Tomorrow is my daughters Annaprashana (go to the very bottom of this entry and I will explain it), and I have posted some of my dreams in the past. Some have been violent, some have been weird, and some were just normal.
Today I woke up at 4am, because I had such a vivid dream.
I was working in the garden getting the house ready for the function, you know this is a dream when it starts like this, and my ex-wife gets out of a minivan and walks over and says that I have a beautiful garden. I tell her that it is really because of the ex-owner that it is so beautiful and I just try and keep up. She asked me how much it must have cost, and I tell her that the ex-owner told me that he had spent $150,000 on the landscaping for the house.
She said that she had flown in for the Annaprashana and her got out of the car behind her.
She said that she was very happy for me and wanted to attend and was happy that I had sent her an invitation. (I actually did not in real life).
I walked her and kids into the house and everybody is gasping and whispering. I introduce her to Neeta and Priya and then I woke up.
It was such a vivid dream and felt so real that I could not go back to sleep. I went downstairs and stayed up for an hour to calm down and then finally went back to bed around 5:30am.
I guess that it is nice to have a pleasant dream instead of violent dreams like I have in the past.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Friday, September 27, 2013
Priya is turning over
The entire house is fascinated since yesterday since Priya on a regular basis is turning over from her stomach to her back.
They all just watch and are all super excited when she does it.
Maybe I am just a bad father, but I am not nearly as fascinated as the rest of the family.
Mom took a video f yet yesterday and I will post it here later.
They all just watch and are all super excited when she does it.
Maybe I am just a bad father, but I am not nearly as fascinated as the rest of the family.
Mom took a video f yet yesterday and I will post it here later.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Priya Pictures
Here are a few pictures of Priya:
We had gone for a wedding to Chicago for my friend who also happens to be my friend:
I call this picture Gundu. Priya has a Madala eating Gene and in this picture she looks like a Gundu
This was the first picture of Priya in her crib and I had to yell at everyone, because they had put blankets on the crib, can you imagine if they had fallen, she could have suffocated. Good thing I always think of the worst case scenario, I of course had them remove everything off the crib. Thank goodness I saw this picture right away.
Neeta made a cake for Priya's 5th birthday a cake that matched her dress.
When we are trying to take a picture of Priya, she started touching the cake. So there was a hand print in the cake when we actually got around to cutting it.
This is Priya in her activity area. I wanted to get her a something she thing she could walk in, but everyone told Neeta that was bad, so this is what Priya got instead.
We had gone for a wedding to Chicago for my friend who also happens to be my friend:
I call this picture Gundu. Priya has a Madala eating Gene and in this picture she looks like a Gundu
This was the first picture of Priya in her crib and I had to yell at everyone, because they had put blankets on the crib, can you imagine if they had fallen, she could have suffocated. Good thing I always think of the worst case scenario, I of course had them remove everything off the crib. Thank goodness I saw this picture right away.
Neeta made a cake for Priya's 5th birthday a cake that matched her dress.
When we are trying to take a picture of Priya, she started touching the cake. So there was a hand print in the cake when we actually got around to cutting it.
This is Priya in her activity area. I wanted to get her a something she thing she could walk in, but everyone told Neeta that was bad, so this is what Priya got instead.
Videos of Priya and Her Brother
Here is Priya Scratching Kumo's face. She loves Kumo and always has a big smile when she is with him:
Here is Priya Feeding Kumo:
Priya Plaing with Kumo:
Priya is talking, but I have no clue what she is taking about:
Here is Priya Feeding Kumo:
Priya Plaing with Kumo:
Priya is talking, but I have no clue what she is taking about:
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Priya 5th Month Birthday Cake
Here is a picture of Pirya and her Birthday Cake and her matching dress.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Arian Foster Post
I was reading Arian Foster's Blog and it was tremendous. I learned a lot from it and I hope you learn from it also.:
I remember when I first got the call from my girlfriend (who's now my wife), telling me that I was going to be a father. Her voice cracking, tears brewing, she laid it on me. It was news that would change the course of our lives forever. What the hell was I going to do? All I could think was I was a 23-year-old without a clue about how to raise a kid. I had no job, just a tryout with an NFL team.
I've thought long and hard about the values that I want to try and teach her. I'm sure this list will change as we both grow, but as of now this is what daddy wants his princess to learn from him before she tucks him away into her memory.
1. Happiness. This is probably the most cliché virtue on the list, but the most pivotal to her success. She needs to understand that "success" is a voyage, not an "x" on a map. I believe strongly that smiles are contagious, so I fill my home with as much laughter as possible. I do this in hopes that this mindset bleeds into her heart. You can't teach happiness, per se, but you can teach perspective and let her see that the situation she is born into is unique and the things she is accustomed to are not everyone's reality. I grew up in some rough circumstances, but in a very honest and humble way, was content with what I did have because I knew there were others out there that had less than me. This leads into the next thing I need my princess to understand.
2. The value of a dollar. I remember sometimes taking sponge baths as a boy because the water had been turned off, or my mother crying and asking me to go to bed at dinnertime because there was no food. But the most vivid memories I have were things like when my dad let me wear his favorite hat on my 8th birthday while he taught me how to make perfect scrambled eggs (which I would challenge anyone to a cook-off with). Or when my parents wanted to spoil us, we'd go to Blockbuster to pick out a movie and have family movie night. Moments like those I will hold in my memory bank for as long as my blood pumper is pumping. So how do I teach the daughter of a millionaire what money even is? The best way I've found for now came up after she asked for a Dora the Explorer video game that cost $34. I explained to her as best I could that daddy and mommy work hard to get these things that we call dollars. If she wanted it, we'd get it for her, but she had to earn it. We told her she had to do "chores" and every time she completed a task we marked a tally on a piece of paper hanging on the fridge. When she got to 34 "chores", we'd buy the Dora game. She was so excited, and so was I. She really understood and took to the concept of earning and the fact that one chore meant one step closer to getting that game.
3. Know your why. Any time anyone comes up to me with any kind of idea or business proposition, I always ask them "Why?" It seems simple, but it's actually an intricate question. Nine times out of ten, if someone's why is to make money, they'll fail at what they are trying to do. Here's why I believe this: "Successful" people are usually self-vindicated people. They don't need pats on the back. They don't need compliments. The merit of their work is endorsed by what they see in the mirror. They drive themselves until they are satisfied. People who are monetarily motivated often tire of their occupations and eventually lose focus. But if you are in love with what you do day in and day out, it's not work. Every day you're adding a piece of joy to your ethos. So find your passion, and fall in love with your why.
4. Kindness. It is a virtue that you must have if you are around me. Negative energy sucks the life out of people, and we're here to smile! You must treat people kindly. No one is any better than you are and you are no better than anyone else. We are all doing the best we can to figure out this thing we call life, so humble yourself to the fact that you know very little. I'm no different. I know very little, but I do my best to learn. I've learned things from a man with a PhD, a man who lived under a bridge, and a child. Treat everyone with kindness. It goes a long way. I was taught that people will rarely remember what you tell them, but they will always remember how you made them feel. In that same breath I'll let her know not to let people take advantage of her. Weak people prey on weak people. I'm not into the turning-the-other-cheek business. I firmly believe there are times when people must stand their ground. Pick your battles wisely, but don't initiate any unwarranted hate.
5. Men and her worth. (loads shotgun) A sore subject for any man with a daughter. I will teach her that she is a young goddess. Help her understand her worth. Let her know that she must hold every man accountable for who they are and how they act towards her. There will be a day when I give her away, and they say that a woman spends her life looking for her father in her groom, so until that day I will try to be the example of a man that she eventually will seek out. Men tend to be motivated by one thing. Don't fall victim to a prince charming. If he cares for her, he'll act accordingly. If not (aims shotgun), well, I guess it just wasn't meant to be.
6. The flying spaghetti monster. There are billions of people on Earth with hundreds of religions and sects that trickle off each other. I will never tell her what to believe in. I know parents are very influential on kids' spiritual beliefs and that can be a positive or negative thing. I can give her a basic understanding of religions when she starts showing interest and asking questions. But I will remain silent otherwise. How can I make a young mind believe this is the truth for them when they don't yet have the capacity nor the cognitive desire to delve into something like this? If she shows interest I would advise her to fully investigate a religion and see if it fits her. And if she chooses none of the above, I'll be fine with that as well. The values I instill in her should guide her to her decision. What's most important, I believe, is to support her decision no matter what.
I remember when I first got the call from my girlfriend (who's now my wife), telling me that I was going to be a father. Her voice cracking, tears brewing, she laid it on me. It was news that would change the course of our lives forever. What the hell was I going to do? All I could think was I was a 23-year-old without a clue about how to raise a kid. I had no job, just a tryout with an NFL team.
At the time, I was chasing a 7-year-old kid's pie-in-the-sky dream of being a professional football player
(a dream that has crushed the hopes of 99 percent of children who have
ever attempted it). So I guess you could say I'm one of the lucky ones
that I not only hit the genetic lottery, but had people around me who
believed in my dream. I had also somehow had the luck and wherewithal to
keep my nose clean and do just enough in school to get by. And I had a
wonderful woman looking at me with love and support, who must have been
wavering back and forth herself. That's it. That's all I had.
When my daughter Zeniah arrived, I had a little ball of life staring
at me. How could I teach her that hard work separates winning from
losing when I leisurely procrastinated my way through life? How could I
teach her to dream when I didn't put everything I had into mine? How
could I teach her to be a loving kind human spirit when at the time I
was so bitter at life (I had just been passed on by every team in all
seven rounds of the NFL draft) that my motto was "turn your back on the
world and let them stab." Hypocrites don't make good superheroes and
that's what parents are supposed to be ... superheroes. So I vowed to
unlearn what I thought to be truth and completely humble myself to this
experience.I've thought long and hard about the values that I want to try and teach her. I'm sure this list will change as we both grow, but as of now this is what daddy wants his princess to learn from him before she tucks him away into her memory.
1. Happiness. This is probably the most cliché virtue on the list, but the most pivotal to her success. She needs to understand that "success" is a voyage, not an "x" on a map. I believe strongly that smiles are contagious, so I fill my home with as much laughter as possible. I do this in hopes that this mindset bleeds into her heart. You can't teach happiness, per se, but you can teach perspective and let her see that the situation she is born into is unique and the things she is accustomed to are not everyone's reality. I grew up in some rough circumstances, but in a very honest and humble way, was content with what I did have because I knew there were others out there that had less than me. This leads into the next thing I need my princess to understand.
2. The value of a dollar. I remember sometimes taking sponge baths as a boy because the water had been turned off, or my mother crying and asking me to go to bed at dinnertime because there was no food. But the most vivid memories I have were things like when my dad let me wear his favorite hat on my 8th birthday while he taught me how to make perfect scrambled eggs (which I would challenge anyone to a cook-off with). Or when my parents wanted to spoil us, we'd go to Blockbuster to pick out a movie and have family movie night. Moments like those I will hold in my memory bank for as long as my blood pumper is pumping. So how do I teach the daughter of a millionaire what money even is? The best way I've found for now came up after she asked for a Dora the Explorer video game that cost $34. I explained to her as best I could that daddy and mommy work hard to get these things that we call dollars. If she wanted it, we'd get it for her, but she had to earn it. We told her she had to do "chores" and every time she completed a task we marked a tally on a piece of paper hanging on the fridge. When she got to 34 "chores", we'd buy the Dora game. She was so excited, and so was I. She really understood and took to the concept of earning and the fact that one chore meant one step closer to getting that game.
3. Know your why. Any time anyone comes up to me with any kind of idea or business proposition, I always ask them "Why?" It seems simple, but it's actually an intricate question. Nine times out of ten, if someone's why is to make money, they'll fail at what they are trying to do. Here's why I believe this: "Successful" people are usually self-vindicated people. They don't need pats on the back. They don't need compliments. The merit of their work is endorsed by what they see in the mirror. They drive themselves until they are satisfied. People who are monetarily motivated often tire of their occupations and eventually lose focus. But if you are in love with what you do day in and day out, it's not work. Every day you're adding a piece of joy to your ethos. So find your passion, and fall in love with your why.
4. Kindness. It is a virtue that you must have if you are around me. Negative energy sucks the life out of people, and we're here to smile! You must treat people kindly. No one is any better than you are and you are no better than anyone else. We are all doing the best we can to figure out this thing we call life, so humble yourself to the fact that you know very little. I'm no different. I know very little, but I do my best to learn. I've learned things from a man with a PhD, a man who lived under a bridge, and a child. Treat everyone with kindness. It goes a long way. I was taught that people will rarely remember what you tell them, but they will always remember how you made them feel. In that same breath I'll let her know not to let people take advantage of her. Weak people prey on weak people. I'm not into the turning-the-other-cheek business. I firmly believe there are times when people must stand their ground. Pick your battles wisely, but don't initiate any unwarranted hate.
5. Men and her worth. (loads shotgun) A sore subject for any man with a daughter. I will teach her that she is a young goddess. Help her understand her worth. Let her know that she must hold every man accountable for who they are and how they act towards her. There will be a day when I give her away, and they say that a woman spends her life looking for her father in her groom, so until that day I will try to be the example of a man that she eventually will seek out. Men tend to be motivated by one thing. Don't fall victim to a prince charming. If he cares for her, he'll act accordingly. If not (aims shotgun), well, I guess it just wasn't meant to be.
6. The flying spaghetti monster. There are billions of people on Earth with hundreds of religions and sects that trickle off each other. I will never tell her what to believe in. I know parents are very influential on kids' spiritual beliefs and that can be a positive or negative thing. I can give her a basic understanding of religions when she starts showing interest and asking questions. But I will remain silent otherwise. How can I make a young mind believe this is the truth for them when they don't yet have the capacity nor the cognitive desire to delve into something like this? If she shows interest I would advise her to fully investigate a religion and see if it fits her. And if she chooses none of the above, I'll be fine with that as well. The values I instill in her should guide her to her decision. What's most important, I believe, is to support her decision no matter what.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Junior Jyothi
We have decided that Priya has a good chance to be Junior Jyothi (JJ). This weekend we took her to the Detroit Telugu Association Picnic and we were there for almost 4-5 hours and she did not cry once. She was having a great time with all the people.
The next day we went to an Engagement at a temple with lots of people again, and again she loves people. She will let anyone pick her up and she has fun. Even in the engagement she never cried even once.
We went out to diner to Olive Garden and the next day to California Pizza Kitchen. During this entire time she never cried, she just loves to go out and hang out.
After she comes back, we are all tired but why she has earned her new nick name of JJ is because even after we get home she will stay up, she is totally excited and wired.
Today it is Monday and due to the lack of sleep, Priya actually has bags under her eyes. She has earner her nickname for sure.
Priya you have a good chance to carry on in the tradition of your grandmother, because you love to party.
The next day we went to an Engagement at a temple with lots of people again, and again she loves people. She will let anyone pick her up and she has fun. Even in the engagement she never cried even once.
We went out to diner to Olive Garden and the next day to California Pizza Kitchen. During this entire time she never cried, she just loves to go out and hang out.
After she comes back, we are all tired but why she has earned her new nick name of JJ is because even after we get home she will stay up, she is totally excited and wired.
Today it is Monday and due to the lack of sleep, Priya actually has bags under her eyes. She has earner her nickname for sure.
Priya you have a good chance to carry on in the tradition of your grandmother, because you love to party.
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