Wednesday, April 30, 2008

A getaway at Reno-Tahoe

Reno-Tahoe has always been a hotspot destination for us, mainly due to its easy accessibility added with the varied offering(where else can you get a mix of casino/snow-capped mountains/beaches/breathtakingly spectacular lake).

As for me it will always hold a special place as it was my first ever trip outside of the bay area, after landing in the US . However many times I have visited, the place never ceases to hold my interest. So last weekend the trip finally happened after 1-2 months of me dropping hints to hubby dear. Not that he is not bitten by the travel bug....on the contrary he would be the first one to pack his bags at the word "go". It is just that we had been stuck in our routine world doing the same mundane stuff.

Getting back to the trip. After much promises to the kids to make them see the snow before the seasons last snow melts we headed to destination reno-Tahoe. Each of us had our expectations. The weather seemed reasonably good. I wanted to see enough snow and also wanted it to be sunny and warm(much like having the cake and eating it too). My kids on their part imagined it to be magical white land where santa/christmas tree/reindeers coexist....thanks to watching the christmas barney over and over. That was their preparation for the trip :). V, had no expectations except to have a good time.

The drive estimated at 5 hours surprisingly took only 5 hours with brief stops in between. The casino circus-circus was good fun although we realised the kids are still a little young to enjoy the games. but whatever little time we spent was time well spent. The next day was destination Tahoe.

After a heavy breakfast(heavy for us...kids were just filled to the brim with excitement to bother about food) at the Casino we headed to Tahoe. Stopping in between to get some vista shots. We stopped at 2 beaches in between. There were some traces of snow covered with mud. My daughter couldn't believe snow could be this dirty and refused to walk anywhere near it.

Our plan was to go up the heavenly slope to see the much promised snow. It turned out to be a damp squib with the slope being closed due to high wind warnings. With no other option we headed to the hotel. That for my kids was the highlight of the day. They just prefered being inside and jumping on the bed. That for them was fun....even remarking in between "Tahoe is fun" Hello?? we didnt drive 300+ miles to be cooped up in the hotel room.
We packed up the kids and headed to another destination called "Emrald bay". Getting
back to the hotel the kids retired early and so did we, with nothing much to do.

Next day we were to drive back. We took a last shot at the heavenly slopes and voila!! the gondola's were functioning. so dressing the kids up in layers much to their resistance(my kids and dresses are a whole diff story. another blog reserved for this) we were up the gondola's(which are just like what you call winches). the kiddos though initially scared at the elevation later enjoyed the ride. We got to the first destination where we could see a lot of snow and clicks some pics but not touch the snow. The next spot was at a much higher elevation. This is where the snow activities happen like tubing/skiing etc.

As soon as we got there we were greeted with a wind chill. and my kids crying "Its cold Its cold lets go back." We could hardly hold them for 10 mins before heading down. overall it was a great experiance for them seeing snow for the first time. Next time hopefully we will be better prepared. With that we headed back to our home sweet home. Again made it in good time.

Good trip...looking forward to the next one!!!

Monday, April 28, 2008

Of dreams and nightmares...

Today my lil one Trisha came down sweaty and crying after her nightly nap. It was quite a surprise from her usual cheerful self. Most mornings I would be busy in the kitchen fixing the breakfast/lunch to take to work basically busy, my daughter would walk in thinking I haven't heard her. I would play along and surprise her!!!

I heard scream and cries. My first instinct was, that my daughters got into a fight. I gave it a minute to settle down before dropping everything and running up.

She quickly told me that there is an aunty hiding behind the closet who is trying to take her away. I tried reasoning with my 3 year old that she had seen a bad dream and how when you wake up the world is still beautiful as supp to be. trying to cite
Barney's example to make my point. in between my other lil one interjected asking "but what is the aunty's name"...hello there is no aunty. so after checking the rooms and re-assurance from me and V my daughter settled into her routine. Checking with me every 10 mins abt the non-existant aunty's existance.


I was left thinking, how much my 3 year olds are assimilating their environment and what we say. I concluded I'm partly to blame for the situation. Just yesterday, when I took my kids to the park, I noticed T branching away and following some big kid aimlessly. She has this fascination for kids older than her. I told her quite firmly that she needs to be aware of her surroundings and check where we are. Going on to explain that there may be some bad people who will take kids away so one needs to be very careful. Much like how we tell kids abt crossing the road.

Today I was left with thinking "oh oh....maybe I didnt put the point across correctly/I scared her a little too much. where should I have stopped".

After mulling over it for a while and going through the guilt trip I realised I did
what I thought was right. As a parent I have to tell them what is right/wrong even if it hurts. Maybe next time I'll dial it down a little but never am I going to not tell my kids as is and let them think everything is fine and has no consequences. I sure learnt a lesson today and I'm sure many more to come in the road to parenting.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

IPL Frenzy!!!

IPL is the toast of the town and why not....with all the buzz it has generated be it the merchandising/music/brand ambassadors/international players all in one package.

I think I myself, not being a sports enthusiast have started following cricket, more for the buzz factor than anything else. I'm just amazed at how much of the western influence has rubbed on on the good 'ol game of cricket, with franchising coming into play.

I used to have this discussion with V, abt sports in US and very plainly ask so how come xyz who belongs to state A or the west coast play for the east coast team...or soccer players traded off to a whole other country...how does it work!! It boils down to its all abt the moolah!!that was the discussion back then...but now I'm getting to see it being done on a much larger scale. With the nations bigwigs getting into the action, we are now being treated to a complete entertainment fest. With the likes of Mukesh Ambani, Vijay Mallya,priety zinta and Shahrukh you can't expect anything less.

One thing that struck me though I used to tell V that ppl in the US dont have the patience for long drawn sports(much like me) thats why cricket is not their cup of tea. As it turns out the 5 days soon gave way to the ODI to be replaced by 20-20. Much like the basketball matches are also watched intently for the halftime shows....the trend continues here too with music scores being composed and star brand ambassadors adding the glamour quotient. No one cares if the game is won or lost.

Another thing is abt the teams(rather the investors) bidding for team players. It almost looks like if A doesn't have the money the player gets purchased by B. The sheer magnitude of money being dished out has attracted some of the top international players to try their hands. so we have ganguly playing along side ponting or dhoni playing along side hayden.
It makes me wonder is India extremely cash rich when it comes to cricket....it is almost leaving all other sports in the the "Indian Poverty league"

I'm also not sure how this all effects the team psychie to be playing against each other and then play together during the ICC. The positive side of the IPL's as I see is each country can learn and benefit from the other countries skill, past experience and emerge as better teams.

Sure to say the 44 day event has lots to offer for a cricket frenzy nation. All we have to do is sit back and be treated to a paisa vasool show.

Its sad I dont get the IPL matches here. No guesses here...I'm rooting for the "Chennai super kings".

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Five point someone

This is my first attempt at book review. More than review it is an insight and the memories it bought back for me.

When I picked up the book it was for the buzz it had generated more than anything else. I was pleasantly surprised when I couldn't put the book down. I completed in in 1 weekend. It is a rare accomplishment these days, thanks to my kids.

The book is a light-hearted narrative about the life of three average guys at the Indian Institute of Technology . Stark and poignant points abt the current educational system bought out in a humorous satarical fashion....is what make the book a big hit.

The book starts with a disclaimer "This book is about what not to do at IIT". That is enought to get you started on the fun rollercoaster ride. For most of us who have gone thru the edu system in India, know for a fact that IIT'ians are held in the highest pedestal possible. My closest and only association with IIT, was venturing to write the entrance exam with no preparation whatsoever. Yup!! it was a day and age when parents wanted you to gain experience by taking the exam. I tried to reason that people prepare for years and tried citing waste of money...but all to fall in deaf ears. According to me even understanding the questions would need years of toiling so the 2 hours I spent in the exam hall, only I know. That was a sidetrack on my asso. with IIT.

Getting back to the book. The book is about 3 below average students Hari, Alok and Ryan. Thanks to the GPA system, their already below the mark scores are made to look even worse. The GPA's are a curse or a boon I'm not here to comment. But let's just say the peer pressure, memorization, bureaucracry, being slotted does take the fun out of learning and does get to you!!

So it did for the 3 characters who were slapped with the lowest GPA's after the very
first assignment, only to be pushed into a bottomless pit of woes. Thus, started their 4 years of adventure at IIT and trying to beat the system, work around the system, or just survive it.The author has managed to etch out 3 exceptional characters in this book.

Alok --> with a lot of responsibilities to shoulder, his main aim is to get thru IIT
with flying colours and land a well paying job. He potrays the stereotypical, obedient son who could cry at the drop of a hat(ha ha that part was fun and well exagerated). All that was until he met Hari and Ryan.

Ryan --> Rebel with a cause. often there is one category of people who would question anything and everything and waiting to break the rules. Ryan is just that.

Hari --> somewhere in between the 2 extremes. Can be easily swayed to fit in either categories. He is potrayed to be pretty much neutral throughour the book. But then again it is his narrative. I think of the 3 characters I would relate to Hari's character the most. While I try to do the right things in the right space and time....there is a rebelious streak in me which wants me to just get out of the mold and have fun.

The book for me brought back so many memories. The friendship's....the kind of buddies you only find in college(your partners in crime), going through crushes, the adrenaline rush you get the night before the exams. the flutter of activities and the buzz during assignments....photocopying notes.....and so many more.