Instagram Discovery

 Everyone else mastered Instagram in their 20s. I’m showing up in my 40s like I just discovered the app yesterday 😂

No kidding - Back in 2016 I vaguely remember posting couple of pics of my kids on Insta, didnt think much of it then. Forward to 2026, I'm so late on the band wagon. I've started creating reels out of genuine interest to reinvent myself. 

Spent years building a career, solving problems, and living life offline.
Figured it’s finally time to share some of it here too. Better late than never.

Starting Instagram in my 40s is humbling 😂
You post something you spent 2 hours making… and get 4 likes.
But honestly? Still having fun learning it.

Stepping up to AI

 Staying in Step with AI: A 40s Mom Returns to Blogging

After a long hiatus from blogging, I find myself returning to a world that looks very different from the one I left. Life moved forward quickly—kids growing up, responsibilities multiplying, and technology evolving faster than ever. One of the biggest changes I notice now is the rise of artificial intelligence. AI is everywhere: helping us write, organize our schedules, answer questions, and even spark creativity. At first, it felt overwhelming, almost like I had missed a huge wave while I was busy living everyday life.

But coming back to blogging has made me realize something interesting—AI doesn’t replace our voice; it can actually help us rediscover it. As a mom in my 40s, my perspective is shaped by years of experience, lessons learned through parenting, and moments of reflection that only time can give. AI might help with ideas, structure, or research, but the heart of the story—the emotions, the memories, the wisdom—still comes from real life.

Keeping up with AI is a bit like keeping up with the changing seasons of life. It requires curiosity, openness, and a willingness to learn something new. Instead of resisting it, I’ve started to see it as a tool that can make blogging more exciting again. It helps me brainstorm topics, refine thoughts, and explore ideas that I may not have considered before.

So here I am, stepping back into blogging with a fresh mindset. Life in my 40s is about balancing tradition with change—holding on to the values that matter while embracing new tools that make life a little easier and creativity a little brighter. If you’re also returning to something you once loved, maybe this is your reminder that it’s never too late to start again. Sometimes, the pause is exactly what gives us better stories to tell. ✨

Back with a bang (Nah not really)!

Okay this note is for me - you did it ! Visiting my blog after 6 years, what was I thinking ? Nothing really,  floating with the waves of my journey. Today I'm penning my thoughts about emotional well being.

Blogging after a long hiatus of six years can feel both exciting and daunting. My tips to help ME get back into the swing of things:

1. **Reflect on Your Journey**: Take some time to reflect on the past six years. What experiences have you had? How have you grown and changed? What new insights or perspectives do you have to share? Use this reflection to guide your content and reconnect with your audience.

2. **Reconnect with Your Audience**: Reach out to your previous readers and followers to let them know you're back. Use social media, email newsletters, or other channels to rekindle connections and invite them to join you on your blogging journey once again.

3. **Update Your Blog**: If your blog platform or design feels outdated, consider giving it a refresh. Update your theme, layout, and any other elements to make it more visually appealing and user-friendly.

4. **Set Realistic Goals**: Don't put too much pressure on yourself to immediately reach the same level of success you had before. Set realistic goals for your blogging journey, whether it's posting a certain number of times per week or month, growing your audience, or monetizing your blog.

5. **Rediscover Your Voice**: Take some time to rediscover your writing voice. Experiment with different topics, styles, and formats until you find what feels authentic and resonates with you.

6. **Stay Consistent**: Consistency is key to building and maintaining an audience. Set a regular posting schedule and stick to it as much as possible. Consistency not only helps you stay connected with your audience but also boosts your visibility in search engine results.

7. **Engage with Your Audience**: Foster engagement with your audience by responding to comments, asking questions, and encouraging feedback. Building a sense of community around your blog can enhance the overall experience for both you and your readers.

8. **Stay Updated**: The blogging landscape may have evolved since you last blogged regularly. Stay updated on current trends, best practices, and new tools or platforms that can enhance your blogging experience.

9. **Enjoy the Process**: Above all, remember to enjoy the process of blogging. Let your passion and enthusiasm shine through in your writing, and don't forget to have fun along the way.

Embrace the journey ahead with enthusiasm and creativity.

Live it

Self Introspection

In the cycle of universe, when you step back for a minute and look at yourself You will see that you are such a tiny speck in comparison to the vastness of space and the time that universe has existed.
What you do, comes back to you. It's all a matter of time, but you certainly reap the benefits of the seeds you have sown. This is the cycle of life. There will be sinusoidal fluctuations (ups and downs) in life's journey.

Indian Astrology talks about effects of planetary transits on a person. Planet Saturn transits into our moon sign once every 30 years, and this transit lasts for 7 long years. During this period, the person is faced with harsh realities of life. The extent varies with each person, but the idea is that there is at least one 7 year period where when you look back, you know your experiences, and how they played out beyond your control. The effects during this period can be felt in health, career, relationships which pretty much sums up all aspects of life. Play it out patiently and know that everyone goes through this cycle and comes out with lessons learnt.

When life gives you Lemons ..

Totally .. especially if it's a friday evening !

Craft project

It is a beautiful and clear Sunday morning as the three of us chit chat in the living room. It was time to jump into action to do what I love the most - doing creative projects. Archu had to decorate a shoe box and make a card for valentine's day as a craft activity. We used gift wrapping paper, scissors, glue, crayons and markers. Within minutes our craft idea was ready.. A couple of pictures for you.

What surprised me.. Archu looked a me and said 'thank you amma' with a beautiful smile, and then gave me the happy hug !

Lifetime Memorabilia

Mission accomplished, finally.

It's been my long time dream to organize all greeting cards that I have received from my school days onward till present time. And I am so proud that I have done it ! I have categorized them into 3 areas: Mine before marriage, Mine and Hubby's after marriage, and my baby's (I know, she is only 4). I'm still improvising on the boxes and labeling. Flashback in time - tears came in my eyes in looking at what my friends had written for me 15 years back. I hold them still close to my heart. All of them are on facebook, the only thing that has changed is that we never get to be together, or chit-chat. But nevertheless, facebooking is the medium now.

There are few handmade cards, some that have been cut out of color paper, some of them are ready made cards. I have to make sure that time does not damage these cards. So what I plan to do is to scan each of them and make digital copies. Then ofcourse, nothing is 'officially' complete without showcasing few of them on Facebook ;)

Keeping up with technology

Presenting my first post from my new tablet - nexus 7. It is a new experience,  pretty neat actually. Now that I have completely made the switch from apple to android OS, I am happy with the user interface, and most importantly Google's android can sync all related items like gmail, maps, YouTube, Google drive, etc. I'm now officially on the go!

Disney World, a recap

I have two words to sum up our trip to Disneyworld, Orlando - 'Fabulous' and 'Exciting'. It was an absolutely worth fun trip to take; and the most satisfying part for me was the fact that I got to do a trip with my parents in the US.

Disney world has everything well planned to make the entire 9 yard experience so gratifying. The Magic kingdom never lets us down, I become a kid myself when I see these rides. I should compliment Archu on being very well behaved; afterall she had her grandparents coaxing and cajoling her throughout their trip. I couldn't ask for more :-)

While the magic kingdom would have been a kids dream come true, the EPCOT served both kids and adults equally. I am always in awe when I think about the planning, design and technology that would have been invested to build these parks. Hats off to them !

Once again, getting back to Houston from a great trip can prove to be a bit challenging to begin with, but as always, routine takes over. We are very happy to back to our home sweet home. As for amma and appa, they took back happy photographs and memories of the trip to Seattle. And for me - I was down with cough and cold (the usuals). I was looking forward to decorating the venue for a Namadwaar event - Carnatic concernt by the Bhat sisters, followed by the Bhagavata saptaha at Namadwaar.

2012 has zoomed past us already ?

Back from paradise

It's almost is like a reality-check to be back from a week long vacation get away. Hawaii was a paradise;  we experienced heaven on earth, literally. Everybody seemed chillaxed, happy, with all smiles; in short it was a life with no planned agendas, no pressing commitments and deadlines. Iit was truly a one of a kind experience.

I would compare the feeling with our Disney Land trip a couple of years back, where we felt transformed into another world - a world where only happiness exists ! Wow, I will cherish this feeling always. We most surely will go back to vacation in Hawaii in future.

It was a trip spanning 7 nights and 8 days. It reminded me of India, actually. Sounds a little offbeat, but in seeing so many folks walking on the streets, seeing a ton of street vendors, small eat-outs, I really could very well relate to India. Plus, with the scenic Waikiki beach being only minutes away from our hotel, it was too hard to let go on our flight back. Couldnt complain about the weather -sunny in the low 80s and slightly humid, I could wear all the nice dresses I had brought along :-)

We brought back gifts for all close ones, and ourselves. Lots of memories in photograhs, and in our hearts. The views from our hotel balconies (patios) was mind blowing - we saw the sun rise, the blue waters, ton of tourists playing in the waters - what a great holiday spirit.

Now, its back to routine. I look back sometimes reflecting on what we were doing same time last week in Hawai to relive the experience. As for me, and hubby and Archu now - the countdown to Disney World, Orlando begins now :-) Yay

'Under the Weather'

Bad timing, is what I label my cold symptoms this time around. We are packing off to a dream vacation to Hawaii in a day's time, and now both my baby and I are under the weather (meaning feeling sick).

I get hit with a cold really bad, twice a year, for sure. Every Aprilish and Novemberish is when I know I am going to fall sick. Weather usually changes in this time in Houston, from either freaking hot to chilly windy; or from chilly cold to warm. Somehow my body knows - first comes a sore throat with pain, then comes a runny nose, then comes the bad evil - the stuffed nose with cough. And not to forget the other add-ons (tired, lazy, sleepy, dull).

While I get through these symptoms, the excitement absolutely remains as our countdown to Hawaii trip has begun. Archu has decided all the toys that will board the flight along with us LOL ! Who can avoid the last minute packing ? It happens all the time :-)

Inspiration

You can never please everybody all the time. This is a bare truth, and those of us who have tried would know. There will always be someone somewhere that will not be as pleased as others. But, that's not your fault ! :-)

We've all seen these folks - the ones who come to us only when we have succeeded. They would not have thought of us in a long time.

Wise Ones, contd ..

I love these.

There are four kinds of people:

(1) Those who make great things happen
(2) Those who watch things happen
(3) Those who block things from happening, and
(4) Those who wonder what happened

Take the time to be aware; it is the opportunity to help others.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Discovering the 'Roots'

I remember being fascinated by a TV commercial for a website called Ancestry.com. It was a new concept, in 2005 perhaps.  I love how in the US, they trace the roots with the Social Security Number  and form the family tree.

Hailing from India, a country that has existed and birthed generations much earlier that the US; I often wish that our ancestors had some sort of tracking mechanism. I'm glad that the PAN number concept has sprung up in recent times, but nevertheless. How many of us can pin point where we came from?  I would love to know though. Many of us have moved cities. Many of us have parents that made the move earlier on in their careers. I know Indians in the US who were born here because their great grand parents moved here in 1950s.

I am curious to know more about my Ancestory. We don't have any tracking mechanism such as Social Security numbers, but it would be nice if I knew the profession the men folk were involved in, where did the move to, what was their place of worship. All of our ancestors are from South India, that I know for sure. Did they migrate from other village, perhaps from other places, I don't have a clue. There is a theory that Iyers (Ayyars)  may have migrated from northern regions generations ago, I don't know anything about that. Googling on this theory may provide more information.

Hubby and I, happen to trace back to similar roots. Both our dad's are from a village called Kalakkad in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. Both our moms' roots trace to a closeby village called Valliyoor. In Hindu Tradition, each family worships a deity called Kula Deivam (Family Deity). They are considered the ancestral god, whom the forefathers and relatives have worshiped through the ages. This is the guardian angel. Every village has a temple for this Family Deity, since most of the family would live in the same village, and be related and be of the same caste. People who have migrated to other places still visit their ancestral village to pay their respects by offerings. Many youngsters are taking the initiative to visit their 'Kula Deivam' and give back both monetarily for the local community.

Let's put some perspective via a mapping below:

Random Musings on a lazy afternoon

It was lunch time at work. Got myself a sandwich from the cafeteria downstairs and got back to my office. It was a relatively slow day at work, so I decided to do some reading online. I casually googled 'Fortune 500 list for 2012'. I was impressed in seeing the results. Chevron was listed in world # 3 ranking. Exxon was on top, followed by Chevron. Walmart, and Conoco phillips followed the list. Way to go Chevron. This is awesome; and in experiencing the chevron work ethic and lifestyle, I think it is well deserved. I'm thankful to god for giving me the opportunity.

On a different note, I totally vouch on this quote.

Will you allow the doubts in your own mind to stop you from getting to the places that you truly have the ability to go. Do you allow what people say about your work, or your dreams affect you ?
The only way that you won't be criticized is if you live a life without taking much action. We will always have people who come against us, even when we feel like we are doing what we can to help humanity. Just be you! Don't let anyone stop you from being who you really are at heart! we have to realize that people will always talk about what we do, as long as we are doing something.

Posting after a hiatus

Last I blogged about six months back, that sounds crazy to me. I'm being lazy, in fact, work has been busy; plus my energy levels run empty by 6 pm, I know !

Now for some penning of my thoughts.

I'm so grateful to everything, everyone. Can't really complain about my 17 mile commute, becasuse I've always driven that distance which is the norm here in Houston. I  keep active so that we channel Archu's energy in the right path and spend quality time with my baby. She loves to sit down with me and pratice her alphabet writing, numbers and we wrap up with fun coloring with crayons.

We hosted a satsang at home, our first one., and It was such a divine experience. My humble thanks to all those who made it possible. All devotees of Houston Namadwaar were present and chanting the divine mantra, and krishna bhajans.

I am developing a magnetic attraction towards the world of spirituality, healthy living, yoga and excersing.  I have always been spiritual since chilhood, and as I mature, I am drifting more toward spirituality and a quest for truth, for answers, for divinity and for self realization. I want to be good to everyone. I dont want to talk about others to others. I am not interested in petty mis-understandings. I am watchful of my words. I want to get to the next level. I'm more focused on my health and in keeping a positive outlook. Isn't that a step up in the right direction? I believe it is !

On a light note

National language, or not ?

Hindi is the official national language of India. It's amazing to see how each state has its own local dialect and still we remain bonded as one country. This truly reflects Unity in Diversity. It's funny though; I went to CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) board and learnt Hindi as my second language elective, and Sanskrit as my third elective. I did not learn to write Tamil, my mothertongue. Mom taught it to me at home.

This Hindi taught at school is very literary, that is, we learnt vyakaran (grammer), wrote hindi essays, read poems, read dohas etc. It was 'bookish', if you know what I'm saying, not the Bollywood way.

I've been in peculiar situations here in the US where we are in a group and hindi friends just talk to each other in Hindi, and presume everyone is comfortable. Really ? No. I have a very empathetic personality and I always put myself in others shoes before judging or talking. I think about how it will affect the person. That's just how I am.I wish others were empathetic as well. It would save the world so much trouble.

What am I watching

I was seeing TV last night after a heavy dinner, following my night MBA class. Happy to be home after driving amidst reckless race car drivers. Not a big time movie buff myself, but I am appreciating good movies lately. Thanks to many websites like soku, yoku that upload Tamil and Hindi movies for folks like me and hubby who are lazy to drive 40 plus miles to see an Indian Movie in Bigscreen at a desi theatre.

Mouna Guru - Saw it last evening, it kept me glued to the screen .. I was waiting for the next twist to happen. Arulnithi, who I saw for the first time actually impressed me. Climax was slightly too melodramatic for me.

Nanban - First thought that went thru me - how good can a 'ditto' remake be (after having enjoyed 3 Idiots to the fullest), but I must say Vijay took me by surprise. No item song, not punch dialogue, no show off, no sarcasm, just plain little situations portrayed thoughfully. Very nice !

Adventures of Tintin - What a visual treat for the 3 D eyes. Archu me and Hubby dear had our focus only on the big screen with popcorn and coke to complete the experience. Loved it ! and not to forget the update on facebook to share my happiness :-)

Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol - This one hubby dear and I managed to pull into our schedules, while Archu was at preschool, to have some couple (us ) time. It was totally worth it.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked - This one was so totally for my bubu Archu. I enjoyed looking at her gleaming eyes and million-watt smile seeing the bigscreen, and I got busy with my popcorn !

Ko - Oh man ! Just could'nt hold myself  from constantly asking questions to hubby dear about this one - I was amazed and immersed into the storyline. Very fresh and brought a new perspective.

Mangatha - Total winner with us. This was special for me because Amma, Appa, Vidyu and We 3 watched together in Chennai, in Inox. Archu was constantly singing Mangatha song which was totally cute see see and hear :-)

7aum Arivu - Good theme, slow storyline. Initially started off solid and later just vaporised away.

Osthe - Could'nt tolerate the first 10 minutes itself !

As for bollywood, we caught up with Meri Brother Ki Dulhan, Dirty Picture, and a special note on RaOne for insulting Tamilians ! Did you really do that SRK? You just lost one of your long time devoted fans :)