Our Baby.

Wednesday 03rd Feb 2010 brought a sunshine in our life. We, AbhiShilpa, blessed with a baby boy on this day. Both Shilpa and baby are doing well. Baby is looking for blessings from all of you...

I believe slideshow below will make you feel that you were with us all the time on the day of baby's arrival.



-AbhiShilpa.

Baby Shower (Dohale Jevan)

Life is a mixture of joy and sorrows. After a recession of 2009 we, AbhiShipa, had a good news to share. Shilpa was carrying and a bundle of joy was waiting to arrive in this world. It was a time to have Baby Shower. We had a celebration with small group of friends here... a picture is worth of thousand words. Please see slideshow to have an idea about the celebration.




-AbhiShilpa.

2008 Tick-Tick 2010

It’s last ½ an hour of year 2009!! And here I am wishing you a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year ahead.

2009 came with a solid bang of Recession and whole world was shaken up. My small world was also shaken up with the recession. On positive note, recession taught lot of things. What helped me in this difficult time is ‘friendship’. Many extended their helping hand in this difficult time.

I am sure many of us must be thinking if 2009 was not there at all. Well… 2009 is already thing of past now. Let’s hope New Year will bring more hopes and more happiness in our life like never before.

We had a nice get together at Panda's place a day before new year's eve. Please see the slideshow below.


-AbhiShilpa.

WINTER

Sunny days are gone and winter is back in Canada. I am sitting in a site office (a trailer) in Northern region of the Province. More closer to North Pole, compared to my home town. The winter has just began and it has already taken a wild look. Temperature is constantly below -30degrees…. With wind chill… below -45. The temperature struck to record breaking -50degrees few days back. Here is the link to the news… click here… (scroll down and read additional information).

Site has been closed for work and craft has been asked to proceed to Christmas vacation. Slight exposure to this weather will lead to frost bite to exposed skin. We need to be confined to our trailers or houses, be in car or in mall!! Santa is coming with lots of snow and chilly weather!

Merry Christmas to you all.

-Abhijit.

Diwali and Thanksgiving

Wish you a Happy Deepavali and Prosperous New Year ahead.

This Monday, 12th Oct. was a holiday for 'Thanksgiving' here in Canada. I enjoyed the holiday as any other holiday, without bothering what and why the holiday was for. One of the colleagues was talking to me in office, after the holiday, about his Thanksgiving…. he enjoyed the Thanksgiving with his family and had ‘Turkey’. Turkey is kind of ‘must’ for thanksgiving!! Also he mentioned that Thanksgiving is at the end of Harvesting season!!! OH WELL…… I suddenly realized our Diwali celebration also happens to be at the end of Harvesting season…. what a coincident!! And this year Diwali is just 5 days apart from Thanksgiving.

Last year I related Halloween with ‘Pitru-pakshya’ now is the time for Thanksgiving to Diwali. Is this just a coincident that we are related some way or other with these continents? (Since British ruled most of these continents/ countries)? Whatever it may be this coincident amazed me.

-AbhiShilpa.

Daylight Saving in Canada.

As winter is approaching, I was wondering when Daylight Saving will ‘began’? And when I have to adjust my watch… so that I won’t be late for my office!!

Out of curiosity I checked on Google for Daylight savings and got some information which cleared my myths and assumptions. First thing, Daylight Savings have ‘Start and End’ pattern. Hence Daylight Time will ‘end’ this winter and not 'began' as I was thinking initially. Second thing… Daylight Saving Time Starts or Ends on Fixed Weekends and at fixed times rather than Fixed ‘dates’.

This information was new to me and hence thought sharing with you all. Hope to have some addition to your knowledge too. Read on the information from net below.

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In most of Canada Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 a.m. local time on the second Sunday in March. On the first Sunday in November areas on Daylight Saving Time return to Standard Time at 2:00 a.m. When Daylight Saving Time begins turn your clocks ahead one hour. When Daylight Saving Time ends turn your clocks back one hour.In Newfoundland and Labrador Daylight Saving Time begins one minute after midnight(12:01 a.m.) local time on the second Sunday in March. On the first Sunday in November areas on Daylight Saving Time return to Standard Time at one minute after midnight (12:01 a.m.) local time. Eastern Standard Time (EST) becomes Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), and so forth. Some areas of Canada not using Daylight Saving Time include, Fort St. John, Charlie Lake, Taylor and Dawson Creek in British Columbia, Creston in the East Kootenays, and most of Saskatchewan (except Denare Beach and Creighton).
NEW! In 2007 Daylight Saving Time begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. This pattern will be followed by all provinces which observe daylight saving time and each province has amended their legislation to reflect this change. Previously, Canada had observed Daylight Saving Time from the first Sunday in April until the last Sunday in October. This change in Daylight Saving Time will keep Canada's Daylight Saving Time pattern consistent with the United States which enacted into law a broad energy bill that will extend Daylight Saving Time in the same manner.
Canada uses six primary time zones. From east to west they are Newfoundland Time Zone, Atlantic Time Zone, Eastern Time, Central Time Zone, Mountain Time Zone, and the Pacific Time Zone.

Year (DST Begins at 2 a.m.; DST Ends at 2 a.m.)
2005 April 3 -October 30
2006 April 2 -October 29
2007 March 11 -November 4
2008 March 9 -November 2
2009 March 8 -November 1
2010 March 14 -November 7

Note: Newfoundland and Labrador Daylight Saving Time begins and ends one minute after midnight (12:01 a.m.) local time.

http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/north-america/canada/

-AbhiShilpa.

Engineer? What the hell is that?

It was my dream (oh! say a wish) to work at Fort McMurray… at the heart of Oil & Gas development! Less did I know how different the world will be here. Apart from atmosphere, which is extreme in this region, the people are also very different and some times extreme too. I, now-a-days, am coming in contact with different people with different backgrounds than my regular contacts (white coloured)…… yesterday I was exchanging greetings with a person and he asked me, ‘what do I do for leaving?’ I said… I am a Civil Engineer!!... “What?? What the hell is that?” Was the question from other end. And he started asking in depth about my work. Initially I thought he must be trying to fool me around… but then it was clear to me that he is from another part of the world than I am. Holly crap!! He was a Heavy Hauler Operator!! You probably will ask... what is this Heavy Hauler Operator? I will just say… they are the richest service-persons around here…. highly paid!!

Well long story short….. you never know, what you should expect from the person opposite to you!! And you will be caught by surprise many a times!

-Abhijit.

Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day.

15th August is marked as an Independence day in India's history. I used to get happy, in my childhood, on this day... no wonder since it was a no school day. Slowly I started understanding, what we are celebrating.... an 'Independence' day. That takes me back to Non-Independence era. And when I reads about that time.... 150 years of ruling... 4 to 5 generations of slavery.... I am certainly not happy.

India was not united when Britishers ruled the country. Whatever the case, it makes me sad on this day. We, Indians, fell short to get rid of outsiders for such a long time.

On this day we shall assure ourselves not to get into such a big mistake ever again for next generations. Remember we have not yet reached 150 years of Independence!! Be united and be disciplined.

Jai Bharat.

-AbhiShilpa.

Sikome Weekend

Calgary is hot now-a-days and getting hotter day by day. People are crowding at lakes and beaches on weekends.... so do we. This time we decided to go to Sikome lake which is just 5 minutes drive from our home. It's an artificial lake... which means the lake is filled with forced water supply. 5 families were sufficient to enjoy the Saturday evening. Here is a slide show of the picnic.

-AbhiShilpa.

Health Care Insurance.

Health care insurance is always a topic of discussion. Especially when one strikes with some serious ailment. Since, in general, we keep healthy and keeps away from serious diseases... we seldom bother for it in day to day life.

America is now struggling to get their Health care system 'set' and out of the flaws. Obama looks determined and also worried at the same time for the Health care in America. While talking about 1 trillion dollar spending on Health care insurance Obama mentioned... "That's real money, even in Washington," he said. "But remember: That's less than we are projected to have spent on the war in Iraq. And also remember: Failing to reform our health care system in a way that genuinely reduces cost growth will cost us trillions of dollars more in lost economic growth and lower wages."... You may right click here and select 'open in new window' to read more about the NEWS.

Find here a link to the video documentary expressing Health care issues in America. The video is 2 hours long and is informative. It compares various Health care systems with few other nations. It's good to have knowledge about it. Right click here and select 'open in new window' to watch 2 hour long and informative video.

Friends, here, I will like to encourage you to leave your comment(s) on the posting... suggesting what Health care insurances we must have? And what we shall avoid? Which insurance company is better? Where we shall be careful, while opting for an insurance? Your feedback will help many others... so do leave your comment(s) about this serious issue.

-AbhiShilpa.