Was I bored today?

2012:
Not at all!!!! Spent all afternoon with Avni and Neil. Little bit of studying, little bit of goofing off, little bit of cleaning up, playing with nail polish, playing music. It really was a fun afternoon. Made dalbati and gatta biryani for dinner. Attended Sea Base meeting at Benedicts after dinner.

2013:
Work can be boring at times, but oh well! Went to Boy Scouts meeting in the evening and by the time I got home, day was over! Watched 30 minute video of Sea Base trip at the meeting! That was fun to see all the video clips and photos with rest of the troop.

2018:
Pretty much! I woke up at noon (recovering from 24 hours adventure of Half Dome hike. Stayed in bed for rest of the day, just browsing on Facebook for most part of it.

Have I broken the law? How so?

2012:
Nothing much other than small traffic tickets. I just paid $160 for one yesterday. As I was driving, Avni called to ask if I'm coming to pick her up at school. I hardly ever talk on phone while driving without headsets. I knew this was a very quick call, just to tell her that yes, I'm on my way. Cop happened to be driving right next to me and caught me!

2013:
Not since last year. Haven't got any other ticket. Been a good driver. As kids say about me.. I'm not a rule breaker, let alone a law breaker!

2018:
Not that I know of!

I never

2012:
had a true girlfriend that I can hang out with, share my joys and sorrows, share the hobbies, passion about things. I've always had that void in my life. I'm still hopeful that I'll find one someday. Just when I actually have time to do fun things, when kids are gone from home and I have empty nest.

However, I really am grateful that I can hang out with Kalpu as limited as it can be, we share same point of view on many things, she's the friend I've never had. But her being my sister-in-law, there is that little barrier where she would need a break from me to spend time with her friends! lol I also have two most awesome online/internet friends, Darcy and Lisa that I can share just about anything. I don't know what I would've done without them. I really wish they both were my local friends.

2013:
want to lose hope about our brighter future. I can almost feel it, smell it.. it's oh, so close, but not close enough!  I know it's just around the corner and I can't wait for it!

Was I a good listener today?

2012:
I believe so! Avni came to me and talked for a while. Neil talked about his day in a school. Oh.. even got to talk to Pooja today after almost 2 weeks. And rather than asking her why she haven't been calling, not replying my calls, I listened to what SHE had to say and let her tell her stories about school and loft. Even listened to what JK had to say about his company (even paused my audio on iPad to pay attention to him!) :)

2013:
I'm usually a good listener. When I go for a walk with Kerry, It's usually her venting about her boss and work, while I just listen to her getting it all out. Then, there is JK who calls and starts talking until he hangs up without realizing that he didn't give me a chance to talk. :) Of course, I love to listen to kids' stories and go in their rooms to hear all about it!

What made today worthwhile?

2012:
I started making lists in Gmail Task to make my work more organized. I wish to make it a daily habit to make the list and accomplish everything according to my reasonable deadlines.

2013:
Humm.. went to CrossFit in the morning, which always makes me feel good. Got lot of work done at work. At home, finished transferring last audiobook on iTune for my iPod. Now, I only have 2nd half of one book to copy and I'm done with that project!!!

2018:
It was Coach Brian's birthday today. He was doing to do his birthday workout at 6:30pm class and then, birthday burpees and cake. So, I decided to stop by there after work for the burpees and wish him happy birthday. When I got there, workout didn't start yet. I had expected it to be half way done by the time I get there (the reason I stopped going to 6:30 class). When everyone started their workout, I was standing on the side, supporting everyone and watching. Coach Brian asked me to join for the workout. I didn't bring my workout clothes. So, at first, I resisted, but then, after 2-3 minutes, I joined in. I skipped the burpees, but did the sumo deadlift, front squats, overhead squats, push press, etc with 15LB dumbbell. It was better than not doing anything and then, later, I joined in for burpees too! It felt good to get at least little bit of workout in. Coach B was happy to see me. I got to see all the athletes I normally don't get to see. So, it was totally worth going up there for an hour.

Was I in control of my day?

2012:
Most of the day I was. I tested all courses and launched them on prod. Kept up with emails. Sent out emails to designers for Designer Sponsorship. Got confirmation from all. Asked Anne to upgrade the forums. She FINALLY started to work on it and now, the form won't accept the customer number. :( Now, forums are broke until I can figure out the problem. Hopefully I'll hear from vB people by the time I wake up and can fix the problem.

2013:
I think so. Work was as usual. In the evening, LVCP had Back to School night for the parents from 6-8. Avni had Girl Scouts from 7-9.  It was going to be a bit complicated on how to manage this since Pooja had school in the evening. But Deepubhai came to rescue and while JK (for Avni's classes) and I (for Neil's classes) went to school, Deepubhai took Avni to the Girl Scouts.

2018:
Yeap! Woke up early, took shower and went for work out. I would've preferred to shower after workout, but usually, Tuesdays are my hectic days.I have just enough time to get out of home at 10. Came home from workout and made beet pulao and idli. wrote a check for rent and dropped it off at office. Actually remembering to do so was the biggest thing! Got everything done just in time. Even stopped for the gas and still made it in oakland by 11:07. Not bad at all! As I was getting ready to go to Avni's home, as usual, I ended up talking with mom and Kalpu for another half an hour, but still made it at her home by 5:45 with half an hour left before she needed to leave for school. The day went by calm and smooth just as it should be.

What do I wish I could have skipped today?

2012:
I could've skipped reading forums that are unproductive and read something useful and done something productive. I still need to set up the site, clean up some forums, set up Contact Us page... lots to do. shouldn't have wasted time in just browsing around.

2013:
Nothing really. It was a wonderful day. Started the day with a workout. Performed a handstand in the air without the support of the wall!  Got some work done, could've been more productive though. Went for a walk with Kerri. Went home at 5:45.. decided to leave on time rather than hanging out at work for no reason or to wait on Kerri or Janis to leave. Showed off my newly gained skill of free handstand to Ba and Dipti. Recorded rest of the audiobook CDs (Outlander series) on iTune and spent some time with kids after dinner.

2018:
Not much happened today. Worked 12 hours, got home, had dinner, played game for an hour and spent some time on Facebook. I guess I could've skipped playing games, but having worked in super hot temps outside, I just feel so tired and needed to wind down a bit. But I'm back to getting things done and checking off my daily list. So far so good!

I believe

2012:
My future is about to change. My spirits have lifted up considerably high. Looking forward to the bright future!

2013:
I need more hours in a day. There are so many things I want to do, books I want to read, places to go, memories to scrap... Not enough time in a day. But at least I'm living the life at its full potential with the limited sources I have.

2018:
I'm off to a good start. Reading uplifting books, spending time with like-minded people, either on FB or in real life. Creating some good habits of meditation, journaling, reading, exercising, visualizing and saying affirmations.

If I could change today, would I?

2012:
Nope! It was a great day. Avni and I went shopping. She came home with plenty of stuff for herself. I loved spoiling her. It's not often that I do that, so it was fun for both of us.

In the evening, JK and I went out for dinner, Avni was gone to her friend's home for birthday party. Neil is gone to Boy Scout camping.

Now, if I could've just talked to Pooja on phone, it would've been a perfect day, but I guess I can't have it all?

2013:
It was a perfect day! We went hiking with Deepubhai and Dipti. Mr. Guido was with us too. We were supposed to go to Gaylord Lake, but due to surprise snow fall (4"), Tioga Road closed and we had to change the plans. Mr. Guido decided to go for Valley floor hike (8 miles), which turned out to be perfect as first hike for Dipti and Deepubhai. We finished the hike by 1 already and had plenty of time left. So, kids wanted to go rock climbing at Lower Falls. JK drove home with Mr. Guido and rest of us stayed behind for our 'fun trip'. We all had a great time on the rocks. We stopped by at Taco Bell for kids and got home by 7. Shared the pics and videos with family and had belly laughter watching it all!

2018:
I was scheduled to work today, so got home at 7. Neil and Avni were supposed to come home tonight. But after waiting till 9, I gave up and called Neil not to come and instead come over next weekend, since it my weekend off, so I get to spend more time with him anyway. I think he was hoping to see SAnam today, who is visiting CA with Raahi and then meet up with Avni, hang out more with Sanam and then, come home. It seems like he didn't connect with Sanam for whatever reasons. After all, Sanam was supposed to be in Napa with her friends. I wish Neil was able to meet up with Sanam as he was really counting on spending time with her and maybe showing around the city.

The last gift I've received was

2012:
The gold chain from Yaminiben at Priyank's wedding. And I suppose silver plated set of ice cream bowls, also from Priyank's wedding.

2013:
The handmade plaque made by kids for my birthday - "Tough Times Don't Last, Tough People Do."

2018:
Got really great gifts for my 50th birthday. First and foremost, a personal letter from MJ that Dharmesh made it happen, along with a frame with Karamsad Madir's photos.Canvas of my favorite photo of me and the kids. And of course, $100 from Pinal. Then again, $250 from Dharmesh for Rakshabandhan.

What pressure did I feel today?

2012:

It was my first time launching a course as a designer today. I had no training, no job aids, no previous experience. I was scared to hit the send button! BUT, it all worked out after realizing few goof ups! Took me a while to understand the 'system', but finally I got it!

2013:
No real pressure lately.

2018:
Nothing really. Sanam was coming over to visit and I had a day off, so it worked out perfect. I went to Oakland as usual, took a little nap before driving to Avni's home to pick her up, then picked up Anuj from his school and had great time at mom's home. Arnav had his Eagle board of review and became Eagle today. It was kind of bittersweet for me because Neil wasn't able to finish his Eagle because the school closed down. But I'm happy and proud of Arnav. It really made me happy when he had asked me to write his letter of recommendation.

OMG!

2012:
I think I'm getting better and better henna painting! Last time I was invited for henna birthday party and I was asked to paint death eater's mark (Harry Potter) on all the girls' hands. Today, I was invited at Melanie's home for Cheyenne's water polo team, and they all asked me to paint water polo ball on their hand! That is totally out of my comfort zone! But I did great!

2013:
Just (9/18/13)found out that in Kalpu's neighborhood (Ashbourne street, right behind them), sheriff, locksmith and a property manager had come to evict the house owner for foreclosure. When the knocked the door repeatedly, he fired 5 gun shots from his door and hit the property manager in his leg. Now, he's being tried for 5 attempted murder case.

2018:
Avni had her wisdom tooth surgery (all 4 teeth taken out) and I was looking forward to taking her goofy video after the surgery, but she acted normal as ever! Spent $2400 (she paid) out of pocket for the surgery and didn't even get the video to show for it! I just can't believe it!

How old do I feel?

2012:
I don't know.. maybe 30? I think I still have same energy level as I had when I was 30.. or even more! I didn't run marathons or hiked while I was in 30s!

2013:
Humm.. trick question! I don't feel old, but after joining CrossFit and working with all the youngsters who have so much more energy than me, I keep being reminded that I'm much older than them. But at the same time, anyone that finds out that I have 3 grown up kids are always surprised and shocked!  In any case, after joining CrossFit, I have even more energy/stamina level than I did last year!

2018:
Definitely not 50, that's for sure! Just hiked to Everest Base Camp this year. That was huge for me to overcome my fear of hiking in cold. I did great! I'm looking forward to many more adventures. Age is only the number.

What went perfectly about my day?

2012:
Nothing went wrong today. I approached Anne to take care of malware and it's been cleaned out after a week!!! Made a payment to her for her services on upgrading the site.

2013:
It was non-eventful day. Went to workout at 7, ended up not having to volunteer for Bingo, after work went to Sikandar for buy some groceries, stopped by at mom's and picked up Neil from Library on the way home.

2018:
So far, at work. it's been going good. Just the right pace of work. Nothing stressful. Working on the line.Slow pace in the morning and again, slow pace at the end of the day. First half the day, worked on Gap and Flush and rest of the day, Seats and functions. Pretty good day!

Who threw the last party I Went to?

2012:
Living an isolated life, I don't get invited to any parties. Last 'party' was of/on my own birthday at Kalpu's home. Other than that, I guess I can consider Priyank's wedding that we all attended last month.

2013:
Still living exile life. No parties to go to. We just have birthday dinners between 2 families, no parties.

2018:
Judy Rangle, one of my crossfire coach, had her housewarming party. I was working that day till 6 (12 hours shift), but I wouldn't miss any crossfit event/gathering if I could. So, I drove all the way to Tracy after work and stayed till past 10 even though I needed to wake up at 4. I just love hanging out with everyone from crossfit. Ok, to be honest, that's the only social circle I have these days. But I do enjoy the company, not just because I have no one else to spend time with.

What's the last thing I said to another person?

2012:
Neil called about an hour ago, from mom's home. He asked if he can stay over for dinner, as DA had gone to Safeway to get a birthday cake for Neil (it's Neil's birthday tomorrow). So, I told him that it's ok to stay there for a dinner and HIS birthday cake. Who am I to say no to that? ;)

2013:
Went to check in on girls before going to sleep. Avni was already asleep. Talked to Pooja for a bit. Told her that I'll be taking Avni and Neil to school and she can pick them up.

2018:
Humm... spent the day at Yosemite, hiking with Lynette and Tim Guido and another family. Last thing I Remember talking about before getting in the bus from curry village to our parking spot was about my Everest trip. They wanted to know all about it and I was happy tell them all! :) We walked 14 miles on valley floor hike and then, to the curry village.

Was I stressed today? Why?

2012:
I should.. about the malware on my sites. But, no... not stressed. I know I need to take care of it. No one else is going to do it. But stressing about it isn't going to help either.

Same in other areas. Stressing doesn't do any good. Just keep on swimming...

2013:
Update on sites: I wasn't able to remove malware. Soon after I did with help of Anne, sites got attacked again. At that point, I decided to shut down the sites. No regrets on that part.

Today, I woke up under the sky, had gone to sleep under the stars. Started hiking Mt. St. Helena trail at 9AM. Had great time hiking, I could feel the difference in my energy after 2 months of crossfit training. It was amazing!

Neil and I were hiking while Pooja was working at library, Ba was making papdi at mom's home, JK was in LA for his meeting and Avni was gone for her friend Megan's birthday party at Santa Cruz boardwalk. JK was supposed to come home around 10. I wasn't concerned about their dinner (I could've either make something simple or have them eat out on their way home) , Ba tried to stress me out about that. What I was stressed out was Avni wasn't home and wouldn't answer her phone or I couldn't locate her phone. I finally heard from her at 10 that she was in Hayward. She didn't get home till almost 11:30 and that had really stressed me out. Megan's dad was dropping off 12 girls to their home which took him long time to get around to drop Avni off and her phone was dead, so I couldn't get in touch with her.

2018:
Nope! Not at all! Stress at work got resolved on its own by Sam taking me in his team. Feel so peaceful now. Kids are doing great! No reason to stress there! I think I have life and my mind in much better control. Feeling at peace. Things may not be going at the speed I Want or in direction I want, but I WILL get there.

Planning to hike with Guidos at Yosemite tomorrow. Big destressor right there. I haven't hiked with them in few years, so it will be good to spend time with them. I've missed hiking/camping with them.

How did I find my free time today?

2012:
Dropped Avni to Granada for football game, took Neil to Lucky's to cash out his quarters. Got $5 Amazon MP3 GC for every $20 AMC. So, after I got home, started buying some music, downloaded, cleaned up some past downloads, located orphan mp3s on iTunes. Talked to Pooja.

2013:
Barely any free time today! JK went to LA at 3AM. I woke up at 4 so that I can drop off Dada at work at 4:45AM. Came home, worked on budget for few minutes (so proud of myself that rather than jumping on FB, I was productive and worked on budget!), took Ba at 5:30AM to mom's home to make papdi. Then, I went to workout for CrossFit. Came to work, took a short nap in car before coming in. As soon as I go home, Neil and I are heading off for camping/hiking. I'm hoping to catch a short nap on the car ride though.

2018:

Not really.. Worked my usual 12 hours shift, which doesn't leave much for the free time.  did try to read for a bit after dinner, ut I was just too tired and fell asleep early. I think that's what I needed more. More sleep.

The computer I use the most is

2012:
Depends on where I am. If at work, I'm using my XP Windows with 2 big monitors. At home, I use my iMac. I hardly make use of my laptop. Only if I'm downstairs watching TV or something which is very rare or when I work from home.

2013:
Win 7 at work and iMac at home. I hardly spend time downstairs now, so I don't need to use laptop for that purpose (or I use iPad in that case). If I'm working from home, I use Win XP laptop.  That's the only use my laptop gets.

2018:
HP Windows laptop at work. I hardly use computer at home anymore. Mostly phone and iPad. When I go for senior care jobs or at mom's home, I do take my Macbook Air with me. But even then, I hardly ever open it. I do want to get back to scrapbooking, hopefully, I'll get back to it soon!

What is my favorite gadget?

2012:
I'm truly a gadget person. I just can't pick just one! It's my phone, camera, Blendtec, Kindle, iPad, iMac... list goes on!

2013:
Most probably my iPhone (rather my smart phone, not because it's an iPhone). I am able to take tons of pics, check emails, keep in touch with family and friends, read books, magazines, news articles, listen to music, staying organized with lists, notes and reminders.. list goes on!

2018:
It's still my iPhone, but lately, I'm enjoying playing with my Excalibur Dehydrator. Recenty, I dried mix vegetables, made powder in BlendTec and been using the powder in Idli. Plan to use it in paratha soon.

when was the last time I 'wasted' a day?

2012:
Plenty of time. On weekends in summertime. Sometimes, you just need the time/day where you don't do a thing. Gotta stop and smell the roses every once in a while. :)

2013:
Any day that I get trapped by Facebook and don't get anything else done! Hate to say it, but there have been many of those lately.

2018:
Two weeks ago, when they let us go home 6 hours early, rather than using it productively, I went home, and withing seconds,, I was in deep sleep as soon as I got home. Slept entire afternoon. I guess my body needed it, but still!

Does anyone owe me money?

2012:
I don't think so, because those that did, it's been forgiven debt for quite some time.

2013:
Nope. Well... the $10,000 deposit I paid for the Sannita house. They've canceled our contract almost 2 months ago. I'm still waiting for them to pay me back!

2018:
well, other than that $10,000 deposit payment that we never got back, no one else. Not that I can remember. It still hurts that we never got back that money. That was lots of money for us at the time (and still is), and we really could've used it. Things could've been different right now if we had that money.

Life would be easier if

2012:
I could focus on things one thing at a time!

2013:
Everyone got along with everyone else! Why can't people let go of their egos?

2018:
if I could get few more hours in a day!

What is the last thing I felt guilty about?

2012:
Getting upset with Avni about her browsing/chatting on Facebook?

2013:
Going for camping/hiking while moms are making papdi. But then, I've hardly helped with it in previous years, my staying home wasn't going to help much. Might as well enjoy the hiking with friends (of boy scouts).

Name 3 things I should've done today

2012:
Last two days have been very productive. Can't think of anything that I should've done and didn't do. Well, I missed posting this journal and write my journal in my happiness project, also I missed taking video of Neil and Avni for their 'question of the day'. I supposed I got so busy doing other things, I didn't have much time left for my routine stuff. Need to make sure that I don't ignore the stuff that really counts!

2013:

• Take a photo of my Friday lunch. I really should've take a photo today, since Sapna's family is here to drop her off and leaving tomorrow. Things just got too busy at the end and didn't get a chance.
• Finish up my monthly time report. But, I'll get to it in 5 minutes and make sure to send it off before leaving from work.
• Reply to Marc's email about meeting for lunch. I should get to it before I totally forget about it.

The last doctor's appointment I made was because

2012:
Hummm.. Last time I saw the doctor was almost 13 yrs ago? That would be my postpartum appointment, 6 wks after Neil was born! Haven't seen one after that.

For the kids... There was one time, Neil got allergic to something and had big infection kind of thing on his thighs. That was almost 8 yrs ago. Other than that, it's just for their regular vaccine shots and physical checkups.

2013:
Haven't seen the doctor yet, either for me or the kids!

Where would I like to go?

2012:
Humm... some place peaceful. It's a given that I've been craving to go to Nadiad lately. But other than that, I wouldn't mind going to some kind of get-together and hang out with friends for few days.

2013:
Update: I did go to India in January. Even hung out with Pinika in London for few hours. Last month, she visited with her family and we spent 2 days together. I would love to take kids and visit her in London.

2018:
Just went to the most peaceful place on earth - Himalayas in March! It couldn't get any better than that. And that too, with lots of friends and made new friends. This visualization thing really works!!!!

I would like to go on another epic hike, but with the kids this time. It was just an amazing experience that I would love to share with kids.

What is the most recent thing I learned?

2012:
I just learned to make Boy Scouts leadership neckerchiefs with yellow borders on sewing machine. It's been years since I've used sewing machine!

Other than that, I've learned not to take empty promises and stand my ground.

2013:
Over last few months, I've learned to keep my anger, disappointment under control and keeping cool.

What am I questioning?

2012:
I'm questioning if I should keep my websites or let them go? I'm questioning if I should commit to yet another digi assignment or just be free and move away from it all.

2013:
Update on website: as hard as it was for me, I let go of all of my websites few months ago. The best thing I did for myself. I get much more scrapping done now.

Right now I'm questioning if I should continue to work once JK gets funding and gets his company going. For almost a year, I've lost a passion for this job, mostly due to lack of work here. It will be hard to continue on when there is no need for it.

Which decision do I wish I didn't have to make?

2012:
I wish I didn't have to decide between letting Pooja keep buying the food from cafe or supply homemade food. Of course, she loves homemade food much better than cafe food any day, but having to make it as her primary choice wasn't easy on me.

2013:
Financially, I haven't had to make any unpleasant decisions lately, largely because kids understand the situation and hardly ever demand anything. I couldn't have done it without their help!
On other front, last week I was working on Shutterfly book for Jan-June Project life. I had a good coupon/sale combo of 70% off and wanted to take advantage of it. I had to make a hard choice between completion and perfection. There were still several pages I needed to scrap and some more journailing I wished to include, but I had to let of and print the book as it.