My my experiment with Acrylic Colors

I am still an amateur painter. I have had created few pieces using water colors, but then I wanted something new, something more sophisticated which will still suit a beginner like me. So I bought Acrylic Sheets and Colors.

When we begin something new, we first remember Lord Ganesha. I also followed the tradition and here I am with my first creation with acrylic colors.

Size - 9 x 12

And the experiment continues

Recently we renovated our bedroom. We bought new bed and side table. Though room is quite big, I did not want huge mirror and dresser since we already have dressing area in bathroom. But I already had a small table and a long mirror. I painted both of them matching to the color of bed (Used spray paint from Home Depot).

Then when handyman fixed mirror, there was a gap between mirror and the table. It was looking pretty good and part of the bedroom set, but did not look like one piece. As if two completely different pieces are forced to use as a dressing table. If I can fill the gap on the wall, it'll be just perfect.

I came up with few ideas like putting tall baskets to cover up the space (But that will be very dark and cramped), fitting shelf and putting small size creams/cosmetics (but then again I'll have to spend money to buy it and call handyman to fix it), painting thick and long border with fusion colors (but that'll be still a mismatch). So finally I decided to paint small pieces and glue them on wall to make one complete picture. Hence they will fill the space and at the same time small individual pieces will make whole piece look bigger.

I made 3 flowers and 2 butterflies.And instead of directly sticking them to wall, I glued cotton on back and then put on wall. So there's a little gap between this piece and wall and it looks like wall art and not just like a label or sticker.

I am so happy :)

Diary of a 'Learning' Kid!!!!

Don't get scared looking at the title. I have decided to learn something new everyday. It can be anything, something related to sports, fashion, lifestyle, IT, programming, English, vocabulary, TV show, music, movies, books - anything. And I have decided to note down everything here. Though I am nowhere near kid (I am at age to have my on kid :) ) it was more apt for this kind of post. Kids always have questions almost about everything and they can absorb the answers without any bias. They have no shame asking even trivial questions and they generally very well remember the answers. So wish me luck in my learning journey

Apr 18, 2011

NBA Playoffs

During weekend all I heard and watched was NBA (National Basketball Association) playoffs. It is best of 7 elimination around among 16 teams where each conference (Eastern and Western) has 8 teams. Eastern conference has 3 divisions called Atlantic, Central and Southeast. Western Conference has also 3 divisions namely Northwest, Pacific and Southwest. Each division has 5 teams totaling to 30 teams.

• When NBA season starts each team plays 82 games. Half of these games are home games and rest half are away games
• Each team plays 4 games against rest of 4 teams in same divisions, 3 or 4 games against teams from different divisions but same conference and 2 games against teams from other conference
• Out of 30 teams 16 teams make to playoffs with each conference comprising of 8 teams
• These 8 teams are top 8 teams in respective divisions where first 3 teams are always division champions irrespective of their standings compared to other teams. This is followed to make sure that division champions remain in top 3 positions. Rest 5 teams next best teams from entire conference
• In playoffs, each team plays 7 games against it opponent and best of 7 formula is followed to proceed to the next round
• This order is fixed, teams 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5 play against each other in each conferences
• So in next round which called playoffs semi finals 4 teams from each conference participate. This is also best of 7 round where winner of 1-8 plays against winner of 4-5 and winner of 2-7 plays against winner of 3-6
• Next stage is conference finals where each conference has 2 teams (respective winner from semis) totaling to 4 teams. This is also best of 7 round
• Last stage is called NBA finals, which is again best of 7 round. Winner from each conference participates for NBA title. NBA finals are generally played in the month of June

Apr 19, 2011

Persuasion Profiling

I knew a bit about taste profiling. For example, Amazon shows the list of books you might like and Netflix is picking and rating movies for you. Persuasion Profiling is a step ahead meaning it can actually read what you are thinking.

It's an emerging technology and if it works as intended, it would be a giant leap in marketing and ad world. When people surf online they come across tons of ads, but most of them remain unclicked. This profiling technique will help boosting the click rate and hence eventually selling rate as well. It gathers data from online resources like social networking sites and forums and uses such data to analyze and determine person's behavioral characteristics like their life style, spending habit etc.

Recently I read an article about it in Wired magazine and thought to find more about the same. But there are a very few website offering further explanation to it.

April 20, 2011

Helicopter Shot

In cricket media discussions about who invented helicopter shot is quite hot these days. Discussion is about the inventor of this shot - Sachin or Dhoni? I know a bit about cricket but never even heard of this kind of shot. Then I watched video of this type of shot played by both cricketers and also searched online.

I could not find much but what I understand is, batsman's leg movement is very low and just using power of arm and shoulder (like propeller) he sends ball to boundary. Sachin used to play this kind of shots for mid-on 4's while Dhoni plays for straight 6's.

April 24, 2011

Opera

So far the only thing I knew about Opera was that it's a performance given by singers and musicians which is a combination of text and music.

History of Opera takes us back in 16th century. the very first Opera was performed in Italy in 1597 and soon spread to other European countries like France, England and Germany. Today the most renowned figure from 18th century Opera is Mozart, who became famous for his Comedy Operas. In 19th century works of Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini became famous and they are still used today.

April 25, 2011

RAP sheet

These days I watch too much TV and I have come across this word hundreds of times.

It stands for Records of Arrest and Prosecution, which are criminal records of a person. RAP sheet is generally used by potential employers, lenders etc. to verify the trustworthiness. They are also used for travel/visa, immigration, adoption purposes. Whether to include all offenses or only prosecutions depend on the country and jurisdiction.

In USA various law enforcement agencies compile and update such records on local, state and federal levels. Centralized repository is maintained at federal level, such database is referred to as NCIC (National Crime Information Center). Information stored under this database is made available to private sectors in a rare scenario. To obtain information for a living person, his/her consent is required. In addition to centralized copy, local and state level agencies might have their own separate copy.

Apr 29, 2011

Aircraft Carrier

A warship that is used for launching and landing of an aircraft acting as seagoing airbase. Thus naval does not have to be dependent on local base. US and Japan started using them in the beginning of 20th century. Though they were widely used during World War II. Such carriers are mainly classified based on their roles,

Anti Submarine War - To find and kill submarines

Helicopter Carrier

Light aircraft carrier

Amphibious assault ship

Seaplane carrier

Balloon carrier

Apr 30, 2011

Fighter Aircrafts

A military aircraft directly involved in air-to-air combat with other aircraft

Currently F-22 developed by US ($143 million) is considered the best fighter aircraft (5th generation) due to its stealth avionics. Which means it has been built using stealth technology to make it invisible for detection technologies like radar, infrared and sonar.

US is believed to have the best air force in the world. Though US and Israel are on technically equal terms, Israel is behind considering over all size and power.

India is ranked 6th with 1600+ aircrafts including MIG (Baaz) and Mirage (Vajra).

May 01, 2011

Types of colors used in Painting

• Acrylic
• Water Color
• Pastel
• Oil

May 02, 2011

Char Dham

These are pilgrimages places located in India for Hindus. These 4 places are Badrinath, Jagganathpuri, Dwarka and Rameshvar located in the North, East, West and South parts of India. These are the main 4 Jyotirilings among total 12 of them.

Another shorter circuit is also called Char Dham located in the Himalayas, in Uttarakhand state of India. They are Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamnotri. I find beauty and spirituality of the Himalayas more appealing than the religion reason. They are located at the average altitude of 12000 to 14000 ft. This Yatra starts with Yamnotri, the origin of Yamuna river and also the toughest among 4 them. It continues to Gangotri (Oriogin of the Ganga river), Kedarnath and Badrinath (in this order). Both Kedarnath and Badrinath have been built around 9th century by Adi Shankaracharya. Gangotri and Yamontri represent Shakti, Kedarntah represents Shiv and Badrinath represent Vaishav.

May 03, 2011

Whale

These days I am reading the American Classic by Herman Melville, Moby Dick. It's about sailor and the ship and it captain who are on the voyage for whale hunting.

They are the largest marines mammals and found almost round the world. They vary in size and largest one (Blue Whale)reported was more than 100 ft long.

May 04, 2011

US Navy SEALs

US Navy SEALs captured and killed the most wanted terrorism face, Osama Bin Laden. This is a Special Operations Force that stands for SEa, Air and Land. The name derived from the team's ability to work on the land, in air and in water. The fact that distinguish them from other military teams is their ability to operate under the water.

SEALs were introduced during second world war and then they were deployed in Iraq, Vietnam and Afghanistan.

Without exception, it consists of male members ( :( ) and they are either from US Navy or US Coast Guard Teams. It has the toughest training program that drop out rate is about 80%

May 05, 2011

Murals

It's a piece of artwork painted or directly applied on wall, ceiling or any large permanent surface. Generally such artwork is in harmony with rest of the decor and furniture.

History of murals go way back around 3150 BC. The oldest murals are considered the ones found in Egyptian Tombs. In modern times, it's similar to Mexican Art called 'Muralista'. The most common style of murals is Fresco where water soluble colors are used to create the painting.

Fresco has come from Italian word which means 'Fresh'. Walls and ceilings are painted when plaster is still fresh and wet.

The oldest Frescos in India are found in caves of Ajanta. They were created in 6th century depicting stories of Lord Buddha's earlier life.

May 08, 2011

Sorority

Sorority (for women) and fraternity (for men) are both social organizations for undergraduate students. In USA, generally they are available in colleges and universities. Many of such organizations identify themselves using Greek letters hence they are also known as Greek Letter Organizations.

Originally they started by and for the Greeks in 18th century but these days they are quite common in USA and other parts of the world. Getting involved in such group is a tough recruitment process. There may be more than one group in once college and you can decide which group you want to join based on interests and current members. It's also an expensive and time consuming activity. So usually only upper class students would prefer joining them. Being member of any such national level group is considered 'elite'.

May 09, 2011

Gothic

Lately I came across a few Gothic Mystery books And did not have crystal clear idea about this term.

Gothic means related to Goth people or their language. They were traditionally thought to have originated in northern Europe and moved south towards the borders of the Roman Empire in the 2nd century. Eventually they occupied territories in modern Germany, Spain and Italy.

Another meaning of Gothic is something that belongs to middle age or medieval times. Era from 5th to 15th century is considered middle age. It's an age between classic and modern times.

The word also means Gothic architecture. It's a type of architecture became popular in Northern France (and then rest of the world) during high and late medieval period (12th to 16th century). Such style of architecture is classified by steep roofs, pointed arches, proportionally large windows and great heights. It is architecture of churches and cathedrals. Some old palaces, castles, halls and universities are also found in Europe built based on this style.


May 10, 2011
Topiary Garden
It's a type of aristocratic garden where mostly evergreen perennial plants/trees/shrubs are developed and then clipped to clearly define geometric and fanciful shapes. They are example of living sculpture. The word Topiary derived from Latin word Topiarius which means ornamental landscape gardener.

These kinds of gardens became popular in England around 16th century. Japan and China have also been practicing this kind of art for a long time though their purpose is to protect them from wind and sever weather conditions. They are called Bonsai and Penjing, respectively. Topiary gardens were introduced in America in 1962 at Disney World. One such garden is right here in Maryland called Ladew Garden in Monkton. (Which I did not know till now)

Also, here is the list of best gardens in US.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/improvement/lawn-garden/10-great-gardens-to-visit-in-the-us


May 11, 2011
LUDs

It stands for Local Usage Details. It's a reports showing details about incoming and outgoing calls for a particular phone number. In USA, they are made available to police by court order and generally same restrictions apply as that of tapping of the phone.

Hair cutting @ Great Clips

Hair cutting/trimming was long time due task and I have to go to a party this weekend so I thought this is high time I should finish it up. This was my first experience with Great Clips or any other American Salon for that matter. In New Jersey, I found an Indian Lady running salon from home. She was good at her job, easily available, very neat and clean and charging very reasonable. I loved the fact that blow dry was also part of hair cutting/styling.

Anyway, when I went to Great Clips I asked how much they charge for blow drying and shampoo. Their answers made it clear that they were in hurry and not willing to spend time. Looking at their response I found it safer to go only for hair cut. Job was finished within minutes (without even basic drying) and later the way she lifted the apron all hairs fell on me (And now I madly need a shower). She did not see this or conveniently decided to ignore it. She was not at all friendly so far and when time came to pay the bill she was very much into getting tips. My hair was not so bad, but I was so mad at her that I even thought not to give her tip!

I am quite disappointed and I definitely will have to look for a different option.

How to buy a bed/ mattress?

When we rented an apartment for the first time, we bought things that were cheap and avaialble with free shipping. Initially we had only a coil mattress which we used to put directly on floor. Later we bought a metal frame and box spring from a local store to make the complete set. It worked very well so far but lately my box spring has become quite squeaky and it has become so bad that I would be afraid of disturbing HIS sleep by just changing the side. Whenever we have guests sleeping in the next room I feel “embarrassed” because of such noise. So finally time has come to change the stuff.

Initially I was very confused since here we have different varieties in mattresses. Beds are sold in parts - frame, headboard and footboard. And box spring is something we rarely find in India. I have been going through a strong brainstorming session about buying the new things which are cost effective, efficient and easy to move. First I thought to change only box spring. But then I realized this would not end the problem since my mattress has also started sagging a bit. And if I am buying a new mattress and a new box spring, I do not want to continue using the old metal frame!!

I literally read guidelines about buying a new mattress and/or bed. And I am sure this would help some beginner like me! Before we go over the guidelines, here are some facts worth keeping in mind.

• If you are using bed, use of spring box can be avoided i.e. you can directly put mattress on bed base. I like low platform beds hence I would prefer setting mattress without spring box
• Bed base could be a solid wood board or a slated base. Of course, solid wood base would be more durable and comfortable, but slated base would be considerably cheaper and easier to pack and move
• Box springs tend to get affected by bed bugs while wood base are more immune towards such bugs
• In short, either you buy metal frame + box spring + mattress or bed + mattress. This does not mean that box spring cannot be used on top of wood base, but it would be an extra expense. Box springs were introduced to offer comfort and shock absorbance since in earlier days mattresses were made of solid cotton. Now we have high quality coil mattress and memory foam mattresses available, so shock absorbance is taken care of by mattress only
• If you are going to use foam mattress you can absolutely avoid spring box. But for coil mattress, it depends on quality of mattress whether to use spring box

I have made up my mind to buy a bed frame (with headboard and footboard) along with slated bed base from IKEA (and say final good bye to box spring :)). If slated base does not work for me, I will replace it with solid base or just buy a wood board (from Home Depot) to put between mattress and slated base.

How to buy a mattress,
• I have already been using not so good quality coil mattress for 3-4 years and now I do not think I would go for it again. As I am thinking to buy memory foam mattress only, I am going to write only about it
• Queen size memory foam mattress is available in a range from $200 to $4000. I would not recommend to go for a very expensive one since it’s better spend money on changing the mattress every few years than spending big on one piece
• Generally it is common understanding that thick mattresses are more comfortable, but in foam mattress density of foam matters and not the thickness. If density is 3 Lb or above, it is good. So, 8” thick mattress with higher density can work better than 12” thick mattress with lower density.
• Another criterion is what kinds of fibers are used. Natural fibers work fine in all seasons but they cost quite high ($1000 +). In my budget, I would go for synthetic fibers only so I would check if they are temperature adjustable. If not then you might get up sweating in middle of the night :)
• Generally foam mattress comes in 2 or 3 layers. 2 layers have base and top foam layers. While 3 layers have top, core and base layers. I would go for 2 layers, since more layers means higher probability of falling them apart
• Top foam layer should be at least 2.5” thick since this is the layer your body will be in direct touch with.
• Generally foam mattress tends to emit smell of chemicals for first 2-3 days. If smell does not go away completely, contact the manufacturer and ask for replacement
• Buy a mattress that has minimum of 15 days return policy
• If you are going to avoid box spring for a foam mattress, it's important to keep in mind that a foam mattress weighs signicficantly higher than a coil mattress with same thickness
I am not in a favor buying a mattress online. So I will visit and check them in store. Once I can decide on brand and thickness, I might buy the same online.

I believe, I am done with my homework and ready for change. What I wrote was just based on theory I read online and might change once I buy and actually start using them!

Knitted Scarves (Beginner's level)

There must be something wrong with me. I always get right ideas at the wrong time. All of a sudden I wanted to knit something and I came up with this thought when winter is almost getting over. I have very fond memories of my mom who was always busy knitting and discussing new designs with her friends during winter days. I always had scarf and sweater knitted by mom during my school days and that would always make me feel proud since my outfit will be unique and different from others. She just taught me simple stitch in knitting but I actually never practiced.

I knew the basics but was not confident whether I can make finished product which someone can really wear. I wanted to surprise my mom so could not ask her where to start from. But I indeed found my source, YouTube. I came up with video tutorial for knitting for beginners. I bought the cheapest wool and needles from Jo-Ann Crafts and I am quite happy. In 3 weeks of time, I knitted two scarves. (since scarf would be the best start for beginner like me :)) I just spent 10 bucks out of which needles are re-usable. Now I am confident to use little more expensive matrial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9hv44QwQ-A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgwi3xgZzlk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD5fxWP75yI

Scarf for Men (Or I should say both man and woman can wear)
Material: soft acrylic
Quantity: 300 gram
Needle: size 5
Length: 50”

Cast on 32 stitches and knit until desired length is achieved. This is made with just knit stitches since it was my first time experiment.

Scarf for Woman
I made this one mainly to utilize leftover acrylic and also to add little design. I wanted a short narrow scarf which I can just wrap around my neck and won’t become cumbersome with jacket/coat. I found some design online where length would be just enough to wrap it around neck in a single layer. To hold it, designer buttons were used.

Material: soft acrylic
Quantity: 100 gram
Needle: size 5
Length: 30”

Cast on 15 stitches and make alternate knit and purl stitch in group of five i.e. first 5 stitches will be knit, then purl and again knit. Do so for five rows and then change the pattern i.e. start with purl stitches, then knit and then purl again. This will create alternate block pattern. I stitched couple hooks inside which I can close if I want the scarf to hold over the neck. These are small hooks so even if I do not fasten them they won't be visible.

Birthday Card fro HIM

Initially I had thought to go to Hallmark and get a Birthday Card. Then last minute I decided to make it myself. I did not have much time to think creative or make something extraordinary. I knew that I wanted “benchmark for 30” and it must look funny. (Somehow I am loosing taste for senti stuffJ) So I came up with an idea of drawing a small puppy. Anyway, puppy has special value and meaning in our relationship. So here I am!

Eating while Reading

I had had this habit a long time ago, reading while eating. Then recently, he got stuck up with work and I happened to have dinner just by myself. I was not in a mood to watch TV and settled for a book. This reminded me of my school days. I would be home from school around 1 and that time mom would be busy putting my kid brother to nap. So I would warm up my lunch and have it with newspaper or magazine. Monday to Wednesday will pass quickly since there will be long interesting supplements with newspaper or Chitralekha to read. Once in a month I would have bonus to have Safari as well. Then Thursday would be the most boring lunch day and somehow I would manage on Friday. Saturday I would be home early and we all would have lunch together.

I am so happy to remember these days. Happy Reading and Happy Eating!!!

Am I too busy?

I have lost touch with many of my friends over the time. Sometimes it’s my fault and other times I do not get the response I expect. I used to be very close to some of them and when I remember our good old days it does hurt me. Lately, I was trying to get in touch with one such friend, she would not call me and she would not provide her contact information as well. I tried reaching her through email/facebook without much luck. Now after a long time (Almost after 2-3 months), she finally called me and I happened to very busy that time. I told her to call her back as soon as possible. It has been couple of weeks now and somehow I do not feel like returning her call. I guess I have made this as issue of my pride. It is like if I call her back so soon it will hurt my ego. I know what I am doing is not the right thing, but under the given circumstances I have no other choice. Sometimes you have to be strong, little rude and little too busy!!

Finally @ CPK

It’s the place where all possible varieties in pizza are available. Using different kinds of cheese and toppings, various combinations are created. Generally I avoid pizza since it’s full of cheese and makes me feel very heavy. But CPK does have one meeting my needs – crispy and low in cheese. Yes I am talking about my favorite Tostada. It’s like there is no point of going to CPK for any other pizza. Tostada is their specialty. Crisp layer topped with beans, sour cream, little cheese and thin crispy tortilla chips – there’s no way you can say no! We also like Tucson Hummus in appetizer – hummus with fresh parsley served with warm and soft pita bread.

I love this place for its ambience too. It’s like upper scale pizzeria (but still very much affordable) with quite a decent service and without typical pizza baking smell.

We did not get a chance to go to CPK after we moved here. But finally, we went for advanced celebration of Valentine’s Day. I guess this was just the second time we were just two of us. Whenever we go to CPK, we never go alone. We have very fond memories at CPK to mark different occasion.

Miss ya all………

My Latest TV Crush

Lately I have become strongly obsessed with TV series based on criminal investigation. I have always been hard core fan of suspense and mystery books, but was never much into TV. My crush started with ‘Cold Case’. I would watch it holding my breath and curse everyone who tried to disturb me while I was watching!


Then one Sunday, I saw back-to-back episodes of Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) and I fell in love with the concept and the cast.

My latest crush is Law and Order and so far the best in the bunch. It’s quite logical and practically possible. I just love the way detectives and district attorneys work together.

I had thought after buying Jadoo TV, I would watch less American shows/series and rather spend more time watching Hindi movies and TV serials. But my schedule is so tight that I do not have time to watch anything extra. Even if I do not have to watch some episode, I make sure to record them :)

Simplifying Health Insurance Process - Tips and Tricks

Every other day we hear some news about Healthcare Bill. Democrats are trying hard to survive in the next term by selling this bill idea. The irony is, situation of people having insurance is worse than those without insurance, because their premium covers charges for uninsured ones. It becomes worse when you cannot get insurance with pre-existing conditions and even if you do not use much of the insurance, premium goes higher every year.

Survey says that there are about 47 million Americans who do not have any kind of insurance. There are definitely some in this bunch who can afford it but still would not spend the money. I personally know few of them who live in houses and always shop branded stuff, but are not willing to buy insurance.

Anyway, here I want to share incidents that happened to me in the last few months. Problem does not end if you have a perfect insurance plan, actually problem begins here!!

It has been few months since we moved to this new place. As we moved here, we had to look for a new doctor. We both set up an appointment with PCP and went for a complete blood check. Then recently, HE started suffering from severe pain in lower abdominal. He had to go for blood check and CT scan. Result? Several visits to doctors, labs, emergency and urgent care. And now almost every other day we receive a mail from lab, hospital or insurance company. Sometimes bill and then other times explanation of benefits. Though we have a very good insurance plan, we get panic looking at the bill. Almost every day I call the concerned person to resolve the issue. Luckily, nine out of ten times, it’s somebody’s mistake and we do not have to pay the bill. But the question is, why is this system so complicated? If you ask the same questions to different representatives from your insurance company, I bet every time you will get different answer. Even though you would not be able to understand much since they explain you in a very ambiguous language. I literally searched online about lot of things so now at least I am comfortable understanding the bill and talking to insurance company. But here are tips, useful for someone new to this system

• Before seeing any doctor, make sure you have the proper coverage. Sometimes at the time of renewal, though it is continuous coverage, it takes a while to get the new cards.

• Check with your insurance company if you need to assign PCP and whether referral is required to visit a specialist

• If you are a new patient, make sure doctor accepts your insurance plan

• It is preferred to ask for receipt when you pay your copay

• If doctor advises you to go for lab work, they tend to send you to the labs they have contract with. Make sure that this lab is also affiliated with your insurance company. Otherwise it will be considered out-network visit and you will end up paying deductible

• If physician advises you to go for certain kind of test (Like CAT, MRI) or surgery, check with your insurance company if pre-certification is required. If so, mention this to concerned doctor/hospital and ensure that they notify insurance company.

• Some states have facility of urgent care. They bill like an office visit only, but still being urgent care, you quickly get an appointment. Check if you have one in your area so you can reduce number of visits to emergency.

• If you happen to go for in-patient/out-patient surgery, call your insurance company in advance to understand your coverage

• When you call insurance company to understand coinsurance and deductible, always clarify again with exemplary figures.

• If you talk to hospital/lab/insurance about any bill and if they ask to disregard it (since it was a mistake), make sure to ask for reference number. If they cannot provide reference number at least ask for the name of the person and badge id.

• If you need to go for emergency and if problem is not very serious, avoid calling ambulance. Drive yourself or let somebody take you to the emergency walk-in

• When you receive any bill, check your account with insurance company whether they received similar claim. If they have not received any claim, which means doctor/lab/hospital did not send the claim or did not send it at the right place. Call the sender and confirm if they have correct insurance details. Also confirm the address to send the claim, which is usually available on ID card.


Hope this helps!

Multi Tasking

I came to know or I should say, I started using this term more often since college days. We friends would meet online frequently and when one person does not respond quickly, other would ask, ‘are you doing multi tasking?’ Most of the times, it was true in my case since I used to chat and study parallel. Eventually I became expert. In fact, I love doing so and most of the times; I am doing more than one task. Right now, I am watching TV, writing this blog and downloading songs. I can work and watch TV, cooking and talking over the phone, chatting and studying and the list goes on..


I guess women have some inbuilt ability to perform multitasking while guys seriously lack this quality! Take my husband, he cannot do even one task with complete concentration (That excludes surfing and cricket). When he is doing something and in between if I start talking to him about some different topic, he would be lost. And usually this would end in argument 2-3 times a week. He thinks I am expecting too much from him and I am like, I just cannot stand sluggishness.

I know multitasking does not help all the times. Sometimes, quality of the task also gets affected. But cannot change old habits, they go with you only!

What's the right time to have a baby?

We have been married for over 4 years and as you can understand, pressure for having a baby has become unbearable. I was just thinking what’s the right time to have a baby? Though, I do fail to understand how can others decide for you? Even if they are your parents? I know they are my best well-wisher and their advice is based on their experience and wisdom, but ultimately I have to carry, give birth and raise a kid. For that, I need to be prepared – physically, mentally and financially!


When others give pressure to you, the crucial fact they overlook is along with pressure they also give tension! If you had planned to wait for more than couple of years after marriage, they would make you feel panic and guilty, as if you took some disastrous decision and now you cannot reverse it. I do understand certain things should be done in right time; otherwise it might cause a problem. But at the same time, it should not become a mission and everyone else is so curious about your personal life.

In my case, I hope, phase should not come that I am trying for a kid just because of pressure and age! I am making out not because of love or lust, just because I need a baby!

It's all about food!!!

We have started getting The Washington Post for last couple of months. After 7 years, now I am trying to get familiar with actually reading hard copy of the news paper! Every Wednesday, they have supplement entirely on food. Yesterday, two of the articles really caught my attention and I could not wait to write about them.

The first article was about Diana Kennedy. She is the queen of the Mexican Cuisine and also known as ‘Julia Child of Mexican Cooking’. She has written several books and appeared on TV shows as well. She was quoted “You need to understand food to understand its culture”. What a splendid remark! I cook for fun, out of hobby, out of passion, but never thought like this.

The other article was about Indian Chats. One full page was dedicated to this article explaining in detail about all different ingredients of chat. There were also a few recipes for Dahi Bhalla, Tamarind Chutney and Green Chutney. I never happened to search/ read these recipes since this is something you know, by default. You do not need (At least I did not need) any extra, special tips to make them. But to my surprise, I saw some ingredients in this recipe which I never thought could contribute to make the dish tastier. For example, onion, ginger and curd in green chutney or fennel seeds and clove-cinnamon powder in tamarind chutney.

These recipes were from chefs of two popular restaurants in DC Metro Area – Rasika (DC downtown) and Indique Heights (Chevy Chase, MD). We already have been to Indique Heights to celebrate my B’day and now cannot wait to go to Rasika for his B’day. 2 months advanced planning….VOW!!

License and Registration in state of MD

It has been nearly 4 months since we moved in here, in Maryland. Yet we are not done with car registration and inspection formalities. We did a proper homework about the process, but still for one or other reason it keeps on delaying. Worst part of the story is, website does not provide sufficient information. Anyway, this process cannot be more complicated (for any other state) so I thought to note down the steps!!


Before we move further, here are some tips worth keeping in mind:
• It is required to change the license and then only you can go for car registration
• Always opt for ‘Full Services MVA’ since they offer all the services at comparatively faster manner
• Always check website for holiday schedule, since MVA observes furlough once in every 3 weeks
• Cash, debit cards and credit cards are accepted for all services

I guess now we are ready to start:
For License change:
• You must carry following documents
     o Passport with current I94
     o Old valid license
     o Visa proof – Greencard or visa copy and/or stamping
     o Social security card (If you are on dependent visa and not entitled for SSN, you need to obtain a NEW denial letter from STATE OF MD. You can visit nearby SSN office with your visa, passport and primary visa holder)
     o 2 address proof – Any utility bill WITH ORIGINAL ENVELOPE, bank statement or lease agreement is fine

• Always try to reach as soon as MVA opens, since getting license is a lengthy process. They will verify your visa status with DHS (When you are on non-immigrant visa), check your eye sight and take a picture.
• On average, it takes about 1.5 – 2 hours to complete the whole process
• You will get the license only until visa date
• Approx. $28 pp

For Registration and Title Change
• Change your car insurance (They will ask for new address proof. Lease agreement, offer letter from community or license works fine. We changed it before we got the new license)
• Registration has to be completed within 60 days from license date
• Before you go for registration, car needs to be inspected
     o In state of MD, only private inspection is available. They charge from $50-$100 to manually inspect the car. It takes at least couple of hours.

     o They check tires, headlights, brake, mirror, seat belt etc. This is mere manual inspection and engine/transmissions are NOT CHECKED. That means, if you are getting ‘Check Engine’ Sign, you need not worry at this point of time.
     o If everything is okay, they will issue an inspection certificate. If not, they will generate a report mentioning all problems. In either case, they will charge inspection fee.
     o If inspection is not through, you have to fix the car and go for re-inspection.
     o This inspection remains valid as long as you own the car in MD.

• If your car is on financing
      o Contact your financer to send title to MVA (Send the fax)
      o It takes about 7-10 days
      o Once they send documents to MVA, you get a letter of notification from your
         financer or you can directly call MVA to check

• Carry following documents:
      o Original title or financing documents
      o New License
      o New insurance proof
      o Old registration
      o Inspection certificate
      o   New registration form (can be downloaded from website, it is advised to fill the form ahead and then only go to MVA)

• Whoever’s name is mentioned in title, he/she must be present, otherwise power of attorney letter is required

• If more than one name is mentioned in old title, all of them are required to be present with new license. Exactly same names will appear on new title. (It is better to have same names since change in name is a tedious process)

• It costs $200-$300 based on year, model and whether you own or finance the car.

• Once MVA checks all papers, they will issue new registration and plates. Fix these new plates and return old plates to respective state. Either return them in person or send via certified mail. No other proof is necessary.

• After new registration, with 2-3 weeks you will receive a new title, with new address

• Within 4-5 weeks you will receive a notice for emission test. You will be given 90 days of time to go for this test. You must carry this notice to inspection facility.

• Emission inspection facility is managed by government. Under this test, they check engine and transmission.

• It takes about 10 minutes to complete the process.

• It costs $14 and if inspection is through, they will issue a certificate with 2 years validity.

Now you are all set to drive a car in Maryland!!