Kreativ Blogger Award

Thanks a bunch to C.B.Wentworth for awarding this to me. When I first read her post on Kreativ blogger award, I did not know what it was. I clicked on the blogger who passed it on to her. I then understood how encouraging the blogger community is. This is the greatest support anyone can give to us bloggers to keep up with our creative muses. There have been many times when I see such wonderful posts/photos from fellow bloggers that I feel I should stop posting. But then I take a positive attitude & am inspired by them to hone my skills. I love writing & photography and blogging is a fun place to be.

Here are a few things that you need to do when you are awarded the Kreativ Blogger,
1) Thank and link back to the awarding blog
2) Answer the following 7 questions.
3) Provide 10 random factoids about yourself.
4) Pass it on to 7 deserving blogs

Q & A

1. What’s your favorite song? – There are so many. Music just brightens up my day. Especially hindi movie songs .
2. What is your favorite dessert? – Chocolate Tuxedo Cream Cheese Cake at Cheesecake factory.
3. What do you do when you’re upset? – I try to calm myself which takes a lot of effort.
4. Which is your favorite pet? – I never had pets growing up. May be sometime in future as my husband is fond of Huskies.
5. Black or white? – Depends. For example, I would always choose Black over white for a car.
6. What is your biggest fear? – Being under water I guess.
7. What is your attitude, mostly? – Try to find positive in every situation.
   

10 Random Facts

1. I am ambidextrous.
2. I love listening to music while cooking.
3. I Watched Matrix reloaded with my younger brother & his friends.
4. I feel cutting veggies is like meditating. You really need to give all your attention .
5. Sometimes when I am stressed, I hit the wall in my head. Hope this makes sense.
6. I try to scare my husband when he comes home from work. It is so much fun.
7. After getting married, I found cooking to be very creative and refreshing.
8. I can watch TV whole day.
9. I can be in a group & not know what everyone is talking about.
10. And last but not the least, I try not to burn my toast everyday .

7 Amazingly Kreativ Blogs:

For me these are the most inspiring blogs as well.

1. http://smithiesshutter.wordpress.com
2. http://my91yearoldmom.wordpress.com
3. http://lakesidelane.wordpress.com
4. http://saltandserenity.com/
5. http://1001scribbles.wordpress.com
6. http://thelonelywalkers.wordpress.com/
7. http://heartofthewestcoast.com

Clouds are more beautiful from above

Taking an early morning flight to St. Louis was quite fun. It was a short 1 hour flight with a view like below. Doesn’t flying early sound exciting now?

Jellies at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium

Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium became a home to these Jelly fish last summer. I wanted to photograph them from a long time. Finally, I was able to visit the aquarium once again with my cousin & his wife who came to see us from NJ. Look how beautiful they are.

A Sagittarius Stamp!

What do you do when you see a stamp with your sun sign? You post it….Online .

Camera comes before Coffee ;)

Photography is addictive..you just want to take a picture of everything you see..for example the instant coffee powder that I spilled today…I looked at it, placed the cup in microwave & ran for my camera .

Finally…I was able to capture lightning..YES!

The title says it all. Here are the pictures. Apologies for the shaken ones. And thanks to my brother for gifting the DSLR..this would not have been possible without it .

Graduation

Last weekend I attended my old roommates graduation ceremony. It was a nostalgic feeling as I was setting foot on my university grounds after 3 years & that too on the G-Day. My parents had flown all the way from India for my graduation ceremony in 2009. In India we do not have a graduation ceremony. So, it was a big event. Another reason was I had completed my post-graduation. First girl in my family to achieve a masters degree in US. All thanks to my parents & grandparents. Now, when I think of their support & decision to send me miles across the world for education, my proud heart beats louder. I admire their love, courage & trust more than ever. I owe it to them.

There are many big moments in life like this but small moments are the ones that we cherish the most. Like, the time when I asked my grand mother & father if it was okay for me to go to US for studies & they said yes. The time when my mother & father wore my graduation cap & smiled like new graduates. The time when my brother received my graduation folder & read the message I had inscribed for him. And last but not the least, when my husband & I stood together in front of the camera as graduates & let our caps fly . These were the moments that describe my grad day. What were yours?

Congratulations!! class of 2012.

My food from past 5 days

Are you thinking that I am dieting…see the pic again . I love food..n the reason behind this is…wisdom tooth extraction. Yes..a month ago I went to dentist for a toothache. Turns out I had an infection in one of the wisdom tooth. It was a family dental clinic & the doctor referred me to a specialist for that particular tooth removal. So..infection gone..one month passed & here I was at the specialist’s clinic with my Husband. Yes, my sweet husband accompanied me to the dentist. I filled the usual forms & was called in by the assistant doctor. She examined by teeth & put up the panoramic x-ray on the screen when the doctor entered. I was embarrassed at the picture of my teeth. I was very lazy in brushing & never took care of my teeth as a child. Upon that the addiction of sugar runs in my family. Hence, I got tooth problems from 6th grade onwards. I hate going to a dentist. Tooth pains are like hell. And believe me the wisdom tooth extraction pain is number one on the charts. Anyways, back to my dentist visit, after examining the x-ray, I was suggested to remove all four of my wisdom teeth in one sitting. First I thought the doctor had gone paranoid or may be I was hearing wrong. But he said most of the people go for multiple extractions because all the pain & mess would be over in one go. I thought about it but was adamant on getting only one tooth removed. He told me to sit outside for a while, while they provided the cost of surgery. This is the system in US. So, I went outside & my husband thought the task was finished. I told him about the whole extraction suggestion scenario & my decision (I felt good about it). Little did I know that he would be taking the doctors’ side. I had to listen to him as he had already gone through the whole process. Finally, I was convinced to get all the four teeth pulled out. Again, I found myself sitting in the now surgery room (it was same as examination room, only some more equipment). My mouth was injected 10 times with analgesic and was free of all wisdom teeth in few minutes. I was hardly awake to bid good bye to them. Feeling sleepy, I sluggishly trailed out behind the assistant doc towards my hubby. He held me tight whole way home. I know it was just a tooth surgery, but someone banging metal instruments in your mouth to remove a few teeth is not fun. Now, you know the story behind this diet of mine. You too will someday be feeding on these frozen & cool food items. Until then, savor thy food .

Bon Appétit!

Good Luck Plant

My mom loved having plants around the house. I remember how excited she used to be when one of her loving nieces would bring a small plant to keep in our windows. We had a box grill attached to our window which would hold anything . She herself would go buy one & nurture it every day. I am not an avid plant lover but I love greenery like my mom. Well I like many things my mom used to like. Here is my first plant gifted to me in 2010. There is a short story behind this gift. You see, people say a good luck plant should never be bought for oneself. It should be a gift. So, here we (my aunty & I) were in an Ikea store and both wanted to buy this plant in front of us. So, finally we decided we would buy it for each other. It has travelled homes & states since then .

Rejuvenating Splashes

The lake had been calling me from past 3 days. It was yesterday evening that I decided to step out after a hectic day with only 15 mins of lunch break. My eyes were tired from looking at the computer screen from past 8 hours. I left my apartment & immediately felt alive as fresh air rushed through me. Looking at the green trees & the sky made my eyes feel refreshed & relaxed. I walked past the old houses besides high-rise apartments, bus stops on lake shore drive & passing through the tunnel came out to a vigorous looking lake. The waves looked as high as 5 feet and it was a mesmerizing site. Don’t believe me? Look at the pictures below. Apologies for the poor photos. Wish I had my SLR with me .

Have a Great Weekend!!