off for a while

Taking a bit of a break.....just feel like being offline for a while, that's all. I've been active for so long that I think it's time to just be still for a while, so I'll be pottering around doing other things....baking, reading, playing with my baby and much more.

Take care.

working as a chef is cool again

These days working in a hotel seems to be the choice of a large number of new grads in the hospitality industry, when usually, most of them used to branch out into different fields or start their own restaurants etc. Part of the problem was finding good enough chef work that would look good on the resume, be a great learning experience and pay well too. Everyone knows, chefs work ungodly hours and that's part of the deal if you want to become famous enough to have your own brand of restaurants. Opening one's own stand alone restaurant isn't as good as what one gets in a hotel, with its stability and in-built brand name.

how many pics?

Each time I upgrade my camera I find that even though I'm getting a large enough memory card, it always seems to fall short. These days micro sd cards have an amazing capacity and it's especially important to have one with enough capacity if you're going to shoot in RAW format where the size goes up by over ten times, so you barely get enough shots before the card is full. I've been downloading my pics every week and sometimes, that's not soon enough.

matching gifts to the right people

Gift giving can be a confusing time if you're not really sure of the recipient, so it makes sense to do some research before splurging on something like a nikon spotting scope or any other gift that is not really the kind to be tossed aside. When it comes to any kind of electronic item, it really makes sense to be sure that it suits the recipient, in a sense that it shouldn't overwhelm them since that's not going to be fun at all. They're not going to think well of you if you do that!

photo: morning blue

A photo from one of my morning walks from our old house. I loved wandering around the neighborhood and finding little things like this to photograph. And considering I was doing the same 3-4 circuits, I didn't get bored of seeing the same houses and gates.

learning about nutrition all over again

Let's be honest, I've never really bothered too much about nutrition since it all just came naturally. I mean, you eat your veggies, fruits, drink milk and water and make sure you have a good amount of fiber and protein and you're all set, right? Well, since having a baby, I've realized that I know nothing at all and I need to learn about different foods and in which combination they should be eaten all over again. As much as I love to browse decor blogs, what I have been doing lately, is looking up meal plans for 8-12 month olds, vegetables and fruits high in fiber, and even once got sidetracked to a natural diuretics site that listed foods that retain water. I've found some really great sites that I have bookmarked and will be visiting again and again, so it's been a time well spent.

i need some business cards

For the longest time, I've been thinking of getting some business cards printed for myself. I am a freelancer, so don't have anything very official to write on them, just something like my name, a web address and a telephone number or something like that. Some time back, I found a lovely fun business card pdf file that had different illustrations and one could just add in the name and other information that you wanted to add. Unfortunately, I never got around to buy the right paper to print them out on, and on the regular printer paper it's quite pointless. So now, it's time to get some actual ones and find a place that does business cards printing in a creative way and not the boring old designs.

doing our weekly grocery

Doing our weekly grocery this past week, I found that no matter which aisle I walked to, there was a counter offering free stuff. On one aisle, I got to taste some rolls from the in-house bakery, drink a bit of pomegranate juice, test a new hand lotion and even hear a lecture on the best diet pills for women while I got my vitamins. Before we moved to this apartment, I was worried about not being able to shop at my usual grocery store. Well, as it turns out, this one is really good as well, definitely better in some products but much more confusing in its layout and the order one usually does the shopping.

Online event management

Event management is never as easy as it looks. If your work function is taking care of planning events, then you're going to simply love this new software that will make you work so much more organized and simplified. Many companies even offer free accounts so customers could see how it works first before buying the software. I like the idea of planning a sample event to get an idea of how the system works and if it would work at an organization level as well. While most event planning software's are so confusing, customers often don't even bother using them, but there are many which are straight forward and logical.

in the magazines

Every week I like to visit my local bookstore and sit at the cafe with some magazines while I sip a cup of hot chocolate. The usual selection is a mix of fashion and celebrity magazines and so by the end of the outing, I've seen like a million advertisements for acne treatment. Do you spend time looking at all the advertisements at the back of the magazine, they are full of all sorts of cures and treatments for everyone from a teenager to anti-aging creams for the 20-somethings. By the end of the trip, I end up feeling too old :-(

Are you out biking?

This is the best time of the year weather-wise and if you want to make the most of it, then head out for some outdoor activity. Everyone seems to be thinking the same thing, it seems since I've seen a thule bike rack on more than one vehicle in the past few days. Biking is the adventure of the season it seems, everyone wants to be out on their bike, enjoying the sights and sounds that one can only enjoy from a bike. Just wish we had more dedicated bike paths in this area.

photo: twinkling lights

A happy new year to everyone! We're doing good, relaxing a bit over Christmas and New Years and looking forward with new experiences with the little one. Here's a shot that I took on Diwali, but the twinkling lights work well for Christmas and New years as well, don't they!

did you have electronics on your list?

Did you get everything that you wanted this Christmas? I've been reading the reports that some of the trade papers are reporting that one of the popular items on the shopping lists was a Nintendo Wii. Electronic items were by far the most popular items wanted by children and men. Electronics were higher up on the list for women this Christmas as well, with items such as iPads, ebook readers and smart phones on their most wanted list. I didn't have any of these or for that matter any electronic item on my list.

Is it time to let go?

Have you ever gone to a Karaoke bar? Or sung one out in public? I've never wanted to do anything that involves singing in public, but my friends have been ribbing me endlessly with some of the most popular karaoke songs and how much fun it would be to go for one of these nights. Well, I'm not completely convinced about the whole thing at all, but as the new year starts, it's better to have a can-do attitude instead of being a downer and keep saying no all the time. Maybe, it is time to throw off some old hangups and let go for a while.

Doggy tales

My father has always loved dogs and grew up having a pet. My mother on the other hand, didn't care much for dogs, so we didn't have any pets when we grew up. In a surprising twist, my mother had a change of heart and decided to get a pup, a black Labrador retriever. My father was of course thrilled. In the two years that they have had Zorro, they have grown to love him so much that they can't believe they didn't have a dog all these years. There is just something special about a dog's devotion to you. So, since the past two years, they have been hooked onto buying stuff for Zorro, toys, chewables, and a who bunch of other stuff. Sadly, Zorro died of diabetes and now they have another dog, another black Labrador retriever called Marco.

Losing it all

Happy New Year everyone! Are you done with all the parties and brunches and dinners and desserts? And are you happy with how your body handled it all? What, you're saying that you didn't put on any weight? Did you have to rely on something like adapexin to lose the holiday weight so fast? I'm always amazed at how much some people have some to rely on artificial aids to help them lose weight. Yes, I know it's a personal choice, and in many cases, even doctors are okaying using weight loss products, but do make sure that you meet your doctor to see if it's fine for you to take them. Make the new year the year that you start to really take care of yourself and your body.