Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Corporate lingo

So, here's how the corporate lingo goes (it has always-always bothered me).
Employee A conversing with Manager B over a cup of nice hot coffee: "Oh, Joe Schmoe, yeah I know him...he is such a tool. He doesn't even know anything about the business plan, but keeps arguing on what should be the next steps. Plus,  he is so moronic at meetings that he won't stop asking questions that do not make sense. He effed up the analysis the other day without knowing and made his manager look bad. But, umm, don't get me wrong, he's a nice guy."

Like, Seriously??

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Its nice to be weird and not listen to your mind...

Today was a wet, whiny and weirdly nice day. Yeah, had to do the 3 w's together- you know, the whole aliteration thingy!

First off, few things I did today, because, well, umm, I Can  (hey, not in an arrogant b**chy way) :
 - I napped in my office (yikes!! what will they say?? **snicker**snicker)
 - I ate chocolate all day, and did not feel guilty one bit
 - I told things like I saw, "Yes, that analysis is stale and has been done many times. No value add. Sorry."
 - I jumped in water puddles and had fun

Now to the highlight of the day, which actually happened towards the end of the day. While walking towards Path, I heard the clicking-clacking of heels following me close. Now, I know I don't own the road, but I got a little annoyed with the clickety-clackety happening right behind my back and right around earshot distance from me. So, I increased the pace, but it did not help. As I stopped at the signal to cross the road, the person with heels behind me surpassed me, and I decided to give her my famous "eyebrows raised, straight lipped" annoyed look. But then as I looked at her, I noticed not her face or her shoes or those heels, but  that she was without an umbrella. I mean it was pouring and she was actually clicketing away in all that rain!

I don't know when and how, but I decided to share my umbrella with her. It was now my turn to follow her closely, and because of the darn signals, I almost missed her. I knew she was going in the same direction as I was so I tried to catch up (boy, was she walking fast). As I reached maybe six steps behind, I questioned my decision - what if she thinks I am weird? what if she doesn't accept my offer? will I look like a fool offering my help? And as these thoughts were flowing through my mind, I noticed I was already next to her, and without thinking anything else, I just blurted out, "would you like to share my umbrella" and she smiled and said, "Yes, ofcourse. I broke mine and I needed something to remain dry. Thank you soo much, that's so sweet of you." I also noticed that she was elderly woman, so I was glad that I could be of help. We walked to the Path together and then I found out that she is starting with Citi on April 5th, while my last day with Citi is April 5th...insanely weird!

But, Oh, I felt so happy and pleased helping that lady. Looking at her smile from relief expelled all my self inflicted limitations, and I am so stoked that I did not listen to those stupid limitations of my mind. What about you? Have you done something even if your mind was saying not to do, even if you felt that you might make a fool of yourself doing that? Do share!


Hugs!

Monday, March 29, 2010

Hooray for Meetup

This past Saturday was just wonderful. It was wonderful and productive, and I had soo much fun. Yes, you read that right, the word productive and fun in the same sentence. If it can happen once, it can again, and not just for me, but for you too.
Anyhow, so what did I do? I know you are dying to know...well, as an effort to take little steps towards my dream, I joined up a meet up group on photography, simply by going to Meetup. com and searching for basic photography groups in NYC. Voila! The next thing I knew, I was getting up at 7 on Saturday morning, rushing to take the weekend train in to the city (which meant changing trains) and standing at the Duke Ellington monument amongst other group members - ready to click away. Honestly, I did not know what to expect, so I went there with an open mind. Usually I am very shy and introvert, but standing amongst the people who I knew shared my passion, allowed me to be a little more open and social. Everything came easy - the conversations, the questions, the humor. I learnt a lot that day. All the technical questions I had were dispelled immediately as I worked my 20D to the max. The weather cooperated too, so all in all, a great experience. Oh, and how can I forget the people themselves, who made the entire meetup so worthy...a special shout out to David S for organizing, and then to Cia for being my encyclopedia...no, wait, more like my wikipedia :) And ofcourse to Nicolas (dude, merci beaucoup for sharing your precious lenses with me), Sally, Chris, John...and others (sorry, I forgot names). It was great knowing you, wishing you the very best in your photoescapades....

Oh, and here are some of my shots that I fell in love with (alright alright I am being biased, but don't be hatin')..still scope to improve, but hope you like em'


\




As the saying goes, "If you can imagine it, you can have it." And, I am ready to imagine my dreams come true. Are you?

Hugs!

Friday, March 26, 2010

In the mood for poetry

Today I would like to share with you another of my poems. Umm, I just feel in that mood to talk about poetry , so there you go :). I wrote this way before my marriage, and I can't recall what I was feeling then or what I was going through. Funny though, how it seems so current and relevant! Here it is...its called:

Life and Self

It is like a butterfly's flutter
It is like a desert storm
It is like a jolt of lightning
Emoticons of a humble human mind
Sometimes I contemplate why
But the more I ask the more I want to know
Streams of thought punctuated with amazement
I know I am not there yet, but maybe one day
When the flower of time blooms
I will have morphed into the beautiful unknown

    - Shivika Chauhan


Hope you liked it.


Hugs!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Things that make me go.....woot

The following pictures make me happy and cheerful, and that's how I reallly need to feel right now...







{thanks to Sarahkaye.com for working its magic on me with its collection of pictures}

Hugs!


Wednesday, March 24, 2010

A new twist: before and after

Me, Before : Lips pursed, body tense and eyebrows cinched together

Me, After seeing the below: HAHHAAHAHHA, Geniusss, HAHAHHA



{image courtesy : behance.net}


Hugs!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Weird pangs

Still feeling these weird pangs of quitting from my job. I really need to silence my mind now!!!!

Luxurious inspirations are for real

WedLuxe, a wedding magazine from Canada had organized a challenge for its wedding services vendors to create a look book based on the concept of iconic inspiration. No wonder the following three took the cake...literally! The images were so stunning, that I had to share them with you and show you how creative and unique inspirations can really add the oh-la la factor to your special day!

ICONIC INSPIRATION # 1: Coco Chanel








INSPIRATION # 2: Philip Treacy








INSPIRATION # 3: Ralph Lauren







If you are planning a wedding for yourself or someone, make sure to head to Wedluxe.com for more designer inspirations and galleries of awesome vendors. Although they maybe based in Canada, you know that they will travel to US...so go ahead and explore. And, hope you enjoy!

Hugs!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Resigned from work (continued)

Ok, so I feel liberated and relieved, but at the same time I feel nervous because I do not have another job lined up or anything. Its the whole uknown nature of my future that is troubling me a bit. I need to take long deep breaths, yes, long deep breathing, because it seems as if I am hyperventilating. It wasn't an easy decision at any fronts, but I just had to do it to keep my dreams alive and my life energized. And, watching myself playing "their" game everyday, when I really wanted to work the rules for a better environment, hurt me a lot and I could only take so much.

Well, I like to see this resignation as an opportunity to do something grander with my life, make a difference in the world and really enjoy myself working hard (you know I am not afraid of working hard). Yeah, it will be a different kind of experience, because I've always worked since college, so I would have to start defining the next steps towards my dream. Ofcourse, I won't sit at home or else I will waste my life...instead I will put all my energy in pursuing my passion and adding value. You may ask, how? My reply, don't know yet. I need time to think through and I will. And once I do, I will share with you.

As I practice remaining calm through the biggest decision in my career so far, I would love to hear any suggestions or feedback you have that will make this transition easier for me. So, email me or comment...would love to discuss with you.

Hugs

Resigned from work

I quit today. Yes, I finally resigned from work and don't know how to feel about that. I need some time alone with my thoughts to figure it all out.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Victim of that grease

So, after dinner, while I was resting lazily in front of TV, I blurted out to Kartik, "hmmm, maybe I should hire someone to scratch my back. Wouldn't that be lovely?"
Ok, people, I know I know, having a greasy, calories loaded, fattening food can sometimes play crazy tricks on your mind...and I guess I was a victim of that grease :)

Hugs!

Smart umbrella, who knew!

Never in a million years did I think that umbrellas would be reinvented. I mean, hello, its umbrellas we are talking about. So anyway, I was pleasantly surprised when I found that a company had taken a stab of making umbrellas better...yes, better and smarter. Who knew!

The company in question, and to majorly credited,  is Senz, and it makes these uber cool umbrellas that do not fold or break through winds--the time when you really really need you umbrella to work. Cool, right? Check em' out and let me know what you think.



Our umbrella collection
different sizes and color...

To check out a video of how sturdy these umbrellas are, click here. Who knew!

Hugs!

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Puerto Rico, an experience of sun, water and heaven...

Honestly, I did not know what to expect when I arrived in Puerto Rico. I mean I had heard from friends and had read travel blogs online, but didn't know what that meant for me. Would I be just as excited as them? Should I be as cautious as the travel articles tell me to? Will the traffic scare me? Are the beaches really thaat beautiful?

So, when Kartik and I landed at Luis Munoz Airport in San Juan, the first thing we did was peel away our jackets and sweaters that we had layered on en route from New York. Oh, it already felt  nice to be in Puerto Rico darlings!

We rented a car, and were off on our soujourn to Fajardo, where our resort was. Driving through Puerto Rico did not feel any different than driving through highways of New York, but still it was different. The music emanating from the car that stopped right next to us at the traffic signal was loud and addictive, the road side food cart was just about everywhere, and there was still sweet tropical smell in the air. If I were to close my eyes, I would have concluded that I was in a non-US territory. Anyway, driving through and using our iPhone as a GPS (yes! the iPhone works fabulously in PR and there are no roaming charges!) we finally landed at the foothills of our resort. It had a gated entry, and after announcing ourselves, we were let in. The minute we entered, the majestic fountain, lit up in the dark (yeah, it was night by the time we reached Fajardo), seemed to be a spewing a beautiful song, as if each note was flowing out from its nozzle. Nice, I said to myself, and then we traversed through the golf course to arrive at the parking lot and then finally the lobby.

Awesome, breath taking are probably an underestimates for El Conquistador Resort, but I cannot come up  with anything else that can justify how incredibly beautiful the resort was. Alright, you would have to figure that out from the pics below.

Our stay in Puerto Rico, marked with trips to El Yunque Rainforest, Bio luminescent bay, Old San Juan city, was totally worth the sweat we endured in the 90 degree temperatures. It was such a delight to be among people who knew how to have a good time, who were always surrounded by family and who had mastered the art of just chilling. Oh, and how can I not mention the clear blue waters of PR beaches, and ofcourse the fabulous small island that was also part of our Resort. If you were there, you would have realized that this is truly heaven - the time you get to do nothing but to just sit under the wonders of nature, and sip on Pina Colada. I will stop chatting, and present to you some visual treat

     View from our resort

    Prettiness everywhere...


   Kartik and I enjoying 


    Majestic entry to El Morro fort

    Old San Juan city...how cute


 
   La Coco waterfalls in El Yunque

    Birds' eye view of the forest and the ocean from Yokahu towers

    
     Had to end with a pic of iguana! :)


Hugs!

Friday, March 19, 2010

My love

My love, my niece...and, I can't get enough of her.






Hugs!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

I was away...

Sorry, I was away...in Puerto Rico, so couldn't write. But, am back, and will resume my fabulousness :)
In the meantime, here are a couple of pictures to announce what's coming up...


Hugs!

Friday, March 12, 2010

Photography Inspiration: Jose Villa

I have many inspirations in the world of photography, and I have been stalking (ahem, in a gentler way) their blogs and websites to learn as much as I can. So, while I gain all this fabulous knowledge, I thought it would be great to pass on some of this to you as well. Starting off, ready and herrre we go with inspiration # 1:

Ok, I cannot hide it. Cannot hide my love for the awesome photography of Jose Villa (you can find him in my blog roll). Whenever I look at his pictures, I swoon. Its' as if each picture of his is a tiny capsule of beauty, color and heavenliness, and all of you have to do is take one (water optional) for a jolt of inspiration. Do you know he shoots 100% film? Yes, and this means not knowing what the pictures will look like - the luxury we have with digital photography - but, then each shot of Jose's is perfect. There, said it - its perfect! If I can be .5% good as him, I will be dancing around, announcing to the world that a great photographer has arrived :)
Jose does wedding, engagement and baby photos. He is booked wayy in advance, so if you are interested in signing him up for your photoshoot, well, umm, good luck!!
His style is very ethereal and each of his shots is Vogue magazine worthy. Seriously. He can make even a garbage can look like Mona Lisa, to be framed and hung on the wall. Jose knew what he wanted to do in his life, and following his passion has made him who he is today. Which brings me right back to the point I have been making all this while - when you find your passion and work on it, it doesn't seem like work and you reap the benefits of following your heart and making a good living out of it. Simple.

Well, you can read more about Jose by clicking on the link in the 'Amazing blogs and more' section, but here are a few of my favorites from his blog (oh, it was a torture to pick just a few..)









7

8

1123

160

371

172





and, now the bestest, cutest, drool worthy shot...



Hugs!

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