Friday Fragments - for the first time!

Inspired by fellow blogger at The Misadventures of Mub, I have started the Friday Fragments for the first time. It is a cool weekly feature initiated by Half - Past Kissin' Time which sort of recaps the past week's highlights. A neat way to keep track of life, I thought! :)

So here goes my week's highlights:

---) I finally completed my looong time on going crochet project. A simple scarf which I managed to mess up half through and had to undo all the way back and again knit it. I was so excited when I completed this, I tried it out several times even while the sun was shining ever so brightly :). Am thinking what to make next!

---) Being a new driver, I avoid driving on my own through highways as much as possible. After a strong pep talk from my husband and carefully tracing out a route which takes the highway for only few minutes, I managed to make it on my own for a needed car repair! Phew!

---) I joined swimming lessons. Again! It was oddly satisfying to see grown up people who all have some sort of water phobia and have hence not learnt swimming so far. Lets see if I get it this time around.

---) The weather changed dramatically from mid week here in NJ. It was as if the sun got bored and said a sudden brisk good bye. From turning the air-conditioning on one night, to taking out our warm blankies the next night, the "brrrrr.." season begins.

---) After some back and forth thoughts I finally started volunteering at the local library here. Just for a change. The lady there said while showing me how to label books that she found it therapeutic. And then she took me to a big stack of about 500 books. Ahem! Therapeutic, I don't know. Mind numbing, yes! :)

---) I have realized my favorite hangouts in general are two sorts of places - libraries and coffee shops (not the Dutch kind!). There is this cozy, warm, fuzzy feeling about them. After a wonderful Chai Tea Latte, me and hubby just took a walk along the Hudson river to this beautiful view of NYC skyline (above). Small pleasures are the best!

Anyone interested in joining Friday Fragments, please click at the button below! Thank you Mrs. 4444.

Hurircane Irene came and went

Hurricane Irene towards the east coast

"But, why?? you are preparing as if its war time" said my husband controlling his laughter when I told him that we would need to add a transistor to our hurricane shopping list. As he hung up the phone, I could snatch a bit of what he was telling his colleague "Man, my wife is freaking out watching CNN...." :)

Hurricane Irene came out of no where and forced us all to be at home last weekend. With 24x7 coverage on several news channels claiming that even the New York Stock Exchange would be closed, I was expecting something in lines of the movie "The Day After Tomorrow". We shopped extensively and am now quite familiar with the hurricane emergency kit: bottled water, torch and batteries, candles, food supplies, some medicines, filling up gas in the car and a transistor (The NJ Governor said we may need to listen to news when there is a power outage - then, of course we need to!). And thank God, we live above ground level. Oh yeah! We were all ready for the vicious Irene to hit us. My husband's only interest (apart from lazing around most of the two days spent at home) was on getting a day off on Monday.  Alas, the vicious category 3 hurricane Irene turned into a wimpy tropical storm as it hit NJ (No no, I am happy about it, really!).

We were fast asleep as it poured its worst rains on us and in the morning we got up to see even some sun shining on us. :). Better luck next time Irene! After resisting this intense urge to get out on Sunday itself, we all left to NYC on Monday (with a more than eager guest who also spent two looooong days watching the rains from our home), hoping that the city would be less crowded this one time. Ya..like that would ever happen...NYC was as crazy as always.

Hats off to the government though for carrying out such extensive precautionary measures! While a few felt that they overdid it, I think its always better to be safe than sorry. 

What it takes to be an Indian

Who is a true Indian? (photo link)

While living abroad one often wonders about their true identity. Initially you feel alien in the foreign land but after some time you begin to feel alien even in your own country, until you get to this middle fuzzy place where one learns to take things as they come. Being originally from quite a conservative city in India, the stark differences between my past and the western world are not lost upon me. But I have come to accept them in a healthy way. 

I have always wondered though, what children of Indian origin, born and  brought up in the western world go through. How do they create their identity and which way would they/their parents prefer to go - the traditional Indian school way or the much modern western way? 

Bharatanatyam - a traditional Indian dance form (photo link)

A few days back we attended an "Arangetram" (graduation from an Indian dance form) in NJ. I am not really a big fan of the dance form as such, but decided to go for some cultural enrichment (plus the free food!). The young girl gave a dance performance for 3 hours! The event was so well organized and the dance so well performed that  for some time I forgot I live in the US. I have seen several Indian kids here who are so much more culturally proficient of the Indian ways that I wouldn't stand a chance in front of them knowledge wise. Ever! 

It leads me to this interesting question though - who is a true Indian (or put your own country here)?

1. One who lives in India (whether he likes it or not) - manages to survive; the common man who is bringing the country forward, or

2. An Indian origin person living anywhere as long as he wants to and tries to identify himself/herself with the country, sometimes much more than a regular citizen (but possibly shall never step into the land of cows), or

3. The blessed people who live in and love the desi (slang for Indian) ishtyle. 

Does your mouth water when you think of samosa or gulab jamun? Do you get into fainting fits when you look at Shahrukh Khan or Aishwarya Rai? Did your blood boil as the Indian cricketers lost against England in the recent test match? Have you changed your facebook profile picture to support Anna Hazare (the man claimed to be the next Gandhi)? Nah! that doesn't really prove anything. I think the answer is much simpler than that. Just ask yourself where you are from. No matter where your were born and raised and where you live currently you know where your heart wishes to be.

If your answer is:

1. India - True Indian (you love/swear/laugh/cry all at once when you think of India) 

2. Ahem well, I love all countries - Hippindian (Hare Krishna Hare Ram! Peace out!)

3. India is great, but I just love it out here/there - People of Indian origin (best of both worlds or confused desi?)

4. Man, this whole planet sucks, I would rather live in Mars - Beware these types. We suspect them to be actual aliens. (Run!)