A new year is unfolding – like a blossom with petals curled tightly concealing the beauty within…

 

New Year’s Eve is a moment when you happily and content-fully say – Good-bye to old year and welcome the new year with lots of hope and aspirations.

My this year’s 2010 New Year’s Eve was well spent with meeting my blog friend – Pria.
Yes, I always have made plans with my blog friends based on my visit to a particular city and so far I only got lucky meeting Pria and her family in my favorite city Toronto.

It’s so easy when your thoughts match on the blog world with friends, it doesn’t take much to connect with them when you meet in person and that’s the feeling I got when I met Pria at her residence.
The eve is leading to the new year with the hope and aspiration of meeting more and more friends from all over the world…and I am hopeful with that thought with a kick-start meet with Pria.

As I say good-bye to this city Toronto, I also wish good luck to my friends for everything to go well as the new year approaches…I am sure things will change for better and it will…


Happy New Year To All My Friends…this year’s motto is :

“Drive yourself happy instead of crazy. Every minute spent stressing is one less minute being happy” – so let’s enjoy and be merry

We do not remember days, we remember moments…

Today I went around the places where I first landed and lived my initial period of life and it did remind me all the struggle days and those weak moments when I was home-sick and yet had the determination to make my place in this busy country.


It was very nostalgic and as the roads, street names and houses where I lived came across, it brought all memories live. I went through each place where I later rented, the place where I established myself in my career and finally the house that I bought in the city.

Today when I go through those areas, indeed I was in the heart of city where I lived but the con part of it that it has become old. The houses are same, people might have moved or passed on their heritage to their kids and what not. But there is no innovation. Couple of houses were re-built which did give the new look however city is always like that.

I felt content being in these places. I am satisfied with what I have and I really felt that I have moved on. To all my friends who got bored of my saying about things in Canada and the life about Canada…I guess this is it. I had to visit once to give a stop to my those feelings.

I am happy that this is the country and the city Toronto that I choose to be part of. It did help me in growing up in my life and career. It did teach me a different outlook of life and people. It did bring that element in me which made me think more than myself and gave me the opportunity to help people and love people in the way they are.

All this and more with experience I moved on in life towards USA to California with a new life and motto – and believe me I am happy.

Today I have this heart to say that I am happy where I am with my loved ones – in the heart of city where along with my loved ones I have mother nature to give solace and peace, new friends and new atmosphere to live on…I am thankful for everything.
Still with some nostalgic moments…yet a content heart…people move and progress in life only to leave the place with memories and more memories…

“We must always have old memories and young hopes”

Anywhere is paradise; it’s up to you ;-)

 

Visiting Niagara was a usual weekend activity for a person like me who never looked at what time or hour of the night it is.
Same spirit I have this time too – which made me feel I am still the same and not changed a bit. Quick decision making and preparing in the limited given time had always been my nature and I guess I find it thrilling.
My drive was amazing as going through the huge buildings made me realize how city gal I am and how I used to drive through these places so often.
Every thought was cherishing the old one and adding the new one to the current one. I always enjoyed the night part of Niagara as it lights up with lights and music bands. The winter never killed or took away the spirit of joy and fun – I witnessed it even today.
People covered with winter jackets, caps and mufflers and yet smiling and running away from the mist as it hit their faces.
Nature always gave solace to my heart in times then and even today. Speechless yet with mind full of thoughts. Unknowingly so many times it ran over to the past to present…the mist of life was getting spread all over and yet the feeling is refreshing.
Once again I felt like living in that freshness.

“By seeing the seed of failure in every success, we remain humble. By seeing the seed of success in every failure we remain hopeful.”

I always wondered what was that cold war between Canada and US and I always felt the attitude is what made them think about Americans.
This time coming from America looking at Canadians…I felt Canadians are more humble – no offense to any Americans but then coming from US this time I could relate it to one thing – People in Canada come as immigrants no matter how educated one is, they have to go through the struggle part of it which takes them from all ups and downs of life.
Americans do have immigrants too however, they are all well placed with jobs if not with status in the country – this small element does bring that big impact to one’s attitude.
To add to it when A Visa status moves to Green Card the attitude has no limits!
No matter what, one needs to go through a phase where it does bring the mankind to be down to earth and I think one gets there in Canada.

“Swallow your pride occasionally, it’s non-fattening!”

A Garden is a Friend You Can Visit Anytime…!

I have been living in this city over 10 years and It was not that I have always been living here. I used to take vacation time off and go to India, South Korea and still when I returned it gave the feeling of coming home.


After 5 years of my visit to the city, why I remembered all the way back when I landed in this country all by myself alone? CN Tower always gave me the significance of strength and courage. Today when I see it gives me the same message.

Going around downtown, looking at those busy subways and the crowd took me back to my days when I was just few weeks new in this country going around the clock based on my work schedule. I have often craved for moments when I can sit in that food court and watch others rushing around. Today was that day – it brought tears and smile too.

My 11 years old kid asks me – “are you crying?” and, I am wondering if I can explain it though I did but the essence is only in one’s feeling which cannot be shared.
It was amazing to know that I still remember the roads to my home where once upon a time I used to live …memories are so touching that it takes you literally back to those days and everything looks so clear then about the paths that you come along.

Yes, as one of my best friend in Canada said to me – ‘You have come a long way and you are doing better now’ – I owe to this city everything.
Nostalgic moments only brings happiness whether from past or from present – it’s cherishing moment.

“Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson: You find the present tense and the past perfect”