A Day of Vs

This year Valentine's Day was unique. I received two very unique gifts from the two men in my life.

N and I have never been one of those I-buy-my-spouse-big-gift kind of people. Me more so than N. To give N credit, he at least made a sincere effort to buy me a few thoughtful gifts during those first years when we first started courting and then again after we got married. I am guilty of not even attempting that (my defense is that 'I already give him the gift of my love everyday; how could he want anything more?'..sneaky I know! N does not quite agree but has no choice but to accept the fact). Somehow though over the last few years, because we almost always never liked the gifts we got as surprises for each other, we gave up. N and I have very different personalities and very different tastes so things that seem like a pleasant surprise to one end up as a mini shock to the other. Twelve years of knowing each other and seven years of marriage later, we decided to give up. Instead, we just wish each other on the big days (birthdays and anniversaries) and mostly eat good food together.

This year though, N gave me quite an unique gift. He let me sleep!! That might not seem very special to anyone else but for me it was the best gift ever. Anyone who knows me knows that sleep is super dear to me. To be able to sleep in on a weekday for an extra whole hour means more to me than any gift possible. And no, I am not one of those wives who try to pass on their husbands forgetfulness or thriftiness with the 'I-have-everything-what-more-do-I-need' kind of lame gestures! (N did offer to buy me jewellery in the evening, but I declined. Jewellery does not excite me) . Coming back to this year, after I woke up refreshed from an extra hour of sleep, N & little V wished me a happy Valentine's Day with bear hugs. Seriously, what more would I need?

And then, the day got better with Little V's gift for both of us. He made this super-cute art project with his nanny.His nanny tells me the boy loves his arts and crafts. On my part, I loved the typical-boy car stickers. And the of course the three hearts glued together. For life. Just like N, me and the little monster.

In the evening, I baked an eggless vanilla cake for my two boys. The cake is a super simple and super easy recipe from the Edible Garden blog. Check out the recipe here.

To make the recipe a little more special, I prepared a strawberry compote to go with it. The recipe I followed is here. To finish off, I added a light dusting of icing sugar. Yummy!!!! I loved the how the tartness from the compote balanced the sweetness of the cake. N and little V were not too keen on the compote though and loved the cake as-is.

All in all, the day was fabulous. Somewhere through the day, I realized how true it is that life's biggest pleasures are in seemingly simple things. And for that, I will always be thankful- to be able to enjoy a simple life and be surrounded by the people I love and who truly love me.

I hope you all had a beautiful Valentine's day with your loved ones as well,
V

2013 resolutions

As 2013 begins, I thought it would be a good idea to pen down some of my resolutions for the year. I have been making these in the past but somehow they all vanish from my memory before even the first month finishes. Given that, I decided to post my 2013 resolutions on my blog. Not only will they be a constant reminder once they are put down in writing, my hope is also that the putting them out in the public domain will make me want to stick to them more.

So here we go! (I have 5 for this year)

- Spend less time procrastinating and more time in doing things. It has been my biggest weakness so far and I hope to overcome it this year.

- Learn driving. Not knowing how to drive didnt matter so much in Vancouver where the public transport was awesome but it has limited my mobility severely here in the US.

- Shed 10 pounds by mid-year. Now that I am no longer pregnant or nursing, I have no excuse to justify my extra weight :) It HAS to go!

- Post more regularly on the blog- ideally once a week.

- Jar notes- Inspired by a post I saw on Facebook here, I plan to start my new year with an empty jar and fill it with notes as and when good things happen.. The idea is to empty the jar on 31st Dec 2013 and see all the awesome stuff that happened over the yeaar.

Keeping fingers crossed that I'll stick to these as the year goes by.

Happy 2013 everyone- hope everyone had a wonderful start to the new year. My big wish for the new year is that each one of us be nicer, better versions of ourselves as the year begins.

 Image courtesy: dryicons.com

Cheers,

V

Thanksgiving story: karma catch-up

I love the concept of Thanksgiving. I love the idea that at least once a year people in this part of the world pause and take a moment to express their gratitude. There is so much life to be thankful for- our family, our friends, our health. The list is practically endless.  But the occasion is not just about the thanks, its also about giving. So this year for thanksgiving, I wanted to share a story about 'giving'. And how it all somehow comes back.

Every year, N and I write out two small donations at this time of the year. Mine is usually to Vancouver's BC Children's Hospital- this place has a special place in my heart. It was the hospital where little V was born and I can never forget the wonderful service I received at this place- the doctors, the nurses, the staff were absolutely marvelous so I send them a little token of appreciation from little v and me every year. N's donation these days goes to St. Jude's Children's Hospital, which works hard for pioneering research for pediatric cancers.

This year as we were writing out the cheques, N told me a little story about the very first donation he ever made and how it all came back. About 10 years back, when N was in the last year of his undergraduate program, he got an internship with a pharma company in Mumbai. On his way back home one day, he saw an advertisement in the paper requesting donations for a young girl who was suffering from cancer. The girl was from a small town and belonged to a poor family who  unfortunately could not afford the expensive treatment needed to save the girl. Something about the story touched N so he sent him a cheque that night for half of his monthly internship income. With the cheque he sent the girl his best wishes and then forgot all about it. A few months later, N was pleasantly surprised to see a handwritten letter of thanks from the girl thanking him for his generosity and goodwill. Also included was a heartfelt invitation to visit them at any time in the future. Unfortunately, amidst all the hustle and bustle of the later years, N lost the letter. To this day, he regrets not keeping in touch with the girl-  we both hope that she is happy and healthy.

What is interesting for me though is that this good karma nudged N into the right direction. Years later, N went on to work with one of the best researchers on anti-cancer medications in North America- an experience of a lifetime. Not only that but at a time when getting jobs in US is tough even for experienced folks, N secured a position right after his PhD. Again, with a company focused on anti-cancer drugs.

You could call it coincidence. I call it good karma. I sincerely, earnestly believe in giving back- doesnt matter if its a little or lot. Its the gesture that matters. And the goodwill behind it. Because if it is with a clean conscience and a true heart, it has the power to make a difference.

I did not write this post with the intention of glorifying N. He is what he is. What I wanted to share was my takeaway from the story that once a good deed is done, even if we least expect it to (or perhaps because we least expect it to) it somehow always comes back.

 Picture courtesy: compassionistagirl.org

A very happy thanksgiving to everyone.
V