....but I love my family just a wee bit more

Just penning down my scattered thoughts together on this blog. Want to check after couple years, how my thought process has changed over a course of time.

Long back I heard from somebody , people give advice ,cos they are free. Also that,they give advice about how to raise kids ,when they don't even have one, or not even married. I have recently come across lot of such people and may be I was one of those kinds when Ariv was not born.
Well Dude, get married and have kids and then pass on your precious advice..will sure listen to you.

As a matter of fact , anything in life.... why would somebody listen to you, when you dont even have experience about it, just based on the knowledge you gathered from listening to other people. Some of the common advise or opinions people (in fact Indians) have is :
why should kids study in India or US, which school should they go :public/Montessori (people who have money for Montessori always have reason to send kids to Montessori and those who don't have reasons why Montessori is not good)

Why India is better than US (Well, if you have seen both the worlds; if you have stayed in both countries for a couple years and you do have an opportunity to settle in both , then I value your decision.
Else, don't give a crap about why you want to go back to India,just because your project got over or visa expired or you lost your job)
Worse is, people who have never visited this country having an opinion. Very deep inside they do wanna come over , but are defending themselves just because they never got an opportunity to come over.

Then comparing the education system between India and US.
Its not that I hate staying in India, its the country I have always love and would love to go back any day but for a vacation ...or maybe want to go back someday for good,after couple years..kal kissne dekha ? But I love this country for the abundance it has to offer. Also, what I can do for myself,my family and my distant family by being in this country, I can never do by being in India. I have always heard from my dad, that after couple years , parents are most happy when they hear good about their kids. When they hear, that their kids are doing much better than what they were doing at that age. Most of the kids in India, do yearn to goto US for further studies and it is still a big deal for North Indians. I think, we being citizens of US, will actually provide a platform for my kids to study wherever they want to. Not only that, they can make a career in whatever field they choose to. Be it studies or sports or glamor, I am not going to force my kids in any field . They will have the full liberty from my side to pick a career that they love to do .Again I am saying this because I have 6 years of college degree and make close to 6 figure income in a economy like this but still think , its just not a big deal. Don't take me wrong, I love what I do but wont do it for free :)..So, it does not mean, I don't love what I do; Naah, just that there are needs that need to be met, bills that need to be paid even with this so-called-high paying job.

Comparing cultural difference between India and US...well, if you ask some of the die-hard-Indian-Patriots, their favorite movies will be most probably a Hollywood/English . I am a die-hard-Bollywood fan, does not mean that I don't watch Hollywood but the way I have grown up, I still like happy/fun/musicals like DDLJ. It still tops my favorite list . There is no way Hollywood can catch upto that .I mean , come on !! who wants to spend 10 bucks and 90 minutes to get another stress in life ,when you already have enough. Aren't movies supposed to take you to a perfect ,never-go-wrong fairy land where you just sing and dance and have fun times for 3 hours.
At least that is my idea of a movie and you don't have to agree to it...

And yes, you do learn from the mistakes of others but of those who are where you want to be in life and do what you want to do in life.

All in all, I can say : I like My Mother Country but I love my family just a wee bit more.I would first like to take care of my personal economy before discussing world economy . And I am what I am , may be I don't want be an Icon that India looks up to , but I definitely want to be an icon that my family looks up to - specially next generation. I definitely want to be a blessing in their lives :) . And as I can leave my mother to move on in life , to do what I think is good for me and my family ; I see no harm in leaving my motherland to move on. And as my mom will always welcome me whenever I decide to go back to her, I am sure my motherland will also do the same. :)

Happy Birthday Ariv !!!!

Yes, he is 1 ...and as daddy says, he is no more a baby but a lil boy of ours.... We had a lot of fun celebrating Ariv's 1st Bday. It was a fantabulous day and Ariv just loved all the attention he got. After lot of debate , we decided to have Indian food catered . It being a weekday, both me and Manish took day off from work , to clean and prepare for evening . We did satya narayan pooja at home, didn't invite anybody as it was a working day .
We were worried how will Ariv sit in 1 place for 1-1.5 hrs, while pandit jee from temple does this pooja. But Ariv was in a great mood. He wore the Dhoti and gujrati style kurta which said " hare raam, hare krishna", so looked absolutely cute .(thanks to mama and mami for sending it) He sat there and was ringing the bells like a rattle, which was perfect.
The pujari was so amused at Ariv's behaviour that he was talking about his 6 month old daughter in between the process and comparing it to Ariv's activities :)
Later in the evening, people started gathering , I dressed him up into a much prettier and glitzy dhoti /kurta and stole...Ohhh he looked so cute, just that the dhoti was longer for his legs and he kept stumbling over. I tucked the dhoti on the top of his tummy to make it short and people started joking that it is the tamilian style....
we had a lovely cake from Shatila for him with some toys and a musical candle. I made some navratan korma and spinach/cheese swirls ,shashi toast ,fruit punch and sooji halwa (pooja prasad) ...ooh didnt realize I made so much. And then we had ordered some Paneer lababdar,gobhi manchurian, veg biryani , onion kulcha/garlic naan/butter nan from Ashoka.
Ariv and Shiv loved playing with the balloons and enjoyed acting like celebrities .

Next day , we celebrated Ariv's Bday in his school with cupcakes . He absolutely loves cake now...thank goodness.

Best thing for Ariv's Birthday

What do we do for Ariv's 1st Bday is my biggest concern nowadays.
I want to keep it simple and fun for my lil baby as well as celebrate it with couple friends,
to show off my handsome young boy to the world.
And why not, he is really a charming and a handsome dude with a cute personality and I am
really proud that he is my. Don't you show off your prized possessions....well, I do :)

And in these times, when world is mourning over M J's death or is worried about economic
meltdown or maybe something smaller..Covisint worried if GMAC will
renew its contract for 5 point something million (well I should be concerned about this one , as this is where my paycheck comes from) or more personal : Ariv's Dad worried about when and where should he do his MBA frm and how much would it cost him
....But naaaah, I am stressed out to the limit about the Bday plans of my adorable son. So
lets check out my options:

1. Grand Party... well we spend a fortune on a celebration when we were in India...Around 6-7
K DOLLARS ..and Ariv slept throughout....yes throughout...he woke up when we sat in the car to go home.
Lesson Learned : Kids that age don't have that much attention span. Keep it short and sweet.

2. A trip to Disney land : I believe he is too little for most of the rides. As of now, I am
still waiting for him to walk so not sure . But may be a little delayed trip, like in December..he will be 18 months then... lets keep our options open.

3. A trip to some water park...well, I would love to do this myself..forget Ariv..i am sure,
he will love it too ...:)

4. Some people said zoo.... he probably doesn't even understand the difference between animals
and humans....well, if we think as an outing and a picnic..then maybe..

so we still are not in consensus between me and Manish....lets see what we decide ...