applebee's..

   Lunch at applebees on sunday...I thought of spending some time with family so decided to have lunch here ...also had an opportunity since my son recieved an award from school as a star Kid.. being an acedemic honor student in school and recieving a token of gift from applebee...

The food I ordered, a chicken barbeque sandwhich ,with fries and my husband ordered for some chicken rolls ..were absolutely lousy ..it was very dry and hard the fries were some what good... crisp ..seasoned ..but sandwhich with smoke flavour .. was like a smell of skunk ... yuck...

The server was a young boy ,with his different kinda accent ..little bit confused laughing for no apparent reason... Usually I like applebee as their food is good but ..my whole opinion changed ..as to what I ate today.... I had also ordered some mozzarella sticks as appetizer ..which were rubbery..absolutely useless... only the kids meal was good..fried chicken strips .. which I liked.. and kids enjoyed it too .. which was free gift from school..

I think tgi friday is much better place with good food and ambiance ....but I dont understand one thing,why its always dark in all restaurants ..diffused lighting I mean ..some times I think I might fall on someone if I am not careful ...

This overall experience of applebee ..was awful!!

Day after thanks giving...

barely minimum sleep.... may be four to five hours everyday..it was very hectic ,as this week we had lot of festivities around ..thanks giving was main event..with loads of cooking at home ..eating lot of stuff ...seems like there is no other work..and then to shop very next day!! Stores open for black Friday sale at 4 AM.. sales papers were delivered on thanksgiving night, showed up some huge sales..I went through some papers ..took a note for the best sales and stores ..we need to target...Target store was first one at 7 in the morning.. no place for parking and no carts available for shopping ..total madness as if everything is free.. long lines to check out..I took couple of things but didn't want to wait for an hour in the line..but thankfully line moved very fast and we were done in few minutes.. I could see people spending money like crazy ..keepin credit cards in their hands.. a black gurl ahead of me..for checkout ..swiped her card and it declined as no money was there ,she then payed some cash and left rest of her shopping behind..So much desperation for so little ..stuff... Jc penny another store ..where I go more often..for appliances ..saw a small pressure cooker just $4 (5quarts),me with mom( mother-in law)we laughed at the price ..a hand blender for $3 ..kinda amazing or a pop up toaster for $15.. are good prices to shop.. Best buy had put up Acer laptops for $129....but it was finished by 6am ..in the morning.....people slept in the cars very night to get hold of them...All electronic stores were done before 6 AM..
Every year I see this kind of madness and decide not to go next year,but when black friday sales come up..I am all set to shop..!!!

Good morning..

Its quarter to ten.. thankgivin eve ..I am at home.. got up at 9..am nice and fresh ,checking my mail ,messages from friends on face book and orkut... some of the scraps are too good..they just fill your day with love and happiness...so I decided to send somethin back in the form of scrap...some quotes..some pictures and some jokes... ...

Facebook... where there are thirty requests ..for friendship...I showed this to my hubby last night ,,he laughed ..at me sayin.."You are in a position now to reject friends"..I don't understand .. where these people are coming from??? even after ignoring the request it is sent again...some fake ids..those who think themselves to be very smart!!!!
Modesty on face book is missing ,even though the corporate now checks your face book profile for interviews or references ..Recently I came to a profile as referred by my Dad,to check the gurl out as they were looking for a bride for our cousin..I went to her profile..the gurl was wearing strapless dress holding a glass of drink and smiling to the world... Dad standin next to me said this is the gurl from delhi..an MBA...HR manager in gurgoan...I didn't say much about her ..since this gurl might be a bride in my in-laws family...
But then we wanted to confirm ..about the girl, so we called up our relatives in delhi and ..it was another girl of same name,thankfully with same profession..with a decent picture in profile...
..I think India is far ahead .. growing up too fast or may be..I am in a time freeze..
Many of my friends who visit India come back with a shock of culture and purchasing power..
Seems like people have money to burn...recently my aunt was on vacation here to US...every year we have relatives coming in summers ..to spend vacation here..and I am surprised the shopping they do..here in US... and then they pay extra to carry a baggage to India not considering the conversion fact...
but where is this money coming from????
..

positive thinking...

Do you feel that people and situations have let you down? Quite obviously, you are down in the dumps. But don't hover on these bad thoughts.....Positive thinking is the key to your survival. Stay positive and think happy thoughts.
Here are a few quotes that will pep you up......

Abraham Lincoln ....Most folks are about as happy as they make up their mind to be......

Thomas Edison ....Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

Dr. Joyce Brothers .....Success is a state of mind. If you want success, start thinking of yourself as a success.

Mahatma Gandhi ....A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.

Norman Vincent Peale.....Change your thoughts and you change your world.

Dale Carnegie....... If we think happy thoughts, we will be happy. If we think miserable thoughts, we will be miserable.

Henley....... I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.

Henry Ford ....Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right.

Winston Churchill.... A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

Oprah Winfrey .....Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.

T. S. Eliot.....Keep true, never be ashamed of doing right; decide on what you think is right and stick to it.

Henri Matisse....... There are always flowers for those who want to see them.

Robert H. Schuller.....It takes but one positive thought when given a chance to survive and thrive to overpower an entire army of negative thoughts.

Bill Meyer.....Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don't count on harvesting Golden Delicious.

Ellen Glasgow........ No life is so hard that you can't make it easier by the way you take it.

Hubert Humphrey......Oh, my friend, it's not what they take away from you that unts. It's what you do with what you have left.

Susan Longacre ......Reach for the stars, even if you have to stand on a cactus. ..

Suggested reading.. "The Secret"
This book I have read number of times ,every time I read it helps me to come up as a different person ......a positive approach to life ,self motivated..shows me a clear path ..where I stand and where I wannabe..

Thanks giving!!!

..Its like living with gratitude..its wonderful time of the year,where family and friends cook delicious foods of the season,spending frantic hours in the kitchen and then put all mouth watering dishes together before the table is set!!!! I usually call this as "American bisakhi" ,where the crop is ready and farmers thank God for the food given to us.It was started by native Indians(red Indians) teaching their children to thank almighty for wonderful foods given to us on this earth..
Its to feed our bodies and mind ,the philosophy is great ...but also reminds me of my bisakhi of Punjab which is celebrated with same zest....."its harvest time".
Thanksgiving where turkey (bird) is roasted ,a compulsory ritual...poor turkeys..I always pity ..its takes me at least five to six hours to bake it.. and butterin it every half hour as the bird is too dry to eat with cranberry sauce and baked potatoes with fried rice and Cesar salad ..followed by pumpkin pie or my favourite..new york cheese cake... its like stuffing yourself..
But I think why only on thanks giving I realize the abundance that exists in my life and the more I give,is less compared to what you have given to me ..I am grateful to you..(almighty)
This year lets strive to have only one obligation on thanks giving ------ to sincerely Give Thanks...

Waste of energy!!!!

I think people who think themselves to be very smart and intelligent are mistaken , dude never underestimate the other person.. If one is quite and you are trying to mess up things then I would say one thing...put your strength and energy on border as we need more of your services there rather then on orkut..
As I always thought people from forces have lot of etiquette's then civilians ,my Dad as army officer and half of the family serving the country ..we always respected our forces .....what I perceived or thought was always correct...
Last night watchin on HBO..one of the premium channels of US..(pay per view)..the whole scene of "Massacre in Mumbai". was shown .I thought,most of the americans will be watching this telecast ,which was horrifying,left me having goose bumps and followed by a night mare.. It can happen to anyone in the world..
US could also be the next target.. terrorists who have no religion and are real beasts on this earth ..Country needs people like you guys ,from forces to tackle the heckled situation.. ..You need to spend time and energy on this Issue,rather then sending me testimonials of all weird kind!!!!!

confession!!

Straight from the heart and lot of courage it needs to confess....jus returned from work..where the day is gloomy.. picked a cup of cappuccino on my way....french vanilla..Tim Horton's
yes, it was hard today... to do parallel parking ,as I am very poor in that...usually I skip that part unless its important.....down towns usually have those parking and many a times I leave or skip that!!!
I never understood this fundamental of parallel parking ..so narrow ,no place to drive inn.. between ..parallel parking...I usually park my sweet Camry in an open space where there is no traffic and then I like to walk ...to store...

My driving is perfect..never goes beyond speed limit or got a ticket ever since...a careful driver... but my horse sense fails when it comes to parallel parking..

In US driving test is based on parking ..specially parallel parking ... I had practiced parallel parking ..only for test .. but till date avoid..Parallel parking..YO

an hour..

An hour at gym,where I had hard time in doin crunches at the Abdominal...bench doin different sets..for abs and obliques ..putting all my strength ..I saw a women ..white hair in her early seventies coming to me .. I got up and looked at her...Man so fit...I thought..she said .."I will tell u the right way to do crunches". she ;laying herself on the bench positioned her accurately ..started doin crunches effortlessly..I smiled ..she then added some weights on the ab..bar to make it tougher....I thought..my grandmother at this age would be lying on bed in India,saying "hai".. asking for help all the time or demanding attention from the family members...
The smart Senior citizen ,then picked up ring and started doin ring dance balancing the ring on her waist....which I could never do...I looked at her and smiled..
She came to me later..and said honey..." you are very fit but need to invest more time on these machines to make it more gullible..
...I said ..SURE.....gym in the morning ..is more for seniors then juniors..most of them are senior citizens I maybe the youngest.. the music was loud today at the gym the track they played was .."I ammmm... coming so u better get the party started"I smiled at the song ..all seniors are getting ready for the party..;)

SiZE...

Ya..size do matter..eating in right portion and staying in right size ...so we don't regret later in life..Its easy to gain and very hard to loose weight....I was always a very skinny kid......underweight ..my looks like an under nourished kid.......no matter how much I ate.. It was much later in life when I passed my teenage stage I started gaining some weight ,my dad;who always wanted me to gain weight was the happiest person to see me pumping up.. may be it was an effect of Punjabi atmosphere in India....
I always watch the portion size now..When I came to US.. in my initial years I had lot of time to kill ..so decided to explore USA.I joined a program of "Jenny Craig" where they tell you how much to eat and what the portion size should be....off course accompanied by exercises ..that was the best program which made me fit till date and I know exactly what to eat!!...Its basically eat in small portions at regular intervals..
As we grow old the metabolism gets slows ,its difficult to loose weight so staying away from white stuff and switching to brown is the best option ..from rice to wheat or pastas to brown bread..
Its always a challenge to stay in size and look young ..but its needs efforts and motivation to exercise and resist the temptations or jus watch the portion size..
I usually get lot of compliments on my looks and fitness... people have a mental block that after marriage there is no need for fitness or looks as it hardly matters now!!!
I think staying healthy and looking good is forever!!

Arrogance!!!

Arrogance or being high headed is something like givin a character certificate to someone....talking to somebody ,a complete stranger where we have yet to know about his or her nature ,and probing into a personal life of somebody cannot be termed as arrogance ..Many a times we judge a person by word of expression or if talking personally by body language..

I think before we ask a personal question to anybody we should take a permission and we should be well aware of what is being asked and what the reaction would be!!!

Arrogance is something when you hit a self respect of a person and the reaction we get back is then termed as arrogance..

Somebody used an arrogant word for me ,I clarified what arrogance is??? then my word of expression is termed as modesty ,to which I laughed and said ..its exactly opposite to arrogant ..The bottom line is... before asking a question...beware of the consequences..

Cold monday mornin!!!

..Its ..8.52..am..so cold..with wind chill seems like a dry gloomy Monday morning...

Mondays were always hard for me ..even when I was in school or college ..getting up and goin to college was kind of punishment for me..I always thought why Monday was there??? my Monday blues were always there even as a kid..

Teaching in college..my first job.. when I jus completed my masters ..and goin to boys college as a professor,was kinda hilarious.. I had my interview on Friday and principal told me to join on Monday!!!

Again Monday morning !! my blues started...quite and introvert person ..wasn't very sure this job was good for me...but always accepted challenges in life..and first time experience teaching under-grad students ..where the classroom is full of boys ..standing on the dias..with first lecture on management ..Hierarchy system.. I could see everybody smiling in the class..

Mondays..where the week starts and what needs to be done..?? are all sticky notes on my desk ..

Winters is here..with temperature fallin in thirty's Fahrenheit ..extreme cold is yet not seen and my Mondays blues will be at peak..with the gloomy dry winter..

Down!!!

...Saturday..very nice sunny day,but seems like I am not well..may be yesterday at gym ..spending an hour ..after a long time ..left me sore and achy..usually after a long break ,its difficult to exercise..... After coming back from mall with mom I think I have fever now ... where I cannot climb stairs to get into my room.. my hubby at home ..looking at me; drained out ..asked what happened?? ...gave some pain killers and after some rest... feeling much better ... now..decided to order some pizza and lasagne,for dinner.. watching my favourite show ..feeling even more better and after writing this blog... is like so oooo very nice... Breaks or intervals are very bad when one cannot exercise..but due to unavoidable reasons ..it difficult to go for exercise sometimes.. but it leaves one in bad condition... like ..ME

thanks..

Thanks to all my friends,,known and unknown ..reading the blogs and complimenting.. Appreciate it.. Its always a combined effort ,that motivates me ..and I look forward for my good old ..GOLDEN (lol) friends also... to come forward..and leave a comment on blogs

Interests!!!

I think..interests sometimes become passion and then followed by hobby or profession,but many a times we are confused as to what should be done in life which is interesting and money generating....
To me interests should be constructive ones which personally should grow with our lives and not be an interference in any work or life,my personal belief is there is "one life to live and if lived properly ,one is enough"
Interests ,where people..fall in abyss with bad or wrong company and not using their own mind....in most of the cases it is like that..or being lured by rich ..upper class society,choosing wrong path or short cuts to follow their interests.I think a sufficient time should be given to any profession or work before jumping in any conclusion ,most of the time we know what is right ,but we ignore the fact ,just laid back attitude is a conflict between our interests and lack of motivation..
Usually money brings motivation to every interest ,and to pursue that interest.. there should be an effort..
Spending time in malls,or looking at girls ..or building castles in the air or laughing at other people ...jus ..look at yourself where you stand??? before pointing others..
"OTHER THREE FINGERS ARE POINTING AT YOU"

laugh it off!!!

Wife:men are like onions ,you made me cry all my life for no reason..I never uttered a word....
Husband:and what about you... ??? Cabbage...all through my life you were like a mystery to me..!!!!
:)
When a guy opens a door(car) for the gurl...
Either the car is new or the gurl is new...
lol

GUY!!!

"Guy is a gentlemen before marriage"(all manners,up to date,impressing gurls,well dressed)
"Guy is superman when hooked"(flying high one place to another,dating with dame,messing up with other guys...)
"Guy is watchman after marriage"(the wife is so beautiful now,that he keeps an eye on her all the time)
LOl...;)

Crush!!!

I had crush on crush..as crush came much later,with this crush I looked forward to every crush since my crush was the best,I love this crush coz,it cannot match any other crush ,ever since I had crush I cannot see any other crush;)
............. CRush is the orange drink I Love .............

Punjabi Culture and songs..

"Seeing is believing"
Sitting in front of television and coming to some channel...where the opening song was ;a girl dancing on the swimming pool with her two piece swim suit ..with whole bunch of other freakin people..I thought its an American channel and girl appeared to me as an Angelina Jolie..I called my husband to see Angelina jolie dancing ..he laughed and looked at me sayin.."are you serious"its some Punjabi Kudi(gurl).. he corrected me as pointing out,as Punjabi music came later...
Seems like culture is ripped in bits and pieces,girls have put their bodies on stake for money and to me it appears sensor board is sleeping.Singers of all kinds are there in Punjabi industry ..legendary singers are missing...
We were always lured by west,but I think culturally we are very rich ,where we still believe in staying with our parents and keeping them with us,or believe in arranged marriages or respecting our elders by touching their feet... we don't have to over expose or go naked to be a part of any so called hi fi society...Punjabi songs are goin berserk...I thinks youth is more inclined to media and every other girl wants to be an actress ...for which they are exploited....but ultimately where do we stand???
It hurts to see this,but then why should we complain when we see our youth being unemployed and children copying the western culture..or gurls behaving like sluts on net.....
If ever we wanna copy west, it should be the efficient working system without bribes or keeping the city neat and clean or goin by rules and laws of the country where every penny goes to government as Tax...or the super medical system where a patient is saved in seconds through emergency ,or where education to everyone is free ..up to high school .....
Punjab has always been known as a rich state with culture..where the whole country wears Punjabi "salwaar kameez" as a national dress and people love Punjabi food and every person dances on Punjabi songs ...then I think ..these kinda songs are not expected...from punjabi society..

routine..

Routine ..is something we follow..and stay busy ..But sometimes its monotonous..we get a good break and things again fall back to place..
Spending some good time with cousins from New York was like Bliss...
sitting in the den.. on floor laughing on childhood memories ,where each of us trying to pull each others leg... and tears flowing from my eyes ..couldn't control my laughter ..the whole house was .like a was like "House on Fire"
Laughter is something I could never control...even sometimes at a serious note I had to walk out of room just to keep my laughter in control seeing the situation and atmosphere....My mom who always stared at me telling "not to laugh"was a clear cut sign...
A complete dosage of laughter.. with family and friends..where the whole family is on facebook..and discussing friends with cousins showing each others friends list on PC and trying to figure out who exactly the person is in the profile??? was a riddle in itself....

Saturday!!!

Saturday afternoon... sitting on my PC..checking mails now... after done with lots of Indian cooking..all types of appetizers and dishes with desert..as we are expecting some relatives from New York.. in the evening..

Its going to be a get together , all relatives at one place, as my cousin who also happens to be my sister-in -law; has a baby girl..so I decided to help and do the major main course dishes once again ..as we have a new kid in the house..Ariana Singh..

Long awaited girl in the family to fill the space..which was always empty..Thanks to the Almighty!!!

Looking at the emails... there are few offline messages..some old chats ,some pictures phew!! looks like some lost friends ,some new faces ...
Same old junk..in the mail box....its four pm ,I guess ..too late for any more Blog... should ..get ready..as the guests are here!!!

Mumbai!!!

The most rocking place in India,I have seen most of India as my DaD was posted to almost every corner of india...But the best ..was undoubtedly ..MUMBAI..
I can relate Mumbai..to New york ..of India...
The most hip hop town and totally ..Rocking....though being a punjabi and sikh by religion most of my family settled in Delhi and punjab ..still my heart goes to Mumbai..may be my childhood memories of school..college and all my friends...
Weekends with my parents on beach,or celebrating birthdays in best of the places..Shopping in Bandra ,linking road ,fashion street(my favourite)or seeing my favourite stars.. I think .everything about mumbai I love,just cannot forget those good old days...
My last visit to mumbai was in1995 ..we had some official work,but we made a family trip..as the trained stopped ..I smiled on station ..
Today when I visit New york..I get down on airport its reminds me of mumbai!!!
74 street in New york is just like shopping in bandra ..mumbai..thou NY I would say is a broader version of mumbai...
But..may be it was destined to come to ludhiana from mumbai ..where I met Monty(hubby)and we came to US..

BRats!

Boys and Brats are very close terms,All kinds of pranks can be expected,I being a mom can say from my experience,this is the picture of my son... such a brat..
I had hard time in raising him..he was a touch me not kind...
Boys they learn to jump before walk,or shout before speak ,,always distracted ,its like raising two kids at a time with one boy, yes kids are bundle of joy,a blessing ...but with two boys its a full time job and always on go..
Some pranks..like putting a cell phone in a glass of water...why ???I asked
its taking a shower mom ,it was dirty!!!(ans)
Sometimes I talk to other moms,those who have boys ..I think everybody has a same story unless its a girl in the house..
Recently my cousin had a baby girl..after six boys in the family..we were sooo happy..at last all prayers are answered ...

Nature and colour.

life is full of colours and so is fall season....Its time to see colours in nature and beauty all around..
Today moving in the Sub.. I was surprised to see colours like purple of leaves to blush red...
This picture of my house,where the front yard tree is in Blush red.. and the whole outside reflects with the..colour and backyard in orange is nothing but sheer nature and its forms...

Royal Guards

Signaler Simranjit Singh and Lance Cpl. Sarvjit Singh are the first Sikhs to take part in patrols outside the queen's residence and to stand watch over the Crown jewels at the Tower of London across town.

Guard duties are usually carried out by the Guards of Household Division, famed for their bearskin hats and crimson coats that attract picture-taking tourists in their thousands. The ministry said the Sikh soldiers instead wore turbans and blue uniforms.

Sikhs have always been known for their courage and bravery ..and keeping the flag high.

Gratitude ..Atiitude

Gratitude is the most important part of human nature,Its also the part of good upbringing,many a times people walk away without showing gratitude thinking its not required in friendship or its a formality ,Nope...its wrong..humbleness is something that is within..us but need to be more expressive at times...
I have seen people online being rude ,harsh and dominating ..in gender form.may be a male dominated society ..but Respect is earned by behavior and character,it can be a male or female..
Showing respect or love to a person when he or she is no more..is like crying over the spill milk...

Indian bride!!

Indian bride,I think is the most beautiful bride in the world,its not that I am Indian so I am saying this!!!but its reality,seen various marriages and brides of different culture ,there is no match to Indian bride..
At a wedding recently,where a girl was an Indian and boy was American..people were all praises for the girl dressed up in red wedding attire and Indian jewellery..I think there was no match to that.. and I think she took a good option dressing up traditionally other then a white wedding gown ..

End ..of the Week..

Sunday..1nov..o9.. official winters have been declared.. with change of time.. All clocks move back one hour ..to save the daylight..I think ..today has been the most constructive day..as we completed our winter homework of sealing everything before snow!!!. The day was bright and sunny..an ideal Sunday..with little chill in the air... and lots of kids ..skating or cycling outside... Seems like before we have snow...lol..no no.... "SNOW SHOWERS" must enjoy every bit of summer!!!

trick OR treat!!!

Last night while ..trick or treating ... in the sub-division ..had whole bunch of kids with me ..we went to neighbourhood for candy's....and lots of kids coming to our house..So I decided that..my hubby should stay at home ..for answering the door...
The kids.."oH..my God"all kind of Beasts..on my way ...and parents dressed up in different costumes..its was kind of hilarious..
I was in my regular black jeans and top..so decided to wear my black Matrix jacket and get a feel of Keano Reeves....as it was cold outside ..with fall season, leaves falling all over ..giving it a feel of "One Scary Night"
The haunted house ..as I entered .. the kids backed out and started running..as the path was full of smoke,..tried to be a Dare Devil..I took a step forward..there was a Giant size Ghost sitting on the chair.. with a bowl of eyeballs next to him may be his favorite snack,I stared at the ghost.. it Moved!!.I turned back and started running..Hey,wait ..I am the owner ..he started laughing..I came back he gave candy's to us..I thought..(people are sick)as we came out of the house I saw two injured people in front of me.. teenagers.. bandages all over the body ..one broken leg ..crutches under arms...I said ..now what happened to them?...it was actually costume ..and crutches were props.Weird!!
Well the overall experience was scary.. I thought ..at the end year..Ghosts will be very happy today..seeing this kinda celebration...