Please Welcome - Ebony - new family member

Finally after a long wait (almost 9 months :o) we have our new baby "Ebony" 2006 Acura MDX Nighthawk Black with Navi/DVD 7 passenger.
Some of the sites that helped make the decision/purchase which we found very informative:
craigslist.com
edmunds.com
auto.yahoo.com (love the map feature)

Vancouver celebrates Diwali

Diwali is coming up on Friday November 9th, 2007 and here in Canada it's a long weekend.
Lots happening around town...check out events at - http://vandiwali.ca/

Mitti Wajan Mardi

Went to watch http://mittiwajanmardi.com/ last night. Chacha-pathija (Uncle-nephew) shots are so hilarious we were laughing away like crazy. This is the first 3hr film that both my kids enjoyed watching without complaining - the last one we all watched together was in Dec. in California (Charlotte's Web). I just couldn't imagine them sitting thru the movie so, avoided till now. We were sitting in the first row cuz, the theatre was so jam packed when we got there. But, it was good in a way cuz, Kabir and Sehaj had lots of room to dance to the Bhangra beat.

Happy Birthday Sehaj

You're 5.
Oh! How the years have gone by.
We had a blast yesterday at Crash Crawly's - with a full house of 20 kiddies. Photos to be posted soon.

September's first weekend update

Although I wanted to go for the Grouse Grind with my friend, we ended up going to WhiteRock for a stroll; all because of Harvie. Well, he’s preparing for his CFA now and I thought with his MBA done we were good for some time and we could actually have some proper family time – I mean “vacation”. Anyway, so we just went on our own…there were lots and lots of geese and sea gulls. Kabir and Sehaj were so excited. To add to that there came the longest train ever and me and Sehaj started counting the boxes – we were literally shouting. Sehaj enjoyed the counting for a change. We took the 148th St coming and going which is so steep. It’s a bit scary but, we made it.
Sunday afternoon after hearing me complain Harvie agreed to take us to Harrison Hot Springs - last minute plan. It turned out pretty nice…the kids enjoyed a lot on the beach – Kabir is not afraid of the water at all. Initial couple of minutes he found the water to be very cold but, got over that quite fast. And then, there was no turning back…I had to drag him out numerous times. What’s up with this guy, he started bending forward till his face was in the water…and apparently he loved it. And, we got to see the beautiful Sand sculptures. Bought some fresh fruit and corn along the way. And crashed at East India Restaurant in Langley (near Willowbrook Mall) for dinner just before heading home.

Rakhi 2007 - Tuesday, August 28th

Last year's photo of Kabir - with a Rakhi tied to his wrist by Sehaj

Rakhi is tied by sisters on the wrists of brothers in celebration of Raksha Bandhan (Hindu/Sikh religion)

More details here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakhi

August 2007 - Kabir and Sehaj have really grown over the year...

Although Kabir was all excited about something colorful being tied to his wrist but, that only lasted 5 min. then, he was like - take this thing off of me...please HELP!!!

Sehaj was the lucky girl as she got to have the 14-kt yellow gold Super Sweet little Butterfly bracelet which I picked up from Costco.

SUV shopping from the US

We have been thinking/researching for quite some time now...and so are a few of our friends. So, one fine day we are all going to go to the States and come back driving our new Sport-utes (SUV's)...wanna join us - hehehe!

Well, here is some research that I've done so far...

Registering a vehicle from the USA – ICBC link –
http://www.icbc.com/insurance/insura_getsta_howbuy_moving2_register.asp
If you are importing a vehicle into B.C. from the United States, contact the Registrar of Imported Vehicles http://www.riv.ca/english/html/how_to_import.html or call them at 1-888-848-8240.

Good articles in - http://www.canadiandriver.com/
Feature - Canadian vs U.S. vehicle prices: are we paying too much? - http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/cc/price_diff.htm
How to import a car from the U.S. - http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/cc/price_diff_sb.htm
Strong dollar drives us to record U.S. car imports - http://www.aacb.com/news/press.asp?id=3389

Cars n' women blogs/links:
http://askpatty.typepad.com/
The Vancouver dealership built for Women - www.autoone.ca/clutch/ More than a Purse

My favs (preference-wise):
AUDI Q7 - http://www.canadiandriver.com/overviews/2007/audi/q7.php
Acura MDX
Nissan Pathfinder
Honda Pilot

Next level (a bit bigger):
Toyota Sequoia
Nissan Armada
Lincoln Navigator
Lexus GX

Bocce Tourney 3 - Enrolment Services, UBC

Our Enrolment Services department is having it's 3rd annual Bocce Tourney this summer and our Reporting & Data Management Group team is being represented by me and Fred...we are the "Grey Goose". The name was much emphasized by Tony. We've won the first game (15/13)...four more to go if we hang in there till the final. Let's see where we end up. I have never played this game till now...and surprisingly I'm pretty good...maybe it's the first time at a game kinda thing.

Busting car-thieves in the middle of the night

Yeah, that's what I've been doing lately. Well, as I was sound asleep Sunday night...I heard this peculiar sound from a car that wasn't going away - around 2:45am. Normally, you would hear a car go by but, this was different so, I got up from the bed and looked out the window and what do i see!!! a guy sitting in front of a car parked on the road fiddling with the license plate...happened to be the car of our neighbour's guests visiting from Seattle. I called Harvie right away and he called the cops. After about 2 min. while we were watching from our window...one of the guys spotted us and walked away slowly into his car and started to drive away. I quickly turned off our front porch lights (smart move)...opened the door and ran down our driveway to get a glimpse of the license plate of the Black Cadillac CTS that they were driving...think of it now - what was i thinking. Anyway, that didn't help cuz the license plate no. that we'd given the cops turned out to be a Red Honda - well, they probably had swapped from the numerous plates they must have on hand. We're all set to go back to sleep and I hear that weird sound again. These guys had guts...cuz, after 15 min. they were back at it. We called the cops again and I was getting my camera ready and I guess they heard us talking on the phone upstairs as the voice echoes a lot; and they fled away, their car making a screeching sound. The cops came after 15 min. of this whole ordeal - so typical - i thought that happened only in Bollywood. Anyway, we slept away...i just had to snooze my alarm and ended up going to work late...so, my whole day was delayed by 2 hrs. but, it was worth it. Followed up with the neighbors in the morning...found out that they had taken the license plate from the back so, their job was half done no wonder they kept coming back...told them to call the cops and refer to our experience. They got the plate back - wonder if the cops did actually catch the culprits - a medium height white bald heavy built guy and a short skinny chinese guy with a cap - kinda like Laurel and Hardy with a twist - what a combination.

Vancouver's largest selection of Corelle ware with great prices

I came across this store 8 years ago...some of my friends have asked me about it so, thought of sharing one good find - Vancouver's largest selection of Corelle ware with great prices...enjoy!
http://www.homewares.ca/
They've got open-stock of Corelle coordinates so, one can buy as much as one wants depending on their family's needs. Moreover, they've got so many different designs to choose from.
Last time I paid a visit was when Sehaj broke a couple of my serving bowls...had to replace them.

Akhand Path Bhog - Kabir's Birthday

We are celebrating our son Kabir’s first birthday by hosting Akhand Path on Sunday, 17th June at Singh Sabha Gurdwara located at 132nd St and 82nd Ave. in Surrey. Akhand Path Bhog will be at 9am…followed by Kirtan around 10am…Langar will be served after 10am…so, it would be great if you can make it sometime between 9am and 12 noon.
Hope you can join us.
Regards,
Hundalz

Driving to work was a nightmare today

Ok, this is why I get up at 5 and i'm out the door by 6am - just to avoid the traffic. But, today i had a late start because of Sehaj (so i thought). Sehaj was playing with my alarm clock last night and took the cell out. And i just put it in half-asleep +/- duh! So, it was really my mistake. I got up after 7 and zoomed out the door. Left home around 8 and was surprised to see the never-ending line up on Nordel Way for Alex Fraser Bridge. I wish I could just take a U-turn and go back home. The traffic was a grid-lock. Massey tunnel was no better so, i just stuck to the current route. It took me almost 2 hrs. to get to UBC - yikes!
Actually it's all MJM Furniture's fault cuz we don't have a mattress yet - it's more than 20 days and they said we'd get it in 2 weeks. Had we had it, I would be sleeping on my new bed, in my room, with the more reliable double alarm clock. I've been experimenting quite a bit - i did try this weird idea of putting Sehaj's bunk bed twin mattresses side by side on the King size bed Sunday night not realizing that the planks were so wide apart and the matresses were so thin/light that me and Sehaj were all up and down...curvy - well, Sehaj didn't notice much as she's only 40lbs. but, by the time i got up my whole body was aching...by Monday evening i had a sprained neck. So i'm back to the futon downstairs with the un-reliable alarm clock (i'll just bring down my radio alarm clock just to be safe) till the day we finally get our mattress.

Bedroom suite furniture shopping

After much window shopping, not leaving any stone unturned we have finally selected a bedroom suite for our Master-bedroom. I don't think there is a shop that we've missed from the huge furniture showrooms strip in Coquitlam to King George area in Surrey to the Bridgeport Road in Richmond. Ethan Allen had beautiful/creative designs but, the price was sky-high. We settled for an elegant Italian style 727 Villa Veneto by Fairmont Designs from MJM Furniture. Couldn't find a picture on any of the Canadian furniture showroom site so, here is one from a US one - http://www.bedroomfurnitureusa.com/catalogimg/groups/1698-a.jpg
We are going for a King-size bed to accomodate the kiddies once in a while. Well, Kabir sleeps with us and Sehaj is allowed to sleep with us on Fridays, rest of the days she is happy on her bunk-bed.

Harvie's MBA graduation ceremony

Harvie's MBA is officially granted and i get to keep the cap with tassels.

Great Grand parents visiting us and loving it here in Canada

After spending 6 months in San Francisco, California; Uncleji and Auntiji landed here in Canada on Friday 18th May and are loving it here. It was Auntiji's birthday on 22nd May, and we celebrated with lots of food - fruit cake, samosas, paneer de pakore, sweets, and lots more.

So far, they have visited
Dukh Nivaran Gurdwara – new Gurdwara which was inaugurated the day we visited – Sunday, 20th May
White Rock and Crescent Beach
Fleetwood and Bear Creek Park
Surrey Sports and Leisure Complex where Sehaj goes for Skating and Swimming

Surprise Party for Harvie - MBA is over :o)

Harvie had his last MBA class today...and I thought what better way to celebrate then to throw in a surprise party. So, picked up the phone at 9am and started calling friends...everybody was so excited to join in on the fun. Because I didn't have the car today I had to do with whatever was available at home. Though a couple of friends helped out picking up the necessary must-have items on their way like cake, champagne and bbq chicken; I managed to make quite a few appetizers and Harvie's fav. food - rice n' rajmah and shahi paneer. Kabir slept from 11 - 1pm and that's when I got most of the work done. Friends started to come around 6pm. Harvie was expected to be home around 6:30 as I told him I've gotta go to a store which closes at 7 so, he'd better be home before 6:30 Anyway, I called him and he said he just got out of Robson Square...bummer. So, the guys just started playing cards and the gals were chatting away and the kiddies were having fun playing outside on the swings. Around 7:30 Harive called me and said that I'm not coming as he recognised all our friends cars parked nearby though he zoomed right in the garage. It was fun, hadn't done sth. that sort in a while. After settling down, we just went for the cake, food, drinks as everybody was starving. In between we started to watch the last episode of The Apprentice - I still don't know who won cuz, I was so busy running around.
It was certainly a Champagne moment...although we were almost going to forget about it till almost 11pm when everybody started to head out.
And so, as of Sunday no more excuses for Harvie in our day-to-day life - taking care of kids, cut the grass every two weeks, take Sehaj to the Rec. centre for various activities, cooking food (esp. rice n' rajmah or stir fry - these were his specialities a couple years ago - hope he still remembers), clean-up, there is an endless list out there...
New photos at our Picasa web album site.

Bikram Yoga

Just registered for the Bikram Yoga Introductory Offer 3 classes in 5 days session starting next week. Hoping to make it on Mon, Tue and Thu at 6am...what am I thinking...well, after next week I start work and I've gotta leave home at 5:45 am to beat the traffic. So, thought let the challenge begin a week earlier with something I've been wanting to do for a while.

For more information on Bikram Yoga click on the link below:
http://www.bikramyoga.com/

Here comes Spring

The spring break was a bummer...both the kiddies had cough and runny nose...which didn't get any better till they finished the 5-day antibiotics medicine. I was starting to wonder if I should get a refill or sth. cuz. both of them finished their 5-day dose but, weren't perfectly well. One day of patience and voila...both were fine. Anyway, they got it from Harvie who's still struglling with some kind of allergy/infection - for the last 40 days...gosh... Lucky me, i didn't catch it. Not to mention the horrible weather which turned a little brighter on Sunday Mar. 25th. So, we continued thinking that it was Spring break as Sehaj only has a couple of hours of school. So , this is what we've been upto...


Ikea - Visited the Smaland...deposited Sehaj and her friend Ashnoor; and Kabir joined the ladies for an hour long shopping at Ikea.


UBC - had a 15 min. meeting with my boss regarding me joining back 6 weeks early...what am I thinking...I know...well, Harvie wants to take a break (so-called)...he wants to take the remaining 6 weeks for job-hunting. He doesn't know that he'll be lucky if gets 5 min. to himself all day long with the two...or maybe he just wants to do all that...i.e. wake up in the middle of the night...feed Kabir, clean-up his drools, get him back to sleep or change his diaper, wake up Sehaj, brush her teeth, bathe her (that I'm thinking I would do the night before to make his life easier), put her clothes (can't wait to see the mis-matchs that they both agree upon LOL or i'll just have that ready as well), give her breakfast, get her snack ready for school, drop her off at school, pick her up from school, give her lunch, put her show on (just one - she could watch tv all day long but, that's a no no), oh yeah and not to forget Kabir, he's always going to be there wanting attention at all times, and not to forget dinner for his wife who is coming back from all-days work LOL ...can't wait to hear him start whining all the time when he really gets into my shoes...that's going to be so much fun...it's already making me so joyous thinking what/how/when he would do...what I do everyday 24/7...actually this deserves to be a topic on its own... He really doesn't know what he's getting into.
So, where were we...yeah...picked up Sehaj on Mar. 29th and drove to UBC...it took forever...well, 50 min. and that's supposed to be good. Met all my co-workers, being a Thursday most of the crew was there. The Tech group was having an open house so, got some tim-bits to chew on. My meeting was short and sweet...it's final that I'm joining back on April 30th...(can't revert back now). My kiddies have so much fun whenever they visit UBC...esp. my office. Sehaj loves to draw on the whiteboard with all the different colored markers that are at her dispense. I was surprised to see her doodles from the last time that we had visited back in October. And then, I had to visit the book store - my fav. palce @UBC. Bought a well-recommended book that I was wanting after watching a recent Oprah show - 'The measure of a man' by Sidney Poitier. Initially I didn't have the time to get past the Introduction, Preface...but, come last Tuesday, when Kabir was taking his afternoon nap...i started reading it and can't seem to put it down. I just pick it up whenever I get the chance...before I sleep at night. I haven't felt that good in a while after reading half the book. My mind/thoughts are so much clearer. I know what I want and I'm going to get it. There's so much in it that I want to take in...things like 'failure is not an option', 'when the student is ready, the teacher appears', etc. Not to mention the English language itself...it's been put together so well...articulate as they say. See, this also deserves to be a topic on it's own. Anyway, that's what i've been upto so no time for blogging lately.


Shefali & Karman's Birthday Party at Go Bananas on Saturday Mar. 31st - was a blast...the kiddies had so much fun. Sehaj was extremely happy that her best of best friends - Navi - was coming...she was going to be seeing her after 6 long months. She had been complaining that why doesn't Navi come to my house...and I've been telling her cuz 'u make so much mess' and so, she got quite better at putting away things properly and all that but, not to my extreme standards...Anyway, she'll get there someday. Couple of our friends came home for coffee and then we talked into Navi's parents to leave her here for a sleep-over (what's that - how old is Sehaj again - ummm 4!!! - gosh...i blame it all on the idiot box 'TV' - that's why she is only allowed to watch one show a day...unless it's sth. like her 'Barbie Fairytopia - Magic of the Rainbow' movie which is going to be aired on Saturday...she can't wait). So, Sehaj was on 'Cloud 9' Sat. and Sun.


Stanley Park - On Sunday, we had to drop off Navi...so, went to Stanley Park first and then picked up Harvie from UBC @Robson as he had his MBA classes all weekend. Then, had dinner with Navis' family at their home...her mom made yummy food.


Rec. Centre for ice-skating, swimming and multi-sport - Since I'll be joining back soon...i wanted to make the best of times with my kiddies esp. Sehaj so, I've enrolled her in Ice-skating, swimming and multi-sport beginning the week of Mar. 26th. I bought her these beautiful figure skates...light blue with white snow-flakes on them from Sportchek and she's happy as can be. She was also due for a new swim suit...and she had been wanting a mermaid one this time...we happened to be at 'The Children's Place' and they had a beautiful mermaid one...she couldn't ask for more. So, Mon - Fri we alternate between the activities and weekends are free to go about anywhere else we want to go. Kabir goes with us everywhere...the most fun part is that he wants to join Sehaj in everything that she does. He just couldn't resist the water and esp. playing soccer. I had to drag him out so many times. He loves it.

Lots of awesome family fun ideas at http://www.findfamilyfun.com/

Bhagat Kabir Jr

Here is link to an article I found a few months before Kabir was born..."Kabir: In the bliss of Sahaj"
http://www.sol.com.au/kor/20_03.htm

Choosing a school for Sehaj - entering Kindergarten in September 2007

Never thought choosing a school for Sehaj starting this September would be so mind-boggling.
The following was my order of preference:
Southridge Junior School (private) - http://www.southridge.bc.ca/
Sehaj did very well in her student assessment which lasted 45 minutes. She told me all about it. The parent interview went quite well too. Don't know what went wrong. Actually, the chances were quite slim, given that they have only 32 seats, out of which they are 50-50 for girls and boys. Plus, they give preference to siblings that are already enrolled. And not to mention the no. of applications that they get. They have a 30% intake rate (3 out of 10 applicants get through). Anyway, we'll try once more when Kabir is ready for Kindergarten and Sehaj will be in Grade 4.
UBC child care (private) - http://www.childcare.ubc.ca/
Both the kids are on UBC's child care waiting list since January 2006 - believe it or not. Yeah, that's true...I was half-way through pregnancy when I registered Kabir :-O I called them earlier this week and they said that we cannot guarantee a space for either. They have a Kindergarten cum daycare option that I was interested for Sehaj. And the day care centres for infants/toddlers are packed. I knew that the average waiting-list was 18 months...that's how Sehaj got in initially. So, as of today, I have started to look for a Nanny.
Cornerstone Montessori School (private) - http://www.cornerstone-montessori.ca/
After much waiting...I've finally registered Sehaj in Kindergarten here. She wanted to get into the morning class because her best friend is in it. But, the morning class was all full (there is hope though...as I'm first on the waiting list). The only drawback for this option is that they don't have a Gym in the school. Guess I'll have to take her to numerous other activities on the side.
Coyote Creek Elementary School (public) - http://www.sd36.bc.ca/coyotecreek/
I've registered Sehaj here too, just in case we change our mind and want to put her in a public school. They are having a Parents meeting in mid- April (kinda like an open-house). Sehaj is no. 46...they have a morning/afternoon session of 22 students each. So, don't know which one if any
we'll get. The secretary sounded quite hopeful cuz, she said that a lot goes on between now and Sept....she said afternoon session is most-likely guaranteed.
Just when I was registering Sehaj for Grade K in the morning/afternoon session this week, I had this very weird idea - that couldn't she do both at public/private schools. So, I asked one of the secretarys' and she said that this trend started last year. And this year there are 2 kids that are doing the Grade K hop (that's my term for it). The only downside is that because the govt. gives a grant to public schools and not private if the kid does both...i'll have to pay an additional $140 to make up for that. Not bad, we may go for it. Sehaj is all excited...for a social person she is ...more friends she has...the merrier she is. Plus, it's only 2.5 hrs at each school. And the schools are near our house...just have to find the right nanny now.

I've spent a lot of time browsing the net to find answers. Here are a few links that I found useful.
FSA reports by school - http://edudata.educ.ubc.ca/index.html
Education and School Report Cards section - http://www.fraserinstitute.ca
Invest in kids - http://www.investinkids.ca/
Independent schools - http://www.fisabc.ca/directory/index.php
Parents section - http://bctf.ca/

Daylight Saving Time Extended by Four Weeks in U.S. Starting in 2007

This Sunday, the second Sunday in March (March 11), at 2 a.m., Daylight Saving Time begins in the United States. This year, Daylight Saving Time is four weeks longer than last year due passage of the Energy Policy Act in 2005. The Act, which extends Daylight Saving Time by four weeks from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November, is expected to save 10,000 barrels of oil each day due to reduced use of power by businesses during daylight hours.
Every spring we move our clocks one hour ahead and "lose" an hour during the night and each fall we move our clocks back one hour and "gain" an extra hour. But Daylight Saving Time (and not Daylight Savings Time with an "s") wasn't just created to confuse our schedules.
The phrase "Spring forward, fall back" helps people remember how Daylight Saving Time affects their clocks.
At 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March, we set our clocks forward one hour ahead of standard time ("spring forward"). We "fall back" at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November by setting our clock back one hour and thus returning to standard time.

Holi on Sunday, March 4th 2007

Yoohoo...we all had such a fun time. Chole bhature was a hit. One of my childhood friends had come all the way from Seattle. Although the weather wasn't that great, we've doubled the no. of people attending in the last two years. There were 24 people in all (including 9 kids).
The kiddies had a BLAST...Sehaj was un-recognizable.
We came back home, headed straight for the shower...Sehaj had to be bathed twice. And after that was laundry. And because I was doing everything in a rush, I accidentally forgot my cell phone in my jeans pocket, which I threw in the laundry. And, when I picked up the clothes to put in the dryer, I saw this shiny thing at the bottom. It was clean all-right but, dead. I opened it all up to the tiniest part...put it back together and charged...the weirdest messages started to pop-out and it kept dying again and again. I was happy in a way that it was time for a new phone...(dreaming about a black-berry). I just left it overnight, and in the morning, it was alive. Yikes!!!
Friday, March 9, 2007
~*~*~*~*~

On popular demand, we are going forward with the HOLI celebrations…here are the details…
Color: lots of dry color, water balloons, water guns
Food: Chole Bhature from Calgary sweets
With Tea, Soft drinks or water
Venue: Bear Creek Park (140th entrance – same as SPEATBC summer picnic area)
Time: 11am – 1pm
~there is a nearby hindu temple where they are celebrating holi indoors in a huge hall…so, we do have a back up plan if the weather isn’t too good (current forecast is a high of 10 degrees with variable cloudiness – not bad :o)
*IMPORTANT: Please wear old clothes that you could throw away later…from jackets to shoes (learnt from past experience)
Please confirm the no. of adults for food (as I could +/- a few) and do contact me if you could volunteer (while most of it is done).
Friday, March 2, 2007
~*~*~*~*~

Wanted to do something like a picnic at Crescent Beach, WhiteRock followed by HOLI celebration like we did back in March 2005…it was a BLAST…
It all depends on the weather and lately it’s not looking good. Anyway, we’ll decide a couple of days earlier.
Sunday, Feb. 25, 2007
~*~*~*~*~

Sehaj is becoming an artist

Sehaj has been drawing like crazy everything from herself, mommy, daddy, Kabir to all her different princesses. She is very detail oriented as when she draws me she would make sure that I have the right earrings, boots, hair-style and on and on. She is already crazy about shoes and all the bling-bling not to mention her fancy dresses especially her latest beaded pink lehenga (Indian dress).
*i've got to scan her drawings and post here

Kabir’s activities @8+ months

@8 1/2 months
Kabir is walking...his first step was a set of 3 steps. I guess he was so excited to see all the people on HOLI day that he made this leap. Later in the day he took a set of 5/6 steps with a little pause three times. He's also become an expert at the stairs over-night. He looks so cute when he's at the stairs with his little bum. He does not look back...just keeps going till he has reached the top.

@8 months
Kabir can stand unassisted for a couple of minutes especially if he has something in his hands like a cellphone. He has started cruising by holding on to one of the little plastic chairs and can cover a distance of 2 meters or so. He's also started on the stairs (just one step for now). Moreover he has become a Vacuum cleaner - don't ask...I have to keep the house spic n' span. His hand to mouth coordination is getting better. But, no sign of any tooth yet.

Getting ready for the Vancouver Sun Run on Sunday, April 15th, 2007

My resolution about going for an hour long walk didn’t work even for a day so, I thought why not register for the Vancouver Sun Run…that way there is no excuse. I have done it once in year 2000 in 1 hour and 20 minutes. I know that was a long time ago and I remember I went to Fitness world a week before and ran on the treadmill and the track – that was very bad training and on the next day after the sun run I could hardly walk from my sore legs.
Anyway, this time I have 8 weeks to get good training and my goal of doing it under 60 minutes. Well, that is high hopes…let’s see what happens.
After dropping off Sehaj to her school I do have couple of hours that I could spare.
Day 1 was spent at Costco where I bought the InStep Jogging Stroller (did some browsing at TJ’s kiddies store but, the one at Costco seemed better for the price) and a visit to the park just to see the surroundings. Got home and assembled the stroller.
Day 2 – couldn’t fit the stroller in my car…yikes…so snapped out the wheels and put in the front seat cuz, today I’m going…no matter what…35 minutes of brisk walk and a little jog while Kabir was sleeping in the stroller. I think I made atleast 7 or 8 rounds of the track. The track with its 8th lane of 240 m. So, if I go around 22 times, that would make it 10 km. Wow, that’s a lot…can I do it? Well, I’m all determined.
Day 3 – couldn’t get up from bed…my legs are hurting…calling it quits…nah! just kidding. I need some music for the road…so, bunked the jog and instead went to FutureShop to look for a MP3 player. Narrowed it down to 3 options – Sony 2GB Sports MP3 player (NWS203FS) $139.99, Apple 2GB iPod Nano Silver $169.99 or Sandisk Sansa 2GB e250 MP3 player $149.99. After consulting with my techie hubbie, we agreed upon the Sansa which has a built-in FM tuner unlike the iPOD (u could add one for $60 though) and the Sony didn’t have a playlist feature or photo/video options…
Read some good reviews…I’m happy with my toy
http://reviews.cnet.com/SanDisk_Sansa_e250_2GB/4505-6490_7-31644065.html
Day 4 – bunked
Day 5 – Sehaj has no school so, bunked
Day 6 – Picked up my hubbie from work in the evening and went to White Rock thinking it’s an awesome day to stroll on the pier. But, as we got out, it was so windy and cold that we crossed the road instead and went into a restaurant and had an early dinner. So, another bunk day – LOL :o(

Parent Observation Day

I had the opportunity to visit Sehaj’s preschool and observe her and the rest of the class for an hour. It was an awesome experience and so much fun to watch the little kiddies do their little tasks around the classroom. It was amazing to watch these little bumble bees at work and play. The fun part was when one of the girls made a beads necklace; all the girls just wanted to do that only. I sat down with Sehaj and her teacher for 15 minutes and they showed me how far she’s got with her letters. She is doing pretty good. That day she practiced “b” and “j”. Her teacher complimented her that she has a very sharp memory.
At the end, one of the girls came up to me and said “Aren’t you going to stay here for a little longer” and I responded “Aw I wish I could but, I got to go now sweetie” Aww that was so sweet :o)

Top 10+ baby items that I would recommend (worth every penny) in alphabetical order (pictures to be added soon)

Avent tops the list
Avent bottles – I love the wide style plus, they have different nipple stages (1 – 4 holes)
Avent sterilizer – I saw this at Toysrus with my second baby and thought it would be money well spent on remembering my first time, plus they had Avent bottles with them. (~ $50 with a few bottles which are about $8 each)
Avent pacifiers – not that i’ve used them much but, just in case. Both the kiddies would start playing with them instead of sucking on them. They come with covers.
Avent powder dispenser – just recently got that…love it …how thoughtful

Creamy Vaseline – Oh! How I wish I knew about this sooner…poor Kabir had rash for almost two months from me using baby oil a couple of times plus, some other factors that I just don’t know.

Kushies bibs – Bibs with snap on buttons or Velcro are good. Don’t know who designed the ones with long cloth strings/flaps…who has the time or patience to tie them

Monitor – Gotta have it if you want to do something while the baby is sleeping especially if you live in a 2-level house. We have a basic one, works for the purpose.

Peg Perego high chair – Sehaj is still using it 3 times a day…she has been since she was 5 months old. And it still looks brand new. Four years well-served and four more to go as Kabir has inherited it now.

Rocking chair and ottoman – Oh! This one is a must. I have dozed off in it during the initial days (although I’m a very fussy sleeper). Very relaxing. Massage chair would be even better.

Tempra – Always gave my both kiddies a couple of hours before their immunizations to prevent fever. Always worked like a charm.

Thermos (gotta have 2) – I got mine from Ikea, they have beautiful colored ones. I’ve already lost two (turquoise and black) which I bought for Sehaj and now I’ve got a red and black for Kabir. (~ $7 each). I keep hot water in it cuz, when the baby wants milk he/she wants it NOW and I would mix the hot water with the cold and that would speed up things significantly. Especially at night, when I didn’t want to go downstairs and prepare milk for the little one…it would take forever.

Valentine's Day celebration @Sehaj's school

Since we missed the Christmas party (being away...enjoying the sunny weather in LA), thought of doing something for Valentine's. So, today I went to a couple of stores (Walmart & Dollar Store) and bought some goodies for all of Sehaj's buddies. At first, I picked up some candies and luckily called Sehaj's teacher to confirm if they even allow them...they didn't...so, I had to put them all back and instead I picked up stuff like - stickers, tic-tac-toe game, bubble maker, fluffy pens and notepad, etc. She has a couple of special friends so, they get a VIP treat. Sehaj helped me a lot but, Kabir just wanted his hands on everything. He just wants to grab what he can get and put it in his mouth...gotta watch out. So, had to wait till he was sleeping. Just finished and guess what time it is 1:30am :-O

I signed up for getting the Fruit platter as well so, went to Kin's Farm market @Guildford (they have the best fresh fruit i know). I really like the fruit platters available @Costco but, I wanted to make something myself not that i have the time. Anyway, here is a before and after of the fruits story. The apple is waiting to be cut tomorrow morning as I don't want it to turn brown.

Hope Sehaj and her buddies have a great time...

My GrandMa's Panjiri recipe (Punjabi food)

Everytime we went to Chandigarh to visit my GrandMa, she would make us tons of panjiri. I've tried making it myself 3 times, with her on the phone initially and this is the best ever. So, here is the recipe.
1/2 cup desi ghee
2 cups flour (i use Golden Temple atta)
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup crushed almonds
1/4 cup raisins
1 tbsp char magaz crushed
1/2 tsp each - ginger powder, saunf, ajwain, kamarkas, goond

Heat ghee for 5 min. till hot. Mix the flour and stir occasionally for 30 min. (my arm is still hurting since yesterday - this is the hardest part). The later part of the 15 min. is crucial as you have to make sure the flour does not burn. On the side, heat 1tsp ghee and mix the kamarkas and goond. Add all the ingredients except sugar and mix well. Remove from the heat. Mix the powdered sugar after about 20 min. (again a good workout). Once it has cooled down a bit, you could compact it for 'on-the-go' people while it is still a bit oily (refer to the last pic). Voila...

Adding Bling to my Blog

Hey! Just found out about this awesome site www.widgetbox.com that has tons and tons of widgets that you could add to your blog...oh my GOD...I'm going crazy.

SPEATBC dinner party

On Friday 19th January, we attended the SPEATBC - Society of Punjabi Engineers and Technologists of British Columbia (www.speatbc.org) annual dinner party. That's one event we look forward to every year as we meet so many people. The kiddies enjoy the clown and love dancing to the bhangra tunes.

New Year Resolutions (revised edition)

Ok, I was bored with the typical New Year resolutions so, here are some practical ones:
Go for an hour long walk on a non-rainy day ;o)
Cut my food intake to 3/4 (as Kabir has started solids)
Give Kabir fresh mashed fruits and veggies
Read one book per day to Sehaj
Take one UBC Continuing Studies course
Blog at least once a week
Get rid of clutter in the house

Disney Princess Jr. Monopoly for Sehaj

Sehaj got so motivated by playing with Gurshan @ the New Year Eve's party that she wanted one for herself. I wasn't sure if she was ready. On Thursday, as we were strolling @Guildford mall, I happened to see this Junior version for 5 - 8 year age group...thought might as well get it , as she is 4+. She's played the game 3 times in 24 hours. The first game we played together and I was kicked out in 15 minutes. So, I left and started to prepare dinner. At that time Sehaj was winning big time...she had tons of money and a lot of homes (castles). By the time I was done, and called for a break-time...things had changed. Poor girl lost almost all her money and homes to Daddy. Well, guess I shouldn't have left the two alone. Anyway, she was pretty good, from rolling the dice, to moving her fave princess by counting the places one at a time. She is learning fast. She just keeps switching her princess's.

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S TO YOU

A new year is beginning to peak through
softly beautiful and different like new falling snow,
each day unique and shaped just for you.
Your life adding something as each day does grow.
My wish for your new year is beauty
and softness with surprises thrown in for delight.
Love for each day bringing happiness to you,
making your life a scene of sparkle and shining sunlight.
~Author Unknown~

New Year Eve's Party @Gurshan's

New Year Eve's Party was a blast. We played Monopoly, ate lots of "yummy to the tummy" food, danced away, played dumb-charades (hilarious).
The kids got super-pampered.
I made some butter-chicken which received tremendous appreciation - "finger licking good", "could open my own restaurant".

Kabir crawling into 2007

Kabir began the New Year crawling; his first big leap was at RBC (Royal Bank). We had an hour long appointment with our Financial Planner on 30th Dec. Sehaj was busy coloring - her fave hobby. And Kabir was trying to spoil her fun, when he tried his best to grab the colorful crayons and paper. Later that day we visited some friends.