-4 days and Mother Nature thought - Which other day than today!!!). That's when you also realise that you needed to be in office on time today because you had to attend a very important meeting. You reach the office 2 hours late because of this confusion only to realise that your boss is searching for you (Man, you better have a good explanation for coming late - obviously you cant tell him that you "MISSED" the bus).

Well, that was a starter to what today must have looked like 'cause today's the day any layman would fear. And even if you are not superstitious when things go topsy-turvy around you, you definitely remember the date and blame it on the calendar. :)

I didn't have a bad day as such but yes the moment I set my eyes on the morning paper flashing articles on 'Friday - the 13th....', I knew I had to feel conscious. Leaving my house 5 mins later than the usual time cost me a few more rupees to reach the bus-stop after the start location (you must have guessed that I was on the verge of missing it). But I think I was the winner in the race against time and made it to my destination before the bus reached there (whew...that was close). Once I was in the bus, my usual routine of reading the newspaper started, catching up on all the events around the world as well as the gossip of the celebrities.

It was not too long before I realised that I need to close the window beside me because it had started raining. I went for it using my left hand as my right hand was busy holding the current page of the newspaper, my mobile phone and my headphones. As I started pulling the window towards my end, I should have realised my thumb was going in for a toss. I rammed the window so hard that my thumb was squashed between the window and the sill. Didnt take long to feel the excruciating pain pass through the finger to my arm. The instantaneous formation of a green clot was proof of that. :) Let me also tell you that experiencing the pain knowing that you can't shriek or scream in a bus full of people is even more easy.

The day at work was no different. Immediate tasks wanting closure were hovering over my head. And there was no sign of completion. I should admit I had almost started cursing the date and the Gregorian calendar when I thought - "Maybe it's not the fault of my stars, probably it's the way I'm thinking. We conclude that every small thing that goes wrong today is because of the date."

I shook my head and said - "It's not the date that is unlucky. I am just too hung up with the superstition that was stopping me from thinking normally." I cross-checked my pending tasks again and with the help of my colleagues, I was able to complete them.

My team leader, impressed with the work asked us to leave early for the day, and here I am writing this update for the day. Have to start a new day tomorrow and please no comparisons there saying it's Saturday, the 14th. :)

And hey, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" released today, now that can't be unlucky right?
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Oh yes... I didn't miss that Harry Potter movie ;))

So tell me, do you have any good / bad experiences with this date ?