For Here or To Go ?

For Here or To Go !? We all have experienced that sometime in life...
Experiencing it up close and personal in the heart of Silicon Valley ! So many I know here are going through that uncertainty. Fortunately I don't have visa problems but in many ways I am now able to relate to them as I am now immersed in the Silicon Valley Culture. I think I am getting influenced by them !

I will always remember my time here ! The Indian crowd here have their own culture, style, fashion and lifestyle...which is so different from Indians in other States out here.
My journey from Napa Valley to Silicon Valley has so many interesting stories & adventures...Culturally so different !

Seems now I am adapting to the ways and dressing of the tech. crowd I live amongst here ! Where you live can affect you in so many different ways culturally...

I watched the movie " For Here or To Go " when I was in Napa. At that time I did not know that I would experience the Silicon Valley culture. It is a nice movie that I watched on Netflix. The movie says it all !

https://www.netflix.com/title/80176707

It is nice when people within the community form a study group for group learning, reading or teaching. This certainly helps in getting focus back 2 studies or training ! Luckily we have think tanks on the property we live on where free conference rooms are available for group studies or projects. In Silicon Valley I see so many people studying there in a group with their laptops, snacks and coffee ! It reminds me of boarding school when we had the " Prep time" in which we did our homework or prepared for exams. 

Some of my "techie friends" as I fondly call them check into hotels when they are preparing for exams so that they can study for hours without the hassles of housework and other disturbances ! Now that is something strangely interesting I have got to know about the Silicon Valley culture ! They make huge investment in training too that make them eligible for 250K jobs according to them. And some of them don't even mind checking into good hotels just so that they can put in intensive preparation without any interruptions.  Now that is really playing it big ! This place is definitely different from Napa Valley culturally ! 

SMILES that SHARING of SWEETS brings

Smiles that sharing of sweets and good times with family and friends brings is so valuable ! This past week there have been so many days of sharing of sweets and good times !  I have spent many wonderful moments with family and friends this festive season through sharing food and sweets . "Dil maange more !" The Heart wants more !

 Sharing is Caring ! It is nice to share the"mithai" ( Indian sweets) boxes I received from my parents and brother with all  my friends & neighbours ! Many must be doing that out here but in my neighbourhood I am setting my own traditions to bring together neighbours and friends through tea and sweets every now and then. That is the best way to interact culturally too. We may be from the same country but we all still have so much to learn from each other as we come from different States.
As Indians we believe in sharing sweets with everyone as it is considered auspicious...Through the sharing of sweets one spreads happiness and sweetness in everyone's lives...And specially in my neighbourhood in Silicon Valley we share so many things specially sweets brought all the way from India . Many friends came over to collect mithai from me this week. Everybody wants a share in it however small and feel honoured to be included.  

"Mithai" brings everyone together ! 🙂 Receiving and giving sweets is considered good in most countries specially Japan and India ! I remember that in Japan my colleagues would also always share sweets as gifts (omiyage) with family, friends and colleagues. In Asian culture giving and receiving sweets is important as it symbolizes moments of happiness and marks auspicious events.

It was so SWEET of  my brother to give me so many boxes of sweets to share with others...
Life is SWEET when you SHARE SWEETS ...:)

Heart of Silicon Valley- Not made of Silicon !

My life in Silicon Valley has won me so many warm friends and warm moments...Here the Indian community really is there for each other in so many ways. They are like family away from family...They are like home away from home...

We are there for each other through thick and thin as well as in good times and bad times. Friendship and Community holds a different meaning altogether in the hearts of the Silicon Valley Indian Community. We truly inspire and motivate each other personally and professionally every day.

In the community I live in, we share everything. We share our success and failure...We share happiness, smiles and sorrow...We share joy and pain. We support and comfort each other in difficult and challenging times. We have time for each other however busy we may be and our houses are always open to each other specially for Indian food when one is homesick ! I have seen Indian hospitality at it's best here ! People are always inviting each other for tea and meals. People are always ready to take you out shopping and for visits to the temples or shrines. In today's times it is so refreshing to see people engaging with each other so much at the grassroot level without really expecting anything from each other. Life can be so beautiful just by simply being there for each other...    

 We interact with each other freely individually and through our groups as friends and neighbours though some of my neighbours say that I have brought them all together. We share our food and sweets we receive from India and here.

 It is so nice to be able to motivate each other to even cook through texts when one is just not in the mood to cook. I think there is an app. that has started where people share pics. of dishes they have cooked...At times my friend and I even text each other to select the movie of the day on Netflix ! We all try to do a lot of activities together here even without actually invading each other's privacy. We are so involved with each other in our daily lives and yet lead individual lives.  

It is nice to experience the warm hearts of the people of Silicon Valley. My neighbourhood is fantastic in so many ways ! It certainly feels like home !

It is so important to care for each other and look out for each other to build life-long relationships. People have to meet each other half way to initiate such beautiful relationships as we do out here in my neighbourhood in Silicon Valley to make life worthwhile !

Sometimes something so beautiful can be so destructive...
Sometimes something so sweet can be so bitter...

Sometimes something known can be unknown...
Sometimes something so close can be so far...

Life is but a riddle...
Relationship is but a puzzle...

Sometimes...
There are never any answers …

Yet find in your heart all the answers that you seek as the heart it is said is always right...
And you will find the answer to your own question...

Without emotions life would be an empty canvas with no shades... Colours of emotions are needed to  to create a work of art.    

                                                                       -Simrit

 

My friend's little daughter is so dependent on the virtual assistant "Alexa" . Very cutely she commands Alexa to do things for her all the time as if that is her "Genie" ! 🙂 Today's little kids are so influenced by technology and even know how to order things online since as early as two years...
The "tech culture" as I call it has taken over everybody's lives.
I had forgotten that they had Alexa at home & last night when my friend & I were joking around I said that it would be so nice if we could command Alexa to send a custom made date...So I on the spur of the moment said, "Alexa please send me a guy with jet black hair and blues eyes !" And suddenly Alexa says, " I am not sure !" . 😉 🙂 🙂
We burst out laughing as we had not realized that Alexa is in the room & listening to each and everything. No privacy at all with Alexa around !
Makes we wonder how strange and yet curiously interesting creations of technology can be !!! 🙂 But who knows what else Alexa or any other intelligent virtual assistant (IVA) or intelligent personal assistant (IPA) may start granting in the future ! 😉 That would be nice in some ways !
Software agents provide tasks or services for individuals based on commands and questions. But then people would stop making efforts to do something themselves or work for something because virtual assistants will grant all their wishes !
We have been laughing about it since morning today & I am telling my friend that she should tell Alexa to get tea or ask Alexa to remind her husband to get roses !!! 😉 

San Jose

Parts of Downtown Area

Yountville

A view of V MarketPlace  which hosts some stylish & sophisticated shops

A ride in the sky @ Yountville

Tomorrow brings another opportunity

There is nothing lost if one does not clear an interview or a test as there is always a chance to do well next time. One cannot change the result but one can move forward from it and work harder to do better another time. In fact one learns from one's mistakes and experiences. This is what I believe and tell those who lose heart in not having made it at an interview or exam. That is not the end of the world ! There are always other chances. Keep trying ! You have lost the day you give up ! So never lose your heart. Even the most successful people have had a journey of challenges and rejections before they succeeded in what they were pursuing. So draw strength from that and try again and again till you achieve what you hope for ! Think not what you have lost but think what you have gained !

One always carries something back  from an interview or a test in terms of learning something new and an inspiration to learn more. I feel one should appear for as many tests and interviews as one can to learn about different subjects and fields. Such experiences and interactions only enhance your knowledge and increase your awareness.  

Life- A Unique Journey

 Life is many things...

Life is a gamble... Life is an adventure...

Most of all Life is a unique journey...

Life is a journey to yourself. It is a path to explore yourself and define yourself through your choices.

Life is a voyage to happiness and heartaches through which you express yourself. Your responses and reactions to the different experiences in the journey of life portray your thoughts and symbolize you as a person. Thus in time through the ups and downs of that journey do you begin to get acquainted with your strengths and deficiencies...some known and some unknown. Through the trials and tribulations , the journey teaches you deep and valuable lessons. You learn every day along the journey.

In the search for yourself do you discover your purpose along the course of your journey. Life gives but mostly takes as it asks for a price for everything. You receive what you invest in that journey along the way. There are returns for everything and through that Life does give you back yourself in the end...It explains what you gained in your loses and what you lost in your gains.

During the journey you play many roles and you experience different things...In the end you find yourself...          

Power of Words

Words make a difference...In fact words make ALL the difference ! That is why it is wise to choose your words wisely.

Words can be comforting and words can be damaging... Words can be inspiring and words can be discouraging... Such is the power of words as we all know. 

Then why don't we measure our words ? Words can be piercing to a deep extent and yet we use words sharply.

Words can influence the world and words can leave long lasting impressions on minds. Words can win people or words can alienate people... Yet we don't weigh our words.

It is so important to realize the power of words...

Feel each word to know every word...   

Words cannot be scattered around carelessly in your personal and professional conversations. A pen cant be mightier than a sword.. Therefore words  that fall from a pen are mightier than a sword  and sharper than a knife. It is very important to concentrate on the correct usage and delivery of your words. 

The power of words need to be truly realized...

Culinary Institute of Napa- The all famous Fork statue

Culinary Institute of America, Napa- Cheers !

Spirit of the Game- A game well played

It is very important to believe in what you stand for and not lose yourself and the standards you have set for yourself even in harshest of  times when you may be presented with challenges, difficulties and problems. This is what my motto has been my entire life in all spheres of my life. And watching the movie " Spirit of the Game" just reinforced that belief.

Life at work or life in a relationship reminds me of that final basketball game in this particular movie. People will  try all it takes to break you and play foul but it is up to you to maintain and protect what you stand for in terms of truth, fairness and integrity.

It is not so important to win but to have played the game well. At times such a stance may seem hopeless and wrong  but do not give into temptation to become like those who use all unfair tactics to outshine you. In life one is always presented with choices and your choices define you as a human being. It is important to enjoy the journey of a life or a game and set a high example of standards for people to follow rather than playing unfairly just to win. Sooner or later one has to answer one's conscience.

There will always be someone or the other who will try their utmost best to hurt you and crush you just to get the better of you but you must always uphold your dignity and principles. You and I might have faced such situations at work sometime or the other . Just don't lose yourself to those who will do anything to defeat you just to make themselves look and feel better against you. Such people are basically intimidated by you. The way you can win is by not becoming like them. That is the test of your life...

In not winning too you will gain ! At the end what matters is the spirit of the game and to have played well in all fairness ! At the end what matters is to have lived well and to have lived your life with grace and honesty.  

Sonoma spots- An afternoon visit to remember !

Thoughts on Books...

Sometimes one has to pen down thoughts that we desire to share about something or someone to quench our thirst for expression or to pay a tribute to something . Today was such a moment...I needed to write something to maybe define my thoughts that were eager to be released on paper. I needed to share my words of appreciation for books...Whatever the reason, I absolutely enjoyed writing today after a long time. It felt like an artist feeling satisfaction and contentment on completion of a painting with the desired shades and hues...While typing I almost lost this page and I felt so disappointed but fortunately I was able to recover the page eventually and it was definitely a moment of a sense of victory that I have not felt in ages. I enjoyed translating my thoughts on something that is close to my heart-   

BOOKS

In books do we find our stories and the stories we relate to...

In books do we find the answers to life...

Books are precious and magical as they hold the stories our hearts continuously search for time and again and the untold stories that hold endless mysteries for us. Some of the stories that the books store  touch and inspire us so deeply in the most beautiful ways while some intimidate us in unpleasant sort of ways. But all the same books are worth reading to experience the known and unknown.

Books stir various emotions in us. It is like having travelled an unknown path without actually  undertaking the journey.

Like many a things books leave long lasting impressions that fuel our thoughts and change our lives in so many ways forever.

Since an early age I loved collecting books mostly on subjects that interested me though our house as well as my grandparents' house always had a huge collection of knowledge on paper (books) on different subjects and topics. In books could I escape for a while and get lost in a most interesting world which would delight me. What I liked the best about books was that it was a separate world of it's own that I could return tot and relive anytime I wanted to. The stories and knowledge stored in them were mine to keep and collect . The stories in those books be it real or fiction could be relived any number of times I wanted by simply reading them over and over again to my heart's content. It was like living so many different lives in one lifetime !

Everybody learns and gains something or the other through books that light our minds in darkness or make us wonder what was, what is or what might be...

I may be just rambling on but this is an interpretation of my thoughts on books. Some may understand it and some not... Having said that I still feel that all will agree that books are so important and they must have a place in our lives and time. It is so important to read. I have been taught that books are very essential and the most prized possessions. Books encompass so many thoughts, experiences, emotions and predictions. Thus they are the best gifts and yet not all appreciate books the way they are meant to be appreciated. Even now I love to possess or collect books instead of replacing them by e-books. E-books fail to charm me the way traditional books do because it is so important for me to actually touch them to connect to them. I just love to turn the pages as the story unravels and feel the crispness of the paper it was written on. The distinctive scent of the books continue to fascinate me and beckon me to read...Such is the magic of books ! I hope you have shared and read the same magic...             

Yountville, Napa

Autumn of Yountville